Chicken Parmesan Bake

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 TBL olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 LB pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups marinara sauce (reserve 1/2 cup)
1 cup mozzarella, shredded (reserve 1/2 cup)
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or 1 tsp each basil and oregano)

Season chicken chunks with onion and garlic powder and saute in olive oil until brown on both sides.
Mix cooked pasta with chicken, 1 1/2 cups sauce, and 1/2 cup cheese in greased casserole dish.
Top with remaining sauce, then cheese and Italian seasoning.
Bake, covered, at 350 for 20 minutes, removing the lid for the last 5 minutes.
MAKE-AHEAD: Stop at the baking step. Bake 45 minutes from refrigerated.

Macaroni and Cheese

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan
2 Tsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 lb pasta, cooked

In a sauce pan, melt butter and fry onion until soft. Add in flour and whisk until throughly blended. Add in the milk slowly, whisking as it is added. When the mixture bubbles and thickens slightly, remove from heat. Stir in 2 cups Cheddar, the Parmesan, mustard, and salt and pepper. Add Tabasco if desired. Stir until cheese is melted and then fold into the drained pasta. Top with remaining 1 cup Cheddar. Pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

CMP Brownies!

These are absolutely awesome. A CMP is a chocolate-marshmallow-peanut ice cream sundae that was a local favorite in Scranton, where I went to college.

Get the recipe, photos and nutrition facts at Cook and Count!

Taste Test! Aunt Trudy's Fillo Pocket Sandwiches

I received an invitation to sample Aunt Trudy's Fillo Pocket Sandwiches, which are kind of like an upscale, organic, vegan Hot Pocket.

I tasted the Organic Mexicali Vegetable and 3-Bean Veggie Chili flavors. The pockets could be microwaved in the special packaging OR oven-baked. I chose to bake them rather than microwave. After baking according to directions (about 30 minutes), the pockets were still a little mushy in the middle but the filling was hot throughout.

I liked the fillo crust, and the vegetables inside tasted fresh. I preferred the Mexicali Vegetable to the 3-Bean Veggie Chili.

Here's their press release:

Aunt Trudy's Fillo Pocket Sandwiches Chosen by Good Housekeeping
Wins Two Spots on "100 Healthiest Convenience Foods" List for 2009

Dumont, NJ , March 24, 2009 - After 9 months of taste-testing and analyzing over 1,000 products, Good Housekeeping uncovered the top "100 Healthiest Convenience Foods", helping its 26 million readers live better lifestyles. Taking not one, but TWO of the coveted spots on the list is Aunt Trudy's, by The Fillo Factory, with a pair of their most popular Fillo Pocket Sandwich selections.

Aunt Trudy's Roasted Vegetable Fillo Pocket Sandwich, 240 calories, offers an array of organic veggies delicately wrapped in a light, flaky crust. The 3 Bean Veggie Chili Fillo Pocket Sandwich, 260 calories, is full of zest and a vegan favorite.

Made in the U.S. from premium organic ingredients, the gourmet meals are
microwavable and ready to eat in under ten minutes. Loaded with flavor, it's easy to
forget these tasty treats are so healthy; trans fat free and containing no preservatives. The suggested retail price is $2.89. Visit Aunt Trudy's for retail store availability.

The intense process of narrowing down the top choices started with Good Housekeeping
Research Institute nutritionists searching supermarket shelves and food trade shows for potential candidates. Next, ingredients were analyzed and labels inspected for vitamins, minerals, and proteins. Finally, dozens of volunteers, ages 5 to 85, taste tested each product.

"It's an honor to be selected by such a well respected publication," stated Ron Rexroth, CEO of The Fillo Factory. "Aunt Trudy's will continue to create products that Good Housekeeping's readers will enjoy for years to come."

I saw these mentioned in a back issue of Good Housekeeping. Some of the available flavors intrigued me, like the spinach and feta one. I love spanakopita and think that with the fresh ingredients used in these sandwiches, it would have to be good. If I happen to find this product in my local supermarket, I will try the spinach and feta flavor.

Granma's Rolls

2 ¼ cup milk
2 tbl sugar
1 tbl vegetable shortening (Crisco) NOT butter flavor
2 tsp salt
5 to 6 cups flour
1 tbl yeast (if you get it in packets, 1 packet)

Heat first 4 ingredients until melted. Allow to cool until it is "baby-bottle warm." Stir in yeast and flour. Rise dough until double. Shape into rolls. Place on heavy floured pan. Rise until double. Bake 12 to 15 min at 350.

Rising hint: Put the dough in the microwave. DO NOT TURN IT ON. Leave it 1 hour or so. No drafts! It works great.

Menu Plan April 5 - April 11

SUNDAY: Turkey Gyros

MONDAY: Barb's Italian Chicken over mini penne

TUESDAY: Pork roast with honey-mustard glaze, roasted potatoes

WEDNESDAY: Tilapia, rice, vegetables (we never ate that tilapia last week!)

THURSDAY: Spaghetti (what else?)

FRIDAY: Our church hosts a "soup and bread dinner" after Good Friday liturgy.

SATURDAY: Undecided on that one just now!

Barb's Italian Chicken

This is a great busy-day dinner. You can start it ahead of time and turn it off if you have to do a Mom's Taxi run in the middle of dinner prep. Just leave the lid on, and turn it back on to simmer when you return. (I wouldn't leave this or anything with meat in it for more than 15 minutes, in the interest of food safety.)

Barb's Italian Chicken

3/4 pound boneless-skinless chicken breast, in 1-inch chunks
1 TBL olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 TBL minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine
1 28-oz can plum tomatoes (or diced if you prefer), with the juice
1 tsp EACH basil and oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes per side. Pour in wine and allow to cook down. Add remaining ingredients, turn down to simmer, and cover. Cook 30 to 45 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Three for Three!

I don't usually put my family through 3 new recipes in a row like this, but I was just in the mood to try some new things this weekend.

On Friday, I veered off last week's menu plan and made Tami's Pizza Rollups, using my homemade sauce and Barbara's pizza crust recipe.

Saturday, we tried 20-Clove-of-Garlic Chicken. It smelled delicious and tasted good too.

And tonight I made Turkey Gyros. Fabulous!

Turkey Gyros

This is my take on a Rachael Ray recipe. That link is to the original. My recipe is below. With enough pitas, this would have been enough to feed 8 people. I wound up freezing the extra meat.

For the meat:
* 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed
* 1 pound ground turkey
* 1 tablespoon grill seasoning
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon coriander
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 pinches ground cinnamon
* 1/2 cup feta crumbles
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the sauce:
* 1 cup Greek yogurt
* 1 small clove garlic, grated
* 1/2 tsp cumin
* 1/4 cucumber, peeled and grated
* 1 lemon, juiced (1 to 2 tbl lemon juice)

And the rest:
* a handful of grape tomatoes, halved
* 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
* 8 pita breads

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place turkey in a bowl. Add grill seasoning, cumin, chili powder, coriander, oregano, cinnamon and feta crumbles. Wring the spinach dry in a paper towel and add to meat. Mix the meat and form a long 3-inch roll on a baking sheet. Coat with extra-virgin olive oil and bake 30 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to verify doneness.

Mix yogurt, a grated clove of garlic, cucumber, the juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Slice and reserve the tomatoes and cucumbers.

Soften pita (wrap in foil and place in oven for a few minutes).

Slice meat loaf into 1/4-inch slices. Spread sauce on pitas and top with 2 slices of meat, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

This tastes JUST like the gyros I used to get at the mall during college. Delicious and filling.

I think that the meat can be mixed ahead and just ready to bake, or even baked ahead and warmed later. The yogurt sauce is best chilled, so definitely make that ahead if possible. If I had the meat baked ahead, this would be a great "Saturday night after church" meal, or a good go-to meal during the week when I need dinner to be quick and easy.

Middle Sister didn't like it but otherwise it got good reviews. Little Brother just ate the meat and had his vegetables on the side. No sauce. That was fine with me.

Menu Plan March 29-April 4

As usual these days, I am oh so late!

SUNDAY: Roast chicken, boiled red potatoes, broccoli

MONDAY: Tacos

TUESDAY: Beef Paysanne, noodles, fresh cucumbers

WEDNESDAY: I have the flu. TheDad was out of town. The kids made boxed mac & cheese, stuffed their faces and cleaned up after. Thanks, kids!

THURSDAY: Spaghetti

FRIDAY: Baked tilapia, rice, vegetable

SATURDAY: My choir has the 5:00 Mass and since this weekend is Palm Sunday, it's sure to be crowded and longer than usual. I'm trying a new recipe for 20-clove-of-garlic chicken since it's quick prep. On the side, Alfredo noodles (thanks, Knorr mix) and green beans.

Thrifty Thursday: Sesame Seed Buns (bread machine)

For today's Thrifty Thursday (hosted at Amanda's Cookin') I'm contributing my own recipe for sesame seed buns. I tweaked a cookbook recipe and came up with a way to make rolls for sandwiches and dinner rolls, all in one. This way, sandwich rolls are always fresh because I'm only making 2 days' worth--at the most--at a time. The rest of the rolls are made into dinner rolls which we eat that day. No more moldy sandwich rolls by Friday!



Barb’s Sesame Seed Buns

1 cup milk
2 tbl softened butter OR olive oil (I've tried this both ways and they both work)
1 tbl sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
3 tbl vital gluten
1 tbl yeast

For egg wash:
1 egg
1 tbl sesame seeds (or more)

Use dough cycle. At the end of the cycle, remove from the pan and place on floured board and punch down. Cover with a clean dish towel for 20 minutes.
Divide and roll into balls. Place dough balls on oiled cookie sheet. Cover
with the towel and allow to rise about 1 hour. Beat egg and brush over
rolls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 15 minutes at 375. Cool on a wire rack.

This recipe makes 6 sandwich rolls or 12 dinner rolls. Bake time is the same either way.

These rolls have been given the "Big Brother thumbs-up" for lunchbox sandwiches. He thinks he's lucky to get homemade rolls for his lunches. I'm happy to be saving money--supermarket rolls are SO pricey!

Mashed Potato Cakes

I cobbled together a few recipes, a little of this and a little of that, and ended up with something pretty good!!

MASHED POTATO CAKES

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (I used a Cheddar-Jack mix)
salt and pepper to taste (about a teaspoon of each)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
oil for the griddle

I used a 2-burner griddle to make this go faster. This recipe made about 15 potato cakes.

Mix potatoes, egg, cheese and seasonings (not bread crumbs) in a large bowl. Form into patties and dredge in the bread crumbs. They don't have to be completely coated. Fry on a heated, oiled griddle until brown on both sides. Keep warm in the oven until all the cakes are done.

Note:  these are even better when you use a good sharp Cheddar. They're not the prettiest side dish in the world, but they're very tasty.

Menu Plan for the week of March 22, 2009

SUNDAY: Grilled chicken, mashed potato cakes, mixed vegetables

MONDAY: Ranch-breaded chicken, corn, mac & cheese

TUESDAY: Maple-mustard pork ribs in the slow cooker (a new recipe. Not so great.)

WEDNESDAY: Chicken enchilada soup, salad (that was some REALLY good soup!)

THURSDAY: Chick-Fil-A (yeah, I got lazy)

FRIDAY: baked tilapia, wild rice, salad

SATURDAY: spaghetti

We have more common sense than magazines think

I was flipping through an old issue of All You magazine and found a recipe for side-dish potatoes that I thought I might try.

I had to love the "kitchen tips" that went along with the recipe, though.

Work in advance. You can make the potatoes through step 2 up to a day ahead (don't preheat the oven). Cover and refrigerate the potatoes. The day of the party, pipe and bake the potatoes, allowing an extra 5 minutes of baking time.

Did they honestly think that they had to warn someone not to preheat the oven if you were preparing this recipe ahead of time? How clueless do they think their readers are?

I can't decide if I should be insulted, or if I should laugh at how clueless the recipe editor was.

Menu Plan: the 2-week-at-a-time version

Here's what we ate for dinner last week.

MON 9: turkey pot pie

TUES 10: tacos

WED 11: turkey chili blanco

THURS 12: spaghetti & meatballs

FRI 13: pizza (takeout)

SAT 14: family reunion at my sister's house; I brought vegetable platters & cole slaw

SUN 15: Spanish Garlic shrimp, rice

MON 16: chicken lo mein (was supposed to be something else, but 2 of Big Brother's friends were still here so I needed something I could expand!)

TUES 17: pot roast, noodles, gravy, vegetables

WED 18: New England Boiled Dinner because I refuse to serve corned beef on St. Patrick's Day just out of spite. It's not an Irish meal!

THURS 19: spaghetti

FRI 20: I want to try this meatless paella

SAT 21: Spaghetti Dinner at our church

"Almost Like Cracker Barrel" Sourdough Bread

My latest effort in sourdough breadmaking is enough like Cracker Barrel's bread that I won't need to buy theirs anymore.

This is a bread machine recipe.

About 8 hours before you want to bake, take your starter out of the refrigerator and toss a pinch of sugar in there, and then stir. Cover loosely. Stir the starter again just before using it.

Put in your bread machine pan:

1/2 cup warm water
1 cup starter
2 1/2 TBL oil (I use light olive oil)
1 tsp salt
2 TBL sugar
3 cups flour

Use the dough cycle. Shape the dough and place in an oiled loaf pan. Allow to rise at least 2 hours.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

Thrifty Thursday: Turkey Stock!

Thrifty Thursday is hosted at Amanda's Cookin' each week!

I made a turkey dinner on Saturday for my younger son's birthday. After I carved the turkey, I let the carcass cool off, then broke it apart. You can do this with your hands once the carcass gets cool. Then I saved it in a covered pot in the refrigerator.

Today I took all of those pieces and put them into the strainer insert for a 12-quart pasta pot (it's like a colander, but cylindrical). I added a bag of "past their prime" baby carrots, a handful of parsley, and some salt and pepper. Then I filled the pot with water and simmered 4 hours.

After that it was easy enough to remove the strainer and I was left with over 8 quarts of fabulous turkey stock. Some of it went into the white chili we had for dinner, and the rest is for the freezer. (We used cubed leftover turkey in that chili instead of chicken. It tasted great.)

So here's my Thrifty Thursday tip: don't waste poultry bones when you can use them for stock!

Pokemon Cake

For Little Brother's birthday I made a Pokeball cake and cupcakes. These were really easy and required a minimum of decorating skill. That's good, because I was not feeling super-well, so I wasn't up to a big challenge.

You need:
3 cans frosting (one chocolate, 2 white)
2 cake mixes, prepared as directed
1 bag Valentine M&Ms (you need red and white M&Ms. Well, actually only white ones, unless you are using red to put numbers on some of the cakes like I did. You get to eat all the pink ones.) If you don't have white M&Ms, get some little gumdrops and use the white ones. Or white chocolate chips, upside-down, would work too.
Icing bag and frosting tip (I used a #3 tip, I think.)
1/2 bottle red food coloring (not those wimpy little vials that come in packs of 4. A BOTTLE.)

I baked 24 cupcakes, 1 9X13 and 1 "dome" in a small Pyrex dish. The batter for that came out of the 9X13 batch. I'm not the biggest fan of baking spray (usually I use solid shortening and flour for cakes) but I had a free can of Bakers Joy and this stuff was fabulous in the Pyrex.

The 9X13 was frosted in chocolate (Middle Sister did that part) and then I put the "dome" on top of that.

Then I mixed up my red frosting. Note: if tinting an entire can of frosting, use a mixing bowl. Don't try to mix it in the can. My table is still a little pink in spots. I did the whole can because there will be another party soon and this way I wouldn't have to mix colors again. I used half a bottle of red coloring for the whole can. The color WILL get more intense over time; when I finished mixing it, it still looked a bit pinkish. So does my thumb, come to think of it.

Put a little of the chocolate frosting into the icing bag for trimming out the Pokeballs.

ALMOST half of each cupcake, and half the dome, should be red. I left a little semicircle uncovered and then did that part in white. Next time I will do the white part first...live and learn.

Trim it with the chocolate and then top with the white M&M.

Fancy birthday cakes on the cheap. My 7-year-old was thrilled.

Menu Plan for Last Week and a hint of what's coming up

Last week I forgot to do the menu plan. Here's what we ate.

SUNDAY: Red Lobster for my father-in-law's birthday

MONDAY: Pork paprikas.

TUESDAY: Taco mac & cheese. The mac part was great & everyone wants it as a standalone dish. I will post that recipe later.

WEDNESDAY: Chicken and dumplings.

THURSDAY: Hawaiian Chicken with pineapple.

FRIDAY: Cheese ravioli with marinara.

SATURDAY: Turkey dinner, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, Granma's rolls.

What's coming up!

SUNDAY it will just be the kids as we are going to a church dinner for the parish volunteers.

I have a good amount of leftover turkey including the carcass, so there will be turkey soup happening sometime this week--or at least turkey stock.

I need to make a big batch of spaghetti sauce this week. We are completely OUT of spaghetti sauce. (The horror!)

I had an unfortunate, inadvertent freezing-of-the-red-bell-peppers that should have been on the vegetable platter for today's dinner. They're sliced but no good for eating raw or stir-frying. They'll be fine for chili or something else like that. So I need to either figure out a way to cook them in something this week, or just freeze them until I think of what to make with them. Maybe they'll be good in the Crockpot Jambalaya recipe I found on Family Corner.

Unfortunately, cucumbers that have been inadvertently frozen are not good for anything, as far as I can tell. Ick. Ever try to peel a partially-frozen cuke? I don't recommend it.

Thrifty Thursday: March 5

Thrifty Thursday is hosted weekly at Amanda's Cookin'

Today's Thrifty Thursday tip is a turkey tip! Yes, I know it's not Thanksgiving, but my kids all love turkey, and I'll be making one this weekend.

You don't have to buy an expensive turkey to get a moist, juicy bird. Here's an easy way to get great results on the cheap. BUT it takes a little planning ahead, because the bird has to be completely thawed a whole day before you want to roast it.

1. Go to your nearest Big Box Home Improvement Store (orange or blue, doesn't matter) and buy a 5-gallon bucket with a lid. Wash it out.

2. Buy a store-brand frozen turkey. Nothing fancy needed.

3. Defrost the turkey.

4. Wash the turkey inside and out and make sure you remove all the giblets and other miscellaneous-in-a-bag that comes with the turkey.

5. Put the turkey in the 5-gallon bucket with the tips of the legs sticking up.

6. Sprinkle a cup of kosher (coarse) salt all over the turkey.

7. Pour water over the whole thing and keep adding water until the cavity is filled and there's plenty of water on the outside of the turkey too. Add lots of ice cubes, and cover.

8. Let this sit at least 8 hours or up to 24.

9. Remove directly to your roasting pan. Don't wash the turkey again. It was clean before you did the brining part.

10. Roast as usual!

Now if you want to get all complicated, Alton Brown does a brined turkey with lots of spices and stuff. But unless you have all of those in your house already, it's not a thrifty turkey. This way works just as well.