Nave Family Food: June 2010

6.30.2010

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6.28.2010

Chicken Nuggets Redo

I tried these again and they turned out so much better. There are still a few things I would tweak but I'll be making these often now.

Here's what I did:

Cut raw chicken into cubes and place in food processor. Process until chicken looks smooth and sort of pasty, or until there are no chunks. Add seasonings: I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Mix well.

Place oil in skillet and turn on medium high heat to get hot while you finish getting the nuggets ready. Place two eggs in a dish and beat. Place about a cup of flour in another dish. I didn't season my flour but I would suggest at least adding salt and pepper. As they say, you should season every layer.

Roll chicken mixture into little balls. Dip in flour, then egg, then back in flour. Flatten into a nugget shape. Do this with all of chicken mixture.

Place a few nuggets at a time in oil (once it's ready. Drip in a tiny bit of flour and if it bubbles up it's ready) and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Drain on paper towels to get off excess oil. Then eat or bag up for the freezer.

Lil' Cheddar Meatloaves

I thought I had already posted this but I didn't see it. I made these tonight but I don't have any pictures since I thought it was on here. However, I make these quite often so I'll get pictures next time! These are SO SO good!!

Lil' Cheddar Meatloaves

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 c chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp mustard

Beat egg and milk. Stir in cheese, oats, onion, and salt. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 8 loaves. Place in a 9 x 13 dish. Combine ketchup, sugar, and mustard. Spoon over loaves. Bake, uncovered, 350 degrees, for 45 minutes.

I usually double this and freeze a batch. I freeze without the ketchup sauce and add that before I cook them.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

I rolled these out too thin so they weren't much like a biscuit but they were tasty anyhow.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 heaping Tb sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup mashed, cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 cup softened butter
2 to 4 Tb milk (depending on the moisture of the potatoes)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a seperate large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes and butter. Add the flour mixture to the potato mixture and mix to make a soft dough. Then add milk a tablespoon at a time to mixture and continue to cut in. (Not sure what this means. I just added a tablespoon at a time until it seemed right!) Turn the dough out onto a floured board and toss lightly until the outside of the dough looks smooth. Roll the dough out to a 1/2 inch thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and coat tops with melted butter. Bake for about 15 minutes.

6.27.2010

Garden Update June 27

The garden does well and then the next week it's not. My potted zucchini that were taking off are now turning shriveled up and yellow. And the squash had lots of blooms that died and they're starting to turn yellow too. Any ideas? I think the garden needed some water but we were gone this weekend. However, it's storming pretty good right now so it's getting plenty at the moment!

Squash

Lima beans...have some bean pods but they're hard to see.

Carrots...not sure when to pick these but some are getting close.

Strawberries...starting to get some more berries on them.

Our watermelon. We have three or four others besides these are more blooms!

Corn...we hand fertilized this week.

Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks

These were so good they were gone before I had a chance to get a picture of the finished product! Next time I'm going to double or triple the recipe and freeze some.

Cheese Stuffed Breadsticks

1/2 Tb yeast
1/2 cup warm water (~120 degrees)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
~1 cup mozzarella cheese (either shredded or brick cheese works)

Mix together the yeast, water and sugar and let sit until the yeast in bubbling, a few minutes. Add in salt, olive oil and both flours to form a dough. (I also added some garlic powder and a dash of garlic salt) Knead until soft and let rest for 5-10 minutes, covered. Seperate dough into 6 chunks. Roll each into a breadstick.

Using a rolling pin, flatten each breadstick. Lay cheese, either cut strips (which I used) or shredded cheese, onto the center of the breadstick. Wrap the dough up over the cheese and seal tightly. The seals are easier to make when you use slices of cheese, but can still be done with shredded.

Cover and allow to rise fr ~10 minutes. Then, bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Menu June 25 thru July 1

Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - My 10 year class reunion
Sunday - Daughter's 2nd birthday: spaghetti, cheese stuffed breadsticks, watermelon, carrots and dip
Monday - Mini meatloaves, corn on the cob, calico beans
Tuesday - Chicken and Stuffing, fruit
Wednesday - Date Night!!!
Thursday - Burritos, fruit

6.23.2010

Honey Chicken Kebobs

Yum! That's all I have to say about this. And to adjust quantities to your family's needs. I just made the marinade and then added enough chicken and veggies for my family. This recipe calls for a lot more than I actually made.

Honey Chicken Kebobs

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic
5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
skewers

In large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Reserve a small amount of marinade to brush on kebobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onion, and peppers in the bowl. Marinate in fridge for 2 hours. (Or double the marinade and soak overnight.)

