Chicken and cheese quesadilla

Some time I'll have to try real Mexican food, but I do like Americanized Mexican food. Here is my recipe for chicken and cheese quesadillas. I tried to make my own taco seasoning out of the spices I have at home, but there are packets of taco seasoning in the supermarket that would be more convenient to use.

Seasoned chicken:

4 Tablespoons Taco Seasoning
1/2 cup water
juice of half a lemon
2 large chicken breasts

1. I think this is what I used in the taco seasoning: salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin. Otherwise, use a premixed packet.

2. Heat a pan with some oil on medium-high heat. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Fry the chicken, cooking both sides until the outside is browned.

3. Add the seasoning, water, and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, then flip the breasts over, and cook for about another 10 minutes.

4. Take out one piece of chicken at a time, and place on a cutting board or a bowl or a plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken. When you are done, add all of the shredded chicken back into the pan. Let the sauce simmer until it is thickened.


5. Then make your quesadilla! My method is to heat one tortilla on a pan on medium heat. When the tortilla is warm I flip it over. I add the chicken on one half and the cheese on the other, then fold the tortilla in half with a spatula. Then I press down on the quesadilla with the spatula. When one side starts getting brown, I flip if over. Then I use the spatula to cut the quesadilla into halves or quarters.

French Onion Soup

Today was my day off! It has been cloudy and cool over here; it's a good day for soup. Plus, Tracy and I were watching The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network and saw some French Onion Soup, which then made the both of us crave it.


Makes 10 big servings or 15 side servings

4.5 pounds beef bones
2.5 liters water
6 large onions
1/2 stick butter
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1.5 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper

1 block Gruyere cheese
1 bag croutons

1. Fill your biggest pot halfway with water. Add your bones. Bring to boil until all of the blood coagulates and floats on top. Drain the water and rinse the bones off.
2. Put the bones back in the pot and add two and a half liters of water. Heat pot on high until it reaches a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for at least two hours. It would be great if you have the time to cook for three hours or more.
3. Slice your onions however you want. Grab a second pot and add your butter. Heat on medium-low until the butter melts. Add the onions. Stir every few minutes, until the onions are dark brown all the way through. If your onions seems to be cooking too fast, reduce the heat to low. It will take a while, maybe twenty to thirty minutes, to caramelize the onions. Turn off the heat when the onions are done.
4. When the broth is cooked, use a strainer to transfer the broth into the pot of onions. Add your spices to taste. Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
5. When you are ready to serve, get an oven safe container. We used ramekins, but soup bowls would be good. I've seen people use mugs too. Put your croutons on the bottom, then ladle your soup in, then top with cheese. Broil at 450 degrees in your oven or toaster oven till the cheese is lightly browned.

Chicken Parmesan and Eggplant Parmesan

I had Eggplant Parmesan the other day and was surprised at the texture. I don't like eggplant because it gets really slimy, but in this dish I was able to eat it. So I decided to try to make it at home.

Ingredients:
6 cups tomato sauce
2 medium eggplants
2 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups flour
5 eggs
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package mozzarella cheese

1. Buy or make your tomato sauce. Today, I cooked minced onions in a pot on medium heat until browned. Then, I added three cans of tomato sauce. I add herbs and spices, including salt, pepper, oregano, marjoram, garlic powder, red pepper flake, and bay leaves. I let the sauce simmer for one hour.


2. Slice the eggplants into 1/2 inch rounds. Salt the slices liberally to draw out excess moisture. Leave the salt on the slices for 20 minutes, then rinse off the salt and squeeze out the extra water. If your mozzarella is whole, slice them into 1/8 inch thick slices. Or, you could use shredded mozzarella.

3. Prepare your dipping station. Next to your eggplant, place the flour in something deep, like a big bowl or a pot. Next to will be the beaten eggs. Finally, the Italian bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. I buy bread crumbs that are "Italian-style," meaning it contains Italian herbs and spices. I'm sure you could use plain crumbs and leave it like that or season it yourself.

4. Set the oven to 400 degrees. Dip each slice of eggplant into the flour, then shake off the excess flour. Dip the slice into the egg and then the breadcrumb mixture. Lay the slices on an oiled pan to go into the oven. I suggest using only one hand to dip, because the egg and breadcrumbs start caking to your fingers.


5. Bake the slices for 10 minutes, then flip and bake for 5 minutes. Take out the eggplant and change the temperature to 350.

6. Cut your chicken breasts into 1/2 inch slices. Repeat the dipping procedure. Cook the chicken breasts in a pan with oil on medium heat for about 4 minutes or until the first side is browned. Then, flip it over and cook the other side until browned.


7. Place the chicken in a oven safe pan. Spoon the tomato sauce over the chicken until the meat is halfway covered. Lay the mozzarella slices on top of the chicken.


8. In another pan, pour enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom. Lay the first layer of eggplant slices in the pan. Put some tomato sauce on top of each slice. Keep adding layers of sauce and eggplant till you've used them up. Finish with some mozzarella on top.

9. Bake the chicken and eggplant at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Then, change to oven to broil to brown the cheese for two minutes.

Be careful not to burn your tongue! I almost did. If you don't have an oven, you can brown the meat or eggplant in a deep pan, them add the sauce to the pan and let the whole thing simmer.

Potato Hash

This was one of those days when I was using miscellaneous food items to make a meal. This is what I had in the fridge and freezer:

6 potatoes, cooked
4 strips bacon
2 eggs
1/2 onion
3 stalks green onion
1/4 pound ground turkey
8 large mushrooms

1. Cut the onions into wedges. Cook in a pan on medium heat with some oil until browned. Remove the onions from the pan.
2. Slice or chop the mushrooms, however you want to do it. Cook until browned. I didn't need to add more oil here. Remove from the pan.
3. Cook the ground turkey until browned, and remove from heat.
4. Cut the bacon into smaller pieces. Cook the bacon to whatever crispness you like. Leave the fat in the pan but take out the bacon.
5. Cube your potatoes. Cook the potatoes on high heat with the bacon fat. You make need to cook the potatoes in two batches. Just put enough potatoes to make one layer, so that each side of the cubes can brown. When the potatoes are close to done, add the green onions.
6. When the potatoes are browned, crack your eggs on top of the potatoes and scramble them.
7. Add all of the ingredients back in. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cheddar cheese would be good too, but optional.



Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy!

Carrot cupcakes

Here's the continuation of what I did with carrot pulp. I made carrot cupcakes. I would have to say, I really liked the cupcakes more than the cookies. With or without the frosting, these cupcakes are tasty. Also from King Arthur Flour.

Recipe:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup golden raisins (optional)
1/3 cup diced walnuts (optional)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup grated carrots, lightly packed; about 2 medium-large carrots

1. Add all of the wet ingredients in a mixing bowl--the eggs, water, and oil--and mix by hand or with an electric mixer on medium. By the way, if you want to frost your cupcakes, take out your cream cheese and butter to let them reach room temperature. It helps to break them into smaller pieces.

2. Add all of the other ingredients, minus the carrots. Mix until combined.

3. Stir in the carrots.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. Line your cupcake tins with paper and fill the papers, leaving 1/2 inch room at the top for expansion. (That makes me think about Starbucks...would you like room?).

6. Bake for about 12-14 minutes. To test if the cupcakes are done, insert a toothpick, knife, or fork. If it comes out clean, the cupcakes are done.

7. Take the tins out of the oven. Turn the cupcakes on their sides to let steam escape, or else the bottoms can become soggy. Let them completely cool to room temperature before frosting.


Cream cheese frosting: this made too much frosting for me, because I like my cupcakes with only a little frosting. I would say cut this by 1/3 or 1/2 and you'll be good.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
one 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar (aka Confectioner's sugar), sifted.
milk or cream to adjust consistency of frosting, if necessary

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese (make sure they are room temperature) on high until mixed. Add the salt and vanilla.

