Chicken and Dumplings

I've been doing a lot of crockpot meals lately - they're so much easier to throw together and have ready in time rather than fighting the clock (and the kiddos) for a decent meal. Everyone eats this one (well, Luke picks at it and takes a few reluctant bites), so we do it every once in awhile. The sodium content has to be out of control, but it's a good way to sneak in some vegetables and I admit I love the mushy biscuits!

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients
3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces
1 can mixed veggies
1 can chicken broth

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soups, veggies and onion in a slow cooker. (It will look VERY liquidy, but that's what you want.)
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High or 10 hours on Low.
3. About 2 hours before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Fried Pickles

This has been a serious craving of mine throughout the pregnancy. I've had them at Cheeseburger in Paradise and Buffalo Wild Wings, and when I saw the link on Pinterest for homemade fried pickles, there was no stopping me! I opted to wait until Superbowl Sunday to make them (perfect game-day treat) and boy were they delish. Linds begged to help, so I let her do the dipping and I dropped them in the pan of oil. It was a huge mess, but well worth it. The picture below doesn't accurately represent the level of messiness, but it's a glimpse of it.

Fried Pickles
Ingredients
1 large egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (I ran out and used 1/2 cup out of a box of Jiffy Mix)
2 teaspoons dill
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
36 dill pickle slices, cold
Canola oil
Ranch dressing for dipping

Directions

1. Beat egg and milk. 
2. Place 1/2 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. In another dish, mix 1/2 cup each cornstarch and cornmeal with dill, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Dip cold pickle slices in the plain cornstarch, then the egg wash, then the cornmeal mixture. 
4. Fry in 2 inches of 375 F (medium-high stovetop heat) canola oil until golden, about 3 minutes.
5. Drain on paper towels and serve with ranch dressing.

Veggie Pizza

I was looking to make a veggie pizza for a family gathering this weekend and dug out this recipe - I forgot I had it and I remember enjoying it when it was served at a party we threw awhile ago. Wanted to post it before I forgot where I stored it ;-) The original called for 2 packages of crescent rolls, but I have a TON of the "sauce" spread left, so I increased it to 3 and it possibly could be 4 depending on how heavy you like the "sauce." I don't care for it to be too thick, so I may try 4 next time. Enjoy!

Veggie Pizza
Ingredients
3 (8oz) pkgs refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (1oz) pkg dry ranch-style dressing mix
1 cup fresh broccoli, chopped
1 cup chopped red pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped cauliflower
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll out the crescent roll dough onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet and pinch together edges to form the pizza crust.
3. Bake crust for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Once finished cooking, remove crust from oven and let cool 15 mins without removing it from baking sheet.
4. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mayo and dry ranch dressing. Spread mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange broccoli, tomato, green pepper, cauliflower, carrots and cheddar cheese over the cream cheese layer. Chill for one hour, slice and serve.

Chicken Veggie Burgers

It's the beginning of a new year, which means I have all sorts of outlandish goals to eat less meat, healthier meals with more fruits and vegetables, keep the kids more active, maintain my dedication to the gym, etc. I know I'm like 99% of the other people out there...these will all last a good week to 10 days before I give up and say, "screw it - it's mashed potatoes and Twizzlers for dinner!" But, for now, I'm going to go back to planning out nutritious meals.

I decided to make chicken veggie burgers tonight - a recipe I came across a long time ago that's chock full of veggies - and in my haste to get a meal on the table for the kids before they melted down, found nothing to pair it with except curly fries. Okay, so half a decent meal is an okay way to start the year, right? RIGHT?!? The boy enjoys these burgers surprisingly enough, Linds didn't mind hers, and after spitting out the first bite, Luke dipped his in ketchup and licked the ketchup off. I don't think he ingested any of the actual burger, but here's hoping he got a nutrient or two in there.

Chicken Veggie Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup red pepper

1/4 cup green pepper

1/4 cup red onion

1/4 cup celery

2 T chopped parsley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T soy sauce

Directions

1. Preheat skillet to medium.
2. Mix all ingredients until just combined.
3. Form into 8 patties.
4. Fry in canola oil (about 4-5 minutes each side).

(Sorry for the raw burger shot - forgot to take one of them cooked.)

