Menu for the week of January 19th

Last night ~ Sunday, January 19th ~ was a "clean out the pantry" kind of night. We had Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Steamed Kale. I'll share the squash recipe because it was a yummy one.

• Butternut Squash, Roasted with Parmesan: peel and seed one medium squash, then cut into bite-sized cubes. Place in a bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1 teaspoon thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to parchment paper-lined baking sheet and roast in 400*F oven for 30 minutes (give them a shake or stir halfway through cooking time to encourage even browning).

~ Monday, January 20th: Slow Cooker Pork with Sautéed Cabbage and Corn Sticks ~ 

• For the pork: My friend Shauna taught me to make pork this way. It's beyond tender, and super delicious. Place a 3# pork butt in the slow cooker. Add salt, cumin, bay leaves, and the juice of one orange - squeeze in the juice from the two halves, then drop them in too. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (internal temperature of the pork should be at least 160*F when cooked). Remove and allow to cool, then shred into large chunks using your clean hands. While pork is cooling, pour juice from slow cooker into fat separator.
• For the cabbage: Adapted from the new Gramercy Tavern Cookbook (in case you're asking, yes, Hanukkah gift from the hubby). Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Add 3 cups each, chopped red cabbage and chopped Savoy cabbage, and 2 garlic cloves, smashed. Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until the edges of the cabbage are browned, about 5 minutes. Add about a half cup of water and continue to cook until the cabbage is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar and half a teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. 
• For serving, put cabbage in a bowl, top with shredded pork, and pour juice from fat separator over the top. Serve with corn bread, or corn sticks, or whatever sounds crunchy and delicious to you. 

~ Tuesday, January 21st: leftovers! ~  

~ Wednesday, January 22nd: Broiled Salmon with rice and broccoli ~

I love broiling fish. It's really fast, and tastes terrific. Put fish in a sauté pan, pour some sunflower oil on top, sprinkle with some salt and sesame seeds, and broil for ~ 10 minutes. Check for doneness. May need a couple more minutes depending on how well cooked you like it. 

~ Thursday, January 23rd: more leftovers! ~

That pork is the gift that keeps on giving. Will likely make some fried rice using yesterday's rice, Mondays pork, and an egg or two. 

~ Friday January 24th: Tot Shabbat pizza party ~

And yes, I get the irony of sharing pork recipes while attending Shabbat services at the end of the week. What can I say, we're Jews that like pork. Don't judge ;-)

Hope everyone has a delicious week!
Sabrina

Menu for the week of January 14th

Is it really already Tuesday? When my husband Ben travels for work, my daughter and I tend to get very relaxed with our meals. For example, last nights dinner consisted of ravioli, micro greens, salami, and orange slices for her, and some reheated lentil soup with Parmesan cheese toasts for me. But today...we're back on the wagon! Here goes...

~ Tuesday, January 14th ~ Chicken Tacos, Pinto Beans, and all the fixins

I started last night by soaking a pot of dried beans, which I rinsed, covered with water, and cooked this morning. Next I put a whole chicken into the Slow Cooker to poach all day. Seriously easy stuff here. What to do: Salt and pepper a 3 1/2 - 4 lb whole chicken, place in your slow cooker, add a few shakes of cumin, a couple bay leaves, and squeeze the juice of 1 lime on top, then drop the lime in too. Cover and cook on low temperature for 6-8 hours. The trick with cooking chicken in a slow cooker is to NEVER ever lift the lid during cooking time. Slow cookers heat long and slow, so if you open the lid you let all that good heat out, and your chicken sits in whats called the temperature danger zone, which is between 40*F-140*F (meaning bacteria can grow) for too long. So no peeking. 

When tender and cooked through - remember your meat thermometer should read 165*F - remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a rimmed platter / plate, or edged cutting board to cool. Poor juices from slow cooker into fat separator. Pour off the fat once it separates, and reserve the cooking liquid. 

Once the chicken has cooled off enough to handle it, shred the meat from the bones using your hands. Your hands really are the best tool here so you can be sure to remove ALL the little bones. There will be many, so unless you want to visit the dentist this week, don't shortcut this step. 

Put your shredded chicken in a serving dish and cover with the reserved poaching liquid. Now all you need is to mash up some avocados, grate some cheese, dice some tomatoes, and shred some lettuce. Then serve all together with some warmed tortillas and your beans, and you're all set! 

