basil tomato grilled cheese

For an easy Sunday supper (and inspired by a Cooking Light recipe): stack in turn: a slice of white bread, small handful of mozzarella, slices of one small tomato, about 8 or 9 big basil leaves, another small handful of cheese, another slice of white bread. Grill on a skillet covered in cooking spray on one side, then the other, till cheese is melted and bread is crispy. Yum.

Even better if it includes licorice basil. Mmmm, mmm.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

hiatus

Hi folks -

From Print to Plate is going on summer hiatus. At least. I might post here and there, but while I'm not taking a break from cooking, I do want to take a break from uploading pictures of food.

Have a great summer!
Jessica

Brautwurst in Beer Sauce

I'm sorry, but I have no idea how to photograph a brautwurst - even a brautwurst in beer sauce on a homemade roll - so that it looks attractive. Brautwurst are just unfortunate-looking things.

Very tasty though. The beer sauce was almost incidental to how good this meal was. Much more integral were the goodness of the sausage itself, and the very sweet hoagie rolls I made using Better Home and Gardens' Red Plaid Cookbook. I just made their dinner roll recipe, and shaped them like hoagie rolls. Mmmmm! The sweetness of the rolls contrasting with the savouriness of the brautwurst was wonderful, and the beer sauce provided a nice, bitter foil.

We didn't give the sauce to the kids, because it was so bitter. You'll probably like it if you've got a taste for a nice, dark, stout, but otherwise, either alter the recipe to use broth instead of beer, or switch the stout out for a nice amber ale.

Great meal though. We had seconds. We would have had thirds, but there wasn't anymore. Oh so good. Yum. Meat and bread, who knew?

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Tomato Feta Frittata

"Tomato Feta Frittata": say that five times fast.

This was good. It was pretty easy, and I really liked the cooked, firm bites of garlic here and there. I served it on top of toast, which I think was a mistake, because I had a second piece by itself, and I was really able to savour the flavors in it more during that second helping.

And there's a lot of good flavor here. I substituted fresh basil for the parsley and majoram, and it was delicious. I also used a feta cheese that had some herbs added to it, and I don't think that hurt either. (And I added an extra egg, because I was cooking it in such a big skillet.) But if you want to dress up eggs to make them into a main dish, this is a good way to go.

My toddler didn't like it though.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

cauliflower curry

First, I feel I must warn you: this makes a LOT of curry. We had it on Thursday for dinner, and we're still trying to mop up the leftovers. I think I'm going to actually end up throwing some away, and that hardly ever happens around here. Lots and LOTS of curry, folks.

Second, the instructions for this (see last week's Menu Plan Monday post for the link) are a bit confusing, because they don't list the ingredients in the order that they're used.

Third, this is really good curry. Who knew vegetables could taste so good? 'Cause that's what this is: lots and lots of vegetables. (Lots and LOTS.) Lots and lots of vegetables, some curry powder, a bit of broth and some coconut milk. The coconut milk adds a rich texture that saves this from feeling like, you know, just lots and lots of vegetables. I was surprised when I realized that it was vegan, because it had a much nicer feel in the mouth than a lot of vegan food does.

And the kids ate it.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday

I really wanted to make spaghetti this week. Just plain, ol' ground beef and tomato sauce spaghetti. I was looking and looking through my cookbooks for a recipe, and finding very creative, wonderful things to do with spaghetti noodles and tomatoes, but no basic, no-frills recipe, until I looked at my Klutz Kids Cookbook, and found the recipe I learned on as a kid. Woo-hoo! "Ready Spaghetti" to the rescue! :D Isn't it funny how these things work sometimes?

I'm curious about how the brats in beer sauce will turn out . . . I found bratwurst on sale and had no idea what to do with it. I'd just serve it with sourkraut, but my husband hates sourkraut (why? why?), so that was out. Brats 'n' beer, here we come!

Then on Thursday, we're jumping into sophistication with a snazzy-looking recipe from Cooking Light - I feel like I'm all over the place on this week's menu. Check back to see how it all turns out! I'll be posting pictures and results all through the week.


Monday: Bratwurst in Beer Sauce
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Ready Spaghetti
Thursday: Sesame Brown Rice with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts
Friday: Pumpkin Bean Soup with corn muffins
Saturday: bean burritos!


Here's the recipe for the Pumpkin Soup, which my notes say I got from Better Homes and Gardens. I can't find the recipe on their site though, so here it is:

-15 oz. can pumpkin
-14 oz. can coconut milk
-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
-14 oz. can chicken broth
-1 tsp. dried sage
-salt and ground black pepper
-fresh lime slices

1) In medium saucepan, combine pumpkin, coconut milk, beans, broth and sage. Heat through.
2) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and drizzle with lime. Serves 4.

You have to like the ingredients in it to like this soup, but we like it very much indeed. And it's a cinch to make and pretty healthy. And surprisingly tasty. Don't forget the limes though.

For more great menus, check out Org Junkie!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday

I really wanted to make spaghetti this week. Just plain, ol' ground beef and tomato sauce spaghetti. I was looking and looking through my cookbooks for a recipe, and finding very creative, wonderful things to do with spaghetti noodles and tomatoes, but no basic, no-frills recipe, until I looked at my Klutz Kids Cookbook, and found the recipe I learned on as a kid. Woo-hoo! "Ready Spaghetti" to the rescue! :D Isn't it funny how these things work sometimes?

