(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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I stuffed them with chopped roasted red pepper, the chopped stems of the mushrooms (you saved those, right?), parmesan and mozzarella, garlic and oregano.  I grilled them for about 10 minutes on medium and then browned them a bit under the broiler to give it that nice, golden brown toasty look (totally optional.)

This is one of of those, “what do I have in the fridge” recipes?  Here are a few ideas to get you pumped:

Strictly Vegetarian

• Roasted red peppers, Gruyere and basil
• Chopped onion, celery and garlic (saute in a little oil first)
• Roasted garlic, white wine and breadcrumbs
• Sun dried tomatoes and ricotta
• Sauteed spinach or chard with goat cheese
• Hummus and feta
• Cucumbers, tomato and ricotta
• Pico de Gallo and Queso Fresco
• Apples, walnuts and blue cheese
• Mesculin (add AFTER grilling) and lemon vinaigrette

Carnivores

• Crab, onion and cream cheese
• Sausage, tomato and basil
• Shrimp, parmesan and Alfredo sauce
• Bacon, potato and Cheddar
• Chicken, oregano and Kalamata olives

On the side, a cheap, fresh, cheap, tasty, did I mention CHEAP salad?  Remember that fresh market I visited?

They said it couldn’t be done.  I fed a family of four a healthy meal for under $10.  (OK, THAT’s been done.) But I fed mine and they actually ATE it!  Ha!  Take THAT!  (Shadow boxes around room.)  Who’s your mama now?!

(Please support your mama now by Digging this post!)

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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I believe I mentioned before my Dad’s from a farm in Kentucky where, to get to the outhouse, you must first run a race for your life against the hounds that live under the porch. Coming from the hollers as he did, it was no wonder that the dinner he requested on his birthday was always the same…fried taters, a pot of greens, cornbread (made in a cast iron skillet…else it wasn’t cornbread), and a big batch of soup beans.

Soup beans are not to be confused with bean soup.  Bean soup has veggies in it, is often made with a recipe and can be made with any variety of beans.  Soup beans are down-home, are recipe-less and always, always made with pinto beans.

Looking back at the way Dad taught me to cook everything growing up, I’m surprised I’m still alive seeing as how I’m probably 98.9% bacon grease (the other 1.1% lard). Dad kept a coffee can full of old bacon grease on the kitchen counter and it was used to flavor everything….potatoes, poke greens, eggs, cornbread, gravy, pretty much everything that crossed our stovetop.  I’m surprised we didn’t just skip the food and eat the grease with a spoon.

So soup beans were always made with a honkin’ spoonful of bacon grease, a big ol’ ham bone, beans and water.  Then we boiled ‘em til they were done.  But knowing I want to live to see my grandkids drive my kids crazy, I’ve dropped the bacon grease (forgive me, Daddy.)

Here’s my revamped Soup Bean recipe:

The night before, wash 1 bag of pinto beans and check for pebbles or grit.  (I put mine in a colander, run water over and drain the water into a bowl a few times.  When the bowl water is clear, the beans are ready.)   Put the beans in a big bowl and cover with about 2x the water.  The next morning, dump it into a slow cooker and toss in a can of chicken broth (Dad would choke if he knew I added chicken broth).   Toss in a meaty ham bone, a few dashes of hot sauce, salt, pepper and onion.  Cook on low for about 6-8 hours.   Serve with cornbread (you will be arrested if you do not.)

Nutritious, flavorful, cheap and easy.   And you don’t have to dodge any hounds.

Please remember to Digg or StumbleUpon if you enjoy FHC! Thanks so much!
Francie

Related posts:

Kentucky Biscuits are Worth Being Chased by Hounds

Also see:

Soup Beans @ Miranda’s Place

(2 votes, average: 1 out of 5)

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I crave coconut.  Anything coconut.  Well, except maybe this thing (Commence coconut crab nightmares…NOW!)  My youngest says coconut makes her gag which makes me wonder if she was switched in the hospital.

On our honeymoon, hubby and I ran into a guy who was splitting coconuts and offered one for us to drink.  He said it was “good for the digestion.”  What he meant was, bring a roll of toilet paper with you. Do you think they ever tire of playing that joke on tourists?   Fortunately, I didn’t drink much of it.  You see, like an idiot, I expected natural coconut to be sweet like SWEETENED coconut that you buy.  (Because, you know…I’m a rube.)

