French Onion Tomato Soup July 6, 2009

We just finished the bulk of our kitchen floors!  It was a project that took the entire long weekend, but is well worth it.  We love them!  Now we just have to re-build the energy to do the living room and hallway.  Then we’ll really  be done!

 

I needed to make a dinner that would be quick and easy since I knew we’d be finishing in the evening.  The stove has been in the hallway all weekend, so we haven’t had a real home cooked meal in days.  By the time we’d get the stove back in the kitchen, there wouldn’t be time for a big meal.  We decided grilled cheese and tomato soup would be quick and easy, as well as tasty.

 

Well, since I haven’t cooked in a few days, I was kind of in withdrawal.  I hopped on allrecipes.com to see if I could find a recipe for a homemade tomato soup that was still quick and easy… and tasty.   I found this one and I am so glad I did.  It was delicious!  The base is tomato juice, but the beef bouillon gives it a hint of a French onion-y flavor, along of course with all of the onions.  A touch of brown sugar adds the perfect sweetness, and the dash of red wine that I added brought a nice flavor.  Broiled with a piece of toasted French bread and some melted mozzarella and provolone, this was the perfect side dish for our grilled cheese sandwiches.

 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Onion-Tomato-Soup/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Feta Chicken July 2, 2009

This is really called Broiled Feta Chicken, but I didn’t broil it.  So… it’s just Feta Chicken now.

I pulled out a group made cookbook (some of the best cookbooks ever) from a camp that I used to volunteer at.  The camp is called Camp Good Days and Special Times and is truly one of the most special things I’ve been a part of.  It is a camp for children whose lives have been touched by cancer and other life challenges.  I volunteered there for a week two summers in a row, the first summer during a camp for children with cancer and the second summer during a camp for kids with HIV/AIDS.  It was amazing to me to see the courage that these children had, and so special to see them have a week where they were just like the other kids around them – many bald, sick, etc – but no different from their friends at camp.  I remember actually feeling so guilty that I was healthy.

So, as for the recipe, it was delicious.  Here goes:

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup crumbled feta

Combine yogurt, garlic and rosemary in a shallow dish.  Add chicken, turning to coat.  Refrigerate at least 3 hours ( I poked holes in the chicken first with a fork and marinated it during the day while I was at work).  Let come to room temperature for no longer than 30 minutes.  Remove from marinade, reserving extra.  Preheat broiler.  Line pan with foil.  Arrange chicken, smooth side down, on foil.  Broil 4-7 minutes.  Turn, spooning reserved marinade over chicken.  Crumble feta on top.  Broil just until cooked through and lightly browned, 4-6 minutes.

Ok, so I didn’t broil it. Just didn’t want to do it that way.  So, I just left it in the 8×8 dish that I marinated it in and baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes, spooning marinade over every now and then.  It was so tasty, very flavorful and extremely tender.  I also want to try this on the grill!

Along with this we had some roasted broccoli and Cheesy Polenta.  It was sooooo good.  Only things I changed were to use skim milk instead of whole, to use chicken broth instead of water as some of the reviews suggested, and omit the butter (only because I was out, but it really didn’t need any). 

I’m excited for leftovers tomorrow!

Pork Chops and Polenta June 24, 2009

We tried a new pork chop recipe tonight which ended up being pretty good.  We also had polenta for the first time, which we both loved!

The pork chops were pretty simple – brown them for a few minutes on each side and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, squirt some lemon juice on top, and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Mix together a small can of tomato sauce and about a tablespoon of dijon mustard and pour over the top of the chops.  Add about 1/4 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes.  They weren’t the best things in the whole world, but they were good and I would make them again.  They were quick and easy to prepare, that is for sure.  Here’s the link to the recipe.  I didn’t do exactly everything it said, but it was close…  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Pork-Chops-II/Detail.aspx?prop31=5

 

We bought polenta on a whim at the grocery store awhile back, but I haven’t made it yet.  I decided to try it tonight.  It was simple to make – I just followed the directions on the back of the bag.  It was very tasty with the sauce from the pork chops over it. 

We had this along with some fresh broccoli that I baked with a little garlic and  a little lemon.

