20 Dinners, 1 Day: Creamy Chicken with Soft Polenta

Photo courtesy of Rachel Ray Magazine

Another first in this household (who knew Rachel Ray would be introducing so many firsts to me?), I've never served polenta.  Well, I take that back.... I tried a long time ago, but the only polenta I could find was the kind in the tube that looks like cut and bake cookies.  It was... um, weird.  And I didn't even bother to serve it to the family because I knew they wouldn't touch it.  But I saw a cooking show once that talked about instant polenta (which is basically corn meal), so I thought I'd give that one a try.

It was so yummy that I'm hooked.  Granted, what made is so yummy, namely heavy cream and lots of cheese, isn't so figure-friendly, so I'm going to have to watch how often I serve it up.  But wow, it was delicious!  I even had the leftovers for my lunch today and served cold bits of it to Ava for breakfast.  She gobbled it up.

Abe really liked this recipe, polenta and all.  I suspect that it's very similar in flavor to a chicken pot pie, minus the crust.  Just creamy and yummy and good.  And like all of the 20 dinners, it came together in a snap.

The fontina can be found in the deli cheese area.  It melts down into a cream, so it's perfect for something like this.  It adds a wonderful flavor, too.

Creamy Chicken with Soft Polenta
  
1 onion, minced 
3 tbsp. butter 
10 oz. sliced cremini (or baby bella or button mushrooms)
2 tbsp. flour 
1 1/2 cups heavy cream 
2 cups Roasted Squash, chopped 
1 1/2 cups Pulled Chicken 
1 cup peas 
Salt and pepper 
1 cup instant polenta
1 cup fontina cheese, chopped

In 12-inch skillet, cook onion in 2 tbsp. butter. Add mushrooms and cook until tender. Stir in flour for 1 minute. Pour in 1 1/4 cups cream and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in squash, chicken and peas; season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Cook polenta in 3 1/2 cups boiling water with 1/2 tsp salt until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup cream, 1 tbsp. butter and fontina until smooth. Serve chicken over polenta.

20 Dinners, 1 Day- Pulled Pork and Slaw Sandwiches

Photo courtesy of Rachel Ray Magazine

Wondering if Abe would like these pulled pork sandwiches is like wondering if Adam would like to watch Elmo.  I would've taken my own picture of the meal, but Abe's mitts were all over it in a nanosecond.

Not much to write except that this is for sure a new go-to quicky "what the heck do I make for dinner tonight??" meal.  Abe loved it so much that he replicated the slaw the next day just to snack on.

Pulled Pork and Slaw Sandwiches

3/4 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups coleslaw mix (7 ounces)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 cups Pulled Pork
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
4 hamburger buns

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup vinegar, sugar and crushed red pepper; add coleslaw and season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.  Toss and let stand at least 15 minutes.  Pour off liquid and stir in mayonnaise. 

In saucepan, cook pork and remaining 1/4 cup vinegar, worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons water over medium heat to heat through, 2 to 3 minutes.  Divide pork among buns, top with some slaw and serve remainder alongside.

20 Dinners, 1 Day: Easy Brunswick Stew

I have no idea what Brunswick Stew is and have never heard of it before.  Whatever it is, it was such an easy and tasty stew that Abe had to pack his lunch portion pretty quickly or it would've been eaten up that night.

Using bagged frozen veggies made it crazy quick to make.  Abe actually questioned what kind of stew only needed 10 minutes to cook when he called to tell me he was on his way home from golf league and I told him I had to start the stew.  I admit, I wondered too.    But it was surprisingly good!  And talk about healthy.... I don't think you can cram anymore vegetables in there if you tried.  I sectioned off 1/2 of the stew before adding the pork for myself and added the pork to Abe's portion.  So tasty!  You could easily substitute chicken or even omit the meat altogether for a hearty vegetarian meal.

Oh and don't be a ding dong like me and look for the frozen combo of ALL of the veggies.  I spent a good 5 minutes looking through the freezer section for this elusive blend.  Only later when home did I reread the ingredients and realize it asked for bags of EACH veggies.  Duh.

Easy Brunswick Stew

1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Pulled Pork
1 package (10 oz) each frozen corn, baby lima beans, sliced okra and peas-and-carrots combo, thawed
2 cups Tomato Sauce
2 cup beef broth (I used vegetable broth)
salt and pepper
4 slices crusty bread

In a large dutch oven (or pot), cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, 5 minutes.  Add pork and cook 1 minute.  Add thawed vegetables, tomato sauce and broth.  Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with bread.

20 Dinners, 1 Day: Veggie Flatbreads with Hummus

I think I've found my new go-to dinner when things are harried and I haven't even thought about what to make for dinner.  Even Abe commented on how yummy these were and how quick of a dinner it makes.  I have a feeling once the school year/football practice season is in full swing,  I'll be cranking out a lot of these in different variations.

Who knew that hummus on pizza crust was so tasty?  Well, I guess Rachael Ray did since this is her recipe.  But honestly, who knew?  Abe did raise an eyebrow at the idea. Being Middle Eastern himself, I know he was thinking I was going to ruin a perfectly good hummus.   But, one bite, and he was sold.

I found the flatbreads in the bakery section.  If you can't find them, pocketless pitas will do too.

You might also think "Um, butternut squash and fennel on my pizza? Are you crazy?"  But I assure you, it's actually good.  The peppers and onion add just enough flavor to tone down the sweetness of the butternut and the fennel adds a nice twist, so it's a perfect compliment.  And, don't skimp on the olives.  Yum.

