Chicken 'n Dumplings Dump-In

I love comfort food.  Anything that Grandma used to make gets me all warm and fuzzy inside.  The only problem is, Grandma's recipes always took forever to make because she had nothing better to do than spend hours in the kitchen creating delicious food for her loved ones.  Not that we don't all love our families just as much as Grandma did, but I ain't got time fo' dat!  This is how I imagine my hillbilly grandma probably talked; in reality, my grandmas both died before I was born, so I didn't even have the chance to ask them how they made their favorite comfort food dishes.  I've had to figure it all out on my own, and here's what I've figured out....the most comforting dishes are the ones that don't take half my night to make!  This recipe is a perfect combination of quick and comforting.  I think Grandma would be proud. 

Crock-Pot Chicken n' Dumplings
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 7 hrs
Serves 6

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables 

1 onion, diced 

2 tablespoons butter

2 (10 oz) cans cream of chicken soup

1 14 oz. can chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried parsley 
1 can refrigerator biscuits, cubed

3 cups mashed potatoes, if desired


Spray Crock-Pot with cooking spray.  Add all ingredients except biscuits.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8 hours.

Break up chicken into smaller chunks.  Stir in biscuit pieces and cook for 30 more minutes.  Add more chicken broth to thin down, if desired.

This is great by itself, but even better served over mashed potatoes!  

300 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list! 

Peachy Keen

Pork - the other white meat, as they say.  And since my picky kid doesn't like red meat in any form, I have learned to use pork in all kinds of ways I had never tried before.  I mean, I love chicken as much as the next guy, but I don't want it every night!  Growing up, the only pork we ate was chops - breaded and fried.  Don't get me wrong, I love a good pork chop, too, but I like variety on my dinner plate!  If you've read some of my previous entries, you also know how I'm partial to hiding my fruit and vegetables, and this recipe is another great way to get some fruit.  The combination of pork and peaches is delightful and, better yet, even the picky kid eats this up.

Peachy Pork Tenderloin 
link to original recipe
Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 15 min
Serves 4

1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 tsp salt 
1/4 tsp pepper 

2 tsp olive oil 
4 peaches, peeled and sliced
(or a large can of sliced peaches, drained)

1 Tbs lemon juice 

1/4 cup peach preserves

Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook pork in oil until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

Add peaches and lemon juice, stirring to loosen browned bits. Cook and stir over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until peaches are tender. Stir in the pork and preserves; heat through.

216 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

 

Bork! Bork! Bork!

I have to admit, I know almost nothing about Sweden.  I know they like lingonberries, and low cost, sleek-lined, assembly-required furniture, and they have a fish-shaped candy and a meatball named after them.  I'm not entirely sure if they actually eat Swedish meatballs in Sweden, but they serve them at Ikea, which is where I attained most of my meager knowledge about the Swedish people.  There, and from watching the Swedish Chef on the Muppet Show.  But I'm not sure his portrayal is entirely accurate, either.  That being said, I greatly appreciate a tasty meatball, authentic Swedish cuisine or not, and this recipe is tasty, indeed.  As the Swedish Chef would say, "Bork! Bork! Bork! You betcha!"

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
link to original recipe 
Prep time: 30 min  Cook time: 4 hrs
Serves 8

4 slices white bread
2 lbs lean ground beef

4 egg yolks

4 Tbs chopped fresh parsley 
1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp mustard powder 
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbs dried onion flakes
1 tsp salt

(you can use a big bag of frozen Italian meatballs instead, to save time)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 (10 1/2 oz) cans French onion soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

16 oz cooked egg noodles, if desired

In a large bowl, combine bread with 1/2 cup water; let stand until absorbed (about 2 minutes). Stir in beef, yolks, 2 tablespoons parsley, onion, salt, mustard, ginger, garlic, and pepper. With wet hands, roll heaping tablespoonfuls of meat mixture into balls, about 60. Place in Crock-Pot.

In a small bowl, mix together soup and flour; pour over meatballs.

Cook on high until cooked through (about 4 hours.) Stir in sour cream and Worcestershire sauce. Serve over egg noodles and sprinkle with remaining parsley.

