Recipe: Mini Cannelloni Bake

Here's what's up:

INGREDIENTS


•1 pound ziti with no lines or ditalini
•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•1 1/2-2 pounds ground veal, beef or chicken
•1 large onion, chopped
•3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•2 boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess water
•3 tablespoons butter
•3 tablespoons flour (again, I use cornstarch)
•2 cups milk
•A few grates of fresh nutmeg
•Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the broiler.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring it up to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and reserve in the pot it was cooked in.



While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of EVOO, about two turns of the pan. Add the ground meat to the pan and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned throughout, about 6-7 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and continue cooking until the onion has softened, 6-7 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook for about 1 minute to heat through, then season the mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper.



While the onion is cooking, place a medium size pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and cook the mixture for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk into the butter-flour mixture and cook until the liquid has thickened up. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper.



Add the meat-onion mixture and the sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta and stir to evenly combine.



Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top. Place the dish under the broiler until the cheese is melted and golden brown.



THE END RESULT

This was pretty darn tasty. Chris gave it a rating of "7.5" - he said he thinks it would be better if we were to use Italian sausage. Of course that would defeat the point of it being healthy. Betsy loved it - she fed herself and ate almost all of it. The grown-ups had seconds, and there was plenty left over for later.

Recipe: Peanut-Curry Chicken w/Jasmine Rice

Here we are at Recipe Resolution Attempt #4. Here's what's up:

INGREDIENTS


•1 cup jasmine, basmati or Texmati rice
•1 small bunch scallions, coarsely chopped (I used a whole red onion and it worked just fine)
•1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
•2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped and mashed into paste
•1 small red chili pepper, seeded and chopped (I used ground chili pepper because the store did not have fresh ones in stock)
•1/2 cup cilantro leaves (a couple of handfuls)
•2 rounded tablespoons curry powder (a couple of palmfuls)
•1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth, plus an additional splash, divided
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
•1/3 cup chunky peanut butter (I used creamy since my daughter can't eat chopped nuts yet)
•1 cup Greek-style yogurt

PREPARATION

Prepare the rice according to the package directions.

While the rice cooks, combine the scallions, ginger, garlic, chili pepper, cilantro, curry powder and a splash of the chicken broth in a small bowl and process into a paste.


Heat a large skillet over medium heat with the oil. Add the chicken to the pan and brown, 2-3 minutes.

Add the spice paste and stir for 1 minute to combine.


Add the peanut butter to the pan and whisk in the stock.


Bring to a bubble and whisk in the yogurt; lower the heat and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Serve over rice.

THE END RESULT

WOW! This was amazing! Chris rated it an "8" but I thought it deserved a "10" so I averaged it out to a "9". It was really, really yummy and easy to make. Less than 35 minutes (not including chopping time). ANOTHER PLUS - many of the ingredients are constant fixtures in our household; chicken, spices, rice, peanut butter. So it's cheap and convenient too! Probably going to be making this one often. Again, I found this recipe at Rachael Ray's website.

20 + 10 Challenge

Well, it seems this is one of my most difficult resolutions to follow. I have SO many excuses:

The house is a mess
The kids are asleep
The kids are awake
I don't like to go at night
I'm tired
My schedule is packed
It's raining

Yeah, you get the picture.

But TODAY I went to the gym! I have not been in at least two weeks, maybe longer. You know it's been too long when you can't remember the last time you went.

And man, let me tell you, I kicked my own ass.

20 minutes of speed cycling - SIX MILES!
2 sets of 60 reps on the bicep/tricep weight machine
10 minutes on the elliptical - TWO MILES!

And then I ran home from the gym. Not a long way from home, but it made me feel better about myself.

This is me after my workout, oh yeah. Sweat is sexy. Deal with it.

And here is my current "Body Movin'" exercise mix:

Every Time I Look For You::BLINK-182
Pump It::BLACK EYED PEAS
Don't Phunk With My Heart::BLACK EYED PEAS
Rollercoaster::BLINK-182
Hey Baby::NO DOUBT
Lights Out::BUTCH WALKER
A.M. Radio::EVERCLEAR
Disturbia::RIHANNA

Can I just say, pretty much ANY Blink-182 song is perfect for working out.

Going back to the gym Sunday after church...that's right, church. I try to go every Sunday. Besides, praying every day is one of my resolutions, and why not go talk to God at His place for once - He likes it when we go visitin'.

I'll be back later with my recipe post.

Recipe: Pity Party

Tonight I was just way too tired to actually cook. So instead I ordered a pizza. Don't worry; I'm only skipping a night, not a meal. I'll pick up where I left off tomorrow with Peanut-Curry Chicken. Until then follow my step by step instructions for Pity Party.

INGREDIENTS



A working cell phone
A wad of cash

PREPARATION

Call your favorite pizza restaurant, or really, any take-out place. (I picked Domino's tonight because their new crust is AMAZING!)

Wait approximately 25-30 minutes after ordering.

Answer your door and pay the delivery person.

Set down the box.

Enjoy!

THE END RESULT


I took a much needed break from cooking which would not have actually happened this week but life got in the way. It happens. And you know what? The pizza was worth all my effort. I give it a "10".

All dressed up & nowhere to go.

Today the kids and I were going to visit their friends and then their grandmother, all within walking distance of our home. The plan was to load them into the stroller and go for a walk.

My husband drove to work and the stroller is still in the back of the Jeep. OOPS!

Still...R10 for the day has been accomplished. Hooray for making time for myself!



A totally painted face. In your face. Face to face. I have a big head.



Thanks to Amber for posting a blog about those awesome Rodarte for Target tights. I went and snatched them up yesterday. Of course, your legs look alot better in them than mine!

Recipe: Ravioli Soup

I found this recipe in the article "Use Your Noodles!" from the February 2009 edition of Parents Magazine.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb. ground turkey breast
1 Tbsp. Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1/8 tsp. ground sage
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots ( I used pre-sliced frozen carrots)
1 cup frozen green beans
1 pkg. (7 oz.) refrigerated mini cheese ravioli, such as Buitoni

PREPARATION

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and coat with vegetable cooking spray. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, sage, salt and pepper in a bowl; shape into mini-meatballs.


Bake for 12 minutes or until browned.
In a 3-quart saucepan, combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, celery, and carrots. Boil, then reduce heat.



Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add beans and stir into broth with ravioli.

Cook, covered, for 5 minutes. Add meatballs to serve.

THE END RESULT



Honestly...it looks better than it tastes. It wasn't the worst thing I've ever eaten, but kind of boring. DEFINITELY kid-friendly, but for those of us with adventurous palates, very ho-hum. Chris is not home tonight to rate it (he's helping my dad fix his brakes) but Betsy gobbled it up and I ate it and so, let's do a double rating. For kidlets it gets a rating of "8". For adults I'd say it earned a "6". The timing was excellent - only about 35 minutes, and everything was SUPER easy. But the taste, while not disgusting, left much to be desired. It lacks imagination. However, I can see myself making it again when I am out of ideas and don't want to make anything that involves too much effort.

Calorie Count for a family of 4: 304.5 per serving

Awards, awards, amazing awards...

So apparently my friends Chelsea and Melissa have honored me with blog awards! I have already completed Chelsea's Random 7 list (see my previous entry) but I didn't know she'd given me an award! So here is the one from Chelsea:

Thank you Chelsea!

And here is the one from Mel:

Thanks Mel!

Here are ten things that make me happy:
1. Shopping
2. Chocolate
3. My kids
4. My husband
5. Sunny days
6. The beach
7. Soft pillows
8. Bubble baths
9. Marshmallow roastings
10.Baking