Roasted Chicken with peppers and onions

In deep dish stoneware baker:
Drizzle about 1 Tbsp. olive oil over bottom of baker to keep from sticking. Place chicken parts on top of oil. I used 2 thin-sliced breasts and six thighs.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, marjoram, poultry seasoning and about 1 tsp. Kosher salt.

Slice 1/2 to 1 whole onion and place over top of seasoned chicken. Slice 1 red pepper and put on top of that. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. black strap molasses and 1 T olive oil over vegetables.  Cover with lid and bake at 350 45-50 minutes- until chicken is done.

Butternut Soup

I had 1/2 of a butternut squash in the fridge; my measures are approximate because when I am experimenting like this I never measure.

In Crock Pot
1/2 medium sized butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 whole large onion
1 tsp. vegetable flavored Better than Bouillon (or vegetable bouillon cube)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 tsp. garan marsla
1/2 tsp. Black strap molasses
(+/-) 2 cups distilled water--enough to cover vegetables

Cook on high for a couple of hours, then turn to low (or cook on low all day, whichever is convenient).  Just before serving, use immersion blender to blend until creamy. Stir in about 1/4-1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2.

I served it with Dill Havarti grilled cheese sandwiches on multi-grain bread, but it would be a very nice addition to any meal as a starter course.

Cornish Hens

Today for dinner I fixed stuffed Cornish hens, baked yams and roasted Brussels Sprouts. Ornery calls them green eggs, and launches into a monologue of Green Eggs and Ham (I do not LIKE green eggs and ham; I do not LIKE them, Sam I am!) He ate them, and I actually thought that cooked to death they were a little less distasteful.

I got a recipe from AllRecipes.com, and altered it just a bit. Mostly, I used more celery, added Blackstrap Molasses, (1/2 tsp) and cut the butter in half and added a T of olive oil instead. I used olive oil on the outside as well.  I cooked them in my Pampered Chef covered stoneware baker for about 2 hours at 350 degrees F and they came out great.  I cooked the yams wrapped in aluminum foil for the same length of time. They were tasty, but I couldn't finish all the food!

Lettuce Wraps

The first time I heard about lettuce wraps I thought, "That sounds disgusting!" Imagine my surprise when I tasted them and loved them!  I found a recipe through Pinterest for P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. The note says it is from Food.com, but I couldn't find it there to link back. Anyway, my recipe is a lot different, less complicated and quite a bit lower in sodium than the original.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
3 T finely chopped onions
3 stalks finely chopped celery
1 garlic clove minced or pressed
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

(Their recipe had a special sauce to dip it in, but it had a lot of stuff in it that I didn't have on hand, so we just did without.  It was quite tasty.)

If you aren't starting out with cooked chicken (which is what I did) saute your chicken breasts 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until done.  Chop finely--about the size of small peas.  Chop mushrooms, onions and celery to about the size of small peas.  Cook mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic in 1 T olive oil in hot wok or skillet.  Add chicken and stir fry sauce and mix well.  When it is mixed and heated throughout, remove to a bowl.  Serve in lettuce "cups".

Depending on whether you have other foods with it (I cooked brown rice to serve with it) the recipe could feed 4.

Parmesan Crumbed Asparagus

Tonight we tried a new recipe I found somewhere on the internet. I wish I could give credit where it is due, but I just copied and pasted it to a word doc and printed it out with several other new ones. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
250 g. fresh asparagus spears (one bunch)
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup bread crumbs
olive oil for frying

• Wash asparagus and pat dry with paper towel
• Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a wide bowl or plate. Mix well with a fork. Set aside.
• Lightly coat asparagus in flour, then dip in egg and finally, coat in breadcrumb mixture.  Ensure asparagus is coated evenly.  Repeat process with remaining spears. Set aside
• Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat.  Cook asparagus until golden. Transfer to the plate lined with paper towels.
• Serve immediately with a side of garlic and herb mayo (or ranch dressing like we did!) for dipping.

Garlic and herb mayo

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T finely chopped parsley

1 T finely chopped chives.

We didn't even wait to get it to the table to eat it.  As one pan finished cooking we noshed on it while waiting on the next.  It was DEEE-lickity!!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

I bought some stew meat the other day and didn't want to spend any time in the kitchen but thought beef stroganoff sounded good. This recipe uses only the crock pot--no boiling the noodles!--and a fairly small number of ingredients I already had on hand.  I am just putting down what I did--you can alter it in any way that suits you!

1# beef stew meat
2 cups beef stock (I used distilled water mixed with 2 tsp. Beef Better than Bouillon)
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 small cans mushroom bits and pieces, drained
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. dried thyme

Put ingredients in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours. I started it at 7:00 AM to eat for lunch, but if you were cooking all day, cook it on low.  About 30 minutes before you are ready to serve it, add

1/2 small bag of egg noodles to the crock pot, stir and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes.  Stir noodles again and add

2 T flour mixed into 1/2 cup water and
1/2 cup or so sour cream.  Cook for another 10 minutes until noodles are done and sauce is thick and bubbly.

Pancakes

I made these in my stoneware 9x13 baking pan. Preheat pan in the oven while the oven is heating up to 375 degrees. Takes about 8 minutes to bake the pancake (no need to flip it over). Touch the top of the center of the pancake lightly to make sure it is done. Slice and serve. Also works great using the usual method in a skillet on the stove top. You could also substitute buttermilk for the milk and vinegar. Can add in 1/2 cup banana, cooked sweet potatoes, blueberries, etc.

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup skim milk
1 cup 50/50 flour (half white, half whole grain of your choice)
2 tablespoons sweetener of choice (I alternate--agave, honey, molasses, brown rice syrup, maple syrup)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 large or extra large egg
2 tablespoons oil

Put milk, the egg and oil in medium mixing bowl and beat well. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients and mix. Poor into a lightly greased, preheated baking sheet and place into the oven. You could make the batter the night before and have it ready to go in the morning.