The other night, when I was at Cate‘s house for our Blogger Thanksgiving fest, we were reheating a batch of these Homemade Seasoned Baked Chicken Nuggets that I made for the kids. Cate asked me if they were done right after I’d checked on them, and I said “No, they aren’t humming yet.”

It never occurred to me that would be a weird thing to say. It never occurred to me that the idea of food humming is something that not everyone thinks. Or hears. Or says. Yea. But Patsy, Joanne and Cate set me straight. It’s definitely a Sarah-ism. (In my defense, that’s really what I look for whenever I reheat food — the hum of sizzling warmed food.)

So, about the chicken nuggets … honestly, I had never thought of making my own until a recent Skinny Chicken Nuggets post on Tablespoon set off a wild obsession with baked chicken nuggets for me. My kids love chicken nuggets (I think it’s written somewhere in the kid handbook that they have to), and I like feeding them good, wholesome, homemade food that doesn’t take long to make.

Ding. Ding. Ding! We have a winner. Read the rest of this entry…

The first Thanksgiving after I graduated college was disappointing at best. I’d made plans to spend Thanksgiving with my cousins, which I was really looking forward to. But then my car died suddenly and my plans were totally derailed. Without a car, I had to cancel my plans at the last minute. Thanksgiving dinner was ruined for me, since I didn’t know how to cook a turkey — and didn’t want to. Instead, I ended up eating a frozen chicken dinner. No turkey. No cranberries. No million side dishes.

I wish I’d known about turkey cutlets — boneless, thin cuts of turkey that are easy and fast to cook — back then. If I had, I could have whipped up a super easy stress-free last minute Thanksgiving dinner. Hindsight, right?

These easy, juicy Rosemary Romano Roasted Turkey Cutlets are a delicious way to enjoy turkey this Thanksgiving (or any day). Basically, you make a paste of rosemary, salt, garlic powder and a little mayo. Then you spread that onto one side of the turkey cutlet. Top it with breadcrumbs and a little Romano cheese and it’s ready to be baked.

Did I mention this takes about 30 minutes to make — tops?

The secret to the juiciness of these cutlets is that they are rubbed with the mayo mixture which locks in the moistness. And with rosemary and a hint of garlic mixed in, it’s just perfect. The breadcrumbs and rosemary add just the right amount of texture and saltiness.

Whether you are looking for a last minute turkey solution or just looking for something easier than a whole turkey, these Rosemary Romano Roasted Turkey Cutlets are a great option that won’t disappoint.

Psst! One more thing. You may remember that earlier this year, I agreed to be part of Hellmann’s Real Foodies (it used to be called Club Sandwich). Well, I wanted to tell you about Hellmann’s new Turkey Challenge, a fun battle of the recipes that pits three mayo-using turkey recipes against each other every week. It’s a great thing to check out for more turkey inspiration.

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Don’t be alarmed, but Thanksgiving is a mere eight days away. Scary, right? It crept up on us so fast that I totally didn’t see it coming. Now, I am knee deep in grocery lists, recipes and meal plans for the big day. I’ll be sharing my 2011 menu here on Friday, along with a few last minute planning tips.

But today I want to share with you a little trick that I came up with to make absolutely foolproof, lump-free, easy, delicious turkey gravy. It’s ridiculously simple and makes the whole gravy making process a cinch.

See, for me, making gravy is a tricky and frustrating thing. I’ve tried using my grandfather’s method of mixing a water/flour mixture and whisking that in. I’ve tried using cornstarch. I’ve tried mixing a little flour into hot broth before adding it. But my gravy has seldom been perfect, instead ranging from lumpy (hint: strain lumps out of lumpy gravy to save the day) to jelly-ish (too much cornstarch). Sometimes it’s been under-seasoned and flavorless while other times it’s been too salty or peppery.

With this recipe, none of that happens. Basically I’ve taken my method for making homemade macaroni and cheese and applied it to gravy — and it worked like a charm. The smooth, velvety gravy has a rich herbalness with rosemary, thyme and sage cooked into it. It’s a beautiful thing.

To make this absolutely fool proof gravy recipe, you start with a roux (that’s a fancy way of saying a butter/flour mixture). Melt the butter and then add the flour, whisking it together until it’s good and bubbly. This is your thickening agent. By adding it first, you ensure that the flour doesn’t form those dreaded lumps when you go to thicken it.

Then, you add turkey stock and whisk it up like crazy to combine the stock and roux. Next, you add herbs for flavor. Just stir them in and let the gravy bubble away for five minutes. Fish out the herbs, season with salt and pepper, and you are there.

Really, it couldn’t be easier. Oh, and here’s one more little hack for you: if you don’t have a gravy boat, try using a plain coffee cup like this white mug. It works just as well (and I swear it keeps the gravy warmer for longer too.

How are your Thanksgiving plans coming?

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Can I tell you something? Lately, I have had to work on meal plans and budgeting for food. I simply have to spend less on what we eat.

For awhile there, my freelance writing business was booming. In fact, it was so big that I ended up letting go of a few lower paying clients. But this summer, one of my clients cut my workload (and my pay) in half. At first, it was kind of an abstract this sucks kind of thing.

But this month is when it really hit me. My income was substantially reduced, and suddenly I need to budget really well again. That means no more trips for after-school lattes for me and cake pops for the kids. That means using coupons again and paying attention to the sales flyers. That means seeking out work and making due in the meantime. (Anyone looking for a recipe developer/journalist/writer/blogger?)

As a result, I’ve been looking to less-expensive meals that are both easy and meet our expectation for really delicious dinners. Chicken drumsticks are a great budget-stretching meat to have in the rotation. Not to be confused with the mini ones that are a popular game day food, chicken drumsticks are larger and meatier. Two pounds of drumsticks with a couple of sides is perfect for my family, though you might want to go to three pounds if you are big eaters. The glaze recipe could be stretched to glaze another pound of drumsticks — or it’s easy to make a little extra.

These Baked Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks are delicious. They go perfectly with Kale and Bacon Fried Rice and a salad. And it can all be ready in under 30 minutes — totally easy too.

Also see Crunchy Oven-Fried Chicken Drumsticks.

I came up with this recipe after spying a similar one in an old food magazine. The original recipe from Every Day Food called for basting with marmalade only. However, I find marmalade to be too tart for our tastes. But combining the marmalade with soy sauce and rice vinegar, the sharp tartness is toned down and a richness is added without losing the orange flavor. The reaction was huge — everyone loved the sticky coating.

Do you have to watch your food budget too? How do you do it?

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Leftovers are a challenge in our house. If it’s pasta, you can pretty much guarantee that if there’s anything leftover (and usually there isn’t) then the kids will be all over it. It’s perfect for warming up and packing into Will’s lunchbox. But soup? It’s 50-50. Sometimes that’s great for lunch too but other times we don’t want to look at leftover soup. I’ve frozen it in the past, but we rarely go back to it. And leftover chicken, steak and other meats? It’s 50-50 on those too.

As a result, I try hard to not have leftovers from dinner. I make just enough. But sometimes leftovers can’t be avoided. For instance, earlier this week I was working on a recipe for Tablespoon that called for using leftover roasted chicken. I ended up buying a whole roasted chicken at the grocery store but only used a portion of it to finish off the recipe. A little of the chicken became Paige’s lunch one day, but there was still a good amount left. I hated seeing it there, knowing that it would go to waste if I didn’t do something.

Of course, I didn’t want to just eat it. With chicken especially, I am much happier when it becomes part of a whole new meal. Putting it on a salad was an option. But I had nachos on the brain and I’ve been on a long quest to make chicken work on nachos. Often, I feel like when you pair chicken with traditional nacho toppings it ends up seeming out of place — like your Thanksgiving dinner got into an argument with fiesta night. The flavors is just so different.

