Life is Good

Have you ever just stopped to think, in the middle of your busy day, that the life you lead is pretty darn good? I had that thought today, in the midst of my computer glitches, menu mis-haps and struggles to make sure my banquets have water on their tables. Because guess what? I'm finally happy.

I'm Feelin' Saucy!

Buppy and I have been talking about eating healthier lately, but it's a struggle when we have so many recipes that we either love or want to try that don't quit fit in the 'healthy' range. We had some chicken breasts out yesterday since Buppy had offered to make his chicken parmesan (which is really good), but I asked if I could find something a little more healthy for us. He was up for that, so I started flipping through one of my Light & Tasty magazines. The velvet shrimp dish we tried was a super success, so I'm definitely willing to try more of their offerings.

I stumbled across a recipe for saucy mushroom pork chops that sounded adaptable for chicken. While I don't like cooking with cream-of-whatever soups a whole lot, once in awhile is acceptable. This happened to be one of those instances. I tweaked the recipe only slightly, and my version is below. I basically added more mushroom (I love mushrooms) and onions (yup, love those too!) and used a different cream soup than it called for. Overall, the recipe stayed very similar to the original.

Saucy Mushroom Chicken
Adapted from Light & Tasty, Sept. 2006
Courtsey of Karlene Lantz, Felton, CA

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved butterfly style (butterfly, but cut all the way through so you end up with 6 pieces relatively the same size)
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tsp. canola oil, divided
1 ½ c. sliced fresh mushrooms
½ c. chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
½ c. white wine or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
½ c. reduced sodium chicken broth

Sprinkle chicken with salt & pepper. Brown both sides of chicken in a large, non-stick skillet in 1 tsp. oil; remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, sauté mushrooms, onion and garlic in remaining oil until tender. Add wine or brother and stir up any browned bits. Cooked for 4-6 min. or until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in soup and broth; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 min. or until meat juices run clear. Enjoy!

Grandma's Shrimp Appetizer, Jazzed Up

I realize that my last 2 posts have been about shrimp dishes, but I just created this appetizer today, took pics and decided that this too needed to be blogged about. It was that good.I talked in a previous post about a simple appetizer my grandma used to make with shrimp, cream cheese and cocktail sauce. I also had a dish similar to this at a wine tasting party a few months ago. Today I got a craving and decided to create my own.

I already had cream cheese in the fridge and usually make my own cocktail sauce. I knew we had almost all the other ingredients I wanted to use except for a can of tiny shrimp, so we picked that up this morning while out running errands.

This is what I threw together (as usual for the girl who never remembers to measure, all these measurements are approximate!!):

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened in the microwave
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8-1/4 tsp. celery salt
2 tsp. Old Bay
2 Tbsp. finely minced raw onion
1 tsp. lemon juice

I mixed all of this with a hand mixer until smooth, creamy and well blended; spread this onto any type of plate you choose. Pick something fun that makes you feel good!

Homemade cocktail sauce is easy:

Mix together as much ketchup and horseradish as you'd like, making sure the heat matches your tastes. I added about 1 tsp. lemon juice to mine as well this time and it was a nice addition.This cocktail sauce was then spread out over the cream cheese mixture on the plate. I topped the entire thing with one can of tiny shrimp, drained. I used chopped green onion as a garnish, but lemon wedges or fresh parsley would work well too. Enjoy!

Shrimp+Cocktail Sauce+Cheese= Pizza Goodness

Some of you may find this recipe strange, others may think it perfectly normal. When I first attempted to introduce Buppy to it, he was definitely skeptical. But I have other friends from my previous place of employment who have grown up with such a food and love it as much as I.

I was first introduced to this dish at Shooters, a.k.a The Party Capital of the Universe. This is a supper club in Plover, WI with great food, an amazing owner and a good crowd of regulars. I started working there as a bartender while in school at UWSP; this happens to be where I developed my mad-crazy bartending skills and love for the job. The homemade chicken soup (with homemade noodles or dumplings, depending on the day) is out of this world. Really good salad bar. Broasted chicken that kicks butt and will burn your face off if you eat it without allowing it to cool off at all (trust me on this one.) They also have this sandwich that I just can't get enough of. In fact, when I visited WI this summer to see family, I made sure to stop at Shooters to see friends . . . and to eat this sandwich. It's called an Oscar Exotica, but I digress. Today's post, should I ever get back on track, is about Shooters pizza. Specifically: shrimp pizza.

