Well, hello there!

Well, hello there!
Matt & I in Costa Rica over Christmas...So beautiful there!
It's simple. Really. We're a young married couple that loves cooking together. We always try to eat healthy and, if it's simple and doesn't break the bank, we're into that, too! We hope you'll visit often and tell us what you think about what we're cooking! We'd love to hear from you. Drop us a note, a suggestion or a recipe!













Thursday, December 9, 2010

acorn squash, baby.

I must say, when Matt asked "hey baby, what's for dinner?" and I say "squash" he looked a little concerned. I realized that squash should be accompanied by a protein, so we had some fillet Mignon's. He looked less concerned but, still somewhat leery about the squash. I kept telling him that I've made it before and he had the same preliminary reaction and, after the first bite he loved it, just like I knew he would. Still wasn't ringing a bell with him so, he played with the dogs and I got to cooking. If it's squash, I love it. Summer squash, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, you name it, I love it. My friend Jessica, her parents have a garden and they grow massive summer yellow squash. HOLY. COW. In the Summer, she gave Matt & I literally two entire bags full, and these bad boys of the garden looked like they were on steroids they were so huge. ENORMOUS. That's another post for another time, though...I will say that I made Jalapeno Bacon Sauteed Squash with those. And yes, I'll share soon! Anyway...moving along.
Back to the acorn.

Acorn Squash with Pearl Barley and Pea and Carrot Pilaf

What you'll need:
~ 1 Acorn squash. If you've never bought one, you can't miss it. It's the squash that looks like...you guessed it, an acorn.
~ 2 Tbs. melted butter/SmartBalance, divided
~ 3 Tbs. water
~ Pearl barley, cooked according to directions. Should take about 45 mins.
~ Salt & pepper, to taste
~ 1 pkg. frozen green pea and carrot blend, warmed according to directions

What to do:
~ Preheat the oven according to squash baking instructions that are on the produce sticker on the squash. Bake on baking sheet with water, and the flesh of the cut parts brushed w/1 Tbs. butter, according to baking instructions.
~ Mix the salt, pepper, cooked barley and peas and carrots all together with remaining butter
~ Spoon barley mixture into squash "cups" and serve and enjoy, of course!

It's such a good, healthy, hearty Fall/Winter-ish meal! It's super easy, too.

Matt loved it, just like I knew he would! Mainly because he loved it the first time I made it. Oh Matt!

Hope you enjoy! Until next time, happy cooking!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

citrus cilantro butter

Put it on corn. Fresh, grilled corn. That's what we did. I'm going to keep this short. Matt grilled for us yesterday. My parents came over and it was such a great time! I've said a bazillion times but, I'll say it again. Matt= Grill Extraordinaire.
I wanted to pretend like I had anything to do with the meal, so I made this butter for the corn. Boy oh boy did it taste good!!!

What you'll need:
4 Lg. ears fresh corn, shucked
4 Tbs. SmartBalance
1/2 Tsp. black pepper
1/2 Tsp. salt
1 Tbs. cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 small lemon or lime (we only had lemons, but I think lime would be tastier)

What to do:
~In a small, 6 oz. ramekin or small bowl, melt the SmartBalance
~Add the rest of ingredients to melted SmartBalance and stir
~Using a pastry or basting brush, cover each pice of corn before OR after the corn is grilled.
*We did it before. It was delightful. However, I think if you really want the citrus and cilantro flavors, it may be better to add to the corn after it's grilled. I think we'll do that next time!

Short. Simple. Fresh. Yum.

The End.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

way back when. boston turned ten.


It rhymes.It kinda sounds like a Dr. Suess book. You know you laughed a little when you read the title. Or maybe you didn't, in which case I'd say you're not having the BEST day. In which case this recipe is for you! Who doesn't like ice cream? If you don't, now is not the time, nor is this blog the place to say so. I won't have any of that. If you're allergic, I understand...but you still probably like it. ANYWAY. Casey & Mandi were in town back in February for a little visit. Since B's birthday, the BIG 1-0 was in March, we figured we'd throw him a little Morgan Family Birthday Bonanza. Yep, I said "Bonanza". He specifically requested an ice cream cake. Specifically chocolate cake. Specifically chocolate ice cream. Specifically chocolate syrup. Very specific indeed! Not unlike myself, I heard the request and said "I'll make it!". Hmmm...What was I thinking? I'd never made an ice cream cake before. Ever. There's a first time for everything. And as most of you know, one of the biggest joys in our lives is our seven (7) nieces and nephews! I was not about to let some ice cream joint and their ridiculously overpriced (and honestly ridiculously good) cake steal the birthday show. No sir, or ma'am. Whatever. I was on a mission. As usual. I found, what I thought seemed to be a good recipe online and tweaked it to be more healthy. I didn't tell the birthday boy, though! Look below for the how-to!

Mookie's Ice Cream Dig-Out Cake

What you'll need:
~Boxed cake mix of your choice, prepared according to directions (I substituted the butter/oil with unsweetened apple sauce and used all egg white in place of whole eggs, and also used a lower-sugar mix)
~1/4 Gallon ice cream of your choice (I used Kroger brand no added sugar 1/2 fat chocolate)
~Reduced-sugar chocolate syrup
~Powdered sugar for dusting
~Birthday candles, of course. Or if it's no one's birthday, throw some sprinkles or pecans or something on top.

What to do:
~Preheat oven according to cake mix directions & place batter in a greased bundt pan
~Once cake is finished, remove from oven and let cool on a plate
~Once cooled, take a bread knife and cut the top 1/4 - 1/3 of the cake off all the way around, in one piece
~With a large spoon, dig out a ditch, if you will, all the way aruond the remainder of the cake (you don't need the stuff you dug out for the cake, so eat it!)
~Fill the ditch with softened ice cream and place the top back on and keep in the freezer until about 10 minutes before serving.
~Top with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar and serve (and enjoy, of course!!!)

The verdict? Well, all I can tell you is, the cake got eaten. All of it. And, there was one extremely happy, chocolate-loving ten-year-old! All that matters to us!

*NOTE: I personally think it would be tasty with a combo like spice cake with butter pecan ice cream. Just a thought!

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

you only think it's guacamole.


Uh huh. You read that right. It's not guacamole. It's pea puree'!!! Crazy to think that a pea can replace an avocado, isn't it? And don't get me wrong, I love avocados. A lot. However, if you're wishing for a lighter option of that green deliciousness that you somehow eat the ENTIRE bowl of, every time, this is the recipe for you (and you, and you, too). OK, OK, and you, too. :-)
We were at Matt's aunt and uncle's for dinner one night. His cousin, Kara made dinner for us. So, so good. The appetizer, the pea puree', was for sure one of the highlights! It's basically the Italian version of guac, but some people, namely Matt's uncle, didn't know the difference! Yep, it's THAT good. Super duper easy, too. In fact, If you happen to be the proud owner of a GiaDa De Laurentiis cookbook, you might just have this recipe at home. I, however, do not have any of her cookbooks (SIGH & sad face) so Kara rambled off the ingredients to me and I kinda-sorta remembered them. So, a few days later, I was craving, craving craving a snack and wanted to make sure it was healthy. After all, I was about half an hour from heading out to the gym. Something light indeed it would be. Ah ha! I recalled buying a random bag of frozen green peas a week or so back. Matt & I, while grocery shopping sans a list (UGH) thought "you know, frozen peas just seems like something a family should have in their freezer at all times", so we grabbed a bag and tossed them into the cart. Probably the best decision of that day. OK, at least of that shopping trip. OK, at least of the frozen food aisle. PHEW! Enough of that.
Anyway, long story even longer, the frozen peas were like a beacon in the night, er, uh, day for me and so I semi-recalled the ingredients that I thought Kara had said and that I most definitely remembered tasting and I blended away! You're probably thinking "why didn't she just Google it, like she does every other friggin' thing?!?" Well, strangely enough, I think our laptop was in the shop that day. Sad day. But I made it happy with pea puree'!!! Alright. Look below for the how-to!

What you'll need:
1 small bag frozen peas, thawed
4 Tbs. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, or about 1 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp. each salt & pepper (or more if you'd like)
2 Tbs. fresh shaved Parmesan cheese

What to do:
In a food processor or blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.
Serve in crusty bread or, my personal favorite, with baby carrots, tomato wedges, celery & cucumber.

