Spicy Asian Chicken Wraps

I'm loving a new blog.   It's great and hosted by two ladies from Andover, who happen to be former classmates of a friend of mine from the Y.  Another food lover, Claudia, told me about this blog while we were in deep discussion about Top Chef.  Seriously that's what we talk about at work.  http://www.wearenotmartha.com/.  Check it out.  Anywho, this next recipe is from this site, and I will review it during the week, but this one in particular I am looking forward to making.

Ingredients;

2 & 1/2 oz. bean threads (or cellophane noodles)
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (is there a better smell than fresh cilantro?  I don't think so)
1 T chile paste w/garlic
2 t sesame oil
2 cups cooked chicken breasts chopped up
12 large Boston lettuce leaves
1 t minced ginger

Prepare noodles as directed, rinse them with cool water and chop them up.  Combine cilantro, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger& chile paste in a large bowl.  Add noodles & chicken to mixture and stir well.  Take about 1/3 cup of mixture and put in middle of lettuce leaf.  Roll it up and eat it.  That's it.  When I make it I may cook the ginger with the chicken.  I'll let you know when I review it.

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes

This looks so easy and delicious, can't wait to try.

Ingredients;

1 3 oz. piece french breas baguette
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves minced
2 T butter divided
2 T olive oil divided
1 & 1/2 lb. large shrimp peeled and deveined
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 medium tomatoes cut into 1/4 inch think slices
 2 T balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 450.  Place bread in food processor pulce until fine.  Measures about 1 & 1/2 cups.  Combine breadcrumbs, parsley, and garlic.  Heat 1 T butter & 1 T oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add breadcrumb mixture, cook 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Coat 13 X 9 inch glass abking dish with remaining oil.  Arrange shrimp in single layer, spinkle with a little salt & pepper, followed by breadcrumbs and top with tomatoe slices.  Sprinkle remaining salt & papper, then remaining breadcrumb mixture.  Dot with remaining butter.  Bake for 12 minutes or until the shrimp are done.  Drizzle with vingear.  Yields 6 servings., which should be about 5 shrimp each, 1/4 cup breadcrumb mixture & 2 slices of tomato.

Calories per serving 364, fat 16.5 g, sodium 563 mg. 

Thai Coconut Chicken

I am posting this weeks recipes in advance of making them, then will update them with a review.  All are from the January edition of Cooking Light, which I happen to really enjoy.  So here goes.

Ingredients

1 cup light coconut milk (not easy to find by the way)
1/2 cup lower sodium soy sauce
2 T fresh lime juice
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
2 t Thai chile paste
1/2 t sugar
2 thinly sliced shallots
4 6 oz. chikcne breasts
salt & pepper

Mix first 7 ingredients and reserve 1/2 cup.  Pour rest into a zp lock bag with chicken and marinate for 2 hours.  Heat grill pan over medium high heat, coat with cooking spray.  Remove chicken and discard marinade.  Sprinkle chicken with a little salt, add to pan and cook 7 minutes on each side or until done.  Serve with reserved coconut sauce.

Since it's from Cooking Light it's pretty healthy.  Here are the facts.  Yields 4 servings, calories 205 per serving, fat 5.2 g, sodium 510 mg.  This months Cooking Light has 25 different ways to cook chicken breasts.  I'm sure we can all use some new ideas for chicken, I know we eat it at least twice per week.  Review to follow later.

Weekly Menu 1/2/11-1/9/11

It's weird writing 2011.  Just thought I'd start off with that.  So, like most people, we are kicking off the new year with a healthy start.  Hopefully we stick to it and stay aay from the Ben & Jerry's.  One of the major problems is I really love cooking and not everything I make is all that good for us.  So, I have been perusing websites, magazines, etc and have come across quite a few new recipes I am excited to try.  I will be updating you all regularly on how they go, contain yourselves, I know it's exciting.  You living vicariously through my cooking, you know who you are.  Remember we frequntly have leftovers, just give me a shout and you can try some.

Sunday-Hmmmm...haven't figured this out and haven't done food shopping either so we'll see.
Monday-Spicy Asian Lettuce Wraps (new recipe)
Tuesday-Probably Beans & Hotdogs, yeah I know not healthy, but I'm not wasting food either and it's in the house already.  Plus Tuesdays are basketball practice night so we need something quick.
Wednesday-Thai Coconut Chicken (new recipe)
Thursday-Steak Stir Fry
Friday-Baked Shrimp w/tomatoes (new recipe)
Saturday-Don't know yet, but I've got a ton of chicken in the freezer so it will probably involve that.

Another Tooth Bites the Dust

Rachel now has a lisp, but it's cute.  I do think her teeth are going to take forever to come in since they haven't event broken the surface yet.

Chips & Beer

Everyone leaves Santa milk and Cookies, but those in the know leave him the good stuff.

