What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 16

Like Shan (home of What's Cooking Wednesday, check it out!) I was in a muffin mood. Also a chocolate mood. I didn't have any butter, but I did have some yogurt I needed to use. I've found Food.com pretty handy lately. It's an online database for recipes. Basically, they've searched and tagged recipes so if you go there, you can search for ingredients, recipes etc and you will get results from various sites. You can then add them to your recipe box (the recipes link to their original sites but if you install the food.com toolbar, you can still add recipes from other sites to your recipe box). It's pretty handy and I like that it's all in one place; I don't have to search multiple sites any more!

Anyway, I searched for "oil, yogurt, cocoa" and it came back with 16 or so recipes. This one sounded over-the-top rich so I've tried it....


Easy Devils Food Chocolate Muffins (from recipezaar #345143)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350-F.

Line a standard muffin tin with a dozen, 2-1/2 inch, cup-cake paper baking cups. (I use a stoneware muffin pan so I don't need liners)

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix dry ingredients well with whisk or wooden spoon.

In another mixing bowl add the milk, yogurt, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well with whisk or wooden spoon until blended.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients along with 1/2 of the chocolate chips.

Stir until dry ingredients are just moistened. Careful not to over mix.

Pour batter into 12 muffin cups. Fill each almost to the top.

Sprinkle the other half of the chocolate chips evenly into the filled muffin cups.

Bake at 350-F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center of muffin.

Cool before serving.

Makes 12 (2-1/2inch) muffins.

Addison patiently waited for the muffins to be done... They are cooling now and I can't imagine what kind of mess she'll make eating them!

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 15

The Frugal Edition

Money's tight (as always) so I'm trying to clean out out pantry/fridge/freezer before heading out to the too-convenient grocery stores. I had some dried chickpeas so on Monday I soaked them and yesterday at lunch I cooked them. I also had some couscous and some potatoes. I figured I could do a roasted vegetable with chickpeas and couscous. It was so yummy!! I made a tonne of chickpeas so I froze the cooked chickpeas in 1 cup portions so I can add them to anything and it an additional meatless meal to cut down on cost. Apparently soaking and cooking chickpeas reduces their gas inducing properties and they tasted better than the canned kind.

Here's my made-up recipe...

Roasted Vegetables with Chickpeas and Couscous

2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1" pieces
3 large or 6 smaller potatoes, cubed into 1" pieces
3 large carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 large or 2 medium onions, cut into 1/2" wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme
salt to taste
1 pkg couscous

Soak and cook chickpeas if necessary (To soak, cover chickpeas with water and soak in fridge for 24 hrs. To cook, drain and rinse soaked chickpeas. Put chickpeas in pot and cover with water about 2" above the chickpeas. Cover and bring to a boil skimming off foam. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 hrs. You know they're done when they have that creamy texture when you eat them... Note: After soaking, make sure you go through and take out the ones that are not plumped; they will be as hard as rocks).

Heat oven to 400˚. Put chopped potatoes and veggies in roasting pan. Add olive oil and spices. Mix it all up. Cook for 1 hr checking every once in a while and stirring to cooking evenly. About 10 mins before veggies are done, put the water on to boil for the couscous. Once boiling, add the couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover for 5 mins. Fluff with fork. Get a large bowl and stir the veggies, chickpeas and couscous together. Enjoy!

Visit the Shan's blog for the other What's Cooking Wednesday entries.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 14

It's just after 8. I have the kids fed, dishes done, made muffins and cleaned those dishes and Craig is tucking them all into bed so I can watch America's Next Top Model (which starts tonight). Oh, yes. It's a guilty pleasure!!

The muffins are a favourite from Muffin Mania. Enjoy! (Please visit WCW to see the other entries)

Muffins That Taste Like Donuts

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 c. oil
3/4 c. white sugar
1 egg
3/4 c. milk

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
In another bowl combine thoroughly oil, sugar, egg and milk.
Add liquid ingredients to dry and stir only to combine.
Bake 350˚ for 20-25 min.

For a delicious variation, fill tins 1/2 full of batter, put 1 tsp. jam on top, and top with the rest of the batter.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Issue 13: A Steaming Pile of...

