A Few Short Cuts turned me on to a great two in one meal idea. Today, before Jason finished his breakfast, I had these meatballs in the oven. Tonight we had meatball subs with whole wheat pretzel sticks (so good) and bunches of grapes. The remainder of the meatballs will be used for spaghetti later this week. The meatballs were SO simple and delicious! I have bought the bags of meatballs before but won’t again.

Here is what you need for the meatballs:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic minced
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion (optional)

Here is what Amanda did with them. Thanks Amanda!

I enjoy most comfort foods and Chicken Pot Pie is definitely one of them. I have never made one because I can think of tons of things I would rather be doing than making individual pot pies from scratch. Kraft had a great solution! I must say that I could have done without all that cheese. As you can see Jason has a mouthful and has no complaints, and Brian said he wouldn’t change a thing. I could scrap it from the recipe entirely, but if it weren’t for the cheese, Kraft wouldn’t have been able to introduce me to their almost homemade technique. I will probably reduce by half next time and see how much I can marginally take out of the dish without any frowns.

Here is what you need:

• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 Package Frozen Veggies
• 8 oz Cheese
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Package Crescent Rolls

Here is how you make it.

I had leftover cubed chicken from Pampered Chef’s Chicken and Broccoli Ring (which was fantastic) and was in the mood for BBQ chicken pizza.  I picked up some dough and some shredded mozzarella to add to the remaining fresh mozzarella I had and a can of diced pineapple, added it all on top of a layer of bbq sauce (go easy on the toppings/sauce in the middle). It was a hit with the whole family, if Jason hadn’t eaten so much chicken and drank all the juice, he probably would have had more than once slice.

I pulled out my Pampered Chef Cookbook 29 Minutes to Dinner Volume II to try and find something new to do with chicken and found the above pictured casserole. It wasn’t until  I assembled it that I realized we were having chicken nacho’s for dinner, but it was sooooooooo good.  I cut a few corners and cooking with my covered baker makes life so much easier. When my Pampered Chef Consultant called to finalize details of my party, suggesting we roast a chicken in the microwave, I didnt hesitate to trust her. It came out delicious, it even browned on top. If you don’t have the baker, you should buy one! or you can just layer diced cooked chicken and bake until the cheese is melted and juices are absorbed. If you haven’t hosted a show, its so much fun and you get free Pampered Chef products.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 tbs southwest season mix ( I used double this in taco seasoning)
• 1 ¾ cups salsa verde ( I used peach mango salsa)
• 1 cup chicken broth ( I used beef cause that’s what I had)
• ¾ cup cilantro
• 12 cups resturant style chips (  resturant style is thicker and absorbds the broth/salsa mixture well. I didn’t measure just layered it in)
• 2 cups Chihuahua cheese ( I used publix colby jack)
• Sour Cream (optional garnish)

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 1-in. (2.5-cm) pieces with Utility Knife. Combine chicken and seasoning mix in Deep Covered Baker; mix well. Spread chicken evenly over bottom of baker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 4 minutes; stir to separate chicken. Microwave, covered, an additional 4 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Drain using small Colander.

1. Combine salsa and broth in (4-cup/1-L) Easy Read Measuring Cup. Chop cilantro using Santoku Knife. Arrange half of the tortilla chips over bottom of same baker, breaking chips; top with half each of the chicken, salsa mixture and cheeses. Sprinkle with ½ cup (125 mL) of the cilantro. Repeat layers one time ending with cheeses.

1. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until cheeses are melted and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup (50 mL) cilantro. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Cook’s Tips:

• Queso fresco, also called queso blanco, is a salty, crumbly cheese that is common in Mexican dishes. Farmer’s cheese can be substituted for the queso fresco.

• Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese can be substituted for the Chihuahua cheese.

• Authentic Mexican restaurant-style tortilla chips are thicker than other types of chips and keep their texture in this casserole.

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can be substituted for chicken breasts, if desired.

