Mushroom-Thyme Appy

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH, 2010

3 stars (out of 5 - pretty tasty, but not absolutely amazing)

I decided to make another vegetarian slow-cooker recipe, and thought that this appetizer looked good (also, I'm trying to acquire a taste for mushrooms). It was quite good and pretty tasty - I particularly liked the tangy-ness that the wine added; however, it wasn't absolutely amazing. I think I would like to try this again with another herb... perhaps rosemary?

Ingredients*:

3 green onions, chopped
2 packages of mushrooms (2x 227g), roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil (a little bit less)
1 tsp dry thyme
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1/3 cup plain cream cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine
Baguette

{*Note. This is enough for quite a few people (see pics below), so if you are making it just for two people I would make only half of this.}

1. First, I chopped the green onions and added them to the slow cooker along with the olive oil, turning the slow cooker on "High".

2. While the green onions were being cooked, I chopped up the mushrooms. I used a food processor, so they were chopped up very finely; however, with the length of time that they cook in the slow cooker, you could probably chop them up fairly coarsely.

3. I then added the mushrooms, thyme, and salt to the slow cooker, and stirred the mixture well. I switched the slow cooker onto "Low" and let the mixture cook for 6 hours.

4. After the mushrooms were very soft, I again stirred the mixture thoroughly. If there is any excess liquid, it should be drained.

5. ... and added the mushroom mixture, cream cheese, pepper, and white wine to my food processor, and mixed until smooth.

6. I placed it in a bowl, and served with baguette (you can toast these if you choose).

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good appy. It was easy enough to make, although I wasn't really sure why the slow-cooker was necessary. I felt that you could cook the mushrooms on the stove just as easily, and they would be ready in 10 minutes. I actually quite liked the flavour, even though it has a very strong mushroom taste. I just think that there might be a better herb to add to make it better. I would definitely recommend it, though!

Double Baked Stuffed Potatoes - Brocolli & Chive

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1ST, 2009

4.5 stars (out of 5 - a bit of a hassle to make, but worth it in the end!)

These are one of my all-time favourite sides. They are a bit fussy to make (specifically, I tend to burn my hands trying to hollow out the baked potatoes), but I think worth it in the end. They are a great side dish to a meal (albeit filling!), and I sometimes even eat these as a small meal on their own (or with a salad).

Ingredients (for 2-4 people):

2 large potatoes*
~1 cup grated old cheddar cheese**
~2/3 cup chopped green onion**
1 1/2 cups broccoli**
Sour cream***
Milk***
Salt and pepper***

{*Note. 2 large potatoes will make enough for 4 people if you give them each half (as part of a bigger meal). I usually do 2 potatoes for SB and myself alone, as I will eat a whole one myself (in the place of meat) or save it for lunch the next day.}

{**Note. These amounts are all approximate. You can see the amounts from the pics below, but I do it all to taste. I end up putting quite a bit of green onion in, as the flavour isn't very strong. I just have one suggestion, which is to stir in the broccoli gradually (see below), so that your mixture doesn't end up too dense.}

{***Note. These are suggestions for making the mashed potato part of the recipe. You can use whatever you normally use to make mashed potatoes.}

1. First, I baked the potatoes in the microwave. This usually takes about 6 minutes. Don't forget to pierce them with a fork first!

2. While the potatoes were cooking, I chopped and steamed the broccoli. I usually cook it until it is tender, rinse under cool water (to prevent them from continuing to cook and turning into mush), and set them aside.

3. I also prepare the cheese and green onion during this time.

4. Once the potatoes were cooked, I (carefully!) cut them in half, leaving the skin intact, and let them cool for a little while. Watch out, they're hot!

5. Once the potatoes were cooled to a point I could handle them, I scooped out the inside, leaving a few millimetres around the edge and on the bottom, and placed the extra potato in a medium-sized bowl.

6. I then added the sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper to the potato, and mashed them together. You can add whatever ingredients you wish, and make the mashed potatoes your regular way (e.g., with butter, etc.). Just make sure they're not too runny.

7. After making the mashed potatoes, I stirred in the broccoli, chives, and 1/2 the cheddar cheese, and added salt & pepper to taste.

8. I then scooped this mixture into the potato shells...

9. ... and sprinkled them with the remaining cheese.

10. I baked them at 425F for about 20 minutes (until hot).

Although this recipe can be a bit time-consuming to make, I think it's worth it. In addition, I have made this recipe for company before, and it was very stress-free, as I could prepare them ahead of time, put them (covered) in the fridge, and then pop them in the oven 20 minutes before we were ready to eat. I also like how you can play around with the ingredients to your own taste. Overall, a nice, substantial complement to a meal!

Chicken Piccata & Broccoli w/ Creamy Chive Sauce

TUESDAY, AUGUST 4TH, 2009

3.5 stars (out of 5 - easy and pretty good) for the Chicken
2 stars (out of 5 - not great, not great) for the Broccoli

Ingredients (Chicken Piccata):

2 skinned boned chicken cutlets or breasts*
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground red pepper
Olive oil, to cook
2 tbsp dry white wine
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 tsp veggie or chicken flavoured bouillon granules
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

{*Note. I use chicken cutlets because the idea of having to pound a chicken breast does not appeal to me in the slightest. You can also use a boneless chicken breast and flattento about 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet. I used my President's Choice Simulated Chick'n Breasts here again.}

1. First, I combined the flour, paprika and red pepper in a shallow bowl. I used extra paprika because I couldn't find any ground red pepper.

2. I then dredged the chicken breasts/cutlets in the flour mixture, until they were coated on both sides.

3. I heated the pan with the olive oil in it over about medium-high and added the chicken. I then cooked the chicken for approximately 3 minutes on each side (depending on the size of the chicken), and removed it and kept it warm for a few minutes while I did the sauce.

My veggie chick'n version cooking:

4. I then added the wine, lemon juice, margarine, and buillon granules to the skillet, and stirred the mixture constantly until the butter melted.

5. The final chicken version. SB decided to place his chicken right in skillet to soak up the juice in the pan and sear the meat. The recipe calls for you to actually drizzle it overtop of the warmed chicken (which I did, below). Either way, I'm sure it's fine, although it was annoying that my sauce ran in my plate.

Veggie Chick'n Version:

Overall, this chicken was pretty good. Not difficult, and the flavour was fairly decent. We will probably do it again, perhaps adding our own ingredients as we go. I will definitely cook mine in the pan again to get that seared look.

Ingredients (Broccoli w/ Creamy Chive Sauce):

2 stems of broccoli
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp veggie-flavoured buillon granules
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp freeze-dried chives
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp mustard

1. First, I washed and steamed the broccoli until tender crisp.

2. I then placed the water in a 1-cup measuring cup and microwaved it on high for 40 seconds. I stirred in the bouillon granules until they are dissolved, and set the mixture aside.

3. After this, I placed the butter in another measuring cup nad microwaved it for 10 seconds uncovered (until the butter melted).

4. I then added the flour, and stirred until it was smooth. Once smooth, I added the bouillon mixture, and milk, and microved the stirred mixture on high for 2 minutes (or until thickened and bubbly, stirring half-way through).

5. After the mixture was thickened, I stirred in the chives, lemon juice, and mustard.

6. At this time, the broccoli was done, so I drained it, placed it on our plates, and drizzed the sauce overtop.

The broccoli, in the end, was just OK. I've definitely had better. I felt like the sauce was a bit slimy, or perhaps the taste could've been accentuated with more mustard. If I do it again (doubtful), it would need a lot of tweaking, and definitely more punch.

Overall dinner: