Ma Whats For Dinner?» olive oil

Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 11:00:43 +0000

Surfing around bloggie land a couple weeks back and I happened upon a chicken noodle casserole dish on my girl Anne’s Annie Bakes. It looked so good I knew I had to grab the boys and throw together a version.

If you’ve been following along then you all know how I have recipe OCD so we switched things up a bit, but Anne is the inspiration behind this one…

Thanks Anne!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1/2 T olive oil

1 onion diced

1/2 pound cubed bacon slab

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 cups water

2 cubes beef bouillon

1/2 cup white wine

1 spring thyme

1 package cooked ziti

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup dry sherry

S&P
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 T melted butter

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray 2-quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and bacon until bacon is crispy. Add in onions and cook for about 7-9 minutes, until onions are soft. Set aside to cool while your chicken cooks.

Place chicken, water, wine, thyme and bouillon cubes in large saucepan over medium high heat.

Cook 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Drain liquid and discard; cut chicken into cubes.

Combine cooked ziti and chicken in prepared casserole dish.

Combine soup, sour cream, Asiago cheese, mayonnaise, sherry, onion, bacon, and S&P in medium bowl: mix well.

Pour over pasta and chicken; toss lightly.

Toss Panko, Parmesan cheese and butter in small bowl. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake 30 to 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Serve with crusty bread and a big ol’ salad and everyone is happy!

Clam & Corn Chowdah Soup Week

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:47 +0000

It’s Soup Week here at Ma, What’s For Dinner.

It’s a cool cloudy day around here.

We’re expecting a boat load of rain this weekend.

This yummy soup will hit the spot!

Serves: 6 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 T butter

1 T Olive Oil

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 T fresh thyme

S&P

2 T flour

2 cups half-and-half

2 cups chicken stock

1 bag diced potato (near the hash browns in the meat section)

2 cans whole clams and their juice

1 10 oz bag frozen corn

WHAT TO DO:

In a medium pot over medium high heat sauté bacon with 1 T olive oil. When just crispy add in butter and onions, celery and thyme. Season with S&P and cook 5-7 minutes. Add flour and cook for two more minutes.

Add half-and-half and stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in potatoes and clams. Season again with S&P. Bring soup back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened up nicely. Stir in frozen corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve with garlic bread and salad.

Get Healthy Week – Quinoa with mozzarella and sundried tomatoes

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 18 May 2011 11:00:43 +0000

I love pasta.

I love rice.

I love starch.

But apparently, not always the best option for you to eat…

Whatever…

Sooooo,

I’ve found this!

Quinoa!

It’s like rice or pasta – that’s really good for you!

And the boys LOVE IT!!!!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 cups water (or chicken stock)

2 t olive oil

1 portabello mushroom, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jar sundried tomatoes

15 pitted kalamata olives, chopped

10 basil leaves, torn

1 8 ounce package fresh mozzarella, diced

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

In a medium sauce pan bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover and knock heat back to simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes.

Meanwhile in a larger sauce pan add olive oil and garlic to the pan. Allow the oil to warm until just before the garlic begins to brown. Toss in your mushrooms and add a bit of S&P. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms brown up.

Knock the heat back and add in your tomatoes and olives. Remove from heat and add in cooked quinoa.

Toss in your mozzarella and basil. Season with more S&P if needed.

Trust me, you’re going to LOVE this dish!!!

Get Healthy Week – Chicken with whole wheat penne and veggies

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:00:29 +0000

It’s spring time!

That means summer is coming.

You know what that gets me thinking of?

Bathing suits.

I’m so not ready to start slipping into a bikini!

So we’re getting healthy this week.

And eating delicious at the same time.

Check out this quick and healthy meal….

CHICKEN WITH WHOLE WHEAT PENNE AND VEGGIES

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box whole wheat penne

2 T olive oil

2 zucchini, halved and sliced thin

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic

4 scallions, diced

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin and sliced into bite sized pieces

1/2 t red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts

1/2 cup chicken stock

10 basil leaves, torn

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Bring a large pasta pot of water to boil. Add the penne and cook to al dente.

While the pasta cooks heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add 1 T of your olive oil.

Toss in your zucchini, mushrooms, garlic, scallions, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Season with a bit of S&P and let your veggies soften up.

After about 5 minutes, remove veggies to a plate and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pot.

Season your chicken with S&P and add it to the hot pan. Cook chicken on both sides until brown and cooked through, about 8 minutes or so. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken and add the veggies back in. Add in your artichoke hearts and chicken stock scraping up any brown bits left on the bottom of the pan.

Drain your pasta (reserve a cup of the pasta liquid in case you’d like to add more to your sauce) and toss pasta with the chicken/veggie sauce. Sprinkle on your parmesan cheese, basil, and pine nuts.

Viola! Quick easy healthy meal!

Salad Week – Beet Edamame and Goat Cheese Salad

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:00:18 +0000

So the calendar says spring.

Though the thermometer doesn’t agree.

Looks like here in the Northeast we’re going to be going straight from winter…

To summer.