When I first told Buppy I wanted to make this, I couldn't seem to remember what type of sauce Shooters used on theirs. We talked about marinara, but I was sure that wasn't it. Then I suggested alfredo, but neither of us likes jarred alfredo sauce (and my homemade recipe is too thin to act as a pizza sauce and Buppy's is just too darn unhealthy.) Then it hit me --- cocktail sauce silly! (Well, the cocktail sauce didn't actually hit me . . . ) This, my friends, is good stuff.

Please don't be upset and get your panties all in a bundle because I didn't measure anything when I made this. It's simple, so don't stress.
Shrimp Pizza
Inspiration: Shooters, Plover, WI

1 pre-made pizza crust (We used Boboli, although I don't really care for that kind. I haven't made it with an un-baked or homemade crust, but as long as you cook the shrimp first to get the water content down, I'd think it would be ok.)
1/2-1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fresh garlic, minced
Cocktail sauce
Raw onion
Mozzi cheese

Lightly saute the shrimp and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked, roughly 2 minutes per side. Please take care not to over cook, as I've already mentioned in a previous post how I feel about over cooked shrimp. Once cooked, remove from pan with a slotted spoon to take as little juice with them as possible; set aside. Chop some raw onion until it's the size you want it, or leave it out if you're not an onion fan. Spread cocktail sauce all over the pizza crust, as much as you'd use if making a regular pizza with marinara. Do get scared now. Top the cocktail sauce with the shrimp (roughly chopped is a good size) and raw onion, then dump on as much cheese as possible. I mean, as much as you'd like. We actually used a combo of mozzi and extra sharp and it turned out well. Toss that puppy into the oven according to your crust directions and wait. Once your crust starts to brown and the cheese is nice and melty, pull it out and dig in. Shooters also used to put on chunks of raw tomato too, but Buppy and I don't care for tomato cooked like that. Still, everyone else seemed to enjoy it. Play with whatever toppings you'd like and enjoy!

Velvet Shrimp: Quick, Healthy & Delish

I love shrimp cooked almost any way. Breaded or naked (ha ha ha, I said 'naked'), fried, baked, boiled, steamed --- you name it and I'll devour it. The only time I don't particularly care for them are when they're over cooked, but other than that, I'm all in. While we don't eat them all too often, we still like to have some on hand in case we get a craving for seafood around here. Plus, it's quick to thaw.

As a staple appetizer when I was small, my grandma would put a block of room temperature cream cheese on a plate, douse it in cocktail sauce and throw 2 cans of small salad shrimp on top. I remember looking forward to this every year during the holidays. For some reason, I've never made that particular appetizer, but talking about it is makin' my mouth water. So simple, yet so, so tasty. Funny how 3 ingredients can be such a slam dunk!

Speaking of shrimp, I just went to check to see if I'd blogged about my shrimp 'za. I could have sworn I had, but apparently that was on my old, more personal blog. I'll have to pass that recipe on soon as it is wonderful! I know some of you might feel a lil' shady about a shrimp pizza, but fear not. Stay tuned for that upcoming recipe. Back to today's post though . . .

I found this recipe in a Light & Tasty magazine from Sept. 2006. Yes, folks, that's how long I've wanted to try this blasted recipe, about 3 years. How terrible is that? Oh well, Buppy and I had the night to ourselves a week or 2 ago and decided that it was time. The original name for the recipe is 'Makeover Velvet Shrimp', as in they took it and made it healthier than the original. While they didn't show the original recipe, I'm confident it couldn't have been any better than this was. So to sum up, not only is this recipe easy and divine, it's not too bad for you either!

Velvet Shrimp
Light & Tasty, Sept. 2006

12 oz. uncooked linguine
½ c. thinly sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. seafood seasoning (we used Old Bay since that's what we had on hand and enjoy)
1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 ½ c. half & half cream
¾ c. shredded part-skim mozzarella

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook onions and garlic in butter for 1 minute. Stir in seafood seasoning; cook 1 minute longer. Add shrimp; cook for 3-4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove and keep warm.
Combine flour and cream until smooth; stir into skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese just until melted. Return shrimp to the pan and heat through. Drain linguine; top with shrimp mixture. Yields 6 servings.I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!Update: I'm submitting this to Life as Mom's ultimate recipe swap for this Thursday (1/7/10). Go check it out for more healthy meals!

A New J-O-B

While this blog is generally about things like coupons, food, recipes, grocery trips, etc., every now and then I must reflect on the good that comes from my efforts.

Sept. marked a new beginning for me; I left my place of employment where I'd been working for about 1 1/2 yrs. since moving here to MD. I was offered a position as a manager of a restaurant/BBQ/catering shop and was beyond excited for the opportunity to slide back into hospitality. However, after 2 weeks there, I found it to be nothing that it was promised. I was incredibly unhappy, again. Boo. I quit working for a few weeks but spent a great deal of time and effort on the prowl for new jobs that sparked my interest.

