Adam was being inventive awhile back and created this really good recipe. We liked it so much that he hurried to write it all down before he forgot what he did ... which is a good thing, because when I made it tonight for dinner, he'd completely forgotten that he made it at all!
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 onion, chopped
spinach - choose your own quantity
sundried tomatoes - choose your own quantity
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp grains of paradise
1/2 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (you could just leave this out if necessary due to nut allergies)
1 tsp oregano
In skillet with olive oil, saute the chicken, onion, spices and extracts. When the chicken is cooked through, add the sundried tomatoes. Cook until soft. Then add the spinach and stir it around until it's wilted.
You can eat at this stage. OR you can make it into a sauce to put over pasta. We poured straight cream over the whole thing, and added a splash of apple juice. Yum.
I've always liked zucchini, but my mother-in-law had a garden this year so I got a LOT of it. I've shredded some for the freezer, I've pureed some and added it to spaghetti sauce. Here's a few other things I've done with zucchini this month.
Zucchini Boats - great to make with small zucchini. Can be used for a whole meal or as a side. Easy enough to change up the ingredients to suit your needs - add ground beef, mushrooms, etc.
Zucchini Chips - I've made these as chips (using small zucchini) and fries (with big to jumbo zucchini), dredging them in either milk or eggs. Both work, both are tasty.
Zucchini Cobbler - I prepared the zucchini according to this recipe, but added my usual crisp blend for the top. My husband loves apple crisp and gave a big thumbs up when he tried this. And THEN I told him it was zucchini. He was stunned. This is now known as deceitful crisp at my house. And this is awesome for large/jumbo zucchini because it uses so much up at once.
Zucchini Pizza - Yum Yum YUM! Fabulous use for large zucchini (not too huge, or you get the soft spot in the middle with all the large seeds). Tastes like regular pizza, but you don't feel so guilty eating a lot of it because there's no crust, just zucchini! Definitely a favorite.
Zucchini Carrot Muffins - when given a lot of zucchini everyone's first thought is to make bread or muffins. This was actually the last thing I tried (and they just came out of the oven). I halved the sugar, and replaced the oil with more applesauce. Very similar to the spiced carrot muffins I made last month, but with added pecans and raisins. I'd make them again. There are many other muffin recipes I'd like to try, so it's a good thing I've got a stash of shredded zucchini in the freezer.
After creating a dinner database (a big list of everything I like/would like to cook for dinner) planning meals has been less stressful. And if I have a plan, dinner actually gets made. The month of June has been quite successful. Tried out some new recipes, some that will end up in the regular rotation.
Pizza Rolls - based off a cinnamon roll recipe, but instead of cinnamon and sugar in the middle, it's pizza sauce and meat, with cheese melted on top. I had zero experience making cinnamon rolls, so they got a bit messy, but I'll get better when I make them again.
Zucchini Lasagna - Aaron doesn't like zucchini or lasagna, so I made this recipe while he was out of town. A bit more time consuming than I'd usually like to spend on dinner, but it was delicious. I didn't miss the lasagna noodles at all! Next time I'd love to add spinach to the sauce.
Smashed Potatoes - Nice change from our usual potato wedges. Good as a side.
Orange Muffins - Yummy! Yummy! Made them one week and loved them so much that I made a double batch the next. They freeze well. Not at all healthy, since there is a full cup of melted butter in there, but light and fluffy and delicious. I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream and one cup of (freshly squeezed) orange juice instead of a half, so I cut the milk down to half cup. And lots of zest.
Banana Peanut Butter Muffins - had to use the rest of the Greek yogurt before we leave town, so tried these. Much heavier and rich than the orange ones, but still pretty good. Not something I'd make super often, but they also freeze well.
Baked Broccoli - someone posted it on Facebook. I'm not usually a fan of cooked broccoli, but I've made this multiple times throughout the month. *Do not rinse the broccoli immediately before preparing. Chop your broccoli and toss with minced garlic, olive oil, and a little salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Easy and delicious!
And right now my husband is making a cherry cola BBQ sauce to go on some ribs for dinner tomorrow. Should be interesting!
Friends, this dinner was noteworthy. Nirvana on a plate. Adam's a good cook but seriously. When it comes to Mediterranean food, something just really comes together for us.
We skipped the typical turkey and mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner, and went with a Lebanese theme.
We had roast using this meat rub that we used on lamb at Easter. We were told by a friend that we could use roast if lamb is too expensive - and it was this time - and it worked spectacularly. Adam cooked it in the crockpot and it was very juicy and fell apart when cut into. The smell in our kitchen was amazing.
Adam made pita bread using this recipe - it didn't work out so well as the first time. The rolls were not hollow. So we tore out the middle and used the bread chunks in our dips, and voila! The shell is a regular pita pocket! For our pita appetizers, we had tomato, cucumber, green olives, black olives, strips of bell pepper, goat cheese, hummus, and an eggplant dip called baba gannouj. If you are a fan of hummus, may I suggest a replacement. Baba gannouj is absolutely delicious, not to mention hilarious to say. 8000 times. Baba gah-NOOSH! It was, by far, one of the most casual and relaxed and FUN meals we have had in a long time.
We also had, but hardly worth mentioning after all that, asparagus with lemon and rice.
And then dessert. Please join me in singing the Hallelujah Chorus. We have a new Christmas dessert at our house: Buche de Noel. It's a French cake shaped to be like a yule log - it's a flat, flourless cake with mousse rolled in the middle and covering it over the top, and it's all chocolate.
I could have sworn I'd already posted this since it's my favorite entree salad EVER, but I guess not. It's perfect for those hot days and tastes even better for leftovers from the fridge the next day.
Summer Chicken Salad
2 cups (or three large breasts if that's easier) cubed cooked chicken (I grill them on an indoor grill and season with seasoning salt)
3 celery ribs, diced
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1 cup raisins
1 cup + 2 T. mayonnaise
1 t. salt
1 T. pepper
1 cup chopped pecans
In a bowl, combine the chicken, celery, grapes, and raisins. Add mayo, salt and pepper; mix well. Stir in pecans. Can serve on lettuce and garnish with tomato slices.
You can buy all the ingrediants for under $20. Hard to do for such a delicious dinner! Bring on the gread spring ingrediants!
Here is a full and somewhat typical LDS Sunday meal (with a twist)
TEXAS STYLE MARINATED RUMP ROAST
2 pounds beef rump roast
½ cup garlic Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves fresh garlic – crushed
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Place in a Ziploc bag and add the roast. Marinate overnight, turning 2-3 times. Remove the roast from the marinade and put on a spit, cooking it at medium heat on the barbeque (325 deg) for approximately 25 minutes per pound. Baste occasionally with the leftover marinade. Let rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Prep Time: 10 min
Read in: 24 hours
Serves: 4
PARSLEY BOILED RED POTATOES
2 pounds red potatoes – washed and quartered (or for fun use an apple corer)
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup Italian parsley – chopped
¼ teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper – to taste
In a large pot, cover the potatoes with water. Add about 1 tablespoon salt and place a lid on the pot. Bring to a boil and remove the lid. Let cook until just for tender, about 40 minutes. Drain and transfer the potatoes to a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss gently until the butter has melted and the potatoes are coated evenly.
Prep Time: 5 min
Ready in: 55 min
Serves: 4
FRUITED SLAW
3 cups green cabbage leaves, shredded
2 navel oranges – peeled and sectioned
1 cup cherries – halved and pitted
1 cup seedless grapes – halved
1 Granny Smith apple – cored and diced
½ cup celery – thinly sliced
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ teaspoon poppy seed
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon blue agave nectar
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients up to the sunflower seeds. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Add the dressing to the fruit and toss to coat thoroughly.
¼ cup whipped cream – sweetened
1 cup fresh berries
For the cookies: preheat the oven to 350 deg. Line a cookie sheet with baking parchment or a silicone-baking mat. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until fine. Stir together the almonds, flour, zest, and salt in a large bowl. Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Stir into the almond mixture and mix until just combined. Let cool until it is easily handled. Form into 1 teaspoon balls and place 3 inches apart on the cookie sheet. You will only be able to fit 6 on a pan. Bake about 10 minutes until almost completely browned. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack with a thin bladed spatula. To assemble, just put a few dollops of cream on a cook and intersperse with berries.
Prep time: 1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour
Serves: 4
(here is an image for the tuiles for ideas on how to decorate if you've never made them - super easy)
Salad:
1 Head Romaine Hearts
½ Pound Ciliegine Mozzarella
1 Whole English Cucumber
½ Pint Grape Tomatoes – halved
½ Medium Red Onion – julienned
12 ounces croutons (I don’t add these but family loves them)
Balsamic Vinaigrette – light drizzle
Piave Cheese – grated for garnish
Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dry basil leaves
1 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
4 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt (I prefer maldon or a French grade)
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the vinaigrette combine all ingredients except for oil, salt and pepper. Stir with wire wisk and slowly add olive oil to create an emulsion. Finish with salt and add pepper. For the salad remove outer leaves, stock and leafy greens from top of romaine. Thoroughly rinse leaves and pat dry. Stack 4 to 5 leaves on salad plates. Drain mozzarella balls to remove all brine and arrange on plates. Rinse cucumber and slice in half lengthwise and then cut on a bias and arrange on salad plates. Remove outer skin of red onion and rinse. Split in half and julienne against the grain of the onion and arrange on the salad plates. Soak croutons in vinaigrette for fifteen minutes and arrange on salad plates. Drizzle salads with balsamic vinaigrette. Finish by sprinkling with the grated Piave cheese.
This is an absolutely fantastic salad. Great for spring and summer. This recipe came from an executive chef friend and has never failed. I hate vinegar, but this is perfect! Make. Eat. Enjoy!
(the picture I have here is not what I made … forgot to take a picture). This salad is really good with cornbread or ciabatta and some people like to make this Tuscan salad with some roasted assorted bell pepper and summer squash
Okay, I'm really behind on this, but Abby (the one in the "contributor" sidebar over there) posted these two things on her personal blog about beef stroganoff. You should read them. First, because she's hilarious and a fantastically snarky writer. Second, it's a good recipe for beef stroganoff. Sadly, I was raised on the "fake" beef stroganoff and am not fond of it. (No finger-pointing at my mom, though. With 8 kids, there was never steak in our house. I think the first time I actually ate steak, I was an adult.) I'm delighted to discover the correct way to make beef stroganoff because I had no idea there was another way to do it.
By the way, Abby, thank you for posting this blog in your comments, but at the same time, I'm offended that you didn't think yourself to cross-post those posts here. This is, after all, where we promote good eatin' and eliminating the junk from our kitchens. Including junk recipes, apparently.
the initial rant about fake vs. real beef stroganoff
a second post about how Abby makes the real beef stroganoff - make sure to read the comments as well.
I like this recipe because it is nice and cool, and filling as well. Great for the heat of summer!
1 lb pasta
2 cans tuna
1 cucumber
1 onion
1 bell pepper, any color
1 head of broccoli
salad dressing of choice ( I use Ranch, and have used Italian in the past)
shredded cheese
Cook, drain, and cool the pasta. I usually run cool water through it when I am draining it and that does the trick. Open and drain the tuna, then add to the pasta. Chop all vegetables, and add to the pasta. Add salad dressing to taste. I like to have a medium coating on it. Serve chilled with shredded cheese on top.
I do love the tenders, but I love this recipe more for the onion dipping sauce. I've been known to save a little afterwards to put on sandwiches the next day.
