Tips and Tricks: Grilled Cheese

To have that nice fried, crisp, outside in the grilled cheese use mayonnaise instead of butter on the bread. Can't remember where we got that from but we have never gone back to butter.  Put whatever you want on the inside. Can't go wrong with a grilled cheese, really.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

It is what it is.  Nothing fancy, just a home cooked meal with extra carbs.  Makes a lot and the leftovers are even better. Make sure you eat the dumpling first, it's always the best part.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Serves 6

From Everyday Slow Cooker

• 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 2 cups carrots, cubed
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 10 3/4 oz cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups bisquick
• 2/3 cups milk

Place chicken, potatoes, carrots and celery in a slow cooker. Combine soup, water, thyme, and pepper in a medium bowl and pour over chicken mixture. Cover and cook on low setting for 7 hour until chicken is done.  

Mix together bisquick and milk then drop into slow cooker by large spoonfuls. Tilt the lid of the slow cooker to vent and cook on high for 45 minutes or until dumplings are cooked in the center.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

Hey! These were Mediterranean enough for Steven to say "These taste like Mediterranean food."...which was the point, so I call it a win. Plus he took the leftovers to work which is how I know he wasn't lying when he said he liked them.  They were light but filling, so they might be our new "oh god, we have binge ate for the past week and need a break" meal.

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
From Delicious on a Dime
Serves 4

• salt
• 1/3 cup couscous
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons greated fresh ginger
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 8 dried apricots, chopped
• 4 green bell peppers, tops sliced off, seeded and cored

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring 1/2 cup lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in couscous, covered, then remove from heat.  Let stand until water has absorbed (about 5 minutes). Fluff couscous lightly with a fork then re-cover.

In a small bowl combine cumin, cinnamon, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute until golden.  Add beef and cook while breaking the meat up until it is no longer pink.  Add onion and ginger and cook and stir until onions soften. Sprinkle cumin mixture over beer and saute for a minute.

Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in tomato sauce, 1/2 cup water, chickpeas, and apricots. Stir well, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Remove from heat and stir in couscous. 

Mist an 8 inch baking dish with cooking spray. If peppers don't stand upright, cut a tiny slice off the bottom of each pepper to level. Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place them in baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup water into baking dish, cover with foil and bake until peppers are tender when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes.

Roasted Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes & Caramelized Lemons

This is one of those simple recipes where the ingredients, not the recipe, make the dish. Get good  picked-today tomatoes from your garden, your friend's garden, or the farmer's market. Get the center cut wild-caught salmon.  Steal a lemon from your neighbor's tree. Purchase both fresh dill, and fresh thyme. Yes, I know it's expensive- no, dried herbs will not work.  Take your time chopping and sauteing.  Eat small bites and savor each one. It's a beautiful world out there, afterall.

But don't serve with canned sweet peas. That was a terrible idea.

Roasted Salmon with Roasted Tomatoes & Caramelized Lemons
From Foodnetwork Favorites
Serves 2 with leftovers

• 4 plum tomatoes, quartered
• olive oil
• small handful of fresh thyme
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a pound of center cut salmon
• small handful of fresh dill sprigs
• 1 lemon, cut in half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place plum tomatoes in shallow baking dish and drizzle with olive oil, thyme sprigs, salt and pepper.  Roast for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes are softened but still have their shape. Cover with foil and set aside.

Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Lay salmon down on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, dill, and squeeze half of the lemon over all. Bake until firm 15-20 minutes.

Heat a skillet with olive oil to high heat. Slice the remaining lemon into 1/4 inch slices and add to skillet. Saute until brown on both sides. 

Remove the foil and herbs from the tomatoes and roughly chop. Plate the tomatoes with the salmon on top and sauted lemons to do the side. 

Curried Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups

Sounds weird but legit delicious recipe.  I am 100% making this again and doubling it, because it seems Steven is also a piggy.  This is the first time I used butter lettuce for a lettuce wrap and it was solid but pretty pricey. I probably will only use butter lettuce for all lettuce wraps. Treat yo-self!

Curried Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups

From Foodnetwork Favorites

Serves 3-4

• 4 whole chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup halved seedless red grapes
• butter lettuce leaves, for serving

Put chicken thighs, lemon, and cilantro into a pot where each thigh is touching the bottom. Fill the pot with water just enough to cover the chicken and season generously with salt and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes until chicken is tender and falling from the bonus. Remove the chicken from liquid and allow to cool. Once cool, remove the skin and strip meat from bones. 

In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients aside from the butter lettuce leaves. Add shredded chicken and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve big scoops on butter lettuce leaves.