I can't stop singing Adam Sandler's "Lunchlady Land" whenever I think of what we're having tonight...
Hoagies and grinders, hoagies and grinders
Navy beans, navy beans, navy beans
MEATBALL SANDWICH
Or at least I think it's meatball sandwich. I guess now that I think about it, it could be meatloaf. Oh well...when I sing it, it's meatball.
I wanted something fast since it's Halloween and we're heading to a Trunk-or-Treat thing at our old church, so we need something quick and easy. I bought soy meatballs at Trader Joe's last week (thanks again, Jo!), so we're using those. I'm going to be a bit adventurous with them and use pita bread instead of hoagie rolls (back to Lunchlady Land...) because I also bought pita bread at TJ's, and I think it might be interesting. Since I'm making this all up as I go tonight (with the hope there's a back-up dinner option at the Halloween thing), I don't have a real recipe to post (oh, and did I mention I've never actually made any sort of meatball sandwich before?), but I'll try and write one up. I'll do it for four servings.
Meatball Sandwiches
24 meatballs
spaghetti sauce
4 pita breads
mozzarella cheese
Heat meatballs according to package directions. Mix with spaghetti sauce. Stuff in pita, six meatballs per pita. Add cheese (amount to your liking).
*****
How's that for super casual? I picked six meatballs because that's what the serving size on the package was. It's rare that I completely wing a meal like I'm doing tonight, so I hope it turns out okay. I'll probably heat up the pitas a bit so they're a little easier to work with. So cross your fingers for me, and I'll report back on how they turned out!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Review
Oh wait...did I ever review the portobello parmesan? I don't think I did! It was EXCELLENT. Man, was it good. I was tempted to call Jen and sing her praises after the first bite. THanks, Jen, for an awesome recipe! We will be having that again for sure.
Now for the chicken. It was good. I should have used my regular food processor instead of my mini food chopper, but it turned out okay. The chicken was really good, I did it outside on the grill (less pans to clean!). We had it with baked potatoes. I guess it's almost like a pesto (minus the nuts) that goes on the chicken. I love the flavor of it.
Now for the chicken. It was good. I should have used my regular food processor instead of my mini food chopper, but it turned out okay. The chicken was really good, I did it outside on the grill (less pans to clean!). We had it with baked potatoes. I guess it's almost like a pesto (minus the nuts) that goes on the chicken. I love the flavor of it.
Basic and Garlic-Slathered Chicken Breasts
It's taken me all day to figure out what to have for dinner, if I wanted to stick with what I had planned or do something different. This is what I decided upon because I bought basil at Trader Joe's this past weekend.
Basic and Garlic-Slathered Chicken Breasts
3 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil -- to taste (+ additional for grill)
few drops lemon juice -- optional
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
In a food processor or a mortar, process or mash the garlic together with the salt. Add the basil and pepper and continue to mix until well combined. Add just enough oil to make a paste. If desired, add a few drops of lemon juice. Set aside.
Pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and, using your hand, a skillet or a rolling pin, gently flatten it to an even thickness of about 1/2". Transfer to a resealable plastic bag or a plate, add the basil paste and shake or smear to coat the chicken evenly.
Preheat the grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the rack or pan. Grill the chicken, turning once, just until cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Serve hot.
*****
We've had this before but not in a long time. It was really good when we had it. Not sure what we'll have with it. It took me this long to figure out what to make, it will be a last minute side dish decision!
P.S. I originally had the wrong title on there--that was the other option I was going to make. If you haappened to see it, watch for those on Saturday night.
Basic and Garlic-Slathered Chicken Breasts
3 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil -- to taste (+ additional for grill)
few drops lemon juice -- optional
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
In a food processor or a mortar, process or mash the garlic together with the salt. Add the basil and pepper and continue to mix until well combined. Add just enough oil to make a paste. If desired, add a few drops of lemon juice. Set aside.
Pat the chicken dry. Place the chicken between 2 sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and, using your hand, a skillet or a rolling pin, gently flatten it to an even thickness of about 1/2". Transfer to a resealable plastic bag or a plate, add the basil paste and shake or smear to coat the chicken evenly.
Preheat the grill or place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly oil the rack or pan. Grill the chicken, turning once, just until cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Serve hot.
*****
We've had this before but not in a long time. It was really good when we had it. Not sure what we'll have with it. It took me this long to figure out what to make, it will be a last minute side dish decision!
P.S. I originally had the wrong title on there--that was the other option I was going to make. If you haappened to see it, watch for those on Saturday night.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Portobello Parmesan
So this is what we are having for dinner tonight. This recipe comes to me from my friend Jen Bowman (Hi, Jen!!). I can't wait to try it. I had seen a similar one somewhere but of course would never be able to find it if forced, and in all actuality probably would have forgotten about it if she hadn't told me she had a good recipe for it. I keep forgetting this is what we're having, then when I look at my dinner list for the week I get all excited.
Portobello Parmesan
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the grill pan
4 to 6 Portobello mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the grill to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the grilled mushrooms on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the cheeses and top with the butter pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve.
*****
Doesn't this sound SO GOOD?!?!??! I almost start drooling whenever Jen tells me about recipes she makes because they all sound so good. She's even getting me to branch out and try squash, but that will be another bonus post later in the week. Which reminds me, I need to find out from her how long butternut squash last. Anyway, I only bought two mushrooms because once again I didn't look at the recipe before going to the store. But, I don't think the boy would eat it anyway, so it works out. I will probably cook up a little spaghetti on the side to have with it. That's what we usually have as a side when we have chicken parmesan. My marinara sauce will be Prego or Ragu, whichever it is I have open in the fridge. And I may increase the cheese a bit, too. Half a cup of mozzarella hardly seems like enough for cheese whores like we are!
Tomorrow's dinner is up in the air now, by the way. I bought fresh basil at Trader Joe's this weekend, so I was going to make a basil chicken recipe I have, but 1) I'm pretty low on chicken breasts, and 2) I kind of want to use it to make tomato basil soup to freeze. I don't know, I'll think on it and see what I decide to do.
Portobello Parmesan
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the grill pan
4 to 6 Portobello mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the grill to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the grilled mushrooms on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the cheeses and top with the butter pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve.
*****
Doesn't this sound SO GOOD?!?!??! I almost start drooling whenever Jen tells me about recipes she makes because they all sound so good. She's even getting me to branch out and try squash, but that will be another bonus post later in the week. Which reminds me, I need to find out from her how long butternut squash last. Anyway, I only bought two mushrooms because once again I didn't look at the recipe before going to the store. But, I don't think the boy would eat it anyway, so it works out. I will probably cook up a little spaghetti on the side to have with it. That's what we usually have as a side when we have chicken parmesan. My marinara sauce will be Prego or Ragu, whichever it is I have open in the fridge. And I may increase the cheese a bit, too. Half a cup of mozzarella hardly seems like enough for cheese whores like we are!
Tomorrow's dinner is up in the air now, by the way. I bought fresh basil at Trader Joe's this weekend, so I was going to make a basil chicken recipe I have, but 1) I'm pretty low on chicken breasts, and 2) I kind of want to use it to make tomato basil soup to freeze. I don't know, I'll think on it and see what I decide to do.
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
AKA Lauren's Enchiladas
AKA White Girl Enchiladas
So this recipe originally came from my friend Lauren. Five of my friends and I started a monthly cooking club several years ago (before any of us had kids and could still go do fun stuff on week nights), and the hostess always made the main dish then we'd all bring side dishes or salad or dessert to go with. When Lauren hosted, this is what she made. It was so good. She sent me the recipe the next day, and I've been making it ever since. That was at least three years ago if not more. Remember awhile back I said that I had two enchilada recipes I used when I had leftover chicken? This is the other one. Since it was Lauren's recipe, I called it Lauren's enchiladas.
Now, probably two years ago or so I was telling my boss I was making enchiladas for dinner. She's Mexican and asked how I did them. I told her. She laughed and said, "Claire, no Mexican would make enchiladas that way. Those are white girl enchiladas." So, then they became "White Girl Enchiladas" which is a funny name I think.
Long story short (too late), this is what I made to take to my friend Cindy for dinner. Her little baby boy, Ryan Arthur, was born six weeks early but was only in the NICU for a few days before being sent home. I think this is his second or third week home now. I can't remember, I've had so many friends having babies lately and so many that are pregnant, I can't keep track of who was born or will be born when. Anyway, this is what they are having for dinner. I'm kind of jealous...it's one of my favorites.
White Girl Enchiladas
1-2 lbs chicken (depending on how much you are making)
1-2 small cans of diced green chilis
8 oz block of cream cheese
8-10 flour tortillas
15 oz. can Green Chili enchilada sauce
1 pkg. Cheddar/Mexican Cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook chicken and shred or cut into small pieces in a pan on the stove. Cut up 8 oz. of cream cheese into small pieces so it melts easier. Mix chicken with cream cheese and 1-2 cans of diced green chilis (depending on how spicy you want them) in the pan on medium heat.
Fill each tortilla with mix and fold up. Place into a lightly greased cooking pan, folded side down. Pour cheese and sauce over the enchiladas and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
*****
I always use chicken that's already cooked when I make these, so I just use whatever I have left. Another easy option is to get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery. I also use the big can of enchilada sauce (even though I usually have some left) and pour a little of that in to the chicken mixture while it's on the stove.
AKA White Girl Enchiladas
So this recipe originally came from my friend Lauren. Five of my friends and I started a monthly cooking club several years ago (before any of us had kids and could still go do fun stuff on week nights), and the hostess always made the main dish then we'd all bring side dishes or salad or dessert to go with. When Lauren hosted, this is what she made. It was so good. She sent me the recipe the next day, and I've been making it ever since. That was at least three years ago if not more. Remember awhile back I said that I had two enchilada recipes I used when I had leftover chicken? This is the other one. Since it was Lauren's recipe, I called it Lauren's enchiladas.
Now, probably two years ago or so I was telling my boss I was making enchiladas for dinner. She's Mexican and asked how I did them. I told her. She laughed and said, "Claire, no Mexican would make enchiladas that way. Those are white girl enchiladas." So, then they became "White Girl Enchiladas" which is a funny name I think.
Long story short (too late), this is what I made to take to my friend Cindy for dinner. Her little baby boy, Ryan Arthur, was born six weeks early but was only in the NICU for a few days before being sent home. I think this is his second or third week home now. I can't remember, I've had so many friends having babies lately and so many that are pregnant, I can't keep track of who was born or will be born when. Anyway, this is what they are having for dinner. I'm kind of jealous...it's one of my favorites.
White Girl Enchiladas
1-2 lbs chicken (depending on how much you are making)
1-2 small cans of diced green chilis
8 oz block of cream cheese
8-10 flour tortillas
15 oz. can Green Chili enchilada sauce
1 pkg. Cheddar/Mexican Cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cook chicken and shred or cut into small pieces in a pan on the stove. Cut up 8 oz. of cream cheese into small pieces so it melts easier. Mix chicken with cream cheese and 1-2 cans of diced green chilis (depending on how spicy you want them) in the pan on medium heat.
Fill each tortilla with mix and fold up. Place into a lightly greased cooking pan, folded side down. Pour cheese and sauce over the enchiladas and put in the oven for 20 minutes.
*****
I always use chicken that's already cooked when I make these, so I just use whatever I have left. Another easy option is to get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery. I also use the big can of enchilada sauce (even though I usually have some left) and pour a little of that in to the chicken mixture while it's on the stove.
Review (really a Trader Joe's review)
Okay, first I forgot to point out or mention that my anniversary dinner post was post #100!! How exciting.
Second, now I know I didn't actually make the ahi tuna steaks, but I felt I should let everyone know that they were FANTASTIC. I over-cooked them a bit, more like medium or medium-well, but they were still tasty. My uncle is a master at grilling, so I was telling him about them last night. He said he always overcooks them too, but a friend said you really only want to cook/sear the steak for about a minute on each side to get it perfect. This will become a regular purchase of ours at TJ's. They tasted fantastic, and you can't beat the price. We had a box of Oriental flavor rice-a-roni with it, so the whole dinner was only $6. Not bad for ahi tuna!
Oh, and I also discovered Trader Joe's Sparkling Mojito Beverage. I just had my first glass, and it is quite tasty. It says on the back it can be consumed on its own or with rum to make a real mojito. Although I was tempted to add in a little Bacardi, I held off. Although I think tonight during "Heroes" I may spike it and see how it is.
I heart Trader Joe's!
Second, now I know I didn't actually make the ahi tuna steaks, but I felt I should let everyone know that they were FANTASTIC. I over-cooked them a bit, more like medium or medium-well, but they were still tasty. My uncle is a master at grilling, so I was telling him about them last night. He said he always overcooks them too, but a friend said you really only want to cook/sear the steak for about a minute on each side to get it perfect. This will become a regular purchase of ours at TJ's. They tasted fantastic, and you can't beat the price. We had a box of Oriental flavor rice-a-roni with it, so the whole dinner was only $6. Not bad for ahi tuna!
Oh, and I also discovered Trader Joe's Sparkling Mojito Beverage. I just had my first glass, and it is quite tasty. It says on the back it can be consumed on its own or with rum to make a real mojito. Although I was tempted to add in a little Bacardi, I held off. Although I think tonight during "Heroes" I may spike it and see how it is.
I heart Trader Joe's!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Marinated Ahi Tuna Steaks
Just kidding. Actually we are having that for dinner, but it was frozen marinated ahi tuna steaks from Trader Joe's. It was $5 per pound...how could I pass that up?! Two steaks in a package, and the marinade smells so good. Not sure what all is in it...ingredients were listed on the package, but now I don't remember what it was. I haven't ever cooked ahi before, but luckily I saw a recipe in one of my Barefoot Contessa books for it a couple days ago, so I looked up how to sear it. I hope it turns out okay. We're having rice-a-roni on the side. Classy and klassy. ;) Hey, it's an easy dinner for me, what more can I ask.
Tomorrow night we're going to my grandma's for dinner, so I'll be back on Monday. Actually Monday you'll get two recipes because I'm making something to take to a friend that just had a baby, so I'll post that and what we're having for dinner. Lucky dogs, y'all are! ;)
Now, back to my Hurricane.
Tomorrow night we're going to my grandma's for dinner, so I'll be back on Monday. Actually Monday you'll get two recipes because I'm making something to take to a friend that just had a baby, so I'll post that and what we're having for dinner. Lucky dogs, y'all are! ;)
Now, back to my Hurricane.
Review
Fan-freakin-tastic. That's how everything we had last night was. The brie was awesome (I took a picture...will upload it and add it sometime this weekend). We actually ended up eating it plain, without crackers or anything, because it was so good.
Then the crawfish. Oh man. OH MAN. Was it ever good. We ate all of it. Every last bite. John finished his before I did and was trying to steal food off my plate. Needless to say, he got his hand slapped. Seriously. It smelled so good while the crawfish was cooking, and the gouda was so good with it. I'd highly recommend it. For those of you in AZ, the only places I've ever seen crawfish tail meat is Walmart and AJ's. Obviously it's much cheaper at Walmart, although I noticed the price had gone up since the last time I bought it.
THe only downside was that our shipment of Hurricane mix didn't get here until 9:00 PM! I guess there's a lot of backlog with all the So Cal fires. John had given up hope it was coming, but I kept praying (literally) and had my fingers crossed. We were actually out front when we saw the truck come around the corner. One of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. And they're oh-so-tasty. We're actually having another round of them tonight. :)
Then the crawfish. Oh man. OH MAN. Was it ever good. We ate all of it. Every last bite. John finished his before I did and was trying to steal food off my plate. Needless to say, he got his hand slapped. Seriously. It smelled so good while the crawfish was cooking, and the gouda was so good with it. I'd highly recommend it. For those of you in AZ, the only places I've ever seen crawfish tail meat is Walmart and AJ's. Obviously it's much cheaper at Walmart, although I noticed the price had gone up since the last time I bought it.
THe only downside was that our shipment of Hurricane mix didn't get here until 9:00 PM! I guess there's a lot of backlog with all the So Cal fires. John had given up hope it was coming, but I kept praying (literally) and had my fingers crossed. We were actually out front when we saw the truck come around the corner. One of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. And they're oh-so-tasty. We're actually having another round of them tonight. :)
Friday, October 26, 2007
Anniversary Dinner
So we're officially celebrating our anniversary tonight after Will goes to bed. We always watch our wedding video on our anniversary, but last night we had our Thursday shows, so we figured we'd watch it tonight when we have our official celebration.
I have to say, I'm really excited for this dinner. John is from New Orleans and introduced me to the drink, Hurricanes. And if you're drinking Hurricanes, you have to use the offical Pat O'Brien's mix, from the bar in New Orleans. We ordered some last week, and it's supposed to get here tonight. We haven't had it in awhile, so it will be good. Of course, there's a ton of alcohol in them so one or two will knock you on your butt! Anyway, we figured we needed something that went with that so I turned to my "Best of the Best from Louisiana" cookbook. But, before we have dinner we're having baked brie. So, my friends, you get two recipes for the price of one today!
Hot Baked Brie
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup almonds or pecans, finely chopped
Small round brie cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat. Add nuts and saute for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove top rind from brie. Press nuts into soft part of brie using back of spoon. Bake in covered ceramic or glass dish for 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately with crackers or french bread.
*****
Gouda Crawfish
2 Tbsp butter
1 pound crawfish tails
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry Vermouth
1 Tbsp seafood seasoning
1/2 package frozen puff pastry
1 pound round Gouda cheese, cut into large slices
Melted butter
Simmer butter, crawfish, onions, parsley, and garlic until crawfish are tender. Add cream, parmesan cheese, vermouth, and seasoning. Simmer until liquid is consumed. Set aside to cool.
Defrost 1/2 package of puff pastry to room temperature. Place one pastry on baking sheet. Add gouda cheese in center. Add crawfish mixture on top of cheese. Fold pastry over cheese and crawfish. Seal edges. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 10.
*****
Okay, so this is a new baked brie recipe for me, but it sounds really easy and yummy. I love baked brie, so I'm totally excited for it. I may slice up some apples to have with it as well.
Now, the crawfish recipe has me salavating. I'm actually halving the recipe because we just don't need 10 servings, and if it's as good as it sounds, we'd sit there and eat the whole thing. Plus half a pound of gouda was $5, and I couldn't justify spending $10 on a pound of cheese, even though it is a special occasion. The package of crawfish I got is only 12 ounces anyway, so I was shy on that to begin with. It actually sounds like another recipe I make, Jazz Fest crawfish bread. We'll see how this compares. Oh yeah, I didn't want to have to buy vermouth, so I looked up substitutes and found white wine vinegar can be used instead, so that's what I'll be doing. I'm also using fat-free half and half instead of the cream. I hope it turns out okay. I should have splurged on the calories and fat, but I already have the half and half.
Oh man, I just can't wait. I figure I can get the brie all ready to go, and John can pop it in the oven while I put the kid to bed, then it should be ready and waiting for me once I come back downstairs.
Oh, we're also having a salad. Spring mix with feta, walnuts, craisins, and balsamic vinagrette. I know I spelled that wrong, I always spell that wrong. It's my grandma's vinagrette recipe, and it's so good. If I remember, I'll post the recipe for that when I get it out later. It's the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.
I have to say, I'm really excited for this dinner. John is from New Orleans and introduced me to the drink, Hurricanes. And if you're drinking Hurricanes, you have to use the offical Pat O'Brien's mix, from the bar in New Orleans. We ordered some last week, and it's supposed to get here tonight. We haven't had it in awhile, so it will be good. Of course, there's a ton of alcohol in them so one or two will knock you on your butt! Anyway, we figured we needed something that went with that so I turned to my "Best of the Best from Louisiana" cookbook. But, before we have dinner we're having baked brie. So, my friends, you get two recipes for the price of one today!
Hot Baked Brie
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup almonds or pecans, finely chopped
Small round brie cheese
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter over medium heat. Add nuts and saute for 5 minutes. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove top rind from brie. Press nuts into soft part of brie using back of spoon. Bake in covered ceramic or glass dish for 5-7 minutes. Serve immediately with crackers or french bread.
*****
Gouda Crawfish
2 Tbsp butter
1 pound crawfish tails
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 cup dry Vermouth
1 Tbsp seafood seasoning
1/2 package frozen puff pastry
1 pound round Gouda cheese, cut into large slices
Melted butter
Simmer butter, crawfish, onions, parsley, and garlic until crawfish are tender. Add cream, parmesan cheese, vermouth, and seasoning. Simmer until liquid is consumed. Set aside to cool.
Defrost 1/2 package of puff pastry to room temperature. Place one pastry on baking sheet. Add gouda cheese in center. Add crawfish mixture on top of cheese. Fold pastry over cheese and crawfish. Seal edges. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Serves 10.
*****
Okay, so this is a new baked brie recipe for me, but it sounds really easy and yummy. I love baked brie, so I'm totally excited for it. I may slice up some apples to have with it as well.
Now, the crawfish recipe has me salavating. I'm actually halving the recipe because we just don't need 10 servings, and if it's as good as it sounds, we'd sit there and eat the whole thing. Plus half a pound of gouda was $5, and I couldn't justify spending $10 on a pound of cheese, even though it is a special occasion. The package of crawfish I got is only 12 ounces anyway, so I was shy on that to begin with. It actually sounds like another recipe I make, Jazz Fest crawfish bread. We'll see how this compares. Oh yeah, I didn't want to have to buy vermouth, so I looked up substitutes and found white wine vinegar can be used instead, so that's what I'll be doing. I'm also using fat-free half and half instead of the cream. I hope it turns out okay. I should have splurged on the calories and fat, but I already have the half and half.
Oh man, I just can't wait. I figure I can get the brie all ready to go, and John can pop it in the oven while I put the kid to bed, then it should be ready and waiting for me once I come back downstairs.
Oh, we're also having a salad. Spring mix with feta, walnuts, craisins, and balsamic vinagrette. I know I spelled that wrong, I always spell that wrong. It's my grandma's vinagrette recipe, and it's so good. If I remember, I'll post the recipe for that when I get it out later. It's the perfect mix of tangy and sweet.
Crockpot Roast Chicken
Forgot to post yesterday, but it was my wedding anniversary so cut me some slack. ;) I wanted to do something in the crockpot so I didn't really have to cook dinner. I figured I'd do a whole chicken, but I wanted something other than my usual. I found this recipe in my "Fix It and Forget It" cookbook. It was pretty easy, I didn't notice much taste difference. Chicken is chicken, I guess!
Frances' Roast Chicken
3-4 lb whole frying chicken
half an onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
Sprinkle chicken cavity with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Put onion and celery inside cavity. Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with basil. Cover, cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.
*****
I actually rubbed some of the poultry seasoning and basil under the skin of the chicken to flavor the meat a little. I think that was all I did differently. I'll go ahead and review it here since we already had it. It was good, not much easier or harder than my usual corckpot chicken, but I did find that it was harder to cut up the chicken with all the celery and onion in the cavity.
Frances' Roast Chicken
3-4 lb whole frying chicken
half an onion, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp dried basil
Sprinkle chicken cavity with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Put onion and celery inside cavity. Put chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with basil. Cover, cook on low 8-10 hours or high 4-6 hours.
*****
I actually rubbed some of the poultry seasoning and basil under the skin of the chicken to flavor the meat a little. I think that was all I did differently. I'll go ahead and review it here since we already had it. It was good, not much easier or harder than my usual corckpot chicken, but I did find that it was harder to cut up the chicken with all the celery and onion in the cavity.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Review
Bad. The meatloaf was bad. It wasn't meatloaf, it was a pie plate full of fake meat with onions, celery, and BBQ sauce mixed in. I don't know why it didn't hold together and keep its loaf shape, but it didn't. I went to cut a piece for Will and found I had to use a spoon. We ended up eating it on hamburger buns. I am so incredibly bummed. The best part of meatloaf is having a meatloaf sandwich the next day, and I was so looking forward to a meatloaf sandwich. Instead we ended up with something more like sloppy joe's. Definitely won't be making this again. I have no idea what happened...I guess I should look over the recipe again and make sure I had everything right, although I'm almost positive I did.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
BBQ "Meatloaf"
Why is meatloaf in quotes, you might be asking? Because I'm making it with Boca grounds, not beef. I'm totally addicted to these things now, especially since I found the recipe section on their website. Plus the box is less than $3 at Walmart; you can't get lean ground beef for that price unless it's on sale! This is a new one for us, so we'll see how it turns out!
BBQ "Meatloaf" Bake
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen BOCA Meatless Ground Burger
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg product
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Microwave ground burger in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. Add all remaining ingredients except ketchup; mix lightly. Let stand 5 min.
SHAPE into loaf in 8-inch pie plate or into 2 smaller loaves in 2 miniature loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray. Spread top evenly with ketchup.
BAKE 35 min. or until cooked through.
*****
I think I have the Italian style bread crumbs, not plain, but I doubt that makes much difference. I'm excited to try it. I don't know what to have with it, though. I was thinking baked potatoes, but the only toppings we'd have would be butter and cheese since I used the last of our sour cream for the stuffed shells. I guess I'll look through the pantry and see what all we have.
BBQ "Meatloaf" Bake
1 pkg. (12 oz.) frozen BOCA Meatless Ground Burger
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup cholesterol-free egg product
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Microwave ground burger in medium microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1-1/2 min. Add all remaining ingredients except ketchup; mix lightly. Let stand 5 min.
SHAPE into loaf in 8-inch pie plate or into 2 smaller loaves in 2 miniature loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray. Spread top evenly with ketchup.
BAKE 35 min. or until cooked through.
*****
I think I have the Italian style bread crumbs, not plain, but I doubt that makes much difference. I'm excited to try it. I don't know what to have with it, though. I was thinking baked potatoes, but the only toppings we'd have would be butter and cheese since I used the last of our sour cream for the stuffed shells. I guess I'll look through the pantry and see what all we have.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Chicken Stir Fry
Man, I feel like I've been sitting here typing forever! This week I'm trying to use things I had on hand because I didn't want to spend a lot on groceries. That didn't really end up happening, but in my defense I shopped at Walmart so I bought things over than groceries, too.
Tonight we're having chicken stir fry which is always easy and a cheap dinner. I always have chicken breasts, rice, and teriyaki sauce on hand, so I just had to buy a bag of stir fry veggies (which, by the way, were more expensive at Walmart than my usual store...surprising!). I know I've posted it here before, so not very exciting, but tomorrow night's dinner is something brand-spankin' new so get excited!
Chicken Stir Fry
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
teriyaki sauce, to taste
hot, cooked rice
Cook chicken pieces in skillet or wok. Once cooked through, add in bag of frozen vegetables. Cover and cook until vegetables are heated through. Add in teriyaki sauce to your liking (we like it to be pretty saucy). Mix together, serve over rice.
*****
It's a pretty unofficial recipe as you can tell. I use Yoshida's Teriyaki for ours, I buy it at Costco in a big thing. After the chicken and veggies are cooked, I just pour some in the pan until it looks saucy enough and then stir to coat the chicken and veggies. I've also marinated the chicken in the sauce before cooking it, too, but I have to think ahead to do that, which I didn't today. I either have some kind of horrible cold that won't go away or my allergies are really bad. Not sure which, but either way there's not a lot getting done around my house!
Tonight we're having chicken stir fry which is always easy and a cheap dinner. I always have chicken breasts, rice, and teriyaki sauce on hand, so I just had to buy a bag of stir fry veggies (which, by the way, were more expensive at Walmart than my usual store...surprising!). I know I've posted it here before, so not very exciting, but tomorrow night's dinner is something brand-spankin' new so get excited!
Chicken Stir Fry
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
teriyaki sauce, to taste
hot, cooked rice
Cook chicken pieces in skillet or wok. Once cooked through, add in bag of frozen vegetables. Cover and cook until vegetables are heated through. Add in teriyaki sauce to your liking (we like it to be pretty saucy). Mix together, serve over rice.
*****
It's a pretty unofficial recipe as you can tell. I use Yoshida's Teriyaki for ours, I buy it at Costco in a big thing. After the chicken and veggies are cooked, I just pour some in the pan until it looks saucy enough and then stir to coat the chicken and veggies. I've also marinated the chicken in the sauce before cooking it, too, but I have to think ahead to do that, which I didn't today. I either have some kind of horrible cold that won't go away or my allergies are really bad. Not sure which, but either way there's not a lot getting done around my house!
Review
Okay, so I was getting ready to make dinner, all excited for stuffed shells because I love them. The whole reason I was making them was because I had leftover ricotta cheese from when we had lasagna recently. Did I check the recipe before going grocery shopping? Nope, because I figured I had everything for them. Figured wrong. I had slightly more than one cup of ricotta but nowhere near the two cups I'd need to replace the one cup of cottage cheese.
So I did a little creative cooking.
My grandma's lasagna recipe uses sour cream and cream cheese, both of which I had on hand. So I used a little more than one cup of ricotta, probably 2/3 cup sour cream, and somewhere around five ounces of cream cheese (it was slightly more than half of the block). Wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out, but my universal back-up plan is the Little Ceaser's pizza a mile away and a $5 pepperoni pizza. I kept everything else the same, although I did put some mozzarella on the top. Oh, and I used an 8x8 square pan which used about half the shells (anyone want about 18 cooked pasta shells?).
I found even with the smaller pan that 20 minutes was too short. I increased the oven temperature to 400 and uncovered it and set the time for seven minutes. It maybe could have used a couple more minutes, but I gave the middle shells to my son since they weren't as hot.
So how was the filling, you ask? Fan-freakin-tastic!!! I like it so much better than the original recipe, although the husband said he'd have to have them both side by side to judge. Yeah right, like that's ever going to happen!
Next time, I'm only cooking half the box of shells and doing the small version instead of the 9x13 size. And I'm sticking with the new filling I created!
So I did a little creative cooking.
My grandma's lasagna recipe uses sour cream and cream cheese, both of which I had on hand. So I used a little more than one cup of ricotta, probably 2/3 cup sour cream, and somewhere around five ounces of cream cheese (it was slightly more than half of the block). Wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out, but my universal back-up plan is the Little Ceaser's pizza a mile away and a $5 pepperoni pizza. I kept everything else the same, although I did put some mozzarella on the top. Oh, and I used an 8x8 square pan which used about half the shells (anyone want about 18 cooked pasta shells?).
I found even with the smaller pan that 20 minutes was too short. I increased the oven temperature to 400 and uncovered it and set the time for seven minutes. It maybe could have used a couple more minutes, but I gave the middle shells to my son since they weren't as hot.
So how was the filling, you ask? Fan-freakin-tastic!!! I like it so much better than the original recipe, although the husband said he'd have to have them both side by side to judge. Yeah right, like that's ever going to happen!
Next time, I'm only cooking half the box of shells and doing the small version instead of the 9x13 size. And I'm sticking with the new filling I created!
Stuffed Shells
Okay, we actually had this last night for dinner, I just kept forgetting to get online and type up the recipe. Here's a little secret...I'm much faster at putting up my recipes when they're online or on the computer already. When I have to type them out, I procrastinate. Anyway, I'll pretend it's yesterday and just type up the recipe as is and then tell you all the changes I ended up having to make in the review.
BTW, this is a Weight Watchers recipe (4 points per serving), in case you keep track of that. Which I should but don't.
