On a day when we had lotss of snow and needed soup but I have to admit to being lazy and I doctored a few cans and invented

Diane's Creole New England Clam Chowder.

 

1 can good quality clam chowder (I use Snows)

1 can cream style corn

1 can clams with juice

1 Andouille sausage, diced

1 slice bacon, diced

1 onion, sliced 

1 teaspoon (or more) Creole seasoning or Emeril's essence.

 

Cook the sausage and bacon until done but not crisp, add the onion to the fat and sauté till translucent.  Add the can of chowder, clams  and corn and stir to blend.  Add the Creole seasoning and heat to serving temperature.

 

It was YUMMY!  even though it came from a can.  We used more Creole seasoning on each bowl.

Diane's Nacho Pasta

• 1 pound farfalle pasta, cooked according to directions,  drained, save 1 cup of pasta water

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 jalapeno (or more to taste) diced
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 large can diced tomatoes
  

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup scallions, chopped - whites and greens
• cilantro to taste - I use 1/4 cup

In a large (large enough to hold all ingredients) skillet, on medium, heat olive oil and brown chicken.  

Remove chicken and set aside.  Add additional olive oil to skillet and diced onion. Saute until onion is soft.  Add garlic and peppers.  Saute until peppers are soft.  Add black beans, tomatoes and browned chicken to pan.  Heat until bubbling and chicken is cooked through.

Pour sauce over cooked.  Stir to combine adding pasta water if needed.  Add cheese, scallions and cilantro and stir to combine and melt cheese.

Serve!!🍲

 I Love Mexican Food

I think I didn't have my first Taco until I was in college.  I always like spicy foods, but Mexican just wasn't common.  Now a taco is the least common Mexican item I eat.

This week we will be having two different  meals influenced by the chilies and flavors of Mexico.   I am making my own fajita and taco seasoning.  The store bought varieties have so much salt and sugar in them and by the ounce are fairly expensive.  I also invented a nacho pasta dish that we love.   I will share both.  They can be mixed up in larger quantities and stored in shaker jars. 

 

Diane's Fajita Seasoning

1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon Truvia  (1 packet) 
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper 

 

Diane's Taco Seasoning

Most taco seasoning mixes contain salt, warming spices (such as paprika, oregano, and chili), onion powder, and garlic powder.

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½  teaspoon (to taste) kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely black pepper
½  teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon (to taste) crushed red pepper flakes 

 

Master Quench Chicken and Pasta

A few years back, I was enjoying an evening of music and friendship at the Lion's Den in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.   They always have a wonderful choice of local brews and high end wines.  That's what I usually drink.  I was drawn to a specialty drink on the menu called a Master Quench.  One of the ingredients is maple syrup, the real stuff of course.  I had to try it!  Maple syrup is one of my addictions.  It was made with vanilla vodka, ginger beer (not ginger ale), maple syrup, and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Yes, it sounds strange!  But MY OH MY!  It is so good.  The sweet of the maple syrup takes some of the bite out of the cayenne pepper and the blend of those flavors is awesome!

My favorite REAL maple syrup

Fast forward to today.  I decided to make a marinade/sauce for my chicken and pasta based on those flavors.  I melted 2 ounces of butter and added 1/3 cup of Sriracha hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger, 3 tablespoons maple syrup and a cap full of real vanilla extract.  I let it warm slowly until I could smell all of the flavors had melded.

I cut up 1 1/2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite sized chunks and put in the bottom of my rice cooker.  I poured the melted butter mixture over the chicken.  I add 1 pound of elbow pasta and 4 cups of chicken broth. I mixed with tongs and put into the rice cooker base.  I cooked on the white rice setting until done.  I checked it after 12 minutes and stirred to be sure there was enough liquid for the pasta.   

It was AWESOME!!  My husband had 4 helpings.  It was so colorless though.  Next time, I will add diced sweet green and red peppers.

Diane's Orzo and Peas

Our menus have been a bit up in the air lately.  My tutoring schedule has changed daily based on weather conditions and snow, snow and more snow.  But, I always have a list of possibilities ready to prepare at a moments notice.  We have also been living on an austerity budget, so this weeks list includes many "cheap" meals. 

