A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

Chicken and Veggie Quesadillas

Quesadillas are one of those Tex-Mex restaurant dishes that's just as good, if not better!, made at home. Perfect for a family, they're easily customizable, delicious, and both quick and easy to make. Anyone can make these and I'm talking to you, Aunt Kay!  All you need is some kind of already cooked meat (or skip it and go vegetarian!) and at least a vegetable (or not and go carnivorous) and a hot skillet.  But since the goal is to eat healthier and get in those 5 servings of veggies a day, I went with the cooked chicken breasts that I had simmered in the chicken and orzo soup I made earlier in the week, and the onions, mushrooms, and red and yellow peppers that magically appeared in my crisper. By magically, I mean that Auntie Miranda found on sale at Aldi's and was kind enough to pick up enough for both of our homes since they were so cheap--thanks Auntie! 

 
 For those who know what a Girl Geek/Trekkie I am, is it really a surprise to know that my pizza cutter is in the shape of the Enterprise?  Yeah, I thought not.  Makes me smile every time I use it. 

 

 

Peanut Butter, White Chocolate, and Cashew Energy Bites

I kept seeing "energy balls" or "energy bites" all over Pinterest and wondered what was up with that. Well, now I know! They are 1 ounce bites (which actually means about 3 bites) of sweet and savory deliciousness wrapped around a lot of nutrition, if you do it right.  In texture and taste, they're a cross between a no-bake cookie, candy, or an old-fashioned sugar plum. Remember the Christmas poem "...while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..."   I made those one year for Christmas and wonder why I never did again. An all natural chewy bit of carb happiness, I mean, energy. Will definitely be keeping these in the rotation. They will be great for at home but even more perfect for work when I need to grab something quick and easy to nibble on because it's too easy to get busy and end up going 8-10 hours without eating anything and that low blood sugar nausea feeling that comes on doesn't do me or my patients any good.

I will make up other flavors but my first foray into the energy bite world was kind of a rebellion against all things chocolate.  Every recipe I've ever seen has chocolate chips or cocoa in it.  There are some of us out here in the world, I confess, who are not chocoholics.   Loved watching Bobby Flay (old eppy) over the weekend where he made French toast sticks with white chocolate/orange ganache and said "White chocolate has always been my favorite chocolate. My Mom still brings me a white chocolate bunny to the restaurant every year on Easter."  Ahhh!  And yes, a fellow white-a-holic! 

 

Copycat Arris Pizza Spinach Salad with Bleu Cheese and Red Wine Vinaigrette

  One of our favorite places to eat, when I'm not cooking at home, is a locally owned restaurant, Arris Pizza on Republic Road.  Started in Jefferson City, MO in 1961 by Arris Pardalos, we're lucky to have one his few franchises here in Springfield, just a couple of miles from home.  The pizza is thin-crusted crunchiness that we love with generous toppings and the salads are to die for. They serve pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and salads, almost all of which are made from scratch in house but we are bad about sticking to our favorites:  Gene's is the Hercules with ground beef, Greek sausage, bacon, and Canadian bacon, while mine is the Veg Head (tomatoes, artichoke hearts, black olives, green peppers, spinach, and mushrooms) plus Greek sausage. Gene jokes that I shouldn't be allowed to ordered a vegetarian pizza and then add sausage to it, but hey, it's my party--and it's so yummy! 

Of course they have Greek Salad (duh!) and a Caesar, but my favorite is the Berry salad with spinach, romaine, berries in the summer or dried cranberries, bleu cheese, toasted walnuts, and their homemade red wine vinaigrette.  Even when I'm cooking at home I love to serve my version of this salad. The combination of fresh green, sweet berries, savory walnuts, with the bite of bleu cheese and the sweet fruity dressing is the essence of the perfect bite, in my mind and mouth. 

Disclaimer:  I don't claim that this dressing recipe is directly from Arris, and I have no connection to the restaurant or its owners, but this recipe is one of my go-to vinaigrettes as it  tops a delicious salad to serve at home that is very close/similar to the one I always order there.

