I think we all know that nothing beats the taste of home cooked food. It’s just better if your hands have been in it. You know I am right! You may be giggling, but you are also nodding in agreement; I can practically see you! However, sometimes, it just doesn’t work that way. You are rushed, you are tired, or something you want to do comes up, and there you are, needing a quick dinner fix. So today, I thought I would critique some frozen foods for you, and let you know which are picks and which are pans.

Picks:

Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese. Seriously cheesy, seriously good. Serve with salad and you are done. Unless your husband is like mine and demands MEAT. In that case, serve it with leftover something or other.

Stouffer’s Vegetable Lasagna. This one is so satisfying that you can skip the meat.

Stouffer’s Chicken Parmigiana. Not as good as mine, but a fairly decent second. Add a veggie.

Stouffer’s Three Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce. Yumm! Rich and cheesy and just about perfect.

Gourmet Dining’s Seafood Medley. I don’t usually care for frozen seafood, but I can tolerate this one and ask for seconds. The fam loves it.

Gourmet Dining’s Shrimp Linguini. This one is good, too, but I prefer the Medley.

Bird’s Eye Viola Shrimp Scampi is good, but it is not as rich and decadent as mine. Of course, it costs about a quarter of what I pay for ingredients for mine, too.

Bird’s Eye Viola Garlic chicken is good, too, and it has plenty of garlic for most folks, but a little extra is good, too.

Pans

Stouffer’s Chicken Enchiladas with Cheese Sauce & Rice. Something just went wrong here. We’ve tried it a couple of times, but the texture of the tortillas is just …. not right, ya’ll.

So, I was looking at my family the other day, as they were eating, (Haha, nine people live here, so someone is ALWAYS eating.) and I really started thinking about what I feed them. I am back to using the food pyramid for myself, because I just feel so much better when I eat that way. It’s plenty of food and I don’t end up feeling bloated, and I have energy– stamina– the ability to keep on going like the energizer bunny. And yet, I let my family eat however, whatever. Yeah, cause I am smart, and I thought it would seem like deprivation to them if I “made” them eat a little healthier.

So, anyway, I talked to dh, and we decided it would really benefit the whole family to have a healthier diet. It will be better for our hearts and lungs, our immune systems, and hopefully our tempers and ability to concentrate. But that health thing is a biggie. Do you know that sudden cardiac arrest kills 900 people per day? That’s just crazy, because it’s mostly preventable through diet! St. Jude’s has put together a website that explains abnormal heart rhythm and there are a couple of videos as well. Sudden Cardiac Arrest and The Human Heart (hey, that second one would be great for science for the younger kids– we may watch that on Tuesday).

Oh, I don’t think the kids will be suffering too much. We’re camping this weekend (yeah, and I am in here on the computer, because…………I am silly, that is why), and we’ll be having hotdogs for lunch. Ha, nothing new there, we eat hotdogs every Saturday. This week, though, they are coming with a little surprise–instead of 2 hotdogs, we’ll have one hotdog and some carrot sticks. Because, do you know how much protein we need a day? Six ounces. Do you know how much we were eating? Twice that. Easily. I love these guys, I want them to live long, healthy lives, and enjoy eating every day of those long healthy lives. That means I need to teach them about good food choices NOW.

Quite some time ago, like several years, I followed a delightful recipe for cider braised pork loin. I only made it the one time, but it was so good! I served it for a holiday meal, and it was so tasty, and so pretty! Yes, I said pretty–that recipe included yams, prunes and apples in addition to the cider. It was impressive. And also very spendy. I kept meaning to make it again, but never did convince myself to buy all that fruit again just to make a roast. And yet, I could not get it out of my mind! With that in mind, I created this recipe not too long ago, and it is indeed very tasty, but also pretty simple.

Slow Cooked Apple Pork Roast

1 Fresh Picnic Shoulder (this is ham before it becomes ham, ya’ll)
4-6 Apples
Basil
Oregano
Rosemary
Salt

First, cut your apples into quarters and put them in the bottom of your crockpot. You need just enough to make a nice layer in the bottom. Go ahead and take the cores out if you’d like, but the apples will be discarded at the end of the cooking.

Now a fresh picnic has a fat side and a side without a layer of fat. Go ahead and sprinkle the unfat side with spices, and then flip the meat over so the fat side is up. Slice as close to the meat as possible and make a flap of that fat layer, but don’t cut it all the way off. Your knife will need to be quite sharp for this, otherwise, you’ll be hacking at it for quite a awhile. Fold that fat back, and season this side of the roast. Then fold the fat back in place over the roast, put the lid on the crockpot and turn it on. The fat will keep the meat basted for you. I hope you are going somewhere, because in a couple of hours that roast is going to be smelling pretty good, and you will want to be lifting the lid to look at it. Don’t do that Just let it cook for several hours, you know the drill.

