November: The Month of the Freezer Meal

In an effort to curb grocery costs and make life easier for myself, I've been researching and saving recipes for meals that I can prepare ahead of time that freeze well.

When I was pregnant with AJ, one of the best things I did was make and freeze about 7 meals that we were able to pull out of the freezer after she was born.  In the first days of new motherhood, it was invaluable to know that dinner was in the freezer if sh!t hit the fan.  I'm planning to do the same preparation a few weeks before baby #2 arrives.

In the past three years, it seems that crock pot cooking and freezer meals have become way more popular and I've found a few websites that have some great-looking recipes I'm going to test-run before the baby arrives.  One main site is the Six Sisters' Website.  They claim that you can prepare and complete 8 dinners in just over an hour.  I am planning to test their theory this month.

I also have a few of my own recipes that I know freeze well that my family likes that I'm planning to make this month.  I think I'll have more than 10 meals in the freezer that we can pull out as life gets crazy and we start to travel for the holidays.  I can't wait to just be able to pull a pan out of the deep-freezer when we get home from a trip and have a home-cooked meal the night we get home!

Here are the meals I'm planning to make this month:

• Chili
• King Ranch Chicken Casserole
• Slow Cooker BBQ Spareribs
• Black Bean Taco Soup
• Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
• Chicken Cacciatore
• French Dip Sandwiches
• Hearty Beef Stew
• Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
• Cilantro Lime Chicken w/Corn and Black Beans
• Pasta e Fagioli
• White Bean Soup w/Grilled Sausage
• Homemade Pasta Sauce

The only two of the above recipes that I've made before are chili and homemade pasta sauce, which, technically I don't make, since D makes it.  The chili recipe I make is loosely based off the one I linked above, but I've changed it so much that its really different from the above recipe.

I'm kind of excited to get all these prepped and frozen, there is nothing better than having a fully-stocked freezer, and not just with frozen pizzas, but actual meals.  I also feel like most recipes for freezer meals are big enough that we can eat off them for at least an extra day with the leftovers.

So, if you'd like to join me in cooking up a storm, feel free, but I'll be posting about how these recipes come together, if we like them and what my overall thoughts on them are.

The Best Thing I've Made In A Long Time, Possibly Ever

If you are a loyal follower of the old blog here, then you may already know about my new favorite recipe site, SkinnyTaste.com. I tried a few new recipes from the site last week. I blogged about one already on my food blog (the Stuffed Cabbage Casserole, which was okay) but the one I made on Thursday was possibly the best dinner I've ever made.

I'll preface by saying that it wasn't the easiest dish I've ever made, but it was worth every step and this dish has easily earned a spot in our regular rotation.

***

Chicken with Mushrooms in a Garlic and White Wine Sauce

8 chicken tenderloins, 16 oz total
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1/3 cup fat free chicken broth
salt and fresh pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 200°. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour.

Heat a large skillet on medium heat; when hot add 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until chicken is no longer pink. Set aside in a warm oven.

Add additional oil and butter to the skillet, then garlic and cook a few seconds; add mushrooms, salt and pepper stirring occasionally until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add wine, chicken broth, parsley; stir the pan with a wooden spoon breaking up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook a few more minutes or until the liquid reduces by half. Top the chicken with the mushroom sauce and serve.


***

You should also make this side dish to go with it. They really pair perfectly.

***

Baked Rice with Peas

1 cup uncooked long grain rice
14.5 oz can fat free chicken broth (vegetarians use vegetable broth)
1 tsp butter
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
5 oz (1/2 package) frozen peas

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a oven-safe baking dish with a lid. Place a piece of tin foil between the lid and the dish to ensure no steam escapes.
Bake 45 minutes (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). When 45 minutes is up, remove from oven and let it sit for 10 more minutes to allow the steam to finish cooking the rice, (do not open, do not peek, do not stir to rice). After 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork.

***

There you go, friends. Make this, soon.

Christmas Eve and the Feast of the Seven Fishes

I haven't really talked about our Christmas plans on my blog because we don't have a ton of plans. We decided to stay here this year and spend Christmas just our little family. We are going to wake up in our own beds tomorrow morning and relax, eat, open presents and just chill. I can't wait. I will share my Christmas day menu with you all soon (after Christmas, obviously). With that being said, we're having some people over for dinner on tonight.