I'm curious about how the brats in beer sauce will turn out . . . I found bratwurst on sale and had no idea what to do with it. I'd just serve it with sourkraut, but my husband hates sourkraut (why? why?), so that was out. Brats 'n' beer, here we come!

Then on Thursday, we're jumping into sophistication with a snazzy-looking recipe from Cooking Light - I feel like I'm all over the place on this week's menu. Check back to see how it all turns out! I'll be posting pictures and results all through the week.


Monday: Bratwurst in Beer Sauce
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Ready Spaghetti
Thursday: Sesame Brown Rice with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts
Friday: Pumpkin Bean Soup with corn muffins
Saturday: bean burritos!


Here's the recipe for the Pumpkin Soup, which my notes say I got from Better Homes and Gardens. I can't find the recipe on their site though, so here it is:

-15 oz. can pumpkin
-14 oz. can coconut milk
-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
-14 oz. can chicken broth
-1 tsp. dried sage
-salt and ground black pepper
-fresh lime slices

1) In medium saucepan, combine pumpkin, coconut milk, beans, broth and sage. Heat through.
2) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and drizzle with lime. Serves 4.

You have to like the ingredients in it to like this soup, but we like it very much indeed. And it's a cinch to make and pretty healthy. And surprisingly tasty. Don't forget the limes though.

For more great menus, check out Org Junkie!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

twice-baked potatoes

This recipe is half BHG cookbook and half me. I got the basic directions for twice-baked potatoes from that excellent cookbook, and then improvised. Here's the basic recipe, and it's well-worth making:

1) Bake three potatoes. Allow to cool slightly.
2) Saute 1 chopped onion, 1 minced head of garlic, and a few chopped carrots till bright and soft. Puree in food processor.
3) Cut baked potatoes in half, scoop out the insides, taking care not to puncture the skins. Place skins on a cookie sheet, and set aside.
4) Add potato insides to carrot puree; puree it all together. Add about a cup of light sour cream, puree some more. Add some chopped-up ham, blend till mixed. If you need to, add a bit of milk to get a good consistency.
5) Preheat oven to 425. Scoop potato-carrot-ham puree back into reserved potato skins. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes or until just beginning to brown.

Enjoy!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

p.s. This recipe is very open to alterations. You can add cheese or some other kind of meat at the pureeing point. You can sautee different kinds of veggies and add them in. It's a nice, versitile dish. And very filling. And very tasty. :D

Menu Plan Monday: Back to Normal Life

That picture shows you the kind of cooking I did this weekend; my husband and I got to camping (just the two of us! thanks Mom and Dad!) for our anniversary, and I rediscovered the truth that all you really need for a good meal is bacon, a cast iron skillet, and a good fire. Oh, and maybe some eggs and bread. :)

But it's back to normal life, and here's what we're eating this week:
Monday: Twice-Baked Potatoes
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Corn-Sausage Chowder
Thursday: cauliflower curry w/ pita bread
Friday: dinner @ folks
Saturday: frittata with tomatoes and feta (I might make this on Tuesday, and do a freezer meal on Friday, I'm not sure)

I got the link to the cauliflower curry from someone else's blog a Monday or two ago, and I'm sorry I don't remember who, because I'd like to credit you for the link! But I'm really looking forward to making it, it looks just splendid.

For more great menus, visit Organizing Junkie

Have a great week, and remember to check back here to see how the recipes turn out!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

rosemary foccacia sandwiches

Oh yum. The recipe for this foccacia is from the vegetarian cookbook that Amber recommended: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Sooooooo good. And thick enough that it can be split into sandwiches, as in the picture. Our sandwiches fillings were greens tossed with caesar dressing, mozzerella cheese, tomatoes and cucumber. Yum, yum, yum.

And the next day, I toasted a bit of this bread with butter for a snack. Oh, I just about melted. So good. So very, very good. Warm, savoury goodness.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

Coconut-milk Pudding Rolls: Sunset

I'm gonna have to give a mixed reviews on these. While the sweet yeast rolls themselves were absolutely scrumptious, and I could have eaten the whole pan of THOSE, the coconut icing part was too much for me. Too rich, too cloying, too . . . coconutty.

However, my husband thought I should make them for the next ten weeks straight, every night of the week.

Or something like that. From me, two stars. From the rest of the family, five.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

Tortellini with Spinach Pesto: Better Homes and Gardens

This one didn't make it onto Menu Plan Monday, 'cause I was too eager, and made it before I meant to. Especially given that it contained fresh spinach, I wanted to make it while the spinach (and everything else) was still fresh.

And the conclusion: what a great way to use fresh spinach! As my husband raved, "You can't even taste it!" :) This, despite almost four cups of the stuff in the recipe.

While he didn't like the baby pattypan squash in the dish, I did, which expands my toleration of squash a millimeter more. (You can feed me butternut, but oh zucchini, come not near me!) Also? The kids loved it. Especially our one-year old, who shoveled it all in and squawked for more.

We're definitely making this one again.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

alterations:
-I used dry mini cheese tortellini instead of fresh ravioli. This might have contributed to my one-year old's approval of the dish.
-I used just plain ol' Caesar instead of Caesar Parmesan vinaigrette.

Menu Plan Monday

Today I have a few fewer magazine recipes, because I'm trying out a cookbook recommended to me by Amber: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison.

So, here's the menu for this week:

Monday: Rosemary Focaccia sandwiches with ricotta, tomato, cucumber and dressed greens
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Coconut Milk Pudding Rolls, with sausage and fruit
Thursday: Spicy Chickpeas with Ginger, over rice
Friday: dinner @ folks'
Saturday: Frittata with Tomatoes and Feta, with toast.


Last week's Cheesy Spinach Bake was a hit: warm and satisfying food, that.

And here's a recipe I cooked up last night, riffing on Vegetarian Times' Linguine with Black Bean Sauce:

1) Cook about a pound of whole wheat spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2) In a blender, puree one can drained black beans, one cup broth and about 1/2 cup rinsed fresh basil leaves.
3) In a large skillet, sautee one chopped onion and half a head minced garlic in olive oil. Add about 2 cups chopped bell pepper (frozen, if desired) and saute for a minute. Add pureed bean mixture and 1 1/2 cups frozen peas to skillet, heat through. Turn off heat and mix in cooked spaghetti noodles. Serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top, if desired.

Enjoy! and check back here to see how it all turns out.

For more great menus, visit Org Junkie's site.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

cheesy spinach bake: Cooking Light

Last night I made this dish from Cooking Light (see my Menu Plan Monday post for the link to the recipe). It turned out a bit like an upside-down quiche. You make it by pouring a bit of melted butter in the baking dish, then lining it with a huge pile of spinach, sprinkling the spinach with cheese, and then pouring something like a spiced pancake batter over the whole thing, and baking it. The batter sinks down to fill all the crevices, and you end up with a cheesy-spinachy-pastry-like thing. Pretty good!

I used eggs instead of egg substitute, and full-fat cheddar cheese, and part-skim mozzarella, so I don't think it quite fit Cooking Light's idea of a low-calorie dish, but we were quite happy with it. Oh, and I used a bit more cheese than they called for. Mmmmm.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Menu Plan Monday: Chickpea-Potato Curry

So, my husband told me I'm a "spice cook" - that I choose to cook things based on the spices in the recipe. And tonight, I got confirmation of that. I had Emily over, and cooked her a curry (which she liked - thanks, Em!), and when she asked me what was in it, my answer was something along the lines of "Well, there's potatoes and chickpeas and onions . . . and then there's jalapenos, ginger, garlic, cilantro, coriander, garam masala, curry powder . . ." yep. The recipe was mostly spices.

Therefore, following this menu is the recipe for my chickpea-potato curry. I got the basic recipe out of "the best ever Indian" cookbook, but I tweaked it. And here's the menu:

Monday: Spinach-Cheese Bake and blueberry muffins
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Black Beans and Rice
Thursday: Chickpea-Potato Curry
Friday: dinner at folks'
Saturday: huevos rancheros tostadoes

For more menus, visit Org Junkie. And now, the Chickpea/Potato Curry:

-4 T. vegetable Oil
-2 onions, sliced in half rings
-2-3 t. minced fresh gingerroot
-1-2 t. curry powder, to taste
-1-2 t. garam masala, to taste
-1 t. powdered coriander
-2 jalapenos, seeded and minced.
-1/4 c. minced fresh cilantro
-2/3 c. water, more as needed
-2-3 potatoes, diced
-1 can chickpeas, drained
-salt, to taste

1) Heat oil over med-high heat, add onions, and saute till golden. Reduce heat to med-low, and add the ginger, curry, garam masala, coriander, jalapenos and cilantro. Stir-fry for 2-4 minutes.
2) Add 2/3 cup water to pot and stir to mix.
3) Add potatoes and chickpeas to pan. Cover and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add more water as needed, to make curry saucey.
4) When potatoes are tender, turn off burner, and serve hot. (Being careful, 'cause, um, it's hot!)

As always, check back here to see how the recipes turn out! (And check out last week's yumminess.)

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Spring Pea Tarts: Vegetarian Times

Yesterday I made these tarts from Vegetarian Times. They turned out really well - but my daughter wouldn't eat hers.

These mix cooked spinach and peas with Neufchatel (cream) cheese and some other flavorings for the filling, and you put them in shells assembled from puff pastry. The puff pastry's on the pricey side, and I think you could make something very similar just by hollowing out some rolls in place of the tart crust. The filling is certainly worth making again, and both my husband and I think it'd make a good dip. I could see it as a sandwich spread too.

It is a pretty rich filling, for all that it's mostly vegetables, and in the middle of the tart I wished for a little more crust to balance out the richness. But overall, an excellent recipe. And very pretty.

(Blogger's giving me grief, so for a link to the recipe, please see my previous "Menu Plan Monday" post. I'll see if I can edit the link in later.)

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

alterations:
-I used frozen rather than fresh spinach, and so possibly a little more than was called for. But as it was all just pureed, I don't think it made a difference.

Not Your Mother's Chicken Soup: Woman's Day

Lesson 1 Learned from Not Your Mother's Chicken Soup:
-When the recipe suggests cooking "x amount of time or until vegetables are tender", don't just cook "x amount of time", actually check and see if the veggies have become tender.
Lesson 2 Learned from Not Your Mother's Chicken Soup:
-untender yams - unlike creamy-soft roasted yams - taste amazingly like carrots.

Good, gingery, sinus-clearing soup this. We shredded the chicken and added it to the soup, but you could just take the chicken out the broth and eat it seperately. If you're sick, this is the soup you'd want, I think. Nice and spicy, and no nausea-inducing soggy noodles.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

p.s. I really cook more than just soups. Honest. :D

Herb Ravioli Soup: Sunset

This soup was pretty!

I admit, I was sucked in by the title of the section this soup was under. But doesn't "Bright, savory soup" just make you want to cook up a batch? It only would have been better if it was "Bright, savoury soup". Ah, British spelling.

Anyway, very yummy, and perfect for a Saturday night.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

alterations:
-I didn't exactly measure the herbs. I just picked a bunch in about the right amounts.
-I forgot to pepper it.
-My package of ravioli was 9 oz, not a pound, and it was chicken sausage pesto something else, not plain ol' chicken. :D

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Not Your Mother's Chicken Soup
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Spring Pea Tarts
Thursday: Easy Chicken Adobo with rice
Friday: dinner at folks'
Saturday: Tomato & Cheese Strata

This is a week full of experiments! I don't think I've made any of the above-linked recipes before. Check back later in the week to see how they turn out; and take a peek at the archives for past experiments - and maybe to get some ideas for your next menu or two. :D

I'm pretty sure Saturday's recipe, for Tomato and Cheese Strata, comes from Womans Day, but I can't find a link for it, so here's the recipe:

-10 slices white sandwich bread
-4 tomatoes cut in 1/2-inch-thick slices
-1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
-4 scallions, trimmed and sliced
-4 large eggs
-2 cups milk
-1/2 tsp. salt

1) Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish.
2) Place four slices bread over bottom of dish. Arrange half the tomatoes, cheese and scallions on top. Cover with remaining 6 slices bread (overlapping) and rest of the tomatoes, cheese and scallions.
3) Whisk eggs in a large bowl to mix yolks and whites. Add milk and salt; whisk until blended. Pour over bread, cover and refrigerate at least two hours or up to 24 hours.
4) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover and bake strata 40-45 minutes until puffed and golden, and a narrow knife inserted near center comes out clean.


The recipe notes that a) this is a good one to make ahead of time, b) bread that's stale works fine in this recipe and c) the tomatoes should be cored. But, frankly, I don't hold with coring tomatoes, so I say take all the advice but the last. :D

Check out Laura at Organizing Junkie for more great menus!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

Hummus Cakes: Vegetarian Times

I think this is the best hummus I've ever made. And it's baked: go figure.

The best as to taste, that is. They are pretty dry, but I served them in pita with yogurt-cucumber sauce and tomatoes, so that wasn't a problem.

This did take a bit of time to put together, for all that it looks simple on the plate.

peacce of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

alterations:
-I doubled the recipe, and used one can of black beans in place of chickpeas, 'cause I only had three cans of chickpeas. Turned out fine!

Better-than-ever Beef Enchiladas: Kraft Foods

Finally made this recipe. Yum.

Yep, that's all I've got tonight, folks.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

Penne and Veggies with Rosemary Garlic White Sauce

The Rosemary and Garlic White Sauce is taken from this Cooking Light recipe. (I made the Roasted Butternut Squash Lasagna, btw. It was very tasty, but had a uniformly squishy texture. The tastiness came primarily from the sauce, so I figured that the sauce was repeatable, but the whole casserole was not.)

Call this mac'n'cheese for grown-ups. Sans cheese. Unless you add Parmesan to everything, like I do. And with appeal to kids, 'cause my two gobbled it up. Okay, call it refined mac'n'cheese. Or just call it yummy. :D

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

Oodles of Gingery Noodles: Vegetarian Times

Actually, I think this is misnamed: this recipe tastes a lot more of hoisin sauce than it does of ginger.

Not that that's a bad thing. Hoisin sauce isn't a bad taste. But it is a strong one, and it drowns out a lot of the other tastes in this dish. Except, surprisingly, the taste of tofu. That might sound dubious too, but as the recipe has you fry the tofu till it's golden-brown and toasty, the taste of tofu is much like the taste of nice, slightly soggy Chicken McNuggets.

Hmm. I haven't made this sound terribly appetizing yet, have I? Okay, one last try: if I got this at a corner Chinese restaurant, I wouldn't carry away any strong memory of it, but I wouldn't feel ripped off either. In fact, I'd probably think I'd gotten a remarkably non-greasy, passable and enjoyable dish, made with rather good pasta.

peaced of Christ to you,
Jessica

alterations:
-asparagus instead of watercress, because it was amazingly cheaper at the ranch market.
-fettucine instead of somen because Trader Joe's was inexplicably out of Asian noodles. How does that happen? Did they move them and just not tell me? And how could they, when there's nowhere else, that I know of, that carries green tea noodles?

Chicken and Potatoes over Sautéed Spinach

Tonight I made this recipe from Cooking Light.

I actually made it over spinach and kale 'cause I had a bunch of kale trying to go to seed in the garden. That meant that I had to steam the kale a bit, just because it takes longer to cook than spinach.

