Fennel Applesauce

My new favorite web obsession is the Weelicious website. It has all kinds of awesome, kid-friendly and good-for-you recipes. LOVE IT!

I saw this recipe for Apple Fennel Puree and thought it was interesting. The kids love applesauce and eat it either by itself or on.....whatever. Most recently we've been putting it on waffles in the morning. Fennel is an awesome source of nutrition and has a licorice taste to it, so I thought that I'd give it a whirl. It came out great! It tastes like normal applesauce but with just a hint of that licorice at the end. It's not "sweet" though - so if you're use to eating sweeter applesauce, then you might want to add a little bit of sugar or something to it. I buy the kids natural applesauce - so they're pretty use to the not-as-sweet flavor. But just FYI that you might have to alter it a little bit to you liking. Also, you could up the apples to 3 instead of 2 ---that might help with the sweetness factor a little too!

Photo courtesy of Weelicious

Apple Fennel Puree

(Make 6 Baby Servings)

1 Fennel Bulb, fronds removed and fennel bulb (the white part) chopped
2 Apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I like to use Gala, Pink Lady or Fuji apples)

1. Place the fennel in a steamer pot over boiling water and cook for 4 minutes.
2. Add the apples to the pot and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until fennel and apples are fork tender.
3. Place the mixture in a food processor and puree.
4. Serve.

Pork Roast in Rich Red Wine Sauce

My goodness, this was so good. Seriously.......yum.


Pork Roast in Rich Red Wine Sauce

Ingredients --Serves 8

3 tablespoons canola oil
5 pounds boneless pork loin roast, tied (***I did not have it tied)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
4 cups Cabernet Sauvignon wine (***Yup....that's an entire bottle!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon peppercorns


2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour

Methods/steps

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the meat in oil to brown on all sides.

Add garlic, parsley, wine, salt and peppercorns. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 3 hours.

Remove meat and reduce stock to 1/3 of it's volume. Strain the sauce to remove the peppercorns.

Heat butter in a smaller saucepan. Add flour and cook 3 minutes, pour in the stock, and simmer to thicken.

Carve the pork and serve with sauce separately.

Additional Tips

You can use a smaller piece of pork for fewer servings, but leave the sauce recipe alone - the extra sauce helps permeate the meat with it's rich flavor.

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After I seared the meat, I sliced up an onion and browned it, then I added the other ingredients. I did not have any peppercorns, so I omitted those (although I did add some normal pepper). The sauce is SO good. Seriously, I'm trying to think of other things to put it on just so I can make sure every last drop gets eaten.

Just FYI -- I bought a 5lb roast and just used it for Darrin and myself. Then, I'm using the leftovers for 2 different meals. Leftover meal #1 is going to be pulled pork BBQ sandwiches and Leftover Meal #2 is going to be 7-Bean and Barley soup (using the bone from the roast and then throwing in whatever meat I have leftover). So don't let the "feeds 8" thing scare you off! :)

Garlicky Clams and Mussels

Clams and Mussels went on sale at Henrys, and knowing how much Darrin LOVES clams and mussles, I thought I'd grab some and make a yummy dish out of them! **Quick Rant --- I asked the seafood guy to give me 2 lbs of Clams (since they were big) and 1 lb of mussels (I cut the recipe in half). When I got home, I realized that over HALF of the mussels I was given were already open meaning that they were unusable. I could only use 19 out of my 40 mussels. I was NOT a happy camper. Note to self - from now on, when wanting mussels, go to a real fish monger where I can pick and choose the items I want. OK...rant over. **

Anywho - here's the pasta recipe that I used. It was DELICIOUS! I was licking up the bowl!

Garlicky Clams and Mussels Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 2 pounds baby clams (littleneck if available), scrubbed
• 1 stick of butter, cut into tablespoons
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic, in all
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pounds fresh angel hair pasta
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water up to a boil. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and the garlic cloves. When the garlic starts to turn golden discard the cloves, about 2 minutes. Add the mussels and clams to the oil. Cover the pan and saute the seafood for about 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, or until the shells open. Remove the pan from the heat and discard any shells that did not open. Pour the seafood into a bowl and set aside. Place the saute pan back on the heat and melt the butter with the minced garlic, over medium-low heat, about 2 minutes. Drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Sauteed mussels and clams with their liquid back into the pan. Saute for 1 minute. Remove the pasta from the water and drain. Place the pasta directly into the saute pan. Remove from the heat and toss the pasta with the mussels and clams. Season with salt and pepper. Mound the pasta in the center of an over-sized pasta bowl. Garnish with the grated cheese and chopped parsley

Waldorf Salad

I was asked to bring a Waldorf Salad to Thanksgiving dinner. I told Darrin's aunt that I've never made one but I was sure that I could find a recipe andwhip something up. Then I hit the Internet and learned that there are about a million different ways to make a Waldorf Salad. Drats. So after literally days of scouring different recipes, I finally settled on this one. I am proud to say it was a HIT! I had some leftover, so I brought it over to my parents on Friday and they all loved it too! WOOHOO! This is definitely a keeper! I did change a couple things -- I didn't do the cherries, I instead threw in golden raisins (without re-hydrating them). And then I mixed in regular candied walnuts instead of the sweet and spicy candied Pecans. TIPS-- Make this the night before so that the flavors will merry and the dressing will thicken. It tastes great the next day! Also, squeeze the juice of a lemon (or so) into a bowl, then when you cut up the apples, toss the pieces in the lemon juice. This will help the apples to stay green and not brown.

Waldorf Salad from Bon Appétit Magazine (Sept 1999)

2/3 cup dried tart cherries*
1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/3 cups very thinly sliced celery
1 1/3 cups red seedless grapes, halved
Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans (recipe below)


Directions:
Soak cherries in 1 cup boiling water until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Whisk mayonnaise and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add apples, celery, grapes and cherries; toss. Season with salt and pepper. Top salad with candied pecans.
**You can also arrange lettuce leaves on a platter and serve with the salad.



Sweet and Spicy Candied Pecans
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
3 tablespoons light corn syrup (you can also use honey instead of corn syrup)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon (generous) freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups pecan pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325;°F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine corn syrup and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pecans; stir gently to coat. Transfer to baking sheet.

Place large piece of foil on work surface. Bake pecans 5 minutes. Using fork, stir pecans to coat with melted spice mixture. Continue baking until pecans are golden and coating bubbles, about 10 minutes. Transfer to foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Baked Potato Soup

There's lots of baked potato soup recipes out there....and really, they're all about the same. At least, they all have about the same ingredients. So I used this recipe as a "base" and then tweaked things to my liking. Here's the recipe and my variations below:


Baked Potato Soup III

Ingredients
4 baking potatoes
2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups milk
1 cup chopped green onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
5 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions
1.Bake potatoes 1 hour in a 400 degree F (200 degree C) oven. Scoop out the inside of the potatoes and set aside. Reserve the skins for another recipe or discard.
2.Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the milk while stirring until all the milk has been added. Bring heat to medium and keep stirring until the soup mixture starts to get thick.
3.Add the potatoes, green onions, salt, ground black pepper, bacon and cheese. Stir well and continue to heat for about 15 minutes, allowing the flavors to blend. Stirring well, mix in the sour cream until well blended with the soup. Serve immediately.

