Italian Beef Skillet (ONE PAN)

 We have this standing joke that every time my husband calls me in the day to see what I'm up to, my response is almost always...dishes. When you eat most of your meals at home, that means there will be a lot of dishes. Anytime I can make dinner in one pot, I'm all for it. That means more time for after dinner snuggles :)

Italian Beef Orzo Skillet
1# ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 zucchini, grated
1/2 cup whole wheat orzo
2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups frozen spinach ( I buy this in a bag, not the block-easier to scoop out amount I need)
S & P to taste
grated parmesan for serving, if you so desire.

In a large skillet, brown up the beef, onion and garlic until beef is cooked through. Season the beef with S&P and/or Italian seasoning. Stir in the grated zucchini, orzo, sauce, spinach, salt and pepper. Put a lid on it and simmer 10-12 minutes stirring every 4-5 minutes. If you don't have a lid, make one out of 2 sheets of foil fitted over pan.
Spoon into bowls and top with parmesan.

Variations-
This is also really delicious with pan sausage instead of beef.
Don't be afraid to use ground turkey or chicken as well.
If you don't want to mess with grating the zucchini, you could buy a package of zucchini noodles and chop them up before tossing in.

If you don't know what orzo is, it's a very small pasta about the size of rice. Cooks pretty quick. You could use brown or white rice instead, but it would need to be precooked. You could also get away with the small elbow macaroni or other very small pasta.

And P.S.-don't you love my taken from phone food pics? No fancy camera here, and obviously no photo retouching or consideration on the best lighting. Just being real!

Unstuffed Pepper bake

Couple things. Casseroles. Some people hate them. Some love them but most are pretty unhealthy or super high carb. But seriously, I like the convenience that casseroles can be eaten from at least for one dinner and a couple lunches. 

Peppers. Most kids don't care for them. My kids love them raw but don't like them cooked. They for sure wouldn't be excited about eating a whole stuffed pepper for dinner, so here's a recipe to try. Even though my kids aren't huge fans of cooked peppers, they still ate this (but I should say I'm kind of mean in the getting my kids to eat veggies department). 

This is an unstuffed pepper bake. I just chopped up everything that would be in a stuffed pepper and served as a casserole. I used cauli-rice for almost all the rice and topped w a little cheese. You could use all rice if that's more your speed. 

2# ground beef, browned and strained (I used 96/4) 
1 Tbs chili powder
S&P
6 bell peppers, multi colored chopped up
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 cups cauli-rice or bits
2 garlic cloves, minced  or 1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup brown rice (you can buy frozen to make easier)
1 can diced tomatoes or rotel
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup corn, drained or use frozen
Mexican cheese, just enough to top, maybe 2 cups

Brown the beef, season w chili powder, salt and pepper to taste, and remove to a large bowl. In a large pot sauté the peppers and onion about 5-7 minutes until soft over medium heat. Stir in the cauli-rice and cook about 5 more minutes, stirring often. If you find there's a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pot, just strain and continue. Salt and pepper to taste again. Dump in all the other ingredients(not the cheese), including beef, and stir to combine. 
Dump in a 9x13, top w cheese and bake 30 min at 350. 

Let me know what you think. Did your kids like this? Here's what mine looked like. Taken with my fancy iPhone 6 :)

Mexican Eggs

We have eggs Every. Single. Day. Usually we eat them boiled because we need something quick on weekdays. Most Saturdays we make some sort of scramble. What we put in it varies depending on what I have on hand. This was today's...


1 Tbs avocado oil, butter, or other mild tasting fat
2 corn tortillas, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 jalapeños, minced (sub green bell for no spice)
2-3 Roma tomatoes
8 eggs, whisked in large bowl

In a large sauté pan, heat up your oil over medium heat.
Throw in the corn tortillas and onion.  Sauté stirring constantly 5 minutes.
Add peppers and cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often.
Turn heat down a smidge and pour in your eggs. Cook the eggs, continuing to stir often until eggs are no longer shiny. Just before they're done, put in several pinches of salt, to your taste.

Quinoa Loaded Bowl

It's been embarrassingly too long to admit since my last post, but the 12-24 month stage has me on my mom toes. My youngest is a daredevil and busy as can be. There just hasn't been the time I have wanted to post new and yummy things on here!! Since I'm all about doing things quickly at this moment of my life I have a quick dinner (or lunch) idea.

Quinoa-is technically a seed, but we tend to refer to it as a grain. It is a complete protein source with all essential amino acids, and guess what?...it cooks in 15 minutes! It has a 2-1 ratio for cooking, so 2 cups water and 1 cup quinoa. Put it all in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to simmer 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. This makes 3 cups. Feel free to change up the liquid- chicken stock, veggie stock, or even grape juice (and have it for breakfast!).

Now if you buy quinoa in a package you just use as is. If you buy it in the bulk foods section, you will have to rinse it first, as it has a bitter coating on the outside.  I usually line a colander with cheesecloth, pour the quinoa in and rinse.

