Pasta with Pesto & Shrimp

Food Category: PG, Bum Lovin'
Difficulty: Easy

Boil whole grained pasta according to package directions. Once cooked & rinsed, toss with pesto sauce.

Serve with shrimp. Sautee 1/4 cup chopped onion & 5 slices of center cut bacon. Drain the fat. Sautee raw (peeled, tail on) shrimp in a bit of evoo & add back the bacon & onion. Season with basil, salt & pepper.

Side dish: frozen, nuke-in-the-bag mixed veggies (corn, baby carrots, asparagus) and green beans.

Chicken and Stuffing

Food Category: PG, Southern Comfort
Difficulty: Easy

Season chicken tenders with poultry seasoning & sautee in evoo until cooked through. Set aside.

Peel & slice 3-4 large sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon, cover & bake at 400F until totally cooked. Mash with a fork.

Served with mashed potatoes, microwaved frozen peas, Stove Top stuffing & package of Homestyle gravy.

Lasagna

I don't really have a kick-butt lasagna recipe, but this one turned out pretty darn good. I mostly followed the recipe on the back of the Skinner box. I did add some spinach & tri-color peppers to my meat.

And, I used 1/2 whole wheat pasta - just to see if we could tell.

I did NOT cook either pasta before I layered it with the good stuff in the pan. It cooked beautifully & we could not tell the difference between the white & wheat pasta.

If you don't precook the pasta, add about twice as much sauce as you would other wise.

I made one for tonight's dinner & I have another made up in the freezer (not cooked) for another meal.

Leftovers

I had enough leftover chili in the freezer for us to have Frito Chili Pie.

YoYo

I had Bunco plans. Man ate leftover chicken/rice & the kids had chicken strips.

Stir Fry Veggies & Rice

I've been so far behind that I am posting this just so I can have it on record -- for when I run out of meal ideas!

Stir Fry in evoo: shredded cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, onion & pineapple. Season with soy sauce & sweet chili sauce. Add leftover Sticky Chicken.

Serve with Jasmine rice.

Chicken Club Salads

Food Category: PG, Bum Lovin', High-5
Difficulty: Easy

The good stuff:

lettuce
shredded carrots
sliced cucumbers
radishes
avocados
chopped leftover Sticky Chicken breast.

The really good stuff:

2 slices center cut bacon
1/2 serving grated cheddar
1 boiled egg
croutons
fat free 1000 Island dressing

Leftovers

Leftover enchiladas for us -- as we rushed out the door to a band concert.

Beef Enchiladas

Food Category: PG, Bum Lovin'

Difficulty: Easy

Yesterday, I noticed that I had defrosted some beef but failed to do anything with it. So, I cooked it & socked it in the fridge for tonight. Any kind of leftover beef (roast beef, brisket, etc) would be great for these enchiladas -- just add the right seasonings: cumin, chili powder, paprika, smoky sweet pepper, cayenne & salt. I used 1/2 tsp each to season to beef loin steaks.

Sear the meat on both sides, then reduce heat to very low & cook with a splash of red wine or beef broth, chopped onion & crushed garlic until the meat is very tender. You could also use the crockpot. When the meat is cooked, chop & add pan juices. Either use immediately, or refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Assemble the enchiladas:

Fill whole wheat flour tortilla with the chopped/shredded beef, grated cheese (cheddar/jack) & sauteed 1/2 onion & tri-color peppers (about 1/3 of each).

Place into a 9X13 baker on top of enchilada sauce. This particular red sauce is a mixture of crushed tomatoes (still had some hanging in the fridge from pizza night) & the same seasonings I put into the meat.

Top with canned enchilada sauce (I also mixed in the rest of the crushed tomatoes) & grated cheese. Cover with aluminum foil & pop into a preheated oven - 400F.

Bake covered for 20-30 minutes, until cheese is bubbly. Uncover & continue to cook until the cheese begins to brown.

Serve with a side salad: lettuce, shredded carrots, cucumbers, Catalina dressing & Fritos.

I'm calling this meal Bum Lovin' only if you use whole wheat tortillas, drain the fat off the meat, use cheese sparingly & load up on salad (with fat free dressing). One enchilada and a salad is more than filling. But, I ate another 1/2 of one just for flavor's sake.

Leftover potential: The salad won't keep, but the enchiladas will be fine in the fridge for a few days. Microwave on medium power to reheat.

