smoky fish chowder

We need to eat more fish. So I keep looking for fish recipes. I think this one is a keeper. And my husband says it is because it contains sausage.

smoky fish chowder
adapted from Real Simple, January 2010

prep time: 20 minutes; total time: 30 minutes; serves: 4

4 oz Spanish chorizo or any sausage
2 leeks (white & light green parts)
¾ pounds Yukon gold potatoes, about 2 medium
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
salt & pepper
smoked paprika
1 pound frozen cod pieces
¼ cup fresh parsley

In a large pot, brown the chorizo over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to soften, about 3 to for minutes.

Add the potatoes, tomatoes (with their juices), 1 ½ c water, ½ t salt, ½ t pepper, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Add the fish and simmer gently until opaque throughout, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in parsley before serving.

If you have more time – cook longer after adding potatoes. After adding and cooking fish, remove pot from heat and let sit 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Reheat if necessary before serving and adding parsley.

suppers

I'm continuing through the orange folder. Some recipes from last week went into the recycling bin and few will be saved...those recipes coming soon.

This week we're having:  
   Monday -- onion & mushroom soup
   Tuesday -- fish sticks, cole slaw
   Wednesday -- garlic & oil pasta
   Thursday -- sandwiches
   Friday -- lazy lasagna
   Saturday -- out
   Sunday -- bbq cob salad

pork lo mein

I had this recipe for pork lo mein, but I didn't follow it. Other than the sauce. And it was tasty enough so I'll keep the sauce, but do what I want for the rest of the dish.

lo mein sauce


Whisk together:
3 T soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1 ½ T cornstarch
1/3 c water
1 c chicken broth

Poor over cooked meat (or tofu) and veggies. Mix with noodles.

orange folder

I started this blog with the vague notion that it would help me organize my recipes. The ones I've torn out of magazines or marked online. Forty-six posts later, it has not. So I've started a new project. I'm actually going to go through my orange folder of recipes. The orange folder contains recipes that I've torn out, made at least once, and decided to keep. But I've done nothing with them since. Or maybe I've made the recipe over and over again. But I still haven't moved it to my recipe binder. Enough. I'm going through the recipes again, making them, and doing something with them -- into the binder or into the recycling bin.

the (faded) orange folder

I'll post my weekly supper plan. On Sundays. Then any recipes that make it into the binder, I'll share here on my blog.

So for supper this week we'll have:
   Monday -- curried eggplant with tomatoes & basil
   Tuesday -- family night out
   Wednesday -- pork lo mein
   Thursday -- smoky fish chowder
   Friday -- taco pasta toss
   Saturday -- Moroccan chicken
   Sunday -- cornbread dressing with sausage & apples

Starting a trend here...posting my weekly meals on Thursday? Not good. Or at least not very timely.

Somehow I always seem to have too much food in the house. Never mind that I hardly have the room to store it. And then my cabinets begin to get cluttered and it stresses me out a little. So working on that this week, again.

   Monday -- salad with (leftover) chili and tortilla chips
   Tuesday -- big holiday here so we went to a party
   Wednesday -- bulgar salad, salad, and corn on the cob
   Thursday -- hamburgers, potato & green bean salad (finally good enough weather to grill!)
   Friday -- golden bowl
   Saturday -- fish
   Sunday -- lamb (maybe) fusilli

Right. It's Thursday. Here's what we've eaten this week and what we'll eat for the rest of the week.

   Monday -- black bean, corn & rice casserole and salad
   Tuesday -- sloppy joes, steamed broccoli, baked beans
   Wednesday -- crock pot chicken, roasted potatoes, sautéed zucchini, cauliflower & onion
   Thursday -- hot & sour soup, lettuce wraps
   Friday -- veggie pizza
   Saturday -- hamburgers
   Sunday -- layered salad 

Cinco de Mayo

I made a mistake when planning last week's meals. I forgot that Thursday was Cinco de Mayo. I'm not one to let a holiday pass without marking it with some sort of special holiday-appropriate food. Luckily I realized this mistake on Tuesday. So I switched vegetable soup to Wednesday and began looking for something holiday-appropriate for Thursday.

Found! Thanks to a Jamie Oliver tweet. Mexican Street Salad from Jamie's America, a book I happen to have.

I left the onions and peppers out, served my daughter's salad, and then added them in. We had our salad served over tortilla chips with salsa, tomatoes, and avocados. It was tasty.

But really, it didn't seem worthy of a main dish salad. So if I make it again, and I might very well, I'll use it as filling for fish tacos.

fragrant fried rice pilaf

Tonight we had Fragrant Fried Rice Pilaf from the May 2011 Everyday with Rachael Ray. I like rice. I like cumin. I like cilantro. And I like using up things in the refrigerator. I had leftover cilantro, green onions, and white beans from last week's meals. We'll be having this again, even if we don't already have many of the ingredients on hand.

It smelled even better than it tasted though. Maybe I'll save some the cilantro and garnish the dish with fresh cilantro just before serving.

We all enjoyed this tasty one-dish meal.

fragrant fried rice pilaf

suppers & more suppers

Vegetables! We needed them after the four nights we spent in Prague. So the beginning of our week was veggie centric. Two meals were inspired by entrees at one of my all-time favorite restaurants, The Grit (whose website seems to be down right now).

   Tuesday -- Grit (style) staple
   Wednesday -- pad thai
   Thursday -- minestrone
   Friday -- nachos supremo with Grit tofu
   Saturday -- steamed shrimp, noodles & goat cheese, salad
   Sunday -- ham, brown rice, asparagus, green beans, tomatoes, onions, pickled beets

And this week more vegetables! But a little more meat too...

   Monday -- ham leftovers
   Tuesday -- fragrant rice pilaf
   Wednesday -- big salad
   Thursday -- vegetable soup
   Friday -- spaghetti
   Saturday -- brats, black bean & corn salad, chips & onion dip
   Sunday -- out for Mother's Day

pictures

I should include more pictures. I know this. I've been trying to remember to take them. But I'm often not satisfied with them. I take pride in creating a pretty plate and often the pictures do not reflect this. It's getting better as the light improves. There is actually naturally sunlight when we eat supper now and that's a big help. Huge.

Some pictures of recent meals.

Mexican lasagna

curry chicken salad

penne with creamy tomato sauce

buttermilk chicken, rice, broccoli, & carrots

just a few suppers

Another short week for us. We're taking advantage of the Easter holidays and going out of town. So again, I'm trying to use what we have on hand. We dyed Easter eggs today! 

   Monday -- lentil soup

   Tuesday -- deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, zucchini

   Wednesday -- quinoa, leftovers (if we have any)

   

If we don't have leftovers we have some other options -- peas, tuna casserole, bulgur salad, or tofu. 

crock pot chili

I love chili. It's one of my all-time favorites.

Today I cooked it in the crock pot for the first time and it turned out really well. And I used ground chicken. Ground chicken is really good here, it was on sale, and I just wanted it instead of beef.

crock pot chili

400 g ground chicken
worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans chopped tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

dash of sugar

Brown chicken in skillet on medium high heat. Add onion and a splash of worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking until onion is softened. 

Put chicken and onions in crock pot. Add other ingredients. Stir to combine. Cook on low heat for up to ten hours. I took the top off about thirty minutes before serving.

hearty foods

It's a hearty, hearty week. It came together that way and I knew it was happening, but I couldn't avoid it.  I'm not making any decisions about Sunday just yet. Sundays usually tend towards the hearty side, but we don't need another hearty meal. We'll see.

On Saturday we'll have been in Norway for two years. So we're celebrating by going bowling and eating out at the bowling alley, they have good food there, really, truly. Friday's hot dogs are also a part of the celebration. Hot dogs are incredibly popular in Norway.

   Monday -- veggie pizza

   Tuesday -- BBQ, sweet potato fries, brocoli salad

   Wednesday -- BBQ & black bean quesadillas, tomato & avocado salad

   Thursday -- chili, cole slaw

   Friday -- chili dogs 

   Saturday -- out

curry chicken salad

curry chicken salad

2 cups chopped chicken

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup dried apricots, chopped

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup plain yogurt

¼ cup light coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

salt, pepper, sugar

Mix chicken, celery, apricots.

Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, milk (add up to an additional ¼ cup of coconut milk) and curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add a dash of sugar.  

Add dressing to chicken mixture. 

Let chill in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving. 

red velvet cake

Goodness gracious. I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman yesterday and I really, really, really wanted to make it. But I really, really, really do not need any baked goods in the house! My dear husband reminded me that I'm all out of American food coloring. And Norwegian food coloring has a definite taste. So I'm not making it.

But I've already put food coloring on my list of things to buy when we are back in Georgia this summer!

suppers

During a quick trip to the grocery store this weekend (we always need milk!) I found ground chicken and pork chops on special. A little bit of inspiration. My daughter requested hot & sour soup again, so we'll have that. And we have some leftovers to work though. Not too excited about those.

For supper this week:

   Monday -- leftover spaghetti & salad

   Tuesday -- pork chops, leftover broccoli & rice casserole, cooked apples

   Wednesday --- curry chicken salad, green beans

   Thursday -- sour cream pasta bake

   Friday -- hot & sour soup, stir fried veggies over rice

   Saturday -- lamb burger and bulgur salad

   Sunday -- shrimp penne pasta, garlic bread

ham & cheese balls

This recipe will probably be tweaked a bit in the future, but I served them yesterday at a coffee and they were a big hit! So maybe this is it. Inspired by the sausage and cheese balls recipe from Betty Crocker. Because the sausage here is not the same, I wanted to use chopped ham.

ham & cheese balls

1 cup Bisquick mix

1 cup chopped ham

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of milk   

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

dash of cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 350°F. Line jelly roll pan w/ aluminum foil and lightly grease. 

Stir together all ingredients. Shape mixture into 1-inch balls. Place in pan. 

Bake 20-25 minutes or until brown. Immediately remove from pan. 

Serve with apple jelly, if desired. Would be good with warmed apple jelly! 

Makes about 35 balls.  

I wasn't home this Sunday so I didn't have my usual time to think and plan our meals for the week. I've got ideas, but they're not as concrete as normal. I was hoping that my trip to the grocery store would inspire me with (at least) some on-sale meat. It did not. We ended up not having enchiladas last week, but I'd already bought all the ingredients.

Our suppers:
   Monday -- spinach & black bean Mexican lasagna
   Tuesday -- vegetable soup
   Wednesday -- sloppy joes
   Thursday -- leftovers
   Friday -- pasta (just for my daughter, it's date night!)
   Saturday -- international festival (family-night out)
   Sunday -- roasted chicken

suppers

We're going out of town again this weekend. Everyone got to pick a meal and we're having leftovers to clear out the refrigerator before we leave.

For supper this week:
   Monday -- hot & sour soup, stir-fry veggies
   Tuesday -- meatloaf, mac & cheese, green beans
   Wednesday -- spinach & black bean enchiladas
   Thursday -- leftovers

meatballs

I don't think I'd ever made meatballs until we moved here. So popular here. And tasty. So I've made them a few times. The ones I made Friday night were well-liked by the family. I was inspired by this Rachael Ray recipe, but I changed things a bit.

pork, apple, & cheddar meatballs with noodles


1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 cup grated Norwegian cheese
about 1 cup wasa cracker crumbs
1 pink lady apple, grated
1/2 onion, grated
1/2 cup (or so) chopped parsley
1 egg, beaten
500 grams noodles made with egg (egg noodles not found here)
3 tablespoons butter

I used my food processor to grate the cheese, apple and onion. Then I used it to make the cracker crumbs.

Preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork, cheese, cracker crumbs, apple, onion, 3 tablespoons parsley, the egg, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Use soup spoon to measure out meat and shape into approximately 36 meatballs.

Broil the meatballs until golden and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles until al dente. Drain, return to the pot and toss with butter and remaining parsley.

somewhere over the rainbow cupcakes

I made these rainbow cupcakes from Baking Bites today with my daughter. Fun. And it got her totally excited about St. Patrick's Day. 

black beans and rice

This is a really tasty, easy meal. A cousin introduced it to me years ago when I was baby sitting her children.

I've made several variations on this dish ranging from really-easy (I've even made it in my dorm room microwave!) to more-involved-but-still-easy and it's always tasty.

black beans and rice (easiest)
one small package yellow rice, cooked according to package directions
1 or 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jar salsa, your choice
small container sour cream
grated cheddar cheese

Layer yellow rice, black beans and salsa in an 8x8 baking dish. Spread sour cream on top of salsa and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

black beans and rice (not as easy)
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped
salt
pepper
cumin
chili powder
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth

Saute onion and garlic with a bit of olive oil. Add pepper. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. When vegetables are tender, add tomatoes. Simmer.

Bring chicken broth to a boil, add rice, stir, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a couple of minutes.

Layer rice, black beans, tomato sauce in baking dish (the one I used is a European sized one, slightly bigger than 8x8). Spread sour cream on top of tomatoes and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Or do what you like, using bits from either recipe. Replace chicken broth with vegetable broth or water for a vegetarian meal. At home I like to use low-fat sour cream. They don't do low-fat here. 

back to normal

We were on vacation last week. We ate breakfast and supper at our hotel buffet. Whoa. Lots of good food (not great). Too many choices. Desserts everywhere. Looking forward to some basic, fairly healthy meals this week.

For supper this week:
   Monday -- black beans and rice
   Tuesday -- ravioli with tomato sauce
   Wednesday -- golden bowl
   Thursday -- lentil soup
   Friday -- pork, apple, and cheddar meatballs
   Saturday -- fish sticks, cole slaw, potatoes
   Sunday -- shrimp casserole and salad

I've had lentil soup on my menu for weeks now...and we're finally going to actually eat it. Really. Going to try a new meatball recipe on Friday. Looked interesting to me because of the apples. I've been making my own fish sticks and frozen cod filet was on tilbud (special) today.

suppers

Late again with my meal plan again. This week's suppers:
   Monday -- out
   Tuesday -- Brunswick stew leftovers
   Wednesday -- golden bowl
   Thursday -- pasta
   Friday -- meatballs

We had friends over for supper on Sunday. I made Brunswick stew, cole slaw, and cornbread muffins. Everyone enjoyed the food and the company. I was tired after everyone left though! Last night we took our daughter to a movie and then afterwards went out for a quick supper.

Next week we're going on vacation! Sun and warmth, here we come!

Better late than never, here's what we're having (had) for supper this week:
   Monday -- frittata
   Tuesday -- pasta with tomato cream sauce
   Wednesday -- veggie stir fry
   Thursday -- lentil soup
   Friday -- tamale pie, salad
   Saturday -- cream of mushroom chicken, rice, butter beans, cooked carrots
   Sunday -- Brunswick stew, cole slaw, cornbread

throw it in frittata

So far this is not shaping up to be a typical week.  Right, and it's only Monday.  We were out of town this weekend and while away my daughter came down with a cold.  So no time to plan our meals ahead of time and no time to shop today.  

I thought I wouldn't be able to make supper without going to the grocery store.  Silly me.  (As my daughter would say.)

We had a frittata tonight.  

I've made this Martha Stewart frittata several times before and tonight I made it with what I had around:  two baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, yellow pepper, frozen spinach.  

Simple and tasty.  And I used up things in the pantry and refrigerator.  What's not to like?  

corn pudding

I'd never made corn pudding until a few months ago.  I was really missing out.

In early December I wanted to try to make foods that other families may think of as holiday foods, but they aren't considered holiday foods in my family.  Green bean casserole, corn pudding and experimenting with dressing namely.  The first place I looked for a corn pudding recipe was the  Junior League of Houston's cookbook Peace Meals.  I made that one and then I stopped looking for a corn pudding recipe.

corn pudding adapted from Peace Meals
2 tablespoons of butter
1 chopped yellow onion
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 cloves minced garlic
3 cups corn (fresh, canned, frozen, whatever)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon coarse salt
dash of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheese (swiss, white cheddar, whatever you've got)
4 slices of bacon
1 chopped green onion

Preheat the oven to 350° F.  Cook bacon in a 8x8 baking dish.  While bacon is cooking...

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.   Cook the onions, jalapenos and garlic for 5 minutes or until tender.  Add the corn, thyme, salt and cayenne.  Stir in the flour and mix well.  Remove from heat and separate into two equal portions.  Puree one portion in a food processor or blender (I like my handheld for this), then mix the two portions back together.  Set aside to cool.

The bacon should be ready by now.   Remove bacon from pan and crumble.  Wipe most of the bacon grease out of the pan, but leave some behind because you are going to put the corn pudding in there and you don't want it to stick.

Combine the eggs, cream, sugar, pepper, cheese, bacon and green onions in a large bowl, whisking until slightly frothy.  Add the corn mixture to the egg mixture and combine well.

Pour into the prepared dish and bake for 40 minutes or until set.

Serves 4 plus.

a short week

We're going to be out of town this weekend so not many meals and trying to clear out the refrigerator a bit before we go.

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- meatloaf, corn pudding, green beans
   Tuesday -- curry chicken salad
   Wednesday -- frittata or leftovers
   Thursday -- sandwiches

sun-dried tomatoes

Yesterday I bought a package of sun-dried tomatoes.  I was a bit surprised when I opened them as they were much smaller than I thought they'd be.  Then I tasted them and they were much sweeter than I expected.  (I looked at the package again and it does say "sweet" so I shouldn't have been surprised.)  Good though!  I couldn't stop eating them.  Since I liked them so much I thought I'd put them in the macaroni and cheese I made for supper last night.  A wonderful addition.

Ultimate Mac & Cheese 
8 ounces elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cheese (I used Edam because I already had it)
salt
peper
dried onion
about 1 cup of chopped ham
1 cup peas
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
bread crumbs

Cook macaroni according to package directions, minus a minute or so.

Cheese sauce -- melt butter over medium-high heat, whisk in flour, whisk in milk.  Stir until sauce coats the whisk.  Season with salt, pepper, and dried onion.  Take off heat and add all but about 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Stir until melted.

Mix macaroni, ham, peas, tomatoes, and cheese sauce.

Mix remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.  Top macaroni with breadcrumb mixture.

Bake at 350° F for 30 minutes or until top is browned and macaroni is bubbly.

Enjoy!

leftover stew & salad

I was planning on making lentil soup last night.  But since we still had Bloody Mary Vegetable Stew leftovers in the refrigerator it just didn't make any sense.

