"Honey, What Are We Having Tonight?"

Glazed Lemon Cookies by Martha Stewart

2009-05-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

This is on p 142 of the lastest issue of Everyday Food magazine. Chad couldn't get enough of them so I decided to post it here.

It says "always zest the lemons (preferably with a microplane tool) before juicing them. For orange- or lime-flavored cookies, substitute the zest and juice of those fruits."

A:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest

B:
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg (I used a med egg and about a tsp of white vinegar-vinegar adds moistness to desserts and can be used as a substitute for eggs)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

lemon glaze- in a med bowl wisk 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 tbsp finely grated lemon zest and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350. whisk A ingredients in a bowl. In a large bowl beat butter and gran. sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the rest of the B ingredients and beat until combined. Then beat in the A ingredients with mixer on low speed.
Drop dough by heaping teaspoons 1 inch apart onto baking sheets. bake 15-20 minutes until edges are golden. top with lemon glaze if you like.

We made half the amount of lemon glaze and used about 1/4 of that. I don't like super sugary cookies so we only glazed half the cookies. They are good both ways. I'm excited to try lime cookies.

Clam Linguine

2009-02-12T10:16:00.000-08:00

I made this for dinner last night. I think it's now one of my favorite dishes! It was super easy and quick, and tasted great. We had broccoli and french bread on the side. Here's the recipe. You may be turned away from clams, but it really is pretty good, and not very fishy. I was surprised that Kimi even liked it, so you might even try it with those stingy eaters!

Clam Linguine

1 (8oz.) pkg dry linguine
1 (6.5oz.) can minced or chopped clams
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter or margarine
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/4-1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
2 T. fresh parsley (I used dried and was fine)
grated parm. cheese
Creole seasoning

Cook linguine according to the directions; drain and keep hot.
Meanwhile, drain clams and reserve liquid. In a 2 qt. saucepan over med-high heat, heat olive oil and butter until melted. Add garlic and cook and stir for 2-3 min (do not brown garlic). Carefully add reserved clam liquid, pepper, basil, and oregano to saucepan. Reduce heat to simmer, uncovered for 3 min. Stir in clams; simmer until heated through. Add parsley into clam sauce. Pour clam sauce over hot linguine and toss gently. Season to taste with creole seasoning (don't use too much since it can get too salty, and spicy if you don't like spicy). Sprinkel with parm cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4-6.

Cherry Pie Calzone

2009-01-31T20:37:00.000-08:00

For Chad's birthday party I made him this quarter cake that had cake, cherry pie, pizza, and quiche. The picture explains it a lot better than I did. I had to figure out a way to keep the pie filling from spilling out onto the other foods so I came up with the calzone idea. It was actually pretty simple but the directions make it sound really complicated.
I made the pie crust then rolled out the dough into two circles according to the directions. Then I cut an edge off to make it into a crescent. I placed it in the pie tin as if it was the full crust so it hung just over the edges of the tin. I took one corner of the crescent and folded it over without letting it stick to the itself. This was the only tricky part. In order to fold over the other side and complete the calzone without making it too bulky on top I had to cut off the part of the dough that would have been sandwiched in between the two top layers of crust. I don't know if this makes any sense, sorry. Then I used two knives to hold up the top layers of crust while Chad poured the filling into the pouch. I closed it up over the filling and, like a normal pie crust, folded the edge over onto the top layer.
But then I didn't want the calzone portion to get filling on it from the rest of the pie so I put a layer of foil on both sides of my calzone portion and formed the rest of the pie crust dough around the calzone so the larger 3/4ths of the pie was separated from the calzone portion by a layer of foil and crust.
I'm sure there are other simpler ways to do this, but I was really proud of my idea and someday I am going to make four calzone pies in one pie pan. Its like having a personal pie.

Fruit Dip

2009-01-28T07:15:00.001-08:00

This was really good, and I just kinda threw it together at the last minute. It's a light version of a fruit dip--you don't feel like you are eating a dessert.

1 c. yogurt (I used strawberry and vanilla)
3/4 to 1 c. cool whip (I used light for lower fat)
cream cheese (I only used about 2 or 3 oz, but can be left out)
cinnamon (I used about 1/2 tsp)

I think the cinnamon gave a nice taste to it. The nice think about fruit dip is you don't have to be exact with measurements--you just kinda throw it together. And it helped Kimi eat the whole fruit including the skin.

Cranberry Nut Bread

2009-01-22T19:06:00.001-08:00

Due to popular request, ok, so just one person, I am posting the Cranberry bread recipe I made yesterday for Enrichment. It comes from an old Cape Cod cook book and is one my mom used to make a lot (and she is pretty much the best cook in the world)

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tbsp. butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (Optional)
1 cup sliced cranberries
2 tbsp orange zest
juice from 1 orange with enough water to equal 3/4 cup

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg. Add dry ingredients alternating with the juice and water mixture.
Add nuts and cranberries.
Bake at 350 in greased loaf pan for 1 hour.
Makes one loaf.

I'm pretty lazy, so i just kind of threw it all in there and mixed it up. It still turned out great.

Four Cheese Fettuccini

2009-01-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

In honor of being able to eat all dairy again I made this four cheese fettuccini casserole. I don't usually like white sauce pastas so my husband asked why I made it. Well, if you're going to go back to dairy after six months this is the way to do it! And for a girl who doesn't like cream sauce this was pretty good especially on top of a piece of bread.
the recipe (keep in mind I bought as many lower fat versions of things as possible):

8 oz cooked fettuccine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg cream cheese, cubed
3 large mushrooms sliced
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
garlic powder to taste
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
2 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken (I cooked it with a lot of italian seasoning and spices since the rest of the dish is lacking in spice you really want the chicken and the breadcrumbs to stand out)

topping:
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (it's easy to make your own. I put the two heels of multigrain farm bread in my mini food processor with a lot of itialian seasoning and it turned out fabulous)
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp oil
1 - 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1. in a large sauce pan mix all ingredients except the fettuccini. cook on medium and stir until all cheeses are melted. stir in fettuccini and pour into a greased baking dish.
2. Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the rest.
3. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. uncover and bake another 5 - 10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with multigrain bread and any kind of green vegetable

Taco Soup

2008-12-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Taco Soup

1 Medium onion, diced
1 lb of ground beef
1 can Mexican style tomato stew
1 can corn
1 can black bean
2 packages taco seasoning
3 cup water

First cook onion in small amount of oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef when onion is soft. When ground beef is cooked, transfer the onion and beef mixture to a large pot. Add tomato (with all liquid from can), corn (with all liquid from can), black bean (with all liquid from can) and 1 1/2 packages of taco season in pot as well. Bring everything to boil then add 3 cups of water and taco seasoning to taste. Bring the soup to boil. Then it's ready to serve.

Instead of adding everything to a pot, I used my crock pot. I first cooked the onion and beef, then cook everything on low in the crock pot for until the soup is warm. Making this an easy dinner. Enjoy!

If you love this blog...

2008-11-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

....Please send Rachel Ricks your
email address so you can post too!!

My email is Littlestarrae@yahoo.com

Thanks to everyone who is participating!

Ham Bone Soup

2008-11-18T15:20:00.000-08:00

My grandma makes this soup so I called her to get the recipe and of course she just uses the recipe on the back of the bag of dried peas. The recipe varies depending on what brand peas you use, but here is the one on the Albertson's split peas.

1/2 lb green split peas
4 cups water
1 meaty ham bone
1 Bay leaf
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrots
1/2 tsp salt (no need, I just used pepper)
1 garlic clove, minced

wash, sort and drain green split peas. Combine all ingredients in large pot with lid. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered, approximately one hour or until cooked through and stir occasionally. Before serving cut ham off bone, dice it, and replace in soup.
Apparently this recipe makes a very thick soup so it says you can thin it by adding a small amount of water, chicken or beef stock, light cream, or undiluted evaporated milk.
I actually made the soup by using parts of both recipes (the one my grandma gave me and this one). The other recipe called for 2 quarts of water instead of 4 cups. And of coarse I changed a few of the other ingredient amounts based on what I have as always. My grandma's recipe also said to cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, so I let my soup cook for about 2 1/2 hours. It was good, but next time I might do a little less water than 2 quarts and more carrots because I love cooked carrots.

