In years past, January has been a relatively quiet month with extra time to catch up on sewing and home improvement projects. Typically, I spend the month after the busy holiday season to get my house organized and back to a more orderly state. For some reason, this January has been like no other and there has been no time for cleaning or organizing or even cooking dinner. Last weekend we were in Macon for the state duals wrestling tournament. My son's team ended up taking 5th in state! They're a great group of kids who worked really hard to achieve their goals - they deserved every win that they celebrated last weekend. Even though we had Monday to recuperate from our busy weekend, we didn't get much rest. I took advantage of the fact that the kids were home and we set out to run our errands. We got haircuts, stopped by the grocery store and the meat market. We even managed to fit in an orthodontist appointment. We got a lot accomplished but we got home kind of late which meant that once again, I had to hurry to get dinner on the table. I pulled out one of my favorite "go to" meals to feed my family a quick and easy dinner last night - Chicken Parmesan. I started with a few simple ingredients and managed to get dinner on the table in under 45 minutes. (I probably could have done it a little quicker if I didn't stop to take pictures of everything.) Spaghetti, marinara sauce, thin sliced chicken breasts, mozzarella cheese, eggs and panko bread crumbs = baked chicken Parmesan.
Even though dinner was super simple our appetites were super satisfied. This meal will forever be one of our family favorites.
Ciao!
0 Comments
I must have inherited my love of frozen bananas from my dad. I can remember my dad eating frozen bananas during our summers at the lake. As a kid, I used to think of it as a strange choice for a dessert but now that I am an adult, it is one of my most favorite summertime treats. Frozen Bananas
Bananas (cut in half) Melted chocolate (My personal preference is dark chocolate.) Popsicle sticks Optional toppings (sprinkles, nuts, etc.) Place a piece of waxed paper on top of a small cutting board. Insert a popsicle stick into the cut end of each banana half. Dip the banana in melted chocolate and place on waxed paper. Sprinkle with desired toppings. (The sky's the limit.) Transfer the board with the bananas into the freezer for 1 hour. Once the bananas are firm, place each banana in a sandwich bag with a zipper closure. Store them in your freezer for up to 1 month. Give these frozen bananas a try and see if your family enjoys them as much as my family. It is a great way to use up extra bananas. As an added bonus: they have more potassium than a Popsicle. Ciao! What kind of food do I fix for a cold, rainy January night? Beef stroganoff of course. I haven't made this recipe since last winter but my brother called and asked me to send him a recipe for beef stroganoff. I started to look through the recipe as I was scanning it into the computer and it I remembered how much I liked it. (Sometimes I forget about seasonal recipes like this one simply because I don't make it all the time.) This meal was a great dinner to serve on a winter night. The recipe calls for either steak tips or a blade steak. I visited several grocery stores in search of this beef without any luck. I finally went to my meat market and they didn't have either cut of beef so I was forced to choose a substitute. The butcher recommended that I use boneless short ribs instead of the steak tips. Beef Stroganoff 1 1/4 pounds steak tips 1 onion, chopped 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons tomato paste 1 pound white mushrooms, quartered 4 teaspoons flour 2 teaspoons hot water 1/3 cup white wine 1 tablespoon dry mustard 1 1/2 cups beef broth 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 cup sour cream 1 Tablespoon oil fresh parsley Place mushrooms in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave 5 minutes. Drain. Pat steak dry with paper towels and heat oil in skillet. Add steak and brown on all sides until temperature reaches 125.
Slice meat across the grain and add to thickened sauce. Cook until warmed through. Stir in sour cream and serve with parsley.
