Guacamole Hummus

I found this recipe here , and it is such a great treat to have for lunch or to have with other food.  We had it for lunch, and we loved it.  We all gave it a perfect 10, except for Owen, who gave it a 9, he wanted less hummus taste and more avocado.  This is only about 100 calories per serving, plus the chips.  I didn't follow the recipe exactly, since I didn't have everything I needed, but here's what I did.

1/2 recipe hummus, substituting the lemon juice for a little less lime juice
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
dash of coriander
dash of cumin
salt
1 avocado, mashed

Mix this all together and serve it with chips after letting it sit for around an hour.

Yummy!

Frickadeller

I found this recipe in my Favorite Family Recipes cookbook, and you can find the original recipe here.  I made some changes, so I will post the recipe the way I made it.  The boys and Aaron gave it a perfect 10, Jonah didn't like it, and I gave it an 8.  Each serving with 3 meatballs and gravy was 441 calories.  Here's what to do:

1 lb ground beef (leanest possible)
1 lb ground pork
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 t onion powder (at least)
4 T flour
1 egg
1/2 t salt
1/4 t sage
1/2 t thyme
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c milk
6 T butter

3-4 T flour
1 c whole milk
1 beef bullion cube
seasonings to taste

Mix together the beef, pork, bread crumbs, onion powder, flour, egg, salt, sage, thyme, garlic and milk.  Form into 24 meatballs, then smash them a little until they look like fat hamburgers.  Melt the butter in a large skillet, and cook until the meatballs are well browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.  When all the meatballs have been cooked, using the same skillet, whisk in the flour to the drippings/remaining butter.  Stir in the milk and beef cube and whisk constantly.  Mine cooked extremely quickly, and I added quite a bit of water to get a thin enough gravy.  Season to taste and serve with the meatballs.

Yammie's Noshery White Chocolate Mousse Truffle Cake

So this was a hit at our house, but I wish I hadn't followed the recipe as closely as I did.  Here is the original recipe, and it is delicious.  I will post it the way I wish I had made it, as well as incorporating the changes I made in the beginning.  I gave myself the first piece, so my picture is not great of the piece on my plate, but the next pieces came out well, so don't worry about your cake falling apart.  This received a perfect 10 from everyone at Owen's birthday party, it was really delicious, and I am glad it turned out as well as it did.  While I was making it, I was worried it wouldn't turn out, because cooking your eggs in a double boiler rather than tempering them never turns out well.  This would've been much less hassle and turned out with a smoother mousse if I hadn't cooked the eggs directly.  Anyway, each piece was 447 calories for 1/16 of the cake, and just follow the recipe for the chocolate cake found at the link, I didn't change anything there, except you can change the coffee to more cocoa powder.  Here's what I would do for the mousse:

6 oz good quality white chocolate
6 T butter
4 egg yolks
2 T sugar
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c cream, plus 2 T cream

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the yolks are thick and pale yellow in color.  In a pan, melt the white chocolate and butter, stirring until everything is melted.  Add in the 2 T cream, stirring well, and slowly add more cream if the mixture is too thick.  Temper the egg yolks, until half the chocolate is mixed into the egg yolks, then return the eggs to the pan with the cream.  When the eggs have gotten hot and cooked, set aside the chocolate mixture to cool.  When completely cool, whip the remaining cream into stiff peaks, then fold in the white chocolate mixture.  Top the cake layer in the spring form pan, then let cool for at least four hours before serving, preferably over night.

Try my way or the original recipe method, either one makes the eggs safe, and you can decide which works better for you!

Cook's Illustrated's Spaghetti and Meatballs

These are amazing meatballs, and probably our favorite recipe for them, at least the family's favorite, but I don't enjoy frying things, so I prefer other meatball recipes.  However, these are delicious, easy, and guaranteed to please, just like all Cook's Illustrated's recipes.  These get a perfect 10 from everyone except for me, and I give them a 9.  Because of the simple tomato sauce, dried pasta, and fast cooking meatballs, this comes together super quickly, and is a great week night meal.  Each serving, because of the frying and my high calorie ground beef, is 683 calories for 6 servings.  Here's what to do:

Meatballs:
2 slices white sandwich bread
1/2 c buttermilk
1 lb ground beef or a mixture of beef and pork
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T minced fresh parsley leaves
1 large egg yolk
1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 t salt
pepper
1/2 c oil for frying (You can use more or less, depending on how quickly you want to fry them)

Tomato Sauce:
1 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 T minced fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper

1/2 lb spaghetti, cooked according to package directions in salted water and drained
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving

 Combine the bread and the buttermilk, smooshing them together with a fork occasionally while they sit for 10 minutes.
Place the meat, cheese, parsley, egg yolk, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl, then mix together with the bread/buttermilk mixture.  Shape each meatball about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter, then set aside, being careful to not compact the meat too much.  I made about 20 meatballs.
In a large pot or pan, heat up the oil, then cook each meatball about 10 minutes, turning to brown all sides.  I had to do two batches.  When done frying, drain and set on a paper towel lined plate.
Dump out the oil, leaving the browned bits in the pan, then place the 1 T olive oil in the same pan.  Heat it up and brown the garlic for a few seconds, then add in the tomatoes.  Cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in the basil, salt and pepper.  Return the meatballs to the pot with the sauce, and stir carefully for about 5 minutes.  Serve with the pasta.

Julia Child's Boef Bourgignon

Soup is a comfort food for me, especially with our weather being so cold right now, and this might be the best soup/stew in the world.  I can't actually believe I've never featured this on my blog, it's one of our family favorites, and Aaron asks for it a lot.  This is a time consuming meal, but it is totally worth the time.  This is the Boef Bourgignon that was made famous on the movie Julie and Julia, and I make very few changes from Julia Child's original, except we substitute the wine for beef broth, which makes it not bourgignon, but oh well.  We've made it with the wine before, and it is delicious that way, but we prefer it with the beef broth.  This gets a perfect 10 for us, and each serving is about 490 calories.

See all those delicious mushrooms and onions?  Yeah, they make this stew.  Here's what to do:

For the Stew:

2 lbs beef stew meat, dried and salted

6-8 slices bacon, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 onion, chopped

salt and pepper

2 T flour

3 c red wine if using or

5-6 c beef broth (may want to go low sodium broth, can get very salty), enough to cover the beef

1 T tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, mashed

2-3 thyme sprigs

bay leaf

For the Onions:

18-24 pearl onions

1 1/2 T butter

1 1/2 T oil

1 c beef broth

4 parsley sprigs

bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

For the Mushrooms:

2 T butter

1 T oil

12 oz sliced mushrooms

1 scallion, chopped

Preheat the oven to 450.  Saute the bacon in a Dutch oven until crisp.  Remove to a side dish, then brown the beef in batches, browning on all sides.  Remove the beef to the same dish as the bacon, then add the onion and carrot and brown them until a little softened.  Drain off fat if necessary (I never have any fat to drain), and return the beef and bacon to the Dutch oven.  Add in the salt and pepper, then the flour, making sure to coat the beef well.  Place the beef in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 4 minutes.  Stir the beef, then cook for four minutes more.  Remove the pan, then reduce the oven heat to 325.  Stir in the wine/broth, then add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and additional seasoning.  Bring to a simmer on the stove top, then cover it and place in the oven for 2.5-3 hours.  

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms.

Melt the butter and oil, add in the onions, and brown on all sides for a few minutes.  Add in the beef broth and herbs, season to taste, and let braise for 45 minutes to an hour.  Make sure onions are super tender, but still retain their shape.  Set aside.

Melt the butter and oil, then when the butter has ceased bubbling, add in the mushrooms.  Cook, flipping the mushrooms often, until the mushrooms start to release some of the fat they have soaked up.  Season well, then add in the green onion, and cook for a minute more.  Set aside.

When the meat has finished cooking, remove the meat/veggies from the broth, and bring the broth to a boil.  You want this to get as thick as you desire, we like our stew thick, so we reduce it quite a bit.  Adjust the seasoning to taste, then add the beef/veggie mixture back in the broth and add in the mushrooms and pearl onions in as well.  Make sure everything is heated through, then serve.  

Michael Symon's Elvis Biscuits and Gravy

Isn't that a terrible picture?  Oh well, it doesn't reflect the delicious flavor of the food.  Michael Symon made this recipe, and we really, really enjoyed it.  Aaron gave this a perfect 10, and the boys and I gave this a 9.  I love that you don't use sausage, you kind of make your own sausage with ground pork and spices.  The biscuits, like usual, are not as good as I'm sure they would be if someone else made them (biscuits and I don't get along :)), but this was still an amazing dinner/breakfast.  Each serving, 2 biscuits with gravy, was 663 calories.  Here's what to do:

Gravy:
1/4 c rendered bacon fat
1 minced onion
salt
1 lb ground pork
2 t sage
1 t red pepper flakes
pepper
1/4 c flour
3 c whole milk

Biscuits:
6 T butter
2 c cake flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
3/4 c buttermilk

Heat the bacon fat in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, about 3 minutes.  Add the pork, 1 t of sage, and the red pepper flakes, 1/2 t salt and 1 t black pepper.  Brown the pork for about five minutes.
Add the flour, then add the milk, whisking to incorporate it.  Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so that it simmers for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the gravy is simmering, preheat the oven to 400.  Melt 2 T of the butter in the oven on the cookie sheet while the oven is preheating.
Combine the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the 4 T butter in small chunks and incorporate it with your hands, then slowly add the buttermilk while still mixing.
Drop the biscuits on the cookie sheet, about 12 biscuits, and bake for about 15 minutes.
To finish the gravy, stir in the remaining 1 t sage, 1/2 t salt, and a little more pepper if desired.  Serve!

Michael Symon's Steak with Garlic and Bacon

So, I wasn't going to post this, because it seemed to be such a simple recipe, but these steaks were amazing!  We decided we had to share them, and everyone gave them a perfect 10.  Michael Symon's second cookbook, Carnivore, is full of such great recipes, we love his food, and this recipe for steak was no exception.

No pretty plate, but disregard the picture and make this, it's so worth it.  Each half of a steak was 488 calories, so an 8 ounce steak approximately.  Having the well-seasoned steak with the bacon and the garlic spread just was overwhelmingly great.  Michael Symon always has us season the beef the night before, and this was so great that way.  I don't have a grill pan, so I just used a regular pan I can put under a broiler.  Anyway, Michael Symon came through for us again.

2 T-Bone steaks

salt

4 strips bacon

Roasted Garlic with Parsley and Lemon spread

Season the steaks, then refrigerate them overnight.

Remove the steaks from the fridge 45 minutes before cooking.

Preheat the broiler, then cook the bacon in the pan on the stove top, leaving some of the grease in the pan.  Remove the bacon to cool slightly, then cook the steaks under the broiler, about 4 minutes per side.  Smear the steaks with the roasted garlic, and then top with crumbled bacon.  Serve.

Roasted Garlic with Parsley and Lemon

1 head garlic

1 T olive oil

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

.25 c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 T chopped fresh oregano

.5 t salt

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Slice the head of garlic in half crosswise.  Drizzle both sides with the olive oil, and cover with aluminum foil.  Roast for about 40 minutes.  Remove from the oven to let cool slightly.  Squeeze the cloves out of the skins and mash the garlic.  Add in the lemon juice and zest, the oregano, parsley, and salt.  Spread over your steaks.

The Perfect Scoop's Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream

So this was a calorie bomb treat, but it was sooo worth it!  The boys picked this Butterscotch Pecan Ice Cream from The Perfect Scoop cookbook, and it was great.  We had it in a sundae, per the author's suggestion, with blondies and hot fudge, and the ice cream with the sundae was fabulous.  The ice cream is a custard base, with brown sugar for the butterscotch, and buttered pecans added in, and I added a little brown sugar to the buttered pecans to give it a little sweeter flavor.  I'll just feature the ice cream, and the other elements you can make on your own, or mix things up.  Each serving, about .5 cup of ice cream, is 293 calories, and we gave this a perfect 10, it is so delicious.  I'll be using decimals rather than fractions today, and maybe for a while, because somehow our keyboard was changed to a Spanish keyboard, and I can't find the slashes.  Somehow my baby is smarter than me, sigh...

5 T salted butter
.75 c packed brown sugar
.5 t salt
2 c heavy cream
.75 c whole milk
6 large egg yolks
.5 t vanilla
1 recipe buttered pecans

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, then stir in the brown sugar and salt until well moistened.  Whisk in 1 cup of the cream and the milk, and keep warm.
Pour the remaining cream into a large bowl and place a fine mesh sieve over the top.
Whisk together the egg yolks, then temper the yolks.  Return the mixture to the pan, and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens.  Pour the custard through the sieve, and mix in with the cream.  Then add in the vanilla.  Cool, and churn and freeze in your ice cream maker.  At the end, fold in the buttered pecans.  Freeze before serving.

Buttered Pecans

1.5 T butter
1.5 c pecan halves
.25 t coarse salt
1 T brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt the butter in a skillet, remove it from the heat, and stir in the pecans, brown sugar, and salt.  Bake for 12 minutes in the oven and cool completely.

Latin American Street Food's Chimichurris

Aaron gave this a perfect 10, and the boys and I gave these a 9.  Latin American Street Food's Chimichurris were delicious, and super easy to make.  We topped ours with Golf Sauce, avocados, and cabbage, and we loved them.  These are pork burgers with a cole slaw topper and the boys had theirs with cheese.  Here's what to do:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/3 onion, minced
1 T cilantro, minced
1 T fresh parsley, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Mix the ingredients together, and then cook them in a pan on both sides.  Top them as desired.

Absolutely Avocado's Mexican Pizza

Can I just say yum?  Absolutely Avocado's Mexican Pizza was such a winner at our house, and I love how easy it was.  The boys gave this a 9, and Aaron and I gave this a perfect 10.

5-6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 can El Pato salsa

1 T paprika

1 T chili powder

2 t ground cumin

1 t salt

1/2 t red pepper flakes

8 corn tortillas

cooking spray

1 c canned refried beans

1-2 c Monterey Jack cheese

cabbage, avocados, green onions, tomatoes, etc to top

Combine the chicken thighs, salsa, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes and cook in a slow cooker.  Shred and set aside when thoroughly cooked, about 3-4 hours on low for me.  Preheat the oven to 450.  Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray, and cook them for 5 minutes.  Remove them from the oven, spread them with refried beans, chicken, and cheese.  Bake them for 5-7 minutes, then serve with the toppings.

Paula Deen's Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

So this is one of those recipes we have all the time, we love it here, but for some reason it isn't on my blog.  I don't know how I have missed featuring it, but here it is :).  I found this a long time ago from Paula Deen, either in a cookbook or on foodnetwork.com, but it is great, and I have made very few changes to it.  The way I make it, each serving is 471 calories, and the meatloaf makes 8 servings.  We give this a perfect 10, like I said, it is a family favorite.

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Ingredients (8 servings—471/serving)

• 1 pound ground chuck
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 (8-ounce) package sharp Cheddar, grated 
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted 
• 1/8 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/8 cup horseradish cream or dijon horseradish mayonnaise (I have used both, we like it both ways)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1-2 tablespoons prepared mustard 
• 1 (3-ounce) can French fried onions (I use less than this)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck and next 8 ingredients, mixing well.
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard. Stir 1/4 cup ketchup mixture into meat mixture, reserving remaining ketchup mixture.

Press meat mixture into a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan, or shape into a loaf and place on a rack in a broiler pan. Spread remaining ketchup mixture over loaf. Bake 45 minutes. Top with French fried onions; bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. 

Latin American Street Food's Spicy Chicken Tostadas

Yum!  I really loved these, and we liked the ease of eating and making these.  Noah and Aaron gave it a perfect 10, and Owen and I gave these a 9, Owen because he said they were too spicy, and I just don't love chicken tostadas as much as just bean ones.  The Latin American Street Food cookbook came up with a real winner for our family this time.  We split this meat into 12 servings, and each serving was 77 calories.

1 T vegetable oil
1 c onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 roma tomatoes
6 chopped tomatillos
1 chipotle chile
2 t adobo sauce
1 t oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
2 1/2 c packed shredded cooked chicken
1 c chicken broth
1 t salt
tostadas and toppings

Heat the oil over medium-high heat, add the onions and saute until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomatillos, chile, adobo sauce, oregano, and thyme.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.  Add the chicken, broth, and salt, continue cooking for 20 or so minutes.  Serve with desired toppings.

The Recipe Girl's Root Beer Pulled Pork and Coleslaw

There are certain things you will not find very much of on my site, and barbecue is one of those things, and coleslaw is another :).  I actually really dislike both of those things, but decided to try this recipe because Aaron likes pulled pork sandwiches.  When he got home, and heard us all singing the praises of this sandwich, he was mildly disbelieving, since he knows how I feel about barbecue and didn't really think this could be so great.  This is hands down THE BEST pulled pork sandwich we have ever had.  It got a perfect 10, and it needs the coleslaw with it to put it over the top.  I changed things up from the cookbook recipe from the Recipe Girl, so here's what I did:

2 lb pork loin
12 oz root beer
1/2 c barbecue sauce
cayenne pepper
onion powder
garlic salt
salt
French fried onions (about 3/4 cup)
1 c barbecue sauce

Mix everything together except 1 c barbecue sauce in the crock pot and cook for 10 hours or so.  Remove the roast from the sauce, reserve 3/4 c juices, then shred the pork and return to the crockpot with the reserved juices and 1 c barbecue sauce.  Combine, then cook on high for about 15 minutes.  Serve with your favorite coleslaw on a bun.

Here's the coleslaw recipe I used from the Copycat recipe cookbook I have

KFC Coleslaw

8 c (1 head) very finely chopped cabbage ( I used a bagged coleslaw mix with carrots and cabbage)

1/8 t pepper

1/4 c shredded carrot (1 medium carrot)        1/4 c milk

2 T minced onions                                           1/2 c mayonnaise

1/3 c granulated sugar                                     1/4 c buttermilk

1/2 t salt                                                          1 1/2 T white vinegar

                                                                        2 1/2 T lemon juice (I used lime juice)

1.  Be sure that the cabbage, carrots, and onion are chopped up into very fine pieces (about the size of rice kernels).

2. Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk vinegar, and lemon juice, and beat until smooth.

3. Add the cabbage, carrots, and onions.  Mix well.

4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 8

It's very important to make at least 2 hours in advance, the flavors need to mix for optimum results.

Each sandwich including bun was only 350 calories, so this was great and not super bad for us :).

Cook's Illustrated Meat and Onion Turnovers

I can't clearly explain how amazingly good these things are.  These pies from Cook's Illustrated Best International Recipes cookbook, similar to pasties, are just so full of flavor, the pastry is perfectly flaky, the ease of being able to eat them at any temperature and have them still be delicious, all adds up to a perfect 10 from all of us here at the Tunell house.  While not super simple, these can be made at any time of day, so make them when convenient and they will taste great.  Each Forfar Bridie, the Irish name for them, is 651 calories, so a full meal with a small salad, but worth the calories.  Everyone begged me to make them again soon, which I did :)

3 3/4 c flour, plus more for the work surface
1 T sugar
1 1/2 t salt
12 T butter, cold, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/4 c ice water

2 T unsalted butter
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
1 t dried mustard
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 T flour
1/4 c dark beer, such as Newcastle Brown Ale (use beef or mushroom broth if prefer)
1/4 c heavy cream
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, beaten

For the Pastry:  Process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined, about 4 pulses.  Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse, about 16 pulses.  Transfer the flour mixture to a mixing bowl, sprinkle 1/4 c of water over the dough and stir using a rubber spatula.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and divide into 2 equal parts, and make 2 6 inch discs and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour.

For the Filling:  Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the mustard, nutmeg and flour and cook, about 1 minute.  Stir in the beef and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the cream and simmer until thickened, about 1 minute.  Off the heat, stir in the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate mixture to cool.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.  Remove 1 disk of dough from the fridge, and roll out the dough to a 15 in ch square.  Cut 6 inch rounds.  Transfer the rounds to a prepared baking sheet, then cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Repeat for the second disk.
Heat the oven to 425.  Fill the rounds of dough with 1/4 c filling, then seal and crimp the dough, using water to help the dough stick together, into half moon shapes.  Transfer all the pies to one baking sheet covered in parchment, and brush all of them with egg.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through (I did 15 minutes, then 15 minutes, and mine came out perfectly).  Cool 5 minutes, or cool to room temp before serving.  Also, refrigerate, then serve later at room temperature or warmed.

Cook's Illustrated Sizzling Shrimp In Garlic Sauce

Another Best International Recipe hit, this was so easy and delicious.  Aaron, Noah and I gave this Sizzling Shrimp a perfect 10, and Owen gave it a 9, because it is pretty spicy.  This is traditionally a tapas, served with other food too, but we used it as a main dish.  This takes about 10 minutes total, and it is super delicious.  Make sure to have some crusty bread to dip into the oil, and we ate this with a big salad and it made a great meal.  Here's what to do:

2/3 c olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 1/3 T red pepper flakes (the source of the heat)
1 1/3 T minced fresh parsley
1 lb large shrimp
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 500.  Pour the oil in a shallow casserole dish, I used an 8 inch pie plate.  Add the garlic, the bay leaves, the pepper flakes, and the parsley, and bake about 2-4 minutes, making sure the oil is sizzling.  Add the shrimp to the sizzling oil and continue to bake, stirring once, about 2-3 minutes until shrimp are cooked through.  Remove the dish from the oven and discard the bay leaves.  Season the dish with salt and pepper and serve immediately with crusty bread.

Picky Palate's Shrimp and Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

This was a super duper hit at our house.  Aaron, Owen and Noah all gave this a perfect 10, and I gave it a 9.  This is easy, fast, and full of flavor, and Picky Palate made another winner for us.  For 1/6 of the total, the calories were 301, and here is what I did.

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 T olive oil
Onion powder, Garlic Salt, Basil, Italian Seasoning, and Salt to taste
3 c marinara sauce
2 T cream
1/2 lb pasta

Cook pasta according to directions.  Season shrimp to taste, then heat the oil in the pan and cook the shrimp until pink, about 3 minutes.  Add in the marinara sauce, then the cream, and cook until heated through.  Serve with the pasta.

Spaghetti Bake

I get comments from my husband a lot that he doesn't want fussy food.  He is the shovel it in kind of guy, and if I want to make food that pleases him, that's what I make.  Enter baked spaghetti.  I have made this most of our married life, because it is so easy, and is even easier to eat than regular spaghetti with meat sauce.  Plus, you get the cheesy baked top, which always makes everything better, right?  Just take your favorite meat sauce recipe, mix it with your al dente pasta, and place in a greased 13x9 inch pan, then top with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and browning on top.  So easy, and a really easy meal to eat.  Aaron gave this a perfect 10, Noah and I gave it a 9, and Owen gave it an 8.  The calories are dependent on what kind of meat you use, how much pasta and cheese you use, as well as cheese type. Anyway, it's about 400 calories per serving, so serve it up and enjoy!

Cook's Illustrated's Chicken Enchiladas

Here is another family favorite that we have all the time.  Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe cookbook is such a great resource, we love everything we have tried in it.  This is such a tasty enchilada recipe, I don't think I've ever had home made enchiladas that I like better.   This time we made it with Monterey jack cheese, but we have used cheddar before as well, and both are great.  I will list the ingredients we used this time, but we have done it differently in the past, and no matter how we make it, it is delicious.  This makes 12 enchiladas, and the calories for 1 enchilada are 210.  Aaron and Noah and I give this a perfect 10, and Owen gives it a 9, because he thinks enchiladas are too spicy.  Here's what we did:

1 1/2 T vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 T chili powder
2 t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
2 t sugar
1 lb chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
3/4 c water
1/2 c coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
1 4 oz can mild green chilies
10 oz Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)
12 6-inch corn tortillas

Heat the oil in a large saucepan until shimmering.  Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt and sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the chicken and coat thoroughly with the spices, about 30 seconds.  Stir in the tomato sauce and water and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded, about 8-10 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 300, and spray the tortillas with cooking spray on both sides.  Cook the tortillas for 2-4 minutes in the oven on a cookie sheet.  Pour the chicken mixture through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on the strained chicken to extract as much sauce as possible; set the sauce aside.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and freeze for 10 minutes to allow easier handling.  When cooled enough, combine the chicken with the chilies, cilantro, and 2 cups of the cheese.  Smear 3/4 c of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan, then fill each tortilla with the chicken mixture.  Arrange the filled tortillas seam side down in the dish, then cover with the remaining sauce, coating the top of each tortilla.  Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the enchiladas.  Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees, then cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Uncover and serve immediately.

It sounds like a lot of work, but it really comes together pretty quickly, and it tastes so darn good :)

Pizza Lasagna

Crockpot lasagna is a great way to make lasagna easy and fast.  We love it that way, and although it doesn't make nice little squares like you get when you bake it, it is still delicious.  I found the original recipe I started from here, but we like it better how I make it now.  This is a perfect 10 from everyone!

Crockpot Pizza Lasagna

6 ready to bake lasagna noodles
12 oz Italian sausage
24 turkey pepperoni slices
24 oz marinara sauce (or a little more)
2 T water
Italian seasoning, Garlic Salt, Onion Powder, other spices to taste
3 c Mozzarella cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 T prepared pesto

Grease slow cooker.  Mix ricotta with pesto.  Place 2 lasagna noodles in bottom of slow cooker (break to fit).  Brown the sausage and add spices to taste.  Pour half  of the sausage over the noodles.  Place half of the pepperoni slices over the sausage.  Cover with 1 c of sauce, 1 T of water, and 1/2 of ricotta, then top with 1 c mozzarella cheese.  Repeat this, then top with the last 2 noodles, 1 c of sauce and 1 c of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 c of parmesan cheese.  Cook on low for 3-5 hours.  Serve.

This is so good, and we have it once a month.

Strawberry Shake

Aaron is the king of shakes around here, and this one was delicious!!!  He takes strawberries, vanilla ice cream, milk, sugar, and a little vanilla and blends it all together to make a delicious shake.  Yummy!