Tomato Pie – Version 2 June 21, 2009

Last week when I was searching for the recipe to make this side dish, I found the recipe for this Ham-and-Tomato-Pie.  It wasn’t the one that I was looking for, but it sounded so good to me.  While the first one is mostly tomatoes and zucchini, the one that I made tonight has ham as well, making it more hearty and filling for a main dish, yet perfect for a hot summer night like tonight. 

Here’s the basic idea:  Take a pie crust and spread some dijon mustard on the bottom.  Sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on top of that.  Saute some green onions and diced ham (just to get the water out of the ham pretty much) and put that mixture on top of the cheese.  Top with sliced tomatoes and more mozzarella.  Whisk an egg and some half and half (I used skim milk, and though it needed to cook a little longer, tasted just fine to both of us) and pour on top.  Sprinkle with basil and pepper and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

 

It was so delicious.  We were thinking of different versions we could make while we were eating it and the opportunities are endless!  We had this with a tossed salad and some sauteed asparagus.  It was a fresh, healthy meal that was just right on this crazy hot 100 degree day.

Sirloin Marinara with Garlic Mashed Potatoes June 19, 2009

I put this in my online recipe box months ago but never made it.  This week when I was searching for recipes, I needed a red meat meal in the mix, so I decided we’d try it out.  I read through the reviews and one of them mentioned serving it over garlic mashed potatoes, which I thought sounded really good.  Plus, it seemed like a nice alternative to pasta.

The basic idea is to saute some onions in olive oil, add some strips of steak and cook thoroughly.  Drain.  Add 2 cups (it was close enough to a whole jar, so I just added the whole thing) of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 cup of red wine and 2 cloves of garlic.  Let it simmer for about 15 minutes. 

For the mashed potatoes, I peeled and boiled 3 large potatoes.  I added about 1/4 of an onion and 2 cloves of garlic to the pot while it boiled.  When tender, I whipped them up with a few tablespoons of butter, some milk, about 1/2 cup of sour cream and maybe 1/4 cup of cream cheese – whatever I had left in the fridge!  Threw in some salt and papper and mashed the onions and garlic right in with them.  Super tasty, and they tasted great with the sirloin marinara on top!  We had some roasted broccoli on the side and it turned out to be a great meal.

 

Here’s the link to the recipe if you want the official one: 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sirloin-Marinara/Detail.aspx?prop31=1

Tomato Pie June 14, 2009

At least, that’s what I call it.  I can’t remember the real name, but I know it was from Southern Living magazine.  I think.  My mother-in-law made it a summer or two ago and I loved it.  I kind of forgot about it, but I’ve really been craving it lately.  We’re going to a cookout tonight, so it seemed like the perfect thing to bring along.  I tried to find it on the website but I couldn’t… maybe because I am way off on the name.  Anyway, I finally found it scribbled on a piece of paper.  Here’s the recipe.  It is so tasty, fresh, and healthy too. 

Tomato Pie

 1 frozen pie crust

1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 medium plum tomatoes, sliced

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon pepper

 

Saute the zucchini in the olive oil until tender.  Drain.  Poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.  Place the cooked zucchini on the bottom, place the sliced tomatoes on top.  Mix together the rest of the ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on top of the tomatoes.  Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.

 

One of the meals I am going to make this week is a variation of this that is more like a quiche, including eggs and ham along with the tomatoes and cheese.  I’ll post that after I make it!

Meat, Potatoes and Veggies – Summer Style June 8, 2009

In the winter, when I think of meat and potatoes, the image of a roast with a hearty gravy, cooked along with some potatoes and carrots is the image that comes to mind. 

However, in the summer, meat, potatoes and veggies means something very different.  Our summer version of this meal tonight was something different, a concoction of foods that we came across mostly by accident, but that made a delicious meal.

Yesterday, I ran to Lowe’s to grab just a few things, and happened to see a Shady Brook Farms turkey tenderloin on sale for only $5.  It seemed like it would be a waste not to buy it, so I threw it in my basket.  It was a Rotisserie flavored tenderloin, and when Ross grilled it tonight, he added some Thomas’ sauce while it cooked.  It tasted absolutely wonderful. 