Southwestern Eggrolls

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy

I began with the intention of following the Chili's Southwestern Eggroll recipe, and for the most part I did. Except for I cooked on a much larger scale & didn't pay too much attention to proportions - not that it really matters the ratio of corn to onions, know what I mean?

Here's roughly what I used:

• 2 cups of cooked chicken (I used Mimi's Sticky Chicken from last night)
• 1 chopped onion
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 of each: red, green & yellow bell pepper
• 1 can vacuumed-packed corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1/3 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach
• 1/2 crushed tomatoes (b/c I had some in the fridge)
• several splashes of Taco Sauce (again, in the fridge)
• 8 oz (weight) grated cheddar cheese
• 8 burrito size spiced tomato tortillas
• 8 taco/fajita size spinach tortillas

To make the Eggroll Filling:

• Sautee bell peppers in 2 T olive oil for 3-4 minutes
• Add onion & continue to sautee for 3-4 minutes
• Add 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• Add the spinach & cooked until heated through
• Next, toss in the beans, corn, chicken & jalapenos
• And, 1/2 t each, more if you choose: chili powder, cumin, paprika, smoky sweet chili blend, cayenne & salt
• Remove from heat & add cheese
• Stir until cheese melts & mixes in

To assemble the Eggrolls:

• Microwave the tortillas in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel for 45-60 seconds on high
• Spread 1/4-1/3 cup of filling on one side of the tortilla
• Roll "eggroll style" turning the sides in as you go
• You can "seal" with a bit to cream cheese

To cook the Eggrolls:

• I sprayed the Eggrolls with olive oil, placed seam side down on a baking pan &
• Baked at 425 until crispy & golden, turning once 1/2 way through (about 15 minutes)
• (The original recipe calls for the Eggrolls to be frozen & then deep fried)

To serve the Eggrolls:

• Cut in 1/2 crosswise & serve with a dipping sauce.

I really, really wanted & tried to make the avocado dipping sauce BUT avocados in Europe are terrible & it was a waste of my time & energy & ingredients. I had to resort to serving with Ranch dip. Next time, in the absence of decent avocados, I'll make Haus Salsa.

If I had good access to fresh jalepeno & poblano peppers, I would have added some. Maybe next time I'll throw in a chopped chipotle or two.

Personally, I don't think these have to be deep fried. It's more mess to clean up, more calories to burn off & it's not necessary for flavor. If you spray & bake, these are actually kind of healthy.

Leftover Potential: These were a huge hit & there were none leftover. If you did have leftovers, you can reheat in the oven or freeze for later. If you anticipate leftovers, I'd freeze before cooking.

Mimi's Sticky Chicken & Bratkartoffeln

Food Category: PG, Southern Comfort
Difficulty: Easy

Mimi's Sticky Chicken has got to be the best roasted chicken ever. If you have never roasted a chicken, don't be intimidated. Just rub seasoning all over the inside, outside & under the skin, then pop into a hot oven. It's that simple.

If you have heat (as in picante and not caliente) sensitive people in your Haus (wimps & small children) notice that the recipe does call for 3 kinds of pepper (cayenne, black & white). I do not think this recipe is hot in anyway, just flavorful.

This roasted chicken is great the first time around & perfectly wonderful for leftovers. I roasted 2 chickens tonight (adding some rosemary that I had lying around) because I need chicken-as-an-ingredient for meals later in the week. My oven is not big enough for a roasting pan, so I shoved both chickens into my 9X13 stoneware dish, breast side down.

Sorry about the chicken butts - that's just how it was!

This is yet another example of how small the oven is.

The chicken was served with Bratkartoffeln. Tonight I used mostly peeled red potatoes & some wunderbar Bratkartoffel seasoning I picked up at the Wiesbaden Christmas Market.

I started by cooking 2 slices of bacon, adding some evoo, then dumping the potatoes, onion & seasonings in the pan.

Meat & Potatoes were served with microwaved green peas & mixed veggies, also nuked.


The chicken carcasses & veggies from the roasting pan went into a stock pot. I'll have lots of broth for soups & sauces. I'll freeze it to use later.

Leftover potential: Endless possibilities for the chicken. Tomorrow I am making Southwestern Chicken Wraps to take to a party. The rest of the leftover chicken will keep in the fridge for a few days, or the freezer for a few months. Veggies can be reheated in the microwave or frozen in the soup-bucket. Potatoes: reheat in the microwave or in a pan, add to breakfast burritos.

Yo-Yo

At the Tree Lighting & Santa's Workshop, we all went different directions for food. I had a pulled pork sandwich & Man had a bean burrito.

And, I'm fairly certain the kids had cookies & Cheetos.

Yo-Yo

Afternoon snack of leftover pizza. Followed by a dinner of Triscuts, cheese & turkey lunchmeat.

Homemade Pizza

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate, depending on how you feel about making dough

The Crust

I make my dough in the bread machine on the dough cycle. This pizza crust recipe is very similar to the one I make BUT her method for cooking the pizza is the only way to go. Place a cold stone in a cold oven & preheat both at the same time to 425-450F. Assemble the crust on parchment paper & transfer the pizza/paper to the hot stone with a pizza peel. The link above has more detail.

• 1 1/4 cups warm water (around 110F)
• 3 T yeast
• 1 T sugar
• 1-2 t salt
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 cups of flour (can be 50/50 white & whole wheat)

This recipe will make two 14-15" pizzas.

The Sauce

• 1/2 of a large can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 clove crushed garlic + 2 t evoo (microwave for about 30 seconds)
• 1-2 t each oregano & basil

Our pizzas were topped with Canadian bacon, mozzarella & cheddar.

This is just how small my oven is.
The pizza is on my 15" baking stone & filling most of it.

The adult pizza also had red onions & pineapple.

Serve with a side of the sauce. Lots of good lycopene & the crust is just begging for something!

As good as this is, I'm still perfecting my crust. I'll get back with you on perfection later.

Leftover potential: We reheat our pizza in the toaster oven on 400 until heated through.

Bacon Cheeseburgers

Food Category: PG

Difficulty: Easy

These were made with 1/4 pound of ground sirloin (pan grilled), pepper jack & cheddar and two slices of center cut bacon. I think I might have squeezed enough lettuce & spinach on my burger to count as a veggie serving. The burgers were built on onion rolls & served with individual bags of chips & raw veggies. My guess is that the entire meal is around 800-900 calories - not horribly bad in the scheme of things.

A note on the bacon . . . a 3 slice serving of cooked center cut bacon is only 60 calories. Yes, most of that is fat, but that's a lot of flavor for not many calories. Just something to consider if you are cutting back.

I'll remind you of this again in January.

Pineapple Sweet & Sour Chicken with Jasmine Rice

Food Category: PG, High-5
Difficulty: Easy

Pssst. Here's what is keeping this meal from being Bum Lovin': I pan fried (not even spritzed with evoo & baked!) lumpias, wrapped them in foil & kept them in a warm oven until ready to serve. They were so good!

Start the cooking prep by marinating 3 chicken breasts for at least one hour.

Chicken Marinade

Thinly slice 3 chicken breasts & 1/2 of an onion. To the chicken & onion add:

• 2-3 T of sweet chili sauce (It's in the picture below on the far right - purchased at the commissary.)
• 2 T of pineapple juice (from an 8 oz can of pineapple chunks)
• 2 T of soy sauce
• 2 t sesame oil
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• few shakes of run-of-the-mill chicken seasoning

Stir Fry Veggies

• Cut 2-3 large carrots into thin strips, not quite Julienne
• Stir fry in a bit of evoo for 3-4 minutes
• Add 2 cups broccoli florets & continue to cook until almost tender crisp
• Add 2 cups of cole slaw mix & stir fry for 2-3 more minutes
• Season with salt, pepper, sesame oil & soy sauce
• Remove from pan and set aside

(If using frozen broccoli, cook in the microwave & toss with the other veggies at the end of the cooking process.)

Stir Fry Chicken

• Add a bit more evoo to the pan over high heat
• Toss in the marinated chicken and stir fry until cooked through
• Remove chicken from the pan, leaving the juices
• Set chicken aside

Sweet & Sour Sauce

Mix together with a wire whisk:

• 1/4 c Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 c vinegar
• 1/2 c pineapple juice (the rest of the juice of the 8 oz can)
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1/2 c water w/1 teaspoon chicken granules (or 1/2 c chicken broth)
• 2 heaping T of cornstarch
• 1-2 t sesame oil
• 1-2 T sweet chili sauce

Bring pan juices to a boil & add the sweet & sour mixture. Cook over medium high heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the pineapple chunks & remove from heat.

Serve with Jasmine Rice, cooked in a rice cooker & lumpias, either pan fried or spritzed & baked!

Leftover potential: Straight up leftovers for lunch. To reheat the eggrolls, wrap in foil and bake in the toaster oven until heated through. Remove foil & bake for a few more minutes to crisp them up.