Catch-up

Wow....just had a big weekend back in NE Arkansas, complete with family time, fun, and lots of food. I'll chime back in later with an overview of the food spread, but for now, here's a quick way to make your morning bowl of oatmeal more exciting. Combine 1 cup oats and a pinch of salt with 1 3/4 cup boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tbsp honey along with 1/4 tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Stir in 2 tbsp of your favorite preserves and a splash of milk.  Serve and enjoy!

Bread bowling

 

Ah, the bread bowl...the dish that launched a thousand gameday parties and church potlucks. They're tasty and as simple to prepare as appetizers get. I made this one for Bill's small group, but Bill got sick so the task of eating it fell to Tiff, Juli, Joey, and me.

Bread bowls come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors, but the recipe for this one came out of my latest Food Network magazine. It's basically the chopped up innards of a hoagie sandwich inside a bread bowl. Simply dice and mix the ingredients below, then allow to chill for a couple of hours before serving. I bought an extra French loaf to serve alongside, which I coated with olive oil, sliced and toasted.  Simply delicious. Every ingredient can be tasted, but none overpower the others. It really tastes just like a hoagie sandwich from a good deli. Serve this at your next gathering of friends/family....leftovers won't be a problem.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion
• 2 pickled pepperoncini peppers
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce
• 1 large tomato, halved and seeded
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced genoa salami
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced ham
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced prosciutto
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced roast turkey
• 1/4 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese
  
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 10-to-12-inch round loaf Italian bread
  
• 1 French loaf, toasted with olive oil

Leftover Pasta

Leftovers are the 800lb gorilla of my fridge. I see them there and think "man, I hate to throw this stuff out, but I don't really want to eat warmed-over chicken breast." This usually results in a bowl of completely usable food being ignored and eventually tossed into the trash. Last night, however, I was feeling inventive and thought I'd see what could be done with the remnants of Monday night's Kickin' Chicken Kabobs.

It turned out that using the kabobs again was easier than I had thought.  While at Kroger purchasing some salsa and bread bowl (post forthcoming) ingredients, I grabbed a box of fusilli pasta. Fusillis are the twirly-looking kind. I got back and cooked the pasta to al dente. While the pasta was cooking, I tossed my leftover vegetables and chicken into a skillet with a healthy dose of olive oil and basil pesto and cooked until warmed through. I drained and seasoned the pasta and served with the chicken-vegetable mixture on top. There was a nice byproduct in my skillet from the kabobs as well - a pan sauce in the skillet that I drizzled over the pasta before serving. I really wish I'd taken the time to snap a photo of the end result, because it came out beautifully. All the colors from the vegetables and chicken were too appetizing to wait for, so I just dug in.

So what have we learned today? Don't fear the leftover (cue the cowbell). Yesterday's meals have the potential to be more than just microwave fodder.   Chicken can be tossed with sauce or oil and thrown over pasta, beef can be put on top of a pizza or mixed in casserole, and so on. With a little imagination, your diners may not even notice the repeat.

Kickin' Chicken Kabobs

Quick, easy, and delicious, kabobs are one of my favorite grilled dishes. Everything cooks at once, which gets dinner to the table faster and lets the juices from the meat and veggies meld together to create complex and delicious flavors. Almost any meat works, but we went with chicken tonight for a healthy dinner.

Kabobs are super easy to put together.  Preheat the grill to high. If you're going to use wooden skewers, let them soak for at least 30 minutes to prevent scorching.  Cut your meat of choice up into 1 1/2-2 inch cubes and cover with oil, salt, and pepper. Cut vegetables into large slices and cover with oil, seasoned salt, and pepper.

To assemble, slide veggies and meat onto skewers. I start with a firm vegetable, like an onion, that won't easily slide off the skewer to hold everything in place. Aim for a ratio of 2-3 veggies per piece of meat. I put 3 cubes of chicken on each skewer and alternated off on the veggies.
Transfer to the grill (remember to oil the grates first) and grill, turning often, until chicken is cooked through.

Allow to set 3 minutes before serving. We used a basil pesto as a dipping sauce on the side, but these will taste great straight off the skewer or with your favorite bbq sauce.

 Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 white onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 1 yellow squash
• seasoned salt 
• pepper
• EVOO
• 4-6 skewers