September 2010 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Food Talk
There's been a ton of food talk lately! And I love it?honestly, it has truly inspired me to become more "proficient" in the kitchen and step up my cooking game. 
I challenged myself to 14 days of REAL dinners, cooking with fresh ingredients, etc.! Today is day 5 and I might have to skip out since FIL is taking us out, but if not, I'll be making lasagna.
Let's talk recipes.
What's your new favorite recipe? You know, that dish you make once and master (or can't stop thinking of ways to improve) that you want to make every night! Does the Mr. love it too? (If you have it on you, post it)!
Re: Food Talk
Cooking Light's version of Chicken Curry. I love this recipe because it's pretty simple and it's delicious. I never thought I could make curry, let alone curry that makes my husband speechless!
*I'd say it took me about...35 minutes total to prep and cook it.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup chicken mixture and 3/4 cup rice)
Cost per Serving: $2.39
Ingredients
Preparation
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt.
Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or until browned, turning once. Add bell pepper to pan; saut? 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken mixture from pan.
Combine juice, soy sauce, curry paste, and sugar in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add juice mixture and coconut milk to pan; bring to a boil.
Cook 12 minutes or until slightly thick. Return chicken mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.
Nutritional Information
My new favorite recipe changes weekly lol.
I guess the one that I make the most would be risotto. H absolutely loves it. He actually told his brother (who owns a restaurant) that they need to hire me to make their risotto because the person who is doing it now sucks at it.
I found a mushroom recipe that I really like, but I'll switch out the mushrooms for other thing; shrimp and asparagus, cheese, garlic, corn, different seasonings, etc.
I don't have a direct link to the risotto on my blog, so I'm gonna see how C&P'ing goes...
Mushroom Risotto
Servings: 3-4
Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken stock
3 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 package mushrooms (I use Shitake or Bella)
1/4 cup onion, diced
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbs butter
2 tbs Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Pour the chicken stock into a small pot and put over medium-low heat. You're just going to warm it up.
2. Put 1 tbs. olive oil in a large pan and put it over medium high heat. Dice the mushrooms and add in. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.
3. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and put into a small bowl or on a plate, just keep them nearby.
4. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and the onion. Cook until the onion is soft.
5. Stir in the rice and toss it around until it is coated with the oil. Add the white wine and stir until it is completely absorbed by the rice.
6. Add the chicken stock to the rice in parts, no more than 1 cup at a time and wait until the rice has fully absorbed the stock (and it looks like its going to stick) to add in more.
7. Once all of the stock is in the rice and absorbed, put the mushrooms, butter and Parmesan cheese into the risotto and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt.
Married / The Cookaholic Wife
I told DH last night, why did we register for so much cooking stuff, cuz neither of us cook at all! Oh well. I do make a mean King Ranch Chicken Casserole that DH LOVES! I feel like such a Suzy Home-maker when I make it. Here it is from memory: (not new, but definitely a fave!)
1lb cooked chicken breasts (diced, shredded or finely chopped, whichever you prefer)
1 package corn tortillas
1 can Rotel tomatoes (as spicy as you like)
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can chicken broth (not required, sometimes I leave it out, when I want a "firmer" casserole instead of sloppy)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (hello Slap Chop, you're amazing!)
2-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp chile powder
Sour cream for topping
Combine soups, tomatoes, and chile powder in bowl. Layer the tortillas in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Make a chicken layer, onion/pepper layer, soup mixture, then cheese. Repeat to make a 2nd layer of everything. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Top w/ sour cream and eat!
ETA: I NEVER cook and I love that you are challenging yourself Miss Lia. Great idea and good for you!
On our honeymoon we went out for breakfast at a Swedish restaurant and had Swedish pancakes. I attempted to make them yesterday and they turned out really good.
Swedish pancakes
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
Mix the above ingredients by hand or with hand mixer
Add 2 eggs-1 at a time
Batter should be thin, add more milk if needed.
Pour batter into lightly greased skillet
Add favorite toppings.
We had them with sliced strawberries and powdered sugar. I said that I shouldn't have made them so good because now he won't want to go out for breakfast and I can just cook.
Lia, that chicken curry looks awesome!
I made lasagna rolls. Unfortunately, they're nearly as intensive as lasagna, so I don't get to make them often.
I'm more on a baking kick than cooking though.
I had to ask H what he likes me to make. Here is the list he gave me:
Shrimp Bisque
Quick Lasagna
Chili
Asian noodles with beef
Pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with cherry sauce
tacos, burgers, grilled cheese
Beef fajitas
Pomegranate pork tenderloin
Married / The Cookaholic Wife
I LOVE making lasagna. My Mom used to make it when I was little and I would always help her. I've been making lasagna since I was about 10 and now that I'm on my own I still use the same basic recipe and change up the filling.
Normally my Mom made it with a meat filling - usually the meatloaf mixture but I switch it up. My latest creation is with artichokes, spinach and hot sausage. I always use peppers, onions and garlic as the base and then add whatever meat or veggie I feel like cooking up. If you want the full recipe I can post it tonight when I get home. I don't measure anything but my Mom gave me a recipe card with her measurements on it.
lia i love you for posting this. nichole, you stole my thunder wtih the risotto! i am posting my fave risotto dish too
no, gerren doesn't like it because he hates flavor. aka anything good.
also, it should be noted i DO NOT measure things. i suck. so this is all eyeballed.
shrimp and saffron risotto
a bunch of shrimp
a cup (?) of risotto rice (see LTB's recipe for official name! aborro or something?)
a bunch of peas
a bunch of parm cheese
chicken stock
pinch of saffron
small onion or a shallot finely diced
white wine
in a pot, boil chicken stock (fill the pot) with the pinch of safron.
meanwhile, take the shrimp, and in a saucepan, sautee the shrimp with some EVOO, salt, and pepper. once cooked, remove from saucepan and set aside. lower the heat to medium-high, add a little more evoo to pan, throw in the onion and saute until soft. once soft, lower the heat to medium and throw in the amount of risotto rice that you want to cook. stir around so the onions are all mixed in. then add a good glug of the wine. once the wine is cooked off, add a ladle of the boiling chicken stock. stir risotto and let it simmer until the broth is almost all gone. continue to ladle in the broth and let it reduce until the rice is soft with just a slight bite in the middle. this generally takes me about 25 minutes. and yes, you have to stand there the whole time to stir in the chicken broth. when the risotto is all cooked, stir in frozen peas. then add the shrimp and then a big handful of parm cheese.
this is my favorite dish ever. EVER.
Blog
Psst. You don't. I never do. I stir it for about 30 seconds after I add the first scoop of stock, then again about 5 mins. later when its almost evaporated. I keep the heat on the lowest of the medium-high settings.
Married / The Cookaholic Wife
hahaha "a bunch" oh shauni, i love you. i can't wait to get to a place in the kitchen where "a bunch" works for me. i am still nervously poring over my recipe card, measuring everything to a t. baby steps, baby steps!
keep 'em coming girls! everything sounds delicious!
Everyone must make PW's Braised Short Ribs. She does them over polenta. I hate polenta, so I do them over mashed potatoes. They are to die for especially in this fall weather. www.thepioneerwoman.com
Things MFD loves that I make: PW's Best Ever Lasagna, aforementioned Braised Short Ribs, beef stroganoff casserole.
Yesterday I made two huge pots of red sauce to freeze. My house smelled flippin' awesome all day.
Blog
Baked ziti and easy and yummo. And this weekend my friend made a taco soup and it was delish. Pretty sure I'll be making that this week or next week for Jeremy. He ate 4 or 5 bowls Saturday.
The taco soup I can remember because it's so easy. It can be done in crock pot or stove top.
1 lb hamburger meat
- add taco seasoning after browning meat
In pot, pour in tomato juice (she used a big thing like you'd find apple juice in on the juice aisle), can of black beans, can of pinto beans, and bag of corn (she used frozen corn but pretty sure whatever works)
After meat is browned, add to pot and let boil for 30 minutes (on stovetop). She said she never stirs but I tend to stir so I stirred every 5-10 minutes.
If doing in crockpot, then do it on high for 4ish hours or low for 6-7ish hours.
I am just the same way. Which was hilarious/sad when I was trying to explain my roasted garlic mashed potato recipe to SIL for Thanksgiving.
Me: so, I boil potatoes
SIL: How many? what type?
Me: Um.... whatever we have, until it looks like enough
SIL: okay, what next?
Me: I add milk products.
SIL: Which?
Me: well, either sour cream or cream cheese or cottage cheese and milk or cream or canned milk. And parmesan cheese, or maybe mozarella, or sometimes blue cheese. You know, whatever we have and I'm in the mood for. In some combination.
SIL: How much?
Me: Until it looks and tastes right? Then I bake it in the oven (at whatever temperature it is at) until it is hot through and looks 'normal' on top.
I finally figured I just have to ask her over and make them with her sometime.
I don't think I own a recipe that doesn't have notes all over it from stuff I omit or add or change. And mostly recipes are used for vague inspiration anyway
ok, i just ate one of the pumpkin spice cookies i made last night and decided they were too amazeballs NOT to share the recipe with you all. so here it is, complete with measurements
pumpkin spice cookies:
1/2 cu shortening
1 cu. sugar
1 cu. pureed pumpkin (not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling!)
2 eggs
2 cu. flour
1 cu raisins
2 tspns baking powder
2.5 tspns cinnamon
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1/4 tspn ginger
mix together with a hand mixer all of the wet ingredients (sugar, shortening, eggs, pumpkin). once thoroughly mixed, add all of the dry ingredients except for the raisins. once all mixed up, THEN add the raisins.
drop by tablespoon onto greased cookie tins. bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes. these are big soft cookies that puff up like muffins a little when you bake them. you know they are done when you put a toothpick in them and they come out clean. let the cookies cool.
meanwhile...take a cu. of powdered confectionary sugar. squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. whisk in a couple tbpns of milk until a thin glaze has formed. too thick? add more milk. too thin? add more sugar. when the cookies are mostly cooled, drizzle the glaze on top.
ENJOY. i wish i had brought more than one cookie to work today. i had three last night. could have another 3 right now....
Blog
Shauni, I'll have to make those cookies, they sound delicious.
My current faves are:
the paella recipe I posted below
Curried Beef Short Ribs from Cooking Light - make in a slow cooker, we're having them tonight for dinner! They make the house smell amazing and there's plenty for both of us to have some for lunch the next day. I only do 2 c rice, not 4. Link:
(http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001879978)
Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp, also from CL - can't say enough good things about this dish. We do 1/2 shrimp, 1/2 chicken. Link:
(http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001835298)
Shrimp Pad Thai from Rocco Dispirito's 'Now Eat This!' (sorry, no link/recipe) - this is the book the paella is from
Ham and Cheese Crescent rolls - super easy! Just take a package of crescent rolls, and inside each one lay 3 slices of thin-sliced brown sugar deli ham (we use the prepackaged Hillshire Farm stuff) on top. Then put some shredded mozarella on top (or a Kraft single, if you prefer) and roll it up into a little packet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes (until golden). SO good and fast! I adapted it from a recipe on Kraft's website.
Jalapeno, Sausage, Jack and Egg Breakfast Braid from CL - we often omit the jalapeno just because it's easier. It takes a bit of prep (sometimes we make it the night before) but it's soooooo good, perfect for late breakfast on the weekends, but also works for dinner. Link:
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001949708
Shauni....my pumpkin cookie recipe is very similar to yours! I always add some chocolate chips and everyone I know loves them!
I have a recipe for skillet lasagna that is super easy and delicious. I have to find it. If anybody wants it let me know!