Chinese Noodle Casserole

I spent much of last weekend shuttling Emily to and from a birthday party and making giant cookies for the Grade six band bake sale this past Thursday.  A triple batch of my favourite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe made a full 25 cookies 6" across.  They were a hit at the bake sale too, it seemed.
Emily wanted to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars, but they can't go to school because they have a nut-free policy.  I put her off, but she decided, since they were no bake, she could make them on Monday while I was at work, since she had (another!) day off school.  I can't help but wonder if I could get a day off for spiritual development....
While I was making supper Sunday night I found myself hungry for an old favourite.  I looked up the recipe and decided Emily could manage it, so instead of asking her what she wanted to make, I simply took ground bison out of the freezer and told her this was the menu.
Monday afternoon I got a call at the office.  "Mom, what is a "oz"?  I went on Google and asked how much was 12 oz of chocolate, but Google's being dumb."
I had to laugh.  She was looking at my handwritten recipe, that calls for 12 ounces of chocolate chips, which I have abbreviated "oz".  I explained that oz was short for ounce, and she needed about a cup and a half of chips.
Later that afternoon, once I was home, she started preparing the casserole for supper, assuring me she could do it by herself.  It wasn't long before she asked me if I'd chop the onions for her, until I reminded her she said she was doing it alone.  The chewing gum trick still doesn't work.
The recipe she was using is another handwritten one, copied years ago out of a newspaper.  I kept my transcription brief, details were not necessary I didn't believe.   At least not until Emily asked if she was supposed to cut the celery up.  I laughed and told her that no, she could just stick a whole stalk into the casserole.  Then I explained about leaving out words when I copy recipes because to me some things just go without saying.  She chopped the celery.
We had a similar conversation after she collected her ingredients.  I had written "Brown onion, celery and beef..."  and she asked what she should brown it in.  I asked her what she thought - a mixing bowl?  the kitchen sink? the microwave?  A skillet she decided.  From there it was smooth sailing, until she cut her finger on a soup can lid.  I bandaged her up and sent her back to the stove.  She did manage to make dinner all by herself, although I did help pour the meat and sauce into a casserole dish.
As she was cooking Emily noticed another recipe on the facing page, and commented that it looked good too.  She's right, it is good, and will be on this week's menu.

Chinese Noodle Casserole

1 cup chopped onion                             1 cup chopped celery

1 can tomato soup                                  1 lb ground beef

2 tablespoons soy sauce                         1 can mushroom soup

4 ounces chow mein noodles

Brown onion, celery and beef in a large skillet.  Stir in soups and soy sauce along with 3/4 of the noodles.  Stir to combine and pour into a medium sized (1 1/2 quart) casserole dish. Sprinkle with the remaining noodles.  Bake, uncovered 45 minutes at 350F

* I like lots of noodles so I add several generous handfuls rather than measuring.

Reese's Bars

2 1/2 cups Graham wafer crumbs           1 cup melted margarine

12 ounces chocolate chips                       2 3/4 cups icing sugar

1 cup peanut butter

Melt the chocolate and set aside.  Combine the remaining ingredients and press into an ungreased 9x13" pan.  Pour the chocolate over.  Refrigerate, cut into squares before completely cool, after about 15 minutes in the fridge.  Decorate each square with a peanut if desired.

Parmesan Crusted Stuffed Chicken

Another week has flown by.  Spring seems to be upon us, in the flower bed I can see my tulips bravely emerging from the accumulated detritus of the past several months, and their hopeful appearance has me starting to feel the itch to go out and dig in the dirt.  I know it is early March and winter will probably make one or even two more rages at us before retreating again for summer's tenure.  So I'll ignore that itch and leave the snow shovel & block heater cord out for another week or so, a superstitious concession I'm sure but I still believe in Murphey's Law.
Anyway.  Emily spent the weekend with her dad and when she got home Sunday night dug around the internet for a recipe for Monday's dinner.  Although I believe I have made this before, with a friend after a long day cooped up with small children during a mid winter power outage.    But, as always, I digress.
I did a quick survey of the pantry and made a grocery list, stopping at the store on my way home.
I sliced the chicken breasts almost in half for Emily, creating a pocket.  Rather than buying expensive pre-shredded cheese I bought a block of mozzarella shredded a mixture of it and cheddar cheese. I showed Emily how to trim the asparagus spears and left her to it.  Once her ingredients were prepared and assembled I showed her how to lay a couple of spears of asparagus on the chicken breast along with some shredded cheese, then folding the breast closed again.  Assembled on the pan she topped the chicken with Parmesan and baked it for about 20 minutes.
While the chicken baked I made a salad and had Emily steam the remainder of the asparagus.  As a side dish she made a packet of stuffing mix, although I think a wild rice blend would have been a nice compliment too.
Dinner was delicious again.  So good in fact, I forgot to take a picture.  You'll just have to take my word for it.


