recipe

Recipe: Southwestern Chicken Stew

Abby H.

Easy, Quick, Hearty. Onto the recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts, but any kind of boneless, skinless cut of chicken will do- thighs are a good option), cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, diced
  • 2T. avocado oil
  • 28 ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 15-ish ounce can on salt-free canned corn (drained and rinsed), or 2 cups of frozen corn
  • 1 quart (4 cups) Chicken broth or stock
  • 2T. Arizona Dreaming Spice Blend
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • avocado slices and shredded cheese

Directions:

  1. In a stockpot, heat oil.
  2. Add onions and celery, cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant.
  4. Add chicken pieces and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Turn heat down to low, pour in tomatoes, corn, chicken broth/stock, Arizona Dreaming. Cover and cook on low for 30-45 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Serve topped with slices of Avocado and shredded cheese.

This soup freezes well and is very inexpensive. You can use any type of chicken. I’ve made this stew with both chicken breast, and with thighs. Both work well, but the thighs are better, as they are fattier, and give the stew a richer mouthfeel that offsets the spice of the Ancho pepper in the Arizona Dreaming Spice Blend.

You can add other veggies if you like a stew with more veg. Zucchini, Italian squash, carrots are all solid choices.

The spice blend is not spicy, but it has a little heat. If you like your food on the mild side, start with 1T. and taste the soup after it has a chance to cook for about 10 minutes. Add more as needed.

5/23/2021 Weekly Meal Plan

Abby H.

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The fridge was fixed on Tuesday and I filed claims for the lost groceries through the warranty, however, the check hasn’t yet arrived yet.

I have yet to shop for groceries this week, but at least I know what’s in our CSA box that arrives tomorrow.

The CSA emails us in advance to give us a heads up as to what may be in our boxes each week, and that really gives me an upper hand when it comes to meal planning for the week.

Veggies and fruit are delivered each Monday by Yasukochi Family Farms CSA. For $25, it’s a great deal. I don’t have to pick anything, go to the store, or carry it upstairs. I can’t go to the store and get the same amount we get weekly for $25. Seriously. It’s a deal. I spend about an hour on Monday afternoon cleaning and prepping veggies for the rest of the week.

I’ll be hitting up the grocery store this afternoon. Today I’m making a big batch of bolognese sauce today- I’ll be using it a few times this week, and freezing the rest for future use.  Tomorrow once the CSA box arrives I’ll prep the veggies and fruit for the rest of the week.

For those of you that are new to meal planning, I’ve got an easy 101 style post here with super easy tips and steps. After you get that down, here is info about batch or freezer cooking.

I’ve gotten a pretty good inventory of the pantry, freezer, and fridge done (I try to update it after every shopping trip), so I’m able to plan meals and use up what we’ve got with little waste. If you are looking for a kitchen inventory printable, I like the kitchen inventories here. They are great printables.

I only post our dinner plans for the week, because our other meals are usually the same each day.

Breakfast: Coffee with 1/2 and 1/2  for me, and pancakes or something along those lines for the kids.  The kids are nuts about pancakes. The Big Kid has been on a protein shake kick in the AM.

Lunch: Kids take lunch to school. I eat leftovers. Everyone rejoices.

Dinner: Usually, I do a crockpot meal on Mondays, but now that we are home all the time, we’ve been having an odd combination of fully home-cooked, scratch meals, and frozen entrees and veggies. I have been posting our meal plans on Instagram too- As well as pics of stuff we are doing to keep busy.

  • Sunday:  Bolognese Sauce, pasta, roasted cauliflower
  • Monday:   BBQ chicken, salad, texas toast
  • Tuesday:   Soup Night: Soup, biscuits, fruit salad
  • Wednesday:  Nugget night (nuggets, fruit, crackers, milk)
  • Thursday:   Baked Ziti (with bolognese sauce, cheese, and veggies: zucchini, carrots, onions, celery)
  • Friday:  Pizza/Takeout Night
  • Saturday: Meal o’ Snacks and /or leftovers

Please stay safe you guys!

Talk Back: What are you cooking for dinner this week?

Today is National Garlic Day!

Abby H.

Hot Damn! I love garlic. I decided to celebrate with a new recipe: Roasted Garlic (below), and a round-up of recipes that feature garlic.

Roasted Garlic is easy to make and is great in recipes that call for garlic. It’s very mellow, rich, dare I say, creamy? It’s also super good on toast or warm, crusty bread.

Roasted Garlic 

Ingredients:

  • 1 or more (I suggest more) heads of garlic
  • Your favorite cooking oil

Directions:

  1. Remove the excess papery skin on the garlic heads, leave the bulb intact.
  2. Slice off the pointy tops (about 1/4-1/2 inch)of the garlic bulbs. You want to expose the garlic.
  3. Brush the heads of garlic with oil and wrap them in foil.
  4. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The garlic is cooked once it is tender (poke it with a toothpick or knife usually after 40-ish minutes). but you can continue to roast it until all of the sugars caramelize, and it turns a light brown color. This caramelization makes the garlic very mellow and slightly sweet.

