Before the month ends,I thought I better get the next 3 food storage meals out. Sorry for the delay, I can't believe it is already the 11Th! These are all simple and concocted to use little heat and to use ingredients that don't have to be refrigerated. Hopefully we will be able to add fresh ingredients to these meals, but....just in case... we all need to prepare for the worse. Here are my next three worse case scenario meals.
Bow Tie Pasta with Pesto, Chicken and Sun dried Tomatoes
1 Bag of bow tie pasta
1 Jar of Pesto, small,I like Fresh n Easy brand!
1 Jar of Sun Dried Tomatoes, small
1 Pint of canned chicken, homemade pressure cooked kind. Meatless is also fine.
Cook pasta and toss altogether and heat till warm. Serve with some warm french bread and if we are lucky, a great salad.
Fried Rice with veggies and bacon
4 cups cooked rice
1/2 to 1 lb carrots, fresh or equivalent dried
1 yellow onion, chopped or 1/2 cup dried
6 cloves garlic (minced garlic in jars store for quite a while)
1 lb bacon or bacon bits
3 tsp beef bullion
1 tsp sesame oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup soy sauce
Garlic powder
onion powder
pepper
eggs, fresh or whole eggs dried
Cook rice. In pan, heat some oil, add cooked bacon or bacon bits and add 1/2 tsp onion powder/ 1/2 tsp garlic powder/ 1/4 tsp black pepper. Saute to release flavors. Add veggies and cook until soft. If using dehydrated veggies, reconstitute first and cook just until tender. Add same amount of seasonings again. Add cooked rice. Add soy sauce. Scramble eggs in separate pan, as many as wanted and season with 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp pepper. Chop eggs in pan and add to rice. You can add peas also if desired.
BBQ Pizza Chicken
Pizza dough recipe
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp yeast in 1/4 cup warm water
1 T. olive oil
Mix yeast in measuring cup with 1/4 cups warm water. Let yeast get foamy. Put 3 cups of flour in bowl with salt. Mix and stir in 1 1/2 cups water, oil and yeast mixture. Mix with spoon until sticky. Add more flour until the dough is only slightly sticky. Let rest for 8 minutes. Knead again until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rise for 4 hours.
Can also be made with half the flour whole grain.
BBQ sauce
Canned Chicken
Dried Bell Peppers/red peppers
onions
Roll out dough, spread BBQ sauce on top, chopped chicken, veggies that have been reconstituted. If you have fresh veggies and cheese, layer it on top. If not, this is a cheesless pizza but still tasty. Bake on 400 until golden brown and done on the bottom.
*** I had an email wanting the hamburger bun recipe to go with the BBQ beef sandwiches. Here you go:
Hamburger Buns
preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place in Bosch with dough hook , or whatever you have:
4 cups warm water
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup gluten
8 cups whole wheat flour or grain mixture (add more later)
3 T. yeast
Mix until moistened. Let rise until it reaches to the top of the bowl.
Add: 1 T. Salt
Add enough flour until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Add back in 2-3 T. water. Knead for 5 minutes. Form large balls, 6 per cookie sheet on parchment paper if you have it. Let rise for 45 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 until golden brown. Brush with butter while still hot.
(form Healthy Recipes Cookbook)
I also had a request for a recipe for a healthy cream of mushroom soup. I personally do not ever use it so I don't have one but they are all over the web. I prefer recipes that make their own sauces, not ones you make before hand. But, there are some decent versions out there, I just have never tried one to recommend one. If someone has one out there, post a comment for our readers please.
Thanks
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a coconut oil junkie. My very favorite brand is the Tropical Traditions. It is very high quality, the best I have found. It is great for cooking with and the best feeling oil for skin. It is all I use for skincare. I usually pay $35 for a pint but my new friend, Melissa is ordering it in bulk and getting a 1 gallon for $60. If you are interested, she needs the money by March 16th. Email me if you want in on this deal and I will give you her info.
When Life Gives You Lemons.....
Make........Lemonade Syrup for delicious instant homemade lemonade, without the high fructose corn syrup.
