Easy Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

Ingredients:

-Fresh strawberries, sliced

-Non-fat or low-fat vanilla yogurt

-Granola

Directions:

1. In a glass or bowl, layer yogurt, sliced strawberries, and granola, ending with strawberries. Sprinkle with granola or top with whipped cream.

2. Serve as a side, dessert, or breakfast.

Chicken Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Artichoke Hearts (recipe from Robin Miller, Food Network)

Ingredients:
-4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
-Salt and ground black pepper
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
-1/2 teaspoon paprika
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
-1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, quartered
-1/4 cup drained capers
-1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
-1/2 cup frozen lima beans (I recommend the Baby Lima beans, but all I had on hand this time was the huge ones.)

Directions:

1. Place chicken in zip-top bags and pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4-inch thick.

2. Remove chicken from bag and season all over with salt and black pepper. In a shallow dish (or plastic bag), combine flour, lemon zest, paprika, and garlic powder. Mix well. Add chicken and turn to coat. Remove chicken from flour mixture and shake off excess flour.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute 2 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through. Add lemon juice, wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Add artichoke hearts and capers and simmer 1 minute to heat through.

(A quick note about capers--you may not have ever even heard of these, but trust me, it's something worth trying. However, if you've never tried them, I would recommend starting with less than what the recipe calls for. They can be a little overwhelming at first, especially if you're not used to the taste. Just like titrating meds, start low and go slow! ;) )

4. Cook rice according to package directions, adding lima beans at the beginning of cooking process. Serve chicken and sauce with rice.

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Artichoke and Spinach Ravioli with Toasted Garlic Bread

Here is a quick and easy, "semi-homemade" meal that I like to keep on hand for those busy nights when I just can't spare a lot of time to cook dinner.

Ingredients:

-1 box frozen ravioli (our favorite is the artichoke and spinach)

-1/2 stick butter or margarine (I use Brummel and Brown's, which is a no cholesterol margarine made w/ yogurt.)

-olive oil (~1/3-1/2 cup)

-2 T. Italian spice blend

-2 t. Dill weed

-1-2 T. minced garlic

-Loaf of bread (I prefer either a crusty Italian bread, or in this case, I used a homemade bread from my father-in-law.)

-Garlic salt

-parsley, optional (gives the bread those little green specs)

Directions:

1. Make ravioli on the stove, according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, prep the bread by slicing, brushing with olive oil on both sides, and sprinkling with garlic salt and parsley (I actually use a garlic salt that has parsley already in it). Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place bread slices about an inch apart. Bake at 425 degrees for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, turning once after about 4 minutes.

3. For the garlic herb sauce, melt butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add olive oil (so that it's about 1:1, butter:oil). Add Italian seasoning blend, dill, and minced garlic. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 2-3 min. Pour over ravioli.

Note: I usually serve with a frozen vegetable as well. I love the steam-in-the-bag veggies that can be kept on hand and ready in only 5 minutes. For this particular dish, I prefer a vegetable blend that has some color to offset all the green.

Taco Soup (recipe from: Paula Deen, Food Network)

Ingredients:
-2 pounds ground beef
-2 cups diced onions
-2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans pinto beans
-1 (15 1/2-ounce) can pink kidney beans
-1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
-1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes
-1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
-1 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles
-2 (4 1/2-ounce) cans diced green chiles
-1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced
-1/2 cup green olives, sliced (I agree, this seems weird, but trust me, it makes the soup!)
-1 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix
-1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix
-Corn chips, for serving
-Sour cream, for garnish
-Grated cheese, for garnish
-Chopped green onions, for garnish
-Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the browned beef and onions to a large slow cooker or a stockpot.

2. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, black olives, green olives, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours or simmer over low heat for about 1 hour in a pot on the stove.

3. To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos.

Steakhouse Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

-4 baking potatoes

-2 T. olive oil

-salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash potatoes and poke several times with a fork. Microwave for 10 minutes (to speed baking time).

2. Cover baking sheet with foil. Place potatoes on foil; drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until soft.

Serve with butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, and/or chives.