Oh-la-la

yum-diddly-yumcious.

Yep. I made up a word, or phrase, what have you. That's basically the only thing that aptly describes these cookies. I'm serious. Here's how these came to be. Matt & I are over at Jess' watching a movie with her. It's been about an hour since we ate the insanely yummy veggie soup she made us for dinner. Man oh man, I can't wait to get that recipe! Anyway...so, we're sitting down and Jess says "You know what I'm craving? Warm, yummy chocolate chip cookies." That's all it took for me. I was on it! "I'll make them!" I said. Obviously Jess nor Matt had any objections. So, I literally jumped off the loveseat and ran to the computer to...you guessed it, Google "easy chocolate chip cookie recipe". Hey, don't judge. That's what that site it there for! Works every time. Might I also add that I am so thankful for cooking sites like allrecipes.com. Often times a literal life, er, uh, dinner saver! So, I took the laptop into the kitchen and went to work. I was running back and forth between the movie and baking. I wish I could say I was burning off the soon-to-be-eaten calories from the warm delights, but, I wasn't I know I wasn't. And guess what, I didn't care. We never, I repeat, N-E-V-E-R eat chocolate chip cookies. I swear when Jess said that she wanted some, I was like a kid in a candy store, or a teenage girl at a Justin Bieber (sp?) concert, minus the crying and obscene amounts of makeup. Anyway, I'm rambling again, aren't I? YIKES.
I'll stop while I'm ahead.

Here's the low-down on the how-to! Enjoy!!!

NOTE: In place of using butter, you can use margarine or SmartBalance. Also, in place of sugar you can use Splenda, as well was using the Splenda Brown Sugar Baking Blend for brown sugar!

What you'll need:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts, macadamia and hazelnuts would be good, too)

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Cream the butter,sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add it to the dough along with salt. Mix in the flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans. (I greased ours, just to be safe! Never hurts)
Bake for about 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bottoms/edges are brown.

EAT 'EM UP!
Jess' take: These are so good. No, these are like really, really good.
Matt's take: MMMMMMMMMm...
My take: I had three for breakfast this morning. I think that speaks for itself.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

italian poached eggs with broiled tomatoes.

Yum. Yum. Yum again! Breakfast can be boring sometimes. Let's be honest, there are few people in the world who are totally content with their typical eggs and bacon and oatmeal routine. If you're one of those people, that's great! If you're like me, well, keep reading.
This morning I realized that we were nearly out of eggs (we only had 1 left!) so, I went to the store, looking like something a cat had drug in and made my way through the aisles. I love the grocery store. It's full of options and so many possibilities. As I reached into one of the refrigerated shelves to grab the eggs, it dawned on me. I DO NOT WANT EGGS AND BACON THIS MORNING. I knew that's what Matt wanted. I knew i wanted eggs, or egg whites, but I didn't want the norm. So, I went to the store for eggs and left with a half-cart-full of groceries. It always happens that way, doesn't it? Oh well.
What to eat? What to eat? I bought a bunch of tomatoes at the store and I had a great idea! I love poached eggs and i love tomatoes! I combined the two faves and made what I like to call Italian Poached Eggs with Broiled Tomatoes.
Now, I'm sure I'm not the only person who's ever used the two ingredients like this, but I was really excited about it!
So, all that goes to say, it was really stinking tasty and you can find out what you need and how to make it right below...

What you'll need:
Desired amount of eggs
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced about 1/4" thick
1 Tsp. fresh shaved Parmesan cheese
Black pepper to taste
Olive oil to grease pan
1 or 2 Leaves fresh basil (my favorite, as you know, torn

How to make it:
Poach eggs as usual
Preheat oven to broil @ 500*
Place the tomatoes in a single layer on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese and pepper.
Broil until cheese is bubbly and tomatoes begin to look soft (should be about 6-7 minutes)
Remove from oven and serve with eggs on top and top eggs with fresh basil

TaDa! Ultra healthy. Super tasty. Not the norm.

Try it! Hope you enjoy!!!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

roasted asparagus and baby bellas.

One of our most favorite veggies is asparagus. So yummy and so good for you. All veggies are good in some way. One huge reason why asparagus is even more appealing to us, well, ME specifically, is that it's a natural water-weight-shedder. I'm sure there's a much more scientifically correct term for it, but you all know what I mean. So, in addition to being extremely tasty, this green spear is incredibly good for you, in more ways than one! And mushrooms, well, they're just so stinkin' good! We love to use portabella mushrooms. They are thicker and seem to have a more distinct taste to them. There's nothing wrong with a good old button mushroom, though!


So, last night Matt grilled some flank steak (SO GOOD) and I roasted the asparagus and bellas with some fresh shaved Parmesan and topped it with fresh basil. I decided on the basil last-minute. I bought some yesterday (and hopefully I'll be growing it soon!) Basil is my favorite herb. So fresh. So tasty. I think I'd put it on everything if I could. Not too sure how Matt would feel about that. Maybe I'll try one day!

You know, I say this is a dinner blog, but I feel like I ramble on and on (and on and on) a lot. I guess it's all still about food, though. Who cares?

Here's what you'll need:
1 lb. Fresh green asparagus spears
1/4 lb. Sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Cloves minced garlic
1 Tsp. black pepper
1/2 Tsp. sea salt
1/2 Oz. shaved Parmesan cheese
4 Leaves basil, chopped

Here's how it's done:
Place all ingredients, except for the cheese and basil, on a baking sheet. Make sure all veggies are in one layer.
Bake @ 375* for 15 minutes
Remove from oven and top with Parmesan, then broil @ 500* for 5 minutes
Remove from oven and top with fresh basil

Eat it up!

Matt's take: This is so awesome. Wasn't sure how it would turn out. Let's make it again, soon! Is there any left?

My take: Don't doubt the chef! :0) I knew it would be good!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

chop and drop salad

The "chop" comes from the way the salad is prepared...chopped veggies. YUM.
The "drop" comes from the apple cider vinegar dressing which drops the glycemic index of the salad. Yep, you read that right...adding apple cider vinegar to anything (potatoes, salad, you-name-it)it instantly lowers the glycemic index of that food. Don't ask me how. I'm not really sure. But it does! I think we all know (and if you didn't before, you do now) that salad dressing, most anyways, are chock-full of unnecessary calories from fat and sugar. Bleh!!! Believe it or not, you CAN have a great-tasting salad dressing that works for you...instead of you having to work it off in the gym. I'm sure the last thing we want to think about is working off a friggin' salad at the gym. C'mon people, we go to the gym to work off other stuff, like, oh, I don't know, ice cream? Anybody? Please tell me I'm not alone on this.
Enough already. It's time to chop and drop!!! (It's pretty tasty, if I do say so myself)

What you'll need:
1 small haas avocado, chopped
1 large tomato, quartered and chopped
1/2 cucumber, quartered and chopped
2 green onions, sliced/chopped
1/4 large red onion, sliced and chopped
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
Black pepper to taste

Mix it up:
Chunk everything into a salad bowl and mix away!

It's so, so, so good. Honestly. The apple cider vinegar is sweet/tangy and oh-so yummy in the salad.

Matt's take: "This is ridiculous. Why haven't we made this dressing before? This makes me want to eat salad all the time...seriously, when can be have it again? Tomorrow?"

My take: CHOP AND DROP, BABY!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

fried, but not fried rice.

Ambiguous, I know. But it's true. I successfully made my own fried rice without it being completely terrible for you! However, I'm not saying that eating fried rice from a restaurant every once in a while is terrible. Not saying that at all!
So, yesterday, Matt texts me and says "I'm craving Chinese food!".
Yum. Can't go wrong with Chinese food. For real. It's SOOOOOO tasty. My thoughts went a little something like this: "Chinese food! OOOOOOh, P.F. Changs!!! Ooooooh..." and then I realized two things. First, we're trying not to eat out during the week, or really even the weekends. Second, whenever we eat out for Chinese we eat way too much. WAY. TOO. MUCH. How can you not? So, with these two things in mind I figured we'd dine in which would mean spending less money, actually knowing what goes into the food, and fixing just enough for two people. A "serving" at most places like P.F. Changs could really feed at least two, maybe three people. Yeah, I know. It's crazy.
According to Matt, you cannot eat Chinese food without fried rice. It's a staple for the cuisine. I was not about to let him down!

