Monday, February 22, 2010 Click on titles to view recipes
{ Jared's Pick } Chicken Parmigiana
Have I mentioned I have a wonderful husband?
Well, I do.
This dish was created by none other than my hubby. Every Sunday at our house is "Italian Night" as well as Jared's night to cook. He does a fabulous job.
See for yourself!
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Chicken Pot Pie
Tonight I truly wished I was a cow.
Yes, that is what I said, a cow...
So I could consume more of this...
So I could consume more of this...
...using my multiple stomachs.
Oh well, I guess I will just have to settle on making these more often. :-)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Baked Spaghetti
This dish is a great spin on regular old spaghetti night.
Make it just like you would a spaghetti dinner but throw some veggies, sour cream and cheese with it and you have a great new meal! It is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna and is so good! You can use your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce or use my recipe for this one! You can add whatever veggies you have on hand. Sometimes, when I have leftover pureed squash, I will add a layer of squash, it makes it a little creamier (and healthier), and the kids will never know!
Make it just like you would a spaghetti dinner but throw some veggies, sour cream and cheese with it and you have a great new meal! It is a cross between spaghetti and lasagna and is so good! You can use your favorite jar of spaghetti sauce or use my recipe for this one! You can add whatever veggies you have on hand. Sometimes, when I have leftover pureed squash, I will add a layer of squash, it makes it a little creamier (and healthier), and the kids will never know!
Serve with homemade garlic bread and steamed peas
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Butternut Squash Tortellini in a Brown Butter Sage Sauce
When we first moved to DC we went to a great authentic Italian restaurant called Senso Sesto. I ordered this exact dish and was completely blown away at how amazing these were. Upon taking my first bite I entered another world that I never wanted to leave. The squash was so creamy and sweet but the buttery sauce gave it a wonderful richness. Needless to say, I knew I had to figure out how to make this dish in my own kitchen. So, here is what I came up with and I've got to say it is pretty amazing. We had this for our Valentine's Day dinner.
It was perfect with Roasted Garlic Asparagus and Homemade Tomato Soup.
Belgium Waffles
This is what we had for breakfast for Valentine's Day but it is so easy you can make it any day of the year. The waffles are crisp on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside with a fresh lemon flavor that goes perfectly with strawberries. And I discovered that I can cut strawberries in the shape of a heart. Small things like heart-shaped strawberries make me happy. :-)
Easy Homemade Tomato Soup
One day I had a craving for grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup so I went to the cupboards to reach for my trusty can of Campbell's where I discovered we were completely out. So I decided to experiment with what I had in the cupboards. I grabbed a can of diced tomatoes and 10 minutes later, my husband and I were enjoying a warm homemade lunch.
We had this as an appetizer for our Valentine's Day dinner
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Linguine with Vegetable Bolognese Sauce
I began making this recipe because I was getting tired of my spaghetti sauce recipe. This authentic Italian dish is a great variation.
It is lighter, creamier, and healthier.
Eating it, you would never know it was made from mostly vegetables which makes for a great meal for those "picky veggie eaters" in your family. I add a little sausage to give it a little more flavor and to further disguise the fact that the sauce is made mostly of veggies.
It is lighter, creamier, and healthier.
Eating it, you would never know it was made from mostly vegetables which makes for a great meal for those "picky veggie eaters" in your family. I add a little sausage to give it a little more flavor and to further disguise the fact that the sauce is made mostly of veggies.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Blue Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions
A lot of people run when they hear "blue cheese". I used to too, until I went out on a limb one day and ordered a blue cheese burger at a local restaurant. This is a great way to try blue cheese for the first time. Blue cheese and beef go so well together I promise it won't disappoint.
So go ahead, try this one.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lemon Herb Whole Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
Chile Verde Chicken Enchiladas (round 2 recipe)
We just tried these tonight and they were amazing. I love enchiladas but we usually make either a white sauce enchilada or a red sauce, so it was fun to try a green sauce. They are super yummy! I decided on chicken enchiladas because I roasted a whole chicken and needed another meal to use up the leftover chicken. This was a perfect recipe to do just that. This is a great way to save moneyTake a Trip Around the World with Me
Schnitzel
No... I know what you are thinking, it is not a hot dog. Much on the contrary,
"Schnitzel" is German for "cutlet" which is usually made in Austria with veal and is thinly pounded, breaded and pan fried... Yum.
