WFMW: Summer Tips and Favorite Recipe

Tip 1:  Deodorant 

I live in Houston and it's been 100 degrees since sometime in May.  To say it's hot is an understatement.  I also have 3 small ones that are on the go.  I get sweaty a lot during the day.  

Therefore, I keep deodorant in the console of my car.  

A friend of mine asked if it had ever melted.  Not yet and I have kept a bottle in my car for years now. Well, not the same bottle, but a bottle nonetheless. 

Tip 2:  Pool Bag Organization

It seems like every time I get to the pool, which we frequent often, the things my kids need to get their hands on have migrated to the bottom of the bag. Which means, lots of small hands throwing towels, cover ups, etc. all over the pool deck. Usually the nice, clean towels end up in a pile of water.

I found these mesh bags in the dollar bin of Target.  I have put all the sunscreen in one bag, the goggles in another and a whole mesh bag for swim diaper, wipes and regular diapers. I also have another bag to put my keys/wallet/brush in (not pictured).  I pack these on top so that the kids and I can easily find the most frequently used items.  Added bonus, the towels don't get thrown into water.

In addition, I found these cute small pool bags in the same dollar bin.   Each kid received one. It is packed down with all of his/her pool toys.  The kids are responsible for carrying their own toys into the pool and responsible for making sure the toys get back in the bag and home. My kids love it!

Tip 3: Chicken Tacos (my go to recipe: quick, easy and good)

12 chicken tenders

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. veggie oil

Combine spices and oil in a bowl.

Rub evenly over both sides of the chicken.

Grill over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.

Brush corn tortillas with oil and heat over the grill.

Serve chicken with avocado and salsa on corn tortillas.  

Cheese, optional.

I also serve the chicken on baked potatoes, on salads, etc.  

Works for Me!

Spinach, Tomatoes and Shrooms, Oh My!

As I was cooking tonight I realized that I cook a lot with a base of spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms...and usually some garlic and onion.  (Adding those 2 didn't make for a good blog title though).  Saute all of that together, add some random ingredients and you have the Smith family dinner rotation.  I'm limited on the veggies I cook, so this is how my family gets them - usually with a side of either broccoli or green beans.

If you like the above, here are some of our variations:
-  Add some balsamic vinegar and Parmesan and you have pasta sauce.  You can also toss in other veggies.
-  Add chicken, spices and jarred sauce and you still have pasta sauce.
-  Put it in some ricotta cheese and stuff manicotti, pour a little sauce on top and bake.
-  Add it to ground beef, beef broth, red wine and some spices. Top with bread sticks. bake and you have beef pot pie.
-  Add 3 eggs, 1.5 cups half and half (or milk w/ 1Tbsp melted butter), some swiss chess, salt and white pepper and you have quiche. Bake 375 for 35-40 minutes.
-  I've been known to stir fry it as well.
-  Don't feel like cooking it, toss it with some hard boiled eggs, bacon and honey mustard dressing and you have spinach salad.  


Perhaps tomorrow I'll post all of my variations on green beans. The ones we had tonight were great.

Dinner Tonight

Braised Beef with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
From View Cooking Light Menu

I serve over egg noodles.

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 medium onions, vertically sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups water
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup less-sodium beef broth
1 cup sun-dried tomato halves, packed without oil, cut into strips (about 2 1/2 ounces) 1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 4 minutes, browning on all sides.

Add sliced onion; cook for 7 minutes or until onion is softened, stirring occasionally.

Add minced garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in water and next 9 ingredients (through bay leaf). Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 1 hour.

Uncover and simmer 30 minutes or until beef is tender. Discard bay leaf. Sprinkle each serving with parsley. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup beef stew and 1 1/2 teaspoons parsley)

Roasted Asparagus with Shallots

Ingredients:
2 bunches fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
4 medium shallots, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place the asparagus and shallots in a large bowl, and pour the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar over them. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat evenly. Spread the asparagus spears out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and bright green. Shake the pan about half way through to roll the spears over so they cook evenly. Remove from the oven, and drizzle the remaining vinegar over the asparagus. Toss lightly to coat, and serve immediately.

Enchilada Soup

Yummmmmmmy! My whole family loved this. Hope was signing for more before I could even get the spoon out of her mouth.

The recipe came from my friend Christa, who is an amazing cook, cookie decorator and my source for crafty stuff. In fact, check out her blog to order cookies here and check out her etsy store, gift chick, here.

Here is the soup (and the extra comments are Christa's, not mine). Enjoy!

Chicken Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (*I used 3)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup diced onion (* I used an entire onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (*I used 3)
• 1 quart chicken broth (*one box)
• 1 cup masa harina (*check mexican food section of store or by the flour)
• 3 cups water, divided
• 1 cup enchilada sauce (*I used whole can)
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• TOPPING Suggestions: cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream & Cilantro – I had none :( but I did add green onion. I also used a pizza cutter to cut thin strips of corn tortillas and fried them for my crunchy topping.. I HIGHLY recommend it!

