adventures in the kitchen
Monday, September 8, 2008 Peachy Pork Medallions

This recipe came from the August 2008 issue of Parenting Magazine. I had some nectarines that needed to be eaten, so I used them instead of peaches and the recipe turned out just fine. In fact, it was quite a hit, especially with Will who rarely eats meat. Oh yeah, and instead of polenta, I just made Jiffy corn muffins. The nectarine sauce over the corn muffin was delicious!

Prep: 8 minutes
Cook: 12 to 16 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 8 slices, flattened to 1/4 inch thick
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
8 slices (1/2 inch thick) precooked polenta (I made jiffy corn muffins in the oven)
2 tsp olive oil
2 2/3 cups sliced peaches (I used nectarines)
1/4 cup reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth
6 tbsp. seedless raspberry all-fruit spread
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp ground ginger


Directions:

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set on medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper, and saute 2 minutes on each side, or until fully cooked. Remove from pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

2. Brush polenta slices with oil. Cook in skillet on medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes per side or until lightly browned. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium and cook peach slices, stirring frequently, until barely tender.

3. Add broth to peaches and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. Add preserves, vinegar, and ginger. Stir until preserves melt.

4. Serve pork, drizzled with sauce, with peaches and polenta.


(I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but trust me, it is aesthetically pleasing) :)

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Posted by kristy :: 6:59 PM :: 0 comments

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Sunday, September 7, 2008 Chicken Spinach Lasagna Casserole


I stumbled across this recipe in the Sept. 2008 issue of Redbook magazine while getting my hair cut last Friday. It looked good so I asked my stylist if I could tear out the page; thankfully, she said yes :)

My mom and I prepared the lasagna casserole last night, kept it in the fridge over night and then cooked it for lunch today. I highly recommend this dish if you're cooking for a large group (the recipe serves 12).


Ingredients:

1 (10-oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 (10-oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 1/2-oz.) jar sliced mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise
6 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped pecans


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine spinach, chicken, cheddar cheese, onion, cornstarch, salt, pepper, soy sauce, soup, sour cream, mushrooms, and mayonnaise. Put a layer of noodles in the bottom of a greased (9x13x2-inch) lasagna pan. Spread half of the spinach mixture over noodles. Place another layer of noodles on top and cover with the remaining spinach mixture. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, then pecans on top, and bake for 1 hour. Serves 12.

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Posted by kristy :: 1:59 PM :: 0 comments

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Sunday, May 18, 2008 SUCH a yummy supper...




Our good friends, Zach and Janel, and their two boys, Tucker and Easton, invited our family over for supper a couple of weeks ago. Janel made a DELICIOUS meal and was gracious enough to share the recipes with me. Here is a picture of Janel's beautiful table (isn't that a creative centerpiece?!!!) and the recipes for a some of the dishes she made:



(notice that Will didn't wait for the rest of us...he started chowing down immediately!) :)


GRAPE SALAD


3 lbs grapes
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
3/4 c. confectioners' sugar
1 c. Cool Whip
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

Rinse grapes, pull off vine and pat dry. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and Cool Whip. Fold cream mixture into grapes and spread into a large bowl or a 9 x 13 dish. Sprinkle brown sugar and then pecans on top. Chill (overnight is best). Serves 10 to 12.






BEEF NOODLE BAKE


1 lb ground chuck
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 c. tomato sauce
dash pepper
6 oz pkg egg noodles cooked per instructions
3 oz. cream cheese
1 c. sour cream
1 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, to taste

Brown ground chuck and onion. Drain fat and add garlic powder, salt , sugar, tomato sauce and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes. Mix cream cheese and sour cream. Layer beef, noodles, sour cream mixture, topping off with cheeses in 9 x 13 casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.






GREEN BEAN BUNDLES


3 cans whole green beans
I pkg of bacon strips, cut in half
Dried chopped onion
Light Catalina Salad dressing

Line jelly roll pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Open and rinse cans of green beans. Gather 8-10 beans in a bundle and wrap bacon around bundle. Place on foil with seam side down. Sprinkle with dried onions. Pour Catalina dressing over bundles. I usually use 1/3 to 1/2 bottle of dressing each time I make these. Bake in oven for approx 35 min at 350, until bacon is crispy.

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Posted by kristy :: 2:12 PM :: 0 comments

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Saturday, April 12, 2008 Stuffed Peppers


Or, as we like to call them "Stuft Peppers". Hello, all! This is Page, Kristy's friend. I haven't cooked much lately since my hubby has been away at school, but now I have been in the mood to cook and can't wait to make this for him when he gets home! It's a super simple recipe from The Hubby's mom, Pat but does kinda take up a lot of pots (sorry, Katy ;):

Ingredients:
4-6 Bell Peppers
1 T oil (I use EVOO)
2 T chopped onion (I like more, so I use a half an onion)
1/4 t dried thyme
A Dash of savory
A Dash of black pepper
2 c. yellow rice
3/4 c. tomato juice
1 lb. hamburger meat (I use 80/10 'cause I like it rather lean)
Ketchup as needed (Optional)

You can change up these ingredients as you like to your preference. If you are using less than 6 peppers, I would reduce the amount of hamburger meat and rice unless you just want some left over for later.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Preheat saute pan to medium heat - add oil.
3. Fill large pot about 5 inches high with water (or high enough to cover the peppers) and bring to a boil.
4. Clean peppers, cut off their tops, take out their interior seeds and boil for about 5-6 minutes.
5. Brown onion in oil with hamburger until hamburger is cooked. Add the remainder of the ingredients to the hamburger and mix.
6. Fill peppers with hamburger mixture.
7. Next (optional) add squirt of ketchup on the top of each bell pepper mixture. We like to put the initials of the person it is for spelled out in ketchup ;)
8. Bake on baking sheet (I cover mine with aluminum foil so it's one less pan to clean!) for 25 minutes.
9. Make husband clean dishes.
ALL DONE!





***Update from Kristy: I made these last week and they were delicious!!! Here is a picture of the final product.

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Posted by Page :: 4:58 PM :: 5 comments

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