Mondays are my least favorite day. Work is always miserable... except maybe every third Monday...just about every third Monday is pretty bearable for some reason. Not that I hate my job... I love my job.. but Mondays just suck.
This morning the kids missed the bus- we all got off to a late start and it just pretty much messed up my day. I really don't know how I got to work at all... I put on my sunglasses, pointed my Jeep in the general direction of my job and put my foot on the gas.
Chef has school on Monday nights and so it is always just me and the kids. They call me every five minutes until I get home from work wanting to know what is for dinner. Some days I break and tell them to eat Ramen noodles, or cereal, or a granola bar. No, really... I am not that kind of a mom...except sometimes...On Mondays. Ha.
So today I decide that we will have a quick meal.. and one that Chef is not crazy about... so I like to make it on HIS school nights so that he doesn't have to eat it.
EASY FRIED RICE
3 cups rice, prepared
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces
1 package frozen stir fry
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
Cooking Instructions:
1) Prepare rice according to package instructions to yield 3 cups cooked rice. ( I use boil in bag)
2) Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat.
3) Add onion, garlic, stir fry mix. Stir fry until tender.
4) Crack eggs into pan and scramble, mixing throughout vegetables.
5) Add rice, chicken, and sesame oil to pan. Stir in soy sauce and remove from heat.
How easy is this??? And the kids love it... Throw in some eggrolls and you have a great meal to eat while watching "Dancing With The Stars" on Miserable Mondays....
Monday, September 15, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Fall Weather and Sunday Spice Day
So as I entered the front room of our home this morning, I threw open the front door and breathed in the first smells of fall. The weather is perfect... So I made coffee, requested that the husband make homemade biscuits while I made Chocolate gravy... and we sat listening to NPR and Baroque Sunday.
Days like these I wish that I lived in a larger city so that we could peruse a Farmer's Market, have lunch at a food truck, drink lattes and wander through book stores. But I live in Northeast Texas.... and there is nothing like that in the area... we literally have to drive 200 miles to experience ANYTHING exciting.
Today I decided to organize my spice cabinet and look into my homemade spice collection. Have you ever looked at the back of a spice packet for taco seasoning or ranch dressing or anything like that? There are ingredients that I cannot even pronounce! I started making my own last year when I realized that, being the wife of a chef, we have EVERY spice known to man in our pantry. Making your own blends is so simple! The kids can help, you can make up a ton and store in a Mason jar and they are also great gifts!
Today I am going to list a couple of my favorite spice blends and how to make them!
Taco Seasoning:
Cup Chili Powder
Cup Paprika
1/2 Cup Cumin
1/2 Cup Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Cayenne
1/4 Cup Black Pepper
Let's make this simple.. I make a bunch and just mix in a bowl... so measuring is easy.
Mix all this up and store in a Mason jar with a tight lid!!! Use a Tbsp or so to every pound of meat.
Enchilada Seasoning:
Same as Above Except Add the Following:
1/2 Cup Chicken and Beef Boullion ( I just crush them in the food processor and add the other spices and blend)
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
1/4 Cup Dried Parsley
1 Tbsp Dill
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Basil (If you like it)
Mix 1 Tbsp of this mix to 1/2 cup Mayo or Greek Yogurt along with a little low fat milk.
I hope that you enjoy these... and remember that these mixes would be AWESOME Christmas gifts for friends and family.
Days like these I wish that I lived in a larger city so that we could peruse a Farmer's Market, have lunch at a food truck, drink lattes and wander through book stores. But I live in Northeast Texas.... and there is nothing like that in the area... we literally have to drive 200 miles to experience ANYTHING exciting.
Today I decided to organize my spice cabinet and look into my homemade spice collection. Have you ever looked at the back of a spice packet for taco seasoning or ranch dressing or anything like that? There are ingredients that I cannot even pronounce! I started making my own last year when I realized that, being the wife of a chef, we have EVERY spice known to man in our pantry. Making your own blends is so simple! The kids can help, you can make up a ton and store in a Mason jar and they are also great gifts!
Today I am going to list a couple of my favorite spice blends and how to make them!
Taco Seasoning:
Cup Chili Powder
Cup Paprika
1/2 Cup Cumin
1/2 Cup Onion Powder
1/2 Cup Garlic Powder
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Cayenne
1/4 Cup Black Pepper
Let's make this simple.. I make a bunch and just mix in a bowl... so measuring is easy.
Mix all this up and store in a Mason jar with a tight lid!!! Use a Tbsp or so to every pound of meat.
Enchilada Seasoning:
Same as Above Except Add the Following:
1/2 Cup Chicken and Beef Boullion ( I just crush them in the food processor and add the other spices and blend)
Homemade Ranch Seasoning
1/4 Cup Dried Parsley
1 Tbsp Dill
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Basil (If you like it)
Mix 1 Tbsp of this mix to 1/2 cup Mayo or Greek Yogurt along with a little low fat milk.
I hope that you enjoy these... and remember that these mixes would be AWESOME Christmas gifts for friends and family.
Friday, September 5, 2014
I'm the Wife, Not the Chef
Chef and I have been married for three and a half years....and I do most of the cooking.
Seriously. I do.
Chef is well, a Chef. He is temperamental. He is moody. He throws things....but only in the kitchen. He can take a pantry full of mismatched ingredients and turn them into something magnificent. He makes me sick....but he cooks all the time and he doesn't want to cook at home so that leaves me to do all the cooking. I decided that I would start this blog about how I deal with being married to a Chef, how I feed him and his two kiddos, along with our friends and family... and sometimes just ME!!
People think that we eat gourmet every single day.... it could not be farther from the truth. Although we cook really great things for our clients and for the restaurant... we tend to eat just like everyone else when we get home... and there are several nights when we are just like you and we pick up a roasted chicken or a pizza and call it a meal. Did I mention that Chef is also on the local fire department and he is gone a lot? I never know if I should cook a big ole meal or something light because he just worked a huge grass fire for four hours.
Earlier in the year we made a decision to cut back on eating out because we were literally eating out every night of the week. Not only were we traveling over twenty miles each way to get to a restaurant, we were spending at LEAST forty dollars a pop. That is a lot of money. So we have limited our dining out experiences and we stay in more often. We also decided to send the kids to school with a healthy lunch everyday, in reusable containers with reusable drink containers. It really is easy to make a creative lunch for your kids each evening, pack the lunchbox and just grab it out the door every morning.
I have also made it a personal goal to teach the kids how to cook. I want them to learn how to cook Southern favorites but also healthy alternatives so that we can watch what we eat. So each week we plan a tentative menu, we shop and the kids help me cook. Chef sits in his recliner and tends to watch anything that has to do with Fast and Loud, Duck Dynasty or Razorback Football.
So for this first blog I wanted to give an indication of a normal meal in THIS Chef's home... tonight we had the following:
Tequila Lime Chicken
Cilantro Rice
Mexican Street Corn
Here goes the easy recipes!!!!
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup tequila
handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
dash or two of black pepper
two cloves of garlic
drizzle in olive oil
OK- take those chicken breasts and cut them in half... then get a big ole Ziploc bag and throw them in there...
Now, get your food processor (or blender) out and add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times... add more or less tequila ( I like more) and you can even toss in a dash of cayenne pepper or a seeded jalepeno if your family likes heat. I tend to add about 1/2 cup of olive oil to make a nice marinade.
Then you just pour this tasty mixture in the bag with your chicken and zip it up.... lay the bag in the fridge , making sure that the marinade is touching every bit of the meat.... and let it chill for a little while (I do a couple of hours or so)
Heat up your grill or griddle on the stove, toss that marinated meat on there and cook away... now don't cook it to death.. you want to experience the yumminess that this tequila has imbibed your chicken with.
Slice up some lime wedges and get that chicken on a plate... squeeze lime juice over the top and I am telling you, you are going to love me for sharing this recipe and your family will ADORE you!!!!
And PLEASE, for the love of all things with salt, lime and tequila.... don't think that you are feeding your family something that is full of alcohol. It evaporates out during the cooking process. The only way you are gonna get intoxicated is if you drink one or three margaritas with this chicken... I totally suggest doing that, by the way.
Cilantro Rice- The total and complete easy way.....
Get some boil in a bag rice... cook it according to the directions. When it is done just throw it in a pan, add a squeeze of ginger paste (found in the produce section of grocer), the zest of two limes, a handful of cilantro leaves that have been chopped (no stems, please) a little salt and a dash of garlic powder.
Done! Now put this stuff under that chicken that you just made and watch the looks at the table as they taste it!
