What's for Dinner - Creamy One-Pot Pasta

We had this for dinner tonight, and it was so yummy! 

I used these noodles, just to get some veggies into a certain three year old that refuses to eat veggies. 

And they tasted great! 

Please excuse the picture, but I forgot to take a picture until dinner was put away. 

What's for Dinner - Pecan Chicken

This recipe is very similar to the honey pecan chicken I have posted before. Just a little different. This one was very good also.

Ingredients:

1⁄4 cup honey
1⁄4 cup course brown mustard
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 oz pecan chips
Directions:

Combine honey and mustard in a small flat dish. Dip chicken in honey sauce to coat then dredge in pecans. Place in baking dish; bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until tender.

I served it with mashed potatoes and green beans.

This one was also Michael approved.

 

What's for Dinner - Beef Straganoff

We had this for dinner last night and it was so yummy and so fast and easy to cook. Total cook time was 20 minutes.
It was also Michael approved! Which is always good.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon beef bouillon

egg noodles

Directions:
In a large skillet, cook beef until browned and crumbly; drain. Add sour cream, soup, salt, onion powder and bouillon to skillet with meat. Mix well and heat thoroughly on medium-low heat. Serve over hot noodles.

What's for dinner - Chicken Dijon

I made Chicken Dijon last night for dinner and it was so yummy! I served it with couscous and broccoli, but you could have just plain brown rice and that would be good too.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1⁄2 red bell pepper, chopped
1⁄2 cup diced sweet onion
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high temperature. Add chicken and cook until browned. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add bell pepper and onion; cook until tender. Return chicken to skillet. In a separate bowl, whisk broth, flour and Dijon, until smooth; pour over chicken. Cover skillet and simmer 20 minutes.

Sorry the picture isn't great. I forgot to take one until Andrew was having seconds.

What's for Dinner - Strawberry Grilled cheese sandwich

We made this for dinner Thursday night, and it was a big hit!

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
1⁄4 c confectioner’s sugar
1⁄2 t cinnamon
4 - 6 slices sandwich bread
16 oz strawberries
Butter, cinnamon-sugar

Directions:
Combine cream cheese and sugar. Stir in cinnamon. (I also put in a splash of vanilla, which wasn't in the original directions)

 Spread half of bread slices with sweetened cream cheese mixture.

Top with sliced strawberries;

cover with remaining slices of bread.

Spread butter on outside of sandwiches; "grill" both sides of sandwiches in skillet until golden brown.

Sprinkle with cinnamon- sugar.
Serve with bacon on the side.

Cream Cheese Mints

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and it reminded me of some mints someone made for one of my bridal showers. I made a batch a few weeks ago and they were just like I remembered them. So I made another batch today and thought I would share the recipe on my blog.

They are really easy to make, but time consuming to roll out all of the balls. They are Michael approved, so that means they have to be good.


Here is the recipe and directions:

Homemade Cream Cheese Mints

Yield: 70 U.S. quarter-size mints
Calories per mint: about 10
Note: I typically double this recipe

1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon pure peppermint or mint extract
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
(Optional) Food coloring


Directions:

Line baking sheets with waxed paper.

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer beat together softened cream cheese and peppermint extract.

Note: While creaming the cream cheese is the ideal time to add food coloring to dye the dough.

Add powdered sugar gradually and beat until smooth, kneading in the last of the powdered sugar with hands or a heavy spoon.

Using a 1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon, form mixture into balls the size of a cherry.

Place two rows of dough balls 1/2-inch or so apart, then flatten with a pretty stamp or a fork, like I do. If you'll lay out a couple rows first, by the time you're ready to roll out the third row, the tops of the dough balls are dry enough to flatten easily without having to dip and re-dip the fork in powdered sugar.

Let the mints stand overnight. Every several hours, gently turn them over.

Store in an airtight container.

 

 

What's for Dinner - Honey Pecan Chicken

INGREDIENTS

½ c chopped pecans
2/3 c cornflake crumbs
4 T honey
2 T soy sauce
1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine pecans & cornflakes in a shallow bowl. Combine honey soy sauce in a Ziploc bag and add chicken. Remove from bag and dredge chicken into pecan mixture. Bake in a sprayed baking pan for 6 minutes on each side @ 425 or until done (an internal temp of 165 or higher)

Serve with white rice on the side.

**I had to cook the chicken for a lot longer than 6 minutes on each side. It was more like 15 minutes on each side. **

What's For Dinner - Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad

This meal was awesome! It was so light and refreshing, and great for a summer meal.
I will definitely be making this again, even if it's not on the menu.

Recipe:
3 c hot cooked penne, about 6 oz uncooked
1½ c shredded chicken (I used left overs from this meal)
1½ c halved small tomatoes
½ c chopped green bell pepper
½ c thinly sliced fresh basil
½ c chopped green onions
⅓ c Caesar dressing
½ c crumbled feta

Directions:
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and rinse with cold water. In large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, tomatoes, basil, onion, green pepper, Caesar dressing, and feta. Toss well to combine. Refrigerate before serving.

What's for Dinner - Molasses-Grilled Pork Chops

Saturday Night, Andrew grilled Pork Chops. I wasn't feeling well, so all I had to eat was a baked potato, but Andrew ate the pork chops and said they were really good. This was a really easy meal to prepare, you just have to do a little planning, since the pork chops need to marinate for about 8 hours.

Recipe:
(¼ c molasses)
(2 T Dijon mustard)
(1 T cider vinegar)
1 lb boneless pork loin chops

Directions:
Combine molasses, mustard and vinegar; brush evenly over meat. Cover and chill 8 hours. Grill, covered with grill lid, over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 160. Turn once.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Plus 8 hours
Cook Time: 15-20

I served the pork chops with mixed vegetables, and baked potatoes. We just put the potatoes on the grill to bake.

What's For Dinner - Greek Baked Chicken

Friday night was Greek Baked Chicken.

Recipe:
⅓ c olive oil
¼ c lemon juice
1 t salt
¼ t pepper
Garlic powder, to taste
½ t dried oregano (I used an Italian blend of spices)
3 lb whole chicken

Stir together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and oregano. Place chicken in shallow dish; pour oil mixture over chicken. Cover; marinate in refrigerator 8 hours. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard marinade. Place chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 450 for 45-60 minutes or until thermometer in thigh registers 180. (We have a George Foreman Contact Roaster, so that is what I used, but the oven works just as good.)

I served this with a Greek salad, and crescent rolls.

Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 8 hours to marinate
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Total: 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes, plus 8 hours

The chicken turned out really good. It was moist and had a good flavor. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner - Bacon Cheddar Quiche

Let me start by saying, we love eMeals! We have been doing it for almost a year now and it is great! There is zero thought about a menu and grocery shopping. They do it all for you. (And no, they are not paying me to say this, they don't even know my blog exists.)

Anyway, I thought I would start sharing what I cook for dinner each night, and include a picture and the recipe. So, here goes my first "What's for Dinner..." post.

Last night was Bacon Cheddar Quiche. The recipe was for a bacon-Swiss quiche, but since I don't like Swiss cheese, I changed it to fit our taste but you can use Swiss cheese, if that's what you like.

Recipe:
2 standard frozen pie crusts or 1 deep dish pie crust
¼ c green onions, sliced
(1 T butter)
6 eggs
1½ c whipping cream
¼ c apple juice
16 oz sliced bacon, cooked & crumbled
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

In small skillet, saute green onions in butter (I actually sauteed them in the bacon fat); set aside. In large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream & juice. Stir in bacon, salt and pepper to taste and green onions. Divide evenly into 2 pie crusts and top with cheese. Bake at 350o for 40-45 minutes until set. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Total Prep time: 30 Minutes
Total Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Total: 1 Hour 15 minutes

I served this with fruit salad on the side.

