Breakfast for Two -- The Snowed-in Edition

This is what my car looked like when I got up this morning.


A few weeks ago, I got an email from someone I used to work with years ago. I remember her heating up her leftovers at lunch and thinking that she was somewhat of a domestic goddess. She was (and is) a great cook and I had yet to touch a raw chicken breast without ziploc bags on my hands. Time has passed and I've become so comfortable cooking that I would be fine juggling raw chicken now (which I actually can't do because I can't juggle...and it would be really weird to juggle raw meat). My friend has had an adorable little son and moved on to a different career.

Anyway, she knows that I cook now and was kind enough to send me a recipe that she was really excited about. She recently discovered the magic of a waffle iron and was searching for healthy waffle recipes. Waffles are typically not the most healthy breakfast choice, but she found a recipe that is both delicious and full of healthy ingredients.

I love my waffle iron.



While in the midst of this blizzard and I decided to try the recipe since I always have those ingredients on hand.

YUM! They smelled delicious, tasted wonderfully sweet, and were filling enough to eat all by themselves. My husband likes to think that eggs are a necessary component to any "special" breakfast and said he was going to make them. The waffles were ready so fast that he hadn't gotten the chance and admitted afterward that he was too full for eggs.

You can totally make this ahead of time, pop it in the fridge, and make a waffle or two when you're ready. Why, hello, tomorrow's breakfast:


Without further ado...

Whole Grain Waffles
~Fast, east, and delicious~

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and 3/4 cup all-purpose)
• 3/4 cup rolled oats (a.k.a. "old fashioned" oats)
• 1/4 firmly packed light brown sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder (I forgot to type this when I first posted this recipe! Sorry!!)
  
• 2 tbsp wheat germ (my friend used ground flax seed)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (this made the recipe, in my opinion)
• Pinch fine salt (I used Kosher and it was fine)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 walnut or peanut oil (I used peanut, my friend used unsweetened applesauce)
• Maple Syrup (I had some from Vermont that a student had given me for Christmas...yum

1. Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high (mine just preheats without any temperature levels.
2. Whisk the flour with the oats, sugar, wheat germ, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In another medium bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, then add the milk, butter, and oil. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, to m ake a batter. Take care not to over work the batter, it's fine if there are a few lumps.
4. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter per waffle (it depends on the size of your waffle iron) and cook until the outside of the waffle is crisp and inside is cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. (The time varies depending on the size and spread of the waffle iron) Serve warm with maple syrup. Repeat with remaining batter.

If you live anywhere in the mid-Atlantic...be safe and enjoy the snow!

Chicken Three Ways

When money is tight, I try to be creative with one cheap ingredient. This week chicken was on sale at Giant. I got one value pack for the week and got one to stick in the freezer for another week to come. I picked up a few odds and ends and walked out with enough food to make three good meals and part of a fourth.

This week is also a busy one. I've got plans Tuesday night, grad class Wednesday night, and Bible study Thursday night. I felt that it was appropriate to bring out an appliance with which I have a love-hate relationship....my slow cooker (a.k.a Crock Pot).




I know that there are countless people out there who are absolutely in love with their slow cookers. I want to be...but I've had some unfortunate experiences with mine. First of all, I don't eat beef. Many slow cooker recipes center around beef because it's the type of meat that is really good when cooked for a long time. Second of all, I've tried several chicken recipes that have resulted in overcooked dry chicken. Third of all, I've tried a couple breakfast recipes that involved eggs...which I'm quite certain should not be slow cooked (at least the ones that I made!). Finally, I am out of the house for a loooong time on most days. The 6-8 hour recipes usually end up overcooked by the time I get home. A recipe that would work for me would need to cook at least 8 hours (more like 10 on most days) and still be edible.

Here's where the love part comes in...I've found some slow cooker recipes that actually work for me!! So I pulled out two of them and got to plannin'.

On Sunday, I went to the store and made Bang Bang Chicken for dinner. I took all of 10 minutes to prep my ingredients needed for Chicken Tortilla Soup on Monday. Since all my recipes for the week required the chicken to be cut into small pieces, I went ahead and cut up the whole value pack and sectioned the appropriate portion for each recipe into plastic bags. I also grabbed a package of hot Italian turkey sausage that I had stashed in the freezer (from a buy one, get one free week at Giant) and stuck it in the fridge to thaw.

On Monday, I dumped all my prepped ingredients into my slow cooker in the morning and came home to a house smelling of delicious Chicken Tortilla soup.

On Monday night, I prepped my ingredients for Tuesday...which, again, took about 10 minutes. It's really easy when you make little meal kits like this:


On Tuesday, I'll dump all my prepped ingredients into my slow cooker in the morning and come home to Spanish Chicken and rice.

On Wednesday, I'll come home from grad class and eat left-overs.

On Thursday, I'll throw together a quick Sausage Soup with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Chickpeas.

Here's how the magic happens:

Bang Bang Chicken over Rice
~This authentic Chinese recipe is simple and delicious~

• 1 chicken breast, cut into strips or 1 inch pieces (I used about 1 1/2 chicken breasts)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp grated ginger root
• 1 scallion, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cucumber sliced
• Prepared rice
  

1. Heat a wok or frying pan for a good 3-4 minutes while you prep your ingredients.
2. Add 1-2 tbsp oil (I used peanut) to the hot pan and then stir-fry the chicken, garlic, ginger, and scallion until the chicken is cooked through. This took me only a few minutes.
3. Add the water, soy sauce, peanut butter, and vinegar to the pan (stirring to coat the chicken with the liquid) and simmer 5 minutes.
4. Finally, add the broccoli and cucumber and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 7 minutes). During this time, the liquid added in step 3 will reduce and make a nice saucy coating on the chicken and vegetables.
5. Serve over rice.

The above recipe was taken from a book called Extending the Table. My husband bought it for me from 10,000 Villages (a really awesome free-trade store). It has authentic recipes from all over the world and tons of other interesting cultural information. It's definitely the kind of cookbook that you can actually read (alright, fine...I've been known to curl up with a good cookbook at bed time...even when it's just recipes).

Chicken Tortilla Soup
~This soup smells so wonderful when you walk in the door~

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 carton (32 oz) chicken broth (4 cups)
• 4 corn tortillas (6 inch) cut into one inch pieces
  
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used Italian parsley because I detest cilantro)
  

Possible garnishes:

• Shredded Cheddar cheese
• Sour Cream
• Tortilla chips on top
• Chopped scallions
  

1. Spray 3 1/2 to 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix all soup ingredients except cilantro (or parsley).
2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours (I cooked it 8-10 hours)
3. Stir in cilantro (or parsley). Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 15 minutes longer.
4. Garnish each serving with cheese and sour cream (and tortilla chips).

My sister in law gave me this recipe which she got from a Pillsbury Slow Cooker recipe book ( ya know, the kind you see in the aisle of the grocery store). It turns out so well...the chicken is moist and the tortillas dissolve a bit into the soup making it creamy and thick.

Spanish Chicken

~Haven't tried this yet, but it looks like a winner~Recipe courtesy of the Pillsbury website

• 1 3/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 lb Italian turkey sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
• 1 cup uncooked rice (or 2 cups cooked)
• 2 cups water
• 1 can (14 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 can (3.8 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained (we skipped these...don't like olives)

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, mix chicken, sausage, bell pepper, onion, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, tomatoes and tomato paste.
2. Cover; cook on low heat setting 6-8 hours (mine will cook a bit more than 8 hours)
3. About 25 minutes before serving, cook rice in 2 cups water as directed on package (or use left over rice). Just before serving, stir artichoke hearts and olives into chicken mixture.
   
4. Cover; cook until hot. Serve chicken mixture with rice.

This recipe was also taken from the Pillsbury recipe book. I think it has all the componants of a yummy sounding meal. I actually made a double batch of rice on Sunday (when I made the Bang Bang Chicken) so that I wouldn't have to cook rice again for this meal.

Sausage Soup with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Chickpeas
~Very simple, very delicious, and freezes beautifully~

• 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 1 medium onoin, choped
• 1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
• 1 medium (8 oz) zucchini cut into a medium dice
  
• 1 lb mild or hot Italian sausage (or you can use already cooked andouille sausage for an even easier soup!)
• 2 (16 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes (can be optional...but I put it in)
• 32 oz low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add the onions and mushrooms and saute to soften slightly (about 2 minutes). Add the zucchini, sausage, chickpeas, tomatoes, chicken broth, and cumin.
2. Partially cover and simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors have blended (about 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste and then serve.
   

This simple recipe is from a cookbook called How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson. It's literally rocking my cooking world and I can't wait to post more about her awesome way of cooking.

So there you have it...several meals made from an eight dollar package of chicken, some items from my pantry and freezer, and some fresh produce.