Mexican Street Corn
I just take some petite corn on the cobs and cook on my griddle until there are some nice grill marks/caramelization going on...
In a bowl add some light mayo, greek yogurt, dash of cumin, paprika, salt and chili powder and stir together.
Take that grilled corn and roll it in this yogurt mixture... then top with a shake or two of parmesan cheese and cilantro... honey, this is the best corn you will ever eat!
Now let me know what you all think!
Questions and results are welcome.....
Seriously. I do.
Chef is well, a Chef. He is temperamental. He is moody. He throws things....but only in the kitchen. He can take a pantry full of mismatched ingredients and turn them into something magnificent. He makes me sick....but he cooks all the time and he doesn't want to cook at home so that leaves me to do all the cooking. I decided that I would start this blog about how I deal with being married to a Chef, how I feed him and his two kiddos, along with our friends and family... and sometimes just ME!!
People think that we eat gourmet every single day.... it could not be farther from the truth. Although we cook really great things for our clients and for the restaurant... we tend to eat just like everyone else when we get home... and there are several nights when we are just like you and we pick up a roasted chicken or a pizza and call it a meal. Did I mention that Chef is also on the local fire department and he is gone a lot? I never know if I should cook a big ole meal or something light because he just worked a huge grass fire for four hours.
Earlier in the year we made a decision to cut back on eating out because we were literally eating out every night of the week. Not only were we traveling over twenty miles each way to get to a restaurant, we were spending at LEAST forty dollars a pop. That is a lot of money. So we have limited our dining out experiences and we stay in more often. We also decided to send the kids to school with a healthy lunch everyday, in reusable containers with reusable drink containers. It really is easy to make a creative lunch for your kids each evening, pack the lunchbox and just grab it out the door every morning.
I have also made it a personal goal to teach the kids how to cook. I want them to learn how to cook Southern favorites but also healthy alternatives so that we can watch what we eat. So each week we plan a tentative menu, we shop and the kids help me cook. Chef sits in his recliner and tends to watch anything that has to do with Fast and Loud, Duck Dynasty or Razorback Football.
So for this first blog I wanted to give an indication of a normal meal in THIS Chef's home... tonight we had the following:
Tequila Lime Chicken
Cilantro Rice
Mexican Street Corn
Here goes the easy recipes!!!!
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 cup tequila
handful of fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
dash or two of black pepper
two cloves of garlic
drizzle in olive oil
OK- take those chicken breasts and cut them in half... then get a big ole Ziploc bag and throw them in there...
Now, get your food processor (or blender) out and add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times... add more or less tequila ( I like more) and you can even toss in a dash of cayenne pepper or a seeded jalepeno if your family likes heat. I tend to add about 1/2 cup of olive oil to make a nice marinade.
Then you just pour this tasty mixture in the bag with your chicken and zip it up.... lay the bag in the fridge , making sure that the marinade is touching every bit of the meat.... and let it chill for a little while (I do a couple of hours or so)
Heat up your grill or griddle on the stove, toss that marinated meat on there and cook away... now don't cook it to death.. you want to experience the yumminess that this tequila has imbibed your chicken with.
Slice up some lime wedges and get that chicken on a plate... squeeze lime juice over the top and I am telling you, you are going to love me for sharing this recipe and your family will ADORE you!!!!
And PLEASE, for the love of all things with salt, lime and tequila.... don't think that you are feeding your family something that is full of alcohol. It evaporates out during the cooking process. The only way you are gonna get intoxicated is if you drink one or three margaritas with this chicken... I totally suggest doing that, by the way.
Cilantro Rice- The total and complete easy way.....
Get some boil in a bag rice... cook it according to the directions. When it is done just throw it in a pan, add a squeeze of ginger paste (found in the produce section of grocer), the zest of two limes, a handful of cilantro leaves that have been chopped (no stems, please) a little salt and a dash of garlic powder.
Done! Now put this stuff under that chicken that you just made and watch the looks at the table as they taste it!
Mexican Street Corn
I just take some petite corn on the cobs and cook on my griddle until there are some nice grill marks/caramelization going on...
In a bowl add some light mayo, greek yogurt, dash of cumin, paprika, salt and chili powder and stir together.
Take that grilled corn and roll it in this yogurt mixture... then top with a shake or two of parmesan cheese and cilantro... honey, this is the best corn you will ever eat!
Now let me know what you all think!
Questions and results are welcome.....
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