Making the most of a Sunday

Jason headed to Dallas early this morning (like 4:30 am!) for the Cowboys/Redskins game. I've been grounded by Dr. F so I stayed behind to get some things done and decided to use the day stocking the freezer. Lindsey & Adam met me at Chuy's for some creamy jalapeno dip and lunch. After lunch Lin kept me company around Target. Jason has been on me to pack my "go bag" but I really didn't have anything to put in it. I have a hard time finding pj pants that are long and stay long, so I don't really buy them. I just do big t-shirts and shorts. I also needed nursing tanks and new undies, plus a few other things for after he's here.


Once we got home I got started in the kitchen. My list included stew, chicken tacos, lasagna and biscotti. A little ambitious, don't you think? However, with Lindsey's help, I got everything cooked, most of it in the freezer and the kitchen is almost clean. I didn't bother with photos, but here are some recipes.


Stew

• 1 chuck roast, cubed
• 1/2 onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2 small cans tomato sauce
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 can mixed vegetables
• 1 can corn
• 2 russet potatoes, cubed

Normally I do stew meat that is already cut up, but Kroger had chuck roast on sale this week. The package came with two really nice sized roasts so I froze one and used the other.

Start by browning the meat with the onion and bell pepper, add salt & pepper and any seasoning you like. Once browned, drain off most of the fat. Add all of the canned items and potatoes and simmer until the potatoes are cooked.

Once I finished I realized that I forgot my favorite thing for roast - cabbage. We grocery shopped yesterday and I never thought to buy a cabbage but the whole time the stew was cooking I kept thinking that something was missing. As soon as I spooned a bowl up for dinner I knew exactly what it was!

Lasagna

• 1lb ground beef
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• lasagna noodles
• 1 16 oz container ricotta cheese
• 2-3 cups mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese

This is a really easy lasagna recipe I found years ago. Usually Jason is the spaghetti sauce person in the house - he's in charge of dinner for that night. But if we want lasagna that's considered my "easy" meal. Lindsey actually cooked this and as soon as we put it in the oven I realized that I wanted to cook it in an aluminium pan to freeze! Instead I just cooked it in the pyrex dish and split it after - keeping some for dinner tomorrow and putting the rest in the freezer.

Start by browning the beef with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder, and oregano. ((You can also add 1/2 lb ground sausage to give it more meat)) Add the spaghetti sauce, stir. In a 9*13 dish, layer 1/3 of the meat sauce on the bottom. Arrange 1 layer of noodles next. Note: you do not need the "no cook" noodles. Any will do. After noodles, spread 1/3 of the container of ricotta cheese on the noodles, topping with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat for the next 2 layers - meat sauce, noodles, ricotta & mozzarella cheese. Top the last layer with shredded Parmesan cheese. Pour 1/4 cup hot water around the outside of the dish and cover with 2 layers of foil. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly.

Crock pot Chicken Tacos

• 1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 container fresh pico de gallo
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water

Pour the package of taco seasoning in the bottom of the crock pot. Add the chicken - it can be added frozen. Top with the pico, olive oil & water. Do not stir. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, turn the chicken halfway if you are home, but if not - don't worry. Remove the chicken and shred, returning back to the crock pot for another 20-30 minutes of cooking on low. Serve with tortillas & cheese or use to make enchiladas.

This recipe has been floating around the Nest for a few weeks and has gotten rave reviews. It is super easy - especially since you can toss the chicken in frozen.

As for the biscotti - I've made it before. It's one of my standards for the Holiday Season. I'm not sure if much of that will actually make it to the freezer...but I have enough pistachios and cranberries that I can easliy make another batch.

I will not say it.

It really annoys me when people make up words. Stoup is not a word. No matter how many times Rachael Ray says "stoup" it is still not a word.



However, this is a pretty good recipe. I've made it a few times before, so it's a good addition to the winter weather soup rotation. Not that we get much of that in Houston, since we'll be at a balmy 75 degrees this weekend. I adjusted the recipe a little bit to be healthier.

Stuffed Cabbage Soup adapted from Rachael Ray

• 2 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 quart plus 2 cups chicken stock, divided
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 t allspice
• 1 1/2 t coriander
• 2 t smoked paprika
• salt & pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler into strips then finely chopped
• 1 head cabbage, thinly sliced (your choice)
• 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• flat leaf parsley, chopped
• dill, finely chopped

Heat 2 cups of chicken stock to boiling. Add rice, bring up to a simmer, cover and cook for 16-18 minutes or until the rice is tender.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 T of olive oil. Once hot add meat and begin to brown. Season the meat with allspice, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Add bay leaf, onions, garlic and carrots. Cook the veggies 2-3 minutes and then add the cabbage to wilt. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and remaining chicken stock and cover. Bring the heat up to high and the soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the rice, stirring to combine. Stir in parsley and dill before serving.

