Cooking For A Cop

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers with Feta Dressing

2010-07-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

First, my condolences to anyone from the Mediterranean area. I, myself, have never even seen the area and I'm sure my version of this burger and making it sound like it comes from your part of the world is highly offensive. However, it's the best name I could come up with.

Payday isn't for a few days and this is one of those meals that came together with what we had on hand. Thankfully, it was super delicious and I'm pretty sure is going to become a staple. I served mine with steamed broccoli with extra artichokes on top. If we'd have had them I also would have used lettuce and fresh tomatoes on top. Burgers and veggies just belong together, don't they? I would also like to point out (quite proudly I must admit) that all of my children polished their's off. Score one for Mom!

I hope you enjoy it too!

For the burgers you will need (this makes six burgers):
2 lb ground turkey
2 oz marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
2 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 T each poultry seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano
Dash salt and pepper

Combine everything into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Form into 6 burger patties.
I cooked mine over a grill, about 4-5 minutes on each side over med heat, but you can heat up a skillet, add a little olive oil and cook them that way too.

While the burgers are cooking prepare the dressing.
You will need:
3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 c each mayo and plain greek yogurt
1/2 tsp each pepper, oregano, basil
1 tsp lemon juice

Combing everything thoroughly with a fork.

When the burgers are done top with the feta mixture. Serve on large toasted kaiser rolls.
Oh. Yum.

Roasted Eggplant with Feta Cheese

2010-07-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

I originally got this recipe from The Scramble but had to modify it a bit as today it is super hot here and Mike demanded I not use the oven. Considering it's 85 in the kitchen without any other heat source...I can't blame him.

You will need...

1 small eggplant (about 1 lb)
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 red onion
olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 lemon
3 oz feta cheese (chopped or crumbled)
basil (fresh is best but if you don't have any about 1-2 tsp of dry will work)
oregano (same as above)

Slice the eggplant into circles. Cut the bell pepper into quarters and the onion into "rings" so that you can put them on a grill. Drizzle all the veggies with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the veggies on the hot grill. Roast for about 4 minutes, flip and roast for another 4 minutes or so. I like the veggies to be fairly soft so I keep them on there for awhile, but you can adjust the time to suit your tastes.

Once the veggies are done, remove them to a cutting board and chop them into bite size pieces. Place chopped veggies into a bowl. Squeeze half a lemon over the top, with a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Add the basil and oregano. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Stir thoroughly.

These veggies are wonderful if you boil some pasta and mix them all up, adding a bit more lemon juice, olive oil and feta.

And, as I found out tonight, they are excellent on their own, or even as a side dish.

Enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

2010-07-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

Officer Hottie and I went to Cancun for our honeymoon and it was wonderful. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort that had a little Mexican themed restaraunt that you could go to during one night of your stay. They also had an Italian restaraunt. Anyway, we did our night at the Mexican restaraunt and loved it so much we begged the front desk to let us trade our night at the Italian one for another at the Mexican one. I'm not sure if it was the oodles of tequila shots they had everyone take or the mariachi music or the fact that it was on the beach (perhaps all three?) but I'm sure most of the credit goes to the food. It was fabulicious. For the first time in our lives we had tortilla soup. Weird, right? But it was a first for us and as soon as we got home I was bent on finding a recipe that would give us the same warm fuzzies.
I found one, made it a few times but since I thought it was difficult I haven't made it in quite a few years.
Officer Hottie's sister is in town and asked if I could make it for her. I was seriously surprised she even remembered it, but since I hadn't made it in so long decided to oblige her. Oh. My. Goodness. It was like being transported to Cancun again. I cannot for the life of me remember why I thought it was a difficult recipe as it really didn't take too long to make and any effort that is put in is well worth it - more than worth it in fact.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do ... and I'll be making it again, very soon!

2 dried ancho chilis (or 1 T ancho chili powder...good luck finding that)
2 T oil
6 corn tortillas
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 c. chicken stock
2 c. tomato puree
1 T cumin powder
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp salt
2 limes - juiced

Remove stems and seeds from chilis. Place chilis in a saucepan, cover with water and cook until soft (about 10 minutes.) Drain, let cool, and puree in a food processor.
While the chilis cook, cut up two tortillas into small pieces. In a large pan (or dutch oven), saute tortillas, onion and garlic in 2 tsp oil until the onions are soft. Add the ancho chili pepper puree, chicken stock, tomato puree, cumin, oregano and salt to the pan.
Bring soup to a b oil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Puree soup with an immersion blender (or in a food processor) and return it to the pan. Stir in lime juice and reheat...
Chop the remaining tortillas into thin strips. Fry (or bake for you health nuts out there) and drain on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.
Scoop into bowls and add oodles of shredded monterrey jack cheese, diced avocado, sour cream and cilantro.
Eat.
Die from food happiness overload.

Goddess Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Artichokes

2010-06-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hi! Remember me? No? Are you still there?

I have been having a cooking revolution of sorts. Which is just my fancy way of saying I needed to figure out what I was doing.

I did. Now I'm back.

I got this recipe from The Six O'Clock Scramble a jillion years ago when I didn't know how to make my own meal plan and grocery list. I've actually thought about signing up again for a little recipe variety. For less than $5/month (if you get the 6 month subscription) you'll get a weekly menu with recipes and a shopping list sent to your email. There's a variety of recipes, most of them pretty awesome, and all of them mostly nutritious and family friendly. If you've never looked at the site, check it out. I think you'll like it. (No, not a paid advertisement...I wish.)

Goddess (or Caesar) Chicken with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Artichokes

It's a simple recipe and even with the scary sun-dried tomato aspect my kids eat it. Enjoy!

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces

3 oz sun dried tomatoes, chopped. Not the kind in oil, the kind in the bag.

3/4 c Goddess dressing (If you can't find Goddess dressing use Caesar. It's just as good!)

1/2 c chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into chunks.

Place the artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes around the chicken in a pan with sides.

In a measuring cup whisk together the dressing and broth and pour it over the chicken and veggies. Stir it a few times to coat the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 min (until chicken is cooked through) stirring once or twice.

I serve it over rice and with a Greek salad (just some cukes with tomatoes and feta cheese, drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar and a sprinkle of basil.)

Brownies

2010-04-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Oh Brownies. How I love them. I truly truly love them. And Officer Hottie...well, he loves them too. And so do our children. And so does everyone in Officer Hottie's office. Especially Coach. She really loves them. I got this recipe off of Recipe Zaar and it is my go-to recipe every time. The original recipe calls for nuts (which I am not a fan of in brownies) and also has a glaze (which Officer Hottie thinks will ruin the integrity of the brownies) so I'll show you how I make them but at the bottom of this post you can click for the link that will take you directly to the Recipe Zaar original recipe. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

You will need ...

1 c sugar

1/2 c butter

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 c flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Put the sugar, butter and cocoa powder in a pan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is melted, then remove from heat. You can let it boil for a bit if you want the sugar to dissolve but I've found that leaving it as it actually makes for an awesome brownie. Coach says, "What were those awesome crunchy bits??" So, to dissolve or not to dissolve ... the choice is up to you.

Once the butter has melted, and the sugar has dissolved to your liking, turn off the heat.

Add the vanilla to your eggs and beat them senseles.

I think the next step is called "tempering the eggs". Take a little bit of the cocoa/butter mixture and add it to the eggs. This is to bring the eggs up to temperature so when you add them to the pan they don't cook. At least, I think that's the theory behind it.

Then add the eggs and vanilla to the pan, stirring them in until well combined.

Place the flour, baking powder in a salt in a small bowl. Stir to combine and then add it to the pan with the eggs and cocoa mixtures.

Stir until well combined and then add everything to a well greased 8x8 pan. Or, in my case, a pie plate since for some reason I still don't have an 8x8. Go figure.

Put it in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Then try to feed some batter to your 19 month old. He'll probably run away screaming because he has no idea why you are trying to feed him poop. Or what he thinks is poop. At least, that's the only reason I could come with for the running away.

Feed the batter to your other children who come running in when they realize there is brownie batter and the baby turned it down.

Then the baby will decide to try it.

He will like it. And wont' let go of the spoon.

When you finally pry it away ...

He will have a tantrum.

Until you show him that there are more goodies in the oven.

I didn't have enough cocoa powder so these are a bit lighter than normal and turned out a little less chocolately. Still delcious though.

Enjoy!

For a printable recipe go HERE

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

2010-03-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe in the Camp Gilead 60th Anniversary Commemorative Cookbook I earmarked it right away. Generally speaking I try to limit our amount of dairy as Little J is fairly sensitive and will get all congested. Sometimes, however, I could care less about a little congestion and I embrace dairy and all its cheesy glorious goodness. So Little J, my apologies. I know you won't complain tonight, but tomorrow when you can't breathe through your nose you may have some words for me.

You will need ...

1 tsp olive oil

cooking spray

3 c thinly slice mushrooms

1 c chopped onion

1 c chopped red bell pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 (16 oz) container fat free cottage cheese

4 cups hot cooked whole wheat penne pasta

2 cups cooked, cubed or shredded chicken

1 c grated cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 c grated parmesan, divided

1/2 c milk

1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup

Chop up your bell peppers ...

... and slice up your mushrooms ...

... and dice up your onion ...

...and add them all to a pan, over medium heat with just a bit of olive oil.

While the veggies are getting tender, take your spinach ...

and chop it up. Just a course chop. Don't worry about being too fancy.

I forgot about the noodles. I usually forget something. At least I remembered before it was too late. Before you start anything, start a large pot of water to boil. Add your noodles.

While the noodles are boiling, and the veggies are cooking, put your cottage cheese in a food processor and blend it up until it is nice and smooth.

When your veggies are nice and tender ...

add the chopped spinach, pepper and oregano. Stir it around a bit until the spinach starts to wilt.

While the spinach is working on wilting, chop or shred your chicken.

To a bowl, add your chicken, the soup, the cottage cheese, the parmesan and cheddar cheeses and milk.

and mix it all up! Pretty!!

Your noodles should be done by now, and your spinach should be wilted. Take your drained hot noodles ...

and your hot veggies and add them to your bowl of cheesy creaminess.

Mix everything together and add it to a greased 9x13 pan.

Pop it into a 425 oven for 30 minutes.

While it bakes take care of this situation ...

(I'm mean, really Mrs. Hottie. You in-laws are coming over. Have you no shame?)

Ah, but when you present your in-laws with a meal this delicious, they're bound to overlook the dirty dishes and maybe ... just maybe ... do them for you. Weirder things have happened!

For a printable version click HERE

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-03-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the length I am going between posts. I'm sure your families are starving as you sit faithfully by your computer, every day, just waiting, WAITING for Mama Hen to post something. Or not. I've actually realized my family and I eat a lot of the same ol' stuff. We are creatures of habit. I have resolved to be a little more adventurous ... hopefully you'll enjoy what you see.

Today's meal is chicken enchiladas. It's a recipe I truly made up all by myself. It stays well in the fridge, and reheats well in the microwave or oven.

You will need ...

Olive oil

butter

Garlic

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 onion, chopped

1 1/2 lbs (or so) chicken

diced green chilis

large can green enchilada sauce

12(ish) whole wheat tortillas

Cheese

For the chicken in this recipe I just used two breasts, plopped them in some water and brought it to a boil. When the chicken was cooked through I put it on a cutting board and using two forks, shredded it.

("Should't I get a picture with your wedding band in it?"Officer Hottie asks. He's so cute.)

In a skillet add the butter and olive oil. Then add the onion and garlic. Cook until tender.

Once tender, add the cream of chicken soup and diced green chilis. You also need to add about 1/2 can of water at this point. You don't want it to be "soupy" but if it should be "saucy".

Add the shredded chicken. Here's where I cheat a little bit and add some other flavors my family likes. I usually add a bit more garlic powder, some onion powder, some chili powder and cumin. I like it to taste Mexican-y. I just add these flavors to taste so add as much, or as little, as you and your family like.

Then add the pinto beans. Stir everything together and bring it to a low simmer.

While your "insides" are simmering, add a little bit of enchilada sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Take one tortilla ...

Put some cheese in it ...

then add some filling. I use about 1/3 of a cup.

Roll two sides of the tortilla in ...

Fold up the bottom ... (look honey! My wedding band!)

And my trick to keep oozing to a minimum is to make a triangle at the top before folding it all the way down.

Then add it to the pan.

You may have a few extra. Good thing I had a pie plate just lying around.

Make sure to cover them with some more cheese and the rest of the enchilada sauce. It should be fairly goopy. I like goop.

Bake these in a 375 degree oven, covered, for about 25 minutes, then take the foil off and cook for another 10 minutes until the cheese on top is brown and crispy.

Since it is Sunday, I am feeling lazy and haven't gotten around to making a "printable" version. Sorry. Hope you can try these and enjoy them regardless!

I-don't-feel-like-making-meatballs Spaghetti Sauce

2010-03-16T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here's the deal in our house. Meat. Meat is the deal. Especially when it comes in some sort of shaped mountainous form. Such as meatballs. Or meatloaf. Or meat patties. Whatever shape you can think of, my family loves it. Especially Officer Hottie.

Me: What should I make for dinner this week?
OH: Meatballs.
Me: Got it.
OH: Meatloaf.
Me: Got it.
OH: Did I already say meatballs?

And every time I make spaghetti without meatballs this is the conversation we have ...

OH: What's for dinner?
Me: Spaghetti.
OH: With meatballs?
Me: No. Just spaghetti with meat.
OH: You mean meatballs.
Me: Is this where I lie to make you happy?
OH: I don't think you heard me when I said meatballs.
Me: (Hang up phone)

Today I am in a very not so interested in shaping meat with my bare hands kind of mood. So, Officer Hottie, you are still going to get the meat, it just won't be balled up. I'm sure you can deal. Even though I know you're pouting.

You will need ...

1 lb ground turkey

1 lb Italian turkey sausage

(Using ground beef and regular sausage is just fine, and also, rather delicious. We're just trying to lose weight so we've had to make some sacrifices. If I were making meatballs, OH wouldn't even notice. Alas, he'll notice.)

A handful of chopped celery leaves

1/2 onion, diced

garlic
2 (26 oz) cans diced tomatoes
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
2 T oregano
2 T basil
1 T salt
1 T pepper
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

In a large pan, pour a little olive oil and a little butter in. Heat it up over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and celery leaves. Cook them until they are soft and transparent, about five minutes.

Add the ground turkey and the Italian turkey sausage. Crumble it up as it cooks. Cook it until it is all browned and cooked through.

While the meat is cooking take all your tomatoes, sauce and paste and dump them into a crock pot.

Take all your spices and put them into a small bowl. Or not. You can put them directly into the sauce. But I like to make dishes dirty. I know I said to use 1 T of pepper and 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper but this makes for a fairly spicy sauce. I like it that way, and so does OH, but the kids aren't huge fans. You can always omit the crushed red pepper and use less pepper to make it less spicy. You may also want to adjust the amount of spices in the sauce to your own taste. I like a more savory type of sauce with lots of oomph. Maybe you don't? Adjust it so you will enjoy it!

Add the spices to the sauce.

Mix it with a wire whisk. I like how the whisk incorporates everything so well. I seem to get chunks of spices if I don't use a whisk. Maybe it's just me.

Now add the meat. Yup ... it's been awhile since I've cleaned the outside of my crock pot. My grandma gave it to me and would be horrified.

And here's how unprofessional I am. I forgot to take pictures of the final product. Go figure. BUT it's good. This makes about 20 1-cup servings. It is hearty and delicious and is good for your heart. That statement has not been approved by the FDA.

I started putting recipes on Recipe Zaar in order to make printing them a bit easier. Here is the link for this recipe. Enjoy!

Apple Fritters

2010-03-06T10:54:00.000-08:00

Dear Pioneer Woman,
My husband is a cop and by default, loves donuts. His favorite donut of all times is the apple fritter. In fact, the apple fritter is the donut of choice for his entire crew. Thank you for posting a recipe for apple fritters. I am, once again, my husband's hero. And you, once again, are mine. You are, however, the mortal enemy of my size 6 jeans. But, for today, they can suck it.
Love,
Mama Hen

Yum. Yummy. Yum.

M1 just so happened to stop by. Coincidence? I think not.

Approval.

Which one? Glazed? Powdered???

Powdered. See that glimmer? That's pure joy my friends.

Polishing it off. Two bite apple fritter. Less work. All the joy.

I think I'll have another.

Beef and Black Bean Chili

2010-03-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

My family loves chili. And by loves chili I mean would eat chili every day if they could. And by every day I mean every meal. I have a few chili recipes in my box that I go back to over and over and this one is a slightly modified Weight Watchers recipe. Officer Hottie actually modified it, since he was the first one to make it. I'm glad he did. When I looked back over the original recipe it looked fairly blah but after the modification it's more like "Shazam!" Good stuff.

This recipe makes 14 1-cup servings. If you are watching what you eat the original recipe has 4 WW points per serving, but with our added extras this version is probably closer to 5. And if a one cup serving doesn't sound like much, don't be fooled. This is hearty so one cup goes a long way!

Oh, and this is the doubled recipe. We always double this one because otherwise, there wouldn't be leftovers!

You will need ...

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 lb ground beef (the leaner the better)

4 (15 oz) cans low sodium black beans, undrained

2 c medium chunky salsa

15 oz can tomato sauce

2 packets chili seasoning (that's cheating, isn't it? Oh well.)

1/4-1/2 c pickled peppers, chopped

Sorry. I forgot to start taking pictures until I got to this stage ...

Cook the onions and garlic over medium heat in some olive oil (1 or 2 Tablespoons) until they are soft about 3 to 5 minutes. This part always gets me. Onions and garlic cooking are a happy smell to me. I can't be angry with that smell going on.

Add the ground beef and cook until it is browned. Drain if necessary. I have found that I like to cook the meat until all the fat has cooked back into the meat. I buy our ground beef at Costco so is is only 12% fat (at most) so there really isn't a lot of fat to cook out, but when the beef is browned and starts to get a little bit crispy - oh boy. I love love love that! I think I love it because then all the "meaty" flavor is gone. I realize, meat should taste like meat, but meat should not taste like raw meat when it is cooked. Yes, I get grief for feeling that way. I don't really care.

While the meat in browning, drain and mash two cans of beans.

My mother-in-law buys these for Officer Hottie when she visits family in Canada. He loves them and puts them on just about everything. For some reason we cannot find them here in the states - at least this brand. I'm pretty sure any brand of pickled hot pepper will do, even a can of diced jalepeños would be good.

Chop the peppers up

Then add everything to the pan. The undrained beans, the mashed up beans, the tomato sauce and salsa, the seasoning mix and the chopped peppers. And YES. I think chili seasoning mix is cheating. This is the only recipe I have that calls for it. I'm pretty sure it's because it's from a 5 ingredient cookbook. One of these evenings when I've thought it through a little bit better I will just mix up my own chili powder and cumin and whatever else in in there. Until then ... I'm taking the easy road.

What a mess. Trust me though; the mess is worth it.

Mix everything up and let it simmer for as little as 10 minutes or as long as you want.

Serve it up. Top it with cheese or sour cream or whatever you like on your chili. We eat it naked - it's that good. Ok, wait. We aren't naked when we eat it, the chili is naked. Whew ... that could have been embarrassing.

See how good it is Mom? See how I'm taking a giant bit? See how my bowl is almost empty? See? See? See how I'm the first kid finished? Did you see? Take a picture Mom!

Time to get a cookie for Lil' J. He did a great job.

For a printable recipe click HERE

Pizza

2010-02-27T21:04:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love pizza? This is a staple in our house, an easy fix for a busy day and waaaay cheaper than ordering out. This is a great meal that our son is even willing take to school the next day.

My fabulous sister in law gave me the sauce recipe; she found it on Recipe Zaar. This is slightly modified from the version she uses but not by too much. It is, in my opinion, a near perfect sauce. It is hearty and savory and thick and delicious. There is enough sauce for about two 12-inch pizzas.

For the sauce you will need ...

1/2 c chopped onion

1/4 c chopped celery

1 garlic clove, minced

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1 6oz can tomato paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 small bay leaf

butter

olive oil

Melt about 1 T of butter and 1 T of olive in a pan over medium heat

Add your chopped veggies. Sauté them for about 3-5 minutes until they are soft and transparent. They will smell good and you will start to drool. That's about when it's time to add some other stuff.

Add the tomato sauce and paste and stir until it is all combined and smooth.

Add the spices and bay leaf. Then mix it all up, turn your heat down to low ...

Simmer over low heat for about an hour. You don't have to simmer for an hour, but it gives the flavors time to get to know each other. Notice it is 3:37? I want my flavors to be BFF's by the time the dough is ready. So I started my sauce early.

While your sauce is getting comfortable, wash the dishes. Update your Facebook status. Make a cup of tea. About 40 minutes before you want to eat, get back to the kitchen to work on the dough. The dough takes minutes to make, and it rises while your oven preheats. You don't have to worry about making this stuff ahead of time. It will take you 7 minutes to throw together, another 15 minutes to rise, then toss your stuff on top and bake it. Easy schmeasy.

For the dough you will need ...

1 1/4 oz pkg yeast (or 1 T if you buy it in bulk)

1 c. warm water

1 T olive oil

1 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix the yeast with the warm water and let it sit for a few minutes until it is foamy.

Add the yeast mixture and the olive oil to the flour and garlic powder and mix with a spoon until the dough forms a ball.

This is as close as I can get it to a ball before I have to get my hands in there and finish the job.

This is how it should look when you finally get it to look like a ball. If you figure out how to do this with a spoon, you shall be elevated to the status of "Why are you even looking at this blog? You know way more than I do and are way better at it than I am."

Cover it with a dish towel and place it on your stove top while your oven preheats. Turn your oven on to 425°. My oven tends to cook low, so if your oven cooks hot you can probably get away with 400° or even 375°.

When the oven is done preheating, plop the dough onto your pizza pan and spread it out. I usually just smoosh it with my hands but if you want to be fancy you can use a rolling pin. Fancy pants.

(OK, I admit to trying to use the rolling pin. It wasn't my night.)

Please remove the bay leaf from your sauce. Or the person who bites into it will most absolutely cry and dislike you and never eat your food again. So, if you hate someone, give them a bay leaf. Otherwise, remember to pull it out.

(Aren't you glad I took a picture of the bay leaf, ready to come out of my sauce? I'll bet I just made your day.)

Spread your sauce and add your toppings. My kids love turkey pepperoni and pineapple. So that's what I get. No use in making anything special for Hottie and me when, let's face it, we like turkey pepperoni and pineapple too. But I like to pretend I made something with artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella. You can pretend that too.

Put it in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the edges of the dough are brown and the cheese has started to brown on top. Delish. Yum.

And now ... eat. Enjoy. And yes ... the leftovers are good too. It's what Hottie is taking for lunch tomorrow.

Click HERE for printable versions of these recipes

Mountain Bars

2010-02-24T18:47:00.000-08:00

I think some people call these No Bake cookies, but my mom always called them Mountain Bars so that's what I'm sticking with. The recipe is simple and awesome and most likely you already have everything you need in your cupboard to make them. Officer Hottie called and said he was bringing home a treat for me so I decided to make these for the kids so that I didn't feel guilty for not sharing. Yes. I'm that selfish.

You will need ...

2 c sugar
1/4 c cocoa powder (I used dutch processed)
1 stick butter (8 T)
pinch of salt
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c peanut butter (we like chunky)
3 c oatmeal (quick cooking)

On a totally random side note did you know that if you buy peanut butter that needs to be stirred you can store it on it's lid for a bit and that lessens the amount of stirring required? It's a neat little trick that took me way to many years to figure out.

Put the sugar, cocoa, butter, salt and milk in a large pan over medium heat. Stir constantly and bring it to a boil.

Thank you my dear for your help. Please please don't burn yourself. I would forever feel guilty.

Bring the mixture to a rapid boil.

Boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal.

Remember that you just removed this boiling concoction from the heat. Remember that even though it isn't boiling, if it touches your skin, it will feel like it is. It happened once to someone I know. It may or may not have been me.

Spoon the mixture, ever so quickly, onto waiting foil, or wax paper, or a cookie sheet or wherever else you like to spoon hot chocolate mountains of goodness.

Um...how's that for a great shallow depth of field shot? Thank you. Yes, I did it all by myself.

Here is a lame shot of the pan after I was done spooning. I took it to show you that I used two spoons, one large one and one small one, to get the size 'mountains' I wanted. Using the scoop with the large, scrape with the little method I got 26 cookies.

Let the cookies cool for about 30 minutes or so, until they have hardened and stay in one piece when you try to move them.

You can keep the cookies in an airtight container on the shelf, but I like to keep them in the fridge. I guess I like cold cookies.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, this was my treat from Officer Hottie. So glad I didn't have to share. He got them from a local chocolatier who makes new chocolates everyday. The large one had a carmely filling. The shell had peanut butter in it, the truffl-y looking one had vanilla bean filling and the one with the pecan on the top was dark chocolate with pecans inside. I sat in bed with a glass of wine and savored every single one. I must admit, they took me to my happy place.

Click HERE for a printable version of this recipe

Chicken Chili Soup

2010-02-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

I feel terrible. I made this soup the other day with the full intention to take pictures of the process and then, in the middle of it all, I realized I hadn't snapped one shot. So, I hope you are able to make a soup, based on a recipe, without pictures to walk you through it. I apologize. In my defense, I was starving, trying to get my children lunch, trying to get this soup going and I had three young friends show up. I love having young mom's over because I always feel like they come over, see my children and the utter insanity and chaos and think "My life could be worse!", and go home happy with their one child. Anyway, these three gals were were awesome and so I was very busy visiting and cooking and pictures went out the window. Have I apologized yet?

You will need ...

6 cups chicken stock or broth

12 oz chicken breast, diced (it can be cooked, uncooked, or from the can. Whichever you prefer.)

1 15 oz can black beans, undrained

16 oz chunky salsa

2 T taco seasoning

1/2 c corn

1/2 c brown rice

Get a large soup pot and place it over med-high heat. Put everything into the pot. Here is why you can use raw chicken ... everything is going to boil for about 45 minutes so the chicken will cook and will absorb all the awesome Mexican flavors. Since I rarely have fresh chicken on hand, and I don't feel like trying to defrost the frozen breasts stocked up in my freezer, I usually end up using a can of chicken. Make sure to drain it if you choose this route. Get the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring every so often, and let it boil away for about 45 minutes, until the rice is tender and the chicken (if you used raw) is cooked. This recipe makes about 10 one-cup servings. If you are calorie conscious, it's about 2 Weight Watchers points per serving. I like to have mine with some cheese on top or to put a wedge of Laughing Cow cheese in and stir it around. Either way, it's good.

Oh, and this soup keeps really well and our kids love it. I started making it years ago when my good friend Melissa gave me her recipe. This is modified quite a bit from her original version but I never would have come up with it without her inspiration. Thanks Melis!

I guess I managed to get one picture taken. How's that for presentation?

Click HERE for a printable version of this recipe

Eating on the Weekend

2010-02-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

I did very little cooking this weekend. And by very little I mean I gave the kids cold cereal and made a coffee cake for Cop's Wives Club. Oh, and on Sunday I made a baked potato salad, which was actually quite good and now that I'm thinking about it I probably should have taken pictures and put my recipe here. Oh well. There's always next time!
The reason I wasn't cooking or baking was because we had family stuff going on ... My brother, M2, met a great gal on Eharmony and she came, from England, to meet us and our family. Her parents tagged along as well. We spent a lot of time visiting, laughing, and most importantly ... eating. On Friday, Jeanette (girlfriend's mom) made us a most excellent Indian feast. I think we still smell like curry. On Sunday many of our good friends and family gathered to celebrate my M2's engagement to fabulous English Sarah. I wanted to share pictures of the food and friends and the visiting and the joy and the wonderfulness that was my weekend ...

The beginnings of chicken masala and chicken curry. Authentic Indian cooking my friends.

Getting the chicken masala ready to bake

The finished curry, ready to get in my belly

Everything's set.

Officer Hottie is one happy camper. Look at that smile. He hasn't even tasted it yet but he knows. I think with good food you do just know.

Uncle Leo looks a little freaky ... but don't we all when we are devouring deliciousness?

Fabulous English Sarah demonstrates how to git 'r done.

THIS is what it's all about.

And this too.

And a little bit of this.

And a lot of this.

Ok, he's just sweet.

Officer Hottie doing the happy belch. I still can't believe I captured this on camera.

My and my sister, R1. Love her.

See all the fun? See why I was busy not cooking this weekend? This is what life is all about. Food and loved ones. The best.

Tacos and Shells

2010-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Tacos and shells? Seriously? TACOS AND SHELLS? That's as creative as you get?

Come on! Give me a chance! I gotta tell you, you ain't had tacos until you've had my tacos! Ok that's not even close to true. My tacos are sub-par BUT the shells...oh baby. This shell recipe was passed down from my mother-in-law and I'm pretty sure she got it from Hottie's paternal grandpa but I could be lying.

I'm not going to tell you how to make taco meat. That's pretty basic. I'm sure even college students can brown some meat and throw in some taco seasoning. The one thing uniqu-ish about my taco meat is that I usually add a can of drained black bean, 1/2 c of peas, 1/2 c of corn and a shredded carrot when I add the taco seasoning. It adds veggies for the kiddos so when they don't want lettuce or tomatoes on top I feel ok that they are still getting something fairly healthy.

Hottie's family calls these taco shells "Corn Tortillas" but they are larger and floppier than what a "real" corn tortilla would be. They are delicious and honestly, you will loathe the store bought stuff once you've tried them.

You will need ...

1 c whole wheat flour (all-purpose works fine too)
1/2 c corn meal
1 T chili powder
pinch salt
1 egg
1 1/2 c water

Using a wire whisk mix everything together.
The batter should be runny but not watery. You don't want it to be too thick or your shells will be more like pancakes. You can add more water if you need to.

Spray a little non-stick spray onto a non-stick pan and put the pan over medium heat.

Using a 1/3 c measuring cup pour batter into the middle of the pan. Then turn the pan a few times to get the batter to spread, trying to maintain a circular shape. Good luck with that.

(Wow...it's time to get serious about scrubbing my stove top.)

You will know the shell is ready to flip when it stops looking "wet" on top and the sides start to come up off the pan slightly.

Flip.
Now, here's the thing. The first shell usually gets messed up. I've been making these for nine years, and Hottie even longer than that, and almost every time the first one sucks. There's either too much spray on the pan, or not enough, or the batter is still too thick, or the heat is too high. Don't get discouraged if the first one doesn't quite turn out the way you want it too ... they'll get better!

Let it cook for another 45 seconds before you remove it from the heat.

Put it inside a kitchen towel to keep it warm while it waits for something fabulous to fill it up.

Now come on. Isn't that a good looking taco? These shells are awesome. They are a little bit flimsier than their cardboard counterparts you'll find at the store so they can frustrate young children, but as long as you don't overfill them you should be ok. How do I know? Here's my proof ...

Click HERE for a printable version of the recipe.

Poached Eggs

2010-02-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Good morning to you all! (all two of you!)

I feel the need to apologize to Officer Hottie. Since I have decided to do a food blog in addition to my other one I've been snapping pictures of him sitting at the table, eating, going for seconds, loading the dishwasher ... I'm starting to get a look.

At the beginning of the year Hottie and I decided it was time to begin losing weight and we followed Weight Watchers for a bit. I have since deviated a little and am following something closer to a hypoglycemic diet (low sugar, high fiber) but Hottie is still going the WW route and breakfast remains a challenge for both of us. Breakfast has always been a difficulty for me since I don't like a lot of typical breakfast-y type foods. There's something about the texture of oatmeal that gives me the shivers and I probably should see a therapist for my issues with eggs. Cereal doesn't keep me full very long, pancakes aren't much good without syrup, which is too sugary ... suffice to say, I'm a fairly high maintenance breakfast eater.

For some reason, though, I love poached eggs. They are close to food perfection. They are good on their own, they good smothered in hollandaise sauce, they are good with toast. I have yet to see a poached egg that I wasn't willing to devour. For another unknown reason, it took me until 30 years of age to learn how to make them. But it has almost resolved our breakfast dilemma as we've come up with a WW, and hypoglycemic, friendly breakfast that we both enjoy and can eat on a regular basis. Here it is!

You will need ...

(Please excuse the paper towels and camera case in the background. Remember...I'm still new to this!)

One half of an Orowheat sandwich thin (or whichever kind of bread/toast you prefer)

One Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese wedge

One egg

Sriracha hot sauce

To start you need to fill a small pan about half full of water and place it over Med-High heat.

Get it to a rolling boil

Place the egg into a measuring cup. Be careful not to break the yolk.

Once the water is at a rapid boil, gently lower the measuring cup until it is just touching the water and gently put the egg into the water. Let it boil for 2-3 minutes depending on how yolk-y you like it.

