Busy Lives Ahead. Expect Delays.

Suz and I have so much going on these days. Trying to keep this thing going with Easter this last weekend and Mother's Day right around the corner and countless other work and social activities. We have several things coming up for both of us in the next few weeks so know that we are very busy but going strong.

Please email us or send us links to recipes you are too afraid to try. Don't worry we don't mind being the guinea pigs.

This week we got together at my (April's) house. I made a lovely turkey potpie with phyllo dough on top... well it wasn't turkey because my husband couldn't find the right turkey he brought home lunch meat. So I used chicken breasts instead. It was also not as creamy as it was supposed to be. I asked him for half n half and he brought home vanilla flavored coffee creamer.... So after all that I would say it was fabulous! Suz made some bread sticks and a salad, but by far the best part was the sangria sorbet. (Susan and Roger... a must have for your family)

Golden Phyllo- Topped Turkey Potpie

From Weight Watcher's Hit the Spot


Not Turkey But Chicken Potpie



1 8oz package white cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 pound deli roast turkey breast cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I did the same but just with chicken)

 1 16oz package of frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 16 oz package of lima beans, thawed

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tsp dry mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fat-free half and half
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 (12 X 17) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed (by the way my package said at least 2 hours to thaw)

Phyllo dough at golden brown.

1. Preheat the oven to 350



2. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the turkey, corn, and lima beans. Sprinkle the flour, dry mustard, and thyme over the mushroom mixture and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in the broth, half and half, dijon mustard, pepper, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the turkey mixture to a 2 quart baking dish. Lightly spray 1 sheet of phyllo with nonstick spray and crumple into a very loose ball; place on top of the filling. Repeat with the remaining phyllo to cover the filling. Bake until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp, about 15 minutes.

April: First let me say... chicken went fine. My step two sucked since my husband was running out to the store mid cooking to find half n half. Then my phyllo dough was crumpled and broken after thawing. In the end my main this I will say is 1 teaspoon of pepper sounds like too much and IT IS! It wasn't creamy enough for me in the center but I will say that was husband error. Otherwise I will add I did my prep work the night before. Chicken was thawed overnight and cut in the early am. Lima beans and corn thawed overnight in the fridge. I sliced the mushrooms and set them in the fridge overnight. Then I even measured out the spices. My business doesn't close until 6 so if I don't to prep work I run around like a mad woman with kids still under my feet.

Suz: Loved the phyllo - if April hadn't told me that it had crumbled, I wouldn't have known.  I agree, needed more sauce/creaminess and less pepper.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Rachael Ray - 30 Minute Meals

1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 cucumber, peeled, quartered and sliced

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

splash of red wine vinegar

splash of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine in a bowl. Set aside for about 20 minutes to give flavors time to meld.  Eat!

April:  I really liked it but you need a mint afterwards or you may kill someone.

Suz: You don't have to eat so many red onions, April! I loved it - the red wine vinegar gave the cukes a pickley feel.  Yum.

Bread Sticks

1 can Pillsbury pizza dough
1-2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1/4-1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
olive oil

cooking spray

Spray 2 cookie sheets with cooking spray.  Preheat oven according to package directions (i.e. I don't remember what temperature).  Roll open pizza dough and slice into thin strips - about 1" each and cut in half.  Place on the cookie sheets, leaving room for a little growth.  Brush dough with olive oil, then sprinkle with thyme and cheese.  Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.  Bake according to package - about 10-12 minutes.  Serve hot.  Makes a lot, but don't worry, you'll probably eat them all!

April: The only problem with these breadsticks is you can't stop eating them.

Suz: ditto what April said.

Sangria Sorbet

from Weight Watcher's Hit the Spot

\

1 (750ml) bottle white zinfandel or white merlot wine (in fine print it says you can use a fruity and light red wine such as beaujolais)

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 12oz bag frozen mixed berries (we used only strawberries and blueberries)

1 cup orange juice

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup seedless grapes, halved in large.

1. Combine the wine and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat; boil 1 minute. Stir in the frozen berries. Remove the saucepan from the heat; let it stand for 30 minutes.