Ditilini Pasta

The dinner for today is already in the rice cooker.  It is a modified version of ditilini and peas.  Ditilini and peas is an Italian quick meal.  It features a buttery sauce of garlic and herbs poured over freshly made ditilini shaped pasta and peas. The peas should be small enough to hide inside the ditilini.  And it should be served covered in freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. 

Orzo Pasta

My mother used to make the dish with small shell pasta.  The peas could hide in there too!  Her plan was always to make it when we had leftover peas.  Now since I love peas, there were rarely any leftover, so I would put a cup, or so, aside ahead of the meal to ensure we would have this comfort food favorite the next day.

Today, I am making this dish with orzo pasta.  Orzo pasta looks like large rice.  It maintains its "al dente " texture even as it cools and is great for cold salads and warm recipes as well. 

Anyhow, here is my method:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in the bottom of a rice cooker turned on the white rice setting.

Add:
1 6 cloves of garlic, sliced 
1 jalapeno pepper (or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes)
1 large onion, diced the size of orzo

Stir as the  aromatics soften and begin to smell luscious.  Add 1 package of onion soup mix.  You know the kind; it's used for dips.  Stir around and add 4 cups of water. 

Stir in 1 pound of orzo pasta.  Close the rice cooker and let cook.  After 10 minutes, open the cooker and stir to keep the pasta from becoming cemented to the bottom of the cooker.  I use the rice cooker paddle to stir pasta.  If your rice cooker tends to cook hotter than mine, you might have to add 1 cup more water.

When the rice cooker beeps and is done, add 2 cups frozen peas or a combination of frozen green veggies.  Broccoli, kale, or spinach all work well.  Also add 1 full stick of butter sliced into slabs that will melt fairly quickly. 

Stir all around and close the rice cooker.  Wait about 5-8 minutes to allow the veggies to defrost and the butter to melt.  Serve in bowls with lots of grated cheese.

Chicken and Dumplings

My husband and I have been sick and I haven't been cooking much.  I got a delivery of groceries today and felt like some comfort food.  I did some experimenting and came up with an easy and VERY flavorful chicken and dumplings in the rice cooker.

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large jalapeno, diced (or 2 medium sized)
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced including the leaves
1 32 ounce carton chicken broth (I used 99% fat free and 50% less sodium)
1 16 ounce bag frozen gnocchi
8 ounces petite frozen peas
2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger


This can be cooked completely right in the rice cooker.  Or, you can cook it in a dutch oven type pot.

Brown the chicken in the oil.  Add the jalapeno, onion and celery and cook until the vegetables have softened.  Add all the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a slow boil then lower and simmer until chicken is cooked and carrots are tender.

Serve in bowls and make sure to use a spoon to get all the warm thickened broth.

Italian Sausage and Barley Stew

I have been trying to eat more whole grains.  So, today in my rice cooker is a new invention of mine.  Here is what I did.


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound hot Italian sausage
2 red bell peppers, cut into once inch pieces
1 hot pepper, diced (all I had in the house was a jalapeno, but I think it would be best with a cherry pepper or some other Italian style chili)
1 medium onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup pearl barley
3 cups liquid (I mixed beef broth with water, but all water would do)
1 tablespoon oregano
2 bay leaves
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
(salt to taste)

In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the hot sausage.  I removed it from the casing and used a potato masher to separate it apart.  Add the peppers and onion and stir to combine.  When the vegetables are softening and the sausage is browning, add the garlic and stir to combine.  Remove from heat.

Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a rice cooker.  Add the pearl barley.  Stir to coat the barley.  Pour contents of skillet over the barley and stir to combine.  Add liquid, oregano, oregano, bay leaves and tomatoes.  Again stir to combine.

Cook on white rice setting or mixture setting if your rice cooker has one.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I love cauliflower. It is my very favorite veggie. My hubby won't touch the stuff. Here is a recipe that I make for myself for lunch sometimes.


