Category: Food

“Three Rules of Work: 1) Out of clutter find simplicity; 2) From discord find harmony; 3) In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” ~ Albert Einstein

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Yes, I know.

This is my 3rd skillet meal in a row.

But OH MY GOSH they are easy.  I thought the crock pot was easy.  This is like insta-crockpot. Granted, I like anything with pasta, so I’m pretty much sold there but when you add in quick, flavorful and in one pan. Shoot, what’s not to like??

Sweet Apple Sausage Pasta

(adapted from Iowa Girl Eats)

  • 8 oz. short cut pasta (reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water)
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
  • 12oz Sweet-Apple Chicken Sausage, sliced
  • 1 sweet apple (about 1 cup), chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • pinch red chili pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper
  • 15oz can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 6oz spinach
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta until al dente.

Heat olive oil over med high heat and brown sausage and onion in large non-stick skillet.  Add apple, garlic and seasoning and cook until apple is tender.

Then add in chicken broth, beans and spinach and warm/stir until spinach is wilted.

Pour in the sausage/apple mixture into pasta and add reserved little to get your desired consistency.

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

photo-13Ok, I told a little fib earlier – this took 2 pots but it was totally worth it!!! The flavors in this are totally different but totally amazing. I LOVED it!!!

-abp

“You are the Pop to my Tart!” ~ unknown

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This recipe should be fun if anything!

It’s not my typical type dessert to make but in keeping with my theme of finding new simple recipes to try, I thought I would give it a whirl!!

It was the colors of the dessert that first caught my eye when perusing through my blog emails this morning and it is from one of my favorite blogs – Plain Chicken.

It says you can play around with the flavors but I since it was the colors that first grabbed my attention – I thought I would stick with the ones she used.

I just hate that I have to wait at least 12 hours for it to set up.  The new age of instant gratification is obviously rearing its ugly head!  I want it now! 😉

(Listed below is the full recipe – I halved it because I did not need 10-12 servings)

Pop Tart Eclair Cake

(adapted from Plain Chicken)

  • 3 boxes Red Velvet Pop Tarts
  • 2 (3 1/4-ounce) boxes cheesecake instant pudding
  • 3 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip, thawed

Prepare a 9 x 13 dish by spraying with cooking spray.

Mix together pudding and milk in a bowl with an electric hand mixer.  Fold in cool whip.

Layer one box of Pop Tarts in the prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the pudidng mixture.

Top with another box of Pop Tarts and layer second half of the pudding mixture.

Finish with the last box of Pop Tarts, frosting side up.

Refridgerate for at least 12 hours before serving.

photo-12Ok, it’s not the prettiest dessert by any means but it tasted great!!!

You could probably crumble the pop tarts and layer them with the pudding in a large trifle or individual trifles to make a better presentation.

-abp

“The countdown to success always starts when you make up your mind to take one step forward.” ~ unknown

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Let the countdown begin!

We have around two weeks left until we get to see our sweet bundle of joy!!

This also means my husband has about 1 week or so left of me cooking at home for a while. 🙂

So when I ran across this recipe on Lindsay’s blog – Normal Cooking – I knew I must make it for him because one – it’s simple and two – it has Italian sausage in it and he loves Italian sausage.

This is his favorite Italian sausage:

photo-11

Italian Pasta Skillet

(adapted from Normal Cooking)

  • 12 oz Italian sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano, undrained
  • 1 can (8 oz) Tomato Sauce
  • 1-1/4 cups hot water
  • 8 ounces pasta of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 pkg (6 oz) baby spinach leaves
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown sausage in a non stick skillet.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, seasoning and pasta. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.

Stir in spinach until it wilts. Stir in cheese until melted.

Serve with more cheese sprinkled on top

photo-10He really loved it and I’m glad because it was so very easy to make!

-abp

“What Romantic terminology called genius or talent or inspiration is nothing other than finding the right road empirically, following one’s nose, taking shortcuts.” ~ Italo Calvino

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I love Chicken Piccata!

It is a very light meal that has a punch of big flavor. It’s not a hard meal to make but it’s not the quickest to throw together either. So when I was on my usual daily quest for new time saving recipes I came across this recipe – Chicken Piccata Skillet Pasta and I thought – how can that be bad?!? It combines one of my favorite meals with pasta and in one pan!

You should know I must be taking this “my life is about to really change” to heart because I used to would have never considered using pre-cooked chicken but I did this time and let me tell you – I will do it again!

Chicken Piccata Skillet Pasta

(adapted from Plain Chicken)

  • 12 oz cooked, chopped chicken ( I used the pre-cooked bags of Tyson grilled chicken you find in the refrigerated section)
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp dried minced onion
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 8 oz pasta
  • 3-4 Tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

In 12-inch skillet, combine chicken, pasta, onion, garlic, heavy cream, lemon juice, chicken broth and pasta. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat.

