Lazy days

It was back to work on Thursday for me.  (I have been off the entire summer- one of the perks of being a teacher.)  By the time I'm home for the day, I have been ready to collapse.  I cooked Friday night- something simple, just spaghetti with garlic & oil.  I learned something though.  I usually add too much oil but this time it was perfect.  I used 6 tbsp oil, 6 cloves of garlic thinly sliced, 1/2 cup cooking water (that the spaghetti was cooked in) and 2 boxes of spaghetti.  The combination was perfect thanks to my great cookbook, The Joy of Cooking. (The hubby said he was hungry and wanted to take some for work, so I made a lot.  He forgot to take it, so we had the leftovers for dinner last night but I added some steamed broccoli to it.  It was yummy.  :)

Tonight we are going to a bbq so no cooking tonight either.  But I promise I will be back tomorrow with more!

Ina's Zucchini Gratin

3/4 stick butter (6 tbsp) plus extra for the topping

1 lb yellow onions, cut in half and sliced (3 large onions) I used pre-sliced onions that I had leftover from another cooking adventure. So they were just the round pieces, not cut in half.  Sorry Ina.

2 lbs zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick (4 zucchini) I used what I had here- it was 1 zucchini and 1 summer squash.

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp flour

1 cup hot milk I never have whole milk in my refrigerator- instead, I drink Skim Plus, which does not thicken at all like regular milk does.  If you do the same as me, mix a little bit of water with a tbsp of cornstarch, then add this to the mixture.  And just remember that you HAVE to mix the cornstarch with some type of liquid before you add it to the milk, otherwise it will be lumpy.  I learned that the hard way when I was making something else.  But in any case, it will thicken up perfectly, and will be much less fattening.  If you do not use the cornstarch, it will NOT THICKEN AT ALL!

3/4 bread crumbs

3/4 cup grated Gruyere Used mozzarella instead.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Melt butter in a very large saute pan & cook onions over low heat for 20 min, or until tender but not browned.  Add zucchini & cook, covered (oops I thought it said uncovered when I read this- but it still came out good) for 10 minutes, or until tender.  Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and cook uncovered for 5 more min.  Stir in flour.  Add hot milk & cook over low heat for a few minutes, until it makes a sauce.  This is where I added in the cornstarch/water mixture I made.  Pour mixture into an 8x10 baking dish.

Combine bread crumbs & cheese, and sprinkle on top of zucchini mixture.  Dot with 1 tbsp butter cut into small bits, and bake for 20 min or until bubbly & browned.

DELICIOUS! I served this with breaded chicken cutlets (my hubby was begging for them) and a nice green salad.  It was the perfect meal.  I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today!! :)

Um yea WW soup..... gone

So I ate it for lunch and didn't feel like cooking for dinner, so guess what I ate?  Yep, I finished off the WW soup and the last of the peach-a-berry pie.  I am so full right now that I can hardly move.  I also have no clue what to make for dinner tomorrow.  

I went to a farmer's market this weekend and picked up the following:  fresh Jersey corn & tomatoes, onions, strawberries, plus I have a half a head of cabbage, a zucchini and a squash.  What the heck can I make with all of this for dinner tomorrow?  Maybe some kind of zucchini pie with zucchini, squash & onions.  I can save the strawberries to nibble on, and make a big salad with the tomatoes and some lettuce.  But then that leaves the cabbage and corn.  Hmmmm, I'll have tot hink something up for those two.  But in the mean time, here's  a recipe for zucchini gratin courtesy of my favorite TV chef, Ina Garten.

Time savings tip: freeze your homemade sauce

If you are like me and you really are not a fan of jar sauce, my advice is this--- the next time you make your own sauce (or anything else that will freeze well) make double so you can freeze it.  The next time you don't feel like cooking but don't want take out, you can just thaw it out and you're ready to go.  (Dinner tonight is tomato sauce that I made a while ago and froze.  I just took it out a few hours ago, thawed it out, and when DH gets home I will make some macaroni to go with it.  Quick and easy!  :)

Going out to eat

I understand that it's easier to split a bill evenly when there is a large group of people going out to eat.  I am always fine with it.  What I am NOT fine with is when people abuse it.  We went out tonight with two other couples.  They all drank heavily; DH and I do not drink at all.  In fact, I had water all night (free!) and DH had one soda (like $1.50!!!).  So when the bill came, and they said it was $120 per couple, I kicked DH under the table.  That is ridiculous, when at least $75 of that $300 bill was in beverages that we didn't even drink!!!!  But we paid it, and either there will not be a next time with these two couples or we get separate checks.  This was just unfair and very, very rude.  I am done ranting.

Peach-a-berry pie + splenda = ewww

We stopped at a fresh fruit market today and they had some gorgeous peaches, so i bought them and told my dad I'd make him a peach-a-berry pie, since my little brother seems to have eaten most of the last one.  My mom asked if I could try it with baking splenda instead of sugar (sugar + diabetic = bad! lol) I obliged and bought it.... and ewwww.... it tasted icky.  The berries didn't pop like they did the other two times I made it, and it just tasted like, well, a diet pie.  The moral of the story is --- DO NOT BAKE WITH SPLENDA.  

WW Zero Points Vegetable Soup

My mom used to make this almost every day, and I liked it a lot (I love veggies!)  But my mother-in-law's version of it was to die for!!  So now that I am cooking on my own, I am going to try to combine the two and make a version that I love.

Here is the recipe I used:

6 cups low fat chicken broth (which is what I always used and DH had no clue.  Now he insists that he doesn't like it and I have to buy regular.  I buy the low sodium when he's not around lol)

Cooking spray

2 carrots, peeled & diced (I only had one so that was all that got added in my soup, o and I didn't peel it either)

1 large onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cabbage, chopped

1/2 lb frozen green beans (I substituted fresh mushrooms here)

2 tbsp tomato paste (my mom uses V8 here, I just used a small can of Hunt's tomato sauce)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano (didn't have any so I used 2 tsp of Italian seasoning - yes I added two- I like seasonings)

1 tsp salt

1 large zucchini, diced

Spray dutch oven with cooking spray and heat on medium high.  Add the carrots, onion and garli cand cook for 5 min.  Add all of the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the zhcchini and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium; simmer for 15 minutes (if you used green beans, they should be tender by the end of this 15 min.)  Add zucchini and cook until tender.  Serve & enjoy!

As I sit here ready to add in the zucchini, it smells AMAZING in here.  I wonder if DH will want to eat this instead of the hamburgers I've been saying I'll make him????  Much healthier alternative................ 

Update:  DH wanted his burgers, so I made them and I even ate one too.  I used my grill pan again- not the best way to make a hamburger, but it is what we have to use since we don't have an outside to have an actual bbq.  Anyway, the soup was great except it needed much more salt than one teaspoon.  I added in about 2 tbsp for this entire pot- which still isn't a lot.  It may cause it to be more points, but it just tasted so much better.    O and don't eat this soup if you have to be around people..... cabbage=major gassy vegetable!!! LOL

Steaks & asparagus on the grill pan = SUPER EASY

DH had a friend & his girlfriend come over yesterday and they were starving.  Rather than get something unhealthy for takeout (McDonalds, ew.  Wraps, too many carbs, etc.) we decided to get steaks and just throw them on my grill pan (yea I got to try it out!)  I went the easy way since we didn't have any time to marinate.  I just rubbed them with garlic olive oil (which I made myself- basically I just used about 3 cups of extra virgin olive oil and cooked an entire head of garlic in it on a very low flame for about a half an hour. SO YUMMY!), salt and pepper.  I threw those babies on the grill and the outcome was yummy.  My only confusion was that they didn't turn a dark brown color- they were a very, very pale brown, but were definitely cooked all the way through.  In fact, DH said they were a little teeny bit overcooked (I tend to do that when I'm unsure, but at least they weren't burned!)  I also made asparagus on the grill too using the same method- evoo, salt & peper.  Then I just threw them on the pan and yum.

So it was a quick and easy dinner, but now those burgers are in my refrigerator.  Maybe I will cook them up for lunch. 

Back on WW

FYI as of today I am back on Weight Watchers.  Well, not officially, but I have gained 5 lbs since the wedding that I'd like to get rid of.  I am a diabetic and with keeping my weight down I am also able to keep my sugars in control.  So the recipes you see from now on will be somewhat healthier.  

What I used to do was basically make whatever DH wanted, but substitute the ingredients with healthier alternatives.  Like an recipes requiring heavy cream would always get light cream or it would be omitted if possible.  Instead of butter, I use butter spray (I Can't Believe It's Not Butter.)  I only buy Skim Plus milk and Light N'Healthy orange juice.  Crystal Light is a staple in my frig. So here I go.......... Good luck to me!

Quick meal to test out my new grill pan

I bought this grill pan from Bed, Bath and Beyond yesterday when I was attempting to replace my broken George Foreman Grill.  We will be making a nice simple meal of hamburgers on it just to test it out and see how it works.  (We haven't made burgers since we moved into our apartment almost one year ago!!!  Whenever we've had a craving for them, we've had to go to either his parents or my parents house and beg them to turn on the bbq!  Of course they won't taste the same, but for an apartment building, they will have to do.)

O and that peachaberry pie that I made yesterday for my dad... let's just say that my brother ate most of it and only left my dad a tiny piece.  He was not happy with him lol.

Shepherd's Pie

Recipe from The Joy of Cooking.

For the mashed potato topping:

1.5 lbs all purpose potatoes, peeled & quatered

1 tbsp butter

salt & pepper to taste

For the meat filling:

3 tbsp vegetable oil (I use canola oil)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 lb ground beef (my dad suggested meatloaf mix- I will try this next time)

1 tbsp all purpose flour (my mom used turkey gravy instead for this)

3/4 cup chicken or beef broth

1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1.5 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1.5 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I skipped this as I had none)

pinch of grated or ground nutmeg

salt & pepper to taste

2 tbsp butter, cut into small pieces

Cook potatoes until tender, about 15 min. D rain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.  Transfer potatoes to a bowl and mash with reserved cooking water and 1 tbsp butter, and salt/pepper.  Beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Combine in large skillet: vegetable oil, onion, carrot, celery.  Cool over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Increase heat to medium and add meat.  Cook until it looses its pink color.  Drain fat.  Stir in flour.  Cook for 2 min.  Add broth, thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, salt, pepper.  Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened about 5 min.  Transfer to a greased pie plate or baking dish.  Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, and scatter butter on top.

Bake until potatoes are brown and dish is heated through, about 30 min.  Let cool slightly and serve from baking dish.

Makes 4 servings, but it goes REALLY fast!!  Enjoy!!  

I left out the rosemary and thought it was delicious.  I don't think I cooked it long enough though as the top didn't really get crispy.  My mom made it last night and hers came out much better than mine- she used turkey gravy instead of the flour and used fresh thyme & rosemary.    Her top was also crispy  I liked hers better, but honestly, both were good!!!! :)

Special dinner for tomorrow night

Tomorrow is our one month wedding anniversary.  I really cannot believe that we got married an entire month ago!!!!  I feel like we spent our whole lives planning it, and it went by so quickly!

Anyway, I am planning a nice candle lit dinner complete with sparkling cider (we don't drink) in our wedding toasting flutes, salad, some kind of appetizer, entree & dessert (well, dessert will be the left over pie lol.  Maybe I should've waited and made it tomorrow but I couldn't resist!!)

What will I make?  Possibly a shrimp dish (I love shrimp!!!) that doesn't require me to turn the oven on (it gets so hot in our apartment otherwise! I thought I was going to die when I made the pie today!!)  DH loves this shrimp alfredo I make, or even shrimp scampi with linguine.

Hmm well now that I'm thinking about it, I think I am just going to make a nice big salad, the linguini with shrimp scampi & the left over pie for dessert..... and then comes the REAL dessert.  ;)

Peach-a-berry pie... finally!

So I am finally making this pie, which I promised my wonderful hubby that I'd make on Saturday for him.  I even bought vanilla ice cream to top it with, but he wound up working several overtime shifts in the past few days that I thought it would be a waste.  But now the peaches don't look like they are going to hold out much longer, so today's the day!

The one substitution I am making is using blueberries instead of raspberries (couldn't find any, believe it or not!)  So I will let ya know how it comes out!! :)

Comments:  The pie was delicious!  I had a piece with some fat free whipped cream, and I seriously thought about licking the plate.  DH had it with vanilla bean ice cream and he liked it as well.  He said he liked it slightly better with raspberries, but the blueberries were good too.  Next time I make this, I will try to find raspberries or use frozen.  O and people said that if you throw the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds, then in an ice bath (blanche them) it makes it really easy to remove the skins.  I will definitely try that too.

