So simple I almost hate to write it!

We had puppy class last night and have very little food after the Thanksgiving trip, so I made quesadillas. I'm sure everyone already knows how to make them, but this is what I do-

Wednesday's Dinner

Cheese Quesadillas
Heat a skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat (a little closer to medium)
Place one flour tortilla in the pan
Cover with cheese
Place second tortilla on top
Wait until cheese is melter and flip the tortilla
Cook until both sides are toasty
Serve with good salsa and sour cream

I used pre-shredded cheese that was some kind of mexican blend. We were running a little low on cheese, so I added some queso fresco that I had leftover from the dish I made a few weeks ago. I also added some adobo seasoning from Penzy's.

We always also use low fat sour cream, and the Frontega salsas are my favorite!

They came out good - although we both feel they would be better with the addition of chicken, jalepenos, veggies... But, for a quick meal, it's fine! I look at it almost like a substitute for grilled cheese.

Turkey!

Well, since we have been out of town, I haven't cooked since last week. I don't want to forget what we did for Thanksgiving, though...my parents ordered a turkey dinner from Hanaford (which is a grocery store in upstate NY). This was an AMAZING deal - $55 for a cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, squash, rolls, cranberry sauce, and pie. My parents also made a greenbean casserole, and I sent a pecan pie from Mom's Applie Pie Co. in Virginia. It wasn't exactly the same as making it at home, but it was good and obviously easy. Happy Thanksgiving!

New Jupiters and Oatmeal Cookies

Yesterday, the people at my new job decided today would be a good day to have a pot luck! Since I just made oatmeal cookies a few weeks ago, I thought it would be a good way to go. It turned out that I didn't have enough butter, but my fantastic husband offered to go buy it for me! Yay!

I made them just like I did a few weeks ago - but I think they came out better this time. I really like them crunchy, so I cooked them a little bit longer. I also mixed them by hand (I think last time I used the kitchenaid, since it was already out for the marshmallows), too, so that may have helped. Either way, they're good!

After I finished making cookies, we decided to go to the new Jupiter's. We rarely leave the puppy at night on a weekday, so this was something new for us! The puppy was fine, and the new Jupiter's was good. It doesn't have the same cozy feeling as the one downtown (I know most people wouldn't describe it as cozy, but it is to me!). At the one downtown, we always sit in the same spot, and the waitress knows us. At the new one, we weren't sure where to sit, and we ended up accidentally picking a seat near a loud speaker. Illinois basketball was on, so the whole place felt extra sporty - which is a negative in our eyes. But, the building itself is very nice, and I especially liked the fireplace near the booths. We felt like there were some additional menu items, too - like the goat cheese salad (which i think is on the menu at Seven Saints!), hummus, and southwest eggrolls. We're glad it's there - it's so close to our place that I'm sure we'll go there often! We're hoping that in the spring they will be ok with the puppy joining us in the outdoor seating area. We'll see!

Catching Up

Sunday's Dinner

On Sunday, I made Chili! I used the Betty Crocker recipe for Chili con Carne, but I substituted ground turkey for beef. I also added a little bit of tomato paste, because it seemed a little bit waterey. The last thing I did was add a can of chopped chilis. I think it adds a nice flavor.

Since we were going to have another crazy week, I doubled the recipe. I used one package of the lowest fat turkey one one package of the next fattiest one (I think it's like 90 or 97% fat free). It was good!

Monday's Dinner

Chicken Parmesean
To make the Chicken Parmesean, I preheaded the oven to 350 degrees. I started with a package of the Smart Chicken (which I have mentioned before). I laid the chicken out on a cutting board and covered it with a piece of saran wrap. I pounded it down to about 1/4-1/2" thick. I also cut the pieces of chicken in half, so we had 6 equally sized pieces. I heated a little bit of olive oil (maybe a tablespoon) in a pan on the stove.

I dipped each piece of chicken in egg whites (in a shallow bowl), and then into a mixture of 1/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of parm. cheese (not fresh - the shredded/grated kind in a container in the store), fresh ground pepper, a little dried oregano, and a little salt. I cooked the chicken on each side for 10 minutes (5 minutes on each side). When each piece was finished, I placed it into a baking dish coated with cooking spay. When all the pieces were in the baking dish, I poured some sauce over the top, followed by some mozzarella cheese (I went a little light on the cheese so it woul be a little lighter). I baked it for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cooked a package for Dreamfields pasta and heated the rest of the sauce. The sauce was SO good - it was a brand called Victoria from World Havest.

Overall, it was delicious! It was quick, too - and a little healthier than the usual chicken parm. :)

No dinners = No posts! :(

It has been SUCH a crazy week! We hardly even had dinner, except for beans on toast (Wed.), pizza from Zelma's (Thurs.), and Indian food on Friday. I actually made the Indian food.

Friday's Dinner

This sort of doesn't count, because it begins with a jar. But, it's what I made, so here it is-

Chicken Biryani
I used Patak's jar Biryani, but I had to use chicken thighs instead of breasts (the thighs were leftover from something I made about a month ago. I froze the remaining raw thighs). I thought it would be too greasy, but it wasn't bad! We ate the chicken with Basmati rice and Bombay Lentils (I think that's what it was called). That was just something that had to be microwaved, but I didn't like it. It had that freeze-dried and didn't cook correctly texture. We also had papadums, which were old and didn't really cook correctly in the microwave. Overall, it wasn't the best meal I've made, but it was ok.

Saturday's Dinner

On Saturday, we went to Dom's in Champaign. We had already tried Manzella's, so I was curious. I have to say, I liked Dom's better! I don't know if I would get the chicken parmesean again (it was good, but I prefer it breaded/fried), but I really liked the overall experience. Sometimes it's nice to go to an older, family-owned restaurant! It reminds me of home. :)

Sad Times!

Monday's Dinner
No Dinner :(

We are very busy at the moment. Between the puppy (which makes it almost impossible to run errands after work), work (late nights, changing jobs, etc), the party on Saturday, and an always growing list of things to do, sometimes we do not have dinner. I know it seems odd, but dinner is the easiest thing for me to skip. It's the meal I enjoy preparing the most, but the one I am most likely to skip all together. I am starving before breakfast and lunch, but if I'm busy - dinner is really optional. I had some really tasty tortilla chips from World Market, and after a few glasses of wine (at least I had calories!) - some yummy toast. It's not a meal most people would want to replicate, but it's what I ate last night.

Orange Chicken

Sunday's Dinner

Chinese food from Shanghai 1938. Yum!

Weekend Treats

On Friday night, we ordered a pizza from Zelma's - just like we did last week! This time, we did get a side of blue cheese with our wings, and it was delicious!

We had a party on Saturday, and I ordered a party platter from Jimmy John's. I really like their sandwiches, and I love it that they deliver! The nice thing about the platter is that you can get several types of subs...we got turkey, Italian, and veggie.

We also bought another jar of the Napa Valley Olive and White Bean Dip from Sunsinger (see post from last week) and served it with fresh bread.

I made an onion dip, chicken wings, marshmallows, and chocolate fondue.

Onion Dip
I got this recipe from my mom, and I don't know where she got it. It was good! I think it could use more salt, but everyone liked it.

Baked Vidalia Onion Dip
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 large Vidalia onions coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese (8 ounces)
2 cups mayonnaise
1 can sliced water chestnuts (8-ounce) drained and chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and saute 10 minutes or until tender. Stir together shredded Swiss cheese and next 5 ingredients; stir in onion, blending well.

Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake at 375¡ for 25 minutes, and let stand 10 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips or crackers.

Makes 6 cups.

I chopped the onions in a food processor, because I was in a hurry. It said to coarsely chop them, so I just pulsed them about 4 times. I separated them into about 5 batches, though, so none of the pieces got too small. I couldn't find Vidalia onions, so I just used sweet onions. I also used light mayo, and it seemed fine! We served it with tortilla chips and crackers. It was better with the tortilla chips (white corn from World Market).


Balsamic Chicken Wings
I used Giada's recipe for Balsamic Chicken Drumettes, but I used a package of frozen wings instead. I also marinated them in the morning, probably for about 9 hours total. It didn't seem like they had been marinated for too long, though! I only basted them once (the party had already started, and I forgot), and I didn't bother with the parsley or serving the sauce (the sauce didn't thicken at all). The wings were really good, though, and I would definitely make them again. I cooked them for about 25-30 minutes instead of 30-35, but I would probably cook them for 5 minutes less next time. They were almost overcooked, but they seemed ok!


Marshmallows
I making marshmallows! It's fun, and people love them. They're also a lot better than store-bought marshmallows. I couldn't find the recipe I've used in the past, so I used this one that I found on the food network. It was perfect! Having a standing mixer makes it so much easier!!!


Chocolate Fondue
I used Tyler Florence's chocolate fondue recipe. It was delicious! I would do it again and not change anything. I added Frangelico for the liqueur. We served it with apples, grapes, pound cake, and marshmallows. People loved it, and it was easy!


I almost forgot - I also made Oatmeal Cookies! I used Betty Crocker's recipe, but I added 1 cup of Craisins and a generous handful of chopped walnuts. There were a lot leftover, so I sent people home with them. They were also good!


It was a fun night, and everyone said they enjoyed the food. It was a little tricky to heat the wings and make the fondue while entertaining (and watching the puppy), but it was a good night!

