I thought I’d share one of the easiest, healthiest, and relatively most dramatic ways to cook fish: steamed in individual paper packages, or as the french like to say en papillote.  This is a method as much as a recipe, so although I steamed my fish with grapefruit and tarragon, you might also consider tomato and basil; lemon, thyme and ginger; your favorite veggies and your favorite herbs…The possibilities are endless.  Below, I’ll give you an easy technique for folding your packages.  Once this is mastered, you can have deliciously steamed and flavored fish on the table in less than 30.  And it will be gone, I can promise, in less than 5.

Steamed Fish Fillets en Papillote

• 4 fresh fish fillets (for 4 servings), cod and tilapia work well.
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• Zest of 1/4 grapefruit
• Segments from that same grapefruit
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh tarragon
• 4 pats of butter

Oven preheated to 425

To start, cut 4 nice big pieces of parchment paper off your roll, each should be around 24 x 16 inches.
Fold each sheet in half and, in a throwback to your kindergarten days, cut out a half-heart shape as large as your paper, as though you were making a valentine.
Unfold your hearts and lay them out flat.

Put all of the ingredients in the center of one side of the heart and fold the remaining side over.
Starting at the top of your half heart, begin crimping the edges down, making sure they overlap, by folding one piece of the edge over and creasing firmly.  Moving along the outside of the heart, continue folding and overlapping, making sure that your folds overlap by about half.
Once you reach the bottom of your heart, twist the point and fold it under so that all of your crimping will stay in place.

Move your packets onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.  The paper should puff and brown.  Remove the packets from the oven, cut them open and you’re all set to enjoy a healthy and flavorful meal!

Andrea can be found experimenting in her kitchen at her blog, Cooking Books.

Related posts

• Your Plate Is Served! (0)
• Waffled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with Warm Fruit Crisp Recipe (1)
• Tomato, Tomahto, and a Tamale Casserole Recipe! (0)

You’re giddy, don’t worry it happens to the best of us. Leftovers from the first night in this week’s plan are given an overhaul and served on night three. This week’s plan also includes one meatless option. Rotating a meatless or vegetarian meal into your menu plan is a fairly painless way to shrink the grocery budget.

1. Beef shoulder roast, pan roasted vegetables, baked potatoes
Never baked a potato? It’s simple, just scrub, rub with a little olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and prick with a fork. Place on a baking sheet or oven proof dish and bake for at least 1 hour at 400, they’ll need just a little longer at 350. When the roast is done crank the oven up and put in the vegetables, by the time the roast is cut and ready to serve they’ll be done.

2. Eggplant parmigiana over spaghetti with marinara, Caesar Salad
I totally cheat and use bagged Caesar, if you feel industrious feel free to buy and shred your own Romaine lettuce. If you are in a huge hurry, use a jarred sauce. I won’t tell.

3. Beef and cheddar melts on hoagie rolls, steamed broccoli (or serve raw with ranch for dipping)

Beef and Cheddar Hoagie

If you have time, you can make your own rolls, otherwise just grab a pack from the bakery section. Cut hoagie rolls in half and toast under the broiler. Add thin slices of the leftover beef shoulder to each half of the hoagie roll, cover with cheese and place back under the broiler until melty, gooey, and delicious. Serve.

4. Chicken bog, cornbread, collards

Chicken bog is nothing more than a simple jambalaya type dish, don’t be intimidated and don’t forget to pass the hot sauce.

5. Taco Night, refried beans, fried green corn
Brown the meat, season with taco seasoning, and load up the shells with your family’s favorites.

6. It’s brinner time! That’s breakfast for dinner, this week, let’s try French Toast, fresh fruit, and yogurt

If you don’t have apple cider, just use milk, eggs, and cinnamon. If you can make grilled cheese, you’ve got French toast in the bag. Just dip the bread in your egg / milk mixture until well coated but not falling apart and then fry until golden brown.