PANCAKES!! But of course, it's Shrove Tuesday. The kids *love* pancakes for dinner. Addison ate her weight I think (a total of 4 whole pancakes). She out-ate her brothers!

Anyway, here's the recipe and as usual, please check out the others at What's Cooking Wednesday (yes, I'm a day early!).

Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used 1 white and 1 whole wheat)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if you want)
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped apple (I shredded mine, skins and all)

Preheat Griddle to 300˚

Sift dry ingredients together.
Combine eggs, butter, and milk.
Pour into flour mixture and stir until smooth.
Add apples and stir.
Drop by spoonfuls and cook.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 11

Stuffed Cannelloni with Bolognese
(from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Slow Cooker)

So when I actually planned ahead on meals, I found this bolognese sauce that made a double batch so I could freeze the other half for later (the cook book has a section called Make More to Store and about 4 or 5 recipes you can use the bolognese sauce for). I thawed the leftover sauce to make this cannelloni which I found much better than the original fettucine bolognese I made.

The Bolognese (makes 12 cups sauce)

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 oz Pancetta, chopped (had to substitute bacon)
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
3 lbs ground beef
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cup dry red wine
1 - 28oz can crushed plum tomatoes
1/2 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pancetta and sauté until it begins to render its fat, about 1 minute. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer red, about 7 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the broth and wine to the pan and raise the heat to high. Bring to a boil and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on he pan bottom. Pour the liquid into the slow cooker along with the tomatoes and stir to combine.

Cover and cook the sauce on the high-heat setting for 4 hours or the low-heat setting for 8 hours. Add the milk, stirring to combine. Cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

The Cannelloni

Ingredients
4 cups bolognese sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb cannelloni pasta
1 1/2 lbs baby spinach, coarsely chopped
3 cups fresh ricotta
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tbsp salt and the pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta, rinse under cool water to prevent sticking, and set aside.

Put the spinach and 1/2 cup water in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain, pressing on the spinach with the back of a large spoon to remove as much water as possible. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, ricotta, egg yolks, nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and half of the Parmesan. Blend well with a wooden spoon.

Preheat the oven to 375˚. Spread the bottom of a 10-by-12-inch baking dish with a large spoonful of the bolognese sauce. Using a teaspoon, stuff the cannelloni with the spinach filling. Place the stuffed pasta in the dish and spoon the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until bubbly and nicely coloured, about 10 minutes longer. Remove the cannelloni from the oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Tip: To stuff cannelloni easily, spoon the filling into a large, heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Push the filling down into one corner of the bag, forcing out any air at the same time. Twist the bag several times where the filling ends. Then, snip off the corner of the bag with scissors and squeeze the filling through the hole into the cannelloni.

Craig and I loved this recipe. The boys did really well eating the noodles and Addison tried everything. Given that they had polished off a bag of Tostitos, a couple cookies and grapes while I was making this recipe, I'm not surprised that they didn't each much of it!



Sorry for the blurry picture! Visit Shan's blog for more great What's Cooking Wednesday recipes.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 8

One of the fantastic meals I had during my cleanse was an amazing Asparagus Risotto and a lovely salad. I gave the leftover to Sara who stuffed herself (the recipe serves 4-6 and we polished it off between the 2 of us!). The risotto picture is not that great but SO YUMMY!!!

The Recipe

Asparagus Risotto (from The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health by Dr. Thomas Rau)
1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1 1/4 lbs
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced leek (white and pale green parts)
1 cup Arborio rice (I had to substitute Sticky Rice and it worked great)
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves or crumbled dried
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups hot vegetable or chicken broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated Manchego cheese (I substituted Goat Cheddar as I couldn't find Manchego)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut off the whitish bottom parts of the asparagus stalks. Cut the remaining green stalks into thin rounds, stopping about 1 inch from the tips. Cut the tips lengthwise in half and set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring once or twice, for 2 minutes. Add the rice and tarragon and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes longer.

Pour in the wine and cook, stirring , until most of it evaporates. Add the sliced asparagus stalks and 2/3 cup of the warm broth and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed Add 1/2 cup broth and cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Continue to cook, gradually adding more broth about 1/2 cup at a time, for 10 minutes.

