Category Archives: Cooking

Quick Easy Pork Roast

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 January, 2014 None comments

After our sunny afternoon adventures (click here) we came home to finish up the bathroom remodel, get dinner on, bathe Cooper and get him to bed. After being gone all day and not having anything prepared for dinner I went to an easy Pork Roast with fresh vegetables and fresh salad.

This meal takes very little prep work and bakes for 45-55 minutes while the oven does all the work. Company will believe you slaved over dinner as well. :)

Ingredients:

Pork Roast
1 lb parsnips
1 lb carrots
1/2 lb mushrooms
2 large potatoes
2-3 celery stalks
10 Garlic Cloves
1 small onion
Fresh Rosemary
Garlic salt
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350

In a greased 9×13 place the pork roast in the middle of pan; season to your liking. (I used smoke flavor) and scattered all the vegetables around and on top of the pork.

Sprinkle whole garlic cloves through the dish in casing. This will roast the garlic leaving a very tasty clove inside and allowing for easy removal of the casing. (I believe this makes the dish taste the best)

Season with garlic salt and salt and pepper.

Place Fresh Rosemary leaves on top and bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes, depending on the size of your roast.

Enjoy!!!

Coopie Bites

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 24 January, 2014 None comments

Coopie Bites were created by the Cook Clan. We have had Aussie bites from Costco and their energy bars as well. Basically I wanted to create a clean mixture between the two and came up with these. The name came from my husband. I must proudly give him 100% credit for the name. :) Cooper LOVES Aussie bites from Costco so we had to incorporate him into the name of course.

Directly on the packaging for Aussie bites it states: honey, cranberries, sunflower seeds, canola oil, and flax seed. Basically I took exactly that and added flour and eggs to keep them together. I have made these a few times trying to get the amounts perfect. Today I felt pretty confident that the amounts I had were good as I ate two Coopie bites straight from the oven. :)

Dry Ingredients:

3 ½ cups oats
1 ½ cup branflakes
1 1/3 cup oat flour (may use all purpose)
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut
½ cup flax seed
½ cup cranberries (dried blueberries or apricots work as well)
½ cup nuts; sunflower, almonds, pecans any or all work great

Mix together in a large bowl; set aside.

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup honey
1 cup Canola oil (may use coconut)
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

Mix all wet ingredients in a stand mixer. Add dry ingredients a little at a time. Make sure it’s well incorporated.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 pan and spread entire ingredients into the pan and bake for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Once cooled cut them into small bites as they are a great snack or energy bar for breakfast or before a workout.

Enjoy

Creamy Chicken and Corn

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 22 January, 2014 None comments

Crockpot meals tend to never look pretty but give your tastebuds complete fulfillment. In my perspective they actually are beautiful disasters; beautifully ugly! This meal was unbelievably easy and a great change in chicken. I got this meal from my sweet sister Kristen who prefers tasty yet simple meals. This one was a keeper.

I have been on a salad kick since Christmas. My mom made a killer salad bar multiple times during Christmas as a side dish. It was so amazing I continued to do this since we’ve been home and have yet to become sick of it. Basically the salad consists of:

Salad:

Mixed Greens
Diced red, yellow and orange peppers
Sliced mushrooms
Candied Walnuts
Chow Mein noodles
Sunflower seeds
Dried cranberries
Croutons
Lite House Chunky Blu Cheese

Seriously amazing and filling.

Creamy Chicken and Corn:

4-5 chicken thighs
1 can corn
1 can black means
1-2 cups salsa (I add more for the spice)
1 8oz package of cream cheese
Rice

Combine chicken, corn, beans and salsa in the crockpot and cook for 4-6 hours on med-low heat.

30 minutes before serving add the cream cheese and allow it to melt and mix thoroughly.

Remember crockpot meals are never pretty but the beautiful taste is what makes them glorious and always a return meal.

Prepare rice and serve over rice.

Enjoy this tasteful menu with a beautiful taste and a not so beautiful look. :)

Artichoke Dip

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 January, 2014 None comments

Sunday we went to some friends to watch the Seahawks game against the 49ers and I took scrumptious artichoke dip as a football side. This dish was probably 60% consumed by ME! I couldn’t stop eating. I consumed cornbread muffins, chips and an amazing blue cheese pecan dip, caramel and apples, salted caramel cookies and this artichoke dip. I was so full I literally had no chili for dinner. My poor tummy.

It was exactly what I think football is all about.

Everyone loved this dish so much so, I figured it should be shared.

Ingredients:

1 can artichokes, chopped
1 cup mayo
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 4oz can diced green chillies

Preheat oven to 400

Comine all ingredients reserving 1/2 cup parmesan. Sprinkle with garlic salt and salt and pepper to taste; mix well.

I used a small oval serving dish a bit smaller than an 8×8. Spread dip in dish and sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese on top.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutws or until bubbly.

Daddy and Cooper enjoy some yummy chili

Cooper and his friend thoroughly enjoyed there playtime as well as all the snack food.

Foil Baked Mahi & Mac N Cheese

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 January, 2014 1 comments

Wondering what to have for dinner tonight? Well tonight’s dinner is foil baked Mahi Mahi with a sweet glaze, homemade macaroni n cheese with sautéed veggies.

The mac n cheese I made actually wasn’t my true mac n cheese. I made noodles the other night for Cooper to have with his dinner and decided to use the remainder of them tonight. I simply added parmesan cheese, shredded American, Colby and sharp cheese. Simple and delicious.

Foil baked Mahi is one of the better ways to cook this fish as it can tend to dry out pretty easily if slightly over baked or under baked. Not the easiest to cook or shall I say I’m not the best fish baker. :)

Ingredients:

Mahi Foil Bake

Mahi Mahi
1 Sliced onion
4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
4 tbsp butter
Prickly pear marmalade (any jam or glaze will work)

Place thawed mahi on a piece of foil and layer with above ingredients.

Fold foil up to help hold juices in.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink

My aunt got this for us from AZ

Mac N’ Cheese

3 cups cooked Elbow Macaroni
2 cups shredded cheese blend
1 cup parmesan cheese
3 tbsps butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook Macaroni according to package instructions. Add butter and cheese and mix well. Add dash of salt and pepper to taste. Pretty simple for a side dish.

Sautéed Veggie Mix

1 cup chopped Brussels Sprouts
1 cup chopped red, orange, and yellow peppers
1 chopped onion
½ cup chopped chorizo
Evoo
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a fry pan sauté vegetables until crisp and too perfection. Overcooking is easy to do and also sucks all the nutrients out of them as well. No one enjoys soft and mushy vegetables.

When you begin to cook them remember to not over stir. Fry for 4 minutes on med-low heat, toss vegetables and fry another 4 minutes. This will help glaze vegetables with a slight crispy bite. Not to hard, not to soft.

Avocado Fried Egg

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 January, 2014 None comments

Avocado fried eggs are incredible. I saw I picture of an avocado with an egg inside. “Brilliant” I thought to myself. I filled the center full of eggs and baked them to perfection. I topped them with a beautiful kale and roma tomato garnish.

Avocado Fried Eggs:

4 avocados
4 eggs
¾ cup chopped roma tomatoes
1 cup chopped kale
Dash of EVOO
Dash of Salt and Pepper

Split and pit avocados and place in a greased 8×8 baking dish. Break avocado a titch to allow a bigger hole for the egg and scoop egg into center.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes depending on your preference of cooked egg. Turn to broil and broil for 1 minute until the top browns slightly.

Meanwhile chop roma tomatoes and kale and mix with evoo, salt and pepper. Top Avocado fried eggs with this garnish and serve with hash browns and toasted English Muffin Bread.

Very simple yet very delicious.

Curried Beef Pies

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 8 January, 2014 None comments

I first had these at my sisters one night and loved them. They are pretty easy and very tasty. She allowed me to have the recipe and share it with you all. I’ve made them a few times and have used both refrigerated and homemade pie crusts. I served this with Roasted Cauliflower and a delicious side salad.

Ingredients:

Pie crust (can use refrigerated pie crust, but I prefer homemade)
1 cup diced potatoes (optional)
½ cup chopped onion
8oz ground turkey
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 cup peas and carrots
½ cup chicken broth
1 large egg slightly beaten

Heat oven to 400 degress and coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Let pie crust sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. Meanwhile sauté potatoes, onions, garlic, salt and pepper and ground turkey. Once cooked stir in curry powder, peas and carrots and broth. Cook two minutes and remove from heat.

Roll crust on cutting board and cut into 4 equal wedges. Place 1/3 cup filling in middle of wedge (moisten the edges with water if needed to keep from tearing). Fold in half to make a triangle. Press edges to seal.

Transfer to a baking sheet and brush lightly with egg. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Pictured with roasted cauliflower

Buffalo Chicken Log

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 December, 2013 None comments

Tonight I made this bread loaf and stuffed yummy goodness items such as chicken, blue cheese, mozzarella cheese, and buffalo sauce. Mmmm how could you possibly go wrong with these items? You can’t.

I’ve made this previously but always add whatever is on hand which helps switch it up a bit. :) I think I get bored of recipes and get to “lazy” to drive a half mile down the road and pack my son with me while we traipse through the store for a couple random ingredients. In fact I know I become to lazy for this. Taking Cooper in and out of the car seat and driving 200 feet from door to door while needing bananas is beyond frustrating. Not my thing. The contemplation process of wishing I could lock him in the car for a super quick minute has passed my mind. With my luck something would happen, so I would never attempt this. With that said, I will avoid the store as much as possible. Every two weeks I do my bulk shopping with only a couple random trips for produce items or “run-outs;” items I hadn’t known I was low on.

tonight’s meal turned out fabulously and allowed for me to play with Cooper outside for a bit and even take a walk. This recipe allows for flexibility to prepare this meal when you want.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup chicken, diced (any kind any style* see notes below)
½ cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
½ cup Ken’s blue cheese dressing (any dressing works)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Chopped brussel sprouts (sub any vegetable)
Chopped onion
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

For the bread: (can use store bought croissants**)

½ cup warm water
2 tsp instant active dry yeast
3 tsp sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 cup milk
2 tsp salt
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
4 ½ cups flour

Directions:

If you aren’t using croissants, begin bread recipe first. In a mixer add water and yeast and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Then proceed to add remainder of ingredients mixing slowly, except the flour. Once well mixed add flour 1/2 cup at a time until thoroughly mixed.

Cover with tea towel and let rest for an hour. Cook chicken now and set aside. If adding bacon, now is a good time to cook bacon and let cool.

After an hour, the dough will still be sticky and this is good. On a well floured surface begin to knead the dough for a couple turns to get rid of the sticky texture. Roll dough into a large rectangle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile chop chicken, Brussels sprouts, onion, and bacon.

Atop the dough spread buffalo sauce…

dressing…

and cheese….

Top with veggies and chicken
Fold the short edges in…

Roll the log up and place on a large cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with salad and a vegetable side, we had corn.

*Note: For the chicken you can use rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken breasts, or already cooked chicken strips. I use all three depending on what’s on hand and how much time I have.

**Note: You can use croissants from the store or make the bread recipe I gave. Personally I love the bread recipe better but in a pinch the croissants work well too. If using croissants, when you unroll from the package they come precut in triangles. Just leave them in one piece once you unroll and push together on the dotted lines to help make one big rectangle.

Biscuits and Gravy

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 December, 2013 None comments

If you have been paying attention lately, I have been on a breakfast/brunch kick the last couple weeks. I never make biscuits and gravy but this past week I have been craving them. I’ve been eating fruit and comfort food; resembles my pregnancy. ;)

Homemade gravy is super duper easy.

Ingredients:

1 lb sausage (I used spicy)
½ cup plus 2 tbsp unbleached flour
½ cup half & half
3 cups milk (I used whole)
Garlic salt
Dash of salt and Pepper
1 tbsp parsley
2 tsp chicken bouillon
Buttermilk biscuits

Directions:

In a large sauce pan cook sausage until no longer pink.

Add flour and stir well. (Adding flour prior to milk prevents lumps)

Add half and half and milk and mix thoroughly. Add seasonings and bouillon and simmer on low heat to thicken up.

Cook biscuits according to package instructions or make your own.

Serve with scrambled eggs!!

This dinner fit my fancy really well tonight. It was flavored with a swift kick from the spicy sausage and was definitely filling. I learned how to make incredible scrambled eggs from my mom as she teaches me many tips and tricks that add much flavor and desire than the standard “recipes.”

Alfredo Sauce

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 December, 2013 None comments

Mmmmm the delicious white sauce for fettuccine and pizzas is a fatty, comfort food that we all love. I must say store bought has no comparison after making your own sauce. My mom used to make this frequently for anything and everything that needed a white sauce. It is quite the staple that has a multi-purpose.

Enough said, let’s get it cooking!

Ingredients:

1- 8oz block of cream cheese
4 tbsp sweet butter
2 tbsp EVOO
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy cream (any milk works, but the thicker the milk the thicker the sauce)
Dash of salt and pepper
Garlic salt to taste
½ cup parmesan cheese
Fettuccine noodles
Chicken or shrimp

In a large sauce pan melt butter, EVOO and cream cheese together over med-low heat. Stir in minced garlic and heat for 1-2 minutes before adding cream, salt and pepper and garlic salt. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes whisking the whole time. Add parmesan cheese.

Cook noodles according to package directions. If adding meat, add now and serve with warm bread. :)