Doesn't that sound good? I bet it would have been way better if the peaches didn't char to a crisp. Maybe you will have a different experience. I like cooking fruit, like peaches and apples and pineapple. Usually it's so yummy. This recipe came from Kraft Food & Family, and we had it last night.
Pork and Peach Kabobs
2 peaches, pitted, each cut into 6 wedges
1 vidalia onion, cut into 6 wedges
1 1/2 lb pork tenderloin, cut int 18 pieces (I didn't really count)
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
Heat grill to medium-high heat. Cut peach and onion wedges crosswise in half; thread onto 6 skewers alternately with meat. Grill 15 minutes or until meat is done, turning occasionally and brushing with sauce for the last 5 minutes.
Okay like I said above, totally charred the peaches. They were unrecognizable as peaches by the time the meat was done, and Steve turned the grill down, too. Maybe you would have better luck making this on a broiler pan in the oven. I was going to use my Foreman grill, but last time I put skewers on there it was hard for things to cook evenly because it didn't close right. So, oh well. It's about time for a fail, I guess, because I've had lots of good ones lately.
Also, a note about skewers: if you use wooden skewers you are supposed to soak them for 15 minutes before you thread the stuff onto them, so they don't like catch fire while they are on the grill. Mine always still char, and then for a second I think "I should just buy metal reusable skewers" but then I realize I would have to wash them if I did that, so I quickly say "never mind" to myself.
Also, my sister-in-law and nephews were over for dinner. We were having corn on the cob, and they brought a lime and hot wing sauce to put over the corn, which they said is one of their favorite ways to make corn on the cob. You sprinkle lime juice on the corn after you butter it, and then drizzle hot wing sauce or grated parmesan cheese over it. We all (except Emma & Nathan) tried our corn in one of those ways. I had the lime and cheese. It was different but pretty good. Sam had his with hot wing sauce and said it was way too hot for him, so Steve finished that one. Of the lime & cheese version, Sam said "it's pretty good, but I wouldn't want to eat it every day." So a night of new things, not sure which of them will stick...not the meal on the sticks, I know that...
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
Salsa Verde Chicken Salad Quesadillas
This isn't the gross kind of chicken salad that has mayo. It just has lettuce in the quesadillas so I think that's why they called it "chicken salad." This is from Simple & Delicious, but it's from the Ortega advertising section. But I did not fall for their ploy to get me to purchase their product. I bought a different brand of salsa verde (which is made with green stuff instead of red tomoatoes...also the label says it has cilantro and lime juice so it sounds very yummy).
Salsa Verde Chicken Salad Quesadillas
Cooking spray
4 tortillas
1 cup refried beans
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
4 tbsp diced jalapenos (I had some leftover, and only put them in Steve's & Melissa's)
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa verde
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Spray outside of tortilla with cooking spray and place into skillet with sprayed side down.
Spread 1/4 cup refried beans on one side of tortilla. Top with 1/4 of the chicken, 1 tbsp jalapenos, 1/4 of the lettuce, and 1/4 of the cheese.
Fold half of tortilla over filled side of tortilla. Allow heating until cheese begins to melt. Flip quesadilla and continue to heat other side until golden brown.
Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients. Allow to rest on cutting board for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with salsa verde.
Okay so if you put the tortilla in the pan and then fill it, it's going to burn after the first one. So I sprayed the pan in between quesadillas instead of spraying the tortilla. These were very good. I've never had salsa verde before but I really liked it. It was a bit on the spicy side, but I just used a very little bit and you could taste the flavor without too much spice. Everybody liked them. Lincoln was mad that I forgot sour cream. But it doesn't even say "optional" sour cream in the recipe or anything so it's not really my fault. Melissa said from now on if I say "Mexican" she's going to bring her own sour cream. BYOSC.
Salsa Verde Chicken Salad Quesadillas
Cooking spray
4 tortillas
1 cup refried beans
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
4 tbsp diced jalapenos (I had some leftover, and only put them in Steve's & Melissa's)
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
1 cup salsa verde
Heat large skillet over medium heat. Spray outside of tortilla with cooking spray and place into skillet with sprayed side down.
Spread 1/4 cup refried beans on one side of tortilla. Top with 1/4 of the chicken, 1 tbsp jalapenos, 1/4 of the lettuce, and 1/4 of the cheese.
Fold half of tortilla over filled side of tortilla. Allow heating until cheese begins to melt. Flip quesadilla and continue to heat other side until golden brown.
Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients. Allow to rest on cutting board for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with salsa verde.
Okay so if you put the tortilla in the pan and then fill it, it's going to burn after the first one. So I sprayed the pan in between quesadillas instead of spraying the tortilla. These were very good. I've never had salsa verde before but I really liked it. It was a bit on the spicy side, but I just used a very little bit and you could taste the flavor without too much spice. Everybody liked them. Lincoln was mad that I forgot sour cream. But it doesn't even say "optional" sour cream in the recipe or anything so it's not really my fault. Melissa said from now on if I say "Mexican" she's going to bring her own sour cream. BYOSC.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
I thought last night's post would be my last before the trip, but I was wrong about that. Also, this is New Recipe Night's 500th post!! Woot! That is crazy. Anyway today I made these cookies. I have a friend at work who has been craving them (yep, baby on board), and I knew I was working with her tonight. I had to look up a recipe for them on allrecipes.com, because I didn't have one. My family does not like pumpkin. They are crazy like that. So also I knew this would be an easy one to get out of the house tonight when I go in. Sometimes when I make things to bring to work, they are mad at me. But they won't be tonight. I tried to entice them to eat one for their after-lunch dessert but they were not interested. Even with the chocolate chips. I looked at a bunch of different recipes for these cookies. Some of them had oatmeal, which I don't remember ever eating when I've eaten these. Some of them only used 1 cup of pumpkin, but I didn't want to waste the other half of the can. Also I didn't want to double the recipe, because there will be, at most, 8-10 of us eating these at work tonight. So I found this one that uses the whole can of pumpkin, and pumpkin pie spice.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 1/4 cup white)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (omitted by me...I've never eaten them with nuts before either, plus I didn't have any)
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets (I used stoneware so I didn't grease mine). Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice together in a mixing bowl. In a second mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth and well blended. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring to make a smooth batter. Stir in nuts (if using) and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, about 18-20 minutes. Cool briefly on cookie sheets before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
That seems like a long time to bake cookies, but it really took that long. I've noticed on stoneware it tends to take longer, so if you use metal baking sheets it might not take quite as long. Also the recipe says it will yield 24 cookies, but I got like 5 1/2 dozen out of them using my medium-sized Pampered Chef scoop. I ate one after lunch to see what it tasted like. Pretty good, if I say so myself. I will update tomorrow with what my coworkers thought.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/4 cups flour (I used 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour and 1 1/4 cup white)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts (omitted by me...I've never eaten them with nuts before either, plus I didn't have any)
1 12 oz bag chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375. Grease 2 cookie sheets (I used stoneware so I didn't grease mine). Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice together in a mixing bowl. In a second mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth and well blended. Mix in the pumpkin and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring to make a smooth batter. Stir in nuts (if using) and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, about 18-20 minutes. Cool briefly on cookie sheets before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
That seems like a long time to bake cookies, but it really took that long. I've noticed on stoneware it tends to take longer, so if you use metal baking sheets it might not take quite as long. Also the recipe says it will yield 24 cookies, but I got like 5 1/2 dozen out of them using my medium-sized Pampered Chef scoop. I ate one after lunch to see what it tasted like. Pretty good, if I say so myself. I will update tomorrow with what my coworkers thought.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas
This is my last new recipe before our trip! We leave in a week, and from this point on I expect to be busy and anxious and not very into eating. I will still make food, of course, but it won't be anything new. This is what we had tonight, but it sounded way better in the magazine than it actually was. It wasn't bad, just nothing very exciting. From Simple & Delicious...it's another Ortega recipe, but the only Ortega thing I bought was tortillas because I had that aforementioned coupon.
Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup red pepper strips
1 cup green pepper strips
1 cup onion slices
2 tbsp diced jalapeno peppers
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
6 flour tortillas
1/2 cup guacamole style dip (I didn't buy this, nobody likes it here)
Heat oil over medium high heat in large skillet. Add peppers and onion and saute until wilted and browned, about 5 minutes. Add diced jalapeno peppers and chicken; stir to combine. Continue to heat another 3 minutes. Serve mixture in warmed tortillas and top with a dollop of guacamole style dip.
I am not a fan of spicy things, so once the chicken was done, I took out like 2/3 of it and then just added 1 tbsp of the jalapenos to Steve's portion. Also I knew the littles would never want this, so Emma had a peanut butter and honey tortilla, and Nathan had leftovers from our lunch at KFC with Oma & Opa yesterday. So everyone got what they wanted, which makes for a very peaceful meal. Like I said, this was fine, it just wasn't great. And it has to be to be a keeper.
