what made this happy, messy face?

fresh basil of course!

okay, maybe not. it was pastor ryan's homemade bolognese sauce (from the pioneer woman cooks, with a few changes of course) and mommy's homemade noodles. but the fresh basil rocked. i'm growing it in a pot outside my front door and it's fabulous. do yourself a favor. grow some. here's mine. and i kill everything. i call it my "black thumb". apparently basil is easy!

i can't even tell you how good this sauce was. please make some. please.

ryan’s bolognese
from the pioneer woman cooks
makes tons

1 1/2 cups grated carrots

1 zucchini, grated
1 large red onion, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef (i want to try ground turkey next time)
2 tablespoons dried oregano flakes
2 tablespoons dried basil flakes (i used fresh because i'm growing it - soooo yummy!
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper
2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1 cup milk
fresh Parmesan cheese

heat oil in a large dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. add grated carrots, zucchini and onions and cook for a few minutes.
make a well in the center of the mixture, then add in the ground beef. cook for a few minutes until brown, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.
throw in oregano and basil. use fresh if you have it; if you don’t, it’s fine.
when the meat is browned and combined with other ingredients, make another well. add tomato paste and let it heat.
add garlic and stir to combine.
aake a well in the center of the mixture and add chicken broth. stir together.
add worcestershire and stir.
add canned tomatoes.
finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.

serve with pasta and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

homemade noodles

ala better homes and gardens' red checker cook book

makes 1 lb (normal size box of pasta)

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 beaten egg yolks

1 beaten egg

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1. in a large bowl stir together 1 3/4 cup of the flour and the salt. make a well in the center of the flour mixture. in a small bowl stir together egg yolks, whole egg and oil. add egg mixture to flour mixture; mix well.

2. sprinkle kneading surface with the remaining 1/4 cup flour. turn dough out onto floured surface. knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

3. divide dough into 4 equal portions. on a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough into a 12x9-inch rectangle (about 1/16 inch thick). let stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes. lightly dust dough with flour. loosely roll dough into a spiral; cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips. shake the strands to separate; cut into 2-3-inch lengths.

4. to serve immediately, cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until tender but still firm, allowing 1 to 2 more minutes for dried or frozen noodles. drain.

5. to store cut noodles, spread them on a wire cooling rack. let noodles dryu about 1 hour or until completely dry. place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. ot dry noodles for at least 1 hour and place them in a freezer bag or freezer container; freeze up to 8 months.

don't be intimidated by this make-your-own-noodles gig. it's easier than it seems - i promise.

the recipe makes about 1 lb - the size of a normal box of pasta which usually makes leftovers for our 3 the following day. we have no leftovers with these. soooooo good. enjoy!

chicken black bean tostadas with cilantro lime drizzle

so we're on a very extended summer vacation and i'm hardly ever home these days. please excuse the lack of posting. we had these babies for dinner tonight and man, were they good!! put your own twist on them or enjoy them just like we did.

chicken black bean tostadas with cilantro lime drizzle
6 servings

1 bone-in chicken breast, skinned, cooked and shredded (i cooked mine about like this plus lime juice)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
lime juice, spices of choice (i used cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder)
corn tortillas
tomatoes, chopped
your favorite fresh or homemade salsa
shredded romaine lettuce
sour cream, guacamole or other toppings you like
cilantro lime drizzle (1/2 cup light ranch dressing run through your blender or food processor with a few handfuls of cilantro and a few squeezes of lime juice)

1. prepare chicken ahead [optional] and store in fridge until ready to cook. combine shredded chicken, beans, a few squeezes of lime juice and spices of choice in a sauce pan. cover and let heat on medium/low until hot.
2. heat tortillas until hot and slightly crispy in skillet or in oven at 450.
3. top tortillas with chicken bean mixture, then with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa and any other desired toppings. drizzle cilantro lime dressing over the top.

i'm eating this right now... mmmm....

i see lots of food bloggers that adapt recipes from cooking light, so i thought i'd try one. dang, it's good. definitely a success. hope you like it!

mexican chicken casserole
adapted from cooking light

2-3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (depends on how big your chicken breasts are)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, divided
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts (about 2)
1 cup chopped onion
3-4 large roma tomatoes, chopped (i had them in my fridge and they needed to get used)
2 large dollops fat free sour cream
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (i used cheddar jack)
4 ounces light cream cheese
1 (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Cooking spray
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

1. combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. add chicken; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. shred meat with two forks, and set aside.

2. preheat oven to 350°.

3. heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add 1 can of chiles and onion; sauté 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, tomatoes, sour cream, Monterey Jack, cream cheese, and enchilada sauce; stir well and cook until cheeses are melted. stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. remove from heat.

