About a Bit of Everything

Menu Plan for the week of March 20

2011-03-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

Last week, it turns out was all about eating out. So some of the items from last week are back on the menu for this week.

Sunday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Monday: Rotisserie Crockpot Chicken
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Spicy Pork Chops with Herbed Roasted New Potatoes
Thursday: Cheese tortellini with marinara sauce
Friday: Teriyaki marinated chicken (using Trader Joe's amazing Soyaki marinade)
Saturday: Leftovers (since we have lots on our weekend To Do list

Good luck with your week's menu plan.

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see other menu plans for the week.

Pie In Honor of 3/14 - International Pi Day

2011-03-20T10:39:00.000-05:00

Last Monday was International Pi Day. Why? Since March 14 is 3-14 which everyone who ever took a math class knows are the first 3 digits of the mathmatical constant. Get it? It took me a minute myself but I say it is because I am not much of a math wiz (just ask Mr. Gooch), but I like to think I am a bit of a baking wiz so in honor of Pi Day, I made us a pie. A fruit pie, peach melba to be exact. There is just something about the sweet of the peaches and the slightly tartness of the raspberries that makes me swoon whenever I think of the combination of flavors. Just writing this is making my stomach rumble and is spiking my need to see if there is any pie left in the fridge.

I used a recipe I found on http://www.food.com/ as the basis but tweaked it a bit since I now have trouble following pie recipes to the letter. Why? I blame my husband and his constant tweaking of various recipes. He is rubbing off.

Since we are just now coming out of the depths of winter (I still have snow in my yard), I used frozen fruit in the pie, adding a bit more flour to counteract the extra juices of the half thawed fruit. I also skipped a couple of ingredients (nutmeg, not a fan). and added extra creamy vanilla instead of the which cholocate raspberry truffle ice cream referred to in the food.com recipe here. All my changes and modifications are found in the recipe below.

And don't forget to mark your calendar for July 22, which is Pi Approximation Day since 22/7 (the date in date/month format) is the common approximation of pi. And another excuse to bake a pie for your friends, family, office mates or for yourself.

Peach Melba Pie
(Source: modified from food.com)
Ingredients
1 refrigerated pie crust
2-16 oz bags (4 cups-ish) of frozen peaches, thawed for about 30 minutes
1.5-16 oz bags (2.5 cups-ish) of frozen raspberries, thawed for about 20 minutes (2.5 cups-ish)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, melted
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions
Preheat overn to 375
Line baking sheet with foil, place on rack in lower 1/3 of the oven.
Line 9-inch pie pan with crust.
Toss peaches with sugar, flour and ginger.
Spoon into crust, distributing evenly.
Mix raspberries with the balance of the melted jam.
Spoon raspberries over peaches. (if there is any liquid from the frozen berries, do not add to the pie, there is enough liquid in the peaches and berries).
Place top crust on pie, crimping the top and bottom edges together.
Cut a number of holes in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and the crust is light brown.
Let cool on rack.
Serve with ice cream.

Menu Plan for week of March 13 - This Week We Are All Irish!

2011-03-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

I love St. Patrick's Day. Not because I am a huge fan of corned beef and cabbage but because I love hard cider (preferrably Irish, of course) and traditional irish music (especially the pipes), and I can't forget Irish Cream. :-)

While there isn't much Irish fare on the menu this week, we will still be celebrating by having some of our favorite recipes this week. And I am planning on making Irish Cream Brownies for a treat. And while it is all about the green this week, don't forget that tomorrow 3/14 is Pi Day, so you might want to make a pie tomorrow night. I am thinking a mixed berry pie using some of the fruit I have in the freezer sounds like the ticket. Yum! Looks like this is a week for desserts. And it looks like a week to spend some extra time on the excercise bike.

Sunday: Steak Perfection with corn and potato rolls
Monday: BBQ pork in the crockpot with peppers over brown rice
Tuesday: Out for dinner and Mr. Gooch is in class
Wednesday: Italian marinated chicken on the grill with harvest grain blend and a salad
Thursday: Leftovers (or Out for dinner depending on which locale has the traditional Irish music and food)
Friday: Stovetop Taco Pasta and crescent rolls
Saturday: Cheese tortellini with chicken (leftovers from Wednesday) and marinara sauce, salad and crescent rolls

Here's hoping you have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day and get to have some tasty pie on Pi Day.

Menu Plan for January 10, 2011

2011-01-09T20:37:00.000-06:00

Doesn't it seem like the best laid plans come apart as soon as you make them? It seems that this as been the case since one of my resolutions was to be better about planning our menus and posting the new recipes we have been trying. Well both have already fallen by the wayside. Between the home renovations (at least the new bamboo floors are finally done), our dog (who thinks she needs to oversee the renovations) and work, things have been busier than I planned. And if you are going to post recipes, it helps to actually remember to take photos of the dishes before they are consumed. Yeah, I haven't been too good about that part. So I have about six or seven recipes that could be blogged but, yup you guessed it, no photos.

All that being said, we have a plan for this week. Yay!! It isn't particularly ambitious but there are a couple of new things or variations on some of our favorites.

Sunday:
Monday: Parmesan coated salmon
Tuesday: FITF since Mr. Gooch has class
Wednesday: Beef meatballs (this time mixed with cheese tortellinis)
Thursday: FITF since Mr. Gooch has class
Friday: Crock pot roast
Saturday: Oregano chicken (from Easy Cooking with 5 Ingredients by Barbara C. Jones)

If you need help with your menu plan, visit www.orgjunkie.com to see what others have planned.

Menu Plan for December 20

2010-12-20T06:13:00.000-06:00

It is like deja vu all over again with this week's menu plan. Needless to say, we totally didn't stick to the menu plan. Between needing to work late one night (blech), Mr. Gooch's exams (and related studying), a trip to the auto shop (transmission work...boo!) and an all around busy week, we didn't cook much in the evenings last week. I think we cooked only twice, once the taco pasta and once with a fab salad concocted by Mr. Gooch (posting to come shortly).

But on the positive side, that means that we still have all the fixings for this week's menu in the freezer and the recipes already picked out so prep will be kept to a minimum.

One nice thing about this week's recipes is that they utilize marinades so you can actually mix the marinade the night before and just throw them on the grill, Griddler, or Foreman Grill when you get home. This helps to keep cooking time to a minimum.

So for this week we have on the menu

Monday: WW Chicken Breast Peruvian (modified from this recipe)
Tuesday: WW Honey Teriyaki Salmon

Wednesday: Tri-Tip on the Grill using this preparation
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Christmas Eve Party at Mom & Dad Gooch's house
Saturday: Leftovers from Christmas Eve party

Don't forget to head over to www.orgjunkie.com to see what others have planned for the week.

Menu Plan for the week of December 12

2010-12-13T06:07:00.000-06:00

With the holiday coming and all the tasty treats we know we will be eating, this week we thought we would incorporate some Weight Watchers recipes into the menu plan.

Sunday: Chinese with my parents
Monday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Tuesday: WW Honey Teriyaki Salmon
Wednesday: WW Zesty Chicken Noodle Casserole
Thursday: Tri-Tip on the Grill using this preparation
Friday: WW Chicken Breast Peruvian (modified from this recipe)
Saturday: Forage in the Fridge

Visit www.orgjunkie.com to see what others are planning for their menus this week.

Mr. Gooch Cooks - A Super Salad

2010-12-13T00:57:00.000-06:00

This last week Mr. Gooch surprised me with having dinner ready when I got home from work. While that was wonderful all in its own, it was the salad that made it absolutely memorable.

Who knew that apples, bacon, romaine and smokey seasoned ranch could combine for such tastiness? I mean, I am a firm believer that bacon makes everything better, but in this case, it is definitely true.

The sweetness of the apples, along with the saltiness of the bacon, added to the cool romaine and the slight smokey heat of the dressing combine to make a salad worth making again and again.

Ingredients
3 pieces of bacon
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
1/4 cup ranch dressing
1 teaspoon Northwood Fire seasoning
1 apple cored and sliced into 4 slices lengthwise
1/4 cup cashews, chopped

Directions
Combine ranch and Northwoods fire in a small bowl, set aside.
Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp. Set aside to cool.
Place apple slices in skillet with bacon fat, cooking for about 1 minute on each side. Set aside to cool.
Wipe out skillet and place cashews, toasting lightly. Set aside to cool.
Chop bacon and apples into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine romaine, apples, bacon and dressing, tossing lightly.
Once tossed, add cashews.
Serve.

Menu Plan for November 21

2010-11-21T18:14:00.000-06:00

It is the week of Thanksgiving, and that means an abbreviated dinner menu. We have two Thanksgiving dinners to prepare for, one hosted by us and one hosted by Mr. Gooch's mother. We also may be having some friends over for dinner on Wednesday.

With that, here is our week's menu plan.

Sunday: Carne Asada with peppers and onions (Mr. Gooch's recipe. Look for a blog post on this one coming as soon as I get my camera fixed.)
Monday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)
Tuesday: WW Southern "Fried" Chicken
Wednesday: Either FITF or Teriyaki marinated tuna steaks using Trader Joe's Marinade (if friends end up coming over to dinner)
Thursday: Thanksgiving Dinner at our house
Alton Brown Roasted Turkey
          Roasted Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (this recipe with roasted garlic added)
          Garlic Knot Rolls
          Cranberry Orange Chuntey with Cumin and Mustard Seeds (we are skipping the fennel seeds)
          Baileys Marbled Cheesecake (using this recipe as a starting off point)
          Mushroom Gravy (brother Gooch is making this one)
Friday: FITF
Saturday: Thanksgiving at Mr. Gooch's mother's house. We are bringing a Baileys Marbled Cheesecake.

Look for blog posts on the Thanksgiving recipes in the next few weeks.

Wondering what others are planning for their menus this week at www.orgjunkie.com.

Menu Plan for the Week of October 17

2010-10-17T10:54:00.000-05:00

This week's menu plan is all about comfort food. It has gotten cool here in Michigan so I seem to want food to warm my insides.

Many of the recipes are repeats of our favorites so we know they are good ones. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Monday: Stove Top Taco Pasta
Tuesday: Rotisserie-style Crockpot chicken with potatoes and carrots
Wednesday: Dinner salad topped with leftover chicken
Thursday: Smoked Salmon in a Basil Cream Sauce over Pasta (recipe to be created by Mr. Gooch)
Friday: Beef Cooked in Red Wine
Saturday: Leftovers
Extra Recipe: Baked Potato Soup in the crockpot (for lunches)

Menu Plan for the Week of August 22

2010-08-22T13:27:00.000-05:00

We were quite good about sticking to our menu plan last week though we did switch some of the days around because someone (that would be me) forgot to put the stuff in the crockpot before leaving for work on Wednesday. Oops.

We also skipped the pizza on Friday - deciding instead to head to Chili's for strong air-conditioning (we don't have central air), skillet queso and margaritas and on Saturday night, instead of FITF, Mr. Gooch made a tasty salmon to go on top of a large dinner salad on Saturday. Look for the that post coming shortly.

Our menu this week is about eating the items we already have in our fridge and freezer. We got a new fridge last week and when we were cleaning it out (and moving things around), we realized that we didn't have a good handle on what we actually had spread between our kitchen fridge, the basement fridge and the garage freezer. So other than some fresh veggies, everything on our menu was already in our freezer, fridge or pantry.

This week's plan is a mix of old favorites and some new recipes, it will be good to get back into the swing of blogging about our new recipes.

Sunday: Seasoned Steak Perfection with salad, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes
Monday: Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs with brown rice and corn on the cob
Tuesday: Seasoned Steak Perfection with salad and steamed veggies.
Wednesday: Garlic-Lime Pork Chops with Chipotle basmati rice and salad.
Thursday: Dinner Salad topped with either leftover beef, chicken or pork.
Friday: Late dinner with friends
Saturday: Celebrating Mr. Gooch's grandmother's birthday

Don't forget to visit www.orgjunkie.com to see what others are planning for their menus this week.

Menu Plan for the Week of August 15

2010-08-16T06:10:00.000-05:00

Oh my, are Mr. Gooch and I bushed after a busy weekend. Between a wedding, buying and unloading more boxes of flooring than I want to think about (55), emptying our fridges to prepare for the delivery of the new one, helping the delivery men make the switcheroo (basement fridge out the door, old kitchen fridge to the basement, new fridge into the kitchen), plus all the regular weekend stuff like laundry and cleaning - we are bushed.

So this week's menu is an easy one so we can have time to start pulling up carpet, removing tack strips and pulling off baseboard to prepare for the laying of the flooring in those 55 boxes.

Hope your week is less hectic than ours.

Sunday: Leftover Panera Bread sandwiches
Monday: Stove Top Taco Pasta
Tuesday: Chicken Teriyaki with brown rice and steamed veggies (using a fab marinade from Trader Joe's)
Wednesday: Smokey Beef Brisket
Thursday: Orange Chicken with Pot Sitckers with white rice
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)

Don't forget to check out other menu plans at www.orgjunkie.com.

We Are Back - with a Menu Plan!

2010-07-28T13:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the radio silence over the last few months. There have been some big doings here at Casa Gooch and we have fallen so far off the menu planning, cooking new recipes and blogging wagons that I am not sure what the wagon even looks like anymore.

The Mister and I had gotten new jobs but our schedules totally did not connect which meant no meals together (boo hiss). So we each found another (better) job with (better) more regular schedules so we have been slowly working our way to a regular dining schedule since we actually are together in the evenings.

