Suncay, Nov 21st, 2010

Sunday
Breakfast: Easy Applesauce Muffins
Lunch: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with carrot sticks

A Return to Sunday Dinner:
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
simple dinner salad (Salad Blend, grated carrots, sliced mushrooms, fresh mozzarella slices)
Italian Chicken Legs with Spinach Fettuccine
whole wheat dinner rolls
mini chocolate eclairs

Today was a tough day as I'm starting to feel sick. Thankfully, the soup and the chicken was SUPER easy to make! I had dinner rolls in the freezer, just for moments like this! I used my white ramekins for the kids soup and some bigger clear glass ones for the kids salad. Only Joey ate the soup, which hubby and I thought was very yummy. And hubby got me a new digital probe thermometer/timer from Kohl's super sale. I put all the chicken in my 12" frypan, added the rest of the ingredients, then stuck the probe in one of the legs, put the cover on it, set the probe to 165 degrees and sat down. About 35 minutes later, the probe beeped and VOILA!! chicken was done! I had cooked the fettuccine right after church, threw it in a gallon baggie with some olive oil and put it in the fridge. When the chicken was done, I put the fettuccine in the microwave for a few minutes and it was hot and ready! I couldn't find spinach fettuccine in the grocery store until I went to the gourmet section, where I spent $2.25/bag and had to get 2 bags to feed my family. Well, I could've saved the money and gotten regular fettuccine as I only had two kids, my husband, and myself eat it. Or buy just one bag and make up a regular flavor for the other two (Miss Picky and Ella). I was not feeling up to making anything, so I went to the store and bought mini eclairs. These had chocolate filling instead of vanilla and the kids gobbled them up. They were very good and I hope I can eat more tomorrow (I only ate one to try it, just afraid of my stomach, lol)

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Time: 1 hour. Yield: Serves 4 or 5 (makes 7 1/2 cups)
This soup is a real trickster onions and cauliflower blend into a purée so smooth, you'd swear it
included cream. It's also a good introduction to this vegetable for those who think they can't stand cauliflower, since its sulfurous flavor is very mild here and no cauliflower is actually visible. But if you do love it, keep the soup a little chunky so you'll have some florets in your bowl.


1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
About 1/2 tsp. salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 large head cauliflower (2 lbs.), chopped (or 1lb bags of frozen cauliflower)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
Freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt, cover, reduce
heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally , until onions are very soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add
garlic and wine. Cook, stirring, until liquid is almost completely evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Stir in cauliflower and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook
until cauliflower is very soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. In 3 batches, whirl soup in a blender until very smooth, at least 3 minutes per batch (or, if
you'd like a few florets in y our soup, blend 2 batches and leave the last chunky ). Stir together
and season to taste with white pepper and salt.
4. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, chives, and parsley . Ladle soup into bowls and
decoratively drizzle herb oil on top.



Italian Chicken Legs with Spinach Fettuccine
A hearty tomato sauce and spinach fettuccine make this a colorful and tasty Italian dish.

Cooking Method: Stove-top Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package (1 pound, 8 ounces ) A ll Natural™ Chicken Drumsticks
1 /2 teaspoon salt
1 /2 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 1/2 ounces ) Italian- style stewed tomatoes
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, minced or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces spinach fettuccine

Directions
1 . Bring large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
2 . Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 4 to 5 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned but not thoroughly cooked.
3 . Stir together tomatoes , basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. When liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 to 25 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is thoroughly cooked.
4 . Meanwhile, cook fettuccine in pot of water according to package instructions
5 . Serve drumsticks and tomato sauce over fettuccine.