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Tasty Tidbit – Mushrooms

June 17, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 5 Comments

I looooooooove mushrooms.

Ok, let me repeat that in case you didn’t hear me.

I LOVE MUSHROOMS!

cooking tips Tasty Tidbit Mushrooms

I swear I put them in everything.

I like all kinds.

cooking tips Tasty Tidbit Mushrooms

All the asian mushrooms…

Great in stir fry!

cooking tips Tasty Tidbit Mushrooms

Dried mushrooms…

Awesome in risotto!

cooking tips Tasty Tidbit MushroomsEven button mushrooms…

Fantastic on burgers!

“But Alex?” you say, “With all these mushrooms in my fridge to choose from how can I keep them fresh longer?”

I’m so glad you asked!

Keep them in a brown paper bag!

Yup, just like lunch.

Extends the shelf life like nobody’s business!

Try it.

OH!  And don’t forget…never wash those bad boys in water…they’ll soak it all up.

Just give them a good wipe with a damp towel.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the great mushroom pics!

Filed Under: Cooking Tips Tagged With: , , , , ,

Asian Week – Mongolian Beef

April 6, 2011 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 13 Comments

Who needs to order take out when you can make it yourself?

Make this dish next time you think of heading out to PF Changs!

It’s delish and the kids love it.

dinner Asian Week Mongolian Beef

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 flank steak sliced thin

2 T vegetable oil

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup rice wine

2 t sriracha sauce

1 t sesame oil

3 T cornstarch

1 inch minced ginger

2 cloves chopped garlic

4 green onions, chopped

2 T peanut oil

WHAT TO DO:

Combine all the ingredients except the peanut oil and 2 of the green onions in a large plastic bag and allow to marinate for at least one hour.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok over high heat.  When the oil is smoking add everything in the bag into the wok.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring almost constantly.  Serve over brown rice or you can jazz it up with some stir fry soba noodles and veggies!

dinner Asian Week Mongolian Beef

Toss the beef on top of the noodles, voila,

Mongolian Beef Noodle Bowl!

dinner Asian Week Mongolian Beef

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ready When You Are Pot Roast

October 20, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 14 Comments

I have decided that the inventor of the crock pot deserves a national holiday to recognize their efforts and the success they bring to families everywhere.  I mean what’s better than grabbing the kids before school, letting them toss a bunch of stuff into a pot and pressing a button?

You go to school…

you head off to work…

you take the kids to soccer…

pick up your dry cleaning…

and head on home…

Walk in the door and voila…

Dinner is served!

recipes for kids Ready When You Are Pot Roast

Serves: 6                        Prep time:  15 minutes                        Cook time: 9 hours

2-3 lb bottom round or rump roast

1 T  canola oil

3 large  carrots, cut in large chunks

3 large celery stalks, cut in large chunks

1 large onion, cut in large chunks

1 cup white mushrooms whole

1 lb  small red potatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 10 oz can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

½ cup beef stock

S&P

Special Equipment:  Slow cooker

In a large skillet heat oil over high heat.  Season your roast on all sides with S&P.  When oil is smoking add meat and brown on all sides.  Meanwhile add your veggies to the bottom of you slow cooker.  When your meat is browned, place on top of veggies.  Add in your chopped garlic, and season with S&P.  Sprinkle your dry soup mix over meat and veggies then pour on your soup.  Pour stock over veggies and cover.  Cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve this with a side salad and crusty bread or just enjoy as is…this is a one pot wonder!

I hereby christen the 3rd week of October

Crock Pot Week!

Gather your best recipes and send them in.

If I use one of yours…

YOU WIN!!

recipes for kids Ready When You Are Pot Roast

A copy of our cookbook to call your very own.  Fire up your crock pots in honor of the guy (or girl – come on now, we all know it was probably a busy mom) who created them and pay some tribute.  If you can actually tell me who did invent the crock pot you win too!  Well, you win mad props from me anyway!

Filed Under: Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Belleicious Pork Chops

October 4, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 26 Comments

We love pork chops around here…well, we love all things pork around here.

It is the other white meat you know…

You want to know what I love even more than pork chops?

Pork chops stuffed with bread, veggies, and cheese!

So when I saw my girl over at Kitchen Belleicious make some beautiful looking stuffed pork chops I hurried on over to check out her dish.  Hers was great and made with pumpernickel bread, romano cheese and nuts!

You all know that I suffer from a nasty case of  recipe OCD so I switched things up with some corn bread and spinach.

Go have a looksie at both dishes.

You’ll be glad you did!

dinner Belleicious Pork Chops

Stuffed Pork Chops

4 center cut pork chops

2 large corn muffins, crumbled

1 small onion chopped

1 1/2 cups baby spinach

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup toasted pecans

2 T olive oil

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 T balsamic vinegar

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2 t paprika

1/2 t onion powder

1 can stout beer

1/2 cup worcestershire sauce

S&P

Serves: 4  Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 4 hours for marinating) Cook time: 25 minutes

Season both sides of your pork chops with S&P, garlic powder, paprika and onion powder.  Place them in a resealable bag with your beer and worcestershire sauce.  Seal the bag, place in the fridge and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours.dinner Belleicious Pork Chops

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Saute the onions until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add your garlic and cook for another minute.  Next toss in your spinach and let in wilt slightly, another minute or so.  Season with S&P.  Next toss in your nuts, corn muffins, and sprinkle in your balsamic vinegar.  Cook on low for 3 minutes then add in your cheese and mix well.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove your pork chops from the marinade.  Working on the side farthest from the bone cut a large horizontal pocket into each chop.  Inside each pocket fill with an equal amount of stuffing.  Continue with remaining chops then lay them into a greased baking dish.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

dinner Belleicious Pork ChopsEnjoy with Pop’s Pasta…stay tuned for the recipe!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

September 7, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 28 Comments

Oh I can feel, coming in the air tonight…

It feels like fall!

It’s coming!

This is my first fall back east in over 12 years. I’m sooooooo excited. So as the weather cools down we decided to heat up the kitchen.

You all know how we love our pizza.

Well, really, who doesn’t?

We do all kinds of pizza around here

We do BBQ Chicken Pizza

We do Grown Up Date Night Pizza

We do Pizza Puffs

We do Potato Pizza I mean we are Fitzpatricks after all

We do Muffin Man Pizzas

We even do Upside Down Pizza

For tonight I decided to use up the dough I had frozen from when I made the Date night pizza and slapped in on the pizza rock and we made pizza two ways…

Tomato

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

and Pesto

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

Both of which were great.  Why?  Because we topped them both with sauteed mushrooms, garlic, fresh mozzarella and wait for it…

PANCETTA!

Turns out I’m the only one who really likes the pesto.  Bummer, guess I’ll just have to eat it all myself.

They’re both delicious, here’s how you make them.

2 pizza dough (you can use store bought, from your local pizza joint, or try this recipe for homemade dough here)

1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce

1/4 cup pizza sauce (try the organic san marzano sauce from Whole Foods…YUM!!!)

2 large balls fresh mozzarella, sliced into thin discs

1/4 lb pancetta cut into large slices

8 oz sliced button mushrooms

8 oz sliced portobello mushrooms

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella

4 cloves garlic chopped fine

2 T olive oil

S&P

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Heat up 1 T olive oil.  When it’s hot add in your pancetta.  Cook until crispy.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add in an additional T of oil if needed.  Toss in your sliced mushrooms.  Saute until soft, about 8 minutes.  Add in your garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Turn off the heat and set aside.

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza PartyNext stretch your dough to the desired size.  We went for small pizzas.  Slather one dough with your red pizza sauce, the pesto to the other.  Or you can mix your sauces and get a yummy basily good tomato sauce.  Sounds like another recipe brewin’… Top the sauce with mushrooms.  Top each with fresh mozzarella, then shredded mozzarella.  Top the cheese with the pancetta and bake each pizza for 15 minutes or until nice and bubbly.

Serve with a side salad.  Trust me, there’s no leftover pizza for the next morning on this one.  Yes I eat leftover pizza for breakfast.  Don’t judge, always have, always will.  Also eat leftover chinese for breakfast.

It’s my fave.  What’s yours?

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

dinner Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Chicken Divine

August 24, 2010 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 21 Comments

Yes yes yes, I know that most people call this one chicken divan but this casserole is just so darn good that you just have to call it divine.  I love casseroles.  I love the fact that you can make them in advance, I love that you can throw anything leftover in the fridge into them, I love that dinner is ready by the time you get home from soccer practice!

I love that the weather has been cooler the last few days here in the northeast.  It’s going to be our first fall here and that is my favorite time of year.  It’s almost here and the kids are starting school next week.  This is great recipe for your arsenal when you need to get dinner on the table fast and homework done.

dinner Chicken Divine

Serves: 8  Prep time: 30 minutes  Cook time: 40 minutes

10 ounces steamed broccoli

3 large boneless chicken breasts

1 T olive oil

1 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

8 ounces buttom mushrooms, halved

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup light sour cream

2 t. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. curry powder

1 can sliced water chestnuts

S&P

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup french fried onions

4 strips bacon chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Season your chicken breasts with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Bake for 25 minutes.  dinner Chicken DivineMeanwhile heat a small skillet over medium heat.  Add your chopped bacon and saute until crisp.  Remove and allow to drain on a paper towel.

While your chicken cooks, assemble your casserole.  dinner Chicken DivineIn a 13×9 pan arrange your broccoli on the bottom.  In a large bowl combine soup, milk, mayo, sour cream, mushrooms, lemon juice, curry powder, water chestnuts.  Stir to mix well and season with salt and pepper.  dinner Chicken Divine

Once your chicken has finished cooking remove it from the oven and slice it into thin strips.  Arrange the chicken over the broccoli.dinner Chicken Divine Pour the soup mixture over the top of the chicken and broccoli.  Top with cheddar cheese and fried onions.  Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for 30 minutes.  dinner Chicken DivineRemove foil and sprinkle with bacon and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.  Serve with brown or white rice and enjoy!

dinner Chicken Divine

dinner Chicken Divine

dinner Chicken Divine

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
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