Birthday Cake!

The one thing that I did manage to do despite all that's been going on was to bake a cake for Scott's 3rd birthday party. A while ago he told us he wanted a green Jeep, so I decided to make him a Jeep cake. It turned out to be a bit of an undertaking, and I lost faith that it would turn out well at all in the beginning, but when it was all said and done I think it turned out pretty well! It could've been better, and I know a few things to do differently if I ever do it again, but for a 3 year old I'd say it was pretty perfect. Scott was sure excited about it, and it tasted pretty good too. It had a LOT of icing on it, but what toddler doesn't need a little sugar in their day? :)

I baked 2 sheet cakes and then shaved the tops of them a bit to make them level. One was placed on top of an upside-down 13x9 pan as the base of the body. The other sheet cake I cut in half and stacked on top of the first cake. I then covered it all with white icing so that the crumbs would stick to it and not show through on the final product. I also shaped it some with icing. Jeeps are pretty square, but they do have some shape to them. I then dyed more icing and piped the detailing on top of the base colors. It's insanely difficult to dye white icing to a good "Jeep green", so I just settled for the green I had after a while. It's also impossible to get a good black, so the top ended up being more dark blue than black, but oh well. The tires are chocolate covered donuts (to look like mud), and the stuff around the cake is what I shaved off of the tops of them crumbled up to look like dirt. Scott helped me spread the crumbs out.... it was about all I'd let him help with for fear he'd mess up my hard work. :)

I'm still recovering from skipping my nap for 2 days to work on the cake, but it was worth it. Scott was really excited about it, and I'd do anything to see that little shy grin on his face. :)

Here's the finished product:

It's been a long time....

Well, I'm pleased to annouce that Rebecca is no longer in the oven! That's the reason for my hiatus from posting/cooking. I'm too busy trying to pay attention to Scott and Joe in between feedings, and since the feedings are still about 2 hours apart around the clock, there's just no energy or time for real cooking. I have cooked some though, so I'll briefly post the few things that I remember having made since I had Rebecca.

The first is what I call Salsa Chicken. I think it's actually a recipe from the label of the salsa jar, but I don't exactly follow a recipe anymore. I just toss some chicken in the crock pot, add about a cup of salsa, a few squirts of mustard, and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook it on low for 8 hours or so and serve it with rice.

The second is Meat Loaf Muffins. I originally got this from Cooking Light, but like the Salsa Chicken I no longer really follow the recipe. I just kind of dump stuff in and mix it up. Take a pound or so of ground beef, add in some cooked diced onions (I was too lazy for this step last night, but it still tastes fine without it), 1/4 to 1/2 cup or ketchup, a couple tablespoons or so of Worchestershire sauce, some Oregano and Basil, salt and pepper, and minced garlic. Mix it all up and put it into a muffin tin. Top each "muffin" with some ketchup, then bake at 350 until they're 160 degrees inside- about 20 minutes. You can substitute BBQ sauce for the ketchup, which Joe prefers, but I'm partial to the plain ol' ketchup version.

Last night's edition of this was special because in addition to the ground beef, I also made some with ground venison. I was nervous about it since I've never had venison before, but it was REALLY good! Our neighbors gave us the meat, and since we're moving very soon we're in "use up all our food by the time we leave" mode, I figured I'd give it a shot. If you can ever get your hands on some I highly recommend it. I really was very surprised at how good it tasted and at how much I liked it.

Since I'm mostly too lazy and drained to cook, I definitely didn't remember to take any pictures of the food, sorry. Maybe once we get settled after we move I'll get back in the swing of things. I certainly plan to, it just may take a bit. :)

4/6- Fresh Lime Chiffon Cake

My sister is in town for her spring break, and it's become a tradition for us to pick a ridiculously delicious-looking dessert to make. In the past it's been things such as Hot Chocolate Souffle and Black Pearl Cake, but this year we decided to stray from the requirement of chocolate. It was tough considering my recent addiction to things such as M&Ms and cupcakes, but it was worth it!

This cake is actually from Cooking Light as well, and I've had the recipe for a long time but never bothered to make it. I definitely think it will be a repeat for some future special occasion! It's got a lot of lime in it, and is insanely light and fluffy, so it's the perfect summer cake. Plus, it's "light" so you don't have to feel as guilty about eating it (as can be seen in the size of slices we allowed ourselves to eat)!

4/5- Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich

There's an actual recipe for this from Cooking Light, but I ended up having to improvise this one quite a bit due to my inability to read a recipe. Well, that's not entirely true. It's also partly the Commissary's fault for not having one of the ingredients I needed, and for charging so much for another one of them. Those problem ingredients would be Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Roasted Red Peppers. They're good, and they make the sandwich delicious, but good grief are they expensive!

So, I improvised. I cooked the chicken in Balsamic Vinegar with a little garlic, and then drizzled the vinegar on the top and bottom of the Ciabatta. You slice the chicken thinly- think Subway chicken- and layer it on the bottom piece of the bread. Layer thinly sliced tomatoes on top of that, and then sliced Mozzarella. Broil the bottom half of the sandwich until the cheese is melted, then top with fresh Basil leaves. Put the top piece of bread on top, slice the sandwich into however many pieces you need, and enjoy!

This version is just as good as the original, I think, and I was so thankful it turned out well!

4/3- Cupcakes, Fish, and Resurrection Cookies

Today has been a busy day for my kitchen! I started out the morning with Mint Oreo Cupcakes and Buttercream Icing. You're probably guessing that the baby wanted cupcakes for breakfast, but thankfully she went for Raisin Bran instead. The cupcakes are for our Easter potluck after Church, and I knew I needed to get them done early in order to get them done. A friend gave me the recipe, and I've been super excited to try them. Plus there's the added bonus that we now have leftover Mint Oreos for me to eat. :) They were really easy to make, and taste wonderful! (Of course we had to sample one to make sure we weren't going to poison anyone from Church!)

After a busy afternoon of a mostly failed nap and a trip to Target that completely wore me out, it was time to turn my attention towards dinner. Given that I'm so pregnant that I feel like a whale, this mild Texas heat of 85 today is absolutely killing me. What better way to combat heat than with a salad? So we had Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia Salad.... or something like that. You dredge tilapia fillets in a mixture of flour and cornmeal, cook them up in some oil, and serve them up on top of a garden salad. The recipe has you slice up some tortillas, coat them in chili powder and salt, and toast them so they're a crispy little complement to the salad. They were definitely Scott's favorite part. It's a pretty quick, light meal that's great for hot nights when you're feeling dehydrated.

After dinner, in honor of Easter weekend, we made Resurrection Cookies for the first time. I'd heard about them before, but didn't think Scott was old enough yet to get anything out of the experience, so this was the first time we made them. They're such a neat idea! They're meringue cookies that you make and leave in the oven over night. Each step has Bible verses that go along with it, and the kids get to help you make them. It's a really neat way for them to kind of be a part of what Jesus went through, and is a great hands-on way for them to learn the Easter Story. Scott is still peppering us with questions about it, actually. Here's a link to the cookies: http://blessingsforlife.com/recipes/holidays/resurrectionstorycookies.htm

4/2- Waffles

I guess I woke up hungry, or rather, Baby Rebecca did, because I wanted waffles as soon as I got up. I hunted around for a recipe since I lost my old favorite one, and found a good one on allrecipes.com. It made a lot of batter, so we'll eat up the rest for breakfast before Church tomorrow. :)

4/1- Flank Steak Sandwiches

Now this recipe is a serious family favorite. I think if I made it every night, my husband might get confused and think he was in heaven. :) It's got a few steps to it, and you have to time things right with side dishes so it's all ready at the same time, but man, it is so worth the effort. It's another Cooking Light recipe, but I probably kill the "lightness" by coating the steaks with salt and pepper before putting them on the grill.

Basically you just grill the steaks, let them rest, then slice them thinly and toss them in a Chipotle BBQ sauce you make. Slap it on a hoagie roll, top it with some grilled onion slices, and chow down! I'll happily post the recipe for the sauce if you want, just ask. It's in the kitchen and I'm not, and am too lazy to go get it. :)

I generally serve it with grilled squash and zucchini, and of course a fruit salad. It's yet another perfect summer grilling out meal, and it makes great leftovers too!

3/29- Chocolate Souffle Cupcakes

No, I promise that's not what I served for dinner. I thought about it, but decided I couldn't live with giving an almost-3-year-old chocolate for dinner. Pregnant mommies, sure, but not toddlers.

I've had the recipe for these cupcakes for a while and just haven't had the chance to make them yet. Well, since I devoured every ounce of other chocolate in the house yesterday, desperate times call for desperate measures! As the name indicates, these are flourless cupcakes, and get topped with white chocolate peppermint whipped cream. Are you drooling yet? Here, look at them on this link and you definitely will be......

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chocolate-souffle-cupcakes-with-mint-cream/

And if you should happen to actually make them..... well..... you'll either eat the entire batch at once, or spend hours staring at them in the container in the fridge. That's what I plan to do tonight. Or eat them all. The baby hasn't decided yet. ;)

For your amusement, here's the progression of a cupcake in the hands of a toddler......

3/28- Grilled Ham Steaks

I don't get to cook a big Easter dinner since our Church has a big potluck/egg hunt every year, so I decided to cook up some ham tonight. I have somehow managed to avoid cooking ham steaks until now, so this was a new one for me. I cooked 2 because my husband has been known to eat like a horse on occasion, and also because somehow I've been eating like a horse as well... despite the incredible lack of room in my abdomen at the moment. I bought the steaks without having a clue as to what I was going to do with them, but a quick search of allrecipes.com yielded great results! I just tossed them on the grill and basted them with the glaze I found on there.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Ham-Steak/Detail.aspx

The glaze sounds a bit weird, but it's really really good! Once I had it heating up on the stove, the cinnamon wafted up to my nose and I started to drool. At that point, I was a believer without even tasting it! Not being terribly fancy, I served it with rice and green beans. Hey, at least I got to cook some Easter ham!

3/25 Spicy Beef Salad

This is *gasp* not a Cooking Light recipe! I know, amazing! It's from Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics book. It's more substantial than your average salad because of the beef, but it's not too heavy because it's served with the meat chilled. I know it may sound weird, but don't knock it 'til you try it!

Here's a link to the recipe: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/spicy-beef-salad/4389d181-ed7b-4989-9fe5-1dc3ec72ba6d

(note: As I believe I've mentioned before, I HATE mushrooms, so I always leave those out. Why ruin a perfectly good salad by adding fungus?! Dried chives can be substituted for the green onions as well, although the onions do add more of a "zing." I also always use sirloin instead of the flank steak... it's cheaper and still tastes great!)

I usually serve it with cous cous, rice pilaf, or some sort of rolls. Of course it would go well with a fruit salad too.... you can never have too much fruit!

3/24- Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Thanks to my amazing husband, we are back in business with pictures! He got me a new Canon Powershot yesterday since our son dropped our old one, so now I have my own little camera again! I tried using his, but it just didn't like me. Anyway, on to the important stuff.... the food!

We dined on Pulled Chicken Sandwiches last night. I hadn't made them in a while, and I don't know why because I love them so much! They aren't a 15 minute meal, but they're not something out of Cordon Bleu either. You grill the chicken with a dry rub, then shred it and heat it up in the sauce. Serve it on burger buns, top it with pickles, and once again accompany it with whatever cookout type sides you want! It's seriously yummy, I'm getting hungry all over again just typing about it!

3/19- Pork Chops with Carolina Rub

Yet another Cooking Light one, kind of similar to the Honey Chicken one. It was gorgeous again yesterday, so I planned another grilling meal. You just take pork chops and rub this dry rub all over them, then grill and serve with BBQ sauce. We pretty much had the same sides as we did the night before too- potato salad, cole slaw, fruit salad, and some mixed veggies. It goes great with fresh corn, but there was none to be found yet.

Here's the rub:

1 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, paprika, chili powder, freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

(can easily be doubled- I did for 8 chops last night and had a tad left over)



It's another awesome cookout recipe if you're ever looking for something different than burgers and brats/dogs! Sorry, no pictures again, but the backup camera has been found, so pictures from here on out........ as long as I remember to take them before I scarf it down! :)

3/18- Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken

Mmm hmmm... it's a good one! This one's from Cooking Light again, and it's one of the easiest ones ever! The recipe actually calls for chicken thighs, but I either use chicken breasts or tenderloins. It also wants you to broil them, but who wants to heat up their kitchen, especially on a gorgeous day like today?! The grill it is! Here be the recipe:

2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or breasts or whatever)
6 T honey
2 T cider vinegar

Combine all the dry ingredients in a ziploc bag. Throw in the chicken and toss it around until it's all covered. Throw them on the grill. Mix the honey and vinegar, and baste the chicken while it cooks, but reserve some of the mixture to drizzle over it when you serve it.

It's THAT easy! It's a great spring/summer grilling out meal, and goes well with just about any sides you can think of. Tonight we were all starved from our outing to Target (where we bought a lot of stuff since I'm nesting and feeling unprepared for the baby), so we had tossed salad, fruit salad, potato salad, and cole slaw with the chicken. Soon to be followed by some type of chocolate I'm sure!

