Stuffed Pork Chops (a new fave)

I buy boneless chicken breasts and center cut pork chops (thick cut) in bulk at Costco. I trim the fat if needed, and bag them all individually, and then put them all in two good gallon size freezer bags. This way, when I am about to leave in the morning, I can pull out however many I need and they are neither stuck together nor freezer burned. So anyway, since these two things are pretty routine dinner items, I'm always looking for good, easy, healthy ways to cook them. If it is something he likes, Richard could eat the same thing every night of the week, I however have to have some variety.

I have been looking for some new pork chop recipes and upon reading about some yummy stuffed pork chop recipes that didn't include stuffing (you know I''m low-carbing it). I ran across some recipes that used smoked gouda and some different cheeses, and then some others that sounded good too, so I decided to try something based on some of the different elements of the ones I likes, and the finished product was way easy and totally fabulous!

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops

• 4 thick, center cut pork chops
• 4 wedges of Laughing Cow Light Garlic and Herb cheese
  
• 4 tbs crumbled bacon pieces (see, yet another use for my handy-dandy bacon pieces)
• 1/2 c beef broth (or 1/2 c water and beef broth granules or beef bullion)
• 1/2 c red wine
• McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning
• Nonstick cooking spray
• toothpicks
  

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Cut a slit in the side of each porch chop to make a large pocket
3. Season the pork chop (inside and out) with seasoning
4. Brown pork chops in skillet (sprayed with cooking spray) for 2 minutes on each side
5. Stuff each chop with cheese wedge and 1 tbs of bacon and secure opening with toothpick
6. Place in chops in baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray) and add beef broth and red wine.
7. Bake at 375 or until pork chops for 20 minutes, or until the internal temp of the meat reaches 175.
8. OPTIONAL - add the pan juice back to skillet and thicken with corn starch or flower.

Here's the nutritional breakdown(approximate, based on 4 oz chop, with fat removed)

4 Servings - Amount Per Serving

Calories 272.0

Total Fat 14.6 g

Cholesterol 74.2 mg

Sodium 923.1 mg

Potassium 451.1 mg

Total Carbohydrate 1.5 g

Dietary Fiber 0.0 g

Sugars 1.0 g

Protein 26.7 g

Pantry Stockers

So I've been putting together a list of my "pantry stocker" must-haves for a newly married friend of mine, so I thought I would share! And after making my list, I see that I need to buy stock in McCormick's if it is publicly traded. Anyway, this is SUCH a basic list, but it's what I've got for now. I don't want to put anything like 'salt and pepper", I'm just trying to put things on here that I use ALL THE TIME, but you might not have.

Herbs and Spices

• Cumin
• Onion powder
• Minced onion - This is great to have on hand when you don't need to chop a whole onion, and just need like a tablespoon)
  
• Garlic powder
• Basil - If you find that you use this a lot, I actually have started using the kind you can buy in a tube in the produce section, it tastes WAY better, fresher, and still keeps for like two months
  
• Oregano
• Dill Weed - Steam some baby carrots, add a little butter and sprinkle a few tbs of this and you have yourself an EXCELLENT side dish. Same thing with coating a piece of salmon and grilling, or just grilling the salmon and mixing the dill weed with either plain yogurt or ranch dressing for a great sauce for the fish.
  
• Rosemary - toss some new/red potatoes (or potato wedges) in olive oil and rosemary and roast and you've got an excellent side dish.
  
• Thyme
• Cinnamon
• Curry Powder
• Chili Powder
• Red pepper
• Vanilla extract
  

Seasoning Mixes

• Italian Seasoning
• Old Bay Seasoning
  
• Cajun seasoning (Like Tony Chachare's, Emeril's, whatever you like)
• Jamaican Jerk seasoning (again, take your pick, I'm partial to McCormick's Caribbean Jerk)
  
• Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb - I probably use this most for steamed veggies, but I really use it for just about anything from eggs to lasagna or canned spaghetti sauce. It is a great addition to something I'm trying to boost the flavor a little more.
  
