Orange Salad

Another FABULOUS four ingredient recipe. I love Ambrosia. I pile my plate high every time I find it at a pot luck or buffet. But for some reason I have never tried making it at home - now I think I'll keep a steady stock in my fridge for all eternity!

I do have to admit that as the recipe is written, it was a bit of a disappointment. I am used to sweet and chunky ambrosia. My first go at this orange salad tasted a bit more like cottage cheese than ambrosia. Couple that with undissolved JELL-O granules and chunks of unmixed Cool Whip and you see why I was disheartened (I thought I remembered that you should only lightly fold whipped topping to keep it from turning into cream... well you really have to mix this recipe hard to incorporate everything)!

Rather than giving up I decided to tweak the recipe a bit. I found an 8 ounce can of pineapple slices in my pantry and commenced shredding with two forks. I added this new ingredient to the bowl and stirred (vigorously). The result? FABULOUSLY sweet (and slightly chunky) ambrosia!

As I sit here eating a serving of this delectable salad (along with leftover Pasta a la Vodka Rustica), I can attest that it only gets better with time! The flavors have melded very well and the snack is truly scrumptious!

While I used fat free cottage cheese, I did grab full-fat Cool Whip and full-sugar JELL-O; next time I'll try the lighter versions of all ingredients. If it works, this would be a great healthy snack for all of my Weight Watchers buddies!




Orange Salad

1 (8 oz) tub Cool Whip
1 (8 oz) can Crushed Pineapple (I added an 8 oz can roughly shredded pineapple slices)
1 (3 oz) package Orange JELL-O
1 (12 oz) tub Cottage Cheese (I used fat-free)

Combine all ingredients.

Source: The Four Ingredient Cookbooks

Product Review: Bertolli Premium Vodka Rustica Pasta Sauce

Last night I couldn't decide whether to whip up a new recipe or warm up leftovers. After bouncing between the fridge and the pantry for a few minutes, I decided to land somewhere in between. Leftovers just weren't doing it for me, but I wasn't in the mood to thaw out a pack of chicken breasts either. So I grabbed a pouch of pasta sauce from my pantry, and the rest is history!

I grabbed a pouch of Bertolli's new Premium Vodka Rustica Pasta Sauce at HyVee a few weeks ago. Little did I know how new this stuff really was! I couldn't even find it listed on Bertolli's website, so I called customer service to find out why. This flavor was just released into stores in February and the website hasn't been updated yet. I am so glad that I called; the representative was extremely pleasant to speak with, and even offered to mail me a pack of coupons for Bertolli and other Unilever products - SCORE!



Whether or not you can find it online, head to your local store and find the real thing; you won't be disappointed! I absolutely hate to do dishes, and I hate to clean up sauce splatters all over my stove even more. With this inventive little pouch, there is no need to do either! Simply snip the corner of the pouch and microwave for 90 seconds - and voila! Dinner's done!

I used a 1 pound box of Barilla Cellentani Pasta - OOPS! My only complaint about the dish was that it was rather dry; not enough sauce to go around. I confirmed with the Bertolli customer service representative - since this is a 13 ounce pouch of sauce, you are only supposed to use a HALF a pound of pasta! DOH! Once again, I failed the "reading directions" portion of the test miserably. However, dry or not, the taste was fabulous! I love Vodka sauces because you get the best of both worlds - a little bit tomato, a little bit cream. This pouch packs the perfect amount of both, and is very savory (I really dislike sweet pasta sauces, so that's a big score in my book)! Add some Pillsbury Butter Tastin' Flaky Layers Biscuits (actually not my favorite - I'll stick to plain ol' Grands! from now on), sprinkle with a little Kraft Grated Parmesan, and you've got a perfect meal! And a special note to all of my coupon cutters out there - I bought each of these items on sale and/or with a coupon - DOUBLE SCORE!

Have you tried Bertolli Premium Pasta pouches? I'd love to hear your comments. I will definitely snatch up a few more pouches of the Vodka Rustica next time I'm at HyVee; I think I'll have to try the other flavors too (the Champignon and Portabella Mushroom will likely win my husband over)!

