My Recent Posting Hiatus

OK, so most of you know that I got laid off a little over a week ago. I know that everything will be fine, but I think that I have finally "landed" somewhere. By this, I mean that I went through a little bit of panic, a little bit of frantic damage control (uber-budgeting, resume updating, networking, etc), a day of "I don't want to get out of bed", and everything in between. Anyhow, I am still a little nervous, as anyone would be, but I feel "OK" with everything and am ready to move forward with whatever God is leading me too, and have seen that after a week, this budget is quite doable for now. I also have to say that Friday was the first day that I actually ENJOYED the day. I worked out, I cleaned, I ran errands (Costco stock-up trip with price comparisons from chain stores included), and still got to feel like I was somehow on vacation! ...Not to mention it was a BEAUTIFUL day.

I don't mean to leave Richard out of this (or this post), at all either, I know I'm sounding (and OK, being) all "me, me, me" right now, but this is as much about him as me, I know. He is very compassionate with my freakishness (as he always is), and reassures me that everything will be fine. As I've said before, I am so very blessed to have such a wonderful husband and partner who puts up with me and more than that LOVES ME SO.

OK, so what I'm saying is that you might see the posts get a little different here. I will be using a few more ingredients over and over thanks to Costco. I am going to see what all I can do with using some basic staples I bought and just filling in where I can. There will be a LOT more free form recipes, and less structure. Probably nothing too groundbreaking, but I can assure you they will be cheap to make!

I don't even know what to call this recipe, because it's actually something I've made a few times before, but have finally fine tuned it into something I consider a "keeper". There is absolutely NOTHING groundbreaking about it and feel like a dope posting it, but it's so good it warrants a post (probably in Richard's and my top 3). It's one of those things that I don't have to go t the grocery store to make because I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand (minus the pasta - until my latest Costco trip that had a variety pack of Barillia Plus pasta - the whole grain pasta plus all this extra good for you stuff). I guess it's just my take on baked ziti, but I really think that it is probably the best use for whole grain pasta, that tends to be a little tougher and bland than normal pasta. In this dish, the flavors really meld and since the pasta is twice cooked, is very tender without going mushy. OK, onto my WTVO ("white trash version of") Baked Ziti. I will make a few more comments than normal too...


This is also a time that I have to plug my favorite pan EVER. I love my cookware, and when my mom bought my this piece I can't believe I considered returning it because I thought that I wouldn't use it that much. Basically, it is a saute pan (on steroids), as well as great for baking (lid can go in the oven), and ooooh so easy to store the left overs because of the lack of a long handle. I now understand why Calphalon calls it the "Everyday Pan". I use this pan so much, and now that I have it, this dish (among others), becomes a one dish meal (minus the pan to boil the pasta).

WTVO Baked Ziti

First off, this makes a whopper amount, but this freezes really well and I have like to take half of it to eat on and the other half I freeze in lunch size portions (take it out of the freezer and leave it out until lunchtime and just heat as normal (by that time, it's just cold). I also freeze a portion large enough for dinner for Richard and I (the key to defrosting/reheating a larger portion is to cut it into several pieces before actually freezing).

• olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 1 bell pepper, chopped (This is key, for some reason, this just tastes like everything else if you don't use the bell pepper, so don't skip it)


• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (If they are jumbo, use less)


• 1-1.5 lbs ground turkey (All the manufacturers seem to make these packs different sizes, so just whatever you happen to buy)


• 2-3 links of sweet/mild Italian sausage (OK, this is what I SWEAR BY when making anything Italian. Even just a little bit added to your ground beef or turkey makes such a huge difference in flavor of the dish. I buy whatever is the cheapest or on sale at the time and then depending on the # of links, just freeze the pack in a freezer bag and use as I need)


• 1 can of Hunts or Del Monte spaghetti sauce (They are the cheapest by far, and work quite well in recipes. I like the traditional, or the herb, garlic, etc. - just don't mess with the meat or cheese flavors)


• 1 can of tomato sauce (I like a lot of sauce, so I use the 16 oz and not the 8 oz)


• 2-3 tbs Italian seasoning (I love thyme and basil, so I go with 2 tbs and then some extra of the thyme and basil separately)


• 1/4 c sugar (This cuts the whang of the tomato sauce)


• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (Not the fancy shredded kind, just the cheap kind in the shaker)


• 1 box of Barillia Plus rigatoni


• 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded


• Italian blend cheese

Saute onion in olive oil while chopping the bell pepper. Add bell pepper and garlic to onion and continue to saute for about 3 minutes. Add turkey and sausage to skillet to brown (i just squeeze the sausage like a tube of toothpaste into the pan). Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce sugar and spices to meat.

Preheat oven to 350 and simmer sauce while cooking pasta according to directions. Add parmesan cheese to sauce then stir in the coked and drained pasta. Mix all ingredients well and level the top of the mixture in the pan. Top with mozzarella and Italian cheese blend. Cover the dish with the fabulous oven safe lid, and bake until cheese is bubbly and mixture has set (about 15-20 minutes). I let sit for about 15 minutes before serving, because I like for it to firm up a little.

And for those who want "make ahead" dish, just do all of it besides the baking ahead of time and refrigerate until time for baking. You can just up the temp to about 375 and cook about 10 minutes longer.

...Like I said, there's nothing ground breaking about this, but it's healthy and really good. It puts mid-week spaghetti to shame and doesn't take half the time of lasagna.

Happy Anniversary (kind of)

OK, so this post is one of those teeny snipits that really is just me rambling and has nothing to do with cooking. Today is a year ago since Richard proposed, I said "Yes!" and we were engaged.

I can't believe that it has already been a year, the engagement party, wedding planning, showers and parties, the wedding & honeymoon and the reception have all come and gone. I also can't believe that we weren't able to sell his house and are thus stuck in a house too small for us and our menagerie of animals, but I digress. I should state that I am VERY thankful that we are in a house that we can easily afford in the these uncertain economic times and most of all that I'm with the man of my dreams each and every day...

Here we are at The Grape, celebrating our engagement, just a couple of hours after the popping of the question. It is where we had our first date, and we are both so sad that it closed in January. :-(

From the Grape we went to meet my friends Asheley and Tonya and surprise them with the news. Funny thing is, I got an email from Asheley earlier today, asking if I wanted to meet her there tonight! We have "anniversary" reservations at Standard Bistro though, YUMM!!!

A snapshot from our engagement party at my parents' house...

Our wedding in Cancun...

Our reception here in Birmingham...

Wow how time flies!!! Thanks for sticking with me for a couple of minutes while I take a walk down memory lane. I should be posting this weekend. Sunday, I'm planning on making Chinese Chicken and Vegetable Curry (Crockpot, of course). In the meantime, I have celebrating to do!

Soon to be famous

This recipe was one of my first "Oh my gosh, this is the best thing I've ever had, can't live without it", non-soup crock-pot recipes. I got it from my friend Leslie (whom I must say that I love so much and miss getting to see every day, but I talk to her at least every day or two via some form of electronic communication). I have to give her props that all of her tweaking this recipe to make it fabulous paid off.

This is something I make at LEAST once a month, and never have enough left over to freeze because we eat every single solitary drop! One Sunday evening last summer, Patrick and Richard ate ALL of it. Yes, ALL of it, your heard me right. Anyway, even if there are no more chunks of meat or veggies, I will heat up the straggler remnants and have what I call pot roast soup ( just the juice and the tidbits of meat and veggies that remain). I urge you to try it and not adjust anything - she's right on the money with everything - even changing the seasoning packet seems to make a difference (the notes out to the side are all hers). So without further ado, here's...

Leslie's Famous Pot Roast

• 3 – 4 lb Roast
• Enough Veggies to fill up the Crock Pot with roast (I use baby carrots, new potatoes, mushrooms and sometimes celery)
• ½ Onion (sliced)

In a bowl mix the following ingredients:

• 1 can of Beef Broth
• ½ cup red cooking wine
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Basil
• ½ tsp Oregano
• ½ tsp Thyme
• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• Pepper
• McCormick’s Pot Roast Seasoning (the seasoning that has the bag attached to it – I just like the flavor of this seasoning)
• ½ cup – cup of water

Mix all these ingredients and pour over the roast and veggies. Cook on Low 10 hours or on High 5 hours. I like to serve it with brown gravy.

...And did I mention that this is so way bad easy it's not even funny? Wow, how can I wait until Sunday to make this? Too bad chicken is already marinating for my Chicken Tikka Masala for tonight.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Very easy, very Yummy - enough said. This is another one of those "don't judge before you've tried".
(...Sorry Leslie, this one isn't new to you.)

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1/8 cup margarine
• 1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (I prefer to use the reduced fat, or nufatchel cheese, but NEVER EVER fat free)
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced fat/healthy requests condensed cream of chicken soup

Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. *The chicken will be golden brown and have a roasted taste and appearance - something that wouldn't happen if soup was added at the beginning. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm. Serve with no-yolks egg noodles or pasta of your choice.

Since I there are a lot of variables (like how many ounces of chicken you use, what kind and how much pasta you pick), I don't feel comfortable giving you nutrition info since it could vary so much. But I can tell you that this is a pretty healthy recipe to taste so rich and yummy. Give it a try and enjoy!

Even if you hate pork chops...

This recipe is good. I first got it from my friend Heather, and made it for a friend when his wife passed away. Apparently he and all the folks who came to his house after the funeral really liked it because I had to send him the recipe to pass on.