Mongolian Beef

It's been nearly impossible to cook, much less blog the recipes over the past few weeks! The holidays seem to be more time-intensive every year and being pregnant with two kids certainly didn't ease that typical rush. I honestly don't even remember what I've cooked over the past few weeks, but I do vaguely remember this one?! I didn't remember it being spicy enough last time, so I tried to kick it up a bit - and yes, my efforts were successful.

Spicy Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 pound beef flank steak, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon peanut oil
Assorted veggies (I used broccoli and carrots this time - the photo below is from the last time I made it)

Directions

1. Whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a bowl.
2. Toss beef with marinade, cover, and refrigerate 1 hour to overnight.
3. Heat peanut oil in a wok or large, nonstick skillet over high heat. Stir in the beef. 
4. Cook and stir until the beef is no longer pink and is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. 

 

Green Bean Casserole

I'm only 15 weeks into this pregnancy, so the cravings haven't struck vengefully, but when they do, I like to entertain them. Especially when they're mildly healthy. The latest one? Green bean casserole. Not the mushroom soup kind, but this one recipe I found and altered from Allrecipes.com. It might not be the best sodium or fat-wise, but damnit, it tastes good. I have no idea what we're having with this for dinner tonight, but likely it will be grilled cheeses because they're easy and meatless (in a meatless mood again all of a sudden). Enjoy! :)

Grandma's (Modified) Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 T dried onion
1 cup sour cream
3 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium French style green beans, drained
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup (12 crackers) crumbled buttery round crackers
1 tablespoon butter, melted
French fried onions

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, a handful of French fried onions and 1 cup of cheese, and stir to coat.
3. Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread remaining cup of shredded cheese over the top. Top with a handful of French fried onions. 
4. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

Broccoli & Cheese Soup

It's been 2 months since I've posted anything and got a little nudge from a pal on Thursday (yes, Sarah, I'll try to update more often!). I've got a good excuse, though - I found out soon after that last post that I'm pregnant again! As of now, I'm just about 15 weeks along and finally feeling like I'm "coasting" now that it's the 2nd trimester. The first wasn't terribly awful - but morning sickness kicked in at 4 p.m. like clockwork, so I avoided cooking, eating, and for the most part just looking at food for a while there.

Now that the worst of it's over, I'm gradually getting back to cooking. It's tough - the boy has decided to start taking the train back into work (partially to save money, but mostly to save sanity, as that drive into the city is BRUTAL), so our family meals during the week are no longer. He only started in the beginning of November, so I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to cook dinner so that it's good for the kids, but also not a leftover mess for us when we eat later in the evening. The other night I grabbed the frozen bag of broccoli and cheese soup I made a few weeks before and reheated that for all of us. It's an easy recipe to make and the kids really enjoyed it, too.

Broccoli & Cheese Soup
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 (16 ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (1 pound) loaf processed cheese food, cubed
1 cup shredded cheese (or about a handful out of the bag, if you're me)
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions

1. In a stockpot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion in butter until softened. Stir in broccoli, and cover with chicken broth. Simmer until broccoli is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Reduce heat, and stir in cheese cubes until melted. Mix in milk and garlic powder.
3. In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into water until dissolved. Stir into soup; cook, stirring frequently, until thick.

Zucchini Brownies

These sound bizarre - believe me, I know. I needed to bring dessert to the boy's family's annual Labor Day gathering and I've been itching to make this one recipe I found in Bon Appétit (crack pie - look for that post after this one). I had no idea how the pie would turn out, so I thought I'd bring brownies as a safe bet back-up (and it was kid-friendly for the 6 little ones we had there). When I opened up my fridge and saw mounds of zucchini and (of course!) no eggs, I remembered seeing this recipe and figured I'd try it out. What are the odds of a double dessert failure?!

Luckily, the brownies were a HUGE hit. Even my father-in-law, who hates zucchini and isn't a big fan of chocolate, thought they were great. I definitely recommend them if your garden is overflowing with zuchs! The icing is what really makes them perfect (alone the brownie was just a tiny bit bland).

