Busy Day Pork Chops

Hi! I'm still here...I promise! Geesh, it's been a long time since I last updated! I have been cooking these past couple months, just nothing new or too exciting. So, last night I decided to try a recipe out of my "Healthy Cooking" magazine, from Taste of Home. Basically, it was a simple recipe for breaded and baked pork chops. According to the picture, here's the final product. So, we'll see how close I get to that...

The breaded mixture was simply seasoned bread crumbs, grated parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. I dipped the chops in skim milk before coating them in the breading.

Winky is SO funny whenever I'm doing something in the kitchen, he always justs sits and watches me. Luckily Josh got home from work at the right time. As soon as he was in the door I greeted him with a "Quick, get my camera and take a couple pictures of me for my blog!" Yeah, I'm a good wife.

Anyways, you spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, then, after placing the breaded chops on the baking sheet, you spray the top of the chops with a bit of cooking spray, too. Then, you just bake them for 9-11 minutes on each side in a 375 degree oven. Here are mine hot out of the oven. I think maybe I sprayed a bit too much Pam.

Oh, while they were baking, I walked into the kitchen and saw this and couldn't help but laugh. I guess Winky and Smokey were curious about what was going on in the oven, too...since I so rarely use it. They probably didn't know what to think...either that, or they were hungry and were hoping they were having pork chops for dinner!

So, here's my plate. Pork chops with some spiral mac-n-cheese. How'd they taste? Well, I asked Josh, and he said, "They aren't bad." Sigh. I had to agree. They weren't bad, but they weren't awesome either. They were somewhat bland. But, at least I can now experiment with adding some new flavors to the breading for next time!

I Grilled...Sorta

Last night we invited my Dad over and we wanted to grill out. So...I had the brilliant idea to try and grill corn on the cob to go along with the steak Josh wanted grill. I googled directions to learn more about grilling corn on the cob. It seemed simple enough. So, I decided to try it out. So, I cleaned the corn. And yes, you all know I grew up in Iowa, and yes, this is the first time I've ever cleaned fresh corn on the cob.

Anyways, after you cleak the corn, you have to leave some of the husks on. Then, you soak them in water for 15-20 minutes. You then have to tie the husks together at the open end, and then you can simply place the corn on the grill. You rotate it until it's charred all around. Here I am at the grill!!! Although, I must admit, Josh really did the grilling...the only time I was at the grill was for this picture. :-) (P.S. Isn't it sad I'm wearing a sweatshirt in May!!!)

For the steaks, Josh had wanted to go an actual local meat market, So, we did and he bought New York Strips. We simply let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then I pierced them all over with a fork, then Josh seasoned them. I don't really like steak. It's always just seems like a huge hunk of meat...which is it, but for tonight, I simply ate a small portion off of each of their steaks. I also baked some potatoes, but I guess I forgot to take a picture.

Oh, and how did the corn turn out. Well, here I am trying it out. To be honest, it was just ok. It was pretty crunchy, and I think that we should have kept on a few more husks to seal in more of the moisture and grilled it for a bit longer.

And, here is the conversation between Josh and my Dad after Josh tried it.

Dad: "So, on a scale of 1 to 10, how was it."

Josh: "Ummm, probably a 3."

And that, pretty much sums up the corn.

My First Meal In Our New Home!

Wow! I can't believe it's been over two months since I last updated! That's sad.

But...I'm back!!! :-)

So, last night I finally made our first meal in my new kitchen. The stove top is one of those that is flat. So, that's new to me. It's ok, but I do prefer gas so I can see the flame. Oh well. I'm sure I'll get used to it. Anyways, dinner was nothing fancy...just an old stand-by. BBQ chicken breasts and rice. Also, I had some cooked carrots, but Josh passed on those. Anyways, it's good to know that my oven and stove work.


