Sweet Chili Chicken

This is a great recipe for a weeknight dinner. Instead of ordering take out, put some rice on when you get home, get prepping and you have a great Thai-style dinner ready in under 30 minutes. This recipe is courtesy of Canadian Living's October issue.

Sweet Chili Chicken

- 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut in bite-size pieces

- 1/4 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger

- 1 onion, chopped

- 2 peppers (red, green, yellow or orange) cut in bite-size pieces

- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

- 1/2 cup Thai-style sweet chili sauce

- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

- 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Sprinkle chicken with salt. In large skillet, heat oil over high heat; stir-fry chicken until starting to brown and juices run clear when chicken is pierced, about 6 - 10 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add onion and peppers and stir-fry for 3 minutes, adding a few tablespoons of water to prevent sticking to pan if necessary.

Mix chili sauce with vinegar; add to pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until reduced and vegetables are tender-crisp. Sprinkle with onions and serve over rice.

Spinach, Tomato and Bocconcini Pasta Toss

This is another great recipe from Canadian Living, from the August 2011 issue. It's quick, fresh and has a lot of great flavours.

Spinach, Tomato and Bocconcini Pasta Toss

- 5 cups fusili pasta

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 1 onion, thinly sliced

- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

- 2 cups cherry tomatoes

- 1/4 tsp each salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes

- 4 cups baby spinach

- 1 cup cubed bocconcini cheese (if you can find them the pearls are great)

In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid and return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes; cook until tomatoes start to split, about 5 minutes.

Add to pasta along with spinach, cheese and half of the reserved cooking liquid. Cook, stirring and adding more liquid as needed until spinach is wilted and cheese begins to melt, about 2 minutes.

Turkey with Some Tears

This was our first Thanksgiving in our new place. The last holiday, Easter, was the weekend we moved in, so we didn't have quite enough time to get ready to entertain. When we decided to host the dinner, we made a guest list. When we counted, we had invited over 30 people. Now, we know that's a lot but we also knew that some friends were going out of town and others had prior engagements.

I found a great menu in the October issue of Canadian Living. It was called Turkey Without the Tears. Perfect, the by-line was 'Want a no-stress Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings? Here are time-tested restaurant strategies that save time - and sanity'. The menu was for 10 people, and I thought we were going to end up with 12 or 14, so it would be perfect. Turkey, stuffing, carrots, brussel sprouts & green beans, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. It was great!

So I did what I always do when I'm planning a party. I make a plan, a grocery list and I get to work. We sent out the invitation using a very cheesy pic of a trip to a pumpkin patch last fall.

As we were planning everything, making list after list, the RSVP's started to roll in. And roll in they did. With the numbers rising every day the panic started to set in. What if we didn't have enough food? Where was everyone going to sit? I'd already ordered the turkey, and what if we didn't have enough dessert? And so came the turkey tears - an unprecedented pre-party meltdown. Brent listened, offered suggestions and tried to calm me down. I was excited about celebrating with all of our friends but I started wondering if I was making a big mistake.

So we made a few adjustments. As well as the turkey, we grabbed a turkey breast to cook before putting the large bird in the oven. We decided to double the mashed potatoes and carrots, and I decided to make a second dessert. And when people started asking if they could bring anything, we stopped politely declining. So we had a couple of salads, candied yams and lots of wine!

Wednesday we went grocery shopping and made the cranberry sauce. Thursday I made the carrot cake and gluten free pie dough. Friday we picked up the turkey, brined it, made the potatoes, blanched the brussel sprouts and green beans, cleaned and cut the carrots, prepped the stuffing, made the pumpkin pie, iced and decorated the carrot cake, made the whipped cream, cleaned and set-up the living room and bar. By the time we went to bed we'd gone through a bottle of wine and it was 2am! When I got home from my sewing class Saturday morning, Brent had cleaned the bathrooms and all we really had left to do was put the turkey in and let it cook.

After all was said and done there were about 20 people here, and we had enough food and wine for everyone. Not a lot of leftovers, but it was a great night with a fantastic crew of friends and family. The menu from Canadian Living was great, and there are definitely some dishes I would make again! While there were a few tears during the planning process, it was well worth it.

Meal Planning

One of the worst problems we have with food is waste. No matter how hard we try we end up buying food and not using it. And try as hard as we might, there are always those nights after work when without a solid plan we end up eating out. I don't mind the occasional sushi or pizza evening, but that can get expensive.

Recently I've been trying really hard to use what we have in our fridge, freezer and cupboards, while making dinner and lunches as many days a week as I can. One thing I've started trying is to make a meal plan for the week with the ingredients we have on hand and then only buying at the grocery store what we need to fill it out.

The first step for me is to outline what my week looks like, including any concerts, events, plans with friends etc. This way I know exactly what nights we'll be eating at home, when we'll have leftovers, and when we need to think about making a separate lunch.

Next step is for me to write down what we have on hand in four different categories: Protein, Dry Goods, Vegetables and Cheese (cause I love cheese). Looking at this list I try and create a menu for the week, using up as much of what we have that's fresh. Anything else I need, we do a quick run to the grocery store, and that's when we pick up any staples. These items are refreshed as needed from the list on the fridge.

I try and do this every Saturday or Sunday morning and so far so good. Let's see how long I can keep it up!

Easy Alfredo Sauce

This is a great way to use up whipping cream you may have bought because you decided to make waffles for breakfast, and what are waffles without fresh whipping cream?

For this night we used up a zucchini, frozen chicken breast and spaghetti we had on hand. All I had to do was pick up a bottle of wine on the way home from work.

Alfredo Sauce

- 1 cup whipping cream

- 1/4 cup butter

- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- salt and pepper

- pinch fresh nutmeg

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to directions, until tender but firm. Drain well and return to pot.

Meanwhile in saucepan, bring cream and butter just to boil. Reduce heat and stir in Parmesan, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add to pasta. At this time you can throw in some chicken and sauteed veggies, or shrimp, or fresh peas, anything you'd like. Toss to coat.

Favourite Mac and Cheese

Not to sound like a cliche, but macaroni and cheese can be very personal. How one prepares Kraft Dinner is so different from person to person. I remember having friends who used all butter, so it would be creamier, or more milk to create a thinner sauce. I even remember eating it once when someone was kind enough to make it for me, and when I was eating it there was barely any flavour.Turns out this person only uses half the flavour package! And don't even get started on hotdogs or ketchup.

I remember teaching a friend to make KD in highschool and because it was her first time making it herself we measured everything out according to the package, and it was so good! Because basically the flavour packet + the milk + the butter is a formula to make the sauce. Cooking is really all about science. Once you make your own formula or recipe for the sauce, you can play with variations (peas or no peas?).

Now, I haven't eaten KD in years, although I sometimes still crave it a little. Once you've started making your own Macaroni and Cheese though, the KD stuff just doesn't measure up.

This recipe is pretty simple, and easy to adapt for your own tastes.

Macaroni and Cheese (with Bacon!)

- 2 3/4 + 1/2 cup shredded old Cheddar cheese

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1/3 cup flour

- 3 cups milk

- 2 tsp Dijon mustard

- salt and pepper

- 2 green onions, chopped

- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

- 2 cups macaroni

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook macaroni until tender but firm, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; cook onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add flour and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in 3 cups milk and cook, whisking, until sauce is thickened. This usually takes me 10-12 minutes, but sauce will sometimes thicken in as little as 8 minutes.

Add mustard and salt and pepper. Stir in 2 & 3/4 cups of the shredded Cheddar, just until melted. Pour over macaroni.

Stir green onions and bacon into mixture until combined.

Spread in 8-inch square glass baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheddar on top. Bake, uncovered, in 350 F oven for 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Sunday Night Dinner - Lentil Soup and Mom's Cheese Biscuits

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A really great meal can be found in a good soup. Add a salad one day, sandwhich or a wrap another, and you have a few days of lunches and dinners. The best way to have soup though, is with cheese biscuits. I remember loving the biscuits at Red Lobster. They were so good you would go for the lunch special (unlimited soup and garden salad) because you also got cheese biscuits. Unlimited! We may have left with a few in our purses...

As good as those may have been, hands down nothing beats my mom's cheese biscuits. I remember making these for the first time, that was when I learned about cutting butter into a dough recipe. I have no idea where my mom got this recipe from, and I should really have it written down in more than one place, because it's awesome!!!

Mommy Cavanagh's Cheese Biscuits

- 2 cups flour

- 4 tsp baking powder

- 3/4 tsp salt

- 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

- 1 cup water

- 1 1/2 cups grated old cheddar cheese

Mix together dry ingredients in bowl. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Add water and cheese and stir just to moisten.

Drop by rounded tablespoons 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet.

Bake in 425 F oven for 15 minutes, checking at 10 minutes. These will disappear quickly as soon as they cool.