What's Cookin' This Week?

We are back from beautiful Destin, Florida.  Such a great vacation....doing nothing but laying on the beach.  It doesn't get much better than that!  But alas, it is back to the real world.  Last night we painted our whole living room and hallway...took foreva but it is done! 

Now I need to get groceries so we can eat around here.  This is what's on my menu for this week...

Memorial Day Dinner with the Hays'....Herbert's Chicken stuffed with crawfish & jalapenos, Red Beans & Rice, Asparagus, Beer-Cheese Bread and finish it off with Chocolate Chip Pie

Pita Pizza & Salad

Sauteed Shrimp with Sherry & Chiles - new recipe to try

Mushroom & Swiss Patty Melts with Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

MyMichael's Grilled BBQ Chicken & Fresh Green Beands, with Homemade Macaroni & Cheese

Are you trying any new recipes this week???

recipe {boursin chicken & kale with orzo}

this recipe is a combination of two that i had received from friends.  it's an easy dinner that #1 tastes great #2 uses only 1 skillet and #3 looks faaaaancy!

boursin chicken & kale with orzo

4 chicken breasts

1 bunch of kale, chopped

boursin cheese

sliced cherry tomatoes

chopped onion

white wine

pasta sauce

parmesan cheese

orzo

-heat oven to 350 degrees

-pound out the chicken breasts.  this works best to place the chicken in between plastic wrap

-place some boursin cheese in the middle of the thin chicken breast

-roll chicken and secure with tooth picks, salt & pepper

-using a hot cast iron skillet with a little bit of oil, brown chicken on all sides {chicken doesn't have to be completely done b/c it will cook more in the oven}and remove from skillet

-add chopped onion, cherry tomatoes, and chopped kale to skillet and sautee for a few minutes adding a splash of white wine

-once kale wilts a bit place chicken breasts on top of kale mixture

-spoon pasta sauce on top of each chicken breast and sprinkle with parmesan cheese

-place cast iron skillet in oven and bake until chicken is completely done

-serve over cooked orzo

enjoy!

what's cookin' this week + recipe {asian salisbury steak}

full moon cafe tortilla soup

asian salisbury steak w/ rice and brussell sprouts

spicy shrimp fried rice

homemade pizza

blackened salmon w/ orzo

indian food

asian salisbury steak

12 ounces lean ground beef

3/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs

4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, divided

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided

4 bunches or 2 4-ounce bags watercress, trimmed {16 cups}

1/2 cup shao hsing rice wine or dry sherry

1.  place rack in upper third of oven; preheat the broiler.  coat a broiler pan and rack with cooking spray.

2.  gently mix beef, bell pepper, inions, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce and ginger in a medium bowl until just combined.  form the mixture into 4 oblong patties and place on the broiler pan rack.  brush the tops of the patties with 1 teaspoon oil.  broil, flipping once, until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.

3.  meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over high heat.  add watercress and cook, stirring often, until just wilted, 1 to 3 minutes.  divide the watercress among 4 plates.  return the skillet to medium-high heat, add rice wine {or sherry} and the remaining 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce and stir until smooth, bubbling and slightly reduce, about 1 minute.  top the watercress with the salisbury steaks and drizzle with the pan sauce.

**i have not done the watercress part of the recipe.  sounds great, just never remember to buy it.  if you try it, let me know if it is good!**

tasty must have {bagel thins}

i was at the store the other day strolling down the bread aisle looking for a low cal option when these caught my eye...

they are bagel thins....thin bagels!  i love bagels, but never eat them b/c they can easily have 400 + calories in one, before you add any toppings.  so, you can imagine how excited i was when i saw these bagel thins.  they only have 110 calories!  with all the other nutritional info, they come to a total of 1 weight watchers point.  SCORE!  they are great as sandwiches or with some cream cheese for breakfast....or with nutella if you have a sweet tooth, the possibilities are endless.  my fave is the "everything", but the "plain" is good as well.  now when you are grocery shopping you can grab a package of bagels without feeling guilty!

easy peasy gift idea

i am reposting a post from last year around this time for my Russian Tea recipe.  i have had many people ask for it and it makes a great gift to teachers, girlfriends, coworkers, etc.  it's easy peasy and everyone loves it!


