Rockin' Recipe -- Chicken Enchiladas

Like I said yesterday, due to our excursion last week to the farmer's market, I had a lot of produce to use up this week that was slightly past its prime.  There's no need to throw away produce that isn't as fresh as it was. Yes, the nutrients start waning the moment it's picked, but there are plenty left to give soups, stews and sauces and extra punch. Leave a comment with your favorite way to save a veggie??


I remember watching a Barefoot Contessa show where Ina said to roast winter tomatoes that didn't have as much flavor, to concentrate the flavor and make them eatable.  Oven roasted tomatoes are REALLY shrivelly, so the ones I had that were slightly wrinkled did just fine.  I also had some onions that were beginning to sprout and some garlic that was a little less than plump.  We haven't had anything Mexican in a few weeks and while I was rooting through the freezer I came across two lonely chicken breasts that seemed to fit the bill for this recipe. 


Julie's Roasted Chicken Enchiladas

5 Roma tomatoes

6 garlic cloves

2 small onions

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Salt and pepper

2 chicken breasts

6 flour or corn tortillas

2 cups shredded cheese (I used Mexican Chihuahua Cheese)

I cored the tomatoes and got rid of the seeds, peeled the onions and threw away the green sprout in the center and peeled the garlic.  I covered a sheet pan with foil, sprayed the pan and veggies with olive oil and added salt and pepper.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with the garlic since it burns faster than tomatoes and onions, so I left some on the tray and wrapped some in foil with some oil and guess what.  They both burned!  I added some crushed garlic later...I also threw two left over raw chicken breasts in the oven at the same time to cook through.

Make sure you cover your baking sheet with foil, otherwise it will look like this when it's done!

Roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the onions are soft and the tomatoes are soft and starting to brown.  Empty all into the blender with the wine and spices and give it a whirl. 

Shred chicken and add it, with 1/3 of the sauce into a saute pan and simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely and mix with 2/3 of the cheese.  I ended up with about 3 cups of the filling.  I wrapped a half cup into each tortilla and lined up in a 9 X 13 baking dish.  Top with the remaining sauce and cheese.  Refrigerate, freeze or bake immediately at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes, until browned and bubbly!  Thumbs up from Big Mama and the Little Mouths both cleaned their plates.

Thank you to all my blogging friends for allowing me to link to their posts.  Looky Here!  for links to their grat blogs!

Whiteout Wednesday! Smoothie Breakthrough!

Snow day!  Even for Big Mama.  It's a state of emergency in our town and I didn't have to go to work.  Of course, it practically is work, with all the things the HR person has to do to cancel work in a factory, but I get to do it in my jammies, so that's a plus.

Oh my goodness!  You'll never guess.  I ate spinach.  In my smoothie!  It was fantastic!

I had a comment on my last smoothie recipe that she put kale in her smoothie.  Kale?  Really?I thought to myself, "She's a better woman that me..." and went about my day.

Saturday at the farmers market I purchased some fresh spinach.  I thought I'd make some Sneaky Tomato Soup, but ended up not being in the mood for it.  I hated to see it go to waste, so I thought I'd just cook it up and freeze it to add to something later.  Then I remembered the kale. 

I am a brave woman.  I am!  So I took a deep breath, pulled the leaves off a couple of handfuls or spinach leaves and punched the puree button on my normally luscious orange-banana smoothie.  And guess what?

I was good.  The same.  YUMMY.  And I drank it and so did the little mouths. They even liked it until they saw is was a very bright green.  Howya like that?

Spinach Smoothie (Serves 3-4)

Bunch of spinach
2 Frozen Bananas
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt

Bend and serve!

Smoooooottttthhiiiieeee, anyone?

Since it will be a few weeks until the CSA boxes start arriving, I thought I'd fill in with a few new recipes.  One thing that Big Mama and Little Mouths agree on when it comes to food is ice cream.  We love, love, love it.  Can not get enough of it. 

But unfortunately, Big Mama's be-hind has definitely had enough of it...so what to do.  The next best thing.  Smoothies.

Fresh Market had blueberries on special this week and that inspired this recipe...  I added the milk flavoring (found next to the Quick and Ovaltine) because it was very tart when I finished.  You could also add sugar or sugar substitute.

Blueberry-Pomegranate Smoothie

1 Frozen Banana
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 carton of Greek yogurt (or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 packet vanilla milk favoring (I used sugar free)

Blend in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Enjoy!

Dreamy, Creamy Chicken

Fast. Simple. And so good I forgot to take the picture before I had a few bites! The chicken is super moist and tender from finishing in the stock and the sauce is fabo! Thumbs up from Little Mouths, too. Big Mama loves the taste as well as the ease of cooking and time to prepare.

Creamy Onion and Chive Chicken Breasts



Four boneless chicken breasts
1/3 cup flour
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 cups or so “Stock in a Box” or homemade chicken stock
1 container Onion and Chive Soft Cream Cheese (light is ok if you can find it)

Flour chicken breast and brown in olive oil. Don’t cook all the way through. Deglaze pan with chicken stock and simmer chicken in stock until cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan and add the cream cheese. Whisk until smooth and melted into the stock. Reduce or add a little more stock to reach the desired consistency. I serve this simple little dish on nights I have to have dinner on the table in 20 mintues…and still have a few minutes to spare. I normally serve with rice, but it’s also good with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Double Orange Glazed Pork Chops

I had intended on grilling pork chops.  However, last night's steaks only got half way done before the grill tank fizzled out, so I needed a new plan.

They've been on sale for weeks and I am running out of ways the little mouths will still eat them. Their biggest complaint is that they are hard to chew, so I knew I needed to do something to keep them moist.  I had an orange that was somewhat past it's prime, some left over chicken stock from soup the other day and a half a jar of marmalade in the back of the fridge.  Necessity being the mother of invention, I looked in fridge and came up with this new recipe.  Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Thumbs alike.  Yummy!

Once upon a time I had a recipe for this.  I think it was Paula Deen.  Maybe.  But I couldn't find it so I had to wing it.  Aren't they pretty??

Double Orange Glazed Pork Chops

4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt and Pepper
Olive Oil
1 large clove minced garlic
Juice of one orange
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 glugs of boxed chicken stock (about a half a cup)
1-2 tablespoons real butter (I use unsalted)

Heat a saute pan on high and add olive oil.  Dry, salt and paper pork chops.  Throw them in the pan to brown, but not cook through.  3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove chops from pan.  Melt a tablespoon or butter or a little more oil in the pan and add the garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds or so.  Watch closely so it doesn't burn.

Deglaze the pan with a couple of glugs of the chicken stock and add the orange juice.  Add the marmalade and whisk until it melts into the sauce.  Add the chops back into the pan with any accumulated juices on the plate and simmer for 10 or so minutes until cooked through, basting or turning the chops in the sauce several times.

Remove the chops again and reduce sauce to desired consistency.  Remove the sauce from the heat.  Finish it with 1 tablespoon butter (totally worth it and a minute amount of calories per serving) and serve.

The Perfect Alfredo Sauce

After a bout of stomach flu by the Big Mama, we are back to our regular scheduled program with a new orginal recipe. 

I remember in college, attempting to make an Alfredo Sauce to serve to my friends.  I cooked for what seemed like hours, my kitchen was designated a desaster area by the then President Bush, (Sr., not W) and I threw it in the trash.  We got Pizza.

It seems like in the years since I've struggled to find the perfect recipe.  Some were too gloppy, some too soupy, some to cheesy and some toally without flavor.  Most were just too rich for my prone-to-acid-reflux tummy, even if they delighted my love-butter-and-cheese pallet. 

Having exahusted the supply of recipes on foodnetwork.com I struck out on my own to hopefully, keep the wonderful things that I love about traditional alfredo...the sliky texture and parmesean yumminess....with bolder, deeper flavor that can stand up to a flavored or stuffed pasta and cut a calorie or two in the process.

