That's What Bob's Cooking: January 2012

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Cranberry Chicken

Over this past holiday season, we ended up with an extra box of cranberry sauce. When I came across this recipes I was like, wow, this sounds different, but I have to try it.

Also, as many of you know, I am SO opposed to frivolous sodium content, so after some research I found a homemade version of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, without excess sodium (and not containing beef bouillon-yes Lipton has been bouillon in it).

SO after trying this recipe, I’ve found that it’s a keeper. ENJOY!

Cranberry Chicken

3 Boneless Chicken Breast (I cut these in half, but have also made it whole)

1 Can Cranberry Sauce (whole berry of jelled, your preference)

1 bottle French Dressing (not Catalina or creamy)

1 Pkg Onion Soup mix (I use a homemade version, cause the Lipton version has been and TOO much sodium)

Mix together Cranberry, French dressing, and onion soup mix. Place chicken in 9 x 11 pan, pour cranberry mix over the top of the chicken. Bake in 375°F over for 45 minutes or until cooked to 180°F. Serve over rice.

Homemade Low-Sodium Onion Soup mix

Ingredients

¼ cup dried onion flakes

2 tablespoons low-sodium or sodium-free beef bouillon granules (I used Herb-OX chicken)

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon parsley flakes

1/8teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Stir together. Use as a substitute for 1 envelope onion soup mix. I made about 6 times the recipe, so I could have it when I needed it. I used a little more than ¼ cup to replace the packet of soup mix.

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Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Big Waste.

The Big Waste.

Normally I write soley about food and the cooking of it. I try to stick with simple dishes and include pictures. But I was watching the Food Network the other day (big surprise for those who really know me), and saw an ad for a new special called "The Big Waste" ( http://www.foodnetwork.com/food-network-specials/the-big-waste/index.html ) and I was SO Impressed with the direction that this show could go in. Notice I say could go in, because it appears that the shows direction is to have the FN chefs creating a meal out of thrown away food. And while doing this they "stumble" across the American publics need to buy "perfect" food. If this is the direction that the show goes in I will be hooked for sure!

In one of my many career reincarnations, I worked in a produce department. I bring this to mind because of he fact that this area of the store is the most superficial of all areas. People will dig through produce to find the best looking, blemish free piece of photographic miracle, that has ever graced this earth. I can say this, because I do the same thing. "That head of leaf lettuce has a small fold in one of the leaves, that orange (peel) has a small brown spot, that cucumber is too curved." I mean really? Aren't you going to chop up that lettuce, peel that orange and slice up that cuke. Why is it acceptable to us to drive a Prius, recycle, compost, but select only the most perfect food? I understand the cost argument. I do. But do you realize that costs would go down if we bought everything offered at our local retailer, regardless if the quality? Now I'm not saying you should buy wholey unusable spoiled products, but I am saying that, we (myself included!) need to be less selective in the drive for perfection.

Now that being said, I go back to the show and one scene, edited for us to see, where Anne Burrell is talking to what appears to be a grocery store clerk who says, they throw away 14 bags of food a day. 14! I can say that I've seen that and more depending on the sales volume of the store I've worked in. Imagine how much food is wasted while people in our own country, our own cities, our own neighborhoods, and our own familys, go hungry.

I must say I can't wait to watch this show and hope to see it make a difference, and not just end up being another cooking challenge rerun. Way to go Food Network. Keep up the responsible programing. Now to see more health consious programs, so less of us will flip between "Paula's Best Dishes" and "Biggest Loser"....

My Complete Profile

I was born and raised on the East side of Portland Oregon, by two native and second generation, Oregonians, my Mom and Dad (Jack and Joan). Oregon, and the Northwest are deep in my blood. That being said, I have always had an interest in cooking. I would love to add a warm loving story here about how my Mom nurtured my love of cooking by setting me up on or near the counter top to help with whatever she was cooking. Well, that's not exactly the case.

Being a child of the 70's and 80's, I had a great exposure to classic foods like Spam, Tang, Rice-a-Roni and Hamburger Helper. While many of these premade, sodium roller coaster, treats where regulars on our table, my Mom would have to hold the title as "casserole queen". Casseroles are her favorite and her specialty. Whereas, my Dad was more of a spur of the moment kind of cook. His creations included many of the items from our makeshift pantry. Sometimes, i think he was thinking, "the more ingredients, the better it'll be!". I think my first attempt at cooking would have to have been making cookies, either peanut butter (with the criss-cross fork tine print on top), or chocolate chip cookies. Over the years I have made so many of both of these recipes, I have surely lost count.

During middle school, my Mom encouraged me to take Home Economics, thinking that all kids, boy or girl, should know how to cook out in this world. This sparked a growing interest in cooking. So when I entered my junior year of High School, at David Douglas, I enrolled in the culinary arts program, we called it Food Services I. This was a class that had been offered many years before, where the students ran a restaurant, The Kilt, during the lunch periods. Unfortunately, since the class had not been offered in several years, so we didn’t have enough students to open the restaurant, that year. Within the first few weeks of this class, my instructor asked if I'd like to be involved in an outside "club" (kind of like a version of Eagle Scouts) that was mentored by local business owners. It sounded interesting so I joined (not to mention it got me out of the first 2 periods of the day).

At our first meeting I was approached by Sylvia Poesdel, the owner of the Portland landmark restaurant, Sylvia's Italian Restaurant & Dinner Theatre. She asked me if I would be interested in an afterschool job, coming to work for her to learn the cooking/chef trade on the job. I jumped at the chance and started in October of 1985. During my senior year I rejoined the culinary arts program (Food Services II) and this year we were able to reopened the restaurant, which the rest of the students voted me to manage. I just absolutely loved it! I worked at Sylvia's until after I graduated, in 1989. I learned a lot about the restaurant industry, and I would have to say it would be one of just a few life altering jobs I have had throughout my career.

After high school, while I was working at Sylvia's, I applied to culinary arts school. The Two things kept me from continuing my career in culinary arts, were financial and having worked out in the field, I saw so many negative attributes to being a chef, I decided that since I love to cook, I wanted it to be a hobby, and not a drag to go work each day.

When I left Sylvia's, I worked at a hotel, then Safeway. From there I joined Fred Meyer in the Service Deli, and was quickly promoted to a manager. During the next 8 years, I worked throughout the Portland and Southern Oregon areas. In 1998, I earned a promotion to the regional specialist position (District Manager) in Seattle. During this career move, I learned so much about the Food Service industry. I was charged to develop a new service salad case program, as well as work on a new catering program. I had the opportunity to work with manufacturers to develop these new programs.

In 2000, I met the love of my life, Craig. I also, moved from the food service program to the grocery department as an assistant manager. In the capacity I learned to develop my management skills as well as managing inventory. By being the best in my category, I earned the position of manager, where I moved from store to store cleaning up and reorganizing as I went. I also was entrusted with training future Food managers for the region. At which point I was pursued by another company to run a store for them, and enter back into the restaurant industry. During these 3 years, I learned the Restaurant Supplier side of the business. While I enjoyed the time I spent in this opportunity, I yearned to go back to the Grocery industry, and spend more time with my first love, cooking, and writing about my adventures….in the kitchen!