I liked the taste of the stew, but there was something about it I didn't like.  I thought maybe it was the sliced potatoes, so I used my potato masher to mash the potatoes a bit before we ate the stew.  I liked it better that way, but I'm not sure that I'll be making this stew again.  Or if I do, I'll half the recipe so that we don't have leftovers.

To go along with the leftover stew I made a quick broccoli salad.  I like to steam the broccoli just a little bit before making the salad.  For the dressing I mix equal parts mayo and plain yogurt, a bit of finely chopped onion (tonight it was one green onion, white and green parts), small cubes of cheddar cheese, raisins, a bit of sugar, salt, and pepper.  It's a salad that I've always liked and began making it myself not too long ago.

brussels sprouts

Once upon a time I didn't like brussels sprouts.  They were probably the only vegetable that I didn't like.  Or maybe I never had them prepared the right way....  I don't really know how they were prepared, but I didn't like them.

They are very popular here.  And I've figured out how to cook them so that I like them a lot!

brussels sprouts, 2 1/2 ways
olive oil
brussels sprouts
onion, diced
sweet potato, diced
apple, diced
salt
pepper

Wash the brussel sprouts throughly, cut the bottom stem off, take off any discolored outer leaves, and cut them in half.

1. Saute brussels sprouts and onion in olive oil.   Season with salt and peper, lots of salt.  Cook until almost burnt (at least that's how I like them).

2. Mix brussel sprouts, onion, sweet potato and olive oil in a Dutch oven.  Season with salt and pepper.  Put lid on pot.  Cook at 400° F for 20 minutes.  Stir.  Cook for another 20 minutes.

2 1/2.  Replace sweet potato with an apple.  Same cooking method.

I like them best roasted in the oven with a sweet potato.  Really good.

You can use a Pyrex dish covered with foil.  Not quite the same, but it works.

suppers

My excitement for the Super Bowl faded the more I thought about that we wouldn't be watching the game. So we had chili, chips, and cheese with spinach, tomatoes, and avocado.  It was tasty and sort of football food, but not the feast I'd originally thought we'd have.

This week's suppers:
   Monday --- leftover hot & sour soup and cashew chicken
   Tuesday -- lentil soup
   Wednesday -- curried eggplant with tomatoes & basil
   Thursday -- mac & cheese with ham & peas
   Friday -- cornbread topped BBQ chicken
   Saturday -- pasta bake
   Sunday -- roasted chicken, hearty winter veggie pilaf

meatloaf

I may never cook meatloaf in the oven again.  Today I tried a recipe from Southern Living for cooking meatloaf in a crock pot.  It was so good.  Rather easy too.

I cannot find onion soup mix here so I substituted a beef bullion cube and about one tablespoon of dried onion and it worked out just fine.  I also used dijon mustard in the sauce because I didn't have any other mustard.  And I liked it so well I'll do it again that way.  For everything else I followed the recipe.

Already looking forward to a meatloaf sandwich for tomorrow's lunch!  

enchiladas

Enchiladas, they are my go-to order at Mexican restaurants, but there aren't any Mexican restaurants here.  I've used a Rachael Ray recipe for firecracker enchiladas several times.  Lately, I've begun experimenting with different types of fillings for the enchiladas.   I've also used flour tortillas in place of corn, but I think I'm in a corn phase now.

enchiladas 
vegetable oil
one onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 29-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 tortillas, corn or flour
tortilla filling
muenster cheese, grated

for the enchilada sauce -- 

In a medium saucepan heat a little oil over medium-high heat.  Cook onion until soft. Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Whisk in water and then add tomato sauce.   Add chili powder, cumin, salt.    Bring to a boil.  Simmer for five minutes.  Set aside.

for filling -- 

I've used chicken, cooked spinach, leftover bbq pork, sour cream and cottage cheese, or beans.  Whatever you do, mix some cheese of some sort in there.  

This most recent time I mixed 1 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 teaspoon cumin and 2 sliced green onions (white and green parts).  

And leftover shredded crock pot pork.

method -- 

Dip both sides of tortilla in the enchilada sauce.  Put the tortilla on a plate.  Put a soup spoon of sour cream mixture on the tortilla and some pork (or whatever filling you are using).  Roll the tortilla and place into a baking dish, seam side down.  Continue, making a total of eight enchiladas.  Top with the remaining enchilada sauce.  Top with muenster cheese.  Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.     

where does all this food come from

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- fish sticks, cole slaw, potatoes
   Tuesday -- tofu curry
   Wednesday -- slow cooker meatloaf, mac & cheese, brussel sprouts
   Thursday -- bloody mary vegetable stew
   Friday -- out
   Saturday -- sweet & sour soup, cashew chicken
   Sunday -- Super Bowl feast

I've made my grocery list and it seems like there is hardly anything on it.  We've already got everything we need for Monday and Tuesday's meals and a good bit of what I need for Thursday night.  I always make grocery lists and I'm pretty good about sticking to them.  And we don't have that much room to store food in our house.  But with food I'd stocked away for my husband when I was away, my friend moving, and leftovers, we've got a good amount of food in the house.  Many of the things that my friend left do not easily go together to make a meal so it will take me awhile to get through those things.

