Monday's Meal

In an effort to scale back on my dining out expenditures, I have been trying to cook more takeout style food at home. It's cheaper and healthier. Here's a do at home version of Asian Lettuce recipes.


16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound lean ground pork (or beef)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced pickeled ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
shredded carrots for topping

Directions
Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.
In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef in 1 tablespoon of oil, stirring often and reducing the heat to medium, if necessary. Drain, and set aside to cool. Cook the onion in the same pan, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger and vinegar to the onions, and stir. Stir in chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and sesame oil, and continue cooking until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter, and pile meat mixture in the center. To serve, allow each person to spoon a portion of the meat into a lettuce leaf. Wrap the lettuce around the meat and top with carrots, enjoy!


Sauce for dipping
1 tsp seasame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp chili paste
Mix together in blender and serve.

Monday's Meal

Here's a recipe for you to put in a jar and give as a gift. Not only is tasty, but it looks pretty too.

Cranberry Hootycreeks

5/8 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.

Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

Monday's Meal

For the past several years I've made a point to focus on the less is more philosophy during the holidays and beyond. I've also tried to use my love of crafting to spread that belief among my friends and families. This year I've been doing less knitting and more sewing, but all the same I'll still be doing a fair bit of handcrafted gifts this year. One of my favorite gifts to hand out is "mixes in a jar". Love them! I'm going to share one of my favorites that makes the base for a ton of delicious chocolate desserts. This recipe will yield 15 cups of mix, enough for several jars to gifts for the holiday. Over the next few weeks I'll share several recipes that you can use this brownie mix in. It makes it so special to attach a hand written recipe card to the jars and share them with those you care about during the holidays.

Brownie Mix

6 cups all-purpose
4 tsp baking powder
4 tsp salt
8 cup sugar
1 can of unsweetened cocoa powder

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, whisking together until evenly mixed. Store in airtight containers. Be sure to date content. Store in a cool, dry place and use within 12 weeks.

Monday's Meal

You may have read that I've started a new job that is wrecking havoc with all the free time I had previously (yeah, right). Well this week's recipe isn't a recipe at all. It's a recipe source that I just adore and I know that you will too. It's Campbell Kitchen. I mean who doesn't have a can of soup hanging around? Soup can be the basis for a ton of delicous and quick recipes. I can't tell you how many times I've been scratching my head, stumped at what to fix for dinner. Just a click on the net, pop open a can and dinner is served. Check it out...you're going to love it too.

Monday's Meal

When I was young I don't remember stopping at the local donut place very often when we wanted a sweet treat. But, I do remember making delicious donuts at home. It's much easier than you can imagine and a ton more tastier. Give it a try. You can mix your dough in the bread machine or use a mixer. If you use the bread machine like I do just add the ingredients as recommended by your machine manufacturer (usually liquids, then dry ingredients and the yeast last). Let me know how yummy they are!

Divinely Delicious Donuts

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed


Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
n a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains. Roll dough out onto a floured surface, rolling out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter (or you can use the edge of a glass combined with a shot glass in a pinch). Cover loosely with a cloth and let rise again until doubled in size. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large dutch oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). While oil is heating, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is thin, but not watery. Set aside. When the oil is ready, gently add doughnuts using a spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess.

Monday's Meal

Sorry I was late. I had a busy day yesterday. But this is a goody and a cinch for a busy mom to through together in a pinch. Although it calls to mind Asian cuisine, this version is pure American although merged with Italian. Don't ask me why it's called Chop Suey!

Turkey Chop Suey

1 box of your favorite small type of pasta )
1 pound ground turkey (or beef if you prefer)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to the taste
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 celery stalk, minced
1 jar of beef gravy
Parmesan to top

Preheat oven to 350. degrees. Cook the pasta according to package directions. While that’s cooking, add a bit of oil to a large skillet, heat of over medium heat. Add the meat, onion, celery, garlic and spices of your choice, and cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is browned and no longer pink. Drain meat, if necessary, and return to pan. Add sauce, tomatoes, and gravy to meat mixture, mixing well. Drain noodles, add meat mixture, stir well. Transfer to a casserole dish, top with Parmesan cheese. Cook in preheated oven for 30 mins.

Monday's Meal

Awesome with or without a little vodka added, lol.

