The Week Links (vol.1)

Every weekend I grab my iPad and sit for a couple hours scrolling through lots of blogs. A few of my favorites include links to things the writer loves...recipes, clothes, articles, etc. These are some of my favorite posts to read and it’s how I’ve found lots of the blogs and sites I follow.

Maybe you’d like some of the things I’ve used or saved recently? None of these are affiliate links - just stuff I found that I loved and wanted to share.

I’ve been Cooking & Baking

We grilled out last weekend and I made this zucchini. So tasty and different.

The grilling out was an excuse to have my parents help us eat this Pavlova. It was definitely worth eating and was probably the best thing I’ve eaten this year. My niece and I are doing baking challenges and this was our first pick. What a winner!

Had a craving for chocolate chip cookies, so I tried out this recipe. Delish and the cookies were still soft the next day!

We had some corn on the cob too and this version never lets me down.

Then needed some Rice Krispie Treats. Who could resist?!

Recipes to Try

For Breakfast:

I think my little monkeys would enjoy this for breakfast.

I want to believe I could get up early and surprise my family with these one Saturday.

For lunches or snacks:

I know they’re an appetizer, but I’d make it a meal at lunch.

These sammies look easy and scrummy!

For dinner:

I’ve never cooked pork tenderloin, but this looks like something I’d eat.

This easy dish will save me next Taco Tuesday.

For dessert:

I can’t seem to make cannoli shells, but with these that problem is solved.

Look how delectably dark this chocolate mousse cake is. It’s like it’s ready for Halloween!

Amazon love

This t-shirt is out of this world. Runs a smidge small, but so cute!

Ordered this dress and it’s perfectly soft against my sensitive skin.

My new infinity scarf veil came in plenty of time for Miss A’s First Holy Communion next month.

Meatless Friday Ideas: Burgers

Here come meatless Fridays, folks!

I struggled for ages coming up with meatless meals on the Fridays of Lent...but now we eat a mostly vegetarian diet, so I have TONS of ideas.

We are a burger loving people in our house, so here's 5 meatless burger recipes to choose from when you just can't do fish sticks and macaroni and cheese one more time.

Roasted Zucchini & Quinoa Burgers with Garlic Whipped Feta
My tips on these: Make your quinoa ahead of time using veggie broth instead of water (extra flavor!!) Use 1 3/4 - 2cups of panko. If you don't have fresh basil on hand (and I never do) use 1/2 tsp dried basil. Be generous with the salt & pepper.

I form the patties by scooping 1/2 cup of the mixture into a measuring cup and emptying it onto silpat on a baking sheet, pressing it down and shaping it with my hands. Don't skip the fridge chill out session! Bake these in the oven instead of frying them; I do about 15-20 minutes per side at 400°F.

For the Garlic Whipped Feta: use 1 Tbsp fresh dill and 1 tsp lemon juice. Unless you like big lemon flavor and lots of dill...then just use her quantities. I found the dill & lemon to overpower the garlic & feta, and I reallllllllly like the garlic & feta.

So. Delicious. I love them with some raw purple onion and iceberg lettuce (soak the onion slices in ice water for 5 minutes to help take the "bite" out of them).

Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Cream
My kids loved these! The first time I served these, Miss A was not sure she wanted to eat them. She had recently declared herself a vegetarian (thank you Kindergarten lesson plans personifying turkeys in November) and also that she didn't like vegetables. I explained that this is the kind of food vegetarians eat, so if she was going to be a vegetarian, she'd have to eat this. She did and she loved it!

Epic Crispy Quinoa Burgers
Make the fries to go on top. And the egg. Oh, yes, the egg
                                                                                           gg
                                                                                            gg
                                                                                             gg
                                                                                               gg
                                                                                                 ggg.
See that runny yolk pooling on your plate just waiting to be sopped up with this epic burger??!!


Zucchini Parmesan Sliders
Oh my. I can't adequately express how amazing these are. I might have made a second batch after people went to bed just so I could eat more without sharing. Ah, who am I kidding?! I did.

Sloppy Lentils
This one was really easy to throw together on a weeknight. The kids gobbled it up and said these were the best Sloppy Joes I've ever made.  They didn't even notice it wasn't made of meat.

1 1/2 c dried lentils (green)

3 c veggie broth

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 can tomato soup (10 3/4 oz)

3/4 c ketchup

1 8oz can tomato sauce

1/4 c dark brown sugar

2 T Worchestershire Sauce

1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Buns

Rinse lentils well under running water (pick our any rocks or deformed lentils). Add lentils & veggie broth to a medium saucepan. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower heat to a slow simmer (few bubbles, a little bit of movement). Cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes (older lentils take longer to cook). As soon as they are tender, remove from heat and strain. Set aside.

Heat EVOO over medium heat, add onion. Saute until translucent (you can saute them until they begin to turn brown & caramelize a bit if you prefer). Add strained lentils and all remaining ingredients and combine well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and serve on buns!

You can also add grated carrot and/or chopped peppers if you like that sort of thing!

Well, wishing you your BEST LENT EVER! And with these burgers, it will be.

Egg Cups

My Health Coach suggested that I start eating breakfast as a way to jump start my metabolism and (hopefully) lose weight.

I've gotten into a bad habit of not eating breakfast, rarely eating lunch, eating a regular dinner, and having some ice cream before bed (not every day, but many days). I've found that if I eat breakfast, I'm not hungry the rest of the day.

I've been not eating breakfast for more than 25 years, so that's a big change.

Big. HUGE. GIGANTIC.

Our plan was to eat something small, almost like a snack instead of a whole breakfast. She asked what sorts of breakfast foods I like and I answered that I like omelets.

It's not realistic for me to make an omelet for myself every day. Or most days. Or even any days. I just don't have that kind of time in my schedule.

Enter the make ahead Egg Cups. I spent a half an hour making a batch of these (including bake time) after getting home from dropping off my kiddos at school this morning and now I have breakfast for the whole week, except Sunday when I make pancakes.

Egg Cups
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25-30 minutes

6 large eggs, beaten
2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
9 tsp crumbled feta cheese (more or less, depending on your preference)
fresh cracked pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 6 wells of a muffin tin with non-stick spray. Set aside.

Divide chopped spinach between the 6 prepared muffin wells. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tsp feta cheese over the spinach in each well. Add pepper to taste (I used one turn of my pepper mill in each well). Pour the beaten eggs over the spinach & feta to fill each well, stopping about 1/4" from the top.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, use a knife to loosen Egg Cups from the muffin tin. Cool completely on wire rack. Store covered in the refrigerator; heat in the microwave for 30-40 seconds before eating.

Variations: Add some chopped onion or mushrooms. Instead of spinach & feta, try broccoli & cheddar, asparagus & parmesan, bell peppers & ham or choose your own combination.

Miam Miam Monday (Menu Plan) v6

DH is on the mend and we are off the bland diet. Wahoo!!

Since school starts for us after Labor Day, this week I'm practicing getting in school mode. That means 6am wake ups for me (Lord, have mercy!), all three kids dressed & fed by 8am, lunch ready & packed for Junior, clothes laying out the night before, and naps that end by 3pm to facilitate after-school pick ups. I'm getting ready to turn to slow cooker and easier meals to facilitate eating between school, homework, soccer practice, soccer games, catechism, school meetings, Parish Commission meetings and everything else we have going on in this crazy house.

Don't worry, I bought a case of Coke to help me through.

And yet I still failed spectacularly this morning. I got up 40 minutes late because the kids were still asleep and dagnabit WHY DO THEY ONLY EVER SLEEP WHEN I HAVE TO GET UP?!?! Talk about not fair. All kids were fed by 8am, but only 1/3 were dressed. Now to practice walking up to the school to get an idea of how long it will realistically take to make that walk. I'm gonna end up driving him to school aren't I?

Here's my plan for this week:

Monday

Funeral Rolls

This one is a favorite around here. The sweetness of the Hawaiian Rolls, with the saltiness of the ham, plus the tangy saucy marinade...perfection. It is so easy to throw together in the morning to toss in the oven in the evening. It really is a winner.

Tuesday

Nachos

Remember when I made my not-favorite shredded beef last week? For this easy meal I grab a portion of shredded beef leftovers from the freezer in the morning and let it thaw. In the evening, I pour a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet, top the chips with the beef (draining some liquid if necessary to keep the nachos from being soggy), cheese, a can of black beans, and frankly whatever else we like on nachos, and pop in in the oven for a few minutes to heat it up & melt the cheese. Serve with salsa, guacamole & sour cream and you've got yourself a Nacho Tuesday Party.

Wednesday

Stadium Sausages on Croissants

I'm not typically one for hot dogs or sausages, but my mom made Stadium Sausages from Kowalski a few weeks ago and I've been craving them ever since. 

But I also saw this recipe from Climbing Grier Mountain. 

So combine those two things and you get Stadium Sausage on Croissants with Bechamel Sauce and Crispy Bacon.

You should eat one or two. You won't be sorry.

Thursday

Sloppy Toms

One of our family's favorite Sloppy Joe recipes is found over at Mix and Match Mama. Go a little light on the liquids to make it a smidge less sloppy and double the recipe so you can freeze some leftovers for another night. I simply make it with ground turkey instead of ground beef...and like magic...Sloppy Toms.

Friday

Pesto Avocado & Corn Pizza & Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

Mmmmm, pizza night. You guys, I'll share with you my perpetual dilemma: (1) I like my pizza on Friday nights, and (2) I like my pizza with pepperoni, and (3) I never want meat more than I do on Fridays, and (4) I try to do a meatless Friday.

Yet, with this pizza, I don't miss the pepperoni and I still keep a meatless Friday.

Win, win, win, win.

The link has a bonus dessert pizza recipe too!

Saturday

Slow Cooker "Rotisserie" Chicken

You know when you are walking through the grocery store at dinner time and you smell the Rotisserie Chicken and you walk out with one (or more) in your cart, some Hawaiian Rolls & pre-made mashed potatoes or mac 'n cheese? 

You know exactly what I mean.

Well, now you don't have to take a trip to the grocery store to smell a delicious Rotisserie Chicken. And won't you be proud of yourself for not scrapping whatever dinner plans you had for a grocery store chicken? Puff up that chest, and wipe that dirt from your shoulder because you should be way proud.

Sunday

My day off! I'll be listening to Junior whine about having to go to bed "early" on-time and "only one more day until school starts" and "it isn't fair" and life is so hard when you're 6. So, it should be fun.

What's on your plan for this week? Are you starting to switch out summer recipes for Autumn favorites yet?

Linking up with Simcha again!

#5Faves: Favorite Meal Planning Methods

I was talking with my SIL the other day and my nephew asked why she doesn't bake the same things I do. Her answer was so perfect: "Because we all have different skills!" And I couldn't agree more. That lady, my SIL, has some mad skillz that I could never hope to replicate or even come close to mimicking no matter how hard I try (and I have tried...she's just too good). So I stick to the things at which I am good. Cooking. Baking. Menu planning. Trying new recipes. Modifying them to suit our tastes. Taxes.

In honor of something I am good at (and in deference to all the things I am not good at - cleaning, tidying up, basement organization, nursing, fashion, make-up, ahhhh the list could go on for days) here are five different ways I've found to menu or meal plan. These have each worked for me at different points in my family's life. There is no "one right way" to do this...you just have to try different things until something sticks for you and your family.

(I've got a another post on menu planning so give that one a look too. n that post I gave you all permission to change your planning method if it wasn't working for you, so zippity-do-dah-day, I have made some changes to my own planning routine.)

#1

Shop the Sales

Find out what your grocery store has on sale and make your menu based on those items. For example, Kr.oger will sometimes do BOGO on English Shoulder Roasts. If you saw that you could plan on a pot roast for Sunday dinner and French Dip sandwiches later in the week or the following week. If your grocery store runs a special on boneless, skinless chicken breasts (around here $1.99/lb is a decent sale price) you can stock up, freeze them in appropriate quantities for your family's needs, then pick a bunch of your favorite chicken recipes to use over a few weeks.

You could use this method to buy fresh food each week or you could use this method to stock your pantry & freezer then meal plan based on what you have on hand.

#2

Family Choice

This option works well for some families that have members who can't always agree on foods they like. It's a pretty simple concept:  each person gets to pick one meal a week. Kids figure out pretty quickly that if they continuously pick something their siblings hate that their siblings will return the favor. You can also set up parameters for the meals to ensure you aren't eating buttered noodles 4 times a week. You could say (2) chicken meals, (1) beef meal, (2) vegetarian meals, (1) pork/seafood meal, (1) pizza night and let a different kid choose first each week so they all get an opportunity to pick something they like from their favorite category. You could say no eating the same meal more than twice per month to ensure variety. Use your imagination.

#3

Theme Nights

To make your life simpler you can set up theme nights each week. If you always have catechism on Monday afternoons/evenings you could make that your slow cooker day. If soccer games & gymnastics keep you out of the house on Thursday evenings that night becomes hand-held dinner night. Taco Tuesdays can be a theme at your house (I'd broaden it to Mexican/Spanish/Latin American food on Tuesdays so I don't have to be locked in to Tacos each week). Here are three different ideas for setting up Theme Nights to streamline your meal & menu planning:

#4

Recipe Collector

If you are a recipe collector, whether on paper, on Pinterest, in cookbooks or on food blogs the key is keeping them organized and categorized. If you keep them organized and categorized you'll be able to easily sort through them to choose which ones you want to try. Then when you've tried them either keep them or toss them. If you have a recipe you want to try, look at how long it will take to make, check the ingredients (so you know if there are specialty ingredients involved or just your regular pantry items) and plan it for a day when you have the time and energy to do it.

The groupings I keep my recipes sorted into under my Main Dish category are as follows: Slow Cooker, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Turkey, Meatless (including egg, vegan, beans), Pasta, Soup, Salads, Pizza.

I don't keep a category for fish or seafood as I am allergic, and since I prepare 99.9% of all dinners at our home, I don't cook fish or seafood so I have no reason to collect those recipes.

#5

Let Someone Else Do It For You

Seriously. You could totally let someone else meal plan for you. There are several blogs that put up weekly or monthly meal plans and you can easily use one of their plans, swapping things out as needed to suit your family's budget and tastes. There are paid subscriptions where they will send you the plan and recipes each week or month. Many of these will also include a grocery list so you can just print it or download it, add any of your own items, cross off the things you have and head out the door.

Here are a few blogs (besides my own - see my Miam Miam Monday posts) that put up menus. Some of these are easy, family meals and some are more complicated...but there is something out there for everyone, you just have to try them out.

Mix and Match Mama does Meal Planning Mondays
The Recipe Critic does a Weekly Menu Plan
This Silly Girl's Life does a Weekly Meal Plan
The Prudent Homemaker has Seasonal Menu Plans (Winter, Spring, Summer & Fall, plus Holidays) that include breakfast, lunch & dinner. This woman is amazing at sticking to a budget, being thrifty and being a steward of the things her family has and uses. Seriously...check her out.
$5 Dinners is a subscription service that gives you a monthly menu, grocery list, and recipes

How do you menu plan? Do you have a unique way of doing it? I'd enjoy hearing your ideas - inspire me!

Linking up with Jenna at Call Her Happy for this week's edition of #5Faves where she's all about glitter. Which makes me want to be all about glitter. Which I sorta am since we had a Froz.en themed birthday party over the weekend and there is glitter coming off all the dresses all over this house!

These are not affiliate links. Just some sites I've found useful, helpful or inspiring. I receive nothing for passing along their info or from you clicking through to them.

