Making Meals Monday

I am not Julia Child.

Not that most of you needed to be reminded of that, but I needed to remind myself.

I am a novice cook. At best. The microwave is my best friend - not the stove. I usually have to make 1-2 phone calls to my mom, Mat's mom or my grandmother each time I cook something because I don't understand one of the directions.

That being said, can you guess where I am going with this pity party?

No beef bourguignon. 6 hours of my life, quite a bit of money, and it was not an edible dish. If you saw the movie "Julie and Julia" you would know that it didn't work out for her either, so I don't feel REALLY REALLY bad. Just really bad. I even cried a little when I dumped it in the trash.

I think I know what I did wrong, and if I ever try it again, I will have my cousin's Kirsten and Alissa with me so that we can do it again. THEIRS was a success. THEY know how to cook. THEY got my grandmother's cooking gene. I was skipped.

Anyway, back to basics. Here are the three things I am making this week.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Prep time - 10 minutes, Cook time - 35 minutes, Ready in - 45 minutes Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 8 ounces penne pasta (although we used a different pasta that looked more that macaroni)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside

3. In a large pot with boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Drain.

4. In a medium skillet saute the chopped onion, and minced garlic. Take off heat and add chopped cooked bacon and set aside.

5. To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the butter or margarine over low heat. once melted, add the flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Gradually add milk and continue stirring until thickened. Stir in 2 cups of the grated Cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

6. Combine cooked pasta, sauteed vegetables and sauce. Pour into a 2 quart casserold dish. Add the last cup of grated Cheddar cheese to top of mixture.

7. Bake uncovered in preheated oven until cheese on top is melted and brown, 15 o 20 minutes. Serve warm.
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Maple Salmon

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound salmon

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

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Asian Orange Chicken

Prep time - 40 minutes; Cook time - 40 minutes; Ready In - 3 hours 20 minutes

4 servings

Ingredients
- sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Place the chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve the remaining sauce. Seal the bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

3. In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag and shake to coat.

4. Heat the olive oil in a large skilet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

5. Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken pieces, and summer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

See you tomorrow!!!