Ma Whats For Dinner?» parsley

Bow ties with spring veggies and bacon

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 11:00:47 +0000

Happy Spring!

Aren’t you glad it’s springtime?

Though we’ve had a mild winter…

And it’s a bit chillier here than it’s been all winter…

So I’m pretending it’s spring.

And this will make you feel like spring…

A delicious and quick pasta that the kids will adore!

Mom and Dad too!

Feel free to add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a heartier dish.

Bow ties with spring veggies & pancetta

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box bow tie pasta

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped

1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

1 scallions, thinly sliced

8 ounces crimini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 T extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T lemon zest

1/4 cup italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, torn

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a large pasta pot over high heat. When boiling add salt and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms to the drippings. Cook for 3 minutes. Add asparagus, scallions, and garlic to the mushrooms in skillet and cook for 3 more minutes minutes. Remove from heat.

Add veggies, 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, basil, and S&P to pasta.

Mix well. Add more pasta water if necessary. Sprinkle with bacon and more cheese if desired.

Tasty Tidbit – Kids not asparagus fans? Try this dish with frozen peas!

Baked Eggs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:00:07 +0000

Sometimes you just have to throw logic out the window.

Today is one of those days.

It’s a breakfast for dinner kind of day.

This is a great and delicious recipe for breakfast or dinner.

The kids like to crack the eggs into little ramekins to make their own.

And they love to dip the bread!

Serves 4 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED:

½ t minced fresh garlic

½ t minced fresh thyme leaves

½ t minced fresh rosemary leaves

½ t minced fresh oregano leaves

2 T minced fresh parsley

2 T freshly grated Parmesan

8 extra-large eggs

4 T heavy cream

2 T unsalted butter

S&P

Whole Wheat Toast for dipping

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.

Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, oregano, parsley and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 2 eggs into each of 4 small bowls or teacups without breaking the yolks. You aren’t going to bake them in these, you just want to have them ready to go.

Place 4 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 2 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren’t cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to cool a bit and serve hot with toasted bread.

Noteworthy Nugget: I leave off the herbs for my pickiest eater. I give him extra cheese. You could make this with cheddar cheese too or any other kind of cheese your kids really like!

These are an ode to a recipe I made with my mom when I was a kid out of my favorite kids cookbook. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Cookbook. These were sort of like Smee’s Baked Eggs. I think I made everything in that book when I was a kid. Wish I could find it!

It’s been a rough week around here for us. I promise to be back on schedule next week. Be sure to enter our Disney Princess – Ariel contest by midnight tonight. Winners of this and the Cinderella contest announced next week!

Doesn’t get more local!

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:00:15 +0000

You hear me say it ALL. THE. TIME.

Buy Local!

Eat Local!

Well it doesn’t get any more local than this!

We’ve taken to our back deck to make our own herb garden!

Now if you’ve been following along for a while now…

You know that I have green thumb issues.

But since the nice folks at my CSA keep giving me herbs I decided to get on it.

With my special helpers of course!

So we are on our way to super local grown herbs.

5 steps away local.

We’ve got

Basil…

Dill…

Oregano…

Thyme…

Chives…

and Sage.

Here’s to hoping I don’t kill ‘em too fast.

Light n Lively Meatballs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:21:44 +0000

Ever make chicken or turkey meatballs and have them end up all dry on you?

Well check this out!

These meatballs are good for you and your waistline….

They are totally juicy and delicious.

Best part is that you cook them in their own sauce.

You’ll never eat regular meatballs again!

Light n Lively Meatballs

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound ground chicken breast

1 small eggplant

3 T chicken stock

1/2 small onion, grated

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 egg white

1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

S&P

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

1 jar store bought spaghetti sauce (We use Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Tomato Basil Sauce)

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 box whole wheat pasta cooked to al dente

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and set a pot of water on high for your pasta. Season your water with salt and cook pasta according to package directions.

Cut your eggplant in half and place on a baking sheet. Cook on 425 for about 10 – 15 minutes until soft. Allow to cool a bit then scrape out the yummy eggplant from it’s skin and add to a large bowl. Knock back the heat on your oven to 375.

To the bowl with the eggplant add in your chicken, chicken stock, grated onion, chopped garlic, egg white, bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, and S&P. Mix well to combine.

Grab a muffin pan. Yes a muffin pan! Place a healthy spoonful of sauce into each muffin well.

Next, form your meat mixture into golf sized meatballs and place on top of the sauce in the muffin wells. The boys each took a row for themselves and made their share.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. I like to flip the meatballs mid cooking process so they get all covered with sauce.

Serve on top of pasta and with a side salad and you’ve got a meal everyone will love and feel good about!

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.

Chicken and spinach lasagna cupcakes

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:00:52 +0000

Ok, so this was a recipe I found on a great foodie website, The Ungourmet . Her site is amazing and her photography…oh, well let’s just say I worship at the altar of her awesomeness!

As many of you may know, I am not a lasagna fan.

GASP!

Yes, it’s true…

I don’t do ricotta.

And before you say it, yes I’ve had lasagna without ricotta and still, it doesn’t work for me.

It makes no sense. I like everything in there, but alas, I can’t do it.

BUT…

I kinda liked this one.

AND my family LOVES lasagna, like most normal human beings in the world.

Not to mention the fact that the boys had a BLAST helping me construct these little towers of yummyness.

They are a much healthier alternative to the kind your granny made so give these a whirl…

You’ll be glad you did.

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

2 cloves minced garlic

8 oz canned petite diced tomatoes undrained

8 oz canned tomato sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

8 lasagna noodles, cooked al dente

1 beaten egg

2 cups ricotta cheese

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 tbsp dried parsley

1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan

Thoroughly cook the ground chicken in a large skillet. Add the tomatoes, sauce, garlic, spices, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Combine the egg, ricotta, and parmesan.

Using a glass or cookie cutter that is close to the size of the muffin cups, cut 3 circles out of each noodle for a total of 24 circles.

Place 1 noodle circle in each muffin cup. Layer meat sauce, ricotta mixture, and shredded mozzarella. Repeat. Top with a bit of parsley and grated Parmesan.

Cover loosely with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with oil and bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes to brown on top.

Let the “cupcakes” sit for at least 10 minutes for easier removal.

Linguini with white wine cherry tomato and clam sauce

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:00:06 +0000

Rachael Ray’s Delicious Recipe

Salt
1 pound linguini
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 to 6 anchovies
1 pint small cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 stems oregano, leaves stripped and finely chopped
A handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped ( I add mine at the end)
Black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
3 pounds Manilla clams, scrubbed (I used littlenecks)
1/2 cup basil leaves, torn

Bring water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta just shy of al dente.

While water comes to a boil, heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add anchovies and melt into oil. Add tomatoes, onions and garlic to the pan, season with crushed red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley and pepper, saute until the tomatoes and onions are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

The hubs couldn't wait til we sat down to dig in...

Add wine and reduce for 1 or 2 minutes, melt butter into sauce and add clams to pot. Cover the pot and cook clams until they open, 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove any unopened clams and add pasta to the pan. Toss linguini with sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Add basil to pasta and taste to adjust seasonings.

Roast Chicken

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:00:34 +0000

Serves: 6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 1 hr 30 minutes

1 5-6 pound roasting chicken

1 pound red potatoes

3 carrots chopped in big chunks

16 oz button mushrooms

2 T extra virgin olive oil

2 heads garlic (divided)

2 large onions

1 lemon

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch thyme

4 T butter, room temperature

S&P

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash your chicken and pat it dry. Remove the gizzard, etc from the cavity. Replace it with lemon, halved, 1 garlic clove halved, 1 onion halved, and the parsley and thyme. Rub your chicken’s skin with butter and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper.

In the bottom of your roasting pan arrange potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. Slice your remaining onion into big chunks and sprinkle around veggies. Peel remaining garlic cloves and sprinkle around veggies. Toss all the veggies in olive oil and season with S&P. Place your chicken on top of veggies (or on a rack above the veggies) and get him into the oven.

Cook chicken for 1 hour 20 minutes or until an internal thermometer reads 160 degrees. Allow your chicken to rest on the counter for 10 minutes. Carve and serve with veggies. Yum!

Kickin’ Chicken Stroganoff

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:05:11 +0000

This recipe is a sure fire hit. I gave this one to my friend Shelbi to try on her family chock full o’ picky eaters. Her four year old not only finished his plate for the first time he asked for seconds. She cried. Then I cried. Try it and let me know if you cry! Little story for ya. The hubs is a real meat and potatoes kind of guy. He’s not into fancy cooking and doesn’t get excited much about food. The first time I served up this puppy and he quickly polished off his first plate and looked at me with big eyes and a silly grin and said, “is this hamburger helper?” Now, some may consider that an insult but I know my guy…that was the biggest compliment he could ever give me. Don’t get between that man and his cheeseburger macaroni!

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 25 minutes

1 lb ground chicken

2 T butter, divided

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 c mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 10 oz can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

½ c chicken stock

1 T Worcestershire Sauce

¾ c sour cream

S&P

¼ c chopped parsley

1 bag whole wheat egg noodles

Set a large pot of water to boil for your noodles. In a large skillet heat 1 T butter and olive oil over medium high heat. Add in ground chicken and allow to brown. Once chicken is browned toss in your onions, mushrooms and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes or until your vegetables begin to soften. Next add in the soup, chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, and season with S&P. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer while your pasta cooks.

When water is boiling, flavor your water with a handful of salt then add in pasta. Cook to package directions, usually about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with remaining T butter.

Remove stroganoff from heat and stir in sour cream and parsley. Top noodles with stroganoff sauce and serve with roasted veggies.

Sauteed Spaghetti Squash with herbs

Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:00:12 +0000

Serves 6 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

1 spaghetti squash split with seeds removed

1 t olive oil

1 t butter

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 T cup chopped sage

1/4 cup chopped basil

2 T chopped oregano

2 T parmesan cheese

S&P

Preheat your oven to 375. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the bottom of a 13×9 baking dish. Place squash flesh side down and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool slightly.

Scrape down the squash with a fork to create the spaghetti like strings. In a large skillet melt butter with olive oil. Saute garlic for one minute. Add in spaghetti squash and toss to cover with garlic, oil, and butter. Toss with fresh herbs and cheese. Enjoy!

You can also add some marinara sauce to this dish. The kids love it!