Saturday Lunch

I went grocery shopping today and the chicken legs were 24cents/lb, which was a steal. I bought a bunch of packages to freeze separately. Four large chicken legs only cost $2.40.
The following recipe is a great handsoff recipe because you can leave the chicken in the oven and basically forget it for 35 minutes.

I served the dish with a simple garden salad and a parmesan orzo. The tartness from the salad dressing added brightness to the tender chicken.

A little salad + a little chicken + a little orzo = the perfect bite!

Roasted Chicken with Herbs
Ingredients: 1 Chicken Leg, 1 tsp Thyme, 1 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper
(1) Preheat Oven to 375F
(2) Mix spices together
(3) Without pulling off the skin, separate the skin from the meat of the chicken with finger
(4) Season the meat with the spices (underneath the skin)
(5) Season the top of the skin
(7) Roast chicken for 35 min until juices run clear and skin is crispy

*You will see rendered fat in the pan so this dish is relatively low-fat. You can also eat the chicken without the skin but keep it on during the roasting process to keep the chicken tender

Sides to accompany the Chicken -->
Creamy Orzo with shaved Parmesan
Fresh Garden Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Other ideas for cheap chicken legs is roasting a large batch of them well seasoned with herbs and salt/pepper. Allow the chicken legs to cool, shred the chicken and save the chicken for later during the week for quick sandwiches, wraps, salads, or spring roll wraps!

Cooking daily .. it is possible!

I woke up to the sound of pouring rain and thunder beating against my window. I almost dreaded going to class. I looked forward to tasting my version of my mom's classic.

Tuesday *my super busy day with 4 classes*
Lunch
My Mom's Roasted Chuck Roast
LO (left overs) - Risotto from Monday
Thai Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Mom's Chuck Roast
Ingredients
1lb~1.5lb Chuck Roast
1 cup of low-sodium, fat-free chicken stock
2 Tablespoons of rice wine
4 Tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves smashed, roughly chopped
3 Tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons of Pepper
salt to taste
Aluminum Foil

(1.) Mix all the ingredients except the meat together. Taste the marinade. Adjust salt and sweetness according to personal preference.
(2.) Emerse the cut of meat fully. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4-5 hours.
(3.) Preheat the oven to 220oF.
(4.) Take the meat out and let it sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes
(5.) Discard the marinade. Wrap the meat tightly with aluminum foil. (Be sure the sides of the foil are on the top of the meat (a lot of liquid will be inside the package)
(6.) Place the foiled-wrapped meat in a baking dish (make sure it is not too shallow in case liquid seeps through).
(7.) Bake for 2hrs - 2.5 hrs. Take out the dish and set on counter for 10-20 minutes.
(8.) When opening the package please be careful because a lot of liquid will be come out so open on a deep dish.

Tips: Chuck roast is a very tough cut of meat perfect for braising or slow-roasting (like this recipe). The aluminum foil acts as a sealing agent pressure cooking the meat because of how tightly wrapped the meat is. This is my go-to meal on tuesdays because I marinade the meat the night before and I put it in the oven when I go to my morning class and have my roommates watch the oven. By the time I get home, the meal is ready to be served with a simple salad.

Thai Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
1 Large Cucumber (peeled, halved, seeded and diced)
6 Grape Tomatoes (quartered or halved)
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (or substitute with 1 finely diced, seeded serrano peppers)

(1.) Mix lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and peppers together. Taste the mixture and adjust according to personal preference
(2.) Toss and coat the cucumber slices and tomatoes in the vinagrette
(3.) Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving. This allows the sweetness of the tomatoes to mix with the vinagrette.


...this week is starting off rather well...

Potluck Staples

I had a sisterhood potluck Friday Night where the idea is that every person brings one dish.

Personally, I love potlucks because it's my chance to try new recipes without having loads of left overs later. Empty dishes equal repeat-worthy dishes. Barely touched dishes either require extra tweaking or total abandonment.

These were the dishes I decided to prepare for our potluck.

Tomato Pasta with Mushrooms and Ground Beef
Barbequed Chicken Wings
Thai Cucumber and Tomato Salad
Mayo-Free Deviled Eggs
Tomato Bruschetta
Smokey Shrimp and Red Pepper Wonton Cups
Thai Lettuce Wraps*
Inspiration came from tasting it at Cheesecake Factory. Adapted from the recipe from Meemo's Kitchen.

Desserts
Chocolate Mousse
Coconut Macaroons w/ Chocolate Chips
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Almond Gelatin with Fruit Cocktail

Dishes that have never failed me in the past include the tomato bruschetta, deviled eggs, tomato pasta, cucumber salad, coconut macaroons, chocolate chip cookies and the almond gelatin.

Dishes that I made for the first time and won't change for anything include Thai lettuce wraps and the barbequed chicken wings.

The shrimp cups and the chocolate mousse weren't bad but definitely are a work in progress.

Barbequed Chicken Wings

Tomato Bruschetta

Almond Gelatin with Fruit Cocktail
Ingredients
8 cups of milk
2 cups of water
8 packages of unflavored gelatin
4 Tablespoons of Almond Extract
1 Glass Baking Dish (15" x 10" x 2")
1 (106 oz) canned Mixed Fruit Cocktail

(1.) In a large sauce pan, slowly heat up milk and water
(2.) Be sure to stir constantly
(3.) When mixture simmers, add one gelatin package. Stir until thoroughly absorbed.
(4.) Continue to add remaining packages, stirring thoroughly after each package
(5.) Remove mixture from heat and pour the mixture through a mesh strainer (seive) to capture un-dissolved gelatin
(6.) Pour in almond extract and mix evenly. Pour mixture into glass baking dish.
(7.) Refrigerate for 4 hours or until set
(8.) Cut the set gelatin into small cubes. Using a metal spatula, run the spatula under the gelatin mixture to separate the bottom from the dish
(9.) Mix in fruit cocktail carefull. Chill and then serve.

Chocolate Chip Cookies