Wednesday Fun #70 - Special Menu

In case the giant Hallmark ads haven't hit you over the head yet, Saturday is Valentine's Day. Now, like me, you might be planning a nice evening at home that night - maybe it's too hard/expensive to get a sitter, you don't like how crowded restaurants are that night, you're going to be spending it with your own special self, you're on a strict budget, you've got a BRAND new little baby (Hey, I'm writing this on Tues eve & last I heard AKJ is still waiting!), or whatever.

So my question for you this week - what sort of menu are you planning on or would you recommend for Valentine's Day or any special night? Generalities are fine, or feel free to mention/link to any specific recipes.



I think we're having some steak I pulled out of the freezer along with homemade bread, classic baked potatoes and whatever veg (maybe asparagus with balsamic browned butter sauce!) I pick up at the store this week. But if we wouldn't have just HAD the veggie tempura, I think I'd've gone with an "I can do Chinese at home!" theme with Crisp-Fried Vegetables and Sichuan-Style Stir-Fried Chicken with Peanuts. Maybe pick up some sorbet for dessert - maybe mango and/or raspberry...

Crisp-Fried Vegetables (or Fish) with Hot & Sweet Dipping Sauce aka Vegetable Tempura

Mr. Kluges requested this recipe the other day, and then proceeded to be the chef that night. He even asked for fresh fish to do with it, and put it in the batter & cooked it in the oil after he was done with the vegetables and it was DELICIOUS! And I don't tend to like fish.

So if you're craving some yummy veggies, these are it. I'm totally going to have to remember this recipe for those times when we end up with a lot of small amounts of assorted vegetables from the CSA... This could also be a good appetizer, but you've got to let them cool enough you don't burn yourself, but still have them nice and hot. But if you're having one of those get-togethers where everybody is in the kitchen anyway, they can just eat them as they come out of the pan and cool a tish!

Crisp-Fried Vegetables (Or Fish)
with Hot & Sweet Dipping Sauce
(aka Vegetable Tempura)

From Classic Vegetarian Recipes.
Serves 4.

vegetable oil, for deep-frying
500 g / 1 lb. 2 oz. selection of vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli (yum), mushrooms (my fav!), courgettes (zucchini), bell peppers, and baby sweetcorn cobs, cut into even sized pieces. [Green beans and onions are also yummy.]

Batter:
125 g / 4.5 oz / 1 c. plain (all-purpose) flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. caster (superfine, but reg is ok) sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbl. vegetable oil
200 ml / 7 fl. oz. / scant 1 c. warm water

Sauce: [Also good on plain brown rice]
6 Tbl. light malt vinegar
2 Tbl. Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
2 Tbl. water
1 Tbl. soft brown sugar
salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. grated ginger root
2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped finely [we skip]
2 Tbl. chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)

1. To make the batter, sift the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl. Add the oil and most of the water. Whisk together to make a smooth batter, adding extra water to give it the consistency of single (light) cream. Chill for 20-30 min.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the vinegar, fish sauce or soy sauce, water, sugar and a pinch of salt until boiling. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

3. Mix together the garlic, ginger, chillies and coriander (cilantro) in a small serving bowl. Add the cooled vinegar mixture and stir together.

4. Heat the vegetable oil for deep-frying in a wok or deep-fryer. [We use a dutch oven or large skillet.] Dip the prepared vegetable in the batter and fry them, a few at a time, until crisp and golden - about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

5. Serve the vegetables accompanied by the dipping sauce.

Wednesday Fun #69 - Kitchen Joy

Last week I asked you about your hated kitchen chores. Those things you just can't STAND doing, maybe put off until you have to, or try to get somebody else in your house to do instead of you.

Let's turn it around this week. What brings you joy in the kitchen? Is it trying a challenging new recipe & having it turn out? Making a family recipe that reminds you of a relative or your childhood? Seeing your shiny sink? (Yes, I've been doing some FLYing...) Is it baking up a batch of cookies with your kid(s)? Feeling a sense of accomplishment that you've planned out a healthy, yummy menu? Coming home from work and smelling delicious smells from your crockpot and knowing supper's already ready?