So naturally, I use coconut in everything and this Baked Coconut Tilapia with Fruit Salsa is like dinner and dessert at the same time.  And YET it’s good for you!  (OK, health police, please don’t hunt me down again. I know it’s not tofu, but it is baked and it is fish and it has fruit.  There’s gotta be healthy in there somewhere.)  Plus it’s easy!  Follow along with me.

I usually do about 2 cups Panko (those hippy little Japanese bread crumbs…Love ‘em!  But you can use regular breadcrumbs if you want) and 1 cup of coconut.  Sometimes I throw in a little cayenne.

Another little trick which I didn’t do in this recipe: Mix your Panko or breadcrumbs with about 1 tsp of canola oil and toss well.  Put your panko or breadcrumbs in the oven and toast them for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  It really helps give baked foods that “crispy-fried” crunchiness when you bread with pretoasted breadcrumbs.

Now for the salsa.

See that fruit cup?  I was going to buy a pineapple, a mango and a papaya but realized that the this was a much more frugal alternative.  Packed in juice, no less.

You know the rest.  Put it on the fish all pretty like and accept the kudos.

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Some days you open the fridge and realize the last time you saw a grocery store checkout was when Britney Spears had her own hair. On days like these, when there’s nothing in the house but a can of tuna, ketchup and an unrecognizable container of green (let’s toss that, shall we?), dinner on the table can be a daunting experience.

Fortunately, I’d picked up some romaine lettuce (local and organic, no less!  Aren’t you proud of me?) at the farmer’s market.  As long as you have lettuce, you have dinner.  Because salad dressings can be made so many different ways, you can almost pull one out of thin air.

My reconnaissance mission turned up the following:  garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar and dijon mustard.  Dinner!

CARAMELIZED GARLIC DRESSING

4-5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 c. light olive oil
1 Tbsp. dijon
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
Pinch salt and pepper

Pour about 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil into a skillet and saute the garlic until caramelized and light brown.   Don’t let ‘em burn or they’ll turn bitter.  You already know that though.

When they’re browned, drop them into a blender, add the sherry vinegar, brown sugar and the mustard and puree.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil from the pan, then add the remaining olive oil.   Blend until it comes together and thickly coats a spoon.    Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper.  Taste.  If you want it sweeter, add more sugar, more tart, try a bit more vinegar.  You get the idea.   I’ve made this with Splenda too and it’s still good.

Further digging turned up some leftover chicken, a few black olives and a hunk of Asiago.  Not bad.

Ta da! Dinner from thin air (almost.)

(1 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Another 4″ of snow was dumped on our lawn today. Happy Spring. So I’m trying to make it Spring indoors by serving a fish I always love when the weather warms….salmon. This is my heart healthy meal. ‘Cause it has all those heart healthy Omega-3 fats that are so good for you. Go figure, fat and good for you in the same sentence. That’s my kind of fish.

Here we go.

The Tamari can be salty so don’t add salt yet.

And to go with such a healthy meal, a mineral water.

(Ok, ok! I’m human. Give me a break!)

Happy Easter!
Mark 16:6

(3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Yes, I know, I know. I promised some healthier food and the last few posts were more along the line of “once in a while” foods. I heard you thinking, “How about stuff we can actually eat everyday and not feel guilty about! Is that too much to ask?!” Well, maybe in your mind, you were a lot calmer.

BUT never fear, dear reader. I have hit the Quadfecta (Man, I have always wanted to use that word!) with this meal. It’s 1) easy, 2) kid friendly 3) cheap and 4) delicious! And I bet you’d be proud to serve it to company. Are you ready?

See our adorable little Acini de Pepe in the photo above? Well, as you well know, Acini de Pepe is Italian for “I saw Papa!” and food scholars believe it originated when Mama was cooking dinner and the her children tattled on Papa who was hiding in the basement watching ESPN. Hang on.

I’m back. Apparently it means “little dough” or something boring like that. Whatever.

Anyhoo, the kids loved it because I told them it was frog eggs. I know, I know. Mama high five, right? They wanted seconds and so will you.

Here’s how I cooked it.