4. place 4 tortillas (i sliced mine in half to help them cover the pan better) in the bottom of a 13x9 inch casserole dish coated with cooking spray. spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixture. sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. let stand 10 minutes before serving.

i had mine with my favorite red taco sauce. completely delicious!

recipe of the week: not-so-fried rice

i know.... more asian food. i think it's a pregnancy thing. my dad makes the most amazing bacon fried rice. the only problem is i don't feel amazing after i eat it because it is definitely super greasy. this fried rice is super yummy like my dad's but without the grease (and it has veggies)!! enjoy!

not-so-fried rice
makes a huge wok full (about 6 servings)

2 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, cooked according to directions (i want to try it with brown rice, but i was afraid of husband mutiny against the brown. hehe.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 of a medium onion, chopped
1 1/2-2 cups (or more if you aren't using meat) veggies of choice (i used carrots and broccoli)
1 1/2 cups cooked cubed turkey or chicken - optional (i used some leftover from a huge turkey breast i roasted a while ago and froze)
5 eggs, scrambled
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
green onion tops, chopped

1. heat oil in wok on high. add onions and sautee 2 minutes or until soft. add veggies and sautee until whole mixture is damp from oil. cover and let steam until veggies are crisp-tender (open wok and stir once in a while). about half way through steaming, add meat (optional) and let sautee with the rest of the mixture.
2. add cooked rice to wok and pour soy sauce over the top. mix well. scramble eggs and add to wok. add green onions. mix well again. cover wok and let heat for a few minutes until hot throughout.
3. top with extra soy sauce if desired and very optional... tabasco - i love tabasco on my fried rice. strange i know! hope you like it!

splurge night: part 2

on to the 2nd type of splurging - budgeted splurging (click here if you missed the first type). eating wouldn't be fun if you couldn't use some pricier, more fun ingredients once in a while. here are my guidelines for making your splurge night still budget-friendly:

• plan ahead - if you're going to have a budget splurging meal, plan ahead for it and each extra cheaply the rest of the week to compensate. also, if you plan ahead you can get things for your splurge while they are on sale. (ex. we love the french dips recipe below, but i don't buy the roast unless i can get it for $1.79/lb or less and i try and find the pepper jack on sale as well)
  
• stay in your budget - splurging shouldn't have to mean buying the most expensive ingredients out there, just something you don't normally buy. and put it in the budget. if your food budget is a little tight that month, find another category to squeeze it into. i'm infamous for filing yummy, splurge ingredients into my date budget or my miscellaneous category.
• have a date/fun budget - sometimes the splurge we want is a saturday night with no cooking - we'd rather someone else cook and clean up. so we have a date budget and that way we can have eating out be a budget-friendly splurge.

this is probably our favorite budgetary splurge. we love, love, love these sandwiches. i never liked traditional french dips, but these are fabulous.

french dips
ala my bff maggi

my french dip decided to fall apart for the picture... but man, was it good!!!!!!

1 package onion soup mix
1 package zesty italian dressing mix (or homemade mix here)
a roast

put roast in crock pot. fill with water. pour in mixes. heat on high. it is done when it falls apart. (depends on your crock pot and the size of your roast.)

serve on yummy french rolls (don't go stingey here - get good ones!), broiled in the oven to toast with pepper jack cheese on them (broil with the cheese on them). carmelized onions are also delicious on them. dip in the juice from the crock pot.

recipe of the week: bruschetta chicken bake

here's a delicious, easy and beautiful meal by kraft (introduced to me by my friend jenny who also introduced this deliciousness to me). your family is bound to love this one and not even know how healthy they are eating! we like ours with a side of some yummy potatoes, but serve any way you'd like!

bruschetta chicken bake
kraftfoods.com
6 servings

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (6 oz.) stuffing mix for chicken

1/2 cup water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.
2. layer chicken, basil and cheese in 3-qt. casserole or 13x9-inch baking dish.
3. top with stuffing mixture. bake 30 minutes at 400 or until chicken is done.

***option: sometimes i put a tiny bit of fat free italian dressing over the top of the chicken before i complete the dish. it's great with or without this, though!

splurge night: part 1

"to splurge or not to splurge? - that is the question."

answer: "splurge, definitely splurge."

having posted my things never to cook with, i figured i should follow up with a little bit of rationality. a fairly darned disciplined healthy eater, even the skinny bovine splurges pretty regularly. but i think that is the fun of eating healthy (besides feeling way better), you have lots of room to splurge! the key is having guidelines.

since i'm a healthy and budgeted cooker, there are 2 types of splurges at my house. here are my healthy splurge guidelines (stay tuned for my budget splurge guidelines soon!):

• set boundaries - this means sticking to my list of things to never use for the most part. there are plenty of other things i love to use in cooking that aren't particularly good for you though. ex: coconut milk (curry. mmm.), creamy soups (made with milk of course, and maybe a tablespoon or two of butter). see one of my favs below. we love, love, love this soup at our house.
• know yourself, know your goals - if you're trying to be disciplined and maintain your weight, go ahead - splurge once a week! if you're trying to loose a little, make it once every other week. if you want to loose a lot, make it once a month. we all deserve a reward for our discipline.
  
• only make enough for that meal - it's splurge night. not splurge night + leftovers for the next 2 days. have your splurge and then get back to your best habits in a hurry. :)

here is one of my favorite (fairly un-) healthy splurges. like i said, we just can't get enough of this soup. definitely not one of my worst splurges, but i definitely don't make it once a week! :)

parmesan corn chowder
adapted from allrecipes.com (here)
pic from allrecipes.com
4 servings

2 cups water

2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1/2 cup sliced carrots (i use 1 cup carrots and no celery - just a preference)
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour (i use whole wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups milk
1 (14.75 ounce) can cream-style corn
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1. in a large saucepan, combine the first five ingredients; bring to a boil. reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender (do not drain).
2. meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt butter. stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually stir in milk. bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. stir into the vegetable mixture. add corn and parmesan cheese. cook 10 minutes longer or until heated through.