tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34352645592962515102024-03-18T22:49:37.251-04:00(Never) Too Many CooksFood, friendship and fungoodfountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08786684135763421376noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-76533748718515144872011-11-07T22:42:00.001-05:002011-11-07T22:43:12.246-05:00Lisa T's Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
I cannot take credit for this deliciousness. It is entirely the brainchild of one of my Auggie moms--the women who became part of my family when I became pregnant with Em and went looking for support online, nearly 15 years ago now. (Let's pretend I didn't say that, OK? Because it makes me feel very, very old. Almost as old as I actually am.) Thanks, Lisa T!
This is perfect for a cold, rainy, TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06927536275580889825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-49695359570002489782011-05-30T18:14:00.000-04:002011-05-30T18:14:04.370-04:00Pasta Caprese (or, Is Anybody Out There?)
It's been forever and a year! (Mostly a year...In fact, truly, nearly a for-real year, since my last post was last June...Yipes!)
Let's pretend that never happened, shall we? I can't make any "will post twice a week" promises (as you'd know if you read my personal blog, which MAYBE gets updated once a month these days), but we can ACT like that will happen. Right? Right.
So. It's TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06927536275580889825noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-19176161987668232812010-12-29T20:13:00.000-05:002010-12-29T20:13:16.984-05:00Crockpot black-eyed pea soup for New Year's Day
For the past three New Year's Eves, I've had a pot of black-eyed peas soaking overnight. Sometime on New Year's Day, between watching the Mummers Parade and football, I'll start making this soup. (It's a crockpot recipe - of course - so it's not like I'm slaving away in the kitchen.)
Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is supposed to usher in good luck for the year ahead. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-11742276882458110412010-12-14T23:20:00.001-05:002010-12-14T23:20:41.276-05:00Pumpkin chocolate-chip muffinsI hadn't gone grocery shopping over the weekend and was in need of something muffin-like for the kids' breakfast on Monday morning.
I was paging through cookbooks and three-ring binders when I discovered a pumpkin muffin recipe that I had printed out somewhere circa the turn of the century when I was a member of several food listservs (Eat Low Fat, KitMailbox, and Fatfree, just to name a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-2454693598089883352010-12-02T07:42:00.001-05:002010-12-02T07:42:00.621-05:00Ethiopian cabbage and potatoesOver the summer my husband and I received most of our produce from the local CSA we joined. It was an interesting experience, but the jury is still out on whether we'll join again next year or buy weekly from the Farmer's Market.One of the vegetables we received in abundant supply was cabbage. Oh, the cabbage. Now, I like cabbage, I do, but 3-4 meals worth per week for 3-4 weeks - well, that wasgoodfountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08786684135763421376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-58943317904260510822010-11-29T13:52:00.008-05:002010-11-29T14:38:35.146-05:00Sweet potato and black bean burritosI have been eyeballing this recipe on allrecipes for awhile but could never quite muster up the courage to give it a try. I don't know why - with over a thousand reviews and 4.5 stars, it had to be good.This weekend, with a handful of leftover sweet potatoes in the house and a love for anything made with black beans, I finally tried it.Boy am I glad I did. Yes, sweet potatoes and black beans seemgoodfountainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08786684135763421376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-27223438081216182412010-11-26T13:42:00.001-05:002010-11-27T09:24:53.061-05:00Creamed spinach in the crockpot
Truth be told, I'm usually more fond of the Thanksgiving side dishes than the actual bird itself. I am all about the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the vegetables.
Yesterday, my mom made an incredible creamed spinach dish that I just had to share, especially since I've been woefully delinquent on posting any recipes here. (I don't have a photo of it, unfortunately.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-78869030335733417002010-10-25T06:51:00.001-04:002010-10-25T06:51:00.336-04:00Cheese enchiladasI've made this twice in the last two weeks, both times to rave reviews. Believe it or not, my nine year old even asked to try it and declared that it was delicious. "Maybe I can order this in a Mexican restaurant," he said. And while it's great to find something new that everyone in the family can enjoy, it's even better when it's a make-ahead sort of meal that requires less than 30 minutes to kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-11479256798669752032010-09-21T07:00:00.008-04:002010-09-21T07:00:02.797-04:00Southwestern baked dip
Fall doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but let's kick off autumn a day early, shall we?
