Day #186 - Chorizo Skillet

Tonight I cooked up a skillet meal using chorizo.   Here is the quick recipe:


Chorizo Skillet Meal (serves 4)
1 package raw chorizo sausages (4-5 sausages)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup corn & black bean salsa
1/2 cup chicken stock (or broth)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Rice, any variety (I used Uncle Ben's Brown & Wild Rice Pilaf)


Preheat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Slice the casings of the sausages and remove the chorizo.  Add chorizo to skillet and cook through, using a spatula to help break up and crumble the meat.   Once the chorizo is fully cooked (but not necessarily browned), drain off any excess fat, if present.   Add onion and green pepper to skillet, and continue cooking with chorizo for 2-3 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the salsa, chicken stock and tomato.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Prepare rice per the package instructions.   Add a small pile of rice to your plate, top with spoonfuls of chorizo mixture, and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Day #185 - Jerk Chicken

Tonight I ate dinner at my parents' house.  Mom prepared chicken breasts that had been seasoned with Pampered Chef Jamaican Jerk rub, steamed broccoli with shredded cheddar cheese, baked potatoes, and a garden salad.  I chose the Chocolate Balsamic Fig Vinaigrette dressing for my salad.  This was probably the biggest, most completely balanced meal I've eaten in a long time!

Day #184 - Brisket & Orzo

Took some of the leftover beef brisket from last night and reheated it over a bed of orzo pasta.  Sort of a distant twist on chili mac?   However strange the dish looks, it tasted good.  The juice from the brisket formed a nice sauce on the orzo.    I still have a couple servings of the brisket leftover - I wonder where it will appear next??

Day #183 - 4th of July!

Happy Independence Day, America!

The 4th of July is usually a big day for barbeques and grilling.  But I did neither of those options for my dinner.  Instead I used my crockpot and made a delicious BBQ Beef Brisket with slaw for my side dish.

The BBQ Beef Brisket recipe I followed was from Tasty Kitchen:
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/crockpot-bbq-beer-brisket/

The brisket I bought from the store was only 3 pounds, so I cut down the sauce recipe, using only 1 bottle (12 oz) of beer and 3/4 bottle of BBQ Sauce.  Instead of using cumin in the sauce, I chose to rub the brisket with my chocolate-chipotle rub before submersing it in the sauce.  It added a nice sweet & spicy flavor in contrast to the tangy beer and BBQ sauce.   All day long I suffered with the smell of the brisket cooking in the crockpot.   By the time dinner was ready (8 hours later), the brisket just fell apart at the touch of my fork.  I piled it up on a nice crusty hoagie roll and chowed down.

I also tried a new slaw recipe for dinner, also from Tasty Kitchen:
http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/sidedishes/apple-cabbage-slaw-with-creamy-poppy-seed-dressing/

The only modifications I made to the recipe were using red wine vinegar in place of the apple cider vinegar, because that was all I had on hand.   And instead of using a head of cabbage, I took a shortcut and just bought a bag of cole slaw mix, with the cabbage and carrots already shredded.   Oh, and I added dried cranberries to the slaw, to add a little extra color and tangy-ness. 

Delicious summertime dinner!

Day #182 - BLT Salad

Tonight I made another large salad for dinner - Romaine lettuce, mixed spinach, diced green bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, shredded mozzarella cheese, crumbled bacon, honey mustard dressing, and crushed black pepper.   It was a giant BLT, except in salad form instead of on a sandwich.

Day #181 - Grilled Cheese with Ham & Pear

I was experimenting with grilled cheese - two slices of whole grain bread, spinach, shredded Italian-blend cheese, ham, and thinly sliced Bosc pear. 


According to the USA Pear website:

Bosc pears are easily identified by their long, tapered necks, long stems, and skin that is naturally russeted to a cinnamon brown color. They have a dense, fragrant, honey-sweet flesh with a smooth texture that holds its shape well when heated. It is an excellent choice for eating fresh as well as for cooking.

I sliced the pear as thin as I could, so I didn't have too much thickness to bite through. It added a nice sweetness against the flavors of the cheese, ham, and grainy bread.    

I enjoyed this sandwich, much more than a plain grilled cheese!

Day #180 - BBQ Chicken Drummies

These chicken drummies caught my eye at the grocery store yesterday, and I thought they would make a good meal for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.   I seasoned the drummies with salt, pepper, and Pampered Chef's Barbeque rub, and then browned them on all sides in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  I transferred the drummies to a 9x13 baking dish and poured on the BBQ sauce!   I cooked them an additional 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven, turning them over and basting them with more sauce about halfway through.   I also used the same temperature oven to cook up some sweet potato fries.