Day #43

I saw this recipe on a January episode of Rachael Ray's daytime talk show, and have been looking forward to trying it.  She calls it "Potato Tot-Topped Shepherd's Pie."  Anything with tater tots just HAS to be good!   Basically, this is ground sirloin, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, peas, spices, & beef gravy, topped with cheddar cheese and tater tots, and then baked until the tots were crispy.

The recipe claimed to make 4-6 servings, but it really made 6-8.   And I had even cut the recipe down a bit...due to a mistake at the grocery store.   Lesson learned: double-check the recipe and the shopping lists to make sure the correct ingredients are bought!!   The recipe called for 2 pounds of ground sirloin, but for some reason, at the store I only bought a package of 0.8lb.   So when I noticed my mistake during cooking, I cut back on the rest of the veggies that I added to the mix. 
I also made a few alterations to the recipes.   First, the recipe also called for watercress, which I eliminated, but I added peas.   Second, since I don't have any Worchestshire sauce on hand (and didn't have that on my shopping list), I used a few dashes of soy sauce and some Pampered Chef smoky BBQ seasoning.  For a little flavor.    Third, the gravy called for adding a little amber beer or apple cider....I didn't buy either of those, so I just eliminated that part.   My gravy turned out delicious anyway.  It was my first time making gravy! 

Overall this was a delicious dish, it just makes a huge amount of food!

And of course, since today is Valentine's Day, I needed a special little dessert.  So I made some mini Pillsbury Cinnabon cinnamon rolls, and added pink sugar sprinkles.  Just the right amount of "festive" for today.

Happy Valentine's Day, and Happy Cooking!

Day #42

 

I had some leftover cooked ground beef in the fridge that I needed to use up.  I was in the mood for something Mexican, but I am out of tortilla shells and lettuce....so that meant no taco salad or burritos.   I decided to experiment a little.  I cooked up some couscous, mixed in the ground beef, some diced tomatoes and green peppers, a couple spoonfuls of salsa, and some diced cheddar cheese (I am also out of shredded cheese).  It was surprisingly better than  I was expecting.  Like the best "gunk" of a taco salad or nachos, without any lettuce or chips.

My dinners get creative when I am running low on food in the fridge and pantry.  Tomorrow (or Tuesday) will be grocery shopping day :-)

Day #41

 

I was in the mood for pasta tonight.   So I took a chicken breast, sliced it, and sauteed it with some green pepper and onions.  Once cooked, I mixed it together with some tomato sauce, and then tossed all of it with some whole wheat pasta.  Topped with shredded cheese.

I think I eat pasta almost as much as I eat salads.   That's a lot of Italian food, considering my mainly German/Polish heritage!

For dessert, I made a little dessert "pizza."  I took a whole grain tortilla, spread on some Nutella, topped it with chopped pecans, butterscotch chips, and white chocolate chips.  Microwaved it for about a minute until gooey, then sliced and enjoyed.  Sadly, I enjoyed it too quickly before I thought about taking a picture for the blog.  So use your imagination.  Otherwise I'll be forced to make a 2nd one, and that wouldn't be good for my waistline!

Day #40

FRIDAY!!!   Pizza & Movie night :)   I cooked myself a Red Baron Individual Supreme pizza, and made a little garden salad to go along with it.   Grabbed a soda, popped  "The Backup Plan"  into my DVD player, and enjoyed the start of the weekend.


Don't worry...I'll cook real food again tomorrow night :)

Day #39

After all the chocolate I ate at the office today, I figured I should eat something light & healthy for dinner. So I made myself a salad. Mixed greens, romaine lettuce, green pepper, onion, mushrooms, walnuts, and poppyseed dressing.



A friend posed the following question to me one night on Facebook:  "don't you find it strange that you eat so many salads during the winter?"

Which got me thinking. Am I weird? I just enjoy a good salad. They are quick and easy to make, refreshing, and versatile. True, salads are generally considered a "summer; dish, because they are light and more veggies are in season then. But should our eating habits be defined by the seasons? Does that mean I can't have soup during the summer?

So what do you think.... am I weird for eating so many salads during the winter?

Day #38

Tonight I wanted something quick & easy for dinner.  And what is quicker and easier than grilled cheese and tomato soup?   2 slice of sourdough bread, 1 slice pepperjack cheese, 1 slice cheddar cheese, some shredded Italian chicken (leftovers).....grilled to perfection.   Microwave a bowl of tomato soup.  Ta da.  Dinner is served.


As I was grilling my sandwich, I suddenly had a craving for a grilled meatloaf & cheese sandwich.  Which means I need to make a meatloaf.  Anybody have a good recipe they want to share with me?? :>)

Day #37

Last night while my mom was helping me put away the leftovers and clean up, she commented on how much chicken was left. She made some sort of remark like "Theresa will probably turn the leftovers into a soup for her blog."  So tonight as I started thinking about what to make, that comment popped into my head. And it made me wonder if I could turn the leftovers into a soup.

I wanted to give it a try.

I started by bringing 2 cups of beef bouillon up to a boil (I didn't have chicken broth on hand).  I added in one cup of the leftover juices & veggies (peppers, onion, & stewed tomatoes) from last nights dish. I also added about 1 cup of tomato sauce, to give it a little more tomato flavor and thickness. I diced up a chicken breast and a chicken thigh, and tossed them into the pot. Seasoned it with a little black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning mix, then covered the pot and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. At that point, I tossed in a couple handfuls of leftover cooked whole wheat egg noodles, and let it cook another 5 minutes.

While that was simmering, I took a couple slices of French baguette and placed them on my stove, to let some of the heat dry out the bread a bit and make it nice & crusty.

When the soup was ready, I ladled it into a bowl, added my crusty bread, and topped with a little dusting of grated parmesan cheese.

It turned out to be a nice, Italian-style chicken noodle soup!

Thanks for the idea, mom!   :-)