Yesterday, I met my sister at her house before we headed to the Brad Paisley/Dierks Bentley concert (which was amazing, by the way).  One of her patients lives on a farm and had given her a whole bunch of yellow squash.  I cut it up tonight and put it on a cookie sheet.  I sprayed it with canola oil cooking spray, sprinkled it with salt, pepper and basil, and baked it for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  I added some fresh sliced tomatoes that my in-laws brought over to us today, sprinkled it with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and baked it for about 5-7 minutes more.  It was so super tasty.   I could have eaten twice the amount that I made.

Instead of wintry baked potatoes or mashed potatoes, we had potato salad.  I’ve used this recipe in my column before, but in case you missed it, here it is.  It was the perfect potato-ey touch for this delicious summer meal!

Potato Salad

2 ½ pounds potatoes

3 eggs

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

3-4 stalks green onion, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons sweet relish

1 teaspoon paprika

 

Peel potatoes partly, boil until tender when pierced with a fork.  Boil eggs until hard boiled.  Cool potatoes and eggs in fridge. 

Dice potatoes and eggs to desired size.  Add mayonnaise and sour cream, mix well.  Add green onion, salt, pepper, mustard and relish.  Mix well.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Chill before serving.

Fresh Veggies June 2, 2009

I haven’t written in FOREVER so I decided to ease back in slowly.  We’ve had a lot of repeats lately, so not too many new things to write about!  However, we have been having a whole ton of fresh veggies lately.  It maybe because of the season, but I haven’t made a frozen veggie in forever.  I’m kind of addicted.  Here are some of my favorite ways to cook fresh veggies.

Asparagus

This baby of ours seems to love asparagus.  I crave it all of the time.  It makes my pee smell horrible, which is worrisome in the first few seconds when I forget why it smells that bad, but once I remember that it is only the asparagus it doesn’t bother me all that much!  My Mom always boiled asparagus, and I don’t remember not liking it, but I much prefer sauteeing it.  I just melt about a tablespoon of butter and a splash of olive oil in a skillet, toss in the asparagus (usually cut into thirds or so, but however you like it is fine), sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss until tender.  I like it slightly blackened, but that’s just me.

Broccoli

I like to steam broccoli and toss it with some butter and a little lemon juice, but my favorite way is to roast it.  We had it this way tonight and it is oh-so-good.  Just cut the broccoli into long stalks, stem and all.  Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with olive oil.  Tonight, we were out of olive oil ( a tragedy, I know) and so we sprayed it with canola oil baking spray, and it worked great!  We minced fresh garlic over it and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.  Bake it in a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes or so, until golden brown on the edges.  Love it.

Carrots

Fresh carrots are best and easiest when steamed.  Just peel, slice, and toss them in the steaming basket over a pot of water and bring the water to a boil.  Stir the carrots around every now and then until fork-tender, or to your desired consistency.  This part kind of takes the nutrition out of it, but put the carrots in a bowl, add a pat of butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar and a dash of ground ginger.  Stir and serve.  Very, very tasty.

Corn

We haven’t tried this yet, but my sister’s recipe for grilling corn sounds pretty awesome.  Just wrap each ear of corn in aluminum foil with a pat of butter and a little salt and pepper and cook until done – I have no idea how long that is.  She said that it kind of caramelizes and the corn pretty much just falls off of the cob into your mouth.  Sounds good to me!

Mushrooms

Saute in some olive oil and butter, add salt and pepper and worcestershire sauce, and serve alongside a nice, grilled steak.  Aaaaahhh.

Anybody else have any tasty ways to cook fresh veggies?  Enlighten me!