Red Thai Curry with Cauliflower

This recipe is pretty fast…for a slow cooker. It only needs 2.5 hours, so you can set it in the afternoon for dinner, or start it in the morning and it’s ready for lunchtime. The leftovers are fabulous; heat up a container of this at work and everyone will be sniffing the air at lunchtime, asking “Mmmm, what is that?” In fact, I often make it just for leftovers, I’ll start it after work when I get home, (have something else for dinner) and before bed pack it up for the next few day’s lunches.

red thai curry

If you’re not a tofu fan, don’t sweat it. Serve the curry over 1 pound of cooked shrimp instead for your protein. It is delicious either way. Sometimes I use both the tofu and the shrimp.

Notice in this recipe I used regular (not light) coconut milk, and kept the amount to 1/2 cup to keep the fat content moderate. If you choose to use light coconut milk, use 1 cup). I have no preference either way and find them equally enjoyable and creamy. :)

• 1 head cauliflower (6” diameter)
• 1 cup frozen cut green beans
• 1 cup frozen peas
• ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 tablespoons red Thai curry paste
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• ½ cup coconut milk
• ¼ cup fresh basil, shredded
• Salt to taste (or 1 Tablespoon fish sauce)
• 1 pound extra firm tofu (or cooked shrimp)

1. Chop cauliflower into large florets and place in slow cooker. Add green beans, peas, onion, and ginger.
2. In a bowl, combine vegetable broth and curry paste, and stir until smooth. Pour over vegetables in slow cooker.
3. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Stir in the coconut milk and shredded basil, and season to taste with salt or fish sauce.
5. Cube the tofu and place into serving bowls. Ladle hot curry over tofu to serve.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 262 calories, 12 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 24 g total carbohydrate, 8 g dietary fiber, 17 g protein, 637 mg sodium.

Per serving (with shrimp instead): 263 calories, 8 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 218 mg cholesterol, 20 g total carbohydrate, 6 g dietary fiber, 29 g protein, 884 mg sodium.

Today's Lunch

Today, I am making home made calzones for lunch.   I bought a whole wheat pizza dough from the grocery store for $.99 so it doesn't pay to make my own.  I will be splitting it into 2 and filling the calzones with fresh ricotta cheese, onions, hot peppers and pepperoni.  They will be served on a bed of tomato sauce spiced with lots of oregano and garlic.

Spicy Ramen Chicken in Rice Cooker

Today in my rice cooker, I invented a new method of cooking some old favorite flavors and some cheap pantry items.

Spicy Ramen Chicken

3 bone in chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
2 tablespoons freshly ground ginger
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
     1 tablespoon chili sauce (I use Sriracha)


 In a zip-lock bag or a bowl.  Combine all of the above ingredients and coat chicken well.  Let marinate for at least an hour or over night.


4 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles, with the seasoning packets

3 cups shredded red cabbage


In rice cooker put 6 cups of water.  Break the noodles into the water and empty in the seasoning packets as well.  Add chicken with all the marinade and top with the 3 cups of shredded cabbage.  My rice cooker has a "mix" setting, but white rice setting will do as well.  Once it has cooked for 30-45 minutes open it up to stir it around and make sure the chicken is submerged in the broth and the noodles aren't sticking together.  Close again and let finish cooking.  Be sure the chicken is done.  Serve in bowls.  Pass chopped scallions to garnish.

Menu 6/27 - 7/5

Wed 6/27  Mexican Lasagna
Thu  6/28  Thai Chicken Curry with Spinach and Brown Rice
Fri   6/29  Wings, Carrots and Celery
Sat   6/30  ??  Out with friends
Sun  7/1  Corned Beef and Roasted Potato Salad
Mon 7/2  Pizza
Tues 7/3  BBQ pork chops and potato salad
Wed 7/4  NY strip steak and corn on the cob
Thu 7/5   Pasta Amatriciana

Menu June 17 - June 25

June 17 - Sunday - Subs
June18 - Monday - Chicken Caesar Pasta
June 19 - Tuesday - Cavatelli and Broccoli in Garlic Butter
June 20 - Wednesday - Curried Lamb Stew
June 21 - Thursday - Jambalaya
June 22 - Friday - Wings, carrots and celery
June 23 - Saturday - Chicken Stew and Polenta
June 24 - Sunday - Shrimp Cocktail as a meal
June 25 - Monday - Thanksgiving Dinner in a Rice Cooker

My first visit to a Tapas Bar

Other than ice cream and an occasional steak, I could live on appetizers and hors d'oeurve.  Little bites of exotic or everyday food just seems to be the best; snacking all day and feeling like each small bite is a sample of better things to come.  Going to a Tapas Bar just seemed like a natural progression.  What would be better than an entire restaurant filled with bite sized samples of great food?  Add to that a great wine list, and lots of garlic and olives from Spain and I pictured a night of heaven.

Last Thursday, I finally got to one.  365 Bistro Tapas Bar and Lounge is located right off route 287 in Piscataway, NJ.  I think it used to be a run down Chinese buffet, but boy have they improved the look.  It is very upscale both inside and out.  The bar stools are cushioned and the decor is warm and welcoming.  There is a large display of the wines from their impressive wine list.  I thought I had hit the jackpot.

We ordered two appetizers to share and a bottle of my favorite red wine Rosenblum Zinfandel.  First we tried the Kobe Beef Chili with Corn Bread and Pork Rib in Adobo Sauce.  The chili was tasty; full of beef and beans and not spicy at all.  The serving was small, but adequate.  The ribs were tender, but not as flavorful as we had hoped and in spite of the name there wasn't even a hint of heat.  During a great night of music we ordered another duo of appetizers:  Pan Con Camarones – Shrimp, Serrano and Romesco was my choice and my hubby chose and old fashioned New England Clam Chowder.  The chowder was an odd item on a Spanish Tapas menu, but he thought it was one of the best.  Full of clams that were very tender and lots of veggies.  I thought the Pan Con Camarones was the best thing I had all night.  Again, in spite of the name and listing of Serrano, it wasn't spicy at all.  But, it was full of flavor and the Romesco sauce was awesome!!  Later in the evening hubby again chose an untypical Tapas item of Chicken Fingers with Frittes. I am very picky about my French fried potatoes (frittes), but these were crispy and certainly among the best I have ever had.  They have an entire menu of Frittes and if we ever get there again, I will try a few of the more exotic varieties.

All in all, it was a nice evening.  We met some friendly people, both employees and customers.  The chef was friendly and accessible.  Our only complaint was the prices.  It seemed a bit over priced for the quantity of food that was provided.  

Brunch Plans

Although, I plan the family menus, I rarely plan for my breakfasts and lunches.  My normal breakfast is yogurt and fruit or eggs of some sort and I just make sure that there is a supply when I shop.  Well, I guess that means I do plan, but just don't make a specific menu.

We went out for Chinese food for my birthday.  I had Singapore Mai Fun. Long popular in take-out menus, this curried noodle dish was a sure hit.  It is a bit spicy and was loaded with shrimp and chicken and vegetables as well as these very thin rice noodles.  I had never had it before, but I will be sure to order it again.  I enjoyed it very much.


I brought home a container of it in a doggy bag and today, I am going to use it as a base for a frittata for brunch.  I have seen many brunch frittatas using leftover spaghetti, so why not rice noodles.  I will heat up a bit of oil, add a diced onion and chili pepper, then saute the noodles until warmed through.  I will then add a few eggs that I will whisk up with a drop or two of water, to make it airy and light.  I will finish it in the broiler.


Just describing it is making me hungry!  I can't wait to try it.  I will let you know how it turns out.

Today's creativity

Today I am making a Mexican inspired meal.  I am taking boneless skinless chicken thighs that have been cut into chunks and browning them up with an sliced onion and a minced jalapeno pepper.  Then I will add black beans, corn, medium salsa, and some Philadelphia Sante Fe Cooking Creme and toss with cooked pasta.  It will go into the oven to melt some shredded cheddar on top and finish cooking the chicken.  I am looking forward to it.

Making up a new Asian pork dish for dinner

Buckwheat flower

I am going to be experimenting today with some Asian ingredients and flavors.  I have a small piece of pork from a boneless loin and a package of bulk breakfast sausage as well as cabbage and buckwheat noodles.  And, I am going to flavor it with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and hot peppers.  I will cook it in my rice cooker with leeks and chicken broth.  I will let you know how it comes out.

