A FRIDGE FULL OF FOOD...

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. 

 

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 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. 

 

Gene's Slow Cooker Pork and BBQ Baked Beans over Sweet Potatoes

 

 Brags go out to the hubs for this little wonderful dinner last night (and then "lunch" again at 0100 at work). So yummy, so easy, so....manly (but this chick digs it too!).  I woke up yesterday afternoon to the smell of something delicious floating out of the slow cooker but wasn't allowed to tinker with The Man's meal-making.  No problem.  I love to cook but I love to be cooked for on my work and sleep days. No complaints from me at all! and, boy, was I in heaven when he was finished.

The basic idea is that he made pinto "brown" beans but instead of the usual ham, he used boneless country ribs for the seasoning meat.  Then he added an easy but really tasty BBQ sauce (Steven Raichlen, of course!) and served it ladled over microwaved sweet potatoes and with a big side of steamed of broccoli. It was divine!  Both times!

A word about the nutrition counts.  I am not a low-carb at any cost diet fan.  I am a good whole food vs processed food (carb) girl.   Sweet Potatoes? Yes!  Beans? Yes!  Hostess Cupcakes? Yeeee....NOOOOOO!  So while this recipe does, indeed, contain 75 carbs it also balances that out with 20, (TWENTY) grams of fiber. Those are very good carbs, my friends, and we heartily enjoyed every one of them. 

Baked Pork Chops and Apples with Brown Sugar Glaze

 

I have a confession. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with Pinterest recipes.  I have made a lot of recipes that claim to be "the best ever!" and "only 3 ingredients!"  and have been sorely disappointed time and time again. But once in awhile I come across a recipe that doesn't boast anything and ends up being so tasty it makes its way into our regular recipe rotation.  This is one of those recipes.  Very simple (more than 3 ingredients, though!) and easy to put together, it tastes like something I slaved over.  Gene's response was "smells great--looks fancy!".  Later, while eating, he said "Oh, yeah. This works!"  I think this will be one I teach Gene to make for my sleeping days (I'm a nightshifter).  We will definitely be making it again and again!

Click, for the Marinated Chopped Vegetable Salad recipe.

 

Spring is Here: BLT's with Avocado Salad

 Spring is here!  BLT's are my favorite sign (right after planting the tomato and pepper plants in containers on the back porch.)  We broil the bacon in the oven and our secret ingredient this year is Avocado "Salad", a tangy blend of chunked avocado with balsamic vinegar and spices.  For recipe, click here:  Avocado "Salad". 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Walking Dead Parody: The Snacking Dead Cookbook by D.B. Walker

The Snacking Dead: A Parody in a Cookbook, by D. B. Walker.  "Walker"?  Really?  D.B. as in "don't be a"?  It's like an extra parody in the parody!

This cookbook was a gift from my cousin Jenn for my f-f-f-fiftieth (my second favorite "f" word) birthday. I've had tons of fun with it so far. My first foray into it was two weeks ago for the premiere of the new season.  I made three of the recipes:  "Dripping Ribs with Bourbon", "Squirrel Poppers", and "Li'l Ass Kicker Punch". I also looked at "Sweet-sh Fleshballs with Red Berries". That will be our next Walking Dead/Snacking Dead Sunday night while-we-watch dinner.  Our review?  We both LOVED the ribs. The citrus in the marinade/sauce is a great counterpoint to the sweet, sour, and heat.  Pre-baking and then grilling (or broiling for us that night) caramelized the meat for a sweet, savory, and fall apart deliciousness. We'll be using this recipe again and again.  Gene loved the "squirrel" (chicken) poppers; I was ambivalent. We both loved the chicken base (prior to shaping/breading/frying) so I'm going to use that recipe, with added vegetables, the next time I make chicken pot pie.  And the punch? Oh yeah! I did make one more southern (by my definition) ingredient substitution that I talk about later in this post. I made a smaller quantity punch than the recipe (party-sized) calls for but even so, the bottom of the pitcher was dry by the end of the night. 'Nuff said!

The book is available at all major bookstores. You can easily find your favorite in the drop down menu on The Snacking Dead's website by clicking on "Grab a Copy". 

 

Pinterest Recipe: King's Hawaiian Roll Mini Baked Ham Sandwiches

I've been seeing this recipe for King's Hawaiian Roll Baked Mini Ham Sandwiches for a long time. It looks and sounds great, but to be honest, I've been burned on some Pinterest recipes. The more loudly it proclaims "Best (fill in the blank) ever and only (fill in the blank) ingredients!" the more I now tend to ignore it.  But. I will say that this recipe is delicious.  I've seen several versions on Pinterest but I went straight to King's Hawaiian Rolls web site itself to get the recipe and it came out nicely.  The baked on sauce adds a little zing, a little salty crunch, and a little savory to the sweetness of the rolls. Yummy!

Crock-pot/Slow Cooker Kielbasa Casserole

 

 What's better than a hot bowl of comfort on a cooooooooold winter day?  A hot bowl of comfort that's as good for you as it tastes!  Can it get any better than those two things?  It can when it's a quick layer into the crockpot, flip the switch, and getting to go one of the other million things on my to-do list until it's time to grab a bowl, a spoon, and our appetites.

Pinterest Recipe: One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese

 

 You know how you, okay: me, pin a million recipes on Pinterest that look good or proclaim to be "the best ________ ever!" and you, okay: me, either never get around to trying them out or I do try them and they are lackluster at best? 

This one (photo to left) works--it's a keeper! 

It's called chili mac but, to be honest, it's what we called, when I was growing up, Mom's goulash.  The differences are the cheese, the beans, the chili powder, and the best of all: ONE POT!  I know, right? That last part made my little heart skip a beat.  ONE POT.  No cooking the pasta separately and the skillet to brown the ground beef, etc.  Just brown, drain, dump in cans from the pantry, pasta that tastes even better from having cooked in the sauce, and it's a done deal.  To most people, that's called a weeknight dinner win-win.  To me, as a 12-hour nightshifter with a non-traditional work schedule, it's work night or sleep day win-win.

To get the recipe, click below: 

One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese from Damn Delicious blog

Nutrition per 1/8th recipe:  Calories:   153;  Protein:  12;  Carbs:   13;  Fat:   6;  Fiber 1;

Cook's notes:

I did make a few changes, no reflection on the original recipe, I just had to work around what I had in my pantry and fridge.  I used double the amount of meat (hubs is a big meat eater) half of it ground beef and half ground sausage.  I used large shell pasta instead of macaroni simply because that's what I had, I doubled the amount of cheese, used kidney beans only, and used shredded "Mexican" cheddar/monterey jack mix, again, because that's what I had on hand. 

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