But I had an epiphany recently. If the chicken’s flavor was more Tex-Mex then it would blend in better. It’s a matter of narrowing the gap between the flavors. So I tried it (what good is a theory if you don’t?). It worked. All it takes is shredding the chicken and mixing it with a little salsa to make it a perfect nacho topping. Sweet.

Making these nachos, which make a perfect easy dinner, is simple as can be. Tortilla chips are topped with the chicken mixture, a load of black beans and red peppers. Then it’s all baked with a blanket of cheddar. Serve it with salsa, sour cream, guacamole or whatever you love with your nachos.

Did I mention that it’s ready in a mere 15 minutes, start to finish? Go ahead. Try them tonight. You totally have time.

What do you do with your leftovers?

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We’ve had three big snowstorms in as many weeks here — and yesterday there was over two feet to dig out. I haven’t seen snow like this in years. It reminds me of a massive storm when I was in elementary school that knocked out power for days and closed schools for a week or so. There’s just so much snow — we’re out of places to shovel it to.

Yesterday morning, before I had my morning coffee or ate a stitch of breakfast, I went outside in the heavy snow to shovel for my dogs. My back door — the one the dogs use — wouldn’t open with the heavy snow outside and even if it did, they couldn’t walk in snow over their head. So I had to trek in waist-high snow (we still have lots of snow from the last two storms) to the back to shovel the stairs, porch and a little area for the dogs to walk in.

The tail-end of the storm -- the photo is fuzzy because it was still snowing really hard.

Walking through (in?) snow that deep was amazing. As adults, we don’t often get that feeling of snow creeping up so high that walking becomes a herculean effort. And in some ways, it was overwhelming too — especially when I paused to consider that I couldn’t even see our road for much of the day.

There’s some ironic contrast here that I intended to write about Pineapple Chicken yesterday – a bright, sunny, vibrant dish – on a day that was darkened by lingering clouds and mounds of snow so high that I can barely see over them. Of course, after shoveling the roughly 29-inches of freshly fallen snow, I was too tired to do anything. Thank goodness for good neighbors and a Good Samaritan who all pitched in to get my driveway — and my neighbor’s — cleared. I really don’t know what would have happened if I had to actually shovel our entire long, wide driveway by myself.

Switching gears, let’s talk chicken. Pineapple Chicken. I had some chicken in the fridge begging to be used the other day. I’d taken it out by mistake and needed to use it or face wasting it. And I really didn’t want to waste it. So, while picking up a few things at the grocery store, the idea for this recipe started to form — chicken, pineapple, a little teriyaki… all served over fluffy rice. I love sweet flavors mingling with savory, and especially fruits like pineapple paired with chicken. Read the rest of this entry…

There’s a picture of Will on my desk from his first year in preschool. He’s got this infectious smile, like he was laughing at the time. And he looks so dapper in his striped Oxford shirt. That’s the little boy who’s now a kindergartner. He’s five now, and learning to read and write. Where does the time go?

Today, he came home from school, excited about the book fair and sad that a little girl called him a name. He loves school, and is making friends. But I worry about name calling — could it progress? Will other kids do the same? Is this a precursor of bullying? I’m a mother, and I cannot help but worry.

As a mother, I don’t know how much I can do. Sure, I can speak to his teacher and ask questions. I can educate him on dealing with people who aren’t being so kind. I can demonstrate kindness and compassion, so that my kids learn to do as I do. But I can’t hold him forever, or shield him from hurt. The fact is that life is filled with good and bad things … and you need to deal with both.

Shawn and I can raise our children well, and keep their bellies well-fed too. And really, at the end of the day, does being called Potatohead really matter that much? No. Because he’s still a happy, unjaded, smart little boy. That’s what matters.

Tonight, I whipped up a batch of Turkey Chili, a perfect dish for chilly days — or when you need something warm and comforting in your belly. This is a particularly mild chili, perfect for little kids. Add more spice, if you like.

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It’s Tuesday afternoon and I am sitting in my home office, with The Beach Boys’ Sounds Of Summer playing in the background. Outside my open windows is brilliant blue sky, bright sunlight and the sound of laughing children. It’s enough to make you throw open your arms and yell Welcome, springtime. This is weather that just begs for being outside in the fresh newness.

And what comes with warm temperatures? The strong allure of grilling, of course!

We actually started grilling about a month ago, but now that the temperatures seem more firmly planted in the warm category, we’ll be doing it a whole lot more often. Who wants to heat up a kitchen when it’s so beautiful outside, anyway? Not me!

When I was planning our meals for this week, I spotted this recipe for Grilled Island Chicken in Aviva Goldfarb‘s new cookbook, SOS! The Six O’Clock Scramble to the Rescue: Earth-Friendly, Kid-Pleasing Dinners for Busy Families. Grilled pineapple? Marinated Chicken? Sounded perfect. And the fact that the marinade is whipped up in minutes and the whole thing can be cooked in about 10 minutes makes it just perfect for busy nights (and Monday is a notoriously busy night in my house).

So, how was it? Awesome. Will is a really good eater, but typically he stops at one serving (nothing wrong with that!). Last night? He had seconds. So did Shawn and I (and I never ever have seconds of anything!). The flavorful, rich grilled chicken tasted fantastic with the smoky-sweet grilled pineapple … and it all went so well with the rice and salad I served.

Loved it. We’ll be having this again soon. Very soon.

P.S. Looking for some easy chicken dinners? Check out my latest post on Tablespoon for inspiration!

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As much as my kids love helping in the kitchen, I always stop short of letting them help with meat preparation. The thought of food-borne illness just makes me steer clear entirely. I mean, yes, they can wash their hands like I do, but should I really take the risk?

Well, this weekend, I decided to let Will help making meatballs. With sleeves rolled up, he mixed and squished ground turkey with a mix of whole wheat breadcrumbs and a special pesto made just for the dish (instead of added oil, it uses an egg). Did it freak me out a little to have him touch raw meat? Absolutely. But like any other kitchen task, we talked about safety before we started and I made sure he understood why it’s important to be extra careful about washing up after touching raw meat. He did.

As nervous as I am about it, I do want my kids to be comfortable handling meat.

When I told Shawn, he wrinkled his nose and remarked about how gross it is to handle it. I agree, but I also think that if you are going to eat meat, you need to be willing to touch it and prepare it. That includes getting wrist-deep in ground meat mixtures.

After mixing, I didn’t have to ask Will to go wash his hands — he asked first and headed off to the bathroom for some quality time with soap and water. As for Paige? I let her stir the mixture a big, but held off on letting her touch the meat itself … As I told her, when she’s Will’s age, it will be different story.

If you aren’t ready for letting your young child touch meat, that’s okay. In any task involving your own kids, you need to make decisions that work for you and your family — just because let Will do this doesn’t mean that your child is ready for it too. Only you know whether they are or aren’t.

In any case, this recipe is great for cooking with kids since it affords much opportunity for them to help. Beyond the meat mixing, kids can measure ingredients for both the meatballs and the pesto, pulse the mixtures with the food processor, do the initial stir of the meatballs and also toss the pasta with the pesto sauce.

Do you let your kids touch raw meat? When will you?

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There is something amazing about biting into the crispy coating of fried chicken. It crunches between your teeth, revealing layers of flavors. It’s salty and wonderful … Before you know it, you’re biting into juicy chicken, just below the skin. Well, at least I hope it’s juicy. I’ve had a lot of flavorless meat on fried chicken in my day. Haven’t you?

This chicken is the total package: crispy and packed with flavor inside and out.

In 2010, I am focusing a lot on healthy, budget-friendly dishes. Chicken drumsticks are definitely budget friendly, and since these are baked, this is lightened up. (Don’t worry … only a portion of the 2 tbsp of butter actually makes it onto the chicken). Perfect for a night when you are craving comfort food … but not willing to break your healthy resolutions.

Psst … are you participating in the Ten in 2010 challenge? It’s a community effort to support each other to a healthier, happier 2010. Don’t worry — you don’t even need a blog to join. Click here to learn more.

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