I think this is the Saucy One Pot Dinner?

I posted about a recipe here, and I think this is the corresponding picture.

Pan Seared Chicken with Hearty Brown Ale Sauce

This one can't be found on the internet, being ATK and all. Well, that's not completely true since I did find a hit on the Cook's Illustrated website, but am not going to pay the fee to see if it's the right recipe when I have the recipe in my book, KWIM? Anyway, this was pretty stinking good. I must say, these ATK folks do know what they're doing, and I encourage you to check out their cookbooks out, either buy purchasing or by seeing if your local library has any!

Here's the brown ale I used:


Mmm, beer. If you haven't tried Leinenkugel's, I do recommend you do.



Trying out the apeture settings on my camera. Looks good, huh?

As you can see, I served with roasted red potatoes, and some frozen vegetable side dish. We liked both the chicken and the potatoes, although the side dish has been retired. I'm not sure what I used as inspiration for my roasted potatoes, but do know that I played with it a bit... wish I remembered what I did because they came out great!

Made on March 5.

Linguine with Scallops, Sun Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts

From my Food and Wine cookbook, but you can find the recipe here!

This was somewhat dissatisfying. It was really sort of bland and flavorless. Easy, yeah, sure, but make it again good? Not so much.

Made it on April 3.

Meal Planning

I hope to continue with the not going to the store. Here's my plan for this week:

Sunday: Meatloaf
Monday: Chicken something or other
Tuesday: Kielbasa and sauerkraut
Wednesday: Mac and Cheese
Thursday: Leftover saucy one pot
Friday: Something shrimp (or over a friend's house for dinner)
Saturday: Maybe homemade pizza?

So they want the Dr. Seuss cake!

How funny that my little blog here is getting hits from all over the place as people look for Dr. Seuss cakes. Google Analytics says that this blog is getting way more hits than my blog about my adorable little boy (But I think that's a blip because I got a comment that wasn't listed on there... but I digress), and I imagine that's a large part of why.

People looking for something creative are probably disappointed when they find my little cake, but I was really really pleased with how it came out. I'm not at all an artist, so pulling off the little sketch of the Cat's hat thrilled me, and it was so much easier than my original plan.

So, some random thoughts as my brain spins trying to make sense of tonight's episode of Lost.

Saucy One Pot Dinner

Another good one from Kraft Foods. This is from my Dinner on Hand cookbook, which is all about options (yay)... it's a feature they've included (infrequently) in their magazine.

So, here's what I did... I browned a pound of ground chicken. I then added a cup of pasta, a cup of water, and a cup of spaghetti sauce, and a few good shakes of Italian seasoning. I boiled it, then covered and simmered for 20 minutes. Then I threw in a small onion (diced), about a handful of frozen sliced bell peppers, the rest of what I had of frozen broccoli florets, a can of sliced mushrooms, and a tablespoon of chopped garlic. I heated this for 5 minutes (well, however long it took the broccoli to get hot), and then added a handful of Italian blend of shredded cheese.

I have to say that, although these recipes probably aren't the most healthy stuff on the block, they will really help me in my goal of using crap up. This was pretty good, and I ended up saving the leftovers in the freezer for a future dinner. Hopefully, that will work out to be just as good as tonight's!

Cheesy Chicken and Salsa Skillet

A good one from Kraft Foods! Yeehaw! Link



2 cups multigrain penne pasta, uncooked I used not multigrain bowtie pasta
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1-1/4 cups TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa I used what was left of Shop Rite Brand medium salsa
1 cup frozen corn, thawed I usd peas
1 large green pepper, cut into short thin strips I used about a cup of frozen sliced peppers
1 cup KRAFT Mexican Style 2% Milk Finely Shredded Four Cheese
Make It!
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir 2 min. Stir in salsa, corn and peppers. Bring to boil. Simmer on medium-low heat 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
DRAIN pasta. Add to chicken mixture; mix lightly. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat; cover. Let stand 1 min. or until cheese is melted.

As soon as he had his first bite, M said that this was really good. I thought it was pretty good, but definitely something I will make again. I continue making dinner without stopping at the grocery store! We did go to BJs for some things (Bananas, milk, diaper stuff) and I got some perishables at the grocery store (yogurt, cottage cheese, grapes) this weekend, but on the whole, I'm really proud of making sure I use it all up. I do, of course, now need to buy some salsa... :-/

In short, this is a GREAT weeknight meal! Hooray for a Kraft Foods winner... I was concerned it might not be possible!

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

M has been craving Mozzarella Sticks for a few days now. Since the budget is tight, we decided to go ahead and make them. Since our waistbands are also tight, we went with a recipe that bakes rather than fries. I found this recipe on Kitchen Scrapbook (link!)