Strawberry Lemonade


3/4 cups white sugar
7 cups water
1 cup lemon juice
2 cups of ice
1 1/2 cups strawberries
1/4 cup sugar for strawberries

Directions

1. Wash and quarter the strawberries. Add 1/4 cup of sugar and stir in the sugar and set aside to allow the strawberries time to release juices.
2. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Remove from stove and let cool a bit.
3. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together sugar mixture, ice, lemon juice and remaining 6 cups water. Stir well, then add in the sweetened strawberries, stir and serve chilled.

Monday's Meal

I love fish and this is a dish that never fails to satisfy.

Baked Tilapia

1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
4 tilapia fillets


Preheat oven to 375 degree. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Stir together the mustard and the hoisin sauce. Place panko bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Coat both sides of fish fillet with mustard mixture. Dredge both sides in fish fillets with bread crumbs. Place fillets on prepared baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until fish is flaky and tender.

Monday's Meal

Blondie's, I really like them. Sometimes I want a change from a chocolaty dessert and a blondie really fits the bill.


1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cups white chocolate chips


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Put the sugar in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a small skillet or in the microwave in a glass measuring cup. Stir the butter into the sugar until smooth, cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, in another medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.
Beat the eggs and vanilla into the sugar mixture. Add the flour mixture a bit at a time and mix until a smooth thick batter forms. Fold in the chips. Spoon the batter into the prepared dish.Bake until the blondies are light brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Monday's Meal

Recently I had one of these at a restaurant and it was absolutely delightful. It could be easily altered to be nonalcoholic too. Below is the recipe for simple syrup too, so there's no excuse not to enjoy one tonight!

STRAWBERRY MAI TAI

2 oz Gold Rum
½ oz Amaretto
1/3 oz Orange Curacao
½ oz lemon juice
½ oz simple syrup
2 medium sized strawberries, cleaned and diced

Place diced strawberries in a mixer, pour in the simple syrup, and mashing very well. Pour in all remaining ingredients, fill the glass with ice, and shake well. Pour the strained mixture into a tall old fashioned glass and serve garnished with a fresh slice of strawberry.



How to make simple syrup
Just mix equal parts sugar and water. Bring it to a boil, allowing the sugar to dissolve. Use as desired.

Monday's Meal

Trying to shake my pretzel addiction by substituting another snack. Not really less calorie, but maybe it will help me increase my fruit and grain intake as well as be a bit more filling.


Grand Granola

1 1/2 cups wheat germ
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup finely chopped almonds
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup honey
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup each of dried mango, dried pineapple. dried apricots, dried bananas (or the dried fruit of your desire)
2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil. Combine the oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 15 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the your desired fruits before storing in an airtight container.

Monday's meal

Saturday we went to the farmer's market. I can't begin to tell you how delicious all the fresh samples were. Yummo! I was especially excited about the summer fruit. I love peaches. Oh were they good! To me they tasted like sunshine and summer. Here a super easy cake recipe you can make with your farmer's market peaches (or even your grocery store ones).

Peachy Cake

1 box of White cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter
2 cups of peaches, peeled and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine all the ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Prepare the pan of your choice by greasing and flouring. Bake in oven according to recommended cooking time on the box. Cool on rack.


Frosting

1 16 oz container of extra cream cool whip
1 small package of jello instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 cups of peaches, peeled and chopped

Combine all the ingredients in medium bowl, refrigerating while cake is cooking and cooling. Frost cake. Refrigerator frosted cake for several hours and then serve.

Monday's Meal

In honor of last night's season premiere of Mad Men, chicken kiev. Can't you just picture it. You, Don and this delicious dish?

Chicken Kiev


1/3 cup butter, slightly softened
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
6 chicken breast, skinless & boneless (pounded to 1/4" thickness)
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp parsley


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
In a small bowl, stir together the butter, garlic powder, pepper and parsley. Spread the butter mixture 1/2 inch thick onto a piece of aluminum foil, and place in the freezer to harden. Trim fat from the chicken breast. If using whole chicken breasts, split them in half. Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound carefully to about 1/4 inch thickness. When butter mixture is firm, remove from freezer and cut into 6 equal pieces. Place one piece of butter on each chicken breast. Fold in edges of chicken and then roll to encase the butter completely. Secure the chicken with small skewers or toothpicks.
In a mixing bowl, beat eggs with the buttermilk until fluffy. Put the flour in a small separate bowl, then coat the chicken well with it. Dip the floured chicken in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Place coated chicken on your baking dish and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator allowing to warm to room temperature. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes until chicken is no longer pink, and the juices run clear. The outside should be crispy and golden.

Monday's Meal

A little vegetable casserole. Not particularly health food, but oh so good!

