Menu Planning Monday

I have been planning my meals each week,but haven't been keeping track afterward. I love the weekly meal planning because it is a great resource for me to look back on when I need inspiration for the current week. I browse Pinterest all of the time, and a lot of my new recipes come from there, but it is nice to have a repository of the ones I know we liked. Here are last week's and this week's menus:

Last Week:

Roasted chicken with balsamic green beans- Easy roasted chicken with salt and pepper on the outside and an onion and lemon on the inside, served with green beans that were cooked then cooled and tossed with some balsamic vinegarand a littl ebit of oil.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie- We love this recipe. Lentils replace the meat andit is a hearty, flavorful meal.

Greek chicken with salad (lettuce, tomato, feta cheese, green pepper, greek dressing), hummus and whole wheat pita.- For the chicken I just marinated the breasts in olive oil, lemon, garlic, rosemary, and oregano then broiled it. I can't wait to get back to grilling weather! The hummus was pretty good, but the raw garlic was really strong and almost oddly spicy. I think it would have tasted delicious with roasted garlic and I will use that next time.

Pesto pasta with sauteed portabello mushrooms and roasted cauliflower on the side. - This was juat a quick dinner because we got back too late to make what I planned. It was yum just the same!

Shrimp tacos with multigrain tortillas and chipotle lime slaw- I pieced together a couple recipes for this meal. The shrimp marinade I got here and the slaw recipe came from here. It was a great combo and the first time for both recipes.Definitely keepers!

Roasted root veggies and salad- We roasted beets, carrots, parsnips, red potatoes, onions, and brussel sprouts and served them along side a salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, and balsamic vinegrette. It's nice to have a couple meatless meals during the week. Not only does it cut some meat out of our diet, but saves money at the market by not purchasing meat, which can be pricey.


This week:

Homemade chicken tenders with steamed green beans and cucumber salad- This is the hubby's contribution this week. He dips the chicken breast pieces in egg and then dredges themin seasoned panko breadcrumbs and then pan fries them. The cucumber salad is just sliced cucumbers marinated in red wine vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar.

Southwestern quinoa and black bean wraps- This is the first time I will make this recipe...I'll update it after we see if we like it!

Broiled halibut with asparagus and roasted new potatoes

Asian meatballs, with steamed edamame and brown rice- First time making this too, so I'll update later!

We have dinner at both in-laws this week too, so that's two fewer meals to make and I don't usually plan for Saturday since we often eat out once a week.

Menu Planning Sunday

It's Sunday again and that means figuring out what the heck we are eating for the week! Last week's meal plan only had one dud of a recipe. The ginger salmon and scallion brown rice pilaf wasn't that great. I already don't like fish that much and we have one go-to recipe for salmon that is good so I should just stick with it. Oh well, not everything can be delicious! The creamy chicken and biscuit sliders rocked. They were a fam favorite! The second favorite was the BBQ pork quesadillas and the vegetarian shepherd's pie is always  a win in our house. We didn't get to the make your own pizza on Friday. I was too beat to cook and the hubbs took the boy to swim so no one was home until 5:30, so we just ordered pizza. I will save it for another day because it sounds awesome! Onto this week's menu!

Sunday: Paella from a local favorite restaurant Los Andes. I ran 13.1 miles today (more on that tomorrow), meal planned, went grocery shopping and made a freaking apple pie, so I figured that excused me from cooking dinner.
Monday: Tomato tortellini soup (for the fam, I have a girl's night Mexican fiesta to attend!)
Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans
Wednesday: Pesto pasta with chicken sausage and roasted Brussels sprouts
Thursday: Turkey burgers, oven baked fries and salad
Friday: Chicken enchiladas with black beans and rice

BBQ pulled pork quesadillas

I made the best meal tonight and it took all of 20 minutes and not even all in one day. It is the perfect combination of a crockpot meal and a quick fix meal. I rarely use my crockpot because, first of all, it doesn't have a timer on it and also because I believe it is nearly impossible to make a delicious meal in just one dish.. Sure, things like chili and soup are good, but I have tried a lot of other meals and most of them have been just ok.  This is the first time I have made pulled pork in the crockpot and it was awesome!

BBQ pork quesadillas

Pulled Pork
2 pound pork shoulder roast
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
1 cup water

Put all ingredients in the crockpot and cook it on low for 8-12 hours. I flipped the roast over a couple of times as I checked on it and ladled the sauce over the meat, but I'm sure you don't have to. Around hour 7 i used 2 forks to tease the meat apart and let it cook in the sauce for another 2 hours. I made the pork in advance and kept it in the fridge until we used it tonight. It is probably even more delicious because it has been in the sauce for  a couple of days,

Quesadillas
BBQ pulled pork
4 scallions minced
8 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
4 oz pepper jack cheese shredded

Mix some of the pork, I only used about half of what I made in the crockpot, with the scallions and cilantro. I won't insult you by telling you how to make a quesadilla, but medium high heat, slap a tortilla down in the pan, cheese it and put as much pork as you'd like on it and put another tortilla on top. Cook it until your desired crispiness and then sit down and Mmmmm until it is gone...and you want another one...but you don't eat another one, but you want to because it is so delicious.  Then realize after it is gone that you forgot to take a picture. Now go make one, or come over because I have some left.

Menu Planning Sunday

Meal planning has been so crucial in getting my health and fitness back on track. It saves us from getting carryout and allows me to budget my calories by knowing what days I can and can't splurge on a treat. ;) The thing that I find most invaluable is, when I am so bored with meal planning that nothing sounds good, I can search back through my old meal planning posts and get ideas...and remember what we didn't like!

Sunday: Creamy chicken and biscuit sliders (made these tonight and they were awesome!) and broccoli
Monday: Chicken parm with fresh motz and whole wheat rotini
Tuesday: BBQ Pork quesadillas in whole wheat tortillas with corn on the cob
Wednesday: Ginger Salmon with scallion brown rice pilaf
Thursday: Vegetarian Shepard's pie
Friday: Homemade pizza on wheat crust. Olive and cheese for the kiddos and White bean and caramelized onion for us.

Menu Planning Sunday

This is going to be a busy week filled with a birthday, consignment sale and a hectic week at work so I am actually going to make 2-3 of these meals tonight and tomorrow so they are ready to go during the week!

Sunday: Roasted Chicken and veggies with beet salad.
Monday:Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Tuesday: Turkey Burgers with zucchini fries
Wednesday: Birthday dinner out with the hubbs. Kiddos get to eat frozen fish fillets and edamame
Thursday: Mexican lasagna (I promise I will do the recipe post on it this time!)
Friday: Chicken Marsala

I am also trying to work more vegetarian dishes into our lineup. If you have any good ones, leave me a link!

Notes on last week:

• Creamy tomato and Chicken sausage pasta was excellent! See last week's post for suggestions and what I changed.
• Cod was good. A little secret is that I really don't like fish. I eat it because it is good for me and the kids and hubby like it. This dish, however, was pretty good. I actually ate a whole portion of fish, which I usually don't. I think the turkey kielbasa that was in it helped. I think next time I will add some fresh oregano to add to the flavor.
• Creamy chicken taquitos were a hit, yet again. 
• BBQ pork loin was really good. I am finding such a difference in the quality of our meat since we started shopping at Whole Foods! For lack of time, I ended up making mashed potatoes instead of roasted.
• The shrimp were good, as always. :)
• We ended up having pizza again on Friday. I am starting to hate pizza. Not that this is relevant to my post,but I seriously don't want to eat it again for a long time.

Menu Planning Sunday

Last week were were semi-off the meal planning wagon. Our electrical system was acting up and the power had to be off for the whole day on Monday. This meant that there was no use in filling up a fridge that would not be staying cold. I still made a plan, but it was haphazardly followed. Subsequently we ate like bleh last week. It is nice to be back in the swing!

Sunday: Creamy tomato and chicken sausage pasta.*
Monday: Baked Cod with chorizo and whie beans with steamed green beans. (Using turkey kielbasa to sub for chorizo)
Tuesday: Baked creamy Chicken Taquitos and salad.
Wednesday: Grilled BBQ pork loin with roasted potatoes and parsnips and broccoli.
Thursday: My killer shrimp with asparagus and rice.
Friday: Takeout of some kind since I am sick to death of pizza!!
Saturday: Leftovers

*The recipe called for turkey sausage but I used chicken sausage. I used one spicy and one mild and only 1/2 cup of cream. I started adding it and, to be honest, thought it would have been too much to add any more. I also didn't have Italian diced tomatoes so I used regular and added Italian seasoning to it along with a little salt and pepper. We used the whole grain penne from Barilla and it was delicious! This is going into the rotation for sure.

Menu Planning Monday

Sunday: Leftover Stuffed shells. The recipe made a lot. I actually used almost all of the shells when I made them a couple weeks ago. I froze the remaining stuffed shells, before the baking step, and just threw them in the oven. The hubbs made a quick marinara to go with them.
Monday: Taco Night! This is what it sounds like...tacos. I will be having a taco salad whereas the fam will be eating something similar to Taco Bell's double-decker tacos. I want to eat them, but my waistline says "no way".
Tuesday:Lighter Shrimp Fried Rice.
Wednesday: Baked Chicken fingers, homemade baked sweet potato fries and beet salad.
Thursday: Pot roast with carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes with a side of green beans.
Friday: Pizza Movie Night!
Saturday: Date night!

Notes on last week's meals:

• The sloppy Joe's are a fan favorite around here. Nate and the hubbs like them and Arielle tolerates them. I seriously think the girl doesn't like meat. She ate a few bites, so that's a win.
• The recipe for the chicken tortellini soup was a bit bland. DH ended up doctoring it up a little, so it was good. It is a good base to start with but just needed a little more flavor. I recommend adding a little hot sauce into your individual bowl. Almost everything is better with sriracha in it!
• The shrimp stir fry was good. I am laughing because I just realized that we are having shrimp fried rice this week. Apparently I like Asian inspired shrimp. ;)
• Ribs are always good. I didn't end up doing them in the crock pot. I forgot so DH cooked them in the pressure cooker and then broiled them in the oven. I rarely make them, but I prefer to put a nice dry rub on them and then cook them at 200 degrees for 6-8 hours.
• The Indian butter chicken was pretty good. The recipe called for Cayenne pepper and I used 1/8 tsp and it was still too hot for the kids. Lesson learned. I love spicy but I have little that aren't quite there yet!

Menu Planning Sunday

I'm feeling good about the meal planning lately! The last 2 weeks have been an overall success as far as family satisfaction goes. This is huge. Even my husband has been liking the new meals. Let's hope that this week is equally successful.
Sunday: Sloppy Joes with roasted cauliflower (delicious) and cucumber salad
Monday: Chicken tortellini soup with mushrooms and spinach
Tuesday: Shrimp Stir fry over soba noodles
Wednesday: Baby back ribs with coleslaw and baked beans
Thursday: Crock pot Indian butter chicken (Thanks Amber for the idea!)
Friday: Pizza night
Saturday: Dinner with the in-laws

Notes on last week's dinners:

• The mini corn dogs were delicious. I love corn dogs and hadn't had one in forever and these hit the spot. Nate doesn't like hot dogs (weirdo), so he wasn't a huge fan.
• Turkey burgers and zucchini fries were great. The kids didn't like the zucchini fries (surprise, surprise). I think next time I make them I will add a little more spice to the coating like some cayenne and some more garlic powder.
• The stuffed shells were a hit all around! They have spinach inside and are not covered in cheese so they are a bit better for you than the ones I usually make. I made my own marinara for them instead of the turkey meat sauce in the recipe. My son asked for seconds.
• The chicken taquitos were also awesome. I am not just saying this. I followed the directions, but to make them not spicy for the kids, I put 1/3 of the cream cheese in another bowl and used only a tbs of the green chile sauce and substituted the pepper jack cheese with shredded Mexican cheese for their taquitos. I made ours the normal way. They weren't all that spicy, but were good.
• The broiled chicken was a little boring. It is funny how grilling makes things taste so much better. I didn't end up making the orzo salad because I ran out of lemon and time, so I subbed with a box of pearled cous cous instead and just broiled the asparagus. 

Menu Planning...now on Sunday

I always like to include our Sunday meal in the weekly plan, so I think it makes more sense to post on Sunday. That way I can start the week with a more fun, rather than utilitarian post like what we're eating for dinner!

Sunday lunch: Mini corn dog muffins with grapes and Stonyfield tube yogurts on the side. I just had to include lunch since it was something new and fun...and delicious! I am totally making these  again for a party!
Sunday dinner:Spinach stuffed shells and Caesar salad. I decided to do just a marinara instead of the turkey meat sauce since we'll be having turkey burgers later in the week.
Monday: Turkey burgers and baked zucchini fries.
Tuesday: Chicken taquitos with black beans and rice (my sil's recipe) and my guacamole.
Wednesday:  Beef Stew. Hubby's recipe, he's making it. In the pressure cooker. It is delicious, but I will never get him to write down a recipe for me.
Thursday: Marinated broiled (can't wait until we can get grilling again!) lemon herb chicken breast and asparagus orzo salad.
Friday: Pizza movie night! I think we'll make our pizza this week. It will help me stay on track with my eating. I am going to make a fresh motz margarita pizza on wheat crust (from our local bakery) for the grown ups and some cheese and olive pizza for the kidlets.


Notes on last week's dinners:
The Mexican lasagna was a huge hit all around, so I will post a recipe this week with pictures.
The Hamburger buddy was devoured as well. Delicious, quick and sneaky with its shredded carrots and mushrooms mixed in.
The puffed pastry chicken was a flop. No one liked it...not even me. It's a shame because it looked so good.

Cinco de Mayo!

Having grown up in Southern California I have an appreciation wonderful, authentic Mexican food. It has been rough living in New England where some people's idea of a taco is sloppy Joe in a tortilla. I miss walking through old town San Diego and getting a carne asada or shrimp taco in a homemade corn or flour tortilla from a truck parked on the street. My mouth is seriously watering just thinking about it. I have had to learn to make much of my own Mexican food and have found a couple of places in my area that can satisfy my cravings. I've decided to share a few links of recipes that I've tried out so you can create your own Mexican fiesta!

Tamales: My H.S. boyfriend's mom taught me how to make tamales. She would make them every Christmas. They are a lot of work, but are sooo worth it!

Guacamole: I have tried all kinds of guacamole. The store bought guac just doesn't do it for me, so I learned how to make my own and you can too. It is really easy and people love it!

Carne asada tacos: In the same post where I made the guac, I have a recipe for an awesome marinade for skirt steak that makes slammin carne asada tacos!

Taquitos: For those of you who have never heard of a taquito, you are missing out. People thought it was a drink when I asked them for some. Anywho. Taquitos are delicious with either shredded beef or chicken. Here is a recipe for chicken taquitos that are awesome!

Flour tortillas: Do yourself a favor and just once make flour tortillas from scratch. They are divine. Oh and try to ignore the fact that you have ot buy lard to make them....it doesn't matter....delicious!

Green Chile Enchiladas: I have my own version that is similar to this that I will have to post sometime soon, but for now these are good too!

So get into your kitchen and try making your own Mexican food. It isn't as hard as it seems and it is delicious. Now, if you live in Southern California, just go buy yourself food any one of the million places that is awesome...I just don't have that luxury these days!

Shortcut Chicken Pot Pies

I have a really awesome chicken pot pie recipe that requires cooking the chicken and making your own chicken stock, but honestly who has time for that? I made a few changes and think it tastes the same using a few shortcuts. I have been trying to incorporate leftovers into another weeknight meal to save time and money. On Sunday, when I had more time than a normal night, I roasted a chicken. We ate the roasted chicken with roasted root veggies and it was delicious. Then I turned the leftovers into chicken salad for some sandwiches and used the rest in this chicken pot pie recipe! I also made the filling on Sunday and had them ready in the refrigerator to just pop into the oven for a quick and easy weeknight meal. If you don't have time to roast your own chicken, grab a roticerie chicken from the market.

Chicken Pot Pie

Meat from a roasted or roticerie chicken
1 box of chicken stock (Stock NOT broth, very important)
6 tbs butter
1 large onion, diced
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1  package (8oz) of mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 bag of frozen peas and carrots
2 tbs minced fresh parsley
1 large pinch of kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 package or ready made pie crust (I like Pilsbury)
Egg wash- 1 egg whisked with 1 tbs water

Pull the meat from the roasted or roticerie chicken. I just use my hands to pull it apart. Set aside for later.

If you plan to cook the pot pies right after you make the filling then pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut up your celery, mushrooms and onions.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet or I use my dutch oven...for everything. Add the onions, mushrooms and celery and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. (If you forgot to add the mushrooms at this step like I did, you can saute them in a seperate pan and throw them in...oops)

Add the flour and cook, stirring, for about one minute more.

Whisk in 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock.

Whisk in the milk.

Bring to a simmer and then decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring often.

Add the chicken meat, thyme, the frozen peas and carrots, parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Divide the warm filling into six 10 oz ramekins. I have glass ones, but only 4 so I either use disposable aluminum ones or just pour the rest into a round baking dish. You could just as easily make one big one, but I prefer individual servings...with their own crust. Mmmmm. Cut the crust into 6 rounds, slightly larger than the circumfrence of the ramekins. Lay the dough round on each one and fold the excess dough under itself and use a fork to press the dough against the edge like so.

Now you have two choices..you can cover them with plastic wrap and put them on a baking sheet in the refrigerator to pop in the oven sometime during the week or you can cook them right away. I have even covered mine with plastic wrap and then tin foil and put them in the freezer, but then they take a while to bake when you take them out. If you choose to eat then in the now continue..

Cut a few little slits in the top of the pies for venting purposes. Use a pastry brush (I have a silicone one) and apply the egg wash to each pie.

 Line a baking sheet with tin foil, place the pies on the sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving or it will be like eating lava. (I like to picture Dr.Evil when I say that word)

These are so good you'll think your grandma spent all day making them. Let me know if you try them out! Bon appetit!

Homemade Pancakes

I used to use Bisquick for my pancakes before I realized how easy it is to make them yourself. I tried a few recipes online and ended up modifying and combining 2 of them to get the recipe I use now. Saturdays are usually pancakes day in our house and this recipe is a family favorite! The recipe below is for a full batch and I usually half it so I don't have a ton of batter left over. The half recipe makes ~6-7 pancakes using a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour the batter on the griddle. I find it is perfect for us, but sometimes make the whole batch and freeze the left over pancakes to be popped in the toaster for a quick and easy breakfast.

Pancakes

2 cups All purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

 2 cups milk

1 tbs melted butter

2 eggs (separated)

Combine all of the dry ingredients and mix using a fork.

Add the milk and stir until combined. Add the melted butter and stir again.

Separate your eggs. There have to be a million "tips" for doing this. I find the easiest thing is to crack the egg and pour it into my hand. The white goes through, the yolk is in your hand, you toss it in the batter. Easy Peasy. Just make sure you have clean hands or ewww. After you add the yolks to the batter, stir to combine and get to work on your whites. If you want a little exercise, use your hand whisk. If you are smart, use your hand mixer with the whisk attachment. {Man my arm was tired} Whisk until you have soft peaks, then fold the whites into the batter.

See, only a couple more steps than if I made it from a box and I promise it literally takes 5 minutes. Let the batter stand for 10 minutes while you clean up and get your griddle ready. The whites and the baking powder help the pancakes to be light and fluffy so don't over mix. Use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to pour the pancakes on the griddle. I usually heat the oven to 250 degrees and throw a baking rack in there to keep the pancakes warm while I make them all.

We add all kinds of things to our pancakes. Nate's favorite is blueberries and the hubby like bananas. I like vanilla in my pancakes, Aaron does not. If you do like it, add 1 tsp when you add the milk! On occasion I will toss in some chocolate chips, but if you've met my son, you know he doesn't need any extra help in the hyper department! I hope you enjoy the pancakes! Let me know if you give them a try!

Menu Planning Monday...on Tuesday

I planned Sunday and went shopping, but I was exhausted from my awesome weekend so I didn't get the post up. Better Late than never I always say....but I'm a procrastinator.

Sunday: Walnut crusted chicken cutlets with white bean mash & asparagus (This was a big hit! The only thing I will change for next time is I will either add a bit more chicken broth to the mash or I will puree half a can of the beans with some broth and mix it in.)

Monday: Turkey Burgers and sweet potato fries (I broke my own rule and bought ground turkey breast instead of just lean ground turkey. The burgers weren't as tasty and they were a bit drier than I like them. Next time I will follow my own advice!)

Tuesday: Roasted Salmon with Maple Glaze and broccoli (recipe to follow after I make it and, you  know, take pictures!)

Wednesday: Braised Paprika Chicken with brown rice

Thursday: Shrimp, Spinach and Mushroom barley

Friday: Turkey meatball soup (from Deceptively Delicious. We'll see how delicious it really is.)

Food for Thought- Killer Shrimp

Let me start this recipe by saying you NEED to make these shrimp. They are so simple and delicious. Our whole family loves them, including Natey. I usually serve them with some grilled (or broiled in the fall and winter) asparagus and rice of some kind. You can cook them on the grill or in the oven. They are equally delicious either way!

Killer Shrimp
Shell on Shrimp (fresh or frozen) size U21-25 are good
1 lemon
2-3 sprigs of Rosemary
3 cloves of garlic
pinch of kosher salt
pepper
1/4 tsp. (or more depending on how spicy you want it) red pepper flakes
3 tbs olive oil

Rip off a huge piece of tin foil. If you have the heavy duty kind it is better. Decide how many shrimp you want per person. These are so good I always make 8-9 per person or 5 for Nate.

Put thawed or fresh shrimp in the middle of the tin foil.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice out of both sides onto the shrimp.
Cut a few pieces of the spent lemon (rind on) and toss them on top.
Break the rosemary sprigs in half and toss them in.
Take 3 whole cloves of garlic and give them a whack with the side of your chef knife to remove the peel and toss them in whole.

There seems to be a lot of tossing going on, but bear with me.

I use kosher salt. I keep it in a bowl next to the stove so I don't have an exact measurement for this, but take a pinch of salt and sprinkle it over the shrimp.
I also use a pepper grinder, so I just grind the pepper on until I see that it is even covering the shrimp.
Sprinkle 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes onto the shrimp. You could also put a whole hot pepper in if you want it spicy. I would LOVE to do this, but Nate needs to eat too!
Drizzle 2-3 tbs (depending on how much shrimp you used) of olive oil over contents.
Use your hands to combine all ingredients so that everything is equally coated.

To wrap the package up, bring the long sides together and roll or fold the two pieces so they stay together. Fold the ends like a present (I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of this part!) until you have a nice tight package. Take another piece of tin foil and put the packet, seam side down, onto the new piece of foil and repeat.

Put the packet in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes, flipping the packet over half way through.
When you open it up it should look like this!

 If you want to be a total copy cat, or just like asparagus, you can make this with it as well. Wash your asparagus and break the woody part of the stem off of the bottom. A good trick is to hold the end of the asparagus in one hand and midpoint in the other and bend. Where it snaps off is usually good. Put them in a pyrex baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, salt pepper and pepper flakes if you'd like and put them under a broiler on high for 6-8 minutes. Watch them every few minutes and you can shake them around in the dish so they cook evenly.

 Make a box of Rice-a-Roni, because not everything needs to be homemade, and you have a meal!

Bon appetit!

Food For Thought - Turkey Burgers and Roasted Cauliflower

A few people expressed interest in my meal planning this week so I thought I'd post one of the recipes. You know, in case you're hungry and in need of some inspiration.Turkey burgers and roasted cauliflower sounds nice and healthy, right? Well, leave it to me to Paula Dean the crud outta them. Regardless, (Oh and by the way it is regardless. Irregardless is NOT a word. It's a double negative. There is your vocabulary lesson for the day.You're welcome.) they are really good. Well, we think so anyway!

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower (duh)
3 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, melt the butter (in the microwave) then add the oil and garlic powder. Stir until combined. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and, using a silicone brush (or anything you have handy), lightly coat the foil with the butter/oil. Cut the cauliflower into pieces and put the flat side down onto the foil.

Enlist your 3 year old to "paint the cheese". Side note. The first time I made this Natey saw me and asked if he could help "paint the cheese". I've told him 10 times it is cauliflower. He still calls it that. Dip the brush into the butter/oil and dab on each piece of cauliflower,

Put the baking sheet in the oven, on the middle rack, and bake for 30-40 minutes. You want the tops to be a golden brown color.

When you turn the pieces over they should be a dark, yummy and caramelized looking.

Sprinkle them with just a pinch of salt and let them rest for a few minutes before serving!

Turkey Burgers

One package of lean ground turkey (don't use turkey breast or they will be duh-ry!)

