Pizza

Homemade Pizza (kind of)

H.E.B. has a pizza kit available near the bakery/deli counter (at my store). I keep them in the freezer...along with all of the fixings for when I don't feel like cooking or something comes up. Last night was one of those nights.

The kit comes with two crusts and two packages of sauce and everything is delicious! The kit used to come with an extra bag for that other crust, but it no longer does....so now I'm thinking of switching to Boboli. It's a pain in the rear to wrap up an extra pizza crust--knowing that it will eventually get freezer burn, so why bother. If you need two pizzas, I highly recommend them.

Anyway, me and my kitchen helper pulled together a delicious pizza last night. Our toppings were black olives and pepperoni. Riley said it was delicious...because he took part in its creation, I'm sure.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Ground Beef Stroganoff

1 lb. ground beef, browned
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pint sour cream
1 T worchestershire sauce
1-2 T ketchup
12 oz. pkg egg noodles, cooked
*I like to add fresh, sliced mushrooms

Blend together first 6 ingredients. Cook through and simmer 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 15 minutes longer. Serve over egg noodles.

I needed comfort food tonight, with the rainy weather and all. This was quick--and perfect! There was enough for Russ and I to take it for lunch the next day as well.

Nacho Chicken

Nacho Chicken

2 T mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
3/4 cup crushed nacho cheese flavored tortilla chips (Julio's!)
1 T butter or margarine

Combine first 3 ingredients; spread on both sides of chicken. Dredge chicken in crushed chips. Place chicken on lightly greased baking sheet or jellyroll pan. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yield: 2 servings.
(Southern Living's Easy Weeknight Favorites)

New and Improved?

Do you like it better when I post the title of the recipe instead of the date?

Sweet Chili-Lime Noodles with Vegetables

Sweet Chili-Lime Noodles with Vegetables

1 cup cooked whole grain spaghetti ( 2 oz. uncooked)
2 cups shredded bok choy (or shredded coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage may be substituted*I used broccoli slaw.*)
1/4 cup grated carrot (if you use broccoli slaw, it has carrots in it)
1/4 cup fresh snow peas
1/4 cup shredded cooked chicken (optional)
2 T bottled sweet chili sauce
2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1/4 tsp. minced garlic


Combine chili sauce, lime juice, ginger, and garlic to make Sweet Chili Lime Sauce.

Place pasta, next 4 ingredients (and chicken if desired), and sauce in medium sized microwave-safe dish. Cover with lid and shake to combine.

Lift 1 corner of lid to allow steam to escape. Microwave on high 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

*I cooked the spaghetti and cominbed everything without cooking. The spaghetti noodles contrasted nicely with the cool crunch of the broccoli slaw. I loved the sauce and made a little extra!

**My second helping I added a spoon of peanut butter and warmed it up to melt the peanut butter. That was yummy too!

(I made it again...so I could have a picture for Tina...and some lunch!!)

(Southern Living August 2008)
(Serves 1)

Blueberry Cheese Rolls

Blueberry Cheese Rolls


1 pkg crescent rolls
4 oz cream cheese
2 T sugar
1/2 cup blueberries


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Unroll dough into 4 rectangles; seal perforations.


Combine cream cheese and sugar; spread onto dough within 1/2-inch of edges. Top evenly with blueberries. Bring opposite corners of dough together--press together to seal.

Bake 11-13 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet.

*I doubled this and had leftovers. Didn't think 1 1/3 each would be enough for us. I ate one, Riley ate one, and Russ ate 3!!


*If you don't have fruit, a good preserves works nicely as well (we love cherry!).

Pioneer Woman's Eggs Benedict

Pioneer Woman posted these long ago but I just stumbled upon them. I've been craving them since I laid eyes on them. This morning, I made Eggs Benedict for the first time and I loved them! Russ was a bit skeptical, but pleasantly pleased. Riley announced that he didn't want "that." But had 5 bites of mine. Then wanted an egg with hollandaise sauce to go with his (leftover) blueberry pancakes. He asked if he could put the hollandaise sauce on his pancakes! I didn't really expect him to like it, but he did!

Eggs Benedict (click for PW's post and recipe)

Here are my pics. I think the eggs poaching are so pretty!

Blueberry Pancakes--Breakfast for Dinner

This afternoon when Riley was choosing his afternoon snack out of the pantry, he grabbed a box of Kerbey Lane pancake mix and said, "Let's have pancakes for dinner."


And that's exactly what we did! It was a family affair....with some frozen blueberries. Boy, were they delicious!!



(Russ made the creative ones!)

Filet Mignon, Orange Glazed Grilled Acorn Squash, and Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Filet Mignon (on the grill)


Orange Glazed Grilled Acorn Squash


4 acorn squash, halved, seeds and membranes removed
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper
4 cups fresh orange juice
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 whole allspice berries
1 stick cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Brush cut side of each acorn squash half with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place squash, cut-side down, ona baking sheet until almost tender, about 30 minutes.


While the squash is baking, combine the orange juice, brown sugar, allspice, and cinnamon in a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat to 1 cup, stirring often.


Preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the squash, cut side up, on the grill, and brush with orange glaze. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn over and grill for 5 more minutes, or until tender and glaze is caramelized. Remove from grill and brush with more glaze. Serve warm.


(http://www.foodnetwork.com/)
Garden Stuffed Baked Potatoes


4 russet potatoes
2 T butter
1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1 T vegetable oil
2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Microwave pierced potatoes on high for 12 minutes; bake for 15 minutes. Slice off potato tops. Scoop out pulp, keeping skins intact. Mash pulp in a medium bowl.


Combine broccoli, salad dressing, cheese, and potato pulp in medium bowl; mix well.


Brush outside of potato shells with oil. Spoon potato mixture into shells, dividing evenly. Place on baking sheet and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley; salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach and Fish Bake

Spinach and Fish Bake

1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup sharp chedddar cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 pound cod fillets
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, mix the spinach, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, about 5T of bread crumbs, and the egg. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a small baking dish. Arrange the cod fillets on top of the spinach mixture. *I bought a pkg. of frozen cod fillets. There were only 2 in a 12 ounce package! They were thick, so I sliced them in half length-wise. Arrange the fillets on top of the spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper. Top with the remaining cheddar and bread crumbs.

Cover and bake 20 minutes in the preheated ove, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. *My fish wasn't done at this point (even after halving lengthwise!). I cooked about 10 more minutes at 325 degrees and then turned up the oven temp and cooked a few more. I think I would cook the dish at 350 next time for 20 minutes.
(Serves 4)
(http://www.allrecipes.com/)

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

Easy Slow Cooker French Dip

4 lb. rump roast (I bought a 3 lb. for our family of 3)
1 can beef broth
NOT 1 can condensed French onion soup (I actually DID buy this and follow directions)
1 12 ounce can or bottle of beer
6 French rolls
2 T butter
*garlic powder
*worchestershire sauce
*provolone cheese slices

Trim excess fat from the rump roast and place in a slow cooker. *I covered with garlic powder. Add beef broth, onion soup, and beer. *I added a few shakes of Lea and Perrin. cook on low setting for 7 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split French rolls and spread with butter. Bake 10 minutes, until heated through. *I added a slice of provolone cheese and returned to oven to melt.

Slice meat on the diagonal and place on top of cheese. Serve with sauce for dipping.

I served with strawberries and pasta salad. Loved it! Riley loved to dip his sandwich in the au jus just as much as I did!!

(http://www.allrecipes.com/)

*We had this again for dinner the next night!*

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Grilled BBQ Chicken
Corn on the Cob
Sausage

Russ grillin' it up outside again!


I couldn't go another day without messing up the kitchen, so I tried a recipe I found around Christmas. Never had one, but went on a mission looking. They were GREAT!


Orange Chocolate Chunk Cookies


2 3/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T fresh, grated orange rind
1 cup margarine, mented (I used butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. orange extract
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice

3 ounces premium quality dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used Nestle's mini chips because I had them!)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and orange rind. Mix well and set aside.


In large bowl, blend sugars with electric mixer at medium speed. Add melted margarine and beat well to combine. Add eggs, orange extract, and orange juice, and beat well. Add flour mixture, blending until combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.


Drop by tablespoons onto foil liked cookie sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 12-15 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along edges. (They don't darken light regular chocolate chips--they will be light!) Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

Yield: 48 cookies
(http://www.recipezaar.com/)


Note: I didn't really want 48 of these cookies lying around...especially since I already baked some earlier in the week, so I kind of halved it, though not exactly on some measurements. Here is my version and it worked!


1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 T orange rind (I probably used more)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg (I actually used Egg Beaters!)
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1 T orange juice
1 1/2 ounces mini chips (I didn't even measure, I just dumped in what I had)


It didn't make 24, more like 16. I used Pampered Chef's cookie scoop instead of a tablespoon.

April 8, 2009

Fajitas--chicken and beef
Grilled Avocados

Cookin' outside again!

April 7, 2009

NY Strip
Grilled Zucchini
Grilled Orange and Yellow Bell Pepper

On the grill!

I did find some time to make a sweet treat though!

Monster Cookies

2 eggs
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup M&M's

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients in order, mixing well.

Use an ice cream scoop to put dough on cookie sheet. (I used a Pampered Chef cookie scoop.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
A new favorite--these were great! Thanks for the recipe, Greta!

April 2, 2009

I'm taking a little break from my recipes and trying to eat the random things we have in the freezer(s), pantry, etc. I'm loving all of this throwing away right now!

April 1, 2009

Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

4 (4 oz) tilapia fillets
1 T Cajun seasoning
1 lemon
1/4 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 T dill

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 baking dish.

Season tilapia with pepper and Cajun seasoning (not much for the kiddos) on both sides. Arrange fillets in single layer in dish. Place 2-3 thin lemon slices on each fillet.

Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
While fish is baking, mix mayo, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice, and dill in small bowl. Serve with fish.

p.s. The dill sauce was great on a wrap I made for lunch the next day!

Orange Glazed Carrots

1 lb. baby carrots
1/4 cup orange juice
3 T brown sugar
2 T butter

Boil carrots until tender (20 minutes?) and drain. Pour in orange juice, simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in brown sugar and butter. Heat until dissolved.

March 31, 2009

Tacos

Tacos. Nothing fancy. Ground beef, package mix, crispy shells, etc.

Cheesy Fiesta Rice

1 T margarine or butter
NOT 1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1 1/4 cup long grain rice (raw)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 cans (29 ounces) chicken broth
1 can diced green chilies
1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. DO NOT add onion. Add garlic and rice, cook 3-5 minutes stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in salt, chili powder, chicken broth, and green chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir in cheese and tomato. Garnish with cilantro.

Makes 8 1/2-cup servings.

(Recipe found on back of a bag of cheese.....I'll swipe them anywhere!)