At least that’s what they’re telling me.

Time to get back in bathing suit shape.

So I hereby christen this…

SALAD WEEK

My boys love the salads!

This one comes together quick and easy.

Add some grilled chicken or shrimp for a more filling meal

Beet, Edamame, and Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Vinagrette

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 heart romaine lettuce, torn

1 small can sliced beets, drained

1/4 cup shelled edamame

1/2 small red onion

4 ounces goat cheese crumbled

1 t oregano

2 T raspberry jam

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

In a large bowl toss together lettuce, beets, edamame, red onion and goat cheese.

In a smaller bowl combine oregano, jam, and vinegar. Stir well to thin out the jam. Slowly stream in your olive oil while whisking the dressing. Season with S&P.

Pour dressing over salad and serve.

Rapunzels Rainbow Tangled Angel Hair

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:00:10 +0000

It’s week three of our Disney Princess competition!

This week features the beautiful and brand new

Rapunzel from Disney’s new Tangled

The hubs took the boys to see this flick.

They all loved it.

But all I could think of when trying to come up with a recipe was…

Rapunzel, Rapunzel throw down your….

ANGEL HAIR!!!

So here it is…

This is a super delicious quick dish that comes together in a flash.

Rapunzel’s Rainbow “Tangled” Angel Hair Pasta

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb box angel hair pasta

2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 T butter

1 zucchini cut into ribbons

2 carrots cut into ribbons

1 yellow squash cut into ribbons

1 box grape tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 t crushed red pepper

S&P

parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a big pot over hot water for your pasta. Cook according to package directions for al dente. Angel hair cooks very quickly!

Meanwhile in a large skillet heat extra virgin olive oil and butter over medium high heat. When the oil is warming add in your garlic and crushed red pepper. Be sure to keep a careful eye on it. As soon as it begins to brown add in your vegetables. Season well with S&P. Let the veggies soften up while your pasta cooks.

When your pasta is done, drain well and add to the skillet of veggies. Toss well to coat and add grated parmesan cheese.

Serve and enjoy!

Now it’s your turn…

If you want this adorable Magical Glow Rapunzel doll to call your very own…

Send in your Tangled recipes!

Contest ends Friday at midnight!

Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Cinderella’s Prince Charming’s Prime Rib Roast

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 11:00:51 +0000

This dish was originally called “Someday My Prince Will Come Prime Rib” but then I was told that Snow White sang that song, not Cinderella.

See what happens when you have all boys?

I’ve been busy thinking of a Cinderella inspired dish for our awesome Disney Princess Contest

So I decided to come up with a dish inspired by the boys in Cinderella…

Namely the Prince.

Prince Charming.

This got me thinking about my Prince Charmings

And their favorite dishes…

What do all boys like?

Meat!

Good meat!

Prime rib meat!

Voila!

This dish did the trick!

In fact, they dove into it so fast that I didn’t get a good after shot.

I guess that’s the sign of a really really yummy dinner.

WHAT YOU NEED:

5-7 rib, bone in prime rib roast

S&P

3 cloves garlic

3 springs thyme

3 springs rosemary

olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

Let meat settle to room temp. Usually 2-3 hrs before cooking.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Cover and I mean cover the whole outside of roast heavily with salt and pepper. Cut 3 slits in the meat and stick a garlic clove inside each slit. Drizzle with olive oil and toss your fresh herbs on top.

Cook for 20 minutes on 450° to brown up the outside.

Reduce heat to 350° temp hits about 140° to 150°. About 2 hours or so.

Make sure your therometer is in the meat and not in the gap between ribs and meat.

Let sit for 1/2 hr temp will rise another 10° or so. Slice and enjoy.

That is for med-well. If you want it medium or medium rare cut back on the heating time.

Now it’s your turn!

Send me your ideas for Cinderella recipes!

Post them here in the comments and you could win that gorgeous Cinderella doll for the princess in your life!

Contest ends Friday at midnight!

Noteworthy Nugget: This is my brother in law, Matt’s, recipe. My boys adore it! I’ve never seen them eat so much at one sitting. Matt, let me know what Disney Princess you’d like!

Turkey Saltimbocca

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:00:04 +0000

This is a version of a recipe that I saw on America’s Test Kitchen.

I switched out chicken (or veal) cutlets for turkey cutlets instead, hey turkey cutlets were on sale at the store…can’t pass up a bargain!

I doctored up the sauce a bit as you all know I can’t follow a recipe to save my life what with my recipe OCD and all.

I like this dish because the kids can help with the prep and it’s a great light and easy meal.

Perfect for the end of summer.

Give this a whirl…you’ll be glad you did.

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes

1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 T garlic powder

1/2 t ground black pepper

16 sage leaves, divided (8 minced, 8 whole)

8 slices thin prosciutto

3 T olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

1 large shallot, chopped fine

2 t lemon juice

3 T butter

1 T chopped parsley

Pat cutlets dry with paper towels. In a large bowl combine flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dredge turkey cutlets in flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Lay cutlets flat and sprinkle evenly with minced sage. Place 1 prosciutto slice on top of each cutlet. (These are great steps for the kids to help with, just be sure they wash their hands after handling the raw poultry!)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add whole sage leaves and cook for about 15 to 20 seconds. Using slotted spoon, remove sage to paper towel-lined plate and set aside for garnish later. Add half of cutlets to pan, prosciutto-side down, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side until light golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and keep warm under some aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining cutlets.

Pour off excess fat from skillet, reserving about 1 Tablespoon. Add you shallots and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add in you wine to deglaze your pan being sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Turn heat to low and whisk in butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Off heat, stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper. Pour over turkey and top with fried sage leaves and extra parsley.

Quick and Light Herb Salad

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 11:00:36 +0000

This is a take off on a salad that I once saw Rachael Ray make and thought, that is the strangest looking salad I’ve ever heard of, but I made hers and loved it! I ate it every day for a month. Then I started to give it a bit of a makeover and ended up with this little delight. My kids eat around the mushrooms but gobble up the rest of it…

1 bunch washed baby arugula

8 oz package of baby bella mushrooms sliced

3 stalks celery sliced thin

10 basil leaves julienned

handful of italian parsley chopped

parmesan cheese

1 lemon

1 T olive oil

S&P

In a large bowl toss in your arugula, mushrooms, celery, basil, and parsley. Grate long slices of parmesan cheese on top. Sprinkle with S&P. Squeeze the juice of one half of your lemon on top of your salad. Toss gently. Season again with S&P if necessary. Sprinkle with olive oil and toss again. Serve it up with some crusty bread or alongside your dinner. SOOOOO GOOD!!!

*Disclaimer I put ranch dressing on the boys version of this. They just love their ranch! But if they’re eating salad, who cares? A lot of you out there have said that you can’t get your kids to eat salad. My youngest two boys have always loved salad, Keegan, the oldest, not so much. You know how I got him to eat it???? It’s so easy!!! You’re not going to believe it!!! CROUTONS!!! That’s all it took, croutons!!! Now the kid eats salad?!? Go figure.

Fo’ Shizzel my Schnitzel

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:00:12 +0000

Last week I was feeling a bit blah. I couldn’t think of anything new to make, so I went blog surfing and I hit my good friend Julie’s blog over at Mommie Cooks and she had recently made some schnitzel. Hmmm, schnitzel? Ok, even the word is funny. Say it with me…schnitzel…draw it out like…shniiiiiit-seeellll. What? I’ve never really made schnitzel, in fact, I wasn’t 100 percent sure what it was made out of. All I could think of was that hot dog place, which as far as I can tell has absolutely nothing to do with schnitzel whatsoever. Anyway, I read up and made the stuff, turns out it’s really really good. The hubs was moved, moved I tell ya…You gotta try it. See what I found out below there…

Little bit of history for you this fine Monday morn. What the shiznet is a schnitzel? Well, it is quite simply a breaded veal cutlet, or any pounded thin cut of meat. Yup, that’s right, all the Italians out there are talking at the computer with their hands screaming, hey we invented cutlets, but au contraire mon frere, or in this case mein bruder, as the Germans whipped these bad boys up centuries ago. Check out what Miriam-Webster says about zee schnitzel…

Main Entry: schnit·zel

Pronunciation: \ˈshnit-səl\

Etymology: German, literally, shaving, chip, diminutive of Schnitz slice, from Middle High German snitz; akin to Old High German snīdan to cut, Old English snīthan, and perhaps to Czech snět bough

See, how cute is that? It means little slice. And it is a little slice, it’s a little slice of heaven! I made ours out of some pork chops that were on sale and threw them over a big salad. Totally cost effective and delicious all at the same time. The hubs ate 4! Here’s how you make them.

Fitzpatrick’s Fo’ Shizzel my Pork Schnitzel

8 thin sliced pork chops pounded thin

2/3 cup flour

1 t garlic powder

S&P

2 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 T olive oil divided

2 T butter, divided

2 sprigs of thyme, divided

2 cloves garlic whole, divided

1 lemon cut into wedges

Set out three bowls to make your breading stations. In the first bowl combine your flour, garlic powder, and S&P. In the second bowl, combine your eggs and milk, the panko bread crumbs in the third. Start my dredging your cutlets in the flour. Shake off any excess then dunk them into the second bowl of eggs and milk. Finish off by putting them into the third bowl with the bread crumbs. Place them on a baking sheet or cutting board and let them sit for about 10 minutes.

In a large skillet put 2 T of oil and 1 T of butter over medium high heat along with your 1 garlic clove and thyme sprig. Once the oil has heated up remove the garlic and thyme and add in 2 cutlets. Cook for about 3-4 minutes keeping an eye on them. Flip them when they are golden brown, cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with salt. Set under some tin foil to keep warm. Repeat with 2 more cutlets. Toss out your oil and butter and start fresh heating remaining 2 T of oil and 1 T butter and garlic and butter. Repeat process for the remaining cutlets. Squeeze some lemon over all the cutlets and serve immediately with additional lemon. SOOOOO good!