Fine Meal Woman

let's support a fine meal WOMAN!

2011-12-15T21:09:00.003-05:00

No recipe here, but finemealwoman contributor Stephanie is hosting a giveaway! Check out her brand spanking new etsy shop Across the Sea! Maybe you could be the lucky winner of the Clara bag!

stove top tuna noodle casserole

2011-12-04T00:05:00.002-05:00

This is for my friend Joy who requested the recipe. I thought if I'm going to type it out I might at least put it here. This is an easy weeknight recipe. It's extra good and economical right now as fresh broccoli is in peak season. I make a quick white sauce while the noodles are cooking, but you could easily save time by using a pre-packaged alfredo sauce. Serves 6-8

White sauce (makes 1.5 cups)*

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs flour

1/4 tsp salt

dash black pepper

1.5 c milk

in a small saucepan melt butter over med. heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to combine. Wisk in milk. Cook and stir over med. heat until thickened and bubbily. Cook one minute more. I usually add a cup or so of parmesan cheese after it's cooked.

Other Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli or one package frozen. (I usually add even 2 or 3 heads.)

1 lb pasta of choice (I like penne)

2 cans tuna- drained

In a large saucepan, Cook noodles according to package directions. with about 4-5 minutes left add broccoli. When noodles are done, drain and put back in hot pot. Add sauce and tuna and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

*depending on how you like it, you may want to double sauce recipe.

under construction

2011-06-28T16:01:00.003-04:00

As you probably already noticed, I've been working on Fine Meal Woman. I'm trying to make the site better. Please excuse any errors while I work out the kinks. Thanks friends!

quinoa and sweet potato spinach salad

2011-06-20T10:56:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

2-3 sweet potatoes
spinach
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
grape tomatoes
feta cheese
toasted almonds

Directions

Cook quinoa in rice cooker.
While quinoa cooks, wash, peel, and cut sweet potatoes into small cubes.
Grill sweet potato cubes in a skillet with a bit of olive oil.
Assemble salad with your favorite salad fixings.

blueberry quinoa cakes

2011-06-13T22:41:00.005-04:00

Do you remember seeing Shauna's post about quinoa cakes at the beginning of the year? It has taken me this long to try it and you know what? They are really, really good. We eat quinoa often and this recipe is the perfect way to use up leftovers as it only calls for one cup of cooked quinoa. We added fresh blueberries to the batter and they were very delicious. I recommend this one for sure!

Quinoa Cakes
from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
Fresh fruit or fruit preserves (optional), for serving

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

Scalloped Potatoes

2011-04-17T21:25:00.003-04:00

1 1/2 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic
1 3/4 c broth
1/4 tsp (or more!) ground nutmeg
1/2 cup gruyere cheese
2 lbs potatoes (I used about 4 lg russets) peeled and sliced into about 1/4" slices
salt and pepper
1/2 c milk or cream
4 bay leaves
1/2 c parm cheese

preheat oven to 435 degrees F. grease bottom and side of baking dish, add half the prepared potatoes. sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and 1/2 garlic. arrange the remaining potatoes on top of those and season the same way. Pour the broth and milk over the potatoes and then sprinkle with nutmeg and bay leaves. cut up butter and place over and then sprinkle on the cheeses. bake until golden and fork tender- about 30 min.

spring strata

2011-04-17T21:17:00.003-04:00

a yummy dish that can be assembled the night before. good for using up old eggs and other veggies in your fridge.

6 lg eggs
2 c milk
1 shallot or small onion
salt and pepper
1 baguette (9 oz) cut into 1/4" slices)
1 lb asparagusn (cut into 1/2" pieces)
6 oz shredded gruyere cheese

1) grease 2 quart baking dish, in bowl whisk eggs, milk, shallot salt and pepper.
2) place half of bread slices, overlapping, into baking dish. pour half of egg mixture over bred; sprinkle with half of asparagus and gruyere. Repeat layering, pressing to help bread absorb egg. Cover and refrigerate 1 hr or overnight.
3) preheat oven 350 degrees F, uncover, bake on cookie sheet 50-60 min. or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. let stand 10 min before serving

ham and cheese quiche

2011-04-10T09:07:00.000-04:00

Quiche is not something that I make very often because it is a lot of work, even though the ingredients are rather basic. I recently made this tasty ham and cheese quiche and was reminded how tasty quiche is! I even had a little leftover crust dough, so I made a couple individual sized quiches using a muffin tin. I still don't think I will make it frequently, but it is a great "special occasion" kind of meal. If ham and cheese doesn't strike your fancy, you might like the spinach, red pepper, and tomato quiche recipe I posted back in August 2010.

Never Fail Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup Crisco

Directions

Mix flour and salt in bowl
Remove 1/3 cup flour mix and stir into 1/3 cup ice water in a separate bowl
Refrigerate
Mix Crisco into flour and blend well with a fork
Add the flour/water paste from the refrigerator to the Crisco/flour mixture
Do not touch the dough with your hands until NOW!
Quickly form dough into 2 balls
Roll out evenly on a floured surface
Place in pan
Press fork along the edges if desired
(Makes 2 pie crusts)

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ingredients

2 cups milk
8 eggs
1 ham steak, cubed
1 onion, diced
2 cups white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

In a large bowl, mix eggs and milk
Add ham, cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes
Pour mixture into uncooked crusts
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top
Place on cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes

breaded feta stuffed chicken

2011-04-05T15:19:00.000-04:00

We recently decided to buy a block of feta cheese at Costco because it is significantly cheaper than buying it in a small container at the grocery store. Since we have such a large block of feta, it's been a fun challenge to come up with ways to use it. I loved this recipe!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 slice bread
1 tablespoon herb seasoning
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a blender, grind up bread and herb seasoning to make breadcrumbs. Set aside.
Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness.
Place feta cheese on each breast and roll up. Secure with toothpicks.
Place rolled chicken breasts on a greased 9x13 dish.
Top breast with breadcrumbs and remaining feta cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Combine balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl. Drizzle over baked chicken.

green enchiladas

2011-03-30T14:34:00.006-04:00

My friend served leftovers of these to me months ago and I LOVED them! I made sure to get the recipe. I acquired the specific ingredients and... didn't make them. I used the ingredients for other meals. I acquired the ingredients again, and didn't make them. After several months of wanting to make them, having them on my menu, and purchasing the ingredients, I finally made them last week. I loved them. The hubby loved them. Our little man loved them. I guess it was worth the wait! Personally though, I recommend you not wait months and months to try this recipe.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 16 oz jar mild salsa verde
2 cups fresh cilantro
2 cups sour cream
2 cups frozen corn
3 cups pepper jack cheese, grated
salt and pepper
10 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

Boil the chicken until cooked through. Shred chicken and set it aside.
In blender, puree salsa, sour cream, and cilantro (save a little for the top of the enchiladas) until smooth.
Spread a little of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 dish.
Place sauce, chicken, corn, cheese, and cilantro on a tortilla. Roll the filled tortilla and place in dish. Continue with all tortillas or until dish is full.
Top with remaining sauce, cheese, corn, and cilantro.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

on hold

2011-03-11T14:40:00.004-05:00

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but trust me, I am still cooking and eating tasty meals with my family. I'm just taking a break from posting on finemealwoman. I feel that there are other things that need my attention right now, like my awesome (and exhausting) two year old and adorable almost four month old. Everyday life is challenging enough for me right now, so finemealwoman will just have to wait. I may even delete this blog sometime in the future so I don't feel guilty about my lack of posts. We will see, but for now, it's on hold while I snuggle my baby girl (who is growing waaaayyyyy too fast) and play with my chatter-box little man.

Flourless Choc. Walnut Cookies

2011-02-08T14:30:00.003-05:00

Flourless (gluten free) chocolate walnut cookies

low in bad fat, high in protein

2 1/2 c. walnuts (or pecans)
3 c. powdered sugar (I cut this in half and they were plenty sweet for me)
1/2 c. + 3 T. cocoa powder
1/4 t. salt
4 egg whites
1 T. vanilla (GMO free)
dark chocolate kisses or other dark choc. pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Finely chop walnuts and spread in thin layer of baking sheet and bake 9 min until toasted.
Mix sugar, cocoa, salt and then stir into walnuts.
Add egg whites and vanilla.
Beat with fork or mixer until JUST mixed--not too much.
Drop batter by teaspoonful onto baking sheet.
Bake about13 minutes.
Add dark chocolate pieces while cookies are still warm.
Delicious!!

Italian Hot Chocolate - Cioccolato Caldo

2011-02-06T14:54:00.004-05:00

Italy is famous for their Cioccolato Caldo, especially during the fall and winter months. This hot chocolate is sometimes served so thick (like a pudding), that you need a spoon to actually eat it! this recipe doesn't make it that thick. The luxurious richness comes from using top-quality chocolate.

5 tablespoons Dutch-process Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao solids), finely chopped
2 cups milk

In a small saucepan over low heat, add the cocoa powder, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of the milk, Heat until the sugar melts and no lumps remain, stirring well. Bring to a low boil, stirring constantly; add the remaining milk. Turn off the heat, add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth.

Pour into serving cups.

Chocolate Milk

2011-02-02T13:16:00.002-05:00

I Sat down this afternoon to indulge in a big tall cold glass of Chocolate Milk. As I was enjoying my frosty beverage I happened to glance at the ingredients of the chocolate syrup and the first 2 were High fructose corn syrup and Corn syrup. I have been trying to get those 2 ingredients out of my family's diet. I am a little new at this so it doesn't occur to me that it is in every single thing in my pantry !! It is very frustrating!! SO I thought surely there is a recipe out there that I can make and we can still enjoy with out all the HFCS. So here is what I found and I am going to try it.

1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups dutch processed cocoa

1 TBSP vanilla

1/4 tsp kosher salt

2 TBSP honey

In a sauce pan bring sugar and water to a boil. Whisk in cocoa, salt, and honey. Whisk until all solids have dissolved. Continue cooking over low heat for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Whisk in vanilla. Pour into a Mason jar or squeeze bottle and store in refrigerator.

To give credit where credit is due, I found this recipe at www.jollymom.com and she found this recipe from TV food host Alton Brown.