The summer heat has meant mainly grilling basics like chicken and brats which aren't really blogworthy. That and just being out and about for summer related activities means not much cooking at home.

We also had a freezer and a pantry that were in total organizational disarray so we really had no idea what we even had available so we did end up making plenty of calls to the local pizza place (I am positive they recognize our number by now) since that was easier than trying to dig through the chaos.

But now that things are settling in, back to being organized and cooling off a bit, we are back.

This week, to get back in the swing we are making some of our favorite dishes. But in the coming weeks, we will have new or improved recipes.

Sunday: Pizza (from our local place)
Monday: Teriyaki chicken on the grill (using Trader Joe's fabulous marinade), steamed veggies and brown rice
Tuesday: Sate chicken stir-fry with tri-colored peppers and brown rice
Wednesday: BBQ Salmon with steamed veggies and brown rice
Thursday: Crockpot Chicken with potatoes and carrots
Friday: Picnic at a local concert venue (Still working on the menu).
Saturday: Seasoned Steak Perfection, with roasted potatoes and corn on the cob

One big change in our menu planning is our usual "Forage in the Frige" or FITF is gone for the most part. Now that Mr. Gooch and I have access to microwaves at work, leftovers have become lunch. Now I just need to get more containers for our lunches.

Menu Plan for the week of February 21

2010-02-21T21:55:00.001-06:00

Sorry about my absence over the last couple of weeks. We have been pretty busy in Casa Gooch. Mr. Gooch has been taking studying and taking mid terms, I have been working on odds and ends around the house and we have been eating with my folks or on the fly a ton.

However, Mr. Gooch is on Spring Break this week and it is his long week at home so I am back on the wagon this week.

Sunday: Breakfast for Dinner aka Pancakes
Monday: Soy-Marinated Chicken (a new recipe for us)
Tuesday: Beef Meatballs in Marinara over Pasta
Wednesday: Smokey Crockpot Brisket
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Saturday: Leftovers

Bonus Recipe: Chicken Stew (a recipe I have been muddling over in my head for a couple of weeks so I am goig to try to see if it works)

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes - A Tasty Twist on the Usual Potato Roast

2010-02-03T12:42:00.000-06:00

I have said before, I love potatoes. I think it is in my DNA (being part Irish and all). So when I saw this recipe for Balsamic Roasted Potatoes, I just knew I had to try it. You see, along with my love of the tuber, I am developing a deep abiding love for balsamic vinegar.

Just one more reason why this food blogging is a great thing, it exposes you to flavors and spices you may not have experienced before. Balsamic vinegar falls into this category. I don't think I had ever had it before two years ago. But then again, two years ago, I only had four recipes in my cooking repitoire (and one of those was for Tollhouse cookies).

Back to the potatoes, I liked them...alot. Mr. Gooch...not as much. I do think that next time I make them, I will add some rosemary to the mix. I just didn't think the thyme had enough punch to hold up against the balsamic.

Balsamic Roasted Potatoes
(Source: Proceed with Caution)
Ingredients
1.5 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, cut into small pieces
3/4 C chicken broth
1/4 C balsamic vinegar
2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and fresh grond pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In an 8-inch square baking dish, combine potatoes, broth, vinegar, garlic, thyme; season with salt and pepper.
Bake until potatoes are tender and liquid is reduced to a glaze, about 1 1/4 hours, tossing twice.

Menu Plan for the Week of January 31

2010-01-31T19:27:00.000-06:00

Last week we did quite well in our menu plan.

We made the Beef Meatballs in Homemade Marinara over Rigatoni and Mr. Gooch made us a tasty Cucumber & Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. We also enjoyed a tasty Steak on the Grill, even though it was about 10 degrees outside. It just gave us an excuse to build a fire to combat the opening and closing of the slider door (and to have s'more for dessert).

We did not get to the Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot or the Stovetop Taco Pasta so those will go back on the menu for this week.

Check in with us next Sunday to see how we did in following this week's plan.

Sunday: Out to dinner with my parents after a show
Monday: Crispy Baked Rosemary-Garlic Chicken with Balsamic Roasted Potatoes (new recipes for us)
Tuesday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Wednesday: Chicken Chile Verde (new recipe for us)
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Salmon with Lemon Ginger Sauce (new recipe for us)

Bonus Recipe: Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot

Make sure to visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning for their week's menu.

Check Out My New Toy!

2010-01-30T08:22:00.001-06:00

I had a number of United Frequent Flyer Miles about to expired with no plans on taking any trips in the near future so I was able to turn some in to get this baby.

Isn't she beautiful?

Look at all she can do.

And it is all the better because she was "free" since I wasn't going to be able to use the miles for anything else.

I can't wait to take her out for a test drive. Maybe cheesy skillet potatoes, sweet potatoe fries or apple cole slaw. You can bet that I am already looking for ways to really get a feeling for what this baby can do. Stay tuned.

Mr. Gooch Cooks - Cucumber & Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

2010-01-27T12:12:00.002-06:00

The night that I made Beef Meatballs in Marinara over Rigatoni, Mr. Gooch made this tasty salad. I had been out running some errands at Home Depot (I swear that I am in that place weekly), Hobby Lobby, the grocery, and the bank. So coming home to flowers and dinner already started was so sweet.

The best part of the deal? This recipe is quick, easy and tasty. So if you need to whip up a quick salad that is an alternative to the usual lettuce based version, this is for you.

Cucumber & Pepper Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
(Source: Depths of Mr. Gooch's Brain)
Ingredients
1 red pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 yellow pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 orange pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
1 cucumber, quartered and cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Italian Herb Blend

Directions
Place peppers and cucumbers in a large ceramic bowl.
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs in a small bowl.
Mix thoroughly.
Pour over peppers and cucumbers.
Stir to coat.

For best flavor, place in fridge and allow flavors to meld for an hour or more.

Beef Meatballs in Marinara Over Rigatoni

2010-01-26T20:01:00.000-06:00

I have to tell you, I am not a fan of ground meat. I just don't dig the texture. I definitely don't do hamburgers. Too much ground meat all pressed together, I think. But I do crave a good meatball. Strange, I know. But as Mr. Gooch has learned over the years, my food likes, dislikes and issues rarely make any sense. I could do a whole post on why I don't like shellfish, tomatoes, beans cut into log shapes, mushrooms and a number of other foods. That is for another time.

This post is about these tasty meatballs. I have been following Le Petit Pierogi for some time now but haven't yet made any of her recipes. If this one is any indication, I will definitely be trying more. I actually have the recipe for Oven Roasted Chickpeas starred in my Google Reader and it should be coming up on deck soon.

These went together quickly and easily. I used a dutch oven to brown the meatballs and to cook the meatballs in the marinara sauce since I wanted to try to keep the number of dirty dishes to a minimum. Mr. Gooch loved them and said I would have to make them again.

Even better, we had plenty left over to package up with some of the sauce and rigatoni to pop in the freezer for last minute meals.

Beef Meatballs
(Modified Slightly From: Le Petit Pierogi)

Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (we used 18 oz)
1/3 red onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 egg
2 tbsp ranch dressing
2 tbsp red wine
3/4 cup Italian style breadcrumbs (more or less depending on how the meatballs hold together)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Italian dried herbs
1 qt marinara sauce (I used my homemade marinara)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl combine all ingredients except for the marinara sauce.
Mix by hand until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
Roll into 1-2 inch diameter balls.
In a large dutch over, over medium-high heat, brown the meatballs on all sides.
Work in batches if necessary.
Once all meatballs are browned, place all back in to the dutch oven and cover with marinara sauce.
Stir gently to cover the meatballs with sauce.
Cover and bake for 1 hour.
Serve over pasta.

Menu Plan for the Week of January 24

2010-01-25T12:11:00.000-06:00

Last week was a bit of a bust in the menu planning department.

I made the 3-packet roast but didn't get any pictures since we had my mom and dad over for dinner. I ended up going out to eat more than I planned and even made myself a Lean Cuisine one night instead of cooking. Mr. Gooch was again working out of town most of the week, thus the eating out and Lean Cuisine.

So I am hoping that this week will be better.

Sunday: Chicken Panini with Peppers and Creamy Cheese Sauce (a Mr. Gooch Cooks original recipe...post coming on this shortly)
Monday: Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce over Rigatoni
Tuesday: Out to the movies so a dinner of popcorn and movie treats
Wednesday: Steaks on the grill
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Lean Cuisine
Saturday: Stovetop Taco Pasta

Bonus Recipe: Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot

Having a Cuppa - January is National Tea Month

2010-01-24T22:29:00.000-06:00

Source: www.countryliving.com

I love tea. I love green teas, fruit teas, black teas, white teas. I especially like a cuppa in the evening on a cold winter night. If we have a fire in the fireplace, all the better.

Since January is National Hot Tea Month, I thought that I would share my favorite tea shop with you. Todd & Holland Tea Merchants located in Forest Park, Illinois. This is a gem located just west of Chicago on Forest Park's main street. With dozens of different types of teas ranging from green to black to oolong to jasmine to herbal and more, their shop is a delight to visit. I loved stopping in just to spend time smelling all the different types of tea.

In addition to teas, you can find teapots, tea cups and other tea related accessories.

Before we moved away six months ago, I stopped in to stock up on some of my favorite teas and tisanes. These included Serendipity, Moroccan Mint, Several Rooibos varieties, Vanilla Flavored Black Tea along with several others.

I am actually sitting here drinking some Serendipity as I write this post and Mr. Gooch is drinking a cuppa of the Morrocan Mint while he is trying to conquer the world in one of his computer games. Such a nice way to end the evening.

Take a few minutes to check out the shop's web site and maybe sign up to get one of thier catalogs so you too can enjoy one of the amazing varieties Todd & Holland carries.

Happy 2010 & Resolutions - Better Late Than Never

2010-01-19T08:12:00.001-06:00

I realized earlier this evening that I never wrote a "Happy 2010 & Here Are My Blog Goals/Resolutions" post.

Whoops!

I guess the time got away from me as well as since we are making more progress on our house (check out our house blog Claiming Our Space to see what we have been up to outside the kitchen.)

My goals this year are simple:

1. Keep cooking and baking
2. Keep menu planning
3. Try at least one new recipe a week
4. Post that recipe in the same week we try it

Definitely doable.

Here's hoping you all have doable goals as well.

Let's all check in at the end of December to see how we did.

Menu Plan for the Week of January 17

2010-01-17T22:05:00.006-06:00

Last week was a great success. Of the four new recipes we tried, three were good enough to stay in rotation and the fourth we decided was more appropropriate as a side dish.

Not sure if we can match the success of last week but I am going to try. This week is a crockpot week. And our new recipes are all for things cooked in the slow cooker. And since last week all our planned new recipes came from one source, the same goes for this week. They are all from A Year of Slow Cooking (http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/). You should bookmark this site if you regularly use your slow cooker.

Sunday: Cheese Tortellini with Alfredo Sauce
Monday: 3-Packet Pot Roast with red skin potatoes
Tuesday: Forage in the Fridge
Wednesday: Crockpot Tandoori Chicken with basmati rice
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Old Fashioned Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker
Saturday: Forage in the Fridge

Bonus Recipe for the Week: Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot with fresh baked bread

Beef Stew with Red Wine

2010-01-17T12:49:00.002-06:00

After making Beef Cooked in Red Wine, we had quite a bit of stewing meat and most of a bag of potatoes left over. What to make? What to make? How about Beef Stew with Red Wine? I found this post on Two Novice Chefs, One Tiny Kitchen. Since they talked about modifying the recipe, I decided to go to the source and change it up to our tastes.

We added more of just about everything and skipped the onions (since we didn't have any in the house). Mr. Gooch loved it (though he wished it had onions in it). Guess I will have to add them next time. Even I, not a huge fan of stews liked this one. I think it is because there were no mushrooms and no beans.

Next time, I plan to double the batch to ensure we have enough to freeze for a quick and easy meal when pressed for time.

Beef Stew with Red Wine
(Sourced from About.com: Southern Food)
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds stew beef

3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Smokey 4/S Seasoned Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil
2 cups carrot chopped to bite size pieces
3 ribs celery, chopped to bite size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups beef broth
2 cup dry red wine, such as Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon
2 cups potatoes, chopped to bite size pieces
1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried rosemary

Directions
Trim stew beef and cut in small bite-size pieces.

Put in a zip top plastic bag with the flour, onion powder and seasoned salt.
Toss to coat well.
Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add beef to hot oil and cook, stirring, until lightly browned.
Add the celery; continue cooking, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
Add carrots, potatoes, garlic, broth, wine, and rosemary, bringing to a boil.
After reducing heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 to 60 minutes, or until beef is tender.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon in Cream Sauce

2010-01-16T20:20:00.001-06:00

I love salmon. I love it so much I could probably eat it every single day. I love it for dinner. I love it for lunch. I love it for breakfast. I love it baked, grilled, raw and smoked. With all that, you would think that this recipe was right up my alley. And it was, sort of.

We made this for dinner and while it was tasty, it is quite light. More suited for lunch or maybe a dish to add to a Sunday brunch buffet. I would make it again, just not for dinner. I would probably add just a bit more parm cheese, to help thicken the sauce.

Pasta with Smoked Salmon in Cream Sauce
(Source: The Best Ever 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook)
Ingredients
6 oz (give or take) smoked salmon, cut into small strips
12 oz pasta
3/4 c cream
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbs butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Cook pasta according to direction.
In a separate large saucepan, melt the butter.
Once the butter is melted, stir in the cream and heat without letting it boil.
Add 1/3 of the smoked salmon strips and heat through.
Add Parm cheese.
Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Drain pasta.
Place in large serving bowl and pour cream and salmon mixture over top.
Add rest of smoked salmon and dried thyme.
Toss lightly to coat.
Sprinkle with Parn cheese and serve.

