8-7-10 Guilt-Free Breakfast Burritos

We went to the lake again this weekend. After a number of comments from our last trip that Mom’s biscuits and gravy were less than healthy, we opted to start things off with some breakfast burritos more in tune with the disciplined palate that are fast, easy, and filling!!! 

You’re gonna need:
Louis Rich Turkey Bacon
Eggs
Low-fat shredded cheddar cheese
Smart Squeeze
Hot sauce (you can call it salsa….at our house it’s still hot sauce!!!)
La Banderita Flour Tortillas (tasty and only one fat gram per tortilla)

Scramble the eggs on medium heat (at the lake so we are using a cast iron skillet). I typically scramble about 5 eggs but remove two of the yolks (5 fat grams per yolk). Stir occasionally to suit texture and remove into bowl.

We nuke our bacon in the microwave because it’s a LOT easier and makes a much smaller mess. They are various iterations of microwave-specific bacon platters; I prefer a round one and bought it at Walmart. Purists can still fry it in the skillet. Word of caution: the turkey bacon is a bit dryer and burns easily in the skillet. Cook in microwave on high setting, cover with paper towel, and cook to desired crispness (about 2 minutes for 4 slices).

To serve, start with a flour tortilla, add eggs, bacon, shredded-cheese, Smart Squeeze, hot sauce (salsa), and microwave for 30 seconds or until cheese is melted. Pour the coffee and juice and chow down looking out over the lake.
Enjoy!!!
BC

8-4-10 Teriyaki Chicken Brown Rice & Veggies

We had this meal a couple of weeks ago and I was chastised for lack of detail on the original post. I’ll try to do a better job on the documentation and pics tonight to help out! We threw in a few different twists including brown vs. white rice and based on the veggies we had on hand.


Here's what you'll need:
4 chicken breasts
Brown rice
Fresh squash
Broccoli head
Carrots
Fresh okra (first from Mom’s garden)
Chow mein noodles (La Choy)
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce With Sesame Seeds
Kikkoman Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
Spring rolls
Gekkeikan Sake - The Finest Sake (says so on the label) 緣故是壞消息

Add 1 cup of brown rice and 2 cups of water to medium sauce pan, bring to boil, cover and steam on low for 55 – 60 minutes. Uncover stir/scrape. Cover and let stand off heat.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line Pyrex dish with foil and spray with Pam (much easier clean up).

Trim all excess from chicken breasts and cube. Add 1 cup of flour to paper bag with a pinch of salt and pepper. Dip chicken cubes in fat-free milk and throw into paper bag with flour and shake. Remove and space evenly in Pyrex dish. Bake chicken in oven for 25 minutes, scrape loose from foil, and then bake for another 20 minutes. Scrape loose from foil and dump in large mixing bowl. Pour in Kikkoman’s Teriyaki Sauce (this stuff is still the schizzle!!!) and stir to coat the sauce on the chicken.

During the chicken preparation, you also need to steam the veggies, the rice, and bake the spring rolls.
Cut two medium squash into mouthful-size chunks….feed tips to dogs!!! Chop the broccoli into mouthful-size chunks….feed remnants to dogs!!! Slice two carrots into chunks. Dice slimy okra.  Throw all of this into to the steamer for 16 -18 minutes according to personal preference on texture.

Bake spring rolls in oven at 450 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes until golden brown.

To serve, start with rice base on plate. Mix steamed veggies and Teriyaki chicken in large bowl . Layer over brown rice and top with chow mein noodles. Season to taste with Kikkoman’s Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce. Drink Sake….be happy!!!! Make sure to include water bottle on night stand…you will be thirsty later!
Enjoy!!!
BC

8-2-10 Grilled Center Cut Butterfly Pork Chops & BC Squash Casserole

Monday night and lookin’ for something simple. We settled on butterfly pork chops, squash casserole, black-eyed peas, and salad. Most of the veggies were fresh from Mom’s/Karen’s garden….sweet!!!

The stuff:

Boneless Butterfly Center Cut Pork Chops
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
Tami’s Secret Salad
Fresh black-eyed peas
Fresh squash
Medium size white onion
Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Campbell’s Fat Free Cream of Chicken Soup
Chopped mushrooms
½ lb (8 oz.) of Fat Free Sour Cream
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese
Fetzer 2008 Merlot table wine

Trim all the fat/silverskin from the pork chops. Pepper both side of and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of Dale’s Steak Seasoning and 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to quart size bag. Marinate chops in fridge for one hour, flipping occasionally.

Place black-eyed peas that Tami shelled from Mom’s garden into 3 quart Calphalon sauce pan (we only had a few peas). Add 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Cook for a very long time (1 ½ - 2 hours) on medium low heat. Add water as needed to keep them from drying up. Allow to simmer on low heat while everything else is wrapping up.

Chop up the squash (5 -6) and ¼ of the white onion. Add to 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan half-filled with water and bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat; cook on medium low heat for 45 minutes and then drain. Open Fetzer Merlot and allow to breath. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8 x 12 Pyrex dish with Pam. Add fat-free chicken soup, ½ lb. of sour cream, skim milk, and mozzarella cheese to pan with squash and onions. Mix together into mush and then gently stir in Stove Top Stuffing and mushrooms. Top with ¼ cup of grated cheddar cheese and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and turn oven off.

Light grill and remove chops from marinate; discard marinate. Pour 2008 Fetzer Merlot wine and drink toast!!! Cook chops to suit on medium heat, flipping occasionally, for 14 – 16 minutes. Cook the trimmed ends with space and serve these “snack ‘ems”.

Serve chops, Tami’s secret salad (I topped mine with Maple Grove Farms Fat Free Poppy Seed Dressing), squash casserole, and black-eyed peas. Top off merlot as needed.
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC

7-31-10 New York Strips & Twice Baked Potatoes

Saturday night is great for entertaining friends. What better way to enjoy the evening than good wine, some fat steaks, and our nummy twice-baked potatoes. The Bridges joined us for dinner, provided a great bottle of wine, and we got it started with a pitcher of Sangria!!!

What you’ll need:

Tami’s Sangria (she made it, we drank it!!!) http://www.wineintro.com/sangria/simple.html
Several thick New York Strips
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Extra virgin olive oil
Baking size potatoes
Fat-free sour cream
Shredded cheese
Fat-free milk
Smart Squeeze/Land O’Lakes Reduced Fat Butter
Corn-on-the-cob
French bread
Louis M. Martini Monte Rosso Vineyard 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley

Mix sangria wine, brandy, triple sec, orange juice, and ginger ale and place in freezer for one hour. The recipe that we loosely followed called for refrigerating Sangria for 24 hours prior to serving. If you are that organized, follow accordingly; if not, try the freezer route!!! Slice up some oranges and limes and toss in the pitcher and garnish the glasses. Serve over ice and be careful…this stuff has a kick (see Jimmy when the Sangria’s starts talkin’ below)!!! Open Cabernet to allow to breath for 45 minutes to an hour.

Trim all the fat from the New York strips. When trimming the ends, save chunks to make “snack ‘ems” (more on this later). Pepper both side of trimmed steaks/ends and set aside. Add 3 tablespoons of Dale’s Steak Seasoning and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to gallon size bag. Marinate steak in fridge for one hour, flipping occasionally.

Mix extra virgin olive oil and garlic salt in hands and rub on outside of potatoes. Lay potatoes directly on oven rack and place foil underneath to catch drips. Heat oven to 450 degrees and cook for one hour. Remove from oven and slice top open to allow heat to exit. Gut the potatoes into a large mixing bowl and place skins back in oven for 5 minutes. Add 8 oz. of fat-free cream cheese, ¼ cup of fat-free milk, one cup grated cheese, and ¼ cup Smart Squeeze. Season to suit with seasoned salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly . Remove toasted skins from oven and stuff with potato, cheese, & sour cream combo.

Reduce heat in oven to 350 degrees and return potatoes for 6- 8 minutes, then remove.

Fill 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan to half full with water. Add pinch of salt and bring to boil. Add corn-on-the-cob and boil for 30 minutes on medium high, then turn off heat.

Light grill and cook steaks to suit on medium heat, flipping occasionally. Cook the trimmed ends with space and serve these “snack ‘ems” to keep the troops from starving while you pull everything together! Finish the Sangria if you haven’t already and slice the French bread and spread with butter/Smart Squeeze. Broil at 500 degrees until edges are browned; remove.

Serve steak, potato, corn-on-the cob, and bread. Drink a toast to good friends with this superb Cab Sauv (thanks Jimmy and Beth!!!).
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC

7-29-10 Spaghetti Already!!!

Typically Romantic Thursday calls for a more exotic dish, but we’ve had a busy week and Italian sounded good (plus we already had bread and chianti!!!). Tonight we are opting for something simple, tasty, and easy to prepare.

What you’ll need:

1 lb. of lean hamburger
1 can of tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce (two if you like it more tomato-ey)
1 package of spaghetti seasoning w/mushrooms
1 package of spaghetti ( I prefer regular not thin)
Fresh mushrooms
1 medium-size white onion
Marinated artichoke hearts
Parmasen cheese - grated
Tami’s mystery tasty salad
French bread
Reduced-Fat Butter (or substitute)
Garlic Powder
Ruffino Chianti table wine

Chop ¼ of onion in to small chunks and set aside. Spray large Calphalon with Pam and turn on medium heat. Open Chianti and allow to breath. Brown hamburger meat and crumble. Empty browned hamburger meat into colander and rinse (really cuts down the fat!!!). Return hamburger to skillet and add can of tomatoes, can of tomato sauce, chopped onions, 1 cup of water, and spaghetti seasoning and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for 25 – 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped mushrooms with 15 minutes of cook time remaining. Drain marinated artichokes and slice half of jar into quarters; add to spaghetti. Save remainder for Tami to add to mystery salad. Pour Chianti and drink toast!!!