The shopping list does not include basic pantry items such as flour and sugar, but does include all the spices, as most people keep spices based on their regional and ethnic traditions. Don’t be scared to substitute and remember many of the dry goods and cheeses will not have to be purchased every week. Simply cross off the items you have on hand and purchase amounts apprporiate to the size and appetite of your family. The linked recipes feed families of 4 - 6 with small amounts of leftovers.

If you are fairly new to cooking, your grocery bill will drop significantly once your pantry is stocked with the basic spices and dry goods.

Dairy Case and Products
Butter
Cheddar (potato topping & taco topping)
Eggs
Milk
Yogurt
Sour cream (optional for your baked potatoes and tacos)

Dry Goods:

Bread
Bread crumbs
2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
Hoagie rolls
Parmesan Cheese
Refried beans
Rice
Spaghetti noodles
Taco shells or flour tortillas

Freezer:
Broccoli
Corn

Meat:
Beef Shoulder Roast
3-5 lbs chicken bone in chicken parts (or one whole chicken cut up)
2lbs sausage (smoked beef, kielbasa or even smoked turkey)
Ground Beef or Turkey

Miscellaneous:
Red wine, any drinkable variety will do. If you avoid alcohol for religious or other purposes, substitute beef stock.

Produce:
Baking potatoes
Collards
Eggplant
Garlic
Onion
Parsley (optional)
Vegetables for roasting, your choice (ex turnips, parsnips, carrots, celery, sweet potato, cauliflower)
Taco toppings (lettuce, tomato, avocado it’s up to you)

Spices and condiments:

Bay leaves
Italian seasoning
Garlic Powder
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Red Pepper (optional)
Taco Seasoning
Worcestershire

Heather can also be found sharing more domestic time saving tips, tricks and recipes at <a href=”http://www.home-ec101.com”>Home Ec 101</a>

Related posts

• Light Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe (2)
• The Deeper Meaning of Summer Squash (7)
• Savory Spinach and Garlic Stir Fry Recipe (0)

October, November and December are sweet months.

Everywhere you turn there is sugar practically being forced down your throat.  Well…who cares? Live it up before you put the famous “lose weight” on your New Years resolutions, yet again.

Now…there are sweet things and there are SWEET things. Not all sweet things are created equal, so if you are worried about sweets,  focus on eating homemade sweet things instead of processed candy.

For a sweet fix I opt for good homemade cookies. Especially when the recipe is easy to make like the one below.

Enjoy… and happy stretching your stomach these next two weeks to prep for Thanksgiving, the meal of all meals.

SUGAR AND SPICE COOKIES

• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

1. preheat over to 375*
2. grease the cookie sheets
3. cream shortening and sugar together in a large bowl
4. add the egg to the creamed mixture
5. add the honey and stir everything together. set the bowl aside
6. sift the flour, baking soda, the salt and the three spices into a bowl
7. pour the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture; stir until all the flour is mixed in
8. scoop out a spoon full of batter and then push the batter onto the cookie sheet (these cookies spread, so leave plenty of room around each cookie)
9. bake for 10 minutes
10. cool cookies on a wire rack

Damaris can be found blogging about food and cooking related yumminess at her blog: Within The Corners of My Kitchen

Related posts

• Lunch Box Cookie Recipes: Peanut Butter Cookies and Mini Chocolate Chip Shortbread (3)
• Buttery, Golden, and Delicious Snickerdoodle Cookie Recipe (0)
• Banana-Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies Recipe (2)

The Pilgrims would be jealous if they had any idea how easily you can whip up this fabulous Two Ingredient Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze. I nearly shorted out my keyboard when this popped up in my reader on the delightfully talented Cathy’s blog, Noble Pig.

If you’re looking for something a bit different to bring to Thanksgiving this year or you just want to wow your friends and family with your superb culinary skills then you need to pop on over and get the recipe and the rest of the story about this suprisingly easy and delicious dessert.

I see this on my table in the near future!

Rachel is a mom of two tarnished halo wearing little heathens darlings who try her patience and bless her very existence. She can be found blogging about kids, marriage, food and other braingasms at her blog A Southern Fairytale

Related posts

• Delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cream Cheese Icing (0)
• White Russian Ice Cream Recipe (1)
• What are They Celebrating? (0)

Though this recipe does take some time to set in the refrigerator, it hardly takes any time at all to whip up.  Making this a perfect light dessert when you don’t have a lot of prep time available.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cold milk
• 2 pkgs (4-serving size each) JELL-O Lemon Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6 oz)
• 1 tub (8 oz) Cool Whip, thawed

Directions:

1. Pour milk into large bowl.
2. Add dry pudding mixes and lemon juice. Beat with wire whisk for two minutes or until well blended. (The mixture will be thick.)
3. Spread 1 and 1/2 cups of the pudding mixture onto the bottom of the crust, and then set it aside.
4. Add half of the Cool Whip to the remaining pudding (still in the bowl), and stir gently until well blended. Spread this over the pudding layer in the crust.
5. Top with the remaining Cool Whip that is still in the tub.
6. Refrigerate for at least four hours or until set.

Garnish with lemon peel, if desired.

Store leftover pie in the refrigerator.

Do you have a favorite, go to dessert that is quick to whip up?  We’d love to hear about it!

Angie can be found writing at Many Little Blessings, where she muses on family, faith, household management, and trying to live a more content life.

photo by Miss Muffin

Related posts

• Strawberries and Cream Pie Recipe (0)
• Quick & Delicious Deep Dish Brownie Recipe (3)
• Waffled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with Warm Fruit Crisp Recipe (1)

• 1 lb ground beef, browned
• 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 can of layered refrigerator biscuits (I used Grands Biscuits, as recommended at Rocks in My Dryer)
• Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

1. Brown ground beef and add in spaghetti sauce.
2. Pull apart the Grands Biscuits (in the middle) so that you’ll have two biscuits. There will be a natural place for them to pull apart, so just look for it.
3. Roll out each biscuit (you should now have 16, if you started with a Grands Biscuit tube that says there are eight rolls) until they are about six inches in diameter.
4. Put each rolled out biscuit into a greased muffin tin. You’ll put it in so that it makes a cup, like a pastry shell (you will fill these in the next step).
5. Fill each cup with a few spoonfuls of the meat/sauce mixture. (You may have sauce/meat still leftover — I certainly did. Just put it in the fridge to use later, or as happened in our house, our meat lovers asked for more of the meat and sauce.)
6. Sprinkle cheese on top of each of the cups.
7. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
8. Pop them out of the muffin tins when they are done and serve immediately.

Angie writes about everything from homeschooling to household management to addictive Christmas candy at Many Little Blessings.

Photo by Angie ~ Many Little Blessings

Related posts

• Elegant Tomato Tart Recipe (0)
• Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe (0)
• Chicken and Cheese Muffin Casserole Recipe (0)

How Delicious does that look? It tastes even better than it looks. This recipe comes from a fabulous brand new cookbook, CARMINE’S Family Style Cookbook. This cookbook is filled with amazing recipes like, Carmine’s Famous Caesar Salad, Salmon Puttanesca, Chocolate Bread Pudding and Italian Cheesesteak Heroes, and the stunning full color photographs well let me tell you, just thumbing through this cookbook will cause drooling and tummy growling. Consider yourselves warned

This recipe jumped out at me and I am so thrilled we tried it!

