My Tasty Space

Baked Squash w/Apples

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

As I’ve mentioned a time or three before, I LOVE Fall squash season! There’s just so many varieties of squash and ways to cook them, and they’re all SO YUMMY!

I recently took advantage of some great sales on Delicata squash, which some call the sweet potato squash. They’re small, delicious and easy to handle and cook quickly. I’d also bought a bushel of apples (York) and the two just sort of came together.

I began with 4 Delicata squash and approximately 4-5 apples, some butter.

4 Delicata squash
4-5 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
2 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter, melted
2 Tbs. brown sugar

Begin by washing the outside of your squash. It has, afterall, been living in the ground for the last 5-6 months or so. Once they’re washed, take the tip of a sharp knife and pierce the side of the squash. CAREFULLY, split the squash lengthwise.
Use a spoon to scrape out the inside pulp and seeds.
Poke holes into the flesh of the squash but try not to pierce all the way through to the outside.
In a separate bowl, the apples with the flour just to coat them.
Sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture, and then add the melted butter to the mix – toss again (gently). You should guard against unauthorized taste-testing – it can be hazardous to your dinner!
In a foil-lined baking dish, place the squash cut side up. Spoon the apples into each half of the squash and then sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until you can easily sink your fork through the squash.
Enjoy!

*Note: The final photo does not do this delicious dish justice! The beautiful squash melts into a gorgeous color, the apples actually crisp up – just fabulous!!!

This dish is perfect to make beforehand for the upcoming holidays. You can do this the day before, then just keep them covered until the big day – just throw them back in the oven or microwave!

Holiday traditions – giveaway!!!

2009-11-03T11:55:00.001-05:00

Gobble Gobble,

The holiday season conjures up many feelings - joy, nostalgia, sentiment, and the desire to carry on past traditions and create new ones.

Often times, holiday hosts will adorn their Thanksgiving tables with treasured family heirlooms like Great-Grandma’s gravy boat, Papa’s Silver Carving Platter, or China received as a wedding gift – each with its own precious memory.

Yet, many hosts also want to infuse their own unique personality into their celebrations and look for creative ways to make guests feel just as warm and welcome as the celebration itself.

MyPunchbowl.com, the leader in start to finish party planning, offers FREE online Thanksgiving invitations that will immediately engage the recipient and generate such excitement and anticipation, they’ll think they can already smell the turkey roasting! And remember, the etiquette pros always say to send invitations out a month in advance!

Here is just a small sample of the FREE online invitations for Thanksgiving:

I love the turkey one! But they also have tons where you upload your OWN photo to include on the invitation. Being a photography LOVER, that’s a great feature.

Who wouldn’t love to receive a warm, welcoming online Thanksgiving invitation to join in the celebration?

A MyPunchbowl.com membership is absolutely free and offers a huge array of standard invitations templates and eCards for any celebration or occasion. They have everything you need from online invitations to party supplies, personalized favors and much more.

And online invitations save times, money, the environment, and, let’s face it, your writing hand!!

And of course, because this IS a recipe blog, some recipes! This first one isn’t going to wait for Thanksgiving Day, I’ll tell you!

Cinnamon Apple Muffins for Thanksgiving Day Breakfast

Muffin or cupcake liners
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp. of baking powder

¾ cup of sugar

1.5 tsp. of baking powder

1 tsp. of ground cinnamon

½ of a cup of whole milk

1/3 of a cup of melted butter

1 egg

1 cup of peeled, cored and diced Granny Smith apples

1 cup of cinnamon chips

To make: stir the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon together in a medium-sized bowl. Add the milk, butter, egg, apples and cinnamon chips next, stirring together until the mixture is smooth. Fill each muffin liner about 2/3 full, then bake in a 365 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving them.

Non-Alcoholic Thanksgiving Cranberry Punch

2 Bottles of chilled cranberry juice
2 Containers of lemonade or orange juice concentrate
1 Bottle of chilled Sprite, Ginger Ale or seltzer water

Cranberry Pomegranate Thanksgiving Punch

2 bottles of cranberry pomegranate juice
1 container of orange juice concentrate
1 bottle of flavored seltzer water
Vodka, Grain Alcohol or Rum to taste
Garnish: slices of fresh fruit oranges, lemons and limes

What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

One lucky reader will receive a PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP UPGRADE! All you do to enter is:

Tell me your favorite holiday tradition. Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you!
If you’d like extra entries, tweet up this post. Use a seperate comment to let me know you’ve done it.
Buzz me! Visit my Food Buzz profile (click on that button up on the right corner) and view my recipes there. Buzz up the ones that you like :)
Become a fan on Facebook, a follower on here, subscribe to my feed. You know the deal :) Just be sure to leave an entry for each thing that you do.
ENTRIES THAT DO NOT INCLUDE EMAIL ADDRESS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.

Winners will be chosen by random.org on November 13th!

I’m a Foodie Mama!

2009-11-03T08:33:00.001-05:00

Hey, check meout! I’m on Foodie Mama’s front page with my winter squash article. Go reaaaad it! :)

I'm famous now!

Holidays are coming!

2009-10-22T12:36:00.001-04:00

I am writing this on all my blogs in order to reach a large audience.

As some of you may know, we are a homeschooling family of 3 kids. I was thinking that it would be a fun geography lesson for at least the 2 oldest ones if we could organize a holiday card and/or ornament exchange with people from around the world - or at least the ones that respond to my plea. :)

I figured what we'd do is, each day that we got a card and/or ornament from a new person, we'd research that area that day. It'd be a great way to "meet" some of my facebook/blogging buddies, as well as to introduce my kids to different areas of the country and world without TOO much hassle.

In return, we'd be happy to return a card and/or ornament to you as well!

If this is something you'd be able to do, please contact me via email (dawniemom at gmail.com) so we can work out details, addresses, etc. The more, the merrier!

Thanks,
Dawn :)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

2009-09-23T05:19:00.010-04:00

I know- I'm all Paula Dean now, right? I love Paula. I covet Paula. I want to make sweet, sweet pancakes with Paula.

ahem.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I haven't actually fallen off the face of the Earth. Just to West Virginia. I joke, I joke. Seriously, though, we did MOVE to West Virginia a few weeks ago, and before that, we spent a ridiculously huge amount of time and money hunting for a place to live in West Virginia. Why West Virginia? Because it's one of the only states that I mess up EVERY SINGLE TIME I TYPE IT.

Oh - and because hubby FINALLY got a job, and it happens to be in (can you guess?)

.......drumroll please.............

Maryland.

Ha! Almost had you there, didn't I?

Ok, so Maryland is more expensive to live in, so we're in WEST VIR GIN IA. There, I didn't screw it up that time. I know, I know - it's way easier to just type WV - but then the tens ~~of thousands~~ of NON-USA'er fans/followers/stalkers would have NO idea what WV is and would be all "wtf is WV?" so I suffer and type West Virignia. Crap. (see what I mean???)

In any case, it's FALL! I love Fall. I love the smells and sights of Fall. I especially love the foods of Fall. Squash & apples - apples & squash. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, you'll see squash & apples for sale. Here in West VIR GIN IA, they have apple orchards and peach orchards seemingly on every corner (well - mostly). We visited a 1,000 acre farm this past weekend, and we were AMAZED at all that they had to offer. I swear, they grow every fruit possible. We picked our own raspberries - IN SEPTEMBER! We picked our own GRAPES! (We didn't like the grapes though - blech!) We did not, however, pick our own apples. For some odd reason, that wasn't an option. The website says their apple season starts next week
end, and so maybe then we'll go back and get our OWN apples.

I've NEVER had fresh raspberries that tasted this good, I literally ate them off the plant. Never! The ones I've bought in the market have always been too sour/bitter. These things - these little baby bundles of berry goodness - I could have just eaten them all - every single one!

We wound up picking 2 pints of berries - which they charge by the pound for, and wound up spending $3.47! In the market, we'd have spent about $10 for them!

Ok, so enough about the raspberries, I know. But still!

I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm back - I've already got a new post brewing in my head for a recipe celebrating Fall, too! I'll have that up soon. In the meantime,

Revisiting Turkey Pomodoro

2009-07-21T09:35:00.002-04:00

I first made turkey pomodoro back in 2006, when I was following my low-carb diet. I even wrote in my original blog post that it was simply FANTASTIC. So I have no idea why I haven’t made it since! But when I was rifing through the freezer the other day, I found I had a package of turkey tenderloin and remembered this recipe – decided to revisit it.

Turkey Pomodoro

2 Tbs. whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
4 turkey tenderloins, sliced 1/2” thick
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. white wine
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 c. tomatoes, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh chopped basil
1 Tbs. butter

As I was preparing this, now that I have to follow a low-fat diet, I knew I might have to make some adjustments to the original recipe – so for me, I only used 1 Tbs. of butter, and maybe only 1/2 Tbs. olive oil – but it still came out wonderfully.

In a large ziplock-type bag, I combined the 2 Tbs. of whole wheat flour, garlic powder (which I know I used more than 1 tsp!), salt & pepper. Then I took each slice of tenderloin and 1 by 1, dropped them into the bag, shook them gently and removed them to a plate. I did them 1 at a time because it allowed it to get lightly coated, and not caked on. As a result, there was just enough of the flour mixture to coat the turkey, and as you can see, they were not cakey.

In the skillet, I heated the olive oil and then placed the tenderloins. All you want to do is brown them, but not necessarily cook them all the way through.

Once they’re browned on both sides, remove them to a plate and cover them with foil.

Now you’ll add the chicken broth and wine to the pan, deglazing with a whisk. Add the tomatoes, basil & lemon juice to the broth. Bring to a simmer and reduce a bit. When the sauce is almost done (the tomatoes are soft), add the butter and mix into the sauce. The butter serves to slightly thicken the mix, so it’s important not to skip this step in order to lower the fat content.

Place the cutlets back in and allow them to warm completely. Serve with the sauce on top.

I serve mine atop some angel hair pasta, and finish it off with some freshly grated parmesan, and it was just F A B U L O U S! Seriously.

To be honest, I have no idea what the nutritional info is on this, as I made it 2 weeks ago and didn’t run it through any program to check. I will say, though, that I didn’t have any stomach problems afterward, and that’s all that matters to me LOL

Also, this could easily be done with chicken or pork. In fact, my family all thought it was pork LOL

Enjoy!

Start here with your content. Replace this paragraph, and everything down to AND INCLUDING the word: STOP. DO NOT REMOVE OR CHANGE THE CODE BEYOND THE WORD STOP BELOW! This has been the most requested theme, so I hope we have a record turnout. Please put up a post with your favorite recipe, or if you don't have the recipe, a photo of your favorite dish and a description. Here's a sample post I did for you: http://www.mcklinkyblog.com/2009/07/mcklinky-blog-hop-for-july-21-2009.html Also, be sure to submit your recipe here too: http://www.mcklinky.com/recipes.asp! I WILL CREATE A MckLinky RECIPE BOOK, AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE TO ALL BLOG HOPPERS FOR FREE! ...STOP

Homemade Chicken & Dumplings

2009-05-10T16:58:00.001-04:00

In the past, I’ve made chicken & dumplings, but it was a kind of cheater’s way – using canned cream of chicken soup, etc. Today, for some reason, I woke up with the idea in my head to make chicken stew. Once I started that, I thought wait… why not put dumplings on it!

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
6 cups of chicken broth
3 carrots, cut into 1/2” chunks
2 cups frozen green beans
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup dehydrated onions (because I can’t eat normal onions anymore :< )

Bring chicken broth to a low boil. Add frozen vegetables and onion. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add chunks of chicken. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes.

Add 1/4” cup of your favorite thickening agent (corn starch, flour, etc.)) and water – Whisk well, and add to chicken soup. Stir while it thickens.

Open can of crescent rolls. do not unroll. Cut them into 1/4” discs. Please crescent rounds evenly across the surface of chicken mixture. Continue cooking on a low light for 10 –15 minutes, or until dumplings are cooked through.

Do you have a Yoplait kid?

2009-04-18T15:39:00.001-04:00

I sure do. In fact, I have 3 Yoplait kids. My kids LOVE Yoplait for Kids yogurt. They love Go-gurts, they love Trix Yoplait and they love the Yoplait for Kids. They think they’re getting a yummy treat, but *I* know that they’re also getting something healthy and nutritious, something that is providing Vitamin D and calcium to help build strong bones. THEY think it’s a snack. I look at it as a snack with benefits!

Living in an apartment complex, my kids don’t get out and stay as active, particularly in the cold months, as I’d like them to. But in the summer, I encourage them to get out as soon as they’re finished with their breakfasts! LOL ANOTHER problem, though, with livingin an apartment complex is that they don’t have a lot of outdoorsy toys to play with. The ones that they do have, mysteriously disappear if they’re left out overnight. So imagine their excitement when they opened the box from my friends at MySpark and found THIS incredible prize pack!

The Yoplait Get Active Prize Pack includes a travel cooler (to take your yogurt on the road), a jump rope, a water bottle and an outdoor game set that includes a beach ball, paddle ball, Jai-Ali and a Frisbee, PLUS a coupon for a FREE package of my choice of Yoplait!

They FREAKED!

And I’ll bet the kid(s) in your life will freak when you win yours! Yes, I have not one, not two, but THREE AWESOME Yoplait Get Active Prize Packs to give away to 3 lucky readers!

As always, I have a variety of ways for you to win!

    Leave a comment for each of the things you decide to do:

Blog about this giveaway.    Leave your comment WITH your url to the post.
    Tweet about this giveaway. In your comment, be sure to include a link to your actual tweet. You can do this once a day, every day until the end of the contest (May 3rd).

    Share this on your facebook profile! Just click below – and of course, make sure you send me the link to that in your comment.
    Become a fan of My Tasty Space on Facebook! Just let me know in your comment what your Facebook name is.

    Become a follower on blogger.

    Send me lots of money.   KIDDING!

Stumble this post. In your comment, leave your SU Name.

Leave a comment here telling me how you like to get your family to get active and have fun.

*This coupon offer for a free six pack of Yoplait for Kids yogurt is not valid in some states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota and Tennessee.   However, you’re still more than welcome to enter to win the rest of the prize pack!

Also, if you sign up to join my Facebook group, you’ll get a code for $1.50 coupon off Yoplait!

So, what are you waiting for? Get entering!

[This offer is valid in the US only]

[Entries without a valid email address will be deleted.]

Super Easter Dinner

2009-04-12T16:06:00.001-04:00

Happy Easter everyone!

We typically have the standard ham dinner for Easter. This year, however, I felt like changing it up, so I took advantage of an excellent sale and bought a 6.5 lb rib roast. I’ve always been leery of trying to make a prime rib because they’re NOT cheap, and if I screw it up, that’s a lot of money wasted. But last night, I went online and found a very easy, very basic recipe at RecipeTips.com and decided to try it. I wanted an easy dinner without tons of prep work, and without a lot of fuss. The prime rib recipe was exactly that.

You take it out and let it sit on the counter until it becomes room temperature.

You sprinkle salt & pepper all over it, rubbing it in to make sure it sticks.

You put it in the pan.

You preheat the oven to 460.

You place the roast in the oven at 450 for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, you reduce the heat to 325.

You bake it for 11-13 minutes per pound. I’d figured on 2 hours. I was mistaken LOL

After about 30 minutes or so, you place your sweet potatoes (see below) in the oven as well. Do it quickly so as not to let the oven cool off too much.

Then after about an hour – an hour and a half (from when you put it in), check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Depending on how well done you want the roast, you then make the decision whether it needs to stay in. The recipe said

My meat thermometer read 160 so I took it out quickly and tented it with foil while I hurriedly made the veggies LOL

After it had sat for about 10-15 minutes, I removed the foil and sliced.

Voila!

It was tender and absolutely YUMMY!!!!!

Baked Sweet Potatoes

As easy as it sounds. Peel your sweet potatoes. Wrap them individually in foil. I typically put myine on a baking sheet because the natural sugars inside the potato will come out and drip and smoke, otherwise. I bake them while I am baking the meat – whatever I might be making.

TI baked them for approximately 1 hour, but your time will vary, depending on the oven temp. When you unwrap them, they will be “juicy” – from the natural sugars that have been released. I put them in a bowl, cut them up with a butter knife, sprinkle with brown sugar and then butter.

Finally, I also made approximately 1/2 a bag of frozen green beans. To make those, I put 2 cups of water in a pan, along with a couple of teaspoons of chicken bouillon. I add the green beans and bring to a boil , then I let simmer until they are tender.

Oh, and can’t forget the rolls!

The best part of all of this is that it doesn’t have to be for a holiday. Although I spent about $32 on the roast, it will easily feed 4-6 people (adults) or more with kids!

4 for $15?

2009-04-03T07:47:00.001-04:00

4 15. That’s Shaw's new “thing” to entice people. Four meals for under $15. Not whole meals – 4 servings. So you can feed your family of 4 for under $15.

Isn’t that big of them!

For $15, I can make 4 FULL dinners. Because we’ve always had to live rather frugally, this new era that Americans are finding themselves in, the one in which they can’t be hitting MdD’s 4 times a week – is really nothing new to me.

The trick, really, is to know how to shop. You don’t buy things based on need. You buy things based on sales. You stock up on things when they’re on sale, and then you don’t have to pay sometimes double the price when you need them.

This works particularly well with meats, although, obviously, you need a freezer large enough to accommodate good sales.

Here’s an example:

Yesterday, I bought 1 lb of Butterball ground turkey. It was on sale for $1.99 – it’s normally $3.99 or higher.

I would typically buy 2 or 3 of them, because I use it quite frequently. (I didn’t this week because I have no room in my freezer.)

I also bought a pound of egg noodles that were on sale.

I went home and cooked the turkey up, with some salt & pepper. I combined it with a jar of spaghetti sauce (Spinach & Cheese Florentine is awesome!), boiled the egg noodles, and voila. I had a meal for way more than 4 people – for way less than $15!

$1.99 – turkey

$1.99 – sauce

$1.29 – egg noodles

$5.27 - and enough for dinner for 5 and more than enough for lunch the next day for all of us. So figure it, in total, fed 8 (at least). $.65 for a meal is much more acceptable to me than $15!

I’ve already noticed that Shaw's also has boneless chicken breast on sale this week. $1.88/lb is an excellent price, so I will buy 2 or 3 packages of it.

There are tons of things I can make with boneless chicken breast, so I am not worried that I’ll put it in the freezer and it won’t get used. In fact, one of the recipes I made with turkey, http://nhmom.blogspot.com/2008/12/turkey-pot-pie-with-corn-bread-stuffing.html, I will just substitute chicken for turkey with. So figure $5 for the chicken, $1 for the box of stuffing, $1 for the gravy (if I’m feeling lazy and don’t make my own). I got the pie crust for free with a coupon.

Simple recipe, and delicious. WAY less than $15.

What are some of your favorite recipes that are budget conscious?

Honey Kix Review + Giveaway! [closed]

2009-03-27T07:59:00.003-04:00

My kids love cereal. Of course, they REALLY love sugar cereal, but I buy it so infrequently, they have learned to like pretty much anything. There are a few exceptions. Those cereals that are really plain looking tend to get me the hems and haws if I try to even SUGGEST that they eat it for breakfast. So when I opened the box of Honey Kix and gave it to them, I figured I’d get the same ‘tude. But I didn’t! They didn’t even ask for the sugar jar. Honey Kix has all the goodness of Kix® cereal but now with a touch of honey! Honey Kix is a good source of fiber, calcium and vitamin D, contains 16 grams of whole grain per serving (at least 48 grams recommended daily) and has no artificial flavors or preservatives. A perfect balance of taste and nutrition through simple ingredients, which both moms and kids can agree on!

If you would like to try the new Honey Kix, I have a great giveaway for you!

You will receive a coupon for a free box of Honey Kix, the cereal container, Kix cereal bowl, insulated on-the-go cereal container and an ADORABLE honey pot! Just leave a comment telling me what your favorite cereal is. No, not your kids – YOURS. :)

I have THREE of these packs to give away – and I’ll draw a winner this Monday, the 30th.

And a reminder - if you do not leave your email address, and only comment as "anonymous", your entry will be discarded. Thanks.

Happy New Year!

2009-02-16T07:01:00.002-05:00

Wow - I can't believe it's been so long. Here's my ~~excuse~~ explanation.

My hubby lost his job in November. Although I did post for Christmas, I really haven't been feeling it. That's putting it mildly. Fortunately, we were able to qualify for state assistance, so we've actually had WAY too much food - but I really haven't felt too much like cooking anything particularly original or worth sharing. I will try, though. :)

Turkey Pot Pie with Corn bread stuffing

2008-12-16T22:44:00.001-05:00

I know, a lot of people might be SICK of turkey by now, but I made something SO delicious with my leftover turkey that I just had to share it.

Now, to explain – on Thanksgiving, I wasn’t happy with the way our turkey came out. The thermometer told me it was done, and I listened to it. The thermometer was faulty, and so as a result, I had to put the turkey back in the oven for another hour right when it was actually time to serve. Then it just wasn’t as good as it should have been. So a week later, I made another turkey, and that one came out fa bu lous. Still, it was a lot of turkey, and after several sandwiches, it sat in the fridge for several days.

Finally, inspiration hit and I did this pot pie.

1 pre-made pie crust
2 cups shredded turkey
1- 1 1/2 cups turkey gravy
1 box cornbread stuffing
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 onion, diced small
1 stalk celery, diced small
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

I pre-baked the pre-made pie crust for about 10 or 15 minutes at 350..

Meanwhile, I heated the turkey & gravy in a sauce pan. Use your judgment on the amount of gravy – you do not want it to be soupy. It will just soak through the pie crust and make mush.

Sauté the onion & celery in a skillet until translucent. Combine in a large bowl with the pre-packaged cornbread stuffing and mix unti well combined. Moisten it with the chicken broth – folding the mixture together.

Remove pie crust from oven and pour turkey & gravy mixture into the shell. Top with the stuffing, and be sure to pat it down so that it’s “snug”. This will help keep the slices together when it’s finished.