2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the berries to a blender and puree. Set a sieve over the saucepan. Pour the puree through the sieve; discard the seeds. Stir in the orange juice, lime juice and lemon juice. Pour the mixture into a shallow 2 quart baking dish. Tightly cover the dish with foil and freeze overnight. Place the grapes on a plate. Tightly wrap in foil and freeze overnight.

3. Cut the sorbet into 1 inch chunks. Put half the chunks in a food processor (my blender worked just fine) and process until creamy but still frozen. Spoon into a freezer container; repeat with the remaining sorbet. Freeze, covered, until hard, at least 2 hours but up to 1 day.

4. Let the sorbet soften slightly, then scoop evenly into dessert dishes and garnish with frozen grapes. Serve at once.

April: Although this seems like a process, which it is, but since it's broken over multiple hours it feels very easy. This recipe is WELL worth all of your time and effort. Has to be one of the best recipes we have had. I promise it is not disappointing.

Suz: May need to become our signature "drink" of the summer... I was in charge of garnishing the grapes, and I totally suck at it, which was why John's sorbet looked like a weird muppet.  I didn't eat a whole serving because I was driving, but I could have easily had several...

Company-Worthy Dinner

In the past few weeks, I've become obsessed with mashed potatoes.  I suppose it's just another one of my phases (watermelon, zucchini, strawberry salad to name a few) and I'm hoping I'll get over it soon.  Either way, I have been coming up with recipes that are a vehicle for my mashed potatoes... Wednesday night was no exception.  April and her sister Megan came over for dinner at my new place.  I haven't quite figured out what the best layout is going to be for the kitchen - there isn't a whole lot of counter space - so we were kind of tripping over each other for a while.

Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2011

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 teaspoons canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Transfer chicken to a serving platter; keep warm.

3. Add shallots and mushrooms to pan; sauté for 4 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring to a boil. Cook until liquid almost evaporates. Sprinkle mushroom mixture with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add broth to pan; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Remove pan from heat; add butter and thyme, stirring until butter melts. Serve with chicken.


Suz: I got a jar of pre-chopped shallots (like the minced garlic) at Food Lion - they didn't have any other shallots.  This was perfect, and cut down on prep time.  I used chicken tenders instead of breasts and I forgot to add the butter at the end.  This chicken was awesome - I made it again for my family over Easter weekend.  Delicious and easy - a good recipe to keep in your arsenal, ready in less than 30 minutes!  And guess what?  I ate the mushrooms - they were good!

April: This was so good. I love mushrooms, but I think even mushroom haters could appreciate the delicious taste to the sauce.





The food mill at work.



Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I made the Steam and Mash potatoes again, and this time stirred in some pureed fresh garlic and a little bit of parmesan cheese and a lot of pepper. I used the handy-dandy food mill that my mom gave me to make them super-creamy!

Suz: Obviously, I loved them. So good.

April: They were quite tasty and a great combo to have with the chicken!



Parsnip-Asparagus Au Gratin

Taste of Home.com

10 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter, divided
2 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine the parsnips, salt and pepper. In a microwave, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Drizzle over parsnips; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a microwave, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Combine asparagus and melted butter; add to parsnips. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

In a large saucepan, saute onions in remaining butter until tender. Add garlic; saute 1 minute longer. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir until lightly toasted. Stir in cheese. Transfer parsnip mixture to a serving platter; sprinkle with crumb mixture. Yield: 16 servings.

April: I'm still in love with asparagus and parsnips, but I'm not a fan of the topping.
Suz: I love asparagus, but the breadcrumb topping was strange; might have been better with the french fried onions. The parsnips were ok, but were different than the time we had them and liked them so much.  I wouldn't repeat this recipe.

Angel Food Cake RollTaste of Home

1 package (16 ounces) angel food cake mix

5 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) strawberry yogurt
1 package (1 ounce) instant sugar-free vanilla pudding mix
3 drops red food coloring, optional
2 cups reduced-fat whipped topping

Line a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with waxed paper. Prepare cake according to package directions.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes.

Turn cake onto a kitchen towel dusted with confectioners' sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up jelly-roll style in the towel, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, pudding mix and food coloring if desired. Fold in whipped topping.

Unroll cake; spread filling evenly over cake to within 1/2 in. of edges. Roll up. Cover and freeze. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before slicing. Yield: 10 servings.