Linguine With Red Shrimp Sauce page 97
serves 2 to 4

* 1/4 C Olive Oil
* 2 Tbsp coarsely chopped garlic
* 12 fresh oregano leaves, chopped
* 8 fresh basil leaves, sliced
* 2 Tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
* 10 oz canned italian plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped**
* 1/4 C dry white wine
* 2 1/4 C clam juice**
* 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
* salt and freshly ground pepper
* 12 oz dried linguine

1. In a large saute’ pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until it is golden brown. Take care not to let the garlic burn.
2. Add the oregano, basil, and parsley.  Cook the mixture, stirring, for 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to high, and cook the mixture for 3 minutes.  Add the wine and cook it for about 2 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated.  Add the clam juice, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer the sauce for 3 to 4 minutes or until the liquid is reduced by half.
4. Add the shrimp, lower the heat, and cook the sauce for 1 minute.  Remove the shrimp and set it aside.  Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Just before serving, reheat the sauce so that it bubbles. Return the shrimp to the pan and cook in the bubbling sauce for about 1 minute or until cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine for 7 to 8 minutes or until it is al dente.
6. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to a platter.  Immediately ladle the sauce over the pasta.  Mix them well and serve.

My husband and I devoured this and spent half the time shooing little hands away from our plates because they were snatching up the noodles and shrimp!

The wonderful people at St. Martin’s Press have offered us a copy of this cookbook to give away to one of our readers.  This would make a fabulous Christmas gift for the cook in your life or your favorite foodie, or be selfish and keep it all to yourself.  Either way, this cookbook is a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Leave a comment on here and tell me your favorite Italian Food, or what you would do if you won this cookbook.

I’ll use the random number generator to pick a winner on Saturday, November 15th.  That means this giveaway is open until Midnight CST Friday, November 14th

** I couldn’t find Italian Plum Tomatoes so I just used regular whole peeled tomatoes and I only used 2 Cups of clam juice.

Rachel can be found blogging about food, family and the joys of being a deep fried Southern Belle at her website, A Southern Fairytale.

Related posts

• Sweet Pea and Potato Pasta with Chicken Recipe (0)
• Easy Chicken Parmesan Recipe (0)
• Easy & Impressive Shrimp Scampi Recipe (1)

Although I am not American, I lived there long enough to fall in love with Thanksgiving.  When I married my American husband I embraced the tradition like it was my own.  With no family traditions to speak of yet, it’s been liberating to hijack recipes and ideas from other families so that we can gradually form our own.  Our two little girls hold dual citizenship and I make it a point to educate them on American history and culture.  Even with us living in Ireland this year, we will be having a big feast with lots of other American expats joining us, including my best friend from Texas who recently moved to Germany.  I couldn’t be more excited!

It’s never too early to start to plan Thanksgiving dinner and this fool-proof recipe will make sure your turkey is perfect, even if you overcook it. A quick note on the bird itself.  Some people are willing to pay for an organic or free range turkey and I myself have done so, but honestly, I cannot tell the difference taste wise.  I remember last year being particularly frustrated at paying €50 for a free range turkey from my butcher only to find a bigger generic bird on sale at the supermarket for €14.99.  Obviously there are animal husbandry concerns, but if that’s not something that bothers you, by all means, go for the generic bird, as taste wise, you won’t be able to tell the difference.

Brining is something I tried last year both at Thanksgiving and Christmas (in Ireland we do Turkey for Christmas) for the first time.  I will not be going back, as the resulting roast was incredibly succulent, tender and flavoursome.  Even if you overcook the bird, the brining will ensure the flesh remains moist and tender.

In terms of cooking time, everyone’s oven is different, but the times given below should suffice for a 15-20 pound stuffed turkey.

This stuffing recipe is my Mom’s traditional Irish breadcrumb stuffing and is a family favourite.  It’s easy to prepare well in advance and have ready for the turkey when it comes out of the brine.  The picture at the top is of my Thanksgiving turkey from last year, which was a huge success.

For the Brine:

• 1 15-20lb turkey
• 2L / 8.5cups apple juice/cider
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 2 large apples, roughly chopped
• 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 6-8 star anise
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 6-8 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup* rock/kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1L / 4.25 cups water

Mix all brine ingredients together in a large pot and heat until salt and sugar have melted.  Allow to cool.