1 c. + 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise, divided
2 tsp. onion flakes
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 c. butter cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
8 oz. chicken tenders
½ c. sour cream
¼ c. chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
¾ tsp. seasoning salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
Preheat oven to 425*. Grease a baking sheet or cover it with foil. Combine 2/3 cup mayonnaise, onion flakes and dry mustard in a shallow bowl and mix well. Combine the cracker crumbs and sesame seeds in a shallow bowl and mix well. Dip chicken in mayonnaise mixture, then coat with cracker crumb mixture. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Bake the chicken until juices run clear, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine remaining mayo, sour cream, chopped onion, parsley, seasoning salt and garlic powder in a small bowl and mix well. Serve with chicken tenders. (For a more traditional dipping sauce, you can make honey mustard dip by mixing ¼ cup honey and 2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard.)
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces and cooked
broccoli
corn
red pepper, large dice
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
taco seasoning
Once you cook the chicken, combine it in a skillet with all of the other ingredients. I used frozen corn and broccoli, and fresh red pepper. Apparently you can also get a frozen veggie mix with these things.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes until everything is heated through.
Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips, and Monterey Jack cheese.
It's a VERY quick dinner - start to finish including any chopping and cooking the chicken was about 20 minutes. From a book called "One-Dish Recipes."
I've had this dish at Halloween since I was a tiny kid up until now when I make it for my own family. It's wonderful and very season-appropriate.
1 small 10” pumpkin, top cut out (set aside) and seeds cleaned out and discard
Combine and fry until tender:
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp. salt
2 ½ Tbsp. diced onion
1 tsp. oregano
1 clove minced garlic or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 lb. browned ground lean beef, drained (depending on width of pumpkin, can fit 1 ½ - 2 lbs. ground beef)
2 oz. ground ham
½ chopped green pepper
1 tsp. vinegar
3 eggs, beaten
2 c. cooked peas (optional)
Mix in 1 ½ c. cooked rice. Place all ingredients in pumpkin and replace pumpkin top. Bake at 350* on a cookie sheet for 1 hour (will have to put oven rack on lowest position). Serve dinner directly out of the pumpkin. (Be careful when removing the pumpkin from the oven as the cooking will have made the bottom very soft and it may fall through without support.)
This is a family staple for when company comes over. The longer you cook them (on the lower temperature) the moister the chicken and thus, the tastier it is. But if you don't have time and have to settle for the higher temp., then oh well. It's still good.
5 chicken breasts, raw (boneless and skinless)
½ lb. cooked ham, deli sliced 1/8” thick
1/2 stick butter
1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. milk
2 c. Progresso bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
1 10.5oz. can cream of chicken soup (regular, not lite), thinned slightly with milk
10-15 toothpicks
Either fillet chicken breasts or pound out flat. For each chicken breast: lay on a strip of ham. Add pat of butter and sprinkle some cheese on top. Roll up chicken breast and secure with 2-3 toothpicks to keep together. Dip in a bowl with the egg and milk. Then roll in bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Lay breasts in 9x13” pan, keeping space between each one. Cover with soup + milk (or can use leftover egg/milk mixture instead). Bake at 350* for 1 ½ hours or at 325* for 2 hours (lower temp. will result in more tender meat). Make certain breasts don’t burn (bigger pieces will take longer to cook completely).
Not in the count because I've made it before, but this is a great winter dinner!
1 pound small potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion sliced into thin rings
1/2 pound baby carrots
1 pound sausage - I use large link mild Italian sausage, and it's browned first.
2 tbl melted butter (or a substitute)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
thyme
1. Boil or microwave the potatoes first so they're tender but not too soft and mash-able. If you put them straight into the pan, it takes FOREVER to bake.
2. Toss the potatoes, onion, and carrots with the butter and spices until coated evenly. (I went pretty heavy handed with the thyme, and light on the salt and pepper.)
3. Put vegetables in a 9x13 pan prepped with non-stick spray or oil (or lined with foil - easier cleanup.)
4. Bake vegetables uncovered for 30 minutes at 400. Add sausage, bake for another 15-20 minutes.
6 of 50 and super, super easy ... This is best with a white fish - the recipe calls for sole or flounder, and I used tilapia. Tilapia isn't a particularly firm fish - it flakes apart like nobody's business, but it worked and I like it.
1. Tear off a square of foil big enough to wrap the fish in, and lightly oil it (with Pam spray or brushing on some oil). Have a separate piece of foil for each piece of fish, and put the fish in the center of the foil.
2. Sprinkle each piece of fish with Cajun seasoning (I used Old Bay seasoning), and top with thin slices of tomato, chopped chives, chopped garlic, and lemon juice.
3. Fold the packets shut and bake at 400 for 12 minutes.
4. Unwrap carefully and put onto plate, pour juices onto fish. I served it with rice (white rice with just butter and parsley sprinkled over it).
Another Martha Stewart "Everyday Food" magazine find (Jan/Feb 2007), and this one was also on an ad. I read this fancy-shmancy magazine to get recipes ... and use the ones in the advertising.
2 cups ham, chopped into medium-sized pieces
1 pound linguine
olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbl capers
1 cup peas, thawed if frozen
2 lemons - zest and juice
sea salt and black pepper
fresh mint
fresh basil
1. Cook pasta as usual.
2. Heat 2 tbl olive oil in skillet. Saute garlic first. Add ham and continue to saute until ham is warm. Add peas and capers, saute for another minute.
3. When the pasta is done and drained, add the pasta a little at a time to the skillet until the balance of pasta to ham/peas is the way you like it. Add lemon zest and juice, salt, pepper, 2 tbl of olive oil. Mix all together until heated through.
4. Remove from heat and toss with fresh mint and basil. Serve immediately.
Extra notes:
1. I used leftover ham from Christmas dinner and it worked great. I used only ONE lemon because the ham had originally been cooked with a pineapple glaze. Two lemons would have been way too much citrus.
2. I skipped the mint.
3. I actually used only about half the amount of pasta it called for to get the balance right. If you need to use the full box of pasta because of the size of your family or whatever, I recommend you add more ham and peas.
4. The ham and stuff in the skillet cooks very fast - you really can start the pasta first and then whip everything else together in the amount of time it takes to cook. That doesn't usually happen for me with cooking because I move pretty slowly.
This was actually part of an ad for Glad containers in the Martha Stewart magazine "Everyday Food" (Oct. 2007).
olive oil
2 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, large diced
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 10-ounce bag spinach
1 15-oz jar marinara sauce
1 15-0z container ricotta cheese
coarse salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, chopped
12 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash in batches and cook until just tender. Transfer to a plate and put in the refrigerator to cool.
2. Heat another tsp olive oil in the skillet. Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and salt to taste. Cook until softened. Then add spinach a handful at a time and cook until just wilted. Transfer to a bowl and put in the refrigerator to cool.
3. At this point, the directions say to let the vegetables cool overnight - I didn't do that. I just put them in the freezer while I was getting the next stuff prepped.
4. Combine ricotta, basil, and salt to taste.
5. Put half of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Layer 1: 3 noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta mixture, the squash. Layer 2: 3 noodles, 1/3 ricotta, half of the spinach veggie mix. Layer 3: Same as layer 2. Layer 4: 3 noodles, the rest of the sauce over the top, mozzarella on top of everything.
6. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 for about 50 minutes. When it's done, let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.
Extra notes:
1. Instead of 2 squashes, I used 1 squash and 1 zucchini just because I felt like it.
2. I didn't use fresh basil - I used dried and didn't measure it.
3. I do not use marinara sauce from a jar. I make my own. I'll put directions for that in the next post - it's really easy.
4. The marinara sauce is only on the bottom and the top. If you want sauce throughout, double the amount of sauce and add it with each layer. I thought it tasted fine the way it was - you didn't drown all the flavors of the various vegetables in tomato sauce. But it was a little dry, and Adam likes more sauce. So next time I'll add a little bit in the layers but not much.
This was a new recipe that I made tonight for dinner with the missionaries. 1 for 50 on the year.
