Friday's Feast

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?
A sweet card from my best friend Rabia... just to tell me that she loves me :) awwww

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?
Well, when we went to Venice for our anniversary we fell in love. So I'd have to say there. (until we find another place we love)

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.
Pineapple

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.
My wedding dress

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?
When I turned 16 my Mom wrote on the car windows to surprise me. I was so embarrassed that I tried wiping it off in front of her and didn't want to drive to school. I know I hurt her feelings. I wish I never would have done that.

Im Back!

Hi friends! Oh how I have missed cooking for these past couple of months. I went to Dallas in October "for a few weeks", but ended up staying until the 30th of December. Lots will be happening in 2008. Patrick and I will be moving to Washington State in April. So while we are in England we need to try to sell our house and have it all packed up and ready to go. Umm.... lol

Anyway, this is the first meal I made when I came back. It was oh so good. Baked salmon over a bed of orzo pasta with spinach, roasted potatoes and salad. I just drizzled some olive oil and rosemary over the salmon and baked it for about 20 minutes.

Orzo pasta with spinach:

1 pkg orzo pasta

1 box frozen spinach

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

butter

Cook the pasta as directed on package. Saute spinach in olive oil, butter and add garlic cloves. Stir in orzo pasta. Add salt and a bit of lemon zest. Yummay!

Roasted potatoes:

Boil 3-4 potatoes for approx. 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut potatoes into big chunks and lay on roasting pan. In a saucepan heat 2 cloves garlic, some butter and olive oil until bubbly. Drizzle over potatoes and add herbs to your liking. Bake for approx 25 minutes.

I'm still alive!!

Life's been hectic, but I promise I'll post some delish recipes very soon. Happy Holidays!

Menu Plan Monday

Well, this past week I was very sick so I didn't cook much. This week is going to be another boring week in the kitchen as well. Me and my Mom will be taking a short weekend trip to Memphis to see my good friends before I'm back off to Europe. So, I hope to be up and running again next week with some new yummy recipes. :) Have a great week!

For more recipe ideas please visit our host Laura @ www.orgjunkie.com

Monday
Lemon Pepper Chicken (carry over meal)
Broccoli with cheese
Wild Rice

Tuesday
Pizza :)

Wednesday
BBQ Chicken
Mixed vegetables
Cheesey rice

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Out of town

Saturday
Out of town

Sunday
Out of town

Herbed Pork Chops

Ok, not the greatest pic in the world, but ooohhhh so good! I changed up the original recipe a bit and served the chops with refried beans (low fat- YEAH RIGHT) and leftover Mexican rice.

2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. paprika
4 to 6 boneless pork chops
2 Tbsp. margarine
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. water

Combine flour, sage, garlic powder and paprika in a shallow pan. Coat pork chops lightly with flour mixture. Melt margarine in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops; cook 10 minutes until both sides are browned. Push chops to one side of skillet and spoon off excess fat. Stir in soup and water, stirring to loosen brown bits in pan. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until chops are tender. Server over hot cooked wild or white rice. Serves 4 to 6.

Caldo de Res

I made this soup the other night when it was sooo cold. It was super good. Of course it's much better when my Grandma makes it, but I'm getting the hang. I forgot the cabbage, but my Mom didn't contest. :) I made Mexican rice and homemade tortillas to go along with it. I was good, only had one serving. :):)

2 lbs beef stew meat
salt, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
4 ears corn
6 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
3 tomatoes cut into wedges (I used 1 can stewed tomatoes)
3 zuchinni, cut into 2-inch chunks
2 onions, cut into 6 wedges
1/2 head cabbage, cut into quarters
1 green bell pepper, sliced

Brown meat in a little bit of oil, add onion and cook for approx 5 minutes. Aadd water to cover by 6 inches. Bring to boil, reduce heat and boil gently for 45 minutes.
Stir in salt, garlic powder. Then add corn, celery and carrots. Boil another 15 minutes.
Add potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, onion, cabbage, and bell pepper. Boil for 15 minutes longer. Serve with rice and tortillas. Yummm

Menu Plan Monday

It was tough to stay on track with weight watchers last week. I gained 1.5 pounds (not too shabby I guess). So we are back on watching what we eat and excersing. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! For more recipe ideas, please visit our host Laura @ www.orgjunkie.com.