More Non-Dinners

Thursday's Dinner

Unfortunately, Thursday's dinner wasn't really a dinner at all. It was good, though! I bought these really tasty loaves for frozen bread from County Market...I don't recall the brand right now, but they're good! They don't have any strange additives, and they're delicious when baked! You do need to defrost them first, but you end up with a nice bread that's a little crunchy on the outside and soft and squishy on the inside. They also don't have that strange taste that I usually get from store bakery bread. I can't tell you what that taste is, but I don't like it.

The breads come in a variety of flavors and styles - whole grain, italian, rolls, baguettes, etc.

So, for dinner last night, we had Italian Peasant bread with Napa Style Olive and White Bean Spread that we bought at Sunsinger a while ago. We were supposed to also have a light salad with it (baby greens with oil and vinegar), but it was already after 8:30 and didn't seem worth the effort by then.

It was good - just not what most people think of when they think about "dinner."

Quick Dinner

We have puppy class on Wednesdays, so dinner needs to be quick. We both weren't very hungry before class, so we had a light dinner of beans on toast when we got home.

Wednesday's Dinner

Beans on Toast
This is so simple it's almost embarrassing to write about! I have to say, though - it IS tasty! Beans on Toast is a British meal/snack/recipe/invention where you make toast (which is pretty obvious) and heat Heinz beans. When the bread is toasted and buttered and the beans are hot, pour the warm beans over the top. The Heinz beans from the UK in the turquoise can are apparently the only kind of beans that can be used for "beans on toast."

Luckily, Heinz beans in the turquoise can are easy to find here. I've seen them at Cost Plus World Market, World Harvest, occasionally at Meijer, and also at the County Market on Mattis.

I am a bit surprised by the amount of information I was able to fund online about beans on toast this morning. This guy included photos, but I never knew adding cheese to beans on toast was an option. Another person offers very specific instructions here. If you've never had beans on toast, I suggest you give them a try. They're really good!

Chimichangas

Tuesday's Dinner

Roast Chicken Chimichangas
As I mentioned the other day, I planned to use the leftover chicken from Sunday for a chimichanga recipe I found in Cooking Light on myrecipes.com. It turned out ok. I did almost exactly what the recipe said, except I used red salsa instead of green. This may have been part of the problem...green salsa is a little more tangy, and I used red chipotle salsa. The flavors just seemed odd to me. The chicken may have been part of the problem, too, because it had been cooked with French herbs. Maybe I was just having an off night...I finished cooking the chimichangas, but we were on the phone, so I thought it would be ok to wait to eat them (they were SO hot when they came out of the oven that I thought they would stay warm for ages!). We lost track of time, though, and 30 minutes later - they were cold. :( We put them in the microwave briefly, but then they were really hot and I burned my mouth when I tried to taste one! So, by the time I actually ate one (and wasn't injuring myself on refried beans the temperature of lava), I may have had a negative attitude. I would try it again, since they were easy...maybe just using a dallop of sour cream instead of salsa. Or, maybe I would just give the green salsa a try.

They weren't terrible - just not my favorite thing.

New and Yummy!

I got the new issue of Cooking Light recently and picked out a few recipes. Last night, we had the first one - Sausage and Bean Casserole! It was good!!!

Monday's Dinner

Sausage and Bean Casserole (Cooking Light)
This was great! I followed the recipe exactly as it was written, except I used wheat bread. The only thing I would do differently next time is use a pot that isn't quite as deep...I have a nice sized pot that is smaller and more shallow than a dutch oven/stockpot that seems like it would have been good. The smoked turkey sausage we used was perfect - and very low fat! It was a good dish because it was quick and very filling - but also very good for you!

With the casserole, we just had some green beans with grey salt - a very easy and tasty meal!

Smart Chicken - Merci!

I had a great idea on Sunday. I decided I would prepare and cook a whole chicken, which we could eat for dinner on Sunday and use in another meal later in the week. I was thrilled that County Market had the Smart Chicken whole chickens (my excitement probably scared the other shoppers when my husband held it up for me to see). I have to say I don't think I have ever actually cooked a whole chicken, so I went to myrecipes.com for help. This is what we ended up with---

Sunday's Dinner

Roast Chicken Provencale (Cooking Light)
As I already mentioned, I used a whole Smart Chicken. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the herbes de Provence that the recipe called for at at County Market, and it didn't occur to me that they might not have it until it was too late. So, we selected a jar of spices that was labeled "French" and "for chicken." It was actually a good find (my husband spotted it - not me), because it actually contained herbes de Provence. It also contained garlic, onion, and salt, so I only added a tiny bit of salt and garlic to the paste. I used a 3 lb chicken (the recipe called for 7 lbs), so I had a lot of extra paste. I had no problem getting the paste under the skin in most places, but I wasn't able to pull the skin away from the drumsticks. The nice thing about Smart Chicken is that it's not slimy the way most supermarket chicken is - and it's also hormone and steroid free. It costs a little bit more, but I think it's worth it.

