Category Archives: Everybody Ate It

January 21, 2011 · 10:08 pm

Pumpkin Ravioli

To help save on time, I made the filling and cut the ravioli circles in the afternoon so that when it was time to make dinner all I had to do was fill them and cook them.

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium white beans
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large egg
72 wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1½ cups jarred marinara sauce

Instructions:
Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil.

Place the beans, pumpkin puree, ricotta, Parmesan, and garlic powder into a food processor. Process until smooth.

In a small bowl, beat the egg.

Set the wonton wrappers on a cutting board. Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto a wrapper. Brush the edges of the wonton with the egg wash. Top off with another wonton sheet. To make a round shape, cut around the base of the pumpkin can. Press the edges of the ravioli together firmly, to seal.

As you fill each ravioli, place them on a baking sheet sprinkled with the cornstarch. When you are done filling all the ravioli, carefully place them in the boiling water using a slotted spoon.

As soon as they rise, about 4 minutes, they are done. Lift them out with the slotted spoon and divide between serving bowls. Top with marinara sauce and serve immediately.

Did I change anything? I couldn’t find any wonton wrappers, so I used egg roll wrappers which I think are essentially the same thing, just bigger, which meant I could made two circles out of one wrapper. I also used my Pampered Chef circle cutter to make the circles and then I filled them and then I used the pumpkin can to seal them by just pressing the empty pumpkin can down around the edges of the wrapper to seal the filling in. In other words, I went through way too much work and I should have just left them in square shapes like the picture.

What did the family think? Both the boys loved it and there were enough leftovers to pack in lunches the next day. I thought it was just okay. I think the texture of the “noodles” is what threw me off a little. Hubby was still out of town, so he missed it.

from Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

January 19, 2011 · 6:05 pm

Santa Maria Chicken

Some friends from church had us over for dinner a few weeks ago and this chicken was so good I had to ask for the recipe. The kids liked it so much that is was almost embarrassing how much they ate. It is so easy, too…four ingredients…it doesn’t get much easier than that.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce

Instructions:
Put all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and marinate for at least four hours.

When you are ready to cook it, heat up grill to medium-high. Throw out marinade and cook chicken on grill until cooked through.

We had this will salad, bread and butter and corn.

What did the family think? Like I said before, the kids ate so much of this at their house that I was embarrassed. I was kind of worried that mine wouldn’t turn out right, but it did and they ate it right up.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

· 9:15 am

Super Easy Crock Pot French Dip Sammies

My very dear friend, Candy, posted this on Facebook not too long ago and I thought I would give it a try. I had a feeling the boys would like it and I like anything that’s easy that involves provolone cheese.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs beef brisket (use more or less depending on your family’s appetite)
1 can beef broth
1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion Soup Mix
yellow or white onion, cut in wedges (totally optional–the flavor of the beef comes out just as good without this)
Italian Seasoning (totally optional, again)
Sliced bread, hoagie rolls, or other “bun” of choice
Provolone cheese (totally optional, again)

Instructions:
Spray inside of crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Take the Italian Seasoning (if you are using it) and sprinkle on all sides of the beef.

Place beef (fat side down) in crock pot.

Add onions, if you are using them.

Mix beef broth and soup mix by whisking a few times in a bowl.

Pour the combined beef broth/soup mix into crockpot with beef (& onions).

Cook on LOW setting for 8 hours or HIGH for 4-6 hours. (This is much better when cooked SLOW and long rather than on high and for shorter amount of time, but I have done both. If you’re in a pinch for time, then go with the HIGH setting if you must!)

Once beef is done, simply slice or shred up, place in bread or bun of choice, top with cheese (we have also used shredded cheddar and have omitted cheese completely and it’s been fine!).

Ladle out au jus sauce from crock pot and put in a small bowl for each person.
Dip sandwich to your liking, eat, and enjoy!

Did I change anything? I left out the onions and I couldn’t find the exact right flavor of Lipton soup mix at the grocery store, so I used Beef and Mushroom instead.

