Tuna Sandwiches & Soup

Ok, folks, I think I'm back. Not full-force HausFrau, but back nonetheless. We are happily living in the new Haus in Virginia with the bare minimum of everything - including kitchenwares. Currently, my kitchen utensils include:

one big pot, one little pot, one sautee pan
spatulas & serving spoons
2 decent knives
cutting board
metal bakesheet & large stoneware bar board
grater, strainer
few pieces of plastic storage containers w/lids
2 sizes of Ziplocks

What I am missing that I should have thought of . . . vegetable peeler, can opener & corkscrew.

Yep, I'm subsisting on screwtop individual bottles of wine.

Not only is the kitchen mostly bare, Man is in class for the next 4 weeks at Belvoir & I have to play taxi service (both AM & PM). Obviously, there's preciously little time for cooking & working the magic. So, for the next month, our dinners will be as simple as possible.

Tonight's meal (right after I borrow a can opener from one of my uber-nice neighbors):

Tuna Salad Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Bread

albacore tuna, celery, apple, eggs, red onion, Kosher dill pickles, Miracle Whip & pepper

Served with:

celery & carrot sticks, cucumber slices
chips
canned soup: choice of beef or chicken (I loaded up a Costco last week)

I also found some awesome raspberry/vanilla swirled gelato & we will be having that for dessert.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

Food Category: PG, Southern Comfort
Difficulty: Easy

With all the festive cooking going on this time of the year, there's less time to actually cook dinner. Last night I was up to my elbows in sugar cookie dough & pecan tassies and ended up with no time to cook dinner. So, I pulled chopped BBQ beef out the freezer & pimped out a can pork-n-beans (add a little mustard, BBQ sauce, brown sugar & heat in the microwave).

Viola! Dinner.

Serve with a big side salad. The bigger the salad, the more butt-friendly this meal is. Which is very important this time of the year. Two days before Thanksgiving is no time to be piggin' out. Save your appetite & calories for the right day.

Breaded & Baked Chicken

Food Category: PG, Southern Comfort
Difficulty: Easy

Breading

1 cup bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Sprinkle of your favorite flavors: garlic/onion powder, seasoned salt, salt/pepper, basil

Chicken

• Cut 2 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts in half crosswise to make 4 servings.
• Lightly coat with flour. You can toss them into a bag with some flour.
• Then dip into an egg/water mixture (50/50).
• Then toss in a plastic bag with breading to coat.
• Place chicken on a preheated baking pan. You can use parchment paper for non-stick & easy clean up.
• Drizzle with evoo or spray with a cooking spray.
• Place baking pan into a hot oven (400F).
• Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown & crispy, turning 1/2 way through.

Serve with:

Roasted potatoes: Peel & cube 4-5 medium baking potatoes, lightly toss with evoo & season with salt, onion powder & pepper. Bake at 400F on a hot baking pan lined with parchment paper for 15-20 minutes, turning once.

Green beans: Cut with kitchen shears one slice of center cut bacon & cook over medium heat until most of the fat is rendered. Add cut frozen green beans to the pan and a bit of water. Cover and cook until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally. Season with salt/pepper.

Leftover Potential: Beans can be frozen for soup. Chicken can be reheated in a toaster oven (keeps it crispy). How about a chicken sandwich for lunch? Potatoes can be added to scrambled eggs and make an appearance on a breakfast burrito.

Teriyaki Chicken & Stir Fry Veggies

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

Stir Fry Teriyaki Chicken

• Marinate 3-4 servings of chicken breasts in Teriyaki-Garlic sauce for 3-4 hours.
• Slice chicken into thin strips & pat dry with paper towels.
• Sprinkle with ground ginger.
• Stir fry with evoo over medium-high heat with thin slices of onion & one garlic clove.
• At the very end of the cooking process, season with Teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, salt & pepper.
• Once chicken is browned, remove from pan, cover to keep warm & set aside.