Quinoa Cakes

2011-01-30T12:28:00.004-05:00

Whenever I think of quinoa, I think of this blog.
I made Martha Stewart's Quinoa Cakes this morning and they were delightful.
They were dense and chewy and yummy.
I froze the extras to reheat in the toaster like suggested.
So I'm looking forward to a week of these.

My notes:
I didn't have pure maple syrup, good ol Log Cabin worked just fine.
It made about 6, 1/4 cup pancakes (verses the 12 heaping tablespoon size they recommended).
When I cooked the quinoa I had enough to triple the recipe...wish I did!

They are a little more prep than I'm used to for breakfast (only because you have to have cooked quinoa) but with 1pm church there was time.

Anyway try em!

Garlic Chicken

2011-01-23T19:09:00.005-05:00

Garlic Chicken

4 skinless chicken Breasts

1/4 cup olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

2 cups crushed rice crispies (Cornflakes or bread crumbs)

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Warm oil and garlic cloves on the stove top to infuse flavors

2. In a shallow pan combine crushed rice crispies and 1/4 Parmesan cheese.

3. Dip Chicken in oil and then coat in cereal mixture.

4. Pour remaining oil on chicken and pat with remaining crumbs

5. Bake 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Easy!!! I love garlic so I think I used 5-6 cloves and wow, was it good!!! This is one of the best baked chicken recipes I think I have ever made. I served with Mashed potatoes and a green salad. Thank you for being patient with me as I have been a contributor since the beginning of this blog but never contributed. Hopefully this will be the beginning of lots of sharing of recipes. Bon Appetit!!!

holiday treats

2010-12-22T21:41:00.002-05:00

What treats are you baking and eating this Christmas? Here are some ideas from previous posts...

Peppermint Bark
Mint Brownies
Chocolate Mint Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls
Brownies (Just spread melted chocolate chips on top and sprinkle with candy cane pieces)
Hot Cocoa
Snickerdoodles
Peanut Butter Fudge
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chef Jeff and I made peppermint patties for the first time. They were delicious. When I get a chance, I'll share that recipe too.

Lastly, have you had hot white chocolate? Don't ask me how as a lover of white chocolate I've never thought of this before. It is divine.

A Request ...

2010-11-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

One of my new year's resolutions for 2011 will be to find a really good pot roast recipe. Does anyone have one that they are willing to share? With all the amazing cooks we have here, someone has too ... thanks (in advance).

Chicken-N-Dumplins'

2010-11-21T20:58:00.005-05:00

Chicken -N- Dumplins'

2 chicken breasts
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced carrots
salt and pepper to taste

Boil chicken and onion until chicken is done remove chicken and dice. (You can also use any left over chicken you have and just boil it with the veggies.) place diced chicken back in pot and add celery and carrots. Boil on low and once veggies are tender drop dumpling by the spoonful on top of broth. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until dumplings are cooked through.

Dumplings
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil

This is one of the first recipes I asked my Grandma to share with me. I don't actually remember her ever cooking Chicken and Dumplings for us but it was something that I had had at a restaurant and really liked it and I asked her if she knew how to make it and if she could show me. I always felt very close to my Grandma and miss her very often. This is one way she lives on in my family.

biscuits

2010-11-13T07:51:00.000-05:00

While I love baking bread and rolls, I've never been a successful biscuit maker. I wanted something to go with my split pea soup from the other night so I thumbed through my Betty Crocker Baking for Today cookbook and found a quick recipe for biscuits. Chef Jeff and The Little Chef joined in and it was a family affair. The result? Tasty, tasty biscuits, so tasty in fact, that they were gone before I could photograph them!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
Cut in shortening until mixture looks like fine crumbs.
Stir in just enough milk so the dough leaves the side of bowl and rounds up into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 times. Roll to 1/2 inch thick.
Cut out 2 inch biscuits and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove immediately and serve warm.

split pea soup

2010-11-12T15:32:00.002-05:00

With fall in the air and winter on it's way, I'm all into soups these days. I don't have a lot of experience with soups so I am trying out some new recipes. First up is split pea soup. I've only had it a couple times and never made it before. Chef Jeff is a fan, so I decided to give it a try. Can I tell you how EASY it was? Granted, it isn't the prettiest of soups, but it was tasty.

Ingredients

1 lb split peas
8 cups cold water (if you like a thicker soup, I'd use less)
16 oz. chicken broth
4 slices of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 large potato, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon crushed rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions

Place peas, water, and broth in large soup pot.
Stir in all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper.
Bring to boil over high heat, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer 2 1/2 hrs.
Remove and discard bay leaf.
Place in food processor or blender and puree.
Return to pot and season to taste with salt and pepper.

yellow cornbread

2010-11-05T11:42:00.000-04:00

I've never made my own cornbread, until NOW! I always just used a cornbread mix, but now that I know how simple it is, I don't think I'll go back. I got this recipe from a friend, who got it from a friend. Isn't it great that we like to share good recipes?

Ingredients

1 cup flour (I used whole wheat and it was still nice and fluffy!)
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425. Grease an 8x8 pan.
Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, and stir and toss them together well.
Beat the milk, eggs, honey, and melted fat in another bowl until well mixed, then add them to the dry ingredients, stirring until thoroughly blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20 minutes.
Serve piping hot with plenty of butter and jam or honey.

butternut squash bisque

2010-11-02T11:11:00.000-04:00

Did you like Jamie's butternut squash recipe? Well, here is another one that I enjoy! I got this from a friend a couple years back and it is dee-lish!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 cup diced onion
2 cups diced carrots
1 or 2 butternut squash, roasted
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
cayenne

Directions

Roast the butternut squash like you would normally in the oven (about an hour), when done, scoop out the flesh.
Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, saute for a few minutes.
Pour in vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender.
In a blender or food processor, puree the soup mixture with the roasted butternut squash until smooth. Return to the pot and add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Heat through, but do not boil.

finemealwoman recommends

2010-10-31T23:22:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you enjoy carving pumpkins? Don't throw out your jack-o-lantern just yet because it makes a delicious treat! I shared this recipe last year, but it is such a good one, I just had to recommend it again! If you don't like the idea of pureeing your pumpkins, then you can simply use a can of pumpkin. Trust me, this recipe is a keeper and I'm not even a big pumpkin fan!

Ingredients

1 30 oz. can of pumpkin (or just puree your jack-o-lantern)
1 13 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box of yellow cake mix
½ cup butter

Directions

1. Grease bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Line bottom of pan with waxed paper.
3. Combine pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, and cinnamon in a bowl.
4. Mix well
5. Pour into pan
6. Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture
7. Drizzle melted butter over cake mix
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 75 minutes, until knife come out clean from the middle of cake
9. Cool completely
10. Run butter knife around edges of cake
11. Flip over onto cookie sheet
12. Refrigerate at least 4 hours
13. Cut and serve with whipped cream topping

Butternut Squash Soup

2010-10-08T14:30:00.000-04:00

Ingredients
2 medium butternut squash
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 cups of apple juice
3 tablespoons of dried onion
2 tablespoons of ‘better than bouillon’ chicken base
1 cup whole milk (you can use 2% milk or cream, but skim and 1% don’t really work as well).
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

In a crock pot add vegetable stock and turn on. Peel and cut butternut squash into cubes (the smaller the cubes the quicker it takes to cook). Add squash to stock. Add apple juice, onion and chicken base. Cook until butternut squash is really, really soft. Mash with a potato masher for a chunkier soup. (If you’d prefer a smoother soup, then blend in a blender – personally I use a blender). Put back into crock pot, then half an hour before you want to serve it add milk and parmesan cheese, stir, and let warm so cheese melts.

Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sour cream, parmesan cheese, chives, extra sharp cheddar cheese all work really well (you can mix and match to your desired taste).

Personal Story: I grew up on this soup – it is my all time favorite meal. It took almost six years of marriage before my husband would try it though, and then when he did, he loved it too. We eat it at least twice a month, it’s cheap and it’s yummy. It’s a soup that is perfect slightly warm or piping hot. Oh, and leftovers are even better.

Peach and Blueberry Crumble.

2010-10-08T14:28:00.000-04:00

Peach and Blueberry Crumble

(Recipe from Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients
For the fruit:
2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the crumble:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the blueberries. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it's in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*** My notes: this recipe was good the first time I made it, but my husband thought that the crumble could have been a little sweeter. The second time I didn’t have all the ingredients so I improvised. I think it actually turned out better the second time around. For the fruit: I only had frozen fruit … so I defrosted two 10 oz bags of peaches and 1 cup of blueberries and I used dried lemon peel instead of fresh zest. Then followed the directions, omitting peeling and cutting the peaches. For the crumble: I did the following: 1 cup of flour, 3/8 cup plus ¼ cup of white sugar, ¼ of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of molasses, ½ teaspoon of salt, no cinnamon, ¼ lb of butter diced. And then I followed the directions above.

Either way this was really good.

Curry

2010-10-08T14:25:00.000-04:00

This recipe combines (sort of) both Indian and Japanese style curries ... I always get asked how to make it and now, I'm sharing.

In a large pot add/melt:
1 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Add:
1 cup (large) white or yellow onion
½ teaspoon of red curry powder
½ teaspoon of hot madras curry powder
1 teaspoon of curry powder
¼ teaspoon of cumin
(Optional: a pinch of cayenne red pepper and a dash of crushed red pepper – if you want more heat).
Cook till onions start looking translucent.

Add:
2 cups of chopped carrots (approx. 10 medium)
2 cups of chopped potatoes (any variety will do)
Cook 5 to 10 minutes till you can smell the curry and onions.

Add:
3 cups of water (cold is fine)
¼ cup of honey

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook till vegetables are tender. (Normally it takes about an hour to hour and a half … all depends upon the size of my vegetables and the temperature I have the burner on).

Add:
1 lb of cooked chicken which has been diced or shredded
1 packet of either Vermont House brand or Golden Curry brand curry sauce. (This is normally found in the Asian foods section of the grocery store … it’s a Japanese style curry sauce).

Cook another 5 to 10 minutes, until chicken is warm and sauce is dissolved and thickened.

