Sunday (Sun): Wheat
I saw a pin on Pinterest for Taco Pockets that led to 365 Days of Baking and More. The recipe makes 32. They can be used as appetizers or for dinner (about 3-4 per person for a meal and then plenty left over for meals for the next day’s lunch).
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
3 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 cup water
8 slices PepperJack cheese
2 cans (8 oz. each) 8 count crescent rolls
3 plum tomatoes, chopped (I only used 1 1/2 tomatoes)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef until no longer pink, crumbling while cooking. Drain the fat and return to pan. Add onion and cook until soft. Add taco seasoning and water, and stir thoroughly to combine.
Reduce heat to low; and cover and simmer while preparing crescents. (Note: I turned off the meat at this point so it wouldn't stick to the pan.)
On a piece of parchment paper, unroll one package of crescents. Cut each triangle in half, to make two smaller ones. Gently separate them and arrange on parchment so that they are easy to access. (Note: some of the triangles will look like triangles and others will not.)
Stack the slices of cheese and cut them diagonally so that they form four stacks of smaller triangles. You'll have 32 triangles of cheese. Place a piece of cheese onto each crescent triangle.
Place 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons of ground beef mixture on top of the cheese. Add some diced tomato and sprinkle with cilantro.
Fold the points of dough over, securing them together so that the result resembles a diaper.
Bake for 13-15 minutes until golden brown.
What we thought: Everyone liked these. Olivia would have preferred hers without tomatoes and ending picking them out of the Taco Pockets. I only used 1 1/2 tomatoes. With the remaining tomato, I made fresh salsa - using 1 1/2 tomatoes, about a half onion, one jalapeno pepper, some lime juice, and some fresh cilantro. We had taco chips with the salsa and Taco Pockets. I would make this recipe again.
Monday (Moon): Rice
Teriyaki Chicken Casserole also was on Pinterest; and led to Life in the Lofthouse. The recipe serves six.
Ingredients
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water
2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 (12 oz.) bag stir-fry vegetables (in the produce or frozen section - I used a 16-ounce bag of stir-fry vegetables since fresh stir-fry vegetables weren't available )
3 cups cooked brown or white rice (I used 3 cups of dry rice by accident and didn't measure it when I was done. So I accidentally put probably 9 cups of cooked rice into the casserole...whoops)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Combine soy sauce, ½ cup water, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
Meanwhile, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate dish until smooth.
Once sauce is boiling, add mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken then remove from heat.
Place the chicken breasts in the prepared pan. Pour one cup of the sauce over top of chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and shred chicken in the dish using two forks.
Meanwhile, steam or cook the vegetables according to package directions and make the rice (in two separate pots).
Add the cooked vegetables and rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when serving. Gently toss everything together in the casserole dish until combined. (I used all the sauce since we each took our meal directly from the pan.)
Return to oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with remaining sauce.
What we thought: We all liked the flavor and taste of this casserole. Olivia would have preferred it without any vegetables, and Sophia would have preferred it without the carrots. Nonetheless, it is a recipe I'd make again...except with the right amount of rice.
With less rice, the sauce would be more than ample. With as much rice that I used, it wasn't quite as flavorful as it could have been.
The way I made it certainly was economical with all the rice and a minimal amount of chicken and vegetables.
Tuesday (Mars): Barley
For Tuesday's recipe, I chose a Barley Soup that I saw on Pinterest that led to Watch What U Eat. The recipe makes enough for three servings.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon avocado oil or cooking oil
2-3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 onion finely diced
3/4 cup whole barley
1/2 cup finely diced carrots
1 celery stalk finely diced
1 tomato finely diced
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegan)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup chopped spring onions
salt and pepper
Directions
Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and saute until fragrant for about 30-40 seconds.
Add onions and saute until lightly golden brown for about a minute or two. Add all the remaining ingredients except spring onions and let it boil.
Simmer on low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until the barley is tender. Garnish with spring onions and serve warm to enjoy a bowl of barley soup
What We Thought: No one wanted to eat barley soup except me despite the kitchen smelling great as the soup cooked. The barley definitely takes center stage with this recipe. I've always had barley as a background ingredient, with vegetables, meat, and/or broth being the primary featured ingredients. Not with this soup. It is thick with barley and quite flavorful. I would make it again - especially during the winter.