(Note: I doubled the sauce ingredients from the original recipe because I like to have extra sauce to serve over the noodles.  Feel free to half the soup, sour cream, and Worcestershire sauce if you only want sauce on the meatballs.)  

469 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Coconut Shrimp

My 10th wedding anniversary was a few months ago, and I had spent the last year trying to convince my husband than an event this important should be commemorated in a similarly special manner. Like with a trip to Hawaii.

I promised to save all the money myself and make all the arrangements. I had a babysitter (read: grandma) lined up to keep Rachel so we could enjoy some romantic time alone together. I even had my very own coconut bra and grass skirt, courtesy of my highly supportive coworker, Basha. What I didn't have was a willing husband. 

Sure, with enough cajoling I had gotten him to give me a grudging "okay," but what kind of fun would he be if I had to drag him there against his will? I seriously contemplated taking my travel-loving bestie or my mom instead and having a grand time without him. But in the end I gave up my dream of renewing our vows on the shores of Maui and settled for a quiet weekend home alone with my honey. Rachel went on a youth group retreat and we went to Red Lobster.  

Well, it wasn't exactly the tropical getaway I had in mind, but at least the food was tasty. In fact, the coconut shrimp I ordered was so good I almost forgot how disappointed I was not to be eating dinner in Hawaii that night.  

Anyway, a few weeks ago I found this recipe and crossed my fingers in hopes that it would taste even half as good as Red Lobster's version. It's been awhile since I ate theirs, but in my opinion this tastes almost exactly the same. Plus, it was so easy, Rachel was able to make it all by herself on her night to cook dinner! Now I can recreate my romantic anniversary any time I want. Maybe next time I'll wear the coconut bra.

Coconut Shrimp with Orange Sauce

Prep time: 15 min  Wait time: 20 min  Cook time: 10 min
Serves 3

1 cup flour

2 eggs

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1 lb shrimp--cleaned, peeled, de-veined

1/2 cup orange marmalade

2 Tbs rice vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard 

Set up a dredging station for the shrimp by placing the flour in a wide, shallow plate or bowl; beat the eggs in a small bowl and combine panko and coconut in a separate, wide, shallow plate or bowl. Coat shrimp with flour, dunk into egg mixture and then into coconut crumbs, patting the crumbs on if needed. Set on a large platter and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. (I didn't bother to wait) 

Meanwhile combine orange marmalade, rice vinegar, and Dijon in a small bowl to make dipping sauce. 

Add about 2 inches of oil to large, deep pan or skillet and heat to 350 degrees F. (I used my deep fryer) Fry shrimp in batches until light golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towel lined plates.

Serve with orange dipping sauce.

454 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

My Favorite Lasagna

My favorite cartoon as a child was Garfield. Being a lazy smart-aleck myself, I empathized with the lasagna-loving feline and his apathetic attitude. I also shared his passion for pasta. Now a "mature adult," I have managed to rein in my adolescent sarcasm and overcome my tendency towards lethargy, but I'm still a sucker for an ooey gooey pan of cheesy goodness.

While laziness is not one of my defining character traits any more, I do still try to keep my dinner preparations quick and easy, mainly because I'm starving after a long day at work and if I try to make anything too time-consuming I'm more likely to satisfy my hunger by shoving handfuls of candy into my mouth! That being said, a great pan of lasagna just really cannot be rushed. It takes time to brown the meat, mix up the cheese, assemble the casserole and bake the darn thing.

So if you were hoping I was going to give you a super-fast lasagna recipe, well, sorry to disappoint. I have found a few ways to shorten the process, though. I use no-boil noodles, store-bought sauce, and I bake it the day before I plan to serve it. Like spaghetti, it tastes better the second day anyway! The only problem with doing it this way is that smelling it bake all evening makes it almost impossible to wait till the next day to eat it.  I guess my level of self-control is still about the same as Garfield's. I'll have to work on that.  Meanwhile, I think my lasagna is ready. Second supper, anyone?

My Favorite Lasagna
Prep time: 15 min  Bake time: 60 min
Serves 12

1 lb Italian sausage
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
42 oz spaghetti sauce (about 1.5 jars)
1/2 cup water
8 oz ricotta cheese
8 oz cottage cheese (small curd)
1-2 Tbs Italian seasoning
2 eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 no-boil lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brown sausage with onion, drain and return to pan. Add garlic and cook another minute, till fragrant. Add spaghetti sauce and water.  Heat through.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, eggs, and salt and pepper.

Spoon 1.5 cups of meat sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan. Add a layer of noodles, then half the ricotta mixture, then a large handful of mozzarella. Add another 1.5 cups of sauce, then more noodles, the rest of the ricotta mixture, and another handful of mozzarella.  Finish with the last of the sauce and mozzarella.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake another 15 minutes or till golden brown and bubbly.

By the way, I've never been able to find 8 oz containers of ricotta or cottage cheese, only 15 or 16 oz, so I frequently use the extra to make a second batch of lasagna to keep in the freezer for nights when I'm just feeling too much like Garfield to bother making dinner at all.

380 calories per serving.  Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!

Berry Good Stuff

I try to eat healthy foods, I really do.  Can I help it if I just don't really like them all that much?  Few things are as unappealing to me as plain fruits and vegetables, but I know my family and I need them, so I like to hide them as much as possible to make eating them a little more enjoyable.  This fruit salad is a perfect example of that concept.  Yes, it's got a whole lot of Cool Whip in it, and some pudding mix, but it's also got a ton of fruit in it and some yogurt, too.  That sounds healthy, right?  Okay, so maybe this doesn't exactly qualify as health food, but at least it gets a little fruit down me and my family, and it's got to be better for us than the apple danishes my kid likes to consider her daily fruit serving.  We had this for dinner tonight with some ham and cheese omelets, but I think it could almost pass as a dessert on a hot summer day.  But I'm still classifying it as health food.  = D

Berry Cream Fluff
Click here for original recipe
Prep time: 5 min

32 oz frozen mixed berries, thawed
1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip, thawed
32 oz vanilla yogurt 
1 (3.4 oz) pkg of cheesecake pudding mix

Pour berries into a large bowl.  Add the Cool Whip and yogurt and then sprinkle on the pudding mix.  Stir together until well-combined.  Chill.

This makes a ton, but it's so yummy you'll have it gone in no time.
 

French Dip-licious

After what I considered a long, cold winter, spring has finally arrived here in North Carolina!  Actually, we pretty much skipped spring and went straight from winter to summer, seeing how last week it was in the 40's and this week it's in the 80's, but I'm a heat lover, so that's just fine with me.

Spring time always puts me in the mood to freshen up my home, and, since I just celebrated my 37th 29th birthday, I'm also feeling the need to treat myself to some retail therapy.  So, I decided to redecorate my great room with a fresh new color scheme.  Between cleaning the house and shopping for accessories, I haven't had a lot of time left over to do pesky chores like cook a proper supper every night!

While I could happily survive on cold cereal and frozen pizzas, my husband and child have come to expect some sort of balanced meal on the table, so what's a busy girl to do?  Throw some stuff in the Crock-Pot and come home to a ready-to-eat supper, that's what!

This recipe makes a hearty, flavorful sandwich that keeps my man happy and requires very little prep time for me, which means I have time to go to the mall, and the hubs will be so satisfied, he won't even notice.


Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches 

Prep time: 5 min  Cook time: 7 hrs
Serves 6

3 1/2 lbs beef chuck roast
14 oz beef broth
1 10.5 oz can French onion soup
6 oz red wine (or more broth)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
4-6 French rolls
sliced provolone cheese, optional

Trim excess fat off of beef roast and season meat all over with salt and pepper.

Pour beef broth, condensed French onion soup, red wine and garlic powder into slow cooker and place beef roast into liquid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Take beef out and rest it, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes. Slice beef and return to slow cooker on low for 30 minutes.

Lightly toast the bread and evenly distribute cheese between rolls, if using. Divide beef onto rolls and spoon the au jus (leftover roasting juices) into small bowls. Serve each sandwich with a bowl of au jus for dipping.