Tasty Tuesday: Vintage Betty Crocker Meat loaf

Sometimes, you just can't mess with a classic. I have Mom's Betty Crocker Dinner for Two cookbook from the seventies. While some things aren't quite to my taste (Jellied Chicken, anyone?), it's a great resource for me, especially for menus for two. Sadly, it's not available new anymore, but you can find used copies on Ebay and Amazon.

Amazon.Com

One of my go-to recipes is her meatloaf recipe.

Take a look at the photography!

Here's a closer look at the recipe:

Meat Loaf:

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground lean pork ( I  use turkey instead)

1 1/2 slices soft bread, torn in pieces, and 1/2 cup milk, or 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs and 2/3 c milk

1 egg, beaten

2 tbsp minced onion

salt to taste

1/8 tsp each pepper, dry mustard, celery salt, and garlic salt

1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

ketchup

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed. Shape into 2 loaves and place in a baking pan. I use my 9x13 pan, sprayed with cooking spray. Squirt ketchup over the top of the loaves. Bake about an hour, or until done.  Makes 4 servings.

I think there is a rule that says meat loaf must be served with potatoes.  This time, mine were baked, and I served this with some roasted summer squash and zucchini.

Tasty Tuesday: Greek Shrimp Saute

I made this yummy Greek-inspired Shrimp Saute with basil, olives, and feta. Best of all, it's a very quick meal. I served mine over some whole-wheat couscous with a salad on the side. A great weeknight dinner, and an easy break from chicken over and over and over again! 

Greek- Style Shrimp Saute


from: Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast, Oxmoor House 
2009

4 tbsp Light Greek Vinaigrette dressing

1 1/2 lbs peeled and de-veined shrimp

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

12 chopped pitted kalamata olives

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 oz  crumbled reduced fat feta  cheese

I added: 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers and onions

Garnish: Chopped Fresh Basil and lemon wedges

Heat a non-stick saute pan on medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Saute shrimp in 1 tbsp vinaigrette until done, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp and keep warm. Add tomatoes and rest of the vinaigrette to the pan, along with the olives and basil.  Cook about a minute until tomatoes are warm. Toss with shrimp and cheese. Serve over cooked orzo or couscous, garnished with basil and lemon wedges.

Very easy and very yummy! This one is definitely in the regular rotation!

Tasty Tuesday: Publix Party Chicken

You know last week, I said we eat a lot of chicken. It's very true, and I'm back again today with another chicken recipe. 


This one comes from my Mom, who cut it out of a Publix flyer.

Ingredients:


3 Tbsp Butter
1/4 cup flour
4 Chicken breasts
pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded cheese




Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 425. I recommend cutting the chicken into bite-size pieces. ( I didn't , and wish I had, so do!)

Cut the butter into pieces, and let it sit at room temperature until soft.

Put flour and pepper in a  ziploc bag, and add chicken. Shake to coat. Put the floured chicken in the dish.

In a bowl, combine the soup and mayo, and spread over the chicken.

In the butter bowl, add the Panko crumbs and cheese, and mix with a fork or your hands until it's crumbly like wet sand.  Put this on top of the sauce on the chicken.

Cover with foil and bake 10 minutes. Take the foil off and bake 10-15 more minutes until golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

 I served this with steamed asparagus, but Publix recommends broccoli salad. I'm sure any green veggie would be great, or even just a good salad. 

Overall, it was a very yummy dish that reminded me of poppyseed chicken. It definitely made me feel Southern to be eating chicken with cream of soup, mayo, and cheese. 

 Leftovers kept well in the fridge, and I'm sure it would also freeze well to be cooked later.  Best of all, it came together quickly and was made from mostly pantry ingredients. I had everything but the chicken in my fridge from other things I've made/ make. 

I hope you make this and enjoy!  

Recipe source: Publix.com

Summer Sangria

School may be starting, but that doesn't mean Summer is over! It's still hot as ever here in Georgia, and I am in love with this super-easy Sangria recipe.  Originally from Weight Watchers, I have taken this to a day on the river and to an outdoor concert. Super easy and super yummy!