The chicken was great! It was moist and had a delicious flavor. I also made the sauce included in the recipe - it's sort of like really watery gravy, but it has a good flavor. The only thing was that the chicken had such a good flavor from the herbs that I didn't feel like I could taste the sauce. We tried it by itself, though, and it was actually good! I used to foodsaver to store it in the freezer - I think it would be really good on egg noddles with maybe some peas for a light, easy dinner.

Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter
With the chicken, we had brussels sprouts (boiled for 6 minutes) tossed in browned butter for about a minute. I almost burned it - yikes! I wish I still had fresh sage - that's how I made it last time, and it was great!

Roasted Potatoes
I saw nice small red potatoes at County Market last week, but they've been sitting in the fridge. I cleaned them, cut them into halves or quarters (depending on the size), and put them in a baking dish with a drizzle of olive oil, kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and a tablespoon of butter. I cut the butter into lots of little squares and spread them around. They came out good - almost a little overcooked, but good! I have no idea how long they took.


Overall, it was a good dinner! I'm using the leftover chicken to make Roast Chicken Chimichangas later in the week. My only regret is that I didn't use a larger chicken...maybe next time!

The Weekend!

Apparently, it's not easy to update my blog on the weekend! Here's what I missed-

Friday's Dinner

Pizza and wings from Zelma's - YUM

They forgot to bring blue cheese for the hot wings, but everything was tasty.

Saturday's Dinner

A delicious dinner with friends at Milo's. I had a yummy creamy risotto with crab, shrimp and scallops! It was sooo good. The flourless chocolate cake for dessert was fantastic!

Turkey Meatloaf

Thursday's Dinner

Turkey Meatloaf
We use the Betty Crocker recipe, but we use ground turkey instead. We usually use 1 lb of 99% fat free and 1/2 lb of whatever the next fattier one is. We also use quick cooking oats instead of bread, and we use 2% milk. We top the whole thing with Annie's smokey bbq sauce - yum!
Side note: Betty Crocker cookbooks published in the last 10 years or so have healthy alternatives. There are guidelines about using ground turkey (the internal loaf temperature has to get to 180 degrees instead of 160), oats, and I think even egg-beaters.


It's not a very sophisticated meal, but it's really tasty on a cold fall evening. We were busy with the puppy, so we just had cut green beans (the frozen ones that steam in the bag) with freshly ground pepper and grey salt and a box of Near East Whole Grain Blends - Roasted Pecan and Garlic. We love the Whole Grain Blends from Near East - so much more fiber than rice, and very good!

My fantastic husband actually prepared the meatloaf earlier in the day, so it was an extra treat. I swear it tasted better than what I remembered!

What's for dinner?

I've started blogs a few times in the past, but I've always lost interest after a while. This time, I'm hoping NaBloPoMo will keep me motivated. I've also gotten into a daily habit of reading a few local blogs about life in Central IL (I moved here a year and a half ago), cooking and restaurants. I started getting more and more interested in cooking over the last few years, and my husband and I have been obsessively watching the food network since we got together two years ago.

So, I'm planning to try to focus on what we've had for dinner - whether it's at a restaurant or something we've made at home (or a sad night where it's nothing at all!). I've found other people's blogs to be really helpful in choosing recipes, picking a restaurant, or just finding a good place to buy hard to find ingredients - so maybe other people will find mine to be helpful, too!

Wednesday's Dinner

Salad
Baby Lettuces with Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, fresh ground pepper, grey salt, parmesean cheese

I got the grey salt from Penzy's, which has tons of options for spices, salts, pepper, etc. We actually needed more coarse salt for our salt grinder, and I thought I would give the grey salt a try. It's very good, but not appropriate for the grinder. It's too moist. It really does have a nice flavor, though!


Main Course
You Won't be Single for Long Vodka Cream Pasta

This is a Rachel Ray recipe. It takes me longer than 30 minutes, but it's still pretty simple (especially if you put the shallots and garlic in a food processor). I've made this many times. It doesn't take very long, and you end up with a TON of sauce. This was my first time making it on our new stove, which I'm still getting used to. I had the heat a little too high, and the garlic and shallots started to brown, which is not what you want. Next time, I'll put the heat right on medium (I had it just a touch above medium). I also wasn't able to get any fresh basil at County Market, and it really does make a difference. I used a little bit of dried instead. It was still good, but it's better with fresh basil. I also used this new pasta that has fiber added, which was great! I used to use the Barilla Plus, but this was better! Dreamfields is my favorite, but it isn't available here. The one I used last night was very good - but the name is escaping me at the moment.

In the past, I've frozen half the sauce to eat later. In that case, it's better to wait to add the basil, as it doesn't reheat well. When we freeze leftovers, we use this, which works great!