We've had these frozen fish sticks in our freezer for awhile so I'd better use them.  I've been making homemade ones lately so I guess we'll see if the extra effort is worth it.  I've got this curry sauce from the friend who moved away and I'm going to use it.  Wednesday and Thursday we'll be trying new recipes from Southern Living and Everyday with Rachael Ray.  My husband is insisting that we go out for pizza on Friday and who am I to argue.  Saturday night we'll celebrate the Chinese New Year.  I'm not exactly sure what we'll have for our Super Bowl feast, but when I decide I'll post a menu.  We won't be watching it as it's on way too late, but it's a great excuse to have one more meal of fun football game food.

shrimp & grits

I absolutely love shrimp.  They are one of my favorite foods and my most often requested birthday supper item.  I like them anyway you cook them.  And I've always liked shrimp cooked with tomatoes.  But (surprisingly) I'd never had shrimp and grits until fairly recently.

The May 2009 issue of Southern Living included a few recipes for shrimp and grits and I had to try them.  The first time I made it I followed one recipe by the letter.  But after that I started combining the three of them to come up with my own recipe.  There were pieces of each recipe that sounded good to me:  sausage, green beans, tomatoes, mushrooms.  So I discovered the combination that my family and I like best and I've stuck with it.

Good, good, stuff.  In some areas this is traditionally a breakfast dish and I've been known eat leftovers for breakfast the next day.  

shrimp & grits

1 pound unpeeled medium-sized raw shrimp (I use frozen sometimes)
1 tablespoon flour
2 cajun sausage links
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 pound fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (or frozen)
1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 fresh tomato, diced)
2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion.

Peal shrimp.  Toss with flour until lightly coated.

Slice sausage.  Cook sausage.  Remove from pan.  Cook onion and garlic.  Add mushrooms and green beans.  Cook until green beans just begin to get tender.

Add tomatoes.  Cook until heated through.

Return sausage to pan.  Add shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are pink.  Add hot sauce and salt.  Add lemon juice and turn off heat.  Test for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Garnish with green onion.

Serve over creamy cheddar cheese grits

1 tablespoon butter
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
dash of hot sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned grits
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese

Bring first six ingredients to a boil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat.  Gradually whisk in grits, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir cheese into grits until melted continue to cook (just a minute or two) until grits have thickened.

suppers

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- tofu pad Thai
   Tuesday -- enchiladas
   Wednesday -- tortilla soup
   Thursday -- leftovers
   Friday -- lazy Bolognese-style lasagna (still not available online)
   Saturday -- Moroccan chicken thighs
   Sunday -- chili

The lasagna appears again because we had a lot of leftovers last week and I just didn't need to make it.  Hopefully we'll get to try it this week.

Just two new recipes this week.  But it's not like I've never made tortilla soup or lasagna before.  I think it will be a good food week.

You may wonder, why the leftovers on Thursday night?  I usually play volleyball with a group of ladies on Thursday, so that's an easy fix that night and there's usually plenty to be found in the fridge by then.  The pasta on Friday nights is an old habitat from when we did our long runs on Saturdays.  The long runs are not-so-long anymore or don't even happen, but the pasta remains.

baked sandwich

We had this earlier this week.  I'd originally called it mufuletta-style sandwich, but I've realized it's not really.  It was inspired by a muffuletta-style sandwich recipe I read in a magazine and then another in Jamie's (Oliver) America cookbook.  But with my family's preferences and what's available to me here in Stavanger I can't call it that anymore.

This is a recipe that my whole family likes a lot.  So much that I served it at my daughter's third birthday party.  She's not a picky kid.  But I also made another one that was divided with ham and cheese and tomatoes and cheese.

baked sandwich
1 - 2 cups packed baby spinach, depending on how much green you fancy
1 cup sweet pickles
1/2 cup green olives
3 tomatoes, sliced
8 slices of cheese (I use Norwegian cheese, milder than Swiss)
24 slices of deli meat (3 kinds -- salami, ham, turkey, or whatever)
focaccia bread or 8 slices of bread
mayonaise
mustard

Put spinach, garlic pickles, and olives in a food processor with chopping blade and chop very finely.

Cut focaccia bread in half and lay out on a cutting board.  Spread mustard on the bottom of the bread.  Spread spinach mixture on bread.  Layer meat, cheese, and tomatoes -- add more or less meat, cheese, and tomatoes according to your preferences.  Spread mayo on top piece of bread.  Wrap sandwich in aluminum foil.

Can be made with 8 slices of sliced bread, but I prefer the focaccia.

Bake at 350° F for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted.

butter chicken

So. Very. Good.  I love the combination of tomatoes and cream.

I found this recipe this summer through The Pioneer Woman and tried it the next day.  And then I made it again Monday night.  I won't go so long before making it again.

This time I did add some extra vegetables to the dish.  I diced one carrot and added it with the onions.

I also seasoned cubed eggplant with the same spices used for the chicken marinade (garlic, salt, pepper, cayene pepper, coriander, cumin, and cardamon), sauteed it, and topped my butter chicken with the tasty eggplant.  For my husband and daughter (who aren't big eggplant fans) I just sauteed green beans with just a little bit of onion and salt and put that on top of their dishes.  They liked it that way too.

I've found cardamon in a few recipes lately, but have never used it before.  Since it kept coming up I bought some at the store Monday.  I added it to the chicken a few hours before it was finished marinating.  Not sure how much, if any difference, that made.  But now I've got it for this and the next time I make chai tea concentrate.

two keepers

Last week I tried two new recipes -- one from Robert Del Grande, the other from Rachael Ray -- and I'll be keeping them both.

The first was Robert Del Grande's jalapeno, avocado and bacon burger (Everyday with Rachael Ray, June/July, 2010).  Del Grande is the chef of Houston's RDG + Bar Annie.  I've never eaten there, but I've heard wonderful things about it (and it's predecessor, Cafe Annie) from several people and I've eaten at other Schiller-Del Grande restaurants.  The restaurants are always very good.  And so was this burger.

The recipe makes six half-pound burgers.  I cut the recipe in half and made four burgers with that...I don't think any of us could have eaten such a large burger.  I absolutely loved the ranch sauce that went on top of it -- it was delicious on the burger and on the roasted potatoes I served with supper.  Queso fresco is not available here so I used feta cheese.  I've always liked avocado on my burgers and it's one of my daughter's favorites too.  And the bacon, it certainly made this burger better.

The Rachael Ray Show is one of the few American talkshows on tv here at a time when I can watch it, so sometimes I do.  My daughter and I both like the end segment when she cooks the best.  The other day we saw her make a baked shells casserole that looked worth trying.  I'm so glad we did.  This one is definitely getting added to the rotation.  I especially like that it's a vegetarian dish (if you use veggie broth instead of chicken broth).  And with the frozen spinach, it is great for making during the winter when fresh vegetables are limited here.

suppers

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- butter chicken
   Tuesday -- golden bowl
   Wednesday -- muffuletta-style sandwich, raw veggies, chips & dip
   Thursday -- potato soup and leftover sandwiches
   Friday -- lazy bolognese-style lasagna (from February Rachael Ray Magazine, not yet available online)
   Saturday -- shrimp & grits
   Sunday -- crock pot bbq & cole slaw

Butter chicken appears again because we ended up going out for supper last night so I rearranged some things and pushed it to this week.

I'm finished with my serious using up phase, but I'm still thinking about it when I plan our meals.  We've got brown rice, potatoes, lasagna, and lots of grits in our pantry right now and frozen shrimp in the freezer.  My husband requested the sandwiches and when I asked what kind of soup they wanted this week, my daughter quickly said, "potato."  So that's what's for supper this week.

lazy baked Greek chicken

We had lazy baked Greek chicken the other night.  Quite good.  Everyone liked it.

If you have the February issue of Rachael Ray Magazine, try it.  The filling is delicious.  And the bread crumbs too.  If you don't have that issue, the recipe will be available online in late January. 

my afternoon coffee

My afternoon coffee has been replaced with by my afternoon chai tea.

I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen for chai tea concentrate and I had to try it.  Today.

I didn't have cardamon or star anise in the cupboard.  So I left it out.  I only had ginger powder so I used a teaspoon of that.  It didn't matter.  I used only 1/2 cup of brown sugar.  It was good.

  

two winter recipes

I am always tearing new recipes out of magazines.  There is always something new I want to try.  And as a result I have a folder full of recipes that I've tried (at least once) and like and another folder full of recipes that I have not gotten around to trying yet.  I need to do something with that folder of recipes that I do like -- organize them and put them in a 3-ring binder.  Also I am trying to work my way through the folder of recipes that I have not yet tried.  So that I can add them to the other folder or recycle them.  And sometimes I think I try new recipes just for the ideas and knowledge and even though I like how the recipe turns out, I may never make that exact recipe again, but will us a little something from it another time.

Last week I tried two new recipes from Real Simple.  They both turned out pretty well, but I did have to make a few modifications to both because of the ingredients that are available to me here in Norway.  So maybe it's my fault the Cuban braised beef didn't turn out better.  But I think the soup was better for the changes I made to it.


Cuban braised beef & peppers  (Real Simple, December, 2009) -- a crock pot recipe
I liked it, but I'm not sure I'll make it again.  It is a recipe that I've learned from though.

What did it need?  Something.  Perhaps just salt and pepper on the beef prior to putting it in the crock pot.

The canned tomatoes that I like best in Norway do not lend themselves to draining.  They're in a rich sauce and I didn't want loose that.  Maybe that's why I felt like it needed more seasoning.  


Kale & white bean soup (Real Simple, January, 2010) -- a good soup for a cold night
I modified it, but it's a keeper.

I did use the optional parmesan rind in the soup while it was cooking.  I especially liked the lemon juice added at the end of cooking.

What was different?

• I can't find canned white beans here.  Had to use dried so there was some planning involved.
• Instead of the 8 cups of water that the recipe calls for, I used 4 cups of veggie broth and 4 cups of water.
• And I cannot find kale here, so I used spinach instead.  But I didn't want the spinach to cook too much so I sautéed it and then just put it in the bowl before serving the soup.  
• And instead of the 30 minutes cooking time, mine cooked for well over an hour.  Perhaps it could have used more as I enjoyed it even more the next day for lunch.   

trying some new recipes this week

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- veggie pizza
   Tuesday -- lentils & rice
   Wednesday -- lazy baked Greek chicken (from February Rachael Ray Magazine, not yet available online)
   Thursday -- leftovers
   Friday -- baked shells casserole 
   Saturday -- jalapeno, avocado & bacon burger
   Sunday -- butter chicken

We are still working on using up what we have.  A friend recently moved and I received many of her pantry items.  Including pizza crust mix and tomato sauce mix.  Not the way I would normally make homemade pizza, but it will work.  And it won't change the way I top it -- with all of my favorite vegetables.

I'm also trying lots of new recipes this week: lentils & rice, lazy baked Greek chicken, baked shells casserole, and jalapeno, avocado & bacon burger.   Thanks to Mark Bittman, Rachael Ray, and Ree Drummond for this week's recipes.

orange water

I bought an insane amount of oranges before Christmas.  Ten kilograms.  22 pounds.  And right after I bought them my daughter decided oranges were not her favorite fruit anymore.

So in effort to use as many as possible, I've started slicing oranges and putting them in my water.  In the water pitcher that we used over the holidays and in the water bottle that I take everywhere with me.

I drink a lot of water.  I drink even more when it's orange water.

tasty-asty to me

I often do not follow a recipe -- sometimes there is one in my head that I've used many times before and other times I'm just using what I know and what I have on hand.  Last night was one of the nights when I was just going with what I had and hoping for good results.  My husband and I liked it and my daughter declared it, "tasty-asty to me."

One unfortunate thing about just making things up is that it can be hard to recreate the next time.  That and the ingredients in my fridge yesterday are not likely to be there at the same time again.  But anyway, this should help with making it again.

Ingredients:  1/2 onion, garlic clove, 1/2 bag spinach, 1/2 can corn, leftover black-eyed peas, can of tomatoes (seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin and sugar), leftover spinach/artichoke dip, sour cream, cheddar cheese, 4 tortillas, crushed tortilla chips.

Saute onion, garlic and spinach.  Add corn to warm.  Warm and season tomatoes.  Layer in square baking dish as follows: about 1/2 of tomatoes, tortilla, spinach/corn mixture, tortilla, spinach/artichoke dip and 1/2 remaining tomatoes, tortilla, spinach/corn mixture, tortilla, tomatoes. Top with sour cream, cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dish is heated through.

That's right, just my second post and already I'm topping a casserole with crushed chips...

a new year, a new blog

I've been thinking about starting a food blog for the longest time, but I haven't, so with the new year I thought I'd give it a try.

This week's suppers:
   Monday -- brunswick stew
   Tuesday -- tex-mex with what we have in the fridge
   Wednesday -- meatballs with pepper & pineapple
   Thursday -- leftovers
   Friday -- veggie spaghetti
   Saturday -- cuban braised beef
   Sunday -- kale & white bean soup

This week (and maybe next) is all about using up what we have in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.  And we have a lot.  Some of the meals are old favorites and others are new recipes that I'm trying out for the first time.  

Happy New Year!
(what we ate yesterday)