Ooey, Gooey lemon bars for Family Night.
Lemon cubes for later uses in recipes when you don't get the free lemons from neighbors trees.
Scrumptious Lemon Chicken Pasta from "My Kitchen Cafe" Blog. A must try.
All this brought to you by the hands of one cute little 6 year old lemon squeezer who squeezed till the hands were pruney! Thanks Tallin. You Rock!
A special thanks goes out to our friends the Greenwalds for all the lemons and citrus this season. We are deeply saddened that the free and delicious oranges giving us fresh squeezed juice daily are no longer and that we will have to buy lemons for our daily liver cleanse. Till next year! Also, thanks to my photographer, Randi, my sweet daughter who makes my blog look a little better.
Fresh Squeezed lemonade, nothing better.
Lemon cubes for later uses in recipes when you don't get the free lemons from neighbors trees.
Scrumptious Lemon Chicken Pasta from "My Kitchen Cafe" Blog. A must try.
All this brought to you by the hands of one cute little 6 year old lemon squeezer who squeezed till the hands were pruney! Thanks Tallin. You Rock!
A special thanks goes out to our friends the Greenwalds for all the lemons and citrus this season. We are deeply saddened that the free and delicious oranges giving us fresh squeezed juice daily are no longer and that we will have to buy lemons for our daily liver cleanse. Till next year! Also, thanks to my photographer, Randi, my sweet daughter who makes my blog look a little better.
If you too have lemons at your doorstep or on your trees, please don't waste them. They are so good for you and freeze beautifully. Also, check out Kara's blog under "Hey good looking" link... for yummy lemon curd.
Lemonade Syrup
(Chef Brad Recipe)
2 C. sugar
1 C. water
rind of 2 lemons, cut into strips
1/8 tsp salt
6 lemons, juiced
Boil sugar, water and lemon rind for 5 minutes. Cool and add juice of lemons. Strain the syrup and store in covered container in fridge. Last several weeks. Add a few tablespoons to a cold glass of water to desired taste.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Grow boxes
Arlon Smith, friend and owner of a landscape business is offering grow boxes built, delivered with soil included and distributed on premises. He has various sizes but for an idea, the 4X4 is $75. That is for delivery in the Gilbert, Queen Creek area. If it is much farther, there may be a slightly higher cost. You may call Paula at 480-323-8480 for more details. So worth it! It takes the hard work out of it. All you have to do is buy the plants and plug them in. sinchy.
Gardening Q & A
To try to answer the emails I received about organic gardening, I will tell you all I know. Maybe it isn't much but my food does grow and I get great crops. I am a simple Gardner. I feel that more is not always better. There are a million things you can add to a garden but the basics are really the only things needed.
First, you need good soil. If this is your first time gardening, it may take a few years to get a really great garden since the soil gets richer each year. You can still have a successful first year but it does get better. If you are doing a small grow box type garden, it is wise to just purchase a garden mixture from the store. If you want to go bigger, you can order some premixed garden dirt , if in AZ, I recommend Pioneer rock. If you are going to use the ground that came with the house, you need some muscle, a rototiller, manure, gypsum, Ammonium phosphate and sand. I can't give you exact measurements as it depends on the area but email me if you have questions on that.
Second, and very important, WORMS! Worms break down the soil and leave the soil rich in organic material. You need the red wiggler variety. I purchased mine on line from Ray's Worm Ranch. How does one get to be a worm rancher? Anyways, it doesn't take much as these little guys reproduce quickly. They need moist soil and they get to work.
Third, water. This is where you will kill the garden. It needs to be regular and deep. There are many systems. You can bury a water drip system in the ground but I just do the old standby of a hose on slow flow until my rows are swimming. In warmer weather, I water every other day. Just watch the ground. I don't wait for it to be dry, I water when is just beginning to look a little dry on top of the rows, the middle still wet. The plants will also tell you. If they are turning yellow, too much water. Some leaves at first will loose some leaves as they turn yellow but this is usually just root shock from planting them. The plants that have been in for a little while should not turn yellow unless it is a water issue.
