Confessions of a Food Junkie

This was enjoyed by the pickiest eater in the house, my 6-year-old daughter.  In fact, she gave it an A+.  Out of the mouths of babes...or should I say IN them...
Don't be afraid to heavily season this dish as it can be on the bland side otherwise.  As always, don't be afraid to substitute if you don't have the exact ingredients I used.

1 box pasta, your choice
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bag frozen spinach, cooked and squeezed dry
1/4 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 c ricotta cheese
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper to taste, depending on how much heat you want
a dash of nutmeg
1 c seasoned panko breadcrumbs

Cook pasta, drain, set aside.

Heat butter over med-high heat.  Saute onion until just brown.  Add garlic, cook one minute more.  Reduce heat to med-low, add the greens.  Let cook for 5 or so minutes.

Sprinkle the greens with the flour.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly (it will burn and stick otherwise).  Gradually add the milk, stirring well.  Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and smooth.

Remove from heat, stir in the pasta, cheddar, ricotta, sugar, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder and cumin.  Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray.  Spoon into dish.  Sprinkle top with the panko breadcrumbs, then gently spray the breadcrumb topping with nonstick spray (so it will crisp while baking).

Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until it is heated through and the top is browned.  I put mine under the broiler for the last few minutes to really make the breadcrumbs crispy.

I wasn't going to post this one, but there was some interest, so here it is.  My kids love tortellini, but I wasn't in the mood for sauce.  This turned out awesome.

1 to 1 1/2 lbs chicken, cut into bite size pieces
extra virgin olive oil
1 c chicken stock
3/4 c white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
soy sauce to taste
Worchestershire sauce to taste
ground black pepper to taste
salt to taste
onion powder to taste
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables (or whatever veggies you want)
2 c fresh broccoli florets
1 bag frozen tortellini

Drizzle a large skillet with the olive oil, heat to med-high.  Add the garlic, cooking and stirring until it starts to brown.  Add the chicken, black pepper, salt, and onion powder, cooking for 4-5 minutes, until browned.  Remove chicken to a plate.

Deglaze the pan with the wine.  Add the chicken stock, soy sauce, and Worchestershire.  Again, season the liquid with the spices used previously.  Add the vegetables, stirring to coat with the liquid.  Return chicken to pan and stir.  Reduce heat and cook 20 minutes or until vegetables reach desired doneness.

While that's cooking, boil the tortellini according to package directions.  Drain.  Once the vegetables are done to your liking, add the tortellini to the vegetables and chicken, stirring to mix.  Let simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to mix with the tortellini.

I've been trying to come up with different ways to make pork, as it seems to be all that's in my freezer.  I don't know if it's the only thing that's been on sale or what, but for some reason I have a freezer full.  This is my latest version of pork loin.

2 lbs pork tenderloin
Yukon Gold potatoes
carrots, any way you like them

marinade:
1 1/2 c white wine
1/4 c Gray Poupon (yeah yeah, giggle if you must)
a splash of extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
1 small onion, grated
1/4 c soy sauce (low sodium)
1 c apricot preserves
1/2 c brown sugar
black pepper to taste
cumin to taste
ground ginger to taste



Combine all ingredients for the marinade in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, reduce and let simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat, let cool.

Place tenderloin in a Ziplok bag, pour marinade into bag over the meat.  Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, brown the tenderloin in a skillet with a little olive oil, reserving the marinade.  Wash and halve potatoes, put in Crock Pot.  Peel and dice carrots, add to potaotes.  Place the tenderloin on top of potatoes and carrots; pour the reserved marinade over the meat.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours.

One of the kinds of cookies I just got done making...it gets rave reviews every time.

MAKES ABOUT 2 DOZEN COOKIES

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 Tbsp. skim milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
jam or preserves

In a mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, cream the sugars with the butter and blend in the egg, milk, and vanilla.

In another large bowl, stir the flour, baking soda and salt together. Add the butter mixture and stir until smooth. (In warm weather only, cover and chill for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the dough is firm enough to handle).

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease two cookie sheets. Shape the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and place onto the prepared sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or just until browned at the edges.

When the cookies are done, remove from the oven and immediately make the "thumbprint" indentation in the top of each cookie. Remove cookies to cool on a wire rack until completely cooled.

Once cooled, use a teaspoon to add the jam or preserves into each thumbprint.

Per cookie (without the jam): 73.8 calories, 25% calories from fat, 2 g fat, 9.63 mg cholesterol, 23.9 mg sodium, 0.16 g dietary fiber.From Light and Easy Baking by Beatrice Ojakangas

It's that time of year, the time for tons and tons of Christmas cookies.  This is yet another recipe that I've modified to make my own.  The original called for raisins, but I decided to use Craisins instead, for that Christmas feel.  This is so simple and quick, with minimal clean up.

Yield:  36 cookies

1 (18 oz) vanilla spice cake mix
2 c quick cooking oats
1 c applesauce
1 egg
2 Tbsp light margarine, melted
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 c Craisins

Combine first six ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir until well blended.  Stir in Craisins.  Drop by tablespoonfuls (I used my Pampered Chef large cookie scoop) 2 inches apart onto baking sheets that have been lightly greased or sprayed.  Bake at 375 for 10-13 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Cool on wire racks.

I have been craving the crispy orange chicken rice bowl from Applebee's, but it'll be a very long time before I have it again, if ever.  The amount of fat, calories, and sodium in it is astronomical.  But I've been craving the crunch of the rice and almonds.  So going on that craving, I came up with this.

2 c chicken stock
1 c long grain rice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp worchestershire sauce
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
thyme
1 c slivered almonds, toasted

In a saucepan, heat the stock, sauces and spices to a boil.  Add the rice, cover, and lower heat to a simmer for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is gone.

While the rice is cooking, toast the almonds.  To do this, heat a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray over high heat.  Add the almonds.  Stir constantly to keep from burning until golden brown.  When the liquid is gone from the rice, stir in the almonds.