Baked Zucchini and Potato Chips

After making this wonderful tian, I had plenty of leftover slices of zucchini and red potato. We love fried zucchini and who doesn't love potato chips, but we a) prefer it healthier and b) don't like the mess of frying at home. So, to the oven I went for these super easy recipes.

Unfried Zucchini
I threw the slices into a bowl of egg substitute.  I then put each slice in a pan of panko bread crumbs (LOVE the texture), kicked up with salt, pepper and some parmesan cheese and made sure both sides had plenty of breadcrumbs. I laid them out in a single layer on a baking sheet covered in foil (no mess!) that I had sprayed with cooking spray. Let them cook at 350 until they are golden brown, maybe 20 minutes? or so. I let mine go a little long so they were nice a crispy. We ate them with ranch dressing I made from a packet of ranch, low fat sour cream, milk and a small dollop of light mayo (I would have preferred greek yogurt, but we were out).

Potato Chips
Spray foiled line baking sheet with cooking spray and lay out potato slices in single layer. Spray potatoes with cooking spray and salt. Back at 350 until desired doneness. We like them crispy, which maybe took about 20 minutes.

Sorry for the lack of photos. They went way to quickly to document! But just posting this makes me want to go home and make more of both tonight.

Coconut Milk Chicken with Spicy Pineapple Sauce

A twitter friend mentioned this Polynesian Chicken Wrap recipe he had made the night before. It sounded so delicious, I decided to give it a try and adapt it for us. We loved it. It was unlike anything I have made before. It was a touch sweet and the chicken was so tender. Will definitely make again!

Ingredients

• Brown rice, cooked according to package
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic salt
• 2 tablespoons oil
• Shredded coconut
• 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, drained with syrup reserved
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 -3 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Red Pepper Flakes

Directions

1. Place the chicken and coconut milk (reserve about 1/3 cup of coconut milk for sauce) in a bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator 4 hours.
2. Toast coconut in a dry pan over medium heat, stiring constantly.
3.  In a medium bowl, mix the crushed pineapple, 1/3 cup coconut milk, cornstarch and ground ginger. Gradually stir in enough of the reserved pineapple juice to make the mixture smooth. Add red pepper flakes to your liking. 
   
4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, blend orange juice and maple syrup. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until clear and thickened. Mix in the pineapple mixture. Continue to cook and stir until well blended and thick, about 15 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, mix the flour, curry powder, and garlic salt. Drain the chicken, and discard marinade. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture to coat.
6. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the coated chicken strips 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and juices run clear.
7. Serve chicken and sauce over brown rice.

Helping Me.....

Or not.

I love...

Librarians!! Salem-Keizer School District is about to cut all of the librarians that serve kindergarten through eighth grade. These librarians do more than shelve books and direct kids to the right area. They teach technology, they teach kids how to research, they teach kids how to use resources, they teach kids so much more. Classroom teachers can not do it all!



Join the cause at http://www.facebook.com/pages/I-heart-Public-School-Libraries/140518699350053 and support your school librarians!

Spice Rack...

A long, long time ago in a neighborhood not very far away, the charming writer of Desperately Seeking Salem, Emily, blogged about the spice rack her husband made for her.  I was inspired by this and decided to give it a go.  I knew my sister needed a spice rack and thought this would be the perfect Christmas gift for her.  I asked her to start keeping my niece's baby food jars and hand them over (Yes, she gave me the supplies for her own Christmas gift) and started formulating a plan.

I wanted the jars to be magnetic, I planned on mounting a piece of metal flashing under the lip of the cabinet. I also wanted to use chalkboard paint on the front in order to use chalk to label each jar.  So that's what I did.



I taped off a rectangle on each jar and painted chalkboard paint within (3 coats).  I let them dry for several days between coats and removed the tape after the last coat had a couple more days to dry.

Using a high shine, black spray paint, I sprayed the outsides of the baby food jar lids. They needed two coats.  Once dried (again, several days later), I used a permanent glue to secure the magnets to the lids.




I bought my spice packets at Cost Plus and gave my sister a set of 18 spice jars, about 10 of them I pre-filled with spices and one of the jars to hold the chalk.

I also used the chalkboard paint on large glass storage jars that I bought at Ikea.  She can use these for pasta, flour, sugar, etc.

Drawback? They probably need to be handwashed.




Too bad the niece is done with baby food.  I really want a set for myself.  Might need to just buy the baby food to get the jars.

Homemade Crackers...

Inspired by the (I think) homemade crackers that David serves with his chicken salad at La Capitale, I decided to try my hand at making crackers. I had a thyme cheese ball recipe I wanted to use them with.  I did a quick search on the Food Network's web site, and decided to go with Ina Garten's Parmesan and Thyme Crackers. I made a batch with fresh thyme and a batch with fresh rosemary and they were both delicious and so very easy.  These crackers are very much like a savory shortbread.  In fact, they were so good, and so addicting, I just ate the plain.  No need for the cheese at all!

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 ounces grated Parmesan
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix until creamy.
• Add the Parmesan, flour, salt, thyme and pepper and combine (I added about 1/4 cup of water after everything was mixed in order to get everything to combine).
• Dump the dough on a lightly floured board and roll into a 13-inch long log. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to harden.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut the log crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick slices. Place the slices on a sheet pan and bake for 22 minutes.

Karma...

I'm a big believer in karma. I also believe there are a couple of different kinds of karma. Some people experience big karma, where all their dirty deeds add together and karma repays in a huge way. Then there's the other kind, the kind I experience. Instant karma, cause and effect seen within a short time span, where all the little things you do are instantly awarded with karma.

For example, I once stole a pen from a restaurant. I have a thing for good pens. I must have stuck it in my pocket upon stealing it and promptly forgot about it. Fast forward to laundry day. Upon removing almost my entire professional wardrobe from the dryer, I found blue ink on almost every item of clothing. Nothing would get that ink out and I had to go spend several hundred dollars to replace that wardrobe. I've never stolen a pen since.

Certain events in my own life have made me wonder about karma. I see people who appear to be continuously rewarded for bad behavior. Is the big karma going to get them? Is little karma already effecting them? Will I ever know? Is it for me to know? These are the thoughts running through my brain.