• McCormick Montreal Steak and Montreal Chicken - best every on steaks, chicken and even fish. Just sprinkle it on and pat it in. I even put a little in vegetables from time to time.
• Spike Seasoning - Much like I use Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb for anything and everything, Spike is another go-to for different flavors. This is an everything but the kitchen sink seasoning. It has a million ingredients, and is just good to add to just about anything. I add it to my eggs when making our daily omelets, I add it to casseroles and steamed veggies for an extra flavor boost. It's a good all-purpose seasoning.
  

Misc.

• Bacon bits/pieces - the real stuff, not the imitation. These are so good at adding flavor to so many things. I use in omelets, salads, and lots of recipes.
  
• Reduced sodium chicken broth - I always keep this on hand for ANYTHING savory
• Chicken bullion granules - Comes in a jar, you just add what you need to water. Takes up less room and if you just need a little sometimes it isn't worth opening chicken broth. The only difference is that this has a good bit of salt in it compared to the broth, so just adjust your additional salt accordingly
• Balsamic vinegar
• Red Wine Vinegar
  
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Olive oil cooking spray
  
• Corn starch (great for thickening sauces into gravy, etc)
• Soy Sauce
• Ranch dressing dry mix
• Onion soup dry mix
• Splenda Granulated sugar substitute - Comes in a resealable bag or box depending on size and is used for baking and measures cup for cup like sugar (if you are a sugar watcher, and for those who aren't they can't tell)
• Splenda Brown Sugar Blend - Comes in a resealable bag, and is used for baking and cooking and is a blend of real brown sugar and Splenda (if you are a sugar watcher, and for those who aren't they can't tell)

Sauces and Marinades of Note

• Thomas Sauce and Thomas Marinade - Fresh Market got me hooked on these, they use them for their kabobs I'm in love with. I haven't tried the dressing yet, but I'm sure I will love it too.
• Yoshida's Marinade - Costco carries the Original flavor and I use it all the time on pork chops and it is also delish on salmon. I also use it in recipes that call for teriyaki sauce. If you look at their recipes, it makes sense to use it as a sauce for meatballs, Hawaiian chicken etc.
• McCormick's Grill Mates Marinade packets - these are on the isle with all of the packets for making gravy, sloppy joes, chili, beef stew, etc. You add the contents of the packet to a ziplock with some oil and water and marinate the meat of choice. We are both partial to (in order) the Chipotle, Southwest, and Tomato Garlic & Basil. I'm sure if we tried more, we would love them just as much. I have to say too that these rock the house if you use bone-in chicken breasts and cook them outside on the grill. They are soooo juicy and fabulous.
• Cindy's Kitchen Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette - You can find this in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods and Fresh Market. It ROCKS as a marinade and is all natural and organic. It is probably our FAVORITE way to prepare boneless skinless chicken breasts - just marinate (I usually throw the frozen ones in a ziplock, with about 1/2c of this and let them marinate while they are thawing out overnight, and just grill, bake, cook on the George Foreman, etc.)
  

Tools

• Garlic Press - this is my favorite one because it can hold pretty much any size head of garlic, or even fresh ginger. It comes with the little tool attached, that cleans out the little heads that minces the garlic.
• Instant Read Thermometer - This is INVALUABLE to me. The one that I have (and have linked to) is backlit, quick read, and has a setting for all meat types and "doneness", so you don't have to remember what temp your food should be. Keeps the food from being over or under-cooked.
• The Ove Glove - Holy guacamole! I have no idea what I did before my sweet mother-in-law bought me these. Get two of these and throw away any pot holders or silicone mitts you have. You can find them pretty much anywhere in the "As Seen on TV" section or kitchen section.
  
• Microwave veggie steamer - couldn't even begin to live without this thing. The top acts like a colander for draining off the water too. I have both sizes, but if you were going to buy just one, buy the larger one - it's not too large at all. FYI - you can find these on ebay if you aren't on your way to a Pampered Chef party.
• Crockpot with cooking timer - This is a set it and forget it kind of thing because once the timer goes off, it goes to the keep warm mode automatically. I prefer the one that I have linked to, but I'm sure other brands make something similar.
  

Savory Turkey Roast

OK, so I have a new favorite quicky meal. It takes about 10 minutes from beginning to end. I have tried several of the pre-marinated turkey tenderloin things (looks just like a pork tenderloin package, but it is turkey), and I was completely underwhelmed with them. That is until I tried the Jenny-O "Savory Roast" Turkey Breast Tenerloin. It is quite yummy, and think that it might even have crack or something else addictive in it. Although it is shaped like a pork tenderloin in the package, it is two large (boneless, skinless) turkey breasts and they go very easily right out of the package onto the George Foreman grill. I can't tell you the exact cook time because they can vary in thickness (although the package is always 24 oz), so I just use my handy little digital, instant-read meat thermometer at about 6 minutes and go from there.

Before I put my turkey on the GF, I roughly chop a couple of yellow squash (with or without some zucchini). OK, this isn't any real "recipe", I know - just telling you what I do. I chop enough to fill my small Pampered Chef Micro-steamer (if you don't have one of these, my heart breaks for you). I add about 1/4 cup water, a clove of fresh minced garlic and some Spike seasoning (I have found both the original and salt free varieties at Publix). When I put the turkey on, I put the squash in the microwave for 6 minutes.

While the two are cooking, I make a fresh salad and when I'm through with that, the two are pretty much done. Make sure the turkey rests for a couple of minutes on a plate (so the juices stay in). While turkey is resting, I remove the squash from the microwave and drain (leave the lid on, it has holes), sprinkly a little more seasoning if needed and toss in some grated parmesan (about 1/2 oz), and toss. Isn't it funny how when you are typing you say remove, but in real life, can you imagine saying "Honey, will you remove the squash from the microwave?". I don't know, maybe it is just me.

Dinner is healthy and ready! I feel almost guilty that we have this like once every week and a half now, but we are so in love with this turkey and squash is yummy and in season right now (and cheap). In my book, that's the trifecta (Yummy, healthy and quick).

Yummy shrimp!

This is QUICK, easy and oh, so yummy. It is actually supposed to be grilled, but with just doing enough for Richard and I didn't want to fool with the grill (and boy am I glad), so I vote for preparation option 2.

Yummy Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Cajun or Greek seasoning
  
• Fresh minced garlic (2 large cloves or 3 small)
  
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tail on

Preparation:

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, Cajun seasoning and garlic in a small bowl. Place shrimp in a glass dish and drizzle with mixture, turning to coat. Cover and let marinate for 15 minutes.

Option 1: Soak 4-6 wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. Preheat grill or broiler, then thread shrimp on to pre-soaked skewers. Broil or grill for 2-3 minutes each side.
Option 2: Spray saute pan with olive oil spray, saute on med-high for 4 minutes or until shrimp is pink and slightly curled, do not overcook. Remove shrimp to plates. Continue to cook sauce until it is golden and reduced. Spoon sauce over shrimp and serve.

This would be great over some pasta or rice, but we just ate it with a salad and veggies and LOVED it.

Dieting doesn't suck all that bad, really

OK, so Richard and I have started dieting, it is really not just to lose weight, but to get us back in the habit of making healthy decisions and eating homemade food more often than a couple times a week. Think South Beach, phase one - lean proteins, and less than 20 carbs a day, fruits and veggies will be phased back in a few days. I can tell you that if we were just eating cottage cheese or a protein shake for breakfast, and a grilled chicken breast for lunch and dinner we would have already lost hope and called it quits. However, I've been doing a lot of improvising and must say that we haven't gone hungry, gotten bored or killed anyone. I would say that we are making a go of it and it's really not bad at all! It's really gotten my creative cooking juices flowing again. Anyway, thought I would share some of the things I've made and a few of the items out there that are really life-savers.

Products that definitely don't suck, and I must say I will continue to buy:

• Heinz Reduced Sugar Ketchup - I mean nobody got fat off ketchup, but with 1/3 the calories and carbs, with the same taste, it's a keeper.

• Mt Olive No Sugar Added Pickle Relish - Made with Splenda, this relish tastes as good as the calorie laden real thing. You'd be surprised how many calories this can reduce your tuna and chicken salads. They also have an entire line of the no sugar added bread and butter pickles too.
  

• Dannon Light 'N Fit Carb & Sugar Control - 3 carbs, 60 calories, non-fat. Pretty good!
  

• Walden Farms BBQ sauce - EVERYTHING these people make is sugar and calorie free. With BBQ season here, this is a LIFE saver already.
  

• Wishbone Salad Spritzers - 1 calorie a spray, 1 carbs, yada-yada. I had seen these things advertise for a while and thought they were going to pretty weird. However upon trying the Italian, the Balsamic (my fave), and the Ranch, I'm ashamed I hadn't given them a try already. They ROCK, and are quite ingenious if you ask me. They have basically just made each dressing into a vinaigrette - reducing calories to almost nill because it is just vinegar and seasonings, and putting it in a spray bottle simply spreads it out evenly. There are really no special ingredients or anything, just smart packaging and a lot of flavor packed into each squirt! They have several more flavors
  

• Mrs Dash Seasonings - I can't say enough about all of these. I have been using sthem for years, have several and love them all. Can't beat them!

A couple of quick recipes (nothing fancy, just easy and good)...

Mini Breakfast Quiche

• 2 cups egg substitute (so much easier than separating all of those eggs)
• 2/3 cup grated Cabot 75% reduced fat extra sharp cheddar
• 2 Tbs bacon pieces (high in flavor for the small amount of calories and fat)
• 1 tbs Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning Blend

Mix ingredients thoroughly, spoon into mini-muffin pans (this is the perfect amount for a 24 count pan), and bake at 350 for about 17 minutes.
They are about 20 calories each, and if you portion them into snack bags, you can have breakfast fast and easy all week. Of course, you can do pretty much anything with this basic recipe depending on what you want - spinach, tomato, low-fat swiss, low-fat pepper jack, etc.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef (chuck, sirloin, whatever you prefer)
• 3 tbs reduce sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbs onion powder
  
• 2 cloves garlic (or the powdered equivalent)
• 2 tbs red pepper flakes
• 2 tbs ground ginger
• 2 pkts of Splenda
• Morton's Light Salt & pepper to taste
• Iceberg Lettuce leafs (washed and dried)

Mix first 8 ingredients together well. It is best to let them sit for at least an hour before browning so the flavors can meld. Brown in skillet until fully cooked and serve with lettuce.
At only 580 calories, 2 carbs and 16 grams of fat for the whole dish, you just can't beat it. They may look pretty boring due to no rice noodles, almonds, etc. but they are REALLY flavorful and yummy!

Dilled Grilled Salmon

• Salmon filet(s) - try to get pieces that have about an even thickness
  
• Splenda (or Splenda brown sugar blend if you have it)
  
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1 bunch of chopped fresh dill (or dried dill weed - you'll need enough to cover each fish)
  
• Olive oil cooking spray
• Salt, pepper,

Sprinkle brown sugar or sweetener, then liberally sprinkle balsamic vinegar over salmon. Spray enough olive oil over the dill to coat it. Add black pepper and salt to the dill and toss with your hands, then cover the fish with the mixture. The salmon should ideally sit at least half an hour, but it isn't essential. If it's going to be longer, put the fish in the refrigerator and remove half an hour before cooking. It can even marinate overnight.

Make sure grill is nice and hot. Oil the grill with olive oil cooking spray(If using a gas or charcoal grill, spray a paper towel and use tongs to apply). and put the salmon on, skin side down.

Allow salmon to cook until you see the fish turn opaque about half-way up, about 3-4 minutes. Flip with grill tongs, or tongs plus spatula (if the skin stays on the grill, just flip the fish to a spot just beside the skin and let it burn and it will be easier to remove). Cook about 2-3 minutes. It should flake easily with a fork, but it doesn't have to be opaque all the way through unless you want it to be. Remove any remaining skin before serving.
This is fabulous, and adds pretty much no calories or carbs to our healthy 58 calorie per oz salmon.

I'm Baaaaack...

OK, it's been a LOOOOONG time, so you would think this would be a witty, life-changing blog post, but alas (I love when I can use that word), it is not. Just a yummy non-holiday recipe. Is anyone completely sick of holiday food, or just me. Anyway, here goes. This is our dinner tonight...

This came from The Domestic Diva. It is her Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Potato Soup that she came up with by combining two recipes. I made a couple of very minor alterations

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts (I used leftover turkey and just chopped it)
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the soup)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 8oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  
• salt & pepper to taste
• garlic powder
  
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I didn't use this since my turkey was smoked and already quite flavorful)
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 12-15 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
  

Directions:
Coat bottom of crock pot with cooking spray. Add carrots to bottom if using. Place chicken on top, and add remaining veggies. Mix together chicken stock, soup, and cream cheese and pour over top. Add seasonings.
Cook on Low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with forks before serving!
**I added my turkey 2/3 of the way through since it was already cooked and I just wanted the flavor.

Messy Meatloaf/Stuffed Meatloaf

OK, so I found a couple of really cool recipes for this and thought it sounded and looked really yummy because we are pretty much suckers for anything Italian. Mine was most similar to Messy Meatloaf from Jersey Girl Cooks , but I originally found it through Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf from Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Anyway, I wanted to credit my inspirations and am also including the pic from Jersey Girl, since that's what mine looked like. I like my meatloaf to be soft, moist and juicy, so I use sauce and more filler in the meat mixture, so it's the consistency of a good Italian meatball, rather than a burger patty, but if you are more the meat type, by all means reduce the breadcrumbs and the sauce! Anyway, it was quite delicious and it is going in "the rotation". Since it has a veggie in it, I just served with a salad, but garlic parm mashed 'taters would be really good with it in retrospect. Here goes, give it a try - I think you will like it...

Messy Meatloaf

• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package fresh baby spinach (6-10 oz - whatever your store carries will do just fine)
• 1 small can diced tomatoes, drained well (you could easily omit this, but since the original recipe called for mushrooms and Richard hates them, I wanted something else with the spinach)
• 2 c spaghetti sauce, divided (I use the cheapy Hunt's -Traditional flavor)
• 1.5 - 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I use part skim mozzarella to save on calories, but used all 2 cups, you know I love my cheese)
• .5 c Italian blend cheese (you could easily omit, but I pretty much keep this on hand because I love it so much in my Italian recipes)
• 1 .5 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 tbs dried Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 350. Saute garlic quickly in olive oil and add spinach to "wilt" (don't let it get all goopey here people). Remove from heat and add approx 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 c mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese, and toss to combine. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Add 1/2 cup of both spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Mix well. *Adjust sauce and bread crumbs for your desired consistency by adding a little bit at a time. Add 2/3 of mixture to a lightly greased Pyrex. Flatten out the center to make a slight well (I left about a 1/2' lip on the sides. Spread spinach mixture in "well". Top with a little more cheese if desired (I did). Top with remaining meat mixture, and press around edges to "seal" and shape it like a loaf (if you like). I just used the side of my spatula/spoonula thing to do this. Spread remaining spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving, or it is TRULY "Messy Meatloaf"! :-)

A twist on Chicken Divan

OK, as you all know, I'm on a tight budget and am trying to keep staples that I can do varying things with. It's almost like a game to see what all I can make without having to buy anything! One of my new favorite staples is the HUGE bag of frozen veggies from Costco - the Costco/Kirkland's brand "Normandy Style Vegetable Mix". It's not a big block of veggie mush, each individual piece is individually frozen, so it's easy to take out what you need and zip up the rest in the resealable bag. It contains broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots and yellow carrots cut on the diagonal. I personally had never heard of "yellow carrots", but I'm a fan. They remind me a little of yellow bell pepper because they are sweet and yummy. Because of my 6lbs of frozen veggie bounty, I figured I'd do a Chicken Divan-esque dish. I cannot even tell you how much better it was with all of these extra veggies. I would probably be more likely to call if a Curry Chicken Primavera, but who am I to rename a dish? Oh, and by the way, this was soooo cheap and easy to make! Unfortunately, I'm getting over some type of crud-du-jour and don't feel like putting in all of the ingredients to the nutrition calculator, but you are welcome to.
Here goes...

A Twist on Chicken Divan or maybe Curry Chicken Primevera :-)

• 4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves cooked (I chopped and then sauteed with garlic salt and pepper)
• 4 cups Normandy vegetable mix, thawed
• 3 cans reduced fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup (If you don't like as much "sauce" as us, reduce to 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2.5 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• shredded cheddar (2%, of course)
• seasoned bread crumbs (I just blend stale sandwich bread with garlic salt, pepper and a bit of parmesan, transfer to a ziplock and throw it in the freezer for future use, instead of throwing the stale bread away)
• melted butter
• prepared brown rice (I also think this would be fabulous tossed with pasta as well if you aren't big on rice)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine soup, mayo, curry & mustard powders, and lemon juice in bowl. Add chunked (or shredded) cooked chicken to soup mixture until well distributed. Gently fold in veggies. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 9x11 casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with shredded cheddar. Top cheese with bread crumbs, and evenly distribute melted butter over top of bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes, until top is bubbly and browned. Serve over rice. Since the rice takes about 35 minutes to cook, it is perfectly timed!

Enjoy!

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!

Summer Lovin'

So my parents just left this morning for a lovely tropical cruise. It made me long for summer and all of the food and fun that goes along with warm, beachy vacations. Low and behold, I opened my Google Reader this morning (basically my morning news paper), and one of the recipe blogs I follow had this....
Recipe for Salad with Tomatoes, Avocado, Feta, Shrimp, and Caper Vinaigrette

I know it is sort of a lame thing for my to post only to give you a link to another post, but does this not make you think (even for just a minute) that you are at the beach and the weather is all warm and sunny and you have a tropical drink in your hand? I haven't made it of course, since I just read it this morning, but I think I see Saturday's lunch in my crystal ball. Maybe I'll even put on a sarong and some flip flops while I make it.... Mmmmm, I can smell the suntan lotion now...

Crock pot love (and smoked sausage and rice)

Hey guys. Not much going on here (thank goodness). I am partially recovered from the Mercedes half marathon from Sunday. I can now pick up my feet again instead of just sliding them along the floor. Thanks for those of you who supported my fundraising efforts for The Bell Center. It is MUCH appreciated. And for those of you who didn't, there's still time - just click "donate" on the widget on the right side of this blog. ...But onto cooking now!!!!

As you all know, I am quickly becoming the queen of the crockpot. There are weeks that I don't even put it away because I use it so much. OK, another reason that I use it so much might be laziness because the cabinet where I keep it has all of my pots and pans, so there's always a little frustration that goes with putting it away. Regardless of the reason, I'm a die-hard lover of my crock. I have a couple, but the one I use I highly suggest because of the timer on it. I can tell it how long to cook on high or low and once that time is over, it turns itself down to keep warm. I must say too, that its "keep warm" setting is not the pits-of-hell-boiling kind of keep warm that a couple of my other crocks have been. It is a truly superior crock pot if I may say so myself (and reasonably priced at your friendly, neighborhood Wal-Mart too)! Click here for details.

Also, while I'm on the subject of crockpots, here's a good ol' stand by. Nothing fancy, but always good and filling. Not to plain, but not too crazy either. Just a healthy set-it-and -forget-it (if I may plagiarize Ron Popeil's tag line) type meal.

SMOKED SAUSAGE AND RICE

• 1 pound turkey smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 ½ cup long-grained wild rice
• 2 ¾ cups chicken broth
• 1 16 oz can of diced or stewed tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (can sub 1 yellow onion, but has a different taste all together - still yummy, just different)
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• Cajun seasoning, to taste (2 tsp is about my rule of thumb)

Add all ingredients in crockpot, mix well, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Checking at hour 4 to ensure rice doesn’t overcook.

Enjoy!
Gina