Monday
Caldo de Res

Tuesday

BBQ chicken

Broccoli with cheese

Corn

Wednesday

Herbed Pork Chops (Recipe below)

Wild Rice

Mixed Veggies

Thursday

Lemon Pepper Chicken (recipe below)

Wild Rice

Califlower with Cheese

Friday

Pizza night with the girls :)

Saturday

Leftovers

Sunday

Roasted Chicken

Baked Potato

Veggies

Lemon Pepper Chicken

4 Tbsp. breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan

1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

2 tsp. butter

1/2 fresh lemon, cut into 4 pieces

Mix bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and pepper on a medium plate. Coat chicken breast with egg whites and dip into the breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides well. Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on both sides. Try to turn only once to avoid losing the coating. Squeeze 1 piece of lemon over each chicken breast and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Herbed Pork Chops

2 Tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. ground sage

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

4 to 6 boneless pork chops

2 Tbsp. margarine

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. water

2 to 4 c. cooked long grain rice

Combine flour, sage, and thyme in a shallow pan. Coat pork chops lightly with flour mixture. Melt margarine in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops; cook 10 minutes until both sides are browned. Push chops to one side of skillet and spoon off excess fat. Stir in soup and water, stirring to loosen brown bits in pan. Cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until chops are tender. Server over hot cooked wild or white rice. Serves 4 to 6.

Menu Plan Monday

This week will be mostly eating leftovers and out with friends. Next week's menu should be a little more interesting. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and spends it with the ones they love!! For more receipe ideas visit our host Laura @ www.orgjunkie.com.

Monday
Dinner with friends

Tuesday

Meximelts and salad

Wednesday

At Grandma's (I'll eat good tonight)

Thursday - Happy Thanksgiving!!

Roasted Turkey

Stuffing

Sweet Potato Bake

Mac-n-cheese

Mixed Salad

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Rolls

Friday

Leftovers I'm sure!

Saturday

More left overs

Sunday

Turkey Tetrazini

Friday's Feast #169

Friday's Feast #169

Appetizer
What was your first “real” job?
At an aircraft repair station as an administrator. (got real lucky)

Soup
Where would you go if you wanted to spark your creativity?
I need all the help I can get.... Martha Stewart's house if she'll have me. LOL

Salad
Complete this sentence: I am embarrassed when…
I say something really stupid in front of a crowd.

Main Course
What values did your parents instill in you?
Be polite, always help the elderly, don't judge people

Dessert
Name 3 fads from your teenage years.
omgosh.... let's see. Big hair was still kind of in. Ok, I've been sitting here for the past 10 minutes trying to think of some things. I was the biggest nerd so I really have no clue anyway. LOL

Menu Plan Monday

Whew! I had quite a week. I hope this one is a little quieter. I didn't get to the pumpkin pasta last week so I'm going to give it another shot. Have a fab week everyone!

Monday
Left over Night

Tuesday
Chicken Parmesan

Wednesday
Taco Night

Thursday
Beef Goulash

Friday
Leftover Goulash

Saturday
Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

Sunday
Roasted Chicken
Mac-n-cheese
Grilled veggies

Cheese Enchiladas for My Mom

This dish is my Mom's favorite so I made it for her birthday dinner. My Grandmother used to make this for special occasions but now that she has almost retired from cooking I've taken over. :) There are a lot of steps involved but once you make it a few times it becomes really easy. I never have measured any of this so Ive tried to remember as best I could. Have fun!

Enchilada ingredients:

Shredded cheese- (I usually use monterry jack, but my Mom likes it with cheddar. You can use whatever cheese you likey.)

chili powder

salt

corn tortillas (extra thin are great for this)

chicken broth

2-3 tablespoons of flour

cooking oil

tomato, diced for topping

lettuce, shredded for topping

onion, diced for topping

Directions:

1. Fill a pan with cooking oil until it has covered the entire bottom. Heat until oil is very hot. Place corn tortilla in hot oil for about 10 seconds until it becomes soft. Remove and place on a plate that has paper towel. Repeat this step until all of your tortillas are done.

2. Reduce heat to Med. Using the same pan, leave around 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the flour and cook for a few minutes until the flour becomes brown.

3. Mix a palmful of chili powder and around 1 cup of water together in a bowl. Add salt to taste. Slowly mix this into the flour and whisk the lumps out. Add 1 cup of chicken stock. You'll need to adjust the mixture to your taste, adding more salt, water, stock, chili. Once you have the taste you want cook for around 10 minutes until it reduces and thickens a little.

4. Dip each tortilla into the sauce (on each side) until fully coated. Transfer to a large baking pan. Place cheese down the middle of each tortilla then roll it up. You'll want to place each rolled tortilla close to one another (believe me, its just easier) Repeat this process until each tortilla is done.

5. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and top with as much cheese as your heart desires.

6. Bake at 350 for approximately 10 minutes then change over to the broiler until the cheese is bubbly. Top with tomatoes, onion and lettuce. Serve with rice and refried beans. Yummmm

Mexican Rice:
1 can tomato sauce
1 palmful cumin seed
2 garlic cloves
1 cup white rice
4 slices onion
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
salt to taste
2 tablespoons cooking oil

Heat oil in a frying pan. Once heated add onion and rice. Cook rice until brown. In a mortal & pestal grind cumin and garlic together. Add to the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and cook for an additional 3 minutes to let the flavors combine. Add water and chicken stock. At this point you'll want to add salt to taste. Cover and let simmer for approx 20 minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. Serves 4-6. Delish!

Menu Plan Monday

Monday
Cereal Night

Tuesday
Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

Wednesday
Cheese enchiladas for the Birthday Girl (my Mom)

Mexican Rice

Thursday
Chicken Soup

Friday

Leftovers

Saturday
Out with the girls

Sunday

Bean Tostadas

Mostly Green Curry Chicken

I made this for Mom and me tonight and it was great! Very very tasty and easy to make. :)

Recipe- Mostly Green Curry Chicken
Courtesy: Rachael Ray 365 No Repeats#40

1 13/12 oz can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup jasmine rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4- 6 to 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt and black pepper
1 green bell pepper, cored, de-seeded, and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jalapeno, cut in half and seeded
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and freshly grated
2 cups broccoli florets
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
Tabasco sauce to taste

In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup of the chicken stock, 4 ounces of the coconut milk, and the jasmine rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep the rice covered until ready to serve. While the coconut jasmine rice is cooking, preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces spreading them evenly across the pan, and brown the chicken on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Add the green bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, and broccoli florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies start to wilt. To the skillet add the remaining coconut mil and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the skillet, and return it to a simmer for about 2 more minutes. Add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, parsley, and frozen peas. Stir to thoroughly combine. Simmer a minute more to heat the peas, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt or some hot sauce, if you like heat. Service over the coconut jasmine rice.

Menu Plan Monday

I found out I'll be in Dallas until the end of the year for work. So now me and my Mom are roomies for a few months. yay! It's really a happy and sad situation. I am here with my family, but my hubby is by himself in England. So Im counting the days to see him, but wanting the days to go slow with my family. My and I are both starting weight watchers Monday (again for me) so please wish us luck!

