Food goodness

from Betty Crocker's Healthy Heart Cookbook (2005) 1 lb cut-up beef for stir-fry (we used chunks of chuck for stewing; next time we'll do a better cut of meat) 1 package (3 oz) oriental-flavor ramen noodle soup mix 1/2 cup Asian marinade and dressing (we used a teriyaki sauce, which was good) 1 bag (10 oz) romaine and leaf lettuce mix (next time, we'll probably use spinach) 1 cup fresh snow (Chinese) pea pods (couldn't find these, we defrosted a package of sugar snap peas, which worked out fine) 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots (from 10 oz bag) 1 can (11 oz) mandarin orange segments, drained Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Place beef in skillet; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon seasoning mix from soup mix. (Discard remaining seasoning mix.) Cook beef 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Break block of noodles from soup mix into small pieces. (I broke it up before opening the package....

from The Six O'Clock Scramble by Aviva Goldfarb 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 - 3 pounds) -- we used about 1 lb tenderloins 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon) 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled Preheat oven to 350. Place the chicken in a baking dish (I sprayed it with cooking spray first). Drizzle it with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Sprinkle it with the oregano and pepper. Top it with feta, then the remaining lemon juice. Bake the chicken for 30 minutes (about 20 for tenderloins) or until it is just cooked through in the thickest part. (Check it with a meat thermometer or sharp knife. The chicken should have an internal temperature of 160 degrees and no longer be pink on the inside.) Do not flip the chicken while cooking it. Goldfarb suggests serving this with couscous and steamed baby carrots (or raw carrots with dip).

Round 1 of A Year in Bread ! I think I have sufficiently convinced/browbeaten H., Shannon and hopefully Alissa to do it too -- I know H. has already made the pizza dough also. Short story: It was great. Long story: I went over to J.'s armed with three kinds of cheese, a thousand vegetables, fresh rosemary and basil, special bread flour, a new bottle of yeast, Trader Joe's pizza sauce, my new rising bowl from eBay and several hours in which do complete the task. I followed Susan's recipe , mostly because it was shortest and easiest, and it truly was short and easy. One mix, three minutes of kneading, two hours of rising, spreading out the dough on the pans... that was it. Truly, I have cooked more difficult things. I made one big pizza on a round pan and one small one on a cookie sheet. The big one had tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, peppers and red onions, basil and the cheese blend described in another one of the Year in Bread entries; the small one was sauce-less, with chee...

adapted from Food Network 1 pound small new red potatoes, scrubbed and dried 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary kosher salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pare a narrow strip of peel from the middle of each potato. In a large bowl mix the oil, garlic, and rosemary; add the potatoes and toss well. Transfer the potatoes to a shallow baking pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until potatoes are tender when tested with the tip of a knife. Serve hot.

Passover makes you get creative with the non-bread, non-pasta starch options, so I finally made this recipe from 101 Cookbooks that I'd had bookmarked forever. It was GOOD. I got a little carried away with the lime and put more on my second helping, and that was a mistake -- it's fine with just that initial little squirt but too tangy if you do more. The flavor combination is really interesting and good. 1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, cut into wedges 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil sea salt freshly ground pepper 1 lime 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Preheat oven to 375, oven racks in the middle. In a medium bowl toss the potato wedges with the olive oil, a few big pinches of sea salt and five or six cranks of the pepper grinder. Arrange the potatoes cut side down on a baking sheet. Place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, tossing the potatoes with a metal spatula half way through. While the potatoes are baking, zest the lime and cut it into a few wedges. When the potatoes are ...

from Bubbe's Kitchen 3 eggs 3 c. grated and drained potatoes 1/3 c. potato starch 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 onion, grated 2-4 vegetable oil or melted butter Beat eggs until thick. Stir in remaining ingredients. Turn mixture into greased preheated baking dish and bake at 350 for 1 hour, until browned. Serve hot.

from Bubbe's Kitchen 5 lb beef brisket 1 clove garlic, minced salt and pepper 2-3 large onions, sliced 1 c. orange juice 1 tsp. prepared mustard 2 tbsp. ketchup 1 tsp. brown sugar 1/2 c. sherry Rub meat well with garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. When ready to cook, spread half the sliced onions in bottom of a roasting pan. Place meat on top, fat side up. Combine remaining ingredients to make a sauce. Pour over the meat. Roast, uncovered, at 325 for 3-4 hours. Add water if it becomes too dry. Allow to sit out of the oven 30 minutes before serving. Slice against the grain.

from Bubbe's Kitchen 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or chicken fat 2 eggs, slightly beaten 1/2 c. matzo meal 1 tsp. salt 2 tbsp. stock or water In a bowl, mix oil and eggs together. Add matzo meal and salt and blend. Add stock and mix well. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Moisten hands with oil or water. Form mixture into walnut-sized balls and drop into the boiling water. Reduce heat to a light boil, cover tightly, and cook for 40 minutes. No peeking! Remove with a slotted spoon and serve in chicken soup.

It occurs to me there are many ways to make chicken soup from scratch, but here is the way I do it, and it's pretty foolproof. 1 whole chicken, liver, etc. removed 12 c. water 2-3 whole carrots, cut into 3 pieces 1-2 onions, peeled and left whole 1-2 stalks celery, cut into 3 pieces Put all of it in the pot. Bring to boil, skim off the scum/foam that collects on top. Reduce to simmer and cook for 2 hours. Remove chicken and set aside. Remove vegetables and toss. At this point, I add 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes. I pull the chicken off the bone and add it back to the broth, along with whatever vegetables (usually baby carrots, chopped, onions and celery). I cook my noodles on the side, because I have issues with them sucking up all the broth. Also good if you want to make matzo ball soup.