Here's what we had: Kroger "Meals in Minutes" Beef Stir-Fry, Chung's Chicken Egg Rolls and Meg's Healthy Fried Rice

Note: The Beef Stir-Fry is only $5 and 180 cals/serving(2-3 servings per bag) with only 4 grams of fat! YESSSSSS

Want to make Meg's Healthy Fried Rice? I thought so!

INGREDIENTS:
1 C. natural Brown rice, cooked according to directions (takes about 40 minutes)
1/4 fresh jalapeno, seeded & chopped
3 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. black pepper
1 egg, "fried" in cooking spray/small amount cooking oil, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
In a small frying pan over medium-high hear, fry the egg and chop with spatula
Add jalapeno and sautee until edges begin to brown
Add cooked rice and remaining ingredients and stir until mixed well

By using the low-sodium soy sauce and a tiny amount of butter, you cut the calories from fat and the sodium by about, oh, I don't know...a bazillion percent. Yes, that's an actual number.

Try it. Love it. Eat it all the time. So good.
Matt's take? "This is off the chain"
SUCCESS.

Monday, May 17, 2010

one

Believe it or not, I actually had to put my thinking cap on to figure out that in order for this post to be titled "one" without being "three", since it's the first post, I had to titel all three backwards. Just a tidbit of information before I continue on with my third and final post of the day. Just the day, not the week. It's only Monday people and I'm back and cooking up a healthy storm.
(And, that could not have sounded more nerdy)

Anyway...

So, Saturday we slept in and completely skipped the breakfast time-slot. I'm proud to say that lunch was our first meal of the day!
Let me just say that Matt has been a grilling machine lately. Almost every meal he says "do you want me to grill that?" No joke. He's THAT into grilling. FINE BY ME! It tastes so good and it's less clean-up! No complaints here. Just a thankful wife to her husband for helping clean and cook, and doing it very well, might I say!

Saturday was one of those "hey, I'll grill that if you want" days. SCORE.
What did we have?

Grilled Chicken & Cheesy Three Pepper and Onion Flatbread Roll-Ups with Garlic Hummus and Tortilla Wedges

I kid you not, it tasted like a million bucks, but only cost about $8 to make!
You be the judge.

INGREDIENTS:

~6 boneless, skinless chicken tenderloins, grilled with Kroger Chicken Grill Seasoning

~1 Package whole weat flatbread/naan
~1 Tbs. olive oil
~1/4 Tbs. salt
~1/4 Tbs. pepper
~Water, to sprinkle on flatbread
~1 Package frozen Kroger Meal Ready 3 Pepper & Onion Blend, sauteed
~1/4 Cup shredded mozzerella

DIRECTIONS:

~Place flatbread onto baking sheet and drizzle a few drops of water. Brush olive oil, salt & pepper onto bread. Bake @ 400* for 3-4 minutes
~Place grilled chicken, veggie mix & cheese onto one side of the flatbread, fold over & enjoy!

*Please refer to the Valentine's Day post for the hummus & tortilla wedges recipes.

I like to think of this little meal as "Medditeranean in Minutes"
(And that's the second nerdy comment for this post)

Matt said "This is ridiculous...this needs to be a regular thing"
I am in 100% agreement.

two

Indeed, this is my second time to post today!
I love cooking. Have I said that before?
So, I make lunch for Matt everday (well, almost, but you get the point)! It's usually turkey sandwich with an apple...yada yada. Well, needless to say, he's sick of it, and so am I. So, yesterday, after church, we headed to the store.

Mission: to get something for Matt to have all this week that didn't involve 1 lb. of peppered turkey breast & provolone cheese.

Solution: Chicken salad. Yes, Matt is a huge fan of chicken salad. Namely his grandmothers recipe, which always reminds me of the lakehouse, so of course I was game to make it. Since I didn't have the recipe on-hand or memorized, and my sources reached me after we had bought groceries, I improvised. That's something that's usually a no-no in recreating a classic. No-no, no-schmo!
I did it. And thankfully it wasn't too far off from the original, thanks to Michele who reached me after the groceries, but before the assembly!

Here's how to make Low-fat Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS:

~6 Large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, boiled
~3 Stalks celery, chopped
~3 Green onions, chopped
~2 Tsp. black pepper
~Salt to taste
~1 Small can sliced green olives
~1 Tsp. dill weed
~1 1/4 Cup Lite Mayo Dressing (it's different than lite mayo. It has the consistency of yogurt and only 15 calories per serving!!!!)

DIRECTIONS:

~In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients until creamy
~Refrigerate and enjoy!

LUNCH CRISIS AVOIDED & MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

"Oh my gosh, this is so good" Matt said. "like really, really good..." as he's eating out of the bowl. "Matt, stop it! You wanted this for lunch during the week, right?"

Yeah. It's THAT good.
Eat up.

three

Meaning I will post three times today...that's about three times as much as I've posted in the last week.
The number three, for this post at least, also signifies the prep-time for this meal. No lie. It basically takes three minutes, which is crazy.

What did we have?
Well, since you asked, we had Roasted Leg of Chicken with Baby Carrots, Kalamatta Olives.
Yummmmm. It's from the magazine Real Simple. And it's just that. REAL SIMPLE. Just the way we like it. Real simple and really stinking good.
Here's how:

INGREDIENTS:

~1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces OR 4 chicken legs, cut into 8 pieces (that's what we did)

~Tsp. paprika
~Tsp. salt
~Tsp black pepper
~3/4 Cup pitted kalamatta olives
~16 oz. Bag baby carrots
~4 Bay leaves
~2 Tbs. olive oil
~1 lemon, wedged into fourths

DIRECTIONS:

~In a large mixing bowl, place all ingredients and toss to coat chicken
~Place on large, rimmed baking sheet and arrange veggies in a single layer
~Bake @ 425* for 1 hour.

TADA! It's so yummy. Delicious, in fact.
Matt said "Meg, this is 'legit'..." and I said "Yeah, I know. We've had it before!"

Never a dull moment in the Hargrove casa.

Until next time!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

pizza, pizza...finally

GOSH!!!!!! It took forever to make this post. Busy bees we have been!
Here's the "master" pizza doigh recipe. It's not one we've used before until tonight. And oh man did it live up to its name. If "master" means THE BEST PIZZA DOUGH YOU'LL EVER PUT IN YOUR MOUTH, then it's correct. Holy cow. SO GOOD.

Here it is:

In a large bowl, combing 2 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 Tsp. salt, 1 pkg. Fliechman's RapidRise yeast. Mix together. Slowly add 1 cup warm-to-hot water and 2 Tbs. olive oil. (I added dried oregano, too..makes it more "Italian-y" feeling, er, uh, tasting)Mix together until a soft dough is formed. Add up to 1/2 cup more flour if needed. Cover and let rise for 10-15 mins. Meanwhile, preheat that old oven of yours to 400*. Grease a baking sheet or pizza stone and then sprinkle with a little bit of corn meal. Roll out the dough to fit the pan. Place desired toppings on and bake for 20 mins, or until done.

Our toppings? Well, we made three seperate pizzas (hey, we had 5 people eating!!!)
pepperoni, mozzerella cheese, black olive, green bell pepper, mushrooms, red onion, jalapenos. YUMMMMMM

Don't have pizza sauce on hand? (who does? And if you do, well, you're awesome)

Mix one 8 oz. can no-salt-added tomatoe sauce & 1/3 small can Italian style tomato paste.

Yeah, it's THAT easy.

Get to making that pizza...it's a piece of, you guessed it, PIZZA.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

piece of cake, or, uh, pie...and by pie i mean pizza

Yep. Tonight is pizza night. We're going over to a friend's house and making pizza tonight...and I'm really stinkin' excited. Pizza is so good, and really fun to make!
So, even though we haven't made it yet, which means I have nothing to report, I'm still pumped. Getting together we people we love, cooking, good food and knowing I'll have somehting to post. YES.
Stay tuned!

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

it's been a while.

13 days to be exact. Not since we've cooked, though. You see, we've been pretty stinkin' busy the past couple of weeks. It's been good, though. My best friend, Jessica, bought a house a couple of weeks ago and we've been helping her move, paint, lending our mower, you name it. We're so happy we're able to help her! SO HAPPY SHE WAS ABLE TO BUY A HOUSE! That's a pretty huge dea if you ask us. We just bought our's 8 months ago. We love fixing it up!!! It's so fun to "nest". We've also had to make some un-planned trips here and there, thus resulting in less eating at home, and, when we have eaten at home in these past 13 days, it's been things we have already posted on the blog. I know, I know...it's still not an excuse! All this goes to say that, weve been busy. We've been eating at other people's houses (which we love doing), and we've been eating repeat dinners. No biggie. It happens. So, with that being said, we're back to posting. Hopefully we'll have something yummy to post for tomorrow. As for tonight, I'm still unsure. Ha! Just wanted to let everyone know that we haven't dropped off the face of the blogging-planet! We're still very much here, and very much cooking!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

meat loaf, meat loaf, double beat loaf. i hate meat loaf.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease tell me you've seen that movie! You know,"Christmas Story"??
Oh man, if you haven't seen it (which would still blow my mind), go rent it today. You know what? You'd better buy it...you'll want to make watching it on Christmas Eve a tradition like it's been for my family and Matt's family for, well, as long as we can remember. In fact, it was such a "must" for Matt, that once we got our house, and we didn't have our own copy of the legend that is this movie, he bought it for me (well, us really) for Christmas. Yep. It's THAT legendary.
Anyway, I'm off my must-see-classic-movie soap box for now. Onto the meal.
Yep, you guessed it, we had meat loaf.
Slow-cooker meat loaf, broccoli & sweet potato mash, to be exact!

I must say, I am all about using a crock pot, but meat loaf? Really?
It's true. And it was delicious. I had to make some adjustments, because I didn't have some things, however, for the simplicity of the blog, I'm going to give you the recipe straight out of the magazine. Oh, by the way, it's from Healthy Cooking.

Here's how to make the meat loaf:

INGREDIENTS
1 C. soft bread crumbs
1 1/2 C. spaghetti sauce
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbs. dried, minced onion (this is something I didn't have, so I didn't use it)
1 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 Tsp. black pepper
2 lbs. lean (90%) ground beef (I only had 1.25 lbs.)

DIRECTIONS
~ Cut four 20 in. x 3 in. strips of heavy-duty foil; crisscross them over each other so that they look like spokes of a wheel. Place them in the bottom and up the sides of your slow-cooker and spray each strip with cooking spray.

~ In a large bowl, place the bread crumbs, 1 cup spaghetti sauce, egg, onion and all the seasonings and stir. Crumble all the beef into the mixture and mix together, forming a loaf...thus the term "meat loaf"...it's literally a loaf of meat, people!
Place the loaf in the middle of the strips of foil. Spoon/brush the remaining spaghetti sauce onto the top of the loaf.

~ Cook on low, covered, for 3-4 hours. I did ours a little longer than four!
~ When the meat loaf is done, use the strips as handles to get the loaf out of the cooker and onto a plate. I know, it sounds like craziness, but it actually worked...really well.

Now, for the sweet potato mash! (my recipe)

INGREDIENTS
1 sweet potato, boiled with or without skin (Feeds two people)
1 Tbs. heavy whipping cream
1 Tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tsp. butter/SmartBalance

DIRECTIONS
In a medium mixing bowl, place potato (after it's been boiled) & remaining ingredients and beat with an electric mixer until you have the consistency of mashed potatoes.

I kept the skins on. I love potato skins! Matt, no so much. Oh well, he still loved the taste, the texture just threw him off.
Funny story about the potato, actually. I put the potato on to boil. Then I proceeded to step outside to make a call. I was talking to my friends mom, Paula, about wedding showers and this and that. I was so involved in the conversation that Matt finished mowing the back yard, came inside, noticed that the water was about to boil over. So, he then flew threw the front door, tries to get my attention, and finally comes up to me on the phone and mouths "the water was boiling over...I turned it down". Of course, I couldn't read his lips. So, he actually voiced it this time. First I said "what water?" That's right, I had 99% forgotten about the potatoes! Not good. So, I then proceeded to tell Paula who then said "I better see this on the blog, Meg!" And here it is :-)
Moral of the story? Don't put something on to boil and go outside to make a call!


All in all, a great meal. Matt loved it so much he took the rest for lunch today!
Ah, the joys of cooking.

Monday, April 12, 2010

panzanella

I know, it's such a weird name...and to be honest, I'm probably not spelling it correctly. And to be even more honest, I'm not sure anyone expects me to spell it correctly. Ah, I love my friends. No judging. Just laughs and good food...and so many other things...all good of course.
So, Saturday night we had lamb chops. Yep, the same recipe posted under the "lamb chops" entry. So, the new addition? Well, two changes. One, Matt grilled the chops this time. SO. STINKING. GOOD. (Thanks again, baby!)
Two, we had panzanella salad with it.
If you like Italian food, and if you like tomatoes and cucumbers...this recipe is for you. Literally. I'm giving it to you. :-)

This time, I'm going to combine the "INGREDIENTS" & "DIRECTIONS" portions of the entry.

Here goes:

Chop 1 cucumber, 2 roma tomatoes, 2 Tbs. fresh parsley, 2 green onions and put them into a medium mixing bowl. Add 2 Tbs. red wine vinegar & 2 Tbs. olive oil. Finally, add salt & pepper to taste. Mix together and refrigerate for about 20 minutes, serve.

No lie. I used to eat this all the time as a kid. I never knew it was called panzanella. In fact, that word kind of gets on my nerves. For the sake of this blog, it is now called "hey, make that good salad with the tomatoes & cucumbers & stuff!"
That's more like it.

For the record, when I hit the trusty spell check, "panzanella" is, of course, unrecognized. Spell check offers suggestions like "Pensecola" and "penninsula". Nice.

vindaloo, part two

So, part one would be an entry titled "givin' the people what they want, they tell me it's vindaloo". the only reason I'm doing a re-post, if you can even call it that, is because this time around we added something. Something REALLLLLY tasty. Sweet potatoes!!! Yep, that's right. The cinnamon stick in the vindaloo brings out the sweetness in the, you guessed it, SWEET potatoes. They're called that for a reason, folks. :-)
So, in addition to the normal recipe, cube one or two sweet potatoes and place in the crock pot with everything else. The result? One big pot of sweet and spicy goodness. Oh my, I could eat that everyday!

Enjoy!

Friday, April 9, 2010

steak and cheese.

And not the kind you think. Well, unless you already read our menu for the week and you know that we're having Steak with Bleu Cheese & Steamed Broccoli one night. I must say, we switched it up. The menu, that is. We weren't supposed to have it until Friday or Saturday. However, life throws us for a loop sometimes, in this case, the "loop" was getting off of work late and still having to run errands AND hit the gym. So, the chicken vindaloo that cooks in the crock pot will have to wait. In fact, we're having it tonight. I know this FOR SURE. :-)
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Matt. Is. The. Grill-Master. He loves grilling, and I am so thankful. I know it's hard to believe but, sometimes I'm not up for cooking! I'm pretty sure we've all been there, and if you haven't, I assure you, it's coming soon!
I think Matt was secretly happy we got to have our steaks earlier in the week.
Nothing wrong with that!
I'm just going to set a couple of things straight:

1) I used to never, I repeat NEVER eat steak before I met Matt. I used to not watch baseball either (gasp!). I do both now, and enjoy it!

2) Bleu cheese, schmoo cheese. used to hate that, too. However, I found that buying "lite" bleu cheese is so much milder and less blue? I don't know. I'm just saying that it's growing on me...well, the reduced fat kind anyway. Hey, baby steps, you know?

Enough rambling on my part. Here's how to make it!

Grilled Steak & Bleu Cheese with Steamed Broccoli

INGREDIENTS
Desired amount of ribeye steaks (obviously, we had two)
1 Tsp. Kroger Grill Time Steak Seasoning
2 Tbs. Worcestershire
1 Bunch broccoli
1/2 Cup water
2 Tbs. reduced-fat bleu cheese crumbles

DIRECTIONS
Heat grill to high.
Place seasoning & Worcestershire onto steaks and grill to desired doneness.
(We did ours medium to medium-well which is about 6 minutes on each side)
Meanwhile, place water and broccoli into a saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as it begins to boil, immediately reduce heat to Low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Place cheese crumbles onto steaks, serve.

