Munch, Crunch

 

I love chicken and I love crunch.  This is a SUPER easy baked take on a fried chicken cutlet, only much better for you.  The chicken had great flavor and crunch – this would be great rotated into your weekly meal schedule.  Check it out!

 

 

Crispy Ranch Chicken

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• 1 cup ranch-style salad dressing (such as Hidden Valley® Original Ranch®)

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - lightly pounded to an even thickness (or use cutlets)

• 2 cups dry bread crumbs (I used Italian Style Panko)

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease baking sheet or use a silicone baking mat like Silpat).
2. Put bread crumbs and ranch dressing into separate bowls or breading trays.
3. Dip chicken into ranch dressing and press into bread crumbs to coat. Gently toss between your hands so any bread crumbs that haven't stuck can fall away. Arrange onto prepared baking sheet.
4. Bake in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F.  Serve with your favorite sides and enjoy!

Surprise!

 

Good morning everybody and Happy Friday-eve!  I was originally going to post a new Broccoli Cheese Soup recipe this morning for your tasting enjoyment, but I got a surprise call from my dad yesterday afternoon saying he was in Orlando for the day and wanted to get together for dinner.

So, we nixed the Broccoli Cheese, I put on my new pair of maternity jeans (which I love) and headed to The Cheesecake Factory instead.

 

 

We feasted on fresh salsa and made-to-order Guacamole (one of the only ways I like to eat avocado) and then I opted for the Baja Chicken Tacos w/ Black Beans and Rice.  Apparently I was craving a bit of Mexican last night!?

 

 

My dad got the Shepherd’s Pie (delicious) and Mike chose the Chicken Madeira (also delicious).

 

 

Besides catching up with dad, the best thing about last night – the to-go bag with a piece of Carrot Cake Cheesecake for tonight’s dessert…I can’t wait!!!

 

Have a great day – I know I will dreaming about this gem!

Thanks Dad!

Holy Stromboli!

I have many, many fond memories from college.  Most of them, the ones that make me laugh out loud, involve my friend Noelle, aka “Nomo”.  She is one of the funniest people I know, has the most entertaining stories (her latest one had her staring down a mountain lion) and makes me laugh every time I talk to her. 
Back in the day, I remember going to an Italian restaurant during one of our college volleyball trips where she ordered Cannoli off of the menu for dessert.  After finishing her dessert I remember hearing her say “Holy Cannoli”, followed by her hilarious laugh about a million times. 



When I found this recipe for Stromboli, I couldn’t help but think about that night and I kept hearing her voice in my head saying “Holy Stromboli” in her own Nomo way.  She is in North Carolina now, but I know if she were closer she would not only want another cannoli, but also love my Stromboli. Miss you Nomo!

Stromboli                                                                                                 Ingredients: 1 tube pizza crust pizza sauce fillings:  turkey pepperoni, green peppers, onions, mushrooms, black olives, tomatoes, ground beef, sausage, bacon, etc.) Olive Oil and Garlic Salt (optional) Directions: Roll pizza dough into a rectangle the length of your baking sheet. It can be wider than the sheet because you will be folding the sides in. Place the dough on the baking sheet. Put sauce on the center half of the dough.

Print this recipe!
 
 
Just like pizza, add your toppings.  Stromboli can be a good way to use up leftovers. Any small amounts of meat, cheese and vegetables can be put into the Stromboli.
Then add cheese.
 

 

 
Now comes the fun part. Cut the dough on the sides at about 1 inch intervals. Don't cut all the way to the filling.  I use kitchen shears for this.
 

 
Then wrap it up.  Start at the bottom and alternating sides, overlap the strips of dough onto the filling in a lattice pattern. You can stretch the pieces to fit all the way over the filling.
 

 

 
Bake your Stromboli at 375° F for about 25-30 minutes.  During the last 5 minutes of baking, I take the Stromboli out and brush on a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt for added flavor.
 


Serve alone or with a side salad.  Extra pizza sauce for dipping is also a great idea.

TIPS:

• This recipe is great to take to a party as an appetizer.  Just cut into thin slices and then halve.

• Want something sweet?  Turn this Stromboli into dessert by adding fillings different sweet fillings.  Some suggestions would be apple pie or other fruit pie fillings or Nutella w/ peanut butter and chocolate chips.  Walnuts for crunch would be awesome as well.

