Author: chanie

Kid-Friendly Dirty Rice

First off, let me start by saying that I am posting this as per the facebook vote! I asked my fan page if they prefer a one dish meal, protein, vegetarian dish, muffin, drink or craft and the majority voted for the one dish meal, so here you have it!

Now, onto the recipe. Let me tell you how this happened. I went shopping to my local supermarket and picked up a package of chicken for dinner. Then I got home and opened said package. It wreaked. I’m talking seriously stinky chicken. I quickly called the store, who aptly credited my account and I dumped the chicken in the garbage. It was 4:30 PM, my kids were hungry and I had nothing. So I did what any desperate mother would do: I rummaged through my freezer and found 4 lonely hot dogs in a bag. Then, I scoured the pantry and the fridge and put all my ingredients out on the counter. I twiddled my thumbs while I thought of how I could turn rice, hot dogs and peppers into a satisfying dish with minimal time and effort. And then this happened. This delicious, stick-to-your-ribs kind of dish that is so easy to make, so budget-friendly, and easily customizable! Feel free to load this up with other veggies, beans, or any type of protein. You can also use chicken or turkey hot dogs for a healthier option.

After I fed my kids, I could not resist topping off my plate with a poached egg. The silky egg yolk coated my rice with a creamy layer of heaven and the scallions gave it the perfect bite. Don’t be intimidated, poached eggs are fairly simple and take just a little practice. View my tutorial here.

And by the way, in case you were wondering, dirty rice is a traditional Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark (“dirty”) color and a mild but distinctive flavor (thanks Wikipedia! I couldn’t have said it better myself!). I simplified the traditional recipe by using seasoned salt and hot dogs, making it kid-friendly and super easy!

 

Kid-Friendly Dirty Rice

4 hot dogs or sausages, sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tbsp seasoned salt (I prefer Lawry’s)
2 cups rice
4 cups chicken broth

For adults: poached egg and scallions, optional (see my instructions for poaching eggs here)

Method:

Saute hot dogs for a few minutes until it is lightly browned and it has rendered some of its fat. Add onions and peppers and continue to saute until onions are translucent. Add salt and stir to combine. Add rice and saute for a minute or two. Add chicken broth, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

1 year ago: quick easy & tasty chicken

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MyShtub Guest Post – DIY Teacher’s Gift

I’m so excited to have Sheva from over at MyShtub, guest posting on my blog. With her magnificent photography and fun spirit, Sheva takes you on a journey of life’s trials and triumphs. She is an amazing mom of 3, a talented crafter and an avid do-it-yourselfer. At the forefront of her blog is her adorable daughter Rozie, who just happens to have down syndrome. Her real life photography helps to break the stereotypes of down syndrome, and you can’t help but just fall in love with her rosy little Rozie :)

Hi this is Sheva from MyShtub and I’m so excited to be guest posting here on Busy in Brooklyn. Since the school year is coming to an end, most of us are scrambling to find that perfect gift to say thank you to your child’s teacher. In my son’s school we usually do a group gift from all the parents, but I was a Morah for years, and know how hard they work, so I like to give a little something special just from us. Since I usually don’t want to spend a ton, especially if I contributed to the class gift, I came up with something perfect for most budgets.

What you need to create this summer fun strawberry-lemonade fizz gift package

1. Plastic drink dispenser (I got this one at Target for $5)
2. One bottle of sparkling water
3. One container of strawberry lemonade mix ( Country Time brand was OU)
4. Twine or ribbon
5. Wooden spoon
6. Scrap fabric

The first thing I did was choose a color theme. I’m currently obsessed with the aqua salmon color combo and decided to go with it. I made all my labels first and printed them on cardstock *. I also covered the bottle lid with a scrap piece of fabric and tied it with twine. Next, I poured Strawberry-Lemonade mix into a cellophane goody bag, rolled the top down, and stapled a label to hold the bag shut. Lastly, I made a recipe card with a small thank you note.

Strawberry –Lemonade Recipe:

Mix the fizzy water with the powder mix in the canister. Add fresh lemon and strawberry slices. Enjoy!

Once the items are all ready I put them inside the canister with a couple of lemons. I tied it up with twine, the recipe card, and wooden spoon. Voila! A perfect thank you gift for under $10!

