Saturday, January 14, 2012

what's cookin', good lookin'?

...a common phrase my husband begins a good percentage of our conversations with when he comes in the house every night.  i usually answer with whatever it may be, which is, of course, received by a facial reaction.  after our eighth year together, i have gotten pretty good at deciphering these subtle hints.
this week has not been a week in which to boast about my meal planning and what i served, but there were a few gems.  we smoked a whole chicken on sunday and it made four meals for us!  the here are those recipes:


smoked chicken
ingredients:
5-7 lb. whole chicken
your choice of seasonings
charcoal/wood chucks
preparation:
unpackage chicken, remove the stuff inside, rinse, and pat dry.
rub down with your favorite spices - i just used some lawry's seasoning salt, but have created some elaborate rubs.  it really doesn't make all too much difference because you throw away the skin anyway and the smoker flavor is most predominant.
i think it smoked with charcoal and hickory for 4-5 hours; d takes care of the smoker!  :)
notes:
we would like to try a beer butt chicken on the smoker at some point, so if any of you have any great suggestions, please send them our way!


chicken enchiladas: i wanted something mexican but that didn't require me to run to the grocery store - i looked in the pantry and found i had everything i needed for a quick enchilada bake!
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded/cubed chicken (we had smoked a whole chicken on sunday and i shredded both breasts and had enough left over for chicken salad sandwiches... see recipe for that next!)
1 can cream of mushroom soup (i use the reduced sodium/reduced fat in all of my cooking) 
1 cup salsa
1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (& more for sprinkling on top)
1 can or recipe of enchilada sauce
preparation:
preheat oven to 400 degrees
mix chicken, soup, salsa, and cheese together in a bowl.  
scoop mixture into lower 1/3 of a burrito shell and roll up
place in greased 9x13 baking pan, seam side down
pour enchilada sauce over the top, covering each burrito
sprinkle more cheese on top
bake until heated through and cheese is melted - i baked 15 minutes, but could have gone 20-25
serve with your choice of typical toppings - lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, olives...


chicken salad: with the breast i had shredded but didn't need for the enchiladas, i repurposed for chicken salad sandwiches, but with a twist!
ingredients:
1/2-3/4 cup shredded/cubed chicken
1/2 c miracle whip/mayo
1/4 c finely diced onion
1 T mustard
1/2 t dill
1/2 t parsley
1/2 t thyme
s&p
red pepper flakes
drizzle of honey
preparation:
mix all ingredients and spread on your choice of bread.  
notes:  i don't like much spice, but the red pepper flakes added a whole spin on the typical chicken salad.  the dill was a nice change of pace as well, but with the onions, some bites tasted more like tarter sauce than chicken salad, so use your discretion with the amount of dill you use.


one skillet beef and noodles: needed a quick meal after getting home late from work one night this week.  i also had a half a jar of pasta sauce in the fridge that i needed to use.  kids despised it but i thought it was delicious.
ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1 can of mushrooms or 1/2-3/4 c sliced, fresh mushrooms
1 t minced garlic
s&p
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (i used 1/2 jar and 1/2-3/4 cup of water and it was not dry...)
3-4 oz velveeta (nice sized chunk - i'm estimating its volume)
8 oz. egg noodles (half of a bag)
water to cover
preparation:
brown beef, add s&p and garlic from the get-go
when beef is half done, add onion
when beef is almost done, add mushrooms and peppers and another dose of s&p
after beef is browned, add in to the same skillet the noodles
pour enough water to cover the noodles and stir to mix ingredients together
let mixture come to a boil and then reduce heat slightly
when noodles are done 7-9 minutes, add sauce and cheese
continue to heat and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are combined.
notes:
it would be equally delicious without the peppers.  also, cooking the noodles in the same skillet may add a slightly higher starch content to the dish as a whole, so if that is something you're concerned about for you or your family, consider boiling the noodles separately.  other noodles could be used - penne, rotini, elbow, etc. - i have found egg noodles to be the quickest cooking.

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