Ma What's For Dinner?

As you’ve all heard before we are a family of dippers.  I love to dip and it seems I have passed this on to my kids.  My family used to laugh at me when I was a kid  because at dinner time, whether at home or at a restaurant, I was always surrounded by 7 or 8 little ramekins filled with various sauces, dressings, and all sorts of yummy dippables to dunk.  My boys have taken that up as well and so we’ve devised a healthy marinara sauce for them to dunk into.  It’s perfect for topping your pasta, dunking bread or bread sticks, fresh veggies, or even some fried mozzarella or zucchini.  Be sure to make a lot of this one, freeze it to keep on hand!  You won’t believe how good this tastes with so many veggies inside

2 T                                  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves                        garlic

¼ c                                chopped onion

¼ c                                    chopped red pepper

¼ c                                    chopped carrots

¼ c                                    chopped mushrooms

1 28 oz can                        san marzano chopped tomato

1 ½ T                                    dried Italian seasoning

S&P

1 box                                    linguine, spaghetti, whatever floats your boat

In a large pot or dutch oven heat the oil over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot add onion, carrots, and mushrooms.  Sautee until veggies are soft and onions are translucent, about 7-9 minutes.  When your veggies are soft add the garlic to your pot.  Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often.  Sprinkle in S&P and your Italian seasoning.  Stir.  Pour in tomatoes and stir to combine.  Bring your sauce up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer for 20 minutes then puree your sauce so it’s smooth.  You can use a hand blender, a food processor, or a stand up blender.

Be sure to make this one in large quantities.  You can double or triple this recipe and keep it in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it in ziploc bags so you always have a healthy marinara sauce on hand for pasta, or veggie dipping!

If you’re here from the Tuesday Follows, welcome welcome! Be sure to leave us a note to let us know you were here so we can return the favor. Now, what can I get ya to nosh on?

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What’s the quickest and easiest way to get a picky eater to finish off a serving of veggies?  Toss them with some chicken and teriyaki sauce and serve up on a bed of rice of course!  Fast, affordable, healthy, and delicious!  You won’t have to resort to dessert bribery, not that I’ve ever ever considered anything like that, no really, not ever, to get your kids to clean their plates with this dish.

1 lb chicken tenders cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups broccoli florets

1 cup sliced carrots

1 bell pepper chopped

1 T canola oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated on a microplane or minced

a couple of dashes chili oil

a couple of dashes sesame oil

1/2 T fish sauce (optional and available on your asian foods aisle)

2 T soy sauce

1/2 cup bottled teriyaki sauce

2 cups brown rice cooked according to package instructions (you could use white if you haven’t watched the Today show too many times and are now scared of anything with the word white in the title a la white bread, white rice, etc.)

Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.  When the oil is hot add garlic and ginger and stir well to flavor the oil.  Have your chicken on hand and ready to go so that as soon as the garlic begins to brown toss in your chicken.  Toss well and allow chicken to brown stirring often (hence the stir-fry).  When you chicken is browned well toss in all of your veggies.  Stir and allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes, until they just begin to soften a bit.  

Season with chili oil, sesame oil, and fish sauce.  Cook for a minutes.  Add soy sauce and cook for another minute.  Pour in your teriyaki sauce and turn the heat down to medium-low.  Allow to simmer for a few minutes while you spoon your rice into a mound on the center of each plate.  Top with stir fry mixture and plenty of sauce.  It’s good and good for you!  How can you beat that combination?  Ok, who wants dessert?

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What do you do when you have a bunch of stuff clogging up your fridge and freezer drawers?  Toss them in a pot, stir ‘em up and cover them with some straight from the freezer pastry dough!  My Ma used to make stew, I make a creamy version then cover it and bake it till it bubbly good and the hubs and kids are in hog heaven.  Give this one a try.

1 thawed sheet of pastry dough

3 large chicken breasts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 T butter

4 cups chicken stock

2 yellow onions, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup medium-diced carrots

1 10 oz package frozen peas

1 10 oz package frozen corn

1 zucchini, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

S&P

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with 1 T olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Cut the chicken into large dice.  Turn up the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and remaining oil and saute the onions over medium low heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Toss in carrots, zucchini, and celery and  cook for two more minutes.  Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add S&P and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, peas and corn. Mix well.  Pour into a 13×9 baking dish.  Cover with pastry dough.  Cut a few slits into the dough to allow steam to escape.  I like to sprinkle the top with a bit of fleur de sel (or any other course salt) but you can use whatever you like.  Bake at 375 for 1 hour.  Serve with a side salad.  I dare you not to lick the plate!

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Melissa D’Arabian’s Pot Roast Carbonnade

Serves: 6  Prep Time:  20 minutes Cook Time:  2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into large lardons
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into large cubes
• 5 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• Generous tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces beer (dark or light, depending on your preference)
• 6 prunes
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 cup beef stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the bacon and cook until it renders its fat and almost becomes crispy. Remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook over low heat until they are deep in color and caramelized, about 30 minutes.

Remove the onions to a plate, leaving as much fat in the pot as possible. Add the vegetable oil and mix it with the bacon fat. Raise the heat to high. Season the beef liberally with salt and pepper and sear, in batches, until nicely browned on both sides.

Once the meat is browned, add the first batch of meat back to the pan along with the onions, carrots and bacon. Sprinkle in the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute before deglazing the pan with the beer. Add the remaining ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover the pot and put it in the oven to braise until the beef is tender, about 2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and transfer the pot roast to a serving dish.

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Serves: 6   Prep time: 10 minutes  Cook time: 1 hr 30 minutes

1 5-6 pound roasting chicken

1 pound red potatoes

3 carrots chopped in big chunks

16 oz button mushrooms

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 heads garlic (divided)

2 large onions

1 lemon

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch thyme

4 T butter, room temperature

S&P

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Wash your chicken and pat it dry.  Remove the gizzard, etc from the cavity.  Replace it with lemon, halved, 1 garlic clove halved, 1 onion halved, and the parsley and thyme.  Rub your chicken’s skin with butter and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.  

In the bottom of your roasting pan arrange potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms.  Slice your remaining onion into big chunks and sprinkle around veggies.  Peel remaining garlic cloves and sprinkle around veggies.  Toss all the veggies in olive oil and season with S&P.  Place your chicken on top of veggies (or on a rack above the veggies) and get him into the oven.

Cook chicken for 1 hour 20 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Allow your chicken to rest on the counter for 10 minutes.  Carve and serve with veggies.  Yum!  

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