Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

Sometimes I forget how easy and good marinades are. Just mix up a few ingredients, plop the meat in, let it sit, and then grill it up--delicious. This recipe was great because it also combined the ingredients used in the marinade for a yummy dressing for the side dish. I used green beans instead of snap peas (steamed them up for about five minutes) and it turned out delicious. I think my 11-month old ate more of them than I did. I had some coconut milk left over after making the marinade so I threw that in with the rice in my rice cooker to make it extra flavorful. I baked the chicken at 375 for 20 minutes instead of grilling it, it turned out great.

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray Magazine

Five-Spice Coconut Chicken

1/3 c. plus 1 Tbsp. unsweetened coconut milk

2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. honey

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

1 tsp. salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 lb. sugar snap peas

Cooked white rice, for serving

1. In a small bowl, whisk together 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. lime juice. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/3 c. coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 Tbsp. lime juice with the soy sauce, garlic, five-spice powder and salt. Add the chicken thighs, coating well. Marinate at least 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas and cook for 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the reserved coconut-honey dressing.

4. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Grill the chicken thighs for about 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Serve with the sugar snap peas and rice.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

  Here is another crock-pot meal to add to your repertoire. I buy the pork loin roasts at Costco, they come in a package of four, and they're the perfect size for your family with some leftovers for a yummy lunch or second meal.  I paired it with Hawaiian rolls and steamed broccoli.  Easy. Delicious.

recipe courtesy of I Was Born to Cook blog

Hawaiian Pulled Pork

3 pounds pork shoulder (or butt)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (left this out for the kiddos)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple pieces, drained
salt and pepper
rolls

Place pork in crockpot, followed by onion and remaining ingredients.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low.  While cooking, when meat looks tender enough, shred with 2 forks so it absorbs more juice. Add salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper)

Favorite Pumpkin Bread

Melissa's Notes: My family loves this moist, yummy fall recipe.  You can frost the top with your favorite cream cheese frosting, but I'm happy with it just as it is!

Pumpkin Bread

3 eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
3/4 c. oil
1/2 c. water

Beat together.

Add:
2 1/2 c. flour
2 1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 3/4 tsp. cinnamon

Pour into greased loaf pans (this made 2 nice size loaves for me).  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a cooling rack.  Frost if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 3/4-4 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Weekly Menu

Monday - Beef Teriyaki

Tuesday - Farmer's Market Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

Wednesday - Salmon Burgers

Thursday -  Waldorf-Salad-Style Penne

Friday - eat out

Saturday - leftovers

Sunday - pot roast

Allison's Salad

Melissa's Notes: I'm always looking for good, easy salad recipes.  This one fits the bill!  My friend Allison brought it to a picnic and I couldn't stop eating it.  A good kitchen tip I have learned about red onion is that if you let it sit in some kind of acid (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.) for at least an hour, it totally relaxes it so it doesn't overpower your dish.  You can also substitute the apple for a crispy pear.

Salad:

10 oz. bag spinach
3/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted at 350 for 8 min.
1 medium granny smith apple
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/8 red onion, chopped (optional)

Dressing:

1/3 c. oil
1/4 c. sugar
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/8 red onion, finely chopped

Mango, Tomoato, and Avocado Salad

Melissa's Notes: James and I have been on a health kick this last week.  We're trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and less meat and processed foods.  So far (with the exception of a church picnic today) I have felt so much better and haven't really felt deprived at all.  I will say that I have had a much higher grocery bill this week and have spent more time in the kitchen than I care to share.  So if anyone has any words of advice for me, I'm listening!  I made this salad with flank steak tacos and it was delicious on the tacos, or it would be great over a bed of greens as well.  This is a nice side dish for Mexican food that is not too heavy and can easily be adapted for kids by just putting the ingredients they like to the side before you mix in all the dressing.

Mango, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

recipe courtesy of Good & Fresh Magazine

1 mango, seeded, peeled, and cut into chunks
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1/3 c. thinly sliced red onion
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 avocado, cut into chunks
lettuce leaves (optional)

1.  In a medium bowl combine mango, tomato, and red onion.  For dressing, in a screw-top jar combine cilantro, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Cover and shake well.  Pour dressing over mango mixture.  Toss gently to coat.  Cover and chill for 1-4 hours. (I didn't have time to do this and it still tasted great)
2.  Just before serving, stir in avocado.  If desired, serve with lettuce leaves.  Makes 4 servings.

