Rachel vs. "The Kitchen"

Thin Crust Pizza

2012-01-16T14:23:00.000-08:00

First of all, please excuse my horrendous picture! We seldom eat dinner much before 6 or 7pm and by that point, the lighting is AWFUL! This pizza, however, was anything but "awful"--talk about a huge hit at my house! The kids both said that they preferred it to any pizza they had tried out--of course part of that could have been that they were involved in the whole process :) The recipe was a little unusual for me, because the dough was actually made in my food processor--as opposed to my mixer. It was so very easy to make the dough and for that matter, the actual pizza making process was simple, as well! The downside: you have to make the dough ahead of time and then wait at least 24 hours (but preferably 48-72 hrs) to make your pizza, so the dough sits in your refrigerator taunting you for a while! Trust me, it was well worth the wait and honestly-speaking, it was much easier in the long-run to divide the work. I contemplated making this recipe back in March when we had our kids' pizza-making birthday party, but didn't realize that the recipe required allowing the dough to sit for at least 24 hours...oops! We really enjoyed the dough that we used for the party, but this was equally as delicious! I made the homemade sauce that I made for their party, which is SUPER simple to throw together and freezes well if you have excess. The single recipe makes (2) 13-inch pizzas and it seemed much more filling than take-out pizza. We did struggle a little to get it as thin as we wanted and I'm wondering if it wouldn't have been easier, had we allowed the dough to sit in the refrigerator an extra day??? (I believe the dough was in there for approximately 30 hours). While the recipe calls only for cheese, we added some pepperoni and I would definitely do that again! Our pizzas were done in about 10 minutes and I served them with salad. We had about 3/4 of a pizza left, after the four of us ate, and trust me when I tell you...we're all good eaters!

Thin Crust Pizza

Yield: 2 13-inch pizzas

Ingredients:
For the crust:
3 cups (16½ oz.) bread flour
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. instant yeast
1 1/3 cups ice water
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. salt

For the sauce:
1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar (I was all out, so I used Balsamic vinegar)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

For topping:
Olive oil, for brushing
½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella

Directions:
To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a food processor* fitted with the metal blade. Pulse just to combine. With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube and process just until the dough is combined and all dry ingredients are incorporated, about 10 seconds. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Add the oil and salt to the dough. Process until the dough forms a smooth, tacky ball that clears the sides of the bowl, about 30-60 seconds. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead briefly on a lightly oiled work surface, about 1 minute. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 3 days. (After the period of refrigeration, the dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for later use.)

To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

One hour before baking the pizza, adjust an oven rack to the second highest position and place a baking stone on the rack to preheat. Preheat the oven to 500˚ F. Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and divide in half. (If you plan to freeze a portion of the dough, this is the time to wrap in plastic, place in a freezer bag and freeze for later use.) Form each half into a ball and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Spray the dough balls lightly with cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

To assemble the pizza, transfer a dough ball to a well floured work surface. Flatten into an 8-inch disk, leaving a slightly thicker edge around the rim. Using your hands, gently stretch the dough to a 12-inch circle. (We used a rolling pin, per Annie's suggestion, to get the crust thin enough.) Transfer the dough to a well floured pizza peel and stretch to a 13-inch circle. (We don't have a pizza peel, nor do I know what one is, so I left Marcus in charge of stretching the pizza out as best as he could!) Lightly brush the thicker edge of the disk with olive oil. Spread ½ cup of the pizza sauce over the dough. Sprinkle evenly with the grated Parmesan and the shredded mozzarella. Carefully transfer the pizza to the preheated baking stone. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Let cool about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

*This dough can also be made in a stand mixer or by hand. Keep in mind, the idea is to avoid warming the dough, so a food processor or mixer is optimal.

Source: Annie's Eats

Oven Fried Perch

2012-01-07T05:53:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth! "Craziness" is too mild of a word to describe my life at the moment. My husband just completed his first semester of nursing school, but throughout the course of the semester, meal-planning was a bit challenging. Last semester, he worked (2) night shifts and I've been trying to pick up as many shifts as possible at the hospital, in addition to raising two very active little ones! Not only has it been difficult to muster up the energy to cook, but it's hard to experiment much while living on such a strict budget. I've become quite the little "couponer" and find that most everything I purchase is purchased almost exclusively with coupons (aside from meat and produce, of course), which doesn't always give me much to work with! This coming semester appears as if it will be a little easier, primarily because my husband will only be going to school 2 days/week for the first 8 weeks and he'll be able to work (2) day shifts. The problem, though, is that even when he and I work day shifts, it means we don't get home until at least 8-8:30pm, so we're generally looking for very quick meal ideas! This particular recipe was perfect for last night! I defrosted a package of perch fillets and I'm not exaggerating when I say that between prep and cooking time, my meal was complete in 15 minutes! That gave my husband just enough time to put the kids to bed and take a quick shower, so we could both enjoy a meal together at the end of a very long day! (I forgot to mention that I spent probably close to 6 hours at three different grocery stores with my 3 year old...enough said!) While I do generally prefer a more "crisp" coating, it was very tasty and certainly more healthy than frying. We will definitely make this again!

I hope everyone had a very nice holiday season! Wishing all of you a very Happy (and healthy) New Year!!! Oh, and just as a little side note...my sister, Sarah, just started a new blog--make sure to check it out! (Amateur Foodie)

Oven Fried Perch

1 lb Perch Fillets
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese - grated
1/2 Cup Dry Bread Crumbs
1/2 Tsp. Thyme
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Tbsp. Margarine, melted

Directions:

Combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese and thyme in a shallow bowl. Dip perch fillets in milk and then coat each fillet with bread crumb mixture. Lay in single layer on greased shallow baking pan. Drizzle with melted margarine. Bake in oven at 450 degrees for approximately 10 or until perch flakes easily with a fork.

***Serves 2*** (Perfect for a late night meal for my husband and I, but definitely not enough food for more than 2 people, so make sure you adjust your ingredients accordingly!)

Source: activeangler.com

Kick Off with Haas Avocados Recipe Contest!

2011-09-17T02:01:00.001-07:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Hass Avocado Board featuring Hass Avocados for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I LOVE avocados and look for any excuse to incorporate them into a recipe or meal! We seldom have a family get-together that does not include a giant bowl of my Mom's guacamole, which is absolutely to die for!!! Personally, I love to slice avocados and serve them with most any type of sandwich--especially a nice, grilled chicken sandwich! Plus, you can never go wrong with a refreshing bowl of Avocado-Corn Salsa or adding chunks of avocados to quesadillas! My mouth is watering just thinking about the endless possibilities! What I love most about avocados is that not only do they enhance everything they are incorporated into, but they are exceptionally good for you! One-fifth of a medium avocado (1 oz) has just 50 calories and contributes nearly 20 vitamins and minerals, making it a nutrient-dense food choice. They're also wonderful in the sense that that they contribute to the "good fats" in one's diet. Over 75% of the fat in avocados is unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats), making them a great substitute for foods high in saturated fat.

Now, onto the exciting part! Hass Avocados is holding a "Kick Off with Hass Avocados Recipe Contest"! There are 2 ways to participate:

(1) A weekly sweepstakes where they will give away a box of avocados for 14 consecutive weeks! Every week during the course of the campaign, a box of Fresh Haas Avocados will be given away to one lucky winner. That's 14 chances to win!!!!

(2) A recipe contest where the winner will win a trip for FOUR people to the Rose Bowl Game ®! (This trip includes round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, participation in a Rose Bowl Game ® Welcome Reception, admission to the "behind-the-scene" Rose Bowl Parade decorating site, sightseeing tour of Pasadena, admission to the Rose Bowl Game ® on January 2, 2012 and more!!!) Just enter your Avocado Game Day Recipe in the contest and a screenshot of your contest entry in your post, if possible...it's as easy as that!

***For more information on how the winner is chosen, be sure to check out their Facebook page!***

I would very much encourage everyone to sign up (on the contest site) to receive free emails with recipe ideas and nutrition information--you'll receive great ideas once per month! If you enjoy avocados as much as I do, you may also want to check out these avocado recipes and tailgating tips and recipes! Enjoy!

Super Simple Chicken

2011-07-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Yet again, I have gone quite a long stretch without blogging, but things have been SUPER busy around here. My husband has officially been accepted into nursing school (and will start next month)--it's been quite a long journey, but there's FINALLY a light at the end of the tunnel! He'll graduate in May 2013 and I couldn't possibly be anymore excited--just two more years and then hopefully we can return to some degree of normalcy! He's taking two summer courses (both of which have required an ungodly amount of time), while we both work as much as possible and spend time with our two crazy little kids! Due to the fact that we're always running in different directions and we both work long shifts at the hospital (and get home generally after the kids are in bed), we haven't really had anything too fancy...hotdogs, pizza and tacos have been making regular appearances on my weekly menus, as have those quick, frozen skillet meals! Starting this Fall, I will be home Monday through Friday (and working weekends exclusively), so I will have MUCH more time to cook and experiment with new recipes--especially since my son will be going to school all day, starting this year, and it will just be my daughter and I home during the day. Bless her heart, she's got quite a little sweet tooth, so I'm sure you'll see an increase in my dessert posts, as well!

As for my recipe, I must admit...if I had my way, I normally would prefer to have my husband grill split chicken breasts! He always manages to cook them perfectly and I just prefer that "grilled" taste. Unfortunately, the night we made these, I knew he wouldn't be home until close to 8pm and since I had to be up for work at 4:30am, I didn't want to eat dinner too late. I generally don't have the best luck preparing baked chicken, especially bone-in chicken breasts...they tend to be on the drier side and not overly flavorful. This recipe, however, was the PERFECT alternative to grilling and will come in most handy in the winter. It took all of 5 minutes to prepare the chicken and while the original recipe stated that you should bake them for 1 hr to 1 hour and 15 minutes, I found ours to be fully-cooked after approximately 45 min. (Definitely watch them carefully!) I seasoned each breast very generously, with each of the seasonings and they were bursting with flavor and were so moist, that the juices immediately flowed out upon cutting into them. While I think the leftovers would be great reheated on a low oven, I'm actually looking forward to cutting them up and making a nice, hearty salad...sounds like a refreshing, light meal idea with this intense heat! I hope everyone is staying cool and enjoying their summer!

Super Simple Chicken

4 bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin
4 tablespoons butter
dried basil
thyme
garlic powder
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place chicken breasts in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Add lemon juice to bottom of dish. Dot each breast with 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine, then season each breast generously, with each of the above seasonings.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 1 hour. (Make sure to check around 45min to avoid over-cooking!)

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

2011-05-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Grocery shopping has become one of my ultimate frustrations lately, as the prices of fresh meat/poultry/fish are nauseating! We've about had our fill of chicken, so I spent a little more than I normally would on a family-sized package of center cut pork loin chops. I figured the pork would be a bit healthier than red meat and ever since I tried breaded pork chops not that long ago, I have been in search of other variations. I realize I just posted a Parmesan Baked Perch recipe, so I apologize for the back-to-back "Parmesan-themed recipes", but I knew I couldn't go wrong with a recipe from Giada! My husband and I both felt that this recipe was a keeper and my son loved these chops so much that he even requested a second one! This is definitely another great, quick, weeknight meal!

Parmesan-Crusted Pork Chops

2 large eggs
1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan
4 (1/2 to 3/4 inch thick) center cut pork loin chops
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
*optional lemon wedges for serving*

Directions:

Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl or plate. Place the parmesan cheese in a third shallow bowl or plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the egg, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a plate and serve with lemon wedges.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis (Foodnetwork.com)

Baked Parmesan Perch

2011-05-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I went grocery shopping the other day and as usual, only chicken was on sale, so as I was attempting to make room in my freezer for the random frozen items I purchased, I found a bag of perch. By no means am I a "food snob", but I'm finding it quite difficult to find frozen fish that I really enjoy. The bottom line is that nothing beats fresh fish--it's just hard to rationalize spending $7-$10/lb, while on a budget! I'm hoping against hope that trout or salmon goes on sale in the near future--not only because I'm desperately craving them, but because I have a couple of REALLY good recipes to share and they won't be near as good on frozen fish. As far as this recipe is concerned, I actually was pleasantly surprised at how flavorful the fish was and it was SO easy! Another recipe I will be adding to my rotation, especially when I'm in need of a quick weeknight meal!

Baked Parmesan Perch

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper seasoning
1 pound perch or fish fillets of your choice
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, oregano and lemon pepper seasoning. Brush fish fillets with butter, then dip into the crumb mixture. Place in a greased baking pan. bake, uncovered, at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Chicken Scampi

2011-05-09T13:46:00.001-07:00

First of all, I seriously have every intention of posting some beef recipes just as soon as our local stores have reasonable prices! I can't quite psych myself up to spend $3/lb for regular ground beef...not even ground chuck! Even chuck roast has been $4-ish a pound...RIDICULOUS! Chicken happens to be the only thing on sale these days and I have to stick to my budget! I am so very proud to announce that my husband got straight A's this semester, so this was our celebratory meal in his honor :) Now, we just have to wait another few weeks to find out if he gets accepted into nursing school to start this Fall. If he receives an acceptance letter, I'm most definitely splurging on some good steaks!!! I also will remain on the hunt for quick weeknight meal ideas, because I'm hoping to work a ton to sock away money for next semester--if anyone has any ideas, please do share!

As for this recipe, I found it to be very simple to prepare and was a huge hit with my family. My husband polished off his plate and I think he took the leftovers for work today and my son requested seconds the night I prepared it. I followed the basic recipe on allrecipes.com, but tweaked it a bit. Would definitely make it the very same way next time! If you enjoy garlic and Italian-style food, this recipe will be right up your alley! (Oh, and did I mention that from start to finish, it took all of 25 minutes?!?)

Chicken Scampi

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins (I happened to use these, because they were on sale for the same price as the boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could actually just use the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cut them into 1 inch wide strips)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the butter or margarine and oil over medium high heat, until the butter/margarine melts. Add the parsley, oregano, garlic and salt and mix together in the skillet. Stir in lemon juice and white wine.

Add the chicken and saute for about 3-4 minutes or until chicken turns white on the outside. Lower the heat and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. (Watch the chicken carefully...mine was done in closer to 10 minutes). ***Also, you may have to add additional butter/margarine, while the chicken is cooking--I added an extra 1/2 stick***

Serve over pasta or rice. I used one pound of thin spaghetti, because I didn't have any angel hair on hand--this was more than enough for my family of 4.

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Chicken with Rosemary-Onion Sauce

2011-05-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

Anytime I see someone post a recipe that is a "quick weeknight meal" idea, I immediately jump on it--especially when it's endorsed by someone like Krista, of Krista's Kitchen! I have yet to try a recipe of Krista's that I have disliked! I actually intended to make this about a week ago, but had yet another "incident" with chicken I purchased at Meijer. It was marked "sell by April 30th" and seeing as how I was preparing it April 27th, I hardly anticipated my chicken smelling like rotten eggs when I opened the package. NOT a happy camper--especially because this was not the first time I've had a problem with their meat/poultry!

I have to laugh now (although I wasn't finding it overly amusing the night I made it), but looking back at Krista's post regarding the meal, she mentioned that her kids were not big fans of the "gravy". Ironically, my kids and I all really enjoyed the chicken, "gravy" and all (although I did put it sparingly on my kids' chicken)--it was my husband who didn't seem to care for it. (Not overly surprising--he's the pickiest eater in our home!) He thought the onion flavor was "too overpowering". Here's the thing...I fully admit that I've had onions that were VERY strong and while I happen to enjoy the flavor of onion, there have been times in which I've scraped off some excess, because it was in fact "too overpowering". By no means did I think the onion flavor was too much--it was actually a very mild onion. He kills me, too, because he asked me "are the onions cooked?". Ummmm...yeah...by TWO different methods! Not only did I saute them, but they were then baked within the sauce for about 25 minutes while my chicken was in the oven. (He even watched me take the chicken out, with the sauce covering it!) I love him dearly, but he drives me crazy sometimes!!! I've mentioned this in prior posts, but before we started dating (about 10 years ago), he literally ate the same 3-4 meal rotation. He NEVER would have considered eating onions before I started cooking for him, but he will eat them in certain dishes now. As far as this dish is concerned, I'm honestly not sure if it was more in his head, just because he previously had himself convinced that he didn't like onions and this chicken was obviously smothered in them. If he'd be willing to try it again, perhaps I'll try a Vidalia onion...doesn't get much more mild than that! In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy devouring the leftovers, all by myself :)

Just one more thing before I post the recipe! This potentially could be a fairly healthy recipe if you follow it according to how Krista posted it. I used what I had on hand, as opposed to making a point to pick up reduced-sodium chicken broth and fat free milk. (I'm awful, I know!)Chicken with Rosemary-Onion Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I used about 2 lbs)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoons butter, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (I used regular chicken broth)
1/2 cup fat-free milk (I used 2%...that's all I had!)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Directions:

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet,
brown chicken in 1 teaspoon butter. Transfer to an 11-in. x 7-in.
baking dish coated with cooking spray.

In the same skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining butter until
tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth and
milk. Add rosemary. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or
until thickened.

Pour sauce over chicken. Cover and bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes
or until chicken juices run clear. Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Krista's Kitchen (originally from Light and Tasty Magazine)

Breakfast Casserole

2011-04-25T06:45:00.000-07:00

As you've likely noticed, I'm somewhat behind on my posting AGAIN! The time is just constantly getting away from me--it seems like it was just January and I was feeling as if this semester would drag by for my husband, but here we are and he's getting ready to take his finals next week! It's been somewhat challenging coordinating our schedules, between his schooling and our jobs, but despite my lack of posts, I have actually been trying new recipes here and there! I have several recipes that I need to just sit down and post very shortly, but in the meantime, I thought I'd at least get started with this. I'm guessing there are many of you who had ham for dinner last night and this is a great way to utilize your leftovers! I first tried this casserole the weekend of my kids' birthday party...back around my last post! We had my kids' party on Saturday and then had a brunch in honor of my parents' birthdays on Sunday. I took one bite of this casserole and LOVED it! I've tried other breakfast casseroles in the past and "liked" them, but never found one that I was overly crazy about. One thing I've found with the majority of breakfast casserole recipes is that they call for white bread and at least in my experience, I've found that it gets very soggy and there's nothing I despise much more than soggy bread! My sister made this casserole again for a brunch in honor of my grandmother's 80th birthday, a couple of weeks ago, and as soon as I took that first bite, I was already trying to think of a perfect opportunity to make it again. The recipe actually calls for ham, which is how I had it the first two times. I made it for brunch yesterday morning and used bacon instead, since my husband does not care for ham. (He hadn't tried it the first two times, because of the ham and I knew he'd like it if I made that one little substitution!) To be completely honest, I preferred the ham. It's not that the bacon wasn't "good", but I just seemed to enjoy the ham more. Had I not been making this casserole primarily for my husband and I, I would have even liked to have added some veggies--maybe some mushrooms, green peppers and onions. (There's NO way my husband would have eaten it, though, had I gone that route!) The recipe calls for hash brown patties as the base and a fair amount of cheese, so it's pretty rich in and of itself. I would definitely recommend it for a brunch or even for a breakfast potluck :) It's SO very easy to assemble and can even be prepped the night before!

Breakfast Casserole

8 frozen hash brown patties
4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 pound diced/cubed fully cooked ham
8 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

Directions:

Place hash brown patties in a single layer in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and ham.

In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and mustard. Pour over ham.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

Source: Sarah O'Brien (originally from Taste of Home)

Homemade Pizza Crust and Simple Pizza Sauce

2011-03-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had been trying so hard to come up with the perfect menu for our kids' combined birthday party this past weekend. I'm not exactly sure what prompted my initial thought, but I started thinking that it might be fun to set up a "make-your-own-pizza" table and allow for a more interactive party, also giving each person the opportunity to have exactly what they wanted! Ordering pizzas was one of our initial considerations, but I always worry that someone may not like what I choose to order or we may run out of a particular variety of pizza that is more of a "hit", forcing people to eat what's left. One of my biggest concerns was selecting a pizza crust. I've never made homemade pizza dough as an adult, so my natural inclination was to purchase something like Boboli (or something of that sort). Then, at just the perfect time, I saw a recipe posted on Macaroni and Cheesecake for a thin crust pizza and easy homemade pizza sauce, originally taken from Annie's Eats. I was all set to make this particular pizza crust recipe, but knew the week of the party was going to be chaotic and was concerned that I wouldn't have enough time to make the dough ahead of time to try it out (primarily to familiarize ourselves with what we were working with so we didn't have a disaster on our hands the day of the party!). I linked directly to Annie's Eats and found another pizza dough recipe that she spoke very highly of and it just so happened that this recipe could be made within a few hours...as opposed to having to make it and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 24 hrs. We tried this recipe a few days before the party and were amazed at how easy it was to make the dough and even more so by how great the pizza tasted! While I did greatly enjoy this recipe and would recommend it/make it again, I am kind of anxious to try the initial thin crust recipe that I saw on Macaroni and Cheesecake. This definitely is a more substantial dough--much more like a hand-tossed. The recipe, as written, makes (2) medium pizzas or (4) calzones. We made (4) individual sized pizzas from each recipe, but they were PLENTY filling...most everyone had some left! The sauce recipe was incredibly easy, as well, but if you don't want to mess with making your own, you could always use your own store-bought sauce. It seriously is SO easy, though and takes all of maybe 5 minutes to prepare! All in all, I think the pizza idea was a huge success...the only problem was that I desperately needed a double oven, but everyone patiently waited and made their pizzas in shifts :) Definitely consider trying this recipe out, instead of buying store-bought crust next time!

