Basic Chicken Stirfry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp ginger
salt and pepper to taste
mixed vegetables (broccoli, beans, carrots, sugar snap peas work well)

1. Place oil, chicken, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, lemon juice and ginger in frying pan or wok. Cook until chicken is almost done, stirring frequently.
2. Add vegetables and continue cooking until chicken and vegetables are done.
3. Serve over rice or noodles.

This is a nice easy recipe with plenty of flexibility.

Artichokes with Lemon-Garlic Dipping Sauce

2 large artichokes
1 can chicken broth
water
1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Fill pot large enough to hold both artichokes with about 2 inches of water. Add chicken broth. (Optional: Add spices and/or garlic to taste). Bring to boil. Add artichokes and decrease heat. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until leaves pull off easily.
2. Cook garlic in olive oil until garlic has softened. Add butter, lemon, salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce has slightly thickened.
3. Enjoy!

This is one I'm still experimenting with, but it was pretty good last night. I didn't thicken the dipping sauce enough, so it was hard to get the flavor onto the leaves, but the lemon-garlic flavor was wonderful!

Meatball Soup

2 quarts beef broth*
4-5 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
2 cloves garlic
pepper to taste
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 lb ground beef
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 cup uncooked pasta, small shapes
mixed vegetables, by preference

1. Add carrots to beef broth in large pot. Add bay leaves, oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, pepper and tomatoes. Simmer about 15 minutes.
2. Mix ground beef, oatmeal, parmesan cheese and egg. Roll into bite-sized meatballs. Add to soup and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add pasta and mixed vegetables. Simmer 15 minutes.
4. (Optional) Thicken broth with 2 tbsp corn starch mixed into 1/2 cup cold water. Cook for another 15-20 minutes after adding. May be added at any time during regular cooking, not just after everything else is cooked.
   

*I use the broth made by cooking corned beef.

I love making soups because you can do so much with them. You don't have to stick just with certain vegetables, you don't have to be terribly precise on quantities. And they often taste even better the next day!

Glazed Corned Beef

2 quarts water
2 cubes beef boullion
2.5-3 pounds corned beef brisket (Optional: Remove excess fat)
3 large carrots, cut into pieces
4 potatoes, cut into pieces
1 cabbage cut into eighths
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/4 cup honey

1. In a large stew pot, combine water and brisket. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 2.5-3 hours.
2. When there are about 45 minutes of cooking time left, add potatoes, carrots and garlic.
3. Place a cooking rack in a shallow baking dish or pan. Remove brisket from cooking liquid, and place fat side up on rack. Leave the liquid and vegetables in the pot and continue cooking.
   
4. Mix together brown sugar, ginger, mustard, and honey. Spoon over meat.
5. Bake uncovered, in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes.
6. Add cabbage to the other vegetables when there is only 15-20 minutes of cooking time left.
   

This sounds very interesting to me. I've changed the recipe as I found it to more resemble the standard corned beef brisket, as I love the potatoes, carrots and cabbage of the usual recipe. I don't feel that the corned beef needs extra flavoring - probably the only meat I can stand boiled outside of a soup. But curiosity has gotten the best of me.

Save the broth! It makes a great soup. Just add meat, vegetables and spices. I'll give you a recipe another day.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Sorry, but I'm cooking the corned beef tomorrow. Too many leftovers sitting in the fridge right now to cook something new.

I do love corned beef, however. It's so easy to cook and comes out so tender. Almost all you have to do is boil it and add some vegetables. I might see if I can find something more creative to do with it without ruining the flavor, however.

Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion (one large)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-1/2 oz can tomatoes, cut up
2 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 6 oz con tomato paste
3 tsp dried basil, crushed
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
6 dried lasagna noodles
1 beaten egg
2 cups cottage cheese or 15 oz ricotta
1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
3 tbsp snipped fresh parsley (optional)
12 oz sliced or shredded mozzarella

1. For sauce, cook meat, onion, and garlic till meat is brown. Drain fat.


2. Stir in undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Bring to boiling, reduce heat, simmer 15 min, stirring occasionally. (Optional: Simmer several hours)


3. Cook noodles for 10 to 12 min or till tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.


4. Combine egg, ricotta or cottage cheese, parmesan or romano cheese and parsley.


5. Layer half the noodles, spread with half the cheese filling, half the mozzarella, half the meat sauce, repeat.


6. Bake at 375 for 30-35 min or until heated through. Let stand 10 min before serving.

Make ahead directions: As above except after assembling, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake covered at 375 for 40 min. Uncover and bake for 20 more min or until hot. Let stand 10 min.

