Cheeseburger Hoagies

We went to my mom's house yesterday for swimming and dinner and to retrieve our dog who had been staying there while we were on vacation. Now tonight it's back to me cooking. I think I mentioned on Saturday how we wanted some vegetarian meals this week after our vacation binge, so when I was reviewing the blog for ideas I saw this and thought we hadn't had it in quite awhile.

Cheeseburger Hoagie Sandwiches
1 package (11 ounces) refrigerated French bread dough
4 slices reduced-fat American cheese, divided
12 ounces 95% lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 cup thinly sliced iceberg lettuce
1 plum tomato, sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Place bread dough on cutting board, stretch slightly. Cut dough into four equal portions. Cut three diagonal slits on top of each portion of dough; place seam side down and 3 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet to a cooling rack.

Cut two slices of the cheese into small pieces. In a 10-inch skillet, cook and stir beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles. Drain. Stir in ketchup, mustard, and cut-up cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Remove skillet from heat.

Slice each loaf lengthwise, end to end, cutting halfway through to center of loaf; spread open. Fill evenly with beef mixture; place on baking stone. Bake 6-8 minutes or until bread is toasted and meat mixture is heated through; remove from oven.

Cut remaining cheese slices diagonally in half; top each sandwich with one cheese traingle. Top sandwiches with lettuce and tomato slices.

*****

The first time I made it, I used hoagie rolls and the second time I used the French loaf. I didn't like it with the French loaf cut into four pieces because they were too small. I forgot to get hoagie rolls when I was in the bakery section, so I got a French loaf again this time (which worked out because it was on manager's special for $0.99!), but I cut it into three pieces instead of four. Oh, and I use shredded cheese instead of the slices.

We're going to have leftover pasta salad with it and maybe some watermelon.

Review

The portobello burgers were really good...and super filling! I had thought of buying two packages so we could each have two "burgers" but I didn't get them, and it turned out we didn't need them. The marinade gave the burgers a little more flavor, and the muenster cheese was really yummy.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Well, we made it home from our week at the beach. We had a really good time with the husband's family. The boy absolutely loves being at the ocean, so he had a blast. Although it breaks my heart because he keeps asking for "more ocean house." :( And of course now we're back in the blazing summer heat of Phoenix. Ugh. If anyone has an extra $30K lying around they don't know what to do with, I'd gladly take it off your hands so I could get a pool in my backyard. Someday...

Anyway, back to our regular routine. I was excited to see that portobellos were on sale this week because it seems like a long time since we've had them. Plus after vacation binge eating, we wanted some healthy stuff this week. Or rather the husband did...I've been thinking about making a tres leches cake all afternoon. ;) I didn't really know what I wanted to do with the mushrooms, other than grill them and throw them on a bun, so I did a Google search. This was the first recipe that came up, and it sounds really good. Who knew there were recipes on the Mayo Clinic website. I'm bookmarking it to check out some more later because I'm currently busy uploading pictures from our trip and looking at nursery bedding. Such a multi-tasker.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers
4 large portobello mushroom caps, 5 inches in diameter
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 whole-wheat buns, toasted
4 slices tomato
4 slices red onion
2 bibb lettuce leaves, halved

Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove their stems. Place in a glass dish, stem (gill) side up.

To prepare the marinade, in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, cayenne pepper and olive oil. Drizzle the marinade over the mushrooms. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about 1 hour, turning mushrooms once.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill or broiler. Away from the heat source, lightly coat the grill rack or broiler pan with cooking spray. Position the cooking rack 4 to 6 inches from the heat source.

Grill or broil the mushrooms on medium heat, turning often, until tender, about 5 minutes on each side. Baste with marinade to keep from drying out. Using tongs, transfer the mushrooms to a plate.

Place each mushroom on a bun and top with 1 tomato slice, 1 onion slice and 1/2 lettuce leaf. Serve immediately.

*****

I don't have lettuce or tomato, and I don't really want just onion slices, so I'm going to top them with Muenster cheese. I also need to make a pasta salad. Maybe I'll throw some water on to boil for that when I go downstairs to get some limeade. I treated myself today to Simply Orange brand Limeade. I think it has crack in it...that stuff is awesome. It's kind of pricey, but 1) it was on sale, and 2)I can't have beer or margaritas to cool off in this darned heat, so I figured I was justified.

