College Friends Reunited!

On 1/6/13 Faith, Ali, and I gathered at Katie's house to meet the newest addition, baby Frank!  Coincidentally it was Frank's one month birthday!  My Mom always brought people food whenever she visited them for life events so that they wouldn't have to worry about cooking.  I thought this visit was a perfect opportunity to pamper Katie a little bit and bring her lunch!  Ali also brought a casserole and salad for Katie to reheat at a later time.  My Mom swears by this recipe and I have made it once at home.  It is quick, easy, and delicious!  She found it in a magazine and I have had a copy of it in my recipe binder for quite some time.  While I don't have a picture of the soup I do have a couple of cute pics of Frank with us!

Tortellini Florentine Soup

9 oz package of refrigerated tortellini
2 cans chicken broth (14 oz each)
3 cups of baby spinach
10 oz alfredo sauce
2 cups of roasted chicken
1/2 cup sundried tomato strips packed in oil
1 oz Parmesan cheese

In 4-quart Dutch oven cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

In the same Dutch oven combine broth and Alfredo sauce. Stir in chicken and tomato strips. Heat just to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Add cooked tortellini and spinach to chicken mixture. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and wilt spinach. To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.

*If you like to look at recipes online rather than copy them down here is the link:  http://www.bhg.com/recipe/soups/tortellini-florentine-soup/

Emeril's Braised Pork Chops with Apples and Onions

One of my Christmas gifts was a new crock-pot so I wanted to try it out.  The prep for this meal does take about 20-30 minutes, but is well worth it.  Definitely is a perfect meal for a cold winter's day!  The only thing I did differently was that I used a pork tenderloin cut into 2" steaks, and I used Crown Royal whiskey instead of brandy.  I also used the Spanish "smoked Paprika" as I love the deep flavor of this spice...and omitted the marjoram and caraway seeds.  The pork was so tender you could cut it with a fork so I highly recommend using a tenderloin.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

6 center-cut pork chops, 1/2 inch thick (about 2 1/2 pounds)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all- purpose flour

1/4 cup plus 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions cut into 1/4- inch slices

1/3 cup Calvados or other brandy

1 1/2 cups chicken stock or canned low- sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped fresh marjoram

2 Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into 1/4- inch slices, sprinkled with lemon juice to prevent browning if sliced ahead.

Cooking Directions

Combine the kosher salt, paprika, and cayenne and mix well. Using paper towels, lightly pat the pork chops dry, then season the chops on both sides with the salt mixture. Lightly dredge the pork chops in 1/4 cup of the flour.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium- high heat. Add the pork chops, 2 at a time, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the pork chops to the crock of a 6- quart slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining pork chops, adding a tablespoon of the olive oil to the pan with each batch.

Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil to the pan along with the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring, for 30 seconds, then add the Calvados, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until most of the alcohol has evaporated, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Turn the heat down to medium. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 2 tablespoons flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is lightly browned and smells nutty. Whisk in the stock, bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has thickened, about 1 minute. Pour over the pork chops and add the caraway seeds, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, pepper, and half of the herbs. Top with the onions, then cover the slow cooker.

Set the temperature to high and cook until the pork chops are very tender, about 4 hours. Check the pork chops once or twice during cooking, gently shifting them around in the crock so that they are evenly submerged in the cooking liquid to promote even cooking. During the last 45 minutes, push the onions aside and layer with the apples. Cover the apples with the onions and finish cooking. Remove the bay leaves. Sprinkle with the remaining herbs and serve hot with a side of your choice.

We served with green beans and "smashed potatoes".
A wild rice would be a nice compliment to the dish as well.

Lasagna Time!

WOW!  It has been quite a while...for 2 1/2 weeks I had no computer (or no computer with a working keyboard) and after harassing some lady in the mall I am back up and running!  I have been relying on my iPhone and now I can finally send a tasty update!  I had lasagna at a friend's house the end of October and then another brought it to work a few weeks later.  It was one of those things where you see something and you HAVE to make it or else you will never quit thinking about it!!  Frank was away about a month ago for a few nights and I decided to make him a sausage lasagna to welcome him home!  I literally went off the top of my head and bought all of the ingredients on a whim that afternoon.  This could serve 6 hungry adults or make 8 smaller servings.  It also freezes well!  ; - )     Here goes:

1 lb Italian Sausage
1 onion, diced
2 cans (28 oz each) of diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Italian parlsey
8 oz whole milk ricotta
3-4 cups of mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese (about a cup)
1 box of Barilla "no bake" lasagna noodles

Preheat the oven at 375.  Brown the sausage in a pan and then drain.  Saute the onion for about 5 minutes on medium and then add the garlic for a minute.  Add the bay leaf and both cans of tomatoes.  Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn it down to simmer.  Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and then add sausage into the tomato sauce at the end.  While the sauce is simmering finely chop the parsley and mix it with the ricotta cheese.  In a 9 x 13 pan spoon 2 ladles of the tomato sauce into the bottom.  Cover the sauce with a layer of noodles and then spoon 2-3 more ladles of sauce on top.  Sprinkle with parm, mozzarella, and a few dollops of ricotta.  Repeat this process layer by layer until you reach the top of the pan.  (For me that was 3-4 layers).  Be sure to finish the lasagna with the sausage/tomato sauce.  Bake for 50 minutes and then top with some more mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 more minutes or until brown and bubbly.  Let the lasagna stand for about 10 minutes before serving. 

Chicken Pot Pie

I know there are probably 100 different ways to make a chicken pot pie.  I like to take the easy way out and use some pre-made ingredients to save time!  (I feel like the Food Network lady, Sandra Lee!) 
Tonight I kept it simple: chicken pot pie and a salad.

1 rotisserie chicken, pulled (dark and white meat)
1 small can of veg-all
1 small container of sour cream (8 oz)
1 can of cream of chicken
s & p
pre-made pie crust

Pull the chicken and place it in a mixing bowl.  Add all of the other ingredients to the bowl except for the pie crust. Lightly greast a circular pan (I used a quiche pan) with nonstick cooking spray.  Fill the pan with the chicken mixture and bake for 30 minutes at 350.  Pull out the pot pie and gently place the crust on top.  Cut a few slits to allow the steam to escape.  Bake this for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown!  *You could also make it extra delicious by baking it in a pre-made pie crust pan and then topping it with the crust!*   

Sunday's Soup

I have had a craving for soup lately.  As it turns out the Georgia weather has started to resemble Fall and the timing was perfect!  For lunch today I decided to make something that would last for a few days and give me some good leftovers for work.  This butternut squash soup was so easy and fabulous!  I searched the Internet and pieced a few recipes together and came up with this! 

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1/2 of a yellow onion, diced
2 T butter
6 cups of chicken broth
dash of pepper
dash of nutmeg

Saute the onion for a couple of minutes and then throw in the butternut squash cubes.  Toss this mixture and allow the melted butter to coat all of the squash.  Cook for about 5 minutes on medium.  Add the stock and bring this to a boil.  Once boiling turn it to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes.  Once the squash is soft (it should be tender and just falling apart) use a slotted spoon to pull out the squash and onions.  Place them in a food processor and puree.  Then place this puree back into the chicken broth.  Add the pepper and nutmeg.  Mix well and serve!  The color of this soup is so pretty...the picture doesn't do it justice! 

*I had to use my little tea/coffee cups and saucer just for fun!  My Aunt Karen also have me some embroidered napkins for a wedding shower present and I thought they were a cute addition to the picture! *

Tiffany's Salad

I'm baaaaaaaack!  You all see how my little experiment went---it took about 6 weeks to get a rise out of my brother!  :-D

About a year ago the girls were all together to celebrate our friend, Tiffany, and her upcoming 30th birthday.  For dinner she made us the most delicious and tasty salad...it was so good that I remember it a year later!  Saturday we were grocery shopping and picked up a 1/2 beef tenderloin so we could make "Frank steaks" and then have a little leftover.  (Believe it or not, buying a beef tenderloin is cheaper than buying individual steaks at the meat counter.  All you need is a man with a good knife and you are good to go!)  At any rate, I immediately thought about the salad that Tiffany made for us!  I called her to get the quick run-down of ingredients and viola----dinner was served!

There is really nothing to this salad.  First I seasoned the steak with McCormick's montreal steak seasoning.  I seared it and when it was medium rare I took it out of the pan and allowed it to rest while I prepped the rest of the salad.  I topped some baby spring mix (or she said you can use arugula if you like the "peppery" bite of the arugula) with sliced strawberries and crumbled goat cheese.  You can also add some candied walnuts if you like.  Top the salad with the sliced steak and then drizzle with poppy seed dressing.  Thanks, Tiff!    

Memaw's Chicken

We noticed that Amanda and Melissa have apparently taken a hiatus from posting while working on their latest book - the 7 habits of highly effective slackers.  So we decided to step in and keep this blog going!

This is a simple, hearty meal of baked chicken and gravy that Rachel's grandmother from Jasper, Alabama (affectionately known as "Memaw") showed us how to make this summer when we paid her a visit.  This is very easy and very tasty.

Ingredients:

6-8 bone-in or boneless chicken thighs
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8oz sour cream
1/2 cup of milk
Fresh sauteed mushrooms
S&P to taste


Spray the pan with non stick spray.  Trim the chicken and season with some S&P.  Saute some fresh mushrooms a small bit of butter.  Mix the soup, sour cream, milk and sauteed mushrooms, and pour over the chicken.  Bake in the oven at about 350 uncovered for 45 minutes and then cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, or more/less until chicken is cooked through.  The chicken should be falling apart at this point.  When I made this for Memaw, I will always remember her wise advice (she said with a smirk and a wink) - Rachel, you never take it out until it's done... (that's what she said!)

Serve over rice and with a side, usually a green vegetable like green beans.

Enjoy!