Summer Sangria:

2 cups red wine
2 cups diet cranberry-raspberry juice drink
1 cup diced strawberry
1 cup diced apple

Mix all ingredients together in a large pitcher and refrigerate at least an hour to become cold and let the flavors meld. Serve.

Yields 8 4-oz servings.

Great for an evening on the patio too!

Buffalo blue cheese chicken

My friend Kristen and I both eat a lot of chicken. I'm pretty sure one of these days I'm going to start clucking. So I'm always looking for new ways to fix chicken that are quick, easy, and healthy.

Who doesn't love buffalo wings? I definitely do, and this wraps up all those flavors. 

To start, you will need:

Chicken breasts

Laughing Cow Blue Cheese Wedges

Hot Sauce ( I prefer Frank's)

Cut a slit into the side of your chicken, making a pocket for your cheese. Do not cut all the way through!

Unwrap a cheese wedge, and combine it with hot sauce to taste. You can add some cream cheese to make it creamier and melt better. I didn't and wish I had. Stuff this inside your chicken's pocket.

Close with toothpicks. That way all the cheesy goodness will stay inside.

Brush more hot sauce on top of the chicken.  You can definitely coat the chicken breasts with panko bread crumbs if you want a crunchy "fried" tasting outside. 

Bake at 350 until done, 20-25 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Overall, it was really yummy, and tasted like a hot wing with blue cheese. I definitely would add cream cheese if i made it again to make it cheeseier and melt better. I also think panko on top would make a great complement to the melty cheese. 

Thanks to Kristen for the recipe idea!

Flank Steak with Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

I hope you all are having a wonderful summer!  My weekend was full of fun and relaxation with Prince Charming and his family.

Recently, we brought Prince Charming's grill out of storage and over to my house. He LOVES all things grilled and barbecue sauced, so I thought this was a perfect grill recipe.

Originally from Cooking Light, I got it off myrecipes.com.

You can find the recipe here.

Happy Grilling!

Tasty Tuesday: Washday Cobbler

Growing up, the go-to cookbook was Bell's Best. Mom's copy was in two pieces, the cover half torn off, and pages marked with numerous stains from frequent use.

Filled with family recipes of the Telephone Pioneers of America (Mississippi Chapter), it features Southern cooking at its very best.

As Sissy and I have both established our own households, we've been gifted our very own copy of this beloved cookbook. Many a phone call that starts "how do you make..." is followed by "did you check Bell's?" This recipe is a favorite one in our family- one of the many dog-eared pages of my copy of Bell's.

Summer in Georgia means three things to me: peaches, watermelon, and blackberries.  And the best way to eat two of them is in Washday Cobbler. Watermelon is best enjoyed fresh and cold.

Five ingredients, simple measuring, it comes together in just a few minutes.

You need:
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 cup milk
Fresh fruit ( I ended up using canned as my fresh peaches had mysteriously been eaten)

Preheat oven to 425 degree. Melt your butter in an 8x8 casserole or equivalent.

In another bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and milk.

Pour batter into casserole. Pour fruit in on top. Do not stir.

Bake uncovered at 425 degrees 25-30 minutes or until browned.

Best enjoyed warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I hope you enjoy this particular part of Bell's Best as much as we do.

Tasty Tuesday- Sissy's Edition

My sister, wonderful as she is, wrote an entire Tasty Tuesday post for me!  I guess you can consider this my first guest post!
Take it away Sis!

I am a big fan of summer salads. I probably have about a million bookmarked, printed out, and starred in my feed reader (okay that's an exaggeration, but it is a lot). They are a quick one dish meal that, in my busy world, are a life saver. Susie Homemaker will also be the first to tell you that I don't eat enough vegetables. It's not that I don't like vegetables, I do. I just like bread and cheese more. So I typically make salads like this one on the weekend when I have time, and then save them for lunch during the week, when I need energy for work. I pulled this one out to make use of my bumper crop of herbs and a few fresh tomatoes from the plant in my yard. It would also be a good way to take advantage of some great farmer's market produce. 

You can find Josie's recipe here.

