Daring Cooks July Challenge: Nut Butters!

The July 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This month's challenge was something else I had never tried to cook with or make from scratch.  I was really surprised at how simple and easy it was to make your own nut butter and how much flavor it adds to food.
I went with the Chicken with Pecan Cream & Mushrooms adapted from Cooking Light to try it out and was not disappointed.  Even Jeff scarfed it down, though it had lots of the dreaded mushrooms in it, and almost licked the pan clean of the pecan cream.  The only thing that I would change is to get a better food processor to chop the nuts up, we ended up with an almost smooth nut butter but it didn't really drizzle on the pasta like a creamy Alfredo sauce.  Very tasty flavor and something I will definitely experiment with in the future, maybe a walnut cream sauce?

Grandma's Meatballs

I thought the most appropriate recipe to post next in honor of my Grandma would be her famous meatballs.  Every Christmas we would go to her house for a feast of spaghetti & meatballs (with of course the sounds of the Dallas Cowboys game playing in the background). We always looked forward to Grandma's party and it was such a treat to have all our family together again so soon after Thanksgiving.

My mom came to visit a month ago and I talked her into letting me in on the secret to making a really good meatball the old Italian way.  Now you can spice it up anyway you want but the real trick is the eggs/ meat/ bread crumbs ratio.  My mom told me that her grandmother, who was blind when she came to live with them, could tell how many more eggs to add to the meat just by feeling it with her hands and would know if my mom left out an egg.  Instead of trying to learn the feel method I really appreciate this simple recipe for the basic meatball. 

Now the meat can be all ground beef but its more traditional to make some of it pork (for example 3 pounds ground beef plus 1 pound ground pork). I have had it both ways and both taste great so go with what you have (or what is on sale :)

The recipe below is not your usual one so judge how many meatballs you would like to make by how much meat you buy.  I made the above mentioned 4 lbs meat and came out with about 50 golf ball sized meatballs, freezing most of them for later use.  Just make sure you cool completely before sticking them into a freezer bag.

Grandma's Meatballs

3 eggs per pound of meat

2 Tbsp plain bread crumbs per pound of meat

 (so for 4 pounds of meat that would be a dozen eggs and 8 Tbsp breadcrumbs)

Seasoning for 4 lbs of meat (example)

• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Italian seasoning blend (if using a no-salt version add 2 tsp salt)

If you don't have an Italian seasoning blend you can use what I play with below, adjusting to your tastes & mood. Or just add spices till it smells good like I usually do.

• 3 Tbsp Parsley 
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbsp Basil
• 1 Tbsp Oregano
• 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes

1. Place meat in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Crack open your eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork. Pour eggs into meat well.

2. Add all of your seasonings to the eggs and beat once more. Sprinkle the bread crumbs around the edge on the meat and get your hands ready for some mixing.  Start squishing and folding the meat over the eggs and thoroughly blend together, don't worry if at first it looks too wet, it will come together.

3. Place a heavy frying pan on the stove and fill it to 1/4 in. - 1/2 in. deep with regular oil (canola or vegetable).  Turn heat to medium/medium high and heat oil till you hear a sizzle when a drop of water hits it. Start forming the meat into golf ball sized meatballs and place in frying pan in a clockwise direction being sure to fill as much of the pan with meatballs without letting them touching too much.

4. Leave the meatballs alone for about 2-3 minutes till the bottom looks dark brown.  Using a fork turn each meatball on its side, starting with the first one you dropped in the pan.  Cook that side till brown and then roll the meatball with your fork to sit on any uncooked sides. Keep rolling and watching till all sides are dark brown.  Remove and place on a large cookie sheet to cool. 

**be sure to not let your oil sit on the heat long without meatballs in it, keep the assembly moving**

Don't deny yourself the tasty way to make your spaghetti sauce pop.  Take the meatballs you will be eating and heat them with your sauce on the stove with a low simmer.  The meat will absorb the sauce and flavor it at the same time.  This is also how I thaw my frozen meatballs. 

heaven is a homemade meatball sandwich

Sad News

Last night my Grandma passed away. She was such a beautiful, strong person and the rock of my family.