What did the family think? Hubby was out of town, so he missed out. Our oldest loved it and so did I. Our youngest really liked it too, but he decided to dip his in catsup instead of au jus.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

January 15, 2011 · 3:25 pm

Buttermilk Pancakes

These are so good. The secret? You have to shake the buttermilk first.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups buttermilk (shake it first)
Cooking spray

Instructions:
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs and buttermilk. Whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

Heat oven to 175 degrees. Test griddle/pan by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough.

Spray pan/griddle with cooking spray.

Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other.

When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Did I change anything? The recipe called for butter in the batter, but I left it out (not on purpose), but they stilled turned out scrumptious!

What did the family think? Thumbs up all around! This recipe also made enough for leftovers, so we will be warming these up for breakfast again tomorrow!

from marthastewart.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

January 13, 2011 · 6:18 pm

Italian Wedding Soup

I got one of Rachel Ray’s cookbooks for Christmas a few years ago. This is one of my favorite soups. I know it has a lot of ingredients, but it’s really pretty easy. I love that the meatballs cook in the soup.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettucini or ditalini
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg.

Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth.

When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir.

Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve.

Adjust your seasonings. Serve soup with crusty bread

What did the family think? We love anything with meatballs! 🙂

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Stew/Soup

· 6:02 pm

Pork Chops with Apples

This is a nice dish to have on a chilly fall or winter evening.

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops
2 tsp chopped fresh sage
Salt and ground pepper
3 T olive oil
1 large red onion, but into 1/2-inch wedges
2 Granny Smith apples, but into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup apple cider

Instructions:
Rub both sides of the pork chops with the sage and salt and pepper to taste.

Heat a large skillet over high heat, add 1 T olive oil and sear the chops until golden on both sides, about five minutes total.

Transfer chops to plate. Wipe out skillet. Add 2 T olive oil, onion and apples and cook over medium-high heat until lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the cider.

Return chops to skillet with apples and onions. Cover and cook, turning chops once, until just cooked through.

Place the chops on a plate. You can serve the onion/apple mixture on top of the pork chops or on the side. We had this with mashed potatoes.

What did the family think? These were really good..very moist. I think having them simmer in the apple cider really helped keep them tender and juicy. Everyone ate them up!

from Food Network

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Filed under Everybody Ate It, Pork

January 11, 2011 · 8:49 am

Ravioli and Meatball Casserole

This takes a little while to bake, but it was perfect for last night. We were watching the BCS football game, so it baked while we watched. It was worth the wait, too. There was not one drop of this left…the whole family loved it.

Ingredients:
1 (26 ounce) jar tomato pasta sauce
1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
24 frozen cooked meatballs
1 (9 ounce) package refrigerated cheese ravioli
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2 quart casserole mix pasta sauce and soup until smooth. Stir in meatballs and ravioli.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15-25 minutes or until bubbly.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, let stand for 5 minutes to melt cheese before serving.

Did I change anything? The only thing I wish was different about this recipe is that it made more food. We all wanted more. 🙂

What did the family think? It was a hit!

from food.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Six Ingredients or Less

January 7, 2011 · 10:15 am

Roasted Chicken with Root Vegetables

It’s another Jessica Seinfeld recipe. I saw her make this one on Oprah, too. This recipe turns out looking so beautiful and it smells and tastes amazing.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
1 Tbsp. and 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. crushed black pepper
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lemon
6 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 pound carrots , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound parsnips , cut into 3-inch sticks
1 pound small red potatoes , halved

Instructions:
Heat the oven to 400°. On a sheet pan, toss the carrots, parsnips and potatoes with 2 tablespoons of oil, 4 sprigs rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken and season with the remaining salt and pepper, then rub with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Pierce the lemons several times with the tip of a paring knife and stuff, along with 2 sprigs of the rosemary, into the cavity of the chicken. Using cooking twine, tie the legs together.

Nestle the chicken among the vegetables and put in the oven—with the chicken’s legs toward the back of the oven. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through (the internal temperature reaches 175° in the thickest part of the thigh), 55 to 60 minutes.

Carve and serve with the roasted vegetables.

Did I change anything? Yes, I cooked the chicken at 450 degrees for the first ten minutes to give the skin a crunchy finish, then I lowered the temperature to 375 degrees for the rest of the cooking time. You want to make sure you cook the chicken for about 20 minutes per pound. I had a six pound roaster, so I cooked it for about two hours. I did not put the veggies in with the chicken until about the last hour and I left out the parsnips and added big chunks of onion. (I LOVE roasted onions.) I didn’t tie his legs up either and it turned out just fine. Also, after you take the chicken out of the oven, let it rest for about 15 minutes before you start carving it.

What did the family think? The boys were not thrilled with the roasted veggies but they liked the chicken. The carrots where my absolute favorite part of the whole meal. They were SO good. Hubby liked it, too, but he had to have it reheated since he got home late, so it just wasn’t the same.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It

January 6, 2011 · 1:57 pm

Buttermilk Southwestern Grilled Chicken or Fish

I had some buttermilk in my frig that was going to go bad. This sounded pretty good and would use up most of my buttermilk, so I thought I would give it a try. One thing I liked about this recipe right off the bat is the marinade can be used for chicken and fish. Also, this has to marinate for a while so plan accordingly. 🙂

Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk
1 lime, zested and juiced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder (or any pure chili powder)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
Hot sauce, to taste (recommended: Tabasco)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 bone-in or boneless chicken breasts (each about 6 to 8 ounces)
Canola oil

Instructions:
Whisk together the buttermilk, lime zest and juice, garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, hot sauce, cilantro, and salt and pepper, to taste, in a large bowl.

Pour the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag, add the chicken, seal the bag and refrigerate. Marinate bone-in chicken up to 12 hours, boneless up to 4 hours, chicken legs or breasts, up to 24 hours. If using fish, marinate white fish such as snapper, halibut or bass up to 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill pan over medium-low heat for boneless breasts and fish, and medium heat for bone-in breasts, thighs and legs.

Remove the meat/fish from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste, on both sides. Grill until golden brown and charred on both sides and just cooked through.

Cook’s Note:

This recipe also includes the method for fish.

Boneless chicken breasts: about 9 minutes total

Chicken thighs/legs: about 20 minutes total

Bone-in chicken breasts: about 15 minutes total

White Fish: about 8 minutes total

We had this with cole slaw and some biscuits.

Did I change anything? No, I just used boneless chicken breasts.

What did the family think? I am not a huge fan of grilled anything, but hubby and the kids really liked it. Our youngest didn’t even ask for catsup with his chicken which I thought was weird. He ALWAYS has catsup with his chicken…even if the chicken is in soup or a casserole. He will almost always dig the chicken out and dip it in the catsup…not with this one though.

from Food Network

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Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Fish, Lent, Make Ahead of Time

January 3, 2011 · 9:30 pm

Cake Mix Cookies

I was looking for a recipe for easy cookies…yep, doesn’t get much easier than these.

Ingredients:
1 (18.25 ounce) package vanilla flavored cake mix
2 egg yolks
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat egg yolks and margarine together until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Gradually add cake mix while beating with an electric mixer. Mixture should be stiff. If it is sticky to the touch, refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Form teaspoonfuls of the dough into balls, and dip tops in sugar. Place on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes for soft cookies, and for 13 minutes for crispy cookies.

Did I change anything? I didn’t this time, but I got to thinking that if you can use vanilla cake mix, why couldn’t you use chocolate cake mix or carrot cake mix or whatever cake mix you wanted to use? I bet these would be SUPER tasty with chocolate cake mix.

What did the family think? We had these as our New Year’s Eve dinner dessert with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. It makes quite a few, so we are still eating them along with the leftover ice cream. Everybody loves them!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian