#Recall #Undeclared #Milk Island Delights Coconut Haystack Candy {#allergy}

Please click on link for details
Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts Island Delights Volutarily Recalls Island Delights Coconut Haystack Candy Due to Undeclared Milk

Baked Chicken for #WeekdaySupper

A new year, a new idea from my friend Isabel a.k.a. Family Foodie the founder of #SundaySupper.  Her vision for #SundaySupper is to bring families to eat together around the dinner table at least once a week, on Sunday's.  The idea has expanded and now - taaahhhh dahhh - contributors from the group will posting #WeekdaySupper recipes every single day of the workweek.  Yes, there will be a different recipe from Monday - Friday...Is that not fantastic?  Yup, there a #WeekdaySupper Pinterest board - all you need to do to get the recipes is follow  #WeekdaySupper on Twitter and/or follow the Pinterest #WeeknightSupper board. 

The theme for the month of January - as we all recoup from the Holidays - is easy #WeeknightSupper meals.  I am so excited that today is my day...whoo hoo...and I am brining you Baked Chicken. Not just any baked chicken, but these are delectable, crunchy, juice, flavorful chicken thighs; drenched in Dijon mustard and coated with smashed cornflakes.  This dish is quick and easy to prepare way ahead of time for dinner.  You can get it ready the night before, and place it in the fridge overnight. It is a delicious dinner.  When you get home all you need to do is pop the dish in the oven for about 45 minutes.  That leaves plenty of time to make a side of your favorite side, put togehter a salad, or get veggies ready to roast along the oven {in a separate dish :} And yes, if you are wondering I am making these quite oven {can you say it is Ron's favorite dish} but this version is a little bit different.  

Crispy Oven Baked Chicken with roasted Brussel Sprouts and Kale Chips {on rice}

For this recipe I like to use boneless, skinless thighs - just because we like it better this way.  You certainly could use bone-in legs - it is just preference. 

Crispy Baked Chicken

app. 2 lb. of skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1-1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 -3 tsp your favorite herb mixture {I used Herbs de Provence}

1-2 tsp ground black pepper

app. 3-5 Tbl of Dijon Mustard {yes that is a lot - I like to really drench them to get the mustard flavor}

5 C of Cornflakes slightly crushed with a fork - or fingers {you may need more}

After step #4

1.  Place all of the chicken on your work surface - I unwrap the chicken, and leave it on the brown paper. Pour salt, herbs and pepper over the chicken.  Rub all pieces with the mixture until evenly coated.
2. Pour/drop the mustard onto the chicken and - using your hands - coat all pieces thoroughly with mustard.  {I like a heavy mustard coating :}
3. Coat both sides of the chicken in the smashed cornflakes {I use a large shallow plate}
4. Place in baking dish. -> Cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge until you are ready to make dinner.
5. When ready to make dinner - Preheat oven to 350F, take chicken out of the fridge and place it into the oven once it has reached the temperature.
6. Bake for 45 minutes or until nice, golden and cooked through

I usually serve this dish with rice - anything will work so...

Are you looking for more #WeeknightSupper recipes - Take a look at all these other fantastic ideas.  Note: Most recipes below do not take dietary restrictions into consideration and will require "tweaking".

January Weekday Supper Recipes {through January 11th, 2012}

Saucy Shrimp by Family Foodie 

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken Veggie Alfredo Pasta by Daily Dish Recipes 

Easy Tomato Soup by Juanitas Cocina

Chicken Broccoli Casserole by In the Kitchen with Audrey

Bubble Up Pizza by Supper for a Steal

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry by That Skinny Chick Can Bake 

Shrimp Fra Diavolo by Magnolia Days 

Baked Chicken by Galactosemia in PDX 

Taco Night & Blood-draw results...

...yes both on one day :)  -  Alena's favorite dinner.  She has been asking for me to make Taco's now for at least a couple of weeks. Both girls were quite happy as I made pancakes for breakfast, and Taco's for dinner...

Almost like a celebration, right?!  Well, that is how Ron and I felt when we opened the letter with the blood-draw results for the girls.  You may remember, that we went up to the hill {a.k.a. OHSU} after Christmas for the dreaded blood-draw to measure the GALT levels {to measure the Galactose in their blood}, as well as their Vitamin D levels.  Things can change, so for some reason I am always a wee bit nervous...good news, their GALT levels remain stable and well controlled and we are so happy!  On the other hand, their Vitamin D levels had been way too low and we have been working to improve them now for quite a while.  And...the result is Alena finally meets the minimum, and Mia Rosie is almost there.  I think the difference is that Mia Rose only drinks fortified OJ {and not as much} and Alena drinks a lot of fortified Soy Chocolate Milk.  Also,  we have been giving the girls the Vitamin D drops every morning...I am one happy Mama!

Broccoli in Ginger Garlic Dressing {#salad} #dairyfree

Yesterday was a broccoli kind of dinner day.  You would think, that eating dark greens at night should make you super energetic well, but not me as I fell asleep with the girlies last night...

Our main meal was "Cream" of Broccoli Soup {I will make it again soon}.  It is a great way to use all the broccoli stems {we like to eat the "crowns"}, as well as leftover potatoes and so delicious.  I usually put the broccoli stems in the freezer for future use.  Yesterday was the day, plus I used the stems from the fresh large bunch I just bought.  With the florets I made this delicious salad.  It was a huge hit with the family - I only wish to have bought two large bunches :)

Broccoli in Ginger Garlic Dressing

1 large bunch of broccoli {florets only - or a large back of broccoli florets}

3/4" fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 large garlic clove minced

2 Tbl Rice Vinegar

4 Tbl Toasted Sesame Oil

2 tsp   Hoison Sauce

1 Tbl  Soy Sauce {yes, our kids eat soy sauce but you can leave it out & use salt instead}

1/4 C  Sunflower Seeds

1/4 C  Raisins

1. Blanch broccoli 

2. Mix ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, toasted sesame oil, hoison sauce, and soy sauce together.  Stir 

    together for at least a couple of minutes until well blended.

3. Add Sunflower Seeds and Raisins carefully mixing them into the dressing

4. Add the cold, blanched broccoli florets and carefully cover it with the dressing.  

    Let stand for at least 30 minutes before serving.

#Recall Somersault Snack Co. #undeclared #milk {#Allergy #Alert} Somersaults Cinnamon Crunch

Please click link for details of this recall -
Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts Somersault Snack Co. Issues Allergy Alert on All Packages of Somersaults Cinnamon Crunch

Penne al Forno & Fun at Mt. Hood

How was your Sunday?  Did you do anything special?  Our Sunday was lovely - after a slow start we decided to take the girls sledding up on Mt. Hood.  This is one of the fantastic things about living in Portland - head 50 Miles east on Route 26 and voila you are in Government Camp up on Mt. Hood.  From no snow - to perfect sledding {or skiing} conditions in about 1-1/4 hrs.  Head west on you are at the Pacific coast :).  We went sledding at Trillium Lake. It is a couple of miles outside of Government Camp right across the street from "Sno-Bunny".  The sledding hills are at the far end of the parking lot and they were perfect for our girls. They had so much fun...take a look

So where does the Penne al Forno come in? Okay - this must have been the easiest dish ever.  No kidding!  I assembled it before we left for the mountain and put it in the oven once we got.  Yay - a perfect hot, bubbling meal in less than an hour.  We had a big bowl of deep green mache as a side; tonight's version was Galactosemia safe {by our dietary standards} but not vegan as I added some Parmesiano Regiano.  It can be easily left off for a vegan, and 100% dairy free dish.

Penne al Forno
1 box of Penne
1 batch of Vegan Ricotta*
2 C Vegan Mozzarella {I got mine at Trader Joe's - Daiya will work great}
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce {Newman's Own Sockaroni is my sauce of choice}
1/2 C Parmesiano Regiano {optional}

*Vegan Ricotta
1       box Extra Firm Nori style Tofu
1/4    tsp Light Agave Nectar
1       tsp Cider Vinegar
1-1/2 tsp Kosher salt

1. Smash Tofu with a fork in a small bowl.
2. Add Agave Nectar, Vinegar, and salt. Mix it all up carefully.  You may want to add a little more
    salt.


1. boil the Penne until barely al dente; about 9-10 minutes.  Drain and rinse off with cold water

After step 3

2. In a baking dish mix Penne with Vegan Ricotta, and 1-1/2 C of Vegan Mozzarella,
3. Add 1-1/2 C of pasta sauce, and mix it all up. {Stop here if you will make it later - cover and put in the fridge}


4. When ready to cook *** Preheat oven to 375F ***
5. Top Penne with remaining sauce from jar - sprinkle with cheese
6. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes, then increase to 450F {leave dish in oven}. When oven reached
    temperature of 450F bake for another 8 minutes.

Serve with a salad!

Mache {Lamb's Lettuce} in Garlic Dressing {#salad}

Yes, Mache {a.k.a. Lamb's Lettuce, Field Salad, Corn Salad, Feldsalat, Ackersalat} is back on the shelves at Trader Joe's.  I love, love, love this salad - it is a winter salad and packed full of flavor.  I generally try to stay away from prepackaged salads because - to me - they taste a little funny, but Mache?!  No, I have to get it  Just ask my Mom - whenever we visit Germany in the winter time she absolutely has to make it for me almost every day for lunch.  I just love it so much - it has a nutty full flavor and it is only {at least that is what I know} available in the cold months.  So, can you imagine how excited I was when I finally saw it on the shelf at Trader Joe's on my last shopping trip?!  Yay - and the entire family loves it as well.  It is a nice addition to potato salad, but I like it best in a simple garlic dressing.  You can fancy it up with bits of crisp bacon, and/or croutons but to me the salad in a simple garlic dressing.

Simple Garlic Dressing  on Mache
1 large clove of garlic minced {or a small clove, or two small cloves - we love garlic :)}
3/4      tsp of salt {I use Kosher salt}
generous amount of fresh ground pepper
2        Tbl Extra Virgin Olive Oi
1-1/2 Tbl White Balsamic Vinegar {or less, I like it tart}
1-1/2 bags of Mache
1.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper to salad bowl.  Mix it all up by stirring it for about a minute, then
2.  Add oil and mix it up stirring it for another minutes, then
3.  Add vinegar and mix it well into the dressing.
4. Adjust to taste {you may want to add more salt/pepper/vinegar}
***Wash Mache***
5. Add Mache to the dressing and toss it mix it together when you are ready to serve the salad!

Pork Tenderloin for Saturday Night #Dinner

How was your first Saturday of 2013?  Are you back to your routine?  -  We are back to our Saturday routine as the Sophie Scholl Schule {German Saturday School} started back up today.  Both girls have been excited the last couple of days as today there the kids got to enjoy a show by a German performer {yes, all in German}.  I am so excited that both girls like going; yes, I speak pretty much only German with them but there is no way that I am able to teach them writing and reading in German.  The drive  on Saturday's to the school is - admittedly - a drag as it takes us close to thirty minutes to get to Beaverton. But the benefit by far outweighs the burden...yup, it really does.  I usually spend the 2-1/2 hours working but as the week ahead will be super busy took the opportunity to get all of the grocery shopping out of the way.

What on earth - yes, I can clearly hear you say that - does any of this have to do with the title of this post. Yes, yes, it is just taking me a very long way to get to what we had for dinner.  So, as I said I went grocery shopping as the girls were in school and I got a beautiful pork loin.  One of my blogger  friends - Liz - posted about the Spaetzle she made earlier this week so Spaetzle was a total must side for this Saturday night...Plus the entire family really, really likes Spaetzle - I guess you can tell that the mothership is a "Schwaebin" :)

Usually cut the pork loin into individual slices, wrap it in canadian bacon and bake it under a blanket of sauteed brown onions. The other option was to cut it into slices and fry it up individually.  Neither option sounded that great to me and I wanted to create something similar to a "Schweinefilet Toepfle" {individual pork filet pots}.  It is a dish that is on many restaurants in Swabia {Southern Germany} which usually consists of tender slices of pork tenderloin, mushroom cream sauce {or other cream sauce}, and Spaetzle.  I am not sure if the explanation is any good - but it is really good. So, my goal was to make the pork tenderloin in one piece without drying out.  Take a look at the result...

there is good and bad news.  The good news is that I am certain that I will be able to recreate the meat, the bad news is that I tweaked the sauce so much that it surely will taste a lot different the next time plus I can only give estimates...

Pork Tenderloin
Splash of olive oil
1 Pork Tenderloin {app. 1 lb}
Salt
Pepper
Dijon or Aioli Mustard
1. Liberally cover the meat with salt and pepper.  Slather it with mustard
2. Heat olive oil in pan - when hot sear the meat from all sides
* Preheat oven to 180F
4. Bake in a dish for 40 minutes
5. Increase temperature to 375F and bake for another 10 minutes {be sure to check the meat after 10 minutes to make sure it is not overcooked. It will continue to cook after you remove it from the oven}

*** While the meat is in the oven prepare the sauce ***

Mushroom Sauce
1 small onion diced
1-1/2 c white button mushrooms sliced
1/8 C dry Sherry
1/8 C dry white wine
1/2 C Soy Creamer {plain}
Salt, Pepper
2-4 Tbl While Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbl Aioli Mustard

1. Using the pan where you seared the meat - add the diced onion and sautee with a pinch of salt
    until soft. You may have to add a little splash of olive oil. When the onion is soft,
2. Add mushrooms and sautee for another 5 minutes or so. Then add
3. Sherry, and white wine carefully scraping up all the bits that burned to the bottom of the pan.  Bring
    to a slow boil, then add
4. Soy Creamer {and Tofutti Sour Cream}, salt, and pepper and bring to a slow simmer. Stir often.
5. Adjust flavors by adding salt, pepper, and vinegar.  I finished it with Aioli Mustard

To serve, cut the meat into thin slices {it should be a little pink} serve with a side of Spaetzle, the cream sauce, and - of course :) - a big bowl of salad.

First party & first half week of 2013

Alright, I know this is kind of a strange title...it does encompass this week so.  On Wednesday the girlies went back to school, and in the evening we were invited to our friend Martin's Birthday Party.  What a way to start the year off right :)   Let me just say that all of us had so much fun.  The girlies played happily with Sebastian, while we enjoyed some great adult conversation with our friends.  And yes, there was also food. My friend Larissa - the other parental unit of Sebastian - made the best sausage and peppers.  It was so so good...

Larissa went out of her way to make sure that the girlies will be able to eat.  She read every label, and even bought "safe" bread for them.  You know, it means the world to me when friends go out of their way to make sure the girlies are included.  It is so wonderful!  Take a look - the "unsafe" bread was even marked...

There was even dessert for the girlies - delicious soy ice cream...fantastic ending to the first day of school. Right?!

Are you curious about our dinners the rest of the week?  Well,  I can lift the suspense...Thursday we had Raclette; we baked it individual dishes in the oven - placed the potato at the bottom of each dish, topped it with sausage, veggies, and Gruyere {or raclette for Ron & I} and baked it in the oven at 350F until it is melted to perfection.

Tonight's dinner was lentil soup packed with veggies and the Wiener's leftover from New Years Eve.  Alongside we had a loaf of crusty bread {quick version of no knead bread} and a big bowl of green salad.  An easy, satisfying dinner....

How has your first half week of 2013 been?  Did you have a good start?  I would love to hear it...

Happy 2013 & #Dairyfree Sweet New Years Day Pretzel {Neujahrsbrezel}

Happy 2013 to all of you from the four of us!  I hope you all had a great start into the New Year.  Did you do anything special?  Do you follow any traditions for either New Years Eve, or New Years Day? I would love to hear about it.

For us, we usually have Oregon Dungeness Crab for New Years Eve but the season has been delayed so we made a change of plan.  Instead we made Raclette - something we have done often in Germany for New Years Eve.  You eat for a long time, take a break, eat again...and soon it is almost midnight.  We do have a table raclette oven and this is actually the first time we have made Raclette with the girls.  I was unable to find "safe" Raclette cheese for the girlies so they made their with slices of Gruyere which also is so tasty.  Friends joined who had never had Raclette before joined us around the table and we had {as can be expected} a lot of fun...

New Year's Day was spent with taking a nice walk on this sunny day up to Mt. Tabor,

and it is was Hopping John Emeril Style :) with a side of Collard Greens

For breakfast I made a Sweet New Years Day Pretzel {Neujahrsbrezel} - it was made on New Years Eve...

This is actually the first time I made one.  In the region of Germany that I call home {Swabia} it is tradition to eat Neujahrsbrezel on New Years Day.  After Christmas it is sold in the bakeries - it is supposed to symbolize good luck, and love for the New Year. It taste like Challah and is delicious.

I have tried to make sweet yeast bread in the past, but failed every time.  I contributed it - maybe incorrectly - to the soy milk.  In any case, it has been years since my last attempt and I love tradition, so I gave it another try.  It was delicious - just spread a little "vegan"/or regular butter on a slice, dunk it in coffee, or hot chocolate.

Dairyfree Sweet New Years Day Pretzel
  4 C   flour
1/4 C Vegan Butter {I use Earth Balance}
1-1/4 C Oat Milk {or other Milk Substitute}
1 egg
1/4 C sugar
1 pinch of salt
2-1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1/3 C raisins {optional}
1 egg yolk
1. Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and sugar.
2. In a pot warm up the "milk" and melt vegan butter in the "milk". When "butter" has melted, pour
    the liquid into
3. dry ingredients and stir up before adding the egg.  Work it into a smooth dough and knead for
    at least three minutes {you may have to add a little more "milk" or flour}. When a smooth dough
    has formed, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise at a warm place for at least three hours {I
    put mine into the oven}
4. When dough has risen {it takes about three hours} add raisins - if using - to the dough.  Work raisins
     thoroughly into the dough.  Let dough rest for another ten minutes or so.
     *Preheat oven to 360F
5.  On a floured work surface work the dough into a long roll.
6.  On each side of the roll - leaving an uncut part in the middle about 3"-5" - cut dough twice.  On each side it should be about 6" - 8" - the braid each side. Fold the braided ends up to the middle,
     forming a pretzel shape.  You can put parchment paper into the two openings to make sure they stay nice and open

 





7.  Brush pretzel with egg yolk, and bake in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, or until light and
     golden.


Here is to a fantastic 2013!!!