Now, it’s not going to look so pleasant when you get ready to take it out of the pan, so I though I better prepare you. The fat renders and the apples juice and here’s what it looks like when it’s ready. That meat is so tender and flavorful, though. Just trust me. You will be having to take it out in chunks, because the roast just falls apart! Discard that top fat and the apples, and serve it up. Here’s what it looks like on the platter.

Enjoy!

Yes, among other things! Remember I said we were camping this weekend? That means constant grilling, so when I got a chance to check out Bobby Flay’s Grill It!, I leapt at it. I truly was not disappointed. Beginning with a discussion of the type of grills, and ending with recipes organized by main ingredient, this book rocks!

Now, I had a pretty good idea of what we’d be cooking while we camped before I opened the book. Did I change a few things? Sure! But I also plan to just adapt some of the things we were already having. For instance, I had planned on steak and baked potatoes. We’ll still have the steak, except I also plan to serve it with Balsamic-Rosemary Butter. And asparagus

And the chicken? Well, that’s likely to become Chipotle-Honey Glazed wings, except I’ll need to use green chiles so the kids can take the heat.

And fruit! Not for camping, mind you, but just in general. It never occurred to me to grill fruit, but somehow those peaches with the grate lines on it just looked so … right, somehow. And the Grilled Banana and Nutella Panini? That’s breakfast right there, ya’ll. And Mushroom tacos? I didn’t think so either, but after reading the recipe, I’m thinking a different think. And 9, count them, N-I-N-E ways to grill salmon. And shrimp.

And then, there is the chapter on eggplant and squashes, which happen to be some of my favorite foods. And then there are the fish recipes. Have I said “and” enough? Can you totally tell I reviewed this book as I read it? Well, I have two more ands to go:

And I am getting me a gas grill as soon as I possibly can.

And I think I need to give a copy of this book away. We haven’t done that in a while, and I think the time has come. Here’s how to enter:

The contest will start when I hit publish, and will run through midnight June 1st. I’ll announce the winner via random number on Monday June 2nd. You can get an entry by commenting on this post. You can get another entry by “stumbling” this post. (You can use the button right under the post (or your toolbar) to do that.) You can get two more entries by writing about this give away on your own blog with a link back to this post. And let’s throw in an experimental entry method: if you are a member of a crafty or cooking type forum, and you post about this giveaway with a link back, you’ll get another entry. You’ll need to come back and let me know you’ve done that by leaving a link to your forum post in the comments.

If you have never commented on this blog before, then your comment will be moderated. I’ll approve it as soon as I get back to the keyboard

I think that’s enough fine print, let’s get started!

P.S. Thanks, Bobby for the tip on how to boil eggs on the grill.

Today’s recipe is sooooooo simple. But my family just loves it! You can get a lot fancier than this, but you really won’t get much tastier, unless you make it like I used to. I used to dip the chicken in seasoned flour and fry it, back in the day. You know, that long ago day when I smoked away all the fat and calories I ate. Now I count those calories instead, so I have made some adaptations. And, oh by the way, I am almost back down to the weight on my driver’s license, ya’ll.

Chicken Parmigiana a la Cass

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sliced Provolone Cheese
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti noodles
Italian seasoning

Instead of frying the chicken, we are going to sort of saute it. Just put a little bit of oil in the pan, enough to keep it from sticking. I make mine in a huge electric frypan, because I am feeding an army. That’s also why I didn’t list quantities. Just make enough for however many you are feeding. Here is what the chicken looks like browning.

After the chicken is browned, or actually seared real well is a better term, considering we aren’t using enough oil to actually brown anything, we will simmer it in spaghetti sauce for a bit to finish cooking. Pour off the oil, and pour in the sauce. I use Ragu, but you can use whatever you’d like. I suppose you can also make it yourself, but I don’t have a recipe for that. It should look something like the photo at right.

When the chicken is done, it is time for my favorite part: CHEESE! Lay a slice on each piece of chicken, and it won’t hurt a thing if you over lap it a little.

Doesn’t that look so good??? While the cheese is melting, cook your spaghetti noodles. Serve the chicken over the noodles, like so:

We had tacos not long ago, and my they were good. I love tacos, and my children do, too. I’ve never had them anywhere else that taste like mine, so I thought i would share how I make them. I brown the hamburger, and add a generous amount of garlic, 2 packets of taco seasoning mix, and a large can of tomatoes (for 2 pounds of meat). When I get ready to heat my shells, I put the cheese in them before I put them in the oven. (This helps the shells hold together!!) After they are heated and the cheese is melted, I put some refried beans in and a scoop of taco meat. I have the shells side by side, holding each other up, so this is a pretty quick process. I throw some salad over the top of it, and we add sour cream at the table for those who like it, and occasionally guacamole.

