Dinner Updates

I have been a little remiss about posting the past few days, due to my BIG news. My lazy cooking/blogging is a two fold issue. Number one: I don't feel like cooking and/or blogging because I am freakin' exhausted. Number two: I don't feel like cooking and/or blogging because I am freakin' sick all the time. You really have not missed anything exciting at our house meal-wise, anyway. So, my posts may be a little infrequent in the days and weeks to come, but I am still here.

Here is what you missed this week:

Jen's Bean Burritos

Jen's Caesar Chicken Wraps

Jen's Swiss Steak

See!! Nothing new or unusual. Since my tummy is pretty sensitive, I am sticking with familiar food. I am counting down to the "magical" second trimester when my appetite and energy comes back and the morning sickness (really all-day sickness) goes away.

Also, thanks to those of you who have left me comments and well wishes! I truly appreciate it!!!

Twins!

We had spaghetti and meat sauce for dinner last night.

Oh, and by the way...I am pregnant....with TWINS!

Yes, twins. No wonder why I have been feeling "off" lately, huh???? We are still pretty shocked; but definitely excited, too. It is still really early, but the two babies had very strong little heartbeats, so we are praying that all will go smoothly. (No fertility treatments, by the way...these kids are a naturally occurring little miracles.) Our babies are due next March!

I will keep you posted on their progress. So far, I have not felt like cooking at all lately; but I hope that will turn around once things calm down around our house and our news starts to sink in.

Please feel free to send any prayers our way!!!! We feel really blessed and freaked out at the sime time.

Okay...deep breath....

Dinner Out

Last night, we had dinner with my friend Claire and her family. We had a blast and laughed almost the entire time! It was definitely a treat to have dinner with such good friends and be off the hook for cooking!!!

I am not sure what is on the horizon for tonight's dinner. I have some ground beef thawed, so I am sure that will come into play. Stay tuned...

Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake

It seems that lately that I don't know what I am going to be in the mood for from day to day. I haven't been planning my dinners, since I will make a set plan and then discover later that I don't feel like what I have planned at all. For example, I have had fish tacos slated now for the past two days; only to bump them once again for this casserole. Go figure!

Jen's Broccoli Cheese Chicken Bake

I think I will serve this yummy and simple casserole with a side salad and call it good!

Breakfast for Dinner

We decided to have an easy "breakfast for dinner" night. My son's behavior was really, really not good today, and I just don't have the energy to come up with anything else. I was going to make a fish taco recipe, but we just had tacos last night; and I am not in the mood to cook, anyway. I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day...both cooking-wise and kid-wise.

Tacos

Nothing exciting happening around here for dinner tonight. Just basic, follow the instructions on the back of the seasoning packet, tacos. I served some canned beans and rice with our tacos for an easy and kid-friendly dinner. I was too exhausted to put in much effort, otherwise. Hopefully, tomorrow's dinner will be a bit more post-worthy.

Saito Chicken & Grilled Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

This is probably my favorite grilled chicken recipe. My friend, Claire introduced it to me a year or so ago, and now it is a summertime staple at our house. It combines everything I love about hot weather food...it's cooked on the grill, easy to put together, and super-tasty. My picky (but lovable) mother in law even likes it! (That is a true stamp of approval, because she is very discerning when it comes to what she eats!!!) Paired with a cool salad it is all you need for a scorching, end-of-July dish.

Saito Chicken

Ingredients:
Chicken parts of your choice
1/2 c. oil
1/3 c. lemon juice,
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 or 2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix and pour over chicken. Let marinate at least an hour, flipping chicken after 30 minutes. Grill 5-7 minutes each side on medium heat OR until no longer pink in middle.

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Now for that cool, summer salad...

I came across this salad recipe this morning on a blog I read called For the Love of Cooking. The photos of this dish made my mouth water, so I knew I had to build my dinner around this salad. Seriously, this salad looks luscious!!! It seems that Pam from For the Love of Cooking got this dish from a different blog that she references called Jehan Can Cook. Either way, it is a great idea and it is now going to be recycled yet again here on my blog. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into this salad!!!

