Category Archives: Main Course

Sausage Cabbage Wraps

As usual my brain can’t always come up with creative ideas that aren’t boring and original. I wanted something and pasta kept coming to my brain as we haven’t had pasta in awhile. I wasn’t in the mood for pasta either but couldn’t think of anything else. Than I took a version of pasta cream sauce and flipped it around to make some yummy sausage cabbage wraps.

It turned out very good and had just enough spice without being overbearing.

Try it for yourself and see… let me know your thoughts.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Italian Sausage
  • 1 cup kale
  • 4 tbsp cream cheese
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¾ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Celery, chopped
  • 1 cup red, green, yellow or orange peppers, diced

Sauce:

You will make 2 batches of this sauce. One for the vegetables and a second for the wraps as a dipping sauce. (See note below)

  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ketchup
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • ½ tbsp Sriracha sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1-2 tsp Brown Sugar*

In a medium sauce pan, add celery peppers and sauce excluding brown sugar. Heat over medium heat until tender. Set aside.

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In a separate large skillet, add meat and cook through.

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Add in cream cheese

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Stir in Kale and turn off burner.

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Kale should wilt slightly.

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And lastly, turn heat off and stir in cheese

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And milk. Let it rest on the burner to help heat through. The cream cheese and milk help offset the spice.

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To serve, take a large leaf of cabbage and layer with veggies, meat and Chinese noodles. Drizzle additional sauce on top. IMG_4943

*For the sauce on top of the wrap I use the same sauce as above, doubling the recipe and add 1-2 tsp of brown sugar to make for a great dipping sauce.

Or for appetizers simply use a smaller piece of cabbage and roll up and close with toothpicks.

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Pot Roast

“Meat loaf, beat loaf, double meat loaf. I HATE meat loaf.” Have any of you ever seen a Christmas Story with Ralphie? His little brother chanted this saying over dinner will forever remind me of my deep hate for meat loaf as a child. Or shall I say meat in general–I hated.

Chanting this song over dinner reminds me of the days I hated eating meat. My mom was the best cook in the world so I would fill up on all her incredible side dishes and opt out of anything that came from an animal…unless… it was a hot dog. :)

My new found love for meat is sticking around forever and that is why tonight you should make my delicious pot roast. Your crock pot will do all the work for you except make the gravy. :)

I grew up in small town no-mans-land where you grow your own meat and live off the ground. I had a hard time with this as I hated meat for 26 years of my life. I literally hated meat. I was not a vegetarian as I had a deep love for hot dog. But on the other hand, hamburgers, steak, pork, roast, anything and everything that required a slab of meat to be your dinner, was definitely not appealing to me. Truth be told, I did not like the taste of the meat. It had nothing to do with raising a “friend” and sending them off to the butchers. I never grew attached to our livestock as they were quickly turned into dinner and were stinky ol’ animals.

Years of homegrown beef and pork was something I missed out on. Becoming pregnant brought out the essence of who I am that I never knew existed. A girl who loves crispy bacon. juicy hamburgers and a good medium rib eye. Okay. This may not be the essence of who I am, but pretty darn close. I have a new found obsession with steak, hamburgers and bacon that cannot be explained. I could eat steak 5 nights a week.

Anyway, now that my new found love as arrived and seems to be staying forever, I opted to make pot roast for dinner. I was preparing dinner for my family while preparing an entirely different meal for a dear friend who just had her 4th baby. Cooper and I went to visit them in the hospital this past weekend and got to enjoy the presence of baby Matthew while only being a mere 36 hours old. He was tiny and adorable; definitely made me miss the days of a tiny little infant. :(

While I was focusing on their dinner, I wanted to make something as incredible as pot roast but without all the hassle; crock pot it was. I knew making two separate meals would be time consuming so I opted for something so delicious and yet allowing my crock pot to cook for me while I made their dinner.