You can store the garlic in the fridge for 10-14 days, but it won’t last that long. It’s good in dips (like hummus), on its own, in soups, or any recipe that calls for garlic. Use roasted garlic in recipes where garlic is called for 1:1.

Garlic Recipe Round-up:

New Recipe: Loaded Roasted Cauliflower

Abby H.

I’ve seen this kind of recipe before and I had never made it because it’s really hard to pick decent fresh cauliflower, and honestly, frozen cauliflower is always kinda… soggy (?) when you defrost it and cook it.

We’ve been getting a lot of cauliflower in our  Yasukochi Family Farms CSA box over the past 5 weeks, so I figured it was time to give it a shot.

This recipe is easy. And tasty. It does not duplicate potato skins. I don’t care what any low carb/potato hating website tells you.

Loaded Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads of cauliflower, leaves and stem removed, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 T. Olive oil or your favorite cooking oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1/2 cup bacon crumbles (use real bacon, not baco’s)
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • Sour Cream (optional, but tasty)
Served with a green salad, rotisserie chicken, and half an avocado. YUM.

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place cookie sheets lined with foil into oven to heat up with the oven.
  2. While oven/pan is heating, toss cauliflower in oil, salt & pepper.
  3. Once oven is heated to 450, remove pan, spread cauliflower out in a single, well spaced layer.
  4. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn veggies to roast evenly.
  5. Return to oven and bake for another 8 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven. Top with cheese and bacon. Broil for 2-4 minutes, until cheese is melty and bacon is hot.
  7. After removing from broiler, top with green onions and eat up ASAP.
  8. Serve with sour cream, or salsa. Or both.

This serves 2-4 people as a side dish, or be greedy and eat the whole recipe as a main dish. I won’t tell anyone. I make this at least once a week.

This recipe is gluten free. You can make it vegetarian by omitting the bacon.

Easy Recipe: Homemade Pico De Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

Abby H.
Time to Salsa!!

With the massive amount of super tasty local veggies and fruit we’ve been getting, I decided to make Pico de Gallo (fresh salsa) since we had all the ingredients in this week’s box.

This recipe is super simple and takes about 10 minutes from start to finish.

Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups chopped and deseeded tomatoes
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and white membrane removed, diced
  • 1/2 red/purple onion diced
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chiffonade (that means cut up into small ribbons)
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl.
  2. Toss all ingredients until the lime juice coats all of the veggies.
  3. Transfer into a container with an airtight lid.
  4. Store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This gives the flavors to meld, and the salsa to chill.
  5. This salsa stays good in the fridge for 4-6 days, but it won’t last that long.

I love this salsa with zucchini chips or tortilla chips. Or in an omlet.

 

 

Simple, Frugal Recipe: Coffee Cake!

Abby H.

I love coffee cake. I always have. It’s a quick, easy, frugal food to make for potlucks, or when you have company over for breakfast or brunch. Or because it’s Tuesday.

A few weeks back, Social Nature and Bob’s Red Mill sent us a Blueberry muffin grain-free mix. I don’t have a muffin tin (RIP muffin tin, it served us well for 10+ years), and the kit came with a recipe to use the mix for a coffee cake. HELLS YES.

The kids gobbled the cake up and the big kid asked if there was a way to make a coffee cake without a mix.

A quick glance at my handy dandy 1950 Betty Crocker Cookbook and here is my version of the recipe. I have made found the perfect recipe. I’ve made some changes that are a little healthier, a little more modern, but don’t mess with the flavors at all.

Betty’s Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping

 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups AP Flour (You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer)
  • 2 tsp. baking POWDER
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 2 Tbsp. AP flour
  • 2 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. melted butter
  • (optional, but tasty) 1/2 C. chopped pecans

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine white sugar, softened butter. Mix together until fluffy.
  3. Add egg and blend thoroughly.
  4. Stir in milk, and the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is smooth.
  5. Pour and spread batter in greased (use spray release) 9×9 glass baking dish.
  6. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining AP flour, cinnamon, melted butter, and pecans (optional). Spread this crumbly mixture over top of the baking dish.
  7. Bake cake for 25-32 minutes.

Serve with coffee (DUH), or a glass of cold milk.

Family Recipe: Cheesy Potatoes!

Abby H.

Potatoes are delicious and versatile. One of our favorite family recipes is these nomtastic cheesy potatoes!

