Once-A-Week Shopping

Does anyone really do this?

I'm not one of those people who only shops

for groceries once a week.  I understand the convenience

factor but it's just not something that appeals to me.

Probably because I don't see grocery shopping

as a chore.  I actually really enjoy it!

Besides, I don't want to plan Thursday night's dinner on Monday.

I make multiple trips to the store every week.  Along with

whatever we need for the kids, the house, the cat, etc., I also

pick up the ingredients needed to prepare meals for the next

day or two.  I can sometimes stretch it to three if I'm

really planning ahead.

Today I will be shopping for dinner ingredients for tonight

and tomorrow.  This is the planned menu:

Tonight:

Egg Drop Soup

Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

White Rice or Udon Noodles

and Chewy Coconut Cookies for dessert!

Wednesday:

Spinach Enchiladas

Fried Mexican Corn

Black Bean and Salsa Soup

I'll be back for more shopping on Thursday.

Easy Barbeque Chicken Sandwiches

Tonight's menu consists of barbeque chicken sandwiches,
grilled potato salad, and fried pickles with a side
of spicy ranch dipping sauce.

These sandwiches are so easy it's almost embarrassing.

All you need is a slow cooker and these five ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

12oz. bottle barbeque sauce (We like Stubb's Original)

1/2c. Italian dressing

1/4c. brown sugar, packed

2 TBSP Worchestershire sauce

1.  Arrange the chicken in a slow cooker.

2.  In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients

and pour over chicken.

3.  Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours.

4.  Using two forks, shred chicken breasts.

5.  Pile onto toasted Kaiser rolls and serve.

(I like to add a little butter and garlic salt

to the rolls prior to toasting.)

I've tried other barbeque chicken recipes
but hubby says he likes this one the best!

New Family Favorite

So, last night's dinner was so good

that I'm still congratulating myself on it today.

I made Alton Brown's recipe for Shepherd's Pie

(http://www.foodnetwork.com/)

and paired it with Emeril's Rosemary Biscuits.

(http://www.emerils.com/)

The flavor combination was fabulous!

I was fairly neutral on my overall expectations for this

meal though as I have never been a big fan of shepherd's pie.

The only reason I decided to try it is because hubby

and I had recently been at this little British restaurant

where we were told, "we're known for our shepherd's pie". 

He ordered it and we were not impressed.  It was very

bland and kind of reminded me of cafeteria food.

I was convinced I could do better. 

And I did - with some help from Alton.

The only modification I made to his recipe

was using ground beef instead of lamb. 

I had expected to have leftovers but the meal

was so amazingly good that we all went back for seconds.

I didn't even get a photo because I really just

wanted to get on with the eating. :) 

I'll take a picture next time.  There is no

doubt I will be making this meal again.

This guy is rapidly becoming one of my favorite chefs!

Italian Garlic Butter

Garlic, butter...what else do you need, right?

Add in a little Italian seasoning and you have

a delicious compliment to the bread at the

dinner table.

This is all you need:

1 1/2 sticks real butter, softened

4 cloves garlic, minced

Italian seasoning, to taste

Mix everything together and stick it in fridge
until it's time to eat.

Easy!

Sensational Stuffed Peppers

My husband and I both have childhood memories of eating

bell peppers stuffed with ground beef and tomato sauce. 

Nothing wrong with that but it's a little bland for our

current tastes and I am convinced there are better ways. 

Last night I made Emeril's version and it was fantastic! 

The peppers are stuffed with pork sausage, celery, onions, rice,

yummy spices....and not a single tomato!

We all agreed these are the best stuffed peppers I've made so far:

1/2 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage, crumbled

1c. onions, chopped

1/2c. bell peppers, chopped 

1/2c. celery, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 1/2c. long-grain rice, cooked 

1/4c. green onions, chopped 

3 TBSP parsley, chopped 

4 medium bell peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed

1/4c. dried fine bread crumbs (I seasoned mine with garlic

powder, oregano, and Essence)

1/4c. freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp. Emeril's Original Essence

1.  Preheat the oven to 400* Brown the sausage in a dry skillet

over medium-high heat.