Pot roast is always delicious especially with potatoes and gravy and while leftovers are wonderful, a pot roast sandwich is always on my list of must haves. Our roast came from Costco, they have really great meat and though they can be a bit spendy, you get a lot of meat. I bought two roasts awhile back and froze them both, you could not even tell they had been frozen by how tender they were.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium pot roast
  • Garlic salt
  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Thyme
  • Parsley
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 3 cups potatoes, diced
  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced

Place roast in crock pot with 1 cup water and turn heat to low. Season with garlic, minced garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, parsley and thyme. IMG_4918Chop potatoes and mushrooms. Place on top of roast. 
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Add onions and celery. 
IMG_4920Season with additional seasoning if you wish, and drizzle with EVOO. 
IMG_4922Cook on low heat for 6 hours. When ready to eat, spoon out all vegetables and roast and use the drippings to make gravy (click here for recipe). 
IMG_4924If you have leftovers, use the roast and gravy to make the best sandwiches EVER! YUMMY!

Meat loaf, beat loaf, I LOVE meat loaf now as well as anything that has come from an animal. :)

Crunchy Asian Chicken Salad

Asian Chicken Salad usually consists of Roman Noodles for the crunch and although I have had that from time to time and do enjoy it, I decided to opt out this time and go for a “bang” with no Roman but still Crunchy Asian chicken salad.

The homemade dressing with the delicious crunch was exactly what I had been waiting for all day long. I made it in bulk to eat throughout the week and my husband and I absolutely love it!

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Green Cabbage, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup Bok Choy, Chopper
  • 1 cup cucumbers, diced
  • 3/4 cup celery, chopped
  • 1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
  • 1/2 cup radish, chopped
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • Chicken, chopped (rotisserie chicken works great)
  • Chinese noodles, for topping

Asian Dressing:

  • 2 tbsp Soy Vay Teriyaki*
  • 4 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp srracha sauce (½ tsp if you prefer a little less kick)
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 4 tsp sesame oil

Chop celery along with the leafy greens. Place in a large glass bowl.

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Chop romaine.

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Add in bok choy.

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Chop cabbage and mix together.

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Add in cucumbers, carrots and radishes.

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Mix well.

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After ingredients are mixed, add in cilantro.

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This salad will keep in large glass bowl for 4-5 days allowing for small meals throughout the week. Only add the dressing to your individual portion to keep the salad fresh.

In your serving bowl that you are preparing to eat, add salad mix and chopped chicken (optional).

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To make the dressing combine all ingredients in a small bowl to save throughout the week as well. Spoon one to two spoonfuls on top of your salad and mix well.

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Toss your salad with Chinese noodles and slivered almonds.

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This is a great side dish or main dish salad. It’s very refreshing and definitely filling. We have been addicted to this for the past week and a half and still have not got sick of it. :)

*If you do not have a teriyaki marinade, than use 4-5 tbsp regular teriyaki as it’s less rich than the marinade.

 

Mediterranean Salad

My husband and I love cucumbers, tomatoes and rice vinegar with oil as a delicious summer snack. I’ve been making this snack all week long and decided to spice it up a bit by adding a lot more items to use as a main dish salad.

We love this salad and it is healthy, filling and fulfilling.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups bok choy, chopped
  • 1 cup cucumbers, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 avocado, diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup oil
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, add bok choy, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro.

IMG_4846Mix together in a separate bowl, lemon juice and Oil. Pour on top of vegetables and mix well. 
IMG_4857Rinse and drain beans; add to salad. When serving add salt and pepper.

Sweet and Savory Stuffed Bell Peppers

Tonight I wanted something a little different, something with a pop. I am sick of the Mexican style stuffed peppers that everyone makes. I wanted something a little Sweet & Savory for a change. I taste tested along the way until I found what I believe to be the best combination of flavors.

Tonight was a night I didn’t really want to cook. It seems as of recent with the whirlwind of life, I often have days that I simply am not motivated. With that in mind, I knew I couldn’t skimp on dinner as I have a family to feed. So, while my son napped, I cooked the meat and stuffed the peppers. When he woke up we went for a long walk and came back and popped the peppers in the oven. My son thoroughly enjoys our long walks to the dog park to watch the puppies frolic in the park or to head into the woods on the walking trail and look at the water along the way. Today…we did both.