Grilled Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Ingredients for salad:
pint grape tomatoes cut in halves
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Slice the tomatoes in half. Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Honey Lime Dressing

Ingredients for dressing:
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper

Directions:
Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.



The Result:
I was right about this corn salad...it was mouth watering. Fan-freakin'-tastic! We loved it so much, there was barely any left for the husband to take in his lunch. I think I might make another batch either tonight or tomorrow; just so we have it on hand. The chicken was moist and delicious as usual, and the corn salad went well with it. Overall, this was an awesome and simple meal. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Jen's Italian Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Broccoli

It was the husband's birthday yesterday, so I decided to make him a dinner that he really enjoyed. This Italian meatloaf was a hit the first time around, so I thought I would make it again. I had to skip a couple ingredients, since I did not realize I was short-handed until I started cooking. The version I made last night did not incorporate green peppers or sun dried tomatoes. I must say, it was still good, but the original recipe was much better (in my humble opinion). The husband still really liked his birthday dinner, so it was really not a huge issue. Next time, I will just make sure I have everything on hand before I start cooking! I made steamed broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes to go with our meatloaf. Then, after dinner we went to my In Law's for birthday dessert. All in all, I think the hubs enjoyed his special day.

Jen's Italian Meatloaf

This is such a homey and comforting dinner! I love meatloaf!!!

Grilled Margherita Pizza

I heart homemade pizza! It is so easy and delicious...it practically makes itself. Tonight, I am going to try my standard Margherita-style pizza on the grill. I love the crisp crust that evolves from cooking pizza on the grill. It is really quite something!

Grilled Margherita Pizza

Ingredients:
1 batch of Quick Homemade Pizza Dough (see below for recipe)
4 Roma or On The Vine tomatoes, sliced
2/3 cup of regular mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/3 cup of smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
Your favorite marinara or pizza sauce
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use oil of good quality)
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated to taste (for topping)
Fresh basil, chiffonade (for topping)
Sliced scallions (for topping)

Directions:
Preheat grill to medium heat. Place dough on grill rack, close lid. Dough will take 5-7 minutes. Check it occasionally for bubbles. Once the bottom is golden brown (or at least not burned...ours don't always get golden brown I guess), flip the crust over. This can be tricky and may require two spatulas, depending on the size of your crust. Turn heat down to low or move pizza(s) to top rack if your grill has one. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on the cooked side of the crust with a spatula. Then, place the toppings on top of the sauce(tomatoes and both mozzarella cheeses). Close lid. Check after five minutes, cook until cheese is melted. Garnish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, fresh basil (or scallions), and drops of extra virgin olive oil. Serve and enjoy!

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Quick Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions or according to your recipe instructions.





The Result:
Mmmmm...grilled pizza! This was fan-freakin'-tastic! I think grilled pizza is my new, favorite way to make pizza. The crust had that slightly smokey, charred taste. The texture was amazingly crisp. Everything cooked perfectly and tasted awesome! I did not have fresh basil (oops), so I sliced some scallions to go on top instead. I loved the smoked mozzarella on this pizza, too. Yum! This was so delicious...it totally hit the spot! I will probably make this version again and again and again.

Pork Schnitzel

I made this dish one other time, and we really liked it. Based on my previous comments, I need to tweak the cooking method a little bit. I think I might just partially cook the chops on the stove top and then finish them in a 350 degree oven. Other than that, I think I will stick to the ingredients list. I plan on serving this dish with some steamed veggies, and baked potatoes. This is a yummy, traditional meal that I am looking forward to having again!

Pork Schnitzel

This sounds so good to me!!! I can't wait to eat!

Dinner Out x2

On Friday night, the husband and I decided that we were going to have a family dinner out. It is a rare treat for us to eat in a restaurant, so I was pretty excited. After my nieces went back to my In Law's, the boy and I had a busy morning of errands and then we met up with friends at a public pool for more swimming. By the time I got home, I did not have the energy or the inclination to cook a meal. The boy and I have had a hectic couple of days, and I just wasn't prepared to come home and figure out what eat. So, the husband and I made an executive decision to let someone else do the cooking. I was dying for some more Mexican food, so we went to a local, family-friendly Mexican restaurant. It turned out to be a perfect choice, since it was exactly what I wanted...right down to the fried ice cream for dessert. After we got home, we put the boy down to bed and the husband and I continued our mini-date night with a Wii bowling tournament, right in our living room. We had a blast, and I loved having a perfect Friday night with my two favorite guys!!!

