Catching Up: Easter Recipes

Last weekend, we spent Easter with some very good friends here in Stuttgart.  It had been a while since I'd whipped up anything homemade in the kitchen; even then, I wasn't trying to kill myself.  You guys know how I love to keep things simple!

I was asked by the hostess to help her out by bringing a few dishes. Naturally, I agreed to do a side dish as well as a dessert. 

I wanted to do a side dish that I thought would go well with the ham that we were going to have.  The hostess already told me that she was going to have a salad as well as some sweet potatoes.  So I went with a green bean casserole...only this recipe was kicked up a notch.  I didn't think it would be noticeable.  I mean, it's green bean casserole, after all.  However, it was a hit.  Even I thoroughly enjoyed it and intend to make every green bean casserole this way from now on.

~Classy Green Bean Casserole~

{via allrecipes.com}

3 (14.5 ounce) cans French cut green beans, drained

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup coarsely crushed buttery round crackers

2 tablespoon butter, melted

1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.In a medium bowl, mix together the green beans, sour cream, condensed soup, salt and pepper. Spoon into a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir melted butter into the crushed crackers, then sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

3.Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned and bubbly.

For dessert, I wanted to have something light and I knew that I wanted to use strawberries.  Enter Kraft Foods' Strawberry Pretzel Squares recipe.  It's similar to a recipe that my cousin always makes back home, only this one incorporates fresh strawberries and a pretzel crust.  I love that sweet and salty combination!  Because we had so many desserts that evening, including a fabulous carrot cake that the hostess made, I had tons leftover (although I was told it was delicious).  No problem though, because I took it to work the next day and it was polished off in no time.  I am definitely making this one again too!

~Strawberry Pretzel Squares~

{via kraftfoods.com}

2 cups finely crushed pretzels

1/2 cup sugar, divided

2/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

1-1/2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tbsp. milk

1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

2 cups boiling water

1 pkg. (6 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin

1-1/2 cups cold water

4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced

HEAT oven to 350°F.

1.  Mix pretzel crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan. Bake 10 min. Cool.

2.  Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar and milk until blended. Stir in COOL WHIP; spread over crust. Refrigerate.

3.  Add boiling water to gelatin mix in large bowl; stir 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Refrigerate 1-1/2 hours or until thickened (spoon drawn through leaves definite impression).

4.  Stir berries into gelatin; spoon over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.

Enjoy!

Now I'm off to find the perfect Cinco de Mayo recipe for a potluck we're having at work.  Any ideas out there?

Asian Lettuce Wraps & Fried Rice

I could kiss my friend, Angie, for introducing me to one of my new favorite blogs, Our Best Bites.  They have a TON of recipes as well as other craft ideas that I am dying to try.  Anyway, Angie had posted (on Facebook) a recipe for chicken lettuce wraps about two weeks ago and I knew that I was going to make them.  Man, I love me some chicken lettuce wraps.  I love PF Chang's version best, but since I doubt I can find a PF Chang's anywhere in Europe, I figured this recipe would help take the edge off of this serious craving. 

Well, it did--even if I did have to used ground turkey instead of ground chicken since the commissary doesn't sell it.  I may have to go off-post for ground chicken next time.  I made the lettuce wraps last Saturday.  My husband raved about them.  They sure were yummy and so easy to make.

{Asian Lettuce Wraps}

Click here for recipe.

The next day, I decided I still wanted more Asian food, so I pulled up a fried rice recipe (also via Our Best Bites) and paired it up with some pot stickers (that I'd purchased from the commissary in the frozen section--yeah, I was being lazy) that I'd boiled and then lightly pan fried.  Oh my gosh....talk about ultimate comfort and with minimal effort.  My favorite kinds of recipes.

{Fried Rice}

Click here for recipe.

Anyway, since last weekend, a close friend of mine had found and forwarded PF Chang's chicken lettuce wraps recipe to me.  Yipppeeee! When I make them, I'll be sure to let you guys know how it turned out!

Hachis Parmentier

I joined the French Fridays with Dorie cooking group months ago, right before we departed El Paso and haven't done anything with it since we've been in Germany.  I'm going to try to change that soon!  I made this hachis parmentier recipe this past Thanksgiving weekend, but never posted about it.  I enjoyed the dish so much that I had to make it again...and post about it this time. 