Add the asparagus tips and continue to cook in the same manner, adding more broth as needed, until the rice is al dente and the sauce around it is thick and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes longer.

Stir in the butter and cheese. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Serve at once.

The salad was mixed greens, shredded carrots, roasted beets and cucumbers dressed with balsamic vinegar and sunflower oil. Yum!

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 7

We're going to try a new salad today from the Crazy Plates ladies. Tyler is at a friend's house for dinner so the red peppers so be a go! We'll see what happens. For more What's Cooking Wednesday ideas, check out Shan's blog.

Gobbledegood Turkey Salad

Dressing
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream (I didn't have it so I substituted plain yogurt)
2 tbsp mango chutney
1 tbsp each lemon juice and honey
1/4 tsp curry powder

4 cups chopped, cooked turkey breast
1 cup each diced red bell pepper and diced celery
1 cup each diced pineapple and halved orange segments
1/2 cup chopped green onions

To make dressing, combine sour cream (or yogurt), mango chutney, lemon juice, honey, and curry powder in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, red pepper, celery, pineapple, orange segments, and green onions. Add dressing and mix well. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. Makes 6 servings.



Quinten: "I love red peppers! I'm going to eat it all!! Then I get an ice cream cone!!!"
Addison: was partial to the fruit and I had made some basmati rice which she devoured
Me: So yummy. I think it would also be great in a tortilla with some fresh greens. I might add a bit more curry next time.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 6

So I'm just now recovering from a crazy birthday weekend. It went so well even though we didn't make it to the park. My sister, Sara, came over on Friday night and early on Saturday to help with the last minute preps and cleaning. I don't think I could have pulled it off without her. She did think I was a bit (OK, a lot) obsessive when it came to the Cupcake Pops, but hey, it was worth it!!

Below are the recipes and the pictures. Enjoy! We sure did!!

The Recipes
Crabsolutely Fabulous Pasta Salad (from Crazy Plates)

1/2 cup each low-far sour cream and low-fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp each lemon juice, honey mustard, and minced, fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
12 oz medium shell pasta, uncooked (about 5 cups dry)
1 pound lump crab meat (real or imitation), chopped
1/2 cup each diced red and green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped green onions

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate dressing until ready to use.

Cook shells according to package directions. Drain well. Rinse with cold water and drain again. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Add crabmeat, bell peppers, onions, and dressing. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 8 servings.



This got rave reviews. I doubled the recipes but with the amount of food we had, I had tonnes left over.

Fairest Wheels (also from Crazy Plates)

1 cup finely chopped, cooked chicken
1/2 cup chopped lettuce
1/2 cup shredded, reduce-fat sharp cheddar cheese (2 oz)
1/3 cup each chopped green onions and minced red bell pepper
4 oz light cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp low-fat sour cream
1 tbsp hot red-pepper jelly
3 9-inch flour tortillas

In a medium bowl, combine chicken, lettuce, cheddar cheese, green onions, and red pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together cream cheese, sour cream, and red-pepper jelly on low speed of electric mixer. Spread 1/3 cream cheese mixture over one side of tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/3 chicken mixture, leaving 1/2-inch border at the top just covered with cream cheese mixture (so you can seal it closed). Roll up tightly, jelly-roll style. Wrap tortilla roll in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.

Refrigerate for 2 hours. Trim off ends and cut each roll into 8 slices. Serve cold. Makes 24 pinwheels.



These were gobbled up and several people asked for the recipe. I think it's all in the red-pepper jelly. Super yummy!!!

24 Hr. Salad (Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book)

4 cups romaine lettuce, torn (or spinach or your favorite lettuce)
1 cup sliced fresh mushroom or broccoli florets (or some of each)
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup shredded carrot
2 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
6 slices bacon, crisp cooked, drained and crumbled
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese or cheddar cheese
2 green onion, sliced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Place lettuce in the bottom of a bowl about 8 inches in diameter. If desired, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Layer mushrooms/broccoli and peas. Then layer carrots. Arrange egg slices and bacon over vegetables. Top with 1/2 cup of cheese and the green onions.

For the dressing, combine mayo, lemon juice and dillweed. Spread dressing over the top of salad, sealing to edge of bowl. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover and chill for 2-24 hours. Before serving, toss to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle with additional sliced green onion, bacon bits and or cheese if desired.

