What's for dinner: Shirmp Gnocchi

I'm a lucky gal because Mr. PD likes to dabble in the kitchen. He loves to cook for me on special occasions such as birthday's and anniversaries. I don't recall the occasion when he first made this dish for me but it was sometime this year. It was Divine! The caramelized onions were my favorite part but it all went well together. You can find the recipe for this delicious dish here. Oh and in case you are wondering what gnocchi is they are potato dumplings and can be found at most grocery stores in the Italian section.

What's for Dinner: Zuchinni Pie

I made this pie for dinner the other night and surprisingly enough the kids gobbled it right up. The zucchini was perfect and just slightly crispy. I am not a fan of mushy zucchini and neither are the kids. This was a super simple recipe and I will definitely be making it again. Probably a lot this summer since my neighbors, an elderly couple, planted about 10 zucchini plants in their garden!

What's for Dinner: Shrimp Fajitas

I love having fajitas for dinner. These are a snap to make if you keep frozen peeled and de-veined shrimp on hand. I don't really have a recipe but here are the basics:

Ingredients:
Olive oil
.5-1lb frozen peeled, de-veined shrimp (thawed)
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 med onion sliced
2 cloves garlic minced
1-2 tomatoes cut into wedges
salt and pepper
Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Flour tortillas
Hot sauce
Sour Cream

In a non stick pan heat a about 2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute onions for about 3 minutes, add sliced bell peppers and garlic, continue to saute another 2-3 minutes add shrimp and splash of Worcestershire sauce. Right before the shrimp is cooked through add the tomatoes. Saute until the shrimp is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I love a colorful dish

Serve on warmed flour tortillas and top with a dollop of sour cream and your favorite hot sauce or salsa. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner? Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Last month I was lucky enough to be able to visit family in friends in Utah for a very brief but fun visit. It was so awesome to hang out with my SIL Kristie who is such an awesome friend to me. We had fun just talking late into the night, shopping, eating, and going to the temple. It's so fun to hang out with someone that you can totally relate to and have long conversations about girl stuff, vent about motherhood frustrations, share motherhood triumphs, and just uplift each other.

While there I was also able to meet up with my girl Heidi, who recently moved out to UT after her husband passed away. It was so great to see her and visit with her even if it was just for an evening. Oh and her awesome-est FIL adjusted my neck after the very painful injury I sustained here. It was glorious! I may just be in love with going to the chiropractor! Seriously after he adjusted my neck I could look up, look down, and every which way!

Anyway I met my friend Heidi for dinner at an awesome restaurant called Paradise Bakery. She raved so much about their tomato soup that I gave in and ordered a bowl. I must tell you that I am not a big tomato soup fan. I don't like that most are made with a sweet taste, it makes me want to gag. A lot of Mexican dishes are tomato based but they are not sweet at all, instead they are smokey and spicy (not hot) and seasoned with cumin, oregano, onion, and garlic. So I had my reservations about trying this soup. The first bite was so amazing! My taste buds got a treat with the spices, the creaminess, and the crunchiness of the tortilla strips.

So I got home from my trip and I ranted and I raved to Mr. PD about this super awesome tomato soup. Of course I had to look on the internet for a copycat recipe and this one came pretty close! I must warn you though, half of the recipe still makes a very large pot! Next time I will make 1/4 the recipe for my family of 4 (assuming I don't want leftovers.)

I could not find jarred tomatoes so I used 1 bag of these sun dried tomatoes that I found in the produce section of my grocery store. They were around $3. This small bag would be perfect for the 1/4 recipe but the 1/2 recipe could use more than 1 bag.

Here's a quick tip. When opening up a can of something for a recipe that only requires a tablespoon, freeze the left overs in an ice cube tray. When they are frozen transfer the cubes to a baggie and they are ready for next time! This works great for tomato paste, chipotle (shown), etc.
Each cube is approximately 1 tablespoon, at least my trays were, you may want to measure yours with water first.

What's for Dinner? Chicken Soup

There's nothing like a bowl of homemade chicken soup on a cold rainy day!

I add celery, carrots, onions, a handful or two of rice and a squeeze of lime just before serving. For the grownups a couple of dashes of hot sauce kicks it up a notch. Nothing like some Tapatio to clear out any stuffy noses!

Sometimes I change out the rice for cubed potatoes (baby reds, or Yukon golds.)

