Since I ended up being out of town a few hours today instead of Thursday, I moved my crockpot-based meal to today. So, today we had our family-favorite chicken and dumplings. We had leftover chicken last night, so I made Chef D's favorite chicken salad for sandwiches on a slice of sourdough bread to have along with the dumplings. This worked out great to stretch the meal since we ended up having two additional guests for dinner. Everyone ate all of their dumplings (and I even sent some leftovers home
This recipe from Food Network's Tyler Florence was not only fun to eat, but it was fun to make. I appreciated that it used a store-bought rotisserie chicken and even made it a bit easier by picking up pre-made guacamole and using a saffron rice mix. Since only Chef D and I would be eating enchiladas (those picky children just miss out on all the fun!), I only needed half of the chicken. I used the other half to make Chef D's favorite chicken salad which we'll use tomorrow night as a sandwich side for our chicken and dumplings (I am moving around my menu a bit based upon some scheduling changes on my calendar).
This crockpot recipe took a bit more preparation than I had anticipated, but once it was in the crockpot, all went smoothly. I left it all day (7 hours) without a problem. 
Chef D needed something to contribute for an office luncheon today and these were the resulting yummy morsels. He decided to adjust a recipe I used last week for a whole chicken. He used chicken thighs and legs, although you could easily use wings, as well (boneless breasts would not work as they do not have enough fat content). He took the seasonings from the recipe and coated all the chicken pieces, placed them in large aluminum pans (covered with foil) to sit overnight in the refrigerator. Last night he placed them in the oven on 250 degrees for 5 hours (just like the original recipe). When they finished (around 1 AM), he turned them on low for the rest of the night. He removed them from the pans (by that time, the juices were almost covering them, keeping them oh so moist), placed them on a broiling pan and broiled them for a few minutes to crisp-up the outside. He then placed them in fresh pans to take to the office. I tasted a piece and it was so moist and flavorful. As usual, another great job by Chef D ... your office is blessed to have you!
This roast beef was very easy to prepare. Just a few minutes of chopping the vegetables, seasoning the roast, and starting up the crockpot at 6:00 AM. Eleven hours later, I had a tasty, tender roast. This is what I love about cooking with a crockpot. It left me plenty of time to throw together some cornbread muffins to complete the meal as well as macaroons to serve during our bible reading group tonight.
This meal was just an all around success, in my opinion. First, it was easy and not overly time-consuming. I was able to quickly chop of the items for the relish in the beginning so the flavors could sit and meld together while I worked on the other parts of the course. I had never cooked basmati rice and I have to admit that just the name of it caused a bit of apprehension. But, I jumped right in and followed the very easy directions provided by Michelle [and I was happy to find the coconut milk at the first market I stopped by earlier today when I was finishing the grocery shopping for this week's meals]. This rice did seem to soak up the liquids sooner than other rices, and I did add a bit more water during the last 10 minutes of cooking, but it all worked out just fine. I usually bake or grill salmon, so this pan-fried version was a little new to me and I hoped the fish would end up moist enough for Chef D. The recipe held true to it's word and 4 minutes on each side on medium high heat was perfect.
Although I believe this meal has an attractive and appetizing appearance, it just did not work when it comes to evaluating it's taste. The flavors were too strong and too similar for each course. We will not be making this again. Chef D was in total agreement with this decision.
I ended up making a few changes to the menu for today. At the last minute, I decided to make a risotto instead of the whole grain rice. I also found some asparagus to steam in the place of a tossed salad. Tonight, we had a guest, Mama S, for dinner who agreed to provide her own review of the dinner.
For more menu planning ideas, please check out The Organizing Junkie.
We spent the very hot afternoon celebrating D2's 7th birthday with a party at the church with his friends. We blocked off the old parking lot while D2, einstein, and seven friends rode their bikes, scooters and skateboards. Afterwards, D2 had the honor of selecting where he wanted to dine for his celebration dinner. Yes, just as I anticipated, he chose McDonald's. He even chose the new, fancy-schmancy Mickey D's with the indoor treehouse playground and updated decor. I have to admit that the Asian Grilled Chicken Salad was edible.
Goal: Today's goal was to prepare a meal that could be made earlier in the day with little last minute preparation since I would be leaving to go scrapbooking immediately after dinner.
Since today is D2's birthday, he was given the serious responsibility of choosing the menu for today's dinner. He is a huge pasta lover and chose his most recent favorite, mini penne pastas with sauce, and fresh red delicious apple slices on the side. I decided to add a tossed salad (leftover from Tuesday's meal) and garlic toast (using some hamburger buns found in the pantry that were slightly stale, but still edible -- just dabbed some butter on them, gave them a few grinds of garlic salt and tossed them under the broiler for a few minutes). The boys passed on the salad, and Chef D and I passed on the apples.
That is the name that Chef D came up with for these tamales. They were made by a lady from Guatemala, not Mexico, and they are very different from the tamales we are accustomed to. Instead of being steamed inside of a dried corn husk, they are steamed within a huge banana leaf. They are also HUGE, with a whole piece of chicken (sometimes with a bone!), surrounded by mucho masa, and covered with a chocolate-infused molé. I served it with leftover Tijuana Kitchen rice from last Friday's meal and a crisp tossed salad.
Hoisin Chicken with Broccoli: I chose something simple because I knew I might not have much prep time today since it was a holiday and we may be spending time away from home. We did end up dining out for lunch as tigergirl was on her way back to Tigertown (providing her own transportation in her own vehicle this time!). We made a stop at the market to pick up the necessary items for this week's meal before she hit the highway. I am happy to report that most of the cooking this week will be completed with items already in the pantry and icebox. I must add that I changed the menu by replacing the broccoli with fresh steamed pencil-thin asparagus, drizzled with melted butter and salt and pepper. I made this change when I realized we had asparagus in the icebox that needed to be cooked soon. The broccoli can be used with lunch salads during the week.
Here it is, my very first meal planning post participating with the folks at Organizing Junkie. Please check out her site for more menu planning ideas.
