Monday, February 18, 2013

Taco Pork Chops

 Ingredients:
*4 bone-in pork chops (1/4" to 1/2" thick)
*1 taco seasoning packet
*1/2 Tablespoon unsalted butter
*1/2 Tablespoon canola oil

Directions:
1.  Place pork chops on a plate.  Sprinkle half of the taco seasoning on 1 side of the pork chops.  Use your fingers to press the seasoning down into the pork chops.  Flip over.  Do the same with the remaining seasoning on the other sides.

2.  In a large skillet heat butter and canola oil over high heat until very hot.  Place the pork chops in the skillet.  Let them sizzle for about 20 seconds.  Reduce the heat to medium.  Cook for about 4 minutes per side or until no longer pink in the middle.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts



Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*2 lb. frozen brussel sprouts, completely thawed, and DRY
*olive oil
*salt to taste
*ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a large baking sheet with sides with cooking spray.

2.  Place DRY brussel sprouts in a gallon sized Zip Lock bag.  Pour in just enough olive oil to lightly coat them--about 2 Tablespoons or so.  Close the bag, letting out all the air.  Use your fingers on the outside of the bag to move the olive oil all around so that all the brussel sprouts are lightly coated.

3.  Pour the brussel sprouts onto the baking sheet in one layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir.  Season the other sides with salt and pepper.

4.  Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes.  We like it when they get brown.  We eat them even browner than this.

Italian Seasoned Lemon Butter Shrimp


Ingredients:
*1 bag peeled, tails on shrimp, thawed
*1 stick unsalted butter, melted
*1 lemon, sliced thin
*1 packet dry Italian salad dressing mix (If you keep a large container of this, 3 Tablespoons = 1 packet)

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour the melted butter into a casserole dish.  Spread to cover the bottom.

2.  Place lemon slices over butter, spreading them out evenly.

3.  Place the shrimp on top of the lemons in one single layer.

4.  Sprinkle dry Italian salad dressing evenly over the shrimp. 

5.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with oven roasted asparagus and crusty bread for mopping up the buttery sauce.

Cheesy Hamburger Casserole


This is another successful Pinterest dinner.

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:
* 1 large yellow onion or 2 small, finely chopped
* 2 Tablespoons canola oil
* 2 lb. lean ground beef
*salt
*cracked black pepper
*garlic powder
* 1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes
*1 box (16 oz.) elbow macaroni
* cooking spray
*1 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2%)
* 1 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (part skim)

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare pasta according to package directions in a large stock pot with salted water, but stop cooking about 2 minutes before done.  The pasta will cook more later.  Drain the pasta into a colander.  Rinse with cold water.  This will keep the pasta from sticking together.  Put the pasta back into the stock pot and set aside.

2.  Using a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes.  Add a few good pinches of salt.  Blend.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add canola oil and onions.   Season them with salt and pepper.  Saute until transparent.  Add ground beef with some more salt, pepper, and a few sprinkles of garlic powder.  Brown the meat over medium high heat.  Drain the fat.

4.  Return the beef mixture back to the skillet.  Add the tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the sauce reduce.

5.  Add the beef tomato mixture to the pasta into the stock pot and stir well.  Spray a deep 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray.  Combine the mozarella and cheddar cheeses into a bowl.  Spread some of the macaroni mixture, about a 1/3, on the bottom of the dish.  Sprinkle a layer of cheese--approximately 1/3 of the cheese mixture.  Make another layer of macaroni and then another layer of cheese.  Spread the rest of the macaroni mixture on top.  Reserve the rest of the cheese in the fridge.

6.  Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes on 400 degrees.  Remove from the oven, and remove the foil.  Top with the remaining cheese and bake uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is hot and melted.


Crock Pot Fancy Mac & Cheese



This is from Pinterest.  My husband loved this.

