Thai-Style Coconut Chicken

I love ethnic cuisine! I mean ALL different kinds. Not only does the meal usually taste fabulous, the aromas that circulate my house while I am cooking are amazing. Tonight was coconut, lime and cilantro which made me think of the song "Lime in the Coconut" which I still cannot get out of my head. This was a super speedy, VERY tasty and refreshing dish. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in place of the breast and I found the meat was quite moist.

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Aloha Chicken Kebabs with Sweet Potato, Mozzarella Sticks with Cauliflower and Ketchup with Carrots

Tonight I cooked from the book of Jessica Seinfeld called Deceptively Delicious in an attempt to sneak some veggies into my son's stomach. The story that unfolded at our dinner table was a good news, bad news one ... I will start with the good. 

My son ate more Chicken Kebabs than I and declared that they were his most favourite ever and wants them for lunch tomorrow (there was left overs) That made me happy because they had sweet potatoes and pineapple on them so he got one veggie... Now here comes the bad... 

They were SO labour intensive! I must admit they were awesome, so worth the effort, but I would not dream of making these on a weeknight or for company. The Mozzarella Sticks with Cauliflower were a colossal FAIL! They started out great, until I cooked them, then they turned into little piles of hot mess. My son took one bite and said - YUCK! :( As for the "Ketchup" with Carrots - Even if you had no idea what ketchup was, you would know that this was not it. It turned out to basically be a dish of tomato paste with a hint of spice.

Go to Aloha Chicken Kebab Recipe!

Go to Mozzarella Stick Recipe!

Go to Ketchup Recipe!

Spaghetti Pie

One word sums up this meal... Disappointed. After 45 minutes in the convection oven, the meatballs were still raw and the sauce was barely warm in the center. Not sure WHAT I did wrong, but after 50 minutes the boys were getting antsy for supper so I took the meatballs off and cooked them separately and put the sauce in a pot to simmer for 10 minutes. The flavour was okay but I personally like my own spaghetti sauce which has zucchini and carrots "snuck in" already so I think this recipe will be filed away to be used again, well... never... Sorry Jessica Seinfeld.

 

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Sweet Citrus Chicken

CALL THE PRESS!!! ... And tell them that I don't know what to say...

The chicken was nice and moist and fairly tasty. The problem lies with the stuffing mix. It had a decent flavour, but you could tell it was Stovetop Mix, and it was "baby food" goopy in some spots and "cut your gums" crunchy in others. This meal wasn't horrible, but I think I'll spend my effort on other recipes before I do this one again.

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Turkey Stew with Biscuits

As I mentioned on my Meal Plan this week - I was just going to "wing" tonight's dinner so I don't have a recipe for you, but I will lay out the steps I took to get to the end result. It was very tasty, but didn't turn out exactly like I hoped, but a good starting point for next time. 

Now some of you may recall I didn't make Christmas Dinner; it was made by someone else in my home. So we ended up with some of the leftovers (some meat and the wings) but not the carcass. This is what I did with them...

Step 1 ~ I put the wings in a pot of water with large chunks of onion, some fresh parsley, some spices, a couple bay leaves, and a couple mushrooms chopped up. I brought that to a boil and let it simmer for about an hour under cover. I then let it cool until I could handle it and then strained the broth. 

Step 2 ~ I poured the liquid back into the pot and chopped up the meat, picked the meat from the wings and chopped it, added chopped carrot, celery, and a couple peeled and diced potatoes. I added lots of seasoning and covered the pot with a lid and simmered that for about an hour (until the potatoes and carrots were tender). I then added corn and peas and brought it to a boil, adding cornstarch to thicken it. 

Step 3 ~ Once it was thickened I poured it into a oven proof pot and laid Refrigerated Pillsbury biscuits on top and baked in a 375*F oven for about 30 minutes (until biscuits were browned). 

The flavour was fabulous (an experiment, so I tasted it MANY times along the way and added many different spices - you just have to be able to play with it) but it was a bit runny, so more like a soup than a stew. Everyone in the family loved it anyway and it was a nice, comforting way to use up some leftovers from Christmas.

Hope you enjoy! 

Jill

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Bundles

Savour this description for a moment... "Chicken stuffed with cheddar, bacon and broccoli then coated with Shake'n'Bake" and baked until crispy.

...mmmmm...

