I'm Trying!

Now that I'm pregnant, food is not my friend. I find that most things either taste or smell like dog food. I do my best to cook dinner for the family and if I'm successful at cooking for them, I usually don't eat much of it. I did make some butternut squash soup the other night that everyone (including myself) enjoyed, but I've tried to post the recipe a couple times and just typing and thinking about the food makes me gag. LOL Sorry! I never experienced this degree of nausea while pregnant with Hana, so this is all new to me. I made stuffed chicken breast (I just gagged, no joke) last night that everyone enjoyed but me. I tell you, it tasted just like dog food smells...but everyone else cleaned their plate! So, please, stick with me. I'm sure to be back soon...I hope!

Southwestern BLT Salad

Another yummy recipe! Click here to got to the site to get it!

Butterflied Chicken

I botched the "butterflying" of the poor bird, but the outcome was still spectacular!

Here's the recipe!

Sour Cream Chicken & Mushrooms

Almost as good as Gloria's! I also added poblano peppers to the sauce before putting it in the oven.

Here's the recipe!

Mock Mashed Potatoes

1 head of cauliflower, chopped
butter
sour cream
salt
pepper

Cook cauliflower until very, very tender.
Drain off water and put cauliflower back in pot.
Add a dollop of sour cream and butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Mash with a potato masher (or for smoother results, put in blender or food processor).

For a mock baked potato, add cheese, chives and bacon! YUM! My Irsih, potato-loving husband even approves!

Taco Salad Casserole

2 lbs hamburger
taco seasoning
8 0z cream cheese, softened (I mixed a little salsa in with mine)
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onion
several handfuls chopped lettuce
1/2 large tomato, chopped

Prepare taco meat.
Spread meat into a casserole dish.
Spread cream cheese evenly over top.
Sprinkle Monterrey Jack cheese over cream cheese.
Layer onion, lettuce and tomato.
Serve and enjoy!
Goes well with fresh avocado.
Would also be good served with chips and a layer of Spanish rice, black beans or both!

Low-Carb Chilaquiles & Cilantro-Lime Slaw

I got both of these recipes out of my Cooking Light cookbook (thanks again, Jenn!). I changed the chilaquiles up a bit to make them low carb.

Low-Carb Chilaquiles
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1/2 cup chopped green onions, plus a little extra
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese, divided
2 tbsps grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (11 oz) can salsa verde
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chiles, drained
cooking spray
fresh jalapeno (optional)

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
*Combine chicken, onions, 1/4 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, Parmesan cheese, chili powder, salt, pepper, green chiles, cilantro and jalapeno in a medium bowl and mix well.
*Spread mixture in bottom of 11x7 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
*Top with salsa verde.
*Sprinkle remaining Monterrey Jack cheese on top.
*Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.
*Serve with green onions on top.

Cilantro-Lime Slaw
3 tbsps lime juice
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsps sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (12 oz) package coleslaw

*Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl.
*Combine next three ingredients in a large bowl.
*Drizzle juice mixture over slaw and toss well to coat.

Low-Carb Stuffed Peppers

Low-Carb Stuffed Peppers

I failed to take a picture, but these sure were yummy. Just click on the link above to find the recipe site!

Beef & Mushroom Rice

(Beefy Rice with mushroom soup)
*****
1 lb hamburger meat
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
garlic salt
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
rice
shredded 2% milk cheddar
Hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce)-optional
*****
Season hamburger meat with garlic salt and cook until browned; drain fat.
Mix together cream of mushroom soup, onion mix and approximately 1 cup of water; set aside.
Add onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and soup mixture.
Simmer 15-20 minutes until the onion soup mix is cooked.
In the meantime, cook rice.
Spoon mixture over rice and and sprinkle with cheese.
Garnish with hot sauce if you like.

Woodland Creature Pancakes

This recipe for McPancakes came from this other delightful blog I follow: My Charming Kids
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MckPancakes
2 c. regular old pancake mix (I had to use at least a half a cup more to get a good consistency)
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. flaxseed meal
1/2 c. almond butter
1 banana
1 tsp. flaxseed oil
1 egg
1/3 c. plain, whole yogurt
1/4 c. honey
dash cinnamon
*****
In a large mixing bowl, blend pancake mix, flaxseed meal and cinnamon. Set aside.

In blender, combine almond butter, oil, egg, honey, yogurt and banana.

Blend until smooth.

Add blended mixture and water (note: I actually added the water to the wet ingredients and blended it in the blender along with everything else) to the dry mix. Stir together well.

Make pancakes out of the batter.

Drizzle with honey or syrup (syrup gives it a completely different flavor altogether!) and enjoy! They're very filling and very delicious!

Feta Couscous

1 box whole wheat couscous

1 can low-sodium chicken broth

handful of reduced-fat feta cheese

handful toasted pine nuts

handful chopped green onion

handful grape tomatoes, quartered

*****

Cook couscous according to package but replace water with chicken broth.

Once couscous is cooked and fluffed with a fork, stir in feta, pine nuts, green onion and tomatoes.

Tex-Mex Panzanella

This is a Weight Watchers recipe that, of course, I have tweaked.

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4 cups cubed corn bread

3 tbsps lime juice

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tbsps canola oil

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can low-sodium corn

1 lrg tomato, chopped

1 cup shredded 2 % milk cheddar cheese

fresh cilantro

*****

I ALSO ADDED:

diced southwestern-flavored rotisserie chicken

a handful of chopped red onion (because I had some on hand)

a handful of chopped green onion

a dash of garlic powder

*****

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat cornbread in oven for five minutes, stir and heat for five minutes more.

While cornbread is in oven, combine lime juice and next three ingredients (here is where you'll also add the garlic powder if you so desire) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add oil and stir with a whisk.

Add beans, corn, tomato, chicken, red and green onion (if you used them) and toss well.

Add corn bread and cilantro; toss gently.

Top with cheese.

*****

I served mine over a salad of mixed baby greens, but I will eat the leftovers today for lunch cold and with chips and a little avocado. YUMMY!

Beefy Rice

1 lb hamburger meat
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 can diced tomatoes
garlic salt
1 packet onion soup mix
rice
shredded 2% milk cheddar
Hot sauce (i.e. Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce)-optional

Season hamburger meat with garlic salt and cook until browned; drain fat.
Add onion, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion soup mix and just enough water to make it juicy so that it will simmer without burning.
Simmer 15-20 minutes until the onion soup mix is cooked.
In the meantime, cook rice.
Spoon mixture over rice and and sprinkle with cheese.
Garnish with hot sauce if you like.

Sweet Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

This is my take on a recipe I got out of a Weight Watchers recipe magazine.

1 bunch of curly red lettuce, rinsed and chopped
2 cups quartered strawberries
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
handful of chopped pecans
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp canola oil

1. Layer first 3 ingredients in a bowl and top with pecans.
2. Combine juice and next 3 ingredients in a jar. Cover tightly. Shake vigorously. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss and serve immediately.

Pesto Grilled Cheese

Due to allergies, my throat is just about swollen shut so I did not get to taste this "masterpiece" the family loved so much. It's rare that Joe goes on and on about something I cook and doesn't immediately critique it. I say that lovingly. Really, I do. He is a very good cook. Actually, for a long time I was scared to cook for him for fear of embarrassing myself. But I have embraced the love of cooking and (rarely) welcome his critiques. LOL It annoys me when he immediately says, "Next time you should try..." In my mind that's saying, "This is good, but this could make it better." Just be satisfied with what you have! LOL But that's just us. He is always looking for improvement and I'm content with what we have...well, most of the time. But that's why we work, I suppose! Anyhow, he went on and on and on and on and on and on and on about this sandwich, which was incredibly easy to make. He even said, "You must remember the exact portions of what you put on it because this was perfection. You must make this as soon as you can eat it!" Will do, honey bun. Will do. So, here are the exact portions to make this sandwich of perfection. =)
**********
To serve 4
8 slices of sourdough bread
8 slices of mozzarella cheese
pesto
4 slices of tomato (thinly sliced)
thinly sliced red onion
**********
Build each sandwich as follows:
bread
small amount of pesto spread on bread
mozzarella
red onion
1 tomato slice
mozzarella slice
bread
**********
Grill like a grilled cheese or (I prefer to) use a sandwich press.

Taco Bean Soup

My family, both immediate and extended, loves taco soup. I may have put that recipe on here before, if not, I'm sure it will be added at some point. We eat it all the time. The soup I made tonight is actually a Weight Watchers recipe that I modified ever so slightly, but it tastes just like our family's taco soup - only healthier! So, it's a win-win situation! I'm posting the doubled version of the soup since I doubled the recipe to feed three adults plus a kid and wanted to have leftovers. Hana and I would go hungry at lunch time if it weren't for leftovers. =)

2 (15 oz) cans of turkey chili with beans ( I prefer Wolf Brand)
2 (14.5 oz) cans of no-salt-added diced tomatoes (I used the southwestern-flavored ones)
2 large, coarsely chopped zucchini or yellow squash (I used both)
2 cups water
1/2 cup shredded, reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese (I did not double the cheese)
1/4 cup sliced green onions (I also did not double the onions)
***Made with the ingredients listed above, this is only 3 WW points per 1-cup serving of soup, 2 tbsps cheese and 1 tbsp green onion. But I also added...
1 can Ranch-style beans with jalapenos
1 can hominy
1 avocado, diced
handful of chopped cilantro
reduced-fat sour cream
_____________________________________
In a large saucepan, combine first four ingredients plus Ranch-style beans, hominy and cilantro. Cover and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and top evenly with cheese, onions, avocado and sour cream.

Red Beans & Rice Casserole

This recipe came out of a Mahatma rice package and calls for a package of their Red Beans & Rice, but I prefer Zatarains.

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1 package Red Beans & Rice mix (I used Zatarains)

1 tbsp chili powder

3 eggs, beaten (I used Egg Beaters)

1/3 cup milk

1 lb sausage, sliced (I used smoked turkey sausage)

1 medium diced green bell pepper

1 medium diced red bell pepper

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 cup chopped green onions

**********

Prepare Red Beans & Rice according to package directions, adding chili powder. Set it aside to cool. Preheat oven to 350. Cook sausage and bell peppers in a skillet. Once rice has cooled to room temperature, combine with sausage and bell peppers. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk then add it to rice-sausage mixture. Pour into a greased casserole dish, top with cheese and bake for 20 minutes. Top with tomatoes and green onions.

Southwestern Quiche

From time to time Joe brings home recipes he comes across in the newspaper that he wants me to make for him. Isn't that sweet? Well, you might not think it is, but since I'm enjoying trying out new recipes these days, I think it's wonderful! This is one of those recipes. I've had it for a while now and am just now getting around to trying it out. I have no idea why I waited so long! This makes a lot, so I hope the leftovers are just as tasty! It tasted like chicken enchiladas to me. YUM!

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2 refrigerated pie crusts, thawed (if they were frozen)

4 eggs, beaten

1 cup half and half

2 cups cooked chicken, diced ( I used a rotisserie chicken)

2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, grated

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 cup salsa with cilantro

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

handful of chopped green onion

sour cream, salsa (optional)

***************

Preheat oven to 350.

In medium bowl, beat eggs and half and half together with a wire whisk.

Stir in chicken, chips, cheeses, salsa, black beans and salt.

Pour into pie crusts.

Sprinkle pepper over top.

Bake approximately 1 hour, until crust is golden brown and knife inserted into middle comes out clean.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, salsa and Spanish rice.

Hana sure thought it was yummy!

Valentine Krispies

Make Rice Krispie treats following the regular old recipe found on the box of Rice Krispies. I found Jumbo Multi-Grain Krispies!

I also found strawberry-flavored marshmallows.

Use cute sprinkles top decorate them.

Use a cookie cutter or a sandwich cutter (like I did) to cut them into hearts.

Inside-Out Easter Eggs

Hana loves eggs - as long as they look like eggs. She only likes hard-boiled eggs. She won't eat scrambled eggs. She won't eat fried eggs. She won't even eat my personal favorite, an egg sandwich. She removes the egg and basically munches on a grilled cheese for breakfast. Do I care? Not really. She'll still eat an egg - as long as it's hard-boiled. What I absolutely love, however, is that she only eats the white part. She'll leave the yolk in the bowl. I wish I could do that. I personally love the yolk. It's my favorite part of the egg! Probably because it's the unhealthiest part. LOL So needless to say, we eat a lot of hard-boiled eggs around here. Or Hana does at least! Yep, when she's not begging for oatmeal (have I mentioned how much I'm in love with the fact that she begs for oatmeal?), she's begging for an egg. So I took it upon myself to make them a little more intersting.

1. Boil some eggs. If you don't know how (Like my husband who is a fabulous cook, but can't boil an egg - no really. He adds them to already boiling water! Okay, he did it once, but I'll never let him live it down.) all you do is put eggs in a pan and cover them with water. Once the water begins to boil, set the timer for 15 minutes. They'll be nice and hard-boiled after 15 minutes.

2. Drain off the boiling water and pour in cold water to cool them down so you can handle them.

3. Add a couple drops of food coloring to several glasses of water.

4. Crack the shell of the eggs. A lot. But leave the shell on and in tact. Drop an egg into each cup of colored water and set the timer for 10 minutes.

5. Remove the shell, rinse and enjoy your beautiful eggs!

Yummy!

Deep Dish Mexican Pie aka Taco Pie

A family favorite!
*****
This recipe makes two pies which usually means leftovers. I assure you that this pie is even better reheated than it is fresh!
*****
Deep dish pie crusts (2 come in a pack), thawed
1 lb hamburger meat'
taco seasoning (I'm partial to Taco Bell brand)
1 can refried beans (I use fat free)
Rice (I use Litpon Sides Taco Rice); buy two if you want to serve some on the side
tortilla chips (I'm partial to Tostitos Multigrain. If you haven't tried them, you're missing it!)
shredded colby-jack cheese (I use 2% milk)
I also use a handful of chopped cilantro
*****
Preheat oven to 350.
Cook the rice; set aside.
Cook the hamburger meat and season the meat per instructions on the taco seasoning packet.
Mix the refried beans and the chopped cilantro (if you're using it) into the taco meat.
*****
Layer in the pie crusts as follows:
meat/bean mixture
tiny bit of cheese
rice
tiny bit of cheese
tortilla chips (crumbled or whole will work)
meat/bean mixture
crumbled tortilla chips
*****
Bake in the oven approximately 30 minutes or until edges of crust are browned. Sprinkle cheese on top and put back in oven just a few minutes until cheese is melted.
*****
Remove from oven and let sit at least five minutes before slicing.

Easy Yet Yummy Pasta Salad

1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Pasta Salad (original)

handful of matchstick carrots

handful of chopped broccoli

handful of diced red onion

Ranch dressing

Prepare pasta salad according to box.

Mix in carrots, broccoli, onion and as much Ranch dressing as you like.

Every time I make this for someone they think I spent all morning working on it, mixing and adding ingredients. They're always shocked when I tell them my secret. Serve some to your friends and keep the secret to yourself!

Pork Chops Fit For My Father

I, like my father, am a pork chop lover. However, I have never mastered the art of cooking a perfect chop...until now. This is a pork chop I would proudly serve my father!

Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

2 cups fat-free buttermilk (I couldn't find fat-free so I just used reduced fat)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I did not have fresh rosemary, so I used 1/2 tsp dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large Ziploc bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar.
Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight or up to two days (mine sat for two days), turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard brine.
Pat pork dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle pork with pepper.
*Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
This is a delicious way to add buttermilk to your lucky New Year's dinner. As you can see, we enjoyed our buttermilk-brined pork chops with cabbage, blackeyed peas and mashed potatoes. It may have been the second day of the new year, but it was much enjoyed!

*This is what the recipe suggests, I just had my wonderful husband cook them on the grill!