Grilled meatball kabobs with yogurt sauce and warm Greek potato salad

This is a recipe I adapted from a Rachael Ray magazine.  You can thread the meatballs on skewers and grill them when the weather is nice.  The weather here in the Pacific Northwest continues windy and rainy; however.  So I chose to bake them.

Yogurt sauce:
1 c. plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. dill
1/3 of a cucumber, peeled and chopped
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Mix until smooth.

Beef kabobs:
1# hamburger
1 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 t. cumin
2T. chopped parsley
MIx all ingredients except parsley together.  Form into 8-10 large meatballs.  If bbqing, thread on skewers and bbq until meat is cooked.  If baking, put in a 350 over for 25 minutes.

Warm up a piece of flatbread (flat pita).  Put 3 meatballs on flatbread, spoon on yogurt sauce and sprinkle with parsley.

Warm greek potato salad:

6 small red potatoes, cooked until tender
1/2 c. red onion
3 T. sun dried tomatoes in olive oil
6-8 kalamata olives
3/4 t. oregano
balsamic salad dressing

Cut potatoes into quarters.  Dice onion.  Put all ingredients into a fry pan with 1 T. olive oil.  Fry until potatoes are browned.  Sprinkle with 2 T. balsamic dressing.

Sweet Hawaiian Bread

My company has left and it is cold, windy, rainy, and the house is so quiet.  It is peaceful.  What to do today?  How about a big pot of chicken soup with some homemade bread?   This is a recipe I adapted from the Heirloom Cookbook.  It tastes like those wonderful loaves of Hawaiian bread you buy in the store--only better because of course it is homemade.

1/2 c. water
 1 c. milk
2 pkgs. yeast
1 c. sugar
6 c. flour
1/2 c. butter
1 t. salt
3 eggs
1 t. lemon or pineapple juice

Heat milk in microwave for one minute.  Mix yeast with warm water.  Add in milk and whisk well.  Let sit.  Meanwhile mix butter, sugar and eggs in a mixer bowl and combine.  Add in eggs, salt, and juice.
Mix in yeast mixture.  Slowly begin adding in about 5 1/2 c. flour.  Add enough additional flour until the dough is no longer sticky.  Place on floured board and knead for 5 minutes.  Butter a large bowl.
Form the dough into a large ball and place in the bowl.  Allow to rise in a warm spot for  1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.  Punch down dough.  Form into two balls.  Grease two 9" round cake pans and place one ball of dough in each pan.  Allow to rise in a warm spot for 1/2 hour.  Preheat oven to 350.

Bake bread dough for 40 minutes.  While hot, brush with butter.  Slice and enjoy:)

Beef with Snow Peas

I was going to have a great picture to go with this post...but my daughter is out and about in my car and my camera is in the car:(  Oh well, enjoy this yummy dinner entree without the picture this time.
1# beef sirloin, cut in strips
2 c. sugar snap pea pods
1/4 c. carrots cut in strips
1/2 c. soy sauce
 2 T. sherry
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. ginger
3 T. cornstarch
1 T. corn oil

Heat the oil in a fry pan.  Add peas and beef.  Cook for 6-8 minutes.  Mix soy sauce, sherry, brown sugar, ginger and cornstarch.  Add into pan and cook until thickened.  Serve over rice.

20 Easy meals in 20 minutes

I started this blog, in part, because coworkers were always asking me for recipes and saying, "How do you do that?"  So this week I thought I would share a list of simple recipes that are prepared quickly for
all those working wives and mothers.

1.  Put a whole chicken in the oven at 250.  Leave it for the day.  You will come home to a yummy smelling house and only have to cook some veggies and rice for a healthy dinner.

2.  Put a sirloin or chuck roast in a roasting pan with some water or beef broth.  Put in oven at 250 for the day.  Come home, microwave some baked potatoes and make a salad or veggies.

3.  Take your leftover roast beef, heat up some Au Jus and serve french dip sandwiches with a salad.

4.  Put a pork roast in the crock pot with several tablespoons of liquid smoke and some salt.  Cook all day.
Serve with rice and pineapple for Hawaiian Kahlua Pork.