Homemade Pizza Crust and Simple Pizza Sauce

½ cup warm water
2¼ tsp. instant yeast
4 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting
1½ tsp. salt
1¼ cup water, at room temperature
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and salt, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temperature water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the yeast-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1½-2 hours.

Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth, round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point.) Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To bake, preheat the oven and pizza stone to 500˚ F for at least 30 minutes. Transfer the dough to your shaping surface, lightly sprinkled with cornmeal. Shape the dough with lightly floured hands. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil. Top as desired. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes.

For the sauce:

1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl or container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Source: Annie's Eats

The LARABAR Experience

2011-03-09T09:00:00.001-08:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LÄRABAR for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was not the least bit familiar with LÄRABAR products until just recently and must admit, I was completely in awe of the simplicity of ingredients. Being a registered nurse, I do try my hardest to ensure that my family eats as healthily as possible, but that's often rather difficult when you have a 3 and almost 6 year old and a husband who craves anything and everything sweet and/or salty! I have spent a great deal of time looking at various "fruit and nut" bars at our local grocery stores, however, it's quite unsettling when you begin to read the lengthy list of ingredients. It's often hard to decipher just how "healthy" certain bars are, when you see countless ingredients that you cannot even recognize. Upon receiving 13 different flavors of LARABAR products to sample, my husband and I were shocked at the fact that all of the bars contain only 2-9 ingredients--all of which are all natural, have no added sugars or sweeteners and no preservatives, fillers or colorings. As if that is not remarkable enough, the majority of the bars are gluten free, soy free, dairy free, vegan, Non-GMO, and Kosher. I do want to note, though, that the chocolate chips in the three chocolate chip flavor varieties are made with Fair Trade Certified chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla and while no dairy is use to make their chocolate chips, they are made on a line that also produces chocolate chips that are in fact made with dairy products. LARABAR does not claim that these three varieties of bars (containing the chocolate chips) are dairy free, soy free or vegan and they do contain cane sugar, as well.

I'm not sure if any of you are fans of the show "The Biggest Loser", but these bars were actually featured on the show on Wednesday, March 8, 2011 by trainer Brett, with contestants Ken, Rulon and Justin. Just to give you a little background information on LARABAR, it was founded in 2003 by Lara Merriken. LARABAR currently produces 19 flavors and the company prides itself on producing simple, whole food products. The bars are available worldwide at not only specialty retailers, but conventional grocers, as well. The bars range in cost from $1-$2 each. When you take into account the fact that you're truly getting a very nutritious snack with all natural ingredients, it's hard to put a price tag on that! As you all know, my family is living on a budget now, with my husband being back in school full-time, but I found these bars on Amazon.com for an average of $1.30/bar. Regarding the flavors, I have to be brutally honest. I sampled quite a few of the flavors and found many to be a bit on the bland side, however, I did like the Peanut Butter Cookie variety. I asked my husband to rank his top three favorites and he agreed that the Peanut Butter Cookie was his favorite, followed by Chocolate Chip Brownie and Cookie Dough. We both agreed that the Cashew Cookie was our least favorite.

Larabar.com is currently offering a coupon for $1 off 2 LARABARS and I would recommend that you give them a try! I'll be anxious to hear which varieties you all enjoy!

get your LÄRABAR coupon

Simple Split Chicken Breasts

2011-03-08T10:27:00.000-08:00

If nothing else, I can always count on at least one local grocery store to have split chicken breasts on sale every week--generally for $.99/lb. While we really do love red meat, we've been attempting to eat more healthy. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may be a bit more versatile, but split chicken breasts are usually about half the cost and the skin and bone really do tend to keep the chicken more moist and flavorful! My husband has a knack for making GREAT grilled split chicken breasts, but the thought of grilling in this cold and gloomy weather didn't really appeal to either of us. I searched on allrecipes.com first and nothing really caught my eye, so I turned to google for a more broad search! I've never seen this particular blog before, but quite a few people commented on the chicken after trying it and it got rave reviews! My husband, kids and I all felt that it was exceptionally moist and tender, which can be hard to achieve when baking split chicken breasts. I'm not sure that I was as in love with this recipe as some of the other reviewers...I kind of wished the flavor had permeated down further into the chicken, but all in all, it was an easy dish that I would make again. Perhaps had it not been SO hyped up, I would have thought more highly of it! Just like with anything, when you expect something truly outstanding, right off the bat, it's a little disappointing when it doesn't quite meet your expectations.

***Before I get to the recipe, I wanted to let you all know that I recently was informed of a site by a friend of mine, that offers the opportunity to write reviews about different products. My first sponsored post is due to be published on my blog within the next day or two. I started this blog as a hobby and while I am excited to have the opportunity to review different products, I fully intend to keep my blog pertaining to food and money saving ideas for people living on a budget. Now on to my recipe...***

Simple Split Chicken Breasts

3-4 lbs split chicken breasts (4 breasts)
olive oil for brushing
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika (or 1/2-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper if you prefer a little heat!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly coat the chicken skin with olive oil. Combine Kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika (or cayenne pepper) in a small bowl; season chicken generously on both sides, carefully lifting the skin and placing the spice mixture under the skin, as well. Place chicken breasts on a rack in roasting pan and bake for 1 hour. Let sit 10 minutes before serving!

Source: Adapted from Cooking with Baby

Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce

2011-03-02T07:59:00.000-08:00

Have you ever found that there's been one particular cut of meat that you really struggle to prepare perfectly?!? I've found that pork loin is one of my most problematic foods! I've always struggled to make sure that it's cooked enough (especially since I don't care to eat undercooked pork), but not so much that it's dry and flavorless. I just can't seem to find that "happy medium"! I will tell you, though, that this particular recipe came out PERFECTLY! I was so very proud of myself--it was about time that I got it right, seeing as how this is likely about the 6th or 7th time that I've made a pork loin roast. Here's the thing, though...the original recipe said to cook a 2 pound pork loin roast for about 2 hours. Thankfully, I used my digital thermometer and did a little research, as that seemed as if it was way too long of a cooking time. I found several sources that stated that as a rule of thumb, pork should be cooked approximately 25-30 minutes per pound. I set my digital thermometer to alarm when my pork reached 160 degrees, so you can imagine my surprise when it started beeping about an hour into the cooking time--especially since it was almost a 4 1/2 pound roast! This goes back to why I struggle so much with pork loin--I adjusted the thermometer a bit and all of a sudden, the temperature started dropping. I don't know if I didn't have it deep enough or if it was resting against a portion of the pork that just happened to be hotter than the rest, but it did take about 1 3/4 hrs. The pork was excellent--so very moist, which can be hard to accomplish with such a lean piece of meat. Here was my one gripe about this particular recipe and actually, it has nothing to do with the recipe itself. My husband and I are completely oblivious when it comes to wine--we wouldn't have a clue if we were drinking an expensive glass of wine, versus a $3 bottle...we're not the least bit savvy when it comes to wine! Give us a mixed drink and we're happy :) Anyway, I had purchased a relatively inexpensive bottle of white wine to use for cooking a little while back and used the remainder for the sauce. I did enjoy the concept of the wine sauce and thought it had a great deal of potential, but I would be most appreciative if someone would offer a suggestion for a good cooking wine! My husband and I weren't overly fond of the very distinctive wine flavor and I know it had to be related to the quality. I hope you enjoy and I will be anxious for feedback regarding a good wine to cook with!

Roasted Pork Loin with White Wine Sauce

8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (I used a Rosemary and Garlic Seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
4 pound boneless pork loin roast
1 to 1 1/2 cups white wine
2 tablespoons flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, making a paste. Place pork loin roast in a baking dish and cut 1/2 inch slits all over roast; cutting relatively deep into the meat to make little pockets. (My slits were about an inch apart). Insert the paste deep into each pocket and then rub the remaining oil and spice mixture over the entire roast.

Place pork loin into oven (fat side up) and loosely cover. Cook until the pork reaches 160 degrees or is no longer pink in the center. (My pork loin took about 1 3/4 hours and I used a digital thermometer to monitor it closely. Make sure the thermometer is placed in the very center of the roast!) Remove roast and place on a dish or platter, allowing to rest for approximately 15-20 minutes. Add the wine to the baking dish and stir to loosen the browned bits. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour to thicken the sauce. Place baking dish back in oven (on 350 degrees) and allow sauce to come to a boil and thicken. (I left mine in for about 20 minutes, while my pork was resting). Cut pork loin into 1/2 inch thick slices and serve with wine sauce. I would suggest serving with mashed potatoes :)

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

2011-02-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

My husband and I always talk about eating more fish, but lately, it's been so expensive! We had been on a Tilapia kick for a while, but I picked up some frozen salmon the last time I was at the store and thawed it out for a quick weeknight meal last night. (My husband had a late class and I didn't want anything too heavy, that late at night!) Don't get me wrong, I much prefer fresh fish, but we've been relatively pleased with most of the frozen fish that we've bought...especially those that come in their own little vacuum-sealed packages. I can't honestly say that I was overly pleased with the brand we had last night, but I'd really like to try this recipe with fresh salmon, if and when it ever is on sale! I think a big part of the problem was that the salmon cooked a lot more quickly than I anticipated, so it may not have even been an issue with the brand. I had (4) 4 ounce pieces and wish I had checked the salmon after about 18-20 minutes. The recipe states to cook it for about 25 minutes, but that probably would have been a more accurate time if I used
(2) 8 ounce fillets. Either way, though, I'd suggest checking it after about 20 minutes to avoid overcooking the salmon! We both really enjoyed the lemon butter flavor and definitely will try this again!

Salmon with Lemon and Dill

1 pound salmon fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.

Place salmon in the baking dish. Mix the butter and lemon juice in a small bowl, and drizzle over the salmon. Season with dill, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until salmon is easily flaked with a fork.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Chicken, Bacon and Avocado Quesadillas

2011-02-18T07:59:00.000-08:00

I've expressed in previous posts that I'm not a huge fan of more authentic Mexican food, but I do love fajitas and quesadillas--they were two of my biggest pregnancy cravings! Prior to having kids, my husband and I used to go out to dinner at least a few times a month, but since the two little rugrats have arrived, it's been a bit more challenging to eat out. Not only do they get antsy, which makes it difficult to relax and enjoy dinner, but it's rather costly to take a family of four out to dinner these days! Short of going to the Chinese buffet on "kids eat free" night, we very seldom go anywhere else. I saw that Cassie (of Cassie Craves) had posted a recipe for quesadillas that quickly caught my eye! Not only do I love quesadillas, but how can you possibly go wrong with combining chicken, bacon and avocado?!? I took her general concept to use those three key ingredients and altered the recipe a little in terms of ingredients and the cooking method, but oh, my...these were delicious and certainly as good (if not better) than any I had eaten out! I tried to estimate about how much each quesadilla cost to prepare and I think I figured it was around $4-$4.50/each, which is probably less than half of what you'd pay to eat them out! Plus, they were SUPER hearty the way that I made them and I honestly couldn't eat more than half of one...they were really rich! I did serve Spanish rice as a side dish, so honestly-speaking, I would think that if you prepared them as heartily as I did, they could easily feed 3 people...especially if you serve them with a side dish! Also, I baked my bacon, which is now my preferred way to make it! Not only is it a bit healthier than frying, but it tastes just as good to me and you don't have to deal with the mess! I used a grill pan for my chicken and a griddle to cook the quesadillas, but if you don't have either of those, you can always grill your chicken on an actual grill or you may want to refer to Cassie's recipe, as I believe she actually fried her bacon and then cooked her chicken in the same pan. As for the griddle, you could always just use a frying pan/skillet! One last thing: I did leave the avocado off of my husband's, because he had his mind made up that he didn't care much for avocado, but I left a little separate and when he tried it with his quesadilla, he said "it honestly isn't too bad"--which means "I actually like this, but am not going to give you the satisfaction of admitting that you may have been right all of these years". :) Enjoy!

Chicken, Bacon, and Avocado Quesadillas

4 burrito-sized flour tortillas
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
8 strips of bacon, chopped
1/4 - 1/3 cup diced red onion (I only had yellow onions on hand, so that's what I used, but I tend to prefer red!)
1 avocado, diced
8 ounces Colby Jack cheese (2 cups)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until crispy. (Place on paper towel to drain, after removing from oven).

While bacon is cooking, pound chicken breasts to 1/3 inch thickness and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in greased grill pan and cook for approximately 5-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink on the inside and juices run clear.

Remove chicken from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Add diced onion to grill pan and cook for 2-3 minutes or until slightly tender, stirring frequently; remove from heat. Cut chicken and bacon into small pieces/chunks.

Preheat griddle to 250 degrees. Butter four tortillas on one side and place two on heated griddle, butter side down. Top each tortilla with cheese, chicken, bacon, onion and avocado, dividing the chicken, bacon, onion and avocado equally between the two. Sprinkle with more cheese and top each with another flour tortilla (butter side up). Cook each quesadilla until browned and crispy and cheese is completely melted, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. ***To flip, my husband put a plate over the quesadilla and carefully used a spatula to flip each one onto the plate and then back on the griddle to cook the other side.***

Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Source: Inspired by Cassie Craves

Happy Valentine's Day and an Award!

2011-02-14T06:46:00.000-08:00

First of all, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!!! Secondly, I would like to thank Angie, from "Angie's Kitchen" for awarding me with the Stylish Blogger Award! It means so very much to know that she thought highly enough of my blog to acknowledge it, especially with all of the wonderful blogs out there! This is my second year blogging...I started as somewhat of a hobby and as I've mentioned before, it's been very therapeutic for me. When I'm stressed out, I either cook or clean--you can likely guess what my preference is! All kidding aside, I have "met" some very outstanding and inspirational people and have had so much fun experimenting in my kitchen! I've even been able to probably quadruple what my husband would eat when we initially started dating! I thank all of you for sharing your wonderful recipes/posts! I am new to Angie's blog, but have already bookmarked several recipes that I intend to try and thank her, again, for thinking of me!

Here is how the award works:

-Thank and link back to the person who awarded this to you.
-Share 7 (random) things about yourself.
-Pay it forward to 10 bloggers whom you feel are deserving.
-Contact those bloggers and let them know about their award.

Seven Random things about myself:

1.) I am addicted to coupons...seriously! I have a HUGE binder filled with hundreds (and I mean hundreds) of coupons, all categorized nicely and I will spend HOURS at the grocery store, going up and down each aisle trying to find bargains!

2.) I worked two part-time jobs in high school, one of which was at McDonald's. They would NOT "promote" me to drive-thru or to work the counter...I was the "fry girl" and despised it! It wasn't so funny at the time, but I have to laugh now when I think back to the day I called in and quit, letting them know that I wasn't coming in that night or EVER again! The manager said "for future reference, you may want to give your employer a little bit of notice". Sorry, being a "fry girl" wasn't really my thing and I didn't plan to use McDonald's on my future resume, when I applied for my first job as a nurse! (Especially since my job description would have stated "made fries"!)

3.) My husband and I grew up living about 20 minutes apart, but didn't meet until we were both down at IU Bloomington. (Small world!)

4.) I save every greeting card that I'm given...I'm not joking when I say that I probably have about 4-5 HUGE storage containers filled with cards. I'm very sentimental!

5.) I am so very blessed to be able to stay home with my kids as much as I do! My husband and I have always been able to work it out so that one of us can be home with the kids, avoiding daycare/babysitters altogether. Wouldn't trade it for the world!

6.) I apparently am "left-brain dominant"...I discovered this after taking a little quiz last week! Not surprising at all!

7.) I'm a huge fan of online shopping...and I LOVE Ebates! I just received a free $10 and change for this past quarter ($85 total), just for going to their site before starting my shopping! (If you want more info, contact me...it's great!!!)

I would now like to pass this award on to some of my favorite blogs that I read routinely--the first 9 are cooking blogs and the last is my dear friend, Devonay, who has a little bit of everything!

1) For the Love of Cooking
2) Lynda's Recipe Box
3) Finding Joy in My Kitchen
4) Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi
5) Indigo's Sugar Spectrum
6) Recipe Shoebox
7) Amanda's Cookin'
8) One Perfect Bite
9) Macaroni and Cheesecake
10) Lumpkin and Me

Island Chicken

2011-02-11T06:08:00.000-08:00

I have NEVER seen my kids inhale their dinner as quickly as they did the night I made this chicken! Being 2 and 5, I always get their plates ready and cooled, before fixing our plates. My children were asking for seconds before my husband and I even sat down...they had polished off their entire plates! (Not only the chicken, but their mashed potatoes and broccoli!) This recipe comes from "Annie's Eats". Her dishes always look absolutely delicious, but having a picky husband has somewhat limited the recipes on her blog that I am able to try! I bought a family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and had four left to use, so this seemed like the perfect recipe to suit my whole family! While I never doubted for a second that this recipe would be "good", I couldn't get over just how good it was...it was unbelievably easy and the ingredient list was quite short and consists of ingredients that the majority of you have at home already! As soon as I dropped my son off at school, I mixed the marinade ingredients in a ziploc bag, added the chicken, stuck the bag in the refrigerator and didn't have to do anything else with the chicken, aside from sticking it in a baking dish and baking for 45 minutes! As mentioned above, we served with mashed potatoes and broccoli, per Annie's suggestion!

Island Chicken

½ cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1½ tbsp. soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (I added about 3-4 cloves...I LOVE garlic!)
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a mixing bowl or large airtight plastic bag. Whisk or shake well until the marinade is well mixed. Add the chicken breasts to the bowl or plastic bag so that they are covered by the marinade. If using a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. If using a plastic bag, press out all the excess air and seal the bag tightly. Refrigerate and marinate up to 10 hours.

When ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 350° F. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and pour the excess marinade over them. Bake in the oven until cooked through and the internal temperature reaches 165° F, about 45 minutes (exact baking time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces.) Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Annie's Eats

Chocolate and Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

2011-02-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

Due to the nasty ice storm we experienced this past week, school was canceled four days in a row for my son. That made for a very happy mommy and little sister...we miss Jake now that he's in kindergarten and know it will be even worse next year, when he goes all day! On that note, while it was fun having everyone home together, it did get a bit stir-crazy at times--both of my children have an ungodly amount of energy! As a diversion, I decided it would be fun to make cookies--the kids LOVE helping! Since we were pretty much stuck at home, I knew I had to work with what we had available in the cupboard. I immediately thought about making chocolate no-bake cookies, since I just bought a container of quick oats. I remember both my mom and grandma making these cookies when my sisters and I were little, however, I couldn't seem to find the recipe anywhere...I know it's in one of the homemade cookbooks (containing recipes from family and friends) I was given at one of my bridal showers! My kids were quickly growing impatient, so I did a quick search online and found countless versions of the recipe, the majority containing peanut butter. I was somewhat intrigued by the addition of peanut butter, because my mom and grandma had never used it in their recipe and my children could sit and eat peanut butter right out of the jar! The cookies were a huge hit with my kids and husband--they're super easy and will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine (I personally prefer margarine for this recipe!)
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups dry quick-cooking oats
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:

Add the first four ingredients into a 2 1/2 to 3 quart sauce pan. Bring to a rolling boil and continue to boil for 60-90 seconds. Remove from heat and add the peanut butter, oats and vanilla. Using a tablespoon, spoon onto waxed paper and allow to cool for approximately 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.

(Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies)

Source: slightly adapted from original recipe on www.food.com

Chicken Milano

2011-02-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

This might seriously be my new favorite "at home pasta dish"...YUM! I selected this recipe that many people stated they felt was "restaurant quality", for our family dinner that we've been having every Friday night. (It's the only night of the week that we're able to sit down for dinner together, as a family, because of our crazy schedules and it's something that our kids look forward to each week!) I really loved it, but am so very grateful that I made some adjustments, including doubling the sauce ingredients and adding extra garlic. I also felt the need to thicken the sauce a bit, because it was way too runny--thus the addition of cornstarch. My recipe below reflects the increase in sauce ingredients, however, I would suggest going ahead and doubling the recipe altogether--I have a feeling that I'll be fighting my husband for the leftovers! All kidding aside, the recipe (as written below) would be enough for a family of 4, but if you're especially big eaters or have a larger family, I'd suggest doubling it. My kids are 2 and 5, so it was more than enough for us, but if you've got older kids, you may at least want to one and a half it! Again, don't forget...I wrote the recipe to reflect the amount of ingredients I would suggest for a single recipe!