Shrimp Creole

2008-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the original recipe, but I altered it moderately since I didn't have some of the same ingredients.

1 cup onions (I used green onions tonight)
2 Tab. butter (I used a little olive oil for a healthier saute)
1/2 c green pepper (I omitted these since I had none)
1/4 c celery, diced (I used more since I had no green peppers)
1/4 tsp parsley
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (omit if you don't like spicy)
1 bay leaf
1 6oz can tomato paste
2 cups water
8 oz baby shrimp (I used tilapia since that's what I had)

Saute onions, green peppers and celery in butter. Add tomato paste and seasonings. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer. Keep lid on and simmer for 15-20 mi. Add shrimp and cook until heated through. Serve over rice.

I was surprised at how well it turned out, even though I changed the recipe quite a bit. It serves about 5 or 6 (or 4 large servings). The tilapia was definitely a little less fishy than the shrimp version.

Chowder

2008-11-17T15:17:00.000-08:00

So, my husband wanted clam chowder tonight. I was maybe going to be going to my grandma's, so I decided to put it together during quiet time. Boy am I glad I did. It took me twice as long as it usually does! AHHH. First, I had cut all my veggies, and I found that I had no clams, so then I decided to use bacon and use the grease for my white sauce. Well, frying bacon just takes a lot longer than opening a can of clams. Then, I got out my milk and realized I only had like 3 cups of milk, so I had to use powdered milk for at least half of the sauce...wow, what a pain! Oh well, its done now and I hope it tastes ok. Here's the original recipe with my usual changes:

2 6 oz. cans minced or chopped clams
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
2 c. chopped potatoes
(I add abt. 1 c. chopped carrots too)

3/4 c. butter (I use 1/4 c.)
1/2 -3/4 c. flour (I use 1/4 c.)
4 c. (1 quart) half and half, or 1 can evaporated milk + milk to = 1 quart
(I've actually started just using regular milk and I add cornstarch to thicken in place of the butter and flour)

1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2. tsp. sugar

Cut veggies and put in sauce pan. Drain clam juice over veggies. (If I'm doing my low-fat version, I sometimes buy clam juice to add for even more flavor) Add enough water to barely cover. Simmer covered over med. heat until potatoes (and carrots) are tender (appx. 15-20 min)

Meanwhile, melt butter over med. heat, add flour and blend. Add cream (or milk and cornstarch) and stir until smooth and thick over med-high heat, using wire whisk. Add undrained veggies and clams and heat through. Season with salt, pepper, sugar (and I add parsley sometimes) to taste.

I also added a drained can of corn at the end. Well, I think my variation will taste ok. I've got it in my slow cooker on 1 1/2 (which is about keep warm in a crockpot), and it seems to be doing fine!
Other versions, include ham, corn, cheese, etc. My mom usually does ham or corn because I have picky siblings who hate clams, I don't have that problem. My girls love the chewiness, they think its like gum!!! HAHAHA.

No-Sauce Pasta

2008-11-16T12:16:00.000-08:00

I made this up in college when I had no food left and have loved it ever since. Not only is it sauceless but I make it all in one pot which is great for cleanup! There are several variations depending on what I have on hand, so let me start with the basics.

A hand full of whole wheat pasta, typically angel hair broken in half
and a handfull of plain pasta, sometimes fettuccine broken in half
cook and drain pan until there is just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan

Add enough olive oil to thinly coat pasta and cook on medium until the remaining water is cooked out.
mix in seasoning: season with italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to taste
after it gets on your plate top it with grated Parmesan cheese (not the kraft version please! get the good stuff)

Sometimes I add diced pork or chicken. Sometimes I add a half a can of drained petite diced tomatoes or fresh diced tomatoes and a pinch of chopped olives.

