What's REALLY cooking?

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2006-02-05T22:46:00.000-05:00

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We've moved...

2005-12-12T23:10:00.000-05:00

I've moved the recipe archives to a new location with a new format. This location won't be updated any more. Please visit us at http://patskitchen.pbwiki.com/

The new location is in a wiki format. For why we moved, follow the link!

Basil & garlic potatoes

2005-09-16T20:58:00.000-04:00

These were really quick and tasted fantastic.

5-7 medium sized red potatoes chopped into chunky cubes
2 t dried basil
2 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t salt
pepper to taste

Put potato cubes in water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and put in a mixing bowl with other ingredients. Stir gently until seasonings cover the potatoes. Serve warm.

Mediterranean chicken

2005-09-16T20:45:00.000-04:00

This is a GREAT chicken recipe that got an A+ from my wife, and the kids liked it a little. This must be marinated and may be done so overnight.

3-4 chicken breasts
1/4 C sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C Balsamic vinegar
1 T grated lemon peel
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t ground cloves
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t salt

Mix all marinade ingredients in a small bowl and spoon over chicken in a baking dish. Cover and marinate at least 7 hours in the refrigerator, turning chicken once. (Olive oil will harden in the refrigerator, that's OK)

Bake uncovered at 375 deg. F for 35 - 40 minutes (until chicken is done)

Omlette in a bag

2005-09-11T21:48:00.000-04:00

My son LOVES ham & eggs and omlettes, but my daughter is allergic, so I never want to cook eggs with her around (think: proteins flying through the air...). So I saw an idea for cooking omlettes in a ziplock bag (think: contained proteins!) and decided to give it a go. It came out really good, using 2 eggs, some deli ham and shredded cheese. My son ate half of mine, then his own, and then had another one for lunch! I recommend a large (2 qt) saucepan that keeps the entire bag inside, and being careful not to let the seam at the bottom of the bag open up when the bag gets hot. Be sure to get as much air out as possible, because it will expand (think: exploding bag of eggs!) Also, they take longer to cook all the way through than you would think.

Jambalaya

2005-09-10T23:14:00.000-04:00

We loved eating Jambalaya years ago, but the Zatarain's mix is now a no-go. This recipe is adapted for a stovetop skillet from a crockpot recipe (since I didn't have 6 hours before dinner) and it turned out great! I thought the kids would hate it because it's (mildly) spicy and full of flavor, but they devoured the shrimp and liked the chicken too. Next time I'll double the rice and use more shrimp instead of chicken. I would probably add sausage too. Even as-is, this recipe was great, because the spice proportions were just right. The only recommended change would be to add more heat (if you like spice). This one's a keeper!

2 t oil
1 package (1 lb +) chicken breasts
1 chopped onion
1/2 C chopped bell pepper
1 thinly sliced carrot
1 t minced garlic
1 t oregano
1 t basil
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t paprika
1/4 t dried red pepper flakes
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 lb raw shrimp
1/2 C uncooked white rice
1 1/2 C water

(Recipe edited 9/26/05)

Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic with the oil in a large skillet. Add all remaining ingredients (leave chicken breasts whole) and simmer covered on medium-low (hot enough to cook the rice and meat) for 35-40 minutes, or until rice and meats are done. Pull apart chicken breasts into smaller pieces with two forks.

California chicken with sun-dried tomato rice

2005-09-10T22:50:00.000-04:00

This recipe is modified from one in an allergy cookbook. It's supposed to use chinese 5-spice seasoning, but I opted for a different flavor. The rice was a last minute addition to the meal, and taken directly from the same allergy cookbook. The chicken flavor was a bit strong for the kids, and the rice a bit bland (I left the tomatoes out for them), but the adults enjoyed everything.

California chicken:

1 package (1 lb +) chicken breasts, sliced into strips
1 cup toasted wheat germ (says "toasted" on the label)
8 t lemon-pepper seasoning
2/3 C undiluted orange juice concentrate

Line baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-dairy cooking spray

Mix half of the lemon-pepper seasoning in a bowl with the OJ concentrate. Mix the other half in a second bowl with the wheat germ.

