September 30, 2012

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This my quick and easy take on combining BBQ chicken and pizza.  You can easily start with pre-cooked chicken to make this pizza come together even faster.  I think this counts as a man meal too!
Ingredients
  • Pizza crust/dough (I used the Pillsbury whole wheat crust this time)
  • BBQ sauce
  • Shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • Shredded Cheddar cheese
  • Red onion, chopped
  • Green bell pepper, chopped
Preparation
Roll out the pizza dough on a tray sprayed with cooking spray.
Follow the instructions on the package for baking the crust.  Saute the chicken, peppers and onions over medium heat until chicken is thoroughly cooking.
Top your crust with BBQ sauce, then the chicken, peppers and onions and finally the cheese.
 
 
 Bake again (according to package instructions) until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Super easy, really quick and no where near as greasy as take-out pizza!

Happy Cooking!
Jenny

September 28, 2012

This One's for the Fellas


Today I have another "man meal" and it's a guest post thanks to my brother!  Looks delicious!

So originally I had planned to take her out for dinner, but instead I decided why not have a nice home cooked meal by candle light.  I definitely recommend this meal, gents.  It was super easy, didn’t make a huge mess, and tasted great.  I’ll start from the beginning…

Meal choice:  Marinated chicken breasts, asparagus with béarnaise and mashed potatoes.

First things first: Ambiance.  I took the liberty of picking out 7 or 8 candles at the grocery store.  Glade candles were on sale for the week, so I went with them.  Pick out a few different scents.  Place them all over the house and group the scents.  
 Pick up some nice flowers too.  I always felt like it was kind of cliché to get flowers, but apparently women really like them ;)  
 
Picking out ingredients:  No need to get super fancy here, guys.  I picked up about 2lbs of chicken breasts (or a pack of 3).  I also grabbed a bundle of asparagus. I’m not a huge fan of asparagus, but I know she really likes it.  Here comes the tricky part.  Mashed potatoes…I went with Bob Evans garlic mashed potatoes.  Keep it simple.  
 For the marinade I used McCormick Grill Mates Garlic, Herb and Wine.  It comes in a little powder packet with ingredients on back.  If you’re not sure you have what it calls for buy it while you’re at the store.  The béarnaise sauce comes in a powder as well.  
Preparation and Cooking Times:  You’ll need about an hour to prep and cook all parts of the meal.  Marinade the chicken first.  Mix up your marinade as per the instructions on the back of the packet.  Rinse your chicken with cold water and put in a plastic Ziploc bag along with the marinade and throw it back in the fridge while you prepare the rest of your meal.  
 I cooked everything in the oven, but you can use the grill if you’d like.  Take your asparagus and snap all the bottoms off.  Place them in a Pyrex cooking dish.  You can layer them up.  Coat them in olive oil, a dash of salt and some ground pepper.  Set that to the side.   
Take your chicken out of the Ziploc bag and place in a suitable size Pyrex dish.  Dump the rest of the marinade in there with it. 
 Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  You’re going to cook the chicken for about 30 – 35 minutes and the asparagus about 15 – 20 minutes.  Throw the chicken in there first and when it’s got 15 minutes left throw the asparagus in there.  
 I cooked the potatoes in a pot.  I added a little bit of fresh garlic and some milk and butter to dress it up a little bit.  Heat it on low heat, stirring frequently.  
 The béarnaise takes about 5 minutes and thickens up/skins over quickly, so you’ll want to make this last.  Again follow the directions on the package.  
 Serve from the same dishes you cooked in or plate the meal.  I plated.  The béarnaise goes on the asparagus, so don’t put it on everything.  
Wine:  A nice light chardonnay goes well with this meal.  I went with Chateau St Michelle.  I’ve had it a couple times before and it’s very good and inexpensive.  
Light all the candles, set your placemats with all necessary utensils for the meal.  Keep it classy, boys.  We're professionals and you know she's worth it.
Lastly: Contingency plan.  I’m not the best in the kitchen so I like to have a contingency plan just in case something doesn’t go right.  I got some Ice Cream sandwiches.  Doubles as dessert. 
Have fun!
  -Dan

September 9, 2012

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

I'm thinking that this Easy Eggplant Parmesan recipe could be on the "man meal" list.  Chicken can easily be substituted for the eggplant.  I had never tried the Kraft Fresh Take breadcrumb packets but it was really easy to use and very tasty.  My grocery store didn't have the Rosemary & Roasted Garlic so I used the Italian Parmesan Fresh Take instead.


Ingredients 
  • 1 large  eggplant (1-1/2 lb.), ends trimmed, peeled and cut crosswise into 6 slices 
  • 1 egg, beaten 
  • 1 pkg.  (6 oz.) FRESH TAKE Rosemary & Roasted Garlic Recipe Cheese Breadcrumb Mix 
  • 1 jar  (24 oz.) marinara sauce 
  • 1/2lb.  spaghetti, uncooked

Preparation
Heat oven to 400ºF. Dip eggplant slices, 1 at a time, in egg then in Fresh Take, turning to evenly coat both sides of each slice. Place on foil-covered baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake12 min. or until lightly browned. Meanwhile, heat sauce and cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain spaghetti. Serve topped with eggplant and sauce. 

Recipe is from www.kraftrecipes.com 
Happy Cooking!
Jenny

Savory Leek and Ham Quiche

Quiche is really easy to make but it takes almost an hour to cook.  Luckily it's one of those recipes that you can freeze and reheat later in the week.  Don't stay away from this recipe because of the leeks.  It's not a common ingredient but they add a nice mild onion flavor to dishes.  Plus I'll show you how to clean them properly so you don't end up with a sandy dinner!

This recipe came from the Kraft Foods website.  I didn't use the brand specific ingredients but you certainly can if you prefer.
Ingredients
  •  1 Tbsp oil
  • 3/4lbs leeks (about 3 medium), halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
  • 1/2 cup chopped smoked ham
  • 1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups half & half
Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add leeks; cook and stir 8 to 10 min. or until tender. Stir in ham. Remove from heat; set aside. 
 
Prepare pie crust as directed on package for unfilled 1-crust pie using 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle half of the cheese evenly onto bottom of crust. Top with leek mixture and remaining cheese. Beat eggs and half-and-half with wire whisk until well blended; pour over ingredients in crust. 


  Bake 35 to 40 min. or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 min. before serving.

How to Prepare Leeks

 Leeks are a member of the onion family but are much milder in flavor than regular onions.  In cooking, you want to use the white and light green part of the leek.  The roots and dark green leaves are discarded.
Cut off the top and bottom of the leek.  Then cut the leek half lengthwise.  You can see the dirt and sand trapped in between the layers.
Cut the leeks in the half moon shapes and soak in a bowl of cold water for 5-10 minutes.  Make sure to break the layers apart and swish them around.  Scoop the leeks off the top of the water and you'll see all of the sand and dirt left at the bottom.

Recipe is from www.kraftrecipes.com 
Happy Cooking!
Jenny

September 6, 2012

Personal Pan Pizza

I was asked to come up with some "man meals" that require minimal ingredients and effort.  Pizza is (almsot) as easy to make as it is to order.  Personal pan pizzas are great when you can't agree on toppings.  I like a little bit of sauce and lots of veggies and the hubby likes the exact opposite.


 Ingredients
    • Pre-made refrigerated pizza dough (pre-cooked pizza crusts will work)
    • Marinara sauce
    • Shredded Mozzarella cheese
    • Any toppings that you like on your pizza - we used mini pepperoni, green bell pepper, red onion, and crushed pineapple

    Preparation
    Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Split the dough into the number of pizzas you want to make.  Spray your pan with cooking pan and stretch your dough to fit the pan or the size pizza that you want.  I like to use round cake pans so that it makes a deep dish pizza.  You can roll it out on a cookie sheet if you prefer.
     
     Spread sauce on the dough and top with cheese and the toppings that you like.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the crust and cheese start to brown.
     
    Happy Cooking!
    Jenny

    September 4, 2012

    Week of September 4, 2012

    This week's menu is mostly easy comfort food.  When I'm looking for quick meals I like to use the the Kraft Foods Recipe website for inspiration.

    Tuesday:  Personal Pan Pizza
    Thursday:  Easy Eggplant Parmesan  (my version)
    Friday:  Orange-Ginger Beef Stir Fry

    Grocery List

    Produce
    • Red onion
    • Sweet bell pepper
    • Leeks
    • Eggplant
    Meats/Seafood
    • Pepperoni
    • Deli ham
    • Beef flank steak
     Dairy/Refrigerated
      • Shredded Mozzarella cheese
      • Refrigerated pizza dough or pre-made pizza crust
      • Refrigerated pie crust
      • Shredded Swiss cheese
      • Eggs
      • Half & half
      • Fresh Take Rosemary & Roasted Garlic Recipe Cheese Breadcrumb Mix
       Miscellaneous
        • Marinara sauce
        •  Spaghetti noodles
        • Cornstarch
        • Orange marmalade
        • Ground ginger
        • Sliced water chestnuts
        • Soy sauce
        • Brown rice
        • Frozen broccoli florets

        What's on the menu at your house this week?

        Happy Cooking!
        Jenny