Cod Filets with Herbed Bread Crumbs & Cheddar Cauliflower

I was looking through my freezer the other day...I mean REALLY looking through it...and I was amazed at all the stuff I had packed in there.  It just seemed like everything I moved or shifted had MORE stuff behind it.  I said to myself, "Wow!  I seriously need to get rid of some of this stuff.  I'll bet I can make a whole month's worth of meals out of all this." Thus was born the 30 Day Food Challenge.  The objective: To create 30 different dinners in 30 days with as much on hand as possible, only buying the minimal necessary iteams as well as replenishing perishable items at the grocery store.  This should be fun...I love getting creative in the kitchen.  So I sat down with my pen, paper and internet. 

I started by taking an inventory of the contents of my freezer.  I have discovered the new found knowledge that I am apparently a freezer hoarder as well as a very efficient organizer ONLY when it comes to matters of packing food because this is what I found (amongst a few other misc things):

• 2 whole chickens (Why 2?!?  No idea!!)
• 1 package bone-in pork chops
• 1 package beef steak
• 1 large beef roast
• 1 smaller beef roast
• 1/2 lb ground sausage
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground sage sausage
• 1 lb breakfast sausage links
• Some cod fillets
• A few leftover pre-packaged fish sticks
• 5 sweet Italian sausages
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• A whole LOT of chicken breast
• 3 frozen Cubanos
• 2 c. frozen shredded zucchini

Also found that I would like to use up:

• 1 turkey rope sausage
• 4 all beef, nitrite/nitrate free hot dogs
• 2 packages of fresh smoked salmon
• Some canned tuna
• A General Tso's seasoning packet
• A chicken flavor rice seasoning packet

Yep...that's right....ALL that!  I should have no problem making it to day 30.  So with my inventory in hand, I started to divide and conquer the huge list.  It did take quite some time and I had to get creative and do some searching on the internet for a few recipes, but overall I'm pretty happy with the menu.  Let's see just how low my grocery bill can be this month!!  I do have to say, that when I made my grocery list for this week and it only had like 15 items on it, I started to feel a little panicky.  It just seemed wrong when usually I set off with a HUGE page full of "necessities" and hit up 3 different grocery stores!  I had to take a deep breath and tell myself that this was REALLY all I NEEDED.  Today is grocery store day...it should literallyy take me 15 mins in and out.  What am I going to do with the extra hour and 45 mins I normally allot to grocery shopping?!?  I know...laundry!  Hip Hip Hooray!

I decided that I would start with the beef steaks because they looked like they might be starting to suffer a small amount of freezer burn along the edges.  I just sprinkled on some Montreal Steak Seasoning and served them with loaded baked potatoes and green beans...nothing particularly blog worthy.  So I present to you Day 2: Cod Filletswith Herbed Bread Crumbs & Cheddar Cauliflower.  I didn't have enough fillets for everyone, so I made the fillets for my husband and I and used the leftover fish sticks for my kids.  I did make them take a bite of the fish fillets which went over so so with them.  I think had their not been the alternative fish sticks sitting on their plate it would have been better received.  Despite having onion, chives and mayo in the recipe, my husband commented on how the fish was really good!  I would consider this to be a HUGE WIN since my husband openly detests onions and mayo!!  I LOVED the cheddar cauliflower, but surprisingly it didn't go over well with the kids.  Tyler said it was "okay".  Brenna and Aiden wouldn't touch it after the first bite.  Ethan just happily ate his rice cereal.  I think they thought it was macaroni and cheese and the disappointment of it NOT being so was enough to make them shun the cheesy goodness sitting before them.  Oh well...more leftovers for me!  I'm going to make up some rice, cut up some ham and throw some peas in and mix it all in the leftover Cheddar Cauliflower for lunch today.  2 days down, 28 more to go!  Please note I was cooking solo yesterday...my Assistant Chef was not interested in assisting because Tyler was home from school all yesterday and she was playing trains with him.

Cod with Herb Bread Crumbs (adapted from Epicurious.com)

2 tsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp very finely grated onion (I ran a whole onion along my box grater)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 c fresh white bread crumbs

2 tbsp dried chives

2 tbsp dried parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cod fillets (defrosted if they were frozen)

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp paprika

I was going to go to the store yesterday because I needed white bread for the topping, but it was pouring all day and I didn't feel like dragging all the kids to the store.  I decided to be resourceful and bake my own instead. 

Once the bread was cooled, I ground the bread in my mini processor to get 1 cup soft bread crumbs.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium high heat for 1-2 mins.

Add the bread crumbs and stir until the butter is absorbed.  Remove from heat and stir in the chives, parsley, salt and pepper.

Place the cod fillets in a greased baking dish.

In a small bowl mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and paprika.

Brush mixture over the top of the cod fillets.

Top the fillets with a generous layer of the bread crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere.

Bake in a 450 degree oven until the fish is cooked through, about 20 mins.  This would be awesome with chicken too, but I would bake it at a lower temperature for a longer time!

Cheddar Cauliflower (this is from my white Rachel Ray binder)

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. milk
2 c grated cheddar (her recipe called for sharp white cheddar, but I used regular cheddar)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

In a sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 min.

Whisk in the milk and bring just to a boil.  Cook, stirring often, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 mins).

Add the cheese and stir until it is melted.

Remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.  I didn't add any extra salt because I think the cheese is salty enough.  Cover to keep warm and set aside.



In a large pot, bring one inch of salted water to boil.  Add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, about 10 mins.



Drain the cauliflower and return it to the pan.  Add the cheese sauce and mix well to coat.  The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.

Cod Fillet with Herbed Bread Crumbs and Cheddar Cauliflower.  A nice alternative to fish sticks and macaroni & cheese!!

Cheddar Cauliflower.

Cod Fillet with Herbed Bread Crumbs

Recipe for: Cod Fillets with Herbed Bread Crumbs

www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com

Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Scrod-with-Herbed-Breadcrumbs-2700

To prepare: Preheat oven to 450°.  Grease a small baking dish.  Recipe serves 2.

Ingredients

Directions

2 tsp. unsalted butter 1 tbsp. onion, very finely minced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 c. soft white bread crumbs 2 tbsp. dried chives 2 tbsp. dried parsley Salt and pepper to taste 2 cod fillets, fresh or defrosted if frozen Juice from ½ a lemon 1 tbsp. mayonnaise 1 tsp. paprika

1.       In a small sauce pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. 2.       Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 mins. 3.       Add the soft bread crumb and stir until the butter is absorbed. 4.       Remove from heat and stir in the chives, parsley, salt and pepper. 5.       Place the cod fillets in the prepared baking dish. 6.       In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and paprika.  Brush over the cod fillets. 7.       Top the fillets with a generous layer of bread crumb mixture and press gently to adhere. 8.       Bake in the preheated oven until the fish is done, about 20 mins.

Recipe for: Cheddar Cauliflower

www.momsaysjustonebite.blogspot.com

To prepare:  Recipe serves 4 people.

Ingredients

Directions

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets 2 tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 c. milk 2 c. grated cheddar cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1.       In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. 2.       Whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute. 3.       Whisk in the milk and bring just to a boil, and cook stirring often, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 mins). 4.       Add the cheese and stir until melted. 5.       Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Cover and set aside. 6.       In a large pot, bring to boil one inch of salted water.  7.       Add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, about 10 mins. 8.       Drain the cauliflower and return to the pan. 9.       Add the cheese sauce and mix until cauliflower is well coated.

Parmesan Breaded Chicken and Cheesy Puffed Potatoes

For the most part, my husband and I coexist in a pretty democratic relationship.  We generally agree on almost every decision we make...and on the rare occasion we do eventually just agree to peacefully disagree.  I will fully admit though that in the kitchen I am a complete and total Dictator!  I usually don't take my husband's taste...or lack there of...into consideration when planning dinner.  To his dismay, I expose him to all sorts of crazy experimentations and continue to put evil things like green peppers and onions into the dishes I make.  I am a believer that if you eat something enough times you can make yourself like anything.  My husband believes that I will never change his taste in food.  So our silent battle wages on...I keep hiding things he doesn't like in the food I prepare, he finds them and picks them out.  My husband and I are both extremely stubborn people, but I WILL win!!

I will admit though, that the rice/bean dish I made for Cuban night did have an awful lot of green pepper and onion in it, so I decided to have mercy on my poor husband who is quite possibly the most boring eater in the world.  It seems like every time I ask him if he likes a certain food or ingredient the answer is almost always not really, no or NO!  I'm not sure how I ended up with someone so far on the opposite end of the food spectrum.  I guess it's a good thing for me that he NEVER cooks...not so much for him.  Sorry for his luck. 

I decided that I would put my homemade whole wheat breadcrumbs to good use and make something I know he likes...oven baked Parmesan breaded chicken.  And in honor of my "meat and potatoes" hubby some cheesy puffed potatoes to go along with it.  He recently told me that he is tired of mashed potatoes (seriously?!?), so I went with this as a kind of meet in the middle potato dish.  Adding the egg to the potatoes really makes them nice and puffy...the kids loved them!  Even my husband finished his without any complaints!  Success!!

So in honor of my plain Jane (is their a male version of this saying...Plain Joe or something like that maybe?) husband, I present to you a non-ethnic and unexciting, yet very tasty dinner.  

Parmesan Breaded Chicken

1 - 2 lbs chicken breast

1 1/2 c bread crumbs

1/3 c panko bread crumbs

1/3 c Parmesan cheese

3 tbsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 egg

2 tbsp milk

In a shallow bowl, combine both bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

In a second shallow bowl, combine the egg and milk and lightly beat.

Dip the chicken breast in the egg mixture and then dredge in the bread crumb mixture.  Press firmly to coat well.  Place in a large greased baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 mins.

Cheesy Puffed Potatoes

6 medium Russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 c shredded Cheddar cheese + 1/4 c for topping

1/3 c milk

3 tbsp margarine

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

In a large pan of salted water, boil the potatoes about 20 mins until tender.  Drain the potatoes and place in a large bowl.  Add the milk, butter and salt.  Using an electric hand mixer, beat until smooth.

Add the 1 c. cheese and mix well until cheese is blended in and slightly melted.

Add the egg and blend well.

Place in a greased 8.5" x 11" baking dish.  Bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 mins.

Top with remaining 1/4 c cheese and return to oven fir an additional 5 mins.

Parmesan breaded chicken and Cheesy puffed potatoes.

I also served with a salad..no meal is complete without at least ONE thing my husband won't eat!! The Dictator rules!! =)

Bread Crumbs

Do you buy bread crumbs from the store?  I used to because I thought it was easier, but honestly in the amount of time it takes to drive to the store, stand in line, pay and drive home you can make your own.  Its a good way to use leftover bread or the ends of the breads if you have kids who don't like them.  In all fairness I'm not a huge fan of the ends either! 

Have you ever looked at the back of a container of bread crumbs?  If not you should.  Bread crumbs aren't just bread crumbs!  The ones I purchased contain almost 60 different ingredients!!  Granted they are the Italian style, so the spices are counted as additional ingredients, but why do my bread crumbs have to have high fructose corn syrup, regular corn syrup (what the heck is the difference between regular and high fructose corn syrups??), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, 4 different flours, butter, buttermilk and 2 different preservatives??  So I just started making my own.  I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with the store bought ones...maybe save them as a back up in case I run out of homemade ones.  Although, come to think of it, the chances of running out of bread crumbs on the same day I run out of bread to make new bread crumbs with is highly unlikely.  For the record there are 8 ingredients in mine...well technically a few more because I used store bought bread, but the next time I'm going to try making a loaf of whole wheat bread specifically to turn into bread crumbs.

Making your own food always allows you the ability to alter ingredients.  You could easily add or subtract any spices or change the type of bread you use.  Maybe you might want to be daring and try a different bread like sourdough, pumpernickel or rye.  If you don't want your bread crumb Italian style, you can always just make a plain bread crumb and add the spices at a later time.  Either way, you probably will want to store the bread crumbs in an air tight container in the freezer...this will help them stay fresh longer.  There is a reason that store bought bread crumbs can be stored at room temperature for quite some time, but I don'twant to serve that reason to my kids if I don't have to!  Happy bread crumb making!
 
Bread Crumbs

10 slices of bread
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp oregano

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Place bread slices directly on wire rack and bake for 35 mins.

After dried bread has cooled, break them up into pieces, place into a food processor and grind into fine crumbs.

Spices!

Add spices to the food processor and pulse a few times to blend.  Place in a covered air tight container in the freezer until ready to use.