5.  Take your leftover pork roast, mix with a good bbq sauce.  Warm up.  Serve on rolls with coleslaw for BBQ pork sandwiches.

6.  Put a pork roast in the oven, sprinkle with a little rosemary if you have it.  Bake at 250 (do you see a pattern here?) all day.  Come home, microwave some sweet potatoes and veggies.

7.  Layer your leftover pork on bread with 2 slices of ham, sliced dill pickles, and a slice of Swiss Cheese.  Grill for Cuban sandwiches.

8.  Make a pot of chili in the crock pot.

9.  Place store bought burritos in a baking dish.  Cover with your leftover chili and some grated cheddar cheese.  Heat in the oven and serve with a green salad.

Does this seem easy or what?:)

10. Vegetable soup:   Brown a pound of hamburger. Put in a crock pot with a large can of tomatoes, 2 cans beef broth, 2 c. frozen hash browns and one bag of frozen mixed vegetables.

11.  Farmer's Breakfast for dinner:  Microwave 3 potatoes.  Cut in cubes.  Slice 1/4 onion, and 1 pepper.  Heat a couple of T. of olive oil in sauce pan.  Add potatoes and vegetables.  Cook until tender.  Beat up 3-5 eggs and pour over vegetables.  Cook stirring every minute or so.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Serve with toast and fruit.

12. Simple sloppy joes:  Brown a pound of hamburger.  Mix in one can of tomato soup and 1 t. Worchestershire sauce.  Serve on hamburger buns.  Not too fancy but kids will eat it!

13.  Gnocchi or tortellini are always a fast meal.  Just cook in boiling water (usually under 10 minutes).
Drain and mix with your favorite sauce.  NO you do not have to make your own....keep several jars in your pantry for those nights when you are too exhausted to cook.  Serve with a salad and some Texas toast and your family with think you are great.

The following easy recipes are on my blog!  Go right now and look them up!

14. Easy Minestrone soup

15.  Beef and Barley Mushroom soup ( in a crock pot)

16.  Parmesan Portobellos

17. Greek Chicken

18.  Mango Soba Noodles

19.  Marlboro Man Sandwiches

20.  Salads!
 

Portobello Parmesan

Yes it is Meatless Monday again.  Here is a nice light dinner using Portobello Mushrooms.  This dinner is great with a salad and some Texas toast. And for those of you counting calories, only 156 calories per mushroom cap!
2 T. olive oil
4 portobello mushrooms: stem
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 c. ricotta cheese
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
3 T. chopped fresh basil
1 tomato, thinly sliced
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan.  Place mushrooms, whole, cap side down in oil and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.  Flip mushrooms and cook an additional 10 minutes on the other side.
Place caps on a greased cookie sheet.
Mix ricotta, garlic, and basil together.  Put 1/4 of mixture in each mushroom.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Place slice tomatoes on top.  Broil for 6 minutes, until well heated but not browned.

Tortellini chicken florentine

This is a dish that I made up tonight..it was one of those days that I just look in the pantry, see what I have and make up a recipe.  I am happy to say it turned out quite delicious and I encourage you to give it a try:)
1 pkg. dried tortellini
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. montreal chicken spice mix
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 pkg. frozen chipped spinach
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese
Cook tortellini, drain.  Put olive oil in skillet and cook chicken until tender.  Melt butter in a saucepan, add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add flour, whisk in.  Add all milk and whisk in.  Add in parmesan cheese, stir until melted.  Add spinach.  Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Pour parmesan mixture into baking dish.  Add chicken and tortellini.  Mix all ingredients well.  Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Simple spinach salad

I got this recipe years ago out of Bon Apetite magazine.  It is simple and very good.

2 c. fresh spinach
1/2 c. walnuts
1/4 c. feta or brie cheese
2 T. red onion
Combine these ingredients.

Dressing:
2 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
salt and pepper

Lemon Drop Cupcakes

1 pkg. lemon cake mix
1 1/2 c. lemon lime soda
Mix the 2 ingredients together well until smooth and creamy.  Put into cupcake pans, filling half way.
Bake at 350 for 18 minutes.  Cool.

Frosting:
1 8 0z. Cool Whip
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 c. milk
1 small pkg. instant lemon pudding

Mix frosting ingredients, while cupcakes bake.  Refrigerate.

Once cupcakes are cool, hollow out the center of each cupcake.  You could use a melon baller for this.
Fill indention with frosting, cover with cupcake part you scooped out.  Frost.  Sprinkle with lemon zest or frosting sprinkles

Gnocchi with White Beans

Well, it is Meatless Monday again.  And another gloomy windy and rainy day...this just hits the spot on such a day...warm and flavorful, light and cheesy.  I used spinach gnocchi because that's what I had in my pantry..but you can use whatever kind you like.

1/4 c. onion chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 pkg. potato gnocchi
1 c. fresh spinach
1 can (15 oz.) white kidney or cannelini beans
1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 t. oregano
1 t. basil
1/3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 c. Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for 2 minutes.  Add gnocchi cook for 5-6 minutes.  Stir in spinach, cook until spinach wilts.  Add tomatoes, beans, and spices.  Heat simmering for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover and keep on warm until cheese melts.

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

So the weather is once again gray, rainy and a bit windy here on Whidbey Island.  By this time of year, I honestly have had just about enough gray days for a lifetime.  I find myself dreaming of warm tropical places that have sun and blue skies.  Reality is I have to go to work tomorrow and the weather forecast for the week is more rain....bleck!  So I thought how about a little "fake" BBQ tonight?  I have some pork sirloin chops baking in the oven with some BBQ sauce on top, I can get some of that corn on the cob I froze this summer out of the freezer, and then...potato salad.   This potato salad takes a little extra step than most but if you want to mix it up a little and try something new...this is the recipe for you:)

Ranch dressing:
1 garlic clove minces
1 t. oregano
1/2 t. paprika
2 T. chopped parsley
2 T. chives
1 T. dill
1 c. mayonaise
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. buttermilk
Mix together well.

For the potato salad:
9-11 red skinned potatoes, cooked, cut in 1/4's and cooled
1/2# bacon cooked and crumbled
3 green onions chopped
1 c. ranch dressing(recipe above)

Mix all ingredients together.  Chill.  Can be served warm if desired.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

This muffin recipe comes from a little muffin cookbook I purchased 20 years ago at the WWU bookstore.
They have a nice lemony flavor that really compliments the blueberries.

Makes 12

2 c. flour
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
Mix all these ingredients together well.

1 carton of lemon yogurt
1/4 c. milk
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
2 t. lemon zest
Mix these ingredients well.  Then add wet ingredients to dry.
Mix in
2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Put into greased muffin pan and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.

Antipasto Salad

2 c. chopped romaine lettuce
2 c. sliced cherry tomatoes
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 # salami, sliced into strips
4 slices provolone cheese, cubed
1/4 c. kalamata olives
1/4 c. chopped red onion
Mix well together and top with 1/4 c. Italian or Caesar dressing

Empanadas

Empanadas are basically turnovers with a yummy Mexican filling.  There are two ways to do this:
fast and convenient, or make it yourself.  I did make it yourself and honestly it was about an hour and a half of cooking.  Not so great after work.  So first I will post the fast and convenient recipe:

2 ready made pie crusts
1 pkg. spanish rice, cooked
2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 c. grated cheese
1 T.  cilantro

Roll out pie crusts into two circles.  Combine chicken, rice cheese and cilantro.  Put 1/2 of this mixture on each pie crust.  Fold over dough to cover like a giant turnover.  Roll or pinch edges together to seal. Bake at 4oo for 25 minutes.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Ribollita

This Italian soup is a lot like minestrone...only even better for your body.  It has onions, celery, garlic, fennel, and beans...a dynamic combination that helps control blood sugar levels and is very cleansing.
It is the perfect soup on this Meatless windy Monday....along with homemade bread and some slices of cheese...a great cold day meal.  Enjoy:)

3 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c. chopped celery
1 fennel bulb, chopped
2 zucchini, sliced
1 14 oz. can chopped or diced tomatoes
2 T. pesto
4 c. vegetable stock (I prefer Pacific brand)
1 14 oz. can canneloni beans
2 c. fresh spinach

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions, carrots, garlic, celery, fennel, and zucchini and cook for 10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, pesto, vegetable stock,  and beans.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Right before serving, stir in the spinach.