Martha Cooks!

Gyro Meatloaf

2012-02-12T17:55:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds ground lamb or ground beef
1 cup refrigerated tzatziki sauce

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble lamb over mixture and mix well. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until no pink remains and a thermometer reads 160°. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with tzatziki sauce.

Comments:
This was really good. I used beef and skipped the tzatziki, but the meatloaf had really good flavors. I'm a sucker for spinach hidden inside of something else and the oregano just makes the whole house smell wonderful.

Cheesy Potato Soup

2012-02-12T15:59:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chopped red potato (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring onion mixture constantly. Add potato, milk, broth, and 1/2 cup water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese and ground red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Top each serving evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped green onions.

Comments:
This was... ok. It takes a whole lot longer than 10 minutes to get the potatoes cooked though. I let it go more than 20 and there were still some that were questionable. I added a lot of black pepper to mine and we both added some extra cheese on top. Adam suggested adding bacon or ham to the base for some additional flavor. Might try this again, but I'd definitely tinker with the recipe.

Adam Cooks: Chocolate-Mint Hearts

2012-02-12T15:55:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) mint chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shortening
Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips; stir. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and melted chocolate. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

In a microwave, melt shortening and remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle chocolate with sprinkles if desired. Place on waxed paper; refrigerate until set.

Comments:
In honor of Valentine's Day, Adam made these cookies. I think the chocolate dip tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. Overall, pretty good. Can never get enough chocolate!

Shredded Barbecue Chicken with Grits

2012-02-05T19:27:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon ground ancho chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken with pepper; place in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup broth, barbecue sauce, molasses, chili pepper and cinnamon; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Shred meat with two forks and return to the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water and remaining broth to a boil. Slowly stir in grits and pumpkin. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.

Divide grits among six serving bowls; top each with 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Serve with tomato, sour cream, green onions and cilantro.

Comments:
Adapted this one a little for what I had around. Left out the cinnamon and pumpkin, used cheddar instead of pepperjack, omitted the tomato and cilantro. Overall not too bad. Adam thought it would make a good sandwich.

Mexican Manicotti

2012-02-05T19:22:00.000-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 package (8 ounces) manicotti, cooked and drained
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies, optional
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, chili powder and cumin. Stuff into manicotti shells.

Place in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Combine tomato sauce and chilies if desired; pour over manicotti. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Comments:
I left out the optional chiles, but otherwise pretty much stuck to the plan. I chose this recipe to use up some refried beans and it worked like a charm. Pretty tasty and relatively easy to assemble. Although I notice every time I make manicotti I think to myself "man, I really hate making manicotti." Such a pain in the butt, stuffing all those shells. *sigh*

Brookies

2012-02-05T12:42:00.002-06:00

From Andrea the Kitchen Witch

Ingredients:
2 cups high quality 62% cacao chocolate chips
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T oil
1 t butter
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with the oil and butter until melted. Stir well to melt all chips. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.

In a medium work bowl mix the eggs and brown sugar together. Add the melted chocolate, stirring well to thoroughly mix. Scrape down sides before adding the flour mix. Whisk it in until just in mixed, then add the remaining chocolate chips and stir well.

Transfer batter to a shallow pan, like a pie pan and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up batter before scooping.

Scoop cookies onto either a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan. Using a 1T size scoop, form cookies.

Bake 10-11 minutes, until tops are dry looking and cracked like a brownie. Remove from oven and allow to rest on tray for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The centers will be very soft and brownie like in texture. These cookies are best consumed in the first 12 hours, they begin to dry out after that and lose that brownie like texture.

Comments:
Not brownies, not cookies, Brookies.

These are awesome. Go make them right now.

I did screw up the recipe a little and I melted all the chocolate chips instead of reserving half of them to stir into the batter. Doesn't appear to have affected the end result too much. Also, you must resist the temptation to just eat all the batter when you take it out of the freezer. Good lord, it looked tasty!

Baked Mozzarella Bites

2012-02-05T12:38:00.003-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 (1-ounce) sticks part-skim mozzarella string cheese
3 tablespoons egg substitute
Cooking spray
1/4 cup lower-sodium marinara sauce

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup panko to pan, and cook for 2 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and place the panko in a shallow dish.

3. Cut mozzarella sticks into 1-inch pieces. Working with one piece at a time, dip cheese in egg substitute; dredge in panko. Place cheese on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 3 minutes or until the cheese is softened and thoroughly heated.

4. Pour the marinara sauce into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring after 30 seconds. Serve with mozzarella pieces.

Comments:
Like a lot of the comments on the Cooking Light website, I could not get the panko to stick to the cheese. Kind of disaster. But they tasted ok. I don't know that I'd make them again though.

Quick Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts

2012-02-05T12:34:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Also seen here.

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Directions:
1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness (about 1/2-inch), using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine mayonnaise, soy sauce, juice, and chile paste in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard the marinade.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken evenly in panko. Add half of chicken to pan; saute 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken.

Comments:
I did marinate them this time. I don't know if it made a difference or not. They were still pretty good. I like easy recipes.

Portobello Mushroom Pizza Cups

2012-02-05T12:30:00.003-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
4 large portobello mushrooms (3 inches)
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup marinara or spaghetti sauce
12 slices pepperoni, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Directions:
Remove and discard stems and gills from mushrooms; brush caps with oil. Place rounded sides down on an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the pizza sauce, pepperoni, green pepper and 1-1/4 teaspoons Italian seasoning; spoon onto mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining Italian seasoning. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and cheese is bubbly.

Comments:
I left out the pepperoni and green peppers so it probably deserved the "this is boring" verdict given by Adam. I'm not a mushroom fan, but I've decided I should try and branch out a little. (But I do draw the line with fish. I just can't do salmon. Sorry.) These were ok - got really liquidy when they cooled a little. Good concept, I think the problem was with the execution.

Adam Cooks: Overnight Cinnnamon Rolls

2012-01-29T11:07:00.002-06:00

From Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

FILLING:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.

5. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

6. The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

7. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Comments:
Good lord, anything with seven steps is just too much work for me. Last night Adam decided he wanted cinnamon rolls. So he made these. He ended up using some Penzey's cinnamon sugar (the free item in the last catalog!) and left out raisins. Because he knows I hate them. He's nice like that. There's a glaze that goes with this (which you'll see in the original recipe if you follow the link) that he left out. Just used store bought cream cheese frosting. Yum. All in all, a pretty good way to start the morning.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

2012-01-29T11:02:00.002-06:00

From Weight Watchers

Ingredients:
1 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 pound(s) uncooked broccoli, tough ends removed, stems and florets chopped
4 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Directions:
Combine onion and garlic in a 2-quart saucepan with 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until onion is soft, about 10 minutes; spoon vegetables into a large pot.

Add broccoli and broth to pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Once soup boils, reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is soft but still green, about 8 minutes. Do not cover pot while broccoli is cooking or it will turn gray.

Remove soup from heat; puree until smooth in batches in a blender (be careful not to splatter hot liquid) or puree in pot using an immersion blender. Add evaporated milk and hot pepper sauce to soup; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Comments:
I read some of the reviews on this recipe before making it so I also made some adjustments to the original recipe. I added some cornstarch to thicken it. Added cheese. Added a bunch of Penzey's "Mural of Flavor" spice blend. It was ok, but still not the best. I'm not really a cream of broccoli fan anyway, but I don't know that I'd try this again.

Adam Cooks: Cheeseburger Quiche

2012-01-29T10:54:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)

Directions:
In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain and set aside. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, milk, oregano, salt and pepper; beat in eggs. Stir in beef mixture and 1 cup cheese. Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Allow to stand 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Comments:
Given my history with ugly, unphotogenic (but tasty!) quiches, Adam decided to take a crack at it (get it? Crack. Bcause there are eggs. Ha. Ok sorry, back to the topic at hand) and see how his success would compare to mine. He used the second half of the totally awesome pie crust he made last week for the flat apple pie. It did take signficantly longer than the recipe says, but eventually it set up pretty well. It was pretty tasty, but seemed to be missing... something. Maybe bacon? Maybe pickles? We couldn't quite put our finger on it. Still, good stuff, and much prettier in a picture than any quiche I've made. :-)

Pantry Pasta

2012-01-29T10:47:00.004-06:00

From The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond via FoodNetwork

Ingredients:
1/2 whole red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1/3 cup chicken stock or white wine
1/3 cup assorted olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 whole jar artichoke hearts, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons jarred pesto
1/2 cup fork-chunked feta
3 tablespoons dry-toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Add the onions into a skillet with the olive oil over medium heat. Saute for a few minutes, and then add in the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, olives, artichoke hearts and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine with the sauce. Mix in the pesto. Toss in the feta and top with the pine nuts.

