BBQ without the grill

I’ve been craving bbq but since we don’t have a grill (well the tiny george foreman grill doesn’t really count) I decided to try shredded bbq chicken sandwiches in the crockpot. I love crock pot meals, especially on the weekend when I’d rather be out and about than cooking all evening. With a side of baked beans and corn on the cob it was a delicious summery meal!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken (made by Julia)

INGREDIENTS:

3 large chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar (any type)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
20-25oz bottled barbeque sauce (we used KC Masterpiece)

Place chicken, water, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar and cumin in slow-cooker set on low. Cook for 6 hours. Drain juices. Shred chicken right in slow-cooker using two forks to pull it apart. Pour in barbeque sauce; stir to combine. Cook on low for an additional hour. Serve on buns with your choice of sides. Makes about 4-6 servings.

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A Chili’s Favorite

I love the southwest eggrolls at Chili’s, thanks to Robin for introducing me to them freshman year in college on one of our many trips to Chili’s when we probably should have been studying! Sometime last year I got the recipe off a message board and I’ve made them a few times since. They of course do not taste just like the Chili’s version but they are healthier and just as tasty. No frying involved! I serve them with a side of guacamole, this time I added some ranch dressing to create the “avacado-ranch” dipping sauce that I get at Chili’s (though mine is more of a guacamole and less of a salad dressing).

“Skinny” Southwest Eggrolls (made by Julia)

Ingredients

5 oz. can cooked chicken breast

1/3 c. corn kernels (frozen or canned)

1/2 c. canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

2 tbsp. jarred jalapeno juice

2 tbsp. salsa

½ tbsp. minced fresh cilantro (optional, we don’t like cilantro so we leave it out)

½ tsp. cumin

1/3 tsp. salt

pinch cayenne pepper (also optional depending on how much heat you want)

1 c. shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (I often use the Mexican cheese blend)

3-4 flour tortillas

vegetable oil

Combine all but the last three ingredients in a saucepan. Stir over
medium-high heat until well blended. Remove from heat and stir in
Monterey Jack cheese until melted. Spoon even amounts of filling into
tortillas. Fold ends and roll, securing with a toothpick. Place
eggrolls on oil-coated cookie sheet, and brush rolls with oil. Bake at
425* for 15-20 minutes, flipping eggrolls half way through to brown on
both sides. Serve with salsa or guacamole.

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Another fantastic quiche

So I’m sitting here at work trying to plan our menu for the next week and all I can think about is how much I love quiche. We’ve had two quiches in the last month and I will probably wait awhile before making one again but I figured I’d post this recipe in case anyone else is up for trying a quiche soon. It’s another allrecipes find.

Quiche Lorraine

INGREDIENTS
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
6 slices bacon (I use turkey bacon it is tasty and low fat)
1 onion, chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Line pastry with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 4 to 5 minutes more, or until crust is set. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove bacon from pan, crumble and set aside. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon grease in skillet. Cook onion in reserved drippings until tender; drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, milk and salt. Stir in bacon and onion. In a separate bowl, toss cheese and flour together. Add cheese to egg mixture; stir well. Pour mixture into hot pastry shell.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. If necessary, cover edges of crust with foil to prevent burning. Let quiche cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Pasta Night

Here’s a quick vegetarian meal that Tyler really likes. I didn’t make any major changes but I did toss in some chopped up asparagus that I sauted until tender. I garnished with some fresh parm, yummy.

Giada’s Lemon Spaghetti (made by Julia)

1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves (I use the stuff from my spice rack and season to taste)

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

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A tale of two cakes

I was looking through photos and found this one of the Hummingbird Cake I made for Tyler’s birthday. It was my first cake from scratch and I was so excited that it turned out. I grew up on cake from a box or the store bought kind. I still love those (see funfetti goodness below) but now I love the challenge of making a cake from scratch. Hummingbird Cake is a favorite of Tyler’s family, and when I googled the recipe I discovered that it is the most requested recipe in Southern Living Magazine history.

Hummingbird Cake (made by Julia, woo hoo!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and bananas.

Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Fold in chopped pecans.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator.

A couple of changes that I made: I didn’t have 3 pans, so I made it in 2 which meant it had to cook longer and may have been a bit denser. I also forgot to combine the chopped pecans with the frosting before I put it on the cake so I just dumped them on top!

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Funfetti Cake (made by Tyler for Julia’s bday)

Directions:
Follow directions on Funfetti Cake Box
Frost with Rainbow Chip Frosting, other frostings are just not the same.
Eat it fast before it falls apart.