2009 Repost:

i needed a little something for a few of my girl friends for christmas this year.  as i have mentioned in a previous post, i feel like i need to be a little more crafty.  so, for these gifts i decided i would make something.  my mom has a great recipe for russian tea.  it's kind of like a citrusy cider...super easy and really yummy.  my plan was to put the russian tea in a glass canning jar with fabric on top.  as you can see i actually did it and they turned out pretty cute!  i had some left over amy butler fabric {which i absolutely love} and most of it was already cut into squares, making it perfect for the jars.  i also had some yarn {from an unfinished yarn wrapped wreath i started a few weeks ago} to spruce the jars up a bit.  here's the end result...

i was proud that i had actually finished a "crafty" project!  here is the yummy recipe:

russian tea

2 cups sugar

2 cups tang {target didn't have tang, so i used orange kool-aid...the kind in the canister.  Reasor's does sell Tang!}

1 cup instant lemonade

1/2 cup lipton instant tea

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

mix ingredients together.  use 4-5 teaspoons in a hot cup of water...enjoy!

we give this recipe

*****

what's cookin' this week

this week i am trying out a couple of new recipes from my new cooking light magazine.  they sound pretty yummy, so we will see!  here's what i have on my menu this week...

salisbury steak with mushroom gravy and red potatoes

chicken & black bean-stuffed burritos

chicken with balsamic vinegar pan sauce & orzo

taco salad with tortilla chips

any good recipes on your menus?

what's cookin' this week

spicy shrimp fried rice

grandma nita's soup

chicken tikka massala

poppyseed chicken casserole

this weekend is osu homecoming!  woo hoo!!!!  all kind of tailgating fun to be had!

recipe {sesame beef stir-fry}

this recipe is one of mymichael's favorites.  it is from the "eating for life" cookbook and it's a healthy, super fast and easy, one pan meal.

2 portions brown rice {about 1/2 cup uncooked}

2 portions lean ground beef {about 1/2 lb}

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced {you can substitute with other onions}

1 cup broccoli slaw {found near bagged salads in produce department}

1 cup napa cabbage, shredded

1 tablespoon lite soy sauce

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1.  prepare brown rice according to its package directions.

2.  while the rice is cooking, ina medium skillet or wok, brown the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink.  i season with garlic salt, black pepper and kosher salt as i am cooking.  remove the beef from the skillet, drain and set aside.

3.  heat sesame oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.  add garlic and onions; stir-fry for 2 minutes.  add broccoli slaw and napa cabbage; stir-fry 2 minutes.  add rice and soy sauce; stir-fry 2 more minutes.

4.  return the cooked ground beef to the skillet with the rice and vegetable mixture and season with red pepper flakes, to taste.  stir until ingredients are well combined and heated through, about 2 minutes.

5.  divide into 2 portions {double or triple if needed}, serve and enjoy!

we give this recipe

*****

what's cookin' this week

wow, it has been a while since i have done one of these!  this week i am trying a few new recipes thanks to my new august cooking light magazine....

pepper jack, chicken and peach quesadillas and spinach salad w/ cumin vinaigrette

blackened salmon {from sam's} with vegetable couscous

linguine with peppery shrimp

beef stir-fry {from body 4 life} 

what's on your menu this week?

cooking mania

this weekend michael's dad came to visit.  he lives with his elderly mother and has to do all of the cooking because she no longer can.  each time we see him i try and make a bunch of different meals that can be frozen and then simply heated in the oven.  they aren't gormet meals by any means, but they are easy to make and taste great.  i have featured a few of these on my blog in the past.  the ones that haven't been posted yet, i will leave their recipes.

after a trip to the grocery store i was ready to get started.

on the menu was:

chicken pot pie

chicken spaghetti

quiche loraine

chicken tortilla soup

grandma nita's soup

{this time on grandma nita's soup i used canned carrots and potatoes to save on prep time...still turned out great!}

breakfast casserole

above is everything that was made:

2 chicken pot pies

2 quiche loraines

3 chicken spaghetties

2 soups

1 breakfast casserole

not bad for an hour and a half of cooking!  here are a few freezing tips:

1.  for the breakfast casserole, i cooked the sausage and then mixed the remaining ingredients together.  i did not bake it before freezing.  when he pops it in the oven, it will cook the rest of way.

2. i mixed all ingredients together for the chicken tortilla soup in a big bowl and did not cook it.  i used canned chicken, so i didn't have to worry about any raw meat.  after mixing i simply poured it into a large freezer zip lock back and then placed that bag into another freezer zip lock bag.

3.  i did cook grandma nita's soup prior to bagging b/c it called for cooked ground beef.  once it cooled, i poured it into the freezer zip lock bags.

4.  i did not bake the chicken spaghetti before freezing, just mixed everything together and sealed it up for freezing.

5.  make sure everything is packaged securely with foil, plastic wrap or lids.  you don't want freezer burn!

this is a great way to get a bunch of meals done at one time.  they are all really easy and fast recipes that make for easy week night cooking, pull the frozen meal out of the freezer in the morning, or the night before and put in the refrigerator.  when you get home from work, just pop it into the oven until it gets warm all the way through.  here are the two recipes that i have not posted previously.

c h i c k e n   s p a g h e t t i

1 1/4 cup cooked spaghetti

1 can white meat chicken {the best canned chicken is from sam's!}

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1 cup cheese {any kind}

1 can cream of chicken soup {i use the fat free kind}

2 tablespoons picante sauce

1/2 cup chopped onion

cook spaghetti, drain and set aside.  mix chicken, onion, cream of chicken soup, green peppers, picante sauce and spaghetti together.  pour into a 9x13 baking pan.  top with cheese.  cook at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until warm through and melted cheese.  you can start the baking in a cold oven...don't have to wait for it to heat.

c h i c k e n   t o r t i l l a   s o u p

1 envelope chicken noodle soup mix

3 cups chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes with juice

1 medium onion chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 1/2 cups water

1 can chopped green chilis

1 can of chicken {or 1 cup grilled chicken breast or rotisserie chicken}

tortilla chips

grated cheese

in medium sauce pan, combine envelope of chicken noodle soup mix with 3 cups chicken broth.  add remianing ingredients except tortilla chips and cheese.  bring to a boil.  simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.  spoon into bowls and top with cheese and crumbled tortilla chips.      

hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

dinner with friends {+ recipes}

last night 4 of my good friends from college came over for dinner.  we try and meet up once a month to stay in touch, and we always have a good time!  anyways, i was cooking and had put off deciding on a menu until yesterday.  i was on Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes, a blog i stumbled onto a while back, and found a few recipes to try.  everyone loved them and they were really easy.  the girls asked me for the recipes, so here they are.....

{photo from skinnytaste.com}

cilantro lime shrimp

{photo from skinnytaste.com}

scallion cilantro rice with habaneros and lime

black beans {my recipe}

2 can black beans

1 small can chopped chilis

1/2 onion diced small

garlic salt {to taste}

cracked pepper {to taste}

cumin {to taste}

cheese

1.  in a pan on the stove top, combine beans through cumin, stir and bring to a boil

2.  pour bean mixture into casserole dish, sprinkle with cheese, and bake on 350 degreese until cheese is melted {or i like it a little crispy}

