Recipe of the Week 10/05/09---Rice Pudding

Why is it that when you order Chinese food you always end up with tons of left over white rice? I have the perfect use for all this leftover rice. Pudding!!

Ingredients


Leftover rice
Milk
Sugar
Vanilla

Put the rice in a sauce pot. I used about three cups.

Add 1/2 cup sugar. You can also use splenda.

Add milk. Around three cups.

Hmmm. I feel like coconut rice pudding. Add a handful of coconut.

Now bring to a boil and then lower back to a simmer. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the milk and is creamy. Make sure to stir often. You can add rasiens or cinnamon.

October Menus

1. Pork roast, sour kraut, mashed potatoes
2. Pepperoni chicken, mac&cheese, reas
3. Satay chicken, rice
4. Hamburger Helper
5. Taco's, Rice
6. Chicken Curry, rice
7. French toast, bacon
8. Shrimp, corn on the cob, potatoes
9. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots
10. Cheesy Shells
11. Chicken Noodle Soup
12. Smothered meatloaf, green beans
13. Lemon Chicken, rice, broccoli
14. Ham steak, cheesy potatoes, peas
15. Pizza HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!
16. Mexican Lasanga
17. Eat out for Alex's B-Day
18. Crispy chicken wraps, pasta salad
19. Pork chops, potatoes, lima beans
20. Crabby Patties, fries
21. Shake and Bake chicken, mashed potatoes, peas
22. Eggs, fried potatoes
23. Spaghetti, Meatballs, Sauce
24. Chimichangas, rice
25. Corn Dogs, Baked Beans, Carrots
26. Cream cheese chicken, noodles, peas
27. Chicken cordon bleu, broccoli, rice
28. Potato soup, PB sandwhich
29. Salmon Cakes, mac&cheese, peas
30. Pork chops, rice, cali blend
31. Lasanga, Garlic Bread

Recipe of the Week 09/05/09----Pasta alla Carbonara

Ingredients
1lb linguine pasta
4 eggs
1 pound bacon (pancetta would be good to if you have access to it)
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
8-12 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine (I use more stock because of the little ones)
1/2 stick of butter
1 handful of parsley
1-2 tablespoons black pepper




Slice up one pound of bacon in about 1 inch pieces. Yummy bacon.


Toss the bacon in a pan to cook.


While your bacon is cooking put your water onto boil for your pasta.

Chop one onion.


Make sure you check on your bacon so it doesn't burn. Burnt bacon is NOT good.


Once the bacon is cooked pull it out with a slotted spoon and reserve it for later.


Put the diced onion into the bacon grease to cook for a couple of mins.


While your onions are cooking slice up your garlic into thin pieces.


Throw the garlic in with the onions to cook. Do NOT put the garlic in with the onions at the same time. The garlic will burn before your onions cook.


Check your pasta water. It should be boiling by now. Add some salt and the pasta. Cook about 9-12 mins. Check the package for instructions.


Remove onions and garlic and reserve with the bacon.
(Oops forgot to take a picture of this)

Discard the bacon grease, but do NOT clean the pan. Place pan on high heat and de-glaze with wine or stock. De-glaze is a fancy word for pouring liquid in a pan and scraping up the yummy bits.


Whisk until all the brown yummy bits come up from the bottom. Add another cup of stock and the bacon, onions, and garlic and let simmer over medium heat.


In a large bowl (it is going to hold all of your pasta so make it a big-un) crack four eggs. Add parmasean and chopped up parsley (I didn't have fresh so it is dried for me). Mix it up.


Drain pasta.


Add pasta to egg mixture. Don't panic the heat from the pasta will definitely cook the eggs.


Add the bacon mixture on top of the pasta.


Then add 1/2 stick of butter on top of that. Hey back off I never said this was a healthy recipe.


Mix it all up together with lots of black pepper.


Yummy stuff. Pasta alla Carbonara is like heaven on a plate. WOW!! Seriously this is one of my favorite meals ever. It is, as you can see, not very healthy. Definitely a sometimes food as Elmo would say. I sure hope you enjoy this as much as my family does. I threw in some picture of the boys so you can see just how much they love it. Happy Eating!!!

As requested - Beef Stew

Okay I didn't take any pictures of this one. I will next time though and repost it so you can see it through it's stages.

Ingredients

Stew Meat or a chuck steak cut into chunks
Tomato Paste
Onion
Garlic
Carrots - I used the baby ones so I wouldn't have to peel them
Potatoes
Thyme
Bay leaves
any other spices you like
flour
red wine vinegar - this is my secret ingredient.

Heat a bit of oil in the bottom of your stew pot. Brown off the meat. You don't have to cook it through. Reserve it on a plate for a bit later.

In the same oil add the onion that has been cut up (how ever you want to cut it will work) and two whole cloves of garlic that have been smashed (if you buy garlic minced in a jar it will work too, just don't add it until the next step to keep it from burning).

When that has cooked down a bit add about a half a can of tomato paste. Stir to get it all incorporated. Then add carrots and potatoes. Stirring a bit to get them all coated with the oil and tomato paste.

Sprinkle some flour over the veggies, I probably used 1/3 to 1/2 a cup in mine. Stir and let it cook (keep stirring) for a few minutes to get the flour tasted to go away. Then add beef broth. You can also used water with bouillon or beef stock. I used about 2 quarts or so. Make sure it covers everything by at least an inch or so.

Add a couple of of bay leaves, some thyme, salt, pepper, and whatever else you like in beef stew. I added marjoram to mine as well. Return beef and all the juice that has come out back into the stew pot.

DON"T panic. I know it is very thin. The idea is to cook it low and slow for several hours. Make sure to stir occasionally. After that period of time it should be nice and stew like. About 10 mins before you serve it add about 3 T of red wine vinegar. I know it is weird but it adds a great depth of flavor.

Happy Eating!!

Have I mentioned I love my seal-a-meal!!!

I few months ago a good friend of mine (love you Stephanie) convinced me to by a Seal-A-Meal. You know, one of those things that sucks all the air out of a bag to keep your food from getting freezer burn. I have seen and wanted one of these for years. The only problem...I was sure it would be a waste of money. I mean honestly. I rotate my freezers every month.

Well ever since I bought it I am finding more and more uses for it. I can custom fit the bags which allows for less plastic waste. I can buy in bulk and freeze plenty of meat (yes it really does prevent freezer burn). Best of all I can make up little dinner kits. Tonight I made up crabby patty mix, meat loaf mix, and chicken cigar mix. All of the spices are included and mixed in already cutting down on my everyday cooking time. I also made a meat sauce for a Mexican lasagna and sealed some pork chops with a marinade already in the bag. Genius I tell you, GENUIS!!

September Menus

All things in bold are new recipes...

1. Pork chops, cheesy potatoes, peas
2. Chicken nuggets, baked beans, salad
3. Tacos, rice
4. Chicken chimichangas
5. Carbonara
6. Sweet and Spicy glazed Cornish Hens, Mashed pots, green beans
7. Shrimp Scampi
8. Pizza, corn
9. meatloaf, mac + cheese, Lima beans
10. Breakfast
11. Chicken Mushroom Balsamic + orzo
12. Mexican lasagna
13. Baked potatoes
14. Pepperoni chicken, mashed potatoes, corn
15. Pork roast, carrots, potatoes
16. Chicken curry, rice
17. Penne alla panna
18. Frittata
19. Roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots
20. Chicken noodle soup
21. Chicken Divan
22. Salisbury Steak, mashed potatoes, peas
23. Salmon cakes, mac+cheese, peas
24. omelets
25. Lemon Chicken, rice, green beans
26. Chicken cigars, tator tots
27. Stuffed Shells
28. Ham Steak, cheesy potatoes, peas
29 Pork chops, fried pots, corn
30. Beef fajitas, rice

Recipe of the Week 08/11/09---Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients


Cooked chicken breast
picante sauce
oregano
cumin
shredded cheddar
Tortillas (the flour ones that say for burritos)

Directions

Cube up the chicken. Ours was left over from a roasted chicken the day before. You need about a 1 1/2 to 2 cups.


Add 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar.


Add 3/4 of a cup of picante sauce.


Next add one teaspoon of both of both oregano and cumin.


Mix it all together and spoon about 1/2 cup down the middle of the tortilla.


Fold the tortilla up like a little package and place it in a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray.


Keep going until all the filling is used up. Then brush the little packages with a little melted butter. Cook in a 350 oven for 25 mins.


Pull them out and top with 3/4 cup picante sauce and a bit more cheese. Back in the oven for another five minutes.


After five minutes they will look like this. Yummy stuff. Happy Eating!!!

Recipe of the Week 08/01/09---Chocolate Pear Pudding

Ingredients


1 1/4 sticks butter softened (see Brian trying to touch it)
2 cans pear halves in juice
3/4 cup plus 1 T. all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs (not pictured)
2 tsp. vanilla
a pinch of salt


Grease an 8x8 baking dish with a bit of butter. Place the pears cut side down in the bottom of the dish. Put the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until you have a smooth batter. You will have to stop and scrape down the sides at least once.

Spread the batter over the pears. If some of the pears poke through it is okay.




Bake at 400 for 30 mins. This comes out crunchy on top and ooie gooie in the middle. Very tasty. And all of the ingredients come from the pantry. Great for last min desserts. Here is a picture after my family devoured it.


Not so many pictures this time. The kids were "helping" me. Happy Eating!!!

Treasure hunting at the farmers market....

We went treasure hunting at the farmers market again today. I highly recommend this to everyone. Especially those who enjoy produce. Today we got an eggplant, two zucchini, a broccoli head, kale, and some tomatoes......the cost only 8 dollars.

Chicken and Mushrooms in a Balsamic Cream Sauce Review

This was a hit in our house. I was a bit worked about it at first. Vinegar and cream just didn't seem like a good combo to me. However, there is only 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 3 of cream. It works out perfectly. I have always heard the mushrooms are meaty. For the first time I truly understood that statement. This was a very tasty, very easy dinner. We will definitely be making this one again.

Food should be fun...

Everyone knows that food is a necessity for life. Most of us moms (and dads) find cooking dinner a chore. It's something that we have to do everyday no matter what. It doesn't matter how bad we slept or how long our day at work was. Dinner is a must. Especially when you have an 18 month old who is screaming at the top of his lungs because he thinks making dinner should take 2 seconds. My solution to the drudgery of every day dinner making. HAVE FUN WITH IT. Yep make it a game with the kids, or just add some food coloring to something. Check out what we had for dinner tonight.



That's right Green Eggs and Ham. I like them. I like them Sam-I-Am.

Happy eating.

Recipe of the Week 07/26/09----Lasagna

This weeks recipe is dedicated to Stephanie. She is make lasagna for the first time today. Although hers is a slow cooker recipe, I thought I would show everyone how to make a traditional lasagna.

Ingredients

Lasagna noodles (duh)
Spaghetti Sauce
Parm Cheese
Ricotta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Oregano
Egg

Boil the noodles...Don't overcook these. They will cook more in the oven.


While the noodles are boiling mix up the cheese filling. Two containers of ricotta cheese.


One teaspoon of oregano. Like my measuring spoon?


One fourth of a cup of Parmesan cheese. See my measuring spoon doubles as a measuring cup too.


A big handful of shredded mozzarella cheese.


One egg.


Mix it all together and set it aside.


In a 9x13 baking dish spread a little spaghetti sauce. Don't forget to do this. If you do your bottom noodles will get all hard and gross. Trust me!


On top of the thin layer of sauce add your first layer of noodles. About three fits nicely into my dish.


On top of the noodles add a layer of the cheese mixture. I find making small dollops and then spreading is the easiest way.


Next add a layer of sauce.


Keep making layers until you get to the top of your dish. The last layer should be sauce and then shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for one hour. Don't forget to let it set for at least 15 mins before cutting it.


Here's a little secret for you. The cheese mixture is the same one I use to make stuffed shells. Very tasty. Happy eating everyone!!