I’m not really sure if my husband had ever frosted a cake before…

The cake split apart and the top layer started sliding off the bottom layer…it was still yummy!

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Another semi-homemade dessert

We went to a game night at friend’s home yesterday and in lieu of a rich and chocolaty dessert we took mini-fruit pizzas instead. I saw the recipe on the Pillsbury website a few weeks ago and bookmarked it in hopes that I’d have an occasion to make them soon. Now that strawberries are back in season I am always looking for an excuse to eat them! These were quick to make and tasted great! We are still chowing down on the leftovers! I used fruit I had on hand, strawberries, kiwis, and mandarin oranges.

Mini Fruit Pizzas (made by Julia)

1 (18-oz.) pkg. (20 cookies) Pillsbury® Ready to Bake!™ Refrigerated Sugar Cookies 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoons frozen limeade concentrate, thawed 1/2 cup powdered sugar 10 fresh strawberries, quartered 1 kiwi fruit, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 10 slices 1/2 cup fresh blueberries 1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 . Bake cookies as directed on package. Cool 10 minutes or until completely cooled. 2 . Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine cream cheese, limeade concentrate and powdered sugar; beat until smooth. 3 . Spread each cooled cookie with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture. Arrange fruit on top of each. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 2 hours.

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The perfect weekend meal

This is my second quiche in as many weeks. I first discovered this recipe while on Weight Watchers over a year ago, but had misplaced the recipe since then. After some extensive googling I located a copy and decided to whip it up this weekend. It’s easy and tasty, we needed a light dinner for tonight and the quiche is just right!

Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche (made by Julia)

• 6 oz pie crust, 9-inch, refrigerated (I use the frozen Pillsbury deep dish crusts to save time)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup red onion(s), chopped
• 1 1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg(s)
• 2 large egg white(s)
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 10 oz frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well-drained
• 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Press pie crust into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch, removable-bottom tart pan or a 9-inch pie pan; refrigerate until ready to use.

• To make filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl and add ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, mustard, oregano, salt and pepper; mix well and fold in broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust and level surface with a wooden spoon; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
• Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing into 8 pieces.

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Tyler’s turn in the kitchen

Tyler discovered this stir-fry recipe about 6 months ago and it is now one of our favorite meals. We’ve tried other stir-frys but keep coming back to this one. Our recipe is adapted from a Rachael Ray 30 minute meal recipe. You can make this with chicken or beef. We eat so much chicken that we usually make this with london broil just to shake things up. Tyler is not comfortable enough with this whole “food blogging thing” to write an intro himself but here’s what he said when I asked if he had tips for this recipe: “Taste the sauce as you go along, be careful not to let it get too salty.” There you go folks, tips from the chef himself Satay Stir-Fry with Orange Scented Jasmine Rice (made by Tyler) 3 3/4 cups water 2 oranges, zested 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed 2 tablespoons canola oil Flank steak or london broil cut into thin strips 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 bag of your favorite variety of stir fry veggies. Satay sauce: 4 rounded tablespoonfuls chunky peanut butter 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey 1-inch ginger root, peeled and minced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/2 orange, juiced Heat water with orange zest to boiling. Add rice, return to boil, stir. Cover pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cook rice until tender, 18 minutes. Fluff with fork. For stir-fry, heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Add beef, garlic and onion, stir-fry 3 minutes. Add remaining veggies and stir-fry 5 minutes more. Heat all ingredients for sauce together in a small pot over low heat, stirring the sauce until all ingredients are combined. Add sauce to meat & veggie mix, stir until coated. Serve over orange-scented jasmine rice.

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Game Night

Tyler and I had some of his work buddies over for game night yesterday. I’m proud to say that I beat all of them in some Vegas Showdown board game. I’d never played it before but apparantly I am a natural at building fake hotels and casinos, who’d of thought? Since there wasn’t much time to prepare dinner I went the easy route, baked ziti and a bagged salad and ready to bake garlic bread. I don’t have any pictures but here’s the ziti recipe.

Baked Ziti (made by Julia)

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry ziti pasta (penne is a good substitution)
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (I prefer Classico, the cabernet marina is my favorite)
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

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Chocolate time

I needed a dessert for game night but I didn’t want to have to buy any ingredients since we are trying to tighten our grocery budget. These cookies can be made with ingredients most people have in their pantry all the time. They are perfect for satisfying any chocolate craving! My mom made them for us growing up, one of my favorites!

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Cream butter & sugar in large mixing bowl, add eggs and vanilla, blend well.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, blend into creamed mix.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool until set 1 minute, cool completely on wire rack.

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies

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