Let's Talk About Food, Baby

(What, that's not really how that song goes? Hmm.)

Anyway. Look! Internet! Look at my lovely!

I mentioned that Jason wanted some Le Crueset cookware for Father's Day, and by gum, my man gets what he wants. Even stuff he didn't even know he wanted, like the Le Crueset grill pan and panini press, but we got 25% if we bought a set! We needed a set! I saved us money!

So ever since, we've been cooking a lot. Stews and risottos and panini (duh) and all sorts of awesome goodness. And therefore, I am obsessed with (what else?) cooking blogs.

My favorite full-on food blogs include Simply Recipes, the Accidental Hedonist, I Was Just Really Very Hungry, slashfood (featuring some of the same fast and furious bloggers from bloggingbaby), the kid-palate-friendly Cooking with Whine and of course, the totally Internet-famous Chocolate & Zucchini.

For those of you looking for light or (gulp) diet recipes, check out I.ATE.A.PIE.NET, a really great blog that "provides reviews of healthy 'diet' foods i.e. food products that are fat-free, low carb, reduced sugar, reduced calorie, and everything else marketed towards people trying to live love a healthier lifestyle."

ClubMom's own weight-loss bloggers Jenny and Melodee also occasionally share their meal-planning tips, tricks and disasters, much like Amanda and Sarah cover cooking and grocery shopping on a small budget.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for me to put down the box of Cheese Nips and go defrost some chicken. Although if anybody else out there would like to maybe tell me how I should cook it, I would be super extra happy about that.

(HINT! HINT!)

Comments

[Zoot]

If I had a food blog it would be called "Cooking with Can-Openers" or "Meals in Microwaves" because I have no mad skillz in the kitchen. Luckily, my husband doesnt care and married me for my...uh...hell if I know.

[Brandee]

Best easy chicken recipe that you likely have the ingredients to at home right now.
Crispy Italian Chicken
1 cup Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1/2 cup italian dressing (any brand)
Chicken (boneless skinless)
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs (italian is good)
Oven 425
mix dressing and mayo. Reserve 1/2 c of mixture.

spread rest of mix on chicken breasts. sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Cook until done (20-25m)

Serve over salad greens and use rest of mix as dressing.

Easy, fast, delish. Can make low-fat w/1/2 fat Mayo and lite dressing.

[melinda]

Crispy Chicken with basil and Sweet tomatoes - You must try - OMG sooo easy and most especially yummy.

If the link to sweetnicks deson't work I thinkt you can find the jamie Olvier recipe at food network site.

(sweetnicks is great mommyblogger & foodie site too!)
http://sweetnicks.com/recipes_meatandpoultry.html#CrispyChickenwithBasilandSweetTomatoes

[Paula]

If anyone knows of a good make-your-own baby food site, I'd love to hear about it. I'm running out of ideas here. Also, the cooking with can openers site would be helpful too.

[Amalah]

Paula, I found this site to be helpful, http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com, and bonus! They have a blog! http://wholesomebabyfood.wordpress.com/

[Denise]

Go look at http://www.retro-food.com fun stuff there, and some scarey recipes too.

[Ida]

I have a recipe that involves chicken & Doritos. It is the yummiest stuff ever!!!! And so good for you. :)

[Mary Tsao]

I just clicked over to "borrow" some of your recipes. I wanna hear the one that calls for doritos. Now that sounds good!

Love the Le Crueset. Even if I don't cook much, it makes me look like a good cook just because it's hanging on a rack smack dab in the middle of my kitchen.

[Mom Nancy]

I know, too late for tonight's dinner...but! I had to share it because my two picky eaters finally will eat this dish (I have to sub minced onions - the spice - for the real deal so that they're microscopic.) I have to admit, I'm intimidated to be submitting this to one half of the DC Foodies...

Chicken Enchiladas

1 Can (10 ¾ oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup.
½ C. sour cream.
1T margarine or butter.
1 medium onion, chopped (about ½ C.).
1 t. chili powder.
2 C. chopped cooked chicken or turkey.
1 can (4oz.) chopped, green chilies.
8 flour tortillas (8 inch).
1 C. shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese.

1. In small bowl mix soup and sour cream.
2. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat margarine. Add onion and chili powder. Cook until tender. Add chicken, chilies and 2T soup mixture.
3. Spread ½ C. soup mixture in 2-qt shallow baking dish. Along one side of each tortilla, spread ¼ C. chicken mixture. Roll up each tortilla around filling and place seam-side down in baking dish.
4. Spread remaining soup mixture over enchiladas. Sprinkle cheese over soup mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until hot.
Serves 4.

**Nancy’s notes: This is the Campbell’s Soup recipe. You can substitute low-fat soup, sour cream, and cheese without it affecting the taste, but don’t use cheap chili powder. If you double the recipe, you can use a family-size can of soup. This dish freezes well, just make sure it’s completely thawed before you bake it.

We serve it with corn or corn on the cob, and Lipton Spanish rice!

[Shrinkingmom]

Hey! Look! I'm linked here! (Thanks!)

My favorite way of cooking chicken requires planning ahead. I plot it (whole and plain) into a crockpot and cook it for 9 hours or so. The kids adore it. For them? Gravy and mashed potoes with it. For me? Green beans!

[Wacky Mommy]

I've had my eye on that set of cookware for awhile... excellent work, shopper! ps -- thanks for the recipes everybody.