And boy did I hit the ball out of the park!  According to the calorie counter I found on the internet, regular Alfredo sauce is 535 calories per serving.  Coming it at only 150 Calories a serving for an Alfredo sauce that will even keep Whole Wheat pasta from tasting terrible!  And I wasn't skimpy with the servings, either.  Whoo hoo! 

I'm not sure of the cholesterol count with the real butter and real cheese, but that isn't something I track too closely.

I served it with homemade garlic bread, a Ceasar salad over whole wheat chicken and grilled onion Tortilini.  (From the deli section, I did not make them)  Thumbs up were had by all and the picky-icky Little Mouth had seconds!

Perfect Alfredo

5 T Unsalted Butter

2T Flour

1 (or 2) cloves smashed garlic

1 t lemon zest

Fresh cracked black pepper

Pinch fresh nutmeg

1 2/3 cups fat free half and half

2 cups grated parmesan cheese

Reserved pasta water to correct consistency.

Heat fat free half and half in a small sauce pan to a simmer.  Do not boil or a yucky skummy layer will form. 

Melt butter in a high sided saute pan.  Add flour and garlic, lemon zest and nutmeg and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat.  Do not allow to brown.   

Add warmed half and half and when that is just begining to simmer, add parmesan cheese, whisking constantly.  Cheese will thicken sauce, maybe too much.  I like a thinner sauce, so I added about 1 1/2 cups of the starchy pasta water.  Toss in your pasta of choice and serve immediately.  So, so good!

Next time I'll throw in some fresh taragon and maybe some chives.  I can't wait to try this one again~! 

Summery Lemon Shrimp Pasta

A while back I made a shrimp scampi pasta and this dish reminds me a lot of that, but without the specialty ingredients like clam juice.  This is all made with things I had on hand in the fridge or pantry.  This also makes good use of the littlest and the cheapest shrimp.  The flavors of the garlic and lemon are strong an can stand up to the frozen shrimp quite nicely. 

Summery Lemon Shrimp Pasta

8 oz pasta of your choice
12 oz cocktail shrimp (gasp, I used frozen)
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 large shallot
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth or pasta cooking liquid
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chives
Salt and pepper

Vest lemon and combine with salt, pepper, garlic and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Mix in shrimp and set aside to marinate. 

Cook pasta to al dente in salted boiling water.  I used short pasta because the Little Mouths like it better and it is easier for them to eat. 

Mince shallot and brown in a large skillet on medium high heat.  Toss in shrimp and cook through until shrimp are opaque. 

Add the wine, chicken stock or starchy cooking liquid reserved from pasta.  Using both the wine and lemon might make it a bit too sharp for many little mouths.  Prepare it to the tolerance of your little taste buds and use more cooking liquid or chicken stock to compensate for the liquid. 

Add in the drained pasta and butter and mix to combine.  Chop the fresh parsley and chives and toss just prior to serving.

Thumps up from Little Mouths and Big Mama.

Marmalade Pork Chops

Okay, again, this isn't my picture.  Again, I was hungry, I ate, I then remembered the photo.  Too late.  But it actually looked a lot like this, only oranger.

Marmalade Pork Chops

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup chicken or veg. broth
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 pork chops
Salt and Pepper

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the pork chops with the salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops but don't cook all of the way through.  Remove pork chops and cover with foil. 

Deglaze the pan with the orange juice and chicken broth.  Add vinegar, marmalade and bring the mixture to a simmer.  When marmalade is melted and combined, add pork chops back into the mix and simmer, turning every few minutes to coat in the sauce until the pork is cooked completely.  150 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer. 
Transfer the chops to serving dish and turn off the heat.  Add the tablespoon of butter to the sauce and whisk until combined.  Drizzle over the chops and serve. 

Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Mouths.  If you're not from the south, and I'm not, then the whole sweet meat thing took a minute.  I did find the sauce a little sweet on first taste, but I added a splash of vinegar to cut it a bit.  Next time I'm thinking about adding a little Dijon mustard to see what that taste's like.  I served these with real mashed potatoes from the deli at Fresh Market.  Sometimes, especially on Monday nights when I only got four hours of sleep the night before, side dishes are just too much for me.

Antipasto Chicken Sliders

After a great day out with Pedicures and Pizza with my friend and fellow challenge-ee Shirley Jump, I felt inspired and stopped by Fresh Market on my way home.  I love Fresh Market with all my heart and dream of being able to shop there daily as much as I dream of seeing my name on the NYT Bestseller list...but I digress.  I wondered around for awhile and came up with this new recipe, inspired by their antipasto bar.

Antipasto Chicken Sliders
(Could easily be made as burgers...in that case, I'd serve on ciabatta)

1 pound ground chicken
6 slices turkey bacon (Fresh Market has this awesome turkey bacon that's really thick.  I'm not sure regular turkey bacon would hold up to grilling)
1 Tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
1 Teaspoon fresh thyme
1 large or two small chopped shallots
3 cloves of roasted garlic, minced, crushed or grated
1 teaspoon white Worcestershire sauce
12 marinated bocconcini (little mozzarella balls)
6 rolls (I got these adorable little herb yeast rolls at, you guessed it, Fresh Market)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Preheat grill on high. 

Combine the chicken, parsley, thyme, shallots, garlic, white Worcestershire sauce.  Mix with a fork to keep the mixture from being too mashed down and form into six or eight patties.   

The secret to making tasty chicken or turkey burgers, is adding texture to the meat.  Beef has texture because of the little pockets of fat that liquefy and drain out of the burger during the cooking process, leaving little holes in the burger.  Our mouths like that texture and like the fat.  With chicken and turkey, there is no fat, or very little so we either have to put fat back in or replace it with something.  The shallots, garlic and fresh herbs are what we are using here.  You might be able to get the same taste with dried herbs and onion and garlic powder, but you won't get the same texture and thus, the burger won't be as satisfying.  The fresh ingredients have moisture that will evaporate during cooking.  The herbs, shallots etc. will shrink and leave a little pocket of air...thus creating that texture we love. 

Brush turkey bacon slices and burgers with olive oil and place on preheated grill.  Cook turkey bacon until browned, but not too done or it will get very tough.  Flip burgers when they are nearly cooked through, place bocconcini on the browned side and drizzle with marinade.  Reduce head and lower grill lid to melt the mozzarella.  You can also tent with foil if you don't want to close lid. 

Brush rolls with oil or a flavored oil and place on the grill to brown.  Layer on rolls with bacon and Gooey Deliciousness!~

Terrible photo of something that tasted SO good!

Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Mouths thought they were pretty good too...although Little Boy Mouth could have done without anything green in them.

Luscious Lemony Pancakes

Okay, so these aren't really my pancakes...but they looked just like this, I swear.  We forgot to take a picture, because we ate them so fast.   Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Mouths, alike!

Luscious Lemony Pancakes


2 cups baking mix like Jiffy, Bisquick or Pioneer. I prefer pioneer.
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
Dash of salt


Don't skip the lemon zest! It adds such a yummy favor and works well with maple syrup. I have also used Orange zest, and that's great as well, but then I'd only used just a teaspoon of sugar.  

Mix by hand with a whisk until lumps disappear. Poor onto an oiled griddle or frying pan preheated over
medium heat.   Use a small ladle or measuring cup for evenly sized pancakes.


You don't want the mixture to be too thick or you will get gummy pancakes, too thin and you will have a hard time flipping. Test just one pancake the first time to make sure the batter isn't too runny (where the batter all 
runs off the pancake as you are flipping it) or too thick (gummy on the inside and hard to cook through and 
keep the outsides golden brown. If the mixture is too thick or thin, add baking mix or milk by the spoonful 
until you satisfied with the constancy and you have a light pancake that is cooked through when it is golden 
brown on the outside.


