Recipe Review from 6/23/2018

Okay, so Cooking Light hasn't posted the July or August recipe index OR the recipes, so I'm going to type them in.  Unfortunately, that also means no photos...unless I go look through Pinterest?  Might do that. Pictures are nice for highlighting a recipe.

...coming back to add, struck out on Pinterest.  Sorry, no pics.  Or links. 

The Meal Plan from 6/23/2018
Sat  (L) leftover chicken  (S) Brats
Sun (L) leftover chicken  (S)  Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
Mon (yoga)  leftover sweet and sour
Tues (presentation at local township)
Wed - Tilapia and Summer Squash Tacos
Thurs (yoga) - leftover tacos
Fri - fridge leftovers


Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken  (Ckng Light, August 2018)  gluten free
I highly recommend this dish.  Assembly is chop and plop, no pre-cooking on the stove.  Little bit of prep at the end, make some rice and serve.  Leftovers were just as tasty as day off.

This made about 6 servings - depending on how much rice you use.  

1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I bought bone-in, skin on, removed the skin and pulled out the bones later)
2 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup thinly slice carrots
1/4 cup lower sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp Whocestershire sauce
1 tbsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chili paste)
3/4 cup unsalted ketchup, divided
1/4 cup  pineapple juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1 1/2 tsp sliced scallions

1. Add chicken, bell pepper, chicken stock, onion, carrots, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sambal oelek and 1/2 cup ketchup to a 6 quart slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW until chicken shreds easily with a fork, about 7 hours.  Remove chicken from slow cooker, shred, and cover to keep warm.

2. Whisk together pineapple juice and cornstarch in a small bowl. Increase slow cooker heat to HIGH; slowly stir in pineapple juice and remaining 1/4 cup ketchup.  Cook, uncovered, until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 minutes.  Stir in chicken.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds and scallions.

Talapia and Summer Squash Tacos (Ckng Lght, Aug 18) gluten free
I did this recipe on the grill instead of the stove. It was too nice outside to heat up the inside of the house.   The seasoning on the fish was delicious.  I tried to make my own pico with mixed success.  I know, I know, it's simple enough but I was winging it.   The squash topping was so-so, though I see as I type this I forgot to season with the cumin.  That probably would have helped.

Ultimately, a tasty enough fish taco recipe that I might make again.  I do have the zucchini for it right now. 

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp chipolte chilies in adobo sauce (I used 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp ground cumin, divided
1 1/2 lb skinless tilapia fillets (I used cod)

1 medium yellow squash, cut lengthwise into  1/2 inch thick planks
1 large zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick planks
2 serrano chilies (I used one; not entirely certain I bought a serrano...)
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/3 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
8 (6") corn tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup prepared pico de gallo

1. Process oil, chipoltes, vinegar, sugar and 1 tsp cumin in a blender until smooth.  Add to bowl with fish.  Chill 15 minutes.

2. Heat a grill pan coated with cooking spray over high heat.  Coat squashes and serranos with cooking spray. 1/2 tsp salt and remaining 1 tsp cumin.  Grill vegetables until charrred, 2 minutes per side for squashes and about 5 minutes for serranos.

3. Recoat pan with cooking spray.  Cook fish over high until flaky, 2-3 minutes per side. Cut into chunks.  Season with remaining salt.

4. Stir together sour cream and lime juice.  Divide fish and vegetables among tortillas.  Top evenly with pico de gallo and sour cream mixture.

The Precipice by Paul Doiran (Mike Bowditch #6)

The Precipice by Paul Doiron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Jacket Blurb:  In this riveting new novel from Edgar finalist Paul Doiron, Bowditch joins a desperate search for two missing hikers as Maine wildlife officials deal with a frightening rash of coyote attacks.

When two young female hikers disappear in the Hundred Mile Wilderness—the most remote stretch along the entire two-thousand mile Appalachian Trail—Maine game warden Mike Bowditch joins the search to find them. The police interview everyone they can find who came in contact with the college students and learn that the women were lovers who had been keeping their relationship secret from their Evangelical parents in Georgia.

When two corpses are discovered—the bones picked clean by coyotes—rumors spread that the women were stalked and killed by the increasingly aggressive canines. Faced with a statewide panic, Maine’s governor places an emergency bounty on every dead coyote, and wildlife officials are tasked with collecting the carcasses.

Despite some misgivings, Bowditch does his grisly job. But he finds his complacency challenged by his new girlfriend, the brilliant but volatile biologist Stacey Stevens, who insists coyotes merely scavenged the bodies after the women were murdered. When Stacey herself disappears on the outskirts of the Hundred Mile Wilderness, Bowditch realizes that locating her means he must also discover the truth behind what happened to the two hikers. Were the young women really killed by coyotes or, as Stacey insisted, were they murdered by the most dangerous animal in the North Woods?

Read as an audio book.

One of the things I enjoy about reading books, is exploring new places and wondering what it would be like to visit them. I've read series set in the desert southwest in New Mexico, I've read series set in Charleston, South Carolina, and series set in Las Angeles (thought I'm still not inclined to go to LA). This is the first time I've had a book so utterly turn me off from something - I love to hike, I've thought about hiking the Appalachian Trail, and after reading this installment I don't think I'll be doing that.

And no, it wasn't the coyotes.

Premise of the book is Mike Bowditch is back with the Maine Warden service and has been called upon to search for two hikers that have been missing for 10 days. Mike's now girlfriend Stacy Steven's, wildlife biologist, is insistent on doing her part in the search, with allusions and references to "she was able to get away". The girls are found dead, nothing but bones remaining, and the coyotes are blamed. Stacy is insistent it wasn't coyotes, and when Mike can't locate her after an argument, he fears the worst.

This would be an outstanding series if Mr. Doiran dropped the romance completely. I didn't like Sarah in the first couple of books, the middle gal was okay but came with issues, and I detest Stacy. Now there is the added "complication" of Tate being attracted to Mike and potential jealousy issues between Tate and Stacy. I'm especially not a fan of Stacy's mercurial personality - pushing Mike away one moment then all coo-y the next. Yeah, I would be much happier without this romantic dance Mike has going on.

Mike's personality matured in this book, there are still glimpses of his rebelliousness, but his overall personality has smoothed out. That being said, I still had a face palm moment when he goes barreling off without back-up. The heroines in cozy mysteries do that, Mike, as a game warden, should know better. But then I suppose if he didn't it wouldn't be as "dramatic". I could do with less dramatic and a bit more realism.

There are several items I have issues with (fully admitting these are my quirks):

I'm fairly certain it takes more than ten days to reduce a body to just bones out in the woods. If there were only bones left, the ravens would have moved on.

Stacy's mysterious references to being attacked was never expounded upon and I felt the reader was left hanging. The business at the Dows (spelling? "read" as an audio book) compound was, in all honesty, stupid.

If a law enforcement person knows an area has the potential to be booby-trapped by some seriously deranged people, you don't go sneaking about the woods. But again, setting up dramatics I supposed.

Finally, the thread with the families and their own preacher also felt like it was cut short, like it was building to be something more, and, poof! they were out of the picture.

Overall an interesting plot even it it totally turned me off from ever hiking the AT, improved character development, some interesting new characters as well as a glimpse of the established group made for a good read.

Recommended if you've read the first five in the series.



View all my reviews

Recipe Review from 7/16/2018

I was out of town for the first part of the week, but managed to squeak in one new recipe from the August 2018 Cooking Light.

And speaking of Cooking Light, it appears they are not posting their recipe indexes.  Whether this is deliberate or an technical over site, I don't know, but it sure makes it hard to Rah! Rah! a recipe.  The recipes below are from the August 2018 Issue.  Lots of tasty looking recipes in this installment! 

My apologies, no pictures.  I rely on the magazines and well...they aren't posting anything right now. 

The Meal Plan:
Sat  (L) leftovers  (S)out
Sun (L) Gnocchi   (S) leftover turkey
Mon - Gone
Tues - Gone
Wed - Gone  Chili smash burgers
Thurs (yoga)  Leftover burgers
Fri - I forgot what I made... :)

Lunches - The Husband made a porketta.  I had a bagel sandwich on Monday, leftovers from the training on my drive home Wed, Thurs was a Country Fried Chicken potluck and Friday was leftovers.


Smashed Chili Cheeseburgers (Ckng Lght, Aug 2018)
I was in the mood for a burger and these sounded different and easy enough to make for a weeknight.  I had a jar of pickled "tamed jalepenos" languishing in my fridge which helped tip the recipe in my favor.  I did cut back on the chili powder because I have Penzey's "Medium" Chili powder and it has some significant zing.  My main alteration was I made these on the grill. 