My fun weekend continues today with a real date night with the hubs. We are getting my In Law's to babysit our son, so we can go have a dinner out by ourselves and then go see the new Harry Potter movie. Again, I am looking forward to a night off and I am ridiculously excited to have my husband all to myself for a few hours. I hear the movie is awesome, so it should be really entertaining. All in all, this is shaping up to be a great weekend!

I will be back on Sunday with my regular dinner rotation. I am still feeling "eh" so I am going to continue my light cooking duties. The good news is that I have figured out what my health "issue" is, so at least it is no longer a mystery. I still need to take it easy for a few more weeks, so more repeats are on the horizon. I will continue to post my daily meals and try to work in a couple new things here and there. For now, I am just going to enjoy my fantastic weekend!!!

Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken and Jen's Spicy Black Beans

I need to play catch-up on the ol' blog today. We have been insanely busy, so I did not get to document the last couple days worth of meals. This post is about the dinner we had on Thursday night. My In Law's, and my two nieces that are visiting again from Reno, came over for some dinner and swimming. The girls spent the night, so they could get a little extra time playing with their cousin (my son). With a house full of three kids, I am happy that I had time to pull together a dinner at all. My niece, Kate helped me in the kitchen; which was a nice treat for me. It was fun to have an eager helper, and I put her to task peeling carrots and doing other miscellaneous kitchen duties. I served this chicken with a side salad, glazed carrots, and black beans. Dinner turned out great, and I was happy to have my family here.

Quick and Easy Mexican Chicken

For my black beans, I did another variation. They were a little too spicy for the In Law's, but they are lovable wimps when it comes to spicy food. ;)

I was really pleased with the results, so here is what I did...this recipe made a lot of beans.

Jen's Spicy Black Beans

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon of butter
3 cans of rinsed and drained black beans
1 onion, diced
1 can of green chiles
3 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1 can of (original) Rotel tomatoes, with juices
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp of Ancho chile powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup of water (only if needed; due to evaporation)
1 Tablespoon of lime juice

Directions:
Melt butter over medium heat, in a large sauce pan. Add onions and green chiles, with a pinch of salt. Saute until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add can of Rotel tomatoes with juices and garlic. Saute for another 2 minutes, making sure the garlic does not burn. Add beans, cumin, coriander, onion powder, garlic powder, Ancho chile powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer with lid on until beans are heated through, approximately 15 minutes. Make sure liquid does not evaporate entirely. If needed, add a little bit water. (I did not need to add any water this time.) Splash with lime juice, stir, and then serve.

Claire's Chicken and Yellow Rice

This is one of my favorite, easy dinners. I have a busy day planned, so dinner is definitely not top priority around here (I should say that it hasn't been top priority around here lately). I have a MOMS Club "Mom's Night Out" to go to tonight, so I need something fast and low stress. This dish fits the bill. I can get our meal wrapped up, and then go hang out with all of my very cool and funny mom friends!!!

I am substituting kidney beans in place of the black beans, since I am out of the latter. No matter, this recipe still works with whatever beans you happen to have on hand.

Claire's Chicken and Yellow Rice

I think I will serve this meal with some leftover half ears of corn and a green side salad. Easy, delicious, and on the table fast!!!

Jen's Swiss Steak and Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Steamed Broccoli

I made one of our traditional, family favorites last night for dinner. I was too worn out to do a post, so I am playing catch up this morning. This is a comforting, familiar dish that I served with some garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Yum! I love this meal! It just reminds me of my grandma and good childhood memories.

Jen's Swiss Steak

And don't forget the mashed potatoes...

Jen's Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Comfort food is sooooo my friend!

Jen's Bean Tostadas and Homemade Flour Tortillas

I know I said earlier that I had to nix tostadas, but I changed my mind. I did a "quick" soak on my beans and I am going to try and make flour tortillas for the first time. Nothing else sounded as good as bean tostadas, so I think I will just make it work. Hopefully, it will turn out well.

Jen's Bean Tostadas

Here is the flour tortilla recipe I am using. It is from one of my cookbooks, Food and Flavors of San Antonio by Gloria Chadwick. (Gloria also has daily updates about her Tex-Mex recipes on her blog titled Food and Flavors of San Antonio as well.) So far, I have prepared the dough and it is currently resting. It was surprisingly easy to whip up, and I can't wait to have fresh, homemade flour tortillas on hand!!!

Flour Tortillas
Courtesy of: Gloria Chadwick, Food and Flavors of San Antonio

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 T vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

Directions:
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the vegetable oil and water. Mix with your fingers until well blended.

Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and knead for 3 to 5 minutes or until the dough is soft and no longer sticky. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 18 balls about 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Keep them covered with a damp cloth.

Roll out each ball on a floured surface with a rolling pin into a circle about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8" thick.

Cook the tortillas, one at at time, on a hot comal or skillet until they are lightly browned on each side. Yields 18.

Jen's Notes:
I am ashamed to say I have a hard time rolling out dough with a rolling pin. It never comes out the perfect round shape for me, but instead looks like an amorphous blob. I think I will just use my tortilla press instead of rolling these out by hand, and see what happens.

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Many thanks to Gloria Chadwick and her publisher, Pelican Publishing for allowing me to re-post her flour tortilla recipe.



The Result:
These tortillas were really yummy! The only issue I had was that I could not get them thin enough with my tortilla press alone. I used the tortilla press to make them the right (round) shape, but then I really needed to use a rolling pin to make them thinner. I did not figure that out until the end of the process, so most of ours were a little thick and doughy...which is not a bad thing by any means. They were still freakin' delicious!!! I will make them again, I just won't skip the rolling pin step next time...it is imperative to make the tortillas the right texture.

Leftovers/Impromptu Spaghetti and Meatballs

Our dinner yesterday, was a bit non-eventful. I served the remaining meatballs and marinara sauce last night over some whole wheat pasta, for an impromptu spaghetti and meatballs. Then we dashed off to my In Law's house for a visit. We didn't get home until pretty late, so I didn't bother to post our dinner last night. Really, leftovers were not that exciting anyway.

I need to come up with a dinner for tonight since I can't do what I had originally planned. I wanted to do some bean tostadas, but I ran out of tortillas and I forgot to soak my beans. I think I will rearrange my menu plan and slot tostadas for another night this week; possibly tomorrow. In the meantime, I need to figure out what we are having for dinner tonight and post it later.

Jen's Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs (for Hoagies) and Italian Pasta Salad

Yesterday, we had my cousin Barb, her boyfriend Paul, and their four kids over for swimming and dinner. I wanted something low stress and easy to put together, since I wanted to spend time with them and not slave away in the kitchen. This meal was a perfect solution!
Barb brought a yummy lemon cake and a Caesar salad mix. I served chips and salsa, Italian Hoagies, and pasta salad. It was so relaxing and fun! The best part was that the food was taken care of, without a huge fuss.

Jen's Slow Cooker Italian Meatballs (for Hoagies)

Jen's Italian Pasta Salad

I had such a great time yesterday, and I am so happy that I got to see Barb and her brood.

Chili Cheese Dogs

I frequent a blog called, Living in the Kitchen With Puppies, who had these delectable looking Chili Cheese Dogs posted this morning. This is a Tyler Florence recipe, that is drool-worthy...if you are a person who likes Chili Cheese Dogs. I happen to love Chili Cheese Dogs, and I am interested in continuing my round of "Food Court" worthy dinner choices. I am telling you...I am trapped by some sort of carnival-type food kick. (You are allowed to officially start worrying about me if I start deep frying snack cakes for our evening meals.)

Here is the blog link (with great pics) for the Living in the Kitchen with Puppies post for this recipe. I see no point in re-typing everything myself, so here ya go...

Tyler's Chili Cheese Dogs

The only thing better would be if I were start putting our dinners on a stick!

The Result:
Oh man. These were awesome. I didn't take a picture, because I was too busy devouring my chili dog. Seriously, this is an easy and delicious recipe!!!! I would recommend top quality hot dogs in this application. If you decide to eat hot dogs for dinner, make sure they are the good ones. We garnished our chili dogs with Monterrey Jack cheese and raw, diced onions. Yum!!!! I served these dogs with some fresh corn on the cob and a simple side salad. Oh man, it was perfect! My husband had to actually talk me out of having a chili dog the next morning for breakfast!

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I totally changed my mind!

I wanted to make sure I had this recipe documented, so I copied it off of the LITKWP website. It's just way to yummy to not have posted in full!

Chili Cheese Dogs
From:Tyler Florence, Eat This Book

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 all beef hot dogs, about 1/2 pound
4 hot dog rolls
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Directions:
To make the chili: Heat a skillet over medium flame and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil gets hazy, add the onion and cook, stirring, until they are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with the back of a spoon, and cook until nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the ketchup, chili powder, and mustard; simmer for 15 minutes until thick; season with salt and pepper.

For the hot dogs: While the chili is cooking: place a large grill pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat or preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue and get it very hot. Brush the grates with oil to keep the hot dogs from sticking. Parboil the dogs first before grilling: bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the hot dogs for about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and grill the hot dogs just long enough to give them grill marks. Brush the insides of the rolls with the remaining oil and place them face down on the grill until toasty. To serve, top each hot dog with the chili and some Cheddar cheese.

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

We are having an exact replica of the below post for tonight's dinner. What can I say?!?!? This is my favorite go-to salmon recipe and I love it paired with wild brown rice pilaf and steamed veggies. All in all, this is a tasty and healthy dinner!

Karen's Baked Pesto Salmon

I forgot to mention again how simple this meal is to put together. I am all about easy lately, so I am excited to have another home-cooked meal without a lot of fuss.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

I am always at a loss at what to do about breakfast. Most mornings I just scrounge up whatever is easy, and the boy and I graze on it. Handfuls of dry Cheerios is my morning specialty. I decided I would make some banana bread, and solve the breakfast dilemma for awhile. Since I had three overripe bananas that needed to be used, my bread idea would kill two proverbial birds with one stone. I perused RecipeZaar.com a few months ago and found this recipe. I think I made it once, but never posted it for some reason. It turned out to be both an easy and yummy banana bread recipe, so I thought I would make it again. Now all I have to do is slice off some banana bread tomorrow, and breakfast will be served!

Sour Cream Banana Bread
Adapted from:recipezaar.com/recipe #9351 by Charishma Ramchandani

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed, ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sour cream OR plain Greek-style yogurt

Directions:
1. Grease 1 large loaf pan.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together, melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. Add dry ingredients, and mix to combine.
4. Add mashed bananas, nuts, and sour cream (or yogurt).
5. Mix well and pour into loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

Jen's Notes:
I like to substitute yogurt for sour cream to make this a little healthier. It works well in this application, and tastes great!



The Result:
As you can see, I could not restrain myself. I ended up hacking off an end piece and eating it before I took my pic. This was really great...probably the easiest and yummiest banana bread recipe that I have tried, thus far.

Claire's BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza

My friend Claire makes grilled pizzas on a regular basis, and I have been dying to try out one of her recipes. This BBQ Chicken version is one of her favorites, and it sounds really unique and delicious!

For the crust, I think I will use Jen A.'s Quick Homemade Pizza Dough recipe, and just adapt it for the grill. I can't wait to eat dinner tonight!

Claire's BBQ Chicken Grilled Pizza

Ingredients:
1 batch of Quick Homemade Pizza Dough (see below for recipe)
1/2 cup of caramelized onions
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
salt and pepper to taste
BBQ sauce of your choice
1/3 cup of smoked mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup of regular mozzarella, shredded
1/3 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
1-2 green onions, chopped (for garnish) OR a small handful of cilantro, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine diced chicken pizza with 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce and set aside.

Preheat grill to medium heat. Place dough on grill rack, close lid. Dough will take 5-7 minutes. Check it occasionally for bubbles. Once the bottom is golden brown (or at least not burned...ours don't always get golden brown I guess), flip the crust over. This can be tricky and may require two spatulas, depending on the size of your crust. Turn heat down to low or move pizza(s) to top rack if your grill has one. Spread a layer of BBQ sauce on the cooked side of the crust with a spatula. Then, place the toppings on top of the sauce(chicken, caramelized onions,and both cheeses). Close lid. Check after five minutes, cook until cheese is melted. Garnish with either chopped cilantro or green onions. Serve and enjoy!

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Jen A.'s Quick Homemade Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups of AP flour
1 cup of whole wheat flour
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of garlic powder

Directions:
In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy (about 10 minutes). Stir in flour, salt, & olive oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.

Cook on grill, as indicated in the above directions.

Jen's Notes:
I am going to cook the chicken breast in my oven, by using my broiler. I set the broiler on high and just coat the chicken in salt, pepper, and olive oil. I cook it for about 5 minutes on each side or until no longer pink in the center. Then, will just dice them up to use on my pizza.





The Result:
This was excellent! We all loved this take on pizza!!! The crust was crisp and had nice char marks on it. The pizza itself was just delicious. I loved the combo of the three cheeses, chicken, BBQ sauce, and caramelized onions all together. The flavors really meshed well together. I had an issue with getting the dough on the grill, but I think I just need some practice. My dough shape ended up being really "rustic" looking. Other than that, it cooked perfectly and I got through the rest of the process without a hitch.
The only other change I made was that I substituted 1 cup of whole wheat flour in place of regular AP flour (I updated the ingredients quantities above). I wanted the crust to be a little healthier, and I love the flavor and texture that whole wheat lends to the dough. It worked out great and I will probably make those changes again, when I make this recipe in the future. This recipe is a definite keeper and a nice variation on a classic! Yum!!!

Fish Sticks with Tartar Sauce, Tater Tots, and Steamed Veggies

I have been feeling "off" lately, so I don't know how much real cooking you will see from me for awhile. Tonight is more of the same convenience, easy-type food. It is ridiculously hot again today, and I am just not in the mood to prepare dinner. Really, I just want to get some food in our bellies, and call it a night. I have some homemade tartar sauce that needs to be used up from the last time I made fish sticks, so I am thinking today is a good day to use it. Also, since I have settled on fish sticks, I may as well just go for the gusto, and pair it with tater tots as a side dish. Really, if I am going to poison us with pre-packaged/processed foods, I may as well go all out and do it right! ;)

I am hoping to get back into the swing of my normal kitchen routine soon. Until then, I am still on mini-cooking vacation (I say "still" because the last couple of weeks have been pretty ho-hum for us, dinner-wise). I will probably still post my day to day meals, and I think I have one new recipe slated for tomorrow. I may shoot for one or two new recipe a week, until I get whatever is going on with my health under control. My goal is to be back into full blog/cooking mode by the beginning of August.

Until then...here is the link to the Tartar Sauce recipe I use. It really is fan-freakin'-tastic!!!

Tartar Sauce

Yum! This sauce truly makes frozen fish sticks a little more special.

Grilled Steak, Baked Potatoes, Glazed Carrots

No real recipes to post here today, as I am not in the mood to do any extensive cooking. I think am a little blah because the long weekend is over, and it is currently 105 degrees here in Phoenix (the forecast actually indicated it would make it to 110 degrees today...no fun). It is way too hot outside to further heat up the house with my oven, so I think we will just resort to other measures of food preparation. I got a smokin' deal on some t-bone steaks left over from our local market's big, 4th of July weekend sale. Since they are already thawed and calling my name, I think I will just have the hubby grill those up for our dinner. I am not even planning on marinating the steaks, either. Just some salt, pepper, and oil; then down on the grill until medium rare. For side items, we are going to have our standard baked potato and glazed carrots. Easy-peasy!

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

So far, I am having one of those days where nothing really sounds good to eat. I am pretty ambivalent to food right now; and that is a strange phenomenon, to say the least. I haven't even eaten lunch yet, since nothing sounds good to me (except for cinnamon cookies, but I am trying to refrain). It is very odd. I thawed out some chicken breasts, with the intention of making this dish for dinner tonight. However, I was very "eh" about it. So I went back and read my original post for this dish and perked up a little. All of a sudden, I got a little excited about having this meal again. I remembered how stinkin' good this recipe truly is, and I got back into the swing of things. Whew! Crisis averted!!! For a second, I was worried that an alien host took over my brain and gave me an aversion to food. Now that I know that no such nonsense has occurred, and I can fully enjoy our Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles for dinner.

Thai Peanut Chicken with Noodles

I don't think I will deviate from this original recipe. I like it exactly how it was written, so I think I will just keep it that way.

Cinnamon Cookies

My little guy got a new, hand-made apron from his honorary grandmother, Gaga. I promised him that we would make cookies this weekend so that he could try it out. Every morning since he got his new apron he has asked "is today cookie day?". Really, how can I refuse??? I perused Recipezaar.com and came up with these babies. I had everything on hand for them, and the reviews were excellent. They are very similar to Snickerdoodles, and are the perfect texture of crisp edges and chewy centers. So far, I have eaten 5 of them straight off the cooling rack (I am pretty certain that they are laced with crack)...(self control has never been my strongest attribute).

Cinnamon Cookies
From:RecipeZaar.com-recipe #48241/By: PetesNina

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra cinnamon sugar mixture for topping

Directions:
1. In a mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter; beat in egg and vanilla.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
3. Add to butter mixture.
4. Blend well.
5. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or till firm enough to roll into balls.
6. Shape dough into small balls about 3/4-inch in diameter.
7. Roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.
8. Set cookies 1-inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.
9. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or till the edges are lightly browned.
10.Cool slightly on pans for about 1 minute, then remove to racks to cool completely. Sprinkle tops with additional cinnamon sugar mixture, if desired.





The Result:
These cookies are easy and delicious; they certainly lived up to all the hype from the reviews. Best of all "Mommy's Star Helper" loved helping me make them!

Leftovers

I know leftovers are kinda lame for 4th of July, but we have soooo much food in our fridge. I think we will make a meal of leftovers, and then go see some fireworks tonight. I am looking forward to a no-stress cooking day.

I did end up making Pioneer Woman's Hot Olive Artichoke Dip yesterday, and it was fabulous. I did not get a photo for myself, but the pics on her website are nicer anyway. (See previous post for recipe link.) All in all, we had burgers, dogs, corn on the cob, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, and pickled cucumbers. I made some caramelized onions to top our burgers, and my mother in law brought a yummy banana pudding for dessert. Overall, we had a great time, and I am happy that we have enough food leftover to not have to worry about dinner tonight! Hooray!!!

Happy Independence Day, everyone!!!

Cookout! (and PW's Hot Olive Artichoke Dip)

My In-Law's are coming over tonight for dinner and swimming, and we are having a good ol' fashioned cookout. We were going eat dinner with them yesterday, but we decided to change plans and invite them over tonight instead. (Having a cookout on a Thursday night is somehow not the same as having a cookout on a Friday or Saturday night.) So, we are having burgers and dogs on the grill, corn on the cob, some sort of cold salad (I am not sure what yet), and a dessert. I am also toying with the idea of making Pioneer Woman's Hot Olive Artichoke Dip. Yum! I will post any new recipes that I try later on. For now, I need to get my game plan together and figure out exactly what I am serving. I am really excited to relax and have some summertime favorites from the grill!

UPDATE: I did make the PW dip. It was awesome!!!

One-Pan Whiskey Flavored Pork Chops

This is one of those meals that I keep forgetting about. I make so many new recipes that it is sometimes hard to get back to previous ones that we liked. We originally tried this recipe back in December, and we really thought it was yummy. I don't know why I don't think of this dish more often, because I remember eating the sauce right out of the pan! I think I need to go back through my blog, post by post, and re-introduce some of the dinners that I have inadvertently shelved. I am not sure what I am going to have with this meal for some side items, but I will make sure it is something that will help soak up the yummy, whiskey-spiked, sauce.

One-Pan Whiskey Flavored Pork Chops

Also, in re-reading my old post, I noticed that I did not have a photo. Apparently, my computer hiccuped and I lost the original pic. Ugh. I will make sure to take a new photo and re-review this dish, for tonight's dinner.