Rinse and pat turkey dry.  Place in large basin, cooler or other container.  Pour brine over turkey and allow to rest in cool place for 12-24 hours.  If the brine doesn’t cover the turkey completely, turn it half way through the soaking period.

For the stuffing

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 6 cups breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup sausage meat
• 1 egg
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to season

Mix all stuffing ingredients in a large bowl.  Add additional breadcrumbs if too moist.  It should hold together in a stiff mashed potato type consistency.  Refrigerate until ready to stuff turkey.

To Roast Turkey:

• 1 package of bacon
• 1/2 lb soft butter
• Handful chopped fresh herbs
• salt and pepper

1. Pre-heat oven to 220C/425F.
2. Mix butter with herbs and season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove turkey from brine.  Rinse and pat dry.
4. Stuff both cavities with prepared stuffing.
5. Use toothpicks to hold the cavities closed, if necessary.
6. Pull the skin from the turkey breast and rub the butter between the skin and flesh.  Use your fingers to push the butter as far back as possible.  Rub any remaining butter over the top of the skin.
7. Lay the bacon on top of the turkey covering the entire breast and any of the legs that you can.
8. Cover with foil leaving a bit of room at the top, like a tent.
9. Bake for 45 minutes.
10. Turn oven down to 170C/325F and bake for 4-5 hours.
11. Remove bacon from turkey and leaving foil off, turn oven back up to 200C/400F.  Bake for a final thirty minutes, basting the turkey several times.
12. Remove turkey from oven and put on serving platter.
13. Reserve roasting dish for gravy.  Allow to rest for at least 15 or up to 45 minutes whilst preparing gravy and any other side dishes.

For the gravy

• 2 glasses of white wine
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/2 L / 2 cups Chicken Stock
• cream to taste

1. Using the roasting pan, place it on a ring or two of your stove.
2. Add the wine to the pan and scrape with a wooden spoon to remove any fond (sticky bits) on the bottom on the pan.
3. When the wine has almost evaporated, add the flour and whisk furiously to get it combined.  Gently add in the chicken stock whisking constantly.
4. Bring to a boil.  Add any juice that has come from the turkey while it has been resting.  Add additional stock if too thick.

Before serving, check for seasoning and whisk in cream, if desired.

When Deborah is not hijacking other cultural traditions, she can be found blogging at her Irish food blog or running her home artisan food company Spicendipity from her toddler-proofed kitchen.

Related posts

• Waffled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with Warm Fruit Crisp Recipe (1)
• Sweet Pea and Potato Pasta with Chicken Recipe (0)
• Simple Skillet Cooked Salmon Recipe (0)

1. BBQ chicken, green beans, stove top macaroni and cheese

Lentil Casserole

2. Lentil casserole, baked sweet potatoes (scrub, prick the skins with a fork, brush lightly with olive oil and bake at 400F for an hour)

Baked Potato Soup

3. Baked potato soup, tuna melts. Tuna melts are simply a cross between grilled cheese and tuna salad sandwiches. Prepare your tuna salad as usual, then add a couple tablespoons as filling in the center as you assemble your grilled cheese.

4. Beef pepper steak, rice

5. Chicken picante, tossed salad

6. Oven baked chimichangas, refried beans, zucchini with corn and cilantro (Simply heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add sliced zucchini and cook until tender. Add a cup or two of frozen corn kernels stir until heated through, and add some coarsely chopped cilantro. Skip the cilantro if you hate it)

7. Clean Out Refrigerator Night

The shopping list does not include basic pantry items such as flour and sugar, but does include all the spices, as most people keep spices based on their regional and ethnic traditions. Don’t be scared to substitute and remember many of the dry goods and cheeses will not have to be purchased every week. Simply cross off the items you have on hand. Purchase amounts apprporiate to the size of your family. The linked recipes feed families of 4 - 6 with small amounts of leftovers.