Fourth, Structure; rows or flat. I like the rows mostly because it keeps the water in the sides and it just looks pretty. It raises the plants up a bit so that the fruits of the vine don't rest in the water also. But, I have done the flat bed gardening and that works too. That also is a good option if you have a smaller area and need to cram in as much as possible. Just make sure that you follow the guides on the plants or seeds for spacing. You don't want to choke out the plants.
Fifth, feeding the garden. Sometimes I put in some miracle grow which is wonderful. It really makes the plants take off and produce in higher quantities. I have regularly turned in cow manure every time I planted until I had my mulch bin. It is cheap and organic although stinky at first. When the garden was still in the early years, I would also turn in gypsum and sand before planting since I was gardening in the ground and my ground was still hard. After that, just cow manure and miracle grow. Now, just compost. The compost bin was free from the city. I don't know if they still do that but they just delivered it to my door step. You can get them anywhere, cheap and simple or complex and expensive. Stay with cheap. It works. Keep in next to your garden so you can easily dump garden scraps into it. It doesn't smell. You want to remember a few things to keep the mulch pile successful. Turn in up regularly with a shovel so that it gets mixed up and allows air in their. You want a good balance between leaves and grass type mulch and kitchen scraps. Layering is good. So, if you pile a heap of orange peels and apples you then want to add some grass or leaves next time. It helps keep the flies down and helps with the gas mixture of nitrogen to some other gas I can't remember. Google it. I keep a plastic container under my sink with a lid. I just throw in the scraps and dump it when it is full. Do not put anything with oils, dairy or meat in their. Just fruits, veggies, egg shells and plain noodles. If there are bigger things like watermelon rinds, just chop them up a bit. Don't put in sticks and wood chips. It takes too long to break down. Add a little soil to your mulch bin at first that has some worms in it. It will help the process. I also put a little water in their now and then if it looks dry. You don't want it dripping but it needs to be moist. It will take quite a few months for it to be good and dark. You will be amazed at how much you can add to this. It does break down quickly. When it is ready, turn it into the soil. It will get your soil dark and fertilized like it should be. You may be surprised as some of my bloggies commented when you get a mystery plant pop up from scraps that were in the mulch pile. It just adds more fun to the game!
Sixth, pests. Since my garden is organic and that is the goal of having a garden, no pesticides, I don't want to then add them just to kill pests. There are ways to avoid it. If you have white flies, you can go out before the sun is on the plants and spray down the plants. It will shoe off the white flies. They will return daily but doing this in the morning will help tremendously. Some years they come, some they don't. They will eat the leaves so watch out. They hide under leaves so you can wash under the leaves too if you want. Also watch for bugs and worms that hang on the leaves. Just pick them off. You can make a spray bottle of rosemary water that bugs don't like. Just take some fresh rosemary, put it in some water and boil it a bit. It will release the flavor. Spray on the plants after the water is cool of course. Other than that, I just inspect the plants regularly. Most years I don't get pests. Some years I do. You can also a little mixture of a good green natural dish soap with water on the leaves, not the food part of the plant. Some pests are friends. Lady bugs and bees. You want these. Bees are needed for pollination. If you plant allysum flowers next to your squash and tomato plants, the bees will come. The flowers also smell great, like honey. Likewise, marigolds help bugs stay away. I plant flowers along the borders sometimes to help with this. You may occasionally have a vine borer problem. This is a worm that gets into the vine for plants like tomatoes and squash. Not much you can do here, just clip that vine off that has been eaten from the inside and hopefully that will keep the worm from eating other vines. Sometimes they come from the store infected. Sometimes you will get a diseased tomato plant from the store or it will catch root rot where the bottoms of the tomatoes turn black. I have had that happen a few times. Not much to do here either. Mostly, I have been successful. Just look at the plants regularly to see if there is a problem. It really is not too time consuming once you get started.
Other than that, those are my tricks. I check for weeds regularly and clean it up a bit now and then. You can do so much more if you want. Shading tomato plants when it gets too hot with a screen type fabric. Set up trellises for vine plants , etc. I just keep it simple. It seems to work. You need sun so make sure you set up the garden in an area where it will get at least 6 hours of sun a day if not more. Watch for shading by the house.