Menu 12/19 - 12/26

Mon 12/19 - Pizza
Tue 12/20 - Spaghetti Moily **
Wed 12/21 - Chinese Take-Out
Thu 12/22 - Italian Antipasto Pasta Salad, homemade Focaccia
Fri 12/23 - Pastrami Paninis, Red Cabbage Slaw
Sat 12/24 - not sure
Sun 12/25 - Christmas out with the family


Spaghetti Moily
Spaghetti tossed in mildly spiced South Indian Curry

Ginger paste and garlic paste are available at Indian and Asian grocers.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
10 fresh curry leaves, plus more for garnish
2 medium onions, chopped
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 teaspoons garlic paste
3 small green chiles, stemmed and slit lengthwise
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
Salt
1/2 medium tomato, seeded and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream
9 ounces spaghetti
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. Place a large pot of water over high heat to come to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds.
3. Lower the heat, add the onions, and cook until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in the ginger and garlic pastes, chiles, and turmeric. Raise the heat to high and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the lemon juice and coconut milk. Add salt to taste. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce does not stick.
6. Stir in the tomato and cream, cover again, and keep warm over very low heat until the spaghetti is ready. 7. When the water boils, add salt and the spaghetti. Cook about 9 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally so the spaghetti doesn’t stick together.
8. Drain the spaghetti well. Add to the sauce and stir to coat.
9. Divide the spaghetti and sauce onto serving plates. Garnish with cilantro and curry leaves.

Jeweled Cranberry Chutney from Aarti Sequeira

I think this will be our cranberry sauce for Christmas dinner. It looks so good! and easy too!


Jeweled Cranberry Chutney from
Aarti Sequeira
Cranberry Chutney with Mango, Pomegranate and Black Peppercorns
1) Crush 1 teaspoon black peppercorns with 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
2) Warm some grape seed oil in a pot until shimmering. Add spices. Cook 20 seconds. Add 1/2 red onion, minced. Sauté until softened and slightly browned.
3) Add one bag fresh or frozen cranberries, pinch of salt, hefty pinch of cardamom, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water (might actually need 1 cup, I can’t remember). Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes.
4) Off heat, add 1 diced mango and a handful of pomegranate seeds. Stir. Bring to room temperature. Chill and serve. So good.

Tonight is curried lentils and kielbasa in the rice cooker

Curried Lentils and Kielbasa

1 bag lentils
1 pound ring kielbasa
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 envelop onion soup mix
2 tablespoons curry powder (or more if you like it very spicy)
1 14 ounce can tomatoes
1 onion diced

Add all ingredients into the rice cooker and press cook.

Menu 9/12/11 - 9/18/11

9/12 - Mon - Pizza
9/13 - Tue - Rice Cooker Sausage Lasagna**
9/14 - Wed - Chinese Take-out
9/15 - Thu - Kielbasa and Red Cabbage Braised in Slow Cooker
9/16 - Fri - Granny's Chicken Stew with Polenta
9/17 - Sat - Chili and Corn Bread
9/18 - Sun - Ravioli Amatriciana

------------
**
Rice Cooker Sausage Lasagna

1 pounds (dry - uncooked) lasagna noodles, broken into pieces (or any pasta, I always use whole wheat)
1 pound loose hot Italian sausage, out of casing, browned
16 ounce container ricotta cheese
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 28 ounce can tomato puree or diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (I always have home made, but store bought is fine)
1 cup warm water

Brush inside of rice cooker pan with olive oil.

Brown sausage in a skillet. Use wooden spoon or potato masher to break up into smaller clumps.

Mix together the ricotta cheese, garlic, oregano 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and half cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in a bowl.

Cover the bottom of the rice cooker pan with 1/2 of the can of tomato puree. Place one third of lasagna or pasta on top. Add half of the sausage. Using a tablespoon or ice cream scoop place dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture (using up half)on top of sausage. Repeat with the tomato puree, pasta, sausage and cheese. Top with the last third of pasta.

Add warm water, then 2 1/2 cups of marinara sauce and top with the remaining cup of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Place pan in rice cooker, and close cooker. Cook on mixture setting (or white setting if you don't have a mix setting) until done.