Yup, it's that good. It takes a little bit of prep, but these fab little bundles of deliciousness are awesome! I used the "Southern Fried" style of Shake'n'Bake and it tasted terrific! I also swapped out the "cook and chop bacon" step with bacon bits (REAL) AND to top it off, my deception began tonight by me pulling the wool over my hubby's eyes and mixing 1/2 Cup cauliflower in with the mashed potatoes. It was super tasty and he had NO idea! *insert evil cackle here*

Go to Recipe! (You're going to want to!)

Sweet and Sticky Orange Chicken and some Future Deception

I need to start off by saying that my husband cooked tonight's meal and he did a great job. This was very tasty and although it took my preschooler a while to warm up to it, he ate most of his supper! My little 10 month old found it to be a touch spicy. There was some sweetness to it, but not a lot of sticky, the oranges added a nice burst of flavour. The bright colours make it a very pretty dish. I think this will make it's way to our table again someday. 

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On a side note, my friend Jennifer of Chipperfield Photography recently gave me a copy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld and I just can't wait to crack it open and start deceiving my son. 

Now I know there are 2 trains of thought on feeding children their veggies. One says to do what you can to get them to eat them and hide them if you have to and the other says that you have to get your child to appreciate veggies for what they look like and what they are or they will never eat them. 

Well, I have spent the last 2 1/2 years doing it the latter way and he started off strong, but now my son shirks almost all veggies. So now I'm on to the sneaky way!

Over the next few weeks I'll be going through the book and posting my thoughts along the way. Cross your fingers that it works!  

-Jill

Bark and Bacon - Christmas Prep is well under way

Today's post is all about more of my Christmas prep. A couple more items were checked off my list today and both were new recipes to me. 

First up - Peppermint Bark. Not new to many of you I am sure, but personally I have never been a fan of peppermint and chocolate, until I tried this the other night at a party. SO yummy! Semisweet Chocolate and White Chocolate with crushed Candy Canes on top. Such a pretty presentation for something so simple. BUT don't do what I did - I didn't follow the recipe I just melted a box of Baker's Semisweet and a box of Baker's White (separately) and thought I would need a box of Candy Canes crushed, so I did the infuriating task of unwrapping a whole box of Candy Canes and crushing them when in reality all I needed was maybe 3. So I have OODLES of crushed Canes leftover for another batch and another (oh darn!).

Go to Recipe! 

Secondly - Breakfast Cookies. I saw this recipe and thought that it would be a lot of fun for Christmas Morning brunch. Really more of a novelty than anything, but they are the last ones laughing... Bacon Cookies are DELICIOUS!! I used about 3/4 Cup Crumbled Bacon from Costco and unsalted Butter. I also switched out the Raisins for Craisins as I find Raisins are not a big crowd pleaser. Honestly, I think this is a "try it to believe it" recipe because not only are they awesome, but the bacon is not overly salty... This recipe is going to be a staple around here for special brunches for sure!!

 Go to Recipe!

Lastly - this evenings supper was nothing new so I won't get into it, but click here for my previous review. 

In a nutshell that was my day (along with last minute shopping and wrapping and card mailing): phew! I love this holiday, but I have to ask "Is it Wine O'Clock yet?"  

Parmesan Chicken with Posh Ham and Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

Can you really go wrong with a meal that includes Prosciutto Ham? I personally think not. This was my first meal of my Jamie Oliver Meal Plan, I am glad this was my introduction to his style of cooking. This was so AWESOME! I served it with steamed broccoli which I just topped with Lemon Zest and Pepper and Mashed Potatoes that I topped with Grated Parmesan, so it was a nice light meal. It is also a good meal to make if you have some frustrations as Jamie tells you to beat the Chicken with a Sauce Pan- now I have a Mallet, but there is something satisfying about hitting it with a pan. :) I definitely recommend this meal!

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I also felt like I had a little extra time today so decided to attempt my first try at making biscotti. I made a batch of Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti which will be served with my DIY Chocolate Truffles on Friday. I personally am not a huge fan of the incredibly hard, crunchy ones that cut your gums so I under cooked them just slightly so that they still have a tiny bit of give. I also drizzled melted White Chocolate on top and they turned out amazing! The red of the cranberries and the green of the pistachios make them festive indeed and they apparently freeze really well (I will soon find out!), but they sure tasted great fresh!!

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The Plan-it will go on

I just want to say that I did not abandon you; I am still here! I just feel that there is no need to re-review meals that I have already posted about and it just so happens that every meal this week so far falls under that category.

So here are links to the original meal reviews and I will be back tomorrow with a brand new meal that I am looking forward to trying - Black Bean Soup!

  

Mushroon Smothered Salisbury Steak

 

Totally Tubular Pasta

Seared Chicken with Pan Gravy

Enjoy and we will see you tomorrow! 

-Jill

Change of Plans

 

I was absent last night because I was at my company Christmas Party (1 of 2) and I decorated my house and got my tree up! (see below) 

Tonight I was supposed to make Tuscan Chicken Simmer, but I just didn't feel like venturing into unknown territory so I made an old stand by: Speedy Chicken Stirfry from the Kraft Canada Website. It is SO easy and everyone at the table LOVES it. Even my 3 year old devoured his whole plate. 

Today was another busy day (aren't they all in December???) I was getting ready for my 3 year old's birthday party tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow's post will include a photo of his Construction Themed Cake and some of the platters and food that I made today...phew, I'm BEAT...

...but, back to tonight's supper... I strongly suggest it, it is SO fast, simple and yummy - you can't go wrong in giving it a try!

Go to Recipe!

Photos of Christmas Trees NEVER work for me!

Pistachio Crusted Chicken

Phew, what a lot of work! I thought "save some money and get pistachios in the shell and just do the work myself".  Yeah Right! Don't do what I did, spend the extra couple bucks! I spent 1/2 hour just shelling the nuts. The flavour and texture were great, but there are many recipes out there that are far less work that turn out just as good. 

Go to Recipe! 

Oh,  and don't forget that tomorrow is the big Holiday Bake-n-Blog, be sure to check out my post tomorrow about my "Pummies"

Thai Spicy Noodles and Exciting Times Ahead

As I was making supper tonight I realized that a couple of the meals from this week's plan were actually recipes from my VERY FIRST meal plan years and years ago and it made me a little nostalgic. 

My very first meal plan was one that I did not come up with on my own, but rather one from Chatelaine. It included the recipes for Amazing Veggie Burgers, Layered Vegetable Casserole, and tonight's Thai Spicy Noodles. 

This is another meal that I have made over and over again to wonderful results. It turned out terrific as usual and it makes awesome leftovers for lunch the next day. It is very reminicent of Thai Take-out, but a titch healthier. Easy and flavourful - I suggest you try this one! 

On a personal (and totally exciting) note, I have been approached to be a contributing writer for Kids in Cowtown - an amazing blog resource written by Parents for Parents in Calgary. It has everything from cooking to parenting advice to outings and what to do in the city, to crafts and everything in between. My first post will be coming out soon, so I'll keep you posted! :) 

Go to Recipe!

- Jill

Chinese Chicken with Pineapple

By the name of this meal you'd think it was sweet, but it wasn't; it had just the right amount of zip. It was a super delicious meal that tasted like take-out without being greasy or sweet and a whole lot healthier too. I used Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs instead of Breasts because I always manage to dry out Chicken Breast and the Thighs turned out perfect. I've made this before and I'll do it again - maybe you should give it a try too!
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3-Ingredient Baked Sticky Chicken and Sweet Potato Wedges

Tastes A LOT better than it looks, I promise!

Both items tonight were tasty and I FINALLY found a Sweet Potato "Fry" recipe that actually turned out crunchy! All I can say is thank goodness for Panko. The chicken didn't turn out sticky per say, but the flavour was great and the sauce was like a wonderful homemade bbq style. These will remain in my menu repertoire for future use and I bet this chicken recipe would be awesome on the grill! (and it just might turn out sticky then).

Go to Chicken Recipe!


Go to Sweet Potato Wedges Recipe!

Chicken Parmesan Bundles

This meal was FABULOUS and may be one of my new fave comfort foods! Cream Cheese, Spinach, Mozza, Ritz Crackers all baked up crispy with warm pasta sauce and even more Mozza has me saying YES!
In my humble opinion, I say make this meal as soon as you can; it tastes superb and is a real crowd pleaser (without much work - nice!)
 
