Chicken Asparagus Soup

I give up. I don't even remember what I've made the past two weeks. I was hoping to be able to jot down these recipes and experiences for my children someday, but it's just not happening. And I'm not going to take any more photos until my new lens arrives because taking pictures in my house of bad lighting is worthless. I'm such a bad blogger. At least I'm making dinner every night! Anyway, I know this is another soup recipe with asparagus, but this one is a million, zillion times better. Plus asparagus is really cheap right now.

Chicken Asparagus Soup
courtesy of Taste of Home

2 lbs thin fresh asparagus
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, divided
1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 cups half-and-half cream
shaved Parmesan cheese, optional

Cut tips from asparagus spears; set aside. Place stalks in a large skillet; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Strain, reserving 4 cups cooking liquid. Discard stalks.
In a Dutch oven, saute the potatoes, onion, celery, carrot, parsley and garlic in oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in the broth, salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, bay leaf and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool slightly.
In a blender, cover and puree soup in batches until smooth (I just use an immersion blender). Return to the pan. Add the chicken, cream, remaining pepper and reserved asparagus tips. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Garnish with Parmesan cheese if desired. 10 servings.

Green Chile Stew

So I had a request for Green Chile Stew, and since I wasn't particularly thrilled with any of the recipes I found, I made up my own recipe!  I liked it, I liked it a lot!!



Green Chile Stew
Recipe by Kathee


Ingredients:

3 lb. pork roast
2 (4 oz.) cans diced green chiles
5 cups chicken broth
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans cream of chicken soup
1 (14.5 oz.) can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Place pork roast in slow cooker with 1 cup of chicken broth and cook on medium high for 6 hours.  After 6 hours shred roast and add remaining ingredients to slow cooker.  Cook for two more hours in slow cooker.  If necessary, make a roux with some of the liquid and some flour to thicken the stew.

I loved this.  I made rice and black beans to serve with it, and put the rice and beans in the bottom of my bowl, then ladled on the stew.  I think next time I will add potatoes and carrots.  So good!!!

Barbecue Beef

This is really, really good!  I love an easy slow cooker meal!


Barbecue Beef


Ingredients:

1 3-4 lb. cross rib roast
1 can Coke (or Pepsi)
1 tsp. garlic
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup Coke (or Pepsi)


Directions:

Place roast in slow cooker.  Pour 1 can of Coke on roast.  Cook on low for 5 to 7 hours.  After meat has cooked put it in a bowl and use two forks to shred meat.  Drain the coke and fat out of the slow cooker.  Mix the  garlic, ketchup, brown sugar, barbecue sauce and 1/4 cup of coke and add along with the shredded beef to the slow cooker.  Cook for another 1 to 2 hours.

Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder

I love the flavor of this soup, it's spicy, smokey and cheesy - a perfect combination!!!



Spicy Chicken Corn Chowder


Ingredients:
5 bacon slices, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
1 med. onion, chopped (of course I omitted this)
2-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 cup chopped red or orange bell peppers
3-4 tbsp. flour
6 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 1/2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (or 2 tsp. dried)
1 16oz. bag frozen corn
2 cups half and half or cream
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (plus more for garnish)
1 or 2 4 oz. cans chopped green chile's
1/4 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup green onions (do I even need to say I skipped this?)(plus more for garnish)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)(obviously I didn't garnish the soup in the picture, I was too hungry to waste time on prettying it up)

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large pot over medium high heat until crisp.  Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and cool; crumble and reserve for garnish.  Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from the pot. (Save those drippings for your refried or black beans for another day!!!!)  Add butter to pot and melt over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic, chicken and bell peppers; saute until onions are soft and chicken is golden brown, about 10 minutes.  Add flour; stir and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
Whisk in broth, then add potatoes, cumin, and thyme; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered until potatoes are somewhat tender, about 8 minutes.
Add corn, half and half, cheese, green chile's, and Tabasco; simmer until corn is tender, about 8 minutes more.  Add green onions and cilantro; simmer for 5 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
Garnish with bacon, cheese, green onions and cilantro.

