Hiatus

And so I am here today to state the obvious.

I'll be taking a little break from food for awhile.

:P

Yes, I know I have to eat the stuff, but I certainly don't have to think about it, much less do elaborate blog posts on it until I feel better.

Like, maybe in 4 weeks? (I hope!)

Right now I'm making dinner with my setting on"automatic." What, you don't have this setting? It's awesome! A definite must-have setting for a busy Mama, or at least one who is in the throes of First Trimester and cannot even look at raw meat without retching.

Think Irona from that inane cartoon Richie Rich:

1. In monotone, with no thinking or emotion at all, select a package of meat from your freezer.
2. Grab the meat and throw it into the kitchen sink to thaw.
3. When thawed, throw meat into skillet with olive oil. Cover immediately.
4. Dump various spices on top of meat, and start rice cooker.
5. Check meat (while breathing through your mouth) turn if absolutely necessary.
6. Chop up veggies. Cooking them is optional.
7. Set the table, hand out milk and quickly serve food.
8. Pour granola and milk into your own bowl and go eat in the livingroom.

No, no pictures. No autographs either, sorry. I know it's pretty amazing, these dinners I can throw at my family whilst imagining I am on some deserted island where there is no food at all.

Talented, that's what I am.

And so, until I can be a bit more... inspiring? I'll be taking it easy.

Doing my duties with love, of course, even though the joyful zeal may be lacking.

:P

Confession

I am not the most original cook in the world.

I copy-cat meals from many places.

The first place was, of course, from my own upbringing. As a newlywed I would constantly be calling my mother asking for her recipes. Chicken soup, pie crust, beef stew, spaghetti sauce, meat loaf... all of it became a huge part of my repertoire. In fact, I am sure it was my repertoire for at least the first 3 years of my marriage.

There are many other sources I use for our weekly menu planning. Some of them are more reputable than others.
:S

The one I use frequently and am ashamed to admit I do so... is the Kraft Food & Family Magazine. Talk about non-crunchy! Eeek. Every single recipe is loaded with kraft food products. Not really what any gourmet food connoisseur would want to admit.

Luckily, I am none of these things.
:P

Here is a sure-hit winner winner chicken dinner* recipe.

Almond Chicken

Chicken thighs
Italian dressing
Chicken bullion
Rice
Green beans
Slivered almonds
(No exact amounts, sorry. Just eye it for your own family size. The ratio of bullion to dressing is about equal... and however many thighs you use, you want the liquid to cover them at the simmering stage.)
~Brown the chicken thighs in the Italian dressing. Add chicken bullion (with water) and simmer. Cook the rice and green beans separately.
~The great thing about this meal is that you have the option of serving every part of it separately (again with the rice! touching! the! green! beans! problem) or you can create a lovely platter by layering the rice, then chicken (with the sauce) then green beans, and finish it off by sprinkling the slivered almonds on top.

Every one of my kids loves this dish. I never have leftovers.

Enjoy!

:)



*This awesome quote brought to you by our family's favorite Food Network dude... Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

Where to Begin?

How about with dinner tonight?

(This picture was taken this past summer at my parents mountain home... I was cooking for an army. No need to get this carried away in your own kitchen!)

Our "new" favorite Friday meal is Fish Tacos.

What?!? you ask. That's disgusting. Fish are not meant to be paired with flour tortillas.

Yeah, I thought so too, once. Until I tried them.

All of the credit for these goes to Farmer in Wisconsin.

The beauty of this meal, besides its extreme yummy factor, is how quick and easy it is to make.

You need:

Tilapia fish. Preferably crusted with lime cilantro or other in-store crustings.
If you cannot find them already crusted, simply thaw them ahead of time and drench in lime juice before dipping them in bread crumbs.

Salsa. Can be homemade or store bought. Entirely up to you. I make my own.

Coleslaw. I buy the "kit" from the store. Easy peasy.

French fries. Freezer section. :)

Flour tortillas. Keeping our cholesterol in mind, I go for the low carb variety. Any kind will do.

~Assemble your coleslaw mix and put in the fridge.
~Throw the french fries in the oven. Sometimes we will deep fry them but let me tell you, it totally disqualifies this meal as suitable for Lent if you do. :P
~Take the tilapia and pan fry it... making sure not to overcook. Depending on thickness, I'd say to give it 3-5 minutes each side.
~Warm your tortillas. I usually wrap them in paper towels and put them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Keep wrapped until ready to use.

These tacos are best made at table. Simply take a warm tortilla, place some fish in the middle, cover it with coleslaw, then salsa... wrap it up, and eat! Serve the french fries on the side. The hot fish and the cold coleslaw bring out the many different flavors present in both. These are surprisingly filling, and can easily be served separately for those kids who do not want their fish touching their coleslaw!!!

Not that I would know anything about that.

;P