Back at it

I felt like I was my old self again last week!  I got 4 cooked meals to the table and once again had lots of leftovers in the refrigerator.  With warmer temperatures, I definitely have the itch to cook out at some point.

Dempsey is doing a great job with his schedule.  He continues to be indecisive as to what he wants, but that's got to be a typical guy trait, right???  He is such a smiley boy and loves it when people talk to him.

Some of the recipes I will be making this week were found on Pinterest.  This site is so addicting and so fun!

***Ok, I love lasagna, but it can be so time consuming to make.  Here's a version I found that can be made on the stovetop.  I found it at this site here.  Have fun exploring this site!  It has amazing freezer meals.  I think I may double this recipe to have some in the freezer for the week I go back to work.

Skillet Lasagna
recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound fresh italian sausage, crumbled
10 dry curly edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2 inch pieces
1 (8oz) tomato sauce
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese + more for serving
1 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Pour diced tomatoes with their juices into 1-quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until mixture measures 1 quart; set aside.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add italian sausage and cook, breaking apart meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in cheeses. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta, cover, and let stand off heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Prepare recipe above as directed up until you scatter the pasta. Scatter pasta over meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with juices and tomato sauce over pasta. Cover and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is barely al dente, about 10 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer dish into oven- and freezer safe container. Allow dish to cool and then freeze. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Defrost completely and place container on a baking sheet. Dot with heaping tablespoons ricotta and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with basil and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Serve.

***Stuffed peppers are also a favorite of mine and I love this variation I found on this site.  This recipe calls for ground turkey which is a healthy alternative to ground beef.
Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

• Olive Oil ( I used Tahitian lime olive oil)
• 1/2 lb lean ground turkey breast
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 1 heaping tbsp of homemade taco seasoning (or you can use the packaged type if you like)
• 2 cups of cooked rice (any type you like – I like brown)
• 3-4 organic bell peppers, halved and seeds removed
• 1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
• ½ cup of organic frozen corn
• 1 (15 -16 ounce) jar of salsa (my favorite is mango peach)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese

• Toppings:
• fresh cilantro
• sour cream
• sliced avocado

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat the peppers with olive oil and roast in a baking dish about 20-25 minutes just until cooked thru. Remove the peppers from the oven and allow to cool until you can handle them.
*****Note – make sure you cook your turkey ahead of time that way you do not have to worry about it later. Also, I sauteed the onions until cooked thru, I then added in my cooked rice, black beans and corn.
In a bowl add the taco seasoning, cooked ground turkey, chopped onions, black beans, corn and rice. Add in the jar of salsa and mix well.
Carefully spoon the turkey mixture into each half of the bell peppers and place back into the baking dish. Cook the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until the peppers are cooked all the way thru. Before removing from the oven sprinkle the tops of each pepper with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into the oven just until the cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven and top with fresh cilantro, avocado slices and/or sour cream just before serving.

***I also got my Southern Living magazine this week.  It had some great kid-friendly, healthy simple recipes.  Chicken breasts are on sale this week at our local grocery store.  I'm going to try this simple meal this week and I will also include some of the other simple meals they included for kids.

Two-Ingredient Chicken Strips
Chicken breasts cut into strips.
Marinate the chicken strips in ranch dressing for a few hours.
Grill!

How simple is that?!

I also want to try these for lunch this week:
Hazelnut-Strawberry Sandwiches
Smear hazelnut spread and strawberry jam on white bread.

What a nice change from the old standby peanut butter and jelly!

Oh Baby, Baby...Totally Freaking Out

I am 38 weeks pregnant.  The doctor told us Baby Dempsey Boy (this is what Tessa calls him) is making progress and should make his debut sometime soon!  With that news, I promptly went home and freaked out.  I could not sleep because I was thinking too much about all the things I still had to do.  So, I was up at 3:30 finishing my report cards to turn into my principal.  Looking at recipes to plan the week's meals is just what I need.  It calms me.

The blog hasn't been updated in a while.  Preparing for baby boy has been consuming my life.  My sis-in-law threw me a shower last weekend.  It was a Dinners and Diapers shower.  It was an awesome idea!  We pretty much have everything we need for baby, so people brought dinners that were easy to freeze and diapers!  So fun!  Our freezer is so well stocked now.  It hasn't been this full since before we lost power during the hurricane over the summer.  And yesterday, my 2nd graders and their families threw me a "surprise" baby shower complete with cake and gift cards.  Those 7 and 8 year olds were so pleased with themselves.  I can't wait to be on maternity leave with my Tessa and Dempsey, but those 21 little people become my babies when I am at work and I will miss them!  We are so blessed by the people in our lives. 

I'm still planning meals for the week even though I have no idea what's in store.  I'm going to TRY to make the following three recipes:  Parmesan Chicken, Baked Spaghetti, and Roast Beef sandwiches.

You can never have enough chicken recipes.  Chicken is such a staple in our house.  We make it at least once a week.  I got this recipe off of epicurious.com 
Parmesan Chicken

• tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 (5-oz) skinless boneless chicken breast halves
• 1 1/2 English muffins (not sandwich-size)
• 3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 1/2 oz)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl and add chicken breasts, tossing to coat well.

Pulse English muffins in a food processor until finely ground. Add cheese, butter, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse until combined well. Transfer to a shallow soup plate or pie plate.

Dredge chicken, 1 piece at a time, in crumbs, coating completely and pressing gently to help crumbs adhere, then transfer to baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Cooks' note: · Chicken can marinate in mustard mixture, covered and chilled, up to 2 hours before coating.

Sandwiches are an easy weeknight dinner and I don't make them enough for dinner.  I thought this recipe from Food Network would be fun to try.

Hot Open-Face Roast Beef Sandwiches

• 1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, pierced with a fork
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup milk
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 thick slices sourdough bread
• 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
• 3/4 pound sliced roast beef
• 1/2 bunch watercress, woody stems removed
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Microwave the potatoes on high until soft, about 20 minutes. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in a bowl with 2 tablespoons butter. Add the milk and mash; season with salt and pepper. Preheat the broiler.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until slightly brown. Gradually whisk in the chicken broth until smooth. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce and simmer until thick, about 3 minutes.
Toast the bread under the broiler, about 1 minute. Spread the mustard and horseradish on toasts; place each on a plate. Pour some gravy over the toast; top with the roast beef, more gravy, watercress and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the sandwiches with the potatoes.


I have a new fave chef:  Bobby Deen.  We watched his new show, "Not my Mama's Meals," last weekend and we were hooked.  He is taking his mom, Paula's, meals and making them lighter and healthier.  So awesome!  In this month's Food Network magazine, he took his mama's baked spaghetti and lightened it up.  I have ground pork in the freezer, so I will be using that instead of the chicken sausage he calls for.
Light Baked Spaghetti

• Kosher salt
• 6 ounces whole-wheat angel hair pasta
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian chicken sausage, casings removed
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 pound button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup torn fresh basil leaves
• Cooking spray, for the pan
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, mushrooms, seasoned salt and Italian seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, 3/4 cup water and the basil and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors are blended, about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to combine with the sauce. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese. Spoon the remaining pasta mixture on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover loosely with foil sprayed with cooking spray (do not let the foil touch the cheese). Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

*This recipe will make great leftovers or keep in the freezer well.

Have a great week!  Happy Eating Y'all!