Cheesy Potatoes 

Ingredients:

  • 6 – 8 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (preferably russets)
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons AP flour
  • 1.5 cups whole milk
  • 4 cups cheese (I like medium cheddar, but you could use colby, or a sharper cheddar)
  • 1/2 cup bacon bits (I use Kirkland brand from Costco)
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
  • One sleeve of Ritz crackers, crushed

Directions:

  1. Parboil potatoes, 6 to 8 minutes, drain.
  2. While potatoes are cooking, in a pot, melt the butter. Sprinkle melted butter with AP flour and stir until a paste forms over a low heat. The paste should brown slightly- DON’T BURN IT!
  3. Pour milk into the flour/butter paste and whisk briskly. You do not want lumps. Cook over low heat until the mixture thickens. This may take a few minutes. As the mixture thickens and there are no lumps, add the cheese slowly, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is incorporated/melted into the sauce. Once the sauce with complete, remove from the heat.
  4. Mix drained potatoes with sauce, add bacon pieces
  5. Pour into a greased baking dish (I use 11 x 9 baking dish)
  6. Top with half a cup of cheese, and crushed Ritz crackers.
  7. Bake 30 to 45 minutes at 350°.

Serve with steamed veggies, or a green salad. I also like this with crusty French bread. This makes a great side dish, or contribution to a potluck.

You can omit the bacon if you are vegetarian.

You can swap out the bacon for 1 cup cooked, chopped ham or chicken if you want to make this a hardy main dish.

 

Recipe: Butternut Squash Bisque (GF, Vegan)

Abby H.

This recipe is super simple, and I’ve included some steps to shave off more time to get the soup in your belly faster!

Butternut Squash Bisque

Ingredients

  • 1 T. Avocado Oil
  • 1/2 Large onion, diced
  • 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (You can save time by buying it in the frozen foods section)
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Quart Vegetable Stock
  • 2 cups Hazelnut Milk
  • 1t. Rubbed Sage
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large stockpot, heat oil. Add onions, and cook for 5-10 minutes, until clear and fragrant.
  2. Add squash and carrot. Cook approx 10 minutes until softened.
  3. Add vegetable stock, and simmer until veggies are tender/soft.
  4. Remove from heat, add hazelnut milk.
  5. Blend soup with a stick blender until smooth.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this luscious, velvety soup with hot, crusty bread and a crisp green salad.  It freezes well, in case of leftovers.

Recipe: Beef Stew

Abby H.
Thick, rich, and ready to get in my belly!

I love a good, hearty beef stew. It can take a little effort, but oh, man is it worth it.

I made this last week, and I started off by looking at How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, which is a great cookbook if you are looking for something beyond the basics of Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens. Each recipe has tons of variations and substitution suggestions to make each dish your own.

This recipe is an amalgamation of Mr. Bittman’s recipe and several additions that give a rich, thick, hearty stew.

Ingredients

  • 2.5-3 pounds of beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 T. cooking oil (I used avocado)
  • 2T butter
  • 2 sweet onions, chopped
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into coins
  • 1/2t. dried thyme
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt
  • fresh cracked pepper
  • 1/2c red wine
  • 2T. Tomato Paste
  • 3T. All-purpose flour

Directions

  1.  In a large stockpot, heat oil, and cook the beef in batches to brown. If your pot is large, there may not be a need to cook in batches.
  2. After the beef is browned, add the onions, and cook until clear and tender.
  3. Sprinkle flour over the meat and onions, and stir to combine.
  4. Brown the flour gently, this may take a few minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. the flour will stick to the meat and onions- this is ok. While string, you may notice the flour forming a paste that browns- this is what you want.
  5. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
  6. Add beef stock and thyme, and stir to combine and continue to stir as the mixture thickens.
  7. As the stock thickens, add wine, tomato paste. Allow the stew to cook on low for 20-30 minutes.
  8. Add potatoes and carrots and cook soup on low for 20-30 minutes with the lid on the stockpot.
  9. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  10. Continue to simmer as desired, if you want thinner stew, add more stock. If you like a thicker stew, remove the lid and allow the stew to simmer for 10-20 minutes until the stew reaches your desired thickness.

Some notes: I add wine and tomato paste because the acid in both helps break down the collagen in the meat, making it more tender, and giving the stew broth a more luscious mouthfeel. You can do without one or the other if you prefer.

I don’t like peas, so I omit them from my stew. If you like them, add 1/2-1 cup frozen peas about 10 minutes before serving. This keeps them from getting mushy or falling apart.

If you like more of a French-style beef stew, add 1/2-1 cup chopped mushrooms when you add the other veggies.

This recipe makes about 8-10 servings of stew. I like to serve the stew with crusty french bread, or sourdough toast, and of course SALAD. I like a peppery arugula (or rocket) salad with beets, goat cheese, and a simple vinaigrette. That combination really pairs well with the richness of the stew.

And of course, this stew freezes well and tastes better the next day.

Holiday Recipe Round Up!

Abby H.

Most of us are home for the holidays, and that means that we are at home cooking.

If you are looking for some new recipes to tempt your taste buds, here are a few of our family’s favorite holiday recipes: