Christmas Treats

One of Joe's customers sent him home with what she called "white trash." Joe requested I make a batch (or two) because it was just so yummy, however, I'll just call them Christmas Treats. LOL Plus, I put my own spin on the recipe, adding candy cane and sprinkles. Can you think of a better name for it? Please comment and let me know! I don't have perfect measurements for the recipe, just put in as much of the crunchy salties as you like and make sure you have enough melted almond bark to coat them.
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vanilla almond bark
Corn Chex
pretzels
peanuts
Cheerios
crushed candy cane
Christmas sprinkles
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Melt almond bark according to package and stir in desired amount of crunchies (Chex, pretzels, peanuts, Cheerios). Make sure you coat them well! Spoon onto wax paper and top with candy cane and sprinkles. I put sprinkles on all of mine but candy cane on only half.

Let them harden completely before removing them from the wax paper. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato-Pecan Perfection

Also known around here as Christmas dessert! If Joe were writing this he would say, "Make sure your mama's not around when you eat this because it's so good it'll make you want to smack your mama!" Oh, that never gets old. ;-)
Filling:
4 1/2 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten
Crust:
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
To make:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, mix together mashed sweet potatoes, 1/2 cup melted butter, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs.
Spread sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and flour.
Add 1/3 cup melted butter until mixture is crumbly, then stir in pecans.
Sprinkle pecan mixture over the sweet potatoes.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
courtesy of: AllRecipes.com
It's delicious fresh out of the oven, but it's even better the next day after it's been refrigerated overnight. Have a glass of milk ready!

Ernie's Pulled Pork

3-5 lbs. pork butt
sliced onion
BBQ sauce (I like Stubbs)
garlic salt
pepper

Spray crock pot with nonstick spray. Put some of the onion in the bottom of your crock pot. Put in the pork butt, add a little water so it won't stick when it starts to cook and put the rest of the onions on top. Add garlic salt and pepper. Turn the crock pot on to high and cook about 5-6 hours. When done, the bone should just pull out. Drain if you want and start pulling the pork; I use a fork for this. After it is all pulled, add the BBQ sauce and let cook for about another 30 minutes to get the sauce all the way through. It is really good on toasted buns or Texas toast with coleslaw. Last night I served mine on toasted buns with mac and cheese and corn on the cob on the side. YUM! Hana Grace even asked for seconds!

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

I made these precious Cookie Monster cupcakes for my precious Cookie Monster's second birthday party.

I made Funfetti cupcakes, which is just yellow cake mix that has sprinkles in it that melt when baked to give a polka-dotted effect when you bite into it. I bought a container of buttercream icing and used LOTS of food blue coloring to get it the perfect shade of Cookie Monster blue.

I spread a thin, even layer over the top of each cupcake.

Then I dipped each one in a bowl full of blue sprinkles.

The eyes were white candy melts.

I bought a bunch of mini Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies and cut them in half to use for the mouth. I had to use a small paring knife to dig out a little of each cupcake in order to secure each cookie half.

I used black icing (chocolate icing with black food coloring) to make his infamous googly eyes.

I think they turned out swell and Hana even knew they were supposed to be Cookie Monster!

Turkey Picadillo

This delicious Cuban dish is supposed to be made with ground chicken. Good luck finding ground chicken or even a butcher who will grind some up for you. And don't even begin to think that I, in all of my sanitary-obsessed glory, would grind raw chicken in one of my appliances! It's just NOT going to happen. So I present to you a much healthier and much more sanitary turkey picadillo - and it's yummy! Just in time for Turkey day, how about that?!

1 lb ground turkey

2 tsps olive oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsps ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup salsa

1/3 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

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Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add onion and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add turkey, cumin, salt, cinnamon and garlic to pan and cook until turkey is done, stirring often. Mix in salsa and raisins; cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. remove pan from heat, stir in almonds and cilantro. Makes 4 servings.

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Serve with tortillas and black beans, hominy and rice. YUM!

Pork & Hominy Chili

2 tsp canola oil
8 oz boneless, center-cut pork chops, trimmed and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1 (15.5 oz) can yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, not drained
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
light sour cream
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Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add pork and cook until lightly browned. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chili powder and next four ingredients. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste, hominy, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. Makes four 1 1/2 cup servings. Goes great with a quesadilla on the side!

Grape & Walnut Salad (served with the Falafel)

1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt

2 tbsp brown sugar

dash of cinnamon

3 cups red, seedless grapes (halved)

3 tbsp chopped walnuts

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Mix first three ingredients, then add the last two. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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I think I'm going to have to keep this made at all times. Between Hana and myself, well, let's just say there may or may not have been some bowl licking! ;-) What a healthy snack, but it sure tastes like a sin! A little granola would be great mixed in...

Falafel-Stuffed Pitas

Before tonight I had no idea what a falafel was. But thanks to these awesome cookbooks (this one came out of Cooking Light) JennEllen got me for my birthday, I am trying lots of new things - and they're all healthy to boot! Don't be scared by this recipe. Read the ingredients. It is oh, so yummy! The whole time I was making these I couldn't stop thinking about the episode of Friends where Christina Applegate is Rachel's sister and she keeps thinking Ross is the falafel guy. Dumb, I know, but, oh well! =)

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Falafel:

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 lrg egg

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

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1 tbsp olive oil

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Sauce:

1/2 cup plain, low-fat yogurt

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 garlic clove, minced

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4 (6 inch) whole wheat pitas, halved

8 curly lettuce leaves

sliced tomato

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To prepare falafel:

Place first 8 ingredients in a food processor (Trust me. Use a food processor. I almost killed my blender and Magic Bullet and ended up mashing it with a potato masher instead! LOL) Process mixture until smooth. Divide into 16 equal portions and create patties (dip hands in water to avoid sticking to hands). The patties will seem small, but remember, you're putting two into each pita half. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side.

To prepare sauce:

Combine yogurt, lemon juice, tahini and one garlic clove; stir with a whisk.

To made sandwiches:

Spoon sauce into each pita half and add lettuce, tomato and two patties.

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Serves 4

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FYI: I found Tahini, sesame seed paste, for $8 a bottle. Wow. No, thanks. I read the ingredients and it literally said "Ground sesame seeds." There is a nut kiosk at our Tom Thumb, and I was able to buy 1/2 lb (way too much) of sesame seeds for a little over a dollar and I just ground them myself using my handy Magic Bullet.

Sweet Potato-Chipotle Gratin

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3 medium sweet potatoes, thinly sliced

2 cups half-and-half

1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper (depending on the amount of heat you desire) with some of it's juice (from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce)

salt and pepper

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Preheat oven to 350. In a blender, puree half-and-half and chipotle pepper with it's juice. In an 8x8 casserole dish, arrange one-fourth of the potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Pour one-fourth of the half-and-half and chipotle mixture over all. Repeat to make four layers. Bake for about an hour, until the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are browned. Makes 4-5 servings.

Quick (& cheating) Jalapeno Chicken

I say it's cheating because I just bought an already cooked rotisserie chicken rather than cooking the chicken myself.
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1 (10 oz) jar jalapeno jelly
3 tbsps pineapple juice

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Combine jelly and juice in a small saucepan. Cooke over low heat, stirring occasionally, until melted and thoroughly heated. Pour over plated chicken or serve on the side.

The Upcoming Week

I haven't cooked too many new recipes lately, (well, actually I have cooked a few, but they haven't been worth noting) so I thought I'd give you a heads up. I have 5 new recipes I'm trying out this week, and I'm really excited about all of them! Here's a list of what they are, in no particular order, just to get your mouths watering:

1. Pork & Hominy Chili
2. Falafel-Stuffed Pitas served with (see #3)
3. Grape & Walnut Salad
4. Jalapeno Chicken (I'm actually going to cheat on that one and buy an already cooked rotisserie chicken. But I am going to make the simple-yet-hopefully-yummy jalapeno sauce to pour over it. I will be serving the chicken with (see #5)
5. Sweet Potato-Chipotle Gratin

I'll also be making a meatloaf this week, which has yet to reach perfection, thus leaving it non-blogworthy. It's a work in progress. Apparently we're a house of picky meatloaf lovers. Maybe this time I'll find the perfect concoction and it will be worth the title of "Happy Mommy's Meatloaf." We'll see!

Mexican Bean Salad

1 can pinto beans, drained & washed

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained & washed

1 can corn, drained & washed

lots of diced red onion

lots of diced green onion

1 cup shredded Colby-jack cheese

lots of cilantro, chopped

1 medium tomato, diced

1 package dry ranch

*Next time I'll add fresh jalapeno!

Put it all in a bowl, mix well, cover and refrigerate until served. Great as a side dish or even as a dip. Fritos are a perfect match!

Turkey Goulash

Yet another HappyMommy family favorite courtesy of Cookie Magazine!
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1 lb new potatoes, quartered
2 tbsps olive oil
4 slices bacon, chopped
small yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 tbsps paprika
1 tbsp crushed caraway seeds
1 lb ground turkey
2 carrots, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
salt & pepper
8 oz tomato sauce
15 oz chicken broth
fresh dill
sour cream
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add bacon and stir until cooked.
Stir in onion and water.
Add paprika and caraway seeds.
Cook until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add turkey and cook until just browned, about 8 minutes.
Add carrots, bell pepper, potatoes and salt and pepper.
Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.
Garnish each serving with sour cream and dill.
Goes well with crackers.

Peach Cobbler

Joe loves peach cobbler, so I decided to attempt it last night for his birthday. Not only does he love peach cobbler, he's a bit of a peach cobbler snob - if I do say so. He likes it not too soupy, not too thick, but just right. He gave me two thumbs up on my very first attempt! Not bad, huh?!
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1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 stick butter
1 large can of peaches
3/4 c milk
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp sugar
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Preheat oven to 375.
Melt butter in 2 qt casserole dish in oven.
While the butter is melting combine flour, sugar (1 c) and baking powder.
Add milk to dry ingredients.
Arrange peaches and their juice in butter. (Next time I'll only add half the juice to make ours thicker.)
Drizzle batter back and forth over peaches.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and 3 tbsp sugar.
Bake 30-45 minutes until golden brown.
Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.
It goes great with vanilla ice cream!

Tomato Egg Cups

4 medium-size vine-ripened tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 large eggs brought to room temperature
4 tablespoons shredded white cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and crispy
3 green onions, chopped
garlic powder to taste
4 slices toast, cut into strips

Preheat the oven to 425° F.
Slice off and set aside the top third of each tomato.
Scoop out seeds.
Place the tomatoes in a glass or ceramic baking dish.
Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Sprinkle a little of the onion into each tomato cup.
Break an egg into each tomato.
Bake, with the sliced tops on, for 10 minutes.
Remove the tops, add the bacon and cheese.
Bake until the cheese is bubbly, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Let them cool for 5 minutes.
Serve them with the tops, the rest of the onion and toast strips for dipping.

Chicken, Grape & Pesto Pizza

This is a new family favorite - except for Hana. She just ate all the grapes off of hers and then begged for cookies. Who is this kid? That was definitely a new one for her! However, while we were eating Joe said, "When you make this next week, use Boboli pizza crust! I've never had it and I'd like to try it." So, I guess I'm making it again next week???

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
8 oz breast meat from a rotisserie chicken
1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved
1/4 cup chopped green onion
8 oz ball of mozzarella, cut up
1/4 cup pesto
pepper

Preheat oven according to directions on pizza dough
Prepare dough according to directions on pizza dough
Spread pesto evenly on dough
Add chicken
Add grapes
Add cheese
Pepper to your liking
Cook pizza according to directions on pizza dough
Top with green onions
Serve and enjoy that yummy sweetness of those grapes!

I'll admit, I made this recipe out of pure curiosity. I just could not fathom grapes on pizza! While I was preparing it Wayne asked what we were having for dinner and when I told him what I was putting on the pizza he exclaimed, "Grape pizza?!" I think he told me about 50 times during and after dinner how delicious it was! LOL

Bon Appetit! And sorry, this pizza disappeared before I remembered to snap a pic of it!

Mexican Stuffed Baked Potatoes

This is my own tweaked version a Weight Watchers recipe.

4 large baked potatoes (cooked)
1 lb taco meat
3/4 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup 2% milk shredded Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup corn kernels
2 green onions, chopped
handful of chopped cilantro
salsa
Lipton Mexican rice, cooked

1. Mix cottage cheese, shredded cheese, corn, green onions, cilantro and a splash of salsa in small bowl.
2. Cut potatoes lengthwise and top with taco meat, rice, cheese mixture and a little more salsa.

Roasted Broccoli with Cumin-Chipotle Butter

This is a Weight Watchers recipe. 1 serving = 1 cup = 1 point = awesome!

5 tsps unsalted butter
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground chipotle powder (I substituted chili powder)
1/4 tsp sugar
1 bunch broccoli (1-1 1/4 lbs), cut into florets

1. Preheat oven to 450. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.
2. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add salt, cumin, chipotle powder and sugar; cook 30 seconds.
3. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with butter mixture.
4. Place broccoli on baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned.

Tomoto Basil Flatbread

1 tube refrigerated pizza dough
1/2 cup pesto
1 (8 oz) ball of mozzarella (diced)
1 large tomato (diced)
2 tsps crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup purple onion, sliced very thin
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Preheat oven to temperature recommended for pizza dough.
Spread dough onto pan to make a thin crust.
Cook dough per instructions, but take out of oven about 5 minutes before it's finished cooking.
Turn oven temp up to 450.
Spread pesto over top of dough.
Place cheese, onion and tomatoes on top and sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Cook in oven at 450 degrees for 5 minutes, until cheese it melted and crust is cooked.
Sprinkle fresh basil on top.

Enjoy!

Artichoke-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

From my Cooking Light cookbook.

2 1/2 tbsps Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tsps lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (6 oz) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (3 oz) pkg herbed goat cheese, softened
4 (6 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves pounded to 1/4 inch thickness.

Preheat oven to 375.
Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well.
Top each chicken breast with 2 tbsps of mixture.
Roll up, tuck in sides and secure each with toothpicks.
Heat a large non-tick skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray.
Add chicken to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned.
Wrap handle of skillet with foil and bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.
Slice carefully and enjoy!

Rosemary Peasant Bread

1 packet dry yeast (or 2 1/2 tsp)
2 c. warm water
1 T. sugar
2 tsp salt (plus a little extra)
4 c. flour
chopped fresh Rosemary
Olive Oil
Corn meal
Melted butter

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and sugar. Add flour, salt, and at least 2 tsp Rosemary and stir until blended. Not need to knead! (I used the dough hook attachment with my Kitchen Aid mixer.) Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until double in size.

Remove dough. It will be sticky. I put olive oil on my hands for taking out the dough and shaping it. Place it in 2 rounds on a cookie sheet lightly coated in oil and sprinkled with corn meal. Or place it on a silicone baking mat with no oil. Cover with a towel or greased plastic wrap. Then let it rise another hour.

Brush each round with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with more Rosemary and salt. Bake @ 425 for 10 minutes, then reduce temp to 375 for 15 minutes more.

I got this recipe from: http://www.makeandtakes.com/rosemary-peasant-bread

I served my rosemary bread with a dipping sauce I made from our herb garden. I chopped a pinch of each of the following: rosemary, oregano and basil. I put it on a saucer, added salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Cover with olive oil and dip until your heart is content!

Healthy(er) Croque Monsieur

If you've never been to La Madeleine, go. If you've been but you've never had they're Croque Monsieur, go and have it. It's out of this world! I have found a recipe that's easy to make at home and satisfies my hankering for the real thing, and it's low in fat and calories. You can't really beat that now can you?!
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(a variation of the recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook)
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1 loaf of French bread
low fat thin-sliced deli ham
honey mustard
5 reduced-fat Swiss cheese slices
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
salt and pepper
cooking spray
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
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Cut the French loaf into 5 sections.
Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into eat section, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Spread honey mustard in each pocket and stuff with ham and a slice of cheese.
Whisk together milk and egg whites with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Coat skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium/medium-high heat. (The cookbook says medium-high, but it was too hot for my stove top, I blackened my first side!)
One at a time (or two if you're crafty like me), dip each sandwich in the milk/egg mixture being careful to coat all solid bread sides and immediately place in skillet. ( I suppose you could coat the meat-filled side, but what about the raw egg mixture getting inside the sandwich pocket and creating a salmonella gooey mess?! That's how my brain works! LOL)
Cook each side until well toasted. I even flipped it over to toast the meat-filled side and get the cheese nice and melty.
Place finished sandwiches on a baking sheet in oven to keep warm while you prepare the remaining sandwiches.

I served this alongside a cup of (store-bought) tomato soup, which I don't usually care for but this one was very tasty. The brand was Pacific Natural Foods and it was Organic Creamy Tomato Sou; it's in a carton rather than a can. I'm weird about acidic things in cans. V8 is all I can handle and that's not very often! Anyhow, I topped the soup with some fresh-chopped oregano and basil and a pinch of reduced-fat mozzarella. It was delicious! Not quite La Madeleine, but I'm sure it was half the calories!

Canadian Bacon Potato Skins

Got this recipe from a Taste of Home Summer Appetizers issue.
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I halved this recipe and still have leftovers!
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6 large baking potatoes
2 tsps canola oil
1/8 tsp Tabasco or some other hot pepper sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce, and I added more than 1/8 tsp!)
1 tsp chili powder (I used a little more)
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped Canadian bacon
2 tbsps finely chopped green onion
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I, of course, used 2% milk cheese)
salt and pepper (my added touch)
sour cream
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Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate; prick with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high 14-17 minutes or until tender but firm, turning once. Let stand 5 minutes.
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Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. (Discard, save for a later use, or feed it to your 20-month old mixed with cheese, tomatoes, onion and peas!)
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Preheat oven to 450. Combine oil and hot sauce; brush over shells. Sprinkle with chili powder and a little salt and pepper. Again, cut each shell in half lengthwise. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with tomato, bacon, onion and cheese. I also sprinkled a little more chili powder and salt and pepper on top. I live with two Irish men, they are very picky about their potatoes and they prefer them with salt and pepper! LOL
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Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. If you use 2% or reduced-fat cheese, watch it carefully. It can turn crispy if heated too long. Serve with sour cream.
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As I said, I live with two Irish men (my husband and my father-in-law) and they were pleased with this meal, anything with potatoes makes them happy. I served it with the Layered Salad I posted below. Something for them, something for me! LOL
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Layered Salad

This one is from my friend Christine, and not only is it beautiful, it's scrumdillyumptious! My pic below does not do it justice because I hurriedly threw this together last night. If I would have taken more time, it would have looked better.

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In a big glass bowl (for presentation purposes) layer the following:
4 cups torn iceberg lettuce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup purple onion
1 (10 oz) package frozen English peas, thawed
3 cups torn fresh spinach
3 cups chopped smoked turkey (I left this out)
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Mix the following well and spread in a layer over the above layers:
3/4 cup mayonnaise (I used lite)
3/4 cup sour cream (I used lite)
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Then to top off:
1/2 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives, around the edge
1/2 cup finely shredded Cheddar, in the middle (I used 2% milk cheese)
6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled on top of cheese (I used low sodium)
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To serve: Do not mix up, go down into it like a lasagna or something, then mix it once it's on your plate. This way you get a little of everything on your plate. Makes a lot, but it tastes great the next day!
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I must add that my husband who does not like peas, mayo or sour cream did a good job of eating this. But it had bacon on it, so I guess it was a given! LOL I served this with the Canadian Bacon potato skins I'm about to post, so I knew he would be happy with the potatoes and I could enjoy this salad!
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Random Risotto

*1 box Mushroom risotto

*1 bundle asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces and sprinkled with lemon juice

*1 squash, diced

*1/2 can chick peas (garbanzo beans), warmed

*1 tbsp Gorgonzola cheese

*1 small can mushroom pieces and stems, drained

*Shredded Parmesan

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*Cook risotto according to instructions on box.

*Boil squash until tender

*Add asparagus to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes

*Saute mushrooms in butter

*Once risotto is cooked, add asparagus, squash, chick peas, mushrooms and Gorgonzola.

Serve with Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Purple Hull Peas

I had never even heard of purple hull peas until this past weekend when we went to our farmers market and they were selling them fresh. Man, are they good! Joe likes to think of himself as a bean (pea) aficionado and he told me time and time again while eating tonight that this was the absolute best (bean) pea soup he has ever eaten. I say it was due to the fresh peas, or maybe it was the cook...?! Or maybe, just maybe, he was really hungry.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

2 pints fresh purple hull peas
4-6 slices of thick, center-cut smokey bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

In a dutch oven, brown bacon with onion and garlic.
Add peas and water, adding enough water to cover peas plus an inch; add cilantro.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 20-30 minutes until peas are done.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I topped mine off with homemade pico de gallo and served it with a green onion and butter-topped cornbread muffins.

McKerr Muffins

And this is yet another delicious recipe out of my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Cooking Spray
4 (2 1/2 inch) mushrooms
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used more because we like it hot!)
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 whole wheat English muffins, split and toasted
4 (1 ounce) slices Canadian bacon
4 (1 ounce) slices part-skim mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp finely chopped green onions

Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat; coat with cooking spray. Remove stems from mushrooms and discard stems (I also cleaned out some of that weird stuff on the inside). Add mushrooms to skillet, under sides up. Pour 1/2 tsp lemon juice into each cap. Sprinkle evenly with dill and red pepper. Cook 6 minutes or until mushrooms are browned; turn mushrooms over and cook 1 minute more. Remove from pan, cover and keep warm.

Wipe same pan with a paper towel. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add egg substitute and allow to set about 30 seconds. Gently scrape cooked part of egg substitute to center and continue doing so ever so often until all egg substitute is set (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat.

Preheat broiler.

Arrange muffin halves cut sides up on a baking sheet. Top each muffin half with 1 Canadian bacon slice, about 1/3 cup scrambled egg substitute and 1 mushroom cap, stem side down. Gently press mushroom cap down. Top each mushroom cap with 1 cheese slice. Broil 1 1/2 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with green onions and serve immediately.

I served mine with jalapeno hash browns and tomato slices.

The husband was happy!

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Yet another recipe from my new Cooking Light cookbook.

Three words:

1. Oh

2. my

3. goodness!

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1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 minced garlic cloves

1 seven ounce bottle salsa verde (such as Herdez)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (I just used canned)

1/3 cup (3 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

8 six-inch corn tortillas

cooking spray

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled queso fresco

1/2 tsp chili powder

4 lime wedges

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1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Place first 4 ingredients in a blender (next time I would add a jalapeno because I like some heat); process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1.2 cup salsa mixture. Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

3. Bring broth to a simmer in a medium skillet. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, add tortilla to pan, then flip. You only want to get it moist, turning it only once or else it will become soggy. Remove tortilla; drain on paper towel covered plate. Spoon about 1/4 cup chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down in an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, broth and chicken mixture.

4. Pour reserved salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco and chili powder (I forgot to do the chili powder but it was still mouthwateringly delicious). Bake at 425 for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

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Yield: 4 servings (2 enchiladas and 1 lime wedge)

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Serve with cilantro-lime rice and black beans, I even added some sliced avocado.

Thanks for the amazing cookbooks, Jenn!

(I'll work my way to the other one soon. The recipes in there sound great too, this one just has more enticing pictures! LOL!)

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad with Watermelon-mango Salad

More recipes from my new Cooking Light cookbook!

Watermelon-Mango Salad
2 cups cubed, seeded watermelon
1 cup sliced, peeled mango
1 1/2 tbsps lime juice
2 tsps honey
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh chopped mint

Mix lime juice, honey and salt with a whisk. Drizzle over fruit and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with mint, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
DRESSING:
2/3 cup light sour cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tsps lime juice
1 tbsp minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and mix well.

SALAD:
4 cups shredded romaine
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced avocado
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can corn, rinsed and drained

Combine salad ingredients, drizzle with dressing and serve immediately. I also served a side of cilantro-lime rice.

CILANTRO-LIME RICE:
Cook rice and add lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro and garlic salt to taste.


This meal was absolutely delicious! The fruit alone was out of this world. Next time I think I'll omit the lettuce from the taco salad and just serve it as a chipotle chicken salad with tortilla chips or even in a pita pocket. Yum!

Potato, Corn & Leek Chowder with Tossed Green Salad and Turkey Melts

I received a belated birthday gift from Jennifer this past weekend and it was two very awesome cookbooks. So you'll be seeing a lot of new yummy recipes! This one here came from a Cooking Light cookbook, except for the turkey melts, I just came up with that on my own.

Potato, Corn & Leek Chowder

2 tbsps butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped leek (about 1 large)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 cups whole milk (I used 2%)
3 tbsps all-purpose flour
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups fresh kernels (I used canned)
2 lbs cubed, peeled Yukon gold or red potatoes
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsps chopped fresh chives
*I forgot to add the parsley and the chives even though they were both sitting on the counter, but it was still delicious!

Heat butter and oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek, celery and bell pepper; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Whisk together milk and flour in small bowl and slowly add to pan, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and next 4 ingredients, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes until potatoes are tender. Stir in parsley and chives. Makes 6, 1 1/3 cup servings.


Tossed Green Salad

Place 1 bag of (rinsed) baby mixed greens in a bowl. Add 2 large tomatoes cut into wedges, 1 cup julienne-cut yellow bell pepper and 1 cup thinly sliced cucumber. In another small bowl combine 1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper; stir well with a whisk. Drizzle over salad, toss well.

Turkey Melts

Make a sandwich of turkey and mozzarella and cook on a sandwich press.

Great Goulash

I made this dish for Ashley's family and they loved it. What an honor it was to have them praise my food in such a way! I was a brand new stay-at-home Mommy at the time and wasn't really big into cooking. To this day, ever so often Ashley calls or emails me wanting this recipe. Maybe her family's interest in my cooking is what sparked my interest in cooking? Although, I must give credit where credit is due. I used to make goulash the way our family does, which is absolutely delicious, but Joe, never leaving well enough alone, concocted this recipe. I have merely given it life.

