Sorry, no new recipe tonight. Just wanted to let you know about my new favorite recipe substitution - plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. So far, I have used it in my chicken salad recipe and I also used it tonight in a pasta bake. Honestly could not tell the difference. I know there are lots of brands out there but the girls and I have been using Chobani.
They also sell Chobani fruit yogurt at Costco - a mixed box of Strawberry, Blueberry and Peach. Yum!
Meeting with a personal trainer on Friday. She's going to help me with both exercise and nutrition. Looking forward to learning some new things and getting back on the healthy track.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
More Swim Meet Prep
Dawn's Chicken Salad
Combine 3 cups cooked, diced chicken, 1 cup red seedless grapes (halved), 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. In another bowl, whisk together 1 T sugar, 1/2 c reduced fat mayonnaise, 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream and 2 T lemon juice.
Fold dressing into chicken and fruit mixture. Chill.
When I was catering, I served this on a variety of breads but the favorite, by far, was on a croissant with red or green leaf lettuce. Today I used plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. Tasted okay to me. Also, I normally add some pepper and salt to the dressing mixture.
Pasta Salad
Really, really, really easy. I normally use rotini but you can use whatever pasta you have in your pantry. Cook the pasta as directed. Rinse in cold water and drain. To the pasta, I add lots of colorful veggies - halved cherry tomatoes, zucchini or summer squash, broccoli, green onion, green, red or yellow pepper. Today, I diced some sharp cheddar cheese and added that. You can use whatever cheese you like or none at all. I have use shredded before but I like the cheese better when it's cubed or diced.
If I'm in a hurry, I use a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar dressing (Kroger brand today) and toss to coat. Remember, you don't want your pasta swimming in dressing.
Of course, homemade dressing is better so here's that recipe...
Mama's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Combine 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 clove garlic (crushed), 1/2 t dried oregano, 2 t dijon mustard, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper. Shake or whisk well. Store in refrigerator.
Looking like Spring here in the South. Bought a new basil plant this morning and am getting ready to plant some pansies in the front flower bed...
Combine 3 cups cooked, diced chicken, 1 cup red seedless grapes (halved), 1 cup chopped Granny Smith apple and 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. In another bowl, whisk together 1 T sugar, 1/2 c reduced fat mayonnaise, 1/4 cup reduced fat sour cream and 2 T lemon juice.
Fold dressing into chicken and fruit mixture. Chill.
When I was catering, I served this on a variety of breads but the favorite, by far, was on a croissant with red or green leaf lettuce. Today I used plain Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream. Tasted okay to me. Also, I normally add some pepper and salt to the dressing mixture.
Pasta Salad
Really, really, really easy. I normally use rotini but you can use whatever pasta you have in your pantry. Cook the pasta as directed. Rinse in cold water and drain. To the pasta, I add lots of colorful veggies - halved cherry tomatoes, zucchini or summer squash, broccoli, green onion, green, red or yellow pepper. Today, I diced some sharp cheddar cheese and added that. You can use whatever cheese you like or none at all. I have use shredded before but I like the cheese better when it's cubed or diced.
If I'm in a hurry, I use a bottle of Balsamic Vinegar dressing (Kroger brand today) and toss to coat. Remember, you don't want your pasta swimming in dressing.
Of course, homemade dressing is better so here's that recipe...
Mama's Balsamic Vinaigrette
Combine 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 clove garlic (crushed), 1/2 t dried oregano, 2 t dijon mustard, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper. Shake or whisk well. Store in refrigerator.
Looking like Spring here in the South. Bought a new basil plant this morning and am getting ready to plant some pansies in the front flower bed...
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Cooking for the Swim Meet
Okay, you may have read this title and thought, "why would I want to eat food that you serve at a swim meet?" I promise, you'll want to try the four recipes I'm going to share. All four are things I served when catering. Today, is dessert day - Sandee's Sugar Cookies and Peanut Butter Buddy Bars. Tomorrow, is main dish day - Chicken Salad and Pasta Salad.
Sandee's Sugar Cookies
Mix together 1 1/2 c sugar, 3/4 c oil and 3 eggs. To this, add 3/4 c buttermilk, 4 1/2 c flour, 2 t vanilla, 1/2 t salt, 1 t baking soda and 1 1/2 t baking powder.
Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. I use the Pampered Chef medium scoop for regular size cookies. When I was catering, I used the small scoop and they made great bite size desserts.
Bake these cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will not brown - check underneath and press on top.
Once cool, you can drizzle with chocolate, sprinkle powdered sugar or frost with your favorite flavor of icing.
Peanut Butter Buddy Bars
In large mixing bowl, beat 1 c peanut butter and 6 T butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 c sugar, 3 eggs, 1 t vanilla; beat until creamy. Blend in 1 c flour and 1/4 t salt. Stir in 1 c chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, your choice). Spread into ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Immediately sprinkle remaining morsels. Let stand 5 minutes or until morsels become shiny and soft. Spread evenly over top. Cool completely.
Hope you enjoy. I'm sure I won't be able to keep my girls out of these when they get home from school today.
Sandee's Sugar Cookies
Mix together 1 1/2 c sugar, 3/4 c oil and 3 eggs. To this, add 3/4 c buttermilk, 4 1/2 c flour, 2 t vanilla, 1/2 t salt, 1 t baking soda and 1 1/2 t baking powder.
Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. I use the Pampered Chef medium scoop for regular size cookies. When I was catering, I used the small scoop and they made great bite size desserts.
Bake these cookies at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cookies will not brown - check underneath and press on top.
Once cool, you can drizzle with chocolate, sprinkle powdered sugar or frost with your favorite flavor of icing.
Peanut Butter Buddy Bars
In large mixing bowl, beat 1 c peanut butter and 6 T butter until smooth, about 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 c sugar, 3 eggs, 1 t vanilla; beat until creamy. Blend in 1 c flour and 1/4 t salt. Stir in 1 c chocolate chips (milk or semi-sweet, your choice). Spread into ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Immediately sprinkle remaining morsels. Let stand 5 minutes or until morsels become shiny and soft. Spread evenly over top. Cool completely.
Hope you enjoy. I'm sure I won't be able to keep my girls out of these when they get home from school today.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Seafood Capital of South Carolina
We've been celebrating and enjoying fresh seafood for the past few days. My Aunt Sue arrived on Thursday and my cousin, Stephanie, surprised all of us by arriving on Tuesday. So, we just HAD enjoy some fresh seafood from Harrelson's Seafood Market in Murrells Inlet (the Seafood Capital).
On Friday night, we had shrimp cocktail and pan fried grouper. If you have never had grouper, I highly recommend it. We started enjoying it when we were staying in Fort Myers Beach, FL but found it's even more delicious here in South Carolina. Here are the directions:
Heat about a 1/2 inch of canola oil in a large skillet. First, dip grouper in an egg/water wash. Then, coat with panko bread crumbs (in the Asian aisle at most supermarkets) mixed with some Old Bay Seasoning (amount of seasoning depends on your taste). Fry in oil, turning once until panko is browned and grouper flakes when cut.
On Sunday night, we enjoyed scallops on the grill and roasted redskin potatoes. Here are those:
Rinse sea scallops and dry. Wrap each scallop with one slice of prosciutto and secure with toothpick. You can either put a foil pan directly on the grill (disposible one) or you can make your own with a double layer of heavy duty foil with all four sides turned up about an inch. Preheat grill with pan in place. Add scallops and drizzle with REAL melted butter. I suppose you could use olive oil but we love the butter. Turn scallops as needed with tongs. Cook until scallops are white and opaque and prosciutto is slightly crisp.
Put redskin potatoes in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Cut potatoes in half or fourths (depending on size) and place on baking sheet. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, depending on how brown and crisp you like your potatoes.
Maybe, just maybe, some of you Northerners will be able to break out the grills later this week. ENJOY!
On Friday night, we had shrimp cocktail and pan fried grouper. If you have never had grouper, I highly recommend it. We started enjoying it when we were staying in Fort Myers Beach, FL but found it's even more delicious here in South Carolina. Here are the directions:
Heat about a 1/2 inch of canola oil in a large skillet. First, dip grouper in an egg/water wash. Then, coat with panko bread crumbs (in the Asian aisle at most supermarkets) mixed with some Old Bay Seasoning (amount of seasoning depends on your taste). Fry in oil, turning once until panko is browned and grouper flakes when cut.
On Sunday night, we enjoyed scallops on the grill and roasted redskin potatoes. Here are those:
Rinse sea scallops and dry. Wrap each scallop with one slice of prosciutto and secure with toothpick. You can either put a foil pan directly on the grill (disposible one) or you can make your own with a double layer of heavy duty foil with all four sides turned up about an inch. Preheat grill with pan in place. Add scallops and drizzle with REAL melted butter. I suppose you could use olive oil but we love the butter. Turn scallops as needed with tongs. Cook until scallops are white and opaque and prosciutto is slightly crisp.
Put redskin potatoes in large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Let stand for 10-15 minutes. Cut potatoes in half or fourths (depending on size) and place on baking sheet. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with Italian Seasoning. Toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, depending on how brown and crisp you like your potatoes.
Maybe, just maybe, some of you Northerners will be able to break out the grills later this week. ENJOY!
Monday, February 7, 2011
French Dinner, Myrtle Beach Style
Time flies between posts - sorry! Tonight, I improvised on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. So, here it is, Myrtle Beach style...
Place 1 to 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breats in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with toasted, minced garlic. Pour beer around chicken (do not cover). Drink the remaining beer, if you wish.
Sprinkle with Bouquet Garni (from Penzey's, of course). Slice brie (with rind still attached) and layer over chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
This was a big hit in our house tonight. Bouquet Garni is a spice blend made from savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, marjoram, sage and tarragon.
Hope you enjoy. Tomorrow night it's Creamy Spaghetti in the crockpot.
Cheers!
Place 1 to 2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breats in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with toasted, minced garlic. Pour beer around chicken (do not cover). Drink the remaining beer, if you wish.
Sprinkle with Bouquet Garni (from Penzey's, of course). Slice brie (with rind still attached) and layer over chicken. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
This was a big hit in our house tonight. Bouquet Garni is a spice blend made from savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, marjoram, sage and tarragon.
Hope you enjoy. Tomorrow night it's Creamy Spaghetti in the crockpot.
Cheers!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Two Recipes for This Cold Winter Night
So, last night the Lee girls tried some organic quinoa that we bought at Whole Foods in Mt. Pleasant, SC. We all really liked it. In fact, Morgan said that she likes it better than rice! Here's the recipe I used...
Saute several sliced carrots, diced onion and sliced mushrooms in about 2 T olive oil until soft. Add 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup quinoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Yep, folks, that's it!
Tonight, we had a good old standby meal - meatloaf, baked potatoes and sliced strawberries and bananas. Many of you know that Morgan hasn't had any beef in more than 2 years. So, I often used ground turkey breast as a substitute. However, it can sometimes become too dried out. These days I make my meatloaf as follows:
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 lb ground pork
1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c milk
2 eggs, beaten
This does make a huge meatloaf but one of my favorite things is a meatloaf sandwich (memories of The Fern in Findlay, Ohio).
Here's hoping the Groundhog will bring us good news tomorrow. Wondering if he'll even be able to get out of his home...
Saute several sliced carrots, diced onion and sliced mushrooms in about 2 T olive oil until soft. Add 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup quinoa. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Yep, folks, that's it!
Tonight, we had a good old standby meal - meatloaf, baked potatoes and sliced strawberries and bananas. Many of you know that Morgan hasn't had any beef in more than 2 years. So, I often used ground turkey breast as a substitute. However, it can sometimes become too dried out. These days I make my meatloaf as follows:
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 lb ground pork
1/2 c oatmeal
1/2 c milk
2 eggs, beaten
This does make a huge meatloaf but one of my favorite things is a meatloaf sandwich (memories of The Fern in Findlay, Ohio).
Here's hoping the Groundhog will bring us good news tomorrow. Wondering if he'll even be able to get out of his home...
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