Tangy Almond Chicken Kabobs

This is a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. It is really good and very easy to do. Who doesn’t love grilled honey-lemon chicken kabobs rolled in chopped toasted almonds?

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard                   6 skinless, boneless Chicken breast tenderlions

1 Tablespoon Honey                                 1/4 cup chopped, toasted almonds

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil                     16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 min .

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice                      Veggies of your choice cut into pieces for grilling.

(You can use metal skewers as well)

Directions:

1. In a Ziploc bag combine the mustard, honey, vegetable oil and lemon juice. Squeeze contents of bag to mix. Add chicken to bag and zip the bag closed (removing as much air as possible. Place bag in refrigerator for at least an hour, turning occasionally to coat the chicken.
2. Preheat grill on high, lightly oil the grates. Make sure your wooden skewers have soaked in water for at least 20 minutes…or skip this step if you use metal skewers.
3. Thread chicken onto skewers. Also thread your vegetables on separate skewers. Arranged on the prepared grill and cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush chicken occasionally with left over marinade while cooking.
4. Cook vegetables approximately 20 minutes or to your liking. Brush lightly with olive oil while they are cooking. I used onion, yellow squash and zucchini squash.
5. Remove chicken from heat and quickly roll in the chopped almonds to lightly coat chicken. Throw away any leftover marinade.

I served my kabobs with a broccoli salad, a pre-packaged rice dish, the grilled veggies & some sliced avocado.

A little salt & Pepper from the shaker Chip made for me

And you have dinner! Yum….

By the way, the broccoli salad is also very easy to make.

Fresh Broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces)

Red onion slices broken apart and cut in half

Bacon (6-8 pieces) or more if you like

Mayonnaise

Apple Cider Vinegar

Sugar

Olive Oil

Raisins

Cook bacon until crispy

Mix together Cut up broccoli, raisins, bacon (break into pieces once cooled).

Make dressing (Mayo, olive oil, sugar, vinegar) and whisk together until completely mixed and smooth, pour over broccoli mixture.

ENJOY!!

 

Jenny’s Create a Pasta Dish…

This was a dish that Jenny created one night when we didn’t have much food in the house. She created it using what we had in the cabinet and leftover veggies in the frig. It is one of our favorite dishes.

The really cool thing about this dish is that you can use it as a main course by adding a meat, or you can use it as a side dish by eliminating the meat and cooking the meat on its own.

You can also adapt it to your own taste…and add whatever veggie you want to experiment with.

Well, here’s your ingredients…

or a pasta or your choice…

First Step….

- Boil your pasta to the the softness of your choice…drain.

Second Step…

- Cook your bacon…

Then just start dumping it all together…

While the pasta is still piping HOT (very important), stir in the raw spinach. The heat from the pasta will wilt the spinach perfectly. (However, if you prefer to saute your spinach first – go for it! )

Heat the jar of rosa alfredo in the microwave before you dump it in

(that will help to wilt the spinach as well)…

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon Baby!! If you don’t like bacon (whoa, is there anyone that doesn’t like Bacon?) … Then you can pick another meat (Chicken, ham, beef…probably even Tuna, shrimp or crab)…. we LOVE the bacon!!

or you can just skip the meat all together

Parmesan cheese….yum…mix in..

Here’s the final product….

Oh Yum!!

Now Eat! Enjoy

Thanks for coming up with this recipe meine kleine Liebchen Jenny), it’s one of our favorites!! I love you! <3

 

Chicken Pot Pie

Yum! This is one of those Fall dishes that reminds me of home…even though my mom never made it . But let’s face it…it’s pie! Who doesn’t love pie. Now there is one frozen pie that is definitely worth a second look for those days when you want a chicken pot pie, but just don’t have the time or energy to make one. That frozen pot pie is by Marie Callender…and it really is quite good! But honestly this recipe is so easy that you’ll probably never buy a frozen pie again….give it a try, you won’t be sorry…it’s easy and delish!

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 pound skinless boneless chicken (cubed)

- or you can use leftover already cooked chicken.

3/4 cup sliced or chopped carrots

3/4 cup frozen green peas
1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup chopped butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery flakes
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts
(I use Pilsbury prerolled crusts in a box)

DIRECTIONS:
-Preheat oven to 425 F. (220 C.)
-heat 2 TBLS Olive oil in fry pan…sautee chicken until pink is gone. (of course if using leftover precooked, skip  this step.
- In saucepan, combine carrots, peas and celery, cover with water and cook on medium heat for ~15 minutes.    Drain off water, add chicken to the vegetable mixture and set aside.
-cook onion in butter until translucent. Stir in flour, slowly. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over  medium heat until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and celery flakes.
- roll out bottom pie crust and place on pie plate. Put chicken/vegetable mixture in bottom of pie crust. Pour  thickened liquid over. Cover with top crust. Seal and flute edges. Cut several slits in top pie crust to allow  steam to escape.
- bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool 10 minutes  before serving. Serves 4 – 6 people.

I forgot to take a picture after it was cooked because everyone was hungry and dug in…but I can tell you it was nice and golden brown and very delicious!

Posted from WordPress for Android

 

Potato-Spinach Casserole

We’re cooking!! Oli loves it when Oma cooks

(From Weight Watchers Cookbook)

This recipe is really good and less calories because it’s cooked in vegetable broth instead of milk or cream. Oliver was my little helper tonight while cooking…he loves to watch me cook

By the way, the pictures are at the top of the post because my computer is in the shop and this is the only way that Word Press for my cell will allow me to upload the pictures. You also get a bonus sunset picture because I accidently uploded it and if I try to delete any pictures this app deletes all the pictures

1 med to large onion – chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pinch (or more) cayenne pepper
6 – 8 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 – 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
(I like to sautee about 10 oz fresh spinach in a little Olive oil..instead of frozen, but either will work).
1/2 cup shredded reduced fat Monterey Jack cheese
1 – 1/4 cup reduced sodium vegetable broth.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a 9 x 13 non- stick skillet with non-stick spray or a little olive oil. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add jalapeno, salt, black pepper and cayenne; cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

(Don’t forget to feed the baby )

Spread half of the potatoes of potatoes in prepared baking dish. Top with half the onion mixture, the spinach, and the Monterey Jack. Cover with remaining potatoes and onion mixture. With wide spatula, gently press down; pour broth over top.

(Now give the baby a drink)

Cover baking dish with foil and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake until casserole is lightly browned and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer.

Serving size: 2 cups
WW PointsPlus: 4

 

Braised Pork Tacos

This is another Rachel Ray “Week in a Day” Recipe! This is defnitely a new recipe for me and definitely a keeper!!

• 1 (4 – 5 lb.) boneless pork shoulder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 TBLS vegetable oil
• 2 TBLS extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 onions, cut into wedges
• 4 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 chopped oregano leaves (half a palmful)
• 2 red chilies, thinly sliced
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican beer
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 oranges, juiced about 2 cups (I found it took about 6 oranges to get 2 cups)
• 1 chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped, plus 1 TBLS of adobo sauce (I couldn’t find a chipotle pepper, so I used 2 extra chilies and Adobe seasoning
• 2 limes juiced

Preparing the Pork Shoulder:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with 2 TBLS of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Put the pork in the pot and evenly brown the meat all over, it will take about 10 to 12 minutes; remove the pork to a plate and reserve.

Turn heat down to medium-high, and add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot, a couple of turns of the pan. Add the onions and garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, the oregano, 1 sliced chili pepper and 2 bay leaves and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the chicken stock and orange juice.

Add the reserved pork back to the pot (the liquid should come about 2/3 the way up the meat) and bring to a simmer. Cover and put the pork in the oven, turning the meat halfway through cooking, until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 – 3 hours. Remove the pork from the pot, to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with 2 forks.

 

Simmer the braising liquid over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and the lime juice.

**After simmering this mixture, I cooled the liquid slightly and then blended it to puree the onions, peppers and garlic in the sauce.**

Then add the shredded meat and stir.

Pickled onions:

• 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar (I used brown balsamic vinegar)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 small red onions, thinly sliced

While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled red onions. In a small saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar, teaspoon salt, remaining chili pepper and bay leaves to a simmer over low heat. Put the sliced red onions in a small sealable container. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and give it a shake. You may need to lift the lid to release some of the pressure. Every now and then, give it a good shake. Refrigerate to cool.

Garnishes:

• 1 cup drained sliced store-bought pickled jalapenos or banana pepper rings
• 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresno or 2 cups shredded Monterey jack
• 16 corn or flour tortillas, charred over open flame and kept warm in tortilla warmer or towel

To serve, put the chipotle pulled pork on a platter and garnish with pickled onions and pickled jalapeno slices. Serve with shredded cabbage, crumbled cheese and tortillas for wrapping.

Enjoy!!

 

Mac N Cheese with a Twist…

This recipe is from Rachel Ray’s new Cooking Show entitled “Week in a Day”.

She calls it Crab Cake Mac N Cheese and it’s soooo good that I had to share the recipe with you here. Here is the recipe online

I really didn’t plan to share it, so I didn’t take pictures of the process of cooking, just of the end result….but the directions aren’t hard and it will be well worth your time . I made just a few adjustments, simply because I couldn’t find a couple of ingredients that Rachel listed, but the changes were still wonderful .

Ingredients:

• Salt
• 1 lb. elbow pasta with lines  (I couldn’t find, so used Shell pasta with lines)
• 2 TBLS extra-virgin olive oil (I used Virgin Olive oil)
• 2 TBLS butter
• 3 stalks celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• About 2 TBLS freshly chopped thyme leaves, several sprigs (use fresh if you can get it – wow, it’s worth it!)
• About 1 TBLS grated lemon zest
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 lb. fresh lump crabmeat, flaked
• 1 TBLS seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat, then salt the water. Add the pasta and cook for 3 to 4 minutes (it will be undercooked). Cool, drain well and add to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat 2 TBLS. extra virgin olive oil, and 2 TBLS of the butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add the celery, onion, red bell pepper, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper, to taste. Cook to tender, 6 – 8 minutes. Add the crabmeat to the vegetables (flaking it as you add it) and sprinkle liberally with seafood seasoning. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.

Sauce:

• 3 TBLS all-purpose flour
• 3 TBLS butter
• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used Skim Nonfat milk)
• Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste (I used powdered nutmeg ~ 1/4 – 1/2 tsp)
• 1 TBLS Dijon mustard
• 1/3 lb, about 1 rounded cup grated sharp white cheddar
• 1/3 lb. about 1 rounded cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used Asiago cheese because I couldn’t find Gruyere.)

In a medium sauce pan, over low heat, melt 3 TBLS butter and whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the milk and bring to a bubble. Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste, and cook for a few minutes, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Add the mustard and the cheeses and stir. Add the vegetables/crab mixture and the sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Stir all ingredients and transfer to a casserole dish (9×13).

Topping:

• 3 TBLS hot sauce (I used 1 tsp because not everyone in my house loves it that hot – but you can always add your own later )
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs (make sure you use Panko!!)
• A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese (I used grated Parmesan here)
• 3 TBLS butter

preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt a 2 – 3 TBLS butter in a small skillet, over low heat and add 3 TBLS (or adjusted to your taste) hot sauce. Warm through, then add the panko crumbs and toss to evenly coat the crumbs in sauce mixture. Cool the crumbs, then toss in the parsley and 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Top the mac n cheese with the spicy crumb mixture. Put the casserole on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until brown and heated through, about 10 minutes.

Yum….complement with a salad or some fruit and Enjoy!

This Dish is seriously yummy … ya gotta try it! What a flavor combination … Lecker!!

 

 

Garlic Cream Sauce Pasta & Chicken

This is a fairly quick, easy yummy sauce to make that you can serve over chicken and pasta both.

Boneless Chicken Tenderloins or Boneless Chicken Fillets

2 TBLS Olive Oil

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt

2 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup white wine (your choice, dry or white)

1 1/2 cups chicken broth (not bouillon)

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 cut heavy whipping cream

3 TBLS chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1/2 cup parmesan cheese – shredded

Cook your boneless chicken filets or tenderloins in Olive Oil over high heat for 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through and golden. Salt and Pepper the chicken while cooking. Once cooked, remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the chopped garlic and the chopped shallots to the fry pan and cook until tender ~ 2 to 3 minutes.

By the way…. this is a shallot:

it comes in a package that looks like this:

Then add the white wine….with a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits from frying the chicken from the bottom of the pan.

Cook until the wine is partially evaporated. Add the chicken broth and tumeric. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes (or until liquid is reduce by about half.) Add the cream, salt and pepper. Add the parmesan cheese. Simmer for a minute or two to blend the flavors. Stir in the parsley….

Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken…

Mix the rest of the sauce into your favorite pasta (along with a little extra parmesan

Serve with your favorite vegetable…

we just opened some cans tonight but if I was more ambitious, I might have steamed some broccoli & cauliflower or stirfried some veges like squashes and such….but I was in a hurry to watch American Idol…

Enjoy

 

Roasted Vege Pasta & Sesame Chicken

First let’s start by getting our chicken tenders marinating.

Marinade:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar               5 fresh rosemary sprigs

1/2 cup honey                               5 garlic cloves (cut in half)

1/2 cup dark brown sugar               2 TBLS toasted Sesame Seeds

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce      1/4 cup fresh, chopped, flat-leafed parsley

8-10 chicken tenderloins (no bone)

Add all ingredients (except chicken) & (except toasted sesame seeds) to a large zip-lock bag. Squeeze the bag to combine the sugar/honey and liquids together….then add Chicken and refrigerate for 2 hrs.

‘

While the chicken is marinating we can work on making the pasta dish…

Combine the following into a large mixing bowl…(this amount makes 4 – 6 servings)

1 medium eggplant (unpeeled), chopped into 1-inch cubes

1 pint cherry tomatoes whole or cut in half

3 whole garlic cloves

3 TBLS Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly gr. black pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or 1 fresh cayenne pepper cut into thin slices)

I added poblano peppers, but I like the flavor of peppers, if you don’t, then you can leave that out. I didn’t list it in the ingredients.

(other ingredients you need that are mixed in later are: 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves & 3 TBLS extra-virgin Olive Oil & 1/4 cup pine nuts)

Mix together in a bowl so all vegetables are coated with the Olive Oil, then spread vegetables on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F. for 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender and the eggplant has turned golden.

While the vegetables are roasting, spread 1/4 cup pine nuts on a small baking pan and place on the rack just below the vegetables….roast until golden (about 8 minutes). Note: If you’re really ambitious, you can roast the vegetables on an outdoor grill which will add a whole different set of wondeful flavors to this dish!!

Start the Penne pasta by getting some salted water boiling….once boiling, add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm. Drain the pasta, but reserve 1 1/2 cups of the boiling liquid. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.

Once the roasted veges have cooled a little, you can add them to a food processor along with 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves &  3 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil. Pulse the veges until pureed, but not too smooth. you should still be able to see chunks of veges in the mixture.

Mix the pureed mixture with the pasta, adding enough of the reserved liquid to make the mixture saucy. Mix in 1/2 cup parmesan cheese and sprinkle the roasted pine nuts on top.

Cooking the Sesame Chicken:

Place a small amount of Olive Oil in a large frypan, heat….

Remove chicken from bag…reserve the marinade!!

Cook the chicken until just cooked (no pink) … do not overcook….approximately 5 minutes on each side…

While your chicken is cooking, place the marinade in a small saucepan…bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer to thicken (about 15 minutes).

Place cooked chicken on a serving platter, brush each piece with the cooked marinade and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve….Enjoy!

**Recipes adapted from Giada’s Kitchen Cookbook New Italian Favorites …

 

Chicken Fajitas …

Start with the following:

Chicken (or beef) cut into 1 inch slices

Green peppers, onions, garlic, mushrooms, basil & cilantro … (if you want a little spicier taste, add either dried hot peppers, fresh thinly sliced cayenne pepper, or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder)… I would also add Cumin to this dish, but you can play with the spices

Sundried tomatoe flour tortillas (or your favorite)

Sautee your onions, garlic and any spices you are adding …

add the green peppers …

then the mushrooms …

Move veges to a plate …

then add a little more olive oil to the pan…

 

 Sautee the chicken until just cooked and browned a little on the outside (do not overcook the chicken) …. add to vegetable mixture…

 

put vege/chicken mixture in a sundried tomatoe wrap with a little cheddar cheese, sour cream and salsa….Lecker! (Yummy)

Use your favorite salsa or make your own …

Invite all those that have smelled you cooking this to come join you for dinner

Enjoy!!

 

Moussaka

Moussaka is a Greek dish, but also made and served all over the Mediterranean world. I have combined 3 different recipes to come up with this recipe. There are many variations to this dish. If you don’t like this combination, then simply google “Moussaka” and you will get many variations of the recipe and many videos showing you exactly how it is made.

I have taken pictures of the steps so you can see how to make it. We are having it for lunch today…I will let you know how it was received by my company .

This is my first time cooking with eggplant, but I grew it in my garden, so I had to find a recipe . To me, it smells a little bit like cucumber.

After slicing 3 small eggplants (about 2/3 inch slices), I laid them on paper towels. Then I sprinkled each slice with salt and let them sit for about 1/2 hr while I continued in the preparation of the dish. This is to “sweat” the eggplant (pull out some of the juice) before cooking.

While your eggplant is “sweating” , you can prepare the white sauce:

**In a saucepan, over medium heat, mix together:

- 6 TBLS Butter

- 6 TBLS Flour

Whisk the butter and flour until well blended. Then slowly add:

- 3 cups milk

Gently bring to a boil, stirring, and simmer for a couple of minutes. Whisk a cup of this mixture into:

- 3 eggs, well beaten

Whisk the egg mixture back into the white sauce and continue to simmer, whisking/stirring until thick. DO NOT BOIL!!  Add:

- ~ 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

- dash Hot sauce (of your choosing)

To the white sauce, add:

- 1 cup mozarella cheese (shredded)

- 1 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded)

Stir until melted…set aside to cool. (This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use).

to make your Red Sauce you can use tomato sauce or spaghetti sauce, but you will need 8 oz. of it.

To the tomato/spaghetti sauce, add:

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

- 1 tsp. dried, crushed oregano

- 1 TBLS parsley

- 2 TBLS sugar

- a bit of salt and pepper

Simmer gently until warmed. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use.

Meat preparation:

- 1 lb. hamburger  OR  1 lb. lamb (ground

- 1 large onion, chopped

- 3 cloves garlic, pressed and chopped

- 2 TBLS ground Cumin

- 1 tsp. crushed Oregano

- cracked or ground pepper (to taste)

Brown meat well in frying pan, add onion, cumin, chopped garlic, oregano and pepper. Saute until onion is tender.

Eggplant preparation:

After the eggplant have sweat for ~ 1/2 hr….pat dry with paper towels and shake them in a bag of flour and ground black pepper. Brown the eggplant in the frypan in a very small amount of olive oil. Eggplant will absorb the oil, so be careful not to use too much!

Assembling the Moussaka:

In a 9×13 casserole dish Layer the following:

- Fried Eggplant (you can trim to fit, or just overlap)

- 1/2 meat mixture

- 1/2 White sauce mixture

- All of the red sauce mixture

- Repeat with Eggplant, meat and White sauce.

You can garnish with a little red pepper or paparika and some more coursely shredded parmesan cheese (if you choose)

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for an hour, uncover and bake until browned on top.

Serve Moussaka with a green salad, black olives, a good bread and a bottle of light red wine.

Then don’t forget to….

Enjoy!!