We all really liked the stroganoff but I think that I should have used a different kind of beef. My daughter described the meat as "chewy" but it certainly didn't stop her form eating a big portion. In hindsight, I should have used a london broil or a sirloin steak instead of the boneless short ribs. (The ribs needed to cook longer in order to break down their proteins and become more tender.) Overall, it was a great meal to warm us up on a chilly night. Ciao! The holidays are over and it's time for me to get back into my healthy habits. My walking partner and I have resumed our daily walks after what seemed like a very long hiatus. (It had been so long since I've walked the hills in my neighborhood that I have aching shins again.) I also rearranged my workout schedule and added some new exercises to my routines. (I'm trying to use my foam roller and my stability ball more.) I cleaned out the refrigerator and got rid of some of the leftover Christmas sweets that were a constant temptation. It's time to incorporate more vegetables into my diet. (A little less sugar in my diet wouldn't hurt either.) With the goal of eating healthier in mind, I made a pear and pecan salad for dinner a couple of nights ago that was easy, healthy and super satisfying. Pear Blue Cheese Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Vinaigrette: Salad: 5 Tablespoons oil 2 Tablespoons butter 3 Tablespoons green onions 1 cup pecan halves 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard 1/8 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon salt 16 cups lettuce ¼ teaspoon pepper 3 pears, thinly sliced 1 cup blue cheese (I used reduced fat) Obviously this recipe makes one huge salad. I scaled my version way back and made 2 salads - one for dinner and one for lunch.
Combine salad, pears, blue cheese and pecans. I cut my pear on a mandolin so that I could get nice thin, uniform slices. When I sat down to eat my dinner, the pecans in my salad were still warm. Oh my goodness - warm, salty, crunchy, sweet pecans = salad perfection. This salad is super simple to put together and it's really is a nice combination of ingredients. You can take this recipe and adapt it to whatever suits your tastes. Try adding sweetened dried cranberries, mandarin oranges or swapping feta for blue cheese. You can also sweeten the dressing with a little honey if that is more your style. I looking for more great salad recipes so if you have a recipe that you are willing to share - send it to me in a comment.
Ciao! I already know that I'm going to get some slack for making homemade pop tarts and I know that many most of you think I'm crazy for even attempting to create a homemade version of this snack. It's no secret that I am not a fan of boxed pop tarts so why did I want to make them at home? Over the past couple of months, I've run across at least 3 different recipes for homemade Pop Tarts and it that was enough to peak my curiosity. I was convinced that I could improve upon the supermarket varieties that are available today. The Pop Tart recipe that I finally decided to use came out of my Flour cookbook. To start, the recipe calls for a Pate Brisee dough. It must be made in advance and refrigerated for at least 4 hours before making the Pop Tarts so plan your time accordingly. Homemade Pop Tarts Pate Brisee 1 3/4 cups flour 1 Tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup butter, cut into 12 pieces 2 egg yolks 3 Tablespoons cold milk
Gather dough into a ball and using the palm of your hand, smear the dough by pushing down on it with your hand. Continue to do this until most of the butter chunks are smeared into streaks throughout the dough. (My daughter got some great action shots of me "smearing" my Pate Brisee.) It will seem unusual at first to "smear" your dough but it does produce a nice flaky dough that you can use for all kinds of different recipes.
Now onto the fillings. I made 2 different kinds - raspberry filled with vanilla glaze and chocolate filled with chocolate glaze. (I wanted my Pop Tarts to be a dessert and NOT an entree.) Chocolate Filling 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter 1/3 cup heavy cream 3 Tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt In a small bowl, melt chocolate over a pan of simmering water.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to spoon into pastry pockets. (Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.) I had to microwave my filling for 30 seconds in the microwave to soften it slightly. Whisk together ingredients until smooth and pourable. The glaze can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I made the chocolate filling and both glazes ahead of time and put them in the refrigerator. (I had to microwave mine for 10 seconds to soften it a little after taking it out of the refrigerator.) Fast forward about 4 hours - Time to start making the Pop Tarts. Pop Tarts 1 recipe Pate Brisee 1 egg, lightly beaten
Spoon 1 Tablespoon of filling into each rectangle.
Despite our burned mouths, the Pop Tarts were well received. My final analysis of the homemade pop tarts: They are way better than their supermarket counterparts. They are a lot of work and I suspect that puff pastry dough would produce similar results with a LOT less work. The Pate Brisee produced a nice light, flaky dough but it took a lot of time to prepare and chill the dough. If your feeling adventurous and you want to tackle a new recipe - my recommendation for homemade Pop Tarts is to start with puff pastry sheets and fill and bake them according to my directions. Ciao!
|
Like my page on facebook.
Follow me on Instagram
Categories
All
Archives
April 2024
|