I also forgot to take a photograph of this one; but I really don't think it would have photographed well. It didn't look amazing.

And, initially, it didn't taste amazing. The first bite of chicken was a bit bland, as was the first of potato. But then, a taste of the broth, and the dish came alive. The broth had all the concentrated flavors of onion and ginger, of five-spice powder and sherry. Pretty soon my mouth was burning, in a really good way.

This taste very different than anything I've made before, probably a result of the five-spice powder. There was a bit of licorice to it (from the anise in the powder), which was really interesting. I'll make it again.

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica

alterations:
-I took the ends of the green onions and the skin of the ginger and boiled them from a couple of hours, then took the resulting veggie broth, salted it with boullion, and used that in place of the chicken broth. Yum.
-I used a bunch of green onions in the place of each leek, 'cause the ranch market was out of leeks.
-I didn't peel the potatoes. Why throw out all those good vitamins and all that good fiber?
-added kale, as mentioned above.

Menu Plan Monday

I'd like to point out that though the first meal sounds boring, it's actually the one I'm most excited about: it is, to quote the article I clipped it from, an example of "the Chinese technique of red cooking - braising meat in a flavorful combination of soy sauce, ginger, alcohol, and spices." Mmmmm. It's also to be my first chance ever to use Chinese five spice powder, and I've been curious about that for awhile. Aaah! Cooking is so exciting! (I'm such a nerd.)

Monday: Chicken and Potatoes over Sauteed Spinach
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: Oodles of Gingery Noodles
Thursday: Sausage and Pepper Calzones
Friday: dinner at folks'
Saturday: bagel melts

Yum, it's gonna be a good week! Check back here later in the week for pictures and reviews of how the recipes turned out! And check out Org Junkie for more yummy menus!

peace of Christ to you,
Jessica Snell

for Sharon

Here's the recipe for African Chickpea and Spinach Soup, as I made it (I altered it slightly from the original). I got it from Vegetarian Times, but look as I could, I could not find it on their website. So, here it is:

-2 tsp. olive oil
-1 onion, chopped
-2-3 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 c. chunky peanut butter
-2 c. chicken broth
-1 tsp. paprika
-1 tsp. ground coriander
-1/4 tsp. chili powder
-1 can chickpeas, drained
-1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
-2.5 oz. frozen, chopped spinach, thawed

1) heat oil in large pot over med heat. Add onion, saute 5 minutes, till soft and golden. Add garlic, sautee 2 minutes, or till lightly browned.
2) Mix peanut butter and chicken broth, set aside. (This was easier for me because I used reconstituted boullion, so my broth was hot. By the by, the easiest way I've found to reconstitute boullion into broth is to put the boullion in a glass Pyrex 1-qt. measuring cup, then pour boiling water - heated in a tea kettle - over the boullion, and stir. Easy to see how much you ought to add when it's in a measuring cup.)
3) Add paprika, coriander and chili to onion mixture, and saute 1 min., or until fragrant (like you would with a curry, mmm!). Stir in peanut butter mixture, chickpeas and tomatoes. Simmer. Stir in spinach. Simmer on low with lid on till suppertime. In my case, about an hour.


Warning: for some reason, this dish smells funny, but tastes good.

Enjoy!
-Jessica Snell

Sausage, Apple, and Cheddar Bread Pudding: Cooking Light

It's not a casserole folks, it's a bread pudding. Doesn't that make you feel delightfully snobby? :D

So, last night I made this recipe from Cooking Light. I'd like to make a declaration of alteration: if it's a Cooking Light recipe, unless I say otherwise, I am always substituting real eggs for the egg substitute, I am using regular, full-fat cheddar cheese, and I'm using skim milk in place of whatever variety they needed to get their calorie count right. There.

Declaration done, on to the review! This is yummy. This is very yummy. This is also something you should make soon, as the ingredient list simply smacks of fall, and while you might get away with it in the cloudy early spring, this is definitely not a dish for the dog days of summer.

I know it looks like it doesn't use a lot of cheese, and it doesn't, but with all the other rich and taste-heavy ingredients (sausage, onion, green apple, egg), you really don't need to add extra. It's fine with the amount they suggest.

You could probably alter this recipe pretty easily - use different kinds of bread or cheese or meat or veggies, and get some really good original dishes. Taco Bread Pudding? Ham Mushroom Asparagus Bread Pudding? I can see a lot of possibilities.

Also? This doubles really easily.

-Jessica

alterations, those listed above plus:
-I used hot Italian sausage, and accidentally about doubled the amount. A happy accident, I'd say.
-I used a bit more sourdough bread than called for, just because of how big the loaves I bought were. It turned out fine. I think this recipe is fairly elastic.

Menu Plan Monday

Mmm. Tonight I watched "The Queen" with a couple of friends, and for the occasion I made a chocolate mint pudding. I'll have to post a recipe link to it tomorrow; it was scrumptious. (And the movie was good too.)

But now it is time for Menu Plan Monday, thanks to Org Junkie! Visit her to browse more menus.

Here's what we're having (I hope) this week:

Monday: Sausage, Apple and Cheddar Bread Pudding
Tuesday: freezer meal
Wednesday: African Chickpea and Spinach Soup & cornbread
Thursday: Asian Spaghetti
Friday: dinner at folks
Saturday: pasta w/ ham & Rosemary & Garlic White Sauce and broccoli normandy (Rosemary and Garlic White Sauce adapted from this recipe)


I do recommend the above white sauce, if you want something more interesting than alfredo for your pasta. It's pretty easy to make, and the rosemary-infused milk makes it special. (Totally easy too, you just use the microwave.)

