So Long, Summer...

I go back to work this week, which is bittersweet... I know I'll be glad once I get in the swing of things but I have REALLY enjoyed Jackson this summer.  He is so independent now--and makes me laugh everyday!  So our last two summer meals are below--

We had chicken tostadas two nights... the night before our anniversary and then Friday night too.  I used the canned chicken breast--my favorite way to make chicken dishes-- and made my own combination of spices (same as turkey enchilada pie).  That was about all the heat we could handle.  The triple digit temperature makes our house stand at about 83 in the evening!!  So hot!  So we added homemade guac, (fat free) refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cheese & sour cream for some yummy tostadas. 

Chicken Tostadas

2 cans of chicken breasts, shredded,

1 c. water

a blend of mexican chili, garlic, paprika, seasoned salt, cinnamon--

simmer on med-high heat then layer on top of

Tostada shells

Add

refried beans

lettuce

shredded mexican cheese

salsa

tomatoes

sour cream

Homemade Guac:

2 avacados

salsa

tomatoes

garlic

Lawrys guacamole spice

Saturday night Anna hosted a surprise party for Tommy and we had fabulous Dalesandros lasagna and caesar salad!  It was such a fun party! :) 

Tonight, we had Salmon burgers and summer veggies.  Danny called it a 'nuvo' meal...  Whatever that means!  It was fantastic!  Afterwards, it was such a gorgeous evening--first time all summer you could feel a cool breeze--we went on a walk to the neighborhood pond and playground.  It was the perfect way to spend our last summer evening together. 

Below is the recipe for the salmon burgers and summer veggies, although I had Reasor's do all the work as far as the salmon goes:

Salmon burgers

Ground salmon

garlic powder

Salt & pepper

put on the grill for 10-15 min.

For burgers:

whole wheat buns

lettuce

swiss cheese

Summer Veggies

In olive oil on med-high heat:

yellow squash, sliced thin

zuccini squash, sliced thin

okra, left whole

red pepper, julienned

Cover and simmer for ~20 min.

I could eat this everyday! 
Wish I had my own garden with these veggies...
Unfortunately I have no green thumb at all!!

Happy Anniversary!

Jackson is staying the night with Gram & Pop and Danny and I get to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary with a long overdue date night!  We are heading to Biga for dinner.  Then, maybe a movie!  Dinner AND a movie! So excited!  Biga is a phenomenal Italian restaraunt in Tulsa.  My favorite dish is Goat-Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast with Dried Cherries & Walnuts.  OMG! It is to die for!  The best part about Biga--besides the food--is the lemoncello shot they serve you after the meal.  It takes me back to the lemoncello factory I went to when I was in Italy.  Yummy!! 

Under the Sea...

  Jackson had his macaroni and cheese early and then played cars, blocks and balls with Daddy and had a bath before dinner was on the table.  He came running out of the bathtub naked except for the giant white robe Danny had put on him.  We called him a little king and he ran around proudly in his royal bathrobe!  I have video of it, but its got little boy parts in it so I can't share it in the blog!!

We had a very late dinner last night (9pm!)We had our friends Natalie and Matt over after Natalie and I enjoyed our dance class at the gym.  Jackson watched Finding Nemo while we enjoyed Sea Scallops and Chicken with creamy pasta, asparagus and mixed vegetables.  Natalie doesn't eat anything from the ocean so she prepared the chicken breast the same as the scallops.  She made some steamed mixed veggies. We also had garlic bread.  Big carb load--Good thing we worked out! 

Lemon/Garlic Sea-Scallops & Creamy Pasta

Scallops:

Melt about 1/2 c. butter, add garlic to your liking (We like A LOT!)

Saute 1/2 lb. of mini-sea scallops (bay scallops) on medium-high heat until size is reduced and they are slightly browned.  (15 min. or so)

Add juice from 1 lemon. 

Remove from heat and allow scallops to set in the buttery sauce.

Pasta:

I just used the thin spaghetti--although angel hair is my favorite for this recipe

After you boil the pasta, Add:

2-3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil,

garlic to taste

juice from one lemon,

3 oz. cream cheese,

1/2 whole milk, 1/2 c. parmesean, grated

Mix until the cream cheese has melted and spread throughout

Sprinkle a dash of basil and extra parm on top

Easy Boiled Asparagus

Fill a quart-sized pan about 3/4 full of cold water

Add a dash of salt and sugar

Break the asparagus in your hands--don't cut.  They will naturally break where the tender parts start. 

Put the asparagus in cold water.

Turn on high heat. 

