Twice-Baked Potatoes

Or as we called them yesterday, Two-Time Award Winning Potatoes. Another 80's throwback! It's hard to mess up twice-baked potatoes, but here's the recipe. They are great to make for a crowd - you can do all but the second baking ahead of time. I made almost 20 lbs. of potatoes and baked them in two batches in my small home oven. At the commercial kitchen at the preschool, they fit on one full-sheet pan.

Instead of cutting an opening into the top of the potato or cutting large potatoes in half, I cut about the top 1/2 inch off the potatoes. This made the potatoes sturdier and left me with a bunch of potato skins for later.

Twice-Baked Potatoes
5 lbs. potatoes
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
1 cup sour cream
4 T. butter, softened
2 T. green onions, sliced

Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 until fork-tender (40 minutes for medium potatoes; at least 1 hour for large).

When potatoes have cooled slightly, cut off about the top 1/2 inch. Gently scoop out the potato into a bowl, reserving skins. Mash potatoes until smooth. Add 1 cup cheddar cheese, sour cream, butter, green onions, 1 1/4 t. salt and 1/4. t. pepper. Scoop back into potato skins and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Fruit Slaw

I was looking for a light side for burgers and sandwiches and found a recipe for Stone Fruit Slaw on Epicurious. This time of year it's not easy to find peaches and apricots, so I used black plums,
apples, and pears. The result was a refreshing dish that I'll make again - and look forward to trying when stone fruits are back in season.

The only unusual technique in this recipe is how you cut the fruit; the recipe asks for matchsticks. I held the fruit right side up and sliced off the four sides. Then I put each piece cut side down and made a horizontal cut through the middle. Holding the two pieces together, cut 1/4 inch slices vertically.

Fruit Slaw

1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pound assorted firm fruit (about 5; such as plums, nectarines, peaches, apricots, pears, or apples), julienned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add fruit; toss gently to coat. Season lightly to taste with salt and pepper.

Roasted Red and Sweet Potatoes

Roasted potatoes in olive oil is nothing new, but I've been enjoying this technique passed on by a friend recently. The key is to not layer or crowd the potatoes: you want them to roast, not steam. I love the combination of the caramelized sweet potatoes and the savory red potatoes.

Roasted Reds and Sweets

2 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2-4 medium/large red potatoes, scrubbed
3-4 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 t. thyme

Cube potatoes into one-inch squares. Spread out on a rimmed cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme over the potatoes.

Roast at 425 for 50-60 minutes, tasting to check tenderness.

The. Bread.

This is another Pioneer Woman technique. She says that anytime she goes to a family get-together, everyone asks, "Are you going to bring The Bread?". It's just bread and butter, but the technique of baking then broiling browns the butter and makes the bread unbelievably flavorful and irresistible. People usually think there is something else in the bread, like garlic, but it's just bread and butter.

The. Bread.

One loaf of French bread, split
2 sticks of salted butter, softened (you won't need to use all of it unless your bread is huge)

Spread about 3/4 of a stick of butter on each piece of bread. Place side by side on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes on 350. Turn the oven off and the broiler on. Watch the bread as it browns and slightly blackens. Don't be afraid of the blackening; just a little bit won't make it taste burned. Steel your nerves and remove from oven when golden, brown, and spotty black.

Sweet Corn Cake

This is not the same as Sweet Corn Pudding; it's a great accompaniment to a Mexican meal. ChiChi's used to serve it, and you can still buy a mix, but this is much better. It doesn't make a huge amount - you serve it almost like a garnish on the plate. But if you think you'll like it, you can double it easily.

Sweet Corn Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (can use milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. Add the Mexican corn flour and water and beat until well mixed.
2. Using a food processor, process thawed corn, but leave chunky. Stir into the butter mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water. (You can skip the water bath if you like.)
4. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Use an ice cream scoop for easy removal from pan.

Two Bobby Flay Thanksgiving Recipes

I watched the Thanksgiving Throwdown that Bobby Flay did with the Pioneer Woman. She won, but I was intrigued by two of Bobby's recipes. I made them for our meal, and they were both very good. I'm not sure I'd make them every year, but they were unique and delicious.

Bobby's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Apple Sauce and Creme Anglaise is excellent - I consider it restaurant quality because of all the flavors, textures, and temperatures. The downside is the recipe is really made of four different recipes plus whipped cream, and each recipe is a different classic dessert preparation: cooked caramel, Creme Anglaise, and custard. That doesn't even factor in the problem I had with the caramel - I took my eyes off it; it burnt to a nasty black tar-like appearance; and my inadequate disposal methods meant I was scraping burnt caramel off the cupboards at midnight. It is amazing, though, and I could make the caramel apple sauce as a cheesecake or spice cake topping. If you want the recipe, click here.

The next recipe is Cranberry Blackberry Sauce. When we saw it on the show, Bobby mentioned jalapenos, so I diced one and added it with the onion since it's not mentioned in the recipe. I liked it, but lots of people really liked it. I did love the blackberries. Here's that link.

Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is a common Southern "vegetable" served at Thanksgiving. I made it for the first time this year, and even though we have plenty of starchy sides, we really loved it. It also makes a great non-Thanksving-y leftover.

This is Martha Stewart's recipe I've posted before, but here it is with some changes. It is so, so good.

Macaroni and Cheese

Serves 12
1 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp cheddar
1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish or 9x13 pan; set aside. Place panko breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. In the microwave, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with breadcrumbs, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 cup Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/4 cup Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - White Bread Stuffing

Well, it doesn't photograph well, but people are passionate about stuffing! It's already one of Jack's favorites. I've made Thanksgiving dinner most years for the last 16 years, and about 10 years ago, I thought I would try something different from the typical Northern white bread stuffing I grew up with. I tried cornbread, sourdough, sausage, craisins, etc - it was fine.

And then three years ago I asked my mom to make the stuffing. When I tasted her stuffing, it was like a Proustian madeleine - I was transported back to childhood Thanksgiving meals in New Hampshire. No more experimenting - we're sticking with our stuffing.

Here's how I do it. I think this method answers some of the common anxieties about stuffing: food safety and abundance. I make two batches; make one in the bird and one in the oven; mix them together and reheat. We have plenty of stuffing cooked to the correct temperature.

White Bread Stuffing

2 loaves of cheap white bread, torn into 1/2 inch pieces by small children

8 ribs of celery, diced

2 onions, diced

3 sticks butter

salt and pepper

2 cups chicken broth

2 T. sage or poultry seasoning (plus more to taste)

1. Prepare white bread ahead of time so it has time to get a little stale. You can also lightly toast the bread, or you can just skip this step.

2. In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and celery until soft. Season with sage, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir in bread cubes until evenly coated. Moisten with chicken broth; mix well. Add more sage if pale and more broth if dry.

3. Heat half the stuffing in the microwave until warm, then stuff the turkey. Roast turkey.

4. Ahead of time or after the turkey comes out of the oven, bake the rest of the stuffing in a 90-inch pan for 30-40 minutes at 350. Hint: you can bake this stuffing on the grill. Turn the grill on to low, put the stuffing in the pan within a disposable aluminum pan, and bake. Keep an eye on it, though - it can cook very quickly!

5. When the turkey is cooked, remove the stuffing and mix with the baked stuffing. Put it back in the oven until heated through - about 5-10 minutes.

Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - Sweet Potato Casserole

I've made many sweet potato casserole recipes, but this year's recipe was especially good. It comes from one of my favorite bloggers, Pioneer Woman; she calls them Soul Sweet Taters. I think it was the milk that made the sweet potatoes so light in texture. These are very sweet; you could reduce the sugar by 1/4 cup with no problem. I made a couple of small changes to the recipe.

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 whole Sweet Potatoes

1 cup Sugar (can use less)
1 cup Milk
2 whole Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 cup Pecans, chopped
½ cups Flour
6 T. Butter

Preparation Instructions
Wash 4 sweet potatoes and bake them in a 375-degree oven until fork tender, about 45-50 minutes. When they are finished cooking slice them open and scrape out the flesh into a large bowl.

Add 1 cup of (regular granulated) sugar, 1 cup of milk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon of salt. With a potato masher or a large fork, mash them up just enough—you don’t want to be perfectly smooth.

Now, in a separate bowl, add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup pecans, chopped, ½ cup flour, and 6 T. of butter. With a pastry cutter or fork, mash together until thoroughly combined.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a regular baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top.

Bake in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. You can bake this before the turkey goes in the oven and reheat before serving - even in the microwave.

Thanksgiving's Greatest Hits - Mashed Potatoes

Before I get to the mashed potatoes, I wanted to point out the gourds in the picture. I bought them at the very beginning of October and they are still in good shape. I read on a decorating blog that if you wash gourds/pumpkins in a 9:1 water:bleach solution (I used a Clorox spray cleaner); coat them in a thin layer of Vaseline; and buff them until they shine, they will last and last. And they did!

Another great timesaver on Thanksgiving is making your mashed potatoes the day before and reheating them in your slow cooker. You'll save room on your stove, too!

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (serves 20)

10 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

milk, half and half, or heavy cream

butter

salt and pepper

Put potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with a water - you may need to use two pots. Add about a tablespoon of salt (or divide it between two pots). Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Save a cup or two of potato cooking water in case your potatoes are dry or your gravy needs it. Drain potatoes and keep warm.

I like to use a potato ricer, but you can also use a hand masher. I read once that it's best to add your milk/cream before you add your butter - it has something to do with the starch. Heat cream until warm and add, a cup at a time. Once the potatoes are starting to appear creamy, add butter, a half stick at a time. Add salt and pepper and more cream or butter as necessary. I don't hold back when it comes to Thanksgiving potatoes: it's heavy cream, butter, and lots of it.

Put potatoes in slow cooker crock and chill overnight. Reheat on low, and turn it to warm when the potatoes are hot. If they seem a bit dry, add a little warm milk or potato cooking water - but don't add too much!

Yellow Rice

In our Story of the World curriculum, Jack and I have been been studying medieval Spain. I decided to make a Spanish meal for dinner. The chicken in almond and garlic sauce was delicious, but I expect I'll be making the yellow rice quite often - it was so good. I found both recipes in Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World.

Yellow Rice

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

large pinch saffron threads (1 teaspoon) or 1/2 t. turmeric

1 medium onion, chopped

4 T. butter or olive oil

1 1/2 c. Arborio rice

salt and pepper to taste

Warm the stock gently in a saucepan with the saffron or turmeric. Put half the butter in a deep skillet with a lid over medium heat. A minute later, add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened - about five minutes. Add rice and continue to cook, stirring, until the rice is glossy and begins to brown, about five minutes more.

Add the stock all at once, along with salt and pepper. Cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers gently and cook until rice is done, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the remaining butter; taste and adjust the seasoning.

Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes are so retro but so good! For my mom's birthday, I decided to make them in mini red potatoes for the cute factor. These would make great appetizers or a side dish for company, since you can make them ahead of time and reheat.

Mini Twice-Baked Potatoes

18 mini red potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese (more to taste)
1/2 cup sour cream (more to taste)
paprika, salt, and pepper

Note: If you bake another russet potato along with the red potatoes, you'll be able to make more overstuffed twice-baked potatoes.

Bake potatoes at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven when tender. When cool enough to handle, cut a thin lid from the top of each potato. Using a small teaspoon, scoop out the inside of the potato, leaving a half-inch border from the edge. Remove all the potato insides to a medium size mixing bowl. To the bowl, add the milk, butter, sour cream, cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and add more sour cream or cheese if needed.

Spoon filling back into potatoes. If you want to make them fancy, you can do what I did in the photo above and put the potato mixture in a cake decorating bag. Use a star tip to fill the potatoes. Sprinkle tops with paprika and return to the oven. Bake until golden.

Baked Tomatoes with Feta

I should have posted this recipe in the summer, but in case you can still find any good tomatoes, here's a great lunch or side dish. You can serve it with crusty bread to mop up the juices.