I made a few changes from Josie's recipe for simplicity and to suit what I had. I used garden tomatoes, diced, chopped my herbs in my food processor (I also didn't measure, just eyeballed- don't tell Susie!), and mixed my vinaigrette in a jelly jar right before adding it to the salad. This made a great lunch, dinner, and filling for the last tortilla from taco night.  It made a healthy 6 main dish servings, so it would also be great for any summer parties. I am sure it would probably keep well for about a week in the fridge, but mine only lasted a few days- it was so good! I will be making this one again, maybe with some crumbled goat cheese and basalmic added to the vinaigrette. 

Thank you Sissy! What a great Summer salad idea! I can't wait to try it!

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

For our Cinco de Mayo Bunco Party, I made these yummy appetizers I saw on Annie’s Eats!

I followed her suggestion and added roasted red peppers and some black olives.

They were definitely a hit at Bunco, and I plan on making them again! They also freeze well, so they’re a good quick dinner with a side salad.

Go check out the recipe here.

Tasty Tuesday- Buffalo stuffed celery

 

It’s Tasty Tuesday time again!

I love wings, but I always think about how bad for you they are every time I eat them. I was so glad when I found this recipe!

This is a recipe I found on weightwatchers.com, but I LOVE it for grilling, tailgates, super bowl parties, basically anywhere wings can be found. It’ s a great healthy alternative to fried wings, but still gives you all the wing flavors! I’m sure it’d be great alongside wings if you’re not watching your figure.

 

In a small bowl, mix together:

2 oz softened blue cheese (or some ranch powder if you prefer ranch with your wings)

1/2 cup light cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Frank’s hot sauce to taste

Once it’s all combined, put it into a zip-top bag and snip off one corner. Pipe the cheese mixture into celery sticks.

Put them on a plate and serve.

Easy, yummy, healthy. What more could a girl ask for?

Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie

 

I love chicken pot pie. Love love love it.  My great aunt makes a wonderful one,  completely from scratch.  But sometimes you don’t have that kind of time.

While Mom was here helping with the renovations, Prince Charming came over for dinner one night, and I made this version of chicken pot pie.

You will need:

cooked, shredded chicken- about 2 cups

12 oz bag mixed vegetables

1 can buttermilk style biscuits

1 1/2 cups Medium white sauce (or 1 can cream of something soup)

Put the chicken, veggies, and sauce/soup in an 8x8 casserole dish, and mix together, adding a little water if needed.

Put the biscuits on top and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so, until bubbly and golden brown. You may need some foil to keep the biscuits from burning, depending on your oven.

Prince Charming LOVED this dinner!

Medium White Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1 1/2  cups milk

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute or until thickened.

From Betty Crocker’s Dinner for Two Cookbook

Italian Spinach Tortellini toss

Since I was supposed to be out of town for work for a few days, my cupboards are looking pretty bare. Then the snow came and cancelled my flight, and therefore my trip. However, I still need to eat, and being snowed in means I'm not going to the grocery for anything major for a  few days!

I scrounged around in my cupboards and found the ingredients to make this. It turned out pretty well. This is proof positive you should stock up on staples!

Ingredients:

2 roasted red peppers, sliced
1 c. diced bell pepper
1/2 c. diced onion
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 tsp minced garlic
3 links turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
2 c. dried Cheese and Spinach tortellini
1 small can sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend
salt and pepper
2 c. prepared Spaghetti sauce
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 c. reduced fat or fat free shredded mozzarella cheese

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions and drain. While it's boiling, brown the sausage in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once it's mostly brown, add the bell pepper and onion, and cook until the sausage is done and the pepper and onion are softened. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the mushrooms, spinach, and roasted peppers, and stir to combine. Add the spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until heated through. You can add some of the pasta water if it's too thick.  Stir in the cooked tortellini and chopped parsley. Serve with cheese sprinkled on top.

Yields 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each. 13 Points Plus per serving.
If you were going to serve this with a salad, I would suggest decreasing the serving size. It's very hearty and filling.

(Ways to reduce the points per serving: use a high-fiber unfilled pasta, use reduced fat spaghetti sauce, leave out the cheese, and/or decrease the serving size and/ or the sausage amount,)

Black Bean and Corn Wonton cups

For my Gingerbread party, one of the appetizers I made were these Black Bean and Corn Wonton cups:

The recipe is from Betty Crocker, and is easy and Yummy!

These are definitely a go-to for me!

