Girls Night

Once a month, three of my friends and I get together for our "Girls Night." We rotate houses monthly and have been doing so for going on 3 years I'd guess. It used to revolve around a giant bottle of cheap wine, but as we've aged we've thrown dinner into the mix, and even splurged on some better wine! The fun conversations and sisterhood has not changed though! Last night I served these with grilled filets, roasted corn on the cob, and ice cream sundaes for dessert. I forgot to take a picture though, sorry! They were very yummy and I have to confess I baked and assembled them the night before and just heated them before dinner. It was a great time saver!

Twice Baked Potatos

2 large baking potatoes
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded Cheddar & Montery Jack cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. (Or cheat like I did and use the pre-cooked bacon.)
When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 3/4 cup cheese. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Three Cheese Chicken Bake

I think one of the reasons I like chicken casserole is that it calls for cooked chicken. Almost anytime I have a recipe that calls for this, I see it as a wonderful chance to cheat and buy a delicous moist rotisserie chicken from the deli. Chloe & Mulligan love this becase it means they get to feast on the left over scraps, assuming Mulligan doesn't wrestle the entire bird off the counter before you can pick it appart.

Three Cheese Chicken Bake

1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 ounces pimientos, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
3 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 cups cottage cheese
8 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a skillet, saute onion and green pepper in butter until tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in the soup, mushrooms, pimientos and basil; set aside.
In a large bowl, chicken and cheeses; add mushroom sauce and mix well. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve over rice if desired.

Source: www.recipesecrets.net

Jinxed Meatloaf

I hadn't done a crock pot recipe for a while, so we picked this one to try. Sunday night I mixed it together, gingerly placed it in my crock pot liner, and put it in the fridge. Scott is in charge of starting the crock pot the next morning. Well as fate would have it, somehow the temperature setting was turned to "Keep Warm" instead of "Low." I'm fairly sure it would have taken a good 25 hours to cook the loaf at that rate. As luck would have it, I happened to run home at lunch, which I don't normally do, and popped the setting up to low. I figured it wouldn't matter much since we normally eat dinner late. Everything was cooking happily until sometime in the afternoon during a thunderstorm, our power went out. When the power finally came back on around 6:30pm, I finally said to hell with it and threw the meat loaf in the oven. Surprisingly it turned out very moist and tasty, considering its rocky cooking time.

Crock Pot Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 eggs
2/3 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup ketchup

Reserve 2 T. ketchup. Combine ground beef, eggs, oats, soup mix and remaining ketchup. Shape into loaf and put into crock pot. Top with remaining ketchup. Cover, cook on low 8 - 10 hours.

Source: Rival

Fresh Flavors

Tonight I decided to finally use up the can of pizza dough that has been lingering in the fridge. I thought I'd top it with some fresh summer flavors, and it came out great!



Crista's Pizza Mahgarita

Sauce:

14 oz. crushed San Marzano tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Saute onions until tender, add garlic and saute for a minute. Add in sauce and other seasonings.

Pizza:

Pre-made pizza dough
sauce (see recipe above)
8oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 cup chopped basil leaves

Roll out dough on an oiled cookie sheet. Pre-bake crust at 425 for 8 minutes.

Spread sauce thinly over pizza. Add cheese and sprinkle with basil. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

Double Take

As promised, I've re-vamped last nights leftovers into a tasty and healthy dinner! I need to try and do this more often, as it only took me 15 min to have dinner ready! Perhaps I'll have to try some of Robin Miller's menu plans in the near future, as she is always coming up with good ideas.




Fast Fajitas

Left over grilled chicken, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
olive oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper to taste
tortillas
sour cream
salsa

Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add onion, peppers, and seasonings and saute until veggies are tender. Add chicken and allow to heat through. Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.

Sauteed Corn & Green Beans

1 cup left over green beans
1 cup left over corn on the cob, taken off the cob :)
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat, saute garlic for a minute or so. Add veggies and heat through.

Summertime!