Anymore questions, let me know. If I don't know it, I have a great contact who is a pro and I can ask him. Good luck! It really is easy once you start. I have a friend who is has a landscape business and is going to sell premade grow boxes and soil, delivered to your home. I will get prices soon so watch for that. How could it be an simpler that that. If you are just planting now, start with plants, not seeds if possible. Summer in AZ shortens our growing time so you need to get a head start.
Have fun!
First, you need good soil. If this is your first time gardening, it may take a few years to get a really great garden since the soil gets richer each year. You can still have a successful first year but it does get better. If you are doing a small grow box type garden, it is wise to just purchase a garden mixture from the store. If you want to go bigger, you can order some premixed garden dirt , if in AZ, I recommend Pioneer rock. If you are going to use the ground that came with the house, you need some muscle, a rototiller, manure, gypsum, Ammonium phosphate and sand. I can't give you exact measurements as it depends on the area but email me if you have questions on that.
Second, and very important, WORMS! Worms break down the soil and leave the soil rich in organic material. You need the red wiggler variety. I purchased mine on line from Ray's Worm Ranch. How does one get to be a worm rancher? Anyways, it doesn't take much as these little guys reproduce quickly. They need moist soil and they get to work.
Third, water. This is where you will kill the garden. It needs to be regular and deep. There are many systems. You can bury a water drip system in the ground but I just do the old standby of a hose on slow flow until my rows are swimming. In warmer weather, I water every other day. Just watch the ground. I don't wait for it to be dry, I water when is just beginning to look a little dry on top of the rows, the middle still wet. The plants will also tell you. If they are turning yellow, too much water. Some leaves at first will loose some leaves as they turn yellow but this is usually just root shock from planting them. The plants that have been in for a little while should not turn yellow unless it is a water issue.
Fourth, Structure; rows or flat. I like the rows mostly because it keeps the water in the sides and it just looks pretty. It raises the plants up a bit so that the fruits of the vine don't rest in the water also. But, I have done the flat bed gardening and that works too. That also is a good option if you have a smaller area and need to cram in as much as possible. Just make sure that you follow the guides on the plants or seeds for spacing. You don't want to choke out the plants.
Fifth, feeding the garden. Sometimes I put in some miracle grow which is wonderful. It really makes the plants take off and produce in higher quantities. I have regularly turned in cow manure every time I planted until I had my mulch bin. It is cheap and organic although stinky at first. When the garden was still in the early years, I would also turn in gypsum and sand before planting since I was gardening in the ground and my ground was still hard. After that, just cow manure and miracle grow. Now, just compost. The compost bin was free from the city. I don't know if they still do that but they just delivered it to my door step. You can get them anywhere, cheap and simple or complex and expensive. Stay with cheap. It works. Keep in next to your garden so you can easily dump garden scraps into it. It doesn't smell. You want to remember a few things to keep the mulch pile successful. Turn in up regularly with a shovel so that it gets mixed up and allows air in their. You want a good balance between leaves and grass type mulch and kitchen scraps. Layering is good. So, if you pile a heap of orange peels and apples you then want to add some grass or leaves next time. It helps keep the flies down and helps with the gas mixture of nitrogen to some other gas I can't remember. Google it. I keep a plastic container under my sink with a lid. I just throw in the scraps and dump it when it is full. Do not put anything with oils, dairy or meat in their. Just fruits, veggies, egg shells and plain noodles. If there are bigger things like watermelon rinds, just chop them up a bit. Don't put in sticks and wood chips. It takes too long to break down. Add a little soil to your mulch bin at first that has some worms in it. It will help the process. I also put a little water in their now and then if it looks dry. You don't want it dripping but it needs to be moist. It will take quite a few months for it to be good and dark. You will be amazed at how much you can add to this. It does break down quickly. When it is ready, turn it into the soil. It will get your soil dark and fertilized like it should be. You may be surprised as some of my bloggies commented when you get a mystery plant pop up from scraps that were in the mulch pile. It just adds more fun to the game!
Sixth, pests. Since my garden is organic and that is the goal of having a garden, no pesticides, I don't want to then add them just to kill pests. There are ways to avoid it. If you have white flies, you can go out before the sun is on the plants and spray down the plants. It will shoe off the white flies. They will return daily but doing this in the morning will help tremendously. Some years they come, some they don't. They will eat the leaves so watch out. They hide under leaves so you can wash under the leaves too if you want. Also watch for bugs and worms that hang on the leaves. Just pick them off. You can make a spray bottle of rosemary water that bugs don't like. Just take some fresh rosemary, put it in some water and boil it a bit. It will release the flavor. Spray on the plants after the water is cool of course. Other than that, I just inspect the plants regularly. Most years I don't get pests. Some years I do. You can also a little mixture of a good green natural dish soap with water on the leaves, not the food part of the plant. Some pests are friends. Lady bugs and bees. You want these. Bees are needed for pollination. If you plant allysum flowers next to your squash and tomato plants, the bees will come. The flowers also smell great, like honey. Likewise, marigolds help bugs stay away. I plant flowers along the borders sometimes to help with this. You may occasionally have a vine borer problem. This is a worm that gets into the vine for plants like tomatoes and squash. Not much you can do here, just clip that vine off that has been eaten from the inside and hopefully that will keep the worm from eating other vines. Sometimes they come from the store infected. Sometimes you will get a diseased tomato plant from the store or it will catch root rot where the bottoms of the tomatoes turn black. I have had that happen a few times. Not much to do here either. Mostly, I have been successful. Just look at the plants regularly to see if there is a problem. It really is not too time consuming once you get started.
Other than that, those are my tricks. I check for weeds regularly and clean it up a bit now and then. You can do so much more if you want. Shading tomato plants when it gets too hot with a screen type fabric. Set up trellises for vine plants , etc. I just keep it simple. It seems to work. You need sun so make sure you set up the garden in an area where it will get at least 6 hours of sun a day if not more. Watch for shading by the house.
Anymore questions, let me know. If I don't know it, I have a great contact who is a pro and I can ask him. Good luck! It really is easy once you start. I have a friend who is has a landscape business and is going to sell premade grow boxes and soil, delivered to your home. I will get prices soon so watch for that. How could it be an simpler that that. If you are just planting now, start with plants, not seeds if possible. Summer in AZ shortens our growing time so you need to get a head start.
Have fun!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
If only there were 30 hours a day....
When one of my children was a little bity, he would ask me at the table , "Can I please be full now?" I always thought that was funny. Although irrational, it made perfect sense. After this week, I want to ask, "Can I be full now?" I was sure it was Tuesday all day today. I even took my son to the wrong therapist. I concluded that it was I who needed the therapist....or, just 6 more hours in the day. Where does the time all go? Oh yea, hours upon hours looking for a car, another few hours having the new car serviced for a squeaky belt, Art masterpiece, driving 80 miles alone today, volunteering at the school, ball games, track meets, carpool, etc. You all know how it goes. I am constantly amazed at the demands of life. I just want to stay home and make bread. That was the plan today, and yesterday....and....the day before. Another day my children will go to school with rolled up ham, no bread for a sandwich. I really should have just scrapped the whole idea and bought a darn loaf of not as good bread, oh, one thing....no time for the store. There's my pity party. So much on the list to do, so little crossed off. But, one big thing that did get done, my garden. I feel relieved. The more I read and learn about what is in these genetically modified grocery store produce and how the world is not producing enough since farmers are wanting to all switch to corn and soy for bio fuel, the more I know that we all need to do this. However small or grand, we all need to start. It is all part of that "self sufficient" thing. We can't rely on others to provide for us. If you haven't started one yet, there is still time. Grab a grow box, planter, whatever. Plant at least one tomato plant. One of something. It will hook you. You will feel like you made something amazing. Here is how we spent our Saturday.