Zucchini Brownies
Ingredients
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan. I like to use cocoa powder to flour the pan so the brownies don't have white powder all over the bottom.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. 
4. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

Steaks, beans and potatoes

I found this steak marinade recipe about a year and a half ago and immediately fell in love! P-M (pre-marinade), I would just slap on a little olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic onto my steaks and have the boy grill them up. They were always good, nothing extraordinary, but still tasty. Since I've found this recipe, though, I won't make them any other way. I also use some of the marinade on the veggies that we serve with it - adds a little punch to them, but not in an overwhelming way.

This last time we had steaks, I made them with beans that were fresh picked from our garden, and with some garlic red potatoes we had picked up through our crop share.

Garlic Red Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish.
3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes (or until golden brown).

Best. Marinade. Ever.
Ingredients
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon concentrated lemon juice (or 1/3 cup of fresh lemon juice)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Knead bag to mix ingredients.
2. Place steaks inside bag and marinate for up to 8 hours (I did 4 hours and they were perfect).

Zucchini Bread

Our CSA has been phenomenal lately and we've been getting all sorts of amazing veggies! Over the past few weeks we've accumulated enough zucchini to feed a small army. With our latest batch, I decided to make a batch of bread just to get a little variety in (the kiddos are sick of it grilled up as a side). I love this recipe even though it's far from healthy (I mean, c'mon - 1 cup of vegetable oil?!? yikes!), but I can taste the difference when things are substituted, so what the heck? We'll forget the calorie count this time and just make it tasty. Linds helped out and we got two loaves out of a single recipe...and I have enough zucchini shredded and frozen for another two loaves when these run out.

Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
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 (we had one HUGE, extra-large zucchini that was plenty...otherwise, it would be 2 medium)

Directions

1. Grease 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. 
4. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
5. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. 
6. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. 

Oriental Steak & Veggie Stir-fry

It's rare I come across a recipe that everyone will eat and enjoy equally well. Everyone in our family has unique taste buds, and I often struggle finding stuff that satisfies all of 'em. Usually it's the boy and me stuffing our faces while Linds and Luke refuse to eat...but today was a different story. Now, I knew the boy and I would be fine, but that Luke would for sure not eat this, so I heated the little man up some mac and cheese (I keep reminding myself that Linds was picky until she turned 3 or 4, so just give him some time). Linds I wasn't too sure about - she can be hit or miss with beef dishes or rice dishes.

Normally I would have skewered the beef and veggies and grilled it all up, but the dark skies and 90+ degree heat were too unappealing, so I just stir-fried it up on the stove. To my amazement, Linds finished her ENTIRE bowl. I was beyond shocked...even when she likes a meal, she rarely finishes it. She scarfed down zucchini and squash with an overzealous appetite, eagerly ate our garden's peppers (and chattered endlessly about how cool it was to eat food that we grew ourselves), and declared the red onion her new favorite vegetable. She even ate a few bites of the beef and polished off the rice. Honestly, it was like it was some alien child sitting in her seat - I was speechless. You know, it's one thing when the boy thanks me for dinner and said it tasted good, but when my once-picky daughter inhales her portion and waxes philosophical about all the components of a meal - well, that just makes me feel like I'm doing my job right.

I'll post the marinade recipe below, but the rest of it is to your liking. I tossed the veggies we had on hand in a little olive oil and soy sauce and fried those up in one pan, cooked our rice in the rice cooker, and then cooked the beef in the marinade stove top in another pan. Let everyone do their own mix and match and, voila!, dinner.

Oriental Beef Marinade
Ingredients
1 lb sirloin steak, cubed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion dry soup mix

Directions

1. Mix soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, olive oil and soup mix in a Ziploc bag.
2. Add beef and let marinate at least 8 hours.

Our garden is growing!

I wish I could take credit for our veggie garden production, but the boy gets the nod for this one! At my direction (insistence?!), he was the one who bought the plants, taught Linds how to create a veggie garden, makes sure everything is watered daily, and has been picking everything. This year we've already had a little of the three types we planted, which is way better than our last attempt. Last summer we tried zucchini, peppers and beans and all we ended up with were beans. This year we've picked enough beans for a few meals, 2 peppers and a single strawberry (we're having issues with some critters snacking on our berries).

All of our haul from our own garden goes along with what we pull in from our CSA (red potatoes, spring onions, garlic, peas, beans, swiss chard, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, etc.). I tell you what - the 35 minute drive to pick stuff up may be a bit of a pain, but knowing all of our veggies are 100% pesticide/herbicide free and picked fresh within hours of us receiving them is pretty cool. Plus, supporting this young Mennonite couple who are trying to turn their hobby of growing into their source of money is rewarding.

