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Asian Chicken Wrap Ups

March 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
chickenwrapups


We’ve had a sudden warm streak here in N. CA so I thought I would share one of my very favorite No-Cook recipes.

Asian Chicken Wrap Ups

Prep 20 Minutes

2 cups chopped cooked skinless chicken breast (chop up strips from pre-packaged chicken breasts)

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup crispy rice noodles

Seasoned salt and pepper

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup shredded broccoli slaw

Four to six butter lettuce leaves

1/3 cup Peanut sauce (store-bought)

1/3 cup Asian salad dressing for dipping sauce (store-bought)

 

 

Directions

In a medium glass bowl, combine chicken, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, , green onions, and almonds. Mix well. Season to taste with seasoned salt and pepper. Cover and let set in the refrigerator for an hour.

 

Add small containers each of peanut sauce and Asian dipping sauce to platter.

On platter, arrange lettuce leaves. Divide up the chicken mixture and place a mound of it on each leaf. Top with crispy noodles, carrots and cabbage. Roll up the leaf and dip in one of the sauces.

 

Serves 4 as appetizers, 2 adults as a main course

Q4U: Do you have any no cook tips to share? I love to find shortcuts in the kitchen – any secrets you would like to divulge?

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Cook in the Crock Pot today!

April 1, 2012 By 1 Comment
pork

It’s Monday morning. Staying in bed would be great, why is the weekend so short? For most of us Mondays are busy. But now that the days are longer it seems as if dinner time creeps up quickly and how many nights have you been scrambling to get dinner on the table before 8 pm? Well I have a solution for you. Get out the Crock Pot! If you don’t have one think about getting one, it will make getting dinner to the table easy and quick. You won’t have to spend much time in the kitchen and your house will smell delish.

For starters are are some Slow Cooker Tips

  1. Let the meal equal the pot – The only time I have had poor results with a slow cooker is when I haven’t put enough food into the pot. When the pot is too big, food can tend to scorch and dry out. I actually have two slow cookers now – one for meals just for me and Roger (a 2-quart), and one for when I know all the kids will be home or I am making a meal with leftovers to be used in the following night’s dinner (a 6-quart).
  2. You can overcook – Everyone says, “Just throw it in the pot and forget it!” Well, that’s true – to a point. You do what to make sure that to pay attentions to timing on your meal so that it doesn’t dry out.
  3. If you are always going to be arriving home after a meal should be done cooking, you may want to consider getting a slow cooker with a probe thermometer. Our big pot has one of these handy little gadgets and can be programmed to stop cooking when the meat reaches a pre-determined temperature.
  4. Use a non-stick cooking spray on the inside of your pot to make clean-up easier.
  5. Meats don’t brown in the slow cooker, so if you do want your meats browned, do it before you put it on the pot.

What you should serve your troops!

Citrus-Glazed Pork Roast

I love pork roast in the slow cooker for several reasons – it doesn’t get dried out, you can cut it to size in order to have just enough to feed your troops.

Ingredients:

1 (3lb.) boneless pork loin roast

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. pepper

1 T  vegetable oil

1 c.  chicken broth

2 T  sugar

2 T  lemon juice

2 T  soy sauce

1 ½ tsp. orange zest

3 T.  cornstarch

½ c.  orange juice

Directions:

Cut roast in half.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, thyme, ginger and pepper; rub over roast.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and brown the roast on all sides.

Place roast in a 5-qt. slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine the broth, sugar, lemon juice, soy sauce and orange zest; pour over roast.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.

Remove roast and keep warm.

In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch and orange juice until smooth; stir in cooking juices. Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Serve with the roast.

Now you just need a side or two. Steamed veggies, mash or roasted potatoes, fruit salad and dinner is served!

 

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Cooking from your pantry

April 15, 2012 By 3 Comments
chili

What do you do when you do not have a freezer meal thawing, nothing in the crock pot, it is 5 pm and the natives are getting restless? If you are like most you probably have a well stocked pantry. So you plan a meal on the fly with just your pantry items. A tasty and qucik meal to prepare is chili. Grab a salad, corn chips or veggies for side dishes and shred some cheeses for a garnish.