Let boil about 3-4 minutes then turn off and remove asparagus immediately--don't overcook!

***Sidenote: The Canebrake (spa my sisters-in-law and I went to last weekend) had prosciuto-wrapped grilled asparagus.  It was so delicious! I can't wait to try making that! 

OLE!

I made homemade enchilada pie tonight. I've bought the "out of the box" kit before but tonight I made it all from scratch... with the exception of the enchilada sauce.

 Since I will be gone this weekend relaxing with my sisters-in law at the spa enjoying no husbands or kids, I decided I'd make one last meal before I go.  (I thought there'd be leftovers! Ah, but no!)  I made some Jackson quesadillas...just tortillas and velveeta--  but he didn't eat that or the meatballs he requested.  So, Danny and I enjoyed dinner for 2 tonight! 

Homemade Turkey Enchilada Pie

1lb ground turkey

seasonings: garlic powder, chili powder, ground mustard, paprika, cinnamon

pam/cooking spray

white corn tortillas

salsa

1 can enchilada sauce

1 bag mexican blend shredded cheese

sour cream

Preheat oven to 375

Brown 1lb ground turkey with garlic, chili powder, paprika, ground mustard and cinnamon

Add about 1/2 c. salsa then about 1c. water.  Let it simmer and continue to break apart the meat.

Spray 8x8 dish with pam and layer the ingredients tortilla, meat, 1/8 of the enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese until all the meat is gone.  On top, lay one tortilla flat, pour on the rest of the enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Top w/ sour cream

The "pie" element of the enchiladas was by accident.  I wanted to use corn tortillas because they are healthier.  But, when I tried to roll them, they kept cracking.  So, I layered the tortillas flat to make enchilada pie.  It turned out to be a happy mistake!

I served it with fat free refried beans and corn.  After the first bite, Danny said "Wow! That's really good!" like 4 times.  We ate the entire pan... I'm not proud of that.

Danny is on his own tomorrow night for dinner while I'm at the spa with Anna and Kristin.  I'm guessing this is when the Digournos or frozen corndogs will come in handy! :)

Ramen Noodles??

I bought ramen noodles for the first time since college...(Its not what you think!)

Yesterday we were invited to our sister-in-law, Anna's parents' pool for a cookout and swim.  We had a great time! All 4 cousins played in the pool.  Jackson and Josh enjoyed a paddle boat ride around the pond.  So fun! It makes me wish we could have 3 more months of summer! 

I was in charge of 'veggies' for the meal. I decided to try a new recipe, Oriental Salad. It was a big hit--I will definitetly make this again and again! Here is the recipe (adapted from the Junior League of Norman cookbook):

Oriental Salad

2 bunches romaine lettuce, chopped into thin strips

1 dozen strawberries, thinly sliced

1 can manderin oranges

1 c. walnuts

3 oz. pkg ramen noodles, broken apart

1/2 c. butter

--Mix fruit and romaine together;

Brown walnuts and ramen with butter and sprinkle into salad--

Dressing

1 c. EV Olive Oil

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

4 T. soy sauce

2 T. Terryaki sauce

2 tsp. ginger

dash of pepper

1/2 sugar

----Shake it up really well in a closed container and pour over salad--

What day are we on?

Not sure what day we are on... it has been a lah-hong day!!  We took the cousins for portraits.  3 hours later it was time to make dinner!!! 

DAY 5: Let me back up a bit... Wednesday night I made a great big meal that would surely make my grandma proud!  I made "Geneva Chicken", mashed potatoes and gravy and green bean casserole.  We also had a wonderful loaf of 'everything bread' from Walmart.  I invited the bestie Natalie and her boyfriend Matt over.  We had a good ol' fashioned meal together!

Geneva Chicken--by Danny

I was running late from working out so I called Danny to get the chicken prepared and in the oven.  When I said make sure you wash it really well.  He asked, "Like, with soap?"  hahahaha... I'm pretty sure he was kidding.  Anyway, he ended up following directions well and making the whole thing himself! 

Geneva chicken: 3-4lb.fryer: Wash (w/ just water).  Salt and pepper inside and out.  Put in a 450 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Then turn it down to 350 and add 1/2 c. water to the bottom of the pan.  Cook for 1 hr. 

The white stuff--gravy, mashed potatoes and bread!

Green bean casserole

The other stuff is just basic recipes... if you really would like to know how to make green bean casserole or mashed potatoes and gravy let me know... 

The pictures is blurry b/c my camera wasn't working properly...Natalie and Matt--

Nat told Matt to dress nice so he came in his tux!! Gotta love Matt!
We decided we should now have a fancy party where we dress black tie. How fun!!

DAY 6: OK so the next night, Thursday was Fifth Night Concert at Utica and we had sandwiches (and I had 2 chardonnays from Stonehorse)

DAY 7: I've made it one week!  So Friday, today, after the loooong portrait session...I made creamy pasta primavera. My favorite meal to make!

Here's how to make it:

1 box of penne pasta
2 c. chopped chicken (from the geneva chicken the other night) or you can use canned chicken breast

2 chopped red peppers

1 bunch of chopped asparagus

1 c. italian dressing

1 box of cream cheese

1/2 lemon--juice

Mix it all together and add parmesean cheese on the top..

It is so quick, easy and good!!!

It is good hot or cold

Now we have so many leftovers I won't have to cook for at least 3 days! Yay for me! :) 

Pizza & Pork

Day 2: Frozen pizza...
It was one of those days.  I have to say though, Digourno's stuffed crust is phenomenal!  After church, we rushed home to get Jackson down for his nap so we could swim at Camp Loughridge.  We hadn't gone all summer and I was determined to go!  We got home at dinner time and it was nice to just pop it in the oven.  (The leftover mac & cheese was for lunch)

Day 3: Herb-crusted pork loin, parmesean zucchini & yellow squash, pan-fried herb potatoes--(pictures to come)Delish!
I mixed thyme, minced garlic, rosemary and basil in oil and rubbed it over the pork loin.  I think I overcooked it a bit...too dry.  I was following Paula Deen's recipe but hers was for 4 lb loin mine was a little over 1 1/2 lbs.  Its trickier than beef b/c you can undercook beef (esp. since Danny and I like rare steak)  but pork can't be undercooked.  I steamed the squash in the microwave.  (Just put a little water at the bottom of the dish) and microwave for about 5 minutes.  I added shredded parm and salt & pepper.  The potaoes were yukon gold, sliced into bite-sized pieces.  I pan fried them until golded crispy then added the herbs, salt and pepper to them.  It was a wonderful meal--with the exception of the too dry loin.  We had lots leftover, which provided

Day 4: Leftovers :)

I'm glad I didn't have to cook dinner tonight.  Jackson was something else today!!  He was whiney and super ornery with lots of tantrums today.  He dumped out his milk in Bed, Bath & Beyond, pulled my hair and stomped on my healing sprained ankle (on accident) but refused to say sorry.  He spent lots of time in TIME OUT and I was so glad when Danny got home because I was drained and needed my own TIME OUT!!!

I have to say, he was so cute this morning when I went to go vote.  He marched into the voting place and announced, "I wanna vope!" It wasn't as cute when we were leaving and he wanted "more vope" and then laid down near the door and refused to move.  I had to drag him out screaming "MORE VOPING, MORE VOPING!"  Ugh... good thing he's cute!

Long Time No Blog

Seeing that my last blog post was over A YEAR AGO... Its time I get back into it!

My new inspiration for blogging (besides the latest "Jacksonisms") is to post my cooking attempts. 2 days ago, I made a commitment to cook more often. Like, really cook--not just "out of the box" or frozen pizza every night. That is what I had come to... I'm not saying I won't have those nights--we all do!! I just want to make a real effort to cook for Danny & Jackson. I grew up with a big homemade meal everyday with my grandparents. My grandma poured her love into her cooking. I want to do the same for my family. I know how to cook. I enjoy cooking. I just need to do it.

My first meal was BBQ beef and my Grandma Stegge's baked mac & cheese. It was not as good as how she made-- I'll never get there-- but it tasted soooo good! Its amazing how the taste of something can bring back the spirit of someone! The beauty of this recipe is that you really can't follow a written recipe. She showed my Aunt Jan how she made it. After she died in February 2008, I asked that my Aunt Jan cook it in front of me. I tried to follow the written recipe many times, but it just didn't work. Once I saw it done, I understood. It gets better each time I make it. Below are the "recipes" for each part of the meal.

DAY 1:
BBQ beef
Water, bbq sauce and beef for stew in the crock pot for 6 hours. It made great sandwiches the next day, too!

Baked Mac & Cheese (I can't be too specific or my Aunt Jan would kill me!)
Boil the macaroni. Make a gravy with butter, milk cheese and flour. Pour it over the cooked macaroni. Sprinkle with cheese and bake. It makes a delicious cheesy top layer. Salt and pepper. To reheat the next day, you grill it with butter.



Jackson's response to his first bite was, "OOOOOhhh, Cheese!!" He ate about half of it and then wanted to get down and play. That's about all I can expect from Mr. Picky Eater.