October 7, 2010 · 11:20 am

Crock Pot Pork with Chutney

For the record, I am not a huge pork fan. I do have a couple of pork crock pot recipes though that we really like, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Ingredients:
3-5 lb. pork (may use smoked pork shoulder)
1 large onion, sliced
2 apples, peel & cut up in pieces
2 Tablespoons chutney or 1 cup dried fruit (mixed)
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup water
1 or 2 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Cook all ingredients together in crock pot 4 or 5 hours on high temperature.

Remove bay leaf. Slice meat and serve.

We had this with a salad, corn on the cob and a apple and banana fruit salad.

Did I change anything? I used a chutney called Farmhouse Chutney from Stonewall Kitchen instead of the dried fruit. This worked out nicely because we used the leftover chutney as a condiment and it was great. Also, the recipe called for pork shoulder which I used but it was VERY fatty. I don’t know if that’s normal, but I think next time I would choose a much leaner cut.

What did the family think? My husband, me and our oldest liked it with the chutney. Our youngest got out old faithful…the ketchup. 🙂

from momswhothink.com

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Filed under Easy, Pork, Super Easy to Make

October 6, 2010 · 9:38 pm

Zucchini Noodles

I have wanted to try this recipe since May when I read A Homemade Life. The only problem was I needed a mandoline to slice the noodles/zucchini the right way and I didn’t have one. My dear sweet generous MIL bought me one a week or so ago just for the heck of it.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, trimmed
3 T olive oil
3/4 lb. dry spaghetti
Spaghetti sauce

Instructions:
Put a large pot of water over high heat and cook the pasta per the directions on the box. DO NOT DRAIN.

While the water heats, prepare the zucchini. Using a mandoline slicer fitted with the julienne blade, carefully slice the zucchini into long, skinny noodles, each about the width of a strand of spaghetti.

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini “noodles” and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy.

When the pasta is done, use tongs to transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add zucchini to bowl and toss to mix.

Serve with spaghetti sauce and parmesan.

We had this with some meatballs (which I had made ahead of time…I just put them in the pot of spaghetti sauce and while the spaghetti sauce warmed up on the stove, the meatballs warmed up, too) and some grapes.

Did I change anything? I made this pretty much the way the recipe calls for. You can, however, completely leave out the pasta, and just serve the zucchini noodles. My favorite Italian restaurant has this on their menu and I order it almost every time.

What did the family think? You won’t even know there is zucchini in there. It is SO good and such a neat way to get some extra veggies in there as well.

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

October 5, 2010 · 10:55 am

Taco Quiche

This takes a little while to bake, so make sure you have enough time. We had dinner a little late last night because I started making this before I realized how long it had to cook.

Ingredients:
3 large soft flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef or 1 lb ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can chopped green chilies
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese or 2 cups monterey jack pepper cheese
8 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups sour cream
Garnish: chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sliced black olive, salsa

Instructions:
Line a greased 13x9x2 baking dish with the tortillas, tearing to fit if necessary.

Cook the meat and onion in a skillet. Drain off excess fat.

Add garlic, chilies, and seasonings.

Spoon the mixture onto the tortillas. Sprinkle with the cheese.

Beat eggs well and then blend in the sour cream. Pour this mixture on top of the meat and cheese.

Bake in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.

Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish and enjoy.

Did I change anything? I didn’t, but if I was doing to make this again I think I would make it with chorizo instead of hamburger, but maybe not as much chorizo so it’s not too spicy.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it! I was kind of surprised, but everyone liked it. Sean and I spiced ours up a bit with some salsa and the boys ate theirs plain.

from food.com

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

October 4, 2010 · 2:20 pm

Zucchini Bread

Our oldest has been asking me for quite some time to make some zucchini bread, so I figured I had put it off long enough.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil OR 1 cup applesauce (for lower fat content)
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Beat eggs, oil/applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well.

Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Did I change anything? I didn’t add the nuts because I know our family likes it better without. Also, I used the applesauce instead of the oil, but I think the texture of the bread is better when you use the oil.

What did the family think? They love zucchini bread and it’s great for breakfast, snacks and dessert. Also, since this makes two loaves…this bread freezes really well.

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Vegetarian

October 3, 2010 · 9:29 pm

Candy’s Cozi Classic Chicken

My good friend, Candy, entered this recipe in a recipe contest a year or so ago and won a sizable chunk of change, so it has got to be good. Right? Right!

Ingredients:
3 – 4 lb chicken parts (8 pieces)
Olive oil
Salt
Ground black pepper

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Briefly run chicken pieces under water to rinse and pat dry with paper towels.

Drizzle olive oil on bottom of a roasting pan. Thoroughly rub chicken pieces with olive oil to coat.

Sprinkle both sides of chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place chicken pieces with skin side up in the pan.

Cook for 30 minutes at 400°F. Lower oven temp to 350°F and cook for 15-30 minutes more or until juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife or the internal temperature of the chicken breasts is 170°F.

Optional: To brown chicken pieces, place under broiler for 7-10 minutes of cooking.
When chicken is done, remove from oven and tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving

What did the family think? We all LOVED it. Yes, even our youngest who can’t stand chicken said it was good. That’s a huge compliment.

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

October 2, 2010 · 8:11 am

Brownies Not From a Box

I got this recipe from my good friend, Janelle. They are as good as she said they were and they are easy. You don’t have to get a bunch of dishes dirty to make them and you probably already have everything you need to make these…I love it when that happens.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter
3/4 c. cocoa powder
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. flour

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave for about 1 minute. Add cocoa powder, stir and continue to microwave until butter is melted. Add both sugars to the butter/cocoa mixture. Stir. Add eggs and vanilla. Stir. Lastly add flour. Stir. Put in a greased “one size smaller than a 9×13″ pan. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Try not to eat them all at once.

What did the family think? My oldest had a friend over after school and both of them gave these brownies two thumbs up. Then my hubby had some and while he was walking around the kitchen eating them, he was singing about how good they are.

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

October 1, 2010 · 12:43 pm

Sweet Potato Fries

You can either buy whole sweet potatoes for this, or cheat and save yourself some prep time and use
pre-cut sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:
12 oz. of Pre-cut sweet potatoes or 3-4 sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Instructions:
If you are using whole potatoes, peel and cut them into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick sticks. If any of the “sticks” are pointy at the end, chop the pointy part off as it will cook too quickly and burn. You want them all to be uniform in thickness. If you are using pre-cut potatoes, skip this step and move on to the next step.

Next, evenly coat the sweet potatoes with olive oil by placing potatoes in a bowl and drizzling olive oil over them. Toss to coat.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss again.

Spread them out evenly on a baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Turn potatoes over and cook for another 10 minutes or until crispy and browned. Enjoy!

What did the family think? Hubby and I could have eaten about six more servings of these. My kids don’t know a good thing when they taste it. They ate them, but they certainly didn’t like them. Weirdos. 🙂

adapted from Trader Joe’s recipe

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

September 30, 2010 · 2:06 pm

Taco Slaw

I would have never of thought of putting cabbage in Mexican food like this, but it totally works and it’s a great way to get some more veggies.

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey, hamburger or chicken
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 package taco seasoning
2 1/2 cups diced canned tomatoes
5 cups cabbage, shredded (I bought the pre-packaged kind that is already shredded w/carrots in it.)
5 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
5 T sour cream
10 flour tortillas

Instructions:
Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat.

Stir in taco seasoning and diced tomatoes with their juice. Simmer 5 minutes.

Add the shredded cabbage and cook 5-8 minutes, until cabbage is tender. Stir as needed.

Serve with cheese, sour cream and tortillas.

We had this with tortillas, but you could also serve it over rice instead. Also, this recipe makes a lot of food. We probably have enough leftovers for a second dinner.

What did the family think? I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I REALLY liked it. Hubby kind of liked it and the kids were not impressed at all.

from food.com

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Filed under Easy, Mexican, Super Easy to Make

September 29, 2010 · 9:48 am

Sausage Cauliflower Spaghetti

This is a light pasta dish…no marinara…just a little olive oil.

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
12 ounces spaghetti
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
12 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as the label directs. Reserve 2 cups cooking water, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic to the pan and cook for about two minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage/garlic mixture from the pan and set aside.

Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook until the edges are browned, about 2 minutes. (If there is too much oil in the pan to put the cauliflower in, drain some of it off first and then add the cauliflower.) Drain remaining oil and add 1 cup of the reserved cooking water, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 8 more minutes. Uncover and boil over high heat until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 more minutes.

In a large bowl, combine pasta, sausage, cauliflower and scallions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt. Toss to coat.

Add up to one cup of the reserved water to moisten. Sprinkle with cheese and toss again.

Divide among shallow bowls and drizzle with more olive oil, if desired.

What did the family think? Well, I happened to have some marinara in the pantry, so I got it out because I know how ALL of my boys feel about pasta without marinara. I told them, however, that it would be MUCH better without the marinara as they heaped generous portions of marinara onto their pasta. Hubby said I was right, it was better without the sauce. I think the kids were happier with the sauce though. Also, we next to never have cauliflower. Seriously, I can’t think of one time that I have made cauliflower in the past five years. The boys were a little wary. Our oldest did eat some of it but he wasn’t very impressed. Our youngest ate around the cauliflower.

from Food Network

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Filed under Italian

September 28, 2010 · 9:09 am

Spiced Coucous and Chicken

This came together very quickly and was a good dinner to make on a busy soccer night.

Ingredients:
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper
4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup couscous
2 cups coarsely shredded rotisserie chicken
3 T unsalted butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup golden raisins
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for topping
Plain Greek yogurt, for topping

Instructions:
Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, the ginger, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add the carrots and cook until crisp tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the carrots, RESERVING THE COOKING LIQUID.

Put chicken and uncooked couscous in a medium bowl. Pour 1 cup of the hot cooking liquid on top. Stir, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for five minutes. Fluff couscous with fork when done.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds, raisins, scallions, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Cook, stirring, until the almonds are toasted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.

Divide the couscous and chicken among bowls. Top with the carrots and more of the cooking liquid. Sprinkle with the almond mixture and more cilantro. Top with yogurt.

Did I change anything? Well, I didn’t read the recipe all the way through before I started (big mistake) and didn’t save all of the water left over from the carrots. Lesson learned.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked this. There are so many flavors, textures and smells going on with this dish…it was a nice surprise. The boys like all of the parts, but when you put them all together they were a little unsure. Our oldest ended up eating everything but the couscous. Our youngest ate the chicken and the carrots and maybe a raisin or two.

from Food Network magazine

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Filed under Chicken