Saute some veggies and garlic in olive oil. I used baby portabellas, red pepper and onion, but the “cheap” part of this dish is you use whatever leftovers you have.

Pour in the frog eggs acini de pepe and saute them a little too. I’m sure you could use orzo (which I believe is Greek for “little underpants on a cat”) or rice (English for “rice”.)

Pour in enough chicken broth to cover them and keep them warm, cover the pan and reduce the heat to simmer. You’ll need to simmer ‘em about 15-20 minutes. If the guys start peeking out from the broth, pour more in.

Just before serving, add the juice of half a lemon and a handful of parsley. MMM-mmm!

When it’s done, you’ll get something delicious looking like this.

Yeah, I threw some almonds on top. Who’s gonna stop me? It’s my blog.

If you want the “OFFICIAL” recipe, here it is.

ACINI DE PEPE WITH VEGETABLES

12-14 oz. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. acini de pepe (I used a small box)
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Chopped fresh parsley
1/2 fresh lemon

Melt butter with olive oil and add onions. Saute vegetables adding the garlic near the end to prevent burning. Pour in the acini de pepe and stir for a minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth to cover. Reduce heat and simmer. Stir in lemon juice and chopped parsley. Sometimes I add chopped feta, almonds or Parmesan. It’s all good.

What? Oh, that chicken in the picture? Well, glad you asked. That, dear ones, is my next post. Stay tuned.

(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)

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Leftovers have gotten a bad reputation which they don’t deserve. I mean, it’s not like they CHOSE to be ignored, forgotten, the last bits clinging to the bowl. They had dreams, big dreams, to be the centerpiece of a divine meal.

I believe in giving leftovers another chance but you have to be a little crafty with children. So we have started opening “Chez Kids,” a quaint little place not far from our kitchen (actually about 2 feet). We heat the food while our youngest draws a menu from the choices. The oldest sets the table and plays waiter. You’d think they’d get tired of this and see through it but yesterday’s “disgusting” broccoli becomes irresistible when they’re calling it “Trees with Cheese” and serving it with Monday’s chicken. The oldest puts on an apron and “cooks” our food by serving it up on plates which the youngest lovingly serves while wearing a Maybelline-brow-penciled-mustache.

The kids have fun, leftovers get a second chance and I actually get to eat without getting up every 2 minutes. It’s a win-win situation. Hey, everyone deserves a second chance…even broccoli. Wait…let me think. OK, even broccoli.

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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I came late to blogging because I’m such a desperately private person. I’m not in the witness protection program but that often sounds enticing to me because I hate being in the spotlight. Still I must say that I find it really fun and cathartic to blog. And when someone compliments my little blog, I feel like Sally Field,“You LIKE me! You really LIKE me!”

But the reality of what I want my blog to look like and what it actually looks like boils down to one big problem…my crappy camera. We bought this camera a few years ago and paid way too much for it thinking it was a great deal. I won’t tell you the brand (Gateway), but it’s been nothing but error messages and lost photos since we got ripped off purchased it. And the pictures are awful. As you may have noticed. I’ve tried daylight, camera settings, focus, angle shots, but they’re all still crap.

So I’m saving my pennies looking for a good replacement that will give me some flexibility and wondering if anyone has a good suggestion for a digital SLR that will still allow my kids to go to partytown college.

So you’ll have to trust me on this next recipe. It tasted like heaven on a plate but photographed like pet food. Really, you must trust me on this!

Oooh, baby, I wish I’d made more because even the kiddies devoured this and Stickman (hubby) was left saying…’MORE…I want more.” I served it up with some homemade tortilla chips and rice mixed with some salsa and fresh cilantro.

CHICKEN WITH CILANTRO AND LIME BUTTER

• 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4″ thickness
  
• 1/2 c. flour
• 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 Tbs. freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp. oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge in flour and shake off excess. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Sauté chicken 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn chicken. Cook about 10 minutes, or until tender and browned nicely on both sides. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Blot out most of the oil but try to leave the fond/sticky bits. Add lime juice to deglaze and cook over low heat until bubbly. Add butter, stirring until butter becomes opaque and sauce thickens. Stir in cilantro and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over chicken and serve. Lick the pan before washing. Trust me.