• Taco seasoning mix can be substituted for the Southwestern Seasoning Mix, if desired

Thursday after dinner, Brian Jason and I drove down to Miami for my Dad’s birthday. We arrived just minutes after midnight and Jason didn’t settle back to sleep until 2am.  It was totally worth it to have all day on Friday to be able to play.  We carved a pumpkin and made pumpkin puree and soup, while Jason slept Brian and I took Dad to the Palmetto Golf Course and hit a couple buckets of balls at the driving range, then in the evening we had some friends over for some good food and more beer than we could possibly drink.

I had decided that I wanted to do a pumpkin dish over the weekend and was going to make a pumpkin puree instead of buying a can of pumpkin.  I had my Mom pick up two pumpkins, one for Jason and one to roast.  Jason was frustrated not being able to do the actual carving (although he tried) and decided that my halved pumpkins would store his popcorn better than the dish we had picked out for him. He was amazed though, once Dad gave the pumpkin a face.

I removed the stem and the seeds from a pumpkin, and sliced it in half, then quarters and eventually eighths so that it would fit under the rest of the food that was cooking. They baked at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes before they became tender.

After I removed the pumpkin from the skin, I smoothed it out with a blender.  It was actually so tasty that I sprinkled some nutmeg and cinnamon on some of the puree and ate it with a spoon! It would be perfect as baby food.

I found this recipe from Martha Stewart’s website, after I decided I wanted to make a soup with my puree. My Dad and Brian were going to get some ice for beer at the publix up the street, so I asked for some shitake mushrooms.  My husband, like many guys I’m sure, doesn’t like to ask for help when he cant find something from the store. This often leads to him coming home and telling me that the store doesn’t carry something I frequently buy…like sloppy joe sauce. So when he called to tell me that Publix didnt have shitake or gourmet blend mushrooms, I asked him to ask for help.  The produce man sent him to the Asia market…he’s a good man going to Asia to get his wife’s mushrooms.

So instead of roasting all of the vegetables together like Martha suggests,  I sauteed the mushrooms( I tripled the amount of mushrooms), onion and garlic and blended it with a cup of the vegetable broth in the blender, then added the puree and seasoned it with salt to taste. I found online that a pound of pumpkin equaled about a cup of puree. So Martha’s recipe calls for 2 3/4 cups of puree. the soup was delicious and I will definitely be roasting another pumpkin when I get home and will store some in the freezer, it was a very filling tasty treat.

My father is quite the chef, recently he has become quite the baker.  I’ll have to get the recipe and some photos for his delectable red velvet cake…but for now the rum cake. Dad made a special stop on his way up last time to get Captain Morgan’s Tortuga Rum, which is being discontinued and can only be found in remote locations that I am unaware of, he found his in Naples. The cake was amazing, it had just the right amount of rum taste and wasn’t too sweet. This is cake was worth every calorie…we did however substitute sugar for the Splenda Sugar blend to try and help out with those unwanted calories. I must make note: All purpose flour does not include cake making.  Cake flour is something different and that is in fact what you need to make cakes. Until I can actually manage to find all day child care so I can have a triple martini lunch, this rum cake lunch will do the trick.  Thanks Dad!

Here is the recipe that we used found on Recipe Zaar.

BASIC CAKE MIX

• 2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into bits
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

FOR THE CAKE

• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 (3 1/2 ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup whaler vanille rum (Hawaiian-style rum)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

