Greek-Style Shrimp Pasta

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled & de-veined
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 package reduced fat crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
2/3 cup half & half
cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 box fettuccini noodles, cooked

In a large pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the shrimp and garlic, cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the pasta) and continue to cook until the shrimp are done and the half & half has reduced, about 4-5minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, stir to combine.

Serves 4-5 people.

I love how fast this dish comes together. It's one of our favorites.

Oven Fries

I made some pretty good oven fries last night. Everybody liked them, which is quite a feat. I didn't take a picture, but will next time. I froze some to bake later. I believe using fresh garlic is the key to this recipe. I used to use the jarred stuff, but now that I've started using fresh.....I'll never go back.

4 baking potatoes
1 large or 2 small cloves FRESH garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp. italian seasoning
2 Tbs. grated parmesan cheese
2-3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 450. Cover 2 cookie sheets with foil and spray with Pam. Peel the potatoes (or don't), cut in half lengthwise and slice into equal sized wedges. Put them all in a Ziploc and add rest of the ingredients. Seal the Ziploc and rub/toss to coat. Spread the wedges out evenly in one layer. Bake for 35-45 minutes turning twice so that they brown evenly.

This recipe would serve 8 people. I froze some to bake at a later date.

Meatballs & Sauce For A Crowd

I offered to make meatballs in spaghetti sauce for my niece and Mother-in-law's birthday party tonight. My sister-in-law is having us all up for dinner, which will be fun!

I created this recipe as I was going along. I figure after watching Food Network all these years, I could wing it with what I've learned from Giada, Sandra and others.


















Meatballs:

4 pounds lean ground beef
1 heaping Tbs. dried, minced onion (fresh has too much moisture)
3 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
1 egg
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
2-3 Tbs. parmesan cheese (yep, I used the can)
1 Tbs. italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper




















Line 2 cookie sheets with foil. Combine all the above ingredients and form into balls, I used my cookie scoop, and place onto the cookie sheets. This is important because if you add them to the hot pan as you go, they will brown unevenly. When you have enough for a pan or two, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a pan (I did two so I could keep things moving) and when the pan is hot, add the meatballs. I was able to fit a cookie sheet's worth into each pan. Brown on one side, then flip them. There's no need to cook them through because the crock pot will do that for you.

Spaghetti Sauce:

2 1/2 jars prepared spaghetti sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. italian seasoning, divided
1/2 large onion, diced and cooked until soft

Spray your crock pot sleeve with non-stick cooking spray. Pour 2 jars spaghetti sauce, the tomatoes, cooked onion, 1 1/2 tsp. italian seasoning and stir. Add meatballs into sauce as they are finished browning. Ever so gently, fold them into the sauce being careful not to over-stir them. After you have added all of the meatballs, pour 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce and the last 1/2 tsp of seasoning on top. Again, gently stir to settle it into the top meatballs, don't stir to the bottom.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve in hoagies, or over spaghetti noodles.

This makes enough for at least 6 adults, a teenage boy, and 5 kids.

The picture below was taken just after putting into the crock pot. Don't let the pink meat freak you out.

Burger Recipe

First, I hardly ever make burgers because I'm not a big red meat fan and Hailey really doesn't care for it. Bill, G, and Hammie get very excited when I make them.

I tried a new recipe last night. I made it up, it's an original. No picutre, because we all know what a burger looks like.

1.5 pounds lean ground beef
1 packet ranch dressing mix (dry)
1 1/2 tsp. Worchesteshire sauce
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
1 Tbs. minced dry onion flakes
3 Tbs. milk (I would've used 2-3 Tbs. light sour cream if I'd had it.)

Mix and make into patties. Cook in a hot pan until required doneness is achieved. I made my patties kinda small, but this recipe would easily feed 4 people, more if one weren't a voracious teen carnivore.

Tip: When slicing tomatoes for the top, don't cut a divot out of your pointer finger with your razor-sharp Wuesthoff knife.

