the rating system

fairly early in our marriage, we instituted a rating system for my cooking at my request. now, this may sound masochistic to some of you who aren't confident in your cooking yet, but i wasn't confident in my cooking at that point either. consider the following benefits of instituting your own rating system:

• it can help your cooking confidence - it will help you realize your strengths and your weaknesses in cooking so you can magnify the 1st and work on the latter.
  
• you'll never make anything (twice) your husband doesn't like - i would hate to love something and find out after years of making it once a month that my husband only thought it was a 5 out of 10. bummer.
  
• it gives you a goal - it's no fun to just cook day after day and never have any feedback or anywhere to improve or anywhere to go. i had a week of all 9's once. it was amazing!! what a cooking rush. i felt totally motivated to keep creating.
  

in addition to the benefits above, here are a few tips for creating a rating system:

• have tough skin - just because your husband didn't love something you cooked doesn't mean he doesn't love you. he just didn't like that dish. it's okay - just make something different tomorrow!
  
• make your system consistent - my husbands 1 to 10 system is based not just on taste, but on how often he'd like to eat it. sushi is a 10 for him and he'd eat it every day (and no, i've never gotten a ten - he's totally obsessed with sushi), but i've gotten lots of 9's that i think hold their own against sushi. :)
• ask for the rating, and then for feedback - it helps you learn to take constructive criticism. i love to ask my husband what i could do to make an 8 into a 9.

i've been really craving asian food for some reason (making my hubby thrilled to say the least), but i've never really cooked anything authentically asian until this. it was so worth the extra ingredients i bought (and will definitely keep using - i'm hooked!). this one got a 9!!

chicken lo mein
mostly based on recipes here and here
4-6 servings

marinate 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast sliced into small pieces in the following for at least 1 hour:
3/4 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon chicken broth

sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

3/4 lb linguini pasta, cooked
2 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
crushed red pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
1 red/orange bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
(change up the veggies according to what you have - you can use anything that sounds good. mushrooms and snow peas are two others i'd suggest)
1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil


1. after marinating chicken as instructed above, combine all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. in a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch with some of this mixture and slowly add to the bulk of the mixture, stirring well. set aside.
2. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil with a dash of crushed red pepper (optional - may leave out or adjust depending on how spicy you want it) in a wok or large saucepan over high heat until it starts to smoke. add the marinated chicken and leftover marinade from chicken and stir-fry for 4 to 5 minutes, or until browned. add your garlic and veggies (the ones above or your choice) to wok. mix well and then stir fry veggies for a few minutes.
3. add the reserved sauce mixture and oyster sauce. simmer until the sauce begins to thicken and veggies are steamed to your liking (i like them crisp tender, about 3+ minutes). when veggies are done, you may add a few teaspoonfuls of cornstarch to thicken sauce.
4. add the cooked pasta and 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil over the top of the pasta. toss gently, coating everything well with the sauce.

recipe of the week: simple turkey chili

i'm back!!! we finished the big move and my new kitchen is a palace! my kitchen counter is ginormous and it makes me want to do all sorts of yummy, domestic things like roll out dough for homemade noodles, pizza and cinnamon rolls.

on to the food. i found this yummy chili a few years ago on allrecipes.com. this time i stretched it really far and used it as toppings for taco salad and baked potato bar. it was great on both! though i enjoy it as its own main dish as well.

simple turkey chili (pics are the taco salad i put it on!)
slightly modified from here
8 servings

you're probably asking yourself - "does she eat everything with a quesadilla on the side?" my answer - i'm a very hungry bovine, so yes! (almost everything mexican, that is)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (i omit)
  
• 1 pound ground turkey (i usually use 1/2 or 3/4 lb and its plenty for us - and cheaper)
  
• 1 onion, chopped (1/2 works fine)
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans - drained and rinsed (my addition)
  
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (this makes it really spicy - adjust according to your liking!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. place turkey and onion in crock pot. cook until evenly brown and onions are tender.
   