The Result:
I was right the first time...this recipe is delicious! The pan sauce is so savory and flavorful. Again, I think it was worthy enough to eat straight from the pan. There is not a strong alcohol flavor, and the whiskey just perfumes the dish. I let the whiskey reduce almost all the way out, so just the essence could be left behind in my pan. The last thing I want to do is serve my little boy a whiskey-soaked sauce, so I was pretty careful to make sure that the bulk of the whiskey cooked off. I am not big on whiskey itself, but in this application it is a perfect choice.

This dish is pretty easy, too. I just made sure I cooked this dish in a pan that could go in the oven as well (such as my Le Creuset Buffet Casserole pan). That way, I only had one pan to clean. I served my chop and gravy over some Jasmine rice. Jasmine rice has the perfect blend of both unique texture and flavor...I just love it! Also, I made some brussel sprouts...not my favorite veggie, but it went well with this dish. Overall, this is still a great recipe and a definite keeper. I just hope to remember it more often!!!

Jen's Mexican Lasagna Surprise & Jen's Super-Easy Guacamole

As with most of my "surprise" recipes, I thawed out some ground beef and I did not have a clear plan on what I was going to do with it. I knew I wanted Mexican food, but I am running low on tortillas. That excluded a lot of possibilities. I decided to assemble a Mexican lasagna of sorts, using lasagna noodles for the layers instead of tortillas. I followed a basic Italian lasagna method, but used Mexican-inspired ingredients instead. I am hoping that it will be really yummy, so keep your fingers crossed for me!!!

Also, I whipped up a batch of guacamole to serve with my "surprise" dish. I love fresh guacamole, and I have two different recipes that I use frequently. The one I used tonight is the easiest, and I will post it below.

Jen's Mexican Lasagna Surprise

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
1 lb. of lean ground beef
1 onion diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small can of green chiles, diced
1/2 cup of salsa
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 can of refried beans
1 box of no-boil lasagna noodles (I used Barilla brand)
2 (7 3/4 oz. each) cans of El Pato salsa de chile fresco
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into disks
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
sour cream for topping
guacamole for topping
chopped green onions for garnish
chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Add 1 can of El Pato to the bottom of the greased casserole dish. Cover with lasagna noodles. Set aside.

In a large skillet, combine olive oil, ground beef, onions, and green chiles. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, coriander, and cumin. Cook beef through until no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add salsa and mix thoroughly.
Once beef mixture is cooked through, remove from skillet with large spoon and spread it over the lasagna noodles in the casserole dish. Make even layer. Sprinkle beef mixture with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Add another layer of lasagna noodles, covering the beef noodles and set aside again.

In your same skillet (no need to wipe it or wash it out), melt the butter. Add refried beans to melted butter. Using the back of a spatula or wooden spoon, mash and mix the beans with the butter so they are pliable. Once beans are mixed with the butter and soft, scoop out the beans and spread them over the lasagna noodles in the casserole dish. Make sure layer is even. Add another layer of lasagna noodles. Pour second can of El Pato over noodles. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Sprinkle black olive slices over top of the cheese/tomatoes and cover the casserole dish with foil.

Bake covered at 375 degrees, for 45 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove dish from oven and let the lasagna rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into squares and serve. Top with chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream and/or guacamole, and enjoy!

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Jen's Super-Easy Guacamole

Ingredients:
4 ripe avocados, diced into chunks
Your favorite salsa
lemon juice
lime juice
salt and pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients to taste in a bowl with a fork. Mash some of the avocado, using your preference for creaminess/chunkiness as a guideline (i.e. mash it more for a creamier texture, and less for a chunkier texture). Adjust seasoning, if needed.





The Result:
This dish is a total keeper! It was soooooooo yummy!!! I am really happy with how this recipe turned out, and I would not hesitate to make it again. The lasagna noodles worked out perfectly, and the sauce gave it a slightly spicy edge. Yum! All the layers worked in perfect union with the others, and I loved my guacamole with it. Fan-freakin'-tastic!!!