Tag Archives: Dinner

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

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It’s been about 6 hours since I had this delicious soup for dinner. I haven’t stopped thinking about how awesome it was. Perfectly blended spices and rich chicken flavor combine in a soup that (in my humble opinion) could best any Mexican restaurant’s version of this south-of-the-border classic. As incredible as it tastes, you’d think it requires slaving away in the kitchen all day. But you’d be wrong. Your slow-cooker does all the work. Just throw it in and let the magic happen. The only effort required is the homemade tortilla strips . (sigh) Yes, you could certainly substitute regular corn chips I suppose – but with your soup practically making itself, come on…you can handle making the tortilla strips. Really. You can do it. They are the perfect crunchy topper to an absolutely fantastic meal. Happy Cinco de Mayo! I know, I’m a few days early…I like to stretch out celebrations as much as possible! Continue reading →

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Baked Potato Soup

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Potatoes are quite possibly the thing I would eat forever if I could. Well, that and cheese. This soup has both. There is just about nothing more comforting to me than a steaming bowl of potato soup. I love it. This version has enough substance to satisfy even the heartiest eaters. And, it includes bacon. In the soup, and on top. If that weren’t enough for you – the veggies of the soup take a dunk in bacon fat before being added to the soup. Yeah. It’s good. Continue reading →

Zucchini “Crab” Cakes

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I made these delightful “crab” cakes for my kids tonight so that my hubby and I could have Baked Salmon Cakes without worrying about my daughter’s seafood allergy. Worked like a charm. Our dinner looked enough like theirs that there was no arguing or whining, and my 4 & 2-year-old chowed down on these cakes made of (gasp!) a vegetable. I think they actually thought it was cake. Or at least the name fooled them into eating enough that they realized it was good. My husband actually couldn’t decide which of the cakes he liked better. I agree, these fake crab cakes were almost as good as the real deal. These would be great as appetizers as well, just shape into smaller patties. Continue reading →

Baked Salmon Cakes with Dijon Dill Dipping Sauce

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I’ve been in the mood for salmon recently. It is incredibly troubling to me that my daughter is allergic to my most favorite seafood. As much as I love salmon, I’m not over the moon about the idea of having to cook two separate meals so Madison has something to eat while I enjoy moist, flaky fish. So, I rarely eat it anymore. I have a bag of salmon burger patties in my freezer so that when we grill burgers I can just throw a special one on for myself – but somehow, I change my mind and want beef once I smell it barbecuing. Go figure. This recipe allowed me to use up some of those salmon patties (or you could use canned salmon) in a delightful salmon cake that I baked in the oven until it was crispy and golden. I served it up with a speedy Dijon Dill Dipping Sauce and, for the kids also made a batch of Zucchini “Crab” Cakes. Ok, yes…I ate one of those too. You could make smaller appetizer sized patties that would be a great starter. Or make 4 main course sized cakes like I did tonight. With some mashed potatoes and fresh veggies – they make a wonderful light meal. Continue reading →

Herbed Pork Tenderloin with Oven Roasted Potatoes

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I’ve made pork tenderloin several different ways in the past. I’ve marinated it, put it in the slow cooker, charred it good in a pan with some hot oil – the usual suspects. Yesterday I was feeling a little lazy. If you’ve never cooked one, you might think a roast is a super fancy meal that requires lots of effort. Nope! There’s no better dinner (in my opinion) than a roast when you’re not really feeling like cooking. You throw everything in a pan and stick it in the oven. That’s it. I was drawn to this recipe mostly because it didn’t include searing the meat before placing it in the oven. Honestly, I just wasn’t in the mood to have even one more dish to clean. Yup. Lazy dinner time. Continue reading →

Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

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Chicken noodle soup has to be one of the great comfort foods on the planet. When I’m sick, it makes me feel way better. Even if it’s all in my head, somehow the steamy broth and flavors of chicken, noodles and veggies help me turn the corner towards wellness. The problem is, when I’m not sick, soup is never enough for me at a meal. I know there are people who are totally satisfied with the soup n’ salad thing. I am not one of those folks. I need something with a bit more substance. Which is why I love this recipe. It combines all my favorite comforting soup flavors in a casserole that fills you right up. Continue reading →

Pizza! Pizza!

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As part of my (and my hubby’s) new budget, we’ve cut eating out from our life for a couple of months in order to try to pay down a big chunk of our car loan. As a result, I don’t get to go have my favorite pizza at The Rock, and I’ve been craving it for about a week. Today I decided to do something about it and made my own version from scratch. I started with homemade crust, then I made a quick alfredo sauce and loaded up the toppings. I finished the whole pie off with a drizzle of the alfredo and some fresh mozzarella cheese. The great part is that from this one batch of dough, I got two good-sized pizzas. I let my kids top theirs however they wanted…which ended up being sauce, pineapple and mushrooms (no cheese…they are bizarre children). And then made a fantastically grown up pizza for me and my honey. Way better than wrangling my kids while waiting for a table and paying over $60 for a meal out as a family. Continue reading →

Chicken Florentine Casserole

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I had just put this casserole in the oven when my husband walked in the door from work today. The first words out of his mouth were “Man, something sure smells good!”. I responded with “It could be the bacon, or the sautéed mushrooms, spinach and onions. Or possibly the Parmesan cheese cream sauce.” It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt tonight’s dinner was going to be ah-mazing. Oh momma and was it ever!

Chicken Florentine is a classic dish that’s made by pounding chicken flat, rolling spinach, cheese and mushrooms inside, breading the rolls and then frying them. Much like Chicken Kiev or Chicken Cordon Bleu. I found the idea for a casserole version and could tell that with some adjustments it was going to be fantastic with much less work than the traditional rolled type. Chicken Florentine is normally served with rice, but I thought some nice mashed potatoes would be a much better vehicle for soaking up all the delicious creamy sauce in this dish. Mmmmmmm yummy!

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Cabbage Rolls

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Apparently corned beef/cabbage last Thursday and the slaw with my pulled pork didn’t give me enough of a cabbage fix already this week. I guess when the stuff goes on sale around St. Patrick’s Day, I want to make the most of it. I used up most of a head of this smelly veggie tonight with these rolls. Smelly, but yummy. I always make this recipe on a week that I’ve got another dinner with rice on the menu. I just make a little extra so I have a cup of it already cooked and ready for these cabbage rolls. These kind of taste like a stuffed bell pepper, just rolled in cabbage leaves instead of crammed into a pepper. Continue reading →

Crispy Cheese Pulled Pork Tacos with Sesame Slaw

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It’s Taco Tuesday! I have died and gone to over-eating heaven. Seriously. Dinner tonight was quite possibly the most delicious food I’ve had all year. Possibly in the past 5 years. I cannot remember the last meal I enjoyed more than what I shared with my family tonight. My daughter declared “Mommy, this is so good, because it makes my brain smarter” – apparently beyond being simply and utterly delicious, it also fuels the mind.  What could make me rave so much? Get this…BBQ pulled pork wrapped in a crispy cheese shell, topped with a tangy creamy sesame slaw. Oh yeah baby. That is  just phenomenal food. Have I ever mentioned how much I am in love with cheese? Especially the crispy kind. If you’re like me and seek out the crunchy parts on the edges of scalloped potatoes, casseroles, nachos etc — you’re going to pass out from pleasure when you taste these things. Continue reading →