Pigs in a Blanket

I told you it was no-frills week at our house! Let me just say that driving school last night SUCKED. I think I would have rather gotten the two points on my license than sat through that. Really it just reaffirmed my belief that most people driving are complete idiots. I did learn, however, that in AZ, it's legal to have an alcoholic beverage in the backseat of a taxi. That wasn't covered in class, but it was in the book from the AZ DMV.

Anyway, we're having Pigs in a Blanket tonight. I made them awhile back when I went to San Diego with some friends. Our kids all loved them. My sis-in-law, Tracie, made them for dinner when we went to Houston back in February, and the husband devoured them. Tracie mostly made them for the kids because she'd made really yummy tortilla soup for us, but the husband and his brother had some, too.

Pigs In A Blanket
8 hot dogs
4 slices American cheese, each cut into 6 strips
1 can refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Slit hot dogs to within 1/2 inch of ends; insert 3 strips of cheese into each slit.
2. Separate dough into triangles. Wrap dough triangle around each hot dog. Place on ungreased cookie sheet, cheese side up.
3. Bake at 375°F. for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

*****

Super easy and so tasty. And it could be vegetarian if you used the veggie dogs for it.

Nothing tonight!

I forgot I have to go to stupid Defensive Driving School tonight for a ticket I got a few weeks ago. Lame. It's from 5:15 until 10:30. 10:30?!?!?!? Seriously?! And then I have to drive home after that? My friend Kimberly thought it was a ploy to make you tired so you cause another accident on the way home and repeat the cycle. I'm not counting her theory out...

So, no dinner here. The boy is going to stay at my mom's house tonight, the husband's going to happy hour, I guess I'm going to get fast food.

I'll be back tomorrow with one last recipe before our big week-long vacation!

Spaghetti Salad

We're having a low key dinner week. For one thing, it's too freakin' hot here in Phoenix to want to cook. Well, not if you're 18 weeks pregnant but really then all that you'd want is that half gallon of Blue Bell ice cream you bought at the grocery store today and a spoon while sitting on the couch with your feet up and the ceiling fan blowing above you. For another, we're heading out of town later this week, so I didn't want to buy a ton of groceries.

Last night we had brats and Pasta Roni. Not very exciting. Tonight we're having some chicken burgers from Trader Joe's (Chile Lime Chicken Burgers, I think they are), and I'm making a pasta salad that's going to be our side dish for the rest of the week. This recipe is from a family friend that I've known for literally my whole life. At one of my bridal showers, guests were asked to bring a dish to share and write down the recipe for me, so this is what our friend Julie did for me. I loved the salad when I was little, so I was super excited to get it, but I also love that it's in her handwriting. Don't you love recipes like that? Plus I love pasta salad in the summer when it's too stinkin' hot to want to eat.

Spaghetti Salad
20 ounces thin spaghetti, broken in pieces and cooked
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
Sprinkle lots of parmesan cheese
4 T. Salad Elegance
1 large bottle Italian dressing

Combine pasta and vegetables. Top with cheese, Salad Elegance, and dressing. Mix well.

*****

I forgot it was thin spaghetti, so I bought regular. I also got grape tomatoes (is there really a difference?), and I skipped the green peppers because one was $1.29 at my grocery store. WTF?! That's what I usually pay for one red pepper that isn't on sale. Sheesh. Darn gas prices driving up grocery prices.

I'm sure there will be more pasta salad recipes to come during this opressive heat of summer in Phoenix. Or if you have one you love, send it to me!

Off for a few days

We're going to a baseball game tonight, and tomorrow we're going to my parents' house to celebrate Father's Day with an afternoon of swimming and dinner made by my mom. I'll be back on Monday night with something...not sure what, but something!

Review

The casserole was really good! I hope Andrea and her family liked it. I just have to say that her little baby girl was so precious!! And so tiny! I had some reservations about how the sauce was going to turn out when I was cooking it because the mushrooms absorbed all the butter. I think maybe next time I'd saute the mushrooms in one tablespoon of the butter and reserve the rest to melt after I'd cooked them to help with the roux. Oh, and I didn't have enough milk to double the recipe, so I used a cup of milk and a cup of half and half I conveniently had in the fridge from a failed attempt at making ice cream last week (who knew you had to freeze part of the ice cream maker...not me, and that's why I don't have fresh peach ice cream in my freezer right now).

