Thursday, December 17, 2009

Fettuccine with Bacon, Peas, and Parmesan



Serves 4

1 (9-ounce) package fresh fettuccine pasta
2 slices smoked center-cut bacon (I made six, because, now really!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta, reserving 3/4 cup cooking liquid.

2. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings in the pan; crumble. Add 1/2 cup chopped onion, bottled minced garlic, and chopped fresh thyme to drippings in pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in green peas; sauté 1 minute. Add green onions to pan; sauté 1 1/2 minutes. Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid, and half-and-half to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Remove from heat. Add butter, salt, and pepper to pan; toss until butter melts. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Served with garlic cheese toast

Results: You know it's good when you are tempted to lick your plate. This was delicious. Steven wouldn't try it (SURPRISE!) but the rest of us had no problems eating this. It was very filling! When I added the pasta, pasta water and half-and-half, I let the mixture simmer for about five minutes. It was very watery, but simmering seemed to thicken it up. YUM!

Updated 3/15/10: I made this recipe a second time and Steven loved it. Amazing what happens when a certain someone actually tries dinner!

Hash Brown Casserole with Bacon, Onions & Cheese



Serves 6

6 bacon slices
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheese, divided
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium, 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Cooking spray

1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Discard drippings in pan. Add 1 cup onion and garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake casserole, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges and cheese begins to brown.

Served with scrambled eggs

Results: Don't miss that part in step 2 that says "refrigerate for eight hours"! I did miss it, on a night when I thought I was so on top of dinner. Needless to say, we ordered Chinese that night and had this the next night. This was a very good dish, and hard to believe it is a Cooking Light recipe. Steven wouldn't even try it, but Henry said "I love it! I could eat this every night forever!"

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sweet & Tangy Chuck Roast



Serves 6

Recipe coming soon...

Honey Ribs



Serves 4 very hungry rib lovers

1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
3 tablespoons honey mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey barbeque sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 pounds baby back pork ribs

In slow cooker, mix together all ingredients, except ribs. Slice ribs apart, leaving an even amount of meat on each side of the bone. Place ribs in slow cooker. If the ribs are not covered with the broth mixture, add more water or beef broth. Cover, and cook on High for 5 hours, or until the meat falls easily from the bones.

Served with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Results: You-know-who wouldn't touch them, of course, but Henry ate more ribs than I did! We didn't have a single rib leftover. Super easy and tasty meal that I would make again. This recipe came from 365 Days of Slow Cooking.

Yeah, Yeah...

I've been on a bit of a cooking break lately, what with Thanksgiving, my husband being out of town and that convenient Chinese food delivery just around the corner. However, I have planned a whole week of new menus, so don't lose hope!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Baked Cavatelli



Serves 6

7 ounces dried cavatelli or wagon wheel pasta
12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage links, casings removed and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 24-ounce jar pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; set aside.

2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is brown; remove from skillet and drain.

3. In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce, 3/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, and the pepper. Add the cooked pasta and the sausage mixture. Stir gently to combine. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart casserole.

4. Bake, covered, in a 375° oven for 25-30 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Bake about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Served with salad

Results: We are overflowing with leftovers in our house, so I divided this into two 9x9 pans and put one in the freezer. Half of this dinner was the perfect amount for a family of four (with two being small children.) We had no leftovers.

This is very easy and quick to put together. It was also very tasty. Henry ate THREE bowls of this. He loved it. Steven, surprisingly, ate the sausage, but didn't want the pasta. That counts! Yay!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Roasted Garlic and Butternut Squash Cassoulet



Serves 8

1 whole garlic head
4 ounces pancetta, chopped
2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
4 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bay leaf
2 (1-ounce) slices white bread
2 tablespoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap garlic head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Set half of garlic pulp aside; reserve remaining garlic pulp for another use. Discard skins.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; sauté 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove pancetta from pan, reserving drippings in pan. Add onion and 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in pan; sauté 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 25 minutes or until onion is very tender and browned, stirring frequently. Stir in vinegar.

4. Preheat oven to 375°.

5. Add garlic pulp, pancetta, squash, and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf) to onion mixture, stirring well. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; sprinkle evenly over squash mixture. Cover and bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until squash is tender. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until topping is browned. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle with parsley.

Served with sugar snap peas

Results: This may look like a difficult recipe, but it was actually very simple. You just have to pay attention to the cooking times, which are long, but all the cooking takes place in one pot, which is a plus. Our grocery store does not sell pancetta, so I always substitute bacon in recipes that use it. I don't know what I was thinking when I bought groceries, because I ended up buying proscuitto instead of bacon. Bacon would have given it a great crunch. I would also cut down the amount of beans to two cans. Four cans was a bit much.

Both boys asked us to take the butternut squash out, but I don't think either of them ended up touching the meal. This was good, but it was missing something. It almost needed some sort of sauce or cheese (provolone?) to meld the ingredients together. Don't get me wrong, it was very yummy, but it needs some tweaking. This would be a fantastic side dish for a holiday dinner! I'll halve it next time. We have a mountain of leftovers!

Pork Chops with Carolina Rub



Serves 4

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork loin chops
Cooking spray
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

1. Prepare grill.

2. Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork with spice mixture; let stand 10 minutes.

3. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes. Turn pork; grill 2 minutes. Brush each chop with 1 tablespoon sauce, and grill 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.

Served with sweet potato fries and salad

Results: I got a late start on dinner, and Henry was practically falling asleep, so we didn't make them wait for this to be finished. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that neither boy would have tried this one. But, I had to share the recipe, because it was super easy to make and very, very delicious! I will definitely make this one again! Next time, I will probably cut down on the amount of chili powder and black pepper. Chris and I liked the kick, but it may be too spicy for kids. YUM!

Chicken and Root Vegetable Potpie



Serves 8

3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled baking potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled celeriac (celery root)
1 cup (1/2-inch-thick) slices parsnip
1 (10-ounce) package frozen pearl onions
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 ounces), divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1 sheet frozen puff pastry dough, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Bring broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add peas and next 5 ingredients (through onions) to pan; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes. Add chicken; cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and vegetables from broth with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl.

3. Increase heat to medium. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Place all but 1 tablespoon flour in a medium bowl; gradually add milk to bowl, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broth; cook for 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Stir in chicken mixture, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon flour on a work surface; roll dough into a 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Place dough over chicken mixture, pressing to seal at edges of dish. Cut small slits into dough to allow steam to escape; coat dough lightly with cooking spray. Place dish on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 16 minutes or until pastry is browned and filling is bubbly.

Results: Do you have three hours to stand in the kitchen and chop vegetables? If so, then THIS IS THE MEAL FOR YOU! This dish was good, but it would have tasted a lot better had it not taken sooooo loooooong. I kid you not...I was standing in the kitchen for THREE HOURS! And the boys wouldn't even touch it! The only thing that makes me feel better about this meal is that I doubled the recipe so I now have one waiting in the freezer for an easy meal another night. I won't repeat this, but only because it took way too long.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Zuppa Toscano



I saw this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs 365 Days of Slow Cooking yesterday and had to make it last night. Luckily, I had almost all the ingredients in my kitchen, as there has been a huge snowstorm going on in Denver the past two days. I did not have kale, so I used spinach leaves. The recipe below is as I made it, check out the original recipe on Karen's blog.

Serves 6

1 lb ground Italian sausage
2 cans chicken broth (I didn't have enough chicken broth, so I added some beef broth)
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped coarsely
3 large potatoes, cubed
3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 bag spinach leaves
parmesan cheese

1. Crumble sausage and combine in slow cooker with broth, water, onion, potatoes, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, until potatoes are tender and sausage is cooked through.

2. Just before serving, stir in bacon, cream and spinach leaves. Top with parmesan cheese.

Served with garlic bread

Results: Steven didn't touch it, Henry liked it, and I *LOVED* it. This is seriously the best meal I've had from a slow cooker. Loved it!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Pasta with Smashed Peas



Serves 4 (this is a Rachel Ray recipe, and her serving sizes are enormous! I halved this recipe and we still had leftovers! The ingredients listed below are the halved amounts.)

8 ounces pappardelle, tagiatelle, fettuccine, or linguine (I used linguine)
8 ounces frozen peas, thawed
3/4 cup ricotta
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Meanwhile, pulse the peas in a food processor or blender until chopped but not pureed. Add 1/2 cup ricotta, season with the salt and pepper, and pulse to combine. Drain the pasta, RESERVING 1/3 cup of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pot.

2. Add the pea puree and reserved pasta water and toss. Dived the pasta among individual bowls. Top with remaining ricotta, a sprinkle of chives and a drizzle of oil.

Served with spinach salad (mandarin oranges for the boys)

Results: Doesn't sound that great, does it? Yeah, well check this out:



That's right. Steven ate it. Steven loved it. Steven ate almost every bite on his plate! Henry ate it too. Chris and I didn't think it was that great, but it wasn't horrible. I will definitely be making this one again!

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Crepes



Serves 4

1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup vertically sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups thinly sliced baby portobello mushroom caps (about 8 ounces)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup crème fraîche*
2 cups shredded chicken breast (use a rotisserie chicken to speed this meal up!)
8 crepes*

*note: You may be able to find crème fraîche at your grocery store's imported cheese section. If not, you can substitute equal parts sour cream and buttermilk.

You could use packaged crepes, but they are expensive! At my grocery store a package of 10 was $6.99. My crepe recipe is at the bottom of this post. You can make the crepes ahead of time and store (separated by wax paper) in the fridge.

1. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 2 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are tender, stirring frequently. Add wine, and cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently. Add broth and fresh thyme; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add crème fraîche, stiring until well blended. Add chicken, tossing to coat.