Ingredients:
*water to boil pasta
*1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
*cooking spray
*1 1/2 cups milk
*12 oz. can skim evaporated milk (This ingredient keeps the eggs and milk from curdling)
*1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temperature
*3 eggs
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese
*1 1/2 cups shredded Kraft Italian blend cheese
*fresh ground black pepper
*1/2 cup Parmesan
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:
1.  Par boil the pasta:  Put water in a pot, following the amount of water stated on the package directions.  Bring to a boil.  Add pasta.  Cook for ONLY 5 minutes.  It will not be cooked completely.  Drain.  Immediately rinse with cold water to prevent sticking.  Don't worry...it will not cool down your pasta.

2.  Spray the inside of the crock pot with cooking spray, including the sides.  Pour in the milk, evaporated milk, eggs, room temperature melted butter (make sure it's not hot because if it is, it will scramble the eggs), and salt.  Whisk until smooth.

3.  Add the fontina cheese and Italain blend cheese.  Add the pasta.  Sprinkle with black pepper.  Gently stir with a spatula to coat evenly.  Sprinkle the Parmesan on top.

4.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to LOW and cook for 2 1/2 hours, untl custard is set in the center and pasta is tender.  It can sit on the KEEP WARM setting for up to 30 minutes before serving.

5.  Just before serving, heat a small saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil.  Once hot, saute the breadcrumbs (using more or less to get the desired consistency) until golden brown.  Sprinkle over the top of the mac & cheese.

Parmesan Roasted Green Beans

Another adapted recipe from Pinterest. I let mine get a tad too brown.  It wasn't pretty and bright green, but they tasted delicious.  I got my son to eat this too.  He'll eat anything if it has Parmesan cheese all over it.

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 lb. fresh green beans, ends snapped off.  Make sure they are completely dry.
* 1 Tablespoon olive oil
*pinch of kosher salt
*fresh ground black pepper to taste
*1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
*3 Tablespoons shredded Parmesan

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2.  Place the dry green beans in a gallon size Zip Lock bag.  Pour in the olive oil.  Close the bag, letting out all the air.  Using your fingers on the outside of the bag, move the green beans all around so that they all get lightly coated with the olive oil.  Open the bag and dump in the kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.  Close the bag again like before and move the green beans all around so that the seasonings are evenly distributed.
 
3.  Spread the green beans out on the baking sheet so that none overlap.  Roast for 10 minutes in the oven.

4.  Remove from the oven.  Shake the pan so that the green beans turn.  Return back to the oven for 5 minutes.

5.  Remove from oven.  Top with Parmesan.

Melinda's Crock Pot Buffalo Ranch Chicken


I got this recipe from my friend, Melinda B.  It's so easy!  It's spicy, so I serve it with a starch like canned new potatoes.

It calls for 3 ingredients.  That's right.  THREE.



Ingredients:
*4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 packet of dry Ranch seasoning & salad dressing mix (I keep a container of this in my pantry because we use it on so many recipes.  If you do the same, 3 Tablespoons = 1 packet.)
*1 bottle of buffalo wing sauce

Directions:
1.  Place chicken in the bottom of the crock pot.

2.  Sprinkle evenly with the Ranch seasoning.

3.  Dump the wing sauce on top.

4.  Close the lid.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Roasted Tomatoes with Basil and Parmesan


It's always hard to find a side dish to go with Italian dishes, other than a green salad.  I get tired of that.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and adapted it a tad.  The family loved it.

Ingredients:
*olive oil flavored cooking spray
*4 tomatoes, sliced to 1/4 inch slices
*1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
*1/4 cup provolone cheese, shredded
*3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
*1 teaspoon dried oregano
*1/2 tsp salt
*ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with the olive oil flavored cooking spray.  Place tomatoes on the baking sheet.

2.  Top each tomato slice evenly with Provolone, then basil, Parmesan, oregano, salt, and pepper.  Spray the top of each tomato slice with the olive oil cooking spray.

3.  Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the tomatoes are tender.

California Chicken Club Quesadilla


When I make my fajita chicken salad with honey lime vinaigrette (pictured below), I always have leftover fajita chicken and red onion.  This is a great dish in which to use some of those yummy leftovers.

Ingredients:
*2 pieces bacon
*cooking spray
*2 Tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
*1 Tablespoon olive oil plus some for brushing
*2 flour tortillas
*leftover fajita chicken (from my fajita chicken salad with honey lime vinaigrette recipe)
*1/3 cup cheddar cheese
*1/2 avocado, sliced
*salt
*1 Tablespoon salsa

Directions:
1.  Cook bacon:  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a small baking sheet with shallow sides with cooking spray.  Lay bacon pieces flat on the baking sheet, making sure that they do not overlap.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until crispy.  Place on a plate lined with paper towel.  Set aside.

2.  Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.  Saute the red onion until brown and caramelized.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.

3.  Heat a skillet over medium heat.  While it is getting hot, brush one side of both tortillas with olive oil.  Once the skillet is hot, place one tortilla flat into the skillet with the oil side down.

4.  Immediately add the red onion on top of the tortilla (spreading it out evenly), then the fajita chicken, the cheese, and the bacon (crumbled).  Place the second torttilla on top with the oil side facing up.  Once the bottom tortilla is a nice crispy golden brown on the bottom, use a spatula to carefully flip the tortilla.  Cook until that tortilla is crispy and golden brown.  Remove from heat.

5.  Remove the top tortilla.  Top with salsa.  (I used leftover Chuy's salsa because I like the fresh, chunky taste on quesadillas.)  Top with avocado.  Sprinkle avocado with a little salt.  Replace the top tortilla.  Press down with a spatula.  Use a pizza cutter to slice into quarters.

Sneaky Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce

My four year old is in a vegetable rut.  He will only eat the same vegetables over and over, and not many of them are green:  carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, corn, roasted green beans (sometimes) and canned Lasueur peas.  I invented this spaghetti sauce recipe as a way to get him to eat more green vegetables without being able to see them or taste them!  This sauce is chock full of zucchini and chopped spinach.  The particular sauce that I add the vegetables to also has more than 1 full serving of vegetables per half cup.  Because of the particular flavor of this jar sauce, there is not a hint of spinach or zucchini taste.  Sneaky, sneaky...


Ingredients:
*1 jar Robusto! Ragu Parmesan & Romano spaghetti sauce
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*2 zucchini, chopped
*1/2 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Directions:
1.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the olive oil.  Once hot, add the zucchini and spinach.  Saute until the zucchini is very tender.  Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

2.  In a food processor, pour in the jar spaghetti sauce and the spinach/zucchini mixture.  Process until smooth and no chunks of vegetables remain.

3.  Pour into a pot.  Cover, and heat on medium-low heat until hot.  Serve over angel hair pasta.

Spaghetti Pizza Casserole

My mom gave me this recipe.  I'm not sure where she got it from originally.

Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 package (7 oz.) angel hair past
*1/2 cup Egg Beaters or 2 eggs (1 egg = 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
*1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
*1 lb. lean ground beef
*1 yellow onion, chopped
*1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
*1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
*2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
*1 jar (26 oz.) Prego Traditional spaghetti sauce
*1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
*1 teaspoon dried basil
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
*1/2 lb. sliced button mushrooms
*1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain.  Immediately rinse with cold water in the colander to prevent the pasta from sticking together.  This will not make your pasta cold...don't worry.  Make sure the water is all drained out.  Transfer the pasta to a large bowl.

2.  In the large bowl, add the Egg Beaters and Parmesan.  Toss.  Spread evenly into the baking dish.  Set aside.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Brown the ground beef, onion, and bell peppers until the meat is no longer pink.  Drain.  Return the skillet back to the heat.  Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.

4.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and ground black pepper.  Spoon over spaghetti.  Top with mushrooms and then mozzarella.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.






Hominy Casserole


This is a recipe from the Taste of Home website.

Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*1 yellow onion, chopped
*1 Tablespoon canola oil
*1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
*3/4 cup light sour cream
*3/4 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese, divided
*1/4 cup milk
*1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles, drained
*1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
*3 cans (15 oz. each) golden hominy, drained

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  Heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the canola oil.  Saute onion for a few minutes until tender.  Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, sour cream, half of the cheese, milk, chiles, and cumin.  Stir in hominy.

