Pass the Peas

 Last Saturday I created a page on facebook called "Pass the Peas." It's inspiration to answer the daily question, "What's for dinner?"

On Pass the Peas, you'll find dinner menu ideas, recipes, cooking tips, links, and pictures, too. 


You'll also find inspiration from the 81 member (and growing) community of women (and a few men) who prepare dinner for their families (almost) every single day.


If you're on facebook and you'd like to check out Pass the Peas, just type Pass the Peas in the searchbox on facebook. Then "like" the page. That's it and you're golden. Just like buttermilk cornbread.

1 Day of Cooking Ahead equaled 4 Sunset Trips to the Beach

Remember all that cooking ahead I did last week? Angela asked me in a comment, "What do you plan on making with your beef, chicken and beans?"

Well, Angela, you asked. I 'm answering. These are the meals I prepared and I still have some rice left in the freezer. I also baked a batch of applesauce muffins. Our pup ate well, too. I made "gourmet" doggie food, adding some of the unseasoned beef or chicken and brown rice to his dish. 'Licked the bowl clean! (Pup, not me!)

Chicken/beans/rice enchiladas

Spaghetti

BBQ chicken pizza

Chicken & bean quesadillas

My Easy Peasy "Lasagna"

Black bean & cheese quesadillas

Chicken salad

Black Beans over Rice with smoked sausage

More cooking ahead to come for me: Another whole chicken, beef roast, dried limas, banana pecan muffins (sweetened with honey only)

Question: What do you prepare in bulk to save time later for enjoying something like this?

1 Day of Cooking Ahead = 4 Sunset trips to the beach!

Opa! It's Greek to Me...except the squash

OPA!

Every February we like to attend the Greek Festival in our community. We go for the culture ~ the live Greek band, the Hellas dancers, and the mosaic icons.

Let's keep it real. We go for the FOOD!!!

What's your culinary pleasure? Souvlaki, pastichio, lamb shanks

spanakopita, or tiropita?

Last year we had a sampler plate complete with stuffed grape leaves, dolmathes. This year we went simpler and had a gyro and Greek fries.

My gyro and Greek seasoned fries!

Our Favorite Greek Nurse

Our favorite nurse from the hospital in Colorado was visiting her family in Florida and we ran into her at the Greek Festival! Opa!We chatted, met her mother and took some pictures. She took good care of me, too, during One Fine Man's hospital stay.

Our night is not complete until we visit the lovely Greek ladies at the Philoptochos pastry booth. (philoptochos means friends of the poor.)

We like the galaktobouriko, baklava and the thiples.

One Fine Man, Guitar Girl and I enjoyed the pastries at home with coffee. Our boys opted for pizza. They do not enjoy the pastries either.

They called our goodies "old people's desserts." That's okay. More for us "old people."

Pictured are: baklava - Say: bak-la-VA - Dessert made with flaky filo layered with butter and walnuts and topped with a honey-flavored syrup;
galaktobouriko - Say: ga-lak-to-BOU-ree-ko - Custard wrapped in layers of buttered filo and topped with a honey-flavored syrup;
and thiples - Say: THEE-ples - Pastry deep fried and rolled with drops of honey
A cinnamon cookie - I don't know the Greek name for that one.

One Fine Man & Bella~Mella

Now for the not so Greek...

The next night we had spaghetti and fried squash at home because nothing is as American as mixing your cultural cuisine. I could eat a plate full of these little fried beauties all by myself. Wait. I think I did. Forget the spaghetti!

Fried yellow squash

Recipe

Rinse squash and brush well with vegetable brush. Slice away any brown spots. Cut the top end down by about 1". Slice the bottom off 1/4". Heat canola oil in your black skillet. Slice squash into thin even rounds. I put Martha White cornmeal mix on a plate (w/salt). Dust the squash rounds in the cornmeal. It will stick b/c the squash is naturally moist. When your oil is hot enough, drop one layer of squash in skillet. Don't overlap. When the top side is golden brown, gently flip over with a fork to brown the other side. Remove with a slotted spatula and let drain on paper towels. Add more salt. I use sea salt for everything! Continue to add the remainder of your squash. Try not to eat the first batch as you stand there frying the remainder. Or maybe that's just ME. You may have to adjust the temperature of your oil to keep it from burning. You can use the same process on zuchinni but I prefer the squash. They're better than french fries! REALLY. HAPPY FRY~DAY!

Sauteed squash
I also like squash and zuchinni like this: sauteed in olive oil with onion and Italian seasoning. Salt & pepper when done.

To read My Monday Magnificat go here.

Thumbs Up 2 Green Chicken Enchiladas

It's Thumbs Up 2 Thursday! In a prior post I shared my love of quick food. Quick food, as opposed to fast food, is made at home from ingredients on hand when you're short on time. Often my go-to quick food is Tex~Mex. I usually have sour cream, my favorite fresh salsa from the deli (Jack's Special by Garden Fresh Gourmet - medium hot), grated cheese, enchilada sauce and ground beef or chicken breast in the freezer.

Pollo Verde Enchiladas out of the oven...

Some boiled, shredded chicken breast, some sour cream, some grated cheddar cheese, chopped green chiles, 1/3 can of green enchilada sauce, s & p...

My secret step...dip each tortilla in the broth from the chicken...

(At least, I think it's my secret...maybe you do it, too! Let me know if you do.)

Add the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll tightly and place seam side down in a greased 9 x 13 . Pour the remaining green sauce over the enchiladas and top w/cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for about 25 minutes...more or less...(Hey, I didn't measure...do you think I timed it?)

La Cena en mi casa (Dinner at my house)

Serve with salad, chips, and sour cream & salsa...Muy delicioso!
What is your go-to quick food? I'd love to know. Do Tell!

What's For Dinner? Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Jennifer at Smelling Coffee posted a recipe for ZESTY POTATO SOUP on Monday.
I'm trying out Jennifer's recipe the next time I need a quick and tasty potato soup.

But since I already had all the ingredients needed for my Southern Living Slow Cooker Potato Soup, that is What's For Dinner esta noche en mi casa. I guess it's just a potato soup kind of week!

Homestyle Potato Soup

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can chicken broth

4 cups peeled, cubed baking potatos (about 2 lbs) I scrub mine & leave peels on.

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced celery

3/4 cup thinly sliced carrot

3 T butter, cut into small pieces

3 garlic cloves, minced

salt/fresly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups milk

7 T shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)


1. Place first 9 ingredients in 4 1/2 quart slow cooker; stir well. Cover w/lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 4 - 5 hours or until vegetables are tender. Increase to high-heat setting.

Just after adding the first 9 ingredients (above)

Ready for the flour/milk addition (left)~ 25 minutes to thicken up (right)
2. Place flour in a bowl; gradually add milk, stirring w/a whisk until well blended. Stir into soup. Cook, uncovered, 25 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Ladle into bowls; sprinkle w/cheese and add more cracked pepper, if desired.

Soup's On!

Behold ~ The Beauty of Soup!
The picture up top is from the Southern Living Slow Cooker Cookbook - 123 Luscious Recipes to Come Home To