Category Archives: Dinner time!

Okay, I can never remember who says supper, and who says dinner, so this is the meal you eat at the end of the day

Dinner time!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

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Oh me, oh my!!!  A friend pinned (on Pinterest) a delicious looking recipe for sweet and sour chicken.  When I clicked the link, I discovered another wonderful food blog!  I thought my SuperHero wasn’t a fan of fried rice (the recipe that accompanies the sweet and sour chicken) but was surprised to hear that he does like it, so next time I’m just going to make the chicken and fried rice.  Tonight we had plain rice and mixed vegetables with the chicken.  Now, since I already said this was found on another wonderful food blog, rather than typing it out, I’m going to send you (via a link) over there because she also posted some wonderful pictures to help you with the process (I didn’t, making my chicken a much longer process…..don’t ask…..just do as she says.  And now, off you go to Life as a Lofthouse

Enjoy!

Dinner time!

Pumpkin & Sausage Penne

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We had this for dinner this evening and it was enjoyed by all. It was liquidy enough to serve in bowls, but very thick and filling. Some of us used spoons, some used forks, all cleaned their bowls!! Wonderful autumn meal!

Photo courtesy of my SuperHero who said, “You gotta stage these things!”

3 cup uncooked penne pasta
8 Italian sausage links, casings removed
2 cup chopped sweet onion
4 garlic clove, minced
1 1/3 Tbs olive oil
1 1/3 cup white wine or chicken broth
4 bay leaf
3 cup chicken broth
1 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup minced fresh sage, divided
1/2 tsp each salt, pepper and ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper
towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 teaspoon. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil and reserved drippings over medium-high heat until tender. Add wine and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the remaining broth, pumpkin, 1-1/2 teaspoons sage and remaining seasonings; cook 1 minute longer. Add the cream and sausage; heat through. Remove bay leaf.
Drain pasta; transfer to a large bowl. Add sausage mixture; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining sage.

Servings: 8

Source: Taste of Home 2012

Dinner time!

Bulgolgi (Korean BBQ Beef)

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I had never had bulgolgi before moving to UT, where we met a Korean lady at our church.  She made this for us and we all LOVED it so I came right home and googled the recipe.  Oh yum!!
  • -1.5 lbs. of thinly sliced rib-eye steak purchased from a Korean market. Or you can slice your own rib-eye or sirloin steak across the grain in paper thin slices. Partially freezing the beef helps with cutting clean slices.
  • 1/3 cup of soy sauce or for a Gluten-Free variation, use San-J Organic Tamari Wheat Free Soy Sauce found in the health food section of your local grocery store.
  • 3 Tbl white sugar
  • 1 Tbl sesame oil
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 of a medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into medium moon shaped slivers
  • 2 green onions including the white parts, finely sliced into small pieces
  • 2 Tbl toasted sesame seeds
  • 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
  • 2 pinches of black pepper
  • optional 1/4 tsp. of ginger, finely minced
Instructions
  1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl except beef and onions. When most of the sugar has dissolved, add beef and onion slices to the bowl and massage the marinade with your hands into each slice of beef. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. To pan fry, place a few slices of beef in single layers and completely flat on a hot oiled frying pan and fry each side until cooked. Some people prefer to cook the bulgogi until some of the edges have turned dark brown and crispy. Serve with a bowl of hot rice. Enjoy!
Dinner time!

Kenny Rogers Fire−And−Ice Chili

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I entered this into a chili cookoff with about 10 other chili’s.  This one is very different from what you expect, but everyone LOVED it.  It was a tie for first place between this recipe, and my friend, Alex’, recipe (hmmm, guess I should request his too)  I’m making this for dinner tonight and decided to throw in a can of beans as well.

1 20−ounce can pineapple chunks in syrup
2 lbs lean boneless pork roast cut into 1−inch cubes
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion chopped (1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic minced
1 28−ounce can tomatoes cut up
1 6−ounce can tomato paste
1 4−ounce can diced green chili peppers drained
1 green pepper chopped 3/4 cup)
1 medium yellow onion chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
1 to 3 Tbs seeded and finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Chili toppers: sliced onions, sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese

1. Drain pineapple, reserving syrup.

2. In a Dutch oven, cook pork, half at a time, in hot olive oil till brown.

3. Return all the meat to the pot. Add the first chopped onion and 1 clove

4. garlic. Cook over medium heat till onion is tender, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the reserved pineapple syrup, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste, green

6. chili peppers, the green pepper, 1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, chili powder,

7. cumin, jalapeno pepper and salt.

8. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer the chili for 1 1/2

9. hours, stirring occasionally. Add the pineapple chunks. Cover and simmer for

10. minutes more.

11. Let diners add their own toppers.

Servings: 8

Dinner time!

Greek Chicken Salad Wraps

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Well, I guess the secret’s out….I really like the recipes on Kittencal’s Kitchen blog.  So here’s another one that’s guaranteed to put a big smile on my hubby’s face! Her Greek dressing is word for word, the rest is my words but her idea.

Greek dressing
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 or 2 whole lemons
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Greek oregano)
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a jar or container with tight fitting lid. Shake well to mix. Best if made and refrigerated 2 hours ahead (but if you’re like me and only think of it last minute, oh well! it still works, but will have more flavor later)

I put olive oil in a frying pan, placed chicken in the pan and sprinkled it with salt and lemon pepper. I then let it cook, turning it, so that it was just starting to brown (but insides are cooked really well….I start with frozen chicken, so I put a lid on it and let it cook a good long time….that’s just how I roll). When the chicken is done, let set for about 5-10 minutes (while you prep the other ingredients) and then slice into think slices.

the rest of the ingredients
layer everything like this:

tortillas
red onion, coarsley chopped
tomatoes, sliced thin
cucumbers, sliced thin
salt and pepper (to taste)
romaine lettuce, chopped
Kalamata olives (yeah, seriously, spring for the good stuff….you’ll thank me)
sliced chicken
crumbled feta cheese
Greek dressing

Dinner time!, Kids Favorites, Smart Substitutes

Enchilada Lasagna

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Quick, easy and OH so yummy!  This is a family favorite.  It serves about 12 people, but don’t let that stop you if you don’t have that many mouths to feed at once….this makes wonderful leftovers as well!

1-1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ounces) enchilada sauce
1 to 2 tsp ground cumin
1 egg, beaten
1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) 4% cottage cheese
3 cups (12 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
8 flour tortillas (8 inches), cut in half
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, enchilada sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, combine egg and cottage cheese; set aside. Spread a third of the meat sauce into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with half of the cheese blend, tortillas, cottage cheese mixture and remaining meat sauce. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

3. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting.

Servings: 12

Source: Originally published as Enchilada Lasagna in Taste of Home June/July 2010, p32

Dinner time!

Kittencal’s Italian Melt-In-Your-Mouth Meatballs

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This recipe is SO delicious and easy! I love spaghetti and meatballs made this way. It’s true what she (Kittencal) says, these meatballs are so much more flavorful! A link to her blog is at the bottom of this post, check out her other yummy recipes!

Cooking the meatballs in simmering pasta sauce will not only add so much extra flavor to the sauce the meatballs will be melt-in-your-mouth tender, you may of course oven-bake the meatballs for about 25 minutes, — don’t be afraid to add in more Parmesan cheese and a little more milk, there is no need to measure exactly, this recipe is pretty much foolproof, leftover cooked meatballs make a wonderful pizza topping just slice thinly and freeze until ready to use

1 1/2 lbs ground beef ( a mixture of 1 pound ground beef and 1/2 pound ground pork will work well also)
1 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup breadcrumbs ( or use enough to hold the meat together (no dry breadcrumbs? just soak 3 slices of bread in the 1/3 )
1 -2 Tbs fresh minced garlic ( or use 1 teaspoon garlic powder or to taste)
1 -2 tsp salt ( or to taste, I use 2 teaspoons seasoned salt)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk ( can use up to 1/2 cup milk)
1/2 tsp dried oregano ( optional, or to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley ( or 2 tablespoons dried parsley)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Shape into small meatballs (at this point you can place on a jelly-roll/baking sheet and freeze to use later, or cover with plastic wrap refrigerate up to 24 hours before using).
3. Drop the meatballs into simmering pasta sauce, do not stir for at least 20 minutes or you will risk breaking the meatballs.
4. Continue cooking in the simmering sauce for another 20 minutes (depending on how fast your sauce is simmering 40 minutes total should fully cook the meatballs).
5. After the 40 minutes cooking time continue cooking your sauce with the meatballs in for as long as desired.

Yield: 1.5 pounds

Tips
you may also bake the meatballs at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Source
Author: Kittencalskitchen

Camping, Dinner time!

Grilled Cheesy Burgers

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ImageImage

I had tried a recipe similar to this that I had found online.  You actually made a regular grilled cheese sandwich while cooking the burger, and then you had to open the grilled cheese to stuff in the burger.  Messy, not so great.  SO when we went camping, I came up with this much easier, much cheesier recipe!

ground beef (I usually make 1/4-pound burgers)
onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
a variety of your favorite cheeses (we used provolone, American, and cheddar)
bread
butter or margarine
dill pickle slices

Mix ground beef with onions, salt and pepper.  Shape into patties and grill until done.  Butter 2 slices of bread per serving.  Place 1 slice of bread, butter-side down, into hot skillet, stack on cheese, burger, more cheese, pickle slices, and 2nd piece of bread, butter-side up.  Cook until bottom bread slice begins to brown.  Gently turn entire sandwich over and brown second side (cheese should be nice and melty, holding the whole yummy concoction together).

Dinner time!, Mo-o-om! I'm hungry!!

No-Fry Onion Rings

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I found this recipe at www.pamcookingspray.com and just had to try it.  We LOVE onion rings, but I HATE deep frying things (and the way it makes my house smell is awful too!)  So we made these and they’re fairly easy and very tasty!  Yay!

Oven-baked onion rings with the flavor and crunch of traditional deep-fried onion rings

Hands On:10 | Total: 25 | Makes: 6 servings (about 4 rings each)

Ingredients:

  • PAM® Olive Oil No-Stick Cooking Spray
  • 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1/3 cup fat free milk
  • 1 cup Ultragrain® All Purpose Flour
  • 4 large egg whites, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups cornflake crumbs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Cover 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil; spray evenly with cooking spray.
  2. Separate onion slices into rings. Dip into milk, then into the flour, turning to evenly coat both sides of each onion ring. Dip coated onion rings in egg whites, then into cornflake crumbs, again turning to evenly coat both sides of each onion ring. Place in single layer on prepared baking sheets; spray evenly with cooking spray.
  3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until onions are tender and golden brown.

Cook’s Tips

Variation: Omit cornflake crumbs. Prepare as directed, coating the onion rings with a mixture of 2/3 cup dry bread crumbs and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.