Mom of all trades

 I like green peppers in my corn, mushrooms in my Brussels sprouts, and caramelized onions in everything.  If you get bored with veggies, don't add cheese sauce, keep it healthy by adding another vegetable.  Garlic, onion, mushrooms, peppers, and tomatoes can put a great twist on any green on your plate, or the not so green, like corn, carrots, and squash.  If you saute these add-ins before hand, you will get even better results.
  Another way to add zip to your veg without putting off the picky eaters, is to cook them in chicken stock.  Just enough to barely cover, and cut the heat back once it boils, so you don't lose all of your liquid.  The liquid left in the pan can be frozen to add to soup later on.
   Roasting or grilling gives great flavor, and no nutrients are lost, as happens with boiling.   To roast most veggies, toss them in olive oil, spread them on a foil or parchment lined pan and bake at 375 until tender, turning once or twice for even browning.  You can also make individual foil packets, adding a bit of olive oil, butter, salt & pepper, and a pinch of your favorite spice.  If you are mixing up your vegetable varieties, keep in mind that some take longer to cook than others.    If you are cooking carrots with quick cooking veggies, cut the carrots very thin - if cooking carrots with potatoes cut the carrots to a quarter the size of the potatoes
   Citrus is a great addition to peas, green beans, carrots, and butternut squash.  Grate in some zest, or add a little juice at the end.  
    Here are some more great toss-ins to liven things up:  Parmesan cheese, blue cheese, cumin, fresh cilantro, mint, pine nuts, shelled sunflower seeds, crumbled cooked bacon,  flavored butter, pimentoes, and green chiles.  
   You may soon be hearing "please pass the peas"  from the least likely person at your table!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNq2bmzhLk

Here's a little tutorial on making chicken fingers....

If you are making them from chicken breasts with skin, on the bone, start by pulling the skin off, cutting the membrane as you go...

Use a boning knife, if you have one.  The blade is thin and long...perfect for getting between the skin and bone.  Start at the thin side of the breast and slowly pull the meat back as you cut it free from the bone.  Sometimes I can manage to get most of the meat off with my fingers, working slowly to detach it from the bone.

Once the meat is off of the bone, cut it into strips.  They will most likely be wedge shaped, due to the shape of the breast meat, but that is okay.  The thickest part should be no wider than 1-1/4"...

Season with whatever you like.  I used paprika, salt, and pepper.  Mix together equal parts egg and milk in one dish, and put some flour in the other.
Dredge the strips in flour, and then in egg, then in flour again...

Heat 3/4" of oil in a skillet over high heat, about 375 or 400 degrees (my skillet is older, so the temp may be off a bit).  Test the oil with a little piece of bread first.  You want it to sizzle but not pop.  Once the oil is hot, lay your strips in there and let them cook until you can see the edges are getting done, then flip them over.  Once both sides are browned, they should be done, but take one out to test it first.  Cut it in half at the thickest point.  The strips take between 15-20 minutes to cook.

Drain the strips for a few minutes on a cooling rack that has been placed over paper towels.  If you have to cook the strips in batches, keep a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on it in the oven at 175 or 200 degrees....or preferably on the "warm" setting, if your oven has one.  Do not use paper towels if you keep them warm in the oven.

Serve with your favorite sauces.  We use barbeque and honey mustard.  You can make your own barbeque by adding brown sugar to ketchup or tomato sauce, with a few drops of Liquid Smoke.  I add honey to prepared mustard until it is to my liking.  I prefer to serve double veggies and cut out the starch!  Enjoy!

I love to cook, but unfortunately, I have found myself in a situation where I have a somewhat incomplete kitchen.  It consists of an island, two wall ovens, a double-burner hotplate, and an electric frying pan, which has saved me.  I have a few random pieces of furniture that serve as storage for cookbooks, dishes, and other things which would usually live in cupboards.  I do have a dishwasher and cook top, but they are still in their boxes.  It won't be possible to put them into use until the cabinets are put in.  Oh, and the kitchen sink?  It is in the basement in a box, so for now I use the utility sink in the laundry room.  Just when we seem to put away enough money to get somewhere, my work load is cut back, or something unforeseen happens.  But the purpose of today's blog is not to gripe.  I have gotten quite used to my half-kitchen and although it takes quite a while to heat my large stock pot, I manage. I do catch myself daydreaming at times....just thinking about washing dishes in the kitchen, rather than walking them to the laundry room gives me goose bumps! 
   This situation has not stopped me from cooking for friends and family, though I often feel as if I have a hand tied behind my back.  I have learned short cuts, and also have become really good at a few things ....figuring out what I can cook ahead of time, boiling potatoes in the least amount of water possible, as it takes some time for a pot of water to come to a boil, and narrowing down my tools, since there isn't room for everything.  I am figuring when I do get this kitchen completed, I will be able to do things in record time!  There is a bright side to everything, and I believe, a purpose for every situation.  I love watching  visitors when they go to put a glass in the sink.  One lady literally spun in circles looking for it, and the puzzled look when she couldn't find it was priceless.  And it is humbling.  Cooking is one of my passions, and I can't wait to dive in with both hands....but in the meantime I am cooperating joyfully, most of the time.  With one hand behind my back.