Chicken and Vegetable Fajitas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup red pepper strips
1 cup green pepper strips
1 cup onion slices
2 tbsp diced jalapeno peppers
3 cups cooked cubed chicken
6 flour tortillas
1/2 cup guacamole style dip (I didn't buy this, nobody likes it here)
Heat oil over medium high heat in large skillet. Add peppers and onion and saute until wilted and browned, about 5 minutes. Add diced jalapeno peppers and chicken; stir to combine. Continue to heat another 3 minutes. Serve mixture in warmed tortillas and top with a dollop of guacamole style dip.
I am not a fan of spicy things, so once the chicken was done, I took out like 2/3 of it and then just added 1 tbsp of the jalapenos to Steve's portion. Also I knew the littles would never want this, so Emma had a peanut butter and honey tortilla, and Nathan had leftovers from our lunch at KFC with Oma & Opa yesterday. So everyone got what they wanted, which makes for a very peaceful meal. Like I said, this was fine, it just wasn't great. And it has to be to be a keeper.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Taco Casserole
I must have made close to a dozen recipes like this, but I always like them. There are always little variations, but basically the same thing. Mexican yumminess. Tonight Steve took Emma to DaddyDaughterDateNight so we were minus 2 eaters. But my guinea pig family was still here =o) This is from Simple & Delicious, and it's another recipe from the advertiser section, this one from Ortega. To further get you to buy their products, they put two Ortega coupons in the magazine. So I made this, but I did not use all Ortega products. Because that's how I stick it to the man.
Taco Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 bottle (8 oz) taco sauce (I used mild)
3/4 cup water
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning (I just used my Old El Paso I already have)
12 taco shells, broken
2 cups shredded chedddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 375. Grease 11x7 baking dish. Cook beef and onion in large skillet until browned. Drain fat. Stir in taco sauce, water, chilies, and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Layer half of broken taco shells on bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with half of the meat mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Of course we thought this was great. Nathan only ate the meat and taco shells out of it because he thinks he hates cheese. L&L helpfully tried to tell him it was made of milk, and he likes milk, and when you eat cheese it's like you can taste the milk, but he wasn't buying it. There is just one serving of this left for Steve to take to work for leftovers. Very yummy, very easy. Definitely keeping.
Taco Casserole
1 lb ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 bottle (8 oz) taco sauce (I used mild)
3/4 cup water
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning (I just used my Old El Paso I already have)
12 taco shells, broken
2 cups shredded chedddar cheese, divided
Preheat oven to 375. Grease 11x7 baking dish. Cook beef and onion in large skillet until browned. Drain fat. Stir in taco sauce, water, chilies, and taco seasoning; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Layer half of broken taco shells on bottom of prepared baking dish. Cover with half of the meat mixture; sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Repeat layers.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Of course we thought this was great. Nathan only ate the meat and taco shells out of it because he thinks he hates cheese. L&L helpfully tried to tell him it was made of milk, and he likes milk, and when you eat cheese it's like you can taste the milk, but he wasn't buying it. There is just one serving of this left for Steve to take to work for leftovers. Very yummy, very easy. Definitely keeping.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Nutter Butter Truffles
This was the dessert I made for home fellowship. Only a few ingredients. It was a kind of expensive recipe to make, but used less than half of the dipping chocolate it called for, so I can save that for another use. From Simple & Delicious.
Nutter Butter Truffles
1 pkg (1 lb) Nutter Butter cookies
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
8 oz milk chocolate candy coating, melted
3 oz white candy coating, melted (both of those were with the baking chocolate at Walmart)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet because I already had it)
Place cookies in food processor (or big Tupperware choppy thing); cover and process until finely crushed. Add cream cheese; process until blended. Roll into 1-inch balls.
Dip half of the balls in milk chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining balls and white coating. Drizzle bittersweet chocolate over truffles. Let stand until set. Store in airtight container in fridge.
The semisweet chocolate I used instead of the bittersweet didn't really harden like the candy coating did. If I made these again I would only use the milk chocolate coating, because I have so much left of each of them. The kids liked rolling them into balls and dipping them in the chocolate. They kept saying, "I am so tempted to lick my fingers!!" But I would not let them because I am mean. Once we were all totally done I did let them lick their fingers though. You could make these with Oreos, too, I bet.
These looked great, very "professional," Lisa said. They didn't taste as good as I wanted them to, though. I think I expected them to be more peanut-buttery. The kids seemed to like them, which is a rare thing in home fellowship desserts. Also the recipe said it would make 40, but I only got 28 out of them, and mine were only 1 inch, uniformly scooped with my Pampered Chef medium scoop. So, fun to do with the kids, but nothing I'll be dying to make again.
Nutter Butter Truffles
1 pkg (1 lb) Nutter Butter cookies
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
8 oz milk chocolate candy coating, melted
3 oz white candy coating, melted (both of those were with the baking chocolate at Walmart)
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet because I already had it)
Place cookies in food processor (or big Tupperware choppy thing); cover and process until finely crushed. Add cream cheese; process until blended. Roll into 1-inch balls.
