After A Busy Day . . . or Month

Sometimes when you come home after work; or a long day at the zoo :) you just want to whip something up and throw it on the table.  But you don't want to sacrifice taste or nutrition.  So here's a really easy skillet meal that takes about 20 minutes from fridge to table - I can usually get it done in about 15.  Thanks for this tasty, quick meal idea, Mamaw (Sis Sells)--we use it a lot!!!

• 1 pckg of smoked sausage; the traditional rope (substitute turkey sausage if you want to go for a healthier option)
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 green bell pepper; seeded and chopped coarsely
• 1 small onion (optional)

Throw all ingredients in an ungreased non-stick skillet on med to med-high heat.  Toss around until everything's hot.  We serve it over minute rice - you can use white or brown, and just follow the instructions on the box.  To get that extra serving of veggies in there, stick some Steamfresh broccoli or sugar snap peas in the microwave and in six minutes you're good to go.  Voila!  Fridge to table in 20 minutes or less . . . what will your record be? 

Happy Cooking!

The Other White Meat

It seems like pork gets a bad wrap - don't eat sausage, don't eat ribs, don't eat ham and whatever you do stay the heck away from bacon!  ...Well, okay ALL pork cuts aren't the healthiest choices, but I say if you're really trying to change your habits to healthier eating (notice - not dieting, especially not fad dieting) then a little indulgence is necessary sometimes, or lookout for that midnight binge on the freezer burned ice cream in the way back of the freezer that you forgot was there, and those last five stale Oreo cookies in the pantry.  Okay, no one lets Oreo cookies sit around long enough to get stale - but you get my point!

Now, there are some pork options out there that maintain a healthier reputation -  tenderloin, loin chops, and lean ham.  Believe it or not - "...Compare pork tenderloin to skinless chicken breast, one of the ideal low fat meats. A three ounce serving of lean pork tenderloin has 102 calories, 2.9 grams of fat and 17.9 grams of protein. A three ounce serving of roasted, skinless chicken breast has 141 calories, 3 grams of fat and 26.4 grams of protein. The pork has 25% fewer calories and it's lower in total fat!"  This excerpt was taken from http://www.webefit.com/articles_100_199/article_180_pork.html.

So last night I decided to go with the loin chop - and I even found a rub that tastes great, is super-easy to make, and has a total weight-watchers point value of 5!  

Chili Crusted Pork Chops:
2 tsp chili powderd
1 1/2 tsp packed light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
20 oz lean pork loin, boneless center-cut chops, four 5 oz pieces (thawed)

Combine all your spices/salt/pepper in a big ziploc bag and mix well.  Toss in your pork loin and coat each piece, rubbing the mixture into the meat.  Grill chops for about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until meat has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.  Or if you haven't reached grill weather yet, throw them on the George Foreman for the same amount of time.  MMMMM!!!

For my sides, I threw some Steamfresh Sugar Snap Peas in the microwave and of course you can't serve pork chops without applesauce!  I also made up some cheesy-rice because it's a favorite around here!

Cheesy Rice:
(SUPER-easy)
Just make however many servings of white, minute rice as you usually would for your family size.  Cook according to instructions on the box.  After the rice soaks up the water, add a few slices of American cheese (I make 2 cups rice/water so Matt has lunch the next day, and I usually add about 5-6 pieces of cheese, but you can adjust accordingly).  After adding the cheese, cover rice and let sit for a few minutes so the cheese gets melt-y.  Then stir, mixing the cheese into the rice.  And you're done!  Kids everywhere will love this one!

So - if you've banished pork from your menu, consider this - fewer calories than you think and no trans fat makes some cuts of the "other white meat" worthy of adding back to your dinnertime rotation!

Happy Cooking!

A Lunchtime Solution

So, this isn't the family dinner but as I puttered around my kitchen yesterday trying to determine what to have for lunch it occured to me that sometimes you can move a lunch menu item to the dinner menu and vice versa.  So here it is -- Left-Over Quesadilla.

I always keep some soft tortilla rounds or whole wheat wraps in the pantry and it just so happened that I had leftover chicken (oven-baked, plain) in my fridge as well.  So, turn your broiler on Low and then throw together this easy Quesadilla.

• 1 soft tortilla round-or-1 whole wheat wrap 
• Sprinkle a little taco seasoning on 1/2 
• Slice up your cooked chicken (or other leftover meat - pork, ground beef, steak) and spread out over the taco seasoning
• Slice up whatever fresh veggies you have around (I used green peppers, but go with what you've got at home) and sprinkle over your chicken
• Add some shredded cheddar - you can make this healthier and use a white cheese, very little cheese, or none at all; but I say the more chedda' the betta'
• Fold over the round/wrap and secure with a toothpick 
• Throw it in the oven for about 3-5 minutes depending on how crispy you want your shell, then flip it over and put it back in for 3-5 additional minutes

Now, that's the 1/2 lunch version.  Should you wish to make this your dinner-time meal, just use 2 rounds/wraps and layer everything on one wrap and cover with the other.  Either way, you can serve alongside your favorite salsa and some sour cream for garnish.  Voila!  Dinner in under 15 minutes!

Happy Cooking!

Breakfast, for Dinner?

Well whatever invading virus that has been striking households across Southern IN got us--which is why I haven't posted recently.  But, we finally beat it and banished it from our house!  Now enough about germ-y ickyness.

How many times have you gone to start dinner and realized that you had not put anything in the fridge to thaw overnight and it is going on six p.m.?  Sure the microwave has a thaw option, but the meat never gets unfrozen enough to work with, or else it starts to cook causing tough spots in the finished product.  If you're frying up ground beef for something like tacos or chili, it's really not too big of a deal.  Chicken is another story.

So my dilemma tonight - wait around for the micro to thaw some beef, or serve up cold cereal?  Neither one strikes my fancy this particular evening, but the cereal begins to lead me in a new direction.  Breakfast for dinner.  


Call it crazy, but I can remember that some of the best meals I had sitting around the dinner table were actually breakfast foods.  Because let's face it; on the average weekday morning no one in my house was forgoing precious sleep to fry up bacon and eggs before school, and usually on the weekend sports practices, Sunday School, and other activities started pretty early as well.  So in order to have a family breakfast, we had to do it at supper time.  Pancakes, scrambled eggs and cheese, and bacon found their way to the table those evening hours - and as young children we thought it was amazing that you could even do that!

So tonight I took a lesson from Mom and Dad, and I served breakfast for dinner!  Our menu was a little different though.  Instead of pancakes, I decided to spice it up with French Toast.  NOT egg-dipped bread.  There is a difference...and please don't serve me fried bread that's been dipped in an egg and tell me I'm eating French Toast.  That's just wrong.

This is a simple recipe and can even be a small indulgence to those wishing to cut calories...what?!?!  Instead of white bread use whole wheat.  Instead of eggs use egg substitute, instead of butter use Pam cooking spray, instead of Buttery Maple Syrup use a light syrup, and just leave out the powdered sugar.  Ta-da!  

Now the first thing you want to do is make your coating for the bread which is what makes French Toast, French Toast, and not soggy, unappetizing, egg-dipped pan-fried bread.  In a small bowl crack 2 eggs, add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, and a splash of milk and whisk it all together (see - that is so easy, it makes you wonder why people go through the effort to dip bread into the egg and try to pass it off as edible instead of taking five extra seconds to add some spice!).  Grab a skillet and melt some butter over medium heat.  Dip your bread into the mixture, making sure to coat both sides very well.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned.  Place your French Toast on a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle some syrup on top - voila!  Breakfast for dinner!

I have to say, Peyton ate almost three whole pieces (and we used wheat bread) so even the finicky eaters will love this simple entree!

Happy Cooking!

Not on the Menu

Tonight I decided to pull out my recipe box, which is filled with recipes that I received at my bridal shower from family and friends!  Tonight's selection:  Salsa Chicken & Cheese Straws.  The chicken recipe is actually based on a recipe my Aunt April gave me, but I changed it up a bit so I didn't have to run to the grocery!  And the Cheese Straws are from the kitchen of my father-in-law, Barry Hicks.  Thanks for sharing, April & Barry!  Both recipes are super simple and require just a few ingredients (which I have again bolded so you can gather before you begin).

Start off with a pound of thawed chicken breasts (boneless, skinless, 3 or 4 pieces) and pound it so it's less rounded on top and has a bit of a flat, table-like top.  Then brown your chicken in a skillet on medium heat with a quarter of a stick of butter.  While it's browning, sprinkle a pinch of basil (or other favorite spice you have handy) over each piece of chicken and then cover.  Let it cook for about 25-30 minutes, turning occasionally.

While you're waiting for your chicken, you can start on the Cheese Straws.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of sharpest cheddar shredded/grated cheese, 1 & 1/2 sticks melted butter, 1 tsp salt, 1 dash crushed red pepper or hot sauce, 4 tbsp ice water.  It works a little better if you mix the salt and hot sauce in with the melted butter and then pour that over the flour/cheese mixture so everything gets evenly coated.  Mix well.  Let the dough chill in the freezer for a few minutes.  *If you pre-plan you can mix the cheese straw dough and let it chill in the fridge for an hour before you begin...it's a little easier to roll out that way.  Once it's chill, roll your dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness and then slice thin strips (however long you wish, but these tend to be fragile in my experience so the length of a french fry works best for me).  Bake for 20 minutes, and voila!

Matt's dad (Barry or "Biz") used to make these whenever he made spaghetti, but they're so good we like them with pretty much anything!

Back to our chicken - After 25-30 minutes sprinkle (or load) the chicken with shredded mozzarella cheese and a little bit of juice from your favorite salsa.  Re-cover and cook until cheese is bubbly and melted.  Serve topped with salsa!  I used the Paula Deen salsa posted Feb. 6th and it was tasty!!!

Plated up my chicken, cheese straws, and five-minute Steamfresh broccoli florets looked like a restaurant dish...but cost a lot less, took a lot less effort, and was enjoyed at our own family table!  This is a great family pleaser; or something you can serve to impress your guests!

Happy Cooking!

Homemade Salsa

Okay, I promised I wouldn't only post Paula Deen recipes (and I swear I won't), but this was sort of an impromptu Superbowl Salsa.  Matt convinced me to ditch the conventional jarred salsa and try my hand at making homemade salsa.  I will admit that I should have asked my friend, Dena, for her recipe . . . but like I said, it was sort of last minute.  Maybe I'll try hers (if she'd be kind enough to share it with me!) at a later date and post it.

Anyhoo - for those of you who don't like a super-hot salsa this is a perfect recipe.  For those of you who do like it hot; Matt and Cameron added some hot sauce in their bowls and really enjoyed it!  Or, throw in an extra jalepeno or two.  Again, I tweaked the recipe a little (because Matt forgot the red wine vinegar and we love cilantro which isn't in the original) but the original can be found on www.foodnetwork.com.  Search Paula Deen's Homemade Salsa.

This is also a really easy recipe to throw together, and I'm sure if you chilled for a couple of hours, the flavors would really meld together even more.  

Gather 3 large tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1 small bell green pepper (seeded), 1 4oz. can chopped green chiles, 2 limes (juiced), 1 jalepeno (seeded) and a small bunch of cilantro (stems off).  Chop up everything (except the limes, you only need the juice from those) and toss in a bowl!

Happy Cooking . . . well, Chopping!  :o)

The Potato

Who doesn't love a potato?  The range of food created from one of the most popular "root" vegetables is astonishing; baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, french fries, scalloped potatoes, stuffed potatoes, potato skins, hashbrowns, latkes, potato casseroles, potato salad, and of course - potato soup.

