Category Archives: Recipes &Cooking

Four Foods On Friday #38

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#1. Fruits and veggies. Do you prefer them peeled or not?

Definitely peeled because of all the pesticides on them.   Unless they’re organic and then I don’t peel them.
#2. What’s your favorite fresh fruit or vegetable smell?

There are several:  sweet strawberries, juicy peaches, an orange being peeled, watermelon, okra frying in the pan or just about any fresh vegetable cooking.

#3. What’s the worst food smell you’ve ever smelled?

I can’t think what it was right now, but I know my family would say cooked cabbage.  I’m the only one who likes it, and on the rare occasion I do cook it then they start gagging when they come in the kitchen.  lol    Actually, I’m not the only one in my family who likes cooked cabbage…our dog loves it!!
#4. Share the recipe for the dish that you love to smell cooking in your oven.

Again there are several:  Enchiladas, Lasagna, Sopapilla Cheesecake, brownies & cookies.

Here’s a recipe for Eggless Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies that I got from our daughter.  The neat thing about this recipe is that it’s safe to eat the dough.

Peanut-Crusted Chicken

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This is a high-protein, low-fat recipe:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
  • 1 cup salted peanuts, ground in a blender or coffee grinder until coarsely chopped (don’t overgrind or it will turn into peanut butter)
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly salt and pepper the fillets, brush on a coating of honey, and then roll in the chopped peanuts.  Press the coating into the chicken with the back of a tablespoon.  Bake for 45 minutes or until crusty brown on top.

If you don’t want to heat up the oven, you can cook on stove top in olive oil preheated on medium high.  As soon as the chicken is in the skillet, reduce heat to medium and cook until golden brown, about 30-45 minutes.

Four Foods On Friday #37

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#1. Cake. Buttercream, whipped cream or ice cream?

We like either, buttercream icing or whipped cream icing.  And definitely ice cream with the cake!
#2. When entertaining do you use real, paper, plastic or styrofoam dishes?

Depends.   Real for dinners, plastic for larger informal get-togethers.
#3. When hosting a party do you cook, have it catered or go to a restaurant?

Also depends.   I usually fix the food myself.  But once when we had a surprise birthday party for my husband, we had it at a restaurant.  And now that I think about it, we had a surprise party for our daughter at a restaurant also.
#4. Share a recipe that you frequently serve when having a party.

Chicken Fajitas, black beans, refried beans, guacamole, queso dip, and Sopapilla Cheesecake for dessert

Four Foods On Friday #36

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#1. Name your biggest cooking influence.

My mother!  (and second place would be my mother-in-law)
#2. What is your ultimate comfort food?

Depends.  I like comfort foods that remind me of foods I had while growing up like fried okra, squash, potatoes.  (fresh veggies)
#3. Name one must have tool that you think every kitchen should have.

Kitchen shears!
#4. Share a time saving tip.

I use my kitchen shears to cut up chicken breast into chicken nuggets.

Four Foods on Friday #35

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#1. Name one cookbook, cooking website or food blog that you frequently use.

I use allrecipes.com when I’m hunting for a specific recipe.  I like the email subscriptions I have from  Fun, Crafts and Recipes, Mom Cooks, and My Wooden Spoon.  I’m sure there are more good food blogs that I don’t know about.  (or have forgotten about)
#2. Do you watch any cooking shows on tv? Which ones?

I used to, but I haven’t watched any in a long time.  I like Sara Moulton and Emeril’s shows, and there are some others I can’t think of right now.  One of my favorite cooking shows that was on years ago was called The Frugal Gourmet.
#3. Are you in a cooking rut? Name a food or dish that you’d like to find a recipe for.

Yes, I am, and I need to get out of it!!   I printed out the recipes below to make this week and next.
#4. Share a recipe created by somebody else that you haven’t tried but would like to.

There are several:

Fried Rice With Eggs (chicken)

Fajita Turkey Burgers

Chris’ Paprika Chicken

Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Can you tell we like chicken?  🙂

Four Foods on Friday # 34

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1. What is one food that is grown, produced or made near where you live.

