Dinner 22 - Table for One

Ok, Rach and the kids are out of town for spring break.  I decided to hijack dinner #22 and make something that I will probably never get at home as a family meal - some seafood!  I am not a wiz in the kitchen like Rach so I kept it simple.  Thanks to the kind folks at Food.com for the help!

Dinner #22 - Lemon & Herb Chilean Salmon on a bed of seasoned long grain and wild rice, served with roasted asparagus (yeah, that was a mouthful - I am all ready for Chopped!)

Salmon:
http://www.food.com/recipe/lemon-herb-salmon-127788

I left out the rosemary and dill weed, and used sea salt instead of kosher (not sure what the difference is)

Roasted Asparagus:
http://www.food.com/recipe/roasted-asparagus-50847

Rice:
Ok, cheated here a bit.  But it was very tasty! Thanks Rice-A-Roni!

It was super simple and it did not make too much of a mess.  And it actually tasted pretty good.  It was a little more tangy than I thought it would be, so maybe I should have added more sugar (or used less sour lemons).  In any case, I will be enjoying it for the next few days as I made 6 fillets and only got through about 1.5 of them tonight.  Just need to get the fish smell out of the house before Rach gets back!

Enjoy!

Dinners 20-21

Oh my goodness!  It is certainly taking forever to get to 28 new meals.  We tried 2 new ones the past two days.  Now that Spring Break is almost upon us I won't be doing any new ones until April.  I know it didn't take this long last time, but there has kind of been a lot going on and I really just didn't want to stress about this.

Dinner #20-Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops-this picture didn't do it justice

 

 Super Easy-threw it all in a crock pot before church, came home and it was almost done.  What can be easier than that on a busy day.  Know your crock pot though.  Mine only cooked for 5 hours on low and I think that was to long.

•  
• 6-8 thinly sliced pork chops (you can usually buy them already cut thin)
• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing powder
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I would use the reduced sodium ones for both-it was a little to salty)

• Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
• Add pork chops.
• Sprinkle ranch dressing powder evenly over the pork.
• Add soups and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (or high heat for about 3-4 hours).
• Serve with mashed potatoes and salad

#21-Mexican Shredded Beef

 This was another easier meal, but it involved some effort.  It's not one of those meals you can put in the morning and then forget about until dinner time.  There is a middle process, but it wasn't to hard.  They were way yummy though and the kids really liked them.

• 3-4 Lbs. lean roast beef
• 1 pkg. onion soup mix
• 2-3 c. water
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c.  picante sauce

 Lightly sear the roast on all sides. Add to crock pot and sprinkle with onion soup mix and add 2 c. water. Cook in crock pot on low for 8-9 hours, keep an eye on it and add more water as necessary. (again, know your crock pot.  Mine only took 4.5 hours before I took the meat out to shred and it was done.) Make sure there is always about 1-2 cups of liquid in there. Do not let the water cook out!

After meat is cooked, drain juices into a large jar. Place jar in the fridge so the fat will rise to the top and be easily removed. Shred the meat and toss our any excess fat.

Saute onion in butter. When onions are clear, add flour and stir until smooth. Add 1-2 c. of the meat drippings, stirring or whisking constantly until it is a gravy-like consistency.

Return shredded meat to crock pot and add gravy mixture and picante sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and simmer. Meat should be moist and juicy.

St. Patty's Day fun!

 Our lives our so busy again.  Gone are the simple days.  Can't wait til summer when I don't have to worry about projects or grades.

 Noah had to try 5 new fruits and veggies for his health class.  He had kiwi, bok choy, a plumb, kiwano ( I think) and a kumquat.  It was quite a fun exercise.

 Raspberry chocolate cupcakes.  They were pretty tasty.  Just starting the St. Patty's day food a tad bit early.

 Pinewood Derby kind of snuck up on us this year.  We weren't 100% prepared and didn't get to spend as much time on the car as we would of like, but it got finished right before weigh in and Adam ended up getting 6th place.  He had fun and we are a bit relieved that this is our last one.

 Lily is always wanting to be a part of the derby.  Adam was nice enough to let her help.  She's been a great cheerleader for him.

St. Patrick's day in not one of my favorite Holidays, but it's a good one to have some fun with.

 I wasn't going to do anything special for this holiday breakfast, but the kids turned up their noses at Lucky Charms so I ended up making green french toast.

  The kids wanted me to dye the mashed potatoes green.  Lily had quite the rainbow of flavor on her plate at dinner.

 Then they wanted to make sugar cookies.  I was in the kitchen all day, but the kids were happy and at the end of the day the kitchen was clean.

 We finally got to meet our new baby cousin, Samuel.  He is only 6 days old in this picture.  He is so cute and snuggly.  

Happy Birthday Nana!

We hosted a birthday party for Damon's mom.  She turned 60 although you can't really tell.  She is such a wonderful person who likes to help.  I had to kick her out of the kitchen several times the day of the party.  We were so glad we were able to have lots of family over to help celebrate with us.