Parmesan -Crusted Stuffed Chicken

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts           
8 fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend (Italiano)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 400F.
Make a cut in the long side of each chicken breast, making sure not to cut it all the way through..  Fill pockets with asparagus and shredded cheese.
Place on a greased baking sheet, top with Parmesan cheese.
Bake 20 minutes, until the chicken is done.

Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce & Bang Bang Chicken

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted.....the cold I thought I was getting the last time I posted turned into a full blown flu and I spent the rest of the month too sick to think about eating, much less cooking.  I managed to get to work and cope with busy days, but found I had little appetite.  Throw in a few nights of Emily out babysitting and it became a multi-day stint of convince cooking and subsistence.  Thank goodness Emily can prepare herself a basic meal or two.
Anyway, I survived and even got my voice back, finally.  Yikes, this was one nasty bug.  Glad it's over.
Sunday I was scrolling through my emails when Emily glanced over to see what I was doing.  Being anti-social and reading email on my phone, of course.  I needed to go to church, but by the time I got there I was feeling like I should have taken another day on the couch.  Oh well.
One of the emails showed a series of recipes.  Emily pointed to the one titled "Bang Bang Chicken" and declared that was what she was making for dinner the following day.  I gave it a quick once over and decided it was doable.  Turns out she thought it was "Big Bang Chicken", as a nod to the TV show.
Later that afternoon I asked her what she was making to go with her chicken.  "Noodles with sauce," she informed me.  I probed further- what kind of sauce?  I wanted to steer her to something complimentary.  "The kind you eat," she told me.  Damn.  She's becoming fluent in sarcasm & throwing my lines back at me.
I found I was thinking spicy peanut sauce, so I did a little digging and found a recipe.  It had vegetables in it too, so that was one less decision to make.  Emily thought it sounded good, so I made a quick trip to the grocery store.
When I got home from work I suggested to Emily she prepare the sauce for her noodles first, and set it aside, and then start on her chicken.  While she measured peanut butter, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar & line juice into the blender I chopped a couple of scallions for her and peeled and grated a chunk of fresh ginger.  As she measured in the final ingredients I started chopping the broccoli and trimming snap peas to add to the pasta.  While the recipe directs the vegetables to be steamed separately and spooned on top of individual servings of noodles I told Emily we were going to save one pot and add the vegetables to the pasta when it was almost done.
While we waited for the water to boil I showed her what size to cut the chicken breasts into and helped her created her batter.  I advised her to batter & bread all the chicken and then cook it.  Once the chicken was done she dumped the whole bowlful into the hot oil.  I was doing dishes but quickly found some tongs and removed most of it, explaining she needed to cook a few pieces at a time.  She was sure she had ruined dinner, but I encouraged her, it's a mistake anyone could make, but crowding the pan is never a good idea.  She kept frying and I prepared the sauce for her, combining mayonnaise, chili sauce, honey and hot sauce.
Before long dinner was done.  I think Emily needs a few more lessons in timing, but her meal was good, and was equally delicious for lunch several times this week.  There was only enough chicken for lunch on Tuesday, but the noodles were certainly a meal in themselves.
As you can see it was too good to wait and take a picture!

Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce

3/4 lb spinach linguine or whole wheat spaghetti          2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 cups broccoli florets                                                    2 tablespoons lime juice

2 cups snow peas                                                            1 scallion, cut into pieces

2 cups sugar snap peas                                                    3/4" piece fresh ginger, grated

1/2 cup peanut butter                                                       2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce                                                            1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup water                                                                   1/2 cup unsalted peanuts

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  In the final few minutes add the broccoli and then the peas, or steam them separately.  Drain and rinse the noodles.

Toast the peanuts in a dry pan over medium heat, about three minutes, until they are fragrant.

Prepare the sauce by pureeing together the peanut butter, soy sauce, water, vinegar, lime juice, scallions, ginger, sugar and red pepper flakes until smooth.

Just before serving toss the pasta and vegetables with the sauce.  Top with the toasted peanuts (chop them if desired).