Nothing screams summer like grilled sweet corn! (If you live in Indiana anyway) Even though the best corn is yet to be harvested, the current crop available at the grocery is pretty decent.

Tonight I grilled some chicken and corn, and tomorrow night I have a whole meal planned with the left overs, so be sure to stay tuned for those.

Sweet N' Spicy Roasted Corn

Shuck and clean the corn, then add to boiling water for 10 minutes. Wrap each cob into foil and grill over medium-high heat for 15 minutes, turning frequently.

Serve with the following butter sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat and mix in other ingredients.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, liquid smoke, mustard, pepper, and garlic powder. Place chicken in the bowl, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and allow chicken to marinate a maximum of 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Oil grill grate. Discard marinade, and place chicken on grate. Cook 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until juices run clear.

Source: Allrecipes.com

When the going gets tough...

The tough pick strawberries!

Sometimes life hands you lemons. Maybe your roof keeps leaking, or your roommate thinks you are her taxi. Perhaps you don't like storms or some evil bastard broke your heart. No matter what crappy hand life deals you, you can always pick stawberries and mix them with the lemons for a treat. And heck, if like has been particulary bad, add some vodka!

This fun filled weekend started off by Ali taking me on my very first strawberry picking excursion. We made it back just in time to hear the storm sirens. Since our original plans for watching an outdoor movie were stormed out, our friend Sara came down for a makeshift girls night of pizza, wine, and trivial pursuit. It finally stopped raining Saturday afternoon, so Ali and I ventured downtown to our favorite annual festival, The Vintage Indiana Wine festival. Our goal was to sample wine from every winery there (19) and we did! Although it was very hot and humid, it was fun as always and being the responsible drinkers we are, we asked Scott to come pick us up. What a good guy! Sunday, Scott and I tried a new (to us) breakfast place, a little down home cooking hole-in-the-wall place called Keystone Deli. The home fries were delish! To top it off with a lazy afternoon, Ali and I spent the day at the pool! When I got home, I cooled off with this slushy drink...

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy

16 oz. Crystal Light Pink Lemonade
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in a blender until frothy. Drink!

Source: Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

Yard Day Mac N' Cheese

Today was "Yard Day." Our dear friend Ali has had a few yard tragedies in the past year (new sewer line, sunken fence, not to mention the ginormous limb that fell on her garage this weekend), so today we all pitched in to get her yard back to normal. Courtney, Lisa, and I supplied our burly men, Brian, Dave, and Scott to do the heavy lifting and labor. Court and Lisa tended to Avery and I took over Ali's kitchen to get lunch ready. After searching all week for the best gooey mac n' cheese recipe, I found one on the Nestle website (using their Carnation Evaporated Milk) and it was AWESOME!!!

Creamy Mac N' Cheese

10.5 oz dry small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cans (18 fl. oz. total) Evaporated Milk
1 1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups (16 oz.) shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease 9x13 dish.

Combine cornstarch, salt, mustard and pepper in medium saucepan. Stir in evaporated milk, water, and butter. Cook over medium-heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in 3 1/4 cups cheese until melted. Add macaroni; mix well. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and light brown.

Source: Nestle.com

Cookout Cookies

I'm in charge of bringing a dessert to the Saxe's cookout tomorrow. I'm excited to go, not only to finally meet the newest Saxe, Annabel, but also because the Zimmermans are visiting from California. I decided to make two different but similar treats to feed the crowd.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 lb shortening stick
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Cups Oatmeal
6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips
6 oz. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Beat together shortening and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Combine flower, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in oatmeal and chocolate chips by hand. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls on to cookies sheets and bake for 10-12 min.

Source: Me

Oatmeal Carmelitas

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 9x9 inch square pan.
Combine the 1 cup flour, baking soda, oats, brown sugar, salt and melted butter. Mix to combine, mixture will be very crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Let cool slightly then sprinkle over the crust the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Mix the caramel ice cream topping with the 3 tablespoons of flour and drizzle over the chocolate chips. Top with the remaining oatmeal mixture. You will need to break it into small pieces to cover.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Let bars cool before cutting.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Speedy Beer Cheese Dip

This is a great dip to snack on while watching the Indy 500, which happend to be today. It is very quick to make, and is a crowd pleaser. My friend Denise made this last weekend at a cookout and even the non-beer drinkers enjoyed it a lot.




