Chili Dogs

When I was a kid and my parents took us to a particular Mcfast food restaurant, I often refused to eat. I must have been a resourceful kid, because I do remember them stopping at my favorite place on Earth...the one who not only served the dreaded hamburger, but they had hot dogs.

More importantly chili dogs and Mr. Mistys (like a slushie drink).

Anyway, it didn't surprise me when Jake developed a taste for chili dogs. It happened innocently enough, when one night we were going to have leftover turkey chili and didn't have enough for all three of us to have a bowl. Instead I toasted up some buns, roasted a few turkey smokies, and voila! Chili dogs!

What a great dinner idea! Why not even toast up the buns, roast up the smokies/wienies, and then set out an assortment of toppings like shredded cheese and diced red onions?

You'll find my chili recipe here. It makes enough for six chili dogs, plus some left over.

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Pork Orange and Ginger Stir Fry

Hubs never used to eat stir fries. I'm not sure why but he had decided he wasn't crazy about them, and for years every time I made one he just kind of picked at it. Now that he's supposed to eat more veggies, it's sort of like stir fry hating karma. Jake and I love any sort of Asian food, so for us it's a perfect excuse to have it for dinner more often! Hubs has decided that he likes them now and then too, so everyone is happy.

Some stir fries come out a bit oily and limp, so you have to watch how you cook them. I steamed the broccoli a bit before adding it to the pan at the very last minute so that it's cooked perfectly. There is also a lot of sauce in this recipe, so you can adjust how much you add to your liking.

This recipe is adapted from my dog-eared and worn out copy of Crazy Plates by Janet and Greta Podleski. The stir fry is supposed to be made with pork, which I'm sure is delicious, but nobody in my family eats pork so I used chicken instead.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup each sliced red and yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp each sesame oil and grated gingeroot
1 clove garlic, inced
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder

Whisk the broth, hoisin sauce, marmalade, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and 5 spice powder together in a bowl. Set aside.

Put the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and cook on high for about one minute, or until just tender crisp. Drain and set aside.

In a walk or large fry pan, heat up a small amount of oil and cook the meat over high heat until no longer pink. Add the peppers and continue to stir fry until they soften slightly. Throw in the broccoli and stir. Reduce the heat to medium high.

Pour in some of the sauce over the chicken and veggies, stirring. I don't like my stir fry too saucey and found that there was far more than I needed, so I didn't use it all. The sauce will bubble and thicken, coating all the meat and veggies. You can eyeball it.

Serve over hot cooked rice.

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Recipe Thursday: Peanut Butter Brownies

When I first saw these on Crepes of Wrath, I knew immediately that I had to make them. How could I resist? Seriously?

This recipe should come with a warning label. The brownies are, without a doubt, the richest, sweetest, most decadent things I've had in a long time. They would be amazing served warm with a scoop of good quality ice cream. Jake exclaimed that they were the best things he'd every eaten.

You will need:
2 eggs
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup peanut butter (room temperature)..I used smooth, recipe says chunky
1 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

The original recipe says to bake the brownies at 375 F in a 9x13 inch pan. I halved this recipe and then baked them in a 9x9 inch pan, at 350 F, which turned out okay. Then I made another batch at 375 F and they almost burned. My advice? Go with 350 F. That's the usual brownie/cookie temperature anyway.

Line your 9x13 inch pan with parchment paper.

Beat the eggs and brown sugar together, and then add the peanut butter, molasses, honey, vanilla, and melted butter. Mix well. Scrape down the bowl, then add in the flour and salt, mixing on low speed until it's all incorporated.

Fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips. In the original recipe, you are to sprinkle the chocolate chips over top, but there's something about the combination of dark chocolate and peanut butter chips that make these sublime. Instead, I folded in the chocolate chips and sprinkled yet MORE chocolate on top, gently pressing them into the batter.

Because that's how I like my brownies; drowning in chocolate.

Anyway, spread the batter evenly into your parchment paper lined pan, and pop it into the oven on the middle rack. I still say 350 F is the best bet, and you want to bake them about 30 minutes. This is where the recipe gets a bit finicky-I wasn't sure if they were baked or not, yet the edges seemed to be overcooking and the middle too soft, which was a problem. Both times the edges turned out a bit drier then I wanted. You might want to use a knife to gauge whether the brownies are cooked in the middle (if the knife comes out clean you are good to go) rather then eyeballing it as I have, because eyeballing doesn't work so well.

Let them cool on a rack before slicing into bars.

Makes 20-24 bars.

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Butternut Squash Soup

Jake has been intrigued by squash lately, especially butternut. He had been watching Food Network Canada and asked me if I would whip up a butternut squash soup. Hmm. Having never made, much less eaten, butternut squash soup before, I thought this could get interesting.

Recipe adapted From Food Network Canada

You need:

1 butternut squash peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch cubes (they are a bit tricky to peel-be careful!)
1/2 onion
salt and pepper
2 tbsp butter
2 apples peeled, cored, and chopped into chunks
6 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup cream
nutmeg

Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Toss butternut squash chunks in a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and bake until tender. (I don't think it took forever, maybe around 20 minutes. I'll be honest-I didn't time it, sorry).

