Quick Dinners Day 2: Pork Medallions with Cranberry Apple Stuffing

Well today is day 2 of my quick dinner journey. After surviving the day running on coffee, diet coke and Peanut M&M's I pretty much just wanted to stuff my face with whatever was in arms reach, not cook a meal. Why do I eat so little throughout the day you may ask. The answer to that question is because my daily lunch breaks consist of me driving to my sons daycare (baby school as I like to call it) and feeding him. Then I run any errands I have on my list or grocery shopping. I am generally left with about 15 minutes to eat. Usually it is trail mix, nuts, or in starving desperate times a cheeseburger. Today Little E was being too cute and I had trouble leaving....so I hung out in his classroom for my entire lunch. So I snuck candy at my desk. It was the best tasting candy I ever had! By the time I got home I was so geeked out on all the sugar that I was like a tornado running through my house. I was hapy that this recipe seemed more simple than yesterday because I was impatient and famished. I was pretty pleased with the outcome!

Day 2: Pork Medallions with Cranberry Apple Stuffing

2 pork tenderloins (1-1/2 lb.)
1/4 cup KRAFT Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing
1 Tbsp. GREY POUPON Dijon Mustard
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 apple (I used Macintosh) cored peeled and chopped


Cut each tenderloin crosswise into 6 slices; pound to 1/2-inch thickness. Cook in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Mix dressing and mustard; pour over meat. Cook on low heat 3 min. on each side or until meat is done and sauce is thickened. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing as directed on package, but reducing spread to 1 Tbsp. and adding cranberries and chopped apple to water along with stuffing mix. Spoon stuffing onto serving plates. Add meat; top with sauce.

The Verdict: Not too shabby! I was unsure about the mustard based sauce for the pork mixed with the sweetness of the stuffing but I was surprised with how well they went together. I served it along some steamed asparagus and liked that pairing. I think my husband would have liked some bread (hello...stuffing?) but he did comment that this recipe was a keeper. I give this recipe a B+/A-.

I'm back! 4 Quick Dinners by Kraft Day 1: Steak StirFry

Wow...has it really been almost nine months since I have last posted? Sadly it has and boy did I miss my kitchen. If you read my blog previously you would know that I was expecting a little bundle of joy and my posts became all but non-existent. My only excuse is that my feet looked like swollen sausages and standing was hardly an option.Well I am back and ready to attempt to blog again. Since you last heard from me, I have given birth to that little bundle and he is already three months old!! I have also gone back to work full time and take on a 45 minute trek to take Little E (the bundle) to his Grannys a couple times a week. With that being said my days of having hours to prepare a meal are pretty much over. I have approximately one hour to fix dinner for my husband before he leaves for work. This week is dedicated to those fast meals...I found this weeks recipes on Kraft.com. Why only 4 recipes you may ask? Well this Mama likes to take a break now and then and lets Pizza Hut do all the work every once in a while. If that laziness offends you take it up with this ferocious bear.

Day 1: Beef Stir Fry

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables, thawed, drained
1/4 cup KRAFT Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup lite soy sauce

Cook rice as directed on package. Meanwhile, heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and garlic; stir-fry 2 min. Add vegetables, dressing and soy sauce; stir-fry 3 min. or until vegetables are crisp-tender and meat is done. Spoon rice onto platter; top with meat mixture.

The Verdict: This was VERY easy to make. My family usually doesnt lean towards brown rice but my husband didnt even notice. The sauce was pretty tasty but I felt it needed a little extra salt. Overall I would probably make this again and I might even try it with chicken or shrimp next time. I give it a solid B.

Out of Hibernation and ready for some Whoopie...Pies.

Ok so wow!! Almost two months of no posts. This has lowered my blogging status to super lame. But as you all have read I have been a little under the weather thanks the the human being I am currently growing. :) Well I am now alsomt 15 weeks along and am finally feeling better! No more gagging as the though of food. No more running away from smelly things. And thankfully I have my appetite back! Oh goodness...this has been one of the worst experiences a foodie can go through. But I know it is all worth the end result! And what is extra awesome is that the "little nugget" is due on my birthday! What an awesome birthday present.

