Cream tacos, pecan chicken, rosemary chicken and potatoes

Yield: Good (12)
Labor: 3 hrs total -- not bad, but the raw chicken means you gotta
do it all in one night.
Flavor: High -- all these taste great.
Cost: Low (about $3.30 per)

Have on hand: Tinfoil, olive oil, large rosemary shrub growing outside

Store:
6-pack of chicken
red potatoes
garlic
lemon
salad greens
Can of chicken-and-mushroom soup
Can of diced green chilis
1 cup half-and-half
corn tortillas

Prep:
Crush pecans and stir with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.
Salt and pepper some flour for dredging.
Set out two 12" squares tinfoil on a cookie sheet.
Get rosemary, clean and chop it.
Mince garlic.
Make salads.

Potatoes:
Preheat oven to 450. Put potatoes in oiled baking dish; sprinkle
with oil, and rosemary. Bake 25 min. Clean out the dish after.

Rosemary Chicken Packets:
Lower oven to 400.
Oil the foil. Put a chicken breast on each square; sprinkle garlic,
rosemary, zest and lemon juice. Seal packets and place on cookie sheet.
Bake 25 min (can do simultaneously with Pecan Chicken)

Pecan Chicken:
Trim up chicken. Coat thick parts in Caesar dressing, roll in pecan
mix and bake 25 min at 400.

Cream tacos:
Lower oven to 325.
Dredge thin chicken parts in flour and saute.
Mix soup, chilis, half-and-half. Tear tortillas into 4 or 5 pieces each.

Layer in pan: Soup mixture, tortillas, cheese, tortillas, soup,
chicken, gravy, cheese, tortillas, soup, cheese, tortillas, soup,
cheese.
Bake covered (tinfoil works in a pinch) at 325 for 1 hour. Uncover
and allow to brown on top.

Rosemary Chicken Packets

Need tinfoil and a baking dish, plus olive oil.

chicken breasts
red potatoes
garlic
rosemary
lemon

Chop the rosemary and garlic. Oil a 12" square of tinfoil; place a
chicken breast on it and sprinkle with some of the garlic, rosemary,
lemon zest, lemon juice. Repeat. Seal the packets (leaving air room
inside). Put the packets on a cookie sheet.

Chop the potatoes. Oil a baking dish. Toss in the taties and sprinkle
with garlic, rosemary and oil.

Bake the chicken and potatoes 25 min at 400. Potatoes might need
higher temp or more time to get brown and tender.

Mom's Salmon Patties

This is why my shortcuts don't give good results. I remember Mom's
salmon patties from when I was a kid and they were really good. She
doesn't skip steps.

Sayeth the Mom:

Here is my recipe for salmon patties. You have to season them pretty
highly to kill the canned salmon taste.

Salmon Patties

1 can sockeye red salmon, all skin and bones removed
(or I use 2 small cans salmon "fillets" that I get at Costco)

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp Wasabi powder
1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes Adams brand
1 or 2 Tbsp instant potato flakes (or use bread crumbs)
1 egg
Some lemon juice
Panko bread crumbs to coat patties

Form patties, roll in bread crumbs, sauté til browned.

To try: Chicken in foil packet

The Parmesan recipe below is adapted from one in the Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette.

Possible combos:
Chicken tenders, marinated overnight in soy, oyster sauce, ginger
juice, sesame oil and rice wine, with green onions.
Also possible:
Chicken breast, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, red potatoes;
Layer: green onion, chicken, 8oz can drained pineapple, strips of red
bell pepper; top with mix of teriyaki/ginger/brown sugar

More ideas, great instructions here: http://www.lowfatlifestyle.com/

tip_archive/archive_nov03.htm
Tons of recipes: http://www.alcoa.com/reynoldskitchens/en/recipes/

recipe_search.asp

Parmesan Chicken Packet

4 tsp grated Parmesan
1 to 2 tsp garlic salt
1 chicken breast
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup sliced carrots
2 small red potatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400. Lay out a double-thickness of tin foil, 12"
square, on a cookie sheet.
Chop potatoes and carrots.
Combine Parmesan and garlic salt.
Rub olive oil on chicken, then press it into the cheese mix, both sides.
Put chicken on tin foil; surround with the veg (don't crowd). Drizzle
remaining oil on chicken; salt and pepper the veg.

Seal foil tightly and bake 25 min. Open packet carefully (watch out
for the steam) and bake 5 minutes longer.

This recipe feeds one person, but it can be doubled or tripled as
needed. Cooking time will vary according to the size of the chicken
breast. To speed things up, chicken tenders may be substituted. Or
the chicken breast can be cut in strips.

Mother Hubbard meals

AKA "Whatever's in the cupboard."

I noticed that Amy's Salmon Croquettes were made entirely from ingredients that could be kept in the pantry. That observation plus our recent ice storm made me think that starting a list of meals that could be made without going to the store at all would be a good idea. I'll add to it as I can.

Salmon croquettes
Spaghetti (if you skip the homemade meatballs, sniff)
Red beans and rice (if you skip the addition of the cooked chicken, which I do like)

Cream tacos, salmon croquettes, pecan chicken

Lots of baking this week. I wonder if that will cut down on labor?

Will probably have leftover cheese and eggs, so make tortilla soup and breakfast tacos the next week. Is fancy salmon better than pink?

Fancy store: 4 Tbsp wheat germ

Grocery: 6-pack chicken breasts; 14.75 oz can salmon, 2 eggs, can chicken/mushroom soup, can diced green chiles, grated cheddar/Jack, 1 cup half-and-half, corn tortillas.

Have on hand: Chicken broth, garlic breadcrumbs, pecans, garlic Caesar salad dressing, olive oil, flour.

Crush pecans and stir with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. Salt and pepper some flour for dredging.
Moosh up salmon, 2 eggs, wheat germ, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs; make into patties and bake 8-15 min at 425. Lower heat to 400 and clean the baking dish.
Trim up chicken. Coat thick parts in Caesar dressing, roll in pecan mix and bake 25 min at 400.
Dredge thin parts in flour, saute til just brown.
Add 2 Tbsp flour to oil in pan, stir to brown flour, add chicken broth to deglaze pan, stir to thicken.
Mix soup, chilis, half-and-half. Tear tortillas into 4 or 5 pieces each.
Layer in pan: Soup mixture, tortillas, cheese, tortillas, soup, chicken, gravy, cheese, tortillas, soup, cheese, tortillas, soup, cheese.
Bake covered at 325 for 1 hour. Uncover and allow to brown on top.

To try: Tomato-Cheese Torta

6 oz goat cheese
4 oz cream cheese
8 cloves garlic, peeled, smushed and chopped
1/2 cup pesto (at least)
1/2 cup chopped up fine oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, including 1 - 2 tsp of the marinade
and/or roasted sweet peppers
crackers

Mix cheeses and garlic. Line a small bowl with plastic wrap and put 1/3 of cheese mix on bottom. Top with pesto. Add 1/3 cheese mix. Layer tomatoes/peppers. Add 1/3 cheese mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate from 2 hours to 4 days. Invert and remove wrap to serve with crackers.

Cream tacos

A family recipe. Serve with ranch-style beans, baked in oven alongside the tacos.

Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp flour, plus more for dredging
Chicken broth
1 can chicken and mushroom soup
1 can diced green chilis
1 cup half-and-half
Shredded jack and cheddar cheese
Corn tortillas

Mix salt and pepper into dredging flour and coat the chicken pieces. Saute in olive oil just till browned.

Add 2 Tbsp flour to oil in pan, stir to brown flour, add chicken broth to deglaze pan, stir to thicken.

Mix soup, chilis, half-and-half. Tear tortillas into 4 or 5 pieces each.

Layer in pan: Soup mixture, tortillas, cheese, tortillas, soup, chicken, gravy, cheese, tortillas, soup, cheese, tortillas, soup, cheese.

Bake covered at 325 for 1 hour. Uncover and allow to brown on top.

Week: Tortellini soup, chicken piccata, lemon stirfry

Yield: Fantastic -- 16 meals.
Cost: $3.25 per meal -- pretty good.
Labor: Not too bad, call it 3 hours over 2 nights. (More if you toss in breakfast tacos)
Flavor: All tasty (see note below)

Ingredients plus eggs, sausage and tortillas cost about $60; estimate $52 for 16 dinners (4 piccata, 6 soup, 5 stirfry, plus extra tortellini and popcorn chicken) = $3.25 per meal, pretty good.

I found myself not looking forward to the soup (same as with King Ranch Chicken -- I felt like, oh well, I made this so I better eat it, but when I did I enjoyed it). Try a real Italian sausage, and maybe the onion, next time -- and remember that it actually tastes better after a day in the fridge.

Day Zero: Shopping

Fancy store: 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 lb. Italian sausage

Regular store: cheese tortellini, thin chicken breasts, flank steak, 4-cup box beef broth, 2 cups diced tomatoes, 8 oz tomato sauce, angel hair pasta, lemon, garlic, ginger, snow peas, green pepper. (Add eggs, sausage and flour tortillas if doing breakfast tacos.)