Simmer for 15-18 minutes, until pasta is tender. Stir in capers and parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes.

image-1

So, so easy but oh so good!

-abp

“Trips to the dentist – I like to postpone that kind of thing.” ~ Johnny Depp

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I better enjoy the last few weeks of my pregnancy and my newly found sweet tooth!!

Because once she gets here – someone is going to have to pull that sweet tooth!!

I’ve always been a fan of sweets but I would usually rather have a second helping of the savory dish at hand and pass on dessert.

Not anymore.

I had whipped up these Graham Cracker Toffee Bars last Saturday to go with the Vegetable Beef Soup and I ate my one (good-sized) bowl, pushed it aside and stuck my hand into the plate of Toffee Bars.

6 times.

Yep, I ate six, without even moving from my chair.

I know I’m having unusual cravings but seriously folks – they are THAT good!

Graham Cracker Toffee Bars

  • 24 Graham Crackers
  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper (you will need 2 or 1 if you half the recipe like I did) and lay out graham crackers

In a sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and sugar, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil – careful not to scorch. Stir in pecans.

Pour melted butter/sugar over crackers and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Allow to cool completely and the break apart.

photo-8You can thank me later!

-abp

“When you win, nothing hurts.” ~ Joe Namath

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Well, I’m a little sad.

You couldn’t ask for better fall football weather in the south, couldn’t ask for an opponent with fans just like ours (Ole Miss), nor could you ask for a better kick-off time for tailgating than 5:30.

But I am at home. 😦

I miss my tailgating family…..

I know I could have pushed my 8 month pregnant self to make the trek to campus but I also know about 30 minutes in to it – I would be miserable. My feet would most definitely swell and no fold out chair could be as comfortable as my big comfy chair with ottoman here at home, but most importantly – there would not be a bathroom one room over from me – the one I visit about every 15 minutes at this point.

So I will just have to make the most of it from home. We will chill in our comfy clothes, set a TV up on the back porch and fix a yummy supper.

Tonight’s meal will also be one of comfort.

Vegetable Beef Soup

(adapted from Ground Beef Budget)

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (I used mild)
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cans whole new potatoes (drained and cut into bite size pieces)
  • 1 bag mixed vegetables
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

1.  Brown ground beef and chopped onion, drain off grease.

2. Add flour and stir until incorporated.

3. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

****I added everything listed above but at the end added some of my favorite seasonings (Crazy Jane’s Mixed Up Seasoning Salt and Zoe’s Seasoning) to get the flavor I preferred. Feel free to adjust to your liking as well.

This was a very, very simple soup to throw together but you would never know it by the full on flavor it delivered!!! I also doubled it so I could freeze half.

photo-9

Roll Tide.

-abp

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cans whole new potatoes (drained and cut into bite size pieces)
  • 1 bag mixed vegetables
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup elbow macaroni

– See more at: http://groundbeefbudget.com/2012/02/homemade-ground-beef-vegetable-soup/#sthash.GYHOVy28.dpuf

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cans whole new potatoes (drained and cut into bite size pieces)
  • 1 bag mixed vegetables
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup elbow macaroni

– See more at: http://groundbeefbudget.com/2012/02/homemade-ground-beef-vegetable-soup/#sthash.GYHOVy28.dpuf

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies
  • 1 small can tomato sauce
  • 1 can beef broth
  • 2 cups of water
  • 2 cans whole new potatoes (drained and cut into bite size pieces)
  • 1 bag mixed vegetables
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup elbow macaroni

– See more at: http://groundbeefbudget.com/2012/02/homemade-ground-beef-vegetable-soup/#sthash.GYHOVy28.dpuf

“Mother is one to whom you hurry when you are troubled.” ~Emily Dickinson

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My momma is so good to me.

In these last few weeks of pregnancy, I have had cravings. Nothing crazy but when I decide I want it – I WANT it.

So thank goodness for mommas!!

Not that the husband wouldn’t help me out – it’s just that he’s busy working most of the time and well, sometimes a girl just needs her momma.

One example this week was I decided I just had to have the Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Whipped Pie she makes, within 24 hrs – she had one in my fridge.

Happy, Happy Girl.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Whipped Pie

  • 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 8 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 8 oz powdered sugar
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 oreo crust

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar together. Add cool whip and blend well. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour in to pie shell.

Refrigerate over night. Serve with whipped cream.

photo-6Love on a fork!

-abp

“Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.” ~ Martha Stewart

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I have always loved omelets but have also been afraid of them.  It was always easier just to scramble the eggs.