*I designed my labels in Photoshop but they can easily be done with scrapbook paper and hand written labels.

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Loaded Baked Potato Omelette

Potatoes have got to be my all time favorite food. I’ll eat any type of spud, in just about any preparation. I can’t say the same about eggs though. I don’t especially love omelettes, (I prefer sunny side up) but because these have potatoes in them, I kind of forget about it. You can use any type of potatoes in these, or even some leftover french fries. Top it off with your favorite baked potato toppings like sour cream, salsa, chives or cheddar cheese for the authentic baked potato experience!

Loaded Baked Potato Omelette

1 russet potato
2 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
toppings of choice (chives, sour cream, salsa, cheddar cheese)

Method:

Heat up a frying pan with cooking spray. In the meantime, scrub the potato to remove dirt. Dry the potato and slice into rounds. Beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes to the pan and cook until softened and browned. Flip the potatoes over and pour in the eggs. When eggs are browned and set, flip the omelette over and cook on the opposite side. Remove from pan and garnish with desired toppings.

1 year ago: strawberry rhubarb soup

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Spaghettti Squash with Sauteed Spinach & Mushrooms

OK. I admit it. I made pancakes yesterday. That’s right. After 3 days of chowing down on cheesecake, lasagna, and so many other calorie-laden delicacies, I still went ahead and make breakfast pancakes. And now the guilt is setting in.  I haven’t even stepped on the scale but I can only imagine the damage. I think it’s about time for a detox, don’t you?

When I come up with a new recipe, a lot of my inspiration comes from what’s in my fridge. In this case, I had some leftover leeks from this leek soup, plus some spinach and mushrooms. The spaghetti squash had been sitting around for a while so I decided to give it a go. This recipe is extremely light and diet-friendly, yet tasty and satisfying. Try it with a side of baked salmon or grilled chicken for a complete and healthy meal!

 

Spaghettti Squash with Sauteed Spinach & Mushrooms

2 small or 1 large spaghetti squash
1 large leek
3 cloves garlic
1 container mushrooms
1 bag baby spinach
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/8 cup dry white wine, optional
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, for sauteeing

Method:

Prepare spaghetti squash according to these directions. In the meantime, slice the leek in half vertically and wash well to remove dirt. Dry on paper towels and and cut crosswise into thin slices. Saute the garlic and leek in olive oil for a few minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to saute until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned. Add spinach (don’t worry if it won’t fit in the pan, it will wilt down into nothing in seconds) and pour in chicken stock. Stir the spinach until wilted and add wine. Season with salt and pepper. Add spaghetti squash and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Saute for a few minutes. Serve immediately.

1 year ago: savory & sweet cheese balls

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Salmon Pasta Salad

If you follow my blog, you know how much I love turning leftovers into something fabulous. This salmon salad is no exception. Back on Succos, I prepared a huge portion of salmon and although delicious, I still had so much left over. Because salmon tends to get a bit fishy the next day, I wanted to serve it up in a way that I could mask some of its fishiness. And that’s how this recipe was borne.

This year, we go straight from Shabbos into Shavuous and I’m sure many of you are going to have lots of leftovers. And since not everyone has the luxury of leaving on their oven for 3 days, we’ve all got to make the most of what we’ve got. This recipe will take your leftover salmon from fishy to delicious! I’ve upped the ante for Shavuous by using soft Israeli cream cheese instead of mayonnaise. Make sure to bake your salmon in a pareve oven so you can make it dairy.


Salmon Pasta Salad

1 12 oz box bowtie pasta (reserve 2 tbsp cooking water)
2 slices leftover salmon (see note)
1/2 c peas, thawed
1 small red onion, diced (about 1/4 cup)
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp dill
1/4 cup soft Israeli cream cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Prepare pasta according to package directions, making sure to reserve 2 tbsp of cooking water before draining. Add the pasta to a mixing bowl and stir in cream cheese while it’s still hot. Add pasta water 1 tbsp at a time to help thin out the cream cheese. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Serve immediately.

Note: If you don’t have leftover salmon, you can use chunks of canned salmon or you can bake fresh. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Squeeze some fresh lemon on fish, sprinkle salt, and drizzle a little olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Variation: For a pareve version, use mayo instead of cream cheese. Omit the pasta water.

1 year ago: black bean & chorizo chocolate chili

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