Spinach and Bacon Frittata

I made one of my most favorite dinners last night and it was so gratifying to see my kids gobble it down.  Okay, let me be honest, it was really so very gratifying because I am such a sick woman.  You see, this frittata's main ingredient?  RICOTTA.  Ha ha ha ha ha!!!  They ate it and had seconds!!  I could hardly look any of them in the eye because I was trying so hard not to laugh.  This will be our little secret, ok?

The only problem with this meal is the bacon.  Don't get me wrong, I love bacon.  Bacon holds a place of honor and prestige in my home.  But I had intended to omit the bacon so I could make a Meatless Monday meal.  When I started cooking and even just read on the ingredient list the word bacon, I knew there was no way in heck I was going to omit it.  Bacon has that strong of a pull on me.


Spinach and Bacon Frittata
Recipe from Everyday Food Magazine


Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
coarse salt and ground pepper
5 strips bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
5 boiled potatoes
spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, ricotta, Parmesan, 1 tsp. salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a medium nonstick ovenproof skillet, cook bacon over medium high head until crisp. Drain all but 1 tsp. of fat from pan. Add potatoes and cook until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach and toss until barely wilted, about 30 seconds.
Add egg mixture and stir until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until center is set, about 15 minutes (20 for me.)

Here's what I do sometimes to make it faster; I use the real bacon bits things instead of frying bacon, just a tablespoon or so and I use about a cup of frozen hash browns instead of the potatoes. It's all about convenience and time savings. This takes about 5 minutes to put together and 20 in the oven, so it's a really quick meal. AND DELICIOUS!!!  AND IT HAS RICOTTA!!!  AND BACON!!!

Rice Balls with Meat Sauce

I've been told that I've taken my rice obsession too far with this recipe.  Deep fried, cheese filled rice balls?  Yes, please, sir, may I have some more??!!

I loved this so much, but I didn't follow the recipe exactly.  For instance, if I had added the artichoke hearts, the kids would have fainted.  If I had added the peas, the kids would have woke up from their faint and run screaming from the dinner table.  If I had added the mushrooms, flat out mutiny would have occurred and I'm sure flying rice balls would have been involved.


Rice Balls with Meat Sauce
Recipe from Taste of Home


Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped (since I HATE onions, I used about 1 tsp. of onion so finely minced it is nearly non existent, more like onion juice I guess)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 oz. each) tomato sauce
1 can (14 oz.) water packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen peas
1 jar (4 1/2 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
CHEESE STUFFED RICE BALLS:
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/8 inch cubes  (3/8 in.??  really???)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
oil for frying


Directions:

In a large saucepan, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the next nine ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  In a bowl, lightly beat 2 eggs.  Stir in the rice, butter, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Press a mozzarella cube into each; reshape balls.
In a small bowl, lightly beat remaining egg.  Dip each ball into egg, then roll in bread crumbs.  In a deep fryer or skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees.  Fry rice balls until golden brown, about 4 minutes.  Drain on paper towels.  Discard bay leaves from meat sauce; serve with rice balls.

Chicken Smothered With Love and Vanilla Cupcakes

For Valentine's Day I made my love his favorite meal, Chicken Smothered With Love. It's oh, so good. I made mashed potatoes, broccoli, rolls, and chocolate covered strawberries on the side. I made Shirley Temples and vanilla cupcakes, too. We were stuffed. I love to feed my family.

Chicken Smothered with Love

Boneless skinless chicken breasts (4), salted and peppered
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 cup Flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 onion sliced
1 1/2 cup hot chicken stock pinch of red pepper flakes

Season chicken with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika...then dredge in flour. Heat oil and butter in skillet add chicken and brown all sides...then remove and set aside. Add onion to skillet and sauté until translucent and beginning to brown. Return chicken to skillet; add hot chicken stock just up to the side of the chicken and add red pepper flakes.Bring to a boil... lower heat to simmer, cover and cook 30-40 minutes until gravy thickens.