3.  serve with yummy mexican food

guacamole {my/mymichael's recipe}

avocados

onion, diced small

salsa

jalapeno, diced small

cilantro

lime juice

garlic salt

salt

cracked pepper

1.  combine all ingredients and mash together.  you can add or subtract any of the ingredients {except the avocados, of course} to your liking.  i didn't add amounts b/c i just do it by sight...if it looks good.  you can always add more if you don't have enough of something.  keep chips close by so you can taste along the way!

limonista {sarah's recipe}

bacardi limon

cranberry cocktail juice

lemon

lime

ginger ale

1.  in a pitcher pur 1/4 of the pitcher with bacardi limon

2.  fill rest of pitcher with cranberry cocktail juice

3.  squeeze half a lemon and half a lime in pitcher {the other halves you can slice and float in the drink}

4.  fill glass 1/2 - 3/4 full of bacardi/cranberry mixture and the rest with ginger ale

**they were out of plain cranberry cocktail juice, so i substituted with cranberry apple and it was great!**

{photo from skinnytaste.com}

chocolate crepes with strawberries

***i added a little bit of nutella to the filling last night**

**i made the batter tuesday night and kept it in the fridge.  it worked great the next night!**

the shrimp was  really, really good and the only seasoning was salt, pepper, lime juice and cilantro.  i also did some chicken with the shrimp.

so, go check out Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes.  there are a ton that look delicious and i can't wait to try!

thanks for a fun evening girls!

smash burger

a couple of weeks ago {i'm a little behind in posting} mymichael, my parents and i had dinner at smash burger for the first time and it was delicious!  there is something nice to be said when you can tell that your burger isn't pre-pressed meat that they pulled out of the freezer and slapped on the griddle.  i had the original smash burger with fried pickles. 

yum-o, i love fried pickles!  they have other specialty burgers that my dad and mymichael got, they were tasty as well.  and they have 2 kinds of fries! 

besides the food being great, the atmosphere is fun as well.

i love the large words on the walls, the colors and textures.

if you get a hankering for a good burger give smash burger a try...you won't be disappointed {hopefully}!

what's cookin' this week

can you believe this weather!?!?!?  tonight we had easter dinner instead of easter lunch.  it was great fun  relaxing with family and friends.  dad and mymichael fired up the grill and we had tilapia, mahi mahi, shrimp, grilled vegetables, baked chicken, dressing, homemade rolls and last but definitely not least homemade blackberry cobbler.  to say the least, everybody was stuffed.  so, this week i am continuing my grill usage a couple of nights....here's what i have got...

grilled hamburgers with baked sweet potato fries

boursin chicken (didn't get to it last week)

chicken quesadillas (maybe italian style with fresh basil, capers, peppers, etc.)

grilled salmon

what's on your menu?

recipe {chocolate pound cake}

if you love chocolate and you love cake and you love a fast chocolate cake, then you will love this recipe!  this is one of my mom's most requested cakes.  this chocolate cake is one of the most moist cakes i have ever eaten and it is even better if after you bake it, you wrap it in plastic wrap and put in the freezer.  mom use to always make this when we went on skiing trips.  she would make it ahead of time, freeze it and then we would eat on it as we came off the mountain...nothing like a little chocolate to get you rested up! 

1 yellow cake mix

2 packages instant chocolate pudding

4 eggs

1/2 bag milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups water

mix all ingredients together.  spray bundt pan {you can also use 2 loaf pans, just divide the batter in half} with cooking spray {very important!!!}. 

bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done {stick a toothpick or fork in the center...if it comes out clean it is done...if it comes out with batter it needs to go a bit longer}.

Let cool a few minutes and then dump onto a cake stand or platter

icing:

1/2 - 3/4 back of chocolate chips

water

melt chocolate chips on stove or in microwave and add a little bit of water at a time until it is a good consistency for drizzling.  drizzle over cake.  i like to follow with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

enjoy!  if you try it leave me a comment and let me know if you liked it!

we give this recipe

*****

 

what's cookin' this week?

Here is what's on my menu this week....

Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice

Baked Fish w/ Couscous and Fresh Green Beans

Dorito Casserole

Chicken Piccata

what is on yours? 

 i would love some new recipes to try out...leave me a comment!

recipe {breakfast casserole}

this is a really easy and tasty breakfast casserole.  i used bacon bits instead of sausage this particular time, but it is great with either!  this is perfect for mixing up the night before and then in the morning popping it in the oven warm weekend breakfast.

{forgot to take a pic of the finished prduct...sorry!}

8 eggs slightly beaten

6 slices of wheat bread cubed

1 pound sausage  OR bacon bits

2 cups milk

1 cup cheese

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

mix together and put in 9 x 13 pan.  refrigerate overnight or for a few hours if possible.  bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

enjoy!

we give this recipe:

*****

recipe {biscuits & chocolate gravy}

growing up a special treat for breakfast would be homemade biscuits and chocolate gravy.  yes, you heard me, chocolate gravy!  it is so yummy if you have never had it before.  so what did a snowy saturday morning call for this past weekend?  yup, biscuits and chocolate gravy!  this is one of my mom's recipes for homemade biscuits.  i like it b/c i don't have to roll the dough out....

baking powder drop biscuits

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup shortening

1 cup milk

mix dry ingredients together.  cut shortenin into dry ingredients until it looks like course crumbs {i used my kitchenaid mixer and just let it mix for a few seconds}.  make a well in the center; add milk all at once.  stir with fork {mix} quickly until dough follows fork {mixer} around bowl.  drop from teaspoon onto ungreased baking sheet.  bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes until light golden.

if you want the pretty cut-out biscuits you simply cut the milk to 3/4 cup milk, mix and then roll dough 1/2" thick and cut into circles....i prefer mine more...."organic" in nature! =)

 

chocolate gravy

1 cup & 4 tbsp water

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

bring water to a boil.  mix dry ingredients together and add to boiling water.  wisk/stir and let cook for another minute or two until it thickens a bit.

serve over warm biscuits with butter! 

the chocolate gravy can also double as a homemade fudge sauce for a quick sundae.

we give this recipe

*****

what's cookin' this week

saturday night i found out that i have apparently been slacking off in the menu department.....kristin....not to name names or anything!  so, here is what's on the menu this week....

Chicken Pot Pie

Mom's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Carrissa's Sausage Rice Casserole

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi {cooking light}

Chicken Tikki Masala {tikki masala simmer sauce from target}

what's cooking in your kitchen this week????????

recipe (beer-cheese bread}

i typically don't mess with making bread from scratch b/c i am impatient.  i don't like to wait for it to rise.  i absolutely love the final product and get really excited when mom makes her wonderful homemade rolls and other breads.  so, when i saw this recipe i was a little hesitant b/c it sounded to easy.  let me just say that it really was the easiest bread i have ever made. 

mymichael took it to work with him one day a while back everyone there loved it as well.  the beer makes the bread really moist and you don't have to wait for the bread to rise.  you simply mix it and bake it.

we give this recipe

*****

recipe {chocolate croissants}

over christmas break i saw the movie, "it's complicated", with meryl streep, steve martin & alec baldwin.  it was really cute.  i LOVE meryl streep....she is awesome.  in the movie, she owned a bakery and after one of her dates with steve martin they go to the bakery and she tells him she will make him anything off the menu.  he selects the chocolate croissant.  they go in the back and she whips some up...from scratch.  they looked amazing!  afterwards, i thought to myself, "i could make something like that!".  so, here is my version:

crescent rolls

chocolate

chop your chocolate and then put pieces in the crescent rolls and roll up.  bake until golden brown. 

now, i totally belive that if you made your dough from scratch that these would be 100% better.  and if you used phyllo dough they would be 50% better.  but for a super quick and yummy dessert, these worked well! 

enjoy!