It just takes a little practice, but within a few batches, you have it down pat and can make perfect pancakes 
every time. And don't worry. Even the not-so-perfect pancakes taste pretty darn good!

Aioli with Herbed Grilled Potatoes

It was a challenge to get my herb garden in the ground this year with all of the rain we've had...and I almost threw in the towel and didn't plant it at all.  But now that my little patch is full of lushious yumminess, I'm SO glad I did. 

I usually make this with roasted fingerling potatoes...but they are $8 a pound this time of year and I didn't feel like making the trip to Fresh Market.  In a few weeks, the farmers markets around here will be in full swing and I'll have ready access to the buttery deliciousness of the Russian Banana Fingerling potatoes. 

But today I made it with regular Russets on the grill.

Herbed Grilled Potatoes and Aioli

Potatoes:

4 Russet potatoes cut in 1/2 slices, then halfed.

A bunch of whatever herbs you have lying around.  I used Rosemary, Lemon Basil and Thyme.

2 Tablespoons olive oil.

Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.  Then grill on medium until cooked through.  About 20 minutes or so, brushing them with the leftover marinade before turning.   

Aioli:

1 slice white bread with the crusts removed
2 tablespoons white wine or champaign vinegar
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups mayo (I used Kraft Olive Oil mayonaise)
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

Tear up the bread and mix with vinegar.  Allow to sit for 5 mintues.  Squeeze out most of the vinegar and combine with the other ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.  The more vinegar the more bite.  I like mine really sharp, so I don't squeeze too much of the vinegar out.

Big Mama LOVES Aioli. I made it for the first time last summer.  Aioli is traditionally made with raw egg yokes and oil, but I didn't have any pasturized eggs (which are VERY expensive) and so I skipped the egg yokes and oil and just used mayonaisse.  Safe for the Little Mouths and to tell you the truth, I liked it even better. 

Aioli is great on potatoes, sandwiches and I much prefer it on fish over tartar sauce. 

The flavors are pretty strong and one Little Mouth likes it and one doesn't...but all three of us liked the potatoes.

Haverhill Italian Beef

This was SO good and SO easy my lovely Auntie made it!  The recipe came from the teachers at Haverhill, my kid's school, thus the title, Haverhill Italian Beef.

This is actually last week's recipe, I've just been too swamped to sit down and get it posted.  Thumbs up from Big Mama's and Little Mouths alike.  In fact, Little Mouths had seconds.

6 oz. water
3 beef bouillon cubes
1 stick of butter
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons italian seasonings
2 tablespoons garlic powder (yes, tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 pound chuck roast

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.  Cook 4 hours on high and 4 hours on low or some other combination like six hours on high or 12 hours on low etc.  Shread and serve on rolls that will soak up all of the yummy juice.

Grilled Chicken Cacciatore

Today was Pinocle day at our house.  Our Great Aunt comes over for dinner and we play cards for the afternoon.  It's nice and relaxing, but often a challenge to find something that pleases palettes from six to eighty-six.

This afternoon, I think I picked a winner.  I knew we were having chicken breasts, they were on sale for $1.86 a pound.  But I wanted to try something new.  I scanned by ever growing pile of cookbooks and cooking magazines, but nothing seemed just right.  Then I found inspiration when thumbing though an old, dog-eared copy of Martha Stewart's first cookbook.

Instead of baking it in the sauce, I decided to grill it to see what happened.  I, of course, ran out of gas in my grill half way through, but transfered them inside to the grill pan and that worked just fine.  I served the chicken with Dill Potato Salad and fresh fruit.

Grilled Chicken Cacciatore

6-8 chicken breasts

1 6-oz. can of tomato paste

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 red wine

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients and allow to sit in the refrigerator several hours to overnight.  Start grill on high and allow the chicken to caramelize on both sides, basting with the additional sauce to avoid drying out.  Lower grill and cook through until juices run clear.  

Thumbs up from Big Mama, Little Mouths and Great Aunt. 

Barbeque Chicken Burgers with Bacon Ranch Sauce and Foil Potatoes

I love to create new burger recipes...especially during grill season.  With a six and nearly nine year old in the house, I rarely get any flack when burgers are on the menu.  This one was a winner, although not as pretty as I'd hoped.  But it sure was tasty.  

Barbeque Chicken Burgers

1 pound ground chicken

1/2 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

1 clove crushed garlic

Salt and Pepper

4 slices of colby jack cheese

Few drops of olive oil

Mix the ground chicken with the BBQ sauce and crushed garlic.  Separate into eight portions.  Flaten one portion into a patty, fold the colby jack in fourths and place in the middle of the patty.  Flatten another portion and place on top of the cheese.  Seal the edges and repeat until you have four large sized burgers.    Sprinkle with olive oil and rub to cover.  

Place on a hot grill.  They will tend to break apart and the cheese will ooze out if flipped too much, so avoid temptation and let them sear well on the first side before flipping.  

Serve on toasted buns or Ciabatta, drizzled in bacon ranch sauce.   Delish.

Bacon Ranch Sauce

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 teaspoon garlic minced
3/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon onion minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
3-4 slices bacon, crumbled 

Mix together and chill for 1-2 hours before serving.  Store in an airtight container for one to three weeks.  

I served this with...

Foil Potatoes

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes

1 large Vidalia Onion

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 clove crushed garlic

1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard

Chunk up potatoes and onion, toss with the rest of the ingredients and wrap in foil, sealing the edges well to trap the steam.  I place the foil package on the back part of the grill for about 15 minutes on high before the burgers go on, then flip and keep cooking with the burgers.  Make a slit in the foil and test potatoes for tenderness before removing from the heat.  

Big Mama and the Little Mouths give a big thumbs up to all of the above.  

Chicken and Rice with White Sauce

I initially got this recipe from my friend Kelli.  It called for the chicken breasts to be breaded in Ritz Cracker Crumbs and Parmesan Cheese.  It was very good, but quite heavy and I hate to bread things.  I added some flavor with the wine and the garlic and took out quite a bit of the calories by removing the cheese and the cracker crumbs...not to mention cutting down on the time. 


2 cups brown rice, uncooked (Used Long Grain and Wild Rice)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup wine
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves(1 lb.)
2 tsp. oil
1 tub PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese

How to make it

Cook rice as directed on package, using 1-1/4 cups of the broth and 1/2 cup water.

Meanwhile, mix cracker crumbs and Parmesan on plate. Rinse chicken with cold water; gently shake off excess.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 5 to 6 min. on each side or until done (165°F). Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm. Add remaining onioni and garlic to the pan and cook until just starting to brown.  Deglaze the pan with the wine and add broth and cream cheese to skillet; bring just to boil, stirring constantly. Cook 3 min. or until thickened, stirring frequently; spoon over chicken.

Bean Week -- Day Two

Bean week is progressing well, so far.  The key, I've learned, to keeping Veggies in Disguise is not really taste, but texture.  Last night I made my regular kid-favorite Healthier Tator Tot Cassarole but I added a can of Chickpeas AKA Garbanzo Beans.  Just one can (2 cups) adds 24g of fiber and 30g of protein to the dish.

It turned out well, if a bit grainy.  On my second try, I simmered the beans with the frozen veggies and got a better texture.  Still thumbs up from all and no one has spotted a bean yet.  Even me!



Healthier Tator Tot Casserole




1 box of frozen diced carrots

1 box froze cauliflower in low fat cheese sauce

1 can Healthy Request cream of chicken soup

1 large shallot or small onion

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon white worstishire sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup shredded cheese of any kind

1 small bag of tator tots or enough hash brown patties to cover the top of a 9X13 casserole.

Put frozen carrots and cauliflower in a frying pan with a splash of water. Cover and place on medium heat, stirring occasionally until cooked though. Put in food processor with a steel blade or blender. Add cream of chicken and puree until smooth.

