Dinner #29

Today is bitter sweet.  It should have been the last day of my new meals, but since there were 3 days I didn't cook anything new I still have 3 more days to get to an official 29 days of new meals. 

Dinner tonight went off really well.  I'm sure it had everything to do with the fact that I made it at 10am this morning.  That worked out well since I had to drive to swim team, make a dinner for a friend who just had a baby and supervise homework and 2 extra children.

Make Ahead White Chicken Lasagna

1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper (2 medium)
1 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pint (2 cups) half-and-half
1/2 cup  chicken broth
4 oz cream cheese
7 oz Gouda cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 container (12 oz) small-curd cottage cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1 egg, beaten
9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 package (16 oz) sliced mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh basil sprigs or chopped basil leaves, if desired

Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in bell pepper, celery, onion and garlic; cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in center.

Reduce heat to low. Add half-and-half, broth and cream cheese; cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Gradually add Gouda cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Remove from heat; set aside. In bowl, mix cottage cheese, 1/4 cup fresh basil and the egg until blended.

 Spread 1 cup chicken mixture in baking dish. Top with 3 noodles, 1 1/2 cups chicken mixture, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture and 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with noodles. Top with remaining 3 noodles and remaining chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna covered 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 30 to 35 minutes longer or until noodles are tender and casserole is bubbly. Cover; let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish with basil sprigs.

  I think shredded chicken would have worked better.  It was tasty and filling.  It's perfect for a winter night.  It does take time though.  Everyone ate everything though so that was a good sign.  Serve with a side salad and bread sticks.

I found myself with some extra time this afternoon.  A piano lesson was cancelled and so was a baseball game due to wet fields. (I did a little happy dance when I got that phone call) With my extra free time I decided to whip up a little dessert for after dinner.  It was delicious and much cheaper than going to the store where the idea came from.  It really tasted exactly like it. Everyone loved it!

Dinner #27-#28

#27- It rained a lot today and all I really wanted to eat was some homemade Clam Chowder.  I couldn't make that though because it isn't a new recipe.  So we tried something that was equally as cozy and warm.

Burrito Pot Pies
1 1/4 cups Bisquick Heart Smart® mix
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (3 oz)
1/4 cup water
1 egg
2 cups cut-up cooked chicken
1 jar (16 oz)  Chunky salsa
1 can (15 oz)  black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz)  whole kernel corn, drained(we used frozen)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

Reduced-fat sour cream, if desired

Lime wedges, if desired

We didn't include the avocado in the dish.  We turned it into guacamole and ate it as a side.  We were only lukewarm to this dish.  It wasn't bad.  It just didn't wow us.  I also did a couple shakes of cayenne pepper to give it a little more flavor, but that's up to the individual.

Dinner #28- It's still cold outside and I still want warm, cozy food.  It was my late night working so I also needed something really easy and fast since we also had Cotillion tonight.  This is nothing compared to what's happening this Thursday, but I digress.  Food, that's what we are focusing on. I think this is the first real meal that the kids were begging for more.  They were even arguing, nicely, who could get the leftovers.  That's quite a compliment, but really I knew it would be a hit with them.  It was easy and didn't require much brain power.

Sloppy Cups

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped (optional)
2 cans refrigerated biscuit dough
2 c. sloppy joe sauce (homemade or canned) (I just used a marinera sauce I had in the cupboard)
shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, brown beef and onion. Add sloppy joe sauce and simmer on low heat for about 5 minutes. While beef mixture is simmering, open biscuit dough and press individual biscuits into a greased muffin tin forming a "cup". Place a scoop of beef mixture into the center of each biscuit cup and bake at 350-degrees for about 15-20 minutes (take them out when the edges are a deep, golden brown). Immediately top with cheese, then serve.

#25 and #26

#25-Damon and I went out to celebrate Valentine's Day.  We went to Bleu Boheme.  So Yummy!  We are still talking about the food.  The kids had dominoes.  Not so yum.

#26- I love a good Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich.  They are one of my favorites.  I liked this one because it seemed even creamier than others I have had.  One pointer, make sure the bun gets toasted well.  Ours didn't and they ended up being a little soggy.

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

2 c. beef broth
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 lb. Black Angus rare roast beef (regular roast beef works great too, just make sure it's from the deli and thinly sliced)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 large white or yellow onion, sliced
8 oz. cream cheese
sliced provolone cheese (2 slices per sandwich)
3-4 hoagie rolls

Bring beef broth and onion soup mix to a boil. Add roast beef, reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large skillet saute onion and green pepper. When beef is done simmering, drain juices (you can keep the juice if you want to make an "au jus" dip). Add roast beef to skillet along with about 4 oz. of cream cheese. Spread remaining cream cheese on each hoagie roll. When the cream cheese in the skillet is all melted, generously portion beef mixture onto each hoagie roll. Top with provolone cheese and place sandwiches, open-faced on a large baking sheet. Broil on high for about a minute or until cheese becomes bubbly and bread becomes slightly toasty. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Dinner #23 & #24

Spaghetti.  My kids have been begging for it, but I made it with a new twist tonight.  I made my own sauce and I cooked it in the crock pot, well the sauce, not the pasta.  It turned out wonderful.  The best thing about this is you can double the recipe and freeze half of it and save it for later.  I made fresh rolls with it and served it with a green veggie.  I just think green goes so well with the red sauce.  We all enjoyed this dish.


Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

2 lb bulk Italian pork sausage or ground beef

2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms (6 oz)

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can (28 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (15 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

·        Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In 12-inch skillet, cook sausage, onions, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain.

·        

 2 Spoon sausage mixture into cooker. Stir in remaining ingredients.

·        Cover; cook on Low heat for 8-9 hours. 

After sauce is cooked, prepare pasta.  Add the sauce, sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.  Yum!

Dinner #24

Orange Chicken 

Chicken:
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1-1/2” cubes)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 eggs (beaten)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce:
1 cup water
2 tablespoons FRESH orange juice
¼ cup FRESH lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar (I thought this was to much.  It made it to sweet)
½ teaspoon ginger root (minced)
½ teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 tablespoons green onion (chopped)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes 

3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 c. water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip chicken in egg mixture and shake in flour mixture to coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired add red pepper flakes and garnish with green onions.

My kids weren't sold on this.  I knew they wouldn't be.  Damon and I enjoyed it, but he likes my sweet and sour chicken better.  If you are in a rush you can make the sauce and then use popcorn chicken.  Just a tip.  I served this with rice and a veggies. 

Dinner #22

Wednesday night's are always so rough in the house.  People are coming and going all afternoon.  Dinner is always tough so I try to make it easy on us by doing a crock pot dinner.

Tonight's dinner was easy to make, yummy to eat and easy to clean up.  Yea!

Slow Cooker Teriyaki Barbeque Chicken Sandwich

2 packages (20 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 24 thighs)

1 envelope (1 ounce) stir-fry seasoning mix

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup stir-fry sauce

2 1/2 cups coleslaw mix

10 kaiser rolls 

Place chicken in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker. Mix seasoning mix (dry), ketchup and stir-fry sauce; pour over chicken.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut and chicken is tender.

Pull chicken into shreds, using 2 forks. Stir well to mix chicken with sauce. To serve, place 1/4 cup coleslaw mix on roll and top with chicken.

 We left the coleslaw out because I knew the kids wouldn't like it.  Adam and Damon put a little more barbeque sauce on the bread.  We also felt like it would taste good with some Jack cheese.  Enjoy!

Dinner #21 Mardi Gras

 Well today is Mardi Gras and we had a family style celebration this evening.  Last week we learned a little about the background of Mardi Gras and the reason for celebrating.  We are just such the cultural family.  We started the evening off with some appetizers.  We had beignets and smoothies.   The main course was Black Beans with Sausage and Corn.  We served it with corn bread and quinoa.  Everyone loved it.  For dinner we had a King Cake.  It was a super fun night with lots of food and laughs.

I now know why it is called Fat Tuesday!  For Lent I'm giving up cooking.  Just kidding.  It took me 2 hours to clean up the kitchen.

Dinner #20 & President's Day

Today is President's Day! The kids had the day off.  Damon took the day off as well.  We had yummy crepes for breakfast.  Then we head to the Safari Park.  We had a nice relaxing day.  We fed ducks, lorakeets, saw all sorts of animals and ate Safari Cones.

For dinner tonight we spiced up one of our favorite dinners.  Damon and I saw this once on Man VS Food.  It's called a Juicy Loosy or a Loosy Juicy.  I can't quite remember. It's super easy.  Just prepare your hamburger meat how you like and mold it around the cheese of your choice.  Some use Velveta cheese, but I think that is gross so I used smoked cheddar.  Barbeque and enjoy.

(makes 4 burgers)
1.5 Lbs ground beef
1/2 c. oatmeal (optional)
3-4 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
salt & pepper (to taste)
parsley flakes (to taste)
Velveeta cheese, sliced and cut into little squares (or any other kind of fast melting cheese)
hamburger buns
your favorite hamburger toppings/condiments

Combine beef, oatmeal, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, pepper and parsley in a bowl. Separate into 8 parts and flatten out into thin patties. Place some cheese  on top of 4 of the patties and then cover with the 4 remaining patties. Press the edges of the patties to form a tight seal (you don't want the cheese oozing out before you bite into it). Grill or cook in a pan for a few minutes on each side-- just like you would grill/cook any other burger  Serve on hamburger buns and top with your favorite toppings.

Dinner #17 - 19, and a visit from Nana and Papa

Dinner 17 was pizza.  It's my homemade pizza and the kids have been begging for it.  We usually have it on Friday nights.  Noah and Damon were on a camp out and Nana and Papa had just got in for a visit.  We decided to do an Oldy,  but Goldy tonight for dinner.  The kids were so happy to have pizza.  I was happy not to have to stare at a cookbook while preparing it.  Sorry folks.  I'm not sharing my pizza recipe.  It's special!

Dinner #18-  we went out tonight with Nana & Papa.  We went to Hamburger Factory.  So yummy and delicious, but my stomach isn't used to eating out anymore.  If you haven't gone there you should.  It's yummy and Poway Park is so cute.

Just so no one things this is a food blog...  we went to the zoo today with Nana.  We had so much fun.  It was a lovely day.  The kids had fun and so did the parents.

 

We had leftovers on the 19th because the fridge was FULL of food and I was tired of trying to stuff more food in there.  New recipes will continue tomorrow.  Looks like I'm going to be extending my recipes into March.