Just One of Those Days

Did you ever have one of those days where nothing sounds good? You look in your cabinet and you are quite sure there's just nothing good to eat. Maybe, you don't even feel that hungry. Whatever the case may be, hopefully by now you are amassing quite a box of recipes to flip through on those days. I do that a lot. I just flip and flip until something catches my eye. 

Today was one of those days - so here's a filling munchie for those nights where you don't want a full meal or a great appetizer for your next dinner party.

Hot Spinach Spread with Pita Chips

Ingredients:
2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese  10 oz. chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
8 oz. cream cheese, cubed                           2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3/4 c. chopped onion                                     1/3 c. 1/2 & 1/2 
1 tbsp. finely chopped & seeded jalapeno     6 pita breads (6 inches)
1/2 c. butter, melted                                       2 tsp. lemon pepper seasoning
2 tsp. ground cumin                                       1/4 tsp. garlic salt

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.
2. Transfer to a greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish.
3. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly.
4. Meanwhile, cut each pita bread into 8 wedges.
5. Place in 2 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. baking pans.
6. Combine the butter, lemon pepper, cumin and garlic salt.
7. Brush over pita wedges.
8. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until crisp.
9. Serve with spinach spread.

You can keep this fairly healthy by using lowfat cheeses and a butter substitute.  Making your own pita bread is healthy as well. I used to not even like spinach but somewhere along the line I began to like spinach artichoke dip and this seemed like a fun alternative.

As always, have fun!

Leftovers Maybe?

How was your Easter? Is your belly full of chocolate? How about that Easter dinner?

It's the morning after and you're just hoping you have enough leftovers so you don't have to cook tonight. Or, maybe, you ate so many yummy treats that you want something quick, simple and healthy. Or, maybe, it's a little from Column A and a little from Column B. So, I'm keeping this post short and sweet.

Salad. You usually can't go wrong with a salad. You can have it on your own or as a side. Or you could even just cut up some of your leftover meat and throw it in.  Any way you look at it, a salad is a simple option when you just don't feel like cooking.

Evergreen Salad

Ingredients:
lettuce                          1 green apple             1/2 c. toasted pecans          1/2 c. pine nuts       3/4 c. dried cranberries

Dressing:                      1/2 c. cider vinegar     2 tsp. dijon mustard            1/4 c. orange juice
3/4 c. olive oil                1 tbsp. honey

Directions:

1. Use as much lettuce in your salad as you want - I'm not a huge fan, but I tend to use romaine.
2. Chop the apple.
3. Mix the lettuce, apple, pecans, pine nuts and dried cranberries in a bowl.
4. Mix the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over salad.
5. Serve.

I hope the Easter Bunny was good to all of you. As always, have fun!

Easter Morning Breakfast

It's Easter morning. You've got kids who want to get into their Easter baskets and go on egg hunts. You have food to prepare for that crowd coming in the afternoon.  The last thing you want to think about is breakfast I'm sure. However, considering how busy your day will get, I think a nice Easter breakfast is a great tradition to start.  This sweet and savory casserole is super quick to fix and won't take long in the oven, so dig in!

Maple Bacon Oven Pancake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. bisquick                        1 tbsp. sugar                3/4 c. milk                    2 eggs
1/4 c. maple syrup                     1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar              1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine bisquick, sugar, milk, eggs, syrup and 1/2 c. cheese.
2. Mix well.
3. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
4. Bake, uncovered, at 425 for 10-15 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with bacon and remaining cheese.
6. Bake 3-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
7. Serve with additional syrup if desired.

Happy Easter everyone - enjoy your day! And as always, have fun!

Candy Cake

What's your family tradition when it comes to dessert? Most holidays, there is the pie of choice. I wanted to do something different, especially with Easter focusing on all those candy treats from the Easter Bunny. This candy cake is easily customized to your taste preference. Use some Cadbury Mini Eggs, or MnMs or even Reeses. Perhaps you'll do a combination!  Nevertheless, you now can have your cake with candy too!