3/15- Chicken Pot Pie

This is definitely not my recipe, but it's sooooo gooooood. It's called "Kombat Kween's Chicken Pot Pie" and is from a member of an online message board that I frequent (Operation Homefront Online, formerly CinCHouse). It's not so much a "light" recipe, but if you really wanted it to be there are things you could switch out. For example, it calls for heavy cream, but it works just as well with any type of milk. It might turn out a tad runnier, but it still tastes just as good!

Anyway, to start off, cook about 6 chicken breasts, then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Cube up 4-5 white potatoes, and cook them in boiling water. Then you heat 9 T each of butter and flour until it forms a thick paste; season with salt and pepper. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and 1.5 cups of heavy cream (or milk, or a mixture of both). Cook on simmer until it thickens up. Add in the chicken, potatoes, and 3 cups of frozen mixed veggies (beans, corn, carrots, peas, etc). Let it simmer until it's all heated through.

These quantities will give you 2 full pies; I always make 2 and freeze one for later. Put a pie crust in the bottom of each pie pan, then fill with the filling. Top with another crust, crimp edges, and poke holes to vent. At this point, you can wrap one up in foil and toss it in the freezer for a night that you're feeling lazy. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and cooked through. Sooooo good!!

After I made these yesterday, I started on a double batch of banana bread. I had 6 bananas go bad, so what else was I supposed to do? :) Both loaves turned out great, and I'm fighting hard not to just sit down and devour them!

I don't have pictures because my darling son dropped my little point-and-shoot camera and broke it. I don't feel like hauling out the SLR just to take pictures of my food, so until my husband fixes that one or finds his little p-a-s, you'll just have to use your imagination to picture what my food looks like. Sorry!

3-7, Pork Chops and Apples

Tonight's dinner was another one of my own recipes. Well, maybe my mom's, but I adapted it a bit I think. It's another Crock Pot meal, and is super easy, and super delicious! It can be made with pork chops (bone-in or out), or a pork tenderloin. Tonight it was boneless pork chops. I was too lazy to take pictures, sorry!

Get out your Crock Pot and pour in enough apple juice so that there's 1-2 inches of it in the bottom. (That's how I measure, folks :) ) Put the pork in- it can be frozen or thawed just like the BBQ, but it cooks faster if it's thawed. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of brown sugar on top, and then follow it with a good helping of cinnamon. Set it to low and leave it alone for 6 hours or so.

About an hour and a half or so before you want to eat, slice up a couple of apples and toss them in. I've used just about every kind there is, but Granny Smiths and Fuji are my favorites. Sprinkle some more cinnamon on top and let them cook until you're ready to eat. The dish is best when the apples are warmed through and slightly tender, but not a mushy mess.

I've served this with a variety of side dishes, but my favorite is Parmesan Cous Cous. Tonight it was plain old white rice, which is my second favorite. I always try for something green as well, and anything from green beans to salad works well. It's a really easy, really tasty standby meal in our family. I hope you enjoy it if you try it!

3/4- Bread, Stew, and Chocolate

Since I felt better today, I succumbed to the urge to cook and bake up a storm! I started the morning off with Honey Wheat bread in the breadmaker. I used 3 cups of wheat flour and 1 of bread flour this time, so I'm interested to see how it turned out. We had a showing for our house this morning, so since I needed to make bread anyway I figured I'd make the house smell nice. Wonder if we'll get an offer out of it? :)

After naptime, I got started on the Beef Stew. It's another Cooking Light recipe, and I followed the recipe a bit more closely this time than I did the first time I made it. Last time all I had was Marsala wine, but this time I actually bought the Cabernet Sauvignon that it called for. I even threw in mushrooms this time (I HATE mushrooms, but wanted to see if they changed the flavor). The actual recipe is "mediterranean" because it has you throw olives in at the end, but I can't stretch that far. I caved on the mushrooms, that's all they get out of me!

As if I hadn't cooked enough, or made enough dishes already, I decided to seriously cave in to Rebecca's demands and make an awesome-looking chocolate peanut butter cookie recipe I found. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Magic-Peanut-Butter-Middles/Detail.aspx They took longer than I expected, but I had fun making them with Scott. He's actually quite good at smooshing the chocolate dough around the peanut butter balls, and then squashing them with a sugar-coated glass. Who knew they were the perfect project for a 2.5 year old?