Baked Mozzarella Sticks

2 packages (5 oz each) string cheese
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 large egg whites
2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
1 tsp. dried oregano (omitted)
1/2 tsp. salt (omitted)
2 Tbsp. melted butter (I used spray olive oil)

Marinara sauce

Remove cheese from packages; cut each cheese stick in half crosswise.

Combine flour and cornstarch in a shallow dish. Beat egg whites and water in another shallow dish until well mixed. Combine bread crumbs, oregano, and salt in a third shallow dish. Coat cheese with flour mixture. Dip into egg white mixture, being sure to coat thoroughly, including ends. Coat with bread crumb mixture.

Dip into egg whites and bread crumbs a second time, being sure ends are coated. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Freeze at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Drizzle cheesesticks with melted butter. Bake until crumbs just begin to brown, 5-7 minutes.

Perhaps using the spray stuff meant we missed on something. These weren't bad, per se, but they weren't the yummy goodness we know and love as mozzarella sticks. The coating was a little bit on the dry side too... maybe because it was, um, dry.
It was a nice recipe, and something on which I hope to improve. The idea of making these up and then keeping them in the freezer for whenever is not only cheaper than buying them from the store, but also easier because I'm not so great at remembering what's in the freezer.

Pictures coming soon, although Kitchen Scrapbooks are WAY prettier than mine!

on meals...

I have been preparing dinners. It's just that none of them are really of interest. I have been partly lazy in my desire to not go to the grocery store, but also after straightening out our pantry, I realized how very much food we have that is getting replaced. I've been lazy and I've been wasteful, so my goal is to go for as long as possible without hitting up the grocery store. We've been to BJs and to a farmer's market, plus I got diapers at Shoprite, but otherwise, I haven't gotten any groceries.
We've had lots from the freezer--I've been much better about trying to defrost the night BEFORE the meal.
Tonight, we had some pierogies from the freezer, although we are out of sour cream. Since we didn't have quite enough for both of us, I also made a veggie side dish. Yeah, we both didn't eat as much as we would have normally, and will be more likely to snack as the evening wears on, but I'm still happy.

This would be a whole lot easier if M would eat beans, regular pasta with sauce, or mac and cheese.

Earth Friendlier giveaway

Bargain Briana is giving away several "Eco Friendly" cleaners. Check it out here!

Apron giveaway!

Mama's Losin it is having YET ANOTHER Apron Giveaway!
YIPPIE!!!
Check it out here

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

I saw this mentioned on A cookie a day... a long time ago. I had planned to make it for the hubs for Father's Day, but then ended up being away on business for Father's Day. I finally got around to making it for Valentine's Day. I could only find a baguette type loaf of French bread, which was totally unsuitable for this! What I could do with it was good and tasty, but it would have been so much better with a larger slice of bread. Maybe next time, I'll make the bread fresh too in the bread machine and see how that comes out (haha, who am I kidding??).

Anyway, this was really good. I just realized, looking at the recipe, that I completely forgot to add sugar, and it was still really tasty. What we had was plenty for the two us, so next time I will probably make no more than half--maybe even bring it down to 1/4 (although who knows how much filling I will use when I have a normal sized slice of bread).

Definite keeper!!

1 (1 pound) loaf sourdough or French bread
1 (8 ounce) package light cream cheese, softened
2 tablesppons sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped strawberries
*powdered sugar and real maple syrup to finish
Mix the cream cheese, sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and strawberries together in a bowl, set aside. Slice the bread on a slant, giving each side of the slice a nice surface area. Make a slit in each slice of bread through the crust to form a pocket. Place the cream cheese in a plastic or piping bag and pipe about 2 tbsp of the mixture in each slice of bread.
In a small bowl, beat together eggs,1 tsp vanilla, milk, cinnamon and nutmeg
Melt butter in a griddle or frying pan over medium-low heat. Briefly dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and place on the griddle. Brown on both sides and serve warm with sliced strawberries, powdered sugar and maple syrup

Tomato Soup with Chicken and Feta Cheese

This recipe appeared in my email on a day that I was cold, tired, and not in the mood to cook dinner. Perfect; we'll have soup and a sandwich for dinner. I went to the store and purchased prepared chicken salad, Perdue shortcuts (grilled chicken), and some feta cheese (sooo much cheaper than the Gorgon), and went on my merry way. I picked an Israeli feta simply because a gentleman at the store told me it was the best of the best but, more importantly, it was the cheapest per pound available.

This was so easy to prepare, and, with the exception of the feta and the chicken, was all stuff I had on hand. It was very tasty too, although not a great compliment to the chicken salad sandwiches. It was something a little bit different than our normal creamy tomato soup, so it was nice!

I was lazy and mixed the feta into the soup rather than crumbling it on top. This was also good leftover; I was a little concerned about reheating the feta, but it was still yummy.

I'll be making this one again for sure. Now, what to do with all the feta I have left over... hmmmm.

Chicken coupon?

Bargain Briana is hosting a giveaway that centers around "Crack Dip." Yep, that's the Buffalo Chicken Dip recipe created by Frank's Hot Sauce (which calls for 8oz of hot sauce, but my husband used a whole 12 oz jar when making... that's a whole nother story).

Go here to enter!

Apron Contest

Mama's Losin it is an awesome blog.

Even better is that she's hosting an apron giveaway! Check out the Marilyn apron... so funny!
Link

Spaghetti Puttanesca

Original recipe

This was pretty tasty and oh so easy to make. BAJ made a version his mom gave him several years ago that was far more complicated than this. This was EASY. The worst part of making this was probably chopping the kalamata olives--not fun around a big ole pit. I used anchovy paste rather than the real stuff, because it was what I had around the house. I used about 1/2" of anchovy paste and it was the perfect amount. I went a little heavy handed with the crushed red pepper, but that was great too. I also used a whole wheat pasta, which was a nice healthy addition.

This wasn't, unfortunately, as good as leftovers as it was fresh.

The best part of this recipe was that it was completely a pantry meal... I didn't have to buy a single thing to make it.

• 1 pound spaghetti
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 rinsed anchovies, (optional)
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, and their juice
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package instructions; drain; return to pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, crushed red pepper, and anchovies, if desired, mashing them with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 2 minutes.
3. Add whole tomatoes and their juice, breaking up tomatoes with hands. Stir in capers and olives. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Toss with pasta; season with salt and pepper.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Spaghetti Puttanesca - Martha Stewart Recipes

Midterms.

It is midterm week for both of us and all I want to eat is takeout. Stress eating is one of my many downfalls.

Last night, I managed to make premade lobster ravioli with a browned butter sauce. It was easy enough, but not really all that awesome.

I'm at a loss for tonight. I would love some comfort food, but the picky hubs means that's pretty much out. And I haven't had time to go to the grocery store, so it's not like something is already planned. sIGH.

Finger Foods Night

We had some friends over for dinner, and everyone made finger foods/appetizers.

I made:
Smitten Kitchen's Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
Cooking Light's Marinated Shrimp
Cooking Light's Stuffed Mushrooms
Bruschetta
Artichoke Dip

I didn't take a single picture because I was cooking as the guests arrived and didn't want to seem weird.

Cheesecakes
This was my first time making cheesecakes in mini form, and I really enjoyed it. I overbaked them a little bit, but they were still delicious. I bought a mango, and had full intent to use it as the topping, but time constraints made me just go with the (oh so delicious) cream topping. On the whole, these were fantastic. I forget where I did it, but I substituted Splenda for some of the sugar (I think in the cheesecake itself I substituted one cup), and I used Neufchatel instead of cream cheese. I dont think these changes impacted the flavor at all, and next time I will try a 100% Splenda mix.

Marinated Shrimp
Ironically, we ended up with two shrimp dishes that were very similar. They were both really good, but the only real differences were that mine were served warm while the others were chilled, and I used much more jalapeno (he said he used one ring while I used about 10). These were really good, although they had a good amount of kick in them. Definitely a nice amount of spice, but I probably won't use so much jalapeno next time.

Stuffed Mushrooms
I was a little disappointed in these. They were easy and very good, but I wouldn't call them outstanding or amazing. These went into the oven as we decided to eat, so perhaps their late arrival to the table explains why they didn't really move, but they weren't a favorite at the table.

Bruschetta
I made my typical version of Ali's Amazing Bruschetta from allrecipes. It was good, although I overbaked a little... too much activity happening at once! They were enjoyable as always!

Artichoke Dip
This recipe came from a friend and was in the book of recipes I received at my bridal shower. I don't know if it's a family secret or something like that, so I won't post it, but it's similar to the one posted here. I had some red onion, so I added that in, and I served with tortilla chips. This, ladies and gentlemen, was outstanding. I've made this dip for this same group before, and they all commented that it was outstanding the first time, but for some reason so much better this time. Strange, right? Anyway, it was really stinking good, and I think I even used Neufchatel in this too. YUM!

So in short, this was a great idea. It allowed everyone to bring something, and although the hors d'ouvres didn't all "go together," we had an excellent meal and a TON of fun!

Grilled Turkey and Ham Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

From Cooking Light's January/February 2009 issue. Also here

Pictures coming soon!

This was pretty easy to put together, and a break from our usual routine. That said, it wasn't anything spectacular. The soup was a little on the bland side, and the sandwich was alright too.

Vegetable Lasagna

Recipe from Betty Crocker's Bridal Cookbook.

I tried this one out last night, having company coming over. Our guests said they really liked it, commenting especially on the "cheese on top." BAJ said it was "Ok," but to try something different next time. I thought it was ok, but nothing really spectacular.
I didn't take pictures because of hte company, but the presentation was terrible anyway--I couldn't get it out of the pan in a nice layered slice.