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

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

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

beech-nut baby food coupons

I just had an awesome experience with Beech-Nut and wanted to share it with you!

I found a post about their Parent's Pack (coupons!) over at Stretching a Buck. I used Beech-Nut carrots for the wonderful Carrot-Coconut Muffins that I made this weekend, so I had to check this program out!



I called 1-800-523-6633 and spoke to a very nice lady. I told her that my daughter was too old for baby food, but that I use it in cooking. She even offered to come check my blog out! I can't wait to receive the package; I guess it should include a variety of coupons, information about their label program (to earn more coupons!) and a feeding guide (which I'll pass along to my sister who has a baby just starting to eat baby food). When I mentioned my blog she asked if I had any Gluten Free recipes; since I don't I directed her to 5 Dollar Dinners (apparently a lot of parents call in looking for Gluten Free suggestions).

I also explored Beech-Nut's website a bit and found information on the Sneaky Chef. She sneaks extra nutrition into her family's meals in a variety of ways, including adding baby food! Check out her Beech-Nut Sneaky Pizza and Pasta Sauce. Since I am more of a bottled pasta sauce gal, I think I'll take her suggestion and add a bottle of baby food veggies next time (shh... don't tell my family)!

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