Menu Plan Monday

Ok so it's not Monday here yet, but I won't get to it tomorrow and I'm leaving town Tuesday night. They baby and I are flying to Ithaca, New York for my annual sister's get together. (There are eight of us sisters :) )
So here are my two days of menus and the boys will have to eat leftovers and fend for themselves while I'm gone because Jared doesn't cook - but his Mom is in town so I doubt they will starve.
Tonight we had - Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
Monday - Honey Pork Chops
Tuesday - Penne with Chicken Broccoli and Cheese


Here are the recipes :)

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
(I got this recipe from my sister - not sure where she got it) We all love these and though they might sound a bit weird, the flavors really mesh well together. I promise! I usually half the recipe.



3 tsp oil
1 onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
6 cups black beans rinsed and drained
2 cups water
3T chili powder
2t cumin
4t yellow mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper
3T soy sauce
4 cups mashed cooked sweet potato
flour tortillas
shredded cheese
sour cream
salsa -optional

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil. Add the beans to the pan and mash with a fork or potato masher. Stir in the water and remove from heat. Add the chili powder, cumin, mustard, cayenne pepper and soy sauce.
To serve spread some mashed sweet potatoes onto a tortilla. Add some bean mixture and shredded cheese Serve with sour cream and salsa if desired. roll up and eat :)


Penne with Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese

1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup butter
2 skinless chicken breasts halves cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves crushed
salt and pepper to taste
3 1/4 cups penne pasta
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
3 1/2 gorgonzola cheese, rind removed and diced small
parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Plunge brocoli in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Return to a boil and boil for two minutes, then drain in colander under cold running water. Shake to remove surplus water and set aside to drain completely.
Melt butter in large skillet or saucepan. Add chicken and garlic, with salt and pepper to taste; stirl well. Fry over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chicken becomes white. Meanwhile, begin cooking pasta according to package instructions.
Pour wine and cream over chicken mixture in pan. Stir to mix, then simmer stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced and thickened. Increase heat, add brocooli, and toss to heat through. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Drain pasta and add it to the sauce. Add gorgonzola and toss well. Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

(recipe from "Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer" Some of the recipes in there are written really wonky! For example, "Plunge broccoli. . ." ha ha)

Honey Pork Chops

(I havn't tried these yet- hope they're good)
6 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 t ground ginger
1 clove garlic minced
2 T soy sauce
dash of pepper

Place all ingredients except pork chops in blender and mix thoroughly. Place pork chops and the marinade in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours turning chops occasionally while baking. Pork chops may also be grilled.(recipe from "Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer")

The Lady and Sons Chicken Fingers

I wanted to make chicken fingers one night, but I didn't want the same old chicken strips that I always make, so I went online to the food network which is one of my favorite sites for finding a recipe for something specific. This is what I found and I've made it oh so many times since.

16 chicken tenders or 4 boneless chicken breasts cut into 4 equal strips
garlic salt, pepper
2 cups buttermilk (It doesn't actually take 2 whole cups of buttermilk to make this... or three cups self rising flour, so I usually just put as much as I think it will take into bowls. ) (Also, if you don't have buttermilk, you can add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to regular milk and substitute it. I never buy buttermilk anymore.)
3 cups self-rising flour
Oil for frying (The recipe calls for you to deep fry these, but I usually fry them in a heavy skillet and turn them once.)

Sprinkle chicken tenders (as you can see in the photo, you can either do strips or nuggets. this day I was serving children, so I did nuggets, but I think I prefer strips.) with garlic salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, dip into buttermilk and back into flour.

Preheat oil to 350 degrees. Fry fingers in deep hot oil 5 to 7 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with honey mustard (we serve them with ranch) for dipping.

Pumpkin Carrot Cream Cheese Swirl Bars

I snuck up on my husband eating one of these and he said sarcastically, "Too bad these didn't turn out very good." :) It's a good thing we are sharing them with friends tonight or we might eat the whole pan - just the two of us.

Pumpkin Carrot Swirl Bars

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 cup finely shredded carrot
Cream Cheese Topping (recipe follows)


Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan.

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and baking soda in small bowl. Beat granulated sugar, butter and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until crumbly. Add eggs, egg whites, pumpkin and carrot; beat until well blended. Add flour mixture; mix well. Spread into prepared pan. Drop teaspoonfuls of Cream Cheese Topping over batter; swirl mixture with spoon.

BAKE for 25 to 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

FOR CREAM CHEESE TOPPING:
COMBINE 4 ounces softened light cream cheese (Neufchâtel), 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon milk in small mixer bowl until thoroughly blended.

I doubled the cream cheese topping. Why not!?!


I got the recipe at verybestbaking.com

Turnip and Potato Patties

I had never had a turnip ( that I know of ) before last week. When they arrived in our box of veggies, Rory was not thrilled. He hates turnip. I tasted one raw when I was chopping it up for this recipe and am wondering how I cannot have discovered turnip before now !! I LOVE IT ! It's such a fresh, crisp flavor !! Sort of radishy ...

Anyway ... my turnip hating husband loved these patties.

I got the recipe from Simply Recipes after doing a search on turnip recipes.

Turnip and Potato Patties

1/2 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)
6 oz potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 cup)
2 1/2 Tbsp thinly sliced scallion greens
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Grapeseed oil, peanut oil, or canola oil (high smoke point vegetable oils)
Salt and pepper
Method

In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the turnip and potato cubes for 15 to 17 minutes, until they are tender, and drain them. In a bowl, mash them with a fork and stir in the scallions, the egg, flour, and salt and pepper to taste.

Coat the bottom of a large, heavy bottomed skillet with about 1/4-inch of the oil. Heat the pan on medium high heat until the surface of the oil begins to shimmer, but not smoke. Spoon 1/4-cup mounds of the turnip potato batter into the pan, flattening them into 1/2-inch thick patties with the back of a spatula. Fry the patties until they are golden, turning them once, about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the patties to paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Makes six patties.

Equadorian Quinoa Vegetable Soup

(Click photo for link to recipe.)

OH MY GOODNESS! This soup is FANTASTIC! Just right for a cool crisp night! I added a few extra veggies such as leeks, carrots, celery...etc. (cleaning out the fridge.) I also doubled everything so that I could freeze some for a later time! You HAVE to try this soup! My husband said it would be really great with okra! He's on an okra kick...everything could benefit from a little okra in his opinion! ha! I will add it next time!

Sloppy Joes

I havn't had sloppy joes in YEARS - for some reason this sounded good as I was planning last week. I got the recipe from "Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer"
It's a book about making meals ahead and freezing them. I don't do that, I just like some of the recipes in it.

Sassy Sloppy Joes
1/2 cup onion chopped
1 T butter
2 lbs ground beef
7 oz. ketchup
1/2 c. water
1/4 c. celery chopped
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. brown sugar
1 1/2 t worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t salt
1 t vinegar
1/4 t dry mustard

Saute onion in butter. Add ground beef; brown lightly. Drain off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

(I used ground turkey instead. I added twice the ketchup, dry mustard and celery)
It was pretty good.

My oh so late Menu Plan!

Monday - Pasta Casserole
Tuesday - Sloppy Joes
Wednesday - Spaghetti/no meat- French Bread -Steamed veggies. (I have to make this for my boys a couple times a month or they would FIRE me from the kitchen!)
Thursday (crock pot day) - Chicken with creamy chive sauce over mashed potatoes (This is so good - not the most healthy meal - but mmm so good. I'll post the recipe when I can get a picture this week)
Friday - Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos (sounds WEIRD I know but they are delicious)Saturday
Saturday - Penne with Chicken Broccoli and Cheese
Sunday - ? I hope there are some leftovers

Vietnamese Vermicelli

Canadian Living Magazine: May 2005
Serves 2 to 3

Beef Marinade:
8 oz (250 g) top sirloin or strip loin grilling steak (1 inch/ 2.5 cm thick)
1 tbsp (15 mL) minced shallot or green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) fish sauce or soy sauce
Vermicelli Salad:
1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 mL) very thinly sliced shallots
2 oz (60 g) rice vermicelli
2 cups (500 mL) shredded lettuce
2 cups (500 mL) thinly sliced English cucumber
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh coriander, mint or basil (or a combination)
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped dry roasted peanuts
1 green onion, thinly sliced
Noodle Sauce:
1/3 cup (75 mL) fresh lime juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) fish sauce (I just used soy sauce since I did not have fish sauce.)
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) hot red pepper or jalapeño pepper, minced

Trim fat from steak. With knife held at 45-degree angle, cut steak crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Place each between plastic wrap; with meat pounder, pound each until about 6 inches (15 cm) long, 3 inches (8 cm) wide and 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick. Place in bowl. Add minced shallot, minced garlic, granulated sugar and fish sauce; toss to coat. Let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Noodle Sauce:
In glass measure, whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and hot pepper. Set aside.
(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.)

Vermicelli Salad:
Meanwhile, in small skillet, heat oil over medium heat until it bubbles. Add shallots; fry until golden, about 4 minutes. With slotted spoon, remove to paper towel-lined plate. Set skillet of shallot oil aside.In bowl, cover vermicelli with boiling water and soak until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse in cold water. Return to bowl; toss with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the reserved shallot oil. Divide lettuce between two or three large bowls or plates. Top with cucumber, half of the coriander and the vermicelli; sprinkle with peanuts and fried shallots. Set aside.Thread beef onto skewers; brush with 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the reserved shallot oil. Reserve remaining shallot oil for another use. Broil beef until dark and crusty, about 8 minutes. (I just stir fried some prepared *already cut up* beef I bought at the meat counter. Broiling sounds like it might be better though! Or even grilling on a BBQ!)
Place on top of noodles; drizzle with any pan juices. Sprinkle with green onion and remaining coriander. To eat, pour noodle sauce over vermicelli salad and toss to combine.

*A few notes on this recipe:*
*The recipe calls for dry roasted peanuts, but I have always just used lightly salted cocktail peanuts.
*The last ingredient, hot red pepper or jalapeno pepper, I just put a dash of dried crushed red pepper instead.
*And in case you are like me as of a few months ago, and don’t know what coriander is it is actually referred to as cilantro here in the states.
*I also use regular vermicelli pasta noodles from the pasta isle. Not rice vermicelli…

Ecuadorian Quinoa and Vegetable Soup

I'm posting this now just for you Khrista ! I was sitting at my computer when your menu plan went up and saw that you wanted to try this. You are going to laugh when I tell you where I got the recipe ! From the website that you linked to in your Kale and Avocado Salad post !! I saw it in the drafts and clicked through there !!!

I reckon this meal would qualify for our foods of the world series since it is Ecuadorian ! The whole grain used in this soup ~ quinoa is an ancient Incan grain (that looks like tiny, pin-head sized beads) with a mild, nutty flavor and crunchy texture. You'll find it in health food shops ...


I'm not happy with my photo ... Next time I make it, I will try to take another one. I didn't have time to set up the tripod ... I had a hungry family waiting for dinner and turnip and potato patties in the frying pan. I was holding the spoon up with one hand, holding the camera with another. Add to that the shocking lighting in my kitchen at any time of day but especially at night and well ... here's the result.

It's funny that this is a Moosewood recipe ... I have been reading the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites Cookbook ... got it from the library. It's fantastic ! I've flagged like 15 recipes I want to try from it !! Great cookbook ... If you can get your hands on a copy of it, you should !

OK OK ~ I'll stop talking and post the recipe !!!

Ecuadorian Quinoa & Vegetable Soup
from Moosewood Daily Special
serves 4 - 6

1/2 C raw quinoa
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 C chopped onion
1 tsp. salt
1 C diced potatoes
1 C chopped red or green bell peppers
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
3 C water or vegetable stock
1 1/2 C chopped fresh or undrained canned tomatoes (14 1/2 oz. can)
1 C diced zucchini or yellow squash ( I used zucchini )
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice ~ or lime
chopped scallions, fresh cilantro, crumbled tortilla chips and/or grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (optional, for garnish)

Thoroughly rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold water. Set aside to drain. Warm oil in a nonreactive soup pot, add onions and salt, cover and cook on medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the quinoa, potatoes, peppers, spices, water or stock, and tomatotes. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add squash, cover and simmer 15 - 20 minutes, or until all veggies are tender. Stir in lemon juice. If desired, serve with a sprinkling of scallions, cilantro, tortilla chips and/or grated cheese.

I found this soup much less labor intensive than the original QVS posted here. And like I said in my menu plan post ... the kids RAVED about this soup !!! Gotta love that !!!

*** Edited 8-Oct-08 *** to say ... I forgot to mention that I made my own veggie stock for this one ! An hour before I wanted to start dinner, I chopped up a couple of carrots, onions, garlic and some greens. I put them in a stock pot with four or five cups of water, a bayleaf and 10/15 peppercorns. Brought it to the boil, turned down the heat, and let it simmer (covered) for an hour. Drained out the veggies and voila ... veggie stock. It was NICE too !!

Menu Plan Monday - Khrista - Edition 27

• Mexican Style Lasagna
• Pesto Farfalle (I'm making it without the chicken.)

*And the Tater Tot Casserole is for my husband. I can't stand the stuff, and will probably eat a salad or something, but he has requested it a couple times this month, so I thought I would appease him. :)
I'm also hoping Bonnie posts the Ecuadorian Quinoa Vegetable Soup soon, so I can try it. It's weird how I planned to make the original, and then came on here and saw she was going to post a variation. Can't wait!
More menus at I'm An Organizing Junkie ...

Raw Kale & Avocado Salad

This year in our CSA farm share, we received many heads of Kale.

Kale is a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties.
Many shy away from it because they have no clue how to prepare it!
I discovered an amazingly tasty way to prepare it raw. I first found this recipe HERE. The link leads you to the recipe and a video tutorial on how to prepare the recipe.
I will post the recipe with the ingredients I usually include below :

• 1/2 head kale, shredded (curly kale is the best!)
• 1/2 cup tomato, chopped (I've used heirloom in the above photo, grape and cherry are great too!)
• 1/2 avocado (set some chunks aside to add after mixing.)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (give or take)
  
• sea salt, to taste
  
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• I like to top mine with raw sunflower seeds
• other toppings to try: raisins, pine nuts, hemp seed nuts, sesame seeds, 1-2 sheets untoasted nori (snip up with scissors into little bits)

Preparation
In mixing bowl, toss all ingredients together. Mush everything together (with hands) to created marinated/wilted effect on kale. This makes it much tastier and easier to digest.

P.S. HERE is a very helpful website, for those times when you get a vegetable and scratch your head going "Whatever am I going to make with this!" Believe me, I said that quite often the first year we had our farm share! :)

Menu Plan Monday - Bonnie - Edition 27

So, I did not take this photo, my brother did.
But I love it and asked him if I could post it on the beans blog.
He said yep so here it is.
It may make routine appearances.
I like it.

Here's what is on the menu this week.

Friday : Rory's carbonara

Saturday : BBQ at Eddie and Gina's place

Sunday : Rory and Jono to church sausage sizzle
Bonnie and Alia take away after gardening.

Monday : Ecuadorian Quinoa Vegetable Soup ... will post recipe this week.
Turnip and Potato Patties ... delicious ... will also post this recipe this week.

My kids raved on and on about the soup tonight !! It's really similar to the Quinoa Vegetable Soup I've already posted here but different enough to post. Both kids asked if I would send them this soup for lunch tomorrow !! HELLO !?!?! And they were serious !!

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ... well, I haven't actually planned them yet so I'll share with you what we had last week since I hadn't really planned them last week ...

Tuesday : Rachel Ray Shrimp Pasta with Spinach Parcels and Black Olive Salad

Wednesday : LEFTOVERS

Thursday : Wonton Soup

The reason I haven't planned is because I got a big box of veggies on Saturday from an local organic farmer. I am still trying to work out what to cook !! I've got a big head of cabbage, bok choy, kale, broccolini, and carrots left ... any suggestions would be welcome ! But be quick because tomorrow is Tuesday ! ha ha.

To check out other menu plans head over to I'm An Organizing Junkie ...

AND don't forget about our Foods of the World ~ October is Pot Luck ~ any food, any country !!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I think this might be the last one I have to transfer from my Simple Beauty blog !!

What you need :
500g (1lb) chicken mince (can you buy chicken mince in the States ? If not, just grind some chicken breast in the food processor.)
1 tbls garlic
6 spring onions (scallions), chopped
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbls sesame oil
1 tbls gresh ginger
8 oz can of water chestnuts, drained, chopped ( the water chestnuts, not the can ! )
2 tbls hoisin sauce
3 tbls soy sauce
1 tbls cornstarch
1 oz asian vermicelli rice noodles ( you know, the clear ones ... )
head of iceberg lettuce ( or two depending on size )

How to make it :
Heat oil on med/high heat. Add ginger, garlic, spring onions. Cook for a minute, add chicken. Cook 3 or 4 minutes. Add water chestnuts. In a bowl, mix soy, hoisin, vinegar, cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. After chicken browns, add mixture to pan. Boil and let thicken. Readuce to low and simmer 1 min. Prepare vermicelli rice noodles according to package directions and add at the end. The ones I buy only require you to pour boiling water over them and let set for 5 minutes. These are not essential to the recipe ! You could even leave them out !

How to serve it :
Pull apart lettuce leaves. Put in big bowl and cover with ice water. I put out a big bowl with the chicken mixture, and the bowl of lettuce leaves in the ice water. When ready to eat, scoop a small amount of hot chicken mixture into lettuce leaf. YUM !

Kel's Chicken Dish

I'll have to make this soon and take a better photo. This one is a couple of years old.
It doesn't even really show this dish itself.
I had this recipe on my private blog, and am just about finished transferring them all to here.

**

8 x 200g chicken thigh cutlets ( I haven't used thighs yet ... I just use drumsticks ! )

800g potatoes, cut into large chunks (I add sweet potatoes or pumpkin too )

olive oil

salt and pepper

300g bacon ( I like it chopped or you can use rashers if you like )

garlic ( as much or as little as you like )

fresh rosemary ( again, as much or as little as you like )

1/4 cup green olives ( we love olives so I used more than that ! have also had it without any )

Preheat oven to 230C (fan forced)

**

Slash chicken skin. Put chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc. into baking dish lined with baking paper. Rub with olive oil. Salt and Pepper. Bake uncovered 30 minutes. Add bacon, garlic and rosemary. Bake another 10 minutes or til bacon is crispy. Add olives. Serve.

**

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo easy ! And tasty too !

Ham and Lentil Soup

I got a new crock pot this summer. One that actually works!! :) I love it.
I've been using it at least once a week on thursdays because we get home from cello lessons at FIVE and I need to have dinner ready and waiting. This week I made Ham and Lentil soup. I hesitate to post this picture. Lentils just aren't very pretty! But I LOVE to eat lentils. I have another lentil recipe that I love - curry lentils over rice. I'll have to post it sometime.


1 cup dry lentils
4 cups water
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp bottled minced garlic or 2 cloves minced
1/2 tsp lemon peel finely shredded
1 cup cooked cubed ham
1/8 - 1/4 cayenne pepper
2 cups chopped fresh spinach

Sort, rinse and drain the lentils. Add everything to crock pot except for spinach and ham. Cook on low setting for about 4 hours. Stir in spinach and ham before serving. (I cooked it with the ham - it gave the ham more flavor!)
The only thing I didn't like about this soup is that there wasn't enough leftovers for lunch today :(

Bean and Squash Quesadillas

I got this recipe from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious cook book. We all love these! It is one of the few recipes I like and/or have tried from the book. Overall I'm not that impressed with the book - it was a gift.

1 T olive oil
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1/2 cup canned navy beans drained and rinsed
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/2 cup butternut squash cooked and mashed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
4 (8 inch) whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup bottled salsa

Cook the chicken in the olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. In one bowl stirl together the mashed squash and the shredded cheese. In another small bowl mash the beans and then stir in the sour cream. Spread the bean mixture over one of the tortillas and spoon some chicken on top. On the other side/tortilla spread the squash mixture.



Put the two tortillas together like a sandwich and bake them on a cooking sheet at 400 degrees for 5-6 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa.
This makes about three large quesadillas.

I didn't have wheat tortillas so I used plain. I've made them with wheat before and they are great.

Scones

The other day I was feeling like Strawberry Shortcake ... the way my Mom used to make it. Unfortunately, I have no idea how she used to make it and the time difference wasn't helping me at that particular moment ! So ... I had to improvise. I remembered these amazing scones my sister in law, Gina, taught me how to make. Topped with fresh strawberry's and freshly whipped cream. Delish !

~~

Here's how you make 'em :

~~

The Ingredients:

3 cups self raising flour

1 cup of thickened cream

1 cup of Sprite

The "how to's":

Put flour in bowl. Add cream. Add Sprite. Knife through ... you want the mixture mixed but don't work it too hard. Line cookie sheet with non-stick baking paper. Scoop mixture out of bowl onto cookie sheet. Spread around. ( it will rise in the oven !! ) Put into hot oven ( I have a fan forced oven so I did it on 220C ... that's about 430F ) The recipe said 15 minutes but mine was done in 10 !!!

That's it ! When it's done you will have a giant scone !! Cut it into whatever size pieces you want. Top with whatever you want ... jam, cream, fresh fruit ...

Wonton Soup

I made this for dinner last night because I had almost everything to make it. I thought it was only OK but will make it again for sure. I didn't have bok choy so I used spinach. I think it will be much better next time when I use the bok choy. I used a chicken stock powder. Next time I will use a nice chicken stock that I will make myself. I didn't add noodles. Next time I will.

I got the recipe here ...

Here's how I will make mine next time :

Make gyoza following this recipe, but don't cook them.

I'm going to cut and paste the next bit from the recipe listed above ....

"In a large stockpot, add all but 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. The 2 cups of reserved broth should be room temperature or just slightly chilled. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the wontons. Bring pot back to a gentle boil.

When it reaches a boil, add 1 cup of the reserved broth. Bring back to a boil and again, add the remaining 1 cup of reserved broth.

Keep the heat on the pot on (you still need to cook the noodles and bok choy) while using a spider or sieve to scoop up the wontons and distribute amongst the bowls. Cook the noodles in the pot according to the package instructions. Add the bok choy to the pot during last minute of cooking noodles and let simmer, until cooked through. Ladle broth, noodles and bok choy to bowls. Serve with chili garlic sauce if desired."

Make sure you use a good chicken stock or your soup will be very bland. Like last night, the soup just tasted like boiled water !! Grace told me today how to make a good asian chicken stock. I'm going to try it next time. Just use garlic, leek and a small whole skinnless chicken. Boil for an hour and a half. That's it. She said if you want the stock to be sweeter, add some onion too.

Bloggers Choice Awards ...

This is Michelle, my friend that I've only maybe met when we swam on the same swim team, in Spain, as kids. Remember when she posted the review of this blog on my highschool's alumni blog ? The one she started, maintains and does such a great job with ...

Well, now she has nominated us for the Best Food Blog on the blogger's choice awards website !! How cool is that !?!

If you think this is the Best Food Blog ... click on the button above and cast your vote !! I just did ! That give us two votes ... me and Michelle !! ha ha. Have a look around while you are there. I saw Pioneer Woman Cooks is in the top three. One of my favorite food blogs that I've been reading for ages now ! Tried some great recipes from there too !! Not that I'm gonna vote for her ... I think she's popular enough already !!

Thanks Michelle for your nomination and vote !

Lemon Mozzarella Chicken

Chicken Brest Fillet , Mozzarella Cheese , Lemon , Onion

I had another pictures of delicious dish in my computer. I named 'Lemon Cheese Chicken '.
It is good for Fall season , I guess . Vitamin C will help your body adjust dropping Temp outside!

Spread Chopped Onions on the pan.

Slice Lemon
The Lemon - it depends on how much you are in to sour Lemon.


Try to cut in half the Chicken Fillet so I became thinner.


Cover lemon top of chicken - well, i put a lot but you can just put two or one slice.


Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese . It is like a Pizza in someway.

Bonnie,
It is good questions.
Do you bake this in the oven ? Yes
On what temperature ? It is Chicken but with Mozzarella cheese so I bake until the Cheese turns brown. About 160 C' (with Fan) I donno F' Sorry for North American friends~ !
and how long does it take ? About 20 Mints