Chicken Milano

2 tablespoons butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken broth, divided
2 cups heavy cream (or half and half)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons dried basil
12 ounces dry fettuccini pasta

Directions:

In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth; increase to medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender. Add the cream (or half and half) and cornstarch and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm oil and saute chicken. Press on chicken occasionally with a slotted spatula. Cook for about 4-6 minutes per side (depending on the size of your chicken breasts and until the chicken is no longer pink inside). Transfer to a dish, cover and keep warm. (I stuck mine in the microwave!)

Discard the fat from the skillet and in the same skillet, over medium heat, bring 1/2cup chicken broth to a boil; stirring the pan juices. Reduce slightly and add the cream sauce to the skillet. Stir in basil and adjust seasonings to taste; continue to simmer on low.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to package instructions, approximately 10 minutes; drain, transfer to a bowl and toss with 6 tablespoons of the sauce.

Transfer pasta to serving plates and top with chicken. Cut chicken into diagnoal slices and coat with the cream sauce. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top, if desired!

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Italian Sausage Lasagna

2011-02-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

First of all, I must apologize for this horrendous picture! I didn't have much to work with in terms of lighting and there really wasn't much "color" to the lasagna. I was almost too embarrassed to post the recipe, as I was afraid the picture might deter anyone from trying it! Don't let the picture fool you--while the lasagna was rather "labor intensive", it had such a rich and hearty flavor and we're really looking forward to the leftovers tonight! Here's the thing...I don't believe I ever made homemade lasagna prior to meeting my husband and since we've been together, the ONLY lasagna he will eat is Stouffer's! He absolutely despises the taste of ricotta cheese, which is traditionally used in more authentic recipes. Yes, I realize that I could have substituted cottage cheese a long time ago, but you'd have to know my husband to understand that once he gets something in his head, it is VERY difficult to change his mind! He made up his mind that he didn't like homemade lasagna, so I stuck with Stouffer's--after all, it's relatively inexpensive (usually on sale for about $10 for a lasagna that would feed 9-12 people, depending on how big your family's appetite is!) and all you have to do is throw it in the oven...SO simple! Anyway, I decided to press my luck with this recipe and sway him more by focusing on the fact that it had Italian sausage, which he loves! We both agreed that the Italian sausage was a nice substitute for the beef, but I would even consider adding perhaps a 1/2 pound of ground beef next time (in addition to the sausage). I had a heck of a time with this recipe and had to continuously improvise as I was cooking. The original recipe called for 1 lb of Italian sausage, but I actually bought the Italian sausage in the casings (about 1 1/4 lbs) and just removed the casings prior to cooking--I'm all for buying it in the least expensive form and that's what happened to be on sale the day I did my shopping! I found that I ran out of sauce at the end, which is why I added an extra can of tomato sauce (as reflected below). I also tweaked the spices a bit and TRIPLED the amount of mozzarella cheese. I found it a bit crazy that the original recipe only called for 2 cups (8 oz) of mozzarella cheese. I mean, seriously!?!?!? Even when we buy the Stouffer's lasagna, I add 2 cups of cheese to the top...and that "supposedly" already has what they consider a sufficient amount of cheese! I couldn't even imagine eating lasagna that wasn't oozing with cheese! Anyway, if your family consists of "non-picky eaters", I would HIGHLY suggest adding spinach and mushrooms and perhaps even sauteed zucchini--that's what I would have done, had I made this lasagna for myself :) My daughter (who is almost 3) ate the lasagna, but didn't seem overly impressed, however, my son (who is almost 6), kept going on and on about it. Bless his heart...he always goes out of his way to compliment me and tell me that I "make the best recipes"...such a sweet and gracious child! All in all, I would make this again, but it's certainly not something I would make on a regular basis, as it was rather time-consuming and costly.

Before I get to my recipe, I wanted to thank my dear friend, Devonay, for the very kind words she expressed about myself and my blog. Devonay and I used to work together...she, too, is a nurse, and is one-of-a-kind! Not only is she so down-to earth and warm-hearted, but she has a witty sense of humor that I greatly appreciate! I would like to encourage you all to check out her blog, as well: lumpkinandme.blogspot.com . Her blog has a little bit of everything, but she just posted a potato soup recipe that sounds delicious!!!

Now for my recipe...

Italian Sausage Lasagna

1 - 1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage
4-6 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much garlic you like!)
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
(2) 15 ounce cans tomato sauce
(2) 14 1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes
(1) 12 ounce package lasagna noodles
1 egg
2 cups ricotta or small curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (24 ounces)

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain if necessary.

Stir in 1 tablespoon of the parsley, the basil, sugar, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered about 1 hour--sauce will thicken.

When sauce has been simmering approximately 45 minutes, cook noodles as directed on package and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain noodles.

In medium bowl, beat the egg and mix ricotta (or cottage) cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, remaining 1tablespoon parsley and the oregano.

Spread approximately 1 cup of the sauce mixture in ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Top with 4 noodles. (I actually added an additional noodle vertically, across the end of the dish...there was about a 2 inch gap!) Spread half of the cheese mixture over noodles and then top with about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 4 noodles (again, I added an additional noodle!), the remaining cheese mixture, approximately 1 1/2 cups of the sauce mixture and 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Add one last layer of noodles and top with remaining sauce mixture. Sprinkle with 2 cups mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Cover; bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake about 15 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Adapted from "Italian Sausage Lasagna" on Betty Crocker.com

Garlic Chicken Fried Chicken

2011-01-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

This is EXACTLY the type of recipe I've been hoping to find! Not only was it super easy, but the chicken was very flavorful and moist. I did follow the recipe almost exactly as written, except I did change part of the cooking method, per several reviewer's suggestions. I couldn't find the cord to my electric skillet to save my life, so I just used my largest skillet and fried the chicken for approximately 4-5 minutes per side and then baked the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on a 350 degree oven. The recipe states that you should combine the dry ingredients in a shallow bowl (as your first step), but I would suggest going ahead and heating up your skillet first (and preheat your oven if you want to bake them in addition to frying), and while they're heating, combine the ingredients...it didn't take very long at all--I'd venture to say it took longer for the oil to reach the correct temperature! I will definitely make this again--it's perfect for a quick weeknight meal (it shouldn't take more than 25 minutes) and was something that my entire family enjoyed!

Garlic Chicken Fried Chicken

2 teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded thin
1 cup oil for frying

Directions:

In a shallow dish, mix together the garlic powder, pepper, salt, paprika, bread crumbs and flour. In a separate dish, whisk together the milk and egg.

Heat the oil in an electric skillet set to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dip the chicken into the egg and milk, then dredge in the dry ingredients until evenly coated.

Fry chicken in the hot oil for about 5 minutes per side, or until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Remove from the oil with a slotted spatula, and serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta and Parmesan Cheese

2011-01-25T07:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, how we love pasta at our house! I've been spending a little bit of time each day, going through some of my favorite blogs in search of recipes to try and this particular recipe comes from Donna's blog (My Tasty Treasures). If you haven't checked out her blog, I HIGHLY recommend it--not only will you find some wonderful looking recipes, but she's one of the most down-to-earth and entertaining people I have ever "met". I love meals that can be prepared using one skillet and this dish is relatively healthy...bonus! I only made a few minor changes: I substituted penne pasta for ziti, used lemon juice from the bottle (since I didn't have fresh lemons) and I did use half and half instead of heavy cream. I've substituted half and half in countless recipes and have never noticed that much of a difference...except in the price! (Heavy cream is generally about double the cost of half and half). This is a great weeknight meal, but there was a bit of prep involved, so make sure you take that into account! My husband helped me prepare it, so that cut the prep time down significantly, but between cutting up the chicken, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes and onions, I would allow about 15-20 minutes for prep...depending on how fast you are in the kitchen!

Skillet Chicken with Broccoli, Pasta and Parmesan Cheese

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch squares
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
12 ounces ziti
4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli florets (depending on how much broccoli you want!)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped coarse
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese or asiago
1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook without stirring for one minute. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges--1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened--2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant--about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed--about 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover and reduce heat to medium and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, Parmesan cheese, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese on top, if desired.

Source: My Tasty Treasures

Easy Garlic Broiled Chicken

2011-01-19T07:33:00.000-08:00

This was by far one of the most frustrating recipes--I felt like the name of the recipe was somewhat misleading...that, or I'm just a bit "cooking-challenged"! I was so excited, because I saw the word "easy" and thought how perfect it would be for a quick weeknight meal! My husband and I decided that we would make it a point to sit down every Friday for dinner, as a family, since it's the ONLY night a week that we're all home around dinnertime. I had every intention of sitting down at 7pm, but we didn't end up eating until a little after 8pm! Granted, I did bathe the kids before dinner which stalled my starting dinner a bit, but it still felt like it took forever and a day for the chicken to finish cooking--it was *supposed* to be done in 20 minutes! I followed the recipe exactly as written, which may have been my first mistake--I generally tend to take the suggestions of other "reviewers", but it seemed as if enough people stated that they made it exactly as written and enjoyed it. I almost didn't even bother posting this recipe, because I was that frustrated, but I definitely think it has potential--that, and we had the leftovers last night and it tasted delicious reheated! I can count on one hand the amount of times I've used the broiler on my oven, so that might have been part of my problem. Perhaps I should have moved the rack up a bit, but I did take one person's suggestion and left it in the middle of my oven, since they said the chicken seemed to burn on the outside real quickly, while it was raw on the inside. I initially set my timer for 10 minutes, turned and basted the chicken and then set it for another 10 minutes and when I checked on it, it didn't appear to be anywhere near done and the skin wasn't at all browned. I moved the rack up and set it back in for 5 minutes, took it out and quickly realized it wasn't done as I was cutting it up for my kids. I put it back in and ended up going through this SEVERAL times until it was finally finished! Bless my kid's hearts...they sat so patiently, eating their broccoli and salad, even though it was already pushing 8pm, which is when they're normally heading to bed! Anyway, I'm going to post the recipe below and will be very anxious to know if anyone tries it and what changes you make! Since I did enjoy the leftovers so much (and my husband and son really liked the chicken the night I made it), I will give it one more try, but next time, I think I will let the chicken sit in the sauce (turning at least once) for an hour or two, prior to cooking and will then attempt to bake the chicken at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes and perhaps broiling the last couple of minutes. The recipe called for a fairly substantial amount of garlic (which we love) and the kitchen smelled wonderful while it was cooking, but I didn't feel as if the sauce/flavors had enough time to infuse into the chicken and I ended up broiling my chicken thighs for closer to 40 minutes. I used 10 bone-in chicken thighs (with skin) and one and a halfed the sauce ingredients, which gave PLENTY of sauce that would have been great spooned over noodles or rice. I really think this recipe has a lot of potential and the fact that it didn't cook as quickly very much could have been "user error". Feedback would be much appreciated from those of you who experiment with this recipe!!!

Easy Garlic Broiled Chicken

1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
6 boneless chicken thighs, with skin
dried parsley, to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven broiler. Lightly grease a baking pan.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix the butter, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and parsley.

Cook 2 minutes on High in the microwave, or until butter is melted.

Arrange chicken on the baking pan, and coat with the butter mixture, reserving some of the mixture for basting.

Broil chicken 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until juices run clear, turning occasionally and basting with remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

2011-01-13T13:48:00.001-08:00

The first week of my husband's crazy semester is just about coming to an end! This week has really flown by, so I anticipate that the next four months will go by in the blink of an eye. I've been on a mission to find "quick weeknight meals" and as usual, turned to one of my favorite sites: Allrecipes.com. I LOVE that site for so many reasons, but one of my favorite features is the ability to search for recipes by ingredients. We've been attempting to be as cautious as possible, financially-speaking, now that my husband stepped down to a part-time position, so I looked at the sale ads and noticed that pork chops were on sale this week. I searched on allrecipes.com, listing "pork chops" as my ingredient and was then able to sort the recipes, listing them in order of which received the highest ratings. This particular recipe had over 940 reviews and received 4 1/2 out of 5 stars. I was drawn to the simplicity of the preparation aspect of the recipe and that there really was very little to do during the cooking process. My husband (who is BY FAR the pickiest eater of the four of us) went back for seconds...he said he really enjoyed dinner :) I would make a few suggestions, however, to the original recipe. I tripled the sauce ingredients, allowing extra sauce to spoon over the rice that I served as one of my sides...we also had green beans. The recipe didn't really specify a particular type of pork chop, but my husband picked up a package of the assorted pork chops and I used the center cut pork loin chops. They were approximately 1/2 inch thick and I made five, since I knew my kids likely would opt to eat something else. The recipe suggests baking for an hour, but I baked mine for approximately 45 minutes and then broiled them for an additional 2 minutes and while I would make these again, I would cut back on the cooking time. I'm thinking 40 minutes would have been plenty of time, but obviously you'll want to make sure they're thoroughly cooked, so you may have to experiment a bit on your own. I'd definitely check them closer to 40 minutes, though! I'm going to list the recipe as originally written, but I would very much encourage you to take my suggestions into account--especially tripling the sauce ingredients and cutting back on the cooking time!

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.

Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Source: Allrecipes.com

Turkey Tetrazzini and an Update

2011-01-07T06:38:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...it has been WAY too long since my last post! There have been many changes the past five months and it's been a bit of a struggle to get into somewhat of a groove and attempt to bring some degree of normalcy back to the very chaotic schedule we are now juggling! I've always been a creature of habit--I swear by my planner and can't stand deviating...if I can get something done a week ahead of time, that would be my preference. Unfortunately, all of these changes have forced me to deviate a bit and "planning" is becoming more and more impossible--hence the lack of posts/new recipes! Just to back up a bit...my husband and I had a lengthy conversation back in July and he decided that he really wanted to go back to school to pursue a degree in Nursing. He's taken classes here and there, but it's been difficult to really buckle down and focus, while working full-time, finding time for our two small children and attempting to juggle our work schedules so that one of us can always be home with the kids. We decided that I would go back to working full-time hours (and more, when I'm able to get additional shifts) and he would go down to a part-time position and start taking classes on a full-time basis. That certainly has been easier said than done! This next semester is going to be especially crucial for my husband, as he is getting ready to apply to the nursing program by April 1st and should *hopefully* find out by early June if he is accepted. Keep in mind...I'm someone who doesn't do well with the "unknown" and the suspense of waiting to find out whether or not he's accepted and/or what our alternate plan will be since the program he's applying to is very competitive, is absolutely driving me crazy! This blog had always served as somewhat of a diversion for me, which is why I am excited about jumping back in and shifting my focus a bit! I certainly can't promise "fancy meals", by any stretch of the imagination, but my goal is to seek out recipes for everyone else trying to juggle crazy schedules and live on a budget! My husband is going to have late classes, several days a week, so my intent is to find recipes that reheat well or those that can be frozen and ready to serve after defrosting and rewarming!

My first recipe for the New Year is Turkey Tetrazzini. My children requested turkey for Christmas dinner--actually, my son's actual request was for "whole body turkey"...as opposed to just a turkey breast :) The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint my kids, so I began watching the sale ads to see if anyone had turkey on sale. Naturally, no one did...I mean, really...why would they when they know many people serve turkey for Christmas and will pretty much be suckered into paying whatever they charge?!? I'm one of those people who firmly believes that everything happens for a reason and on my way home from work one night, I stopped at Target to pick up some last minute stocking stuffers. I was making my way toward the "Health and Beauty" area, but for some reason, I took the long way around and passed by a frozen display of whole turkeys. I went over to check the price, figuring that Super Target, of all places, would be exorbitantly expensive (as their meats tend to be) and they had turkeys for $.39/lb! I have never seen turkey so cheap and was beyond excited to bring it home and show the kids! The thing is...seeing as how this turkey was just for the four of us, a 10-12 lb turkey would have been more than enough, but I picked the largest one I could find...about 18 lbs. Shockingly, there was a TON left and seeing as how we were going out of town the middle of the following week, I had no idea what to do with all of the remaining turkey?!? I froze the turkey carcass (in anticipation of making soup), along with the obscene amount of leftover turkey. When we returned from my parents' house, after having a wonderful and relaxing visit with them for New Year's, I thawed out the turkey carcass and my bag of turkey. I made a HUGE pot of soup--and when I say "huge", that is a major understatement! (I have 3 LARGE containers in the fridge and had to freeze another 3LARGE containers--and that's after my husband and I ate a ton!) While we were visiting my parents, my Mom suggested that I make turkey tetrazzini with some of the leftover turkey. I naturally went directly to Allrecipes.com and found a recipe that received great reviews, although I only somewhat loosely followed it and took many of the reviewers suggestions, in addition to adding some of my own. My husband seemed to really enjoy it and seeing as how he's a pretty picky eater, it's always a major compliment when he makes a point to comment on something that I make! My kids liked it, as well, and as for myself...I definitely liked it, but think I might try it with chicken next time. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again if I had leftover turkey, but I'm not sure that I would go out of my way to buy turkey for the recipe. It's funny, too, because some of the people who reviewed the recipe mentioned that they felt it was a bit bland, so I made sure I added extra seasoning, however, I would even consider adding a bit more salt next time. The original recipe didn't call for any salt whatsoever. One other major change that I made that is unlike more traditional tetrazzini recipes, was that I substituted penne pasta for spaghetti, per my husband's request, and I would definitely do that again! I hope you enjoy and be on the lookout for more recipes in the very near future!

Turkey Tetrazzini

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked penne pasta (or spaghetti)
10 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups chopped cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 cup frozen peas
Italian breadcrumbs

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add diced onions and minced garlic, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, until blended. Add chicken broth, milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of Parmesan cheese.

When pasta is done cooking, drain and return to pot. Add chopped turkey, peas and chicken broth mixture to the pasta and stir to blend all ingredients together.

Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and top with Italian breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for approximately 45-50 minutes.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Goulash

2010-07-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

My sister, Sarah, is SUCH a good cook and has an unbelievable knack for finding good recipes to try! A couple of weeks ago, I bought about 5 lbs of ground beef, intending to make meatloaf, but then realized that I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand. I was a bit flustered, trying to figure out what to make, without having to make a trip back out to the store and I noticed this recipe on her blog. My husband and I have always loved cooking-themed shows, whether it be Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, Chopped, etc, and we've heard people mention Goulash multiple times, yet have never tried it. My sister said that they truly enjoyed this recipe and it's from Paula Deen, so I knew I couldn't go wrong! I did make a couple of changes--the biggest being that I omitted the ground turkey altogether...it makes me want to gag and used all ground beef. I also used an entire 1 pound box of macaroni and am confident that this would easily serve a family of four and depending on how hearty your appetites are, you likely may even have some leftover! I made it later at night, after the kids had gone to bed and my husband and I each ate a large bowl-full and we had 2 decent-sized containers left. As my sister suggested, I served salad and garlic bread with it. Definitely a great "comfort food"!

Bobby's Goulash

2 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound ground turkey (again, I used all ground beef!)
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2- 15 oz cans tomato sauce
2- 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon House seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder)
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
2 cups elbow macaroni (uncooked) ***I used a full pound of uncooked macaroni***

Directions:

In a dutch oven, saute the ground beef and ground turkey over medium-high heat until no pink remains. Break up the meat while sauteing. Spoon off any grease. Add the onions to the pot and saute until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 3 cups (I added a little extra, b/c of the additional pasta) of water, along with tomato sauce, tomatoes, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, soy sauce, House seasoning, and seasoned salt. Stir well. Place a lid on the pot and allow this to cook for 15-20 minutes.

Add the elbow macaroni, stir well, return the lid to the pot, and simmer for about 30minutes. (My sister suggested stirring periodically to ensure that it doesn't stick and burn to the bottom of the pot). Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to sit about 30 minutes before serving.

Source: Delectable Dining; originally from Paula Deen Celebrates!

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

2010-06-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has seriously been 4 1/2 months since my last post! I'm not ordinarily known as a "slacker" and I seriously have no idea how the time flew by so quickly?!? I put my blogging on hold back in late February/early March, because we were focused on getting our house ready to put on the market and between getting everything organized and having to keep the house spotless 24/7, it's been hard to get psyched about doing much in the kitchen. We've pretty much been eating off of paper plates the past 2 months, but I've finally decided to get back in the swing of things!