Kathi’s Chili

A less-spicy version that even kids will like. Most of the ingredients are straight from the pantry. Plus, if you already have some fried ground beef with onions and garlic stashed in the freezer (one of the staples of our deep freeze) the meal practically makes itself.

 

3/4 lb               Ground turkey or beef

1 c.                  Chopped onions

1 clove             Garlic, minced

1-16 oz can      Stewed tomatoes

1-16 oz can      Kidney beans, drained

1-16 oz can      Tomato sauce

3 tsp                 Chili powder

1/2 tsp              Basil

1-6 oz can        Tomato paste

 

In a large saucepan, cook ground turkey, onions, and garlic until the onions are translucent and the meat is brown. Drain. Stir in un-drained tomatoes, drained kidney beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.

Servings: 4

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Crocktoberfest and Finishing Up the Mini-Project

October 24, 2010 By 4 Comments
slowcooker

I has been a long week. I have had the flu and after feeling super-yucky for a while, I came home after a speaking engagement on Thursday and (if I were living in a Jane Austin novel,) took to my bed.

I will announce the winners of the Husband Mini-Project on Wednesday. (I will let my super-assistant Sunnie handle the details – otherwise I will start sending out books to people randomly.)

It the meanwhile, I would love to spend this week sharing and collecting great slow cooker recipes. This is so the time of year to be dragging out the Crockpot!  Plus, if you share a recipe that I love, it may be included in my upcoming book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

So please, share your best slow cooker recipes with me and check back each day for something new and yummy.

Here is the first recipe from my agent Rachelle Gardner (if you are interested at all in writing, be sure to check out her award-winning blog.)

Salsa Tri-tip Sandwiches

1 bottle beer (can be non-alcoholic)
1 jar salsa (mild to hot, your choice)
2-3 lbs tri-tip roast
Sandwich rolls
Mayo

Put the tri-tip in a crock pot and cover with beer and salsa. Cook for about 6-7 hours on low. To serve, slice it thinly or shred with a fork, put on sandwich rolls with mayo. Use the extra sauce in the crock pot for dipping (as “au jus”). Easy and the whole family loves it!

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can put the meat, beer and salsa in a baking dish, cover and bake in 400 oven for about 3 hours.

Filed Under: The "What's for dinner?" Project, tips and ideas

Crocktoberfest Day #3 Chicken Cacciatore

October 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

this is one of my favorite go to recipes – super-easy and everyone in the family loves it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
•3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
•14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
•6 oz. can tomato paste
•1 cup chicken broth
•1 onion, sliced
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 cup sliced mushrooms
•1/2 cup dry red wine
•1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
•1/8 tsp. pepper
•1/2 tsp. salt
•2 Tbsp. cornstarch
•3 Tbsp. water
Preparation:
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and water in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.
For a thicker sauce, combine cornstarch and water in small bowl and mix well with a fork to remove lumps. Stir into slowcooker; cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes until thickened. Serve with hot cooked pasta, if desired. 6 servings

Filed Under: The "What's for dinner?" Project, tips and ideas

Crocktoberfest Day 2 SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
recipe card

I guess I am hunkering down for winter – here is my second recipe in a row that is for the crock and is all about the beef…

And who can blame me – I made the tri-tip on Monday and let it simmer all day in the slow cooker. It was the warmest, coziest day I’ve had in a long time. There is just something about the smell of dinner in the pot in the late afternoon that is a very good thing…

SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

2 lbs. beef (round, sirloin or stew meat)
2 med. onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm. can mushrooms
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. bouillon
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. sour cream mixed with 4 tbsp. flour
Brown beef; add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until onions are golden brown. Put in crock pot with the remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.

Please share your favorite crock recipes here. Who knows – you may be included in my next book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

Filed Under: The "What's for dinner?" Project, tips and ideas

Getting dinner to the table

February 21, 2012 By 15 Comments
dinner

“What’s for dinner mom?”

“Where’s dinner, honey?”