2. add all other ingredients to the crock pot. cook for as long as desired in crock pot.

forcecd blogging break

glad so many of you loved the stuffed shells!

in the mean time, i'm sorry about the long blogging break. we moved! my internet will be hooked up monday and i'll post something yummy and delicious then!

happy eating!

recipe of the week: three cheese spinach and chicken stuffed shells

mmm.... these were soooo yummy! i was really in the mood for manicotti but my husband requested stuffed shells instead. we all loved them - even emery couldn't keep her hands off of the pre-cooked filling. she kept unstuffing my shells! cute little stinker.

i often find stuffed pasta too rich and heavy, so the addition of spinach and chicken in these made them perfect!

random side note - there is usually egg in the filling of stuffed pasta like this. i accidentally forgot the eggs, but they turned out fabulous! why add the calories if you don't need them, right?

three cheese spinach and chicken stuffed shells

8 servings

1 12 oz box jumbo shell pasta
2 chicken breast, cut into small pieces and cooked sprinkled with garlic salt and pepper
1 bunch spinach, steamed
8 0z part skim ricotta cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic salt (i used lawry's)
salt and pepper to taste (i used a good amount of both)
your favorite pasta sauce

1. cook pasta according to directions. lay out shells on tin foil to keep them from sticking together.
2. combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan and spices. add chicken and spinach and mix well, breaking up spinach as you stir. taste and add extra salt and pepper as needed.
3. stuff each shell with a large spoonful of cheese/chicken/spinach mixture.
4. i used a 9x13 and an 8x8 baking dish. spread a thin layer of sauce in baking dishes. lay shells across sauce. top with more sauce as desired.
5. bake at 375 for 30 minutes, until bubbling.

sneaky meatballs

i love to sneak things into meatballs because you can't even taste it and then you're getting a delicious extra veggie. try these! one my mom used to make and one of the only homemade meals i made when i was single in college. ha!

porcupine meatballs

i used spinach in the sauce this time and actually didn't like it! just put it inside the meatballs.

1 lb ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
1/3 cup uncooked white rice (add a small extra handful if you're using ground turkey to help it stick together better
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
a few dashes of pepper
some grated zucchini or finely chopped spinach (how much depends on you!)
2 cans condensed tomato soup
1 cup water
chili powder, garlic salt and cumin to taste

1. combine turkey, rice, onion, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper. mix well. add spinach or zucchini and mix again.
2. shape this mixture into 1 inch meatballs. you should have 15 to 20.
3. combine tomato soup, 1 cup water and seasonings to taste in a large pot.
4. add meatballs to pot. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer (covered or almost covered - depends on if covering it makes it crazy boil for you like it sometimes does for me) for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
5. serve over a yummy grain - i like to serve it over rice, but it would probably be yummy over egg noddles as well.

recipe of the week: white chicken chili

just whipped this one up tonight! it tasted great with a jack and corn tortilla quesadilla on the side. husband loved it and even emery ate it! i posted a thicker, all bean great northern white chili in the past, but you know, i think i like this thinner version even better.

and can i just say it's great to be wanting soup again. i really didn't want soup with the 1st trimester nausea for some reason and its great to be back. i love soup.

white chicken chili
6 servings

1 chicken breast, cup into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 very small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
a splash of olive oil
8 cups chicken broth
6 teaspoons cumin (+ or - depending on what tastes good to you!)
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (+ more if you want it a little spicier)
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained
1 4 oz can green chilis
a few handfuls baby spinach
monterrey jack cheese and fat free sour cream for topping

1. combine chicken, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large pot. saute until chicken is done and onions are soft.
2. add broth, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, vinegar, beans, corn and green chilis. simmer 30 minutes. add spinach and simmer until spinach is soft.
3. top with monterrey jack cheese and a dollop of fat free sour cream. mmm.....

confession and a quick weeknight meal

so i have a confession - i'm pregnant! we're super excited to welcome another baby to our little family in october.

the reason it is a confession is because it is an explanation for my highly marginal food blogging the last 3 months. it has been hard to figure out things i want to eat, much less mustering up the desire to cook them. i'm feeling better now, so hopefully my blogging will get a little bit better.

when i made the pasta e fagioli last week i bought a $1 loaf of french bread to go with it. it was super yummy with the soup, but i always hate wasting half a loaf since fresh french bread gets stale so fast! and then i remembered something my mom used to do - so here's a quick weeknight fix great for leftover, day-old french bread.

french bread pizza

1. cut a loaf of french bread in half (as shown in pics above). top with favorite pizza toppings.
2. bake in oven at 400 degrees just until cheese is melted (since if you cook it longer it makes your french bread harder). yum!!

serve with a yummy side salad for a healthier meal!