In the meantime, I wanted to post some incredibly yummy meals I've whipped up this week. Chad's noticed a pattern: the more stressed I am, the more I bake or cook.
I apologize in advance for not taking pictures, but I'll provide the links to these delicious recipes in hopes that you will add these food blogs to your blog rolls. You won't regret it... well, maybe you will once you step on the scale... but life's all about moderation... unless you're Chad. Then you have the joy of eating obscene amounts of food without it affecting your toned midsection. I, on the other hand, merely gaze at food and pack on 2 pounds. If I actually eat it, might as well roll me out of the place.
Southwest Chipotle Meatloaf... aka Notcho Mamas Meatloaf... or Meatloaf WOAH!
Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/southwest-meatloaf-with-chipotle-glaze-the-ultimate-meatloaf/
This meatloaf is knock your socks off good but does require quite a bit of preparation time. If you're like me and desperately need a culinary challenge to relieve some stress... this is it.
Below is Dishin and Dishes recipe verbatum, but I will provide some suggestions at the end.
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds ground sirloin, round or chuck,
10 oz. tube of chorizo sausage
1 c. smoked cheddar cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
DIRECTIONS FOR MEATLOAF:
Preheat oven to 350º. If using sirloin, pulse in food processor until small chunks. Dump into mixing bowl. Add in chorizo, cheddar cheese,eggs, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Mix with hand and spread into sprayed large loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160º. Remove from oven and drain any grease in pan.
SAUCE INGREDIENTS:
3 T. butter
3 shallots, minced
1 c. red wine (dry)
1 c. beef broth or stock
1/2 c. honey
5-6 T. chipotle and adobe sauce
DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE:Melt butter over medium heat, Add shallots. Cook for about 3 minutes, letting shallots soften. Add wind and broth. Let simmer and reduce by half about 15 minutes or until it thickens. Mix honey and chipotle sauce. Add to thickened wine sauce. Simmer again, about 10 minutes. Pour over finished meatloaf and return to oven for 10 minutes.
Suggestions: My meatloaf took considerably longer to cook than any 40 minutes. Perhaps that's because our meat was packed impatiently resulting in a large mound protruding from the center of the pan. Perhaps our oven, like our other appliances, only does its job partway. We'll never know. Overall cook time was closer to 2 hours. To avoid the longer cooking time, separate the meat mixture into greased cupcake tins speeding up the cooking time and pre-dividing the meat into manageable portions. Also, my sauce didn't quite thicken up as expected. I'm not a proficient cook by any means, but I wonder if something like adding a little cornstarch would make it a little more glaze-y. Any suggestions?
Chicken and Asparagus with a Pesto Cream Sauce... aka. YUM!! GO COOK THIS NOW!!!
Photo and Recipe Courtesy of http://dishinanddishes.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/chicken-and-asparagus-in-pesto-cream-sauce/
I will never cook chicken the same again. I loved learning about the butterflying method (click above link for tutorial). Not only does it speed up cook time, but I absolutely HATE eating whole chicken breast. The cutlet is definitely more manageable for a dainty little lady like myself... HA!
Again, this recipe comes from Dishin and Dishes with some suggestions from moi at the end.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt & pepper to taste
1 T. olive oil
1 bundle asparagus (about 15 stalks)
1/2 c. cream or half-n-half (can use fat free)
1/2 c. pesto
Butterfly, pound out and season each chicken breast with salt and pepper. Place in oil in large frying pan. Cook 3 minutes per side or until nicely browned over medium high heat. Remove to platter. Cut asparagus into bite size pieces, after removing tough stem ends. Toss into frying pan and stir-fry about 3 or 4 minutes. Add cream and pesto, stir to combine. Add chicken back into pan. Spoon sauce and asparagus over top. Spoon servings onto plates. Enjoy!
Suggestions: Although this meal is incredibly delicious, it's not that filling for the manly men in our lives. As a result, I suggest amping up the sauce yield to 3/4 c's each of half-and-half and pesto and and placing the finished chicken/asparagus/sauce mixture on top of penne or bow-tie pasta. YUMMY!
And now for dessert... if you like lemons... you will DIE OF BLISS!
Chewy Lemon Bars Courtesy of Pioneer Woman (Again, if you haven't subscribed to her blog, bought her cookbook and gained at least 3 pounds from trying her wonderful food... drop everything you're doing and get to work!)
Photo and recipe courtesy of: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/03/creamy-lemon-crumb-squares/
Ingredients
- 1-⅓ cup All-purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoons Salt
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 stick (1/2 Cup) Butter, Slightly Softened
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (lightly Packed)
- 1 cup Oats
- 1 can (14 Ounce) Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ½ cups Lemon Juice
- Zest Of 1 Lemon
Preparation Instructions
PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES.
Mix butter and brown sugar until well combined.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Add oats and flour to butter/sugar mixture and mix to combine.
Press half of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 x 11 inch pan.
Mix together condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Spread onto the bottom layer of the crumb mixture. Top with the other half of the crumb mixture, but don’t press.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow pan to sit on counter for 30 minutes after baking. Cut into squares and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until cool.
Serve cool.
Suggestions: I have none! This is incredibly delicious and moist. So good, in fact, that I'm taking it to my class this afternoon. I'll let you know what they think.
Stay posted for a recipe on Strawberry Cobbler and Graduation Weekend Menu :) Off to take my last final of the semester! Wish me luck!
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