2. Add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar in small batches. Beat on low at first, otherwise the sugar will go flying. Increase the speed to high until well mixed. Add more sugar if you want the frosting to be thicker/sweeter.

3. Frost your cupcakes.

Delicious!

Carrot Cookies

So one of the doctors whom I work with recently received a juicer as a gift from a patient. I wish I got gifts that expensive! Anyway, he went and bought lots of fruits and vegetables to make juice out of, including carrots. When I was using the juicer, I was sad about all of the carrot pulp that I was throwing away. The next day at work when I make more juice, I decided to take the carrot pulp home. I made carrot cookies and carrot cupcakes (see other post) with them. Since the juice was already extracted from the carrots, I added a few splashes of milk to make sure it didn't turn out dry.

This recipe is from King Arthur Flour (yes, I use this website a lot), which they call Take-10 Super Cookies.

Recipe:

1/2 cup toasted nuts
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) boiled cider (for great flavor; substitute maple syrup or dark corn syrup, if desired)
1 cup shredded fresh carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries, packed
1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour, organic preferred
1 1/2 cups quick rolled oats

1. Chop your nuts and toast in a pan on a stove on medium heat for about 3 minutes. You could also toast in an oven or toaster oven, but I have a tendency to forget about them and end up burning the food.

2. Mix oil, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, vanilla, syrup, and egg by hand or with an electric mixer on medium or high until smooth.

3. Mix in the carrots, cranberries, chips, and nuts until combined. Then the flour and beat on low until mixed.

4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper (I used a silicon baking sheet).

5. Add in the oats and stir until mixed.

6. Drop the 1-tablespoon sized balls of dough onto the pans. It should make about 30 cookies. I made 12 huge cookies instead. If you make larger-sized cookies, make sure to press them until the dough is even. These cookies don't spread out much in the oven, so you can space them pretty close together, like an inch apart.

7. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. They will be soft, so let them cool completely on the pans before moving them.


They were pretty healthy, minus the amount of sugar in them. The cranberries became slightly juicy, which contrasted nicely with the toasted nuts. I didn't use quick rolled oats....I tried using steel cut oats. The result: the oats were not cooked all the way. All in all, a pretty good cookie.

Stewed Sausages

So this week has been a great week for quick easy meals! Here is number two from the last week after the salmon was made. It was great and super easy to make, the hardest part is really just chopping up the veggies. Here is how it goes:

Ingredients:

4 large Italian Sausages (about 1 lb total)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3 large bell peppers of any color

1 onion (white or red)

2 jalapeños

Oregano, Parsley, Thyme, Salt and Pepper for seasoning

1 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 bag of Trader Joe's Israeli couscous

1 1/2 cup of chicken broth

3 tablespoons of butter

Start by putting your sausages on a skillet to cook while you chop your veggies. You will just let them go getting nice and charred on all sides.

Also start your couscous, by following the instructions on the bag or putting the chicken broth and butter in a pot to boil.

Once you have your veggies all diced you will soft them in a skillet. To dice the veggies refer to Tammy's picture in a previous post on how to dice an onion. For bell peppers just slice them in half, and remove the inner core. Then slice some long strips of bell pepper length wise, take a handful of bell pepper strips and slice them horizontally in about 1/2 inch intervals. You can just slice the jalapeño horizontally. Add your oil to the skillet and heat, then add your veggies. It will look like this:

Your sausages should look like this when they are done.

Here is your butter and chicken broth.

Your veggies will take about 15 minutes to soften, which is perfect because uncooked sausages take about 15-20 minutes to cook and become stewed. When your veggies are done they will look like this. While your veggies are stewing you should also have a boiling pot of chicken broth. Add your couscous to the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Then add your red wine and let it cook for about 2 minutes with the sausages, then add the butter and cook until melted.

Put everything together and eat!

YUM!