Recycled Dinner Tonight....or, Making Prudy Proud!

The husband called yesterday morning to let me know he had a late afternoon meeting and wouldn't be home for dinner. "Off the hook", thought I! I've been to the grocery store every day for the past five days, and really didn't want to go again - mainly because I looked like a total skank from running outside, and it's always on those days that I run into 15 people I know! So I went to my freezer to see what I could rustle up for myself and the kiddos.

A few weeks back I made spaghetti and meatballs (awesome recipe, from Barefoot Contessa Family Style, pp. 103-104). I had frozen about a dozen leftover meatballs and some sauce, which I turned in to Meatball Subs last evening. This was a major hit with my kids. MAJOR! Such a hit in fact, that next time I make these meatballs I'll do extras specifically so that we can have these subs again! They never even knew they were eating leftovers. If you don't have the cookbook, here's a link to the original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_34023,00.html

By the way, the reference in my title line is to one of my favorite blogs, Prudence Pennywise. Stop by if you've never visited, it is darling! She has great recipes, a fun soundtrack, and nifty money saving tips for frugal homemakers. ;-) Here's a link to her blog:

http://prudencepennywise.blogspot.com/

Oatmeal Caramelitas....or, Pass the Slimfast!

While blog-cruising one day last week, I came across the inspiration for these yummy, addictive bars on Pioneer Woman's site. She made a version of these with apricot preserves in the middle. Now, my kids can sniff out a fruited dessert blindfolded at 50 paces, so we're not even goin' there with them. Apricot preserves passed off as dessert is just a waste of good butter around here!

Someone in PW's comments section suggested "Oatmeal Caramelitas", which is essentially the same oatmeal struesel type base and topping, but with chocolate chips and caramel topping in the middle instead of the offensive apricots. I went on a google quest and found this recipe.

Would you believe my youngest said (and this is a direct quote), "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings but these taste too sweet." Well, I appreciate her honesty and I do have to agree somewhat; they are ridiculously sweet to the point that my teeth hurt, which (you'd think) would have stopped me, but I kept right on munching.

Now, I'm hitting the streets for a four mile run with my crazy dog. Trying to keep up with her might burn half off half of one of these bars!

Oatmeal Caramelitas

Makes 15-18 bars

Source: cooksrecipes.com

2 c. plus 6 T. flour, divided use

2 c. quick cooking oats

1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1 1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1 c. walnuts (I omitted)

1 12 oz. jar caramel topping

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan.

Combine 2 c. flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Firmly press half the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish; reserve remaining half for the topping. Bake for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle chocolate chips and walnuts over the crust. Combine the caramel topping with the remaining 6 T. flour, mixing well (I had to microwave mine for 20 seconds to get mine stir-able). Drizzle the caramel mixture over the chocolate chips and nuts. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture evenly over the caramel. Bake for an additional 20 - 22 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Thai Style Beef with Noodles....or, Slurping Your Supper!

This morning, after I shoo'd the kiddos off to the bus stop, hit 50 tennis balls to my dog, and cleaned up the breakfast aftermath, I grabbed a cup of coffee, fired up the laptop, and cruised all my favorite blogs, searching for dinner inspiration.

Everything looked so delicious on these amazing blogs, and after perusing a large handful of them, I was completely confounded over what to make for dinner tonight. A grilled something with an asparagus salad on the side? Ginger lime skirt steak over portobellos and mashed potatoes? Salmon cakes? Stuffed eggplant? Butterscotch popcorn? The variety of choices and inspiration ran the gamut. Then Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy made my decision for me: she had some gorgeous dumplings and a beautiful fried rice, so Asian Night it was.

I didn't replicate her menu, but went instead for a recipe I had been eyeing for a long time: Thai Style Beef Noodles from February's Gourmet. The noodle bowls were a meal in themselves; protein, vegetables, and starch all in one dish.

For a Thai dish, I was thrilled (and slightly surprised) that my family gobbled up this meal. I embellished the vegetables by adding a pound of asparagus, just to make it a little more substantial. I also added cilantro and basil because I had them on hand and of course, I adore them! I spiced my bowl up quite a bit with Siracha sauce (LOVE IT!). Based on the hit it was tonight, I would definitely make the meal again!

Thai Style Beef with Noodles

Serves: 4

Source: Gourmet Magazine, February '08, and also available on Epicurious

1 T. soy sauce

1 T. honey

2 T. Asian fish sauce, divided

1 lb. flank steak

3 T. vegetable oil, divided

2 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

1 T. finely chopped peeled ginger

1 1/2 t. green curry paste

1 3/4 c. reduced sodium beef broth

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4" strips

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 3" pieces

3/4 lb. dried Asian egg noodles (I used Udon because egg noodles were unavailable)

Cilantro and basil to taste, chopped

Siracha to taste

Mix together soy, honey, 1 T. fish sauce, and 1/4 t. salt in a shallow baking dish, then add steak and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature 20 minutes. (I let mine go two hours or so.)

While steak marinates, heat 2 T. oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until browned well, about 8 minutes.

Add ginger and curry paste and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute, then add broth and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in lime juice, remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, and salt to taste and keep warm, covered.

Heat grill pan over medium high heat until hot, then lightly oil.

Grill steak, turning once, about 8 minutes total (for rare). (I broiled mine on high for three minutes a side.) Transfer to cutting board and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss bell pepper, scallions, and asparagus (if using) with remaining tablespoon oil, then grill, turning frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes (again, I broiled them until they started to char a little). Transfer to large bowl.

While steak stands, cook noodles in a pasta pot of boiling unsalted water until al dente, 4-7 minutes. Drain well, then add to vegetables and toss well along with the cilantro and basil (if using). Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls and top with broth. Cut steak in half lengthwise, then thinly slice across the grain and serve on top of the noodles.

Personal Pizzas....or, Have it Your Way!

Dinner at our house tonight was a marriage of two things I love: Costco and Cooks Country Magazine.

One thing I always look forward to in Cooks Country is the recipe card insert they have every month. There are eight cards with a simple but delicious recipe on one side, and a photo of said recipe on the back. I've made many of these recipes over the past year or so and for simple recipes, most of them have been pretty good.

A DamFam favorite is the French Bread Pizza recipe. I've made it many times, but never posted about it because I think of it as sort of a no-brainer -- I mean, who needs instructions to make French Bread Pizzas? But since I'm all about kid friendly (and the few people who read this blog are too), I decided to tell you about it. Also, there's an interesting little twist you'll see when you read the recipe.

Perfect for personal pizzas are these delicious ciabatta sandwich rolls (squares!) that I love to buy at Costco. If I time my shopping trip right, I'll find a bag that's still warm and toasty from the oven. I slice the tops off and freeze them for another day; usually I grind them up in my Cuisinart and use their crumbs for meatloaf or meatballs. The bottoms are of course the 'crust' for our pizzas.

Since the five of us cannot agree on much of anything with regard to food, these pizzas are a perfect option. I made tomato, basil, and mozzarella for myself and my husband, plain sausage for one, sausage and pepperoni for another, sausage and olives (ONLY GIVE ME SEVEN OLIVES, MOM!) for another. The rest I just got creative with, and there are enough leftovers for R to take for lunch tomorrow. Whipped up a big garden salad, and voila....dinner was on the table and no one was whining....not even me!

French Bread Pizzas

Serves: 5-6

Source: Cooks Country Magazine

1/4 c. olive oil

4 T. fresh basil, chopped

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large French baguette (or 8 Costco ciabatta sandwich rolls), halved lengthwise

3/4 c. (or so) Parmesan

1 c. tomato sauce (they recommend Contadina, which I like too)

An assortment of toppings - browned Italian sausage, pepperoni, olives, diced bell pepper, diced red onion, quartered grape tomatoes, Buffalo mozzarella

Shredded mozzarella

Additional basil for garnish if desired

Preheat the oven to 475. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil. 2 T. fresh basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Microwave on high for 30-60 seconds. Place bread (cut sides up) on a cookie sheet. Brush bread with olive oil mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake bread for 3-4 minutes, or until Parmesan is starting to turn golden. Remove from oven.

Combine any remaining olive oil mixture with the tomato sauce. Divide the sauce mixture over the bread, spreading evenly. Top with the shredded mozzarella, and then with your toppings of choice. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until cheese is melted and pizzas are hot throughout. Remove to a platter and serve.

Mmmmm....Sesame Beef & the World's Most Delicious COOKIES!

I've found it. The perfect kid dinner -- straightforward and simple, yet nutritious, easy to prepare, and pretty on the plate (all priorities for me, of course!).

We started with a dish I've made before, the Sesame Beef and Scallion Kebabs. Something interesting: the original recipe calls for 'boneless shell steak'. Hhhhm....never heard of it before. Took that idea to my favorite butcher and he'd never heard of it either. He asked around the meat counter and one other butcher (a transplant from New York) said, "Oh yeah! A boneless shell steak is the same thing as a boneless New York Strip!"

Well, while my butcher friend was asking around, I had my eye on the boneless sirloin steaks in front of me that were 7.99/lb. I thought that sounded pretty darned reasonable! When butcher guy came back with the New York Strip idea, those suckers were 12.99/lb., and I had to draw the line. I knew I was going to marinade the meat for at least three hours, so I figured, 'how bad can it be?!'