Vanilla Cupcakes

From Bake and Shake, Adapted from Amy Sedaris' recipe

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups vanilla sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour, Dip-And-Sweep method
1 1/4 cups milk, pref. 2% or above, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Whisk or sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy and light yellow, 45 seconds to a minute.

Add eggs, one by one, mixing to combine. If mixture looks slightly curdled, don't worry -- it should come together once you add the flour, or tears of failure. But this can be avoided by making sure your eggs are room temperature. I like to rinse a ceramic bowl out with hot tap water, dry, and set the eggs inside that. They come to temperature easily.

Add Vanilla, and then alternate flour mixture and milk, beating after each addition. I like to begin and end with the flour. Mix on low speed until batter is lump-free and almost glossy looking. It should be silky. Using an ice cream scoop or similar, scoop or spoon batter into a muffin tin lined with paper or foil baking cups -- if you're not lining, use a little vegetable oil or butter and flour your tin. This recipe will easily give you 16-24 cupcakes, depending on how high you fill them.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking after cupcakes have risen and begun to turn golden around the edges. When they're done, they'll be dry on top, slightly golden around the edges and a skewer inserted in the middle will come out dry. Allow to cool for three minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack. Frost and eat, or display for three days, swearing each time a hand nears them.

Vanilla Frosting
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 ounce softened cream cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
Powdered sugar, as needed (2-4 cups, depending)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Food coloring, if desired

In a large bowl, whip the butter and cream cheese together until completely smooth. Add in sugar, cup by cup, until desired consistency/sweetness level is reached. Divide into smaller bowls and color, if you want. Swirl generously on top of fully cooled cupcakes, and decorate as desired. (I double the frosting).

Skillet Baked Ziti

On Sunday I made Baked Ziti. I love this recipe because it's yummy and so, so easy. Oh, and the kids love it.

Skillet Baked Ziti
recipe courtesy RecipeGirl

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti (3 ¾ cups)
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup minced fresh basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 475°F. Place oven rack in middle position. Measure out water and pasta.Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and ½ teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and sauté over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain a vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15 to 18 minutes. While pasta is cooking, measure out cream, Parmesan and basil.Stir in cream, Parmesan and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve. Servings: 4
Cooking Tips
*Be sure to preheat your oven before assembling the ingredients.
**If your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking.
***Penne may be used in place of ziti.

Chicken Flautas

I first had homemade chicken flautas at that famous Litchfield Park restaurant, Garcia's by the Lake (wink wink).  Our whole family fell in love with them and I set about looking for a good recipe.  I finally found this one from Food Network.  The cilantro cream sauce is a must to go with them, it is fantastic.  This meal is one of my very favorites for sure!!



Chicken Flautas
Recipe from Food Network

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds chicken

1/2 onion, chopped

1 1/ 2 jalapenos

1 tablespoon salt

1 to 2 cups vegetable oil

36 corn tortillas

Directions:

In a pot, cover chicken with water. Add onion, jalapenos, and one teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Remove meat from pot and cool. Pull chicken apart into small pieces.  Chicken should be continuously pulled apart until string-like consistency. In a deep pan, heat the oil to about 375 to 400 degrees F. Dip corn tortillas into hot oil for 1/2 a second or until tortilla is soft. Lay the shredded chicken in the middle of the corn tortillas. Add enough meat to make sure you taste the flavor of the meat and the corn tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and put toothpick through the middle of the flauta to hold in place. Once rolled, deep fry each flauta in the oil already heated (used to soften the corn tortillas) until corn tortillas turn to a golden brown or to your preference. Allow cooling off time. Remove toothpicks and serve 6 flautas on a plate with salsa, guacamole and cilantro cream sauce.

Cilantro Cream Sauce
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 (7 ounce) can tomatillo salsa

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in a serving bowl.  Don't forget tomatillo sauce is pretty spicy!!!

Valentine's Dinner

My husband and I made the kids steak and potatoes for Valentines Dinner.  I have no special recipes for it!  We set the table fancy, I was their waitress and my husband was the busboy.  There were lots and lots of giggles as I took their drink orders!!  (Their drink choices were root beer, orange soda, milk, water or Kathee Cocktails - recipe to follow).  I made an easy dessert and just adapted one of my favorite simple cookie recipes by using red velvet cake mix instead of devil's food.  Quick, festive and delicious - that's what I'm talking about!!

Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
Recipe from Allrecipes

To make these Valentine's Day festive I used red velvet cake mix.  These simple cookies would be good with any cake mix.

Ingredients:

2 (18.25 ounce) packages devil's food cake mix

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

FILLING:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mixes, oil and eggs; mix well. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Do not flatten. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks (cookies will flatten as the cool).

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cookies; top with remaining cookies. Store in the refrigerator.

Kathee Cocktails

Recipe from Me!!

Ingredients:

Sprite (I use diet Sprite, or actually I prefer diet Sierra Mist)

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

Grenadine

Directions:

Fill a glass about half way with crushed ice.   Then fill the cup 1/4 of the way with orange juice, another 1/4 of the way with pineapple juice and then put about 1 tablespoon of grenadine.  Then fill the glass the rest of the way with the Sprite.  Best. Drink. Ever.  I made it fun for Valentine's Day by making ice cubes from a heart shaped ice cube tray with orange juice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Yum!!



Sweet and Sour Chicken
Recipe from Allrecipes


Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 3/4 cups water, divided

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

2 drops orange food color

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 1/4 cups self-rising flour

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 egg

1 1/2 cups water

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and orange food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add chicken pieces, and stir until chicken is well coated.

Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels.

When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.

Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Olive Garden Salad and Italian Breadsticks, PLUS Mom's Texas Sheet Cake

(Kath, here's another ricotta dish to torture your kids with!)

Friday night we fed the missionaries from our church. We always try to feed the missionaries when we can because we feel blessed that so many sweet people fed us while we were on our missions. Plus, the kids love it when the missionaries come over! My kids, the social butterflies that they are (yeah, they didn't get it from us or their grandparents or anyone they are related to for that matter). It was a super yummy meal, if I do say so myself.

Sausage, Spinach, and Cheese Stuffed Shells
From Redbook Magazine

1 package(s) (12-ounce) jumbo pasta shells (about 36 shells)
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1/2 cup(s) finely chopped onion
3/4 pound(s) bulk sweet Italian sausage
2 clove(s) garlic, minced
1 large egg
1 container(s) (15-ounce) whole or part-skim ricotta cheese
1 box(es) (9-ounce) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
3/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounce(s) fresh mozzarella, grated
1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper
1 jar(s) (32-ounce) tomato sauce with basil

1.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add pasta shells and cook according to package instructions. Drain in a colander; rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain shells on paper towels.
2.Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat; add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add sausage, breaking up into smaller bits with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Remove pan from heat.
3.Beat egg lightly in a large bowl; stir in ricotta, spinach, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, salt, pepper, and the cooled sausage mixture until blended. Fill pasta shells with mixture.
4.Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish. Arrange stuffed shells in dish. Spread remaining tomato sauce over pasta shells. Cover dish with foil; bake for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbling. Remove foil; sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes longer.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing and Salad Mix

Olive Garden Salad Dressing
1/2 C. Mayonnaise
1/3 C. White Vinegar
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. Romano Cheese
1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt - or one clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Parsley Flakes
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
Olive Garden Salad Mix

Mix all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little to tart for your own personal tastes please add a little extra sugar.

Olive Garden Salad Mix
1 bag American Blend Dole Salad
4-5 slices Red Onion
4-6 Black Olives
2-4 Banana Peppers
1/2 C. Croutons
1 small Tomato Quartered
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Chill one salad bowl in freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place bag of salad in bowl. Place on top of lettuce but red onion, black olives, banana peppers, tomatoes, and croutons. Add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you like, and add plenty of Olive Garden Salad Dressing on top.

Find Soft Italian Breadsticks here.

Mom's Texas Sheet Cake
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
2 sticks margarine
1 cup water
4 tbsp. cocoa
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs

Mix sugar, flour and salt in a bowl. In heavy pan, bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Take cocoa mix from heat as soon as it boils and add immediately to dry ingredients. Add sour cream, eggs and baking soda; mix well after each. Batter will be thin. Bake in jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 20-25 min. Prepare frosting while cake is baking. Frost as soon as cake is removed from oven.

Butter Nut Frosting
1 cup nuts (optional)
2 sticks margarine
1 box powdered sugar
6 tbsp. sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp. cocoa

Boil milk, butter and cocoa in heavy pan until bubbly. Stir in sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add nuts. Spread over hot cake.

Veggie Jack Burritos

Hmmmm...this is what we ate Thursday. I think I might be catching up. Oh, by the way, this is a favorite meatless dish.

Veggie Jack Burritos

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups broccoli flowerettes
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 medium zucchini, shredded
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup prepared green salsa
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Wisconsin Monterey Jack cheese or Mexican Shredded Cheese blend
8 flour tortillas
Green or red salsa

In a 10 inch skillet, heat oil until sizzling; add vegetables and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables are slightly tender. Stir in 1 cup salsa. Distribute vegetable mixture and 2 cups cheese evenly on tortillas. Fold burrito- or taco-style; place in 12x8 inch baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake at 400° F for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Top with salsa and remaining cheese. Continue baking 5 to 7 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Coconut Shrimp

Today I actually was looking forward to my (fish) Friday meal for once, because it contained one of my very favorites - coconut.  Oh wow, was this good.  Since none of the kids like coconut (weirdo's) I made half of the shrimp dipped in panko crumbs instead of the coconut.  One of my boys refused to try the shrimp, he said he hated it.  I begged him to try just one and he finally did.  Then he ate another.  And another.  Then he asked me to make fried shrimp for his birthday dinner.  This is my kid who hates almost everything (except steak and baked potatoes).  I made a quick dipping sauce from orange marmalade and Chinese mustard.  I went easy on the mustard because I wanted it more sweet than spicy, but you can just adjust for taste.


Coconut Shrimp
Recipe from Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup water (the recipe really calls for beer, but we were all out.  I kid, I kid!!)
1 1 /2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut
24 shrimp (I ended up doing more like 40)
3 cups oil for frying

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, water and baking powder.  Place 1/4 cup flour and coconut in two separate bowls.  Hold shrimp by tail and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour.  Dip in egg batter;  allow excess to drip off.  Roll shrimp in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.   Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer (I used a large pan).  Fry shrimp in batches; cook, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown.  Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain.  Serve warm with your favorite dipping sauce.

Baked Potato Soup

I had to make a quick and easy dinner yesterday because MY OLDEST HAD TO GO TO HIGH SCHOOL ORIENTATION.  What?  Really?  It doesn't seem possible.  One minute he was the tiny 3 pound baby we brought home and were clueless how to take care of (as evidenced by the not one, but TWO times he rolled off the couch when he was only a few months old, yikes!!) and the next minute he is literally 5 inches taller than me!  5 inches!!  Anyway, since my mind was busy being blown away due to the whole high school thing, I made my easiest, yummiest, go to meal that I reserve for hectic days (in other words, I'm pretty sure I made this soup 15 times in December.  Crazy month, that December was).



Baked Potato Soup


2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
7 cups milk
4 large potatoes; baked, cooled, peeled and cubed
4 green onions, sliced
12 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
1 1 /4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper


In a large kettle, melt butter.  Stir in flour.  Stir until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.  Add the potatoes and onions.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients.  You're done!!  Yes, it was that fast and easy!!

Chicken Noodle Soup

I've had a really, really, really, really, really rough 2 weeks. I am comfortable enough to now label my four-month-old as colicky. Any baby who cries for hours on end for no logical reason I guess can be labeled as colicky. I've never had a colicky baby before. It's hard. Really hard. I was up with him from 12:30-5:30am and then my husband took over until he had to go to work. I was really tired all day and the crying all day long can really make you go bonkers after awhile. All I wanted was some chicken noodle soup for dinner and it somehow made things a little bit better.

Chicken Noodle Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock
8 ounces dried wide egg noodles (the egg noodles from Costco are the best)
1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken (use rotisserie chicken)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Place a soup pot over medium heat and coat with the oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Add the noodles and simmer for 5 minutes until tender. Fold in the chicken, and continue to simmer for another couple of minutes to heat through; season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving.

Creamy Potato and Asparagus Soup

I like these two quotes I heard about this soup.


My 6-year-old son: "Mom! This soup looks like swamp soup! Cool! Mmmmm, this is really good for swamp soup."


My husband: "Honey, I'll be honest with you. When I saw this soup I was really scared, but it was actually quite good.

Creamy Potato and Asparagus Soup
From Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

1 large bunch asparagus (1 1/4 lb), trimmed
1 1/4 lb. potatoes, peeled and chopped (1/2 -inch pieces or smaller)
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
6 slices of bacon
1 Tbsp. honey
Shredded lemon peel, flat-leaf parsley, coarse salt and/or freshly ground pepper (optional)

Reserve about 1/3 of the asparagus. Combine remaining asparagus, the potatoes, evaporated milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 1/4 cups water in saucepan. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool slightly. In blender or food processor, blend or process soup, half at a time, until smooth (or just use an immersion blender, like me).

Meanwhile, in skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels; set aside. Reserve 1 Tbsp bacon drippings in skillet. Add reserved asparagus. Cook 5-6 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

Coarsely chopped bacon and place in microwave-safe pie plate. Drizzle with honey; cover with vented plastic-wrap. Just before serving, microcook on 100% power (high) 30 seconds. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with asparagus, bacon, and desired toppings.

Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans

On Sunday we watched the Green Bay Packers kick some butt while we ate our chili. Normally, I wouldn't care about the Super Bowl, but my daddy was born and raised in Wisconsin so I think that makes me an honorary Cheesehead...or something like that.

Beef Chili with Bacon and Black Beans

8 ounces bacon (about 8 strips), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions , chopped fine (about 2 cups)
1 red bell pepper , cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
2 cans (16 ounces each) black beans , drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes , with juice
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
table salt
2 limes cut into wedges

1. Fry bacon in large heavy-bottomed nonreactive Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 8 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat, leaving bacon in pot. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and add half the beef; cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add remaining beef and cook, breaking up pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue to simmer 1 hour longer, stirring occasionally (if chili begins to stick to bottom of pot, stir in 1/2 cup water and continue to simmer), until beef is tender and chili is dark, rich, and slightly thickened. Adjust seasoning with additional salt. Serve with lime wedges and condiments if desired. Makes about 3 quarts, serving 8 to 10

Good choices for condiments include diced fresh tomatoes, diced avocado, sliced scallions, chopped red onion, chopped cilantro leaves, sour cream, and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. If you are a fan of spicy food, consider using a little more of the red pepper flakes or cayenne--or both. The flavor of the chili improves with age; if possible, make it a day or up to five days in advance and reheat before serving. Leftovers can be frozen for up to a month.

Pasta Carbonara

Every day I get asked about 50 times - "What's for dinner?"  Yesterday, I noticed a tinge of anxiety in some of my kids voices as they asked the question.  I told them we were having pasta for dinner and one of them quietly asked, and I swear to you he looked exactly like Puss in Boots when his eyes get all big and he is holding his hat, "Will there be any meat in our dinner tonight Mommy?"  I quickly answered yes, and then ran from the room so I could laugh, I didn't want to do it in the poor desperate child's face!!!  They all looked like they were urchins from the 1800's England, just asking for a morsel of meat.  Oh my gosh kids, it was ONE DAY, one day without meat!!!  This is just reaffirms to me how good it is for us to have meatless meals, because obviously my family is addicted!  Tonight's pasta had the always delightful bacon, consistently sure to put a smile on my face and since I was feeling charitable, I chose a non ricotta dish!



Pasta Carbonara
Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into small pieces

4 eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

16 ounces dry fettuccine pasta (I used angel hair)

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup chopped parsley

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. In medium bowl beat together eggs and cream just until blended. Stir in cheese and set aside.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pan. Toss with butter until it is melted. Add bacon and cheese mixture and toss gently until mixed.

Meatless Lasagna, French Bread and Homemade Twix Bars

I'm beginning to think that I have some sort of sick compulsion to upset my kids, because I served a meal with ricotta for dinner last night AGAIN.  The fits that were thrown were epic, they will go down in our family history as The Great Ricotta Tantrum of 2011.  The problem is, I really love ricotta, and lets face it, I'm a selfish person.  So last night I made a meatless lasagna.  I just played around with my regular lasagna recipe and added some veggies to it that I thought my kids wouldn't mind eating.  Boy, was I wrong!!  My husband and I loved it, but the kids kept saying things like "What's this green leaf?"  "Are there tomato chunks?  I see tomato chunks!!!"  "What are those green things?"  and the ever popular, "Where's the meat?"  Kids, I am so, so sorry that I am trying to cut meat out of our meals ONE DAY A WEEK.  That's it, one day.  Give me a break!  Thank goodness they like bread, they inhaled it once it came out of the oven!  I bribed them into eating half of their lasagna by telling them they couldn't have any dessert unless they did.  As soon as I said that they started eating away, because our dessert was incredible.  Homemade.  Twix.  Bars.   Yes, you heard right.  I'm not going to lie and tell you they come together in a snap, because they're a TAD time consuming, but worth every minute.

Meatless Lasagna

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter

1 cup grated carrots (about 4)

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1 bell pepper, finely diced

Minced onion (I have a hate/hate relationship with onion so I don't add this, add however much you want)

You can add any other veggies you want!

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. white sugar
1 1 /2 tsp. dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Melt butter in pan.  Add vegetables and saute until soft.   Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.  Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tbsp. salt, pepper and 2 tbsp. parsley.  Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes.  Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water.  (or you could skip this whole step and use the no boil noodles, do it, for the love of everything easy, DO IT).  In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce in bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan.  Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over sauce.  Spread with one half of the ricotta mixture.  Top with a third of the mozzarella cheese.  Spool 1 1 /2 cups of sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan.  Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

(Disclosure:  the bread is supposed to rise for 1 hour, I was impatient and only let it go 15 minutes, hence the small loaf)

I love this recipe.  It makes 2 big loaves of bread and you mix it all in one bowl.  It's so easy.  I use this cool pan to cook the loaves in, but you also can just use a baking sheet.

French Bread

Recipe courtesy of Denise Giles

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water

2 tsp. sugar

2 pkg. yeast

1 tbsp. salt

2 tbsp. cooking oil

6 cups flour

Directions:

Important - use a silver metal bowl and wooden spoon!!!!

Put yeast and sugar in bowl and stir.  Pour warm water over and let stand 5 minutes until it's all bubbly.  Add salt, oil and 1 cup of flour.  Mix together.  Stir in remaining flour.  Leave spoon in bowl and cover with a towel.  Let it rest for 10 minutes.  Stir again.  Repeat this 3 times.

Put dough on floured surface, knead very little.  Divide dough in half.  Roll into a rectangle, then roll it up.  Tuck in the ends.  Lift it up and slam it down on the counter to get the air out (also this makes you look really cool and like you know your way around the kitchen, very impressive to the kids).

Grease cookie sheet and sprinkle with corn meal.  Place bread onto baking sheet or your handy dandy french bread pan.  Let rise for 1 hour with towel over.  Cut gashes at angle on top of bread.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  After removing from oven, put some butter on the top of the bread.

Homemade Twix Bars

Recipe courtesy of Not Without the Salt

Ingredients:

Shortbread
5 1/2 ounces (1 stick plus 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cake flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground rice (rice processed in a spice grinder until it is able to pass through a fine sieve to remove chunks)* (I DID NOT ADD THE RICE - Kathee)
Make the Shortbread:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-X-13-inch baking pan with pan spray and line with parchment paper. Spray the parchment.
In a large bowl  cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add the flour, ground rice and salt and allow the dough to come together. The dough will be crumbly but should hold together when you squeeze it.
Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the baking pan. Place in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan from front to back and bake for another 10 minutes, until the shortbread is a deep golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack to room temperature.

Meanwhile, prepare the ….
Caramel
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon salt plus more for sprinkling over the caramel layer
Make the Caramel:
Combine the sugar, golden syrup, water, and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Remove any sugar crystals from the sides of the pan by wiping down the sides with water. You can use your hand or a pastry brush. Place the pot on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Wipe down any stray sugar crystals that appear using a very clean and wet pastry brush. Do not stir from this point on. Keep an eye on the pan. The mixture will be very bubbly.
When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden brown insert a candy thermometer to check the temperature. When it reaches 300°F, remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for 1minute, or until the bubbles subside. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream. Stir until smooth, then whisk in the condensed milk. Add the salt.  Whisk until smooth.
Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly over medium heat until the caramel reaches 240°F. Remove from the heat and pour over the shortbread. While the caramel is warm sprinkle the surface with the best quality salt you have. Kosher is fine, Fleur de Sel is better, Maldon would be my preferred choice.
Allow to set. This will take about 2 hours.
Once the caramel layer has cooled prepare your …
Chocolate Glaze
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (Bittersweet chocolate chips also work)(I USED SEMISWEET BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I HAD ON HAND - Kathee)
2 tablespoons butter
Melt the chocolate and butter over a bain marie or in the microwave. If using the microwave melt it slowly – in 30 second intervals. Stir well after each interval.

Once completely melted pour over the caramel.  Using an offset spatula, smooth the chocolate in a nice even layer.

Place in the refrigerator to set. They cut best when chilled.

Cut into desired shape and size. Serve.

 

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen

1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips
House Seasoning, recipe follows
All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and black pepper
1 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles

Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.


House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Chilaquiles

So my husband is out of town on a business trip, being all swanky in Palm Springs at his retro resort hotel, and of course, that means I'm bummed out.  I miss the guy!  I decided to treat myself and make one of my very favorite things for dinner and BONUS - it's so easy.  I always save the last of the broken tortilla chips in the bottom of the bags for this, or if I have a few tortillas left after making tacos or enchiladas I will use them for these eggs later in the week.  These are like a comfort food for me, they make me so happy. It's the little things, I guess.....

Our dessert last night was easy too!!  I took the kids up to Krispy Kreme with their report cards, because they'll give out a donut for each A (or equivalent, up to 6 donuts).  They look forward to this each end of term, and I do too!  If your visit happens to be when the hot donuts sign is on also, BONUS!!


Chilaquiles
Recipe from Allrecipes


Ingredients:

2 cups oil for frying
1/4 cup chopped onion (I think you know my stance on this.....)
30 corn tortillas, torn into strips
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp. salt
1 (7.75 oz.) can mexican style hot sauce (El Pato, baby!)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or cheddar, or cheddar jack, whatever)

Directions:

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil to 350 degrees.  Carefully stir in the onion and tortilla strips.  Fry until tortilla strips are crisp and golden brown.  Remove from heat, and drain on paper towels.  Drain the skillet, leaving only a thin residue of oil.
**NOTE**  A lot of the time I just use my broken, end of the bag chips.  In this case, of course, I skip the entire above step.  Instead of having oil in the skillet, I just put some butter in it like I'm making scrambled eggs.  As you were.....
Over medium heat, return tortillas to the skillet and stir in the eggs.  Season with salt.  Cook and stir until eggs are firm.
Mix tomato sauce and water into the skillet.  Reduce heat, and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
**NOTE**  My family can't handle having the entire can of sauce in the eggs, it will be pretty hot.  I put from 1/3 to 1/2 of the can in and just use the rest of it as hot sauce to top the eggs at the end.  I also only put about 1/3 cup water in, I have found I like it better that way.  This is one of those recipes you just mess around with until you figure out the way you like it.  And... back to the recipe.
Top with cheese.  Continue cooking until cheese has melted.
I top with hot sauce or salsa, and eat it with toast.  So, so so so so so good.