I Don't Need It, But I Want It

Sometimes I find myself thinking, "I need a new purse" or "I need need a new pair of shoes".

I don't actually need those items...I want them.

That same things happens to me with kitchen tools and gadgets. I see something cool and instantly think that I need it. Most of the time I don't buy it because I don't want to spend money...but every once in a while I buy something that fits under the "want" category. I also got lots of cool things when I got married. Apparently you can register for somewhat frivolous things and then people buy them for you.

Here are a couple of things that I definitely don't need, but I love having...

My Waffle Iron

I got this as a wedding present and I don't use it a ton. But I just love having it for those times where you really really want waffles. We actually made waffles for my Mom for Mother's day because she had a taste for them. It couldn't be easier to use and it makes really good waffles. I am happy to say that I do not use a fancy shmancy waffle recipe. I just use pancake mix (like Aunt Jemima's) and follow the directions on the back for waffles. They taste awesome. There's all sorts of waffles irons out there. Mine is made by Krupps and is about $60 on Amazon. I'm sure you could find one cheaper.

My Stoneware Mini Loaf Pan

I got this from my sister, who sells Pampered Chef items. I really like the stoneware, but you can find similar metal pans on Amazon. The reason I like stoneware is that it conducts heat so well and makes really nice bread. It also doesn't absorb any of the food that's baked in it, so you don't have to wash it with soap. You can just rinse it with water (and sometimes you can use this little scaper tool that comes with it to get the hard stuff off).

I have the regular loaf pan and love it. The reason I just had to have the mini loaf pan is because I like banana bread.

I like it a little too much.

In fact, I've been known to eat an entire loaf by myself over the course of 3 days. If I make mini loaves, I can munch on one of them and put the other three in the freezer. Wouldn't it be nice to just grab a mini loaf of goodness out of the freezer when you need it? A recipe for one loaf of bread makes four perfect little loaves, so you don't have to alter your favorite recipe. The recipe I like to use for banana bread is here. You can obviously make all sorts of other breads in it as well. Mini loaves are great when you are making baked goods as gifts.

My Egg Slicer

Do I love to slice eggs, you may ask? No. I use it mostly for mushrooms and strawberries. In fact, I've been using it a lot lately while I've been on a bit of a Spinach and Strawberry Salad binge. It's not really that complicated, but it makes light work of slicing strawberries and mushrooms for various recipes. I can't say that I use it all the time, but when I do, I find myself saying, "I love this thing".
Mine was made by Tupperware (my sister-in-law won it at a party and gave it to me). Pampered Chef sells one and you can also get them on Amazon and at Bed Bath and Beyond and Target.

(Wow, I love links today)

If we had a ton of money, I would buy one of these


and while I was at it, I would get one of these

with this


and then I'd get this...




...because my husband got a Subaru and I'm jealous.


Ok. I'm done now. :)

Let's Talk Tools - Part II

A while back, I did a post on some of my favorite cooking tools. I thought I would follow up with some more tools that I can't live without in my kitchen.

Dough Knife

I use this pretty much every time I cook. No...I'm not always making dough...it's the perfect picker upper of various food items. On the cooking shows, you always see the chefs use their knifes to scoop up chopped veggies, garlic, herbs, etc. However, scraping your knife across the cutting board to collect such things can really dull your knife. My cooking teacher at The Kitchen Workshop would always say, "Don't dull my knives...use your dough knife!".

Not only does it scoop up way more food, but it's much safer than using your knife. I just scrap the dough knife across the board, scoop up whatever I'm chopping, and then dump it into the pan or pot. It cost mere dollars at Target or other similar stores (I believe mine was $2.99).

Parchment Paper

I always keep a roll of parchment paper in my cupboard. It's useful in ever so many ways. You can put it on cookie tins and, for some reason, they seem to bake better. They don't stick to the paper and it helps to prevent burning. I also use parchment paper as a liner in cake pans for particularly sticky batters. I use it to line the pan for my Lemon Yogurt Cake and Tortilla Pie. I have also heard of it being used as a little packet to put fish or veggies in...although I haven't tried this yet. You can find it in most grocery stores now and I know they sell it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Fancy Can Opener

This multi image picture shows it all. You just put the One Touch Can Opener on top of a can. Then you press the button and it wiggles around the can, stopping on its own. When it stops, you just pick it up and the top comes with it. It takes the whole top off, so you don't have those sharp cut aluminum edges that have cut my finger on more than one occasion.