Coat the chicken strips in the liquid, then the wheat germ mix and arrange on the cooking pan. Bake at 400 deg. F for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Sun-dried tomato rice:

2 C water
1 T dairy-free margarine
1 C long-grain rice
1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t lemon-pepper
1/8 t ground cloves
salt to taste

Boil water and margarine. Put in remaining ingredients, except tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes (until rice is cooked). Add tomatoes and fluff.

Baked Tomato Rice with Sausage

2005-09-07T19:18:00.000-04:00

I took the Baked tomato rice with chicken recipe and added a chopped red bell pepper (put in with the onion) and used cooked italian sausage instead of chicken. This is the actual recipe from the book (my chicken version was modified); the sausage adds quite a bit of flavor. The pepper has a great consistency when cooked together with the onions, then boiled, then baked. This dish is still one of my favorites, and the concept could be modified in many ways to easily create other dishes. As always, this dish is great with cheddar melted on top if that's acceptable to your diet.

Baked Mahi-Mahi with Tomato-Basil Sauce

2005-09-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe from an allergy-friendly cookbook, and I thought it was great. The recipe calls for halibut, but the store didn't have it so I had to substitute. My kids never really like fish, but they both liked it enough to eat a few bites (before moving on to last night's leftovers). Granted, the sauce doesn't look very apetizing, but it tastes pretty good. It was easy to make, but needs at least 6 hours to marinate.

The rice is Uncle Ben's rice pilaf and the squash is just green and yellow sliced squash tossed with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and a bit of thyme.

1 lb mahi-mahi
1 medium tomato, seeded
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh basil
2 oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
4 T olive oil
1 t minced garlic
1/8 t salt

Blend everything except fish in a blender until well blended.

Line baking dish with aluminum foil, and place fish skin-down into the dish. Spoon sauce over fish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Bake in preheated oven at 450 deg. for 20-25 minutes or until done.

Spicy gunsauce special

2005-09-05T20:54:00.000-04:00

I took the Mexicali Skillet and revised it a bit, but it turned out different enough that it deserved a new name. After a few names involving Star Wars and various Disney princesses, we stumbled upon this name. My son said it was spicy enough to deserve the name gunsauce. We liked this much better than the mexicali skillet. This is an easy one-dish meal when you're in the mood for something hearty and tex-mex. I used a lot of seasoning, so be careful not to make it too bland. Other than the diced tomatoes, this dish relies on the seasoning to make it interesting and flavorful.

1 lb chicken breast, cut into small pieces
1 15 oz. can of corn
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1.5 cups white rice
2.5 C water
2 t minced garlic
1/2 chopped onion
3 T oil
1 small can of olives
salt
pepper
chili powder
oregano
shredded cheese (optional)

Heat oil, then grill chopped onion & garlic seasoned with salt, pepper, & chili powder.

Add chicken, season with salt, pepper, and chili powder, and brown it.

Add remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, chili powder, and oregano. Bring to boil, them simmer covered on medium-low heat until most liquid is absorbed. Lower heat and simmer lightly until rice is fully done.

Garnish with shredded cheese (optional).

Fidellos Tostadas revisited

2005-09-02T09:49:00.000-04:00

Last night I made Fidellos Tostados again (since it's my son's favorite and he's was back after being away for a few days). This time I added frozen peas before I simmered (my daughter wasn't home, so peas were OK), and I also added 2 tsp. of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp. of basil at the same time that I put in the oregano and thyme. It was a little bland overall, I thought, but not bad. (strange, considering it had more spices this time) My wife an I agreed it needed more diced tomatoes (since they really add a nice flavor), and I may try using less pasta next time just to concentrate the existing flavors a bit. For future reference, this dish is much better with chicken breast than with ground chicken, but that's all I had available.

Chicken Tacos

2005-08-30T22:09:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe from the El Charro book (see Chicken Enchiladas). It calls for deep fried tacos, with baking suggested as a "low fat" alternative. I baked these and they cooked nicely. The procedure is similar to the enchiladas, but with a very different result. The key to these was the taco sauce from scratch, so don't be lazy! It's easy and it really makes the meal a success. For a side dish I added 8 oz. corn and 8 oz tomato sauce to a Lipton spanish rice packet.
Here's the taco recipe (very simple!):

12 corn tortillas
2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
taco fixings

Boil chicken breasts for 20 minutes, shred, and season with salt & pepper.

microwave 3 tortillas at a time for 30 sec. (to make them soft). Fill each with chicken, roll closed and hold with a toothpick.