4.  Pour into the baking dish.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until heated through.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 5-10 more minutes.

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

This is the Pioneer Woman's scalloped potatoes and ham.  I added more ham to my recipe and added time to the baking.  I also leave out the parsley that she calls for and use lower fat ingredients.  It makes a great main dish because of the extra added ham.  We like to eat this with roasted rosemary acorn squash.  It's a great fall dish.


Ingredients:
*cooking spray
*3 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes
*2 Tablespoons butter
*1 yellow onion, diced
*5 cups cubed ham (pre-cooked--I find this in the meat section)
*1 1/2 cups fat free half and half
*1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
*1/4 cup flour
*ground black pepper
*1 cup grated 2% cheddar cheese
*1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray a deep, large baking dish with cooking spray (including the sides).

2.  Heat butter in a large skillet.  Add the onions and saute for several minutes until transparent.  Add the ham and cook for 4 minutes until hot.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

3.  In a microwave-safe container, combine the half and half and heavy whipping cream.  Microwave on high for 1 minute or until it's no longer cold.  Whisk in the flour and ground black pepper to taste.  Set aside.

4.  Slice potatoes using a mandoline.  (I use Pampered Chef's mandoline which used to be called the ultimate slice and grate.  It makes this step so easy and fast.)  The potatoes should be very thin--about 1/8 inch thick. 

5.  Mix the two cheeses together in a large bowl.  Layer 1/3 of the potatoes on the bottom of the baking dish.  Top with 1/3 of the onion/ham mixture.  Top with 1/3 of the cheese.  Top with 1/3 of the cream mixture.  Repeat this 2 more times.

6.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 30-45 more minutes, until bubbly and hot all the way through.






Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash

This is my adapted version of the Pioneer Woman's recipe.  I use way less rosemary and less brown sugar.

Ingredients:
*2 acorn squash, cut into 8 wedges each
*4 dashes olive oil
*salt to taste
*1 stick butter, room temperature
*1/4 cup brown sugar (lightly packed)
*1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed (I use a mortar and pestle)

Directions:
1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place wedges in a baking dish and drizzle with the dashes of olive oil.  Sprinkle lightly with salt to season.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

2.  In a small bowl, combine the butter, brown sugar, rosemary, and salt to taste.  Mix into a paste.

3.  Remove the squash from the oven.  Smear the paste over the squash wedges.  Put back into the oven for 15 minutes.  By this time the paste should now be a sauce.  Brush the sauce over the squash.  Roast for 15 more minutes or until brown and caramelized.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Walnut, Goat Cheese, and Honey Sandwich

This makes a good lunch with a side of fruit of strawberries and blueberries.  The sweetness from the fruit brings out the flavor in the goat cheese.


Ingredients:
*1 multi-grain sandwich thin, sliced in half
*2 Tablespoons goat cheese
*5-6 fresh basil leaves
*1/8-1/4 cup chopped walnuts
*honey

Directions:
1.  Preaheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread the walnuts onto a baking dish in one single layer.  Toast the walnuts in the oven for just a few minutes until fragrant.

2.  Lightly toast the sandwich thins in a toaster.

3.  Spread half of the goat cheese on one sandwich thin and the other half on the other sandwich thin.  Set one half aside.

4.  On one sandwich thin half, spread the basil and then the walnuts.  Drizzle with honey.  Top with the other half of the sandwich thin.


Peanut Butter Honey Granola Roll-Ups

This snack makes me think of the beach and the Rocky Mountains.  When my family is on vacation at the beach, we always pack these up in the cooler to munch on throughout the day.  When we go hiking in the mountains, we pack these for picnics.


Ingredients:
*HEB fresh baked wheat tortillas
*Jif creamy reduced-fat peanut butter
*granola
*honey

Directions:
1.   Lay out the tortilla flat and spread it with the peanut butter.  Leave about 1/4 inch around the edges.

2.  Sprinkle granola over the peanut butter.

3.  Drizzle with honey.

4.  Roll up.  Either cool in the refrigerator and eat later or eat right away!  Or slice and eat!

South of the Border Frito Pie

When I make Liz's Chili, we always have a lot of left overs.  We use the leftovers for chili cheese dogs, Frito pie, and this South of the Border Frito Pie.  It's the traditional Frito pie with a twist.

Ingredients:
*Liz's chili (click link to see recipe)
*Fritos
*shredded 2% Mexican blend cheese
*salsa
*Romaine lettuce leaves, chopped
*1 small can diced black olives, drained
*sour cream

Directions:
1.  Assemble on plates:  Fritos on the bottom, Liz's chili, cheese, salsa, lettuce, black olives, and then sour cream.  (This is pictured without sour cream because I don't care for it.  But my husband loves to top his with a little sour cream.)





Chicken Fajita Salad With Honey Lime Vinaigrette

This is my FAVORITE salad.  Ever.  I can't eat many things over and over, but this is one of them.  Leftover chicken can be used to make fajitas or quesadillas.

Ingredients:
*3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 teaspoon salt
*1 teaspoon black pepper
*1 teaspoon cumin
*1 teaspoon chili powder
*1/2 teaspoon onion powder
*1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*8-10 corn tortillas
*cooking spray
*1 bag of Romaine pieces or 1 head of Romaine torn into pieces
*2 large firm tomatoes, seeded and chopped
*1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
*1-2 avocados, chopped
*1/2 wheel of cojita cheese, grated

Salad Dressing Ingredients:
*1/3 cup olive oil
*5 limes, juiced (about 1/2 cup)
* 1/4 cup honey
*2 large garlic cloves, pressed
*1/2 teaspoon salt
*1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare honey lime vinaigrette first so that the flavors can marry.  You can even make this the day before and store in the refrigerator:  In a pourable measuring cup combine the 1/3 cup olive oil, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Whisk together.  Set aside.

2.  In a small bowl make the chicken dry rub by combining the salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder.  Place chicken on a plate and season both sides using all the dry rub.

3.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Once hot, add the chicken breasts.  Cook about 7 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.  Place on a plate to rest.  Give the dressing another good whisk.  Set aside.

4.  Prepare baked tortilla chips:  Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.  Holding several corn tortillas in your hand stacked together, tear the tortillas in half.  Tear each piece in half again.  Tear each piece in half one more time.  Place on a large baking sheet so that none overlap.  Spray the tops with cooking spray.  Sprinkle with a little bit of salt.  Bake in the 350 degree oven until crispy.  Watch them so that they don't turn brown.  It can happen all of a sudden!  Set aside to cool.

5.  Slice chicken into thin strips.

6.  Assemble salad:  baked tortilla chips on the bottom, Romaine, tomato, red onion, chicken, avocado, honey lime vinaigrette dressing (whisk one more time really well before pouring), topped with cojita cheese.  (I usually let our family assemble their own salads so that each person gets the amount of each ingredient that they prefer.  I lay out all the components buffet style.)





Friday, February 15, 2013

Garlic & Savory Herb Spicy Vegetable Saute


Ingredients:
*2 large yellow squash, diced
*2 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
*1/2 yellow onion, sliced into strips
*1/2 red onion, sliced into strips
*2 Tablespoons olive oil
*1 packet Lipton Soup Garlic & Savory Herb (1 box has 2 packets)
*1/2 can (14.5 oz. can) diced tomatoes, drained
*salt to taste
*ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1.  Place the squash, jalapenos, yellow onion, and red onion in a gallon sized Zip Lock bag.  Pour in the olive oil.  Close the bag, letting out all the air.  Using your fingers on the outside of the bag, move around the vegetables so that they are all lightly coated in olive oil. Pour in the Garlic & Savory Herb.  Close the bag and use your fingers on the outside to make sure all the veggies get coated with the seasoning.

2.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil.  Once hot add the vegetables from the Zip Lock bag.  Stir in the tomatoes.  Season with a little salt and pepper.  Saute for a couple of minutes.  Reduce heat to medium.  Continue sauteing until the squash is tender.