Check back for pictures of the linked recipes! (And check this week's back posts for pictures of last week's - the baked tomatoes and the Indian Chicken Casserole turned out really well!)

-Jessica

p.s. Sadly, I didn't make the Better-than-ever Beef Enchiladas on Thursday because, well, my mother-in-law offered to buy us dinner. (Okay, not so sad!) But since I had the beef defrosted, I cooked it up anyway, and froze it, and am thinking about making it on Sunday night, if it turns out that my weekly dinner with my girlfriends is at my place (I think it is). So, I'm still planning on making that one, it was just replaced with taquitos and powdered donuts this week (um, the kids picked the menu? oh, okay, we did . . . powdered donuts are SOOOOO good.) :D

Baked Eggs in Tomato Cups: Vegetarian Times

I made this simple recipe from Vegetarian Times tonight, and we ate it on buttered toast.

The verdict? Yummy! This is one of those simple dishes that goes on the "perfect for a Saturday night" list. You know, things with few ingredients, that are easy to throw together from stuff you might have around the house, but that are still healthy and taste good.

Together with the whole wheat bread, it was pretty filling too. I can see us having this a lot this summer, once the tomato plants start bearing. All and all, an elegant take on eggs and toast.

-Jess

alterations:
-I only made half the recipe. Does that count as an alteration? Oh, by the by, we used oregano as our "dried herb" of choice.

Indian Spiced Chicken: Real Simple

So, Wednesday night, I made this recipe from Real Simple magazine.

Mmmmm. Now don't get me wrong, we really enjoyed it on Wednesday night, but it was even better Thursday at lunch. It's one of those recipes. (Which kinda surprised me, because those recipes, in my experience, usually involve tomatoes, and this didn't.)

I'm certainly going to make it again, but next time I think I'll add a bit more liquid. There was enough to cook everything (including the rice), but the dish wasn't saucy at all, and I think it'd be better if it was. The flavors, however, I don't think can be improved upon.

Oh, except for the one improvement I already made. :D I substituted cut-up dried apricots for the golden raisins, and I think it was a good move.

So, this one? I recommend. Also, with the phyllo dough topping, it looks very impressive at the table. It'd be a good company dish, if you're looking for one.

Also, don't give into the temptation to leave out ingrediants. This is a slightly expensive dish, with the toasted almonds and all, but the toasted almonds, phyllo dough and apricots really make it something special. Personally, I toasted my own almonds (bought cheap at our ranch market) and discovered, after buying the phyllo dough, that the package contained enough to make this dish six or seven times over. And I'm pretty sure that, like pie crust, you can freeze phyllo dough to use later. So I did, and I think that makes this a much more reasonably priced meal. Especially if you buy your chicken on sale. :D

-Jess


alterations:
-I cut the chicken up in smaller pieces than the recipe asked for.
-Apricots for raisins, as mentioned above.
-I tried a Cooking Light trick of spraying the phyllo dough with cooking spray, rather than brushing it with butter. Next time, I'm just going to go with the butter. I wasn't impressed with the slightly burned flavor that the cooking spray gave the dough.

Menu Plan Monday

Hopefully, I'll get pictures of all the linked recipes (with reviews of how the recipes turned out!) up during the week. Check back on Thursday and thereafter!

And . . . here's what we're eating (I hope!) this week:

Monday: Tortilla Soup w/ grapes
Tuesday: freezer meal w/ fruit
Wednesday: Indian Spiced Chicken (follow the link - doesn't that look yummy?)
Thursday: Better-Than-Ever Beef Enchiladas
Friday: dinner at folks'
Saturday: Baked Eggs in Tomato Cups w/ buttered toast

I don't (sadly) remember where I got this tortilla soup recipe (Emily?) but oh my, it's good. Here it is, but for my sake, do wear gloves (or at least wrap your hands in ziplock bags) before you chop the jalapenos.

-juice from one lime
-3/4 lb. chicken
-2 t. chili powder
-2 t. oil
-8 cloves garlic, minced
-1 can (14 1/2 oz.) jalapeno-flavored diced tomatoes
-2 jalapenos, minced (and seeded)
-3 c. chicken broth
-cheddar cheese
-tortilla chips or toasted corn tortilla strips
-optional: avocado and cilantro for garnishes

1) Drizzle lime juice and sprinkle 1 t. chili poder over chicken. Bake. (Um, till done through.) Cool. Shred.
2) Cook garlic, jalapeno and 1 t. chili poder in oil for 1 min. Add tomatoes (with juice), broth and 1 c. water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10 minutes, covered.
3) To serve: divide chicken & tortilla pieces amongst four bowls. Divide broth, top with cheese and garnish if desired.

For more great menu ideas, visit Org Junkie here.

So what are you all making this week?

-Jess

Asian-Style Beef Stew with Sweet Potatoes: Family Circle

This was . . . well, it was okay. Not great. A bit too citrusy for my taste, and the yams seemed to have a very bland flavor that did not go well with the rest of the rather flavorful stew. Not bad though. I wouldn't say "don't make it". Just a bit unexciting.