I wasn't too sure about making some big crazy prime rib or something (because I like cooking, but don't want to eff myself over and be the fool who ends up having to order out on Christmas Eve because something went terribly wrong).

I decided that something much easier, like the traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner of The Feast of the Seven Fishes. In my apparently warped mind, this was more sane than the alternative. Ha! Now I'm making six seafood dishes (amongst various frozen appetizers) to serve our guests this evening. One of the guests is bringing a seafood dish, so I only have to make six recipes instead of seven (should lighten the load a little bit, at least).

Here's what I'm making.

Shrimp Cocktail (because I'm being lazy on this one)

Baked Scallops

Lemon Garlic Flounder I'm using Flounder instead of Tilapia

Chez Lorraine's Baked Salmon

Fried Calamari

Crab Cakes (I bought these pre-made from our local grocery store, so no recipe, sorry!)

As you can see, most of these recipes are very simple, but the ones I've made before are delicious and the new ones sound fantastic, so I'm excited to get to work in the kitchen!

I'll post an update after Christmas to let you all know that I survived what will undoubtedly be known as "Seafood Extravaganza 2011" or "The Christmas Beth Went Crazy" for generations years to come! Wish me luck!

Latkes

Every year around this time, I like to make a traditional Jewish holiday recipe. Sometimes I make these at other times throughout the year, depending on if the mood strikes, but mostly these are reserved for December. My mom used to make Potato Pancakes when I was a kid and these just hit the spot!

***

Latkes (Potato Pancakes)

4 large potatoes
1 yellow onion
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
ground black pepper to taste
2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Finely grate potatoes with onion into a large bowl. Drain off any excess liquid.

Mix in egg, salt, and black pepper. Add enough flour to make mixture thick, about 2 to 4 tablespoons all together.

Turn oven to low, about 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).

Heat 1/4 inch oil in the bottom of a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Drop two or three 1/4 cup mounds into hot oil, and flatten to make 1/2 inch thick pancakes. Fry, turning once, until golden brown. Transfer to paper towel lined plates to drain, and keep warm in low oven until serving time. Repeat until all potato mixture is used.

Serve with sour cream and applesauce for a yummy meal.

***

I hope you'll try these, they really are so easy to make. Don't be intimidated by the frying aspect of the recipe, they are almost fool-proof! I always have tons of potato pancakes when I make this recipe, so this could easily serve as an appetizer or side-dish for a large group of people.

Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Chunk Mocha Cookies

This next cookie is a more "grown-up" cookie. As a kid, I wasn't really a big fan, but as an adult, they're one of my favorites. Its a little bit of work, but I really appreciate the effort my Mom puts into making these bad boys every year.

If you like chocolate (and who doesn't?) these are a must make.

***

Double Chocolate Chunk Mocha Cookies
8 Squares semisweet chocolate, divided
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 T instant coffee
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 t salt

Melt one square of chocolate.

Cut 3 squares of chocolate into 1/2 inch chunks and set aside. (I sometimes just use chocolate chips for this part because it is very hard to cut up the chocolate squares).

Beat butter until light and fluffy, gradually beat in sugars and coffee. Mix in egg and vanilla; stir in melted chocolate. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well. Stir in chocolate chunks. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drop by Tablespoonful about 2" apart on parchment paper covered cookie sheets. Bake 8 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from cookie sheets and then cool on a wire rack.

Melt remaining chocolate. Dip 1/2 of the top of each cookie in chocolate and let chocolate set.

***

These are so delicious, but they're not too sweet because you use the semi-sweet chocolate blocks.

This completes my all-time favorite Christmas cookie line up. In case you missed any of them, here they are:

Iced Shortbreads
Buckeyes
Holly Wreaths

Holly Wreaths

In keeping with my Christmas cookie recipe updates, today I'm going to share a fun, festive cookie.

My mom makes these every year and everyone loves them, but I will admit, you can usually find red hots hidden around the house because I'm convinced that no one actually likes them, so we always pick them off. ;) I've suggested to my mom that she should just leave the red hots off, but she claims that they're an integral part of the aesthetic of the Holly Wreaths. Whatever.