Words cannot express how much I will miss her.

I love you Grandma.

Meatless Monday - Roasted Garlic Hummus

I love hummus, it makes such a satisfying dip and spread for sandwiches. Its too expensive to buy pre-made all the time so I like to whip up a cheaper version at home. I used to use only chickpeas but I saw someone once make it with great northern beans and have made it that way since.  Jeff also is a fan of the northern beans, it is slightly creamer and sweeter than chickpeas. I omit the Tahini usually used in hummus cause frankly I have a hard time finding it here and it saves me a little extra $$.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Ingredients:

• 1 (15oz) can of Great Northern Beans
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 1 bulb garlic
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut top off garlic bulb and drizzle a little olive oil on the cut portion.  Place on baking sheet top side up and roast in oven for 40 minutes.  Cool and the roasted garlic should be able to be easily squeezed from the skin.

2. In a food processor combine the can of beans (drained), olive oil, lemon juice, roasted garlic cloves, salt & pepper. Pulse till smooth.

My delicious lunch veggie wrap: tortilla with hummus spread, grated carrots, onion, spinach, cucumber and sliced tomato.

Yum Yum!

The Daring Cooks May Challenge - Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh. 

I finally invited my sister & husband over for a Daring Cooks Challenge recipe and they were in for a treat. I have made enchiladas before but never with my own homemade tortillas and enchilada sauce.
The end result was fabulous, really authentic and totally homemade (even the chicken stock). I got the recipe for homemade tortillas from Mangio da Sola, really easy to follow and great instructional video.  To put it all together I poured some of the green chile sauce in a casserole dish, then placed the tortilla, cover in sauce, monterey jack cheese, grilled chicken, cheese, sauce, another tortilla etc... till I had a stack four tortilla high.  Bake in oven at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

I will definitely be making this again, it was just too delicious! 

I also enjoyed the challenge of actually not getting my enchilada sauce from a can. Tomatillos are something I pass by in the supermarket (this was the first time I have ever even picked one up) so it was great to take a crack at this never used vegetable.

 Making the enchilada sauce was actually pretty easy ... roasting the fresh chilies in our oven was quite the adventure. My birds let me know when they needed to be taken out by their squawking... boy the air in our house was spicy!  It was actually fun to burn something on purpose, this is something I can definitely do! Check out the before and after pictures:

After charring the chilies close in a paper bag till cooled, then scrape skins off with a knife.  I made sure I wore gloves to remove the skins, getting pepper in your eye is something you will always remember and never, hopefully, repeat. Discard the skins and seeds and you are left with flavorful chilies (do not rinse with water).

Green Chile Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles), Charred & skins removed
• 4-6 Tomatillos, stems & outer papery skin removed 
• 4 cups Chicken broth
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
• ¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening) 
• Couple dashes of Hot sauce (optional)

1. Place tomatillos in a medium sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes till soft. Remove from water and puree in blender till smooth.  

2. Pour puree into saucepan with chicken stock, chopped green chilies, onion, oregano, garlic, salt & pepper. Adjust salt & pepper to your taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add the cornstarch that has been dissolved in water and simmer again for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add hot sauce if you want more heat.

Sweet Zucchini Bread

Kittens have been on my mind lately, I want one so bad but can't!  We have two parakeets who usually spend half their day flying around outside their cage and we don't want to walk in on them acting out an episode of Spartacus (you know, the last episode).  So cute pictures will have to do for now .... of course kittens that look like loaves of bread is especially high on my awwww factor.

Speaking of bread....
I had some leftover zucchini from the veggie lasagna and I couldn't help but think of my mom's Zucchini Bread we used to love growing up. I was too impatient to get her recipe (I want it NOW) so I found a really good one on Allrecipes.com.
Wow this was a good recipe, very moist and the crust was almost like a crumbly pie crust.  The smell of cinnamon in the house had Jeff climbing the walls, he couldn't wait till it was done.  I highly recommend trying this, its simple, fast, and (kinda) nutritious .... it has zucchini in it so that counts right?  Of course I had to add a 1/4 cup chocolate chips in the food processor with the walnuts.  They were dark chocolate chips....for our health you know  ;)

Zucchini Bread Recipe Link

Meatless Monday - Veggie Lasagna

Welcome to Meatless Monday week three!
I have to say that we actually looked forward to today.  Though there are plenty of days where we don't eat meat & not notice we have made Mondays into "Get-some-more-veggies-into-your-belly Meatless Mondays!". 
Jeff actually got excited when I told him what we are having for lunch ... is this the same pizza every night guy I married?

