Satisying but not worth repeating

Manhattan Turkey (or Chicken) al la King
Passport To Flavor Copyright 1993

8 ounces wide egg noodles I used an entire bag of whole wheat egg noodles
1 pound boneless turkey or chicken, cut into strips I used chicken
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 can (14 ½ ounces) pasta style chunky tomatoes I used diced organic tomatoes
1 can (10 ¾ ounces) condensed cream of celery soup I used 98% fat-free
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, slices
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. In large skillet, brown turkey in oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Add remaining ingredients, except for noodles. Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Remove cover; cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot noodles. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.
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This dish in no way resembles traditional chicken a la king but it wasn't bad. It was definitely healthier than the traditional version. It was a satisfying weekday meal but not something I would make again. There are just too many chicken recipes out there. I only remake the very best ones. Also, there are lots of reports of peanut allergic kids getting mystery reactions after eating Cambell's soup and I felt a little weird after eating this which could purely have been psychological or maybe it was the MSG. I'm still a little hypersensitive after my mysery reaction. My son was fine but he didn't eat a lot of the sauce. I think the fat-free version probably has more weird stuff in there than the full-fat version, to make up for the fat.

We have slippery roads today and for some reason I can't seem to work up the nerve to get out there and get to work. I hate driving on slippery roads but my fear isn't usually this debilitating. I tried once but traffic was a standstill from an accident and I got nervous and came back home. I'm such a wuss.

Blast From The Past: Chicken Enchiladas from October 2006. Now that is a chicken recipe worth making over and over.

Question of the Day: What dish do you make for dinner most often?

February 2007 Cookbook Giveaway

Yes, it's time for another cookbook giveaway. This is the last of the Food and Wine Quick From Scratch cookbooks that I was able to score.



Food and Wine's Quick From Scratch Pasta, which contains the following recipes I've blogged about:

Cavatappi with Pepperoni
Linguine Carbonara
Perciatelli with Meat Sauce and Fontina
Tex-Mex Cavatappi
Whole Wheat Spaghetti With Sausage and Peppers




The rest of the recipes can be found here. Yes, all of the recipes from these Quick From Scratch cookbooks can be found online but it's just not the same as flipping through a cookbook while sipping a glass of wine or hot cocoa.

This is how it works - just leave a comment on this post. I just need an e-mail address (if your profile links to an e-mail, you don't need to type it out, I'll find it). Entry is open until the last day of the month. First chance I get after that, I'll draw the winner. Then I'll contact the winner for a mailing address and then I mail the book! I'll pay the shipping, of course.

I'll open this to everyone - in or out of the U.S. It will have to go by the least expensive method if an international reader wins.

Remember, I need an e-mail address and a name. It's amazing how many people forget themselves and just join in as 'anonymous' with no other identification.

*********Brilynn is the winner!********************

Aloha

Hawaiian Chicken Burgers
Better Homes and Gardens Chicken Cooking For Today Copyright 1993

1 beaten egg
¼ cup fine dry seasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons chopped water chestnuts
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound raw ground chicken
¼ cup bottled sweet-and-sour sauce
4 canned pineapple rings
4 kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, split and toasted I used whole-wheat buns
shredded spinach I used Romaine because that's what I had

In a medium bowl combine egg, bread crumbs, water chestnuts, ginger, salt and pepper. Add ground chicken and mix well. Shape into four ¾-inch patties.

To grill, place patties on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals; cook for 15 to 18 minutes or till no longer pink, turning once and brushing with sweet-and-sour sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Meanwhile, place pineapple slices on grill rack. Cook for 5 minutes, turning as needed. I broiled everything - too cold to grill.

To serve burgers, sprinkle bottom half of each bun with some shredded spinach. Top with patties. Brush patties with sweet-and-sour sauce and top with pineapple slices.

Makes 4 servings.
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I guess you can throw a slice of pineapple on just about anything and call it Hawaiian. I highly doubt there is anything authentically Hawaiian about these burgers but they were pretty tasty. I used the broiler and they came out great. I'm sure they would be even better grilled. This burger wasn't quite as good as Red Robin's Banzai Burger but I didn't feel as guilty after eating this Hawaiian Chicken Burger as I do after a Banzai Burger. It's rare that I enjoy a burger without cheese (except Wendy's singles - I eat only ketchup on those).

I would have preferred a better sweet-and-sour sauce. My only choice was LaChoy but I'm going to search out a better one in other stores. Fat Tuesday used to have the best sweet and sour sauce served with chicken fingers and fries. It wasn't pink. At least I don't think it was. The lighting was dim and I usually had a couple of 190 Octanes in me.

I need to try my hand at making sandwich buns. I'm worried about shaping them properly. These burgers would have been so much better on homemade buns.

This is a real stretch but this is my submission for Sweetnick's ARF/5-A-Day Tuesday. Hey, there's pineapple, water chestnuts and even a bit of lettuce. Ginger is also good for you. I've submitted weaker contributions. Cate's not feeling too well. She's probably so full of medication, I could probably submit a glazed donut and she wouldn't notice.

Blast From The Past: Sweet and Tangy Barbecued Chicken from October 2005, also from this cookbook. It's a nice little chicken cookbook.

Question of the Day: When (if) you go to Red Robin or any other gourmet burger place, what kind of burger or sandwich are you likely to order?

Yummy, healthy oatmeal cookies

Oatmeal Cookies With Cherries
Prevention’s The Sugar Solution Cookbook Copyright 2006

1 cup whole grain pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large egg I had to use a jumbo egg since that's all I had
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
¾ cup dried cherries I only had a small bit of dried cherries so I cut them in half.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar and granulated sugar, applesauce, oil, egg and vanilla. Stir until well-blended. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the oats and cherries.

Drop the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2” apart, onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 30. Per cookie: 43 cal, 1 g pro, 7 g carbs, 1 g fat, 5 mg chol, 80 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
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I like to have a somewhat healthy baked good on hand every week and this week I chose this recipe. It's from Prevention's Sugar Solution Cookbook. I also have the book this cookbook is a companion to but I haven't gotten around to reading it, to be honest. I believe it's similar to the GI Diet but I'm not 100% sure. All I know if both my husband and I have family with Type II Diabetes so make it a point to pick up cookbooks that deal with blood sugar issues.

These cookies were delicious. I really liked the flavor and the texture. They spread quite a bit, turning out very flat and they were somehow both chewy and crunchy at the same time. I didn't have many dried cherries so I cut them up so there were just small bits of cherries in these, which I actually think is better since dried cherries (at least the ones I had) can be quite tart and I prefer that tartness in smaller bites.

My son is feeling better today but it was a long weekend. If I had a nickel for everytime I heard 'I need a huggie' or 'My boogers fall out my nose' (translation: I need a tissue), I could quit my day job and blog full-time without ads. Hopefully I'll get to the cookbook drawing sometime today.

Blast From The Past: Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies from April 2006. Another thin, delicious cookie.

Question of the Day: Does anyone close to you have Type II diabetes?

Burgers and a sick child

Bacon Burgers
365 Favorite Brand Name Hamburger Copyright 1997

1 pound lean ground beef
4 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled
1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme I used dried
½ teaspoon salt
dash freshly ground pepper
4 slices Swiss cheese

Preheat grill. Combine ground beef, bacon, and seasonings in medium bowl; mix lightly. Shape into 4 patties. Grill 4 minutes; turn. Top with cheese. Continue grilling 2 minutes or to desired doneness. I used the broiler for these.

Makes 4 servings.
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I've found burger recipes to be hit or miss. It's really hard to improve upon your basic burger. The Aisle 6 Beef Burgers were not that great. Burrito Burgers, on the other hand, were pretty good. These Bacon Burgers can go stand next to the Burrito Burgers - they were pretty good. I'm not sure about the thyme since it was overpowering the bacon a bit but otherwise I thought this was a nice twist on a burger, without straying too far from the basics.

I'm home with a very sick child today so that's all I have time to say today. Have a great weekend.