My favorite way to eat quinoa is what I call the loaded Mexican bowl. Serves at least 4.

1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 can pinto or black beans, rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup mild salsa, plus more for serving
1 cup grated cheddar or jack cheese
1 avocado, diced for serving

other yummy additions:
cooked beef, chicken, pork or shrimp
diced squash and zucchini
diced tomato
diced radishes or jicama
grated or diced carrot
chopped fresh cilantro

Cook quinoa according to package directions.
While that is cooking, in a large saute pan over medium heat, saute your onion and bell pepper about 5 minutes. You can use cooking spray, a little olive oil, or whatever you usually use.

Now throw in the pan your beans of choice, salsa and frozen corn. Cook an additional 5 minutes until corn and beans are hot throughout. salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to add garlic powder, chili powder and/or a pinch of oregano here.

Line up your bowls and place 1/2 to 3/4 cup quinoa on the bottom. Spoon over the veggie/bean mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese and diced avocado.
Let me know what you think!

2 Bean Chili Pie

Do you like chili? Do you like corn bread? You've got to try this for dinner...and SOON!

1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, depending on your preference, minced
1 Tbs olive oil, or another oil for sauteing
1 can refried pinto beans
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can tomatoes with green chile's, slightly drained
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 8.5 oz box cornbread mix, I used Jiffy
1/2 cup grated cheddar, jack or jalapeno jack cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Grease a 2 qt baking dish or a deep pie plate.
Heat a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add oil and veggies. Cook 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally until soft. Salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and stir in the refried beans, kidney beans, tomatoes with green chile's, chili powder and cumin. Stir until well combined. Pour into baking dish. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, prepare the cornbread mix, according to its package directions. Jiffy calls for 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk. Stir in the cheese into the batter. Spoon on top of the bean mixture.
Bake for 20-22 minutes until cornbread is lightly browned.

Variations...
-would also be good with 2 cans drained, rinsed and slightly mashed, black eyed peas instead of the pintos and kidney beans.
-you could sub 6 oz tomato juice and a 4 oz can of green chile's for the tomatoes with green chile's.
-you could stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro into the cornbread batter before baking

Winter Salads

I find it really hard to eat salad in the winter, but these are 2 I've had recently that are really good. It's a great way to Eat More Veggies :-)

Winter Orange Salad adapted from Women's Day magazine
5 oz baby spinach or other lettuce of your choice
2 large naval oranges, supremed (how-to video on what this is)
1/4 cup sweet or red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pitted and sliced green olives, optional variations*

Dressing:
Squeeze the leftover membranes of the oranges into a medium size bowl.
Add 1 Tbs olive oil, 2 tsp honey, 1 Tbs white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk until incorporated.

Toss all salad ingredients into a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over top and serve.

This is great served next to a nice piece of pan seared halibut or salmon.
*variations can include grapefruit and avocado instead of orange and olives. Or omit the olives and do just the orange or grapefruit.

Kale and Root Veggie Salad adapted from this recipe here 5 oz pkg baby kale or 1 bunch regular kale

1/2 cup pecans

2 Tbs pure maple syrup

1 Tbs canola oil

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/2 cup rutabaga, grated raw (don't know what a rutabaga is?...click here)

1/2 cup turnip, grated raw

1/2 cup carrot, grated raw

2 green onions, white parts only, sliced thin

Dressing:
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbs olive oil*
1 1/2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1-2 tsp agave nectar or honey

If using a bunch of regular kale instead of baby kale, remove ribs and slice as thinly as possible. In a large bowl, massage it with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Let sit 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Stir together in a medium bowl the pecans, maple syrup, canola oil, salt and cayenne. Pour pecans out onto baking sheet and bake 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool in pan. IF NOTHING ELSE...MAKE THESE PECANS!! I just used leftovers on top of a baked sweet potato. SOO yummy.

Toss the kale, grated veggies, and pecans in a large serving bowl. Whisk all dressing ingredients together and drizzle over salad. Toss well and serve immediately. *If using regular kale, lessen the oil in the dressing to 1 1/2 tsp.

-picture is from VegetarianTimes.com

Dinner on the Table in 5 minutes...yes, please!!

We all need a dinner in our arsenal of recipes that is faster than fast. This is your new favorite quick dinner. This so happens to be vegan, but top with a little Parmesan if you wish for a vegetarian dinner and join in on the "Meatless Mondays."

Tomato, White Bean and Spinach Soup
1 24oz jar of pasta sauce
1 6oz bag baby spinach, you can tear it up as you toss it in, or leave whole
1 15oz can Great Northern or Cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
1 quart low salt or unsalted vegetable broth or stock (or use chicken broth or stock if you prefer)
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional

Put all ingredients in a large pot and simmer 3-5 minutes on medium heat until spinach is wilted. Seriously...you're done. Super healthy, super fast, super yummy, super veggies, super done. 

Other additions if you've got the time...
a chunk of bread on the side
leftover cut-up chicken or browned pan sausage
cooked small pasta
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup heavy cream
Grilled cheese sandwiches

Desserts that WOW for the Holidays

It's the time of year for one of my favorite desserts...pecan pie. Every year I've tried a different recipe, but this year, finally this year, my search has ended. I made the...best...pecan...pie......EVER (and believe me, I've made A LOT of pecan pies). The best part is, it was by total accident.

First, I use "good for almost everything pie dough" by Dorie Greenspan. If you've never heard of her, check out her blogs or one of her many cookbooks. I have Baking, from my home to yours.

For a single 9 inch pie crust
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbs sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbs) very cold or frozen unsalted butter,cut into tablespoon size pieces
2 1/2 Tbs very cold or frozen vegetable shortening, cut into tablespoon size pieces
About 1/4 cup ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a large food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter an shortening and pulse only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the mixing-shoot for pieces the size of peas. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually add about 3 Tbs of the water. Then use a few long pulses to get the water incorporated. If after a dozen or so pulses, if the mixture doesn't look evenly moistened pour in 1 more Tbs of the water. You'll want the dough to hold together when pinched.  Scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto a work surface coated with flour.

Shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disc.  Wrap well in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out. This dough can be refrigerated for 5 days or frozen for 2 months. If frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling out.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface, turning the dough a 1/4 turn every roll so it rolls out evenly-ish into a circle shape. Roll the flattened dough onto the rolling pin and gently transfer and unroll onto your pie plate. Cut off excess dough being careful not to stretch it out because it will cause the dough to shrink when baked if it stretches. Put in freezer while oven preheats, or freeze for 30 minutes.

To partially bake the crust, preheat oven to 400. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil, fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. Bake 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and push down any bubbles with the back of a spoon. bake another 8 minutes (to fully bake for other recipes, bake 10-14 minutes until golden brown). Cool crust before filling.

Best Ever Pecan Pie
I got the basic recipe from Dorie Greenspan again, but made some tweaks of my own. I did not have the full 3/4 cup corn syrup her recipe called for, so I did 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1/4 cup maple syrup. And just by accident because I was out of corn syrup, I happened on what makes this pie the best...subtlety of maple syrup. With the addition of some other nontraditional ingredients, I found my winner. The addition of these things takes it to that much more extraordinary because the pie is not overly sweet like regular pecan pie. You've got to try my variation if you love pecan pies.

1 partially baked pie crust from above
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 large eggs, room temp
3/4 tsp instant espresso powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups (about 7 oz) pecan pieces
1/4 tsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, whisk the corn syrup, maple syrup and brown sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the melted butter, then add the eggs one at a time, beating until you have a smooth mixture. Add the espresso powder, vanilla, salt, pecans, and cinnamon. Stir until combined and pecans are coated. Pour the filling into the crust.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425. Meanwhile, make a foil shield for the crust by cutting a 9-inch circle out of the center of an 11 or 12 inch square of foil. If you need a visual on making the shield, I found this here.
Lower the oven to 350. Place foil shield on top of the piecrust-filing will be exposed, with the crust covered by the foil. Bake the pie for another 15-20 minutes, or until it has puffed, beautifully browned and no longer jiggles when tapped. Transfer to cooling rack, remove shield and cool to room temp.



Ginger Spice Cookies
There are a few cookies I make every year around Christmas, and these are one of them. Perfectly crisp on the outside, wonderful chewy on the inside. Spicy, sweet and the next cookie you will bake ;-)

4 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

generous pinch cardamom (if you have it)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup butter flavored shortening sticks
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
3/4 cup sugar for rolling

In a medium bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in eggs and molasses, one thing at a time, until blended. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls (I use a cookie scoop). Roll balls in the 3/4 cup sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 8-9 minutes (do not overbake). Cool on cookie sheet 2 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack. Makes 100-120 depending on your cookie ball size.
This dough will keep, covered in the fridge 5 days or can easily be frozen in an airtight ziplock. If taken from freezer and form balls while still frozen, bake an additional minute.

Vanilla Cream Berry Tart

Adapted, of course, from Dorie Greenspan, yet again. I do just love her stuff.

I made this for my MOPS meeting this month. Even though I didn't get to stay and eat it, I heard from all over town (HA!) how amazing it was. Very simple, very elegant, verrry berry good!

1 1/2 cups Vanilla Pastry Cream, recipe follows

1 9-inch almond shortbread crust, recipe follows

2 pints mixed berries: blueberries, raspberries and blackberries

1/3 cup red currant jelly mixed with 1 tsp water, for glazing

Vanilla Pastry Cream

2 cups whole milk, don't substitute!

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch (I didn't have this, so I used flour instead and it worked just as well)

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, room temp, cut into chunks

Bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, whisk the yolks, sugar, and cornstarch (or flour) until blended. Still whisking, drizzle in about 1/4 cup hot milk. Then add about 1/2 cup hot milk while still whisking. Pour in the rest of the milk, all the while, still whisking. Put the saucepan over medium heat and whisking constantly, bring the mixture to a boil (making sure to get the edges of the pot). Once boiling, keep it boiling for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Whisk in the vanilla. Let sit 5 minutes, then whisk in the butter. Scrape into a bowl, press a piece of plastic wrap into the top of the cream and refrigerate until cold, about 1 1/2-2 hours.

Almond Shortbread Sweet Tart Dough

(from Baking From my Home to Yours)

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup ground almonds*

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon (4 1/2 ounces) very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg yolk

 Put the flour, almonds, confectioners' sugar and salt in the workbowl of a large food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine.  Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is cut in coarsely - you'll have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pea-size pieces and that's just fine.  Stir the egg, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition.  When the egg is in, process in long pulses - about 10 seconds each - until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, form clumps and curds. 

Butter the 9 inch tart pan with removeable bottom and press the dough evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.  Don't be stingy - you want a crust with a little heft because you want to be able to both taste and feel it.  Also, don't be too heavy-handed - you want to press the crust in so that the pieces cling to one another and knit together when baked, but you don't want to press so hard that the crust loses its crumbly shortbreadish texture.  Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking. 

 Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil tightly against the crust.  Bake the crust 25 minutes, then carefully remove the foil.  If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.  Bake for another 8 minutes, then transfer the crust to a cooling rack; keep it in its pan.  *If you want to make a regular tart dough, omit almonds and increase flour from 1 1/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups.

FINALLY you can assemble the tart now. I made the tart dough and pastry cream the night before. I kept the crust covered on the counter and the pastry cream in the fridge.

Carefully remove the crust from your tart pan and place on a flat plate or pedastol. Give the pastry cream a couple of good stirs to smooth it out and spoon about 1 1/2 cups into the crust. Eat the remaining ;-)

Lay the berries on top. Heat the jelly in the microwave for 30 seconds with the water. Drizzle or use a pastry brush and gently brush over the berries.

You are ready to eat!

Top uses for Turkey Leftovers...

This is about as lazy as a post gets, but who needs more work the week of Thanksgiving??!!

Dice up all that leftover Turkey at least the day after Thanksgiving. Freeze in 2 cup portions in ziploc bags. Thaw one a week to put in one of these tasty meals to eat so you're not eating turkey for 2 weeks straight.

Heard about this recipe through my friend Casey. Check out Pioneer Woman's Turkey Tetrazzini

This soup I found on my demy, then online and it sounded right up my alley. Tuscan Turkey Soup

This healthy soup comes courtesy Brook Benten from CardioPump Fitness. White Bean and Turkey Soup

Try this White Chili for a southwestern flair to your leftovers.

Like we need another excuse to eat Mexican food, but try these Crispy Turkey Tostadas.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!

Soups!

It has been way tooooo long since my last post and I will really try and knock a few out within the next few days. These are 3 fall/winter favorites and are very different from each other, so please try them all and let me know what you think. I hope you love soup as much as I do!!

Toscana Soup
First up is a thinner potato soup with Italian sausage, kale and garlic. Let me just say this is my favorite. It seriously is one of the best soups I've ever made. I haven't made it this season yet, but you can bet I will be making it soon.

1 lb fresh spicy Italian sausage, casing removed (you can do regular if not a spice fan)
1 Tbs canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart plus 2-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or broth (depends on how thick or thin you like it)
5 medium potatoes, diced
1/2 bunch of kale, leaves pulled from center stems and chopped
1/3 cup cream

Remove casings from sausage and brown in heavy bottomed stock pot with oil, onion and garlic. In another pot, boil the potatoes in 1 quart chicken stock 15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Blend half of the potatoes once they're tender. Pour everything into pot with sausage. Reduce heat and add kale and cream. Simmer until kale is wilted, about 5-8 minutes. I usually serve with garlic bread and top the soup with grated Parmesan.


Taco Soup
Besides browning hamburger meat, if you can use a can opener, you can make this soup no problem :) I have used only 1 lb of meat and added another can of kidney beans before. I have also made this with ground turkey and it's just as delicious. If you're not a fan of spicy, use 3 cans diced tomatoes instead of the cans of tomatoes with green chiles.

2 lbs ground beef (i use 93/7)
2 medium onion, diced
2 cans pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
1 1/2 cups frozen corn
2 cans tomatoes with green chiles
1 can diced tomatoes
2 4oz cans diced green chiles
1 small can sliced black olives
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

Garnish:
tortilla chips
grated cheese
sour cream cream
pickled jalapenos

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet. Drain any fat. Transfer meat to a slow-cooker or large stock pot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, olives, taco seasoning, and ranch packet. Cook in slow-cooker on low 6-8 hours or in a pot on stove over low for 1 hour. If the soup is too thick for you, feel free to throw in a couple cups plain water or stock if you have it. Season with salt and pepper if needed at the end of cooking. To serve, ladle into bowl and top with desired garnish.


Stellar Legume Soup
If you aren't doing a meatless night of the week, please start by making this soup. Carnivores will not miss the meat in this soup. It is so filling and delicious. Legumes are a serious source of protein and fiber. The flavor reminds me of a minestrone. Goes great with a good chunk of fresh bread. This makes a TON. I have to divide it into 2 stock pots and it fills them to the top. I always freeze 2, 6 cup Tupperware of this after we're done eating. Will feed an army of people!

1 bag of mixed dried beans, peas and lentils (they sell them with like 16 varieties inside)
       or you can buy them separate if you can't find a mixed bag. You'll need 2 cups total in any amounts of
       dried beans: kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, pinto beans, great northern beans. you'll
       also need 1/2 cup dried lentils and 1/2 cup dried split peas
1/2 cup barley or real brown rice (not the minute kind)
water for soaking the beans
2 onions, diced
1 bell pepper, diced, color of your choice
4 garlic cloves
4 large carrots
6 celery stalks or about half of a bunch
1 gallon water (12-16 cups) 16 cups is a gallon
4 Tbs chicken bouillon
3 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 1/2 Tbs dried parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for serving, optional

Put dried beans in a large saucepan and cover with generous amounts of water. If using a mixed bag you'll obviously just pour them all in. If using separate bags, keep the split peas and lentils out until noted. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat uncovered. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit 1 hour. Drain. Rinse barley and if using separate bags, the lentils and split peas too. Drain. In a very large stock pot or 2 large stock pots if you don't have one that holds a gallon, add onions, bell pepper, garlic, carrot and celery (divide them if using 2 pots). Pour in everything except fresh parsley, if using it. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until all the beans are tender. Stir in fresh parsley, if using, in the last 5 minutes of cooking. I like to blend a few cups of the soup and pour back in to make it a smoother consistency. Season with sea salt if needed at the end of cooking.

If you have a large enough crock pot, you could also do this in the crock pot and cook on low all day after you have boiled the beans and let them sit an hour.

Freeze any extra soup you have for a go-to meal the next week. Cook on 50% power in the microwave until you can dump it out of your freezing container and bring to a low simmer in a pot.

Lemon Bars

The weekend rolls around and all I can think about is dessert....wait....who am I kidding? I always think about dessert. I made these lemony gems for my sweet friend Logan's birthday lunch because they are her favorite. She swears they are the best :)

1 cup butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

2 cup flour

½ tsp salt

4 eggs, well beaten

2 cup sugar

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 T plus 1 t lemon zest, divided

extra powdered sugar for dusting on top, approximately 1/2 cup 

In a large bowl, cream together butter and powdered sugar; blend in flour, salt and 1 tsp of the lemon zest. Press into a greased 9 x 13. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden.

While crust is baking, blend together the eggs, sugar, juice and zest. Pour over crust and bake an additional 20 minutes or until set. Cool completely. Cut into bars or triangles. Dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

Theoretically, these should work just as well with orange and orange zest, as well as lime with lime zest.

Pick up a microplane grater/zester at your grocery store if you don't have one, so you can get fresh zest from the fruit you choose to use.

Stuffed Peppers

I recently found a recipe for Unstuffed Bell Pepper Bake that I thoroughly enjoy and have made it several times in the last month. That recipe can be found here. Only change I made was used cooked brown rice. I liked this dinner so much, I wanted to make a real stuffed pepper. I made it vegetarian and my family DID NOT EVEN NOTICE!!!! After I told Israel, he felt cheated, but said he really liked it. In the future, he requested I add some cooked ground beef or shredded chicken, so feel free to do so when you make these. Trust me...you're gonna love them meatless or not!

1 cup canned pinto, black or red beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa (you can buy a 60 second microwaveable cup)
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 medium tomato diced
1 zucchini, diced small
1 yellow squash, diced small
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp Chile powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp olive oil
4 bell peppers any color or poblano peppers, seeded and cut in half
1 1/2 cups grated Monterrey jack, cheddar or Colby jack cheese
cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together except the peppers and cheese. This stuffing can be made a day in advance, covered and kept refrigerated.
2. Spray a large roasting pan or 9x13 with cooking spray. Mound a generous 1/2 cup stuffing mixture into each pepper half and place in roasting pan. Whatever is left over, just divide among the pepper cups.
3. Cover with foil and bake 50 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

this recipe was inspired by one I found in Clean Eating magazine

Asian meatballs over sesame soy noodles

Last week, I created a recipe for my good friend Lindsey Lett over at
http://www.ovenlesschef.blogspot.com/
Here is my recipe I created for her followers and wanted to share with mine :)

Meatballs

Now that I've had the blog up and running 3 whole months, I have people stop and ask me about something specific they want recipes for. Well, I have 2 kids and can barely remember things from yesterday, so I now have a blog memo in my phone where I have a running list of said things. Currently on there are meatballs, how to make a balsalmic glaze and ways to use it, and braised shortribs. Since I haven't put up a post this week (hey, remember I have 2 kids!) I thought I'd take a look and tackle the first one. The others will be coming soon :)