2. Spoon about 1/3 cup mushroom mixture into center of each crepe; roll up.

Served with broccoli

Results: to say that Henry loved this meal would be an understatement! He devoured it, said it was "delicious", "really tasty" and "Daddy was going to be impressive when he tried it!" (He's three...cut him some slack for not knowing past tenses.) This meal does take quite a bit of preparation, but it is awesome. You could easily chop and shred everything ahead of time, so you are good to go when it's time to cook everything. I wanted to make it again the next night. Henry ate two crepes. Steven tried a tiny piece of chicken, but only because I promised him an ice-cream filled crepe if he did. Everyone else loved it, and I am looking forward to making it again.

Crepe recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for coating pan

1. Sift flour and salt into large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. Mix in milk and water. Whisk egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir in melted butter.

2. Melt butter in a crepe pan or skillet. Hold pan away from heat and pour about 1/4 cup mixture into pan, swirling pan to spread the batter evenly across the pan. Let cook for about 30 seconds (or until it will flip easily), turn and cook additional 15-20 seconds.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tex-Mex Pumpkin Patties



Serves 4

2 slices firm sandwich bread, crumbled
Several leaves of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs, plus extra for coating
3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar or Montery jack
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green or red bell pepper
1/2 cup froen corn kernels
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
1/3 cup ricotta
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1. In a medium-size bowl, mix together the crumbled bread, parsley, bread crumbs, and grated cheese. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a muedium-size skillet over medium heat; add onion, pepper and corn. Saute the vegetables until soft, about 7 minutes, stirring often. Mix in the garlic, chili powder, and cumin and cook it all for another minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and spoon the contents into the bread crumb mixture.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the egg, pumpkin and ricotta. Add the bread crumb mixture, stirring thoroughly, then season with the salt and pepper. Flour your hands, then shape the mixture into six 3/4-inch-thick patties, using about 1/3 cup for each one. Dredge the patties in bread crumbs and refrigerate them for about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Melt the butter in a large skillet. Transfer the patties to the skillet and fry them over medium heat until they turn golden, about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and serve immediately.

Served with scrambled eggs.

Results: These taste pretty good to me, but the boys wouldn't try them. Way too many dishes were dirtied to make this a recipe worth repeating, especially if no one is going to eat them.

Butternut Squash and Leek Gratins



Serves 6

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon butter
4 cups finely chopped leek (about 6 large)*
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg
4 large eggs
1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

*I've left the ingredients list as the original recipe, however, I bought three large leeks (because that's all they had at the grocery store) and one of those leeks made 4 cups chopped. Go figure. I guess I had some genetically mutated leeks. Now I've got two leeks I need to use. By the way, if you've never used leeks before, you'll need to know how to clean them. This site has a great tutorial, and the pictures make me want to eat leeks everyday: David Lebovitz

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool 30 minutes. Scoop out pulp, and mash with a potato masher or fork until smooth.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; coat pan with cooking spray. Melt butter in pan. Add leek; cover and cook 20 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Reduce heat to medium-low; uncover and cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

4. Preheat oven to 325°.

5. Combine sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and leek; stir until well combined. Divide the squash mixture evenly among 6 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray. Place ramekins in a 13x9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Cover pan with foil; bake at 325° for 25 minutes. Uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, and place the ramekins on a baking sheet.

6. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese over each ramekin.

7. Preheat broiler.

8. Broil gratins for 2 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Served with: chicken noodle soup, which wasn't the right dish. Make with a grilled pork chop next time.

Results: This was so yummy. It was very labor-intensive and time consuming, which is why I served it with something simple, but it was oh-so-good. Henry ate a ton of this while we were mashing it, but wouldn't touch it when we served it for dinner. Steven (obviously) wouldn't try it. It's got the consistency of mashed potatoes, so I would think most kids would like it. My kids are just insane. We had plenty of extras, which I put in the freezer. They froze well, and were just as tasty.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Vanilla Balsamic Chicken



Serves 4

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 piece vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean; stir seeds into broth mixture, reserving the bean for another use. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes.) Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in the bottom of a roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes.

4. Brush half of broth mixture over chicken; bake 5 minutes. Brush remaining broth mixture over chicken; bake 15 minutes or until done.

Served with broccoli and crusty bread (which was perfect for soaking up the extra broth)

Results: I have never cooked with a real vanilla bean because they are outrageously expensive. Since they were on sale, I decided to give it a try. I don't know if it was worth it. This chicken dish was OK, but it was just OK. There was nothing fantastic about it. Steven didn't touch it, but Henry ate everything and said he liked everything.

Sweet Orange Salmon



Serves 4

2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon filets
Cooking spray

1. Preheat broiler or grill.

2. Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of salmon filets. Place salmon on a broiler pan or grill coated with cooking spray. Broil or grill 8 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Note: This spice rub is very easy to make, but to make dinner even quicker, you can make it ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days. You can also rub the spice onto salmon before freezing.

Served with orange slices, rice and sugar snap peas.

