Crockpot Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip

Merry Christmas, everyone!! Did you have a nice time celebrating? Ours was pretty fantastic, although the days leading up to Christmas were pretty stressful, to the point where I didn't even care about Christmas and wasn't excited at all. But I had a nice, long, nine mile run on Christmas Eve that cleared my head a little and lots of family here with us for church and dinner on Christmas Eve. And with two little boys, it's hard to not catch their excitement. We were all very spoiled by my family, and now today the boys and I are hanging out at home playing with all our new toys while the husband has to go to work.

We went to my mom's house for Christmas "dinner" last night. We had our usual Christmas "dinner" spread of tons of appetizers. I had four I planned on making, but I ended up whittling it back to two. One of them I made to take to a party last Friday, and while they were tasty, they were time consuming, and I didn't want to deal with them. Then another I decided to skip after seeing how much food there was already, plus I was tired of being in the kitchen and wanted to hang out and drink my wine. It sounds like a super tasty dip, so I will make it at some point.

When I was deciding what I'd make this year I perused my Snacks board on Pinterest and got really, really overwhelmed. So many good appetizers! But I knew I wouldn't want to be in the kitchen slaving away either here or at my mom's, so the fact that this was a slow cooker recipe appealed to my lazy nature. I ended up changing it a bit because of time constraints and lack of ingredients, so there will be a link to the original recipe, but the one below is how I ended up making it.

Crockpot Cheesy Spinach Artichoke Dip
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (8-ounce) block light cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) carton low-fat sour cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Place all ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart electric slow cooker; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on low-heat setting 2 hours or until cheese is melted and dip is heated through. Serve warm with toasted pita wedges or tortilla chips.

*****

The original recipe called for 3/4 cup milk. I debated calling my mom to see if she had milk because sometimes she doesn't. But I figured she would. Then she didn't. My uncle and husband both offered to run to the gas station to get some for me, but I opted to not. I figured I'd see how it turned out and if it needed some liquid, I'd come up with a solution of some sort. After it cooked for awhile, I checked on it and found the consistency of it was perfect! I was so glad I had skipped the milk; it would have been way too runny with that added to it. I had bought tortilla chips to serve with this because I have the hardest time finding pita chips at my Safeway store, and I just didn't want to go to other stores in the days leading up to Christmas. This was a super tasty dip, and it's one I will definitely make again. Tasty and easy are two of my favorite combinations!!

Do you like my festive nail polish? It was one of my gifts from Boy #1. I heart that kid!

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas

Have you discovered Pintrest.com yet? I'm pretty addicted to it. It's a cool way to keep track of things you come across online that you want to remember. It links up to Facebook so you can have friends and see what they're pinning too. My friend Jenn had pinned this spinach and feta quesadilla recipe recently, and I thought it looked super tasty and like it would be a great summer, hot weather, meatless dinner.

Spinach and Feta Quesadillas
Source: ClosetCooking.com

(makes 1 quesadilla)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup spinach (steamed and squeezed to drain)
1 tablespoon herbs (chopped, I used mint, dill and parsley)
1 green onion (sliced)
1 handful feta (crumbled)
salt and pepper to taste
2 (8 inch) tortillas
2 handfuls kasseri or mozzarella or jack (grated)

Directions:
1. Mix the spinach, herbs, green onions, feta, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Melt a touch of butter in a pan.
3. Place a tortilla into the pan, swirl it around in the butter and repeat with the second tortilla.
4. Sprinkle some cheese on the tortilla followed by the filling and then more cheese and finally the other tortilla.
5. Cook until the quesadilla is golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted. (I placed a plate onto the quesadilla and flipped it from the pan to the plate and then slid it back into the pan.)

*****

Obviously I increased the amounts so it would feed my whole family. I steamed my spinach in the microwave which was super easy and fast. I have a microwave steamer that I put the spinach leaves in with some water and then just let it cook for a couple minutes. So easy! You could easily use frozen spinach that you thawed and drained, too. I pulled out my electric griddle to cook them so I could do more than one at a time, and it worked great.

