Gnocchi

Fresh, quick, easy, and oh so good!

This little number was a team effort. Jon did the meat and I did the side dish. Grilled bbq chicken, fresh tomatoes, and gnocchi with yellow squash & spinach. Fab-u-lous.

We spent the day at the beach poking giant jelly fish remains (one of them was about 16-17 inches in diameter!), picking up sea shells, playing in the sand, and simply being together. By the time we got home we were ravenous.

I pre-plan all my meals and this one is easy and quick. It came together in about 15 minutes. It was perfect for our hungry little tummies.

I was very surprised how much we liked this one- I don't usually like yellow squash. But kids, this is why we are doing this project. I would have never tried this recipe before. And now, we have a brand new side dish. YAY!

For those of you unfamiliar with gnocchi- it's a small potato dumpling of sorts. They can be found with the dried pasta in most supermarkets. This was our first time experimenting with gnocchi, and it was well worth it :)

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Gnocchi with Yellow Squash & Spinach
Serves 4
234 calories per

1 (1-pound) package vacuum-packed potato gnocchi
1 TBS olive oil
1 yellow squash(aka summer squash), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced *
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 (10-ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded smoked Gouda cheese or grated sharp provolone cheese

Cook gnocchi in boiling water according to package directions.

While gnocchi cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add spinach; cover and cook 2 minutes or just until spinach wilts. Reduce heat to low; stir in milk, pepper, and salt. Add gnocchi and cheese; stir gently.

Serve immediately.

* I would increase the amount of yellow squash in this to two if they are on the small side.

Chicken Hoisin Buns of deliciousness!

I don't have a lot to say about these. Mostly because my mouth is full. It's a little mini party in my mouth!

These mini bundles are a twist on traditional Chinese steamed buns aka dim sum (Which I also think is some kind of wonderful...)

These are sweet and savory. They are warm and soft with a hint of crunch from the sesame seeds. Bottom line, they are really tasty.

And, unbelievably simple to make!

Serve these guys up with soup or a salad for a complete meal.

Go, go to your kitchen and whip up a batch. Trust me, your family will love you. ;)

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Chicken Hoisin Buns
Makes 9
143 calories per

12 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1 1/2 TBS hoisin sauce
1 TBS oyster sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
9 frozen white roll dough pieces, thawed over night in the fridge
1 large egg, lightly beaten*
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Cool slightly; shred meat with 2 forks. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Add green onions, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, and vinegar; toss well to combine.

Roll each dough piece into a 4-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 2 tablespoons chicken mixture into center of each dough circle. Gather edges of dough over filling; pinch to seal. Place the filled dough, seam sides down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat filled dough with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.**

Preheat oven to 375°.

Uncover filled dough. Gently brush with egg; discard remaining egg. Sprinkle evenly with sesame seeds. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.


* I used Egg Beaters original
** I was impatient and omitted the 20 minute rise. They still puffed up beautifully.

Fruit Pizza & Broccoli Casserole

First things first, did you remember to change your clocks ahead? It's 7:10 pm, it's still sunny outside. Yea, I dig it.

Jon and I went to Mom & Dad's house last night for dinner. We had ham, potatoes, fresh tomatoes, super easy biscuits, and for dessert- fruit pizza. So delicious.

I told my coworkers I was bringing fruit pizza and got several puzzled looks. Apparently it's a Midwest food?

Well, here's my little work of art:

It's not the best for you, but it hits the spot :)

For tonight's dinner we had chicken & broccoli casserole with side salads. We really liked it. The casserole was creamy and cheesy, and filling. A definite keeper.

A side note to a sneaky individual - thanks for the tangerines! You're right, you can't ever have enough fruit around.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Fruit Pizza
Serves 12

1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz strawberry cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
assorted fruit (we used bananas, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and canned Mandarin oranges- drained very well)

Roll out the sugar cookie dough into one large cookie. Bake until lightly browned. (I ended up flipping my cookie halfway through because the center didn't want to set up for me) Cool completely.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together. Spread over the cooled cookie crust. Top with fruit.

Cut into 12 slices.

Optional- drizzle melted chocolate over the entire pizza.

Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Serves 8
275 calories per

3 quarts water
1 (12 oz) package broccoli florets
24 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 (12oz) can evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 cup flour (about 1 ounce)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash of nutmeg
1 cup fat-free mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 (10.75-ounce) can healthy request cream of chicken soup
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring water to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, and cook 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer broccoli to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add chicken to boiling water; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until done. Transfer chicken to a cutting board; cool slightly. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces, and add chicken to bowl with broccoli.

Combine evaporated milk, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a saucepan, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, next 4 ingredients (through soup), and 1/2 cup cheese, stirring until well combined. Add mayonnaise mixture to broccoli mixture; stir gently until combined.

Spoon mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 400° for 50 minutes or until mixture bubbles at the edges and cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven; let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes.

It's a 10.

"Holy crap, it's a 10. Those were AMAZING."

Jon boy gave his first ever 10 out of 10 on a recipe.

We had hoisin-honey pork chops and sweet potato mash for supper tonight. The pork chops were the recipient of the highest honor in Jon's universe. I thought the sweet potatoes were pretty fantastic myself.

So, tonight you get both recipes. Enjoy!

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Hoisin-Honey Pork Chops
Serves 4
195 calories per

2 TBS sliced green onions
2 TBS hoisin sauce
2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce
2 TBS honey
1 TBS hot water
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) package pork chops
1/4 tsp salt
Cooking spray
1/2 tsp sesame seeds

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour 1/4 cup honey mixture into a large zip-top plastic bag; reserve remaining honey mixture. Add pork to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle pork with salt.Brush 1 tablespoon reserved honey mixture over pork; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Preheat a grill to medium heat. Grill chops for about 10-12 minutes per side or until a thermometer reaches 160. Remove from grill and rest 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Mash
Serves 2
299 calories per

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
3 TBS 1% low-fat milk
2 TBS brown sugar, divided
1/8 tsp salt
1 TBS butter, softened
1 TBS chopped pecans, toasted
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave potatoes at HIGH for 10 minutes, rearranging the potatoes after 5 minutes. Wrap potatoes in a towel; let stand for 5 minutes. Scoop out pulp; discard skins. Combine pulp, milk, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl; mash.

Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, softened butter, pecans, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Top each serving with pecan mixture.

A little kick

Before I moved from MN, my friend Kate gave me a tasty treat. She has a family spice mix that her dad makes that is pure gold. I haven't ever had anything quite like it.

Like any good secret family recipe, she's not giving it up.

She made an amazing seasoned mayo with the spice mix and we had it with beef fondue. It made quite the impression on my little taste buds.

After I moved she posted this blog about Emeril Lagasse's original essence recipe. It's not her family mix, but it's a fair substitute.

I used the essence recipe as a base for my own spice mix. I really only use the mix to make my own spicy mayo. And I use that as one of my go to condiments.

My favorite use is as the spread on a turkey sandwich. Nice hearty 5 grain bread, thinly sliced turkey, thick cut ripe tomatoes, lettuce, Swiss cheese, sweet banana peppers, and spiced mayo. Perfection.

I took the original recipe and altered it to fit my own tastes. To make my creole mayo I simply mix store bought mayo with small amounts of the seasoning until I get the flavor I like. There really is no special ratio or science behind it. Just keep adding the spice a little at a time until you like what you've got. The flavors do intensify as it sits, if it gets to strong, simply add a bit more mayo.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!


Emeril's Essence
Makes 2/3 cup

2 1/2 TBS paprika
2 TBS salt
2 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS cayenne pepper
1 TBS dried leaf oregano
1 TBS dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Hashbrown Casserole

Things have been absolutely crazy around here lately.

Spring has arrived, and with it, pine pollen. Every day for about a week I'd go out to leave for work and my graphite colored car was yellow. People here say it hasn't been this bad in years. Lucky us.

My peach trees have tender green buds and tiny pink flowers. The bushes in the front yard have new shoots sticking out in every direction possible. And happy little pansies smile at me every time I walk to the mail box.

