Asparagus is one my favorite vegetables to cook in parchment. It’s just the right size and it cooks perfectly. I made this for dinner the other night. It’s got the right balance of creaminess and lemon and the garlic gives it some punch.

1 bunch asparagus

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dill

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place the asparagus on the parchment. Mix the other ingredients in a small bowl and spread over the asparagus. Fold the parchment (see the Technique page on this blog) and bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes, until the asparagus reaches your level of doneness. This is great with chicken or fish.

Asparagus is one my favorite vegetables to cook in parchment. It’s just the right size and it cooks perfectly. I made this for dinner the other night. It’s got the right balance of creaminess and lemon and the garlic gives it some punch. 1 bunch asparagus 1/3 cup light mayonnaise 3 garlic cloves, minced salt … Read more →

Greek chicken is one of my family’s favorite flavors so I’ve made many version of this. Today’s version is quick and easy to put together, yet packs tons of flavor.

1/2 cup cooked couscous

1 chicken breast

1/4 cup packed baby spinach leaves

2 slices tomato

salt and pepper

1/8 teaspoon Greek seasoning

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup feta cheese

Preheat oven to 400 and prepare parchment paper. Place the couscous on the paper in roughly the shape of the chicken breast. Place the breast on top and place the spinach over that, then the tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, Greek seasoning and onion powder and crumble the feta cheese over it. Add some olives if you like (I don’t). Fold the parchment and bake for about 35 minutes.

Greek chicken is one of my family’s favorite flavors so I’ve made many version of this. Today’s version is quick and easy to put together, yet packs tons of flavor. 1/2 cup cooked couscous 1 chicken breast 1/4 cup packed baby spinach leaves 2 slices tomato salt and pepper 1/8 teaspoon Greek seasoning 1/8 teaspoon … Read more →

I had a lovely bag of multicolored fingerling potatoes and needed a way to cook them. I also had some vinaigrette leftover. Why not use them together? This one was a big winner in my house, with people fighting over the cheese!

1 lb fingerling potatoes, pricked with a fork

Make this vinaigrette:
4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp Italian herb mix

1/8 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp Worchestershire

Shake this up in a jar and let it sit for about 10 minutes so the herbs soften.

Place the potatoes on the parchment. Pour half the vinaigrette over them (save the rest for a salad the next night). Fold the parchment and bake at 400 for 1 hour. About halfway through, take it out of the oven, grab the bag with potholders and give it a shake to distribute the oil. Put it back in for the rest of the hour. After one hour, remove from the oven, open the parchment and shave several tablespoons of Parmesan cheese over it (don’t grate it, use a cheese slicer to shave it). Leave the packet open and return to the oven until the cheese melts.

OMG. It was soooo good.

I had a lovely bag of multicolored fingerling potatoes and needed a way to cook them. I also had some vinaigrette leftover. Why not use them together? This one was a big winner in my house, with people fighting over the cheese! 1 lb fingerling potatoes, pricked with a fork Make this vinaigrette: 4 tbsp … Read more →

If you’ve been following my blog, you know it’s all about no mess, no pot cooking. So how on earth could I make noodles? Oh, I’m excited to share this one! I was so thrilled with this method!

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 single serving container (4 oz) of mandarin oranges

1 scallion, thinly sliced

1 medium garlic clove, chopped

1/4 of a broccoli head, cut into tiny florets

6 oz rice noodles

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup soy sauce

Clean out your sink and place the rice noodles in it. Cover with cold water and allow to soak for 15 minutes. Remove the noodles and place in the center of a piece of parchment (I made this family style). Make a nest in the middle and place the shrimp. Top with scallions, garlic and broccoli. Pour the oranges on top, juice and all. Then drizzle the teriyaki and soy sauces, being sure you get it on the shrimp and as much of the noodles as possible.

Bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Wow! I surprised even myself with this one! No pots, no mess and a delicious Asian shrimp dish with noodles. It has a nice citrus taste and the green of the vegetables give it color and flavor. I’ll be making this one again!

*Reader favorite: Appears in The Parchment Paper Cookbook

If you’ve been following my blog, you know it’s all about no mess, no pot cooking. So how on earth could I make noodles? Oh, I’m excited to share this one! I was so thrilled with this method! 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 single serving container (4 oz) of mandarin oranges 1 … Read more →

We don’t eat a lot of red meat, so turkey is definitely something I use a lot. It’s a nice change from chicken and fish. The key to turkey cutlets is keeping them moist and making sure they don’t get overdone. This recipe gives the turkey an interesting flavor and does it with no mess!

4 turkey cutlets
8 tbsp apricot preserves
4 tsp soy sauce
pepper
dry mustard
4 parsley sprigs (optional)

Place one cutlet in the middle of a piece of parchment. Spread 2 tbsp apricot preserves on top and drizzle with 1 tsp soy sauce. Add a pinch of pepper and a pinch of dry mustard to each packet. Top with a sprig of fresh parsley if you have any. Seal them up and bake at 400 for 15 minute. Allow them rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.

This is one of my favorite turkey cutlet recipes!

We don’t eat a lot of red meat, so turkey is definitely something I use a lot. It’s a nice change from chicken and fish. The key to turkey cutlets is keeping them moist and making sure they don’t get overdone. This recipe gives the turkey an interesting flavor and does it with no mess! … Read more →

I know you’re supposed to save the best for last, but for my first recipe, I’ve got to share one that my family thinks is absolutely incredible.

I called this Party in a Packet because the flavors of this dish taste like party snacks to me. You’re going to LOVE it.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I always use organic when available)
4 tbsp French onion dip (the kind in the dairy case)
1 cup semi-crushed cheese crackers (like Cheez-Its or Goldfish – I actually used Late July organic cheese crackers which are the same thing)
Salt and pepper

Yes, that’s right. 4 ingredients.

Prepare this dish as 4 individual packets. In each packet place one chicken breast in the center. Salt and pepper it. Brush 1 tbsp of the dip over it. Cover with 1/4 cup of the crackers. Repeat for the other packets. Seal up the packets and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Open it up and enjoy your party! This has a rich, deep flavor that makes you feel like you’re snacking on high calorie party snacks, when actually you’re enjoying a healthy chicken dish. Ssh – don’t tell the kids!

*Reader favorite: This appears in The Parchment Paper Cookbook

I know you’re supposed to save the best for last, but for my first recipe, I’ve got to share one that my family thinks is absolutely incredible. I called this Party in a Packet because the flavors of this dish taste like party snacks to me. You’re going to LOVE it. 4 boneless skinless chicken … Read more →

Hello everyone. I’m back. Or mostly back. I was really thrown for a loop when I pulled all of my stomach muscles on the right side lifting a laundry basket. It was so ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how badly hurt I really was. Almost two weeks later, I am back to normal activities for the most part.

For my first real foray into the kitchen since the injury (Mr. MarthaAndMe did all the Christmas cooking as I sat on a stool and offered instruction), I made a recipe from the Jan/Feb issue of Everyday Food. I am a subscriber, but this issue came to me early from MSLO. There’s an interesting section on parchment paper cooking I wanted to try out. I made Salmon with Green Beans and Lemon Zest. I remember trying parchment paper cooking once when we were first married and it got a little scorched!

This dish was easy to put together – put your salmon fillets on the paper, add green beans, lemon zest, some capers, salt and pepper and  a little olive oil. Fold the paper over and twist the ends. Bake at 400 for about 10-12 minutes. That’s it. I was actually pretty impressed with it. My salmon got a little overcooked (the problem with this is you can’t check it for doneness without ripping the paper), but other than I did enjoy it. We squeezed some lemon juice over it when we ate it since it needed more lemon flavor. I actually liked the capers and enjoyed the green beans with it. I like having most of dinner in a cute little package like this  – it’s very appealing somehow.

I want to try some of the other parchment paper recipes, so check back for those results in the coming days.

Hello everyone. I’m back. Or mostly back. I was really thrown for a loop when I pulled all of my stomach muscles on the right side lifting a laundry basket. It was so ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how badly hurt I really was. Almost two weeks later, I am back to normal activities for the … Read more →