Another meal of Leftovers--Masher Bites!

This meal was inspired by the Masher Bites at The Best Little Roadhouse. And also by the leftover steak and mashed potatoes in my fridge!
The menu describes the Masher Bites as, "Tenderloin and button mushrooms sautéed in red wine demi-glace served over our garlic mashed potatoes."
So--that was my goal! (Even though I don't know what a "demi-glace" is!)
I didn't measure much of anything in this--so I apologize. But, I can give you the gist of it.
First, I melted butter and mixed in some flour. Then, I added beef broth and marsala wine, garlic, and a little worcestershire sauce. I let it simmer and thicken.
While that simmered, I sauteed mushrooms, onion and garlic in a little butter. I added that to the sauce.

Then, I sliced the steak very thinly and warmed it in the same pan I cooked the onions and mushrooms in. Slicing it very thinly allows the steak to heat up, without overcooking it.

I had some mashed potatoes (and cauliflower!) leftover, and I just added another potato or two to the mix and mashed them in. (I didn't do garlic mashed potatoes--no time!)
Anyway, I served the steak and sauce with the mashed potatoes and a salad and it was great!
Ryan, in typical three year old fashion, at first absolutely refused to eat anything. We made him take a few bites and then he decided that he liked it after all!
It was really good, and a great way to use leftovers that would have gone to waste otherwise!

Fooled them! Deceptive Mashed Potatoes

I bought the Deceptively Delicious cookbook a few years ago, and have only made a few things from it. But, I have heard that cauliflower can be mixed or substituted for mashed potatoes and I was willing to try it. The recipe was in the cookbook, so I thought I would give it a go! Truthfully, cauliflower is not my favorite veggie and Jamie will not eat it. The jury is still out on Ryan, but since we don't like it much, Ryan hasn't had it much.
I bought some cauliflower last week and decided to try it tonight. I had to make some modifications since I didn't have any buttermilk. But this is my version!

4 medium sized red potatoes
2 tablespoons butter
skim milk (didn't measure)
3/4 cup of pureed cauliflower
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese

For the pureed cauliflower, I steamed it in the microwave until it was tender and then put it in the blender with a little water.
I peeled and then boiled the potatoes, then mashed them with my mixer and added the butter, milk, salt, pepper and pureed cauliflower. Then, I added a few pours/shakes of parmesan cheese. (I thought it needed a little something.)

The results--Ryan ate it without a complaint. Jamie ate it, pronounced it delicious and was surprised when I told him about the cauliflower. I also liked it!
Three thumbs up for this one at my house, and I got my family to eat a veggie that they otherwise wouldn't touch!

What is in Pam?

Confession: I am very skeptical of Pam cooking spray. What is in it? And how is it different than just buttering or greasing a pan? And why are there no calories in it?
While we are on the subject--"butter" for the popcorn at the movies? What in the world is in that? Real butter makes the popcorn wet--but this stuff doesn't. I suspect it is just butter flavored hydrogenated oil. Makes me a little nauseous just thinking about it.
I refuse to buy Pam or use it--and just substitute olive oil or butter instead. I am beginning to subscribe more and more to the theory--if you can't tell where it came from, don't eat it! Now, by employing this logic, I can rationalize a LOT. Cheesecake--eggs, butter, cream cheese. Yep, I can figure out where all those came from! Note: I'm not obsessive about this. We do eat things that are processed.
What ingredients do you refuse to use when you cook?

Leftovers...Re-invented!

I made this awhile ago, but hadn't gotten around to posting! I know grilling season is almost over, but this was too good not to post!
I don't know about your family, but we sometimes don't get leftovers eaten. Especially if it is just a chicken breast or one pork chop. But, we had 2 chicken breasts leftover from when we grilled teriyaki chicken and I wanted to use them! But, I hate how re-heating meat dries it out, which is why unless it is soup or a cassrole, it doesn't get eaten!
So, I cubed the chicken (large cubes) and put them in a foil packet. I added fresh pineapple to the packet. Then, I made another packet of pineapple and also made a packet of sliced Walla Walla Sweet onions. (I added a little butter and salt and pepper to the onions). I put all the packet on the grill over medium heat for just about 10-15 minutes.
I thought about kebabs, but didn't really want to give my three year old a sharp stick to eat off of!
)
So, after about 15 minutes, the packet was hot and the chicken was still moist, not dried out.
I served this with some brown basmati rice and called it good!
Pineapple on the grill is amazing anyway, and the chicken and the onions were great with it.
And REALLY healthful meal!
Sorry, there is no after picture for this--Ryan made a lake in his sandbox while I was chopping the pineapple and it was quite the clean up!

By Request: Tortilla Soup!

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

4 Chicken Breast halves

2- 15 oz cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

2- 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 - 14 1/2 oz can tomato sauce

1 - 4 oz can green chiles (drained)

1 cup of salsa

Taco seasoning--to taste

Toppings:

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients (not toppings) in a crock pot. (I put my chicken in there frozen). Cook for 8 hours on low. Just before serving shred chicken with a fork.

Top each bowl with cheese, sour cream and chips.

Super easy--if you can open a can and push a button, you can make this recipe!! Ryan loves it too!

Challenge: Use your Crock-Pot this week!

It was quite a day. First day where I had to get both boys up and ready to go by 7 a.m. First day where I really was flying solo. Jamie had to work, no mom here to help out. The first half of the day was a little overwhelming--the second half was torture. Just imagine a sleep deprived three year old and about a hundred tantrums and you'll get close.
There is a silver lining!
While I was up at 5:30 getting myself ready before the boys got up, I started the crock pot. I threw together tortilla soup and switched it on before we left. Fast forward to 5:00 p.m. and the boys and I were just getting home from the ENT checkup. We've had about 50 tantrums by this point....but dinner is done! All I have to do is shred the chicken and grate a little cheese. Seriously, if I would have been responsible for actually cooking a meal at 5:00 today, we would have had pizza. It really was wonderful and a stress-reliever!
So--I'm issuing a challenge to you! Use your crockpot this week. (If you know you have a busy afternoon, pick that day!) Then, please leave a comment and let me know what you made!
I know it is hard to predict when your children will be monsters but any day where you think it might be tricky to get dinner made is a good night!

Apple Pie Bars

We had a potluck this past weekend with our Sunday School class and I made Apple Pie Bars. They were a hit, and I was asked to share the recipe. I first made these about 6 years ago and haven't made them since. Not quite sure why, because they are great!

I had picked up some Gravenstein apples this past week and this was the perfect time to use them! I used my Pampered Chef peeler, corer and slicer which made the prep a lot easier!

The original recipe is from Taste of Home, however, I had a few problems with their recipe and made some modifications. There was just not enough crust for these bars. I had to make extra and piece it together since I just didn't have enough to fill the pan and cover the filling. So, this recipe below is the exact same, but with the proportions changed to make more crust. If you don't need it all, you just trim off the extra. Always better to have too much than too little. And WAY less stress! I was panicking trying to patch the crust and make extra after it was already rolled out and 1/2 covering the apple filling!
Well worth the effort though, I had forgotten how good these are.

Ingredients
Crust
-6 cups all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 1/2 cups shortening
-6 egg yolks
-12-15 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
--7 cups finely chopped peeled apples (About 5 large apples)
--2 cups sugar
--1/4 cup all-purpose flour
--2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
--Dash ground nutmeg (I forgot this this time!)

Glaze
-1 cup confectioners' sugar
-1 tablespoon milk (the original recipe calls for 2%, I used skim with no problems)
--1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until mix is crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice and water; gradually add to flour mixture, tossing with a fork. Add more water if it seems too crumbly. My crust seemed really dry and I think more water would have helped. Divide in half. Chill for 30 minutes.

Roll out half of the dough between two large sheets of waxed paper into a 17-in. x 12-in. rectangle. (Do NOT mis-read the recipe and try to put the crust into a 17 by 12 inch pan. It will not fit right and you will have to try to move the crust! This is what happens when you cook with lots of interruptions!!)
Transfer to an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Press pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of pan. Roll out the other half of the dough.

Combine the apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg and pour over the crust. Spread evenly and top with the second rolled out crust. Pinch the edges to seal the two crusts and brush with water if needed to seal. My crust was full of holes and vents, but if yours is nice, cut a few vents in the top.

Bake at 375° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Combine glaze ingredients until smooth. Put glaze in a ziplock sandwich bag, cut off the corner and drizzle glaze over the bars once they have cooled a little. These are great when they are still warm!

Makes about 2 dozen bars.
Happy Baking!

Chocolate Ricotta Icebox Cake

Thank you Martha for this great recipe!

This really was pretty easy. Put the cookies in the pan and run the ricotta through a food processor. Melt the chocolate, blend it in with the ricotta, add some whipped cream and layer it over the cookies.
--I misread the recipe and used 32 oz. of ricotta instead of 30 and 14 oz. of chocolate instead of 12. I figure it evens out. I also added a little powdered sugar to my whipped cream.

My mom was here for a few days and enjoyed this with us. Ryan really liked it also. And, it is hard to go wrong with this much chocolate and calories!

Chicken Wellington

I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! I have made it once before and while it is not necessarily quick and easy, it isn't too complicated.
I have adapted this recipe from Taste of Home's recipe for Chicken Wellington. I use less butter, cook the chicken first and use puff pastry instead of pie crust.
Oh--and I meant to take a picture of this, but I was trying to get dinner done (and eaten) before Nicholas needed to eat and go to sleep. By the time I realized that I hadn't taken a picture, we only had a few bites left!

And one of the keys to this is to remember to defrost the puff pastry (about 45 minutes before you need it).

I apologize for the lack of measurements--I'll try to explain so you know how much to use!

Chicken Wellington
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (Pound to flatten a little)
Olive Oil--just enough to cook the chicken in so it won't stick
Dried Rosemary
Salt and Pepper
2 sheets frozen puff pastry
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tiny pats of butter

Sauce
1 chicken bouillion cube
1 1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons white wine
2 tablespoons chicken broth

Sprinkle chicken breasts with rosemary, salt and pepper (both sides). Cook chicken in just a little olive oil until cooked through. Do not overcook!

Grease a cookie sheet.

Cut sheets of puff pastry in half. Put chicken breast in the center and place a dab of butter on top. Fold pastry around it, pinching the edges to seal. *Note--the chicken is hot and will make the pastry melt a little. I do all this right on the cookie sheet so I don't have to try to transfer it.

After you have wrapped all four chicken breasts, brush the tops with the beaten egg.

Bake at 450 degrees for about 18-20 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes after taking them out of the oven.

While the chicken bakes, make the sauce. (I forgot to do this last night until last minute!)

Melt butter in a skillet. Add flour and stir until smooth.
Dissolve bouillion cube in hot water. Add bouillion mix to the butter and flour and whisk until smooth. Add wine and chicken broth and stir until thickened.

(I added a little too much flour last night and it didn't all dissolve and ended up with flour lumps in it. So, I just poured the sauce through a wire mesh sieve and all the lumps were gone!)

Top each pastry bundle with a little sauce and enjoy! We also enjoyed the sauce on our mashed potatoes!

Grilled Peaches with Raspberry Syrup and Whipped Cream

What a hot day! I was on Facebook this morning, and saw a post from EZ Orchards about all the foods that you can make on the grill. The idea of grilling peaches sounded good to me, so this afternoon, we drove to EZ Orchards and picked up peaches with the rest of our fruits and veggies.

This really was pretty simple--I did search Martha's website (yes, we are on a first name basis) for some ideas and modified one of her recipes a little. And I'm sorry--I didn't measure anything.

--Slice peaches in half and remove the pit and stem. (Use as many peaches as you have people! I was cooking for 3.)
--Brush peaches with melted butter (I had to use Smart Balance since I'm out of everything! Still worked although not my first choice.)
--Sprinkle peaches with brown sugar.
--Place peaches flesh side down on foil and cook on a medium temperature grill for about 10 minutes.

While the peaches are cooking--whip some heavy whipping cream (I always add a little powdered sugar) and make the raspberry syrup.
I have raspberries in my freezer and I really just grabbed two handfuls out and thawed them. Then, I put two soup spoons of sugar in with the raspberries and let it sit for about 5 minutes while I whipped the cream.
Next, I mixed it up and squished the raspberries with the spoon. After it was good and squished, I ran it through a wire mesh sieve to separate the syrup from the solids and seeds.

I placed two peaches in each bowl (one for the little guy), topped it with raspberry syrup and added whipped cream to the top. I sliced mine, then topped it since I knew I had to finish eating it before I needed to feed the baby--but I left Jamie's whole.

It is simple--the fruit flavors are there and not overpowered by sugar and really yummy! There is one peach half left and I think Jamie and I may battle for it! And it took maybe 15-20 minutes to do the entire thing.

This is Me...Welcome!

I am: a wife, a mom to two boys, a teacher, a Christian, a little bit of a control freak, a Martha Stewart groupie, a meal planner, and someone who loves to cook and try new recipes.

I am not: a gourmet chef (although sometimes I try to pretend), someone who makes flawless meals, someone who always has a clean house or a stocked pantry or someone who always has everything turn out just right.

This blog is not a place where you will find someone who always follows recipes to the letter; sometimes dinner just has to get on the table. While I will try to include pictures, you won't get pictures of each step of the recipe. I have two little boys, and it is very rare that I can make dinner uninterrupted, never mind stopping to take photos of chopped garlic. And I promise to include the failed recipes as well as the successes. Sometimes, it just doesn't work, or life just happens and we order pizza. I will include my tried and true recipes as well--I counted my dinner recipes the other day (yes, I realize that I'm a little nuts) and I figured that I have around 125 main dish recipes for dinners.

I'm excited to start this blog--I get asked for recipes a lot, and I love to talk about what I'm cooking. My wonderful husband loves to eat what I make, but to be honest, I don't think he wants a play by play description of how I made it. So, thanks for joining this blogging adventure with me--I hope it will be helpful and will inspire you to make great meals for your family!