Directions (*with Christa's added two cents)
1. In a large pot (*big enough to cook the entire soup in)over medium heat, cook chicken breasts in oil until well browned on all sides. Remove and set aside (*to cool so you can shred it later).
2. Cook onion and garlic in remaining oil until onions are translucent. Pour in chicken broth.
3. In a bowl, whisk together masa harina and 2 cups water until well blended. Pour into pot then add remaining 1 cup water, enchilada sauce, Cheddar, salt, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.
4. Shred cooked chicken and add it to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, until thickened.

Herb Roasted Chicken Breasts

I made this tonight and it turned out super moist w/ good flavor. I made a few modifications....but it still made the keeper list from J. I loved it b/c it was minimal work on my part!

1/2 cup shallots, minced (didn't have any, so I omitted)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup whole grain mustard (I only had spicy brown mustard)
1 cup fresh parsley (I used dried)
1 tsp crushed red pepper (oops - forgot this)
6 boneless chicken breasts
salt and pepper

Compine the ingredients. PUt chicken in shallow pan. Pour marinade over it, turn over.
Marinate, covered in fridge for 1 hour, turn occasionally.
Drain.
Place chicken in roasting pan. Cook on 450 for 45 minutes

Dinner Tonight

I'm not a pork person, but my family loves it. I found this crock pot pork chop recipe and they loved it. J said it had good flavor. I threw it together in 5 minutes....EASY!

1 medium onion sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 Tbsp flour
4 pork chops
1/3 cup red wine (or beef broth) - I used cooking wine
black pepper
salt
toasted walnuts

Mix onion, garlic and 2 TBSP parsley in the bottom of the crockpot
Coat the pork in flour and place on top.
Sprinkle with black pepper and salt
Add red wine (Or beef broth)
Cook on low for 6-7 hours (5.5 hours was perfect)
Sprinkle with walnuts (or omit if you don't have them on hand) and remaining parsley

I served with wild rice and steamed broccoli.

Balsamic Pork Chops

Last night's dinner from Southern Living. J loved it.

Ingredients
1 (6.2-ounce) package fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 (3/4-inch-thick) boneless pork chops
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Garnish: fresh rosemary sprigs
Preparation

Cook rice according to package directions; keep warm.

Combine flour, 1 teaspoon rosemary, salt, and pepper. Dredge pork chops in flour mixture.

Melt butter with oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Add pork chops, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove pork chops.

Add broth and vinegar, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Cook 6 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half. Add pork chops, and cook 5 minutes or until done. Serve over rice. Garnish, if desired.


Southern Living, OCTOBER 2001

It's Hot, It's Cold, It's Hot Again....

You've got to love living in Houston. It's hot, it's cold, it's hot again....and you are still in the same day. The standing joke around here is that if you don't like the weather, give it an hour and it will change. Yesterday we saw 80, today the high is unlikely to get out of the 50s. No wonder all of our kiddos are sick.

I love the cool weather. Remember, I am a runner, the cooler and drier, the better it is for running. I also love the cool weather because it is a great time to break out the soup recipes. Yummy! Not to mention that most of them are saute a few things and then leave them to simmer. Can't beat the ease of a soup recipe. Of course, we have been pretending it's cool enough to eat soup around here because I can not keep up with the ever changing weather.

Here are a few of our favorites:

Southwestern Chicken and Rice Soup
1 med onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
(not called for but I add mushrooms and celery)
1 Tb veggie oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 medium plum tomatoes, chopped
1 - 2 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapeno slices
1 tsp cumin (I usually do 1 Tbsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
8 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 ripe avocado, chopped
tortilla strips

1. Saute first 3 ingredient in oil for 7 min or until tender. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute
2. Stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients. Stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender
3. Stir in cilantro and lime juice
4. Serve with avocado and tortilla strips

Tortilla strips

Cut corn tortillas into strips. Place on a baking sheet and spray strips with cooking spray. (I usually lightly brush mine with oil instead).
Bake at 400 for 20 min - stir every 5

From Southern Living


Chicken Tortilla Soup
6 Tbsp veggie oil
8 corn tortillas, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
½ c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 med onion, chopped
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 T ground cumin
1 T chili powder
3 bay leaves
6 Cups chicken stock
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
4-6 shredded, cooked chicken breasts
Toppings: cheeses, avocado, sour cream, chips

Heat oil over medium heat
Add tortillas, garlic, cilantro and onion
Saute until soft and translucent.
Stir in tomatoes
Bring to a boil and add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken stock. Return to a boil
Reduce heat and add salt and cayenne pepper.
Simmer 30 minutes
Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Heat until chicken is warm
Garnish with above toppings


5 Can Soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1 can French onion soup
1 can cream of potato

Add shredded chicken and warm. Top with shredded cheese. Serve with salad and bread.