Some days, I sit on my back patio to soak in the sunshine and read my book. A lot of the time though, I get distracted by the smells and sounds around me. There are so many new things to absorb. Folks in the area say there isn't a spring season here, only summer and winter. I beg to differ. I think most signs simply go unnoticed. The subtle changes in the pine tree colors, the way the grass wakes up, the songs the birds sing are a little lighter and happier. When you've lived in a place where these things signal that there really is end to winter, you learn to appreciate them (and seek them out) a bit more.

Jon was sick for several weeks with a sinus cold that turned into bronchitis and was well on its way to becoming full on pneumonia. Thank goodness with prayers and strong antibiotics he's back to himself again.

Then it was my turn. I however went the route of a kidney stone. They say do what you know, and well, I know kidney stones. My employer was very understanding of the situation, a blessing for sure. After a few days of crankiness and uncomfortable/restless nights, I finally passed my stone without any fanfare.

In my fuzzy mental state I decided to prepare a few meals ahead of time as I didn't know how long I would be feeling less than stellar.

Tonight we had the hash brown casserole I made in advance. Jon popped it in the oven when he got home from work tonight. Then, when I got home we made a quick side salad and dinner was served.

We really liked this dish, but I think next time we will add a butter/crushed cornflake topping to add some crunch. Other than that, it was pretty tasty.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Hash Brown Casserole
Serves 6
293 calories per

6 bacon slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (32-ounce) package frozen Southern-style hash brown potatoes
1 cup (4 ounces) preshredded Classic Melts Four Cheese blend, divided
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed 30% reduced-sodium, 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
Lawry's Season Salt to taste
Cooking spray

Cook bacon in an extra large nonstick skillet (I used my wok) over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, and crumble. Discard drippings in pan. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in the potatoes; cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine crumbled bacon, 1/4 cup cheese, green onions, sour cream, salt, pepper, and soup in a large bowl. Add potato mixture; toss gently to combine. Spoon mixture into an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Remove casserole from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature 15 minutes. Bake casserole, covered, at 350º for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until bubbly around edges and cheese begins to brown.

Summer Lovin'

I have posted variations on gyros in previous posts. Such as my gyro burgers and my gyro inspired meatballs.

Last night we had gyros from the CLP. They were pretty close kids! Some day we will actually do the meat on a spit like it's traditionally prepared. One thing we learned- lamb is key to the right flavor. Seriously. We've tried other variations that omit the lamb, it's just not the same.

Now, this recipe wasn't quite perfection, we are getting closer though!

I've done some additional searching on gyro meat. Most recipes call for baking it a water bath. I haven't tried this technique yet, so that's the next thing to try on our at home gyro quest.

We decided to have home made baked beans last night too. They were definitely delicious. Jon said they were in his top recipes we've had so far. Not to shabby :)

So, we've had a taste of summer fare in March. Yep, I think it's gonna be a great season of food.

Here's to you and your culinary adventures, friends. Cheers!

Gyros
Serves 4
375 calories per

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces ground lamb
6 ounces ground sirloin
Cooking spray
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper


Sauce:
1 cup peeled shredded cucumber
1/4 cup vertically sliced red onion
1 TBS chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 (8-ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt or sour cream

4 pitas


Preheat broiler.

To prepare loaves, combine first 8 ingredients, stirring well. Divide mixture in half, forming each half into a 6 x 3-inch loaf. Place each loaf on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 7 minutes on each side or until done.

Sprinkle loaves with red pepper. Cut each loaf crosswise into 1/8-inch slices.

To prepare sauce, place cucumber and onion onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes.

Combine cucumber mixture, mint, and next 5 ingredients (mint through yogurt), stirring well. Divide meat slices evenly among pitas; top each serving with about 1/4 cup sauce



Boston Baked Beans (slow cooker)
Serves 10
140 calories per

1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup real maple syrup
2 TBS light brown sugar
2 TBS molasses
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp all spice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
3 (15oz) cans white beans, rinsed and drained
4 bacon slices, uncooked and chopped

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook low 5 hours.

Note- these really need to be done on low to get the best flavor and color. Don't try to do them on high for a reduced cooking time, it's just not the same.