-Jess

alterations:
-yams instead of sweet potatoes. I think. I tend to get them mixed up.
-I used beef ribs, boiled with the soup, instead of chunks of beef. After the meat cooked, I took it off the bones, chopped it up, and put it back in. I think this did add a bit to the not-so-stellar flavor of the stew (made it too greasy). If you make it, take their suggestion about the meat, and it'll probably be pretty good.
-I put in extra ginger. 'Cause we like ginger hereabouts.

Pumpkin Bean Soup: Better Homes and Gardens

Pumpkin, white beans, sage and coconut milk. Yeah, I wouldn't've put them all together in a recipe either. But, oh my goodness, such a treat for the tongue!

You can find the Pumpkin-Bean Soup recipe here. It turns out very creamy and rich, and I personally really liked their suggestion of serving it with lime slices (though we used lemon), because the tart citrus taste cuts through some of the creaminess in a very pleasant way. My husband liked it better without the lemon juice though.

And, perhaps most importantly, both the kids ate it. :D

-Jess

Alterations:
-served with lemon slices instead of lime
-soaked and cooked white beans in place of canned cannellini beans

Menu Plan Monday

Yep, I fell off the wagon with blog-posting here. Mostly because my husband (hi, love!) stole our camara in order to take pretty pictures on his walk to work, and without pictures of the meals I was making, I got uninspired about posting.

But it's a new week and a new menu! Here's to more posts in the next seven days.

Speaking of the next seven days, here's what we're having here at Print to Plate:

Monday: Pumpkin-bean soup with oatmeal muffins and broiled grapefruit*
Tuesday: freezer meal & canned fruit
Wednesday: Asian-style Beef Stew With Yams, with cornbread
Thursday: Yummy Pasta Salad and canned fruit
Friday: dinner at folks
Saturday: Vietnamese Fried Rice (from the More With Less Cookbook)
Sunday: after-church picnic: crackers and cheese

*to broil grapefruit for a side dish: turn on broiler. Cut grapefruits in half and put them on cookie sheets, cut side up. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Stick under broiler for about two minutes (check often, they can burn quickly!). Take out when brown sugar is melted, and top of fruit is just beginning to brown. Serve. (These are really yummy, and if you time it right, the top will be brown, sweet and crispy, and the bottom still cool and juicy.)

Might look a little strange, but it tastes delicious. And as sides go, it's super-easy.

Happy eatin' folks!
-Jessica

Menu Plan Monday

See other great menus here, at the Organizing Junkie.

At this blog, I cook and photograph recipes from magazines (and occasionally cookbooks) to share how they turn out and whether they're actually as delicious as they look in print. (Amazingly, they usually are.) You can take a peek at the earlier posts for some of my earlier experiments. So here's what's cooking this week:

Monday: African Chicken in Spicy Red Sauce with rice and honeydew

Tuesday: Tomato-Joe Soup with oatmeal muffins and cantelope

Wednesday: Creamy Chicken and Noodles and grapes

Thursday: Basil-Broccoli Tart and Asian pears

Friday: dinner out

Saturday: something from the freezer and roasted broccoli



Hmm, all about chicken, broccoli and tomatoes this week! I'll let you know how things turn out!

-Jessica

p.s. Disclaimer: not everything I make is from a magazine of course - for examples, the Basil-Broccoli Tart is a recipe from LeAnn Ely's Menu Mailer (we got her vegetarian version once upon a Lent) and the Creamy Chicken and Noodles is a Better Homes and Gardens Red Plaid Cookbook crockpot recipe. But I showcase the ones here that are from magazines - and occasionally from elsewhere. I'm almost always pleased with how recipes from magazines turn out - they must have some amazing test kitchens! Wouldn't it be fun to peek in there sometime?

Anyway, what I like is that I can cook something new, with a reasonable expectation of it turning out well. And what I really like is being introduced to new ingredients, or being taught new techniques with ingredients I already use, so that I can get more and more comfortable making my own alterations, or even inventing whole new recipes. Following magazine recipes - so often accompanied with interesting commentary - feels like cooking school on the cheap!

(And no, I'm not associated with any of the magazines I link to - just a fan!)

jasmine-turkey meatballs: Cooking Light

So, I played around a bit with this recipe when I made it last night. Mostly because baby bok choy is not nearly my favorite vegetable. So I made the meatballs without alteration*, skipped the bok choy, water and green onions (not that I don't like green onions), and put the rest of the ingredients together into a nice, shiny, cornstarch-enhanced sauce:



Isn't it lovely how shiny cornstarch makes everything?

Verdict: delicious. Love that ginger and garlic. The sauce, however, is best served on the side if you've got little kids, 'cause the red pepper gives it quite a bite. We at ours over whole-wheat fettuccine.

I would note that mine version cooked a bit faster than the recipe indicated, so keep an eye on them as they brown and then cook through. But as for taste? I whole-heartedly recommend this recipe.

happy eating!
-Jess


Alterations:
-*okay, so I used frozen, mechanically separated turkey instead of fresh ground. What can I say? It's cheaper. Like, lots. :)
-Rereading the recipe just now, I realize that I accidentally put in two eggs instead of two egg whites. Oops.
-due to the above alteration (I'm presuming), my meatballs were more like mini-meat-patties, and were browned on only two sides. Still yummy, not quite so pretty.
-I cooked the rice according to package directions, not recipe directions.