Peaches are grown in the north central Texas area and are so juicy & yummy!  I can’t wait to get some.
2. What is one food from another location that you haven’t had anything like anywhere else.

When we were in Hawaii several years ago, we went to a luau.  That was really fun and we ate food that was different from what we have here.
3. What is your favorite food from somewhere else?

My mother-in-law has places close to her where people can go and pick fresh strawberries.  They are so fresh and flavorful.  I wish we could do that here in Texas!
4. Share a family, ethnic or international recipe.

Peggy’s Singapore Curried Chicken

This is a recipe from a friend that I really want to try.  Sounds delicious!


Peggy’s Singapore Curried Chicken

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This is a great recipe for a special occasion!

Ingredients for Curried Chicken:

  • 3 pound chicken
  • 1 cup water
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons margarine
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 fresh curry powder
  • 5 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cup milk

Ingredients for Singapore Curry:

  • 1 cup rice, cooked  ( I would cook 2 1/2 cups of brown rice for 8 servings – we like rice!)
  • 2  15 1/2 ounce cans pineapple tidbits
  • 1 can coconut
  • 1  8 ounce can salted peanuts
  • 3-4 bananas, sliced
  • Durkee French Fried Onion Rings
  • Tomatoes, diced (optional)

Cook chicken in water and salt until tender.  Cool, debone, and cut into small pieces.

To make the sauce, melt margarine, add onions and cook 3 to 4 minutes.  Mix in salt, flour, and curry powder.  Add to margarine and stir until smooth.  Add liquids and cook, stirring constantly until thickened.  Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes.

Serve 1 cup rice per serving, topped by curried chicken mixture.  Add sliced bananas, pineapple, coconut, peanuts, onion rings, and tomatoes.

Makes 8 servings.

Added Fiber – Ranger Cookies

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Each cookie has 1 1/3 grams of fiber, 110 calories, and 1 1/2 grams of protein.

Fat content is 9 grams per cookie, so this is not a low-fat cookie.  Fat could be reduced by using 3 Tablespoons of Smart Balance instead of 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) which would reduce the fat by 18 grams.  By leaving out one or two of the following:  chocolate chips (16 grams of fat), coconut (27 grams of fat), or pecans (21 grams of fat but it’s the healthier type), fat content could be greatly reduced.

This makes 1/2 batch of cookies, approximately 30 cookies. To make 5 dozen cookies, double the recipe.

RANGER COOKIES

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Smart Balance (do not use the light version)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup flour (1 & 1/2 grams of fiber)
  • 1/2 cup Spelt or whole wheat flour (Spelt flour adds 8 grams of fiber)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup instant oatmeal   (8 grams of fiber)
  • 1 cup Fiber One Honey Cluster flakes (this adds an additional 13 grams of fiber to the recipe)
  • 1/2 cup coconut (I used organic, unsweetened)  (5 grams of fiber)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans (2 grams of fiber)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)  (4 grams of fiber for 1/2 cup)

Cream together the Smart Balance and both sugars.  Blend in the egg.  In a separate bowl, sift together both flours, baking soda, and baking powder, and then add to the creamed mixture.  Blend well.  Mix in the vanilla.  Add the oatmeal, Fiber One cereal, coconut, pecans, and chocolate chips.  Form into 1 inch balls.  (You can roll in powdered sugar if you like.)   Press down with a fork on greased baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes, depending on how brown you like them.

Four Foods On Friday #33 questions

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From Fun, Crafts and Recipes

Post a recipe or menu idea based on at least one item from each letter:

A – asparagus, applesauce

Easy Low-Fat Cake:

  • 1 box cake mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup applesauce

Mix & bake until done.

B – balsamic vinegar, bread

Make garlic bread out of whatever bread you have on hand.  (Italian bread, French bread, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, etc.)

C – chicken, cinnamon

Snickerdoodles

D – dressing, dumpling

Stove Top Dressing – it’s quick & easy, and the herbs smell so good.  (Our daughter really likes Stove Top Dressing.  I don’t fix it very often, but when I do it’s always a hit with the family.)