***

Holly Wreaths
1/4 cup butter
1 (10 oz) bag marshmallows
5 cups corn flakes
green food coloring
red hots

Melt butter in a large pan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until melted, then add green food coloring to make the marshmallow mixture very green. Remove from heat and add cornflakes. Stir until well coated. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper or well greased cookie sheet. Add a few red hots immediately to each spoonful so they will stick-they should look like holly berries.



***

These guys are yummy, but like I said, the red hots are really just for show, so don't be surprised if you find them on your kitchen counter or hidden in the couch cushions (not that I ever did that as a kid).

World Famous, Ultimate Christmas Cookie

I know I said yesterday that if you want lots of extra presents and love from your family and friends you should bring them Iced Shortbreads, but I'm serious when I say that today's cookie will literally win you arguments. They're that good.

I'm sure that some of my readers are familiar with this cookie, as its a regional thing, and you'll most likely be able to guess where my family originates from based on this recipe, but I'm okay with that. Even if you're not from Middle America, you should make these.

They're also a no-bake cookie, so if you're one of those people who are afraid of your oven, this is a cookie for you!

Without further adieu, I present to you, Buckeyes.

***

Buckeyes
1 1/2 c peanut butter
1 c butter, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
6 c powdered sugar
4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.

Press a toothpick into the top of each ball (to be used later as the handle for dipping) and chill in the freezer until firm, about30 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth.

Dip frozen peanut butter balls in chocolate holding onto the toothpick. Leave a small portion of peanut butter showing at the top to make them look like Buckeyes. Put back on the cookie sheet and refrigerate (or freeze) until serving.



***

You're welcome.

Christmas Cookie Time!

I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the foods served for holiday meals, and this includes the types of Christmas cookies that my mom makes. I like the same things, year in and year out, and its a rare occasion that I'll allow a new recipe into the rotation. With that being said, my family has incorporated Pioneer Woman's Soul Sweet 'Taters into our Thanksgiving feast the past few years. It is good enough to make the (very selective) cut and become a traditional dish on our table.

I could tell you about the year that my mom thought she'd spruce up the holiday table and make cranberry sauce from actual cranberries (vs. opening the can and slicing it up). I could relish you all with the story about the year my mom added fresh green beans to the green bean casserole. Don't get me wrong, I like homemade cranberry sauce a lot now that I'm an adult, but its just the idea that while we're all growing up and our lives are changing, there are some things that will always stay the same.

With that being said, the Christmas cookies my mom makes are the same ones she has been making since the dawn of time. I thought that over the next few days I'd share some of them with all of you (to make up for my repeated and unexcused absences over the last month).

I'm heading to a cookie exchange this afternoon, so I spent my Friday night making cookies to share with my friends and since y'all are my friends too, I have to share the recipe here!

***

Iced Shortbreads
1 c butter, softened
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 c flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add almond extract. Stir in flour in 3 parts, beating well after each addition, dough will be stiff. Knead in bowl for 5 minutes until smooth.

Wrap dough in waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll teaspoon sized pieces of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten calls to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake for 22 minutes or until slightly colored.

Icing
1/2 c butter
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp milk

Melt butter and add powdered sugar until you achieve spreading consistency. Add vanilla and milk. Ice cooled cookies.

***

These are absolutely delicious and are obviously terrible for you. I advise you to make them right away, then pack up most of them and give them to friends and family. A few days later, you'll receive lots of unexpected gifts and lots of love from them, I promise! ;)

Come on back tomorrow for an all-time semi-famous favorite!

Happy Halloween!

This past weekend we went to the local pumpkin patch to pick out a few pumpkins. I had bought two randomly at the grocery store about a week or two ago, but we've never taken AJ to a pumpkin patch, so I really wanted to go. Lucky for us, we waited until it was 42* and drizzling to go. At least it wasn't crowded!

We were in and out of there pretty quickly, even though I'm pretty sure that AJ would have liked to stay all day. We could have stayed longer, but someone (ahem *hubby* cough, cough) didn't dress warmly enough. As it was, we let AJ pick out a few pumpkins and then we headed home. She literally was running around yelling, "PUMPKIN!"

I did manage to take one picture, though.


AJ checking out some pumpkins. No, this is not one of the ones we got.

We got our pumpkins Saturday morning and then I forgot about them waited until after AJ went to bed that night to carve them. She's not really at the right age for activities involving knives, and I didn't feel like scraping pumpkin guts off my kitchen floors and cabinets until Christmastime.

