Tabbouleh is one of those things that sound marvelous to me, but I always tell myself it is too hard to make. It's not. If you can boil water and wield a knife, you can make this.
And since I'm the only one in my house who will touch it with a ten-foot pole, I'll be eating off of this for days! YUMMY!
Don't tell, but WonderGirl and I are on a secret covert operation (wait...is that redundant?).
Anyhoo, I won't go into details, in case there are any Internet Spies lurking, but we are in need of recipes for Irish-themed treats.
Secret password:
It's Oooooonnnn!
I only use strict recipes when baking. That's when the chemistry counts, and when cooking becomes science, in my opinion. The rest of the time I consider it a chance to be artistic.
In that spirit, let me offer some "un-recipes" for what we had for dinner last night.
Lemon-Olive Chicken
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, depending on size
(I've made this with breast meat. Thighs are so much better, and cheaper usually too!)
3 T olive oil
couple of T of flour. (I used whole wheat last night.)
grated peel from one small lemon (I use my microplane to do this.)
juice from the same lemon
1 large shallot, minced (you can use onion, but shallot gives a sweeter, more subtle taste)
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
1/2 cup chicken broth
handful of green olives (I use fancy French ones if we have them, but plain old jar olives will do. I avoid the pimiento-stuffed ones for aesthetic reasons. Cut the olives in half lengthwise.)
Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet. Dredge the chicken very lightly in the flour and brown it on both sides in the hot oil. Don't cook it all the way through. Take it out of the skillet and put in the shallot and garlic. Cook them very carefully so as to not burn them, just until softened. Deglaze the pan with the broth, stirring up the brown bits from the bottom, and add lemon peel, lemon juice, and olives. Put the chicken back in and put the pan in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes. I serve this with couscous or mashed potatoes. One piece of chicken with some sauce is about 7 WW points.
Orange, red onion, feta and vinaigrette salad
To a bowl of your favorite salad greens add:
1/2 small can of mandarin oranges, well drained (could also section 1 small orange)
1/8 of a red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup of fat-free crumbled feta cheese
handful of sliced almonds, about 2T (optional, but really good!)
Vinaigrette:
2 T orange juice
2 T vinegar ( I swear by rice vinegar, but have made it with white balsamic, too)
2 T olive oil
dash salt, pepper
Whisk together in a small bowl, and toss over the salad. For the greens, I like romaine hearts or baby spinach--even better is combo of the two. Salad with dressing: makes three servings at 4 points each
(When they don't have to write a sermon, that is.)
I'm still thinking about the fabulous dinner we had last night at the home of a fun couple from our church. There were ten of us there--all people I genuinely like, although Fireplace Guy (so named be cause he owns a fire place shop) should not drink so much sometimes, or should "compliment" me less when he does.
Comment of the evening, "Cheesehead, despite all your shortcomings, you do preach a good sermon." (Um...okay. Thanks, I think?)
The menu included:
hors d'oeuvre of prosciutto, Parmesan, and the most amazing bread sticks ever
chioppino,
salad of baby spinach, blood oranges and walnuts
roasted beef tenderloin,
goat cheese cheesecake,
roasted asparagus with balsamic reduction,
peppermint ice cream puffs.
The first four courses were served with their own wines. That might explain the compliment.
Today I am cooking and baking again. I finally figured out that it just might be because last year we left early Christmas morning to go to a week's vacation on the left coast, so I might be making up for last year. I did no cooking at all then.
Today have baked a double batch of snickerdoodles (see recipe below) and also my favorite cheesecake recipe: Heath Bar Cheesecake (recipe also below).
Spouse and I are going out for Japanese food tonight for our anniversary, so I think I will have something light today. Maybe a fat club friendly tuna melt!
Snickerdoodles
Ingredients:
3 3/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Stir together flour, baking soda and cream of tartar in a bowl. In a mixing bowl, cream butter, add 2 cup sugar and beat until fluffy. Add eggs, milk, and vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until well combined. (If your dough is soft and messy at this point,stick it in the fridge for a little while.) Mix together the 3T sugar and the cinnamon. Roll dough into one inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar-cinnamon mixture, then space on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Before baking, flatten each ball slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass. Bake about 10 minutes in a 375 degree oven.
Heath Bar Cheesecake
Vanilla wafer crust:
Combine 1 3/4 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs (about 55 wafers) and 2 Tablespoons sugar. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine. Press on bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Put crust in the fridge while you make the batter.
Cheesecake batter:
24 ounces of cream cheese, softened.
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
8 ounces of sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package (8 oz) of Heath Bar Chocolate Toffee bits
Beat cream cheese and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Add sour cream and vanilla.
To assemble:
Pour half of batter into the crust. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the bag of Heath Bar bits on the batter. Spoon the rest of batter on top. Bake in 350 oven for about an hour. (Hint: put the spring form pan on a cookie sheet. The butter in the crust sometimes makes a mess of the oven if you don't!) Cool for 15 minutes, then sprinkle remaining Heath Bar bits on the top. Cool completely, then release sides of pan. Cover and refrigerate at least four hours before serving.
I have made this cheesecake every Christmas that we are not traveling. We have been known to have a sliver for breakfast on Dec 26th!
