September 2010 – Page 4 – The Pajama Chef

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

September 13, 2010September 9, 2015 Sarah

As I have said before on this blog, Mexican food is the best. [See here, here, and here if you don’t believe me! Or even if you do. :)] I could eat it for days on end, I think. I’m always on the lookout for new recipes, because a girl can only have tacos so many times! When I saw this recipe on Iowa Girl Eats, I was instantly intrigued because it looked so easy and so tasty. I knew I had to make it, and so I did on a recent weekend day. [I have this fear of fire, and it just makes me nervous to leave a crock pot on all day while we’re away, especially with our low kitchen cabinets (no counterspace without cabinets over it) and our kitty who enjoys hanging out on the kitchen counters when we don’t chase her off… so crock pot recipes are reserved for days when we’ll be home.]

We found this dish to be so flavorful! I love how Ben put it when he said that the zest of the seasonings combined with the taste of each individual ingredient gave it a distinct Southwestern or Tex-Mex feel. I really enjoyed how the toppings of cheese, sour cream, green onions, lettuce, and cilantro blended with the rice and chicken to bring everything together and make every bite different and unique. Don’t skimp on the fresh cilantro or green onions–you’ll regret it if you do! 🙂

This chicken is also really versatile. Initially, we ate it on a bed of rice [brown for me, white for him] and scooped up more with tortilla chips. Then… I made oven-baked burritos–just roll up tortillas stuffed with the chicken filling and a slab of cream cheese [sounds weird, but tastes amazingly creamy] and place in an oven-safe baking dish in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until crispy. Top with shredded cheese the last few minutes of baking and with other toppings after it comes out of the oven and before it enters your mouth. Finally, I made nachos. No matter how you serve it, you will find it yum-a-licious!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

Servings: 10+
Time: 7-8 hours
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from Iowa Girl Eats

Ingredients:

15 ounces chicken broth
15 ounces canned diced tomatoes with green chili peppers
15 ounces canned black beans, drained and rinsed
8-10 ounces frozen corn
3 green onions, chopped + more for serving
1 teaspoon dried cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro [also called coriander]
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper [or more if you like a lot more kick]
1 pound chicken breasts, thawed
fresh cilantro, chopped for serving
cheese for serving
sour cream for serving
lettuce for serving

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a crock pot with the exception of the fresh cilantro and the additional green onion for serving [but do put in the 3 chopped green onion… pieces? stalks? stems? What are they called? Anyone??!]. Cook on low for 7 hours. If you’re in a rush, you could probably cook it on high for 3-4 hours but I haven’t tested that out.

Remove the chicken breasts and shred with 2 forks or a combination of fork and fingers if you’re like me. 🙂 Return to crock pot, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve over cooked rice or tortilla chips, or in tortilla shells. The possibilities are endless! Top with any combination of green onions, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and lettuce.

Notes:

This recipe makes enough to feed a crowd or feed two people many times. I think we’ve each had about 5 servings and we still have plenty more waiting in the freezer for a busy day. So have your tupperware on the ready!

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

September 12, 2010November 6, 2010 Sarah

So, last week’s meals ended up being pretty different from my plan. I was sick all week with a yucky cold so hardly any of the meals planned were executed, and I didn’t feel up to working on the blog very much at all. However, I did learn a few things throughout this period of illness, presented in list format for my husband’s sake.

There are many ways to prepare toast and it is quite delicious.
A person can only drink so much orange juice.
Emergen-C packets, though often available as free samples, are not so tasty as the advertising leads one to believe.
Breathe Right strips are the difference between sleeping and not sleeping. Tuesday night, sans Breathe Right=waking up myself and my husband almost every hour from 10 pm to 7 am [and not falling asleep for nearly two hours from 8 pm when I tried to go to bed to 10-something when I actually fell asleep. That’s rare for me!]. Wednesday night with the magic of a Breathe Right strip=sweet, sweet dreams.
Whole Grain Hamburger Helper is still as gross as regular Hamburger Helper, but my husband still loves it so that’s all that counts. [Note: I tried a bite. Not my thing. No thank you! I promptly made myself (or had Ben make me more likely) another helping of toast with a side of banana. And tea. Or OJ.]

