Sauteed Red Cabbage

I don't often go crazy on just a side dish, but since we had some Koren Spare Ribs (pre-marinaded from the store which isn't often, but these are good and I haven't figured it out yet) and had half a head of red (purple) cabbage left in our bi-weekly veggie box from Ricky and Lucy's, I decided to try something new.

Ingredients:
1/2 head of red cabbage
2-3 green onions 
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 - 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar


Directions:
1.Core and chop the red cabbage and chop the green onions (just the white part)
2. In a pan put the butter on medium high to get it the butter started melting. Then add the cabbage and onion to toss it to coat it all in butter.
3. Add in the rice wine vinegar (about half to start with) mix around, then toss in the salt and toss around, and add in about half the sugar.
4. TASTE IT! If you think its a little bitter, add a little more sugar, if you think its too sweet add more rice wine vinegar. Go with your gut and what you like. I liked it being a little crunchy still, but that's up to you!

**The above measurement of rice wine vinegar, sugar and salt are approximate, I didn't measure it precisely so its an estimate. Just add a little bit, taste and adjust. That's how I cook for the most part (unless its baking).

Cooking isn't a since, Baking is. It's about how the food tastes and how you feel about it. Go with your gut and keep trying new things!

Roasted Chicken in the Crock-pot

So if you like the grocery store roasted chicken you can pick up, you will like this even better! I did a lot of searching for a make in the crock-pot chicken and finally found a combination of spices that just are perfect! And better yet it cooks while you're busy all day at work and you come home to an amazing smelling house! And you won't have to cook then!

So if you're ready for a super easy and "fast" roasted chicken in your crock-pot... here we go! 

Crock-pot Roasted Chicken
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (Frying or Roasting doesn't matter)
1/2 an onion cut into thirds
4 cloves of garlic peeled and cracked (smashed)

2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper (fresh ground about 12 grinds)
pinch of chili pepper (or 2)

Directions:
1. Take all the 'giblets' out of the chicken and rinse with water. Pat dry.
2. Mix all the spices in a bowl together
3. take 1/2 tsp of the spice mix and toss in the cavity of the chicken and put the onion and garlic in the cavity of the chicken.
4. Take some cooking spray or oil and just wipe the crock-pot with oil, it makes clean up easier. Then put the chicken in the crock-pot.

5. Evenly take the seasoning mix and cover it all over the chicken.
6. Set the crock-pot on Low for 10 hours (I find that compared to the 8 it retains a lot more moisture in the chicken.
7. 10 hours later its DONE! Fall off the bone good!
 

Let me know what you think when you try it!

Banana Bread

 You might have your own recipe for Banana Bread. I am not a fan of the cake like breads, so I found one that said "moist banana bread" and again tweaked it a bit. This one does take more bananas than others, but I believe it takes less flour than the others. I don't but nuts in it, but of course you can. This doesn't last long around the house when I make it. Seeing it just came out of the oven and I've already had 2 pieces. So we should get on with it, I present to you my moist banana bread for your approval... anyone remember "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" 

Banana Bread
Ingredients:
2 c Flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c butter (1 stick)
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
6 medium bananas


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350*F

 2. Peel all the bananas and mash them up. I use a pastry blender to mash them.

3. Cream together butter and brown sugar. I use a hand mixer for this, it just seems quicker than getting a stand mixer out.

4. In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt.

5. Mix into the large bowl the butter and brown sugar mixture and use hand mixer to blend together.

6. Beat eggs in a small bowl.

7. Stir in the bananas and the egg and mix well and until moistened.









8. Now there are 2 ways you can go with this. 1 loaf or 2 loafs, so pay attention to which one you choose below. I do 2 loafs because it seems to "last longer" in our house, though it could be an optical illusion.

Grease the pan (or pans).

1 loaf:  Bake for about 60-65 mins.

2 loafs: Divide the batter evenly between 2 loaf pans. Bake for about 40-45 mins.




Make sure to use a toothpick to check the bread when its near done to come out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 mins before letting cool on a cooling rack.

 

And Eat! 

 Let me know what you think when you try it! Feel free to share and adapt! 

Fruit Desert Pizza

A healthy desert that is good any time! We had a short notice guest, which was awesome and we are always willing to give a home cooked meal to an out of town friend! So to my out of town friends... you have a home cooked meal waiting for you here in Nebraska, and maybe even a fruit pizza!

So the only thing I wish is that I had more time and I would have made the sugar cookie dough myself, so next time, but for now an easy simple desert that is fresh and without a lot of sugar!


Cookie bottom:
1 sugar cookie roll of pre packaged refrigerated stuff. 
Roll out on to a cookie sheet or pizza pan for a more round shape. Make sure its on the thinner side because it will puff up as cookies do.

Bake at 350*F for 16-20 mins.
KEY to all of this is to make sure you let it completely cool (30 mins) before putting on the "icing"

Icing: 
1 - 8 oz package cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
Blend together and spread on cooled 'crust' / sugar cookie

Topping:
Choose what ever fruit you'd like. I put on Kiwi, Banana, Green Grapes, Strawberries, Blueberries and Raspberries.


Suggestions:
You could make smaller "pizzas" by smaller cookies and individualize everyone's to their liking.


Know what you're eating,  making it yourself and you'll know what's in your food... it really does taste better. Next time, I'm making my own sugar cookie dough!

Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia with Swiss Chard and Rice

Always looking for a new fish dish, since I love fish, but KC is a bit picky when it comes to fish, so its something I only make once a month. I got the thumbs up tonight, which trust me I've gotten a "please don't make that again" before, no matter if I liked it or not. Rare, but it happens. To tonight was a thumbs up! "It was good, not fishy tasting".... which for KC that's what I go for.

So tonight was in 3 parts, 1 rice, 2 swiss chard (which I have never made before) and the Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia.
I suggest this order: If you have a rice cooker start the rice first (ours takes about 45 mins or so) or if you have just the quick rice might wait until closer to the end. Then prep the fish and cut up the swiss chard, start the swiss chard 'stems' then get the fish in the oven, then finish the swiss chard. It ended up with the fish finishing about 2 mins after rice and swiss chard was done.

Baked Dill and Parsley Tilapia
Ingredients: 
4 - 8 oz. skinless tilapia fillets
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
~2 Tbsp dried dill weed
~2 Tbsp dried parsley
Half a lemon

Directions:
Pre Heat Over - 375*F
1. On a metal cookie sheet with a lip, place the 4 fillets flat side (back side) down.
2. Salt and Pepper to taste.
3. This will sound crazy, but its good - Spread the mayo with a butter knife on the fillets evenly.
4. I didn't measure out the dill or parsley, but I shook each over each fillet until covered evenly with both.
5. Take half a lemon and squeeze the lemon over each fillet. If you don't have a lemon laying around use some lemon juice in the mayo before spreading it on, like a teaspoon.
6. Bake in oven for 15 mins.

Swiss Chard
Ingredients: 
1 large bunch of swiss chard, rinsed
2 Tbsp butter
1 quarter sweet onion, dinced
1 tsp ground mustard (since I couldn't find mustard seeds, the woes of a small town)
Salt
Rice vinegar (or sub regular vinegar with a pinch of sugar)

Directions:
1. Cut the stems out of the leaves of the swiss chard, and chop into quarter inch pieces. Dice onions up. Toss in pan on medium high and saute until onions are translucent.  Toss in mustard, and throw in a pinch or 2 or salt and toss.
2. Cut the leaves longways in half and then chop into like 1/4" thick pieces.
3. Throw swiss chard leaves in with onion/stem mixture, toss to coat with the mixture. Let cook a few mins, then turn down to low and cover for about 3 mins.
4. Take off the stove and put into a serving bowl and toss with about 2 Tbsp with rice vinegar.

 



Plate:
About 1-1/2 cup rice, with about 3 scoops of swiss chard on the rice and top with a piece of tilapia.

All the flavors melded well together. And if you've never had swiss chard before, KC and I both agreed it tasted like brussels sprouts, but those are well liked in our house, though not in many homes. My friend Rachel says its better than brussels spouts... It's worth the try. We tried it because it came in our veggie box from Ricky and Lucy's (local greenhouse in Sidney, NE) so we had it to try, and I'm glad we did.

I hope you like it, as soon as I posted the dinner picture on facebook, my good friend Cassie posted she needed the recipe, so Cassie, I hope you guys love it!

Homemade Flour Tortillas

Before we moved from the "Big City" well Sidney I started realizing how much things cost that I could make myself and know they were fresher than the stuff sitting on the shelf at the store. This one is how a lot of the homemade items started, and it just makes more sense! It's cheaper and it doesn't have the "junk" in it that makes the shelf life longer. So today, I give you a simple and easy flour tortilla recipe that anyone can do!

Flour Tortillas
Ingredients:
4 c Flour
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 c vegetable shortening
1-1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 c & 3 tsp Hot water (non boiling)

Directions: 
1. Mix flour, baking powder and shortening in a medium bowl with a fork. Blend until texture of corn meal.
2. In a separate bowl mix hot water and salt
3. Slowly add the water/salt to the flour/shortening mixture. Stir as adding liquid. You want it to be mixed well, but not sticky.
4. Kneed with fist until blended well.
5. Cover and let rest for at least 20 mins.
6. Split into 4 pieces, Divide those into 3 pieces and form into balls (to make 12 tortillas); let rest another 10 mins.
7. Roll out to think, round tortillas without tearing.
8. Cook in a pan on medium high for about 15 seconds on each side. It should puff a little bit, can burn easily so don't walk away.

**NOTES** I sometimes divide into 16 pieces, makes each a little smaller. Also these freeze well! So if you have a day to make a bunch, divide into bags that you would use for say 1 meal or 1 day. I usually go with a half dozen or 8 in a bag. Let cool before freezing.

Not your normal BBQ

Always taking a chance on a new recipe...and being summer, always great times to find a new grill option. I have a love/hate relationship with the Food Network. You may think, love/hate? How do you have a love/hate relationship with the Food Network? Well it's simple, I get a daily email from the Food Network which gives me great new things to try, but hate it because it means well I'm going to have to try it.

So the first BBQ Sauce "Carolina BBQ Sauce" comes from a daily email back in June and from the Neely's on the Food Network. Such an easy recipe for BBQ sauce, that is not your normal sauce. Its a mustard based sauce and had a tang to it that is amazing!!!
The second. "Coffee BBQ Sauce" can also be blamed on the Food Network because it comes from an Iron Chef, Michael Symon (who is from Cleveland) and they made this one day on "The Chew" (the daily show he is on) so I had to try it! Even if you are not a coffee fan, don't worry it doesn't really have a strong coffee taste. 
So if you are looking for a different BBQ Sauce, then this is for you!



Carolina BBQ Sauce
1/2 c yellow mustard
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp mustard powder
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Kosher Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted

Whisk yellow mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to taste in a bowl, mix thoroughly. Whisk in melted butter. 


Coffee BBQ Sauce
1  medium yellow onion (minced)
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Tbsp Coriander (it called for toasted Coriander Seed, but I couldn't find it anywhere)
1/2 c packed Brown Sugar (used light, instead of the dark it called for)
1/2 c Sherry Vinegar
1 c Strong Coffee (I used what we had on hand, Starbucks Verona Blend)
1 c Ketchup
1/2 c Tomato Juice
1/2 Tbsp Cayenne pepper (called for chipotle powder, but again small town hard to find)

**Note** This will need to simmer for 2 hours, should know this before you start making it at say 9pm at night.... :)
1. Sweat the onion in the olive oil with a good pinch of kosher salt in a 2-quart sauce pan over medium heat until translucent, about 2 mins (you don't want to caramelize).
2. Add coriander, brown sugar, vinegar and coffee and simmer for about 10 mins.
3. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 hours. Strain and discard the solids and let cool.

**Can be stored for up to 1 month covered in the refrigerator.


NOTES:  BBQ Chicken
These also been adjusted a little bit when I made them.We have made these both on the grill on Chicken. Sitting the chicken (thighs and legs) for about 20 mins before putting them on the grill. Heat it up to medium heat, brush the grill with vegetable oil to help it not stick so much. One thing we have learned from "The Chew" is sometimes it works better to have the chicken on one side have the burners off, and then have the other side on medium heat and finish them over the flames. Being on the bone chicken, it will take longer to cook, be sure to cook it to 165*F, it may take about 10-15 mins per side. Patients is key.