3 lbs yellow-flesh potatoes (I prefer Klondike Rose)
1 tbsp olive oil
4 slices thick cut hardwood smoked bacon (not maple or maple smoked), chopped
1 cup diced onion (or more to taste)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (or to taste)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the potatoes up into bite-sized pieces and cook in salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pot. Put a dish towel over the put and then put the lid on – this will keep the potatoes warm and help dry them off a bit.

While the potatoes are cooking, put the olive oil and bacon into a large frying pan and cook over medium to medium-high heat until the bacon is almost crispy.

Add in the onions and stir well, then cook until the onions are soft.

Pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan and stir quickly, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the mustard and whisk until everything is combined. Let it continue to cook on low heat until the potatoes are ready.

While the potatoes (and the bacon mixture) are still warm, put the potatoes into the frying pan and stir well. Sprinkle garlic powder over the potatoes, stir, and add salt and pepper to taste.

This potato salad is best served at room temperature, and is even better when made a day ahead. The potatoes and the bacon mixture has to be warm (or hot) when combined, otherwise it doesn’t taste right.

The original recipe calls for green beans, but they’re not a favorite in our house, so we just have a nice side salad instead.

Chicken with Apple Gravy and Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and cheese.

While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice alongside. (The gravy tastes good on the rice too.)

Based on Chicken with Apple Gravy, Rice Piaf and Green Beans from Rachel Ray.

I made this for breakfast this morning, and served it along with spiffy scrambled eggs (scrambled eggs that I add stuff to, such as shredded cheese; today’s add-in was real bacon bits). It takes less than an hour to make, from the time I turned the oven on to when it graced my table.

Ari’s Favorite Blueberry Cobbler

 
Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Baking Time: 45 minutes

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar substitute (feel free to use sugar if you wish)
3/4 cup milk, 1% lowfat
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups blueberries, frozen — thawed
butter flavored cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 1/2 quart or 8″x8″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Melt butter in baking dish.

Mix other ingredients, except fruit.

Add batter to melted butter; DON’T STIR.

Add fruit; DON’T STIR. Spray the top of everything with the butter flavored cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 291 Calories; 13g Fat (39.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 33mg Cholesterol; 565mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Notes: If using sugar, you can omit the baking soda and spraying the top of the batter and fruit with the cooking spray. Those things needed to be done to help the batter rise as it bakes, and to help the top of it brown. You can substitute any unsweetened fruit you wish in this dish; if you use frozen fruit, thaw them before using them.

My recipe is based on Granny’s Quick Cobbler at SparkRecipes.

Sugar Free Slow Cooker Apple Butter

 
Makes 36 – 1 tbsp servings

4 pounds apples
1 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

Spray your slow cooker liner with non-stick cooking spray.

Peel and core the apples, and cut them into large chunks. Pour apple cider over top. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 10 hours.

Mash up the apples, or puree them with an immersion blender. Stir in cinnamon and ground cloves. If you want your apple butter thicker, let cook for another hour on high, or until it reaches the thickness you like.

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Per Serving (1 tablespoon): 31 Calories; trace Fat (4.9% calories from fat); trace Protein; 8g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; trace Sodium.

Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Fruit; 0 Fat.

Matt and I (well, mostly me) have been making a conscious effort to expose our children to as many different ethnic foods as we can. Whether these dishes have been American-ized or not, the point is to introduce them to new flavors and ideas. It’s especially important to do that with a picky eater like Ari is, and I have to say all our hard work has paid off, as she surprises me with what she’s willing to at least try to eat.

Both of my kids love to help out in the kitchen, and I encourage it when I can because not only is it quality time with me, but it helps create good memories. It is my hope that if they build enough good memories about the kitchen and food, when they’re out on their own they won’t subsist on ramen and take out because they don’t know how to cook anything.

With this recipe, I hope to introduce them to one of my favorite comfort foods – braised red cabbage. I’ll be making it next week, and when I do, I’ll try to remember to take pictures. I’m calling this Opa’s Red Cabbage because it’s my dad’s recipe, and Opa (German for Grampa) is what my kids call him.

Opa’s Red Cabbage

 
Red cabbage braised with a bit of bacon and onions, seasoned with cloves.

