EASY RECIPES AND STUFF

Chicken Curry Noodle Soup

Posted on November 7, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

The Easy Recipe this week is based in a recipe I found in The Essential Wok Cookbook. But, because the recipe was to be cooked in many stages in a wok and then combined at the end of the process to create the soup, I felt it needed to be whipped together as a quick and easy soup. I imagine it lost something in the cooking short cuts, but the soup version is easy to make and tastes great. So, game on.

EASY RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 skinless chicken breast filets (one whole breast)

6 oz Manischewitz Fine Egg Noodles

1 onion – sliced

1 medium size fresh red chili – seeded and finely chopped

1 Tbsp fresh ginger – skinned and diced

10 oz baby bok choy – cut in long strips

4 Tbsp fresh basil – torn

32 oz chicken broth

26 oz light coconut milk

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 lime

Preparation:

Place Tbsp of canola oil in large soup pot, heat on medium high.

Add chicken breasts and cook on each side for 5 minutes (until no blood runs when poked). Remove chicken breasts to plate.

To same pot add 1 Tbsp canola oil, and heat on low.

Add onion and saute until tender.

Add ginger, red chili, chicken broth, coconut milk, and bring to strong simmer.

Add the curry.

Add juice of 1/2 lime

Cut the chicken on the diagonal into bite size pieces and add chicken to the soup.

Add baby bok choy

Simmer for 8 minutes

Add the noodles and simmer for a few minutes until tender.

When ready to plate add the fresh basil, and to each bowl a lime slice.

AND STUFF

I had an early court appearance in the Desert this morning. Started driving on the LA Freeway in the dark and broke out into more open freeway as the sun began to rise. Even though I was formation driving on a 6 lane freeway at near 70 mph, the sunrise was soothing.

After parking my car I began my morning walk through the desert parking lot to the courthouse. The weather was perfect and the birds were singing. All in all, the walk was quite soothing.

After removing all metal from my pockets and passing through security I began my walk to the courtroom. I walked with and past people going from or to their courtroom all wearing similar facial masks of blandness. The day may be different but the expressionless people always seem to look the same.

Back in my car I began the return trip. Out of curiosity, I drove down Paseo Drive to see how business looked. The drive was beautiful but so many of the nice store front windows were empty. Maybe next year the vibe will return.

Back home, mid-afternoon, I needed to stretch my legs, so I was off for a power walk at the beach. It’s one of those warm sunny fall days. There was almost no one on the beach, and only a few other walkers. The waves were breaking on shore with no form. So while the waves were useless to the surfers, they were perfect for walking and daydreaming.

It was just another day, November 7, 2012. I imagine it won’t be long until the clouds begin to form and winter storms bring havoc. No doubt there will be difficult days ahead. But on this day my walk at the beach was warm and soothing.

What’s my point? Maybe it’s that we need to look outward from the daily grind and see and feel nature. Or maybe it’s just a story of the calm before the storm.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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SUPER EASY GNOCCHI WITH SHRIMP AND GORGONZOLA SAUCE

Posted on November 2, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

Where does the time go? The holidays are approaching and will require even more of your limited free time. So, how about a super easy home cooked Gnocchi with Shrimp and Gorgonzola Sauce that you can put together in a hurry!

Recipe Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 package Gnocchi (serves 4)

1 lb. shrimp

2 green onions – chopped

1 C fresh green beans

4 oz Gorgonzola cheese

1/4 C fat free Half & Half

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic – minced

1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes

fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Rinse and shell shrimp – store in refrigerator until ready to cook.

Rinse green beans and cut stem ends off.

Begin heating water in large pot for gnocchi.

Heat oil in large fry pan, add onion and garlic and saute on low.

Increase temperature of fry pan to high, add shrimp to fry pan.

Sprinkle shrimp with dried red pepper flakes, dash of salt and pepper.

Heat shrimp on each side for 90 seconds or until pink.

When shrimp cooked, remove shrimp, onion and garlic to a bowl and cover with aluminum foil.