Repeat for all tortillas, and place them in an oven dish.

Bake on 350 deg. F for about 15 minutes (until tortillas are mostly crispy).

Top with taco sauce, and garnish with cheese, sour cream, etc.

And here's the sauce recipe:

15 oz. crushed or diced tomatoes
6 oz. tomato paste
1 1/2 C water
1/2 onion, chopped
2 T minced garlic
1/2 C oil
1/4 C vinegar
4 T dried oregano
1 t salt

Mix all ingredients in saucepan and brig to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for a couple minutes and then remove from heat.

Can be served hot or cold (I prefer chilled, at least to room temperature. You can put a small container in the freezer for quick cooling).

Mexicali skillet

2005-08-29T20:53:00.000-04:00

Today I borrowed a recipe for a one-pot skillet dish with ground meat and rice. I thought it sounded easy and similar to other things we've made before. I added olives (even though I hate them, everyone else likes them, so I just eat around them), chopped onion, and minced garlic, and I substituted ground chicken for ground beef. Those changes turned out fine, but there must have been a typo in the amount of rice that was called for, because 3 cups almost overflowed my skillet, took twice as much water as was called for, and made the entire dish a little bland. If I did this one again I would certainly cut the rice in half to 1.5 cups. I took care of the blandness by adding Cholula and a layer of cheese (when possible). Overall it was OK, but it needs some tweaking to be really good. The ingredient amounts below are how much I actually wound up putting in.

1 lb ground chicken
1 15 oz. can of corn
1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
3 cups white rice
3 C water
salt
pepper
chili powder
2 t minced garlic
1/2 chopped onion
2 T oil
1 small can of olives

Heat oil and grill chopped onion & garlic seasoned with salt, pepper, & chili powder.

Add chicken and brown it, breaking it into small pieces.

Add remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste, and simmer until rice is fully done.

Chicken Enchiladas

2005-08-28T20:00:00.000-04:00

I used a recipe for chicken enchiladas from a book about the famous Tucson mexican restaurant El Charro. I used enchilada sauce from a jar, against Carlotta's advice, but I didn't have the time (or chiles) to make sauce from scratch. It was really simple, and got many compliments from my wife. I think it was her favorite dish yet. My daughter even ate some, despite her distaste for anything with spices or flavor! She does like the beans and rice however. The photo shows the "adult" version, with cheese, sour cream, and avocado. The allergy-friendly version omits these items. It was fairly simple to make, but looks impressive, and it was bursting with flavor. They're only as good as the enchilada sauce, but even most of the jarred stuff tastes pretty good. The trick is to find a jarred sauce that is allergy-friendly (sometimes tough when avoiding soy protein). The rice is the lipton brand spanish rice (allergy friendly for our allergens) and Old El Paso refried beans. These enchiladas can be filled with anything (shrimp, beef, veggies, etc.) if you're bored with chicken.

1 lb chicken breast
12 corn tortillas
1 C canola oil
30 oz. enchilada sauce
1 lb. shredded cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
1 avocado (optional)
small can of olives (optional)

Boil chicken for 20 minutes, then shred and place underneath damp paper towel.

Heat oil to medium in a shallow frying pan. Dip each tortilla briefly in the oil, place on waxed paper, fill (loosely) with shredded chicken, roll, and place seam down in a casserole dish.

When the dish is full, smother in enchilada sauce, sprinkle on olives (optional), then blanket in cheese (optional).

Bake at 350 deg. F until bubbly (about 10 minutes) and garnish with sliced avocado and sour cream (optional).

Waffles with no milk, eggs, or soy? You betcha...

2005-08-28T11:10:00.000-04:00

I loved having pancakes on the weekends when I was young, and I loved making them for my son when I got older. My wife got me a VillaWare 2001 belgian waffle maker (that I love!) a few years ago, so I started alternating waffles and pancakes.

