I know I've been awful about updates for the last few weeks!
I'm going to take an official break from blogging for a while! I know I only have about two readers! And those are people I talk to pretty often in real life!
I'll be back when I'm inspired!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Last night Eli and I attended the Mother-Son Sports Dance as a fundraiser for the PTO. We had so much fun! He is the perfect age in that he had zero inhibitions on the dance floor! What a hoot that boy is! It was so sweet to see all the boys (Preschool thru 5th grade) with their mamas. We had snacks and played games. Eli won a prize in Bingo! He picked out this rubber alligator that you leave in water for three days and it will grow six times its size! Three days is a long wait for a 4 y.o. but we'll see how it goes!
I know the video is very dark, but it's too cute not to share!
I know the video is very dark, but it's too cute not to share!
Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Lasagna
This is another WW recipe ~ So far these recipes have not disappointed! This is my favorite so far.
As always, I "tweaked" the recipe a bit. I just can't justify buying "fresh" spices for a recipe in the dead of winter.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound(s) dry lasagna noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large Spanish onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I just used a regular onion)
1 tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped (Google told me I could substitute with (dried) basil, so I did!)
1/2 cup(s) water
1/4 cup(s) Coca-Cola Diet Coke, or other brand
1 spray(s) cooking spray
6 medium portobello mushroom(s), stems removed, caps cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I only used the portobellos as our store did not have creminis)
1/2 pound(s) cremini mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
3 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (again, I used dried)
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, fresh, divided (Parmigiano Reggianno recommended) (I used good ol' Kraft)
Instructions
Place a large pot of water over high heat; bring to a boil. Add noodles; boil for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Drain noodles and briefly rinse under cool water to prevent sticking; set aside.
Place a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and onions; cook, without stirring for 3 minutes, and then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 7 minutes. Add rosemary and water; scrape up any food from bottom of pan using a wooden spoon. Cook until water evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add soda and cook until onions are nicely browned and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a large bowl and set aside.
Coat same skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until they start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes; sprinkle with salt and stir. Continue to cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are browned, about 3 to 4 minutes; add to onion bowl. (If mushrooms are too cramped in skillet, either use 2 skillets or cook them in 2 batches.)
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
To make sauce, place same skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and butter; allow butter to melt. Add flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until combined, about 1 minute. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring to prevent lumps; bring to a boil. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of cheese; stir to combine and set aside.
To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9- X 11-inch lasagna pan or baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce in a single layer; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes; change oven temperature to broil. Broil until top of lasagna is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing into eight pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving. 6 WW Pts. per serving
I was very happy with how this turned out! Amy was home and she was thrilled I made a vegetarian-friendly dish. We felt like we were eating something very substantial. My only disappointment? I halved the recipe and there's no leftovers!
As always, I "tweaked" the recipe a bit. I just can't justify buying "fresh" spices for a recipe in the dead of winter.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound(s) dry lasagna noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large Spanish onion, peeled, cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I just used a regular onion)
1 tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped (Google told me I could substitute with (dried) basil, so I did!)
1/2 cup(s) water
1/4 cup(s) Coca-Cola Diet Coke, or other brand
1 spray(s) cooking spray
6 medium portobello mushroom(s), stems removed, caps cut in half and sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I only used the portobellos as our store did not have creminis)
1/2 pound(s) cremini mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1/2 tsp table salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
3 medium garlic clove(s), chopped
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (again, I used dried)
1/4 cup(s) grated Parmesan cheese, fresh, divided (Parmigiano Reggianno recommended) (I used good ol' Kraft)
Instructions
Place a large pot of water over high heat; bring to a boil. Add noodles; boil for 10 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Drain noodles and briefly rinse under cool water to prevent sticking; set aside.
Place a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and onions; cook, without stirring for 3 minutes, and then continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 7 minutes. Add rosemary and water; scrape up any food from bottom of pan using a wooden spoon. Cook until water evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add soda and cook until onions are nicely browned and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes; remove to a large bowl and set aside.
Coat same skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, without stirring, until they start to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes; sprinkle with salt and stir. Continue to cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are browned, about 3 to 4 minutes; add to onion bowl. (If mushrooms are too cramped in skillet, either use 2 skillets or cook them in 2 batches.)
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
To make sauce, place same skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and butter; allow butter to melt. Add flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until combined, about 1 minute. Add milk, a little at a time, stirring to prevent lumps; bring to a boil. Stir in garlic and cook, stirring continuously, until thick, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add nutmeg and 2 tablespoons of cheese; stir to combine and set aside.
To assemble lasagna, spread 1/3 cup of sauce over bottom of a 9- X 11-inch lasagna pan or baking dish. Place 3 noodles over sauce in a single layer; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then 3 more noodles; spread with 1/3 cup of sauce and about 1 1/2 cups of onion-mushroom mixture. Top with 1/4 cup of sauce and then top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes; change oven temperature to broil. Broil until top of lasagna is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing into eight pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving. 6 WW Pts. per serving
I was very happy with how this turned out! Amy was home and she was thrilled I made a vegetarian-friendly dish. We felt like we were eating something very substantial. My only disappointment? I halved the recipe and there's no leftovers!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Day In The Life
Here's what's going on at my house today - a very snowy, very cold day...
