Upside Down Pizza Recipe

Upside down pizza. I remember my mom making a Pampered Chef Pizza in a Jar recipe that was delish. So when I found this recipe in a Family Fun magazine this week, I HAD to try it. I made a few changes to the  recipe, added more veggies like the zucchini, more onions... I'll write my changes below, and the original in ( ):

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 cup chopped mushrooms
* 1 large zucchini cut in 1/2 inch chunks
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 lbs shredded chicken, I used leftovers (or 2 lbs ground turkey)
* 1 jar pizza sauce, 1 small can tomato paste ( or 2 (15-ounce) cans Italian-style tomato sauce)
* 1/2 c fresh basil, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
* 1 cup mini pepperoni or chopped pepperoni
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (13.8-ounce) package prepared corn bread mix (or prepared pizza dough mix)

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the turkey and continue to cook and stir, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is no longer pink, about 8 minutes.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, basil, and pepperoni and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, then transfer the mixture to a 9- by 13-inch casserole dish.

3. Scatter the cheese on top and layer on the pizza dough. Bake the casserole until the dough is golden, about 20 minutes. To serve, spoon out portions with a large serving utensil.

Yes, I left it in the oven a little bit too long, but it was still so. good.  If you make it, I'd love to hear your changes or if you liked it!

Herbed Fish with Tomato and Olive Relish Recipe

 Oh me of my, this is the best dinner I've made in a long time! And easy, only took maybe 15 mins to prepare. Another HEB recipe, so I can't take all the credit.

I served it with fresh mango, my easy aspargus, and cresent rolls with honey butter drizzled on.

Asparagus

Discard woody ends. Cut in 3rds. Cook in pot on med-high heat, 1/2 inch of water, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and 2 tb butter. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover with lid, and simmer approx  5mins. My kids (and I) love to eat the Asparagus dipped in Girard's Light Ceaser Dressing.

Crescent Rolls with Honey Butter

I used Pillsbury refrigerated rolls. For butter, mix 3 tb room temp butter with appox 2 tb honey. I melted my butter too much, so it had to be drizzled. Don't melt your butter and you can spread it on, delish!

Olive Tapenade

This is a jarred spread from HEB. And it's delishious, even for those who don't like olives! It can be cooked or even just eaten out of the jar on a cracker or bread. If you can't find it, make your own with the list of ingrediants:
black olives, red bell pepper, zuchinni, capers, diced tomatoes, canola oil, dijon mustardd, sugar, garlic, salt, lemon juice, spices.

Herbed Fish with Tomato and Olive Relish

3/4 c. H-E-B Specialty Series Olive Tapenade

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 - 1 1/2 lb. fresh salmon or whitefish fillets

1 Tbsp.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Tbsp. McCormick Italian Seasoning Grinder

1 or 2 lemons

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 450°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Cut tomatoes in half; place tomatoes, olive tapenade and garlic over bottom of baking dish. Stir gently and place in oven 5 minutes.

2. In the meantime, drizzle fillets with olive oil; season both sides with Italian seasoning grinder.

3. Remove pan from oven; push olive mixture to edges of dish. Place fish in center and spoon olive mixture over fish. Squeeze half of one lemon over top and return dish to oven.

4. Bake 10 minutes or until fish just begins to flake when tested with a fork. Serve immediately with fresh lemon wedges.

*wall-e and justice league plates for the little guys*

~linked to Remodeliholic's Recipe linky party.

Smoky Corn and Potato Chowder Recipe

isn't he a dreamboat?

I attempted my first ever crazy yummy tamale pie the other day, but when opening a can of corn, I accidentally opened a can of creamed corn. Yuck, how did it even get in my pantry?!

So, I thought, "Hmmm what do I DO with this?" Then, I brilliantly looked at the back of the can and there was a recipe for Smoky Corn and Potato Chowder (more Del Monte recipes here). I figured, "What the hey, I'll give it a try". Honestly, I had my reservations, so I added onions, salt/pepper and used fresh potatoes instead of canned.