RUM SOAKING GLAZE

• 1/2 cup butter (do not substitute)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup whaler vanille rum (Hawaiian-style rum)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Basic Cake Mix: In a large mixing bowl, combine basic cake mix ingredients.
3. On low speed combine ingredients until the mix is the consistency of fine gravel, and all particles are about the same size.
4. Spray a large Bundt pan (12 cup) with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Sprinkle the chopped walnuts on the bottom.
6. Place Basic Cake Mix, pudding mix, milk, eggs, rum, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and combine on medium speed with electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, scrape down the bowl halfway through. Batter should be very smooth.
7. Pour into Bundt pan and bake for about 55 minutes- until fully golden and tester comes out clean and cake springs back.
8. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack while making the soaking glaze.
9. Rum Soaking Glaze: Combine butter, water and sugar in a small saucepan.
10. Bring to a boil carefully as mixture boils over very easily. Reduce to a simmer and cook until sugar is dissolved and syrup is well combined and a little thicker. Remove from the heat and add the rum, mix to combine.
11. While cake is still cooling, pour some of the hot syrup on top of the cake, allowing it time to soak in (this may take a few minutes as there will be a lot of syrup) continue to add syrup until all of the syrup is added.
12. Allow cake to cool completely in pan before turning out onto serving platter.
13. Can be eaten when fully cool, but even better the next day!

Jason is a pretty good eater.  For the most part he eats what we eat, there are a few exceptions like tonight’s steak salad the he doesnt care for.  I usually reach for some chicken nuggets and some applesauce when dinner gets rejected.  I read the box at the grocery store (even the greenwise section was disappointing) and decided I could do better. My new trick is making a batch of chicken nuggets and sticking them in the freezer.

I have grated a zucchini before and he loves them, its a great way to sneak in vegetables….

3/4 lb (ish) of ground chicken breast
1 large onion diced
2 tbs fresh parsley
1 small apple peeled and grated
1 chicken bouillon cube
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
oil for frying

Put the first 6 ingredients in food processor (I mix by hand)
If you want to make shapes, Shape mixture into a flat disk on cookie sheet and cut with cookie cutter. I usually just make little nuggets.
Heat enough oil in skillet for frying. Cook the nuggets for about 6 min, turning occasionally.

Make sure when you freeze them they are spaced separately so you can use them as needed.

This came from a great book First Meals. It has some really creative menu items that are fun to make and eat.  It has great information on making homemade baby food, which Jason never took to, he went directly to table food.  I on the other hand actually enjoyed the creations he rejected.

I was going to wait until tomorrow to share this recipe and pictures of Jason in his new FSU jersey that TK bought him…but I need to give you time to go to the store to get the stuff for the dip.  I’ve been making this recipe for years in Tallahassee on game day. I religiously tailgated while in Tallahassee, scoping out parking early in the morning and eating and drinking with friends all day. When it came time for game time, I was usually ready to call a cab (850-580-8080 for you locals) and take a nap. I very rarely actually went to the game.  When I got pregnant, I switched from tailgating on campus to partying at the house…when Jason was born we started up again but not quite so religiously…its nice to let baby take a nap in his own bed. Above is Jason’s last tailgate.

Here are some tips for sucessful tailgating:

1. Park at the end of a row or find a grassy area to maxamize your party space
2. Fly a flag or some ballons so friends can easily find you
3. Convert an old tool box or tackle box into a carryall for utensils, can/bottle openers, matches, first aid, bug spray, etc.
4. Go Green! Provide a recycle bin next to the trash
5. Dont forget a football!
6. Bring some cards
7. Hook up a TV to a portable battery incase were missing valuable pregame footage
8. Heat up the grill after the game and enjoy leftovers while traffic clears

MUST HAVES: Water, sunscreen, matches, trashbags, toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, rain gear & jumper cables.

Heres the best spinach dip ever…

I hollow out a bread bowl and use that as my baking dish, then serve with the torn up pieces of bread that were pulled out,  and some Tostitos.

Spinach Artichoke Dip from Food Network’s Juan-Carlos Cruz

• 1 box frozen chopped spinach thawed
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese softened
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, plus more as needed
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained ( I chop them up a bit)
• Carrot sticks,celery sticks or baked tortilla strips, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Squeeze all excess liquid from spinach, place in a food processor with sour cream, Parmesan, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the cream cheese, garlic, pepper and hot sauce.