White Christmas Chili
This one makes a lot so I half the recipe

8 skinned and boned chicken breasts
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP veggie oil
2 cans chicken broth
4 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and mashed
2 cans chopped green chilis, undrained
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp dried oregano
`/1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper

Cut chicken into bite size pieces
Saute chicken, onion and garlic in hot oil over medium high heat for 10 minutes or until chicken is done.
Stir and broth and next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes
Serve with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, salsa, sour cream, cilantro

Taco Soup
This is a staple for any Texas kitchen. This is another one I half for our family.

2 lbs ground beef
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilis
salt and pepper
2 - 1 1/4 oz package taco seasoning
1 - 1 oz package hidden valley ranch dry dressing mix
1 15 oz can white hominy
1 15 oz can golden yellow hominy
2 - 14.5 oz stewed tomatoes - Mexican style
1 - 15 oz can whole kernel corn
2 - 15 oz cans Pinto beans with jalepenos
2 cups of water
1 bag of Fritos
1 8 oz bag shredded cheddar cheese

Brown meat with onions and 4 oz can of chilis. Stir in taco seasoning and hidden valley dry ranch. Then add undrained cans of vegetables and 2 cups of water. Serve in bowls and top with cheese and fritos.

Preparations Continue - Margaret's Oatmeal Muffins

Not only do I not wait well, I don't sit and wait well. So, while we are having insulation put in our attic this morning and I am housebound, I am creating things to do. My sweet sister in law, Neta, is coming in town tomorrow to stay with Grayson Sunday night while we are at the hospital. In order to help make her life easier, I am doing a bit of baking so they will have muffins around for breakfast. I thought I would share this recipe with you.

Ms. Margaret, our neighbor across the street growing up and now one of my many "second" mothers, use to make these all of the time. They are great for breakfast or for an after school snack. When my brothers were teenagers, mom used to double the recipe! I hope you enjoy these as much as our family has over the years.

Margaret's Oatmeal Muffins

Mix and let stand: 1 1/2 cup water and 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal
Cream together: 1/2 cup butter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 cup white sugar
Add 2 eggs to sugar mixture. Mix well.
Add oatmeal to creamed mixture.

Sift together into above mixture gradually::
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
Add 1 tsp vanilla
Mix well.

Bake in greased mini muffin pans at 375 for 25 minutes.

Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostados

This is what we had for dinner tonight. The boys loved it! It's quick, easy, healthy - what more could you ask for. I added a bit more cumin and salt than what the recipe called for and I easily got 6 tostados out of it. The recipe says you will get 4.

From Cooking Light:
Chicken and Summer Vegetable Tostadas
The tostadas can easily become soft tacos if you skip broiling the tortillas. Serve with black beans.

Ingredients
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
12 ounces chicken breast tenders (I chopped them before cooking)
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1)
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) - I used a can
1 cup chopped zucchini (about 4 ounces)
1/2 cup green salsa
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

PreparationPreheat broiler.
Combine first 3 ingredients, stirring well. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over chicken. Add chicken to pan; sauté for 3 minutes. Add onion, corn, and zucchini to pan; sauté for 2 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in salsa and 2 tablespoons cilantro. Cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.

Working with 2 tortillas at a time, arrange tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet; lightly coat tortillas with cooking spray. Broil 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon about 3/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla; sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup cheese. Broil an additional 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas, chicken mixture, and cheese. Sprinkle each serving with about 3/4 teaspoon of remaining cilantro. Serve immediately.

Chicken and Mushroom Cutlets

Below is a recipe that I received from Erica. It's not the healthiest, but it sure is tasty. My boys loved it and good reports on it came in from my family up in Plano. (Check out Kel's blog: kloredo.blogspot.com as she has 2 adorable twins: Ainsley and Gage. Don't miss the Easter pictures)

1 pkg chicken breasts
3 eggs beaten
salt (about 1 teas)
garlic powder (about 1 tb)
plain bread crumbs
1/4-1/2 lb butter
fresh mushrooms sliced
pkg muenster cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth

Mix garlic, salt, eggs together in large ziplock bag with chicken breasts and let sit at least 1 hour in fridge. Roll in bread crumbs and saute in butter until golden. Place in large casserole dish. Saute mushrooms in reserved butter then sprinkle over chicken. Place slice of cheese on each breast and pour broth over all and cover with foil. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. Remove foil for last 10 minutes. If you like the taste of lemon, you can squeeze a little over chicken before serving.

Black Bean, Corn, Avocado Salsa

On request, here is the salsa I took to MOPS last night. It is from the healthy section of Southern Living. You can eat it with chips, on the side, or our family likes to put it on baked potatoes. Enjoy!

2 med avocados, cubed
can of corn drained
can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (optional)
1/3 cup red onion
3 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
Mix in a bowl and refrigerate at least an hour