Serves 4

1 lb 93% lean ground beef
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted
2 tbsp light sour cream
1/4 cup scallions (skipped)
2 tbsp chopped pickled jalepenos

1. Combine beef, chili powder, black pepper and 1/8 tsp salt in a medium bowl.  Shape into 4 equal patties.

2. (I grilled - saved time in cleaning two pans.) Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high.  When pan is hot enough to release wisps of smoke, add beef balls and press down with a firm spatula to form patties.  Place  slightly smaller skillet directly on patties.  Cook until charred, about 1 minute 30 seconds.  Remove top pan, flip patties, replace top pan and cook until charred, about 1 minute. 

3. Remove top pan, sprinkle patties with cheese.  Invert top pan and cover skillet.  Steam until cheese is melted, 30-45 seconds. place patties on buns, top with sour cream, scallions and jalapenos.

Gnoccchi with Spinach and Pepper Sauce (Ckng Lght, Aug 2018)  vegetarian, vegan option**
A very tasty recipe but I think the ingredient amounts are skewed.  Fairly easy to assemble, but you will need a blender or food processor.  I adore gnocchi, and the pepper sauce was a great compliment to the little potato pillows.  I would make this one again!

Oh, skewed ingredient quantities - 5 oz pkg of spinach was way to much and did not wilt.  IF I were going to use that much spinach, I would take a moment and steam/wilt separately, then add in. 

Made 1 meal for two of us, with leftovers for one.  So I got three servings when made as directed. 

1 (16 oz) pkg whole wheat potato gnocchi (doesn't exist in my corner of the world, I used regular gnocchi from a local source)
1 (5 oz)  pkg Manchego cheese  (I used Parmesan)
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup roasted jarred red pepper, chopped
1/4 cup smoked almonds
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 (1/2 oz) baguette slice, torn  (you could easily use a slice of leftover bread)
2 tbsp sherry vinegar (I used red wine)
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1.  Cook gnocchi according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.  Drain gnocchi, return to pan.  Add spinach, 1/4 cup cheese, and t tbsp olive oil; coer and let stand until spinach wilts, about 2-3 minutes.  Gently toss to combine.

2. Pulse red peppers, almonds, tomatoes, baugette, vinegar, garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a food processor until smooth.  About one minute.

3.  Divide gnocchi mixture among 5 bowls.  Top evenly with sauce and remaining 2 tbsp cheese. 

Recipe Review from 7/2 and 7/9/2018

Doubling up recipe reviews because most of these are repeat recipes or didn't need a recipe - weather has been too warm to do much more than salads or something on the grill..  And the July recipes are still not posted on the Cooking Light website, so anything from there is on hold until there is something to link to. 

Meal Plan from 7/2
Sat - leftover chicken
Sun - leftover chicken
Mon (yoga)  salads with  blue cheese dressing 
Tues - salads with blue cheese dressing
Wed - BLTs with egg and avocado
Thurs (yoga)   out for dinner
Fri - BLTs with egg and avocado

Lunches - chicken and pineapple salad

Meal Plan from 7/9
Sat - tempeh rubens
Sun - grilled pork roast and turkey breast
Mon (yoga)  leftover pork and corn on the cob
Tues - chef salads
Wed - chef salads
Thurs (yoga) leftover pork and corn on the cob
Fri - leftovers

Lunches - Southwest Chickpea Salad

The tempeh rubens were from Cooking Light and reviewed here: 3/13/2017.    I'm a little more loosey-goosey with the recipe now: fry onions; add tempeh, soy sauce and seasonings all at once; let tempeh warm up.  Toast the bread, and assemble sandwich.  Comes together in about 20 minutes and is a filling meal. 


Southwest Chickpea Salad (The Recipe Critic Blog) vegetarian, vegan option**
A tasty summer salad that is great for lunch, supper a potluck or picnic doesn't get much easier than this.  I did one significant modification: I added quinoa, cooked according to the directions on the package.  I just wanted to up the protein a bit and stretch out the dish.   Bright flavors, didn't get "mooshy" in the fridge after a couple days, and very portable for lunches.  Recommended!

Serves: 4  (I did get 5 lunches out of this by adding the quinoa)

photo from The Recipe Critic blog

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed & drained 
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1 15 ounce can corn
1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
2 medium avocado, diced
1 small can of diced olives
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
1⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped
¼ cup feta cheese for garnish (optional**)

For quinoa, bring 1 cup water and 1/2 cup quinoa to a boil, cook until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Let stand to finish absorbing liquid. Cool before adding to the rest of the ingredients.  

In a large bowl combine black peans, chick peas, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and olives. In a small bowl whisk the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, salt and cilantro. Add to the salad and toss ingredients until combined, Garnish with feta cheese.

Recipe Review from 8/25/2018

I'm still waiting for Cooking Light to post the July recipe index and recipes so I can report on the Buffalo Chicken Tacos and Black Bean Tostadas I made last week.  In the meantime, we'll move on.


Recipe review from 8/25/2018
Sat  (L) Take-out Chicken  (S)  pork chops on the grill
Sun  (S)  leftovers        (S)  BBQ pulled chicken
Mon (yoga/legion/bkgrp)
Tues: Cajun Shrimp Packages
Wed  leftover chicken
Thurs (yoga)  leftover shrimp packages
Fri - out; retirement parties


Easy Greek Pasta Salad (Oh Sweet Basil Blog)  vegetarian
A pretty basic pasta salad that straddles the line between Greek and Italian flavors.   My main opinion is there wasn't enough veggies, that the pasta kinda dominated.  Now, this could be because I used penne (it was what I had in the cupboard), but I don't think so.  A pound of pasta is a pound of pasta,  I had more pasta than veggies and my dish didn't look like the gorgeous picture.

Also of note, with 2/3 cup liquid, make sure to cook the pasta to al dente, because the pasta will soak up that extra liquid.  For example, this was lunches for myself and the Husband for the week - by day four, the dressing had been completely absorbed.

Still, tasty enough for hot summer days and nicely portable for meals.  

Photo from Oh Sweet Basil bl

• 1 pound rotini or other small pasta
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 8 ounces Persian cucumbers, diced (about 3)
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 (8 ounce) chunk feta cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives

To cook the pasta, bring 4 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil.

Add pasta and cook according to package instructions, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Drain well and rinse with cold water. (My notes - cook pasta till al dente, dressing is substantial)

Meanwhile, to make the dressing, in a small bowl whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, cucumbers, onion, tomatoes, feta, and olives.
Drizzle with dressing.

Toss gently until uniformly combined and serve.

Cajun Shrimp Foil Packages (Fav Family Recipes Blog)  gluten free
This was so easy to pull together!  The only prep was cutting the potato, corn and the sausage and that was super fast.  I left the shrimp unpeeled and frozen to help prevent overcooking and to add some good background flavor to the rest of the packets. 

I threw everything into a large bowl, added the seasonings and tossed to coat.  I used Penzey's Spicy Cajun, and erred on using 1 tsp.  It has a bit of zing so I'm careful how much I dole out.

I grilled for 40 minutes - had time to clean up the kitchen and sit outside on the porch for a while.  Packets went right on the plates and dinner was served.  I would make this again, and I would make this for casual company or family.  Recommended!

Servings: 4 packets

• 4 full cobs cut in half or in thirds (8-12 pieces corn on the cob)
• 4 red potatoes, washed and cubed (I cut into dice sized pieces)
• 20-30 uncooked shrimp, peeled or unpeeled  (I left unpeeled, AND kept frozen)
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into chunks  (I used polish sausage)
• melted butter, or olive oil, to taste

  

  photo from Fav Family Recipes

• 1/2 cup chicken broth,
• Cajun/Creole seasoning (I used Penzey's Spicy Cajun, 1/2 tsp)
• salt and pepper, to taste

More ingredients to try in a foil packet (optional, and to your taste)

• Italian sausage
• chicken (cut in bite size pieces)
• bell peppers
• mushrooms
• red onions
• celery
• carrots

Heat grill to 400-degrees.  You can do this in your oven at the same temperature.

 

My notes - I put everything into a bowl, tossed with the seasonings, THEN ---  Evenly distribute corn, potatoes, shrimp, and sausage between 4 heavy-duty foil sheets (approximately 12x18 inches each).

 

Drizzle melted butter and about 2 tablespoons chicken broth over each foil packet.

 

See above note.  Season evenly and generously, to taste, with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Tightly seal foil packets by folding up the sides over the contents and tightly folding up the ends over the seam.

Grill 30-40 minutes (I did 40 minutes) or until potatoes are tender, flipping once half-way through

Be careful opening the packets to check for doneness, the steam inside is VERY hot!

 

Author/Recipe Notes

Some people have found that their potatoes don't get cooked. Some of our readers have recommended boiling or microwaving the potatoes for a minute or two before adding to the packets. We haven't had a problem with the potatoes being under done, but this is definitely an option for those of you who are concerned about it.  Another option would be to cut the potatoes smaller so they cook faster.