Spinach Casserole

1 cup onion, diced
3 slices of bacon, diced
2 tbsp of butter
2 lbs of spinach, chopped
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1 cup cream of mushroom soup
1/2 lb processed Swiss cheese, shredded
2 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 cup crackers, crumbled

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a large casserole dish by greasing it, set aside. Place the butter in skillet over medium heat, saute bacon and onions. Remove from heat. Mix all the ingredients except the crackers together in large bowl. Transfer them into your prepared casserole dish, sprinkle with crackers. Cover and bake for about 1 hour.

Monday's Meal

Quick and easy kid friendly recipes

Easy Bow-tie pasta

1 1/2 cups bow-tie pasta
1 pound ground turkey (or your favorite ground meat)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (1 can of diced in a pinch)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese



Bring a large pot filled with lightly salted water to a rolling boil, stir in the bow-tie pasta and return to a boil. Cook the pasta until it has cooked al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground turkey until browned; drain off excess fat. Stir in garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. Place the bow-tie pasta into a large serving dish, and pour the ground turkey mixture over the pasta. Sprinkle on the chopped basil. Toss lightly to combine, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Monday's Meal

I love kitchen gadgets and one of my favorites in my bread machine. I use it regularly. In fact I had two of them, but one of them recently bit the dust (I'm in the market for another). I love how you just toss all the ingredients and come back later and you have fresh, hot, delicious homemade bread. Yummo! Well, one of the things I haven't mastered is keeping the starter for sour dough going. It seems like a ton of work. So, this is psuedo sourdough bread. You might not call it sour dough, but it's pretty close to the real thing without all the work.

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
1/4 tsp of lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons dry potato flakes
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast



Add the lemon to the sour cream about 5 minutes before you are ready to make bread to allow the sour cream to "sour" more. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select White Bread setting, and Start.

Monday's Meal

My all time favorite vegetable is squash. I love all varieties. I feel like you can't go wrong if you have some squash on your plate. I'm also a fan of soup. I know some people think of soup as winter time, but to me it's anytime. Try this golden delicious soup and tell me I'm not right.

Butternut Squash Soup

6 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
6 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese

In a medium dutch oven, saute onions in butter until tender. Add squash, chicken broth, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender. Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return to dutch oven, and heat until warm through, but do not bring to a boil.

Monday's Meal

Baby it's hot outside and I find myself desiring something sweet and frosty. As my friends will tell you, I'm not a fan of coconut (it's a texture thing), but this is the absolute one exception. A pina colada is worth a little hair on the tongue, lol.

1 cup of cream of coconut
1 cup crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1 cup rum (try it with flavored rum)
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 ice cubes



In a blender, combine cream of coconut , pineapple with juice, ice cream, rum and ice. Blend until smooth. Pour whipping cream into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form, fold into pina colada mixture and blend. Pour into chilled glasses and enjoy.

Monday's Meal

I love to read and once upon a time I belonged to a great book club. It kind of floundered and I stopped going, but recently a friend (hey Jamie!) decided we all needed to get reading again. Our first meeting is this month and we're reading "The Help". It's a great book full of southern charm and real issues. In honor of the book I thought I'd share a recipe for cornbread. I mean really, what's more southern than that? Be warned, I like a sweet cornbread.

Corn Bread

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup corn meal
1 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Grease and flour an 8 inch pan.
Cream together butter, brown sugar, egg and milk in medium bowl. Set aside. In another bowl sift together baking soda, cream of tartar, cornmeal and flour. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mix well. Pour batter into your prepared pan and bake for 25 mins. or until a fork comes out clean.

Monday's Meal

Hey, sorry I missed posting last week. There's been a lot going on here and the time just got away from me. But, I'm back to share something yummy with you this week.
Always one for a bargain, I scored a great deal on some chicken recently so it brought to mind one of my favorite dishes from a local restaurant. This is my version. It's slightly different, but just as good.

Penne with chicken and four cheese sauce

4 skinless boneless chicken breast
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 cup light cream
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 cup shredded provolone cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 lb cooked penne

Cook the pasta according to package, drain and set aside. In a medium size skillet heat olive oil. Cook chicken breast until juices run clear. Remove from skillet and set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat melt butter. Add the garlic and onion, cook until soft about 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until bubbly. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cream and milk. Return to a moderate heat and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is at a low boil and thickens, approximately 5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, pepper and cook, stirring constantly until the cheeses melt and the sauce is smooth. Cut up the chicken into strips and add it to the pasta. Pour the cheese sauce to the pasta and chicken and toss well.