That's it.
So good.
Side note: tonight will be our fifth consecutive night to cook at home. I can't believe it. It's so fun to cook together. We're loving this!!!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

hollywood

Don't ask me how Hollywood relates to the dinner we made last night. Trust me, there was nothing glamorous (or expensive) about it! However, I grew up calling burgers that had lots veggies on them "Hollywood" burgers. Who knows!
So, last night we had Hollywood-style Turkey burgers with Baked Zucchini Fries.
Mmmmmmmm...So tasty. Matt did the honor of making the burgers on our trusty George Foreman Grill. That thing is amazing. I'm not sure why we don't use it more. It cooks so evenly, we're amazed every time!
Want to know how to make the meal? Ya, I thought so! :-)

Hollywood Turkey Burgers & Baked Zucchini Fries

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. 93/7 Lean ground turkey
1/4 Cup shredded mozzarella cheese (because the meat is so lean it needs something to hold it together)
1/4 Cup Worcestershire (I'm sure I butchered that spelling)
1 Tsp. Kroger chicken grill seasoning (you knew we'd use that, didn't you?!)
Cooking Spray, to coat baking sheet and grill
2 Fresh zucchini, quartered and sliced lengthwise into "fries"
1 1/2 Tbs. plain bread crumbs
Dash of salt & pepper
Dash of garlic powder
3 Large slices red onion, separated into rings
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Slices provolone cheese
4 Leaves romaine lettuce
1/2 avocado, sliced
Red onion (use the rings from one of the slices listed above)
2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Pre-heat the grill to high, and oven to 350*
Place zucchini, 2 parts of the red onion, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic powder & olive oil into a mixing bowl. Stir and place onto a greased baking sheet. I almost always line mine with tin foil to avoid a mess! Bake @ 350* for about 20 minutes. Then broil @ 500* until they start to sizzle.

Place ground turkey, Worcestershire, grill seasoning & mozzarella into a mixing bowl. Mix together and form 2-3 large burger patties. Place onto grill and cook until completely done throughout...probably about 10-15 minutes.

Place two leaves of lettuce onto a plate. Place the burger patty on top and top the patty with a slice of provolone. Place the rest of the toppings (all those yummy veggies) on top. You can eat the burger wrapped in the lettuce, or you can just use a fork & knife to cut it like a salad, that's what I did!
We served the zucchini fries in ramekins...SO CUTE!
Sure, you're dirtying two more dishes but, when the sink is full of them and you're just going to have to load it after dinner anyway, what's two itty-bitty ramekins?
I'm all about presentation. I promise, one of these days, we'll start taking pictures of the meals before we go crazy over them...one day.

I love Hollywood.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

mmm...beans.

Beans are good in almost any dish. They're pretty universal in that most cuisines use them in many dishes. They're also pretty inexpensive...hey, I'm just sayin'.
So, last night, per our pre-set menu for the week, we had Slow-cooker Sausage & Beans.
Yum. I've made this before, and everyone knows I LOOOOOOVE using the crock pot, but this time a made a few little adjustments. So, without further adue, here's how to make it!

Slow-cooker Sausage & Beans

INGREDIENTS
1 - 1 1/4 Lb. lean (90/10) smoked turkey sausage OR hot Italian turkey sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
(I made it with the Italian this time, but I prefer the smoked...however, Matt loves both apparently, so either one is highly acceptable)

1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped (I forgot to get this, so I just used the green)
1 Green bell pepper, chopped
1 Packet reduced-sodium chilli seasoning
1 14 oz. Can chopped tomatoes with jalapenos
1 14 oz. Can black beans
1 14 oz. Can hot chilli beans (I didn't have those either, so I used Ranch-style)
1 14 oz. Can red beans

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into a slow-cooker/crock pot and stir together.
Cook on Medium for 4 hours. Or, if you don't have a Medium setting, cook on High for two hours and Low for two hours. That's what I have to do, and both times it's been great. No biggie!
Serve over brown rice if you like!

How was it?
Like I said, I've made it twice now and it's been good both times! No complaints here. It's healthy, filling and so easy it's silly! I literally prepped the entire thing in about 4 minutes. Now that's easy.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

asparagus.

I used to hate it when I was a kid. My mom would eat asparagus like it was candy. I never understood it then, but I now I do. I love it, and so does Matt. Asparagus is so good most of the year, but in the Spring it's at its finest... I think so, anyway
:-)

Last night we had, as you have seen on the menu, Pan-Grilled Chicken & Asparagus with Garlicky AlmondsSince I'm basically a one-trick-horse when it comes to pan-grilling chicken, I'm not going to post that recipe because it's on this blog somewhere. You know, the one where all you do is olive oil/spray the pan and coat the chicken with Kroger Chicken Grill Seasoning? Yep, that's the one! I will however give the short, simple asparagus recipe. Here goes:

INGREDIENTS
1 Bunch fresh asparagus
1/2 Cup water
1 Tbs. slivered almonds
1/2 Tsp. pre-minced garlic
1/2 Tsp. butter

DIRECTIONS
In a large sauce pan,over medium-high heat, place water and asparagus.
Cover and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to Low and let simmer until asparagus is bright green and a fork can be inserted into it.

In a medium skillet, over medium heat, place remaining ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until garlic and almonds begin to brown. Remove from heat and place a spoon-full of mixture onto each serving of asparagus.
Enjoy!

Well, that's it for night one of this week.
Can't wait for tonight! Slow-cooker sausage and beans...quite possible one of the EASIEST meals in the world. I bet I can prepare it in less then 5 minutes.

Monday, April 5, 2010

menu...who knew?

That's right, we've made a menu for the week. No surprise there. We make a menu every week. Most often the "menu" only consists of about 4-5 meals at home and 2-3"wing-it" nights or "dinner with so-and-so". Not this week! This week we're not going to eat out. Not once. Wingin' it is fun, and we LOVE having dinner with family and friends, but this week, every dinner is planned I'm so excited about this. Don't get me wrong, I love eating out. I enjoy people making the food for me, and I enjoy ingredients that I typically don't purchase for one reason or another, but when it comes down to it, I think I'd rather eat at home. It's so personal. You know EXACTLY what is going into your food and it's a good way to spend time as a family or couple. We love cooking at home, shoot, that's the whole reason we have this blog.
So, I'm doing somehting a little out-of-the-norm this week by posting a menu of what we'll have every night this week. There's two parts to this revelation:

1) We haven't posted in, oh, over a week (sighs)...so it's something to post;

2) This way, since you know what we're having, you can keep me/us accountable to post the recipes, and all the good stuff.

What's on the menu, you say?

Well here it is:

Monday~ Grilled chicken with feta & asparagus with garlicky slivered almonds

Tuesday~ Slow-cooker sausage & beans

Wednesday~ Hollywood-style turkey burgers with bakes zucchini fries

Thursday~ Chicken vindaloo with curried vegetables

Friday~ Lamb chops with pistachio gremolata & panzanella

Saturday~ Steak with bleu cheese crumbles & steamed broccoli with
Dessert: ricotta cheesecake with lemon drizzle

Sunday~ Baked tilapia in parchment with Asian-style veggies

TADA!

Friday, March 26, 2010

lamb chops

Did anyone ever watch that show growing up? Ya. I did. And I must say, our most recent dinner party made me feel guilty...sort of. OK. Not really. That show kind of got old quick, at least for me. I'm sure by the title and the first ramblings of this entry, that you know we made lamb for dinner this particular night. It was good. Real good. We were having some friends over and I decided to take things up a notch. We went super gourmet without being super unhealthy. In fact, this meal was SO healthy it verged on being ridiculous. Here's what we had.

Main Course:
Seared Spiced Lamb Shoulder Chops with Pistachio Gremolata, Israeli CousCous & Garlic Green Beans

Dessert:
Balsamic Marinated Strawberries with No-Sugar-Added Vanilla Yogurt & Pistachios

I told you it was healthy. And, I must say, I got the recipe for the Lamb from my beloved Cooking Light magazine....such a life-saver. I used the same ingredients, but changed the amounts and used shoulder chops, which are less expensive and larger.

Here's what you need for my rendition of this great meal:

INGREDIENTS
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 (8-ounce) lamb shoulder chops, bone in, trimmed of fat
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Grated rind of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Cup Israeli cous cous
2 Cups water
1 Package fresh-frozen green beans, follow directions for microwave


DIRECTIONS
-Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine first 5 ingredients; sprinkle evenly over both sides of lamb. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add lamb to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. We had ours medium (cook to 160 degrees).

-While lamb cooks, combine pistachios and the remaining ingredients; sprinkle over lamb.

-Place cous cous and water into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover and let simmer until cous cous is puffy and most of the liquid is gone.

Oh.My.Goodness. So good. Really, truly. I'm so glad it was delicious. It's always a gamble cooking something for the first time...especially when you're having company.

I urge you to try it. It's so easy, so healthy and super duper quick (the whole meal only took about 35 minutes...no joke. DO IT. TONIGHT).

Oh! I almost forgot the dessert (under 150 cals by the way!)

Place 1 package fresh strawberries, halved or quartered, into a large mixing bowl.
Pour 1-2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar over berries. Refrigerate a minimum of 30 mins., or until ready to serve.
Once you're ready to serve, place 1/2 cup mix into a bowl or ramekin, top with 2 Tbs. Kroger CarbMaster vanilla yogurt and 1/2 Tbs. chopped pistachios.

I know, I know. Vinegar and berries sounds like a recipe for disaster. But, the tartness (is that even a word?) brings out the sweetness in the berries. Matt was a little werided out by the idea, but once he tried it, he said it was like a "dream". Whatever that means! He's so funny!
I must say, we got to talking with our friends and after they left, I remembered dessert. I'm SUCH a bad hostess! I guess the upside of that is that we had more for ourselevs? Am I even allowd to say that? Is that horrible? Oh well. We'll make it again.
That's all for now! Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

mexican-ish

I know, I know...the title is somewhat ridiculous. But it's true. Last night I made dinner. No surprise there. It was a spicy dish that tasted, you guessed it, Mexican-ish. Like, it could have been at a Mexican restaurant, but it wasn't. Ah, whatever. I'm confusing myself now.
Anyway, after a long day back at work and into the daily grind after a nice 9-day Spring Break, I made dinner. Matt was working on insurance stuff. Yuck. Not my gig.

Here's what was on the menu:

Tomato Jalapeno Chicken Breasts with Brown Rice, Black Beans, Fresh Corn, Homemade Tortilla Chips & Queso

Sounds Mexican, right?

Here's what you need:

INGREDIENTS
2-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 oz. Can chopped tomatoes with jalapenos, such as Rotell
2 Tsp. Kroger chicken seasoning (making it's appearance for, oh, who knows how many times)
16 oz. Can no-salt-added black beans
1 Bag Brown rice, cooked following package directions
2 Tbs. Olive oil to coat skillet, or you can use cooking spray
Black pepper, to taste
2-4 Ears fresh yellow corn, boiled or grilled *PLEASE SEE "Dinner for a Dozen" BLOG ENTRY FOR GRILLED CORN RECIPE*
1/2 Small jar low-fat salsa con queso, such as Tostitos
2 Green onions, chopped
*PLEASE SEE VALENTINES BLOG ENTRY FOR TORTILLA CHIP RECIPE*

DIRECTIONS
Over medium-high heat, coat large skillet with oil or cooking spray, add chicken.
Season chicken evenly with Kroger seasoning and black pepper.
Cook chicken thoroughly, add tomatoes, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil corn in a large saucepan until corn becomes dark yellow.
Place beans into a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes.

SERVING
Place desired amount of brown rice onto plate, place chicken on top and cover with tomatoes. Top the chicken with green onions.
Serve desired amounts of black beans, corn, chips & salsa con queso

Enjoy!

So, I served the plates & set the table...Matt comes out of the office, completely grossed-out by insurance (hehe) and says "whoa, this is like a meal" And I'm thinking "do I normally NOT cook 'meals'?"...then he clarified by saying "no, no, no...this is just a lot...like a lot of work" If he only knew!

So easy.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

givin' the people what they want...they tell me it's vindaloo

Vindaloo-who? Vindaloo, it's a spicy Indian curry dish. One of our favorites!
We've been in Colorado for almost a week now and I we figured we'd make dinner for once! We know that we all love spicy food, so this seemed appropriate. And it's cold, so that's another excuse to make this crazy-fantastic Indian dish.

Here's what you need:

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons vinegar
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 tbs. fresh ginger OR 3/4 tbs. ground ginger...fresh tastes better though!
3/4 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground hot pepper...I always use more than this. We love spicy food!
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup tomato sauce
1 cinnamon stick
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

Directions
Blend the first 9 ingredients in a blender.
Place blended mixture into the crock pot, add tomato sauce, cinnamon stick and onion and stir.
Add chicken and turn to coat.
Cook on low for 5 hours... If your crock pot is older, it may take 5 1/2 - 6 hrs. Also, if you're cooking at high altitudes, like we were in Colorado, it will probably take less time.

Serve with fresh cilantro or parsley on top, if you like!
Serve with pre-made Naan. You can buy this yummy Indian flat bread at most grocery stores. Runs about $3. SO GOOD!

We seriously eat this about once every 10 days or so. It's ultra easy...even tastier, and very healthy...only about 250 cals/serving.

Thank you, India!
Eat up.

Monday, March 1, 2010

spaghetti-oh!

Seriously, who doesn't LOVE spaghetti?
I've been eating spaghetti my whole life, and I'm not about to stop. Matt loves it, too. Although, I confessed as we were eating the yummy pasta and tomato sauce that, when I was growing up, I typically did not eat the sauce. I usually just put it on the side of my plate and ate my pasta sans sauce but instead with melted butter, salt and pepper. Oh how things have changed! I love full-on spaghetti. The whole deal.

Spaghetti is a classic, right? Isn't it crazy how something so universal can be made so many different ways? Well, here's how we make it:

Turkey Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS
1 Lb. 93/7 lean ground turkey (there is almost no fat!), fresh, or if frozen, thawed
(2) 8 oz. cans no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/2 Small can Italian style tomato paste
1 16 oz. can Italian style stewed tomatoes
3 Garlic cloves, halved
1 Tsp. dried oregano
1 Tsp. garlic powder
Olive oil, to coat skillet (or just use a cooking spray)
1 Celery stalk, chopped
1 Large slice red onion, chopped
1/2 - 2/3 Package whole-wheat spaghetti, prepare as directed on package
2 Tsp. shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese to top

DIRECTIONS
Prepare pasta as directed on package (add a few drops of olive oil to water to avoid pasta sticking to each other), drain and place in a glass serving bowl
Coat a large skillet with olive oil or cooking spray, add ground turkey
Sprinkle with 1/2 Tsp. both dried oregano and garlic powder
Cook until turkey is done, remove from heat and place in the pot you cooked the pasta in
In the same skillet, re-coat with olive oil or cooking spray, add celery, garlic halves and red onion, sautee until onions start to become translucent (about 5 mins)
Add sauteed veggies to turkey, heat over medium-high
Add remaining ingredients to pot, stir until everything is fully mixed
Place 1 serving of pasta into a deep bowl, or onto a plate, top with desired amount of spaghetti sauce and 1 Tsp. parmesan or mozzarella, enjoy!

It's seriously delicious and seriously good for you. Seriously.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

comfort food

Why does "comfort food" typically make you uncomfortably full? It's probably because it's most often unhealthy and we eat a ton if it. A ton!
When you're having one of those days, you need it, but the last thing you want to feel is, well, uncomfortable. My suggestion? Eat what you love, but add healthy elements, eat it in moderation and adjust the recipe.
I know you're wondering what our comfort food dinner was tonight. So, without further adue, here's what we had:

Garlic-Parmesan Chicken with Baked Sweet Potato Fries & Green Beans

This menu is extremely easy to make, and mostly healthy. Mostly.

Here's what you need:

Garlic-Parmesan Chicken

INGREDIENTS
4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbs. butter, melted (you can use SmartBalance instead to save on calories)
1 Cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 Shredded parmesan cheese
Black pepper, to taste (probably around 1 tsp.)
Garlic powder, to taste (same as above)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350*
Grease 9x13 glass baking dish
Place everything buy the butter and chicken into a shallow mixing bowl or pie dish, toss
Dip each piece of chicken into butter
Dip each piece of chicken into dry mixture
Place into baking dish and bake for 1 hour 15 mins. (or until chicken reaches at least 165*)

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

INGREDIENTS
1 Large sweet potato, halved and cut into thin slices/wedges
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tsp. black pepper
1/2 Tsp. Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Salt
1/2 Tsp. Kroger steak seasoning

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350*
Line metal baking sheet with tin foil (to avoid a mess and having to wash the baking sheet... I'm only trying to make this easier for you!!!)
Spray tin foil with cooking spray
Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl, toss to coat potatoes
Place seasoned potatoes onto baking sheet
Bake for 25 minutes

Green Beans
I CHEATED!!!!!! I used a fresh-frozen pack!
Just follow the directions :-)

The verdict? Well, I'll say this much, when the chicken was baking Matt said "Is dinner already cooking?" "Yes" I replied. "It smells REEEEEEEALLLLY good..." he said. "Well it should, it's one of your favorites!" I said. And then he knew. I swear this recipe gets better and better every time. You can also use the same recipe for pork chops. Same exact ingredients. Same baking time. Same garlicky goodness.

Comfort food? YES! Uncomfortable? No way!

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

hmmm...hummus

Today I made hummus from scratch!
It's so easy. So yummy and healthy.
Here's what you need:

Garlicky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (15 oz) chick peas/garbanzo beans
1/4 Cup roasted red peppers
3 Garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbs. + 1 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one small lemon
Salt & pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients into a food processor or blender
Blend until desired consistency is reached (it should be smooth, but not runny)

Enjoy! I made seasonded tortilla wedges to serve it with (for which the recipe is under the Valentine's blog entry), along with celery sticks.

It was SO GOOD! A great healthy, inexpensive snack or appetizer.

Monday, February 22, 2010

dinner for a dozen

Having family over is always fun. This time in particular was ultra-special.
We had my whole side of the family over (well, minus Mern & Phil, Paul, Beck & Cade). For Casey, Mandi & the kiddos, it was their first time to see Matt & I's house. It's so crazy how grown-up you feel when you host a dinner party at your own house. I love it. So, once the dogs started chasing the kids around the back yard, Matt fired up the grill. We wanted to keep it simple & kid-friendly but still healthy and delicious! So...what did we make?

Grilled Burgers, Chicken & Seasoned Fresh Corn w/ Homemade Coleslaw

Crowd pleaser much?

Here's what you'll need:

Grilled Burgers

INGREDIENTS:
Desired amount of lean ground beef chuck or ground sirloin (80/20 or 93/7)


DIRECTIONS:
Heat your grill to high
Place burger patties onto grill, cover and grill until medium-well to well

Grilled Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
Desired amount of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs. Kroger Chicken Seasoning (We use these ALL THE TIME)

DIRECTIONS:
Place seasoned chicken onto gril, cover and flip once
Grill until chicken reaches AT LEAST 165*

Grilled Corn

INGREDIENTS:
Desired amount of fresh yellow corn, shucked
1/4 Cup butter or SmartBalance, melted
Janes Crazy Mixed Up Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Place all the corn into a large mixing bowl
Brush each piece with melted butter
Sprinkle generously with seasonings
Place corn onto grill, cover and grill until corn starts to char slightly-- about 5-8
minutes

Homemade Coleslaw (Thanks to my mom!)

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 Head green cabbage, sliced or coarsly grated
1/4 Head red cabbage, sliced or coarsly grated
1/8 Red onion, sliced or coarsly grated
1 1/2 Cups matchstick carrots, or 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
1 Heaping Tbs. Splenda
1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. lite mayonaise
1 Tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Combine first 4 ingredients in a large mixing bowl
In a medium mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over veggies
Mix together and taste-- add Splenda or vinegar as needed

Burger Toppings (what we used, but obviously you use whatever you want!)

Provolon cheese, sharp cheddar cheese (we always use deli-thin sliced cheeses, they are just enough and only have about 60 calories per slice)
Red onion, romaine lettuce, sliced avocado, ketchup, mustard (for everyone but Matt & I...if you know us, you know we don't do mustard, or mayo for that matter), lite mayo.

I think my nephew Hudson had 2 whole burgers! It was so good. Matt did basically everything...so awesome.
We can't wait for our next family dinner, and hopefully it will be with all 17 of us!

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

for casey

A home-cooked meal? No. But worth telling about!
Last night my brother and family got in from Costa Rica. We haven't seen them since the Summer, so you can imagine how crazy excited we all were.
So, after a bunh of "MOOKIE & UNCLE MATT!!!!" we all packed up, all 15 of us, all 3 cars are headed for dinner.
Cheeburger Cheeburger is where we went.
My oldest brother Paul walked in at 5 'til 9 and asked if they were open. "We don't close until 9" the manager said, "come on in. How many do you have?" "Uhmm...15?" Paul said. "That's fine! Bring 'em in" the manager said.
And there we were. Here's the breakdown, 8 adults, 7 kids (all under the age of 10).
As soon as we sat down, my brother Casey asked if i was going to blog about this dinner. I didn't think I would, but once again, a few minutes ago, he asked. And here I am.

What was on the menu?
Anything you want. We ordered from kids "chee"burgers to salads to onion rings, you name it. If it was fried, I'm sure someone ordered it. As it turns out, everything was really good. They have an awesome menu where you choose your burger or salad and you can add, for FREE, whatever and how ever many toppings you want!
I had a salad with banana peppers, back olives, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, & feta cheese. So good!

So there you go, Case. Enjoy!

:-)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

valentine's day came early

So, this year we decided on no gifts, but instead we'd each plan a day of the weekend. Today is my day. Here's what's on the menu:

Breakfast

Puddin' Place Eggs, Bacon & Buttermilk Waffles w/Orange Marinated Strawberries, Homemade Orange-Scented Whipped Cream

OK. So, our last post was all about splurging...turns out today is somewhat of a splurge, too. Oh well. You only have Valentine's one day a year, er, uh, in our case, two days? Who cares. Since two of the items on the breakfast menu were on the last post, I won't give you the low-down again.

Picnic in Southshore Park

(After we worked out. Lol.)

Peppered Turkey & Roasted Pepper Sanwiches on Mini Ciabatta Rolls w/Homemade Tortilla Wedges & Hummus (which I did not make!) & Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

Dinner

PF Changs China Bistro. OH YEAH BABY. We love PF Changs! We've been eating there for birthdays and special occasions since we've been together. So, I thought I'd give myself, and the dishwasher a break for dinner!

Dessert

Homemade Cake Balls


Here's What You Need

Orange-Marinated Strawberries

INGREDIENTS
6-8 Fresh strawberries, stemmed & quartered
2 Tbs. Splenda
2 Tbs. Orange flavoring or Orange Liqeuor

DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients into a small mixing bowl
Mash together & refrigerate for 20 mins.
Pour over waffles

Orange-Scented Whipped Cream

INGREDIENTS
2 Cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 - 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs. Orange flavoring or orange liqeuor

DIRECTIONS

Place all ingredients into mixer
Mix on high until cream becomes thick
Spoon onto waffles

Peppered Turkey Sandwiches

INGREDIENTS

2 Mini ciabatta rolls, sliced
6 Oz. peppered turkey breast, thinly sliced
4 Pieces Roasted red bell pepper
2 Slices provolone cheese
2 Oz. baby spinach

DIRECTIONS

Place 1 slice cheese, 3 oz. turkey, 2 peppers and 1 oz. spinach onto roll
ENJOY!

Tortilla Wedges

INGREDIENTS
3 Tortillas, quartered
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tsp. Janes crazy mixed up salt
1/2 Tsp. garlic salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400*
Place tortilla wedges onto baking sheet
Brush with oil & seasonings mix
Bake for 10 mins.

I'll post the rest of the recipes later!
Happy Valentine's to everyone!

Friday, February 12, 2010

splurge

On clothes? Not lately. On a car? No. On a meal out? Rarely. On dinner "in" tonight. Big time. Worth it? Completely.

We had my parents over for a "breakfast" dinner, which has been dubbed "brenner".
We eat breakfast for dinner a lot, see our first blog entry!

What was on the menu?

