Gleanings of Wheat

So this is what we had for lunch yesterday. My kiddies call them "cheesy pizzas." I think it is cute and if you disagree then pffft! to you. ;) Somehow I doubt I really need to type up directions, but for the sake of consistency here you go: Corn tortillas (2 per person) Mexican mix cheese chicken or beef, thinly sliced (optional) Sprinkle your meat with salt and pepper (or any spices you like) if you are using any. Brown in skillet. Place handful of cheese in center of tortilla, spread evenly and add any meat you are using. Top with second tortilla and cook on each side for two minutes over medium heat. Serve up with some chips, salsa, and sour cream.

Have you ever taken something out of the freezer and placed it in the fridge the night before you need it so that it would be defrosted in the morning only to discover upon going to retrieve said item that it has gone missing? And you're the only person who cooks in the house? That's what happened as planned this meal last week. I took the chicken I was going to use and stuck it in the fridge. Well, I guess I got completely distracted and used it (probably on this ) or else the dog learned how to unlock the fridge, removed the raw chicken flawlessly from the top shelf, ate the chicken and then disposed of the evidence. Now, part of me wouldn't put it past her but I think it just might be a bit of a stretch. I had to go grocery shopping anyway... This is a nice quick one from Rachael Ray , she serves it up as a sandwich loaded with veggies but you could easily ditch the sandwich concept and the chicken would stand well on its own with a salad or something on the side.

One great resource if you are in a bit of a funk would be Rachael Ray's 365 No Repeats. Really, you've got an entire year of recipes in one place and as always with Rachael Ray they're easily done in 30 minutes or less. It even has check boxes on the side of each page so that you can mark the recipes as "Keepers" or "Save for Later," I think it is a great feature simply because as I go through cookbooks I almost always find at least five different things I want to make. This feature allows me to come back later in the week and find those without having to dog ear my book. My single complaint concerning this...well, any cookbook really...is that there aren't pictures for each recipe. I don't know about you, but I like to see what the end result is, it helps me decide if I'm going to make it. At any rate, this is a great cookbook for just about anyone.

That's right, I went to Nashville to visit some friends instead of staying home and posting on Friday and Monday. You'll have to forgive me. While I was there I was treated to a lovely (and delicious) lunch at Loveless Cafe . I think I probably drank about 6 tall glasses of sweet tea and enjoyed my BLT (with fried green tomatoes!) and all the biscuits quite a bit. Seriously, if you are ever in Nashville you should stop by. It is worth the trip. I fully intend upon trying to dig up or create a recipe that will duplicate their biscuits.

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray Show: 30 Minute Meals Episode: Commuter Consolation I saw this one last night and thought it looked yummy. This recipe is a modern take on the ol' Cream of Mushroom Chicken. This one is more healthful and almost as easy as pouring that condensed, salty mass out of a can. It will heal a long day! Salt 1/2 pound orzo pasta 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 6 ounces Pepper 2 tablespoons butter 12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced 12 white mushrooms, sliced 2 large cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped 2 large shallots, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it 3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, a generous handful Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the

Except I'm really not. The last two days have been insanely busy trying to prepare for a trip and I didn't have a chance to prepare a recipe for today. Sorry to disappoint you, I promise to try harder next week. Have a good weekend!

This one will seriously only take you five minutes, if you use all store bought stuff. I don't have a food processor to make homemade pesto (I wish I did, feel free to buy one for me) so I just get it from the store. Directions: 1 tbsp pesto per pita, spread and sprinkle with shredded Mozzeralla cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Eat and enjoy. This one works great with thinly sliced steak as a topping. If you want to give the steak some flavor marinade it in Italian dressing for 30 minutes, throw it on the grill and then slice it up for your pizza. I didn't do that today so you guys get the picture of the cheese pizzas. ** edit ** If you want the pita to be firm either pop it in your toaster or bake it a couple minutes before you add the pesto and cheese.

I got this one out of Betty Crocker's Coking Basics, pg 34. 3/4 pound round steak, cut into 1 inch thick cubes 2 cloves garlic 1/4 c balsamic vinegar 1/4 c water 1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano) 2 tbsp evoo 1 1/2 tsp fresh marjoram (or 1/2 tsp dried) 1 tsp sugar Optional 1 orange pepper, cut into 1 inch squares 1 potato, cut into 1/2 inch squares Peel and finely chop garlic. Make a marinade by mixing the vinegar, water, oregano, oil, marjoram, sugar and garlic in medium bowl. Stir in beef, pepper, and potato until coated. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour but no longer than 12. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water 30 minutes before using to prevent burning. Ways to cook This is the method the recipe calls for Set oven to broil. Remove the beef from the marinade, reserve the marinade. Thread the beef on the skewers, leave 1/2 inch space between each piece. Brush kabobs with marinade. Place the kabobs on the rack in the broiler pan. Broil

I hijacked and changed some (or a lot depending on how you look at it) things from Love and Olive Oil's post . You can click the link for the original or keep reading for my version. Sorry no picture this time. But I promise that if you use the marinade it is a very nice tasting dish. 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts diced 2 green onions, chopped 4 tablespoons olive oil for marinade 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sake or dry Sherry 1 tablespoon golden brown sugar 3 garlic cloves, chopped 3 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp ginger cooked rice Combine ingredients in bowl and whisk, add chicken. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Drain marinade from chicken into small saucepan; bring to boil. Heat evoo in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; sauté until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Mound rice in center of plates. Arrange chicken around rice; drizzle with marinade.