Have on hand: butter, oil, flour, capers, chicken broth, 1/2 cup dry red wine

Day 1: (est 1 hr 30)

Reserve 2 cups tortellini and cook the rest (1 meal). Make and divide the angel-hair pasta for piccata.
Slice 2 garlic cloves, then mince some more for stirfry.
(Cook eggs and sausage now if making breakfasts.)
Brown and drain the sausage. Saute sliced garlic in drippings.
Put in big pot: sausage, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, beef broth, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup wine.
Bring to a boil; simmer uncovered 30 min.
Meanwhile: Clean and chop the snow peas. Dice green pepper. Slice flank steak and marinate in fridge.
After pot has simmered 30 min, skim off fat. Add tortellini and green pepper; simmer another 30 min.

Day 2: (est 1 hr 15)

Get beef out of fridge. Put rice in to cook.
Grate ginger and lemon zest for stirfry; add to ginger. Make stirfry sauce mix.
Put in a cup: lemon juice, 1/2 cup chicken broth and capers.
Stirfry the snow peas. Stirfry beef, then aromatics, then return beef to pan with sauce mix, turning to coat and heat. Serve over rice and snow peas.
Flour the chicken; brown in 2 Tbsp butter plus 3 Tbsp oil. Pull chicken out, lower heat and add lemon/broth mix. Bring to boil; add chicken and simmer 5 min.
Put the chicken atop the pasta. Add 2 Tbsp. butter to the pan and whisk. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Orange Stirfry Beef

I make this, like, every other week. It's also great made with lemons, and it's not bad without the citrus or with a little hot chili oil in place of the citrus, just depending on what you have on hand.

Good with brown rice and snow peas (stir-fried quickly till they turn bright green).

1 lb flank steak
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp black soy
1.5 tsp sweet or ground bean sauce (CAREFUL with the type of bean sauce.)
2 tsp rice wine

Slice the steak into thin pieces across the grain and marinate up to overnight.

AROMATICS:
Zest of 1 or 2 oranges or lemons
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
3 diced green onions

RESERVE:
2 tsp rice wine

SAUCE:
2 tsp sugar
0.5 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp black soy
1 or 2 tsp orange or lemon juice

Take your marinated beef out of the fridge. (Make rice and snow peas now.) Stir-fry beef quick and hot (you're almost searing the beef into little caramelized steaklets). Pull beef out into plate or bowl. Put aromatics in pan and sizzle 'em around a little bit. Return the beef to the pan with 2 tsp rice wine, then add the sauce mixture and stir-fry till it thickens up.

Green Beans with Slivered Almonds

Fresh green beans
Garlic salt
Slivered almonds
Olive oil

Wash and trim the green beans; toss with a little garlic salt. Stirfry them quick and hot, till they turn bright green (and I actually like to push it until they start to wrinkle and brown). Pull the beans out, toss the almonds into the pan and stir them until they barely toast (this time, don't push it).

Top the green beans with the almonds and perhaps a little more garlic salt. I find they reheat quite well.

Chicken Fried Steak

Serve with mashed potatoes, corn and a green salad.
This is my method incorporating tips from Stephan Pyles who based his on the Hill Top Cafe.

1 to 1.5 lb. good chuck steak (better than the traditional round steak, Pyles says)
milk
cup or two of flour
salt
black pepper
oil

(Make the corn and potatoes first.)
Trim the meat to within an inch of its life.* Pound the bejabbers out of it till it's pretty flat; soak it in milk overnight in the fridge.
Mix salt and pepper into the flour; coat the meat. Get at least a half-inch of oil pretty hot in the pan (else the meat won't be tender). You might want to try a small piece first to make sure it's good and hot. Fry the pieces a minute or two each side till golden-brown and crispy, then pull them out onto a plate and keep frying more pieces. A fork is actually best for flipping the pieces as it disturbs the flour coating less than tongs, etc. Also the fork can be used to defend your steak pieces from passing family members.


* Unusual tradition in my family is to trim the meat very carefully, resulting in lots of smaller weird-shaped pieces. Looks strange, but also actually allows a lot of control in the frying (and allows for the second tradition, which is family members swooping by and snitching a piece before the whole batch is done; my dad and I are quick with a stealthily wielded fork and can manage a whole meal before Mom even has it all on the table).

Spaghetti and homemade meatballs

Serve with a green salad and Garlic Bread Alla Mom.

(To simplify even further, I'm toying with the idea of making the meatballs out of Owen's Sage Sausage, but I haven't tried it yet to see how that would taste. I like mine a whole lot anyway. They're a simplified version of my mom's; she makes hers with eggs the real way.)

1 lb ground beef
Italian bread crumbs
As much ground fennel as you can stand to grind
Garlic salt

Combine, form into tiny meatballs and brown in olive oil. Cook pasta, top with Newman's Garlic & Basil, sprinkle with tiny meatballs. Yay!

