Lemon Chicken Kabobs and Lemon Parsley Pasta

I am forever trying to find interesting, healthy, and kid-friendly recipes to cook. Having kids to feed has really tested my cooking abilities. I’ve been used to, in my adult life, to cook food for adventurous eaters. Then when I got with this little family, the biggest one would rather eat Spaghettios than mostly anything else. The little ones aren’t always the best eaters. Some days, they are adventurous. Some days, they just want scrambled eggs and nothing else. So, to adjust, we have Spaghettios in the cupboard and dozens of eggs in the fridge. I’ve got the usual recipes in my repertoire: meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, chili, spaghetti, pancakes and other breakfast things, pork chops, grilled fish,  tacos, etc.

Last night for dinner, we had lemon chicken kabobs and lemon parsley pasta. The chicken was my own recipe and the pasta came from Martha Stewart. The chicken was simple. I cut it up into kabob-sized pieces and marinated it in a fresh and bright marinade.

Kabob Recipe:

• four boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• five crushed cloves of garlic
• lots of olive oil
• several sprigs of fresh thyme, stripped from the stems
• one sprig of rosemary, stripped from stem and chopped
• salt and pepper
• crushed pepper flakes
• juice of a lemon

The pasta was simple parsley, Parmesan, salt and pepper, lemon zest, garlic, and a bit of lemon juice. Easy and delicious. Here’s the recipe. I followed it exactly, except I halved it.

The great thing about these dishes together is that the marinade would go well with any protein or vegetable, and I used angel hair pasta–but you could use orzo, cous cous, or even rice.

In other news, we went to Turtles for brunch yesterday and it was amazing. I got chicken fried steak and it was absolutely perfect. Crisp and juicy with a well-seasoned gravy–and Henry had smoked salmon hash and he nearly licked the plate clean. I have to go out and find some good smoked salmon so I can recreate this dish at home. I think we could eat it every day.

National Crab Day

The universe has a messed up sense of humor. Yesterday, Henry and I went to Florence to play at the beach. We collected 23 sand dollars, made a sand castle, and walked along the beach. It was great.

After we tired of it, I planned to take him to the Bridgewater for dinner. I ordered 2 pounds of mussels and clams and Henry ordered a crab melt. For as long as I’ve known him, Henry has had a sneaking suspicion…

…(ok, more serious and conclusive than sneaking suspicion) that he was allergic to shellfish. But he loves crab. So, he tried again.  We finished dinner and walked around town. Henry got annoyed with me because I kept asking him how he was feeling. Fine, fine, fine, he answered. We got home and eventually went to bed. Let’s just say that neither of us slept very well and we now know without a shadow of a doubt that Henry is allergic to shellfish.

And Universe? Thanks for punking us on National Crab Day which falls on March 9. You’re always good for a laugh.

Different Days, Different Plates

I haven’t blogged in weeks; I know. One of my students broke my camera and I’ve been going through some personal issues lately, so blogging hasn’t been on list of priorities.  I have been eating out, though–a lot. So, I thought I’d share some of the places I’ve been.

Here are some pictures from Florence, Oregon.  The first is an enormous burger from Bliss Hot Rod Grill.  If I recall correctly, this burger is 1/2 pound monster that I could not eat by myself.  My friend had to finish it for me. The second picture is a cioppino from the Bridgewater Restaurant.  Scallops, crab, white fish, mussels, clams…this stew was full of delicious seafood.  It was kind of pricey, but it was definitely worth it.

The next set of pictures are from the Dalles, Oregon.  My brothers and sister and I went to the Canton Wok, which had the biggest plates of food imaginable for nearly nothing, and the Baldwin Saloon, which had pretty good food at reasonable prices. I cannot even begin to remember what we ordered at the Canton Wok, so you’ll just have to guess at what’s on the plates.  When we finished eating, we walked away with five huge styrofoam to-go boxes. I have never ordered so much food at a restaurant for so little and then taken so much of it home.

Sushi Domo

Oyster Nigiri, Crazy Roll, Rainbow Roll, Vegas Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll

Trip to Florence

The husband and I went to Florence on Saturday and just got back this morning.  We spent some time on the beach, perused antique shops, and ate.  Highlights include: Sunday morning at north jetty beach and Saturday night carne asada and margaritas at Los Campadres.

Los Campadres was two or three blocks from the inn we stayed at.  It’s an unassuming little place–used to be a diner, I think.  Not a lot of seating–maybe five tables?  Prices were cheap and they had a full bar.  I ordered carne asada and the husband ordered pork carnitas.  Beans, rice, meat, and  corn tortillas.  Nothing fancy.  So incredibly satisfying.  And margaritas–um, yes, please.

We also ate at Bridgewater Restaurant.  It was ok. Mostly good.  I ordered some sort of pasta with seafood marinara.  It was good.  The name of the dish wasn’t appetizing, though.  I think it was called Ocean Food Marinara with Linguini or something strange like that.  The husband ordered two pounds of clams and mussels.  He was happy as a …clam.  Dumb, I know–but accurate.

But, to be honest, Los Campadres blew the Bridgewater out of the…water.  Wow.  I’ll stop with the cheesy figurative language.

I’d rather have Mexican food any day of the week.

So, with the carne asada and margaritas stealing the show this weekend, I came home inspired for some simple Mexican food.  Stewed chicken with peppers, onions, tomatoes, cumin, mexican oregano, chili powder, etc., etc., etc., is simmering away in the crockpot.

There isn’t enough hummus in your life

Hummus: The Rap

I never liked hummus until I made it myself.  Most brands of store-bought hummus are gritty, chemical-y, sour, or bitter.  But I bought it time and time again, slathered it on freshly toasted pita, hoping that one day, I would find a brand that didn’t taste terrible.

When we moved to Oregon, I noticed something strange.  At every potluck we have ever attended, there were multiple types of hummus brought to the party.  Multiple.  Some store-bought, some homemade.  Oregonians love their hummus.

With the intention of fitting into our new culinary culture and finding something easy, nourishing, and vegetarian to eat for dinner this summer, my husband and I ended up making and eating hummus homemade nearly every night of the week.

It became an obsession:  I began googling hummus recipes, always searching for the perfect recipe.  It was the ideal summer food: no cooking required, cool, creamy, easy.

I was so very diligent in my search. Some would say monomaniacal.  I never found the perfect recipe, but my husband created his own and it was our go-to recipe when we were too afraid to try the weird ones I had been unearthing.

His recipe included: 2 cans of beans (garbanzo, cannellini, red kidney, etc.), a rounded tsp. of sunflower seed butter, 1-2 cloves of garlic (crushed), salt and pepper to taste, the juice of one small lemon, and enough olive oil to lubricate the blending process.

We made so much hummus this summer that we broke our brand new blender.  We bought it in May and it was toast by August.

Here is a list of the strangest and most delicious recipes we came across:

red lentil hummus

 

cilantro lime hummus

 

yellow curry and butternut squash hummus

 

white bean and roasted eggplant hummus

 

beet hummus