Saturday's menu

Saturday we had the in-laws over for dinner, so I thought I'd share what we had, since I thought it turned out beautifully.

For the main dish, we had:

Italian Barbecued Chicken with Polenta
You can find the original recipe by Rachael Ray here. I've just taken out the polenta ingredients and instructions. I also used chicken tenders instead of bone-in chicken.

4 bone-in chicken thigh and leg or chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons grill seasoning
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 thick cut slices pancetta or bacon, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.

For a side, we had mashed potatoes to which I added yogurt (in place of sour cream--you get the same result with a lot fewer calories), a teensy pat of butter, and some cajun seasoning from the grocery store.

And some broccoli and baby carrots, steamed for 10 minutes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and cajun seasoning and heated in the oven until the cheese was melty.

Also, some one hour rolls, recipe here.

Quick Cheese Bread

I made this the other day when I wanted bread to go with dinner but was short on time. I recommend using sharp cheddar cheese to add flavor. Yummy!

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cheese. In another large bowl, beat together egg, milk and oil. Stir the flour/cheese mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Hash Brown Potato Quiche

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup cooked ham, chopped
1 cup (4 oz.) Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green, yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 jalapeno chilli, finely chopped (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Spread the potatoes on paper towels and press out any remaining moisture. Pat the potatoes over the bottom and up the side of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle the butter over the potatoes, making sure the edge is totally covered. Bake at 425* for 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temp. to 350*.
Layer the ham, cheese, pepper, onion and jalapeno over the baked crust. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl until blended and pour over the prepared layers. Bake for 25 min or until a knife inserted in teh center comes out clean. Refrigerate any leftovers. Serves 8

Croissant Pizza

I made this recipe up myself when I was feeling lazy and hungry. It's easy and quick to make.

2 cans croissant rolls
traditional spaghetti sauce
pizza/special seasonings
cheese
pizza toppings

Unroll and split apart the croissant rolls and put on a large cookie sheet. Mix spaghetti sauce with the seasonings and put on each croissant. Add pizza toppings and cheese. (I have also made BBQ chicken and cheddar cheese as my pizza topping.) Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until dough is browned. Enjoy!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

These are some of my favorite pancakes. They're much more filling than regular pancakes, and a nice change from the norm.

The original recipe calls for 6 tablespoons of butter, but I usually just use a splash of vegetable oil or just leave it out altogether. I don't think it's necessary considering the cheese, especially when I'm just gonna smother it all in sugary syrup and fruity jam anyway.

1 cup cottage cheese
pinch of salt
6 tablespoon melted margarine (or cooking oil)
4 eggs
½ cup flour

In a bowl combine all ingredients well. Cook on a hot griddle. Sere with butter and syrup.

Makes about 12 small pancakes.

Also, the other day, I was lazy but wanted some of these, so I just added 1/2 cup cottage cheese to a my pancake mix, and it cooked up nicely. Not as good, of course, but good enough.