We're Moving!

I'm moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress.

Blogger is blocked at work, which makes it hard to share recipes with my co-workers, or check on my blog on my lunch breaks.....so we're moving!

Please note the new address, and head on over! You may see a variety of changes to the layout on the new wordpress blog over the next few weeks, but please be patient....I'm working out the kinks!

New Blog Address: http://www.kellycooks.wordpress.com

See ya over there!

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel Week 5

Week 5 contained just enough changes to give us hope, but not enough to actually get anywhere near finishing our bathroom.

*sigh*

This week our electrical was finished, including all new switches, outlets, light fixtures, heater, and exhaust fan. Hurrah!

Also this week, our flooring was put in. I like it (I originally wanted a stark black-and-white tile, but realized if I ever got sick of the current color scheme, such flooring would be a hindrance and not an asset, so we went with something a little more flexible) but it's a little more 'red' than 'gold'

Oh well. It's still a thousand times nicer than what we had.

Unfortunately, we had a call from the contractor on Thursday morning, explaining that when they went to stain our vanity with the color we'd chosen -- the wooden panels peeled back!!!

WTF??!?

So the contractor was having it fixed and/or a new one built by the guy who built the first one. The only thing anybody can figure out is the stain and these new "environmentally friendly" glues that are used didn't jive so well.

I don't really care what happened, as long as it doesn't happen again. Ever. Ya know?

So now we're on hold until Monday. We'll see what Monday brings!

Menu Mondays

I'm currently working on moving my blog over to Wordpress -- any advice or tips?
Blogger is blocked at my workplace, which makes it a pain to give co-workers recipes. Wordpress, however, is not blocked, so I'm thinking of switching camps....


Monday: Hopefully the cinnamon bun cake for my co-workers tomorrow; maybe soft pretzels. Steak, broccoli and pasta for dinner -- DH was away all weekend, so we're not doing anything for the holiday
Tuesday: Crockpot French Dip sandwiches, chips, salad
Wednesday: cheddar brauts on the grill, baked beans
Thursday: Crockpot French Dip leftovers
Friday: marinated grilled chicken, green beans, wild rice medley

Old-School Stuffed Peppers

I don't know why, but I've had a hankering for stuffed peppers lately.

What makes this odd, is that I HATE -- venhemently hate -- peppers. Most of my aggression is towards green peppers (which I think taste like toxic green clumps of dirt) but still.

Peppers are not my thing.

Nonetheless, I was hungry for them. So, I took out an ancient family recipe card, and made some changes, and came up with stuffed peppers.

They were deeeeeeeeelicious.

Old-School Stuffed Peppers

(Makes 8 medium-sized peppers full)

8 medium-sized peppers (I used all red, since my farmer's market had them)

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey (your pick)

1/2 cup minced onion

1 1/2 cups cooked rice (white or brown; your pick)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2-2 cloves of garlic, minced

2-15 oz. cans of tomato sauce

1 cup shredded cheese (your pick on type) -- optional

Directions

- Cut the tops of the peppers off, remove all the membranes and seeds. You can stuff these peppers whole, but I like to cut them in half and stuff each pepper half. Cut them however you'd prefer to do it.

- Cook the peppers in enough boiling water to cover them for 5 minutes, then drain

- Cook the ground meat and onion in a large skillet for 8-10 minutes over medium heat, until meat is browned and cooked through. Drain the meat and onion combination and return to the skillet

- Stir in the rice, salt, garlic and 1 can of the tomato sauce, cook until warmed through

- Heat oven to 350 degrees F

- Stuff pepper halves (or whole peppers if you go that route) and place in a casserole dish, stuffing-side up.

- If you have leftover filling, go ahead and spread that over the stuffed peppers

- Pour the remaining can of tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes; uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until peppers are tender

- Sprinkle with cheese (optional); serve.

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel, Weeks 3 & 4

Week 3 of our bathroom remodel (yes, that's right. The job they told us would be 3-4 days, has come to this point) was really not newsworthy.

Tallying it up later, I concluded that I only actually had contractors in my house for 6 hours, the entire week 3. SIX HOURS. That's not even a full day of work.

We complained to the contractor -- who got attitude and told us "he was trying to finish it".

bull. pucky. BULLPUCKY!!! If you were trying to finish it -- you'd have guys here for more than 6 hours in a week.

Unfortunately, said contractor is still holding most of our stuff for the bathroom hostage...so firing them isn't really an option.

Week 4 actually made some progress (noted in the images below). I got a painted ceiling, painted walls, and beadboard put up.

Note there is no:

- flooring

- vanity, vanity top, sink, or faucets

- outlets

- lights

- shower head

- toilet

- baseboard or chair rail

- also note that my stupid-expensive-bathtub is FULL of construction supplies. nice. real nice.

Contractor claims his guys will be back on Wednesday of week 5, to install flooring. What I'd like to know is why we can't install lighting, chair rail, and shower heads while we're waiting on the flooring to arrive. :P

This is easily going to be a 6 week project, if not longer. *sigh*

I miss my bathroom, guys.

Menu Mondays

Not much to report this week...

Sunday: Cinnamon Bun Cake for work
Monday: steak, broccoli/cauliflower mixture, pasta
Tuesday: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, homemade bread
Wednesday: stuffed peppers, old school style
Thursday: whiskey glazed pork chops, green beans and baked potatoes
Friday: stuffed pepper leftovers

Weeknight Paella

This was tasty! We have leftovers, and I anticipate that after it has been sitting overnight, it'll be even better!

I doubled the recipe below, because I had a full pound of shrimp and chorizo.

Weeknight Paella

(...and a cookie for dessert, by way of Cooking This and That)

2/3 cups yellow rice (Goya)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 pound chorizo, sliced

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons chicken broth

1 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1/3 cup frozen peas

Directions

- Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat

- Add rice and cook until it begins to toast, about 1-2 minutes

- Add shallot and garlic and continue to saute until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute

- Add shrimp, chorizo, and broth

- Cover pan tightly and reduce heat to medium-low

- Cook for 18 minutes

- Remove lid, add parsley and peas and cook until heated through

- Continue cooking uncovered until all liquid is absorbed.

Cinnamon Bun Cake

This is heavenly. Seriously. I basically ate it for breakfast and dessert all week! Oops?

I originally made it for my co-workers, but once DH tested it on Sunday....it wasn't allowed to leave the house. LOL

I'll be making this one again -- both for my co-workers as originally planned, and for DH's co-workers (at his request)

Cinnamon Bun Cake

(your home based mom, originally from Mentoring Moments)

Batter:
1 yellow cake mix
3/4 C oil
1/2 C brown sugar
4 eggs
8 oz. sour cream

Cinnamon Swirl:
1 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 C chopped pecans or walnuts (I left out)

Icing:
1 C powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp softened butter

Directions

- Heat oven to 325 degrees F

- For the batter mix the cake mix, oil, brown sugar, eggs, and sour cream together with an electric mixer

- In a separate bowl make the cinnamon swirl by mixing the brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans or walnuts

- Grease and flour a 9 x 13 cake pan and pour half of the cake mix into the baking pan

- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon, sugar, and nut mixture over the batter

- Pour the rest of the cake batter into the pan

- Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon nut mixture over the batter

- Run a knife through the cake mix to swirl the cinnamon--be careful not to touch the bottom of the pan with the knife

- Bake for 45 minutes

- When the cake is removed from the oven, blend the softened butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together until smooth

- Drizzle over the cake while still warm

It's a Ziploc Meal

Ziploc isn't a sponsor for me or anything, but after the meal I made Friday night, they could've been! I used the zip-top bags to save me some dishes in the end. I love doing that on Fridays, especially, because it means I get to relax after dinner!

Baked Cornflake Chicken Fingers and Roasted Potatoes

Chicken Fingers

1-1.5 lbs. chicken tenders, or boneless skinless breasts cut into tenders (My pack of tenders had 10 in it)

1 cup flour

seasoning you like (I use garlic salt, onion powder and black pepper)

1/2 stick melted butter

4-5 cups crushed cornflakes (make sure you crush them to oblivion -- they'll stick better)

Directions

- Mix flour and seasonings in a zip top bag and add chicken pieces; toss to coat

- Put cornflakes in a zip top bag and crush completely with a rolling pin or meat mallet. If you have a food processor, that would be awesome too