 I spent the whole morning and afternoon in the kitchen.  I made 4 main dishes and two desserts.  It was all worth it though.

We always buy Nothing Bundt Cakes for Nana's birthday.  This year I decided to make them instead and they did not disappoint.  I made a chocolate, chocolate chip and a white chocolate raspberry.

It was a great night.  Happy Birthday Nana!!

dinners 17-19 and a move

Well this weekend we moved into a house, were both super sick and exhausted and we only managed to have 1 new meal.  I'm really trying my hardest.  We went out to eat Friday and Saturday this week because of the move.  We will try harder this week to do more meals.

We have decided that moving really stinks.  Unpacking and organizing a new house is worse then packing up an old house I've decided, but truth be told I would rather do neither.

So my one new meal in 4 days turned out really well and everyone loved it.  My pickiest eater even asked if we could make it a staple.  That's a pretty high compliment.  We served it with fresh homemade Italian bread.  Here is it.

Dinner #17- Lasagna Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 small onions
• 4 garlic cloves crushed and/or chopped
• 1 1/2 lbs sausage or ground beef
• 2 tsp oregano (I used crushed leaves)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves (I left this out.  Didn't have any on hand.  I miss my next door neighbor's herb garden)
• 8 oz. fusilli or rotini pasta
• 1/2 c. fresh basil (see above comment about the bay leaves. I used dried leaves)
• 8 oz Ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups Mozzarella, shredded
• salt and pepper to taste (just a pinch)

Instructions

• Chop onions small, and sauté onions and fresh garlic in olive oil in a fry pan.
• Add sausage/ground beef mix and brown.
• In a stock pot, combine oregano, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, chicken broth and bay leaves. Don't add the pasta and basil yet.
• Drain any excess fat drippings from the meat and add the meat to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for at least an hour then add the pasta about 15-20 minutes before serving. When the pasta is done add the basil.
• Mix the cheeses and salt & pepper together in a small serving bowl.
• When the soup is served in individual bowls, add a large scoop (at least 2 tbs.) of the cheese mixture into each bowl. 

Dinner #18-Meatloaf

1.5 lbs. lean ground beef

1.5 lbs. ground turkey

1 large onion, chopped finely

1 (8 oz.) box stuffing mix (any kind)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 Tb Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

1 cup fat free or light sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1 packet of dry ranch dressing mix

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp oregano

1 egg

Sauce

Stir together in a bowl:

2/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
(I would double this recipe so the sauce is thick on both loaves.  Dividing the original amount between both loaves wasn't enough sauce)

Combine all ingredients in a mixer (Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment works great). Divide into two 9 inch loaf pans. Do not cover. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove loaves and drain any accumulated grease in pans. Top with sauce and bake an additional 30 minutes. Once it has mostly cooled you can wrap tin foil over the top of one and put it in the freezer for later. (Use a disposable tin loaf pan so you don’t have to monopolize one of your own loaf pans while it’s frozen!)

Dinner #19-Chicken Fajita Casserole

1 can (16 oz)  refried beans

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 package  fajita seasoning mix

cooked chicken strips, or shredded chicken-about 10oz

8  flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas

1 bag (1 lb) frozen stir-fry bell peppers and onions, thawed, drained(I used fresh ones)

2 cups shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend (8 oz)

 Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix refried beans, tomato sauce and fajita seasoning mix. Stir in chicken.

Spread 1/2 cup of the bean mixture over bottom of baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas, overlapping if necessary, in baking dish. Top with half of remaining bean mixture, half of the stir-fry vegetables and 1 cup of the cheese. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, bean mixture, stir-fry vegetables and cheese.

 Cover baking dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

 Super yummy and super easy.  We served it with tortilla chips and guacamole. 

 I cut up a cucumber for the kids and they loved it because in the center were "Ys".  They had to take a picture.

Dinners 14-16

#14-Dinfest

Sometimes we like to mix things up around here and have breakfast for dinner.  I'm sure no one else does that.  We had a mixture of things and we loved all of them except one.

Cinnamon Roll Pancakes

1 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon(I forgot this, but put cinnamon chips in the batter)

2 cups Bisquick Heart Smart® mix(or make yours from scratch)

1 1/3 cups milk

1 egg

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

In small bowl, mix powdered sugar and 1/4 cup whipping cream with whisk; set icing aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, cook brown sugar, butter and cinnamon over medium heat, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk and egg with fork or whisk until blended. Stir in raisins.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat (375°F). Grease griddle with vegetable oil if necessary (or spray with cooking spray before heating). For each pancake, pour about 2 tablespoons batter onto hot griddle. Cook until edges are dry and bubbles form on top. Turn and cook other sides until golden brown.
Serve pancakes stacked with warm cinnamon mixture between each pancake. Drizzle with icing.