166 calories per serving

Pan-Seared Salmon with Citrus Vinegar Glaze and Green Beans

Melissa's Notes: I must say, I'm not completely comfortable cooking fish at home, mostly because I really haven't done it all that much.  But last weekend James wanted a lighter dinner, so I decided to go out of my comfort zone and go for it...I'm so glad I did!  The fish was perfectly cooked and dinner was on the table in less than 15 minutes, not to mention everybody loved it and cleaned their plates without complaint.  It has inspired me to incorporate fish more regularly into our weekly menu.  If the glaze isn't your cup of tea, I urge you to still try this simple way to prepare salmon, it's delicious even without the glaze and so easy.  Just FYI, I halved the recipe for the glaze and it still made more than enough. Also, I made sure everything was ready to go before I put the salmon in the pan, that made the dinner super quick and stress-free.

recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray 30-Minute Meals 2

Ingredients

4 salmon fillets (6-oz. each)
EVOO, for brushing fish
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 c. dry white wine (I'm sure you can substitute this with water or white grape juice if you want)
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. orange juice
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 lb. green beans, trimmed
orange or lemon rind slices

Directions

1.  Preheat a cast-iron pan or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.  Brush the salmon fillets with oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook salmon until just cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.
2.  While salmon cooks, bring wine, vinegar, citrus juices and brown sugar to a boil over high heat.  Reduce glaze 3 or 4 minutes, until thickened (I found this took more like 6-7 minutes).  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1/2 tsp. coarse black pepper.
3.  To a second skillet, add green beans, pieces of orange and/or lemon rind and 1/2 inch of water.  Bring to a boil, cover, and cook 3 or 4 minutes.  Drain the beans, toss with a drizzle of EVOO and season with salt and pepper.
4.  Drizzle glaze over salmon fillets and serve with citrus green beans.

Recipe Review - Cajun Chicken Pasta

photo courtesy of the Pioneer Woman

  One of my favorite things to do is try new recipes. In fact, I probably do it too much, I need to build up my repertoire of go-to recipes more. A couple of months ago, the Food Network released about 4 or 5 episodes of "The Pioneer Woman", which I was excited about as I've visited her blog frequently. On one episode she made a pasta that I was surprised looked so tasty to me, as I'm not a huge fan of peppers, onions, or food that is too spicy. But I was determined to try it, and finally, last night, I did. Besides the fact that I used way too many dishes and felt a little frazzled getting everything ready for the short cooking times (next time I would totally prep throughout the day), my efforts paid off. It really was delicious: it wasn't too spicy (I think the heavy whipping cream was a nice addition to tame the spice), the peppers and onions completely added to the dish (in fact, I went back to the pot to retrieve more of them), and the cajun flavoring was wonderful (which, by the way, I made my own with ingredients I had on hand). I was so glad that my instincts of what looked good won over my instincts of what sounded good. I couldn't wait to eat the leftovers for my lunch today...I think I may have enjoyed it even more this time!

Here are a couple of pointers if you decide to try the recipe out:

-If you don't think your kids will eat it, just set aside some plain pasta and top it with butter and parmesan, that way you don't have to make a completely separate meal for the kiddos.

-As I mentioned before, prep when you have time throughout the day. Cut up the chicken and season it, chop up all the veggies and store in the fridge, and get all the ingredients ready by the stove so you can put it together quickly.

-I halved this recipe since I knew only James and I would be eating it. I did make a whole pound of pasta, but just saved half in a plastic bag with a little bit of olive oil (so it doesn't stick to itself) to be used throughout the week. I believe you can even freeze pasta like this.

Find the recipe for Cajun Chicken Pasta here. And the cajun seasoning mix here.

Pan-seared Pork Chops w/ Green Apple-Cranberry Compote

Melissa's Notes: I checked out a recipe book from the library the other day, and it actually had some really good recipes in it that I decided to try right away. My kids love pork chops, so I thought this would be a good choice. We loved it, any dinner that the kids don't complain at all about is a hit in my book! I served it with Wild Rice Pilaf and steamed asparagus.

recipe courtesy of The Family Kitchen by Debra Ponzek

Pan-seared Pork Chops w/ Green Apple-Cranberry Compote

1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 6-oz. boneless pork chops
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3/4 c. apple cider (I used apple juice)
1/3 c. dried cranberries
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
3 sprigs sage, leaves removed and chopped
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350.
In an ovenproof saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat until just smoking. Season both sides of the pork chops with salt and pepper and sear for 1-2 min. per side. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for about 15 min., depending on their thickness, until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for about 5 min. before serving.
Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the apples, cider, cranberries, and brown sugar, cover the pan, and cook for about 15 min., until the apples are soft and wilted.
Uncover the pan, add the sage and balsamic vinegar, and simmer for another 5 min. or so until all the flavors are combined.
To serve, place a couple of spoonfuls of the compote on each pork chop.

