Saturday, March 19, 2011

Kid Food Made Adult

We ate the Butternut Mac 'n Cheese.  Way better than I ever expected.  I have the leftovers in the fridge for lunch and it is all I can think about.  I'm pretty sure there is a way for me to link to the website I got the recipe from but I am not sure how to do that yet... http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2007/11/butternut-mac-n-cheese.html ...let's see if that works.  If not I will type up the recipe in my next post.

Okay, don't expect this to taste like KRAFT.  It looks an awful lot like it but it's adulted up.  (Yes, adulted is my made up word for the day, please give me credit if you plan on using it yourself.) Yes, you could tell squash was in it but let me just say squash has a bad rap.  I mean really?  Squash?  It just sounds...bleh.  Oh but this sexy roasted beauty got mashed up slowly, lovingly 'til all the lumps were worked out, like in a relaxing massage kind of way.  And you roast it with the skin on so when it's done the skin just falls off like a naughty little strip tease, exposing delicious golden flesh.  (See what I'm sayin about adulted up?!)

No, I don't think you could trick your children with this, but quite frankly, it's too good for the children.  Currently the two children that live with us are gone so I can't even give testimony from them and I think I will eat it all before they get home!  Is that bad? It was noodley and cheesy and the top cheese got a little brown and crispy just the way Bob likes it.  He said he could tell it was made with love and that it was thee most delicious mac and cheese he had ever eaten in his entire life (Bob is working on foreplay skills.) Bonus-squash generally doesn't cause gas.

With this dish I also made Chicken Fingers with Chipotle Honey.  This part of the meal was better than the mac and cheese!!!  Chipotle Honey.  Say it slowly Chipooootleeee Hhhhooonnnneeeyyyy.  Oh yes.  Spicy sweet goodness.  The recipe came from Cook This Not That.  Tops any chicken nuggets I have ever had, was very, very, very easy to prepare and quick.  I think it took me less than an hour to get the whole meal on the table.  (I made the mac and cheese the day before and just reheated for 30 minutes).  In hindsight I should have added a green vegetable but green veggies and I are not yet on good terms.  Baby steps.  Bob's take on these?  "How many more can I have?"  The sauce makes them irresistible.  Bob has a hard time with portion control.  Quite often I make enough food for lunch leftovers.  For some reason, Bob feels that if it is made for dinner, it should be eaten for dinner.   Why dirty tupperware when I can just finish this up right now? It showed great restraint on Bob's part not to eat the remaining nuggets.

One good meal on one day.  That was Thursday.  Friday?  Bob was supposed to go out for lunch with a colleague.   So I did not pack a lunch for him.  My lunch would be the leftover Greek chicken upon a bed of rabbit food with Marie's Bleu Cheese Vinaigrette (my new favorite dressing!) Alas, the colleague did not show up and Bob was forced to eat in the grill at work.  I sat down and started eating my healthy lunch while Bob went down to see what they were serving up in the grill. Shepherds Pie.  One of the best comfort foods out there if you ask me.  Robin  knows Bob and I and she knows we eat lunch together. She thoughtfully heaped enough on Bob's plate just in case I wanted a taste. There was a huge birthday party the night before and there was enough cake for two hundred.  Only fifty people attended.  The grill is giving cake to everyone for dessert.  Robin, once again, kindly cut an extra large piece of cake for Bob and I to share...can you see where this is going? I ate my lunch and so did Bob.

A friend of ours is a little overweight.  His doctor gave him some very simple advice.  He said "You know the food you put in your mouth?"  Our friend nodded, "Well, just put in half."  No wonder doctors make so much money.  Brilliant.

Chicken Fingers

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into nugget size
Salt and black pepper to taste
3 egg whites, slightly beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs (asian food section DO NOT SUBSTITUTE REG BREAD CRUMBS)
2 Tblspns Dijon mustard
1 tspn honey
1tspn chipotle pepper puree
(for puree get a small can of chipotle peppers (mexican food section) blend them up in a food processor.  Super duper hot!  Use the leftovers to spice up anything but use sparingly! this can be kept in fridge for a few weeks)

Preheat oven to 450.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Place egg whites in bowl.  Place bread crumbs on a plate and season with salt and pepper.  Dip tenders in egg white then toss in crumbs being sure to coat thoroughly.
Place on cookie sheet lightly sprayed with nonstick cook spray and bake 10-12 minutes until crumbs are lightly browned and chicken is firm.
Combine  mustard, pepper puree and honey, toss cooked tenders in sauce so they are all coated.  (I just used the sauce as a dip)

No comments: