5:01 Dinner Club

Long time no blog, huh?  All I can say is that suddenly I have a much greater appreciation for what it is I have been trying to help people with for over a year now.  You see when I started the 5:01 Dinner Club, I was on professional sabbatical -errr-not working full time.  So really, it was pretty easy to get lost at the grocery store, in the kitchen and on the computer as I developed and tried new recipes and NOW, since April actually, I am working hard at a new job that I love so the is very little time to nurture the foodie within. 

Soooo, the 5:01 DC as it has been will just no longer cut it.  I don’t know who I have been kidding over the past year but if you are out there working full time, I wouldn’t blame you for laughing at me as I have suggested that even if you don’t  think about dinner until after 5, you can still get a good dinner on the table by 5:30.  Ha!  The reality is, for me now, if I haven’t given thought to what’s for dinner by the time I leave in the morning or told my husband what to do to prep for dinner, it is not on the table until after 6:00pm-if at all.

My new goal is to simply provide some sort of easy, time saving tip or recipe once a week.  And I am really, really going to try to deliver helpful info to all the people that wish dinner would just magically appear on the table most every night!

Plain wheat bread becomes fancy toast with no crusts and a brush of olive oil!

This is another recipe that utilizes one of every last minute cook’s best friends:  the rotisserie chicken!  It is so easy and so delicious when fresh- and even better when left over.  Use is as an appetizer on toast points (as I have pictured above) or on the end of an endive leave for a fresh serving tool that will leave you virtually carb free!  Or serve it up on the bread of your choice for a lunch, brunch, or dinner sandwich.

 Makes 4-6 sandwiches or appetizers for 6-8 adults in about 10 minutes

•  1 Rotisserie chicken cut into cubes
• ½ Medium sweet onion, chopped fine
• Heaping 1/3 C Mayo
• ¼ C Sour cream
• 2 Tsp Dried tarragon
• Salt & Pepper to taste (I use very little salt and a ton of fresh cracked pepper)

 In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and serve!

This quick & easy side just screams Spring-time!

You could take this simple little side dish in so many directions-it’s not even funny.  Simple (and cheap!) instant rice becomes an elegant side dish in no time.  I see this preparation with seared seafood or grilled or roasted (store bought rotisserie chicken for a 15 minute dinner) chicken.  Add halved grape tomatoes and crumbled feta and you have got yourself a fabulous summer side dish that would probably even taste great as a cold summer side salad…

Serves 4 in about 15 minutes

• 2 C Instant rice prepared according to package directions
• Zest of 2 lemons
• ½ C Fresh, chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, thyme…)

 Mix hot rice with lemon zest and herbs and serve!

Lunch!

Glenn caught this redfish on the 1^st day of our Spring Break.  A big, beautiful fish that we promptly, cleaned, cut up, battered and fried for lunch!  Funny thing is (for the past 3 years anyway) that we catch 1 “keepable” redfish a year and it’s always at the beginning of our trip.  I think of it as the fish that ensures (on behalf of all of the other grubby little bait stealers) that we are feeding all of the other fish around the dock for the entire week.  Because once we catch our 1 keeper, it’s fish stealing our bait everyday for the rest of the week!

Serves 4 in about 20 minutes

• 4- 6 oz Firm white fish filets (to be most cost effective, I cut up 3-4 tilapia filets into about 6-8 pieces)
• 3 Eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt & pepper to taste
• 1 ½ C Finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs

1.  In a large sauté pan, heat canola (or olive or vegetable oil) over med-high heat until bubbles form around the end of a wooden spoon when placed in the hot oil
2. Dip fish pieces in the eggs and then evenly coat in the saltine cracker crumbs
3. Place fish in hot oil and watch carefully as they brown-adjust oil temp is necessary
4. Flip fish pieces after about 4-6 minutes and cook another 4-6 minutes on the other side
5. Drain fish on paper towels or a wire rack
6. Garnish fish with fresh chopped parsley or tartar sauce… and serve!

Make that quick, cheap & EASY!

Serves 4 in about 20 minutes

• 1 -10oz package yellow rice mix, cooked according to package directions
• 1 Rotisserie chicken, pulled & shredded
• 1 C BBQ Sauce
• 2 -16oz cans black beans, drained (or 4 C  cooked black beans )you can cook & freeze yourself if you want))
• For garnish:  Any or all of the following-2 Sliced jalapenos, ½ C cilantro, chopped, 3 green onions, chopped, sour cream, hot sauce, cheese

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat black beans
2. In another sauce pan mix the chicken and BBQ sauce and heat through
3. Arrange yellow rice on a serving dish
4. Top the rice with the black beans
5. Arrange chicken on top of the black beans & garnish as you wish!

This is GFC! Good enough for company!

Serves 4 in about 25  minutes

•  6 Roma tomatoes
• 1 ½ lb. Asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 ½“pieces
• 4 Shallots, (or 1 medium sweet onion, chopped) quartered
• 4 Tbs Olive oil, divided
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1-1   lb Box angel hair pasta (I like the whole grain), cooked in salted water according to package directions but not drained
• 1-4oz Package goat cheese, divided into 4 rounds
• 1 C Fresh basil leaves, washed and shredded just before serving

1. In a large bowl, mix 1^ST 3 ingredients with 2 Tbs olive oil and salt & pepper to taste
2. Heat a large, deep sauté pan (preferably nonstick) or pot over high heat
3. Add vegetables and stir periodically as the tomatoes break down and other veggies caramelize for about 10 minutes
4. Remove vegetables and then use about 1 C of the hot pasta water to “deglaze” the pan (pull up the brown bits that are stuck to the bottom) while stirring constantly
5. Return vegetables to pan, add 2 Tbs olive oil, and a little more pasta water if the sauce is too thick
6. Taste and add salt & pepper if you want
7. With tongs or a pasta spoon, pull hot pasta straight from water and put directly into serving bowl or plate, top with ¼ of the sauce, 1 slice of goat cheese, and ¼ of the shredded basil

You’ll want to let the goat cheese si out at room temp after it’s sliced.  Being room temp allows it to sort of become an important component of the sauce as everything mixes together on the plate.

My helpers!

One of our greatest culinary traditions as a family is pancakes (or waffles) and bacon.  At least once a week, we race to the kitchen in the morning and we all take part in cracking eggs, stirring and getting all of the food ready.  And let me tell you, I have over the years perfected my pancake batter recipe and I can make some kick A** Pancakes/Waffles (even better waffles now thanks to Pops & Goose)!

  So last night as we were winding down for bed, we saw that a Bobby Flay’s  “Throw Down” episode was coming on where the featured dish in the competition  was blueberry pancakes so, of course,  we had to watch.  And this morning when we got up, there was no question about what we were going to have for breakfast:  Pancakes (blueberry for me)!  Watch out Bobby Flay!

 We raced downstairs like we always do and began to assemble the ingredients.  I turned on some music, turned on the oven (for the bacon) and started mixing.  Then the most amazing thing happened.  I looked around at everyone taking part in the process.  Owen hovering over the flour insisting that he be allowed to crack eggs (I don’t think so!), Chloe helping to set the bar (we never sit at the table) and Glenn leaning on the bar drinking coffee.  And it hit me that I sooooo hope that my kids remember this.  Everyday every parent has an opportunity to create good memories for their kids-something that they will describe to others as they get older as a favorite part of their childhood.  Now, just in case my kids don’t remember, I have documented the experience-for me and the kids!  So I ask, what do you want your kids to remember?  And what are you doing to make sure that they do?

I need this in my head!

For the first time in almost a year, I have had my first bout  of “bloggers block”.  Usually, I am jotting ideas and recipes on tiny pieces of an envelope off of the corner of a piece of junk mail just to make sure I get the outline of my next set of posts documented before the thought leaves me-  And my mind is such that if the thought leaves, it may never return.   And usually, I am sneaking around as I try o squeeze a few moments out of a day to try out a new recipe and take photos…  But for the past week and a half, I have just not been feeling it-  I think it must have something to do with being busy with work again.  And this is a good thing-work that is.  So bear with me as I work on getting my creative juices flowing again. 

I have got 3 recipes in my head and I will post as soon as I test and photograph:

• Super Fast:   Angel Hair Pasta With Pan Roasted Asparagus, Tomato and Onion Sauce & Goat Cheese (20 minutes)
• Super Cheap:  BBQ Chicken Over Spicy Black Beans & Yellow Rice With Fresh Cilantro
• Super Fast & Cheap:  A Pizza Bar!

In the meantime, here’s an ultra quick appetizer suggestion that my husband & I just love:

•  Buy a cute jar (If you can’t find a cute jar just put the preserves in a cute little serving dish with a little spoon) of fig preserves, open the jar and stick a little spoon in the jar.
• Buy a block of bleu cheese, unwrap and put on a serving dish with a cheese knife.
• Serve these sweet & savory partners with crackers and on each cracker, get a little fig preserve and a little cheese.

 It’s a sophisticated solution to the need for a quickie appetizer and it is so delicious!

Me In My Favorite Place!

Speed 1: It’s been a horrible day and I am running behind on everything speed!:  5 minutes prep time-30 minutes bake- You want to eat at home and you want hot food but you are not into cooking.  So buy a bag of frozen stuffed shells (or ravioli if you can’t find shells), dump them in a greased 2 qt casserole dish, top them with a jar of marinara and a little shredded mozzarella and bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes and serve!  Easy-

Speed 2:  It’s been a decent day-you just don’t have tons of time to cook speed:  20 minutes prep time-25 minutes bake- Follow my recipe below but use a jar of sauce instead of making home made.

Speed 3:  I am so into the food tonight, I cannot wait to melt into to the kitchen with a glass of red wine and some music to put together a home-made Italian masterpiece speed (My FAVORITE Speed!):  35 minutes prep time-25 minutes bake-  See below!!!!

 This recipe starts with my spicy home roasted marinara.  It’s so easy to make-just chop, roast and puree.  And the return in fresh, home-made flavor is definitely worth the effort.   The filling takes about 6 minutes to mix up and once you get this meal in the oven (40ish minutes prep time with homemade marinara-20 minutes if you use marinara from a jar) you have time to clean up or just chill with a glass of wine while you let the scent of a wonderful dinner infuse your home!  I (especially) like this for the 5:01 Dinner Club because it’s everything you need for dinner in one dish (protein, carbs & a veggie)- And if you are someone trying to steer clear of carbs-take this stuffing and fill hollowed out zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, yellow squash, or bell peppers and it will be delish!  Oh and it is absolutely better the day after it’s made so love the leftovers!