My brother-in-law LOVES this recipe so I made it for him. I usually make more (almost double) the dressing.



Magic Jello Salad
1 4 oz package cream cheese (half a block)
1/2 package mini marshmallows
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved
1/2 package Dream Whip prepared
1 3 oz package jello

Mash cream cheese and marshmallows (I just put them in my mixer on low until the marshmallows are coated in cream cheese). Add pineapple. Fold in Dream Whip. Place in mold/bowl.

Dissolve jello in 1 cup hot water. Add pinapple juice and extra water to make a total of 2 cups. Pour over marshmallow mixture. Refrigerate overnight.

For the jello, I would use lime, orange... whatever flavour. Quinten wanted Grape but it dyed the marshmallows which looked a bit scary... so I wouldn't do that again!)



Cupcake Pops (thanks to sister Jill for the pics...)









1 13X9 baked cake (from a box cake mix or from scratch … any flavor)
1 can cream cheese frosting (or about 2 cups equivalent from scratch)
1 flower shaped cookie cutter (1.25" wide X .75" tall)
1 package chocolate bark or chocolate candy melts
1 package pink candy melts or white chocolate bark
bowls for dipping
wax paper
aluminum foil
lollipop sticks
sprinkles, m&ms or something similar for top of cupcake
small plastic treat bags and ribbon to package the Cupcake Pops
candy cups and truffle boxes to individually package the Cupcake Bites
styrofoam block

1. Bake a cake from a mix or from scratch and cool completely.
2. Crumble cake into a fine consistency into a large bowl.
TIP: If the texture is too coarse, you can run it through a food processor.
3. Add can of cream cheese frosting or homemade frosting and blend together using the back of a large spoon. Blend thoroughly.
4. Roll mixture into 1.25" - 1.5" size balls and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. You may want to periodically rinse and dry your hands off in between.
5. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for several hours.
TIP: You can speed this up by placing in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
6. Remove. Begin to shape into cupcakes using a small flower-shaped cookie cutter. (see below) Take the chilled ball and roll it into more of an oval and then slide into cookie cutter. Push it into cutter until about half fills the cutter and the rest sticks out of the top in the shape of a mound. Then push the shaped cupcake carefully out of the cookie cutter from the bottom. Set right side up on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. Continue with remaining balls.
7. Once shaped, cover and return to freezer. (5-10 minutes)
TIP: You can leave them covered in the refrigerator overnight if you want to do the dipping on the following day.
8. While cupcake shapes are chilling, begin to heat up your chocolate bark.
9. Brown chocolate bark for the bottoms. Pink or white chocolate for the tops.
10. Follow the instructions on the package for melting. Most recommend heating for 30 second intervals at a time and stirring in between. You can also do the double boiler method.
11. When you are ready to dip, remove from freezer and set up another wax paper covered cookie sheet.
12. Take the cupcake shaped mixture and dip bottoms into the melted chocolate - just to the point where the mounded shape starts. Remove from chocolate, turn upside down and wiggle so that the excess starts to slide down slightly. Then lay on the wax paper upside down. If you want them to be lollipops, then go ahead and insert the lollipop sticks while the chocolate is still wet. Continue with rest of the cupcakes. You can also leave some without the sticks. They’re just as cute as Cupcake Bites.
TIP: Dip end of your lollipop stick in the melted chocolate before inserting into chocolate bottoms. Not sure if this helps a lot, but it couldn't hurt.
DON'T - get water in the chocolate. Make sure your hands are completely dry. Water will cause the chocolate to separate and mess up all your hard work.
13. Dry completely. (15-20 minutes)
14. Once dry, dip the tops of the cupcakes in the pink or white chocolate. You may need to move it around a little to cover all the exposed areas.
TIP: Let the pink chocolate sit for a few minutes after heating to thicken. This will help it from dripping down the sides of the cupcake.
15. Remove from the pink/white chocolate and turn right side up. You may need to hold and rotate it if there is any excess so that it doesn’t drip down too far.
TIP: You can use a toothpick to help cover any areas the melted chocolate didn't cover.
16. For the Cupcake Bites - just turn right side up and rest on the wax paper. Then go ahead and put a m&m on the top and add sprinkles while wet.
17. For the lollipops, Continue holding and place an m&m on the top and add sprinkles. Let them dry in a styrofoam block that you have already poked holes into.

Makes about 50.
You can store these in an airtight container and they will last for several days. You can also store in the refrigerator if you would like them cold.

These were such a hit. Addison dove right it. Yes, they were labour intensive but Bakerella has just posted a new idea to make this so much easier! Anyway, Addison only turns one once so I thought I should go all out. They almost taste like a candy coated chocolate timbit. Yum!!

Make sure you check out more What's Cooking Wednesdays at Shan's blog.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 5

I received this email today...

Hi Heather.

It’s Mike who works with Craig. I have decided that after seeing Craig’s delicious meals every Thursday, that I too would like to take part in tasting this “what’s cooking Wednesday’s” meals. However I won’t be able make it to the house on Wednesday nights, nor will I be able to participate in ever cooking any of these meals, I can say with full confidence that I will be willing and ready to enjoy these meals every Thursday alongside Craig.

No need to thank me.

Thanks.
Mike

Of course, now the bar is raised and I need to make something fabulous. Yikes!

I know the Fairy Blogmother (home of WCW) has a shell-fish allergy but I think you could make this with any fish really (or substitute chicken...). It's probably not the healthiest recipe but we'll see how it goes.

The Recipe
Buttery Shrimp and Pasta (courtesy of Recipezaar) with Cranberry Spinach Salad

The Ingredients
8 ounces pasta, cooked and drained (I like the tri-colored spirals)
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

The Directions
1. Have pasta ready.
2. In lg skillet, heat butter; add shrimp and garlic.
3. Saute 4 minutes, remove shrimp from skillet.
4. Add half and half.
5. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add shrimp, basil, cheese, pepper and pepper flakes.
7. Pour sauce into a bowl; add pasta and toss well.

The Recipe
Cranberry Spinach Salad (courtesy of Recipezaar)

The Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach
1/2 cup dried craisin, divided (dried cranberries)
red onion, slices
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

The Directions
1. Wash and dry spinach.
2. Divide evenly among four salad plates.
3. Top each with approximately 2 Tbsp. craisins and onion slices.
4. Combine dressing ingredients in a small glass mixing bowl using a wire whisk.
5. Heat in the microwave on High for 1 minute or until warm.



The Reactions
Tyler: The dinner you made was awesome, mumma!

Quin: thumbs up

Addison: Ate everything on her tray (including the spinach leaves she was determined to eat even though she was choking on them...not sure the retching sounds that accompanied dinner was too appetizing).

Me: SO GOOD!! The dressing on the salad was amazing! Sorry Mike, I don't know if there will be enough for you!!

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 4

What to make, what to make. I've wanted to make something with black bean for a while so I decided to try a new chili recipe. Knowing the boys would probably not like it, I made some cornmeal muffins to accompany the chili.

When I set the chili in front of Quin, he looked at the black bean and asked, "Why are there chocolate chips in my food?" Tyler, of course, ate the muffin and avoided everything but the cheese in the chili. Addison actually tried everything without making a fuss and then proceed to fill her pants. Apparently the beans work fast!



Roasted Corn and Black Bean Chili (courtesy of Recipezaar)

Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced, to taste
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder (add more if you want spicy)
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can low sodium chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place corn in a large baking pan; add 1 Tbs olive oil and stir the corn to coat.
3. Bake until the corn is browned, stirring once, about 20 mins total.
4. Note: Corn sometimes does not brown, but bake until it smells roasted.
5. While corn is roasting, cook onion in remaining 1 Tbs olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
6. Add garlic, cumin, and chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
7. Stir in broth, beans, and tomatoes; reduce heat to simmer.
8. Cover and cook 15 mins then stir in corn and simmer for additional 5 minutes.
9. Serve chili with sour cream and shredded cheese.

with Cornmeal Muffins (from Muffin Mania; it's out of print but if you can get your hands on a copy, it's one amazing cook book!)

"An old fashioned Waterloo County favourite."