Below is an updated photo of our garden. For those not familiar with the bell, it used to sit atop the boy's grandparents' barn on their farm in Lititz. After they sold the farm, they moved it to their front yard of the home they purchased. It's an important relic to the boy, and when his grandfather was contemplating selling it, Scott insisted on keeping it as a family heirloom to pass down to future generations. We thought it was fitting to sit at the head of our garden since it once overlooked the farm, so with a little rebuilding effort, the boy installed it last summer. It's a neat reminder of the Rissers' roots!

May 24 - Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Linds has been begging for mashed potatoes lately and since her last day of school is Wednesday, I figured I'd make them Tuesday night as a pre-celebration. I made the taters, green beans with almonds and garlic-lemon double stuffed chicken breasts. It didn't dawn on me how much butter I used until after I was done - used a good amount over the chicken, sautéed the almonds in it, added a little to the beans, and then all the butter that goes into the potatoes...by the time I was done, my nice little meat/potato/veggie meal felt as greasy as fast food?!? It tasted great, but I'd like to just ignore the calorie count that was in that one, thankyouverymuch!

The chicken was really good...a little rich, but otherwise tasty. I mostly eyeballed amounts and used what I thought we'd eat, so there's not many measurements. I usually do two large breasts for our family, which is always plenty.


Garlic-Lemon Double Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
oil, for greasing pan
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/3-fat cream cheese, cut into 1/2 inch slices
shredded Cheddar cheese
milk
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat a large, shallow baking dish with oil.
2. Pound chicken flat. Coat one side with cream cheese and sprinkle cheddar on top. Roll together and place toothpicks through to hold. Set aside.
3. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. In a separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Carefully dip each breast first in milk, then in breadcrumb mixture, patting lightly to firmly coat. Place breasts side by side in a single layer in pre-oiled baking dish, tucking edges under to seal.
4. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in lemon juice and garlic, and drizzle evenly over chicken.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

May 23 - Crab Quiche

I finally squeezed in grocery shopping Saturday afternoon (which totally reminded me why I *never* run errands during the weekend...so packed in the store even at 2:00?!?), and then we had a family dinner out at PF Chang's later that afternoon. Yesterday my friend Meg and I ran the Victory 5K and celebrated afterwards with drinks and apps at Victory Brewing Company. I beat my previous race time by 3.5 minutes, finishing in 26:13 - the fastest I've ever done!

So today is officially the first day since actually having food that I cooked. I decided to make a crab quiche - it's been awhile since I've done a BFD (breakfast for dinner for the new followers) - and it was excellent. Last time I made it, I just did the crab and green onions, but I bought some asparagus and it gave it the perfect extra kick. Definitely putting this one back in the rotation more often!

Crab Quiche
Ingredients
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cans crab meat (or 1 cup fresh)
1.5 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
5 spears asparagus, chopped
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, milk, crab, cheese, asparagus and onion. Spread into pie shell.
3. Bake for 60 - 75 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

CSA-ing it this summer!

After some consideration, we decided this year to join a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm. I'm so excited about this! We are not great veggie eaters in this house, and it's been a bit of a challenge to introduce new foods to the boys especially (Linds and I are pretty non-discriminatory with what we eat; Scott and Luke are a bit pickier). We shopped around and found Shady Pine Farm in East Earl, Pa (just minutes from Shady Maple...yummmm) and decided to go with them. It's a bit of a hike for us (45 minute drive each week), but again - close to Shady Maple (good excuse for a dinner out) and it's also close to the boy's fam, so we can turn it into a visit.

For those not familiar with CSAs, it is a great opportunity to support local farmers, as well as to get chemical/pesticide-free fruits and vegetables straight from the farm (talk about the freshest produce possible!). Shady Pine offers about 5-10 vegetables and herbs weekly, and they have their site organized like a market where you can pick what you'd like.

I'm hoping that this will force us to expand our palate and start enjoying more veggies and less starches. We'll probably do the Hershey Farm Market's meat package, too, which means grocery shopping and meals should be a snap for the next few months. Lots of grilling is on the horizon!