Candy Cake

Ingredients:
3 1/2 c. flour             1 tbsp. baking powder            1/2 tsp. salt           2 sticks unsalted butter 2 c. finely chopped candies (snickers, almond joy, reeses, etc.)         1 1/2 c. sugar
4 large eggs, separated  2 tsp. vanilla extract         1 1/4 c. milk         1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Icing:          4 1/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped           1/2 c. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Butter and flour a nonstick Bundt pan.
3. Sift 3 c. flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
4. In a separate bowl, toss candies with remaining 1/2 c. flour.
5. Using an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat butter and sugar until light (3 minutes).
6. Add yolks, one at a time.
7. Beat in vanilla.
8. Beat in a 1/3 of flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of milk.
9. Repeat, ending with flour mixture - do not overmix.
10. In a clean, dry bowl using dry beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.
11. Stir candies and 1/3 of egg whites into batter.
12. Fold in remaining whites.
13. Spoon into bundt pan.
14. Bake until toothpick comes out clean (50-60 minutes).
15. Let cool on wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold cake.
16. Icing: Place chocolate in a bowl.
17. Warm cream in a pan over medium heat until just boiling.
18. Pour over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute.
19. Whisk until smooth.
20. Let cool slightly, then pour over cake, allowing excess to drip over sides.

Make sure you are stocked up on your breakfast supplies. I'll be offering up a pancake recipe tomorrow morning that you won't want to miss. It could become your new Easter tradition! (Hint: have ingredients normally a part of a pancake recipe plus bacon and cheese) As always have fun!

Cherry Pork

It's the main event! My alternative to a ham with yet another fruit involved in the meal. This time, cherries.  This sweet pork roast has a little bit of a zing to it with the addition of horseradish.  

Don't be deterred by the cooking sherry. You can pick up a cheap bottle at most grocery stores.  If you really need to substitute something else in for it, google options online. Depending on the recipe, there are numerous options from white wine to vodka to chicken broth or even orange juice.  Since you've already got orange juice in this recipe, I'd lean toward the white wine or chicken broth. 

Roasted Pork with Cherry Sauce

Ingredients:

2 - 3 lb boneless pork loin roast               21 oz. cherry pie filling                1/2 c. orange juice

1/4 c. dry cooking sherry                         1 tbsp. Dijon mustard                   1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. prepared horseradish

Directions:

1. Place roast on rack in a shallow baking pan.
2. Bake, uncovered, at 325 for 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 hrs or until meat thermometer reads 155.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Brush cherry sauce over roast twice during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
7. Cover roast with foil and let stand 10-15 minutes before slicing.
8. Reheat cherry sauce - and serve with roast.

And that's it, a full meal. Did you save room for dessert? I hope so, since I've come up with a unique way to end this meal. Stay tuned tomorrow!

As always, have fun!

Strategic Cooking 101

By this point, you are probably thinking I'm crazy trying to tackle all of these recipes for one meal. But really think about it. It's not like you need to do all your prep work on Easter. You could boil your eggs the day before. The biscuits can be baked 1-2 days ahead of time. You can pre slice vegetables. You could even bake desserts ahead of time.  Just in case you are not a whiz at juggling that much, here's a recipe that you literally get your ingredients together, drop them in the crock pot and let it go.  And, truthfully, it helps make your house smell really good as guests arrive! 

Just remember not to let it all overwhelm you. Truly, recipes are one step at a time!

Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients:
6 bacon strips, chopped                                2 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, cubed        
8 oz. cream cheese, softened                      1 can cream of potato soup     
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix           1/4 c. milk  
3 tbsp. sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.
2. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3. Drain drippings, reserving 1 tbsp. 
4. Place potatoes in slow cooker.
5. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, soup, milk, dressing mix and reserved drippings.
6. Stir into potatoes.
7. Sprinkle with bacon.
8. Cook, covered, on low 7-8 hours or until tender.
9. Top with green onion.                                             

A Fruity Twist on Rolls and Butter

Being a very picky eater when I was young always made holiday dinners with the family a challenge. Often times, the only thing I knew for certain that I would eat was whatever rolls were being served.  Thanksgiving was turkey, rolls, some cut veggies and a scoop of this or that to be polite. Rolls helped me stomach ham at Easter as I don't hate it but I don't love it either.I could just pretend it was a mini ham sandwich! But, I digress. I picked the following recipe as another opportunity to add some produce to the meal. The apple is a sweet and tasty surprise!

Apple Biscuits

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter, cut in small pieces       2 c. self rising flour        1 tbsp. sugar           pinch of salt
1 apple, chopped                              1 egg, beaten                2 tbsp. molasses     5 tbsp. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
3. Sift flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
4. Rub in the butter with your fingers until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
5. Stir chopped apple into mixture until just combined.
6. Mix together beaten egg, molasses and milk. 
7. Add to dry ingredients to form a soft dough.
8. Roll dough to 3/4 inch thick.
9. Cut out 8 biscuits.
10. Arrange on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
11. Transfer to cooling rack.

Tomorrow's recipe will give you a break in labor - it's a crock pot recipe that you can set to go early in the day and forget about it.

As always, have fun!