Week 38 - Break Out the Wooden Clogs

We're going Dutch, baby. I've only ever had a Dutch baby at the Pancake House and could not believe my eyes when I beheld this recipe and realized they are SO freaking easy to make. Minimal preparation, minimal dirty dishes, maximum deliciousness.

Brian requested this for breakfast again tomorrow but, tragically, we used all of our eggs on the first one and didn't pick up more. So it will have to wait. But this will definitely get busted out next time overnight guests are around probably fairly often from here on out when we feel like a big fatty breakfast.

DUTCH BABIES

Source: The Red Rock Ranch Collection

1/3 C. butter or margarine - 5 large eggs - 1 C. milk - 1 C. flour - powdered sugar - syrup - lemon wedges

Place butter in 9x13 baking dish and set in 425-degree oven to melt. Put eggs in blender and blend on high for 1 minute. Gradually add milk then flour and blend on low for 30 seconds. Pour batter into hot baking dish and return to oven, baking until brown and puffy, 20-25 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with syrup or fresh fruit.

Week 37 - I Wish I Had a Halibut Pond

I took this recipe from a library book early in the year and I had been dying to make it ever since. I kept putting it off because of the price of halibut but finally sucked it up this week since it could be the last expensive meal we eat for a very long time.

The name on this is a little misleading - I was picturing halibut cooked a la chicken parmesan but that is not the case. There's not enough parmesan to form nice, thick bubbly cheese layer on top (although I suppose one could add more if one so desired). Also, I spooned the sauce on pretty thick since that's what the recipe said and it was a little too much for Brian. The mayo really dominates so I would cut back on that and do a more minimal layer of sauce.

On the plus side, I LOVE halibut and wish that they could live in a pond in my backyard so I could eat them. I don't like very many fish and can't afford to buy this one too often so in that respect it was a real treat. We served it with baked potatoes and salad and overall it was a hearty, satisfying meal.

BAKED HALIBUT PARMESAN

Source: Not Your Mother's Weeknight Cooking

4 halibut steaks (about 2 lbs.) - 1/2 C. sour cream - 1/3 C. grated parmesan - Pinch of dried dillweed - Paprika for sprinkling - Salt and pepper - 1/4 C. mayonnaise - 1 T. dry white wine - 2 T. unsalted butter, melted - 1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper and spray it with nonstick spray. Place steaks in a single layer and season with salt and pepper.

Whisk to combine sour cream, mayo, Parmesan, wine, dillweed and butter. Cover the fish evenly with a thick coating of the sauce and sprinkle with dusting of paprika. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until fish loses its translucency and flakes with a fork. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Week 36 - Hooray for Gardens

I got back from the cruise to discover that the green bean plants I thought would be ready dead and ready to be pulled had actually produced a huge new harvest of fresh green beans. Since this is our only vegetable that really took off this year, I wanted to make the most of it by finding a new recipe for them since we've just been eating them as delicious raw snacks or with salads.

Having said that, we destroyed a bit of the "healthy, fresh" specialness of them by putting them in fritters. But they sounded good at the time and we had all the ingredients which was a big bonus.

I had never really had fritters but Brian said these were pretty good (as compared to the corn ones he's had in the past). They were not complex to make and extremely quick to fry but they were noticeably bland. I think that's probably how fritters are, but if I were to do them again as an appetizer or something I might try to add something to make them a bit more memorable. Maybe some kind of herb or something...

GREEN BEAN FRITTERS

Source: About.com

2 C. fresh green beans, cut in 1/4-inch pieces and cooked until crisp-tender - 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour - 1 T. baking powder - 3/4 tsp. salt - 1 egg, beaten - 1 C. milk - Oil for deep frying

Heat oil in deep fryer to 370 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk egg with milk; stir in beans. Add bean mixture to dry ingredients, mixing until just moistened. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Deep-fry in batches until golden brown, or for about 3-4 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain. Makes about 18-24 fritters.

Week 35 - Not Really So Far Behind

It has been a hectic few weeks to say the week - the wonderful cruise followed by 2 weeks of total chaos at work that included learning I'm out of my job after the first of the year. Despite that, though, I stuck to my commitment and I am caught up on my recipes.

I made this one the night before my cruise so I could: a) dazzle my parents with my mad skills, and b) have a night of eating in before a week of stuffing my face with restaurant food.

This was uber-simple and I was really happy with the outcome. It would be a great, quick family dinner that feels a little fancier than your typical casserole but not so fancy that it can't please picky eaters. Our grocery store didn't have ground lamb so I used beef and it was fine - I think almost any ground meat would be suitable in this dish. I'm also becoming a big fan of orzo so expect to see it more as the year progresses.

GREEK LAMB AND ORZO

Source: Betty Crocker's Pasta Cookbook

1 lb. ground lamb or beef - 2 cans (16 oz. each) stewed tomatoes, undrained - 1 medium stalk celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces - 1 C. uncooked rosamarina (orzo) pasta (3 oz.) - 1/4 tsp. salt - 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper - Plain yogurt, if desired

Cook meat in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, celery, pasta, salt and red pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low.

Cover and simmer about 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomato liquid is absorbed and orzo is tender. Serve with yogurt.

Week 34 - Thank Goodness for Sour Cream

This was the first time I was disappointed with a Cook's Illustrated recipe but only because I am only a mild-moderate spice person and this soup was HOT. One little tablespoon of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce goes a long way.

Because all I tasted was hot, it's hard to judge. Brian seemed to like it and I think it would have had a nice flavor if I could've gotten past the burning sensation in my mouth. So I would probably be willing to try it again with fewer chiles, but I'm going to give myself a while to recover first.

TORTILLA SOUP

Source: The Best 30-Minute Recipe

6 C. low-sodium chicken broth - 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts - Salt and pepper - 1 T. vegetable oil - 1 onion, minced - 1 T. minced chipotle chiles in adobo sauce - 2 tsp. tomato paste - 2 garlic cloves, minced - 2 T. fresh lime juice - 4 oz. tortilla chips, crushed into large pieces (4 cups) - 3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped - 1 ripe avocado, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1. Bring broth to boil, covered, in large saucepan and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, pat chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate.

3. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt to fat left in Dutch oven and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir in chipotle, tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Turn heat to low and stir in hot broth, scraping up any browned bits. Add browned chicken. Cook, covered, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in center, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pot. Increase heat to medium-high and cook to meld flavors, 5 minutes.

5. While soup is simmering, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces. Off heat, stir in lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide tortilla chips, shredded chicken, tomatoes and avocado among individual bowls. Ladle broth over each bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.