April 8-Orange Chicken

Everyone loves orange chicken. When I found this recipe for a healthified, yet yummy, Orange Chicken on Gimme Some Oven I had to try it! It was quick, easy, and did a great job satisfying those takeout cravings. 

(I made a few slight tweaks to match the ingredients I had on hand.) 

Skinny Orange Chicken

2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

orange chicken sauce (see below)

toasted sesame seeds

thinly-sliced green onions

Orange Chicken Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar

3 tbsp cornstarch (I ran out of cornstarch and substituted flour)

1/2tsp ground ginger

pinch of red pepper flakes

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until chicken is browned and nearly cooked through, about 4-6 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, whisk together orange chicken sauce ingredients. 

3. Pour orange chicken sauce into the skillet and stir to combine. Let the sauce come to a boil for a few minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. (I forgot that I had bought green onions until I was washing the dishes. Oops!)

April 7- Lemon Chicken Piccata w/Parmesan Buttered Noodles

I love chicken piccata. It's my go-to dinner of choice at any Italian restaurant. I came across this recipe for Lemon Chicken Piccata in the latest issue of Allrecipes magazine. I whipped up some noodles, steamed some broccoli, and voila. A delicious weeknight meal worthy to be found in a restaurant menu. 

Enjoy!

Lemon Chicken Piccata
1.5-2 lb chicken breast halves, cut horizontally into 1/2 inch cutlets
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lemon, sliced into thin pieces
lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp butter

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess flour. Add chicken to skillet and pan fry until golden on both sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
2. Add garlic to the pan and sauté about 30 seconds. Pour in broth. Stir in lemon slices and bring to a boil. Allow sauce to reduce to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and caper; simmer until sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Add butter and swirl it into the skillet until butter is melted and incorporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Arrange chicken on serving plates and spoon sauce over each portion.

Parmesan Buttered Noodes
(Measurements are to taste. I improvised this as I went, and it turned out 
spaghetti noodles (the tasty compromise in our house is 1/2 white and 1/2 wheat)
butter
parmesan cheese
garlic salt (or garlic and salt)
1. Cook noodles as directed. Drain and return to pot.
2. Add butter, parmesan, and garlic salt to the bot and stir thoroughly until butter is melted and noodles are completed coated.

April 1- Salsa Steaks

This is probably the easiest dinner I've ever made. It was on the table in less than 20 minutes and we both really enjoyed it. A great choice for a hectic week!

Salsa Steaks

1.5-2 lb boneless steaks

1-2 tbsp olive oil

16 oz jar salsa

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add steaks and brown on all sides.

2. Add salsa to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook until steaks are cooked to desired doneness.

3. Serve over rice.

The next day, I tossed a salad with spinach, tomatoes, edamame beans, guacamole, and diced leftover salsa steak. Mmm, it was incredible. 

March 17-Pork Chops w/Peppers and Onions & Buttery Baby White Potatoes

Good Housekeeping's Fast Weeknight Favorites cookbook has been a lifesaver on busy nights. The book is full of easy, yummy dishes that take hardly any time to make. This week we tried the recipe for Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions. It was fine. Nothing life-changing, but good. We both liked it but neither of us loved it. It was still a good option for a busy weeknight.

What really won me over were the potatoes. The recipe for Buttery Baby White Potatoes was on the side of the potato bag and I decided to give it a try. Mmm mmm warm, indulgent goodness!

Pork Chops with Peppers and Onions

4 boneless pork loin chops, trimmed (about 4oz each)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1 bunch green onions, green tops cut on diagonal into 3-inch pieces, white bottoms thinly sliced crosswise

2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add pork chops and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, turning once, until lightly browned on outside, about 8 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate and keep warm.
2. Add oil and green onion tops to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer green onion tops to a small bowl.
3. In the same skillet, add red peppers and green onion bottoms and cook, stirring occasionally, 8  minutes. Add garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in broth and half of green onion tops; Heat through.
4. To serve, transfer pepper mixture to a platter. Top with chops and remaining green onion tops.

Buttery Baby White Potatoes

1.5 lb baby white potatoes

6 tbsp butter

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1/4 cup minced shallot

1 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

1. Place unpeeled baby potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water, add salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and gently boil until tender, about 10-12 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine the shallot and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Drain the potatoes and return them to the warm pot. Immediately add the shallot mixture, butter, and parsley. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

July 28-Shrimp Fajitas

On Sunday night, my husband and I were wiped after a full day of church activities and a trip to the Orange County Fair. We weren't really hungry until later in the evening, thanks to the variety of deep-fried-oddities at the fair. Once we realized we were both hungry, we scrounged through our kitchen for options. 

Frozen dinners? Top ramen?....Mmm, what about shrimp fajitas?

I had a few bell peppers and an onion in the fridge, as well as frozen cooked shrimp in the freezer. Thirty minutes later we had ourselves a pretty tasty meal!

Shrimp Fajitas

1/2-3/4 lb cooked shrimp

1-2 bell peppers, cut into chunks

1 onion, cut into chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

fajita seasonings (pre-mixed or homemade with spices you probably have on hand)

1. In a large skillet heat oil. Sauté vegetables until crisp. 

2. Add shrimp, fajita seasonings, and a little water to help seasoning coat. Heat through.

3. Serve with rice and/or tortillas.

July 1- Beef Sirloin Steak w/Baby Spinach

I married a carnivore.

 I usually don't eat much red meat, but I'm definitely willing to expand my horizons to feed my hungry hubby. I had been looking for ways to incoorporate beef into the dinner repetoire and stumbled across this gem. I'm really glad I found a beef recipe that both of us enjoy!

Thank you, Campbell's Kitchen for making dinner so easy and so delicious! 

Beef Sirloin Steak with Baby Spinach
Original recipe by Campbell's Kitchen
2 tbsp olive oil
1lb boneless beef sirloin steak (about 4 pieces)
1 large onion, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10.75oz can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (can also use 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed)
1 bag fresh baby spinach

1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove beef from skillet and drain any fat.
2.  Heat the remaining 1tbsp oil in the skillet. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook until vegetables are tender-crisp, stirring often.
3. Stir the soup, water, vinegar and rosemary in the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the beef to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the spinach. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until beef is desired doneness. Enjoy!

Campbell's suggests serving with mashed potatoes. We enjoyed ours with baked. Just a matter of preference, but I would say that potatoes complete the meal!

May 14- Pan-Grilled Pork Chops w/Grilled Pineapple Salsa

This may be a repeat (see original post from last June), but it is definitely a recipe worth repeating! As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. I enjoyed this recipe the first time I made it, but it seemed so much better this time around! I think it goes to show that a lot can change in a year- I think I've finally perfected the perfect pan-grilled chop. Thinly sliced, perfectly cooked, yummo.

Pan-Grilled Pork Chops w/Grilled Pineapple Salsa II

6 3oz boneless center cut loin pork chops
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp lime juice, divided (I just cut a lime into two halves)

4 1/2in thick pineapple slices

1 medium red onion, cut into small pieces

1 jalapeño pepper, minced (seed jalapeño for a milder salsa)

3/8 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp ground black petter

1. Combine pork with 1 tbsp lime juice. I just squeezed the lime over the pork. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Coat a skillet with cooking spray. Chop pineapple and onion into small pieces and sauté about 4-6 minutes on medium-high, or until onion is tender. 

3. Combine pineapple and onion with jalapeño, 1/8 tsp salt, and remaining lime juice. 

4. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and pepper over pork. Cook 4 minutes each side or until done. My pork pieces were much thicker than the suggested 1/2 in, so it took longer to cook. 

5. Top pork with salsa and enjoy!

April 1-Skillet Pork Chops Florentine

Another winner from Campbell's Kitchen! We'll be adding this one to the repertoire of weeknight favorites for sure.

Skillet Pork Chops Florentine

2 tbsp olive oil

6 boneless pork chops, 3/4-inch thick (about 1 1/2lbs)

1 medium onion, diced

1 jar (24 oz) Prego Marinara Italian Sauce

1 package (10oz) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and well drained

4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heath. Add the pork chops and cook until the chops are browned on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining oil. Add the onion and cook until tender-crisp.

3. Stir the sauce and spinach into the skillet and heat to a boil. Return the pork chops to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the chops are cooked through. Sprinkle with cheese. 

January 20- Shrimp and Pineapple Stir-Fry

My husband and I are big fans of Asian cuisine. I joke that I should've been born in Thailand, Japan, or China, because no one there would consider me a picky eater. Earlier this month my husband and I went out to dinner at one of our favorite Chinese restaurants and ordered kung pao shrimp. It was so delicious and made me wonder why I don't cook with shrimp more. I was inspired to whip up this shrimp stir-fry recipe that I had been wanting to try, compliments of my cookbook by GoodHousekeeping. 

Shrimp and Pineapple Stir-fry
2 tsp vegetable or olive oil
1 bag (16oz) mixed cut stir-fry vegetables (snap peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, etc)
1/3 cup bottled stir-fry sauce (I improvised with soy sauce and a little bit of ginger and red pepper)
2 tsp cornstarch
1 lb frozen shelled and deveined shrimp
1 can (8oz) pineapple chunks in juice

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until evenly coated with oil. Cover skillet and cook until vegetables are tender crisp, about 3-4 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and stir-fry sauce until smooth. Add shrimp, pineapple and its juice, and sauce mixture to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until shrimp are cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Serve over rice and enjoy!

January 13- Beef Stroganoff

First time making beef stroganoff and it turned out great! Personally, I'm not a huge fan of beef but I did enjoy it and my carnivorous husband said it was delicious. 

The sauce has a great flavor.

 (My meal was basically sauce and mushrooms over noodles, but it was pretty tasty that way!)

Beef Stroganoff

1 8oz carton sour cream (can use reduced fat or light if desired)

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

2lb boneless steak, cut into 2-inch strips or chunks

1 tbsp butter

1/2 chopped onion

1 14oz beef broth

1 cup sliced mushrooms (canned or fresh)

8 cups cooked egg noodles 

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients and set aside.

2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag. Add beef, seal bag, and shake well to coat.

3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet. Add onion and saute 2 minutes or until tender. Add beef mixture and saute 3 minutes or until beef is browned. Gradually add broth. Add mushrooms. Cover and cook 5 minutes. 

4. Reduce heat to low and gradually stir in cream mixture. Cook, uncovered 1 minute or until heated through. Be careful not to let the mixture boil, to maintain consistency and prevent curdling. 

5. Serve over cooked egg noodles. 

December 5- Chicken Fajitas

Bell peppers on sale = Time for a family favorite: Chicken Fajitas

(This is what I like to call a Grocery Store Cheat Meal...Thank you, seasoning packets!)

Chicken Fajitas
Cook vegetables (I like onions & bell peppers) in 1 tbsp olive oil and set to side. In the same skillet, cook chicken through. Once the chicken is cooked through, add fajita seasonings (can be found pre-mixed at any grocery store) and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add vegetables and heat through.

August 22-Beef Fajitas

Beef fajitas. Served with warm flour tortillas, corn, beans, and homemade salsa. Mmm mmm.

Beef Fajitas
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 bell peppers, sliced
1.5 lb beef
1/4 cup water
1 packet fajita seasoning

1. In a large skilled, heat olive oil. Add onion and bell peppers. Heat until onion is browned. Remove from skillet.
2. In the same skillet, cook beef. Drain excess fat.
3. Return vegetables to the skillet, with water and seasoning. Bring to a boil and heat through.

August 6- Easy Kung Pao Chicken

Nothing beats takeout...except homemade takeout. 

We both had multiple servings, making this easy recipe a sure winner. 

Easy Kung Pao Chicken
Original Recipe from Delish.com
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp corn starch
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (I doubled the red pepper and was glad I did...1 tsp will make it about as spicy as the takeout version.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup water
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 tsp vegetable oil (I cooked mine with olive oil)
1 large onion, chopped 
2 small green bell peppers, chopped
2/3 cups unsalted roasted peanuts

1.) In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, ginger, sugar, cornstarch, crushed red pepper, garlic and water. Transfer 2 Tbsp. of the sauce to a medium bowl; add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes.

2.) In a nonstick 12-inch skillet, warm 2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the chicken and cook until meat loses its pink color throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate. 

3.) Add remaining 1 tsp. oil to the same skillet and heat until hot. Add onion and bell peppers, and stir-fry about 5 minutes. (Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. water if skillet is dry.) 
To save time, I did steps 2 and 3 simultaneously, in two separate skillets. 

4.) Pour remaining stir-fry sauce over vegetables and boil 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet along with peanuts and heat through. Serve over jasmine rice. 

July 18-Grilled Swiss, Ham, and Pineapple Sammies

My mom came up with this delicious sandwich combination when I was a kid. There was a sandwich shop at our mall foot court that offered a similar selection, and she was inspired. Quick enough to whip up in 10 minutes, versatile enough to enjoy for lunch or dinner, tasty enough to send me into melty cheese cravings for the past week (I am now satisfied).

Grilled Swiss, Ham, and Pineapple Sammies

Deli sliced ham

Swiss cheese

Canned pineapple pieces

Deli rolls

Slice ham into thin strips and heat in a nonstick skillet, along with the pineapple pieces. Meanwhile, toast your rolls in a skillet or toaster oven. Once the ham and pineapple are heated through, divide into sections within the skillet (one section per roll). Top each section with a slice of Swiss cheese. 

Once cheese is soft, use a spatula to place the mixture into each roll.

Top with lettuce, tomato, or may if desired (I personally like them just as is). 

If you love Hawaiian style pizza, another great option is to heat up Marinara sauce for dipping. Yum!

July 5- Shrimp Jambalaya

An easy, one-pot dish of warm comfort. Scrumptious. 

Shrimp Jambalaya

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 tbsp butter or margarine, cubed

3 cups vegetable broth

1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled 

1 1/2 cups uncooked, long grain rice

2 tsp Creole seasoning

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups frozen peas

1. In a large skillet, saute onion and bell pepper in butter until tender. 

2. Add broth and rice, Creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and cayenne pepper to the skillet and bring to a boil. Once you've reached a boil, reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. 

3. Stir in tomatoes, shrimp, and peas. Heat through. 

4.Enjoy!

June 18-Chicken Couscous

Tonight I decided to try something different and learned a few lessons in the process.
1. Following a recipe from an iPhone is difficult. Print it out.
2. It's okay to make a mess sometimes (I was a splattering mess tonight!)
3. Couscous is delicious.

It was a nice meal to try for a change, but we both came to the conclusion that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. We liked it, but neither of us loved it.

Chicken Couscous

(Original recipe by Family Circle. 

Recipe seen below is my version based on preferences and what ingredients we had in the kitchen)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

1 large onion, thinly sliced

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

2 cups chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

8oz shredded carrot

1 cup couscous

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion 3 minutes. Remove.

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in skillet. 

3. When chicken is cooked through, add broth, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer. Add carrots and simmer another 3 minutes. 

4. Stir in couscous. Cover, remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

5. Serve.

June 14-Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Hooray for easy weeknight suppers. Stir fry is a perfect choice for a quick, simple, and fresh meal. Tonight I hadn't prepared anything in advance, but I knew that I had everything on hand that I needed to whip up our own DIY version of this classic takeout dish.    

June 14- Chicken Stir Fry with Brown Rice

Sorry that there aren't any measurements or cook times...

I just improvised along the way, with what we had. Have fun and do the same!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mixed stir fry vegetables (green beans, water chestnuts, snap peas, carrots, red pepper, asparagus, etc)

Fresh garlic, minced

Dried onion

Soy Sauce

Brown Rice

1. Cut chicken into small pieces and cook in a nonstick skillet. Generously drizzle soy sauce over chicken. When chicken is close to done, add dried onion. 

2. In a large wok, cook vegetables and garlic. I added the garlic after the other veggies had been cooking for a little while, so that it would not overcook. 

3. Meanwhile, prepare brown rice as directed.

4. When chicken and vegetables are done, add chicken to wok with the vegetables and heat through. 

5. Serve over rice. 

June 11-Pan-Grilled Pork Chops w/Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Tonight we brought a taste of the tropics into our home. (I've been craving a vacation, so I guess you could call that my inspiration.) This fresh, summer time dish was a hit with both my husband and myself. I'd never prepared pork before, so I was a little unsure what to expect, but I was extremely pleased with how it turned out. The salsa was my favorite part and definitely complimented the dish. It was much more filling than I expected, and we probably have about two or three servings leftover for later.

Served with baked sweet potato and steamed broccoli.

Pan-Grilled Pork Chops w/Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Original Recipe by Cooking Light

4 4oz boneless center cut loin pork chops (I purchased about 2lbs, so it was about double)
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp lime juice, divided (I just cut a lime into two halves)

4 1/2in thick pineapple slices

1 medium red onion, cut into small pieces

1 tsp minced jalapeño pepper (seed jalapeño for a milder salsa)

3/8 tsp salt, divided

1/4 tsp ground black petter

1. Combine pork with 1 tbsp lime juice. I just squeezed the lime over the pork. Let stand 10 minutes.

2. Coat a skillet with cooking spray. Chop pineapple and onion into small pieces and sauté about 4-6 minutes on medium-high, or until onion is tender. 

3. Combine pineapple and onion with jalapeño, 1/8 tsp salt, and remaining lime juice. 

4. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and pepper over pork. Cook 4 minutes each side or until done. My pork pieces were much thicker than the suggested 1/2 in, so it took longer to cook. 

5. Top pork with salsa and enjoy!

March 26- Beef & Broccoli w/Rice

Worth repeating. 

February 5-Chicken Fajitas and Black Beans

Do you know that moment when you are at your favorite Mexican restaurant and a plate of sizzling fajitas   comes through the dining room? Every head in the room seems to turn and look to see where that sassy sound and delicious aroma are coming from. 

Recreated...but in our kitchen. Mmm. 

Chicken Fajitas
Cook vegetables (I like onions & bell peppers) in 1 tbsp olive oil and set to side. In the same skillet, cook chicken through. Once the chicken is cooked through, add fajita seasonings (can be found pre-mixed at any grocery store) and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Add vegetables and heat through.

Serve with beans, tortillas, and fresh salsa.