Anyway, the sauce thickened up nicely once everything was added. I think the recipe said to use medium low heat, but I had it on medium to medium high most of the time. I read somewhere once that mushrooms should be cooked at higher heat because of their high water content, otherwise they just get blah. Oh, and I added some peas in to the bowl with the ham and spaghetti before pouring in the sauce. I used a whole bag of peas, but I was doubling the recipe.

The husband took a bite and declared it immediately to be a keeper. If you don't dig on swine, I think chicken could easily be substituted for the ham.

Ham and Pasta Casserole

My friend Andrea had a baby last week, and our MOMS Club is taking her family dinner. Tonight is my night. I wanted to make something with ham and came across this recipe in my search. When hams were cheap at Easter I bought a nine pound one because they were so cheap. Smart, right? You should see the amount of ham I have left. Since I'm trying to use up what's in our freezer, ham seemed a logical choice. I'm making two of them so we're going to have it as well. I hope it's good. I hate making new things when taking dinner to someone in case it's horrible. If it doesn't turn out, I'll stop and get them pizza instead.

Ham and Pasta Casserole
6 ounces spaghetti, cut into small lengths
2 cups diced cooked ham
3 tablespoons butter
4 to 6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
4 to 6 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic seasoned pepper or other pepper blend
dash cayenne or other hot pepper, as desired
salt or more seasoned salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain and rinse in hot water; combine with ham in a large bowl.

Heat butter over medium low heat; add sliced mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender; add green onions. Stir in flour until blended in thoroughly. Gradually stir in chicken broth and milk. Add seasoned salt, pepper, and hot pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Stir into the spaghetti and ham mixture; stir in cheese. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and cheese is melted.

*****

I think I might throw some peas in, too, to give it a little more color. I'm not sure how the sauce is going to taste...I'm guessing I'll end up tweaking it a little, but I'll have to taste it and see what I think. Sounds pretty easy, and most of the stuff for it I had on hand already. Reading it over, I bet it would be good substituting half the chicken broth for white wine and gruyere for the cheddar. But, Andrea's nursing and I'm knocked up, so I'll probably leave the wine out just to be safe. I'd cook it enough to get the alcohol out of it, but better to not chance it I figure. If we like it, I may try that variation on it at some point!

Review

The pork chops were decent. Turned out I had used the last of my rosemary, so I just went with the Pasta & Co House Herbs. I wish Phoenix had more cool places like Pasta & Co. Whenever I go to Seattle, I'm generally in an "I hate Phoenix" funk for a week or so. Seattle just has so much personality and character, while Phoenix is one big suburb with nothing but Applebee's and Walmarts. Anyway. The pork chops were okay. I don't think I'd ever grilled pork chops before, so mine was a little dry, but it was one of the thinner ones.

The potatoes I made, however, were AMAZING. I had only ever grilled potatoes when making shish kabobs before, so I wasn't sure how they'd turn out. I used one pound of red potatoes and diced them up (cut the potatoes into fourths and then diced up from there). I microwaved half a stick of unsalted butter (I only ever use unsalted butter) and added in some Montreal steak seasoning (actually it was Pasta & Co Seasoning Salt, but it's pretty similar to Montreal steak seasoning). I tossed the potatoes in that. I made a little tray out of aluminum foil (two sheets because I didn't have heavy duty) and poured the lot in there, then wrapped up the foil into a pouch. Because I was worried about butter leaking out and messing up my grill, I wrapped another piece of foil around the packet. Threw it on the grill on medium heat for 35 or 40 minutes, turning once. They were AMAZING. The husband said they were the best potatoes he'd ever had. WOW! I'll definitely be making those again. The only downside was that they'd been on for about 20 minutes by the time the pork chops went on, so I think that might be one of the reasons the pork chops were a little overdone because the grill was so hot.

Grilled Pork Chops

Okay, I'm back!!! The boy and I spent a long weekend in Seattle visiting my friends and family. We had a great time, and I ate like a queen. We stayed in a part of the city I wasn't really familiar with so it was fun to explore a new area. And within two miles of the house we were staying in, there was a cupcake bakery and a pie bakery. Seriously...a bakery JUST for cupcakes and one JUST for pie. Talk about a pregnant woman's dream! The cupcakes were amazing...my brother bought half a dozen for us to much on while we were there, and I got a strawberry rhubarb pie for my mom. We're suckers for rhubarb because it's hard to come by here in AZ, but my mom used to grow it in our backyard in Seattle. Oh yeah, and I had the BEST Chinese food I have ever had in my life. I just know I'm going to be eight months pregnant and wake up in the middle of the night craving their Seven Flavor Beef or Honey Walnut Prawns.

