Tuna Melt with Sweet Potato Puffs

"Last night I enjoyed a tuna melt with cheddar cheese and a tomato on a whole wheat roll.  Instead of using regular mayonnaise I used olive oil mayonnaise which is not as high in fat.  As a side I had sweet potato puffs.  These little guys are a sweet potato version of a tator tot. They product made by a company called Alexia.  Alexia makes all natural types of french fry, sweet potato fry and onion ring products"

Chicken Burritos or is it a Chicken Olive Monster

"Now sometimes my food may not look the best, but it usually does still taste good.  This is one of those times.   I am commited to this blog so I am going to simply share what I had for dinner, even if it doesn't look the best." 

"This is a whole wheat tortilla filled with chicken that is coated with onions and a Frontera Taco sauce topped with cheddar cheese and black olives."

"Do you like Black Olives?"

Grilled Chicken Salad with a Side of Pasta Salad

Hey Followers! So Sorry it's been a little while since I've blogged last.  Last week was a little crazy for me, but I'm back! Thanks for your patience and continued support!

"Last night I had a freshly made grilled chicken salad with a side of pasta salad. It was very simple to make, but I really enjoyed eating it.  The salad had the following on it:

1. Lettuce

2. Tomatoes

3. Red Onion

4. Cucumbers

5. Grilled Chicken

6. Black Olives ( I love black olives)

7. Cheddar Cheese

8. Croutons

 I dipped the salad in my favorite dressing - Ranch!  Along with the salad I had Pasta Salad!

"What is your favorite salad dressing"????

Frozen Pizza, Sloppy Joes and Chinese Food

"The last three days have not been the healthiest meals in my blog, but they were good ole comfort foods. Friday night we had Turkey Sloppy Joes using  organic turkey meat and a sauce mix from Simply Organic products and organic boxed macaroni and cheese as a side. It was a very enjoyable!!!!! Saturday was a frozen Digornio pizza that I got on sale for $2.00, so I couldn't resist.  I've had many frozen pizzas in my day and this one wasn't too bad.  The crust was on the thicker side with plenty of veggies and meat and cheese on the top! On Sunday I had just cleaned my kitchen from top to bottom and did not want to cook so my husband and I settled on Chinese take out.  I had my standard Beef and Broccoli on white rice with a fortune cookie for dessert. It wasn't the BESTEST Beef and Broccoli that I've ever had, but it was ok. The meat was a little on the chewy fatty side, but the sauce had good flavor and the broccoli was cooked just right."

"What's your favorite comfort food?"

Chicken Cordon Bleu and Asparagus

"Our midweek Wednesday meal was Chicken Cordon Bleu with asparagus. I absolutely loved how this chicken tasted. The organic chicken breast was moist and the flavors of the ham and melted Swiss cheese married well with the chicken. The asparagus were made the same way as the night before by boiling them in water.  They too were tender, but not overcooked and were salted and buttered perfectly."

Chicken Cordon Bleu Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, lightly spray a baking pan

2. Set up the following: 1 plate with flour, 1 plate with bread crumbs, 1 bowl with 2 whisked eggs/milk and S&P - a small plate with your ham and Swiss cheese

3. Pound the Chicken with a meat cleaver or cover with plastic wrap and use a hammer

4. Place one piece of ham and one piece of cheese in the center of each of the chicken breasts

5. Roll each filled chicken breasts and use 3 tooth picks to hold together

6. Dip each breast in the flour then the egg mixture and then the breadcrumbs to coat

7. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the chicken is browned on the outside and the juices run clear on the inside

"Remember when you are working with chicken do not cause cross contamination, below are a few things to remember"

1. Wash your hands anytime you've touched the raw chicken and then are going to touch anything else in the kitchen

2. If you cut the chicken on a cutting board, never use the same cutting board and knife to cut other foods that will be served without being cooked

3. In the above recipe I explained to set out the ham and cheese on a plate before you touch the chicken, this is so you don't get raw chicken juice on the ham and cheese packaging

Lobster, Mashed Sweet Potato/Banana and Asparagus

" Lobster was on sale at the grocery store! Whoo Hoooo! It's been awhile since I've had lobster and I'm not sure that I've ever made it myself.  I was excited about my new endeavor! I cut open the lobster tail to expose the meat.  Added butter and salt and pepper and broiled the tale for about 10 - 11 minutes.  It turned out great!  You really don't get much for the price, but it was still worth it!"

"The starch and vegetable were the mashed sweet potato/banana mixture and boiled asparagus."

Mashed Sweet Potato/Banana

1. Wash, Peel and Cut Sweet Potatoes (3-4)

2. Cook Sweet Potato in Boiling Water until Tender

3. Mix Potatoes, 1 Banana, 1/3 cup of brown sugar and 3 Tablespoons of Butter, Season with Salt and Pepper

4. Top with Marshmallows and Walnuts and Put Under the Broiler till the Marshmallows are browned



Grilled Ham and Cheese and Fresh Gucamole with Tortilla Chips

"This is grilled black forest ham and Swiss cheese on honey wheat bread. The ham was hot, the cheese melted and a nice grill on the bread. You can't go too wrong with this as a main entree.  As a side I made some fresh guacamole. It had just the right amount of spice from the hot sauce.  You will see the recipe below. "

Guacamole Method

1. Cut open two avocados and scoop out inside into a bowl. Discard the outer skin and pit

2. Chop one small onion and one small tomato - Add to the avocado in the bowl

3. Add juice from 1/2 a lime, 1 tablespoon of hot salt and a little S&P

4. Blend up in a magic bullet or blender still combined and mashed, but still having chunks of the tomato and onion as shown above

5. Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping on a taco, enchilada or burrito

"Did you know that National Sandwich Day this year is November 3rd?"

Fresh Salmon Salad and a Soft Pretzel

"I needed to use up the leftover salmon that we had in the fridge, so I decided to use it in a salad.  The salad consisted of the  salmon, fresh spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, cheddar cheese and croutons with a little S &P and lemon juice.  I think this was a quick, easy and great tasting way to use up the salmon.  In addition to the salad I baked off some soft pretzels from the freezer.  Not sure why, but I was craving them and they went well with the salad.  I even had some honey mustard dipping sauce on the side!"

"Guess what?  I'm originally from Pennsylvania where there are a lot of pretzel bakeries. During the 19th Century there were German and German Swiss immigrants that brought the idea of the pretzel to North America. These folks became known as the PA Dutch! Have you ever been to PA Dutch Country?

Grilled Salmon and Sweet Potato Puffs

"The first picture is the raw salmon fillet that was just placed on the grill.  The second picture is the cooked salmon with sweet potato puffs.  The salmon was simply sprinkled with salt, pepper and the juice from half a lemon.  It was grilled till done, but not overdone.  As I've mentioned in the past you want your salmon to be flaky and not dry.  This salmon did just that.  I cut it with the grill spatula instead of a knife so it did not have a clean cut. If you want it to look nice you should use a knife."

"The sweet potato puffs are like little tator tots, but made from sweet potatoes.  I had never had these before and they were enjoyable.  Had the sweetness of a sweet potato on the inside and they were salted and crunchy on the outside!"

If you had to choose would you pick french fries or sweet potato fries?

Angel Hair Pasta with a Chicken Cream Sauce

"Dinner was my own creation last night.  I had boiled a whole chicken and wanted to use some of the meat for dinner.  I cooked some angel hair pasta and then made my own cream sauce with chicken and veggies.  It could have used a little more flavor to make it amazing, but it wasn't bad at all. "

Cream Sauce with Chicken, Onions, Bell Peppers, Garlic and Arugula

1. Coat a skillet with olive oil and  heated the pan

2. Sauteed some sliced onions, chopped bell peppers, chopped onions, garlic and arugula

3. While cooking add salt and pepper

4. Once the veggies are mostly tender add in the already cooked chicken to heat through and brown slightly - add about a 1/2 cup of chicken broth for extra flavor and simmer until broth has evaporated -  Set Aside

5. For the cream base melt 2 tablespoons of butter in another pan

6. Stir in 2 tablespoons of flour to the butter

7. Slowly pour and stir in 1 cup of milk to the flour/butter mixture

8. Cook for about 3 minutes until bubbly and thick

9. Mix the chicken and vegetables into the sauce

10. Pour the sauce over the pasta, Serve and Enjoy!

"You could use this sauce on any type of pasta. What type of pasta do you enjoy the most?"

Homemade Chicken Tenders and Tuscan Risotto

"The food I ate last night did not look very colorful as it was lacking in vegetables, but it tasted great! I made my own chicken tenders which were quick and easy and you will see the method below. The chicken was crisp on the outside and very moist on the inside.  These chicken tenders can not even compare to boxed or fast food tenders as they were 99% better. The organic risotto was also very good! It was from a box, but it didn't taste too salty or processed. It was creamy and had bits of roasted red peppers and I topped it off with a little Parmesan cheese.  It was a nice compliment to the chicken."

Chicken Tender Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Lightly Spray a Baking Sheet

3. Whisk 2 Eggs and a Tablespoon together in a bowl

4. Pour some bread crumbs on a plate and pour some flour on a separate plate

5. Coat the raw chicken tenders in the flour then dip in the egg mixture and lastly coat with the bread crumbs

6. After each tender is coated with the flour/egg/bread crumbs place it on the baking sheet

7. Place the chicken tenders in the oven for 15 minutes

8. Flip the tenders to the other side

9. Bake for about 10 more minutes

10. Serve Plain or with your favorite dipping sauces

Jason's Deli

"Jason's Deli is a sandwich shop that serves fresh organic salads, soups, sandwiches, giant potatoes and pastas.  The deli has a casual atmosphere in which you go up to the counter, place your order, get a number and then a server brings the food to your table.  I'm not sure if I was extra hungry, but it seemed like it took a little longer then normal to get our food.  That being said, the staff seemed to be working hard and not just standing around and they were very friendly.  I ordered a half portion of the Chicago Club, a cup of the vegetarian French Onion Soup and a Pomegranate/Melon iced tea.  The Chicago Club was on herb foccacia bread with smoked turkey, bacon, provolone, smoked red pepper aioli, organic spinach and tomatoes.  It tasted yum! The foccacia bread was slightly toasted yet still soft and the red pepper aioli was something different from just a standard mayo.  The soup was nothing over the top, but it was good and there was nothing wrong with it.  The onions were tender the broth was full of flavor and the melted cheese and toasted bread always is a great French Onion Soup enhancement.  The iced tea was perfect for me! If you like lot's of sugar in your tea you probably would not like it, but I like my unsweet so the pomegranate/melon flavor was nice.  And to top of the whole meal.....I had a no high fructose corn syrup, soft serve, mixed vanilla/chocolate ice cream cone! The best part was the taste, but the second best part was it was FREE! Ice cream is always free at Jason's Deli so it's another great benefit of eating there! If you ever have the chance to stop by one in your state you should check it out!"

Carnival Celebration!

"Train Rides, Pony Rides,Toss a ball in a fish bowl, Bouncy Houses, Music, Vendor Tables, Tons of People and Most Importantly Carnival Food is what I experienced last night. Can't beat it every once and awhile!  I did not have the healthiest meal in the world, but sometimes you just have to go crazy when your at a carnival.  For dinner my husband and I gulped down a marvelous Greek Gyro and boy was it worth it! It had sliced lamb, onions, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and yogurt sauce on a soft pita. I was wishing I had my own, but I knew I would have been really full.  In addition, we had homemade cream soda served in a tin can! Nice! It was really good and made fresh with no high fructose corn syrup! The only thing it was missing was a little extra carbonation, but the flavor was great! As a side we had some fresh french fries that were just right and not too greasy!"

"What's your favorite Carnival Food? "

Spiral Noodle Ala Vodka

"Yesterday, I bought a jar of vodka pasta sauce.  I haven't had this in awhile so I thought it would be a nice change from the standard marinara sauce.  In a lot of restaurants vodka sauce is used for a dish called Penne alla Vodka which uses penne pasta and is topped with the sauce.  I did not have penne pasta on hand, but I did have organic spiral veggie noodles, so I used them instead! Of course I wanted to have more flavor and texture in my pasta so I added sliced ham (which I needed to use up) chopped onion, peppers, garlic, chopped zucchini and mozzarella cheese. Wowser! Did it taste good! The vodka sauce was a great change of pace with it's creamier texture and less of the tomato acid taste."

Wiki Says:

Vodka sauce is an Italian sauce made from a relatively smooth tomato sauce, plus cream, vodka, and typical Italian herbs. It gained popularity in the 1970s, when a variation won a national recipe contest in Italy.^{[citation needed]} It is a key ingredient in penne alla vodka, although it may well have been a sauce before its "invention" in the 1970s.
The vodka's function is, ostensibly, to release flavors in the tomato that are normally inaccessible; using alcoholic beverages for this purpose is common in Italian cooking, although this is usually accomplished with wine.^{[1]- Wiki.}

Turkey, Cheddar Enchiladas with a Side Salad

" I know this sort of looks like lasagna, but it's not.  It is an enchilada!  Instead of cutting them long ways, I cut them width ways.  In a restaurant this would not be a good idea, but at home the rules are not as strict.  Right?  The enchiladas were pretty mild in regards to spice, but they still had a the red chili flavor. I could taste the layer of cheese on the bottom and the turkey meat in the center surrounded by the baked whole wheat tortilla. The salad was simple. It was Arugula, tomatoes, English Cucumber and a few Croutons for crunch. If you've read my past blogs you will see I use salad a lot as a side.  It is quick and easy, healthy and you can change it up with the vegetables you have on hand and various types of dressing. "

Enchiladas Method

1. Lightly spray 8 inch square pan and preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Brown turkey meat or ground beef whichever you prefer

3. Fill Tortilla with meat and cheese, roll and place in the pan.  The pan should hold about 4 tortillas.  Now you could double the recipe and do 8 in a 9x 13.  You could also use corn tortillas if you wanted. 

4. Top with Frontera Red Chili Enchilada Sauce and Cheddar Cheese

5. Bake for 20 minutes

If you could choose would your rather have an enchilada, taco or burrito?

Ham, Cheese and Arugula Frittata with Snow Peas

"I had a lot of eggs in the fridge that I wanted to use up, so I decided to make these individual frittatas.  I also had leftover snow peas from two nights ago that needed to be used too.  As I've mentioned before, I'm all about using the ingredients that you have to make dinner. The fritattas were filled with ham, provolone cheese, arugula, salt, pepper and a little bit of chili powder. I followed the recipe below, but made several changes which I have noted."

Now Wiki says the following about a Fritatta:

Frittata is an egg-based dish similar to an omelette or quiche, enriched with additional ingredients such as meats, cheeses, vegetables or pasta. It may be flavored with herbs.

"The possibilities are endless when it comes to a frittata. You can add whatever meats, cheeses, vegetables or herbs that you want."

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/ham-and-cheese-mini-frittatas-recipe/index.html


The changes that I made to the recipe are as follows:
1. I used a regular 6 cup muffin tin instead of the 24 mini muffin tin
2. I used 3 Slices of provolone instead of Swiss cheese
3. I used 3 slices of the deli ham instead of the Canadian Bacon
4. I added a little chili powder for a little extra flavor
5. I used chopped arugula instead of the chives
6. I used 7 eggs
7. I baked the frittatas for 20 minutes instead of 12.

"The fritattas tasted great! I will definitely redo this recipe! I was able to get pick out each of the different ingredients as I was taking a bite.  Next time, I will use whatever ingredients I have on hand at that time.  If you enjoy omelets you will enjoy a frittata! " 

"The snow peas were simply boiled in water till tender then drizzled with salt, pepper and olive oil.  You really don't have to add much to these as they have there own sweet flavor."

Do you need to clean out your fridge and make a frittata?