Fast. Cheap. Easy. Delicious!

Peas and Cheese Tortellini


From Every Day with Rachael Ray
May 2008

4 SERVINGS
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min







1 pound frozen cheese tortellini (or fresh tortellini from the refrigerated section)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons butter
5 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
2 tablespoons flour
1 2/3 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until al dente; drain.

2. Meanwhile, add the peas, butter and scallion whites to another large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the scallion greens and season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir the tortellini and 1/3 cup cheese into the sauce. Divide the pasta among 4 serving bowls and Easy does it sprinkle with more cheese.

For those of you who don't like peas, you could probably substitute canned mushrooms instead.
This was SO good!

Spinach, Zucchini and no noodle Lasagna

I'm a huge meat and noodle lover, but this looked so good in the magazine, i had to try it. it was surprisingly really really good! i forgot to make garlic bread with it tho, dang it! Give it a shot.

Noodle-free, Meat-free Lasagna

Serves 4

• Cooking Spray
• 1/2 lb (7.5 cups) fresh spinach (you could easily use frozen whole leaf spinach)
• 2 lb Zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/8 inch thick slices
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 can (14.5 oz) whole peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 small yellow or red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 c grated part skim mozzarella


Heat oven to 425.

Coat an 8" x 8" baking pan with cooking spray.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray, heat over high heat. Add spinach. Stir until leaves wilt (this was easiest to do using tongs), about 5 minutes. Place in a colander to drain.

Coat skillet with cooking spray again; heat over high heat. Cook zucchini in batches, 2-3 min per side. Drain on paper towels.

Squeeze excess moisture from spinach. Mix spinach, ricotta, egg white, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, basil, 1/2 tsp of the salt and nutmeg in a bowl; set aside.

Puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, pepper and remaining 1/2 tsp salt in food processor.
Spread 1/2 the sauce on bottom of pan. Layer zucchini on top like you would with noodles, then 1/2 the ricotta mixture (i just dug in with my hands bc it's hard to spread around with a spoon). Add a layer of zucchini and remaining half of ricotta and sauce (ending with sauce). add mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until cheese browns...about 30 min. Let it sit for 10 min or so before cutting so it sets up.

Spinach-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

These mushrooms were REALLY good, REALLY easy and pretty cheap since the cashier errantly rang the mushrooms up at $3.49/lb instead of $8.99/lb. i bought the bulk portobellos and spent a lot of time waching them...next time i might get the pre washed/packaged ones instead. i made these with a side of parmesean risotto (in a box) and it was a yummy combo.

Warning, these do NOT do well overnight in the fridge, so only make what you're gonna eat. the two we had left over got real weepy and gross and i wouldn't eat them the next night.


8 portobello mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
15 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 scallions, chopped
1 cup nonfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup grated low fat cheddar
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 tsp dried dill

Heat oven to 350. Place mushrooms with smooth side of caps down, in a baking dish. Combine chopped stems with remaining ingredients in a bowl. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps, creating a mound. Cover with foil. Bake 25 min.

202 calories per serving | 5.6g fat | 4.8g fiber | 18.4 g carbs | 20.5 g protein

Recipe from SELFDishes Magazine - Summer 2007

Chicken Tetrazzini - You'll want three servings...

...or at least, JD wanted three servings. i couldn't believe it. he ate 1/2 the damn pan.
Anyway, here's the recipe. Easy to make. just remember to cook the chicken first. i totally forgot and had to put everything on hold while i cooked it. not a biggie, just kind of a pain.



Chicken Tetrazzini

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs (i used Italian blend)
3 tbsp butter, divided
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided (i used the stuff you sprinkle on spaghetti, the good shredded stuff, not the ground up stuff)
1/2 cup chopped onion (i used a red onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk (i used 2%)
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken or turkey breast meat
2 cans (4 oz each) sliced mushrooms, drained (i just used one 6 oz can and it was fine)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (i didnt thaw mine, and they were fine)
2 tbsp dry sherry (i didnt have any, and i didnt miss it in the recipe)
8 oz spaghetti, cooked, drained and kept warm (since you cook this in the oven too, dont cook the spaghetti all the way or it will get mushy when you cook it)

Combine bread crumbs and 2 tbsp butter in small bowl. Use a fork to kind of chop it up till it mixes. Add 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese. Set aside. Melt ramianing butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes or until tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat, gradually stir in broth. Return to heat; bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Stir in evaporated milk and remaining cheese; cook over low heat until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken, mushrooms, peas and sherry.