Anyway, in the days leading up to the trip I didn't do a whole lot of cooking, so I didn't bother posting. We had paninis a couple times, spaghetti...seriously, nothing exciting. We got home Monday night, and last night I had the year end banquet for my MOMS Club chapter. I got off easy since I'm on the board and just had to take drinks, but man alive did we feast! The boy and husband had pizza which they were both excited for. You'd think we never have it the way they get excited for pizza. Sheesh.

So it's back to the real world for me now for a bit. We leave again next Friday for a week at the beach in CA with my in-laws. My father-in-law is retiring (a week from yesterday!) and turning 65, so we're going to celebrate. It's going to be us, the in-laws, and my husband's sister, her husband, and their two boys. Should be fun.

Anyway, I'm still trying to use up things I have on hand because every food storage spot in my house seems to be overflowing. You'd think I was a squirrel saving nuts for winter. I have no idea how I accumulated so much food. I have a Pampered Chef cookbook that has good recipes for the summer--either grilling or not much cooking involved--so I flipped through that and found a good sounding pork chop recipe. I'm going to look up grilling potatoes, too, and try to throw on some red potatoes I got at the store yesterday as well.

Grilled Rosemary Pork Chops
4 boneless pork chops, cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick (about 6 ounces each)
4 tsp olive oil
2 tsp Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix

Prepare grill for direct cooking on medium. Use a pastry brush to brush both sides of pork chops with oil. Sprinkle evenly with seasoning mix. Place pork chops on grid of grill. Grill, covered, 12-16 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 for well done, turning once while cooking.

*****

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate how Pampered Chef recipes call for their products. I guess it makes sense, but I don't have "Rosemary Herb Seasoning Mix." So I'm going to use some rosemary and maybe some Pasta & Co House Herbs, which is similar to Italian Seasoning. Darn it...I meant to pick up more of that while I was in Seattle and spaced. Actually I just wasn't ever near one of their locations. My parents are still up there and don't come home until tomorrow. Wonder if I could convince my mom to swing by one before they leave. If she happens to call maybe I'll mention that I meant to get some.

I found this recipe for grilled potatoes that I think I might try. I just have to remember to get them on the grill before the pork chops. I'm not very good at timing all parts of a meal to be done at the same time. I think I have some peas in the freezer, so we'll probably have some of those, too. I'm kind of excited to be making real dinner again. Seems like it's been a really long time.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

I was so impressed with myself for getting those three recipes posted in one day and then never got around to posting the fourth. Sigh. So here it is. It's from a random baking cookbook I got at Costco something like nine years ago. It has awesome recipes in it. I haven't made anything from it that's been bad. Just wait until I make my special brownies sometime. Not that kind of special!! I think I first made this pie for Easter dinner with my friend Gina and her husband Mike. It was awesome. I kind of forget about it, so when I make it it's a huge treat.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 baked 9-inch pie crust
1 cup milk
1 cup sour cream
1 package (4-serving size) instant French Vanilla pudding mix
5 peanut butter candy cups, divided
2 cups thawed Cool Whip

Combine peanut butter and powdered sugar with fork in medium bowl. Place evenly in bottom of pie crust. Place milk and sour cream in large bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk or electric beater 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour half of filling over peanut butter mixture. Coarsely chop 4 candy cups; sprinkle over filling. Top with remaining filling. Spread Cool Whip over filling. Cut remaining peanut butter cup into 8 pieces; place on top of pie. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake

Phew...almost caught up. One more after this. Can you believe FOUR recipes in one day?! I know, amazing. Today is my friend Jen A's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!! We're having a lunch party for her today, and I am in charge of bringing the cake. I actually made this same cake for her birthday last year. It was super yummy, and I've been dying to have an occasion to make it again. The recipe is from the "Barefoot Contessa at Home" cookbook, and you know how much I heart Barefoot Contessa.

