Curried Chicken Tenders with Kicked Up Ketchup

I had this other post all prepared to share with you tonight....and then I made dinner.  And dinner was AWESOME.  And I got sooooooooooo excited about how this new dish turned out that I just couldn't wait to tell you about it!

So I'm jumping ahead of my game plan. Hope that's ok. ;)

This recipe caught my attention because I have a 3-year-old who's going through...let's say it's a Selective Phase.  When he was a baby, we called him Leftover Boy because he would eat everything.  I miss Leftover Boy.  I'm not sure what happened to Leftover Boy but he walked out of my house a looooooooooong time ago, and in his place I'm left with a kid who eats mac & cheese, pancakes, PB&J, and chicken nuggets.

Needless to say that dinners have become something of a struggle.  We are making progress with at least getting him to try things but it can get so exhausting.  I really try to incorporate dishes I know he'll eat and love but I also like to make sure that Rob and I aren't bored either.

Enter this risky recipe...

Curried Chicken Tenders with Kicked Up Ketchup
Recipe from Food Network Magazine

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips
2 large eggs
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp curry powder, divided
1 tsp cumin
Salt
1-2 cups Panko
3/4 cup ketchup
Juice of one lime

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray. Whisk the eggs, mustard, 1 teaspoon curry powder, the cumin and 1 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl. Mix the panko with 1/2 teaspoon curry powder in another bowl.

Look at all those gorgeous shades of gold!

2.  Dip the chicken strips in the egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, then coat with the panko. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and mist all over with cooking spray. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

My assembly line

3.  Mix the ketchup, lime juice and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon curry powder in a small bowl. Serve the chicken strips with the curried ketchup.

Lined up like little solders

When I decided to make this for dinner, I hadn't fully grasped just how much curry was in it.  But as I was mixing things up and getting my breading assembly line ready to go, I started to get nervous.  Holy cow there's curry in every step of this!  So needless to say I was just about terrified when I saw Gavin excitedly grab the little chicken strip off his plate and sink his teeth in.

"Hey Mommy, I like it.  This is good!"

Former Leftover Boy

I think you could have scraped me off the floor I was so shocked and THRILLED!!!!  The chicken had this very light, but not super intense curry flavor that wasn't spicy at all (helps that I used sweet curry powder).  The panko helped ensure that no matter how I cooked this, they'd be crispy.  Now, I will say that I didn't push my luck with the ketchup; I gave Gavin plain instead.  Rob and I enjoyed the curried ketchup though.  At first I couldn't quite taste a difference, then the sharp tang of the lime came through and that flavor mellowed out with that delicious curry.  Really good with those chicken tenders!

But, what if you don't like curry?  That's ok, my feelings aren't hurt.  Check out the concept of the recipe, using your own favorite spices instead.  I love how this LOADS UP FLAVOR in the egg mixture, and then carries the curry flavor to the breading, and even to the dipping sauce.  Experiment.  Do what feels right and tastes good to you.  That's the fun of cooking!

Beef Roast in Beer

Do you like simple?  I like simple.  And I don't think it get's any simpler than three ingredients.

Beef Roast in Beer
Recipe from Fix It and Forget It

One 2-3lb beef roast (I used a chuck roast)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (12oz) can beer
1 large onion, sliced

1.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Poke all over the surface with a fork.  Season with salt and pepper (don't be shy!).

2.  Pour beer over roast.  Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Get Ahead: Slice the onions the night before too and keep with the roast

3.  Add sliced onion to slow cooker.

4.  Cover; cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I was so excited about eating this that I completely forgot to take a picture of it all cooked!  Picture meat falling apart as I attempt to fish pieces out of the beefy, onion-y beer broth.  Served with some roasted potatoes and carrots with some steamed green beans and this was an AWESOME, minimal-effort meal. :)

The only "down" side I see to this recipe is the need to really plan ahead.  I attempted to make this over the weekend but when I refreshed my memory on the recipe and saw that 8 hour marinating time, I realized I needed to rearrange my meals for the week.  But you know, it worked out for the better this way and it was totally worth doing. :)

I love coming home to simple meal!

Layered Enchilada Bake

Ok, so most of the time when I post about a recipe, it's something that I'd made several days, or even a week prior but usually have leftovers lingering in the fridge.  This is not one of them.  Oh don't get me wrong, I made this less than a week ago, and I even made the full recipe instead of halving it as I normally do.  There is not one container of this left in my fridge.

Yes, it's that good.

Look at those layers.  What's not to love??

My mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe, and I have to say that I was initially skeptical.  Not because it was enchiladas or anything.  Are you kidding me?  I love Mexican food!!  But I noticed right away that there's Italian dressing in it.  Wha--?  Yeah, you read that right, Zesty Italian salad dressing.  In an enchilada recipe.  I'm not kidding.

Ok so this is the point where you just need to trust me on this one.  I am a huge fan of everyone tweaking and altering recipes to suit their own tastes.  However I will say that you neeeeeeeeeeeeeeed to keep the salad dressing in this one.  Believe me, you'll notice the lack of spark in this dish if you do.

Layered Enchilada Bake
Recipe from Jan Swafford, who got it from Kraft Foods

1 lb lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups salsa

1 can  (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed

1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing

2 tbsp taco seasoning mix

6 flour tortillas (8 inch)

1 cup sour cream*

1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded cheddar OR a Mexican blend

*Did you know that plain yogurt has a very similar tang to that of sour cream?  Also, plain Greek yogurt has that same tangy-ness as well as the consistency of sour cream. Mm hm.  All I'm saying is that if you wanted to make this a tad healthier, or if you didn't quite have enough sour cream and needed to supplement it with something else, that you have options.  And this is merely a suggestion; I am not admitting to anything as to how I may have previously prepared this dish so Rob you can quit looking at me like that. ;)

1.  Preheat oven to 400.

2.  Brown meat with onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat; drain.

Start with the basics: ground beef, onion.

 3.  Stir in salsa, black beans, dressing, and taco seasoning.

Save your packets! Instead buy the mix in bulk for recipes like this

4.  Using a 9x13 pan, arrange 3 tortillas so that most of the bottom of the pan is covered.  The cover tortillas with layers of half each meat mixture, sour cream, and cheese.  Repeat layers; cover with tin foil.

My secret to even sour cream distribution

5.  Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes (total 40 minutes baking time).  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Melty, cheesy goodness

I like this recipe, not only for it's zippy taste, but also for the freezing options!  Oh you knew this topic was coming up right?  You actually a couple of freezing choices if you wanted to make this ahead of time:

OPTION 1:  My mother-in-law will put together the meat mixture and freeze that in small containers.  Then when she plans on having this for dinner she thaws the amount of meat she needs, assembles the casserole, and life is good.  This is a great way to prevent potentially soggy tortillas.

OPTION 2: Assembly is usually my time-consuming issue though so I will follow the recipe up through step 4.  Then wrap it extra well and freeze the entire thing.  Then I will just thaw the casserole and bake as directed.  I haven't noticed a soggy tortilla issue but then I haven't been looking for it.

Enjoy!!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese & Pecans

Remember the other day when I mentioned wrapping chicken and beef in bacon?  Yeah, that's a totally fun and tasty thing to do.  Know what makes it even more fun?  Stuffing the meat of choice with cheesy goodness.  Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....................................

This is another one of those fancy-esque meals that can totally impress people but it really pretty simple to put together.  And if you're really pressed for time on the day you want to eat this?  Go ahead and do the assembly and bacon-wrapping beforehand; just keep them in the fridge until you're ready to cook.

My assembly line!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken with Blue Cheese & Pecans
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup blue cheese crumbles [Note: goat cheese is awesome in this too.  Or give feta a try]
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 scallions, sliced on bias
8 slices good-quality center cut bacon

1.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper (sometimes I'm too impatient to pound the chicken; oh well!). Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Seasoning inside and out is important. 

2.  Cover the seasoned chicken with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with 2 slices of bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper (not too much salt though!  Remember that bacon is salty too).

A little goes a long way

3.  Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Want to get that crispy bacon crust going in the skillet before baking

Now, I just want to make clear that I do not like blue cheese.  However, I really enjoy this dish.  The first time I ever made this I did two breasts with goat cheese and two with blue cheese.  Both turned out great actually!  But since Rob's a biiiiiig fan of blue cheese and this is one of the very few ways I'll eat it, I decided to be nice and stick to that part of the original recipe.  If you really don't like it though, try something else.  I think this recipe works best with a crumbled cheese that has that bite to it, however if you like something milder, go for it!

The original recipe also calls for you to make a gravy with this.  I've never made it because I don't want a heavy sauce covering up all those wonderful tastes and textures.  Between the salty crunch of the bacon, the tender chicken, the creamy sharp cheese, the onion and crunchy rich pecans, I think these little rolls are perfect on their own!

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

Does anyone remember that old Rice Krispy treat commercial from the early 90's?  The one where the kids and husband are yelling for the mom to finish cooking and she's reading a novel, enjoying the completed dessert.  Then she shakes out her hair, dusts flour on her face and a sprinkling of fish bowl water before taking her family the beloved treats. Clearly her implication is she slaaaaaaaaved in the kitchen for them.

I think about this commercial a lot because it's in a way applicable to my style of cooking.  Sometimes I get the impression that others see my cooking style and schedule as complicated and nearly impossible to duplicate.  That is sooooo not the case though!! I do my very best to find recipes that are easy and can quickly be thrown together in under an hour.  It is so much fun to find a recipe that sounds fancy and complicated, only to realize it calls for a few basic ingredients and comes together in 15-20 minutes.

This pasta dish is like that.

I like to use whole wheat pasta.

You may notice that I'm experimenting more with lemon flavors lately  Two reasons for that... 1) I happen to like a bright lemony flavor.  I think it makes a dish taste fresh and summery.  And 2), though this is the main reason actually, Gavin loves lemons.  He will seriously order extra lemon slices at a restaurant and eat them straight.  No sugar or anything; just lemon.  And yes, it's hysterical to hear my 3-year-old politely order a glass of ice water with sliced lemon on the side.

Hello shrimp, prepare to be roasted!

Anyway, back to cooking...  I found this recipe and thought I'd give it a shot since it combined lots of lemony flavor with a very short & basic list of ingredients, plus a fast cooking time.  Can't go wrong with that right?

Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine

2 lbs frozen shrimp, thawed, peeled, & deveined
Olive oil
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper
1 lb angel hair or thin spaghetti
2-3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Zest and juice of two lemons

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook according to package directions.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.


2.  Preheat oven to 400.  On a cookie sheet, toss together the shrimp with a couple tablespoons of oil, some salt and pepper.  Roast until the shrimp turns pink, about 6-8 minutes.

Look at those pink cuties!

3.  In a large bowl, add the zest and juice of two lemons with the melted butter and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Whisk to combine.  Add the hot pasta and toss to coat.  Pour in some of the pasta water if the noodles seem too dry.  Add the shrimp and serve with shredded Parmesan.

Don't have a micro plane?  Get one.  They're AWESOME

Yummy, yummy, yummy pasta and shrimp

I reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaally liked this dish.  It was so easy to make and I liked that bright, intense lemon flavor.  I liked the freshness of it, the lightness of it.  Even Rob enjoyed it!  Gavin.....well, he took a bit more convincing.  He ate the pasta right away.  But after pushing the lonely shrimp I gave him around his plate for an hour (not kidding, an entire hour), he finally ate it and declared "I like it! Buuuut, it's kinda weird."  *sigh*  Oh well, I guess that's a 3-year-old for you.  At least he ate it and I think I might have a shot of getting him to eat more shrimp in the future.  And honestly, that's all I'm looking for at this point.

Get Ahead: Pulled Pork

Sometimes I think chicken and hamburger get too much attention.  Know what I mean?  When searching for new recipe staples, it's almost always "how can I make chicken and rice new and exciting?"  Or, "what else can I do with that pound of hamburger in the freezer?"  Sometimes, maybe for a thrill, we might throw in a pasta dish during the week's menu planning.  Oh joy.

What about pork??  No, I'm not going to go all "Pork: The Other White Meat" on you but seriously, how does this flavorful hunk of meat get overlooked?  I'm sure it's paid plenty of attention at breakfast time (baaaaaaacon......mmmmmm.... sausage....mmmmm).  Did you know though that there's more to a pig than just bacon?  Did you know that frozen cooked pork can be just as handy and, dare I say, necessary as frozen cooked chicken?

I am discovering just how versatile pork really can be.  Pork tenderloin is one fabulous, fast-cooking meat that should be every busy cook's go-to meat for last second entertaining (bakes in 20 minutes??  OK!).  Or take a strip of your breakfast bacon and wrap it around some chicken or beef; toss that baby on the grill and people will melt at your feet.  And pork chops!!!  Oh I love me a good pork chop sandwich.  But the big thing I'm into right now?  Pulled pork.

Pulled pork is typically made using pork shoulder and technically it should be smoked.  Well, until that day comes where either Rob or I want to experiment with smoking meats, I settle for doing things in my oven or slow cooker.  My goal is just to get the meat cooked to a point where I can easily pull it apart by hand.  That's all.

