Night Shift Trial Recipes 1 and 2: Parmesan Broccoli and Bri's Lazy Chiles and Jalapenos Rellenos

26 Weeks!

     Third week of Jason being on Night Shift.  I think we are starting to get the hang of this! 

     Today I am cranking out new posts so that way I can get back to consistency myself!   I am ¾ of the way adjusted.  The house is clean.  The shopping is done.  Bills are paid.  And for the first time in a couple months my hormones are low, and my sarcasm is back.  OMG, I have been so insecure I think because of anxiety caused by pregnancy hormones.  It’s so nice to hear myself talk and realize my sass is back. (Pregnancy brain, however, still looms…and apparently the forgetfulness only increases in the 3^rd trimester.  Oh well, I love being preggers anyways!)

So. Getting on track with the agenda of the day.

     Jason is really getting accustomed to his new shift.  He is, however, still struggling to find his appetite.  Oh me oh my -what is a wife to do but FIND NEW RECIPES!  (as you can tell I am realllllly torn up at the thought of having to do this… eeeyeah right!)   I cannot have my hub bringing home half eaten containers.  I cannot blame him though, if it’s hard to eat anything, who wants to eat the boring same-old thing.  So, needless to say, it’s a cooking and baking frenzy over here.  (Praise God.) 

Here are the 2 recipes I tried on him last night:

PARMESAN BROCCOLI

*This is super easy and a really great way to add a portion of greens to your day. 

The directions are simple and loose in measurements.  I had a recipe I was following from food Network, but again, followed their guidelines loosely.

What you need:

·         Fresh heads of Broccoli

·         Bread Crumbs (store bought or homemade)

·         Parmesan cheese

·         Garlic

·         Salt

·         Black Pepper

·         Strainer

·         Pot of boiling water

·         Oven set at 450 Deg. F

Directions:

Start boiling your pot of water.  Chop your broccoli.  Once the water is boiling, add salt, sliced garlic and broccoli.  Blanch (let it boil together) for 1 minute.  Immediately pour broccoli and garlic into strainer.  Once strained, mix broccoli, breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese in a bowl.  Place mixed broccoli on a parchment lined pan.  You can add extra cheese on top too if you want some extra goo.  *I kept it minimal to feel better about eating my greens.  Place into the oven and roast for 13-15 minutes.

This is a great veggie leftover!  Perfect boost of Vitamin K for Jason during his shift!

BRI’S LAZY CHILES AND JALEPENOS RELLENOS

*I served this dish with a side of beans and tortilla chips.

I originally saw this while watching The Pioneer Woman and knew I would need to tweak a couple things.  Jason loves heat with his eggs and so I knew the traditional Roasted Chiles would not be enough kick in the ass for my marine.  I placed 4 regular sliced, store-bought, canned chiles as the bottom layer.  Then, I added a healthy (with a hint of irony) layer of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese.  The 2^nd layer was 2 jalapenos that JASON CANNED HIMSELF.  I sliced each jalapeno into fourths lengthwise and scattered them throughout that second layer.  I then added another whopping layer of Monterey Jack Cheese. 

In a bowl I beat together 1 cup milk, 4 eggs, 1 Tsp Sweet Paprika, 1 Tsp Smoked Paprika, and ¾ Tsp of Cayenne Pepper.    *No salt was added due to the brine in which Jason’s home-canned peppers came from.  

I poured this well beaten mixture over the chiles and cheese.

I placed it in a 325 Degree oven for a total of 35 minutes with a water bath.

****This is my first run with Chiles Rellenos, and my first run using a water bath.  Jason said the flavors were perfection, but it definitely needed less milk to help everything set properly.

So.  Next week  I am trying this recipe again but with the following changes:

• Only using 1 jalapeno, so I can eat it too!
• In mixture I am using 2/3 C milk and 5 eggs.
• Water bath will be 1/8 in.  *I think I had originally placed too much water in the bottom pan, making it take forever to bake.
• Cranking the heat to 350 Degrees and guestimating it should take 25 minutes to cook.

Jason has assured me I need to take this to a family breakfast because our sister and brother are going to LOVE the poop out of this.  I could just follow the original recipe…but I have a real bad problem with doing exactly what people tell me to.

On that note, I bid you a very loud and sassy CHEERS!