Strangely Good and Wonderfully Familiar

We had extra fresh cranberries in our freezer, which I had no idea what to do with. I bought cranberries to make potpourri for Christmas, but otherwise I had no idea.

So, I stumbled across this pin from Recipe by Photo and thought the idea was interesting.  So, I borrowed the Boozy Cranberry Recipe and then made two different hoagie recipes - one strangely good and one wonderfully familiar.  We wrapped each one in aluminum foil and heated them for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.

Overall,  my sandwich was good, but very sweet.  And hubby loved his.  So, we'll get it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Strangely Good Cranberry Brie Hoagie

First you have to make the boozy cranberry sauce.

Boozy Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 12-Ounce Bag Fresh Organic Cranberries
• ½ Cup Sugar
• 2 Large Oranges
• 1 Shot Triple Sec

Directions

1. Half the oranges. 
2. In a large mixing bowl add the sugar and juice the orange halves.  
3. Add the Triple Sec and whisk together the juice and sugar mixture so that the sugar is mostly dissolved.
4. Add in the fresh cranberries. Mix the cranberries so they are lightly coated.
5. Place the cranberries in a baking dish or on a shallow cookie sheet.
6. Bake the cranberries at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. When they have wilted, broken open, take them out. 

Sandwich

Ingredients

• Boozy Cranberries
• Brie
• Whole Wheat Hoagie

Directions

1. Layer the cranberries and brie on the whole wheat hoagie.
2. Wrap in aluminum foil.
3. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.   

Wonderfully Familiar Sandwich

Ingredients

Deli Ham
Sliced American Cheese
Hoagie

Directions

1. Layer the cranberries and brie on the whole wheat hoagie.
2. Wrap in aluminum foil.
3. Bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes.   

Chicken Parm Bake - My Way

Inspire by this pin... by the Food Wishes blogger  .  I didn't like having to watch the video to get all the directions.  But, I like the idea of a healthy, baked version of Chicken Parmesan.  I did downsize the recipe, so it wouldn't be so much food - we're only feeding two at our house most of the time.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

hot red pepper flakes, to taste 
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 can tomato sauce
oregano (a few tsps)

basil (a few tsps)
thyme leaves (one tsp, as DH is not a fan)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded

4 oz Parmesan, grated

1 (5-oz) package garlic croutons (Used Arnold brand)

Directions

1. Prepare the 9x9 pan by pouring the olive oil into the bottom and then coat it with garlic and hot red pepper flakes.
2. Put the chicken breasts on top.
3. Pour can of tomato sauce on top. Season with basil, oregano, and thyme leaves.
4. Add about 1/2 the cheese.
5. Add the croutons.
6. Put the other 1/2 of the cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I'll be honest - I didn't really measure most of the ingredients, just added what I thought looked like enough to cover the chicken breasts.  So, the ingredient list is not exact.  Use what you like.   NOTE: My chicken finished after 30 minutes (plus resting for 10 - do not underestimate the resting period which will allow the chicken to cook more). Your cooking time may be up to an hour depending on the size, shape, and temperature of your chicken. Please use a meat thermometer to check doneness (155 degree F.)   We gave this dish a 4 out of 5.  We both enjoyed it.  Hope you do, too.

Hawaiian Chicken in a Pot.

Inspired by this pin. This basic recipe was easier.

Hawaiian Chicken in a Pot

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup light soy sauce

Directions

1. Spray crockpot with oil.
2.  Add everything to crockpot.
3.  Cook for 4 hours on low.  Left on warm for another 3 and a half.   If you don't need it to go for 9.5 hours, you can cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours straight.

I was not a fan of the no vegetable or fruit included, so I would definitely add a can of chunk pineapple.  It would also be great with chopped peppers, but my DH is not a fan of peppers.

We gave this recipe a 4 out of 5 stars.

Fancy Mac & Cheese with Shrimp

We started with this pin from Pinterest.  The recipe comes from Annie Eats blog.  And below is my interpretation of this recipe.

Fancy Mac and Cheese with Shrimp

Ingredients

1 lb. whole wheat pasta shapes
1 lb. raw shrimp (31-40 ct.), peeled and deveined, cut in half (if desired)
10 oz. low fat feta cheese, crumbled and divided
Zest of 1 lemon, divided*
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, divided
5 tbsp. butter, divided
4 tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
8 oz. Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions. If you have frozen shrimp like I did (and didn't defrost in the fridge), no problem. Just put the shrimp in a colander and run cold water over it for three minutes or so, until it's mostly defrosted.  Then, drain the warm pasta right over top. If you have fresh or completely defrosted shrimp, drain the pasta well; set aside.  Add the raw shrimp to the warm pasta and toss together.  Either way, the heat from the pasta will partially cook the shrimp.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400˚ F. In a small bowl, combine a handful of the feta, a pinch of the lemon zest*, the panko, 2 teaspoons of the parsley and 1 tablespoon of the butter, melted. Toss with a fork to combine; set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat.  Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a paste. Cook 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly, until light golden brown. Whisk in the milk. Continue to heat the mixture, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes.  As soon as the sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and stir in the remaining feta, Gruyere, remaining parsley, remaining lemon zest, dill, salt and pepper.  Pour the mixture over the pasta and shrimp; toss well to coat.
4. Transfer the mixture to a lightly greased 2½ or 3-quart baking dish.  Sprinkle the breadcrumb-feta mixture evenly over the top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

And we loved it!! And it's a five out of five on our scale.  So, it's going in the standby pile.

Next time: Pre-shred the Gruyere cheese, so it moves a bit faster.  And lessen the herbs a bit, as DH thought they were pretty strong. 

* If you don't have an actual lemon zester (mine's from Pampered Chef and it rocks), you can take a fork and basically scrape the lemon, trying to get only the yellow part and none of the white.

Chicken Cordon Bleu in a Pot

And it's time for another Chicken in the Pot recipe...what can I say I am a sucker for easy cooking.

Today, it's Chicken Cordon Bleu from Chef-In-Training.  Of course, I did a little tweaking.  I had to find a way to get some vegetables in there.

Chicken Cordon Bleu in a Pot 

 Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (frozen)
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup 1 percent milk
4 slices of ham
4 ounces sliced Swiss cheese
1 (8 ounce) package herbed dry bread stuffing mix (Used Arnold brand)
1/4 cup butter, melted
8 oz. frozen peas and carrots
 

Directions

1. Whisk together the cream of chicken soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour enough of the soup into a slow cooker to cover the bottom.
2. Add some of the peas and carrots into the sauce.
3. Layer chicken breasts over the sauce.
4. Cover with slices of ham and then Swiss cheese.
5. Pour the remaining soup over the layers, stirring a little to distribute between layers. Add peas and carrots as possible, trying to keep them in the liquid.
6. Sprinkle the stuffing on top, and drizzle butter over stuffing.
7. Cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours, or 2 to 3 hours on High.  My crockpot runs really warm so I set it on low for 4 hours and let it warm for another 3.  I thought it was too soupy looking so I left the lid off and let it evaporate for about 1 hour.

Enjoy!

We liked it.  DH gave it a 5 out of 5.  I gave it a 4 out of 5.  So that's a 4.5 for us - we'll be serving this again!

Next time - add double the peas and carrots to the bottom.  They were awesome and cooked up no problem.

Healthier Taquitos

Fast, easy and healthy...my favorite way to make a meal.

Again, I pinned this and wanted to give this baked version of taquitos (or flautas, as she calls them) a shot.  My DH loves taquitos, but I have never made them.  Somehow, that deep-fried meat just never appealed to me.  But, baked I was willing to try.

Baked Chicken and Spinach Taquitos

Yields:10 taquitos
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 16 ounces Beer (or chicken broth)
• 2 cups Water
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 3 cups Baby Spinach, chopped
• 5 burrito-size Flour Tortillas (9 inches) (we used half Carb Friendly tortillas)
• 1 bag Mexican Cheese, 2%, shredded
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, or cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Put the chicken in a deep sided saute pan and cover with the beer and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred it. Mix together the chicken and seasonings.
3. Pour out all but 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the spinach and cook over low heat until for 2-3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted.
4. Cut the tortillas in half. Spoon 1/10th of the chicken (about 1 tablespoon) along the long edge of a tortilla. Repeat with the spinach and cheese. Roll the tortilla up, starting with the straight edge. Place seam-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Brush the taquitos with olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn them over and bake for until 10 minutes, or until crispy.