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Creamy Pesto Chicken Bake

Even the best laid plans can go into the pot (or in this case NOT into the pot). I did not feel like Lamb Chops tonight (as per this week's Meal Plan), I wanted to overload on Carbs, so we had Creamy Pesto Chicken Bake which is a recipe I found on the back of a Campbell's Soup Can. Honestly if you're ever in a jam for what to make, look at some of the items in your pantry and see if any of the recipes peek your interest. I have yet to find a bad one! This meal was perfect for my craving and it used items from my pantry and was a breeze to whip up. If you're in a bind - this recipe will pull through for you, every time, and... it's kid approved!

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Shoyu Chicken

I'm happy I gave this a try, it's a refreshing change from the standard BBQ Chicken. The recipe is HUGE, so I cut it back by 1/2 and the proportion worked out great. I then kept half the marinade aside and made a sauce out of it to drizzle over the cooked chicken and rice. I simply cooked it in a small sauce pan and then added 1 Tbs Cornstarch to 2 Tbs Cold water, I then whisked that mixture into the saucepan and brought it to a boil until it thickened. The sauce almost tasted like a Hoisin sauce - so now I know what to mix if I find my self in a Hoisin Sauce related bind...I also had my husband grill up the steaks for our Warm Steak and Potato Salad for tomorrow night - so tomorrow's supper is halfway done already!

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My son and I also completed our craft for the week: Remembrance Poppy Wreath. It turned out pretty good because I ended up doing a lot of it... He just wasn't into it and I think it's because he really did not understand exactly what it was for, granted he isn't even 3 years old yet, so it's understandable. But it made me think that maybe we will go to a Remembrance Day function this year.

Pollo Fajitas, Jello Pumpkin Balls and Building a Community

I found myself scrambling a bit today. Meal planning is such a big part of my life that when I can't make a meal on my list I feel lost. I searched through the vast library of recipes on www.allrecipes.com and found Pollo Fajitas and Cilantro Potatoes and thought they sounded good and they both used ingredients I had on hand. Both were decent, but I did not fall in love with either. The flavours were mediocre and I am not too sure what they needed to be "kicked up a notch". If you try them, please feel free to let me know your thoughts.

Go to Pollo Fajitas Recipe!

Go to Cilantro Potatoes Recipe!



Tomorrow we have a Halloween party to attend so I made my Jello Popcorn Balls and I can say they turned out AWESOME! They were easy and VERY tasty - I love that you can use truly any flavour of Jello for these. I think green and red batches will be required for Christmas. I think the kiddies are going to love them, and hey, if they don't I'll sure eat them! :)

Go to Jello Pumpkin Balls Recipe!

I would like to announce a couple of exciting changes to my little blog today...Meal Plan-it's family has grown ~ it has become a member of the Food Blogs community today!
"FoodBlogs.com keeps track of hundreds of food blogs (or foodie blogs, as they are often referred to) from around the world." It allows you to sort through thousands of posts and find the relevant posts for you. Feel free to stop by and visit me there and ensure to favorite me to  get all my posts in your feed.

Another fun networking family that I became a member of today was Foodista. Foodista is kind of like the Wikepedia of the food world. It is "the cooking encyclopedia that everyone can edit". Come by and visit me, say hi and check out some of my recipes and see my blog posts.

I hope you enjoy the changes and that you stop by my Facebook Page and hit the like button and while you're there - suggest me to your friends!

Have a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween!

$8000 White Truffles, Korean Pork & "Surprise" Devil Food Cupcakes

I was MIA yesterday because my husband and I went to a very special event where we had a 5 course meal based around White Truffles along with wine pairings from the winery of Beni di Batasiolo in the presence of the owner of the winery himself who flewn in from Italy. 

I love delicious food and jump for any opportunity to try new and amazing meals - this was SO DECADENT I cannot even explain. White Truffles from Italy are some of the rarest and most sought after foods in the world and they are worth their weight in gold. The picture following is a plate of White Truffles...

Can you believe this is worth about $8000?

Tonight was my husband's birthday supper at home and he requested a meal that we have had in the past - Korean Style Pork with Asian Slaw it turned out delicious as always. My son even enjoyed this time.

Go to Recipe!

My son and I made Devil Food cupcake's for my husband; Out of the box, but we added a twist. After they baked and cooled I made buttercream icing and coloured it (I let my son choose the colour and he chose purple) I then put it in a piping bag and poked it in the center of the cupcake and filled it with about a teaspoon of the purple icing and then iced the top with white buttercream icing. So it was a surprise to bite in and find the pocket of bright purple icing in the center.

Well that's it for tonight... we'll see you tomorrow for Chicken Parmesan Bundles

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