Beefy Beans @ What's For Dinner

Heart healthy? Not by Dr.Oz's standards, but I've always heard that beans, beans are good for your heart. Make these Beefy Baked Beans for your next cookout. Or do like me and make them whenever your hungry for something that fills you up and clogs your arteries (which is daily).

Sara's Chicken Salad

If you feel like a delicious chicken salad recipe that's a twist on the traditional version your mom made, and it's so easy to make it is child's play, check out Sara's Chicken Salad. It's what's for dinner at our house.

Light, fruity, refreshing

and it's child's play!

Happy B-day Greg!

I posted a recipe I know my FIFTY, that's five-oh, otherwise know as 50-year old brother, Greg would like at What's for Dinner. I know he would like it because I have seem him scarf it down like a...like a...like a very hungry person.

Happy birthday, Greg. And if you are wondering what I was gonna get you for your birthday, it's a recipe.

You're welcome.

And on another note, Mom has a new bud. No, it isn't a new bridge club friend. It's a beautiful new bloom in her yard.

Hatched baby bird pictures coming soon.

Zesty, Zaney Tangy Dessert

I got somethin' for ya.There aren't any of these left
but lucky for you, I didn't eat the recipe.
Find it here.


Mom, I know full well you will be making these as soon as you read this blog entry. The kids and I will be over around noon.

Chicken Soup Better Than Your Momma's

Chicken soup with heavy cream, Parmesan cheese and cooking sherry is being served over at What's for Dinner?.
It's the only chicken soup I make and I will never need another chicken soup again. Unless someone else cooks their Chicken Soup for me. In that rare instance, their soup will be better than my soup. I will eat it and love it. Then follow them home and ask to be adopted.

Here I am making the stock for the Chicken Soup. See my apron? It was an early birthday gift from someone special. Aprons make everything taste better. This one matches my decor. It's so Martha! I'm so Martha in it!


I discovered that I loooooove wearing aprons. I feel so official (as if wiping snotty noses on my shirt tale and cleaning toilets didn't feel official enough). Sometimes I wear it to watch TV (did you see Top Chef last night?). I decided that there was nothing better than to wear an apron all day long.

Then I came home from a tennis lesson and put on my apron. I have changed my mind about the apron. There is nothing better than wearing an apron over a tennis skirt. Pure bliss. I'm officially athletic, officially cute (in the little skirt) and officially a great mom and cook.

Where is the UPS man when you need him? The stars would have to be perfectly aligned for me to #1 not be wearing pajamas at noon, #2 have applied make-up that day, #3 be wearing a tennis skirt and #4 be preparing a meal while wearing my apron. But what would he think when he rang the bell and there I would be...all aproned and skirted and the sweet smell of a gourmet dinner in the air. He would surly ask be to run away to Brownsville with him!

A girl can dream. And eat Creamy, Parmesany, Sherried Chicken Soup.

Eggstra Easter Eggs?

If you have eggstra Easter eggs, peas try this salad at What's For Dinner.

Proud Eaters?

Tonight after dinner Patrick asked that I photograph his plate. I obliged and said, "Say cheese," while trying to get him and his plate in the shot. He objected and asked that I only take a picture of his plate. I guess I have taken a few too many pictures of food lately. Or maybe he is just proud.

(Above) His plate (with second helpings).

And then you-know-who asked for her plate to be photographed as well. Notice the licked ketchup.

We had delicious chicken nuggets for dinner that are both yummy and nutritious . Lorie, CJ will love these and he'll never even sense they may be good for him. I promise.

Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Bananas and Whipped Cream

What's for breakfast? Try Whole-Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes with Bananas and Whipped Cream at, What's For Dinner?.

Pot Stickers

This evening our visitors have left our home to visit the home of someone else. I have been dying to make something interesting and add something new to my cooking repertoire and since the audience was gone, I had plenty of room to make a fool of myself alone in the kitchen. So tonight for my eating pleasure and my children's disgust I made Pot Stickers.

I have always enjoyed eating Pot Stickers - the kind you get in the frozen food section of Wal-Mart have suited me well. Oddly enough it wasn't until I actually made them tonight that I figured out just why they are called Pot Stickers. Indeed, they do stick to the pot and the crisp bottoms make them all the tastier!


Many of these ingredients are also used in my Steak & Portobellos with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce so if you have them on hand you may as well make both recipes...eventually...before the ingredients go bad...within a year or two.

Oh, and by the way, since Lorie is loaning me a digital camera I thought I would take it for a test drive tonight before she leaves me stranded with a piece of equipment I can't operate. I know, I know, I am no photographer, but it was fun giving it a try anyway!




Pot Stickers


Potstickers:
1 cup bok choy, finely chooped (in my case, sort of finely chopped)
1/3 green onions, chopped
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 t. salt
2 t. fresh ginger, minced (in my case, sort of fresh ginger)
1 t. grated lemon rind
1 t. dark sesame oil
1/2 pound pork sausage

24-36 wonton wrappers
3-4 T. vegetable oil
1-1 1/2 cups water


Sauce:
5 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. honey


Combine bok choy and next 7 ingredients (through the sausage) and mix well.

Take one wonton wrapper and moisten edges by lightly brushing with water. Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of wrapper. Bring 2 opposite ends together and pinch to seal. Then bring remaining ends together to seal and pinch all 4 edges together. Set aside and continue.

Heat 1 T. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Careful to not crowd pan, fill with pot stickers. Cook 2 minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water to pan, cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Repeat procedure until all pot stickers are cooked and the house smells like a Chinese restaurant.

Prepare sauce by mixing ingredients and serve alongside the delicious Pot Stickers.

This is bok choy folks. It is also good served as a side dish. Maybe I'll post a recipe for sauted bok choy someday.

I bought myself a citrus peeler for Christmas ($$ big spender $$) and now I am finally using it! It feels like Christmas all over again (except our trash can isn't overflowing with wrapping paper and my sink isn't overflowing with dirty dishes).

This is where I take off my rings and dig-in with my hands.

I tried to get the wrappers to pinch together without first brushing them with water...big mistake. The water is apparently a key component to this recipe. Use it!

What a beauuuty!

(to be read in Steve Erwin's Crocodile Hunter voice. God rest his crocodile-wrestlin'- soul.)

After the water is added...bubble...bubble...bubble!

eat me! eat me!

Cook's Notes:

~ Next time I will mix 1/4 pound of pork sausage with 1/4 pound of ground chicken or turkey to cut back on the greasiness (although there is something really authentic about greasy Pot Stickers).

~ Add matchstick carrots, Napa cabbage and chopped water chestnuts to the mix.

~ This is not a kid friendly dish! Get the water boilin' for the Ramen noodles, baby!

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs

I have made this three times. Last week I added the capers and the kalamata olives for the first time. Pat went on and on about it so I guess he liked the additions.

Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs (or Breasts)

1 1/2 T. vegetable oil
1/2 stick butter
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
3T. balsamic vinegar
1 c. red wine (or substitute chicken stock)
1 T. capers
1/4 c. kalamata olives, pitted
salt and pepper
parsley for garnish

Heat oil and butter over high. Add the chicken thighs to the skillet careful not to crowd pan. Sear each side until the chicken is golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove to baking dish.
Add the onion and garlic to pan, until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, red wine (or stock if you are substituting), capers, olives and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Bring to a slow simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the balsamic glaze over the chicken and place in a 350° preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the chicken has just cooked through. Remove from the oven, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve.

Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie
Adapted from Fanner Farmer’s Famous Dish

3+ cups (1 lb) ground beef 1 cup beef broth
1-2 lg. garlic cloves salt
1 onion, diced 4-5 medium red potatoes (w/ skin)
4 –8 T. butter (divided) 1 bag peas & carrots, frozen
4 T. flour 2+ cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Cut potatoes into quarters, cover w/ cold, salted water and boil gently for 15-20 minutes. Drain. Taste for salt. Add pepper & more salt if necessary and 2-4 T. butter. Mash. Set aside.

2. While potatoes are boiling preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Cook peas & carrots in microwave according to package directions. Drain and add salt/pepper. Set aside.

4. Brown beef with garlic and onion. Set aside.

5. In same pan you used for browning beef melt 4T. butter and stir in flour. Cook for a few minutes over medium heat until smooth and blended (must cook to gewt rid of flour taste). Slowly add beef broth. Cook at least 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add beef mixture. Salt and pepper as needed.

6. Layer to edges meat mixture evenly in 1 ½ quart casserole dish. Spread peas & carrots over meat. Spread mashed potatoes on top. Add cheese. Bake for 35-45 minutes until cheese is beautifully brown.

Note: I usually divide this into two smaller casserole dishes and freeze one for later. To recook frozen Shep. Pie just thaw 24 hours in refrigerator bake 45-ish minutes at 350.

Steak & Portobellos with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce

We had a change of menu this past week with Valentine's Day and all the hoopla around the "holiday" (if you can call it that). For Pat's V.D. gift I made him the meal he's asked me to make for the past 7 years. It is a meal I have avoided at all costs. It is a meal I know I'm not qualified to cook, steam, roll or present. For my Valentine I attempted the meal I knew I should not -- I made sushi. I will spare you the details and spare you the recipe. In the future, God-willing and the kids-behaving, I will make sushi again and describe it for you. Until then, make Steak & Portobellos with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce.

This is a nice switch from the regular meat and potatoes standby; however, it is not for the faint of heart...I mean faint of pallet. The sauce is very bold and will kick-up the flavor a few notches. If you like foods with an Asian flare, this is a meal for you.




Appearing for the very first time, my very own food photography. Tah-Daah! Pat was kind enough to go to his truck and retrieve our...errr...his digital camera just as I was plating the meal. I think the photo is pretty good considering the entire family was sitting there waiting to eat while I arranged food. Except Kelly, she was sitting there waiting to throw a dinner tantrum proclaiming her distaste for mashed potatoes and meat. Apparently she doesn't consider hot dogs to be meat. And now that I think about it, she is probably right. Are hot dogs meat?






Steak & Portobellos with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce
Adapted from Isabel Cruz's Cooking Light Recipe

2-3 portobello mushroom caps (more would suit me fine - I could skip the steak completely)
1 lb. boneless beef shoulder steak (I often use those really thin slices of beef - I don't know the official name - Uncle Ed's beef has it labeled "Minute Steak")
Olive oil
S&P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce
1/4 c. chopped green onions (with green stems)
1/4 soy (I use low sodium)
1 t. fresh, peeled, chopped ginger (original recipe calls for more, add more if you like)
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. dark sesame oil
1 T. honey
dash nutmeg
1 clove garlic

1. Prepare sauce by combining all 8 ingredients in food processor until smooth. Set aside.

2. Remove gills from under portobellos (use a spoon) and slice caps.

3. Heat a nonsick pan over mediun-high heat. Coat with olive oil. Salt and pepper steak. Add steak and cook on each side until browned. Remove from pan. If using beef shoulder, slice diagonally. If using the thin cut I referred to as "Minute Steak" there's no need to slice it.

4. Toss mushrooms with a few tablespoons of soy mixture; add to pan. Cook for 1 minute. Remove from pan.

5. Return steak to pan and cook to desired doneness.

6. Plate steak and mushrooms together. Drizzle with remaining soy mixture.

Serving Note: I usually serve over jasmine rice, but tonight I will serve it with my lower-fat version of Pioneer Woman's Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. I will make extra mashed potatoes for Shepherd's Pie later this week.

Kid Friendly Adaptation: Don't drizzle their sizzle (you know...their meat...don't drizzle any sauce over it)! The sauce is waaaay too much for the kiddies. And when I made the garlic roasted mashed potatoes, I set aside a bowl full of mashed tators sans roasted garlic.

Apple Cranberry Chutney Pork Pinwheels

Do you need an impressive dinner that will wow your husband's boss, make an "outlaw" an inlaw or trick the disapproving mothers in the Mom's Club into thinking you belong in their exclusive snotty organization? If so, visit Martha Stewart's blog; I'm sure she has a ton of ideas for you.

photo hijacked from Simply Recipes

If you need something that tastes really good, looks respectable and pleases YOU deeply, look no further. This is a tried and true recipe that I added to my dinner rotation a few months ago. In the future I plan on stuffing this CENTER CUT pork loin with some other ingredients, but for now, this chutney filling is oh so good. It has a little sweetness and a little sourness; just like me!



I serve the Apple Cranberry Pork Pinwheels with baked sweet potatoes and a small salad. You serve it however you like, but please, do yourself a favor and just serve it.

Apple Cranberry Pork Pinwheels

This recipe is my adaptation of Elise Bauer’s adaptation of a Cook’s Illustrated Recipe (basically it’s a third party recipe)

Chutney Filling
1 cup orange juice or apple juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 Tbsp onion, grated
1 1/2 cups dried apples (I call this the fruit of my loin)
1/2 cup dried cranberries (this is the fruit of my loin too)
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
½ t. ground mustard (or a few squirts of yellow mustard will work)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Pork Roast
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 pound boneless center-cut pork loin roast (short and wide - about 7-8 inches long and 4-5 inches wide). I don’t know my cuts of meat, but I think this “center cut” part is important because I have twice NOT purchased the “center cut” version and twice been very disappointed because it is two small pieces of pork wrapped together to look like one big one and thus making it impossible to make this beautiful dish beautiful. So buy the CENTER CUT pork roast.

1. Put the small children down for a nap, as you are about to handle raw meat. You never know what they will do while you have salmonella hands from wrangling raw pork. My luck is someone will snort a Cheerio up his/her nose and need some sort of medical attention while I stand there, hands held up in the air, and say, “I have raw meat hands, honey. You are going to have to take care of it alone. Just blow your nose. Blow. Come on now, blow harder. Dang it, I am about fed up with you. Would you just give it a good blow already!” Note: The coaxing it takes to get kids in bed is the most challenging part of this recipe. Put the pork roast in the freezer for 30 minutes to make it easier to cut.

2. Bring all the filling ingredients to simmer in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until apples are very soft, about 20 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, reserving the liquid. Use a rubber spatula to press against the apple mixture in the sieve to extract as much liquid out as possible. Pulse apple mixture in food processor, about fifteen 1-second pulses (or just chop it up small like I do). Set aside. Since I usually start dinner when the baby is napping around 2:00, I stop here and finish reduction right before I serve dinner. So skip to step 3 for now and come back to step 2 when the roast is almost ready to serve.
Return liquid to saucepan and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, set aside and reserve this liquid for use as a glaze.

3. You will be "double-butterflying" the pork roast. Lay the roast down, fat side up. Insert the knife into the roast 1/2-inch horizontally from the bottom of the roast, along the long side of the roast. Make a long cut along the bottom of the roast, stopping 1/2 inch before the edge of the roast. Click here to see Elise’s demonstration double-butterflying. You can also see her version of this recipe, but I must say it is lacking because nowhere does she mention putting her kids down for naps, salmonella hands or cheerios in one’s nose. I feel that my minor changes have made all the difference in the final outcome of the dish.

4. Season the inside of the roast well with salt and pepper. Spread out the filling on the roast, leaving a 1/2-inch border from the edges. Starting with the short side of the roast, roll it up very tightly. Secure with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Season the outside of the roast generously with salt and pepper. Since Wal-mart is hiding the kitchen twine these days I got creative recently. I made aluminum foil “ropes” and wrapped a few around the loin. Granted they aren’t as pretty as twine, but they worked.

5. Place roast on a rack in a roasting pan, put in 350 degree preheated oven, on the middle rack. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, until the internal temperature of the roast is 160 degrees.

6. When roast is almost ready, return to step 2 and reduce your glaze.

7. Brush roast with half of the glaze and cook for 5 minutes longer. Remove the roast from the oven or grill. Place it on a cutting board. Tent it with foil to rest and keep warm for 15 minutes before slicing.

8 Slice into 1/2-inch wide pieces, removing the cooking twine (or aluminum foil home made ropes) as you cut the roast. Serve with remaining glaze.

Serves 6-8 normal people (or 2 ravenous adults)

And one last note: Pat slow smoked the pork roast with some wood chips a few weeks ago . The memory make me speechless. Umm Umm Good! Man, that guy sure knows how to please a woman!

Kid Note: They like the meat, but the looks of the chutney discourages them. Maybe if you put the pinwheel on a stick and call it a lollipop they'll eat it? But probably not.

The Whole Enchilada

I know this isn't really Mexican food. I am sure it isn't even close. But it makes a decent meal that my kids like and my husband loves. We aren't from Mexico so we don't really care if it is authentic. In fact, I buy my margaritas premade from a bottle too. Shameful? Maybe. Really yummy and potent? Definitely! Actually, if I were you, I'd skip the recipe below and just have the margarita for dinner.



Cream Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas
Adapted from Paula Deen Celebrates!

4 cups chicken, chopped
One 8 oz. package (1/3 less fat) cream cheese
One 10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup
One 4 oz. can diced green chilies, with juice (use two cans if you like a mild kick)
One 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
~~~~~
10 (approximately) tortilla shells, 7-inch diameters
One 10 oz. can enchilada sauce
2-3 cups shredded cheese (I use Fiesta Blend, use what you like)
~~~~~
Garnish:
3 green onions, chopped (include the pretty green tops too)
chopped cilantro
shredded lettuce

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour a little enchilada sauce on bottom of 13x9 pan to prevent sticking.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients and scoop 3/4 of mixture into each tortilla shell. Roll shell and place enchiladas side by side in dish.
3. Pour remaining sauce over entire dish of enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.
4. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.
5. Sprinke tops with lettuce, cilantro and green onions and serve.


Note some changes to the original recipe:


~ I only use one can of green chilies because of the kids, but if I was making it for myself I'd...well...I'd probably just go to a real Mexican joint and forget about this pseudo-Mexican-home-cooked-bologna. Or I'd stick to the original recipe and use 2 cans of green chilies plus add some jalapenos and habaneras for good measure.


~ The original recipe calls for 6 cups of cheese. Yes, I said SIX cups of cheese. Do you think that was that a type-o in the cookbook I used? I am sure it is delicious that way, but I like my ass to fit on this chair while I pound out this delicious blog entry. I sprinkle maybe 2 cups of shredded cheese over the top. It's enough to cover the whole enchilada (and then some).


~ And don't forget the most important ingredient to this meal.

I Never Met A Recipe I Didn't Alter

Since Pat is a leg man, not a breast man (he's never actually said this, but he did marry me so I assume it to be true) last night I made a combination of a Pioneer Woman recipe for Spicy Chicken Legs and a Sister Ashley Recipe for Caramelized Chicken Breasts. It was delicious and easy and we all ate it like crazy! The most exciting part for the "cooker" (that's what Kelly calls me) is that I made extra chicken for tonight's meal. In addition to the chicken, we had Cheesy Orzo (another Ashley recipe), and a Mixed Green & Toasted Walnut Salad with a Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette. Since it was Pat's birthday, I made a quick Sour Cream Cinnamon Breakfast cake.

First I made the chicken legs, but made a few changes to P-Dub's recipe.

Roasted Chicken Legs with Caramelized Onion Sauce

1. Melt only a 1/2 stick butter (for about 20 legs) and mix in 1 Tablespoon of Paula Deen's House Seasoning (House Seasoning: 1 cup salt 1/4 cup black pepper 1/4 cup garlic powder Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months).

2. Cut the skin off the legs (to eliminate some fat) and place legs on broiler pan, brush with butter mixture and sprinkle more seasoning on top of the legs. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

3. Pull out legs and rebrush tops with butter. Broil for about 10 minutes until brown.

4. Pull out legs again, flip them over and brush bottoms with butter and sprinkle with seasoning and broil for 10 more minutes.

While the legs were acookin', start Ashley's Caramelized Onion mixture from this delicious recipe she published on her blog. Follow her directions (sans chicken), and add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of chicken broth in step 2, then reduce. Turned off heat and set aside.

When the chicken legs are out of the oven, put about 6 or 7 or 8 or 9 legs into the caramelized onion mixture and heat through. Set aside the rest of the chicken legs you baked for a future meal (in our case, we are making Chicken Enchiladas tonight and possibly Chicken Pot Pie another night).

Ashley's Cheesy Orzo

Make it! It is awesome and a HUGE kid hit! I have to admit I burn the bottom every time, but I am blaming it on my electric range (I prefer gas). I am going to start adding stuff to it. I think it would be good with some frozen green peas mixed in and maybe some mushrooms.

Mixed Green & Toasted Walnut Salad with a Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette

You can click here for a printer-friendly version on the recipe I got from Cooking Light magazine (December 2005).

I made 1/2 this dressing recipe and had entirely too much. I also added about 1 teaspoon Hormel Real Bacon Bits to the dressing. Good call. I will eat leftovers today for lunch, but I will add some Blue Cheese crumbles to the salad.

Post Script: I just ate lunch and must reiterate. This salad is ok last night, but really good with the added blue cheese. I also added more toasted walnuts and more bacon sprinkles. I think it needs all three to make it a great salad. Notice the dressing has no oil in it, so the blue cheese and bacon help a lot!

1 cup vertically sliced red onion

2 (10-ounce) packages Mediterranean-style salad

2/3 cup Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

To prepare salad, combine onion and lettuce mix in a large bowl. Add Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette, and toss well. Sprinkle with walnuts.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes Vanilla-Pear Vinaigrette. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 cups)CALORIES 55 (38% from fat); FAT 2.3g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.5g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 1.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 20mg; SODIUM 73mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 8.1g Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2005

This photo is not Pat and this is not the cake I made for him last night. I made this cake in January, and

this cake we tried to decorate with pink icing and sprinkles. Pat doesn't necessarily like pink icing.

Fake Birthday Cake (aka: Sour Cream Cinnamon Breakfast Cake)

I got this recipe off some lady's blog. She said it came from The Bridge Street Inn Bed and Breakfast in Charlevoix, Michigan. I am not a baker. I do not bake, nor do I make dessert on a regular basis (for reasons I confessed here before). But this cake is easy, fast and fortified with pecans for good health. I first made this recipe on Christmas morning, 2007, and Pat loved it. Pat does not usually eat dessert and does not have a sweet tooth. So for him to rave over it...it is worth making again.

4 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup oil

1 pkg yellow cake mix

1 cup sour cream

3/4 cup chopped pecans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 T cinnamon

1. Beat eggs until fluffy. Add sugar and beat again. Blend in cake mix, sour cream, oil and nuts.

2. Pour 1/2 batter into greased bunt pan.

3. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over batter. Swirl lightly with a knife.

4. Pour remaining batter on top.

5. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes.

Tonight we are having Cream Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas. They are so easy! I'll be back with that recipe later!

Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti

Is this illegal? Are the Copywrite Cops going to come knockin' on my door? I hope not, but if they do I will share (but that is not an invitation, so don't think about it). What's for dinner tonight? Paula Deen's Baked Spaghetti is for dinner, that's what!

I want no credit for it, Copywrite Cops, sirs. It is Paula's recipe and not mine. I want everyone to go and buy her cookbook and make her millions of dollars more. Because it is her recipe. Not mine.

Do yourself a favor and make a double batch. Freeze the second half for another night.

The Compromise: Baked Wings, Spinach Artichoke Dip & Sushi

I know. I know. The combination doesn't sound so good, but by the time I was finished getting it all in front of the TV we were starving and ready for anything. Pat agreed to baked wings instead of fried because he said, "I can eat more that way." Thank goodness for such rational thinking. To make the wings I used a combination of a Barefoot Contessa recipe and an Alton Brown recipe. The wings were ok, but knowing that my husband will live longer made them taste all the better. I also made a Spinach Artichoke Dip that I enjoyed more than the wings. Lastly, I picked up some sushi and we had a party. Well...not really a party, but we put the kids to bed a 6:00pm and that is as close to a party as we can get these days!

Broiled Chicken Wings with Lite Blue Cheese Dressing

24 chicken wings

1 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons Tabasco
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups crumbled Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1 cup lite mayonnaise
3/4 cup lite sour cream
2 tablespoons 1% milk
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the broiler.
Melt 1/4 stick butter. Put the wings on a sheet pan and brush them with the melted butter. Broil them about 3 inches below the heat for 8 minutes. Turn the wings, brush them again with the butter, and broil for 4 more minutes or until cooked.

While broiling, melt remaining butter add cayenne, Tabasco and salt and begin sauce.

For the sauce, place the blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until almost smooth.

Toss wings in butter mixture and put on your beer goggles.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip
(originally from Sara's friend,Hope, I added the spinach to make it "fortified")
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 can artichokes packed in water, drained and cut to desired size
1 can diced green chilies
1 ½ cups asigo cheese grated
1 10oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained very well

Mix all ingredients together and pour into shallow baking dish. Bake 350 degrees until golden on top. Blot oil. Served with baguette slices.

This dip is so good it will knock you over!

Hey! I'm four. Your teeth stink! God is wheely, wheely strong. When bugs die, they go to Bug Jesus. Mom, are you listening to me? Help me, I'm talking and I can't shut up!

And if you believe this...Patrick took the left-over sushi to school in his lunchbox (no raw fish). He asked that I include chop sticks. Bless his little heart! If he can withstand the ridicule of accidently being sent to school in Batman pajamas (cape included) and eating sushi at a kindergarten lunch table, he may actually turn out to be a solid man built to withstand the pressures to conform.

Postscript: When Patrick came home from school he said almost immediately and without any solicitation, "The kids at lunch didn't like the sushi." I inquired further. Did they laugh at you? How did it make you feel. Did you eat it anyway? Did it make you sad? He somberly replied, "Yes I was sad 'cause the chop sticks made the sushi fall apart." That's my boy!

What's for dinner? Browned Beef Carnitas

Our dinner tonight will be browned Beef Carnitas. If it turns out well I'll post the recipe. If not, my family will suffer in silence (probably for days because I am making a lot of it).

The photo above is from the recipe I am using with a few exceptions. It calls for pork. Since pork is the other white meat I am using beef. Beef is brown. And more filling.

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The following addition to this post was made after we ate dinner:

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The Beef Carnitas were pretty good. It was totally a throw-together meal, but I think I will make it again. I have decided to post it because (1) the beautiful picture above may really make you want it and (2) it was simple to make.

The Menu: Beef Carnitas, Yellow Rice and Jazzed-up Black Beans with Guacamole, Sour Cream and Salsa on the side

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Beef Carnitas (the Soccer Mom Version)

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Beef Chuck Roast

Goya Adobo Seasoning (look on Latin food isle or you could probably use garlic powder, s & p)

1 medium onion, halved

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno pepper

2 cups chicken broth

14 oz. can tomatoes

Cilantro (a hand full of fresh or maybe just a teaspoon of dried)

Shredded cheese (I used Mexican blend and some mozzarella)

Sour Cream

Guacamole (I usually make my own, but I highly recommend the brand Wholly Guacamole. Find it in the produce section at Wal-mart. It is actually as good as my homemade version and probably cheaper)

Salsa

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1. Season the roast well with Adobo powder. Top, bottom, & sides! Shake it. Shake it. Shake it, Momma.

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2. Put first 8 ingredients into crock pot. Turn on low and go about your business.

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3. When ready to eat use a strainer to retrieve the chuck roast and shred it into smaller pieces. Also retrieve some tomatoes (dice them up) and some onion slices. Place on a warm flour tortilla, top with cheese, guacamole, sour cream, salsa and more fresh cilantro.

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4. Enjoy the easy and filling meal.

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My kids loved this. When I told them we were having beef for dinner they made ugly faces, their heads began to spin and high-pitched siren sounds came out their mouths. Then I changed the name from beef to burritos. The terrible noises stopped, but by the looks on their faces they still were not convinced. Then I let them assemble their own (mainly meat and cheese) and hid the tomatoes and onions out of their peripheral vision. Suddenly it was manna from God. Sissy informed me she wanted it for breakfast tomorrow morning only tomorrow she wants it to be flat (i.e.: a quesadilla), with just cheese and pickles. I guess that means she liked the Beef Carnitas. I hope you do too.

What's for dinner?

I guess if I title my blog What's for dinner? I need to actually tell you about our dinner. Tonight I cooked an old stand-by that we ate so often in years past I kind of did-away-with it. This evening it was born again (or "saved" as we Bible belters refer to it). My little sister Ashley will remember it because she swore it off after a horrible bacon grease mishap. My Penne with Brussels Sprouts and Crisp Bacon is adapted from a Cooking Light magazine (November 2005) recipe. Although my version is a little different than the Cooking Light version (more bacon, more noodles and a little less chicken broth), I think the cookers (Sissy's word) at Cooking Light would still approve...I think. Here goes my version:

Penne with Brussels and Bacon

1 lb. uncooked penne pasta (Cooking Light calls for only 12 oz)
3 cups trimmed, halved Brussels (about 1 lb.)
salt
4 slices bacon (C.L. calls for only 2 slices...add even more if you'd like)
1 cup 1% milk
2 T. flour
1 cup chicken broth (C.L calls for 14 oz.)
1 T. butter
1 cup Parmesean Cheese (the good stuff. the real stuff.)
fresh ground black pepper (I think this is very important to the overall quality)


1. Cook pasta al dente according to package. Make sure to use salted water. Drain. Set aside.

2. Steam brussels, covered, for about 7 minutes. Drain.

3. Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove from pan. Crumble. Set aside. Reserve 1 teaspoon drippings in pan.

4. Add Brussels to bacon drippings, saute 5 minutes until lightly browned. Stir in cooked pasta. Cover and keep warm.

5. Combine milk, flour and broth stirring well with a whisk. Melt butter in medium sausepan over medium heat. Gradually add milk mixture, stirring constantly until well blended. Cook until thickened (at least 6 minutes). Mix in 1/4 cup cheese. Pour sauce over pasta mixture and toss to coat. Use the remaining cheese, bacon crumbles, salt sprinkles and lots of fresh ground black pepper to top each individual serving.

The kiddies will like this recipe too. I keep the pot on the stove and serve each person individually so they never even have to see the Brussels sprouts. I just pray that some of the good-for-you green stuff has leaked into their pasta noodles. Tricky. Tricky. My kids love bacon and cheese so I keep Real Bacon bits on hand to sprinkle extra on theirs.

Let me know if you try it (except you, Ashley. You just stay away from the bacon frying).