Serves 4

Hawaiian Haystacks

Melissa's Notes: I got a request to post this recipe. I like to make this when I have to cook for a bigger crowd (4 adults plus kids) because it makes way too much for just our family. It's also nice for picky eaters because they can pick and choose what they want to put on top.

recipe courtesy of Favorites

Hawaiian Haystacks

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 c. sliced mushrooms
6 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms, and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Serves 8.

Serve over sticky, white rice with the following toppings:

grated Cheddar cheese
chopped celery
chowmein noodles
pineapple tidbits
chopped tomatoes
coconut
toasted sliced almonds
chopped green onions
soy sauce

Weekly Menu

Tuesday - eat out: Taco Tuesday

Wednesday - Fettuccine Alfredo w/ Broccoli

Thursday - Philly Steak Sandwiches

Friday - Date Night

Saturday - Homemade Cheese Pizza and Salad

Sunday - Chili and Cornbread Muffins

Calzones - Two Ways

Melissa's Notes: Okay, this has to be one of my all-time favorite things to eat. I love everything about this meal, and it really is something you can make from start to finish in about 30 minutes. You can adjust the filling for your family, but I love these recipes just as they are. These recipes make a TON, so I always half the recipe, and it's enough for my family of four, plus yummy lunch leftovers the next day for me! Use your own pizza dough recipe or buy a trader joe's pizza dough or pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough (one package of the store-bought kind is enough for two good sized calzones). I usually just make one of these fillings at a time, but it might be fun to make both fillings if you're having friends over for dinner.

recipes courtesy of Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals 2

Spinach Artichoke Calzone

makes 4 calzones

2 c. low-moisture part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches ground
black pepper
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 package (10-oz.) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, and squeezed dry
1 can (15 oz.) quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tubes, prepared, refrigerated pizza dough (10 oz. each)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c. marinara sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl to make the filling. Roll both tubes of pizza dough out on 2 separate nonstick cookie sheets and cut each dough in half across. Spread 1/2 c. mozzarella and up to 1/4 of the filling on each rectangle. Work on just half of the surface of each rectangle of dough, then fold dough over top of filling and pinch edges firmly to seal.

Space calzones evenly on baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown (I find brushing the top with olive oil helps with this). Serve with warm marinara sauce, for dipping.

Sausage Calzones

makes 4 calzones

1 1/3 lb. Italian sweet sausage
a drizzle of EVOO
2 c. ricotta cheese
a handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
A handful grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated or a couple pinches ground
a few grinds freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped pimiento
2 tubes prepared, refrigerated pizza dough (10 oz. each)
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 c. marinara sauce, for dipping

Preheat oven to 425.

Brown sausage in a skillet in a drizzle of olive oil. Transfer crumbles to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Combine sausage with ricotta cheese, parsley, garlic, grated Parmesan, nutmeg, pepper, and pimiento. Roll both tubes of pizza dough out on 2 separate nonstick cookie sheets and cut each dough in half across. Spread 1/2 c. mozzarella and up to 1/4 of the filling on each rectangle. Work on just half of the surface of each rectangle of dough, then fold dough over top of filling and pinch edges firmly to seal.

Space calzones evenly on baking sheet, and bake 12-15 min. or until golden brown. Serve with warm marinara sauce, for dipping.

Carrot Soup

Melissa's Notes: A few years ago I was on vacation over St. Patrick's Day Weekend and the restaurant where I was staying at had the usual fare of corned beef and cabbage and the like. I decided to try the soup that night, and it just happened to be carrot soup. Let me tell you, I wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised, it was one of the yummiest soups I had ever tasted; and I do love my soup, let me tell you. Since then, I have been wanting to try a carrot soup recipe, and last week, I finally did! You know it's a hit when your 4 year old asks for another bowl and finishes the whole thing. That has never happened before with soup at my house. Never. James also gave it two thumbs up, and admitted that he wasn't too excited when he heard we were having carrot soup, but it was "surprisingly, really good!". Of course it was, James, how could you ever doubt me?

Carrot Soup w/ Sesame Bread Cubes (although it's great even without the bread cubes!)