If you are fairly new to cooking, your grocery bill will drop significantly once your pantry is stocked with the basic spices and dry goods.

I highly recommend Better Than Bouillon instead of buying canned or boxed stock, not only does it cost less per serving, but it does not have MSG which can be a headache trigger for some people. Additionally it is lower in sodium than most bouillon cubes and dissolves more easily in water, speeding up the cooking process.

Dairy section and products:

American Cheese
Butter
Cheddar (sharp)
Eggs
Half and half
Milk
Sour cream (optional)

Dry Goods:

5oz can evaporated milk
Banana pepper rings (Typically near the pickles and sandwich garnishes, get mild or hot based on your preference)
Beef stock / broth/ or bouillon
Dried lentils
Fettucinni noodles
Macaroni noodles
Mayonnaise
Parmesan cheese
Re-fried beans
Rolled oats (oatmeal, but not instant or quick cooking)
Salsa
Sweet cherry peppers (Typically this is near the pickles and sandwich garnish)
Tortillas
Tuna (canned)

Freezer:

Corn
Green beans

Meat:

Bacon
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Round steak (enough for two meals)

Produce:

Bell peppers
Carrot
Celery
Cilantro
Garlic
Green onions
Onion
Potatoes (Idaho are fine, but Yukon gold work well)
Salad supplies (any produce you deem necessary for a good tossed salad)
Sweet potatoes
Zucchini

Spices:

Basil
BBQ Rub or make your own
Cajun spice mix
Dry mustard
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Soy Sauce
Vinegar

Heather also blogs at <a href=”http://www.home-ec101.com”>Home Ec 101</a>.

Related posts

• Grilled Kowboy Kabobs with Potatoes, Shrimp and Veggies Recipe (0)
• Crisp and Colorful Vinaigrette and Veggie Salad (0)
• The Deeper Meaning of Summer Squash (7)

Once a month I am responsible for taking snacks to the kiddos in my son’s preschool class. Living in crunchy granola Santa Cruz means that goldfish crackers just don’t make the cut.

So for the last couple days I have been thinking about what I could make that would be cheap, healthy and appealing to kids.

There’s an apple tree 100 yards from my house that is loaded, so the decision to use apples was a no brainer.

The other thing that appealed to me about this snack, is that your toddler can help you make it.

Apple Peanut Butter Crunchies

Makes 16 apple slices

• 2 large apples
• peanut butter
• granola

1. Wash and cut each apple into 8 slices
2. Spread peanut butter on the sides of the apple slices
3. cover with granola and refrigerate until ready to serve

In addition to those darling Apple Peanut Butter Crunchies, I made Rice Balls and shaped them into hearts

My son loves rice, especially with beans.

But eating rice and beans requires sitting at the table with me supervising the ordeal meal to make sure that the rice goes inside the mouth and not all over my already disgusting carpet.

Cleaning rice off the floor is a form of torture, in case you didn’t know.

So when Enzo needs to have a snack and I want him to eat without my immediate superviseion, I like to use the rice molds that my sister in law sent me from Japan.

Despite my husband’s warning that I was complicating my life,  I  made the 20 shaped rice balls to take to my son’s class. It was easy since the rice was made in my CEM Global CE23201 Continental 6-Cup Rice Cooker and with my mold I can do 3 a a time.

The really hard part about this snack ordeal was making Cheddar cheese from scratch. Just kidding.

I found this on-line store that sells rice molds for $4.00. I might have to order some other shapes.

For a list on online stores where you can find Bento accessories you can go to Lunch in Box. It’s also a great website to get ideas on Bento related things.

Damaris Santos-Palmer writes about recipes, product reviews and hosts weekly giveaways on the food blog Within The Corners of My Kitchen

Related posts

• When Toddlers Attack: Dealing With Biting (1)
• How to make a mei tai carrier (1)
• Con Your Kids to Eat Vegetables: Furikake French Fries Recipe (2)