1 c Italian bread crumbs 1 c grated Parmesan cheese 4 round eye steaks salt pepper 2 green peppers, sliced and cleaned 2 cloves of garlic, minced evoo Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add enough evoo to coat pan. Add peppers for a couple minutes, then add the garlic, cook for another minute and remove to dish. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in bowl. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Coat the steaks in the bread crumb mixture then add to pan. Cook for a couple minutes on each side or until steaks reach your desired done-ness.

Ok, so I cheated on this dinner. Big time. But you know what? It was delicious so I don't care. I had some left over salsa I wanted to use up, and I had a box of spanish rice in the cabinet and so I used those and some chicken and had a nice Mexican themed dinner. 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts 8 oz Tostitos Mild Salsa salt pepper evoo for drizzling Zatarain's Spanish Rice Preheat oven to 350. Drizzle evoo in baking pan, use enough to coat bottom. Place chicken in pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with salsa and place in oven. Cook for about 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking prepare the box of rice as called for. To really get into the meal it might be fun to actually have some chips on hand and some corn bread.

Another home-run from Rachael Ray . Now how is this for a meal? I'll tell you what, my mother who absolutely hates fish loves this meal. Tender, full of flavor, I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoy this dish. And it is one of the few meals that I will eat the left overs from. 4 (6 to 8-ounce) portions halibut fillets Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 shallot, sliced 1/2 cup white wine, eyeball it 1 can diced tomatoes, well drained 1/4 lemon 20 leaves fresh basil, torn or rolled and shredded with your knife, chiffonade Season fish with salt and pepper. In a large skillet add the oil. Arrange fish in the pan and turn to coat in oil, then add garlic, shallots and wine. Top each fillet of fish with 1/4 of the tomatoes. Place the pan on the stove top and bring the liquid to a boil over medium high heat. Top the pan with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to moderate. Cook fish 8 to 10 minutes until opaque and flaky, but not dry. Carefully transf

I found this one over at The Hutch . You'll need one package of crescent roll dough, 8 large marshmallows, a bowl of melted butter and a bowl of cinnamon-sugar. Unroll the dough and separate it into triangles. Have your kids dip a marshmallow into the melted butter, then roll the marshmallow in the cinnamon-sugar. Center the marshmallow on a triangle of dough and bring the dough up and around the marshmallow. Seal the dough tightly around the marshmallow by pinching it together (the rolls won't necessarily have the traditional crescent shape!). Bake as directed on the crescent roll package. You'll find a lovely visual illustration of the empty tomb: the marshmallow melts and vanishes, leaving puffed-up empty space inside the crescent roll!

Sorry I'm late with this one. Anyway, around here it isn't called Cincinnati chili, in fact if I called it that people would give me very strange looks. Here, in my home, it is called Chocolate Chili. An old friend gave me this recipe once, but I lost it so I have to make it from memory every time. 2 lbs ground beef or turkey 30 oz canned kidney beans 15 oz chicken broth 30 oz tomato puree 1 1/2 tbsp honey 1/4 tsp cinnomon 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/8 tsp cardamom 1 c semi-sweet chocolate (yes, I use 1 entire cup) 1 med onion, diced 1 lb pasta Brown the meat and drain fat out. In large pot add the meat, beans, broth, onion, spices, and half the chocolate, cover pot, and cook on medium-high heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add other half of chocolate and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until chili is the consistency that you prefer. Cook pasta according to package directions. Directions for eating: Place pasta on plate or bowl, top with chili,

Giada over at Food Network originally did this recipe . She used yellow cupcakes, but quite frankly I think they look (and taste) much better with the chocolate. See the bottom for all my substitutions. 1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe) 1 1/3 cups water 3 large eggs whites 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 2 teaspoons almond extract 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 (6-ounce) containers fresh raspberries, cut in half or 1 (16-ounce) container fresh strawberries, coarsely chopped 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1/3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for dusting Line 18 muffin cups with muffin papers. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using an electric mixer, beat the cake mix, water, egg whites, melted butter, almond extract, and vanilla extract in a large bowl for 2 minutes, or until the batter is well blended. Using about 1/3 cup of batter for each cupcake, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake the cupcakes until they are very pale

I made this for the first time last May and since then it has become a family favorite. Topping off at around 1 hour 15 minutes (prep time included) it is a slightly longer meal to prepare compared to much of what I cook, but I tell you what it is well worth the wait. I usually skip the blender step (because I don't have a blender, I really should buy one) and it still turns out yummy. Also, be sure to cook this at a low heat, the meat tends to toughen up at higher heats and you don't want that. 2 lb. chicken pieces 2 green peppers 4 tomatoes 3 cloves garlic 1/3 cup cooking oil 1 cup dry white wine black pepper, marjoram salt small bunch of parsley Wash the chicken pieces and dry them well. Rub the salt and black pepper on surface. Clean and slice up the green pepper without the veins and seeds. Boil tomatoes in water for 30 seconds. In ice water peel them. Cut garlic into thin slices. Chop parsley. In a large pan heat oil. Put in chicken pieces and brown well on all s

Welcome to the kick off post for Gleanings of Wheat! Here I will post with semi-regularity (I'm shooting for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) the best recipes that I have tried. I will be linking to the original place where I found the recipe when possible, so if you have a great recipe you'd like to have featured email me a link and I'll try it out. If it is good and I can make it without burning my house down I'll make a post. Yes, it is that simple. For those of you who don't know me, I used to have a blog called The Daily and while at that blog I began posting a lot of food recipes. Unfortunately those posts don't really fit in with that blog's theme, after months out of the blogging game I've decided to keep things light and limit myself to food. And thus Gleanings came into being. Bookmark us and come back soon.