"Little Nugget"

So now since I have my appetite I am ready an rearing to go. Now I am gonna come clean and say that I did make this recipe a week or two ago but I did not get to enjoy them.....sadness! But I figured I need to post these bits of red velvety awesomeness because, well, they are awesome! I had never attempted to make a whoopie pie before so this was interesting. They acutally had more of the consistency of an oatmeal pie but they were still pretty tasty. I made a marshmallow/cream cheese buttercream concoction for the filling and I think that is what pushed them over the top. My husband and his family gobbled them up while I watched in misery. So here they are! Red Velvet Whoopie Pies....Enjoy :)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Cookies:

1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Filling:
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
2 heaping table spoons marshmallow fluff

Make the cookies: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave at 50 percent power until melted, about 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Whisk the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring in a bowl until combined. In another bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in four equal batches, whisking each batch completely before adding the next. Stir in the melted chocolate. Scoop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets and smooth the tops with a damp finger. Bake until the cookies spring back when lightly pressed, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the cream cheese, marshmallow fluff and butter with a mixer until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar. Sandwich a heaping tablespoonful of filling between 2 cookies; repeat with the remaining cookies and filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

Source: Food Network

Yum!!

P.S. To all my followers....thanks for coming back and reading! I missed you all....and your awesome food.



Lobster Cakes

What happens when a foodie loses her craving for food? What does she do when she is making a huge dinner and has to run out of the room because the smell is too overwhelming. What happens when the only thing that can be kept down is cheerios and water? Hmmmmm.......?

Well I am not really sure what to do! hahah! Hopefully I wont have to endure this for the next nine months because that will be unbearable! Yes you read that right.....nine months, well actually seven and a half months. :) To answer the question in your head...yes! I am expecting! My blog has been a bit dead because I seriously have not been able to stand the smell of cooking food. This problem has lessened a bit this weekend so I finally fed my poor starving husband (yeah right) a homecooked meal. When I asked him what he wanted he immediately said "Crabcakes!!!" Well I couldn't find any crab so I used the next best thing....lobster. I decided on lobster cakes served over broccoli slaw. It looked so yummy I even ate some of it. :) Enjoy!

Lobster Cakes

1/2 pound cooked lobster, chopped ( I used two tails)
1/8 cup fresh minced chives
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Stir together Maine lobster, chives, lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard and 1 tablespoon panko in a large bowl. Season the mixture to taste with sea salt and fresh pepper. Cover the mixture and chill. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Sauté the minced garlic until golden and fragrant. Remove the garlic, add 1/2 cup panko and cook, stirring, until crumbs are golden brown. Cool crumbs. Divide lobster mixture into 4 mounds on a sheet of waxed paper. Form into patties and coat each patty with crumbs. Sprinkle any remaining crumbs on the top. Line a sheet pan with foil, transfer cakes to pan. Bake in the oven at 400°F (205°C) until just heated through, about 15 minutes. Serve over slaw or with a yummy remoulade :)

 

Happy New Year!

Well I have been on hiatus thanks to a crazy holiday season. I felt like I never even had enough time to breathe let alone cook or blog. So I am officially back and rearing to go. If you see healthier options this year there is a reason...to be disclosed in a later blog. But for now I just want to thank all of my followers and people who check out my blog, you have made 2010 great......bring on 2011!

Chicken Bacon White Chili...and Questions!

