Warm Caramelized Potatoes

My sister Julie makes this and it's amazing. I love the balsamic and sweet combination. Goes great with pork or chicken dishes, but can totally be eaten on its own it's that good!

2 lbs small red potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 tsp salt

1 lb asparagus cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 cup butter

1 large onion chopped

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

Boil potatoes with 1/2 tsp salt until tender. Drain and set aside.

Boil asparagus until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. Combine both in serving dish.

While vegetables are cooking, melt butter in skillet. Cook onion in butter till softened about 5 minutes and until golden brown. Stir in vinegar, brown sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Pour over asparagus and potatoes. Stir until coated. Sprinkle with pepper.

Parmesan Chicken Tenders

My kids loved this....they ALL asked for seconds the other night! A rare occasion in our home.

*coarse salt and ground pepper
*2 large eggs
*3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (I use grated)
*1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs (I use Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
*1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders
*1 3/4 cups tomato sauce, homemade or storebought
*4 oz. mozzarell, shredded (about 1 cup, or however much your heart desires)

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs. In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dip tenders in egg, then in Parmesan mixture; place on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until golden, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Then top with chicken, remaining 3/4 cup sauce, and finally mozzarella. Bake 15-20 min. or until cheese is melted.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

SO GOOD. I made this tonight and I have to say this is the best I've ever had of this soup. I used garlic salt instead of regular salt. Serve it with crusty French bread for dipping.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken broth 2 cups water 2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded 1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet

1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter 2 cups heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat.
2.	In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes.
3.	Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Cutting Back

I came upon this blog a couple weeks ago. This woman feeds her family of six on $60 a week. She shares how she does it. Really inspiring. While I don't think I could cut back that much, I could definitely take a few tips from her.

I know this isn't a recipe, but she does list some recipes of the things she makes each week.

Coconut-Curry Chicken Soup

image from myrecipes.com

(from Cooking Light via my mother-in-law)

Ingredients:

4 cups water
3 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed and cut in half crosswise (I used frozen peas)
1 package (5 3/4 ounce) pad thai noodles (wide rice stick noodles)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup thinly slice shallots
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground corriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups light chicken broth (I used regular)
1 can (13.5 ounce) light coconut milk (I used regular)
2 1/2 cups shredded chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 small hot red chiles, seeded and chopped, or 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I omitted, for a non-spicy version for kiddos)
7 lime wedges

Directions:

Bring water to boil in a large sauce pan. Add spinach and peas; cook for 30 seconds. Remove vegetables from pan with a slotted spoon; place in a large bowl. Add noodles to pan; cook 3 minutes. Drain; add noodles to spinach mixture in bowl.

Heat canola oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and the next 5 ingredients (through garlic) to pan; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Add coconut milk to pan; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken, onions, sugar, and fish sauce to pan; cook for 2 minutes. Pour chicken mixture over noodle mixture in bowl (I added the noodle mixute to my pan instead). Stir in cilantro and chiles. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield: 7 servings

Looks lengthy, but goes together quickly. And very yummy flavor.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

I put this recipe together to force myself to eat vegetables.  Ed calls it Ratatouille even though it's not. Enjoy!

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

 2 Zucchini

2 Yellow Squash (or 2 more zucchini)

½ block of Gruyere cheese, grated

1 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes

about 1 1/2 cups of parmesan cheese, grated (NOT THE STUFF IN THE CAN!)

olive oil

crushed garlic to taste

 

Slice zucchini into 1/8 inch slices.  Sauté zucchini and squash in small batches in olive oil  until browned. Add a little crushed garlic toward end. Be careful that you sauté in small batches or they will steam not brown.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spoon enough tomato sauce into the bottom of an oval or round casserole dish to cover the bottom.  Layer sauteed zucchini slices into dish, overlapping the slices a bit.  Add another layer of tomatoes then sprinkle one third of each type of cheese before adding another layer of zucchini.  Finish with remaining tomatoes; sprinkle the remainder of the cheese until top is completely covered. 

Bake 40 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Then put under the broiler for about 3 minutes (watch carefully!) until the cheese gets brown and crusty.

Let casserole set for about 10 minutes before serving. (I know it’s hard to wait but not burning your tongue in the cheesy goodness is worth it!)

Ground Turkey Shepherd's Pie- Rachael Ray

4 large Idaho or russet potatoes (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), peeled and cut into chunks Salt 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) 2 slices bacon, chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors 2 pounds ground turkey or ground turkey breast Freshly ground pepper 2 onions, chopped 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (eyeball it) 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, such as Bell's 2/3 cup heavy cream or half-and-half 1 large egg, beaten 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons snipped or chopped chives 1 cup frozen peas, thawed 1 teaspoon paprika

1. Place the potatoes in a small, deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Salt the water and cook until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, then add the turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 5 minutes; push it to the side and add the onions and carrots to the center of the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, then mix everything together. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and poultry seasoning. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan with a foil tent to keep in some of the moisture. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
3. Preheat the broiler to high. Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the warm pot. Using a pot holder to hold the pot, add 1/3 cup cream, salt and pepper, the egg, butter and chives and smash away with a masher until the potatoes are almost smooth but still a little lumpy.
4. Remove the foil from the pan and stir in the peas and the remaining 1/3 cup cream. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and turn off the heat. Scrape the turkey mixture into a casserole dish and top with the potatoes. Broil until the top is golden brown. Sprinkle with the paprika.

Cheesy Onion Bread

So good with pasta, salads and soups! A nice alternative to garlic bread. YUM!

French loaf, any size, cut into 1 inch slices

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese (powder will NOT work)

3/4 cup mayonaise

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to broil on low. Mix all ingredients together and spread on cut sliced bread. Bake until top is brown and bubbly.

Deconstructed Lasagna

This is a fun way to have lasagna... without all the layers!

Salt and pepper

1 pound long pasta such as fusilli or mafalda

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground beef sirloin

1 small carrot finely chopped

1 med onion finely chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 cup beef broth

1 20 oz can crushed tomatoes

a handful of torn fresh Basil leaves

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/3 cup finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp butter

1 cup grated pecorino romano cheese and more to pass around the table

Cook pasta to instuctions, drain. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the beef, crumbling into bits, cook until lightly brown- 3-4 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook till softened, 5 minutes. Stir in beef broth then the tomatoes and basil. Simmer. In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta and parsley. Toss the pasta with the butter, then stir in the romano and meat sauce. Scoop some ricotta mixture in to a bowl and then top with the meaty pasta. Pass more romano for on top!