For more great recipes please go to the lovely hostess with the mostess' page, Laura @ http://www.orgjunkie.com/

Monday
Mostly Green Curry Chicken over Coconut Jasmine Rice
(Recipe Below)

Tuesday
Fideo with Meatballs (recipe below)

Wednesday
Fish sticks, Velveeta shells n cheese, zucchini with tomatoes & onions (super easy- just slice all three items, place in a bowl, add salt and pepper and microwave until tender)

Thursday
Beef and cheese burritos

Friday
Leftovers

Saturday
Out with the girls

Sunday
Family Dinner Turkey Lasagna

Recipe- Mostly Green Curry Chicken
Courtesy: Rachael Ray 365 No Repeats#40

1 13/12 oz can coconut milk
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1 cup jasmine rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4- 6 to 8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
Salt and black pepper
1 green bell pepper, cored, de-seeded, and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 small jalapeno, cut in half and seeded
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and freshly grated
2 cups broccoli florets
zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
Tabasco sauce to taste

In a sauce pan, combine 1 cup of the chicken stock, 4 ounces of the coconut milk, and the jasmine rice. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and keep the rice covered until ready to serve.

While the coconut jasmine rice is cooking, preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with about 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces spreading them evenly across the pan, and brown the chicken on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the last tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan. Add the green bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, and broccoli florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies start to wilt. To the skillet add the remaining coconut mil and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, the reduce the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken back to the skillet, and return it to a simmer for about 2 more minutes. Add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, parsley, and frozen peas. Stir to thoroughly combine. Simmer a minute more to heat the peas, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt or some hot sauce, if you like heat. Service over the coconut jasmine rice.

Recipe - Fideo with Meatballs
Courtesy Nicole

1/2 pkg vermicelli
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1-2 cups water
1 teaspoon whole cumin
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 small onion, sliced
vegetable oil
1 pkg ground beef
garlic powder
onion powder

Combine ground beef with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (to taste). Roll into 1-2 inch balls. Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray, add meatballs. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350. In a large pan drizzle the vegetable oil around the pan a couple of times. Once the pan is hot add the vermicelli and onion. Fry the vermicelli until light brown. In a mortal and pestle, ground the cumin and garlic together. Add this mixture to the vermicelli. Cook for about 2 minutes to let the flavors combine. Now add the tomato sauce and cook for an additional minute. Add the chicken broth and water until the vermicelli is completely covered. Add salt to taste. Add the meatballs to the pan and simmer (covered) for approx 20 minutes until the noodles are tender. Our family likes to leave it a little brothy so we can scoop it up with flour tortillas. Serve with pinto beans. Yummmo!

Friday's Feast #166

Appetizer
Name a great website you would recommend to others.
Well, everyone knows it, but I LOVE www.amazon.com

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how often do you dream at night?
I thought people dream every night but just dont remember most of the time? I would scale mine at around 7.

Salad
Did you have a pet as a child? If so, what kind and what was its name?
We had several pets. My first was a dog and her name was Strawberry Shortcake. Ok, before you make fun, I was only 5!! hehe

Main Course
If you had the chance to star in a commercial, what would you choose to advertise? Helping Humanity

Dessert
What is your favorite kind of hard candy?
Anything caramel.... yummm

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

My good friend made this for my bachlorette party last year and it was sooo good. So last night I made it for my family and everyone cleaned their plate. (I forgot to take a picture) Easy, quick and DELISH! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 rotisserie chickens, shredded
2 cans fat-free cream of chicken soup
1 can fat-free cream of mushroom soup
1 can mild rotel (diced tomatoes with chilies)
corn tortillas
sharp shredded cheese

Mix cream soups and rotel together in a large bowl. Heat in microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Add shredded chicken to soup mixture. In a large casserole dish place tortillas on the bottom. Spread chicken mixture over tortillas, sprinkle cheese over chicken. Re layer over and over until you run out of mixture. Last layer should be cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly and cheese has melted. Serves around 8.

Holiday Recipes

Here are a few family recipes that I'd like to share. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

Hot Corn

1 cup butter

2 pkgs. cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheese

1/2 cup milk

4 cans corn

1 can jalapenos

Preheat over to 375. In saucepan combine butter, cream cheese & milk until smooth. In 9 X 13 dish combine corn & jalapenos. Pour milk mixture over corn and sprinkle with cheese. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes (uncovered).