Combine cooked pasta and chicken mixture in a large bowl. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 dish. Sprinkle with bread crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until topping is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Yummy Chicken Casserole

Chicken, Biscuits 'n' Gravy Casserole

This was really yummy. Next time I'll make it with a side of steamed veggies or a salad.


Photo and recipe courtesy of
Every Day with Rachael Ray
April 2006

FOUR SERVINGS
Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 25 min


INGREDIENTS

One medium to large rotisserie chicken (or, just boil 4 boneless/skinless breasts, then pull apart for meat)
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the dish
8 ounces white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (I only used 1/2 a red onion)
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups baking mix, such as Bisquick (or, I used a 5 pack of Hungry Jack biscuits)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a large casserole dish. Pull the meat off the chicken, shredding it with your fingers or a fork into the baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned, about 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle the flour into the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the milk and simmer for 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the lemon juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy over the chicken in the baking dish.

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic.

4. Stir together the baking mix, the remaining 2/3 cup of milk and the cheese. Drop tablespoonfuls of the biscuit mixture on top of the casserole and brush with half of the garlic butter. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 25 minutes, brushing them once or twice with the remaining garlic butter.

Incredibly Easy Beef Stew

My sister gave me a great Crock Pot cookbook for Christmas, and tonight, i made "Easy Beef Stew" from it. And boy, was it easy! JD liked it so much he got 2 helpings. So, try it out.



1 1/2 to 2 lbs beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (i used a lot more bc i like potatoes)
4 cups baby carrots (i got a med-sized bag and used the whole thing)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
salt & pepper to taste

i also added about 1/4 cup of water that i used to rinse the extra out of the tomato sauce cans. and i had 1/4 of a container of fresh chopped mushrooms in the fridge, so i added them in too. i used a LOT of salt and pepper bc from what i understand, when you cook something in the crock pot for that long, the seasonings get pretty lost...so, use a lot.

Combine all ingredients in crock pot, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until veggies are tender.

this is really good with Jiffy Corn muffins.

Kay's Red Lentil Soup

Kay turned me on to this really amazing soup. it tastes almost more like chili. i put a dallop of sour cream on it too. i think it'd be good with some shredded grilled chicken on top too...

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dried red lentils (they're the tiny orange color ones)
1 vegetable bouillon cube
3 cups water
1 cup Salsa- it can be store-bought or homemade, any variety you like
1 small can of corn kernels, drained, OR the kernels from one ear of corn
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. ground cumin

Put everything into a saucepan with a lid. Bring to a boil, stir & cover. Simmer on low for at least 35 minutes. The longer the better!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

...and yes, it's a yummy as it sounds...

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk (i just used milk tho)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup nuts if desired
a couple hands full of chocolate chips. probably about 1/2 to 3/4 cups

Move oven rack to low position so tops of pans will be in center of oven. heat to 350°. grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. stir in eggs until well blended. add bananas, milk and vanilla. beat until smooth. sitr in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. stir in nuts and chips. Pour into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. cool about 2 hours before slicing. or, do like i did and burn your fingers while trying to pry it out of the pan straight from the oven, then spend 10 minutes scraping the bits out of the pan and eating them right away, thus scorching your tongue too.

Really Yummy Pot Roast

This was my first Pot Roast and man, is it good!

1 boneless beef chuck roast, 2 to 3 lbs.
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into slivers
4 stems fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups baby carrots
6 medium red potatoes, quartered
1 small can (6 oz.) V-8
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Cut five or six 1-inch deep slits in beef. Stuff slit with garlic and half the rosemary. Season beef with salt and pepper.

Place carrots and potatoes in bottom of slow cooker and top with the remaining rosemary. Lay beef on top of vegetables. Pour V-8 and Worcestershire sauce over beef and vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

White Trash!

I was going to post the White Trash recipe here, but Kay did such a good job of 'step by stepping' it, that i'm just gonna link to her. after all, it's her recipe :)

Enjoy!!

AWESOME cooking videos

Martha turned me on to this cool cooking site that has videos of their recipes! whoa! and they're fun, not boring. So, check out this one for Rudolph Christmas Cookies. i bet you could change these up with Craisins and stuff too. FUN!

Katie's Famous Mac 'n Cheese Bites

Katie made these for her adorable baby boy's first birthday party, and man, were they yummy! Thought you might want to try as they make a good different appetizer/snack.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (Keep 1/2 cup of this set aside for the bread crumb mixture)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. (this is really important. definitely err on the side of overgreasing the pan, as they tend to stick to it) In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, olive oil and reserved cheese; set aside.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes, it should still be a little bit firm. Remove from the heat, drain and return to the pan; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. Reserve 1/2 cup of sharp Cheddar cheese and stir the remaining Cheddar cheese, milk and mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper into the pasta. (Taste it before you spoon into the muffin tins to make sure that it's seasoned properly. I think that I used a little more salt)

Spoon into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and bread crumb mixture over the tops. (I used mini muffin tins b/c I liked the shape better)

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the topping is nicely browned. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan. This will allow the cheese to set and they will hold their muffin shape.

The refrigerate and I've heard that they freeze well. To reheat, I just placed on a cookie sheet and warmed them up in a 350 degree oven.

Dr. Pepper Cake

My super cool neighbors brought me a mini-loaf of this awesome Dr.Pepper cake. They made it bc they had been to Dublin, TX where the original bottling plant for Dr. Pepper is. and i guess they got inspired. Anyway, it's moist and delicious!

(btw, i totally stole this recipe from another blog)

Ingredients: Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1.5 cups mini marshmallow
3 Tbs. unsweetened coco powder
1 cup Dr. Pepper
2 eggs
1.5 cups buttermilk
1tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients: Icing
1/2 cup unsalted butter
6Tbs. Dr Pepper
3Tbs cocoa powder
1 pound icing sugar
1tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Method: Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C
2. Grease a 9x13 inch ( 23x33cm) pan
3. In a large bowl sift together the flour and baking soda, and then stir in the sugar. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan heat the butter, the marshmallow's, the cocoa and the Dr. Pepper. Stir constantly until the marshmallows and butter are melted. Do not allow to boil.
5. Pour the marshmallow mixture over the flour mixture. Mix well. and set aside.
6. In another bowl, beat the eggs until they are light and fluffy, stir in the buttermilk and vanilla extract.
7. Mix in the egg mixture with the flour mixture and mix until it is smooth.
8. Pour into the prepared pan.
9. Bake until the center of the cake springs back lightly when touched (around 50-55min).
10. Let the cake cool.

Method: Icing
1. In a saucepan combine the butter, Dr. Pepper and cocoa powder.
2. Bring to the boil over low heat, stirring constantly.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, gradually sift in the icing sugar until it is smooth, then fold in the vanilla extract and nuts.
Assembly
Put the warm icing on the cake.

Stuffing Stuffed Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms were a big hit at Thanksgiving. Super easy to make (especially if someone else makes the stuffing!)

20 large white mushrooms (about 2 pounds total),stems removed
1 cup stuffing
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. On a lightly greased baking sheet, bake the mushroom caps, stem sides down, for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the stuffing and cheese. Flip the mushroom caps over and mound the stuffing into each one. Bake until the mushrooms are tender and the stuffing is golden, about 20 minutes.

3. Eat. mmmmmm...

I got this recipe from Rachael Ray Magazine....

Dump Cake

This is the easiest dessert recipe ever. i keep the three ingredients on hand most of the time in case there is a Dessert Emergency and i have to whip something up real quick.

1 Box White Cake Mix (generic brand is fine)
1 Stick butter, melted
1 or 2 cans of Pie Filling, any flavor. I prefer Cherry

Pour cake mix into a bowl. melt the butter. pour melted butter slowly over the cake mix and then combine until all cake mix is moistened. it will be very lumpy and somewhat crumbly.

in a pyrex dish, pour in the pie filling. Take the cake mixture and crumble it over the pie filling to make a 'crust' of sorts. fill in any gaps. this doesn't have to be pretty...it'll be lumpy and bumpy.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned.

Serve! yummo!

I also saw a variation of this online using devil's food cake mix and cherry filling. it looked delicious!

Pass the Butter

My friend Mariesa sent this to me today, and it really grossed me out. i think i'm switching to butter:

Pass The Butter
Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, those who had put all the money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads together to figure out what to do with this product. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter.

DO YOU KNOW..the difference between margarine and butter?

*Both have the same amount of calories.
*Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8 grams compared to 5 grams.
*Margarine can increase heart disease in women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a recent Harvard Medical Study.
*Butter increases the absorption of many other nutrients in other foods.
*Butter has many nutritional benefits where margarine has a few ONLY because they are added!
*Butter tastes much better than margarine and it can enhance the flavors of other foods.
*Butter has been around for centuries where margarine has been around for less than 100 years. And it is all natural.

And now, for Margarine..
-Very high in trans fatty acids.
-Triple risk of coronary heart disease.
-Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol, (the good cholesterol)
-Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.
-Lowers quality of breast milk.
-Decreases immune response.
-Decreases insulin response.

And here's the most disturbing fact....
-Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC.
This fact alone is enough to avoid margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:
Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things:
* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something)
* it does not rot or smell differently because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?

Cream Cheese Hamburger

So, this is the verbal recipe i got from my neighbor Paul. You're gonna have to eyeball it bc i didnt get measurements, but we've all made hamburgers before, right? Here goes:

Ground Beef (he said to get the not-so-lean kind bc otherwise, they crumble too easily)
Block of cream cheese (dont get the kind in the tub)
Cilantro
Worschester Sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix the ground beef, salt, pepper, desired amount of cilantro and worschester sauce together in a bowl. divide into desired sizes for patties. Take one of those patties and tear it in half, and pat down to a patty shape. take about a 1" cube of cream cheese and mold it into a ball and place it atop the 1/2 patty. Take the rest of that patty and put it atop the cream cheese and mold it around until the cream cheese is surrounded by ground beef. don't flatten the patty. it should be in a ball shape.

put it on the grill, foreman, or frying pan. as it cooks, press down on it with a spatula as the cheese melts to make it a flatter patty shape. be careful tho as it will begin to try to break apart. Cook to desired doneness.

Place on bun, top with sliced avacado and bacon. Enjoy!!

for the corn on the cob, wrap ears in tin foil, top each with a pat of cream cheese sprinkled with cilantro. put in the oven on broil for about 15 minutes or until done. YUMMO!

Thanks Paul!!

Swedish Chef

My favorite muppet character... and he's in the kitchen, so it's appropriate for my blog :)

Happy Monday :)

Grocery List

Ever go to the store all organized with a list, just to find out as you're waiting in the checkout line that you forgot ONE thing bc it wasn't grouped in with the veggies or dairy foods? Well, those days are over. Check out this grocery list Martha sent me this morning. Organized into nice, neat little categories. Makes it easy for you to print out your list and get everything you need while you're in that section of the store.

Thanks Martha!!! You Rock!

Download the PDF here.

Thanksgiving for Lunch

My favorite meal of the day is lunch, and my favorite thing to make is a sandwich. Since i've given up potato chips, i have to get creative with my side dishes for my sandwiches, bc you know, you HAVE to have something with a sandwich. Them's the rules.

So, today was Thanksgiving lunch day. Here's what i made:

Turkey and cheese sandwich with Cranberry and Spinach and a side of sweet potatoes.

Sandwich:
Two pieces of wheat bread
Turkey lunch meat
White cheese (i use Monterrey Jack)
Whole Cranberry cranberry sauce
Baby spinach

Sweet Potatoes:
Sweet Potato
Brown sugar
Butter

Sweet Potatoes - wash, peel and cube sweet potato. Put into a bowl and nuke until soft. Take out fo the microwave and add butter and light brown sugar to taste (about 2 Tbsp of each).

Put the turkey and cheese on the sandwich, 1/2 of each on each slice. Toast open faced. After toasted, spread on desired amount of cranberry on one slice, top with a handful of spinach, top with the other slice of bread.