Fill 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan to half full with water. Add pinch of salt and bring to boil. Drop spaghetti into boiling water and reduce heat to medium high. Cook spaghetti for 8 – 9 minutes. Drain and rinse in colander, then toss.

Slice French bread to suit on thickness and spread with Land O’ Lakes Reduced Fat Butter or Smart Squeeze, then dust with garlic powder. Broil at 500 degrees until brown on edges; remove.

To serve, start with noodles to suit, add spaghetti sauce, and dust with grated parmesan cheese. Top off Chianti, add Tami’s top-shelf salad, and toasted bread.
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC

7-28-10 West Texas Jerk Chicken

We are big fans of crock pot meals and this one is another easy one. Make sure you allow enough time…other than that, simple and quite tasty!!!

What you’ll need:

Four chicken breasts
Stubb’s Barbeque Sauce (Original)
Dale’s Steak Seasoning
Fresh black-eyed peas (straight from Mom’s garden…she shelled them for us…shizzle!!!!!!!)
Frozen crinkle-cut fries
Salad to suit (as previously mentioned, talk to Tami about the salad)
Hamburger buns (can substitute flour tortillas as a wrap…also good stuff!!!)
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon table wine

Trim all the fat and any skin off the chicken breasts first because it’s healthy and the skin/fat are nasty!!! Line crock pot with a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner (these things are the bomb!!! no mess crock-pot clean up…smmaaarrrrtttt!!!!) Add 2 cups of water, 3 tablespoons of Dale’s Steak Seasoning , and add chicken breasts. Top chicken breasts with black pepper. Set crock pot to cook for 4 hours.

Take the baggie full of black-eyed peas that Mom has conveniently shelled and add to 5 quart Calphalon sauce pan. Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste. Cook for a very long time (at least two hours) on medium low heat. Add water as needed to keep them from drying up. In the last 30 minutes, taste frequently to make sure they are getting close (and because they are gonna be smelling REALLY good!!!!) Allow to simmer on low heat while everything else is wrapping up.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place frozen crinkle-cut fries on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Go outside with dogs for about 10 minutes and Tami has magically created the salad upon your return. Check french-fries and open wine….drink a toast!!!

Remove the chicken breasts from the crock pot and place in large mixing bowl. Scoop about 1 cup of the broth from the crock pot and add to bowl. Pour in ½ cup of Stubb’s Barbeque Sauce and smash all this together for about 3 minutes (top off wine if needed) until chicken looks like this:

To serve, warm the buns in microwave for 20 seconds and top with jerk chicken. Top with more Stubb’s Barbeque Sauce (if you went to Texas Tech in my era, no description of Stubb’s Sauce is required). Serve black-eyed peas with slotted spoon. Crinkle-cut fries should be consumed with lots of ketchup. Add salad and dressing to taste.
Eat, drink, and enjoy!!!
BC

7-27-10 Brian's Sausage Stuff In A Bowl

Note sad, hungry dog on right!!!

Tonight’s fare is really back on the healthy path!!! This is a takeoff of something I saw in the paper recently and we leverage all the fresh, free, or available veggies we have in the fridge already to make it all yummie!!!

You’re gonna need:

1 Hillshire Farms Turkey Smoked Sausage (really not bad….read the label and compare to standard smoked sausage)
1 box of Rice-A-Roni (I’m such a gourmet!!!) flavor of choice – Tami likes beef  ;-)!!!
Fresh squash (Karen's garden!)
Fresh Asparagus
Cut okra
Red potatoes
Corn-on-the-cob (we still have it....gonna eat it!!!)
Blackstone Merlot table wine

Light the grill and set to medium heat. Cut the squash and potatoes into chunks (see pic above). Start these in the steamer first and cook for at least 30 minutes (longer to suit texture pref). Add corn-on the cob and cut okra after 5 minutes of steaming (25 minutes cook time). Make the Rice-A-Roni according to the directions on the box (they’ve been coaching how to do that a lot longer than I have). Once finished, stir, replace cover, and remove from heat. Throw the sausage on, open the wine, and drink a toast!!! Flip the sausage three times over 20 minutes cook time. Remove from grill and set aside. Add asparagus to steamer with 13 minutes to go.

Top off the wine glass if empty.  Slice the sausage into ½ inch pieces and then quarter.  To serve, start with layer of Rice-A-Roni in a bowl, add steamed veggies, and sausage; then toss. The steamed okra, while you may think grody (sp?), actually really ties all the flavors together with a rich finish. Very easy meal to make and you can substitute the veggies based on season and availability (i.e. what’s in the fridge).
Eat, drink, & enjoy!!!
BC