Kristen's Meatballs
1 small onion or half of a large one, diced very small or put in the food processor
3 garlic cloves, minced or put in the food processor
1 egg
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs or 1 slice bread diced very small
3 T ketchup
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley or 1 Tbs dried parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb ground turkey, beef or Italian sausage
3 T olive oil

In a large bowl combine the onion, garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper. Stir. Mix in the meat of choice. Shape into 1 1/2 inch or so meatballs.
Place on a large rimmed baking sheet sprayed and drizzled with the evoo. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

A few notes-
If I use turkey, I buy 93/7 to make these. I have never tried with 99/1 turkey before, but they would be firmer for sure.
With beef, I like to use 90/10 or 93/7.
I have used half beef, half sausage before with great results. It's hard to buy only half a pound of them though, so I just doubled the recipe. I have used bulk sausage and fresh Italian sausage, but removed the casings.
You can double/triple the recipe and freeze them as is or in a sauce. To reheat, I would simmer them in the sauce 10 minutes.
To make clean up a snap, cover the baking sheet with foil so you can just roll up and toss when finished.

Mini Lattice Pies by guest blogger Lindsey Lett

Hi Grab a Fork friends. My name is Lindsey and I am a stay home mom with a love for food. Unlike Kristen, I am not a chef and take no claim to having expertise in the kitchen... only lots of practice and an honest taste tester panel, my family! :) I currently live in South Korea where I have learned to get extremely creative with techniques and ingredients since a lot of Texas "staples" are not available. I also lived without an oven for a year and in turn, shared my food successes via a blog entitle Ovenless Chef. (It was one of the only names I could think of that was still available, so not to falsely advertise with the chef bit, but I am hopeful to take some culinary classes in the future!)

Okay, enough about me, let's move on to what is important... PIE!

I am a lover of pie. If given the choice between pie and cake, pie wins, forks down, every time! My favorite is rhubarb pie, but since I can't get that here, apple won out this time! Now... if you love pie, then you know that crust to filling ratio is crucial. Hence the mini lattice pies. Plenty of crust and just the right amount of filling... plus, portion control (if you are into that sort of thing). All you need are two pie crusts (pre-made or homemade), your choice of pie filling (canned if in a pinch), and a muffin pan. I'll share my recipe with you to get you inspired, but if you have a favorite crust recipe or filling, by all means use those! 

For the double crust:

1 C shortening, butter flavor or original

3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 C ice cold water (I float a few ice cubes in mine for about 5 minutes before use)

1. Mix dry ingredients together.

2. Cut in the shortening using a pasty blender or sturdy fork... I also tend to use the end of my whisk after cutting the shortening into small cubes.

3. Slowly add water and mix until you get a firm dough.

4. Cut in two equal portions and roll gently on floured wax paper or parchment paper (this helps get it off the counter easier!). (They don't have to be circles since you will be cutting shapes from the sheets)

5. You can make your dough ahead of time and freeze up to three months (in seran wrap and ziplock) or keep in the fridge up to three days.

For the filling:

1/2 C butter

3 T flour

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 C water

1/2 C white sugar

1/2 C packed brown sugar

8 apples- cored and sliced... peeled if you prefer, but I like the peel on. (bear in mind you need smaller pieces for the mini pies)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 C).

2. Using a cup or biscuit cutter that is larger than the muffin cup on you pan by about 3/4 an inch on each side ( so about 1 1/2 inches more in diameter), cut 12 circles from rolled dough... I used a small salsa type bowl for this. Then press the dough into the muffin pan. 

3. Poke each crust a couple times with a fork to keep from bubbling up when baking and pre-bake in oven for about 8-10 minutes. 

4. Cut the rest of pie crust dough into strips about 1/2 inch in width and just slightly longer than diameter of muffin tins. Set aside.

5. Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour to form paste.

6. Add water, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon,  and nutmeg and bring to boil. Then reduce to low simmer and add vanilla. Stir occasionally. 

7. Remove crusts from oven and fill with apples... mounded just slightly. 

8. Pour warm filling over apples to just below rim of crust.

9. Using four strips of dough, weave lattice design on top of each pie and place in oven. 

10. Bake 15 minutes in pre-heated oven (set timer or you will forget like me!), then reduce to 350 degrees F (175 C) and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes. If crusts begin to brown, simply cover with aluminum foil and continue baking. 

Enjoy with a scoop of ice cream! 

These are great for entertaining and you can make ahead and freeze them! (They work best if you freeze them just after assembly. Once they are frozen, you can remove them from muffin tin and store in air tight ziplock. Then simply remove from freezer about an hour before you are ready to bake them and place them back in the muffin tin and bake as directed above.) 

