My ruminations on my life, my family, cooking, baking, and whatever else comes to mind
Every so often we get a rotisserie chicken from Costco or our local grocery store and make several meals out of it. Today, we had sandwiches on ciabatta bread (I put some avocado on mine), and I had a quesadilla made with some excellent chipotle cheddar cheese. There’s just enough now leftover for me to have a little soup for lunch at work tomorrow. Those chickens are a great deal!
I got this recipe from the Betty Crocker Ultimate Bisquick Cookbook
This made an easy light dinner and I have leftovers for quick breakfasts in the morning next week. It wasn’t anything particularly exciting, though, and I’m really not sure that I’ll make this again. The pancake batter was lacking something, or several somethings, but I’m not sure what.
Apple and Sausage Oven Pancake
Serves 8
1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups Bisquick
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp powdered buttermilk
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped (about 1 medium apple)
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking it up into small pieces. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the Bisquick, cinnamon, powdered buttermilk, water, and eggs until just mixed. There will be a few lumps, but this is fine. Fold in the chopped apple.
Pour the batter into a 9 x 13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle the sausage evenly over the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until turning golden brown. Let cool for 5-10 minutes, then serve warm. If desired, pour a little maple syrup over the top.
Hardly worth a post, as these aren’t even really a recipe, but they’re one of my favorite sandwiches, nonetheless. The bulk of the lettuce and tomatoes let me enjoy bacon while practicing some form of moderation 🙂 I had these for breakfast today, enjoying one of my every other Fridays off with a lazy morning. Obviously these can be scaled up to serve more. I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven on a cooling rack nested in a rimmed baking sheet. The fat all easily drains away and it cooks with no messy spattering or trouble at all.
BLT Sandwiches
Serves 1
Bread of your choice (I used two mini sandwich thins here – high fiber, 100% whole wheat, and quite tasty), lightly toasted
4 slices of bacon, cooked until crisp, patted dry
2 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 tbsp mayonaise
Freshly ground black pepper
Spread the mayo onto the bread and grind pepper on top to taste. Place the bacon on the bread, stack lettuce and tomato on top, and close up the sandwich. If desired, cut sandwich for easier eating. Devour with pleasure.
This is a tasty Italian dish inspired by my mom’s spaghetti sauce. Feel free to use your own marinara if you have some on hand. I’m just out and need to make another batch to freeze! The Barilla sauce is really pretty decent, though, and works well for a shortcut. If your household is lacking in the dairy issues that mine has, you may want to sprinkle the top with some shredded mozzarella too.
I served this with garlic bread. I used 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2 and sprinkled some dried parsley and oregano on the bread too for a bit of green.
Beef and Zucchini Stuffed Shells
Makes 6 servings
1 lb ground beef
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1½ lb zucchini, grated
1 jar spaghetti sauce (Barilla Tomato Basil recommended)
1 package (12 oz) jumbo pasta shells (Barilla recommended)
Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the seasonings. Add the zucchini and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the zucchini is wilting down. Remove from heat, stir in bread crumbs, and allow the mixture to cool.
Boil the pasta shells to slightly firmer than al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain the shells completely, rinse with cool water to remove starch that might make the shells stick together, and set aside to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour a little of the pasta sauce into the bottom of a deep 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish, enough to coat the bottom.
Stuff 18 to 20 of the best shells (several of them will be broken, so just discard those or reserve them to eat as leftovers later) with the meat mixture and place in the baking dish. Pour sauce over the shells and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with garlic bread.
This is a take on a Chinese-American dish that appears on most any Chinese restaurant menu. My version is heavy on veggies and light on the sauce, making it quite a healthy dinner that’s very tasty to boot. If you can’t find Chinese black vinegar, balsamic makes an adequate substitute in this case.
Chinese Mushroom Chicken
Makes 4 servings with rice or noodles, 2 servings if without a side
1 lb boneless chicken thighs
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ground ginger
8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
1 15-oz can straw mushrooms (8 oz drained)
4-6 small zucchini, about 1.5 lb
Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and then slice into bite-sized pieces. Heat a wok over medium high heat. Pour the vegetable and sesame oil into a skillet and warm until a sprinkle of water jumps in the oil. Dump the chicken into the wok and let sit for 1 minute, getting a nice brown exterior. Toss and cook through, about another 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the chicken to a bowl and keep warm.
Add the zucchini to the wok and let sit for 30 seconds to start browning. Stir fry until just turning tender, about another 3 minutes. Remove zucchini to the holding bowl.
Add the crimini mushrooms to the wok, adding a bit more oil if necessary, and let sit for 30 seconds to start browning before stir frying for another 4 minutes or until tender. Add the straw mushrooms and stir to combine. Cook for another 30 seconds.