• Add scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and green onion and any other omelet filling (green peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, ham, etc.) for a breakfast version of this quick and easy Stromboli.

Comfort Food

 

The weather in Florida is crazy.  My mom used to always say, “If you don’t like the weather here wait five minutes, it’ll change.” 

How true that is.  This afternoon we reached a high of 80 and tomorrow morning we are supposed to be in the 40s.  BRRRRRRR!

My Wisconsonite husband laughs at me when I call this weather “cold”  but in honor of our first cold snap, I would love to share my very favorite in the whole world Beef Stew recipe.  It will warm you to your core.

This recipe comes from my mom and was originally for Beef Brisket prepared in the Crock Pot.  I just love the taste of the “gravy” portion of it that I turned it into a quick weeknight Beef Stew.  It makes the whole house smell like a big hug and is the best comfort food I can think of, perfect for “cold” weather.

Beef Stew

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1 pkg. of stew meat

2 1/2 C of carrots (about 4-5 carrots) - cut

1 large onion

1 pkg. fresh mushrooms

2 stalks celery (optional)

1 C wine (red or white - whatever you have on hand)

1 can 98% fat free Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 packet dried onion soup mix

2 T brown sugar

3 T balsamic vinegar

3 T yellow mustard

 

Directions:

1.  Preheat a dutch oven over medium heat on the stove top.  Season and brown the stew meat with s&p with a little bit of olive oil.  Once the meat is browned, take out and let rest in a bowl while preparing the other components. 

2.  Add the onion and mushrooms (and celery if preferred) to the same pot and sauté until golden brown.  If needed, add a bit more oil.  About 10 minutes.

3.  While the veggies are cooking, assemble the gravy.  In a large bowl, add the wine, cream of mushroom soup, dried onion soup mix, brown sugar, bals vin and mustard.  Whisk to combine.

4.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5.  Add the carrots into the onions and mushroom mixture and sauté for about 3 minutes. 

6.  Add in the meat and gravy and stir to combine.

7.  Cover dutch oven with the lid and place in the oven.  Cook for approximately 1 hr – 1hr 10 min., stirring once or twice. 

8.The gravy will thicken upon cooking.  Depending on what kind of gravy consistency you like, you can add a bit of broth (chicken or beef) or even a bit more wine once out of the oven to make a thinner consistency.

9.  Serve with crusty bread, over mashed potatoes, stuffing or noodles.

Hooded Sweatshirt and Beef Stew – it doesn’t get much more comforting than that!  Enjoy!

This Little Piggy

I am not a huge crock pot fan.  However, there is one no-fail crock pot recipe that everyone should have up their sleeve. This one.
So simple, so good, so much leftover.
Ladies and gentlemen…PULLED PORK!

This show-stopper recipe is great for a crowd and can be made ahead.  From my crock to yours.  Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

print this recipe!

1 cut of Boston Butt or Pork Shoulder
1 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic
BBQ sauce



Cut off any thick pieces of fat on the pork.  It is a marbled piece of meat, but there is often unwanted fat on the bottom.  Discard.
Place pork into crock pot.  Roughly chop onion and garlic.  Place on top.



Add water 3/4 of the way up the side of the crock pot and pour approximately 1/4 C of BBQ sauce on top. 

Turn crock pot on high, cover and walk away.  The pulled pork should be shred-apart delicious in about 5-6 hours.



The pork is done if you can shred it with a fork easily with no resistance.

Turn crock pot off.

Scoop out the pork without juices and onions into a baking dish.  Discard cooking liquid.



Shred the pork with two forks.  Throw out any fat that you might find.



At this point you can do one of two things.

1.  Serve warm, as is, and offer BBQ sauce on the side.  I have found that some people prefer to add their own amount of sauce.  Especially if they are counting calories.
2.  Douse the pulled pork with BBQ sauce.  Mix. Serve warm.
This pulled pork is delicious on its own, as a sandwich or over a baked potato.





TIP:

Pulled pork also freezes well.  Place into freezer bags, label and freeze.  Thaw in refrigerator and reheat when needed.

Broccoli in a Haystack

Have you ever had one of those days when you get home and had the best of intentions, but then the big comfy couch gets the best of you?  Well, that was me yesterday.