If you happen to be oven-less or just need some quick oven-less desserts in that summer heat, head over to ovenlesschef.blogspot.com for some no-bake and stove-top options! You could even make the above into fried pies! :) 

And thanks, Kristen, for letting me impose on your blog... it's an honor! :) 

Happy Appetizing

I am way past due on a blog post, so I have a ton of appetizer recipes to share. A friend from high school just asked for appetizer ideas for a wine night she was having and since I already typed these up for her in an email, I decided why not post for GrabaFork. I hope you enjoy these appetizers because who doesn't like a good appetizer?

Artichoke Dip  Serves: 6

2 (14oz) cans artichoke hearts, drained

1 cup Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

Dash Tabasco pepper sauce

Chop the artichokes and mix with remaining ingredients. Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly 30-45 minutes. I prefer to mix this together and let sit overnight in fridge. Bake before serving. I serve this with pita chips or baked baguette slices.

Blue Cheese and Date Cream Cheese Spread  Serves: 10-12

3 (8oz) pkg cream cheese

4 oz blue cheese

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1 (8oz) pkg dates, chopped

1 cup pecans, toasted

Preheat oven to 300 and toast pecans 3-4 minutes. Mix cream cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese and chopped dates together. You may make this as a spread or make into one large or 2 small cheese balls, roll in pecans, otherwise sprinkle nuts on top for spread. This can be made 2 days ahead. Do not roll in nuts or sprinkle on top until the day you are serving. I’ve served this with water crackers and the honey Wheatables crackers. I personally am not a huge fan of blue cheese, but the flavor combos here are really good-creamy, crunchy, salty and sweet J If you make this into 2 cheese balls, you could wrap one well and freeze for a future get-together, since you only need a serving for 5-6.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Click the link above for the recipe. My cousin has made these, but she used a 3 inch circle so the recipe made 8 tartlets instead of 4 tarts. They were very yummy and great for a wine night we had. You can get puff pastry dough in the freezer section.

Naan Veggie Pizzas

Click the link above for the recipe. Obviously, you don’t have to get whole foods brand of these ingredients, but the idea is yummy! You don’t have to grill them either. Saute the chopped veggies in a skillet then bake the pizzas maybe 10 minutes. Instead of eggplant, I would use mushrooms probably instead; very tasty.

Another Naan Veggie Pizza

Very easy.

Patrizio’s Bruschetta (from the North Texas Restaurant) Serves: 6-8

1 loaf baguette

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup olive oil

½ cup butter (1 stick)

3 tomatoes, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Slice the bread diagonally into 1 inch slices. Sauté 2 garlic cloves in 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a small skillet. Add the butter and heat until butter melts.  Spread on the bread slices and place on a cookie sheet.

Combine the tomatoes, 6 garlic cloves, basil and remaining olive oil in a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Broil the bread slices for 4 minutes or until light brown. WATCH CLOSELY. Remove from the broiler and adjust oven to 400 degrees. Top the bread slices with the tomato mixtures and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 5 minutes.

Hot Crab Dip Serves: 6-8

1 (6oz) can crab meat

8 oz cream cheese

2 Tbs Hellmann’s mayonnaise

2 dashes lemon juice

¼ onion, chopped

½ cup chopped fresh Italian or flat-leaf parsley

1 (2oz) package sliced almonds, toasted*

Paprika, to sprinkle on top

Lemon wedges

Combine the crab meat with the cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice and onion in a bowl and mix well. Spoon into a 6x6 or similar baking dish. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Top with parsley and almonds. Garnish with paprika and lemon wedges on the side. Serve hot with crackers.

*an easy way to toast any kind of nut, is to put them on a large plate and microwave in 2 minute increments, stirring after each 2 minutes until browned.

Baked Brie with Brown Sugar and Almonds  Serves: 8-10

1 (8oz) round of Brie Cheese

½ cup sliced almonds

¼ cup brown sugar

Cut off and discard the top rind of the cheese. Place the cheese cut side up in a heat-proof serving dish. Mix the almonds and brown sugar in a bowl and sprinkle on top of the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette slices, sliced apples or crackers. Variation-you could also use 3 Tablespoons raspberry jam instead of the brown sugar. Spread the jam on the cheese and top with the almonds before baking.

Pesto Baked Brie with Sun-dried tomatoes Serves: 8-10

1 (8oz) round of Brie Cheese

1/3 cup prepared or homemade pesto

1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Cut off and discard the top rind of cheese. Place the cheese cut side up in a heat-proof serving dish. Spoon on the pesto and top with the sun-dried tomatoes. Bake at 400 degrees for 8-12 minutes. Serve with toasted baguette slices, pita chips or crackers.

Happy Appetizing!! ;)

Kristen

Chocolate Cupcakes with a Caramel Frosting

In cooking, it is fairly easy to decrease fat and calories by using reduced fat dairy ingredients, decreasing oil or butter amounts, and choosing leaner cuts of meat or poultry. With baking however, its all about science, chemistry and equations. One ingredient is off, and you end up with either a doughy mess or a dry, hard block. In baking, there is a purpose to every ingredient. Here is a low-fat version of a cupcake. It miraculously stays moist and chocolaty without losing any flavor. You could also bake this in a greased
9x13 or 2- 9 inch cake pans for 25-30 minutes.