I have to say that I was resistant to this luxury kitchen item, thinking "I have a regular can opener...why would I need a fancy can opener?" My cooking teacher always uses one and I did think it was rather nifty. Then one day, my very generous Mother-in-Law just bought me one on a whim! She got it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with her 20% coupon.

I find that when I'm in the middle of a recipe, it's kind of a pain to stop and open all the cans the old fashioned way. It's much more convenient to just press a button and have it done. It takes a couple of batteries, which last a while.

Do you have to have fun or fancy kitchen tools or gadgets to make great meals? Nope.

Is it fun to fill your kitchen drawers with them anyway? Yep.

Breakfast for Breakfast, Breakfast for Dinner

My husband, Sonny, loves breakfast food. We usually eat breakfast food for breakfast...but sometimes we eat it for dinner, too! Either way. Breakfast is a quick and easy meal to get on the table.

There are lots of opinions out there on how to make a proper omelet. I personally learned how to make one by watching Julia Child's The French Chef. She felt very strongly about eggs and how they should be made. I've always done it her way and it's always worked.

At this point, I feel that I need to prepare you for a future post on my love and admiration for Julia Child. I watch her show and pretend we are friends. I also do this with Ina Garten. I like to pretend that Julia, Ina, and I hang out and cook together (which would be impossible because Julia died several years ago). But that's for another day, another post.

Julia's Omelet Technique
(I'll take pictures next time I make one)

Don't be afraid of the amount of steps listed...it's not that complicated. I just wanted to be really detailed.

2 or 3 eggs per omelet
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Endless option for filling (more on that below)

1. Determine the amount of eggs you will need and crack them into a bowl.
2. Whisk vigorously with a fork until the eggs are beaten. Add a bit of salt and a bit of pepper.
3. Use a small pan (I use a an 8 inch...when I try to use bigger, it doesn't work as well). Turn your burner up to high and let the pan sit on it to get hot.
4. Once the pan is hot (a couple minutes) drop roughly a tbsp of butter into the hot pan. Immediately pick up the pan and rotate it so that the butter coats the whole thing (including the sides).
5. You'll know the butter is hot enough when its bubbling dies down. Don't let it sit there too long or it will turn brown and not taste right.
6. Pour just enough of the egg mixture into the pan to thinly cover the bottom.
7. This part is important. Immediately begin to shuffle the pan forward and back over the heat (which is still on high). This allows the eggs to cook but keeps them from sticking to the bottom or becoming overdone. Rotate the pan around to allow the uncooked egg to flow to the sides to cook.
8. This is the point where you add filling such as cheese, vegetables, meats, etc.
9. Allow the filling to melt or heat up for just a moment and then take off the heat. Julia is a stickler about not overcooking the eggs.
10. To un-mold the omelet onto a plate, begin to shuffle one edge out of the pan. Once you get about a third of the omelet onto the plate, bring the pan upward and flip the rest of the omelet over-top of the part that's already on the plate. It sounds complicated, but it's really easy. Once you do it a few times, it's as simple as can be.

Fillings: There is no end to the things you can put in an omelet. I usually just find odds and ends that didn't get used throughout the week. Here are couple ideas/pointers:

• Any meat that you put in cannot be raw...cook it first.
• Unless you like your vegetables really crunchy, saute them beforehand.
• It's best to heat the meats or vegetables before adding them to the omelet because sometimes there isn't enough time for them to get warm while the eggs are cooking.
• Sonny and I love to put mushrooms, chedder cheese, and red peppers in our omelets.
• Other options are spinach, swiss cheese, broccoli, any kind of pepper, sausage, prochiutto, mozzarella cheese...really anything that sounds good to you.

Sometimes, for a treat, I'll make homefries to go with our omelets. They are also very easy. Begin the homefries before the omelets because the potatoes take longer to cook and the omelets are done within minutes.

Simple Homefries

1 all purpose potato per person (for a smaller servings, 1 potato could serve two)
Olive Oil
Butter
Kosher Salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley, rosemary, or thyme (if you have any...I don't always add them)

1. Cut up the potatoes into little cubes. I try to get them to be around 1/2 inch. They are not going to be perfect at all, they just need to be about the same size so they will cook evenly.
2. Heat up a tbsp (or more if you are making lots of potatoes) in a large frying pan. Throw a slap (tbsp) of butter in there too. Oil has a high burning temperature so you can get it really hot. Butter has lots of flavor...so you get the best of both worlds.
3. Add the potatoes in an even layer to the hot oil and butter. Let them cook a bit and then toss them around to get the other sides cooked. The time this takes relates to how many potatoes you are making...it typically take me about 10 minutes when I make two potatoes. Do it by feel...if they are golden brown and crispy, they are ready
   
4. Add salt, pepper, and chopped fresh herbs to the hot potatoes and toss with a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Serve hot beside a yummy omelet.