Chili-Spiced Chicken - This Time Done Right!

2010-01-16T10:30:00.001-06:00

This is a redo of a recipe that I totally failed last week.

Well, I can report that when you follow the recipe as written, it is quite tasty. Actually, it is tasty enough that I wish that I had made an extra few chicken breasts to shred and freeze for use in other recipes. There is just enough heat to keep it interesting but not enough to make you look for the nearest piece of bread.

We both decided that this recipe goes quite nicely with corn on the cob and Cilantro-Lime Rice that you usually find at Chipotle.

Again, the recipe is from the Best Ever 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook which is fast becoming one of my favorite cookbooks. If you can find a copy, I wholeheartedly think you should get a copy for your own cookbook collection.

Chili-Spiced Chicken
Source: Best Ever 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts (we used 3)
1 Tbs Chili Powder
1 Tbs Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Tbs Olive Oil

Directions
Rinse and dry chicken breasts
Heat grill pan to medium high
In a small bowl combine chili powder, ground cumin and olive oil.
Stir to combine and turn into a thin paste.
Brush chicken with spiced paste using a basting brush.
Place on grill pan and cook until cooked through.

Serve with rice or potatoes.

Beef Cooked in Red Wine

2010-01-15T19:25:00.000-06:00

This was one tasty and easy recipe.

I am so loving my Best 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook. The recipes are easy to follow and with a minimum of ingredients (as evidenced by the title of the book, of course).

Mr. Gooch said he really liked this recipe and asked that we add it to the recipe rotation. That is high praise since I have had a couple of misses lately in the recipe department. I liked that it was so so easy. And it only needs one dish. You marinate in the same dish that you ultimately cook in. Score!

I hope you like this as much as we did.

Beef Cooked in Red Wine
(Source: Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook)
Ingredients
1.5 lbs beef stew meat
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle fruity red wine
salt and pepper to taste
crushed dried rosemary to taste

Directions
Place garlic in bottom of casserole dish that has a lid
Place meat (cut into bite sized pieces) in dish
Pour wine over beef
Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours to marinate - I marinated overnight
Preheat oven to 325.
Place covered dish with beef, garlic and wine in the oven.
Cook for 2 hours or until beef is tender.
Once cooked, salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with mashed potatoes and a sprinkling of dried rosemary.

Menu Plan for the Week of January 10

2010-01-10T22:00:00.001-06:00

Last week we tried two new recipes. Neither were a real hit though one was totally my fault. Note: reading IS fundamental. See why here. But this week we are back to trying new recipes (and a redo of last week's mishap). Here's hoping they are a greater success than last week.

Sunday: Mr. Gooch is cooking. I have no idea. Will report back later in the week.
Monday: Penne with Cream and Smoked Salmon (a new recipe)
Tuesday: Beef Cooked in Red Wine (a new recipe)
Wednesday: Chili-Spiced Chicken (this is our recipe redo)
Thursday: Chicken Quesedillas (using the leftover chicken from Wednesday)
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Forage in the Fridge

Whoops. I Got It Wrong - Chili Spiced Chicken

2010-01-10T09:59:00.001-06:00

I decided to post this since failure is sometimes a part of cooking. And while the chicken was edible (barely), it was definitely not what the author of the recipe intended. Let me just say, reading IS fundamental.

Before I get back to the recipe, I just have to say I love BBC America. I love the shows that feature British chefs and how their recipes are fabulous in slightly different way. Maybe it is their accents. Maybe it is using British terms for items; like rocket for arugala and poussin for small chicken. Somehow it just sounds more exotic. I think that is why I found myself flipping through my Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook. It is published by a London-based publisher so th e recipes havethat British flair. Fair warning - I will be using more recipes from this book in the coming months since I have many I want to try.

Now back to the recipe. You would think since it was from a book touting recipes having only a few ingredients I wouldn't be able to screw it up. Well, you would be wrong.

Here is how the recipe is written

Chili-Spiced Poussin
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Chili Powder
1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
salt and pepper

Take special heed of the words Chili Powder.

Apparently I didn't.

I used Cayenne Pepper instead. Yes, they share some letters. Yes, they are in the same box in my pantry (the box labeled C). Yes, they are both red in color. So you can see how I could get them confused...if I couldn't read (this is where the "reading is fundamental" is key). Needless to say the chicken was so spicy that it made my mouth burn, and not in a good way.

I am not going to print any more of the recipe since I am going to try this again next week, with the proper ingredients.

Citrus Salmon Fillets - An Interesting Idea

2010-01-08T22:34:00.000-06:00

I love salmon. I could eat it several times a week. Mr. Gooch, well, he tolerates salmon.

In an effort to expand the file of salmon recipes and to eat lighter in the New Year, I decided to try the recipe below. I found it in a cookbook I hace had on my bookcase for years. Favorite Brand Name Cooking Light. I would link you to the Amazon listing but apparently the book is out of print.

Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed with the final result. It was a bit too sweet for us. This seems to be a theme for us since we were not huge fans of Brown Sugar Pork Loin in the Crockpot or Roast Chicken with Cumin, Honey and Orange. But as we ate it, we realized that the recipe did have potential.

However, that potential would only be realized with some subsitutions. Some possibilities are subbing lime juice for some of the orange juice, adding a dried pepper to the marinade to add some heat, subbing grapefruit juice for some of the lemon juice, upping the amount of dill and adding another spice. We will keep you posted on our next try at this recipe.

Citrus Marinated Salmon

(Source: modified from the recipe Citrus Marinated Fish Steaks originally published in the 1993 edition of Favorite Brand Name Cooking Light)

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

4-6 oz salmon fillets

Directions

Combine juices, olive oil and dill in a quart sized zipper bag.

Place slamon fillets in bag and seal.

Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, flipping bag to enusre all fillets are marinated.

Heat stove top grill pan to medium heat.

Place fillet, skin side down, on pan.

Grill on each side for about 4-5 minutes or until flesh is flakes with a fork.

At the same time that the fish is grilling, heat marinade in small sauce pan and baste the fish to keep moist.

The First Menu Plan for a New Year! - Week of January 3

2010-01-03T21:59:00.000-06:00

I have been absent, I know. But we have been busy here at Casa Gooch. Watch for upcoming posts to hear all about what has been going on.

For now, it in on to this week's menu plan.

Sunday: Steak on the grill (damned be the freezing temps) using this recipe.
Monday: Citrus Marinated Salmon Fillets (a new recipe for us)
Tuesday: Stove Top Taco Pasta
Wednesday: Forage in the Fridge
Thursday: Chili Spiced Chicken (another new recipe for us)
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Homemade BBQ chicken pizza

Be sure to visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning this week.

Menu Plan for the Week of December 20

2009-12-20T21:07:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas Week!!!

Again, there isn't much of a plan. Mr. Gooch is still out of town this week and I am hosting the family Christmas Eve Party. However, most of the dishes are brought by other people.

In case you are looking for ideas for your own holiday dinners, here are some of the dishes we will be enjoying the evening of the 24th.

Crab Appetizer (recipe to come from Mom)
Deviled Eggs (recipe to come from my Grandmother)
Honey Baked Ham
Cheesy Potatoes
Baked Beans
7-Layer Salad (recipe to come from my Grandmother)
Green Bean Casserole (recipe to come from Mom)

Check in with http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning for this week's menus.

Make sure to check back next week when I actually do a menu plan. DH will be back in town for several days and we will be celebrating Christmas with our immediate family next Monday evening. I think a chicken may be in the plan.

Menu Plan for the Week of December 12

2009-12-13T22:58:00.000-06:00

No menu plan this week. Mr. Gooch is working out of town this week so I am hitting the freezer and the Lean Cuisines, the pantry and the fridge for foraging.

Next week I will have a plan, mainly because we will be hosting my family's Christmas Eve party.

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others actually have planned for this week.

Another Contest...This Time Dessert!

2009-11-28T12:31:00.000-06:00

One of the blogs I follow is that for Marx Foods. This is an online company that has some amazing products for the home chef. I drool just perusing their online store. I have several of their samplers on my holiday wish list (in case you are reading Mr. Gooch, I think the Dried Chile Sampler and the Ritrovo's Artisan Salt Collection both would fit the bill!)

They are having a contest for 10 dozen molded ice cream desserts. Just enter what you would do with the ice creams if you won in the comments section and you will be entered to win. Good luck!

If I win, I will be serving these at a fancy dinner party Mr. Gooch and I are hosting for our immediate family after the holidays are over. It is part of our Christmas present to them.

Christmas is Coming!! Christmas is Coming!! And Here's a Giveaway to to Help You Get Ready!!

2009-11-27T11:55:00.008-06:00

With Thanksgiving over, this means that Christmas is right around the corner. Gulp! We are hosting the family Christmas Eve celebration this year. Double Gulp!!

In any case, we could use another Christmas tree, like the one that Balsam Mountain is giving away. Click here to enter the giveaway for a Colorado Mountain Spruce Christmas tree valued at $799.

Artificial Christmas Tre
Giveaway at Balsam Hill

For more information on Balsam Hill trees and how they are made, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2009-11-25T23:55:00.000-06:00

Wishing you all a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!!

Photo Source: http://www.zazzle.co.uk/vintage_thanksgiving_dinner_greeting_card-137981478310864695

Our Anniversary Dinner at The Grill at the 1913 Room - A Review

2009-11-24T12:26:00.000-06:00

(Image from the Amway Grand Plaza web site)

For our second anniversary, we decided to eat out. Now that we no longer have the many wonderful Chicago steakhouses to choose from, we decided to check out one of the top places for steak in our new locale. The Grill at the 1913 Room is said to be one of the best.

Overall, our dinner was quite amazing. It was a beautiful evening with an unseasonably warm temperature. Since we were eating mid-week there were only a few people in the restaurant so we were able to get a table with a window view away from other diners, lending itself to a quiet, intimate dinner for two.

Mr. Gooch had leaves of baby spinach with toasted pine nuts, roma tomatoes, applewood smoked bacon and maple-mustard vinaigrette as his starter and I had the torn leaf Caesar salad with shaved La Mancha, Manchego. Mr. Gooch said it was one of the best salads he had ever had. Very high praise and it set the bar high for the rest of the meal.

The main course was where things got a bit dicey. Mr. Gooch's was wonderful. The 10 oz. Prime filet of beef tenderloin with a pistachio crust and Stilton Cream was cooked to perfection. However, my selection, the 12 oz. grilled Prime dry aged New York Strip with herb butter, was overcooked. Way overcooked. It was still tasty but cooked almost to well done, definitley not the medium rare that I ordered.

Now, before you get as upset as I did about the wrong doneness, the manager was quite embarrassed about the wrong preparation and offered to get another New York Strip prepared as I ordered it. However, at this point, I decided against it since I was so hungry that I didn't want to wait another 10 to 15 minutes to get another steak. Especially since the savory aroma of Mr. Gooch's cooked to order steak kept wafting across the table toward me. So I kept my steak and they removed the entree from the check without any argument.

The capper to the evening were our desserts. There are not enough superlatives to describe how amazing they were. I had the Milky Way, a chocolate tower with baci mousse, a trio of sauces and Amarula Liqueur. Mr. Gooch had the Chocolate Composition, a rich chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate raspberry truffles, Manjari chocolate shards, and candied orange with a duo of sauces. There was even a sugar cookie with Happy Anniversary written on it in milk chocolate included in the plate of my dessert. They were both absolutely divine, creamy, chocolately, beautiful, works of art, fruity and a perfect end to a wonderful night.

I wish I had a photos of our dinners to share with you, but I had left the camera on the hall table. Maybe next year.

Here's wishing you all a memorable anniversary dinner of your own this year!!

Menu Plan for the Week of November 22

2009-11-22T12:56:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe how time has flown. It is already the week of Thanksgiving with December and the Christmas holiday close behind. (gulp! I think I need to get started on deciding on what we are giving this year). But even with all the holidays, menu planning goes on. This week we have two new recipes that I found in one of my many cookbooks.

One of the bonuses of moving is that being reminded of books (cookbooks included) you forgot you owned. I purchased the Best Ever Three & Four Ingredient Cookbook at my local Borders Books about a year ago and then never got around to making any of the many tasty looking recipes. It is written by two British chefs and I like that it has a more European flair. Just one more way I am trying to expand my palate.

With that, here is our week's menu.

Sunday:  Herbed roast in the crockpot with skillet potatoes, carrots, Caesar salad and rolls.
Monday:  Teriyaki salmon (a new recipe for us so look for a post on this recipe coming soon)
Tuesday:  Chilli-spiced chicken (another new recipe)
Wednesday:  FITF
Thursday: Turkey Day at my aunt and uncle's house
Friday:  FITF
Saturday: Breakfast for Dinner (since I am on my own with Mr. Gooch out of town)

Don't forget to check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning for their menus this week.

A Yummy Birthday Dinner!

2009-11-20T12:23:00.000-06:00

Sunday night was my birthday. It was a big one. But since I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with turning that particular age, Mr. Gooch was wonderful about the day being low key.

The best part, that I can share with you, was the wonderful dinner Mr. Gooch made for me to celebrate. It was made up of some my favorite dishes.

We had bacon-wrapped filet mignon seasoned with this tasty rub, dilled carrots, skillet-fried potatoes with smoked Gouda, Caesar salad and a wonderful summer berry torte from one of our fav bakeries (highlighted in the pic at the top of the post).

It was a wonderful evening and a great way to celebrate the birthday.

Here's hoping all of your birthday celebrations are as tasty and wonderful.

Herbed Tuna Steak on a Bed of Fresh Greens

2009-11-17T12:08:00.000-06:00

I thought the title would make our tuna steak salad sound a bit fancier. I started with this recipe for Grilled Herbed Tuna that I found on Erica's Kitchen Adventures and aded our own twists.

First, the weather was not cooperating the day we had planned to eat this meal. Since that meant no grilling, I whipped out our grilling pan so we be able to cook the tuna steak in a similar way. Next, I used dried herbs, ground them in a coffee grinder to make a rub instead of using the herbs crushed and placed on the fish. I also added a little rosemary and garlic powder (left over from a previous dish). Finally, since we didn't have the fresh herbs, we skipped those all together.

With theser changes, the tuna was quite tasty. However, I was a bit rushed so didn't get a chance to take the tuna steak out of the fridge and let it warm slightly. This resulted in a cool center since our tuna steak was quite thick and we did not want to overcook the outside. If I were to make this again, I would cut the steak in half so it was not so thick.

Herbed Tuna Steak on a Bed of Fresh Greens
(Source: Modified from Erica's Kitchen Adventures)
Ingredients:
1 Tuna Steak (max of 1" thick)
1 T Dried Thyme
1/2 T Kosher Salt
1/2 T Lemon Pepper
1/2 T Dried Rosemary
1/2 T Garlic Powder
1 T Olive Oil
1 Head Romaine Lettuce, washed and shredded
Salad dressing of your choice (we used a light Ceasar)

Directions:
Preheat grill pan to medium/medium-high heat.
Mix together herbs and salt.
Grind in a coffee grinder until powdered.
Coat the tuna with oil and the rub with the powdered herb mixture, coating both sides and the edges.
Place tuna steak on grill pan.
Grill for about 2-3 minutes per side, including the edges, depending on thickness and how you like it cooked.

Slice thinly and place on a bed of greens.

Serve.

Menu Plan for the Week of November 15

2009-11-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

I missed my usual Sunday night posting of our menu plan for the week. But I have a good reason, I promise. We were celebrating my birthday. I turned 39 (again). DH made me a few of my favorite recipes (check them out below) and we decided to have a quiet evening without technology.

Now that I have had some time to actually spend on the week's plan, here it is.

Sunday: My birthday dinner. Bacon-wrapped filet mignon using this recipe, dilled carrots, caesar salad
Monday: Mac and Cheese with spicy chicken sausage
Tuesday: Pesto Cheese Ravioli with chicken
Wednesday: Roast Chicken in the Crockpot
Thursday: FITF
Friday: Homemade BBQ Pizza using the leftover chicken from Tuesday
Saturday: FITF

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning on eating this week.

A Different Chicken - Sweet not Savory

2009-11-13T12:36:00.000-06:00

I have had Mark Bittman's Bitten blog from the New York Times in my Reader for a long time now. I like his writing style and am a regular reader. One thing I am always checking out are the recipes, to see if anything looks good for both Mr. Gooch and myself since I am the picky eater in our duo (mushrooms, shellfish and tomato chunks are just a few of my "oh heck no" ingredients).

Most of the time, unfortunately, I have to take a pass on his recipes. However, back on March 10, 2009, the Recipe of the Day "Roast Chicken With Cumin, Honey and Orange" seemed right up our alley. Mr. Gooch loves honey, I love cumin and we both love orange juice. Additionally, it looked like it had just the right combination of sweetness and heat to keep things interesting. Yes, it has taken me months to get around to making this recipe. Please don't ask me how many more recipes I have in my recipe queue. It will just make me sad.

Unfortunately, as written the recipe didn't quite live up to our expectations. Don't get me wrong, the meat was moist and there was nice flavor. However, it was just a bit too sweet for our taste. I guess we have palates that like more savory dishes. We do plan on trying this again, however, we are going to up the cumin and substitute some of the orange juice for other citrus (since they have a stronger/sharper flavor). So all is not lost.

We did not have the burning problem of the skin that the recipe alludes to, however, I did keep a very close eye on our bird and kept the roasting pan toward the front of the oven so that may have made the difference. The skin just got a quite crispy in a few places on the legs. Mr. Gooch liked those crispy bits so that was a success.

We recommend this dish as written for those who like things on the sweet side, but if you like a more savory flavor, you may want to improvise a bit by adding some stonger flavors.

Roast Chicken With Cumin, Honey and Orange
(Source: Mark Bittman's Blog Bitten on www.nytimes.com)
Ingredients
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-pound chicken, giblets and excess fat removed
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Use a nonstick roasting pan, or line a roasting pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.
Combine orange juice, honey, cumin, salt and pepper in bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Place chicken in pan, and spoon all but 1/4 cup of liquid over all of it.
Place basted chicken in oven, legs first, and roast for 10 minutes.
Spoon accumulated juices back over chicken, reverse pan back to front, and return to oven.
Repeat four times, basting every 10 minutes and switching pan position each time.
If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat a bit.
If juices dry up, use reserved liquid and 1 or 2 tablespoons of water or orange juice. 3.
After 50 minutes of roasting, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thigh; when it reads 155 to 165 degrees, remove chicken from oven, and baste one final time.
Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

This Brisket is the Bomb!!

2009-11-10T12:22:00.001-06:00

I can say with some conviction that this photo in no way does this dish justice. The smokey flavor, the juiciness, the easiness of preparation, none of it can be captured on film. Can you tell Mr. Gooch and I liked this dish?

We have had this twice since I found the recipe (two weeks ago), that is how much we liked it. Though the second time, I made a few modifications which are found in the recipe below. We also found that the next day, the brisket with a little cheese on a mini french roll toaster in the toaster ovden is pretty amazing.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Smokey Crockpot Brisket

(Modified from a recipe found on A Year of Slow Cooking)

Ingredients
2.5 lb round roast or other roast type meat

1/4 cup A1 Sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup liquid hickory smoke
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions
Liberally season roast with salt and pepper.
Place in smallest crockpot you can (if it is larger than necessary, you will cover the meat with aluminum foil to help keep meat from drying out)
Combine A1 Sauce, BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke together in a small bowl.
Pour over meat.
Cover with aluminum foil (if necessary).

Cook on low heat for at least 8 hours.

Shred with fork when done and serve on french rolls or other crusty fresh bread.

Tip: When storing leftovers, make sure to pour some of the juices over the meat in the container. This will keep the meat nice and moist.

Menu Plan for the Week of November 8

2009-11-08T20:42:00.000-06:00

It is another Sunday night, and that means it is another weekly menu plan. After last week's hiatus getting ready for our housewarming, we are back at it this week.

Sunday: Leftovers from the house warming open house
Monday: Chicken Pasta in a Garlic Wine Sauce
Tuesday: Mr. Gooch Makes Steaks on the Grill
Wednesday: Salmon Pesto Pasta
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge (FITF)
Friday: Out of town
Saturday: Out of town

I still have some write ups from our previous new recipes still to post. Now that I have some time, those will be coming in the next couple of weeks.

If you are stumped on your own menu plans, make sure to visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning on their menus this week.

A Fruity Cole Slaw - Not a Contradiction, It's a Tasty Treat

2009-11-03T09:11:00.001-06:00

Now that we have gotten a handle on some of our home renos, we are back to trying new recipes each week. During the process of moving, unpacking boxes, spending too much time at home reno stores and little time on cooking, I had forgotten how much I liked flipping through my cookbooks, going through my Reader and surfing the internet for new (and hopefully tasty) recipes.

However, be not afraid, now that I have remembered those joys, I am back in the groove. We tried two new recipes last week, this being one, and both were great successes. So much so that they are going in the "regular rotation" notebook.

We served it with Crockpot Hickory Smoked Brisket and it was the perfect accompaniment to the smokey flavor of the meat.

The only thing we will change when we make this again is to find something (cider vinegar maybe), to give it some bite. The sweetness of the apples and the dressing were just a little much for us. But we do like the savory things.

Apple Cole Slaw
(Source: modified slightly from Delicious Meliscious - a cooking blog by Melissa)

Ingredients:
3-4 cups chopped cabbage
1 unpeeled red apple, cored and chopped
1 unpeeled Granny Smith apple, cored and chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 finely chopped red bell pepper
1 finely chopped yellow pepper
2 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste (we used a bit more than 1 tablespoon)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine cabbage, red apple, green apple, carrot, red bell pepper, and green onions.

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, brown sugar, and lemon juice.

Pour dressing over salad.

Menu Plan for the Week of November 1

2009-11-02T08:07:00.000-06:00

This week is a crazy busy one. We are putting the last touches on several projects in the house to have them done before our housewarming open house on Saturday. Eep! Dinners this week are going to be pretty much out of the crockpot since those take much less effort since I have a feeling we are going to have several late nights. So no new recipes scheduled for dinner this week (though I have a couple of new appetizer recipes I will be trying for the party). We will be back trying new things next week.

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: BBQ chicken in the crockpot
Tuesday: Crockpot Hickory Smoked Brisket
Wednesday: Brats on the Grill
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Housewwarming - Look for the menu in a later post since we haven't finalized it yet.

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are eating this week.

Happy menu planning!!

Happy 2nd Anniversary To Us!

2009-10-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has been two years since our wedding day. What a two years it has been. Job changes, house selling and buying, relocating to another state, just to name a few things. And I wouldn't change any of it for anything.

To celebrate we are heading out for a night on the town at a great steakhouse with a little bubbly and a great dessert, then weather permitting, a walk along the river.

Here's to another two (plus 48 or more) years of wedded bliss.

Menu Plan for the Week of October 25

2009-10-25T21:41:00.001-05:00

Mr. Gooch is only home for three nights this week so I only have meals planned for those nights and one other. The rest of the time I will Forage in the Fridge.

However, I will be trying a few new recipes to mix it up a little. The new recipes from last week didn't turn out quite as well as we had hoped but it is good for us to mix it up a little from our usual favorites.

Sunday: Roast Chicken with Cumin, Honey and Orange with carrots, rice, salad and rolls
Monday: Crockpot Hickory Smoked Brisket on kaiser rolls with apple cole slaw
Tuesday: Out to dinner to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary
Wednesday: Alton Brown's Baked Mac and Cheese with Chicken Sausage and salad
Thursday: FITF
Friday: FITF
Saturday: FITF

A Chill in the Air Means Apples and Applesauce

2009-10-22T22:26:00.000-05:00

I love applesauce. I could eat it every single day, especially in the Fall. Strange when I think about it since I am NOT a fan of cinnamon, but the slight hint in a bowl of applesauce just seems right.

This year, I decided to try to make crockpot applesauce. After seeing and reading about how easy it was, I figured even I couldn't mess it up.

The best part is that the recipe is all approximate amounts. So you can increase or decrease the various ingredients as you see fit.

I hope your batch(es) turn out as tasty as mine.

Slow Cooker Applesauce
Source: a combination of various internet recipes

Ingredients
8-10 cored, peeled and chopped apples
1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon (I use only 1/2 tsp)
1/4 to 1/2 c demura sugar (I like the hint of molasses left in the sugar) This mount varies depending on the sweetness of the apples you use.

Directions
Pour chopped apples into the slow cooker
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over apples.
Stir to distribute sugar and cinnamon.
Turn slow cooker onto Low and cook for 8-10 hours. (I like to cook mine overnight).

I package the applesauce into containers, freezing those that will not me consumed immediately.

Menu Plan for the Week of October 18

2009-10-18T21:40:00.003-05:00

Mr. Gooch is back from out of town and so we are actually menu planning this week. While being on my own last week and foraging in the fridge, pantry and freezer was fun and resulted in some strange and odd combinations for my meals, having an actual plan is better.

This week we have all new recipes planned. I will be posting our reviews later in the month. Keeping our fingers crossed that they turn out well and tasty.

Sunday: Roasted Salmon with Rosemary-Garlic Rub

Monday: Mustard-Tarragon Roast Chicken with Noodles

Tuesday: Attending a Beer Tasting Fundraiser for Glida's Club

Wednesday: Grilled Herbed Tuna Steaks

Thursday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)

Friday: FITF

Saturday: FITF

Don't forget to visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others have planned on their menus for this week.

Menu Plan for the Week of October 11

2009-10-11T22:05:00.000-05:00

There is no real menu plan this week. Why you ask? Because Mr. Gooch is out of town all week and so I am on my own. That means my meals will be Lean Cuisines, pizza, cereal, and meeting my Mom and Dad for for dinner one night.

I will be back next week with an actual menu plan since Mr. Gooch is back on Sunday.

Hope everyone has a good week. Be sure to visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others actually have planned for this week's dinners.

Mr. Gooch Cooks (Seasoned Steak Perfection)

2009-10-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

Or V for Victory! Mr. Gooch believes, and I agree, that we have achieved steak perfection with this recipe.
The spices and the balsamic glaze all combined with the tenderness of our thick-cut New York Strip steaks from Heartland Meats to create nirvana.

A quick plug for Heartland Meats - if you are located near Chicago and you can get some of their meats, do it. You won't regret it. After finding their booth at the Oak Park Farmers Market several years ago, we were regular customers until our move. We miss our favorite meat man.

If anyone knows of a rancher of grass-fed beef in western Michigan, please leave a comment. We are looking for a local supplier since we don't get to our old Farmers Market anymore.

Back to the recipe. It is easy; however the only drawback is that two of the key ingredients are proprietary blends. The Chicago Steak Seasoning I purchased at The Spice House in Chicago. They do, however, have an online store so you can order a batch for yourself. And I would suggest that this is an ingredient that any beef lover should have in their spice pantry. Mr. Gooch has added it to hamburgers with great success. The Smokey 4/S Special Seasoned Salt is from Penzeys, our absolute favorite spice store ever. Again, they also have an online store you don't have one of their physical locations near you.

Seasoned Steak Perfection
(Source: Depths of Mr. Gooch's Brain)
Ingredients
1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 tsp Mesquite Liquid Smoke
1 tbs Chicago Steak Seasoning (from The Spice House)
1/4 tsp Smokey 4/S Special Seasoned Salt (from Penzeys)
Directions
Combine Worcestershire Sauce, Balsamic Vinegar and Mesquite Liquid Smoke in a small bowl.
Combine Chicago Steak Seasoning and Smokey 4/S Special Seasoned Salt in a second small bowl.
Rinse and dry the steaks.
With a basting brush, brush one side of the steaks with the liquid, then sprinkle with the dry seasonings.

Flip the steaks and repeat.

Place seasoned steaks into a zipper bag and place in the fridge for at least 4 hours (overnight is better).

Heat your grill to a low to medium temperature.

Cook low and slow on the grill until it reaches your desired doneness.

Then enjoy!

Menu Plan for the Week of October 4

2009-10-04T20:22:00.000-05:00

Last week we were a bit off in our planning. I stopped by Costco at dinner time to pick up a few things and the roasted chicken smelled so good, I got one. That ended up lasting me for two nights.

But we are back to it again this week.

Sunday: Take out from Panera Bread (I love their Chicken Chipotle Sandwiches)
Monday: Stovetop Taco Pasta (moved from last week)
Tuesday: Out for dinner with friends after a trip to IKEA to furnish our office.
Wednesday: Chicken Caesar Salad (dinner size)
Thursday: Forage in the Fridge
Friday: Orzo with Sausage, Chicken and Peppers
Saturday: Forage in the Fridge

Don't forget to check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning on thier menus this week.

Menu Plan for Week of Sept. 27

2009-09-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

We did really well last week following the plan. Now that we are on a roll, it it onto this week.

Sunday: Forage in the Fridge (FITF)

Monday: BBQ Chicken in the crockpot

Tuesday: Tri-tip, dilled carrots, crashed potatoes, salad, peach or pear crisp (my grandmother and great-aunt are coming over for dinner and to see the house for the first time.

Wednesday: FITF

Thursday: Stovetop Taco Pasta

Friday: FITF

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Homemade Marinara Sauce - The Second Part of the Tomato Bounty

2009-09-21T15:38:00.000-05:00

After making enough pizza sauce to last until next spring, I had several of my father's tomatoes left. However, they were not enough to make a big pot of marinara sauce. So I headed to one of our local farms (William Bos Greenhouse & Farm) to buy some more tomatoes. To my delight they had some beautiful, red, ripe Roma tomatoes so I grabbed myself a peck and made plans to spend the day making sauce.

What type of sauce? Marinara Sauce. Yum!

I started with this recipe from Allrecipes.com. However, because I always like to change things up, I made several changes that are reflected in the recipe below. The number of cups is approximate because I just estimated 3 Roma tomatoes equaled 1 cup. After seeing how much it filled the pot, I think that estimate may have been a bit high.

With this basic marinara sauce, you can mix it up any way you want later. Add ground beef or turkey, fresh basil, mushrooms, whatever strikes your fancy.

Homemade Marinara Sauce
(Note: This makes a very large pot of sauce, enough to fill 3 quart freezer bags)
Ingredients
9-12 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and run through the food processor to remove chunks
12 oz tomato paste
4 Tbs Italian herb blend
1 Tbs salt
1/2 onion
1 green pepper
1 head garlic
4 Tbs olive oil
3/4 c red wine

Directions
In a food processor, mince onion, garlic and green pepper
Add olive oil
Hat a large Dutch oven or other heavy bottomed pot
Place olive oil, onion, green pepper and garlic mixture into the pot
Saute until soft
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, red wine and Italian herbs.
Mix to combine thoroughly.
Turn down heat to low.
Simmer for at least an hour.
Cool and place in quart freezer bags.
Freeze for future use.

Menu Plan for Week of Sept. 20

2009-09-20T17:33:00.000-05:00

I am pleased to report that we followed the menu plan from last week. So we must officially be getting settled in the new house since we are able to actually stick to a plan. :-)

Flush from last week's victory, here is this week's plan.

Sunday: Leftovers (Baked Salmon on a salad, cheesy potatoes, corn on the cob)
Monday: Crockpot Roast with Herbs, potatoes, corn on the cob, salad
Tuesday: New York Strip steaks rubbed with Chicago Steak Seasoning, corn on the cob (it is that time of year), salad, potatoes
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Leftovers and pizza (if necessary)
Friday: Out to dinner and a show
Saturday: Homemade Pizza with BBQ sauce and chicken

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning for their dinners.

Homemade Pizza Sauce - Just One Part of the Tomato Bounty

2009-09-18T12:50:00.000-05:00

We have decided that my father is the tomato whisperer. Why? Because he was able to grow, in a cold and rainy summer, a tomato bounty. I was the lucky recipient of some of that bounty.

With a big bowl of peeled tomatoes at the ready , I decided to make homemade pizza sauce. Starting from this recipe from RecipeZaar, I created the recipe below.

Once it had cooled, I used ice cube trays to freeze individual pizza sized servings, enough to last all winter long. Now I just need to get started on making the pizza dough to go with it.

Homemade Pizza Sauce
Ingredients (Note this is a BIG batch. You may want to halve the recipe if you don't want a year's worth of pizza sauce)
4 Tbs olive oil (add more if necessary)
3 cups fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (I ran them through the food processor). Make sure to peel the skins off of the tomatoes to ensure a smooth finished product.
1 jar tomato sauce (24 ounces or more)
1 onion, minced (run through the food processor)
1 head garlic, minced (run through the food processor)
12 oz tomato paste
4 tsp Italian herb blend
4 Tbs sugar
1/3 cup red wine

Directions
Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot
Add onions and garlic, sauteing until soft.
Add tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs, sugar and red wine.
Mix to combine completely.
Turn down heat to simmer.
Cook for 20-30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Optional:
Let cool completely.
Spray ice cube trays with Pam.
Pour sauce into ice cube trays, then freeze.
Once frozen, remove and place into a zipper freezer bag.
Each cube is perfect for a personal pizza.

Pantry Love!

2009-09-14T20:47:00.003-05:00

Our new house has a pantry! And it is a walk in pantry to boot. It was love at first sight. You see, I am so excited to have an actual pantry. In our old house, the pantry was a bookcase secured to the wall on the landing of the stairs to the unfinished basement. Well, there was a lazy susan in the only under-the-counter cabinet but it was hard to access and didn't hold much.

However, there was a big problem with my new pantry which was threatening my budding love affair. Someone, in what I can only imagine was a caffeine induced frenzy while being snowed in, had covered the walls from floor to ceiling and wrapped most of the shelves in the ugliest contact paper I had ever seen. All I can ask is why on earth you would use a contact paper that has gray and dark green in a tiny closet with a small light? It makes it dark and depressing and you would never know if things are clean.

Here is a close up of the contact paper. Ug and ly are the only things I can come up with.

My solution, strip all the contact paper off. I don't have any actual before pics since I was in a frenzy to get that stuff peeled off. This is the best I can do.

I removed all the contact paper, filling a large garbage bag, and wiped down the walls and the shelves with an adhesive remover, Goo Gone. I love this stuff. It seems to disolve that sticky residue with ease. Once that was done, here is what I was left with. Pretty scary stuff. But I especially love the blue-ish paneling that was used for the walls instead of drywall.

I then used two coats of Kilz primer and two coats of stark white semigloss paint. I resecured several pieces of loose hardware and reinstalled the shelves. Once the interior was complete, I painted the inside of the door with chalkboard paint. What better place for a shopping list than the pantry itself? The only thing I still need is the chalk tray Hubs said he would make me.

Here is pantry filled with all the things that had to live in tubs while waiting for me to get done with the panty.

I am in love all over again. And what a transformation. I am hoping that this is a sign of what great changes we can make to our new home.

Make sure to stop by our home renovation blog Claiming Our Space to check out other changes we are making to our home.

Menu Planning - An Ongoing Process

2009-09-13T21:26:00.000-05:00

I will regularly menu plan, I will regularly menu plan, I will regularly menu plan.

I need to repeat that to myself time and time again since with this move we just haven't gotten back into the swing of things with the planning out what we will be eating. Part of the problem is that Mr. Gooch works out of town part of every week so I am on my own for dinner. I tend to not plan for those nights and I need to start. Going to the pantry and deciding that a jello cup, crackers, a bag of pita chips and bowl of cottage cheese are NOT a healthy dinner. :-)

So here it goes for this week.

Sunday: Family Pool Party
Monday: Rotisserie Chicken in the Crockpot
Tuesday: Brats on the Grill, corn on the cob, salad
Wednesday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Out to Dinner
Saturday: Leftovers

Wish me luck in sticking to the plan.

Check out http://www.orgjunkie.com/ to see what others are planning for this week's menus.

Menu Plan Monday-Down to the Wire

2009-08-24T22:41:00.002-05:00

It has finally happened. Our new kitchen is ready to use. I finished the pantry redo, cleaned all the appliances, unpacked all our dry goods, took stock of our frozen goods and actually ran to the grocery store to get some perishable items.

With the kitchen in action, it is back to menu planning for us.

Monday: BBQ Chicken on our new grill
Tuesday: Steaks with Southwest Marinade, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, salad.Wednesday: Salmon with Pesto on Puffed Pastry, Cheesy Parmesan Orzo, dilled carrots
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Large dinner salad with grilled chicken
Saturday: Spicy chicken sausage with mac and cheese
Sunday: Out to Dinner at Famous Dave's

Menu Plan Monday - Have No Idea What Comes Next

2009-08-10T19:02:00.003-05:00

We are finally in our new home. Yeah!!! However, it has taken over a week to get things cleaned to the point where I feel comfortable putting food in the fridge and freezer, furniture on the carpet and our dishes in the cupboards. I am actually still working on getting the caked on grease off the grates for the stove top (thank goodness for Copper Boy scouring pads and Simple Green) so we haven't been doing much cooking yet. That will probably start next week (I hope).

So here is what we have planned.

Monday: Caesar salad with sushi, fruit salad and fresh bread (all from our local grocery store).
Tuesday: Caesar salad with chicken, fruit salad and the rest of the fresh bread
Wednesday: Baked Spaghetti Pie
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Lean Cuisine (I am on my own for dinner)
Saturday: Stovetop Taco Pasta
Sunday: Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday - Not Much of a Plan

2009-08-03T06:20:00.003-05:00

This week's Menu Plan Monday is rather vague. The reason? We just moved into our new (to us) house and because we are cleaning it from top to bottom, we don't actually have any food in it yet. So we are not sure what we are going to be eating since my parents have been kind enough to let us eat with them.

But here is what I know.

Monday: Leftover Chinese

Tuesday: Chipotle Burritos
Wednesday: Large Dinner Salad with Chicken
Thursday: Salmon fillets

Friday: Your Guess is as Good as Mine

Saturday: Your Guess is as Good as Mine

Sunday: Hopefully steaks on the grill (if we get the grill purchased and assembled)

I am hoping that by the end of the week, we will have our stuff unpacked and be able to get back on track. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Posts...

2009-07-27T19:13:00.003-05:00

We are finally moving to Michigan.

We close on the sale of our current home Wednesday and close on the new house on Friday, a week early (can you believe it?)

Thus, we will not have internet access for several days and so that means no posts.

I hope to be back up and running next week, once we are settled and in the new house. In the mean time, check out our new diggs. I am so excited to start cooking in the huge kitchen and decorating it to our taste.

Stove Top Taco Pasta

2009-07-21T17:07:00.000-05:00

(Photo is not particularly attractive , but I can guarantee, it tastes better than it looks)

I love Mexican food. OK, maybe not real Mexican food but the kind that most Americans grow up with. You know what I am talking about; tacos, fajitas, tortilla chips with salsa. I also love pasta. Mac and cheese, pesto with fusilli, creamy tomato with penne. Yum.

So it only figures that I am a huge fan of this dish - Stove Top Taco Pasta. It is a spin off of the Taco Bake which requires baking in the oven and takes much longer to prepare. This version is so easy and with only 5 ingredients, pulls together quickly for a filling meal.

I hope you like it as much as we do.

Stove Top Taco Pasta
(Source: Variation of the Taco Bake)
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/4 c taco seasoning
3/4 c water
1 pkg low fat cream cheese (8 oz)
1 box pasta (we used medium shells)
optional: cheese of your choice to sprinkle on top (we used mozzarella since that is all we had)

Directions
Brown ground beef in a large dutch oven.
Combine taco seasoning and water.
Pour taco seasoned water over browned meat, stirring to ensure all meat is covered.
Simmer to reduce amount of liquid (approximately 5-10 minutes) on low.
Once reduced, add cubed cream cheese, stirring to incorporate fully.
Prepare pasta according to directions and drain.
Add drained pasta to dutch oven, stirring to coat completely.