What's for Dinner? Cheese Steak Pizza

Make this Philly Cheese Steak inspired Pizza you will need the following ingredients:

• Left over roast beef thinly sliced or Deli roast beef chopped
• White onions
• Bell Pepper (optional)
  
• Shredded cheese (American, Provolone, or Mozzarella, I used an "Italian blend")
• Baby Portabella mushrooms (optional)
• Pizza Sauce (optional, I didn't use any)

Saute your onions peppers and mushrooms in oil until veggies are mostly cooked. Spread veggies and beef on your pizza dough, top with cheese, and bake as directed as per the pizza crust directions. Enjoy!

What's for Dinner? BBQ Chicken Pizza, Roast Beef, Sandwiches, Chiles Rellenos, Apple Pie

I've been slackin' on my "What's for Dinner" posts. I've been cooking {honest!} and I've been pretty darned good about taking pictures, just not so good about posting about it! So here is a mash-up post of a few of our past dinners.

First up is homemade Pizza. Yum! {I love Pizza, who doesn't?} It's really super easy if you keep those little packets of pizza dough mix on hand (they're like $0.50 a packet and can be found near the spaghetti sauce, all you do is add water.) I like to use 2 packets for my smallest pizza pan (I think it's a 12-incher) otherwise it's really thin.


I hate to brag {ok not really, I like to brag... sometimes} but I make a good BBQ chicken pizza. Or so I've been told by a wonderful couple that used to own a restaurant {I'm talking about the Hawks, for my TN peeps.} Ok so you use some KC Masterpiece Original BBQ sauce {accept no substitutions!!!} then top with some cooked chicken, add some chopped onion (white or red, I'd say about a 1/4 cup) , and top with cheese (I like the Mexican blend) - Yum! Then bake as directed on the pizza crust package. I think I added mushrooms this time, just cause I had them lying around.

About cooked chicken
Anytime a recipe calls for cooked chicken I cook it this way: boil in a pot of water, add 1/4 to a 1/2 small onion (no need to chop it so you can easily scoop it out later) and add salt to taste. When your chicken is cooked remove the chicken and wither chop or gently pull apart with your fingers to use in your recipe. I like to use my fingers to pull it apart because you tend to get more volume this way and therefore need less chicken per recipe. Throw away the onion from the broth and store the broth in the fridge or you can even freeze it for use in your recipes.


Up next is Roast Beef Sandwiches with a spicy Horseradish sauce, oh and tomatoes too!
This is your typical roast beef sandwich but it is taken to the next level with a horseradish sauce and fresh tomatoes. My husband mixes it up but it is similar to this recipe here.


Next we go to Mexico for some awesome Chiles Rellenos. I make mine using Chiles Poblanos and stuff them with Queso Fresco.
I found these 2 recipes if you want to give it a try (recipe 1, recipe 2). I don't use a recipe I just make them the way my mami taught me! The sauce is processed in the blender and consist of tomatoes, garlic, onion, and seasoned with salt, cumin, oregano, and pepper.

An easy way to peel the peppers is to put them under the broiler and turn them every couple of minutes until the start popping and fizzing, then turn them every 30 seconds until they are uniformly blistered. Pull them out and peel the skin with your fingers. Then make a slit down one side and (using gloves) under running water pull out the seeds and veins so they aren't so spicy!


Lastly we have Apple Pie {no we didn't actually have Apple pie for dinner, very very tempting, and one day we might make Apple pie for dinner, we did have cake for dinner one night though!} So I know nothing about making pie, I think this was only the 2nd time I've ever made Apple pie. Honestly it wasn't that hard! I did use the Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust to save some time and that made it a breeze.


I hit a roadblock before I even started making my pie! I was at the store and they had like 10 varieties of Apple on sale. Not knowing a thing about apple pie {I know better now} I chose Gala Apples! Once I came home and looked on the internet I learned that Gala apples aren't considered very good for apple pies. Doh! They tend to be too juicy once you cook them so your pie doesn't set up and the bottom crust doesn't hold up. Or so I read, but look at this beautiful Gala Apple Apple Pie!!!


The fix? {cause I was too lazy to go back to the store for 'better apples"} I used cornstarch instead of flour in the filling recipe and doubled the amount called for (I dissolved it in a tiny amount of water.) It came out perfect! And look at that flaky crust. The secret? Brush the crust with milk before baking, cover the edges of your pie with aluminum foil strips and remove the aluminum 15 minutes prior to the end of baking. this will keep your edges from burning to a crisp (or use one of those handy dandy pie crust shields.) This pie wasn't as sweet as other pies I've had which was a plus for me, not as sweet but still sweet though.

Look I even made little cute-sie hearts!

So, you hungry yet? What have you been cookin' up lately?

What's for Dinner? Butternut Squash Bisque

Photo courtesy BHG

I saw this recipe in the October BHG issue and I just had to try it. I have never cooked anything with Butternut Squash and have always wanted to try it. This recipe sounded so delicious that I gave it a try. You can find the recipe at the BHG website.

This recipe made a giant pot full of soup. For a family of four I would make half and you would still have small amount of leftovers. I served this with fresh made garlic bread and a salad. I only added one Chipotle pepper so my kids would eat it. Mr. PD and I added more of the Chipotle sauce to our individual bowls. I loved this soup and will definitely be making it again. As for my kids, let's just say they were more interested in the garlic bread.

What's for dinner? Shrimp Quesadillas

These quesadillas are so tasty and can be made with chicken as well. They taste even better the next day! Make some Mexican style rice as a side and you've got a complete meal. Top with sour cream, salsa/hot sauce, and fresh avocados or pare the toppings down to save some calories.

Shrimp Quesadillas

2 cups cooked shrimp, or shredded cooked chicken
4 oz sliced mushrooms (I like baby Bellas)
1 can.jar artichoke hearts (about 10z) drained and coarsely chopped
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/2 t garlic salt
1/2 t pepper
1 t cumin
1 pkg flour tortillas
8oz shredded Mexican Blend Cheese (Fiesta blend)

Drizzle a non-stick skillet with Olive oil. Saute onions and mushrooms about 2 minutes. Add Shrimp or chicken to heat through. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients through tortillas. Mix well and taste for salt.

Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet over med-low heat

Assemble the quesadillas as follows:
*the tortillas will be more pliable if you heat each one for about 20 seconds on each side right before assembling the quesadillas.

Sprinkle cheese on half of a tortilla, top with filling. Fold over the tortillas and place on warm skillet/griddle. Heat about 2 minutes on each side until cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve with your choice of toppings.

*If you know you will have leftovers, these will taste better if you make them up the next day on the griddle rather than re-heating the whole thing in the microwave.

What's for Dinner? Blueberry Sizzle French Toast

My lovely SIL set forth a challenge to photograph and post your daily dinner. So far she's been doing a great job on her family blog. I told her I would join her in posting our dinners, yet I haven't posted a single thing. That would be because my {lately} dinners of spaghetti, cereal {yes you read that right!} or fast food just aren't what I would like to show-off! share.

So what is your cooking style? Everyone has one you know. Are you a:
"made from scratch"
"out of the box"
"microwaveable"
"cooking? what's that" or a
"gimme the phone so I can order take out" type of person? or maybe you are a mix of a couple of these types.

I think I can categorize my self as Semi-homemade. Like Sandra Lee, but I think I'm more practical. I don't entertain as much as she does so it's not as pretty or sophisticated, but it sure does taste good! I like to make easy meals that taste good, won't break the bank, and are done without slaving for hours in the kitchen.

So the first meal I share with you is:

Blueberry Sizzle French Toast

I love breakfast! Except I never have time {or the desire} to make a huge ordeal. We'll have breakfast for dinner several times a month. Why not?! I can do whatever I want! Sometimes we'll even have pie for dinner! {rarely, but it does happen}

The french toast is made with a wheat French bread loaf (found at Walmart). I don't like my F.T too bee to eggy so I used about 3 eggs to about 3/4c-1c of Milk (for the whole loaf). To that I add about 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons sugar. Then I dip my sliced bread into the mixture. I dip the slices into the mixture (on both sides) but I do it quickly so it doesn't get too saturated to avoid the eggy taste. Then cook them up like pancakes on a griddle.

The Syrup is soooo good! I don't know where I go the recipe from. I used some of my frozen blueberry stash from earlier in the summer and it turned out great.

Blueberry Syrup:
1½ c blueberries, 1 T butter, ¾ c maple syrup, dash nutmeg

In a small pot, cook blueberries in melted butter 3 min. Add syrup & nutmeg. Bring to boil.
Serve warm over French toast.

Make sure you use real Maple Syrup, a splurge but oh so worth it! I'm thinking I need to can some of this delicious syrup in those cute little half pint canning jars.

EDIT: ooh I just found the recipe here at foodFit