Philly Cheesesteak Pockets

So I tried a couple of new recipes this week. Monday night I made Philly Cheesesteak pockets that were featured in Sandra Lee's new magazine. They were a big hit, but the pie crust was a bit rich for me. I will make them again, but put the filling into a pizza dough instead.

I've been asked to post pictures of the cooking process for the recipes I post. Here goes.
























Here's the recipe (with a few adjustments):

1 pound sliced deli roast beef, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup reduced sodium beef broth
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 cup shredded pizza cheese
1 package (two crusts) refrigerated pie crusts
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Saute' peppers, onion, and garlic in 1 tsp. olive oil until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the chopped meat, broth, and pepper flakes and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the mixture in a collander.

Lay each pie crust out on the cookie sheet, one at a time, fill with 1/2 of the meat mixture, and cover with cheese. Fold over one side and seal with fork tines. Brush with olive oil and bake for 20-25 minutes, until brown.

Dipping sauce (again, slightly adjusted):

2/3 cup light mayonnaise
2 Tbs. prepared horseradish
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 small clove garlic, chopped fine

Combine all and keep in the fridge 'til ready to serve.

My adjustments centered around using fresh garlic instead of garlic salt because deli meats are so salty. I also cut the mayo down by 1/3 cup and used a light version to save on calories. Using the pie crusts called for in the recipe, these easily feed 4 people. The crust is very rich, as you would imagine.

New Salad Creation

I've been incorporating at least one salad night per week. This week we had taco salads with spinach as the "green." I had leftover taco meat, so it worked great.

Then, I concocted this recipe based on one I had at a restaurant. It was good! G chose to use his chicken for a spinach caesar, but I forgave him Ü. Cheese and "weird" dressing freak him out.


















4 cups baby spinach
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
2-3 Tbs. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
sprinkling of sliced almonds for crunch
5-6 Tbs. homemade balsamic vinaigrette

Divide ingredients between 2 plates and enjoy.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
3 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. balsamic vinegar (I could eat this every day)
juice of 1/2 lemon
cracked black pepper, to taste

This recipe makes enough for 4-5 individual salads. However.....I dress Bill and my salads lightly.

Mulligatawny Soup

2 Tbs. olive oil (I used a bit less)
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 cup flour
2-3 tsp. curry powder (I used 2 1/2)
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice (I only use brown rice)
cracked black pepper

Cook the veggies, apple, and chicken (if not cooked ahead) in olive oil for 12-15 min. on medium heat. Combine flour and curry powder in a small bowl. Add to the cooked veggies/apple, reduce heat to low and cook for 3-5 mins. This will get rid of the floury taste. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer on low-medium for 30 - 40 mins. Stir occasionally. Add the rice during the last 15 mins. If you've cooked your chicken ahead, add it in with the rice. Stir in black pepper before serving.

Serves - 5 people

This soup is more like a stew, will warm you up on a cold night, and is very filling. I used a braeburn apple and Bill said the recipe at work used a much more "tart" variety. Hence, the granny smith reference.

Toffee Brittle Drop Cookies

These are among the most boring looking cookies I've ever made. However....they're perfect for anyone who isn't a fan of super-sweet, chocolatey treats. Here is a picture of Hay's recipe.



















You may want to use mine.

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar (weird name for a powdered substance)
1 package Heath toffee bits

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Either line cookie sheets with parchment paper or lightly spray them with Pam. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla, and salt on medium speed until blended. Mix in the 3 eggs. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Incorporate into the sugar mixture a little at a time. Once the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed, stir in the toffee bits.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfulls onto the prepared cookie sheets. (Side-note, I always bake one cookie sheet at a time.) Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool for one minute, then move to cooling racks.

This recipe makes a lot. I froze 3 dozen cookies and had plenty for the fam.

Clam Chowder

I made a batch and a half of this chowder New Year's Day for Mom, Dad, Lisa, and my fam. I think it's better as a "regular" batch, but it was still good. I found the base recipe (potato soup) in a Paula Deen magazine. I added in the celery, carrots, and clams.