Serves 6

6 slices bacon — diced
1 large onion — chopped
1 small red cabbage head — sliced thin
3 whole cloves
2 cloves garlic — minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup red wine
salt and pepper — to taste
chicken broth — as needed

Brown the bacon in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed casserole until it’s brown and crispy. Add in onions and cook the onions until they’re soft.

Put the red cabbage, whole cloves and garlic into the pot and mix well. Add in the balsamic vinegar and red wine, reduce the heat and let cook covered until the red cabbage is soft. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

If the red cabbage starts to get a bit too dry, add some chicken broth, but be careful – you don’t want the cabbage to be runny. It’s supposed to be moist, with a bit of juice/sauce.

If you find the red cabbage is too tart/sour, add in a little bit of brown sugar – no more than a tablespoon or two. This is supposed to be a tangy dish, not a sweet one.

NOTES : You can substitute red wine vinegar if you don’t have balsamic.

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 122 Calories; 4g Fat (34.4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 14g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 5mg Cholesterol; 151mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 2
Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

I’ve also kind of been craving potato salad, but I was feeling too lazy to make any. I decided to grill the potatoes instead. I took the potatoes (Klondike Rose – the red skinned yellow-fleshed potatoes) and sliced them about 1/4″ thick. I tossed them in a bowl with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Then I sliced up a Vidalia onion (those were on sale too last week) into thick rings.

To cook, I just put everything on the grill at high to medium high heat. (This is a brand new grill, and we’re still learning its quirks.) By the time the chicken was cooked, the potatoes and onions were done.

Everything turned out well. I won’t get that brand of jerk seasoning again, as I feel it was more hot than flavorful (and the first ingredient on the list was sugar, which I didn’t realize until I looked to see why the chicken was charring so quickly). I’m also going to put garlic powder in with the potatoes next time, and drizzle a bit of oil on the onions, as they really stuck to the grill.

And there will be a next time for both the onions and the potatoes, and the monkeys gave them two thumbs up.

We had these for supper on Wednesday night. I wasn’t sure they were going to work out because the batter was just so soupy. It looked rather unappetizing too. And you know what? I just realized I forgot to put the salt and pepper in. I used Jiffy mix, as it was on sale, instead of Bisquick. The biscuits turned out very soft, more like a dumpling than a biscuit. Next time, I will use Bisquick to see if the mix makes a difference, or if I need to cut back on the amount of milk being used.

Chicken Honey Mustard Biscuits

 
Serves 4

3 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded carrots
3-4 scallions, thinly sliced on a bias
1 small zucchini, shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mustard
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Salt and ground black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425ºF.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the baking mix and milk until almost completely mixed. Add the carrot, scallions, zucchini, chicken, honey, mustard, half of the cheese, some salt and pepper, and continue mixing until evenly combined.

Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, deposit the mixture into 2-inch rounds (just eyeball it) onto two greased baking sheets. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top of the biscuits and bake until golden brown and the cheese has melted, 15-18 minutes.

Oh, there are times when I’ve been a bit more adventurous with my fish. There’s an old Weight Watchers recipe I have that has you add dry roasted peanuts to the tuna salad. Sounds strange, I know, but I remember liking it. I’ll have to do it again soon.

Donovan loves fresh salmon (I won’t buy canned, as it just grosses me out). His favorite way to have it is on the grill. But I’m cheap – I can get three meals with ground beef (I stock up when it’s on sale) for the price of one meal of fresh salmon. However, I’ve made a conscious decision to try and improve the quality of our diet, and expose Ariana (the traditionally picky eater) to as wide a variety of foods as possible.

I decided to give fish a try. Frozen tilapia fillets were on sale the last time I did groceries, so that’s what I went with. When I told the kids we were going to have fish, I braced myself for complaints. Instead, I was bowled over by their cheers. If I’d known they were going to be this enthusiastic, I’d have taken the plunge sooner.

I found a recipe I wanted to try: Almond Tilapia and Herb Rice with Peas and Carrots. (As a side note, I’m tempted to change the title of this blog to “Lisa Hartjes Cooks Rachel Ray”, with a comment that no, we’re not really cannibals. ) Below you’ll find the recipe as I made it. After the recipe, you’ll find my comments about it.

Almond Tilapia and Rice with Peas, Carrots and Herbs

 
Serves 4

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup long grain rice
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup frozen peas
3 scallions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat stock and 1 tablespoon butter in a pot until boiling. Add rice and carrots, stir once or twice to mix it all together, then cover the pot. Let it simmer for 12-13 minutes, then stir in peas and scallions. Cook 3-4 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in dill. Put the cover back on the pot and let it sit until you’re ready to serve.

While rice is cooking, toast the almonds in a skillet until golden, 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Remove nuts and set aside until it’s time to serve the fish.

Put the olive oil and remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet you toasted the almonds in. Season the fishwith salt and pepper and dust fish lightly in flour. Cook the fillets for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and firm. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan and let it bubble for a bit and reduce until there’s hardly any liquid left.

Serve the fish and rice combo immediately, topped with lots of nuts.

To my surprise (and delight), the meal was delicious. It received three thumbs up (I don’t count my own thumb for this rating system) with the request to put the recipe in Donovan’s cookbook and to make it again. Of course, I’m never satisfied without doing some tinkering to make the recipe my own. The next time I make this, I’ll be putting a bit of garlic in the butter and oil when it’s time to cook the fish. I’ll also put some lemon zest in with the rice. I think it would really brighten the flavor up (lemon and dill is such a great combination), plus it would tie the two dishes together nicely.

It turned out really well, and Ari said that if I made it again she’d eat it. That’s a winner to me!

Crispy Chinese Lemon Chicken with Lemon Rice

 
3/4 c rice
juice of half a lemon plus enough chicken stock to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup unflavored breadcrumbs
Zest 1 lemon
1 tbsp (about a 1-inch piece) fresh ginger, finely grated
1 tbsp (a palmful) sesame seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat with the rice, soy sauce, honey and lemon juice/stock mixture. Bring the liquid to a boil then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.

While the rice is cooking, put a large skillet over medium-high heat with 4 tablepsoon of vegetable. In a large, re-sealable plastic bag, mix together the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, ginger, sesame seeds, some salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bag and toss well to evenly coat the chicken (give each piece a good press with the crumbs to make sure the coating sticks).

Put the chicken pieces in the hot skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 7-8 minutes. Cook the chicken in batches if you need to – place the cooked chicken on a paper-towel lined plate and cover them with aluminum foil to keep them warm.

When all the chicken is cooked, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the scallions. Serve the chicken with the rice, and a nice salad.

We liked this meal, but there wasn’t enough kick in the chicken for us. Could be because when I took the seeds out of the jalapenos, I took out most of the veins as well. Next time, I’m going to reduce it to just one jalapeno, but put it in seeds and all. That said, I used chicken thighs this time, as they were on sale when I did the groceries. It made more than enough meat – more, in fact, than I could use in three meals. There’s enough of this chicken to do one more meal, but I labeled it and put it into the freezer to use at some future time.

Jerk Chicken with Roasted Peppers and Pineapple

 
Serves 4

Make this meal the first night, followed by Sweet and Spicy Sesame Noodles with Shredded Chicken on the second night and Jerk Chicken Quesadillas with Slaw Salad on the final night.

Ingredients

3 red onions, 1 roughly chopped and 2 sliced
4 cloves garlic
4 scallions
2 limes
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon sweet paprika (a palmful)
1 tablespoon cumin (a palmful)
2 teaspoons allspice (about 2/3 palmful)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (eyeball it in your palm)
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus 2-3 tablespoons for drizzling
8 drumsticks, bone-in, skin on
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
Salt and black pepper
1 pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chopped into small bite-size pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped or sliced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped or sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped or sliced

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 400°F.

Place one red onion, garlic, scallions, lime juice, jalapeño peppers, red wine vinegar, orange juice, paprika, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and thyme in a food processor and pulse to combine. Turn processor on and stream in about 1/2 cup EVOO to form a thick paste.

Place the chicken pieces in a roasting pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Rub the paste on the chicken and roast 45 minutes.

Pile the pineapple, bell peppers and remaining red onions on a baking sheet, coat them in 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Add the tray to the oven after chicken has been in for 15 minutes, roasting the fruit and vegetables for about 30 minutes.

Serve up half the chicken (one drummer and one piece of breast per person) and half of the roasted pineapple, peppers and onions for dinner.

Cool leftovers before you wrap and refrigerate them.

When I packed the extras away, I split it up into the amounts I’d need for the other two recipes and labelled it. That way, I could just grab what I needed, and everyone would know it was off-limits for lunches and snacks.