If you want something sweet with your breakfast meal, you can make Healthy Banana-Blueberry Muffins or you could make scones. Here's my favorite recipe that I learned at The Kitchen Workshop. You can use the basic recipe (without the orange zest and cranberries) and add anything you'd like to it (lemon zest, cinnamon, raisins, etc.)

Cranberry Orange Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 sugar (sometimes I put a smidge more in for kicks)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 baking soda
1 tbsp orange zest
1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 pieces
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a large bowl.
3. Mix in orange zest
4. Add butter and rub in with fingertips or pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal (the size of peas)
5. Mix in dried cranberries.
6. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form.
7. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface.* Knead briefly to bind dough, about 4 turns.
8. Form dough into a 1 inch round and cut into 8 wedges. Transfer wedges to a scone pan** or greased cookie sheet.
9. Brush one egg mixed with a tbsp of water onto scones and bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

* Sometimes I just knead it in the bowl to save time and mess. I just form it into a flattened ball and cut it into wedges right in the bowl. This really only works when you are pressing the dough into a scone pan.
** A scone pan is a really neat thing to have if you are in to making scones. It's super easy to use because you can just press the dough into the pan.

Let's Talk Tools

There seems to be a tool or gadget for just about everything you would need to do in the kitchen. I've tried my fair share of them and some are worth the money and some are not. Below is a list of some of my favorite things to use while I'm cooking.

SILPAT

This is going to cost you a good 20 bucks ($16 at Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% off coupon) but it lasts forever and is very useful. It is does not absorb anything and virtually nothing sticks to it. Whether you are baking cookies or roasting chicken breasts, it will never absorb the taste or flavor of what you are cooking.

Picture this: You are making my Island Chicken recipe and the glaze bakes onto the pan. You could do one of two things: Spend long tedious amounts of time soaking, scraping, and scrubbing your pan OR pick up the SILPAT and peel the glaze right off, leaving your pan and the SILPAT completely clean. You pick.

Bamboo Cooking Utensils

I have slowly phased out my traditional wooden spoons and bought more bamboo utensils. First of all, bamboo is a more environmentally friendly product. Second of all, you will be able to see and feel the difference between bamboo and a regular wooden spoon. It has a smoothness to it and it completely resists staining and cracking/splintering. I'm not sure if you are supposed to put bamboo in the dishwasher, but I certainly do and my utensils are holding up great.

You can buy bamboo utensils in stores that sell kitchen tools. You can also order them from a Pampered Chef consultant. I have both kinds and much prefer the Pampered Chef ones. My sister is a Pampered Chef consultant if anyone needs to order any of their products.

Food Mill


A food mill is a fairly underused kitchen tool. It was used back in the day as a manual way to puree food. My Dad always says that his family used one to make applesauce. I first saw one in use on the Food Network show, Barefoot Contessa. The host of the show, Ina Garten (more on her in a later post), was talking about how useful it is to make mashed potatoes. I thought I would try one and went to Bed Bath and Beyond (with my 20% off coupon, of course) and picked one up for less than $20. It takes about a minute to figure out what you are doing and then it's very easy to use. It comes apart and goes directly into the dishwasher. When you are mashing or pureeing food, it helps you achieve a unique texture. I'll admit that I don't pull my food mill out everyday, but I am always pleased with the results when I decide to use it.

I have the one in the picture on the left. Although it works perfectly fine, if I were able to get another one, I would buy the one in the picture on the right. Mine sits down in the bowl whereas the other one sit above the bowl. Sometimes I find that if I'm using mine to process a lot of food, I have to do it in batches because it fills up the bowl and the food mill gets in the way. If the food mill sits on top of the bowl, you don't run in to that problem.



Ok, I think three tools is enough to start with today...I'll add more as I think of them. I'd like to end with four more things I cannot be without in my kitchen. These items are far more expensive than the items above, but are of excellent quality and will last a long time.

1. KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer
2. Cuisinart Prep 11 cup Food Processor
3. Calphalon Contemporary Non-Stick Cookware
4. Henckels Knives