Once it's in, it looks kind of funny. A little like snot. But that's ok.

While the egg is poaching, toast your bread then spread the Laughing Cow cheese on and then ... add Sriracha. Have you ever had this stuff? I've seen it at Teriyaki places and was never brave enough to try it. Hottie found it at Wal-Mart while we were Christmas shopping. He convinced me to taste it and I'm hooked. Utterly and totally hooked. It's spicy and garlic-y and kind of sweet, all at the same time. Don't be afraid to try it. Unless your spouse doesn't eat any ... and then they won't want to kiss you and your nasty spicy garlic breath. Oh, and this is important ... don't forget to make it pretty. Aesthetics are everything.

There is always foam. Egg foam. It's gross ... at least it smells gross. It's smells like eggs. I know, weird. The foam is harmless. I hope.

When the 2-3 minutes is up, and the water is sufficiently foamy, use a slotted spoon to scoop the egg out of the water.

Put that puppy on top of your bread, cheese and Sriracha.

I'm drooling. And I just finished eating this. I think I should make another.

Look at that. Poached egg perfection.

If you are wanting to know, this is a 4 point Weight Watchers breakfast. It keeps Hottie full until lunchtime (he usually gets two eggs). Try it ... I think you'll like it!

Turkey Meatballs

2010-02-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is a favorite in our house. The kids, and Officer Hottie, request it quite often. It is a recipe that has been adapted from one that was in Everyday with Rachael Ray a couple years ago. Enjoy! (I apologize in advance for the funky colors in the photos...I'm still learning how to do this right!)

You will need ...

2 lbs. ground turkey

(look...there's me!)

1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs

1/2 onion finely chopped

1 large egg

small handful dried parsley (fresh is better...I just never remember to buy it)
Olive oil - about 1/4 cup

2-3 cups chicken broth (I'm positive that chicken stock tastes better...but I'm too cheap to buy it when I can get the granules in bulk for 1/8 of the price.)

Toss the turkey, chopped onion, egg, parsley and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs into a giant metal bowl. Ok, don't use metal if you don't want to. It's just cool to see your reflection.

Smash everything together with your hands. Yup...time to get over the raw poultry phobia. Just smash away. When everything is thoroughly smashed and mixed together, separate into 16 different pieces and then roll each piece into a ball. I'm sure this is easier to do with an ice cream scoop. I don't have one. Plus I like to say things like, "No, I can't change the baby. I have raw poultry all over my hands." The meatballs will be giant. Giant meatballs is a good thing.

Roll each of those balls of meaty goodness in the remaining breadcrumbs. Then place them on a cookie sheet to place in your freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will keep them from falling apart when you start to brown them.

See how they fit perfectly next to the kids freezer mugs? Ah. There's nothing quite like perfection.
While the meatballs are chilling it's a good idea to clean up your dishes. Because the last thing you want is for your officer to come home after a long day of work and have to do the dishes for you. Right? Right? No? I know. I'm just kidding. Officer Hottie gets to do the dishes after a long day of work. Poor guy.

Once the meatballs are chilled and your dishes are clean, put the oil into a large pan. I only have small pans so I have to use two. I'm working on my kitchen wish list.

Brown those suckers up. Give them about 1 or 2 minutes on each side. Don't worry about cooking them all the way through...we'll get to that...

Now.

Add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the pan.

Yes this is a different pan. Yes, I put all the meatballs together. They are happier this way. Plus, there really isn't a need to flip them anymore so you don't have to worry about overcrowding. Let your meatballs simmer for about 20 minutes to get them cooked all the way through. Keep adding broth, 1/2 cup at a time, as it cooks into the meatballs. I like to turn the meatballs every time I add broth, but that's just me. I don't think it is necessary. If you like a little gravy, just add up to 1 cup more. If you like a lot of gravy (like we do) keep adding up to 2 cups more. If you want to thicken it a little bit, sprinkle some more of those Italian breadcrumbs on top. Mmmm...

The finished product. Yum. Be careful...they are hot. Don't stick your finger in to taste the gravy. That will hurt. I know someone who did that once. It wasn't me. I swear.

Serve these beauties over brown rice. Dump some gravy on the top. Sauté up some peas in garlic and olive oil to serve on the side. Perfection. I think we covered that earlier. (I know you're noticing my giant plates and my small portion. I told you...I'm working on my wish list.)

Eat until you are full. Eat until you are stuffed. And then put the leftovers in a container for your officer to take to work the next day. He will be forever grateful and his coworkers will be forever jealous.

That's ok honey. I don't need any peas. I'm sure I'll get my veggies in another way. Really...don't give me anymore peas.

Please click HERE for a printable version of the recipe

*You can use beef and beef broth in place of the turkey and chicken broth although they come out quite a bit heavier and not as good, in my humble opinion.