2.  Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, and cayenne.

Cook, stirring often, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted.

3.  Add the rice and mix well. Cook for about 5 minutes.

4.  Remove from the heat and add the green onions and parsley.

Mix again.

5.  Spoon the mixture into the bell peppers.

6.  Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and sprinkle evenly

over the tops of the bell peppers.

7.  Place the peppers in a shallow pan and add just enough water

to cover the bottom. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until

the tops are crusty and brown.

8.  Top with extra Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Served with Fuji apple slices and French bread.

The apples are a great contrast to the spiciness

of the peppers.

Best Baked Potato

I realize alot of people like to just nuke their potatoes

and be done with it but I am completely convinced

there is no better baked potato than one made the

old-fashioned way - in the oven.

When people say they can't be bothered to actually bake

their potatoes, I really don't understand that.

It really does make a difference!  My husband used to

never eat the skin off russett potatoes until I

quit throwing them in the microwave and started

baking them in the oven.  The skin has a better texture

than what you get from using the microwave.

Here's the way I do it:

1.  Scrub potatoes and prick holes all around with a fork.

2.  Lightly cover with olive oil.

3.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.

4. Bake at 385* for about an hour, or until done.

Yum!

Garlic Soup

Last night's dinner consisted of balsamic chicken over couscous,

sauteed asparagus, and garlic soup.

Everything was delicious but it was the garlic soup

that really stood out.

My guys all went back for seconds and there were no leftovers!

I've tried a few garlic soup recipes in the past but there were always

comments about how this or that could have made the soup better.

So, this is the way I now make garlic soup:

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 1/4c. chopped onions

14 whole cloves garlic (not bulbs!)

3 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. black pepper

8c. chicken broth

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1/2c. heavy cream
1/3c. grated Parmesan

1.  Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.

2.  Add red pepper flakes, onions, garlic cloves, bay leaves,

and pepper.

3.  Saute until onions are caramelized.

4.  Add chicken broth, minced garlic, basil, and thyme.

5.  Boil then simmer on low for about 45 minutes.

6.  Increase heat to high and whisk in cream and Parmesan.

7.  Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender.

8.  Serve hot.

The aromas that fill the kitchen as this soup is simmering are amazing!!

New Kitchen Gadget!

I've made several soups stews, and chilis that call for blending all

or part of the ingredients after simmering and before serving.

I would just ladle out the amount needed, dump it in the blender,

puree away, and then pour it back in the pot.  This actually works

just fine but today I decided I *needed* an immersion blender

for the new garlic soup I'm serving at dinner tonight.  

I'll post the recipe tomorrow if it's as amazing as I

think it's going to be.

If you're unfamiliar with this gadget, an immersion blender is just

what it sounds like - it's a hand-held blender you immerse in

whatever you're wanting to blend.  This saves the whole step of

transferring back and forth from the blender.

There are fancier and more expensive immersion blenders out

there but I went with this one.

The price was right: $20 at Wal-Mart.

Plus, I've read alot of good reviews online.

Fabulous French Toast

I recently had a craving for French toast that just would

not go away.  This was unusual as I had not eaten it in several years. 

Mostly because I frequently found restaurant versions to be way

too sweet for my taste and I had this idea that it was

difficult to make well at home. 

Turns out, the latter is not true at all.  

 I made French toast for breakfast yesterday and it

was so good and ridiculously easy to make. 

Here's the recipe:

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

2 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

6 eggs

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 TBSP white sugar

12 thick bread slices (I used Texas Toast)

1.  Measure flour into a large mixing bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk.

Whisk in the salt, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract

and sugar until smooth.

2.Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat.

3.  Dip bread slices in mixture and saturate.

 

4.  Cook bread on each side until golden brown.

Served with bacon and fresh fruit. 

DIY Breadcrumbs

I decided to try making my own breadcrumbs today because...

well, it just seemed silly to run to the store for them

when I have plenty of bread available. 

At my daughter's request, I am preparing spaghetti and meatballs

for dinner tonight.  The meatball recipe is fabulous

and can be found here.

Back to the breadcrumbs... they're super easy to make.

Just add bread to a blender (1-2 pieces at a time)

and chop until they reach a fine consistency.

Then, spread over a baking sheet and bake at 200*,
stirring every 15 min. or so

until the crumbs are completely dry.
(Mine took about 40 min.)

Remove from oven and cool.
Store in an airtight container.

Since we're going Italian tonight, I took the recipe a step further

by stirring in the following ingredients for seasoning into 1 c. breadcrumbs:

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried basil

So much better than the store bought breadcrumbs!

We Scream for Ice Cream!

We recently purchased an ice cream maker and I'm having fun with
collecting new recipes to try. I'm starting with the basics. 
The first batch was vanilla and and it
was devoured within 24 hours. 

Today, at hubby's request, I'm making chocolate. 

It's churning away in the kitchen right now.

My daughter served as a kitchen helper today. 

I was in charge of measuring and she was in charge of pouring

and mixing.  Everything was going great until we realized

we did not have enough ice to fill the maker.

This is when we made a mad dash out the door and jumped

in the car for a quick trip to the store.  All the way there

we were screaming, "Ice Cream Emergency!!!" and making siren noises. 

We then raced into the store, located the ice,

and got right back out in record time,

laughing the whole way.

Bring On the Bacon!

I am just coming out of a vegetarian phase. 

Not an unusual thing for me though as I have maintained

a similar cycle of eating habits throughout my life

in which I'm loving all kinds of meat and having fun

experimenting with new recipes and preparation

methods and then I'm suddenly repulsed by it

and I go vegetarian. 

This goes on for awhile and then I'm back. 

This is where I am today.

Today I am going to have a sandwich of turkey, bacon, 

avocado and provolone on rye.

Also on the menu for this week:  pork chops, steak kabobs, and crab.

  Mmmm...bacon.

Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil - Caprese Appetizers

I am loving mozzarella lately!  I can eat it plain, jazzed up
with seasonings, breaded, fried, and placed
on top of a salad.  It's all good!

A few nights ago, I served it caprese style - on a stick.

The flavors are simple and wonderful.

This is all you need:

cherry tomatoes, halved
fresh basil leaves
small marinated mozzarella balls
toothpicks
olive oil
salt and pepper

1.Thread a tomato half, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball
onto toothpicks until all ingredients are used.

2.  Drizzle the olive oil over the tomato, cheese and basil.

3.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

This was a nice contrast to the heavier pasta

I served at dinner.

Dinner on the Deck

Sometimes hubby and I go out on Friday or Saturday night but

when we don't, and the weather is nice, we like to have

"Dinner on the Deck." This can involve firing up the grill

but not always. Sometimes I'll cook in the kitchen

and the two of us will carry our plates outside. The kids

usually stay in and play games, watch TV, whatever,

and since we all have dinner together on the other nights,

this is okay with us.

Our back deck is a nice atmosphere for dining in

because we mostly face old, established trees that

are surrounded and inhabited by an abundance of birds

and other critters, like squirrels, rabbits,

and neighborhood cats.

This is what we like to call "The Nature Show".

Tonight we're grilling spicy beef kabobs and serving them

over white rice jazzed up with garlic and onion.

On the side, we're having pita bread with cucumber raita.

Makes me hungry just thinking about it!

Gorgeous Green Beans

I served these last night with broiled halibut steaks and new potatoes seasoned with butter and parsley. My husband commented twice about the colorful presentation. It was so pretty I wish I had taken a photo of my entire plate but I was just so hungry it didn't occur to me at the time.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans

1/4 c. real butter

1 1/2 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 tsp. fresh basil, chopped

2 c. cherry tomato halves

1. Place beans large saucepan and cover with water.

2. Cover saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

(I like to taste a bean every once in awhile to make

sure they don't get overcooked.)

4. Drain in colander and set aside.

5. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.

6. Stir in sugar, garlic salt, pepper and basil.

7. Add tomatoes, and cook stirring gently just until soft.

8. Add green beans to the skillet and toss gently to blend.

These could possible be my favorite green beans - ever!