In a stock pot, melt the butter and saute your onions over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. Add the apples and continue to cook, turning the heat down if you need to, until they are soft and cooked through.

When the squash is tender , transfer it to a blender. Add the apple/onion mixture and about 1 cup of chicken stock.

This is where you get to decide how thick/thin you want your soup. I didn't use the whole six cups of stock, but rather more like 3 1/2. It might be a bit stubborn to blend, and I had to stop occasionally to give it a stir, add more stock, etc until the soup was smooth.

Transfer back to the pot and add 1/3 cup of cream. Re-heat over low until it is warmed through, adding more stock to thin it if you need to. Serve with a sprinkle of nutmeg on top.

Serves 2-3

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Classic Roasted Chicken

I love roast chicken on a fall or winter day. It's so easy, and the rewards are always delicious. They somehow seem so much simpler than turkey-maybe it's because you aren't wrangling with a massive bird, or have the pressure of a lot of other side dishes to go with it.

The other day I roasted up a bird and our dinner was simply salad, roasted chicken, and a bit of rice pilaf-nothing fancy or complicated, but just downright homey and delicious.

You will need:

3 lb chicken
olive oil
salt/pepper
paprika
4 cloves of garlic (leave the skin on, but smash them a bit)
1 lemon, cut into 4 pieces (you can leave the skin on)
3 stalks celery, cut in 1/2
1 carrot, cut into 3 pieces
1 onion, cut into 4 pieces
sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley (experiment with this-you don't have to have them all, you can use 1 or two, or throw in something of your own like marjoram)
white wine or chicken broth

Clean out your chicken, then pat it dry all over. Rub the skin all over with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Stuff the cavity with 2 pieces of onion, some lemon, a couple pieces of celery, garlic, and the herbs. Truss up the bird so the legs stay closed.

Since I don't have a roasting pan, I use the remaining veggies to create a "nest" for my bird to sit on. Arrange the celery, lemon, onion, carrot and garlic in the middle of the pan for the bird to sit on. Pour about 3/4 cup of wine or chicken stock into the pan. Stick your meat thermometer into your bird, cover it up with aluminum foil, and put it in a 350 F oven.

If you like to eat the skin and want it crispy, then don't cover the bird up. We never eat the skin so I do cover it for most of the time it's roasting.

Roast for about 2 hours, or until your thermometer says it's done. I always slice wiggle a leg and then slice it to see if the juices run clear or if they're still bloody. When they are clear, the bird is done! Let it sit for a good 15 minutes or so to rest before you carve the baby up.

Here's a great video for how to carve a chicken.

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Breakfast Sandwiches

Want a fast food option without the cost, or the grease? Why not make it at home? These are a delicious way to start the day and you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. I love these on a Saturday or make them for a special holiday breakfast. You can serve them with hashbrowns and fruit, or for dinner I add a salad. Yum!

For 4 sandwiches you need:

4 English Muffins, split
4 eggs
slices of cheese (you can use Cheddar, Swiss, or whatever suits you)
slices of ham, cooked bacon, or in the picture I used peppercorn turkey lunch meat

Poach your eggs. Now, if you've never poached eggs, don't worry about it. It's not really that hard. Check out this video for directions. One thing they don't mention is that if your egg sticks to the bottom of the pot, you can use a spatula to gently dislodge it. You can also poach more than one egg at a time, so don't think you have to stand by your stove forever, waiting for eggs.

In the meantime, split and butter the English muffins. Turn your oven onto broil and toast them until they are nicely browned.

Top 1/2 of the English muffins with a slice of cheese, and the other half with some ham, bacon, or turkey. Put back under the broiler until the cheese melts and is bubbling. Remove from oven and plate them-one piece with cheese, one with ham, and then top the ham side with the egg.

Here's a trick I've learned-if the yolk of your egg is soft, you'll bite into it and yolk will squirt everywhere. Before sandwiching the whole thing together, I often get a fork and mush up the yolk a bit so that the liquidy yolk just runs inside the sandwich and makes it all delicious.

Makes four sandwiches!

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Chicken, Snow Pea, and Cashew Stir Fry

Quick and delicious! I love the crunchy cashews with the snow peas, and sweet bits of pepper.

Canadian Living Magazine (can't remember which issue!)

3 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp sherry or chicken stock
1 tsp sesame oil
dash hot pepper sauce
1 lb (500g) boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas (4 oz/125 g)
1 sweet red pepper, seeded, cored, sliced into bite sized chunks
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup roasted cashews (unsalted)
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 piece (2 inches) ginger root, sliced

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, sherry, sesame oil and hot pepper sauce; set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over high heat. Stir fry chicken until browned and transfer to plate. Add snow peas, red pepper, cashews, garlic and ginger to wok; cover and steam about 2 minutes. Return chicken to the pan along with accumulated juices, and toss to combine. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce mixture, continuing to stir until it thickens and coats the chicken and veggies.

Serve immediately over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

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