Glad I went with my instinct and sided with my pocketbook. The boneless sirloin was outstanding; I even over cooked it a little bit past my favorite medium-rare stage, and the skewers still came out great. Three hours in the marinade bought me a little forgiveness I guess. Here's the link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/12725

Next I made a favorite of mine - Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables. I know you guys are thinking, 'another rice dish?! Does this girl make other sides?!' I promise, this will be the last rice dish I blog on for another little while. Just want to share this one because I've made this many, many times and it never fails. It goes well with nearly anything on the grill, it's simple and yummy, but upscale enough to serve to guests (and believe me, I have!).

Another side: simple roasted asparagus. Not complicated, not groundbreaking, you've all done it before so I'm not going to attempt to wax poetic on my basic roasted asparagus. But, my kids ate it up and it looked gorgeous on the plate!

Lastly, the cookies. Oh lordy, the cookies! You all know by now that I am no baker. These cookies are probably the least daring thing a baker could possibly attempt! I'm not even that big of sweets fan, but I just loved these; so did my kids, and seven or eight neighbor kids as well! I'm only going to give you the link, because I followed the recipe to the letter, with the exception of adding 1 1/2 cups of M&Ms instead of 12 oz of chocolate chips.

All of the recipes can be found on Epicurious. They are titled as follows: Sesame Been and Scallion Skewers, Orzo and Rice Pilaf with Vegetables, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Have a look!

Indian Night....

Friday afternoon I had worked on this post for a long time, only to find that somehow or another, it didn't get saved and landed somewhere in computer heaven. So, I've cooled off and gotten over my blogger rage, and I'm ready to make another attempt at telling you about the delicious dinner we had this past Thursday.

I'm a big fan of curries and all things Indian, and this meal did not disappoint. For a main course we had Tandoori-Spiced Chicken Thighs. The marinade is TO DIE FOR! And really, it's pretty healthy too - the only fat in the whole dish is from the plain yogurt and the chicken itself. The recipe calls for marinating the chicken for a good eight hours, but I only had three. Honestly, the recipe did not suffer from missing those five extra hours -- the flavor was amazing! I think it would be fun to play around with this next time; maybe skewer chunks of chicken along with peppers, onions, etc. for a great summertime grill menu.

Alongside the chicken we had a delicious Indian-inspired Curried Rice Pilaf with Peanuts & Cilantro. I've never made a pilaf-style dish in my rice cooker before, but that worked like a charm! Of course I did the saute steps on my cooktop, but then slid the whole she-bang in the cooker and 25 minutes later, I had a perfect pilaf. I'll be using this method again, it's foolproof! I only tinkered with the recipe slightly, by using roasted peanuts instead of the cashews that were called for. Here's the link: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/238405

Our veggie course was a gorgeous yet simple saute of carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, red onion, broccoli, and asparagus - no recipe, just a few simple steps. First I parcook the harder veggies in the microwave for three minutes or so. Then I heat up my biggest saute pan and add equal parts butter and olive oil. When the foaming subsides, I throw in the squash, zucchini, and red onion and let those work for a few, then add the parcooked veggies and give them a good toss. Season up with some sea salt, ground pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder and voila...a perfect and pretty saute!

Dessert cooled things off with Key Lime Parfaits, which were embarrassingly simple, but so pretty that I would serve them to company! Since I didn't futz with the recipe at all, I'll just give you the link to it. Here it is: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/102201

This dinner went over well with the whole Dam'Fam (well, with the exception of my oldest, and we all know by now that he doesn't like anything!). I kept everything pretty mild for the kiddos, but of course the marinade and the pilaf's seasonings could be easily adjusted depending on your tolerance for heat and spice. I'll definitely kick those up next time!

TANDOORI-STYLE CHICKEN THIGHS

Serves: 6

Source: The Gourmet Cookbook, p.

1 small onion, quartered

2 cloved garlic, smashed

1 (2") piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1/2 c. plain yogurt

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 t. salt

1/2 t. tumeric

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

1/4 t. cayenne

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ground coriander

8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (3 1/2 lbs. total), rinsed and patted dry

Garnishes: lime wedges and cilantro leaves

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender. Pour over the chicken; cover and refrigerate for eight hours. Preheat broiler. Broil chicken 5-6 inches from heat source for 4 minutes per side. Place on serving platter; garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

I H8 BLOGGER

Sorry in advance for this little rant, but I just spent 45 minutes writing a post and trying to drag pictures around -- this stupid blogger kept messing up my formatting, adding spaces where I didn't put them, centering stuff I didn't center, and just pretty much frustrating me to the total be-Jesus! Now I'm totally aggravated and I'm out of time because I have to go do friggin' CARPOOL!!!!

ARRRRGGGHHHHH! I wish I knew something about computers! I'll have to post about my delicious thighs later! Chicken thighs, people. NOT my own!

Is it 5:00 yet?!?!?!?!