Caribbean Rice and Beans

Ingredients:
(makes 4 heaping servings)
One bag frozen black-eyed peas
2 tbs olive oil
10 ounces turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced
1/2 c. celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 c. scallions, chopped, white and green parts separated
1 Jalapeno, chopped
1 tbs freshThyme or dried to taste
Jerk seasoning
1 cup uncooked rice
3/4 large package of chopped collard greens


Preparation:
Boil peas in 3 cups of water. Sautee kielbasa in olive oil til until browned. Add garlic, celery and the white parts of the scallions, thyme and jerk seasoning and sautee til veggies are soft. Add peas in the liquid to the pan with the rice. Do not stir. Bring to a boil. Top with collards, cover and simmer 50 minutes to an hour until rice is cooked. Stir in scallions greens and serve.

Week of October 18, 2010 Menu

Monday: Filet Mignon (on sale!), rice, and broccoli

Tuesday: BLT and A with Kale

Wednesday: Fish Sticks (never got made the week before last) with Baked Fries

Thursday: Caribbean Rice and Beans 

Friday: Puttanesca Pasta

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Ingredients:
(makes 6 servings)
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans chopped clams
2 fillets of white fish (I used tilapia)
one large russet potato,
3 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp corianders seeds
1 tsp whole black pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation:
Toast your seeds and black pepper until fragrant and grind. Sautee bacon and add onion and garlic once fat has rendered. Cook til onions are soft and bacon is browned. Add spices and sautee for a minute more with some salt (you don't need much because the bacon is salty. Add potatoes and cook til soft. Add fish and clams and cook through.

Oct 11, 2010 Menu

Mon: Clam Chowder

Tues: Steak with Broccoli and rice

Wed: Shrimp Scampi

Thurs: AAALLL BYYY MYYYYSEEEEElf Baked Potato

Fri: Salmon and cous cous with Kale

Sat: Eat/order out (CHEAP!)

Sun: TBD

Snacks/desserts: Granola bars and baked apples

Awesome Lasagna

I'm just gonna post a link here with some notes for this awesome lasagna. I didn't change much.

http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/Lighter-Lasagna-Primavera-(Moosewood-Restaurant-New-Classics)/28886/

Notes:

1. I made my own basil sauce which is my puttenesca recipe minus capers and olives, plus basil (http://lttlpggy.blogspot.com/2009/12/puttanesca-sauce.html)

2. I didn't add the crumbled tofu because Andy says he doesn't want to have it much (something about estrogen? I don't know)so I subbed in chopped turkey meatballs cooked in the sauce.

3. I didn't puree the cottage (or ricotta cheese); it saved me a dish. I just mixed together the cheeses with the asparagus in a bowl. I also didn't add garlic to this mix; I felt there was enough in the sauce.

4. I used a smaller pan (8X8) since there are only two of us.

5. No nutmeg on hand; it was fine and I used whole wheat noodles.

6. Finally! To keep confusion limited, the layers go thusly: sauce, dry noodles, cheese mix, chopped meatballs, dry noodles for two layers then a final layer of the artichoke hearts topped with dry noodles and SMOTHERED in sauce (make sure you reserve enough for the final layer of noodles or they won't cook through.

Such a great recipe! Andy loved it.

Baked Apple from 10/4 Menu

Ingredients:
1 apple (not granny smith unless you want apple sauce)
1 tbs of brown sugar
1/4 cup white wine
pinch cinnamon or allspice
pinch salt

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Core apple leaving bottom intact. Mix cinnamon, brown sugar,* and salt and pack into the cavity. Bake covered with tin foil for one hour. Let cool for a bit and top with whipped cream.** Pour a tablespoon of the juices in the baking dish on top. (I thought briefly about reducing the juices to make a syrup and I might do that next time.)

*Did you know that brown sugar is just white sugar mixed well with a dollop of molasses? And if you mix it to order, you'll never have to deal with that brick in a box you chip away at every time you need brown sugar. Add less molasses to make light and more to make dark sugar.

**Whipped cream is just heavy cream whipped til it forms peaks (5 minutes give or take on hi). I don't add sugar because chances are the dessert is always sweet enough without it; add a dash of salt for character.

Menu Week of October 4, 2010

Okay, so last month Mama (me) went a little overboard on the family credit card and needs to make up for it by actually planning a menu and STICKING TO IT GODAMMIT. So. Here is this week's menu for all posterity (me) but already I've had to amend because I was to make lentil soup last night but it would have taken an hour and it took that long to do the grocery shopping soo... we had the BLTs with my soon to be world famous HOMEMADE MAYO and potato salad made with same(recipe posted below). So freaking good and worth the carpel tunnel.

Also of note:

I'm totally pregnant!

MENU 10/4/10

Monday: BLT and Lentil Soup (NOPE)

Tuesday: Cheap Cioppino

Wed: Provencal Veg and Pepperoni Pizza and salad

Thurs: Fish sticks and broccoli and fries

Fri: Lasagna

Sat: Eat/order out (CHEAP!)

Sun: BBQ?

Snacks/desserts: Granola bars and baked apples

Homemade Mayo

I was watching Two Fat Ladies (a cheeky, old British cooking show) and they made mayo and I was struck by how easy it looked. Next day, I had to make it and it is just so much better than anything you will get from a jar; holy crap, I could eat it with a spoon. Almost did.

Ingredients:

Dijon Mustard, spoonful

tsp salt

pepper (if i had white pepper on hand I would have used that)

2 egg yolks, room temperature (very important)

tsp vinegar or squeeze of lemon

Canola oil or other mild oil (not extra virgin olive)

Prep:

Whisk Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, lemon and egg yolks til creamy. Then, DROP BY DROP, add the oil until it looks and feels like mayo! It's that easy! Mine was a little yellow because I used too much Dijon but it tasted fantastic.