December 26, 2011: Rosemary Roasted Beef Tenderloin Recipe

Normally a cut of meat like beef tenderloin is out of my budget but I found a nice little piece on sale at the grocery store recently and brought it home. I’d never cooked beef tenderloin before so I was a bit hesitant, not wanting to ruin such a good piece of meat. I did a bit of sleuthing online and prepared it this way, which turned out great!

Rosemary Roasted Beef Tenderloin

2 t. olive oil

One ¾ - 1 lb. beef tenderloin

Salt and pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 ounce fresh rosemary sprigs

1/3 c. dry red wine

1 T. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In an oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil to medium. Sprinkle beef tenderloin with salt and pepper; brown briefly on all sides in oil. Transfer tenderloin to a plate. Add garlic, rosemary and red wine to the pan. Place tenderloin on top of rosemary sprigs. Place pan in oven and roast tenderloin for about 25 minutes for medium doneness. Remove from oven. Place tenderloin back on plate and tent with foil for five minutes. Meanwhile, add butter to the pan drippings and keep warm.

To serve: slice beef thinly against the grain and top with pan sauce.

Serves 2

December 12, 2011: Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes Recipe

Here’s another easy way to cook the ever popular chicken in the crock pot. Especially during these hectic weeks around Christmas and New Year’s, it’s a real blessing to be able to put dinner in the crock pot in the morning and come home at night to a fully cooked meal.

All the ingredients in the crock pot, ready to cook all day on low.

Crock Pot Chicken and Potatoes

1 T. olive oil

6 – 8 garlic cloves, peeled

1 medium-sized yellow or white onion, cut into big chunks

2 large white potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

2 t. fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped

2 large bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

2 T. butter

1 t. dried sage

½ t. paprika

½ t. garlic salt

¼ t. cumin

1 t. Montreal Chicken Seasoning (McCormick Grill Mates)

Set your crock pot heat to high. Add the olive oil, garlic cloves, onions, potatoes and fresh rosemary. Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on top of the vegetables. Melt the butter and add the seasonings. Pour over the top of the chicken; sprinkle with Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Cover the crock pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 5 – 6 hours (or 7 – 8 hours on low).

Optional: Just before serving, heat a skillet to medium high. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Cook for a minute or so, just until skin crisps up.

Variation: For something a bit different, use yams in place of white potatoes and a Vidalia (sweet) onion in place of yellow or white onion.

Serve chicken over vegetable mixture and add a green vegetable, such as peas or green beans, for a complete meal.

Serves 4

December 6, 2011: Crispy Baked Cod Recipe

Although my husband’s favorite fish is battered and deep fried, every now and then I try to make a slightly healthier version. I wouldn’t call this recipe low fat by any means, but because it’s baked instead of fried, it’s marginally healthier – but oh so tastier! I served it with a spicy bottled remoulade dipping sauce, alfredo noodles, and peas with mushrooms for a complete dinner. By the way, if the ingredients look familiar, it’s because the breading is the same basic recipe I used to make Crunchy BakedParmesan Chicken.

Crispy Baked Cod

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 t. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ t. garlic salt

1 pound cod fillets

¾ cup panko bread crumbs

1 T. flour

1/2 teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, garlic salt and oregano

1/4 teaspoon each: cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper

Combine mayonnaise, oil, garlic, pepper and salt. Refrigerate for at least an hour, preferably several hours to overnight, to allow flavors to meld.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a broiler pan by placing foil in the bottom pan and spraying the broiler rack with nonstick cooking spray.

Rinse the cod fillets and pat dry. Cut into fourths, if necessary, to make four even-sized pieces. Place the pieces on the broiler rack. Smear a fourth of the mayonnaise mixture on top of each fish piece. Combine bread crumbs, flour and spices; sprinkle a fourth of the mixture on top of each piece of fish. Gently pat the crumbs into place.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn heat to broiler and broil fish fillets for about 3 – 5 minutes, until the crumb topping is browned.

Serves 4

December 4, 2011: Crunchy Parmesan Chicken Recipe

Do you like Shake N Bake chicken? Then you’ll love this recipe that’s almost as easy to make – and way more tasty. It combines crunchy panko bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese to make baked chicken your family is sure to love.

Crunchy Parmesan Baked Chicken served with Alfredo Rice and Cauliflower and freshly steamed green beans.

Crunchy Baked Parmesan Chicken

4 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken (breasts, thighs, drumsticks – whatever you prefer)

6 ounces panko bread crumbs

2 T. flour

¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon each: dried parsley, sage, garlic salt and oregano

½ teaspoon each: cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

If you want fewer calories, take the skin off the chicken pieces. Rinse.

Combine bread crumbs, flour, cheese and spices in a large sealable bag. Place chicken pieces, one at a time, in bag and shake well so chicken is coated with bread crumb mixture. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle any remaining coating mixture on top of chicken.

Bake for one hour, until juices from chicken run clear. Do not turn over!

Serves 4

November 30, 2011: Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce Recipe

Here’s a favorite winter dish in my family – Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce. It’s hearty, filling and quite delicious. I usually serve it over plain, buttered white rice because that’s what my husband prefers, but feel free to spoon it over the top of buttered egg noodles or mashed potatoes. The leftovers are even better!

Meatballs in Mushroom Sauce

1 recipe Meatballs

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/3 cup diced onions

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup milk

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare meatballs as directed in my Baked Meatballs recipe but instead of baking, fry them in a large or electric skillet. When cooked through, remove to a paper towel lined plate. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of drippings. Add mushrooms and onions and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add remaining ingredients. Cook just until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Serve over hot rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.

Serves 4

November 29, 2011: Hawaiian Sausage Skewers Recipe

As the holidays bear down upon us (along with all those advertisements showing perfect houses and presents and families to make us feel guilty), chances are your to-do list is growing while the time available to do all those chores gets smaller and smaller. On those hectic weeknights when you don’t have any social obligations, a quick and easy dinner is in order. Try this recipe to use a couple ingredients you’re sure to find on sale at the grocery store right now: pineapple and sausage.

Hawaiian Sausage Skewers

1 one-pound package smoked link sausages, such as Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut into 1 ½” long slices

½ fresh pineapple, cut into 1 ½” chunks

½ large white or yellow onion, cut into large chunks

1 cup Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce

Thread the ingredients in alternating fashion onto skewers (you’ll need about 8 skewers or so, depending on their length). Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place skewers on broiler pan and brush with half of the barbecue sauce. Broil for about 6 – 9 minutes, until pineapple and onion begin to char. Remove from oven and turn over; brush with remaining barbecue sauce. Broil for another 5 minutes or so, until completely heated through.

Serves 4

Tip: This is really delicious served with rice, plain or cheesy. If you don't have any Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce already made, any type of fruity barbecue sauce will do.

November 17, 2011: Orange Sauced Pork Chops Recipe

As I shared with you earlier, I’m getting into extreme couponing and it’s changed the way I buy groceries. I now have quite a stockpile going and I keep a much keener eye out for bargains.

At our Safeway store, there are special featured $5 deals every Friday. One Friday recently it was a big bag of cutie oranges. Although they were very good and sweet, my husband and I just couldn’t eat the whole bag. Rather than see any of them go to waste, I juiced what was left and decided to use that fresh juice for the night’s meal. Here’s what I came up with.

Orange Sauced Pork Chops with Whole Grain Sesame Noodles and Baby Corn

Orange Sauced Pork Chops

4 bone-in or boneless pork chops

Garlic salt and pepper

1 T. vegetable oil

1/3 cup orange juice

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

Rinse and dry pork chops. Sprinkle both sides with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Heat oil to medium in large saucepan or electric skillet. Add pork chops and cook for about 5 minutes each side, until juices are no longer pink (total cooking time depends on how thick the chops are). Remove and set aside.

Add orange juice to hot skillet. Cook for a few minutes, until reduced by half. Add teriyaki sauce. Return chops to skillet and heat through just until warm. Serve pork chops with sauce spooned over the top.

Serves 4