Italian Salad

This salad was my dinner last night.  I almost ate the entire bowl by myself.  So good!  It was a staple in my home growing up and it's super simple.  I love veggies but I don't always love lettuce...therefore, this is the perfect salad for me.

-Box of button mushrooms, stems removed and sliced thin

-2 tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

-1/4 of a large  red onion, sliced very thin

-3/4 of an English cucumber, skin removed and sliced thin

-Quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper

-Italian seasoning



Toss all the veggies in a bowl.  Sprinkle generously with salt and freshly ground pepper and add about a tablespoon or so of dried Italian herbs (basil, oregano or whatever mixture you have on hand).   Pour a few generous tablespoons each of the olive oil and balsamic vinegar over veggies and stir gently to coat everything.  Let sit and marinate at least 20-30 minutes and then serve.  I let it sit on the counter to marinate and serve at room temperature because I don't like my veggies cold.

Scott loves to take leftovers of this stuff to work with him the following day.  He thinks it tastes even better then next day! 

*I love serving this salad with pizza so I can dip my crust in the excess dressing.  Or, just serve with some fresh Italian bread to dab up all the extra oil/vinegar.  YUM!

*You can also add in fresh mozzarella balls to this mixture. 

Easy Buckeyes

Scott isn't much of a sweets guy.  This is great, cuz I'm not much of a baker.  However, this year, he kept hinting that he was craving Buckeyes...a staple at Christmas time in our home state of Ohio.  Believe or not, in all my 34 years I've never eaten a buckeye, let alone made one.  I wanted to surprise him with a batch.  Thank goodness for the Internet because I found this recipe for "Almost Instant Buckeyes."  I think making these will now be an annual tradition in the Segal home.  They got great reviews from the hubs, kids, and friends/neighbors. 

-1 (10 ounce) package peanut butter chips

-1 (16 ounce) can vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

-1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

 

Line some cookie sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper.  Melt pb chips in microwave.  Stir after every 30 seconds.  They will take about 2 minutes to melt.  Remove from microwave and stir in frosting...I use a hand mixer. Let stand about 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. 

Roll peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls; place on cookie sheet.  Refrigerate (or freeze) for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips the same way you melted the pb chips. 

 

 

Pierce each pb ball with a toothpick and dip into the melted chocolate.  Leave a small area around the toothpick uncoated so the ball resembles a buckeye.  Place dipped ball on a wax paper covered cookie sheet, pushing the candy off of toothpick with tines of a fork (or a clean finger).  To smooth  out the toothpick mark, give the hole a pinch and then smooth it down.  Let stand for 5 minutes or until set. (I put mine in the freezer).

 

 

Makes about 5 dozen.

 

 

These truly were a cinch to make...I mean I made them so how difficult could they be??   Mine don't look as pretty as those on the website but hey, it was my first go at them!

Shrimp Chip Dip

I love this dip! It's super salty and great with chips or crackers. It reminds me of holiday events at my Aunt Chris' house when I was younger. I don't really like seafood, but still crave this dip.

-1 can cream of shrimp soup
-1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
-garlic salt to taste

Mix ingredients thouroughly and then chill. Serve with chips or crackers. The trick to no lumps in your dip is to blend the cream cheese well before adding in the soup.

From the kitchen of Christine Allman.

Chris Kringles

These are my favorite Christmas cookies. I'm not much of a baker the rest of the year, but I do bake some cookies for friends during the holidays.  These cookies taste like brownies with powdered sugar on them. Santa likes them too!

-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-4 squares unsweetened chocolate

Melt these two ingredients together. Heat slowly, mixing every 30-60 seconds in microwave or heat in a double boiler, stirring constantly.

-2 cups sugar
-4 eggs
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 cup powdered sugar

Mix chocolate and oil mixture with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Stir in dry ingredients until mixed thoroughly. Refrigerate dough, covered, for a MINIMUM of 2 hours or overnight. Drop teaspoons of dough into powdered sugar and roll to coat. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.*

Cool slightly (about 2 minutes) and then remove from cookie sheet before completely set. Makes about 3 dozen.

*While I have the cookies in the oven baking, I stick the bowl of dough back in the fridge or freezer to keep the dough cold. The dough is much easier to work with when it is super cold.

Chicken Marsala

This was my first go at Chicken Marsala at home and it turned out quite well. I used a few recipes to come up with this one...I elimated some steps and ingredients in the other ones. I am all about simple here! Enjoy.

-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 cup flour
-5 teaspoons dried marjarom
-1 teaspoon salt
-1/4 teaspoon pepper
-1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
-1/2 bunch of scallions, sliced
-3 tablespoons butter, divided
-1/4 cup chicken broth (more if you would like sauce for pasta/rice)
-1/4 cup dry Marsala or sherry (more if you would like sauce for pasta/rice)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Slice each breast in half. (I do this while breasts are still frozen - they cut a lot easier when they are slightly frozen). Place each breast between plastic wrap and pound slightly to 1/8 inch thick. Stir together flour, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Press chicken into flour mixture on both sides. Shake off excess. In large skillet, cook mushrooms and green onions in 1 tablespoon of butter until tender. Remove from skillet. In same skillet, cook chicken in a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 4 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Return mushrooms and green onions to skillet. Add broth and Marsala. Cook, uncovered for 5-10 minutes or until mushroom mixture thickens slightly and chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. If you want to serve with rice or angel hair pasta, add additional broth, Marsala, and butter to make enough liquid for a sauce.

Beef, Barley & Quinoa Soup

I had a little barley and a little quinoa left in my pantry and was trying to come up with something that I could use them both in... I decided to adapt the soup recipe on the back of the barley box a little bit.  The fam seemed to like it so I think I'll make it again.

-1/2 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
-1/2 cup onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-8 cups beef broth
-2 cans of Rotel
-1/2 cup Barley, uncooked
-1/4-1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked
-1 can lima beans, drained/rinsed
--1/2 cup celery, chopped
-1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
-1-2 bay leaves
-1 family size package of frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)

In large stock pot, saute onion, celery, and garlic in a little olive oil until tender. Add all additional ingredients EXCEPT quinoa and frozen veggies.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour, stirring occcassionally.  Add in quinoa and frozen veggies and cook about 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add additional water if needed since the soup with thicken upon standing.

Turkey Noodle Soup

-3-4 cups cooked turkey or chicken, roughly chopped ( I used my leftovers from Thanksgiving)
-1 cup celery, sliced
-1 clove garlic, minced
-1 large family size back of frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, corn)
-4 cans chicken broth
-2 cans waters
-1 can diced tomatoes
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1/2 package egg noodles
-1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
-1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
-1 bay leaf
-1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

In a large stock pot, saute onions, celery, and garlic in a little margarine.  Add all ingredients EXCEPT frozen veggies and noodles.  Simmer soup for 30-40 minutes.  Add in frozen veggies and noodles and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.

Spaghetti Bread

Again, thanks Pinterest for hooking me up with this recipe that I found here.  Spaghetti baked in bread....hello carb overload!  This family loves their pasta and bread so I knew this would be a hit.  So easy, so good!  It's as yummy as it looks, I promise!

-1 Loaf Rhodes Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature
-6 oz spaghetti, cooked
-1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
-8 oz mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 –inch cubes
-1 egg white
-Parmesan cheese
-Parsley flakes

Spray baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or use parchment paper).  Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16-inch rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.  Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly.  Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down the center of dough. Top with sauce and cheese cubes. (I mixed my spaghetti and sauce together first).  Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid.  Lift braid with both hands and place on large sprayed baking sheet. (or transfer parchment paper to baking sheet). Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley (I added garlic powder).  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Next time, I think I'll add in about 1/2 pound of browned ground beef or Italian sausage.

Balsamic and Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I'm always looking for new crockpot recipes to try.  Here's a great one I found on Pinterest...it's courtesy the blog,  C+C Marriage Factory.   I make pork tenderloins all.the.time (seriously about once a week).  However, I have yet to make one in the crockpot.  This recipe is seriously tasty.  I served it with my favorite Brussel Sprout recipe.

-1 (2 pound) boneless pork tenderloin (or regular pork loin)

-1 teaspoon ground sage

-1/2 teaspoon salt

-1/4 teaspoon pepper

-1 clove garlic, crushed

-1/2 cup water

Glaze

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1 tablespoon cornstarch

-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

-1/2 cup water

-2 tablespoons soy sauce

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Is anyone else addicted to Pinterest?  I love trying new recipes and Pinterest has become my favorite place to get dinner inspiration.  I've tried quite a few new recipes (check out my Pinterest Food Board)lately and most have gotten high marks.  I'll post them all soon.  For now, here's one that I found on Jamie Cooks It Up via Pinterest.

-4 large chicken breasts

-2 sleeves Ritz crackers
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1/8 teaspoon pepper
-1/2 cup milk
-3 cup cheddar cheese, grated
-1 teaspoon dried parsley
-1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
-2 tablespoons sour cream
-2 tablespoons butter

Cut each chicken breast into 3 large chunks.  In a small food processor grind up the ritz crackers (I just put the crackers in a large ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin...I'm old school and still don't own a food processor).  Pour the milk, cheese and cracker crumbs into 3 separate small pans. Toss the salt and pepper into the cracker crumbs and stir the mixture around to combine.

Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then the cheese, and finally the cracker crumbs.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and lay the chicken inside the pan.  Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.  Cover the pan with tin foil and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove the tin foil, bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are golden brown and crispy.

Into a medium sized sauce pan combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is nice and hot. Serve over the chicken.

 

My kids were acting up while I was making dinner and I completely forgot to make the sauce for the chicken.  Whoops!  The chicken was still fantastic without it.  You can't go wrong with cheddar cheese.