Results: Henry let out no fewer than three "I LOVE THIS!" comments while eating dinner. I think he was talking about the sugar snap peas, but he also ate most of his salmon without complaint. Steven wouldn't try it, but he didn't complain either, so I'll mark that as a win. This is one of my favorite salmon recipes and I make it all the time. It's a quick and easy meal, that tastes great.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Roasted Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta



Serves 5

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 medium sized squash)
Cooking spray
6 sweet hickory-smoked bacon slices (raw)
1 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 5-6 small shallots)
8 ounces uncooked mini penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt, rosemary, and pepper. Place squash on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with salt mixture. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Increase oven temperature to 450°.

Note: when allowing a three-year-old to sprinkle the salt mixture on the squash, be prepared for all of it to end up on the few pieces of squash he can reach:



3. Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 1/2 teaspoons drippings in pan; crumble bacon. Increase heat to medium-high. Add shallots to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until tender.
Combine squash mixture, bacon, and shallots; set aside.

4. Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

5. Combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add provolone, stirring until cheese melts. Add pasta to cheese mixture, tossing well to combine. Spoon pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; top with squash mixture. Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Results: This is my most favorite meal EVER. I love, love, love this dish! I tripled this recipe so I had two extra meals in the freezer. The original recipe calls for 3 cups of butternut squash, but that is not nearly enough. I use about 6 cups. You do what you want, but don't come bitching to me that there wasn't enough squash.

This meal is extremely labor intensive and will dirty every dish in your kitchen. Save it for a Sunday when you have time to prepare it. You won't regret it.

Oh, by the way...neither of my children would even try it. I have no idea why.

Penne with Vodka and Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4

1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup vodka
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
8-ounces penne pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Minced fresh chives

Brown sausage in a large, non-stick skillet until no longer pink. Set aside, keep warm.

In same skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until almost no liquid remains in pan, stirring frequently, about 25 minutes. Add cream, vodka and red pepper and boil until thickened to desired consistency, about 2 minutes. Add sausage and chives to sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water. Drain and pour sauce over pasta, toss to coat. Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Served with a salad

Results: I forgot to take a picture of this pasta, but trust me, you'll want to make it! When the Sopranos was on TV, we used to go to our friend Keith's house every Sunday for a viewing party and someone would make a big Italian meal. This was Keith's menu and it has been one of our favorites ever since. I went through the trouble of giving the boys their pasta without sausage but neither of them would even touch it. Not even Henry. I really didn't care, because that left more for me, and the leftovers are fantastic. Too bad for you, ungrateful children!

Freaky Friday Fish with Potato Lady



Serves 4

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 pound catfish (or any firm white fish) cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup panko (or 2 cups crisp rice cereal, crushed)

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Add fish to mayonnaise mixture, tossing gently to coat. Dredge fish in panko (or cereal) and place on baking sheet. Spray with cooking spray and cook 20 minutes, turning once.

Served with instant-mashed potato lady with pea hair and carrot face.

Results: Looks SOOOOO fun, doesn't it? Yeah, apparently not in my house. This is the reaction I got from Steven:



Obviously, Steven wouldn't try it. Henry tried it, but didn't like it and even my husband said "the fish is fine, but it makes me gag." I'll let you figure that one out. I thought it was fine, but apparently, we won't be having this in my house any time soon.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Margarita-Braised Chicken



Serves 4

1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 chicken legs and 4 chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
Cooking spray
1 cup thinly sliced onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dried tropical fruit
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
1 lime, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small, shallow dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt; dredge chicken in flour mixture.

3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan in batches; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Transfer chicken to an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add onion to skillet; cook 3 minutes. Add garlic to pan, and sauté 1 minute.

4. Combine fruit, juice, and tequila in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at HIGH 2 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen brown bits. Cook 1 minute. Pour onion mixture over chicken; top with lime slices. Bake at 400° for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Served with rice. (I intended to serve with green beans also, but I let them sit in the fridge a little too long.) This would have been perfect with a margarita! Maybe next time.

Results: This recipe was FAN-Freaking-TASTIC. I loved it. I forgot the lime slices. I don't know if the recipe "needed" them, but I bet it would be even better with them. This was a very easy meal to prepare. Steven has been sick, so I didn't even try to feed this to him. Henry had the choice between chicken nuggets and margarita chicken. He chose the margarita chicken and devoured a whole chicken leg. He asked for seconds, but when he saw Steven's nuggets, he refused to eat anymore. Whatever, you ungrateful child!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Cheesy Baked Tortellini



Serves 4 (very hungry people. These servings were BIG!)

Olive oil
2 cups marinara sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 pound purchased (as opposed to stolen?) cheese tortellini
2 ounces thinly sliced smoked mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8x8x2-inch baking dish or 4 individual gratin dishes.

2. Whisk the marinara sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley, and thyme in a large bowl to blend. Cook the "purchased, not stolen" tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

3. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish or dishes. Top with the smoked mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Cover the dish or dishes with foil and bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 10 minutes longer.

