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Salad Week – Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad with burrata

August 26, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 10 Comments

So we’ve all had caprese salad right?

And it’s a favorite of ours.

Not only is it easy…

But it’s delicious too!

But this ain’t your average caprese…

Oh no…

This is with some gorgeous heirloom tomatoes from our local CSA.

And some buttery divine burrata cheese.

Burrata is fresh italian cheese made of mozzarella and cream.

It’s a hard mozzarella shell outside and soft mozzarella and cream inside.

When you serve it a room temperature it oozes out all over spreading its gooey goodness all over anything in it’s path.

In this case, it’s the heirloom tomato and basil…

Check it out.

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 cups mixed greens

1 -2 heirloom tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1 ball of fresh burrata, room temperature

10 large leaves basil, torn

Handful of chopped parsley

Kosher salt

Fresh ground pepper

Really good extra virgin olive oil

Dash of good balsamic vinegar

Crusty bread for dipping

WHAT TO DO:

On a large serving platter, spread out your mixed greens.

Arrange tomatoes on top of greens.

Top tomato with cheese. Cut cheese open (make sure it’s room temp) and let it melt over tomato.

Top with torn basil leaves, parsley, S&P, vinegar, and olive oil.

Use bread to scoop it up and enjoy.

Thanks to wikipedia for the use of some of these images.

Grillin’ & Chillin’ Week – Gazpacho

August 3, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 7 Comments

Feeling hot hot hot!

Oh yeah baby…

It’s getting hot in here!

What do we do when it’s hot?

We make Gazpacho to cool us down.

Oh yeah…

We’re chillin’!

Watch us make some spicy Gazpacho.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/2 lbs vine ripe tomatoes (or you can use a big can of tomatoes if your 5 year old ate all of yours)

1 english cucumber, seeded

1 jalapeno, seeded

1 red bell pepper, seeded

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded

1 red onion,

2 cloves garlic

3 -4 slices day old crusty french bread

1 T sugar

1 T spanish paprika

2 cups tomato juice

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

S&P

WHAT TO DO:

Chop all your veggies into large chunks, just to help the food processor out a bit.

In the bowl of a food processor combine cucumber, peppers, onion, garlic, bread.

Pulse a few times until they are chopped but still chunky.

Toss in tomatoes and repeat.

Pour into a big bowl and add in sugar, tomato juice, paprika, vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice. Season with S&P and let sit in the fridge so the flavors can combine for at least 3 hours.

Top with sour cream or avacado slices.

Keep it in the fridge all week.

It’s like a delicious refreshing salad in soup form!

Amazing!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Healthy Side Dish Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Soups, Vegan Recipes For Kids, Vegetable Recipes For Kids, Vegetarian Recipes For Kids Tagged With: buy local, gazpacho, hot weather, soups, tomato

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

July 20, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 10 Comments

My attempts to liven up

Fitz Family Taco Night continue…

I decided to try another taco casserole.

But I don’t like my chips mushy or my veggies warm in any way.

Sooooo….

I kept ‘em separate.

Perfect combo of crunchy chips…

Hot and spicy filling….

Cool and crisp veggies.

Can I get an ole???

Ole Taco Casserole

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 lb gound beef

1 packet taco seasoning

3/4 cup water

1 onion chopped

1 can low fat refried beans

1 can black beans

2 cups low fat shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup Spikes Santa Fe Black Bean and Corn Salsa

1 large bad tortilla chips

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1 can sliced olives

1 avacado chopped

jalapeno slices

sour cream

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When skillet gets hot, add beef and brown, about 5-7 minutes. Add in onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile in a 13×9 inch baking pan, spread our refried beans in an even layer on the bottom. Top with 1 cup black bean and corn salsa, then a layer of black beans.

Once meat has browned, add in taco seasoning and water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add meat on top of the black bean layer.

Top with 1 1/2 cups cheese and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

While the casserole is baking assemble your plates.

Spread out some chips as the bottom layer.

Top with lettuce, tomato, onion, avocado, and remaining cheese.

Scoop a dollop of meat on your fixings and top with sour cream and jalapeno.

Tell me how you like this version….

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: Avocado, budget meals, cheese, dinners on a dime, ground beef, jalapeno, lettuce, sour cream, taco, taco casserole, tomato

Quick and Easy Pasta Week – Whole Wheat pasta with meat sauce

July 15, 2011 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 4 Comments

I love this dinner.

It’s quick.

It’s cheap.

It’s delicious.

It’s Whole Wheat Pasta with Meat Sauce

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box whole wheat pasta

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 lb ground turkey

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 jar Francesco Rinaldi ToBe Healthy Garden Vegetable Tomato Sauce

S&P

Chopped basil

Grated Parmesan Cheese

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a large pot of water over high heat. Once boiling, salt your water and cook pasta to al dente.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add your oil to the pan. Once the pan is hot, toss in your turkey. Brown the turkey, about 6-7 minutes.

Toss in your onions and garlic and season the mixture with S&P. Let the veggies cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the pasta sauce and mix well.

Let the sauce simmer until your pasta is done.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce. Top with basil and parmesan cheese.

Delicious dinner in no time!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes Tagged With: budget friendly dinner, cooking with kids, francesco, Francesco Rinaldi, garlic, ground turkey, pasta, quick dinners, tomato, turkey, whole wheat pasta recipes

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

and Pesto

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.

Next 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?

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: fresh mozzarella, garlic, homemade dough, kids food, make your own pizza, mozzarella, mushrooms, party food, pesto, picky eaters, pizza, pizza dough, pizza party, portabello mushrooms, tomato

Chicken and spinach lasagna cupcakes

August 19, 2010 by Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 13 Comments

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.

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: chicken, garlic, ground chicken, lasagna, lasagna noodles, mozzarella cheese, oregano, parsley, ricotta cheese, spinach, tomato

Salad Week – Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad with burrata

Grillin’ & Chillin’ Week – Gazpacho

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

Quick and Easy Pasta Week – Whole Wheat pasta with meat sauce

Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

Chicken and spinach lasagna cupcakes

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

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Find A Local Farmer’s Market

Salad Week – Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad with burrata

Grillin’ & Chillin’ Week – Gazpacho

Fiesta Week – Ole Taco Casserole

Quick and Easy Pasta Week – Whole Wheat pasta with meat sauce

Fitzpatrick Pizza Party

Chicken and spinach lasagna cupcakes

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

Join Our Mailing List

Find us on Facebook

Connect With Ma

Find A Local Farmer’s Market

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