Eli sleeping by the fire...
And Sammy on the porch eating snow...
Monday, January 12, 2009
Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
I made this yesterday ~ perfect for a cold, snowy football Sunday! We had the ILs over to watch the Steelers trounce San Diego and enjoyed the tasty chili. I made cheddar drop biscuits and a big salad as sides.
(serves 12; 4 WW pts. per serving)
Ingredients
28 oz fat-free chicken broth
30 oz canned cannellini beans
30 oz canned great Northern beans
1/2 medium onion(s), chopped up
1/3 cup(s) tomatillo salsa (I think this is the same as salsa verde - that's what I used)
15 oz canned navy beans
3 raw chicken breasts
3 tsp ground red pepper
I also added garlic
Instructions
Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and put in crockpot. Cut up onion half and put in crockpot. Dump all the other ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook for 5 hours on high. You can also add other spices/seasonings that you may like for taste, but it is great just the way it is.
In the end, the consistency was pretty watery, so I took out about a cup of broth and made a roux (sp?) with some flour, then added it back to he pot. Ideally, if this wasn't supposed to be a WW recipe, I'd add some heavy cream at the end, then serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese toppings! MMMM
Next time I make this I think I'm going to do it on the stovetop. Saute the chicken with onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the rest of the ingredients. I think I'll add some carrots for color too. Doug said we can't call it chili if it has carrots. So we'll call it soup!
(serves 12; 4 WW pts. per serving)
Ingredients
28 oz fat-free chicken broth
30 oz canned cannellini beans
30 oz canned great Northern beans
1/2 medium onion(s), chopped up
1/3 cup(s) tomatillo salsa (I think this is the same as salsa verde - that's what I used)
15 oz canned navy beans
3 raw chicken breasts
3 tsp ground red pepper
I also added garlic
Instructions
Cut the chicken breast into small pieces and put in crockpot. Cut up onion half and put in crockpot. Dump all the other ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook for 5 hours on high. You can also add other spices/seasonings that you may like for taste, but it is great just the way it is.
In the end, the consistency was pretty watery, so I took out about a cup of broth and made a roux (sp?) with some flour, then added it back to he pot. Ideally, if this wasn't supposed to be a WW recipe, I'd add some heavy cream at the end, then serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese toppings! MMMM
Next time I make this I think I'm going to do it on the stovetop. Saute the chicken with onion and garlic in olive oil, then add the rest of the ingredients. I think I'll add some carrots for color too. Doug said we can't call it chili if it has carrots. So we'll call it soup!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Enchilada Bake
This is another WW recipe. I guess that's what I'll be posting for the next few however-long-I-stick-to-this!
This was really really good! If you like it a little more spicy, I'd use jarred salsa instead of the canned tomatoes. It is made with "fake meat," but it's really tasty, I promise. I didn't even tell Doug. Not that he would care, but I wanted him to taste it before he was prejudiced against it. I suppose you could use lean ground beef with the same results, but more fat/calories.
Enchilada Bake
Ingredients
Morningstar Meal Starters
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
10 mission corn tortillas (2 for 1 point)
jar enchilada sauce
4.5 oz. kraft 2% mexican cheese
1 can Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes non-drained
1/2 cup (or more/less) jalepeno peppers
Instructions
Fry meal starters and add to pan onion, bell pepper and tomatoes. Pour some enchilada sauce in bottom of baking pan. Tear up 5 tortillas and layer over sauce. Top the tortillas with 1 cup of the cheese. Add filling (veggies and meal starter) atop the cheese. Add jalepenos.Tear up and layer 5 more tortillas and top with sauce and 1.5 more cups cheese.
10 servings, 3 pts. each serving
Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour.
This was really really good! If you like it a little more spicy, I'd use jarred salsa instead of the canned tomatoes. It is made with "fake meat," but it's really tasty, I promise. I didn't even tell Doug. Not that he would care, but I wanted him to taste it before he was prejudiced against it. I suppose you could use lean ground beef with the same results, but more fat/calories.
Enchilada Bake
Ingredients
Morningstar Meal Starters
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
10 mission corn tortillas (2 for 1 point)
jar enchilada sauce
4.5 oz. kraft 2% mexican cheese
1 can Hunt's fire roasted tomatoes non-drained
1/2 cup (or more/less) jalepeno peppers
Instructions
Fry meal starters and add to pan onion, bell pepper and tomatoes. Pour some enchilada sauce in bottom of baking pan. Tear up 5 tortillas and layer over sauce. Top the tortillas with 1 cup of the cheese. Add filling (veggies and meal starter) atop the cheese. Add jalepenos.Tear up and layer 5 more tortillas and top with sauce and 1.5 more cups cheese.
10 servings, 3 pts. each serving
Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
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