Double Duty Dinner

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Sunday's crockpot chipotle roast is Monday's shredded beef enchiladas.

Shredded Beef Enchiladas with refried beans and cilantro/lime rice

My favorite roast recipe is found here: http://www.thebellamella.com/2009/03/saturday-stirrings-my-favorite-roast.html?spref=fb
I like the smokiness that comes from the chipotle peppers.

For Monday's dinner, I shredded the leftover roast and reheated it with some of it's reserved juices and 1/3 can of green enchilada sauce. After "frying" the corn tortillas, I put a line of shredded roast and green sauce down the center and rolled the tortillas. Lay them in a baking dish in which you have added enough green sauce to cover the bottom. After arranging all of the tortillas in the dish, top with the remaining green sauce and shredded cheese. Bake @ 350* until cheese melts and bubbles.
Ingredient list:
Shredded roast
Corn tortillas lightly "fried" in oil to soften them up for rolling; You don't want these crisp, just softened up.
A can of green chile enchilada sauce
Cheese ~ I used monterey jack and cheddar
Refried beans
Salsa ~ Serve over beans or rice or on the side. I enjoy fresh salsa the best.
Rice (When rice is cooked, toss with lime juice and cilantro to taste.)
Lime
Cilantro
Tortilla chips
Your favorite toppings ~ mine are onion, onion and more onion

Easy Peasy & Cheesy "Lasagne"

For more "tasties" click on the Tasty Tuesday button. >

Easy Peasy & Cheesy!

If you're a fan of lasagne, you'll love this easy peasy alternative to a lasagne-like dish.

~~~~~~~

1 lb ground beef
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
grated cheese
egg noodles
sour cream
green onion


Brown ground beef, adding onion if desired, season with S & P - drain
Add pasta sauce to meat.
Boil egg noodles per directions and drain.
Stir in 1/4 cup sour cream...more or less and 2-3 "stalks"diced green onions to drained noodles
1st layer - noodles w/sour cream and onion in a 9 x 13 pan.
2nd layer - meat sauce
3rd layer - grated cheese (mozzarella, Italian blend, whatever you have...)

Bake @350 until bubbly on top.
Even better the 2nd day!

Dinner To Go & Lemon Glaze

We are so privileged to have such good friends living very near to us. When I flew back to Colorado to stay with my husband in the hospital (ski accident), I knew I could count on these wonderful friends to watch out for my children and my mother. They brought over food for the kids and there was a smoked ham and chicken in the refrigerator the day we flew home.

So I knew I wanted to do something special for these special friends. Well...today was the day! Today was my friend's first day back to work after maternity leave. Even though many years have passed since I had to return to teaching 3 weeks after the birth of my daughter, I vividly remember how I felt. By the time the 3:00 bell rang, I also had a telltale reminder that it was past "feeding time" for my baby girl. How embarrassing!

So I doubled up our dinner and took "dinner to go" to our friends. This was one less thing for this sweet mom to worry about today!

Dinner To Go

My Chipotle Roast Beef, Baked Mac & Cheese, Broccoli, Yeast Rolls

Lemon Cupcakes w/lemon glaze

(I cut back on the chipotle peppers just in case...)

Wearing an apron is a necessity for me. I'm kind of messy!
See the powdered sugar dotting my apron?

These pretty lemon plates were a recent gift from my thoughtful BFF, Alisa of Carolina Panache. So fresh & pretty!

Now for the recipe for the lemon glaze. I was going to top these lemon cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting but didn't have enough cream cheese. What's Bella~Mella to do now? Make lemon glaze instead!

For a dozen cupcakes, mix 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar and 3 T of fresh lemon juice. Add lemon zest. Mix well. You can add more lemon juice if it needs to be thinned a bit. With the back of a spoon, ice the cupcakes.

Easy Peasy Lemon Pleasy!

* I don't mind if baked goods don't look bakery quality. In fact, I rather prefer the home"crafted" appearance.

How about you?

Swiss Cheesy Bread - Saturday Stirrings

Go see Carol @ I Throw Like A Girl for more Saturday Stirrings recipes!

Warning: You'll be tempted to hog it all for yourself!

1 large loaf French Bread

16 slices Swiss cheese

2 sticks of butter

1 small bell pepper

1 clove garlic, minced or crushed

1 small jar mushrooms/or fresh

1 large onion

You can play around with the components of this recipe. Use fresh or jarred mushrooms/garlic. You can use less butter...but don't cut it down too much. Omit onions if you are not an "onion person." But please, don't "cut the cheese." (A little "boy humor." I couldn't resist! Well I could, but that was funny!)

Place large piece of aluminum foil on baking sheet. Place a loaf of bread on cutting board and split French bread into 1" slices, careful not to cut through bottom of crust. Transfer bread to aluminum foil. Layer 1 slice of cheese in each split. Saute onion, pepper, garlic & mushrooms. Pour this over bread, letting it run down into slices. Cover with foil & bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

I HEART Heat & a New Post @DoTellMel

(If you're interested in my Living La Vida DIVA series, go here for a new post.)

(photo by Linda Charlene.)

I HEART Heat but If You Can't Take The Heat, Then I Have Another "Season"ing For You!

I don't know what it is with me and spicy food but I like it! A friend of mine from back in the college day, paid me a visit a couple of weeks ago.

She reminded me of our "runs to the border" when I would order extra jalapenos on my nachos. She laughed about how I ate with one hand and wiped the sweat beading over my lip with the other. Yeah...that was pretty.

One of our sister-bloggers actually tried my recipe for Chipotle Roast. This was a seasoning idea I came up with when I didn't want to make a run to Publix for my usual ingredients for my crock pot roast.


Then I gave you my favorite Jalapeno Cornbread recipe. Today I share one of my favorite simple dinners. And yes, there is some heat involved. Thanks for asking.




A simple dinner we enjoy is: baked salmon, roasted potatoes and sauteed green beans.


Each dish utilizes this heart healthy oil:


Have I ever told you that I sometimes use evoo to remove my make-up? Does anyone else do this?


Roasted potatoes - Rinse/scrub and either cube or slice them like fries.


Drizzle w/evoo and shake your favorite seasoning on them. I use either an Italian blend by McCormick or Alessi's dipping seasoning. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes depending on the size of your cubes/slices. I always use my Pampered Chef jelly roll pan for this.

Salmon fillets - I like the Atlantic Salmon center cut fillets from Sam's Club. They are flash frozen and vacuumed sealed (6 oz. fillets individually packaged). Thaw them, drizzle with evoo and squeeze fresh lemon juice on each fillet. HERE COMES THE HEAT. I like them seasoned with Tony Chachere's creole seasoning.


But as an alternative to the spicy creole seasoning, you can season them with dill and lay thinly sliced lemons over the top. This is good, too.

Lately I have been using a cedar plank to bake salmon. Here's a cool link to learn about cedar planks.I got mine in the seafood department at the grocery store. I soak it for an hour, pat it dry and oil it lightly with olive oil. I sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top and put it in the oven on a jelly roll pan to heat on its own for 5-10 minutes. Removing the hot plank, I lay the salmon directly on it.
I like to start the potatoes first, then 15 minutes later I have the salmon ready to go into the oven. They both bake up nicely at 375 and are finished at the same time.


Green Beans - I like the Birds Eye whole green beans from the freezer section.

Using my green pan, I add my beans and a little water. This goes on at med - high heat. Stop before they are too soft. I drain any remaining water then add evoo and roasted garlic (about 1 tsp.). Saute til beans are done.

This is where I like to do the chef thing and toss the green beans. Try it. It's fun. Impress your dog! Our pup likes to watch me cook.


Add your favorite rolls or garlic bread. I cut calories by omitting bread when I have potatoes or pasta.

Do you know about the green pan? It's the only non-stick pan I'll use. Do you use a cedar plank? If so, will you share your recipe?

Any other Tony Chachere fans out there?



Another update: I have decided to go beyond my 21 day goal of no sugar, no sweetener. And I haven't had Mr. Chips in 10 days! I've lost 3 pounds. So it's all good! And SWEET!

Saturday Stirrings - Jalapeno Cornbread!

For more Saturday Stirrings recipes or tips, visit Carol at I Throw Like A Girl.

Jalapeno Cornbread

Everytime I make this cornbread, I wonder why I don't make it more often. It's "flat-out" good.

1 cup cornmeal (I use Martha White corn meal mix - no need to add salt or baking soda if you use the self-rising mix) ***

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup cream style yellow corn

1/3 cup oil

2/3 buttermilk

1 - 4 oz. can green chili-peppers, chopped (The amount of chili peppers you use determines the "heat" in your cornbread. I like heat so I use all of the chilis.)

1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Combine all ingredients, except cheese, in a bowl. Mix well and pour 1/2 batter into hot, oiled black skillet (large one) or into a greased 9" square baking pan. Sprinkle cheese and cover with remaining batter. Bake @ 375 for 30 - 40 minutes. The top should be golden. Do not overbake.

*** If you use corn meal that is not self-rising, add 1/2 t. baking soda & 1/2 t. salt

My tips for great cornbread: I always use the Martha White self-rising corn meal mix. This way I never have to add additional salt, soda or baking powder. Also I always use an iron skillet. When I make cornbread I put enough oil in the skillet to cover the bottom and then some. While I mix the batter, I have the oiled skillet heating in the oven. I use the "hand over the skillet" method to determine whether the oil is hot enough. It's ready just at the smoking point. I swirl the oil in the skillet to coat the sides and then pour about 1/2 of the hot oil into the batter for regular cornbread. Stir quickly and pour the batter into the skillet. (For this jalapeno cornbread recipe, no need to add more oil from the skillet to the batter as there is already a 1/3 cup in the batter.) If you hear the "sizzle" when you pour the batter into the skillet, that is music to your cornbread ears! That means your edges will be crispy. Please do not try this cornbread unless you have buttermilk; I fear you will be disappointed.

The original recipe is from Southern Elegance (Junior League of Gaston County, NC).

My only tweak to this is using the cornmeal mix rather than cornmeal, salt & baking soda.

The last time I posted a cornbread recipe, I was contacted by Crescent Dragonwagon, the author of The Cornbread Gospels (Workman Publishing).

She very kindly sent me a copy of her book. There are over 200 recipes in her book and I have enjoyed reading about the differences in "southern" and "northern" cornbread. She includes recipes for quick breads, yeasted breads, spoonbreads and griddled & crisped breads!

If you are a cornbread connoisseur, you'll enjoy the book, too!

Happy Jalapeno-ing,

Melanie

Living La Vida DIVA! & 3 Matters of Bidness: a prize, a shortcut & a cut-out

My other blog found here is where I am now writing my teaching posts. (photograph by Linda Charlene)

If you are curious about this speaking topic: Living La Vida DIVA, click on the link!

WARNING: You are about to read an eclectic post.


First matter of bidness is the give-a-way from A Roof With A View! A Roof With A View is a fresh blog with several contributors, one of which is my blog buddy, Angela, from Crumbs In My Butter. Check out her blog and her spring nail polish picks & the cute, cute scarf that is included in the give-a-way.


Second matter of bidness is a shortcut when you make Chicken & Dumplins. (Yes. I know it's actually dumplings but I like to say dumplins. I also like to say bidness.) Although I can and do make dumplins from scratch meaning I mix the dough and roll it out and cut it into strips, sometimes I take this shortcut.

Instead of the delicious but time consuming art of dumplin' makin' I sometimes use a can of refrigerated biscuits for my dumplins. I flatten each biscuit in my hands, and using a pizza cutter I cut them into quarters (or more depending on the size of your biscuits). When my stock is at a rolling boil, I drop the "dumplins" into the pot. I never stir the dumplins as they may fall apart. Just lift the pot from the burner and swirl it to submerge the dumplins.
If you don't already have a good recipe for chicken & dumplins' let me know and I'll share mine. For now...I just thought I'd give you a delicious time saving tip!
Chicken & Dumplins ~ it's what's for dinner at my house tonight. And I served it early so I could take a walk after dinner. Because even though I will not be having dessert, I had chicken & dumplins for dinner. With cornbread. So, you know, I might need a walk. *

Third matter of bidness is I have decided to take a vacation from what may be the only junk food I eat: chips - wonderful salty, crispy tortilla chips or sour cream and onion potato chips, or original sunchips...

Mr. Chips will be going the way of sugar & the fake sweetener (except stevia). I am on day 15/21 of my sugar/sweetener free ride. Whee. My ride has lost it's ! because One Fine Man brought home a BOGO yesterday. Pecan Sandy and her luscious twin sister - Dark Chocolate & Almond Sandy. I say she is luscious but I'm only surmising as I have nibbled nary a crumb! NOT. ONE. CRUMB.


I'm going to give myself a vacation from Mr. Chips for 21 days. That is the same amount of time I picked for the sugar/sweetener. Why 21 days? The whole habit thing.


Eventually I will post on why I am taking a vacation from the sweet stuff and now the chips! It may not be why you think. Then again...it may.

Have you ever "disciplined" yourself for 21 days in hopes that it would become a habit? Were you successful?

Eclectically Yours,
Bella~Mella

* I took that walk and now I'm ready for my Florida ruby red grapefruit ~ chilled and sprinkled with sea salt. Ahhhhhhhh as good as the Sandy sisters. At least that is what I tell myself!

Saturday Stirrings ~ My Favorite Roast

My Favorite Roast

Chuck roast
McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
Chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce
canola oil for searing roast
sliced onion (as much as you like)


Trim fat from roast if desired.
Season liberally with steak seasoning.
Heat an iron skillet with enough canola oil to cover the bottom of skillet.
Sear all sides of roast. This gives the roast a bit of a crust and great color.
Put roast in crockpot then, with the back of a spoon or small ladle,  rub adobo sauce over roast. (I use the La Costena or San Marcos brand. It comes in a small can. Use what you need and refrigerate the remainder until you need chipotle peppers again.)
Put 2 -3 chipotle peppers on top of roast.
Top roast with sliced onion.
Add enough water to just cover the roast.
Set crockpot on high and cook roast for 5 hours.
optional ~ add peeled, quartered potatoes and chunked carrots (the carrots are especially delicious with their natural sweetness and the spiciness of the seasonins.


I have experimented with different ways to season a roast in the crockpot. This simple recipe is one I came up with when I was out of my regular line up of ingredients for a crockpot roast. But it is my FAVORITE now and I wouldn't fix a roast any other way.
The chipotle peppers add a bit of spice but also a great smoky flavor. My kids love it, too!
Searing the roast gives it great color and the outer texture is fabulous. It doesn't take much more time and is well worth the bit of extra effort.


Happy Eating,
Melanie

Biscuit Pizza & Saturday Stirrings

Visit I Throw Like A Girl for more Saturday Stirrings.

Biscuit Pizza.

Last night I made biscuit pizza and served it with a salad on the side. I used 2 cans of refrigerated biscuits, 1 pound of JD sausage and we had leftovers.

Canned refrigerated biscuits

your favorite pasta sauce

grated cheese

Jimmy Dean sausage - prepared and drained

Italian seasoning

Pull biscuits apart at the sides to make 2 "pizza crusts". Place evenly spaced on a greased pan. I used my Pampered Chef jelly roll pan. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on each mini pizza. Top with a little bit of pasta sauce. Add grated cheese. Top with a little mound of sausage. After you have built all of your pizzas, gently flatten them with your hand.

Put in a 350* oven until the biscuit is golden.

You can adapt this to your liking. I don't like a lot of sauce and I feel that putting the cheese under the sausage keeps the cheese from browning before the "crust" is done. I used Publix brand biscuits and McCormick Italian seasoning "classic herb." If you crowd your biscuit rounds and press to fill in the seams, your "pizza dough" will be softer. I like it crispy so I allow space around each little "pizza."

What's for Dinner?

Weeknight meals are often a challenge in my kitchen. Yes, occassionally I will put something in the crockpot, but I'll be the first to admit that I am not the best planner-aheader. So when I need to put something tasty together in a timely manner, I turn to Tex-Mex. Our favorites are Mexican chicken soup, enchiladas, and southwest style casseroles.

Pictured here is a "What's for Dinner?" dish we had last night: Chicken Enchilada CasseroleWhen I gathered up the ingredients for this last night I saw that I didn't have enough cheese, so I made my basic cheese sauce adding Rotel tomatoes and taco sauce to it. If you have never made a cheese sauce you may not realize that you don't need a lot of cheese to make a cheesily delicious, smooth sauce. In fact, it made my original Chicken Enchilada Casserole even better, I must say. And it really didn't add much more time.

Here it is before I put it in the oven. I layered torn flour tortillas topped with broken up tortilla chips. Then a layer of boiled, shredded chicken breast combined with cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soups + a cup of chicken broth. The next layer was the cheese sauce. I repeated the layers: tortilla/chips/chicken mixture/cheese sauce. Then topped it with a small amount (all I had) of grated jack cheese. Into the oven @350 until it's heated through and bubbly.
Y aqui esta en mi plato! (And here it is on my plate!) Served with salad dressed with Hidden Valley Southwest Ranch dressing and baked scoops (offsets all that cheese!). It's What's for Dinner at my house. What about you? Do you have a favorite go to meal when you're short on time? I'd love to know!