I love bacon. I also believe for the most part that bacon can add a yummy touch to most hearty dinners. About a year ago I was experimenting with a White Chicken Chili recipe and just felt like it fell a bit short. It was missing that smoky "umph" that I had been looking for. So I thought....yes! Bacon of course. It added that missing link. I was tickled with the way it turned out. So a year later when my husband told me his work was holding a chili contest I was ready to break out the big guns with this recipe. Only to be told the day before that it had been cancelled. Darn! I had already purchased the ingredients so I decided to make it anyway. This second time around I didn't make it nearly as spicy but I really felt like something was missing. I cant figure out what. I think my cumin might have turned funky. I threw it away just in case and restocked it in my pantry. I find it best topped with sour cream, cheese and a little salsa. Enjoy!

Chicken Bacon White Chili
12 oz pack center cut bacon chopped into small pieces
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
3 (15 ounce) cans white beans (I mash up one can to make the chili thicker)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Saute bacon large saucepan until crispy but not burnt. Remove bacon from the pan and drain reserving 1 table spoon of bacon drippings. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender in the drippings. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm. Enjoy!

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And now on to some questions! One of my new awesome followers, Michael, from Me, My Food and I tagged me to answer some questions. So here they are. :)

1. When did you learn to cook?- I have always been a bit of an experimenter when it comes to food. I remember being young (like seven) and making grilled cheese in the toaster oven and seeing which spices tasted the best added to it. I suppose that I officially learned to cook when I learned how to work the gas stove when I was around 14.


2. Name three things that are always in your fridge.-I always have condiments (I am counting that as one), Water (I am a camel) and milk (I add it to so many things I always need it)

3. Do you have any food guilty pleasures?- HAHAHA where do I start. I actually did a few posts of guilty pleasures. I will go ahead and list one of my guiltiest which would be dipping my french fries into my Frosty at Wendys.

4. Tell us about your most memorable meal...My most memorable meal....I have two. My most memorable homemade meal would have to be when my Nina (godmother) made me a huge taco dinner complete with beans, rice, homemade salsa when she was babysitting me one time. I don't get to see her as often as I would like but for some reason that sticks out in my mind. My most memorable restaurant meal was in Tucson the week of my wedding. My husband and I ate at this restaurant called Jonathan's Cork. It was heaven. It was so nice to get away from the wedding stress and sit down to a nice meal. I ordered swordfish, something I had never had before and was so excited that I loved it! ah memories......

5. What is your drink of choice?-Non alcoholic drink would have to be water. It is really all I drink besides some Diet Coke while at work. I am known as the camel. Most people watch in amazement as I polish off six to ten bottles in a day. I am just thirsty.....My alcoholic drink of choice would have to be a margarita. Made with good tequila and a splash of orange juice. Yum!!

I will tag some people and think up some questions for the next post! Thanks Michael.

Shepherds Pie

Ok I am kinda over winter. We had six inches of snow here yesterday! Then we are supposed to have another two tomorrow THEN I hear we have a possible ice storm coming our way for Thursday. Last year when this kind of weather hit, our power was out for four days! And the thing about losing power out here in the middle of nowhere is that we do not have municipal water. Ours is from a well...powered by electricity. So no power equals no water. It makes me miss Arizona and the unusual heat they are experiencing. hahah I am definitely not a snowbunny...more like a desert hare.
The colder the weather the more I want comforting filling foods. So what is more filling and tummy warming than a Shepherds pie? I have found that I am a fan of new white potatoes when making a mash. So I made my cheesy bacon shepherds pie topped with smashed new white potatoes. Enjoy!!

Shepherds Pie-My Way
1/4 lb smoked bacon chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef or pork
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup seasoned tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can sweet peas
4 cups or more, fresh mashed potatoes
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°. Saute the onion and bacon together until golden brown. Add the beef or pork, and the parsley, cooking until the meat is brown and crumbly. Drain excess fat. Stir in the tomato sauce and other seasonings. Carefully stir in peas. Pour mixture into the bottom of casserole dish. Layer with 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover with mashed potatoes. Add the last 1/2 cup of cheese to the top of the casserole.
Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Cheese topped potatoes! Yum.