Comments:
I don't know that I've ever made anything from The Pioneer Woman that I haven't totally loved. I caught this recipe on her new(ish) show on the Food Network and I knew it was right up my alley. A local Italian restaurant makes a version of this and I love it and this is what I always get at Stone Cellar as well. Olives and tomatoes and artichokes and pasta = Heaven! I did leave out the pesto since I'm not particularly a fan. I also used some Garden Delight Ronzoni in an effort to up the healthy components. I'm not sure about the two servings thing though - this makes a whole lot, and unlike Ree, I don't live on a working ranch and chase cows around all day.

Adam Cooks: Asian Beef with Broccoli

2012-01-29T10:38:00.003-06:00

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless chuck steak, about 1 1/2 inches thick, sliced into thin strips
1 10.5 oz can condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 16 oz bag fresh broccoli florets
Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds (opt)

Directions:
1. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour consomme and oyster sauce over beef. Cover; cook on high 3 hours.

2. Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp cooking liquid in small bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir into slow cooker. Cover; cook on high 15 minutes longer or until thickened.

3. Pole holes into broccoli bag with fork. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Empty bag into slow cooker. Gently toss beef and broccoli together. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Comments:
Maybe it was because we couldn't find beef consomme so we used beef broth. Or maybe it was because we skipped the oyster sauce. Whatever the reason, this was really boring. Very bland, not interesting texturally or flavorally (is that even a word?) at all. Probably wouldn't make this again - I have a different slow cooker version I much prefer.

Nice 'N' Easy Italian Chicken

2012-01-22T18:33:00.003-06:00

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz jar pasta sauce
hot cooked spaghetti

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except pasta in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over spaghetti.

Comments:
Not much out there that's easier to make than this. This is the classic "throw some stuff in the crockpot and forget about it" meal. It turned out really well. I did use a red pepper rather than the green since I think green peppers tend to overpower everything else in the dish. It does make a lot for just two people so I ended up freezing a bunch. We'll see how it tastes when it's thawed.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

2012-01-22T18:26:00.003-06:00

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

Ingredients:
1 16oz package frozen mixed berries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together berries, sugar, tapioca, and lemon peel in a medium bowl. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter; stir until just blended. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of berry mixture. Cover; cook on low 4 hours. Uncover; let stand about 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Comments:
Pretty simple, pretty tasty. The berries end up being very sweet so you really need the ice cream to cut it a bit. And the crust is really good too. Stays nice a moist but with a little chewy top layer. And you can make this is a ton of iterations with all different kinds of berries. Thumbs up.

Adam Cooks: Flat Apple Pie

2012-01-22T18:20:00.004-06:00

From The Pioneer Woman via FoodNetwork

Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust (recipe is in link above)
6 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

Comments:
OMG. This was so good. My dislike of pie crust is well known (and well documented here on this blog) so I was skeptical of Ree's "perfect pie crust" that everyone raves about. And apple pie especially, not my favorite. But seriously people. It's wonderful. The crust, so flaky and just awesome. Perfect pure apple flavor without all that cinnamon and spice junk to mess it up. Go make it immediately.

Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries

2012-01-15T15:12:00.002-06:00

From The Pioneer Woman

Chicken recipe can be found here. (It's a good one!)

Ingredients:
3 pounds Brussels Sprouts
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Dried Cranberries

Directions:
Trim/clean Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half if desired (or you can leave them whole). Arrange on two baking sheets and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown.

Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on dried cranberries. Toss and serve immediately.

Comments:
This was my first attempt at cooking Brussels sprouts. It was also my first attempt at EATING Brussels sprouts. I don't know why it's taken me almost 30 years to venture into this culinary territory. I guess the opportunity just never presented itself prior to this occasion. But I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman Christmas show on FoodNetwork and I thought it sounded yummy. So I made it. And it was yummy. Yay for fulfilled expectations!

My one caution is about this glaze thing. Wow, does it get thick. As in, good luck scraping it out of your saucepan and serving dish thick. Yikes! Tricky clean-up aside, this was a great introduction to a new veggie.

Oven-Fried Pork Chops and Parmesan Potato Wedges

2012-01-15T15:01:00.003-06:00

From Cooking Light (pork) and Crockpot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes (potatoes)

For the pork

Ingredients:
2 cups panko or other coarse bread crumbs
1 1-oz. packet onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika
Pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons flour
6 6-oz. boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Arrange a rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix bread crumbs with soup mix, paprika and pepper in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. water. Spread flour on a plate. Dredge pork chops in flour. Coat both sides of each pork chop with mustard mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs to coat well. Place chops on prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. melted butter over each chop. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning chops over halfway through cooking time for even browning. Let chops rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Layer potatoes, onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and butter in slow cooker. Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Comments:
The pork was good. Even with sub-par meat the breading was pretty good. I even ate all of mine, which is impressive since I don't really like pork all that much. On the other hand, the potatoes were iffy. Potatoes in the crockpot generally end up all mushy and despite the high cooking temp and the deceivingly delicious picture in the cookbook, they ended up, well, kind of mushy. Still ok tasting, but not something I'd make again.

Moroccan Chicken Salad

2012-01-15T14:58:00.002-06:00

From Eating Well

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine rice, chicken, carrots, scallions and olives in a large bowl. Whisk together broth, orange juice, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, oil, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl. Toss dressing with rice mixture.

Comments:
I went a little heavy handed with the cayenne on this one. And again with the cinnamon. I'm just not a cinnamon fan, I guess. I might try this again skipping those two ingredients, but I don't know. The balance of rice to carrots to chicken seemed off to me and Adam didn't really care for it at all.

Adam Cooks: Baked Haddock

2012-01-15T14:55:00.001-06:00

We can't for the life of us find the recipe used for this meal. It's lost in the maze of the internet... but it was good! Fish breaded with panko and baked.

Indian-Style Apricot Chicken

2012-01-15T14:44:00.004-06:00

From CrockPot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes

Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz package dried apricots
1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
Hot basmati rice

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to prepared slow cooker.

2. Add onion to skillet. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook and stir 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture is fragrant. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Cook 2 or 3 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Pour into clow cooker.

3. Add apricots and saffron, if desired. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours) or until chicken is tender. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with basmati rice.

Comments:
We weren't sold on this one. Adam wasn't a fan of all the tomato action. I didn't like the cinnamon part. We ate it, but probably wouldn't make it again.

Polish Sausage and Veggies

2012-01-02T19:35:00.003-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1 pound smoked Polish sausage or smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup julienned sweet yellow pepper
1/2 cup julienned sweet red pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the potatoes, sausage, onion, peppers and Cajun seasoning in oil and butter for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Comments:
This was really good (and easy!) I added some leftover broccoli for additional vegetable action. We also had no Cajun seasoning so I used some of the 33rd & Galena spice from Penzey's Kind Heart Gift Set. Honestly couldn't even taste it so I added a bunch of pepper to my serving. I heart pepper!

Weekly Menu 4/2 through 4/8

2011-04-02T14:48:00.002-05:00

Saturday 4/2 - Turkey & Bow Ties

Sunday 4/3 - Porcupines

Monday 4/4 - Hawaiian Chicken

Tuesday 4/5 - Pork Chops Stuffed with Feta and Spinach

Wednesday 4/6 - Out

Thursday 4/7 - Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

Friday 4/8 - Herb-Marinated Shrimp

This Week's Dessert:
Cannoli Cream Banana Parfaits

Sloppy Jose Supper

2011-04-02T14:44:00.002-05:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 package (8-1/2 ounces) corn bread/muffin mix
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 celery rib, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/4 cups salsa
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
sour cream

Directions:
Prepare and bake corn bread according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, red pepper, onion and celery over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the garlic, chipotle pepper, chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute longer.

Stir in salsa and chili sauce; simmer for 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Cut corn bread into nine squares; save four pieces for another use. Top each square of remaining corn bread with 2/3 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons cheese. Dollop with sour cream.

Comments:
This was good, but it made us both sick. Not sure if it was bad meat, bad something, but I just threw out the leftovers because neither of us wanted to risk it.

Gemelli with Fennel and Hot Sausage

2011-03-27T19:28:00.001-05:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
3/4 pound hot italian sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large bulb fennel, cut into strips
1 large onion, sliced
3 carrots, sliced on an angle
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound gemelli pasta
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. On a baking sheet, toss the sausage, fennel, onion and carrots with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

3. Add the sausage-vegetable mixture to the pasta. Add the reserved pasta cooking water to the baking sheet, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to the pasta mixture. Toss in the parsley; season with salt and pepper

Comments:
I subbed some celery for the fennel since neither of us dig the anise flavor. It worked out fine. It's a teensy bit spicy for me, but Adam liked it. I used some Creste di Gallo pasta we got for Christmas since I didn't have gemelli and I thought it was a neat shape. Looks like little Stegosauruses. But that might just be me...

Bean 'N' Beef Crescent Pie

2011-03-27T19:25:00.002-05:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1-1/4 pounds ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/3 cup salsa
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup refried beans
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook the beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add taco seasoning and salsa; simmer, uncovered, until thickened. Meanwhile, unroll crescent roll dough. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; seal perforations. Spread cream cheese over the dough.

Stir the refried beans into beef mixture. Spoon over cream cheese layer. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Comments:
This was just ok. The crescent roll dough up the sides of the pan gets too well done and the filling is nothing spectacular. Probably wouldn't try this again.

Weekly Menu 3/26 through 4/1

2011-03-26T16:30:00.000-05:00

Saturday 3/26 - Bean & Beef Crescent Pie

Sunday 3/27 - Gemelli with Fennel and Hot Sausage

Monday 3/28 - Turkey & Bow Ties

Tuesday 3/29 - Sloppy Jose Supper

Wednesday 3/30 - Out - Beauty and the Beast at the PAC

Thursday 3/31 - Chicken Parmesan

Friday 4/1 - Out

This Week's Dessert:
Energizing Granola (true, not exactly a "dessert" but I'm counting it.)

Tacoritos

2011-03-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 pound ground beef
1/4 pound bulk pork sausage
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 cup refried beans
2 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
In a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth; gradually add water. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in chili powder and garlic salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef, sausage and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in refried beans; heat through.

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in a greased 8-in. baking dish. Spread 1 tablespoon sauce over each tortilla; place 2/3 cup meat mixture down the center of each. Top each with 1/4 cup cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in prepared dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top; sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Comments:
I'm not sure these are so much tacoritos as they are tachiladas. It's quite obviously an enchilada sauce we're making here and if you forget to fold the bottom... enchiladas. So there you go. Mexican food according to Martha.

Anyway, pretty simple assembly and quick baking time. Adam really liked these and I didn't mind them.

Mango Chicken with Plum Sauce

2011-03-22T20:29:00.003-05:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed
2 large carrots, sliced diagonally
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
1 can (4 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound finely chopped cooked chicken breast (about 3 cups)
2 medium mangoes, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup plum sauce
2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir in broth and teriyaki sauce until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened. Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the snow peas, carrots, zucchini, onion, pepper and water chestnuts in oil until crisp-tender. Add the chicken, mangoes and broth mixture; heat through. Stir in plum sauce. Serve with rice. Sprinkle with almonds.

Comments:
This dish perfectly represents the difference between my food preferences and Adam's. I'd eat this every day. Seriously. Adam? He said it was ok and he'd like to have it again...in a year.

Anyway, left out the water chestnuts because they're on Adam's "hell no" food list. Also didn't add the almonds because... ok, because I forgot. Stir-fries require mad multi-tasking skillz and I failed on that one. Oh well. It was fine without them. I used my rice cooker for the first time in ages. I love it! I wish I didn't have to make 4 cups of rice to use it... but when I do it's the best rice ever. Do they make smaller rice cookers? I should google that later...

Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

2011-03-22T20:26:00.002-05:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
Salt and pepper
8 slices sourdough bread
1/2 pound deli-sliced ham
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Directions:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the eggs; season with salt and pepper.

2. Brush the bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Layer the eggs, ham and cheese on half of the bread slices, then set the remaining bread slices on top.

3. In the same skillet, working in batches, fry the sandwiches over medium heat, turning once, until golden-brown, about 8 minutes.

Comments:
I had Adam make an omelet from the eggs rather than used fried ones because... eww. Also used a panini press instead of pan-frying. Worked just fine. These are pretty good. Not ground-breaking or earth-shattering. But a good, quick meal.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Sage Butter

2011-03-20T20:12:00.002-05:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
1 large baking potato (about 12 ounces)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup Basic Batter Salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:
1. Microwave the potato on high until tender, about 12 minutes; let cool slightly. Peel and mash until smooth.

2. In a large bowl, combine the potato, ricotta and parsley. Stir in the batter and season with salt. Stir in the flour. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and roll into a 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut the dough crosswise into 1-inch pieces.

3. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter and 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms and cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes; stir and cook for 1 minute longer. Season with salt and pepper; transfer to a plate. Repeat with 2 more tablespoons butter, the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil and the remaining mushrooms. Stir in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter, the sage, nutmeg and reserved mushrooms; cover to keep warm.

4. In a pot of simmering, salted water, working in 3 batches, cook the gnocchi until tender and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a platter. Pour the mushroom mixture on top and toss.

Comments:
Yes, yes, I completely sold out and used pre-packaged gnocchi. This wasn't even a very hard gnocchi recipe and I still wimped out. I hang my head in shame. If only those stupid Colavita gnocchi weren't so good!

Anyway, gnocchi aside, this was pretty easy to throw together. It was my side-prepped meal that caused all my problems. I'm not a fan of the mushroom so I planned to throw my half of the gnocchi in a bowl with some peas and parmesan cheese. Except I put the plastic container of peas on the burner I'd just taken the gnocchi pot off of. Oops. Ah, the smell of burning plastic! I blame it on the fact that just minutes earlier I'd slammed my right hand in the cabinet door.

Anyway. Not my night...

There's a lot of butter in this recipe. A lot more than I ever cook with. But I used it and I used it all. Adam didn't rave, but he did save the leftovers for later so it couldn't have been awful.

Weekly Menu 3/19 through 3/25

2011-03-19T19:56:00.000-05:00

Saturday 3/19 - Adam's Night Out

Sunday 3/20 - Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Sage Butter

Monday 3/21 - Ham, Egg, and Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday 3/22 - Mango Chicken with Plum Sauce

Wednesday 3/23 - Tacoritas

Thursday 3/24 - Turkey & Bow Ties

Friday 3/25 - Fish and Fries

This Week's Dessert:
Mississippi Mud Pie

Adirondack Red Wing Burgers

2011-03-19T19:53:00.002-05:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
4 sandwich-size english muffins, toasted
4 deli slices cheddar cheese
1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1/4 cup pickle relish

Directions:
1. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium heat. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Reserve the skillet. Mix the turkey, dill and poultry seasoning into the vegetable mixture; season with salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties.

2. In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until firm, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the butter to the skillet to melt, then stir in the hot sauce. Add the patties to the sauce, turning to coat. Top each with some of the blue cheese and a cheddar slice. Tent with foil, turn off the heat and let stand until the cheese is melted.

3. Top each muffin bottom with some lettuce, a patty, some relish and a muffin top.

Comments:
Relatively easy, although I always seem to burn the first side of a turkey burger. Nice flavor, but Adam didn't like the English muffin bun - too dry.

Lamb Kebabs

2011-03-19T19:51:00.001-05:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
5/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large garlic clove, grated
1 pound boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
1. Combine yogurt, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); stir with a whisk. Place yogurt mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add lamb; seal and marinate in refrigerator 45 minutes.

2. Prepare grill to medium heat.

3. Remove lamb from bag; discard marinade. Thread lamb evenly onto 8 (10-inch) skewers; sprinkle evenly with 3/8 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack; grill 4 minutes for medium-rare or desired degree of doneness, turning once. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Comments:
I'm generally not a fan of lamb in a best case scenario. This was not even good. The cut of meat we got was very fatty and didn't turn out well at all. If I do lamb, I think I'll stick with ground versions.

Broccoli Cheese Bake

2011-03-19T19:48:00.001-05:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
2/3 cup fat-free milk
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Place 1 in. of water and broccoli in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in onion and cheddar cheese until cheese is melted. Drain broccoli; stir into cheese sauce.

Transfer to a 1-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Comments:
I swear I made this before but I can't find it here on my blog. Anyway, I tend to cook the heck out of broccoli but I think I did ok with this stuff. Not spectacular, but ok. I think I'd stick with plain broccoli next time though.

Italian Sausage Rigatoni

2011-03-19T19:42:00.002-05:00

From Johnsonville Sausage

Ingredients:
1 pkg (19.76 oz) Johnsonville® Italian Mild Sausage Links
1 pkg (1 lb) rigatoni pasta
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg sweet red pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1 jar (26 oz) of your favorite pasta sauce

Directions:
Cook sausage links according to package directions.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds or until golden. Add red peppers; sauté for 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Cut sausage into 1/4-inch coin slices; add to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce; heat through.

Add pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with parsley.

Comments:
Easy - I had Adam grill the sausage. I wasn't too much of a fan of the peppers and Adam didn't like the tomatoes, but together we liked the whole thing. Little bit of a Jack Sprat deal. I don't know that I'd make this again. Kind of boring.

Weekly Menu 3/12 through 3/18

2011-03-12T19:30:00.000-06:00

Saturday 3/12 - Lamb Kebabs

Sunday 3/13 - Bacon Cheese Topped Chicken

Monday 3/14 - Pork Tenderloin in the Slow Cooker

Tuesday 3/15 - Adam on his own - IMA

Wednesday 3/16 - Spicy Meatballs with Firey Chili Sauce

Thursday 3/17 - Adirondak Red Wing Burgers

Friday 3/18 - Herb-Marinated Shrimp

This Week's Dessert:
Shortbread Bites (from Rachael Ray, but not on her site yet)

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

2011-03-06T20:38:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
Bread:
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Cooking spray
Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Comments:
Ridiculously easy, turned out great. I tried to be artistic with the glaze, but you can see how well that went. Bah. I'm not a fan of bananas. At all. And it was kind of hard to mash the things up and put them in the batter. The smell... ugh. But once it was baked it wasn't so bad. And the peanut butter glaze definitely helps cut the "banana" in the "banana bread." Adam says he doesn't like the banana/pb combo, but he hasn't tried it yet so I hope he's reserving his opinion.

Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata

2011-03-06T20:36:00.001-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 1 large)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
1 3/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 (1-pound) loaf country-style white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
Cooking spray
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled goat cheese, divided

Directions:
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Comments:
Quite a bit of prep work on this recipe as well, although not all of it is active. This one is worth it though - great results. I cannot believe I went so many years not knowing how awesome goat cheese is. Yum.

Hot Potatoes

2011-03-06T18:00:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
7 small yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as yukon gold
1 cup broccoli florets
2 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons reduced-fat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeño chile
Salt and pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Chili powder, for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.

2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan of boiling water, cook the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Finely chop the broccoli and place in a medium bowl.

3. Slice 6 potatoes in half. Scoop out half of the flesh from each piece and add to the broccoli. Peel and finely chop the remaining potato and add to the mixture. Add the cheese, 2 tablespoons yogurt and the jalapeño; mash coarsely and season with salt and pepper.

4. Preheat the oven to 425°. Arrange the potato halves cut side down on a baking sheet and lightly coat them with cooking spray; invert and season with salt and pepper. Divide the stuffing among the potato halves. Lightly coat with cooking spray and sprinkle with chili powder. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon yogurt and more chili powder.

Comments:
A lot of prep work on these ones, and I'm not sure the end result was really worth the effort. It definitely needs more cheese and I couldn't find my chili powder until after I had put them in the oven (stupid Spring cleaning - I can't find anything these days...) so they weren't really "hot" as in spicy at all. Eh.

Poblano Popper Sliders

2011-03-06T17:56:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 large poblano chiles
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 small ripe avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
A handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 fresno or jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
3/4 pound ground beef sirloin
3/4 pound ground pork
1/2 palmful each ground cumin, ground coriander and sweet smoked paprika (about 1 1/2 teaspoons each)
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/3 cup beer, such as Negra Modelo
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Sliced pepper jack, hot-pepper cheddar or sharp yellow cheddar cheese, folded or cut to top burgers
8 white, potato or whole wheat slider rolls, split

Directions:
1. Preheat the broiler to high. Broil the poblanos (with the oven door ajar to allow steam to escape) to char them all over. Place the chiles in a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel and seed the chiles, then, using a food processor, puree them.

2. Meanwhile, season the red onion rings with half of the lime juice, salt, pepper and a little EVOO to coat. In a second bowl, mash together the avocado, sour cream, cilantro, fresno chile and remaining lime juice; season to taste with salt.

3. In a large bowl, combine the beef, pork, pureed poblano, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt and lots of pepper. Mix in the beer and worcestershire. Form the mixture into eight 3-inch patties (a little thinner in the center and thicker at the edges). Drizzle a little EVOO in a large skillet or nonstick griddle over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook, turning once, for about 7 minutes for medium-rare. Top with the cheese and tent loosely with foil during the last minute or so of cooking.

4. Place the burgers on the roll bottoms. Top with the onions and sauce and set the roll tops in place.

Comments:
These were really good. Not really that spicy, and that's coming from the world's biggest wuss. There's some prep involved with the poblano pepper and sauces, and I ended up skipping the red onion, but I don't think either of us missed it. The one thing I would change is I'd omit the cinnamon. It was too much and I didn't like it against all the other flavors.

Spicy Pigs in Blankets

2011-03-06T17:51:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
One 17.3-ounce package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, slightly thawed
One 12-ounce package andouille sausage links, cut into 32 pieces
1 egg, beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Working with 1 puff pastry sheet at a time, cut the pastry crosswise into quarters, then halve lengthwise to form 8 rectangular pieces. Cut each piece diagonally to form 16 triangles. Repeat with the remaining puff pastry sheet.

2. Working with 1 puff pastry triangle at a time (and refrigerating the remaining pastry as needed), arrange a piece of sausage across the base of the triangle and roll up snugly, sealing the pastry with a dab of beaten egg; transfer to the prepared pans. Brush the triangles with more beaten egg and bake until puffed and golden, about 30 minutes.

Comments:
These were really good. Not too spicy, although I think that's because I got the Johnsonville version of adouille. I've had much spicier sausage... I also skipped the dipping sauce that went with the original recipe and just used ketchup.

Papas Rellenas

2011-03-06T17:48:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds potatoes (about 8 medium), peeled and cut into wedges
1 pound lean ground beef (90% lean)
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup sliced green olives with pimientos
1/2 cup raisins
1-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1-1/4 teaspoons pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
Oil for deep-fat frying

Directions:
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the beef, green pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, raisins, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and paprika; heat through.

Drain potatoes; mash with garlic powder and remaining salt and pepper. Shape 2 tablespoons potatoes into a patty; place a heaping tablespoonful of filling in the center. Shape potatoes around filling, forming a ball. Repeat.

Place eggs and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip potato balls in the eggs, then roll in bread crumbs. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry potato balls, a few at a time, for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Comments:
I followed the Editor's Note and baked these for 20 minutes at 450 instead of deep frying them. This definitely results in a dryer end product, which was really Adam's only complaint. They were ok reheated the next day with some ketchup too.

Caramel Apple Pie

2011-03-06T17:36:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
Topping:
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
Crust:
5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray
Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 1/4 pounds)
3 cups thinly sliced peeled Fuji apple (about 1 pound)
Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup fat-free caramel sundae syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
1. To prepare the topping, weigh or lightly spoon 1.1 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour in a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until crumbly. Transfer topping to a bowl; cover and chill.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon 5.6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) flour in dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add 3 tablespoons butter and shortening; pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, add 3 tablespoons water through food chute, processing just until combined (do not form a ball). Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover and chill 15 minutes. Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap dough, and place on plastic wrap. Cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Freeze dough 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Discard top 2 sheets of plastic wrap; let dough stand 1 minute or until pliable. Fit dough, plastic-wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Discard plastic wrap. Press dough into bottom and sides of pan. Fold edges under; flute.

5. To prepare filling, combine granulated sugar and cornstarch in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Add apples; toss to combine. Arrange apple mixture in crust, mounding slightly in the center. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake at 375° for 25 additional minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes.

6. To prepare sauce, combine caramel syrup and salt. Slice pie into 12 wedges, and serve with sauce.

Comments:
I obviously didn't make my own crust. And I forgot the caramel topping. And Adam wasn't such a fan. Overall, not as big of a disaster as some of my other attempts at making pie...

Weekly Menu 3/5 through 3/11

2011-03-06T17:27:00.002-06:00

Saturday 3/5 - Poblano Popper Sliders and Hot Potatoes

Sunday 3/6 - Artichoke and Goat Cheese Strata

Monday 3/7 - California Chicken Wraps

Tuesday 3/8 - Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Wednesday 3/9 - Amber's Devils on Horseback
and Broccoli Cheese Bake

Thursday 3/10 - Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Friday 3/11 - Company-subsidized Happy Hour - and ADAM'S BIRTHDAY!

This Week's Dessert:
Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Chocolate Croissant Pudding

2011-02-27T10:34:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
6 day-old croissants, split
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
8 eggs
5 cups 2% milk
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Place croissant bottoms in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and replace croissant tops.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla; pour over croissants. Let stand for 10 minutes or until croissants are softened.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Comments:
This was really good - very rich though. It's better with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to cut the sweetness of the pudding itself.

Spicy Shrimp Wraps

2011-02-27T10:31:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 cup salsa
1 medium ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 envelope reduced-sodium taco seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 flour tortillas (10 inches), warmed
1-1/2 cups coleslaw mix
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the salsa, mango and ketchup; set aside. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine taco seasoning and oil; add shrimp. Seal bag and shake to coat.

In a nonstick skillet or wok, cook shrimp over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Top tortillas with coleslaw mix, salsa mixture and shrimp. Fold bottom third of tortilla up over filling; fold sides over. Serve with sour cream.

Comments:
Adam liked the shrimp but didn't think much of the salsa/mango mixture. Prep was pretty easy, although putting taco seasoning on the shrimp made it kind of hard to tell when it was done using color alone. I managed. :)

Crescent Pizza Pockets

2011-02-27T10:24:00.002-06:00

From Pillsbury

Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/4 cup pizza sauce
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sliced pepperoni (24 slices)
1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on cookie sheet and separate into 4 rectangles; press each into 6x4-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

Spread 1 tablespoon pizza sauce on half of each rectangle to within 1 inch of edge. Sprinkle each with 3 tablespoons cheese; top with 6 slices pepperoni. Fold dough diagonally over filling; firmly press edges with fork to seal. Sprinkle each triangle with 1/4 teaspoon grated cheese. With fork, prick top of each to allow steam to escape.

Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until deep golden brown. Serve warm.

Comments:
I had some... trouble... with the assembly on these ones. I think it's because I had the cheap store-brand, low-fat crescents. They just refused to stay together, tearing at the seams and everywhere else. I also swapped out some sausage for the pepperoni, but that shouldn't have made a big difference. They tasted great, they just kind of fell apart in the oven. Mental note: don't buy store-brand crescents and try to make something else out of them!

Asian-Style Pork Chop Bake

2011-02-27T10:20:00.001-06:00

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper to taste
1 dash ground allspice
6 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops

Directions:
To Make Marinade: In a medium, non-reactive bowl, mix the teriyaki sauce, orange juice, sherry, ginger root, garlic, pepper and allspice. Add pork chops to bowl, cover, and marinate in refrigerator for 6 hours, turning as needed.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove chops and marinade from refrigerator. Remove cover and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until internal temperature of meat has reached 160 degrees F.

Comments:
I followed some of the comments from this recipe and marinated the meat all day long. I also moved it to a baking dish and used the left over marinade as a basting liquid. I don't know if I liked this. Adam says the pork was overcooked - I let it go for 30 minutes and let it sit on the stovetop about 5 minutes more to get to 160. I'm not such a fan of pork in the first place so perhaps I'm not the best judge for this one.

Weekly Menu 2/26 through 3/4

2011-02-27T10:10:00.002-06:00

Saturday 2/26 - Spicy Shrimp Wraps

Sunday 2/27 - Papas Rellenas

Monday 2/28 - Chicken & Pear Paninis

Tuesday 3/1 - Asian-Style Pork Chop Bake

Wednesday 3/2 - Sweet Onion & Sausage Spaghetti

Thursday 3/3 - Spicy Pigs in Blankets

Friday 3/4 - Spanish Chicken

This Week's Dessert:
Caramel Apple Pie

Crab Macaroni Casserole

2011-02-18T20:48:00.000-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
2 cans (6 ounces each) lump crabmeat, drained
1 cup (8 ounces) reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, divided

Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in butter until tender. Combine flour and milk until smooth; stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Drain macaroni. Add the crabmeat, sour cream, Swiss cheese, salt, mustard, macaroni and 1/4 cup cheddar cheese to the skillet.

Transfer to an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Comments:
This was pretty easy to make and while I admit it did smell kind of good, I didn't have any because of the crab. We'll see how it treats Adam's digestive system. The butter/flour/milk-based sauces seem to do a number on him sometimes...

Southwestern Turkey Burgers

2011-02-18T20:47:00.000-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 pound ground turkey breast
1/3 cup crushed baked tortilla chips
1/3 cup bottled salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
4 (1.5-ounce) light wheat hamburger buns
4 curly leaf lettuce leaves
4 slices ripe tomato
1/4 cup bottled salsa

Directions:
Combine first 8 ingredients. Divide mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat patties with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn patties over; cook 4 minutes or until done.

Top bottom halves of buns with lettuce and tomato slices. Place patties over tomato slices, and top each with salsa and top halves of buns.

Comments:
Man, I could not get a decent picture of this. Then Adam tried and ended up with obvious cat foodage on the counter. Gah! Oh well. These were really good. I don't like a lot of junk on my burger so I skipped the lettuce, tomato, and extra salsa and it tasted just fine.

Terrific Teriyaki Burgers

2011-02-18T20:43:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
SAUCE:
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened crushed pineapple
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

BURGERS:
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
3 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons unsweetened crushed pineapple
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
6 slices unsweetened pineapple
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted
6 lettuce leaves
6 slices tomato

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, pineapple, ginger, garlic and sesame oil; set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the egg white, bread crumbs, onions, crushed pineapple and 3 tablespoons reserved ketchup mixture. Crumble beef and turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into six burgers.

Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill burgers, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 165° and juices run clear, brushing occasionally with remaining ketchup mixture.

Grill or broil pineapple slices for 2-3 minutes on each side or until heated through. Serve burgers and pineapple on buns with lettuce and tomato.

Comments:
I didn't read the recipe too well prior to making these so I didn't have any turkey thawed. So these are all beef. I also thawed a whole pound instead of the half-pound I thought I had pulled out so they were ginormous. And they fell apart. But they tasted good! That's what counts, right?

Weekly Menu 2/19 through 2/25

2011-02-18T20:29:00.003-06:00

Saturday 2/19 - Adam's Night Out

Sunday 2/20 - French Onion Pizza

Monday 2/21 - Chicken in the slow cooker

Tuesday 2/22 - Asian-Style Pork Chop Bake

Wednesday 2/23 - Crescent Pizza Pockets

Thursday 2/24 - Martha's Night Out

Friday 2/25 - Spicy Shrimp Wraps

This Week's Dessert:
Chocolate Croissant Pudding

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

2011-02-13T15:39:00.000-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
Eight 6-inch soft corn tortillas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
2 ounces blue cheese
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 cups shredded green-leaf lettuce
6 radishes, shredded
2 carrots, shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven.

2. In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pan; cover loosely with foil and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Brush the chicken on both sides with the hot sauce and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, using a food processor, blend the blue cheese, mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. Add the lettuce, radishes and carrots and toss to coat.

4. Thinly slice the chicken against the grain. Lay the tortillas on a work surface in a single layer. Divide the salad among them; top with the chicken and any juices

Comments:
Yeah, doesn't look too appetizing, does it? It wasn't that good. Maybe it was because I forgot the lettuce. Dunno. But neither of us was a big fan of this one.

Pimiento Cheese Sliders

2011-02-13T15:36:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
16 slices good-quality white bread
1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
2 to 3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons grated onion
1 tablespoon paprika or sweet smoked paprika
1/2 cup lager beer
Salt and pepper
A drizzle of oil (olive or vegetable)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons well-drained chopped pimientos
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Several drops hot sauce
8 slices good-quality dill pickle chips or bread-and-butter pickles

Directions:
1. Heat the oven to 350°. Cut the bread into 3-inch rounds or trim into slider-size squares. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Combine the meat with the garlic, onion, paprika, beer, salt and pepper. Mix and form 8 burgers (about 3 ounces each) and drizzle with oil. Heat a griddle pan or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and milk and simmer to thicken for about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Melt in the cheese and stir in the pimientos, mustard and hot sauce.

4. Divide the patties among 8 toast slices and top with the cheese sauce and another slice of toast. Garnish with the pickles and secure with toothpicks

Comments:
How do I not have any round cookie cutters or a biscuit cutter? With the mountains of kitchen crap I have it seems almost impossible that I don't have these. But, alas, I don't, so we all get to see my shoddy knife skills at work in that picture. *sigh*

Anyway.

Not bad, can hardly taste the pimientos, Adam thought the cheese was nacho cheese from a can. Not sure I'd do these again, but they didn't suck.

Weekly Menu 2/12 through 2/18

2011-02-13T15:30:00.003-06:00

Saturday 2/12 - We went out for lunch with my dad and Cheryl so we just ate leftovers.

Sunday 2/13 - Our Valentine's Day dinner. We're having fondue.

Monday 2/14 - Ribs in the slow cooker

Tuesday 2/15 - IMA

Wednesday 2/16 - Teriyaki Burgers

Thursday 2/17 - Southwestern Turkey Burgers

Friday 2/18 - Crab Macaroni Casserole

This Week's Dessert:
We bought a small cake for Valentine's Day with a ridiculous amount of frosting. Yum!

Super Bowl Sustenance

2011-02-06T22:18:00.003-06:00

I tried to be a decent Packer fan today. We even got Packer plates!

We had a decent spread for the two of us and the four others who joined us for what became a nail-biting evening. It got a little rowdy for a little bit there. Luckily no one threw anything (although there was some yelling at the TV) and everything worked out in the end. Go Pack!

Now on to the important stuff - the food:

Ultimate Party Meatballs

Sausage Jalapeno Poppers

Mini Crescent Dogs

Chocolate Oreo Trifle

Crab Cakes

Cheese and some other goodies

Veggies, shrimp, and some Amish friendship bread

"Packer" M & Ms

All in all, an easy prep, I cheated on some things, but everything was good and I think everyone had a good time.

Fontina Ham Stromboli

2011-02-06T22:14:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 cup prepared pesto, divided
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/2 pound sliced deli ham
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto or additional deli ham
1/2 pound sliced fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Cool completely.

On two greased baking sheets, roll each loaf of dough into a 16-in. x 10-in. rectangle. Spread each with 2 tablespoons pesto; sprinkle with onion mixture and basil. Arrange the ham, prosciutto and fontina cheese over each rectangle to within 1/2 in. of edges.

Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under.

Brush with remaining pesto and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Comments:
I think I'm still on the fence with this fontina cheese thing. There's this biting aftertaste that I'm not sure I like. Overall, these were good. A little messy, but satisfying. I made one roll with pesto and one without since Adam decided he doesn't like it.

