A Love Affair With Noodle Bowls

I love noodle bowls.  They can be healthy or indulgent, they are super quick, and they can usually be made with whatever is on hand.  The one I made most recently was a beef-broccoli-pesto concoction, and of course it was delicious.  I've never met a noodle bowl I didn't love.  Here's the cast of characters:

I did whole grain pasta to make it healthy and filling, pesto, parmesan cheese because it's pasta's bff, steamed broccoli (I love the microwave pouches), and grilled steak.  I think I used skirt steak, but any steak will do, obviously the leaner the healthier.

I started the pasta, then put the steaks on my George Foreman (love that thing), and stuck the frozen broccoli pouch in the microwave.  When the steak was done (medium rare for me please), I cut it into strips, drained my pasta and broccoli when they were finished, and tossed it all together with a generous tablespoon of pesto and a few shakes of Parmesan.  Simple, healthy, delicious.  Even my two year old loved it.

Feel free to substitute your favorite protein, or veggie.  Chicken would be good in here, maybe with sugar snap peas.  Be creative, that is the beauty of the noodle bowl :)

Kate

Tastes Like Chicken

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I probably should have waited until AFTER my husband deployed to start this up!  I didn't realize the pre-deployment phase was so crazy.  Anyways, before he left I wanted to cook him as many yummy dinners as I could, and one of my favorites was this wonderful roast chicken.  I coated it in garlic, butter, lemon juice, and seasonings and roasted it in the oven.

Delicious Roast Chicken ~ Serves 4-5

1 3-to 4-pound chicken
1 clove minced garlic
2 TBS lemon juice (from either a fresh lemon or a plastic one, in this recipe it doesn't really matter)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
2 TBS butter
4 TBS olive oil
Creole seasoning to taste (my favorite part!)
1/2 c. water or chicken broth

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat to 500 degrees F.
2.  Melt butter, add garlic, lemon juice, salt, garlic pepper, parsley, olive oil, and creole seasoning.
3.  Brush chicken with a little of the butter mixture, place breast side down in shallow roasting pan.  Add the 1/2 cup water or chicken broth to pan (this is to help keep the smoke and splatters to a minimum).  Roast 20 minutes, then flip the chicken.  Roast until breast starts to get brown.  Baste with more of the butter mixture.
4.  Turn the heat down to 350 degrees F.  Roast the chicken for 30-35 minutes more until cooked through, basting it 2 or 3 more times.
5.  Pour the juices out of the chicken into the pan, and place the chicken on a cutting board/platter.  Let rest for about 15 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!!

An Introduction

My name is Kate.  I live in the country with my husband and our two year old daughter.  I have two cats, and way too many cookbooks.  Shelves of cookbooks, some of them proclaiming to give me the ability to put a healthy, family-friendly meal on the table super fast.  Others focus on the "locavore" fresh garden recipes and canning.  Still others are healthy, low-cal "chick food."  And then there are the ones that are all about simple, delicious food (with lots of butter, cream, steak, and chocolate).  Sigh. 

What I want (and my goal on this blog) is to find dishes that are quick, healthy, fresh, delicious, but won't necessitate my running 5 miles on the treadmill every day to earn my dinner.  Oh, and they also need to be approved by my military husband and my picky two year old.  I'm kind of high maintenance with my food :)

We recently moved to a new house with a few acres of land, and I am attempting to garden for the first time, to grow fresh veggies and hopefully learn the art of canning and preserving.

Typically, I go the quick, healthy route during the week, then make one yummy meal from farmer's market ingredients on the weekend.  Oh, and once (or twice, or three times when I'm feeling especially devilish) a week I allow myself to cook from the "purely delicious but soooo unhealthy" cookbooks.

Welcome to my country kitchen!