Breakfast

• Oatmeal with honey and cinnamon

Lunch

• My Super Green Sandwich

Dinner

• Veggie Lasagna

For this I make my Mama's Lasagna just like normal except where there is meat I sauté grated onion, minced garlic, thinly sliced zucchini & squash, grated carrot, and chopped broccoli.  Add all the tomato sauces when the veggies are softened and simmer for 10 minutes.  For the ricotta mixture I substituted half cottage cheese and added spinach that has been steamed & drained.  Cram more vegetables in if you want, there can never be too much!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day Mom! 

I love you!

Anniversary Dinner

We had such a nice wedding anniversary yesterday.  Instead of going out to eat I thought it would be fun if Jeff & I made a meal together, and of course what could be more romantic than rolling out pasta dough. :)
My mom had sent me two different things to help me with my ravioli making and we took them for a test drive.  The first is a really old ravioli press that crimped out nice large pieces.

The second is a multi-ravioli maker / press.

 It didn't come with instructions so we had fun playing around with it trying to figure out the best method to press it out (I liked the "let Jeff do it" method the best). 

I have to say my ravioli looked pretty professional and all nice and neat, plus less messy than before....Thanks mom !!
Making dinner together for our anniversary was really fun, I think this may become a delicious tradition.

To many happy cooking memories to come....

Cheers!

Meatless Monday - "Meaty Quesadilla"

Meatless Monday Number 2!
I found an excellent way to use leftover filling from the Lentil Walnut Mushroom burgers... make some quesadillas!  This was super filling and a big hit with the man. Its also a great way to use leftovers from the meatless burgers making it fast to whip up.

This was also my first attempt at making homemade tortillas, I love how rustic it looks

Follow the recipe for Lentil Walnut Burgers until you get to the part where you form them into patties.
Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and fry up the filling as if it was ground beef until browned.  Place a large clean frying pan on medium / med high heat on the stove.  Get a tortilla and spread lentil mixture evenly on one side, place in frying pan lentil side up.  Sprinkle some cheese and spinach on filling and cover with another tortilla.  It will be ready when the cheese is all melted.  Serve with a side of salsa!

Lentil, Walnut, & Mushroom Burger!

I think I have a solution for when hubby tells me he really hates certain foods that are good for you ... grind them till they are unrecognizable and make into burgers! Everything is made better with burgers.
Yes the evil healthy wife has dominated this week, but don't worry the Butter Princess will probably return soon with a vengeance :) 

Doesn't the picture make you hungry though?  The only problem is I made the burger really too thick (I wanted to take a nice picture) and as soon as I took a bite it squashed out the sides of the bun a little.  Whoops!  So for the rest of the batch I made thinner patties and they were perfect.  We both enjoyed this even after I revealed what was in the burger.  Score one for the super-food burger!

Lentil, Walnut, & Mushroom Burger

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
•  1 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup whole grain oats
• 8 oz container of whole white mushrooms, cleaned
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 3 more for the pan
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Bring water to boil in a small saucepan.  Add lentils and lower heat.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.  In a small skillet saute the onions in 1 Tbsp olive oil till tender.  For the last 30 seconds stir in the fresh spinach and let them wilt a little. Set aside in a bowl.

2. In a food processor combine the walnuts, oats, mushrooms, vinegar, thyme, salt & pepper and pulse till thoroughly chopped (if you have small food processor like me you can just chop it all separate). Add the lentils and give just a couple more pulses so that some lentils are still whole. Add to the bowl with the onions and mix well.

3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Form mixture into patties with your hands (skinny patties!) and cook on each side 7-8 minutes till brown & crispy.  Serve while still nice and hot.