Baked Tomatoes with Feta

2 flavorful tomatoes, sliced

1/4 - 1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Olive oil, salt, and pepper

fresh basil leaves, julienned

Place tomatoes in one layer in a baking dish. Scatter feta on top and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are blistery and juices are released. Top with basil and serve.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw

Barefoot Contessa has a blue cheese coleslaw recipe that I tried once, but it was much too rich. I found this version on the Cooking Light board, and it's great! If you like blue cheese or love blue cheese, you'll like it - it's not overpowering. It's another great cookout recipe - serve it with burgers or barbecue.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 ounce) package shredded coleslaw mix
2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (I used grape tomatoes, but I recommend grapes)
1/2 cup shredded carrot (or just use coleslaw mix that has carrots)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup prepared Dijon-style mustard
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, sugar and vinegar. Add the coleslaw mix, grapes and carrots and stir until evenly coated. Chill until serving.

Great Oven Fries

These are truly great oven fries! They are a combination of a few different recipes I've tried. The trick is to soak them in hot water to wash off some of the starch, which makes the fries get a crispy outside.

4 small/medium russet potatoes

2 T. olive oil

Kosher salt (preferred, but table salt is okay)

Peel potatoes. Cut into fries - try to keep them roughly the same size.

Preheat oven to 425. While the oven is preheating, soak the potatoes in the hottest tap water possible. Stir them around a bit.

When the oven reaches 425, drain the potatoes and blot them dry with a paper towel. Toss them with olive oil.

Put the fries on a baking pan in one layer. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 20 minutes and turn with spatula. Bake 10-20 more minutes, until golden brown.

Potato Croquettes

When I have leftover mashed potatoes, I often make gnocchi. But I wanted something to go with steak, so a couple of weeks ago I made potato croquettes from Thanksgiving mashed potato leftovers. They were fantastic: I'll make extra potatoes in the future just so I can make these again! I started with a Paula Deen recipe and tweaked it a little to make it not so rich. Everyone in the family loved them, though of course Ben ate them with ketchup!

Potato Croquettes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons milk
Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion or other kind of onion - can use more.
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
Sifted dried bread crumbs (I used panko)
Peanut oil or vegetable oil, enough to coat frying pan

Directions:
Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape into a flat pancake, about 3/4 inch thick. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs. Fry each croquette in oil, turning to brown on both sides.

Cook in small batches, making sure croquettes do not touch. Add more oil if needed.

Phở and Scallion Pancakes

I used to eat phở at a Vietnamese noodle restaurant in Illinois, and sometimes I crave the unique anise/ginger/umami broth. I had some rice noodles from Super H-Mart and some ground pork, and Mark Bittman's recipe calls for pork rather than the traditional beef, so I decided to try making it myself.


I made the scallion pancakes to go with the soup because Ben is more likely to eat soup if it has some "bread" on the side - or at least some crackers or chips he can dip into the soup. Besides, despite the short ingredient list, they are surprisingly delicious! I first ate them with Korean friends, and I make them now when I need some starch to go with an Asian meal. They are also from Mark Bittman (his How to Cook Everything cookbook mentioned in the post below).


This is the time of year for soup for dinner - I love it, and fortunately, so does the whole family!

Phở (adapted from Mark Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World)

2 T. vegetable oil
1 T. minced garlic
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound ground pork
salt
10 cups beef stock or broth
1 t. ground anise or 4 star anise
1/4 t. pepper
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced, or 1 t. ground ginger
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla) kind of like Asian worcestershire
1 T. sugar
1 pound dried rice noodles
Toppings: cilantro, basil, Thai chiles, scallions, limes

1. Set a stockpot over medium heat and add the oil. A minute later, add garlic and chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. When onion is cooked, add pork with a large pinch of salt. Turn heat to high; brown quickly, about 5 minutes. Add stock, anise, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, fish sauce, and sugar.

3. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles in boiling salted water until tender (follow package directions). Strain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

4. When the pork is cooked, add the noodles to the broth and reheat them. Remove star anise, if using. Divide soup among 6-8 serving bowls. Garnish with cilantro, basil, chiles, and scallions, squeezing lime juice over all.

Scallion Pancakes (adapted from How to Cook Everything - Bittman)

This recipe makes one pancake, but you can easily double it.