Option: Hold back some of the mozzarella until the very end, then add to top. Cook until it just melts.

This is one of my more time-consuming recipes, but always a hit. I strongly recommend simmering the sauce for a few hours - it really brings out the flavor!

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian salad dressing
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 cup grated parmesan
8 potatoes; peeled, cut into wedges

1. Place chicken in bottom of crock pot.
2. Sprinkle with half Italian dressing, spices, and the grated cheese.
3. Put potatoes over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients.
4. Cook on low 6-8 hours.

This is a regular favorite in my home. My daughter loves it, as does my husband. The chicken comes apart very easily, which makes it very easy to give to toddlers.

Last night's salmon was wonderful. My husband loved it, and he is not that much of a salmon fan in general.

Dijon Mustard Salmon

1/4 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup Italian-style dry bread crumbs
4 (4 ounce) filets salmon
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pecans or walnuts (optional)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix butter, Dijon mustard and honey in a bowl. (Optional: Marinate salmon in this mix for 1/2 hour or longer).
3. (Optional: mix nuts or Parmesan cheese with bread crumbs)
4. Spread butter mixture over filets. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over filets. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Cook for 15-25 minutes or until flakes easily with a fork.

This one's another experiment. I only used half the salmon I had on hand for last time's recipe. That one was pretty good, maybe a little sweet. This one looks great for the creative cook who likes to add things to recipes.

Glazed Orange-Ginger Salmon

Just experimenting with this recipe, but it sounds great!

2 pounds salmon fillet
1 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon ginger
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon honey
salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Place orange juice in a small saucepan and cook on low for about 5-10 minutes or until reduced by about half. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
   
2. Add balsamic vinegar, ginger, garlic and honey and stir.
   
3. Marinate for 1-8 hours in refrigerator.
4. Preheat over to 400 degrees F.
5. Place salmon skin side down in baking pan. Season with salt and pepper. Pour about half of the marinade over the salmon.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes then brush with remaining marinade. Bake until salmon is easily flaked with fork, about another 10-15 minutes.

This one sounds really good to me. I've been trying to get my family to eat more healthy food, and salmon is certainly good for that. I found a good deal on it a few weeks ago in the grocery store, and the salmon has been sitting in the freezer until I had a chance to use it. It would have been right away, but the day after I bought the salmon was the day I had my son by urgent C-section. So much for planned meals from that shopping trip!

My favorite baking pan is my Pyrex 3-qt. Rectangular Baking Dish. Very easy to clean, although there is always the possibility of breaking it, even though Pyrex is quite strong. I also like my nonstick pans, but that eventually wears off from most products.

Easy dinner tonight

Yes, that old standby, spaghetti!

I generally don't make my sauce fresh, as this is a dinner I make when I want to take it easy. As I just had a C-section about two weeks ago, taking it easy is key just now. However, I do add a few spices to the store-bought sauce to improve the flavor. A bit of oregano, basil, thyme and minced garlic really helps out the flavor of even the more inexpensive sauces.

Another way to improve store-bought sauces is to add a little red wine and cook the sauce. I generally brown some ground beef then add the sauce, a little red wine and appropriate spices, then cook for 10 minutes or so to make the sauce taste much better than it does out of the jar.

Don't worry, recipes will get more interesting on here.

Are you making time to cook for your family?

It doesn't have to be difficult. Just get the right tools, some easy recipes and get in the kitchen. Cooking for your family makes it easier to feed your kids healthy food, control food costs and make time for your family.

Not every recipe presented here will be easy. Some will take more work, others less, and feel free to tweak them to better suit your family's tastes.

What are my favorite cooking tools? Number one would have to be the Crock-Pot. What other tool lets you start cooking when you're ready, leave the house while dinner is cooking, and come back to a cooked meal?