If you're interested in joining a CSA, you can find lots of good information and listings at http://www.localharvest.org.

January 10 - Chicken Pot Pie

I just made one of these with my friend, Katie, and after making it with her, I decided I had to have one of my own! It turned out just the way I expected it and not only did the boy and I enjoy it, but so did Linds - even with all the veggies :) I was so, so happy - we all need more veggies in our diet. Luke boycotted dinner...again...I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, huh?!

I bought regular frozen pie crusts and when I mixed everything together, there was WAY too much filling. I mixed the veggies/chicken and sauce, then divided in two and froze the other half. Now I have another pot pie ready to go (as soon as I buy more crusts!).

Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup frozen green peas
3/4 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup sliced celery
3 medium potatoes
1 bullion cube
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked deep-dish pie crusts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, potatoes and celery. Add bullion cube and water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust (making a dome on top), seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. 

January 8 - Ribs and cornbread!

The boy and I had a serious hankerin for some ribs, so I decided to make them on Saturday since they require a good hour in the morning to prep, crock potting all day, and half-hour in the evening to finish. I only have that free hour in the morning on Tuesdays and Fridays, so making ribs during the week is kinda tough. As usual, they turned out perfectly and he and I ate like crazy! Naturally Luke refused them (although he usually is a fiend...some sort of weird dinner aversion for him lately), and Linds was vomiting all Friday night, so we weren't about to even tempt fate. Luke did, however, eat many pieces of cornbread, so at least he put *something* in his system!

Speaking of cornbread, I did a little something different. It usually calls for buttermilk, which I don't ever keep on hand. There's an easy substitution with vinegar and regular milk, but I needed my laptop to look that one up and it was in the basement...I was too lazy to go downstairs, so I checked my Joy of Cooking to see if it listed it. It did not give me that specific substitution, but it did suggest yogurt instead of the buttermilk. I was curious to see how that turned out, so I figured, what the hell?! The boy doesn't eat it, so worst case scenario, I don't get my cornbread. I'm glad I tried it - it was awesome! AND saved me some calories. I also bought a microwavable sweet potato, cooked it and used the mashed part in the batter rather than grating the uncooked potato. That was also a better alternative because now there was no "crunch" to the bread. This recipe far outweighs the older one I posted!

Slow Cooker Ribs
Ingredients
4 lbs. pork baby back ribs
salt, pepper, minced onion and garlic powder to taste
2 cups Cattleman barbecue sauce
1 cup ketchup (only Heinz in this household!)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 dash of hot sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Season ribs with salt, pepper, minced onion and garlic powder. Place in a shallow baking pan. Brown in oven 15 minutes. Turn over, and brown another 15 minutes; drain fat.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.
4. Cover, and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.
5. About 30 minutes before serving, place back in baking pan at 400 degrees F and the sauce will caramelize to the meat.

Sweet Potato Corn Bread
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup low-fat yogurt
1 medium sweet potato, cooked, peeled and mashed

Directions

1. Cook sweet potato and peel.
2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Spray a 9x9 baking dish.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. 
4. In a small bowl, combine egg, buttermilk, sweet potato and softened butter.
5. Fold liquid mixture into dry mixture and stir until just well blended.
6. Pour into baking dish and bake 20 minutes, or until the center springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.

January 5 - Honey Cashew Chicken

I was looking over some old blog posts and came across the night I made cashew honey chicken. It was a huge hit before, so I figured it would be a sure hit. The boy and I still liked it as much (although this time he liked the beans and not the cashews - totally opposite of before). Linds ate a little, although this was the night before she got sick, so she didn't scarf it down like she did before. Luke? Well, Luke's been boycotting dinners again. ::SIGH:: My favorite part? It's super low-cal (only 190/serving with 4 total servings in the batch - not including the rice). Here's the recipe!


Cashew Honey Chicken
Ingredients
1 package PERDUE® SHORT CUTS® Carved Chicken Breast, Honey Roasted, 6 oz.
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 box (9 ounces) frozen cut green beans, thawed
1/3 cup cashews

Directions

1. In small bowl, whisk together broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger. 
2. In large nonstick skillet, stirring frequently, bring broth mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Add chicken and green beans and heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with cashews and serve, if desired, over hot rice.