Rice Jello Salad

Ingredients:

-3 cups cold water

-1/2 cup raw rice

-1/2 t. salt

-1/2 cup sugar

-1 (3 oz.) package cherry Jello

-1 (13 oz.) can crushed pineapple

-1 (8 oz.) carton whipped topping (Cool Whip)

Directions:

1. Bring water, rice, and salt to boil. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes.

2. Remove from heat - do NOT drain! Add sugar, Jello, and pineapple. Pour into large bowl and refrigerate until almost set.

3. Fold in whipped topping.

I love making this for holidays and pitch-ins. It was great for Easter because it comes out a very pretty pink color.

Greek Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
-1 bag/box Baby Spring mix greens
-1 tomato, chopped
-1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
-1/2 can black olives
-1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
-balsamic vinegrette dressing, recipe to follow

Directions:
1. Make the dressing (see below for recipe). Toss spring mix greens with dressing.


2. Arrange in serving bowl, top with tomato, onions, and olives. Sprinkle with feta cheese.



Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe from: Emeril Lagasse, Food Network)
Ingredients:
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
-1 tablespoon chopped garlic (I usually use the pre-minced garlic you can find in jars at the grocery store)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-3/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Beat the vinegar in a bowl with sugar, garlic salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves.


2. Then beat in the oil by droplets, whisking constantly. (Or place all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake to combine. I like this way best b/c I double the recipe and keep the jar in the fridge to use later.) Taste and adjust the seasonings.


printable recipe

Ham Wellington (recipe from: 2010 Best of Taste of Home Magazine)

You've probably heard of beef wellington, right?  Well, this variation was the centerpiece of our Easter dinner we got to host this year.  The presentation was beautiful!  Take a look:

Ham Wellington

Ingredients:

-1 3/4 cups flour

-1 1/2 teaspoons ground mustard

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/2 pound white cheddar cheese, shredded (I used a yellow/white cheddar mix b/c I couldn't find just white)

-1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

-7 tablespoons cold water, divided

-1 boneless fully cooked ham (3.5 - 4 lbs.)

-1 egg, lightly beaten

Note: I actually doubled this whole recipe when I hosted Easter for the Eddie family b/c the ham I bought was about 7.5 lbs. (We had a lot of leftovers, even with 7 people)

Directions:

1. Combine the flour, mustard and salt. Add cheese and butter, cut with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (The original recipe suggested doing this in a food processor, but I don't have one, so I used a pastry blender and made it like pie crust.) Gradually add 6 tablespoons of water until a firm ball forms. Transfer to a large bowl. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.

2. Let ham stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 45 mintues. (I cooked mine longer [~1 hr. 15 min.] since it was double the size)

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 17-inch x 12-inch rectangle. (or bigger if you buy a bigger ham like I did) Place warm ham in the center of pastry. Fold short sides of pastry over ham; fold long sides over top, trimming edges as needed. Press seams and edges until smooth and sealed.

4. Place seam side down on a greased baking sheet or glass baking dish. In a small bowl, combine egg and remaining water; brush over pastry. Cut decorative cutouts from trimmings if desired; arrange on pastry and brush with egg mixture.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees and pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

printable recipe

Armadillo Eggs (recipe from: Cooks.com)

For all my fellow Butler fans, here's a recipe to try if you're having people over for the big Final Four game. (Go Dawgs!) My brother-in-law, Josh, made these for a football game, and they became an instant hit and "Game Day" essential.

Armadillo Eggs

Ingredients:

-1/2 lb Monterrey Jack Cheese

-1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese

-1/2 lb hot pork sausage meat

-1 1/2 cup Bisquick mix

-1 egg

-1 package pork flavor Shake 'N Bake

-20 whole jalapeno peppers

Ricotta Orange Pound Cake (recipe from: Giada, Food Network)

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 cups cake flour
-2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-1 teaspoon kosher salt
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature, plus more to grease the baking pan
-1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
-1 1/2 cups sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
-3 large eggs
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1 orange, zested
-2 tablespoons Amaretto
-Powdered sugar, for dusting
-1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered or 3 oranges, cut into supremes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

2. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the vanilla, orange zest, and Amaretto until combined. Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes.

4. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Using a mesh sieve, dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar.

5. Meanwhile, place the strawberries (or orange supremes) in a small bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit until the juices have pooled around the strawberries. To serve, slice the cake and serve with a spoonful of strawberries and their juices over the top of the cake. I also like to serve with homemade whipped cream (see stabilized whipped cream recipe).