My thoughts: This was so good! It was light, and fluffy. Great flavor! I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch, and I hate eating leftovers for lunch! Because this made two, there is plenty for a family of 4, or enough for a second meal. I would highly recommend this recipe for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. It would be great for any meal!

Kettle Corn Love

So, the last few weeks, Andrew and I have been on a major kettle corn kick. Andrew has perfected the recipe and technique, so I thought I would share it with you.
The recipe is as follows:
1/2 cup un-popped pop corn
Vegetable oil - enough to barely cover the pop corn (see picture below)
1/4 cup sugar
Salt - to taste

First, you will need a large pot with a tight fitting lid.

Pour the popcorn into the pan.

Pour in enough oil until the popcorn is barely covered and then stir.

Turn stove on high heat and wait to hear the oil sizzle.

Once the oil starts to sizzle, pour sugar in, and stir very well, to coat all kernels with sugar.

Spread out all of the kernels, so there is a single layer on the bottom of them pan.

Now just wait for the pop.

After the pop corn has started popping, give the pot a good shake. Continue to shake every 20-30 seconds.

Once the popping has slowed down (about 2-3 seconds between pops) remove from heat.

Stir the popcorn.

Add salt to taste and continue stirring.

Pour into a bowl and enjoy!!

We have tried different brands of popcorn and so far, the yellow corn seems to pop up the best. We are in search of the popcorn that will give us the biggest popped kernel. If you know where we could get some, please let us know.
Please let me know if you try making it, and how it turns out. Happy Popping!

Whoopie!!

I have posted about my love of whoopie pies before, but I'm posting about it again. My mom gave me this cookbook last year for my birthday, and I am just getting around to using it. If you remember, we kinda had a major event happen the week of my birthday last year. You know, becoming parents. Anyway, at the time I looked through it, and then put it on the shelf with all the other cookbooks and stated busy being a mom.

Well, last week one of the blogs I read posted about making whoopie pies. It reminded me about my cookbook and made me really want to bake some. So I got out the book and looked through all of the recipes, and decided I would go with the original whoopie first. I made my list of ingredients I needed to purchase and Saturday afternoon while Michael took a nap (3.5 hours!!) I baked whoopie pies. They turned out so good. I used some cocoa I had in the pantry, but I'm thinking they might have turned out better if I had bought some new/fresh cocoa. Also, the icing had a little too much crisco in it for my taste. Next time I will cut that down and add more if need be. I can't wait to try some of the other favors in the cookbook. Like gingerbread or chocolate chip or jalapeño cornbread.

e-mealz

For the past two weeks, I have been using e-mealz, and I am so happy with it.

Everyday I would ask myself what I was making for dinner, and it seemed like we were having the same thing every single week. So, Andrew has heard about this website, and told me to check it out. I did, and decided it couldn't hurt to sign up for it and just try it for a couple of weeks.

You can sign up by family size and grocery store. I signed up for the Publix family of 2 menu. It gives you 5 meals, with a complete shopping list. The menu uses items that are on sale at Publix that week, and they also give you links to coupons that you can print off line, if there are any available. The weekly menu ranges from $35-$45 for all 5 meals. So far, we have really enjoyed all of the meals. A few of them, we tweaked a little, but for the most part, we have followed the recipe. They also don't repeat the same recipes over and over. There are several months between repeats, which is nice.

It is so nice to walk into the grocery store with a detailed shopping list and I know exactly what we will be eating that week. There is no thinking required, no meal planning on my part, and it just makes my life a little easier.

A lot of people use this to save money. Yes, that is nice, but I am doing it simply to get out of the cooking rut I'm in. We are eating meals that we have never had, and experiencing lots of great new recipes.

Go check it out. They have sample menus to look at, and you can decide if this is something that might actually help your family.

I was just so happy with it, I wanted to share.