It is probably one of the best things I made in a long time, plus it's easy and most ingredients you probably have on hand. Even my kids gobbled it up. Really, it's perfect for the chilly weather, since it's a nice, warm, flavorful, hearty bowl of soup with a perfect blend of texture. Next time I make it, I'm doubling the batch. I wonder how well it will freeze?

yummy topped on Ritz crackers

♥ Ingredients ♥ 

-1 1/2 c milk
-1 can Del Monte Cream Style Golden Sweet Corn

-1 can Del Monte Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, drained
-1 c smoked sausage, halved and thinly sliced (or cubed cooked ham)
-1/2 small onion, chopped (about the size of a corn kernel)
-7 peeled, coarsely chopped potatoes, boiled until tender and drained
(or 1 can Del Monte Whole New Potatoes)
-salt and pepper to taste (white pepper if you want to avoid black flakes)
-1 1/2 c shredded smoked cheddar (or swiss or gouda cheese)
-chopped chives or green onion slivers for garnish

♥ Directions ♥

1. lightly sear sausage in large, sprayed saucepan
2. stir in milk, and cream corn
3. add whole kernel corn, onion and potatoes
4. heat through, stirring occasionally, add salt and pepper.
5. stir in cheese until melted
6. garnish with green onion slivers or chives and serve (I didn't have these, so used Mrs. Dash or something)

time for seconds

*Shared with recipe link up at Remodelholic. Check here for lots of other tasty recipes!*

Recipe: Vegetable Pork Chop Dinner

This is one of the tastiest and easiest dinners I have made in a while. I just went grocery shopping the night before, but wanted to use up the older veggies before they went bad to make room for the new ones. 

So, I typed into google, 'pork chops' and 'red bell pepper', found  this recipe and thought, wow, that's really easy! I added  mushrooms and altered the sauce a bit and it was perfection. The onions were easy, because I just pulled prechopped ones I had in a freezer bag already to go. We served the meal over steamed rice and had (store bought) strawberry shortcakes with fresh chopped strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.

You could substitute green beans or asparagus for the bell peppers in this easy and delicious recipe.

♥ Ingredients ♥

• 4 (3/4 inch) thick boneless pork loin chops
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 6 mushrooms, sliced thick
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons Girard's Caesar Dressing (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves (I used Emeril's table blend instead)
• 1/2 tsp flour or cornstarch to thicken sauce

♥ Preparation ♥

Sprinkle chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in heavy skillet over medium high heat and add chops, onion, and garlic. Cook 5 minutes on one side, shaking pan frequently so garlic doesn't burn, then turn chops and add pepper strips and mushrooms. Cover and cook 5-8 minutes longer until pork registers 160 degrees F. Remove chops and peppers from skillet and set aside, covered to keep warm. 

Add Worcestershire sauce, water, dressing, seasonings and flour, scraping bottom of skillet with rubber spatula to loosen pan drippings. Cook until sauce thickens slightly, then return pork and vegetables to skillet. Cook for 1 minute longer to coat pork with sauce, then serve. 4 servings.

Herb Crusted Pork Chops Recipe

My new favorite recipe. I combined a few ideas until I came up with my perfect combination. It's great for picky eaters and quick and easy. You can also use chicken instead of pork, and it will be awesome, but the crust is a little more juicy from cooking. Amazingly, it isn't as pink, dry and burnt up looking as my photo suggests! Serve with potatoes*, greens beans, garlic bread*, salad or fresh fruit for a well rounded meal.

♥ Ingredients ♥

4 boneless porkchops

2 cups Progresso Italian Style bread crumbs

1 packet Lipton Onion Soup/Dip mix

1 c Girard's Light Caesar Salad dressing (this dressing works best)

1/3 c French's Spicy Brown Mustard (any Dijon will do)

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Mix caesar dressing and brown mustard in a bowl.

3. In a seperate bowl, mix bread cups and dry onion soup mix. 

4. Coat pork chops in dressing mix, put in ziplock bag and marinate in fridge for up to 2 hours. Or don't marinate, (I never do) either way, it will be good.

5. Coat the dressing covered pork chops in the bread crumb mix. Place pork chops in baking sish, cover with foil and bake for approx 25 mins or until done.

image via life ambrosia

♥ Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes ♥

Our favorite side potatoes, made famous by my mother in law. They are great unpeeled, or peeled.

Cut into 2 chunks. Put in roasting pan and toss in olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, lots of garlic and basil. Cover with foil and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

image via j&d's

♥ Garlic Bread ♥

Soften about 2 cups butter (I use Smart Choice). Add fresh chopped basil and freshly minced garlic to butter and mix. Cut a store bought french bread loaf and butter insides with garlic butter. Place on pan and bake for about 6 minutes.