The Manger

Allen's family has had a manger since he was a kid.  The same manger, which we now have.  This year we let Rachel set it up, and she did a fantastic job.

There's a sheep with only 3 legs.  Just thought I'd tell you.  Sometime we mess with it and put Ewoks or Meerkats in it just to see if people notice.  Most of the time they don't.  Since Rachel set it up we left it alone.  I'm not making any promises for next year.

More Christmas

Rachel wore a beautiful blue sweater dress with offwhite tights.  Very stylish.

Alex was thrilled with his new Red Sox hooded sweatshirt.  That boy loves hooded sweatshirts.

Matty & Rachel

The ladies using Matt as a jungle jim.

Poor guy was getting killed.

Darren gave me a dozen eggs from his hen house.  And this is me acting a fool coming down the stairs.  Don't mind the hair it was out of control today so I just went with it and let it be crazy curly.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Fun

What a great day!  It was a great morning followed by an excellent afternoon into the early evening with my brother & his family.  Santa spoiled us all.  Here are some of the pics.

Driving to Barrington can be a bit much for the little lady and she fell asleep.  Actually she announced she was going to but we honestly thought she was kidding, five minutes later she was out like a light.

This is hard to read but it always cracks us up when we drive by.  There's a nudist colony in Barrington.  Seriously what do they get 6 weeks of warm weather a year.

Darren got PS3 for Christmas and all the guys huyddled in the living room playing most of the day.

Rachel and Alex brought the DS's so they were entertained as well.

Allen entralled by Madden for PS3

McKenna going from room to room visiting everyone

Alex found a comfy spot to read his book.

McKenna and Rob chilling out

The guys!

Weekly Menu 12/12/10-12/19/10

Sunday-Roast with oven browned potatoes, squash and something else.
Monday-Pasta Carbonara
Tuesday-Jambalaya
Wednesday-Either Chicken or Pork Chops both s are in the freezer
Thursday-Moo Shoo Pork (Crockpot Recipe)
Friday-French Toast & Sausage
Saturday-Party at Dad & Lyn's

Losing a tooth!

The tooth that's been wiggling forever has finally fallen out!

Family Christmas Party

Had a great time with everyoine last evening at the annual Ramsden/Peters Christmas party.  Here are some pics from when Santa visited.

The kiddos waiting every so patiently for their name to be called.

Dillon did a great job with Santa

McKenna was looking at him as though he was slightly familiar.

Next up Aisling.

Alex informed Santa, yet again, that he really wants an MP3 player.

Rachel gave him an entire list of items she would like to see under the tree.

The ladies checking out Aisling's present.

It's a party, what does Alex do?  Read a book!

McKenna!

Bean Dip

Generally when we are invited to a party I am asked to make one of my usual recipes, this is one of them.  Normally it's bean dip, spinach dip, bruschetta if it's winter time, firecracker shrimp or potato salad if it's summer.  For tomorrow I am making bean dip and spinach dip, you're all in luck.  Now posting these recipes may back fire on me because you all will start making them and then I will have to come up with something else to make.

Ingredients

1 can each of the following

black eyed peas
black beans
diced chilis
diced tomatoes
corn

also;

medium diced onion
diced green pepper
diced red pepper
1 T. garlic powder
1 small bottle fat free italian dressing

Mix everything together, the night before.  This is key it has to set and the flavors mingle.  Serve with tortilla chips.  There you go, now you know how easy it is and how little I slave to make it.  Even if you all start making it I'm still bringing it to parties so there will be 2 of them.

Fudge Crinkles

Made a few things for tomorrow's Christmas party at JoAnne's.  This is the first. 

Ingredients;
1 box devil's food cake mix (Betty Crocker works best)
1/2 cup vegtable oil
2 large eggs
confectioners' sugar

Directions

Mix 1st 3 ingredients together, stir by hand, until dough forms.  Dust hands with sugar and shape dough into 1" balls.  Roll balls in sugar and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees until center is just set.  Remove from pans after a minute or so and cool on wire racks. 

These were easy.  My oven is funky so they needed a couple extra minutes and then I think I left them in about a minute too long.  They are not as chewy fudgy as they should be.  They are still good and they will still be eaten I am sure.

Weekly Menu 12/5/10-12/11/10

So I'm posting this mid-late week but at least I'm posting.  December always comes and goes in a blur and I forget about the blog.  I'm trying to keep it going.

Sunday-Roast pork loin, oven roasted potatoes & a veggie
Monday-Stuffed cabbage leave in the crock pot
Tuesday-Keilbasa & mac & Cheese
Wednesday-Beef & Bean Burritos
Thursday-Shake & Bake Chicken, butternut squash & something else
Friday-Hmmmmm....can't remember what I planned on making.  I guess whatever is left int he fridge
Saturday-Family Christmas party