To boiling water in large pot add gnocchi. Cooked as directed on package.

In same fry pan slowly melt the Gorgonzola cheese on low heat.

Add half and half to fry pan and stir.

When gnocchi floats to surface add the green beans until gnocchi is fully cooked (about 2 minutes).

Drain water from gnocchi pot and add the gnocchi and beans to the melted cheese fry pan.

Add shrimp and onion mixture to fry pan and stir.

Plate gnocchi add thyme garnish and a little sprinkle of Parmesan.

Sit back and enjoy a great home cooked easy dinner!

AND STUFF

I experienced my Halloween ritual again. It’s uncanny almost like Groundhog Day. Every year I hold off buying candy because the year before I got maybe 4 kids. And every year I get weak kneed on the afternoon of Halloween. So as usual, late in the day of the 31st, I ran out and bought 3 bags of candy. For sure this would be the year the trick and treat ghosts would come in waves.

I opened my bags of candy about 5:30 to be ready for the little kids that come out early. But, no little one’s showed. OK, maybe the wave would come in one mixed age group. I would be ready for anything! Front light on, deck lights on, sun setting, bring it on!

But no one came. And to make it worse we had to leave the house for awhile.

No worries, we decided to leave the bowl of candy by the front door with a little sign saying “please take a piece of candy”. That would guarantee many happy little faces.

Upon our return to the house She Who Must Be Obeyed went to the front door and retrieved the candy bowl and ……the bowl was FULL.

OK that’s it, next year I will steel myself and forgo buying candy ….right up until the afternoon of October 31 when I will no doubt hurry off to the store to buy the candy for all the kids that will come to our door!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Sloppy Joe In A Hurry

Posted on October 25, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

The first in series Jack Fields and Amber Reyes adventure novel is available at all major e-book retailers.

EASY RECIPE

It cooled down for a while this week, and with snow in the mountains my mind wandered to my youth in North Dakota. The old stand by for parties back in the day was Sloppy Joe or as we called em in the tundra Slush Burgers. Try my easy recipe for Sloppy Joe and if you’re old enough enjoy the memories. To round things out I’ve included a low fat recipe for oven baked fries, and what the heck a vegetable.

Recipe serves 6

INGREDIENTS

One and 1/2 lbs. ground beef

8 oz tomato sauce

3/4 C water

1/2 onion – diced

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp dry basil

1 tsp chili powder

1 clove garlic – diced

2 Tbsp ketchup

Hamburger buns

36 string beans

24 pearl onions

1 Tbsp butter

2 large russet potatoes

drizzle of canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Melt butter in large fry pan, add onions and saute.

Remove onions.

In same fry pan brown ground beef.

Spoon out grease.

To browned ground beef add onions, tomato sauce, mustard, basil, chili powder, garlic, ketchup, water, salt and pepper . Bring to boil and reduce to simmer (may have to add a little water – but at end you want the meat mixture to be thick).

Simmer until the mixture thickens and or the potatoes and beans are done.

Wash and dry russet potatoes. Do not peel. Slice each in half, and then half again, and then into plank size fries.

Drizzle potatoes with a little canola oil and then mix them up to get coverage on both sides. Spray a little oil on oven sheet, add potatoes, salt and pepper to taste.

Place oven sheet potatoes into oven heated to 415 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes and then flip the potatoes and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.

Rinse the string beans, cut off stem ends. Add water to a large pot with a steamer insert so as to be just below the insert. Add beans and pearl onions. Bring water to boil and then reduce to strong simmer and cover. Steam for 5 minutes.

Plate the beans, potatoes, and serve an ample portion of meat on each bun.

And that’s it, you just made a super easy and fun party meal for the family.

AND STUFF

I already mentioned that Sloppy Joe was a staple at winter parties back in Dakota. But, what I didn’t mention was the college Sloppy Joe experience. There was a time when you actually could get a free meal! At least on Saturday and as long as you ordered pitchers of beer.