Pulled Pork
Recipe from Jeanna's head

8 lbs pork shoulder
8 tbsp spice blend [I used Galena Street Rib Rub from The Spice House]
1/2 cup brown sugar

1.  Remove crock from slow cooker, or use a large bowl.  Place pork in crock and massage in the spice blend and sugar until everything is well coated.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

My rub of choice

[Note: don't be scared of the amount of seasoning you're using.  You want to use about a tablespoon of the spice blend per pound of meat.  Sugar is optional; I used it to balance the red pepper flakes I noticed in the blend I chose.  I did not feel though that the sugar or spices overpowered the meat; rather it gave a nice background flavor to it.]

2.  Replace crock in slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

I want to point out that I added ZERO liquid.  Fatty meats produce their own juices as they cook.

3.  Shred pork and use as you wish.

Biggest bowl I have and it was OVERFLOWING with porky goodness

There really are just so many things you can do with this.  Toss some of the pork together with barbecue sauce for sandwiches (add chips and a fruit salad and you have a perfect spring/summer lunch or dinner).  Use pulled pork for enchilada, burrito, or taco filling.  Shoot, go crazy and sprinkle it on top of nachos!  Add it to your favorite chili/soup/casserole recipe.  See where I'm going with this?  Wherever you would normally think to use chicken or beef, try using pork instead.  I think you'll really enjoy the difference in flavor that pork can lend to the dish.

Carrot Cupcakes

I'm still working out some final issues regarding pictures, so I don't have the Lemon Pasta with Shrimp recipe quite ready to go.  I'm sorry.  Forgive me please?  How about I distract you with cupcakes... would that be ok?

Distracted yet?

Normally I am about the biggest fan of the boxed cake mix that you can find.  I have tried on numerous occasions to make a cake a scratch.  Don't get me wrong, the cake always turns out fine....however I don't think it's any better than what I get from whipping up a boxed version, so why expend the extra time, money, energy, and ingredients on a from-scratch version?  Much as I adore baking, even I don't see the logic in that.

These carrot cupcakes though....oh my.  They. Are. DELICIOUS!!  They turn out so moist and yummy and wonderful with just that hint of spice.  I will go out on a limb and say the cake is even better than a box mix, and certainly not any more difficult to put together.  Bonus!!

And then can we talk about the frosting?  Yes, let's talk frosting.  Unless you're talking cream cheese or that caramelly deliciousness that tops a German chocolate cake, I don't really do frosting that much.  I'm sorry if that offends but I'm just not a frosting person.  Being carrot cake though, these demand a cream cheese frosting so I get extra excited about carrot cake in general.  But why stop at ordinary cream cheese frosting?  Let's step this up and add a lemony kick to it!  W.O.W.  The balance of the sweet tart frosting with the moist, rich, spicy cake is just out of this world.

Is it any wonder I made these for my mom's birthday?  She is TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

Carrot Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Ellie Krieger, The Food You Crave

For the cupcakes:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots [Note: do NOT get the pre-"shredded" stuff from the grocery store; shred these yourself.  Those bagged "shreds" are more like matchsticks so unless you like carrot crunch in your cake, shred your own carrots.  Trust me on this one.]
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts, or thereabouts ;)

For the frosting:

4 ounces Neufchâtel cheese (reduced-fat cream cheese), softened
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1.  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together both flours, the baking soda, salt, and spices. 

Yay for spices!!

2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs until well combined. Whisk in the applesauce, vanilla, and carrots. 

 I am absolutely in love with that gorgeous orange color.

3.  Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the walnuts. 

Walnuts are my favorite.  I buy them in bulk.

4.  Divide the batter between the muffin cups; I find the best way to do this is with an ice cream scoop. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mmmmmmmmm cake batter...

5.  To make the frosting, with an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the walnuts. The cupcakes should be stored in the refrigerator, where they will keep for about 3 days.

Fluffy, pillowy clouds of sweet tartness.  YUMMM!

I think these cupcakes are the cat's meow.  But.  I have one teensy tiny issue with it.  Between the batter and frosting, it makes EXACTLY enough for 12 cupcakes.  So be careful not to overfill the muffin tin.  And when you're frosting, maybe frost a little conservatively.  The flavor is powerful enough that you don't really need a lot of frosting, however if you are a frosting person you will want to double the frosting recipe.  Use any leftover frosting on pancakes. ;)  Or as a fruit dip.  THAT would be tasty.