Every once in a while, I find something that makes my life seem a little easier and less chaotic.
I just had to pass along what I made for dinner tonight, and I will tell you why I am so darn pleased with it.
I am actually a pretty good cook (Little Diva is quick to point out that I am NOT a Chef, like her daddy, but I can definitely hold my own in the kitchen). However, my current culinary repertoire is limited to meals I can cook in the 20 minutes or less that I can hold off The Baby from tearing the entire kitchen apart AND something that Little Diva will actually eat. I refuse to spend a substantial amount of time preparing a nice meal for myself, knowing full well that it will be scorned and I will have to nuke a batch of chicken nuggets before I actually get to sit down and eat.
So when I can find something quick, easy and cheap, that is not Hamburger Helper from the clearance rack, I get a little excited. (Yes, my life IS really that boring)
This was a really simple little dinner that reminded me of France for some reason. In my early adulthood, I was quite a Franco-phile, so it was fun to eat something that brought back memories. I am not even really sure why it seemed like a French dinner, but I kept calling it jambon aux asperges to impress Little Diva, so maybe that is why.
Dinner consisted of Ham, Sauteed Asparagus and Baguette with Butter. The ham steak was buy one, get one this week, asparagus was on sale for $1.99/lb and the bread was left over from yesterday's meal. It literally took me 20 minutes, the majority of which was waiting for the water to boil to blanche the asparagus.
Here is how I did it.
1) Boil about an inch of salted water in a large skillet. Add trimmed, peeled asparagus and blanche 3-4 minutes until tender crisp.
2) Meanwhile, heat non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add ham steak. Turn it a couple of times during the next step. Turn heat to low when ham steak has lightly browned on both sides.
3) Drain asparagus. Wipe skillet dry. Add about 2 teaspoons olive oil. Heat until shimmering. Add 2 peeled and slightly crushed cloves of garlic and asparagus. Add 1 tablespoon melted butter. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until asparagus starts to brown slightly. Drizzle with about a teaspoon of lemon juice. Remove from heat. Toss with 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley. Move to serving dish and grate parmesan cheese over the top.
4) Cut ham steak into 2-3 servings. Serve with dijon mustard if you like it.
5) Serve with fresh bread and pour yourself a nice glass of crisp white wine. Yum!
Neither kid ate the asparagus, but it was so good, I was happy there was more for me. I will make sure they get an extra spoonful of grape jelly on their toast tomorrow to make up for the lack of vegetables tonight.
I guess there is something to be said for keeping it simple.
Bon apetit!
Showing posts with label cooking with kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking with kids. Show all posts
Friday, February 11, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
So What's For Dinner?
Little Diva is easy to please when it comes to dinner - as long as you are offering Mac-n-Cheese, spaghetti and meatballs or chicken nuggets. Fortunately, I have stumbled upon the realization that she seems to like slow-cooked, shredded meat. For that reason, this Yankee Pot Roast is usually met with a reasonable amount of willingness to eat. The Baby will eat anything (and everything), but this is particularly good for her because of the array of meat and vegetables. Her favorites.
Best of all, as I mentioned in my last post, you can enlist the aide of the kiddos to help get this one into the pot. I let Little Diva sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, throw in the vegetables, and mix and pour the liquid in. Somehow, she is more excited about eating food that she has helped to prepare. Of course, other days, like today, she has no interest in helping at all and STILL wants those darn nuggets. Oh well!
Anyway, it's great for a snowy day, and is easily adapted for a slow cooker if you want dinner done when you get home after a hectic day. I usually buy Chuck Roast when it is on sale at the grocery store buy one, get one free, then throw it in the freezer. Traditional Yankee Pot Roast usually calls for potatoes, too, so feel free to add along with the other vegetables if you like. I prefer to serve this with mashed potatoes on the side, because I find the potatoes too bland when they are cooked with the roast. This recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Enjoy!
Yankee Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (2-3 pound) boneless chuck roast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups beef stock (or broth)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-2 chopped plum tomato
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and cut lengthwise, then into 1 inch pieces
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and peppers. Add roast to pan, browning on all sides (about 8 minutes). Remove from pan. Add onion to pan, and sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Return roast to pan. Add garlic cloves. Combine broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire, pour broth mixture over roast. Add tomato, and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. Add carrots, parsnips and turnips, cover and bake an additional 40-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Best of all, as I mentioned in my last post, you can enlist the aide of the kiddos to help get this one into the pot. I let Little Diva sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, throw in the vegetables, and mix and pour the liquid in. Somehow, she is more excited about eating food that she has helped to prepare. Of course, other days, like today, she has no interest in helping at all and STILL wants those darn nuggets. Oh well!
Anyway, it's great for a snowy day, and is easily adapted for a slow cooker if you want dinner done when you get home after a hectic day. I usually buy Chuck Roast when it is on sale at the grocery store buy one, get one free, then throw it in the freezer. Traditional Yankee Pot Roast usually calls for potatoes, too, so feel free to add along with the other vegetables if you like. I prefer to serve this with mashed potatoes on the side, because I find the potatoes too bland when they are cooked with the roast. This recipe yields approximately 6 servings. Enjoy!
Yankee Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 (2-3 pound) boneless chuck roast
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups beef stock (or broth)
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1-2 chopped plum tomato
2 turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 parsnips, peeled and cut lengthwise, then into 1 inch pieces
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and peppers. Add roast to pan, browning on all sides (about 8 minutes). Remove from pan. Add onion to pan, and sauté 8 minutes or until browned. Return roast to pan. Add garlic cloves. Combine broth, ketchup, and Worcestershire, pour broth mixture over roast. Add tomato, and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover and bake at 300 degrees for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is very tender. Add carrots, parsnips and turnips, cover and bake an additional 40-45 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
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