At the south outskirts of Minot, roughly 9 miles from the north outskirts of Minot, was our college beer and pool hall. Certainly not every Saturday, because that would be just wrong, but lets say most Saturdays all my fellow rock band buddies would meet up at the bar around noon. Why? Because that’s about when we woke up, having slept in from playing a dance somewhere the night before, and because of the food. On Saturday the bar would have huge pots of Slush Burgers, and another pot of hot dogs warm, ready and free. We would order a couple of pitchers and chow down while playing pool.

In addition to pool there was foosball, and a state of the art electronic game that was awesome called pong. (I know now days it would be viewed as little more than annoying static on the screen, but back then whoa momma).

So there we sat, played, and talked until it was time to gear up with our respective bands, and head out for another dance in an even smaller town somewhere in the vast frozen tundra.

While not too sophisticated, all in all, it was a great time.

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Easy Tuscan Style Chicken

Posted on October 17, 2012 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy recipe is based on a recipe from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cookbook. Of course I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I added a few ideas of my own. I like the recipe because it has all the great tastes of Italy but, for a change, there’s no pasta. So, for a super easy and tasty family style Tuscan Chicken dinner this recipe is for you.

INGREDIENTS:

8 chicken thighs – skinned

20 0z. canned crushed tomato sauces

1 medium white onion – thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper – sliced

1 red bell pepper – slicked

14 oz. can can cannelini beans

1 C water

1/2 C red wine

8 kalamata olive – halved

1 C water

1 tsp dried oregano

1/8 C Italian parsley

1/4 tsp dried red peppers flakes

2 cloves garlic- minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

In a large skillet heat olive oil and add skinless chicken thighs and cook until brown. Plate chicken and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

To skillet add onion, green and red pepper and saute until just soft. Add tomato sauce, garlic, parsley, kalamata olives, oregano, wine, water, dried red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and stir bring to strong simmer.

Add chicken thighs and cook at simmer for 35 minutes stirring occassionally.

Drain, wash, and add cannelini beans and simmer for 5 more minutes.

And that’s it, you just made a killer home cooked Tuscan Chicken dinner.

AND STUFF

OK I admit it, I’m an airplane geek. I love jets and acrobatic flying. So its no wonder I go to the Miramar Air Show every now and then. I have dragged all my kids and sometimes their friends to the show. She Who Must Be Obeyed has gone at least 3 times. So, couple weeks ago when I announced I was going again, and asked who wanted to come with, the sound was….. ah there was no sound. More to the point no one wanted to go. Suppose I could have been put off, but that’s not how I roll. This time I would go alone and have the freedom to look at and do every darn thing I wanted. From sadness to opportunity in the blink of an eye.

I wanted to arrive when the gates opened so I could see everything without crowds. The alarm clock went off at 5:30 a.m. (there was a moment of that what the heck am I doing feeling). And in no time I was on the road.

This year I bought a pass to the Semper Fi Chalet. Best $89.00 I ever spent. I got preferred parking, like a mile closer than normal, breakfast, lunch, beer and wine, and beer, oh and both covered and outside seating stage center for all the action. Really a killer deal. It was a beautiful sunny day so it was nice to take a break from the sun every now and then in the Chalet (huge 3 sided tent).

So what does an airplane geek do when he is one of the few early birds on the tarmac and the whole place is his? I got this cool shot of a C5A tail while laying on my back.

My kids would have been so embarrassed. Moving along I had the opportunity to get a shot of a Predator with missiles under its wings. Note the guard, he’s looking at me like I suspect my son would have while I got the perfect shot.

And let’s not forget the Raptor, the absolute state of the art fighter in the world (in photo demonstrating how it opens it’s weapons door).

But at the end of the day it all goes back to the brave young men and women on the ground fighting for our freedom.

The real stars of the show, as always, are the young marines.

So, Roger’s big adventure went off without a hitch. and now my airplane fix is satisfied for a year…. Oh what the heck, how abut one more really cool photo.