Black Bean and Corn Wonton Cups

36 wonton wrappers (3 1/2-inch squares)
2/3 cup salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 can (15 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 ounces)  black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream


1.Heat oven to 350º. Gently fit 1 wonton wrapper into each of 36 small muffin cups, 1 3/4x1 inch. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from pan; cool on wire racks.

2.Mix remaining ingredients except sour cream in medium bowl. Just before serving, spoon bean mixture into wonton cups. Top each with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream.

Betty Says the nutriton info is:

1 Serving (1 Appetizer)Calories 50(Calories from Fat 0),Total Fat 0g(Saturated Fat 0g,Trans Fat 0g),Cholesterol 0mg;Sodium 100mg;Total Carbohydrate 11g(Dietary Fiber 1g,Sugars 0g),Protein 2g;Percent Daily Value*:Calcium ;Exchanges:1/2 Starch;0 Fruit;0 Other Carbohydrate;0 Skim Milk;0 Low-Fat Milk;0 Milk;0 Vegetable;0 Very Lean Meat;0 Lean Meat;0 High-Fat Meat;0 Fat;Carbohydrate Choices:1;*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.



I've made these for Bunco- they were a big hit!


I'm sharing this at:

Guiness Beef Stew

Chances are, it's freezing where you are. All this wintry weather makes me crave something hot and rich to warm me up. This stew fits the bill. And it's easy to boot.

Unfortunately, in my haste to eat it, I forgot to take a picture.

I got this recipe from my second mother Ms. Annie.  The original recipe used a Dutch Oven, I chose to use my crockpot.

Guinness Beef Stew


SERVES 6 TO 8


1 1/2 lbs stew beef, cut into bitesize chunks

Salt and ground black pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium onions, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour with pinch of cayenne (to taste) mixed in

1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 (12-ounce) bottle (about 1 1/2 cups) Guinness Draught

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

1 1/2 pounds Red Bliss potatoes (about 5 medium), scrubbed and cut into 11/2-inch chunks

1 pound carrots, parsnips, or a combination, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves



1.  Pat the beef dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of the meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, 7 to 10 minutes, reducing the heat if the pot begins to scorch. Transfer the browned beef to a medium bowl. Repeat with 1 more tablespoon oil and the remaining beef; transfer the meat to the bowl.

2. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the pot and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add the

onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the

tomato paste and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1

minute.

3. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the beer, scraping up any browned bits.

4. Put the meat in the bottom of your crock pot. Top with potatoes, carrots, thyme, bay leaves, and brown sugar. Pour the beer mixture over all this, and then add the broth. Stir to combine.

5. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or so.

6. Just before serving, stir in the parsley. Serve with warm crusty bread and a salad.

Very Yummy! This one was a big hit with Prince Charming Z. I'm pretty sure it would freeze well for later too.

Rosemary- Dijon Pork Chops

Pork chops are on sale this week, so I picked up a  package for dinner the other night.  Standing in the kitchen STARVING at 7 pm, I realized I didn't have a clue how to cook these things, other than that I wanted to roast them in the oven while I made my baked fruit.

Google to the rescue. I saw recipes for lots of dijon mustard pork, and rosemary pork, and they took lots of marinade-y steps I didn't want to use.

So, I simply:

Sprayed a pan with no-stick spray (so the pan doesn't eat pork chops for dinner)

Plopped the chops in there

Squirted dijon mustard on them and smooshed it to cover.

Seasoned with salt and pepper

And topped it with a generous amount of rosemary to make a crust.

Bake in 350 degree oven until pork reaches 160 degrees.


They were easy and yummy!

Baked Fruit

I remember Mom making baked fruit in fall and winter growing up. It' so warm and comforting. Last week, the weather turned cold all of a sudden, dropping into the 50's from near 80.

Prince Charming loves fruit, so I decided to make this one night as a side dish/ dessert for dinner.

I took:
1 15 oz can sliced pears
1 15 oz can mixed fruit
2 small apples, diced
1 15 oz can sliced peaches

Drain 2 of the 3 cans of fruit. Put everything in a casserole dish, and add 1/4 c brown sugar. Mix to combine. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and heated through.

Very yummy, and a big hit. I had some of the leftovers mixed into oatmeal the next day.