So, the BBQ chicken is super easy to make. My Dad actually uses this method and taught me about it. All you do is place the chicken on some aluminum foil and squirt a bunch of your favorite BBQ sauce all over it. Then, you simply create a little packet, and bake it for 35-45 minutes in a 375 degree oven. That's it. Even I can't mess that up. Then, I just made some simple rice from old Uncle Ben.

Here's my plate all ready for me to eat. Josh doesn't like his food to touch, so I didn't photograph his...he uses one plate for his BBQ chicken and eats all of that. Then, he gets a second plate for his rice.

Anyways, I will cooking more and blogging more, so please keep checking back...sorry for my short hiatus. :-)

Mexican Lasagna (from Rachael Ray!)

For the last two years, I've made tacos on Superbowl Sunday for Josh and me. This year, we had originally decided to uphold our tradition, but then, I decided to spice things up just a bit as I had been wanting to try this recipe from Rachael. Basically, it's tacos in a casserole dish (and it's somewhat healthy...I didn't really tell Josh that part). So, I checked with Josh, and he was a bit hesitant (he hates casserole type meals). But, decided he'd try it for my sake. Isn't he a great husband?! His true reaction will be included later on...

Well, overall, this was super easy to make! And, I got to use ground chicken for the first time. You simply brown the chicken in some EVOO, and add some red onion, chili powder, and cumin. Let that cook through, then add some taco sauce, black beans, and corn. That's it! (I had the idea as this was browning that I could also easily make this into a chili by adding some canned tomatoes and tomato sauce, too! Go me for even thinking like this!)

After the meat mixture is done, all you do is make layers in a greased (I used Pam) baking dish. Start with meat, then add shredded cheese, then a tortilla, then cheese, meat, cheese, tortilla, and top with cheese. Bake it for 15 minutes or so for the cheese to melt and brown. Here's the finished product...hot out of the oven. I could have used more cheese on top I suppose. But overall, I was trying to keep it somewhat healthy, so I used ground chicken, reduced fat cheese, and 94% FF heart healthy tortillas (I would have used whole wheat tortillas, but then I would have really been pushing it with Josh!)

Here's my plate. I topped mine with sour cream and some scallions. It was pretty tasty, although a bit messy to eat. But, the flavors were nice, and it was a fun change from normal ol' tacos. What did Josh think? Well, he grew up with a mother and grandmother who liked to sneak in vegetables. Hence, his now extreme dislike of casseroles and need to know EXACTLY what's in his food.

Well, once he discovered the corn...he was not a happy husband. :( Now, he does like corn by itself, and I knew he didn't like corn in salsas, but I didn't think it would be a big deal in this recipe, so I didn't say anything. I did mention to him that black beans were in it, but like I said, I did not mention the corn.

So, he was a bit unhappy because he thought I was trying to sneak in vegetables. I wasn't! And, I even put in LESS corn than the recipe called for. So, after that fiasco, it was decided that he did like the Mexican Lasagna ok (which was also surprising since it was made with chicken, and he's a beef man) but, the next time I make it, it could be spicer (I thought it was spicy) AND with NO corn. :) Yay for him at least trying a casserole-type dish for me. I did appreciate that!

Ok, Josh...I can live with excluding the corn next time. And I promise to never, well not never, but I promise to rarely sneak in any more vegetables when I cook for you. ;) Ha!

Guest Post! :-) Chicken Parmesan

My co-workers and I all went on a retreat last week. We were split into three groups to prepare the meals for the retreat. My awesome colleagues, Lauren, Ben, and Rachel were in charge of our dinner, and they created an awesome meal for us! I hung out in the kitchen with them...happy to snap pictures and I even learned a few things along the way.


The anitpasta tray. Sadly, I did not try anything...but the rest of the staff sure loved it all! I learned what artichoke hearts were, and how all these nice items come in a jar and you can just dump them out and wa-lah! It was also served with some crusty bread and olive oil...I missed that picture...oops. Ok, I'm kind of regretting not trying anything now...but oh well...next time.

The breading of the chicken for the chicken parmesan. Take chicken, dip in flour, dip in beaten egg, dip in breadcrumbs mixed with grated parmesan cheese. Then, simply fry in the skillet! I can do that for sure! Although, I have to admit...I couldn't watch for long. They big pile of raw chicken totally grossed me out...yuck!

They (Trader Joe's I think) also sell pre-breaded eggplant parmesan. Nice! Here it is frying (cooking? heating through?). I missed this part and the kitchen was small so I was trying not to get in the way. I ran in and snapped this picture and left. The marinara sauce is warming next to it.

Topping the chicken with some marinara and shredded cheese, and back in the oven to get all melty and even more delicious. What's not love that's fried, breaded, and cheesy...mmm...mmm...mmm...

My plate. Doesn't it look delicious!?! Roasted squash with greenbeans and onion (yes, I ate all my veggies for once!). I think they blanched the green beans first, then tossed them with the squash and some red onion and olive oil before roasting. I also tried the eggplant (never had it before)...and it was...really good! No, I did not highlight the cooking of the pasta...even I know how to do that! This meal was VERY tasty! And, posting this reminds me...Josh loves chicken parmesan. Maybe I'll try this on my own this weekend!

Thanks for being a guest post and answering all my questions Lauren, Ben, and Rachel! :-)

Oh, and if you're wondondering what meal I was part of orgranizing...breakfast. Anthony, Sarah, TR and I were the "Breakfast Club." We did not go all out...I'm definitely not ready to cook for others...yet. I did learn about the "Shake-n-Pour" pancake mix though. And, we provided fresh blueberries and chocolate chips. But yeah, our theme was, "make-your-own." Pretty clever...I know. The "Breakfast Club" rocks!

And, I failed to take pictures of our scrumptious lunch from the "Lunch Bunch" of Tam, Jasmine, and Brett. Sorry! They had the same concept as us..."make your own." So we ate some delicious deli sandwiches, veggies and dip, and had some yummy soups, chips, and Oreos.

Rachael Ray's Harvest Creamy Corn "Choup"

I had lots of FIRSTS this weekend in the kitchen! Read on...

Many of you know I've been a fan of Rachael Ray for quite some time...like since she first started her 30-Minute Meal show on FoodNetwork. And, as many of you know...I've never really had any desire to cook (and am making myself learn now). So, some 3+ years after watching -too many to count- Rachael Ray shows, I FINALLY attempted to make one of her recipes! It did help that my wonderful student staff gave me an autographed copy of her latest cookbook (How sweet are they?!)!

I decided I would try the Harvest Creamy Corn "Choup." I knew there was a lot of chopping of veggies...so started with that first. I hate chopping veggies...those chefs on FoodNetwork make it look SO easy...it takes me FOREVER! I know I'll get faster with practice...but right now...I just get impatient and my chopping gets messier and the pieces of veggies just get a bit larger to make it go faster for me (see the potatoes).

The recipe called for fresh herbs, so this was another FIRST for me...as I had never bought or cooked with fresh herbs until now. And yes, I had to go to FoodNetwork.com and look up the herbs so I knew what to buy at this store. Here you see the bay leaf and fresh thyme.

Here's all the veggies and herbs in the put before I added the liquid. Looks pretty tasty, huh?

While at the store buying the other ingredients I saw this cute little product of just 4 cresent rolls. It was so small! So, I decided to bake these up to eat with my meal. (Honestly, I mostly just bought them because it was so small and cute. :-) And, who doesn't like a cresent roll now and then?)

I also remembered the find the bay leaf at the end before serving. I was worried I wouldn't find it for some reason, so, once I found it towards the end, I stuck it to the side of the pot so I knew where it was. Can you see it sticking there...kind of in the upper middle of the picture?

And, I used my ladel for the FIRST time ever! I've had this since our wedding...and got to acutally use it tonight!