Anyway, while the peppers cooked, I used my wonderful rice maker. I love my rice maker as it does all the work for me and gets the rice perfect every time.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground turkey (Beef or opt out for vegetarian)
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 4 medium mushrooms, diced
  • 1 small parsnip, diced
  • 1 heaping cup bok choy, thinly chopped
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • Garlic Oil (EVOO works as well)
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • ¾ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp honey
  • ¼ cup green salsa
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 Large green peppers, sliced in half
  • Blue Cheese, Ranch or Sour Cream for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet chop onion, mushrooms, parsnips, bok choy, and garlic.

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While the veggies begin to cook on medium heat and add the meat.

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Once meat is cooked and vegetables are tender, add in 1 cup of cheese.

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Wash and slice peppers lengthwise and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

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Use a spoon to fill in the crevasses that are hard to get.

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Pile high and bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

IMG_4880After 15 minutes sprinkle with cheese (optional) and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

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Serve with rice! Enjoy!

Fondido Burrito

I am one of those people who tend to get migraines. My mom gets them as well but even worse than I. Unfortunately, I inherited these terrible things. I can’t even begin to explain the intensity of a migraine if you have never had one previously. All you need to know is you never want to experience it. They cause sensitivity to light, to the point I need to lay in bed or I could throw up from the pain. If it doesn’t subside, I would head to ER and get a shot to help alleviate the pain.

On the other hand, I have been migraine free since I became pregnant almost three years ago. I was so ecstatic that my headaches had dissipated with the pregnancy hormones. Well….three years later, I wake up at 4 am from the pain. Writhing in bed, I finally took some medicine which at that point, was already too late. Finally, after falling back asleep for a little bit, I woke up and had to immediately put my sunglasses  on to help mask even the dim lighting first thing in the morning. My head was ragging with a splitting headache directly between my eyes. Unfortunately this was typical for me three years ago.

This day in particular, was the day we celebrated our Father’s Day dinner. My husband was very specific on his request for dinner; a Fondido Burrito wet style. We have a favorite burrito place we frequent for massively cheap burritos that you cannot pass up. My husband was very specific on how he wanted this meal to look. Having my father-in-law over for dinner, was just another reason I had to make this meal succeed regardless of my migraine.

I headed for the store to purchase the items I needed for dinner, hoping and praying that my migraine would subside. As the day progressed, it wobbled back and forth but never really depleted in intensity. As the evening approached, I felt a little bit better but still not so hot. Luckily dinner was a success but definitely took time to prepare as I was lollygagging around trying to keep my thoughts focused on the task at hand.

Ingredients:

Burrito Assembly:

  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • Spanish Rice
  • 1 ½ cups black beans (16oz can works as well)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 4 large burrito tortillas
  • Green or Red Enchilada sauce
  • 1 ½ lbs stew meat
  • Tomatoes
  • Sour Cream
  • Cilantro
  • Hot Sauce

Marinade:

  • 2 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp parsley
  • 1 tsp itallian seasoning
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cup Teriyaki Marinade (Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki)
  • ¼ tsp Paprika

Put together the marinade along with stew meat in a large zip lock bag. Marinate over night or at least for 5 hours prior to cooking.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large pan, saute onions and garlic until tender.

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Once onions and garlic begin to cook add in meat and cook over medium-low heat. Cook until no longer pink.

Note: The higher the temperature, the more tough your meat will become.

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Allow the juices to soak in and continue marinating while cooking over med-low heat.

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Meanwhile, cook Spanish rice and prepare black beans. Once meat is thoroughly cooked, on a large tortilla assemble a large spoonful of meat, rice and beans. Add cheese, sour cream, hot sauce, tomatoes and cilantro and fold up edges. On a large foil lined broiler pan, place burritos and cook for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

After ten minutes take burritos out and top with cheese and enchilada sauce. Turn oven to broil and cook until cheese is melted and burrito begins to crisp up.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures during assembly, I was completely distracted by conversation with my father-in-law and my migraine.)

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Serve with homemade chips and a fresh salad.

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Luckily, even with my migraine, my husband was completely satisfied with his dinner of choice and it exceeded his expectations. :)

Backyard BBQ Mahi

This backyard BBQ Mahi adds a little taste of sweet and spicy. We love Mahi in our household especially because we buy it from Costco with individually wrapped fillets.

I’m all about healthy, quick and easy clean up. :)

Ingredients:

  • 4 Mahi Fillets
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp Backyard BBQ seasoning
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Dash of garlic salt

On a foil lined broiler pan, place fillets with seasoning sprinkled evenly amongst the four fillets. Place 1 tbsp butter on each fillet.

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Bake at 375 degrees and cook for 8-10 minutes or until flaky.

Serve with rice and vegetables.

Sausage and Rice

This thirty minute meal contains sausage, rice and shrimp. It’s almost too simple and I believe that this is why Cooper devours this meal and eats leftovers until it’s officially gone.

It’s a rarity in our house to find meals Cooper not only loves, but will eat again the next day. Makes life less complicated in one area at least. :)

Ingredients:

  • 1 Turkey Sausage (Johnsonville or alike)
  • 1 medium Red Pepper
  • 1 Medium Orange Pepper
  • 3 cups shrimp, tail off and devained
  • 4 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked
  • 5 TBSP butter
  • Garlic Salt

In a small skillet add sausage and 1 tbsp butter. Heat through.

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In a separate skillet add shrimp and 2 Tbsp butter and garlic salt.

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Cook until fully pink making sure not to over cook.

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Yummy!

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Once heated through set aside. Leave juice in skillet and saute vegetables in remaining juice.

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I add rice and 2 TBSP butter to rice maker for additional flavor. I love my rice maker.

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Pour sausage, vegetables and shrimp over rice. How easy is that?

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla’s

Do you ever have those moments when you can’t think of any good dinner ideas? I often do and those days are the days I hate looking in my fridge. All the random items that have compiled throughout the week but nothing to do with them. I decided this concept must not be true otherwise dinner will never get made tonight.

As much as I get stuck in a rut of the same ol’ same ol’ routine of chicken, burgers, pasta and so forth, I was out to make something great from these items. I had leftover rotisserie chicken and lots of vegetables longing to be eaten. After much thought, I decided to add BBQ sauce to the chicken to spice it up a little and then saute mushrooms as we have plenty of them. Prepping these two items was less than ten minutes and brought me to the glorious idea to turn it into quesadilla night. We all love quesadilla’s and with everything on hand it made for an easy, quick dinner.

Chopping my vegetables during nap time and setting them aside as well as prepping the chicken with BBQ sauce was anything but hard. These few minutes passed immediately and now I am ready and waiting for dinner time.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 6-8 Brussels sprouts, chopped (optional)
  • 1 tsp Garlic salt
  • Freshly ground better
  • 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1 cup chicken
  • 2 tbsp BBQ sauce
  • 1/2-1 cup shredded Kerrygold cheese (optional)

Chop mushrooms, onion and Brussels sprouts. Toss with garlic salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Begin to cook on medium-low heat.

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Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add chopped chicken and barbecue sauce. Mix and set aside.

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Once vegetables are nice and tender, add chicken and heat through.

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On a griddle, lay tortillas one at a time and spoon mixture onto tortilla and top with cheese.

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Add cheese.

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Fold over and cook each side until golden brown.

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Top with sour cream, salsa, avocado and chives.

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Creamy Chicken Taquitos

I love Taquitos but these are even better because they are not fried but BAKED. Sometimes I long for a simple meal not only for one night, but for the entire week. Sometimes cooking dinner after a long day of chasing kids, doing household chores and running errands is the last thing I want to do. If many of you are in the same boat, I hope you enjoy this easy recipe that the whole family will devour.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded (Canned chicken works great!)
  • 1 can diced chilies
  • 1 can olives, chopped
  • 1 cup mayo
  • ½ cup blue cheese dressing
  • Dash of Paprika
  • ¼ tsp garlic salt
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 6-8 flour tortillas

In a medium size bowl, combine chicken, chilies, olives, paprika, garlic salt and salt and pepper.

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Mix well and add mayo.

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In a small bowl add cream and soften in the microwave.

IMG_4364Mix blue cheese with softened cream cheese. Mix with chicken. 

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Add enough mixture to tortillas and roll up. I fill them pretty full as this is our main dish.
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Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and crispy. If you want them extra crispy, turn on the broiler and broil each side until it’s reached desired crispness. :)