Preheat grill for high heat. Drain marinade from chicken and veggies and discard. Thread chicken and veggies on skewers. Lightly oil grill. Place the skewers on grill. Cook 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Oatmeal Brownies

These were very yummy! I cooked them for the 25 minutes but the middle was still very raw so I continued cooking them and eventually overbaked them. That aside, this is a good recipe. I also forgot to add the pecans into my mixture so I just sprinkled them on top which is what you see the most of. If they had been mixed it they would have looked a little better!

Oatmeal Brownies

1 1/2 c quick cooking oats
1 cup M&M mini baking bits (I couldn't find these so I just used regular and mini M&Ms)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 pkg fudge brownie mix (plus whatever ingredients the pkg calls for...eggs and oil probably)

Combine everything except brownie mix. Mix well. Set aside 1 cup for topping. Pat remaining mixture into greased 15 x 10 x 1 pan. Prepare brownie batter according to box. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool then cut.

Fish w/ Cheesy Garlic Cilantro Sauce

The cheese sauce for this turned out wonderful. However, next time I would use a less "fishy" tasting fish. I used sole but I think I would like tilapia or orange roughy better.

1/2 lb. (8 oz) Velveeta, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/4 cup milk

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tb chopped fresh cilantro

1 1/2 lb. cod fillets or steaks, cooked

Combine Velveeta, milk, and garlic in saucepan. Cook on low heat until completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Stir in cilantro. Spoon over fish.

This would be good on veggies too. In fact we ate it with our broccoli with this meal. I personally didn't think the cilantro added anything so I would probably leave that out next time. Or else it needed more because I didn't really taste the cilantro flavor unless there was a bit of cilantro in that particular bite.

6.20.2010

Meatball Sub Casserole

This came from the April/May 2010 issue of Taste of Home. It was pretty good, and of course freezer friendly. I would change two things: I would use less of the cream cheese mixture. I had a ton so I put it on heavily but you don't really need that much. And two, my husband requested more meatballs, and I agree that would be better.

Meatball Sub Casserole

1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 Tb grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb ground beef
1 loaf (1 lb) Italian bread, cut into 1 inch slices (I only used about half a loaf and it was plenty)
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 jar spaghetti sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced

In bowl combine onions, crumbs, Parmesan. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 1 inch balls; place on greased rack in a shallow pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until no longer pink.

Meanwhile arrange bread in a single layer in an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish. Combine cream cheese, mayo, Italian seasoning and pepper; spread over bread. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup mozzarella.

Combine sauce, water, and garlic; add meatballs. Pour over cheese mixture; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees, for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

6.19.2010

Sour Cream & Jam Muffins

I had some trouble with these but they taste good so I think they're worth sharing. I didn't have quite enough batter left to cover the tops so my muffin liners were wet and sticky from the jam. But I think if I had put enough batter on the top it wouldn't have done that. I'll be trying them again.

Sour Cream and Jam Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
preserves or jam of choice (I used homemade strawberry freezer jam)
additional sugar for topping, optional

Beat the butter and sugar together in mixing bowl until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Add egg and beat until well combined.

In small bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. In second small bowl or measuring cup, combine sour cream and vanilla. Add half the flour and half the sour cream mixtures to the mixing bowl and stir just until combined. Repeat with the remaining flour and sour cream, being careful not to overmix.

Grease and flour a muffin tin, or line with baking cups. Fill muffin cups 1/3 full with the batter. Add a dollop of jam or preserves on top of the batter and then top with remaining muffin batter. Sprinkle additional sugar over tops of muffins, if desired, for a crispy muffin top.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes for mini muffins, or 20-25 minutes for regular sized muffins. These muffins turn out incredibly moist and the flavors are delicate, so the jam is a perfect balance.

Chocolate Butterhorns

I found this recipe on Life as Mom when looking for things that are good for freezer cooking. I haven't tried them yet, so maybe I shouldn't post this, but they sure look good! I made a few adjustments, like adding some cinnamon sugar and coconut.

Chocolate Butterhorns

Dough:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 - 4 1/2 cups flour (I used 2 cups whole wheat and 2 cups all purpose. Then added in 1/3 cup flax seed as well)
1 tsp salt
1 Tb dry yeast, heaping

Rolls:
1-2 cups chocolate chips, depending on how chocolately you want them

Combine all dough ingredients in the pan of your bread machine according tot he manufacturer's directions. Set on dough cycle and start machine. When machine beeps, remove dough from pan and divide into four equal parts. (I ended up dividing into three parts, getting 8 triangles from each one.)

Roll each part into a 12 inch circle and cut each circle into 8 wedges. Sprinkle chocolate chips (and whatever else you may want in them) over the surface of each wedge. Roll each wedge like a crescent roll, starting with the bottom of the triangle and ending with the point.

If preparing ahead, place rolls, point down, on baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, place in freezer bags and store in freezer until needed.

To bake: Grease baking sheet or line with parchment or silpat mat. Place frozen rolls on prepared sheet. Allow to thaw and rise for five hours or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake rolls for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

6.18.2010

Garden Update June 18th

I missed my garden update last week but here it is now. It's doing very well other than some hail damage to some pepper plants.

Zucchini

The corn is as tall as me. Pretty big difference from my last blog post a week and half ago or so.

Squash getting some blooms.

Lima Beans

Have some carrots starting to show.

The strawberries have finally perked up and are looking so much better.

We have about five little watermelons so far. See a new one every other day or so.

No one warned me that watermelon take over the entire garden.

Onion

Tortellini Alfredo

Since we stayed gone an extra day, meaning we were gone for five days, I really didn't feel like cooking tonight when we got home. I threw some tortellini in some water, sauteed some veggies, and poured on a little alfredo sauce. Not the best meal but it sure was fast and tasty.

Apple Pie

I made this for the hubby before I left town. It's always a good one.

Apple Pie

two pie crusts (I just used the store kind this time around)

1/3 to 2/3 c sugar

1/4 c all purpose flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

dash of salt

8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (about 8 medium)

2 Tb butter or stick margarine, if desired

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.

Menu Week of June 18

We finally made it back home. Left Monday and stayed an extra day so didn't end up getting home until Friday.

Friday: fend for yourself since we just got back home
Saturday: bbq honey chicken kebobs, grilled asparagus and zucchini (from garden), fruit
Sunday: pork roast, corn on the cob, homemade crescent rolls
Monday: fish witih cheesy garlic cilantro sauce, broccoli
Tuesday: chicken pot pie (from freezer), fruit
Wednesday: meatball sub casserole, green beans, fruit
Thursday: leftovers

6.13.2010

Menu Monday 6-14-10

The kids and I are heading to KC for the week but I'm leaving my hubby some food for while we're gone, since he doesn't cook at all. I have no idea what we'll be eating in KC but I'm sure bbq will be one of the nights.

Friday - Eat Out
Saturday - daughter's bday party: sandwiches, pasta salad, chips, fruit, spinach herb dip with bread
Sunday - we ended up getting Dairy Queen instead of the ham and veggie primavera I was supposed to make
Monday (for hubby) - homemade mac n cheese from freezer
Tuesday (for hubby) - fajitas
Wednesday (for hubby) - homemade chicken nuggets
Thursday - we're home: either ham and veggie primavera I didn't make on Sunday or a tuna tortellini salad.

6.12.2010

Triple Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Bars

These are by no means good for you but they were very tasty. It was my first time using the cinnamon chips, which are hard to find up here, but next time I see them I'll be buying more and finding other recipes to use them in. And don't be alarmed...the batter if VERY thick but they turned out good for me, nice and chewy.

Triple Cinnamon Snickerdoodle Bars

2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 eggs
1 Tb pure vanilla extract
1 bag Hershey's cinnamon chips
3 Tb sugar
3 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish. In a seperate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and set aside. In another mixing bowl, beat together butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Stir in the flour mixture until well blended. Dump in the cinnamon chips and mix to evenly distribute. Spread evenly in your prepared dish. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture over top of dough. Bake 25 minutes, checking to see if center is done. Cool slightly. Cut into bars with sharp knife after cookies have cooled about 20 minutes.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

I used my strawberry freezer jam for this but you could use any fruit preserves. A good freezer food too.

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

Crumb Mixture:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1 1/2 cups fruit preserves
1/2 cup coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 dish. Combine crumb mixture ingredients. Mix together with stand or hand mixture until you have beautiful, fluffy like crumbs.

Reserve 1 cup of crumb mixture and press the rest of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. (Hint: Dip your fingers in some water first and the crumbs won't stick to you.) Spread the fruit preserves evenly over crumb mixture.

Sprinkle with coconut and evenly spread remaining 1 cup crumb mixture onver the coconut. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes until edges are golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in freezer. These are even good straight out of the freezer.

6.10.2010

Ham and Cheese Calzones

This is a keeper! This was extremely good. I wanted to eat more but made myself stop but I'm considering eating it for breakfast it was that good! Mostly because the bread was that good. You could put any filling in it, I just happened to do ham and cheese tonight. I'm going to try in the future:

--pizza
--bbq chicken
--chicken cordon bleu
--chicken parmesan
--meatball

And anything else I can think of because as I said...they are that good!

Ham and Cheese Calzones

1 cup water
1 Tb olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tb sugar
1 pkg yeast
whatever you want inside...in this case I had 10 slices of American cheese from the deli and some sliced ham from one I cooked a month or so ago and had in the freezer.
mustard, optional

Place the first 9 ingredients into bread machine on dough cycle. Once the cycle is complete, place dough on clean, floured surface. Knead into a ball. Divide into 2 balls. Further divide into 4 balls. And divide one more time into 8 little dough balls. (I took two of these balls and made them into four smaller "mini" calzones for the kids.)