1 bag frozen cubed hashbrown potatoes (smaller the cubes, the better)
3 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can reduced sodium cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup each diced onion, carrot, and celery
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 - 8 ounce block reduced fat cream cheese, softened and cubed
2-3 cans clams, drained and slightly rinsed (tuna sized cans)

Combine the potatoes, broth, soup, veggies, and black pepper in a sprayed crock pot. Cook on low for 6+ hours. Add the cream cheese and clams. Cook on high for 30-45 minutes until cream cheese melts and soup becomes creamy.

Serves 6-8

Quick No-Bake Treat Recipe

Hello! I'm not going to include a picture of these because, well, they don't look as good as they taste. They are a favorite around our house made only at Christmas time. The best part? They freeze REALLY well.

2 cups potato sticks
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups butterscotch chips

Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper. Microwave chocolate and butterscotch chips in a large bowl until melted, stirring every 30 seconds (with a spatula). Stir in the peanuts, then fold in the potato sticks. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the lined cookie sheets and cool in the fridge until set. Voila!

P.S. I started using my new camera this weekend and am in love. My goal this week is to post my old news + pics, load my new camera's software, then post my newest pics. Just you wait! (I pretend that you're really THAT interested. Please play along.)

Orange Chicken

It's finally crock pot season again! I love putting dinner in the crock pot in the morning and then not worrying about what I'm going to make when I get home. It's the best. Here is a recipe I started making a couple years ago. It's easy and economical.

















Orange Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 small onion, diced (about 1/2 cup worth)
1/2 cup Catalina dressing (I use light or fat free)
2/3 of an 18 ounce jar orange marmalade
black pepper to taste

Spray the crockpot with Pam. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot and top with the onions and a light sprinkle of black pepper. Stir the dressing and marmalade together in a small bowl. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. I serve it over rice.

The sauce is very thin and I've toyed with the idea of taking the chicken out and adding some cornstarch to 1/2 cup of the liquid, then stirring the cornstarch mix into the rest of the liquid for a thicker sauce. Let me know if you try that.

Chocolate Zuchinni Muffins

I grew zucchini in my little garden spot this summer. While I do enjoy freshly prepared zucchini in healthy dishes.....I must confess that I mostly grew zukes to bake and freeze these muffins. They are so yummy! I got the recipe from a gal at work 8 or so years ago. I have made the tasty batter into bread or muffins every single summer since. They're such a hit that when I measure the dry ingredients, I measure for 2 batches and keep one batch ready in a Ziploc for when I want to make more. I find that measuring dry ingredients is the most time consuming part of baking.

1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups shredded zucchini (I peel them first, but you don't have to)
1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix all well.

Sift: (yes, I really do sift the trick is to sift 1 1/2 cups flour through on it's own then sift the rest of the flour with the other ingredients)

4 Tbs. baking cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix into wet ingredients until combined. You can either divide the batter into 2 loaf pans and top with a generous sprinkling of semi-sweet chocolate chips or pour into muffin tins and again, top with semi-sweet chocolate chips. This recipe makes 18 muffins. Bake @ 325 degrees for 1 hour if going the bread route, or for 20-22 min. if doing muffins. I only bake one loaf or 1 muffin pan at a time.

Meatloaf Recipe

Props to Aunt Nancy for this recipe. I use it fairly often. It's low-fat and sneaks veggies into the fam.

1 pound (or a bit more) ground turkey or lean beef
1 box herb flavored Stove Top stuffing
1 regular soda-sized can V-8 or 2 small (I use reduced sodium)

Mix all of the above, pat it into a sprayed bread loaf pan and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour.

Sweet Potato Fries

For me, sweet potatoes were a once a year thing always covered with butter, brown sugar, and buried under yummy marshmallows at Thanksgiving. I've been reading for years about the health bennies of eating these things (probably not covered in sugar and butter), but I just couldn't figure out how to sneak them into my repertoire'. Until now....here's a recipe I discovered earlier this year. Bill, G, and I like them. Hammie would rather have them raw without any spice. They smell really good baking.