So when I told my husband I would be attempting an omelet for dinner, I warned him that he would more than likely end up with scrambled eggs.

But alas! It worked and I must say I’m pretty proud of myself.

When contemplating making omelets, I have always envisioned the good old hearty cowboy omelet with tons of cheese, onion, ham, bacon, tomatoes etc. because that’s how I always order my omelets (i.e. IHOP). But my health conscious better half (my husband) always liked the lighter style with no cheese and just herbs – he ordered one in NYC this past June, shared with me and I have to admit – you don’t need all the hoopla to be good.

So, when perusing one of my Martha Stewart mags – I came across the recipe “The French Omelet” and I just knew this would score me brownie points with the hubs. But to do so, I must first overcome my fear of omelet making.

The fear is now gone, which is a good thing because I have a feeling this will be requested frequently.

The French Omelet

(adapted from Martha Stewart Magazine)

  • 3 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Large pinch of coarse salt
  • 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter – ½ cut into small cubes
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon, chives, chervil (or other fresh herbs you may have), finely chopped (I used chives and parsley)
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Add eggs, water and salt to bowl and whisk with fork until blended.

2. Add cubed butter, herbs and pepper. Stir to combine.

3. Heat a non-stick 10 skillet over medium-high heat for 30 seconds.  Add butter, melt, swirl to coat pan.

4. Add egg mixture and let sit for about 15 seconds or until edges start to set.

5. (Here’s the tricky part) Holding a fork flat, stir the eggs (not touching bottom) in a figure 8 pattern with one hand while shaking the skillet back and forth with the other. Keep incorporating edges into running center until almost completely set.

6.  Turn off heat, tilt skillet away from you and roll the omelet onto itself, then fold in the other side. Press slightly to seal and slide onto plate.

7. Garnish with extra herbs.

photo-34

See – that wasn’t so bad. 😉

-abp

“It’s funny how fast you can get up in the morning once you’ve realize you overslept.” ~ unknown

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Since I have been in search of new, tasty, simple ideas for my quickly approaching new lifestyle, I thought it would be a good time to try out the “cinnamon roll in the waffle iron” idea I have seen all over Pinterest for months.

You know what??

That was a pretty good idea somebody had!!

I already took the easy approach when it came to cinnamon rolls by buying the ones in the can (or better yet – picking them up in a bakery) but it still was a weekend morning thing because you had to preheat the oven (10 mins) then bake for some 15 or so minutes more.  They were on the table I’d say in 30 minutes, give or take. (I know this doesn’t sound like a whole lot of time but compared to grabbing a Fiber One Bar as your walking out the door – that’s a whole lot of time.)

Well. Let me just tell you – I had all 5 rolls (one at a time -mind you) cooked and on the plates by the time my oven would have normally just heated up.

Score.

Granted, you are going to have more of the crunchier outside than the gooey inside that comes with traditional cooking but I like that too.

I would definitely give it a try on those time crunched mornings!

photo-33Happy Wednesday!

-abp

 

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~ Confucius

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In preparation for how much my life is going to change in a couple months, I’ve been scouring over Pinterest for more simple but still flavorful meals.  I have a feeling that the crock pot and I are going to be taking our relationship to the next level….

This one has now been added to the must do again list.

It smelled so good cooking and this pregnant girl was so hungry – she forgot to take a picture before she dove in. So the pic below was taken with my phone and is of my mom’s plate who luckily is very neat eater.

Oh well. 🙂

Crazy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

(adapted from Recipelion.com)

  • 4 pork chops (I used boneless)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • parsley, for garnish

In a small saucepan, melt butter and whisk in broth and seasoning.

Place onion, garlic and pork in crock pot and pour over the sauce on the top.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

photo-32

Enjoy!

-abp

4 loin chops, lean 1 medium onion, sliced 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon sage 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon basil 1 cup chicken broth 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper parsley, garnish
Read more at http://www.recipelion.com/Crock-Pot-Recipes/Crazy-Crockpot-Pork-Chops#yPJvWd2zJYYeE4AY.99
4 loin chops, lean 1 medium onion, sliced 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon sage 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon basil 1 cup chicken broth 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper parsley, garnish
Read more at http://www.recipelion.com/Crock-Pot-Recipes/Crazy-Crockpot-Pork-Chops#yPJvWd2zJYYeE4AY.99
4 loin chops, lean 1 medium onion, sliced 1 teaspoon butter salt and pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon sage 1 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon basil 1 cup chicken broth 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper parsley, garnish
Read more at http://www.recipelion.com/Crock-Pot-Recipes/Crazy-Crockpot-Pork-Chops#yPJvWd2zJYYeE4AY.99