Monthly Archives: June 2010

June 10, 2010 · 9:51 pm

Roasted Green Beans and Tomatoes

Holy schmoley these were good! We had these with hamburgers and watermelon tonight…a classic summertime dinner.

Ingredients:
1 lb. green beans, stem ends trimmed
1 pint cherry tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Put an empty rimmed baking sheet on an upper rack. (Not too high though.)

Coat the beans and tomatoes with the olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

When the oven is ready, pour the beans and tomatoes on the hot baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until tender and caramelized.

What did the family think? Vegetables were not meant to taste this good. Wow! How could something this easy taste so good? How? Hubby and I could not get enough of these. Our oldest said the green beans tasted like french fries and proceeded to eat them with his hands as if they were french fries. Youngest said he couldn’t eat them because he has two loose teeth and the green beans would hurt his teeth. Whatever.

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 9, 2010 · 11:09 pm

Tilapia with Balsamic Brown Butter and Creamy Farfalle with Bacon, Tomatoes and Peas

It has bacon in it…it has to be good.

Ingredients:
3 T olive oil
5 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 lb. farfalle pasta
10 oz. frozen peas
1/4 c. mascarpone cheese
3 T butter
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. fresh basil leaves, shredded

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according the directions on the packaging.

Heat 1 T olive oil in a deep large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with a wooden spoon and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Dust the fish with flour and shake of excess. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish for four minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove the fish from the skillet. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Stir the peas into the sauce. Bring it back to a bubble and stir in mascarpone cheese.

Add the butter to the pan the fish cooked in. Brown the butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and simmer for a minute or two. Pour the brown butter sauce over the fish.

Drain the pasta. Toss with sauce and wilt the basil into the pasta. Serve the fish alongside the pasta.

Did I change anything? I used a different shaped pasta since that’s what I had and I used less peas.

What did the family think? I used less peas because my hubby is not a big fan of them. Even though I used less, they still got in the way of his eating. Our oldest ate the pasta. I let him have fish sticks instead of the tilapia…he loves fish sticks. The youngest ate a little pasta and fussed his way through the fish sticks.

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Fish, Not so Easy

June 8, 2010 · 10:41 pm

Roasted Lamb Meatballs with Honey Rosemary Polenta and Tangy Red Onion and Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce

That is officially the longest name for a recipe I have EVER seen! 🙂 I about set the smoke alarms off making this tonight. It was good, but I had to change things up a bit and ended up cooking the meatballs in the microwave.

Ingredients:
4 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed, crumbled
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb
Salt and Pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 T aged balsamic vinegar
28 oz. can fire-roasted tomatoes
1 c. milk
1 c. quick-cooking polenta
1 T butter, cut up into little bits
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
2 T honey

Directions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a mixing bowl combine, bread, 1/3 c. broth, lamb, salt and pepper, egg and garlic. Mix gently with your hands.

Form the mixture into 8 meatballs (about 2 1/2 inches in diameter) and place in a casserole dish about two inches apart. Roast the meatballs for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.

While the meatballs cook, heat 1 T olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the red onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions are soft. Add vinegar, 2/3 cup broth and tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a bubble, reduce the heat a little and simmer for 10 minutes.

In a sauce pot combine the remaining 2 cups of broth and the milk and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and reduce the heat to low. As the polenta begins to thicken, stir in the butter, rosemary and honey and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the polenta into shallow bowls and make a well in the center. Place two meatballs in each well and spoon the sauce over the top.

What did the family think? Hubby really liked it. After looking at the picture in the cookbook he told me he thought I cooked it just the way I was supposed to. I liked it, but I wanted it to have more flavor. Our oldest liked the meatballs and the polenta. He doesn’t do tomatoes though. Our youngest ate the meatballs and a teeny tiny bit of polenta.

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Not so Easy

June 7, 2010 · 11:53 pm

Lumpe Burritos

I LOVED these burritos! This recipe came from the cookbook we got when we joined our CSA a few years ago.

Ingredients:
1 lb. new potatoes
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tspn. ground cumin
1/2 tspn. salt
pepper to taste
2 T fresh cilantro
8-10 large flour tortillas
1 1/2 c. refried beans
1 1/2 c. grated cheese (Cheddar, Jack or Jalapeno Jack)
Garnish with tomatoes and sour cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Wash potatoes, cut into large cubes, cover with water in a large pot and boil until tender, but firm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the onion and pepper until just tender.

When the potatoes are done, drain well and add to onion mixture.

Sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper. Continue to cook until potatoes begin to brown.

Remove from heat and add cilantro.

To assemble burritos:
Lay out a tortilla.

Place 2 to 3 tspns. on refried beans down the center of the tortilla.

Top with a generous helping of potatoes.

Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tbspn. cheese and roll up as tightly as you can.

Place in an ungreased 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Continue assembling burritos until you have run out of filling. Line burritos up in baking dish as you make them.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with tomatoes and sour cream.

What did the family think? Hubby liked them, but he needs meat in his diet and these don’t make the cut. I thought they were super yummy and I highly recommend them.

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Filed under Lent, Mexican, Vegetarian

June 6, 2010 · 9:41 pm

Greek Chicken Cutlets

Broke out the indoor grill tonight which I probably haven’t used in two years. It was a great change of pace and brought our youngest into the kitchen to see what I was doing.

Ingredients:
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz. feta cheese crumbles
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. chicken cutlets

Directions:
Mix the tomatoes, feta, 1 T olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl and set to the side.

Heat a grill pan over high heat; brush lightly with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Cook chicken about 2-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Put chicken on a serving platter and top with tomato mixture.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for mint and Kalamata olives. I am not a huge fan of either so I left them out.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked the chicken. I like anything that has feta on it though so I am probably not the best judge. The boys ended up eating leftover pasta from a few nights ago along with leftover pizza. We will never get all of that pasta eaten up, but it was worth a try. Hubby and I even had some alongside our Greek chicken. I still have half a pan of the pasta left though. Oh well, we tried. 🙂

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 5, 2010 · 10:30 pm

Cheesy Brunch Casserole

Breakfast for dinner, anyone?

Ingredients:
1 lb. turkey Italian sausage
5 cups herbed seasoned stuffing mix
Cooking spray
1/2 c. chicken broth
2 T. butter, melted
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
2 c. milk
1/2 tspn. black pepper
16 oz. egg substitute

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Remove casings from sausage and cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine stuffing and sausage and mix well.

Place stuffing mixture in a 13 x 9 casserole dish coated with cooking spray.

Drizzle stuffing mixture with broth and butter. Sprinkle with cheese.

Combine milk, pepper and egg substitute, stirring with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over stuffing mixture.

Bake 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Let stand five minutes before serving.

What did the family think? I made this for a Mother’s Day brunch and it was a hit with everyone.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It

June 4, 2010 · 9:04 pm

Spring-Summer Ziti

I will tell you right now that this recipe made enough food to feed my family and the rest of the block. Unless you are having company or have a VERY large family, cut it in half. I will type it as I fixed it, but you should probably only make half as much.

Ingredients:
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
28 oz. can San Marzano plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
4 springs fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 c. fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 lb. ziti
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed of woody ends, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. ricotta
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.

Then stir in tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

Cook for five minutes then stir in basil and tarragon. Remove from heat.

When pasta has been cooking for about five minutes, add asparagus and peas to pasta. Bring back to a boil and cook for another few minutes. Drain the pasta and the veggies.

Put pasta and veggies in a large bowl. Add all of the ricotta and half the parmesan to the pasta. Mix well.

Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large casserole dish. Add all of the zit and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Dot the top of the dish with the mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.

Bake for about twelve minutes.

What did the family think? Hubby thought it was good. I loved the chunks of mozzarella. Our oldest said it was the best pasta I’ve ever made. (Not sure about that.) Even our youngest ate it without much fuss…can’t ask for more than that. 🙂

from Rachel Ray

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Not so Easy, Vegetarian

· 12:41 am

Chipotle Potpie

A traditional dish…with a twist.

Ingredients:
Topping:
7-oz. can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
2 1/4 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-in. pieces
1 c. milk
1 tspn. salt
1/4 tspn. pepper

Filling:
2 lbs. ground hamburger, turkey or chicken
Cooking spray
2 c. onion, chopped
1 c. carrot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. frozen peas, thawed
1/2 c. crushed tomatoes
3 T A-1 steak sauce (or something like it)
2 T tomato paste
1/2 tspn. pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For topping…remove one chile from can and coarsely chop. Set chile and can of chiles to the side.

Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain.

Put potatoes, chopped chile, milk, 2 tspn. adobo sauce, salt and 1/4 tspn. pepper in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium speed until smooth.

For filling…cook hamburger in a large pan, stirring to crumble, until cooked through. Drain fat and transfer meat to a medium bowl.

Spray pan with cooking spray. Put on medium-high heat and add carrots, onion and garlic. Saute for about five minutes or until tender.

Add beef back to pan with carrots and onion mixture. Add peas and the remaining ingredients. Heat through for about two minutes.

Spoon beef mixture into a casserole dish. Spread sweet potatoes evenly over beef mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

What did the family think? This was not a hit at my house. That said, I really liked it. I don’t think I will be making it again though since I was the only one who liked it.

recipe from Cooking Light

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June 2, 2010 · 10:33 pm

Mexican Skillet Dinner

This dinner had to quickly evolve when I realized I didn’t have any rice left in the pantry that would be done in 20 minutes or less.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, beef or chicken
1 cup onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, not drained
1 T chili powder
1 1/2 c. cooked rice
1 c. Mexican shredded cheese

Directions:
Make the rice according to the directions on the package.

In a large skillet, brown hamburger over medium-high heat. Add onions to the skillet as the hamburger is cooking.

When the hamburger is done cooking, drain the fat.

Add tomatoes and chili powder to hamburger. Heat through.

When the rice is done add it to the skillet. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for five minutes.

Spoon into individual bowls and top with cheese.

Did I change anything? Yes because I had no rice. So anything in the above recipe that mentions rice I didn’t do. Instead it ended up being more like a taco salad. We did have tortilla chips, so I spooned the meat and tomato mixture into bowls, topped it with cheese and then everyone crushed tortilla chips up into their bowls. Hey, it worked and no one went to bed hungry. 🙂

What did the family think? I thought this recipe needed more flavor. Maybe if I made it again I would use Rotel tomatoes instead of just diced tomatoes? It definitely needed more zip though. Hubby says he liked it. Our oldest liked it…I think the novelty of crushing up the chips helped. Our youngest even ate it without too much fuss.

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Filed under Easy, Mexican, Six Ingredients or Less

June 1, 2010 · 10:11 pm

Greek Chicken Pasta

The feta is what makes this dish yummo!

Ingredients:
1 lb. uncooked penne or similar shaped pasta
1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
14 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. dried parsley
2 T lemon juice
2 tspn. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta per directions on the packaging.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and onion to pan. Cook until chicken is cooked through.

Reduce heat to medium low and add artichoke hearts, tomato, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir until heated through.

Put a serving of pasta in a bowl for each person. Put chicken mixture on top of pasta. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on top of each serving.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. I must say though that without that feta cheese, I don’t think it would have been very tasty. Our oldest really liked the feta. He even asked for more. He pretty much ate everything except the tomato and the artichokes. Our youngest ate the chicken after much-MUCH whining about how he ALLLLLWAAAYYYYS has to eat chicken. I told him tomorrow we won’t have chicken. That will give him something new to complain about. 🙂

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Chicken