Soy Sauce Chicken

This recipe sums up why I love The Four Ingredient Cookbooks so gosh darned much. It uses only four ingredients (whose names I can pronounce and generally have on hand), which is a huge plus! Also the ingredients are inexpensive and often on sale, so it's a great budget meal. And it takes just four simple steps (though I still managed to mess one up - GO ME! I forgot to read the little part about bake COVERED, so for the first 20 minutes my poor little chicken breasts baked without the protection of foil). Also, if you prepare with light sour cream and low sodium soy sauce, this would be a great healthy meal!



I definitely recommend this recipe for any family on a budget or anyone just learning how to cook. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner and delicious enough to serve to company. The chicken was probably more moist than any other chicken I've ever prepared (though it was a tiny bit tough - I think because it baked naked for 20 minutes by mistake! OOPS). The leftovers are also fabulous, though they don't look nearly as appetizing as they taste after sitting in the fridge overnight (but I promise they are still delish)!




Soy Sauce Chicken

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned (I used 5; there was still PLENTY of sauce)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp black pepper (optional)

Place chicken in greased casserole dish. Mix sour cream, soy sauce and black pepper (optional) together. Spread over chicken. Bake covered [at 350 degrees for 1 hour].

Yield: 4 servings

Source: The Four Ingredient Cookbooks

The Four Ingredient Cookbooks

I have had this cookbook seemingly forever. I stole, er borrowed, um obtained this book from my Grandma's cookbook collection years ago. It is packed full of recipes so I flip through it frequently. Most are at (or only slightly above) my cooking ability - I mean, how difficult can you get with only four ingredients?

I love that most of the ingredients that the book calls for are typical pantry fare. I immediately throw a recipe out if it has an ingredient I can't pronounce or wouldn't know where to find (and more importantly, wouldn't ever use again). And because the recipes are limited to four ingredients, they are relatively inexpensive (sometimes downright cheap)! In this day and age, that's a big plus!

The biggest drawbacks are that there are no photos (as I've said before... not sure why I am so hung up on photos, since my meals never look as good as the polished studio confections anyway!) and that the book is a compilation of three separate cookbooks. For example, if you are looking for main dishes, you have to look in three different spots. While that's a bit frustrating at times, the value in this book is definitely worth it!

I can't wait to get back to cooking and try out some recipes in this book that I've never made before. Between Price Chopper and HyVee this weekend I found boneless skinless chicken breasts. ground beef, chicken leg quarters and pork chops all at good prices - so my fridge (soon to be freezer) is packed with meaty goodness just begging to be baked, broiled or sauteed!

Childhood Favorite - Sausage and Sauerkraut

With a few minor tweaks, I grew up on this quick, cheap and oh-so-easy meal! When I first met my husband I didn't cook (he joked that I could burn water) but I could actually make this! Growing up my grandmother sliced the sausage into sections about 2-3 inches thick and then sliced them down the middle. She threw all the ingredients into the pan and heated them together without browning. Still supremely delicious, but my version fits my family a little better.

Sausage and Sauerkraut

1 pkg smoked sausage or kielbasa (14 oz)
1 can sauerkraut, drained (14.5 oz)
1 tbsp brown sugar (or to taste)

Slice sausage into rings (or as desired) and brown in a large skillet. Add sauerkraut and sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Stir to incorporate brown sugar and heat through. Serve plain or with ketchup.

For my family of three, this is a perfect meal in itself. I peel the skin off of of a few "hot dogs" for my toddler and my husband and I eat the rest. Yum!

Also, check out this week's Price Chopper ad; Farmland sausage is buy one get one free!

Yeild: In reality, probably 4 (in my house, 2.5)!

Source: Me! (and my grandmother)

zesty potato cheese soup

This is one of the few recipes that I have actually made twice (when you have so many cookbooks and so little time... you don't very often get around to remaking a recipe)! It's been about a year and I remember that the soup was a big hit so I couldn't wait to try it again.

This is SUCH a simple recipe. It's just a few cans and a little sprinkle of cheese. Actually the little princess did half the work for me (she loves to pour opened cans into the pot and then stir everything around). I also love that the level of heat is adjustable bowl by bowl. My husband LOVES his food hot, I prefer just a little zip. And for the little princess - no zip at all. Since you sprinkle the cheese on each bowl, every person's meal is customizable for their tastes!

I am admittedly not a fan of creamy textures - in soups, pasta sauces, or just in general. However, with a bite of crescent roll for every spoon (yes, that means I ate four crescent rolls with my one little bowl of soup!) I am able to fully enjoy this meal! And my cream-loving husband slurped up all the extras!