- Place melted butter in a shallow dish for dipping

- Place crushed cornflakes in another shallow dish (I use pie plates for both)
- Shake excess flour off of tenders, and dip in butter to coat, then dip in cornflakes, pressing to make sure they stick to the chicken

- Place on a foil-lined baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray

- Bake chicken at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes

- Serve

Roasted Potatoes

4-6 baking potatoes

2 tsp olive oil

garlic powder

onion powder

black pepper

Directions

- Thinly slice the potatoes (about 1/4" thick) and place in a zip top bag

- Add olive oil and seasonings; toss to coat potatoes

- Spread potatoes out on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed lightly with cooking spray

- Cook at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes

- Remove from oven; can eat as is, or sprinkle cheddar cheese over them and let it melt

Menu Mondays

Alas, still no bathroom.

This makes me NEVER want to do my kitchen!

I had some leftover meats in the freezer, so we're using those up this week

Sunday: stuffed french toast with strawberries for breakfast, loaf of bread for the week, baked oatmeal for my breakfast for the week,and a cinnamon bun cake I was originally taking to work, but DH has claimed for himself
Monday: steak, broccoli/cauliflower mix, pasta
Tuesday: pork ribs, wild rice, green beans
Wednesday: chicken thighs on the grill (haven't decided on a recipe), baked potatoes and veggies
Thursday: spaghetti and salad
Friday: weeknight paella

Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries

Last Friday, DH showed me an ad for a restaurant on the other side of town and said it was a shame we had to go over there to get delicious stuffed french toast (they were advertising it).

I told him we didn't; we could have it at home! We had homemade bread leftover, so I picked up some cream cheese and strawberries.

Stuffed French Toast with Strawberries

(Me)

For strawberries:

1 qt. strawberries, sliced

2-4 tbsp sugar

- Mix sugar and strawberries and place in the fridge. I like to do this the night before, so there is plenty of delicious strawberry juice for on the french toast

For the french toast:

4-6 slices of bread (can make more if you have more people to feed)

5-6 eggs

3/4 cup of milk

sprinkling of cinnamon

1 tsp of vanilla

Directions

- Mix the eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla together and place in a shallow dish(like a pie plate)

- Heat your griddle or skillet for medium heat
- Soak your slices of bread; taking care to leave them in long enough that they're completely saturated

- Cook each slice as your space permits (obviously a griddle cooks more at once than a skillet!)

The important stuffing part:

1 8oz block of cream cheese, room temperature (low fat is fine. it's what i used)

Directions

- Gently blend the cream cheese so that it is light and fluffy and easier to spread

- As your toast slices come off the griddle/skillet, slather one piece with cream cheese, and sandwich it with another piece of french toast

- Drizzle strawberry juice and strawberries over top

- If you're not ravenous by this point, you can add powdered sugar or whipped cream, but we didn't make it that far!

I'd say each person only needs one of these sandwiches. I couldn't even finish mine!

Pistachio Salad

Alright..it really doesn't photograph well. Especially at 9pm at night as leftovers.

This is definately an old-timey recipe, but it's a nice, light-feeling dessert on a hot night.

I love it, and I don't even LIKE actual pistachios!

Pistachio Salad

(No idea..family recipe?)

1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple

1-3.4 oz. box instant pistachio pudding

1- 8 or 9 oz. (I can't remember which it is?) Cool Whip

1 cup mini marshmallows

Directions

- Mix pistachio pudding mix with pineapple and juices in bowl

- Add marshmallows and cool whip; stir until completely blended; spoon into a container to store in fridge

- Refrigerate until set; about 3 hours; serve.

- Makes approx. a 9"x9" pan of salad

Broccoli Slaw

I made this slaw to take to work with me for lunch. I halved the recipe since it was just for me, but below is the full recipe.

It was very tasty, and really brought back memories because of the ramen noodles! (I ate a lot of ramen in college. I think most people do?)

This is best day-of and next day. After that the noodles start to lose their crunch and it isn't quite as good.

Broccoli Slaw

(Paula Deen)

2 bags (3-ounce) Ramen Noodle Soup in Oriental (other flavors will work, too)
3/4 stick butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 bags (12-ounce) bags broccoli cole slaw (in the bagged salad section of the grocery store)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
Chopped green onions, for garnish

Dressing Mix:
3/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown or white sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 ramen noodle seasoning packet

Directions
- Put the ramen noodles in a bag and crush them with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat.

- Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat).

- Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

- Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds, and sunflower seeds. - Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.

- Garnish with chopped green onions.

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel Week 2

Because I now realize that daily updates aren't an achieveable goal, I've moved to weekly.

Mostly because I go full days without a contractor in my house.

This week we accomplished the following. It should be noted for posterity that we've completed week two and are still A LONG WAY from a finished bathroom.

Next time, I'll write a timeline for work into the contract. Seriously. I'll accept input from the contractor on what's reasonable, but this is a basic bathroom remodel that should've been done a week ago.

1. The guys put my faucet and drain, etc in for my tub. They didn't put my showerhead in. I've no idea why. I also have plumbing sticking up through the flooring for my sink now.

2. They put lu-on? Something? Down on my floor to even it out and create a nice base for my new flooring. Except for some reason (lazy? weren't told to? can't think for themselves?) they put it over my rotten flooring by my toilet. Nice guys. Nice. This meant they showed up another day this week to fix it. At 7:20 a.m. WTF? But at least it's done right now.

In all honesty, those are the ONLY things that got done this week, but a few other gems stood out...

3. Contractor calls DH and tells him we need to pick out stain for our vanity. WHY? I have PICTURES of what I want! He's seen them! Why on earth can't the man building the vanity do this? Exasperated, and not trusting my contractor to do it, I go to Lowes and pick out stain. Just get the freaking thing done.

4. Contractor calls Friday at 3:45pm and says he can have the guys come out and do the first coat of mud on the drywall this afternoon if we hustle. Since we did not provide the contractor with a key, I fly out of my office 45 minutes before closing time, speed to get home to let them in. I get home, let them in, and in 5 minutes, they're walking out, explaining to me and the contractor that they don't have any mixed mud (WTF?) left for today, so they probably can't do it.

....so why did I have to come home and let them in?

Pictures on our meager progress below.

Menu Mondays

Pretty simple menu this week. Really, really hoping my bathroom is completed by the end of this week.

Sunday: making several things for the week ahead: white bread, spaghetti sauce, broccoli slaw, pistachio salad, and funfetti cookies (for work)
Monday: steak on the grill, broccoli/cauliflower, and pasta
Tuesday: smothered pork chops, rice, broccoli slaw or veggies
Wednesday: spaghetti and salad
Thursday: grilled pork chops (any good recipes??), wild rice and veggies
Friday: baked chicken fingers, garlic-parm fries, and salad

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel Days 3-5

Day 3: Incredibly-late plumber finally gets here, hooks up my basement shower (hurrah for showering!!!), and caps off the plumbing in the under-construction bathroom. And...that's it. no demo guys come back, and the electrician can't do anything until demo is complete. Nice.

Day 4: Today...today was not a good day, kids. Contractor remembers only half of our specifics, and gives the workers only half of said specifics. This results in DH coming home at lunch and having to correct all the mess-ups and missed details. This also results in DH getting flustered and telling the electrician, yes, put ALL OF THE OUTLETS RIGHT BESIDE THE SINK. I, of course, raise holy hell and protest this. I also discover, via DH, they tried to install an insanely cheap exhaust fan (we bought a stupid-expensive one in advance...that detail obviously got lost), and tried to put my electrical outlets so they'd be right under my vanity mirror. Except we don't have a vanity/top yet, so how the heck did they know where to put them? Exactly.

By the end of the day, all issues are resolved, and DH and I are beginning to wonder if we should start playing project manager every morning, since it appears that nobody else is.

Day 5: We're back in action. Electrician comes back (grumbling, mind you, but dammit I want my outlets moved away from my sink!), fixed outlets, and guys get my surround and tub installed, along with all my new ceiling and most of my new drywall. This, of course, is already Friday, Day 5 of the project that "should take 3-4 days". Pictures below.

Oh, and for those who knew I wanted to take the pink toilet outside in the yard and beat on it a la "Office Space" style, no -- I didn't get the chance. They carted it away. Good riddance!

Below are the precious outlets I had to fight tooth and nail for.

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel 2

It should be noted for posterity that not a single contractor came to my house today.