Puddin' Place Eggs, Wisconsin Apple Cheese Bake & Bacon

Without further adue, here's what you need:

Puddin' Place Eggs (courtesy of Southern Living & Michele)

INGREDIENTS:
(4) 6 inch ramekins
Cooking spray
4 whole eggs
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese, divided
2 pieces low-sodium, no-sugar-added bacon, pan fried and halved (the recipe actually calls for Canadian bacon, but I alwasy use real bacon)
8 tbs. heavy whipping cream, divided four ways
Sprinkles of salt, pepper & paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350*spray bottom of ramekins
Place bacon in bottom of ramekins
Pour 1/4 cup cheese into each ramekin, push up towards side to form a hole in the middle
Crack one whole egg into each
Sprinkle each with salt & pepper
Pour 2 tbs. heavy whipping cream into each
Sprinkle tops with paprika
Bake for 25 mins!

Wisconsin Apple Cheese Bake (Courtesy of Michele)

INGREDIENTS:
6 large Granny Smith apples, cored & sliced
2 cups baking mix (such as Pioneer or Bisquick)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Velveeta
1 1/2 cups sugar, OR 3/4 cup sugar & 3/4 cup Splenda
2 sticks melted butter

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350*
Place apples into a 9X13 glass baking dish
Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, pour over apples
Cover with tin foil & bake for 40 mins
Remove tin foil after 40 mins and bake for additional 10 mins to brown

Bacon:

Just pan fry the bacon and you're done!

The verdict? RIDICULOUS.
"This could get habbit forming really quick" my dad said "it's unbelievable." "I'm full" Matt said, "this is too good to be true every time we have it."

Splurge? OH YEAH. It's good to do that every once in a while.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

grill time

After a long, and I mean LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG night of filing our tax return, we decided to grill for dinner. Around 8:30. Oh well. So, Matt fired up the grill. One steak and one piece of chicken. You can guess who had the steak :-)
This was quite possibly one of the EASIEST meals ever. That might even be an understatement. Here's what you need:

Grilled steak & Chicken

Ingredients:

Steak (whatever cut you prefer)
Chicken breast
1 tbs. Kroger chicken grill seasoning
1 tbs. Kroger steak grill seasoning

THAT'S IT. I told you it was easy. Too easy. Scratch that, nothing's too easy when you're cooking!!!

Directions:

Preheat the grill to high
Place chicken on grill first, cover and grill for 5 minutes
Turn the chicken, then place steak on grill, cover and grill for 6 minutes
turn everything once more, cover and cook for 5-6 more mins (for a medium-rare steak I believe)

Grilled corn

Ingredients:

2 pieces fresh, shucked yellow corn
1 tsp. butter or SmartBalance
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Rub butter, salt & pepper onto corn
Grill until corn starts to slightly char in small areas

Spinach, Tomato & Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh baby spinach
2 roma tomatoes, quartered & sliced
1/2 cucumber, slightly peeled, halved & sliced
Drizzle red wine vinegar
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil
Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place 1 1/2 each cups spinach into 2 bowls
Add 1 roma tomato to each bowl
Add 1/4 cucumber to each bowl
Drizzle each with red wine vinegar & extra virgin olive oil
Pepper each to taste

SEE HOW EASY THAT WAS?!?!
Almost embarassingly so.

The verdict? Simple. Tasty. Healthy.
"Did you only buy two ears of corn?" Matt said, "This is ridiculous. What did you put on it?" "Uhhhhh... (blank stare)" I said, "butter, salt & pepper". "WHAAAAAAAAAT?!! This is the best corn ever! Next time buy more." Matt said.

Grill session adjourned.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

oops!

So, as it turns out, we took a two night vaca from cooking at home. After Niko Niko's (which was ridiculously good) on Friday, my parents decided they wanted us to go to dinner with them last night, which was really fun. So, all that talk about grilled chicken and sweet potato mash, yada yada, well, it didn't happen last night. So, we'll have it tomorrow. Wait. We have Bible study tomorrow. Hmmm...Tuesday. Wait. I think that's poker night. Hmmm...We shall see. We've had a great time eating out the past two nights, but, we're ready to start cooking again.

Side note: if you haven't noticed already, I'm horrible at grammar. Sorry. I know we have a lot of people reading this, or "following" as they say in blog-land, that are/were English majors. Please forgive me. It's never been a strong point for me. Ha, that's probably a severe understatement. Oh well. We're all flawed.

We hope everyone has a great night of football, family, fellowship and, you guessed it, food! (and more football, of course) HAPPY SUPER BOWL!!!

Friday, February 5, 2010

cook's on vacation.

Not really. I wish. But, we are taking a small, one night vacation from cooking. Tonight we're going to Niko Niko's in Montrose. So good. My very best friend invited Matt & I to dine with her and her family there tonight. She says it's for an advertising class project...which is actually true. How could we resist? In the name of UH ADVERTISING, let's go to Niko Niko's! We're always down for some ridiculously good Greek food. Stop it. I'm getting excited right now and we're not going until 7. Ah, I can't wait. Please be 7 right now.

So, no dinner blog tonight. However, here's what we're having tomorrow night!

Grilled Chicken with Sweet Potato Mash, Grilled Corn & Spinach Salad

Sound good? Yeah, we think so, too.
We love food. And that's not a bad thing.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

something's fishy.

That's right. We had fish tonight. And it was good.
A lot of people don't like fish. A lot of people only eat fish (see also "pescatarian"). We like fish every now and then. Tonight was one of those "now" nights. There are many kinds of fish...for those that do not care for it, but are willing to try again, go with something mild like Tilapia or Cod. For those who like fish, well, we need say nothing.

Here's what we had:

Tilapia Grill Packs with Bacon, Feta & Tomatoes and a Fresh Spinach & Apple Salad w/Bacon Vinaigrette

Ingredients for the tilapia packs:

2 6 oz. tilapia fillets, fresh or, if frozen, thawed
3 tbs. fat-free ranch dressing
2 tbs. crumbled feta cheese
3 pieces no-sugar-added, reduced-sodium bacon, cooked and broken into small pieces (and for you die-hard bacon people, it tatstes the exact same, just less calories...so, why wouldn't you?)
1 tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Cilantro to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat your grill to high
Cut two 1 foot pieces of foil (if you don't have heavy-duty foil, double it).
Place tilapia in center of foil
Pour 1 1/2 tbs. ranch dressing on each fillet
Pour 1 tbs. crumbled feta cheese on each fillet
Place 1 1/2 pieces of crumbled bacon on top
Fold each of the four sides up of the foil, leaving the top open
Place on grill, cover and grill for 10 mins.
Remove from grill and top with tomatoes, green onion and cilantro

Ingredients for the Spinach & Apple Salad w/Bacon Vinaigrette:

3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup + 3 tbs. red wine vinegar
1 apple, thinly sliced (You can use any kind. We used a Red Delicious tonight, although I think it would have been better with a Gala..oh well)
2 pieces no-sugar-added, reduced-sodium bacon, cooked and broken into pieces
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Place spinach & apple into a large bowl
In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, pour over spinach & apples
Toss & serve

The verdict? SO GOOD. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
"This is off the chain" Matt said "I want to eat this every other week". "OK, but what about that chicken cranberry curry? You liked that, right?" I said. "Yeah, that was good, but this is SOOOOOOOOOOOO much better. I want more. Now" Matt said.

Fishy mission accomplished.

And that concludes our second ever dinner blog.

beef...it's not what we had for dinner last night.

We actually hardly ever eat "beef" in the sense that it's from a cow. HOLY COW! (pun intended) We do however eat red meat from time to time, and yes, it's usually exotic deer meat. So, last night we made (yes, "we" is very true. We cook together all the time) our version of a breakfast taco. Please see the recipe below.

Healthy Hargrove Breakfast Taco

Ingredients:

4-6 low-carb tortillas, warmed
1 lb. lean deer sausage (but you can use ANY lean pan sausage)
3 egg whites
2 whole eggs
1/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup 2 % cheddar cheese
salt & pepper to taste
Any amount of your favorite hot sauce, if desired

Directions:

In a large skillet, place thawed sausage and cook until done.
Remove from skillet and place on a paper-towel-lined plate, saving the grease (I hate that word) or drippings (OK, I hate that one even more!)
In a small bowl, beat egg whites & whole eggs with milk, salt & pepper.
Place in skillet and cook thouroughly.
Add cheese & sausage to eggs.
Remove from heat and serve on warm low-carb tortillas with salsa to top!

ENJOY!
Man, I know we did. "I could eat this everyday for the rest of my life" Matt said. "I couldn't" I said, "but they are pretty freakin' tasty...we're going to need a lot of eggs."

And that concludes our first ever blogged dinner.