Spinach Salad Wraps

Even though we're toward the end of the summer, I had to add this here because it was quite delicious (or delicioso as Roger would say - too much Diego in our house).


http://www.deglazing.com/deglazing/2011/08/spinach-salad-wraps.html
This is the original recipe, but since I'm a shamefully picky eater I changed it up.

Here's what you need:

tortillas
mozzarella cheese
tomatoes
mushrooms
spicy ranch dressing (I bought the packet and made it - ohmyword - good) or sour cream
couple few hard boiled eggs
bacon
fresh spinach leaves

Cook up the bacon. Cut up the tomatoes and mushrooms and cook them in a little butter (or bacon grease if you like living on the edge) toss in whatever herbs you like - I think I did a little oregano and basil and some nature's seasoning. Cook them up then drain them. Lay out your tortilla and put either your sour cream of dressing on it. Layer on bacon, spinach, mozzarella, tomato/mushroom mixture and eggs. Wrap up the tortilla and wrap it in wax paper if you're into that sort of thing (which I am) and enjoy.

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Hey girls!
Been awhile. Been thinking about this blog though because I keep getting into a rut. These recipes are so great, I need to spend some time looking back through all the ideas. Finding this recipe was the product of good planning, but poor execution this month. I planned to make pizza (good to have a plan), I didn't plan to buy enough red sauce (I might have said, "Dang it!" when I looked in my pantry). So, I had to get creative. I found this on a website called Our Best Bites - you really must check it out. Excellent. The original post can be found here: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/08/guiltless-alfredo-sauce/. Like I said, I used it on pizza and it was delish. I was a little scared to use it with the other ingredients I had on hand - pepperoni, corn, and black beans on one half and broccoli on the other. Wow, it sounds gross, but it was actually really good - even Lena ate it with no tears!

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.
Process until smooth and set aside.

In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Stand above the pan (but not close enough to scald your face) and inhale. Ahhh…butter and garlic. Okay, now get cooking again. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it. It should be nice and bubbly.Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.


When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

I use this sauce for so many things. Here’s a few ideas:

-Over pasta (obviously)
-As a dip for breadsticks
-As a sauce on pizza (this is the garlic cream sauce I was referring to in this recipe) and a half batch of sauce covers 2 medium pizza’s.
-Mix it with pesto for a creamy pesto sauce (so good)
-Mix it with marinara for a creamy marinara sauce

I recently was making mac and cheese and had the rest of this sauce leftover in the fridge so I thought, "what the heck?" and threw it in. Turned out great. I love recipes that are versatile like this one.

Chicken Pot Pie

I'm so excited that we can now cook fall comfort foods. Actually, I make this one in summer a little, but it's so much more satisfying in the fall and winter. Ironically I got this from my sister-in-law who is a vegetarian!

1 1/2 - 2 cups celery, chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups carrots, chopped
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half & half (I often use whole milk)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 cups (2-3 chick breasts), cooked and shredded
2 basic pie crusts

Saute celery and carrots in butter for 10 minutes or until tender and slightly brown. Remove carrots and celery. Add flour to sauteed butter, stirring well (sometimes I have to add a little more butter here to make the rue). Combine broth and half & half; gradually stir into flour/butter mixture. Bring to a boil; boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Add in salt and pepper. Add chicken and vegetable, stirring well. Pour mixture into pie shell. Cover with top shell and cut slits to allow steam to escape. Bake 40 minutes @400 degrees.

BLT Pasta

Pretty sure this is a world record for me - two posts in a row so close together, but this is a great summer recipe and a kill two birds with one stone type of deal. Ok, health foodies beware and change this up however you see fit. For those bacon lovers out there like me (and your name starts with an L and ends with an "isa"), I'm pretty sure you won't mind what's going on here.

16 oz rigatoni or penne (really whatever pasta you have on hand, I've even used spaghetti)
12 slices bacon
1 (7 oz.) bag spinach
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered (again, whatever tomatoes you have laying around)
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Transfer to a large bowl. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Spoon all but 1 tbsp of the bacon drippings into a small bowl; set aside. Return skillet to medium heat. Add the tomatoes (I throw in a little oregano and basil) and cook for a minute. Add the spinach and stir until it wilts. Transfer mixture to the pasta and toss. If the pasta seems dry (wait for it...) add up to 1 1/2 tbsp of the drippings. Crumble the bacon over top, season with salt and pepper and toss again. (I keep the bacon separate and put it on as a topping at the table along with the Parmesan cheese).

It's really good and simple and light and the best part are the leftovers. When we have leftovers I add some red sauce to it, toss it in a baking dish, top with mozzarella and have fancy baked ziti. Love a dinner that does double duty. Embrace the bacon and drippings and enjoy!

Baked Mushroom Chicken

Hi girls, hope all of you are doing well. Just found this recipe and it is delish - you must be a mushroom lover, or at least not a hater....

Baked Mushroom Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 pound)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onions (obviously I omitted that one)

Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4 in. thickness (Pounding out chicken is a real drag to me and a gross mess so I just cut my chicken breasts in half to about that thickness). Place flour in resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal and shake to coat.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in 2 tablespoons butter on both sides. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 in. baking dish. In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in the remaining butter until tender. Add the broth, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Spoon over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheeses and green onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the chicken juices run clear.

Serves 4

** Not to go all "allrecipe.com comments" or anything, but I do add in a little lemon juice and white wine in with the chicken broth just because I like that sort of thing. Anyway, with some mashed taters and a veggie, this is really, really good. Enjoy!

Mixed Berry Tartlets

Getting to be with most of you this past weekend was so wonderful (even though we missed Erin and Tab!) and it reminded me about dinnerchatt -I love this website and have been far from faithful to keep it going. Looking at it again today reminded me of how awesome it is and how many new things I can make to try and get myself out of my ever-widening dinner rut.

Here's a recipe from some magazine I get - credit to family circle or bhg most likely. I used Aldi's pre-made rolled out pie crust and Aldi frozen mixed fruit and it was perfect - just in case you felt a little nervous like I did. Also, I was a little intimidated to make the lemon curd stuff so I just used a recipe I had for cream puff filling and added extra lemon juice. Not trying to go "all-recipes comments section" on you guys - now you just have options for the fancy and non-fancy days.

1 15-oz pkg rolled refrigerated unbaked pie crusts (2)
nonstick cooking spray
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 12-oz pkg frozen mixed berries
1 tbsp lemon juice

Tartlet filling
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
fresh mint sprigs (optional)

1. Let pie crust stand according to pkg directions. Preheat oven to 400. Lightly coat twelve 2 1/2 in. muffin cups with cooking spray.

2. For pastry shells, unroll pie crusts on lightly floured surface. Use 3 1/2-4 in. round cutter (I used a big coffee mug) to cut 6 rounds from each crust. (I rolled out the excess and used it too) Press rounds into prepared muffin cups, pleating to fit.

3. For tartlet filling, in medium bowl combine the 2 tbsp sugar and cornstarch; stir in mixed berries and lemon juice. Spoon filling into pastry shells. Bake about 20 minutes or until pastry is golden. Cool in muffin cups on wire rack for 5 minutes. Carefully remove tartlets from muffin cups; cool completely on wire rack.

4. In medium mixing bowl combine whipping cream, lemon curd, the 1 tsp sugar, and vanilla; beat with wire whisk or with electric mixer on medium speed until cream mixture mounds and is fluffy. Spoon on tarlets. Garnish each with a mint sprig. Makes 12 tartlets.

Ok, if you'd rather do the cream puff way (no pun intended) here are the directions (credit to Mrs. Crocker or Ms. Crocker):

1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups milk mixed with 1/4 cup lemon juice
2 large egg yolks, slightly beaten
2 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in 2-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Gradually stir at least half o the hot mixture into egg yolks, then stir back into hot mixture in saucepan. Boil and stir 1 minute; remove from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour into bowl. Press plastic wrap on filling to prevent a tough layer from forming on top. Refrigerate at least 1 hour until cool.

Now that I write all that out, it seems like the original recipe is a lot easier, but I was intimidated by finding "purchased lemon curd" - I can be such a wimp sometimes. Just for fun I made a bunch of apple pie tartlets this way (just put a top crust on them) for Thanksgiving and froze them - I'll let you know how they turn out.

Cheeseburger Soup

Hey Girls,

It's been awhile, but today is my last day working so I should have lots of time to post! Got any great money saving recipes?! I know there are lots on here and I'm ready to leaf through some of the oldies but goodies. This soup may not look like much, but I am telling you it is deliciouso. I've thought about swapping out the ground sirloin for chunks of ham or sausage so let me know if anyone tries it that way, I'd be curious to know how it turns out. Here it is:

1 lb. ground sirloin

1 tbsp plus 3 tbsp butter

1 stalk celery, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 sm. onion, diced

basil, parsley, salt and pepper (to taste)

32 oz. chicken broth

3 cups frozen cubed hashbrowns (walmart brand works great)

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

8 oz. Velveeta cheese, diced

garnish with sour cream and your favorite shredded cheese

Brown and drain ground sirloin. Saute 1 tbsp butter with diced veggies. Add fresh basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Add all veggies to cooked meat. Add broth and potatoes to mixture. Cook until potatoes are very soft. While potatoes are cooking, melt 3 tbsp butter. Whisk in flour until paste forms. Add to soup, stir and cook 5 more minutes. Once soup thickens a bit, add milk and Velveeta cheese. Cook on low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat and it's ready to go. Enjoy!

Tator Tot Casserole

Here's a REALLY easy recipe that you can make quickly when you forgot to make something or are short on time (however, I may be the only one that considers tator tots a staple!). This recipe usually feeds me and Gerald with a little for Roger and enough for one person's lunch - so 3 1/2 people I guess. It's nothin' fancy, but like I said, it's really easy and good in a pinch.

1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained
2 tbsp flour
1 cup beef broth
1 can vegetables (green beans, corn, etc.)
some chesse to sprinkle
enough tator tots to cover the top of it all

Add broth and flour together in a pan ( I do it in the pan that I cooked the hamburger in) and whisk until smooth. Allow it to heat until it boils, stir constantly for about a minute or until it thickens a little. Add the hamburger meat and stir. Then take a casserole dish (I think mine is 2 quarts) and layer that on the bottom. Drain the vegetables and layer them on top. Sprinkle some cheese over top then layer tator tots in a single layer on top. Bake at 400 for maybe 20-30 minutes, basically until the tator tots are brown.

Easy Minestrone

Quick question: What's risotto? It's rice, right? Or is is pasta? Or is it just something Walmart doesn't carry?

Okay, I know we're almost out of soup season, but this one is from the Nigella Express cookbook (which is great by the way if you ever get a chance to pick it up) if you've never heard of her, google her. Gerald's sister, Kim, got it for Christmas so I stole a few recipes from her before she left and everything I've tried has been awesome! At the very least this soup provides a great base into which you can throw whatever other beans and veggies you have on hand. I've added green beans, corn, a can of tomaotes, etc. into it and everything's worked well. And it's SO easy....Here's her recipe though:

1 14 oz can mixed beans (sometimes sold as mixed bean salad)
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
4 oz ditalini or other soup pasta

1. Drain the beans and put them into a saucepan with the hot stock and pasta sauce.
2. Bring the pan to a boil and then add the ditalini, cooking according to package instructions.
3. Once the pasta is tender, switch off the heat, remove the pan to a cool surface and let stand for 5-10 minutes if you can bear to wait. That pasta swells in the soup and everything just gets better.

Serves 2-3

Hamburger Stroganoff

Ryan, I kept meaning to get this recipe to you anyway, so I figured I'd post it. And Jess, this is a great one to freeze in a ziploc. I leave out the sour cream until I'm ready to use it just b/c it can get a weird texture after being frozen. So when you're ready, thaw, add sour cream and throw it over some noodles.

1-1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1/4 - 1/2 cup white wine (depends on how winey you want it)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp flour
1 cup sour cream
noodles or rice

Brown and drain the meat. I use the beef bouillon cubes so for 1 1/2 cups broth, I use 1 cup hot water and 1/2 cup white wine. Then just cook the mushrooms in that mixture. Once the mushrooms are cooked, take them out and use 1/3 cup of the broth/wine and add the flour. You can shake them together in a tightly covered container or just put them in the pan and whisk them until smooth. Add the rest of the broth back in and heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for one minute; reduce heat to low. Add mushrooms and beef. (Here's were you'd freeze it if you want to) Add in sour cream; heat until hot. Serve over noodles.

Chicken and Broccoli

Well, thank you for the request, ironically, I just made it the other night, so this is what the leftovers look like!

I LOVE the website! I've had a ton of work to do lately and wasn't able to check it until today - it was overwhelming in a great way! It's a great reminder to make things I haven't made for awhile or to make things I've never thought of making. A little intimidating, though, I know how to pinch a penny and make it scream, but organic, wheat, and low-fat are generally not in my vocabulary. I'm trying to learn, though, to order the black bean soup at Panera instead of the cream of child and wild rice...and to occasionally buy low-fat sour cream or 1/3 fat cream cheese...Unfortunatley I still love whole milk and Gerald thinks butter is the other white meat. So, I think this website will help me to think things through more so thanks all!

Warning: This is neither a low-fat or organic meal

Okay, the measurements are from my mom's recipe which I don't use so I'll put what I do in parenthesis even though that's a little annoying. My mom's always tastes better, but I don't know if that's because it's actually better or because I didn't make it! Dinner always taste better when I didn't make, it seems. Life is kinda cruel like that.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I only use two - that's how I penny pinch!)

cook and cut into pieces

2 10 oz bags frozen broccoli florets (I just do enough to cover the bottom of a 9X13)

cooked, but not soft

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (whatever's enough to sprinkle on top)

Sauce: Combine 1 can cream of chicken soup, 3/4 cup mayo, and 1/2 tsp curry powder (I don't measure, just throw some in there and taste it, I probably do more like 1 tsp)

Place brocolli in 9X13 pan; layer bottom. Put chicken on top of brocolli. Spread sauce over top. Bake 20 minutes @ 350. Spread cheese on top and bake 10 more minutes.

I usually put it over rice (sorry Ry) to stretch it. Voila.