April: I really enjoyed this recipe. I enjoyed making it and serving it. My kids here at the daycare loved the left overs as well.

Suz: Yum! Kid friendly, grown up friendly, and so good!

Tortoise and the Hare

We're back - better late than never! It's been crazy trying to figure out Suzanne's new schedule and juggling our other multiple commitments.  But we got to hang out on Monday night and it was good to get back into a semblance of our routine.

We decided to go with a menu that would be a good (healthful) alternative to the traditional Easter menu.  Suzanne is generally weary of pork tenderloin, but we decided to try it anyway.  We were able to pick up the piece of meat, which was nearly 2 pounds, for $5 on sale at Kroger.  We took a shortcut and got the Ore Ida Steam and Mash potatoes - they cook in the microwave in 11 minutes, and then you mash them up with milk and butter.  If you want to lighten them up a little more, you can change the milk for chicken broth (as long as you don't have any vegetarians at the table).  Instead of a creamy veggie casserole, April found a great roasted veg recipe that doesn't use any oil.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin
from http://www.weightwatchers.com/

1 spray(s) cooking spray

2 tsp dried thyme, or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped thyme

2 tsp dried oregano, or 2 Tbsp freshly chopped oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp table salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 tsp olive oil

2 pounds lean pork tenderloin

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray.

Combine thyme, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Rub oil all over pork. Sprinkle thyme mixture all over pork and transfer to prepared pan.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of pork reads 160ºF, about 30 minutes.

Let roast stand 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into thin slices. Serves 8 with a PointsPlus value of 3 each.

Suz: I loved it.  This was so easy and it cooked in 30 minutes.  The pork was flavorful, moist and the pepper gave it the right amount of zip.  If serving this for small children, you might want to cut the pepper back to 1/2 teaspoon.  I will be making this for Easter!

April: I like the flavor a lot. The seasoning was a nice touch without being too spicy or dry. So easy to make.... it will be done again.

Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

1 bag Ore Ida Steam and Mash Potatoes
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the potatoes according to package directions. Add cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Suz: I love these - so easy.  The potatoes also come in sweet potatoes and red potatoes.  Thanks to my Mom for the tip! )

April: I must say my son hates potatoes but he ate these and even asked for more. I remember his first Thanksgiving I thought I would sneak and give him some mashed potatoes. He hated them and has never liked them, Nor soup or anything other than a french fry. I am totally shocked at home he gobbled them up. I like them too and so did my daughter. So these are a must have around here.




Baby Carrots 'n' Broccoli
From http://www.tasteofhome.com/
This was in the lowfat recipe section.

1-1/2 cups fresh baby carrots
4 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Nature's seasoning blend
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil; add carrots. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes; drain and pat dry.

In an ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan, combine the carrots with remaining ingredients. Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 7-9 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring once. Yield: 4 servings.

Editor's Note: This recipe was tested with Morton's Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend.

Suz: I didn't know that April had pre-boiled the carrots - I was amazed that they were cooked after only 9 minutes!  Love broccoli, carrots weren't too bad (considering I don't like carrots).  Yum - loved that the flavors carried through the pork and into the broccoli and carrots - just a little spice, but not too much!

April: This was so easy to make. I heart easy cooking. I cut up the broccoli and measured out the carrots during nap today. Then whipped it up while I straightened the house. So easy. I thought the broccoli was going to be dry but it was perfect. My son ate these as well. He didn't like the carrots because of the seasoning and yet ate the broccoli.

**We couldn't find Mortons Nature's Seasons Seasoning Blend. Instead we used a McCormick Pinch seasoning.

Banana Split Dessert Recipe
from http://www.tasteofhome.com/
This was in recipe section for low fat and or diabetic recipes.

2 cups reduced-fat graham cracker crumbs (about 10 whole crackers)
5 tablespoons reduced-fat margarine, melted
1 can (12 ounces) cold reduced-fat evaporated milk
3/4 cup cold fat-free milk
2 packages (1 ounce each) sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix
2 medium firm bananas,sliced
1 can (20 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen reduced-fat whipped topping, thawed
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
5 maraschino cherries, quartered
Combine cracker crumbs and margarine; press into a 13-in. x 9-in. dish coated with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk the evaporated milk, fat-free milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set.

Spread pudding evenly over crust. Layer with the bananas, pineapple and whipped topping. Sprinkle with nuts; drizzle with chocolate syrup. Top with cherries. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting. Yield: 15 servings.

April: I thought this would be a great after school project. The babies were playing on the floor and I had this all ready and set out for my after school kids... Well one didn't come and then my son decided he would rather play trains so instead I ended up entertaining a six month old instead... This was so super easy to make. The only way I can describe how easy it was is to say there were four babies in the room while I got this ready and made it. Took me less than 15 minutes after prep time.

I really enjoyed the taste of it. I think it had a bit too much of a pudding without the crunch feeling to it. So I might want to add vanilla wafters to it or more graham crackers to give it more of a crunch. The chocolate is really what gave it the banana split feeling. It otherwise seemed like a banana pudding with a special kick to it provided by the pineapple.

Suz: Loved it. The bananas and the pineapple were perfect, and the chocolate sauce added the right touch of sweetness. It would also be good with chocolate shaved on top, if you don't have any chocolate syrup on hand. I agree with April, I think it could have used a little bit more graham cracker crumb goodness.

Hiatus

We'll be on hiatus for the next couple of weeks as Suzanne moves and gets settled into her new digs... If we do end up cooking something, we'll post it here, but in the meantime, check out these delicious dinners from last year:

Turkey and Spinach Lasagna Rolls

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

Buffalo Chicken Panini

We'll be back the week of April 4 with some fresh spring-time treats and hopefully a photo shoot of us in our brand-spanking new Recipe Victim aprons!

Happy Spring yall!

Dinner Shortcuts

Today was Suzanne's first day of her new job and the Monday after "Spring Forward" and April has an awful boo boo (Suz: I can't even write about it, let alone talk about it or hear about it) on her arm and did we mention it's Monday??  We were both exhausted by the time we met in April's kitchen, and thankful to have relatively simple recipes with deliciously complex flavors.

Suzanne came across the pasta recipe while looking for something else and April has been dying to try the roasted root vegetables (much to Suzanne and Alden's dismay!).  April's birthday is on Wednesday, so we just had to have cake!

Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

adapted from  The Pioneer Woman website

3 medium sweet red pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

½ medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp parsley, flat leaf, chopped

1 box Smart Taste Penne Pasta
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
2 chicken sausage links, sauteed and sliced into coins

Roast red peppers, and then place in a Ziploc bag to allow to sweat. Peel the charred skins from the peppers, then removed seeds. Set aside.

Lightly toast pine nuts in a skillet. Set aside. Puree peppers with pine nuts. Set aside.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a skillet or pot over medium heat, drizzle in olive oil. Add diced onions and garlic and cook until soft. Pour in pepper puree and stir together. Add plenty of salt.

Pour in cream and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt, if necessary. Add cooked pasta, and then stir together.

Place pasta into a bowl, top with chopped parsley and plenty of shaved Parmesan.

Serves 6, with a PointsPlus value of 10 each.

Suz's Notes/Shortcuts: I must confess, I took a major short cut with this recipe.  Because red peppers are $2.50 a piece right now and I wasn't really sure how much time I'd have to spend charring and peeling peppers, I bought a jar of roasted red peppers (packed in a brine, not oil) and pureed that. The jar had exactly 3 whole roasted peppers in it, so it was perfect, and cost less than $3. I left out the pine nuts because I don't like them, and pureed the peppers on Sunday night to cut out a step on Monday. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but we substituted half and half to save some calories and fat (you could probably use fat free half and half too). I added a couple of chicken sausage links to up the protein.  Also, I forgot the parsley so we did without, although I'm sure it or some basilwould have added some nice green-ness. If the sauce seems too tight when you add the pasta, add a small amount of the starchy cooking liquid (or another tablespoon of cream...)

Suz: Oh man, this was so good.  I was eating it out of the pot while we were waiting on the garlic toast.  Seriously, I can't wait to have this for lunch tomorrow, and I don't usually eat leftovers. Gorgeous by itself, but the sausage took it over the top. And, including the chicken sausage, it cost less than $10 to make 6 servings!

April: I thought the texture of the sauce was unique and the chicken was a cook compliment to the other spices. My kids loved it. Well they loved the pasta and sauce... not big fans of the chicken.

Roasted Vegetables

from Weight Watchers Turn Around

1tbsp olive oil

3/4 lb small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered.

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

4 carrots, sliced

2 parsnips, peeled and sliced

2 fresh beets, peeled and cut into 3/4 in chunks

2 onions, cut into 3/4 inch chunks

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp tomato sauce

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place the oil in a large shallow roasting pan or jell-roll pan (I used two baking dishes 8 by 11s.) Heat the pan in the oven until oil is hot, about 2 minutes. Add the red potatoes, speet potato, carrots, parsnips, beets and onions.

2. Combind the broth, tomato paste, garlic thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables; mix well. Bake, stirring a few times, until the vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or warm.





Suz: I tried each of the vegetables included in the dish, can you believe it?  I wouldn't either except for the fact that I had April capture it in photos! I remember swallowing pieces of beets whole as a child when my mother would force us to eat them... Still not a huge fan, but they weren't as awful as I had made them out to be in my mind.  On the other hand, the parsnips were delicious - I'm not sure if I've ever eaten one of those before.  The sweet potatoes were nice and creamy and the white potatoes fluffy.  The carrots were all right - I'm not too big on cooked carrots - and I love a roasted onion any day!



Look Mom, I'm eating beets!

 April: I remember gobbling down beets as a child... no yuck. I didn't like them at all. I will make this dish again. It makes a lot. I would half the recipe add more parsnips because they were delicious and take out the beets. It's also a lot of cutting and peeling. Just being honest.

Angel Food Cake with Lemon Honey Yogurt Sauce

adapted from Giada at Home

1 store-bought angel food cake

1 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup of fresh strawberries, sliced

In a small bowl whisk together the yogurt, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a serving pitcher.

Cut angel food cake into slices and drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with lemon zest and mint sprigs.

Serves 12, with a PointsPlus value of 4 each.

Suz's Notes/Shortcuts: The original recipe included making your own angel food cake, but I'd rather buy mine at Food Lion on my way home from work! :) I used honey-flavored greek yogurt and added about an additional tablespoon of honey, and increased the amount of lemon juice to about 2 tablespoons plus some lemon zest in the sauce.  I sliced up some strawberries that I found on sale at Kroger and sprinkled them on top of the cake.  It looked beautiful and really took less than 5 minutes to put together.  My kind of dessert!    Strawberries were a great addition, but you could leave them out or substitute a different kind of berries.

Suz: Yum! I didn't realize how much I have come to like lemon - it used to be I didn't care for it at all...Maybe my tastes are changing, or maybe I'm just becoming a grown up (yikes!)... Beautiful and elegant-looking dessert that tastes so good! Loved the tanginess of the lemon and the bit of acidity of the yogurt - it cut down on the sweetness of the cake.

April: This was so nice. I love lemon... nice birthday treat from my girl Suz! Maggie didn't like this yogurt like she did the last one lol It was light and refreshing and tangysweet.

Beans, Beans A Wonderful Fruit

Did you miss us?  Last week was a doozy, so in the end we decided to just have dinner on Thursday night.  No coming up with new recipes, just tried and true (and comforting) pasta and meat sauce.  It was yum, we ate a lot, and didn't take a single photo! :)

This week we are back with our noses to the grindstone and 2 new recipes - black bean and chicken burritos (Suz: I'm scared!) and raspberry pecan pinwheels.  Alden really likes black beans and convinced April to buy a can at the grocery store, which set the plan in motion for this week's main dish.  Suzanne doesn't like any kind of beans (except green), but she is putting on her brave face tonight and trying them again.

Chicken and Black Bean-Stuffed Burritos

Cooking Light December 2010

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast (which we just used chicken that Suz had in the freezer and sliced it... not shredded)

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

3/4 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa

4 (8in) flour tortillas

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Cooking spray



See - Brave Face!

 1. Bring the first 6 ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in chicken and onions.

2. Combine beans and salsa . Spoon 1/4 cup bean mixture and 1/2 cup chicken mix down center of tortillas; sprinkle with 2 tbs of cheese. Roll up.

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 2 burritos. Place a cast-iron or other heavy skillet on top of burritos, and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, and repeat procedure with the remaining 2 burritos.

Yields: 4 servings of 1 burrito.

April: I really enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe. We did serve it with sour cream. It was easy, tasty and easy clean up too. A quick one for sure on busy nights. It had a lot of flavor, texture, and best of all both of my kids ate it! This will be used in my house again.

Suz: Guess what?  I liked the burrito!  Maybe black beans are the way to go... There was so much flavor that I didn't notice (too much) the texture of the beans, and I really enjoyed the burrito.  I think some yellow rice and/or guacamole would have put it over the top, but it was pretty tasty with just a little sour cream! Thanks April for forcing me to try them!! :)

Raspberry Pecan Pinwheels

Woman’s Day April 2011

2 T granulated sugar

½ t ground cinnamon

2 refrigerated rolled pie crusts

½ cup raspberry jam

½ pecans, finely chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle a clean work surface with 1 T of the sugar and ¼ t of the cinnamon. Unroll one pie crust, place it on the cinnamon-sugar mixture and press gently to help the mixture adhere to the crust.

Spread half the jam evenly over the crust and sprinkle half of the pecans over the top. Starting at one end, tightly roll the dough into a log. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Trim the ends of each log, then cut into 1-inch thick slices and stand them on edge (sugared dough side up and down) on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a baking rack and cool completely.

Makes 20 cookies.

Suz: We only got about 15 cookies out of this recipe, but I cut the first batch way too big, so 20 would definitely be feasible if you're careful. This basic recipe can be changed to suit your tastes with any kind of jam and nuts.  We also tried cream cheese (with some raspberry jam) and mini morsels - those were Alden's favorite.  Next time, we'll try blackberry jam with walnuts and cream cheese w/ orange zest and almonds... They were so easy and look beautiful when you take them out of the oven! I know my Mom will LOVE them!

April: These were sweet and tasty. Maggie enjoyed the fun of making them with Suzanne but was so tired by the end of dinner she never did get to try one. Alden thought they were going to be nasty, but in the end begged for more of them.

Take-Out Fake-Out And A Mis-hap

There is an awesome antique/country store called Buy The Season in Salem where we head for gifts, home decor and general cool stuff.  They've got everything from primitive signs to barn stars and organic dog treats.  Suz works close by, so she goes over there on her lunch break sometimes. On one of those trips, she came across a stack of Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines.  For under $5, someone was selling 16 issues of the little mag from 2009 and 2010.  We're always looking for new inspiration, so she grabbed them up and has slowly been going through them (it's a lot of recipes!). When we came across the chinese food recipes, we knew we'd hit the jackpot!

Cashew chicken is April's fav, so we knew we had to try it; and the dumplings look simple and yummy, so we figured we'd try a takeout fake-out!  And because wonton wrappers come in large packages, we've added this not-so-chinese dessert to the menu (and it just sounds awesome!), creating an entire meal based on Martha Stewart - it's "a good thing"! :)

Tonight we had our first kitchen disaster - not bad considering we've been blogging since August!  But boy, did we make up for lost time!  April's oven runs about 25 degrees hot, so we set the temperature at 375 to bake off the wontons for dessert. 

Suz popped the wontons with the butter and sugar on them into the oven and when she opened the oven to check on them less than 5 minutes later, smoke started billowing out of the oven.  She quickly closed the oven door and turned on the exhaust fan.  Alden started screaming about the smoke - thank God both kids were strapped into high chairs!  April ran around the house, opening doors and windows.  Once we had everything wide open, Suz re-opened the oven and ran outside with the charred remains of the wontons to cool off. We waited to try again until after dinner, with much more positive results! 

Pork-and-Chive Potstickers

from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food October 2009

1/4 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry

1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

20 wonton wrappers (from a 12-ounce package)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

In a bowl, combine pork, chives, soy sauce, sherry, ginger, sesame oil, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon water.

Place a heaping teaspoon of pork mixture in center of a wonton wrapper. Lightly wet edge of wrapper, fold over, and press to seal. Repeat to form remaining dumplings (makes 20).

In two batches, cook dumplings in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, 4 minutes; transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. In a large nonstick pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high. In two batches, cook until browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Serve with dipping sauce.

To make Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce,stir together 1/4 cup soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil in a bowl.

Serves 4 with a PointsPlus value of 6.

Suz: This is one of the most simple potsticker/dumpling recipes I've ever seen - most have a ton more ingredients with pretty much the same outcome.  I doubled the meat mixture - I find it hard to believe that 1/4 pound of pork would make 20 dumplings; 1/2 pound made about 25 total, and I only used about 1 tablespoon of meat for each of them. I also changed up the method of cooking the potstickers, to help keep them from falling apart, which was the major complaint on the website where I originally saw the recipe.  Rather than boil them and then fry, I did the opposite.  Heat the oil in the pan, then add 5-6 dumplings.  Once they have browned on both sides, add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with a tight-fitting lid.  Steam them for about 2 minutes and they're ready - still crispy, not slimy, and perfectly cooked through!  For the dipping sauce, I also added some crushed garlic, about 1 teaspoon or so... it was great!  The dumplings and the sauce were very tasty - I'll definitely make again! 

April: I'm not a big fan of the wonton dumpling stuffed with funky  meat. However... this was absolutely fabulous. Actually I had trouble pushing them to the side and somehow managed to save John a couple for a late night snack. YUMMY. The sauce was the perfect combination of flavors... my mouth is watering just at the thought of them :O)



Cashew Chicken

from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food October 2009

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons dry sherry (or cooking wine, or leave out)

2 tsp. minced, peeled, fresh ginger
3 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
coarse salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2/3 cup unsalted cashews, toasted*
2 green onions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced

In a medium bowl, toss chicken with sherry, ginger, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch; season with salt. Refrigerate 30 minutes. In another bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Set sauce aside.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken and cook until golden and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a covered plate. Add 1 teaspoon oil to skillet and cook remaining chicken (reduce heat if chicken is over-browning). Transfer to plate.


To same skillet, add 1 teaspoon oil, garlic, cashews, and green onion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until garlic begins to soften, about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce and add to skillet along with chicken. Cook until sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Top with green onion greens and serve with rice or noodles.

*To toast cashews, place in a single layer of a dry pan over medium heat.  Toss periodically until you can just start to smell the nuts and they have a light brown color (3-4 minutes) - if you leave them still too long, they'll burn.

Serves 4 with a PointsPlus value of 12.

Suz: We made some Jasmine Minute Rice to go along with the chicken (neither April nor I are very good at making rice) as well as some steamed broccoli florets.  I loved this chicken!  The only thing I might add next time is a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat, and I'd toss the broccoli, or maybe some green beans, in with the chicken and sauce at the end.

April: This being my favorite dish... this recipe didn't quite add up to what I had hoped. It lacked veggies... flavor... umph. Needs more to it I do believe. Doesn't have to be pork but definitely has to be some more veggies!

Crisp Wontons with Strawberries and Yogurt

from Martha Stewart Everyday Food May 2010

12 wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup whole natural almonds, finely chopped
1 cup plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 cups fresh strawberries (8 ounces), hulled and sliced

Maggie liked the yogurt...

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place wonton wrappers on a rimmed baking sheet and brush with butter. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer wontons to a wire rack and let cool.



...a lot!

 Dividing evenly, top 6 wontons with yogurt, a drizzle of honey, and strawberries, then sandwich with remaining wontons. Serve immediately.

 Serves 6, with a PointsPlus value of 4 each.

Suz: Apparently I couldn't stop myself from making changes to the recipes this week!  I used honey-flavored greek yogurt, then added about an additional tablespoon of honey (from Taylor's dad's hives) to the yogurt.  After tasting it, I decided to add some orange zest to the mix and that took it totally over the top.  I dry roasted the almond slices (didn't finely chop them) and sprinkled them on top of the yogurt before adding the strawberries.  These came out beautiful, but we had a hard time deciding how to eat them.  I ended up using my hands and dipping the wontons into the strawberries and yogurt.  Soo good - nice enough to serve to company!

April: My entire family like these... well Alden ate the strawberries, but the rest of us enjoyed this very much so. Maggie cried when I took her bowl away screaming MORE MORE! She had licked it plum clean. To the moms who read this... if nothing else make the yogurt!