Chicken, Linguine and Crimini

Mar 2, 2012 by lovelypantry

I’m getting to like this business of freestyle cooking (cooking without a recipe). It adds a little mystery to meals. It’s kinda cute when my husband asks “whats cooking?” and I say “Oh, you’ll see *bats eyelashes*” when what I really mean to say is “Honey, I have no idea!”. I’ve always been pleasantly surprised at how great the meals turn out. I LOVE it. One of my recent freestyle meals was Smoked Paprika Chipotle Chicken with Spirali Pasta and Kale Pesto. I had ingredients that I wanted to use and I ran with it.

My ingredient for today’s post is Crimini Mushrooms. I can’t say that I’m a big fan, however I wanted to be adventurous and incorporate it into a meal. It’s a great thing to challenge yourself. I knew I wanted pasta, and I knew I wanted it creamy. I just wanted a quick way of doing it, while utilizing items in my Pantry. So anyway, the idea was born on a recent trip to the grocery store. Crimini Mushrooms were on sale so I grabbed a pack and here is what I came up with.

 

 

I will say, that when I am preparing a freestyle meal, I get really focused and sometimes I don’t get to take photographs of the process. So I only have the finished result today. It tasted great and I got my little man to eat it! He only questioned the mushrooms half way through, but he ate everything in his plate. You should have seen him slurping the pasta. The things that bring mothers joy. *insert big smile here*

 

 

Hows that for dinner in a jiffy?

Have a great weekend!!!

 

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Meatloaf & Smashed Potatoes

Feb 29, 2012 by lovelypantry

Have you ever had meatloaf before? It may sound strange to ask. But when I had meatloaf for the first time, I knew I was missing a great deal! I saw the recipe on Everyday Food and decided to give it a go. Of course, I made changes to their recipe. I generally do. Ha! I enjoyed preparing it but found that it’s really a lot of meat! I may have to find a way to prepare it differently or make mini meatloaves or something. All in all, it tasted great and the family enjoyed it. I chose to mix the meats to get the most flavour. Originally I was going to use the usual ground turkey but felt the flavour would not be rich enough. I’m sure there are many variations of meatloaf so if you’re a food blogger, and you happen to come across my version, please leave a comment and a link to your recipe. I’d love to see.

Oh, and as for the smashed mini potatoes – I saw Laura Calder do it and I thought it was hilarious! But after the first few times I did it, I found them to be cute little things. And I LOVE the taste of baked mini red potatoes. LOVE.

I have to tell you guys that my son ate his dinner with no fuss. Knowing that he would not eat meat for so long, and finally he’s eating like a “big boy” really makes me happy. My daughter is now going through this meatless phase, so I’m being patient with her but I look forward to when she can eat just like her brother. She might even start asking for broccoli or string beans with her dinner, just like her big brother! It’s a daily task, offering her different veggies, and foods, but she’s just 2 and still trying to figure it all out. I’m here to help and show her by example. A mother’s work is truly never done.

I’m proud of my first attempt at meatloaf. Here’s the recipe and photographs.

 

 

 

 

While taking into consideration the fact that some ovens are hotter than others, I wanted to ensure that the loaf was cooked through. You can never be too sure.

 

 

It looked great, and smelled wonderful. I couldn’t wait to cut it into slices.

 

 

The tomato sauce was so sweet… a perfect combination.

 

 

When will you be making meatloaf for your family?

 

 

Take care folks! See you again soon 🙂

 

 

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Chicken And Dumplings

Feb 27, 2012 by lovelypantry

I seemed to have developed a strange attraction and liking to dumplings. But not the dumplings that my mom or grandmother made. These dumplings are not the Caribbean way! But I just love them! I also love the way the chicken is cooked down into a stew. My husband loves how fluffy the dumplings are, and I totally agree.

This Chicken and Dumpling meal truly makes me happy. No leftovers whenever I make this 🙂

I know you guys loved the Chicken Soup With Dumplings. But THIS is where the party is at! LOL Yes, I love it that much.

 

 

Adapted from Everyday Food

 

 

This is a definite favourite for me. I just need to win the kids over and then this could be a weekly item. Too bad they are going through that funny texture phase.

 

 

Okay, I need to back away from the computer. I’m getting hungry for dumplings.

Have a great week, everyone!

 

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Chicken Soup With Dumplings

Feb 20, 2012 by lovelypantry

Some recipes show up when they are most needed. If ever there were a time that I needed something to comfort me and make me feel better, now would be it. Last week was a rough week. Between eye infections, visits to the doctor, a trip to the hospital and a root canal, I’d say the members of my family have been pretty active. I think this is the first time in my young family’s history where we’ve all been hit with “something” in such a short space of time. It was a lot to deal with but I sure hope we are finished. Mama’s got things to do.

To put everyone at ease, we are all doing much better now. Apparently we bounce back very well. I was the one who ended up at the hospital after picking a strange infection after frolicking in a pool. The following day I went in for a root canal. I’m still eating soft foods for now. Which of course sent me looking for recipes – ah! the silver lining! Today’s recipe  is from Everyday Food, Issue 89. It was just perfect. I’ve made it twice so far and plan to make it again this week.

These are not the dumplings my mother makes! I’ve never had dumplings like this before. They were so good! Making them was fun too. Scoop with two spoons and drop in the broth. Its way better than rolling the flour in your hands and getting all messy. 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this was a soup worth  making!

Happy Monday! And to all my  Canadians in ON, AB & SK – Happy Family Day!

 

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Chicken Rundown

Feb 6, 2012 by lovelypantry

 

 

Today’s recipe came to fruition from a simple request from a friend on Facebook. “Lyn, do you have a recipe for Rundown?” I love questions like this. Really I do.

I’ve only had Rundown twice in my life. It was Mackerel Rundown. And it tasted so GOOD. I had it with boiled dumplings and boiled green bananas. It wasn’t an attractive dish, but it was very nice. Which explains why I had it a second time. Rundown always seemed to be an exotic dish in my eyes. It was not a dish that was prepared in my own home growing up, and I had not met anyone who made it until I was an adult. Furthermore, I thought there was only one type of Rundown ~ Mackerel. As I jumped into my research, I found out that Rundown itself is in fact the sauce (Coconut Milk) in which the mackerel is cooked in. It only stood to reason that you could use Chicken. Right? I did see some recipes out there on the internet but they did not seem to be exactly what I wanted to do. So I just did it how I felt comfortable. As long as the basic ingredients are present, I’m quite happy to call my dish Chicken Rundown. Thanks to “Farmgirl” for asking me and getting my creative juices flowing!

It tasted good. Yes, I’ll make it again. I’ll even make it with scotch bonnet pepper! Maybe.

I served it with rice because I felt it paired better than if I tried to serve it with boiled dumplings.

 

 

 

I think this came out quite well. I’m toying with the idea of a vegetarian version using root veggies. Hmmmmm….

 

Happy Monday! Have a splendid week 🙂

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Lyn’s Oxtails

Feb 3, 2012 by lovelypantry

 

 

Oxtail is one of my most favourite and beloved dishes – ever. It’s a popular Jamaican meal which has a deep, rich flavour that I love so much. It’s a heavy meat so I choose not to eat it too often. I think its safe to say I have it about 3-4 times per year, at most. I’ve had it at a few restaurants here in Canada as well as in Jamaica but I’ve always been concerned with the taste and how it is prepared. Oxtails taste differently every where I go. Some places are better at preparing it than others, and that’s expected.

Traditionally, the Oxtails are seasoned (often overnight) then browned in oil before being cooked down in water over a few hours, and may include dumplings or as we call them in certain dishes – “spinners” (elongated shaped dumplings). This is how my maternal grandmother used to cook it for me and it took her hours! I have fond memories of her at the stove making it, because we both loved it so much. Alas, this is when I was young and slender and nothing could change my figure (LOL). So now that I’m older and more conscious of what I consume, I try to have my favourite things in moderation. I also find ways to prepare them that I find acceptable. For me, this means no frying in oil. This may not be acceptable to some traditionalists, and that is okay 🙂

I bake my Oxtails in the oven. I’ve been doing this for years and I’m thinking it tastes better than some of what I’ve had at restaurants… hmmm…

Here’s how I do it.

 

 

I should mention that there is usually a certain amount of “heat” in most Jamaican fare. And by “heat”, I’m referring to Jamaican Scotch Bonnet Pepper. If you wanted to add heat, I would probably add the pepper at the beginning and remove it half way through so that it does not burst. I personally cannot eat too much pepper because it gives me some major heartburn! Plus, my little ones palates are so darn sensitive. A little is fine though, it gives it a little extra kick.

There are so many variations of Oxtails that I would love to try. One of my Aunts introduced me to this method (as in, using the oven). Another Aunt of mine prepares her Ox with BEER. I think I’ll be giving her a call soon for that recipe 🙂

 

A special shout out to my cousin Shelley – Happy Birthday sweetie! This recipe is for you ~ now at least you’ll have it in writing 🙂

Take care, guys! Have an awesome weekend! ~ Lyn

 

 

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