Spaghetti Squash Toss

Spaghetti squash is just so much fun to make.  I get such a silly kick out of flaking the insides with a fork, maybe in my past life I was a squash farmer.  I'm trying to get more creative but besides this recipe below and just eating it plain with loads of butter that's about it for now.  One day I will be more than a 2 trick pony with my fun squash!  :)
What I do really like about this recipe is that it makes tons, enough for leftovers, and it tastes great next day.

Spaghetti Squash with Feta & Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 large Spaghetti Squash
• lots of Olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 cup Broccoli, broken in bite size pieces
• large handful fresh spinach
• 4oz pkg crumbled Feta cheese
• Salt & pepper to taste 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice squash in half and remove seeds with a spoon.  Drizzle lots of olive oil, salt and pepper on the cut portions.  Place cut side down on a large baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, until squash is tender and you can stick a knife in its side easily. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add tomatoes and saute till tomatoes become tender, about 5 minutes. 

3. While the tomatoes are cooking you need to steam the broccoli to get it tender.  Place in microwave in a safe bowl with 1/8 cup water.  Cover and cook on high for about 3 minutes.

4. Get out your favorite fork and begin to flake out the inside of the squash away from the skin.  Place in bowl and toss with tomatoes, broccoli, spinach, and feta cheese.  Add more salt & pepper to your liking.

Meatless Mondays

I came across this really interesting site last week:

Meatless Mondays  

www.meatlessmonday.com

Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.  We're a non-profit initiative, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

I love this idea. One day a week to cut out meat!  Jeff & I eat way too much meat everyday already.
I wonder who is making all these meaty meals .... cough cough..

The fact it is on Monday really suits us because
   1. We usually relax on weekends and eat whatever, and
   2. This is a great way to start off the week!

I'm not a stranger to meatless eating either.  All in my 20's I went from being a vegetarian for years...to eating some fish....to just not eating red meat....to just throwing it all out the window when I hit 30.  Ironically 30 is also when I gained a lot of weight and became so unfit I couldn't climb a flight of stairs without sweating...hmmmmmm....
I brought this idea up with hubby and he seemed a bit weary but willing to try it with me, or at least until he has too many hungry Mondays.
So my goal is to make Mondays Meatless and fill the empty cavern of a stomach on Jeff at the same time.  Whew!

Today the menu is pretty simple and easy:

Breakfast:

Bowl of Oatmeal with a little cinnamon and honey

Lunch:

Butternut Squash Soup (thawed from the batch I made this winter)

Homemade little French loaves

Dinner:

Pasta with homemade marinara sauce

Whole wheat garlic bread

See...nothing threatening there :)
For the Pasta sauce I just did what I do with my Pizza sauce except use a plain can of tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes.
For the Whole wheat garlic bread I just lightly butter whole wheat bread slices and sprinkle garlic powder (not salt) over. Broil for 5 minutes until browned.

So far so good!

Again with the ducks?

I haven't been able to post anything deliciously new because I've been busy trying to learn what on earth html coding is and how much more can I mess up my settings.  So if you see anything weird on my blog, I mean besides the normal weird, please let me know.

Here is an update on some of the baby ducks to keep you entertained (cause I know you were worried about them :).  They grow up so fast....

Courage

Do one brave thing today ... then run like hell

I saw this and it made me laugh, remind you of anyone?

Brussels Sprouts (& cute baby ducks!)

Ok, cheap trick to try to get you to read about brussels sprouts but honestly how can I not show pictures of the baby ducks at our pond.  I have a new hobby of "duck watching" and reporting what cute things they are doing at the moment to Jeff who in turn is obligated to oooh and awwww with me.   :)  I just want to cuddle them all!
Now back to that vegetable that is so feared amongst my friends....
When I say that this simple recipe might change your mind if you are not a fan of brussels sprouts I really mean it.  The first time I made them I had it as a side dish with a thick steak and potatoes to try to soften the presentation to Jeff.  After one bite he was hooked and even the little crisp leaves that fell off were gobbled like potato chips.
If being rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and dietary fiber doesn't convince you to try to include this in your diet a research study reveled eating brussels sprouts may help prevent colon cancer. Now that's what I'm talking about!

Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients:

• Brussels sprouts
• Olive oil (enough to evenly coat)
• fresh ground black pepper
• sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rinse off brussels sprouts.  Using a small knife, trim off a little of the the stem end and remove any dark or damaged outside leaves and discard.  Place in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper to taste, coating completely. Pour out on a large baking sheet and bake in oven for 45 minutes, shaking occasionally.

3. Add more salt & pepper if desired and serve immediately.

 now back to my duck watching... 

Fruit Smoothies

Yea for strawberries!!!

Boy are they ever in season, only $1.25 for a carton full of ripe strawberries!  I've been buying them up like crazy and freezing them for smoothies.  If you have never tried to freeze strawberries the best way is to wash and remove the stems with a knife, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze, and after a couple of hours you can put them all in a ziplock bag.  I also like to buy up tons of bananas when they go on sale and freeze them too (make sure you peel the bananas before you freeze them).  With the bananas you can just put them straight in a ziplock bag as they won't freeze together.  So much cheaper than buying frozen fruit.

I like to keep my smoothies simple and to the point. No added sugar or juices ... just fruit and milk.  This is our after workout treat, or our morning treat, or our "Hey its a great day!" treat.  Basically we would have this all the time if we could. :)

Fruit Smoothie for two

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen bananas 
• 6-8 frozen strawberries
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 3-4 cups milk (or till the milk covers at least half the fruit in the blender)

Pulse in blender first, then gradually increase speed till all smooth.  Add more milk if you don't want it too thick.  Have fun & play around with different kinds of fruit!

Brunswick Stew - The Daring Cooks challenge

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club.

This was a very good challenge for this month as I have been on a soup and stew kick these past two weeks. One thing I should of realized before making this is how much stew it makes!  Seriously look at the picture of the pot full of stew, I should of invited my sister over for dinner...and her neighbors.  We have tons of frozen leftovers in the freezer, actually there is no room for anything but stew in the freezer right now :)

The original recipe called for rabbit but since that is not very easy to come by here without going out into the woods and bopping little bunny foo foo yourself I chose to use a pork roast.  Also for the chicken I bought 4 bone-in chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, I was in the mood for more white meat than dark.

Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew

Ingredients:

• 1/4 lb (4 oz) slab bacon, rough diced
• 2 Serrano peppers, stems trimmed, sliced, seeded, flattened
• 1lb pork 
• 1 4-5lb chicken, quartered, skinned, and most of the fat removed
• 1 Tablespoon sea salt for seasoning, plus extra to taste
• 8-12 cups Chicken Broth
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped
• 2lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, or other waxy type potatoes, peeled, rough diced
• 1 ½ cups carrots (about 5 small carrots), chopped
• 3 ½ cups onion (about 4 medium onions), finely chopped
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels, derosted
• 3 cups butterbeans
• 1 (35oz) can whole, peeled tomatoes, drained
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• Juice of 2 lemons
• Tabasco sauce to taste

1. In the largest stockpot you have fry the bacon over medium-high heat until it just starts to crisp. Transfer to a large bowl, and set aside. Reserve most of the bacon fat in your pan, and with the pan on the burner, add in the peppers. Toast the peppers until they just start to smell good, about a minute tops. Remove to bowl with the bacon.

2. Season liberally both sides of the pork and chicken pieces with sea salt and pepper. Place the pork pieces in the pot and sear off all sides possible. You just want to brown them, not cook them completely. Remove to bowl with bacon and peppers, add more bacon fat if needed, or olive oil, or other oil of your choice, then add in chicken pieces, again, browning all sides nicely. Remember not to crowd your pieces, especially if you have a narrow bottomed pot. Put the chicken in the bowl with the bacon, peppers and pork. Set it aside.