Process until just blended but still slightly lumpy. Add artichokes and pulse to form a chunky mixture. Place in a 1-quart baking dish. Top with remaining mozzarella. Bake until bubbly, about 30 minutes. Serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks or baked tortilla strips.

Okay, so the title should read Toasted Angel Hair with Sausage and Peppers, but Brian doesn’t care for sausage and chicken was on sale.  The toasted pasta was a total hit all around the table. This is another recipe from Pampered Chef’s 29 minutes to dinner cookbook.  I cant get enough of Pampered Chef, I was naive enough to resist a wedding registry from Pampered Chef and its the best thing ever! Well, other than marrying Brian. It is so nice to have good tools and cookware to use in the kitchen, add adding their fantastic recipes makes life that much easier.  Well, that and doing any prep work I can while Jason sleeps. Like today I grilled and chopped the chicken, pressed the garlic (which you don’t have to peel before placing in the Pampered Chef garlic press), and sliced the peppers while Jason slept. I also removed the bouillon cubes from their wrapper and placed enough to make 5 1/4 cups broth in a prep bowl for easy access.

Toasting the pasta provides a deliciously nutty flavor and a beautiful color contrast. Using a Red and a Yellow or an Orange pepper adds more color. I did notice that I had more pasta than chicken/veggies.  Next time I will maybe add mushrooms or whatever else is on sale! Toasting the pasta in the same pan as the meat will add more flavor and less cleanup. Adding warm broth to the pasta will cut down on the time it takes to reach a boil.

• 1 Ib bulk hot Italian sausage chicken
• 2 Medium red bell peppers
• 1 lb uncooked angel hair pasta
• 3 Garlic cloves, pressed
• 5′/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup fresh basil, divided
• 1 oz Parmesan cheese

Place sausage into (12-in./30-cm) Skillet. Cook over medium heat 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles with Mix ‘N Chop; remove sausage from Skillet and set aside.

As sausage cooks, slice off tops and bottoms of bell peppers; remove and discard seeds and stems. Finely chop tops and bottoms using Food Chopper. Remove and discard seeds and ribs from sides of peppers; slice into thin julienne strips.

Add pasta to Skillet and toast 8-10 minutes, stirring after each 2-minute interval with Chef’s Tongs. Press garlic over pasta and add broth, all of the peppers and cooked sausage. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer vigorously 5-6 minutes or until pasta is tender.

As pasta simmers, chop basil, reserving half for garnish. When pasta is tender, remove from heat and stir in remaining basil. .

To serve, divide pasta mixture among serving bowls; grate cheese over pasta using DeLuxe Cheese Grater. Garnish with reserved basil.

My husband’s parents recently brought him and I two fresh lobster tails, from the Florida Keys.  I had company and rather than freezing them, I was looking for a dish that I could make so we could all enjoy them. Food Network is the first place I go when I’m looking for a recipe.  As soon as I see Paula Deen’s recipe come up on something I’m looking for, I’m sold.  It was a total hit and has been repeated many times…just not with lobster. I’ve used imitation crab meat instead and its still quite tasty.

I have recently discovered a recipe from the Stoneware Inspirations cookbook by Pampered Chef that makes the best individual bread bowls that I have used for chili but would have gone great with this soup.

Bread Bowls

• 2 Packages (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust
• 1tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove pizza crust dough from packages, do not unroll.  Cut each portion of dough crosswise into thirds to form six equal portions.  Place dough cut side down onto greased baking sheet, pres lightly to form 4-inch rounds. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with parmesean cheese. Bake 21-23 min or until deep golden brown. To serve slice off top of each round, carefully removecenters to form bowls.  Place bread bowls into serving bowls. (I bought these from Target)

Creole Shrimp and Lobster Bisque

• 2 steamed fresh lobster tails
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped ( I used a leek instead)
• 2 stalks celery  finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 pound steamed medium size fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning

Remove lobster meat from shell; coarsely chop and set aside.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Add lobster meat and shrimp. Stir in half-and-half and Creole seasoning; cook for 10 minutes, or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.