10 meals in 1 hour = :-) Mama

Life gets crazier and crazier and time shorter and shorter.  This is the mantra of Mama's everywhere, big or small.

This morning instead of slurping coffee in front of "Sunday Morning" as is one of my favorite things to do in all of the world, I got up and got moving. 

This week our local supermarket had a good deal on ground chuck, so I purchased about ten pounds, planning to of course, divide it and freeze it for later.  But then I remembered how I used to cook it first, so dinner was only ever minutes away...then I thought, why just freeze the "naked" ground beef?  Why not spend a couple of minutes now and safe them for when they really count, at the end of a really hectic day?

I browned onions, garlic and added a pound of sausage, two pounds of ground beef, two jars of sauce and various pureed veggies = Three Meals of Spaghetti and Meat Sauce

Three of the pounds of ground beef went into sloppy joes (Little Mouth Favorite)and another four pounds made taco meat that will some day be enchiladas, tacos or combined with other ingredients to make a casserole or Mexican Dip. 

These might not be the most "gourmet" of all the meals I've posted, but they are things the Little Mouths will eat with nary a complaint, are hot and satisfying and easy ways to sneak in those "veggies in disguise" and that makes them healthy. 

Having them done ahead of time makes coming home a welcome end to a hectic day, and not just an extension of it. 

Back to our regularly scheduled programing...

Our summer vacation was lovely!  We went to Tybee Island, Georgia where all our goal, but one, were met.  I am tan.  I am rested.  Everyone had a wonderful time.  We rented a house so there was room to spread out.  I took lots of books and didn't read them because I was too busy napping.  I had planned on doing a lot of cooking but the kitchen left a lot to be desired. 

I knew I loved by Lemon Zester, but I didn't realize how much until I had to go without it.  I mean, this kitchen didn't even have a whisk!  So instead, we cooked simply and went out.

We ate at a couple fabulous restraunts including Paula Deen's "The Lady and Son's" and her brother Bubba's "Uncle Bubba's Oyster House"

I have a stack of new cookbooks, but this week everyone in the household got to pick their favorite, and tonight Betty picked shrimp and pasta and left the method of preparation up to me.  I have done a couple of shrimp and pasta dishes, but they've been garlic and lemon sauces, and pretty tart for the kids.  Tonight I took the favors down a notch and produced a winner.  Thumbs up from Big Mama and the Little Mouths and Picky Icky Little Mouth ate a whole bowl full, sans shrimp, but I was picking my battles.  And I got extra shrimp that way.

Shrimp and Pasta in Cream Sauce


1 12oz box of Ronzoni Garden Delight (A serving of veggies in 4 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 minced shallots
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 pound shrimp
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup fat free half and half
1/2 cup grated parmesean cheese
1 Tablespoon fresh chives
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley


Cook shallots and garlic until translucent.  Melt butter in pan and add the lemon zest and shrimp.   
Deglaze with white wine and allow shrimp to cook through. 

Remove shrimp from the pan and add the flour.  Cook flour for a mintue or two, then deglaze the pan with the wine and chicken stock.  Add cream and cheese.  Return shrimp and add pasta to the pan and stir.  Toss with the fresh herbs and serve.

Very yummy!

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!