Rice Pilaf with Chicken and Vegetables

Well, after a longer day with a baby shower, cleaning, and some grocery shopping, I decided I needed an easy dinner. I was so excited from a great grocery shopping trip where I got $108 worth of stuff for $36, plus got a coupon for $5 off my next shopping trip. I am so proud of myself for that trip!

Well, I just couldn't really think properly about dinner, so I decided to just use up some vegetables I had bought earlier in the week and do a variation of a dinner I make with rice pilaf, chicken, diced tomatoes, and corn. I wanted to use up some zucchini, squash, and broccoli, so decided to use them instead. After chopping up the zucchini and squash, I realized the vegetables would overwhelm the chicken and rice if I also used the broccoli, so I left that out. This turned out pretty well. The liquid from the vegetables is really hot, so it takes a little longer to cool off enough to eat than the other version, but still quite good.

I really need to start setting aside some of these dinners to keep for my lunch the next day because Lee feels he eats too much and I would like some of these dinners as leftovers. It would really be best for everyone if I could remember to do that.

Rice Pilaf with Chicken and Vegetables
1 box Near East® Chicken flavored Rice Pilaf
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 small to medium zucchini, diced
1 small to medium yellow squash, diced

1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Over medium heat, cook chicken until almost cooked through.
3. Add vegetables, cover and cook for a few more minutes or until tender.
4. Drain vegetables and chicken, return to sauté pan, and add rice.
5. Mix well and serve.
   

Fancy Shmancy Filet Mignon and Loaded Mashed Potatoes

On Friday night, Lee came home with some "beef tenderloin steaks." He was very disappointed, but I wasn't in the mood to cook and I had never heard of this type of steak, so at the time I was very overwhelmed and just not in a good mood. period. We had the tenderloin steak tonight.

A little research online for recipes told me that beef tenderloin steaks are also known as filet mignon! I had never had filet mignon before and was so excited to try it! I learned that filet mignon is the most tender cut of beef, so therefore the most expensive. Because it has little fat, it is frequently cooked wrapped in bacon. it can be seared on a flat pan or grill. We were tired of the George Foreman, so I decided to use my enameled cast iron dutch oven for the job.

When I have steak, I think potatoes go well with it, so I decided to do mashed potatoes as a side dish. Since the filet mignon was wrapped in bacon, I thought loaded mashed potatoes would be a good choice. I wasn't very excited when I learned that loaded mashed potatoes had sour cream in them since I don't like sour cream, but I went with it because I'd had loaded mashed potatoes before and liked them.

I had a little trouble with making the mashed potatoes; I didn't cook them long enough at first and had to throw some more water on top and try again. Other than that, the mashed potatoes were easy, especially since I left on the skin, and we both loved them! Lee asked me to make these often.

For the filet mignon, one of the recipes I found didn't have any seasonings, it just called for wrapping the filet mignon in bacon and cooking as is. I wanted a bit more flavour, so I did it differently. I thought that I'd try to make fewer dirty dishes and I cooked the bacon for the mashed potatoes, and sautéed the garlic in my dutch oven where I was going to cook the meat. I thought that helped give it a little more flavor. We both loved the filet mignon and I ate it all even though I was so full afterward! Hey, it's not every day we get to eat something so fancy, I might as well enjoy it!

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

2½-3	lbs red potatoes
1/4	cup butter
3	garlic cloves
½	tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1/6	cup of finely chopped chives
1/4	cup sour cream
1/8	cup milk
1/4	cup cooked bacon, chopped
1	tablespoon kosher salt, divided (to taste)
½	tablespoon black pepper (to taste)

1. Cook bacon, set aside to cool. Chop when cooled.
   
2. Scrub potatoes, dice with skin on, taking care to cut out any black spots.
3. Place in a pot with cold water and a crushed clove of garlic on the stove; high setting.
4. When water boils, add ½ tbsp salt and cook until soft and a knife inserted easily comes out.
5. Mince and sauté two cloves of garlic in olive oil until brown and caramelized.
6. Drain potatoes and remove garlic clove.
7. Mash and add sautéed garlic and remaining ingredients.
8. Mix well.

Filet Mignon

2 beef tenderloin steaks
salt
pepper
garlic
4 uncooked strips of streaky bacon (regular bacon in the States)
1 tbsp butter

1. If making loaded mashed potatoes, cook the bacon and sauté the garlic in heavy-bottomed pan to be used for the filet mignon. Leave the fat and some garlic behind for flavor.
   
2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of steak. Wrap with bacon, two strips of bacon per steak. Hold bacon in place with toothpicks.
   
3. Melt butter in pan.
4. Add steaks and sear 7-9 minutes on each side. Filet mignon is meant to be on the rare side.
5. Remove toothpicks and serve.

The Specialty Sandwich Shop: Cheeseburger

I wish I could say that I tried something really new, exciting, and different on Friday. Truth was, I had to spend a day doing curriculum work on the computer and I was tuckered out. I wasn't in the mood to be creative for dinner, or even cook at all, so I just had Cheerios for dinner (didn't make DB so cheery, but he didn't feel like cooking either).

Well, I had never had a cheeseburger at the place we ordered lunch from and so that was my new food. I thought it was really good! I'm not sure what it was, but it had a great, almost buttery taste to it. I'm wondering if the bun was buttered, then toasted. I'll definitely get a cheeseburger from this place again!

A New Chocolate Chip Cookie

Tonight I decided to bake. I really wanted to make S'more cookies, but couldn't figure out how I wanted to do them. I was browsing Recipezaar and I found a recipe for applesauce cookies. I thought they sounded very...interesting. I wasn't sure I would like these, but I have been playing it pretty safe the past couple of days and I really need to expand my horizons. I wasn't sure about the combination of the applesauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, and chocolate chips. I thought it sounded pretty strange.

I had some original applesauce and some cinnamon applesauce in the fridge, but went with the cinnamon just because it was slightly simpler than measuring out cinnamon from the container.

The batter was very soft and moist. I used my cookie scoop, which scoops out about a tablespoon of dough, and I couldn't use it the way I usually do with cookies. I usually press the scoop on the side of the bowl to level the dough, but when I did that with this batter, the dough stuck inside the scoop and it was difficult to get it out on the cookie sheet. It worked best to just scoop it out like a spoon and let it fall out onto the cookie sheet.



They actually tasted pretty good! I thought the nutmeg was overpowering and would reduce it, but Lee loved them, so I will definitely make them again.

Here is the recipe as I would try it again:

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (omit if using cinnamon applesauce)
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400F
   
2. Mix shortening and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
   
3. Add applesauce and mix until blended.
   
4. Pour in the two beaten eggs and blend.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients.
6. When fully blended, stir in the chocolate chips.
   
7. Bake on lined cookie sheet for about 8 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Dutch Apple Pie

I try to make the new foods interesting, and foods that I cook myself, but I've been so busy and tired that I just need to do convenience foods sometimes. I can't wait until the summer when I'm home a lot and can do more experiments.

Anyway, yesterday was one of those nights. I was at work late and wasn't getting home until late because I had to run errands. We stopped at Burger King for dinner. Lee forgets that I can't always finish the meal, never mind even eat something else afterward! He ordered a slice of apple pie for each of us. I had to wait until later in the night to try my slice, but I did manage a bite. :-)

I thought it was ok, a lot better than I expected from a fast food pie!

Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf

I love Near East Rice Pilaf. On Tuesday, Lee decided to make dinner since I had to work late. He made Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf, which I bought because it was on sale and I was getting different flavors.

I still love the Near East Rice Pilaf, but the Rice-a-Roni has a nice buttery taste to it that made a fun change.

Twinkies...

Have you ever watched a TV show that reminded you of a childhood favorite and you just HAD to run out to get some? I was watching one of those shows on the Food Network that talks about how food is made and they talked about Twinkies. I was excited to have some again and got a package at the convenience store. Well, I was very disappointed. I hadn't had them in years and my more adult, sophisticated ;-) taste buds thought they were gross!

Now, does this count as a new food when I hadn't had it in years and years? I'm thinking it does...