[Sneadwoman]

I'm sorry. I can only recommend a show because I am 1) drooling over the Le Crueset and, 2) I cannot cook. At. All. Not even canned soup. But I do watch How to Boil Water on The Food Network for a variety of reasons (read Tyler).

Oh, and behold my new Dyson vaccuum. I can't cook but now I can SUCK!

[Ida]

Didn't have time to type up the entire dorito chicken recipe last night, but since someone mentioned it, I'll do it now. It's from a Southern Living cookbook, but I've added some stuff to it.

Nacho Chicken

2 TBLS Mayo
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried Italian Seasoning
4 chicken breast (I use the thin cutlets because they cook quicker and won't burn the doritos.)
3/4 cup crushed cheese doritos. (I use more than this.)
1 TBLS butter
I also use: pepper & garlic powder.

Combine mayo, salt, & Italian Seasoning. (Like I said I add some pepper and garlic powder to this part.)
Spread on the chicken and dredge in the crushed chips.
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter.
Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

Kids totally love this dish (as do most adults.)

[erin]

I cook everything with Paul Newman's ceasar dressing as a marinade. Pretty much everything -- fish, chicken, veggies. The kids love it. Their arteries? Probably not so much.

[another amalah]

I'm partial to using my Le Creuset grill pan to make Moroccan-spiced chicken paillards from this past February's Gourmet. I love epicurious.com. All of the recipes are from Gourmet, Bon Apetit, and other sources. It has a great search feature.

Here's the link for the recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233792 , and here's the recipe:

For sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon mild honey
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For paillards
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (not hot)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 lb boneless chicken breast slices (1/4 inch thick; see cooks' note, below)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Special equipment: a well-seasoned large (2-burner) ridged grill pan

Prepare grill pan and start sauce:
Heat grill pan over moderate heat until hot.

Meanwhile, simmer all sauce ingredients except butter in a 1-quart saucepan, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Set aside while cooking chicken.

Make paillards:
Cook cumin, paprika, and pepper in oil in a small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl, reserving skillet for sauce (do not clean). Brush some spiced oil on 1 side of each paillard, then sprinkle with some salt. Arrange 2 paillards in grill pan, oiled sides down, and brush tops with some of spiced oil, then sprinkle with some salt. Grill 2 minutes, then turn over and grill until just cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil. Grill remaining paillards in same manner, transferring to platter.

Finish sauce:
Pour sauce through a medium-mesh sieve into reserved small skillet, discarding solids. Add any juices from chicken accumulated on platter to sauce and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, then add butter and swirl skillet until butter is just incorporated. Season sauce with salt and spoon over chicken.

Cooks' note:
Some sliced chicken breasts may not be of an even thickness. If necessary, put each paillard between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with flat side of a meat pounder until about 1/4 inch thick.

Makes 4 servings.
Gourmet
Quick Kitchen
February 2006

On the left side of the Epicurious page, you'll see a link under "Make the Menu". There's a recipe there for great couscous (with olives and lemon). You can find whole wheat couscous and oil cured olives at Trader Joe's.

Bon Apetit!

[another amalah]

Another recipe that you'll probably enjoy but won't require the Le Creuset. My mom used to make us "Goldfish Chicken". She'd crush up cheddar cheese Goldfish (or use the crumbs at the bottom of the box; she's frugal that way), douse some chicken breasts in egg, and dip the egged chicken in the Goldfish crumbs. Then saute the chicken in butter. Yum!

Oh, and Cheese Nip/Cheezit crumbs work well too!

[YetAnotherAmy]

I have a fabulous recipe for Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic I got from the America's Test Kitchen website. While it is not in the "quick and easy" category, it really is food nirvana and worth a little effort. Try it on a weekend when you have an extra set of hands to keep Noah occupied. And use white wine instead of vermouth. Best yet - you can make it in the Le Crueset pan.

[Luisa]

Not to pimp my own foodblog, but one of the best things I've ever made is Lemon Chicken that I wrote about on my blog. Delicious and super DUPER easy. If you click on my name, it'll take you to the recipe.

[Busy Mom]

I have nothing to offer, but, now I'm starving!

[joy]

that there le creuset would be excellent for Balti Chicken (Pakistani Curry dish).

nice recipe here:
http://www.cuisinenet.co.uk/recipes/october97_recipes/baltichipas.htm

thanks for the linky links:)

[kimszym]

I see someone already mentioned www.sweetniks.com. Her son Nicholas is so sweet. (ha ha). I also really like Cookie Madness (also a mom) and Culinary in the Desert. They are both on blogger but I don't know how to link them.

[Tanya]

Oh *yay* Thanks for linking to my blog :0)

[foursistersbathandbody]

I second the comment about marinating in Newman's own dressing...great for grilling chicken, fish, and shrimp. If you are not up for grilling, my easy greasy recipe is cover boneless skinless chicken breasts with mayonaise and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper or other seasoning to taste and bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes until done. Simple and delicious. Serve with brown rice and frozen mixed vegetables and you are good to go.
Liza
www.foursistersbathandbody.com

[honeybecke]

My favorite food site is http://www.amateurgourmet.com/
Adam is HILARIOUS.

[alina]

I have a recipe that involves chicken & Doritos. It is the yummiest stuff ever!!!! And so good for you. :)

http://www.marble.hostfreeweb.info
http://www.marmura-ro.tk