Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, I've got love in my tummy

Surprise! Surprise! I have more recipes to share : )
*I had someone ask me this week how I have the time to cook most nights.
I make a menu for the week on Sunday or Monday each week of things that 1. we've eaten before and want again, 2. things I've seen in magazines/online 3. recipes friends have given me that I want to try.
Then I make a grocery list based on those foods and always go to the grocery store on Sunday/Monday. That way I always have the food I need to make the meals and I know what I'm making. I also take into consideration how busy each day is. If its a super busy day, I'll probably fix a crock pot meal. : )

First a few crock pot meals:
Cheesy Rotel Chicken (from my friend Lindsay)
Ingredients
1 can of rotel
1 can of cambells nacho cheese soup
I can of water
Frozen chicken breasts
Directions
Add the first three ingredients. to crockpot and mix together then add chicken. Cook on low for 6-7 hours. The chicken should kind of fall apart.
Add avocado, sour cream, and chips on top.
*After making this yesterday, I might use 1/2 or 3/4 cans water instead of a full one. It was not quite thick enough.

BBQ Chicken (from my friend Traci)
Ingredients
* 6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
* 1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Directions
1. Place chicken in a slow cooker. In a bowl, mix the barbeque sauce, Italian salad dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the chicken.
2. Cover, and cook 3 to 4 hours on High or 6 to 8 hours on Low.
*with the bbq chicken I made steamed broccoli and these potato Wedges. (You can also use the leftover chicken in a sandwich).
Roasted Parmesan Potato Wedges
Ingredients
* 4 potatoes (2 pounds)
* 2 teaspoons canola oil
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (I used Lawry's)
* 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Directions
* Cut each potato lengthwise in half. Cut each half into three wedges. In a large bowl, sprinkle potatoes with oil; toss to coat. Combine the remaining ingredients. Add to potatoes; toss to coat.
* Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in.
baking pan coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with any remaining coating. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Cajun Skirt Steak with Creamed Corn
From Real Simple
Ingredients
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8 ears)
* 1 cup half-and-half
* kosher salt and black pepper
* 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 2 pieces
* 2 teaspoons blackening or Cajun seasoning
* 4 cups mixed greens
* 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn, half-and-half, 1⁄2 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper and simmer until the corn is tender and the half-and-half is slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat broiler. Season the steak with the blackening seasoning and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Place on a broilerproof rimmed baking sheet and broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the greens and tomatoes with the oil and 1⁄4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the steak and corn.
Tip: Fresh corn is the best, but thawed frozen kernels also work in this recipe. To achieve a similar creamy consistency, add 1 tablespoon of flour to the softened onions and cook for 1 minute before adding the frozen corn and half-and-half.

Havarti Stuffed Chicken
From Real Simple
Ingredients
Chicken Breast
Havarti Cheese
Kosher Salt
Black Pepper
Directions
1. Cut a 2-inch pocket in the thickest part of 4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Dividing evenly, stuff with 4 ounces dill Havarti cheese (cut into pieces); season with 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper.
2. Cook the chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes per side.



Grilled Lemon Chicken with Greek Salad
from Everyday with Rachel Ray
Ingredients:
* 4 cloves garlic, 1 clove finely chopped
* Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* Salt and pepper
* 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts (about 3-1/2 pounds total)
* 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
* 2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
* 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
* 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
* 4 cups mesclun greens (idk what this is so I got a spring mix)
Directions:
1. Preheat a grill for indirect medium heat. Using a food processor, puree the 3 whole cloves garlic, the lemon peel and 1 teaspoon each lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Using your fingers, gently loosen the skin of the chicken breasts and spread the lemon mixture underneath. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on the undersides of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Arrange the chicken, skin side down, on an oiled grate over direct heat, cover and grill until golden and marks appear, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and place the chicken, skin side up, over indirect heat, cover and grill until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, drizzle with some lemon juice and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a salad bowl, whisk together the finely chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes, cheese, onion and mesclun greens and toss; season with salt and pepper. Serve with the chicken.
*I had bought a 5lb bag of Russet potatoes so I used two of these with this meal and found this grilled potato recipe. YUM! The flavors of the meal real complimented one another.
Quick and Easy Grilled Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt (I used Lawry’s season salt) and ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Poke each potato with the tines of a fork. Place the potatoes in a microwave oven, and cook on high power for about 5 minutes. Check about halfway through, and turn potatoes over for even cooking. Slice each potato in half the long way and cook potatoes another 2 minutes on high power.
2. Preheat a grill for medium heat.
3. Brush the potato tops with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cook on prepared grill for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.



Now this meal I made all together although I'm not sure I will again. Each thing was great on its own, it was just a lot of meat.
Zesty Grilled Tilapia
Ingredients
* 6 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
* 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for brushing
* 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
* 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
* 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
* 1 teaspoon hot sauce, to taste
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Place the fish in a large nonmetal dish. Whisk together the 6 tablespoons oil, the orange zest, orange juice, ginger, hot sauce, salt, and pepper, to taste; pour over the fish. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare grill. Brush the fish with additional oil. Grill until fish just flakes when tested with a fork, about 5 minutes per side for each inch of thickness. *Instead of firing up the grill that night, we just cooked it in a skillet for a few minutes and then put it in the broiler to crisp it.
Herbed Crab Salad-Stuffed Avocados
From Everyday with Rachel Ray
Ingredients:
* 1/3 cup mayonnaise
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh summer herbs (such as basil, tarragon or chives)
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
* Pinch pepper
* 2 chopped cloves garlic
* Pinch salt
* 8 ounces lump crabmeat
* 1/3 cup chopped celery
* 4 pitted avocado halves
Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh summer herbs (such as basil, tarragon or chives), 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar and a pinch pepper. Using the flat side of a knife, smash 2 chopped cloves garlic with a pinch salt; whisk the paste into the mayonnaise mixture. Stir in 8 ounces lump crabmeat and 1/3 cup chopped celery. Divide the crab salad among 4 pitted avocado halves.

1 comment:

katie + bret said...

Man you have probably had your blog design for FOREVER but sadly, I am just now seeing how cute it is! Love it!!

All your recipes sound so yummy! Too bad the only thing Bret will eat is poptarts and goldfish! HA!

Hope all is well love. xx