I'm Running to Eat!

What We're Having for Dinner: October 31 - November 4

2011-10-31T13:48:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Pulled Pork Pizza

Tuesday - Creamy Garlic Alfredo Pasta , Salad, Breadsticks

Wednesday - Spicy Black Bean Chili,

Thursday - Frito Pie,

Friday - Japanese Ground Chicken Rice, General Tso's Chicken,

What We're Having for Dinner: August 22 - 28

2011-08-22T09:08:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Drunken Cajun Chicken, Rice, salad, crusty bread

Tuesday - Jambalaya, salad, crusty bread

Wednesday - Tennis! Out to dinner or Almost Famous Broccoli - Cheddar Soup and subs

Thursday - Tennis! Drip Beef,

Friday - Whole Wheat Fontina Portobello Pizza , salad

Saturday - Out to dinner!

Sunday - Chicken with Baby Bella Mushrooms and Marsala Sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls

Happy New (School) Year!

2011-08-16T11:38:00.000-04:00

The weather is cooling down. The kids are back in school and mom is blogging again! Woohoo!

I've been cooking and even taking a few pictures but just needed a break for awhile. Now that fall is here I am excited to get back to both cooking healthy food and doing a little running as well.

I've decided to make a few New (School) Year Resolutions. To me, the school year is a more logical time for resolutions. The season is changing. Your daily routine is changing. And when your resolution involves lots of running, the weather is generally much more cooperative! My resolutions for this year are:

1. Spend more time on Breakfasts. Instead of cold cereal every day, I'm going to experiment with other breakfast ideas that are quick, yummy and filling to send hubby and the kids on their way every day.

2. Get back to running on a schedule and sign up for a race so that I have motivation to train. Any suggestions on a good race to shoot for?

3. Add more fruits and vegetables to our diet.

4. Cut back on the amount of eating out we do. This summer was crazy and with all four kids heading in four directions every day, we hit drive-thru's way too often. Gonna get back into cooking every night.

5. Cut down on School Lunches by coming up with inexpensive yet healthy and tasty lunch box ideas.

6. Spend more time having fun with the family ... whether they like it or not! Now that I have two teens and a twenty-something, mom and dad may not be their first choice of people to hang out with. TOUGH! ;-)

Experiment with making a variety of bread with the end goal of not buying bread anymore.

I'm gonna go run, but I'll be back soon with all sorts of delicious new recipes.

What We're Having for Dinner: July 24 - 30

2011-07-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Pulled Chicken Sandwiches, Macaroni and Cheese

Monday - Tacos

Tuesday - Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce, Baked Panko Chicken Tenders with Basil Aoili, Bread, Salad

Wednesday - Burgers and Fries

Thursday - Chicken Fajitas,

Friday - Eating on the road!

Saturday - Out to eat!

What We're Eating for Dinner: January 3 - 8

2011-01-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Pizza Night!

Tuesday - Spicy Pork, Fettucine Alfredo

Wednesday - Drip Beef, Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Thursday -Roasted Sausage, Butternut Squash, Apple and Onions with Maple and Beer Pan Gravy,

Friday - Tex-Mex BBQ Turkey Tamale Pie,

Saturday - Leftovers! Everyone fend for yourself!

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 20 - 26

2010-12-19T12:16:00.002-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday -Bacon and Egg Pasta, Bread, Salad

Tuesday - Crabby Patties (Creole Crab Cakes with Cayenne Sauce), Macaroni and Cheese Cupcakes, Salad

Wednesday - White Castle-like Sliders, fries, milkshakes

Thursday - Pizza Night! Pulled Pork BBQ Pizza, Salad

Friday - Christmas Eve Bash! Caramelized Onion Dip, Savory Parmesan Bites,

Saturday - Merry Christmas! Stuffed Mushrooms, Sausage Toasts,

Sunday - Almost Famous Broccoli - Cheddar Soup, Mufuletta Sandwiches, Mozzarella and Cherry Tomato Skewers,

Tuscan Roast Pork

2010-12-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Pork tenderloins were on sale the other day so I picked one up without a plan for it. A quick Google and I found this delicious recipe for Tuscan Pork Roast at Stephen Cooks! It turned out perfectly: moist and tender, quite flavorful but not too spicy for the picky kids. A perfect dinner on a chilly, Midwestern winter night.

Tuscan Roast Pork
Recipe from Stephen Cooks!

2 lb. pork tenderloin
4 medium cloves garlic, cut in slivers
2 T fresh rosemary, minced
2 T fennel seeds, ground in mortar and pestle
2 T fresh parsley, minced
2 T fresh oregano, minced
1 T dried crushed basil
1 T dried crushed thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
2 tsp dried chopped onion
1/4 lemon, cut in 2 wedges
1/2 C white wine
2 tsp salt
olive oil
6 medium carrots, peeled, cut in 2-1/2" pieces
6 small potatoes, washed, cut in half

Wash the tenderloin and pat dry thoroughly. With a sharp pointed knife, cut slits in the meat at 1/2" intervals and force the garlic slivers into the slits. Mix the rosemary, fennel, oregano, basil, thyme, cayenne, and salt. Rub the tenderloin with olive oil, then with the herb mixture, patting and pressing the herbs into the meat.

Allow to rest at least 20 minutes.

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a heavy ovenproof pan or Dutch oven and brown the meat on all sides slowly. Remove from heat. Squeeze the lemon wedges into the pan and add the wine. Place the lemon wedges, potatoes and carrots in the pot and roast, partially covered, in a preheated 300º oven until the meat reaches 146º internal temperature, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the meat to a warmed platter and cover tightly with foil. Return the pan to the oven, raise the heat to 375º and roast the vegetables until tender, about another 20 minutes.

To serve, slice the meat and arrange it with the vegetables on a serving platter. Remove fat from the pan, deglaze with a few tablespoons of white wine or water, scraping loose any bits clinging to the pan. Pour the liquid from the pan over the meat and vegetables.

Note: the same technique can be used with a pork loin roast.

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 13 - 19

2010-12-12T08:00:00.007-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Balsamic Steak au Poivre, Steakside Mushrooms, Broccoli Gratin, rolls

Tuesday - Cajun Chicken Pasta, salad, bread

Wednesday - Sliders, Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday - Chicken Masala, naan

Friday - Gumbo

Saturday - Pizza Night!

Sunday - Chicken Cacciatore, bread

Pioneer Woman's Spicy Shredded Pork

2010-12-09T08:00:00.010-05:00

Another family favorite from Pioneer Woman. So far we're batting 1000. Even the picky girls get excited when the hear we're having one of Ree's recipes for dinner. This one is simple: rub a spicy paste over the pork and roast for several hours in the oven. We prefer things slow-cooked in the oven but I'm sure this recipe would be equally delicious in a crock pot. The kids preferred to eat their pork plain, with a fork. I rolled mine into a tortilla. Added a touch of chipotle salsa, shredded cheese and some homemade guacamole. Yum!

Spicy Shredded Pork
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

4 pounds (up To 7 Pounds) Pork Shoulder
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Salt
Pepper To Taste
3 cloves (to 4 Cloves) Garlic
1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons (to 3 Tablespoons) White Wine Vinegar
¼ cups Brown Sugar
1 whole Onion
Lime Wedges

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder.

To begin, just throw the dried oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt, black pepper, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and brown sugar into a food processor or blender. (I happen to love brown sugar in my cooking, but you can decrease or omit it if you like.)

Cut one onion into quarters and put it in the food processor with the spices. Blend mixture until totally combined and then pour it over the pork shoulder.

Now rub it into every nook and cranny of the meat, tucking it under folds an in crevices. Let no stone go unturned.

Then place the pork into a roasting pan or Dutch oven and add a couple of cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork at 300º for several hours, turning once every hour.

When it is fork tender, crank up the heat, remove the lid, and roast it, skin side up for another 15 to 20 minutes to get the skin crispy. When it’s done, let it rest for 15 minutes before shredding.

Shred the pork shoulder (two forks work well). When it’s all shredded be sure to pour the juices all over the meat.

Serve with warm tortillas, lime wedges, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole, tomatillo salsa … whatever makes your skirt fly up!

Soups

2010-12-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

Teresa's Toscana Soup

It's been in the single digits here with windchills reaching below zero. Weather like that makes me think I should pack up and move south ... and then after I realize that's not really feasible, it makes me think about making a big pot of soup! I've been bookmarking yummy-sounding soups like crazy. I can't wait until I get the chance to make Pioneer Woman's Sherried Tomato Soup and Proud Italian Cook's Ribolitta. And I just know my husband's going to love Kalyn's Sausage, Tomato and Macaroni Soup with Basil. But it look like this winter is going to be cold enough -- and long enough -- that I will have a chance to try these new recipes and still make all of our old favorites too!

Since the holiday season is upon us and everyone seems to be crazy busy, here are a few of my favorite soup recipes. Soup is the perfect food this season. It's warm and filling. It can be made ahead and re-heated in only a few minutes and in whatever quantity you need. And best of all, soup makes an inexpensive meal so you can save money for more holiday shopping and that you can easily stretch into a company-worthy meal. Add some wonderful artisan bread and a salad and dinner is served!

Teresa's Toscana is one of my favorites. Originally intended to be similar to the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden, it's evolved to include more potato and leafy, green kale as well as spicy Italian Sausage. Now it's a meal all by itself. In fact I have a big pot of it simmering away on the stove as I type!

Bean, Kale and Chorizo Soup

came about as a way to clean out the produce left in the fridge. It ended up being a delicious family favorite I've made again and again. Spanish Chorizo (the kind you can slice, not the Mexican type that is more like ground beef), chunky potatoes, kale and white beans simmered in a spicy chicken broth. Top with some Parm and a side of crusty, warm bread and you've got a perfect winter meal.

Buffalo Chicken Chili proves that food that's good for you can taste good too! Filled with lean chicken breast, black beans and whatever vegetables you have on hand this soup can pack a wallop depending on which wing sauce you use. If you aren't a fan of really spicy food, taste as you go! Top with blue cheese or ranch dressing if you prefer.

Simple White Bean Soup is perfect for lunch. Plenty of protein and fiber to keep you going through a long afternoon. Plus it's a breeze to throw together using pantry staples. And it looks good enough to serve for company or a bunch of neighborhood kids warming up at your house after an afternoon of sledding. Who knew white beans and canned tomatoes could be so tasty? Other than Jill over at Simple Daily Recipes, I mean.

Tomato and Chickpea Soup

is another great recipe from Jill over at Simple Daily Recipes. This one also uses pantry staples: chickpeas, rice, canned tomatoes. It's as delicious and filling as it is good for you! Head on over and check out more of Jill's delicious soups and stews.

Teresa's Tortilla Soup

was originally inspired by a Rachael Ray recipe. With four active kids, you know I love the concept of a 30 minute meal. I also love the idea of chipotle peppers. It's funny to think that I didn't know what they were a few short years ago. Now I keep a supply in the pantry and in the freezer and use them all the time. They add a wonderful smoky heat to this soup.Crispy bacon and fire-roasted tomatoes make this soup taste like it's been simmering all day.

Sponge's Mom's Chili is probably the oldest recipe that I still make on a regular basis. Back before the kids were born, I preferred take out to cleaning up so I rarely cooked. I found this recipe back in the early days of the internet when even AOL was new. It was originally called Sponge's Mom's Chili and has been the best chili recipe I've ever tried. My husband even said it was better than his Grandma's chili. Shh! Don't tell anyone!

Baked Fontina

2010-12-07T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ooey, gooey cheesy goodness. Perfect for a party or for a romantic evening around the fireplace. Or the way we had it, clustered around the oven, dipping out gobs of cheese while trying not to get burned!

Baked Fontina
Recipe from Made in Melissa's Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds Italian Fontina, cut into 1-inch dice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 Tbs minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 crusty French baguette

Preheat the broiler and adjust the oven rack to 5-6 inches from the heat source.

Scatter the Fontina cubes evenly in a 12-inch skillet or cast-iron pan. Drizzle with the olive oil.

Combine the garlic, thyme, and rosemary, and sprinkle evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper.

Place the pan under the broiler for 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and starting to brown.

Serve family-style: right out of the oven with crusty chunks of bread for dipping.

FFWD: Roast Chicken for Lazy People

2010-12-06T08:00:00.009-05:00

**Note** Oops! Here's another recipe that didn't post as scheduled. This is one of the November postings for French Fridays with Dorie. I know it's not November and I know it isn't Friday, but this recipe was too delicious to skip.

Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux was another winner from Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, Around My French Table. The November selection for French Fridays with Dorie was easy to prepare. A few moments of preparations before placing it in the oven and forgetting it for 90 minutes. Unfortunately for me, this recipe would have worked better if the "Lazy Person" had a maid. The "secret weapon" of this recipe is the supposedly delicious, crispy slices of baguette that absorbs the delicious chicken juices before crisping up in the oven. Mine didn't so much "crisp" as "cement" themselves to the bottom of the pan. It took two days of soaking and scrubbing to finally remove the last of it from my pan. Next time I'll try something a little different and hopefully save some clean-up time. The recipe for Roast Chicken for Les Paresseux can be found in Dorie Greenspan's Around my French Table.

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 6 - 12

2010-12-05T11:49:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Monday - Spicy Shredded Pork, Guacamole, Frijoles,

Tuesday - Burgers, Sweet Potato Oven Fries with Avocado dipping sauce,

Wednesday - Leek and Potato Soup, BLT's

Thursday - Tilapia Parmesan, asparagus something, Butternut Squash Risotto

Friday - Mediterranean-style Chicken Breasts, Feta and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Peppers,

Saturday - Chili, Cornbread

Sunday - Pan Fried Chicken Breasts with Oregano Garlic Butter, Pommes Dauphinois, Spiced Butter Glazed Carrots

FFWD: Pommes Dauphinois

2010-12-03T18:10:00.004-05:00

I made this delicious dish on time.

I even took pictures.

But I forgot to post it. Oops!