The Hired Help, aka, my husband. He works for favors. He was the mulch guy, digging out the organic mulch we have been brewing for the last 10 months. Yummy.
The Harvest. All hand made, beautiful, delicious.
.jpg)
The kids in action, a few of mine, one recruited neighbor. Their job: Pea Pickers.The vines were pulled out and they had to find the peas and harvest. Thanks boys!
The new garden is in. This was the first year I used my own hand made mulch from my mulch bin. I have filled that thing up 20 plus times. It is amazing that it just keeps shrinking down and made some great soil. We emptied it into the garden and were able to fill it up with the old garden vines and scraps. I felt so "GREEN' that I didn't have to use any garbage bags and loved that I didn't have to put cow poop in the garden for organic matter. It smelled much better. I expect a great crop this year! I can't wait for the fresh tomatoes. I have planted tomatillos, romas, early girls, red bells, chilis, onions, several herbs, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce and potatoes. Hurray for me. Now, for all of you who are waiting on return emails, I apologize. I will get to you, except for the few of you who I accidentally erased the letter. Try again if it has been a while. I am sure that I am loosing it a bit. If only it really was still Tuesday. I could use a couple extra days this week. And, this Saturday will be a perfect day to put in a garden. Just keep that in mind.
The Hired Help, aka, my husband. He works for favors. He was the mulch guy, digging out the organic mulch we have been brewing for the last 10 months. Yummy.
The Harvest. All hand made, beautiful, delicious.
.jpg)
The kids in action, a few of mine, one recruited neighbor. Their job: Pea Pickers.The vines were pulled out and they had to find the peas and harvest. Thanks boys!
The new garden is in. This was the first year I used my own hand made mulch from my mulch bin. I have filled that thing up 20 plus times. It is amazing that it just keeps shrinking down and made some great soil. We emptied it into the garden and were able to fill it up with the old garden vines and scraps. I felt so "GREEN' that I didn't have to use any garbage bags and loved that I didn't have to put cow poop in the garden for organic matter. It smelled much better. I expect a great crop this year! I can't wait for the fresh tomatoes. I have planted tomatillos, romas, early girls, red bells, chilis, onions, several herbs, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, lettuce and potatoes. Hurray for me. Now, for all of you who are waiting on return emails, I apologize. I will get to you, except for the few of you who I accidentally erased the letter. Try again if it has been a while. I am sure that I am loosing it a bit. If only it really was still Tuesday. I could use a couple extra days this week. And, this Saturday will be a perfect day to put in a garden. Just keep that in mind.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Preparing Wisely weekly discount....
My good friends at Preparing Wisely have just emailed me their wholesale specials for the next week, maybe longer.... Great bargains so don't miss out! You may want to call first to see if they still have some as they will go fast. If they don't , they can reorder.
Organic raisins, 5 lb $15
Organic raisins, 30 lb $65
Regular raisins, 30 lb $45
18 oz Agave Nectar regular $10, now $6.75
Raisins can be stored in mason jars vacuum sealed with the foodsaver mason jar attachment. They last for years. They can also be sealed in bags. I will definitely be taking advantage of this deal.
The Agave Nectar is now a basic staple in my house for sweetening. It can replace sugar 1 for 1. It tastes much like corn syrup so no after taste. It is a great alternative to sugar as it doesn't raise your blood sugar levels like sugar and is all natural made from the Agave plant. It is great on cereal, in recipes, with fruit, etc.
Thanks Tracey and Troy for these great deals! Check out their link to the right for all kinds of great deals! They have solar ovens, first aide items and containers also.
Organic raisins, 5 lb $15
Organic raisins, 30 lb $65
Regular raisins, 30 lb $45
18 oz Agave Nectar regular $10, now $6.75
Raisins can be stored in mason jars vacuum sealed with the foodsaver mason jar attachment. They last for years. They can also be sealed in bags. I will definitely be taking advantage of this deal.
The Agave Nectar is now a basic staple in my house for sweetening. It can replace sugar 1 for 1. It tastes much like corn syrup so no after taste. It is a great alternative to sugar as it doesn't raise your blood sugar levels like sugar and is all natural made from the Agave plant. It is great on cereal, in recipes, with fruit, etc.