Each taquito has approx. 180 calories, 9 grams fat, 6 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, 18 grams protein

The recipe was pretty good...would have better if I hadn't burnt the ends of the taquitos.  I served it with black beans on the side.

Recipe gets a 3.5 out of 5.   I would have preferred more spinach (next time I may double it).

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup ...Absolutely Amazing!

The best soup recipe I have made in YEARS!!! Amazing.  Absolutely amazing.

My DH had to leave town for a few days this week.  Since I was home alone, I wanted to make a vegetarian meal for me.  So, I pulled this Butternut Squash and Apple Soup from Pinterest.  The original recipe came from NPR.

I tweaked it a bit, so here's my take.

Ab Fab Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 firm, sweet apples, such as Braeburn, Pink Lady or Jazz, peeled, cored and quartered
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Garlic Chili Sauce
2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled and crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
3 1/4 cups vegetable broth
2/3 cup light cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Spread the squash, apples, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper, coriander and rosemary. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until all the vegetables are cooked through and golden.
3. Remove the vegetables from the oven. When they are cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic from the peel. (I forgot to do this, but it didn't make any difference.) 
4. If you have an immersion blender, scrape the vegetables into the crockpot with the vegetable broth. Deglaze the baking sheet with 1/4 cup boiling water, scraping at the burned-on bits to capture them. If you are using a countertop blender, deglaze the pan as above and pour roughly 1/3 of the vegetables from the baking sheet into the blender/food processor and puree. Transfer puree to the crockpot. Continue this process with the rest of the vegetables.
5. Once the vegetables are pureed, put the crockpot on warm and let it cook all day.  I left it on warm for 8 hours. Then, stir in the cream and let it warm up for about 30 minutes or until the soup is warmed through and reaches your preferred consistency.
6. To serve, divide into bowls. 

And it was amazing.  I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.   Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
 

Halloween Pot Pie....Batty and Catty

So I just realized that I didn't post all our meals from two weeks ago.  As I've mentioned still new at this, so I am trying to figure out what works best for us.

Chicken Pot Pie is something I don't make often, but we enjoy.  I looked up two different recipes from Pinterest and then developed my own...Pot Pie  and Halloween Pot Pie

Halloween Pot Pie

Ingredients

 

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 sauteed chicken breasts
• 1 bag of frozen vegetables
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 prepared pie crusts 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray oil a saute pan. Add the onion and saute 3 minutes. Sprinkle onion with the flour and cook 2 minutes. Add the frozen vegetables and cream of chicken soup. Turn heat to medium high; cook 2 to 3 minutes, until sauce thickens. Add the chicken, salt and pepper to taste; mix.
2. Spoon the mixture into [ie pan lined with prepared pie crust.
3. Roll out the top crust and cut out shapes with Halloween cookie cutters.  Brush with some of the egg yolk.
4. Cook for 12 minutes. (Review your pie crust directions - use whatever time and temperature information that is provided.) Serve.

Cook the chicken breasts

Cook everything on stovetop until it is soft and thick.

Use cookie cutters (dipped in flour) - made bats and cats.

Add the top and dust lightly with butter.

Be careful that the edges don't burn. Ours were a little dark.  But it comes out pretty cool.

Overall, we gave this a 4 out of 5 stars.  We'll be making this again!  Enjoy.

Anyone have any tweaks they do to their potpie, which might put ours up to a 5 star?

Our Menu this week - It's Pinteresting!!

This was our menu...I apologize.  We decided to go out to dinner for DH's birthday, so it's thrown everything off.

We skipped the rice cups -- maybe Thursday. We made Tuesday's meal tonight and I'll try to get it blogged soon

So, we shopped at Costco and Giant today to get ready for this week's meals.  We have decided on the following menu:

Monday (Husband's birthday) - Turkey Burgers and Baked Broccoli Cheddar Rice Cups
Tuesday - Chicken Pot Pie - A cross of two different recipes.. Pot Pie ; Halloween Pot Pie
Wednesday - Mexican Chicken (Crock Pot Version)
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Dinner Out!!

We'll post pics as we make them!!