Sound familiar?

Dinner: The anticipated or dreaded question of the day. The thing we agonize over not long after breakfast.

What are you cooking for dinner tonight?

 

 

 

Hopefully, we can help each other out and make it a bit easier most nights of the week.

If you love your crock pot or need more ideas for your crock pot here are two blogs you need to check out!

Recipes from the Crock Pot Girl

A Year of Slow Cooking

Another time saver is cook a few meals once a week or many meals once a month and put them in the freezer. Make sure you label them well and all you have to do is grab one out of the freezer in the morning and then pop it in the oven.

Fabulously Frugal has some great freezer meal recipes.

Life as a mom also has great recipes and she even points you to posts to help you get started if you have never done freezer cooking before.

Other quick tips can happen as soon as you unload your groceries. When you buy chicken before you place it into the icebox go ahead and prepare a few dinner options. Place desired amount of chicken in a gallon Ziploc bag and add a marinade then pop them into the freezer. As they thaw the chicken pieces will soak up the flavors and all you have to do it grill or bake.

Here are a few marinade options:

  • Italian dressing
  • Ranch dressing and 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • ½ c Olive Oil, ½ c Lemon Juice and 3 T Italian Dressing
  • Barbecue sauce

Now all you need is a salad, veggies and/or fruit.

Did you know I was once a single mom? Yes, I had a time in my life where living on budget was more of a necessity than a plan and time was short each day; between, work, shuffling kids around, homework checks and doing the cleaning and cooking solo. On Monday Nicole Bean, a single mom, featured me on her blog 180 Degrees: Turning your life into a new direction She asked to interview me about the time in my life when I was a single mom. Go over and check that out, you will also find a great recipe as well!

Sharing time! What are your tried and tested tips for making dinner delicious, easy, and stress free.

Tell me all your great ideas in the comments below and you could be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift card.

One winner will be chosen from all comments posted for the entire week.

Please, be sure to link to your blog or provide an email address so we can get in touch with you!

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Getting Out the Door: Breakfast on the Go

February 19, 2012 By 11 Comments
30 Breakfast Ideas

Getting Out the Door

Breakfast on the Go

Do you have breakfast on the go, or do you go without breakfast? How many of you skip breakfast? I am guessing most of us, or if you do not skip breakfast than you might fall into the eat the donut with your coffee as you walk into work or drive the kiddos around category. Let’s face it our mornings are rushed and tackling the days tasks can seem  more important to us than sitting down to eat breakfast.

All this week we are going to be focusing on getting out the door in the morning and one of the best ways to do that is to have some Breakfast on the go ideas.

But,whether it’s sitting around the table, or  breakfast on the go  it’s so important! It provides the energy we need to start the day, it gets our metabolism going and we all want that to work right. Nobody likes putting on extra pounds or buying a larger size. So how do we start the day off on the right foot, make it quick, easy and healthy and stay on time?

 

Below are a few links to give you some ideas about breakfast on the go. Many can be made ahead or take little to no time at all to prepare.

If you have kids there is plenty you can do to set up the night before.

  1. Before bed set the table with the bowls, spoons, napkins and cereal choices. Add any fruit or bread items needed…anything that does not live in the fridge.
  2. Have a list in the kitchen of your current breakfast choices so you do not waste time hunting for food. I have a friend who types up breakfast choices for her kids and before she sends them to bed the kids initial what they want the next day. The list changes as her food choices change. This save several minutes each morning for everyone in the house.
  3. Set your coffee pot at night so by the time you wake up you have hot, fresh coffee.
  4. Use your Crock Pot for breakfast; it’s not just for dinner.
  5. Go ahead and chop the fruit or peel it and place it in a Ziploc bag. If you are prepping apples toss with lemon juice to prevent browning.
  6. Have  breakfast on the go choices ready: cheese sticks, yogurts, nuts and homemade breads sliced and in a container as well so you can grab it on your way out the door.

Below are a few sites you can visit to get great crock pot breakfast on the go recipes.