Shrimp Appetizer Spread

1 pkg cream cheese

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. mayonnaise

3 pkgs salad shrimp

1 c. seafood sauce

2 c. mozzarella cheese

1 sm. tomato

3 green onions chopped

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream & mayo. Spread mixture on serving platter. Add shrimp. Top with seafood sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, tomato and onions. Cover & refrigerate. Serves 20.

Easiest Chocolate Dessert Ever

1 box graham crackers (low fat)

whipped cream

1 bottle chocolate syrup (light)

1 box white chocolate

3 tubs cool whip

Make pudding with milk (let firm in fridge)

Layer the following (like a lasagna)

Graham crackers

Chocolate syrup

pudding

cool whip

Top layer should be graham crackers then syrup

Finish with whipped cream

Baked Breakfast

6 slices of bread

softened margarine

1 tube of sausage

1 1/2 cups (6 to 8 oz) shredded cheese

6 eggs beaten

2 cups half and half

1 tsp. salt

Remove crusts from bread. Spread margarine on bread slices. Place in a buttered baking dish. Cook sausage until brown and crunchy (drain well). Spoon over bread slices, sprinkle with cheese. Combine eggs, half and half and salt. Mix well and pour over the cheese. Cover and refrigerate over night. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes. Serve warm. Serves 6-8.

Menu Plan Monday

Oh how I love Menu Plan Monday. I look forward to reading everyone's meal plans and your stories. I will miss posting for the next few weeks. On Saturday I leave for Home to Dallas (yay) until the end of October. I'm sure I will be posting recipes while over there so be sure to check back. Have a great week!

For more great menu ideas and recipes check out Laura's site at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Monday
Cheesy Chops with Potatoes
Mixed Vegetables

Tuesday
Out with friends - Domino's Pizza :)

Wednesday
Steak Diane
Roasted Potatoes
Salad

Thursday
Chicken Piccata
Sauted green beans
Garlic Cheese Biscuits

Friday
Baked Potato Casserole (recipe below)
Courtesy- My Best Friend Rabia

1 bag of frozen hashbrowns (the cubed potato ones, not the shredded)
w/ red and green bell peppers in it
1 tub of cream cheese
1 small carton of sour cream
Salt & Pepper to taste
Cheddar Cheese

Mix, all except last ingredient together in a bowl. Top w/ Chedder cheese. Bake on 350 until cheese is bubbly. About 20-30 min

Peanut Chicken Stir Fry

I was supposed to make this tonight, but honestly it just seemed TOO healthy. Then I remembered my dear friend Liz at Mommy Chef posted this a few weeks ago. It was delicious! Very saucy (and as Liz said, this would be a kid friendly dish). I made the onions and peppers big enough for my big kid to pick them out. Oh so good!

Peanut Chicken Stir Fry
Courtesy Mommy Chef

Patrick's review: A "Although I didn't go for all the peppers, the chicken was juicy and the sauce was creamy. I would definitely have this again."

2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 T soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp pepper
1-1/4 lbs chicken breast, cut into strips
3 tsp olive oil,divided (I used toasted sesame oil)
1 c chopped onion
1 c thinly sliced green pepper
1 c thinly sliced red pepper
1 1/2 c sliced fresh mushrooms (we didnt have any)
1 tsp minced garlic
Hot Cooked Rice

In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients until smooth; set asideIn a large skillet or wok stir fry chicken in 1-1/2 tsp oil for 3-4 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Stir fry onion and peppers in the remaining oil for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; stir fry 3-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are crisp tender. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken. Heat through. Serve with rice.

Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce

Patrick and my favorite restaurant is called Texas de Brazil. They have this delicious chimichurri sauce that I just LOVE. So tonight I tried to make it and to my surprise it almost tasted like theirs. I drizzed it over the medium rare ribeye steaks (yumm) and served the steak with mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes. Here is the chimichurri sauce recipe... it's "fab" with steak.

Chimichurri Sauce:
3/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper