A Hearty Corn Chowder

This recipe is based off of

Rachael Ray’s “Harvest Creamy Corn ‘Choup’”, I just changed it around a bit to lighten it up, and it turned out delicious and creamy!  Perfect for a cold winter night.

Ingredients:

4 bacon slices, chopped

1 onion, chopped

4 to 5 ears of corn, cut off the cob or 10 oz frozen

1 medium zucchini,chopped (optional)

1 pound small potatoes, chopped

1 bay leaf

5 to 6 sprigs fresh thyme, or a few dashes of dried

1 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

5 Tbs flour

1 box (32 oz) chicken broth

2 cups fat free or low fat milk

parsley to garnish  (optional)

hot sauce to serve

First, chop the bacon slices and cook in a large pot until they start to get a little crispy.  Then  add the onion, corn, zucchini, and potatoes as you chop them.  Add the bay leaf, thyme, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for about 7 to 8 minutes until vegetables begin to soften.

Sprinkle the flour into the pot and stir and cook for 1 more minute.  Then, slowly stir in the chicken broth, bringing it up to a boil.  When it begins to thicken, add in the milk as well and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Season with more salt and pepper to taste, parsley, and serve with hot sauce if desired.  Enjoy!

Pasta with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

If you’re looking for an easy way to make gourmet at home, this is it.  It’s easy, incredibly delicious, and a great twist on the traditional spaghetti.

8-10 ripe plum tomatos, cut in half lengthwise 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

8 oz pasta, linguine or spaghetti

Preheat oven to 400.

On a baking sheet covered in tin-foil, spread the tomato halves.

Mix together the oil and seasonings.  Spoon the mixture onto each tomato, then drizzle with a little bit of extra olive oil.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until tomatoes brown and bubble.

While they roast, cook the pasta.

Take half of the tomatoes off of the baking sheet, mash them ( I used a potato masher! ), and toss with the pasta.  Add the rest of the tomatoes and serve!

Hope you enjoy!

Cajun Stir-Fry

My husband made this for me the other day and it was absolutely delicious!! Check it out

3/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed

8 oz reduced-fat smoked turkey kielbasa, cut in slices

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

Stir fry all together until onion is tender.

1-2 bell peppers, any color

1 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 medium tomatoes diced

1/4 c. minced fresh basil (4 tsp dried)

1/4 c. minced fresh oregano (4 tsp dried)

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley (4 tsp dried)

1  1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Add. Cook and stir until chicken juices run clear and vegetables are beginning to get tender.

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

Combine, add to skillet, and bring to a boil.  Cook and stir about 2 more minutes or until thickened.

1 lb spaghetti or linguine, cooked

Serve stir-fry over pasta and enjoy!!   This is a pretty easy one.  I hope you all like it!

Fun with Fondue

We decided to have a fun dinner, with finger foods and fondue.  For the fondue I made a Cheddar Dijon Sauce, and we dipped roast potatoes, steak strips, and blanched asparagus!

Hope you enjoy!

Cheddar Dijon Sauce

2 Tbs butter

Melt in pan

2 Tbs flour

Add to the butter and wisk

1 cup skim milk

Slowly add to the flour mixture, stirring constantly so it doesn’t make lumps

Bring it to a boil while stirring, and cook until thickened.

Once thick, add:

8 oz cheddar cheese

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 tsp garlic powder

Wocestershire Sauce, a couple splashes

Tabasco sauce, a couple splashes (I actually used a little bit of Hungarian Csipos Gulyaskreme instead, which is a hot paprika pepper and garlic paste, you might be able to find it at an international food store)

To dip:  Make whatever you think would be fun to dip with!  I made the potatoes the way I did on my earlier post for homemade fries.  Then, I cooked steak strips with a little grill seasoning.

To blanch the asparagus, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add the asparagus, and leave it in for about 30-45 seconds, until it turns a nice bright green.

Remove from water and chill immediately in cold water.  These are also great just dipped in ranch dressing like carrot sticks!

Hope you enjoy and have a fun family meal!

Cheddar Chili Casserole

This meal is so quick and easy! I created it for a quick lunch, and my husband loved it

First make the chili base:

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey       

Brown the meat.  While it cooks, season the meat with:

1 packet chili seasoning or your favorite spices for making chili

When the meat is browned, add:

1 cup tomato sauce

Simmer for about five minutes with the meat, and season to taste.

When the meat mixture has thickened up a bit, pour it into an 8 x 8 baking dish.

Preheat oven to 400.

While the oven heats, mix up:

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 can chopped green chiles

about 1 cup shredded cheddar

Mix the corn muffin mixture together and spread it across the top of the beef mixture.

Bake at 400 for about 15-20, or until the top is golden and the cornbread is baked through.

Hope you enjoy!!

Cheeseburger Calzones

First, mix up the dough.

1 c. warm water

1 packet yeast

Soften the yeast in the water in a mixing bowl.

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1  1/2 tsp canola oil

2  1/2 c. bread flour

Add to the bowl and mix with dough hook (If you have electric mixer).

Add additional flour as needed until bowl comes clean.  Continue to knead 2 more minutes (on power 2 in a KitchenAid) until right texture is achieved.

Put the dough in a greased bowl and let rise for about 15 minutes.

While the dough rises, make the filling.

1 lb ground beef.

Brown in skillet until done.  Then add:

a few squirts of ketchup (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

a little bit of mustard (about half the amount of ketchup)

a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce

2 pinches chili powder

Mix until combined.

Spread the dough out on a pizza pan, and spread into a circle as if making a pizza.  Pour the meat mixture onto half of the dough, leaving a space at the edge.

1/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Spread shredded cheddar across the top of the meat.  Fold the dough over the top, then fold up the edge of the dough, all the way around, so that nothing leaks out.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until bread is baked and slightly golden.  To make a crispier, golden top on the dough, brush it with egg or olive oil.

Buffalo Stuffed Skins

Rachael Ray made this recipe on her morning TV the other week, and it looked delicious! It’s a double stuffed potato, topped with Buffalo chicken chili.  I hope you enjoy; I know we did!

Buffalo Stuffed Skins

Preheat the oven to 350.

4 large Idaho potatoes

Place on baking sheet.  Coat with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, for the chicken chili:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2-2 pounds all-white-meat ground chicken breast

Brown in pot: about 5-6 minutes.  Then add:

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 small chopped jalepeno or chipotle pepper (optional)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Then add:

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/4-1/2 cup hot sauce, depending on how hot you like it

1 jar tomato sauce

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat a bit and let simmer, stirring occasionally.

While the chili simmers, take the potatoes out of the oven and slice the top third of the potato off.   Then carefully scoop the potato “pulp” out of the skins, reserving it in a bowl.  Into the bowl add:

3/4 pound blue cheese, crumbled or cheddar cheese if you prefer

1 egg

1/2 cup low fat sour cream

6 scallions, chopped or about 1/4 of a chopped, medium onion

Mash everything together and fill each skin back up with the cheesy mashed potato mixture.  Place back in the oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until a little golden.

Once the potatoes are done, serve topped with the Buffalo Chicken Chili!

Enjoy!

Quick and Easy Party Snacks

I know the superbowl is over now, but I thought I’d share some super easy ideas for fun snacks or appetizers when friends are over.  These are 2 of my and my husband’s favorite quick party treats.  Hope you enjoy!

Mini Deep-Dish Pizza’s

1 roll of refrigerated biscuits

pizza sauce (recipe below)

Mozzarellal cheese

Pizza toppings of choice (Pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, roasted red peppers, etc)

Open up the roll of biscuits, and preheat oven to 400.  Separate each biscuit, and then split each one into 2 circles.

Press each circle of dough into a greased muffin tin.  Press the dough down to the bottom and all the way up the sides.

Bake the biscuits for about 8-10 minutes.

Fill each dough cup with about a Tablespoon of sauce.

Pizza Sauce

This will make a lot of sauce from one can of tomatoes (more than you need for this recipe) You can freeze the extra and have it ready for a quick treat!

1 qt can of tomatoes

6 oz tomato paste

1 Tbsp oregano

1/2 Tbsp basil

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Blend tomatoes until smooth, and add all the other ingredients.

Once the sauce is in the dough cups, top them with meat and cheese.  Turn on the broiler to low, and place the pan in the oven just until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!

Mexican Layer Dip

This is our favorite dip that we make for any occasion, especially the superbowl!

1 can refried beans

Spread across bottom of 8 x 8 dish.

1  16 oz container sour cream

1 packet taco seasoning

Mix together and spread on top of beans

1 jar salsa

Spread on top.

Shredded Lettuce

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Sliced black olives (optional)

Spread across the top, and serve with tortilla chips!

This week..

Here’s the plan for the upcoming week! Hope you all enjoy!

Oatmeal Bread

Mom’s Stuffing

Chicken Parm. Skillet Pizza

Garlicky Chicken Cushions

Rachael Ray’s Mini Deep Dish Pizza

Mom’s Lasagna

It’s really cold here in NY, so I decided to make a warm and cozy standard. Lasagna!  My husband, who usually isn’t really into lasagna, was raving about this one, so hopefully you’ll like it too!
Here’s what you need:

1 1b. lean ground beef
32 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. tomato juice or water (I used some canned tomatoes that I had left, and it made the sauce nice and thick!)
12 lasagna noodles (cook and set aside. For lower-carb cooking I recommend using Dreamfields Pasta. It tastes great and has a lot less carbs! For a coupon, go to www.dreamfieldsfoods.com)
1 lb Reduced Fat Ricotta Cheese
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese
8 oz.(2 c.) grated mozzarella cheese
4 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp Oregano
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen spinach (optional)

Cook the pasta and brown the ground beef and drain. Add the spaghetti sauce and tomato juice to the meat. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, while you mix up the cheese mixture.
Thaw and drain spinach. Then, mix it with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella, 4 eggs, black pepper, and oregano. When it’s all mixed, you’re ready to layer!
Preheat oven to 375.
In a 9×13 pan, place a little bit of sauce, then alternate with layers of lasagna, cheese filling, and meat sauce, ending with lasagna then meat sauce. Sprinkle the top with additional Parmesan cheese.   Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Then, uncover and bake and additional 15-20 minutes.

This is a great meal to make ahead and stick in the fridge if you know you’re going to have a busy night. It’s so easy to just stick in the oven!