Beatty's Chocolate Cake
Butter, for greasing the pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups good cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, shaken
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
Chocolate Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter 2 (8-inch) round cake pans. Line with parchment paper, then butter and flour the pans. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. With mixer still on low, add the coffee and stir just to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Place 1 layer, flat side up, on a flat plate or cake pedestal. With a knife or offset spatula, spread the top with frosting. Place the second layer on top, rounded side up, and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake.

Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate (recommended: Callebaut)
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 extra-large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon instant coffee powder
Chop the chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until just melted and set aside until cooled to room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for 3 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, then beat at medium speed, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until smooth and creamy. Dissolve the coffee powder in 2 teaspoons of the hottest tap water. On low speed, add the chocolate and coffee to the butter mixture and mix until blended. Don't whip! Spread immediately on the cooled cake.

*****

I need to mix up the frosting this morning before we go, but I did the cakes yesterday. I also had a fantastic invention idea...parchment paper that was already cut to the size you need, like an 8-inch round for a cake pan. I hate tracing the cake pan and then cutting it out. The cake batter I sampled yesterday was yummy, so I assume the cake will be, too.

Off to make frosting! The fourth recipe of the day will come later today when I have to make a pie to take to dinner tonight at some friend's. I don't know what I'm going to do with all these desserts!

Tres Leches Cake

We had a Mexican themed Bunco last night as a belated Cinco de Mayo celebration. When I saw what people were bringing it was mostly appetizers and main dishes, so I opted for a dessert. My mom had given me this recipe awhile ago, but I'd never made it. Seemed easy enough, and I heart Tres Leches Cake, so I figured I'd give it a go. My parents used to live in El Paso, TX, and Tres Leches Cake is big over there. Actually I had a really good one near Monterrey, CA last summer, too. But now I can just make my own!

Tres Leches (Three Milk) Cake
1 yellow cake mix (with pudding) baked as directed in 13 by 9-inch pan
1 can evaporated milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup rum (or to taste)
Whipped cream, to cover cake
5 ounces sweetened coconut

Poke holes in the cake with a fork all over. Pour topping mixture (evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, whipping cream, rum) over cake. Let mixture absorb completely in refrigerator.

Cover with whipped cream or cool whip and sprinkle sweetened coconut over top of cake. OPTIONAL: Add macadamia nuts, cherries and/or pineapple.

*****

The cake was a big hit!! I only put coconut on half of it because a lot of people--for whatever crazy reason--don't like coconut. But, wouldn't you know, only the half with coconut was eaten. So I have half a Tres Leches Cake sitting in my fridge. Just what a pregnant lady needs...half a cake to indulge in later in the day. Or for breakfast. ;) When I mixed up the topping, it looked like a lot of liquid, but it did all soak in. Make sure you poke a lot of holes in the cake so the liquid can soak in well.

All this talk about it, I think I'll sneak a piece in the kitchen while the boy's watching Sesame Street.

Chili Cornbread Casserole

I was too busy in the kitchen baking yesterday to get around to updating my blog. But, that means you get a plethora of recipes today!! I think the last time I did this much baking was at Christmas two years ago, maybe three.

I had Bunco last night but made dinner anyway because I was STARVING all day yesterday. Baby must be having a growth spurt or something because I could not get enough to eat. I did a bit of menu rearranging and moved this to last night. It's kind of a white trash dinner, but it's cheap, quick, and easy. Hard to beat that!!

Chili Cornbread Casserole
2 cans chili w/beans
Cheese (shredded or sliced)
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg
1/3 c. milk

Spread chili in a greased 8x11 dish. Top with cheese. Stir milk and egg into cornbread mix and spread on top. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cornbread is done.

*****

Doesn't get much easier than that! A lot of times my grocery store has Hormel chili on sale for $1 a can but there's coupons on the paper for $0.50 off, so it ends up being $0.50 a can. This is a super budget dinner! I like to use turkey chili because it's a little healthier.

We really like this dinner. I wasn't sure if the boy would eat it or not, but he gobbled it up. I was pretty surprised.

Catfish Po'Boys

I was going through the tags of my blog trying to find this recipe because I could have sworn I'd posted it on here, but it wasn't under "fish" nor was it under "sandwiches" so I must not have made it since my blog's been going. I could have SWORN I had because I remember buying three packages of catfish at the store, one plain and two Cajun seasoned. No, I know I've made this because the recipe calls for broccoli slaw, and I actually used it last time I made it whereas I normally use regular cole slaw mix.

Found it. It's like the one entry that didn't have any tags! At least I know I'm not going crazy! Much easier if I can copy the recipe from a previous blog entry instead of having to find it online. This was originally from Cooking Light.

Catfish Po'Boys
2 tablespoons fat-free milk
1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (such as McCormick)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Dash of crushed red pepper
2 cups bagged broccoli coleslaw
4 (2 1/2-ounce) hoagie rolls with sesame seeds, toasted

Combine milk and catfish in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Remove fish from bowl; shake off excess milk. Sprinkle fish with salt. Combine cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add fish to bag. Seal and shake to coat.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish; cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

While fish cooks, combine vinegar and next 4 ingredients (vinegar through pepper) in a medium bowl. Add broccoli coleslaw; toss well to coat. Spoon 1/2 cup slaw mixture onto bottom half of each roll. Arrange fish evenly over each serving, and top with top halves of rolls.

*****

The husband got really excited when I told him this is what we were having. I knew he'd like it, and today was his first day at a new job, so I wanted something he'd enjoy. What can I say, I'm a good wife. :)

Like I said above, I use regular cole slaw mix, not broccoli slaw. I tried it once with the broccoli and didn't like it. I've also used a baguette for the roll instead of sandwich rolls, but I kind of forgot that when I was at the grocery store this morning.

Now to make sure I tag this one...

Grilled Pizzas

Back to the daily grind of cooking dinner! I have had a fantastic Memorial Day weekend. Hope you have too! Saturday it was just the boy and me as the husband spent the afternoon playing golf. The husband and my uncle installed a ceiling fan in our play room before golfing, so the boy and I hung out in there since it wasn't so blazing hot in there anymore. Yesterday we went to church, returned a ceiling fan at Lowe's and then hung out at home for the afternoon. My mom came over after the boy's nap and took him home with her so the husband and I could have a date night. Woo hoo for date night!!! We went and saw the new Indiana Jones movie (pretty decent, kind of cheesy ending, but worth seeing on the big screen) and went out for dinner. What a treat! This morning we were super productive...he did yard work and I worked on cleaning out our disaster area of a garage. I only got one wall of it done (hey, I said disaster area!) before our garbage can and recycle bin were full, but it's a vast improvement. Hopefully I can get the other two walls done before it gets ridiculously hot here. It's been so nice this weekend, I wish the weather would last!! I was supposed to get a pedicure today, but all the nail places around here were closed! So I got some Coldstone instead. ;) once the boy got home from my mom's, I got busy listing stuff on Freecycle and Craigslist that I had found in the garage. Hopefully it will earn me some extra moolah!

ANYWAY. Since it is Memorial Day, I figured we couldn't go all weekend without grilling, so we'd grill tonight. Actually I'll grill tonight because it's game #2 in the Stanley Cup finals, so the husband will be glued to the TV watching that and cheering on the Red Wings. I've been trying to use up things we have in our freezers and pantry, and we had an almost full pacakge of frozen bread dough, so I figured grilled pizzas were the way to go! And we haven't had them in quite awhile. I'll probably put them back in to rotation now that it's heating up because we like to grill in the summer so the kitchen doesn't get as hot.

Here's a nice tutorial on grilling pizzas if you haven't done it before:

Cooking Light's How To Grill Pizzas

My directions for it are below. I use the frozen bread dough you get at the grocery store, like Rhodes. Only I get the store brand because it's cheaper. You can also make them with the refrigerated dough from stores like Trader Joe's or Fresh & Easy. I don't think I've tried them with the Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough, but I imagine it would work. Or you can make your own dough. I've done that before when we didn't have the frozen bread dough. I just like the frozen becaue it's cheap and easy. I'm all about cheap and easy. I make two pizzas from each loaf of frozen bread dough, then we can pick our own toppings.

Grilled Pizzas
Preheat grill to medium heat. Place dough on grill rack, close lid. Dough will take 5-7 minutes. Check it occasionally for bubbles. Once the bottom is golden brown (or at least not burned...ours don't always get golden brown I guess), flip the crust over. This can be tricky and may require two spatulas, depending on the size of your crust. Turn heat down to low or move pizza(s) to top rack if your grill has one. Put toppings on the side you just cooked. Close lid. Check after five minutes, cook until cheese is melted.

*****

Tonight I'm making four different pizzas. Last time we had grilled pizzas as a family, I found out that one loaf of dough wasn't really enough for the three of us, so I'm using two loaves tonight. We're having:

pepperoni

cheese

mushroom and black olive

spinach, roased red peppers, and caramelized onion

Normally I throw some feta on the red pepper pizza, but this baby growing inside me makes me think feta tastes like puke. So, no feta this time. Oh how I miss it so!! I haven't decided yet if I'll saute the spinach first or just throw the leaves on the pizza. I wanted to do a super veggie pizza, but I cheaped out when I was at the grocery store. Green peppers were $1.25 each!! Lordy mama that's expensive! They were the same price as red peppers. So, mushroom and black olive it will be. Which is fine with me...that's one of my favorites, and I rarely get to have it becaue the husband doesn't like olives.

Man alive, this was a long post! I'm off to continue my productive day and assemble a bookcase for our play room. It's only been sitting out in the garage since March.

Chicken Casserole Surprise

I forgot to post this last night after I made it. Darn, and I had been doing so well this week! I had planned on making something slightly different but when it came time to start dinner, I realized I didn't have some of the ingredients. Oops. So I came up with this all on my own.

Chicken Casserole Surprise
2-3 cups cooked chicken
1 can green beans (or half a bag of frozen, defrosted)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 box Stove Top, prepared per pacakage directions

Preheat oven to 375. Mix together chicken, green beans, soup, and cheese. Spread in 11x7 casserole dish. Top with Stove Top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until heated through.

*****

Pretty easy. It was really good, too. I didn't really know how long to bake it for, so I started with 20 minutes and checked it every five minutes from there. The boy didn't really eat it, but he's had a fever off and on for the past couple days, so his eating habits have been a bit unusual. The husband and I both really liked it. And it didn't make an insane amount, so we won't be eating it for days and days.

I won't be posting for a few days...I don't have to make dinner again until Sunday!! Tonight I'm going out with some friends, tomorrow is the husband's last day at his current job so he's going to happy hour with friends, and Saturday he's playing golf and won't be home until after dinner. I guess technically I'll be making something for the boy and me, but it won't be anything fancy. So, enjoy the long weekend, and I'll be back on Sunday!

Review

The biscuits and gravy were fan-freakin'-tastic!! We were both quite impressed with them. I thought the gravy could have used a little more flavor, but the husband really liked it. We both had seconds which doesn't happen very often. I buy Morningstar Farms veggie sausage patties, so I cooked those in a skillet and then cut them up into small pieces for the gravy. They kind of crumbled as I was cutting, so it worked out.

This is something I will definitely make again! My timing for everything was a bit off but only because I'd never cooked the sausage in a skillet (normally we cook one or two at a time and do them in the microwave). But now I know how long they'll take and can adjust everything for that.

Oh, I think it would work just fine with regular (i.e. non-veggie) sausage, too.

Biscuits and Vegetarian Sausage Gravy

This definitely hasn't happened in a long time...I'm posting before I even eat lunch! Although I am starving and really want to go make a sandwich. My kid came down with a random fever while we were out running some errands, so I've been tending to him. Poor little guy, although he seems to be on the mend which is good. It's ridiculously hot here in Phoenix alreay, and I wonder if he got a little heat stroke or somethng playing outside last night--even though our yard was shaded and he was playing in a sprinkler. Who knows.

Anyway. I saw this recipe in one of my Cooking Light cookbooks recently and thought it sounded good. We buy vegetarian sausage from Costco, so all I needed to get were biscuits. I suppose I could have made my own, but I've never had good luck with that. Much easier to pop open a tube of Grands and call it good. I'm excited for this dinner. I love breakfast for dinner, and I love biscuits and gravy!!

Biscuits and Vegetarian Sausage Gravy
1 (16.3-ounce) can reduced-fat refrigerated biscuit dough
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 (14-ounce) package meatless fat-free sausage (such as Lightlife Gimme Lean)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper


Preparation
Prepare biscuits according to package directions.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Crumble sausage into 1/2-inch pieces; return to pan.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1% low-fat milk, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add milk mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to pan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 3 minutes or until thick. Split the biscuits in half. Top each serving with about 1/3 cup gravy. Serve immediately.

*****

I think we'll have hashbrowns with it and maybe some fruit. I bought watermelon, strawberries, and grapes at the store today, so maybe I'll make up some kind of fruit salad.