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of pork chops normally, but I must say that while I was making this I thought it looked, smelled and tasted good (from what I could tell from the mixing spoon and all). So I decided to make it myself, and I must say that it rocked. I had totally forgotten about it until my friend Shannon emailed me asking for a pork chop recipe and I I replied with "Nope, I hate pork chops". THEN, it all came back to me...

I modified it slightly yesterday to make it a little more healthy and we had it for dinner last night and I have frozen a couple of individual servings for me to take for lunch. Anyway, here's my "lighter" version of the original. I did the "oven" version instead of the crockpot version. I didn't go to the store until 5:00 last night, and since we wanted to eat before midnight, opted to cook it the quicker way.

Pork Chop Casserole

• 1 small onion, chopped & sauteed
• 6-8 pork chops (I used 8 of the "thick cut" center cut boneless pork chops), seasoned with seasoning salt and pepper
• Flour
• 20 oz pkg of frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Celery Soup
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 cup 2% cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup french fried onions

Dredge seasoned pork chops in flour and then brown on both sides. Set aside to keep warm (I remove from skillet and cover with foil). In a bowl, mix together potatoes, soup, milk, garlic powder, 1/2 of cheese and sauteed onions. Place potato mixture in 9x13 baking dish. Place pork chops (and any "juice" over top of potatoes. Cover and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes (or until chops are cooked thoroughly). Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese and french friend onions. Bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes or until melted and golden brown.

Calories
474.4
Total Fat
22.0 g
Saturated Fat
9.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat
7.5 g
Cholesterol
118.0 mg
Sodium
343.4 mg
Potassium
950.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate
20.9 g
Dietary Fiber
1.2 g
Sugars
0.8 g
Protein
46.1 g

Brown Sugar! (Sung like the Stones, of course)

Good song, good ingredient! I love brown sugar. It has lots of moisture in it and keeps cookies soft and makes good, yummy sauces. Since I'm a big fan, anything that has the ingredient in the title gets a try by me and oh so rarely rarely disappoints, today's recipe is no exception. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to "Brown Sugar Chicken"!

Seriously though, it is rare that I find a "basic" chicken crock pot recipe that excites me that doesn't have cheese and cream and stuff in it, and this one is pretty darn healthy! Before adding rice or veggies, about 284 calories per serving (if you make 4 servings out of it, but I personally think 6 servings is more like it). It is kind of carb heavy, but ultra low fat, and high in protein. I think that I'm going to try to start giving the nutritional breakdown of the recipes as often as I can now and I KNOW, I need to start adding pictures, but come on people, I DO have a life and don't really have time to plate my food in a pleasing manner and then have a mini photo shoot. Anyway, if you ever want to figure your recipes yourself, I would suggest the one at Sparkpeople. There are several out there on the internet, but I like this one the best. I digress though, onto the recipe!

Brown Sugar Chicken

• 2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces (I use breasts of course, but who am I to judge)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vinegar (I use balsamic, but I like the strong taste, so I leave it up to you – you may HATE it with balsamic)
• 1/4 cup lemon -lime soda
• 2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
  

Place chicken pieces in your slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
Serve with brown rice (none of that white stuff folks), and frozen oriental type veggies (nuke them first, of course).


Here's the nutritional breakdown of the entire recipe, so divide it by however many servings...
Calories
1,136.4
Total Fat
1.8 g
Saturated Fat
0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.4 g
Cholesterol
82.4 mg
Sodium
1,146.8 mg
Potassium
1,158.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate
245.7 g
Dietary Fiber
0.1 g
Sugars
30.5 g
Protein
33.8 g

Cajun Chicken Pasta

OK, so this isn't a "healthy" recipe, sometimes you just can't change it up and leave the flavors intact and this is one of them. I'm going to give you the time-modified, "Gina version" out to the side. It's quite yummy. Just fill up on salad first so you don't blow through like 800 calories before you know it. One day I'm going to try it in the crockpot. You know I try to adapt anything I can...

Cajun Chicken Pasta

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (or about 2 cups of chicken from a rotisserie chicken)
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (Instead of the last three ingredients, I just buy the bag of diced peppers and onions from the freezer section, but if I have green onions on hand, I garnish the finished product with a few)
• 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups heavy cream/whipping cream
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 3 tsp cajun seasoning
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbs parmesan cheese
• 4 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, whatever you prefer - the fett is my fave)

Cook pasta according to directions. Saute vegetables in a little butter or oil, add cream and spices, and cook/simmer over medium heat until sauce has thickened. Usually about the same amount of time until pasta is done, drained and ready to serve). Toss chicken and cream sauce into cooked pasta and serve.

Enjoy!