Quick Chick Dinner

Sometimes it's good to get help from the store! These panko-sundried tomato crusted boneless skinless chicken breasts were the same price as the regular ones. So I took the help! A quick fry in the skillet and dinner is ready!

Instead of our standard rice or cous cous side dish, I cooked up a quick pasta and veggie accompaniment. I boiled some egg noodles, sauteed green beans and baby bella mushrooms in olive oil, and tossed it all together. A light and healthy side dish! A note on portions - we split the chicken in the picture into two portions. It made a better picture all in one piece!

Spanish Beef and Yellow Rice

I've been cooking a lot - but have been delinquent in getting the pictures and recipes online. Here is one of last week's creations. We eat ground beef a lot and were looking for something other than a burger or meatloaf. A quick check of the fridge (and a look at a few recipes) inspired this Spanish style beef. I served it over yellow rice with a little guacamole on the side. Muy bueno!

This is a pretty easy recipe and can be adjusted for the veggies and ingredients you have in the fridge. I threw in garlic, yellow onions, red pepper, and fresh parsley. The recipes I looked at all called for tomato sauce, which I did not have. I used a can of diced tomatoes and a couple of squirts of tomato paste instead. I think the sauce might have made it too soupy. The yellow rice was lovingly prepared by Goya, I just followed the instructions on the box.

Here's how I did it - more pictures are in the photo album.

Spanish Style Beef (served with rice)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 - 1/4 lb. Ground sirloin (or ground beef)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
2-3 tablespoons tomato paste (from a tube)
About 1-2 tsp. each Chili Powder and Cumin (to taste)
Handful of chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
Add the ground beef and brown for 3-4 minutes, crumbling the beef as it cooks
Add onions, pepper, and garlic and continue to cook until beef is just brown
Drain any excess fat, if necessary
Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and parsley
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the rice is ready.

I served it over a Goya Yellow rice - a nice rich flavor. You could use any type of rice and it would be delicious.

Leftover meat would be a good filling for stuffed peppers (top with cheese and stick under the broiler), tacos, or burritos. I'm always looking for ways to cook once and use for a few meals! Enjoy!

Summary:
Prep Time - 5 minutes
Cook Time - 10-15 minutes (meat); 25 minutes (rice)
1 large skillet, spoon for stirring, cutting board and knives

Oscar Night Festivities

With a 4+ hour night of Oscar watching (including red carpet coverage), you need more than just a one dish meal to make it through. My dining partner was sleeping, so I could eat it all myself! I started with a Cucumber Cooler (recipe below) while I prepared the meal. Next - a little mixed greens salad to feel healthy. On the side was a deconstructed bruschetta with toasted baguette, mixed olives, peppadew peppers, and brie cheese. After about an hour, a little more nourishment with a baked yukon gold potato with a little brie cheese and chopped sundried tomatoes. Perfect for grazing - no labor intesive cooking - and quite satisfying! See more pictures in the album to the right.

Good Cook Doris' Cucumber Cooler
About a 1 inch piece of english seedless cucumber, chopped into small pieces
Vodka (your choice on the amount)
Lime flavored sparkling water
Sugar (just a splash)
Ice
Slice of cucumber for garnish

Muddle the cucumbers in the bottom of a glass with sugar
Fill with ice
Add vodka
Fill glass with sparkling water
Garnish with cucumber and enjoy! (I didn't use enough ice in mine - see below)