Miam Miam Monday (Menu Plan) v3

This week's menu reflects me trying to add in more vegetarian options for my family. Basically, I'd prefer to eat a more vegetarian diet, both my darling husband and I could stand to lose some weight and I feel like it saves us some money too.

Typically my children are pretty good eaters, but my 2 almost 3 year old has recently decided that she is not going to eat anymore. Anything. Besides donuts, cookies, marshmallows and M&Ms.

That child has no reserves to get her through this self-imposed hunger strike, so I am turning to the power of the French to reign in her phase d'opposition and help her get back on track with enjoying some delicious foods that are also good for her growing little body.

Anyhow, here's this week's plan:

Monday

 Pasta with Carmelized Onion & Gorgonzola

This pasta is so delicious and easy to make. I feel like it's good for all year long because it isn't too heavy in the summer-time, but is comfort-foody enough to stand up to a cold winter's day. I really don't change anything in this recipe except that I use the entire 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to make the "sauce" and I like to add more cheese than is called for. I've found that it melts quickly to form the sauce, but I add some additional Gorgonzola when I bring it to the table so I get a few hunks of cheese on my plate.

My kids might be a bit strange, but they love soft cheeses and anything in the blue cheese or feta cheese families.

Tuesday

Stuffed Rolled Chicken with Cottage Cheese Bread

 When I first saw this recipe, I put it on my list of must-eats. It was delicious! I'll tell you honestly that the stuffing is way more than what is needed for just 4 measly chicken breasts though. I made 6 chicken breasts and had lots left over. The stuffing would also taste great as stuffed shells. I'm just sayin'.

I had some leftover cottage cheese that was going to go bad soon. I don't want to waste any food so I started looking for a recipe I could use the cottage cheese in that wasn't lasagna or quiche. I came across several cottage cheese bread recipes so I thought I'd give it a shot. I found one that was meant for a bread making machine and tweaked it a bit and made it without a bread machine. It was perfect for sandwiches and french toast. We also ate it with this meal with some butter. I liked sneaking in a bit of extra protein for my kids without them noticing.

Wednesday

Leftover Night
Time to clean out the fridge. Seriously. So many leftovers.

Thursday

Pancake Muffins and Eggs Over Easy

I like to call these little muffins "Manna from heaven" because they are just the yummiest. And there are always leftovers so breakfast the next morning is a snap. These little muffins with eggs are a great easy dinner. The kids prefer scrambled eggs, but us grown-ups like our eggs over easy or over medium.

Friday

Spinach Rice Feta Pie & French Grated Carrot Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

What a great vegetarian dish for a Friday! This one comes together in no time and is perfect for using up leftover rice. I pair it with a fruit salad and this amazing Grated Carrot Salad which is a French specialty. I can understand why the French love this salad; it is so fresh and perfect.

Saturday 

Grilled Hot Dogs & Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Just hot dogs on the grill. With potato salad. But not just any potato salad. This stunner is made with roasted sweet potatoes. It's even better the next day when the flavors meld together a bit. Next time I make it I'm going to add some avocado. You can almost never go wrong by adding avocado. And maybe some bacon sprinkled over the top. Because bacon.

Sunday

Sunday is my usual day off from cooking. I'll be taking a break and chillin' at my parents' house.

*NOTE: These are NOT affiliate links. I don't benefit financially or in any other way by linking to any of these blogs. Miammiammena.wordpress.com is my personal food blog where I try to post my recipes from time to time. All opinions are my own.

#5Faves: Slow Cooker Meals

We've been having some non-NFP related Peak Days up here in Michigan lately. DTE, our electricity provider, designates "Peak Enegy Use Days" for energy usage and encourages us to conserve energy on those days during certain hours. For example, last Friday was a "Peak Day" and we were one of their top 100 customers for conserving energy during the Peak Day's Peak Hours. Pope Francis would be proud.

We had another "Peak Day" yesterday, so I tweaked the A/C so it wouldn't run as much, put on the ceiling fan during Lizzie's naptime, and kept the kids outside in the pool during that time so they wouldn't watch TV or turn on lights. I also prepped our dinner in the morning, so I would only have to re-heat it instead of cook it entirely during peak energy usage time.

I think if I know about DTE's Peak Days with enough notice, I can modify our weekly meal plan to use the crock-pot instead of an oven meal (or better yet - use the grill!). The slow cooker doesn't heat up the house like the oven does (causing the A/C to run more in addition to all that gas & electric use by the stove/oven).

#1

French Dip

I can't even express how delicious this meat is. It is so tender and perfectly seasoned and I could eat the whole thing by myself. I love to make my own buns to go with them too.

#2

Angel Chicken

This one is straight-up comfort food. I've packaged this one up as a freezer meal for my SIL when she had a baby...I just combined all the ingredients (except the pasta, cornstarch, and water) in a gallon sized baggie, placed that sealed baggie into a freezer bag. Gave her the cornstarch in a small baggie and the pasta in another gallon sized baggie, put both of those in the freezer bag too! Then I wrote out quick instructions for her. Her family loved it - including all 4 of the big kids!

#3

Spinach Chicken Noodle Soup

This is another easy one that is a crowd pleaser. My kids love it, my husband loves it, my parents love it. It's miam-miam-miammy. This is another one you can prepare ahead and stick it in the freezer (without the pasta) and pull it out to throw in the slow cooker on a busy day. It is very hearty and really fills up the belly.

#4

Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I LOVE this pulled pork. And this from a girl who does not like pork other than bacon. Extra crispy. Please and thank you.

When I find a pork roast on clearance or on sale, I grab it up and stick it in the freezer so I can put this on the menu plan. It is so easy and delicious and there is a million ways to eat it. I like to make tostadas & quesadillas; Mr. Amen likes to make soft tacos; I eat it straight out of the slow cooker; I make homemade buns to enjoy it on.

#5

Slow Cooker Potato & Sausage Soup

This soup is also another stick-to-your-ribs kind of meal. Crazy filling and delicious. You can use 1/2 the meat without the recipe suffering at all (and saving money!) or eliminate it all together in favor of adding some bacon as a garnishment.

Linking up with both Jenna of Call Her Happy for this week's #5Faves and Dwija for her Easy Slow Cooker & One Pot Round Up.

Miam Miam Monday (Menu Plan) v2

On a Tuesday, because life has been too crazy over the past few days.

So here is the plan:

Monday

Stuffed Sandwich & Salad

I have neither pictures or a real recipe for this one. I make a 1/2 batch of pizza dough and roll it out flat. Then I whip up a quick mixture of 1/2 stick of softened butter, 4 oz. softened cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon parsley, 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder and spread that over the dough (leaving the edges free so the sandwich will seal closed). Then I pile on some ham, provolone cheese, salami, and mozzarella cheese. I roll it up so it looks like a loaf, with the seam side down. Poke a few holes in the top to let the steam out and bake it at 400°F for about 15 minutes. Serve it up with a fresh salad and it is delicious!

Tuesday

Onion Chicken

This doesn't sound like something kids will eat, because, let's face it - ONIONS. But they don't even realize that they are onions, so if you don't tell them, neither will I. I use French Fried Onions to make a coating for chicken breasts and bake them up in the oven. So, so good.

Wednesday

Brook Deen's Meatloaf

You know I always make some modifications, and here's what I do here: I make two smaller loaves instead of one big loaf and I cook them in a 9x13 pan. I also use regular yellow mustard instead of Dijon in the sauce. My husband loves the sauce, so I usually double that part of the recipe and reserve some for him to dip his meatloaf without drowning the rest of ours in sauce.

Thursday

Handheld Chicken Pot Pies

These are so easy to put together, especially if you have some leftover chicken on hand. Even if you don't have any leftovers on hand, you can quickly poach some chicken or use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It's made with frozen vegetables and frozen puff pastry. Really, it is much easier than it sounds.

Friday

Homemade (non)Refried Beans & Cheese Quesadillas

These beans are seriously easy to make, you just have to plan ahead. I put mine in the slow cooker before I go to bed the night before, so they are ready in the morning. I will give you a pro-tip...don't use a hand-blender as she suggests. Use your food processor or blender and do it in batches. The hand-blender makes the BIGGEST mess you have ever witnessed and unless you want to be cleaning non-refried beans off every surface in your kitchen and every clothing item you are wearing, and out of your hair...trust me on this. Use the blender or food processor. 

This makes a HUGE batch of beans. We use them for breakfast and lunches until they are gone. I've never attempted to freeze them, so I can't comment on how that would work.

Saturday

Pizza Night

I make the dough, and we will probably do a traditional pepperoni topping this week. I also make the pizza sauce at home too (one batch of this sauce will last through several pizza nights, so I freeze the sauce and pull it out when we need it). Of course, it wouldn't be pizza night at our house without Cheesy Garlic Bread Sticks.

Sunday

Grilled Chicken & Veggies

This is another one of those no-recipe meals. I just marinate some chicken breasts in Zesty Italian Dressing (I use Aldi brand). I chop up some zucchini, yellow squash and sweet onions and marinate those separately in more Zesty Italian Dressing. I put the veggies on skewers to put them on the grill. Mr. Amen mans the grill and we are eatin' in no time.

A quick tip: After I cut each onion into 8 wedges, they fall apart while marinating and are a mess to reassemble. I found that once I cut the onion in half and before I cut each half into 4 wedges, if I spear the half with toothpicks, so each wedge has toothpick through the middle of it - they stay together much better in the marinade. Then I just put them on the grill on their own or in a grill basket.

*NOTE: These are NOT affiliate links. I don't benefit financially or in any other way by linking to any of these blogs. Miammiammena.wordpress.com is my personal food blog where I try to post my recipes from time to time. All opinions are my own.

Try It This Weekend Thursday - Blue Cheese Coleslaw

There’s nothing better than icy cold coleslaw to go with anything off the grill.  There’s as many versions of coleslaw as there are families in our great country.  Some like a creamy coleslaw, some like a vinaigrette style coleslaw.  I have to say I fall firmly in the creamy coleslaw camp.  There’s a great little Coney place in this area that has delicious, tangy and sweet slaw that I just can’t seem to replicate.   So one day, when I was craving blue cheese, I came across a recipe for blue cheese coleslaw and just had to try it.  Well, it turned out to be a lot of work, so if I ever wanted to have it again, I had to modify the recipe to make it faster and easier to make.  Here’s the result of my experimentation:

2 one pound bags of coleslaw mix (with the bags of lettuce in the vegetable section)

2 cups mayonnaise (16 oz.)

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 T. whole grain mustard

2 T. apple cider vinegar

1 t. celery salt

½ t. kosher salt

½ t. black pepper

1 ½ cups crumbled Roquefort blue cheese (6 oz.)

In a large bowl, empty both bags of coleslaw mix.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, both mustards, vinegar, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper.  Pour the dressing over the coleslaw mix and toss to moisten well.  Add crumbled blue cheese and toss together.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to meld together.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

A few tips about this recipe: 

1)    You can make your own coleslaw mix if you don’t want to buy it by using a food processor or mandolin to slice ½ head of green cabbage, ½ head of red cabbage and 4 large carrots. 

2)    I have trouble finding plain whole grain mustard at my grocery store, so I use a fancy whole grain mustard with garlic.  Really, everything is better with garlic anyhow. 

3)    If you don’t keep kosher salt on-hand, you can use regular table salt, but I would recommend decreasing the amount to slightly less than ½ teaspoon…you might find it too salty otherwise (remember, you can always add more salt to suit your taste, you can’t take it out!). 

4)    Lastly, when you first mix the dressing with the coleslaw mix, it doesn’t look very creamy, in fact, it may look barely moistened, but have patience, by the time you get it out of the refrigerator to serve, it’ll be very creamy.

Try It This Weekend Thursday: Curry Chicken Salad

Looks like summer is finally here, or as I like to call it Chicken Salad Season!  Chicken salad is such a go-to meal for me in the summer - easy to throw together and very portable.  It last several days in the refrigerator and you can customize the ingredients based on what you have on hand or what's in season. 

This is one of my favorite chicken salad recipes because it’s a little unexpected, but nonetheless delicious.  Without celery in the recipe, the pecans provide a nice crunch and the grapes add pops of sweetness to each bite.

As your garden starts to really produce cucumbers and you’re struggling to use them up (how many jars of pickles do you really need?!?), try this:  slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, use a spoon to scoop out the seeds, and use the cucumber in place of bread, pita or lawash wrap.  When I was pregnant with Junior, I developed gestational diabetes and I couldn’t eat 2 slices of bread together without having a bad effect on my blood sugar numbers.  I started replacing bread with cucumbers in all my sandwiches. Yummmm…

½ cup mayonnaise

1 T. honey

1 t. curry powder

2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed)

1 cup halved green grapes

½ cup chopped pecans

4 green onions, chopped

4 pita breads, halved

Lettuce (optional)

In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey and curry powder.  Stir in the chicken, grapes, pecans and green onions.  Line the pita halves with lettuce (if desired), scoop ½ cup chicken mixture into each pitta half.  Enjoy!

Try It This Weekend Thursday: Waffles

Last summer when my mother-in-law was visiting I made these waffles for breakfast one Saturday morning.  Mr. Amen had asked me to make them for her because he didn't realize that waffle batter was different from pancake batter.  He had gone his entire childhood and adult life believing that to make waffles, one simply made pancake batter and cooked it in a waffle iron.

Well, I'm here to tell the world waffle batter is VERY different from pancake batter.  While one certainly doesn't want heavy pancakes, by their very nature pancake batter is much heavier.  Waffle batter is savory instead of sweet, like pancake batter.  If you've never taken the few extra minutes to make a real waffle batter - try it!  It's delicious, light and totally worth the effort.

1 ¾ c. flour

3 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

2 beaten egg yolks

1 ¾ c. milk

½ c. vegetable oil

2 stiffly beaten egg whites

Sift together dry ingredients. 
Combine yolks, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients. 
Fold in whites, leaving a few fluffs.
Bake in waffle iron.
Enjoy!

Recipe: Spinach Stuffed Biscuits

I think I'm going to share recipes on Thursdays.  I'll call it "Try It This Weekend Thursdays".  And I would have posted this on Thursday if Blog.ger hadn't been down :-(

This is an easy go-to recipe when your pantry gets low.  My mom has made a fancier and more complicated version of this for years.  Her recipe involved making dough (or thawing frozen dough), letting it rise, stuffing a large loaf and making her own fresh spaghetti sauce.  I don't have that kind of time on my hands.  I usually have about a half hour to get dinner on the table each night, so whatever we're having has to be fast! 

I usually make my own spaghetti sauce from scratch, but I make a HUGE batch and freeze lots of it so I can just grab one out of the freezer in the morning before we leave for the day and let it thaw.  If you have the time or inclination to make your own sauce or dough - go for it! 

Even my 2 year old will eat this, and not many two year olds eat spinach willingly!

Spinach Stuffed Biscuits

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach

1 tube refrigerated butter biscuits

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Any other filings desired (ham, broccoli, sausage)

1 jar Spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven according to biscuit package directions.

Cook frozen spinach according to package directions.  Drain very well.

Place biscuits on baking sheet, cut open to create pockets for filling (slice open as if you were going to butter the biscuits).

Divide spinach between the biscuits, divide cheese between the biscuits add any other toppings you'd like.

Close the biscuits to seal in the filling (it helps to press the edges with the tines of a fork).

Bake according to biscuit package directions.

Serve hot with spaghetti sauce.  Enjoy!