Bang Bang Chicken

1 cup buttermilk                            1 tablespoon hot sauce

3/4 cup flour                                  salt & pepper, to taste

1/2 cup cornstarch                          1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1" cubes

1 egg                                               1 cup Panko/bread crumbs

Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise                       1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce      2 teaspoons hot sauce

Whisk together the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Whisk together the buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt & pepper.  Heat about 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Dip chicken pieces in buttermilk mixture then into the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat. 

Working in batches add the chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate,  

Serve immediately, drizzled with   the sauce, or serve the sauce on the side for dipping.                                      

 

Carrot Soup (Four Ingredient Lentil Soup)

Ah, February.  Groundhog Day, my birthday, Valentine's Day, the heart of mid-winter, the midst of cold & flu season, much maligned, February.  Incidentally, I did not see my shadow on Groundhog Day (my birthday, and so I have long considered myself an honourary Groundhog) so we should have an early spring.  Never mind that I leave the house before sun up.  As it happens I did not see my shadow when I was out & about later in the day either.  Gusty Chinook winds had blown clouds across the sky, so it was warm, if not sunny. Much as I have a tender spot in my heart for February I will not be sorry to see winter bid us adieu for another year.

Emily wasn't sure what she wanted to cook this week when I asked her.  Feeling rather bleary myself, settling full into the cold she had brought home from school I suggested this soup, or perhaps baked potato soup.  She quickly opted for this one.  I was pleased.  It is quick to make, easy and sounded like just the thing to ease my symptoms.

When I got home from work she had tidied the house & put away the breakfast dishes.  I helped her find the recipe, which I keep telling myself I should transcribe into one of my notebooks so I can find it easily.  I found it in a Kraft Foods "What's Cooking" magazine, but who can ever remember which one?  Thankfully, because I like this recipe the page was turned down and the magazine a little crusty with spilled ingredients, it was relatively easy to locate.

Emily decided to test the theory she'd read that chewing gum while chopping onions helps keep you from crying,  Initially she declared it to be true, but as she kept chopping decided otherwise.  Personally I still think running the peeled onion under cold water for a minute or so is the best trick.  At least it works for me.
Teary eyed she got the chopped onion into a pot then found the carrots in the refrigerator.  The recipe calls for two large carrots, Emily held up two smallish ones and asked if she should use more.  I suggested four.  I guess it depends on what you think a large carrot is.  I usually use three or four, depending on what's in the fridge.
I found the lentils for her, then helped her sweep the kitchen as the new bag she opened was held loosely and lentils skittered all over my kitchen floor.  At least the mice will be healthy!
To the lentils, carrots and onions Emily added chicken stock, bringing the whole thing to a boil then simmering it until the vegetables were tender.
While the soup was cooking I quickly made some baking powder biscuits.  I considered having Emily do it, but it was faster and cleaner for me to help this time.  Within about 30 minutes the carrots were tender and I pulled out my immersion blender, showing Emily how to use it, telling her NOT to lift it out of the pot while it was running unless she wanted to scrub soup off the ceiling.
She was thrilled to have a new appliance to try out, and soon we were sitting down to a lovely meal.

Four Ingredient Lentil Soup

2 large carrots, peeled & chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups red lentils, uncooked

1.5 litres (6 cups) chicken broth

Bring ingredients to a boil in a sauce pan; cover, simmer 30-45 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  

Puree using an immersion blender, or in small batches in a blender, until smooth.

Season with salt & pepper to taste.  I quite like a pinch of dried dill in my bowl.

*I ran out of red lentils once & substituted green ones.  Don't.  The soup tasted fine but did not look very appealing.  It was a muddy brown colour and not this appetizing orange.

This is, as I said, a quick & easy recipe.  It reheats well, if you have leftovers.  And I like it because the ingredients are things I usually have on hand, and it's always great to have a few of those kinds of recipes in your arsenal.  When I first started making it I called it simply "Carrot Soup" because Emily liked carrots, but would have balked at the thought of lentils, even though she didn't know what they were.  Whatever works.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs and Chocolate Rockets

Another busy week has come to a close.  The housework is largely done again and I have a little time to sit and write. Emily is quite sure we have done the meatball recipe before, and this may be true.  If it is a repeat, I apologize.  She does like meatballs though, and sweet & sour sauce, so it was an easy go to.
Emily was asked to babysit Monday night, so we put the meatballs off until Wednesday night and I grilled a couple of chicken breasts and made baked potatoes instead for a quick supper before she left.
On Wednesday when Emily called me to tell me she was home from school she told me her day had been "sad" when I inquired.  I asked why, concerned about the usual preteen angst of some issue with one friend or another (I wouldn't go back to those years for anything!). Turns out it was sad because I didn't give her money for the monthly bake sale.  Except that I had, and when she stopped insisting I had not and looked she found the pair of quarters on the table, right next to the hot lunch money she was supposed to take to school two days before. If she looked up from her electronics now & then she'd know, but she still claims I never told her it was there.  I did.  I know I did.  She thought I should provide some kind of "make up" treat, but her opting to not immediately put the offered monies in her bag is no reason I should reward here.
She called me again a few minutes later to ask if she could make cupcakes for dessert, since Aunt Nancy was joining us.  I agreed she could prepare the batter, but was not to start baking until I got home.  Another 20 minutes later and she called again, asking where the cocoa was.  I thought she had discovered a cake mix, but no, she was making something from scratch.  I have taught her well.....I think.

When I got home Emily was sweeping the kitchen floor and there was a huge bowl of chocolate batter on the counter.  I unpacked my lunch things and found the cupcake papers for her.  She filled a couple, and then asked me if I would help.  I told her to start the rice and began ladling out cupcake batter.  I have started making cupcakes in a large measuring cup, the spout makes dividing the batter so much easier.  I reminded her again about the difference between liquid and dry measures as I supervised the rice measuring.  Once the cupcakes were in the oven and the rice was boiling I let her start her meatballs.  She asked me to mince the onion for her, and I sliced the rest of the onion into larger pieces for the sauce rather than have half an onion in the fridge.  The original recipe says to bake the meatballs, but because we had cupcakes in the oven I had her brown them in a large frying pan, removing them to a bowl once they were  mostly done.
Once the meatballs were cooked Emily measured brown sugar, corn starch and vinegar into the pan along with a can of pineapple chunks and juice.  Once this was mixed and simmering I told her to return the meatballs to the pan to finish cooking in the sauce.

As always dinner was good, and there were plenty of leftovers for lunch the following day.  She is not only becoming a proficient cook, but she has taken to doing the dishes afterward.  She missed a few things this time around, and she still needs to learn to put the ingredients back into the cupboard when she's done, but we're getting there.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

1 lb lean ground beef                                    1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs                              1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup milk                                                  1 can pineapple tidbits in syrup (540 ml)

1 egg                                                             1/3 cup vinegar

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed                             1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion             1 green pepper, coarsely chopped (optional)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

rosemary (optional)

Mix together ground beef, crumbs, milk, egg, garlic, onions & Worcestershire sauce.  Form into balls (about the size of a ping pong ball)  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350F until brown (about 15-20 minutes, or brown in batches in a little hot oil in a large pan.

To make the sauce mix brown sugar and corn starch in a skillet.  Stir in pineapple with syrup, vinegar and soy sauce.  Heat to boiling stirring constantly, then reduce heat.  Add meatballs, cover and simmer 10 minutes.  

Serve over rice or noodles, or make smaller meatballs & serve as an appetizer.

Chocolate Rockets

These moist, and almost foolproof cupcakes have been a favourite in my house since my boys were small.  If I have the right combination of time and patience I make them in mini cupcake tins for a bite sized treat.  They are great unfrosted, frosted with Nutella, or any other frosting you might like. The recipe also doubles well.

1 1/2 cups flour                              1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar                                  5 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup cocoa powder                    1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon baking powder             1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda                  1 1/4 cups water

Preheat the oven to 350F

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Stir until there are no lumps and the mixture is one colour.  Add all the wet ingredients.  Stir until batter is smooth and all one colour.

Spoon batter into prepared (greased or papered) pan.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Honey BBQ Meatloaf; Popcorn-Crusted Shrimp & Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

I was about to make a comment about how quickly January seems to have passed when I realized I seem to always start these posts that way.  Yes, time is passing quickly, and watching my little girl grow up in leaps and bounds underscores that fact, as does a rapidly approaching birthday.  It's funny, to me, anyway, how I can believe so fully in taking each moment as it comes & taking time to smell the roses; making time for myself and all those things motivational posters are made of and yet find the hours slipping through my fingers like so much sand.  Life is good.  There aren't many things I'd change.  A few things, sure, but not many.
I'm a week behind with my posting; last weekend was spent with Peter, writing was not a priority.  We get little enough time these days.  In light of that I'm going to combine two weeks of Emily's forays into the kitchen into one post.
A couple of weeks ago I came across a new meatloaf recipe.  It looked easy enough, and since Emily loves meatloaf I suggested this recipe to her.  Unfortunately she has decided going into the garage when I'm not home is "creepy", so she delayed on some (most) of her chores until I got home, which meant she did not start making said meatloaf until almost 5.  We didn't eat until half past six and the meatloaf was not satisfactorily cooked all the way through.  We carved a couple of slices off the ends and put the rest back into the oven for an extra 45 minutes.  Live and learn.
Nonetheless Emily was happy to don a pair of latex gloves and knead together ground bison, crushed Ritz crackers, an egg, minced onion, garlic powder, honey, part of a can of diced tomatoes and barbecue sauce.  She shaped the mixture into a loaf, patted it into a loaf pan and topped with the rest of the tomatoes mixed with more barbecue sauce.
While the loaf baked I cut some parsnips and carrots into matchsticks to saute in butter, finished with a little honey to really bring out their inherent sweetness.  Emily made mashed potatoes (from a package, I let her cheat) and packaged gravy, another cheat.
As I said, the meal was good, if a little late, and by the time we were done I think every pan in my kitchen was in the sink.

Honey BBQ Meatloaf with a Kick

2 lbs extra lean ground beef                                        2 tablespoons honey

24 rich round crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)            1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten                                                               1 can (540 ml) diced tomatoes, drained

2 tablespoons minced dried onions                             1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1 tablespoon garlic powder                                         4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Heat oven to 350F.  

Combine meat, cracker crumbs, egg, onions, garlic powder, honey and pepper.  Mix in half the tomatoes, half of the barbecue sauce and half the Worcestershire sauce until just blended.

Shape into a loaf in a 9x5" greased loaf pan; flatten top.  Combine remaining tomatoes, barbecue sauce and Worcestershire sauce.  Spoon over meat.  Cover, place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake one hour, or until done, uncovering for the last 15 minutes.

The following Sunday evening I asked Emily if she intended to cook again come Monday.  She said  she was, and shortly thereafter brought me my most recent copy of the Food Network Magazine.  She said she wanted to make the Popcorn-Crusted Popcorn Shrimp and Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce.  Both recipes sounded good, and looked relatively simple.  I was pleased too the recipes she had chosen looked like a good compliment to each other, and they were not listed together.  She is beginning to learn how to pair foods....I think.  Maybe it was a fluke.

I suggested she invite her aunt to join us, and she was eager to do so.  I made a brief trip to the store for shrimp and spaghetti squash and settled in for a quiet Sunday evening.

When I got home from work on Monday I suggested she begin prepping her shrimp, although they would not take long to cook I knew breading them was going to be time consuming for an inexperienced chef.

I had put the spaghetti squash in the oven to steam while I was at work, putting the cut, seeded halves into a baking dish with a little water and covering it.  I set the timer to cook it for about 35 minutes ate 400F.  It was cooked, and cool enough to handle when I got home.  While Emily made popcorn in the microwave* I scooped out the flesh of the squash for her, returning it to the oven to stay warm while she worked on the shrimp.

She measured the popcorn into my blender along with dried bread crumbs, cornstarch, salt & pepper, pulsing the mixture to make coarse crumbs.  She began to coat the shrimp with this before I was able to tell her she needed to combine, in a separate dish, flour, salt & pepper, and beat an egg into a third bowl.  I then showed her how to dredge the shrimp in the flour, then dip it into the beaten egg, before finally breading it with the crumb mixture.  By the time she was done there were crumbs & flour everywhere.

While she deep fried the shrimp in hot oil I melted some butter with cayenne and lemon zest and combined mayonnaise with more lemon zest and some lemon juice to make a dipping sauce for the shrimp.  When the shrimp were fried she drizzled them with the melted butter.

While I had been helping her with the blender, not the best tool for making crumbs, Emily made the peanut sauce for the spaghetti squash.  She stirred together peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice and water.  To this she added ground ginger, a garlic clove and red pepper flakes.

When the shrimp was ready she tossed the squash with this mixture and dinner was served.

Despite the apparent hurricane that had hit my poor kitchen dinner was very good.  While my sister and I visited Emily cleared away the leftovers and even did all the dishes.  It was a big job, probably more than the cooking.  I had to smile when read the caption of the photo of dinner she sent to her dad & to Peter listing the menu with the notation "it was hard".  Maybe, but it was delicious too.

Popcorn -Crusted Popcorn Shrimp

3 cups popped popcorn               pinch cayenne pepper

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs        Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon cornstarch              1 tablespoon lemon juice

salt & pepper                               1 lb medium shrimp, peeled & deveined

1/3 cup flour                               1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 large eggs                                2 tablespoons (unsalted) butter

Pulse popcorn, panko, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt & a few grinds pepper in a food processor until coarsely ground.  Transfer to a rimmed pan.  Combine the flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt & a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl; set aside.  Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, set aside.  Melt the butter with the cayenne, half the lemon zest and a pinch of salt.  Set aside.

Heat 2" vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet.  Working in batches toss the shrimp in the flour, dip in the eggs then coat in the popcorn mixture.  Fry the shrimp until golden, about 2 minutes a side.  Remove with a slotted spoon & transfer to a platter.

Mix the mayonnaise with the remaining lemon zest & the lemon juice.  Drizzle the shrimp with the melted butter right before serving.  Serve with the mayonnaise.

Spaghetti Squash with Peanut Sauce

Steam a spaghetti squash until tender.** Cool slightly then scrape into strands with a fork.

Puree 2 tablespoons peanut butter with 1 tablespoon each  soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice & water, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 garlic clove & 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Toss with the squash.  Season with salt.  Top with peanuts, mint & cilantro.

*Microwave 1/2 cup popcorn in a brown paper lunch bag for about 2-2 1/2 minutes.  

**Spaghetti squash can be steamed in the microwave, covered, with about 2 tablespoons of water for about 15 minutes.  We had a larger one that would not fit in our microwave in a pan.  I put it, cut side down, in a baking dish in the oven with about a 1/2 inch of water & covered it. It steamed for about 30 minutes at 400F.

Quick Chicken & Spinach Skillet

As much as I love Christmas, with all its trappings and inherent busyness I must confess I am pleased to be getting back to our routine.  The holidays were good, for the most part, although our family suffered an unexpected and terrible loss just before Christmas, which sent all of us reeling.  Christmas then was quite subdued, but still every tradition found its place once more.
Still the busyness, late nights, holiday parties and just being away from home meant cooking here was minimal and often catch as can.
This past Monday though Emily was back at school and I was back to work, and meal times again took on a more normal routine.  For her first day back in the kitchen Emily decided to make this easy chicken dish.  I invited my sister to join us, and Emily was doubly pleased to be cooking for someone outside our little household.
When I got home from work I had her start the rice, since brown rice takes 40 minutes to cook, and then helped her trim the stems from the bag of spinach.
Emily protested when I insisted I cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally, but I thought it was more knife skill than she has yet acquired.
Emily browned the chicken in hot oil.  While it was browning she mixed a can of diced tomatoes (we used the cracked black pepper & garlic flavoured ones) with three tablespoons of roasted red pepper with Parmesan salad dressing.  The original recipe called for tomato & oregano dressing, which I was unable to find in our local grocery store.
Once the chicken pieces were browned Emily put them on a plate, drizzling them with another tablespoon of the dressing.  To the pan she added the tomatoes and brought it to a boil.  Once it was boiling she added the spinach, cooking it for about 3 minutes.  Although the recipe says to put the spinach mixture on the chicken Emily, at my suggestion, added the chicken back to the pan.
We each spooned a piece of chicken with the sauce over the cooked rice.
Dinner was flavourful, and very good.  There was a great deal of the sauce leftover, once  Emily made a couple of lunch time containers for each of us, using up the remaining chicken & rice.
I told her to put it in the fridge.  The following day I browned a pound of ground bison with an onion and some garlic, add the leftover spinach and tomato mixture to this with  cooked noodles (I used the leftover few noodles from our last couple boxes of lasagna, broken up.  I always seem to have a few noodles left every time I make a lasagna.  Either I need a different pan, or there needs to be a re-think on the packaging)  It was also a great meal. topped with a little Parmesan cheese.

Quick Chicken & Spinach Skillet

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can diced tomatoes (540 ml)

1/4 cup tomato & oregano salad dressing, or roasted red pepper with Parmesan 

2 teaspoons oil

8 cups packed spinach leaves (one bag of baby spinach)

2 2/3 cups cooked brown rice

Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally.  Combine tomatoes and 3 tablespoons of dressing (any non creamy would work,) 

Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the chicken and cook 2-3 minutes on each side.   Remove from the pan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of dressing.  

Add the tomato mixture to the pan and heat to boiling.  Add the spinach leaves and cook 2-3 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and heat through.  Serve over rice.