Dip half of the balls in milk chocolate, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining balls and white coating. Drizzle bittersweet chocolate over truffles. Let stand until set. Store in airtight container in fridge.
The semisweet chocolate I used instead of the bittersweet didn't really harden like the candy coating did. If I made these again I would only use the milk chocolate coating, because I have so much left of each of them. The kids liked rolling them into balls and dipping them in the chocolate. They kept saying, "I am so tempted to lick my fingers!!" But I would not let them because I am mean. Once we were all totally done I did let them lick their fingers though. You could make these with Oreos, too, I bet.
These looked great, very "professional," Lisa said. They didn't taste as good as I wanted them to, though. I think I expected them to be more peanut-buttery. The kids seemed to like them, which is a rare thing in home fellowship desserts. Also the recipe said it would make 40, but I only got 28 out of them, and mine were only 1 inch, uniformly scooped with my Pampered Chef medium scoop. So, fun to do with the kids, but nothing I'll be dying to make again.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Deli Roast Beef Sandwiches with Mashed Potatoes
Okay. When I saw this recipe in my Simple & Delicious that just came, I thought "I cannot make that" and I went past it. It looked so good but I knew it was not good for you at all. A few pages later I went back to it to reconsider. And I was like "No. I cannot make that." And then a few pages later, because I couldn't get it out of my mind, I went back to it. I rationalized with myself, saying, "Just make it. You don't have to post it on your blog. Nobody has to know." But you guys know that is not how I roll. I don't put on any airs with you. I just write what I make, the good, the bad, and the ugly. And the healthy. And the really really unhealthy. I know as I type out the ingredients, I will feel a sense of shame. Also I made some recipe modifications to make it even. yummier. The trade-off there is that it also made them even worse for you. Here we go...
Deli Roast Beef Sandwiches with Mashed Potatoes
1 lb sliced deli roast beef (that would have been like 8 bucks...I got the Hillshire Farm version from the lunch meat section. Yup.)
2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) beef gravy
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (omitted by me)
1 pkg (3.6 oz) creamy butter instant mashed potatoes (yup)
4 slices Italian bread
Combine beef, gravy, and mushrooms in a 2 qt microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high 2-3 minutes or until heated through (I heated the beef and gravy in a saucepan over medium heat until sizzly and delicious-looking. Also I chopped the roast beef a bit before I added it to the gravy).
Prepare potatoes according to package directions. Divide bread among 4 plates. Spoon beef mixture over bread. Serve with potatoes.
I put butter on one side of each bread and grilled the pieces. I thought the gravy would make the bread soggy too fast if I didn't. And, I just love butter.
Can you believe I made that?? It was so so good. Really good. Comfort food. I saved the recipe (again rationalizing) to make on a night that I had worked the night before and I was working the next night too. I need fast suppers on those nights. This was fast. Delicious. Salty. Gravy-y. I love gravy. When speaking with a friend about this menu last night at work, she made me feel better by saying, "I don't even know how you get any supper on the table at all when you work two in a row." That was helpful. Also I would like to confess at this time that I am saving this recipe, and we will likely have it again.
Deli Roast Beef Sandwiches with Mashed Potatoes
1 lb sliced deli roast beef (that would have been like 8 bucks...I got the Hillshire Farm version from the lunch meat section. Yup.)
2 cans (10 1/2 oz each) beef gravy
1 can (4 oz) mushroom stems and pieces, drained (omitted by me)
1 pkg (3.6 oz) creamy butter instant mashed potatoes (yup)
4 slices Italian bread
Combine beef, gravy, and mushrooms in a 2 qt microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high 2-3 minutes or until heated through (I heated the beef and gravy in a saucepan over medium heat until sizzly and delicious-looking. Also I chopped the roast beef a bit before I added it to the gravy).
Prepare potatoes according to package directions. Divide bread among 4 plates. Spoon beef mixture over bread. Serve with potatoes.
I put butter on one side of each bread and grilled the pieces. I thought the gravy would make the bread soggy too fast if I didn't. And, I just love butter.
Can you believe I made that?? It was so so good. Really good. Comfort food. I saved the recipe (again rationalizing) to make on a night that I had worked the night before and I was working the next night too. I need fast suppers on those nights. This was fast. Delicious. Salty. Gravy-y. I love gravy. When speaking with a friend about this menu last night at work, she made me feel better by saying, "I don't even know how you get any supper on the table at all when you work two in a row." That was helpful. Also I would like to confess at this time that I am saving this recipe, and we will likely have it again.
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