Return the pie to the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the top of the stuffing crust is crisp & brown. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.

As a side note, I know this sounds quite a bit like another recipe I recently posted, but let me assure you – this one is SSOOOO much better!

A different take on an old classic

2008-12-02T09:18:00.002-05:00

With the Holiday season in full swing, many people will be scanning their cupboards for something fun, and preferably inexpensive to bring to that pot luck, office party or whatever other holiday gatherings.

In recognition of that, Ocean Spray & Heinz have partnered up to bring you a really easy and inexpensive recipe that is sure to put smiles on everyone’s faces.

I am a big fan of simple. I’m also a big fan of inexpensive. So this recipe was perfect for me. 2 steps – 3 ingredients. How much simpler can it get?

The Ultimate Party Meatballs

1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1 12-ounce bottle Heinz® Chili Sauce
1 2-pound bag frozen, pre-cooked, cocktail-size meatballs

Combine sauces in a large saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth. Add meatballs. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

Makes 30 appetizer servings.

Slow cooker Preparation: Place meatballs in a slow cooker. Combine sauces and pour over meatballs. Cover and cook 4 hours on HIGH.

In addition to offering lots of other great recipes for those holiday gatherings, the Ultimate Party Meatballs website is also having sweepstakes. The winner will receive $3,000 to throw the ULTIMATE party.

So go check out their recipes, enter the sweepstakes – and have a happy Holiday season :)

Special thanks to Mom Central for giving me the opportunity to share this with you!

Roasted Sausage & peppers

2008-12-02T06:49:00.001-05:00

Another meal that I don’t particularly anticipate to be awesome winds up being awesome, and no pictures. LOL

This was originally based on a recipe by Rachael Ray, but I’ve corrupted it enough that now it’s pretty much mine LOL

Roasted Sausage & Peppers w/Spaghetti

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
2 yellow peppers, sliced into strips
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
Olive oil
basil, dried
spaghetti, cooked according to directions

Toss strips of peppers with a light coating of olive oil, salt & pepper. Spread into a single layer on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes on 350°.

Arrange sausage links on another foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and roast those for 20 minutes or until done inside.

(meanwhile, you’re boiling your spaghetti)

Once sausage is fully cooked, slice into 1/2” discs onto peppers baking sheet and toss together to combine. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with a generous dose of basil. All I had was dried, but that worked well.

Once spaghetti is finished cooking, drain and return to pan. Then add sausage, peppers & tomatoes and all their yummy juices directly to spaghetti pan and toss to coat.

Serve :)

Orange cranberry sauce

2008-11-26T22:38:00.001-05:00

1 Bag whole cranberries

1 orange – juiced and zested

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

Bring water & sugar to boil. Add cranberries, orange juice (1/4 cup was yielded from orange) and approximately 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest. Because I do not have a zester, I used a vegetable peeler gently – and then chopped it up finely.

Bring mixture to a boil and then lower heat. Simmer mixture for 15 minutes or until juices reduce. Remove from heat. Mixture will thicken as it cools. Serve :)

Super Sweet Potatoes

2008-11-26T22:13:00.001-05:00

I know I promised to post my menu recipes, but things have a way of smacking you in the head and that’s been the case this week. However, I hope to appease you with some stuff I’ve made today :)

SUPER Sweet Potatoes

6 large sweet potatoes – peeled and cut in half

that’s it!

I wrapped each potato in a piece of aluminum foil. I placed them on a foil lined baking sheet and baked them in a 350 degree oven for roughly 90 minutes. Then I let them cool all by themselves for an hour or two. Don’t mess with them, don’t take them out of the foil. Just let them set.

When you’re ready, take them out of their little aluminum and sugar cocoon and into a bowl. At this point, you can mash them with a fork, they should be so nice & soft. They have caramelized, and mine, at least, need nothing. No butter, no brown sugar, nothing. They’re simply perfect.

Tilapia Croquettes, revisited

2008-11-25T15:35:00.001-05:00

I hate it when I make something that I don’t realize is going to be AWESOME, so I don’t bother taking pictures for the blog. LOL This turned out to be the case last night when I decided to make tilapia croquettes for dinner. I didn’t have the time nor energy to come up the stairs to print out the recipe, but I was pretty sure I remembered it. Mostly. So I set out to eek out dinner despite having a really lousy day, and it turned in to a delicious dinner for everyone, which, in turn, helped make my day better.

1 lb tilapia filets

1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs

1/2 c. Italian flavored breadcrumbs

2 eggs, scrambled

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbsp. lime juice

2 Tbs. butter

1/4 c. white wine

2 Tbsp. sweet relish

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet and add 1 Tbsp. oil.
Sauté onion and celery until onion is translucent.
Add fish filets and cook over medium-low heat.
Once fish is cooked through, break it up into chunks and add white wine.
Turn heat to low and allow wine to reduce.
While the fish is cooking, beat the egg in a bowl.
Add relish and lime juice to egg.
In separate bowl, combine breadcrumbs, salt, pepper & red pepper flakes.
Fold wet & dry ingredients together and add fish, turning gently. You don’t want to shred the fish.
Heat remaining oil & butter in skillet.
Press approx. 1/3 cup of breading and mixture into patties. Mine made 8 or 9.
Cook in small batches until brown.

Enjoy!

My family is SO weird.

2008-11-22T06:45:00.001-05:00

I posted our “Thanksgiving” menu on the kitchen bulletin board.

Thanksgiving Menu:

Pot Roast

Baked Potato

Meatballs

Bread

Pie

I wanted to see if anyone would notice. All day went by and nothing. No one mentioned anything. This morning, I went down to get my coffee and found this note.

To Mom: (big smile face)

pie: what kind of pie?????

bread: do you mean biskits?

Nothing about the lack of turkey. Nothing about the meatballs.

My family is so weird.

Yummy Autumn Salad

2008-11-19T16:09:00.005-05:00

You know how sometimes, you just start throwing things together, and it turns out either really fabulous or really ... unfabulous?

This salad came out in the first category - FAB U LOUS.

I realize I may be a little late to the game of adding fruit into a salad, but am I ever glad I've finally wisened up! The fresh apples that we happened to pick up this weekend on sale at the WalMart Supercenter for $.35 a POUND came in handy, that's for sure!

Yummy Autumn Salad

2 cups baby romaine leaves
1 plum tomato, quartered
2 slices deli turkey breast
1/4 gala apple, cut into slivers
3-4 slices pepperoni
bacon bits (real, not bacos)
fat free honey dijon dressing

I layered it all in, then just sprinkled about a tablespoon of dressing on top - tossed it gently and then SCARFED IT DOWN.

The apple woke this salad up! It was wonderful - you have GOT to try it. :)

12 Days & Counting

2008-11-16T17:06:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe it, really. Just 12 days from now, another Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving was always a BIG day in my family growing up. All of us would gather at someone's house, whether it was my aunt & uncle's turn or my mom & dad's turn to host, and as the family grew bigger, so did the turkey. It was a favorite time of year because (maybe it was my naivete') we all had a great time together, and the food was always perfect. Always.

The standard fare was: (to serve typically 15+)

A HUGE turkey (20+ lbs at least)
homemade mashed potatoes
pan gravy
mashed butternut squash (they boiled the squash)
mashed carrots (boiled those too)
my family's recipe for stuffing (to drool over)
various other sides, like corn, cranberries (both canned)
celery
desserts, typically a couple of different pies

After hubby & I moved to New Hampshire and had our daughter, it became impractical to be driving the 3-1/2 hrs down to RI for Thanksgiving with the family, only to rush back to NH for Jimmy to go to work on Friday. So I began cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my small family.

The first couple of years, I struggled with cooking the turkey the way my mom did and my nana before her. Last year, I finally – FINALLY – decided to do it like my mother always did – and like my grandmother always did. It’s not the preferred method of Butterball, but it’s tried and true. Why fight history?

Last year, and this year, I’ll be going with this menu and I’ll be posting the recipes over the next few days. If you are cooking Thanksgiving for your family and/or friends this year, won’t you leave your link so I can come visit you as well?

The menu will consist of:

a 12(ish) lb turkey
sausage stuffing from my nana’s recipe
cornbread & cranberry stuffing
oven roasted sweet potatoes
oven roasted squash
home-made rolls
pan gravy
home-made mashed potatoes
home-made pumpkin pie

I can’t wait!

Chicken Cordon Bleu & Chicken Fregula

2008-11-13T20:27:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I happened to be watching food network when a (new to me) show came on. Secrets of a Restaurant Chef with Ann Burrell was the show and I enjoyed watching her and made a note to look for a particular side-dish that she’d made called fregula. Basically, they’re little balls of pasta. Bigger than a pastene but smaller than ummm… a ravioli LOL Otherwise known as Isreali couscous, I managed to find it at the health food store in the bulk bin and it was very cheap. I only bought what was about 1 cup because I didn’t know if we’d like it. Then it sat in the paper bag for the last week and a half while I thought about how I’d like to make it. I wasn’t going to make it like her, but haven’t been feeling really inventive in the kitchen as of late. (Read why on my other blog :S)

So this weekend, I was watching food network again and found myself drooling over Tyler Florence’s version of chicken cordon bleu. I made sure to buy some proscuitto this weekend, and provolone cheese and then all that got thrown in the fridge as well LOL

Finally, I found the enthusiasm to cook tonight, and oh what a deliciouso dinner! Give yourself some time for this – but believe me, it’s worth the effort.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded out flat.
2 slices of prosciutto ham
2 slices provolone cheese cut in half
2 eggs - scrambled
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour

I pounded out the chicken breasts with the flat side of my mallet while it was inside a storage bag. Once they were all an even thickness, I took a slice of prosciutto and tore it down the center because it was quite thick and I didn’t want it to be overwhelming in the chicken. I topped the ham with the 1/2 slice of provolone cheese. I rolled the whole thing up slowly and and then wrapped the chicken in wax paper, keeping it tightly rolled. Once they were all done, I put them in the freezer for approximately 40 minutes or so.

Once they were in the freezer, I began the preparation for the fregula.

Chicken Fregula

1 cup fregula
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

In a 2 qt. saucepan, I melted the butter and added the olive oil (the olive oil helps to keep the butter from burning). To that, I added the onions and garlic and stirred it frequently to keep the garlic from burning.

Once the onions & garlic were softened, I added the fregula and mixed it in to be sure that it was all coated. I added the 2 cups of chicken broth and brought it to a boil. I then lowered the heat, covered the pan and simmered it while I began the prep for finishing the chicken. (probably about 20 minutes on low) – the fregula will absorb the broth, so keep an eye on it.

Back to the chicken, I scrambled the eggs into one bowl. I placed the flour in another bowl. In the third, I added the panko breadcrumbs, along with salt, pepper and just a sprinkling of poultry seasoning.

I removed the packages of chicken from the freezer, where they’d stayed nice and cold, and therefore held together very well. Working quickly, I dipped each chicken breast into the flour, coating it on all sides. Then I dipped it into the egg and then finally coated it in the bread crumbs.

In a skillet, I heated a Tbls. of canola oil and placed the breaded chickens into the skillet. At this point, I don’t know WHY but I had the heat up too high and next thing I knew, I could smell burning breadcrumbs. Gah!

So I took them out of the frying pan and placed them into an oven pan, put the oven on 425 and cooked them for roughly 30 minuts or so – I had the meat thermometer in them and took them out at 175°. They were moist & delicious! The fregula plumped up with the chicken broth and was just amazing. (click on the photos for better detail)

Recall news

2008-11-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

This is scary.

Nestlé USA Voluntarily Recalls Two Production Codes of Nestlé Nesquik Strawberry Powder

Time is running out!

2008-10-31T07:32:00.001-04:00

Today is the last day to enter my cookbook giveaway over at my new review blog, Dawniemom Reviews. OF course, I can’t remember if I even told you about it here or not, but in any event, get over there and enter! :)

Cristina Ferrare’s Chicken Pot Pie with Cornbread Crust

2008-10-29T09:15:00.001-04:00

I watched Oprah last week when she had Cristina Ferrare on, talking about how to stretch your dollar in today’s lousy economy. She prepared this and it just looked so good, I had to try it.

Filling:

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (I omited this, but used more olive oil)
1 medium Onion , chopped
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups chopped Roasted Chicken (I used roasted boneless chicken breast)
1/2 cup frozen sweet petite peas
1 potato , diced and boiled
1 1/2 cup chopped, cooked carrots
1/2 tsp. salt
Cracked pepper
Dash of Tabasco® sauce (I omitted this)

Crust:

3/4 cup white or yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil

To make filling: Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and unsalted butter together. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add in flour until blended. Slowly stir in 2 cups of heated chicken stock, whisking well. Cook mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, potato, carrots, salt, pepper and Tabasco®. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish coated with cooking spray and cook until heated and thickened. Spread eventy into an ovenproof dish.
To make crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir milk, egg and canola oil until well combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Spoon the batter evenly on the filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

My finished product. In the prep, I had to use more than 2 cups of broth – and then, after it was baked and spooned out into the bowls, I found that the corn bread had absorbed virtually all of the “gravy” , so I thought it to be kind of dry. Everyone else loved it. I’m not sure how else I’d fix it to make it better though. I will say, though, that it was extremely satisfying to make something completely from scratch! No canned veggies, no boxed corn bread. Everything fresh! It’s much cheaper too.