 

 

Swedish Meatballs with Mushroom Sauce

What to do when you can't decide which of your husband's favorite dishes to make for Valentine's Day dinner?  Make both!  He worked only a short day yesterday so pulling it off sort of a Bridge Jones fiasco in that the meal came down to TWO meats, mashed potatoes...and brownies! But he said it was the perfect Valentine's meal and that's all that really counts, right? Right!

The two entrees were Swedish Meatballs with Mushroom sauce (recipe here) that is an adaptation from a Swedish Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce recipe that I made for my cousin James' birthday a couple of years ago.  The cranberry sauce is to die for, with its traditional Scandinavian spices, but since I had fresh mushrooms but no cranberries...you got it, mushrooms won the day.  I also made Gene's own Country-style Boneless Ribs, another of his faves, and served both over mashed potatoes which is a little piece of comfort food heaven. 

 

Happy Valentine's Day 2017

Happy Valentine's Day to all but most especially to my patient, loving, patient, funny, tolerant, fun, patient hubby, Gene aka Generino! 

After 24 (25 in 2 weeks!) years, I still you very much.  Thank you for being the Mark Darcy to my Bridget Jones (I know you won't get that but the chicas will.)

 

The Works Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

 Remember when broccoli salad was called Trees N Raisins salad because that's basically all it was, with maybe some sunflower seeds?  Me too.  This is so much yummier (and even healthier too).  And ultimately customizable to what's in your fridge and pantry.  When I really go all out I love to add both broccoli and cauliflower, cashews and sunflower seeds, raisins or dried cranberries and grapes, bacon and onion, AND cheese cubes.  Yum. It's a huge crunchy, sweet, salty, savory party for the mouth.  I love to make a good sized batch and leave it in the fridge to be eaten all week since it keeps very well for several days.  It can be the salad for dinner,  a lunch by itself, or even just a snack. 

 

Scrambled Eggs with Mushrooms and Green Onions

I could have made this fancier, sound fancier, by making it a Mushroom and Onion Omelet but the truth is rather than cooking the eggs and mushrooms/onions separately and then combining, I actually prefer the taste of the mushrooms and onions sautéed and then cooked along with the eggs. I think the taste melds with the eggs better so, really, it's scrambled eggs with mushrooms and onions.  If you like eggs, like we do (and we eat a lot of them) this is a quick, easy, and versatile way to get in your protein and a vegetable.  Perfect for breakfast, of course, but Gene and I also love them for a light lunch or, along with hash browns, as dinner.

 

 

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!

 

Magic Cheesecake

 

 

Magic Cheesecake, like all the other "magic" cheesecakes is one that forms its own crust. For those of us who can skip (meaning it's not our favorite part) the graham cracker crust, it's perfect.  It forms a slight crust but not so much that it feels like a thick pie or graham cracker or cookie crust.  The texture of the cheesecake itself is a little more substantial that regular New York style cheesecake but I love it.

I'm going to simply direct link to The English Kitchen blog since it's her recipe but I will tell you a couple of quick things I do differently. Nothing big.  I just added the zest and juice of a lemon the second time I baked it for a little more zip and I skipped the sour cream topping but only because I didn't happen to have any sour cream either time I made it.  The only other thing I monkied with is the sugar. Since I'm trying to cut back and cheesecake is not something I like super sweet, I only used half (1/2 cup total) the sugar. Still delish!

Thanks to Marie from The English Kitchen--I've tried several of her recipes and they're always keepers!

Magic Cheesecake Recipe from The English Kitchen

 Nutrition per 1/8th of cake (without caramel sauce, sorry!);  Calories:  302;  Protein:  9;  Carbs:  26;  Fat:  17;  Fiber: 1.

 

 

Tuna Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce

 

 

 Hmmm....need a fast meal that's also healthy?  Tuna patties to the rescue. We're all trying to eat more fish (especially now at the new year, right?) and this is a quick, easy, budget-friendly, and family-friendly way to go.

All you need are a few items from the fridge and pantry: tuna, eggs, breadcrumbs, onion of some kind, and a couple of spices.

They are fried but I rarely use more than a tablespoon or two of olive oil and we're supposed to have a serving of olive oil a day as well, so it's still a win-win.  On the other hand, 29 grams of protein for a little over 200 calories is a definite WIN.

Plus, the end game is this: they're delicious!