Knife 'n' Fork Steak Burgers with Blue Cheese Potatoes

2011-02-05T16:50:00.001-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
6 blue potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled stilton cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
2 pounds ground beef sirloin
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 cloves garlic, grated
1/4 cup grated onion with juice, plus 1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a large pot, add the potatoes and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, add salt and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and mash with the cheese, cream and chives; season with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the beef, Worcestershire, garlic, grated onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Form 4 large patties.

3. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef patties and cook, turning once, for 10 minutes for medium-rare.

4. While the burgers are cooking, heat a medium skillet over medium heat; add the butter. Add the sliced onion and cook until softened, 16 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Divide the patties among 4 plates; top with the onions. Serve with the potatoes.

Comments:
I don't know about these ones. The potatoes were really dry - I couldn't find blue potatoes so I just used some reds, but I don't think that made a big difference. The burgers were ok, but nothing spectacular. It sounded much better on the page than it tasted.

Deluxe Grilled Cheese

2011-02-05T16:46:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 slices French bread (1/2 inch thick)
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 ounce herbed fresh goat cheese
1/2 small tart apple, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Directions:
In a small skillet coated with cooking spray, saute onion until tender; set aside.
Place bread slices on a baking sheet; spritz with butter-flavored cooking spray. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Spread goat cheese over two untoasted sides of bread slices. Top with apple slices and reserved onion; sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Broil 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with remaining slices.

Comments:
I made these in the toaster oven. I heart the toaster oven! These sandwiches were pretty good. Interesting combination of flavors and textures. Onions and apples really go well together. And goat cheese, oh man, I can't get enough of it.

Weekly Menu 2/5 through 2/11

2011-02-05T16:27:00.002-06:00

Saturday 2/5 - Fontina Ham Stromboli. No, for real this time!

Sunday 2/6 - Le Super Bowl! Adam's invited some people over. We'll be having: Ultimate Party Meatballs, Sausage Jalapeno Poppers, Mini Crescent Dogs, Chocolate Oreo Trifle, some shrimp, some veggies, some crab cakes (I crapped out and bought them premade - I have a terrible habit of burning them), some cheese, olives, and pickles, and a COOKIE CAKE!

Oh, and probably some beer at some point too. Hey, that's what Packer fans do!

Monday 2/7 - Adam's got a doctor appointment and I've found myself with a meeting at 4 so it'll be each man for himself.

Tuesday 2/8 - Pimiento Cheese Sliders (Martha: Are you sure you want these? Adam: Yeah, let's try them. Martha: You know pimientos are those red things in olives, right? Adam: Oh. Well let's see what they're like. **a few weeks later at the grocery store** Adam: Why are you buying pimientos. They're gross. Martha: *sigh*)

Wednesday 2/9 - Happy Birthday to Me! We've got tickets for Wicked at the PAC and will be going out for dinner beforehand - full inventory count at work be damned!

Thursday 2/10 - Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Friday 2/11 - Convergys-sponsored Happy Hour as thanks for a good quarter.

This Week's Dessert:
I'm going to count the trifle I'm making for Sunday as this week's dessert.

Magic S’more Crescent Puffs

2011-01-30T18:50:00.002-06:00

From Pillsbury

Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Glaze
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on work surface; press into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 rectangles. In small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

2. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate chips on center of dough square. Dip marshmallow into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place marshmallow on chocolate chips. Pull dough over marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow; pinch edges of dough to seal. Dip into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place in regular-size paper baking cup. Repeat with remaining dough squares, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Place paper baking cups on large cookie sheet.

3. Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave glaze ingredients uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds, stirring once, until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Comments:
Some assembly required, but very yummy. The marshmallow kind of disintegrates and Adam thought the chocolate was overpowering, but I say you can never have too much chocolate!

Pomegranate Chicken with Walnuts

2011-01-30T18:48:00.001-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 cups rice
5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound), cut into quarters
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cranberry-pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and 2 1/4 cups water to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the water has evaporated and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 7 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the onion, garlic and walnuts to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, scraping up any browned bits. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, add the cranberry-pomegranate juice and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer the chicken to a serving platter.

3. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes; stir in the parsley and pour over the chicken. Serve on top of the rice.

Comments:
I skipped the rice since I was making the aforementioned cheese puffs. The chicken itself was pretty good. I used breasts instead of thighs, but kept the rest the same. I really dug the pomegranate-cranberry juice combo.

Cheese Puffs

2011-01-30T18:45:00.001-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1-1/4 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt and cayenne to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture is smooth and shiny. Stir in Gruyere and mustard.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold.

Comments:
Pretty easy, although my hand is still tired from all that stirring. These remind me of something I can't quite place. This recipe makes a bunch though. I hope they store well!

Gnocchi with Broccoli Fontina Sauce

2011-01-30T13:59:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
14 cups water
10 cup broccoli florets
2 (16-ounce) boxes vacuum-packed gnocchi (such as Alessi)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add broccoli and gnocchi; cook 3 minutes or until done. Drain.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in broccoli mixture, fontina, broth, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Comments:
This was really good. Fontina can be kind of strong, but it was well paired with the blank slate of the gnocchi and tempered with the chicken broth.

Cheesy Meatloaf Minis

2011-01-30T13:56:00.001-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (about 1 ounce)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
3 ounces white cheddar cheese, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.

3. While breadcrumbs cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, and remaining ingredients. Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons ketchup over each. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until done.

Comments:
I skipped the toasting of the breadcrumbs and omitted the horseradish. These were pretty good. I just love gooey cheese inside of things!

Weekly Menu 1/29 through 2/4

2011-01-30T13:47:00.002-06:00

Saturday 1/29 - Gnocchi with Broccoli Fontina Sauce

Sunday 1/30 - Pomegranate Chicken with Walnuts and Cheese Puffs

Monday 1/31 - Deluxe Grilled Cheese

Tuesday 2/1 - Santa Fe Turkey Skillet

Wednesday 2/2 - Crescent Pizza Pockets

Thursday 2/3 - Steak Burgers with Blue Cheese Potatoes

Friday 2/4 - Sensational Spiced Salmon

This Week's Dessert:
Magic S'more Crescent Puffs

Chicken Swiss Bundles

2011-01-23T19:03:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
12 frozen bread dough dinner rolls, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the chicken, peppers, mustard and seasonings; heat through. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese.

Flatten each roll into a 5-in. circle. Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of six circles. Brush edges with water; top with remaining circles. Press edges with a fork to seal.

Place on greased baking sheets; brush with butter. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut bundles in half to serve.

Comments:
I kind of went off on my own way on this one. I skipped the mushrooms and peppers, used mozzarella cheese instead of swiss, used olive oil and an egg wash instead of butter. It all turned out pretty good, except for a few unexpected pockets of mustard. Heh.

Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops

2011-01-23T19:00:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops
Cooking spray

Directions:
1. Cook cumin seeds in a small skillet over medium heat 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Place in a clean coffee grinder or blender; process until ground. Combine ground cumin, sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper; rub evenly over pork.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done

Comments:
Kind of copped out on this one. Skipped most of the first step and just mixed the spices together and dumped them on the pork. What can I say? It was an off week. I'm just happy I cooked anything at all. And I got to use my new grill pan again, so that was fun.

Weekly Menu 1/22 through 1/28

2011-01-23T19:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday 1/22 - Adam's Night Out (yes, we're trying to reinstate this)

Sunday 1/23 - Chicken Swiss Bundles

Monday 1/24 - Bistro Breakfast Paninis

Tuesday 1/25 - Sailor Sandwiches

Wednesday 1/26 - Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

Thursday 1/27 - Martha's Night Out

Friday 1/28 - Angel's Pasta

This Week's Dessert:
I got nothing...

Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce

2011-01-23T18:57:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 (6-ounce) skinless cod fillets
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Lemon wedges

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler.

2. Place egg whites in a shallow dish. Combine panko, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish evenly with pepper and salt. Dip each fillet in egg white, then dredge in panko mixture; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

3. Combine mayonnaise, pickle, lemon juice, and dill. Serve with fish and lemon wedges.

Comments:
I sprang for the panko this time but I'm not sure I'd bother with it again. It's expensive, yo! There has to be a way to make my own... Anyway, this was ok. I was a bit under the weather so I ate even less of the fish than I usually would have. But the tartar sauce was yummy. And have I told you how much I LOVE those smiles? :)

Slow-Cooker Barbecue-Beef Sandwiches

2011-01-23T18:53:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
5 tablespoons dark brown sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (1-pound) flank steaks
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 (2 1/2-ounce) submarine rolls, halved
Red onion slices (optional)
Dill pickle slices (optional)

Directions:
Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar and pepper; rub over both sides of steaks. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, onion, and next 9 ingredients (onion through salt) in an electric slow cooker. Add steaks; turn to coat. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting for 1 hour. Reduce heat setting to low; cook for 7 hours. Remove steaks; reserve sauce. Shred steaks with 2 forks. Return shredded steak to cooker; stir into sauce. Spoon 1/2 cup steak mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top with onion and pickles, if desired. Cover with tops of rolls.