A Great Day with Summer Deliciousness April 17, 2009

Today was a great day.  “Spring Break” this year hasn’t felt like much of a Spring break since I’ve had some work to do everyday so far.  Today was the first day of the week that I didn’t have any work to do (well, I had to clean the bathrooms, but that’s just life).  I had a good morning at home getting things cleaned and organized.  I got 4 bags of clothes to Haven which I have been meaning to do for months.  They are so appreciative there, it makes you feel like you’ve really done something helpful!  After that small errand, I headed to Emily’s to meet up with her and her girls.  We had a great lunch at Fresh Choice.  Hailey and Leah were little ladies and entertained me with their napkin artwork and silly stories.  After lunch we headed to Dairy Queen.  Emily and I have been taunted for weeks by the ad for the Midnight Truffle Blizzard.  It was sooooooooooo good, but very, very rich!  After dessert, we all headed to get our hair cut which was so much fun and felt so good after 5 months without one!  On the way home, we stopped at Consign Design Boutique and I purchased my first 2 maternity outfits, for just $37!  I can’t wait to wear them!

After a busy but wonderful afternoon, I headed home to fix dinner.  Last week at the grocery store, I grabbed a pork loin roast just because it looked good.  I figured we’d throw it in the crock pot with something or other and call it a meal.  Well, when Ross suggested grilling it, there was no way I was turning him down!  I started my morning with searching for a good marinade recipe and starting the process.  The recipe I found was on cooks.com and is called Grilled Marinated Loin of Pork.  We loved it.  The honey and cinnamon add just the right amount of sweetness, and it came out perfectly tender.  Along with it we had a pasta salad that we first made and blogged about last summer, Spicy Vegetarian Peanut Noodle Salad.  It was even better that we remembered, and went perfectly with the pork. 

Today was a fun, beautiful day, and the sunshine, the carefree schedule and the awesome summer meal made me feel like summer is finally on its way.  I am so happy!

Lots of Good Food! January 7, 2009

I’ve been lazy about blogging this week!  I have a few great meals to catch up on.

 

On Sunday, I went to see Marley and Me.  It was a great movie, but I sobbed.  A lot.  It was worth it, though.  Being the wonderful guy Ross is, he made me a great dinner.  Homemade manicotti!  ALL homemade!  He found a recipe in the Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine for them using crepes as the pasta.  Here’s the recipe.  He claims it was easy.

 

Three Cheese Manicotti

2 c ricotta cheese

1 3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

3/4 c grated romano cheese

1/3 c flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons  milk

3 large eggs

3/4 cup all purpose flour

3 c meat sauce (store bought or your own)

 

Preheat oven to 350.  In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup romano, the parsley and milk.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 cup water.  Whisk in the flour.

 

Heat a greased 8″ nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Ladle 3 tablespoons batter into the skillet, swirling to cover the surface of the pan.  Cook for 1 minute, flip and cook for 1 minute more.  Repeat with remaining batter, greasing the skillet after each crepe.  Stack the crepes on a plate.

 

Spread half of the meat sauce in a 9×13 pan.  Spoon the cheese mixture down the middle of each crepe.  Roll closed; arrange in the baking dish.  Top with the remaining meat sauce and cheeses.  Bake for 25 min.

 

Ross used regular marinara sauce and added browned ground beef/sausage mixture in with the cheese.  He also sauteed onions with the meat mixture.  It was awesome!

 

Last night we wanted something quick and easy since we were both pretty tired.  I made chicken tenders, seasoned with some Mediterranean spices and drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  I put those on top of Rachael Ray’s Orzo with Chick Peas and it was delicious!  I love orzo and was excited to have a new recipe to use.

 

Today Ross found out that he got a promotion!  I told him he could pick if he wanted to go out to celebrate or stay home, and he decided to stay home and have… paninis!  He wanted something with ham. I searched for recipes, but couldn’t find anything too interesting, so I made one up.  I used French bread and Ross used honey wheat.  We put swiss cheese on the bread, honey ham, thinly sliced Granny Smith apples and some red onion slices.  I made up a sauce that I put on mine by mixing together some mayo, a little Dijon mustard and some honey.  We grilled them up and they were delicious!

 

As a side note, one of my best friends had a baby yesterday.  Richale gave birth to KJ very early and he weighs only 1.4 pounds.  They were out of town for his birth, so although they live in Washington state, they are in Nevada indefinitely.  She’s told me he’s a fighter and is doing well considering how tiny he is.  Please keep Richale, Kyle and KJ in your thoughts and/or prayers.  I know they would appreciate it and I would, too!

 

Thanks!