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

6 Tbsp. butter
3 c. peeled and chopped carrots
1 c. chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 c. chopped celery
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
1 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil, divided
5 c. 1" bread cubes, crusts removed (preferably from day-old French bread)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions (I left this out)

Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, leeks, and celery. Cover and cook for 10 min., stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return to soup pot. Whisk cream, sour cream and 1 tsp. of the sesame oil into soup. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter with 2 tsp. of sesame oil over medium heat. Add bread cubes and saute until golden brown and crispy.

Ladle soup into bowls and mound bread cubes in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

*I halved this recipe and it was gone that night, so if you want leftovers, make the whole thing. Also, the soup gets an interesting consistency when you add in the sour cream, so if you want, you could just add a dollop to each bowl so you have a prettier soup. Personally, I liked the soup better without the bread cubes, but I thought I'd include them in case they sounded good to someone else.

Weekly Menu

Monday - Hawaiian Haystacks

Tuesday - Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches

Wednesday - Beef Terriyaki w/ Mandarin Orange and Cucumber Salad and Sesame Dressing

Thursday - Chicken Enchilada Soup*

Friday - Back to School Picnic

Saturday - leftovers

Sunday - Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes

*Easiest soup ever: 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can water, 1 cup salsa, cooked and cubed chicken. Top with sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. Double if you need more. Everyone loves this!

Pumpkin French Toast

Melissa's Notes: I like having breakfast for dinner because 1) it's easy, and 2) my kids never complain on these nights. Everyone wins! Of course, this is good for just breakfast, too, but surprise the family one night with this, they'll love you. :) And who doesn't love pumpkin now that Fall is (almost) here!?

Pumpkin French Toast

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

1/2 c. canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
pinch of orange zest
8-10 slices French bread
butter, for griddle

Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, spices, salt and zest until well combined. Pour into a rectangular dish. Soak both sides of bread in batter. Stack battered bread on one side of the dish while you soak remaining pieces. Battered bread can be cooked immediately or refrigerated overnight.

Cook battered bread over medium heat in a lightly buttered skillet until golden brown on both sides. Serve with maple syrup.

Weekly Menu

I took a week off from cooking. I'm ashamed to say that I went to 39 cent cheeseburger night at Burger King last Wednesday, but there it is. I'm back to home cooked goodness this week...hopefully I won't burn out before the week's through.

Monday - Pumpkin French Toast

Tuesday - Carrot Soup w/ Sesame Bread Cubes

Wednesday - Wannie's Saucy Meatloaf

Thursday - Baby Shower tonight, it's frozen pizza for the rest of the fam!

Friday - Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches

Saturday - Relief Society Meeting, you're on your own James!

Sunday - Sausage Calzones

Weekly Menu

Monday - Labor Day, family barbecue

Tuesday - Breakfast for Dinner: eggs, bacon, fruit salad, and cinnamon rolls

Wednesday - Italian Chopped Salad: toss lettuce with salami, garbanzo beans, olives, tomato, green pepper, mozzarella cheese, and Italian dressing

Thursday - Portuguese Style Potato and Kale Soup w/ Garlic Toasts

Friday - leftovers/date night

Saturday - Ultimate Grilled Cheese

Sunday - Beef Pot Pie

Weekly Menu

I finally feel like cooking isn't my worst enemy (Summer and pregnancy will do that to you), so here is my menu plan for this week:

Monday - Loaded French Bread Pizzas

Tuesday - Sloppy Joes

Wednesday - Cheesy Chicken and Noodle Soup

Thursday - leftovers

Friday - Refried Bean Enchiladas

Saturday - eat out

Sunday - Spinach Lasagna

Another Apricot Chicken

Melissa's Notes: Chances are you have tried Apricot Chicken where you mix apricot preserves, onion soup mix, and russian dressing and pour it over chicken. I really like this recipe as well, and I serve it with an instant rice mix and vegetable. I love that I almost always have all the ingredients on hand and it cooks up in about 30 minutes.

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

Another Apricot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
1/2 c. apricot jam
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard (I just use spicy brown mustard)
1 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. sliced almonds

Pat chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper, then place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Meanwhile, stir together remaining ingredients (except almonds) in a saucepan. Heat until well combined, stirring often. Pour sauce over chicken and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle chicken with almonds and briefly broil until almonds toast and sauce begins to caramelize. Be sure to pour the sauce over the rice!

Weekly Menu

Wednesday 6/29 - Another Apricot Chicken

Thursday 6/30 - Summer Tomato Basil Pasta

Friday 7/1 - Grilled Tilapia with a dry rub: 3 Tbsp. tarragon, 2 Tbsp. dried mustard, 1 tsp. pepper

Saturday 7/2 - Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Sunday 7/3 - Classic Turkey Chili

Monday 7/4 - 4th of July!!