A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Dr Pepper Meatballs

T    Two of Gene's favorite eaty drinky things in the whole world are meatballs and BBQ.  One of my favorite things in the whole eaty drinky world is Dr. Pepper.  Yep, prune juice drinkers unite!  (Actually, that's a myth. Dr. Pepper is beloved even if it did have prune juice as its base but it does not. Too bad. We could drink it and pretend to be healthy.)  What do you get when you put all three of those eaty drinky things together?  Dr. Pepper Meatballs.  Which is three words that equal the three-lettered word:  YUM!

One of the great things about this recipe, aside from its deliciousness, is how customizable it is.  Don't feel like making meatballs by hand?  Use bagged ones from the grocery.  Don't like Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce?  We can't be friends. Just kidding! (Although it is my absolute favorite bottled BBQ sauce)  Feel free to substitute your favorite.  Don't need 24 meatballs? Freeze half.  Need 48 meatballs? Double the recipe.  You see what I mean, here.  It really is a jack-of-all-trades recipe.  We eat it over mashed potatoes, over sautéed zucchini and rice, by itself as appetizers.  You really can't go wrong with Dr. Pepper Meatballs and the recipe is very easy to make. The sauce comes together in a flash and the longest time spent is all about how fast you can make meatballs by hand.  I use a Pampered Chef cookie scoop to make the balls even but if you don't have one, a little diversity in size never hurt anything.  And let me tell you, not only will the spouse love these, the kids are going to love the idea of them so much they'll want to help make the sauce.

Pork and Snow Pea Stir Fry over Grits

Besides healthy, my key themes these days seem to be "quick", "easy", and "adaptable", as in, what's already in my fridge/pantry?  But don't forget tasty. Of course the ultimate is, always is: does it taste yummy?  This meets all of those requirements.  On the table in the time it takes to cook grits, stir fry is always adaptable.  Don't have pork chops? Try chicken, beef, or shrimp.  Don't have snow peas? Try sugar snap peas, fresh green beans, or asparagus.  Mushrooms? Onions? Carrots, Celery? Any and all of the above if you have them (and if you're in the mood to chop them all).

The grits is a little different. Normally, you would serve stir fry over noodles or rice, but I was simply in the mood for something different and this worked to a "T".  The creamy grits were the perfect counterpoint to the savory pork, crisp snow peas, and earthy mushrooms.  We will definitely be eating this again--and soon!

 

Chicken Bacon Pasta Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is one of my favorite "go to" recipes for getting delicious food on the dinner table FAST!  The addition of the chicken breasts up the protein value and give a little more "bite" to the pasta for staying power so we're not back in the kitchen in an hour looking for snacks.  And my favorite part is that three simple eggs for a rich sauce that tastes decadent without the addition of butter and/or cream.   Simple. Easy. Delicious.  And good for us.  That's a winner.  The recipe is made for 2 but it's easy to double it for a family of four (or extra servings for lunch the next day.)

Click for the chicken-less version: Pasta Carbonara recipe

Chicken or Pork Teriyaki (Slow Cooker, Stove Top, or Baked)

 

 Look at the second photo much more than the first. I was having camera trouble at the time but didn't want to put off posting this recipe. It was so good. Gene went back for seconds...and then thirds.   Maybe that's not the way to run a diet but, I swear, I only had one serving!  And then get any for lunch the next day because it was gone.   Just kidding. No worries. I'll make it again in a couple of weeks. 

 

Baked Chicken (or Beef) Fajitas

 

We've all seen the recipes on Pinterest that look great but turn out only so-so, IF we're lucky.  This is one of the good ones.  So easy; so fast; so delicious!  The concept is easy, cut chicken (or flank steak) into fajita strips and the vegetables into strips, and then toss with a little olive oil and seasonings and bake.  That's it.  They were dynamite.  My next project:  tortillas from scratch.

 

 

Baked Chicken (or Beef) Fajitas

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse, inspired by multiple Pinterest photos

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4  (5 oz) chicken Breasts, cut into chunks or strips  (Great use for flank steak as well)

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 large onion, cut into crescents

4 oz fresh mushrooms, quartered

2 Tbsp  olive oil

1 lime, juice and zest

2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chili powder

Optional:  1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

8-10 Fajita sized Tortillas

Garnishes:  Lettuce, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos or green chilis, or Avocado Salad (more of a Mediterranean twist, but delicious with this)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Prepare chicken and vegetables and place in bowl or directly into 9"x 13" baking dish. 

2) Pour/sprinkle rest of ingredients over top and toss all the ingredients together until seasonings evenly coat the chicken and veggies.

3)  Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are nicely roasted.  Turn once in middle of cooking.

Chicken, veggies, and seasonings can also be prepped the day or morning before and left in a bowl or baggie to marinate prior to baking.

Nutrition per 2 tortillas and 1/4 fajitas:  Calories:  386;  Protein:   34;  Carbs:  39;  Fat:  11;  Fiber: 4.

Sauteed Tilapia Fillets with Orzo Pilaf

 

 Nothing says eating fish has to be boring...even when it's simply prepared.  These seasoned Tilapia fillets were easy, quick, and absolutely delicious!  Served with a 20 minute orzo PACKED with vegetables and this Cranberry, Orange, and Candied Pecan Salad on the side, it was both satisfying and so very healthy for us.

 

 

Chicken Parmigiana

 Chicken Parmigiana is one of those dishes that, to me, always sounds much more difficult than it is to make.  Variations also make it a versatile recipe.  If, instead of chicken breasts, you use whole pieces of chicken with the bones, it becomes the downhome, cozy "chicken spaghetti".  On the flip side, if it's served with the pasta plain, sauce poured over, and chicken breasts lined up domino fashion on top of a serving platter, it becomes an elegant copycat restaurant entree for company. But mostly, we like it simply because it tastes good and is fairly quick and easy to prepare, requiring little more to accompany it than some nice bread and a good salad. 

Shrimp Fried Brown Rice with Veggies

Intended to make Sweet and Sour Pork this week but then a friend brought a huge bag of cooked shrimp and cocktail sauce to our New Year's Eve party so that got derailed (but in a good way!) into Shrimp Fried Rice.  This recipe is three of my favorite things:  fast, easy, and delicious!  (And good for us too)

 

Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde Sour Cream Sauce

Enchiladas are yummy any time of the year but I seem to really crave them in the winter as creamy, hearty eats on long, cold winter days.  I also love that they can be made ahead and baked later or even frozen and reheated later.  Double batch anyone?  Makes a quick dinner later, some night when I don't have time to cook but I don't want to run through a drive through.

Even though this recipe takes an extra ten minutes to make the sauce from scratch, it's so much tastier than using a "cream of" soup, and the white sauce is super easy to make--worth it!

Mexican Villa at Home

Nothing like a huge pan of Mexican Villa fake out Burrito Enchilada Styles and cold winter's night...while praying for spring.

Click for recipe and updated step by step photos:  Mexican Villa Fake Out.