So sorry this is late, and I actually even thought about skipping it, but I did that last week when I got slammed, and I’d hate to let that become a habit. I enjoy this segment, and I have a bunch of recipes waiting in draft mode, and yet more pictures of recipes on the camera card, so I really do want to keep up with it. In addition to the cooking, I am still reading mags and cookbooks, so I certainly am not out of kitchenly things to say, and probably won’t be for some time to come!! So, let’s get on with our little cooking show!

Shrimp Scampi

2 sticks of butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup minced garlic
lemon pepper
basil
thyme
oregano
cilantro
2 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined
2-3 pounds frozen mixed veggies (I used Normandy Blend)
12 ounces angel hair pasta

Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the garlic and spices and saute until it smells so good you begin to drool. It’s very aromatic an a totally pleasant way. In the meantime, partially thaw those veggies in the microwave about 7 minutes, and set the water to boil for the pasta. Add the shrimp to the butter/garlic/spice mixture, and stir them in. Just as they begin to turn orange, add the veggies, and stir them in real well, too. I know scampi is usually served with veggies on the side, but, man, I had to take advantage of that butter-y, garlic-ky prefection!

Start the pasta when you add the veggies. It will only take 3-4 minutes to cook, and your veggies should be done in about that time. You want them to still be a little crispy. Drain the pasta. I put mine in a big bowl, and then poured the shrimp/veggie/sauce over it, and mixed it up.

Here’s what it looks like on the plate. Divine, right?

Alas, Drama is allergic to dairy, so she got this instead:

Dori Sander’s Country Cooking

I also had a fun and profitable trip to the library, as I think I mentioned. I checked out a couple of cooking books, and one of them was the delightful Country Cooking by Dori Sanders. This was a delightful read, and I do mean “read”. The book is full of stories about her life past and present. I found out she lives just a few hours fro here, so how neat is that.

There were several recipes I want to try in here, and I found the first one on the the fly leaf, a reference to fried green tomato parmigiana, which I have never had or heard of, but which sounds like food perfection. I’ll be having to test that one out when green tomatoes are cheap.

I also thought the recipe for boiled noodles looked pretty interesting. You make the dough and then push it through a colander or sieve into a pot of boiling water. The book has lots of simple techniques that like, so don’t think you’ll need a lot of fancy equipment to make the food.

I thought the baked eggs and grits looked good, too. I have several breakfast casserole recipes, but this is the first one I’ve seen that includes grits. I love me some grits, ya’ll!

Finally, I want to make this cobbler that practically makes itself, you just pour the ingredients one over the other, and the crust bubbles up through the fruit as it cooks. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

I’ll be checking this book out again when I am ready to some more experimenting, and I may get a copy if we like what we taste. Which basically boils down to: might as well order it right now.

Yes, I said morning! I’m posting in the morning again, because I think I am wittier and more entertaining then. I’m still going to be short and sweet, because, HI! it’s Monday, and Monday is just so dang Monday-ish. Of course, at a fluffy five foot nothin’, I am short and sweet all the time

Ok, today was the day I had planned to give away A Fine Fleece. I think I really messed that up by pulling an old entry and updating it and adjusting the time stamp. I know a lot of you read on the feed, and I think the feed readers disregarded that since in “cyber speak” it was not a new post. There were only 4 entries, and I feel like it’s a discredit to the publisher to complete the give away today when I usually get over 50. I know knitters still love books, so I know I must have messed up something somehow. Please look over in the sidebar, and you’ll see “Enter Here” over a picture of the book. That link takes you to the contest entry post. I will close the contest next Monday, abundant entries or not, and I am updating that post to reflect same. Or, if you don’t need to see a picture of the book, you can just click here.

Now for Menu Plan Monday. You will recognize these items. I just got to the grocery store Friday night. (No wonder I feel hard pressed if it takes a major maneuver just to get out to buy food, LOL). I now have the ingredients for the food I planned for last week, and so that’s what we will be having.

Corny bites (I’ll talk more about these after we try them) with refried beans and some sort of Mexican rice.
Chili with Cornbread
Beef Stroganoff
Tacos

And that’s all I am planning for now. You can participate in Menu Plan Monday by clicking on this banner, but don’t go yet, there’s more from me underneath it!

Ghandi: I put this movie in my BlockBuster Q awhile back, and it has been sitting here on my desk for a couple of weeks. I spent the weekend pretty much unplugged, as I indicated in my that post on Friday. That means that I did not get the lesson plans made. I realized that late yesterday evening, and then I realized that this made today a perfect day for watching Ghandi. I went to see it when I was in school, and I wanted to share it with my kids. FWIW, I also saw the Hobbit as a school field trip. Yes, I had one extremely cool teacher. I’ll work on the lesson plans while we watch. Then I’ll probably finish Skimmer AND read a book. Ok, maybe not all that, but it is over three hours. We’ll start right after lunch, and I’ll try to remember to let you know how it went when I post tomorrow.