When my daughter was old enough to want pancakes and waffles too, I looked long and hard to find recipes that don't have milk, eggs, or soy. Most milk-free recipes use soymilk, because water (or even ricemilk) just isn't thick enough. To top it off... without eggs to help the batter rise and have the right consistency, it's damn near impossible to make good waffles.

After trying LOTS of recipes that gave my kids the "ughh... this is gross" face, I stumbled across a waffle recipe that is amazingly simple. I tweaked it a little, but didn't need to change much. I've made a modified version for pancakes, but I'll leave that for another day.

This recipe works great with our belgian waffler. I won't say it tastes quite as good as buttery, eggy waffles, but it has much better consistency and taste than any other recipe without eggs or milk that I've tried. My son, who likes the "regular" kind better will even eat it, and so will I. If dairy is ok for you, then I find these to be especially good topped with fruit and yogurt (my personal favorite: blueberries with blueberry yogurt). This recipe makes three batches on our belgian 4-square, and I freeze the leftovers for re-heating during the week.

3 C Flour
1 T Baking powder
2 T Sugar
3 C Water (or ricemilk)
4 T Non-dairy margarine (I use Fleischmann's unsalted margarine)
3 T Maple syrup

Mix the flour, baking powder, and sugar in a large bowl.

Melt the margarine and mix with the water and syrup in a separate bowl.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingrediets, until most lumps are gone. It's ok to leave some lumps, and you don't want to over-mix it. As the baking powder gets wet, the batter will rise and stiffen slightly (while the waffle iron gets hot). Cook and enjoy!

Baked tomato rice with chicken

2005-08-24T21:55:00.000-04:00

This turned out great and got rave reviews from my son. Both kids ate around the onion and tomatoes (picking out the rice and chicken) but ate it well. I sprinkled cheddar on top for those who don't have a milk allergy, which was tasty. I don't think the cheese is necessary, since there's a lot of flavor already, but it's nice for those that can have it. This recipe was a nice new flavor that easily satisfied all of our allergy needs.

2 T olive oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
5 t minced garlic
1/2 t thyme
1 1/2 C long-grain white rice
4 C chicken broth
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 T basil
2 T chives
1 lb cooked chicken breast, sliced into small pieces

Heat the oil in a large stove-friendly casserole over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic and thyme and cook for one more minute.

Add the rice and cook for two minutes until it's coated and translucent. Stir in broth, tomatoes, and the bay leaf, and boil for 5 minutes until the broth is almost absorbed.

Remove from heat, stir in basil, chives, and chicken. Bake covered at 350 deg. F for 25 minutes. Serve from casserole.

Fidellos Tostados

2005-08-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

I added some sauteed chicken breast and frozen spinach to this recipe to make it a complete one-pot meal. This turned out to be a good pasta/rice dish that the kids really liked. It tasted like something you'd get in an italian restaurant. When I do it again, I'll probably add some garlic and basil. Peas might be good too, but my daughter's allergic to peas.

12 oz. broken-up vermicelli or angel hair pasta
1/2 C long-grain white rice
3 T olive oil
15 oz. can diced diced tomatoes (drained)
2 1/2 C chicken broth or water (have extra ready)
1 bay leaf
1 t oregano
1/2 t thyme
salt & pepper

Put pasta and rice in large heavy saucepan or stove-ready casserole over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until light golden.

Stir in 2 T olive oil, chopped tomatoes, broth/water, bay leaf, oregano, and thyme. Season with a teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 8 minutes stirring frequently.

Reduce heat to low and cook covered for about 10 minutes until the rice and pasta are tender and all the liquid is absorbed. (If the rice and pasta are too firm add 1/2 cup more broth/water and cook, covered, another 5 minutes.) Remove from heat.

Fluff into serving bowl and drizzle with remaining 1 T olive oil.

Welcome

2005-08-21T19:40:00.000-04:00

This husband/father is going to learn how to cook for a family with significant dietary restrictions and picky children. I'm going to focus on dinners because that's the real issue. Keep in mind I'm starting from scratch. My repertoire includes mac & cheese (with ham and peas, if I get fancy), burritos, spaghetti, and other variations on the meat-with-pasta-and-tomato-sauce universal meal. The lack of variety gets painfully old, very fast.

I'll share the recipes I try, and tell you about the successes and failures both in the kitchen and at the dinner table.