Beer Cheese Dip

2 8oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 packet ranch dip mix
1/2 cup of beer

Mix all ingredients together and garnish with green onion if desired. Serve with pretzels.

Source: Hidden Valley

My Favorite Casserole

If you know me, chances are I've fed you this. It is my favorite breakfast casserole, and it is always a hit at baby showers, office breakfast meetings, or for dinner if you ask Scott. This past Friday I decided to take this to the office on Friday morning. We were closing the office to take a 33 ft RV down to the track for Carb Day (part of the Indy 500 festival for you non-Indiana people). Seeing as I knew the rest of the day would involve consuming mass quantities of beer and booze, I figured the more food in our stomachs, the better! So when I mentioned to Scott on Thursday that I was at the grocery buying things for the casserole he got a little whiney that he wouldn't get any casserole. So I ended up making him one too.




Crista's Favorite Breakfast Casserole

1 pound breakfast sausage
3 cups hashbrowns (thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, shredded
1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, Cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Break out your Lederhosen!

To celebrate my German heritage, and also because Kroger was having a sale, I made a really tasty German style casserole. I was inspired by the Kroger Sales ad the other day. They were having one of their "dollar" sales, and I saw that both Polish sausage and sauerkraut were on sale for $1 each. Throw in a few cheap red potatoes and a few other pantry staples and you've got this entire dish for under $3!

Polish Sausage Bake

5 small potatoes, scrubbed and cubed with skin
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup cream
1 pinch ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 lb sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1 pound polish sausage, sliced 3/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Place potatoes into a large saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Once tender, drain potatoes, and mash with 2 tablespoons butter, cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Place the drained sauerkraut into a casserole dish and top with sliced kielbasa. Spread with mashed potatoes and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
Bake in preheated oven until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Eat Dirt!

Ok, well eat mud anyway... Mississippi Mud Brownies that is. I made these to take to a cook out at the Hunsche's. Since Denise spent a few years growing up in Mississippi, I made these in her honor. These are very rich, so cut them small. (This way if you eat 5 you don't feel so guilty.)

Mississippi Mud Brownies

1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 cup of butter. Remove from heat and stir in cocoa until smooth. Mix in the white sugar, eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in the flour, then fold in pecans and marshmallows. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool in pan.

To make the frosting: In a medium saucepan, melt together 1/2 cup of butter and 1/3 cup of cocoa. Mix in confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. Gradually beat in the milk, a tablespoon at a time until icing is a nice spreading consistency.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Grilled Chicken in No Time

Part of my problem with grilling chicken is that I don't decide to make it until the last minute, and all of the really good recipes seem to call for overnight refrigeration in a marinade. This recipe was great, and you only put the seasonings on it as you grill. It also came a long with a really good sauteed spinach & mushroom dish. I'm sure I'll be making this again soon!

Grilled Chicken Over Spinach

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
4 (4 ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Sauteed Spinach:
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn

In a bowl, combine the first eight ingredients; mix well. Spoon over chicken. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.
In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for 1 minute. Stir in mushrooms; saute for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach; saute for 2 minutes or until wilted. Transfer to a serving platter; top with chicken.

Source: Allrecipes.com

Salad Du Jour

Since I'm still on my salad kick, and get excited everytime I see a farmer's market, I threw this together for dinner tonight. It also incorperates a new find from Trader Joe's, shredded pre-cooked BBQ chicken. It was of course awesome, as is everthing I buy there.

BBQ Chicken Salad

(The following makes 2 very large salads)
1 bag salad mix
1 vine ripe tomato
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup chopped English cucumber
1/2 cup sweet corn
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded BBQ chicken

Assemble as shown and serve with your favorite dressing.

Source: Me

Green Beans a'la Aunt Verlena

I've been eating green beans this way since I was little. Mainly cooked by my Grandmother, or her sister Aunt Verlena. Now it wouldn't be a holiday without Aunt V's down home cooked beans. They aren't necessarily the healthiest, but dang they are good!

Aunt Verlena's Green Beans

2 lbs fresh green beans, snapped and cut
1/2 lb bacon
1 small onion, diced

Clean & prepare green beans. Chop bacon and cook in a large pot on medium high heat until crisp. Add diced onion and cook until transparent. Add green beans and add water until they are just covered. Bring pot to a boil and then simmer for a couple hours, or until desired tenderness is reached. Salt to taste.

Source: Mom

It's All Greek to Me!

I love salad, but get kinda tired of your run of the mill lettuce based salad. This recipe had gotten rave reviews, had a ton of vegetables, and no lettuce what so ever. It was so good, I could eat it every day!

Greek Salad

3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 European seedless cucumber, cut into bite-size chunks
1 small green bell pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cubanelle pepper, seeded and chunked
1 cup Kalamata black olives
Several sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, about 1/2 cup
1/4 pound light Greek feta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Coarse salt and black pepper

Combine vegetables, olives, parsley, and feta in a large bowl. Combine oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small plastic container with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine oil and vinegar and pour over salad and cheese. Season with salt and pepper and let the salad marinate until ready to serve.

Source: Adapted from Rachel Ray

Popeye says to Eat Your Spinach!

I love veggies, and am always looking for recipes to make them more exciting than your typical bag of frozen green beans. This recipe was great!

Creamed-Spinach Gratin

1 (10-ounce) bag fresh spinach

Cooking spray

2/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup tub-style light cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 cup (1/4-inch-thick) sliced tomato

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

PreparationPreheat oven to 375°.

Remove large stems from spinach. Tear spinach into 1-inch pieces; place in a colander. Rinse spinach under cold water; drain. Set aside.

Place a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium heat until hot. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or until spinach wilts. Add cream cheese, oregano, salt, and pepper. Uncover and cook an additional minute or until cream cheese melts. Spoon spinach mixture into a 1-quart gratin dish or shallow casserole coated with cooking spray. Arrange tomato slices in a single layer on top of spinach,and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Source: Cooking Light

In Honor of Cinco De Mayo....Chinese Food!

Ok, so I feel bad that I didn't make anything Mexican for Cinco De Mayo, but I forgot about it when I was at the store buying groceries. This turned out to be a good thing, because these lettuce wraps were awesome! I took the leftovers for lunch the next day and they were just as good!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Sweet & Spicy Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic

2 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw

1 cup canned sliced water chestnuts, drained

8 ounces grilled chicken (cut into chunks)

12 Bibb lettuce leaves

Place peanuts in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently. Remove pan from heat; set aside.Combine hoisin, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, oil, pepper, and garlic in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.

Combine peanuts, coleslaw, water chestnuts, and chicken, and sauce in a bowl and toss well.
Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken salad in the center of each lettuce leaf.

Source: Cooking Light

Fruits & Veggies!

The other night I decided to try a Deen Brother's recipe, because they seem to have good taste in food, and lets face it, they are very cute! I roasted some veggies to go with our grilled chicken, it was a great dinner!

Lime Marinated Chicken

Marinade:

1½ limes
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, trimmed and sliced
2 teaspoons tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch salt

For marinade, finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from limes. In a blender, combine zest and juice with remaining marinade ingredients; puree until smooth. Pour marinade over the chicken and toss to coat. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight.

Source: The Deen Brothers Cookbook: Recipes from the Road

Roasted Veggies

1/2 lb.whole button or crimini mushrooms 1/2 lb.baby carrots
1 medium onion, peeled, cut into
1/2-inch-thick wedges
1 large red, green or yellow bell pepper, cut into 8 strips
1/3 cup Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
1/3 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 450°F. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Toss vegetables with dressing and 1/4 cup of the cheese; spread into prepared pan.

Bake 28 to 30 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring after 15 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Source: Kraftfoods.com