Thanks Tracey and Troy for these great deals! Check out their link to the right for all kinds of great deals! They have solar ovens, first aide items and containers also.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Car for sale?
As you all know, my car is no longer and I need a replacement. To me, there is nothing worse than car shopping so if by some chance out there someone has an expedition with under 50k miles and a 5.4 L engine they want to sell, email me asap. I would love to stay away from the car lots. Just checking.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Greek Chicken Pitas
Wish I had taken a picture of MY Greek Chicken Pitas before they were devoured but you will just have to settle for this copied image to get the idea. This dinner was great and my son wants to make sure that I give him credit for the meal. I picked him up from baseball at 5:30 with the intent to go home and put together a pasta dish, never one of his favorite choices. He told me he just felt like something refreshing, like Greek lemon potatoes. By the time we got home, it was already pushing 6 but I felt like going for mother of the year and indulging him in making a dinner he craved. (They usually suffer from"whatever mom feels like eating" meals). I had no idea what was going to go with the potatoes but they were peeled, tossed with ingredients and sent into the oven . I had 30 minutes to make something else to call dinner. The theme was now obviously Greek so here is what came next; it was delicious and well received.
I had some garlic Naan bread in the freezer, always a staple from Fresh & Easy. You can use whole wheat or regular or any type of flat bread. A regular pocket pita just wouldn't be the same. Just before you serve the meal, you want to heat up the bread in some olive oil on each side just until golden and a little bubbly crisp. Keep warm.
For the chicken, this is best if actually planned ahead of time but it worked:
1 lemon, squeezed
1/2 cup water
2 T. Greek Seasoning, I used McCormicks
1/2 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
Put about 8 chicken tenders in the marinade and let sit for at least 15 minutes.
While marinating, make the following dressing:
Tzatziki Sauce
2/3 cup Greek yogurt or plain
1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 T. finely chopped chives
2 T. fresh dill, chopped or 2 tsp. dried
1 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
mix and let sit in fridge until ready to use
Now, to put together; Cook chicken in the skillet in all marinade on medium until no longer pink. Most of the marinade should be soaked up. You can also grill the chicken if you marinade it longer.
Slice chicken in small pieces, chop lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber. Put sauce , at least 2 Tb. on one side of golden Naan bread, layer chicken, lettuce, tomato,cucumber and feta if desired. Season if needed with pepper and salt. Yummy! You could also add some cooked millet if desired for added nutrition.
I had already blogged about the lemon potatoes so if you want to try those out also, check under the recipe label for "Greek for a day".
Thanks, Bryant for "helping" me with this delicious dinner.
Friday, February 20, 2009
A Public Thank You to my Angels
Just in case my guardian angels like to read my blog, I need to make a public thank you for their great work yesterday. My car was totalled, my big SUV. I was hit on one side and went head on into a light pole (my fault, women drivers you know). The car mangled, all windows blown out. The blessed angels were with me and my little Tate. These angels let me know before hand to leave the car seat in the middle just as I was about to relocate the car seat to the side for ease in strapping him, a little prompting that I have no doubt saved his life as that was the initial impact point. The same angels also reminded me that I had a 50 pound bucket of wheat in the back seat just behind Tate that would have been hurled forward right at us if not removed. A little bruised, a lot stiff and sore, but....we are here. We are so truly blessed.
I am so amazed at how wonderful my friends and family have been with endless calls, snacks and meals to make sure we are OK. Just a reminder to me that I need to be better at service for others. I now have great acts of random kindness to repay so watch out.
I will get back to blogging soon so check back in a few days, need a little time to work out the kinks in my neck. Thank you all. Thank you angels.
I am so amazed at how wonderful my friends and family have been with endless calls, snacks and meals to make sure we are OK. Just a reminder to me that I need to be better at service for others. I now have great acts of random kindness to repay so watch out.
I will get back to blogging soon so check back in a few days, need a little time to work out the kinks in my neck. Thank you all. Thank you angels.
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