March 24, 2011

Mini Chicken Alfredo Pot Pies

I got this recipe from my Pillsbury 2011 Annual Recipes cookbook. This is definitely one of our new favorite recipes and we'll be cooking it over and over! I posted another pot pie recipe a while ago, but this is way better (faster and easier as well).

The steamers that the recipe calls for can be found in the frozen section. They are bags of vegetables that you put in the microwave to cook. This bag comes with peas, carrots, green beans, and corn.

4 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 cups mixed vegetables steamers (two 12 oz bags)
1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated garlic bread sticks
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  • In 3-quart saucepan, heat chicken, thawed vegetables, pasta sauce, and milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly heated. Spoon mixture in to ramekins.
  • Sprinkle cheese on a plate, unroll dough, separate one strip at a time and press both sides into cheese. Twist the strip and arrange on top of chicken mixture in ramekin. Repeat with remaining ramekins.
  • Place ramekins on a large cookie sheet with sides, cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until mixture is bubbling and bread is golden brown on top.


March 23, 2011

Honey-Lime Red Snapper

I got this recipe out of the 2011 Taste of Home Annual Recipes cookbook. The grocery store didn't have red snapper, so we went with our usual cod and salmon. A note above the recipe said to use regular lime juice if you can't find key lime. I couldn't any, so that's what I used. Also, 1/2 cup is a lot of honey, I found larger refill bottles of honey at Wal-Mart. It's much easier to pour out of, plus you won't have to use your whole "bear."

1/4 cup key lime juice
1/2 cup honey
4 red snapper fillets (about 6 oz each)
2 tsps chili powder
  • In a small bowl, combine lime juice and honey. Pour 1/2 cup (reserve remaining) in a large ziploc bag, add the fish, and refrigerate for up to an hour.
  • Drain fish and discard marinade. Sprinkle fillets with chili powder and place on greased broiler pan.
  • Broil 4-6 inches from the heat for 12-15 minutes, until fish flakes easily with fork.
  • Meanwhile, bring remaining lime juice to a boil, simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Spoon over fillets and serve.

March 22, 2011

Herb-Crusted Pork Chops

This recipe was in my Rachel Ray magazine! Some people might find the mustard on the chops a little overpowering, but I noticed there was a tidbit in the top corner that suggested trying it with honey mustard for a sweeter taste. I didn't have whole wheat breadcrumbs, so I went ahead and used our usual Panko and it tasted great! I also just noticed the recipe calls for pork loin chops, rather than regular pork chops... oops! Oh well, it tasted great anyway :)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 & 1/2 cups fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
4 Boneless, center-cut pork loin chops
3 Tbsp grainy mustard
  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place a greased rack on a foil-lined baking sheet (as seen in the picture below).
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add breadcrumbs and toast, constantly stirring, for about 6-8 minutes (or until browned).
  • Let cool, stir in the parsley and cheese.
  • Brush the pork chops with mustard and coat with the breadcrumbs.
  • Arrange on the rack and bake until cooked through, but still juicy (about 20-25 minutes).

March 18, 2011

Crock Pot Lasagna

This came from another cookbook that my mom gave me. While picking out meals, I gave the book to Michael and said to pick some meals out. This was his choice this week!

Other than the fact that this meals has to cook for up to four and a half hours, it didn't take any longer to prepare than any other dinner I make. I just have to remember that it needs to be prepared at two and not five!

I didn't really pay attention to the measurements of the cheese or lasagna noodles while making this, I just spread enough to cover each layer. You may need more or less than listed depending on the diameter of your slow cooker. Also, I set my cooker to the six hour setting but it was starting to burn by the end of the cooking. I'd suggest setting your cooker to the lowest setting and cooking it on the longer side.

Edit: I made this recipe again yesterday and didn't think the ground beef/sauce mixture smelled good enough. I decided to add oregano, rosemary, and garlic powder (about 1/2-1 Tbsp of each). It was absolutely PERFECT!

1 lb ground beef
1 jar (26-28oz) tomato pasta sauce
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
1/2 package no-boil lasagna noodles
1 jar Alfredo pasta sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • In large skillet, brown beef.
  • Spray slow cooker with cooking spray and spread 3/4 cup tomato pasta sauce in bottom of cooker. Stir remaining tomato pasta sauce and tomato sauce in to beef.
  • Layer lasagna noodles over sauce in cooker, breaking noodles as necessary. Top with 1/3 of Alfredo pasta sauce (spread evenly) followed by 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Top that with 1/3 of beef mixture (also spread evenly).
  • Repeat layering two more times and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top.
  • Cover and cook on low for three and a half to four and a half hours.



Herbed Trout with Lemon Butter

This recipe was from my Better Homes and Garden cook book. It calls for dressed fish, but they didn't have any at Winco the day I went grocery shopping. I used our usual salmon and cod and adjusted the recipe to make it work. As you can see in the picture, instead of putting the onion/rosemary mixture inside the fish, I just covered the top.

Even if you don't like onions, give this recipe a try. We scraped the onions off of the top (they were too powerful to eat with the fish). The residual flavor was perfect!

4 - 8 to 10 oz fresh or frozen dressed boned rainbow trout (or other fish)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp snipped fresh rosemary or tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Snipped fresh parsley (optional)
Lemon wedges
  • If frozen, thaw fish, rinse, and pat dry. Lay on cutting board, spread open, skin side down.
  • In small bowl, stir together melted butter and lemon juice. Set half of the butter mixture aside. Brush remaining half over the fish.
  • In a small bowl, stir together lemon peel, onion, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle onion mixture over the fish and fold fish closed.
  • Place fish on greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch baking pan. Bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or until fish begins to flake when tested with a fork.
  • Sprinkle with parsley, serve with reserved butter and lemon wedges.



March 16, 2011

Herb & Mustard Sirloin

I got this recipe out of my Christmas Food Network magazine. It is definitely different way to cook sirloins. We loved it! I looked high and low for the herbes de Provence that this recipe calls for, I finally found it at Yokes. If you don't have a store around you that carries more specialty type items, I did find a few recipes for the mixture online as well. There are plenty out there, just choose the one that sounds best to you (or fits what you have in your cabinet best, hehe).

I wasn't sure if spicy brown mustard was the same as spicy mustard, but that's what I had in my fridge, so that's what I used. I also doubled the mustard/herb mixture because a single serving of it just didn't look like enough to cover all the sirloin. Turns out, at least for our sirloins, doubling was perfect! Also, we're not big fans of regular butter, so instead cooking the steak in butter, we used olive oil and didn't put any on top after it was done.

1 & 1/2 lbs sirloin steak (1/2 inch thick)
2 Tbsp spicy mustard (plus more for serving)
2 tsp crumbled herbes de Provence
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
  • Pierce both sides of the steak with a fork. Mix the mustard and herbes de Provence in a bowl and rub over the steak.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, add one Tbsp of butter. As soon as it melts, add the steak and sear on one side until browned (about 7 minutes). Turn and brown the other side (about 4 more minutes).
  • Transfer steak to a cutting board, season with salt and pepper, and top with one Tbsp of butter. Let rest 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak.




Baked Fries

I saw a picture of these potatoes in an ad in one of my cooking magazines. Unfortunately it didn't have the recipe with it... but it did have a website! http://www.potatogoodness.com/. It is a website with a ton of information about health, and to show that potatoes aren't bad for you! It also has a wide variety of recipes using potatoes, with a section specifically for quick and healthy ones.

These are really similar to the rosemary potato recipe I threw together a while ago, but it never hurts to have variations of the same thing :) We ate them without salt and they were still great. To top it off the baby couldn't get enough of them! I added 4 more cloves of garlic, pressed it, and added it to the mixture with the olive oil and thyme. We love garlic and it couldn't hurt ;)

6 russet potatoes (or any potato of your choice)
6 cloves of garlic
8 sprigs fresh thyme, picked from the stems
5 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place whole potatoes (do not poke) in a microwave safe, covered dish. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Let cool.
  • Cut each potato length wise in to 8 wedges.
  • In a large mixing bowl, toss potato wedges with olive oil, thyme, garlic cloves, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
  • Arrange potatoes and garlic cloves in a single layer on a baking sheet. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.




March 15, 2011

Blackberry Cobbler

In honor of Pi Day yesterday, I made this blackberry cobbler. Ok, so it's not really a pie, but close enough... just don't tell anyone ;) I got this recipe out of my Taste of Home annual recipes. My mom gets them in the mail every year and she decided she didn't want this one so she gave it to me!

Coincidentally, this was already on our list of things to make this week. I was bored yesterday and thought to myself, "What a great day to make a pie (cobbler)!" Michael LOVES blackberries or anything with a mixture of berries in it, so of course he loved it :)

I didn't have the utensil you need to cut butter in to a flour mixture, so I used a fork. Breaking the butter out of it's block was difficult, but once I got it in to smaller chunks, it wasn't that bad. That being said, I'm definitely going to buy one next time I'm at the store (and think about it).

Also, we use fat-free milk, so there was no 2% available in our house when I went to make this. I don't know if it made a difference, but there were no complaints! The recipe actually had you mixing the berry filling first in the directions, but the topping directions say to drop it on to a hot berry mixture. I figured the best way to get a hot berry mixture is to make it second, so I reversed the order of the directions for the recipe. My suggestion is to read through the entire recipe and get everything ready before you start to cook anything so as not to burn the filling.

Topping
1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/2 cup 2% milk

Filling
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp butter
  • Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Stir in the milk just until moistened.
  • In a large saucepan, combine blackberries, sugar, and cinnamon. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil.
  • Combine the cornstarch and water until smooth; stir in to fruit mixture. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes (or until thickened).
  • Pour mixture into a greased 8 inch square baking dish. Dot with butter.
  • Drop the topping, by tablespoonfuls onto the hot berry mixture.
  • Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.
  • Serve warm with whipped topping or ice cream.

March 12, 2011

Crunchy Pepper and Parm Crusted Halibut

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted, we went on vacation! When we came back, I was in a fishy mood, so there are lots of fish dishes on the menu this week (plus we're going to Anthony's for my birthday, hehe). Hope you enjoy!

This recipe was in my newest Rachel Ray magazine. I decided to not make the sauce/topping that went with it, but I did make the drizzle. I think I either reduced the drizzle too much or got it too hot because it ended up being a lot harder than it should have been. More of a caramel like substance than a syrup like one... oops... Oh well! It tasted good anyway ;)

I had a hard time finding the parmigiano-reggiano cheese, but I wasn't sure what I was looking for at the first store either. It is a hard cheese that's just kind of pressed together, so really crumbly. I ended up finding it (already grated) at Yokes in their specialty cheese section. Also, instead of halibut, we used cod and salmon, both worked and tasted great.

Sauce
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, chopped
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
A few leaves basil, torn
Salt and pepper

Fish
About 2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Lots of coarse black pepper
Four 8 oz halibut fillets
Extra virgin olive oil
Store bought balsamic drizzle (or reduce 1/2 cup vinegar with 2 Tbsp brown sugar until syrupy)
  • Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and stir for a couple of minutes.
  • Add tomatoes and basil, season with salt and pepper and cook to break down tomatoes (10-15 minutes).
  • Mix the cornmeal with the cheese and black pepper. Add fish and turn to coat.
  • Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook, turning once, until crisp and brown all over (8-10 minutes).