For the Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (7 1/2 ounces)

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Frosting:

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (for a richer caramel flavor, use dark not light)

2 to 3 tablespoons fat-free or regular milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups sifted powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a muffin pan or paper liners lightly.
2. Combine water and cocoa in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring well with a whisk and then remove from heat. Cool slightly.
3. Place granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and vanilla in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon 1 2/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
4. Divide batter into prepared muffin or cupcake liners. You will fill each liner about 2/3 cull. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.
5. To prepare frosting, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons milk; cook 1 minute or until sugar melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine butter mixture and 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl. Gradually add powdered sugar; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating until spreading consistency.
6. Spread the frosting on each cupcake. It will be about 1 1/2 tablespoons of frosting per cupcake.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers

This is definitely a meal you will love (kids included). It pleases your craving for a burger and for pizza at the same time. This is a crowd pleaser...serves 8.

Pepperoni Pizza Burgers
For the Meat:
2 lbs hamburger meat (I used 85/15)
4 oz pepperoni slices, chopped small
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbs dried Italian herbs

For Assembling:
1 box Texas Toast garlic bread
1 jar Classico Spicy Tomato spaghetti sauce
8 slices Provolone or Mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs olive oil

1. Preheat oven and bake Texas Toast garlic bread according to box, flipping once during baking. Set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients for the meat and mix well. Divide meat mixture into 8 portions. Shape meat into patties about 3/4 inch thick. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat.
3. Pour 1 Tbs olive oil into the hot skillet and brown the pepperoni burgers 3 minutes per side, 4 at a time. When you're done with the first 4, place on a cookie sheet and set aside. Turn the oven down to 300. Brown the remaining 4 pepperoni burgers 3 minutes a side. Place those 4 burgers on the cookie sheet and bake 8 minutes.
4. Take the meat out of the oven. Turn the broiler on. Place a slice of Texas toast garlic bread under each burger. Divide the entire jar of sauce over the pepperoni burgers completely covering each burger. Place a slice of cheese over each burger and then sprinkle them the Parmesan cheese.
5. Place them under the broiler for 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly.

Feel free to use leaner beef or ground turkey, turkey pepperoni and/or lite Texas toast garlic bread to lighten the meal up a bit. You could also saute some mushrooms and onions and top the burgers first with the veggie mixture after cooking and then top with the cheese.

Tilapia with Tomato, Corn and Kalamata Topper

For dinner tonight at my house...tilapia. On top, we're trying something new to jazz it up a bit.

2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced or pressed
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
1/2 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
6 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
cooking spray
4 Tilapia Fillets
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Liberally season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. When pan is hot, add the olive oil. Cook the fish 4-5 minutes a side. Remove fish from pan to a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.
2. To same skillet, add the garlic and cook 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cook 4-5 minutes until warm.

To serve, plate each tilapia fillet and top with a generous cup of the tomato mixture.

Summer Crockpot Recipes

Stop using that oven in this heat and grab one of my favorite cooking pieces...the crock pot!

Crockpot Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 2.5 hours
2 lbs precooked frozen meatballs
1 cup apricot or apple jelly
2 cups cocktail sauce or chili sauce

1. Pour the jelly and cocktail sauce into crockpot. Stir well.
2. Stir in the meatballs. Cover with lid and cook 2.5 hours on high.

Serve as meatball subs on hot dog buns or hoagie rolls for dinner or with toothpicks for a party appetizer.

Tangy Crockpot Ribs
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 lbs meaty pork spareribs, cut into 2-3 rib sections

1. Mix brown sugar and flour in medium saucepan. Add water, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, ginger and garlic powder. Cook and stir over medium heat until boiled and thickened.
2. Layer ribs in crockpot, spooning sauce over each layer. Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or on high 5-6 hours until ribs are very tender.

Crockpot Chocolate Fondue
18 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
13 oz can evaporated milk
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pound cake pieces, cut up fruit, marshmallows, graham crackers, cookies (try nutter butters) for dipping

1. Combine all ingredients and cook on low for 45 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
2. Cook 15 minutes more if needed to melt all the chocolate. This can be held for another hour on low before serving.

Crockpot Chicken Taco Filling
4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
18 oz jar salsa of your choice. Red or Green
1 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp onion powder

1. Place all ingredients in crockpot and stir. Cover and cook on low heat 8 hours.
2. Take chicken out and dice or shred. Stir back into crockpot to coat with sauce.

Use to make tacos, burritos, or tostadas. The only other things you need are shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes and grated cheese!

If Chili Dogs are a hit with your family, check out this recipe here.

If Chicken and Noodles is something your family likes, check out this recipe here.

Check out the Dinner Recipe #3 of BBQ Chicken previously posted on my blog here. Sub in pork loin or pork butt for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches too!

Recipes found on about.com with some tweaking of my own :)