Trick of the trade: buy small-medium, skinny sweet potatoes/yams. They're so fibrous that they're hard to cut if they're too large. I cut them in half, cut the halves in half, and then make even sized wedges/sticks.

2 small-medium sweet potatoes (or yams), peeled and cut into wedges or 1/2 inch sticks
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. cinnamon

Toss the sweet potatoes into a gallon-sized Ziploc with the rest of the ingredients. Toss vigorously to coat. Spray a little Pam on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes stirring once or twice.

I've also used a Oriental/Asian spice mix instead which was yummy, too.

This recipe feeds a family of 4.

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

This is an "original" recipe that I actually created. Most of my other recipes are variations of someone else's creative mind. Anyway......this is a favorite of Bill, G, Hammie, and mine. Ree, not so much.

Editor's note: Next time I will take a more yummilicous picture on a pretty plate. I was...like, in a hurry.
















Meatballs:
1 pound extra lean ground beef
3 Tbs. Teriyaki marinade (I like Lawrey's, I also have used their Sesame Ginger mar.)
1/3 of an 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, undrained; save the rest for the sauce
1/2 cup cooked rice (I use brown)
1 Tbs. dry minced onion (cuz I don't have time to chop fresh that fine)
black pepper, to taste

Combine all of the above and form into 1 - 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Put a teensy bit of olive oil in a hot pan. Add the meatballs, packing them in tightly. It's really important that the pan is hot, I put my burner at 5 (out of 10). Turn the meatballs when they start to brown. I use a wooden spoon to gently turn them cuz they can break apart kinda easy. After you've let the 2nd side brown, but they're not cooked through.

Then Add:
1/2 of a chopped bell pepper (any color)
Rest of the undrained pineapple
Good drizzle of the teriyaki or sesame ginger marinade
Good drizzle of Catalina (I use fat free) or sweet & sour sauce
sesame seeds for garnish

Turn the heat down and let it simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the peppers are crisp-tender. I also added a little pineapple juice I happened to have, but you can just add more sauce(s), too. Serve over hot rice.

Thai Chicken Pizza

This is one of Bill's favorite recipes. I don't make it often because I don't typically have the ingredients on hand. But it's pretty good, if I don't say so myself!
















1 Boboli crust (I use whole wheat)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
4 Tbs. pineapple juice
2 Tbs. chunky peanut butter
2 Tbs. oyster sauce (sounds gross, but isn't and is located in Asian section)
1 - 1 1/2 tsp. Thai chili paste/sauce
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup sliced green onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (any color ya want)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (or a sprinkling of dry), optional
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Whisk together pineapple juice, peanut butter, oyster sauce, chili paste and spread over the crust. Top with chicken, veggies, cilantro, and cheese. Bake for about 15 min. or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Yum!!

Chicken Caesar Pitas

Here's a favorite recipe of Bill, G, and mine.

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. soy sauce
3 cloves minced garlic (I cheat and use the jarred kind)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 large pita rounds, cut in half
Chopped romaine lettuce (I use 3/4 bag of pre-washed)
Caesar dressing (I use 1/4-1/2 cup non-creamy light Caesar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a gallon-size Ziploc, combine the first 5 ingredients. Add the chicken, seal bag, and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, remove chicken from marinade (throw away the marinade) and bake for 25-30 minutes or until done. Let the chicken cool on a plate for 15 min. Combine lettuce, dressing, and Parmesan cheese. Thinly slice the chicken and mix. Stuff into pitas and enjoy!

Serves 4

Granola Bars

3 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup light Karo syrup
1 egg, well beaten
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Press firmly into a well greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Run a butter knife around the edges and cut into squares with a sharp knife about 20 min. after removing from the oven.

You can substitute raisins, craisins, or chopped dried fruit for the chocolate chips and sunflower seeds, or a different type of chopped nut for the almonds. You can also substitute mild molasses or honey for the Karo syrup. I've used golden raisins and the almonds with molasses and it was a good combo.

Another tip is to use the crumbles (I usually have half a sandwich bag of crumblies) on top of vanilla yogurt. Here's a pic of the finished product!