Grocery shopping has been a bit challenging lately, because NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING has been on sale--at least in terms of meat, chicken, pork, etc! I found some chicken legs and thighs on sale for $.99/lb the other day, so I picked up a package of each and knew I'd have to find a good way to "dress them up", because they're not necessarily my husband's favorite. I went to allrecipes.com (which tends to be my "go to" site) and typed in "chicken thighs" under the search for recipes by ingredients and this recipe was rated very highly! I am so very glad that I tried this recipe and like many of the reviewers said, I honestly think it was one of the best teriyaki sauces I have EVER had...homemade, bottled, or otherwise! I did change around the recipe a bit, but I loved the way the sauce turned out! I do happen to like chicken thighs, but my husband and I both agreed that it would be absolutely delicious with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I served it with white rice and Asian-style veggies that I sauteed with a little peanut oil. I truly think the options are endless, if you focus more on the sauce-aspect of the recipe. I will definitely make it again, but the next time, I think I'll either cut up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and stir-fry them in the sauce or bake the strips in the sauce and serve them over rice. Whatever you choose to do, I definitely think the sauce is the focal point, so you could try the recipe as written, substitute bone-in chicken breasts or try the boneless, skinless. I'll be anxious to hear feedback in general and especially if anyone tries a different method of cooking! FYI: I doubled all of the sauce ingredients, because I wanted to ensure there was plenty of sauce to spoon over the rice. I already doubled the ingredients in the recipe listed below, because I wouldn't suggest making any less...

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs (I used 4 thighs and 8 drumsticks, skin removed)

Directions:

In a small saucepan over low-medium heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. (It took about 20 minutes to get as thick as I wanted it).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). (I actually did 400 degrees, but would even consider going down to 375).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. (I also lined my dish with foil, for easier clean-up!) Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking. (I would also suggest maybe covering the first 30 minutes and uncovering for the second half of cooking. Of course if you use a different type of chicken, you'll have to alter the cooking time--the hour of cooking was for the thighs and legs).

Source: Adapted from allrecipes.com

Chicken Pomodoro

2010-02-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

Noticing this recipe yesterday morning was a HUGE lifesaver! Lynda at "Lynda's Recipe Box" posts so many wonderful recipes that I have bookmarked to try, but when I saw this particular one, I knew it was going to be what we had for dinner! I nonchalantly mentioned to my husband the night before that I was wanting to try a new chicken recipe that I found that contained Dijon mustard and he seemed a bit disenchanted. My husband snubs ALL condiments--ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc! I wasn't about to lie to him, as I knew he'd be upset if he realized I neglected to mention that there was mustard in the dish (especially since it called for 3 tablespoons and likely would have had a very distinguishable mustard flavor), but the mere fact that he knew it contained mustard would have likely caused him to decide upfront that he didn't like it. When I saw this recipe on Lynda's blog, I knew immediately that my husband would be much more excited about dinner! This recipe was delicious and relatively quick to put together! Lynda did mention that her husband would have preferred more sauce and that was my husband's only complaint. I will definitely make this dish again, but next time, I will double the sauce. The recipe below is written almost exactly as Lynda had it posted on her blog, but I would suggest adding (2) cans of diced tomatoes and maybe 2/3-1 cup of heavy cream--I actually used half and half. Enjoy :)

Chicken Pomodoro

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (14.5-ounce) can small diced tomatoes
1/3 cup heavy cream
Pasta of your choice (I used angel hair, per Lynda's suggestion!)

Directions:

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown; remove chicken to a plate.

Heat remaining oil in skillet and cook diced onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and dried basil, if using. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, cream and bring to a boil. Return chicken and accumulated juices to the skillet. Lower heat to a simmer and cover skillet. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes(depending on size of chicken breasts).

Transfer chicken to platter and tent with foil to keep warm. Continue to simmer sauce, uncovered, until slightly thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat. If using fresh basil, add it to skillet at this time, and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and pasta.

***Make sure you boil your pasta, according to the package instructions--if using angel hair, I added my pasta to the boiling water when I removed the chicken and allowed the sauce to thicken up--the angel hair only took about 4 minutes to boil.***

Source: Lynda's Recipe Box

And the winner is...

2010-02-02T03:25:00.001-08:00

KATY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I apologize for the delay in posting (I know I said I'd announce who won yesterday), but I was having some "technical issues". I thank each of you for the very sweet comments...they meant so much! It was also fun to hear about different dishes you've tried! I know that I, personally, tend to comment on people's recipes when they initially post them , but then sometimes forget to let them know after I actually try a recipe. I had no idea that the Fiesta Taco Casserole was such a hit :) Wishing you all a wonderful rest of the week and thank you, again, for all of your comments!

Katy--if you would be so kind as to email me your address (rach1341@sbcglobal.net), I will get your magazine in the mail!

ONE YEAR and a Giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-01-27T06:36:00.001-08:00

One year ago, today, I posted my very first blog entry. I started this blog after my sister, Sarah, casually mentioned that I should start posting some of the recipes I was trying--I certainly never thought I would enjoy it this much! I have met some extraordinary people and have truly enjoyed following so many different blogs...both cooking and otherwise. As you've all probably noticed, I do tend to go in spurts...I'm either posting up a storm or you'll notice a 2-3 week gap in posting. This past year has been quite challenging for so many reasons, but cooking has almost become a therapeutic outlet for me--I love experimenting and becoming more "adventurous" and am always so excited to share recipes that I feel are "keepers". It's also been a fun bonding experience for my family--my husband, son and even my daughter all enjoy helping in one way or another and it's great feeling as if the preparation of dinner was a "team effort" :) I'm anticipating some fairly major life changes in the next couple of months, but once things calm down a bit, I am unbelievably excited to get back on track and post more regularly...and comment on all of your blogs!

In honor of my one year "blogiversary", I wanted to give a little something away to my faithful followers--I am so touched that I currently have over 125 people following my blog! While I was running my errands yesterday, I picked up a new "Taste of Home Prize Winning Recipes", featuring 200 "best-of-the best recipes". I'll have you know...I'm kicking myself right now that I didn't pick up a copy for myself--I mean, seriously...the front picture is of Bacon-Cheese Topped Chicken...does it get much better than that?!? I was flipping through it this afternoon while waiting for my son to get out of preschool and spent the entire time drooling! There's an entire section on muffins, ham, party foods, chicken, one-dish classics, pasta, soups and stews, cakes, and a TON of other assorted desserts. Just at quick glance, I know that I would be interested in trying well over half of the recipes! I will DEFINITELY be stopping back at the grocery store to pick up my own copy :)

To enter for a chance to win this magazine, all I ask is that you leave me a comment, letting me know if you have a favorite recipe of mine that you've tried or if there's a particular recipe you've been itching to try. Winners will be selected at random...more than likely, I'll put each name in a hat and let my son pick--it doesn't take much to excite a four year old :) All comments must be posted by 11:59 EST on Sunday, January 31st and the winner will be announced Monday morning. PLEASE make sure you either include your email address or another way to get in touch with you. If the winner does not claim their prize within one week, another winner will be selected.

Now, just for a quick recap of my first year blogging! Here are some of my favorite recipes...

77 Meatballs

Beijing Beef

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Frosted Fudge Brownies

Triple Layer Banana Cake

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Chicken with Lemon Sauce

Chicken Noodle Soup

Oatmeal Butterscotch Toffee Chip Cookies

Orecchiette with Spinach, Sausage and Tomatoes

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Baked Asparagus with Balsamic Butter Sauce

The above recipes are all exceptionally good and it was VERY hard to pick just a handful to feature! Of all of the recipes I've posted, there were literally only a couple that I wasn't completely sold on--and those were recipes that I thought could in fact have great potential, with a little "tweaking". I hope you all have enjoyed my blog as much as I have enjoyed all of yours and I can't begin to tell you how much I have appreciated all of the very sweet comments and feedback. Wishing you all a wonderful year and I'm so excited to see what everyone has in store!

The Best Chicken Fajitas

2010-01-14T07:24:00.000-08:00

Stumbling across this recipe could not have come at a more perfect time! I purchased a family-size package of chicken breasts the other day and used the majority for my chicken scaloppine. I had three large chicken breasts left and what do you know...that's EXACTLY what this recipe calls for! :) My husband and I used to enjoy going out for the "all-you-can-eat" fajitas at the local Don Pablos...that is, of course, before we had kids! Dining out is quite the ordeal and not overly enjoyable with the two kids fidgeting around the entire time, so I was excited to find a recipe that claimed to create "the best chicken fajitas", so we could enjoy them at home!

Marinade:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 3-4 limes)
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons apple cider or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Fajitas:
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts (about 3 large chicken breasts)
1 yellow onion, cut into thin strips
1 green pepper, cut into thin strips
1 red (or orange) pepper, cut into thin strips
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, quartered
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lime juice (a quick squeeze of a cut lime)
dash of salt and pepper

Combine all marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Place chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade ingredients over the top. Seal the bag and place in the refrigerator and let marinate for 2-3 hours.

After marinading, take chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. Grill or broil the chicken 4-5 minutes per side--I used my indoor grill pan. Remove from pan and tent with foil to keep warm.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add the onion, mushrooms and peppers. Stir fry until softened but still crisp tender. Add soy sauce, water, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Slice chicken thinly on the diagonal and toss with the vegetables in the skillet. Serve immediately with flour tortillas and any toppings of your choice--I used Mexican cheese and sour cream, but you could also use tomatoes, lettuce and guacamole!

Source: My Kitchen Cafe

Chicken Scaloppine with Lemon Glaze

2010-01-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

This recipe was quite similar to a few others that I've recently tried, but it seemed to have that "something extra" that made it stand out. (I'm wondering if it's the addition of the Dijon mustard to the egg mixture?!?) This was an easy meal to throw together...I think I had dinner on the table within about 30 minutes and it's one of those meals that looks like you spent a lot longer preparing it...always a "bonus"!

Chicken Scaloppine with Lemon Glaze

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts; approximately 2 1/2 lbs (pounded to about 1/3-inch thickness)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 large eggs
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning (or to taste) ***I didn't have "poultry seasoning", so I just added some marjoram, sage, thyme and rosemary***
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying)

Lemon Glaze

1/2 cup chicken broth (I used a chicken bouillon cube, dissolved in boiling water)
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6-12 thin lemon slices
fresh parsley, chopped (to taste)

Directions:

In a small bowl or shallow dish whisk together mustard and eggs; set aside. In a separate small bowl, combine the dry bread crumbs with poultry seasoning, garlic powder and seasoning salt. First dip the chicken breasts in the egg/mustard mixture (shake off any excess egg) and then coat evenly/generously with the crumb mixture.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add in the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until it is no longer pink inside; remove and transfer to a plate to keep warm. (I had to use 2 pans and added the browned bits from the second pan to the first pan, after I removed the chicken).

For the glaze: in the same skillet add in the broth, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil scraping any brown bits from the pan. Add in lemon slices and parsley; mix to combine for about 1 minute.

Spoon the glaze/sauce over chicken.

Source: Adapted from recipe posted on Recipezaar.com

Roasted Chicken with Gravy

2010-01-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I LOVE meals you can get ready the night before and then just throw in the oven the next afternoon/evening! I came across this particular blog "Cooking with Carrie" from Donna's blog, I believe, and was drooling over her recipes! I've made my feelings about whole chickens very clear in previous posts, but lately, they're one of the least expensive types of poultry/meat to buy, so I love finding new recipes. Just to forewarn you...this chicken does cook on a slow oven for about 4 hours, so it's something you'd need to make on a day in which you don't really have much going on--especially if you're wanting it done around a more "normal" dinnertime. Both the white and dark meat were equally moist and flavorful! I did not end up making the gravy, as neither my husband or I are big "gravy fans", but Carrie's recipe sounded good, so I included it. If it's even remotely close to being as good as the chicken, I'm sure you'll love the gravy, as well!

1 (4 pound) whole chicken
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, cut into 4 pieces
5 cloves garlic

Gravy Ingredients:
Chicken drippings
2 tablespoons flour
1 can chicken broth (or 1 cup water and a chicken bouillon cube)

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub chicken inside and out with spice mixture--make sure you use all of it! Stuff the pieces of onion and garlic cloves into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place chicken in a roasting pan (or 9 x 13 dish). Bake uncovered for 4 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees...approximately 4 hours. Let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before carving; discard onion and garlic.

To Make the Gravy...

Carefully remove chicken out of the pan when it's done cooking. Pour all the drippings into a glass measuring cup, leaving any browned bits on the bottom of the roasting pan. Let the drippings stand for a minute or two until the fat rises to the top of the measuring cup. Set the roasting pan over medium-low heat (you may need to use two burners at once.) Spoon out 4 tablespoons fat from the top of the measuring cup and put it back in the roasting pan. Sprinkle the flour over the fat and whisk. Whisk flour and fat for 1 to 2 minutes until the flour turns a nice golden-brown color. Pour the measuring cup drippings and can of chicken broth into the roasting pan, whisking and scraping off the encrusted bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer mixture for 2 to 3 minutes while whisking the entire time. Adjust the thickness of the gravy, as desired--if it is too thin, simmer, whisking often until the gravy is as thick as you want it and if it is too thick, whisk in a little more chicken broth. Taste the gravy and season it with salt and pepper if needed.

Source: Cooking with Carrie

Pasta with Scallops and Lemon Butter Mustard Sauce

2010-01-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

This recipe apparently was NOT a "winner" with my husband--he took a couple of bites and then asked me if I wanted to finish his portion. I knew when I was making it that there was a good possibility that he may not care for it. My husband has never tried scallops and I made the mistake of using the less expensive scallops for his "first time". Oops! I didn't go out and specifically buy scallops for this recipe--in fact, I've never even cooked with scallops before. I don't know if any of you have seen the little 4 oz bags that go on sale at Kroger periodically for $1.00, but I picked up a couple of packages a while back, figuring I'd give them a try. I, personally, didn't think they were "bad"--they obviously weren't as good as those really big scallops you get out, but the flavor was comparable. I really enjoyed the flavor of the dish and think that if my husband could have gotten past the idea of the scallops, that he might have actually enjoyed it. If any of you try it, I'd love to hear your feedback!

Pasta with Scallops and Lemon Butter Mustard Sauce

1 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon lemon, zest of, grated
8 ounces bay scallops
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup low-fat butter
6 ounces pasta, cooked and hot (I used 8 ounces of angel hair and that made enough for 2 people).
1/4 cup chives, snipped (I only had dehydrated chives)
salt and pepper

Directions

Simmer wine and lemon zest in medium saucepan. Add scallops and cook and stir for 1 minute. Take out scallops, raise heat and reduce wine to about 1/4 cup.

Reduce heat to low, whisk in mustard, then butter, in small pieces. Add scallops and any juice and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve sauce over cooked pasta and sprinkle with chives. (I stirred my pasta in with my scallops to coat it well and then sprinkled some chives on top!)

Source: Recipezaar.com

Bourbon Chicken

2010-01-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

I remember someone mentioning within their blog a while back that they were big fans of Recipezaar.com and I have since found quite a few great recipes off of that site! I'm almost thinking that I like it better than allrecipes.com! You can either search by recipe name, by ingredients you want to use, etc (much like allrecipes.com), but it seems as if there is a wider variety of recipes. I like that it also allows you to sort recipes by their "rating", much like allrecipes.com. I did a search for recipes that contained boneless skinless chicken breasts and this particular one popped up under the "most popular" section. It was rated by close to 2,000 people and received 4 1/2 out of 5 stars...it doesn't get much better than that! All of the reviews seemed pretty consistent in terms of the comments and I followed the recipe pretty much to a tee. Depending on how heartily you eat, you may want to double the ingredients--I used about 2 1/2 pounds of chicken, but do not think it would have fed more than 3 adults, unless you served something else with it. I served mine over white rice (per their suggestion), but didn't have egg rolls or anything like that to balance the meal. My husband even thought it would have been good to have added some broccoli or pea pods in with the chicken and I do think that definitely would have been good, as the sauce itself had a really good flavor and would have complimented most any veggie you added. I would probably suggest trying it "as is" to start and then you can create your own variation--if I do add veggies next time, I would probably make a little extra sauce, because it was nice having some sauce to spoon over the rice.

Bourbon Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium Heat until well mixed and dissolved.
Add chicken and bring to a hard boil; Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes

Serve over hot rice.

Source: Recipezaar.com

Marinated Flank Steak

2009-12-30T09:42:00.001-08:00

I can count the amount of times I've purchased flank steak on one hand--it's a cut of meat that I seldom buy, because it tends to be rather pricey. I happened to find a piece marked down at the grocery store last night, so I thought I'd treat my husband and I to one of my favorite recipes from growing up! My Mom used to make this flank steak for special occasions--mostly for my Dad's birthday, as it was one of his favorites. It's so very simple to do and the marinade only calls for three ingredients. The hardest part is having to patiently wait 24 hrs to let it marinate before being able to cook it!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!

Marinated Flank Steak

5 Tablespoons Italian dressing
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons Russian dressing
Flank Steak (Approximately 2 lbs)

Directions:

Mix all marinade ingredients well in a shallow dish. Place meat in dish and turn to coat meat evenly. Marinate meat at least 24 hours, turning every 4-6 hours. Grill meat until cooked as desired and serve with sliced mushrooms. (Make sure you slice against the grain!)

NOTE: You would be surprised at how far that amount of flank steak goes--it doesn't seem like a lot, but 2 lbs should easily serve a family of 4-5. Also, I used a grill pan and cooked my steak on my stovetop. I grilled the meat approximately 4-5 minutes on each side for medium rare. My husband NEVER ate steak prepared anything less than "well done", but after the first time I convinced him to try medium rare, he was sold! I owe it to my Dad for convincing me that meat tastes so much more flavorful when it's prepared this way!

Source: My Mom :)

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

2009-12-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

People who know me, know that I am a fairly organized individual and thrive on "planning"--I'm not, nor have I ever been much for spontaneity...at least regarding most things in my life. (I'm not saying I'd be devastated if my husband took me on a "surprise date" or something...HINT, HINT!!!), but for the most part, I live by my "planner" and love knowing exactly what I'm doing and when I'll be doing it! Anyway, the purpose of my little "rant" is that I knew I had everything all planned out for Christmas Eve and Christmas and knew I'd have leftover lasagna for last night (when I got home from work), but I needed something for Saturday's dinner. While I was out doing my last minute Christmas shopping this past Wednesday, I grabbed a package of boneless skinless chicken breasts, remembering that I saw a recipe in my borrowed library cookbook that I wanted to try! I was just a tad bit nervous, because my husband is a super picky eater and I didn't know if the mere fact that the recipe called for certain ingredients would turn him off, before he even tried it, but he liked it so much that he went back for seconds! I often wonder if he's being honest when he tells me he likes some of these new recipes I've been trying or if he's just saying it to avoid hurting my feelings, but going back for seconds certainly confirmed that this recipe was a "winner" in his book! I was thrilled, because it was SUPER easy to throw together and is a great recipe to add to my "quick weeknight meals" list!

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley (I used dehydrated chives)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups corn flake cereal, crushed (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (again, I used dehydrated parsley)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4 - 2 lbs)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray. In shallow dish, mix 2 tablespoons butter, the milk, chives, salt and garlic powder.

In another shallow dish, mix crushed cereal, parsley and paprika. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly with cereal mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons butter.

Bake uncovered 20-25 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

NOTE: The package of chicken I used was about 1 3/4 lbs and contained three, good-sized chicken breasts. I ended up baking them for closer to 30 minutes, as they were fairly thick. I had bought popcorn chicken for the kids, because I wasn't sure if they would like this chicken, but next time, I will most certainly make it for them, as well! I definitely think this is a recipe that kids would enjoy! I've found that most smaller packages of chicken from the grocery store tend to contain three chicken breasts and average around 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 lbs, but you could certainly double it if you have more people in your family, or, you could make extra so you could try out the suggestion the cookbook offers--they say that the leftovers are great reheated and eaten as a sandwich with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise!

Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals

Orecchiette with Spinach, Sausage and Tomatoes

2009-12-22T04:55:00.001-08:00

Thankfully, I got two shifts in at the hospital this weekend and I was quite pleasantly surprised when I found a gift in my "mailbox". I didn't get a chance to open it until later in the day, but when I did, I was very touched! One of my friends gave me a cookbook by Pampered Chef, called "29 Minutes to Dinner". It couldn't have possibly been any more appreciated, as not only do I love to cook, but I LOVE quick meals!!! I brought the cookbook home on Sunday night and rather excitedly showed my husband. It seems as if he only "half listens" the majority of the time, but apparently it caught his eye, because he spent yesterday morning looking through it (while I was working) and picked a recipe to make for dinner last night. I didn't get home until about 9pm, but when I walked in, the house smelled WONDERFUL! I had no idea he had picked a recipe from that cookbook until after I ran up and showered, because dinner was supposed to be a "surprise", but I got a kick out of the fact that he seemed as excited by a new cookbook as I was! While I had absolutely nothing to do with the preparation of this meal, I wanted to include it as a post, because it most definitely is worth trying and it was very cute to see my husband proudly making dinner for me after a long day's work. Just a couple of little "notes" before I post the recipe...

