Tomato Florentine Soup

In the Dietetics Program at BYU one course that I took was Food Production Management Lab.  In this class I gained hands on experience of managing and being a part of a food production facility (The Pendulum Court).  We made all the food (lunch entree  salads, sandwiches, desserts, muffins...) and took turns working in the different areas of the kitchen as well as manager.  We made delicious food!  The best position to have was in the bakery.  We were taught that we were to sample everything (also taught on Master Chef by Gordon Ramsay. haha!).  Well you can't sell a cookie or muffin with a piece broken off so when in the baker position one got a little more than a sample and as you can tell I have a big sweet tooth. :)  Since it was a 5 hour class we also got a free lunch!

My favorite soup we made was the Tomato Florentine Soup which I had my very first day of lab.  I made it today and it tasted better than I remember (I tweaked it by changing some measurements and adding and substituting some ingredients.  The recipe below is my version of the soup and served in this bread bowl recipe).  My husband liked it but also informed me that he doesn't usually like tomato based meals (ex: spaghetti, probably his least favorite meal and I make the sauce very well from scratch) and this is a tomato based soup.  I on the other hand LOVE tomato based food like this soup, spaghetti sauce (I eat pasta with my sauce), and pizza (my favorite part is the sauce, not the cheese).

Sometimes tomato based things can be acidic and when I first tasted my soup it was a bit acidic.  I remembered reading somewhere that baking soda helps to reduce that since it is basic.  I gave it a shot and added 1/2 tsp baking soda to the soup and it actually decreased the acidity.  I am going to try it next time I make spaghetti and chili too!

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp butter
2 ribs celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lb ground beef
1/2 box (5oz) frozen spinach, chopped
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 c water
4 c (32oz) tomato juice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c orzo pasta

DIRECTIONS
In a medium pot melt butter and add celery, onion, and jalapeno.  Cook over medium heat until tender and onions are translucent.  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute until garlic is fragrant.  Remove from heat and set aside for later use.

In a large pot, brown ground beef.  Drain off fat and add the cooked vegetables, spinach, diced tomatoes, basil, pepper, salt, bouillon cubes, honey, vinegar, water, and tomato juice.  Stir to combine and then mix in baking soda.

Add orzo, bring to a boil, and then reduce to low.  Cover and allow soup to simmer for 20 minutes and then serve.

–Melanie

Caramel Apple Pork Chops

I'm trying to do better at trying new recipes so the other week I went through all my recipe books/magazines and marked the recipes that I wanted to try.  This recipe is from The Costco Way 2011 magazine that comes out in November each year.  It was super easy and fast to make and used only a few ingredients that are relatively inexpensive (especially when you price match!).  I only changed a few things like I used bone-in pork chops instead of boneless because they were cheaper and I changed some of the cooking methods.

INGREDIENTS

4 pork loin chops, 3/4 inch thick

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

salt and pepper

1/4 c packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 Granny Smith apples

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high.  Add pork chops to pan (may need to cook in 2 batches) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook each side for about 5 minutes until evenly browned.  Remove from the pan and keep warm (in a covered pan or under foil).

Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.  Wash and cut apples into 1/2 inch wedges (~12 slices/apple) being sure to remove the core/seeds.  When you are done cooking the pork chops melt butter in the skillet and then add the sugar mixture and apple wedges.  Stir, cover, and cook 3-4 minutes until apples are tender.  Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and place on pork chops.  Allow sugar to cook for 2 more minutes to thicken.  Mix in pecans and spoon over apples and pork chops.

Yield: 4 servings

–Melanie

Chile Relleno with Homemade Queso

I married a Mexican and my taste buds have been on cloud nine ever since! My mother-in-law has taught me  how to make a lot of things and some things I've sought out on my own. Here is a favorite in our household.

Queso Recipe
1/2 onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1-2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers diced
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk
6 cups of shredded cheese, can use any combination of Longhorn cheddar and Monterrey Jack
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
1-2 roma tomatoes, diced 
1/2 cup of sour cream
Salt to taste

Melt butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Saute onions,garlic, and peppers until onions tender. Whisk the flour into the butter/vegetable mix, Then add the milk and cook on medium, whisking constantly until sauce is thick, about five minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes. Turn heat down to low, and a 1/4-cup at a time, slowly add the shredded cheese stirring into the white sauce until completely melted. Repeat until all cheese has been added. Make sure cheese completely melts before adding more, this will make the queso the right consistency. Stir in the sour cream. Add salt, if needed.

*I adjusted this recipe from http://homesicktexan.blogspot.com/2008/04/more-natural-chile-con-queso.html

Chile Relleno Recipe
4 Anaheim or Poblano peppers
Monterrey jack cheese- shredded
1 egg
1/4 c. flour
oil for frying

Turn your oven on broil. Place peppers on a cookie sheet and broil until peppers are brown on top and bottom (you may need to rotate the peppers). Remove peppers. When cooled, peel off skin. (you can do this earlier and wrap peppers in saran-wrap and refrigerate. This makes it easier to remove the skin.) 

Place flour in a shallow dish. Beat one egg in a bowl until very frothy. slice each pepper on the side and stuff cheese inside the pepper. coat the pepper in flour and then dip in the egg. Place pepper in fry pan. Repeat with each pepper. fry on each side until golden brown.  Serve covered in queso.

We eat this with pinto beans and Mexican rice. 

White Spinach Artichoke Pizza

This is a super fast pizza dough recipe that tastes delicious. The originally recipe just calls for all-purpose flour but I changed it to whole wheat. I have a really good wheat grinder (thanks mom!) so my wheat flour is really fine but if yours isn't you may want to just do half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour (remember to make half your grains whole grain!). This makes two crusts but the topping measurements are for just one pizza so top the other crust with your other favorite toppings!

For toppings Nick and I usually just make pepperoni, Hawaiian, BBQ chicken, or Alfredo chicken pizza but I wanted something new so I looked up gourmet pizzas and decided to make a "white pizza" but I thought just cheese would be boring so I pretty much made the whole thing up myself! ...And it was the Bomb!!! Nick will testify to that!

INGREDIENTS
Crust (makes 2):
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp oil
3 3/4 c whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp cornmeal

Topping (for 1 pizza):
1 c ricotta cheese
5 chicken tenders, cooked and shredded
2 c Pizza cheese (the bend of mozzarella, provolone...)
1 c baby spinach
1/2 c artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning
Red pepper flakes
salt

DIRECTIONS
Crust:
Preheat oven to 400°. Mix yeast, sugar, and water and let rest until bubbly. Mix in salt, oil, and flour and let rest 5 minutes. Cover each pizza stone with 1 Tbsp cornmeal. Divide dough in two and roll each into a circle on a floured surface. Place place circles of dough onto cornmeal covered stones. Bake each crust 8 minutes and then remove from oven and add toppings.

Topping:
Spread ricotta cheese onto crust. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and then top with shredded chicken, Pizza cheese, baby spinach, artichoke hearts, and Parmesan cheese. Reduce temperature to 375° and bake 8-10 minutes. Let pizza rest 3-5 minutes and then sprinkle with salt, red pepper, slice, and serve.

Here's a topping idea (what we made) for using the other crust (P.S. Leftover pizza tastes best when reheat on the stone in the oven at 350° for about 6-8 minutes until warm.):

(Hunts spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, green bell peppers, olives)

–Melanie

Chicken Broccoli Stuffed Bread Loaf

I found this idea on Pinterest but changed things up a bit to make it healthier and a bit more "homemade". The original website was foodfamilyfinds.com. First, I used a bread recipe I've been using a lot lately for different things. Its a great recipe for pizza crust, bread sticks, etc.

Bread:
1 cup luke warm water
1 pkg yeast
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour

Combine water, yeast and honey. Wait 5 minutes to assure yeast is active. Stir in salt and flour in 1/2 cup increments until the dough has formed a ball and if you touch it, it won't leave any dough on your finger. I use my kitchenaid with the bread dough hook to mix the dough. When it gets to this point, let the dough mix for 5 minutes. Let the dough rise about an hour or until its double in size. Punch the dough down and roll it out into a rectangular shape, about the length of a jelly roll pan. If you have a silicone baking sheet, this will make the whole thing a lot easier, so roll it out on that if you do. Let it rise another 20 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, start on the rest of your dinner :)

2 cups chopped broccoli, steamed
3 large chicken breasts, diced and cooked
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
1 tsp garlic salt
1 egg yolk
dried rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Chop up chicken and cook. Steam broccoli. Combine cheese, mayo, chicken and broccoli, and garlic salt. At this point, transfer bread on the pan, place the chicken broccoli combination down the middle of the bread dough leaving about 2 inches all around. Next, slice the dough in 1 inch strips so you can pull up the edges and braid it. Baste the braided loaf with the egg yolk and sprinkle with rosemary. Bake loaf for 25 minutes or until bread is baked through. Let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!
Heather

Crockpot Italian Chicken

I made this recipe from a cookbook my friend LeeAnn gave me. It was really easy and very delicious! Brett declared it a success! Plus I love how crockpot cooking makes the whole house smell so delicious! The gravy was particularly tasty!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen or thawed)
1 cube butter
1 envelope Italian dressing mix
8 oz. cream cheese (I used low-fat), softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
Milk

Directions:
Put chicken breasts and butter in crockpot and sprinkle with Italian dressing mix. Cook until chicken is done (4-5 hours on low). Remove chicken from the pot. Blend cream cheese and soup in a separate bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk into liquid in crockpot left over from chicken. Add milk as needed to reach a gravy consistency. Return chicken to pot. Cook on low another 30 minutes or until hot. Serve over noodles or with mashed potatoes.

Heather

Coconut Curry with Chicken and Potatoes

I found this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe but tweaked it a bit by adding potatoes and changing some spices. I love curry and this is a delicious, healthy, homemade (not too spicy) dish. I've made it several times for friends and family and everyone loves it! You have to let the chicken marinade a couple hours, so take that into consideration is prep time.

INGREDIENTS:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons yellow curry powder ( I prefer yellow to red and have never used red for this recipe)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 dried ginger
3 cups hot cooked rice of choice

¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 medium red onion
3 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Place in medium bowl. Stir together curry, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and chili powder. Sprinkle over chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.

In a large nonstick frying pan, stir onion, basil, garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat until onion is translucent. Add chicken and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until chicken is done.  While cooking the onion, cook potatoes in boiling water until they are soft - do not mash them. 

Combine coconut milk and cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Combine with chicken, onion mix in skillet.  Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in ginger. Cook and stir for another minute. Add cooked, drained potatoes to the mix. They will soak up sauce, so no need to season them. Serve over hot rice.

Enjoy!

Heather

Sushi

Nick really likes sushi so the other week we went and got some.  I was really scared to eat the ones with the raw fish since I'm a dietetics graduate and very aware of food safety.  The roll that I got was just made with vegetables but Nick got one with raw salmon on top.  I only tried one of his.  It was ok but I would rather have cooked salmon.  Mine was delicious though.  They put these sweet sauces on it and mine was fried.  We were telling our friends about it and decided to make our own together!  These sushi rolls look freakin legit, tasted awesome, and were really fun to make together! I think what makes them taste so good is the eel sauce (not made of eels) and hibachi sauce (both are sweet sauces)... and avocado!

 Fuzzy Wuzzy

Fuzzy Wuzzy, Mango, California, Shrimp

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Mango Salmon

Rice:
INGREDIENTS
2 c sushi or short grain rice
2 c water, plus extra for rinsing
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS
Rinse rice in a bowl 2-3 times until water is clear.  Place rice in medium sauce pan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Once it starts to boil reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook 15 minutes, remove from heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes.  Combine vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Pour over rice and mix thoroughly.  Allow rice to cool to room temperature before making sushi.

Hibachi Sauce:
INGREDIENTS
1/2 c mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp ketchup
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS
Mix all ingredient together in a small bowl.  Place mixture in a plastic baggy.  Cut off the corner of the bag to make a small opening to squeeze the sauce out of.

Sushi Rolls:
INGREDIENTS
1 batch sushi rice
4 sheets nori
cream cheese
1 avocado, peels, pitted, and sliced
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, cut to matchstick-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut to matchstick-size pieces
1 mango, peeled, thinly sliced
2 oz smoked salmon, thinly sliced
2 oz imitation crab
2 oz cooked baby shrimp
panko crumbs
sesame seeds
eel sauce
hibachi sauce
pickled ginger, for serving
Wasabi, for serving
Soy sauce, for serving

DIRECTIONS
Cover sushi mat with plastic wrap. Place nori on mat with shiny side down. Wet hands with water and cover nori evenly with 1/2 cup rice. Sprinkle rice with sesame seeds and then turn the sheet of nori over so the rice side is down.  Here is where to can get creative.  Place fillings in the center of the nori in a line.  It is recommended to only put 3 ingredients in the roll (apparently that is all the palate can handle).  Here are a few combinations we used:

Fuzzy Wuzzy: Cream cheese, avocado, cucumber, shrimp and smoked salmon on top
Mango: Mango, avocado, carrot, cucumber, and mango and carrot on top
California: avocado, cucumber, and crab
Meat Lovers: cream cheese, crab, shrimp, and salmon on top

After filling the roll with desired fillings, begin to roll by grabbing the edge of the mat closest to you and start rolling into a tight cylinder.  Keep fillings in place with your fingers.  Pull away the mat and set aside.  Cover the roll with a damp cloth and repeat until all rice has been used.  Cut each roll into 8 pieces by first cutting the log in half and then cutting the two pieces in half again and in half one last time making a total of 8 pieces.  Top the roll with fish, eel sauce, hibachi sauce, and/or panko crumbs.  Serve with soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger (to cleanse the palate between different rolls).
–Melanie

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I think these are the best taquitos I have every had!  Normally taquitos are fried but these aren't so they aren't heavy and oily.  It has great flavor and the chicken is moist and creamy.  The dipping sauce it great too!

INGREDIENTS

3 oz cream cheese
1/4 c green salsa
juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onions powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced
8 chicken tenders, cooked and shredded
1 c grated colby jack cheese
small corn or flour tortillas (flour work better)


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Soften cream cheese in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Add green salsa, lime juice, and spices. Mix well and add cilantro, green onions, chicken, and cheese.  Mix until combined.

Microwave tortillas a few at a time wrapped in a moist paper towel for about 15-20 seconds.  This will prevent cracking when rolling them.

Place about 3 Tbsp of the mixture off center on a tortilla and spread in a line leaving 1/2 inch from the edge.  Roll up tight starting on the side of the chicken.  Place on baking sheet with the seam side down.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken mixture and tortillas and place all on the baking sheet but be sure they do not touch each other.

Spray tops with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and lightly brown on the edges.

Serve as an appetizer or for dinner with cilantro lime dressing.
–Melanie

Baby Back Ribs

My mom makes the BEST ribs.  My mom made these for us when we came to visit her last month.  It might just be the last thing cooked on our barbecue at 42 Portland Dr. :( The meat is so tender that it just falls off the bone.  The barbecue  sauce is amazing and tastes like candy.  The trick is to boil the ribs first and triple dip the ribs when cooking.  I can't wait to have a barbecue and a bigger food budget so I can make these more often.

INGREDIENTS
2 racks baby back pork ribs
2 c Open Pit barbecue sauce
2 c brown
1 Tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Cut ribs, place in pot, and fill with water to cover all the ribs.  Boil ribs for 1-1 1/2 hours until fork tender.  While ribs cook mix barbecue sauce, sugar, and lemon juice in a large bowl.  Light grill to preheat.  When ribs are done drain off water and add ribs to bowl of sauce.  Place ribs on grill for 1-2 minutes.  Take ribs off and dip in sauce and place on grill again for 1-2 minutes. Repeat once more.  Remove from grill and enjoy (because you definitely will)!

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

I love homemade pizza!  It's inexpensive and isn't as greasy as delivery.  I also like whole wheat crust and if you can grind your wheat really fine you can make all the flour whole wheat.  This pizza crust recipe is really fast and easy.  With this recipe you can make an awesome pizza within 30 minutes!

INGREDIENTS

Crust (makes 2):
1 1/2 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp oil
1 3/4 c white flour
2 c wheat flour
2 Tbsp corn meal (1 Tbsp for each pizza stone)

Toppings (for 1 pizza):
1/2-3/4 c Sweet Baby Rays Hickory and Brown Sugar Barbecue Sauce
1/4 c thinly sliced red onion
6-7 chicken tenders, cooked and shredded
1 1/2 -2 c shredded Pizza cheese (or just mozzarella)
Dried Italian Herbs

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl mix yeast, sugar, and warm water until bubbly.  Mix in salt and oil.  Stir in flour 1 cup at a time.  Let rest for 5 minutes (longer for thicker crust).  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Divide dough and roll each into a circle on floured counter top.  Place rolled dough on cornmeal covered pizza stone.  Cook dough for 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and reduce oven heat to 375 F.  Top crust (in the following order) with barbecue sauce, red onion, shredded chicken, cheese, and Italian herbs.  Place back in oven for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

adding flour

ready to roll

toppins

lots of chicken :)

Ta Da!

YUM!

–Melanie

Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

This recipe is from the magazine: Cook’s Country. It doesn't take long to make and tastes delicious!

INGREDIENTS

2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup heavy cream
salt
1 pound penne or ziti
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
ground black pepper


DIRECTIONS

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and cream. Increase heat to medium-high and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 T salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, drain pasta, and return to pot. Add sauce and basil to pot and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper, serve.

–Melanie

Honey-Ginger Glazed Tilapia

Our friends who moved also gave us some tilapia!  I found this recipe on ourbestbites.com.  So good!  I tweaked the dipping sauce because I didn't have all the ingredients it originally called for but it was still pretty awesome.

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger
2 gloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
4-6 (4 oz) tilapia fillets

Creamy Dipping Sauce:
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
juice and zest of 1 small lime
1/2 tsp parsley
1-2 tsp minced cilantro (optional)


DIRECTIONS

Whisk together honey, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, and oil.  Marinate fish in mixutre for 20-60 minutes.

While fish marinates, make creamy dipping sauce by mixing creamy sauce ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat pan over medium heat and spray with oil.  Cook fish for 4-6 minutes per side of until it easily flakes with a fork.  Serve immediately topped with dipping sauce and optional cilantro.

Tilpia served with Lemon Orzo & Rice with Asparagus and Tomatoes

–Melanie

Chicken Alfredo Rollups

I found this recipe on mmmcafe blog. Its a delicious and fun version of Chicken Alfredo mixed with Lasagna. It was easy to prepare and declared "another success" by my husband.

Ingredients
9 Lasagna Noodles
2 1/2 cups Alfredo Sauce
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups mozzarella cheese
garlic salt
oregano

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook chicken. I always prefer to boil chicken if I'm going to shred it. Its super easy to shred the chicken if you have a Kitchenaid or other stand mixer. Using the beater, just drop the chicken in, turn the mixer on and in a couple of minutes, you have perfectly shredded chicken!

Meanwhile, in a 7x7 pan, use about a quarter of a cup of alfredo sauce and coat the bottom of the dish. Set aside.

While chicken is cooking, boil water in a large pot. Cook lasagna noodles until al dente. I cooked a few extra in case any noodles broke, which was good since two did! When noodles are cooked, drain and rinse with COLD WATER. This prevents the noodles from sticking to each other. Lay the noodles out on papertowels and pat dry. Cover each noodle with 2 tbsp of alfredo sauce. Spread the chicken out evenly over the noodles then sprinkle with oregano and garlic salt. Top with cheese.

Carefully roll up each noodle and place in dish with alfredo sauce, seam side down. The noodles fit in pretty tight. Cover noodles with enough alfredo sauce to cover entire dish and sprinkle with cheese. I used less sauce and cheese than was asked and it tasted great. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Heather

Easy Pasta Primavera

My mom got this recipes from a cooking magazine as well. It is a fast easy recipe and tastes delicious!    I didn't have any fettuccine on hand so I used shells which are easier to eat.  Give it a try!

INGREDIENTS
2 T butter
1 small onion, chopped fine
8 oz white mushrooms, quartered or sliced
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup heavy cream
12 oz fettuccine
1 pound asparagus, tough ends discarded, spears cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
1 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch dice
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1 ½ T lemon juice
¼ cup thinly sliced basil

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot for cooking pasta. Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat until foaming. Add onion, mushrooms, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook until soft and browned, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cream, increase heat to high, bring to boil, and remove pan from heat.

2. As sauce cooks, add 2 T salt and pasta to boiling water and cook until just beginning to soften, about 6 minutes. Add asparagus to pot and cook for 1 minute. Add zucchini and cook for 2 minutes. Add peas and cook until pasta is al dente, about 1 minute.

3. Drain pasta and vegetables and return to pot. Toss in cream sauce, cheese, lemon juice, and basil and season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan and serve.

 mushrooms, onion, and garlic

 mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and cream

drained pasta, asparagus, zucchini, and peas

–Melanie

Fajitas

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Nick is actually the creator of these fast and tasty fajitas.  When we were dating he made these for himself probably twice a week.  We now have them once every two months.  I like variety and he will pretty much eat anything I make. :)  I also served this with Mexican Sweet Corn Cake from ourbestbites (but altered a bit).

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp oil
McCormick garlic pepper seasoning
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 large white onion
1 lb ground beef (or steak, chicken...)
tortillas
sour cream
cheese
salsa

DIRECTIONS
Vegetables
Julienne cut peppers and onion.  Heat oil in a large skillet and add vegetables and season with garlic pepper seasoning.  Cook on high. Do NOT cover.  Toss vegetables often and cook until tender but firm.

Ground Beef
Cook ground beef seasoned with the garlic pepper seasoning until brown.

Assemble fajitas by placing beef, vegetables, cheese, salsa, and sour cream on tortillas.  Enjoy!raw vegetables

cooked vegetables

–Melanie

Dorito Chicken Cheese Casserole

I found this recipe www.plainchicken.com. Brett loves Doritos and I thought this would be tasty. I was right and Brett loved it as well! It was really easy and quick to throw together and most of the ingredients are on hand usually.

4 breasts cooked chicken, chopped
8 oz sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I used low fat for soup mixes)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups salsa or 1 can Rotel
1 can of corn, drained
2 cups Mexican cheese, shredded
1 bag of nacho cheese Doritos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Crush the entire bag of Doritos and cover the bottom of the dish. Reserve one cup of cheese. Mix together remaining ingredients in a large bow. Pour chicken mixture over the Doritos. Bake for 20 min. Top casserole with the remaining cheese and bake 5 additional minutes or until melted.

Heather

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta

This is another recipe from the Pendulum Court.  It is one of my favorite dishes there.

*To make thicker: Make sauce a day before so it can refrigerate.  On day of service heat sauce over stove and mix with pasta just before serving.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic
6 oz mushrooms
6 chicken tenders
2 1/2 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 Tbsp flour
3 c milk
5.5 oz Neufchatel cheese
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/4 tsp chicken bullion
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c water
3/4 tsp salt
7 oz (1/2 can) chopped tomatoes
6.5 oz artichoke hearts, quartered & separated
1 lb pasta (bow tie or penne)

DIRECTIONS

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.  Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet.  Add garlic and chicken and cook over medium high heat.  When chicken is close to being done add sliced mushrooms and cook until chicken is done and mushrooms are tender.  Remove chicken from pan and place in fridge.

Melt 2 1/2 Tbsp butter in pan and add flour to make a roux.  Gradually add milk and whisk vigorously. cook over medium-high heat.  Continue to stir to prevent scorching.

Add cheeses, bouillon, lemon juice, water, and salt and stir.  Just before it begins to boil add chicken, tomatoes, and artichoke hearts and gently mix.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

Boil pasta and drain when done.  Gently mix pasta with sauce and serve.
–Melanie

Mongolian Beef

I found this recipe on www.food.com

INGREDIENTS

vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)

1 lb flank steak

• 1/4 c. cornstarch 
• 2 large green onions 
• 
  
• Sauce
  • 2 tsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/2  tsp. ground ginger 
  • 1 T. minced garlic
  • 1/2 c. soy sauce
  • 1/2 c. water
  • 3/4 c. brown sugar
  • 
    

  DIRECTIONS
  Cut meat into slices that are 1/4 inch thick. Coat meat with cornstarch. I put the meat in a bowl and sprinkled the cornstarch and stirred until the meat was coated. Let sit for 10 minutes. 

  
  

  Heat 1 cup oil over medium high heat. Meanwhile, make sauce.

  
  

  Sauce:

  Heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in sauce pan on medium heat. Add ginger and garlic. Add soy sauce and water before the garlic browns. Then add the brown sugar and let dissolve. Raise the heat to medium/high and let the sauce boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

  
  

  Once oil is heated and the cornstarch has soaked into the meat, place meat into oil and let the meat fry for about 2 minutes. Stir so that the meat cooks evenly. Use a slotted spoon and transfer meat onto a paper towel lined dish. Pour out remaining oil. Place meat back into empty pan. Add sauce and cook for about 2 minutes and let sauce thicken with meat. Cook until meet is cooked all the way through. Add chopped green onions and cook for one more minute. Serve with rice.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/p-f-changs-mongolian-beef-66121#ixzz1tlXom4wu

I served this with white rice and Melanie's fried rice recipe. I added broccoli to the fried rice since I had it in my fridge.

Baked Potato with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce

This is a very simple meal. It is meatless so it can also save money and is easy to make if you have a big family. This takes very little time in the kitchen.

4 baked potatoes

1 head of cooked broccoli

Cheese Sauce

2 T. butter

2 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

Bake brown russet potatoes in oven for about 1 hour at 350 degrees. Check with fork to make sure potato is cooked all the way through.

Cook broccoli by either steaming or boiling on the stove.

Melt butter in sauce pan. Add flour to make a paste and immediately add milk. Stir occasionally until the sauce thickens. Then add shredded cheddar cheese. (Make sure you shred a block of cheese. Already shredded cheese will not make a smooth cheese sauce). Once cheese is melted you can serve it. You may add more cheese or milk for your desired consistency.

Cut baked potato and decorate with broccoli and cheese sauce.

*You can use this sauce as a cheese sauce for broccoli as a side dish. The cheese sauce can also be used for macaroni and cheese. You can double the sauce and pour it on cooked macaroni. Place the mac-n-cheese in a casserole dish and cover with cheddar cheese. Place in oven at 325 until it starts to bubble. You may need to add more salt if you don't salt the pasta.