Return the chicken and zucchini to the wok and toss to combine. Pour on the sauce and stir to coat. Cook for another minute to let the flavors meld and the sauce to slightly reduce.
Serve over rice, noodles, or alone.
Pays d’Auge is a region of France near Normandy famous for its apples and Calvados apple brandy. This baked chicken dish of mine is inspired by that region. This recipe has been percolating in my head for awhile, and tonight I gave it a go. It was another winner! Very flavorful with perfectly cooked chicken.
For company, I’d keep it the way I have it below, but for just us, I think I’ll make it next time with 1 pound of skinless boneless chicken thighs and about half the sauce and serve it over pasta. Rice would be another good side to sop up the tasty sauce.
Pays d’Auge Chicken
Makes 6 servings
1 whole broiler chicken cut into pieces (3-4 lbs)
½ cup butter
½ cup all purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups apple cider
2 tbsp apple brandy
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp dried thyme leaves
â…› tsp black pepper
â…› tsp salt
1 lb small mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
As the oven warms, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Add the chicken broth, apple cider, apple brandy, Worcestershire sauce, and spices, and continue to whisk together until the roux is completely incorporated. Turn heat to medium high and continue to stir until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat.
Place the chicken pieces into a large baking dish, skin side up. Scatter the mushrooms over and around the chicken, and then pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with generously with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through – internal temperature of 180 degrees F in the thickest part of a breast. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve with pasta or rice and a green salad.
As promised, we’re going another round with stuffed pork. This time I got a pork loin roast and butterflied it. We did go with an Italian set of flavors, which I think worked out very well. Shaun and I thought it was company quality! I’m quite proud of my experimenting 🙂
Italian Stuffed Pork Loin
Serves 6
1 pork loin, about 3 lbs total weight
For the filling:
2 oz bacon (about 2 strips), diced
4 oz small button mushrooms, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed
¼ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 oz pitted kalamata olives, diced
1 tbsp fresh basil, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
For the top:
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried oregano
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a skillet, brown the bacon pieces until crisp. Remove to a bowl, leaving the fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper, and garlic, and saute until tender. Add the olives, herbs, and bacon to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
Butterfly the pork loin, making 2 horizontal cuts lengthwise, one from each side, to make the meat into a sort of a Z. Unfold the pork and set it flat in a baking dish. If necessary, use a meat mallet to even out the thickness.
Spoon the stuffing mixture across the the pork loin, leaving about an inch all the way around the edges. Gently roll the pork lengthwise and tie it together with kitchen twine. Season the top and sides of the roast with kosher salt, black pepper, and dried oregano.
Cook until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the pork reaches 160 degrees F, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
This year I tried a new snack – meatballs in a mixture of cranberry sauce and chili sauce. It’s much vaunted, but Shaun and I just weren’t impressed. I’d make it again as an easy appetizer for a large party, but that’s about it.
We also made our sweet and sour little sausages. This certainly did not disappoint.
Other than that, we had clementine oranges, and a bottle of Martinelli’s to round out the evening’s snacks.
We enjoyed a quiet night at home, playing Lego Rock Band, watching movies, watching some of the festivities nationwide on TV, and just enjoying the peaceful night. It was foggy and rainy here north of Seattle, so the usual revelers with fireworks seemed to mostly stay indoors.
I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year!
Another variation on calzones – these are made with pre-cooked ham and pineapple. Another winner! I used some leftover ham that I’d chunked up and stuck in the freezer for this one, but the store also sells packages of ham in little bite-sized chunks that would work well for this too.
Ham and Pineapple Calzones
Serves 4
non-stick cooking spray
1 pound ham, cut into chunks
1 8-oz can pineapple chunks in juice, drained
1 small can tomato sauce (8 oz)
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp shredded fresh basil
â…› tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 (13.8 ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a mixing bowl, add the ham and drained pineapple chunks. Add the tomato sauce and seasonings. Stir to combine.
Unroll the pizza dough and divide into four equal pieces. Stretch each piece slightly into a rectangle. Spoon one fourth of the filling onto one of the dough rectangles and fold the dough over the top. Pinch the edges together, folding inwards, to seal the calzone. Repeat with the other dough pieces.
Place the calzones on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
This recipe is modified from Allrecipes. I can’t think of a single way to improve this, and that’s saying something for a shameless recipe tinkerer like me 🙂
Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Makes 2 loaves
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup fresh cranberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 9×5 inch loaf pans with a baking non-stick spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Combine eggs, sugars, pumpkin and oil in small mixing bowl, and beat until just blended. Stir the wet mixture into the dry until the batter is just moistened. Fold the cranberries into the batter. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