1) My husband used bow tie pasta, which was a perfect substitution! It seems awfully difficult to find orecchiette pasta around here--I think I've only been able to find it once!

2) The dish was a tad bit spicy for me, even though my husband said he made a point to use mild Italian sausage as opposed to the hot Italian sausage that the recipe called for. Perhaps it was the *optional* crushed red pepper flakes that he added--he ended up putting two teaspoons. As a side note on the recipe, it suggests using sweet Italian sausage for a milder dish--I would definitely make this recipe again and would consider going that route instead and/or omitting the red pepper flakes altogether.

This would be a great dish to make if you are having company over, as it presents really nicely--it looked really pretty in person, but unfortunately, I took the picture about 9:30pm, so I didn't have an ounce of natural light to work with. My husband served it with garlic bread, but it would be great to serve with a nice salad, as well. God love him, but he doubled it for just the two of us (because he said he wanted to make sure there was enough), so it made a TON! There easily is enough left for at least 2-3 meals! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Orecchiette with Spinach, Sausage and Tomatoes

1 1/4 pounds bulk hot Italian sausage
3 cans (14.5 oz each) Italian-herb diced tomatoes, divided
12 oz uncooked orecchiette pasta
2 1/2 cups water
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated
5 oz fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions:

Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, breaking apart as it cooks. Drain canned tomatoes using a colander into a large bowl; reserve 1 cup of the tomato liquid for later use in this recipe.

Add drained canned tomatoes, tomato liquid, pasta, water, minced garlic, red pepper flakes (if desired) and salt to skillet. Cover and cook 13-15 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut grape tomatoes in half. Add grape tomatoes, spinach and reserved 1 cup tomato liquid to skillet. Cook 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring constantly. Sprinkle with cheese.

Source: Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner, Volume 2

Fiesta Taco Casserole

2009-12-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well...it has been exactly one month since my last post--pretty awful, huh?!? It has just been one heck of a couple of months, between finding out about different family members who are really ill and three deaths between my family and my husband's...two in the past week. We're very much looking forward to a fresh start this New Year and hoping it brings good health and happiness to all of our family and friends!

Although things have been unbelievably crazy/stressful, I still have been attempting to try new recipes! I have several I need to post, but I thought I would go ahead and post this particular recipe, as it's a quick weeknight meal and I know everyone is incredibly busy this time of year! My sister, Sarah, will probably make fun of me, but I'm still borrowing cookbooks from the library to "preview" them and decide if I want to go ahead and buy them. I found a cookbook called "Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals" on a shelf they have with newer released books and figured that was a "must have"! It features over 200 recipes and breaks down the cost per serving...some are much more inexpensive than others. I'm becoming a big fan of "one dish meals"--this recipe would be great by itself or you could even serve it with a Spanish/Mexican rice as a side dish. I have a good 20 or so recipes marked to try, from this cookbook alone, so be on the lookout for other inexpensive/easy meal ideas!!!

To all fellow bloggers: I'm looking forward to catching up on all of your blogs very shortly! I apologize I haven't been commenting as frequently! Aside from checking my email/Facebook, I haven't been doing much on the computer at all.

Fiesta Taco Casserole

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 can (15-16 oz) spicy chili beans in sauce, undrained
1 cup chunky-style salsa
3 cups coarsely broken tortilla chips
3/4 - 1 cup sour cream
5 medium green onions, sliced (1/4 cup)
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Shredded lettuce, if desired
Additional salsa, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a 10 inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in beans and 1 cup salsa. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

In ungreased 2 quart casserole, place broken tortilla chips. Top with beef mixture. Spread with sour cream. Sprinkle with onions, tomato and cheese.

Bake uncovered 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with lettuce and
additional salsa.

Source: Adapted from Betty Crocker Money Saving Meals

Easy Baked Tilapia

2009-11-18T04:18:00.000-08:00

I've been on a mission the past few days to clear out the freezers and refrigerator in anticipation of the holidays. I found two bags of frozen tilapia fillets toward the back of my kitchen freezer, so I thought I'd go ahead and thaw them and then try to figure out what in the heck I was going to do with them! My natural inclination is always to start with Taste of Home, since I am a bit partial to their recipes and sure enough, I came across yet another "winner"! This was incredibly easy to throw together and both of my kids, who have been a bit reluctant to eat fish lately, inhaled it! I liked that it had the "illusion" of fried fish with the coating, but the ingredients were all relatively healthy...and it was baked!

Easy Baked Tilapia

3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
2 lbs tilapia fillets (approximately 4-5 oz each) ***I used frozen fillets***

Directions

In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, garlic salt and oregano. Coat fillets in crumb mixture. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Source: Adapted from Taste of Home

Grilled Lemon Herb Pork Chops

2009-11-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

The more we eat pork, the more fond I am becoming of it! (Especially the affordability...I found these really nice assorted pork chops for $.97/lb at Kroger last week!) As I typically do, I doubled the marinade ingredients and I allowed the pork chops to marinate for a good 24 hrs. I think one of my major "turn-offs" regarding pork in the past has been that it always seemed to dry out so easily. Now that we've gotten the hang of watching our cooking times more closely, we've really found that we enjoy incorporating it into our meal rotation more regularly. This is a great, quick, weeknight meal--especially if you marinate the pork ahead of time, which I would highly suggest...they were absolutely delicious! Also, if you are grilling them, make sure to check them after the 5-7 minutes on each side to avoid overcooking them. Several reviewers on Allrecipes.com said that they actually broiled and/or baked theirs, so that's always an alternative if you don't care to go outside in the dead of winter! I haven't personally tried them that way, so I can't attest to the exact cooking times, but just to give you a rough estimate, one reviewer said she used 3/4 inch center cut pork chops and broiled them on each side for 5 minutes and then covered them with foil and baked them for an additional 10 minutes at a lower temperature. If any of you try them baked/broiled, please let me know how they turn out!

Grilled Lemon Herb Pork Chops

1/2 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 (4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

Directions

In a large resealable bag, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, oregano, and pepper. Place chops in bag, seal, and refrigerate 2 hours or overnight. Turn bag frequently to distribute marinade.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Remove chops from bag, and transfer remaining marinade to a saucepan. Bring marinade to a boil, remove from heat, and set aside.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill pork chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side, basting frequently with boiled marinade, until done.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

Steak Burritos

2009-11-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

I was starting to feel like an awful wife, because my husband is Hispanic and grew up eating more traditional Mexican food, but I, personally, have never been much of a fan. I may have made mention of this in another post, but I absolutely despise things like tamales and will only eat enchiladas if they are made with flour tortillas...I don't know what it is about the corn tortillas that makes me want to gag--the soft ones, that is! I love corn tortilla chips...I could make a meal on chips and salsa! I also love the more "Americanized" versions of Mexican food like fajitas, quesadillas, tacos, etc. Okay, enough of my rant! The point of my story was that I was feeling badly that I don't make more of an effort to incorporate some of the "comfort foods" that he was used to eating during his childhood. I tend to make comfort foods I remember my Mom making (ie: meatloaf), but always kind of cringed when I thought of the smell of some of his "comfort foods" permeating through the house--certain spices literally make me sick to my stomach! Anyway, I went in search of a dish that I thought would be a good compromise...one we'd both enjoy and I found a recipe for steak burritos. The recipe I found was relatively simple and it didn't call for much in the way of toppings, so I followed it for the basic cooking method of the meat and then I added all of our favorite toppings. This is something you could easily customize to your family's liking and the best part is that like tacos, you can kind of create your own burrito with whatever you like--it's not as if everyone has to have onions, tomatoes, cheese, etc. We ate after my son went to bed, but I know he would have had a lot of fun making his own burrito! My husband was very grateful and said he'd most definitely eat them again--when he walked in, he said the house smelled much like he remembered his parents' house smelling when he was growing up...I guess that was supposed to be a compliment :)

Steak Burritos

2 flank steaks, 1 pound each (I used round steak)
2 envelopes taco seasoning mix
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilis
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 cup water
8-10 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Your favorite toppings (Might I suggest any of the following: refried beans, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream)

Salsa Verde (Green salsa), for dipping

Directions:

Rub steaks on both sides with taco seasoning. Place in slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Top with onion, chilies and vinegar. Add 1/2 cup water to bottom; cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove steaks and cool slightly; shred meat with two forks (or cut into small chunks). Return to slow cooker; heat through.

Warm flour tortillas and top with meat mixture and any combination of your favorite toppings. Fold ends and sides over filling. Serve with salsa verde for dipping.

NOTE: When I prepared my husband and my burritos, I did so in the following order: I warmed the tortillas, spread a thin layer of refried beans, put the meat on top of the beans, sprinkled Mexican-style cheese over the meat and then topped with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and sour cream. They were REALLY good like that!

Source: Taste of Home Online

Tuscan Pork Roast

2009-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

When I'm stressed, worried or upset, I find myself either on a cooking or cleaning tangent! (Hence the abundance of posts lately!) I actually have several recipes I still need to post. Pork is something that I haven't bought much of over the years--I actually only had pork tenderloin for the first time, not that long ago. I really enjoyed it, but it always seemed to be rather pricey. All of a sudden, it seems as if beef has been outrageous and pork has drastically come down in price. I've been able to find pork tenderloin for $1.34-$1.69/lb and I love the fact that it's generally solid "meat"--I can't stand feeling as if I'm paying by the pound and the majority of the weight is the bone! My husband and I happen to really love garlic, so this was an exceptionally good recipe in our book! I even added a little extra garlic for good measure :) I would think this is something you could easily prep ahead of time and then just throw in the oven around dinnertime. I did find that it took longer to bake than the recipe stated...my pork roast was about 4 pounds and it definitely took closer to 2 hrs. Well worth it, though, and I would highly recommend! (Just as an FYI for those of you who have a Kroger nearby...pork tenderloin is on sale this week for $1.37/lb, I believe!)

(Prior to cutting it...)

Tuscan Pork Roast

5 to 8 garlic cloves, peeled (I may have used a bit more...we love garlic!)
1 1/2 tablespoons dried rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)

Directions:

In a food processor, combine garlic, rosemary, olive oil and salt; cover and process until mixture becomes a paste. Rub over the roast; cover and let stand for 30 minutes. (I let the rub sit on the roast for closer to an hour).

Place roast, fat side up, on a greased baking rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. (I made a 4 pound roast and it took closer to 2 hrs...make sure you use a meat thermometer to watch it closely!) Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Source: The Taste of Home Cookbook

Slow-Cooked Lemon Chicken

2009-11-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

I always love using my crockpot year-round, but am especially fond of using it this time of year! There's something so comforting about coming in from the cool weather and knowing that you have a nice home-cooked meal waiting for you. I doubled the "sauce" ingredients (as reflected by the amounts I listed in the recipe) and was glad I did--it was nice having plenty of sauce to spoon over the cooked chicken. The only change I would make would be to cut back a bit on the cooking time--I think 3 hrs would be plenty of time, since you are already browning the chicken prior to placing it in the crockpot. (I made a notation of this below, as well!) I served the chicken with buttered rice and sprinkled it with a bit of parsley for garnish, but only served the sauce on the chicken. Enjoy :)

Slow-Cooked Lemon Chicken

6 bone-in chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds), skin removed
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup water
6 tablespoons lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Combine the oregano, seasoned salt and pepper; rub over the chicken. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in butter; transfer to a 5 quart slow cooker.

Add the water, lemon juice, garlic and bouillon to the skillet; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours. (I cooked mine closer to 4 hours, but think it may be better to aim for 3 to avoid overcooking the chicken...the flavor was good, but it was a tad bit dry for my liking!)

Baste the chicken. Add parsley. Cover and cook 15-30 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear. If desired, thicken cooking juices and serve over chicken and rice.

Source: Taste of Home, The New Slow Cooker

Stuffed Green Peppers

2009-11-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

My sister, Sarah, made these stuffed peppers several years back and I immediately fell in love with them! We were all up north visiting my parents together and she so kindly offered to prepare dinner...I knew it would be delicious, as she is a wonderful cook! My kids absolutely love the meat and rice mixture and will often make a meal out of that alone :) My VERY picky husband even loves them! My sister served them with mashed potatoes and corn, which is what I've done ever since--definitely great comfort food!

Stuffed Green Peppers

2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
3 large green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 1/2 - 2 pounds lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 large jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

While rice is cooking, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and begin to brown meat in a large saucepan, over medium heat. While meat is browning, place green peppers in a large pot, with enough water to cover. Boil peppers for approximately 15 minutes. Once meat is browned and drained (and while peppers are boiling), add onion, cooked rice, garlic powder, salt and pepper to the large saucepan with the meat; simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Remove peppers from the water and set aside in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spoon the meat mixture onto each half of the green peppers. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until mixture begins to turn golden brown.

Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of each stuffed pepper. Return to the oven and bake until cheese is lightly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Adapted from Allrecipes

Hasselback Potatoes

2009-11-01T06:12:00.000-08:00

This past week has been really difficult--my grandfather passed away last Saturday, somewhat unexpectedly. He will be truly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing him...he was such a warm and gentle soul and would have done absolutely anything for anyone. I miss you, Popie, and this post is in your honor :)

(This picture was taken at our house a couple of years ago at our son's b-day party. Popie was always such a kid at heart...note the party hat!)

I actually made these potatoes about a week and a half ago--the same night my sister, Sarah made them...total coincidence. I know she really enjoyed them, as did my husband and I. I found that they did take a little longer than an hour to get tender and I think my sister had the same problem, but they were certainly worth the wait! They were absolutely delicious with butter and sour cream!

Hasselback Potatoes

3 russet potatoes
Olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Dried basil, to taste
Garlic cloves, sliced into thin slivers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After washing the potatoes well, thinly slice each potato, being careful not to cut all the way through. (Place the potato on a large serving spoon so you won't cut all the way through).

Season each potato with basil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Place a thin slice of garlic between each layer. Place the potatoes in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 1 hour or until the potato is tender. Serve with butter and sour cream if desired.

Source: For the Love of Cooking

Simply Great Chicken

2009-10-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have been attempting to try this recipe for a few days now, but it seemed as if something always got in the way! My intention was to use a package of split chicken breasts that I purchased at Meijer, however, for about the 6th time this year, I went to open the package, TWO days before the sell by date and it smelled awful! Has anyone else had a problem with Meijer meat/chicken??? I am honestly convinced that they are switching dates, as it appears awfully coincidental that it only occurs with their meat and chicken! This occurred on Sunday night and my husband planned to take it back Monday (after he got home from work), but we ended up taking our son to the emergency room--both of our kids have been really sick. He was finally able to run it back to Meijer on Tuesday, which was the actual "sell by date" and they said they couldn't do anything about it since we didn't have a receipt. Ummmm, hello!!!!!!!! I don't generally keep grocery receipts, as I don't expect my food to be spoiled when I go to use it...especially two days before the sell by date! We weren't wanting/asking for anything for free--all we wanted was an even exchange...another package of chicken, the exact same weight! They refused to do an even exchange--all they would do is give us the amount of money back that the package was marked (in the form of store credit) and we would have to buy another package of chicken. Naturally, the sale had just switched, so of course the chicken was now double the price. My husband ended up with a store credit and I ended up going out the next day and buying my chicken elsewhere! Anyway, enough of my rant!

I found this recipe on Katy's blog (Food for a Hungry Soul) and as I expected, it was wonderful! She has yet to disappoint me :) I used chicken leg quarters, but would be anxious to try it next time with the boneless skinless chicken breasts. The sauce was delicious, but the chicken didn't seem to absorb as much of it as I had hoped for. I also didn't seem to get as much "sauce" as Katy did--her picture looks much better! This was a great, easy meal to throw together and one I will definitely try again. Thanks, Katy :)

Simply Great Chicken

3 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
1 ( .7 ounce) packet of dried Italian dressing mix (such as Good Seasonings)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 13 inch x 9 inch pan and set aside, and/or it may be preferable to line your dish with aluminum foil as the sugar tends to caramelize while baking.

Rinse chicken, pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the dried Italian seasoning mix and the brown sugar, mixing together well.

Dip and press the chicken pieces into the mixture, coating front and back and place into your prepared pan, topside of the chicken facing up. Any extra coating that remains can just be sprinkled over the chicken.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is done. Per Katy's suggestion, I turned the chicken over a couple of times and spooned the sauce over it while it was baking. My "final turn" left the chicken with the top side facing up.

Cheesy Microwave Cauliflower

2009-10-20T11:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, so not a very "original" name for this quick side dish, but it's one of those sides that everyone always seems to enjoy, so I thought I'd post it :) It is so easy to throw together and cooks in the microwave...BONUS! To be completely honest, I never exactly measure the ingredients, so I'm just going to give you the approximate measurements and you can play around with it to your liking.
(It tastes better than it probably looks!)

Cheesy Microwave Cauliflower

One large head of cauliflower
3/4-1 cup mayo (or Miracle Whip...I tend to prefer the sweetness of Miracle Whip)
3 Tablespoons of mustard (you can adjust the amount if you aren't much of a mustard fan or increase it if you are especially fond of mustard!)
5-6 slices American Cheese

Wash cauliflower, remove leaves and some of the bottom core, if it's especially bulky at the bottom. Place cauliflower in a microwave-safe dish (preferably with a lid, but you can always use wax paper, too!) and add approximately 1/2 cup of water. Combine mustard and mayo in a small bowl and spread generously over the cauliflower. Microwave, covered, for approximately 15 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. When cauliflower is done cooking, leave in microwave, remove cover, place American cheese slices all over to cover entire head of cauliflower and allow to sit in microwave for a few minutes until cheese melts.

Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia

2009-10-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Ummmmm, yeah...I'm still VERY behind on my blogging! I feel absolutely terrible, because I truly miss each and every one of your blogs and hope you know that I plan to do some major "catching up" in the next couple of weeks!!! I have caught a recipe here and there, but am fairly certain I have missed quite a few. It's just been such a busy month or so...I actually made this tilapia on September 24th and am just now getting around to posting it! As for the recipe, I'm not sure it was my "favorite" tilapia recipe, but it was definitely good...especially if you're trying to watch what you eat. (It came from a blog dedicated to Weight Watcher recipes). Speaking of which, I have met my goal, so I am SO over this whole dieting thing. I'm a very strong-willed and determined individual, but have a difficult time cutting out my favorite foods!!! :) I hope you all are well and I can't wait to check out your latest posts!!!

Baked Garlic Lemon Tilapia

(6) 6oz tilapia fillets (I used frozen)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tsp fresh parsley (I didn't have any fresh, so I substituted dried)
salt and pepper
cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Melt butter on a low flame in a small sauce pan. Add garlic and saute on low for about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and shut off flame.
Spray the bottom of a baking dish lightly with cooking spray.

Place the fish on top and season with salt and pepper. Pour the lemon butter mixture on the fish and top with fresh parsley. Bake at 400° until cooked, about 15 minutes.

NOTE: Weight Watcher's Points--5 pts per 6 oz serving

Source: Gina's WW Recipes

Herbed Turkey Breast

2009-09-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

This was one of the most bizarre recipes I have ever made! I VERY seldom use sage when I cook and if I do, it's always in moderation (maybe 1/2 tsp at most). This recipe called for one tablespoon, which didn't really phase me, until it started cooking and the smell permeated throughout the house. I don't know if it's just me, but apparently I have an aversion to that particular smell!!! I seriously felt like I was going to be sick and I had visions of having to toss this entire turkey breast. It's crazy, because you all might really like the smell...it could just be that I'm not used to cooking with sage (and don't remember my Mom ever using it)--I actually have kind of noticed that my "sense of smell" has changed a little since having my kids...certain smells bother me now that never used to bother me. The craziest part, is that it was some of the BEST turkey I have ever eaten!!!!! The flavor was wonderful and the turkey itself was incredibly moist. We ate it hot the night I made it (with mashed potatoes, of course!!!) and had the leftover turkey cold for sandwiches last night since I worked all day. I know my "review" of this recipe is a bit strange and I hope it doesn't deter any of you from trying it, because it really was great! Also, like I mentioned...I'm just not at all used to cooking with sage!

Herbed Turkey Breast

1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 tablespoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bone-in turkey breast (5-1/2 to 6 pounds)

Directions:

In a small saucepan, combine the first eight ingredients; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Place turkey in a shallow roasting pan; baste with butter mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting every 30 minutes.

Source: Taste of Home

Pepper-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2009-09-17T06:34:00.000-07:00

I don't have very much experience cooking pork tenderloin, so I'm always at a loss for ideas when I do pick one up! I noticed they were on sale last week for $1.47/lb which was very reasonable, so I had my husband stop and grab one on his way home from work. He came home with about a 5 lb pork tenderloin and since I knew only he and I would be eating it, I cut it in half and froze the other half. As usual, I turned to my trusted Taste of Home cookbooks and found this recipe for Pepper-Crusted Pork Tenderloin. The breaded pork chops I made were a huge hit, as was the Parmesan Chicken (which had a similar coating, minus the Parmesan cheese), so I knew we'd have to give this recipe a try! My goodness was this BY FAR my favorite pork tenderloin recipe to date! I highly recommend it!!!! The actual cooking time may need to be adjusted if you're using a larger piece of pork, as we did...I think it was in for about 20 minutes covered and closer to 50 minutes uncovered, but I would watch it carefully...I think the meat thermometer needs to read about 160 degrees. I had to run to an appointment last night, but my husband took it out at about 157 degrees and let it sit for a good 15 min and it was perfect! (Yet again, please excuse the photo...it was taken close to 9pm and unfortunately, I didn't have an ounce of natural light!)

Pepper-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2 pork tenderloins (3/4 pound each)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 to 2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup soft bread crumbs (I may have used a little more...I coated it pretty generously!)

Directions:

Place tenderloins side by side and tie together with kitchen string. (I omitted this step altogether, because I just used one 2 1/2 lb pork tenderloin). In a small bowl, combine the mustard, buttermilk, thyme, pepper and salt; spread over surface of meat. Press crumbs onto meat.

Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes. Remove string before slicing.

NOTE: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can measure out a tablespoon and add the tiniest splash of lemon juice. Let it sit for a few minutes and you've got buttermilk :)

Weight Watcher Points: Approximately 7 points in a 6 ounce serving of pork

Source: Taste of Home

Parmesan Chicken

2009-09-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

I have REALLY been struggling to find healthier recipes to make...or those that are within my "point allotment". I love the fact that Weight Watchers allows you to eat most anything, but 20 points isn't very much for a day! I came across this recipe for Parmesan chicken in a cookbook that I borrowed from the library. I've kind of gotten in the habit of checking out cookbooks, looking through them and determining if I can find enough recipes that warrant purchasing the book. This was a very quick recipe to whip up and was really flavorful for not very many points, for those of you also following Weight Watchers--I noticed that several of you commented on how you were! Speaking of which, from now on (or for at least as long as I can survive counting points), I plan to include the point value for everything I make to hopefully make things a little easier for some of you!

Before I post the recipe, I wanted to mention one additional thing to everyone! If you have not already signed up for the "Foodie BlogRoll", I highly suggest that you get on that! I signed up shortly after I started my blog (per my sister's recommendation, I believe) and just found out the other day that I was randomly selected to win a prize package! I didn't have to specifically enter or anything--I guess I automatically qualified for the giveaway, merely for being a member! Cube Artisan Foods is awarding me with a four-pack of products, including their Velvet Tomato Soup, Roasted Kabocha Soup, 4 Cheese Mac & Cheese, and Triple Berry Cobbler. I can't wait to receive my package!!! Now for my recipe... :)

Parmesan Chicken

1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt (I would maybe even cut down to 1/4 tsp, as it tasted a little salty to me!)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
(6-8) 6 ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

Directions:

In a pie plate or shallow bowl, combine butter, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and salt. In a plastic bag, combine crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken in butter mixture, then shake in crumb mixture.

Place in an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan. Drizzle with any remaining butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Note: Approximately 6 1/2 Weight Watcher Points in a 6 oz serving of chicken

Source: Taste of Home Grandma's Favorites

Herb-Crusted Chuck Roast

2009-09-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well, my husband and I decided to start doing Weight Watchers...not "formally" or anything, but just following the whole point system. I need to lose those last few pounds from when I had my little girl and my husband...well, he needs to lose the weight he gained with me throughout both pregnancies and kept on :) His weight gain doesn't bother me from a "physical standpoint", but as a nurse, I worry from a "health perspective". Needless to say, this recipe probably was not the best choice for dinner, but it is SO hard for me to resist these delicious recipes I've been trying!!! I purposely "banked" my points throughout the day so I could indulge myself this evening :) I did not have any savory or ground mustard, so I substituted marjoram, sage and Dijon mustard, per a reviewer's recommendation. I also did not want to press my luck and make the sauce, so I cannot tell you firsthand how it was, but it looked great, so I figured I'd go ahead and include it! PLEASE let me know if any of you make it...I'd love to know your thoughts...or know if I should remove it if it's awful!

Herb-Crusted Chuck Roast

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 (3 pound) boneless chuck eye or top blade

SAUCE:
1 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Rub over entire roast. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until meat is tender and reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145 degrees F; medium, 160 degrees F; well-done, 170 degrees F). Let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Serve with the roast.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Whole Baked Chicken in the Crock Pot

2009-09-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned my "issues" with whole chickens in previous posts...I don't know why, but they somewhat gross me out! I pride myself on being a good shopper, however, and seeing as how there were very limited "beef/chicken/pork" items on sale this past week, I broke down and bought a whole chicken...on sale for $.88/lb, I might add :) I noticed a while back that Heidi (Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi) posted a crock pot chicken recipe and with her rave reviews, I knew it had to be great! I followed her recipe to a tee, except I think my chicken was closer to 5 lbs (I was hoping to have a little extra to make some chicken salad for myself, except we just about polished off the whole bird....that's how good it was!) I also one and a halved the spices, due to the larger size of the chicken. The chicken turned out perfectly...so moist and tender! I had an appointment yesterday afternoon, so I only cooked it on high for about an hour and a half and then turned it down to low for approximately 5 1/2 hours.

(This was my plate...I was working on the thighs!)

Whole Baked Chicken in the Crock Pot

1 whole chicken (2-3 lb) --again, I used a 5 lb chicken!
2 tsp salt (I used Kosher salt)
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Wad 3-4 pieces of aluminum foil into 3 inch balls and place in bottom of crock pot. Pour enough water in crock pot to just cover the bottom. (I used about 1/2 inch of water). Rinse chicken and pat dry. Mix seasonings in a small bowl; rub into chicken. Place chicken in crock pot, on top of foil "balls". Cover and cook on high for 2 hours and then turn crock pot to low for an additional 5 hours.

Source: Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

Open-Faced Tuna Melts

2009-09-03T06:25:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those afternoons when you're sitting around and all of a sudden realize how hungry you are, but have absolutely no idea what to make?!? That's what happened to me the other day, but it dawned on me relatively quickly that I had noticed a recipe for a tuna melt in one of my Taste of Home magazines the other day when I was marking recipes to try! This is BY FAR my new favorite tuna melt recipe!!! I did not have any celery on hand, so I added a little extra green pepper, but the peppers were a great addition! I had my sandwich ready to stick in the oven in about 5 minutes, so if you're looking for a quick lunch (or dinner) idea, this is perfect! They can be ready in 10 minutes!!!

Open-Faced Tuna Melts

1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip)
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can (6 oz) tuna, drained and flaked
2 hamburger buns, split and toasted
4 slices tomato
2 tablespoons shredded, reduced-fat cheddar cheese (or more, if you like cheese as much as I do!)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; stir in tuna. Spread over each bun half; top with a tomato slice. Sprinkle with cheese. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Source: Taste of Home Healthy Cooking (June/July 2009)

Oven Fried Pork Chops and Parmesan Knots

2009-09-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

Am I the only person on the face of the Earth who has not tried breaded pork chops?!? I saw this recipe on Donna (My Tasty Treasure's) blog and thought they looked fantastic! I generally throw out meal ideas to my husband, to see if he "bites", because after all, he is VERY picky and I don't care to waste my energy if he's going to refuse to eat what I make for dinner. He was so excited when I mentioned these pork chops, because he said that he had only eaten them breaded before he met me, as that was how his Mom made them.

We have all still been battling this nasty virus going around, so I kind of threw together last night's dinner at the last moment and decided to also add this Parmesan Knots recipe from my latest Taste of Home Cooking Magazine. This is a great way to "doctor up" the refrigerated buttermilk biscuits you can buy--especially if you need something quick when you have guests coming over! My rolls turned out a little smaller than I anticipated, but they were very cute and tasted great!

Oven Fried Pork Chops

4 (3/4 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons pineapple juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Combine egg, pineapple juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and whisk gently. Combine breadcrumbs and next three ingredients. Dip chops in egg mixture and then dredge in breadcrumbs.

Place chops on a rack in a greased roasting pan. Drizzle butter over chops. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes; turn and bake approximately 25 minutes longer or until done.

Parmesan Knots

1 tube (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

Directions:

Cut each biscuit into thirds. (I didn't cut mine...they seemed smaller than usual, to start!) Roll each piece into a 3-inch rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under. Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add the warm knots and gently toss to coat.

Source: My Tasty Treasures and Taste of Home August/September 2009

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes and Peas

2009-08-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've been a little "under the weather" the past few days, but I was bound and determined to stick to my meal plan for this week! I've been wanting to try this recipe for quite a while now...my parents gave my sister, Sarah and I a special cookbook put out by Sam's Club, called "Favorite Family Dinners". It includes recipes from many famous chefs, including Tyler Florence, who I know so many of you rave about :) This was one of the recipes that immediately caught my eye and then when Sarah made it and posted it on her blog, I knew we had to try it! I was a little nervous to use the spicy Italian sausage, as I've never been a fan of eating anything too spicy, but it honestly was not the least bit overpowering and I wouldn't hesitate to use it again! There were a couple of minor substitutions that I had to make, as I did not quite have the energy to run out to the store and I wasn't about to ask my husband to make another trip out, but the dish still turned out great!

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes and Peas

4 links spicy Italian sausage (I went ahead and used all 5 that came in the package!)
1 pound dried penne
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves (one of the items I didn't have, so I used the dried)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I substituted half and half, as it was about 1/3 the cost)
2 cups peas, blanched
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the sausages in a roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and just cooked. Cut sausages at an angle into bite-size pieces.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente).

Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes and basil; season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy. Add sausage, blanched peas, pasta and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Fold together and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve topped with a shower of cheese and garnish with basil.

*TIP: To blanch peas, submerge them into boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes (1 minute for frozen peas), then strain them and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. Strain them again and set aside.

Source: Sam's Club Favorite Family Dinners (excerpted from Tyler Florence's cookbook: Dinner at My Place).

Classic Hamburgers and Crash Hot Potatoes

2009-08-26T07:13:00.001-07:00

The summer is winding up and I just could not resist making grilled hamburgers at least one more time! This recipe comes from a cooking magazine that I recently won in a giveaway...there are SO many wonderful recipes--thank you again, Lynda!!! We're having some "grill issues", so the hamburgers did get a tad bit charred on the outside, but they were still really good and actually were a little too rare on the inside...I hate to admit this, but we actually just stuck them in the microwave for a minute! I kept trying to decide what to serve with them (in addition to corn on the cob) and as I was looking through my refrigerator, I came across about 8 good-sized red potatoes that I needed to use. I went in search of a recipe and found this recipe for "Crash Hot Potatoes" on For the Love of Cooking. Pam has absolutely wonderful recipes on her blog--I've never been disappointed by anything I've tried! The potatoes were a little too "grown up" for my 4 year old and 17 month old, but my husband and I really liked them.

Classic Hamburgers

1 pound ground round
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, minced (about 3/4 cup)
1 large egg white (I used the whole egg)
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
4 slices Provolone cheese (*my addition*)
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices red onion, separated into rings
8 thin slices tomato
4 whole wheat kaiser rolls, split (or your "roll of choice")

Directions:

Prepare grill. Combine first 9 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Shape into 4 (1/4 inch thick) patties---(I actually increased the ingredients and made them closer to 1/3 - 1/2 pound each!).

Place patties on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 5 minutes on each side or until done. (Add cheese last couple of minutes, optional!)

Top hamburger with lettuce, onion and tomato...and any other condiments you so desire!

Crash Hot Potatoes

12-15 baby red potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Place on a cooking sheet coated with cooking spray or drizzled with olive oil. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and with a potato masher, gently smash each potato. Drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper (I also added a Rosemary Garlic Seasoning that I had from Sam's Club!).

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Eat plain or top with a little sour cream and green onions. (I didn't have any green onions, so I actually sprinkled them with chives).

Source: Cooking Light Healthy Summer Grilling and For the Love of Cooking

Pan Seared Lemon Tilapia with Parmesan Pasta

2009-08-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

My husband eagerly volunteered to make dinner last Saturday night, so that I could shower and unwind before heading to work bright and early the next morning. I found this recipe earlier in the day and was thrilled that I just so happened to have all of the ingredients! We actually used frozen tilapia fillets and I would not hesitate to make this again--or let my husband make it again, I should say ;)

Pan Seared Lemon Tilapia with Parmesan Pasta

16 ounces elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons light olive oil
2 pounds tilapia fillets
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the pasta:
2 tablespoon light olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil over medium heat, stir in the macaroni, and return to a boil. Cook the macaroni uncovered, stirring occasionally, until it is cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle both sides of the tilapia fillets with lemon juice, oregano, basil, cilantro, salt, and pepper, and lay the fillets in the heated skillet, making sure they don't touch. Sear the fillets for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, until the fish is golden brown on the outside, and opaque and flaky inside.

Return the hot, cooked macaroni to the saucepan, and stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat the pasta. Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese, stir to mix, and stir in 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, the garlic powder, basil, oregano, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Divide the pasta between two plates, and top each with a tilapia fillet.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce

2009-08-22T06:14:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from one of those little recipe cards that you occasionally receive through the mail...I actually think I made it for the first time about 6 years ago, shortly before we moved into our house, but I happened to come across it about a week ago and knew I had to add it to my weekly menu! It probably is not the healthiest of recipes (as the chicken strips are fried), but it's perfect for a quick, weeknight meal...especially now that kids have started going back to school. I had every intention of making the honey mustard sauce, but found out that I didn't have nearly enough honey, so while I'm going to include the recipe, I do not have a picture. I did try it 6 years ago and remember really liking it! (Sorry the chicken finger picture is a bit dark...we didn't end up eating until close to 9pm!)

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Sauce

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (4 ounces each)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

Honey Mustard Sauce:

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1/2 x 2-inch strips. For honey mustard sauce, blend honey and mustard in a small bowl; set aside. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken in milk. Roll in flour mixture to coat well. Place chicken on waxed paper.

Pour 1/4 inch of oil into a large, heavy skillet. Heat over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F or until a cube of white bread dropped in oil browns evenly in 1 minute. Divide chicken into batches. Place chicken in an even layer in hot oil. Fry, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the honey mustard 1 or 2 days ahead of time so the flavors have time to blend. Fry the chicken fingers up to 1 day ahead. Wrap in foil. Reheat in a 300 degree F oven.

Source: Easy Everyday Cooking (Card 10)

Chicken Club Sandwich

2009-08-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've been on a major cleaning frenzy...I made my two page list and have been working hard to cross things off! I worked up quite an appetite, so I headed down to the kitchen to see what I could grab for a quick bite to eat. I didn't want to waste much time, so as I was looking through the refrigerator, I realized I had all of the ingredients to make BLT's. Then, it dawned on me that my husband had grilled some delicious chicken breasts the other night, so I thought I'd throw together a "chicken club". My recipe isn't anything extravagant, by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say...the way the chicken breasts were seasoned made a HUGE difference, which is why I thought I'd share this "recipe"...if you even want to call it that :) The proportions I'm giving are just for one sandwich, but obviously you can easily adjust if you want to make it for additional people!

Chicken Club Sandwich

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
Durkee Grill Creations St. Louis Style Chicken & Rib Rub (the *secret* ingredient!)
3-4 slices of bacon (the more the merrier!)
Miracle Whip
Lettuce
Roma tomato, sliced
2 slices of bread (anything will work...I actually just used plain white bread!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Rub chicken breast generously with the Chicken & Rib Rub (on BOTH sides) and grill for 8-10 minutes (turning halfway through) or until no longer pink. While chicken is grilling, place bacon in oven and cook until desired crispness is achieved--generally about 15 minutes. When chicken and bacon are both thoroughly cooked, toast two slices of bread. Generously spread Miracle Whip on both slices of bread. Place chicken breast on one slice of bread and top with bacon, tomato and lettuce. Place other slice of bread on top and enjoy ;)

NOTE: The chicken breasts could easily be made ahead of time and reheated, as I did...as long as you don't overcook them the first time around and just pop them in the microwave for a minute or so, they will remain extremely moist!

***I'm not sure if the seasoning mix is available everywhere, but we got a big container of it at Sam's Club.***

Pizza in a Pot

2009-08-14T06:12:00.000-07:00

I just love my crockpot! It's funny, because I tend to go in spurts--I'll use it several times in a row and then I forget about it for a while, only to wonder why I don't use it more regularly?!? This is an extremely easy recipe to throw together and quite frankly, I think it could be considered a quick weeknight meal. They say to cook it on low for 3-4 hours until it's heated through, but everything is already cooked before you even put it in the crockpot, so you could easily just set it on high for an hour or so and I would imagine it would produce the same result! One thing that I can't stress enough is to make sure you add some seasoning to the beef, veggie and sauce mixture before adding it to the crockpot. I ended up stirring in some garlic salt at the end, because I thought it was really bland. It definitely need salt of some type and had I not been in such a rush to throw it together, it probably would have dawned on me that the recipe itself didn't call for any seasoning!

Pizza in a Pot

1-1/2 pounds ground beef
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 jar (14 ounces) pizza sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound spiral pasta, cooked and drained
2 packages (3-1/2 ounces each) sliced pepperoni
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, pizza sauce and tomato paste.

In a 5-qt. slow cooker, layer the pasta, beef mixture, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until heated through. ***If you'd like, substitute 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage for the pepperoni in Pizza in a Pot. Cook it along with the ground beef, green pepper and onion.***

***Make sure to add some form of salt :)***

Breakfast Potatoes

2009-08-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

I made these potatoes as part of my husband's birthday breakfast last Saturday and everyone seemed to really enjoy them! My husband is a big "breakfast fan"--much unlike myself! He's all about having a breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, biscuits, etc, whereas I'm content just having a bagel and coffee :) Since it was "his day", I wanted to make it as special as possible, so I prepared all of the above components--minus the sausage, because I thought that might be overkill! There's really nothing particularly fancy about these potatoes--just a simple, quick recipe!

Breakfast Potatoes

5-6 red potatoes, diced
1 stick butter (or margarine)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons onion powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Melt butter and oil on medium-high heat in 12 inch skillet. Add potatoes, garlic and onion powder and stir to coat. Generously season with Kosher salt and pepper. Stir frequently until tender, brown and crispy--approximately 20 minutes.

GIVEAWAYS!!!!!!!

***Kaitlin over at "Kaitlin in the Kitchen" is currently having a giveaway! She is giving away a car candle to one lucky reader. You can enter here.***

***Linda at "Monkey Bizness" is giving away an adorable personalized tooth fairy pillow. You can enter here.***

***Frugal-Freebies.com is having a great toy giveaway sponsored by All Children’s Furniture who carries everything from kid's furniture to toys. Stop by before midnight Aug 21st EST to enter to win!***

***Yellowzip.com is giving away $100 to one lucky winner and 3 additional people can win a 2009 Entertainment Book! You can enter here.***

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

2009-08-13T06:16:00.001-07:00

Oh, how I love the State Fair!!! I'd be lying if I said that the food wasn't one of my favorite aspects :) Without fail, I ALWAYS have Italian sausage with peppers and onions---so good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My husband and I decided to recreate this "fair favorite" at home over his little mini-vacation and was it ever a treat! I think what really makes or breaks this recipe, however, is the type of sauce you use--I almost prefer a sauce with a hint of sweetness to it. That would be my one suggestion...make sure you use a good sauce!!!

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions

6-8 Italian Sausage Links
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 medium Vidalia onion, sliced thinly
1 jar of your favorite pizza or marinara sauce (again, I'd try to get one that has a hint of sweetness or just make sure you add a bit of sugar to the sauce!)
Brat Buns
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Place Italian sausage links in a skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes. Remove sausages and place on grill or in grill pan and cook for 7-8 minutes (maybe slightly more or less, depending on how well you like them cooked!). While sausages are grilling, saute peppers and onions in 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine until tender.

To serve: Place one Italian sausage link on each brat bun. Pour sauce over sausage and top with peppers and onions. Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top.

Shrimp Scampi

2009-08-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

This is the last full day I'll have with my husband and kids...he goes back to work on Wednesday and I signed up to work tomorrow. I was trying to figure out what to make for lunch, when I remembered that we had some shrimp leftover from when we had fondue the other night for my husband's birthday. I certainly didn't want it to go to waste, so I immediately thought I would make shrimp scampi...one of my favorite dishes! We've experimented with several different recipes over the years and I decided that I would just kind of "wing it" this afternoon. I thought it was pretty good, if I do say so myself :) My husband and I have tried recipes in which I thought the "wine flavor" was too much, so that was my one major change. I added half white wine and half chicken broth. I didn't have fresh parsley, so please excuse the dried. If you're making this for a family of 4 or more, I would at least double it!

Shrimp Scampi

8 oz angel hair
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese (for garnish)
Fresh parsley (for garnish)

Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions. In the meantime, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for 10-15 seconds, stirring constantly to make sure it does not burn. Add shrimp and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes--continuing to stir constantly. Add wine and chicken broth and bring to a boil; allow to boil for 1 minute. Add pasta, salt and pepper and stir to coat. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Chicken Francese, Buttery Garlic Potatoes and Garlic Green Beans

2009-08-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today is my husband's 30th birthday...now I no longer have to listen to all of his little digs about my age! We're only about 8 months apart, but I happen to be the older one, so he's always teasing me--especially because he knew I had a rough time with turning 30 :) Having two small kids and no babysitter makes it a bit rough to plan an evening out, so I decided that I would plan a nice, romantic fondue dinner for tonight (after the kids go to bed) and I made this meal last night in honor of his birthday. The chicken recipe is from Donna (My Tasty Treasures) blog and as usual, this recipe was fantastic! It reminded me a lot of a lemon chicken recipe that I have made in the past, but it did slightly vary and I really enjoyed it for a "change of pace". I was extremely "iffy" about the potatoes--I kept looking at the recipe and knew that the ingredients sounded wonderful, but never before have I made potatoes in the microwave...other than when I just start baked potatoes in the microwave, but they inevitably end up in the oven to crisp up a bit. I thought the flavor was outstanding and I didn't mind in the least bit that they weren't prepared in the oven--they would be perfect for a quick weeknight meal! The green beans weren't really a formal recipe...I just kind of played with them until I got them right!

Chicken Francese

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large eggs (I only used 2 and had plenty left)
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flat chopped leaf parsley (I forgot to get some, so I used dried)

Directions:

Pound your chicken breasts till they are about ¼ inch thick. Put some flour in a shallow platter, season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, beat the eggs with 3 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash. heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.

Dredge both sides of chicken in flour mixture, and then dip them in the egg wash. Let it coat completely. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Until golden, turning once. Remove cutelts to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Until fragrant. Add the wine, broth, and lemon juice, and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce the sauce slightly. Roll the butter in some flour and add to the skillet, this will thicken the sauce. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the flour. Reduce the heat to medium-low and returnt he chicken to the pan; place the lemon slices on top of the cutlets. Simmer gently for 2 minutes to heat the chicken through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Buttery Garlic Potatoes

6 small red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a 2-qt. microwave-safe dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, seasoned salt, paprika, parsley and garlic; pour over potatoes and toss to coat.

Microwave, uncovered, on high for 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring frequently.

Source: Taste of Home

Garlic Green Beans

1 pound fresh, washed, trimmed green beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 - 3/4 cup finely chopped vidalia onion
2 garlic cloves, minced (I tend to use a bit more garlic when I cook! We can never have too much garlic!!!)
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Steam green beans to desired tenderness (approximately 10-12 minutes). While beans are steaming, add oil and butter to a skillet on medium-high. When butter melts, add garlic and onion and saute until onion becomes tender. Add cooked beans to the skillet and stir to coat. Season with sea salt and pepper.

Beijing Beef

2009-08-07T05:28:00.001-07:00

This might honestly be my new favorite "at home" Chinese food recipe!!! (Thank you, Sarah!!!!!!!!!!) I've tried and tried over the years, to make something that tasted even remotely close to what I have when I eat out and this was pretty darn close. I did make a couple of minor changes and will reflect them below--I definitely trust my sister's judgment and thanks to her suggestions, it turned out perfectly! My husband not only had seconds, but made a point to mention that he thought it was the best "Chinese-style" dish I had ever made.

Beijing Beef

1 1/2 lbs flank steak (sliced thinly, against the grain)
6 tablespoons cornstarch (for dusting)
oil (for frying)

Marinade:
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sauce:
10 tablespoons water
10 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crush chili pepper (I substituted a little chili powder and red pepper flakes, b/c I didn't have chili pepper)
5 teaspoons cornstarch

Vegetables:
2 tablespoons garlic (minced)
1 medium red bell pepper (cut into chunks)
1 medium green bell pepper (cut into chunks)
1 medium vidalia onion (cut into chunks)

Directions:

In a bowl or resealable bag combine all marinade ingredients and mix well. Add beef slices and marinate for 15 minutes. While beef in marinating, mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate. When the beef is done marinating coat the beef slices with 6 tablespoons of cornstarch. Remove any excess cornstarch and deep fry (either in a deep fryer or wok) beef slices in batches until floating or golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Add a couple tablespoons of oil to the wok and add minced garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds. Add red and green bell peppers and onions and stir fry for 2 minutes. Remove vegetables and set aside. Pour sauce into the wok and heat until boiling. Return veggies and beef to pan and mix with sauce mixture until well-coated.

Source: Delectable Dining

Quick Pork Fajitas

2009-08-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

I am so behind on posting!!! I made the pork tenderloin and these pork fajitas a few weeks ago and am just getting around to posting. I'm going to start by saying that while this was a great way to use up the leftover pork tenderloin, I still am somewhat partial to steak or chicken fajitas. My husband and I generally don't care to reheat meat, so I was trying to think of a clever way to utilize the leftover pork. I always tend to use Allrecipes.com as my "fallback" and came across this recipe. It was definitely "good" and if you happen to be a huge fan of pork, you'd probably really like these, but I think I definitely gravitate more toward steak or chicken...perhaps more out of habit?!?

Quick Pork Fajitas

1 - 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
3-4 tablespoons fajita seasoning
1 onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper OR red bell pepper, sliced
6 flour tortillas, warmed

Directions:

In shallow bowl, toss pork pieces with fajita seasoning. In large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, stir-fry pork pieces with onion and green pepper until vegetables are just tender (about 5 to 10 minutes). Wrap portions in flour tortillas with salsa.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

2009-08-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

If you want to see how this pork should really look, make sure to check out Donna's (My Tasty Treasure's) blog...her pictures were WAY better!!! We had some minor issues as far as the cooking time goes and had to cut into it several different times. I had to laugh, because I bought a pork tenderloin, having absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it and then I came across this recipe on Allrecipes.com. To my surprise, Donna posted the very same recipe the next day! She is an absolutely amazing cook, so the fact that she recommended it, let me know that it was definitely worth trying. It was wonderful, although I think I ended up using a 3 1/2 pound pork loin instead of (2) 3/4 lb pork tenderloins, so I should have researched the cooking time a little more thoroughly as I grossly underestimated the amount of time it would need. Tomorrow, I'll be posting a recipe that we tried to utilize the leftovers!!!

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons sherry
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch garlic powder
2 (3/4 pound) pork tenderloins

Directions:

Place soy sauce, brown sugar, sherry, dried onion, cinnamon, olive oil, and a touch of garlic powder in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal, and shake to mix. Place pork in bag with marinade, seal, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.

Preheat grill for high heat. Lightly oil grate. Place tenderloins on grill, and discard marinade. Cook 20 minutes, or to desired doneness. Slice into medallions, and serve.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Best Ever Zucchini Bread

2009-07-31T08:33:00.000-07:00

I noticed this recipe on Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi a little while back and immediately knew that I was going to try it! Coincidentally, my sister was planning to make zucchini bread the very same day, so she was going to make my Grandma's recipe and I figured I'd try out Heidi's recipe and then we'd determine which we preferred. Needless to say, with our crazy schedules, we never got to sample one another's, but I will say that I absolutely love my Grandma's and Heidi's was every bit as good! My husband had never tried zucchini bread, but he literally ate it for about a week straight...he took a slice to work for breakfast EVERY day! I would definitely make this recipe again and actually plan to, as soon as I get back home! I already have my zucchini ready and waiting :)

The Best Zucchini Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 capful black walnut extract (or 1 cup walnuts), optional
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP butter

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, walnut extract and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. Sprinkle each loaf with 1 TBSP of sugar evenly over the top. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Source: Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

Frosty Mocha

2009-07-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to head out of town for a visit with my parents, sister and nephew, but I thought I'd post this before leaving! I'm very much addicted to coffee, but when it's 90+ degrees out, it's sometimes hard to get psyched to drink a hot beverage. This drink is perfect...and certainly a lot cheaper than going to Starbucks or even McDonald's, for that matter!!! The only suggestion I would make is to serve it with whipped cream on top...that would make for a much prettier presentation :)

Frosty Mocha

1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup chocolate-flavored syrup
2 tablespoons instant malted milk powder, if desired
2 tablespoons instant coffee (dry)
3 1/2 cups small ice cubes

Directions:

In a blender container, place all ingredients except ice; blend until well mixed. Add ice cubes a few at a time, blending well after each addition until smooth.

Source: Pillsbury Potlucks & Reunions

Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Breasts

2009-07-24T14:04:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to eat more chicken and I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting recipes to switch things up a bit! This recipe happens to come from one of the cookbooks that I had listed on my giveaway: Pillsbury Best Ever Chicken. It was absolutely delicious! My kids both really seemed to enjoy it--the chicken had the slightest hint of "sweetness", but in no way was it "too sweet". I really enjoy using balsamic vinegar and I think that balanced out the sweetness of the brown sugar. This recipe was perfect "as is"...the only thing I would want to make you aware of is that we found that the chicken took significantly longer to cook. Perhaps that could be an issue with our grill, but anytime we've ever made the split chicken breasts, we've had them on the grill for 45-50 minutes...if not closer to an hour! (The recipe made it seem as if they'd be done in 20-22 minutes, but there was NO WAY!) I'm fairly certain that our chicken took about 55 minutes to an hour and it still was incredibly moist! This would be a great recipe to use for company!

Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Glaze

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

Chicken

4 bone-in skin-on chicken breasts (8 oz each)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix glaze ingredients; set aside. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill, skin side down, over medium heat. Cook 10 minutes. Turn chicken; brush half of the glaze evenly over chicken. Continue cooking and brushing with remaining glaze 10-12 minutes longer or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to the bone.

Source: Pillsbury Best Ever Chicken

And the winners are...

2009-07-23T08:38:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway and more importantly, thank you to all of you who follow my blog! I selected three numbers just now, completely at random and the winning numbers are:

Here are your random numbers:
2
Timestamp: 2009-07-23 15:12:04 UTC

Here are your random numbers:
62
Timestamp: 2009-07-23 15:13:31 UTC

Here are your random numbers:
26
Timestamp: 2009-07-23 15:14:04 UTC

Congratulations to Sarah, Krista and Julie! Please send me your mailing address to: rach1341@sbcglobal.net and I will mail these magazines out to you right away!

Oh, wait...you may be wondering which magazine you won?!? Well, my four year old was more than eager to help me select your names from a hat, to determine which magazine would go to which person.

Sarah--Taste of Home Summer Slow Cooker Meals
Krista--Taste of Home Bake Sale
Julie--Pillsbury Best Ever Chicken

I hope you all enjoy these magazines as much as I have! I've already made several recipes from the copies I bought for myself and will start posting them soon!

My 100th Post!!! A few dedications and a GIVEAWAY!

2009-07-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

I seriously cannot believe that I am already at my 100th post!!! Six months ago, I was talking to my sister on the phone, commenting on her food blog, when she suggested that I start my own. My initial reaction was to think "oh, okay, Sarah...I'll get right on that!", because I honestly have always been a little intimidated by her talent and while I've always enjoyed cooking, I didn't necessarily think anyone would be particularly interested in what I made. To my surprise, I have had so much fun trying new recipes and sharing old family recipes and am so unbelievably grateful to the 70+ people who think enough of my blog to follow it...and to all of you who take the time to post such sweet comments! I've really enjoyed "meeting" people from all over the world and have truly enjoyed all of your blogs!

I want to extend a special "thank you" to my sister, Sarah, for getting this "hobby" of mine started. You have expanded my knowledge so much and really opened my eyes to trying new ingredients/techniques!

(My sister, Sarah and I...I was exceptionally tan--she's not that pale!)

I'd next like to thank my Mom and Dad for always inspiring me and making me feel as if the sky is the limit! Anytime I get discouraged, they are the two people I can count on to give me that little "boost". My parents both instilled such wonderful values in my sisters and I and it's because of them, that I have such a strong foundation for cooking. Both of my parents are excellent cooks! I'm especially touched that my Dad religiously follows my blog...how cute is that?!?

Now for my husband, Marcus...to say he has come a long way is the understatement of the century! When we first started dating, his diet consisted of smoked sausage, steak fries and frozen corn---NO JOKE!!! Granted, we were in college at the time, but seriously, that's all he ever seemed to eat!!! Over the years, he's progressively gotten so much better and he's been such a good sport about trying all of these new recipes. Had you asked me 8 years ago if I thought he would have eaten even 10% of what I've made recently, I would have told you that there was absolutely no way!!! He, too, follows my blog and is always good about giving me input regarding things he likes/dislikes or ways in which he thinks the recipe could be improved. I love you, baby, and thank you for being so open-minded :)

Last, but certainly not least, I have to make mention of my two most faithful "taste-testers"...my children, Jake and Maddie. They are my absolute pride and joy and they, too, have been so wonderful about trying new things and trust me when I tell you...I get VERY honest opinions from them :)

(Jacob, 4 yrs)

(Madeline, 16 months)

Now, onto my GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I could literally spend a good hour every time I'm at the grocery store, glancing through the cooking magazines. While on my last shopping trip, I selected three magazines that I just had to have and bought duplicates to give to THREE lucky winners, who will be chosen through a random integer generator.

The cooking magazines are as follows:

1) Taste of Home Summer Slow Cooker Meals (includes 160 "clip and keep" recipe cards!)
2) Taste of Home Bake Sale (166 crowd pleasing treats...all on recipe cards with photos!)
3) Pillsbury Best Ever Chicken (includes budget friendly dinners!)

To enter, please leave me a comment letting me know which of my recipes you'd most like to try or which recipe you have already tried! (Feel free to give me your honest feedback if you're commenting on a recipe you've tried, as I'm always looking for ways to improve!!!)

For additional entries, you can do the following: (One additional entry can be earned for EACH of the following!)
1) Sign up to follow my blog or leave me a separate comment letting me know that you're already a follower.
2) Make mention of my giveaway on your blog and then post a comment with the link.
3) Make mention of my giveaway on Facebook and leave me a comment letting me know that you did!
4) Share one of your favorite recipes with me--you can either post it under my comment section or send me the link to your blog.

GIVEAWAY ENDS AT 11:59PM EST ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 22ND! ANY ENTRIES POSTED AFTER THAT TIME WILL NOT QUALIFY. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU INCLUDE THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO CONTACT YOU, IF YOU DO NOT HAVE AN EMAIL LINKED TO YOUR BLOG!

***This giveaway is open to everyone...family and friends included! The winners will be selected completely at random!***

Beef Cheese Ball

2009-07-10T06:44:00.001-07:00

Well, what do you know...another appetizer recipe ;) My Mom has been making this for as long as I can remember and it's one of those recipes that people tend to request. It's really pretty easy to make and since it has to sit overnight in the fridge, it's completely ready to go the next day! I would suggest serving it either on a buttery cracker (like TownHouse or Ritz) or Triscuits.

Just so everyone knows...I'm gearing up for my 100th post giveaway! Things have been SO hectic around here, but I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do. I'm hoping to have it posted no later than Monday!!!

Beef Cheese Ball

12 oz cream cheese, softened
1 package Buddig Beef
3-4 green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Cut beef and onions into very small pieces. Add beef, onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice and garlic powder to softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Shape into ball and chill for several hours or overnight. (Serve with an assortment of crackers).

Source: Adele Fine

Deviled Eggs

2009-07-07T08:40:00.000-07:00

I told you...I LOVE appetizers!!! I never used to care much for deviled eggs, but lately, they've really started to grow on me. This isn't a particularly "fancy" recipe...just one in which you should have most of the ingredients on hand! If you're looking for a traditional deviled egg recipe, this one is a keeper :)

Deviled Eggs

12 hard boiled eggs
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoon prepared mustard
Paprika

Directions:

Slice eggs in half lengthwise and remove yolks; set egg whites aside. Mash egg yolks well with a fork and add the mayonnaise, salt, sugar, vinegar, and mustard; mix well. Fill egg whites with mixture (you can either use a spoon or a pastry bag, if you want them to look more fancy. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until serving. (Can be made a day ahead of time!)

"77" Meatballs

2009-07-06T05:33:00.001-07:00

I must start this post by giving credit to my sister, Sarah, for the presentation of these meatballs...I was struggling a bit with getting them to photograph well and she came to my rescue :) I have previously posted a meatball recipe and within that post, I'm fairly certain I made reference to these meatballs. Yet again, this recipe comes from one of my bridal shower cookbooks (put together with recipes from my family and friends). This recipe is from one of my Mom's friends, who she has known since college. I made these a couple of years ago as an appetizer for my son's birthday party and they were a huge hit! I kept asking my sister what I could bring on the 4th and since she refused to tell me, I decided that I was going to make these to snack on before dinner. (My family LOVES appetizers...we tend to make way too many and fill up on them before we even eat dinner!) These meatballs are equally as good reheated...I've even served them leftover as a "meal" with mashed potatoes. The nicest part is that you can make them ahead of time and then just bake them right before serving--I'd think you could even bake them the day before and heat them up in the crockpot, if you wanted.

"77" Meatballs

2 pounds ground lean sirloin or turkey (I just used ground chuck)
1 cup cornflakes
1/3 cup fresh, chopped parsley
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons minced onions
2 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

SAUCE:
1 can jellied cranberry sauce
(1) 12 ounce bottle chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all meatball ingredients and roll into balls (about 3/4 inch diameter). Place in rows in a 9x13 inch pan. Combine all sauce ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Pour sauce over meatballs and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Source: Tricia Smith

Happy Birthday to Sarah...and a Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake!

2009-07-05T04:41:00.000-07:00

We have always celebrated my sister's birthday on the 4th of July, for as long as I can remember!!! She was born on the 3rd, but my family always tends to gather on the 4th, giving us two reasons to celebrate :) My sister prepared a beautiful dinner (as usual) and I "attempted" to make her cake. I was trying to think of a little something different, so I decided to be daring and try a cheesecake...this time with a springform pan! This recipe comes from Taste of Home's Award Winning Recipes Cookbook, so I was assuming that meant it was going to be good ;) I definitely think it tasted better than it looked, although it was VERY rich! If you're a chocolate lover, this would be the perfect cake for you, but as I've mentioned a million times, I'm not a huge "dessert person". Everyone said they enjoyed it and I would certainly make it again. I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday and that you enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Chocolate Truffle Cheesecake

1-1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (about 27 wafers)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:
1-1/2 cups (9 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream and miniature chocolate kisses, optional

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325°.

For filling, melt chocolate chips in a small heavy saucepan or microwave; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat; add cream and mix well. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture just until blended. Pour over crust. Return pan to baking sheet.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. For topping, melt chocolate chips in a heavy saucepan or microwave, stir until smooth. Stir in cream and vanilla; mix well. Spread over filling. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove sides of pan. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and miniature chocolate kisses if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

(Sarah, her husband and their little Hannah, right before cake time!)

Source: Taste of Home Award Winning Recipes

Oven Ribs

2009-07-03T04:51:00.000-07:00

I really wish I had this smell permeating through my home everyday!!! It's almost as good as brownies baking :) Kroger had pork spareribs on sale for $.97/lb and there was no way I could pass up such a deal! I've always made them the same way (aside from a time or two when I got daring and tried a new recipe)...I put them on a rack with a little water, cook them for several hours on a 275 degree oven (covered) and then remove the cover for the last 30 minutes and add BBQ sauce. NEVER AGAIN!!!! I loved boiling them first--they were so tender before I even put them in the oven! I look forward to trying this sauce again, maybe even on baby back ribs :)

Oven Ribs
8 pounds pork spareribs
2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce (of course I used Sweet Baby Rays!)
1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons steak sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced (I'm pretty sure I added a *bit* more!)

Directions:

Place the ribs in a large stock pot with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook over medium-high heat for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In medium saucepan, combine ketchup, barbeque sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, steak sauce and garlic; blend well. Cook the sauce over medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.

Cut the ribs between the bones and place in a baking pan. Pour sauce over ribs, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.

***I'd also like to wish my sister, Sarah, (Delectable Dining) a very Happy Birthday!!!!!***

Adapted from Allrecipes

Pan Fried Asparagus

2009-06-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's ANOTHER asparagus recipe! I can't help it...I could eat asparagus with every meal and am always on the lookout for different ways to prepare it. Never before have I pan fried it, but was it ever delicious! I'm pretty excited, too, because my parents had given us a Foodsaver, which we just got around to using for the first time, the other night. I intend to stock up on asparagus over the summer and freeze it, so I have it readily available year round :) By the way...if you don't have a Foodsaver, it's truly wonderful!!!

Pan Fried Asparagus

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 pound fresh asparagus spears, trimmed (I didn't trim mine as nicely as I should have!)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook garlic in butter for a minute, but do not brown. Add asparagus and cook for about 10 minutes, turning to ensure even cooking.

Source: Erin N.

Triple Layer Banana Cake and an Award!

2009-06-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

"Biting off more than I can chew" is something I tend to do rather frequently! As I was multitasking yesterday, my husband happened to notice one of my cookbooks open on the desk in the kitchen. I had some pretty ripe bananas and had found a recipe to utilize them...I wanted something a little different than traditional banana bread or muffins. Realizing that I was a little overwhelmed, he set out to make this cake--I always get a kick out of watching him make things, because he's so "methodical" and does not deviate the slightest bit from the recipe :) (Not to mention the fact that he always seems to use ten times more pans/dishes than I do!) I'm fairly certain this was the first layer cake he's ever made and he did a great job! The cake was baked perfectly...it was so moist and the frosting was a nice change! I honestly don't know that I have ever had peanut butter frosting, but it was very good! I'm actually planning to have a slice here shortly, with my cup of coffee...hopefully I can accomplish that before the kiddos wake up!

Triple Layer Banana Cake

3/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

FROSTING:
6 tablespoons peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
5-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
8 to 10 tablespoons milk
Peanut halves, optional

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk.

Pour into three greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar and enough milk to achieve spreading consistency. Frost between layers and over top and sides of cake. Garnish with peanuts if desired.
(Here's a picture of him diligently working and another of his finished cake!)

Source: Taste of Home

And now...onto the award! Kathy from Three on Food put a smile on my face this morning when I saw that she had passed along this award to me! I would highly encourage you to check out their blog, as they post fantastic recipes...the latest is a pizza casserole that would be very kid friendly!

There are rules to this award, so here they are:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

Seven things about myself that you may (or may not) find interesting!

1) I make lists for EVERYTHING and find it extremely therapeutic to cross things off!
2) I am a nurse and have no problem giving shots, but am TERRIFIED of receiving them! Don't get me wrong...I don't like to inflict pain on people, but the needle itself doesn't bother me if it's not going into me, personally!
3) I worked as a server at BW3's when I was in nursing school.
4) I'm a "retired" BeautiControl consultant and a "semi-retired" Pampered Chef consultant. Along with that, I own probably every product ever made by Pampered Chef!
5) I love boardgames...Scattergories and Loaded Questions are probably two of my favorites!
6) I'm one of three sisters and we each had a boy first!
7) I love romance and all things "romantic"...movies, gestures, etc!

I would now like to pass this award onto the following bloggers:

1) Latest Addictions
2) girlichef
3) This Stop Willoughby
4) Krista's Kitchen
5) Lynda's Recipe Box
6) "A Thrifty Home"
7) Keeper Worthy Recipes

Marinated Pork Chops

2009-06-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

The stomach "bug" has been going around my house and I haven't had much energy to cook. I decided to go ahead and marinate these pork chops yesterday morning and then figured I'd wait and see if anyone felt up to eating dinner--worst case scenario, I figured we could always have them tonight. Dinnertime arrived and I figured I probably should try to eat something, so I had my husband go ahead and grill these chops. My stomach was still a little queasy, but they still tasted so good and smelled wonderful while they were grilling! I don't buy pork chops often, probably because I wasn't overly fond of them growing up--I love my Mom to death, but she likes her meat VERY well done and there's nothing quite like dried out pork chops! The original recipe called for 1 inch thick chops, but I used the assorted pork chops that were on sale for $.97/lb...hard to beat that! The listed grilling time is for 20-25 minutes, which was what the original recipe called for, but if you're using thinner chops, as we did, you will likely need to decrease the cooking time.

Marinated Pork Chops

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
6 pork chops

Directions:

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container; add pork and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover container; refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium coals, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

Source: Allrecipes

"Packets"

2009-06-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

I'm fairly certain this isn't the proper name for this recipe, but it's what we've always referred to it as! The first time I ever had these "packets" was back when my sister, Sarah and I were in girl scouts...probably about 20 yrs ago! We were having a camping event of some sort, in order to earn one of those girl scout badges and they had each girl scout make their own individual dinner over a campfire. My sister and I each made our own, but somehow, one of ours magically disappeared and since we were both extremely reserved back then, we politely shared the one packet that we were given. (I'm not going to lie...it really pisses me off to this day!) Anyway, on with my story! We greatly enjoyed the tiny morsels we were given, so we attempted to recreate the recipe for my Mom, who in turn, absolutely loved it! The flavors of the beef, carrots, onions and potatoes, all cooked in the same individual packet are wonderful and again, this is something that reheats well! I have made a few changes over the years, because I'm fairly certain they didn't season the "packets" before grilling them or do anything with the meat, other than shape it into a small patty, but I definitely think they need salt in some form!

"Packets"

2 lbs ground beef
1 egg, beaten
Kosher salt
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large onion (we prefer vidalia!)
3-4 potatoes, cut into chunks (peeling optional!)
Garlic Salt

Directions:

Break apart ground beef in a medium-sized bowl and add egg, Kosher salt, pepper and onion powder; mix well. Form into 6 patties.

Tear off (6) 12x12 inch pieces of aluminum foil. Place one patty on center of each piece of foil and surround with carrots, onions and potatoes (equal amounts around each patty). Sprinkle garlic salt over the veggies and pull foil up tightly around ingredients to form a "packet". Place all of your packets on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

NOTE: You can also grill these packets, although I haven't done that in forever and can't recall the exact cooking time!

Mom's Meatloaf

2009-06-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I know everyone tends to think that their own mom's or family's recipe for meatloaf is the best, but I honestly feel as if my mom's is hands down, the best I have EVER tried! My husband is the world's pickiest eater and never ate his own mom's meatloaf growing up, but he LOVES my mom's :) This was another recipe enclosed in my bridal shower cookbook, containing favorite recipes of my family and friends and I think it's probably the one thing I have made more than anything else since I have lived on my own. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes are my all-time favorite comfort food! I love the addition of applesauce...I think it gives the meatloaf a wonderful consistency and I am also a big fan of the green pepper! This reheats so well and my Mom has tried to convince me time and time again that it would make wonderful meatloaf sandwiches. I know I really need to give them a try--I don't know why cold meatloaf doesn't appeal to me?!?

Mom's Meatloaf

3 pounds ground chuck
3 large eggs
2 medium to large onions
1 small or 1/2 of a large green pepper
25 saltines, finely crushed
3/4 cup milk
BBQ Sauce (I only use Sweet Baby Ray's!)
1 cup applesauce (optional)
Garlic salt
Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Break apart ground chuck in a large mixing bowl. Place eggs into a food processor and add onions and green pepper (both quartered). Process eggs, onions and green pepper until finely chopped. Add egg mixture to meat, along with crushed saltines, milk, BBQ sauce to taste, applesauce (if desired) and seasonings. Mix well and place meat mixture in a 9x13 pan. Form into oblong loaf. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-75 minutes.

Note: The meatloaf can be baked adding nothing or you can choose one of the following options: 1) Brush top with BBQ sauce and also placed sliced onions on top or 2) Mix one can of tomato or cream of mushroom soup with 1/3 can of water and pour over meatloaf before baking. I, personally, just add some BBQ sauce to the top!

Source: Adele Fine

Ultimate Cheesecake

2009-06-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

I must say...Donna (My Tasty Treasures) has one of my favorite blogs! Not only are her recipes fabulous, but she is very much her own person and provides my daily entertainment! She's so "real" and while she may rub some people the wrong way, I very much respect her individuality :) I've never been disappointed by a recipe that Donna has posted, so I knew this cheesecake had to be wonderful. Besides, everyone seems to be raving about Tyler Florence! Normally I'm not a huge fan of lemon, but the lemon in the filling mixture was a great addition! I searched high and low for my springform pan that I was sure I had purchased, but was unable to find it. I ended up making the cheesecake in a round cake pan, so my picture is not near as pretty as Donna's! I also am wondering if I didn't need to bake the cheesecake just a tad bit longer, because it didn't seem to firm up as much as it should have. This is definitely a recipe I will make again and I look forward to trying different toppings! I used fresh strawberries (mixed with sugar), but I bet it would be great with cherries, too! (Again, please excuse the picture, as it was taken pretty late at night and the lighting in my house is just awful!)

Ultimate Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups finely ground graham crackers,
about 30 squares
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:
1 pound cream cheese, softened, (2) 8oz blocks
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 pint sour cream
1 lemon, zested (I only "zested" half of the lemon)
Dash of vanilla

Directions:

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 325. In a mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8 inch springform pan with non stick cooking spray. Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crumbs down into the base , and 1 inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 -10 minutes.

For the filling:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat until creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add sour cream lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not over beaten. Pour the filling into the crust lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Set the cheesecake on a large piece of aluminum foil, and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan and pour boiling water into the pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. This foil will keep water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45–50 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle. It will firm up after chilling. Be careful not to overcook. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the fridge for 4 hours at least. Loosen the sides of the cheesecake by running a knife around the inside rim. Unmold and transfer to plate. Spread on your choice of topping or eat plain.

Source: My Tasty Treasures

Kentucky Grilled Chicken

2009-06-23T10:31:00.001-07:00

I saw this posted on Heidi's blog (Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi) and love that she always has a way of posting recipes for ingredients that just so happen to be on sale :) My one regret with making this recipe was that I didn't allow it to marinate longer--it was only in the refrigerator for about 3-3 1/2 hours, but I would like to try it again soon and leave it overnight. The chicken was unbelievably moist and had wonderful flavor...I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I had remembered to get it going earlier in the day!

I would very much suggest checking out Heidi's blog for any of you who haven't already and I would also highly recommend looking at Krista's blog, as that's where the recipe is originally from. I'm constantly looking at new blogs (especially when other bloggers post links) and was very excited to "meet" Krista. It turns out that she and I have a lot in common...we both grew up in Indiana, both got married in June 2003 and both have two small children--small world! Enjoy this chicken...it's sure to please!

Kentucky Grilled Chicken

1 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
5 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp hot sauce
2 tsp salt
6 split chicken breasts (it would probably be great with legs or thighs, too!)

Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients to make marinade. Place 1 cup of marinade into large ziploc bag and add chicken. Swish around to coat chicken and let refrigerate at least 4 hours. Reserve remaining marinade for basting. Spray grill with cooking spray. Cook chicken over indirect heat for 20 minutes. Turn and grill 20-30 more minutes or until juices run clear. Baste occasionally with reserved marinade.

Source: Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi, originally from Krista's Kitchen

Olive Garden Tuscan Garlic Chicken

2009-06-22T09:28:00.001-07:00

I came across this recipe several years ago, when I was up visiting my parents around their anniversary. I had decided to make them dinner and wanted to find something that they would both enjoy. I remember scouring the internet, in search of that "perfect recipe" and knew immediately that this would appeal to both of them. I don't know if any of you are aware, but if you go to Olivegarden.com, they have a link to many recipes on their site. I actually kind of forgot about that, until I was typing out this post! My parents both seemed impressed with the quality of this dish and my Mom has said that it's one of her favorite recipes. My Mom was in town this past week, so I decided to make it for her. Again, everyone said they enjoyed it! My youngest sister has actually ordered the Garlic Tuscan Chicken at Olive Garden (after trying my version) and she said that she honestly preferred this recipe. The original recipe calls for one red pepper, but I think the addition of the yellow pepper is nice in terms of adding a little color, but trust me...I understand how expensive red and yellow peppers can be, so I would think that it would be just as good with green peppers. I also have been itching to try adding mushrooms and/or onions, but I'll have to wait for a day when my husband isn't around :) The recipe I'm posting includes several revisions that I have made over the years, but by all means, feel free to refer to the original recipe and you can tailor the recipe to suit your tastes. I'm sure it will be delicious, most any way you make it!!!

Olive Garden Tuscan Garlic Chicken

(6) 6-8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to 1/2 inch thickness)
1 1/4 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning
1 lb fettuccine pasta (I've always used penne)
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1 yellow pepper, julienne cut
1 cup white wine
1/2 lb whole leaf spinach, stemmed
24 oz heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF and start boiling water for pasta. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 3 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

Place cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and peppers and cook for approximately 1 minute. Stir in 2 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

Coat cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.

Adapted from recipe posted on Olivegarden.com

Double Lemon Salad

2009-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

This has been a very crazy couple of weeks, so please excuse my lack of postings! I've still been busy in the kitchen, but am a bit behind on posting all of my recipes :) You'll have to excuse this picture, because it was next to impossible to photograph--I can't tell you how many times I tried and each time, it just looked like a big glob of some sort of yellow substance! Rest assured, it tastes WAY better than it probably looks and is quite well liked by all who have tried it. This is a great summer jello recipe, as it's very refreshing. I'm not a huge lemon fan, but I do enjoy this recipe and the rest of my family absolutely loves it...both my husband and son and the rest of my extended family! This is super easy to throw together the night before--especially if you need something quick to take to a BBQ or potluck the next day!

Double Lemon Salad

(2) 6 oz packages lemon jello
5 cups boiling water
12 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
12 ounce carton cool whip

Directions:

In large mixing bowl, dissolve jello in water. Stir in lemonade concentrate. Chill several hours or until nearly set. Beat with electric mixer until frothy. Add cool whip and continue mixing until well blended. Pour into serving bowl and cover and chill overnight.

Source: Adele Fine

Spinach Dip

2009-06-17T08:23:00.000-07:00

There's nothing particularly "fancy" about this recipe--I found it on the back of the Knorr Vegetable Soup, Dip, Recipe Mix box and it is now one of my favorite spinach dip recipes! I'm always looking for new appetizer ideas, because it never fails that I need something quick to take to someone's home for whatever gathering it may be and spinach dip is certainly one of those things that always goes over well!

Spinach Dip

1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 container (16 oz) sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise (they suggest using Hellmann's, which I am partial to anyway!)
1 package Knorr vegetable soup, dip & recipe mix (I'm sure you could substitute another brand!)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped (optional)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, soup mix, water chestnuts and green onions until well mixed. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours to blend flavors. Stir well. If desired, spoon into round bread bowl and serve with cut up vegetables or chips.

Variations: (I have not tried either, but thought I'd include them!)

Spinach & Cheese Dip: Add 2 cups (8 oz) shredded Swiss cheese with spinach.

Yogurt Spinach Dip: Substitute 1 container (16 oz) plain lowfat yogurt for sour cream.

NOTE: I keep meaning to thank two fellow bloggers (Project Mommyhood and Jonas Family) for passing along an award to me! I apologize that it's taken me so long to make mention of it on my blog, but I've just been so preoccupied lately with different personal issues...PLEASE know that I sincerely appreciated you both thinking of me!!!

Source: Knorr Vegetable Soup, Dip & Recipe Mix Box

Greek Pasta Salad

2009-06-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

I enjoy eating pasta salad all year round, but especially in the summer! I believe I first tried this at a bridal shower for either myself or my sister, Sarah and everyone loved it! It's since been made for several events and I actually made it for my grandfather's birthday party this past weekend...I thought it would go well with the deli tray that they were having. I actually doubled the recipe, which I would suggest doing for a crowd--it's really good leftover!

Greek Pasta Salad

3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 pound box pasta (cooked and drained)

3 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 (4 oz) can whole black olives, sliced
12 ounces sliced pepperoni, cut into strips

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, basil, oregano, black pepper and sugar. Add cooked pasta, mushrooms, tomatoes, red peppers, broccoli feta cheese, green onions, olives and pepperoni. Toss until evenly coated. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight.

Source: Adele Fine

Amaretto Stone Sour

2009-06-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been a little overwhelmed lately, so I figured a nice "cocktail" at the end of the evening (after putting all of the kids to bed, my nephew included) sounded quite good! We're watching my nephew this week, which will be interesting, to say the least! He's an absolute doll, but when you get he and my son together (they're 5 months apart), there tends to be quite a bit of bickering. I knew it would be pretty irresponsible on my part to have a nice, strong drink (as I needed), so I chose to have an Amaretto Stone Sour--just enough to take the edge off :) This is a great drink for those of you out there who don't care for beer (like myself) or who don't care for a real strong liquor taste (as something with tequila may have). While my husband probably won't admit this to many people, it's one of his favorite drinks! Oops...did I say that out loud?!? It's probably not the most "manly" drink, but it's so good and easy to make! (Please excuse the picture...it was taken pretty late last night!)

Amaretto Stone Sour

2 ounces Amaretto
2 ounces Sweet and Sour Mix
2 ounces Orange Juice

Directions:

Fill glass with ice and add all ingredients--you can add more of each, if you want a taller glass...just make sure to do equal proportions! Stir well and garnish as desired.

Snickerdoodles

2009-06-14T15:36:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned in a previous post that my grandfather's health has been declining, but thankfully, he seems to be stable at the moment. His 80th birthday is this coming Tuesday, so my family threw him a surprise party last night. He was transferred to a rehabilitation facility on Friday and they allowed him to leave for a few hours--just enough time to allow us to get him out and about for a bit and remind him how much we all adore him! My grandfather is always telling stories about his childhood and has made mention on several occasions of certain things his Mom used to make when he was a young boy. He always raves about the peanut butter cookies I make (he says they taste just like the ones his Mom made) and has made mention of how his Mom used to make some type of butter cookie that he just loved, so I decided that I wanted to make him both the peanut butter cookies and these snickerdoodles. I found the recipe on Allrecipes--it was the top rated version and had over 2000 very positive reviews. Per several of the reviewers suggestions, I used butter-flavored Crisco and let me tell you...the cookies just melt in your mouth!

Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Note: I ended up having to use an extra tablespoon of both the sugar and cinnamon to roll the cookies in!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.

Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Source: Allrecipes

Asparagus Carbonara

2009-06-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up a copy of EVERYDAY with Rachael Ray and immediately marked this recipe! I love pasta, bacon and asparagus, so I figured I couldn't go wrong--I was just praying that this recipe wasn't as much work as the last Rachael Ray recipe I tried! There was a bit of prep work involved, but not too much, by any means. My husband and I both really enjoyed this dish...it was unlike anything I have ever made, but a dish I will certainly make again! There was one major "issue" I had with the recipe--perhaps I'm just paranoid, but I'm not a fan of eating raw eggs. The original recipe stated to mix the pasta and asparagus into the egg/cheese mixture and then add the bacon at the end. I decided (after conferring with my sister) that I would add the pasta mixture (already mixed with the egg/cheese) to the skillet and simmer it for about five minutes to cook the egg. It was delicious!!!!

Asparagus Carbonara

2 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces bacon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
Salt and Pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and cheese. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, adding the asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the hot pasta and asparagus to the egg mixture; toss to coat.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp; stir in the garlic. Add the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 1 minute. Add the pasta mixture to the skillet and simmer for approximately 5 minutes, adding the reserved pasta water to moisten. Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Adapted from EVERYDAY with Rachael Ray (June/July 2009)

Another award...thank you, Heidi!!!

2009-06-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Heidi from Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi passed along an award to me and I can't begin to tell you how much it meant! This has been one of those weeks in which anything and everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong, so I very much appreciated the little "pick me up". I just found out this evening that my grandfather's health is declining, which is extremely difficult for me to come to terms with. Being a nurse, I'm forced to deal with patients passing away, but it's a whole different story when it affects you personally. It certainly puts everything into perspective and makes you realize just how precious life is and that every day truly is a gift.

On a happier note, I now have the privilege of passing this award onto seven other bloggers...several are blogs I have only recently started following, but greatly enjoy!

1) Elyse at Elyse's Confectionery Creations
2) Denise at Keeper Worthy Recipes
3) Teresa at A Blog About Food
4) Chrissy at A Lil' Dash of Diva
5) Jen at A Thrifty Home
6) Lara at Recipe Shoebox
7) Risa at Baked Perfection

Make sure you check out all of these blogs...they're all wonderful! I'm now off to bed... :)