Hachis parmentier is the French version of shepherd's pie.  In this particular recipe, instead of using cube steak/beef chuck and making bouillon, I took the easy way out and used ground beef and beef broth.  I mixed parsley, garlic and sauteed mushrooms into the beef filling and topped it off with mashed potatoes.  Instead of using grated gruyere cheese, I used creamed havarti.  Ohhhh...yummy!

When it's done baking, the mashed potatoes get browned and crusty.  And it's great with any kind of vegetable on the side.  Yesterday we had asparagus spears and tonight we had it with sauteed zucchini.  It's my new favorite comfort food dish.

I know...I'm getting tired of using the same backdrop for all my pics, but I'm lacking inspiration lately.

The French Fridays with Dorie group doesn't post the actual recipes because it discourages folks from buying the cookbook.  I'll stay true to that, but leave you guys this link to a simple hachis parmentier.

Enjoy!

~Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata~

So, am I the only dummy who didn't know that you don't just have to use breadcrumbs to bread and saute chicken?  I mean, I know about panko and your normal egg and flour coatings--but potato chips, cereal and Ritz crackers?  This recipe called for crackers.  Since our commissary (which is about a ten minute walk from our house) closed before I even started making dinner (yes, we eat late dinners), we settled for the walk to the shoppette to get any kind of cracker we could find--normal saltines.

This recipe also called for 3 huge lemons and the dish, was a tad bit more lemony than I would have liked.  Still, it tasted great and the hubs and I enjoyed it with some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.  Definitely...if you're looking for something quick, tasty and different to do with your chicken, this is it.  Plus, it's quite spring-y with all its lemony goodness.

Easy Lemon Chicken Piccata

by Kraft Foods (April 2011)

3 large lemons, divided

4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)

1/4 cup Kraft May with Olive Oil Reduced Fat Mayo

22 Ritz Crackers, finely crushed (1 cup)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup chicken broth

1Tbsp butter

1.  Cut 4 thin lemon slices from half of 1 lemon; squeeze juice from remaining lemons.  Coat chicken with mayo then cracker crumbs.

2.  Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat.  Add chicken; cook 5 min.  Turn; cook on medium heat 5 min or until chicken is golden brown on both sides and done.  Transfer chicken to platter; sprinkle with parsley.  Cover to keep warm.  Carefully wipe any crumbs from skillet with paper towel.

3.  Add lemon juice and broth to skillet; cook on medium high heat 6 to 8 min or until slightly reduced; stirring occasionally.  Add butter and lemon slices; cook and stir on low heat 3 to 4 min or until butter is melted and lemons are heated through.  Serve over chicken.

~Simple Skillet Pork w/Green Beans~

Wow!  I can't believe the last time I posted it was Thanksgiving!  Where've I been since then?  Well, just about everywhere.  If you go to our family blog, you can get all caught up if you'd like; but in the last few months, we managed to spend the holidays with both our families (in UT and CO), and moved to and got settled into our new home in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Now that we're pretty much settled in, I'm starting to spend more time in the kitchen again (especially since my work schedule has allowed this to happen as of late--early nights, gotta love 'em!).  However, I just haven't felt like blogging about cooking lately.  I just thought that tonight, I'd give it a try.  Maybe this will inspire me to dust off my other cookbooks...perhaps to bake up something nice and sweet!

So you guys know how I LOVE simple recipes?  Well, this particular recipe is just that..  If you were to make it for your friend's they'd mistake it for something you spent the entire evening slaving away to make.  It makes for a wonderful presentation, yet you use very few ingredients--some of which you probably have just lying around in your kitchen.  Chicken is really played out in our house, so pork was a nice change.  And mushrooms are a favorite.  It's always nice when you get to decide just how many mushrooms to put in the sauce.  The recipe called for 2 cups, but I LOVE mushrooms and loaded them in.  This cream sauce was the bomb too....oh my goodness....just take the recipe and try it!

Simple Skillet Pork with Green Beans

by Kraft Food & Family (Spring 2011)

1 lb. pork tenderloin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb. thin fresh green beans

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Kraft Light Honey Dijon Dressing

2 oz. Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1.  Cut meat into 3/4 inch thick slices; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with garlic powder and black pepper.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add meat; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm.

2.  Add beans to skillet; cook and stir 4 or 5 minutes until crisp-tender.  Transfer to platter with meat.

3.  Cook and stir mushrooms in same skillet 1 minute.  Add next 4 ingredients; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until Neufchatel is completely melted and sauce just comes to a boil.  Serve over meat.

I subscribe to the Food & Family magazine and without fail, they've got several recipes that I'm dying to try.  And ALL of the recipes are as simple as this one, yet utterly delicious.  I'll be making a few more dishes out of this month's issue this week!

My First Turkey!

This Thanksgiving, we had some family come in from California, bringing our total number in the house up to seven!  Because we had so many people and we were bringing them to our friend's house that day, we decided to have more than one turkey--three to be exact.  And I was panicky.  I mean, this was the first time I'd ever made a turkey.  I mean, my mom was always the one who made the turkey!  And this was one of the few times I hadn't been home for Thanksgiving. 

So, in my search for easy turkey recipes, I stumbled upon this one on Jes' blog, Bleu Dress and Dress Blues.  It's a brined turkey recipe that she'd found and apparently, it's an Emeril recipe.  No wonder it turned out soooooo good!  It was tender and juicy and just plain delicious.  Although the process was time-consuming, I'm going to be making my turkey this way for years to come. 

For the brine:

5 gallon bucket

1 cup salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 oranges, quartered

2 lemons, quartered

6 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey

Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water. Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. (Note: if you have a larger turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water. You want to be able to submerge the entire turkey in the solution)

Remove everything from the cavity of the turkey. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water. Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

For making the turkey:

1 large orange, cut into 1/8ths

4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Salt and pepper

1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/8ths

1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs thyme

2 sprigs rosemary

1/2 bunch sage

3 or 4 sprigs parsley

1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, in a large, heavy roasting pan. Rub breast side with orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup chicken or turkey stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Note: All of El Paso was out of rosemary, sage and thyme. So I substituted with the dried herbs and placed them in some cheese cloth and then put that in the brining solution/turkey.

For the gravy:

4 cups turkey broth (from the roasting pan)

1 cup dry white wine

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat. Place the roasting pan on 2 stove top burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

I'm mainly making this post so that I have this recipe saved somewhere.  I'll be thinking about having this turkey again for the next year, it was so delicious!  And thanks to Jes for sharing this recipe.  I am eternally grateful!

Cherry Tomato Spaghetti with Toasted Pine Nuts

I haven't been in much of a blogging mood lately--for this blog and my other one.  And I have done some cooking and I just need to get caught up.  I even considered just stopping this cooking blog altogether, seeing how inconsistent I am with it.  Not to mention, we're on the verge of a big military move to Germany and we'll be on leave for a good month and a half...which means no cooking or baking until after we get settled in (we'll be in Germany after the New Year.  But my husband told me to keep it up.  So I will! 

Everyone pretty much knows that I'm a pasta fan.  This particular dish is very similar to the Ribbon Pasta with Tomato, Dill and Ricotta recipe that I posted a while back, and is just as terrific, if not better.  Believe it or not, this is the first time I've ever made a dish with pine nuts in it.  I love how nicely they pair with garlic and fresh cherry tomatoes.  This pasta is very light, but hearty.  And I'm definitely going to make it again.  I'm a huge fettucine fan, so I substituted that in for the spaghetti.  And I think that the colors of the pasta make a for a nice contrast against the vibrant red of the cherry tomatoes.

Cherry Tomato Spaghetti with Toasted Pine Nuts

from Cooking Light

2 (1-ounce) slices sandwich bread

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided

3 cups red cherry tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 1 cup. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; pulse to combine.

2.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumb mixture to pan; cook 2 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from pan; set aside.

3.  Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add tomatoes to pan; cook for 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to wrinkle. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and garlic; cook 30 seconds. Cover; reduce heat to low.

4.  Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add pasta, remaining 2 teaspoons oil, basil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper to tomato mixture, stirring to combine. Toss pasta with breadcrumbs; serve immediately.

Enjoy!