Dice shallot or onion and brown with meat until cooked through and golden brown. Add herbs and sauce. Add soup/veggie mixture to the pan and mix well. Spread in the bottom of a 9X12 casserole. Cover with cheese, then layer the Tater Tots on top.

Bake in a 425-degree oven for 30 minutes or until browned and bubbly or refrigerate or freeze for another day.

Big Mama likes it better than the original. The chicken is flavorful with seasoning and the pureed veggies give it more sauce. Thumbs up for fix-ahead ability, taste and nutrition. The little mouths say…Yummy good.

It's Bean Week

I hate beans.  All kinds of beans.  Green beans, wax beans, navy beans, kidney beans, soy beans, refried beans, garbanzo beans and everyother kind of bean except for jelly.

But I do like hummus...and just figured out it was made from Garbanzo Beans!  I do like beans after all...that is if you put enough garlic and other yummy stuff in them...but it gave me hope. 

Beans are SO good for you!  They are packed with protein, take on whatever flavor you put them with and they're CHEAP!  Just one cup of Cannillini beans adds 12 g of protein and 10 grams of fiber. 

It was just the texture I didn't like.  Tonight I added a can of Canillini beans to my sneaky tomato soup.  It was delish!  (Which means you couldn't even tell they were there.)  Here's the recipe again in case you missed it.  I quadrupled the batch and froze the rest for later. 

“Sneaky” tomato soup


1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced onion (about 1/2 small onion)
1 cup chopped or shredded carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
4 to 6 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
1 (14-ounce) can diced, Italian-style tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
Coarse-grained salt and cracked black pepper
10 ounces fresh spinach
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, very loosely packed
1/2 cup half-and-half (I used fat-free)
1 teaspoon fresh basil

In a stock pot, sauté onion and carrot in olive oil until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so. Add tomato paste and cook for a minute or two to develop sugars in paste.

Deglaze pan with wine (or chicken stock) and stir to combine. Allow mixture to come to a bubble, then add chicken stock, tomatoes, puree and sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add spinach and stir until wilted. Blend soup in a food processor, blender, food mill or with a hand-held blender until smooth.

Add Parmesan and simmer for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. Add half-and-half and basil, and serve.

The soup can be frozen or refrigerated.

Valentine's Day Macaroni and Cheese

This year, instead of purchasing presents, the Little Mouths and I made Macaroni and Cheese for gifts.  I used this recipe, inspired by Ina Garden's.  It freezes well and in the depths of a snow filled Midwestern February, our friends and family were glad to have a hot meal, ready to pop into the oven on a cold winter's night. 

Big Mama's Heart of Hearts Mac and Cheese

This recipe makes one large 9 X 13 cassarole or three smaller 8 X 8 foil cake pans.  I looked for heart shaped cake pans at the last minute, but was unable to find any.  I'll plan ahead better next year.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

1 pound of your favorite small pasta
2 jars "Junior" yellow squash baby food
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small)
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Add the squash.  Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

Parmesan Croutons

Today I made lunch for my friends Judy and Jody.  We had Sneaky Tomato Soup and these yummy homemade croutons.  Yummy!

5 slices good white sandwich bread
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan Cheese
Pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees,  Remove crust from bread and cube.  Toss everything in a bowl and mix together and spread out on baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or so until browned and cheese is melted.  Cool on a papertowel and serve with soup or salad.

Baked Tacos

Shout out to my friend Kim for this recipe.  Yummy, quick and a crowd pleaser.

Thumbs up from Big Mama and Little Mouths.

Baked Tacos

1 pound prepared taco meat (Can be purchased prepared or made ahead and frozen)
1 Cup of your favorite shredded cheese
2 Tubes of Cresent Rolls

Your favorite toppings:  Lettuce, Tomatos, Sour Cream etc.

Layer Cresent Rolls, meat, cheese and another layer of rolls.  Bake according to roll directions until golden brown and bubbly.  Top with your favorite toppings and serve.

Oh, so good!