In the end, they turned out nice!



Mine is on the right in the top two pictures and the left on the bottom one.

Our pumpkins sitting in from of our house. Apparently its SUPER dark where we live. Ha!

I've been looking forward to taking AJ trick-or-treating all week and of course now she has a terrible cough, runny nose and is not feeling well at all. I'm probably going to try to get her in to see the doctor tomorrow, so trick-or-treating may have to wait until next year. : (

We will, however, be celebrating Halloween with the only dinner I've ever eaten on this spook-tacular holiday, "Beanie Halloweenie!" The recipe is simple (most likely my mom* created it because it was easy to cook when we were out trick-or-treating as kids).

Beanie Halloweenie**

1 family-sized can baked beans
1 package hot dogs

Place all ingredients*** into a square glass baking dish. Bake 30-ish minutes or until liquid is bubbly.

*Please note that this is a super trashy recipe and my mom will not be pleased that I shared this with you.

**Also note that its freakin' delish!

***I always add a squirt of mustard and ketchup, plus a generous tablespoon (or three) of brown sugar to my baked beans.

What's For Dinner?

I haven't posted a menu in a while and I've been spending quite a bit of time menu planning now that Fall is here and I can start using the oven again!  There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to bust out my pumpkin candles and make some chili!

Tuesday: Mexican Chicken and Black Bean Salad
Wednesday: Portobello, Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Sandwiches
Thursday: Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing
Friday: Ravioli, Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread
Saturday: Vegetable Beef Soup and Homemade Bread
Sunday: Chicken Divan with White Rice
Monday: Homemade Pizza with Green Salad

You'll notice that I'm mixing in some Summery recipes with my go-to Fall/Winter dishes.  Since we're kind of in the South we're officially at that awkward time of year when I really desperately want it to be Fall but we are still seeing temps solidly in the eighties everyday.  My solution to this dichotomy is to just start making hearty meals and wearing Uggs and scarves in the house.  Then when I have to go outside, I switch back to my shorts & flip flops.

I'm also planning on making Pumpkin bread and I officially added Apple Cider to my grocery list for next week.  I know that many of us in blog-land love Autumn, and I'm right there with you!  I have to do anything and everything I can to get myself into the spirit of Fall.

What are you planning for dinner this week?

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

I hope everyone has a fun and exciting day planned for this festive Mexican holiday!

We're having enchilada casserole for dinner tonight to celebrate! Maybe we'll even enjoy a corona or two!

Quick and Easy Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
via AllRecipes.com

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
garlic salt to taste
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish. Season chicken with garlic salt. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool, shred, and set aside.

Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish, and arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 the sour cream, and 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat. Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with remaining enchilada sauce, and arrange on top of the layers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and top with any remaining enchilada sauce. Cover, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly before serving.

This is so, so good! I highly recommend it!

Make sure you come back tomorrow for another fun post!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

Jessica Lynn over at The Tale of Two Kitchens posted this recipe a few weeks ago and I've had it in my email, waiting for a good time to make it! Tonight seemed to be the perfect night, I had a hankering for Mexican and it did not disappoint! D even commented about how delicious it was.

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken
Please refer to the links above for the recipe as it appears on her blog, I made some changes based on what I had on hand.

1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
2 bone-in chicken leg quarters
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 limes
1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped


Directions:
In a small bowl combine seasonings: cumin, chili powder, coriander, garlic powder paprika, red pepper flakes and garlic cloves; set aside. Heat oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add seasoning mixture and sauté two more minutes. Deglaze the pan with broth, making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Turn off and set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to crock pot. Squeeze lime on top; add cilantro and pour onion and seasoning mixture over top.

Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender. Remove chicken from the crock pot, let cool for a few minutes, shred and return to crock-pot on "warm" setting until ready to serve.

I didn't put my chicken back in the crock pot because we were ready to eat. It was delicious when I spooned some of the onion and broth over it, though.

We piled ours on top of tostadas as Jessica recommends in her original post (even though ours were store-bought because I'm lazy), then we topped it with lettuce, cheese, sour cream and chopped tomatoes, yum!

I highly recommend you make this recipe, and soon!

