Menu: Week of September 14 – 20

Jared and I were brainstorming our meals for the week and started looking forward to the many options that fall brings! We are getting ready for the crock pot and all things warm. (Not that we want to rush the cool weather, but fall will here next week on the 22nd – so it’s inevitable). We already have our apple cinnamon candles burning and dates picked for our trips to the apple orchard and pumpkin farms!

Monday: Homemade Calzone/Pizza

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Chicken Curry Bowl

Thursday: Greek Salad

Friday: Grilled cheese & Soup

Saturday & Sunday: Spending time with the parents

Vegetable Pizza

Jared and I have been grilling pizza when we have found a recipe suitable for the grill. This pizza was better than we expected.

Ingredients:

Boboli pizza crust (we used wheat)

Tomato or pizza sauce

Sliced artichokes

Black olives

Tomatoes (diced)

Sliced mushrooms

Mozzarella cheese

Your choice of seasonings

Directions:

1) Preheat grill for about 10 minutes on high. In the meantime, prep pizza by adding all toppings and seasonings.

2) Cook pizza until cheese is melted and crust is lightly browned on indirect heat. (We turned off the side of the grill with the pizza, and left the other  side on).

Husband Rating:

When can we make this again?

Wife Rating:

I love pizza — and this was one of my favorites!

Summer menus

Well, the summer has finally arrived…well…almost. The summer in our house means a lot of BBQ’s with friends. I apologize for the lack of recipes this year, but I hope to make it up to you. Since we have created our blog, Jared and I have tried a lot of new recipes, and as a result, many of our meals come from old posts. Hopefully, this summer will bring some new recipes for us to share. We hope that you’ll stay with us!

Happy Summer!

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Jared decided to make cupcakes for work and found a recipe that included beer — go figure! We made these cupcakes with the help of two friends…so the icing included alcohol as well.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for dusting finished cupcakes
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups all-purposeflour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch fine salt
• 1 bottle stout beer (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese,  softened at room temperature
• 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 (1-pound) box confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, and salt.

2) In another medium mixing bowl, combine the stout, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, 1 at time. Mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined and smooth. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

3) Lightly grease 24 muffin tins. Divide the batter equally between muffin tins, filling each 3/4 full. Bake for about 12 minutes and then rotate the pans. Bake another 12 to 13 minutes until risen, nicely domed, and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out.

To Make the Icing:

1) In a medium bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. On low speed, slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Icing can be made several hours ahead and kept covered and chilled.

2) Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.

Husband Rating:

Jared loved these cupcakes! After adding Bailey’s to the icing, he was in heaven. The cupcakes went over very well at work!

Wife Rating:

I only had a small bite because I am not a fan of chocolate cupcakes. However, I did enjoy the bite that I had.

Friend Rating:

They loved it! I am not sure what they enjoyed more…the actual cupcake or making/eating the icing prior to frosting the cupcakes.

30 Minute Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tbsp sour cream or softened cream cheese

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup cream (for a lighter version, substitute vegetable or chicken broth

salt and pepper

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 pounds ground beef

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

1 cup beef stock or broth

2 tsp Worchestershire sauce

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 tsp paprika

2 tbsp fresh parsley

Directions:

1) Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk, and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

2) While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan with beef. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 minutes. Add carrot and onion. Cook veggies with meat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second skillet over medium heat, cook butter and flour together for 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy for 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

3) Preheat broiler to high. Fill a rectangular casserole with meat and vegetables. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until evenly browned. Top with parsley and serve.

Husband Rating:

Jared really enjoyed the Shepherd’s Pie. We chose the lighter version and also used ground turkey instead of beef. He enjoyed it even more as a leftover meal!

Wife Rating:

I love anything with potatoes! I am always skeptical of Shepherd’s Pie, but this was really good!

It’s been way too long — Menu: Week of February 16

I must apologize to those of you who read my blog and have wondered what happened to our recipe sharing.  I have been the biggest blog bum since November and the start of the holidays. Now, with the holidays behind us, I have no excuses. I hope to find my way back…I have really enjoyed sharing our recipes with friends and family. So, without further adieu…

Monday: Belated Valentine’s Day Dinner

Tuesday: Salad (not sure what type – Greek, Caesar, etc.)

Wednesday: Eggplant Parm

Thursday: Chicken Pot Pie

Friday: Fast Fancy Chicken (I will forever thank Kat for this recipe)

White Chicken Chili

I remember making a white chicken chili last winter, but was excited to try a new recipe. Of course, I picked a day in the 60s to showcase this wonderful entree, but it was great, despite the weather. I found the recipe on a fellow JKnottie’s blog. (Thanks April — and Kat for posting your go-around with this dish)!

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers (we omitted these)

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 (we only used 2 cans)

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Salsa & sour cream (optional)

DIrections:

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes.

2) Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 -30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Husband Rating:

Spicy and warm and would have been great with crusty bread!

Wife Rating:

It was a bit spicy, even without the jalapeños, but some extra salsa, sour cream, and blue tortilla chips, and we were rockin’! I am going to cut back some of the ground cayenne pepper next time!

This will be great on a cold, winter day!