The recipe didn't say to cook the fully cooked bacon... but when I took it out of the package it was a little limp for my tastes. So I microwaved it for about 20 seconds (according to the package direction) then snipped it into strips over each bowl. Bacon and cheese - what more could a girl ask for?



Zesty Potato Soup

3 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted
2 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (we didn't measure, just scooped what we wanted into our bowls)
3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese (ditto)
6 slices ready-to-serve fully cooked bacon, crumbled

In a large saucepan, combine the potato soup and milk. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through. Ladle into serving bowls. Sprinkle with cheeses and bacon.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook

garlic chicken 'n' gravy

Unfortunately I can't tell any quirky stories about this recipe. Why? Because my dear husband decided to cook this meal for me! It was so nice after a long day at work to have someone else do the work. He even plated it up and took a picture for me - what a sweetheart! I asked him afterwards how the cooking went and if he had any interesting stories to tell - he just said it's a good recipe.

Well, from what I ate, I would have to agree with him! The garlic flavor seemed really strong (but we love garlic) on first bite. I am not sure if he spooned in more than the recipe called for (we always use bottled minced garlic rather than the 'real' stuff, so who knows how much he added!) or if the recipe might need to be scaled back for a non-garlic-lover. Other than that, all comments are positive!



Garlic Chicken 'n' Gravy

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz each)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup white wine OR additional broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp all-purpose flour

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, cook chicken and garlic in butter over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until browned. Add 1/2 cup broth, wine or additional broth, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm. In a small bowl, combine flour and remaining broth until smooth; stir into pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve over chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook

pecan-coated roughy

Yum-O! (umm... did I just say that?)

I have to admit that I have never really been a fan of fish. I LOVE fish sticks. And (thanks to my husband), I love sushi (tuna and salmon only, and only the kind without seaweed... none of those ucky rolls for me!). But otherwise I don't eat much fish, and I can honestly say I've never cooked it before. The hubby has grilled tuna steaks and made tilapia once, but that's it.

So this was a fishy experiment for me! I bought the orange roughy fillets frozen because they were cheaper that way (and living in the Midwest, the fish in my grocer's "fresh" case is all previously frozen anyway). I grabbed a small bag of pecans because I didn't want to have a lot of excess left over. That was my biggest mistake - after I chopped them up in my food processor (score!) I started breading the fish without measuring. I didn't even have a quarter of the pecans needed to coat those puppies! Thankfully I had a can of cashews in the pantry, so I improvised and we had Pecan/Cashew-Coated Roughy!

I am horrible at timing multiple recipes to be done at the same time. So unfortunately the sauce was finished shortly after I put the fish in the oven, and thickened a bit more than I would have liked. But it was still yummy! My other big mistake was failing to realize that fish isn't that filling. My husband and I are big eaters, and need a plate full of food to fill us up. Even eating two fillets each, we still needed more substance. So at the last minute we threw a bag of beer battered french fries in the oven to round the meal out (such a great compliment to fish, lol!).

Again, a learning experience! Next time I will buy a BIG bag of pecans and plan to cook up some broccoli on the side. Otherwise, I have to say that I will try this one again! The taste was great - not a super-fishy fish (which is good for me). The sauce was also really good. The orange flavor was reminiscent of orange marmalade without the weird texture, and not so sweet. I will say that the sauce is great spread over the top, but the fish is too flaky to pick it up and dip. Another lesson learned! Finally, after my harrowing experience with honey Dijon mustard with Pretzel-Crusted Chicken, I opted for honey mustard instead.



Pecan-Coated Roughy

1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
4 orange roughy fillets (6 oz each)
1 tbsp chopped shallot
2 tsp butter
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
1 cup orange juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Place egg and pecans in separate bowls. Dip fillets into egg, then coat with pecans. Place in greased 15-inch x 10 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, saute shallot in butter until tender. Add wine. Bring to a boil; cook for 1-2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, orange juice and mustard until smooth; stir into wine mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with orange roughy.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious Cookbook

leftover chicken tortilla soup

I have been redeemed! I found this recipe to reuse the chicken from last week's Cola Chicken disaster experiment. This soup was super-simple, quick and tasted amazing. My daughter and my husband both lapped it up, which doesn't happen very often!