Stir Fry Veggies: Zucchini, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas

• Slice one large zucchini into half-moons.
• Sautee in evoo until tender crisp.
• Season with sesame oil, soy sauce, salt & pepper.
• Remove zucchini from pan & set aside.
• Add more evoo to the pan & sautee sliced carrots until about half cooked.
• Add sugar snap peas & continue to cook both the carrots & peas until tender crisp.
• At the end of the cooking process, season with sesame oil, soy sauce, Teriyaki/garlic sauce, salt & pepper.

Serve with rice cooked in the rice cooker.



Leftover potential: Straight-up leftovers work. Also, everything will keep well in the fridge for a few days. You can stir fry the whole kit & kaboodle to make fried rice. Veggies & chicken can be frozen and later added to soup.

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas with Spanish Rice

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy

Bean & Cheese Quesadillas

I had a container of frozen taco meat, beans & salsa in the freezer. I reheated that in the microwave & added to my quesadillas. Lightly butter white flour tortillas & pan grill on one side. Flip & add beans & cheese (gouda & Monterrey jack) and a bit of bottled taco sauce (Taco Bell). Fold in half. Grill each 1/2 side.

Served with microwave-in-the-bag corn & side salad (w/fat free Catalina dressing).

Spanish Rice

• sautee 1/2 medium onion in 2 T evoo until 1/2 cooked over medium high heat
• add 2 c. uncooked white ricecontinue to sautee until the rice begins to turn golden
• add one clove crushed garlic
• add 2 cups of water seasoned with a Sazón seasoning packet, 3 oz tomato paste, T Spanish rice seasoning (I used Fiesta brand, widely available in Texas)
• bring water & rice to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer
• continue to cook until all the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes

Leftover potential: Rice, beans & corn reheat great in the microwave. To reheat leftover quesadillas: microwave on 1/2 power until no longer fridge cold. Then cook in a toaster oven @ 400F until cooked through & crisp. Or cook on the stove top in a non-stick skillet. You can just nuke, but they lose the good texture & flavor.

Shrimp & Pasta

Food Category: Bum Lovin', PG

Difficulty: Easy

Garlic Pasta

Cook Barilla Plus Thin Spaghetti according to package directions. When cooked, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process & prevent pasta from sticking.

Toss pasta back into pan with 2 large crushed cloves of garlic (don't cook) & evoo. Season with sprinkles of salt, oregano, basil & a tad of ground cayenne pepper.

You could just stop right here. My kids could live off garlic pasta without complaint.

Or you could add the shrimp . . .

Gorton's Shrimp Temptations, Shrimp Scampi: cook according to package directions. I add more shrimp (uncooked, tail on) because the Kinder have wised up. I tell you, it's a sad, sad day when children decide to like shrimp. It's almost as bad as when they figure out that chicken legs are not the most desirable part of the bird. Or that hotdogs pale in comparison to ribeye.

Don't be afraid of the scampi. It's only 120 calories per serving.

Served with frozen broccoli, microwaved to perfection.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bon appetite!

Leftover potential: All of this will hang in the fridge for a few days. Makes a great lunch for during the week. Extra broccoli can be frozen and later added to soups.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

Food Category: Bum Lovin', PG
Difficulty: Easy

Chicken Sandwiches:

I used 2 frozen chicken breasts (they were huge) that I cut in half crosswise while partially still frozen. I ended up with 4 thin chicken filets about the size of the bread. Season with garlic & onion powder, pepper & all purpose chicken seasoning. Let the chicken marinate in the dry rub for about 30 minutes.

Pan grill the chicken in a bit of evoo. Baste with a honey-mustard mixture (half honey, half spicy mustard). Remove from heat & set aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

I toasted the bread on a stove-top pan grill.

Sandwiches were assembled with:

lettuce

sliced Kosher dill pickles

sliced red onion

3 slices Oscar Mayer precooked bacon (70 calories, lots of flavor)

Miracle Whip

honey-mustard chicken breast

Served with:

Thick cut oven fries.

Here's the white bread, white potato version:

And, the healthier, whole wheat & sweet potato version:

With sweet potato fries as a side, you can easily get 3 veggie servings (one for the lettuce & 2 for the fries).

Here's a recipe & cooking method for garlic oven fries. My only suggestion would be to definitely cook the potatoes on parchment paper to prevent sticking. Other than that, I think I'll give these a try soon. Just like mine, only better because of the garlic!

Again, here's Paula's sweet potato fries recipe.

Salsa, Guacamole & Bean Dip with Tortilla Chips

Food Category: PG
Difficulty: Easy

It was snack night at our Haus. Friends were visiting from Hohenfels (Hi, CoopaChick, E-Girl & J-Boy) & this kept the teens happy. Winkler Kupfer Spezial straight from the source in Lengenfeld, Bavaira, kept the adults happy.

Tortilla Chips served with:

Bean dip topped with melted cheese: leftover pinto beans, seasoned with chili powder & cumin, food processed, heated in the microwave, melted cheddar & gouda on top.

Haus Salsa

Guacamole, made with: 2 large avocados, 1 T lime juice, 2 T chopped red onion, 1/4 c cilantro leaves, small clove of minced garlic. Chopped fresh jalepeno peppers optional.

Garnished with sour cream & pickled jalepeno peppers.

Chopped BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

Food Category: Southern Comfort, PG
Difficulty: Easy

BBQ Brisket Sandwiches

I chopped leftover brisket from last night (just on the cutting board, using a big knife) & added last night's leftover sauce with additional bottle BBQ sauce.

Serve on lightly toasted sesame buns with mustard & dill pickle relish.

Served with potato chips, sliced cucumbers/carrot sticks & Ranch dip.

Texas Brisket, Beans & Potato Salad

Food Category: Southern Comfort, PG
Difficulty: Easy

Texas Brisket

I must give Paula Deen credit for this delicious brisket recipe & cooking method. I follow this recipe with the following exceptions: I've never used the bay leaf & I don't add the extra beef broth when cooking the brisket in the oven. Sometimes I cook the brisket on the grill: sear meat over high heat, place into a disposable heavy aluminum roasting pan, add the broth, cover tightly with heavy duty foil & grill over indirect heat for 3-4 hours. I have a 3 burner gas grill & turn off the middle burner & set the outer burners to the lowest setting.

Either way, the meat is very tender & finger-licking good. Yes, brisket is a finger food -- who doesn't sample it while cutting for the ta-da presentation?

Drain the fat from the pan juices & add mix equal parts with your favorite bottled BBQ sauce. Serve as a side to the meat or as a sauce later for sandwiches.

Red Beans

Simply make in the crockpot according to package directions. Add 2 slices of bacon while cooking for a little pork fat action. Season with salt just before serving.

Potato Salad

Peel, cut into small cubes & boil until cooked thoroughly
(estimate one medium potato for 2 servings)

To the drained & cooled potatoes (approx. 2.5 lbs) add:
bacon crumbles (6-8 slices of bacon)
finely chopped red onion (1/2 medium onion)
chopped Kosher dill pickles
2-3 chopped boiled eggs
2-3 stalks of celery & leaves, finely chopped
freshly snipped parsley & chives
3 parts light mayo: 1 part mustard (for the "dressing")
salt & pepper to taste

Leftover Potential: Potato salad will hang in the fridge for a few days. Leftover beans can be run through the food processor with "taco" seasoning for use in Tex-Mex dishes: burritos, nachos, bean dip, etc. Beans can be frozen and added to soups/chili at a later time. I always aim to have lots of leftover meat. Chop for brisket sandwiches, shred & add "taco" type seasonings to make tacos, enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, etc. Freeze and add to soups later.