ALTERATION I WILL ALWAYS MAKE:
-I used low-sodium nothing. I used reconstituted bouillon instead of real chicken broth. You can just always assume I'll do this. Yep.
-left out bok choy, water, oil and green onion, and tweaked the sauce preparation instructions, as noted above.

Mummy's Brown Soda Bread: Cooking Light

Dinner at our house tonight, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, was corned beef, cabbage and this soda bread recipe from Cooking Light.

First good thing about this recipe: it's easy. For a bread recipe. No rising, hardly any kneading.

And, verdict? Yummy. Very yummy, but mine ended up squishy and slightly raw in the middle. The crust, however, was one of the best crusts I've ever tasted. So, next time, I think I'll make this recipe into two smaller loaves, which should get rid of the mushy middle, and give us even more yummy crust.

(The squishy middle, btw, might have been due to my oven, which is a cantankerous beast, or possibly to the fact that I substituted yogurt for buttermilk.)


Happy St. Patrick's Day!
-Jess

Orange Chicken: Cooking Light

Tonight, I made this Orange Chicken recipe from Cooking Light. This is actually one of their "reader recipes", sent in by reader Deborah Eckroat.



Immediate plus? Short ingredient list. Second immediate plus? Getting to pound chicken flat with my husband's rubber mallet! (And he bought it thinking it'd be used for carpentry - ha!)



The above picture is the orange sauce (just orange juice and white wine) simmering itself away into a reduction. The sauce is to be poured over the dredged, cooked and sliced chicken meat:



Verdict? Very yummy. Even approved by my greasy-takeout-orange-chicken-loving husband. (I pulled this recipe out because I knew he liked the flavors in it.)

Next time I make it, I think I'll toss the chicken slices with the sauce, instead of serving the sauce alongside to be poured over the chicken slices. But certainly repeatable.

-Jess

Alterations:
-I used chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts. What can I say? They're cheaper.
-I used canola oil instead of the olive oil and butter because I was, um, out of olive oil and unfrozen butter. (Last of the soft butter went into the rice I was cooking to go with the chicken.)
-I doubled the amount of sauce; probably a wise decision, though it did leave us with more sauce than chicken.

Broccoli with Red Pepper Flakes and Toasted Garlic: Cooking Light

As you might have read on my other blog, Homemaking Through the Church Year, I've made this before (that might be the case not infrequently on this blog).

But tonight's our second try on this lovely recipe.

The result? Still a very yummy way to eat broccoli, but the toasted garlic is really the best part.

-Jess

Alterations:
-again, canola oil instead of olive. I really have to buy more olive oil!
-I put in extra garlic. Yum!

two notes

First, I promise I will cook from magazines other than Cooking Light, despite what the next few posts might make you think.

Second, I'm probably going to post just every other day or so, and not so much on the weekends. Why? Well, those will be the days I'm either not cooking, or not cooking something from a magazine.

But just RSS away, and stop on by when there's something new. Hopefully it'll be delicious!

-Jess

farmhouse crackers: Cooking Light

If you look closely in the previous post, you can see these crackers on the plate next to the colcannon soup (almost overwhelmed by chunks of honeydew melon).

The crackers were more of a success than the soup, I think. We ate them with butter, as the recipe suggests, and they were great dipped in the colcannon.

Nice and crispy (I thought "oh, that's why they call them 'crackers'" as I cracked one in pieces to feed to my infant son), with a faint hint of dairy richness (the recipe calls for both butter and whipping cream). I wish I'd followed my initial impulse to sprinkle them with salt before sticking them in the oven though.

We're going to try the leftovers tomorrow with peanut butter and jelly. Mmmmm!

-Jess


Alterations:
-NONE! (unless you want to be picky about the fact that I didn't roll the dough into an exact square. :D )

Irish Colcannon and Thyme Leaf Soup: Cooking Light

My first recipe is in honor of St. Patrick's Day: a nice potato and cabbage soup from this year's March issue of Cooking Light. You can find the recipe here.

I don't think that this is a repeater. It wasn't memorable, wasn't awful, but it was, like most soups, a great way to eat some extra veggies.

However, I have to admit, part of the lackluster result might have been due to my substituting dried thyme leaves for fresh (the recipe calls for one tablespoon fresh, so I substituted one teaspoon dry). You can take a peek at my other alterations below.

If you're a soup-as-side dish person, this isn't a bad one. But it falls a bit short as a main dish.

-Jess





Alterations:
-I used reconstituted boullion instead of "fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth"
-I used dried thyme rather than fresh.
-Being unable to find savoy cabbage, I used red cabbage - giving the soup its pretty purple color. :D
-I estimated, rather than measured, the amount of potatoes and cabbage.

Welcome to I Made It!

On this blog I'm going to show you what happens when you take those pretty-looking recipes in magazines and cookbooks (but especially magazines) and try to reproduce them in real life. I'll be posting when I try something new, and I'll provide pictures, links to the recipes (when possible), notes on how it turned out and if my family asked for seconds, and what alterations I made to the recipe.

I hope you enjoy the journey as we go from page to plate!

-Jess