Comments:
Yay for slow cookers and stuff you can just throw in them. This week was rough with multiple colds and the like and even though my bell practice, which dictates "slow cooker Mondays", was cancelled, it was still nice to have this all ready to go when I got home from work. This was a very easy recipe and it was pretty good. I did it as an "unsandwich" while Adam went the "with a bun" route.

Gorgonzola, Spinach & Cheddar Chicken

2011-01-23T18:49:00.002-06:00

From Living Well, Health & Fitness Column, The Associated Press 2010

Ingredients:
1 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 oz. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
2 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat 1 T. of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach and Italian seasoning, cook until all liquid has evaporated. Mix in both cheeses. Set aside.

3. Lay each chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Make a horizontal slit along one side to create a pocket in the meat. Do not cut all the way through. Place a quarter of the cheese mixture in the pocket, then press the meat together over it. Do with all 4 breasts.

4. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg whites. Dip chicken in the egg whites, and then roll in the bread crumbs.

5. In a skillet, heat remaining 1/2 T. of oil. Add chicken. Cook until brown on one side. Turn breast over and place skillet in oven. Bake until no longer pink in the center (20 min.)

Comments:
Pretty easy, although these tiny chicken breasts we get make it hard to get much stuffing in them. 4oz portion size - pfft! Anywho, aside from the spillage outage issue, very yummy.

Weekly Menu 1/15 through 1/21

2011-01-15T15:20:00.003-06:00

Skipped a week there - my grandmother passed away last Friday and the week was all messed up with an impromtu trip to PA. Back to normal, whatever that is...

Saturday 1/15 - Fontina Ham Stromboli

Sunday 1/16 - Gorgonzola, Spinach & Cheddar Chicken similar to this recipe

Monday 1/17 - Slow-Cooker Barbecue-Beef Sandwiches

Tuesday 1/18 - Adam's on his own - IMA

Wednesday 1/19 - Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Thursday 1/20 - Smoky Pan-Grilled Pork Chops

Friday 1/21 - Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

This Week's Dessert:
Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats to use up some Cocoa Krispies. They're really awful by themselves. I'm definitely a Cocoa Pebbles kind of girl.

Peanut Butter Browne Trifle

2011-01-07T19:28:00.001-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
1 package (10 ounces) Peanut Butter Baking Chips
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold 2% milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.

Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.

Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled.

Comments:
Trifles are the perfect fake-out. They look impressive, but they're totally easy. I took this to our bell party and everyone oohed and aahed and wanted the recipe. It's really good. Trust me on this one. And now they make these tiny peanut butter cups perfect for this dish!

Hearty Backyard Burgers

2011-01-07T19:26:00.001-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup beer or nonalcoholic beer
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
6 rye rolls or whole wheat hamburger buns, split
6 lettuce leaves
12 tomato slices

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into six patties.

Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack.

Cover and grill over medium-high heat or broil 4 in. from the grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear.

Serve on rolls with lettuce and tomato slices.

Comments:
I totally screwed these up. Forgot the beer! How could I forget the beer! Oh well, still a tasty burger.

Kung Pao Chicken

2011-01-07T19:23:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:
1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

Comments:
This was pretty good. I used a green pepper instead of red because I had half of one sitting in the fridge from something else. I think I might have overdone it on the red pepper flakes because it was a little spicy. I had the leftovers over rice for dinner the next day.

Broiled Tilapia Gyros

2011-01-07T19:20:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
Fish:
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

Tzatziki:
3/4 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced

Remaining ingredients:
4 (2.75-ounce) Mediterranean-style wheat flatbreads (such as Toufayan)
1/2 cup vertically sliced red onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 12 thin slices
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 small English cucumber, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler.

2. To prepare fish, brush fish with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 6 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness.

3. To prepare tzatziki, combine yogurt and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a food processor or blender; pulse until smooth.

4. Spread 2 tablespoons tzatziki in the center of each flatbread. Divide fish evenly among flatbreads. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons onion, 3 avocado slices, 2 tomato slices, and about 6 cucumber slices; fold in half.

Comments:
A couple steps, but overall not too hard. I left some stuff out, but it seemed to be ok. Of course, I don't know firsthand, but Adam didn't complain!

Fruity Stuffed French Toast

2011-01-01T10:23:00.001-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
3 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
A couple drops pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup raspberry or strawberry preserves
1 cup pure maple syrup
8 slices white bread
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:
1. In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla and set near the stove. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and preserves; set aside.

2. Ask a GH (grown-up helper) to warm the syrup in a small saucepan over low heat or in the microwave on high for 1 minute.

3. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over 4 bread slices. Top with the remaining 4 bread slices to make 4 sammies. Cut each sammy using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter. Snack on the crusts.

4. Have your GH melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip the hearts in the egg mixture and, with the help of your GH, cook in the skillet, turning once with a spatula, until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve the hearts with the warm syrup.

Comments:
Obviously I didn't need a grown-up helper and I skipped the cheesy heart-shaped bit. These were pretty good, although you'll notice the cream cheese didn't mix too well with the strawberry preserves. Kinda chunky. Kinda messy to eat too. But yummy.

Soy-Marinated Pork Chops

2011-01-01T10:20:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
4 boneless center-cut pork chops (about 6 oz. each), pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, white and light green parts, chopped

Directions:
1. Place pork chops, soy sauce, vinegar and oil in a large ziplock bag; seal. Turn bag several times to coat chops with marinade; refrigerate for 15 minutes.

2. Remove pork chops from bag; discard excess marinade. Warm a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill pork chops until cooked through, turning once, about 3 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro and scallions, and serve.

Comments:
So easy. And I got to use the new grill pan I got for Christmas! Adam would have preferred a longer marination period, but I thought it was fine. I even ate my whole pork chop. Well, minus all the gross stuff from the edges.

Weekly Menu 1/1 through 1/7

2011-01-01T10:13:00.003-06:00

Saturday 1/1 - Grilling some brats. Go Badgers!

Sunday 1/2 - Broiled Tilapia Gyros

Monday 1/3 - Hand bell party @ Jane's house! I'm bringing this.

Tuesday 1/4 - Kung Pao Chicken

Wednesday 1/5 - Pizza - from the freezer - probably Hawaiian

Thursday 1/6 - Hearty Backyard Burgers

Friday 1/7 - Skillet Spaghetti

This Week's Dessert:
I anticipate there will be leftovers from the Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle I'm making for the bell party.

Apricot-Glazed Turkey Breast

2010-12-27T18:45:00.000-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash salt
1 bone-in turkey breast (5 pounds)

Directions:
Combine the preserves, vinegar, pepper and salt. Place turkey breast on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan.

Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting every 30 minutes with apricot mixture. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.) Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

Comments:
My breast took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to get to 170. It always seems to take longer than the recipe tells me, no matter how much extra time I allot for it. Gah. Adam really liked the glaze. I don't eat the skin and it didn't really get into the meat that I noticed. Maybe I'll use this same glaze on some boneless, skinless chicken and see what happens.

Rice, Black Bean, and Corn Salad

2010-12-27T18:44:00.003-06:00

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 cup cold cooked brown rice
1/2 cup cooked corn kernals
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp EVOO
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the rice, corn, bell pepper, celery, beans, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, oil, and salt. Pour over the rice mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until the flavors are blended, at least 1 hour.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 2

Comments:
I really liked this. I had to skip the jalapeno since the ones I had in the fridge jumped the shark on me before I could make this. Adam wasn't too enthused - he thought it was weird that it was cold. I liked the mix of flavors and the crunch the pepper and celery added. Might try it with red pepper too to add some more color contrast. I'd also probably up the ratio of black beans - I love them and there didn't seem to be enough of them.

Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish

2010-12-27T18:38:00.003-06:00

From Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats #236

Ingredients:
2 tbsp EVOO
4 6-8oz catfish fillets
1 cup yellow cornmeal
salt & pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat a large oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO. Season the catfish with the salt and pepper and coat evenly and completely in the cornmeal. Add the coated fish to the hot skillet and sear for 2 minutes on each side, then transfer the skillet with the fish to the oven and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes, until the fish is firm to the touch and opaque.

Comments:
This is only half of the whole meal - Adam wasn't interested in the Green Rice Pilaf, which was fine with me because this fish "recipe" was ridiculously easy. I made myself a chicken breast on the George Foreman, but Adam said the fish was really good.

Weekly Menu 12/25 through 12/31

2010-12-25T16:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday 12/25 - Christmas with the Dodds family

Sunday 12/26 - Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish (from Rachael Ray's 365 book)

Monday 12/27 - Apricot-Glazed Turkey Breast

Tuesday 12/28 - Parmesan Gnocchi with Broccoli

Wednesday 12/29 - Soy-Marinated Pork Chops

Thursday 12/30 - Balsamic Steak au Poivre

Friday 12/31 - Stuffed French Toast

This Week's Dessert:
Last week of Christmas parties!

