A Yummy Fall Dinner

A little inspiration from everywhere, including my dad. Thanks Dad! This recipe has flavorful rice, moist chicken, savory apples and delicious veggies. I'm eating leftovers today,which is all thrown together and it tastes great that way too!

Chicken  - I eyeballed measurements, so I hope it's close!
4 Chicken Thighs
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp water
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/4 C fresh Parmesan cheese
1 T paprika
1 t garlic salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Pre-heat skillet with oil over medium heat. Pat chicken dry. In one bowl mix egg and water. In another bowl mix bread crumbs, cheese, paprika, salt. Dip chicken, one at a time, in egg then in bread mixture. Coating well. Brown in skillet. The chicken will not be cooked through. We want to seal the chicken in the crusty bread. Transfer chicken to cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Rice -change amount of rice as needed
2 C water
1 C rice
1 T chicken bouillon

Bring water to a boil in a pot that has a cover. Add bouillon and rice. Bring temperature to Low and cover. Let sit on Low heat for 20 minutes.

Apples
4 medium apples (we used a red apple good for baking)
1/4 C brown sugar (more or less to taste)
2 t Ground Cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Core and slice apples. We did not peel them, but you can if you or your kids don't like the skin. Place apple slices, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Toss to coat. Place apples on baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve warm. ** this also fills your house with a wonderful smell! You may want to do more apples late in the afternoon and get this done first, prior to the chicken so you can snack while you cook.....Yes, I'm that bad**

Vegetables
I cheated. Grab a bag or two of steam in the microwave veggies. Pour cooked veggies in a bowl, serve.

Chicken Souvlaki

I love a good gyro or souvlaki, however most of the dishes I found to try over the years just weren't up to par. This one is pretty good. Not an exact match to my beloved tzatziki sauce, but pretty darn good. Hey, I woofed it down!

Serves 4

For the chicken souvlaki:
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 1/2 t fresh oregano
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t coarse salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 pita bread
lettuce leaves
tomato slices
onion slices

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken thighs. Toss to coat and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (I let it sit for an hour, turning once). Pre-heat broiler to high. Place chicken on a baking sheet and broil for 4 minutes. Flip chicken over and broil for an additional 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, about 180 deg F. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.

You can either stuff your pita or fold it like a taco. Fill the bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and chicken. Top with tzatziki sauce to taste.

For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1 C Greek Yogurt (full fat is fine)
1/4 C diced seedless, peeled cucumber (about half a cucumber)
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t olive oil
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t coarse salt
pinch black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Kielbasa Bundles

Hello foodie friends. Yes, it has been a while. Here is something I made for lunch today with the family. It was fun having the kids help out when they could.

1/2 lb fully cooked kielbasa or Polish Sausage, chopped (I used Polska Kielbasa, 14 oz)
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 C green pepper, chopped (I used 1/4 green pepper, little over 1/4 C)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T butter
1/3 C barbecue sauce (I had Hickory Smoked on hand)
2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 slices American cheese slices, halved
1 egg white
1 T water
Sesame Seeds

Pre-heat oven to 350 Deg.

In a large skillet (try deep dish), cook sausage for 5 minutes over medium heat. Drain any fat. Add onion, green pepper, garlic, and butter. Cook until vegetables are tender, about another 5 minutes. Stir in barbecue sauce and heat through.

While the vegetables are cooking; unroll crescent dough and separate into four rectangles; seal perforations. Place a cheese slice on half of each rectangle; top with 2 T sausage mixture. Fold dough over filling and pinch sides. Tuck any remaining dough underneath. Beat egg white and water together in a small bowl; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8 bundles.

