three-cheese chicken pasta bake

I chose this recipe because I needed something within our calorie limitations that could be prepared and cooked in advance and still be easy to serve.  I knew that my daughter would not eat all of the recommended ingredients, so I made a separate smaller dish for her with only the pasta, chicken, soup, and three cheeses.  I made extra of the chicken for Monday night's meal to use with this dish.

She really enjoyed her 'special' serving.  I wish I had made more for her and less for Chef D and myself.  I liked the dish, but I am not sure sure about Chef D as he only ate a small amount.  He really isn't a big 'casserole' eater.

In the end, I would recommend it if you are looking for a cheesy casserole dish with fewer calories.

teriyaki chicken thighs with shitake ginger soup and bamboo rice

I really liked this teriyaki chicken tonight -- yummy!  I had all of the ingredients here, since we used many of them during Supper Club Saturday last weekend.  After they were finished on the grill, I put them in a small iron skillet, covered with foil, and placed them in the warming oven while the rice finished.  They were still tender and had a nice, sweet flavor from the marinade.  

This bamboo rice that we found at Fresh Market last week looked yummy and has only 160 calories per cup, so I had to grab a jar to give it a try.  I was a little disappointed.  I did not really know what to expect, but it was pretty flavorless.  The green onions and a little salt and pepper helped somewhat, but I will need to come up with something else to add when I use it again.  Chef D ended up putting his in his soup.

I decided to try to recreate Chef D's soup from last Saturday, minus the noodles, but I did not quite hit the mark.  I will need to add some additional bouillon next the time.  I still liked it, though.

Again, a good meal for under 300 calories this time!

rosemary grilled chicken thighs with sauteed garlic spinach and two-cheese polenta

This Southern Living recipe just looked too good not to try and turned out to be pretty simple to prepare, as well.  Although the recipe said that boneless breasts or pork tenderloin could be used, I stayed with the thighs in hopes of a more moist meat.  The thighs marinated for about 20 hours and were true to recipe in only needing about 5 minutes per side on the grill.  At that point, I pulled them from the grill and wrapped them, covered in the fresh lemon juice, in foil and kept them in the warming oven until Chef D arrived home from work.  I used polenta in the place of the called-for grits (since I had some in the cupboard that needed to be used) and used chicken stock instead of water.  As always, it ended up needing extra liquid so I added about 1/2 cup of water extra during the 25 minutes of cooking.  

I wasn't too sure about the spinach, but decided to give it a shot.  Chef D was quite the good sport and ate all his spinach, even though I know it would not have been his choice of vegetable.  Personally, I did not care for it either, but ate mine as well.  The chicken was good and the polenta was divine (in my mind, grits are the perfect food).  I will definitely fix the chicken and grits again:)  

thai chicken skewer wraps with kow pad (fried rice)

This is my final test of a Cuisine at Home recipe.  The thai chicken skewer wraps were the last of the recipes I culled from my 2 year supply of Cuisine at Home magazines.  It seems that most of my choices were asian-inspired recipes and I found that many of them used red pepper flakes that brought way too much heat to the table.  I probably should not have tried to do them all in a two week period, but spread them out amongst less-spicy meals.

The peanut sauce was really good, even though I did make way too much.  I did save the remainder to use on ramen noodles. I did not necessarily follow the kow pad recipe exactly.  It was okay, but nothing special.

If I attempt this recipe again, I will make the following alterations: 

• use iceberg lettuce 
  
• velvet the chicken in small pieces and stir-fry it with some of the peanut sauce (instead of skewering and broiling -- no flavor)
  
• omit the cilantro
  
• make less of the peanut sauce

weekend update

Chef D made some of his famous smoked ribs to take and share on Saturday when we did a little tailgating before the Auburn-Arkansas game.  The football team did not have a great night, but I know all who tasted those ribs only had great things to say.  His ribs are always great, but these were particularly tasty and I think it was, in part, by his addition of some brown sugar to his rub.  Way to go, Chef D!

This morning I started the crockpot chicken piccata and made the mashed potatoes before we left for church.  The flavor was pretty good, but the chicken was a little dry.  That may have been because I ended up using chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts (one of those surprises when your chicken thaws and it isn't what you thought it was!).  But, I also just don't think boneless chicken does well in a crockpot.  If I try this recipe again, I will use bone-in thighs.  I also realized this morning that I did not have the artichoke hearts, so I did not include them. 

yakatori chicken with stir-fried vegetables and jasmine rice

This is a recipe from Guy Fieri's Guy Off the Hook series on Food Network.  It sounded too good to pass up, so tonight we had a little Yakatori Chicken.  Since I had several bell peppers that had been purchased last week for a meal that was never made, I decided to stir-fry them with some onions and mushrooms.  Then, at the last minute, I decided we needed a starch, so I pulled out the basmati rice.  I noticed that it suggested to let the rice soak for 20 minutes prior to cooking to get the full length of the rice, so I decided to go for it.  Wow.  That was some long rice.