Crock Pot Breakfast ideas

10 Easy Breakfast Crock Pot Recipes

Here are a few places that list great, quick and easy breakfast options.

Top 10 easy breakfast recipes

9 Fast and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

You have to love this next list of breakfast ideas, if only the website address… “Dumb little man” But it is also good to get a man’s perspective as well as a lot of us are taking care of his needs too!

5 Quick & Simple Breakfast-On-the-Run Ideas

 

And be sure to head over to my Facebook Author Page to download our list of 30 On the Go Breakfast Ideas!

 

So let’s help each other out. I want to hear what tips and tricks you have to make breakfast simple and healthy and getting out the door on time with little stress.

 

Tell me all your great ideas in the comments below and you could be entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift card.

One winner will be chosen from all comments posted for the entire week.

Please, be sure to link to your blog or provide an email address so we can get in touch with you!

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If You Haven’t Figured Out How You’re Going to Cook Your Turkey Yet

November 15, 2010 By 2 Comments
Turkey in the Oven

Every year we have two kinds of turkey; boy turkey and girl turkey.

No, we don’t pay extra to have our birds sexed. The boy turkey is the one that Roger puts in the smoker and tends to all Thanksgiving day, and the girl turkey is the one that I get drunk the night before and throw in the oven late Thursday morning.

Roger’s turkey is has tender meat and a dark, smokey skin. So yummy.

My turkey is juicy and savory and falls off the bone.

Since we are all about saving time, I will not tell you the boy recipe – if your husband is crazy enough to want to buy all the stuff to do it, I will not contribute to the madness.

If you want a delicious, easy turkey that requires a large garbage bag to prepare, (really, it’s not as gross as it sounds…) check out this recipe of Emeril’s here.

Plus, I would love to have your recipe for the dish you just can’t do Thanksgiving without. You know I love a new recipe…

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Leftovers On Purpose Meals and Free Leftover Chicken Cookbook

January 23, 2012 By 8 Comments
8430349_s

Day #2

Leftovers On Purpose and Free Recipes: Chicken Leftovers into Dinner

“Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and the cupboard of the heart” ~ Thomas Fuller

Download the Five Best Ways to Use Leftover Chicken (and my favorite – easy – Roasted Chicken recipe.)

My friend Gerry and I were having a deep meaningful talk about Thanksgivings past. No, we weren’t reflecting on all the things we were grateful for, we were remembering our food traditions. (My mouth starts watering just thinking about turkey gravy.)

She told me that one year she was just tired of putting on the whole show, so she decided they would eat in a restaurant. The food was yummy, and they had a great time relaxing and letting someone else cook and clean up. It wasn’t until the next day that Gerry saw the fatal flaw in her plan: No leftovers. How were they going to construct on Friday those turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches with dressing and gravy that were almost as much a tradition as anything that happened on Thursday?

An ode to the leftover!

What is a LOOP meal?

A LOOP meal is a great way to reinvent leftovers. You cook one day, have Left Overs On Purpose, and then use those leftovers to create a great second meal later in the week.

Share with me in the comments your favorite way to use Left Overs On Purpose.

We usually roast about one chicken a week and have about three or four meals from the leftovers. (I can hear you moms of six LOLing as you read this…) Our supermarket has whole chickens on sale about every other week, so this is a great deal for us.

In addition to the suggestions I’ve given you in the download, here are some quick and easy ways to use leftover chicken:

  • Top your salad with it
  • Make Chicken Salad
  • Add it to veggie soup
  • Use it to top a baked potato with broccoli
  • Use it on pita pizzas
  • Put it on Grown Up Grilled Cheese

Finally – we have some amazing bloggers who are taking the challenge in whole new directions – I would HIGHLY encourage you to go to their blogs for some inspiration:

Amy at Homemaker in Training offers you a Master Class in meal planning and getting your shopping list together. Trust me, you want to reach her black belt level of planning.

And if you’ve discovered you are well beyond the newlywed stage and you still haven’t figured out this cooking thing, you’re not alone. Go check out Julie D. great blog about Learning to Cook After 40 and you won’t feel so alone.

 

 

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