Dinner #8

I'm starting to think I have bitten off more than I can chew.  Cooking every night is highly overrated and extremely exhausting.  Especially now that all the kids have activities going on in the evenings.  Tonight's dinner was thrown (literally) together in no time at all.  I'm just worried that I will probably get food poisoning from not cooking my chicken all the way.  And I'm annoyed that my house smells funny because I was cooking things in grease.  And the fire alarm kept going off and the house got all smokey.  Surprisingly enough, everybody loved dinner except me.  I don't think I even really tasted the food in my mouth.  I just pulled cupcakes out of the oven hoping to overpower the grease smell in the house.  Now it smells like chocolate. After I clean up the kitchen I want to figure out how to make filled cupcakes. I should just go to bed, but unfortunately Noah's math teacher decided to give out 3 huge assignments that are all due tomorrow as well as a test.  He is burning the midnight (so to speak for him) oil.  Poor guy.  He really just wants to go to bed.


Chicken Milano

Dressing

1	tablespoon olive oil
2	teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/8	teaspoon salt    Salad 1 cup tightly packed baby spinach or arugula leaves 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 2 tablespoons diced red onion    Chicken 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb) 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour 1 cup Progresso® Italian style panko crispy bread crumbs or Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs 1 egg 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup crumbled tomato-basil feta cheese (we used gorganzolla because I hate Feta) 1.     In medium bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Stir in salad ingredients to coat. 2.    Between pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 3/4 inch thick. (I would do thinner) Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper. 3.     On separate plates, place flour and bread crumbs. In bowl, beat egg with fork. Coat chicken with flour. Dip into egg; coat well with bread crumbs. 4.     In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F) and coating is golden brown. Serve chicken topped with salad and sprinkled with cheese.  When I was all done preparing it I said, "Now it is time to plate it."  The kids started laughing.  I think it's great that they know what that means.  I need to get new plants.  These sunflowers, on top of being completely out of style now, don't do anything for the food.  It almost makes it look worse.  Stay tuned... and write me a note!

Dinner #7

I knew today was going to be a busy day.  I also knew it was going to be cloudy and rainy.  This was why I picked tonight's dinner.  It was the perfect combo of warmth, nourishment and comfort.  It wasn't very heavy either.  I served it with fresh made rolls, saltine crackers and some Parmesan cheese.  Yummy!

Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 (29 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can mixed vegetables, drained
• 2 quarts beef broth
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 ounces dry fusilli pasta '

Directions

• 
  1.     Place the beef in a skillet over medium heat. Mix in garlic, onion, and green bell pepper. Cook and stir until beef is evenly brown and vegetables are tender. Drain grease, and transfer to a slow cooker.
  
  2.     Mix celery, Italian-style stewed tomatoes, and mixed vegetables into the slow cooker. Pour in beef broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
  3.     Cover, and cook 7 hours on High. Mix pasta into the slow cooker during the last 15 minutes of cook time. 
  
  
  
  
  I put the pasta in with an hour left because I was worried that it would not be cooked.  It was fine.  I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef for a healthier version.   I also used frozen veggies instead of canned because I think canned veggies are disgusting.  I would also suggest using diced tomatoes instead of stewed because I like smaller chunks.  So do the kids.  It makes a lot so if you want to try some just come on over.  I'll share!  My fridge is full with extras.

Dinner #6

Tonight's dinner didn't go well.  I was in a weird mood, Damon was in a weird mood and dinner was very late.  7pm.  Blah.  So needless to say we were all a little cranky.  This was a challenging recipe because I couldn't find all the ingredients so I made some substitutions.  They didn't work out so hot.  Damon feels like I should have put sausage in the pasta as well, but I really felt like a meatless dish tonight.  I think it has potential.  If anyone can find smoked mozzarella cheese let me know.  It's not at the old von's, stater bros, or henry's.

Penne with tomato and smoked cheese

3 cups uncooked penne pasta (9 oz)
1 can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen® organic diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups Alfredo pasta sauce
1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella cheese (4 oz) (I used smoked provolone and it didn't work well)

Directions 

• 1 Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray 1 1/2-quart casserole with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
• 2 Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat tomatoes to boiling. Reduce heat to medium; cook uncovered 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated.
• 3 In 2-quart saucepan, heat Alfredo sauce over medium-low heat until warm. Stir in cheese until melted. Mix sauce, pasta and tomatoes. Pour into casserole.
• 4 Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot in center. 

You can also add bacon into the dish to give it a really smokey  flavor.  Serve with salad and fresh bread.    Enjoy.

Dinner #5-Super Bowl Sunday!

What goes better on Super Bowl Sunday then chips, salsa, guacamole, quesadillas and enchiladas.  This meal aimed to please and did not disappoint.  Even during the preparation of the meal all the kids were in the kitchen saying how wonderful everything smelled.  Always a good sign.  These actually reminded me of the enchiladas my grandma used to make. 

Beef Enchiladas

1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (any color)
2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon chili powder1
1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles, drained
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) Muir Glen® organic tomato sauce
8 soft corn tortillas (6 inch)

Additional shredded cheese, sour cream and chopped onion, if desired 

 

 Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch skillet, cook beef over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup onion, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 cup cheese, the cilantro and pepper. Cover; remove from heat

In 2-quart saucepan, heat bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chiles, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate.

 Dip each tortilla into sauce in pie plate to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture down center of each tortilla; roll up. Place, seam side down, in ungreased 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. 

 We also sprinkled cheese on top after they came out of the oven.  One thing we would probably do is double the sauce.  We like really saucy enchiladas and there wasn't  a lot of sauce to pour over the top.  We also chopped up some tomatoes to serve with them.  So Yummy.  It was the fastest my kids ever ate dinner.

After dinner Super Bowl treats.  We served these with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  I'm going to miss football til September!