The recipe I followed for this called for pork, I had chicken and it worked beautifully.
TIP: it is okay to alter recipes slightly to fit your taste (and your budget). You don't have to go out and purchase everything, if you don't have it on hand, use what you have if you can get away with it. Things like using chicken instead of pork, or regular bread crumbs instead of panko bread crumbs, things that won't completely alter the outcome of your dish.
Be creative!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Pea Pesto Linguini with Chicken
When it comes to a great tasting, healthy, money saving meal, this is the one that soars to the top of my list. I love it because I can change up the ingredients depending on what I have on hand. If I have extra spinach in the fridge I need to use up, I put more spinach in. If my basil plant is itching for a picking, I put extra basil in. If I don't have one of the three main ingredients (peas, basil or spinach) I just substitute for more of the other two ingredients. You can also really use any kind of pasta you have on hand. I like linguine, so that is what I use. If I don't have time for chicken, I omit the chicken. It all works beautifully with this meal. It really is quite versatile.
Oh and did I mention it is quite good for you??
Oh and did I mention it is quite good for you??
Monday, January 25, 2010
Homemade Buttermilk Flaxseed Pancakes
My 20 month old son is crazy about pancakes. He got to the point where he was asking for them every morning. We are a Krusteaz family, I grew up on it, but after a while of making pancakes everyday, I felt like I was constantly restocking our Krusteaz supply which was, to say the least, hurting our food budget significantly. So I had to come up with a different solution to appease both my son's raging pancake appetite as well as our tight budget. I decided to start making my own batter even though it might take me a little bit more time to prepare, it was worth it to save the money. So, I found this recipe online, made a few tweaks and viola!...
Perfectly light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes that taste just like (if not better than) Krusteaz.
Perfectly light and fluffy buttermilk pancakes that taste just like (if not better than) Krusteaz.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Double Potato Shepherd's Pie
This dish is the ultimate comfort food...
A mixture of ground beef and sausage in a tangy sauce layered with melted cheese, tender sweet potatoes and carrots topped with golden brown crusted but creamy garlic mashed potatoes.
I know I focus on healthy dishes but I threw "health" out the window when I made this one. Sometimes you just need to enjoy some good old fashioned comfort food.
Enjoy.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Chile Lime Pulled Pork Tacos
My husband and I LOVE Mexican food.
Unfortunately the area in which we live is not known for its southern cuisine and in no way fulfills our all too frequent cravings for good authentic Mexican cuisine. So we have spent the last 4 years of marriage perfecting our taco recipe, slowly making it more and more...well... amazing!...and authentic.
I think we are finally satisfied with this combination.
Unfortunately the area in which we live is not known for its southern cuisine and in no way fulfills our all too frequent cravings for good authentic Mexican cuisine. So we have spent the last 4 years of marriage perfecting our taco recipe, slowly making it more and more...well... amazing!...and authentic.
I think we are finally satisfied with this combination.
Eat your heart out Chipotle...
Monday, January 18, 2010
Cheese Fondue
So, I have a thing for cheese.
I love it, plain and simple.
My brother married into a Swiss family and first introduced us to the great world of Swiss cuisine. This is actually a family recipe from my brother-in-law on my husband's side who is also half Swiss. Isn't it great to have in-laws?
This is a great meal idea for dinner parties. Great food, great company, great interactions.
This is a great meal idea for dinner parties. Great food, great company, great interactions.
We have it every year for New Years.
Serve with boiled yukon gold potatoes, pan-seared beef tenderloins, and steamed broccoli.
Thanksgiving Meatloaf
I love Thanksgiving dinner and hate to only have it during the holidays, but it is way too much work to have it more than once a year. So I found this recipe to appease my need for a Thanksgiving dinner throughout the year.
It literally tastes like a thanksgiving dinner all in one.
Turkey, sausage, cranberries, stuffing, apples--served with mashed sweet potatoes and veggies... amazing.