1 egg

1/4 c panko bread crumbs

1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 c flat leaf parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl. Use your hands, you have to get them dirty to form the patties anyway. It's the best way to get all of the ingredients combined. I use kosher salt so I just take a pinch from the bowl. I also use a pepper grinder, so i just grind until I think it seems like enough pepper. I counted 12 grinds this time. I am that OCD.  Form the meat into patties. I made 3 big ones and then 2 "little Natey burgers" (hey, we call things what we need to so we can get kids to eat them, right?). This would probably make 4 good sized patties otherwise. I usually grill burgers, but turkey burgers are better pan fried. I put a tiny bit of oil, just to keep the patties from sticking. I usually cook them from 4-5 min per side on medium high heat.

Then to up the yum factor, I put a little bit of butter on the buns and grill them.

As if the butter on the buns and cauliflower isn't bad enough, we made impromptu onion stings per the hubby's request. I just cut up and onion lightly dusted them with flour and salt & pepper and fried them. I usually don't make those. Stupid no weight gaining husband. Grrrr.

And here ya have it, the final product!

Bon appetit!

"Surf" Pops!

Ok, they're cake pops, not surf pops, but that's what Natey chooses to call them. He wants them for his birthday, only request, no sprinkles. What kid doesn't want sprinkles?? Mine, apparently. I'd like to say they were easy to make, but I'd be lying. Like I said before, the getting them to naked cake pop stage was pretty simple, although time consuming. It was the dipping that wasn't as easy as I'd hoped!

I had been checking these babies out on Bakerella for a while and I got the gist of how to make them and then ran with it. Here's a quick run down of how I made them.

Supplies:

Boxed cake mix (or if you are so inclined make a cake from scratch...I was not inclined!)

Cream cheese frosting (I did make this from scratch, recipe below)

Sprinkles

Lolipop sticks

Candy Melts

Food coloring

Styrofoam block wrapped in cling wrap (used for drying the pops)

I got the last 4 items in my list from Michael's Craft store.

I made a big batch, so I baked 2 cakes. I baked one chocolate cake and one funfetti cake. One batch of cream cheese frosting was enough for both cakes.

Bake cake(s) and completely cool on a rack. If the cake is warm, it won't work as well.

While cake is cooling you can make your frosting!

Cream Cheese frosting:

1 8oz package of cream cheese, softened

3 cups of confectioners sugar

6 tbs melted butter

1 tsp vanilla

Put cream cheese, butter and vanilla into bowl (I use a kitchen aid mixer) and mix on low to combine.  Slowly add confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time, and mix on medium until you have creamy frosting. Taste it...several times...to make sure it is delicious! If it is too thick, you can add a 1/2 tbs to 1 tbs of milk, but I found it to be the perfect consistency.

When the cake is completely cooled, break it into chunks and toss it in your food processor. Pulse 5-10 times. You want the resulting cake to be crumbly, but not too fine. Put the cake crumbles into a large mixing bowl and add the frosting, a scoop at a time, molding it together with your hands after each scoop. You want to be able to just form the cake into balls that stay together, but if you put too much frosting in it will be too moist (sorry LZ!) and mushy.

After you've combined the cake and frosting, form the cake into balls. I think I made mine too big (they were about an 1 1/2 inches in diameter), next time I'll make them a tad smaller. Place them on a plate or tray (whatever will fit in your freezer) lined with wax paper and put them in the freezer for ~20 minutes. Wrap plastic wrap around your styrofoam block. Take cake balls out of the freezer and stick the lolipop sticks in the bottom. lay them back down on the tray and put them back in the freezer while you melt your candy.

I chose to do a bunch of colors for the candy coating, so I just put the candy melts in the microwave in coffee cups and then added the coloring. Next time I think I will do fewer colors and use a double boiler (if you don't have one, you can just put a metal bowl over a saute pan of boiling water). I think the candy will keep a better consistency this way.

Melt the candy and then remove the pops from the freezer, a few at a time, and dip them in the candy. You have to dip and swirl so they ball is completely covered. If you are going the sprinkles route, immediately sprinkle them before they start to harden. Stick them into the styrofoam to dry and you're all set!!

See...easy peasy right? Phew!

My Stir Fry

I often cook following a recipe...the first time I make something. I usually do this because I have no clue when it comes to proportions of ingredients. But after the first time, I will generally mix things up and make a dish my own. This stir fry has evolved over the last few years and everyone in our house loves it. So, that being said, I am estimating the amounts of things. Feel free to follow it or mix it up yourself!

My Stir Fry:

2 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon grated ginger (buy one piece and you can keep it in the freezer for 3 months!)
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 small yellow onion diced
1 bell pepper chopped (any color, I usually use red)
1/2 c of snap peas whole
1/2 can of water chestnuts
1 cup bean sprouts
4 scallions sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce (I use low sodium)
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp chili paste (optional: if you like it spicy! You can always add it at the end after removing the kid's portion. That's how I do it.)
pepper

For the sauce:
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs Hoisin sauce
2 tbs brown sugar

Ok, so I know it looks like a lot of ingredients, but what makes this dish so easy is that you can substitute or leave out any of the veggies and use what you like. That is just what I like to put in it. If you are in a pinch and don't feel like all of the hoopla of chopping (really only takes 10 mins all together to prep) then grab a bag of stir fry veggies from the produce section. It will probably be near the bagged salads.

First cut the chicken into cubes and put it in a bowl with sesame oil, 1 tbs soy sauce, a few grinds of pepper and grated ginger. (You really don't need to measure the ginger.) Let that marinate while you chop your veggies up.

Chop all veggies. Add vegetable oil to the pan (You can use a wok, but I don't have one. I have a pan that sorta looks like a wok, so I use that.) and heat on medium high until you see the oil start to glisten. (The key to this is a hot pan and hot oil) Toss in the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add 1 tbs vegetable oil to your pan and put in the yellow onion & pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then add in the mushrooms and cook for another 2-3 minutes until they soften. Add the water chestnuts, snap peas and 1 tbs soy sauce and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add chicken back in (make sure to pour the juices in too) and make a hole in the middle of the chicken and veggies by pushing the contents to the edges of the pan. In the hole add remaining 2 tbs soy sauce, hoisin sauce and brown sugar (add the chili paste now if you are putting it in). Stir the sauce frequently and let it bubble up until it starts to thicken. Stir the veggies and chicken into the sauce and turn off the heat. Mix in the bean sprouts and scallions and you're done!

This usually takes me 30 minutes or less from start to finish. It is the perfect week night meal for me to make when I get home from work.

I serve it over white rice. The trick to getting your picky eaters to eat this dish is to cut their pieces up really small and mix it all in with the rice! Nate has no idea he is eating peppers and pea pods because I do this. Now I'm hungry and going to make this for dinner tonight.

Iron Chef- Side Dishes

Heidi over at Sacred and Profane is hosting Iron Chef-Blog Style! This month's theme is holiday side dishes. I was going to enter my bacony, cheesy twice baked mashed potato recipe, but I'll save the hoopla of writing it all out with measurements (since I don't measure) and just tell you to add some cooked chopped up bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and sour cream to your mashed potatoes and then top with cheddar and slap those puppies under the broiler. Your family will thank you, however, your waistline and cholesterol probably will not!

Oh, so now that you've drooled all over the place, I'm guessing you want to know what I am actually going to enter as my recipe...

For those of you who are perfectly content to open a can of gelatinous cranberry sauce and watch the ridged blob shimmy out of the can, this recipe is not for you. For anyone else who would like a fresh, delicious cranberry sauce recipe, listen up!

Kam's Kran with a Kick

1 1/2 cups Apple cider

1 can of frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate(or cran-apple or cran-cherry if you can find it)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
½ cup craisins (dried cranberries) (about 2 ounces)

½ cup dried cherries (about 2 ounces)
2 tablespoons orange juice
¼ teaspoon ground allspice (optional)

4 Cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon Orange zest

6 cloves

Directions:

In a pan, bring apple cider, frozen cranberry juice concentrate, orange zest, orange juice, sugar, cloves and cinnamon sticks to a boil. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes until sugar dissolves. Remove cloves if they are still in tact. Add dried cherries, craisins and fresh cranberries. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cook on high heat, stirring until cranberries begin to pop, about five to ten minutes. Reduce heat, cook on low until relish begins to thicken, stirring occasionally. Remove from stove and discard cinnamon sticks. Pour into a bowl to cool.

I always make this the night before Thanksgiving so it is nice and chilled for the festivities!