Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I tried a new recipe tonight and it received mixed reviews.  Tony and Claire liked it very much, Will and I were neutral, Madeline and Jenna did not like it.  I'm not sure if this will become a regular menu item, perhaps with some tweaking I can get everyone on board.

bs chicken breasts
8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
small onion
bacon

Preheat oven to 350.  Pound out chicken breasts to a uniform thickness.  Chop onion finely and mix with cream cheese (I used my mini food processor for this whole step).  Place a tablespoon or two of cheese mixture on top of chicken breast and roll it up.  Fasten with two slices of bacon, one going in each direction so they make a cross.  Bake for about an hour, maybe a little less.  I served this with white rice and sauteed broccoli with a dusting of parmesan cheese on it (the way my kids like their broccoli).

Raspberry Muffins

We took the children raspberry and apple picking at the beautiful Ontelaunee Orchards in Leesport, PA.  I knew they would enjoy picking apples but I was surprised at how much they liked picking (and eating) raspberries!  When we returned home to NJ, I made the following recipe.

Raspberry Muffins

6 oz raspberry yogurt (not the fruit on the bottom variety)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg
1.5 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 cup of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
sugar to dust on top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line or grease muffin tin.  Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.  Gently mix together, careful to not overbeat.  Fold in raspberries.  Evenly fill each muffin cup with mix, then dust the top with some white sugar.  Bake for 15-17 minutes.  Yields one dozen muffins.

Cherry Macaroon Kiss Cookies

Cookie Mix:
6 cups of a.p. flour
3.5 cups sugar
1 T baking powder
2 t salt
2 c (1 lb) butter

"Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. In 4-qt bowl or container, combine 1/2 each of the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  With fork or pastry blender, cut 1/2 of the butter into mixture until consistency of coarse crumbs.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.  Transfer to tightly covered containter.  Store in refrigerator or freezer.  Use within 4 weeks.  Measure by dipping cup into mix; level off.  Return unused mix to refrigerator or freezer.  Allow measured mix to come to room temperature before adding additional ingredients as directed by following recipe.  Yields 13 cups."

Cherry Macaroon Kiss Cookies
3 c Cookie Mix
1 c coconut
1/3 finely chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
2 t almond extract
1 egg
36 hershey kisses

"Grease cookie sheets.  Dip measuring cup into mix; level off.  In large bowl, combine mix, coconut, cherries, almond extract and egg at low speed until well blended and dough forms.  Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate for one hour for easier handling.

Heat oven to 375 F.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake at 375 F for 10-15 minutes or until set and edges are light golden brown.  Immediately place chocolate kiss in center of each cookie, pressing down lightly.  Remove from cookie sheets; cool completely.  Yields 3 dozen cookies."

What I like about this recipe (aside from the fact that the cookies are really good!) is that it can be broken down into seperate tasks over time.  First make the mix.  Then make the dough.  Later on make the cookies.

The cookie mix is also good for a few other recipes.  I'll try to enter some in here when I have the chance.

Pumpkin Muffins

Add four egg whites (or equivalent egg substitute) and one 15-oz can of pumpkin (just the pumpkin, not the pumpkin pie stuff) to one box of spice cake mix. Also add two tablespoons of water. Mix well and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. I always use cupcake liners with muffins and there are some really pretty fall-themed ones available everywhere.

Lamb Stew for the Crockpot

1 lb of lamb neck cut up (1 lb was adequate for the Man and me, but you'd need more for more people, the girls had something else for dinner)
1 bottle of Guinness
some dried thyme
2 potatoes (I used Russet because that's what I had, red would have been better)

I marinated the lamb in the Guinness over night. Sliced the potatoes thinly, putting one down in the crockpot first and then the meat, poured the Guinness over it, then added the last potato. Added a sprinkle or so of dried thyme. I cooked it on low all day long and stirred it a couple of times, the smell from the crockpot was heavenly. It was very good. It did need salt. I almost never salt my food but this was necessary. If I make this again (lamb neck isn't exactly always available at Shop Rite), I will skip the potatoes entirely and make mashed potatoes separately because I think the sauce that the Guiness makes would taste great over mashed potatoes. We also had some Irish cheese and chocolate chip scones for dessert.

Potato Soup

This is my favorite potato soup recipe. Most potato soups, in my opinion, are too heavy and gloppy (is that a word?). They are modeled on the stuffed baked potato or use too much dill and cheddar. Bleh. I much prefer this soup, which I adapted from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons by Nava Atlas.  I make this soup a few times during Lent and I think it is a perfect lenten meal with a green salad.

1 chopped onion
2 minced cloves of garlic
6 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
2 bay leaves
veggie stock (I used a little less than one box, or about 2 cans worth)
1 teaspoon Italian herb mix
4 oz cream cheese (you can use tofutti cream cheese if you are dairy-free)
1/2 cup firmly packed chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

Saute the onion and garlic in canola oil (or your choice) until golden. Add potatoes and bay leaves. Add enough veggie stock to cover, then stir in herb mix. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the potatoes are just tender (about 20-25 minutes).

Remove about 1/2 cup of the hot liquid with a ladle and transfer to small mixing bowl. Combine with cream cheese and whisk together until smooth. Stir into the soup, along with the parsley. While stirring, slowly sprinkle in the oats. Simmer for another 20-25 minutes over very low heat until potatoes are completely tender. You can add some more veggie stock to thin if you think it is too thick (or some milk or soy milk). I find that the soup only needs a little fresh ground pepper but then I'm not really into salting my food.

This soup is really delicious. Its light tasting but substantial. It tastes so fresh. It is very healthy. I think it is an excellent soup for Lent because it is meat-free, simple, non-decadent, but still satisfying and yummy. In fact, I heartily recommend the entire cookbook it came from. I think we only had one soup that was just okay (we ended up adding sausage to it and then it was delish). Everything is simple, easy and healthy. Not to mention, CHEAP. :)

Red Potato Salad

2 lbs red potatoes (quartered)
16 oz of frozen edamame prepared
3 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
1 T brown sugar
1 t salt
one shake black pepper
1 clove garlic

Note: I ended up almost doubling the sauce ingredients (olive oil, vinegar, mustard, brown sugar). Cook potatoes in salted water for about 7 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool. Mix the dressing plus salt, pepper and garlic. Pour over potatoes, add edamame. Toss to coat. Chill until ready to eat. Yummy! Dairy free, egg free, but not flavor free.