Weekend Cooking: Keep It Simple by Marian Burros

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

_______

Marian Burros's Keep It Simple: 30-Minute Meals from Scratch has been one of my go-to cookbooks for years. The recipes are easy to make, use fresh ingredients, and can be made on a weeknight after work. Between us, my mom and I have made almost every recipe in this book.

The book is arranged by meat, chicken, fish, and vegetarian, and recipes are presented as menus--complete with main dish, side dish, and salad. Each menu also comes with a list of pantry items, a shopping list, and a game plan. The game plan is an outline to help less-experienced cooks create the meal from raw ingredients to serving dish in just about 30 minutes.

Here is a meal I make often, usually substituting boneless chicken breasts (and thus adjusting the cooking time a bit). I make brown rice in my rice cooker (takes more than 30 minutes), but I'll give the directions from the cookbook. Because I rarely make the recommended salad (substituting a tossed salad instead), I'm omitting that recipe.

Mexican Menu for Three

Cinnamon Chicken

• 6 or 7 chicken drumsticks or thighs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and cloves
• 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Brown chicken over medium-high heat in hot oil on one side. Chop onion coarsely and put garlic through press. When ready to turn chicken, add onion and garlic, raisins, and capers and cook, covered, until chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Add almonds; stir a minute and serve.

Chili Cheese Rice

• 1/2 cup enriched white rice or parboiled brown rice
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt or a mixture of yogurt and sour cream
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 tablespoons Cheddar cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine rice with water. Salt, if desired. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Mix yogurt with chiles. When rice is cooked, stir in cheeses and yogurt mixture; season with salt and pepper. Cover and allow the cheeses to melt.

Published by William Morrow, 1981
ISBN-13: 9780517100868
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)