Healthy Chorizo! No, seriously, really it’s healthy.

Get this. I have no menu for November. No kidding! I am flying by the seat of my pants. Aside from weekend plans to make large batches of freezer-friendly meals, I haven’t even pulled my November 2008 menu to copy. We will be out of town and there's an abundance of things in the freezer and pantry to work with. So, anyway, I asked Shirley, a very health-conscientious gal who runs the child care at my gym, what my family should have for dinner tonight. She is full of good, healthful ideas and even teaches people in her home kitchen how to cook without fats, dairy, meats and still enjoy yummy food. Shirley used to have diabetes and suffered a stroke several years ago and completely reversed the direction her health was taking with some major dietary modifications and exercise. She said to try the Mexican Chorizo Sausage at Trader Joes that is made from soy and is completely vegetarian. She said the spices in the chorizo will flavor a whole stir fry dish of veggies, (She also suggested adding diced tofu), and we could have them with whole wheat wraps. Simple. Sounds good. Sounds healthy. I was in.

When we arrived at Trader Joe’s, my 2 year old pointed at broccoli slaw. I took it as a sign and grabbed it. Why not? So with some onions and peppers I already had at home, broccoli slaw, mushrooms, Soy Chorizo, turmeric rice (for my carb-loving husband), and whole wheat wraps we had a delicious dinner. Get this - the Chorizo was only $2 and I only used ½ of it and threw the other half in the freezer. Thank God I had the sense to taste it before adding the whole package because I found out that it was quite spicy. The veggies were plenty to dull the spice along with some mild salsa so my kids could eat it with no problem.

Mexican Soy Chorizo Wraps

1 onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
½ bag broccoli slaw
4 oz finely diced mushrooms (less complaints by children)

1 can black beans, drained
6 oz Mexican Soy Chorizo
Salsa
1 cup rice – cooked with 1 tsp turmeric

Warm a little olive oil in a skillet. (Shirley only uses water). Cook onion and peppers for approximately 4 minutes, add crumbled Chorizo. Add a few TBs of water if needed to prevent burning, then add broccoli slaw, mushrooms and black beans. Add a little salsa if desired to the vegetable stir fry. Wrap a good layer of rice, veggies, salsa and light sour cream, (if desired), in a whole wheat wrap and enjoy!

It was a Poppy Turkey Night!

Oh how we love Poppy Turkey. Oh how we love to SAY, “Poppy Turkey.” Poppy Turkey Poppy Turkey Poppy Turkey. It’s just fun to say. I went to Aldi’s yesterday to stock up for a triple batch of Poppy Turkey when I ran into Sue. Sue said that she had made the Poppy Turkey and loved it. I have several friends who have turned their noses up at it because they think the ingredients sound strange. Sue was brave, as was Anne and Marilyn. Of course, they loved it! It’s yummy. It’s creamy. It’s good comfort food and it’s delicious. Be sure to make a triple + batch, (after you confirm that it IS yummy of course), because it freezes wonderfully.

I add peas and mushrooms as you can see by my notes. You can get away with 1 1/4 lb of turkey easily.

Blarney Rice

Sometimes a new recipe sounds like a good idea when placed on the menu weeks in advance but when the time comes to putting it together I sometimes have second thoughts. This happened last Friday when my in-laws were visiting and I wanted to try a new split-pea-over-rice recipe. I had originally come across the recipe in search of looking for ways to use up my pantry items. I was also looking for a gluten free recipe for my mother-in-law. This recipe fit the bill so I put it on our menu. On Friday, the thought of having split-pea-over rice did not sound appealing but then I also felt that it may be wrong to serve such goup to my in-laws but I did it anyway. I decided to cook some flounder on the side so we would have something in our bellies should the green goup not work out. Surprisingly we all liked it . . . well, at least 1 out of 3 kids and 4 adults. So I thought it would be nice to brainstorm a better name for it since I could only think of it as split-pea goup. We decided to adopt my father-in-law’s “Blarney Rice” idea since it was green and rather close to Saint Patrick’s day. I don’t think we’ll have this dish once a week or anything but it was super cheap, pretty tasty, quick to throw together and healthy so we’ll see it repeated in this house even if it isn’t 'til next Saint Patrick’s Day.

Homemade Ravioli

I should have written about the Ravioli we had last week. It was the first time I have ever attempted homemade pasta and I am proud to report that it was a huge hit. Having a picture in my head of the kids helping me roll out the dough and crimping the edges together that didn't happen is probably one of the reasons I wasn't so excited to write about it. The kids' disinterest in helping me in the kitchen is rare so that was a bit of a disappointment. I didn't take any pictures because, to be honest, the ravioli weren't pretty but they were delicious. Everyone loved them so much, (after getting past apperances), that I am certain that the next time I say we're going to make ravioli they will come running with excitement to help me.

Making the ravioli wasn't nearly as difficult as I had suspected it would be but that's really because I used my handy food processor. It isn't traditional or perhaps authentic but it worked. Rolling the dough out was a bit of a challenge because the dough was rather tough but it was not as difficult as I had imagined. The rest was pretty much a breeze. I made the ravioli one day ahead and put them in an airtight container separating them with waxed paper. I lost one or two ravioli because they adhered to the waxed paper with such a vengence that they tore apart when I tried to pry them off. I boiled them in two batches and for the second batch I just plopped them into the boiling water, paper and all, and they eventually boiled off the paper. I don't know how to store them next time between the prep work and boiling process, (suggestions will be appreciated), but I do know that we will be making it again soon.

I loosely followed these recipes: http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Pasta-3474 & http://www.recipezaar.com/Homemade-Ravioli-with-Tomato-Sauce-58226

Whoa That was Gooood!

We just had the Crockpot Lady's Salsa Chicken & Black Bean Crockpot Soup tonight. Whoa. Wow. I can't believe how simple (and cheap) it was and how completely fabulous it was. The pairing of simple fried quesadillas was a perfect pairing. The sour cream complimented both perfectly. I highly recommend this meal. I used 2 cans of beans instead of dried beans just because that was what I had on hand. I didn't read all the directions (I do that often) and had it on high for most of the day. When I read the directions which said that I should have had it on low instead of high since I was using canned beans I thought I may have ruined it but no . . . it was whoa good!

You can find the recipe here.

Sauerbraten Review

We finally had the Sauerbraten that I turned over each of five nights for tonight's dinner. I missed turning the beef last night but I doubt that the omission made a difference. My friend, Marilyn, said that she’d be thinking of me each night turning that darned beef so I knew I needed to do something to offset the Sauerbraten obsession. I set out to read the Gospels front to back each night and am ashamed to say that I missed two nights of that but made up for it with more lengthy reading the next night.. I am still committed to that end.

Now for the Sauerbraten review. The roast was very tough and didn’t seem to absorb much flavor of the brine that it soaked in for those 5 days. Bummer. However, all is not lost because the sauce that was served over the beef was excellent with our mashed potatoes and made the experiment well worth it. The sauce captured the flavor of what Sauerbraten is all about. The sauce is made from mixing the brine with sour cream. I may consider making the brine sauce as a gravy some time and skip the 5 day brining process since that labor seemed fruitless. Mushrooms would be a good addition to the sauce, but then, I think mushrooms are a good addition to any sauce.

Snow Day = Baking Day

We had a glorious snow day today. School was cancelled. Even my husband stayed home which is incredibly rare. My kids must have logged 6-8 hours in the snow taking turns on our man-made snow hill by our house. I also played in the snow a bit but I also had the kids help me bake some dinner rolls and sticky buns. I usually have such bad luck with anything that involves yeast (I buy it in bulk regardless of my bad luck and keep it in the fridge) so if I can do this recipe anyone can. My kids mixed in the flour and I split the dough so that all three had their own to play/knead. I didn’t care for thebit of chocolate chips that the recipe called for in the sticky buns but I think the kids loved them. Both the dinner rolls and the sticky buns are so pretty and so simple that I want to make some for everyone I know. Oh and I just LOVE a recipe that gives you freezing instructions. Thank you Martha!

Daily Lunch Salad for Mom

I have been on this salad kick for about 8 months. Never before has a salad habit lasted so long for me. In the past whenever I switched to salad eating it was always in an effort to loose a few pounds so I limited what went into my salad making it as fat free and low calorie as possible. Well clearly that was my salad success downfall. Last Spring I had lunch at my friend Karen's and she grilled a chicken breast and served a simple salad with Good Seasonings Italian dressing. I fell in love. All that oil and the warm meat with cold crunchy fresh greens . . .yum! So I established my salad habit. On Mondays or Tuesdays, depending on when I do my produce run, I make a big salad that will last me about 5 days. It's rather simple really, I put whatever fancies me at the moment into it and whatever I have on hand. Generally it consists of:

Romaine lettuce, chopped
Spring Mix or Baby Spinach
Green, Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers
Scallions or red onion minced
Carrots
Cucumber (de-seeded or seedless since I am told that the seeds wilt your salad faster)
Cherry tomatoes when in season
Apple, diced and tossed with lemon juice to prevent browning


Then I diced up a block of sharp cheddar and keep that in a separate container otherwise it gets slimy or mushy if it is put in with the greens. When I go to have my lunch salad I just toss in the

Diced cheese or feta if I have it
Walnuts or pecans
Craisins
Chopped turkey deli meat or a grilled chicken breast

My New Year's resolution is to take the time to figure out how to make the Good Seasons salad dressing from scratch. I'm sure there is a formula out there somewhere to be found.

I am no photographer, but I try:

I like that my daughter sees me eat a salad every day at lunch. I always offer salad to her but she declines. She often tells her playmates at lunch time, "my mom ALWAYS has a salad . . . EVERY DAY!" as if I'm a freak or something. It's funny but I hope it sticks with her as a good example. I don't push it for lunch but for dinner it is a must. The big salad prepared in the fridge makes it easy to dish out a little salad for everyone with every dinner meal.

Damn the woman who gave me this recipe!

Ok, not really Barb. But the next time I freak out over how yummy something is and demand the recipe, if it is not made of just healthy veggies or something alike, then don't give me the recipe.

Hi, My name is Jenn, I am a sugar addict and my latest serious sugar doses have come from pumpkin cookies with browned butter frosting. Ahhhhhhhhh. Today was my THIRD double batch of these in 2 weeks. At least it is a whole foods recipe (except the white flour, hmm, maybe whole wheat flour would work and I could call them "healthy" -- ha, too much sugar) and involves a vegetable, right?





Here it is, be careful with this recipe and remember what my grandma Pat always said, "a moment on the lips, forever on the hips." It doesn't stop me though. Oh, sorry I must have scanned this in from my recipe book at some point, it's all crooked and what-not but I'm too tired to re-scan it pretty.

Spreadable Butter that is actually Butter

Up until a few years ago we used to use margarine. As we gradually shifted to a more whole food diet this was one of the first things to go. I know there are “healthy spreads” but being the skeptic I am cautious to the fact that most things advertised as “healthy” usually isn’t. My husband’s favorite latest example of this is the new “Super Donut” marketed as a healthy donut. So one thing I know for sure is that butter is butter and it doesn’t have any weird ingredients I can not pronounce and have to research. I also know that Canola oil is low in bad fat and high in good fat, so this has been our butter spread for the last several years.

1 lb butter, softened
1 ½ Cups Canola Oil

Blend two ingredients together with a hand mixer. Refrigerate.

I have had a store bought margarine and spreadable butter type products since becoming accustomed to our butter recipe and I have to say that they do not compare. The margarines taste like spreadable plastic in comparison. You will never go back once you use real butter for a while.

November Recipes

1st: 3 Envelope Roast

1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix

1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix

1 envelope dry brown gravy mix

1 beef roast

Carrots

Potatoes

Onions quartered

Place roast in bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle dry mixes over roast. Pour 1 cup water into bottomof crockpot. Top with Veggies. Cover; cook on low for 7 hours. Thicken juices as needed for gravy.

This is a favorite in my house but I'm not so proud of it due to the premixed envelopes. If you notice, I don't normally use those kind of ingredients b/c I am too lazy to read up on all the ingredients that I can't pronounce to figure out if they are healthy or not. I try to cook all whole foods, so this one doesn't fit that bill, but we love it.

2nd: Pacific Chicken over Rice

Ok, this has the potential to be good but with a few changes. As is, it is COMPLETELY too salty b/c it's WAY too much soy sauce. I will make this again but cut the soy sauce by 1/2 or more and make up the difference with chicken broth. Right before we ate I turned the crock off and threw some frozen pea pods in there and let them steam for a few minutes. It seemed too weird w/o any veggies. We had a salad on the side.

3rd: Fish Tacos http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fish-Tacos/Detail.aspx

This was a fun dish. Next time I'll need to plan a better side.

4th: Pasta w/ meatballs from freezer (or multiply x3 to freeze if you have none)

5th: Brined Pork Roast w/ onion compote & mashed potatoes & side veggie

Go ahead and get that 8 lb monsterous loin at Cosco or Sam's (1.99/lb) and brine the whole thing. Just freeze meal sized portions after brining. It keeps the flavor beautifully. This is my all time favorite roast so I don't need to review it. Jim gets tired of hearing me say how delicious this as I'm eating it.

Brine

Makes 8 servings.
8 cups water

1/2 cup coarse salt

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 center-cut boneless pork loin roast (about 4 pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram or 1 tsp dried

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large pot.
Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Transfer brine to very large bowl. Add pork (weight pork with plate to keep below surface). Cover; refrigerate over-night. Drain pork. Return pork to bowl; cover with water (weight pork with plate). Soak at room temperature 2 hours.
Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Drain pork. Pat dry. Transfer to rack set in large roasting pan (I don’t have a rack and it comes out great). Rub pork all over with oil. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle with pepper. Roast fat side up for about 30 mins. Turn fat side down adn roast until thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, about 1 additional hour. Transfer pork to cutting board; tent with foil. Let stand 10 minutes.
Cut pork into 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Serve with Onion Compote (and mashed potatoes).

Onion Compote
1 pound + pearl onions
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

24 garlic cloves, peeled

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 cups tawny Port (I use chicken broth and it’s great)

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or ¾ tsp dried

Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add onions. Boil 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Peel onions. Trim root end slightly, leaving root base intact. It is tedious but worth it. I just squeeze the onion out of the peel, it wastes some onion, but the job gets done faster. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and bay leaf. Sauté until garlic is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add Port, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer 8 minutes. Add onions and raisins. Simmer until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.) Serve warm.

8th: Moroccan Beef Stew x3 to freeze

This recipe is courtesy Katy of my FF. It was excellent when she made it last year. I am going to halve the 6 portion recipe for 3. We'll see how it goes.

This is a keeper. It was gobbled up by all, especially my 1 year old. I only got 2 meals out of what should have been 3 but I chalk that up to it's popularity. I'll make the 6 portions next time. Yum.

9th: Chicken & Broccoli Stir Fry or "Lighter Sesame Chicken" http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/lighter-sesame-chicken?autonomy_kw=lighter%20seseame%20chicken&rsc=header_3

We have had this before. It's simple and pretty good. Not spectacular, but it's good and I think it's reasonable to expect that some broccoli will enter my kids little bodies if honey is in the dish.

10th: Puttanesca Sauce over pasta w/ Shrimp

12th: Turkey chili w/ Corn bread http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lauras-Quick-Slow-Cooker-Turkey-Chili/Detail.aspx (I will use diced tomatoes instead of the tomato soup.)

This was a good comfort meal. It was a bit bland. I will probably repeat this after doing some research and tweaking it to give it some kick next time.

14th: Split pea soup w/ hearty bread or grilled cheese

Jodi turned me onto Split Pea Soup last year. I dont' know that I would have made it if I hadn't fallen in love with it when she brought it over for lunch one day. I immediately had to have more! This is the first time trying it in a slow cooker. Hopefully it's just as good.

My mom picked up a bread machine at a garage sale last year ($5 I think?) and every now and then we break it out and make some fresh bread for stews and soups. Yummy and smells wonderful. Thanks mom!

Ok, this was ok but I had to add tons of salt it seemed. I also remember Jodi's soup of last winter (over the stove) being much better. No one in my house touches this soup but me so I froze it in Jenn sized portions for lunches. Hopefully I can get at least one of my in-laws to have this with me when they visit in December.

15th: Lasagne x2 to freeze

This is the real deal lasagne. It's heavy and it's awesome. One recipe makes 2 meals for any family.

courtesy: Barb of FF

16th: Orange Garlic Chicken

17th: Roasted Salmon brushed w/ limejuice w/ spinach and feta saute

I think this is the Salmon recipe: http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roasted-salmon-with-lime-and-cilantro?autonomy_kw=roasted%20salmon&rsc=header_2

19th: Thai chicken/veggie curry

For this (Jim's favorite dish but he doesn't know it has coconut milk in it) I just loosely follow a recipe on the jar of red curry paste.
Use any veggies you like. I use onion, carrots, peppers, zucchini and sometimes mushrooms and always peas (but add frozen peas at the end).
So what I do is throw in some Olive oil in the pan and let it heat up, then spoon approx 1 ½ T of curry paste till fragrant. Then add your veggies & chicken (diced) in cooking order then add a can of coconut oil and some chicken broth. Stir 1 T corn starch w/ 1 T chicken broth and add to thicken. Sometimes I add a can of diced tomatoes. Peas at the end. Serve over rice. It’s a general recipe and it’s different every time but that’s about how I make it. I have purchased red curry paste in a large can at the Asian market and I just freeze the remaining paste in ice cube trays and then put into a freezer bag for later use. The jar that you can purchase at Giant Eagle is fine to just keep in the jar at room temp for several months.
*FYI: Trader Joes has the best price on coconut milk @ .99 cents/can.

21st: Curried Butternut Squash & Apple Soup w/ hearty bread

I don't know whose recipe this is. I got it at Sue Orr's recipe exchange/Pampered Chef party. Doesn't it look interesting?

22nd: Cheddar-topped Shepherd's pie x2 to freeze

23rd: Chicken Tortillas Soup w/ corn muffins http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Homesteader-Cornbread/Detail.aspx

Chicken Tortilla Soup -- Pampered Chef Recipe:

4 (6") corn tortillas

1/2 C onion, chopped

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1 garlic clove

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

2 cans (14.5 oz each) Chicken broth

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained

4 tsp. fresh cilantro, snipped

2 oz reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (1/2 C)

4 thick slices fresh lime (optional)

*I add frozen corn at the end.

1.) Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut tortillas into 1/2" strips using Kitchen Shears. Place on flat Baking Stone . Bake 7-8 minutes or until crisp. (I usually skip this and it never seems to matter.)

2.) Meanwhile, chop onion using Food Chopper. Cut chicken into 1/2" pieces using 8" Chef's Knife . Heat Generation II 4 Qt Casserole over medium-high heat. Spray with vegetable oil using Kitchen Spritzer. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 minutes. (I put frozen chicken breast in the oven at 380 degrees for about 35 min and shred with 2 forks.) Add onion, garlic pressed with Garlic Press , chili powder and cumin. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

3.) Snip cilantro using Kitchen Shears . (I have never used cilantro.) Divide tortilla strips among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over totillas using Nylon Ladle . Shred cheese over top with Deluxe Cheese Grater . Sprinkle soup with cilantro. Garnish each bowl with lime slice to squeeze juice into soup, if desired. (This freezes well even with teh tortillas in it. DO NOT USE FLOUR TORTILLAS or they just puff up and get huge. You must use corn. Don't make the mistake I did.)

24th: Shrimp and Cabbage lo mein

25th: Pasta w/ meat sauce

26th: Chicken Tex Mex Burritos -- yum! http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/slow-cooked-tex-mex-chicken-and-beans?autonomy_kw=tex%20mex&rsc=header_9 You must have the chipotle chilis. Freeze unused chili's by 2s for later use.

THANKSGIVING MENU TO COME

30th: French Dips w/ crispy potatoes & salad

French Dips courtesy Barb & Taste of Home
3# beef chuck roast, trimmed
2c. water
1/2c. soy sauce
1 tsp. dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns

8 french rolls, split
sauteed onions
swiss cheese

Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce and seasonings. Cover & cook on high for 5-6 hours or until beef is tender. Remove meat from broth. Shred with forks and keep warm. Strain broth and skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. serve with sauteed onions and swiss on hoagies (we sometimes broil for a minute to melt the swiss). Serves 8

*Barb says that she halves this recipe a lot.

October Recipes

1st: Poppy Turkey





















A regular fav.

3rd: White Chicken Chili
Courtesy: Ann Shenk

Chicken Breasts

Great Northern Beans
Chicken Broth
White Onion

Green Chilies

salt

cumin

cayenne pepper
garlic
white cheese
sour cream

corn muffins

Saute white onion in olive oil in a large pot. Add cooked diced chicken. Add Great Northern Beans, chicken broth, green chilies, cumin, cayenne pepper, and garlic. Let simmer for about an hour. Depending on the consistency you prefer, you can add more beans and chicken to make it thick, or more broth if you want more of a soup. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, white cheese, and corn muffins. Excellent favorite despite not having measurements.

4th: Tangy Sirloin Strips (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tangy-Sirloin-Strips/Detail.aspx) w/ salad & pesto pasta Pretty good, family approved, will repeat.

5th: Pineapple Stuffed Jerk Chicken (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pineapple-stuffed-jerk-chicken?autonomy_kw=pineapple%20stuffed%20jerk&rsc=header_1) w/ sesame salted rice (rice w/ sesame salt sprinkled on top -- found at Asian markets, I found mine on Lorain & Columbia) & veggie Good find, kids liked, will repeat. Heck, even Hope Crisafi told me she like this so it's definitely a keeper!

6th: Bucatini w/ pancetta, tomatoes & onion (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/bucatini-with-pancetta-tomatoes-and-onion?autonomy_kw=bucatini%20with%20pancetta&rsc=header_1) & garlic toast Nothing special, will not repeat.

7th: Momwiches w/ fries & salad (use more ground beef (1 1/5 lbs+) or it will be too sweet, freezes well if you made too much)

A Crane Favorite.

8th: Huli-Huli Pork grilled http://www.bhg.com/recipe/poultry/huli-huli-pork/ w/ pineapple rice http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/pacific-pork-kebabs-with-pineapple-rice?autonomy_kw=pineapple%20rice&rsc=header_1 & green beans (blanched, drained, olive oil, salt & pepper)
Tastey, will repeat.

10th: Caprese Pizza

11th: Meatloaf from freezer, mashed potatoes & corn

12th: Maple Glazed Chicken w/ sauteed brussels w/ raisins http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/sauteed-brussels-sprouts-with-raisins?autonomy_kw=brussel%20raisin&rsc=header_1 & leftover mashed potatoes

14th: Fish Sticks, fries & salad

Use 3 dredging bowls for fish. I used Tilapia and cut it into thick strips.

1st dip into flour

2nd dip into whisked eggs

3rd dip into mixture of bread crumbs, parmesean, paprika, garlic powder

Drizzle each with olive oil.

Bake on greased, foiled, casserole dish for approx 10 min, turning once, @ 450.

Kids & I enjoyed, will repeat.

15th: Roast Pork Loin w/ pancetta & sage http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/roast-pork-loin-with-pancetta-and-sage?autonomy_kw=roast%20pork%20pancetta&rsc=header_1 w/ mashed potatoes, gravy & veg

Thankfully I used a brined pork loin, otherwise too blah. Definitely not worth the cost of the pancetta. I now see that I repeated mashed potatoes too much this month. Oops.

17th: Eggplant Parm w/ garlic toast

Olive Oil

One eggplant

3 eggs

Bread Crumbs

Red Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

Oregano

Salt

Slice eggplant into thin slices. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Dip eggplant slices in whipped egg and then dip in breadcrumbs. Place the eggplant in skillet and cook for about ten minutes on both sides. Slices should be brown on both sides and soft in the middle.Cover the bottom of baking dish with sauce, and layer eggplant mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, and oregano. Bake at 350 degrees for forty minutes. Enjoy!

I HATED making this. You get burnt crumbs in the pan and then for the 2nd & 3rd rounds you have to clean out the pans and it's a PITA. However, it is delicious! Definitely will do in a couple years and will always at least triple to get the most out of a laborous task.

18th: Gingered Flank Steak w/ rice noodle salad & sugar snap peas

19th: Chicken Fried Rice http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chicken-fried-rice?autonomy_kw=chicken%20fried%20rice&rsc=header_1

Easy & fast healthy fav.

20th: Stuffed Shells w/ salad

Sauce
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs oil
½ # chopped mushrooms
2 29-oz cans tomato puree
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 c. water
1 ½ tsp. basil
2 tsp. oregano
1# hot Italian sausage
1 box large shells

Filling
12 oz mozz. Cheese, diced
2 15-oz containers ricotta cheese
4 eggs
6 tbs. parm. Cheese
2 tbs. parsley
2 tbs. chives
Onion salt or salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Romano cheese, grated

Sauce
Saute onions, pepper and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, and sauté 5 minutes more. Stir in tomato puree, paste, water and spices. Cook and crumble sausage in a separate pan. Drain off fat. Add to sauce and summer about 3 hours. Add more water if sauce gets too thick. Shortly before assemblage, cook shells according to directions; drain.

Filling and Assembly
Combine all ingredients except Romano cheese. Spoon into shells. If mixture is too thin, add more parmesan. Spoon some sauce into bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Lay stuffed shells in pan. Pour on additional sauce. Sprinkle with Romano. Bake at 325 for 30 min. Serves 12

21st: BBQ Roasted Salmon w/ pesto pasta & veggie

Barbecue Roasted Salmon
From Cooking Light

Ingredients
1/4 cup pineapple juice 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets 2 tablespoons brown sugar 4 teaspoons chili powder 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Cooking spray Lemon wedges (optional)

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 400°.
Remove fish from bag; discard marinade. Combine sugar and next 5 ingredients (sugar through cinnamon) in a bowl. Rub over fish; place in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with lemon, if desired.
Yield
4 servings

This was wonderful and kids approved. Definitely a keeper.

22nd: Moo Shu Pork

24th: Veggie Stir Fry

I just throw it together. Loads of veggies, soy sauce, teriyaki, corn starch to thicken, fresh ginger * garlic go in at the end and served over rice.

I just realized that I had 2 stir fries in one week along with Moo Shu pork. Oh well. I've got 3 kids. I am not perfect but will try to do better at not repeating too similar dishes so close together.
Ok, so my 6 year old who would swear that he does NOT like mushrooms, cabbage or eggs LOVED the Moo Shu and had TWO tortillas full and would have had a THIRD but he was just too darned full.

25th: Beef Enchiladas http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/tex-mex-beef-enchiladas?autonomy_kw=beef%20enchiladas&rsc=header_1 (the Chipotle chili makes this recipe so do no omit it but do NOT use more than the recipe calls for!) & poor man's caviar http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Poor-Mans-Caviar/Detail.aspx

26th Chicken Curry over rice http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/favorite-chicken-curry?autonomy_kw=chicken%20curry&rsc=header_1 This picture looks like it needs to have peas or carrots or some other veggie added.

27th: Veggie & Meatball Pasta

Every pasta day I throw things together. I do not use a recipe other than for the meatballs. I start with olive oil, add some red pepper flakes, then throw in veggies of choice (onion, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, then cans of plain tomato sauce & diced tomatoes, splash of white vinegar and pinch of sugar (don't tell my hsuband) add basil, onion powder, garlic salt and at the very end as much garlic as you like. V8 always tastes great and I add it whenever I happen to have some. Sometimes I'll add a little left over beef or chicken broth if left over from another dish.

Barb Cashmere’s Meatball Recipe (The only one I have found that really stays together. I roll mine up and freeze them for about 30 min on a cookie sheet before rolling them round again and bagging them to freeze.)

2 1/2 # ground beef
8 slices white bread, soaked in milk for 1 min., then wrung out tightly
3 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp. marjoram (I never use)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. oregano.

Hand mix all ingredients. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 for 15 min.

28th: Bay Scallop Stir-fry

29th: BBQ Pork Burgers w/ fries http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/barbecue-pork-burgers?autonomy_kw=barbecue%20pork%20burgers&rsc=header_1 and salad

Yuck. A definite no-go. But hey, they can't all be good, right? And you don't know if it's good till you try it sometimes. Don't bother with this recipe, I put it right in the trash. Although on the plus side my 6 year old ate most of the scallops declaring a few times, "I just LOVE scallops." Yea!

30th: Stuffed Jack-o-Lantern Peppers

These are just stuffed peppers that I carve out with jack-o-lantern faces for halloween every October 30th.

Here is Ann Shenk's recipe, I just add a plain tomato sauce on top with parm cheese.

4 Bell peppers, any color

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces ground beef

onion

thyme

cooked rice

garlic

basil

Worcestershire sauce

salt

Sauté onion in olive oil, cook ground beef thoroughly. Add both to boll and add the remaining ingredients. Stuff cored peppers and cook for one hour at 350 degrees.

Pour tomato sauce over stuffed peppers and top with parmesan cheese if desired.
*I use lots of veggies, whatever I have on hand, mushrooms, lots of onion, diced zucchini, anything.