Spicy Thai Noodles

I've got some catching up to do!  My oldest has been sick ALL week, so I've been busy playing Dr. Mom.  Here is our dinner from a couple nights ago -- My husband LOVED it! 

Spicy Thai Noodles

** I cut this recipe in half (and served with store-bought frozen egg rolls), and it was the perfect quantity for the two adults!

• 1 pkg linguine or angel hair pasta (1 lb)
• 1 Tbsp crushed red pepper (I LOVE spicy, so I would have used a bit more.. but 1 T was just right so I didn't upset my BF baby who is VERY sensitive to what I eat)
• 1/2 c sesame oil
• 6 Tbsp honey
• 6 Tbsp soy sauce
• Green onions, carrots, cilantro, peanuts, and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Boil the pasta as directed. Drain and set aside. Finely slice the green onions and cilantro.  Chop the peanuts and carrots (I used my Pampered Chef Chopper, which I use any chance I get!) -- The carrots can also be shredded using a cheese grater if you prefer.

In a small saucepan, heat the oil and crushed red pepper over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat, and strain the oil through a sieve to remove the red pepper. Whisk the honey and soy sauce into the oil.

Toss the pasta into the sauce.  There will be excess sauce in the bottom of the bowl, but if you let it sit, it will continue to soak it up!  This dish can be served warm OR chilled -- I chilled it for a bit in the fridge before serving.
Top with green onions, cilantro, carrots, peanuts and sesame seeds before serving.

 Happy Eating!

Sausage & Spinach Manicotti

Manicotti -- For such a fancy sounding word, it sure is an incredibly easy thing to make!  I decided to go back and post the recipe from our Sunday night meal because it really is SO easy and delicious, and I know lots of fellow Mommas are looking for exactly that!  This recipe is adapted from one I found years ago in Simple & Delicious magazine (if you don't own any of these magazines, I HIGHLY recommend them.. we have found some great, easy meals in there!)

• 1 lb bulk pork sausage (raw)
• 1 cup small curd cottage cheese
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• a couple small handfuls of fresh baby spinach, torn into smaller pieces (maybe about a cup?)
• 1 pkg uncooked manicotti shells (8oz) -- this last time, I used all 14 from the first package, and then had enough filling to add 4 or 5 more from the second package I bought.
• Your choice of sauce (approx 26 oz total) -- regular red pasta sauce, vodka sauce, alfredo.. whatever you want!  We usually do a red sauce, and then a little drizzle of alfredo on top of that.
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine sausage, cottage & ricotta cheeses, and spinach (go ahead and use your hands!)  Scoop into a large ziploc bag and cut the tip off one of the corners. 
Squeeze mixture into each individual manicotti shell and place in greased 9x13x2 baking dish.
Cover the shells with your sauce(s).
Cover with foil and bake @ 350 for 55-60 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads 160 degrees.
Uncover; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake 8-10 minutes longer until cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Happy eating!

Masa Harina - Que?

Tonight's dinner was chicken tortilla soup w/ a side of that sweet corn cake served at Mexican restaurants (a la Chevy's)... The soup was good... The corn cake was AMAZING.  I love that stuff though.. and this turned out EXACTLY the way I'd hoped :)

Let's start out with the soup.  

• 1 T veg oil (I almost always use EVOO in my cooking though)
• 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes (I cheated tonight and used the already cooked/cubed frozen chicken)
• 1 cup yellow onion, chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can chicken broth (approx 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup masa harina (or instant masa mix)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2/3 cup enchilada sauce
• 6 oz Velveeta (I know, I know)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, drained
• juice of 1-2 large limes (I used one, but I think I could have added more -- I just HATE juicing limes/lemons)
• Garnish: shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend, whatever you want!), crumbled tortilla chips, diced tomato, green onion, avocado, sour cream

Here's a picture of the instant masa mix so you know what to look for.  It was in the "ethnic foods" aisle @ Fred Meyer on the bottom shelf -

 

Add oil to a large pot over medium heat.
Add chicken breasts, onions and garlic to pot and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes to brown the chicken (or to warm the chicken if you're using the pre-cooked frozen stuff like I did!) Add the chicken broth.
Combine masa harina with 1 cup of water in a medium bowl and whisk until blended. The mixture will be thick.
Add the masa mixture to the pot with chicken mixture.
Add remaining water, enchilada sauce, cheese and spices to pot and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly - the masa harina will settle at the bottom and burn easily.
Reduce heat, add beans and corn and simmer soup for 30-40 minutes until thick.
Add lime juice to taste.
Serve soup in cups or bowls, and garnish with shredded cheese, crumbled corn tortilla chips, tomatoes, avocado, green onions, and sour cream (or with whatever your heart desires).

** We ate dinner before I had a chance to get a picture of it served/garnished.. The baby was sleeping, so we had to hoover it down before he woke up!  But here's the cheesy goodness in the pot on the stove -

Now for the sweet corn cake!

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup masa harina (and you thought you'd never get to use it again!)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 T milk
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl beat butter until it is creamy. 
Using a food processor or blender (I used my immersion blender), blend corn and water until creamier texture (but make sure to still leave some chunks!) Stir into the butter mixture, along with masa harina. 
In a separate bowl, mix cornmeal, sugar, cream, salt, and baking powder. Add to corn flour mixture and stir to combine. 
Pour batter into an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan. Smooth batter and cover with aluminum foil. Place pan into a 9x13 inch baking dish that is filled a third of the way with water. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

** Again, I didn't get a picture before we had already dug in... We're lucky I got a picture at all -- this stuff was gone in no time!

Happy eating!

Week 1 (Jan 28-Feb 1)

Ok, so here goes nothin'.  After a slight "push" to create a food blog, I decided to just suck it up and do it.  Who knows how frequently I'll be able to post with two very needy kiddos in the house, but I'll give it a shot!

The menus I post will vary slightly, and may not always match up to the individual blog posts, as we always have "leftover" nights and "fend for yourself" nights and "Momma doesn't want to cook so I'm ordering pizza" nights.. But each week I will try to post a menu with four to five recipes (a couple of which will hopefully reuse ingredients, so as to make the most of my dreaded shopping trips!)

Here's what I've come up with this week:
**Variations of most of my recipes can be found on Pinterest.  That's where I get a lot of my ideas, but I always "tweak" them to make them more my own :)

Dinner 1: Sausage Manicotti
Dinner 2: Chicken tortilla soup & sweet corn cake (think Chevy's little "corn dollop")
Dinner 3: Spicy Thai noodles
Dinner 4: Ham, mac & cheese soup
Dinner 5: Tofu & black bean burritos

After posting the week's menu, I will then try to do individual posts with photos and recipes.  I already missed last night's dinner (the sausage manicotti (which was DIVINE!)..I could take pictures of the leftovers, but it doesn't look nearly as appetizing!), but tonight we're having chicken tortilla soup, and I'm beyond excited to try it!

To find my inspirations from Pinterest -- here is a link to my food board:
 http://pinterest.com/mommamoo09/yu-uh-huh-um/