We made a Raspberry-Almond Coffee cake which wasn't very good at all so I am not even going to post the recipe.

Then we had eggs in a way I have never cooked before.  I got it from The Sister's Cafe and they call them Christmas eggs.  They always eat them on Christmas.  This one surprised me because I thought the kids would turn their noses up at them, but they didn't.  They loved them.  Super easy, and fun and you can eat them whenever you want.

Christmas Eggs

12 eggs

1 pint whipping cream (I didn't use the whole pint)

Salt-sprinkle on each one

Preheat oven to 350

Butter a muffin tin

Crack one egg in each muffin hole. Then open your carton of cream and pour 2 tablespoons on each one. Keep pouring and try to give each egg an equal amount until the cream carton is empty. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt on each one and then simply pop into the preheated oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, depending on how soft you like the yolk.  Our eggs took about 16 because the kids do not like runny yokes.  

#15-Baked Teriyaki Chicken

This was a nice easy meal and it was good too.  We all really enjoyed it. 

1 Tb cornstarch
1 Tb water
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced (can substitute 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
1/4 tsp black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
4-5 green onions, sliced in 2 inch pieces

Combine all ingredients except chicken thighs and green onions in a small sauce pan. Simmer over low heat until sauce bubbles and thickens.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Using kitchen shears, trim an excess fat off chicken thighs. Arrange single layer in a 9×13 inch baking dish, lightly greased with Pam. Pour half of teriyaki sauce over chicken thighs, making sure they are completely coated. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Turn chicken thighs over and pour remaining half of sauce over top. Sprinkle green onions on top of chicken. Cover with foil again and bake for another 30 minutes. Serve over rice.

 
#16-Crock pot Chicken Fettuccine

I really love crock pot meals.  Especially on our super busy nights, which always happen to be Wednesdays.  We have swim, drama, swim and cub scouts all in a manor of 4 hours.  It's nice for everyone to come in and get it when it's ready.  I hate that we don't have a sit down meal together as a family, but that's how it is on Wednesdays.We really liked this dish.  Lily devoured it so fast.  I've never seen her eat like that.

• 4-6 frozen chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pkg.  Italian dressing mix (dry)
• 1 pkg. cream cheese
• 1 can cream of chicken soup

• Combine chicken, broth, margarine and dressing mix in crock pot and cook on high for 3 ½ to 4 hours. Chicken should shred into small pieces.

• Add remaining ingredients and cook on high for another half an hour. Add milk or heavy cream to thin the sauce if it’s too thick. Serve over noodles or rice.

Dinners 12-13

 Slow Cooker Italian Tortellini Soup- super easy

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 medium zucchini, halved, cut into 1-inch slices

2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans ready-to-serve vegetable or chicken broth

1 (28-oz.) can crushed or diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15.5-oz.) can great northern beans, drained, rinsed

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves(Fresh works as well, just add it when you add the pasta)

1 (8-oz.) pkg. uncooked dry cheese-filled tortellini (I think dried tortellini is a bit gross so I used the fresh kind by Boutini.  I stuck it in an hour before we ate dinner.  Probably could have been a half hour. Depends on your cooker)

In 4 to 6-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except basil and tortellini; mix well.

Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. (I did mine on high for 4 hours.  I was short on time)

About 20 minutes before serving, stir basil and tortellini into stew. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook an additional 20 minutes or until tortellini are tender.

My friend had said she wanted to see some Vegetarian meals.  This was one of them.  It turned out much better than I thought it would.  I was sceptical at first.  I made some Italian bread to go with it.  We sprinkled it with Parmesan cheese.  We all liked it.  You could also add some oregano and garlic in it for even more flavor.

Mongolian Beef- a lot like PF Chang's-involved a bit, but way yummy!

• 4 tsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. ginger, minced
• 2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1 c. soy sauce
• 1 c. water
• 1 c. brown sugar (packed)
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 2 Lb. flank steaks (ask your butcher to cut it into strips for you.  May save some time)
• ½ c. cornstarch
• 3 large green onions

• Make the sauce by heating 4 tsp. vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little bit. Remove sauce from heat.

• Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat up 1 c. oil in a wok (or skillet). Heat the oil over medium heat until its hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Stir the meat around a little bit so that it cooks evenly.

• After a few minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour most of the oil out of the skillet. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce, cook for 1 minute while stirring and add green onions. Cook for 1 more minute. Now at this point you can either remove the beef with a slotted spoon or tongs and discard the sauce (this is what P.F. Chang's does) OR thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture (about a 1 Tbsp-1 Tbsp ratio) to desired thickness and serve it over rice with the beef.

When I started making this Noah came into the kitchen and asked what the wonderful smell was.  He stayed in the kitchen the rest of the time smelling all the different components to this dish.  When it was all finished and he took a bite he said it was AMAZING!  It was good.  It is a process and it does make a mess in the kitchen, but it was worth it. Just plan it for an easy night.