(or recipes you'd like to try). That would be my case. I'm not afraid to say it: I hate cooking. I just find it so frustrating--all the ingredients and the mess and the measurements. It's kind of ironic that I worked at Glorieta all summer as a cook. :)
(as a side note and speaking of Glorieta, they're hiring for next summer! So if you're a young college student or a 20-something who has next summer free, go apply here!)
Anyway, I don't like to cook. I'm so glad Ellie does. And, if nothing else, I do enjoy looking at recipes of delicious food...it's just the making it that causes a hiccup.
I considered just choosing all desserts, or soups, but I decided to just make this post like a meal. Or, rather, two entrees and a dessert. Enjoy!
I had saved these recipes a long time ago; don't ask me where I found the first and third ones! The source for the second one is under the pic. They all sound delicious!
Chicken-and-Avocado Soup with Fried Tortillas
3 ½ Tp. cooking oil
4 in. corn tortillas,
halved and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeño chile, seeds
and ribs removed
2 ripe avocados,
preferably Haas, skin and pit removed
1 Tp. lime juice
¼ tsp. Tabasco sauce, plus
more to taste
3 ½ cups water
1 ½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. fresh-ground black
pepper
1 onion, chopped
3 cups canned low-sodium
chicken broth or homemade stock
1 lb. boneless,
skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into approximately 1 ½-by-1/4-by-1/4-inch
strips
In a large pot, heat 2
tablespoons of the oil over moderately high heat. Add the tortillas and cook, stirring
frequently, until brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the tortillas from the pot and drain
on paper towels. In a blender,
combine the garlic, jalapeño, avocados, lime juice, Tabasco, 1 ½ cups of the
water, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Puree until smooth. Heat the remaining 1 ½ tablespoons oil in
the pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until
translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the
broth and the remaining 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer.
Stir the chicken into the pot; cook until just done, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the avocado puree. Heat through, about 2
minutes. Serve the soup topped with the
crisp tortilla strips.
I love avocado and chicken, so this recipe sounds amazing! Maybe I'll actually attempt it. :)
Salmon and Vegetable Foil-Pack Dinners
1 lb. fresh or frozen
skinless salmon, cod, or flounder fillets, about ¾ thick
2 cups thinly sliced fresh
carrots
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
¼ cup sliced green onions
1 Tp. snipped fresh
oregano or 1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
4 cloves garlic, thinly
sliced
2 tsp. finely shredded
orange peel
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
4 tsp. olive oil
2 medium oranges, thinly
sliced
4 sprigs fresh oregano
(optional)
Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into four serving-size pieces, if
necessary. Set aside. In a small saucepan cook carrots, covered, in
a small amount of boiling water for 2 minutes.
Drain and set aside. Tear off
four 24-inch pieces of 18-inch-wide heavy foil.
Fold each half to make four 18x12-inch pieces. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine carrots, mushrooms,
green onion, oregano, garlic, orange peel, half of the salt, and half of the
pepper; toss gently. Divide vegetables
among the four pieces of foil, placing vegetables in center of each
piece. Place on piece of salmon on top
of each portion of vegetables. Drizzle 1
tsp. of the oil over each piece of salmon. Sprinkle each with remaining salt
and pepper; top with orange slices and, if desired, a sprig of oregano. Bring together two opposite edges of foil and
seal with a double fold. Fold remaining
ends to completely enclose the food, allowing space for steam to build. Place
the foil packets in a single layer on a baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until carrots are
tender and fish begins to flake when tested with a fork. Open packets carefully to allow steam to
escape. Transfer the packets to
individual plates.
I tried something like this once, except there was chicken instead of salmon. I was on a camping trip with my youth group, and for dinner one night we all had this. It was amazing! Great for camping--you can just put the foil packs over the campfire to cook.
Pumpkin Bread
2/3 cup butter
2 2/3 cups sugar
1 (16 oz. can) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
Cream butter and sugar. Stir in eggs, pumpkin, and water. Mix in
flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon & cloves. Stir in nuts & raisins. Pour batter into two (9x5x3) loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 55-70 minutes.
I love pretty much anything pumpkin, so this is a recipe for me! I think I'd replace the nuts and raisins with chocolate chips, though; that sounds so much better!
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