As a side note - kids love interactive food. Let them build their own tacos. They think it's fun, and really, shouldn't dinner be fun?!?

~ Wednesday, January 15th ~ Pasta with Meat Sauce and Steamed Broccoli

Like I said...Ben travels, and my cooking gets a little lazy. This is one of my favorite winter dishes. Super easy and warms you from the inside out.

To make, I just saute 1 lb of ground beef in a little olive oil, drain off fat once cooked through, then add a diced onion, a couple diced carrots, and a clove or two of chopped garlic. Cook until vegetables are soft, maybe ten minutes, then add a 28oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes, salt, pepper, some chopped fresh herbs, or some dried ones if that's what's on hand. Bring to the simmer, then drop heat, cover, and cook as long as possible to let flavors mix. 

Then I'll just boil some noodles and steam some broccoli, and voila, dinner. 

~ Thursday, January 16th ~ Chicken Pot Pie

So remember the shredded chicken from Tuesday? Here's a great way to use your leftovers! I'm using a recipe from The New Best Recipe cookbook, by Cook's Illustrated, page 351. Hanukkah gift from Ben a couple years back. He loves to give me cookbooks. Gee, I wonder why??

That's all I've got this week. Hope everyone is enjoying the blog, maybe trying some new recipes, and eating well this New Year! Until next week...

Your faithful home cook and friend, 

Sabrina

Pasta and Cheese Gratin

Menu for the week of January 5th

Happy New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday, and ate some black-eyed peas on the 1st. Who doesn't need a little good luck this year?!?

This week I've decided to cook from only one cookbook - a delightful recommendation from my dear friend Alexis. If you're ever in Napa, be sure to check out her bakery / cafe...her pancakes are pretty spectacular. This weeks cookbook: Alice Waters: The Art of Simple Food

Menu for the Week of January 5th:

~ Sunday, January 5th - Cheese and Pasta Gratin ~
page 272, plus some sort of green vegetable.
This is what grown up macaroni and cheese looks like. But it's so tasty that your kids will eat it too. Here's the recipe, in case you don't own the book:

• Melt, in a heavy skillet: 3 tablespoons butter
• Add: 3 tablespoons flour
• Cook over very low heat, stirring with a whisk for 3 minutes. The roux should bubble gently. 
• Whisking constantly, add, little by little: 2 1/2 cups milk
• Continue whisking until the sauce has the consistency of thick cream. Add: salt to taste
• Raise heat to medium, switch to a wooden spoon, and stir continuously until the sauce begins to simmer. Lower the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Melt in a heavy ovenproof skillet: 1 tablespoon butter
• Add: 1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
• Toss the crumbs to coat with butter and toast in 350* oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
• Turn off the heat under the white sauce and stir in: 8 ounces grated cheese (almost any cheese, or combination of cheeses, works here except mozzarella, which gets a little stringy)
• Cook al dente in abundant salted boiling water: 3/4 pound short-cut pasta (macaroni, fusilli, penne)
• Drain and pour into a buttered gratin dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix until it is well coated. Taste for salt, and adjust as needed. Scatter the toasted breadcrumbs over the top and bake in a 400* oven for 15 minutes, or until the crumbs are golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

~ Monday, January 6th - Leftovers ~

~ Tuesday, January 7th - Happy Birthday Ben! His favorite meal: 
   Roast Chicken with Sweet Potatoes, Fennel, and Carrots and a Green Salad ~
pages 108-110
I did this recipe a few weeks back, here's the link again. Make sure you have some crusty bread on hand. You'll need it to mop up all the delicious chicken-y goodness.

And because I'm also a dietitian, here's a note on food safety. I just finished reading a really good article in the current issue of Consumer Reports on food safety and chicken. Please read this, and please, buy your chickens from a butcher that you know and trust. And finally, make sure you check for doneness using a meat thermometer. Your chicken is properly cooked when your meat thermometer reads 165*F.

~ Wednesday, January 8th - Fennel, Lemon and White Wine Poached Fish with Sauteed Spinach and Quinoa ~
pages 144-146
I like to use sole, but many different fish are well suited to this method, so go with what you like. Here's the recipe using salmon.

~ Thursday, January 9th - Leftovers ~

~ Friday, January 10th - Grilled Steaks with Parsley Potatoes and Broccoli ~
I'll be recruiting Ben to man the grill.

And remember, I welcome your comments and questions. Please include them so I know how things are going.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week back to school and work and routines. Here's to a delicious and nutritious 2014!