3. Add 2 cups of your chicken broth or stock, if you prefer, to the pan and basically deglaze the4 pan, making sure to get all the goodness cooked onto the bottom. The stock will become a nice rich dark color and start smelling good. Bring it up to a boil and let it boil away until reduced by at least half. Add your remaining stock, the bay leaves, celery, potatoes, chicken, pork, bacon, peppers and any liquid that may have gathered at the bottom of the bowl they were resting in. Bring the pot back up to a low boil/high simmer, over medium/high heat. Reduce heat to low and cover, remember to stir every 15 minutes, give or take, to thoroughly meld the flavors. Simmer, on low, for approximately 1 ½ hours. Supposedly, the stock may become a yellow tinge with pieces of chicken or pork floating up, the celery will be very limp, as will the peppers . Taste the stock, according to the recipe, it “should taste like the best chicken soup you’ve ever had”.

4.  With a pair of tongs, remove the chicken and pork pieces to a colander over the bowl you used earlier. Be careful, as by this time, the meats will be very tender and may start falling apart. Remove the bay leaves & peppers and discard.

5.  After you’ve allowed the meat to cool enough to handle, carefully remove all the meat from the bones, shredding it as you go. Return the meat to the pot, throwing away the bones. Add in your carrots, and stir gently, allowing it to come back to a slow simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for at least 25 minutes, or until the carrots have started to soften.

6. Add in your onion, butterbeans, corn and tomatoes. As you add the tomatoes, crush them up. Simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every so often until the stew has reduced slightly, and onions, corn and butterbeans are tender. Remove from heat and add in vinegar, lemon juice, stir to blend in well. Season to taste with sea salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce if desired.

7. You can either serve immediately or refrigerate for 24 hours, which makes the flavors meld more and makes the overall stew even better. Serve hot, either on its own, or with a side of corn bread, over steamed white rice, with any braised greens as a side.

Pork Chops!

Why am I so easily influenced by just the mere suggestion of food?  Most of my "creativity" in cooking comes from just giving into crazy cravings.  Moderation is the key to staying healthy and fit, and if I'm given too long to think about a certain food then the chance I will pig out on it increases greatly.....  sooooo I really should make what I am craving at the moment for my health, right?    Don't you just love my circular logic?
Case in point:  I am told by a friend that she is making pork chops for dinner.  Pork chops are stored in the back of my brain.  Next day same friend casually mentions pork chops again ...... and the obsession begins ...  dum dum dummmmm
Well at least we are having brussels sprouts and steamed veggies on the side with this.... not too bad.  The marinade for this is just a mix of stuff I like....if you don't have worcestershire sauce soy sauce would work too.  Plus if you have fresh ginger please use it instead of ground.
Enjoy my cravings :)

Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork chops
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/8 cup worcestershire sauce (can sub soy sauce)
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 4 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1. In a bowl mix together garlic, water, worcestershire sauce, ginger, and honey.  Add pork chops and marinate for about an hour.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a large frying pan heat oil over medium heat. Remove pork chops from marinade with tongs, saving the marinade, and brown in frying pan about 2-3 minutes each side.  Add onions to reserved marinade.

3.  In a 9x9 in. casserole dish place pork chops and cover with marinade.  Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove foil, flip pork chops, and bake for additional 20-30 minutes.

Freakin Good Lasagna

Our week of healthier and Easter candyless eating was well ... a bit boring.  Partially my fault for being unimaginative and lazy but I've made a promise to myself to be better .... ummmm ... starting Monday.
So to celebrate all that healthy eating I'm making LASAGNA!!!!  Yes I guess I could go on a 5 mile run to celebrate but I just don't have that in me right now and I'm just going to embrace my inner naughty today.  My body is craving carbs.....delicious carbs covered in sauce and topped with more carbs.  Oh baby.....
This has to be the best lasagna I have ever eaten, so good in fact we have to watch ourselves or we will eat the entire pan without a second thought (see previous post as proof).  I love the contrast of flavors with the stewed tomatoes and sharp cheddar, it just all melds together so yummy.  My favorite kind of sharp cheese is Cabot Vermont Extra Sharp.  If you haven't tried it give it a shot!  Really tasty.

I saw the original recipe on Down Home with the Neelys and I've made only a couple of adjustments.  If I'm feeling sassy I make my own Lasagna noodles  :)  La dee da!