After the meatloaf success, I decided to go two-for-two with Paula Deen and try her Potato Soup with Shrimp recipe (I promise I won't only post the Butter Queen's recipes, but you gotta love her food!).  Anyway, the verdict - Score!  

Now while this recipe isn't quite as quick and easy as the meatloaf, there are a few ways to speed things up a bit.  The recipe I'll list below is the adjusted version, but if you want to stick to the original you can find it at www.foodnetwork.com and search "Potato Soup and Shrimp."  I've bolded all the ingredients throughout so you can get them ready before you start.

The first thing you need to do is decide what kind of shrimp you want to use.  The original recipe calls for fresh shrimp.  In that version you have to cook the shrimp, peel the shrimp, de-vein the shrimp, and remove the tails.  No thank you.  I bought one pound of frozen pre-cooked, tail-off shrimp that had already been peeled and de-veined.  So the only thing you need to do is put the shrimp in the fridge the morning you want to make the soup and let it thaw.

The next thing you have to do is peel potatoes - 8 medium Russet potatoes.  There's no easy way around that - but there are some nifty tools out there to help you get it done faster and a little bit safer.  There's the Palm Peeler available at Target for $6, the Titan Peeler from Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $15, or go retro with the Back to Basics A-505 Apple/Potato Peeler with Suction Base from Amazon for about $13 . . . in red, of course.  Choose your weapon and peel!  Once that's done, cube your potatoes into bite-size pieces and throw them in a bowl full of ice water to keep them from turning brown.

Microwave 1/2 cup of hot milk and throw 2 chicken bouillon cubes in there to dissolve.  Set aside.


Next up dice one small onion and two medium carrots (I left the carrots out-ick) and throw them in a 4 quart or larger saucepan with half a stick of butter.  Saute for about five minutes, or until the carrots and onion pieces are tender.  Then whisk in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and cook for 1 minute.

Drain your potatoes and toss them in the pan along with 4 cups of milk (D, 2%, or Skim) and the bouillon/milk mixture you made a minute ago.  Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes start to get mushy.  Then add 1 cup half-and-half, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Turn heat down to a simmer.

Finally - add your shrimp and stir well.  Serve with bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar on top!  (Matt really likes a couple of drops of hot sauce in his...it was pretty tasty, but I wouldn't add it to the whole pot.)  
*Also, if you want to let your soup simmer for an hour or so before you eat, wait and add your shrimp about 10 or 15 minutes before eating so they don't overcook.


Happy Cooking!

 

Meatloaf - To Eat, or Not To Eat?

For my first post, I decided to dive right in with one of the most controversial dishes in America - meatloaf.  I've heard it all from "Mmm...meat and ketchup, what's not to love?" to "I'll only eat Grandma Mae's meatloaf" to "Meatloaf?  Ewww."  As a matter of fact, once upon a time I was a big advocate for the third quote.  My whole life when I heard the word meatloaf, all I heard was a big wad of dry meat cleverly disguised in a puddle of ketchup.  Not very appetizing.

Yesterday evening I went online and searched for easy to make meals before I went to the grocery so I could plan my week's menu.  Of course, meatloaf popped up - and why not?  It's easy and it's cheap.  My first instinct was to hurry and click off the results page less I get sick from staring at all those meat-wads.  And then I saw it . . . it was so intriguing.  "Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf."  By Paula Deen.  Well, if Paula says it's good, then it must be - right?  I cautiously opened the page and scanned the ingredients; meat, bacon, cheese . . . so far, so good.  

So, I decided to be bold.  Strike out and try something new.  And I say BRAVO, Paula, you've done it again.  It was juicy, it was flavorful, and it was SO easy.  Once upon a time I would have never even considered meatloaf as a viable dinner option - and now, I see meatloaf on our dinner menu again in the very near future.  All of you who are like I once was, I encourage you to take a chance and give meatloaf a second chance!

*You can find this recipe at www.foodnetwork.com, just search recipes for Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf.  

Happy Cooking!