Serve over rice, with naan bread or by itself. Enjoy!

finemealwoman recommends

2010-09-28T21:56:00.005-04:00

I recently made Rebecca's brownies and added mint extract to them. They were AMAZINGLY good! I totally agree with Rebecca that these are the best brownies! They were so good we made them again with Reese's Pieces on top. Yum!

Tonight I made Danica's white BBQ chicken. It was yummy and quick. I liked that it had a different flavor from my usual chicken recipes.

Thanks for sharing these great recipes ladies!

Spinach with Parmesan Bread Crumbs

2010-09-27T14:40:00.003-04:00

Ingredients

1 1/4 t. olive oil, divided
1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
1 T. Parmesan cheese
1/2 t. minced garlic
1 1/2 lbs baby spinach leaves
1/2 t. salt

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in Parmesan cheese. Spoon bread crumbs into a small bowl; set aside.

Heat remaining 1/4 teaspoon oil in same skillet. Add garlic, cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Gradually add half of spinach to skillet, tossing mixture and adding more spinach as some of it cooks down. Continue cooking and tossing, until spinach is wilted and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from skillet and repeat with remaining spinach.

Return cooked spinach to skillet; add salt and toss over low heat. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with crumbs. Or toss with half of crumbs and sprinkle remaining crumbs over each serving. Yields about 3/4 cup spinach and 2 tablespoons crumbs per serving.

Recipe and picture from Weight Watchers Online.

cheesy broccoli soup

2010-09-22T13:58:00.005-04:00

This cheesy broccoli soup is such a comfort food to me! It totally met my expectations and was delicious. It is also a soup that you can make rather quickly. The best part is it doesn't call for any cream of cheddar condensed soup or anything like that. Granted, it isn't a low fat recipe, but it also doesn't have any creepy ingredients. I am keeping this recipe and adding it to my recipe binder for sure! Next time, I am thinking it would be great in homemade bread bowls. Mmmm!

Ingredients

1 16 ounce package of frozen organic broccoli
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup onions, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups organic chicken broth
2 cups cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Cook broccoli in microwave as directed on package
While broccoli cooks, melt butter in pot
Add onions and cook until they are translucent
Stir in four
Slowly add chicken broth and cream
Stir and cook until it thickens
Chop up broccoli if needed or desired
Add salt, cooked broccoli, and cheese
Continue to stir until ready to serve

sprite can chicken

2010-09-12T22:59:00.003-04:00

Tried this recipe tonight and had to share with you all (so good!)

back story:

a week or so ago our CSA gave us some lemon basil which i knew i'd have to break my vegetarian fast to try with a roasted chicken. i'd also seen various blog posts boasting the technique of using a can of beer to roast a chicken over the grill. wanted to try that one too. and so my version, sprite can chicken, was born.

ingredients:

1 whole chicken- locally "grown" if possible (mine was about 3-3.5 lbs)
1 can sprite
salt
pepper
other spices

directions:

1. rinse chicken
2. generously dry rub with salt, pepper, and whatever other seasoning you desire
3. put it in a airtight plastic bag and let rest for a few hours (i did mine while we were at church)
4. set grill for 350 (ours luckily has a thermometer attached, i suppose this would work in the oven just as well)
5. open soda can and then use a can opener to also open about 1/2 of the lid (for extra flavor i put a sprig of lemon basil into the can)
6. gingerly place the bird onto the can so that it's perched on it and the can fills the cavity of the bird
7. you'll want the bird sitting directly on the grill (can stading upright, legs facing down) in INDIRECT heat for about an hour depending on size. (mine took an hour and 15 min)

my review:

this was the most moist chicken i've ever made, the meat just fell off the bone. it was so delicious. it may have seemed extra delicious since it was the first chicken i've had since christmas, but i'm definitely going to use this recipe again.

lemon chicken orzo

2010-09-12T22:33:00.004-04:00

This has to be one of the BEST meals I've ever made. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was delicious, quick, and refreshing. I've never had or cooked orzo before, but I really liked it and will be trying more recipes like this one. I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand and omitted a few things, but it was still amazing! I'm pretty sure I saw this recipe on a blog, but I have not been able to find it again to give proper credit. So if it was your blog, thank you!

Ingredients

3/4 C uncooked orzo pasta
1/4 tsp grated lemon rind
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp honey
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 C cooked shredded or diced boneless, skinless chicken
1/2 C diced cucumber
1/2 C diced red bell pepper
1/3 C sliced green onions
1 Tbs chopped fresh dill, or 1 tsp dried dill
1/2 C crumbled feta cheese

Directions

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta feels cool to the touch. Drain and place in a large salad bowl.
While orzo cooks, combine lemon rind, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, honey, and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
Add chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, and dill to pasta. Drizzle with dressing and toss to combine. Divide onto 4 plates and sprinkle with feta.

anyone into green smoothies?

2010-09-08T15:36:00.006-04:00

We make ours like milkshakes, but you could sub out the milk for OJ and get a sweeter version. Really you could do anything you want. Here's what we usually do:
1 cup milk
3 HUGE handfuls of spinach (fill up that blender!)

Blend until smooth.

Then add:
2 TBSP flaxseed (buy from costco. easy huh.)
2 heaping scoops of vanilla protein powder (Also from costco. You have no excuse. Get the purple and silver bag. Not the white container. TRUST ME.)
a frozen banana cut up (I buy 2 bunches at a time, peel them, throw them in a bag all together, and freeze them like that.)

Blend all that up together til it's nice and milkshake-y.

They also double as ice pops in case you were wondering.

YUM!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

2010-09-07T15:31:00.004-04:00

With school well under way, my kids are asking for cookies after school. Because I don't want to completely blow my healthy eating (lets face it, I will have a couple), I need to make some healthy cookies that don't taste so healthy. (:
These cookies from Martha Stewart (tweaked by me) are perfect!

3/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. white flour
1 t. baking powder
1/3 c. canola oil (I used half applesauce)
2/3 c. brown sugar (I used a little less than that)
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. raw oats
1/2 c. raisins or chocolate chips

350 degrees

Mix all ingredients.
Using 2 T. of dough, place on baking sheet.
Bake until lightly browned (about 15 minutes)
Cool 5 minutes.
Enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Hot Fudge Pudding Cake (in the Crock Pot!)

2010-09-06T19:05:00.001-04:00

1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 tbs. veg oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup boiling water

In a bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. Add the milk, oil, and vanilla; stir until smooth. Mix in the peanut butter. Pour the mixture into the crockpot slow cooker. In the same bowl, stir together the 1/2 cup sugar and cocoa powder. Gradually stir in the boiling water. Pour the mixture over the batter in the slow cooker, do not stir. Cover; cook on High for 2 to 3 hours. (Mine needed the full 3)

(I have no picture of it cuz quite frankly it looks ugly, but it sure don't taste ugly... this crazy kid picture will have to do!)

Bow Tie Pasta with Rosemary Grilled Chicken and Spinach

2010-09-05T20:46:00.002-04:00

Bow-tie pasta with rosemary grilled chicken and feta cheese and spinach

8 oz bow-tie (or other kind--I used whole wheat spirals) pasta, cooked al dente
4 oz crumbled feta cheese (optional)
1 bunch green onion, minced
fresh baby spinach
tomato wedges for garnish

For chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cleaned and pounded thin
1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
Combine ingredients and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Grill or broil until just done.

Dressing: Lemon vinaigrette

1 shallot, minced
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup good quality fruity olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Combine shallot, mustard and lemon juice, slowly whisk in oil. Add sugar.

To serve:
Toss pasta with feta cheese, green onions, baby spinach and dressing. Slice the chicken and place on top.

enjoy!

parmesan chicken

2010-08-29T22:55:00.004-04:00

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes! It's tasty, quick, and satisfying. In the past, I have used butter, but most recently I switched to olive oil and it tasted better than ever. This feeds our family of 3, but you can simply adjust it to feed a larger family.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup bread crumbs
pepper to taste

Directions

Mix bread crumbs and parmesan cheese in a medium size bowl
Cut chicken breasts into strips
Dip chicken in olive oil and then into bread crumb mixture
Place chicken in a 9x13 glass dish
Top with pepper
Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until chicken in cooked through

home made brown sugar

2010-08-27T16:51:00.000-04:00

This is more of a note for anyone interested than a recipe.

I have read several times that molasses + white sugar = brown sugar. And then guess what? Today as I was making chocolate chip cookies, I realized I was out of brown sugar! I decided to risk it. I put about a tablespoon of molasses in with the 3/4 cup of white sugar that was supposed to be half white/half brown sugar and just mixed it in the the creaming with butter phase.

The results are excellent! They taste slightly different than normal, and I like it.

alfredo sauce

2010-08-23T13:21:00.003-04:00

We recently had some friends over for dinner and Chef Jeff made a delicious chicken alfredo pasta dish. My friend asked for the recipe for the alfredo sauce. It is NOT a low fat sauce, but it is delicious!

Ingredients

1/4 pound butter
1 cup cream
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt
pepper

Directions

Melt butter in saucepan
Add cream
Add cheese
Add salt and pepper to taste
Stir until smooth

It's delicious over pasta (for a meatless dish) or with cubed chicken!

spinach, red pepper, and tomato quiche

2010-08-09T20:55:00.004-04:00

I made my first quiche completely from scratch today and I am quite proud of myself. When I look back at myself over 5 years ago and compare that to now, I am amazed by how my confidence and skill in the kitchen has grown. Just to give you an accurate picture, when I married Chef Jeff, I couldn't cook. I had a couple things that I liked to bake, but the thought of cooking an entire meal by myself was very intimidating. Slowly over the years, my sweet husband has taught me to be brave in the kitchen. He seems to know everything and can make anything. He has given me knowledge, confidence, and a delight in cooking. I would never have imagined that I would make a quiche all by myself. So to those of you that think this recipe sounds intimidating, try it. It's a lot easier than I thought and you will be so proud of yourself.

Never Fail Pie Crust

Ingredients

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup Crisco

Directions

Mix flour and salt in bowl
Remove 1/3 cup flour mix and stir into 1/3 cup ice water in a separate bowl
Refrigerate
Mix Crisco into flour and blend well with a fork
Add the flour/water paste from the refrigerator to the Crisco/flour mixture
Do not touch the dough with your hands until NOW!
Quickly form dough into 2 balls
Roll out evenly on a floured surface
Place in pan
Press fork along the edges if desired
(Makes 2 pie crusts)

Spinach, Red Pepper, and Tomato Quiche

Ingredients

10 oz fresh spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups milk
8 eggs
2 red peppers, diced
2 onions, diced
8-10 cherry tomatoes, diced
2 cups white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
black pepper
1/2 cup white sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Directions

On low heat, gently cook the fresh spinach in the olive oil
Set aside
In a large bowl, mix eggs and milk
Add spinach, red peppers, onion, tomatoes, cheese, salt, pepper, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes
Pour mixture into uncooked crusts
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top
Place on cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes

slow roasted granola

2010-08-05T15:45:00.004-04:00

I love eating granola for breakfast. It kills me to see how expensive it is at the store, especially the good stuff! I have two recipes that I really like. The first one has been my staple recipe since I started making my own granola about a year ago. I've already shared it here on finemealwoman. Here is the recipe!

I have a new favorite recipe though that I would love to share. It comes from Lizzie the author of The Mother Runner. Here is the link to the recipe on her blog. Be sure to explore her blog as well. She has all kinds of great recipes and ideas!

chicken salad sandwiches

2010-08-04T14:48:00.002-04:00

This is a super simple dinner that is really tasty and refreshing on a hot summer day. Use as much or as little of the ingredients as suits your fancy. Personally, I like a lot of curry, but maybe you won't. Feel free to be creative!

Ingredients

1 can of chicken (I like the ones from Costco)
Red pepper
Green onion
Curry powder
Black pepper
Mayo
Craisins
Bread

Directions

Mix everything together in a bowl according to desired amounts (it's best if it has time to chill)
Grill bread on George Foreman Grill
Place salad mixture between bread slices and enjoy!

orange chicken

2010-08-01T13:32:00.004-04:00

I've been missing the tasty food of Hawaii recently and decided to give this recipe a try. It comes from the cookbook finemealwoman contributor Stephanie compiled called Tried and True Recipes. This recipe comes from Taylor Bebee. I know I didn't do it quite right, but it still turned out AMAZING! Give it a try!

Ingredients

Sauce:

1 ½ C Water
2T Orange Juice
1C Dark Brown Sugar
½ C Rice Wine Vinegar
2 ½ T Soy Sauce
¼ C + 1T Lemon Juice
¼ tsp. Minced Garlic
¼ tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

To Thicken Sauce:

5 tsp. Cornstarch
2 tsp. Arrowroot (Can substitute same amount of cornstarch-using arrowroot makes a glossier more transparent sauce, but neither will affect the taste of the sauce)
3 T Water

Breading Option #1:

1C Ice Water
1 Egg
¼ tsp. Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Salt
1 ½ C Unsifted Cake Flour

Breading Option #2

3-4 Egg Whites
Cornstarch

Directions

Bring mixture to a boil
Take 1C cooled marinade to marinate 2 lbs. chopped chicken.
Combine cornstarch (arrowroot) and water until dissolved.
Add to cooled sauce and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Sauce will thicken once it begins to boil.
Once it reaches your desired consistency, remove from heat.

Breading Option #1:

Combine ice water and egg.
Add baking soda and salt.
Then mix in ¾ C flour with mixture.
Top with ¼ C flour and stir lightly.
Dip chicken pieces in remaining flour and then in the batter mixture.
Fry in oil heated to 375 degrees until golden brown.

Breading Option #2:
Taylor uses this as an alternative to Breading Option #1 because it is much less messy and makes a much crispier coating. I also used Breading Option #2.

Whip 3-4 egg whites until frothy.
Season with salt and pepper.
Dip chicken in egg whites, and then coat in corn starch.
Fry in oil heated to 375 degrees until golden brown.
Pour prepared sauce over fried chicken and enjoy!

finemealwoman recommends...

2010-07-22T14:41:00.006-04:00

Last week I made...

Echo's quick, easy, and refreshing Flatbread Delights (I made up that name)

Carrie's tasty and healthy Squash Covered Pasta

Tonight I made Echo's Baked Balsamic Chicken with Pasta. She says it's like eating at Macaroni Grill without paying $50 and I must say, I totally agree. This picture above shows my twist on the recipe. Try it. You won't regret it!

All three of these recipes were incredible tasty and made their way into my recipe binder. That means they are keepers.

Thanks gals for the awesome recipes!

moroccan couscous

2010-07-18T21:11:00.001-04:00

Chef Jeff likes to give me a day off and cooks dinner on Sundays. He loves to cook and is always coming up with amazing meals! Today was no exception! He made a delicious Moroccan Couscous that was incredible. I loved it and so did our 18 month old little chef.

Ingredients

1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 turnip, peeled and julienned (we used a yellow squash instead)
1 zucchini, peeled and julienned
1 sweet potato, julienned (we left this out)
1 can garbanzo beans
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 pinch cumin
golden raisins (we used Craisins)
pinenuts or almonds

Directions

Bring water to a boil, add couscous and stir
Cover, simmer for 2 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed
Stir to fluff, remove from heat and allow to stand 5 minutes
On high heat, saute onion, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini, and turnip until 3/4 cooked for approximately 10 minutes
Reduce heat to medium and add chicken or vegetable broth. Let mixture simmer
Add spices, tomato paste, and garbanzo beans
Stir in couscous, cover and remove from burner
Garnish with golden raisins and nuts
Make 6 generous servings

Once a Month Cooking

2010-07-11T16:27:00.001-04:00

Filling the freezer above is what I did for the first time with my mother a few days ago. In about 9-10 hours, we made 48 meals to feed my family. It was fun and really pretty easy to do. We used the great resource, Once a Month Mom, for recipes, grocery lists and great tips. They plan the meals around what is on sale during that particular season. I chose the September 2009 recipes because most of them sounded like food my family would eat. We made beef stew, white chicken chili, black beans and rice, parmesan paprika chicken, chicken and chilies casserole, baked ziti, corn dog muffins (I know, ew, but the kids might like them), eggwhiches, apple streusal muffins, mexican cornbread casserole, and chicken and broccoli. On the site, go to resources under cooking at the top of the page, and you can find past menu plans. On the meal plan pages, like the September one above, they provide recipes, a grocery list, instructions, and labels that have instructions to put right on each meal! Each recipe is yields about 16 servings. Some of the casseroles we divided into 8 or 9 in. round aluminum pans we got from the dollar store, 3 for a $1. Since we have smaller kids, we can make each one work as a meal for all of us. We had a really busy school year this past year and had little to no time for really cooking anything. I'm excited to be able to use these meals to help us get back to dinner at the table! Try it. Work together with a friend, sister, mom or neighbor. If you only have room for a few things, try one recipe. It is truly fun!

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

2010-07-07T14:29:00.004-04:00

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. veg. oil
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. milk mixed w/ 1/4 t. vinegar
2 1/2 c. flour (I use half whole wheat)
4 T. cocoa powder
1 t. soda
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. salt
2 c. peeled and finely grated zucchini (3 small)
1 c. chocolate chips
1/4 c. nuts (optional)

325 degrees
Line pans with papers.
Add all ingredients and half of chocolate chips.
Stir well.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
Sprinkle with other half of chocolate chips and nuts.

Yields 24 muffins.
Prep. Time: 15 min.
Baking Time: 20-25 min.

Summer potato salad

2010-06-24T12:12:00.004-04:00

Last night I made the "summer" version of Barbara Kingsolver's potato salad. I love the idea of potato salad that is not just potatoes, eggs, and mayo (although it certainly has its place).

Here's the link to all of the recipes from her book Animal Vegetable Miracle (which are worth checking out!). And here is the recipe for summer potato salad:

SUMMER
2 lbs red or golden new potatoes, cut in 1 inch chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
coarse salt
2 yellow or red bell peppers, cut in chunks
2 cups green beans (stringed and broken in 1-inch lengths)
1-2 ears sweet corn on cob

(*Note: I used canned corn and didn't use green beans because I don't have any fresh. The great thing about this salad is that you can just throw in whatever you have.)

Toss potatoes with salt and oil and spread on baking sheet. Roast in 450° oven until tender (20-30 minutes). Place ears of corn, lightly oiled, with the potatoes. Add peppers and green beans to roast for last 10 minutes. When done, loosen the vegetables with a spatula, cut corn kernels off cob, and combine in a large, shallow bowl.

2 cups tomatoes cut in wedges
½ cup fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil whipped together with 1 tbsp balsamic or other mellow vinegar
Toss tomatoes, basil and dressing with roasted vegetables, salt to taste.

(*The tomato and basil really make this a good salad. I wish I had fresh basil, but not yet; the dried kind worked well, but I can't wait to try it with fresh.)

(*Also, I served it warmish last night--just freshly made, and I'm eating it cold for lunch today. It's good both ways, but a little better warmer. I also just realized bacon would be really good in it. But then I'd have to remove the "meatless" label...)

Lime-a-thon

2010-06-07T12:51:00.010-04:00

Lime Pound Cake w/Raspberry Sauce

(sauce not pictured)

Before the lime-a-thon begins...

I need to preface my first post here with:

- I have never created a recipe in my life.

- I love lime.

My all-time favorite lime dessert is the one above. That one was for my mom's birthday last year. I got lucky and found a lime plate on clearance at Crate & Barrel to make the cake stand.

Found the recipe HERE

Cake:

3 1/4 C. cake flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
18 Tbs. butter (at room temp)
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temp)
3 C. sugar
6 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice (about two limes)
2 tsp. lime zest

Glaze:

1/4 C. lime juice
3/4 C sugar

Raspberry Sauce:

12 oz. frozen raspberries
2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbs. sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325* and position oven rack to lower one third of oven.
2. Thoroughly grease bundt pan
3. Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside
4. Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth
5. Gradually add sugar to butter mixture and mix until light and fluffy
6. Add eggs one at a time and beat on medium high between each egg
7. Beat in vanilla and lime juice
8. On low speed add dry ingredients and mix
9. Fold in zest
10. Spoon batter into greased pan, making sides about 1” higher than center
11. Bake about 1 hour 10 minutes until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
12. Remove from oven and let cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove the cake from the pan.
13. Brush hot cake with glaze

To make raspberry sauce, combine ingredients in blender and blend. You can serve this cold or at room temp on the side or drizzled over the cake.

NEXT UP... Lime isn't a main ingredient but it's the star one :). First had these at a Pampered Chef show in NC and I realized lime zest was my best friend.

Mango Salsa Sundaes by Pampered Chef
found HERE

Ingredients:
12 (8 in.) flour tortillas
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 T butter, melted
1 cup strawberries, hulled & finely diced
1 ripe mango*, peeled & finely diced
2 kiwis, peeled & finely diced
1 lime
1/4 cup sliced almonds, chopped (optional)
1 jar (11.75 oz) strawberry ice cream topping
3 cups vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Trim tortillas to form triangles using a pizza cutter or knife. Cut a 1-in. slit in each side of triangles. Combine sugar & cinnamon; mix well. Melt butter & brush onto one side of tortilla, then sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Press tortillas into Muffin Pan & bake 18-20 minutes. or until golden brown & crisp. Remove from oven & cool 5 minutes. Remove shells to cooling rack & cool completely. While cups are baking, dice strawberries & peel & dice mango & kiwi. Zest lime & juice to measure 1 T. Combine all to bowl & mix gently. For each sundae, spoon 2 T strawberry ice cream topping onto plate, place one tortilla cup on top, fill with a scoop of ice cream & top with 2 T fruit mixture. Sprinkle with almonds if desired.

Makes 12 servings

ONE more in the dessert category...

Lime Glazed Cookies by Martha Stewart

found HERE
(the ones above are mine...tried to copy Martha's picture)

Oh, her recipe is for lemon cookies but I used lime zest instead of lemon. Would've used lime juice, too but my limes weren't juicy enough. My lemon-lime version was good (better than lemon...I've tried both).

Ingredients

Makes 24.

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon Glaze

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat until combined. With mixer on low, beat in flour mixture.
Drop dough by heaping tablespoons, 1 inch apart, onto two baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool 2 minutes on sheets, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Spread cookies with Lemon Glaze and let set, about 1 hour.

K I'm getting kind of tired now...so I'm just going to link to 2 dinners I love that are made better when lime is squeezed on the meat:

Slow Cooker Chili Chicken Tacos - Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

I used the sauce in the chili can instead of the chilies themselves

(didn't want to knock the kids out).

Also used slightly less chili powder for the kids.

and

Pork Carnitas also by Miss Martha
Don't be scared by the milk and orange juice.

Mango Salad Dressing

2010-06-05T01:38:00.002-04:00

Flesh of one mango
1/2 c. water
1 t. red wine vinegar
2 t. rice vinegar
2 t. olive oil
dash of salt
1/4 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dried basil
1/8 t. cayenne pepper (optional)

Puree everything except for half of the basil until smooth. Then add the basil and enjoy with your favorite salad!

From Health-Foodie.com

flatbread pizzas

2010-06-04T14:20:00.000-04:00

As many of you know, I am a big fan of flatbread and use it when I need a fast meal. We tried making individual pizzas with it recently and they turned out really well. I highly recommend these!

Ingredients

1 flatbread per person
Pizza sauce
Your choice of cheese
Your choice of toppings (we used onions, red peppers, and tomatoes)

Directions

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or a little olive oil
Place flatbread on cookie sheet
Top with your favorite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings
Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes, or a little longer if you want it crispier
Cut into quarters and enjoy!

Chicken and mushroom tortellini bake

2010-06-02T16:43:00.007-04:00

First of all, I need to thank you ladies for providing my family with food and desserts. This blog is always my first online recipe resource, and you never fail me! In fact, as we speak, I'm making my husband's birthday cake with this recipe. So thanks!

And now for the recipe. I made the "Chicken Tortellini Casserole" from Stephanie's awesome gift that keeps on giving, the Tried and True Recipe book (page 51) for the first time last night. Of course I made some adjustments, which is why I'm posting the recipe here, but it was surprisingly tastier than I had even hoped.

This recipe serves 2 with 2 leftovers-servings (which to me are smaller than normal servings--is that crazy?).

Cook and cut about 2 chicken breasts into small pieces. (One breast if it's big enough will do.)
Cook about a 1/2 lb. of tortellini pasta according to the package directions. (Mine was frozen and boiled for about 7 minutes.)
Place chicken, tortellini and a 4oz can of mushrooms in a bowl . Reserve about half of the mushroom juice, but you don't need the rest.
Make a white sauce: Melt 2 Tb butter in a saucepan. Add 2 Tb flour and whisk until blended. Remove from heat and add about 3/4 cup milk plus the reserved mushroom juice. Whisk until smooth. Continue to stir over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add to the sauce:
a couple of chopped green onions
1/2 cup sour cream
2-4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 Tbs melted butter (Probably totally unnecessary...)
Spread some sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Add the chicken, pasta and mushrooms. Add the rest of the sauce and more cheese if you'd like.
Bake @ 350 for about 25 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

(Next time I want to add some chopped spinach or maybe broccoli.)

3 ingredient peanut butter cookies

2010-06-01T14:16:00.003-04:00

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c. natural peanut butter
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg

Mix together and form small balls. Criss cross with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees about 10 minutes.

When mine cooled, I dipped in semi-sweet chocolate.

the "perfect hotdog"

2010-05-29T22:28:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day all you finemealwoman readers! Summer is here and that means BBQs. I recently heard a piece on NPR about the "perfect hotdog." We decided to give it a go!

Apparently, the "perfect hotdog" has a natural casing, is grilled (never boiled), has a buttered and grilled bun, and is topped with onions and mustard (never ketchup). We did our best and to be honest, I think it was the best hot dog I've ever had. The grilled buns really added to the overall flavor, plus our natural dogs were really tasty!

We bought Nature's Promise brand hotdogs. They are all natural uncured beef, no preservatives, no nitrates or nitrates added, the beef is raised with no antibiotics, no growth stimulants or added hormones, and are vegetarian fed. Best of all, they were really, really tasty!

So buy your hotdogs, fire up the grill, and enjoy the "perfect hotdog" this weekend!

Oatmeal Bars

2010-05-29T09:29:00.012-04:00

I got this recipe out of the July issue of Family Circle. This month's cover cracks me up. It has a picture of delicious looking fried chicken, and then on the side it says, "Our thin-for-life fitness plan." Anyway, my daughter, Emma, saw this recipe in the magazine and asked if we could try it, and I'm glad we did. It is DELICIOUS and so very easy to make!!

Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup milk
2 cups quick oats
1 1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 8x8x2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. In a large bowl, beat sugar and butter on medium-high speed until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Reduce speed to low and beat in milk, then flour mixture. Stir in oats and 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
Spread batter into prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (for me this happened at 30 minutes). Cool completely on wire rack (when they say let it cool completely, DO IT. We cut into it too early and it fell apart, but was still delicious). Microwave remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips for 30 seconds; stir until smooth and drizzle over bars (I had to put it into a baggie, cut the corner, and pipe it on, the drizzling didn't happen.). Cut into squares. Eat. Yum.

Fettuccine with Caramelized Onion Cream Sauce

2010-05-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Have you ever eaten so many onions that you feel like you're sweating onions? Pretty gross, isn't it? Well, tonight we tried Fettuccine with Caramelized Onion Cream Sauce. I chopped seven onions. SEVEN! I'd like to say that this was the most time consuming part of the recipe, but unfortunately it wasn't.

After all the chopping, the onions had to sit on the stove for 45 minutes. Yes, forty-five minutes. I thought I could outsmart the recipe and just leave the onions on the stove a lesser time, but halfway through cooking, I figured that I'd come that far, I might as well make the recipe as instructed. So I let them sit them (with some slight stirring in between) for the full 45 minutes.

At the end, I decided to use some of the onions from the sauce to cook tilapia, and all in all I think the dinner was a success. Sure, we have leftovers for the rest of the week, and everything (our house, our clothes, our breath) smells like onions, but it's all worth it for a good meal

finemealwoman mess up!

2010-05-26T13:35:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I was so inspired by a friend who gave her floors a good scrub. I thought if she can do it with two little ones, I can too. During nap time I put on a fabulous movie (North and South) and got busy. I scrubbed my hardwood floors, did a load of towels, did dishes, and since I was on a roll, I decided to bake cookies too. Why not, right? I put my butter in the microwave to soften and happily continued with my work. I was watching my movie and had the dishwasher, washing machine, and kitchen aid going so it was pretty noisy in my kitchen. I added my eggs, sugar, flour, etc. I thought the dough looked a little dry, but didn't think much of it. I put the cookies in the oven and then settled down to relax and watch my movie. The dishwasher stopped. The washing machine stopped. Then I heard a little beep, beep. What's in the microwave, I thought? I opened it up and tada! MY BUTTER! I had already pulled the first batch of cookies out of the oven! I successfully made cookies without any butter. Surprisingly they taste alright. I don't think I'll be posting the butterless recipe though!

finemealwoman favorite: quinoa and black bean salad

2010-05-24T20:34:00.005-04:00

Tonight I made this Quinoa and Black Bean Salad for dinner. It has been way too long since I made it. I posted this recipe when I first started finemealwoman. It's a great summer dish and is incredible flavorful. It is a finemealwoman favorite!

I plan to post finemealwoman favorites from time to time. I hope those of you that are new to finemealwoman will enjoy seeing some of the recipes from previous posts. As for you regular readers, maybe it will remind you of a recipe you wanted to try, but never got around to it.

oh, that chef jeff!

2010-05-23T14:27:00.001-04:00

Chef Jeff is the real chef in our house. Sure, I make dinner most nights, but he taught me how to cook and to have confidence in the kitchen, and let's be honest, he is AMAZING! For Mother's Day he made me some incredible grilled chicken alfredo pasta. For Mother's Day Part II (a week later with friends), he and another hubby made everything you see above. Bruschetta (he even made the whole wheat baguettes), grilled vegetables, spinach and 3 cheese stuffed manicotti, and that oh, so incredible dessert... homemade chocolate cakes, homemade chocolate ice cream, raspberry drizzle, and white chocolate ribbons. Now, if only he would post the recipes!!! If nothing else, maybe these pictures will give you some inspiration in the kitchen!

easy pasta and broccoli

2010-05-20T14:19:00.004-04:00

It's fast. It's easy. It's lighter than most pasta dishes I make. Try this simple, but tasty recipe.