The husband and I LOVED these. My kids, not so much. Boy #2 ate his okay, but Boy #1 said (and I quote), "This tastes like poop." To which of course I had to ask, "How do you know what poop tastes like?" Nothing like stumping a five year old. Needless to say, he was not a fan of this dinner. I thought it tasted fantastic. There was enough filling left over for a fifth quesadilla, and the husband had one for lunch the next day. I'd definitely make this again but probably just for the husband and me.

Italian Stuffed Acorn Squash

I got a bounty of vegetables from my produce co-op last time, and there were two acorn squash in there. Like I've said before I'm still learning to embrace the squash, but my friend Jen had made a stuffed acorn squash recipe awhile back that looked really good. I was excited to have acorn squash so we could try it. I also had everything on hand for it which was a double bonus.

Jen originally found this recipe on RecipeZaar.com. She modified hers for the oven instead of the slow cooker like the recipe calls for, so if you want to know how to do it that way, check out her post on it.

Italian Stuffed Acorn Squash

1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
olive oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup wild rice
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds or pine nuts (I have used sunflower seeds too)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese

Directions:
Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Brush squash halves with olive oil and place in slow cooker (slice off bottoms to level, if necessary). Pour 1 cup water into the cooker, around (not into) squash.

In a small bowl, combine wild rice blend, pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, minced garlic, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and spices; stir until well-mixed. Stuff rice mixture into each squash half.

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup vegetable broth into each squash cavity until full (don't let stuffing overflow). Pour any remaining broth around squash. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Just prior to serving, sprinkle with crumbled cheese.

*****

For some reason, I was really hesitant to make this. I don't know why, but the day we were going to have it I kept putting off adding everything to the slow cooker. i don't know why, Jen and her family had really liked it. Perhaps my squash aversion. I finally got around to it, although since I had two squash I doubled the recipe--only to find out that just three halves would fit in my crockpot. Jen had said her son, who is the same age as the boy, ate a quarter of one, so I figured the kids could split a half.

I was concerned the squash itself wasn't cooking, but I checked it at one point (I know, I know...never take the lid off a slow cooker) and stuck a fork in it to find it was already pretty tender. I think my total cooking time was about 3.5 hours on low. It maybe could have gone a little longer for the rice, but we had to eat at a certain time to get to our Bible study groups.

The husband and I really liked it. REALLY liked it. I loved the feta sprinkled on top, it added a great creamy flavor to the other ingredients. The husband and I found that 1/4 of a squash was really filling. I realized as I was cutting a half in half for the kids that the baby hasn't had nuts yet, and since there are some nut allergies in our family I was hesitant to give it to him because of the pine nuts, so he got chicken nuggets. The boy I don't think even took a bite. Whether he didn't like the look of it or he was jealous his brother was getting chicken nuggets I don't know. But, really one squash would have been enough for our whole family which makes this super economical.

I don't know if I'd make it again because of the kids, but I might do it when it's just the husband and I eating. I definitely recommend the recipe, though!!

Baked Orzo with Fragrant Lamb

Man alive, did we have a crazy weekend!! Our realtor called Saturday with some houses she wanted to show us, so my mom ended up coming over to stay with the kids while we went looking at houses. Some were okay, some were horrible. We're still holding out hope that the one we put the offer on will come back approved from the bank. The waiting game sucks!! We should have an answer in four weeks or so at least, so we just have to hang in there. Anyway, the boy and husband went to a hockey game Saturday night, so the baby and I didn't really do anything special for dinner.

Yesterday was just about as crazy. Church, taking lunch to and visiting my friend Jen and her new babies. The boys were both melting down when we left, so we came home for naps. The husband went grocery shopping for me while I took a much needed siesta, then the husband and boy went to get haircuts, the husband went shooting, I made dinner, we ate, kids went to bed, husband and I watched a movie. Man! Not much time in there for updating the blog here. But I'm just a day late so I don't feel that bad.