Julie & Julia

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the movie Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Growing up I liked Meryl Streep but I fell in love with her in the Devil Wears Prada. I find it ironic that I see myself as Andy in the Devil Wears Prada. I also see myself as Julie and just laugh. I find myself as a mix of these two. Here I am, a wife and mom wanting to further my knowledge in the cooking field. I don't mind cooking a meal twice - there are favorites, but I am always wanting to try a new recipe. On the flip side, cooking calms the nerves and I feel a sense of accomplishment and love when I prepare a "Sunday Dinner" for friends and family. Call it a love language. And here, I have a blog. If one (or any) of the Food Network Stars ever told me that my blog was terrible I would be heart broken like Julie in the movie. Then I would get over it and move on. It's my blog. =)

There's nothing more pleasing than going shopping for a specific dinner. Strolling down the isle of the market, picking out the freshest red meat, herbs with aroma that takes you places for a moment in time, the softness of a ripe peach that reminds you of warm mornings in bed.....I should go to cooking school..... Funny....someone with the mind set and previous track of an engineer going to cooking school....

Bon Appetit!

Banquet Dinner

Yes, I love to cook. Yes, I love to try new things. Yes, I want a quick dinner every once in a while that I just don't have to think about.

Dave and I were grocery shopping a couple weeks ago. We saw a dinner in a box deal by Banquet (yes, those instant lunch/dinner deals - but not in the frozen section). Ham and hashbrowns in cheese. Sounds yummy. I didn't think it was that bad. My kids - and it's been over 2 years.....I should know better.... didn't like it. I've cooked my kids meals for them ever since they started solids. They do NOT like any kind of instant dinner/lunch. I can't even get them to eat Chef Boyarde.......

Taco Soup

My neighbor gave me this recpie of her's (among with others which I will share later). Thank you, Maggie!

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 t minced garlic
2 cans navy beans, undrained
1 can sweet corn, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies
2 packages taco seasoning
sour cream ~dallop per bowl
1 C shredded cheese (your choice)
Tortilla Chips

Brown beef, onion and garlic in large pot. Drain any fat. Add all other items to pot. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve soup in bowls, top with sour cream and cheese if desired (I recommend). We used the tortilla chips as our spoons. Kids LOVED this dish. They thought it was so much fun eating soup with chips.

I used cheddar cheese, you can use mexican blend cheese if you like. After you brown your meat, you can toss everything (except sour cream and cheese) in a slow cooker and let that go, on low, for a few hours in the afternoon.

Dijon Tilapia with Capers

You know what makes me feel terrible? I have tried new recipes and I can't remember to get on here and post them! Well, I guess working OT will do that to a person.

Tonight I didn't want chicken or ground beef. I saw the tilapia again... Yum. Ran out of cheese. Doesn't that put a damper on things? Typically, yes, but not today! My dish below I realized once I plated it was all white. However, you can tweak it, as always! My kiddos ate it, so I'm not complaining. The dijon mustard give it a nice flavor while the sour cream smooths it out.

If you don't know much about fish, or don't really eat it, you'll love tilapia. It is a VERY mild tasting fish. I say that because I like fish and tilapia doesn't taste like fish at all. It almost has no flavor. It's very bland and just cooking it with the pam give it a nice buttery flavor (I love butter). It is a wonderful fish to get to know and learn how to cook with.

3 Tilapia loins
Pam or some Butter
1/3 C Sour Cream
1 T Milk
1 T Dijon Mustard
2 t capers, drained

1 box scalloped potatoes, cooked according to pkg directions
2 C frozen broccoli and cauliflower, steamed

Spray a cookie sheet with pam. Place tilapia on the sheet. Spray fish with Pam. Bake at 450 deg for 4-6 minutes. Flip and cook another few minutes until cooked through if needed.

While your fish is cooking, mix sour cream, milk and mustard in a small pot over low heat. Do not bring to a boil! Add the capers once it's all mixed.

Plate your fish and pour (yes, it will be thick) the sauce over the fish. Serve with potatoes and veggies. *you could add more milk (careful here) to make it less viscous.

Casserole Surprise

I don't  know if I've posted this before, but I've learned that my kids do not like their dinner plate broken down into meat, veggie, starch, fruit. They pick at it. But.....if I make a casserole, it's gone in 5 minutes. Today's dish is created from a combination of my likes and the kid's likes. You got meat, starch and veggies all in one! Best part - NO ONE knew I put fish in this dish.......