This Potato Gratin or Pommes Dauphinois if you prefer, was selected for French Fridays with Dorie during the month of November. Imagine a savory mix of tender potatoes and luscious cream topped with brown and bubbling cheese. And in this case, a delicious layer of baby spinach sauteed with garlic. Even the picky girls cleaned their plates and asked for seconds. This amazing recipe can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table .

French Fridays with Dorie is a group of bloggers who are cooking their way through Dorie Greenspan's new book Around My French Table. After reading Julie and Julia I became intrigued with French cooking. But despite my earnest attempts, I'm just not a Julia fan. Dorie's book provided the perfect alternative. The book is beautiful. The recipes intriguing as well as accessible. As a mom with four kids, my time is at a premium. I have no interest in long, complicated and involved recipes or those that require a shopping safari to find rare and exotic ingredients. Around My French Table definitely fits the bill perfectly. Every recipe has been so delicious that even my decidedly non-Francophile husband is coming around!

Southwestern Steak

2010-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

Quick. Easy. And only 267 calories per serving. Oh, and everyone loved it. Does it get much better than this?

Southwestern Steak and Pinto Beans
Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine

1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup bottled chunky salsa, divided
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients. Remove 1 teaspoon cumin mixture, and set aside. Sprinkle remaining cumin mixture evenly over steak. Lightly coat steak with cooking spray. Place steak in grill pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from pan; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into thin slices.

While steak cooks, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add reserved cumin mixture, 1/4 cup salsa, and beans; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring constantly.

Place 1/2 cup bean mixture on each of 4 plates; divide beef evenly over bean mixture. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon salsa and 1 tablespoon cilantro.

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

2010-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

I think I could eat these Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches everyday. I've made them several times now and each time I like them better than the time before. I've made them using zucchini instead of eggplant. I've made them with jarred pasta sauce instead of the Tomato Tarragon Sauce. Delicious. Delicious. Delicious. These were particularly wonderful because I made them with leftover breaded eggplant slices I'd made earlier when I was putting together a delicious Eggplant Parmesan. I threw the extra eggplant into a ziploc bag and froze them. Now when the craving strikes, I can have warm, gooey Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches in a matter of minutes and with no mess to clean up!

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

Recipe from What Did You Eat?

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fresh or canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 28-ounce can)
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1- 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggplants, peeled and cut to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices in all
4 eggs, beaten to mix
Cooking oil, for frying
1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, cut into 8 rounds

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs and then in the bread-crumb mixture, coating well. In a large frying pan, heat about half an inch of cooking oil over moderate heat until very hot. Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, in batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put a slice of goat cheese on top of each and then top with the remaining eggplant slices. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the eggplant

Curried Chicken and Rice Burritos

2010-11-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

I may have to make a special trip back into town to pick up a can of coconut milk. I've been thinking about this dish (aka obsessing over) since the first time I made it. I started making it last night and realized I was out of coconut milk. I switched over to a more traditional southwestern flavor. They were delicious but I'm still craving that Indian flavor. Can you have burritos two nights in a row?

Curried Chicken and Rice Burritos

Recipe courtesy of the Associated Press

2 1/4-pound rotisserie chicken

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces paneer (a firm Indian-style cheese), diced

1 medium red onion, diced

2 cups cooked basmati rice

8 large (burrito size) flour tortillas

Mango salsa or mango chutney, to serve

Heat the oven to 400 F. Spritz a large baking dish with cooking spray.

Remove the meat from the chicken, discarding the bones and skin. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, paneer and onion, tossing to coat. Mix in the rice.

Microwave the tortillas for about 10 seconds to make them more pliable.

One at a time, place each tortilla flat on the counter. Spoon about 3/4 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla. Fold both ends in, then roll up.

Place each burrito, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish. When all of the burritos are assembled, spritz the tops with cooking spray.

Bake the burritos for 15 to 20 minutes, or until heated through. Serve with either mango salsa or mango chutney.

What We're Eating for Dinner: November 28 - December 4

2010-11-28T08:00:00.008-05:00

'Tis the season and all, so this week I'll be cooking from my pantry in order to save money for all those Christmas present. It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - ~~Chili, corn bread,~~ Gumbo

Monday - ~~Jambalaya or Gumbo,~~ Szechuan Beef Pasta, Eggrolls,

Tuesday - Max and Erma's Copycat Potato Soup, Guacamole Turkey Wraps

Wednesday - Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake,

Thursday - Breakfast for Dinner! Spanish-style Breakfast Casserole,

Friday - Crescent Roll Burritos, Tortilla Soup

Saturday - Pizza Night!

Zesty Penne with Sausage and Peppers

2010-11-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

Zesty Penne with Sausage and Peppers has become our family favorite, go-to recipe lately. It's got a little zip since we use our favorite hot sausage. It's creamy thanks to the cream cheese. And best of all, it's quick and easy to make. And since it's something that everyone in the family likes, I always have the ingredients on hand to whip up a satisfying dinner in no time at all!

I did make a few changes to this recipe. I leave out the green peppers because we don't care for them. I use red peppers instead. I also usually don't add any milk because forgot to the first time I made it and we all liked it that way. As any mom of four will tell you, when you find something that all six people in the family will eat, you don't change a thing!

Zesty Penne with Sausage and Peppers is my contribution to The Weekend Blog Showcase. The original recipe came from a great blog, The Fairhope Foodie. Unfortunately Alaina is taking a blog hiatus at the moment but all over her amazing recipes are still available. Her recipe for Chicken Tortilla Skillet is definitely on my To Do list. Hopefully she'll be back to blogging soon but meanwhile, stop by and check out her blog.

This week's Weekend Blog Showcase is hosted by Lori at All That Splatters. Stop by and check out everyone's contribution. I've already changed my menu plan to include Cathy's Ribollita with Parmesan Toasts because it just looks too good to wait!

Zesty Penne with Sausage and Peppers
Recipe from The Fairhope Foodie

1 box Penne Noodles (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
8 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced-fat)
1/4 cup milk (add more as needed for desired consistency)

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Break up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Drain off excess fat. Return to skillet and add peppers. Cook 5-10 minutes or until softened. Stir in spaghetti sauce and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese, cook another 5 minutes or until melted, stirring frequently.

Drain pasta and return to pot. Add sausage mixture, mixing thoroughly. Add enough milk to thin out the consistency (I didn't measure, so I'm not sure how much I added. I'm guessing between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. It will resemble an alfredo sauce). Top with Parmesan. Serve with a small salad.

What We're Eating for Dinner: November 21 -27

2010-11-21T10:57:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Tuscan Roast Pork Tenderloin, Green Bean Casserole, Butternut Squash Risotto

Monday - Beef and Bean Enchiladas, Mexican Rice

Tuesday - Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Pasta, salad, bread

Wednesday - Mongolian Beef, Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup

Thursday - Thanksgiving!

Friday - Pizza Night!

Saturday - Meatball Sliders, French fries

Fried Mozzarella Bites with Homemade Tomato Sauce

2010-11-21T08:00:00.001-05:00

As luck would have it, I noticed a container of fresh mozzarella balls marked down while I was at the grocery store the other day. I didn't really need them but since our stores rarely carry fresh mozz, I had to buy it. A quick Google and Sharon's recipe for Fried mozzarella Bites with Homemade Tomato Sauce was the perfect solution. Crispy on the outside. Warm and gooey on the inside. Mmmmmm.

Fried Mozzarella Bites with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Recipe from Culinary Adventures of a New Wife

1 8 oz container of mozzarella balls

1/4 cup of milk
1 cup of plain flour
2 cups of panko
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
salt and pepper
canola oil for frying
(you'll end up with a lot of excess flour, breading, etc. Halve the breading if you prefer, but having the excess makes dunking easier! Or, you can double the amount of cheese)

1. Drain the cheese and dry on paper towels. Prepare your breading station by having 3 bowls ready. Put flour in one, season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix the eggs with the milk and pour into the second bowl. Add the breadcrumbs with the dried oregano and garlic salt to the last bowl and mix well.

2. Dip each piece of cheese in the flour, then in the egg mixture and lastly in the breadcrumbs, shaking off excess after each step. Repeat the breading process again and place cheese balls on a flat plate.

3. Heat about oil up to minimum line in Fry Daddy or in a medium sauce pan to 350 degrees. Carefully lower cheese balls, a few of a time and cook until they are golden, about a minute or so. Remove and drain in paper towels. Repeat with the remaining cheese making sure oil comes up to temperature before adding more cheese.

Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes (try Muir Glen)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil over medium-heat and add the onions. cook until translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for a minute more and add the diced tomatoes.

2. Fill half of the tomato can with water and add to the pot. Add spices and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, until sauce is thickened (this process took awhile for me. I let simmer until very thick b/c I like thick sauce). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

What We're Eating for Dinner: October 24 - 30

2010-10-24T16:30:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmesan, Salad, Bread

Monday - Southwestern Steak and Pinto Beans, cornbread

Tuesday - Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Penne, Bread

Wednesday - Minestrone with Spicy Sausage, Crusty bread, salad

Thursday - Date Night! Out to dinner!

Friday - Rustic Roasted Chicken, Butternut Squash Gratin, Spinach Salad, Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Saturday - Halloween Party! Pizza for dinner!

What We're Eating for Dinner: October 3 - 9

2010-10-02T11:05:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Creamy Portobella Pot Roast, rolls

Monday - Chicken Burgers, Yakitori Noodle Bowl, carrots and ranch dip

Tuesday - Calzone Rolls, Salad with Pan-Roasted Garlic Dressing,

Wednesday - Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Stew, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Salad

Thursday - Chicken Ragu, bread, salad

Friday - Fall Break! Shredded Tex-Mex Crock Pot Chicken, Tortillas, Frijoles Teresa's Way

Saturday - Black Bean and Beer Chili, crusty bread

Sunday - Easy Blender Chicken Pie,

What We're Eating for Dinner: September 26 - October 2

2010-09-26T14:12:00.000-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - PW's Meatloaf, Spinach and Rice Casserole, Baked Potato

Monday - Final Tennis Match for the season! Picnic! Carrots and Celery sticks in a jar with Ranch Dressing, Muffuletta Sandwiches, Chocolate Chip Cookies

Tuesday - Tennis Fundraiser! Pizza Party!

Wednesday - Final Cross Country Meet of the Year! Shredded Tex-Mex Crock Pot Chicken, Tortillas, Frijoles Teresa's Way

Thursday - Italian Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Lentil Stew, Crusty bread, Salad

Friday - Date Night! Mom's not cooking! The Kid's are eating leftovers!

Saturday - Gumbo Ya Ya, Salad, Garlic Bread

Sunday - Creamy Portobella Pot Roast, rolls

What We're Eating for Dinner: August 15 - 21

2010-08-16T20:55:00.006-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday - Gnocchi and Tomato-Cream Sauce, bread

Monday - Back-to-School Craziness begins! Out for Pizza!

Tuesday - Tacos, salad

Wednesday - Chicken Cajun Pasta, Salad, Crusty Bread

Thursday - Breakfast for Dinner! Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs and Bacon

Friday - Soup and Sandwiches!

Saturday -Steakhouse Grilled Sirloin, Baked Potato, Spinach with Garlic Chips

What We're Eating for Dinner: August 1 - 8

2010-08-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I'm baaaack! The kitchen still isn't finished but I think it's about time I get back to cooking again. :-)

And this time I really mean it!

Sunday - Grilled Strip Steaks, Roasted Red Potatoes, Apple Pie

Monday - Kate's OMG Chicken Fingers with Spicy Avocado Sauce, Asparagus with Cheese Sauce

Tuesday - Pork Carnitas, Mexican Rice, Black Beans

Wednesday - Tilapia Parmesan, fresh Green Beans, brown rice

Thursday - Chicken Burgers, Yakitori Noodle Bowl, carrots and ranch dip

Friday - General Tsao's Chicken, Fried Rice. Egg Drop Soup

Saturday - Italian Sausage Sandwiches with onions and peppers, Baked Macaroni and Cheese

What We're Eating for Dinner: June 25 - July 4

2010-06-25T10:05:00.000-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I'm baaaack! The kitchen still isn't finished but I think it's about time I get back to cooking again. :-)

Friday - Tequila Chicken With All The Fixin's, corn on the cob, refried black beans, tortillas

Saturday - Dinner Party! Fresh Raspberry Lemonade, Caramelized Onion Tart,

Sunday - Deep Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza, salad

Monday - Three Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake, salad

Tuesday - Chicken Burgers, Yakitori Noodle Bowl, carrots and ranch dip

Wednesday - Zesty Penne with Sausage and Peppers, Garlic Bread, salad

Thursday - Spicy Chicken with Baja Beans and Rice,

Friday - No cooking for me! I'm going to see Eric Clapton! Woohoo!

Saturday - Fourth of July Cookout with the Family! Burgers and Dogs

Sunday - Happy Independence Day! Steaks on the grill, corn on the cob,

What We're Eating for Dinner: April 5 - 11

2010-04-07T14:08:00.001-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

It's Spring Break. The weather is gorgeous. The kitchen is still torn apart. But here's (theoretically) what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Burgers and Fries

Tuesday - Cajun Chicken Pasta, Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Tilapia Parmesan, Asparagus, brown rice

Thursday - Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza, salad

Friday - Chicken Parmigiana, Bread, salad

Saturday - Steak and Pepperjack Taquitos,

Sunday - Working on the kitchen! Order a pizza!

What We're Eating for Dinner: March 28 - April 3

2010-03-28T08:00:00.007-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's (theoretically) what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - ~~Pepper Jack Steak Sandwich, Sweet Potato Fries~~ Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin Chops, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Corn on the Cob

Monday - Tex-Mex Meat Pie, Salad

Tuesday - Garlic Ginger Chicken, Fried Rice, Spicy Tofu Bento Bowls, Cream Cheese Scallion Bites

Wednesday - Gnocchi with Justin's Amazing Tomato Cream Sauce, Salad, Bread

Thursday - Basketball Game! Gumbo, Salad, Bread

Friday - Greek Chicken with Everything Orzo,

Saturday - White Castle Sliders, Onion Rings

What We're Eating for Dinner: March 22 - 27

2010-03-24T08:00:00.003-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Another crazy week where I wasn't able to cook much. Ever the optimist, I'm trying again. Demolition starts on the kitchen tomorrow. What are the odds I'll be cooking this week and not ordering pizza?

Here's (theoretically) what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms, bread

Tuesday - Creamy Portabella Pot Roast, biscuits

Wednesday - Spicy Hot Pot with Noodles, Scallion Cream Cheese Bites

Thursday - Sausage, Pepper and Onion Stromboli, salad

Friday - Bacon-Wrapped Pork Loin Chops, Balsamic and Dijon Sauce, Rosemary Roasted Potatoes, Baked Spinach with Cheese

Saturday - Pizza Night!

It's been a long week: Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices

2010-03-19T07:37:00.011-04:00

Between the kitchen remodel project and my still being sick, there hasn't been much cooking going on. Hopefully things will be looking up soon because I'm getting sick and tired of feeling sick and tired! For some reason, feeling sick might stop me from cooking but it doesn't stop me from thinking about cooking. If I could cook right now, I'd fix my favorite Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices and served with Mango Chutney. Yum! I originally found this recipe over at SpiceLines awhile back and make it over and over and over again whenever I have green tomatoes.The garam masala brings a little warm heat to the tart tomatoes and the sweet-tart flavor of the mango chutney is the perfect complement.

These Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices will be my contribution to the Saturday Blog Showcase co-hosted by All That Splatters and Thibeault's Table. Head on over to Thibeault's Table to see what everyone else made this week!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices
Recipe from SpiceLines

4 medium to large green, unripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon (or more) garam masala, to taste
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter or canola oil (enough to fill the frying pan ¼ inch deep)
Chutney of your choice

Core the tomatoes and cut a very thin slice off the top and bottom. Cut each tomato into 3 horizontal slices, about ½-inch thick. Season the tomatoes lavishly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be liberal with the salt—the tomatoes need a good sprinkle to bring out their flavor.

Set up an assembly line of three medium-sized bowls. In the first bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon or more garam masala. The mixture should be quite fragrant. In the second bowl, briskly beat the egg and milk until frothy. In the third, put the breadcrumbs.

Prepare the tomatoes: Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next, dip the tomato in the egg and milk, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Be sure that the tomatoes are well coated with bread crumbs. Set aside.

In a heavy 12-inch cast iron frying pan, heat the ghee, clarified butter or oil over medium heat. When it is very hot, put four tomato slices in the pan. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the crust turns crisp and golden brown. If the ghee starts to smoke, lower the heat slightly. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will be mushy. Drain on a stack of paper towels. Proceed with the rest of the tomatoes.

Serve at once, with a generous dollop of sweet-tart mango chutney.

What We're Eating for Dinner: March 14 - 20

2010-03-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Another crazy week where I wasn't able to cook much. Ever the optimist, I'm trying again. Demolition starts on the kitchen tomorrow. What are the odds I'll be cooking this week and not ordering pizza?

Here's (theoretically) what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Drip Beef, Mac and Cheese

Monday - Creamy Portabella Pot Roast, salad, bread

Tuesday - Jalapeno, Scallion and Avocado Corn Bread, Chili

Wednesday - Cajun Chicken Pasta, salad, bread

Thursday - Wrestling Meet and 2 Basketball Games! Concession stand here we come!!!!

Friday - Spicy Hot Pot with Noodles,

Saturday - Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter, Baked Potato, Salad

Craving Goat Cheese: Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

2010-03-13T18:02:00.004-05:00

Apparently I'm craving goat cheese. I sat down to pick out some recipes for dinner this evening. It's my oldest son's first day home from college for Spring Break so I thought I'd do something a little special. I looked over my recipes and saw that three of the four included goat cheese. Great by me but oldest son doesn't really like goat cheese!

I've been thinking about these Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce a lot lately. I've made them several times so far and each time I think I like them even more! I made these with zucchini instead and they were equally as delicious and cute because they were so tiny. Perfect as an appetizer.

These yummy little bites of warm, gooey goodness from What Did You Eat? are my contribution to Saturday Blog Show case this week

The Saturday Blog Showcase is being hosted by Thibeault's Table this week. Head on over to check out what everyone else made. Be warned though, you might want to avoid it if you're on a diet. I think I gained 5 pounds just drooling over the pictures of the Hot Fudge Sauce that Anne contributed this week!

Eggplant and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce
Recipe from What Did You Eat?

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cups fresh or canned crushed tomatoes in thick puree (one 28-ounce can)
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1- 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggplants, peeled and cut to make sixteen 1/2-inch-thick slices in all
4 eggs, beaten to mix
Cooking oil, for frying
1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, cut into 8 rounds

In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tarragon, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the sugar and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the eggs and then in the bread-crumb mixture, coating well. In a large frying pan, heat about half an inch of cooking oil over moderate heat until very hot. Fry the eggplant in the hot oil, in batches, turning once, until golden and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
Arrange half of the eggplant slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Put a slice of goat cheese on top of each and then top with the remaining eggplant slices. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10 minutes. Put the sauce on plates and top with the eggplant.

Bean, Kale, and Chorizo Soup

2010-03-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

I was supposed to go out of town last weekend. My plan called for hubby to take care of Sunday night dinner. When plans changed at the last minute, I decided to throw something together rather than order that pizza. I'd picked up some Spanish Chorizo earlier in the week simply because it's something that my regular grocery store doesn't carry. I didn't really have any specific plans for it so I thought I'd experiment. I sliced it up and browned it in a little olive oil. I threw it in a soup pot with some chicken stock and the remnants of the vegetable crisper: kale, carrots, half an onion. I tossed in some chunks of potato and a can of white beans. Salt, pepper and dash of red pepper flakes simmered until the veggies were soft and dinner was served. It was so good hubby and I fought over the leftovers for lunch the next day. I will definitely be making this again soon.

Chorizo, Kale and White Bean Soup

1 can Navy beans
8 cups chicken broth
1 handful baby carrots, sliced thin
1/2 large onion
1 large potato, diced
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 pound chorizo, cut into discs
1 tablespoon or so of vinegar
red pepper flakes
salt
Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Brown chorizo in a small skillet.

Add chorizo and all aother ingredients except kale to stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until vegetables are soft. Add kale. When kale is done, soup is ready.

Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms

2010-03-09T08:41:00.003-05:00

Need a good recipe? Head over to The Pioneer Woman's blog. Every single recipe I've tried from Ree's blog or her cookbook has been wonderful. I'm not one to buy cookbooks anymore. I have more recipes bookmarked on my computer than I could ever make in my lifetime. But when I saw that The Pioneer Woman had a cookbook, I ran right out to Books-a-Million and picked it up. For full price. (If you know me, that's a big deal. I never pay full price for anything!) It was sooo worth it. Beautiful pictures. Step-by-step instructions. Delicious food. What more do you want?

This recipe for Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms was easy to throw together. In fact, it uses ingredients I keep on hand all the time. I didn't have a chance to stop at the store to pick up ingredients for my planned meal so I fixed this instead. Pasta in a creamy sauce with mushrooms (I used Baby Bellas) and bacon. Bacon makes everything taste better! Even the picky girls liked it. This is definitely my new go-to recipes.

I found this recipe through Joy in Cooking. Lisa tweaked the recipe a bit by adding some chicken cubes and spinach. (Love that idea!) I was feeding the picky girls so I didn't add the spinach (but I definitely will next time. Just didn't want tit to look to scary the first time. LOL!) I did add the chicken and it added a little heft to the meal. The girls got a little extra protein and dh was satisfied as well. Win-win.

Pasta with Mushrooms and Bacon
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 slices Thin Bacon, Cut Into 1/2-inch Pieces
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 package (10 Ounce) White Button Mushrooms, Sliced Thin
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth (OR Dry White Wine)
1 cup Half-and-half
¼ cups Heavy Whipping Cream
3 whole Green Onions, White And Light Green Parts Sliced
¼ cups Flat-leaf Parsley, Minced
½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
1 pound Thin Spaghetti Or Angel Hair Pasta
Extra Parmesan, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bacon pieces and cook until light brown but not crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. Do not clean pan.
Add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Toss/stir around and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; increase heat to high if needed to help mushrooms begin to turn golden brown.
Pour in chicken broth. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits. Cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.
Reduce heat and pour in half and half and cream. Stir and allow to bubble and thicken for a couple of minutes. Add sliced green onions and parsley, then cook for one more minute. Finally, add Parmesan and stir, allowing cheese to melt and incorporate into the sauce. Turn off heat.
Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add half the sauce from the pan. Toss with tongs. ***Add 1/2 cup hot pasta water at this point if the pasta mixture is too thick and gunky. Toss and add more water until it reaches the consistency you need.***
Serve pasta in individual bowls, topping each helping with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with extra parsley and extra Parmesan.
Enjoy!

Creamy Onion Soup

2010-03-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been making a lot of soup lately. Partly because it's been a particularly cold and dreary winter around here, but also because it's so easy to make a lot of soup and keep it in the fridge so that whenever our schedules get to hectic, we can still have a hot, homemade meal that doesn't take a whole lot of time.

When I saw this recipe for Creamy Onion Soup over at elly says opa! I figured we'd like it. The creamy onion Walkabout Soup is my favorite thing to order whenever we go to The Outback to eat. :-)

Creamy Onion Soup
Recipe courtesy of elly says opa!

2 Tbsp. butter
1.5 – 2 lbs. yellow or vidalia onions, cut in half and then into slices
1 qt. beef broth/stock
salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper
1.25 cups half and half or cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or cheese of your preference)

Heat the butter in a dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions, coating with the butter and cook until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the beef broth, salt to taste and a good amount of black pepper (I used around a teaspoon). Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer gently for 30 minutes.
Add the half and half and cheese until heated through and the cheese melts. Re-season to taste, if necessary.

What We're Eating for Dinner: March 7 - 13

2010-03-07T08:00:00.005-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

I have to say that last week is a first. It's the first time that I didn't make a single thing that was on my menu! Things were crazy this week and most meals were eaten late and needed to be quick so that the girls could get to bed. Hopefully this week will go more smoothly.

Here's (theoretically) what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Mom's out of town! Dad's cooking!

Monday -Basketball game! Ooops! No time to go to the store! Pasta with Bacon and Mushrooms instead.

~~Spaghetti with Four Cheeses~~, breadsticks, salad,

Tuesday -Stromboli, Salad

Wednesday - Tilapia Parmesan, ~~Spinach Parmesan,~~ Honey Glazed Carrots, rolls, Creamed Spinach with Bacon

Thursday - Spicy Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup, Salad, Bread

Friday - Pan Seared Polenta with Chicken and Tomato Sauce, salad, bread

Saturday - Skirt Steak with Paprika Butter, Baked Potatoes, Hot Granny Sauce, Creamed Spinach

Ten in 2010: Week Eight and Some Almost Famous Broccoli Soup

2010-03-06T08:00:00.004-05:00

This week was another crazy one around here. What's new? One basketball season is finishing up and another is beginning. We have basketball tournaments and wrestling meets as well as Math Club and 4-H. You'd think I'd be used to it by now but somehow it never seems to work that way.

This is week eight of Ten in 2010. I'd been hoping all these healthy new habits would be set by now. Seems like it's been two steps forward and one step back most weeks. But even then, I'm in a much better place than I was before. I may not be drinking as much water as I'd like, but it is more than before. I am exercising. I am eating more vegetables and though it hasn't seemed like it, we are eating out less than we used to.

Running went fairly well this week. I ran five miles on Sunday. Yippee! Slowly but surely I'm getting there and with all this glorious sunshine, anything seems possible! For me running on a treadmill is like torture so I'm happy to finally be back to running outdoors. We'll se how my 7 miler goes today!

I did make a few yummy things this week but there didn't seem to be enough time to get them posted. Hopefully that will get a bit better. Time is really going to be at a premium starting this week. In addition to all of the kid's activities, I'm beginning a big re-decorating project around here this week. Starting with the hallway on Monday, I'll be working my way through the entire house painting, removing old wallpaper and paneling, learning how to tile and maybe even how to install some new lighting in my kitchen! The challenge will come after we finish the hallway. I'll be heading into the kitchen. I'm planning to remove the hideous paneling and take out the outdated soffits. I'm installing some new lighting and putting in some new flooring. I'm not sure how long that's going to take but I can imagine that preparing meals will become more interesting. My goal is to limit eating out to maybe one pizza night during the project. We'll have to see how that works out. It should be interesting becaue this is our month to host the monthly dinner party!

Broccoli Soup is one of my favorites. It's what I always pick when we eat at Panera Bread. A few months ago Food Network Magazine published a recipe for Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup. It took me awhile to get around to making it, but it was definitely worth the wait! Even

Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

4 7-inch sourdough bread boules (round loaves)

4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)

1 large carrot, diced

2 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated sharp white and yellow cheddar cheese, plus more for garnish

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.

Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth; you'll still have flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot. (Or puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender.)

Add the cheese to the soup and whisk over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Ladle into the bread bowls and garnish with cheese.

Blueberry Squares

2010-03-03T08:00:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah. These are good. Not just good. Really good.

I saw these Saturday over at All That Splatters. They were Lori's contribution to the Saturday Blog Showcase. I knew I needed to make these and that I needed to make them right away!

So I did. :-)

Just in time for our friends Cathy and Dave to come by. They were still warm and sooo delicious. And more important, they were super easy to make. Even me who usually hates baking didn't mind making them and in fact, can't wait to make them again.

The only downside was that they didn't last nearly long enough.

Blueberry Squares (Fruit Squares)
Recipe from Fork-Knife-Spoon

1-1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon almond extract
1-1/2 cup flour
2 cup fresh blueberries or cranberries or other berries
1/2 cup chopped, toasted cashew nuts (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the 9x13 pan you are using.

In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until creamy and smooth. Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract. Add flour and fold until incorporated. Fold in blueberries and nuts (if using) carefully so as not to break the fruit and color the whole batter purple.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until tester inserted into center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack to cool completely (takes about an hour really!). Cut squares and serve.

Head on over to Thibeault's Table to see what everyone else made this week!

Rustic Pizza Bianca

2010-03-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was starving during the USA-Canada hockey game the other day and as I was rying to think of something quick and easy that didn't involve me missing much of the game, I saw this recipe for Pizza Bianca over at The Lime in the Coconut. Using a store-bought naan bread (one of the few things that makes shopping at Walmart bearable these days!) I was able to throw this pizza together and get back to the game without missing any of the action. And before the overtime started I was enjoying hot, cheesy pizza and I didn't even have to tip anybody! :-)

Rustic Pizza Bianca
Recipe courtesy of Lime in the Coconut

1 large garlic clove (I used 3)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I might have used 2 tbsp)
1 lb store-bought pizza dough or make your own
1/2 lb cold fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp rosemary leaves (I used 2-3 tbsp)

Put a large heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of oven then preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and then stir together with the oil. Roll out dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly prick the dough all over with a fork. Stir garlic mixture and brush evenly over dough. Slide dough from parchment onto hot baking sheet. Bake until the top is puffed and pale golden in patches, 6 to 10 minutes. Prick any large bubbles with a form and flatten. Meanwhile, thinly slice mozzarella and pat dry. Remove crust from oven and arrange the mozzarella on it in 1 layer. Sprinkle the rosemary on the top. Bake until the edge of crust is deep golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with crushed red pepper and grated Parmesan if desired.

Egg Foo Yong

2010-03-01T08:00:00.002-05:00

So good I dreamed about it! This is one I made awhile back and forgot about. Not sure how I let that happen because I loved it. Hubby loved it. Even picky daughter loved it. All that plus the fact that I keep every single ingredient on hand all the time so it's the perfect pantry meal. Fortunately last night I had a dream. And in that dream I was whipping up these delicious Asian-inspired Egg Foo Yong omelets for Sunday morning breakfast. Of course once I woke up, nothing else was going to satisfy my hunger so I did indeed mix up a batch of these delicious eggy treats.On the negative side, apparently my camera skills have not improved much. The new pictures were ... not appetizing to put it nicely. (See below.) Here's a shot from the first go round. This time I had them on hamburger buns with fresh tomato and a dollop of mayo. Heavenly!

Doesn't look all that appetizing but it is delicious! On a sandwich or

splashed with soy sauce and eaten with a fork. Heaven on a plate!

Egg Foo Yong
Recipe courtesy of Diva: Flava.style

8 large eggs
4 tablespoons canola oil2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, minced
4 large scallions (green onions), chopped, about 1 cup
1 medium sweet onion, chopped, about 1 cup
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 large red jalapenos, chopped, about 1 cup -OR-
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons soy sauce, reduced sodium
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
1 8 oz-can water chestnuts, chopped

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat and sauté scallions, onions, mushrooms, peppers, bean sprouts, ginger and water chestnuts until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Do not allow garlic to burn, it will become bitter. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with soy sauce and black pepper, add vegetable mixture and stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to non-stick pan over medium heat, ladle 1/6 of egg mixture into pancake-like shape, cook until golden brown, approx. 2 minutes on each side. Continue making 5 more patties, one at a time, with remaining mixture.

Serve on bread or bun of your choice, with whatever you prefer.

What We're Eating for Dinner: February 28 - March 6

2010-02-28T08:00:00.017-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Pan Seared Polenta with Chicken and Tomato Sauce, salad, bread

Monday - Tilapia Parmesan, Spinach Parmesan, Honey Glazed Carrots, rolls

Tuesday - Basketball Game! Asian-style Chicken Wraps, Veggie Fried Rice, Egg Drop Soup

Wednesday - Braxton's Birthday Dinner! Cube Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Kidney Beans

Thursday - Basketball Game! Wrestling Meet! Eat on the road!

Friday - Chicken Parmesan Burgers, salad

Saturday - Homemade Stuffed Crust Whole Wheat Pizza, Salad, Homemade Peach Ice Cream

Ten in 2010: Week Seven and the Best Recipe Ever!

2010-02-27T08:00:00.016-05:00

Time for another Ten in 2010 update: I just can't seem to juggle things these days and keep all the balls in the air. This week I ran five times, on target with my half marathon training plan. I even worked with the weights twice. I drank lots of water. I went to bed early (okay, early-ish). But cooking and blogging. Definitely dropped the ball. In my defense we were super busy this week. The kids had three basketball games and two out-of-town wrestling meets in addition to the regular practices, Media Club and 4-H meetings. Time was definitely a factor. We ended up eating out a lot more than I'd have liked. Pizza Hut twice and Burger King once. The seasons are thankfully winding down and we won't be so slammed next week. My goal? No eating out. Actually cooking and blogging about it. We'll see how that goes! ;-) Stop by Recipe Girl's blog to see how everyone else is doing!

This week I did find the best recipe I think I've made in recent memory. Drip Beef. It's so good that I think I could make it every week (or more often!) and no one would complain. In fact, they've already been requesting it.

The Pioneer Woman is my hero. I love her blog. I love her photographs ... and now I also love her cookbook! I made her drip beef the other day thinking that that dinner would be ready when we got home from the game. Dinner was ready. And it was delicious! Hubby is still raving about it and he had to eat it like three days in a row. The nephew gave it a thumbs up too. Definitely a recipe that we'll be making over and over. Simple ingredients. Quick prep. Amazing taste. And my contribution the the Saturday Blog Showcase hosted by Thibault's Table and All That Splatters. To see what everyone else made, head over to All That Splatters. And while you're there be sure to check out Lori's beautiful Blueberry Squares. They look amazing. (Check back soon and I'll let you know how they taste. I'm getting ready to make them right now!)

Basic Drip Beef
Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

1 whole 2.5 To 4 Pound Chuck Roast
¼ cups Butter
1 whole Large Onion, Sliced Thick
3 cloves Garlic, Peeled
½ cups Soy Sauce
1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry Is Fine)
½ teaspoons Salt
4 cups Water
Toasted, Buttered Deli Rolls
OPTIONAL: Rosemary, Thyme, Other Spices

Heat butter in a heavy pot over medium-high heat. Saute the onions for a couple of minutes, or until starting to get brown.

Set chuck roast on top of the onions. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover pot and simmer (very low heat) on the stove for 6 hours, or until beef is fork-tender and falling apart. **If meat is not yet tender, return to oven for 30 minute intervals till it’s tender!** Shred meat with two forks until all large chunks are gone. Serve immediately or continue to simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

*Mixture can be refrigerated overnight. Remove hardened fat from top of pan before reheating.
Serve on top of toasted, buttered deli rolls. Top with cheese and place under the broiler if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Chili

2010-02-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's another cold, wintry day here in the Midwest. With one exception. The sun is actually shining! Despite having one home sick from school and a to-do list about a mile long, the glorious sunshine motivated me to make something a little more special for lunch today. Originally intended to use up some leftover ingredients I had on hand, this soup turned out to be a delightful surprise. The Buffalo Sauce added the perfect amount of zing and the veggies and beans make you feel virtuous when you have that second bowl!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

1-2 cups already cooked chicken, diced

1medium onion, diced

1/2 cup celery, chopped

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

2 teaspoons chili powder

salt
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce, to taste

Add onions and celery to pan and saute until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except buffalo wing sauce. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in buffalo wing sauce. Top with a dollop of Ranch dressing if desired.

Quick Macaroni and Cheese

2010-02-25T08:00:00.009-05:00

Here's a great Quick Macaroni and Cheese recipe for those times when you are in a hurry, yet not desperate enough to go for the blue box. Elise over at Simply Recipes never seems to disappoint and even though my husband was a little concerned about adding lemon juice to the dish, in the end he thought it was delicious.

Quick Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe courtesy of Simply Recipes

2 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 lb cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups, packed)
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 cup ham, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
Freshly grated black pepper

In a medium sized bowl, mix corn starch into the grated cheese, so that the cheese is coated, set aside. This will help the cheese from getting too stringy.

Bring 2 quarts of water with the teaspoon of salt to a boil in thick-bottomed saucepan. Add the elbow macaroni and follow the cooking time instructions on the package, minus about 2 minutes. (If your macaroni doesn't come with instructions, start checking at 7 minutes). Cook until al dente - cooked through, but still slightly firm. Drain the water from the cooking pan (if you use a colander, return the macaroni to the pan). Lower the heat to low/warm.

Add the butter. Stir in to coat the macaroni. When the butter is about half melted, you can stir in the cheese. Add the milk. Add lemon juice. Stir in until all the butter and cheese is just melted and blended well with the milk. Do not over-stir. Add the chopped ham and a few twists of freshly grated black pepper.

Serve immediately. Serves 3-4 adults or 4-6 kids.

Serendipity: Banana Bread Pudding

2010-02-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

After being sick all week (and not visiting the grocery store), my family was invited to an impromptu birthday party for a friend. After a moment of panic, wondering what I could possibly make, I discover a brilliant recipe for Banana Bread Pudding over at Kitchen Scoop. Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross, authors of Desperation Dinners, are experts at creating easy-to-make recipes that taste amazing. And as luck would have it, I'd purchased some bananas and a bag of Hawaiian Sweet Bread before getting ill that for some reason had been overlooked by all the starving children while I was too sick to cook. The Banana Bread Pudding went together quickly. It tasted great too. I can only imagine how good it would have tasted with the caramel sauce. It'll have to wait until next time because I was in a hurry and walked out without the sauce. ::sigh:: In my haste I walked out without the camera too so I don't have a picture of the Banana Bread Pudding either. Here's a picture of Hank, the German Wire-Haired Pointer instead.

Banana Bread Pudding
Recipe courtesy of Kitchen Scoop

6 cups soft bread cubes, from French bread or white sandwich bread, loosely packed
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk*
5 egg yolks*
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Rich Caramel Sauce, optional for serving*
Vanilla ice cream, optional for serving

Lightly grease a 13 X 9-inch glass baking dish with butter. Set aside.

Cut bread into bite-size cubes, (do not use the crust if it is tough), and place in prepared dish. Set aside.

Place butter in a microwave-safe measuring cup or bowl, and microwave, covered with a paper towel, on high, until melted, about 45 seconds. Drizzle butter over bread cubes, tossing cubes while drizzling butter. Stir and toss cubes to distribute butter as evenly as possible. Set aside.

Pour cream and milk into a small saucepan, and bring it just to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, place egg yolks in a small mixing bowl, and beat lightly with whisk. When cream mixture boils, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Whisk in egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla. Whisk well. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Cover dish with foil, and refrigerate at least 1 hour (and up to 4 hours) so bread can begin to absorb milk mixture.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove bread pudding from the refrigerator, and uncover. Combine bananas and lemon juice in a small bowl. Stir banana mixture into bread pudding, and then smooth top with the back of a spoon. Re-cover dish and cut 6 small holes in foil so steam can escape. Bake, covered with foil, until set, about 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove bread pudding from oven and cool 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm in dessert bowls, with sauce of choice and ice cream, if desired.

What We're Eating for Dinner: February 21 - 27

2010-02-21T08:00:00.010-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Rustic Lemon-Onion Chicken, spinach, baked sweet potato,

Monday - Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce, Bread, salad

Tuesday - Basketball Game! Out for dinner with Grandma after the game!

Wednesday - Basketball Game! Applewood Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onion and White Cheddar Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese, Smokin' Cajun Chicken, green beans

Thursday - Basketball Game! Wrestling Meet! Pizza Night!

Friday - Burgers and Fries! Gyro Burgers or Ultimate BBQ Burgers with Chipotle-Ranch Sauce, Baked Pommes Frites,

Saturday -Wrestling Meet! Chili-Rubbed Pork with Avocado Salsa, Mexican Rice,

Ten in 2010: Week Six

2010-02-20T08:00:00.015-05:00

Time for a Ten in 2010 update: Things are better this week. I did a three mile run yesterday and while it was pretty slow, it was also not entirely miserable.LOL! Amazing, mainly because I spent the last several days in bed with a horrible cold/flu thing. Strangely I'm actually looking forward to my next run. Things are definitely looking up on the exercise front.

Cooking and blogging were a bit lacking this week since I was sick but that should get back on track now that I'm better.

Here's a great dish from Rachael Ray that we really enjoyed. It was easy to put together and quite tasty. I served it with some Veggie Fried Rice and some eggrolls.

Pork with Tangy Garlic Dipping Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt
1 pound ground pork
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 head boston lettuce, leaves separated
2 carrots, finely shredded

In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil with the vinegar, sugar, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons garlic, the crushed red pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Let cool.

Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl, combine the pork, cilantro, ginger, remaining 3 teaspoons soy sauce and 1 teaspoon garlic. Form 8 oval patties about 1/2-inch thick and broil, turning once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Spoon into lettuce cups and top with the carrots. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Sweet Potato Pie

2010-02-19T08:00:00.003-05:00

I'd always heard of sweet potato pie but I'd never tried it before. Awhile back I signed up to host a Glory Foods "Release Your Inner Gloria" House Party. In return for hosting a party, Glory Foods sent me an assortment of their products to try out. Glory Foods specializes in Southern-style heat and serve foods. I received a variety of items like canned green beans and potatoes, black-eyed peas and seasoned cooking bases. I also received a can of Sweet Potato Casserole which came in handy for making this quick and easy Glory's Sweet Potato Pie. It probably took about 5 minutes to throw together. It came out looking beautiful and it tasted delicious. While I'm sure that a made-from-scratch Sweet Potato Pie would be even better, this one was quick and easy and tasted great, so Glory's Sweet Potato Pie is definitely a keeper around here!

Glory's Sweet Potato Pie

Recipe courtesy of Glory Foods

1 15 oz. can Glory Foods® Sweet Potato Casserole
3 Tbsp. Butter, melted
2 ea. Eggs, large
1 cup Sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Cornstarch
1 ea. 9" Pie shell, uncooked and frozen

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Set rack to center of the oven and place a cookie sheet on center rack.

Combine all liquids in a large mixing bowl.

Blend in the cornstarch and mix.

Add Glory Foods® Sweet Potato Casserole and mix thoroughly until smooth.

Pour mixture into the prepared pie shell.

Place filled pie shell in oven on the cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce heat in oven to 300 degrees and bake for approximately 40 minutes.

Test the filling. The filling is cooked when the tip of a knife inserted in the center is clean when removed.

Bake until filling is set.

Carefully remove the pie from the oven. Allow to cool.

February Dinner Party! Oooh la-la!

2010-02-17T08:00:00.022-05:00

Our theme for this month's dinner party was French Food.

Not surprisingly, these Chocolate Dipped Oreos were a hit (even if they aren't really French! Oreos au Chocalat anyone?)

Always my favorite. Thank you Justin!

Justin's Coq au Vin. Delicious!

My favorite go-to dish: Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette.

Cathy and Dave brought chocolate truffles for dessert. (I didn't get a good picture so this is a picture from an earlier dinner party when she first made them!)

I didn't get a good picture of Dave's Beef Bourguignon either. And in our haste to devour Justin's chocolate dessert masterpiece, we forgot to take a picture. Hopefully he'll blog about it at his new blog Technically Gourmet. (While you're waiting for that recipe, check out his recipe for Chocolate Sabayon. Yum!) I also made an Apple and Hazelnut Clafoutis (which definitely paled in comparison to the other delicious, chocolate desserts) and which was definitely *not* photogenic. Unfortunately I didn't like as much as I liked this Blueberry-Pineapple Clafoutis that I'd blogged about earlier.

Next month's dinner party will be at our house and I'm responsible for coming up with the theme. During the past year we've done Mardis Gras, Camping Out, Tailgating, Italian, Mexican Fiesta!. I'd love to come up with a new, fun idea but I'm stuck! Any good suggestions for a March party which also lends itself to some good vegetarian options -- since it is my party after all! ;-)

You Capture: Kisses

2010-02-16T08:00:00.004-05:00

Our Valentine's dinner party was the perfect place to capture lots of kisses for this week's You Capture over at I Should Be Folding Laundry.

Kielbasa and Potato

2010-02-15T08:00:00.003-05:00

Another snow day in the Midwest. After the winter we've had you're probably saying "What's new?" Nothing really. But this snowy day was the perfect day to rediscover an old favorite. My mom used to fix this for us all the time so when I saw the recipe for Kielbasa and Potatoes over at Life's Ambrosia, I knew it was time to introduce it to my kids. This combination of flavorful sausage and crispy potatoes was the perfect dinner after a day spent playing in the snow.

Kielbasa and Potatoes
Recipe courtesy of Life's Ambrosia

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 medium Yukon gold potatoes, diced
fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 pound turkey kielbasa, cut in half at the curve and then sliced

In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Once butter has melted add potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for 4-5 minutes without stirring. Stir after 5 minutes. Cook another 5 minutes. Stir.

Stir in onions. Cook 3 minutes. Stir in kielbasa. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes or until sausage is warmed through and pieces begin to brown.

Serve hot.

Note: If you use beef kielbasa cut the amount of butter and oil slightly or the dish may turn out a little greasy.

What We're Eating for Dinner: February 14 - 20

2010-02-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Valentine's Day! Steak, baked potatoes, Buttered Rosemary Rolls, Baked Spinach and Cheese, One-Bowl Fudge

Monday - Pollo alla Romana, Spinach and Sweet Potato Gratin, bread, Caesar Salad

Tuesday - Mardi Gras! Basketball Game! Applewood Smoked Bacon, Caramelized Onion and White Cheddar Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese, Smokin' Cajun Chicken, green beans

Wednesday - Breakfast for Dinner! Egg-in-a-hole, Perfect Pancakes, bacon, berries

Thursday - Basketball game, Media Club and a Wrestling meet! Gotta be Pizza Night!

Friday - Cuban Steak Sandwiches, Oven baked fries, slaw

Saturday - Dinner at Grandma's!

Ten in 2010: Week Five

2010-02-13T08:00:00.001-05:00

What to say ... I'm definitely slipping on the exercise portion of this challenge. For some reason I'm having a really hard time getting back into the groove when it comes to training for this half marathon. Aside from the fact that I'm a little lazy, the biggest problem is that the kid's activities are all taking place on the same days that out training group does it's group runs. That leave hubby and I to run (a.k.a. slogging) through the ice and snow and frigid winds all by our lonesome ... and that isn't happening as often as it should. The threat of getting left behind during a Saturday long run used to spur us into action (a.k.a. actually following our training schedule.) Without the fear it's way to easy to talk yourself out of going out there when the temperatures are low and the snow is piled high.

Luckily, one basketball team's season is over. Unfortunately it's not the one causing the problem! LOL! Still it does provide a little more time in the schedule for hubby and I to buck up and get out there and just do it.

Blogging is going a bit better. Our internet finally works! (And that is a major plus to blogging. LOL!) Our new line-of-sight sattelite internet is ever so much better than our old Wild Blue.

I'm eating quite a few more servings of veggies every day and while I can't say the same about the rest of the family, I figure slow and steady will win the race. I'm drinking more water and *loving* the fish oil supplement I started taking. Warning: TMI moment ahead! No more hot flashes! Like within the first day. All gone. A whole night's sleep. Woohoo! When I forgot one once, they were back within a day. Needless to say, I'll be taking these *regularly* from now on.

Cooking has been going well. I can't remember the last time we got take-out and I managed to find an excellent crockpot recipe this week: Slowcooker Chicken Parmesan. Perfect for those hectic evenings, this dish actually looked great (something you can't always say about crockpot meals), tasted great and was super easy to throw together. Unfortunately, it tasted so great that we'd eaten it up before I realized I'd forgotten to take a picture! If you want to see what it looks like, head on over to Creatively Domestic and check out her pics.

Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan
Recipe courtesy of Creatively Domestic

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 egg, beaten

sliced mozzarella cheese

Jar of marinara sauce

Spread the 1 T of olive oil into the bottom of your crockpot stoneware insert.

Beat the egg in a bowl. Combine the bread crumbs with the seasonings and Parmesan cheese in another separate shallow bowl or plate. Dip the chicken into the egg, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating both sides with crumb mixture. Place the chicken breast pieces in the bottom of the crock. Layer 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Cover with entire jar of marinara sauce.

Close lid and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4. If your chicken is still frozen, it will take longer. Mine was 3 thawed chicken breasts and took about 5 hours on low.

Sliced Steak Gyros

2010-02-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

In the midst of all this snowy weather we've had lately, I find myself dreaming of tropical getaways and ocean breezes. To facilitate this (and further delude myself that this winter will actually end. Really.) I prepared a great summer meal. A Greek Salad full of juicy tomatoes, salty Kalamata olives and crumbled Feta. So good that I blogged about it already here. To go with I'd planned Chicken Gyros but I had a chance to go out to lunch with my oldest son earlier in the week and ended up ordering Chicken Gyros so I switched to Rachael Ray's Sliced Steak Gyros instead.

The sauce was tasty and perfect for hubby who does not like cucumbers. His only complaint was that his vegetarian-prone wife made his gyro. Tons of toppings and very little meat! Next time, he's on his own!

Sliced Steak Gyros
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

2 pounds 1-inch-thick sirloin steak
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
3/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, grated
2 sprigs oregano, stems discarded, leaves chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 dashes hot pepper sauce
4 large pitas or other flatbread
Toppings, such as thinly sliced cucumber, tomato and red onion; chopped chiles and kalamata olives;
shredded romaine lettuce hearts; flat-leaf parsley leaves
4 lemon wedges

Preheat the broiler or a grill to medium. Drizzle the steak with the EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, for medium-rare, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then thinly slice.

While the steak is cooking, using a food processor, puree the feta, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, cumin, coriander and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a bowl.

Char the pitas under the broiler or on the grill. Top with the steak and your choice of toppings. Serve with the lemon wedges and yogurt sauce.

Crockpot Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme

2010-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

Winter sports season is here with a vengeance. Older daughter made his middle school basketball team. Younger son plays basketball at the Boy's and Girl's Club as well as wrestling at a nearby high school. Add to that younger daughter's math club and media club and you can see that we're busy. Crockpot meals come in handy on days when more than one child has activities. In the past we usually picked up a pizza on the way home or ran through a drive-thru. But much to the chagrin of the children, the crockpot lets me make a healthy, nutritious meal earlier in the day and have it ready to put on the table when we get home.

Here's a great recipe for Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme I found over at Megan's Cookin'. When I saw it I knew it would be a hit. The kid's love chicken. The older and pickier daughter eats mandarin oranges by the can-full. Younger son is still raving about how tender and juicy the chicken was. Hubby is thrilled when we don't have to spend money eating out. And I love just crockpot meals!

Mandarin Orange Chicken with Garlic and Thyme
Recipe from Megan's Cookin'

1 lb - chicken breast

1 - 8oz can - mandarin oranges,
1 tbsp - Ginger, ground
1 tsp – Salt
5 cloves - garlic (minced)
1/2 cup - orange juice
1 tsp fresh Thyme
1 tbsp cornstarch

Place chicken in Crockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the cornstarch, to the Crockpot.
Cook on high for about 4 hours or on low for about 8 hours.
Remove chicken and put orange sauce in a small sauce pan. Stir a little water into the cornstarch to make a this paste. Add to orange sauce and cook on medium heat till thickened. Spoon over chicken and enjoy!

Rachael Ray Baked Shell Casserole

2010-02-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Just happened to walk through the room while Rachael Ray's talk show was on and caught her making Baked Shells Casserole. Since I'm always in a rush these days (and ok, since I'm a little lazy too) I never make things like Stuffed Shells anymore. Since hubby is a lasagna fan (and I never do that either!) I thought I'd try this one. You make a quick and yummy tomato sauce and use it to top pasta coated in spinach and cheese-y goodness. Pop it in the oven and dinner is done. I didn't have ricotta so I used mozzarella instead and it was delicious. The sauce was so-so. (Feel free to substitute your favorite.) But the cheesy pasta was delicious. I ate a whole bowl full while the casserole was in the oven. You know. Too much pasta. Wouldn't fit in the casserole dish.

Had to do something with it. :-)

Rachael Ray Baked Shell Casserole
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray

5 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided
1 large or 2 small to medium onions, finely chopped, divided
1 small carrot, finely chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano or marjoram, half a palmful
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 palmful
1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed by pressing under flat of your knife
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 5 to 6 sprigs
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white or red wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 28-ounce cans Italian crushed tomatoes
1 pound medium or large shell pasta (not extra-large stuffing shells)
2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry in clean towel
Freshly grated nutmeg, about 1/4 teaspoon
2 cups fresh ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus some to pass at table
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons EVOO, 3 turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 3/4 of finely chopped onion and the carrot. Season with salt, pepper, oregano or marjoram, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds and thyme, and gently sauté 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in parsley, stir, then add wine and reduce a minute. Add stock and tomatoes, bring sauce up to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Simmer sauce 45 minutes.

After sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, preheat oven to 375˚F.

Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Salt water and cook pasta 5 minutes.

While pasta water comes to a boil, heat remaining 2 tablespoons EVOO in a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onion and sauté to soften, 5 minutes. Add spinach, pulling it apart and separating it as you add it to pan. Stir to combine well and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Turn off heat.

Drain undercooked pasta and return it to the hot pot. Add spinach mixture to pot along with ricotta and grated Parm. Stir to combine, adjust salt and pepper then add eggs and stir.

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Fill dish with pasta then top with another thin layer of red sauce. Save remaining sauce to pass at table. Bake 30 minutes until bubbly.

Serve casserole directly from casserole dish, passing extra sauce and cheese at the table.

Roasted Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza

2010-02-08T08:00:00.042-05:00

Heaven. On. A. Plate.

Roasted eggplant. Mmmmm. Caramelized onions. ::sigh:: How can it get any better than that? Why, I'll tell you. Add goat cheese! My idea of nirvana! I made half with goat cheese and since the nephew (who is still recovering from the last goat cheese escapade) was here, I put fresh mozzarella on the other half. That worked fine but the Mozz pizza was missing that tangy zing of the goat cheese half. (Which, by the way, I ate all by myself! It was so good I just couldn't stop!)

Roasted Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza
adapted from Cooking with Paula Deen magazine
Recipe found online at Perry's Plate

1/2 med eggplant, peeled and chopped
2 T olive oil
3 T butter
2 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 c pizza sauce
1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella
6 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 c chopped roasted red peppers
1 c crumbled goat cheese
1 recipe whole wheat pizza crust

Coat eggplant with olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-12 min or until lightly browned; set aside.

In a large dutch oven/saucepan melt butter over med heat. Add onion, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to med-high and cook, stirring frequently until caramelized; set aside.

Spread pizza sauce over crust; sprinkle with 1 c mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with eggplant, onions, bacon and roasted peppers. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and goat cheese.

Bake at 425 for 12-15 min.

What We're Eating for Dinner: February 7 - 13

2010-02-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Superbowl! Breakfast for Dinner! Egg-in-a-hole, Perfect Pancakes, bacon, peaches

Monday - Pan-Cooked Chicken with Asparagus, Pancetta and Olives, Buttered Rosemary Rolls, ice cream sundaes

Tuesday - Basketball Game! Crockpot meal! Slowcooker Chicken Parmesan, salad, breadsticks

Wednesday -Butternut Squash Carbonara, salad, bread

Thursday - Two Basketball Games! Pizza Night!

Friday -Drip Beef Sandwiches, Baked Sweet Potato Fries,

Saturday - Dinner Party! French Food Theme

Ten in 2010: Week Five

2010-02-06T08:00:00.006-05:00

So far this year I've done well on my organizing goals. Cleaning and re-organizing the kitchen and the utility room so far. Huge loads of stuff have left the house, bound for either the landfill or Goodwill. I bought new shelving units for the utility room this week and now it's almost a joy to have to go in there. Everything is at your fingertips. Nothing is stacked on top of anything. If you need something, it's easy to locate and more importantly, easy to replace. My goal today is to finish up the utility room and begin on the pantry. We'll see how that goes. ::wink, wink::

I've even done fairly well on the cooking front despite the fact that the kitchen table has been covered in utility room stuff for most of the week. We may have had to eat in the living room but at least we were eating food I made and not take out.

Blogging ran into some trouble this week with unexpected computer troubles. Fortunately I'll be getting a new computer this week and ... the big news ... our new line-of-sight satellite internet was installed yesterday. No more getting FAPped. (See ya Wild Blue!) Way faster service so now I can check out twice as many blogs is the same amount of time! Woohoo!

Exercise ... well, not so much. I am still thinking about it though. And I did run a time or two this week. I just wish I could get back into the groove. I remember a couple of years ago, in the midst of my running addiction when I got my run in every day no matter what. Invited out to dinner? I'd rather run. Gotta go out of town? I'd get up and run at 5 am. ::sigh:: Just not to that point yet, I guess. Hopefully I will get there (and soon!)

If you want to see how everyone else is doing halfway through the Ten in 2010 Challenge head over to RecipeGirl and check it out. It's not too late if you want to join in!

Mini Cuban "Fritas" Burgers

2010-02-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

After the fact, I found out that in Cuba, these delicious little "Fritas" are made from chorizo rather than ground beef. While these were quite tasty as they were, I swoon imagining them with spicy chorizo! This Ingrid Hoffman recipe is my submission to this week's Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge. I prepared it on time but ran into some unforseen computer problems and couldn't get it posted until today. Head over to I Blame My Mother to see what everyone else whipped up this week.

Mini Cuban "Fritas" Burgers
Recipe courtesy of Ingrid Hoffman

1 1/2 cups dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk
1 large yellow onion, grated on the large-hole side of a box grater
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 pounds lean ground beef
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
3 tablespoons ketchup, plus extra for serving
3 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 mini hamburger rolls or Cuban rolls

Place the bread crumbs in a large bowl. Cover with milk and soak for 2 minutes. Add the onion, the beaten egg, ground beef, lime juice, ketchup, garlic powder, salt, and paprika and work the ingredients together with your hands or a wooden spoon just until combined. Form the mixture into 12 small 1-inch thick patties and refrigerate them for at least 45 minutes or up to 8 hours.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add about 1/2 of the burgers and brown them on each side, flipping with spatula, 5 to 7 minutes. Set the fritas on the rolls and cook the remaining burgers. Serve with generous amounts of ketchup.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

2010-02-04T08:00:00.001-05:00

Delicious. Easy. And it looks awesome too! What's not to like? I'd been eyeing this recipe for Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette over at The Smitten Kitchen for quite awhile before I got around to trying it. I mean, there's the whole making a pastry crust. I have a bad history with that, you know. And then the butternut squash. Funny looking. Hard to cut. Must taste nasty (because I'd never tried it before.) But I finally gave in and am a ever glad that I did. That was a year ago and now I think about it all the time and make it as often as I can. The first few time I made it, I used a refrigerated pie crust, but for a recent party I decided to go for it. I made my own crust and found out that it was easy. Easy and delicious. In fact, I'm planning to make this for dinner this weekend when my oldest comes home from college. He won't appreciate it (or even touch it!) but I will! ;-)

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette
Recipe courtesy of The Smitten Kitchen

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water

For the filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter (if you have only non-stick, the smaller amount will do)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

1. Make pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.

Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

Assemble galette: On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6.

You Capture: Taking Pictures of Things Beside Food

2010-02-03T19:16:00.000-05:00

I came across a great blog called I Should be Folding Laundry the other day. I was having fun looking through her blog when I came across a post about the blogging event she hosts. It's called You Capture. It's goal is to encourage you to take more pictures (which conveniently is one of my New Year's Resolutions). This week's theme was "Faces".

Hubby had to work outside this week, putting up a tower so we can have better internet access! Can you tell it was cold out there?

Here's my nephew -- future rock star and die hard Colts fan. (Check out his dad's cooking blog here.)

Jilly.

Here's a couple of old pictures that I love and were perfect for this theme. Here's Lillian. Don't you just love that curl?

I took this last summer but it's my favorite. I call it "Freckles".

Ten in 2010: The Fourth Week

2010-02-02T08:00:00.002-05:00

Week four. Hmmm. Lots of excuses. Not much action.

I did do a lot of cooking last week and was able to blog plenty so that went well. Fiber intake was up and while I didn't drink as much water as I wanted, it was more than I had been drinking so that was good too. I keep telling myself that once the weather gets better, that it will be easier to motivate myself outside to run. (Not sure that'll be the case but for now, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) I did run three times in the past week and hopefully I will be able to do more this week.

Here's a great, healthy dinner recipe I found this week. Chicken and Black Bean Burritos. The perfect dinner after a great long run. OK. It will be a great meal after a long run once I can do a long run. LOL! Right now it's perfect after a short run or on any busy week night.

Chicken and Bean Burritos
Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine

1/2 cup brown rice
2 cloves garlic; 1 smashed, 1 minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound (about 2 cups) frozen diced butternut squash, thawed
1 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, skin removed
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 cup grape tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup pickled jalapeno peppers, plus 2 tablespoons pickling liquid
4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced
Plain low-fat yogurt or sour cream, for serving (optional)

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the rice and smashed garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1 cup water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the squash and reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer, undisturbed, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken over the rice mixture, cover and remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, make the bean salsa: Drain and rinse the beans, quarter the tomatoes and chop the cilantro and jalapenos. Toss with the pickling liquid and minced garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir the chicken-rice mixture and spoon it down the center of each tortilla, then top with half of the bean salsa and sprinkle with the cheese. Fold in the sides and roll up. Slice in half and serve with avocado, the remaining bean salsa and yogurt, if desired.

What We're Eating for Dinner: January 31 - February 6

2010-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Mini Cuban Fiitas (Burgers), Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Avocado Dip,

Monday - Crackling Fish Tacos with Chipotle Tartar Sauce,

Tuesday - Basketball Game! Pizza Night!

Wednesday - Basketball Game! Crockpot Night! Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan, salad, bread

Thursday - Corn, Crawfish and Andouille Chowder, bread, salad

Friday - Quesadilla Explosion Salad, Southwestern Eggrolls,

Saturday - Skillet Penne with Sausage and Spinach, bread

Vegetable Fried Rice

2010-01-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Lunch! This is one of my favorites. Grab what's in the refrigerator and throw it in with some rice. Today it was mushrooms, peas, carrots, green onion and a scrambled egg. Little bit of soy sauce and the secret ingredient ... oyster sauce. Yum!

Teresa's Fried Rice

2 cups rice -- cooked

1 handful frozen peas and carrots

1/2 cup canned sliced mushrooms

2 large eggs
2 green onions -- sliced
1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

Scramble eggs in a small skillet. Remove and set aside.

Heat oil in wok. I generally use olive oil but any kind will do. Add already-cooked rice and stir-fry for a moment until heated through. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir until evenly distributed. Move rice to the sides and add mushrooms and vegetables. Stir-fry until cooked through. Stir veggie mixture into the rice. Add eggs and toss.

The great thing about this recipe is you can use whatever you have. Just add in any veggies or meats chopped into bite-sized pieces: chicken, pork, even bacon.

Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken

2010-01-27T08:00:00.044-05:00

Every once in awhile I try to make something meat-like for the carnivorous members of my family. Since my oldest was home from college, I decided to roast a chicken. (Something I don't do very often. I tend to stick to chicken breasts.) I chose Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken and I'm glad I did. The chicken was moist and tender (or so I was told). The prep work was simple. And it must have been tasty; The picky girls kept coming back for more!

Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken is the recipe I'm submitting for the Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge this week. Head over here to see what everyone else made this week. Next week's chef will be Ingrid Hoffman.

Ina Garten's Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken
Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Serves: 3 to 4 servings
1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

Ten in 2010: Week Three

2010-01-26T08:00:00.005-05:00

What to say about week three? Hmmm.... The scale is not so much going down anymore. But that's ok. Losing weight is not my main goal. Getting fit is what I'm shooting for and hubby and I ran five (yes, 5!) times last week. Huge improvement, obviously. As long as I take my inhaler along, we'll be fine. I forgot it today and hubby had to sprint home to get the car and come back for me. He did get a good workout that way but I'd rather not do that again. ;-)

I did well on the blogging front. I posted 6 times last week. I'm shooting for 5 times a week so I'm happy with that. I made four out of the six items I had on my menu plan. I had an ear infection that included a bout with vertigo for a couple of days so hubby took care of dinner for me. The things I did make were fairly healthy choices (and we liked most of them) so that's one for the win column too.

Adding more veggies to our diet was also one of my goals. I can't recall ever eating a Brussels Sprout. My mom doesn't care for them so we never ate them while I was growing up. Hubby has a strong dislike for them so they were just never something I bought. After reading so many of my favorite bloggers rave about Brussels sprouts I decided to give them a try. I'm glad I did. These were delish! I ate half of them myself before they even made it to the table!

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Recipe courtesy of 101 Cookbooks

24 small Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the Brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or if you are lazy just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the Brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the Brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes.

Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Serves 4.

Mushroom Chicken

2010-01-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I needed a quick chicken dish to go along with the Beef and Broccoli I made the other day. This Mushroom Chicken Dish from Rasa Maylasia fit the bill. Easy to throw together. Lots of flavor. Not too spicy so the kids will eat it. This was the one. Chicken, mushrooms and zucchini with a simple sauce. Delicious.

Mushroom Chicken
Recipe from Rasa Malaysia

10 oz. boneless and skinless chicken breast (cut into cubes)
8 oz. zucchini (cut into pieces)
4 oz. mushroom (cut into halves)
1 teaspoon corn starch (to marinate the chicken)
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons oil
4 slices peeled ginger
Sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons water plus 1 teaspoon corn starch (to thicken the sauce)

Marinate the chicken with wine and corn starch. Set aside for 15 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Heat up a wok and add oil. Add ginger and saute until aromatic. Add chicken into the wok and stir until the chicken is half-cooked. Add mushrooms and zucchini into the wok and continue to stir-fry. Add the sauce into the wok and do a few quick stirs until the sauce nicely coat the chicken, mushrooms, and zucchini. Cook for 1 minute or until the chicken is cooked. Dish out and serve immediately.

What We're Eating for Dinner: January 24 - 30

2010-01-24T08:00:00.012-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Kielbasa and Potatoes, Corn on the Cob, salad

Monday - Crunchwrap Supreme, Taco Salad

Tuesday - Basketball Game! Mandarin Orange Chicken, Spicy Garlic Green Beans, ice cream

Wednesday -Wrestling Match! Toscana Soup, Salad, Breadsticks

Thursday - Basketball Game! Pizza Night!

Friday - Deep Winter Minstra, bread

Saturday - Tuscan Chicken Milano, bread, salad

Deep-Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza

2010-01-21T08:00:00.006-05:00

To. Die. For.

This Deep Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza was to die for. Absolutely delicious. I'm not particularly a fan of any meat. In fact, I hadn't really planned to eat this one. When I saw it over at Vicarious Foodie, I figured the guys would love it so I tried it. I ate 3 pieces. The crust was delicious. The spicy sausage, divine. Not particularly diet friendly, but oh! So worth it!

Deep-Dish Sausage and Tomato Pizza
Recipe from Vicarious Foodie

1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
1/3 recipe Atsa Spicy Pizza Sausage

1 (14 to 16-ounce) can diced tomatoes, well drained
1 cup grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 pound)
1 cup grated Fontina cheese (about 1/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves, for garnish

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil and blend until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.

Put dough in a deep oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, prepare sausage (see recipe below). Stir in tomatoes and transfer mixture to a strainer over a bowl to drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Punch down dough and knead 4 times. In an oiled 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet, press dough with oiled finger until it comes 2 inches up the side and is an even thickness on bottom. Let dough rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle dough with half of mozzarella and fontina and top with sausage-tomato mixture and remaining cheeses. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan and bake the pizza in the lower third of an electric oven or on floor of a gas oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until crust is golden brown.

Top with fresh basil, if desired, and serve immediately.

Killer Inside Out Burger

2010-01-20T08:00:00.025-05:00

I don't remember making any of Guy Fieri's recipes before but this is one I will definitely remember. Think delicious burger with melted cheese and spicy Chorizo sausage inside, topped with a spicy homemade ketchup. Yum! I thought Guy's Killer Inside Out Burger sounded great so I wasn't really surprised about how it tasted. What amazed me is how simple the burgers were to put together. Definitely a hit. My nephew was visiting from college and he gave it a thumbs up too.

This will be my contribution to the Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge this week. Haven't heard of it? A great group of people have decided to cook their way through the roster of Food Network chefs. This week was Guy Fieri. Next week is Ina Garten. They pick the chef. You pick the recipe. How fun! Head on over here to see what everyone else fixed.

Killer Inside Out Burger

Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri

1/4 pound bacon, chopped

1/2 cup minced red onion

3 tablespoons fresh uncooked chorizo, out of casing

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds ground chuck, 80/20 mix

1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced, about 8 slices

4 kaiser rolls, split and toasted

In a medium pan over medium to high heat, add bacon and onions, cook until the bacon is rendered but not crisp. Add the chorizo and cook until done. Remove the bacon mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

Divide ground chuck into 8 equal parts. Form into a loose ball, and create 4-inch patties. Layer 1 piece of cheese onto the center of 1 patty. Top with 1/4 bacon mixture, another slice of cheese, then add another patty on top and gently seal edges and form into a patty, about 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches high. Repeat with the remaining patties to make a total of 4 large patties.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Place all 4 patties in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on 1 side, then gently turn over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and pop it in a 250 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, place onto rolls and serve with Worcestershire Tomato Ketchup.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza

2010-01-19T08:00:00.007-05:00

We were supposed to go to a party but I got sidelined with another headache. What do you fix when you weren't planning to fix anything and you have a house full of hungry people? Why pizza, of course! Since we love pizza, I usually keep pizza dough in the freezer and you can usually find a tube or two in the fridge. Lately I've been trying to keep a prepared pizza crust in the pantry for times when I need to get dinner on the table super fast. Tonight it definitely came in handy.

For this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza, I looked in the fridge to see what we had and this was what I ended up with. Simple, with just a couple of ingredients but by caramelizing the onions you get a surprising depth of flavor: sweet onion-y deliciousness, smoky bacon, creamy cheese and a little added zing from the red pepper flakes.

Caramelized Onion and Bacon Pizza

1 prepared pizza crust (We prefer Boboli)

Cream cheese, softened

1 T olive oil

1 onion, sliced

4 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled

Shredded Mozzarella

Red pepper flakes, to your taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add onion slices. Caramelize the onions, stirring occasionally. The longer the onions caramelize, the better they taste! Spread softened cream cheese in a thin layer on pizza crust. Top pizza with the caramelized onions. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella and top with crumbled bacon and pepper flakes. Place in a preheated 400 degree oven and bake until heated through and cheese is melted. Serve warm.

What We're Eating for Dinner: January 17 - 24

2010-01-18T08:03:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Killer Inside Out burger with Worcestershire Tomato Ketchup, fries, salad

Monday - Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken, Almost Famous Broccoli Soup from Food Network Magazine,

Tuesday - Beef, Wild Mushroom and Barley Soup in the crockpot, bread, salad

Wednesday - Mexican Gumbo, Chicken Quesadillas, Carrots and Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

Thursday - Baked Shells Casserole, garlic bread, salad

Friday - Chicken and Bean Burritos from Food Network Magazine, leftover Mexican Gumbo,

Saturday - Pizza Night! Pineapple, Onion and Bacon Pizza, Salad

Sunday - Out of Town!

Exotic Destinations: Nigella's Ultimate Greek Salad

2010-01-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

This is what I see when I look out the window.

This is what I wish I'd see when I look out the window.

This winter seems to have started earlier, been colder, produced more snow than any winter in the past several years. I am not a "winter" person to start with. I hate being cold. I hate slippery roads. I hate being all bundled up. And I hate the kids (and dog) being stuck inside.

Now summer is more like it. Warm weather. Fewer clothes. Swimming. Hiking in the woods. Biking. Running in shorts, not layers. Kayaking. Picnics. Camping. Grilling out. Ahhhh ...

What I need is a trip to an exotic destination. And lucky me, I Heart Cooking Clubs gave me an opportunity to travel to one of my favorite destinations: Greece. Greece is beautiful. It's old. It's mysterious. It's sunny. It's definitely exotic. (And it's very far away from here!)

Unluckily, I don't *really* get to go there. I'm still in my own kitchen. But as I enjoy this Ultimate Greek Salad from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer cookbook and savor Rachael Ray's Sliced Steak Gyro, I can almost imagine that I can look out my window and see this:

This salad went together quickly and tasted great. It's definitely one I'll be making again and again. I can see this being a great summer lunch, made with freshly picked, home-grown Indiana tomatoes. Yum! Visit I Heart Cooking Clubs to see where everyone else went on their exotic getaways.

The Ultimate Greek Salad
Recipe from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson
See it online here.

1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 red onion, finely sliced
Black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
200ml extra virgin olive oil
5 tomatoes
1 teaspoon caster sugar (regular works fine)
Pinch of salt
1 very large head of romaine lettuce
1 bulb fennel
125g pitted black olives
400g Feta cheese
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sprinkle the oregano over the red onion and grind over some pepper. Pour in the vinegar and oil and toss well, cover and leave to steep for a good 2 hours; longer’s fine. You’ll notice, once it’s had its time, that the blooded crimson of the onion is now a luminescent puce. It’s something to do with the acid in the vinegar: don’t ask. You don’t need to be fully conversant with the technicalities to take advantage of them.
But to return to the case in hand: cut the tomatoes into quarters, then cut each quarter into quarters (always lengthwise) again, so that you have a collection of fine segments. Sprinkle the sugar and a pinch of salt over them and set aside. Tear the lettuce into big pieces and put in a large bowl. Slice the fennel and add that, then the olives and Feta, crumbled into chunks, and toss well. Add the tomatoes, the onion in its marinade, and the lemon juice. Toss gently but thoroughly, so everything is well combined. This is addictive: you will find yourself making it all through summer - and beyond.

Ten in 2010: The Second Week

2010-01-16T08:00:00.032-05:00

I got dh to eat broccoli and actually agree it tasted pretty good.

Went to our first group training meeting for the Mini Marathon.

I blogged every day.

Um .... uhh ...I'm drawing a blank. The second week didn't go nearly as well as the first. Had a migraine that lasted a couple of days and even for a few days after that, I really didn't want to move my head more than I had to. So no exercise this week.

As far as eating ... well, we ended up eating out (actually ordering in ) more than we have in months. (Again with the migraine excuse.::sigh::)

I did find a really great recipe for Italian Sausage Soup over at Menu Planning 101 though. It was quick and easy to make, used things I had in the fridge and in the pantry and I bet if you used turkey sausage, it would be even better for you! ;-) Did I mention it was delicious?

Italian Sausage Soup
Recipe courtesy of Meal Planning 101

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups beef broth
1 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup carrot, shredded
1 14 1/2 oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 small zucchini, shredded
2 cups baby spinach, packed and rinsed
Salt and pepper

In a large pot over medium high heat add your Italian sausage. Brown the sausage with the garlic for about 6-8 minutes breaking it up while it's cooking. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, carrots, white kidney beans and zucchini. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste the broth and see if it needs any salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and stir in the spinach. The residual heat of the soup will wilt the spinach. Serve.

Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes

2010-01-15T08:00:00.011-05:00

It's hard to beat a good batch of mashed potatoes. My mother-in-law makes the best ever. (Might be that pound of butter she uses ...) Hubby tends to get cranky when someone messes around with his spuds but this is one night I didn't hear a single complaint. Even the picky girls ate more than one helping! Creamy mashed potatoes, gooey cheese, crispy bacon. What's not to love? These Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes from Life's Ambrosia were a hit around here.

Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes
Recipe from Life's Ambrosia

7 slices bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
6 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese, divided
3/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese, divided
3 green onions, diced
fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Set aside.
In a large pan, fry bacon over medium heat until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, add enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil potatoes until a fork can be inserted and removed easily. Strain.
Return the potatoes to the pan or a mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons butter and heavy cream. Whip with a hand held mixer until smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in bacon, 1/2 cup sharp cheddar, 1/2 cup gruyere, 1/2 cup havarti and green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon potato mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and edges are bubbly. Allow to cool for several minutes. Serve.

Pan Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Potatoes

2010-01-14T08:00:00.002-05:00

I discovered my new favorite blog yesterday. My Tasty Treasures. I'm not sure how I've not seen it before but I spent a big chunk of yesterday afternoon laughing hysterically and bookmarking recipes like crazy. If you haven't visited it yet, go now. I'll wait. :-)

When I got to the grocery store last night, they didn't have the steak I needed for my planned meal so I grabbed some sausage and threw together the recipe for Pan Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Potatoes that I'd seen on Donna's site earlier in the day. After meeting and practices, I was able to put this dish together and still get the kids into bed at a decent time.

I was a little disappointed in the sausages. I bought Johnsonville and apparently we much prefer our local store's private label hot sausage. It has a brighter, spicier flavor that we like. I can't wait to make this one again with our regular sausage. Yum! The pan roasted potatoes were delicious. I can testify that they tase great on their own because I couldn't stop eating them while I was waiting for the sausage to brown! This is one that we'll be seeing a lot of around here in the future. (I'm already trying to figure out when I can make it again!)

Pan Roasted Sausage, Peppers, Onions, and Potatoes

Recipe courtesy of My Tasty Treasures
Original Recipe from Rachael Ray's Comfort Foods Cookbook

6-8 red new potatoes, cut in wedges

Generous drizzle olive oil

Montreal Steak Seasoning

2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

Sprinkle Paprika
4 links hot sausage and 4 links sweet sausage

Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon

2 Italian Cubanelle Peppers

3 red peppers

1 medium onion

6 cloves garlic

Handful chopped, fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons juice from pickled sliced hot cherry peppers
4 slices hot sliced, cherry peppers, chopped

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. In a bowl, toss the red potato wedges with a drizzle of olive oil thinly coating all wedges. Then sprinkle with the Montreal seasoning, rosemary, and paprika. Add the potatoes to your nonstick pan. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or so, turning occasionally. Keep warm and set aside.

Cut sausages into large chunks. Seed and slice your peppers, peel and slice your onion, crack your cloves of garlic from the skins, leave and them whole. Heat a large deep skillet over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of olive oil, brown sausages on all sides. Drain the excess oil and add your peppers, onions, and garlic. Cover your pan and cook 10 more minutes. Or until peppers are done to your liking.

Uncover your dish and toss in your parsley, splashes of your hot cherry pepper juice and your chopped cherry peppers. Add your cooked potatoes. Combine.

Serve with crusty, warm bread.

Scallion Cream Cheese Bites

2010-01-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

I personally think that "Little Pockets of Onion Cream Cheese Goodness" would have been the perfect name for ... these little pockets of onion cream cheese goodness! When I saw the recipe for Scallion Cream Cheese Bites over at Life's Ambrosia, I liked it because it seemed so simple. It was. (So easy in fact that I've made it twice in the past week!) What I didn't count on was that something so easy to put together would taste so good! Even my picky girls liked them! (Drats! More people to share with!)

Scallion Cream Cheese Bites

Recipe courtesy of Life's Ambrosia

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup chopped green onions (scallions)

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

kosher salt

12 – 15 wonton wrappers

water for sealing

oil for frying

In a bowl combine cream cheese, green onions and ginger. Season to taste with salt.

To assemble bites: Lay one wonton wrapper on a flat surface. Spoon one teaspoon of mixture into the center of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and run along the edges. Bring all sides together in the center, pinch just above the filling to enclose filling. Carefully twist to close. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Once oil starts to shimmer, drip a small piece of a wonton wrapper in the oil, if it sizzles its ready. Working in batches so you don’t over crowd the pan, fry bites until golden brown, 2 – 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with kosher salt if desired. Allow to cool for several minutes. Serve.

Blogging Events

2010-01-12T08:00:00.004-05:00

One of my New Year's Resolutions is get back to cooking and blogging on a more regular basis. Somehow I lost some of my enthusiasm for cooking last year. Things got crazy there for awhile and looking back, I realized that during that time I stopped participating in Food Blog Events. Events are hosted by individual bloggers and generally center around a specific theme. Could be a favorite chef ( Ellie in my Belly, Barefoot Bloggers) or a type of food (Weekend Herb Blogging, Presto Pasta Nights). Anything. It's fun and it can help you push your boundaries and expand your horizon. I miss that so I've set out to find some new (to me) events to participate in this year.

Here's one that sounds interesting: Regional Recipes over at Blazing Hot Wok. A different area is highlighted each month. How fun is that? The next round-up will feature recipes from Brazil. Submissions need to be in by January 15th.

Not sure that this event goes along with my other resolution to lose weight but it sounds fun anyway! The Domestic Goddess' Sugar High Fridays let you make and blog about your favorite desserts based on a theme during the last week of each month. Check out the last round-up here.

Dining with Debbie is offering Crock Pot Wednesdays. How handy would this be? Just imagine, one day a week when dinner basically takes care of itself!

Weekend Wokking from Wandering Chopsticks is a great way to push those boundaries. Each month you are given a secret ingredient to incorporate into a dish. This month's ingredient is Chili Pepper. Posts need to be submitted by January 31, 2010 to be included in the February round-up. Check out the last round-up here.

I Blame my Mother! has a great challenge going on. She is cooking her way through the Food Network's line-up of chefs. This week is Giada de Laurentiis. If you'd like to join in, add your Giada post on January 13th. See who's next!

Do you have a favorite event?

Edited to add:

Of course as soon as I published this I found another intriguing event. I Heart Cooking Clubs is a great way to participate in a cooking group without being tied down to one recipe. The group chooses a chef and then for the next several months they work their way through that chef's recipes, preparing and blogging about recipes they've selected to reflect that week's theme. Right now they are working on Nigella Lawson. To see the weekly themes or to join in, go here.

Beef and Broccoli

2010-01-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

Quick. Easy. Delicious. Got my husband to eat broccoli. 'Nuff said!

Chinese Beef with Broccoli
Recipe from Sweetnick's

1 lb top sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced into 1/8-in (3-mm)-thick strips
1/2 lbs broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 tablespoon high-heat cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic

BEEF MARINADE
1-1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cooking oil
Freshly ground black pepper to season the beef

STIR-FRY SAUCE
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the Beef Marinade. Add the beef and let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the Stir-fry Sauce.
In a wok or large sauté pan, add 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cover to steam for 3 minutes. The broccoli should be bright green, crisp tender and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork. Drain.

Discard the water in the pan and dry the pan well. Set the pan over high heat and when hot, add the high-heat cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and fry for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the steak strips, keeping them in one layer and fry 30 seconds. Flip the strips and fry the other side.
Pour in the Stir-fry Sauce and stir to combine. Simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked broccoli back into the pan and toss to coat well.

What We're Eating for Dinner: January 11 - 17

2010-01-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Happy Birthday to Me! Blackened Tilapia Sandwich with Cilantro-Lime Mayonnaise and Baked Red Potato Chips,

Tuesday - Chicken Gyros, Hummus and Pita Chips, Greek Salad

Wednesday - Pizza Night! Pineapple, Onion and Bacon Pizza, Salad

Thursday - Basketball Game! Mexican Gumbo, Chicken Quesadillas, Carrots and Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

Friday - Tuscan Chicken Milano, Bread, salad

Saturday - Dinner with Friends! Tex-Mex Calzone's

Sunday -Bacon and Swiss Meatloaves with Portabella Mushroom Gravy, rolls, Mashed Potatoes

Ten in 2010: The First Week

2010-01-09T08:00:00.006-05:00

So far ... not as good as I'd hoped, unfortunately.

