Not zingy--Honeyed Chicken

Honeyed Chicken
Better Homes and Garden Chicken Cooking For Today Copyright 1993

8 chicken drumsticks and/or thighs (about 2 pounds total)
¼ cup finely chopped green onion
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Dash ground red pepper

Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. Arrange chicken pieces in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan making sure pieces do not touch. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine green onion, honey, garlic powder, and ground red pepper. Brush chicken pieces with honey mixture. Return to oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or till golden brown and chicken is no longer pink.

Makes 4 servings.
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The lead-in to this recipe calls this chicken 'zingy' or maybe 'zippy' but it's neither, IMO. The onions, garlic and red pepper didn't cut through the sweetness of the honey enough for my taste. I haven't really been feeling the love for chicken-on-the-bone lately either. So I rate this as just okay.

TGIF! I'm drained. I'm looking forward to a 3-day weekend. Maybe I'll finally get the recipe archives caught up.

Blast From The Past:Baked Chicken With Honey And Mustard from May 2006. Now that recipe had enough zing to please me.

Question of the Day: What do you like on baked chicken pieces? Just dry spices? Barbecue sauce? Something else? Absolutely nothing?

Another great pork stir-fry--Orange Pork with Scallions

Orange Pork with Scallions
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2007 Copyright 2006

1 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
2 cups matchstick-cut carrots
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)I used one clove of fresh garlic
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1/3 cup diagonally cut green onions
Sliced green onions (optional)

Cut pork into 2 x 1/4-inch-wide strips. Combine pork and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a bowl; toss well. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch, broth, and next 4 ingredients (through salt).

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness; stir frequently. Remove pork from pan.

Heat oil in pan. Add carrots, 1/4 cup water, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Return pork to pan. Stir in broth mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 30 seconds. Stir in 1/3 cup onions. Serve immediately. Garnish with sliced onions, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup pork mixture)
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This was a simple, tasty stir-fry. It was colorful and flavorful. I loved using the thin cut carrots (they're marked 'shredded' but they're more like matchsticks) since they cook up quickly and I don't like my carrots too crunchy. I chose this recipe since I only needed to pick up the carrots and the green onions to make it. I'd call it a winner.

Did I mention that my new Cuisinart Griller already bit the dust? I turned it on to use it two weeks ago and even though it wasn't even on high, it kept getting hotter and hotter. It was smoking. That was very disappointing since those things aren't cheap. They sent me a new one that just arrived so hopefully I won't have any more trouble.

Blast From The Past: Stir-Fried Pork with Sweet Onions from June 2007. I love pork in a stir-fry.

Question of the Day: Have you ever had a small appliance replaced by the manufacturer? I don't think I've ever had anything break this quickly. They were very good about it but I will need to pay the postage to return the old one.

It's a boy!--Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells
Everyday Pasta Copyright 2007

1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound ground turkey I used ground chicken
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped I used canned
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves I used a lesser amount of dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley I used a lesser amount of dried
5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce or marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade) I used a 28oz jar
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. (I had enough filling for 40 shells!) Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella.

Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.
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First of all, it's another boy! It would have been nice to have a girl in the family for a change (the grandparents will now have 10 grandsons and no granddaughters between them), you know I'm practical and I have a mountain of boy stuff in our basement ready to spring into action.

I've had this cookbook for some time but I just haven't been able to work any of the recipes into my menu. I'm not sure why but that's just how it goes sometimes. Between working with food allergies and avoidances, pickier eaters and avoiding expensive ingredients, it limits me a bit.

This recipe caught my eye and even though I had no ground turkey, I had some ground chicken which I think worked well. I made some sacrifices in the name of keeping my grocery bill down and used dried basil and parsley and I also used a cheap jarred sauce which was okay but definitely not as good as any of my usual favorite brands.

These were delicious but the chicken and artichokes were so mild that these shells didn't stand out much from other stuffed shells. All stuffed shells are usually rather delicious.

This is Giada's third cookbook and I think the quality is still good. I think celebrity chefs sometimes run out of good ideas before their book or television deals run out but Giada's still got some good material. I think Paula Deen has run dry - the recipes she's making on her show these days don't seem very personal to her. She's a Southern cook and these days she's making schnitzel and paella. She just can't deliver those recipes with the same conviction she delivered Gooey Butter Cake.

Blast From The Past: Sausage-Stuffed Shells With Chunky Tomato Sauce from April 2006. I loved the shells but the sauce wasn't good (lousy canned tomatoes).

Question of the Day: Do you make stuffed shells? What do you stuff them with?

A successful experiment--Easy Biscuit Doughnuts

Easy Biscuit Doughnuts
The Deen Bros. Cookbook Copyright 2007

½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 12-ounce tube buttermilk biscuit dough

1. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
2. Fill a wide, shallow pan with 1 inch of oil. Heat the oil to 370 degrees.
3. Meanwhile, arrange the biscuits on a baking sheet. Using a 1-inch diameter round cookie cutter, cut out the center of each biscuit.
4. Drop the doughnuts into the hot oil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown, turning doughnuts if necessary. Transfer the doughnuts immediately to a baking sheet lined with paper towels and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. Serve warm.

Makes 10 doughnuts.
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After my last doughnut disaster, I think I mentioned that maybe I should have just fried biscuit dough instead. I came across 'the recipe' in this Deen Bros. cookbook and I still had the oil from the last batch so I thought it was worth a try. Canned biscuits are cheap so there was little risk.

Well gosh these were great. Even the holes fried up nicely. They're soft and a bit chewy. They reminded me of the pizza fritas I ate growing up. They were sold at the public pool and at church picnics - fried dough covered in sugar.

I'll keep trying to make doughnuts from scratch but these were so quick and economical. I think I made 10 for about 50 cents not including the cost of the oil I reused. I made them start to finish before work and I didn't get up earlier than usual either. My co-workers scarfed them down.

Blast From the Past: Asian Pork Ribs from August 2007. Those were rich but very good.

Question of the Day: Boy or girl? Today's the day we (hopefully) find out.

A good use for crushed potato chips--Crispy Chip Cookies

Crispy Chip Cookies
The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion Copyright 2004

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup (4 1/2 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup gently crushed plain salted potato chips


Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment paper) two baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening, sugars, salt, baking powder and vanilla. Beat in the egg, then stir in the oats and flour, mixing until well combined. Gently fold in the potato chips. The dough will be stiff.

Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies begin to brown around the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 24 cookies
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I was looking for something fast and something simple (i.e. something that could be made with ingredients on hand). I saw this recipe and recalled that we had a partially full bag of chips that was badly abused somewhere along the way and was already 'gently crushed'. I wasn't expecting much but I ate about three of these right away. They were pleasant - not outrageous but a nice simple cookie that you can whip up with one bowl and a wooden spoon.

I got my grocery bill down a bit which makes me happy. The key really is planning. I'm getting back to using coupons the ads a bit more than I have been. I'm making a sacrifice here and there too (buying a brand on sale rather than my preferred brand).

Blast From The Past: Ruth Wakefield’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars from June 2007. These are from this cookbook also and they're awesome! I made them with Christmas Kissables for Christmas and they were one of the my favorites.

Question of the Day: Have you ever had cookies with potato chips in them?