It has finally paid off. I've been offered (and accepted) a position as a catering sales manager on the north side of Baltimore with a large hotel there. It's doing exactly what I've wanted, what I've been searching for, since moving here. I start tomorrow and am ecstatic. I only hope it isn't as misleading as my last offer was, but I feel confident that the DOS (director of sales) was up front and honest with me, plus I felt a great connection with her. Ah, to be able to stop searching for jobs and concentrate on the more important things in life! :o)

Plus, it's now becoming my favorite time of year. Added bonus!

I *Heart* Baked Potato Soup

Since we all know I love soup, I won't go into detail about that love here. Today was definitely a soup day, but I didn't make any. How sad. Mmmm, shoulda made me some baked potato soup. I always order this if restaurants have it, and some are definitely better than others. The Houlihan's where I used to live uses a pretty darn good recipe. A few weeks ago, I decided to give it a try and used a recipe I found on Le Petit Pierogi’s blog. Her pictures looked yummy and I was excited; hers was adapted from allrecipes.com. This is a soup I plan to make often this winter to keep my family warm and satisfied. My only question about it is if it's freeze-able. It has half-and-half cream in it, which makes me wonder how it would thaw. Would it become grainy? I don't know, so if anyone has an answer to that questions, please feel free to comment!

Instead of reposting her exact recipe, I'll let you find that here and just tell you that it's super tasty. She has a fabulous blog, so explore it if you have some free time!

Restaurant Review: The Nest

The Nest is a restaurant located very near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. It's mainly a sports bar but does serve food as well, both lunch and dinner. They were advertising for a bartending job recently and Buppy and I decided to make a trip there, have some lunch, I'd apply for the job and we'd enjoy each other's company and the beauty of the Inner Harbor for a few hours. What a horrible idea.

They participate in Restaurant.com, so we thought it'd be a good idea to grab a certificate and give it a try. Their menu on the Restaurant.com website sounded like it had a few yummy items to try, like their crab dip, Parmesan onion rings and their half-lb.-of-bacon BLT. It sounded like normal bar food, so we knew what we were getting into when we bought the certificate; we had no unreal expectations.

When we arrived, we decided to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather; while not sunny, it was still a decent temp. outside. We started off with beverages --- I ordered a glass of water with no ice, no lemon. Buppy ordered a Coke. I got a glass of water with no ice and lemon on it and he ended up with a diet Coke; our server fixed the Coke issue after Buppy brought it to her attention. We decided on their "Big Daddy" appetizer as it had a good variety of things we both wanted to try. It came with their Parmesan onion rings, mozzarella logs, crab dip and chicken tenders.

The crab dip had no crab in it. I kid you not. It was orange-ish yellow cream cheese with nothing else in it. I've never had crab dip this blah, and I've tried a lot. The mozzarella logs were ok, although the marinara sauce was lacking. That, however, we'll chalk up to personal taste. The chicken tenders were ok, pretty generic and what I'd expected. The onion rings? No Parmesan cheese on them whatsoever. They were supposed to be, according to the menu, tossed in the cheese as soon as they came out of the fryer so it formed a coating on them (so it'd stick to them while they were hot). Nope, they were your run-of-the-mill onion rings that you get at any bar. We asked our server if they had more than 1 kind of onion ring and explained to her why we were curious; she said that it was only her 2nd day and offered to bring us some Parmesan to sprinkle on top. I'm sorry, but that was such the wrong answer. The correct answer? Offer to bring us an order made how the menu says it will be! Oh yeah, and the tortilla chips that came with the crab dip? Stale.

Our sandwich (we split one due to the large appetizer) came out (turkey club on ciabatta) with cold fries. And not like oh-it's-cold-outside-and-they-just-cooled-off-really-fast. No, it was more like they'd been made at least 10 min. prior to being brought to our table. The bacon on the sandwich? Probably cooked that morning or the day before, so it was cold and only about 3/4 cooked it seemed. They also only gave us about 3 min. with our appetizer before bringing out the sandwich and fries. Did you really think we'd have eaten much of it by then? Couldn't have waited another 5-10 min. before the sandwich came out?

The prices would have been reasonable had the food been even close to decent. I no longer want a job there, no matter how much I love bartending, because I can't serve people food I refuse to eat myself! Buppy and I agreed that this was one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. We will not be visiting The Nest again, ever. Be warned if you plan to visit the Inner Harbor --- avoid The Nest!

Simple Satisfaction

I love good deals, especially grocery deals (ok, and clothing/shoe deals...and toy deals for the kids...and movie deals...I just really love deals I guess.) I clip coupons and shop sales, and great satisfaction comes from seeing high savings percentages on my receipts after a trip to the grocery store.

My outing on Saturday brought a smile to my face. First I stopped at Weis, my go-to store for good deals and where I'll purchase things I need even if they're not on sale because it usually has the lowest prices overall. My original total there before the scanning the club card and my coupons? $59.82. What did I actually pay? $30.80, meaning I saved $29.02 (48%). While I've saved higher percentage-wise in the past, for what I got that day I was relatively happy.

From there I headed to Food Lion, the store that I'll only purchase sale items at because, in my opinion, their regular prices are outrageous! It happens to be the one store that usually has decent deli meat sales though, so I often check out what few other items I can snag at a discount. This week my main reason for the stop was meat; they had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.77/lb. (even better than Buppy can usually get at the commissary on base) and 'pork picnic' roast on sale for $.79/lb. I'm not really sure what to do with the pork picnic, but I asked the meat man at the store and he said it's good roasted like a ham or used for pulled pork; I'm sure I'll find something to do with it! My total bill there to begin with was $60.36 (I told you they're outrageous!!) but after using my club card there, my bill dropped to $23.87, meaning I saved $36.49 (roughly 60%.) Again, for what I walked away with, I felt pretty happy about this amount.

When I could have spent a total of $120.18 on Saturday's grocery shopping, I instead spent $54.67. Sweet!

Is it wrong to be so proud and happy about simple grocery savings? Oh well!

Scramble (or what the rest of the world knows as Chex Mix)

My family has been making what we call Scramble for as long as I can remember. We're talking way before you could buy pre-made Chex Mix in the stores. My grandma used to make it, my mom used to make it and now I make it. While I like the store bought stuff on occasion, I also like to control what goes in it at home. Do I feel like mixed nuts or strictly peanuts today? Since I don't care for wheat Chex, I can leave 'em out if I'm making it for myself. I can cut the batch in half if I don't want so much. You get the idea? Also, the homemade version makes a good addition to holiday gift bags and baskets as something salty to go with all the sweet! So here's the Chex brand recipe, tried and true.

Scramble, a.k.a. Chex Mix
Recipe can also be found here, with microwave instructions

6 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp. seasoned salt
¾ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
3 c. (each) Corn, Rice and Wheat Chex
1 c. mixed nuts
1 c. pretzels
1 c. garlic bagel chips

Heat oven to 250F. Melt butter and stir in seasonings. Place all other ingredients in a large roaster; pour butter and seasoning over and stir to coat. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Makes 12 cups.

I often leave out the bagel chips, simply because it wasn't made with them when I was little. The best part about making this stuff at home is the option of omitting and adding what suites your tastes on that particular occasion. By the way, butter flavored pretzels in here are great. Enjoy!

But I don't even like meatloaf.....

Yes folks, I admit it. I'm that person who says I don't like meatloaf. The person who would never, ever order it in a restaurant. Never eat it on a buffet. Generally I wouldn't eat it at another person's house either. I don't want taco meatloaf or Reuben meatloaf or BBQ meatloaf. I'm just not into meatloaf. Except my mom's.

I'm not sure what it is about her meatloaf that I love so dearly. I made it myself for the first time sometime this past Spring when Buppy said he wanted a "classic" meatloaf. No fuss, no frills, no bells, no whistles. Just classic, traditional meatloaf. I thought of my mom's recipe immediately since that's really the only meatloaf I'd ever put in my mouth. I'm not saying that everyone out there makes terrible meatloaf, please don't misunderstand me! I just think it has something to do with the meat . . . being in a loaf. It sounds so unappetizing to me. Anyway, maybe it's that the grew up on my mom's and therefore that's all I trust. I don't know; I like to think of myself as a pretty experimental cook who makes lots of different dishes with different flavors and inspirations.

Well, whatever the case, my mom's recipe is the bestest of the best for a classic. It's pretty gosh darn simple (which surprised me, kind of, when she told me over the phone what went in it.) But I gave it a go and it was all Buppy and I'd hoped it would be. Yum!

Please keep in mind that, as with most of my recipes, measurements are approximate and half the time don't actually get measured out in my kitchen. Dump, sprinkle, shake---whatever. I realize that amount of ground beef in the recipe is a bit odd, but that's because it was the size of the package I happened to have on hand and therefore I approximated everything else around that particular size.