Stuffed Shells
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cups canned tomato sauce
1 pound cooked pasta, jumbo shells, approximately 24 shells
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together cheeses, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper. Spread a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce on bottom of a 9x13 pan. When cooked shells are cool enough to handle, fill each shell with cheese mixture and place in baking dish. When all shells are in dish, spoon remaining tomato sauce over shells. Cover pan and back for 20 minutes. Yields about 4 shells per serving.
*****
Now, on the recipe I have written next to the cheeses "more of each." Not sure if that's because we love cheese or it just didn't make enough filling for all of the shells. I have also written that 20 minutes is not a long enough cooking time, but I failed to write down how long I ended up cooking them for. I'm sure this was one of those nights where I kept setting the timer for five more minutes, checking and finding out the middle was still cold, setting it for seven more minutes, etc. I'd also bet our son ended up having a hot dog because it got to be too late for him to eat, and John and I ate after he went to bed. Oh, and a tip on the shells...24 shells is roughly the whole package, so just pour the whole box into the boiling water, don't waste your time counting them out. Learned that one the hard way. Or long way I guess.
BTW, this is a Weight Watchers recipe (4 points per serving), in case you keep track of that. Which I should but don't.
Stuffed Shells
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cups canned tomato sauce
1 pound cooked pasta, jumbo shells, approximately 24 shells
Preheat oven to 375. Mix together cheeses, salt, garlic powder, oregano, and pepper. Spread a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce on bottom of a 9x13 pan. When cooked shells are cool enough to handle, fill each shell with cheese mixture and place in baking dish. When all shells are in dish, spoon remaining tomato sauce over shells. Cover pan and back for 20 minutes. Yields about 4 shells per serving.
*****
Now, on the recipe I have written next to the cheeses "more of each." Not sure if that's because we love cheese or it just didn't make enough filling for all of the shells. I have also written that 20 minutes is not a long enough cooking time, but I failed to write down how long I ended up cooking them for. I'm sure this was one of those nights where I kept setting the timer for five more minutes, checking and finding out the middle was still cold, setting it for seven more minutes, etc. I'd also bet our son ended up having a hot dog because it got to be too late for him to eat, and John and I ate after he went to bed. Oh, and a tip on the shells...24 shells is roughly the whole package, so just pour the whole box into the boiling water, don't waste your time counting them out. Learned that one the hard way. Or long way I guess.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Chicken Tacos
So we didn't end up over-seeding because it's really windy. My friend Jen informs me it took them an hour and their yard is probably three times the size of ours, so perhaps it's not as big a job as I thought. Regardless, I decided I didn't want to deal with making stuffed shells, so I went with crockpot chicken tacos. It took me awhile to find this, I couldn't remember which cookbook it was in. It's super easy, and we haven't had it in a long time, so I'm pretty excited.
Chicken Soft Tacos
1 to 1-1/2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14-1/2 oz can low-sodium diced tomates with green chilies
1 envelope low sodium taco seasoning
Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Mix tomatoes with taco seasoning and pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve in soft tortillas. Top with salsa, low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, and tomatoes.
*****
I don't used the reduced sodium for either. I buy taco seasoning in a big thng at Costco, so I use that. I also didn't have the tomatoes with green chilies, but I did have a can of green chilies, so I threw those in as well.
Now, once it's done cooking, I put the chicken into a bowl and use two forks to shred it. Then I add in some of the sauce that's in the crockpot. Add as much sauce as you like, but I like the extra flavoring it gives. I just remembered I have one avocado left I think, so we can even have guacamole with it! Hooray!
Chicken Soft Tacos
1 to 1-1/2 pounds frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
14-1/2 oz can low-sodium diced tomates with green chilies
1 envelope low sodium taco seasoning
Place chicken breasts in slow cooker. Mix tomatoes with taco seasoning and pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve in soft tortillas. Top with salsa, low-fat shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, and tomatoes.
*****
I don't used the reduced sodium for either. I buy taco seasoning in a big thng at Costco, so I use that. I also didn't have the tomatoes with green chilies, but I did have a can of green chilies, so I threw those in as well.
Now, once it's done cooking, I put the chicken into a bowl and use two forks to shred it. Then I add in some of the sauce that's in the crockpot. Add as much sauce as you like, but I like the extra flavoring it gives. I just remembered I have one avocado left I think, so we can even have guacamole with it! Hooray!
Review
Oh man, the frittata last night was so good. We ate the whole thing, just John and me. Using Egg Beaters instead of real eggs really cuts down on the fat and calories (not to mention cholesterol!), so it was pretty healthy even though we ate all of it.
I had planned on making stuffed shells tonight, but we're going to be overseeding our backyard this afternoon, and I don't know if I'll feel like going to the effort. I may do chicken burritos in the crockpot, we'll see if I have everything for it because that sure would be a lot easier!
I had planned on making stuffed shells tonight, but we're going to be overseeding our backyard this afternoon, and I don't know if I'll feel like going to the effort. I may do chicken burritos in the crockpot, we'll see if I have everything for it because that sure would be a lot easier!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Vegetarian Frittata
What a day! I had my MOMS Club regional luncheon, so I got an entire day away with some of my friends from MOMS Club. It was way fun...and I even got to dress up! It's nice to break out of my stay-at-home-mom attire every now and then, but rarely do I get a chance.
Anyway, I've made this frittata before, but it's been a few months. We really liked it last time. I just realized I should have read my review to see if there was anything I wanted to change up the next time I made it.
Vegetarian Frittata
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch crescents
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into a chiffonade
1 bell pepper, preferably red, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch die
6 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
8 grinds cracked black pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Generously butter a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and saute until browned. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Stir in the roasted pepper and remove from heat. Spoon the vegetables into the buttered pie plate, distributing evenly. Let cool.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a larege bowl just until yolks and whites are blended. Add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
When vegetable mixture has cooled, pour egg mixture over it, again making sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed. Dish can now be set aside, covered and refrigerated, for up to 8 hours before baking.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the frittata are golden brown and the center is set but still slightly creamy. Do not overbake. Remove frittata to a rack and let cool approximately 15 minutes. Carefully loosen frittata from the paln with a metal spatula. Slide out and continue to cool on rack. To serve either hot or at room temperature, slide frittata onto a flat surface and cut into wedges.
*****
We don't eat real eggs, so I'll be using Egg Beaters for ours. And I'm too lazy to roast my own red peppers, so I'll be using ones from a jar. I never really know what to have on the side with frittata. Usually we just have toast. I guess I should get some kind of fancy bread or something like that, but it will have to be wheat toast because that's what we have. :)
Anyway, I've made this frittata before, but it's been a few months. We really liked it last time. I just realized I should have read my review to see if there was anything I wanted to change up the next time I made it.
Vegetarian Frittata
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch crescents
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cut into a chiffonade
1 bell pepper, preferably red, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch die
6 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
8 grinds cracked black pepper
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Generously butter a 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add onions and saute until browned. Add the spinach and cook just until wilted. Stir in the roasted pepper and remove from heat. Spoon the vegetables into the buttered pie plate, distributing evenly. Let cool.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a larege bowl just until yolks and whites are blended. Add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly.
When vegetable mixture has cooled, pour egg mixture over it, again making sure that the ingredients are evenly distributed. Dish can now be set aside, covered and refrigerated, for up to 8 hours before baking.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450. Bake for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the frittata are golden brown and the center is set but still slightly creamy. Do not overbake. Remove frittata to a rack and let cool approximately 15 minutes. Carefully loosen frittata from the paln with a metal spatula. Slide out and continue to cool on rack. To serve either hot or at room temperature, slide frittata onto a flat surface and cut into wedges.
*****
We don't eat real eggs, so I'll be using Egg Beaters for ours. And I'm too lazy to roast my own red peppers, so I'll be using ones from a jar. I never really know what to have on the side with frittata. Usually we just have toast. I guess I should get some kind of fancy bread or something like that, but it will have to be wheat toast because that's what we have. :)
Review
Man alive, yesterday was a crazy day, so I didn't have a chance to review the chowder. I really liked it, John said it was okay. But he's not a big soup/chowder guy unless it's clam chowder in a bread bowl. I added a little bit of Tony Chachere's seasoning to my bowl to spice it up a bit. I think probably with more pepper and onion powder it would have been fine. I'll definitely make it again; it was really easy to throw together, then the cheese on top when it melted in made it extra good!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Chicken Chowder
I came across this in one of my crockpot cookbooks and thought it sounded good. It's still kind of warm in AZ for chowder, but I'm ready for cooler weather and the associated food. Plus my friend Jen made baked potato soup last week that sounded really good. I can't wait until it's cold enough for beef stew, but I just can't justify having that when it's still in the 80s outside for the high.
Chicken Chowder
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup nonfat half and half
1/2 cup nonfat chicken broth
2 15-oz cans cream-style corn
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup nonfat shredded cheddar cheese
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine carrots, potato, and chicken in slow cooker. Combine half and half, chicken broth, cream-style corn, pepper, onion powder, and green onions in medium bowl and mix well. Pour half and half mixture over chicken and vegetables and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Add potato flakes. Increase heat to high and cook 5-10 minutes until mixture has thickened and flakes have siddolved. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.
*****
Okay, I skipped the carrots because I was feeling lazy. I also did two potatoes because it didn't seem like one would be enough. Not sure the weight of the chicken tenderloins, I used three. It didn't seem like a lot of chicken to me (especially for a recipe called Chicken Chowder). I think everything else was the same. Oh, and I don't usually have instant potatoes on hand, but I found a small package at the store for $0.69, so I thought that was pretty good.
Chicken Chowder
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 lb chicken breast tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup nonfat half and half
1/2 cup nonfat chicken broth
2 15-oz cans cream-style corn
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
1/2 cup nonfat shredded cheddar cheese
Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Combine carrots, potato, and chicken in slow cooker. Combine half and half, chicken broth, cream-style corn, pepper, onion powder, and green onions in medium bowl and mix well. Pour half and half mixture over chicken and vegetables and mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours. Add potato flakes. Increase heat to high and cook 5-10 minutes until mixture has thickened and flakes have siddolved. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.
*****
Okay, I skipped the carrots because I was feeling lazy. I also did two potatoes because it didn't seem like one would be enough. Not sure the weight of the chicken tenderloins, I used three. It didn't seem like a lot of chicken to me (especially for a recipe called Chicken Chowder). I think everything else was the same. Oh, and I don't usually have instant potatoes on hand, but I found a small package at the store for $0.69, so I thought that was pretty good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)