Election Night Snacks in a Democratic Household

After our 6am voting adventure, Jared said that he wished we had some snacks to enjoy while we watched the results. Of course, being the food blogger that I am, very obsessed with new recipes and creative ideas; I went straight to the computer to search for some fun election night snacks. Little did I know, there are a ton of great ideas for election themed parties, so I had plenty to choose from. I didn’t want to go all out because we were both getting home after the dinner hour, so a heavy menu was not in the plan. So, me being the planner and entertainer of the two, I surprised Jared with a menu for the night.

Based upon our support for Obama, here is what we enjoyed.

I framed the menu so that Jared saw it right away when he walked into the kitchen.

Blue corn chips, salsa, and sour cream (red, white, and blue)

Chicken (left) wings

Red, white, and blue parfait

Here is an overhead shot of our coffee table with the snacks. We decided to get comfortable on the couch with our snacks at our fingertips.

A close-up shot of the parfait (strawberry and berry blue jell-o with cool whip in the center.

Ingredients:

2 cups boiling water, divided

1 (4-serving-size) package Jell-O, any red flavor

1 (4-serving-size) package Jell-O, Berry Blue flavor

2 cups cold water, divided

2 1/4 cups whipped cream or thawed Cool Whip

Directions:

1) In separate bowls, stir 1 cup boiling water into each flavor gelatin for at least 2 minutes, or until completely dissolved. Stir 1 cup of the cold water into dissolved gelatin in each bowl. Pour each flavor of gelatin into a separate 8-inch square pan to chill. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Cut gelatin in each pan into 1-inch cubes.
2) Spoon one layer of red cubes into a small parfait or dessert glass. Top with a layer of whipped cream. Add a layer of blue cubes and top with a small dollop of whipped cream.

Popular Vote:

Jared was really surprised and excited about the menu!

The snacks were a great addition to a wonderful and historic night!

Spaghetti, Meatballs, and Garlic Knots

Jared and I were in the mood for the always faithful spaghetti and meatball dinner, a dish that never lets you down! Of course, our version consists of whole wheat pasta, turkey meatballs, and wheat garlic knots, but it tastes great!

Ingredients:

For the sauce (homemade recipe)

1 jar of peeled, plum tomatoes (or crushed)

1 can of tomato sauce (or paste depending on your preference)

crushed garlic

olive oil

basil

For the meatballs

ground beef or turkey meat

1 egg

the following ingredients are to taste:

breadcrumbs

salt

pepper

garlic powder

onion powder

Parmesan cheese

parsley

For the Knots

leftover pizza dough

garlic cloves (to taste)

olive oil

salt

Directions:

For the meatballs

1) In a large bowl combine meat, egg, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Roll into balls.

2) Place on a baking sheet and broil on high for about 10 minutes, until both sides are lightly browned. Throw meatballs in the sauce to finish cooking.

For the sauce

1) Saute the garlic in olive oil, adding tomatoes and sauce or paste. Sprinkle in a dash of basil. Add meatballs and let Simmer for 45 minutes, allowing meatballs to cook.

For the knots

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.

2) Place 1/2 cup olive oil in a bowl. Grate the garlic over the oil.

3) Break off pieces of the dough and rolls into logs. Fold into a knot. Baste each knot with the oil and garlic mixture. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until browned.

Husband Rating:

Jared enjoyed our healthy twist on a traditional favorite!

Wife Rating:

I was pleased with the meatballs and sauce, except I am going to try a paste next time to thicken the sauce. The garlic knots were good, but definitely have a different taste with the wheat dough. We forgot to add the salt to our knots, so I am not sure if that made a big difference…

Of course we’ll make this again…

Beer and Chipotle-Battered Fish Tacos & Onion Rings

I was a really excited, but a bit nervous about this recipe because I wasn’t we’d be able to pull this off, but I have to admit, we did a great job and this meal was awesome! The onion rings were a late addition because we had so much batter left, that we wanted to use it. Jared was so frustrated that we didn’t have cauliflower or another vegetable to use, until I suggested that we make onion rings!

Recipe from the Food Network

Ingredients:

For the batter:

2 ounces canned chipotle peppers

2 eggs

2 cups beer (pale beer)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the fish tacos:

sour cream

lime wedges

tomatoes, small diced

lettuce, chopped

cilantro, chopped

corn tortillas

1 1/2 pounds of cod or other white fish cut into 1 ounce strips

For the onion rings:

1 medium or large onion, sliced

Directions:

To make the batter:

1) Puree the chipotles and egg together in a blender. When well blender, transfer to a bowl and whisk in beer. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture whisking well to avoid clumps. Add ground pepper.

To make the fish:

1) In a large skillet, add corn or vegetable oil about 1 to 2 inches deep. Over medium heat, heat the oil to 350 degrees (about 10 minutes). With your fingers, dip the fish strips into the batter and place in oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel.

2) Serve on warmed tortillas, and garnish with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, and lime wedges.

To make the onion rings:

1) Slice onion into rings and dip in the batter. Place in the oil and fry about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Husband Rating:

“Oh my God, I love fish tacos,” was the first thing out of Jared’s mouth, one bite into the meal. He was loving every minute of the batter, and did not want to see it go to waste. The onion rings were a great addition, “the perfect side for the extra batter.” Jared decided that we need to use this batter again in the future for any beer battered recipe!

Wife Rating:

WOW! This meal was really easy despite the long list of ingredients and had great flavor! The onion rings were awesome – I am really happy that I thought of the idea before we got rid of the batter. Although frying food is not healthy, it was a nice treat…