Veggie Flatbreads with Hummus

1 small fennel bulb, shaved
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 naan, flatbread or pocketless pitas
3/4 cup hummus
1 cup chopped Roasted Squash
1 cup chopped Roasted Peppers
1/4 cup chopped black olives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat to 500 degrees.  In bowl, combine fennel and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Brush naan on both sides with remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil; place on 2 baking sheets.  Spread 3 tablespoon hummus on each naan; divide fennel among naan.  Bake until toasted, 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with squash, peppers, olives and bake until crisp, 5 minutes.  Top with parsley.

20 Dinners, 1 Day: Butternut Squash and Spinach Strata

I know, I didn't know what a strata was either.  I had to look it up.  It's just a layered dish that usually has egg, cheese and bread.  I'm guessing it is called strata since strata means layers of something, like rock.

This dish was pretty good.  I wouldn't say that it was my favorite, but that's because I'm not the fondest of eggs.  If you like things like quiche or fritattas, you will like this one.    I do have to say that I loved the flavor of the butternut and spinach.  And it was extra good the next day, after the bread and cheese had time to really settle.  I'd almost say that you might want to make this the night before and really warm it up in the oven at dinnertime.

I'd say this dish could've used a bit of garlic and maybe even a bit of heat, like a shaking of red pepper flakes.  But I'm going to post it in its original form and let you decide.  After all, not everyone has an eggy aversion like I do and might like it, as is.

We don't eat white bread (I know, Jimi hates it with a vengeance), so I just bough some cheap $.79 loaf of bread.  It was ok, but I think next time I will use a nice french bread or something with some more flavor.  Hmmmm... that might be a good place to throw in some garlic oil or minced garlic. 

A neat trick to squeeze the liquid out of the spinach is to put it on a dinner plate, place another plate on top and then press the plates together over the sink. 


Butternut Squash and Spinach Strata

4 cups (4 oz.) torn white sandwich bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups Roasted Squash, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack 
1 lb. frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (see tip above)
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
salt and pepper


In 8-inch square baking dish, toss together the bread and olive oil.  Top with squash; sprinkle with 3/4 cup of cheese.  Add spinach and remaining 3/4 cup cheese in layers.  In bowl, beat eggs, milk, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with fork.  Pour into baking dish; let stand 10 minutes while you preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake until set in center, 40 to 45 minutes.  Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

20 Dinners, 1 Day: Pasta with Chicken and Tomato Sauce

Onto dinner #3 with my 20-Dinner plan.  This time around, I wasn't nervous about Abe liking it..... I was nervous about Jimi eating it.  He, as many kids can be, tends to be a bit fussy.  He's not into "fancy eating" and doesn't like a list of things.  So, a lot of time, I save my food experiments for the days he's not with us.  Pasta would seem like a sure-fire winner, but it was the chicken that worried me.  I don't make pasta with meat, especially shredded chicken, so I wondered how he'd like it.

Both he and Abe loved it and ate 2 servings each.  I had managed to scoop out a bit before adding the chicken, so I can attest that it was tasty.  The sauce was delicious and the cheese added a nice yumminess to an already yummy dish.

I was supposed to use fusilli, but couldn't find it at the store, so I substituted rotini.  I accidentally used the monterey jack from another pending recipe in the dish... I threw in some of the mozzarella when I realized my mistake.  It still was tasty and we couldn't tell a difference at all.

Oh and excuse the horrible picture.  It was 9:30 at night and I was trying to get a pic quickly before the boys came up to devour their dinner.  I'll have to try to get a better picture the next time I make it.

Pasta with Chicken and Tomato Sauce

1 box (16 oz) pasta, like fusilli or rotini
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups Pulled Chicken
2 cups Tomato Sauce
6 oz. mozzarella
salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook pasta until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.  Return pasta to pot, add butter and place over medium heat.  Add chicken and tomato sauce and toss well.  Add reserved pasta water and mozzarella; season with salt and pepper.  Top with parmesan and parsley.

20 Dinners, 1 Day- Mango, Pork and Watercress Salad

After a successful first day to the 20 dinner project, I was a bit hesitant about the recipe for Day 2.  It was a salad, and while Abe is a salad eater, it had things in it that I know he's not that fond of.... mango (he doesn't like fruit in his salad), watercress and shallots.  But, hey, I told him at the beginning of this that he's eating what's on the menu this month, so I slid the bowl in front of him with a broad smile on my face. 

And then I held my breath....

He liked it!  (you old folk will remember the Mikey commercials).   He said the pork really made the dish.  I might start making extra when I make pulled pork and freezing a bit for future salad nights.  My man likes a bit of protein with his greens.

I couldn't find watercress anywhere, so I went with arugula, which has a nice peppery bite to it.  I will try it with the watercress next time.

I'd taste the salad after mixing it to see if it needs a bit more dressing.  It's dressed pretty lightly, which some like, but Abe thought it could've used a smidge more.

Oh and another dinner done in 10 minutes or less.  Take that, long work commute.

I used Building Block #1 (pulled pork) in this recipe.

Mango, Pork and Watercress Salad

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 cup pulled pork
7 cups watercress (or arugula), 5 ounces
1 mango, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

In large salad bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey.  Whisk in olive oil; season with 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Add pork and toss.  Add watercress, mango, bell pepper and shallot; season with salt and pepper.   Toss, then sprinkle almonds on top.