I thought about menu planning for this week but kind of decided against it. Well, I shouldn't really say that. I menu planned for tonight [Monday] and Wednesday night, which are the only 2 nights Buppy & I will be eating together this week. It's not really exciting to post a menu that only plans for 2 days, so I decided against it. We're having chili dogs & grilled potato spears tonight, and some crazy spin off of a cuban sandwich I plan to invent on Wednesday night. Buppy works late tomorrow night, then works his overnight on Thursday and I fly out to Wisco for my vacay on Friday after work. FYI: I hate packing.
This weekend was rather uneventful. Sat out on the deck reading or chatting on the phone a lot. It was nice to have a few days that weren't [or at least didn't feel like with the humidity] 100+ degrees. The kidlets played outside a lot. Buppy mowed the lawn and changed his oil. I scored a few deals at Rite Aid yesterday afternoon. I baked some fantastic lemon bars. Not much else. Oooo, I slept in until noon on Saturday! Ah, I love those days.
I recently scored a fabulous deal from work that I'm super excited about. So......I really dig Boca burgers. Everyone thinks I eat 'em because I want a meatless meal or am trying to be healthy. While admittedly those are perks to them, I eat 'em because I think they're fantastic tasting. Since I'm not a huge ground beef eater, I guess that shouldn't surprise me. Anyway, our restaurant here at work had a case of them in the freezer; I'm the only person I know who has eaten any since I started here back in Oct. Well, the case of them holds 48-5 oz. patties, and I scored the rest of the case! Out of the 48, I'd be willing to bet there are about 40 or so left. They're not on the menu anymore, so our F&B director said I could have them. Love-love-love scoring a deal like that! I must say the original, which is what's in this case, are much better than their other varieties [bruschetta, mushroom & onion]. We picked up a few of those on clearance awhile back and they were [are] disappointing. I haven't eaten many of them, but Buppy & I both enjoyed an original patty on Saturday night. Loaded with lettuce, tomato, smashed avocado [in place of mayo] and raw onion [for me] with a side of corn on the cobb, it was a super tasty and healthy meal. Yum!
Vacation starts Friday, and I haven't seen my entire family for more than 3 hours or so for a few years now. I'm happy to say my parents, sister & brother will all be home when I'm there. I can't wait!
The house in Wisco where I grew up.
This salad was decent, although almost missing something in my opinion. It would be a good accompaniment to a meal that already has a lot of flavor components because it's really very mild in and of itself. I think I might add more garlic next time, but that's simply because I'm a garlic freak. Buppy and I enjoyed this on Friday night when we had good friends over for dinner. It accompanied slow cooker Italian beef and an Italian pasta salad. I'd like to think we all enjoyed it!
Lemon Artichoke Romaine SaladAdapted from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 200510 c. torn romaine1 medium tomato, chopped1 can [14 oz.] water packed artichoke heart quarters, drained3 Tbsp. water3 Tbsp. lemon juice3 Tbsp. olive oil1 tsp. minced jarred garlic1 tsp. saltCoarsely ground pepper, to taste1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheeseIn a bowl, combine the first 3 ingredients. Combine water, lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Pour over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.
I'm not sure if I really had all 10 cups of romaine in my salad; I didn't measure and used what I had in the fridge. The original recipe called for black olives too [1-2.25 oz. can], but I omitted because a.) we weren't sure how much our guests did or didn't like black olives and b.) I already used a full can in the Italian pasta salad and we didn't want them to overwhelm the meal. Me? I could have done with the addition of the olives, but I really like them. Also, I think next time I'd add a little more tomato. The recipe called for 4 plum tomatoes, but I don't like plum tomatoes so I used regular tomatoes I had on hand. Come to think of it, I'm pretty sure I didn't have all of the lettuce it suggested using because I had salad dressing left over. I poured on about 3/4 of what I had made and decided that was enough. This, like darn-near all green salads, does not keep once the dressing is poured on. Enjoy!
Simple? Check. Less than 5 ingredients? Check. Quick? Check. Tasty? Check. Chock full o' fruit so the whole family gets more of their daily servings? Check. Diabetic friendly? Check. Low-fat? Check. Low-sodium? Check. Meatless? Check. Wow --- this dish has a lot going for it!
Pistachio Fruit Salad
Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2005
1 can [20 oz.] crushed unsweetened pineapple
1 pkg. [1 oz.] sugar-free instant pistachio pudding mix
1 can [15 oz.] unsweetened fruit cocktail, drained
1 can [11 oz.] reduced-sugar mandarin oranges, drained
1 c. reduced-fat whipped topping
Drain pineapple, reserving juice. In a bowl, whisk together reserved juice and pudding mix for 2 minutes [mixture will be thick]. Stir in the pineapple, fruit cocktail and mandarin oranges. Fold in whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Yield: 6 servings.
I made this last night and had some with my tuna melt, which turned out to be open-faced on really good Italian bread 'cause it was on sale. I enjoyed it with dinner, then had some for breakfast here at work this morning. Buppy hasn't tried it yet, but we'll have some for dinner tonight. I'm hoping he likes it; my main concern is the mandarin orange segments --- he's not a fan. Hopefully they'll blend in with the pineapple and fruit cocktail enough that he at least won't feel the need to pick them out. Enjoy!
I grew up eating and loving my mom's Waldorf salad. I know now, as an adult, that it's not exactly something I could consider healthy. Yes mom, the apples, raisins and nuts are all good for me, but the marshmallows and mayonnaise aren't.
When I saw this recipe in my cookbook, I knew I had to try to make it so I could be healthier but still indulge in a salad that I've loved since childhood. While not exactly like my mom makes, it was really good. I took this, along with a fresh strawberry pie [to be blogged about soon] up to Gettysburg when we were up visiting Buppy's parents this weekend. They both liked it, too. I can tell you that Tiny Tot #1 did not like the raisins, which is odd because he eats them for lunch whenever we send them in with him. Tiny Tot #2 loved the raisins and didn't really want to eat anything else in the salad. I think that was partly my fault --- I was in a hurry to make this and cut the apples a little large for his mouth.
Easy Waldorf and Raisin Salad
Adapted from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2005
Janice Smith, Cynthiana, KY
4 c. cubed apples
1 c. unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained & chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped celery
2 Tbsp. chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. raisins
1 c. [8 oz.] reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp. reduced fat mayonnaise
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. orange juice
In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and orange juice. Pour over the apple mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until chilled. Toss just before serving. Yield: 6 servings.
I can't post the nutritional info for this one as listed in the book as I changed the recipe slightly. Oh well, overall it's still light & tasty, and that's what matters to me. The orange juice not only helps keep the apples from turning brown, it added a really nice hint of citrus to the salad as well. I'll definitely make this again, especially now that it's Spring and fruit salads are all the rage [in my book anyway]! Enjoy!
*Sorry, really bad lighting for the pic!
Linked to Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap for 3/24/11 - Spring Recipes.
Well, this post won't provide an exact recipe for dinner last night, but it'll give you an idea to run with on your own. Last night Buppy and I had pizza Boca burgers, steamed broccoli and green salad.
The green salad? Lettuce, tomato and cucumber since that happened to be what we had on hand. I love mushrooms, but alas, we were out. Still good though --- I love green salads.
The steamed broccoli? I steamed about half pound [maybe a pound? I'm horrible at guessing things like this!] in our steamer after shaking on some garlic & herb Mrs. Dash. I wanted the seasonings to rehydrate fully while steaming and, while they did, I still would have liked more flavor somehow. Maybe next time I'll toss the broccoli in a little olive oil first; "they" say that helps us absorb more of vegetables abundant nutrients you know? Who? You know, "people." "People say. . . ." Actually, I just read it in an issue of Cooking Light.
The main attraction was our pizza Boca burgers. I picked up several varieties of these when they were 50% off at the grocery store a few weeks [months?] ago and we decided to use the tomato bruschetta ones. They sounded the most Italian-ish. Buppy grilled 'em up, and I sauted some onions and garlic in some olive oil. I then added in some Ragu spaghetti sauce and heated through. We tossed the burgers in the sauce when they were "done" --- really, how "done" does a veggie burger get? --- and then topped with a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. These babies got loaded onto toasted buns and turned out pretty good. Neither of us missed the meat, although Buppy had a hard time grilling the burgers. He didn't wanna burn them, but also didn't want them to be mushy. I'd say he did a fine job on them, but I know it was difficult to know when to pull them. Next time maybe we'll try to pan fry them and see if that's any easier. 
All in all, a pretty tasty, meatless meal. And it wasn't even for Lent!
For a long, long time, I've wanted to try Welsh rabbit. I've only had rabbit once or twice when I was young, and to be honest, it tasted like chicken. Chicken in a lot of butter. So it really tasted like butter. But I figured that if common ol' hippity-hoppin' bunnies are good pan-fried in some tasty hot butter, Welsh rabbit must be better. And I was right!
Welsh rabbit is warm and smooth and creamy and . . . . wait, what? You mean it's not "rabbit"? For real?? Oh.........it's rarebit. That makes so much more sense now. Whew.
So lets do a quick run through of what Welsh rarebit is and what it isn't. Sometimes yes, it's called Welsh rabbit [and that's ok!], but it has nothing to do with rabbits [or meat of any kind for that matter], so I'm going to stick with rarebit. It's basically a localized variation of fondue, with the main difference being that classic fondue generally depends on Swiss cheese as it's base and Welsh rarebit focuses on cheddar. Cheddar cheese sauce served over toast or crackers = Welsh rarebit. You can go to Wikipedia to check out what they have to say about the matter. Anyway, guess what? I don't wanna play in their sandbox. I wanna play in my own.
My sandbox consisted of taking a standard Welsh rarebit recipe and tweaking it. I didn't use a double boiler to prepare mine since I didn't have one, and instead I used my almost-brand-new electric fondue pot on warm. I also halved the recipe, which was almost a total success. Execpt that I accidentally added the full amount of salt. And a whole egg, because really, who can halve a whole egg once beaten? Yeah, I thought so. I also used a mixture of double cheddar cheeses and an Italian mixture, because that's what I happened to have on hand. And while my original intention was to serve it over toast topped with asparagus [my grandmother made something similar a lot when I was a child and it was divine!], I ended up omitting the toast [change of meal plan] and simply served it as a cheese sauce over the asparagus. Guess what? Even with all my changes, it was still good! A little salty, but hey.
The recipe listed below is how it appears in my The Joy of Cooking tear-off calendar, not with my changes because I'm not sure who'll want to halve the recipe and who'll have an electric fondue pot vs. a double boiler. Just know that it's flexible, so play around with it until it suites your needs. While I'm sure this would be great on toast or crackers, I'm sure it'd be good on most veggies [think broccoli, cauliflower, etc.] as well as steak oscar. Mmmmmm, steak oscar. That's a whole 'nother post right there folks. But --- back to the recipe:
Welsh Rarebit
The Joy of Cooking Tear-Off Calendar 2010
1 Tbsp. butter
1 c. beer, ale, milk or cream
4 c. shredded sharp cheddar or Colby cheese [1 lb.]
1 egg, well beaten
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. sweet paprika
¼ tsp. dry mustard
Pinch of ground red pepper
12 slices white, rye or other bread of choice, toasted, or 18 crackers
Melt the butter in a double boiler over simmering water. Once melted, stir in whatever liquid you choose to use [beer, ale, milk or cream] until warm. Gradually stir in the cheese. Cook, stirring constantly with a fork, until the cheese is melted. Stir in the remaining ingredients [except bread/crackers] and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Serve at once on top of bread or crackers. Yield: 6 servings.
This was good. I'll be making this again, for sure, to top veggies and whatever else comes to mind. Enjoy!
Note: I'm linking this up to Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap for today, 1/20/11, which is all about meatless meals. For more ideas, feel free to pop on over to her site.
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!
The house in Wisco where I grew up.