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus a little more.
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup boiling water, plus a little more if needed
1/2 cup. finely chopped scallions
1 T. vegetable oil
coarse salt

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly add boiling water, stirring until it forms a ball. Add a little more water if needed.

2. Knead by hand for about 1 minute. Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and let rest for an hour.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pancake out to about 1/4 inch thick. Press scallions into pancake.

4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium low heat. Cook pancake on one side until lightly browned, about 3-5 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides.

5. Sprinkle with coarse salt and serve warm.

Sweet Corn Pudding

Yum! This is a great summery side dish. I was thinking it would be like sweet corn cake, but with only 2 tablespoons of flour, it was definitely more corn than cake. I did use the cream called for in the recipe, but you could substitute regular evaporated milk, half and half, or whole milk. You could also use egg substitute. But if you make it for a crowd, everyone will only get a few tablespoons, so you might as well make the original recipe. This is great with pork barbecue or burgers. The orginal source is Epicurious.

If you have a food processor, this is really easy. If you don't, use a mini chopper or blender to chop the corn, then mix ingredients with a hand or stand mixer. Fresh corn cut off the cob would be delicous in this recipe. You can make it ahead of time, because it tastes great heated up the next day.

Sweet Corn Pudding

4 cups frozen corn kernels (about 19 ounces), thawed
4 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt


Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 8x8x2-inch glass baking dish. Blend all ingredients in processor until almost smooth. Pour batter into prepared dish. Bake pudding until brown and center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; serve.

Grilled Moroccan Chicken and Greek Couscous

We had my wonderful in-laws over for dinner tonight, and I wanted a nice summery meal. It's been years since I've made Moroccan chicken, and though I've made other couscous salads, this one was new to us. We also had grilled corn on the cob and Paula Deen's peach cobbler for dessert. Yum!

Use a charcoal grill if at all possible. The couscous would make a great, healthy lunch. Both recipes are adapted from Recipezaar.

Moroccan Chicken

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped scallion (white part only)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1.Combine oil, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor.
2.Process until smooth.
3.Rub the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts and let stand 30 minutes.
4.Preheat the grill to medium hot.
5.Grill chicken breasts 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Greek Couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1 cup uncooked couscous (about 1 10 oz. box)
1/2-1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1-2 cup diced peeled cucumber
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, well drained (garbonzo beans)

1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
salt (to taste)

1.Bring the 1-1/2 cups chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in the couscous and oregano, remove from heat; cover, and let stand 5 minutes.
2.Fluff with a fork.
3.Combine the couscous with tomatoes and the next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through chickpeas) in a bowl; set aside.
4.Combine 1/4 cup water with the remaining ingredients; stir well with a whisk.
5.Pour over the couscous mixture, tossing gently to coat.
6.Season with black pepper and salt.
7. Drizzle with a little more lemon juice and oil if salad dried out. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Asian Broccoli Slaw

This slaw is the perfect marriage of healthy, fresh, ingredients with the lowest-quality foodstuff you can purchase at your grocery store! Sounds great, huh? I'm talking, of course, about ramen noodles, that staple of college dining.

I've had versions of this slaw made with cabbage, but I prefer broccoli slaw because it is more colorful and flavorful. In the picture above I used a broccoli slaw that had broccoli florets and snow peas. The boys wouldn't eat the florets, but once Ben decided the snow peas were "green tacos," they were a hit.

When I make this for guests or a party, I add cashews or some other kind of nut - almonds are good, too. Most versions of this recipe call for you to add the ramen noodles early in the recipe so they soften, but I like to add them right before serving so they are still crunchy. The recipe makes more dressing than you probably need, but save it in case it dries out overnight.

Asian Broccoli Slaw

1 package broccoli slaw (16 oz.)

1 package ramen noodles (original flavor), noodles crushed and seasoning packet set aside

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1/2 cup cashews or cashew pieces (optional)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 T. rice wine or white vinegar

2 T. sugar

1/4 t. salt

In a large bowl, combine broccoli slaw, green onions, and cashews (if using). Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and contents of seasoning packet in a small bowl; whisk until emulsified. Pour over broccoli slaw mixture and stir. Refrigerate for 1-24 hours. Right before serving, sprinkle crushed ramen noodles on top.