That being said… look for some new recipes and fun posts this week! 🙂

Week of September 13

Monday: fish… prepared by Ben!

Tuesday: a variation of Macaroni Lasagna by Sound Eats

Wednesday: pancakes

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: calzones

Saturday: out to eat

Sunday: pork shoulder… recipe TBA but I’m considering a blueberry sauce… any suggestions?

Breakfast, Granola, Recipes

Tropical Granola

September 8, 2010September 13, 2014 Sarah

Even though school has started, I’m not quite ready for summer to end. Labor Day traditionally marks the end of summer, but in actuality summer goes until September 22. So, to celebrate [and keep the feeling of summer alive as long as possible!], I decided to make some tropical granola. Because nothing is more summery than the tropics! 🙂 And, I have 10 pounds of oats from Costco to use up.

Sarah with 10 pounds of oatmeal. — 10 pounds! Gotta love bulk shopping.

Homemade granola sounds scary, but is actually really easy. I may never buy store-bought granola again. Feel free to mix and match based on your tastes and what’s in your pantry, and the seasons of course. I have some great ideas for wintery granolas…. yum!

Tropical Granola

Time: 60 minutes
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Ingredients:

4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup wheat germ
.81 ounces wheat bran [totally optional–I had a sample and just threw it in!]
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seeds
2/3 cup coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon + more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon ginger + more for sprinkling
1 ripe banana, mashed
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey
1 1/4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg white
1 1/2 cup dried fruit [I used about 3/4 cup chopped mango and 3/4 cup cubed papaya]
1 cup mixed nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. [Don’t follow my example with the Creamy Lemon Bars.:)]

In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, wheat bran, sunflower seeds, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. In a 2 cup measuring cup, mash banana and then mix in applesauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla. Using a wooden spoon, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and spread mixture into the prepared pans.

In a small bowl, whisk egg white until fluffy and frothy. Drizzle egg white over the granola mixture in the pans.

Pop pans in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and flip granola so it cooks evenly on all sides. You may also want to rotate the placement of pans in the oven based on how your oven cooks. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until your granola is crisp but not burned. I baked mine for 25 minutes and felt that it was too dark [at least the pan on the top rack], so next time I’ll probably take it out sooner.

Place pans on cooling racks to cool. Once granola is cool, mix in dried fruit and nuts and enjoy! I love mine as a topping over greek yogurt. Yum!

What are your favorite ways to enjoy granola?

Beef, Main Dishes, One Tablespoon Testosterone, Recipes

OTT: Chili Burgers

September 7, 2010September 9, 2015 Sarah

This is a guest post from my husband, Ben. Periodically, he has agreed to share some of his favorite recipes with you in a guest post column entitled One Tablespoon Testosterone, or OTT for short. View his other post here. Enjoy!

———-

Hello and welcome! I have returned for another edition of my guest post column. You may begin seeing me on a more regular basis (frightening, I know) as I will be performing the cooking duties on Monday nights this semester. So without further ado, I present the most recent meal I’ve made. As summer fades into the colorful hues of autumn, nights spent by the grill dwindle. So as a last ode to summer’s perfect grilling weather, I present the following recipe that has been adapted from the blog Delightful Country Cookin’.

Chili Burgers

Servings: 4
Time: 30 minutes + time to marinate
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from Delightful Country Cookin’

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon BBQ sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teasoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into medium size bowl, except the meat. Feel free to adjust the seasoning amounts or add some other delicious ingredients. To make it spicier, add some cajun seasoning and red pepper flakes and/or increase the amount of hot sauce. For BBQ burgers, get rid of the chili powder and significantly increase BBQ sauce. The way I made them was very strong on the chili flavoring, but make these marinated burgers with just about any combination of these or other spices and you should be well-pleased.

After this is all mixed together, take the meat and massage it into the meat. Then refrigerate for at least a couple of hours, even overnight (which is what I did). Let that flavor soak in.