8 oz of noodles - I used mini pinwheels
12 oz velveeta cheese
1/3 c skim milk
1 small frozen pkg of broccoli & cauliflower that you steam in the microwave
S&P to taste
3 tilapia loins
any seasoning you like (see below)
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 deg. Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking pan sear (cook) tilapia in butter and any seasoning you like (garlic, dill, sage, basil, etc..) Shred tilapia, set aside. Microwave veggies and dice. Drain noodles, dump back in pot. Return the pot to the stove and add milk, cheese. Mix until melted. Add veggies and fish - mix well. Place mixture in rectangle baking dish.Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Cuban Chicken?

So, I used Cuban seasoning......would one call it Cuban Chicken? If you try the dish, let me know what I should call it! Inspiration from this dish came from Mario Batali, although I only used half of his recipe and changed it from Mediterranean to Cuban...yeah, I do that.

I made the meat part of this last night and put it in the fridge. It takes about an hour and a half to make the meat, so I thought I would do it ahead of time and warm it the next day. Today I made the rice and threw the chicken/stock into a pot over medium heat while the rice cooked. It warmed it up to a nice temperature and the dish was delicious! I will write out what I did and at the end let you know some suggestions that I will try next time. Don't get me wrong, I think the dish is fine as is, but dishes always have room for tweaking and changing to one's liking.

4-6 chicken thighs (boneless if you want), skinless
flour
1/4 C oil (plus a little extra)
1 Lg red onion, you may dice or slice thinly
10 shakes of McCormick Cuban Seasoning ~ okay maybe 2 t?
1 carrot, diced
4 C chicken stock
1C rice, cooked to package directions


Directions:

Dredge chicken in flour. In a deep dish pan (a pan with a lid) heat oil over med-high heat until smoking. Add chicken and brown on both sides, transfer to a plate. Repeat with any remaining thighs.

Turn heat to low. Add onions (and additional oil if necessary) to the dish. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until soft. Add carrot and chicken stock, bring to a boil. Return chicken to dish and cover tightly. Bring temperature to Low and cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Place rice on plate, top with chicken and sauce. Serve.

That all being said........


Mario's dish called for 1/2 t saffron threads to be added to onions, 1 C small green olives to be added to the carrot, and only add 3 C chicken stock. Also 6 servings of couscous instead of rice. Once you take the chicken out of the pot at the end, add 1/4 C fresh mint leaves. Stir leaves in sauce, then top over chicken.

What I would change to my dish......


I added another C of chicken stock because I wasn't sure if 3 was enough. The dish was DELICIOUS, but if you wanted less salt, try low sodium chicken broth instead of regular broth/stock ~ or homemade stock. I would also add more carrots and possibly celery or another vegetable. I'm sure the green olives would taste nice. I may add some fresh garlic to the onions and saute them together. I will use the McCormick Cuban seasoning again. I like that! I would have used couscous if I had any in my pantry. I think that's it.

Kid's Review:


Scott loved it! My 4 year old gobbled it up within minutes. My 2 year old is not eating much of anything right now, so I wouldn't put too much on him. And my husband hasn't had dinner yet......

Open Face Tuna Melts

One awesome thing (for a person like me) is trying new foods from people who come in to your family. I give thanks to my step-mother for this one!

2 sm or 1 lg can of tuna, drained
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 sm onion, diced (or onion powder)
S&P to taste
1/4 t dried dill
couple of T of mayonnaise
------> you're making tuna salad here if you haven't caught on. Make it how you like it!

3-4 English muffins, separated
1 tomato, sliced
6-8 slices of white american, provolone or any cheese you like I guess
2 green onions, sliced


Open your English muffins. Place them on a baking sheet. Mix all ingredients for your tuna salad.Place a couple spoonfuls on each muffin slice. Add more muffins if needed. Lay a slice of tomato on the salad and top with a slice of cheese. Sprinkle onions over cheese. Broil for about 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Another mac and cheese dish for kids

When I picked Scott up from school today he asked for macaroni and cheese for dinner. I asked him what meat should be in it. He replied hot dogs. Of course he did! We're trying to get away from hot dogs, even though they don't eat them that often. So.....I imper-vised!

1/2 box elbow noodles
1-1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T butter
1 T milk
S&P to taste
Deli meat, cubed

Cook noodles according to package. Drain and let cool until most of the evaporation has stopped. (This will allow whatever sauce you're using to stick to your noodles better) Transfer noodles back to your pot and mix remaining items. Serve.

I used sliced turkey and diced it up. Being light in color and thin the kids didn't even know they were eating meat! You can use a whole box of noodles and add 2 C of cheese. You can do 1 C of sharp and 1 C of mild to mix it up. Add whatever deli meat you or your kids like.

Pork with Peaches and Pecan Sauce

First of all, thank you Campbells for this recipe! You can find it on the back of the Golden Mushroom condensed soup can. This recipe is flavorful and my kids ate it up!

1 T olive oil
1 lb pork tenderloin (I used 2 thick boneless pork chops, butterflied and cut into slices)
1 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, sliced (separate 2 and 1)
1 can Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can (about 15 oz) sliced peaches. Drain juice and set aside (you will use juice and peaches separately)
3 T (low sodium) soy sauce
2 T (Local) honey - I'm a local user ;)
1/4 C pecan halves, toasted and broken into pieces

1 C cooked rice

Heat oil in deep sided skillet over med-high heat. Add pork and cook until well browned on both sides. (Pretty much cooked) Remove pork from skillet and set aside.

Add onion (2) and garlic to skillet cook for 1 minute - don't let it burn though. Stir in soup, peach juice, soy sauce and honey. Heat to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until soup mixture is slightly reduced.

Return pork to skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in peaches. Reduce heat to low and cook until pork is cooked through. Stir in pecans.

Serve next to or on top a bed of rice. Sprinkle/Garnish with remaining green onion.

Farmhouse Pork & Apple Pie

Yes, this is for dinner! This recipe makes servings for 10. So please cut amounts accordingly. It calls for 1 lb of bacon. If you want to go healthy and use something like turkey bacon that does not give off a lot of drippings then when it comes to that step you'll have to sub with butter or oil to saute onions in.

1 lb sliced bacon, cut into 2" pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

3 lbs boneless pork, cubed

3/4 C all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil, optional

3 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped

1 t rubbed sage

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 C apple cider (or apple juice)

1/2 C water

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 C milk

5 T butter, divided

Fresh parsley, chopped (do not sub dried!)

Cook bacon until crispy. Remove and lay on paper towels. In drippings, saute onions until tender; remove and set aside. Dust pork lightly with flour. Brown in pan in batches, adding oil as needed (you may want to wipe the pan with a paper towel to clean prior to adding oil each time). Add all pork to pan; add bacon, onions, apples, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in cider and water. Transfer to a 12" baking dish (or other baking dish), cover and bake at 325 for two hours or until pork is tender.

Boil potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and mash potatoes in a mixing bowel with milk and 3 T butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pork from oven and spread potatoes over the pork mixture. Melt remaining butter and spread over potatoes. Broil for 6 minutes or until topping is browned. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.

Chicken Teriyaki

Sometimes I'm not the brightest and it takes me a while. Forever I wanted good, yummy teriayki like the restaurants or the mall. Well, after looking online here's what I've come up with. Please let me know if you have a better version. I am a little confused (if anyone knows, please spill) on the sake. Is sake rice wine? I have rice wine at home, but it doesn't state sake on it. (???)

2 T sake (Japanese Rice Wine)

1/4 C mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

1/4 C soy sauce

2 T light brown sugar

2 t grated fresh ginger root (3/4 or so dried)

splash sesame oil

1 3/4 lb chicken pieces

1 t peanut oil (please remember to sub all oils for allergies!!!)

2 C rice

Cook rice as directed. This is a side dish.

Combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame oil in a deep dish/bowl. Add chicken and let marinade for 15 minutes (refrigerate). Heat peanut oil in a deep sided pan that has a lid over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to oil. Saute chicken until it looks cooked on the outside, flip as needed.
Add the marinade to the chicken and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked prior to moving on ~170 deg F.
Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Raise heat to med-high to thicken marinade to a syrup consistency. Return the chicken to the pan, stir well to coat. Serve with rice.

Broccoli for Chinese Night

I have to have a veggie with dinner. And unless I do take on brown rice, I'm bored with having just a veggie. So, I tweaked my broccoli.

Cook broccoli according to package. Set aside.

Heat together:

1 t sugar

2 T apple cider vinegar

2 T vegetable oil

2 T soy sauce

If you want to bring it to a boil, then only do so for a minute. You really only have to heat it through then pour it over your broccoli. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or toasted almonds.

It's all in the cap

I love stuffed mushrooms. Fill it with almost anything. Here's three ways to enjoy stuffed mushrooms at your next event. To clean a mushroom cap - take a damp paper towel or washcloth (not soaked!). Lightly wipe off dirt. That's it. If you get too much water on them..... well, that's not the mushroom you want. (Thank you Publix magazine)

Spring Veggie

1/2 C bread crumbs

1/2 C shredded carrots

1/4 C sliced green onions

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 C sour cream

Combine all ingredients. Spoon into about 24 large caps. Place them on a baking dish. Lightly drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 425 for about 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Bacon Cheddar

1/2 bread crumbs

4 slices cooked, crumbled bacon

3/4 C shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 C sour cream

2 minced garlic cloved (2 t)

Combine all ingredients. Spoon into about 24 large caps. Also bake at 425 for about 18 minutes or until lightly brown and heated through.

Cheese Herb

1/4 C pesto (buy it if you don't want to make it)

1/4 C bread crumbs

1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese

1/4 C toasted pine nuts

Brie slices, extra pesto, extra pine nuts

Combine all ingredients. Spoon into about 24 large caps. Top each cap with a thin slice of Brie, a small dab of pesto, and 2-3 pine nuts. Bake this one at 425 for about 9 minutes or until cheese is melted and heated through.

Summer Time Chill

Picture this: A sunny spring day. Temperatures in the high 70's. Your kids are playing outside while you and other mommies and relaxing on the porch. Here's what you have in your hand....

Strawberry Sangria

9 - C fresh strawberries, trimmed and halved; separated

2/3 - C sugar

1/2 - C water

1 -750 ml bottle white winse, such as Sauvigon Blanc or Pino Grigio

2 C sparkling water, chilled

1 orange, sliced

In a large saucepan combine 8 C strawberries, sugar and water. Bring just to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from heat. Cover, cool to room temperature. Press mixture, a little at a time, through a sieve; discard solids. You should have about 3 C syrup. In a 2-quart container, stir together the syrup, wine, and remaining 1 C strawberries. Cover and chill up to 24 hours. Stir in sparkling water before serving. Decorate glass with orange slice or toss in glass.

Cute little side dishes: make a cone out of parchment paper. Tape the side. Fill with fresh blueberries.

Slice whatever fruit you like. For the dip: 1 container marshmallow fluff mixed with 1 container whipped cream cheese.

Pizza Pasta

My family tends to love it when I take two recipes and make one. Here you go:

1 lb Jimmy Dean sausage (Italian, Sage, or whatever suites your mood)

8 oz pasta

1 Jar spaghetti sauce (any flavor)

2 C mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package. Brown sausage in a deep sided frying pan. Add sauce. Mix well and let simmer a few minutes to heat through. Drain pasta and let cool till steam stops rising from pasta (this helps sauce stick to pasta better). Add pasta and cheese to meat mixture. Serve!

PF Chang's Mongolian Beef......with sides

I have only eaten one appetizer at PF Changs, but I hope to go back for more food soon! I found this recipe on their website and it is so good! I served it up with some fried rice (with egg and veggies), but you could serve the meat with white rice, fried broccoli with sesame seeds, noodles, whatever! You will find most of these ingredients down your ethnic isle.

12 oz sliced Beef Tenderloin (I used Publix - meat for fajitas or stir-fry)

1 T Soy Bean Oil (I used regular veg oil b/c I could not find this one)

1/2 t Garlic

2 fl oz Soy Sauce

2 T Sugar

1 t Rice Wine

2 oz Green Onion sticks - 3" long, Green only (I used 1 bunch from Publix)

1/2 t Sesame Oil

Heat Soy Bean Oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add beef and cook for about a minute on each side. Beef should be light brown around the edges and grey in the middle. (I don't think it has to be fully cooked, but make sure it's at least med-med well)

Add garlic, toss. Add Rice Wine, Soy Sauce, and Sugar. Mix well, bring to a boil. Cook and reduce the sauce around the beef until all the sauce has caramelized onto the beef. It helps if you mix every now and then to keep the sauce coated on the beef. Your pan should be "dry" - no flowing sauce.

Add the green onion. Toss about 3 times to mix then remove from heat. Add Sesame Oil and toss to coat. Serve.

** Caramelizing your meat is the secret!!!

Kid food on a stick

I am going to try my best! I made this up last night.

Cheeseburger Meatballs

1 lb ground beef (meat)

1/3 C bread crumbs

1/3 C shredded cheese ~ eyeball it. You want enough in the mixture, but not too much to where oils from the cheese is pouring out (I used mozzarella last night)

1 t parsley

1 egg

**note** you can add any flavoring to these meatballs. W-Sauce, spices, Montreal Steak flavoring - whatever you typically add to your burgers when you grill them.

Garlic Toast

Either bake at 350 deg for about 25 min or until cooked or skewer them and cook them on the gill.

Either serve garlic toast or take a baguette, slice it length-wise. Cut into cubes. Spread butter and garlic salt on bread. Toast or skewer and grill until butter is melted.

Dilly Cheesy Veggies

2 C vegetables, cooked and drained

1/4 C velveeta (yes, I cheated. You can make homemade cheese sauce too)

1 t Dill mix (dill, onion powder, garlic powder)

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl over medium heat until cheese is melted. Serve.

Another fun item to make instead of the garlic toast: Cheeseburger noodles.

1/2 box any type of noodles: fun shapes are best for kids

ketchup

mustard

cheese

Cook pasta as directed on box. Drain. Mix in ketchup, mustard and cheese until cheese is all melted. Serve with meatballs on top (if you want, you can omit the cheese from the meatballs if you're adding cheese to the pasta)

Yes, I realize this whole thing is full of cheese. I must have been in a cheesy mood!

Chicken and Sausage White Chili

1 med onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 poblano peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 t minced garlic

1 T oil

3 chicken sausage links (any flavor) casings removed and chopped

1 lb ground turkey

2 cans navy beans, drained

2 C chicken broth

1 t ground cumin

1 t chili powder

1/2 t dried oregano

1/4 t pepper

1 C milk

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

In a saucepan brown turkey and chicken. Set aside. Preheat a stockpot to med-high with oil. Add onion, poblano peppers, and garlic. Saute for 3 minutes or until soft. Add meat. Stir in cumin, chili powder, pepper and oregano, mix well. Add chicken broth and beans. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Add milk, cook 2-3 minutes to blend flavors.

Serve into bowls and top with cheese.

Oreo Truffles

Yes. You hear that Oreo and truffle in the same context. Be careful...... they're easy to make and quick to be eaten!

1 pkg standard Oreo (not double stuffed or chocolate coated)

1 brick cream cheese

1/2 C powder sugar

Place the Oreo's in a food processor. Blend until they are tiny crumbs. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Mix in, by hand, the cream cheese. (Check to see the difference between a brick of cream cheese and whipped cream cheese in weight. The whipped cream cheese might be easier to mix). Roll mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in powder sugar and place in fridge until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Pizza Pockets

Last night I didn't know what to make. I guess that happens a lot. I looked through recipes and kind of made this one up. It was so good! You'll have left over bits and pieces, but you can use them tomorrow night.

1 pkg croissant rolls or pie crust

1/2 ham steak, diced and cooked

Pizza/spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 deg.

Now I used croissant rolls because that's all I had and I didn't want to make dough. You could use pie crust or and kind of dough you have on hand. You can use whatever meat you have on hand too. If you think about it, there are many ways to make a pizza.

I rolled out the croissant rolls and kept two slices together to make a rectangle. Smudge the pieces together so they don't separate. Spoon on 1-2 T of sauce. Add ham pieces and top with cheese. Fold over dough and pinch edges so it closes. Repeat for other 3 rectangles or until you're done.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Add more mozzarella cheese to the top of the pockets and put back in the oven for 5 minutes. You want the cheese to melt, it's okay if it gets a little brown.

If you're serving them to little kids you may want to cut them open and let them cool a little before serving. They will be hot inside. They came out very well and both my kids ate them right up! (19 months and 3.5 years)

Simply Delicious Strawberry Cake

Thank you Paula Deen! Yes, it is strawberry season.....and Valentines Day is around the corner, so is my 5 year anniversary. For me, a trifecta. Let your kids help pour ingredients into the bowl. Have them break one egg at a time into a smaller bowl (catching any shell pieces before they go into the cake) and then pour each egg into the large bowl. They can decorate the end cake with their strawberry pieces.

Cake Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 (3 oz) box strawberry instant gelatin

15 oz pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

4 Lg eggs

1/2 C vegetable oil

1/4 C water

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

1/4 C butter, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

10 oz pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed

1/2 t strawberry extract (if you can't find this try vanilla)

7 C confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

Fresh strawberries - washed, sliced for garnish: optional

Preheat overn to 350 deg. Lightly grease 2 9" round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil and water; beat on med speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

For the frosting:

In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Beat in 1/4 C of the strawberry puree and extract. (keep the rest of the puree for smoothies or top for ice-cream) Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth.

Place your bottom piece of cake on a plate or wherever you will serve it from. Ice the top of the cake. Place the second cake on top of the first. Ice the sides and top of the cake. If your bottom cake is rounded on top, you may want to shave a little off the top so the top cake will sit nicely on the bottom cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries and serve.

Chicken with Lemon Caper Cream Sauce

My hat's off to Olive Garden for two recipes mixed to make one. This super simple dish will fool anyone into thinking that you're a master chef!

4 chicken breast, or 8 chicken tenders

1 C flour

2 t salt

2 t pepper

2 t Italian seasoning

3 T olive oil

1/4 c olive oil

2 T capers, drained

2 T minced garlic

Juice of 2 lemons

1 lemon, sliced

1/4 C white wine

2 C heavy cream

1 T fresh parsley, chopped

8 oz cooked pasta (spaghetti, angel hair pasta, etc...)

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg F. I took the chicken breasts and sliced them in half. You may also use whole chicken breast or tenders, whatever you wish to showcase. Heat 3 T olive oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. Pat dry the chicken. Mix flour, salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Mix chicken in dry mixture and fry in oil until both sides are browned (2-3 min each side roughly, it will not be fully cooked). You may have to brown in batches, adding oil as needed. Transfer chicken to a cookie sheet and cook 15-20 minutes or until internal temp reads 170 deg.

While chicken is baking:

Heat water for pasta. Add salt and pasta and cook as directed. Drain.

Heat 1/4 C oil in a deep frying pan. Saute garlic and capers for 30-45 seconds. Add lemon juice and wine. Cook until sauce is reduced by half. Add cream and parsley. Cook until sauce has thickened - just a few minutes. Add lemon slices and cooked pasta. Mix.

You can prepare the served dish a couple different ways. One beautiful ways is to pour the pasta onto a large, oval dish or a large corning wear piece. Lay the chicken on top on an angle and sprinkle with some parsley (chopped or whole). If you want to plate it for your guests/family: spoon the pasta onto the dish then lay 1-2 chicken pieces, one slightly on top of the other. For children you can take the chicken pieces and halve them again to make a "sun". Or you can serve it buffet style and let them plate their own pasta and chicken.

Serve with the extra white wine (legal age, of course).

Rolling for Pasta

This is a delicious cold pasta dish. A nice twist and I believe good for vegans.

2 C cooked mini wagon wheel pasta

1 sm apple, cored and chopped

½ cucumber, seeded and chopped

¼ C chopped pecans

¼ C regular or golden raisins

2 T olive oil

¼ t salt, 1/8 t ground pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T chopped fresh parsley

In a large bowl, combine pasta, apple, cucumber, pecans, raisins, olive oil, salt and pepper. Squeeze on lemon juice. Cover and let pasta salad chill until serving time or 1 hour. Stir in parsley when serving.

For the guys - Saucy Ribs!

It's never too early to grill, and you can always sub in the oven if you're craving those luscious ribs. Here's one for the guys to get them out of the house and keep an eye on the kids outside. This will give you some quiet time while you prep sides without kids under your feet!

5 lbs back ribs 1 T salt 1 t black pepper 16 oz Pomegranate Juice

2/3 C ketchup 1 T molasses 1 T soy sauce 2 Scallions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Season ribs with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to medium heat. Turn off burners/move coal where ribs go, or use a pan so they’re not directly on heat. Lightly oil cooking grate. Place ribs over indirect heat (over drip pan or unlit burner). Close grill and cook until ribs are tender, about 2 hours at 325-350 deg.

Meanwhile, bring pomegranate juice to a boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Boil until thickened, and reduced to 1/3 cup, about 15 minutes. Stir in ketchup, molasses, soy sauce, scallions and garlic. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking ribs, baste ribs with sauce. Ribs are done when meat pulls away from bone.

Warm Harvest Soup

Sure, it may not be fall anymore, but it's still cold. This soup is full of nutrients and sure to please. I have not tried it yet, so if you do - let me know how it turns out.

1 T olive oil 1/2C chopped carrot ½ C chopped celery

1/3 C chopped onion 1 ½ lb butternut squash, seeded & cut into 1” cubes

2 Med apples, cored, cut into 1” pieces 4 C chicken broth

Black Pepper Croutons

1) In a big pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add carrots, celery and onion. Cook, stiring occasionally for 8-10 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. Add squash, apples, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly.

2) Puree soup, in two batches if needed, in a blender or food processor. Add pepper and croutons.

Yield: 6 cups

Double chunk Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was at MD Anderson the other day getting bloodwork done and they had a lady serving cookies in the waiting room. Fresh out of the oven! they were delicious with my cup of coffee that was freshly made as well. Made for a lovely morning. Also made my hungry for some nice, warm cookies! Enjoy.

2 C flour 2/3 C unsweeted cocoa powder 1 t baking soda

¼ t salt 1 C (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 C granulated sugar

2/3 C firmly packed light brown sugar 2 eggs

1 t McCormick Pure Peppermint Extract 6 oz chocolate chips

1 C coarsely chopped walnuts

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat butter and sugars in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and extract, mix well. Gradually stir in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Stir in chocolate and nuts.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoons about 2” apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at preheated 350 deg oven for 8-10 minutes or just until cookies are set. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.

Yield: 4 dozen

Corn Casserole

This dish goes great with Cilantro Chicken, posted 09/19/11 (I believe). It's a different taste, but the flavors just explode in your mouth! You can add spice to your liking (ex: hot sauce).

3 1/2-4 C corn (fresh, frozen, or drained canned)

1/2 pkg bacon (about 8 slices)

2 T diced garlic

1 med onion, chopped

2 T flour

1 t each: salt and pepper

1 C sour cream

Cook bacon on frying pan. Dry bacon on a paper towel. Crumble all the bacon except for 2-4 slices. Saute onion and garlic in bacon drippings until onions are soft. Add salt, pepper and flour. When it starts to bubble cook 1 minute longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. (at this point you can either mix in the pan or transfer to a bowl if you are using a small frying pan) Mix in sour cream. *This is where I would add any heat. Mix hot sauce, chili powder, or whatever you like into your sour cream Before you mix it into your onion mix.* Next, mix in bacon crumbles and corn. Transfer to a 1.5 qt baking dish. Top with bacon slices. Bake at 350 deg for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Skillet Chili

Last night I had two hungry little boys and ground beef in the fridge. I didn't want to make the same old thing and wanted to feed my kids - Fast! Came across this recipe and tweaked it a little. In 30 minutes I had dinner and the kids scarfed it down! As always, add flavors to taste, sub meat for whatever you have on hand and noodles too!

1 lb ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes

1 - 15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1/2 C salsa

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 C macaroni noodles

1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

Brown meat, onions, and garlic in a deep sided pan (that has a lid). Drain fat. Add all other ingredients, except cheddar cheese. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until noodles are cooked. Sprinkle cheese on top, remove from heat and replace lid until cheese melts - about 2 minutes. Serve.

You could add veggies to this dish if you want to slide in some extra nutrients for your kids. Zucchini, beats, eggplant, whatever.