Mama's Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef or turkey
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 9 large lasagna noodles (or enough for 3 layers in your casserole)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (15 oz) tub ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus 1/4 more for the top
• 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1 (8 oz) bag shredded mozzarella
• 8 oz sharp cheddar, grated

1. In a large saute pan, over medium high heat, saute chopped onion in oil for about 1 minute.  Add meat and garlic and cook till browned.  Drain pan of fat and add tomato paste and can of tomato sauce, reserving about 1/4 cup of tomato sauce for the bottom of the casserole dish.  In a food processor pulse stewed tomatoes till large chunks are chopped. Add to the saute pan with the meat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the noodles.  Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions (about 7-8 min).

3. In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, then mix in ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and basil.

4. Pour the reserved 1/4 cup tomato sauce in a 9x13 inch casserole pan, lightly covering the bottom of the pan.  Grate the block of sharp cheddar cheese and set aside.  

5. Now you are ready to make the lasagna layers, this recipe makes 3 layers.  Lay 3 of the cooked noodles evenly in the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella and grated cheddar cheese evenly on top. Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture on top. Repeat layering twice more:

1. noodles
2. ricotta cheese mixture
3. Mozzarella and cheddar cheese
4. Meat mixture

You will end on the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the top with about 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, removing foil for last 10 minutes of baking.  You will know when its done when the edges are bubbling and its slightly brown on top... and when you start to drool.

Healthy Snacks of the moment

Call me weird but I just love to have these as snacks.  Yes I know not too imaginative but really quick to chop up and delicious.   This satisfies my munchies without the guilt.

On the Left:  Sliced red bell pepper
On the Right: Sun ripened tomatoes with a little salt & pepper  and  sliced avocado with lime juice and ground pepper.

mmmmmmmm...... so good

Avocado Dip and Corn tortilla chips

As you probably can tell from previous posts Jeff & I have kinda fallen off the wagon of healthier and lighter eating. It started with "if the girl scout cookie is broken you dont have to count it" ... to eating a whole pan of Lasagna.  Since smashing an entire box of Thin Mints to feel better about inhaling it is not really where we want to go its back to eating healthy!  As fun as it was to eat naughty, and I will admit it's kinda fun for a while, I am excited to eat healthy again and to not feel like a blob.
My favorite food at the moment is avocado, I seriously love it better than any Easter chocolate. So last night I made something really light for dinner since I was still stuffed from the lasagna feast earlier.
This is a really simple dip that celebrates the fresh flavor of all the ingredients.  The corn chips go great with it and are definitely better for you than your bagged chips.  Plus how can you not impress people with your own little "homemade" corn chips.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• fresh ground pepper to taste

1. Remove avocado from skin and mash with a fork in a bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly

Corn Tortilla Chips

Ingredient:

• 5 corn tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut corn tortillas into quarters and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes till chips are crispy.
(if you feel the chips are too chewy bake them a little longer!)

Cheddar Biscuits and Gravy

Growing up we used to love it when my dad would make homemade biscuits & gravy for dinner. Craving some comfort food I found a good recipe from Sandra's Money Saving Meals.  For the gravy I just cooked a pound of pork and only used half, freezing the remainder in a ziplock bag. 

Gravy

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• 3 Tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, brown pork.  Season with a little salt & pepper and set pork aside in a separate bowl. Drain any excess liquids from pan.

2. In the same skillet whisk together the oil and flour over medium heat. Add milk, thyme, salt & pepper.  Keep whisking over medium heat till thickened. Add cooked pork and serve.

Cheddar Biscuits

 Ingredients:

• 2 1/3 cup flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 3/4 cup milk
•  1 Tbsp parsley
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, & salt.  Using a pastry blender cut in the shortening (if you do not have a pastry blender then you can use a fork to cut in the shortening or use a food processor).

2. Add melter butter, milk, & parsley stirring till just blended.  Gently fold in the cheddar cheese. 

3. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and drop large spoonfuls of the biscuit mixture onto the sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes till it just starts to turn brown.