3/3/10- Manicotti

Tonight's menu consisted of Manicotti and Green Beans. I'd intended to make a salad and garlic bread, but then remembered that I need to go to the grocery store. Oh well, I'll do it right next time. I got the recipe from allrecipes.com again, but changed it a tiny bit. I added dried basil and oregano instead of just parsley, and added more cheese again. How can you go wrong with cheese-stuffed pasta if you add extra cheese? Next time I'll use my own spaghetti sauce too, but this was sort of a trial run so I just used a jar. Anyway, I thought it was really good, and my husband is chowing down on it as I type. :) Enjoy!

Spinach Pie, 3/2/10

Well, even though I'm sick, I can't in good conscience let my men eat what they ate last night- anything that was in the fridge that was still edible. So tonight it's Spinach Pie! I adapted the recipe from this: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spinach-Pie-V/Detail.aspx. I opted for making an actual pie instead of rolling it in phyllo like the recipe calls for. I also added more cheese since I had it. Can't go wrong with extra cheese, right?

It turned out really well, and was a big hit! Even Scott ate a whole (small) slice! I'll definitely be making this again!

Baked Potato Soup, etc

A few days ago, I tried my hand at Baked Potato Soup again. The first time I tried it, I made it in one of my old pots that was infamous for burning any and all cream sauces. I say "was" because I got so mad at it for burning this soup that I dumped the burnt soup down the drain, and promptly threw the (still warm) pot in the trash bin outside. Take that, stupid pot! Since then, I've gotten a new set of pots- Calphalon

Contemporary Nonstick. Can I just tell you how much they rock?? SO easy to clean and take care of, and they cook so evenly and well. Definitely worth the money. Anyway, I digress..... back to the soup. It's yet another Cooking Light recipe, although I probably ruin any "lightness" by adding extra cheese. I can't help it, I married a guy who likes cheese. Basically you just heat milk and flour until it's thick, mix in some slightly mashed baked potatoes, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and green onions. Top it with more cheddar, crumbled bacon, and green onions. Serious comfort food.

The next thing I made was Sweet Salmon with a Kick. It's another one that I've made before, but I think it turned out better this time. You rub kosher salt and Chinese 5-spice on the salmon, broil it, and baste it with a soy sauce, rice vinegar, and honey mixture. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli, and more of the basting sauce. Even my 2 year old liked it!

Saturday, we had our monthly Church dinner. Since Rebecca's constantly craving baked goods and desserts, I decided to oblige her with Apple Turnovers. I had some old puff pastry in the freezer and figured it was as good a time as any to use it. Just peel and slice 4 apples (I used Macintosh), sautee with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon, mix in some cream of tartar to thicken it, and spoon it onto squares of puff pastry. Pinch them closed, then bake until they're brown, puffy, and generally just delicious-looking. I found the recipe on allrecipes.com, and it was clearly a hit since there weren't any left by the time the dinner was over! I'll definitely be making these again someday!

Spaghetti

Last night, we dined on good ol' spaghetti. I almost skipped over even mentioning this, but then I realized I'd actually made the sauce before and frozen it. It's my mom's recipe, and it's by far my favorite meat sauce. Here's the recipe:

1 pound ground beef (I use the leanest I can find)
1 onion, chopped
1 jar Prego Mushroom sauce
2 cans Del Monte stewed tomatoes

Brown ground beef with onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add Prego and stewed tomatoes. Simmer at least 30 minutes, but the longer you cook it the better it tastes. Can also be cooked in a Crock Pot on low 6-8 hours. Can be used for spaghetti and also in lasagna. Yum!

Catching up

I've been remiss in posting... I blame Rebecca. :) Since my last post I've made M&M cookies, English Muffin Pizzas, Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad, and Open-faced Turkey Patty Melts (Cooking Light).

The cookies were a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, and they turned out pretty well. Some of them didn't cook long enough, and then I almost burned the next batch trying to compensate, but we still ate them all. :)

English Muffin Pizzas are super easy. Just split the muffins in half and put some pizza sauce on them. Top with mozzerella cheese (actually the pre-shredded Italian blend is better) and whatever toppings you like. Our favorites are pepperoni, extra cheese, and Canadian bacon and pineapple. We know what we like and don't experiment much because of that, but as with any type of pizza, any number of toppings would work just fine.

The salad turned out quite well! I'd tried it once before without marinating the chicken, and it was pretty bland. This time I marinated it for a couple hours in pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon and lime juices, and a dash of cardamom and dill. Then I grilled it. The salad was just baby spinach with dried fruit (craisins, blueberries, raspberries, and cherries) mixed in. I had planned to make a citrus vinegarette, but I got lazy and just used a bottled Raspberry Walnut vinegarette instead.

Tonight's dinner was the patty melts. I'd made this once before, and they came out good but very dry, so I decided to try them again. The recipe calls for ricotta, so I added a bit extra, as well as a bit of cottage cheese since I had some. They always take way longer to cook than I expect, so they got a bit black on one side, but they tasted fine. Top them with sliced Swiss cheese, and serve on a slice of Rye with spicy brown or Dijon mustard, then top with cooked sliced onions. Yum! I served them with roasted potatoes since I still had some from last time, and a fresh veggie platter. I was stuffed!

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

This is actually one of my own recipes. Having originally grown up in South Carolina, I really miss that good ol' Southern BBQ. This is my attempt at replicating it, although it's not quite the same. It's different, but still delicious, and super easy!

Here's what you do:

1. Get out your Crock Pot, and dust it off. :)
2. Dump in about a cup of BBQ sauce- any kind will do, although my personal favorite is Jack Daniels Honey Smokehouse.
3. Add about half a cup of regular old mustard.
4. Toss in some Worchestershire sauce.... maybe 2 tablespoons or so.
5. Add about 1/4 cup Apple Cider vinegar.
6. Squirt in a tablespoon or 2 of honey.
7. Add 1/2 cup ketchup.
8. Sprinkle in a tablespoon or 2 of brown sugar.
9. Mix well with a whisk.
10. Add 1 or 2 pork tenderloins. (can be frozen or thawed)

It's best if you get this all going in the morning so it can cook slowly all day, especially if the pork is frozen. If you're able, turn the pork every couple of hours so that it gets evenly coated in the sauce. Then, about an hour or so before you want to eat, go after that pork with a couple of forks and shred it up. It should fall apart as you poke it. Mix the shredded pork up in the sauce and let it cook for another hour or so. Serve on toasted hamburger buns, and top with any toppings you like- pickles, hot sauce, whatever strikes your fancy.

Enjoy!

Sausage and Pepper Calzones

This is yet another Cooking Light recipe.... noticing a pattern? This is the stuffing... turkey sausage, green and red bell peppers, and onions, all sauteed until cooked and tender.

After it cools a bit, you add tomato sauce, cottage cheese, and mozzerella. This time, I killed any "light"-ness by adding ricotta as well. At least I used part-skim and low-fat, right? You also toss in some oregano, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.

While making the filling, the dough was in the oven on a super low setting rising. I made a double batch so I could freeze some of them for after the baby comes. Can't start preparing too soon, right?

You divide each batch of dough into equal portions. The recipe says 8, but that makes the tiniest calzones you've ever seen in your life. I got 5 out of each batch this time. Roll them into circles, put a cup or so of the filling in the middle. Fold it over and pinch the edges together. Ta-da! Ready to bake!

Here they are, all ready to go in the oven. Well, 3 of the 10 anyway...

Here's one all done! I added garlic, dried oregano, parsley, and basil to the leftover tomato sauce to make a marinara to go with them. I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out!

View from the inside..... didn't fill them as full as I could have, but they were still darn good. I choose to go to civilized route and eat them with a fork and a knife. My husband, however, just picks them up and eats them by hand. Pick your method, they both work! :)

Sirloin with Tarragon Garlic Sour Cream

That's what we feasted on tonight. Another Cooking Light recipe, and it's one I've made several times before. I served it with fruit salad and roasted new potatoes (tossed in olive oil, kosher salt, tarragon, parsley, and rosemary). Baby Rebecca is a huge fan of fruit salad, so we have it often. :)

For dessert we were lazy and took our son, Scott, to YoYo's for frozen yogurt. Good times were had by all!

Something more involved is on the books for tomorrow!

Chicken Francois

Tonight I tried out a new recipe. Most of what I cook comes from a Cooking Light cookbook, and tonight was no different! I give you Chicken Francois. It's chicken breasts (or tenderloins in my case) pounded flat, dredged in flour, and then dipped in a egg/parmesan/parsley/lemon juice mixture. I had to change the ingredients up a bit due to what I had on hand, but it still turned out great!



You cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side, then keep them warm once they're done. Then you melt some butter, mix in some white wine (which I didn't have), and toss in some more lemon juice to make the sauce. Yummy!

I served it with rice and snow peas, since that was what I had on hand. Not necessarily French, but it sure tasted good!

For dessert, I listened to Rebecca and made a family favorite.... Cookie Brittle! They're chocolate chip bar cookies, but the secret ingredient is the Almond extract. I could seriously eat an entire pan, and my husband could eat at least 2! Talk about comfort food.....