Visitor in the Garden - Part 2

2009-07-20T14:44:00.001-05:00

We live in a very urban area (2 miles from the city limit of Chicago) so most of our "wildlife" consists of squirrels, possums, the occasional raccoon, fox or coyote, along with lots of rabbits and birds.

With a bird feeder in our backyard, we get lots of the birds and squirrels. Our neighbor's cat, Muffin, loves to watch (and try to catch) the birds. Though to our knowledge, she hasn't actually caught any since we have moved in. She is too slow, too orange and whips her tail back and forth like crazy alerting the birds to her approach. She, on many occasion, has also decided that the best place to "hide" is in the grass right in front of the feeder. How does she do that? By laying as flat as possible. We often refer to her as the orange rug on the lawn.

That being said, she views the feeder as HER territory so imagine my surprise when I saw her squaring off against a squirrel one morning. They sat like this for about 3 or 4 minutes. (Sorry for the blurry picture, I had to take it through the screen so I wouldn't startle the critters.)

No worries though, the squirrel just chattered at her from the sidewalk then the roof of the garage. Not actual contact was made. But that little squirrel still pokes his head around the corner to check to see if the cat is there weeks later.

Yup, never a dull moment around here.

Visitor in the Garden - Part 1

2009-07-19T14:29:00.000-05:00

I planted a small garden again this year. Peppers, tomatoes (Roma and Cherry), dill, oregano, rosemary and parsley.

One morning to my surprise, I found this little guy hanging out on my dill plant with two of his siblings. He's a colorful little guy isn't he?

Some internet searches later, I learned that he is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar and when he grows up he will look like this. Gorgeous, isnt' he?

(Photo found in the Black Swallowtail Butterflies Flickr Group)

Menu Plan Monday - Posting Before the Deadline

2009-07-18T14:27:00.004-05:00

Yes, I know it isn't Monday. It isn't even close.

However, with the arrival of the stepkids and the need to make sure we had enough food in the house for 3 teens/preteens plus us two, I did my menu planning well in advance. (I already have next week's plan done too, shhhhh ). And we will be doing some extra entertaining and traveling and packing getting ready for the move so planning is key over the next few weeks.

So here we go....

Sunday: Chinese Night (Orange Chicken, Pot Stickers, Egg Rolls and Rice) with a garden salad
Monday: Roast Chicken with corn and a salad
Tuesday: Brats with corn on the cob and cole slaw
Wednesday: BBQ Salmon with carrots and a salad
Thursday: Roast with PW crashed potatoes, corn and a salad
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Out of Town Visiting Family

Mr. Gooch Cooks (Spicy Mojo Tuna Kabobs)

2009-07-17T20:43:00.001-05:00

Mr. Gooch is on fire!! Well, cooking with fire and making spicy treats for the two of us.

After a trip to our local Costco and seeing a gorgeous piece of fresh tuna, Mr. Gooch knew exactly what he wanted to make. Spicy Mojo Tuna Kabobs which stars one of our favorite seasonings, Tabasco Chipolte Pepper Sauce. Man how we love that stuff. I think we would buy it in a gallon jug if we had the room in our pantry. Mmmm, chipotle...sorry, got distracted.

The key to this recipe is to cube the tuna before putting in the marinade and using a kabob basket like the one seen in the picture below for grilling. This ensures the tuna doesn't flake into small pieces. I got ours at Bed Bath & Beyond several years ago.

Spicy Mojo Tuna Kabobs
(Source: Mr. Gooch's brain and tabasco.com)
Marinade Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup TABASCO® brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Marinade Directions
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in garlic and cook 15 seconds or until garlic releases its fragrance.
Remove from heat to cool slightly, then stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Kabob Ingredients
1 lb good quality tuna (cubed)
3 colored peppers cut into pieces about the same size as the tuna cubes

Kabob Directions
Place tuna and peppers into a large Ziploc bag and pour in marinade.
Let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
When ready to grill, heat grill to medium/medium high heat
Once tuna and peppers have completed marinating, place tuna and peppers in the kabob baskets.
Cook on grill for 10-15 minutes or until tuna is cooked and peppers begin to char slightly, using left over marinade to baste while cooking.
Once done cooking discard any remaining marinade.
Serve cooked tuna and peppers with rice.

There is Always Room for (Strawberry) Pie

2009-07-16T20:22:00.004-05:00

I love me a good fruit pie! Blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, peach and black cherry are all tasty in my eyes and stomach). So when I ran across this recipe for Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie on Rare and Beautiful Treasures, I knew that I had to try it.

I think that the key to this recipe is to make sure you place a baking sheet underneath the pie pan. The juices bubbles like CRAZY and I can only imagine that cleaning the bottom of your oven would be a project without the baking sheet.

The final result? A sweet pie that was awesome! This one didn't last long in the house with Mr. Gooch and I polishing it off within about 36 hours of it coming out of the oven. I distinctly remember Mr. Gooch asking if it would be awful to have a piece of pie with his morning coffee.

Old Fashioned Strawberry Pie

(Source: Rare and Beautiful Things)

Ingredients

5 cups fresh strawberries

1 cup sugar

6 Tbls flour (or your favorite thickener)

1 pie crust (bottom and top)

Directions
Clean and prepare approximately 5 cups of strawberries, place in a large bowl

Add 1 cup sugar and 6 Tbls flour

Mix to cover completely berries in sugar and flour

Line 9 inch pie pan with bottom crust

Pour berry mixture into pie crust

Cover with crust top cut into strips or if crust is whole, cut several holes to ensure escape of steam

Bake in 425 oven for 50 minutes to an hour or until crusty is golden brown and the berries are hot and bubbling

Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving

Chicken Sate Stir Fry

2009-07-15T20:33:00.001-05:00

Have you ever purchased a spice mix without any clue of what you are going to make with it? Up until now, I can say that I hadn't. But upon Mr. Gooch's urging, I grabbed a small jar of Sate Seasoning during a browsing of our local Penzeys.

Not having any bamboo skewers, traditional sate was out. However, I was not deterred. I decided to make a bit of a stir fry out of the mix and can say without a doubt this is one of my new favorite dishes. And a big bottle of the sate seasoning is definitely coming home with us in our next shopping trip.

Chicken Sate Stir fry
(Source: modified from a recipe for lamb sate found on the Penzeys website)
Ingredients
2 TB. Sate Seasoning Mix (from Penzeys)
2 TB. water
1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (cubed)
3 colored peppers (cut into strips)
1.5 TB. soy sauce
1.5 TB. canola oil
2 TB. apple vinegar

Directions

Combine sate seasoning, water, soy sauce, canola oil and vinegar in a bowl and mix completely.

Place cubed chicken and marinade in a quart sized zipper bag. Place in refrigerator to marinade for at least 1 hour (2 is better).

Heat large saucepan to medium high heat. Place entire contents of bag into saucepan, cooking chicken until about half done (about 10 minutes).

Add sliced peppers, stirring to coat with sauce.

Continue cooking uncovered for about 5-7 minutes or until peppers begin to soften.

Cover and cook until chicken is done.

Serve with jasmine rice and a side salad.

Empty The Freezer Pie - A Tasty Treat!!

2009-07-14T23:35:00.000-05:00

As part of the move, we were trying to consume as much as we could from the freezer. One thing we had in there was frozen peaches, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Another thing was a package of pre-made pie crusts.

After a little searching on the Internet, I was able to cobble together a recipe that didn't involve thawing the fruit. The lack of a wait was important since we wanted to eat the pie for dessert after dinner and dinner time was fast approaching.

In retrospect, I would have added a bit more cornstarch and let the fruit thaw about 50% before putting it in the pie crust. We did have quite a fruit juice soup in the bottom of the pie plate. However, the combination of peaches and berries was very very tasty reminiscent of Peach Melba.

Empty the Freezer Pie
(Source: The Internet and my brain)
Ingredients
1 pre-made pie crust
2 packages of frozen peaches
2 packages of frozen mixed berries (mine had blueberries, blackberries and raspberries)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar (use the higher amount if your fruit is tart)
2 Tablespoon corn starch (add and extra tablespoon if you are using juicy berries)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place unbaked pastry shell in the 9-inch pie pan.
In a large bowl, mix fruit, cornstarch and sugar; making sure to coat all the fruit evenly.
Place fruit mixture in pie pan.
Cover fruit with top crust, cutting holes to allow steam to escape.
Crimp bottom and top crusts together.
Place pie pan on large cookie sheet (to keep any overflow from dripping to the bottom of the oven).
Bake for 75 to 90 minutes, until the juices are bubbling.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-12T23:20:00.006-05:00

We had a pretty darn successful week after falling off the planning wagon while trying to eat all the good in out pantry and freezer in preparation for the move.

We ended up eating leftovers more often than planned but that just means that some meals get moved to this week.

So without further delays, I give you this week's menu plan.

Sunday: Mac and cheese with spicy chicken sausage
Monday: Bacon wrapped roast
Tuesday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)
Wednesday: Taco Pasta (based off of this recipe)
Thursday: Northwoods Fire Roasted Chicken
Friday: FITF
Saturday: Pasta with ground beef, ricotta cheese and spices

Visit orgjunkie.com to see what others have planned for the week.

We Are Under Contract...Again

2009-07-12T23:07:00.005-05:00

The roller coaster ride that is selling and buying a home continues.

After being back on the market for a week and a day, we received another offer. For the same amount as the previous contract. With buyers with what appears to be a much stronger pre-approval letter.

So if all goes well, we will complete the sale of our current home on August 5 and close on the purchase of our new home (the same one we were going to purchase before) on August 6 or 7 (we are still working that part out).

This buyers inspection is Tuesday so once that hurdle is cleared, we are just waiting on financing. Since the house has been inspected twice in the past 3 months (Village Inspection and the previous buyer's inspection), we are not too concerned about anything new popping up.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!!

Menu Plan Monday - Back in the Saddle

2009-07-07T01:27:00.005-05:00

After quite a hiatus, I am back with some menu planning. In the previous weeks we were trying to empty the pantry and freezer so it was very much fly by the seat of our pants. But since we are back on the market, I have to get back to having a plan. I am already stressed out to the max so knowing what we are eating is helping me cope since it is one less thing to worry about.

Sunday: Pasta with ground beef, ricotta cheese and spices
Monday: Chicken Sate Stir Fry (look for a post on this coming soon, I just need to download then upload the pics of the dish)

Tuesday: Tuna Kabobs (I think this will have to be a Mr. Gooch Cooks post since this is his creation)

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Bacon wrapped roast (another post to come later)
Friday: Mac and Cheese with spicy chicken sausage

Saturday: Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday-

2009-07-07T01:27:00.000-05:00

Back on the Market

2009-07-06T20:09:00.004-05:00

I have been MIA for the last several weeks. OK for almost 2 months. I have a good excuse, I promise.

Instead of posting from our new home in Michigan (the one with the great kitchen), we had to put our house back on the market.

Just days before we were supposed to close on our current home and after we had boxed up 90% of our belongings in preparation for the move, we learned that our buyers had problems with their financing and needed an extension, then another extension, then another extension. At that point, with no end in sight, we told the buyers we couldn't wait on them any more and needed to put the house back on market.

The end result was that we lost the house in our new location since we are using the equity from this house for the down payment, we have to put our current home back on the market having missed out on the prime months of May and June for showings and we are out almost two thousand dollars on various inspections, fixes, appraisal, etc. with nothing to show for it except dozens of boxes in the basement (I can't find anything) and several nights of tears.

So we are back in limbo. There is still a remote chance that the original buyers will come through with their financing but we are not holding our breath. On a positive note, we know that the house is priced right for the market since we got the results from the buyer's appraisal less than a month ago. That is about the only bright spot in all of this.

I will try to post more regularly now that our time isn't taken up by appointments, meetings and driving back and forth to Michigan dealing with house stuff there.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-05-17T20:38:00.002-05:00

After several week's absence, I am back with this week's menu plan.

Sunday: Mac and Cheese with Spicy Chicken Sausage
Monday: Out of Town
Tuesday: Out of Town
Wednesday: Crockpot Roast Chicken
Thursday: Orzo with Sausage, Chicken and Peppers
Friday: I will be out with a girlfriend, Mr. Gooch will FITF
Saturday: Mexican Taco Shells

Hope everyone has a great week!

I have a reason for my absence...

2009-05-17T20:06:00.005-05:00

It has been forever and a day since I have posted. I have a good excuse I promise.

There have been big doings here at Casa Gooch.

After six months on the market, dozens of showings and several price drops, we have finally sold our house here in Chicagoland. Which led to several weekends spent looking for a new home. Last weekend we found our new home in Western Michigan. To check out the listing photos, click here.

We are in the process of going through inspections and attorney review but as things currently stand, the new owners will take possession of our house on June 25 and we will close on our new home on July 1.

Now that we are under contract with both houses under contract, I can get back to our regularly scheduled programming (menu planning, new recipes, fun crafts and other posts). And once we move, I will have a big kitchen to do my cooking in. It will be such a nice change from our current teeny kitchen.

Menu Plan Monday - A Tasty Week Planned

2009-04-12T16:31:00.003-05:00

We survived Spring Break. Nothing like having three ravenous teens and pre-teens descend on your house to realize exactly how important a menu plan can be. I always ready with an answer of the "What's for Dinner?" question. And I was glad to be able to expose the kids to at least one new thing: homemade, totally from scratch including the sauce, personal pizzas.