Party Food and Menu Planning

We've had a lot of visitors from out of town lately, and to add to that, we've been busy celebrating birthdays. Since we have been feeding lots of extra people, I've had a lot of fun menu planning the past few weeks.

Menu planning for large groups of hungry party-goers is a lot different than the usual menu-planning I do (for two)! Its been fun to make and serve things that I normally don't make, and I want to share our dinner menus for the last few weeks. Part of the reason that its been fun is because we're kind of on a budget, so I didn't want to go crazy and serve everyone filet mignon, but I also didn't want to seem cheap! Ha!

So here you have it!

3/7 Monday:
Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

3/8 Tuesday:
Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Crema and Crunchy Apple Salsa

3/9 Wednesday:
AJ's Birthday! We ate out at Red Robin

3/10 Thursday:
Sausage, Cheddar, and Onion Quiche with Spinach Salad

3/11 Friday:
Cowboy Skillet Casserole

3/12 Saturday (D's family came to town):
BBQ Chicken Thighs, Steak, Macaroni Salad, and Grilled Asparagus

3/13 Sunday (Party Day!):
Spaghetti and Meatballs with Homemade Sauce, Garlic Bread, Salad and Birthday Cake

3/14 Monday:
Take-out Chinese

3/15 Tuesday:
Stuffed Pepper Casserole

3/16 Wednesday:
Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Cole Slaw, Roasted Red Potatoes

3/17 Thursday (St. Patty's Day):
Corned Beef and Cabbage

3/18 Friday:
Chili and Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread

As always, my preferred recipes are linked up, so try them out and enjoy!

I've never made corned beef and cabbage before, so it should be interesting. I'm hoping that it turns out, because I really love it and I'll be super disappointed if its yucky!

Soup For YOU!!!

As you can tell, D was gone this week, so I made soup.

I love soup, but it tends to not really be enough for a full dinner for D, so I rarely make it when he's home. That is, unless I make grilled cheese or serve a salad and bread with it. The point is, I made soup this week and it was heavenly.

Our mail is finally catching up with us from the move and the address changes, so we got our February issue of Family Circle late. In it, however, was a whole section of recipes for homemade soup! I saw two recipes that caught my eye, so I decided make them this week while D was gone. They were so good, so I'm sharing them with you!

Red Pepper-Tomato Soup

Makes 6 servings; Prep Time 15 minutes, Cook Time 8 minutes

1 jar (12 ounces) roasted red peppers in brine, drained
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
1 c low-sodium and fat-free chicken broth
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c heavy cream
croutons, for serving

1. Combine drained peppers and diced tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth.

2. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add pepper-tomato mixture, tomato puree, chicken broth, sugar, salt, and pepper. Heat just to simmering, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in heavy cream. Return to stove and heat through. Ladle soup into bowls; top each with a few croutons.

For this recipe, I also added a little bit of red pepper flakes to spice it up a tad and it was delicious. Also, since I was making this for only one person and the recipe feeds 6, I froze the soup before adding the cream so when I defrost it in the future, I'll just add a little cream to my bowl and stir it in.

The next soup I made was totally different, but something I'd been wanting to try for a while.

Winter Veggie Bisque

Makes 6 servings; Prep time 15 minutes; Cook time 12 minutes

1 large onion, peeled and halved
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cored
3 carrots, trimmed and peeled
2 tbsp butter
2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen cooked winter squash, thawed
3 c vegetable broth
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
1/2 c heavy cream

1. Shred onion, apple, and carrots either with a box grater or with shredding blade in food processor. Heat butter in large pot over medium heat. Add shredded onion, apple, and carrot. Cook 7 minutes, until softened.

2. Stir in squash, broth, sugar, ginger, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes.

3. Transfer mixture to food processor fitted with chopping blade or to blender. Puree until smooth (do this in batches, if necessary). Return to pot and stir in heavy cream. Gently heat through.

Again, I froze the leftovers of this soup before adding the cream, so if you plan to make this and freeze, I would keep that in mind. I also couldn't find frozen squash at our commissary, so I just oven roasted some butternut squash in the morning and then let it cool. After if was cool, I cut it into chunks and used that instead of the frozen variety.

I hope you all enjoy these recipes, I know I'm already looking forward to our next "soup dinner" so I can break out these from the freezer!

Valentine's Day Menu

The first thing I made for our Valentine's Day dinner was the chocolate covered pound cake. This is pretty much the easiest, most delicious dessert ever. Its decadent, and looks impressive, but really takes about 15 minutes to make.