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1) I used more than 4 potatoes, but they were small. I scooped out the "guts" of most of them and then cubed up 3 potatoes to add in at the end. This gave the soup a good variety of textures.

2) I first cooked the bacon in the pot, then sauteed a little bit of onions, then did the butter and flour thing. I added 3 cups of Milk and 1 cup of chicken stock. It still was a bit thick, so I ended up adding more milk towards the end.

3) Once the milk mixture had thickened a bit, I added in the potato guts, then took an immersion blender to it (turn off heat first!) and blender it all up. Then I added diced carrots and let those cook for a couple minutes, then I added some frozen corn and the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT the bacon. Since I already had the bacon grease in there, I kept the bacon itself for garnish (I also kept some cheese on the side for garnish as well).

4) Stir,taste and season until it taste good. Serve with bacon, cheese and green onions on top.

Eggplant Burgers

Let me first say that I don't really like the idea of "hiding" veggies and stuff in foods (but I guess that's for another post). However, I was pretty intrigued when I saw this great, healthy alternative for normal hamburgers. I'm not a big eggplant fan, but I guess I really want to be. It's super nutritious, hearty and when it's in season, can be pretty cheap. I keep finding myself trying new recipes for it in hopes that I'll find one that we really like! :) This might be it! Another great thing is that you can freeze them and reheat pretty easily. Below you'll find a video and the recipe and then after that, my notes on it all. Enjoy!




Weelicious's Eggplant Burgers (Makes 8 Burgers)

1 Tbsp Olive Oil, plus more for sautéing
1 Medium Eggplant, cubed
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/4 Cup Parsley, chopped
1 Large Egg
1/3 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 Cup Breadcrumbs (I used whole wheat)

Accompaniments: Whole Wheat Bagel, Buns,Cheese, Tomato, Lettuce, Ketchup, Pickles

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and cook the eggplant cubes for 3 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and salt and continue to sauté for another 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 tbsp of water, cover and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until eggplant is fork tender. Allow to cool.
4. Place the eggplant and remaining ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth.
5. Use about 2 tbsps of the eggplant mixture for mini burgers, 1/4 cup for bigger burgers and form into patties.
6. Heat about 1-2 tsps of oil in a large sauté pan and cook the eggplant patties for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
7. Serve.

* To freeze place the cooked patties on a baking sheet, freeze for 1 hour and place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 3-4 months. When ready to serve, place patties on a baking sheet in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes until warm.

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My notes:
Overall, I give these a B+. Definitely something different and a good vegetarian dish. I'd take these over a Boca Burger anyday!!!! However, there are some things to consider:

1) Make sure not to over cook your eggplant (like I did). Really stick with the given cooking times . I thought that it needed an extra couple minutes, but it overcooked and got soggy. When I put everything in the food processor, it was too runny (like cake batter). I ended up having to put in another cup or so of breadcrumbs just to make it thick enough to shape into patties. (So just in case, have some extra breadcrumbs on hand)

2) Beware of the color. The color does not look appetizing. Especially since there's parsley in the mix -- you get this gross greenish brown color. Ew. Just know that it tastes better than it looks and doesn't look too bad once it's cooked up.

3) Kind of weird texture -- These aren't hamburgers, so they don't have the texture of hamburgers. They're a little more mushy. So we just used some good, traditional hamburger fixings -bacon, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese (Cheddar and pepper jack for a spicy kick!) and avocados. All things yummy on burgers of any kind.

4) Make Nuggets for the kiddos -- I made 4 patties for Darrin and I and then made small balls, tossed them in Panko (or you could do regular breadcrumbs) and sauteed them up. The Panko gave them a nice crunch and the size was perfect for the kids. They kind of looked like little nuggets. I even gave Rylee some ketchup to dip them in! :)

So there you go. I say try it and see for yourself if you like it or not. Overall, we really liked these and I think we'll make them again. Good luck!

Savory Pork Roast, Brussels Sprouts and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

This was our dinner tonight. Savory Pork Roast, Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. YUM! All the recipes came from Allrecipes.com . Click on the name of the dish to be directed to the recipe on All Recipes.

Savory Pork Roast

1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 (4 pound) boneless pork loin roast

Directions
1.Combine the seasonings; rub over roast. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

*** I only used a 1.3 lbs pork roast but I kept the amount of seasonings the same. I like a punch. :) I also mixed in a little bit of olive oil to make the rub into more of a paste.


Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2.Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3.Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

***I quartered them first (wanted to make them a little more "bite size"), then par-boiled them for about 2 minutes. Let it sit in a colander for a couple minutes to drain while you're doing other things. Then toss with oil and seasoning, spread out on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven! Overall- pretty good. It was a little salty. But not too bad. I don't normally do Brussels Sprouts since it has the whole "taste like feet" reputation. But I'm really trying to branch out and try different things. It was pretty good. Didn't taste like feet, so that's a plus! :) We ate them all.


Garlic Mashed Potatoes
I don't have a "recipe" for this but here's what I did. I first cut off the top of a whole head of garlic, drizzled olive oil over the top with a touch of salt, wrapped it in foil and stuck it in the oven with the pork -- I let it roast for about 45 minutes or so--not really sure how long. Basically I just let it cook until I was ready to mash the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender, drain, return potatoes to pot, cover and let sit until you're almost ready to serve dinner. When we're about 5-10 minutes from serving everything, I take out the garlic, unwrap it and using a fork or knife, pop out each clove of garlic (ok....and taste some too...yum). Then turn on the flame to low, pour in some milk and add butter (whatever looks good - remember you can always add more but you can't take out, so start small). Using a large whisk (or potato masher, or fork or ..whatever) mash and mix everything together. Add in garlic cloves and shredded Parm cheese along with salt and pepper to taste. Stir and taste until it's good. :)

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So I catagorized this under "Cheap Meals" because once I added it all up - it was PRETTY CHEAP! I spent less than $5 on this entire meal (which had leftovers!). Here's the breakdown:

Pork Roast -- 1.3 lbs (on sale) 1.99/lb --$2.59 --**I already had all spices and olive oil on hand**

Brussel Sprouts -- 1 lbs -- 1.99/lb --$1 -- **already on hand: seasonings and olive oil**

Mashed Potatoes -- One 5lb bag (15 potatoes) was $0.69. I used 4 potatoes which came out to be about $0.20 ; Parm Cheese - the container was $3.11. I used just a couple of handfuls, so I'm guestimating about $0.50 for the Parm Cheese. **I already had milk and butter on hand.**

I also made a packet of gravy b/c I had that in the pantry. However if you bought one it would probably be about $1. Let's just throw that in there for the fun of it.