- The plumber has a guy out sick and is behind (I really am trying to be nice and not hope he has swine flu)
- The demolition guys can't finish until the plumber caps the sink/shower
- The electrician can't come in until the plumber caps the sink/shower and the demo guys get rid of the sink/tub
- And most importantly...I cannot SHOWER until the plumber comes and hooks up our temporary shower in the basement.

I've become amazing adept at showering with a bucket of water and my loofah.

Harumph.

Step Away From Food: Bathroom Remodel

For those wondering what this looks like (*wave* hi beth *wave*) here is "before" (aka when we moved in Oct 2008) and day 1 of bathroom remodel.

Yes, yes I did shower out of my kitchen sink this evening. Thanks for asking.

Menu Mondays

I love having DH make our meats on the grill. To hell with those who say it'll give me cancer! :P

Saturday: We had friends over -- we provided german potato salad, hot dogs (with fixin's for chili dogs), hamburgers (lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, ketchup, mustard), and friends brought chips, drinks, and yummy dessert!

Sunday: no cooking -- out enjoying the weather, and picking up supplies in anticipation of my bathroom demolition monday morning. eek!

Monday: steak on the grill, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, rice pilaf

Tuesday: leftovers from the weekend grill-a-thon

Wednesday: oil and vinegar marinated chicken on the grill, potatoes (or potato salad, if we're still eating it by then), green beans

Thursday: spaghetti with meat sauce, salads

Friday: leftovers

"Ice Cream" Cone Party Favor

Aren't these adorable?? My mom had them for our Easter dinner, so I thought I'd share them with you. She purchased them from a woman who makes and sells them as little favors.

I don't have any instructions on how it's put together, but we dissected one and came up with the following:

Melt chocolate in a double boiler, or, in the microwave.

Dip a large marshmallow into the chocolate, and then place in a small, child-sized ice cream cone, chocolate side down (probably have to go to a restaurant supply for the cones..they're pretty small?). This will keep the marshmallo adhered to the cone once it's dry. Then, gently take your marshmallow that's uncoated, and coat with chocolate. Either by dipping, or drizzling over. Add sprinkles, and let harden.

Adorable!

The pen is to give you an idea of size...hope it works!

Menu Mondays

DH (finally!) got a grill this weekend, so in honor of him and his excitement for grilling, I've incorporated several 'grill nights' into our menu this week.

Sunday: lemon coconut bread for my co-workers, bread for DH's lunches this week, and a strawberry cream dessert DH requested

Monday: steak (on the grill!), cauliflower with cheese sauce, rice pilaf

Tuesday: spaghetti with meat sauce, salad

Wednesday: spicy honey chicken (grill?), herbed baby red potatoes, green beans

Thursday: burgers (grill?), waffle fries, baked beans

Friday: finishing up the inevitable pile of leftovers from the week

Trying new sauces...

My own homemade spaghetti sauce is good, but, DH isn't the biggest fan of it. I thought it'd be fun to choose a few from the blogs I read, and try them.

The first one I made was from smitten kitchen. I doubled her recipe, because she warned it didn't make a lot....but somehow ended up with 3 containers full of sauce.

So luckily, we liked this one -- because we'll be eating it several times!

I changed it from a spaghetti-and-meatballs recipe, to just a meat sauce recipe. I love meatballs, but sometimes it's just easier when the meat's in the sauce.

Spaghetti Sauce

(adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 lb 80% lean ground beef (a little fat makes the sauce taste better)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups chopped yellow onion

3 tsp minced garlic

2 pinches red pepper flake

1 cup good red wine (I used some tomato sauce because i dont like to cook with wine)

29 oz. can pureed tomatoes

29 oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Directions

- Brown beef in large stockpot; remove to bowl and set aside

- In same stockpot, heat olive oil, then add onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5-10 minutes

- Add the garlic and red papper flakes and cook for 1 minute

- Add the wine (or tomato sauce), and move heat to high, scraping up all the brown bits from the meat. If using wine, cook until liquid is almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. If using tomato sauce, just turn heat back down to medium and continue

- Stir in tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper

- Simmer sauce as long as you like...at least 30 minutes. I simmered it for an hour.

"Ben-chiladas"

These "enchiladas" have been floating around on a lot of the blogs I read, and EVERYONE has enjoyed them!

We gave them a shot as well, and found them to be delicious. They reeeeeeeeeally aren't enchiladas...I'm not sure they have a single authentic ingredient...but they're still amazing.

This recipe also makes a lot more food than it looks. We had ben-chiladas for dinner three times, and poor DH ate some for lunches as well! We enjoyed them plain the first night, but found on subsequent re-heating nights that the filling kind of congeals...so we added some canned enchilada sauce to our leftovers and it was delicious all over again!

To reheat, Annie recommends 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes

Ben-chiladas

(Annie's Eats)

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 oz. reduced fat sour cream

8 oz. ranch salad dressing

flour tortillas (10-15)

jar of salsa (i used fresh)

shredded mexican cheese blend (as much as you want...anywhere from 2-4 cups!)

Directions

- Cook chicken breasts by preferred method, set aside to cool. When cool, shred or cube chicken (I skipped this step by baking my chicken and shredding it a few days before I made them)

- In a large mixing bowl, combine half the sour cream, and half the ranch dressing

- In a small bowl, combine the rest of the sour cream and the rest of the ranch dressing

- Stir both until well combined, then add shredded or cubed chicken to the large mixing bowl and mix well

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and grease a 9"x13" pan (and possibly another, smaller pan if needed -- it was needed for us)

- Take 1 tortilla and top with a little less than 1 tbsp of the sauce from the small bowl; spreading over the tortillas in an even layer

- Add some of the chicken mixture to the center of the tortilla, and top with salsa and cheese to taste

- Roll up the tortilla and place it seam-side down in your prepared baking dish

- Repeat until all ingredients are used up (Mine made 12 bursting-at-the-seams enchiladas on 10" tortillas with 4 chicken breasts)

- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes (30 for a crispier tortilla)

- Allow to cool a few minutes before serving

Grilled Baby Red Potatoes with Herbs

This is pretty simple, but so delicious....

Grilled Baby Red Potatoes with Herbs

(Mrs Sac's Purple Kitchen)

8 baby red potatoes, washed and cut into 1/4" to 1/2" slices

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tbsp coarsly chopped fresh parsley

Directions

- In a bowl, toss potatoes with olive oil, pepper, and garlic salt

- Spray a sheet of tin foil with olive oil or cooking spray, and spread the potatoes into thin layers (2-3 potatoes thick)

- Add any additional seasonings you enjoy, and fold up the tin foil, making a little packet on all sides

- Grill over medium heat, carefully flipping over once

- Cook for about 15-20 minutes

- Remove from grill and add fresh parsley before serving

Lemon Coconut Bread

I thought this combination sounded heavenly, so I baked up two loaves of this over the weekend. I took one into my co-workers....I may keep the other one!

Lemon Coconut Bread

(Baking Bites)

*Note: This bread is delicious on it's own, but toasted and slathered with butter it is a-ma-z-i-n-g!

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk (lowfat is fine)

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup sugar

2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened...it truly doesn't matter)

1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; grease and flour a 9"x5" loaf pan

- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt

- Stir in sugar and coconut

- In a medium bowl, or large measuring cup, whisj together the eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla

- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture

- Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain

- Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth; being careful not to overmix
- Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

- Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing

- Makes 1 loaf

Spicy Honey Chicken

The picture above is DH's handiwork...or rather, DHGM (Dear Husband-Grill Master) as he's been requested to be called on my blog :)

I got this one from Leigh -- her recipes are always fantastic!

Since DHGM finally, FINALLY was able to buy a grill (he's so happy!), I included a lot of grill-friendly recipes in this week.

This chicken can be done inside, under the broiler, or outside, on the grill. I love those flexible recipes!

Spicy Honey Chicken

(your home based mom)

*Note: You can change the "spicy" aspect of this recipe by how much cayenne pepper you put in!)

8 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs (I used chicken thighs, but bone in, and some leftover boneless breasts)

Rub:

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Glaze:

6 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Directions

- Combine the first six, 'rub' ingredients in a bowl and mix well

- Clean excess fat from chicken pieces and add pieces to bowl of spices, rubbing to coat

- Brush grill surface lightly with olive oil, and grill chicken for a few minutes on each side, until cooked through

- Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring until well combined

- Brush mixture onto chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling

- Since the glaze is sugar-based, you'l need to turn the heat down so your chicken doesn't burn; leave it on the grill a fw moments to caramelize

- You can also use these steps inside, under your broiler

Strawberry Cream Dessert

Sometimes, DH sees recipes, and brings them home to me to try. Since it's difficult to get him to tell me what he'd like me to make more of sometimes, I usually make anything he brings home as a request.

This was one of his requests, taken from a local 'free' newspaper called The Merchandiser. All the while I was making it, it sort of reminded me of my strawberry pretzel salad...I guess it was the use of jello and fruit.

There's a lot of 'processed' foods in this, but oh well. I'm far from a purist.

Strawberry Cream Dessert

(Local newspaper)

*Note from the recipe: This cool and elegant dessert will serve a crowd. You could use the chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos), for the crust if you'd like, but I think the golden variety is really nice.

30 Golden Vanilla Sandwich Cookies (Golden Oreos)

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 (6 oz.) package Strawberry Jell-O

1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 (6 oz.) can pineapple-orange juice (DH and I had a conversation that they USED to sell these 6 oz. cans of juice similarly to how they sell mango and pineapple juice in the ethnic sections nowadays. I had no luck finding these little cans, so I just bought myself a 64-oz. Dole Orange-Pineapple juice in the OJ section, and had tons left over for drinking/smoothies)

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups mashed or pureed strawberries (about 3 cups if you're using whole berries)

1 (8 oz.) tub of Cool Whip, thawed

Directions

- Crush the sandwich cookies by placing in a heavy-duty plastic zip bag and pounding with a rolling pin (I would think a food process would do this much easier/faster/cleaner)

- Place crumbs in a 9"x13" glass baking dish and pour melted butter over it.

- Mix well with a fork, and press the buttered crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Set aside

- In a large bowl (seriously...use a HUGE BOWL), combine gelatin with the boiling water, and stir until the gelatin mixture completely dissolves.

- Add the pineapple-orange juice, and the cold water, and stir well. Add the strawberry puree and mix.

- Refrigerate until the mixture becomes a bit thicker (about 10-15 minutes)

- Using a wire whisk, stir the thawed Cool Whip into the mixture until smooth

- Chill in the refrigerator for another 10-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens a bit more but is not set

- Pour over the crumb crust in the baking dish, cover, and chill for 4 hours or until set

- Dessert can also be frozen

- Serves 12-16

Menu Mondays

Just a quick peek at our menu this week...nothing fancy (I even have a two-nighter that revolves around canned soup. oh the horror!). We were out of town all weekend visiting my family...so this week is all about catching up.

Monday: steak (thanks dad for the omaha steaks!), broccoli, rice or pasta

Tuesday: cream of broccoli soup with chicken over waffles ("chicken and waffles")

Wednesday: eating out at The Vikings Club

Thursday: leftover chicken and waffles

Friday: homemade mac n cheese, leftover ham from easter

Tuna Ball

This is a 'different' twist on a tuna dip or spread. It's very tasty, and a little different.

It's good as a sandwich, or, on small slices of baguette, or tortilla chips (I like it best on tortilla chips)

Thanks for this one, dear co-worker-of-mine, Margaret!

Tuna Ball

(Margaret)

1 large can of tuna, drained

1 small can of tuna, drained

1 8oz. bar of cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp tabasco sauce (can use frank's)

1 tsp minced onion

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp chili sauce

Directions

- In a large bowl, blend together. If desired, form into a ball for serving and refrigerate

- Serve with baguette, or tortilla chips, or anything else you'd eat with tuna!

"Primanti Bros" Style Cole Slaw

I found this copycat recipe in a file -- it's supposed to be a 'copycat' of the Pittsburgh restaurant Primanti Brothers cole slaw.

It's actually pretty close. I'd say cut back on the oil (it's a bit much) but otherwise, on a sandwich, it DEFINATELY tastes like primanti!

We served it on pulled pork this time -- very tasty!

(Sorry, no pictures..we gobbled it up!)


"Primanti Bros" Style Cole Slaw
(SomeOldCookbookICan'tRemember)

1 head green cabbage, shredded
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons oil (don't use olive oil...the flavor would be too strong)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- Combine the shredded cabbage and onions in a bowl
- In a pot, dissolve the sugar into the vinegar and oil over low heat; add the salt and pepper and cool completely
- When cool, pour over the cabbage mixture and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving

Menu Mondays

I have some updates to make, but didn't get a chance this past weekend....

Sunday: Made tuna salad for us for lunch, almond sandwich cookies for my co-workers and DH's co-workers, cooked the chicken for the Ben-chiladas, and made spaghetti sauce for Wednesday's meal
Monday: steak, broccoli, rice pilaf
Tuesday: Ben-chiladas
Wednesday: Spaghetti with meat sauce
Thursday: Leftover ben-chiladas
Friday: Trip home for my mom's b-day and Easter!

Menu Mondays

We had some meat in the freezer, so we'll be using that this week...only 1 new recipe.

Sunday: Hopefully making some muffins to take into work tomorrow a.m...but only if there's time

Monday: steak, pasta, broccoli

Tuesday: pulled pork sandwiches, tater tots...maybe some coleslaw?

Wednesday: garlic shrimp pasta (we're making this one up as we go along, kids)

Thursday: leftover pulled pork

Friday: homemade chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles

WC Spring Exchange!

Thank you, thank you, thank you Sara! I participated in the WC Spring Exchange, where foodies sign up to exchange 'care packages' with each other. It's conducted through Elfster, which means your assigned person can ask you questions and find out information about you anonymously, and you don't know who was assigned to send you a gift until you receive it!

Sara sent me an AWESOME care package:

- A ton of colorful, beautiful sprinkle options (I see cupcakes in my future so I can play with these!!)

- A cookbook from Washington state (I want to start collecting home-style cookbooks from all over the country...Sara sent me my first one from afar!)

- A super-handy packet of RealSimple recipe cards -- I can't wait to try some of them!

- And finally, a set of spatulas -- I don't know about you, but I seem to go through spatulas like crazy.

Thank you again Sara!

Saucy Baked Chicken

This recipe was quite tasty -- we enjoyed it immensely served over pasta tossed with olive oil.

We'll make this one again!

Saucy Baked Chicken

(Lauren's Kitchen)

4-6 chicken cutlets (I used 3 chicken breasts I had left in the freezer)
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
1/4 cup olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 TBSP all purpose flour
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 and 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

- Preheat oven to 450.Pour oil into a casserole dish.

- Add chicken, onion and mushrooms, turning to coat with oil.

- Bake 5 minutes; turn chicken over and stir vegetables.

- Bake an additional 5 minutes.

- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk flour into chicken broth.

- Add vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper, stirring well.

- When chicken has cooked for 10 minutes, add broth mixture to casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 10 minutes.

- Remove foil; stir vegetables and bake, uncovered, until sauce bubbles and is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

- Heat broiler. Turn chicken over. Place dish 6 inches from heat and broil until chicken just starts to turn golden, about 3-5 minutes.

- Serve immediately.

Cafe Rio Pork

*Ignore the pot it's in -- I had DH remove it from the crockpot early, and was just heating it up on the stovetop!

I've never been to Utah. I'd never even heard of Cafe Rio until I started reading LeighAnne's blog.

But she talked about how delicious their food was so often, that when she finally posted a recipe for the pork they serve at the restaurant, I decided I had to try it (and the fact that it was a crockpot meal with only 3 ingredients didn't hurt either!)

This pork is the most amazing and delicious pork I think I've ever eaten. It's good plain, on salads, in quesedillas, in tacos, in burritos, on nachos -- just about anything you can think of.

This pork is THAT good.

Now, admittedly, I'm not really a pork-in-my-mexican-food kind of girl. I know its relatively common in REAL mexican, but I tend to stick to chicken and beef in my kind.

No longer. Now, it's this pork or nothing!

I honestly can't wait to make it again!!

Cafe Rio Pork

(your home based mom)

1-2 lb. pork tenderloin (I used just a standard pork roast. Really, it doesn't matter what you use -- the crockpot will make the meat juicy and tender anyway)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups fresh salsa

Directions
- Mix sugar and salsa, pour over pork.

- Cook in crock pot for 8 hrs. on low.

- When done shred with two forks and return to juice in crock pot and allow liquid to absorb.

- Serve with tortillas and all the fixins!