Cut into slices and fight over the last piece.

Herb Crusted Salmon and Asparagus Recipe

This is our dinner. I'm not a big fish person, and when I do make it, dill and lemon juice are usually involved... and I was just not in the mood for that.

So, using this recipe as inspiration, I came up with my own ingredients list since I didn't have half of what was called for. I found this site on substituting for teriyaki sauce and the A1, oj and Worcestershire turned out even better than teriyaki. And, even though we have gourmet Parmesan cheese given to us by a cheese scientist, I forgot to add it!

♥ Herb Crusted Salmon Steak ♥

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 egg
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 teaspoon basil

1/4 c water

1/2 cup pulp free orange juice

1/2 cup A-1 steak sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 pounds salmon steaks

1. In a shallow, medium bowl mix Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoned bread crumbs, spices.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, blend A1, orange juice, butter, red onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onions are tender.

3. Press one side of each salmon steak egg and dredge into the Parmesan cheese mixture. Place steaks crust side up in saucepan with sauce mixture. Cook over medium high heat until most of the liquid is reduced, 10 to 15 minutes, then flip with a spatula. Continue cooking until crust is golden brown and fish is easily flaked with a fork.

♥ Asparagus ♥

 

I usually blanch* asparagus first, to maintain the nutrients and green color, and to stop it from turning mushy during cooking, but I didn't this time, though I would usually suggest it.

 

1 lb fresh asparagus spears

1 tb oilve oil

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

1tb butter (we use smart balance)

salt/pepper to taste

1 tb seseame seeds

 

1. Cut off woody ends

2. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch pieces

3. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add asparagus, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook on med heat, stirring frequently about 5 mins. Add butter and seseame seeds, cook until done.

 

*to blanch first:

Have a large bowl of ice water ready to go.

Boil a large pot of water. Now, place your asparagus into the boiling water. Cook until the asparagus turns a bright green. The time this will take will depend on how thick your asparagus stalks are. Usually takes about 2-5 minutes.

Remove asparagus from the pot with a slotted spoon or tongs and place into ice-water bath to stop the cooking process. This will tenderize the stalks a bit more, but they'll remain deliciously crunchy.

We served it with steamed rice with a touch of salt and pepper and butter and naan bread (we love our starches around here) and it was delicious... even for people who don't like fish, like me, I even ate more than 1 serving!

Nutty Red Pepper Chicken Tortellini Recipe

I got the basics of this recipe from some magazine, but I changed it up a bit to make it a family favorite. It's quite easy, feeds a lot and relatively cheap. Add a side salad, maybe garlic bread sticks and some fresh fruit for a satisfying meal, that even most picky eaters will like.

Red Pepper & Green Bean Tortellini

Ingredients

1 pkg. cheese tortellini

4 chicken breasts, cut up in 1 3/4 inch pieces

2 TB olive oil

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/4 chopped red onion (about 3/4 inch)

1/2 c chopped walnuts (adds a light crunch without a nutty taste)

1 can whole green beans (or use fresh)

1 pint heavy whipping cream

2 TB sour cream (optional)

2 cloves crushed garlic

sea salt, pepper, basil

Parmesan cheese for garnish/taste

Directions

Prepare cheese tortellini, drain, keep warm and set aside.

Heat  olive oil, then saute' garlic and onion on stove.

Add in red pepper, green beans and walnuts until tender.

Set aside.

Add chicken to pan & salt and pepper. Stir fry until done. Add in the nut/veggie mix to the chicken. Add heavy whipping cream, sour cream, basil and any other spices.

Bring sauce to a boil, then cover and simmer for approx 10-15 mins, stirring occasionally.

Remove covered pan to unheated surface and toss in cheese tortellini to coat.

Sauce will thicken as it stands.

Serve topped with a light sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper.

*ps, I'm not a stickler to cutting the exact sizes I mentioned, I make things a little small since I have toddlers, but you don't have to, (with the exception of onion, chopping too small will result in a very oniony taste).

*pss, I don't usually set the veggies aside then do the chicken. I usually mix the chicken in with the onions and garlic too, then add the rest of the veggies/nuts when the chicken is done, but sometimes, I like the veggies to be a little more pan seared. Either way works.