Prepare your grill, whatever that involves for you. I go old school charcoal grill, but it’s a nice charcoal grill. Whatever you use, it should be a grill. That’s the point of this recipe, right? But anyway, form the meat into patties and place them on your charcoal/gas/Foreman grill. Cook to perfection. Remove burgers from grill. Eat burgers. Enjoy burgers. Think about bacon. Then enjoy another burger.

Until next time, enjoy my wife’s blog posts. I’m Ben, signing off with One Tablespoon Testosterone.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Spaghetti + Meatballs=Love

September 6, 2010December 8, 2015 Sarah

Spaghetti and meatballs. The Pioneer Woman has once again come through with an easy version of a classic dish everyone loves. There is so much to love about this recipe.

Spaghetti and Meatballs | thepajamachef.com #classic #recipe

I love that the meatballs are seasoned in an Italian-fashion, and not just like a variation of meatloaf (though I do love my meatloaf too).

I love that my husband thought the meatballs were some of the best he’d ever had.

I love that I wanted to eat the meatballs plain (and I don’t ever just want to eat meat to eat meat).

I love that the sauce was chunky with veggies and not pureed to oblivion.

I love that the sauce has a distinct wine flavor (but could be omitted if that’s not your thing).

I love that I got to use herbs from my balcony garden in both the sauce and the meatballs.

I love that I made this recipe on the second day of classes and it made extra that I can freeze and enjoy in week 8 when I am stressed out.

I love eating this dish, and smelling this dish, and tasting this dish, and making this dish, and loving this dish. And talking about this dish! So go make this dish. Yum!

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Servings: 6-8+
Time: 90 minutes
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from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

For the Meatballs…

1 pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
black pepper
milk
olive oil for frying

For the Sauce…

1/3 whole onion, minced
1/2 cup chopped peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons garlic powder
28 ounce can whole tomatoes
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
salt
black pepper
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/8 cup fresh oregano, minced
cooked spaghetti

Directions:

For the Meatballs…

Fill a large bowl with beef, garlic, bread crumbs, eggs, and Parmesan. Add a splash of milk and a sprinkling of ground black pepper. Then, use your hands to combine everything together. Mix it real well! Then roll it into 1″ balls, and place in 9×13″ or cookie sheet. This should make about 3 dozen meatballs. Place in refrigerator for at least 10 minutes to firm up, but you can leave them up to 24 hours. I made my meatballs in the morning and cooked them in the evening and it worked out great.

Spaghetti and Meatballs | thepajamachef.com #classic #recipe — One way to make (somewhat) meatballs that are all the same size is to press the meat mixture into the bottom of the pan and then cut it up into squares and form each square into an individual ball…

When you’re ready to cook the meatballs, heat olive oil in a heavy stock pot (or a skillet deep enough for the sauce ingredients too) on medium-high heat. Brown meatballs in batches of 8-10, depending on the size of the pan or pot. When meatballs are browned (be sure to flip frequently to brown on all sides), drain on paper towel(s) over a plate and set aside. Do NOT wash the pot. Use it to make the sauce. It will be so good.

For the sauce…

Using the same pot as before, cook onions, peppers, and garlic until soft. This should take a few minutes but not much more. Add tomatoes and wine and stir together. Then add sugar, parsley, oregano, a dash of salt, and a healthy sprinkling of ground black pepper. Mix together, then let cook uncovered for 20 minutes over medium heat. Add meatballs to the pot, stir to combine, and turn the heat down to low. Let simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir every so often and be sure to taste it during this portion and adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Meanwhile, make the pasta. Once the sauce is done, top pasta with sauce and extra Parmesan and enjoy!

Notes:

This makes a ton of sauce. Actually, about 8-9 cups. Not a ton, but close. For the two of us, this was more than enough for two generous servings for dinner, then one smaller serving to finish off the pasta I made (eaten another night as leftovers). Then, I froze the rest of the sauce and meatballs in 3 cup containers (full) for future dinners. You could decrease the amounts but I love the “work once, eat many times” approach here. 🙂