Wednesday (Mercury); Millet/Couscous
After trying millet in two different recipes in February and March; and no one liking the taste of this grain, I decided to use couscous instead.
I found a pin on Pinterest that led to Savory Tooth for a Savory Southwest Couscous Salad. The recipe makes enough for six servings.
Ingredients
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
1 15-oz can corn, drained
3 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
1 orange bell pepper, finely chopped
5 scallions, finely sliced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice from 1 lemon
4 tablespoons olive oil
optional: 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped (I included cilantro)
For the couscous:
1 cup couscous
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable broth or water (I used water)
Instructions
Cooking the couscous: Cook the couscous according to package directions. I cooked mine in the microwave along with butter, salt, and vegetable broth (or water). Fluff the couscous with a fork after cooking, and set aside to cool.
Mix everything together: Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
What We Thought: This was a delicious salad! There is a colorful and flavorful mix of fresh vegetables. The combination of spices provides the right amount of heat. There could be more lemon and olive oil, but it's not critical. I will be making this recipe again - especially in the summer when the vegetables come right from the garden or farmers market.
Thursday (Jupiter): Rye
I found a recipe for Rye Bread with Caraway seeds on Pinterest tat led to The Spruce.
What We Thought: I'm not even going to both taking up space with the recipe or picture because the two loaves I made were way too dense and didn't rise like I expected.
The flavor is there - which I liked. It was just way too heavy of a bread that felt more like a brick than a loaf of bread.
Friday (Venus): Oats
The oat recipe for this week is Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that I saw on Pinterest and that led to The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies that Sophia made.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, melted (1½ sticks)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 heaping cup raisins (we did half the batch with raisins and the other with chocolate chips)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional - we didn't include them)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Your cookies turn out so much better with parchment paper. Believe me! Buy some!
Melt butter and let cool slightly.
Mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. (See Note on the proper way to measure flour)
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the cinnamon, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in the flour mixture until just blended. Add the oats, nuts, and raisins. Mix until just blended.
Place ¼ cup balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes. Do not overbake. Remember I'm at sea level so if you aren't you may need longer. The edges should look brown and the centers still slightly soft. Let the cookies rest on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
What We Thought: These are, indeed, soft cookies. The house smelled wonderful when Sophia was making them. The cookies with the raisins (which I prefer) are very moist. The ones with the chocolate chips everything thought were delicious - especially right out of the oven when the chocolate chips were still melted.
Saturday (Saturn): Corn
For Saturday's recipe, I tried El Torito's Sweet Corn Cake after seeing a pin on Pinterest that led to Chencer. The recipe comes from the El Torito Restaurants that are in Los Angeles. They gave their recipe to a paper in 1996 after a lot of readers were asking for it. I was curious to see what this corn cake tasted like compared to other cornbread I've made in the past.
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 cup masa harina (this is what is used to make tortillas. It's available at Mexican grocery stores and Wal-Mart)
3 tablespoons cold water
1 (10-ounce) package of corn kernels or kernels from 2 large fresh corn cobs
3 tablespoons cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Whip butter and shortening together until fluffy and creamy. Add masa harina gradually and mix thoroughly. Add water gradually, mixing thoroughly.
Blend corn kernels until coarsely chopped. Stir into masa mixture.
Mix cornmeal, sugar, whipping cream, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter-masa mixture; mix until blended.
Pour masa mixture into an 8-inch greased pan. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until corn cake is firm, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting into squares or use an ice cream scoop to serve.
Makes 10 servings.
What We Thought: Out of the oven and even for the first hour or so, the cornbread is very soft. It is more like the consistency of a thick corn mush than bread. The flavor is good...it's just the consistency that's different than expected. The next day (when the picture was taken), it looks more like cornbread. It can be cut and picked up to eat. However, it is still very moist and not like a cake-like consistency that we are used to eating.
What We Thought: Out of the oven and even for the first hour or so, the cornbread is very soft. It is more like the consistency of a thick corn mush than bread. The flavor is good...it's just the consistency that's different than expected. The next day (when the picture was taken), it looks more like cornbread. It can be cut and picked up to eat. However, it is still very moist and not like a cake-like consistency that we are used to eating.
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