This week it is back to Mr. Gooch and I. And since I will be working for most of the week so we have only one new recipe that I am adapting from a pork roast recipe I found online. We also hope to actually blog about the recipe we submitted to a beef recipe contest.

Sunday: Teriyaki Marinated Steak
Monday: Crockpot Chicken with carrots and potatoes seasoned with smoked paprika and Northwoods Fire
Tuesday: Balsamic Rosemary Pork Chops
Wednesday: Forage in the Fridge
Thursday: Crockpot Garlic and Herb Roast (look for a blog post on this one afterwards) with Cheesy Skillet Potatoes
Friday: Forage in the Fridge
Saturday: Tuscan Steak (look for a blog post on this one afterwards) with Sweet Potato Fries

Menu Plan Monday

2009-04-05T19:48:00.005-05:00

This week we have the kids for Spring Break so amazingly, I had the menu planned weeks ago.

With a busy week planned and my working part of the week (Mr. Gooch has the whole week off) we needed to have a plan made well in advance so I could prepare a few dishes in advance, we could coordinate with people's schedules and not be stressed about that dreaded question "what's for dinner?"

To keep surprises to a minimum, we kept to favorites we have made and enjoyed. I can only imagine the nightmare it must be to make a dish for the first time and seeing a series of horrified and "yucky" faces staring back at you from around the dinner table.

Sunday: Family Dinner (Grandma, Aunts and Cousins over for dinner)
Monday: Lasagna (made in advance)
Tuesday: Homemade pizzas
Wednesday: Balsamic Pork Chops
Thursday: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
Friday: Out for dinner (probably to the Cheesecake Factory)
Saturday: FITF

Tasty Breakfast Casserole

2009-04-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I don't have a photo of this one.

By the time I remembered to get out the camera to take the photo, the casserole had been decimated by 5 hungry people. I figured the fact that only random pieces and chunks were left was high praise from the masses.

Mr. Gooch's only complaint was that he thought it needed a bit more kick. However, the kids seemed to think it tasted just fine. So the consensus is that if I make this again for adults, I will be spicing it up a bit more.

Breakfast Casserole
(Source: Combination of various recipes and the depths of my brain)
Ingredients
Cubed bread (10 slices)
1 lb cooked sausage
small sweet onion minced
1 1/2 cup mild cheddar cheese
3/4 lb ham, cubed
pepper
9 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup skim milk

Directions
Place cubed bread in a greased 9x13 inch pan.
In a separate bowl, combine cooked sausage and onion.
Sprinkle sausage mixture over cubed bread.
Cover sausage layer with shredded cheese.
Top with cubed ham.
Scramble eggs, pepper to taste and milk then pour over entire dish.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until eggs are firm in the middle. (Note: if you make the night before add 10 minutes to the cooking time due to the casserole being cold versus room temp).

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

2009-04-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

There are a number of creamy chicken enchilada recipes floating around the Internet. Having never made enchiladas before but having all the seemingly necessary ingredients in my pantry, I cobbled together my own recipe.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you Mr. Gooch was so impressed that I had made a dish with such heat and flavor. You see, when we first started dating, heat and/or spicy were not really in my repertoire. To be honest, I was pretty close to the queen of bland. My idea of spicy was using Italian dressing as a marinade on a salmon fillet. And any heat was to be avoided. Yeah, it was that bad. But Mr. Gooch began to rub off on me. Starting with the Barbacoa beef burritos from Chipotle and moving onto spicy marinades for various meats. Apparently, hanging out with my hubby has opened my food horizons. Of course, living within 1.5 miles of a Penzeys doesn't hurt either.

Now back to the recipe review, I was nervous since this was my first enchilada attempt but the results were very very good. So good that we both has second helpings. As written below, the heat in the mouth factor may be considered by some to be quite high. This was especially pronounced since we did not eat it with any rice. To lessen the heat, you can remove the seeds from the chilies before you mince them.

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas
(Source: the depths of my brain and about 50 different recipes found scattered around the Internet)
Ingredients
2 large cooked and shredded chicken breasts (approximately 3 cups)
10 taco size tortillas
1 jar enchilada sauce
2 chipotle peppers, minced and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 red onion chopped fine
1 green pepper chipped fine
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 oz low fat cream cheese, cubed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sweat onions and green peppers.
Add adobo sauce and chipotle peppers.
Saute for another 3-5 minutes.
Add cubed cream cheese.
Stirring frequently until melted.
Add shredded chicken.
Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
Fill tortillas with chicken mixture, roll and place seam side down in a 9x13 nonstick pan. (I was able to fit them in a 2 x 5 configuration.)
Once pan is filled, cover with enchilada sauce.
Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.
Let sit covered for 10 minutes before serving.

My New Potato Love - I Say It's My DNA's Fault

2009-04-03T15:31:00.000-05:00

I love a good potato.

I love them roasted, mashed, sauteed or baked. Served with cheese, bacon, butter or herbs. Made on the grill, in the oven or on the stove top. I love Yukon Gold, Redskin and Russet. And now I have a new love. The Fingerling potato.

I saw the bag of multicolor Fingerlings at Costco and just had to buy it. I figure it must have been my Irish heritage crying out in my DNA telling me to "Eat the potatoes!!"

Once I brought them home, the questions was how to prepare them. Some I used in the Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes and those were quite tasty but I still had plenty left.

On the drive home after a trip to Penzeys to get some more Italian Herb Blend, it hit me. Roasted with herbs, olive oils and roasted garlic salt. I could taste the goodness already. I also remember having seen an episode one of the chefs of some cooking show on PBS from years ago making a series of cuts in fingerling potatoes prior to roasting so I tried that as well. I think that the olive oil and salt were able to get into get into the cracks making these taste so wonderful.

Herb and Garlic Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
(Source: the depths of my brain)
Ingredients
Fingerling potatoes
Olive Oil
Roasted Garlic Sea Salt (I purchased this at Costco)
Italian Herb Blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Wash potatoes.
Let dry slightly.
Make a series of cuts down the length of each potato about halfway through.
Place in a small bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with roasted garlic salt.
Sprinkle generously with Italian herb blend.
Stir to coat all potatoes with olive oil, salt and herbs.
Pour onto nonstick baking sheet.
Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

A Delicious WW Dessert - Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce

2009-04-02T15:50:00.001-05:00

This is a total winner. I would make it each and every day if I could. It is sweet and satisfying and filling yet healthy, that ever elusive combination in desserts.

I suppose the only way to make it more perfect would be to some how to add chocolate to the dish. Now, I know, you don't have to tell me, chocolate is not particularly dietetic. But a woman can dream can't she?

And the leftover caramel sauce is great over low fat vanilla ice cream.

Weight Watchers Baked Apples with Caramel Sauce (3 points)
(Source: WW New Complete Cookbook page 390)
Ingredients
Apples
24 Apricot halves, chopped
4 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 small apples, cored (we used gala apples since they were on sale)

Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup evaporated fat-free milk
4 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Apples
Combine chopped apricots, brown sugar and vanilla in a small bowl.
Place each cored apple onto individual pieces of aluminum foil.
Stuff apricot mixture into the cavities.
Wrap apples tightly and place into a square baking pan (to catch any drips).
Place baking pan into oven and bake for 40-45 minutes (or until apples are soft)

Sauce
Place a small saucepan on medium heat.
Combine 1/4 cup of the evaporated milk, brown sugar cornstarch and salt in the saucepan.
Stirring until ingredients are melted and smooth.
Add remaining milk.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
Continue stirring for one to two minutes.
Turn off heat and add vanilla, stirring to completely incorporate.

Once apples are cooked, remove from the foil, place in a small bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce.

Creation Success - Chicken Roulade

2009-04-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had an idea for a recipe rolling around your head? All you know is the ingredients you want to use? Well, I had this happen. It took a few days but I finally figured it out.

I would make a chicken roulade. With that decision, I was off searching for my meat pounding mallet. Or as I was calling it that night, the meat smasher. (Picture me rummaging in the lower cabinets in our buffet unable to find sad item yelling to Mr. Gooch, who was upstairs, "did you move the meat smasher?!?" Yeah, it wasn't pretty). But ultimately, I found the smasher and proceeded to smash the tar out of the chicken breasts.

Now the recipe below is approximates. Why? Because in my haste to put this together, I totally forgot to write down any amounts. Whoops.

However, the fact remains that it was so tasty! I will definitely be making this again.

Smoked Gouda Bacon Chicken Roulade
(Source: the depths of my brain)
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, smashed to 1/4 inch thick
3 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
Smoked Gouda, shredded
Penzeys Northwoods Fire spice mix (my new favorite)
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Using a brush, coat the chicken breast with olive oil
Season both sides with salt, pepper and Northwoods Fire spice mix
Lay flat and spread crumbled bacon and smoked Gouda cheese
Roll breast, from the small end to the wide end.
Once rolled up, secure with a toothpick.
Place seam side down on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until juices run clear

Chicken, Ranch, Cheese and Crunch - Does It Get Better (WW Friendly)

2009-04-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

I was reviewing the starred recipes in my Google Reader and came across this recipe for Parmesan Ranch Chicken on Kara's Kitchen Creations. It had all the things that I like chicken, cheese, ranch dressing and cereal. Mr. Gooch and I have discovered using corn flakes works really well to have a oven baked crispy dish (check out the WW recipe Southern "Oven Fried" Chicken to see what I mean). If this had bacon in it, it would be perfect!

Even better, it looked like with a couple tweeks, I could cut down the fat even more and make it Weight Watchers friendly. My changes are reflected in the recipe below. I also did all the computations to figure out the Weight Watchers Points. The point total for the entire dish is 32. And since we got 6 servings out of our breasts, that made it 5.5 points per serving.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken
(Modified from: Kara's Kitchen Creations)
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (total pre-cooked weight: 18 oz. )
3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

Directions
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry with paper towel and set aside.
Combine corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and ranch dressing mix in a shallow container. Mix thoroughly.
Coat chicken with olive oil, using a basting brush to make sure chicken is completely covered. Then dredge in crumb mixture, pressing mixture onto chicken breast to ensure coverage.
Place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Drizzle any leftover olive oil over the coated chicken pieces.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or till juices run clear.

Creamy Sweet Potato Orzo with Sage

2009-03-31T16:30:00.000-05:00

My love affair with the sweet potato is a relatively new one.

You see, until Mr. Gooch and I started dating I had never actually eaten a sweet potato. And my first exposure was not what I would call love at first taste. You see, I love the savory dish and Mr. Gooch served a baked sweet potato with brown sugar.

So until I found recipes for baked sweet potato fries seasoned with sea salt and pepper then baked sweet potatoes seasoned with thyme, I was a little sweet potato shy. But, as you can see from this blog, those recipes turned out fabulously and now I have an ongoing love affair with the bumpy orange tube. But those recipes were prepared in a more traditional straight forward way, baked in the oven.

Now it is time to branch out to something even more adventurous. I hope you take the time to try this recipe for Creamy Sweet Potato Orzo and Sage.

Creamy Sweet Potato Orzo with Sage
(Source: the depths of my brain)
Ingredients
1 large (or 2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup orzo
1 teaspoon ground sage
Kosher Salt
Fresh ground pepper

Directions
Place vegetable stock and water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. (I used my dutch oven)
Add cubed sweet potato and reduce heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until soft.
Remove cooked sweet potato from liquid and place in a large bowl.
Add orzo to potato cooking liquid and cook until liquid is absorbed. (approximately 15 minutes)
While the orzo is cooking, add salt and pepper to taste, skim milk and ground sage to the cooked sweet potato and mash with a fork, leaving some chunks.
Once orzo is cooked, add mashed potato mixture back into the saucepan and mix to combine, adding ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Place mixture in a serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Yum!!

I have submitted this recipe to the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission Bloggers’ Recipe Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday - Getting Down to the Wire

2009-03-30T15:53:00.005-05:00

This week is up in the air. I say that because I am not sure what my hours will be for the US Census project. So I am planning on having some nights where I won't be able to cook, so this means making double batches of things so we have something for Forage in the Fridge (FITF) nights.

Here is the week's plan.

Sunday: Chipotle Burritos (Yum!)
Monday: Cheddar Chicken (based on this recipe).
Tuesday: FITF and last try to perfect recipes for cooking contest submissions - beef and sweet potato dishes (will post after we submit them)
Wednesday: Chicken (seasoned with smoked paprika and Northwoods Fire seasoning) in the crockpot with Yukon Gold potatoes and carrots
Thursday: FITF
Friday: Out for dinner using a gift card
Saturday: FITF

Menu Plan Monday - It a Crockpot Week

2009-03-22T21:57:00.004-05:00

This week things are going to work a little different in the Gooch household.

You see, I am in training all week from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm to train to be a US Census worker. That means that Mr. Gooch will be on his own for dinner for most of the week since he leaves for work before I will get home. The other bummer is that we won't really see each other again until Thursday evening. This is what happens when one spouse works days and the other works nights. We will be like 2 ships passing in the night.

So the plan is to use the crock pot for all the meals he will be eating before I get home since I can turn it on when I leave and he can eat when he needs to. He can then turn it to low and I will eat when I get home a couple of hours later. Though this does mean he will be on his own for sides. But I think he can handle it. I guess I will find out when I get home each night.

Sunday: Forage in the Fridge (FITF)
Monday: Crockpot Chicken seasoned with Northwoods Fire Seasoning from Penzeys. Mr. Gooch is off the hook with sides on this one since I am going to throw some potatoes and carrots into the pot as well.
Tuesday: FITF
Wednesday: BBQ Chicken in the crockpot (My favorite since no recipe is needed, just throw chicken and BBQ sauce in the pot and cook, shredding when done.)
Thursday: Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops
Friday: Gooch Test Kitchen (steak and sweet potato recipes)
Saturday: FITF (or out for dinner)

Here's hoping your week is full of tasty dishes.

If you are still trying to figure out your week's menu, visit www.orgjunkie.com to see what others have planned.

Flowers in the Garden - March Edition

2009-03-21T20:24:00.001-05:00

The first day of Spring was yesterday. Wahoo!! Flowers are starting to grow and soon I will not need pictures to remind me of nature's beauty.

But just in case Spring has not sprung in your area yet, here is a blossom from a Rose of Sharon tree in my the back yard. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday - A Tasty Week Planned

2009-03-16T09:28:00.004-05:00

Last week we were about 75% on making our planned meals. We are moving Birria (Mexican-style pot roast) in the crock pot to this week and we made a Taco Bake instead of Spaghetti Pie just because I was hankering the Mexican seasoning versus the Italian spices of the Spaghetti Pie.

I am hoping that the two new recipes on this week's menu plan taste as good as they sound. And since I have training for a temp job with the US Census on Wednesday, Mr. Gooch will be alone for dinner. Thus the crockpot used for that day's dinner.

Sunday: Out for dinner. We again had some late afternoon showings.
Monday: Parmesan Ranch Chicken
Tuesday: Taco Bake. I split the dish from last week into two 9x9 pans.
Wednesday: Birria (Mexican-style pot roast) in the crock pot
Thursday: Gooch Test Kitchen. We will be trying out several recipes to submit to cooking contests. Including a grilled beef dish and a sweet potato dish.
Friday: FITF (Forage in the Fridge)
Saturday: FITF or grilling (depending on the weather and the number of leftovers in the fridge).

As always, we will be having a romaine salad and a veggie with every dinner.

I will report back next week on how the recipes turned out.

Balsamic-Rosemary Grilled Pork Chops

2009-03-15T11:09:00.000-05:00

Another winning Weight Watchers recipe here. The recipe is originally written calls for a pork tenderloin. However, since pork chops were on sale, I substituted them instead.

The original recipe is found in a Weight Watchers cookbook but it can also be found online at www.recipegirl.com. I did make some slight changes to the recipe and have included those below.

The photo may not be the greatest, but I can tell you the house smelled amazing and the chops had a taste to match. We definitely will be making this recipe again. The fact that it is WW friendly is an added bonus.

Balsamic-Rosemary Grilled Pork Chops
(Source: WW cookbook and www.recipegirl.com)
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 teaspoon dried chopped rosemary
¼ cup lemon juice
1 Tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
4 3/4 inch pork chops

Directions
Combine all ingredients except pork chops in a large Ziploc bag.
Add pork chops, making sure all pieces are coated in marinade.
Place bag in the refrigerator for at least 6 hour turning occasionally. (It is best to let chops marinate overnight, if possible.)
About 30 minutes before you are going to grill the chops, remove the bag from the refrigerator and let it warm to room temp.
Preheat stovetop grill pan to medium high heat.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Remove pork from marinade and arrange on grill pan.
Brown on all sides and cook through (firm to the touch), 8 to 12 minutes total, or until internal temperature in center reaches 150°F.
Remove chops from the heat and allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing.

WW Points 5.5 per serving

Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

2009-03-14T11:01:00.001-05:00

I love one pot cooking. I especially love cooking in a pot that cleans up easily, like my dutch oven.

I love it even better when the dish you are cooking in your one pot turns out to be good and something you wold make again. You know what I am taking about. You see a recipe, all the ingredients are things you like, the preparation isn't that complicated, it smells fabulous as it is cooking, but it tastes bleh or blah or worse blech. This isn't one of those dishes.

I found this recipe on cookingcache.com. Based on what we had in the pantry I made some adjustments which are to be found in the recipe below.

Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes
(Source: cookingcache.com)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons Italian herb blend
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups baby carrots
1 large onion, cut into 16 wedges (cut into 8 wedges, then cut those wedges in half)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag.
Add the chicken, seal the bag and shake to coat.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the chicken and remaining flour mixture to the dutch oven.
cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the chicken is lightly brown.
Add the carrot and onions; cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken broth, vinegar, water and potatoes, bringing entire mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 35 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs and about 1 1/3 cups vegetable mixture)

Easy Pesto Pinwheels

2009-03-13T11:52:00.001-05:00

Joelen of Joelen's Culinary Adventures is amazing. I know that word is thrown around a lot on the interwebs but this case it is totally deserved. Her site is a one stop source for dinner party inspiration and recipes to match. So make sure to check our her site. Every recipe I have found on her site and then tried has been better than expected.

Even better, it is a source for inspiration.

Take this recipe for Pesto Pinwheels. I loved the idea but didn't have the exact ingredients in my pantry as it was written, so I adapted it a bit for our purposes. The result: Yum!!

I will often make these to serve with dinner instead of a roll or a slice of bread.

Pesto Pinwheels
(Source: Pillsbury by way of Joelen's Culinary Adventures)
Ingredients
1 cup prepared pesto
1 tube package of crescent rolls
4 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 350.
Line your baking sheet with parchment. If you don't have parchment, an nonstick baking sheet will do.

Remove the crescent roll dough from the packaging and unroll. Separate the dough into 4 rectangles (made up of 2 perforated triangles). Press the dough on the perforated edges to seal.

On each rectangle of dough, spread 1/4 of your prepared pesto and sprinkle with a teaspoon of the grated Parmesan cheese.

Taking the short side of the rectangle, roll the dough to create a log.

Once all 4 logs are rolled, place in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to harden slightly. This will make the cutting easier.

Cut the log into 1/2" slices and place on the prepared baking sheet.

Repeat with the remaining rectangles of dough.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, rotating your pan after 5 minutes for even baking.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving warm.

Favorite Travel Photos

2009-03-12T14:54:00.004-05:00

I don't usually put photos of either Mr. Gooch or me in my blog. Internet safety and all that jazz.

But I figure that since I have sunglasses in this photo and it is not the clearest picture of my face, only people who actually know what I look like may be able to pick me out of a line up.

But back to the photo, this is taken while I am in a favorite place on the bow of my parent's boat heading down the channel from Lake Michigan to Lake Charlevoix.

Look at those gorgeous blue skies and water.

I can't wait until the weather turns warm and summer if finally here.

Yummy Glazed Carrots

2009-03-12T11:24:00.000-05:00

I love carrots. I could eat them every day and often I do. Usually I make dilled carrots to accompany our dinners but was serving a dish where dill wasn't quite the flavor I was looking for.

When searching my Google Reader for possible recipes, I came across a recipe for glazed carrots on Skinny Food by Amy. These would fit the bill perfectly. The fact that the recipe is Weight Watchers friendly is even better.

Easy, tasty and good for you. Does a recipe get any better?

Glazed Carrots
(Source: Real Simple)
Ingredients
1 lb baby carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt

Directions
Place the carrots in a large skillet.
Dot with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Add enough cold water to come halfway up the sides of the carrots.
Simmer, partially covered, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to a glaze, about 20 minutes.
Note: If the carrots are done before this point, transfer them to a bowl, increase heat to high, and cook the liquid, uncovered, until reduced. Return the carrots to the pan and toss.

Makes 6 servings of 1 point per serving.

Have You Heard About Earth Hour?

2009-03-11T11:10:00.000-05:00

What are you doing the evening of March 28?

For the third year in a row, people across the globe will be turning off their lights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm (local time) to take a stand against global warming. Mr. Gooch and I participated last year and will do so again this year. And just like last year, we will be eating a late dinner by candlelight. How romantic!

This year's theme is "Vote Earth," with a goal of 1,000,000,000 (that one billion) votes to show the leaders of the world that the inhabitants of this planet want them to take action against global warming. Each person who participates will be casting one vote so it is important to sign up now. To do so, visit www.earthhour.org or click here to go right to the sign up page.

Even better, the results of the Earth Hour "Vote Earth" election will be presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009.

Last year, over 50 million people participated. Major metro areas turned off landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square. They all stood in darkness for Earth Hour.

Here in Chicago, the our famous skyline went dark with the Wrigley Building, Navy Pier, the Sears Tower, Millennium Park, the Theatre District, the Magnificent Mile among others all turning out the lights for one hour. An amazing sight, I have to tell you. According to the Earth Hour website, the impact of the darkening of those lights as well as the lights of the the 2.7 million other participants in Chicagoland region resulted in an electricity savings of 7 percent - the carbon emissions equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road for one hour or planting 158 acres of trees.

This year, why not join Mr. Gooch and I, along with people living in 930 cities in 80 countries who will be voting Yes in an effort to fight global warming by turning out their lights for the hour between 8:30 and 9:30 pm on Saturday, March 28? And while you are at it, why not plan your own romantic candlelit dinner?

WW Chicken Cooked with Grapes

2009-03-10T14:23:00.001-05:00

I have always wondered about the taste of chicken and grapes recipes. Especially this one, since the seasonings are pretty minimal. But the low point count and the ease of the recipe overrode my concerns and the recipe made it into the menu plan.

I was pleasantly surprised at the results. The simmering of the grapes made them so soft and sweet. The seasoning was a bit lighter than I liked but Mr. Gooch thought that it tasted great. Great enough to ask that I make it again. In my book, that is success!!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Mr. Gooch did.

Weight Watchers Chicken Cooked with Grapes
(Source: WW My Turnaround Program Cookbook)
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs total weight)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly gound pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound seedless grapes, removed from the stem

Directions
Rinse and dry the chicken breasts.
Heat canola oil over medium heat in large nonstick skillet.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Add chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on each side, approximately 5-7 minutes on each side.
Once browned, add chicken broth to the skillet bringing to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until chicken finishes cooking. Approximately 10-12 minutes.
Add grapes to skillet, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the chicken and grapes from the broth mixture, place on a platter and serve.

Servings: 4
Points: 5 per serving

Blake Bakes Giveaway - Cherrybrook Kitchen

2009-03-09T13:55:00.009-05:00

Many many many moons ago (back in October), Blake Bakes had a give away for a box of Cherrybrook Kitchen's cake mix and frosting. I was one of the lucky ones to sign up to receive what turned out to be a tasty tasty treat.

I used the mix and frosting to make a couple of things: cupcakes and petite fours. We served them as dessert at a lunch we hosted at out house. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to get opinions from others on the taste.

In terms of putting things together, it was easy peasy. The frosting needed to be warmed a bit in the microwave to make spreading easier but once that was accomplished, it went on so smoothly.

When the votes were tallied, everyone gave Cherrybrook Kitchen a HUGE thumbs up. No one could believe that this was nut free, egg free and dairy free. The cake was so moist and the frosting is so chocolaty.

I can say that if I run across this brand again, or if I need to make cupcakes for school or any other event where nuts are a concern.

Hmmm, writing this post makes me think that I need to get baking again.

Have You Ever Entered a Cooking Contest?

2009-03-09T01:44:00.003-05:00

Mr. Gooch and I, as part of our expanding love of cooking and baking have been thinking about entering some cooking and baking contests in the coming months.

We, and by that I mean me, have achieved a level of comfort in the kitchen that is moving away from just the basics. With this comes the desire to try to create some recipes of our own from the depths of our brains. That and it is a fun activity for us to work on together. Just the other night we were brainstorming beef recipes over dinner -talking flavors, spices, herbs, preparations and possible accompaniments. It was definitely a fun dinner.

We have some tasty (or so we hope) ideas so watch for recipes from the Gooch Test Kitchen in the coming months. We will be posting both our successes and failures.

First up, some beef recipes. The 2009 National Beef Cook-Off recipes are due at the end of the month.

To be followed by the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission Bloggers’ Recipe Challenge, also due by the end of March.

Wish us luck!

Menu Plan Monday - and a Review of Last Week

2009-03-09T00:19:00.007-05:00

I have decided that menu planning is a great thing. It takes the stress out of the frantic question "what's for dinner?" which usually comes up about an hour before you plan on eating.

For us the best part of menu planning is that while we have a plan, we don't feel like we have to follow it to the letter. Particular recipes may get moved to the next week, we may end up eating out or having more leftovers than planned. But it is all OK.

Now back to the review of last week. We did pretty good. We ended up skipping the dinner planned for Wednesday: Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes Recipe with frozen crinkle carrots, romaine salad and garlic bread. We still had lots of leftovers.

Saturday Mr. Gooch went to visit friends so I just had a Lean Cuisine and some snacks.

We did pretty good at the grocery store. I did get more things than planned since there were some really good prices on chicken breasts and ground sirloin.

So this week our menu plan is as follows.
Sunday: Out for dinner as we have a house showing. Yummy Chipotle!!
Monday: Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes Recipe with frozen crinkle carrots, romaine salad, fruit salad and garlic bread
Tuesday: FITF
Wednesday: Creamy Chicken Enchiladas with corn, romaine salad, fruit salad and cornbread muffins.
Thursday: Spaghetti Pie with romaine salad, carrots and garlic bread.
Friday: FITF
Saturday: Birria (Mexican-style pot roast) in the crock pot. A recipe I picked up at Penzeys this past weekend. We will serve it with romaine salad, corn and the leftover corn bread muffins.

I also plan to make mac and cheese with spicy sausage, spaghetti pie and lasagna to freeze ahead in preparation for the kids visiting for Spring Break.

Don't forget to visit orgjunkie.com to see what others are planning this week.