Results: First of all, I completely forgot the mascarpone cheese. It was good without it, but I am looking forward to making this again with the mascarpone. Surprise, surprise...Steven ate some of this! He didn't eat much of it, but he ate some, and that's a win in my book! Henry ate a fair chunk of his. This is a simple, easy to prepare recipe that is very tasty! Would definitely make again!

Beef Daube Provençal



Serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil
12 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine
2 cups chopped carrot
1½ cups chopped onion
½ cup less-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
dash of ground cloves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf

1. Preheat over to 300°.

2. Heat olive oil in a small Dutch oven over low heat. Add garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add beef to pan. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove beef from pan. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add garlic, beef, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot, and all remaining ingredients to pan; bring to a boil.

3. Cover and bake at 300° for 2 and 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf.

NOTE: to make in a slow cooker, prepare through Step 2. Place beef mixture in an electric slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.

Served over egg noodles (I served the boys' egg noodles separately.)

Results: My initial reaction while preparing this meal was that it was not kid-friendly at all. However, Henry ate every single bite of his. He loved it. Steven wouldn't try it, BUT, he sat down and didn't complain. I consider that a success! Chris summed this meal up perfectly when he came home from work and said "Mmmmm...it smells like Christmas in here!" This was a very yummy meal, and I love one-pot cooking! My original intent was to use the slow cooker method, but I ran out of time, so I used the dutch oven instead.

P.S. Chris and I had the leftovers for dinner another night and they were even better! I think the meat had extra time to soak up the flavors, because it was delicious!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Lime-Cilantro Pork Tacos



Serves 4

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cup into thin strips
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1½ cups thinly sliced onion
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped plum tomato
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
8 flour tortillas

1. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and black pepper. Add oil to pan. Add pork, and sauté 4 minutes or until browned. Remove pork from pan; place in a bowl. Add onion and jalapeño to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth; reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomato; simmer 2 minutes.

2. Return pork and accumulated juices to pan. Stir in cilantro and lime juice; cook 1 minute or until pork is done.

3. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Spoon 1/2 cup pork mixture into each tortilla; roll up.

Served with a black bean & avocado salad.

Results: No one will be surprised to hear that Steven didn't eat this, BUT he did try it. Henry didn't like it. In their defense, this didn't seem like a very kid-friendly meal, but I really liked the lime taste of the pork. I'll make it again, but I won't force it on the kids.

Lager and Lemon-Grilled Chicken



Serves 4

1 cup lager beer (I used Molson Canadian)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoon soy sauce
1&½ tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
cooking spray

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove the chicken from bag; discard marinade.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high.

3. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until done.

Served with asparagus and baked potatoes

Results: I really had high hopes for this chicken because the fresh herbs made it look so delicious, but it turned out to be pretty mediocre tasting. The leftovers did make a tasty chicken salad sandwich though! Henry had no problems eating all of his chicken, Steven...wait for it....wait for it....didn't even try it.

Adriane's Taco Pie



Serves 4

1 can of crescent rolls
1-1&1/2 lbs of ground beef
Shredded cheese
1 packet taco seasoning
Optional: sour cream, salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips

1. Brown ground beef with seasoning packet.

2. Using a square 8x8 casserole dish, put half (4) of the can of crescent rolls on the bottom of the pan, gently stretching the dough to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Save the other half of the can for the top.

3. Put browned ground beef on top of the crescent rolls in the pan. Layer cheese on top of ground beef.

4. Slice remaining crescents into 1 & 1/2 inch strips. Layer strips on top of cheese in a criss-cross pattern.*

5. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Served with sour cream and avocado slices.

*Go ahead and double this recipe because it freezes really well. Prepare through step four, then freeze. To serve, allow to thaw completely in refrigerator and follow baking instructions.

Results: Don't be surprised, but Steven wouldn't touch this. We tried to get him to at least eat the crescent roll topping, but he wouldn't because there were teeny, tiny flecks of beef on them. Henry ate all of his. I think this is a really good, kid-friendly meal (unless your kid is mine). It's super easy to prepare and I love that it is no extra effort to prepare a second one for the freezer.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Maple Grilled Salmon



Serves 4

1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag; add fish. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

3. Remove fish from bag, reserving the marinade. Pour marinade into a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

4. Place fish on a grill rack or pan coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, basting occastionally with marinade. Remove fish from grill; sprinkly with salt and pepper.

Served with: broccoli and mashed potatoes

Results: I've had better salmon, but I would probably make this one again. It's a quick, easy marinade and makes a sweet salmon. I was really hoping the syrup would entice Steven to try it, but he put one piece in his mouth and spit it out into the garbage can. Henry ate most of his salmon (I think the only parts he didn't eat were the ones that were too small to pick up with his fork.) However, my favorite little eating machine pissed me off when he decided to fake vomit out his mashed potatoes. I wonder where he picked up that little trick. Hmmmm...

Cuban Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice



Serves 4

Rice:
1 bag boil-in-bag long-grain rice
2 teaspoons butter
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Patties:
2 cups rinsed, drained canned black beans (1 15-ounce can), divided
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cornmeal
Cooking spray
1/4 cup sour cream

1. To prepare rice, cook rice according to package directions. Drain; place rice in a large bowl. Melt butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pineapple; sauté 4 minutes or just until pineapple begins to brown. Add pineapple mixture, cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt to rice in bowl; cover and keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels.

2. To prepare patties, place 1 & 1/2 cups beans, garlic, cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl; partially mash with a fork. Place 1/2 cup remaining beans and egg white in a food processor; process 30 seconds or until well combined. Add bean puree to mashed beans in bowl, and stir until combined. Add cheese and onion to bean mixture; stir until combined. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into 1/2-inch-thick patty. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish. Dredge both sides of each patty in cornmeal.

3. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Spoon about 1/2 cup rice onto each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 patty and 1 tablespoon sour cream.

Results: This is the *best* rice you'll ever eat. Despite that, neither boy would touch it even though they both like rice. (I'm starting to think mixing fruit with other foods is not popular with them.) You can make the patties in advance (up to the dredging in cornmeal part) and cover and refrigerate until ready to prepare.

I made smaller patties for the boys and Henry finished one of his, but Steven wouldn't even try it. I know you are all surprised to hear that. I think this is a fantastic meal, and I've made it a few times. I love it as a light vegetarian option.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Oven-Braised Pork Roast with Apples



Serves 12 (I halved this recipe for dinner for us, and we had lots of leftovers)

1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 (3 1/2-pound) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup thawed orange juice concentrate
1/3 cup golden raisins
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
4 Rome apples, each cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1. Combine 3/4 teaspoon salt and next 8 ingredients (through cloves). Rub evenly over pork. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425°.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan, and cook 4 minutes, browning all sides. Remove pork from pan. Add onion to pan; sauté 1 minutes. Return pork to pan. Add apricots, orange juice concentrate, raisins, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 425° for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325° (do not remove pork from oven); bake 20 minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of pork registers 160° (slightly pink). Remove pork from pan, reserving cooking liquid. Place pork on a platter; cover with foil.

4. Remove apricots and raisins from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Bring the broth mixture to a boil over high heat; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat.

5. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Stir in reserved apricots and raisins, reduced broth mixture, vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 3 minutes. Slice pork.

Served with asparagus and couscous.

Results: Did you see that part about letting the pork sit for two hours? Yeah, neither did I until I was preparing dinner. I let mine sit about 30 minutes, and it was still delicious. This pork was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I couldn't stop eating it! However, it was way more work than I was prepared for. I would save this dish for company or for the holidays. I really thought Steven's new-found interest in pork and the apples would encourage him to try it, but he didn't touch it. I think Henry ate a few bites of pork, but he was all about asking for more raisins.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Lemon-Basil Chicken with Basil Aioli



Serves 4

Chicken:
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped green onions (about 2)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons olive oil

Basil Aioli:
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1. To prepare chicken, combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to basil mixture, turning to coat.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, cook 8 minutes on each side or until done.

3. While chicken cooks, prepare aioli. Combine 1/4 cup basil and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Serve with chicken.

Served with egg noodles and salad (carrots for the kids)

Results: This recipe just screams "SUMMER" to me and is one of my hands down favorites. I usually make extra because the leftovers are great. Henry devoured his, Steven wouldn't even try it, even with the threat of missing chocolate chip cookies for dessert. He is *so* missing out, because it's really delicious.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Grilled Pork Chops with Peachy Hot Salsa



Serves 4

5 peaches, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons etra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 center-cut pork chops
1 avocado, finely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped sweet onion
1 serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
pepper

1. Using a blender or food processor, puree 4 peach halves, the honey, olive oil and lemon juice. Transfer to a 9-inch square glass baking dish and add the pork chops, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat a grill to medium-high. Finely chop the remaining 6 peach halves and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the avocado, onion, chile, parsley, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the sugar.

3. Remove the pork chops from the marinade and season both sides with salt and papper. Grill, turning once, about 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving with the salsa.

Served with baked sweet potato fries and tortilla chips.

Results: I love the salsa with this recipe. Steven ate almost all his pork chops and we had no complaints from anyone. I went through the trouble of making the boys their own salsa without the chili, but neither touched it. I should have just given them sliced peaches and avocado on the side. A definite keeper!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Chicken Saté with Peanut Sauce



Serves 4

Saté:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons bottled ground fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

Sauce:
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

Cooking spray
Wooden skewers (soaked in water for at least one hour)

1. Prepare grill.
2. To prepare saté, combine chicken and next 6 ingredients (through 2 garlic cloves) in a medium bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. To prepare sauce, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and the next 5 ingredients (through 1 garlic clove) in a medium bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves.
4. Thread chicken strips onto wooden skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve chicken with sauce.

Served with sautéed endives (I was feeling daring...not sure I'll try those again) and peas for the boys.

Results: I've made this one before and love how quick and easy it is to make. It's also very yummy, especially if you have a kid who likes peanut butter. Henry was very proud that he made the peanut sauce, and let us know (no fewer than five times) that "I made the sauce!" We also got a big "Mmmmmmmmmmm!" from him when he dunked his chicken in the sauce. Fake gagging from Steven, who wouldn't even try it.

Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage Brown Butter



Serves 4 (but we had lots of leftovers)

Small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
8-ounces dried pasta (I used fusilli)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat over to 400°F. Toss the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then spread it on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until slightly caramelized, 30 minutes total. Take outof the oven and set aside.
2. Cook pasta in boiling salted water, then drain well.
3. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it turns golden, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low, then add shallot, sage and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring, until shallots are soft (2 to 3 minutes).
4. Combine squash, pasta and brown butter sauce in a large bowl and toss gently. Serve with Parmesan.

Served with rosemary olive oil bread (which, other than packs of 144 diapers is THE best thing you can buy at Costco!) with herbed olive oil for dipping.

Results: This was *Delicious* with a capital D! I will definitely make this one again, but I also have a firm belief that no one can have too much butternut squash in their diet. I thought Henry would balk at the squash, but he wolfed his down. All I got from Steven was fake gagging at the table when he put a piece of pasta in his mouth. Steven ate the bread.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing



Serves 4

Pork:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 large eggs
2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (cut into bite-sized pieces for kids)
1 tablespoon canola oil
Cooking spray

Dressing:
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. To prepare pork, preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and egg in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450°F for 6-8 minutes or until done.
4. To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork.

Served with chow mein noodles and broccoli drizzled with teriyaki sauce

Results: I've made this recipe a few times and it's one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it's how the panko makes the pork chops crunchy or if it's the yummy dressing, but I love this recipe. For the boys, I cut their pork into bite size "nuggets". Steven sat down, snarled at his food and said "I guess I'm just going to have milk for dinner." A few minutes later, he was eating his noodles. A minute later, we saw him take a bite of pork nugget...then another...and another. No problems from Henry. The boys did not try the dressing, which was fine, because it left more for me.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Make-ahead Pizza Casserole



Serves 6 (I think it's more like 8)

Cooking spray
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 Italian sausages, cooked and diced
3 medium tomatoes, cored and diced
6 cups cubed French or Italian bread (about 1 medium-size loaf)
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil (I used about 2 tablespoons fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Grated parmesan cheese

1. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the mozzarella, sausage, tomatoes, and bread. Arrange the bread mixture evenly in the baking pan.
3. Using the same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Beat well.
4. Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the baking pan from side to side to soak all the bread cubes evenly. Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least three hours, or overnight.
5. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes; heat oven to 350°F. Uncover the casserole and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp on top. Sprinkle with the parmesan cheese before serving.

Served with a green salad.

Results: This was very easy to make, you just have to be sure to give yourself the time to let it refrigerate. I made it in the morning so all I had to do was pop it in the oven at the end of the day. Very, very tasty! I would definitely make this again, and next time I'll try freezing half, because we had a lot left over. Steven ate one serving and even asked for seconds! Henry hardly touched it, but he was very grumpy that day. Both boys wanted the tomatoes picked out.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Grilled Chicken with Fresh Grape Glaze



Serves 4

Glaze:
3 cups seedless red grapes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Chicken:
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
cooking spray

1. To prepare glaze, place grapes in a blender; process until smooth. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cover and cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in pureed grapes, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and 1 teaspoon rosemary; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thick. Cool slightly. Place grape mixture in blender; process until smooth. Set aside.
2. Prepare grill.
3. To prepare chicken, brush 1 tablespoon oil over chicken; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons rosemary, pepper, and salt. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; cover and grill 25 minutes or until done, turning and basting frequently with grape glaze.

Served with rice and salad with broccoli.

Results: This is now one of my favorite chicken recipes: it was amazingly good! Henry not only requested seconds, but dug in for thirds! Steven wouldn't touch it, even though he picked the recipe out. I thought for sure the grapes would tempt him, but alas...NO! A definite keeper!

Pasta Primavera with Chicken Nuggets



4 servings

1 12-ounce package frozen cooked chicken nuggets
8 ounces dried wagon wheel pasta
4 cups chopped or sliced assorted vegetables (I used broccoli, yellow squash & peppers)
1/2 of an 8-ounce tub cream cheese with chives and onion
1/2 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat chicken nuggets according to package direction.
2. Meanwhile, in a pot, heat a large amount of lightly salted water to boiling. Add pasta; cook for 4 minutes. Add vegetables; cook for 5 minutes more or until pasta is tender. Drain and return to pan.
3. Add cream cheese spread to pasta mixture. Heat through. Add enough milk to thin to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan before serving. Serve with baked chicken nuggets.

Results: I had high hopes for this one, but it was disgusting! No amount of Parmesan cheese could improve this dish! Neither boy would eat it, Chris and I suffered through it to set an example. The inventor of this recipe should be forced to eat this every day for the rest of their life. Gross!