TOTAL = $5.29

Olive Garden's Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup

If you go to Olive Garden's website, they offer a lot of their recipes so you can try them at home. I tried making their Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup tonight (with grilled sourdough cheese sandwhices...yum). It was great! It did take MUCH longer than the 15 minute. It took me close to an hour to reduce everything. I used a normal sauce pan. Maybe use a larger pot so it'll reduce quicker? A couple other things I tweaked:

1) I didn't have the full 2 cups of white wine. So I used what I had and then finished the 2 cups with chicken broth.

2) After I pureed it up (hint--use a hand immersible blender aka stick blender if you have it. It makes like a lot easier!) I felt like it wasn't as tomato-y as I wanted. So I chopped up a tomato we had from the garden. That helped. I think next time I do this I'll try using 2 cans of diced tomatoes instead of just one.

3) We have Basil in our garden, so we have an ample supply of the fresh herb. I don't know how dried basil would taste though. I would recommend getting the fresh stuff, if you can.

4) Taste, taste, taste! AFter it's all pureed, keep tasting and adding salt/pepper as needed.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients
4 Tbsp butter
1 ea small red onion, diced
2 cups dry white wine
3 cups canned diced tomatoes (or 1 12-oz can)
2 cups heavy cream
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Procedures
1.MELT butter in a heavy sauce pan. Add red onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add white wine and reduce by 3/4. Add tomatoes and heavy cream, bring to a simmer and reduce by 1/2.
2.PUREE soup in a food processor. Stir in 2 Tbsp chopped basil, salt and pepper.
3.GARNISH with remaining fresh basil and tomatoes and serve.

Clam Chowder

I love soup. Darrin doesn't. Except Clam Chowder. He LOVES Clam Chowder. So I decided to make clam chowder for dinner so we all could enjoy a nice big bowl of yummy soup on a cold fall day. I was reading him different titles and when I read this one, his ever-cheese-loving Dutch ears perked up. Marilyn's Cheesy Clam Chowder. Now, according to some Food Network judges - seafood and cheese are a BIG no no. But I'm not married to a Food Network judge. I'm married to a Dutchman who loves his cheese. And his clam chowder. So I decided to put away what the TV told me and jump head first into the forbidden culinary concoction.

Lo and behold ....it was pretty good!!!! :) :) You really couldn't taste the cheese, it just help make the soup thick and silky. Even the kids liked it! :) The only bad part is that it's not the cheapest meal. The jars od Clam juice were $2 each (total of $4) and the canned clams were $3 each (total of $9). So right there is $13. Not to mention the half and half and cheese....it can just get a little pricey. But it was still good and it made a good amount. I even froze some! :) Here's the recipe. Enjoy!


Ingredients
6 slices bacon
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 (8 ounce) cans clams
2 (8 ounce) jars clam juice
4 cups milk
1 cup cubed potatoes
1 (8 ounce) package white Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions
1.In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, drain on paper towels, and crumble. Reserve. Drain clams, reserve juice.

2.Cook and stir carrot, celery, and onion in bacon fat until onion is transparent.

3.Stir in flour, cornstarch, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until mixture is bubbly. Add reserved clam liquor to clam juice to measure 3 1/2 cups; stir juice and milk into the vegetable mixture. Heat just to boiling, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens.

4.Add clams, and cheese; stir until cheese is melted and potatoes are done. Sprinkle with reserved bacon, and garnish with chopped parsley.

Apple Walnut Sticky Buns

I've been trying a couple new recipes for options of "breads" to bring to my Moms group. I ran across this recipe for Sandra Lee's Apple Walnut Sticky Buns. What drew me to them was that not only did they look super yummy, but in Sandra Lee fashion, they were also SUPER easy. You can check out the video of her preparing them HERE.

*Tip -- The Cinnamon rolls come in packages of 8. This recipe calls for 2 packages - to make 12 sticky buns and then to use the other 4 in another recipe. Just get 3 packages, increase apple/walnut mixture bit and then use 2 muffin tins to make 24 rolls. :)

Ingredients
1 Granny Smith apple
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 (8-count) tubes refrigerated cinnamon rolls
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 to 2 teaspoons water

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Generously butter a 12-count muffin tin.

Peel, core and dice the apples into 1/2-inch cubes. In a medium bowl stir together the diced apples with the walnuts and brown sugar.


Divide the apple mixture evenly into the muffin tin. Put 12 cinnamon buns, cinnamon side up, on top of the apple mixture. Put the muffin tin on a baking sheet and bake until the tops are golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. (Bake off remaining 4 buns for Round 2 Recipe Cinnamon Roll French Toast.)


Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Put a clean baking sheet on top of the muffin tin and flip to remove the sticky buns.


In a small bowl, combine 1 container of the vanilla frosting (save the other for Round 2 Cinnamon Roll French Toast) with the pumpkin pie spice and 1 to 2 teaspoons of water. Mix until very thick and of pourable consistency. Drizzle over buns and serve.

Chocolate and Cheese Danish

I'm apart of a new Moms group at our church and this Friday I have to bring some kind of bread. Of course, I thought I'd take this opportunity to try out a couple of new recipes. I saw Giada on the Food Network make these yummy danishes a couple weeks ago and was excited to try it.

The result: They were good. But BIG. I ended up cutting the one pastry sheet into 9 pieces (use the natural folds as a break and then cut each vertical strip into 3 pieces). Just put a little bit of the mixture in the middle, and continue with the fold that she explains below. They'll look small, but don't worry, they'll puff up nice. This is great if you're having people over for either a brunch or for dessert and drinks. My only suggestion would be to do a trial run first to just get a feel of how you make them, how long it'll take you and everything. Enjoy!

Chocolate and Cheese Danish

Ingredients
Filling:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
2 (9-inch-square) sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten

Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses, egg yolk, flour, sugar, vanilla and salt until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 equal-sized squares. Put 4 pastry squares on each prepared baking sheet. Spoon about 2 to 3 teaspoons of the filling into the center of each piece of pastry. Fold 1 corner of the pastry diagonally over the filling to within 1-inch of the opposite corner. Using a pastry brush, brush the folded-over section lightly with the beaten egg. Fold the opposite corner over the egg-brushed pastry to form an open-ended Danish. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Edamame Succotash

I made Cooking Light's Edamame Succotash tonight. It was pretty yummy and super easy (after you get it all chopped ---tip -- chop up everything ahead of time and have it all ready in the fridge. This would be a GREAT quick meal for a working family if you had everything already prepared)! We had Brats and Rosemary Focaccia Bread (topped with Roasted Tomato and Parmesan Cheese, thank you very much) with it -- but I think it would pair better with fish. Cooking Light actually says to have it as a main dish and serve it with a baguette and Neufchâtel cheese. I'm a meat person though...so I say throw in some kind of animal. :) Anywho - here's the recipe. FYI - this makes a good amount ...more than 4 servings I think, especially if it's just a side item. I also used frozen corn, not fresh and it was fine. Just let it cook a tad longer so you can get it to start browning a bit. :) I also used 2 pieces of bacon. Because, really, when is one piece ever enough?

