Ways to stretch 2 chicken breasts...

Courtesy of Marilyn Montero Carruth...

• cut up 2 chicken breasts into small pieces, about the size of a small walnut
  dredge in flour, season with salt, pepper or whatever
  
  dice fresh tomatoes, about 4 (I use Roma)
  dice fresh garlic, 1 clove
  olive oil
  1 tsp oregano or basil
  
  in skillet, add olive and garlic oil to heat
  add floured chicken pieces, cook and stir till done and crispy
  add oregano or basil, then tomatoes
  stir and remove from heat
  
  serve with rice.

Easy Quiche

I like this quiche recipe because you don't have to heat the egg/milk mixture before pouring it over everything.
I prefer to use chicken and broccoli instead of ham and cheddar instead of swiss but you can change this recipe up to be whatever you like!

(Stolen from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cooked ham, diced
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
• 2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers, garnish

Directions

1. In medium bowl, toss 4 teaspoons flour with the grated cheese. Sprinkle mixture into the pie shell. On top of cheese, sprinkle 1/2 cup of diced ham.
2. In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk or cream, and then add salt and mustard powder. Beat until smooth and pour over cheese and ham.
3. Put piece of plastic wrap large enough to overlap sides over top of quiche, then a piece of foil, and seal well around the edges. (plastic keeps the foil from sticking to the food). Place prepared quiche in freezer.
4. When ready to prepare, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.) Remove foil and plastic wrap. Put foil around edge of crust to protect it.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until filling is set and crust is golden brown. Garnish with parsley and pimiento if desired 

Spinach Pesto

Alright, I know our blog has seen better days but figured I would share this super easy, super yummy recipe with you since all of my kiddos gobbled it down last night - and my hubby, which is a miracle.

Spinach Pesto
2 cups fresh baby spinach
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1 cup grated Romano cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 cup olive oil

Place the first six ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped.  Add the walnuts, lemon juice, and peel; cover and process until blended.  While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream to desired consistency.  Serve with pasta or transfer sauce to clean ice cube trays.  cover and freeze for up to 1 month.  To thaw frozen pesto, put cube in the refrigerator for 3 hours.  Serve with pasta.

I loved this recipe because it got my boys to eat spinach - they still aren't convinced that it's yummy.  I didn't toast the nuts in the recipe, and I used pecans instead of walnuts because that is what I had on hand.  I used the pesto on the following recipe.

Pesto Ravioli with chicken
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb chicken, sliced into strips
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 (9 oz) package ravioli
3 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, if desired.

Heat oil in skillet and cook chicken for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown.  Remove chicken from skillet and place in an oven safe dish.  (Put chicken in warm oven and let set until ready to add to the rest of the recipe.)  Add broth and ravioli to skillet.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer about 4 minutes or until ravioli are tender.  Stir zucchini, bell pepper, and chicken into ravioli.  Cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender and chicken is no longer pink in center.  Toss with pesto and sprinkle with cheese.

I used a tomato instead of red bell peppers in this recipe because my kids aren't too fond of peppers.  The tomato tasted so yummy.  I also tried out a new brand of ravioli from Safeway and was pretty pleased. - Open Nature Spinach and Cheese Whole Wheat ravioli.  It's organic and whole wheat and had decent flavor.  The boys loved them!  Enjoy!

Repurposing...

I love the idea of recipe clubs and of this recipe blog so much that I'm having a tough time letting go of it. I miss Oly2 a LOT LOT but since no one over there has picked up the torch of this blog I'm thinking of re-purposing it as a cyber recipe exchange so that people from all over can participate and all us ex-Oly2-gals can get our fix of that wonderful ward :)

Any objections?

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Not that I cooked it (mine was from Safeway for $2) but it was so yummy I'm investing in a recipe so I can have it year round...

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Print Options

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2 Using your (clean) fingers (or two knives or a pastry cutter), work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the raisins.


3 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.

4 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.
Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.
Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.

Key Lime cupcakes with Jello Salad frosting

Key Lime cupcakes with Jello Salad frosting
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Ingredients

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• CUPCAKES shopping list
• 1/2 cup butter, softened shopping list
• 1 cup white sugar shopping list
• 2 eggs shopping list
• 2 teaspoons grated key lime zest shopping list
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour shopping list
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder shopping list
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda shopping list
• 1/4 teaspoon salt shopping list
• 3/4 cup key lime juice shopping list
• LIME JELLO SALAD frosting shopping list
• 1 regular sized package of lime gelatin dessert powder (not sugar free) shopping list
• 3 cups powdered sugar shopping list
• 1 cup cream cheese shopping list
• 1/4 cup butter shopping list
• 1-4 tablespoons pineapple juice shopping list

How to make it

---

• CUPCAKES
• Cream together the butter or margarine and 1 cup sugar.
• Beat until light and fluffy.
• Separate the eggs.
• Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, and add the key lime zest.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Add these dry ingredients to the egg butter mixture, alternating with 3/4 cup key lime juice.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff, and fold into the batter.
• Spoon the batter into paper lined cupcake tins.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees F, or until the cakes test done with a toothpick.
• This recipe should make about 12-18 cupcakes.
• Allow to cool before frosting.
• LIME JELLO SALAD FROSTING
• In the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high until smooth.
• Scrape from the edges of the bowl with a spatula and turn mixer to one of the lowest settings. slowly add the lime gelatin dessert powder, followed by the powdered sugar.
• The mixture should be dry and crumbly.
• Turn the mixer speed to high, one step at a time, allowing the mixer to remain at each speed for about 30 seconds or so.
• Add the pineapple juice one tablespoon at a time.
• Mixture should come together and fluff up.
• IF the mixture is still dry, add a tablespoon of HOT water.
• IF the mixture is too liquidy, add more powdered sugar.
• Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes before spreading on the cooled cupcakes.
• Sprinkle with sprinkles and top with a lime section or a marachino cherry.

Stuffed Green Peppers

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

 

Ingredients

• 6 green bell peppers
• salt to taste
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup
• water as needed

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

2 Sauces

I'm sad I missed our "sauce" recipe group. If I had been there, I would have brought one of these super yummy sauce recipes.

Pork Satay with Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 green onions, sliced
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
3 Tbsp. Thai chili sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I always use the teriyaki flavored ones)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp. hot water
2 tsp. lime juice

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Set aside 1/4 cup for dipping sauce. Pour remaining sauce into a large resealable bag or container; add the pork. Seal and turn/shake to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Drain and discard marinade. Thread pork slices onto metal or soaked wooden skewers. Place skewers on a greased baking pan. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until meat juices run clear. Meanwhile for sauce, combine peanut butter and water in a small bowl until smooth. Stir in lime juice and reserved soy sauce mixture. Serve with meat skewers. (We always make sticky rice with this dish and love to dip the rice in the sauce as well.)

Sweet and Sour Sauce ala Betsy
*I grew up with this sauce. It was one of those Sunday dinners that always tasted good. It is heavy on the sweet and light on the sour so we often call it Betsy's sweet sauce at our house.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup chicken broth
4 Tbsp Ketchup
1 Tbsp soy sauce
dash of salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients and heat to dissolve.
*How I use this recipe: Defrost 4-6 chicken breasts. Crush saltine or ritz crackers to make a crumb coat on chicken. First, dip chicken in beaten egg. Then, dip chicken in cracker crumbs. Brown chicken in oil. Add sauce mixture to chicken and cook over medium high heat until chicken juices run clear and the sauce thickens. If the sauce is not thickening, you can always add some corn starch to help it along. Serve over rice.

Chicken with French/Cranberry Sauce

So here is a recipe I would have for our "Sauces" day if I'd been thinking ahead. You wouldn't think these flavors would go together but they are really yummy. Serve it over rice for a delicious meal.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4-6)
Bottle of French salad dressing
Packet of dry onion soup mix (most boxes are 2 in a packet for something like $2 but they have them at the dollar store - 3 packets for $1)
Can of cranberry sauce - the kind with whole cranberries not the kind that is the jelly you use at Thanksgiving.

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan and lay the chicken breasts in the pan.
In a separate bowl mix together dressing, soup mix, and cranberry sauce.
Pour over chicken.

Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 until chicken is cooked through (45min -1 hour)
Serve over rice and enjoy!!

Jamaican Lasagna

Sweet Potato - Lentil Stew

Hi everyone! I miss you guys. I was looking at the blog and thought about what we've been eating and thought I would share an amazing meal we've had twice now due to the leftovers (which have been equally as yummy, if not better). It's a little different but so so so good! We ate it with bread the first night and on top of brown rice for the leftovers. It's from a book called The Kind Diet. It's a very interesting read and all the recipes I've tried so far have been really good!

Sweet Potato - Lentil Stew

Ingredients:

1/4 cup safflower oil (I used olive oil)

1 medium onion, diced

2 small tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. minced fresh ginger (I always keep a stick of this in the freezer; it keeps in there forever)

1 1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cayenne (I used about half of this since the girls would be eating it)

Fine sea salt

2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes

7 cups veggie broth (I'm sure you could use chicken broth and it would be just fine)

1 cup brown lentils

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, or 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Stir in the tomatoes and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and a small pinch of salt. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, then taste for seasonings; try to use only enough salt to heighten the flavors.

Add the sweet potatoes, broth and lentils. Stir well, and bring to a boil over high heat. When the mixture come to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.

Turkey Pozole Soup with green chilies

Prep and cook time: 2 hours
Yields: 3-4 quarts

Ingredients:
2 pounds turkey meat (or pork) cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 tablespoons peeled, chopped garlic
1 15oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth
1 28oz can golden or white hominy
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup chopped scallions
sour cream
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Serving:
Pour the oil into a large, heavy-bottomed pot and heat ofver medioum heat.
Season the turkey with the salt and pepper. Add to the pot and sute until well-browned. Using a slotted spoon transfre the turkey to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onions, red pepper and jalapeno to the pot and brown until golden, which takes aproximately 7 minutes.
When the onion begins to carmelize, return to the turkey to the pot, sprinkle with the cumin and chili powder, stir in the garlic, green chilies and tomatoes.
Add the chicken broth plus 2 cups of water, stir and ring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and let the chili simmer, partially covered, for one hour.
Add the hominy. Continue to cook until turkey is tender, which takes approximately 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve with cilantro, scallions, and sour cream as topping.

Tortilla Soup

Prep: 12 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Serves 6

Ingrediants:
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 4oz can diced green chilies
3/4 cups tomato puree
1 tablespoon enchelada sauce mix
1 avocado, chopped
1 cup shredded mexican cheese blend
3/4 cup crushed baked blue corn chips
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Heat a large pot of a medium high heat. Add oil, onions and ground turkey. Saute until turkey is just cooked, stirring frequently to break up clumps.

Add the chicken stock to the pot and stir in garlic, chilies, tomato puree, and enchilada sauce mix. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Put some of the chopped avocado in the bottom of each serving bowl and ladle the soup on top. Stir to combine. Top with cheese, crushed chips, and sour cream. Garnish with cilantro.

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

I'm planning to make this soup for tomorrow's club! YUM!!

Olive Garden® Zuppa Toscana

Makes: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground Italian sausage

1 tsp red peppers flakes

1 large diced white onion

4 slices bacon (cut into smaller pieces)

2 tsp garlic (minced)

10 cups chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

8 sliced Russet potatoes

¼ of a bunch of kale (roughly chopped)

1.   Sauté Italian sausage and crushed red pepper in a large pot. Drain excess fat, refrigerate while you prepare other ingredients.

2.   In the same pan, sauté bacon, onions and garlic over low-medium heat for approximately 15 mins. or until the onions are soft.

3.   Add chicken bouillon and water to the pot and heat until it starts to boil.

4.   Add the sliced potatoes and cook until soft, about 20 min.

5.   Add the heavy cream and just cook until thoroughly heated.

6.   Stir in the sausage and the kale, let all heat through and serve. Delicious!

Highly tasty soup recipes! (Hearty Minestrone and Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo)

If any of you know my husband (Stuart), you might know that he is a very picky eater. So, finding a recipe that will please him is a hard thing to do, however, once I find a recipe that he approves of, I definitely know that it is worth sharing. The following two soup recipes come to you with a seal of approval from Stuart. He loves them and begs for more every time I make it. I am horrible about following a recipe to exactness so I will put the parts that I change in parentheses.

Hearty Minestrone (from the Simple and Delicious Magazine)
1 lb. ground beef or pork
1/2 cup chopped celery (I never measure this and just chop what looks right)
1/2 cup chopped onion (same as celery)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I am a bit of a garlic fiend and I use 4 cloves. Call me crazy!)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes (I use 1 quart of home canned stewed tomatoes)
1 (16 oz) can of kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (Stu detests these so I leave them out)
2 cups tomato juice (Stu doesn't like super tomatoey sauces so I don't include this. I make up for the liquid with water or beef broth.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) tomato sauce (I use half a can of tomato PASTE instead. It thickens to the broth of the soup just a little, which is how Stuart likes it.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth (I generally use beef bouillon cubes and water to taste, which is normally around 2 bouillon cubes and 3 cups water. One time I was out of beef bouillon and just seasoned the broth with other spices and it turned out fine.)
3 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (I don't always put this in.)
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1- 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 sugar, optional
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 - 1 cup water
1 cup uncooked ziti pasta (or in my case whatever I have on hand)

In a large pot (or Dutch oven), cook the ground beef, celery, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain grease. Stir in tomatoes, beans, tomato juice, tomato sauce, broth , carrots, zucchini, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until carrots are tender. Add remaining water and pasta. Bring to a boil and cook until pasta is tender. *This recipe can also be frozen as long as you leave out the pasta. This recipe makes a large amount! We like to top our soup with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo (from a newspaper chef who cooked for Mardi Gras)
2 lbs. shrimp (We use about a pound)
2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth (I cut this in half and use 4 cups water and 4 chicken bouillon cubes)
5 oz beef broth (I sometimes leave this out)
1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices (I use a 1/2 pound of andouille because I like the slightly spicy flavor better than the smoked sausage)
Vegetable oil
1 cup flour ( I never use this much. I might only use 1/3 of a cup. I'll explain more about this in the directions portion.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (3 is never enough for me. I might use 5 cloves depending on my mood)
2 bay leaves (I generally only use 1)
2 tsp Creole seasoning (I don't have this so sometimes I use Jamaican Jerk or season with Mrs. Dash)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tsp hot sauce ( I leave this out so the kids will sample this and Stu add the hot sauce in while he is eating.)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
So, if you want to make a true New Orleans gumbo, you have to boil the shrimp shells to help flavor the sauce. I can give you those directions if you want but I never do that because it makes the gumbo too fishy for Stuart's liking. So here is what I do. Peel shrimp and set aside. Cook sausage, onions, garlic and celery in until browned. Set aside. With the drippings and a little oil (probably 2 tsps depending on the fat content of sausage), make a roux by adding flour slowly (like 1 Tbsp at a time) until it thickens to a paste. You want the roux to "flow smoothly" so don't over flour the mixture. If you really want true gumbo, you cook the roux over medium low heat until it turns a chocolate brown color. I don't. It takes forever. I cook it for maybe 5 minutes, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Add sausage, onions, garlic, celery, and the rest of the chopped vegetables to the roux. Add chicken broth and beef broth slowly. Stir well. Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce (if you want). Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the broth thickens. The recipe suggest 50 minutes but I rarely simmer longer than 25 minutes. Shir in shrimp and green onions. Return to a low boil and simmer 10 minutes until shrimp is pink and not transparent looking. Under cooked shrimp is a BAD thing. Discard bay leaves. Serve over hot rice.

TASTY! My stomach is growling as I type this. Hope you all enjoy these as much as we do!