This was also a great way to get the little princess involved in the kitchen. She helped me get each can out of the pantry and the stock pot out of the cabinet. She arranged each on the kitchen floor and could barely contain herself as she sat waiting for me to arrive with the can opener. I opened each can and then she poured its contents into the pot. Her favorite was the refried beans - I opened both ends of the can and let her push the bottom lid down as the contents squeezed into the pot. Such fun for an almost-three-year-old! After I squished the beans down a bit she stirred the whole concoction with fervor, then ran off to play while I finished the cooking.

I will definitely use this recipe again, and honestly I don't think I would make any changes. I used a can of "diced tomatoes with green chilies" rather than Rotel because the latter is just too hot for my tastes. If you like your food on the hot side you might try it that way. We crushed up some stale tortilla chips that I would have otherwise thrown away - this recipe was chock full of recycled foods! I actually found it on a blog called Making Do with the Not So New... what a perfect fit! MJ also suggests that you can freeze the leftovers, but after lunch today there won't be any! Next time I think I'll make a double batch, though, because this seems like a recipe that would freeze very well.



Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can refried beans
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup corn (I used frozen)
1 lb leftover cooked chicken, shredded
Shredded cheese
Crushed tortilla chips

Stir tomatoes, beans, broth and corn in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add meat until heated through. Ladle into bowls and top with cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Yield: 6-8 servings (this is my guestimate - the original recipe didn't state a yield)

Source: MJ at Making Do with the Not So New

carrot-coconut muffins

Two words: ANOTHER WINNER!

I have said before - and will say again - that I am not a baker. I can't reheat frozen pies or cook packaged cookie dough without some sort of disaster. So what on earth possessed me to try this recipe is beyond me!

But am I ever glad that I did! These heavenly little nuggets are so moist and full of flavor. They were great fresh out of the oven and also amazing out of the fridge the next day. Let me again note the changes I'll make next time before I give you the recipe:

1. The coconut didn't add anything. I don't know if it was a necessary ingredient just in terms of baking and making the recipe turn out right (hope not!) but there was no coconut flavor in the finished product, and the texture was a bit distracting. I'll drop it next time.
2. There really wasn't a carrot flavor either. You definitely get the orange color, and maybe a tinge of flavor, but (thankfully!) nothing overpowering. I want to try sweet potato baby food next time, and then the sky is the limit on other concoctions.
3. The apple cinnamon notes from the boxed muffin mix and added spices are the most powerful (and yummy!) flavors in these muffins. I am a spice girl (no pun intended), so I will add more cinnamon and perhaps even some pumpkin pie spice next time. Yum yum!

Carrot-Coconut Muffins
Canola oil cooking spray (I used butter flavored instead)
1 box (19 oz) fat-free apple cinnamon muffin mix
4 jars (4 oz each) carrot baby food (pureed)
1 c shredded coconut
1/4 c apple juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat twelve 2 1/2 inch muffin cups with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, stir together muffin mix, carrot baby food, coconut, apple juice, cinnamon and ginger until combined. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each two-thirds full.
3. Bake muffins in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool muffins in cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from muffin cups. Serve warm.

Yield: 12 muffins

Source: Semi-Homemade Cooking Made Light

pretzel-crusted chicken with honey mustard sauce

One word: FABULOUS!

This simple little recipe only requires five ingredients, but it is honestly one of the best meals I have ever cooked! I will definitely tweak it a bit the next time around, but it will become a forerunner in our little book of family favorites!

Before we get into the recipe, let me explain what I would change:

1. So this is more an issue with my inexperience in cooking than with the recipe itself. You need 4 cups of crushed pretzels - so I got out a zip top baggie and a bottle of salad dressing and pounded away! That first sad little baggie was pulverized into bits (sending pretzel dust all over my counters), so for the next batch I used a heavy-duty bag from our FoodSaver vacuum system. After three more batches even this tough cookie had seen its better days! I also managed to dent the bottom of a brand new bottle of salad dressing. The recipe claimed 10 minutes prep time, and this step alone took me closer to a half hour! Then as I breaded the chicken tenders, a light bulb went off in my head! "Hey sweetie! Next time I make this, I can use the food processor to crush the pretzels!" So that's what that thing is for - I just thought it was supposed to collect dust in the farthest depths of my kitchen cabinet!
2. The recipe calls for unsalted pretzels. I like salt. I used regular salted pretzels and loved every bit of it - heck I would have even been happy with more salt! I would not recommend unsalted pretzels.
3. The recipe also calls for chicken breasts cut into strips. I used chicken tenders. However, I did learn (the hard way) that you should cut off that little tough white thing that hangs off of one end of the tender - otherwise you'll get a bite of not-so-appetizing-plasticy-hardness at the end of each otherwise-delicious piece.
4. I scoured the shelves for honey Dijon mustard. Lots of people make honey mustard or Dijon mustard. The only honey Dijon mustard I could find was French's (as the recipe suggests). I've used this product in the past and remember that it was way too spicy for my tastes. Nothing's changed - still much too spicy. Next time around I will just buy a store brand honey mustard. For the dipping sauce, I may even substitute Kraft's fat-free honey Dijon dressing (I LOVE to dip chicken in this stuff).
5. The recipe says to cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Even with thin chicken tenders it took 20 minutes.
6. The recipe also says to line your baking sheet with foil. I'll stick with my Pampered Chef stoneware, no foil.
7. Eat all of these delectable morsels the minute they come out of the oven (or at least during the same meal)! The pretzels become soggy in the fridge, so the leftovers are less-than-appetizing.
   

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce

4 cups unsalted tiny pretzels, crushed
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each), cut into 1-inch-thick strips
3/4 c honey Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Put crushed pretzels in a pie plate; set aside.
2. Brush both sides of chicken pieces with 1/4 cup of the honey mustard. Press chicken into crushed pretzels to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake chicken in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Meanwhile, in a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 c honey mustard, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning. Microwave on high setting (100% power) for 1 minute or until heated through. Serve with chicken.

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking Made Light

dinner on a dime

Tonight's recipe will come from Taste of Home's Dinner on a Dime booklet. I picked this up at the grocery store last week (and yet I can't even say it is my newest cookbook! I know - it's a sickness).

So far I am impressed. The book is loaded with tips for saving money, which in this day and age is a necessity. Most (though not all) meals include a nice color photo (though I don't know why I always look for cookbooks with photographs - my meals never look like the one in the picture).

There are 25 recipes inside that I actually might try (that's huge for me - many of my more expensive cookbooks only have a handful that match my family's tastes, our budget and my cooking abilities). I made the Stovetop Beef 'n' Shells Monday night and it was a big hit. Think yummy goulash with smaller shells (easier for my toddler to eat)! I salted and peppered the beef before adding the rest of the ingredients (in addition to the seasonings the recipe called for) and my husband also added a generous sprinkling of seasoning salt. I bought a 15 oz can of tomato sauce (the large store brand can was cheaper than the small name brand can) and used almost all of it. I would actually suggest using the whole 15 oz can, since you simmer out much of the liquid anyway. It was just as good left over the next day (another big issue in our family, since none of us particularly like leftovers). This recipe will definitely go into our family favorites list.

After I tackle the Cola Chicken, I will post photos and let you know the results. Since the first meal was such a success I am excited about the potential in this book's other recipes. I would definitely recommend that you grab a copy while they are still available; the date on the cover says "Display until March 10, 2009".

my diabolical plan derailed (temporarily)

I was all fired up to kick off the blog and cook a new Cola Chicken recipe tonight. After a rather difficult day, I returned home to find my husband already cooking! What a wonderful surprise!

Unfortunately I can't say that he cooked a recipe for me to share with you, but I will still recommend our meal. The next time you are in a pinch or on a budget, try Betty Crocker Complete Meals. My favorite is the Three Cheese Chicken, which is what we ate tonight. For just a few dollars I can feed my family of three and usually have another small serving left over for lunch the next day. Most packaged meals are either dry or runny, but this meal has the perfect creamy texture (which says a lot coming from me, because I am picky about creamy foods).



Pillsbury's Ready to Bake S'mores cookies are another one of our family favorites. After dinner my hubby surprised me with these fresh, hot cookies too! While we do love the flavors of these cookies, I must say that they are extremely sweet - you'd better have a glass of milk on hand! Also, they are very soft and tend to fall apart when they are warm. As they cool they harden up nicely; I love to eat them out of the fridge the day after they are baked (that is, if there are any left over!).

Now back to the drawing board; tomorrow I will shoot for a great Cola Chicken. Wish me luck, and I'll share the results here!