Here's two more variation of it as well --
Edamame Succotash with Shrimp (Spicy!) and Seared MahiMahi with Edamame Succotash


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)
Cost per Serving: $2.47


Ingredients
1 slice center-cut bacon
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups chopped sweet onion
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons torn basil

Preparation
1. Cook bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan; coarsely chop bacon.

2. Increase the heat to medium-high. Melt butter in drippings in pan. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn kernels; sauté for 3 minutes or until lightly charred. Add edamame, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients (through bell pepper); cook 30 seconds, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with bacon and basil.


Nutritional Information
Calories:300
Fat:12.1g (sat 3.3g,mono 3.3g,poly 3.6g)
Protein:17.9g
Carbohydrate:37.2g
Fiber:10g
Cholesterol:10mg
Iron:0.9mg
Sodium:386mg
Calcium:28mg

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light, AUGUST 2010

Fennel and Pear Chicken Thighs

Fennel and Pear Chicken Thighs

ingredients

1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
2 6- to 7-ounce jars (drained weight) sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup coarsely snipped dried pears
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, finely ground
2-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 cup pear nectar or apple juice
Hot cooked couscous or rice
Fennel tops (optional)

directions

In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine sliced fennel, mushrooms, and dried pears. Sprinkle with tapioca. Add chicken thighs; sprinkle with salt, thyme, and pepper. Pour pear nectar over mixture in cooker.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.
Serve chicken mixture with hot cooked couscous. If desired, garnish with fennel tops. Makes 6 servings.

Stuffed Shells

I always see these big pasta shells at Sprouts and think "I should make stuffed shells one day." Today was that "one day". And BOY will I make them again! They were YUMMY and actually a lot easier than I thought they would be. I looked at several recipes and the comments for the recipes and then tweaked it all to my liking. Here's the two main recipes I looked at and what I finally did:

4 Cheese Stuffed Shells by Rachael Ray and No Mess or Stress Stuffed Shells by Sandra Lee
ummm.... just for the record, the Sandra Lee recipe seemed like A LOT more mess and stress than it could have been. It took longer and I could not find anywhere raw, pre-seasoned meatballs. Maybe I'll look for Italian sausage in bulk and use that recipe using the sausage. Anywho, I digress...

Here's what I did:

Box of Jumbo Shells -- boil them in salted water for about 7 or 8 minutes. You want them flexible enough that you can stuff them but still undercooked (they'll finish cooking in the oven). Drain and shock them in an ice bath or run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.

Jar of favorite pasta sauce (I used a garlic one...yummm) and add in a can of drained diced tomatoes (to make it a little more chunky). Simmer over low heat while you cook and stuff the shells.

Stuffing -- while the pasta is cooking, get your stuffing made. Mix together:
Ricotta Cheese (12 oz)
Mozzarella Cheese (one 8oz ball diced or a container of shredded)
Asiago Cheese (shredded - 5 oz container)
Parm Cheese (shredded - 5 oz container)
1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley (or half the amount of dried parsley)

Once your shells are ready to be stuffed, use a spoon (or your hands) to fill the shells.

Layer everything in a baking dish:
Put down a layer of sauce, then a layer of the stuffed shells, then a layer of sauce, then of parm or mozzarella cheese, then more shells, sauce, some fresh basil and top it off with one more layer of cheese. (sidenote-- cheese, pasta, sauce.....seriously, how could this go wrong?) Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-20 minutes. Uncover and broil for another several minutes until cheese is bubbly and browning. Yum!

***This serves 4-6 (depending on your size of baking dish and if you are able to use all the shells or not) and is great with a Cesar salad and garlic bread. I had leftover stuffing mixture and some leftover shells. Just FYI. :)

Feel free to tweak the recipe as much as you want. A lot of people use one egg in the stuffing mixture to make it a little more binding. Use some different cheeses or add things to the stuffing like basil or spinach..... the sky is the limit! Have fun and happy cooking! :)

Crockpot BBQ Ribs

I normally pour a bottle of BBQ sauce into the crockpot with some ribs, maybe add an onion and some garlic and call it a day. The result is never great. The marrow from the ribs mixed with the breaking down of the sauce create a running, greasy "sauce" that covers the meat. The ribs are good, but never GREAT.

Today was different.

I found this recipe on Facebook through the Crockpot Recipe Exchange group. It calls for making a simple rub, rubbing down the ribs and adding some water to the crockpot. Then, just before it's done, you add some BBQ sauce. It was SO good! The meat still fell off the bone, but there wasn't really any greasy mess and the meat still had good feel to it (it wasn't TOO soft). Here's more specific directions:

Ribs: 3 lbs Pork spareribs

Rub:
1 Tbls Brown Sugar
1 Tbls Paprika
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
-----Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Rub the ribs down, place in crockpot. If you have any rub leftover - just sprinkle it on top.
-----Add 1/2 Cup water to the crockpot (I guess you could do this before or after you put the ribs in, not a big deal).
----- Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours
About an hour or so before dinnertime, take your favorite BBQ sauce and pour about 1 or 1 1/2 cups over the ribs. I ended up pouring 1 cup (3/4s of the bottle) so I could have some dipping sauce with the ribs at dinner.
----Turn the heat down to Warm (what I did) or to low if you don't have a warm setting (or even just off with the lid tightly shut). The sauce will warm up and gently coat the ribs.

***Note that this is a little different then the origial recipe. For the original recipe - click on the link in the above paragraph.

I served this with corn on the cob, the extra BBQ sauce from the bottle and lots of napkins! Delicious!

Weekly Menu - 8/4 - 8/10

Here's my weekly menu and grocery list for August 4th - August 10th
*** We have SEVERAL tomatoes from our garden as well as TONS of basil. So I'll be using those a lot this week! :)

Wednesday : Ginger Glazed Mahi Mahi with Green Beans (from the garden)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ginger-Glazed-Mahi-Mahi/Detail.aspx
Need: Mahi Mahi


Thursday: Margarita Pizza and a salad
Need: Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese


Friday: Spare Ribs and Corn

3 lb. country style pork spare ribs
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. paprika
2 t. garlic powder
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 t. pepper

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
During last 2 hours of cooking add 1 1/2 c. bottled BBQ sauce - whatever kind you like.

Need: Spareribs, BBQ Sauce, Corn


Saturday: Caprese Lasagna
http://bakeorbustblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/caprese-lasagna.html

Need: Mozzarella Cheese


Sunday: Birthday Parties - no dinner


Monday: Date Night -- no dinner


Tuesday: Leftovers or a big salad

Dinner Menu Grocery List
Mozzarella cheese -- 1 bag shredded and 1 fresh ball (approx $5)
Tomato Pizza Sauce ($3)
2 lbs mahi mahi fillets (2.99'lb = $6)
3 lb. country style pork spare ribs (1.99/lb = approx $6)
BBQ Sauce (3.50)
Corn (.15 each = $1)

Approximate Total: $25

Add-ons for the grocery list:

Sprouts Apple Juice ($3)

Banana Chips ($2)

Deli Meats ($??? Sale "40% off"

--may get some depending on price)

Fruit Leather (3 for $1)

Red Grapes (88 cents/lb = $2)

Watermelon (4lbs for $1)

Butter (2 for $5)

Applesauce ($3)

2 Gallons Milk ($5)

TOTAL Guesstimate for groceries for the week = $50

GROCERY UPDATE!

I went to Sprouts today and did my grocery shopping. I did an awesome job and came in under budget! I still need to get 1 more gallon of milk, mozzarella cheese and butter. All of which I'll be getting at Fresh and Easy later today. Here's the breakdown:

Banana Chips ................ 0.67lbs @ 1.99/lb .........................1.33

Milk (1)........................... 3.19 / gallon...................................3.19

Ham off the bone........... 0.66 @ 4.19/lb .............................2.71

Turkey Breast................ 0.53 @ 4.19/lb .............................2.22

Pastrami......................... 0.41 @ 4.79/lb .............................1.96

Mahi Mahi (HUGE filets!) 1.00@ 2.99/lb...........................2.99

Pork Spareribs (pre-packaged) 1.77/lb

Package 1 ............................o.98 lbs..............................1.73

Package 2...........................0.72 lbs...............................1.27

Package 3........................... 0.87 lbs..............................1.54

Applesauce .........................................................................2.29

BBQ Sauce...........................................................................2.99

Fruit Leather .............................3 for $1................................1.00

Natural Apple Juice...................2 for $6................................3.00

Red Seedless Grapes................2lbs @ 0.88/lb....................1.76

Seedless Watermelon...............7.34lbs @ 0.15/lb...............1.10

White Corn................................ 4 ears @ 0.15 each.............0.60

Used bag credit (3) ............................................................... 0.15CREDIT

TOTAL Grocery bill ---------------$30.93

Lettuce Wraps

Tonight I made lettuce wraps. This was somewhat healthy (and even healthier if you use ground turkey or even tofu if you want to go vegetarian) and packed FULL of flavor! Here's the recipe and then my changes/variation afterwards as well as my friend, Abby's variation too:

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients
16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
Asian chile pepper sauce (optional)
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil

Directions
1.Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
2.In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, and chile pepper sauce to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
3.Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat like a burrito, and enjoy!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Variation:

Ingredients

• I used romaine lettuce instead of Bibb lettuce. Iceberg or Bibb would have been better but I got the Romaine on sale. :)
• I used peanut oil for the cooking oil
• I used fresh ginger instead of pickled simply because fresh was cheaper. I grated it in.
• I didn't have the pepper sauce so I just used red pepper flakes. I'm sure the cause would have been better, but I used what I had!
• I added cilantro
• I omitted the sesame oil since I didn't have any
• On the table I put out bean sprouts, grated carrots, and fresh cilantro to add into the wraps.

Directions:

• I followed the directions pretty much to a T. After the onions and everything were all cooked down, I added the beef back in and gave it a nice mix. The only thing about this was that it didn't create a lot of sauce. I had a bottle of Thai Peanut Sauce and Sweet Chili Sauce so I put those on the table to dd in as each person would like.

Overall this dish was wonderful!! It was a great thing for a warm summer night!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My friend, Abby, makes chicken lettuce wraps. HEre's her recipe. It sounds great and sounds like it makes more sauce! :) I also like this because I could make it at any point during the day (like naptime) and then have it on hand when it's time to make dinner! Perfact! Thanks Abby!

OK so I don't really measure on this one; it was sort of a throw together whatever i had on hand sort of thing. I tried to guess on the amounts as best I could to give you an idea, but feel free to tweak them as necessary! Oh also, I use low sodium on everything otherwise it can get really salty.

Dice 1lb of boneless skinless breasts and put in a large plastic storage bag. Add about one cup of chicken stock or broth, 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons OJ (I've also done it with lime juice instead and it's pretty good, but I did only 1T), 2 tablespoons minced garlic (we love garlic so they are heaping!!), 1/4 c chopped water chestnuts and the white and light green part of 2 green onions. Seal the bag and mix it all together. Let marinade about 30 minutes.

Heat up about a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium to medium-high heat Remove the chicken from the bag and add to the pan. While it is cooking add 1ish tablespoon of cornstarch to the marinade and mix together. Set aside. Once the chicken is no longer pink, scoot to the edge of the pan and add the marinade. Let come to a boil and lower the heat. Mix the chicken into the sauce and it will thicken up. Remove from the pan. There may be extra sauce because you don't want it too saucy in the wrap.

We just do it build your own style and lay out the lettuce, put the chicken in a bowl as well as a bowl of crunchy chow mein noodles.

My Grocery Routine

Several people have asked me about how I do my grocery shopping. Really, there's no real secret. I have a budget, a plan and I stick to it. This little routine is what works for me. I recommend you finding out what works for you. Hopefully mine will give you some direction and ideas, though. Let me know how I can help (seriously, in any way).

First off, I do not do couponing - however it's a GREAT idea and if you are up for doing it - then I highly recommend it. You can save a lot this way – I just don’t like shopping at “Big” grocery stores and the stores I do shop at don’t really take coupons. If you're interested in cutting coupons - check out a website called The Grocery Game. It's a little intense but it's pretty cool and I know some people who have had gret success with it. Other websites that I love are MoneysavingMom and Rhonda's Homestyle Recipes. I know Rhonda from an online group and she's AMAZING. On her blog, she shares recipes and meal plans. She's awesome!

I mainly shop at Fresh and Easy, Sam’s Club, Sprouts and Henry’s. I will go somewhere else if there is a VERY good sale. But for the most part I’ve noticed that those 4 stores have the cheapest food for the quality I want. We also have a very strict budget of $300 a month for food. To be honest, I could probably do it for less, and I do, if I have to – but this gives us a little room. I use ONLY cash. We follow Dave Ramsey (you can ask me about it if you want) and because of that, we pay everything mainly with cash. I tell you this because it’s one of the reasons why I have such a detailed grocery shopping plan. I don’t have any room to budge when I’m just using cash.

I get my sale ads on Tuesdays (you know...the kind that comes in your "junk mail"). This starts my grocery shopping routine and is perfect timing b/c Sprouts and Henry’s have “double ad Wednesday”. This means that the sales from the week before and the sales for the current week overlap on Wednesdays. You get the best price, of the most stuff, of both weeks! So I do everything on Tuesday and then try to shop Wednesdays if I can. Tuesday I look through my pantry, fridge and freezer and see what I have on hand (keep it in the back of your mind or write it down). Then, I lay out all the sale ads and take a quick look to see what’s on sale and if there are any BIG sales going on. I jot down things that catch my eye and then look through all the sale ads to see who has that item the cheapest that week. I just started to keep a price spreadsheet where I enter the price of groceries (not on sale) after a shopping trip. This helps because if one store says that they have an item on sale, I can quickly check to see if there’s another store that normally sells it at a cheaper price. I.E. - Sprouts might have a sale on an item but Sam’s Club might carry it normally at a cheaper price. Just because there’s a sale, doesn’t mean that’s the lowest price around. Does that make sense?

Anywho – after I write down everything that is on sale and everything I have on hand (or at least have the little list in my head) – I do my menu planning. My menus are mainly based around sale items and food I already have. If there’s something that’s really on sale that week (for instance, the other week, Henry’s had corn on sale 6 for $1) then we’ll be eating a lot of particular food or I buy extra (if it’s a pantry or freezer item) to stock up on.

When I menu plan – I make sure that each “first dish” can be re-created at least another time if not a third time. For instance, I’ll buy one of those $5 chickens, debone it and can use it in chicken pasta the first night, then maybe chicken quesadillas another time and or chicken salad sandwiches, or BBQ chicken pizza…or whatever.

So after I have my menus for the week, then I make my list. I write down every item I need first. Then I make sure that the stuff I have on hand—I have enough of (made that mistake before!). As I go through my fridge/freezer/pantry list (either in my head or written down), I cross off the items. What’s leftover is my basic grocery list. Then I re-write my list of stuff I actually need to buy. I make 4 columns – one for each store – and then write the items I need in whatever store column that has the best deals. Next to each item, I guesstimate how much it will cost me. If it’s on sale – I know exactly how much it’ll cost. If it’s just something that I’ll pick up from the store, then I try to guess high. I end up buying a lot of the same things each week and know about how much each item cost. Then I add it all up and make sure that it’s in my budget. If it’s not, then I have to figure out how to get it down. I either change a menu item, or see if I can make a current menu item into another meal. But honestly, if you kind of keep your budget in the back of your head while you’re making your list – you probably won’t really go over too much, I hardly ever do. If you only have $50 for the week, then you know you're not going to be spending $20 on steaks. You know?

After I do all that, sometimes I’ll get anal and re-write my list yet again in the order of the store's asiles (I know them all so well that I know what aisles are which and what food is in each). This way I don’t waste time when I’m actually in the store. When I go shopping, I check to make sure that my price guess is correct. If it’s higher, then I’ll change it. If its lower (by a dollar or less) then I’ll leave it be (It gives me some cushion) This way – I know exactly how much my bill will be when I get up to check out. This is imperative since I pay with cash, I can’t just pull out a credit or debit card to cover me if I go over. If I'm over, something has to go back- and that is EMBARRASSING! This also helps me stay strictly to my budget and not pick up stuff that’s not on my list. Any leftover money I have in my fund gets put in a different envelope for a big Sams Club trip or if I need to pick up something extra I forgot about. I try to only spend like 90% of my budget – then I have some wiggle room and extra cash if needed.

Whew…. It looks like a lot more work than it really is. It doesn’t take me too long. The longest thing is the menu planning. But it’s well worth it.

My three big pieces of advice are to have a strict budget (using only cash if you can), to menu plan and to ask store employees when stuff goes on sale (at fresh and easy, they mark everything down at about 7pm. So stuff you might buy at 6pm at full price, will become half price an hour later. If I can, I shop then or in the morning. Or try to take advantage of special days like the double ad Wednesdays I talked about earlier). Those things have transformed our grocery habits. I also will put in the extra effort to make more things from scratch because really, it’s SO much cheaper. For instance, if I’m going to use beans a lot in our menu, I try to buy them dried and soak overnight. It’s really not that much work and it will save you A LOT of money. Rice is also super cheap and goes SO far.

Something that I want to start trying is cutting down our portion sizes. It’s hard for me to do (b/c I come from a very family style type of eating) but it saves a lot on your grocery bill and it’s healthier. In order to help with this, I want to start serving courses. For instance, if I’m planning on having a salad with our meal – serve the salad FIRST, and then bring out the main meal. I also want to get into this habit because as the kids grow older, this time is a great time to chat about the day or do devotions or whatever.

Hope that helped everyone! Let me know if you have any more questions or if I didn’t explain something clear enough. Good luck and keep me updated if you decide to try anything!

My meals and grocery list

This week Sprouts was having a KILLER sale so I took full advantage! I got almost enough food for an entire week's worth of groceries for a little shy of $35! Again, I didn't get everything I need, so I'm thinking that my total grocery bill for the week (or perhaps even the rest of the month) will be about $50. Here's how I'm thinking I can do it. This is for 5 meals which is suppose to cover from today (Thursday) to next Wednesday. Two of those days we won't be eating at home (date night and my mom and sisters birthday). Then we have Thursday (which I can do leftovers or pasta or something) and then next Friday is pay day again plus we have a wedding ot go to. So I'm thinking that this will get us to the end of the month! WOOHOO! We'll probably have to pick up some more eggs and milk before then, but I still have over $80 for our grocery budget after this shopping trip ($150 total for 2 weeks). So we're good! :)

Let me also say that you could probably do this for even cheaper. There are some items that I prefer the more expensive version than the cheaper version (for instance: bread and Sprouts Apple Juice). So if I would have bought the less expensive version, then I'd save even more money. But I think that everyone needs to find a good balance between what their budget can afford and what they're comfortable feeding their family (or their taste buds. :) )

Anywho - people asked me "how I did it" so here's my 5 meals and grocery recipet. I check the sale ads and plan my menus around them and what I have already on hand. I do have a garden but that only has tomatoes and some green beans that are ripe right now. I also have veggies still in the fridge from my last Farmers Market trip last week. So we'll be using up those in our meals as well.


My 5 dinners:
1. Beef Lettuce Wraps - I don’t know what else we’ll have with this or if we’ll just do the lettuce wraps. I’ll figure something out.

2. Burgers with homemade fries or potato chips (whatever I feel like making that day...probably fries)

3. Pork Sirloin Roast with mashed potatoes and veggies

4. Chicken with BLT (bacon, leeks and tomato) Gravy and a salad

5. Some kind of fish dish with veggies if I can. I’m thinking trout. Sprouts had trout fillets for $6.99 a pound. So I wouldn’t get any more than a pound of fillets. But I want to see what Sams Club and Fresh and Easy have. If I don’t do fish, I might do a taco salad with leftover ground beef from the burgers and lettuce wraps.

**I still need to get hamburger buns, cream, Chicken thighs, fish (maybe) and some bacon. This all will be $15 or less (depending on if I get the fish or not).

Food Item Price per unit Price I Paid
Bread 1 loaf @ 2 for $4 $2
Raw Almonds .80lbs @ 3.99/lb 3.19
Buttermilk Pancake Mix .44lbs @ 2.49/lb 1.10
White Sugar 1.17lbs @ .99/lb 1.16
Milk 1 gallon @ 2 for $5 2.50
Turkey off the bone .35lbs @ 6.99/lb 2.45
White Chedder Cheese .72lbs @ 2/lb 1.44
Sprouts Apple Juice 1 bottle 3.49
Extra Lean Ground Beef 2.57lbs @ 1.99/lbs 5.11
Pork Sirloin 1.12 lbs @ 1.77/lb 1.98
Cherry Tomatoes 1 pint .88
Cilantro 1 bunch @ .19/lb .19
Ginger Root .07lbs @2.49/lb .17
Kiwi 5 @ .19 cents each .95
Limes 5 @ .19 cents each .95
Loose Carrots 3.65lbs @ .19 /lb .69
Green Onions 1 bunch @ .19/each .19
Golden Delicious Apples (HUGE) 5 @ .19 each .95
Hass Avocados 4 @ .49 each 1.96
Bananas 2.15lbs @ .65/lbs 1.40
Romaine Lettuce Hearts 3 pack for $1 1
Russet Potatoes 5.05lbs @ .19/lb .96

TOTAL $34.71

A New Take on Tuna Noodle Casserole

Who doesn't love Tuna Noodle Casserole? It was a comfort food in our house when I was little. Today, I stumbled upon this recipe for a dressed-up version. I had everything in my pantry so I thought I'd give it a try. It was GREAT. Easy to make and used up stuff I already had! It was a little bland... so feel free to add in whatever you'd like.

Tuna Pasta with Artichoke and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
500 g pasta shells
2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra virgin, as it has a better flavour)

1 (185 g) can tuna, drained and flaked
1/2 cup canned artichoke heart
1/2 cup black olives
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato
1 teaspoon chili, chopped --- **I added chili powder
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste
parmesan cheese, to taste.

Directions
Cook pasta.
Drain, and return to pan with oil.
Toss for 1 minute, then add tuna, artichokes, olives, tomatoes, chilli and pepper.
Toss on low heat for 3-4 minutes.
Mix in the parmesan and basil, and serve immediately.

Bircher Oatmeal

The other day I wrote about how I wanted to make Bircher Mueseli in attempt to re-create my favorite Swiss Oatmeal from Corner Bakery.


Yesterday I went to the store, bought the stuff and tried it out. This morning we ate it. And I'm proud to say that it turned out pretty good! I still want ot do some tweaking on it - but it's definitely something I'll be making again. And if you want ot try it too - remember that you can toy with this as much as you'd like. So feel free to change things to your personal liking (and of course, share with me what you did and how it turned out!)

Ingredients:
2 cups of Rolled Oats (not quick cooking oats)
Low Fat Milk (enough to cover oatmeal -- probably about 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
Dried fruit of your choice (I used cranberries and black currents)
Low Fat Yogurt
1/2 Granny Smith Apple - diced
Honey
Fresh Berries
Sliced Almonds
Directions:
In a bowl, mix together rolled oats and dried fruit. Pour in enough milk to cover the oatmeal. Cover the bowl and stick in fridge overnight.

Here's my oatmeal right after it came out of the fridge in the morning:

Dump in 2 good spoonfuls of low-fat yogurt, apples, and a good drizzle of honey. Mix together.

Divide up into spearate serving bowls and top with fresh berries and sliced almonds. Enjoy!

Here's the finished product (one for me and one for Rylee):

Now, here's the things I want to try tweaking:

• I used currants because that's what Corner Bakery said that they use. But I must not have bought the right kind of currants b/c I didn't care for them too much. Next time, I'll stick with the cranberris but then throw in a different kind of dried fruit.
  
• It wasn't as sweet as I was hoping or expecting. So I think that next time I'm going to try Vanilla yogurt instead of plain yogurt. I tried to add some vanialla extract but it didn't taste the same as vanilla yogurt.
  
• The other day I tried Almond Milk (vanilla) from my sister in law's house. It was pretty good and really sweet. I want to try to use this instead of regular milk. I'm sure it'll add a whole other demision of sweetness (and then I might not need to add honey or anything) and for those that are lactose intolerant - this is a great sustitute! You could also use whatever other milk substitute you'd like.
  

I also wanted to list my grocery list. The whole point of this was to re-create a dish I really liked for much cheaper than it would cost me to go and buy it. I shopped at Sprouts, so I utlitized their bulk items - only getting the specific amounts I needed. For the dried fruit and almonds, I basciaully just got a handful or two. Here's my list:

Rolled Oats -- 1 lb @ $0.59/lbs ......................................0.59

Dried Cranberries -- 0.16lbs @ $3.74/lb ......................0.60

Dried Black Currants -- 0.06lbs @ $5.99/lbs .............. 0.36
Sliced Almonds -- 0.07lbs @ $4.49/lbs ......................... 0.31

Milk (16 cups = 1 gallon) -- 2 cups @3.19/gallon ....... 0.40

**Not included: Yogurt -- I bought a 2lb tub of yogurt for $2.79 and I only used a couple spoonfuls. So as you can imagine - it's only a couple pennies. ; Fresh Berries - I already had these on hand from the Farmers Market. And I only used a couple to garnish it.

GRAND TOTAL for 2 -3 servings = $2.26. $1.13 - $0.76 per serving! (Corner Bakery Swiss Oatmeal costs $4.49 for one serving!)

Overnight Oatmeal Re-Creation

Corner Bakery has an amazing breakfast item called "Swiss Oatmeal" it's a type of oatmeal also caleld a museli and started by a Swiss doctor in the early 1900s. ITs' a cold, creamy oatmeal with apples, bananas, berries and almonds. I absolutely love it but don't like paying $4 for it. So I'm going to try and re-create it. Here's two recipes: The first from Whole Foods website and the second from Jamie Oliver's website. There's lots of other recipes out there but everything is about the same. I'm going to use these recipes to try nad make my own creation. When I make it, I'll let you all know how it turns out:

***Update. After reading many recipes and ingredients (including the ones that are in CB's Swiss Oatmeal) I think this is what I'm going to do:

Mix together rolled oats and dried berries - soak overnight in milk. In the morning, mix in yogurt, diced apples and toasted sliced almonds (and maybe a drizzle of honey if needed). TOp with fresh berries. I'll tell you how it turns out!

Overnight Oatmeal

Serves 4
This breakfast provides protein, whole grains and fresh fruit for a breakfast sure to help you start your morning right. Simply mix the ingredients together and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy it cold or warm the next morning.

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats (not instant or quick cooking)
2 cups lowfat milk or milk substitute
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds
2 peaches or apricots, pitted and sliced
2 tablespoons agave nectar (optional)

Method
Combine oats, milk, zest and vanilla in a bowl then cover and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, scoop oatmeal into bowls and top with pecans, peaches and a drizzle of agave nectar.


Jamie Oliver's Pukkolla

Composing and Preserving
8 large handfuls of organic rolled oats
2 large handfuls of ground bran
1 handful of chopped dried apricots
1 handful of chopped dried dates
1 handful of crumbled walnuts
1 handful of smashed or shopped almonds, hazelnuts or brazil nuts

Add your oats and bran to your plastic container with the apricots and dates. Add the walnuts and other nuts. This will keep for a good couple months very happily in your airtight container.

Making and Knocking together

milk to cover
1/2 crunchy apple per person, washed and unpeeled

Try to make this the night or day before. Place double the amount of composed pukkolla cereal needed into a bowl. Cover with milk, grate in around 1/2 an apple per person and stir immediately to keep apple from discolouring. Place in the fridge.

Tucking in and Eating

1/2 banana per person, peeled and sliced or mashed
honey to taste

Remove the bowl from fridge. You will find that it has softened and thickened, so loosed with a little milk. Add your banana. Add honey to taste. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and some fresh mixed berries.

Sounds really good - I think I may have mix some up!

Baked Risotto with Tuna

Recipe copyright William Granger via The Cooking Channel

.Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:40 minLevel:
EasyServes:
4 servings.Ingredients
•2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•1 onion, finely chopped
•1 clove garlic, finely chopped, optional
•1 teaspoon sea salt
•1 cup arborio rice
•1 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
•1 (14-ounce) can crushed Roma or Plum tomatoes
•1 (6.4-ounce) can packed tuna in spring water, drained (recommended: Sirena)
•3 zucchinis, thinly sliced
•Freshly cracked black pepper
•2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
•Parmesan, for garnish, optional
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•
Directions
Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F. Place a large (about 12-cup) ovenproof dish over medium heat, about 1 minute. Add in the olive oil, the onion, garlic and sea salt. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice to the dish and stir for another minute or until the rice is lightly coated in oil and light gold in color.

Add the stock and the tomatoes to the dish. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the tuna, zucchini, and season with the black pepper, to taste. Cover the dish, with a lid or aluminum foil, and bake until the rice is tender and cooked through, about 30 minutes. Scatter the parsley over the top of the risotto and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.


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Thai Peanut Pork

I was introduced to a facebook group called The Crock Pot Recipe Exchange. I LOVE my crockpot and now I get access to all these great recipes. One of the best parts is that other people who have tried the recipe leave comments about it. So you can get some tips and tricks before you even make it!

Tonight is Thai Peanut Pork ....although I'm making it with chicken instead and instead of using red pepper flakes, I have actual dried red peppers. I'm going to just throw a couple of those in! I also am going to use crunchy PB instead of creamy (b/c it's cheaper than garnishing it with peanuts). This looks GREAT. One comment that many people made is that there isn't enough sauce. So I'm going to double that. Here's the recipe!


Ingredients
2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
4 (8 ounce) boneless pork loin chops or (just use a pork roast about 4 lbs but double the other ingredients)
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

Garnish with:
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions
1.Coat a slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the bell pepper strips and pork chops into the slow cooker. Pour the teriyaki sauce, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic over the pork chops.
2.Cover and cook on Low until the pork is very tender, 8 to 9 hours. Once tender, remove the pork from the slow cooker, and whisk in the peanut butter until smooth. Return the pork to the slow cooker, and cook 10 minutes more.
3.Serve with Rice or noodles.Pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with green onions and peanuts to garnish. Decorate with lime wedges to serve.

Baked Eggs on Cheesy Caramelized Onions

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipes/dinner-for-10-dollars-or-less-recipes/Baked-Eggs-on-Cheesy-Caramelized-Onions

I made this last night for family dinner at my parents. Everyone loved it! We served it with a sde of bacon. :)

FYI - this serves 4 ...maybe 5. Don't let the 8 eggs fool ya! Also these eggs are really BAKED. If you like your eggs baked all the way through - follow the recipe. If you would like the eggs a little more runny - maybe cut the cooking time down to 15 min and then broil still 1-2 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large leeks (about 2 pounds)—dark green stalks discarded, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
4 slices country white bread, crusts discarded, toasted
3 ounces swiss cheese, shredded
8 eggs


Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 3-quart oval baking dish. In a large, heavy pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks, onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, uncover and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened and browned, about 8 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

2.Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with the toast and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with the onion mixture. Using the back of a spoon, make 8 deep wells in the onion mixture. Working 1 at a time, crack the eggs into a small bowl and pour them into the wells. Top with the remaining cheese; season with pepper.

3.Bake until the egg whites are set but still jiggly, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to the broiler and cook until the eggs are just set, 1 to 2 minutes.

Bucatini Pasta with Bacon, Tomato and Green Onion

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/bucatini-bacon-cherry-tomato-and-spring-onion-sauce/

Ok so I didn't have Bucatini pasta....or spring vidalia onions....or white wine. :) But I substituted with what I did have and it still turned out pretty good! The bacon makes it a richer dish than I was originally thinking. A couple tips and what I did different:

• I used Leeks instead of spring vidalia onions. IF you don't normally cook with leeks (well, then...you should start) - they grow in the soil so they are normally very dirty. Best was to clean them is to cut them up first, put them in a bowl fill of cold water and do a good swish/wash that way. All the dirt and crud will sink to the bottom.
• Don't smash all the tomatoes - maybe do half and half. I loved having some soft tomatoes still whole that I could "pop" in my mouth. yum.
• Personally it was a bit salty for me. Just a heads up.
• Serve this dish with a nice, cold, crisp Caesar salad. It's a heavier dish - so something clean and refreshing goes well with it.
• If you don't have Bucatini pasta, serve any thicker pasta with it. I used linguine.
• I substituted the real pepper with some pepper flakes and the white wine with some veggie stock I had on hand.

Ingredients
Salt
1 pound bucatini
EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling, plus a tablespoon
8 slices smoky bacon, chopped
3-4 spring Vidalia onions with a few inches of green tops intact, very thinly sliced or 2 leeks, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced then washed and dried
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 red chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped or 1 jalapeno or red Fresno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes)

1/2 cup dry white wine
Black pepper

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls, chopped
A handful of basil leaves, torn or shredded
A generous handful of grated pecorino, plus some to pass at table
Yields: Serves 4

Preparation
Heat a large pot of water to a boil for bucatini, season water with salt then cook pasta to al dente.
In a deep skillet or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid heat a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat, add bacon and cook to crisp, remove with slotted spoon and reserve on a paper towel covered plate. Drain off some fat if pan has more than a couple of tablespoons of drippings. Add spring sliced Vidalia onions or leeks, garlic and hot pepper and sauté 2-3 minutes then add tomatoes and stir to combine, cover pan. Shake pan occasionally and cook until tomatoes begin to burst, 6-8 minutes. Uncover pot and mash up tomatoes with wooden spoon, add wine and stir a 1-2 minutes. Season the sauce with some salt and black pepper to taste, then reduce the heat to low.

When pasta is ready, add a ladle of starchy water to sauce along with parsley, bacon and bucatini, toss 1-2 minutes with an extra tablespoon EVOO. Turn off heat and toss in basil and cheese, serve immediately