This is my favorite season of the year, for so many reasons. I love how the temperature outside becomes cooler, I love the colors that I often take for granted as a lifelong resident of the Mid-Atlantic states, and I love the soups and casseroles and pot pies (and the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-41320856766869174182010-09-20T08:21:00.000-04:002010-09-20T08:21:10.299-04:00Barbequed baby back ribsAdmittedly, we've fallen behind here at (Never) Too Many Cooks. Summer, vacations, back-to-school—I know I speak for all of our contributors when I say that life seems to get in the way a lot these days. I, for one, have fallen back on a lot of family favorite recipes in recent weeks, many of which you can find in this blog's archives.
That said, we had an amazing dinner with friends Friday kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-53123079481582525782010-09-06T14:39:00.001-04:002010-09-06T14:41:10.243-04:00Farewell to summer dinner (with grilled veggie kebobs and garlic bread with fresh tomato and mozzarella)My in-laws visited us this weekend and I wanted to make a "farewell to summer" dinner using some local produce. So on Saturday, Betty and I took my mother-in-law to a nearby farm where I bought corn on the cob, zucchini, yellow squash, an onion, mushrooms, red potatoes, tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. All would find their way into that evening's dinner.
I wanted to make veggie Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-83440667387424180972010-08-24T15:17:00.000-04:002010-08-24T15:17:10.733-04:00Blackberry pie
Two years ago, my then 6 year old daughter and I went to a then-nearby farm where we walked up and down row after row of blackberries.
We each had our own basket and we had a friendly competition to see who would get the most blackberries.
Of course, she won.
As I said, that was two years ago. She still talks about picking blackberries, how stained our shirts and shorts were, howUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-50796478527089572092010-08-24T11:12:00.000-04:002010-08-24T11:12:09.770-04:00Zucchini and egg scramble
I'm almost embarrassed to post this. It's so simple, some would argue that it's not even a recipe. But when I made this dish for my family Sunday morning, I realized that it has value. It's seasonal. It's healthy. It's kid-friendly. What's not to like?
Here's what you need:
eggs
butter
zucchini, diced or grated
salt and pepper
To give you an idea on quantities, I typically use the equivalent kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-25531761965193070902010-08-23T19:12:00.001-04:002010-08-23T19:14:36.874-04:00Late summer chicken and rice bake
I was inspired by grey skies, rain and a cool late summer breeze. A craving for something warm and hearty, but not too heavy. And since chicken and rice are pretty much "pantry" staples in my kitchen, I figured I could throw something together for dinner that was loosely based on this delicious chicken with rice dish. It was a somewhat risky move to make at 5 p.m., an experiment that my husband kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-45748321287715580952010-08-12T23:31:00.000-04:002010-08-12T23:31:46.014-04:00One thing you can do
A friend and neighbor, mother to three young, energetic boys and about to welcome a girl, recently confided in me that she would like to change her family's eating and buying habits. She wanted to eat more seasonally available, locally produced foods. "But I don't know where to start!" She said this as we watched her kids and mine graze on the last of the broccoli, picking it right from the stemChristinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687586555108712164noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-5209526452274969862010-07-29T22:00:00.000-04:002010-07-29T22:00:14.543-04:00Refrigerator dough pizza
Am I the last person on the Internet to discover refrigerator dough? Because this super easy bread dough has rocked my world since my neighbor introduced me to it a few weeks ago. It is called refrigerator dough because you can make it and keep it at the ready in the fridge for up to two weeks. Or so they tell me. It hasn't lasted more than a few days at my house and I've been making it pretty Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687586555108712164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-36213748755876033282010-07-27T15:47:00.002-04:002010-07-27T15:48:51.881-04:00Ratatouille (in the crockpot)I had a bit of an eggplant dilemma over the weekend. You see, I have a bit of a habit of buying unknown-to-me-produce at the farmer's market. The cuter the name and the cuter the item, the chances are great that it is coming home with me, even if I have no idea what I am going to make with it.
That was the situation last weekend, when I purchased these at the farm:
The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-4419433795195513312010-07-19T22:08:00.001-04:002010-07-19T22:09:09.845-04:00"Fried" chicken (in the crockpot)Summer isn't usually synonymous with crockpot cooking, but there's no reason for your slow cooker to collect dust when the temperature soars past the edges of the thermometer. (Here on the hot and humid East Coast, there have been some days when it's even too hot to consider firing up the grill.)
That's when the crockpot can be pressed into service, even for traditional summertime Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-59091097578489415772010-07-15T22:56:00.001-04:002010-07-15T23:01:02.946-04:00Savory green beansAny idea what this young guy has in his mouth? If you guessed a green bean you would be right! Green beans are in season and we are eating our fair share. All of us, including the young 'uns love green beans. And what's not to love. You can eat them raw, fresh from the vine, and if you prefer yours cooked, there are endless ways to cook them.
I discovered this recipe earlier this summer when I Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687586555108712164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-52856175218032923722010-07-10T19:59:00.000-04:002010-07-10T19:59:46.481-04:00Lemon basil bowtie pasta saladI love this summer side dish. It's just right for a light lunch, or as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish.
Here's what you need:
1 box of bowtie pasta
1 bunch of baby asparagus
1 bag of frozen peas
@ a handful of sundried tomatoes (I used the ones NOT packed in oil)
@ a small handful of fresh basil, chopped
Juice of one large lemon or two small ones
@ two tablespoons of basil olive oil kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-31738067143761431902010-06-30T22:55:00.001-04:002010-06-30T23:07:18.013-04:00Frozen banana treats
Frozen bananas are the perfect antidote for hot summer days when you've been outside working too hard or playing too hard. They are also perfect for balmy summer evenings when you welcome neighbors to sit a spell on the front porch and chat. Or after you've tucked the kids into bed for a night and feel your sweet tooth calling. Actually, they are perfect just about any time. With just a little Christinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687586555108712164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-44579935246288943492010-06-29T09:55:00.000-04:002010-06-29T09:55:49.152-04:00Stuffed pattypan squashDown the road from us is a farm with a store that's larger than a farmer's market but smaller than a grocery store. I love shopping there (and usually do so once a week, on average) because they have incredibly fresh fruits and vegetables along with a great selection of gluten-free and organic foods, a homemade baked goods section, and a deli. It's a great place to pick up a gallon of milk or a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-69067607147237998282010-06-28T00:24:00.003-04:002010-06-28T00:24:00.196-04:00Black bean salad
This one comes from a good friend—a simple summer side dish that we've been gobbling up for years. When I finally asked for the recipe, I was surprised to find how easy it is to prepare. This black bean salad goes great with just about anything you can throw on the grill, from hamburgers and hot dogs to chicken and steak.
Here's what you need:
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (I used kristen spinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12099514779097752438noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-3912959879011889972010-06-24T14:11:00.000-04:002010-06-24T14:11:09.786-04:00Zucchini and BreadcrumbsYou guys know how it is. Anyone who's ever had a vegetable garden knows how it is.
It is zucchini time.
I am not complaining. Nope. Only two plants grew this year, and still I'm drowning in the stuff. But that's good. It's all good.
Because I have recipes like this one.
Zucchini and Breadcrumbs (adapted from a Cook's Illustrated recipe called Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon)
For the zucchini:TChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06927536275580889825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3435264559296251510.post-65212473775470800772010-06-21T18:18:00.009-04:002010-06-21T18:34:05.973-04:00Quick chicken and dumplingsI'm not in my own kitchen. I'm far from home with three children. Today has been...bleh. You'd feel that way, too, had you been away from your Viking for more than two weeks. So, my thoughts turn to things that soothe the bleh, like chicken soups, warm breads, hard liquor. This being a family blog and all, and given that I've already bestowed upon this blog sufficient warm breads recipes, I'm Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2