1 lb hamburger meat
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes, drained
Italian seasoning
Garlic salt
Pepper
1 box Penne Rigate pasta
1 package sliced provolone
1 8 oz package shredded mozzarella cheese
*Be creative with the cheese. Sometimes I use sliced mozzarella and shredded Italian blend cheese.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

Brown meat with onion. While cooking, season meat with garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasoning to your liking. (I have no idea how much I add!)
Once meat is browned, drain off any fat, reduce heat to low and add the tomatoes to the meat. Stir until tomatoes are heated and remove from heat.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and return to pan. Add meat mixture to pasta and mix.

Spread one half into a glass casserole dish and top with sliced cheese. Layer the other half on top, spread, and sprinkle evenly with shredded cheese.

Place in oven just until cheese is melted, any longer and the noodles may get crunchy! Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

I like to serve this dish with a side salad and ciabatta bread. Bon Appetit!

Serves about 8, but we LOVE the leftovers!

Asian Pasta

This is my husband's new favorite dish. He ate all of his and went looking for more. I got this recipe from Cookie Magazine, but put a Courtney twist on it.

1 13.5-ounce box of multi-grain spaghetti
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much heat you like)
4 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain the noodles and return them to the pot.

Heat the sesame oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallot, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic and shallot are just golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the soy sauce. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss until the noodles are evenly coated.

Set the same sauté pan back on the stove and increase the heat to medium high. Crack the eggs into the pan, making sure not to break the yolks. Season them with salt and pepper, if desired. Fry the eggs until the whites are completely cooked but the yolks are still a little runny.

Serve the noodles with an egg on top—the yolk will coat the noodles and add extra richness to the sauce. Add any veggies you have on hand. I added shredded carrots and we had edamame on the side. We also topped it off with Joe's yummy jalapeno! I think raw broccoli would taste awesome in it and even some shredded beef! This is definitely a dish I could get creative with.

Left Over Fajita Pizza Supreme

1 tube refrigerated pizza crust
1 cup salsa (I used Joe T. Garcia's "Hot")
1/2 cup diced onion (I used half yellow, half purple)
1/4 cup julienned green bell pepper
1/2 lb fajita meat (I used left over beef fajita meat)
Dash of cumin
Dash of chili powder
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 avocado, diced
Handful of crumbled Cotija cheese (a Mexican crumble cheese)
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese (as always, I used 2% milk cheese)
2 tbsps olive oil
salt and pepper
I also used Joe's left over homemade Mexican rice, reheated
*TIP: To successfully reheat rice so that it's not crunchy, place it in a plastic microwave safe container, add a decent amount of water, put the lid back on tight and microwave long enough for it to steam and the lid to pop up a bit.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread dough onto greased 10x15 (or so) cooking sheet.
Cook dough for approx 8-10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned.
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In the meantime, saute onion, cumin, pepper, chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic in olive oil until vegetables are tender, add meat and stir until meat is heated through (since I used left over already cooked meat).
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Once crust is lightly browned, spread salsa evenly over the top, add 1 cup cheese. Add meat and veggie mixture and top with rest of shredded cheese. Cook 10-15 minutes until crust is brown and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven, turn oven temp to "warm", spread rice on top of pizza, sprinkle Cotija crumble cheese on top and place back in oven. Once Cotija is melty, remove and let sit at least 5 minutes before slicing.

Serve with fresh avocado on top. Makes 12 slices. Muy Bueno!

Pico de Gallo

1/2 tsp salt
1 minced clove of garlic
2 large, ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tbsps finely chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsps fresh lime juice

Mix it all in a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1/2 an hour before serving.

I cannot make enough of it. Joe eats it as fast as I can make it!

Mexican Pizza Pockets

Ingredients:
1 puff pastry sheet, thawed and rolled out
1/2 lb hamburger meat (I never use any more than 96/4 % fat)
taco seasoning
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat)
1/4 cup white corn
1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cook onions with meat and season with taco seasoning per taco seasoning instructions.
3. Mix in cream cheese and corn and stir until cream cheese is melted.
4. Cut puff pastry into 3-4 inch rectangles, ovals will work too.
5. Place 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture in middle of each rectangle, but over to one side.
6. Brush edges of pastry with butter and fold empty side over to cover the meat mixture. Seal edges together with fork. (like ravioli) Repeat until all is used. If you have any of the meat mixture left, feed it to your hungry 18-month old daughter. =)
7. Place on greased cookie sheet and and brush tops with remaining butter.
8. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Dip in sour cream, salsa, guacamole, or a mixture of any of the three and serve with a side of rice. Muy delicioso!

Beef Wellington w/ Bearnaise Sauce

Joe has been on me for a while now to learn how to make Beef Wellington, so what better of a time than Father's Day! I found this recipe on simplyrecipes.com, here is the exact link:
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/beef_wellington/

Beef Wellington Recipe

Ingredients:
1 lb beef tenderloin fillet
Salt and pepper
Canola, grapeseed, or olive oil
1 lb mushrooms
4 thin slices ham (Parma ham if you can get it) or prosciutto (I used prosciutto)
2 Tbsp yellow mustard (we used Coleman's Original English Mustard)
7 ounces puff pastry (needs 3 hours to defrost in refrigerator if using frozen)
2 egg yolks, beaten
**I also used a about a tbsp of diced onion and a tbsp of minced garlic

To make:
1 Preheat oven to 400°F.
2 Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large pan on high heat. Season the fillet generously with salt and pepper. Sear the fillet in the pan on all sides until well browned (hint: do not move the fillet until it has had a chance to brown). Remove the fillet from the pan and let cool. Once cooled, brush the fillet on all sides with mustard.
3 Chop the mushrooms put them into a food processor and purée. Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Scrape the mushroom purée into the pan and let cook down (this is where I also added a tbsp diced onion and a tbsp minced garlic), allowing the mushrooms to release their moisture (and for the onion to cook). When the moisture released by the mushrooms has boiled away, set aside the mushrooms to cool.
4 Roll out a large piece of plastic wrap. Lay out the slices of ham on the plastic wrap so that they overlap. Spread the mushroom mixture over the ham. Place the beef fillet in the middle, roll the mushroom and ham over the fillet, using the plastic wrap so that you do this tightly. Wrap up the beef fillet into a tight barrel shape, twisting the ends of the plastic wrap to secure. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
5 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry sheet to a size that will wrap around the beef fillet. Unwrap the fillet from the plastic wrap and place in the middle of the pastry dough. Brush the edges of the pastry with the beaten eggs. Fold the pastry around the fillet, cutting off any excess at the ends (pastry that is more than 2 layers thick will not cook all the way, try to limit the overlap). Place on a small plate, seam side down, and brush beaten egg yolks all over the top. Chill for 5-10 minutes.
6 Place the pastry-wrapped fillet on a baking pan. Brush the exposed surface again with beaten eggs. Score the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, not going all the way through the pastry. Sprinkle the top with coarse salt. Bake for 25-35 minutes. The pastry should be nicely golden when done. (To ensure that your roast is medium rare, test with an instant read meat thermometer. Pull out at 125-130°F for medium rare.) Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice in 1-inch thick slices.
Serves 4.

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I also made a very simple Bearnaise Sauce to go with the Beef Wellington. I will say that the sauce tasted a little funny by itself, but atop the meat it was out of this world! I found the recipe on AllRecipes.com. Here is it's exact link:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bearnaise-Sauce-I/Detail.aspx

Bearnaise Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
4 egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup butter

DIRECTIONS:
In a microwave safe dish combine vinegar, shallots and tarragon. Microwave on high until boiling. Allow to cool.
Stir in egg yolks and butter. Microwave until thickened, about 1 minute.

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I served the Beef Wellington with Bearnaise Sauce on the side with homemade mashed potatoes and green beans. Let me just say that Joe looked at me during the meal and asked "Where's my wife? This is a five star meal! I couldn't have pulled this off!" What a great compliment! Honestly, I couldn't believe I pulled it off either. I was so nervous to cook it!

Pre-Father's Day French Toast

3 slices of bread

2 eggs

cinnamon

powdered sugar

1/4 banana, sliced

2 strawberries, cleaned

whipped cream

syrup

salt and pepper

1. Beat eggs and mix in a pinch of each: cinnamon, powdered sugar, salt and pepper.

2. Dip each piece of bread into egg mixture, coating both sides well, and place in heated skillet (medium heat). Cook until browned on both sides.

3. Cut each slice in half, arrange prettily on a plate, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon, decorate with whipped cream, bananas and strawberries (I also added a few sprigs of parsley for decoration purposes only).

4. Serve to the most important fathers in your life (except I didn't get to serve it to my Dad, but I will soon if he wants some!).

This is what I served Joe and Wayne yesterday morning, today's breakfast is yet to come. They're still sleeping! I wish my Dad could have been here to enjoy this delicious French Toast, but as I said before, I'll make it for him any time if he's interested!

Hana got to enjoy some, too!

Happy Father's Day!