Mom’s Meatloaf

1.35 lbs. ground beef
2 slices bread, cut into small cubes
1 Tbsp. milk
2 ½ Tbsp. ketchup, plus some for the top
½ of a (medium) raw onion, finely chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with hands until well blended. Form into a loaf and place in loaf pan or roaster. Spread ketchup (as much as you wish) on top. Bake at 350F for approximately 50 minutes or until meat thermometer reads done. Yield: 3 servings. Does it get any simpler people? No. Any better tasting? Nuh-uh.

This recipe will be linked up to the URS (Ultimate Recipe Swap) on Life as Mom where beef is the menu item this week. I love her URSs!

Praline. Apple. Bread. Oh My!

I . . . am in love. Fear not though Buppy, it's not with another man. It's with Praline Apple Bread. This stuff is so addicting, yummy, delicious, fantastic and blog worthy I can hardly contain myself! I really wasn't sure what to expect when I started the recipe, but the end results surpassed anything I could have hoped for. The bread has such great apple flavor, stayed very moist and the glaze is . . . oh the glaze! I could eat that with a spoon! I'll delay you no more in your quest for the best apple bread ever. Debbie, bless your heart! (This first picture is of the bread right out of the oven, before the glaze is added. The second picture is of it glazed.)

Praline-Apple Bread
(Southern Living, Sept. 2009; Debbie Grusska, Hobart, IN)

1 ½ c. chopped pecans, divided
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream
1 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ½ c. finely chopped, peeled Granny Smith apples (about ¾ lb.)
½ c. butter
½ firmly packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake ½ c. pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 6-8 min. or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 4 min. Beat sour cream and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 min. or until blended. Stir together flour and next 3 ingredients. Add to sour cream mixture, beating just until blended. Stir in apples and ½ c. toasted pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 9x5 loaf pan.
Sprinkle with remaining 1 c. chopped pecans; lightly press pecans into batter. Bake at 350F for 1 hr. to 1 hr. and 5 min. or until wooden toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Shield with aluminum foil after 50 min. to prevent excessive browning. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 min.; remove from pan to wire rack.
Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly; boil 1 min. Remove from heat and spoon over top of bread; let cool completely (about 1 hr.). Enjoy!

I'm linking this recipe up to Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap (baked goods). Check here for other fab baked good recipes!

Don't Forget Some Bean-O!

My goal lately has been to eat healthier overall and to eat more moderate portions of food. I can't say that I'm doing an amazing job with this goal, especially since Buppy and I have tried out a few new restaurants lately, but hey, I'm trying at least!

This past week when I made my trip to the grocery store, I decided to get what I didn't already have on hand to make grilled bean burgers. This wasn't much, lucky for me, and all I had to pick up were the beans. I found the recipe in the Sept. 2007 Taste of Home Light & Tasty magazine and have wanted to try it for some time now. I didn't really think Buppy would go for them, but even though both of us were a little afraid, we jumped in and made 'em for dinner last night. They were actually pretty tasty! I forgot to take pictures of them, but they weren't uber pretty anyway. Oh well, as long as they tasted alright, I'm ok with that.

Grilled Bean Burgers
Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Magazine, Sept. 2007

1 lg. onion, finely chopped (I love using our 'slap chop' for this!)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 med. carrot, shredded
1-2 tsp. chili powder (I used 1 1/2 since I'm not huge on chili powder but Buppy is; this was just the right amount for us)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 915 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. quick-cooking oats
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (recipe called for reduced sodium but I only had regular on hand)
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 hamburger buns (recipe calls for whole wheat, I happened to have white)
Lettuce, salsa, tomato --- whatever other toppings you want for your burger

In a large non-stick skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for 2 min. Stir in the carrot, chili powder and cumin; cook 2 min. longer or until carrot is tender. Remove from heat and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the beans together; stir in the oats. Add the mustard, soy sauce, ketchup, pepper and carrot mixture; mix well. Shape into 8-3 1/2" patties. Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill patties, covered, over med. heat for 4-5 min. per side or until heated through. Serve on buns with whatever toppings you choose.

To be honest, Buppy struggled with them a little on the grill. They don't stay as firm as a regular burger and so are harder to flip and manage. He did his best though, and only a small piece of one was lost to the fire. The kids ate them as well and said they were good; we called them 'burgers' instead of bean burgers. Omitting the 'bean' in the title made me think they'd have more of an open mind. Who knows though. A slice of tomato was really good them because it added a little moisture they seemed to lack. Overall though, I'd make them again. I think next time I might try some different spices, but I'm not quite sure what yet. Enjoy!