What'cha Cookin' Tonight II

[onejayhawk]

That sounds great, I love red beans and rice, jambalaya and gumbo. Never have tried making it myself.

If you (or anyone) are trying to eat less red meat, jambalaya and gumbo do very well using turkey.

Here is a recipe for Cajun spice mix in case you cannot buy one.

2 tsp each sea salt, sweet paprika, cayenne powder, garlic powder or granules, black pepper
1 tsp each onion powder, oregano, thyme.

Adjust the amount of paprika and cayenne to get the heat you like, keeping the total at 4 tsp. This recipe scales up or down. Smoked paprika or chipotle pepper is nice but not true Cajun.

J

 

[civvver]

Nope, I'm trying to eat more fatty meat and less carbs. So anything with rice is pretty much out. I might try it just sans rice. Beans are better cus at least it's mostly fiber and the net carbs are low.

 

[onejayhawk]

This is one of our favorites and dinner tonight. 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes to cook. Quick, easy and super delicious jalapeño popper chicken Jalapeño Popper Chicken

Do you mean bacon wrapped chicken breast, stuffed with slivers of jalapeno and a mixture of cream cheese, cheddar, and garlic? There does not seem to be a link.

J

 

[Ajidica]

Made some chicken tikka Masala from scratch - marinated the chicken overnight and everything! Super tasty too.

Spoiler for size :

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It's been a long, challenging week.

Today it was dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Yes it is important that they are dinosaur shaped - the increase surface area makes them crunchier and increases the breading/bite ratio favorably.

 

[civvver]

It's been a long, challenging week.

Today it was dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Yes it is important that they are dinosaur shaped - the increase surface area makes them crunchier and increases the breading/bite ratio favorably.

You may say that in jest but my daughter strongly prefer's dinosaur shaped ones. We had some paw patrol character ones and she says they taste bad. The regular circle shapes are just ok she says. She's 6 so I don't think it's just a novelty, I actually think they might taste better.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I absolutely meant it and think they taste better

 

[yung.carl.jung]

today I'm making poulet chasseur, hunter's chicken, a traditional french dish. My variant is a little more like a stew, besides the mushrooms I also like carrots and other root vegetables.

 

[civvver]

I put together "chicken pizza" casserole for tonight. First time making it. You butterfly chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper, stuff with minced garlic, pepperoni slices and shredded mozzarella, fold those over tight, pour marinara sauce all over, top with mozzarella and pepperoni and Italian herbs like a pizza and bake. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[onejayhawk]

I am reminded of shredded pork casserole. My version is pretty Tex-Mex, but the choice of sauce and cheese dictates that.

Shredded Pork Casserole
Two cups shredded, smoked pork
Smokey tomato sauce (below)
corn tortillas
2-3 cups shredded cheese

Put a Tbsp of tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish
Cover with tortilla, overlapping slightly and coming up the side of the pan
Spread half the remaining sauces, a cup of the meat, then half the cheese
Repeat
Bake at 350°

Smokey Tomato Sauce
Wilt the onion and pepper in a little oil
Put tomato sauce, one or more chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, garlic in a blender
Blend til smooth and pour over onion/pepper mix
Bring to a low boil and simmer a few minutes
Adjust seasonings to taste​

This is a generally useful sauce in Hispanic influenced cooking, eg you can add meat and serve on pasta. Adding green hot peppers provides kick and additional flavor. If you have the time, start with whole tomatoes and simmer til reduced by half. I make it in a black iron skillet, then pour most of it out and layer the dish in the same pan.

If chipotle is unavailable, use smoked paprika. The meat can be any sort except salty (ham would require adjustments to the sauce). I like pepperjack cheese, but cheddar, mozzarella, mixed cheese, or slices works as well. You could use mozzarella, parmesan, and a marinara sauce for Italian style. Raw cheeses (eg farmer's or cottage cheese, queso fresco, plain greek yogurt, etc.) will work well, but be careful of excess moisture.

J

 

[civvver]

Seems almost like enchiladas, only not wrapped up individually and in layers.

 

[onejayhawk]

Seems almost like enchiladas, only not wrapped up individually and in layers.

By George, I think he's got it.

J

 

[civvver]

This is the chicken, though we were so hungry we ate it before I got a shot. So it's just one of the three breasts.

Spoiler :

It was excellent. I cooked it for 45 minutes at 400 degrees f. The chicken stayed very moist covered in sauce and cheese. The fresh chopped garlic gave the store bought sauce a better flavor, and I think baking it developed a richer flavor as well. And the pepperoni fat seems to help the chicken too. Almost like cordon blue.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Link is broken

 

[civvver]

should be fixed now

 

[hobbsyoyo]

It is. Looks good!

 

[civvver]

Thanks dude! I love easy recipes that turn out well. It's a lot easier than pan frying some chicken parm, that's for sure.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Thanks dude! I love easy recipes that turn out well. It's a lot easier than pan frying some chicken parm, that's for sure.

I used to be a huge fan of hamburger helper for this reason. It's easy to make and decently tasty. During the recession, they put out a million different new varieties of hamburger helper that added stuff (extra cheese, crunchy crumbles for texture, special sauces, etc) that made them surprisingly decent. They've since paired back their offerings to just the basics which kind of sucks. I can't remember the last time I made a hamburger helper boxed meal - and they used to be a staple for us.

 

[civvver]

I love hamburger helper. The best one was the enchilada one with rice in it. Basically a taco bake but already put together for you. But we had to stop eating them cus of my daughter's egg allergies and they all have may contain traces of eggs warnings on them, like most commercial pasta products do. We only eat imported Italian pasta from costco now, not that I'm complaining- the stuff tastes amazing compared to mueller's and barilla. It costs double but we're talking $2 a box of spaghetti vs $1, still well within my budget

I love rice a roni too and pasta roni is surprisingly good. The alfredo one doesn't taste like alfredo, but it's a good cream sauce. I guess I'm just a sucker for processed starches. My kids tried spaghetti-Os the other day and didn't like them and I almost disowned them for it.

 

[Sofista]

I used to be a huge fan of hamburger helper for this reason. It's easy to make and decently tasty.

I had to google it. Teaches me to be curious.