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
3/4 cup milk

Directions
Mix dry ingredients together and stir in cornmeal.
Melt butter, and egg and milk and combine well.
Stir liquid ingredients into dry and combine just until moistened.
Fill greased muffin cups and bake 375˚ for 15-20 mins.
Serve hot!
Yields 8 large muffins.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 3

I chose a Sesame Noodle dish for tonight. I figured noodles, shrimp, peanut butter... the boys should love it!



Although Quin was excited to "help" me make dinner (he particularly excelled in eating the red peppers), when it was all thrown together he ate about 3 bites and that was it. Same with Addison. Tyler chose a different tactic: avoidance.

"If Quin plays downstairs, can I watch Harry Potter?"
"I don't want to eat the things with peanut butter on them."
"Can I print pictures tonight."
"I have to pee."
[From upstairs on the toilet] "Is Quin playing? I hear him running around."







Sigh.

Well, I found it fantastic and super easy to make. I added some shrimp to please the carnivores in the family.

The Recipe
Lighter Sesame Noodles (courtesy of Everyday Food, Issue 52)

The Ingredients
• coarse salt
• 12 oz whole-wheat spaghetti
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tbsp dark-brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 to 1 tsp red-pepper flakes

The Directions
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente. Add broccoli, bell peppers, and onion. Cook until pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, 3 minutes more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 2

It's warm and sunny... BBQ season!!
For lack of propane, I had to oven bake tonight.

The menu...
Cola Pork Chops and Steamed Veggies

I know what you're thinking... Cola????



Addison was very unhappy that dinner was not ready at 5:00 sharp so I fed her in stages and she ate as fast as I could get it on her tray.




Quinten was intrigued by the snow peas. He kept trying to get the little peas out the of the pods.



Tyler was so excited that an "adult" drink was on his pork chop that he ate it all!



Craig: "Like dessert and supper rolled into one."





The Recipe (courtesy of AllRecipes.com)
Cola Pork Chops

INGREDIENTS
1 cup ketchup
1 cup cola-flavored carbonated beverage
2 tablespoons brown sugar
8 pork chops
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Mix together the ketchup, cola and brown sugar.
3. Place pork chops into a baking pan and pour cola mixture over, coating well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for about one hour depending on the thickness of the pork chop.

What's Cooking Wednesday-Issue 1

So I was planning on a scrumptious pork tenderloin stir fry but the freezer was conspicuously void of tenderloin... I have now decided on a Lasagna Primavera and we'll see how that turns out.

I'm being serenaded by Addison who is particularly vocal about her tray being empty. She's eyeing the shredded cheese and Cordelia is eyeing Addison who has been known to sneak the dogs a treat or two. The boys are off playing Superhero Garbagemen (apparently they've found a stash of trash under the dining room table... that tells you the state of my house right now!).

Anyway, here's the recipe (courtesy of Everyday Food magazine, Issue 51):

Lasagna Primavera
serves 8

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for foil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups whole milk
2 pkg frozen chopped spinach (10 oz each), thawed and squeesed dry
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas
1/2 lb carrots (4 or 5), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 container (15 oz) part-skim ricotta (about 2 cups)
1 large egg
1 pkg no boil lasagna noodles (12-16 noodles)
1 lb part-skim mozzarella, shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400˚. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium; add flour and garlic. Cook stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes (do not let flour mixture darken); whisk in milk. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer, and cook, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add spinach, peas, and carrots; season with salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, egg 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

In the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of vegetable sauce. Layer 1/4 noodles, half the remaining veg sauce, another 1/4 noodles, half the ricotta mix, half the mozzarella (I didn't have mozzarella so I used old cheddar... we'll see what happens), and half the Parmesan; repeat.

Cover dish with lightly oiled aluminum foil, and place on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes, uncover, and bake until bubbling and browned, about 20 minutes more. Let cool 10 to 15 before serving.

As I'm making this, Tyler is telling me he doesn't like lasagna and would like hot dogs. He's also asking me to print off a Hulk mask for his brother... I'm telling him I'll only print the mask if he eats his dinner (I figure that's a pretty fair deal).

Craig: "So good you almost don't notice there's no meat..."
Tyler: "If I finish my whole plate, can I print off 3 pictures?"
Quinten: "Yum! I love it!"
Addison: "munch, munch, munch...."