It's chili...but it's not.

Chili is supposed to be made with beef and have this reddish-brownish color. That's it. Anything else can't really qualify as "chili." Well, in my opinion at least. A coworker eats this stuff (I can't say it's food) that comes in a bag and is vegetarian chili. It looks like chili, but she's actually said that it is not really that good. Not bad, but not that good. Why she continues to eat it, I'll never understand. She's NOT a vegetarian. Tonight, the girl will be having a big huge steak and baked potato for dinner (her Friday night ritual with her husband). So why suffer through fake food when you don't have to? I think that she thinks it is healthy. I also think that somewhere in that bag of fake stuff is something that is bad for you. Maybe the dye that makes it look the reddish-brownish color. For the record, today she ate a BBQ sandwich - except the BBQ meat came out of a similar chili-bag and is not really "meat." I don't get it.

So, now that you know what goes on in the cafeteria at work every day, I'll get to the point of the post. I found a recipe for White Christmas Chili and figured it could not be that bad! I just don't think it should be called chili - maybe...some sort of soup. Either way it was pretty good. A few too many green chili's for my taste, but pretty good overall.

White Christmas Chili from Southern Living

• 4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
• 5 cups water
• 1 large onion, chopped and divided
• 2 T butter or margarine
• 2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1/3 cup) (I left this out, neither of us like celery)
• 3 (16 oz) cans great Northern beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
• 3 (4.5 oz) cans chopped green chiles
• 1 cup canned chicken broth
• 1 t ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 t salt
• 1/8 t ground red pepper
• 1 T chopped fresh cilantro

Place chicken, 5 cups water, and half of onion in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and cook 15 to 18 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and cut into bite-size pieces, reserving broth in Dutch oven. Melt butter in a skillet; add celery and remaining onion, and sauté until tender. Stir chicken, celery mixture, 2 cans beans, and next 6 ingredients into broth in Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 hour, stirring frequently, until thickened. Process remaining 1 can beans in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Stir bean pureé into chili. Remove and discard bay leaf; stir in cilantro just before serving with desired toppings (cheese, tortilla chips).

Soup and Salad

A few weeks ago I decided to tackle something new. Butternut squash. Yes, it was new to me. So new that I did not know how to cut up a butternut squash. Seriously. Jason bought me a set of Rachel Ray knives a few years ago and that sucker could not do much damage to the squash! My first thought was to call my mom, but the only squash she ever really cooked with were the standard yellow summer squash. So...I went to the second stand by. The Internet. Sure enough, I found a great little "how to" video that showed some great tips for cutting and peeling the squash. The best tip - microwave it for 2 minutes so that it is a little softer. Score!

Oh, the reason for my new found curiosity with butternut squash...this little post. That Foodie Bride has caused me quite a bit of strife. Well, not really. Her recipes look good but I never get around to duplicating them. Until now. Or maybe I should say that I tried but mine does NOT look the same. I'm blaming it on the camera (I think she has a fancy schmacy SLR camera) but I'm still not sure.

Butternut Squash Soup with Ravioli and Sage Roasted Walnuts
from Better Homes & Garden by way of The Foodie Bride

• 2 1/2 lbs butternut squash
• 32 oz vegetable broth
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup walnuts, rough chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
• 1 9-oz package refrigerated cheese ravioli, cooked and drained (I bought the whole wheat kind)

Peel the squash, halve lengthwise and scoop the seeds - discard. Dice squash into 3/4 inch pieces. In a large sauce pan, combine squash, broth, cayenne, cinnamon, and salt. Cook covered over medium heat until squash is tender, about 30 minutes.

Here is where I think things changed a bit. I used my immersion blender vs the regular blender that Foodie Bride suggested. My soup was a little...thicker than I thought it looked. Either way, blend the soup until it has a smoother texture. Whisk in 1 T butter and taste. I added a little more cayenne pepper. I made this a few weeks ago and put it directly into the freezer, since I also make Chicken Tortilla Soup the same day. When I reheated it, I added a little chicken broth to thin it out a little.

To make the Sage-Roasted Walnuts - preheat the oven to 325. Chop the walnuts and spread on a baking sheet. Roast for about 5 minutes. Melt 2 T butter and add the sage. Remove from the head and toss with the walnuts.

Serve the soup with cooked ravioli and roasted walnuts.

And since I knew I could not get away with feeding Jason only soup, I added a salad. But I didn't want the same old "lettuce, tomato, light ranch dressing" salad. While flipping through my Southern Living cookbooks, I found a recipe for Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad. Jason and I both really liked this salad, especially the dressing! However, being the brilliant person I am, I added an apple to the salad...not thinking that it would turn brown. As it did a day later.
















Winter Fruit & Cucumber Salad with Basil Vinaigrette adapted from Southern Living
Salad:

• 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 large orange, peeled and cubed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
• 1 green onion, sliced thin
• 1 red apple, diced
• 1 red onion, sliced (I left this out)

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 T fresh lemon juice
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 t salt

Whisk ingredients for the dressing together and toss with the salad.

Recipe Exchange: Chalupas!

I will fully admit two things about this recipe. First, I thought chalupas were either some sort of taco things...or beans, lettuce and cheese on a fried corn tortilla. Second, I was really intimidated by this recipe. But...I succeeded! We went to a friends house to hang out and drink some beers, so I used that time to try out the recipe. However, I forgot my camera at home and we ended up eating the whole batch of chalupas! It was so good!! Hopefully this does not violate the What's Cooking Recipe Exchange rules...

Chalupas from Food Network

• 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast
• 2 cups pinto beans, rinsed
• 4 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 fresh green chilies, roasted, peeled and diced
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 T chopped garlic
• 1 T oregano
• 2 T chili powder
• salt and pepper
• water

Place the roast, and all remaining ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 3 hours. Remove the meat and continue to cook for another 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are tender.

Shred the meat and discard the fat. Return it to the pot and continue to cook for another hour, stiring often. Add more water if needed, until it thins out.

We served ours like a soup with chips, shredded cheese and some pico on top. For a crowd, this is perfect! I will probably make it again when we have guests over...but I will say you need a long day to do so.

"Baked" Potato Soup

I will fully admit that I did not like this soup. OK, the flavor was good...but I had to give Jason my bowl about halfway through. I have a good reason, though. I hate onions. Unless they are chopped really fine or they are sauteed and a little "mushy" I will not eat them. The thought just makes me ill.

When I prepared this recipe, I just chopped the onion thinking it would probably cook through. Wrong. Lesson learned, if I ever get past the bad taste it left and try to make this again, I will either A) run the onions through the food processor, B) saute them first or C) blend it all with the immersion blender after it cooks. I could still do (C), but I don't think I could get past the taste from last night.

Good thing Jason liked it because we have quite a bit!

"Baked" Potato Soup from Southern Living

• 3 pounds potatoes, cubed
• 1/2 onion, chopped (fine or sauteed)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 14-oz cans chicken broth
• 1/4 cup butter
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup cream or half & half (I used half & half)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used fat free)
• 3 T chopped green onions
• bacon (I used turkey bacon)
• sour cream (optional)

Combine first six ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Mash the potatoes and add in the cream, cheese and green onions. Serve topped with more cheese, sour cream, bacon and green onions.

It makes about 12 cups and each cup is 4 WW points.

My Favorite Soup

I love this soup. I don't know that it's quite a "soup" but more of an "upgraded chili"...but I am not Rachel Ray, so I won't change the name. It's called a soup...so I will leave it a soup. Not a "stoup" or a "choup" or what ever the heck she tries to say.

Either way, this is perfect for a large crowd (the recipe feeds 6-8) and can be multiplied easily.

Taco Soup

• 2 lbs ground meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz) can Ranch Style Beans
• 1 (14 oz) can Pinto Beans with Jalapenos
• 1 (14 oz) can Whole Kernel Corn
• 1 pkg Taco Seasoning
• 1 pkg Ranch Dressing mix

Brown ground meat with onions and peppers. Add the rest of the ingredients (do not drain the cans) and bring to a boil. Simmer for up to an hour. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

Just a note...I either use all ground beef or a beef/turkey combo. All ground turkey doesn't have the same flavor, probably because there is not enough fat in the meat!! What we all need, right?

Cooler weather means...Soups!

I just told my husband last week that I am so happy for the cooler weather...because we can have soups for dinner! Soups are ideal because I can cook them once...and they last almost the whole week. So yesterday, I went for the difficult one...Chicken Tortilla Soup. Not difficult because of the time involved or ingredients...but difficult because I'm not a huge fan of bone-in chicken, and I really don't like raw chicken. However, to make this taste correctly, it really needs a whole bone-in chicken. Blech.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
1 whole fryer
1 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 jalapeno pepper (your choice, depending on the heat level you are looking for)
2 cans Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilis
2 cans 98% Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
1 t Chili Powder
1 t Ground Cumin
1 t Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Tortilla Chips
Shredded Cheese

Cook your fryer with the onions, garlic and jalapenos in boiling water, salt & pepper to taste. You can do this however you prefer - either the whole chicken or you can cut the chicken before you cook it. I can't stand to cut up the chicken, so I just boil the whole thing, let it cool, then remove it from the broth. Drain about 1/3 of the broth and any skin. All all canned ingredients and seasoning to the broth, bring to a boil and stir. Add shredded chicken back to mixture and simmer. Serve with fresh cilantro, chips & cheese. (about 4.5 WW points for 6 servings)