Hump day slump + dull headache = NAPTIME!
I am usually not a napper.  Mike gets that title.  But today, napping was wonderful.  An hour and a half of uninterrupted sleepy time. 

The only thing that wasn’t wonderful was waking up and remembering that baked potatoes were on the menu.
Originally we were supposed to have pulled pork, but I had to switch it due to scheduling.  Therefore, baked potatoes it was.

The only problem?  Potatoes take an hour to prepare and it was already 6:30pm when we woke up. 

Hmmmm, what to do. 

Then, the best thing happened – a new recipe shortcut! 

Introducing…

Broccoli in a Haystack

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• 2 baking potatoes
• seasoning salts
• 1 1/2 C frozen broccoli florets
• sliced ham
• reduced fat mozzarella cheese
• reduced fat sour cream with ranch seasoning

 

Slice each baking potato into six wedges (in half lengthwise, and then into thirds). Place on a baking sheet.

Pour approximately 1-2 T of olive oil over the potatoes and add a few shakes of garlic salt and seasoning salt.  Mix well.

Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.  Turn potatoes over and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, cook frozen broccoli according to package directions.  Chop ham into small pieces.  Add ranch
seasoning to sour cream.



When the potatoes are finished baking, stack in alternate directions to form a "haystack".



Add the toppings that would have originally gone on top of the traditional baked potato and nestle them into the middle of the haystack. 

At this point you can add a few dollops of the ranch seasoned sour cream on top of the broccoli and ham.



Top with cheese and put back into the oven until melted.  Serve with a bit more reduced fat sour cream on the side if needed.

The cooking time of this dish was reduced by 25 minutes simply by cutting the potatoes into wedges. 

Great time saving tip!  Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

 
Easy, quick, yum!  This a great weeknight meal which we eat quite a bit at our house.  Enjoy!
BBQ Chicken Pizza

Print this recipe!

• 1 Whole Wheat pizza shell - I use Boboli
• 1 Chicken breast
• 1/2 C thinly sliced red onion – mandolins are great for this!
• 1-1 1/2 C reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese – shredded
• 1 C of your favorite BBQ Sauce, plus extra for chicken

Bake the chicken breast with a bit of your favorite BBQ sauce in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or sauté over medium high heat until cooked through.  Let cool and chop into small pieces.

When assembling the pizza, for the best results you should layer in an "inside out" or in a reverse manner.
First, put a layer of cheese directly on the crust. 

Then spread the chicken on top of the cheese.

 

Next, place the thinly sliced red onion on top. 

 

 

Lastly, pour/dribble the BBQ sauce on top.  The sauce will caramelize and get even sweeter in the oven. 

 

You can do more or less of each ingredient depending on your personal preference.  Don't be afraid to play around with it and make it your own.
Bake on the oven rack at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Delish!

“Soup”er Duper

 

I was a picky eater. Mike still thinks I am. At times part of me agrees.

However I would prefer saying I'm a particular eater. That sounds a bit more distinguished. But it still means picky. I was a pain growing up when it came to food. I was infamous for asking what was for dinner and when my mom, who is a wonderful cook, would tell me what was on tap I would roll my eyes and sigh. B-ratty.

I have since apologized profusely for doing that having previously been married to someone who did the same thing to me every night. Except he was an adult.

Anyway, I remember one day asking my mom that dreaded question and she said "Sausage Bean Soup". Gross. No way. Not eating it. It didn't sound the least bit appetizing...until I tried it. AMAZING!

It is the easiest, most delicious soup ever. My girlfriend from college and her mom swear by it and still talk about the first time they tried it. This is one of my go-to meals and perfect for fall and winter. Only 3 ingredients, 4 if you include the rice it is served over and better yet, it freezes well. Definitely a home run. Enjoy!

 
Mom's Famous Sausage Bean Soup (quick version)

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1 pkg.   Reduced-fat ground Pork Sausage
1 can    Garlic and Olive Oil Diced Tomatoes (with juice)
4 cans   Great Northern Beans (with juice)
Brown sausage. Add tomatoes and beans. Heat through. Done.
Serve over white rice (optional).
-Want to make it even better?  If you have a bit more time, or want to experiment with a few more ingredients you can brown a bit of celery, onion and garlic when browning the sausage.  This will give the already yummy soup a little more depth of flavor.