Greek Chicken

The other night I was in the mood for chicken. But being as it's summer I didn't want to do a whole roast chicken. I found some leg quarters at the store and thought, "this is a great alternative!". They came out really great and took no time at all.

Greek Roast Chicken

4 pieces of chicken leg quarters
2 Lemons
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil

1. Put chicken in a greased or aluminum lined roasting pan
2. Cut lemons in half a juice roughly 1/2 a lemon over each piece of chicken, put lemon halves in roasting pan
3. Sprinkle spices lightly over chicken
4. Sprinkle olive oil over chicken
5. Put chicken, uncovered in a 375 degree oven for roughly 45 minutes to an hour
6. Check for doneness with a meat thermometer


Mangia!

Quinoa Salad

I was looking for an alternative to summer pasta salad the other day and I think I found a good one. Quinoa! I was a little nervous as I had never used it before but I found a great recipe, that I changed a little, and  it came out wonderfully! I got the recipe from here.
Here is my spin on it;

Salad Ingredients:
3/4 cup quinoa (rinsed if needed, check the package)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 red bell pepper, chopped into small dice
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Dressing Ingredients:
2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. South west seasoning
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Check the quinoa package to see if it needs to be rinsed (it often does) and rinse in a fine-mesh strainer if needed.  Combine quinoa, water, and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.  Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool while you prep other ingredients.

Drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse well with cold water, until no more foam appears.  Let beans drain until they are quite dry (or pat dry with paper towels if you want to speed it up.)

Cut out the stem and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and cut into very small dice (about the size of the black beans.) 

When the quinoa is fairly cool, combine quinoa, black beans, diced red bell pepper. Add enough dressing to moisten all the ingredients. (Save any extra dressing to use later)

 This keeps very well in the fridge for several days.  The salad absorbs the dressing when it's refrigerated, so it's best with a little more dressing stirred in when you're eating the leftover salad.


Mangia!

Sauce

I grew up with two Italian Grandmas and a mom that loved to cook. I think that is really where my love of food came from. One of the first things I ever learned out to make was homemade pasta sauce and really it is one of the things I make that I am most proud of. It is really simple to do and you can add anything to it and make it your own. My husband loves meat sauce so that's what I made the other day but you can add veggies or keep it plain or do whatever you like. You can make this either in a slow cooker, which I tend to do in the summer, or on the stove. Here is the basic recipe;

• 1/2 a large onion
• 1 tsp  chopped garlic 
• 2  (29 oz) cans crushed, diced, or pureed tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 to 2 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium to medium high heat saute onions until tender.
2. Add in garlic and saute for roughly 1-2 minutes, just until tender but not brown
3. Add in tomatoes
4. Add in tomato paste and seasoning, cover and simmer for at least an hour or as long as 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

If you like your sauce less acidic add sugar about 30-40 minutes before serving.
If you wanted to add meat or veggies just saute them before you add the tomatoes.
To make this in a crock pot follow steps 1 and 2 and then place the onion mixture in the crock pot then add tomatoes, tomato paste and seasoning to the crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours or until you are ready to serve stirring occasionally.


Mangia!

Smothered Pork Chops and Orzo Salad

Yum

 I made this meal on somewhat of  whim. It was so hot I wanted to make something that didn't use the oven but still was satisfying and nutritious  .

I got the recipe from smothered pork chops here

Smothered Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Onions

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds bone-in pork shoulder chops
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 pound fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Pat chops dry and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then dredge in flour, shaking off excess.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably deep) over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
3. Brown chops in 2 batches, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add remaining 2 tablespoon oil to skillet and cook onion and mushrooms with rosemary and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 7 minutes.
5. Return chops and any meat juices from plate to skillet. Add water and simmer, covered, until chops are tender, about 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

And the orzo salad I had seen on a cooking show but just adapted to what I liked.
 Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of orzo pasta
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 a bag of frozen corn (thawed)
• 1 cup of feta cheese
• lemon juice
• olive oil 
• salt and pepper to taste

 Directions:

1. Cook orzo according to box directions until just tender and drain   
2. Place pasta in a bowl wrap it and put in the fridge or freezer until cool 
3. Chop or dice tomato and put in the salad 
4. Add corn and feta
5. Add a splash of lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
6. Stir gently and refrigerate until ready to serve

Enjoy!

Mama

Hello!
  I am writing this blog to share something I love with the world... cooking. I am planning to post recipes of the meals I make for my family. I hope you like it! :)