Monster Mouths



Serves 6

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 lb ground beef
2 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 slices American cheese, chopped
1/2 package (12 ounces) jumbo pasta shells (about 18 shells), cooked and drained
baby carrots, olives, red bell pepper, small pickles and cheese slices for decoration

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 13x9-inch baking dish. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bacon; cook until onion is tender. Add beef; cook and stir about 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes, salt and black pepper. Stir in cheese. Spoon mixture into cooked shells; place in prepared baking dish.
2. Cut carrots into very thin strips to use to hold olive “eyes”. Cut other “decorations” as desired.
3. Bake shells 3 to 5 minutes or until hot; remove from oven. Decorate as desired with olive and carrot eyes, bell pepper fangs, pickle tongue and cheese teeth.

Served with salad.

Results: This was a pain in the ass to make and it was very greasy. But, I will admit the meat filling was pretty tasty. Henry ate all the meat, but said the pasta shells were "yucky". Steven wouldn't touch it.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Fishcakes & Cucumber Chips



Serves 4

1/3 cup crushed cornflakes
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons milk
¾ teaspoon dried dill weed
1 (14 ½ oz) can salmon, drained and skin and bones removed
¾ cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
tarter sauce

1. Stir together cornflake crumbs, eggs, milk, dill weed and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add salmon; mix well.
2. Pour Panko into a shallow dish.
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
4. Shape salmon mixture into 4 large egg-shaped balls. Flatten each into ¾ inch thick oval. Pinch one end of each oval into tail shape for fish. Carefully dredge both sides of fish in Panko.
5. Place fish into skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown. Carefully turn over and continue to cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Place small drop tartar sauce on each fish for “eye”.

Served with cucumber chips (cucumber & basil salad for the adults)

Results: Fun to make and actually pretty tasty. I have never used canned salmon before and although it tasted fine, I’m not sure I would use it again. Removing the bones was a pain! I think you could substitute grilled salmon very easily. Henry ate about half of his, Steven ate about a third (but said he didn’t like it.)

Octo-dogs with veggies and sea shells



Serves 4

4 hot dogs
1 ½ cups uncooked small shell posta
1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup prepared Alfredo sauce
yellow mustand in squeeze bottle (for “eyes”)
goldfish crackers

1. Lay hot dog on side with end facing you. Starting 1 inch from one end of hot dog, slice hot dog vertically in half. Roll hot dog ¼ turn. Starting 1 inch from same end, slice in half vertically again, making 4 segments connected at the top. Slice each segment in half vertically, creating total of 8 “legs”. Repeat with remaining hot dogs.
2. Place hot dogs in medium saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Prepare pasta according to package directions, stirring in vegetables during last 3 minutes of cooking time. Drain; return to pan. Stir in Alfredo sauce. Heat over low heat until heated through. Divide pasta mixture between 4 plates. Drain octo-dogs. Arrange one octo-dog on top of pasta mixture on each plate. Draw faces on “heads” of octo-dogs with mustard. Sprinkle crackers over pasta.

Results: this was an easy meal to make and looked very fun, but didn't taste good to anyone. Would not repeat!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Oven-Fried Coconut Chicken


(thanks to Fatim for trying the recipe and sending a picture!)

Serves 4

juice of one lime
1 (14-oz) can light coconut milk
4 chicken thighs, skinned
4 chicken drumsticks, skinned
¾ cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
½ cup flaked sweetened coconut
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cooking spray

1. Combine lime juice and coconut milk in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 1 ½ hours, turning bag occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Combine panko, flaked coconut, salt and black pepper in a shallow dish. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Dredge chicken, 1 piece at a time, in panko mixture. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Carefully turn chicken over; bake an additional 30 minutes or until done.

Served with jasmine rice and snow peas.

Results: No complaints from anyone! I would make this one again in an instant!

Crunchy Parmesan Chicken



Serves 4

1 cup cornflakes, lightly crushed
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
3 large eggs, beaten
Four skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornflakes, parmesan and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place the eggs in another shallow bowl. Coat each chicken breast with the cornflake mixture, then the egs, then again with the cornflake mixture; transfer to a wax-paper-lined baking sheet.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean baking sheet. Bake the chicken until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Served with egg noodles (with peas and parmesan cheese) and salad.

Results: I cut the chicken breast in half length-wise so they were very thin: quicker to cook and more kid-friendly. These were very good, and everyone ate everything on their plate!

Slow-cooker Macaroni & Cheese



Serves 6

8 oz elbow macaroni
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
4 slices American cheese

Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain. Mix the cooked pasta, 3 cups cheddar cheese, evaporated milk, milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese and arrange American cheese slices on top. Cook, covered, on low for 3 to 4 hours. Do not remove lid or stir while cooking.

Results: Use a crock pot liner for this one…it makes clean up super easy! We all liked this one, and Steven even requested leftovers for lunch the next day.