Is Dinner Ready Yet?!

Lemon and Chili Chicken

    (note to self, do NOT let hubby take the pictures! Sorry guys!)

Hubby Ratting 

Notes: hubby thought that my seasoning was way to strong and that it was a little to spicy!

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 raw chicken thighs

2 cloves of garlic 

1 table spoon Ginger

1 table spoon water

2 table spoons cumin

2 table spoons coriander

1 table spoon red chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup dry white wine

Directions

In seperate bowl combine chopped garlic ginger, and water. Mash into a past and set aside.

Pour some olive oil into a frying pan and brown your chicken thighs on both sides (medium high heat), when browned remove and set aside

Turn down the flame a little and add your garlic mixture to the frying pan. Mix for about 1 min, After a minute add all your spices, cumin, coriander, red chili pepper flakes, red chili powder. Stir fry for a couple minutes. Add lemon juice and wine and throw in your chicken. Bring to a boil then cover and set on simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20-25 min or until chicken in tender and cooked. When chicken is tender take off lid and let it all come to a boil for about 5 min or until the mixture has burned away till there is only a little left. Season to taste and serve. 

NOTE!! I DON'T MEASURE SPICES!! I always just put in till it taste right to me. Above is a ESTIMATE to what I put in. Always err on the side of to little when putting spices in, you can always put more in later.   

Ricotta Layered Salad

Hubby Rating

Notes: Hubby really liked this... he thought it should have been a little warmer. Not sure how that would work being a salad and all, but I thought it was YUMMY!

Ingredients (serves 8)

12 slices chargrilled eggplant 

8 slices zucchini

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

salt

pepper

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup marinated mushrooms

1 jar marinated bell peppers

1 cup sun dried tomatoes

6 pieces of artichoke cut in half (12 total)

arugula leaves

Directions

Line a bread pan (9 1/2 x 5 x 2 1/2 inch) with plastic wrap, make sure that plenty hangs over the edge. Cut eggplant and zucchini into slices and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Put into ove on high broil for 4-5 min each side. 

Mix ricotta cheese, garlic, chilipowder in a bowl and beat until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Line bottom of bread pan with half of the eggplant slices. Cut to fit, to make sure the whole bottom is covered. Lay all of the zucchini slices on top of the eggplant. Cover with ricotta cheese mixtures. Smooth and press firmly.

Arrange half of the mushroom slices on top of the ricotta. Cover with a layer of arugula leaves. place the remaining mushrooms, artichoke  and tomatoes in rows on top of leaves. There should be three neat rows of these veggies. Cover with the remaining eggplant.

Take the extra plastic wrap from the sides of the bread pan and fold over the top of the salad to everything is covered.  Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the top of the bread pan and place weights/cans of tuna on top of the card board. The whole point is to be able to mash down the whole salad as much a possible. place the salad inside the refrigerator and leave overnight.

To serve, remove from the fridge, take off weights and cardboard. remover top layer of plastic wrap and turn over onto a plate. Remove the rest of the plastic wrap and cut large slices.

Wild Berry Bread Pudding

Hubby Rating Note: hubby doesn't like bread pudding. He said that you could still taste the bread. I think this because I use whole wheat bread instead of white. Hey its healthier!

Ingredients

1 cup blue berries

1 cup black berries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup strawberries

1 1/2 cup sugar

lemon juice

1 loaf of bread (whole wheat or white)

Directions

Place all of your fruit into a large pot and slowly pour in your sugar while the stove is on medium heat. Slowly bring to a boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes. Bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes, this should make your fruit let go of all of there juices. Your going to need a lot of liquid so if you need more add some more sugar. Careful not to add to much sugar, if you do add a little of lemon juice to cancel it out. Err on the side of less sweet than to sweet. turn heat off stove.

If you have a pudding bowl use that if not use either a deep cereal bowl or small mixing bowl. Get your bread and cut a piece to fit on the bottom of your bowl. You may need to use more than one piece, just make sure you cut the pieces so that they fit exactly over the bottom of the bowl. Cut the rest of your bread into triangle and cover the sides of you bowl to the top. soak your pieces of bread in the juice mixture before you line the bowl. After this pour the remaining juice and all the fruit into your bowl with bread lining. Cut more pieces of bread to cover the top. There should be so much juice and fruit it will almost overflow. Don't forget to soak the top pieces of bread in the juice also. 

Place your bowl on a plate so that the mixture wont get all over your fridge. Get a small plate (or one that fits on top of your bowl) and place it on top. Get some weights or cans of food to place on top of the plate and smash down your mixture. You want to able to see it all running down the sides (hence the plate underneath). Place all of it in the fridge for 2-3 days. This allows the fruit, juice and bread to really soak up all the flavors. the longer you leave it in the fridge the stronger the taste. 

To serve, tip bowl over on serving plate and serve with whip cream!