Here's the finished product...it was VERY tasty and flavorful...and something I would make again for sure. Oh, and in case you're wondering...this definitely took me LONGER than 30-minute...but mostly because of the chopping...and chopping...and chopping.

What will do if/when I make this next time?

1) Chop bacon into smaller pieces
2) Chop potatoes into smaller pieces

3) Add more corn

Oh, and I don't know how many times I've heard Rachael Ray suggest to her viewers to put their herbs in a storage baggie with a paper towel to keep the moisture off of them. I finally did this with the leftover parsely I had! And, now I have a lot of parsley...and I don't know when I'm going to use it...so, if you need fresh parsely...let me know!

Tuna Twist Casserole

So, tonight I suffered my first "semi-dissappointment" in the kitchen. I found a recipe in a Eating Light magazine. It was simple to make though, which is a plus. I altered it just a bit because I do not like peas, but I added diced mushrooms instead. (If you want the recipe...let me know.)

So, the recipe called for crushed corn flakes...I didn't have these, so I used bread crumbs instead...and that's where I think I went wrong. I should have used less bread crumbs (obviously the measurements for cornflakes are not equal to breadcrumbs) for sure. I thought it seemed like a lot as I was placing them on top of the casserole, but I just poured them all on. I definitely should have followed my instincts! They did not brown correctly and I didn't want to leave it in the oven forever. So, the texture of the final dish was kind of off.

How did it taste? Eh...this time I give it a 6 out of 10. Would I make it or eat it again? Well, I'm making myself eat the leftovers so I don't waste food...but honestly...probably...it was easy and pretty healthy...and if I fixed the topping, I think I would like it more.

My next plan is to try one of Rachael Ray's recipes. I received her newest cookbook from my student staff (aren't they awesome!?), and I have been going through it lately...so that post will be coming soon!

Smoked Turkey Sausage Over Brown Rice

Yeah, there's not really a creative name for this dish...and I couldn't think of one. So, sorry for the boring title.

I found this recipe in my "Cooking for 2" magazine (thanks, Dad for the subscription!). I thought I'd give it a try. What I love about this magazine is of course the recipes are for smaller portions (this magazine is also where I found my S'mores recipe). Although it's definitely similar to the Chicken Jambalaya I made in crockpot a while ago, I thought I'd give it a try anyways for something simple and "fast." Well, as I'm continually reminded, chopping veggies isn't as easy as it seems on FoodNetwork. At least not for me. I'm so slow at chopping the veggies, but I know I'll get faster as I practice more. However, the actual cook time was fast.

You simply sautee the veggies and turkey sausage in some EVOO until the veggies become a bit soft, add a dash of oregano and basil (yeah, I haven't quite made it to using fresh herbs...yet), then add the V8 juice and simmer until the sauce becomes a bit thicker. Add the mixtures to prepared rice, and done!

Overall, it was tasty and quite flavorful. I'm not sure if Josh would like it because of the green peppers...so I'll have to ask him.

Marinated Salmon and Brown Rice!

Awhile ago I made myself a delicious piece of salmon with a side of brown rice. It was very tasty. Doesn't it look good? I'm looking at the picture now, the rice was kinda dull...I should have added some steamed broccoli or something to brighten it up...so...I will next time. Anyways, a fairly healthy meal, so yay for me!








Ok, ok, I'm coming clean. I did not buy the salmon fillet fresh. I did not make my own marinade. This was actually what I will call a "fake out" meal. The salmon was frozen and already marinated...I just placed it in the oven...and it had this little timer thing that popped out when it was done. Let me tell you...I LOVED that little timer thing. As Josh can confirm...I have this fear of undercooking meats and fish...so I usually overcook them...so the timer thing...loved it. Wish I could have something like that for everything I cook/bake.





And the rice...I used a special cooking method from good ol' Uncle Ben...90 seconds in the microwave was all it needed.

Not my proudest moment in the kitchen...but I'll take it. Actually, Josh was the one that wanted to buy the salmon in the first place. I didn't event want it. But, it was really yummy and easy to make! Don't worry, Josh...there are still 3 fillets left...IF you're lucky...I MIGHT make you one for dinner this weekend.

My First Lasagna!

So, I was REALLY ambitious this last weekend. I made a meatloaf Saturday, and a lasagna Sunday. The lasagna was a "healthier" version made with whole wheat pasta, fat free/low fat cheese, turkey, and spinach. Overall, it was...well, we'll call it a good learning experience I suppose. I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked because I was kinda messy a lot. So, on to what I learned...

Lesson 1: How do you boil lasagna noodles? I guess I need one of those long pasta pots. Whatev. Some of them broke and I think I overcooked them a bit. Oh well.



Lesson 2: Make sure the skillet/pan is big enough for what I'm cooking. I cut it a bit close for the turkey/sauce mixture. Plus, when is started simmering it definitely kinda spurted and went all over the stove top a bit. I'm a neat freak...so that bothered me, but again, oh well.



Lesson 3: I used too much spinach. The recipe called for fresh spinach, I used frozen...I wasn't sure how/if that coverted...but whatever...there was a lot. It was mixed with the ricotta and supposed to be "spreadable." Well, it wasn't, or I didn't have the patience to mess with it, so I just kind clumped it around evenly. Oops. Still...a lot of spinach...probably a bit too much.


Lesson 4: I should have added more tomato sauce. I didn't really have room in the pan...but in the future, I'll use a bigger pan...with more room for sauce so the lasagna is "saucy-er"


Lesson 5: Lasagna takes a long time to make.





The actual lasagna was definitely edible, and I'm eating leftovers this week. There is NO way Josh would have eaten this. However, I think with some slight additions, it could be much tastier. Will I make this again? Not anytime soon...but I haven't written off lasagna forever...

Turkey Meatloaf and Roasted Potatoes

So, I'm on my own this weekend and I decided to make a turkey meatloaf and roasted potatoes for dinner. (Josh doesn't like meatloaf, so this was the perfect time!) This is the first time I've ever made either. The recipe for the turkey meatloaf is from Ellie. K. from FoodNetwork.

The first picture is the meatloaf before it went into the oven.

Next, my plate once everything was done.

Overall, the turkey meatloaf was pretty good. Very moist. I would make it again, except I would probably add some garlic powder, and maybe some grated carrot, too. I felt like it needed just a bit more flavor. But, overall, good for a "healthy" meatloaf. I love potatoes, so these were good. I just tossed them with evoo, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Not rocket science. Mmmm. Mmmm. I have three more portions left to eat this week.

And, I am thinking about making a lasagna tomorrow...we'll see.

Chicken Jambalaya

I tried a new recipe for us tonight!

Previously, I've only used my crockpot about...well...I think 4 times. Two times I made BBQ ribs (the 2nd time I burned the ribs...yes, I even burn stuff in a crockpot) and two times I made a potroast (I may post the pictures from that some other time). I am pretty sure the last time I used by crockpot was January of this year. So...yeah...it's been awhile.

Here's a picture of the mixture at the beginning...you basically add everything (frozen onions & green peppers, chicken, turkey sausage, can of tomatoes with chiles and, water) except for the rice. I LOVE those crockpot bags...makes for such easy clean-up!

Anyways, it was quite easy (as crockpot recipes usually are) and the final product got a thumbs up from both Josh and me. :-) Our only disagreement was that I thought it was a bit too spicy and Josh said it wasn't spicy at all! So, clearly we have different tolerances for spicy-ness! Haha! Here's a picture of the finished product all dished up. No fanciness tonight for presentation. Just plopped it in a bowl.

Overall though, it was pretty tasty. The only change I would make is that next time I will add more chicken than what the recipe called for. Yay for a success!