Today we had it like this:

same ingredients for pasta and olive oil
equal parts basil, oregano, and ground black pepper (1 tsp each?)
about 1/4 tsp salt, red pepper flakes, and dehydrated onion flakes
one clove pressed garlic
thinly cut pieces of left over spiral ham

With it we had sliced baguette sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with a Sicilian dipping seasoning, and we would have had acorn squash if we weren't too full. I just discovered it and I think its delicious. Just slice it in half, spoon out the seeds, place it face down on a plate and microwave it for 9 minutes until tender then spoon it out and mix it with a little butter and brown sugar or just eat it plain.

Sweet Potato Chutney

2008-11-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

We're having spiral ham , bagged gourmet caesar salad (purchase the almost expired ones at macey's. They have a dollar off coupon on the bag and a 75 cent coupon inside the bag right now that you can use on your next bag.), homemade rolls, and sweet potato chutney.

The recipe for the chutney is in the Better Homes and Gardens big red cookbook:

2 tbsp finely chopped shallots mixed with some red pepper flakes
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp dried cranberries
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (I use powdered)
1 med sweet potato peeled and chopped (chopped to the size of frozen carrots)

In a med saucepan combine all ingredients except sweet potato. Stir in sweet potato and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally while simmering.

This recipe serves four. I'm going to add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of crushed pineapple because my husband has to have pineapple with ham. I'm looking forward to tonight's pre-thanksgiving feast!

IT's strong at first, but really good!

Quick mini pizza

2008-11-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

I worked late today, so I just made these quick mini pizzas for dinner.

-English Muffins or sliced French bread
-Pasta Sauce
-Olives
-Pepperoni
-Shredded cheese
--or your favorite pizza toppings

Cut the English Muffins in half, the spread pasta sauce on them. Put toppings on your mini pizzas, add cheese. Then bake in the oven at 400 F for 7 minutes.

Brandon, my 8 year old, usually puts the toppings on. This is perfect for a quick after school snack as well. One Valentine's Day we even cut the English Muffin into heart shape! Enjoy!

Tomorrow will be better!

2008-11-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

Frozen food (not exciting) and Blondies- made without wheat, eggs, and milk. mmmmm

Pork Chops

2008-11-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Well, for dinner tonight I hope to make these apple-onion pork chops that are easy and nice from my quick cooking magazine. I also have some acorn squash I got at sunflower market for $.77/lb that I'll look up how long to bake in a cook book. Well, hope this goes all right. Enjoy!

Ratatouille

2008-11-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

I will be making ratatouille for dinner tonight...if all goes well. It will involve putting some tomato puree or sauce in a 9x13 pan and then slicing into thin circles: pealed eggplant ($.88 at sunflower) zucchini ($.79/lb at Maceys), tomatoes ($.99/lb at maceys), and onion. And arranging them domino style in the pan and sprinking salt, pepper, maybe basil, italian seasoning, and parmesan cheese on top and baking for 40 or 50 minutes at 350. Um...any questions? Well, as you can see this is a bit experimental, but I hope its good. Some recipes call for red pepper, but I didn't want to put any in. I might make some rice or noodles to go with it, and I hope my husband doesn't mind the lack of meat!

Enjoy! (I hope my kids do...)

Welcome to the blog!!

2008-11-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

This blog is for anyone who is tired of asking "what do you want for dinner tonight", anyone who is sick of starving or going out to dinner frequently because you don't know what to make and didn't plan ahead, and for anyone, really.

Since you're reading this I'm assuming, and hoping, you want to participate so I'll explain the purpose of this blog and lay down some rules.

Purpose:

To have an idea of what to make for dinner.

Rules:

1. You may post if I have your email address. I'll add you to the posting list by sending an email. You need to sign in with your google account (or create a new one if you need to).

2. You can post just what you're having for dinner. You can post what you're having for dinner and the recipe. Or, my personal favorite, you can post what you're having for dinner and invite a number of people to come over for dinner (first come first serve)!

3. You can post other things related to what you're having for dinner. This includes pictures of the food, cooking tips, suggestions on how to make this a great blog, and other interesting or creative food/eating ideas.

4. If you post a recipe please label the post under an established category so we can easily refer back to them. Categories include appetizer, bread, breakfast, casserole, cookies, crock pot, dessert, drink, grill, main dish, misc, salad, sandwich, side dish, soup, vegetable.

Thanks for joining!

Rachel Ricks