Steak & New Potato Toss Recipe

2010-12-22T19:49:00.002-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 pound small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
1-1/4 pounds beef top sirloin steak
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped

VINAIGRETTE:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, grill steak, covered, over medium heat for 8-11 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Let stand for 10 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain.

Place broccoli florets in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 2-3 minutes or until crisp-tender. In a small bowl, combine vinaigrette ingredients.

Drain broccoli and potatoes; place in a large bowl. Add beef and red pepper; drizzle with vinaigrette and toss to coat. Serve warm or cold.

Comments:
This was good. Adam thought the steak was overdone, which it probably was for him, but that's my fault because I can't stand meat that's red. The sauce is really light and complements the different elements of the dish.

Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Salad

2010-12-19T18:59:00.001-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
8 Boston lettuce leaves

Directions:
1. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and black pepper. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of shrimp to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan; repeat procedure with remaining shrimp. Cool shrimp for 5 minutes.

2. Place shrimp in a medium bowl; stir in celery and next 6 ingredients (through cumin). Arrange 2 lettuce leaves on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 3/4 cup shrimp mixture.

Comments:
I left out the "salad" part - just served it plain, not in lettuce leaves. Also cooked the shrimp inside rather than grilling. I didn't eat this so I can't vouch for it, but Adam liked it.

Chicken with Grapefruit-Butter Sauce

2010-12-19T18:57:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 pounds new potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons choopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
4 scallions, green and white portions chopped separately
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 red grapefruits, 2 cut into segments, 2 juiced
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and toss with the parsley.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes on each side; transfer to a plate.

3. Add the scallion whites to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the wine and grapefruit juice, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 piece of butter until smooth; repeat with the remaining 7 pieces. Stir in the grapefruit segments and scallion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve over the chicken, alongside the potatoes.

Comments:
Eh. Not too impressed with this one. I thought it would be interesting but I probably won't make it again.

Weekly Menu 12/18 through 12/24

2010-12-19T18:47:00.003-06:00

Saturday 12/18 - Apple, Cheddar, and Bacon Monte Cristos

Sunday 12/19 - Adam's on his own - I'm going to the ballet with a couple friends and we'll be going to dinner afterwards

Monday 12/20 - Pizza - whatever Adam chooses to make

Tuesday 12/21 - IMA Christmas Party

Wednesday 12/22 - Steak & New Potato Toss

Thursday 12/23 - Shrimp Newburg

Friday 12/24 - Christmas at Adam's parents' house. I'm bring the dessert.

This Week's Dessert:
None. Too many parties!

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle

2010-12-12T12:53:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot brewed espresso or strong coffee
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa
Two 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint heavy cream
One 12- to 13-ounce store-bought vanilla angel food cake
One 1 1/2-ounce piece white chocolate

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together the espresso and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup water and the coffee liqueur.

2. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla at low speed. With the machine on, gradually pour in the cream, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip until thick and billowy but not stiff.

3. Invert the angel food cake onto a work surface. Using a large serrated knife, trim the brown crust off the top of the cake, then slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place the widest layer cut side up in the bottom of a 7-inch-wide trifle bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the coffee syrup evenly over the cake, then spoon 2 cups of the mascarpone mixture evenly on top. Finely grate one third of the white chocolate over the mascarpone. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 2 more layers. Cover the trifle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Comments:
I made this for our Christmas party. This was my first trifle attempt and I was excited! The angel food cake was a teensy bit too big for my trifle dish, but I made it work. I had some leftover mascarpone cream though. Darn... It turned out really well, I made it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It is so good!

Chicken Florentine Meatballs

2010-12-12T12:48:00.001-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground chicken

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble chicken over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.

Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink.

Comments:
I skipped the sauce and squash part of the recipe and just stuck with the meatballs. They were really good. I hesitate to use ground chicken because it always seems to be so mushy, but the breadcrumbs in this recipe really helped to hold everything together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Continental

2010-12-12T12:45:00.002-06:00

From allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) jars dried beef
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Lightly grease slow cooker, and line with dried beef. Place 2 to 3 chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, soup, and flour; pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken. Layer with the dried beef and chicken breasts, and pour in the remaining sour cream mixture. Top with the remaining dried beef.

Cook in slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Comments:
I took the advice of some of the comments on the allrecipes site and used roast beef instead of dried beef. I also used cream of chicken since I don't like mushrooms. I think it turned out ok, but I don't know if I'd make it again. Didn't really wow me.

Oven-Fried Fish Nuggets

2010-12-12T12:43:00.001-06:00

From Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup crushed cornflakes
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds cod fillets, cut into 1-inch cubes
Butter-flavored cooking spray

Directions:
In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cornflakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Coat fish with butter-flavored spray, then roll in crumb mixture.

Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Comments:
Very basic, simple recipe. They turned out well and I even ate them too!

Sweet Cheese Delights

2010-12-12T12:39:00.002-06:00

From Pillsbury

Ingredients:
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions:
In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended.

Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press seams and perforations to seal. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spread with cream cheese mixture.

In small bowl, mix pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the pecan mixture over the cream cheese layer. On lightly floured surface, press or roll out remaining dough into 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over filling. Sprinkle remaining pecan mixture over top.

Bake at 375°F 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Comments:
Adam picked this recipe out of an ad in the Rachael Ray magazine. And while they weren't really what he was expecting, they were still pretty good!

Cannoli French Toast

2010-12-12T12:35:00.002-06:00

From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
12 slices sandwich bread

Directions:
Sift 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl, then stir in 1 cup ricotta cheese. In a medium bowl, beat together 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk. Trim the crusts off 12 slices sandwich bread and, using a rolling pin, roll out the bread to flatten. Add 1 tablespoon of the sweetened ricotta to each slice, fold over and pinch the edges together. (The edges will seal during cooking.) In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Working in 3 batches, dip the stuffed bread slices in the egg mixture and transfer to the skillet. Cook, turning once, until puffed and golden, about 3 minutes. Dust with more confectioners’ sugar before serving

Comments:
This was really good. I wasn't sure I was going to like these since I'm not a fan of ricotta, but these are just sweet enough that they were ok by me. Really simple, quick, and tasty.

Grilled Pepper, Onion, and Sausage Calzones

2010-12-12T12:32:00.002-06:00

From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 portion Homemade Pizza Dough
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 14 ounces)
1 red bell pepper, quartered
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
Cooking spray
1 pound hot Italian turkey sausage links
1 3/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons New York-Style Pizza Sauce, divided
1 1/3 cup (about 5 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Remove Homemade Pizza Dough from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

2. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

3. Coat onion slices and bell pepper pieces with cooking spray. Place vegetables and sausages on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill vegetables 4 minutes on each side or until browned; grill sausages 8 minutes or until done, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Remove vegetables and sausages from grill; cool slightly. Cut onion slices in half; cut bell pepper pieces into 1/2-inch strips. Cut sausages diagonally into thin slices.

4. Preheat oven to 500°

5. Place dough on a lightly floured surface; divide dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a 9 x 5-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup New York-Style Pizza Sauce evenly over each rectangle, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Arrange sausage evenly over half of each rectangle; top evenly with onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle each calzone with 1/3 cup cheese. Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork to seal.

6. Place calzones on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat calzones with cooking spray. Bake at 500° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes. Cut each calzone in half; serve with remaining New York-Style Pizza Sauce.

Comments:
Major alterations on this one: Didn't grill anything. Used bread dough. But they turned out great. And huge.

Grilled Sliced Chicken with Cheesy Polenta

2010-12-12T12:28:00.002-06:00

From Everday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO ), for drizzling
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
A handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (hot) or sweet smoked paprika (not), about 2/3 palmful
About 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Over an open flame or in the broiler, char the poblanos until blackened all over, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos.

Preheat a griddle pan or large skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with a little EVOO. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. In a microwavable bowl, soften 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave for a few seconds on high. Add half of the cilantro or parsley, the rosemary, the chile powder or paprika and the oregano.

While the chicken cooks, heat a drizzle of EVOO in a saucepan. Add the corn and heat through for a couple of minutes. Add the charred poblano, stir in the milk and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese.

Slice the hot chicken on the diagonal, then dollop with the spicy butter. Spoon some polenta underneath or alongside the sliced chicken.

Comments:
I cooked the chicken in the George Foreman (because I forgot to thaw it. Whoops) and skipped the butter, but otherwise stuck to the plan. The chicken was nothing special, but the polenta was awesome. Some extra texture from the corn, some spice from the poblano, and cheese.

Weekly Menu 12-11 through 12-17

2010-12-11T12:56:00.002-06:00

Saturday 12/11 - Our Christmas Party

Sunday 12/12 - Party Leftovers

Monday 12/13 - Party Leftovers

Tuesday 12/14 - Beef Bulgogi

Wednesday 12/15 - Chicken with Grapefruit Butter Sauce

Thursday 12/16 - Vegetable Carbonara

Friday 12/17 - Spicy Chipotle Shrimp Salad

This Week's Dessert:
None, party leftovers.