2 weeks of breakfasts

This plan makes 16 take-with-you breakfasts for procrastinating picky
eaters who can't manage to eat breakfast in the house before they
leave for work, but do have access to a microwave, a vending machine
that sells milk and a water fountain at work and aren't glared at if
they eat at their desk. i.e. me.

You do have to remember to grab one out of the fridge as you're
leaving each morning, though!

* Breakfast Tacos with Salsa
* Bowl of Peaches with sugar
* Vanilla Yogurt and Blueberries
* Bowl of Oatmeal, plus a Banana for Later

Keep on hand: sugar packets, tupperware, oatmeal, lunch sacks.

Grocery list:

thin flour tortillas
1 lb sausage
Jar of salsa
Packet of 4 active vanilla yogurts
3-5 eggs
Blueberries
Bananas
Jar of peaches

5 min:
Whatever day you're cooking dinners anyway, use the pan briefly to
scramble the eggs and cook up the sausage. Store in fridge.

20 min:
Measure .75 cups oatmeal each into 4 plastic bowls. Store with a
sugar packet.
Make 8 breakfast tacos and store 2 to a container, each with a Saran-
wrap pouch of salsa.
Measure 4 portions blueberries into baggies and store with the yogurt.
Measure 5-6 peach slices each into 4 containers and store with a
sugar packet.

For the next 16 days, rotate between the four meals. Need to record:
actual assembly time; cost; and whether I really eat all these dang
things.

Possible future (or lazy) additions: Waldorf salad (only keeps 2 days
though); Small bowl with milk + baggie of healthy cereal; Snausages +
a paper towel (not the dog food, but rather our name for those
sausage-biscuit frozen sandwiches); Cheese n' apples (drizzled with a
tsp of lemon juice?); ham n' mustard rolls?; fruit cups with mandarin
oranges?

To try: Simple Salmon Croquettes a la Amy

My nutritionist buddy says this is a good way to get brain-food fish
into kids' diet. I (of course) modified her healthy recipe, subbing
store-bought garlic breadcrumbs for the plain crumbs, herbs and
spices she included, but I did leave her wheat germ in so I don't
think I'm being too evil. Now if I only knew where to buy wheat germ
(leaping feet-first into health isn't easy!)

She also says Spanish olive oil is healthier than others, I'm
guessing something to do with the way it's produced.

14.75 oz canned salmon
4 Tbsp wheat germ
1/2 cup garlic breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp oil
2 eggs

Mash all ingredients up with a fork. Form into patties or small
balls. Cook over medium heat 5-7 min (depending on size), or bake at
425 for 8-15 min.

Black-Eyed Peas: Texas Caviar

Best way I've found to get your lucky black-eyed peas. A friend made
this from a great recipe on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/

Texas-Caviar-I/Detail.aspx

1/2 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, chopped
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
8-oz zesty Italian dressing
15-oz can black beans, drained
15-oz can black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

Toss all but the cilantro together; chill in fridge 2 hours. Toss
with cilantro to serve.

Chicken Piccata

Make alongside Waldorf salad, lemon stirfry or another recipe that uses the other half of the lemon!

No fooling around, though: Don't mess with the whole complex butter, oil, butter, oil instructions or you won't get good sauce. Do it like it says (and it is possible to overdo the lemon.)

2 chicken breasts, sliced thin
brown rice or angel hair pasta
flour
6 Tbsp butter, divided
5 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers

Make the pasta or rice.

Flour the chicken; brown half the chicken in 2 Tbsp butter plus 3 Tbsp oil, then add 2 Tbsp butter plus 2 Tbsp oil and brown the other half.
Remove chicken, lower heat and add lemon juice, stock and capers. Bring to boil; add chicken and simmer 5 min.

Put the chicken atop the pasta or rice. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and whisk. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

To try: Amy's Waldorf Salad

My buddy Amy made the recipe at bottom for a party and I liked it; I think I could get two fruity lunches out of it. It's supposed to store in the fridge 2 days; here's my attempt at a quarter-recipe with simplified ingredients (i.e., stuff I have on hand; if this works, I should be able to make two lunches by buying only two apples and a small bunch of grapes). The full recipe is given below. (Lemon juice is sometimes added.)

1 red Delicious apple, coarsely chopped
1 yellow Delicious apple, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup seedless grapes, red or green
1/8 cup raisins
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Miracle Whip
1 1/3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp melted butter
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix the last 4 ingredients; toss with the fruit and nuts.

Full recipe (serves 8 to 10):

4 red Delicious apples, coarsely chopped
4 yellow Delicious apples, coarsely chopped
1 cup seedless grapes, red or green
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Miracle Whip
1/3 cup half and half
3 Tbsp sugar

Mix the last 3 ingredients; toss with the fruit and nuts.