Ingredients

pasta
2 heads of broccoli, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup whole almonds

Directions

Cook pasta according to the directions
While pasta cooks, pour a bit of olive oil into a skillet
Add broccoli and cook until tender
Drain pasta and pour it into a large bowl
Pour broccoli into the bowl and mix well
Top with grated parmesan cheese and whole almonds

No-Bake Peanut Butter Toblerone Cheesecake

2010-05-10T16:24:00.003-04:00

I found this recipe on one of my friend's blogs, so I decided to make it for Ongo's birthday a few weeks back. It was very good and I would make it again. Sorry that I do not have any pictures:( It was gone too fast--but Ongo and I did not eat it all ourselves, we shared with some of his family.

Ingredients:

-1 1/4 cups Oreo crumbs
-1/4 cup melted butter
-2 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
-1 cup peanut butter (recipe calls for creamy, I used crunchy and it still turned out really good)
-1 cup sugar
-2 100 gram Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate
-1 1/2 cups thawed Cool Whip topping

Directions:

Mix Oreo crumbs and butter and press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate 10 minutes.
Beat cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar with mixer until well blended. Chop one of the Toblerone bars and add to cream cheese mixture; mix well. Whisk in 1 cup Cool Whip. Spoon over crust.
Refrigerate 3 hours.
Microwave remaining Cool Whip and chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on High 1 min.; cool slightly. Pour over cheesecake. Refrigerate until firm.
When ready to serve, run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; remove rim.

graduation cupcakes

2010-05-10T07:19:00.000-04:00

Celebrating a graduation soon? Here is a fun cupcake idea for you! Make graduation caps with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Keebler Fudge Shoppe Deluxe Grahams.

easy orange cream slush

2010-05-09T00:26:00.003-04:00

we've been sipping these all day as we work out in the yard.

i juiced valencia oranges for this recipe because we were overrun with them, but i think that regular OJ would work just as great.

ingredients (makes one glass):

1/2 c orange juice

1/4 c milk

1-2 tbs honey

8 ice cubes

directions:

combine the OJ, milk, honey, and ice cubes in blender until smooth and frothy-- enjoy!

cinnamon rolls

2010-05-08T09:18:00.005-04:00

I've tried making cinnamon rolls a couple times in the past, but they've never turned out all that well. I decided to give it a try again and WOW these puppies turned out amazing! Of course they would, they were my mother-in-law's recipe! They are super soft, moist, and light. Now we better give some away fast or else I'm in big trouble!

A funny story about this recipe: one thing I love about Chef Jeff is that he always has recipes written on random scraps of paper. Most of the time he has called his mom for a recipe and jotted it down on whatever paper he could find. The recipe I used today came from a random paper tucked away in one of our cookbooks. It was on a piece of junk mail from our college days. It also didn't have any instructions, just a list of ingredients. Here is the actual recipe I used:

Here is a version for you:

Ingredients

Dough

1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 egg
3 1/4 cups white flour (not whole wheat!)
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast

Filling

1 tablespoon butter, soft and spreadable
1 cup sugar (I used more like 3/4 cup or even less)
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Microwave milk for 1 minute
Pour in mixing bowl, add melted butter
Add yeast, sugar, salt, egg and mix well
Add flour and mix until doughy
Knead dough in bowl until it is no longer sticky, but still flexible. You may need to add a little more flour as you knead.
Grease a larger mixing bowl and place dough in the bowl
Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 9x15 inch rectangle
Spread butter on dough
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle on the buttered dough
Roll the dough and cut into 12 parts
Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan
Add cinnamon rolls to pan leaving space between each roll
Cover and let rise in a warm place until they are big and fluffy
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes
Glaze: mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth, drizzle over warm rolls

picnic pasta salad

2010-05-07T07:14:00.003-04:00

I love a nice cold pasta salad on a hot summer day. I recently had a lovely BBQ picnic with some great friends. We enjoyed hamburgers, hotdogs, and all sorts of tasty picnic foods. I brought this pasta salad along and I loved it.

Ingredients

8 oz. whole wheat spiral pasta
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
2 carrots
1 tomato
peas
1/3 of an onion
1/2 cup raw almonds
1 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, cubed
1 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
italian salad dressing

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions on package
While pasta cooks, chop up all veggies (and technically fruits, right?) into tiny pieces
Rinse pasta with cold water and place in a large bowl
Add veggies (and fruits), cheese, and almonds to pasta
Pour salad dressing into bowl (just enough to moisten everything)
It's best if you let the salad sit in the refrigerator overnight
You may need to add a little more salad dressing to re-moisten the salad when you are ready to serve it

This recipe makes a GIANT bowl of pasta salad so be prepared for leftovers or just invite more people to your picnic!

crock pot honey mustard chicken

2010-05-04T21:22:00.002-04:00

Oh, how I love a good crock pot recipe and this one is a keeper! With the heat of summer well on it's way, I've been looking for ways to "cook" without having to heat up my house with the oven. Chef Jeff and I both loved this!

Ingredients

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup gray poupoun mustard
1/3 cup onions, diced (highly recommended!!!)
1 teaspoon curry
1/4 cup water

Directions

Place frozen chicken breast in crock pot
Add honey, mustard, onions, curry, and water
Cook on a high setting for approximately 3 hours

remember jaime's chocolate mint cookies?

2010-05-03T15:32:00.006-04:00

Chef Jeff and I just made the chocolate mint cookies that finemealwoman contributor Jaime shared with us all at the beginning of the year. The recipe was very simple and they turned out really well. We even used all whole wheat flour for our cookies. I will definitely be making these again. I think I'll try making some larger cookies and using them for ice cream sandwiches. MMMmmm these cookies and homemade ice cream... that sounds divine, especially with the heat of summer approaching! Thanks again Jaime for sharing the recipe!

Citrus-Tarragon Chicken (for kabobs)

2010-05-03T08:44:00.001-04:00

Ingredients:
1. 1 orange, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
2. 1 lemon, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
3. 1 lime, zested, then juiced, remainder discarded
4. 4 cloves garlic, minced
5. 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
6. 1/4 cup soy sauce
7. 1/4 cup canola oil (or olive oil … I normally use olive oil)
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:
Add all the ingredients to a large (gallon sized) zip lock bag. Toss/massage chicken pieces into marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours to 24 hours (depending on the level of flavor you desire). Either put chicken on skewers to barbeque or put in a sauté pan to sauté.

*My family prefers to leave the chicken to marinate for 24 hours, as the flavors intensify.

*Also this makes a ton of marinade, so you could easily do up to 2 pounds of chicken for this recipe and have plenty enough marinade for all the chicken.

*This recipe was taken from foodnetwork.com and is from Bob Blumer.

No Bake Chocolate Truffle Pie

2010-05-03T08:34:00.001-04:00

Ingredients
1. ½ cup pecan pieces, toasted and coarsely chopped.
2. 1 x 6 oz ready-to-fill chocolate flavored crumb crust
3. ¾ cup (5 oz) individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
4. ¼ cup canned evaporated milk
5. 1 ½ cups (9 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
6. 1 cup heavy whipping cream
7. 3 tablespoons of butter
8. Garnish: if desired sweetened whipped cream

Directions
Step 1: sprinkle pecans in an even layer on crust
Step 2: heat caramels and evaporated milk in either a heavy saucepan over low heat or in a bowl in the microwave. (If using the microwave, melt in 30 second intervals, stirring each time). Stir often until caramels have melted and mixture is smooth. Pour caramel mixture over pecans.
Step 3: heat chocolate chips, cream, and butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Stirring until the chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour over caramel layer and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until set.
Step 4: serve with either piped or spooned whipped cream.

*So, I made this last Saturday, I ended up doubling the caramel step because when I made the first batch of caramel it over flowed slightly in the microwave. Also, because my husband doesn’t eat nuts, I made a section that didn’t have nuts in it, that required extra caramel to cover all the pecans. You could omit the nuts and just have caramel and chocolate, if you’re not a nut fan either. I actually let this cake set up over night, and it was really good. Next time though, I would either make my own crust or get a better quality crust, because it was very crumbly and didn’t cut very well. Also, I didn't end up serving it with whipped cream, because I forgot!

*Also, I didn't come up with this recipe, it was pulled from a magazine 5 to 7 years ago, and I don't remember which one, if someone knows where the credit should go to, please let me know.

chicken fajitas with homemade whole wheat tortillas

2010-04-30T08:02:00.000-04:00

My friend Heidi has a recipe blog that I love called Food of Good Report. She has great ideas and works really hard to feed her family good food. I really admire her. She recently posted a recipe for chicken fajitas that sounded so good I just had to try it! I didn't have all of the ingredients, but I used what I did have and improvised here and there. The fajitas turned out to be incredible! I will be making these a regular around our house!

Also, ever since finemealwoman contributor Echo posted her homemade tortilla recipe (with a recipe for green chili stew), I've been wanting to make my own tortillas. I used all whole wheat flour for mine and they were delicious. I love how they didn't fall apart like store bought tortillas. They were inexpensive, easy to make, and had a whole lot more flavor. Plus, I always have the ingredients on hand... water, flour, baking powder, and salt. The only trick was keeping my son from poking holes in them while I rolled them out.

Thank you Heidi and Echo for your fabulous recipes! Chef Jeff is also very appreciative! I owe ya ladies!

Dolmades

2010-04-29T17:25:00.004-04:00

These were a labor of love, as my husband likes them but they require a lot of time. I happened to have a lot of swiss chard around, which this recipe calls for instead of grape leaves, so I thought I'd give it a try.

Ingredients:

5 Tbs EVOO

1 chopped red onion

1/2 c short grain brown rice soaked in very hot water for 10 min, rinsed and drained

1/2 c chickpeas soaked overnight, peeled and halved

3/4 c chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp hot paprika

1/8 tsp sweet paprika

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 c parsley chopped

3 Tbs slivered mint leaves

1 tsp sugar

2 lbs swiss chard leaves

1 1/2 c water

3 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Directions:

in a 10 in skillet, warm the oil and add the onion, cover and cook for five minutes or until the onion is soft and golden. remove from heat and tilt into a mixing bowl. add the rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, salt, paprikas, spices, parsley, mint, and sugar. mix well.

rinse and drain swiss chard leaves. remove the stalks from the greens and reserve for a later use. if the leaves are large half them lengthwise removing center rib. dip leaves into simmering water until pliable- several seconds. and refresh in a basin of cool water. drain.

to fill: place leaves shiny side down on a towel and blot off excess water with another towel. place a heaping teaspoon of filling near the bottom of each leaf. fold over the filling and roll up to make a firm, thin cigarette shape. repeat with the remaining leaves and filling.

place the stuffed leaves open ends down in tightly packed rows, criss-crossing layers. weighing them down with a plate just large enough to fit inside the saucepan. pour the water down the inside of the saucepan and bring to boil. boil hard for a half of minute, cover with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 min. remove from heat and let stand 20 min before uncovering. add lemon juice to pan juices and swirl to combine. serve warm or cold.

she seriously ate like five of them:

tip: to peel chickpeas relatively easily, place them on a kitchen towel and cover them with another towel. gently hit them several time with a rolling pin then rub it over them a few times. the peas should split in two and it will loosen the skins.

veggie wraps

2010-04-28T08:41:00.001-04:00

This is a really tasty, light, and quick meal. You can also customize it all you want with different veggies, sauces, and cheese. You could even add some grilled chicken if just veggies isn't your thing. Here's how I recently made it and the flavors worked very well together.

Ingredients

1 summer squash
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
olive oil
black pepper
grey poupon
white honey balsamic salad dressing
sharp white cheddar cheese
whole grain tortillas

Directions

Sautée veggies in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and pepper
Place tortillas on a plate, spread Grey Poupon on tortilla
Add a couple slices of white cheddar cheese, veggies, and a bit of salad dressing
Wrap up and enjoy!

Tip: I use a toothpick to keep the wrap together.

turkey, green bean, and rice casserole

2010-04-26T07:21:00.001-04:00

This is one of my favorite comfort food casseroles. It isn't pretty, but it is a classic around our house. It's also a simple meal that you can make and freeze for "one of those days" when cooking a meal just isn't going to work. I always have the ingredients on-hand and it's always tasty.

Ingredients

1 lb. ground turkey
1 12 oz. box of roasted red pepper and tomato soup
1-2 cans of green beans
3 cups rice
1 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
Black pepper

Directions

Cook rice in rice cooker
Brown turkey in a skillet with a bit of olive oil
Place rice in a 9x13 in. baking dish
Add turkey, green beans, and soup
Mix together
Sprinkle cheese on top and add black pepper
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes

for the love of asparagus

2010-04-24T14:55:00.003-04:00

It's April and you know what that means.... Asparagus! Since there is such a tiny window when it's at its best I like to eat a lot of it. Here is a favorite and easy recipe I've been using lately:

Roasted Asparagus

one bunch asparagus woody ends trimmed

several tablespoons olive oil

1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

1)preheat oven to 425 F

2)on a cookie sheet covered in foil, toss asparagus with enough olive oil to coat well

3) squeeze lemon over the asparagus

4) season with salt and pepper to liking

5) roast in oven for 10-15 min or until a fork will easily pierce through

grilled red pepper and goat cheese sandwich

2010-04-23T07:58:00.000-04:00

I absolutely LOVED this dinner! It was fast and just incredibly flavorful!

Ingredients

Flat bread
Red bell pepper, sliced
Goat cheese
Olive oil
Black pepper

Directions

Cut flat bread in half with a knife or pizza cutter
Spread a little bit of olive oil onto each piece of flat bread
Place on a cookie sheet
Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until the bread is a little crispy
Sautee the red bell peppers in a bit of olive oil and black pepper
Place peppers on the flat bread and top with crumbled goat cheese

Wowzers!

baked sweet potatoes

2010-04-22T19:57:00.000-04:00

I finally took a picture of our baked sweet potatoes and decided to repost the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 sweet potato per person
sour cream
green onion
pepper
crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wash sweet potatoes and place on cookie sheet
Bake for 1 hour or until them are soft when you poke them with a fork
Cut in half lengthwise
Top with sour cream, green onions, pepper, crushed red pepper or your favorite topping

Meatball Subs

2010-04-20T12:12:00.003-04:00

1 lb. lean ground turkey
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 large egg
1 1/2 t. Italian seasoning
2 t. salt
24 oz. tomato sauce
2 10-in. loaves of Italian or Sourdough bread
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, part skim

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place oven racks in top 1/3 of oven.
Line two large baking sheets with parchment or foil.
In a large bowl combine first six ingredients.
Shape into small balls to form meatballs and place on baking sheet.
Bake, shaking pans every 5 minutes to promote even baking, for a total of about 15 minutes.
While meatballs are cooking, slice bread into 4 even pieces.
When meatballs are done, remove and place bread on baking sheets. Place four meatballs on each sandwich and top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.
Bake until cheese is melted and they are heated through--about 5 minutes.

(This recipe is from Weightwatchers.com)

Funfetti Cupcakes

2010-04-13T16:12:00.004-04:00

Funfetti Cupcakes

I have looked for quite a while for a really good vanilla cake recipe--tried a lot of them--and finally found one that I really like. The frosting is delicious too. The frosting comes from my friend, Danna E.

Makes about 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

For funfetti cupcakes
1-1/4 cups AP flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, room temperature
1 large egg + 1 egg white, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk (or use half and half)

2 T. rainbow sprinkles

INSTRUCTIONS

To make cupcakes—
Preheat oven to 350F.

Line cupcake pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer, fitted with flat beater, beat the sugar and butter until well combined, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and egg white, one at a time, beating on low.

Then add vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Fold in rainbow sprinkles.

Fill cupcake liners about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake for about 17-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire cooling rack before frosting.

For the frosting, I whipped whipping cream and added a vanilla pudding mix towards the end of the whipping time. Then I added 2 t. vanilla extract. Perfect and not too sweet. I sprinkled some more sprinkles on top.

dried pineapple in cereal

2010-04-13T14:12:00.001-04:00

This isn't a recipe, but more of an idea...

I don't know what it is, but I just love dried pineapple in my Kashi 7 Whole Grain Nuggets. It makes me happy. You should try it! (This happy face was lovingly arranged in my bowl by Chef Jeff)

Tortellini Soup

2010-04-08T16:45:00.003-04:00

I love making soup, it is my go-to meal plan for dinner if I don't have a whole lot of time. Not sure what I will do in the summer, but for now here is a really fast recipe including carrots and peas (fresh or frozen- whatever happen to have), leeks (or onion), and a package of tortellini.

Tortellini Soup with Carrots, Peas and Leeks (adapted from Fine Cooking Nov. 2006)

1 large leek

1 tbs butter

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 or 3 carrots chopped

5 c veggie broth

8 oz package of cheese tortellini

1 c peas

salt and pepper to taste

1. trim and slice leeks, rinse well and drain.

2. melt butter in a large saucepan over med. heat. Add the garlic, leeks, and carrot. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender 5-10 min. Stir in pepper and cook about 20 seconds more, then add broth and bring to boil. Add tortellini and cook for about 3 min. Reduce heat to simmer and add the peas. Continue to simmer until the tortellini are cooks, about 3-5 min.

3. season to taste with salt and pepper, portion to bowls, top with the cheese of your choice, and enjoy!

Fruit Salsa

2010-03-25T15:55:00.002-04:00

I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. It is called Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon chips, and oh my, is it good! It is a great dessert to bring to a party or potluck and everyone who has tried it, loved it. The last time I made it for a party, my husband begged me to save some for him. :)

Ingredients

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled (or not), cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries (frozen works perfectly)
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
1 cup cinnamon sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries, white sugar, brown sugar and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.
Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

updates anyone?

2010-03-23T10:17:00.000-04:00

...just throwing this out there, but if any of you finemealwoman contributors want to update your picture or caption, just let me know. I'll be happy to make the changes.

carmalitos

2010-03-22T16:25:00.004-04:00

Made yesterday at about 3pm. Now it's today at about 3pm.
Notice the size of my pan: I made a double batch, which means I used about a pound of butter.

I hope I don't get in trouble for posting someone else's family's secret recipe. A college boyfriend of mine made these back in the day and gave me the recipe, and I have since commandeered it and gotten very popular because of it, so I guess it's too late. They were once called Oatmeal Chocolate Carmalitos, but they are just carmalitos now.

Caramel sauce:
Melt 33 caramels and 5T cream in a saucepan over lowish heat, stirring. Once it's melted, let it cool slightly.
OR if you don't have caramels, which I never do, you can make it yourself. I was so proud of myself yesterday for this part, because it was my first attempt and it went fine. (Which means it was EASY.) I got my caramel recipe from my Joy of Cooking book:
Mix 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Once it begins to boil, cover the saucepan and let it boil on high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover and continue to boil until the syrup begins to darken. Stir the sauce until it's "deep amber" (or if you're me, slightly caramel-colored). Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup butter (I added 1/4) and 1/2 cup cream. Stir until smooth. Add a bit of vanilla and salt and voila.

Crust:
Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup quick oats, 3/4 cup melted butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 tsp baking soda together until crumby.

The rest:
Heat the oven to 350. Press half of the crust in the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips over the hot crust. Then pour the caramel sauce over that. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over top. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.

They're really good cold. Or warm. Or room temperature.

spicy turkey wraps

2010-03-21T21:29:00.004-04:00

This is one of our favorite meals and one that I frequently make. It is super fast and tasty.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
1/2 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 red pepper, diced (not pictured since I didn't have one)
1 tablespoon chili powder
ground pepper
flatbread
tabasco

Directions

Pour olive oil into a skillet and brown the turkey and onions
Add chili powder, ground pepper, and red pepper
Spoon meat onto flatbread
Add tomato, sour cream, tabasco
Wrap it up and serve

cheesy pretzels

2010-03-20T07:29:00.000-04:00

Chef Jeff made these AMAZING cheesy pretzels the other night and they were delicious! The recipe comes from the Betty Crocker: Baking for Today cookbook.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 oz.)
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
Coarse salt, if desired

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or spay with cooking spray.
Ina bowl, mix all ingredients except egg and coarse salt with a fork. On lightly floured surface, gently smooth dough into a ball. Knead 10 times. Divide dough in half.
Roll 1/2 of the dough into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle. Cut rectangle lengthwise into eight 1 inch strips. Make each strip narrower by folding it in half lengthwise. Pinch edges to seat. Twist each strip into a pretzel shape and place, seam side down, on cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, beat egg with fork. Brush egg over pretzels; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Repeat with remaining half of dough.

honey oat bread

2010-03-18T07:20:00.002-04:00

As you may know, I've been experimenting with my bread recipe and came up with this variation. It turned out really well and I will be making it again for sure!

Ingredients

2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup oat flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg
1/4cup oil
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 cups whole wheat flour

Directions

Mix warm water, yeast, sugar, and honey
Proof yeast
Add salt, wheat germ, oat flour, whole wheat flour (just 1 cup)
Mix well
Add egg and oil
Add oats and remaining whole wheat flour (gradually)
Let rise for 30 minutes to 1 hour
Sprinkle a bit of flour on a clean counter
Divide dough in half
Shape into 2 bread loves and place in bread pans
Let rise another 30 minutes to 1 hour
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes

I like to double the recipe and make 4 loaves, 1 for now and 3 in the freezer. I just place the individual loaves in a gallon size Ziploc bag.

Irish Soda Bread

2010-03-17T12:14:00.003-04:00

Sheila Aran Seard
Irish Soda Bread

4 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. soda
1 t. salt
2 eggs beaten
2 c. buttermilk
2 T. butter, melted

Blend ingredients until just moist. Put into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
I sometimes half the recipe and put into a square baking dish and that works fine too.

Cabbage and Cheddar Gratin

2010-03-16T12:39:00.002-04:00

Every St. Patrick's Day I try to make an Irish dinner and when I saw this recipe on Whole Foods Market website, I decided to include it this year. So I haven't made it yet, but plan to tomorrow, and thought I'd post it today in case any one else wants to make it for tomorrow.

1 1/4 c. shredded Australian cheddar, divided (I found this at Whole Foods)
3 c. (about 1/2 head) chopped green cabbage
3/4 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 c. medium grind yellow cornmeal
3 T. chopped herbs such as thyme or dill or parsley
2 T. Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Set oven to 350 degrees.
Set aside 1/2 c. cheese.
Toss remaining ingredients in a bowl and transfer to a 8-in. square baking dish.
Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and top with reserved cheese and bake until golden brown. (10 minutes more)

I will serve this with corned beef
and Irish soda bread (which is delicious and I will try to post the recipe today).

tomato goat cheese sandwich

2010-03-16T07:17:00.000-04:00

My one year old devoured this sandwich the other day.

Ingredients

Bread
Goat cheese
2 tomato slices

Directions

Spread goat cheese on bread
Add tomato
Put it together
And pig out like my son!

baked sweet potato

2010-03-14T07:12:00.001-04:00

This is a favorite go-to recipe on a day when I really don't feel like cooking. I cook them just like a baked potato. Pop it in the oven for an hour and go on with your life knowing that a tasty dinner will be ready before you know it. For us, this is a main dish that I will serve with another veggie or a salad.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato per person
sour cream
green onion
pepper
crushed red pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wash sweet potatoes and place on cookie sheet
Bake for 1 hour or until them are soft when you poke them with a fork
Cut in half lengthwise
Top with sour cream, green onions, pepper, crushed red pepper or your favorite topping

three cheese pasta (or cleaning out the cheese drawer pasta)

2010-03-12T12:57:00.007-05:00

I made up this cheesy pasta sauce from three cheeses I had in the refrigerator that needed to be used up. I don't even know what one of them was. I bought it at Whole Foods a little while ago when I wanted something new and I can't remember what kind of cheese it was. For now, we will call it "mystery cheese." The point of this recipe is just a way to use up leftover cheese.

Ingredients

Penne pasta
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sharp white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mystery white cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
Ground pepper
1 tomato, diced
3 green onions, chopped

Directions

Cook pasta according to directions on package
While pasta cooks, place butter, garlic, and onion is a sauce pan and cook them until they start to golden
Add evaporated milk, flour, 3 cheeses, pepper
Still until sauce is smooth
Drain pasta then put it back into the pot
Pour cheesy sauce onto pasta and mix well
Place tomato and green onion on top

Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Pancakes

2010-03-10T13:29:00.004-05:00

These are super good for you with no added oil or butter but the bananas make them really moist and fluffy and the blueberries make them sweet. Try them!

1 c. whole wheat flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 c. flour
2 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
3 ripe bananas
1 c. milk (I use rice milk)
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 c. blueberries

Heat griddle and spray with cooking spray.
Mix dry ingredients.
Mash bananas and mix wet ingredients. (I put these in the blender)
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients until just blended. Some lumps are okay.
Ladle batter into griddle and then add blueberries on top of pancakes.
Cook 2-3 minutes--turn--cook 1 min more.
I spray cooking spray again between each batch.
Enjoy!

grilled cheese sandwiches

2010-03-04T07:56:00.002-05:00

There is nothing quite like a good grilled cheese sandwich! We like to make ours spicy and on homemade bread.

Ingredients

Bread
Pepper jack cheese, sliced
Butter
1/4 cup onion, chopped
Chipotle Tabasco

Directions

Butter bread
Add cheese, onions, and Tabasco to bread
Grill on skillet with a bit of olive oil (flipping occasionally) or use a sandwich maker
Serve with tomato soup

turkey helper

2010-03-03T07:43:00.000-05:00

I don't think I ever had Hamburger Helper growing up, but I based this meal off of that general idea.

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
Pasta noodles of your choice
5 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can tomato paste
Water equivalent to 2 empty cans of tomato paste
1 tablespoon italian seasoning

Directions

Boil water in a large pot, add pasta and cook until noodles are to your liking.
While pasta cooks, brown turkey in a large skillet with olive oil, garlic, and onion. Stir frequently.
While turkey cooks, mix tomato paste with water; add italian seasoning.
Pour sauce over the thoroughly cooked turkey.
Drain pasta when done and add to turkey and sauce.
Mix well and serve with grated parmesan cheese.

maple pecan granola

2010-03-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

After a break from granola making, I am back at it and loving it.

Ingredients

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup flax seeds
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Salt, to taste
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions

Combine oats, nuts, wheat germ, salt and flax seeds in large mixing bowl; mix well and set aside.
Combine agave, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, syrup and salt in saucepan; bring to boil and cook one minute.
Pour agave mixture over oat mixture and toss until well blended.
Sprinkle brown sugar over the mixture and blend.
Spread in lightly greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until lightly browned; stir every 5 minutes. Cool. Crumble and store in airtight container in the refrigerator.

NOW YOU CAN SEARCH FINEMEALWOMAN!

2010-03-01T22:39:00.001-05:00

Did you notice the new search bar on the right? Chef Jeff added it and I am thrilled! Happy searching!

wonderful-er waffles

2010-03-01T10:25:00.004-05:00

I have a new favorite waffle recipe to share. They are incredibly tasty and really simple to make. Happy breakfast!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup oats
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs
2 cups soy milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions

Mix dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well
Pour batter onto waffle iron following the manufacturer's directions

Biscuits and Gravy

2010-02-28T16:35:00.005-05:00

mmmmmmmmmm....

I have never been successful at making a decent sausage gravy. My attempts have always been pathetic, but don't ask me why I didn't just look up a recipe before I did this one. DUH! These huge biscuits are delicious and so is the gravy, and both are ridiculously easy to make. If you don't want to make biscuits, the gravy is very good over a piece of toast as well. yum! I, of course, got the recipe for both the biscuits and gravy from allrecipes.com.

J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (in the pic above, I used half white and half wheat and they were still really good!)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/3 cup shortening (I use butter, works just as well)
1 cup milk

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl (sometimes you don't need all the milk, so add a bit at a time).
3.Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used (about 6). Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4.Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

Super Sausage Gravy

Ingredients

1 pound Bob Evans® Original Recipe Sausage Roll (you can use any kind you like)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

1.Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot over biscuits. Refrigerate leftovers.

Spicy Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken

2010-02-26T13:47:00.003-05:00

Spicy Mac and Cheese with Broccoli and Chicken

I have a difficult time finding recipes that all my family likes. Three of my four kids like this one which is a big deal. I sometimes omit the chicken if I'm in a hurry and that works too for a meatless dinner.

2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small onion-chopped
1 lb macaroni--I usually use corkscrew brown rice pasta
2 1/2 c. raw broccoli florets
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1/2 cayenne pepper (I usually use 1/4 t. so it's not quite so spicy for my kids although it still gives it quite a "kick")
1 t. paprika
2 c. milk
1 c. chicken stock
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
1 t. dijon mustard (opt.)

Cook pasta 5 minutes, then add broccoli and cook 3 more minutes or until al dente and the broccoli is tender.

While pasta cooks, heat medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter and melt, then add flour, cayenne pepper and paprika. Whisk until bubbly and then 1 more minute being careful not to burn. Whisk in milk and stock and raise heat to bring sauce to a quick boil. Simmer until thick about 5 minutes. (If it doesn't get really thick, it's fine.)

Drain pasta and add to pot with chicken.

Add cheese to milk sauce and melt. Stir in mustard if desired and season with salt and pepper.

I made this last night and meant to take pictures but it was all gobbled up before I had a chance to. I was tempted to take a picture of the little baby after eating it! He even loved it.

open faced quesidillas

2010-02-25T07:02:00.001-05:00

This is a super quick/go to recipe that is great for a busy evening.

Ingredients

Flat bread
Pepper jack cheese
Peppers
Onions
1 can of black beans (I soak and cook my own beans if I plan ahead)
Cilantro
Guacamole
Sour cream
Tabasco
Salsa
Ground cumin

Directions

Add cheese, onion, beans, peppers to flat bread and microwave for 25 seconds
Add remaining toppings of your choice
Cut into quarters with a pizza cutter