January 2 - Pasta w/ Meat Sauce

Vacation has finally come to an end (and it's about damn time!)...as sad as it is to see it go, I definitely look forward to some routine in my life. I figured since Monday was the first day back, Sunday dinners should be back in order. I decided to make a HUGE vat of spaghetti meat sauce so we'd have lots for future meals. It was lots of fun! Linds helped make it with me while the boys played downstairs and watched football. It was a strangely stereotypical division of labor (which if you know me, you know that's not how I normally am), but it was a great time nonetheless.

My little helper:

I'm also trying to incorporate more veggies in my meals...one of  my resolutions for this year...so I roasted some broccoli to go with it. And, finally, after Lindsay's party, we were left with two double packages of hot dog rolls, so I used them to make some garlic bread. Naturally, the broccoli was not a hit, but everything else was. Here are the recipes!

Spaghetti Tomato/Meat Sauce
Ingredients
1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound ground sausage
2 yellow onions, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Blend the stewed tomatoes and crushed tomatoes in a blender.
2. In a large pot, brown the ground beef with the onions and garlic. 
3. Pour in tomatoes, and reduce heat. 
4. Add sugar, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, and cover. 
5. Simmer about 45 minutes. Serve warm over pasta of your choice.

 Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli
Ingredients
2 heads broccoli, separated into florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli before serving for a refreshing, tangy finish. 

Garlic Hot Dog Buns
Ingredients
6 hot dog buns, split in half
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. In a small bowl, mix butter, olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture evenly on the bread slices.
3. On a medium baking sheet, arrange the slices evenly and broil 5 minutes, or until slightly brown. Check frequently so they do not burn. 

And, as a special treat, we made chocolate milkshakes for dessert. Those were simple - chocolate ice cream, milk, and a little sprinkle of Nestle chocolate powder. I added a bit of Papa Kaminski's Kahlua to mine which made it even better ;-)

December 26 - Flank Steak Pinwheels

We invited our great friends and neighbors, Joy and Kortney, to join us for a post-Christmas dinner and Wii dance party last night. We were pretty stoked that we *finally* got a Wii...little behind the 8 ball...and I was planning on making flank steak pinwheels that would make twice what we could eat. What better way to wrap up the holiday weekend than with great friends, yummy food, and a whole lotta dancin?!?

The pinwheels turned out amazingly well (and so pretty! I rarely make "pretty" food.), and we had some garlic red potatoes to go with them. Joy and Kortney seemed to enjoy the countless rounds of dancing and Wii bowling, and the food was a hit! They ended up leaving around 8ish and then the boy and I put the kids to bed and went back to dancing. He found out his office was closed around 10ish, so the rest of our evening was determined from there...we were up until 1 a.m. dancing. And in those 5 hours, I think I beat him twice :( I thought I was a good dancer, but evidently my husband is far better?! I swear he was in a boy band in his former life...

And here's the recipe for the pinwheels and potatoes!

Flank Steak Pinwheels
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds flank steak, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped shallots (or onion)
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. In a large resealable bag, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, lemon juice, 1 clove of garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper. Squeeze the bag to blend well. 
2. Pierce the flank steak with a knife, making small slits about 1 inch apart. Place the steak into the bag, and seal. Refrigerate overnight to marinate. (I forgot to do it overnight and marinated for about 8 hours and it was just as good.)
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
4. Remove the steak from the bag, and discard marinade. Rub the salt and minced garlic over top of the beef.
5. Place layers of chopped shallots, bread crumbs, spinach, and cheese over the garlic. 
6. Roll the steak up lengthwise, and secure with kitchen twine or toothpicks (dental floss is also an acceptable substitute for the twine). Place the roll in a shallow glass baking dish.
7. Bake uncovered for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature of the roll is at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees F) in the center. Let stand for 5 minutes to set, then slice into 1 inch slices to serve. 

Honestly, it sounds much more labor intensive than it really is...it was a fairly quick meal to make and the results were really excellent! And here's the potato recipe - posted a few times, but definitely a fan favorite.

Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes
Ingredients
2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup butter, melted (I used low-fat)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). 
2. Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish. 
3. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. 
4. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes. Bake in preheated oven for at least 60 minutes (often a little longer).