We tried this recipe this week and loved it as well. It isn't super healthy so if you are looking for something healthy, don't try this...but, if you are looking for a delicious meal, this is a great choice. I made this for a friend that just had a baby and she called me the next morning to tell me that she even ate it for breakfast. So it was good. I found the recipe off of Allrecipes.com
Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cut into cubes (I don't ever use the amount of meat called for--I almost always cut the amount of meat in half in all my recipes so I just used 3)
6 Tbs butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1 Tbs Italian seasoning (I didn't have any on hand so I just made up my own)
I pound fettuccine pasta
1 onion, diced
1 (8 ounce) package sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbs salt (this seemed really salty to me until I mixed it with the noodles so you can subtract salt if you choose)
3 cups milk (I didn't have milk on hand so I used powdered milk and it was still delicious)
1 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces Colby-Monterrey Jack Cheese
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
In a small skillet over medium heat combine chicken, 2 Tbs butter, 2 clovers garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, melt 4 Tbs butter in the skillet. Saute onion, 2 cloves garlic, and mushrooms until onions are transparent. Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook two minutes. Slowly add milk and half-and-half, stirring until smooth and creamy. Stir in Parmesan and Colby-Monterrey Jack cheeses; stir until smooth and creamy. Stir in chicken mixture, tomatoes and sour cream. Serve over cooked fettuccine.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
We loved this soup. I didn't have fresh Parmesan cheese so I just used the already grated cheese but the fresh cheese would have made this even better. I found this recipe of of 365 Days of Slow Cooking. I'm just pasting this directly from her blog.
Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
Makes about 2 quarts
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.
Review:
So it's starting to be spring and soup season is about over, but add this recipe to try someday when it's cold because it is delicious! This is a recipe from my family cookbook and I just adapted it to the slow cooker. It turned out great. I brought it to a church dinner and it was completely gone, so I'm thinking that means it was good. It is very creamy and rich. If you wanted to make it a bit healthier, you could leave out the half and half and put skim milk or evaporated milk in. I've tried that before and it has turned out fine...just not as rich and fattening. I give this recipe 5 stars.
Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
Makes about 2 quarts
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1. Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil, and bay leaf to a large slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft.
3. About 30 minutes before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Add additional basil and oregano if needed (the slow cooker does a number on spices and they get bland over time, so don't be afraid to always season to taste at the end).
4. Cover and cook on LOW for another 30 minutes or so until ready to serve.
Review:
So it's starting to be spring and soup season is about over, but add this recipe to try someday when it's cold because it is delicious! This is a recipe from my family cookbook and I just adapted it to the slow cooker. It turned out great. I brought it to a church dinner and it was completely gone, so I'm thinking that means it was good. It is very creamy and rich. If you wanted to make it a bit healthier, you could leave out the half and half and put skim milk or evaporated milk in. I've tried that before and it has turned out fine...just not as rich and fattening. I give this recipe 5 stars.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Stuffed Pork Chops
Here is an easy stuffing for pork chops. I first made it a couple of months ago and couldn't keep Daniel out of it. I don't usually write these things down but this one was easy so I remembered it and made it again last night.
6 pieces of toasted bread (diced into 1/2 inch squares).
1/3 cup finely diced apple. I used Braeburns but Granny Smiths would work nicely too.
3 tablespoons of melted butter.
1/2 teaspoon of Sage
1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
After adding the first three ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the mixture to evenly coat the bread and apples with the butter then add the spices.
Next, prepare the meat. This recipe makes enough stuffing for four pork chops.
Trim the fat from around the chop and make a slit in one side almost to the bone. I rock the knife back and forth on the inside to make a large pocket while keeping a relatively small opening. Using your clean (!) fingers, stuff the chop with the bread/apple mixture. Use a toothpick to close off the opening if it is too large.
Place the chops in your favorite baking pan (I used a large rectangular baking stone) and cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
We had these with butter bomb mashed potatoes, sweet peas, and Jell-O jigglers last night for dinner.
6 pieces of toasted bread (diced into 1/2 inch squares).
1/3 cup finely diced apple. I used Braeburns but Granny Smiths would work nicely too.
3 tablespoons of melted butter.
1/2 teaspoon of Sage
1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
After adding the first three ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl, toss the mixture to evenly coat the bread and apples with the butter then add the spices.
Next, prepare the meat. This recipe makes enough stuffing for four pork chops.
Trim the fat from around the chop and make a slit in one side almost to the bone. I rock the knife back and forth on the inside to make a large pocket while keeping a relatively small opening. Using your clean (!) fingers, stuff the chop with the bread/apple mixture. Use a toothpick to close off the opening if it is too large.
Place the chops in your favorite baking pan (I used a large rectangular baking stone) and cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
We had these with butter bomb mashed potatoes, sweet peas, and Jell-O jigglers last night for dinner.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Waffles and Strawberry Syrup
We've been undergoing a food transformation in our house lately. Here's an example of a meal we've had the last two Sunday evenings in a row. We love it!
Waffles (Jen found this online and we used all the ingredients listed below -- no substitutions ... well, we did substitute large eggs for powdered eggs because I used the last two eggs for our real breakfast this morning before church).
Strawberry Syrup (from the Blendtec recipe book ... page 59)
Waffles (Jen found this online and we used all the ingredients listed below -- no substitutions ... well, we did substitute large eggs for powdered eggs because I used the last two eggs for our real breakfast this morning before church).
- 2 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (we grind our own wheat and we used white wheat)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
Directions:
- Preheat waffle iron.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil, honey, cinnamon, and baking soda until well combined. You'll find the coconut oil a bit clumpy. Just do the best you can.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk together just until large clumps disappear.
- Spray waffle iron with cooking spray and pour some batter into the center. My waffle iron takes about 1/4 cup batter for each waffle.
- Cook until lightly browned.
- If you want to freeze these, just cool to room temperature. Lay waffles on a baking sheet and flash freeze them. Once they're frozen, you can put them in a large freezer bag and just take out however many you need. Toast in the toaster oven until warmed through.
Strawberry Syrup (from the Blendtec recipe book ... page 59)
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp honey (we used agave)
Directions:
- Put everything in the blender, push go and watch the magic happen.
We doubled the waffle batter recipe, cooked it all, and froze seven waffles for breakfast meals this week.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese
We have been trying some new recipes lately. Here are some recent ones that we enjoyed.
We made this one minus the capers. Very good.
Recipe: Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta Cheese
- FAST
- VEGETARIAN
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 3), seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup Kalamata or other black olives, pitted
- 1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons drained capers
- 3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 3/4 pound spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the tomatoes, olives, feta, capers, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
- Meanwhile, in a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the cooked pasta and the garlic oil to the tomato mixture and toss
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Hearty Beef Stew (slow cooker)
I don't make Beef Stew very often but I saw this recipe and it looked really good. We ate it tonight and it was great. I will definitely be making this again. I am just copy and pasting directly from the blog I found the recipe from. I really like her food--very normal ingredients, not all fancy--just easy to make and good food. Check out her blog if you like some of these recipes I've posted.
Hearty Beef Stew {Slow Cooker}
from melskitchencafe.com
*Note: this stew recipe has a few steps that I am going to strongly encourage following – even if it makes you roll your eyes to have to go to the work/mess of browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker. I get it, I do! But let me emphasize that there is a reason this stew has more flavor and deliciousness than any other slow cooker stew I’ve had – and I believe it is because of the few minutes you have to spend at the beginning browning up the meat, onions and quickly bringing the sauce to a simmer. Browing = flavor. Now, if you absolutely refuse to do it…don’t worry, I’ll still like you. Go ahead – throw it all in – but don’t tell me before you do or else I’ll spend the day cringing. Also, unless you can find prepackaged stew meat in large pieces, it pays to buy a whole chuck roast and cut it up yourself, plus if you look for chuck roast on sale, it will probably save you a penny or two!
*Serves 6-8
5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas
After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.
In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.
When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country Dec/Jan 2011
Hearty Beef Stew {Slow Cooker}
from melskitchencafe.com
*Note: this stew recipe has a few steps that I am going to strongly encourage following – even if it makes you roll your eyes to have to go to the work/mess of browning meat before adding it to the slow cooker. I get it, I do! But let me emphasize that there is a reason this stew has more flavor and deliciousness than any other slow cooker stew I’ve had – and I believe it is because of the few minutes you have to spend at the beginning browning up the meat, onions and quickly bringing the sauce to a simmer. Browing = flavor. Now, if you absolutely refuse to do it…don’t worry, I’ll still like you. Go ahead – throw it all in – but don’t tell me before you do or else I’ll spend the day cringing. Also, unless you can find prepackaged stew meat in large pieces, it pays to buy a whole chuck roast and cut it up yourself, plus if you look for chuck roast on sale, it will probably save you a penny or two!
*Serves 6-8
5 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or beef broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound red potatoes, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons Minute tapioca
2 cups frozen peas
After the meat has been cut into chunks, pat it dry with a paper towel and season all the pieces with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until the oil is rippling and hot. Cook half of the beef until it is well browned on each side, about 4 minutes. No need to cook it all the way through – just get some great brown color all around. Toss the meat in the slow cooker and follow the same process with the second half of the meat (you may need to add another tablespoon of oil to the pan if it looks a little dry). Remove the meat to the slow cooker, trying to keep as much oil in the pan as possible.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until the onions are translucent and golden, about 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the broth, soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon thyme and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil and transfer it to the slow cooker, pouring it over the meat.
In a large bowl, toss the carrots, potatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. On the counter, lay out a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil (use two sheets of regular foil on top of each other if you don’t have heavy-duty). Place the tossed vegetables on one side of the foil. Fold the foil over the vegetables and crimp the edges really well to form a little foil packet that will fit in the top of your slow cooker. Stir the tapioca into the slow cooker. Place the foil packet of vegetables on top of the stew, cover the slow cooker, and cook on high for 6-7 hours or low for 10-11 hours.
When the stew is finished cooking, carefully remove the foil packet from the top of the stew. Discard the bay leaves from the stew. Carefully open the foil packet (be careful of steam that may escape as you open it!). Return the vegetables and any juices to the slow cooker and gently mix them into the stew. Stir in the frozen peas and let them rest in the stew for 5-10 minutes, until they are heated through. Serve.
Recipe Source: adapted from Cook’s Country Dec/Jan 2011
Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad
I am always looking for new fruit salad recipes. The boys didn't like this one as much (the didn't like the sour cream) but both Mike and I liked it alot. We tried it with and without the coconut and liked it both ways but we both agree that you don't really need the coconut. I don't feel it adds a whole lot to it. It's a super easy, fast recipe. I found it off of one of my favorite cooking blogs. We have tried a number of recipes from this blog and have liked every one so far. I just cut and paste this directly from her blog.
Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad
from melskitchencafe.com
*Serves 4-6 as a side dish
1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.
Recipe Source: adapted from my sweet and wonderful mother-in-law, Diane G.
Creamy 5-Cup Fruit Salad
from melskitchencafe.com
*Serves 4-6 as a side dish
1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
Combine the fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.
Recipe Source: adapted from my sweet and wonderful mother-in-law, Diane G.
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