Let's see:

Drink more water every day. I have been drinking 2-4 more cups of water per day than before so that's good.
Get 25 mg fiber each day. Not so much. Really need to work on this one.
Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week. Well, I did run once which is more than before. Why didn't someone tell me how sore I'd be? LOL!)
Add more fruits and vegetables to my diet. A good start, I'd say. We tried Brussels Sprouts for the first time this week. (Roasted with a little olive oil. Yum!) I also made a Chicken Gumbo with lots of fresh veggies in it. A few salads here, some frozen veggies there.
Lose 10 pounds. Well ... it's still early. ;-) I did jump back into Sparkpeople.com. I've been logging my food and exercise and re-acquainting myself with some old Spark Friends. I've also spent a lot of time going through the Spark Recipes, looking for tasty, yet healthy additions to our dinner rotation.

I did make some progress on other fronts. I re-organized my kitchen. Purging lots of extraneous clutter and simplifying things so that it's easier to grab a healthy snack. I've also jumped back on the blogging bandwagon so I'm quite happy with that.

All in all, not a bad start at all. :-)

Edited to Add: I forgot the best part! I've lost 1.5 pounds so far this week! I guess this week wasn't so bad after all!

White Bean Chicken Chili

2010-01-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

This recipe for White Bean Chicken Chili is perfect for those winter days when you just know you're not going to have time to make dinner and may be tempted to order out. Four simple ingredients (which I keep on-hand all the time) thrown into a crockpot and you're done.Plug it in and six hours later dinner's on!

White Bean Chicken Chili
Recipe from Pink Parsley

4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 cups salsa

Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours. Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

Peppercorn Crusted Top Sirloin with Mushroom Cream Sauce

2010-01-07T08:00:00.009-05:00

Horrible picture for a really delicious meal. When I saw the recipe for Peppercorn Crusted Top Sirloin with Mushroom Cream Sauce over at Life's Ambrosia, I knew the carnivores in my family would be happy and I wasn't disappointed. The recipe went together quickly, though it did seem to take awhile for the sauce to thicken. (Which was fine because the Brussels Sprouts took longer than I expected! LOL!) The only change I made to the recipe was to substitute Flat Iron Steaks for the Top Sirloin. A frugal necessity since I was feeding a houseful of college students.

If you haven't visited Life's Ambrosia yet, why don't you run on over there right now? Des has created a wonderful blog, full of delicious-sounding recipes and drool-inducing photographs. Hint: her Cheesy Baked Mashed Potatoes are to die for! I made those this week too. I'll be blogging about that soon.

Peppercorn Crusted Top Sirloin with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Recipe from Life's Ambrosia

2 (1/2 pound) top sirloin steaks, about 1 inch thick
4 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper (about 1 teaspoon for each side of the steak)
Salt
granulated garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle each side of the steak lightly with kosher salt and granulated garlic. Then sprinkle each side with about 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. (Note: The pepper will pretty much coat the entire side of the meat. Use more or less if you need to).

Place the steak in the pan and don’t touch it until it is time to turn it, about 3- 4 minutes per side for medium rare, 5-7 for medium well, 8-10 minutes for well done. (Note: The secret to the perfect crust, is to cook the meat in a medium- hot pan and NOT touch it. It will be fine, I know you want to pick it up and look at it as its cooking but don’t, resist all temptations. Trust me, it’s for the best).

Remove the steak from the pan, set on a plate and cover. Let rest for 10 minutes, it will continue to cook during this time. (Note: This is a very important step because if you cut the meat too early all of the juices will escape leaving you with a very tough piece of meat.) While the steak is resting, prepare your mushroom cream sauce.

For the mushroom cream sauce you will need:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste

In the same pan that you cook the steaks in, add the olive oil, mushrooms, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to soften and turn a golden color.

Next add beef broth, be sure to scape all the yummy bits off the bottom. (Note: The pan will be very hot so this will create a lot of steam, be careful).

Reduce the heat, add the half and half. Stir constantly as you bring it to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens, it should coat the back of a spoon.

Spoon over the steak and serve.

Help Me! I Have a Problem ...

2010-01-06T08:00:00.020-05:00

I'm addicted to kitchen gadgets. I can't seem to stop myself. Flea markets. Garage sales. The Target kitchen department. I always seem to be picking up new kitchen utensils. They are small. They are inexpensive (usually). They seem harmless. I have a mother-in-law that feeds my addiction. One Christmas she gave me a huge box full of OXO stuff. (Another it was a huge box of McCormick's spices!) Not to mention there is a sister-in-law who sells Pampered Chef!

But suddenly I find myself overrun with gizmos and gadgets. I had two (yes two) kitchen drawers so packed with these gadgets that they wouldn't even open. The handle broke on one ... let's say awhile ago (when my teenager was a toddler!) and I haven't even opened it since. I have a Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About crammed full of BBQ brushes and measuring spoons, silicone scrapers and pizza cutters. I also have an OXO Utensil Holder full of OXO spatulas and ladles and my microplane and a myriad of other utensils I feel I can't live without. :-)

Help! I've taken all my utensils out and sorted them onto the dining room table. I've eliminated the old. The poor quality. The broken and the useless. It would be easy to just say one of each but I *need* more than one set of tongs. Same with the pizza (and grilled cheese and ...) cutters. Some things I am going to have to have more than one. I accept that. My question is how to store it all. I'm putting the things I use daily out on the counter but how to store the rest so that it isn't just a big, impenetrable jumble? Any suggestions? Websites? Links to a 12 step program?

A Look Back ...

2010-01-05T08:00:00.019-05:00

I'm glad 2009 is over. From where I sit, most of it is worth forgetting.

There were, however, a few things I whipped up this year that we're going to want to see again in 2010.

Beer-Braised Bacon Bacon Cheeseburgers, for example. Delicious and good enough to serve to company, which we did. A couple of times!

Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip is a family favorite that I've made time and time again.

And then there was Kevin's Shrimp Saganaki. Shrimp and tomatoes bakes with salty Feta cheese. Yum!

We also have Kevin of Closet Cooking to thank for Jalapeno Popper Dip. And also for my new favorite: Hot Caramelized Onion Dip.

Cajun Chicken Pasta has become my go-to dish when I need to get a meal on the table quickly.

Italian White Bean and Sausage Stew just barely made it in under the deadline but it will surely reappear in 2010.

Serendipity: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

2010-01-04T08:00:00.005-05:00

I am now a firm believer in fate.

No doubt about it.

While I was grocery shopping the other day, a few items from the lady behind me made it into my order without my realizing it. Fortunately the woman behind me in line had good stuff. Instead of sugary cereal or processed American cheese which I would have expected (and the kids would hope for!) a log of Chevre goat cheese and a head of garlic came home with me. Doubly lucky because I love goat cheese and haven't had any for awhile. When I saw this recipe for Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas over at my new favorite blog, Pink Parsley this afternoon, I knew it was destined to be my new favorite lunch and I was right! The delicious, creamy tang of the melty goat cheese went perfectly with the sweetly caramelized onions and the meaty mushrooms. In fact I ended up eating both quesadillas without even giving hubby a chance to even taste one! I only used cremini mushrooms since that's all I had on hand (and there was no way this one was waiting until the next grocery store run!)

Take some time to check out Pink Parsley, a really great blog. I think I've bookmarked almost every other recipe. In fact, I made this one for dinner tonight. Check back later in the week to see how we liked it!

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
Recipe from Pink Parlsey

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 pounds mixed wild and commercial mushrooms, sliced (stem the shiitakes)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
8 8-inch flour tortillas
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded monterey jack cheese
3 cups (15 ounces) crumbled fresh goat cheese

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Add the white wine and pepper, and cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, at least 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms cook, coat a griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and heat to high heat. Reduce heat to medium when it is preheated.

Lay a tortilla flat on the cooking surface, and sprinkle 1/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese over the whole tortilla. Top half with about 1/3 cup of the mushroom mixture, then sprinkle with a thin layer of goat cheese. Use a stiff spatula and fold each tortilla in half. Cook until light brown and crisp on the bottom, then carefully flip and cook until the other side has browned.

Transfer to a plate and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To serve, cut each into 3-4 wedges, and serve with salsa for dipping.

What We're Eating for Dinner:January 3 - 9

2010-01-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Ecuadoran Locro Potato Soup, BLT sandwiches

Tuesday - Grilled Pork Sliders with Honey BBQ Sauce, cole slaw, baked sweet potato fries

Wednesday - Wrestling Meet! Tortilla soup, quesadillas, salad

Thursday - Basketball Game! Pizza Night

Friday - Chinese Beef with broccoli, steamed rice, Garlic Scallion Noodles, egg rolls

Saturday - Dinner with Friends!

Sunday - Dinner on the Road

Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge

2010-01-02T08:00:00.001-05:00

Now that 2010 has arrived I'm getting back on the ball. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. I'm getting back on track and Ten in 2010 over at RecipeGirl.com is going to help me do it. The Ten in 2010 Healthy Challenge is a way to help you make some healthy changes in your life during the first 10 weeks of 2010. Food bloggers and food blog readers from all over the world are joining together to support and encourage each other reach whatever healthy goals each participant is shooting for.

My goals for 2010:

Drink more water every day.
Get 25 mg fiber each day.
Exercise for 30 minutes, 5 days per week.
Add more fruits and vegetables to my diet.
Lose 10 pounds.

A big part of this goal is the One America 500 Festival Mini Marathon, a 13.1 mile race in May 2010 that my husband and I have signed up to run again this year. After taking some time off from running, it's gonna be a huge (and long overdue) step getting back into an exercise routine. And since food=fuel, it's going to be very important that I focus on eating healthier foods. Good for the race and good for my family and hopefully good for my blog readers since I will be trying a variety of new, healthier recipes through the next ten weeks (and hopefully beyond!)

If you'd like a little help in getting healthier this year, head on over to RecipeGirl.com and check out Ten in 2010. The more the merrier!

Goodbye ... and Good Riddance to 2009!

2010-01-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm calling a do-over! 2009 didn't work out at all the way I'd planned.

Well, now that 2009 is history and I look back over the past months I am pleasantly surprised that I'm still blogging. 2009 was not a stellar year. Too many losses. Too much sadness. Too many changes. (Too much weight gained!) Definitely a year we're happy to put behind us.

My original goal for I'm Running to Eat! has gone by the wayside this year. The blog was supposed to be a way to motivate myself to prepare healthier meals for my family as well as track my fitness goals and chronicle my journey to running a full marathon. Unfortunately plans changed this year and while I think I did well on preparing home-cooked meals instead of eating out, the "healthy" part slipped from the forefront and the running ended up to be non-existent by the end of 2009.

January always means New Year's Resolution's and this year is no exception.

In 2010, I'm Running to Eat! is going to be filled with more healthy family-fare. I'm going to be trying at least one new vegetable recipe each week while trying to convince my picky offspring that veggies can be tasty even if they are good for you. ;-)

Running and fitness are going to become a higher priority. DH and I are beginning a training program for our Half Marathon in May. All those extra pounds we accumulated in 2009 are gonna be out of here!

And I'm going to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. I'm going to be learning how to take better pictures with our new camera and all the neat photo equipment DH has gotten lately. I'm also participating in Ten in '10 Healthy Challenge over at RecipeGirl.com. Hopefully that will encourage me to stick to my healthy New Year's Resolutions (at least for the first ten weeks!) Head on over to RecipeGirl.com to join in on the challenge.

Happy 2010 to all of you. Hope you all have a great year!

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 28-January 3

2009-12-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Cube steak, Mashed Potatoes, Kidney Beans

Tuesday - Grilled Mexican Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa, Mexican Rice

Wednesday - Peppery Beef Stew, Parsley Potatoes, bread

Thursday - Dinner at Grandma's House!

Friday - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Hot Granny Sauce,

Saturday - Out of Town!

Sunday - Bacon and Egg Pasta, salad, bread

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 20 - 26

2009-12-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Monday - Bolognese Bread Pizza (make a double batch of sauce for Wednesday's dinner), salad

Tuesday - Jambalaya, celery and carrots with ranch dip, crusty bread

Wednesday - Pasta Bolognese, salad, Garlic bread

Thursday - Christmas Eve at Pa's House!

Friday - Christmas!

Saturday - Grilled Pork Sliders with Honey BBQ Sauce, fries

Sunday - Family Gathering at Grandma's!

Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew

2009-12-17T08:00:00.005-05:00

I came across two similar recipes for an Italian Sausage stew the other day and I knew it must be fate. I made a quick dash to the grocery store and made it for dinner that very night!

The first recipe came from a new-t0-me blog called piExperiment. That recipe included zucchini, which I thought sounded good, and red bell peppers, which dh prefers. The second recipe was at A Dash of Sass, another new-to-me blog. Both sounded delicious so I sort of combined the two. I used the zucchini and red bell peppers and I left out the pasta. Be sure to use a good sausage. It realllly makes the dish. I used a sweet Italian sausage but I think next time I'll use a more spicy, hot sausage instead. Served with some crusty whole grain bread, it was a quite a hearty meal. Another plus - it was on the table in under 30 minutes. You gotta like that, especially during this busy time of year!

Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew
Original recipe from A Dash of Sass
Slightly different recipe from PiExperiment

16 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced onion
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian blend spices*
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the pan. Add red peppers and onion. Saute until soft. Add minced garlic and quickly saute. Be careful to continue stirring to avoid burning the garlic. Add sausage to pepper and onion mixture. Cook until browned and crumbled, approximately 5 to 8 minutes.

Add beans and tomatoes. Add herbs. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked through.

Add some fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese and stir.

Serve topped with more Parmesan cheese.

* Feel free to substitute an Italian blend of spices for the basil and oregano if you don’t have those individually.

What We're Eating for Dinner: December 13-19

2009-12-13T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie again. Be sure to stop by and check out all the other delicious menu plans at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Here's what we will be eating this week:

Sunday - Bacon and Egg Pasta, salad, bread

Monday - Peking Chicken Pizza, Salad

Tuesday -Crockpot Soup and Sandwiches! Creamy Onion soup, Bacon Sandwiches

Wednesday - Blackened Tilapia Sandwich with Cilantro-Lime Mayo, Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday - Hoisin Chicken Bowls, Egg Drop Soup,

Friday - Out of Town! Pizza Night!

Saturday - Cube Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Kidney Beans

Sunday - Chicken-Green Chili Straws with Jalapeno-Honey Dip,