Dinner tonight

Anyone looking for a dinner idea for tonight? I will be making something boring since I will just be returning from the gym with the kiddos in tow. Mike is playing in a golf tournament today that he says will probably last into the evening. He claims it takes so long because of "prizes". Apparently "prizes" is the key word for beer.

Anywho...moving on. Here is a good dinner idea for tonight. I have made it before and it is delicious!

Chicken with Goat Cheese and Basil
by Barefoot Contessa


6 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
8 to 10 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese, such as Montrachet
6 large fresh basil leaves
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Cut the goat cheese into 1/2-inch- thick slices and place 1 or 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast. Pull the skin over as much of the meat as possible so the chicken won’t dry out. With your fingers, rub each piece with olive oil, and sprinkle them very generously with salt and pepper. Bake the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is lightly browned and the chicken is just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

this is great served with

Rosemary Polenta
by Barefoot Contessa
serves 6

4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese (I used light)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat the chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook over medium-high heat until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and very slowly add the cornmeal, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Switch to a wooden spoon and simmer over very low heat, stirring almost constantly, for 7-10 minutes until thick. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan while stirring. Remove the polenta from heat and stir in the cream cheese, Parmesan, Olive oil, rosemary, salt & pepper. Stir until smooth and serve hot sprinkled with extra Parmesan cheese.

Very, very yummy!! Even Mike and Ana who thought they didn't like polenta were LOVING this.

You can serve this with roasted asparagus. I know we all know how to roast asparagus, but just for a refresher...

Roasted Asparagus

1 bundle of asparagus
EV olive oil
kosher salt
pepper

Wash and trim asparagus. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle somewhat generously with salt and pepper. Place in 400 degree oven for 12 minutes. No more, no less for perfect asparagus.



Bon Appetit!

Roasting tomatoes.

Speaking of healthy dishes, here is one that is very healthy and very rich and satisfying. I roast these and put them on top of steak or chicken. I also serve them as a side sometimes when I want something hot. I have also tossed them with pasta. You don't need ANYTHING but these tomatoes, pasta and maybe some Parmesan if you want. Some things are better plain and simple and not all 'ingrediented' up. Did I just make up a word? Anyway....

Roasted Tomatoes my way

2 pints grape tomatoes
EV Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced - optional

Preheat oven to 400. Put tomatoes in baking dish and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and roast for 20-25 minutes, or until they start cracking. Before serving, toss with raw, minced garlic (if desired). Serve as a side, atop meat of choice, or tossed with pasta. You could even use this to top a toasted baguette for Bruschetta!



***I grabbed this image from somewhere else...so these tomatoes look more done than I like mine....but I don't have a picture of mine!

Most importantly, this is a dish you can play with. You can add capers, minced onion, the garlic that I mentioned, Parmesan, Feta....anything you want. Be creative!

Healthy snacks

Well all like to snack, right? I know I do. I eat pretty healthy when it comes to meal time, but my in between meal snacking really gets to me sometimes. Having 2 kids that go to school is tough with all the school activities. There is ALWAYS candy, cookies, cupcakes, etc. laying around. I have such a major sweet tooth that it is VERY hard for me to stay away from it. Easter has pretty much gotten the best of me with those damn Robin's Eggs...my fave! Oh, and I can't forget the Hershey's Dark Chocolate Eggs. I only grab 3 or 4 at the time, but I take a trip to the jar about 8-10 times a day. No lie! That is 40...FORTY eggs a day. Sooooo not good.

Anyway, I am trying to recuperate and get back on track, thus the post for today! My favorite healthy snacks. (in no particular order)

1. Raw broccoli and dip. More specifically, this dip.


Major yum, and good for you.

2. Vic's Gourmet Lite popcorn. I am addicted to this popcorn. To me it tastes exactly like movie popcorn, but way better for you. You will see it at the store in those huge white bags. I know you've seen it! You can have 3 cups for only 130 calories. And 4 grams of fiber! That's a great snack.

3. Sliced mushrooms with Hidden Valley light ranch. You can have 1 whole cup of sliced raw mushrooms for only 15 calories, so basically all you are eating is the calories in the ranch...and you don't need much! Of course, this is not a filling snack, but if you are feeling munchie, it is totally guilt-less.

4. South Beach protein bars.


If you are in a hurry and you don't have time to fix anything, they are quick and easy. Most protein bars have upwards of 200 calories, but these are only 140 calories. And they still have the 10 grams of protein that the others have! Yes, it is just like eating a granola bar....all carbs and sugar, but if you are in a hurry, this will fill you up and keep you satisfied much better than a regular granola bar. Remember the 10 grams of protein! I like the chocolate flavor, but that's because I am a chocolate junkie. I haven't tried any others.

Now for dessert. We have major dessert struggles in this house. Actually, let me re-phrase. We are very good at eating dessert, what we struggle with is NOT eating dessert! What works the best for me is plain old Chocolate pudding.


You can go with the fat free, or sugar free, but the regular chocolate pudding only has 140 calories and is A LOT better. If you are feeling extra indulgent, add a squirt of this-


Fat Free Reddi Whip whipped cream. Yummy! Plus, it only has 8 calories per 2 T. I probably put about 4 T. on there, because I am a pig and I like to make a "whipped cream tower" on top of my pudding. Luckily, doubling the serving size only equals 16 calories! That is just over 150 calories for an entire dessert. Not too shabby!

Now, I am off to baseball practice only so we can come home and shove pizza in our faces before bedtime. *groan* Healthy eating is tough on-the-go!

Survey...

What is your favorite green vegetable?

I am looking for something to serve with a braised chicken dish for a luncheon for our teachers at the pre-school. I will be serving the chicken with orzo and want to pair it with a green veggie. Should I stick with old faithful asparagus, or try something else??

Easter!!

Well, I meant to post my Easter menu before hand and then follow it up with pictures....but obviously THAT didn't happen. It was hard enough feeding 20, much less snapping pictures of the process! Actually I really only had to serve 8, the 12 kids just ate bits and pieces of what we had.....although I'm sure all they *really* ate was Easter candy.

So on the menu was....

Smoked ham with orange and coffee glaze
Herb and Shallot roasted pork loin
Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Wedge Salad
Yeast Rolls and Herb Butter
Easter Bunny Cake (for the kiddos)

and last but not least....

Italian Creme Cake

1 stick margarine
1/2 C. shortening
2 C. sugar
5 egg yolks
2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1 t. coconut flavoring
1 can shredded coconut (or 1 C. very packed)
1 C. chopped pecans
5 egg whites

Cream margarine, shortening and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time. Sift flour and baking soda and add alternately with the buttermilk, keeping the mixer running. Add vanilla and coconut flavoring. Stir in coconut and pecans. Finally, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks and fold into batter. Do not over mix, the beaten egg whites are what makes this so fluffy. Bake for 20-25 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Icing:
1, 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
1 box confectioners sugar
1 t. vanilla
pecans, chopped fine

Mix all ingredients. When cake is cooled, ice cake and sprinkle pecans on top.

YUMMY!!!


Since I don't have many pictures of my own...here is a picture of my table!

And a horribly overexposed picture of the bunny cake. :)

Cooking strike!

Well, not so much of a cooking strike, as I just haven't had any time whatsoever to cook something yummy! We have been busy around here as usual. Nevertheless, I *have* been trying to plan my Easter Menu. Holiday menu's are some of my favorite meals to cook so I will definitely keep you posted on that. The only thing that is for SURE is the bunny cake (which we make every year....have since I was little), and an Italian Creme Cake. I'm sure everyone reading this blog has had a piece of Italian Creme Cake, so I need not go into detail about what it is. My mouth is watering thinking about it though. It has been a long time since I have had one and there is no better time for coconut than Easter. Why? I'm not sure, but I'll say because it is white and spring-y.

Other posts to look out for besides Holiday meals, are our monthly/bi-monthly (when we can squeeze it in) Dinner Clubs. Not only do we have a BLAST at Dinner Club, but the food is always delicious. There are 9 couples and we each bring one dish, anything from pre-dinner drinks to dessert. You can rest assured that the meals are always delicious and recipes are shared. As long as no one objects, I will be posting all of the recipes from our Dinner Club on K is for Kitchen. Lucky for you (and me), Dinner Club is next weekend! I have appetizer this time. I still haven't decided what to make, but I will keep you posted.....

For now I will leave you with this....


I found it in the baking aisle yesterday. Or was it the canned fruit aisle? Can't remember. Anyway, it said it was a '"Lighter Bake" Butter or Oil Substitute'. I was curious, so I read further. The back said

Try Sunsweet's 100% fat- and cholesterol-free baking ingredient — perfect for your favorite heart-healthy recipes! Lighter Bake is a great-tasting substitute for butter, margarine, oil and shortening, made from a blend of dried plums and apples. It makes fabulous moist and chewy baked goods that are healthy, too.

Although Mike turned green right there in the aisle, I knew I had to get it. Before he could beg me not to, I quickly let him know that he would get brownies more often if they didn't call for a 1/2 cup of oil. To which he replied, "Oh, OK then."

So I tried them tonight. The verdict is: it really wasn't bad! The consistency of the brownie was a little more spongy that I would like on the ouside pieces, but when I got to the inside (Yes, I ate more than a row. Shut up.), it was moist and gooey, just like I like them. And there was no difference in taste whatsoever. Now stirring them prior to putting them in the pan did give me quite the bicept work out, but thats no biggie.

Now I cant wait to try them cold. That's the true test! It's an Ashley McCool secret that I have to let you in on. Cold brownies = HEAVEN.

April Fools Day!!

In honor of the silliness of April Fools Day, I thought I could make something funny today. Soooo, I decided to bring cupcakes, errrr, Spaghetti and Meatballs for Jacob's class.





I piped the frosting on to look like spaghetti. The 'meatballs' are Ferrero Rocher chocolates, tossed in the 'sauce' aka strawberry jelly. I grated a little white chocolate over the top to look like Parmesan and ta da! There you have it, Spaghetti and Meatballs! :)

Happy April Fools Day!