What brings you some kitchen joy?

February's Theme - Chocolate!

Oh yeah, whoops! It's a new month, which means a new theme. For February, we'd LOVE to have you share your chocolate recipes! Yay!

Now "Chocolate" is its own label, so it's easy to search by it, but here are the ones that we've already got in Recipeeps...

• Nectarine posted some Turkey Cookies in November.
• The Sexy Blonde's Chocolate-Mint Bars come via Cooking Light, so that makes them totally justifiable!
• Chocolate Crinkles are one of my favorite kinds of cookies!
• Syl's Pretzels and Hugs are a big favorite around here - and a fun Valentine's Day treat with red and pink M&Ms on the top!
• Diplowhat mentions that this Chocolate Frosting is all-purpose. Need I say more?
  
• ...and this Chocolate Joy Icing is particularly suited to angel food cake, she says.
• Mmmmm...we like to make All-Knowing Jen's Oreo Balls!
• Diplowhat says these Peanut Butter Bon Bons are a favorite at the Wog household.
• I think her Chocolate Carmel Bars just made it on my "I don't care if I'm watching my weight; I've totally got to make these anyway" list.
• But if you're trying to be a teeny bit healthier, Diplowhat also shared her Chocolate Zucchini Cake. Yay, veg!

Ok, I don't know about you all, but now I want to go raid my cupboards for chocolate - even if it's just chocolate chips! NOM NOM NOM, CHOCOLATE! :)

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

We made these today. They are "healthy" with no oil!! The kids love them. I would add more spice next time.

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin
4 egg whites (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
2 Tablespoons water
Allspice---add to taste. (I did 1-2 t pumpkin pie spice and 1 t allspice could still use more)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until creamy. Fill muffin cups. Bake at 350 for 18-24 minutes.

Chicken Enchilada Ring

Chicken Enchilada Ring
We made this last night for a bowl party of just our family. (It was on our menu earlier this week but it did not get made so we made it into a party item.) My family just loved it and we will be making it again soon.

2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken (about 12 ounces)
¼ cup chopped pitted ripe olives
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, undrained
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Pantry Southwestern Seasoning Mix
2 plum tomatoes
1 lime
2/3 cup finely crushed corn tortilla chips, divided
2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1-cup salsa
1-cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop chicken and olives using food chopper; place in bowl. Add cheese, green chilies, mayonnaise and seasoning mix.

2. Seed and chop 1 tomato. Slice lime in half. Squeeze juice from one half to measure 1-teaspoon juice. Reserve remaining lime for garnish. Add chopped tomato and limejuice to chicken mixture.

3. Reserve 2 tablespoons crushed chips; add remaining chips to chicken mixture and mix well.

4. Sprinkle reserved crushed chips cupboard. Unroll crescent dough. Place dough sticky side down, onto crushed chips; press down lightly so chips adhere to dough. Separate dough into triangles. Arrange triangles; chip dies down, in a circle on round stone with wide ends overlapping in the center and points toward outside. (There should be a 5-inch diameter opening in center.) Using large tablespoon scoop chicken mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle. Bring points of triangle up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at center of ring. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
For garnish, cup remaining tomato into 8 wedges. Cut remaining half of lime into 4 slices; cut in half. Arrange between openings of ring. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

One-Pot Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

I know this recipe somewhat resembles the Braised Paprika Chicken Big Daddy just posted. It also sort of resembles the Chicken Curry with Sweet Potatoes and Coconut Rice that All-Knowing Jen requested help with and it's rather similar to the Quick and Easy Moroccan Chicken that Syl posted.

Hey, that just means that a lot of you will like it, right? :) I made it earlier this week on Mr. Kluges's request and mentioned I should probably post it. He was all, "You haven't posted this one to Recipeeps yet?!?!" So here it is. It's from The Really, Truly, Honest-to-Goodness One-Pot Cookbook by Jesse Ziff Cool.

***Note: This is NOT a quick and easy recipe. Well, easy = yes; quick = no. Start it 2 hours before you want it. Really. Then you won't feel rushed. ***

1/2 c. all-purpose flour
3 Tbl. sweet paprika
2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
One 3- to 3 1/2- lb chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
2 to 3 Tbl. olive oil
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (We like yams a lot, so we do 2 reg or 1 BIG.)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbl. ground cumin
1 Tbl. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
generous pinch of saffron threads [not necessary - it turns a lovely orangey color from the previous spices already]
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
3 c. chicken broth
1 c. couscous
1/4 c. minced fresh mint [I always forget this and it's fine without.]


1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, paprika, the 2 tsp. salt, and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. Add the chicken [I remove the skin from the thighs & breasts, but don't bother with the wings/legs.] and toss well to generously season on all sides.

2. In a large, heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chicken in batches and cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

3. [Stir the ground spices into the broth so you don't end up with clumps of 'em.] Add the yam, onion, bay leaf, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, saffrom, raisins, dried apricots, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender and the potatoes are very soft. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

4. Uncover, [remove chicken so the couscous doesn't get all stuck up inside the parts and stay dry and weird], add the couscous and mint, and stir. Reduce the heat to low. Cover again and simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and, using tongs or a big fork, fluff everything in the pot. [Return chicken to the pot.] Put the lid back on and let sit for another 3 minutes.

5. To serve, scoop the couscous and chicken into a large serving bowl or warmed individual bowls. Serve with forks and big spoons for the couscous.

Braised Paprika Chicken

I gave this a shot last night and it turned out really tasty. I braised it in a dutch oven on the stove, but I imagine it would work just as well oven-braised or in a good-sized crock pot.

1 3-4 pound chicken (or chicken parts)
2 medium onions, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp sweet paprika
Crushed or whole dried chiles, to taste
1 tsp marjoram
1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock, or water)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tbsp flour
Salt

Cut up the chicken, remove the skin, and season with salt and pepper. In large pot or dutch oven, saute the onions over medium-high heat in some butter and oil. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar over them to help them caramelize a bit. Cook until golden. Stir in the bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika and chiles and let it cook for a minute or two. Add the chicken and gently stir it a bit. Sprinkle the marjoram in and then add the stock. Cover tightly, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for an hour or so, until chicken is tender.

In a bowl, whisk up the sour cream, flour and a teaspoon (or more, or less, to taste) of salt. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Add the sour cream mixture to the pot and stir it in. Raise the heat a bit and simmer until thickened. Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and cook for another couple of minutes.

It seems a recipe that's ripe for variation. Mushrooms would work well in it. Carrots. Maybe some cauliflower thrown in 15 minutes from the end.

Mashed potatoes seemed the perfect accompaniment to me, but boiled potatoes or rice or orzo or couscous would probably work just as well. :)

Wednesday Fun #68 - Worst Kitchen Chores

One of my resolutions this year was to work on cleaning and tidying up more and better. I'm taking small steps and trying to keep up what I've done. It's going ok - I'm washing the dishes after lunch instead of leaving the whole day's worth for the evening, closing the cupboard doors more, remembering (mostly) to have the girls clear their places when they're done eating, etc.

But you know, kitchen chores just aren't fun. Cooking and baking can be fun, I could see menu planning being potentially enjoyable, eating - well, that rocks... but kitchen chores? Not so much. In fact, there are some, like cleaning the drain out after doing the dishes, that I despise.

So how about you? What kitchen jobs/chores/tasks do you hate?

Mexican Slow Cooker Pork

This is my easy slow cooker pork. It really doesn't end up too Mexican tasting, so you could add a barbecue sauce to it for pork sandwiches. The onions are the best part.

1 pork loin roast 2-3 pounds

3 medium onions, medium slices

2-3 T ancho chili powder (pure chili powder without cumin and fillers)

0.5 - 1 t ground cumin

salt to taste

small amount of olive oil.

3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

Line the bottom of the crock pot with the sliced onions & garlic, creating a bed for the roast.

Rub the outside of the roast with the chili powder, cumin and salt. Place on top of the onions, if there is any fat left on the outside, put that side facing up.

Cook on low for 7-8 hours (4 hours on high). If there is any fat part left on top, remove, and then shred it, mixing with any juices that are left and the now carmelized onions. Adjust salt if needed.