Awhile back I found some ground lamb on manager's special at the grocery store and scooped it up. I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, but it was a good deal and I thought it would be something new to try. I checked one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks and found this recipe that used ground lamb--perfect! I was really excited to try something new, and this sounded really easy.

Baked Orzo with Fragrant Lamb

1/2 pound orzo
6 ounces lean ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fennel bulb
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 ounces reduced fat feta, crumbled
2 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the lamb and cook, stirring to break up the meat until browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove lamb with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the orzo.

Add the onion, fennel, garlic, mint, and oregano to the same skillet. Cook, stirring until onion begins to soften, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and cinnamon; cook until mixture thickens, 6-8 minutes.

Combine the tomato mixture with the orzo and lamb. Stir in the feta and mix well. Pour mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle top with the parmesan. Bake until hot, 25 minutes.

Points Value: 6 (makes 6 servings)

*****

So, I had a bit of a mishap. The baby was standing next to me while I opened the package of lamb, and I checked the baby's diaper because the air smelled pretty gross. It wasn't him, it was the lamb. I was a bit skeptical of using it but went ahead and defrosted it and started cooking it. Then I called my mom to see if she knew if ground lamb was supposed to smell like a baby's dirty diaper. She didn't know, but we both agreed it probably wasn't a good sign. At this point the smell of it was making me want to puke, so I decided to scrap it. Luckily I had some ground veal in the freezer--the only other ground meat I had on hand--and quickly defrosted it and browned it. So, that was substitution #1. I ended up using the whole pound of veal because I needed to be using it up and really had no other ideas for what I could do with it. To compensate for the additional meat I added in more crushed tomatoes (conveniently I bought a 28 ounce can of tomatoes instead of 14) so it was a bit saucier. I also used fresh mint instead of dried.

I took a bite of it all mixed together before I put it in the baking dish and LOVED IT. I wasn't really sure how the cinnamon would play in when I was adding it, but it really accented the flavor of the tomatoes and feta. Who knew! Honestly I took quite a few bites before putting it in the baking dish...I couldn't stop eating it. Even once it was all heated up and baked it was so good!!! We all really liked this. I think it could easily be made with ground beef or turkey, which I would probably do in the future since it's pretty rare for me to have ground veal on hand. This was really so easy and tasty!! I'm glad I tried it--and I'm glad I had the lamb mishap. :)

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

It's hot. It's really, really, really, really, really insanely hot here in Phoenix. I know, I know...it's Phoenix in the summertime, what do I expect, but it seems especially bad today. Maybe because the boy is driving me crazy so I'm extra cranky? I don't know, but we got home from his swim lessons 90 minutes ago and I'm still feeling hot from sitting outside for half an hour. Thankfully there are only two left to go!

Anyway, I somehow lost my meal plan for the week. I have this cool meal planning notepad, and I think when I tore off last week's menu, I must have torn off this week's too. So I'm trying hard to remember what all I had on there. I remembered tonight's and tomorrow's and Saturday's because we're having some friends over for dinner, but other than that I have no idea.

Awhile back my mom loaned me a vegan Italian cookbook she had. It sat on a table in my hallway for months. I'd occasionally flip through it and see something that sounded good, but I never made anything. I had slated for one night last week a pasta with roasted vegetables and some kind of garlic sauce, but then it was super hot the day I was going to make it, and the idea of roasting vegetables and heating up my house was more than I could take, so I scratched it and gave the book back to my mom. But, since I'd bought all the vegetables for it already, I figured this week I needed to come up with something that used them. So of course I turned to RecipeZaar.com. I first searched on "grilled vegetable pasta" because I figured I could slice the zucchini and yellow squash and grill them instead of roast them, but I didn't like anything that came up. So I tried "roasted vegetable pasta" thinking I could just grill the veggies if I found a recipe I liked. This one came up, and it calls for chicken, but I'm skipping that because I want a vegetarian dinner tonight. And I decided to go ahead and roast the vegetables now instead of doing it at dinner time. We'll have the pasta cold or at room temperature.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Recipe #176124

* 1 1/2 cups yellow squash, julienne-cut
* 1 1/4 cups carrots, julienne-cut
* 1 cup sliced onion, vertically sliced
* 1 cup zucchini, julienne-cut
* 1 cup red bell pepper, julienne-cut
* 1 tablespoon olive oil

Vinaigrette
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 garlic clove, crushed

Remaining ingredients
* 1 (12 ounce) box ziti pasta, cooked
* 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
* 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
* feta cheese, to garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Combine all the vegetables with the olive oil, toss gently to coat. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, turning occasionally; cool.

Combine all ingredients for the vinaigrette, with a whisk.

Combine the roasted vegetables, vinaigrette, pasta, fresh basil, tomatoes and feta in a large bowl; toss gently to coat.

*****

See, I'm even too hot and lazy to go back and format the recipe into my usual style. It's just too hot. I'm trying to cut back on the amount of TV the boy watches, but I'm thinking if he asks for a show or movie after naptime, he'll get one because it's too hot to come up with anything else to do. Hey, I never said I was trying to win Mother of the Year! ;)

I took out the parts of the recipe for the chicken since I'm not using it, but check out the original recipe if you're interested in including it. I think the only change I'm making is that I'm going to roast the tomatoes along with the zucchini and squash. Oh, and I'm leaving out the carrots and red pepper because I don't have a red pepper and don't feel like doing the carrots. I wish I had a red onion to use for this, but alas I don't. I'm hoping this is good and no one scoffs at the idea of having a glorified pasta salad for dinner.

*****

This was yummy!!! The husband was pretty skeptical when I told him about it and flat out said maybe he and the boy would have hot dogs leftover from the BBQ on Sunday. I was a bit offended to say the least. The husband said it was better than he expected and he really liked it, although I don't think he approved of it as a main dish. The boy did not like it at all. He took a few "no thank you" bites and then had a hot dog instead. At least there's a lot left for me for lunch over the next couple days!

Bacon & Feta Stuffed Chicken

I couldn't believe I hadn't updated my blog since last Wednesday, then I remembered just how crazy the past few days have been, and it all made sense. Friday night the husband and I did our usual mini date night and had this for dinner after the kids went to bed. I apparently cut this out of a magazine at some point, but I have no idea when or what one it was from.

Bacon & Feta Stuffed Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans diced tomatoes (14-1/2 ounces each)
1 Tbsp dried basil

Carefully cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Fill with bacon and cheese; secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown chicken in oil.

Drain one can of tomatoes, discarding juice; add to the skillet with the undrained can of tomatoes. Sprinkle with basil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover; simmer 5 minutes longer until chicken is no longer pink and the tomato mixture has thickened.

*****

This was REALLY tasty! The bacon and feta was a great combination. Instead of using oil I used some of the bacon grease that was left in the pan after frying up the bacon. I poured most of it out and left a tablespoon or so, since that's the amount of oil that was called for. I also used organic chicken for the first time. I found some on clearance at the store a couple weeks ago and snatched it up. I thought it tasted different than conventional chicken, but the husband couldn't tell the difference. It's not something I'd spend the extra money on regularly, but if I can ever get it for cheap like that again, I will for sure. I'm not sure if the boy would like this, but the husband and I both really enjoyed it.

Orzo and Feta

I was looking through a cookbook recently that my mother-in-law gave me for Christmas, and I saw this recipe. The ingredients are all things I normally have on hand, so I've been waiting for the right main dish to serve this alongside. I thought falafel tonight would work well. Nice light dinner, nice light side dish. Perfect for an insanely hot day like we're having here in Phoenix.

Orzo and Feta

1/2 pound orzo, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/3 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dill weed (or 1 Tbsp fresh)
1/4 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve at room temperature.

*****

I love easy, and this dinner tonight definitely fits the bill. I just need to get the falafel out of the freezer (I bought them ready-made at Costco awhile back), slice up a tomato or two, tear up some lettuce, and call it good. Oh, I'm using naan bread instead of pitas for the sandwiches tonight. Pitas just cause me too much grief, and I found the naan worked quite well last time. Once all that is defrosted and heated, I'll spread some hummus on the naan, top with falafel, tomato, and lettuce, and call it good.

*****

This was a fantastic side dish! I kept taking bites straight out of the bowl after I mixed it all together. It was really light and flavorful--a perfect summer dinner accompaniment. This will definitely be added into regular rotation!

Fettuccine with Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I'm drawing a blank on any interesting commentary today, so I'll just get right to it. I recently checked out Ellie Krieger's cookbook from the library. It's one I'm definitely going to add to my collection. This recipe is one from that, although I found it also on the Food Network website so I didn't have to type it all out. Woo hoo!

Fettuccine with Creamy Red Pepper-Feta Sauce
Ellie Krieger, 2006 All rights reserved

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 cup crumbled feta cheese or a 6-ounce block
1 pound whole-wheat fettuccine
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic until soft, about 10 minutes. Add roasted peppers and saute until heated through. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place mixture in the bowl of a food processor with stock and all but 2 tablespoons of the feta. Process until combined and smooth, about 30 seconds. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water by the tablespoon, if needed. Sauce should cling nicely to pasta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Divide among pasta bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining feta cheese.

*****

I'm pretty sure this is the exact same as in the cookbook. I think we'll just have some bread and salad with this, maybe some broccoli.

*****

I thought this was just okay. If I had everything on hand and needed a quick dinner I'd make it, but I don't think I'd plan on making it again. I have other feta/pasta recipes I like a lot better than this.

Feta Roast Potatoes

This is the potato dish I've decided on to go with our Falafel Pitas tonight. I'm copying it in from RecipeZaar.com but will post what I'm doing differently after the recipe.

Feta Roast Potatoes
Recipe #72411
1 1/2 kg potatoes, washed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme if you can't get lemon)
220 g greek feta

Preheat your oven to 200°C. Grease a large baking dish. Cut potatoes into 1 cm thick slices. Arrange them in the baking dish. Drizzle potatoes with oil and add the thyme. Toss the potatoes to coat in oil and herb. Roast potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Increase temperature to 220°C. Crumble feta over potatoes and toss through. Return dish to oven for 10 minutes until feta softens.

*****

So, RecipeZaar has a cool feature that you can change the quantity of the recipe and along with that, change it to either US or Metric measurements. I changed it to four servings and US measurements (and looked up celsius to fahrenheit conversion on Google) and basically got this (although I rounded some of the ingredient measurements):

1 pound potatoes, washed
2 teaspoons olive oil
5 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme if you can't get lemon)
4 ounces greek feta

Preheat your oven to 400°. Grease a large baking dish. Cut potatoes into 1 cm thick slices. Arrange them in the baking dish. Drizzle potatoes with oil and add the thyme. Toss the potatoes to coat in oil and herb. Roast potatoes for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender. Increase temperature to 425°. Crumble feta over potatoes and toss through. Return dish to oven for 10 minutes until feta softens.

*****

I'm using red potatoes because when I went grocery shopping last time the only russet potatoes they had were in 10 pound bags, and there was no way I'd use that many potatoes before they went bad. I'm kind of hoping these end up tasting like the Greek fries at My Big Fat Greek Restaurant because those are so, so, so yummy. I don't have fresh thyme, so I'm just going to use dried thyme and may sprinkle some lemon juice over the potatoes. One of the reviews said they had done that.

*****

Mmmmmmm. These were yummy! I added in some dried oregano as well and really liked it. I think next time I'd skip the thyme and use some fresh oregano instead. I love having easy, new potato dishes. The feta on top was really good, too.

Hummus

I'm not sure what's on the menu for dinner tonight. I'm feeling better, but the husband is meeting a friend for happy hour, so it's just the boy and me. The boy wants pizza, but I'm still tired of pizza after our pizza-fest last weekend (Friday night for the boy's birthday, Saturday at his party, and Saturday night for dinner since there were leftovers). I need to be figuring it out since it's 4:30. Sigh.

Anyway, Jen B. reminded me this week of one of my favorite sandwiches that I had forgotten about, HLT--hummus, lettuce, tomato. They're so tasty, really healthy, and super easy to make. I hadn't made hummus in a long time, so I made some this afternoon. I used Jen's recipe for it since the last time I made my usual hummus recipe I was really disappointed with the results.

Jen's Hummus: Plain

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (aka garbanzo
beans)
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt or light sour cream
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves (depending on how sharp and garlicy you like it)
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 cup of feta cheese
2 Tablespoons of tahini

Directions:
In food processor blender, puree all the ingredients with 1-2 tablespoon water. Add more olive oil and salt, if needed.

*****

Wow. This is awesome hummus. I called Jen after I had first tasted it to tell her how much I liked it. I can't stop eating it. i need to put it in the fridge so I don't eat the whole batch of it in one sitting. Yum!

Tomato Feta Salad

When I was at Trader Joe's the other day I was struck with the brilliant idea of the husband and me having a mini date night at home tonight, eating dinner after the boy goes to bed. I picked up some ahi tuna steaks and some brie, so that's what we're having. I thought we needed something to go with the tuna but wasn't sure what to have with it. Sprouts had beefsteak tomatoes on sale three pounds for $1 (!!!!!) today, so I got me some of those. My mom had mentioned that part of their sale when I talked to her earlier today and said we were going there. I remembered the Barefoot Contessa had a tomato salad with feta and red onions, so I picked up some red onions and hoped I had everything else. Turns out I do, except for fresh basil. I'm going to just use dried because it's not worth hauling two kids to the store to just get some basil. I've wanted to try this for awhile, so I'm really excited about it.

Tomato Feta Salad
4 pints grape tomatoes, red or mixed colors
1 1/2 cups small-diced red onion (2 onions)
1/4 cup good white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 pounds feta cheese

Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and toss well. Dice the feta in 1/2 to 3/4-inch cubes, crumbling it as little as possible. Gently fold it into the salad and serve at room temperature.

*****

The recipes says this makes 12 servings, so I'll cut it in half at the very least. The reviews on the Food Network website said it wasn't as good refrigerated as it was room temperature, so I don't want to have a lot of it left over.

*****

This was really good! I will definitely be making it again, especially in the summer when tomatoes are better than they are now. It was super easy--I'd say I had it all mixed together in five minutes max. The recipe was in the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook, and in the book it was half of what is listed above, so that's what I made. Even that was quite a bit for just two people. I haven't had any today to see how it tastes after sitting in the fridge over night, but last night it was super tasty!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

Chicken update: still frozen
Avocado update: still rock hard

Sigh. I hope at some point this week I can use the chicken and avocados. Instead I'm just rearranging my meal plan every night until one of them is good to go. Actually tonight's dinner is my back-up back-up dinner. I was going to do something else but realized I didn't have enough sour cream. This had been my "I might as well grab canned tomatoes at the store to have stuff on hand to make this if I need it" recipe. I've been dying to have it since the baby was born because feta, to be perfectly honest, tasted like puke to me while I was pregnant. It was a sad time in my life. I bought a thing of feta at Costco before Christmas and have been antsy to use it. I generally don't like to have two pasta dishes in a week, and since I made stuffed shells earlier this week, I was going to have to put this on the back burner until next week. And then my chicken was still frozen, avocados were still hard, and I didn't have enough sour cream. Obviously the Good Lord wants me to make this for dinner tonight.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices (optional)
Green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

*****

I'm so excited...it seems like forever since we've had this. Really it's been at least 11 months probably--nine months of being pregnant and the baby is almost two months old now. I know, can you believe it?! Where is time going??? I'm glad I got two cans of tomatoes at the store because I thought it only called for one, but three cups is really more like 1.5 cans. I'll probably live on the wild side and just use both full cans instead of having half a can left over. Darn it...another recipe I planned on making this week called for one diced tomato, and half a can would have been about that. Too bad I already bought tomatoes for it. Shoot.

*****

I'm so glad I can eat feta again because this was yummy. Two cans of tomatoes was a bit too much sauce, and I think I was a little shy on the amount of pasta, but it was still good. This is so easy to make and so tasty. The feta melts and makes the sauce all creamy and delicious. There were hardly any leftovers.

Quick Boca Pasta Dinner

So first of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! Well, yesterday anyway. That's why I've been MIA the past few days. Sunday night we went to my grandma's for my family birthday dinner. She made me veal birds, but it's not really veal. It's round steak pounded thin, then topped with stuffing, and rolled up. My grandma's stuffing is AWESOME, so I thought this was a great way to have it but not have turkey. She also made me carrot cake, again AWESOME.

Anyway, Monday was my actual birthday and the plan I had for dinner fell through. We were going to get Chinese food but decided that didn't sound very good. The husband said he'd cook for me (wow...twice in a year already!) and finally decided on patty melts since I have never had one. For those of you not in the know, a patty melt is a burger with grilled onions in a grilled cheese sandwich. It was so good! I have a fantastic husband!

But tonight it was back to realty. It seemed like we've been on a beef binge lately, so we wanted some vegetarian meals to get back on track. That meant I had to redo my menu for the week, but whatever. I checked the Boca website for recipes and came across this one. I changed it up a bit, however.

Quick BOCA® Pasta Dinner
8 oz. whole wheat corkscrew noodles
1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 pouches (1 cup each) BOCA Meatless Ground Burger
1 bag (16 oz.) frozen Italian-style vegetable combination
2 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, mix spaghetti sauce, ground burger and vegetables in large saucepan; cook on medium heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta; place on large platter. Top with sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

*****

I couldn't find Italian-style veggies, so I used California instead (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots). Once the pasta was drained, I put the sauce in the pan with the pasta and mixed in some feta instead of parmesan cheese. I had way too much sauce for the amount of pasta. Oh, and I used penne instead of corkscrews.

This. Was. Awesome. We all really liked it, and I loved the feta mixed into it! Our friend Ed was here for dinner and had some and gave his approval as well. There's quite a bit left which will be nice for lunches the next couple days!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

I figured I go back into the recesses of my blog to find stuff for dinner this week. I saw this and realized we haven't had it in months, and it's something we really like. I also realized the few posts I've done with pictures, I like. So I think I'm going to keep our old camera handy in the kitchen and starting adding more pictures of what I'm making. Excitement is oozing out of you, isn't it?!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices (optional)
Green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

*****

I didn't think to get bread to go with this, but I think I have some in the freezer we can have. Tonight is bath night for the boy, so it's a perfect night for spaghetti!

Vegetarian Frittata

Phew...finally I'm all caught up! My husband always makes dinner for me on Valentines Day, so I was off duty last night. It was such a treat! Although, he made what I had planned on having tonight, so I had to do some quick thinking. I had some spinach from the portobello pitas earlier in the week, and we haven't had this frittata in quite awhile, so that's what we're having. I also have a red pepper I need to use up. I'm excited, this is always so good!

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.

*****

I think I'm just going to saute my red pepper instead of roasting it. And instead of parmesan, I'm going to use feta. For one thing, I'm out of parmesan, and for another I have feta to use and think it would taste really good with this. The husband was going to happy hour after work, so we'll probably eat after the little man goes to bed.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

I had something different planned for dinner tonight, but my grocery store was out of tofu when I went shopping last week, so I've had to do a bit of rearranging to accomodate that. It was either this or grilled pizzas, but we don't really have any pizza toppings, so that made the choice pretty easy to narrow down. Plus this has been good every time we've had it. I just wish we had some good bread to go with it, but you couldn't pay me to go to the store today or tomorrow--that's why I went last Friday and stocked up for this week and next!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices (optional)
Green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

*****

Can I just toot my own horn and say I love my blog because I make so many different things, this gives me a way to go back and see what I've made?! I was scrolling through August's recipes the other day and kept saying, "Oh I forgot about that!"

Anyway, I don't think I have green onions, so I'll either use regular onions or just skip them because I hate chopping onions.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

Our good friend Ed is coming over for dinner tonight (Hi, Ed!) and I thought I'd fix this because it's pretty easy (something I look for in recipes when people will be here), it was good last time, and canned tomatoes were on sale this week plus I had a coupon. The husband stopped at Trader Joe's last night to get himself a bottle of his favorite beer, so I had him get some bread for tonight while he was there. I love TJ's Asiago Cheese and Black Pepper artisan bread. YUM! Dinner can't get here soon enough. Well, actually it can because I need to fold laundry and clean house.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices (optional)
Green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

*****

I don't think I'm changing up anything on this one, other than using canned tomatoes instead of real ones. Plus with the sale and my coupon, it was cheaper to buy canned than real. I know last time I didn't have green onions, so I'm not sure if I should add them this time or not. Do I stick with what I know or risk messing it up? I'll see how I feel when the time comes and let y'all know!

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta

More feta tonight! We're actually going to the Diamondbacks game tonight, but we're going to eat before we go. Well, the husband and I are anyway--kids eat free on Wednesdays at the ballpark, so Will's getting a corn dog once we're there. This is another new recipe. I was looking at vegetarian pasta dishes on the Cooking Light website over the weekend and thought this looked good, plus I had everything on hand for it.

Greek Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Feta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups hot cooked thin spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese, divided
Freshly ground pepper
Lemon slices (optional)
Green onions (optional)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano and garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, green onions, 2 tablespoons parsley, and lemon juice; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Combine tomato mixture, spaghetti, and 3/4 cup cheese; toss gently. Top with remaining cheese and parsley, and serve with pepper. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.

*****

I just realized I don't have green onions, but I'll just use regular I guess. I'm also using canned diced tomatoes instead of cutting up my own. What can I say, I'm lazy and it was a lot cheaper. :)

Lemon Feta Chicken

Another new recipe for us! I was browsing through a cooking magazine I had to see what was in there and noticed this recipe. Sounds super easy which I always like!

Lemon Feta Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 to 1/2 tsp pepper

Place chicken in a 9x13 baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Pour lemon juice over chicken; sprinkle with feta cheese, oregano, and pepper. Bake uncovered at 400 for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

*****

I hope it's not too lemony as I'm not a big lemon fan, but I have everything on hand to make it. Not sure what we're going to have with it...maybe baked potato and broccoli.

Pasta with Chicken, Feta, and Roasted Peppers

This is another from the "Pasta & Co Encore" cookbook. I hadn't used it in awhile, so I found a few new recipes in it I wanted to try this week. I plan my menus out a week at a time, by the way. I just bought feta at Costco last week (smokin' deal, buying it there), and I was getting roasted red peppers for last night's frittata, so it worked out perfectly.

Pasta with Chicken, Feta, and Roasted Peppers
1/2 Tbsp salt for pasta water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 Tbsp heavy cream
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp salt
10 grinds black pepper
1/2 pound fresh egg fettuccine or 1/3 pound (5 ounces) dried pasta
4 cups cooked boned, skinned chicken (preferably grilled), cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Bring 4 quarts of water and the 1/2 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, heavy cream, red pepper flakes, the 1/8 teaspoon salt, and black pepper.

Cook the pasta in the boiling salted water until tender. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Immediately toss with the dressing. Fold in chicken and feta. If the mixture seems dry, add a small amount of extra olive oil. Place in serving dish and top with 1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature.

*****

I'm not buying a whole thing of heavy cream for 1.5 tablespoons, so I'm going to use whole milk because I have it in the fridge. I couldn't remember what kind of pasta this took when I was at the store on Monday, so I bought farfalle, but I may pick up some fettuccine today. I'm also not sure if we'll have it at room temperature or if we'll have it hot.