The preparation was a bit labor intensive, taking more time than I usually do to prepare dinner.  In the end, it wasn't bad, and even had a decent flavor. But as Chef D put it, "ooo, chicken mcnuggets!".  Yes, he was being a bit sarcastic, but in a funny way.  If it had been a quick and easy to fix course, I may have considered it again in the future.  But, this was way too much work for a meal that did not bring fireworks to the palate.

bb's chicken and dumplin's with a chicken salad sandwich

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

 with our guests) and the chicken salad was a success (except for a minor incident of someone sneaking their pecans out of their salad!).

Oh, my.  These Brownie Cups were delicious, according to everyone who ate them.  Of course, Chef D thought they could use a little more sugar, or at least a dollop of marshmallow cream!  He has quite the sweet tooth.

chicken enchiladas with roasted tomatillo-chile sauce with a side of saffron rice

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).

The enchiladas were a little softer than I had anticipated, but were yummy nonetheless.  Chef D gave a thumbs up, so I will keep this recipe in the queue for awhile.

chef D's version of mimi's sticky chicken

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!

mimi's sticky chicken with risotto

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.

REVIEW:

Flavor:
Chef D thought the flavor tasted similar to rotisserie chicken. The risotto had a good flavor, a little on the sweet side, without the negative undertones of the risottos he has cooked recently.
Mama S liked the flavor of the chicken and said she would eat it again. She liked the 'sticky' skin the best because it had all the flavor. She also enjoyed the taste of the risotto.
[I loved the flavor of the drippings from the chicken, and the flavor of the chicken skin. I was a little concerned about the red onion in the risotto, but I was amazed at how it cooked to such a translucence that it was practically invisible in the end. Invisible, yet oh so tasty.]

Texture:
Chef D enjoyed the chicken and risotto enough to pack up some of the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow
Mama S had breast meat and it was tender and not dry. The chicken skin was a little chewy and the risotto was kind of gooey, but still soft. The asparagus were tender, but a little tough on the bottom.
[When the risotto was first ready, Chef D was not home from work, so it had to sit for about 15 minutes before we ate. Unfortunately, that totally changed the texture, which originally was just about perfect.]

Ease of Preparation:
The chicken was easy to work around since it cooked long on such a low temperature. The risotto was not difficult to prepare, but it took constant attention.

Recommendations for future use:
If I make the sticky chicken again, I will ensure that I baste the chicken more often at the beginning. It went about an hour before the first basting and I am afraid that may be the cause for the toughness of the skin. If I make risotto again, I will try to plan the timing better so that it does not have to wait and end up gelling up like it did tonight.

Rating: 4 stars

baked hoisin chicken

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.

REVIEW:
Goal: Today's goal was to have a simple meal that had at least one course that the boys would eat.

Flavor:
Chef D thought that the asparagus had a good flavor. He thought the flavor of the chicken was missing something. He does not find hoisin a flavor to stand alone, but has found that it needs to have other flavors added to complete it. Overall, the meal was a mixed bag of flavors. The asparagus and white rice did not really complement the hoisin flavor as more asian-inspired components might have done.
I liked the peanut-like flavor provided with the hoisin sauce and thought the asparagus were yummy.

Texture:
Chef D was pleased with the texture of all items (chicken, rice, and asparagus).
I was really happy about the outcome of the texture of the chicken. I did end up using chicken breast tenders instead of chicken breast halves, though, since they were on sale this week at the market. I also pounded them a bit with the kitchen mallet. I halved the recipe and used 6 tenders with 1/2 cup of hoisin and cooked for 20 minutes. I steamed the tiny asparagus in a bamboo steamer in the wok for 2 minutes, then turned off the gas and they sat for about 4 additional minutes while we prepared our plates. That left them at that perfectly crisp stage that I love. The rice was fine cooked at it's usual 20 minutes.

Ease of Preparation:
This was a very easy meal to prepare and only took about 25 minutes of total preparation and preparation time for everything.

Recommendations for future use:
I will use this recipe again, but will research to find additional spices to add to the hoisin to make it a more complete flavor. Overall, it was a success at having a utilitarian meal providing protein, starch, and vegetable.

Rating: 3 stars
The boys ate the rice and freshly julienned carrots. Chicken nuggets from the freezer were added for D2, while einstein had a mozzarella stick and added some cinnamon to his rice.

taquitos

This set of recipes come from an episode of Food Network's Guy's Big Bite with Guy Fieri. I tried to follow the recipes as closely as I could (and came pretty close, I might add!). They can be found at: taquitos, tijuana kitchen rice, and strawberry margarita. Oh, and to clarify, Chef D informs me that these are not taquitos, but flautas. He explained that taquitos would be like little tacos, just folded in half, whereas flautas are rolled.

REVIEW:
Goal: Today's goal was to take a little extra effort and prepare something new -- be a little creative.



Flavor:
Chef D initially found the flautas to be bland, even after adding the guacamole. However, he found the tomatillo sauce plus a little salt and pepper made them very flavorful. Spanish rice is not his favorite, and he rarely eats it if it is part of a meal served when we are dining out, so I was definitely apprehensive about how he would handle it being served. I was pleased to hear that he thought it had a good flavor and actually ate all that was on his plate! Chef D prefers his margaritas on the rocks, but agreed this frozen version was acceptable.
I also found the filling for the flautas to be bland, but the tomatillo sauce was just the kick it needed. The rice and margaritas were just perfect.

Texture:
Chef D gives both the flautas and rice a thumbs up on texture. The margarita was much to thin at first, so we had add more ice, and therefore more tequila. It still was not thick enough, so we threw it into the ice cream maker for a few minutes. Perhaps it was not supposed to be frozen, but that is the way I like it, so that is what we did. I appreciate Chef D bowing to my wishes here.
I loved the crunch of the fried corn tortillas. They really added so much to the flautas. I have very little experience in making spanish rice, so I was thrilled that it turned out not mushy and just about perfect. What can I say about the margaritas? I can say that I am happy we have an ice cream maker.

Ease of Preparation:
Even though this recipe was tauted as easy and taking less than an hour, it took me a little longer. I started at 4:15 pm and we did not sit down to eat until 6:05 pm. Although I was certainly capable of preparing and cooking this meal, it was a bit more work than I had anticipated. There is much that could have been accomplished in advance, and I will take that into consideration for the next time.

Recommendations for future use:
The potatoes are really unnecessary for the flauta filling, and just add more carbs and calories, so I will not include them the next time I make the flautas. I cut the recipes in half, but could easily cut them in fourths and have adequate food. There was an enormous amount of guacamole left. This meal is definitely high on the carb and calorie count, so I will save it for a special meal. I will probably just use pre-made guacamole or use a more simple recipe instead of this one. I also realize now that I could have used the leftover chicken from Monday's meal, and will keep that in mind in the future.

I am now replacing the former "goal success" category with "rating", providing a place to rate the overall performance of the meal, not only related to how it met the goal.

Rating: 4 stars
I really wanted to give it 5, but the flavor issues with the flauta filling had to cause me to hold back. I would definitely cook this again.

oriental chicken wraps

Due to the fact that Chef D strongly dislikes chow mein noodles and prefers not to include mandarin oranges in a wrap, I made a few alterations to the recipe. Instead of chow mein noodles, I fried up a few wonton wrapper strips and julienned a carrot to include in the wrap. On the side, there was fresh honeydew melon balls, strawberries and green grapes (mostly on 'my' side, as Chef D passed on the fruit).

REVIEW:
Goal: Prepare a meal instead of dining out

Flavor:
Chef D had issues with the mixed cultures being represented (using the hispanic culture's flour tortillas with chinese-flavored filling elements). This was especially noticeable with this recipe since it brought to mind (or palate) one of his favorites, Oriental Chicken Salad, but was higher in carbs due to the tortillas. The fried wonton wrapper strips definitely helped add to the flavor in the place of the chow mein noodles.
I enjoyed the wrap, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had followed Chef D's lead and use the Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing we had in the fridge instead of the recipe's dressing. My favorite part was how the flavors were reminiscent of the Oriental Chicken Salad that Chef D made for me first during the beginning of our courtship.
Texture:
Chef D appreciated the crunch provided by the fried wonton wrapper strips, which he thought was necessary to pull off acheiving the specific flavor combination similar to his Oriental Chicken Salad.
Texture isn't really a think I think about, unless is is total mush or slimy. Therefore, the texture for this was just fine for me.
Ease of Preparation: The marinade was so easy and only had 4 ingredients. It also helped using a ziploc bag. Prep time was minimal.
Goal Success: 5 stars since we ate it and did not dine out.

Recommendations for future use: Chef D suggested preparing only 1 chicken breast in the future (instead of the 3 that were prepared tonight) unless I was planning to use leftover chicken as part of other meals during the week. He also suggested using a sesame chinese chicken salad dressing instead of the mayonnaise dressing provided in the recipe as well as tossing the green onions (their flavor was hidden with everything else in the filling). I think I should fix the Oriental Chicken Salad soon so I can share the recipe here.