Roll out the dough balls into rectangular oval-ish shapes. Place onto greased baking sheet. Place fillings onto one half of the dough. Fold the other half over filling. Pinch the edges together and crimp with fork if desired. I didn't do this for these but probably would if there were a sauce inside, like spaghetti or pizza sauce. Brush the top with some olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

These are very freezer friendly. Freeze after baking.

Eggs with Veggies

This is a quick and healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. All I do is sautee some veggies, in this instance I used a zucchini from the garden, some red pepper, eggplant, tomato, and onion, until they are a little soft. Then I add in some eggs/egg whites and cook until done. At the end I throw in some cilantro for a minute with the heat off. Then I top with a little bit of cheese, which could be omitted for less calories.

Franks and Beans

Not the most healthy recipe but my husband enjoys this one.

Franks and Beans

2 cans pork and beans
1 pkg (12 oz) hot dogs, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 Tb brown sugar
2 Tb worcestershire sauce
2 Tb mustard
1 pkg cornbread mix
1 c shredded cheddar

In bowl combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Transfer to a greased 9 inch dish. Prepare cornbread; stir in cheese. Drop by spoonfuls onto bean mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until heated through.

Serve: 6

NOTE: I do not put the cornbread on the beans to cook. I find putting bread on top of something moist makes it impossible to get done in the amount of time it should. Therefore I make the cornbread seperately and either eat them seperately or mix them together. It's good either way.

6.09.2010

Welcome Wednesday

Welcome to the "Welcome Wednesday" blog hop, hosted by Take It From Me! Welcome Wednesday is a great way to meet new people and learn new things as well as increase your blog followers! So let's have some fun!!

If you want to be a part of Welcome Wednesday, just follow these 5 simple steps:

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6.07.2010

Italian Focaccia Bread

This was good with our pasta that we had tonight but I think it would be good cut into breadsticks and dipped in marinara sauce. I think that will be my dinner tomorrow night.

Italian Focaccia Bread

2 Tb yeast
1 Tb sugar
1 C + 2 Tb warm water
1 Tb olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 Tb italian seasoning
3 c flour (I used 1 1/2 whole wheat and 1 1/2 all purpose)

Topping:
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 c parmesan cheese
sea salt

I also used garlic powder.

Combine yeast and water in mixer. Allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add in oil, sugar, salt, and spices. Add flour and knead until well combined. (I had to add a few more teaspoons of water because mine was a little dry so just check it and add some water if needed.) Cover and let rise for 1 hour. You can make dough up to 24 hours in advance--cover with plastic wrap and store in fridge until ready to use.

Preheat oven 425 degrees. Press dough into a 12 inch circle. Drizzle with olive oil and then press indentations into the dough. Cover with cheese and additional spices. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until dough is puffed and golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve.

Butternut Squash Pasta

This was a recipe I found when trying to find things with vegetables that we may like. It is actually a Weight Watcher recipe but I'm not good at measuring things so technically there is probably more cheese and nuts than there should be. It tasted pretty good. It wasn't great but I think if there had been a little more sauce, or a tad more cheese, it might have been a little better. I would make it again.

Butternut Squash Pasta

cooking spray
20 oz butternut squash, fresh, peeled, and cubed
12 oz uncooked whole wheat pasta, penne
1 1/4 c skim milk
2 Tb all purpose flour
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper, or to taste
1 Tb thyme, fresh, chopped, divided (or I just used a small dash of dried, probably 1/2 Tb)
1/2 c park skim ricotta cheese
1/3 c grated parmesan
1/4 c chopped walnuts, toasted

Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. (I sprinkled with a little olive oil, sea salt, and pepper)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash on prepared baking sheet; roast 20 to 30 minutes until tender. Place in large bowl and mash.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. After squash has been roasting for about 1o minutes, cook pasta according to directions; drain and return to pot.

In medium saucepan, whisk together milk, flour, garlic, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, whisking frequently; reduce to low and simmer, stirring often, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in mashed squash and 2 1/2 tsp of thyme. Add sauce to pasta; toss to mix and coat.

Transfer pasta mixture to prepared baking dish; dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and then sprinkle with parmesan and walnuts. Bake until top is lightly browned in a few spots, about 15 to 20 minutes; remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp thyme.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

I tried homemade chicken nuggets today. They didn't turn out really like I expected so I'll try them again. I think it's because I cooked the chicken first before putting it in the food processor and according to a video I saw on making chicken nuggets like McDonald's, you process it raw and then they cook when you fry them.

I did decide to still fry them in a little oil. I figured that it's still better that I'm making them homemade than not, and wanted the taste and texture to be similar to what the kids are used to.

So for now, just know I'm working on this one and hopefully I'll get it figured out soon and post a recipe.