Key Lime Pie & Tequila Lime Chicken

My mom, who absolutely hates to cook (where the heck did I come from????) got inspired by Ina Garten today (Barefoot Contessa.)  She saw the episode where she makes frozen key lime pie (my dad's favorite), tequila lime chicken, guacamole & corn pudding. (She did not make the corn pudding due to oven problems.)

The result:

Frozen Key Lime Pie --  She said it was amazing.  Her only change was that she used a store bough graham cracker crust.  Very easy to make.  When I spoke to my dad a few days later, he said it was disgusting and he threw it out!!  So who knows who has the right opinion......

Tequila Lime Chicken  -- very good 

Guacamole -- I've made it before using her recipe and it is definitely my favorite guacamole recipe.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

I will be the first one to admit that I know NOTHING about the different cuts of meat.  I buy what looks good and is priced right, regardless of what it's called.  Chuck, angus, pot roast, brisket..... it's all another language to me.  All I know is that so far everything I've made since I've lived with DH has been pretty good despite my lack of knowledge.  (The one mistake I did make and will never make again is buying chicken THIGHS instead of BREASTS.  DH does NOT like thighs!!!)

So today I am  making slow cooker pot roast using these boneless spare ribs I bought at Costco.  Shun me if you will, but I think it will come out pretty damn good.  (I made pepper steak using them- I just sliced them up mighty thin- and it was fabulous!  So I figure after 5 hours in my crock pot, they will be just as good.

I found a recipe online and altered it to use the veggies I had laying in my frig:

1 can of Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 package of Lipton's onion soup mix (I used the Savory Herb one since that was on sale)

1.5 cups of water

3 lbs of meat (I used the boneless spare ribs)

5 yukon gold potatoes

3 carrots

3 stalks of celery

Directions (And this so cannot be easier!!) Cut up the veggies and the meat.  Throw everything in the crock pot.  Mix well.  Put on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 10 hours.  Enjoy over egg noodles.

O and that reminds me I need to get egg noodles when I go out today.  :)

I will post the results as soon as it's done folks!!!!

Results- it came out very good.  My only gripe is that the gravy didn't thicken at all.  So it was like all these veggies in juice.  Weird.  But it was definitely yummy.  O and about 1 hour before it was done, I added in some Italian seasoning (about 2 tbsp) and salt/pepper (one tbsp salt, one tsp pepper.)  DH said it wasn't salty enough but he still liked it and would like to have it again.  

O and it is even better the following night as left overs!  The gravy thickened up and it was so yummy!!!!!!

What to make for dinner tomorrow???

Anyone have any suggestions?  DH & I are up to try anything.  We don't want chicken though, as I made that for dinner last night.  Maybe a nice pasta???  HelP!

Calzones

I am home alone right now (DH is working a double) and I am starving!  I was searching for a recipe that would use both the Pillsbury biscuits I bought as well as the left over ricotta cheese in my frig when all of a sudden I remembered watching Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller.  She made a calzone that used store bought pizza dough, ricotta cheese and some other ingredients.  She added brocolli into her (which I would've loved but didn't have any- so I just made a plain old calzone.  

Broccoli & Cheese Calzone - Robin Miller

www.foodnetwork.com

1 (15 oz) container of part-skim ricotta - Used 7 oz (half container)

8 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella - I actually used string cheese (8 of them)

1 (10 oz) package broccoli florets, thawed & drained - left out

Salt & pepper

1 lb bread or pizza dough, thawed - Used one package of Pillsbury biscuits 

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1.  In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella & broccoli.  Mix well.  Seaon with salt & pepper.

2.  Roll dough out to 12-inch circle.  Spread cheese filling over 1 side of circle, to within 1 inch of the edge.  Lift 1 side of dough & fold over so that it meets the other side, forming a half moon, and pinch edges together to seal.

3.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4.  Transfer calzone to a large baking sheet.  Sprinkle the top with cheese.  Bake 15 minutes, until puffed up golden brown.  Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

I made some substitutions here, as you see above.  O and I added about 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning to the cheese mixture.  One container of biscuits was enough for half of the cheese mixture.  I wound up with 2 calzones.

The result was really good!  Next time, I will make this the night after I make some marinara sauce so I have something to dip it into to!!!  :)  

Peach season

I just saw a commercial for Good Morning America.  Apparently it is peach season and tomorrow morning they will have a chef on with tons of peach recipes.  Yum!

Peach-a-berry pie

We had people over last week and they brought this pie over for dessert.  It was so good warm, and even better cold the next day with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!  DH and I were fighting over the last piece lol.

I am planning on making it on Saturday for him.   If you want to make a really good pie, give this one a shot. Chloe, the chef, said it was so simple.  

Here is the recipe. Chloe said she didn't let the fruit drain, and I can assure you it was still fabulous!  Enjoy!

Some of my favorite recipes

I figured while I was sitting here, I'd give you a list of recipes that I've tried and have loved!  (All recipes are from Foodnetwork.com- my favorite recipe webpage!!!)

Ina Garten's Recipes (Barefoot Contessa) - FYI in case you don't know, most of Ina's recipes are NOT diet friendly at all.... so be careful !

Turkey Lasagna

Linguine with Shrimp Scampi

Guacamole

Parmesan chicken

Deep dish apple pie

Garlic mashed potatoes (DH loves this one too! Awesome if you love garlic like we do!!)

Portobello Lasagna (good if you love mushrooms & the flavor of nutmeg.)

Chicken pot pie

Sour cream coffee cake

Elie Kreiger's Recipes (Healthy Appetite) - 

Vanilla spice oatmeal

Penne with roasted tomatoes, garlic & white beans (SO QUICK & EASY!!)

Paula Deen's Recipes (Paula's Home Cooking)- 

Smoky Portobello Soup (I skip the smoke in it, but it is so yummy!!)

Shrimp & wild rice casserole

Old time beef stew

Baked rice pudding

Giada De Laurentiis (Everyday Italian) - 

Italian wedding soup

Parmesan crusted pork chops

Food Network Kitchens - 

Creamy Tomato Soup (DH LOVES THIS ONE!!!)

Shrimp with garlic cream sauce over linguine

Emeril Lagasse-

Basic marinara sauce (but I add in a few pieces of turkey sausage. so good!!)

Chicken Peau

Recipe taken from Caribbean Cuisine by Dr. Betty "K" 

Book purchased during our honeymoon in Jamaica. 

This is the first recipe I've tried from this cookbook, and I will admit that it was pretty good.  This is a "must try" for the beginning cook who likes the flavor of curry.  My comments and substitutions are in red.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 lbs chicken, cut up - I only used 1.5 lbs, as that was what I had in my freezer

1 tbsp curry powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp fresh thyme, minced - I used dried thyme (same amount)

1 hot pepper, seeded & minced - I used cayenne pepper to taste (probably about 2 tbsp)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cups water

2 cups long-grain rice, washed - I used a bag of the "boil in a bag" rice

1 tbsp butter

1/4 cup chopped green onions - I totally omitted this

1.  Season chicken with salt, pepper, curry powder, garlic, thyme and hot pepper.  Let stand for 2-3 hours. 

2.  Heat oil; saute onions & chicken until golden brown; add marinade and enough water to cover chicken pieces.  Simmer gently for 30 minutes. There really wasn't any marinade to add here, as the seasonings were more of a rub than a marinade.  So I just made sure I got everything out of the bowl where I had the chicken, and added in some water (it only took about 2 cups to cover it all.

3.  Strain the stock, measure; add enough water to make 4 cups.  Return stock to chicken pieces; stir in rice, cover & simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.  Add butter and green onions.  Serve hot. You really don't need to strain anything if you know how much water you added in in step 2.  I strained it not even realizing this until I had already done it!  I also was upset when I realized that I didn't have any long grain rice- all I had was the "boil in a bag" kind, so I just put the entire bag in and cooked it that way.  I then dumped everything out into a big bowl, poured the rice in, and added the butter.  I did NOT add any green onions.

DH loved this recipe, but I wish it made a little bit more.  Next time I will definitely use more chicken and make something to go with this.  I wanted to make roti to go with it (there is a really simple recipe for it in the same cookbook, but I just never got around to making it today lol.)  I had garlic mashed potatoes from the other night in the frig, so we finished those off with this.  It was a good combo!  

I will definitely make it again.

Starting my new blog!!

After getting married and finding that Theknot.com is now somewhat irrelevant to me, I decided to get involved with creating a recipe blog like the ones I've found on Thenest.com.  They seem very helpful and amazing to find great recipes, so here is my attempt!  I will post on here as often as I can (at least, when I cook!) and hopefully you will find some inspiration from me!  :)