Chocolate Covered Pound Cake
via My Mom

1 Sara Lee Frozen All-Butter Pound Cake
3 Giant Bars Hershey's Milk Chocolate
3/4-1 c. Sour Cream

Over a double boiler, melt chocolate bars until smooth. Stir in 3/4 c (or more) sour cream until thoroughly combined.

Meanwhile, slice pound cake several times horizontally (you will be "frosting" it so the whole thing looks like a layered cake when cut). Spread chocolate mixture in between cake slices and then stack and finish frosting the outside of the cake.

Place cake in freezer for at least 1 hour before serving. Serve frozen.

Next I got the chicken in the oven to roast. I made Ina Garten's Friday Night Roasted Chicken and it was so good. This is the chicken she makes every Friday for Jeffrey, in case you were wondering. I didn't use a whole chicken, but instead used bone-in chicken thighs we already had. I also omitted the roasted veggies that she had in her pan and just made the chicken. The recipe below is how I made it. Click on the title of the recipe for the original recipe.

Perfect Roast Chicken
via Barefoot Contessa

4 bone-in chicken thighs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
3 lemons, quartered
1 head garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken. Arrange the bunch of thyme, lemon, and all the garlic around and on top of the chicken thighs. Drizzle the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut it. Remove chicken from pan and cover with foil for about 15 minutes.

And finally, the root veggie mash, which was something that is totally out of the norm for us. It was delicious and paired perfectly with the chicken. It was wonderful!

Root Veggie Mash
via Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everyday Cookbook

2 rutabagas, peeled and cubed (I used 1)
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks (I used 3 red potatoes)
pinch of salt
3 tbsp Earth Balance (I used butter and way more than 3 tbsp)
1/3 c almond milk (I used about 2 tsp half and half)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper, to taste
1 tbps chives, for garnish (we didn't have chives, so I skipped this)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rutabagas, parsnips, potato and a pinch of salt. Cook the vegetables until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in large bowl. Add the Earth Balance, almond milk, salt and pepper. Beat with an electric mixer and whip until fluffy (I used a potato masher and left mine lumpy). Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

And there you have it, folks! Our full Valentine's Day meal. I hope you try these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did on Monday!

Menu Monday

I've started menu planning pretty seriously again since we moved into the new house (something about cooking in my new, awesome kitchen). I'm trying to accomplish two things at once, we want to start eating more healthy and I want to expand our usual rotation of dinners to spice things up.

I got the Skinny Bitch Ultimate Everday Cookbook for Christmas and I've already made two recipes from it that were both big hits at our table, despite all her recipes being vegan. I promise I'll share those with you guys in the next few weeks. For now though, here's our menu for the week.

Sunday 1/23: Green Chile Turkey Burgers, Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Monday 1/24: Waldorf Chicken Salad
Tuesday 1/25: Pork Tenderloin, Glazed Carrots, Salad
Wednesday 1/26: Seared Pork Tortas, Sweet Potatoes
Thursday 1/27: Turkey Meatloaf, Acorn Squash
Friday 1/28: Chicken Caesar Salad
Saturday 1/29: Turkey Tenderloin, Root Veggie Mash

If you're interested in any of the recipes for the menu items above, let me know in the comments and I'll post some of them for you guys!

What's For Dinner This Week?

I realized recently that I've been posting a lot of recipes for yummy things, but I haven't really been talking much about what we've been eating on a regular basis, i.e. what's for dinner? I've been making some new and exciting recipes lately and I think they deserve a mention, so here we go!

The other night I made these fish tacos. They were absolutely delicious, but even better, they aren't battered and fried like lots of fish taco recipes, so they were pretty healthy, too!

Fish Tacos with Lime-Cilantro Crema
via Cooking Light

Ingredients

• Crema:
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Tacos:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 pounds red snapper fillets
• Cooking spray
• 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas (we used hard shells)
  
• 2 cups shredded cabbage

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare crema, combine the first 8 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare tacos, combine cumin and next 5 ingredients (through garlic powder) in a small bowl; sprinkle spice mixture evenly over both sides of fish. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 9 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Place fish in a bowl; break into pieces with a fork. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each with 1/4 cup cabbage and 1 tablespoon crema.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 394 (14% from fat)

Fat: 6.3g (sat 1.5g,mono 1.5g,poly 1.5g)

Protein: 40.3g

Carbohydrate: 40.1g

Fiber: 5.5g

Cholesterol: 70mg

Iron: 3.5mg

Sodium: 857mg

Calcium: 233mg

I added a Tomato-Apple Salsa that I made up for a little sweetness and crunch. I was going for something like a mango salsa, but there weren't have any mangoes at the grocery store this week.

Tomato-Apple Salsa
1 sweet apple (we like Braeburn), chopped
1/2 package grape tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 red onion, minced
lime juice
salt
pepper
olive oil
white vinegar

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Spoon onto fish tacos for sweetness and added crunch.

We were both in heaven when we ate this dinner on Friday. It was so.good. I hope you enjoy it next time you get a hankering for tropical food!

Appetizer Recipe #7: Crab Cakes with Remoulade and Mango Salsa

7. Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce and Mango Salsa
(Recipes submitted by my brother, B)

Yumm-O!

Crab Cakes:
3/4 pound lump crabmeat
1 cup plain breadcrumbs
3/4 cup mayo
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, minced
Hot sauce, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix. Shape into cakes. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook crab cake patties until crisp and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.


Mango Salsa:
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 red onion, diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Minced Jalapeno
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Mix


Remoulade:
1/2 cup mayo
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons milk
1 & 1/4 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon minced celery
1 teaspoon minced white onion
1 teaspoon minced green bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 pinch salt

Mix


Well folks, that wraps up the week of appetizer recipes from our Appetizer Cook-off in Florida! They were all wonderful and come highly recommended by my entire family! Hopefully next time you are in need of an appetizer for a party or gathering, you can find a use for one of these!

Appetizer Recipe #6: Teriyaki Scallops

The next recipe is actually the winning recipe. My sister's boyfriend, Z, submitted this one and it was amazing! If you are in a location that is known for good seafood, or you otherwise just happen to find some large fresh scallops at the store, make this recipe!

This recipe is nice because other than the scallops, fresh ginger and sake, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry. Make this for a special night, maybe a date night in or as an appetizer for a holiday dinner.

Teriyaki Scallops
(Recipe submitted by my sister's boyfriend, Z)


1 lb scallops halved crosswise (make 2 round pieces from each scallop).
2 tbsp grapeseed oil, divided
1/2 c sake
1/2 c honey
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 c soy sauce
3 tbsp BBQ sauce
salt
pepper
2 tbsp minced green onions, to garnish

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Over high heat, sear in 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (about 1 min each side). Remove from pan and set aside.

Remove pan from from heat, pour off excess oil, and de-glaze pan with sake

Place pan back on heat and add honey, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and BBQ. Bring to boil; lower heat to simmer and cook til thickened. Add scallops back to pan and toss to coat. Heat through. Remove from heat and add green onion. Serve immediately.

Appetizer #5: Soppressata and Cheese in Puff Pastry

I know you've all been dying to find out what I made for the competition, and you don't have to wait any longer! I was a little nervous beforehand because this is a new recipe for me; I found it in my new Barefoot Contessa cookbook that I got for Christmas.

This turned out great! Everyone raved about how good it was. D even mentioned that I could make it for dinner and serve it with a veggie as a main dish.

5. Soppressata & Cheese in Puff Pastry
(Recipe submitted by me via Barefoot Contessa)


1 package (2 sheets) frozen puff pastry, such as Pepperidge Farm, defrosted
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
12 thin slices soppressata salami
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan.

Lay one sheet of puff pastry on a floured board and lightly roll into a 10-inch square. Place it on the sheet pan and brush the pastry with all the mustard, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the soppressata in overlapping layers on the mustard and sprinkle the grated cheese evenly on the soppressata, also avoiding the border. Brush the border with the egg wash.

Lightly roll the second piece of puff pastry into a 10-inch square. Lay the pastry directly on top of the first square, lining up the edges. Brush the top with the egg wash, cut three large slits for steam to escape, and chill for 15 minutes.

When the pastry is cold, trim the edges with a very sharp knife to make a clean edge. Bake the pastry in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once while baking, until puffed and brown. Allow to coll for a few minutes, cut in squares, and serve hot or warm.