Cabbage and Noodles

I'll be honest when Lisa told me we were having cabbage and noodles, my first thought was a very mature "yuck".  Yes, I still let a few ingredients influence how I think an entire dish might taste.  Cabbage...yeah it made me pause.  But very glad I kept an open mind and even more grateful for Lisa cooking it!

Lisa explains that this recipe was "floating around Facebook" with some positive reviews so she gave it a whirl.

Ingredients:
12 oz kielbasa or sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ cup salted butter
1 large onion, diced
½ head cabbage, chopped (appox 6-7 cups)
1 clove garlic, minced
⅔ cup frozen peas
8 oz uncooked egg noodles
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook sausage until lightly browned.
3. Add remaining olive oil, butter and onion.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add cabbage and garlic. Cook until tender (10-15 minutes). Stir in peas, noodles and salt & pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

That's it!  Pretty simple.  About 40 minutes between prep and cook time.

I grabbed that picture right before Lisa added the peas.   If I closed my eyes when I ate, I would have never known cabbage was used.  It added a nice texture but the kielbasa and peas were the real show in this dish.  And because of that, the girls loved it.  They picked around the onions because they "don't like the taste".  😒

But Lisa and I loved it.  I think we all went back for an extra serving so between the 4 of us, we actually polished it off!

Baked Ravioli

Sticking with the theme of kid-approved meals, tonight Lisa prepared a baked ravioli dish.  I'll be honest, I loved walking in from work (about an hour later than I intended to) and being smacked in the face with the smells from this dish.  It filled up the house and added a level of anticipation that's hard to describe.  I walked upstairs to greet the girls and they were talking about the smell and how they couldn't wait to eat.

About the dish; pretty simple!  Lisa layered frozen beef ravioli, Classico 4-Cheese pasta sauce and then Italian style shredded cheese blend.  Then you add a second round of the ravioli, pasta sauce, and top it with more cheese.  Cover with foil and bake 400° for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, take the foil off and bake another 10-15 minutes; let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Doesn't that look good?!!!  The girls didn't have to be told twice to come to the table.  The girls ate it up just like that while Lisa and I garnished with a little parsley.  To complete the meal, Lisa's mom had told her about New York Bakery Garlic Knots.  Yum...boy are those dangerous!!!  Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) Lisa only made one for each of us.  I could have easily had 3 or 4 of those!  They are 130 calories each.

And then to give you a true picture of "dinner with the Browns", here are the twins chowing down as we talked about our day at work and school.

"Winging it" Chicken Teriyaki

Tonight we had to wing it.  This idea stemmed from the girls loving a similar dish at Panda Express.  "But Andy, you said that you rarely eat out".  It's true!  We avoid fast food much more than your average family.  The rare occasion that we do stop for fast food, it's Subway, Pita Pit, or Panda Express.  The girls discovered that they LOVE the String Bean Chicken Breast at Panda Express so we have tried to recreate that success at home.  When we find something the girls love, especially when veggies are included, we exploit it!!

Lisa marinated 2 chicken breasts in a KC Masterpiece honey teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes while I fired up the grill.  The temperature outside was only about 12°...not gonna stop me from grilling!

While I was tending to the chicken, Lisa cooked up the rice and sautèed onions, garlic, and green beans.   After the chicken was ready, Lisa cut that up and added it to the veggie medley.

All that was left was to serve it over the steamed the rice...ok, microwave minute rice.  The girls gobbled it up which as any parent can relate to is a gratifying sight!

Plenty of quick, easy, and healthy ideas out there that are family friendly.  Hope you like ours!

Egg and Sausage Casserole

The blog is BACK, BABY!!  I've done several blogs over the years but this was the one I always wished I would have kept up.  I have always thought that we do dinner right at this house.  We plan ahead, we don't eat out very often, and we love our leftovers.  We also have a sense of adventure; constantly looking for new recipes or trying variations on the tried-and-true.  Combine all of that with a great family environment and you get "Dinner with the Browns".

Tonight was breakfast for dinner; a family favorite.  Sometimes that means pancakes for the girls and an omelette for the adults but tonight we went for the breakfast casserole.  As you'll see by this first picture, it was a Christmas present to Lisa and an awesome meal that finally inspired me to log on to blogger for the first time in 5 and a half years!

So Lisa tells me that this recipe was shared with her by a good friend, Taryn.  I haven't come up with a rating system but if I had one, this would get the highest marks across the board!! 

Ingredients:

1 pound pork sausage

1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent roll dough

10 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ cup milk

Directions:

1. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly grease a 9x13" baking dish

3. Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with crescent roll dough, and sprinkle with crumbled sausage.  In a large bowl, mix beaten eggs, mozzarella, and cheddar.  Season the mixture with oregano, and pour over the sausage and crescent rolls.  

4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  

......and voilà!!

For us, we had to keep baking (in 3 minute increments) until the middle stopped jiggling.  Lisa thought the eggs went just a little bit too long but it tasted just right to me.  

And with that, we're back!!  Hope you'll stop by and see what we're having for dinner. 

Grilled Pork Panini Sandwiches

February 28, 2011...I had to share this real fast so I don't get too far behind! This recipe...I have no idea where Lisa came up with it but we take leftover grilled pork, add some aloette cheese, sliced pickle, ....ahhh shoot I can't remember!! Lisa's already in bed so I'll have to ask her later and come back and share her recipe. It's worth it!! Excellent way to use leftover pork!

Moose's Tooth

February 27, 2011...we return to the Tooth!! Love this place if you can't tell. We were invited by some friends to have a dinner out. We tried to get a sitter but it worked out okay. The girls are getting old enough that they do pretty good at a restaurant...so were actually able to enjoy our friends AND the pizza!!

We had a couple different pizzas but this is the Barbecue Chicken.

Grilled Pork Medallions

February 26, 2011...I thought for sure we had done this meal before so I don't have the recipe in front of me. It is a top 5 grill meal...so I'll have to share it with you another day. You'll just have to take my word and hopefully the pictures will do it some justice.



Until later...

Leftover Beef Burgundy

February 25, 2011...sorry, again nothing exciting. Tonight we ate leftover Beef Burgundy. It was equally delicious and this time I had a full serving!!

Boboli Pizzas

February 24, 2011...uh oh, I was too hungry. Lisa put together two boboli pizzas, much like the pizzas we had on February 13. Problem is, I was so hungry that I forgot to take a picture!

Today's pizzas had black olives, mushrooms, red onions, green pepper, and topped with Italian blend cheese. Delicious as always! ...just no picture tonight.

Beef Burgundy

February 23, 2011...slow cooker time! Today, Lisa started dinner at 8am and let it cook a glorious 10 hours! Well worth the wait.

Looking at the ingredients, I'm not sure why it's so many calories. I actually didn't even have a full serving (which is 1 2/3 cup) and I was full. This is an excellent meal for a cold day not to mention how great the house smells!

This came from the Pillsbury "Casseroles and Slow Cooker Meals" magazine; Volume 16, Number 6; page 61.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Start to finish: 10 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 5 (1 2/3 cups each)

1 1/2 cups ready-to-eat baby-cut carrots, cut in half crosswise
2 lb cubed beef stew meat
1 cup frozen small whole onions
1 package (8 oz) fresh small whole mushrooms
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 cup Burgundy wine
1 can (10 1/2 oz) condensed beef consomme'
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

1 In 4 to 5 quart slow cooker, layer all ingredients except flour and water in order listed.

2. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 10 to 12 hours.

3. About 35 minutes before serving, remove and discard bay leaf. In small bowl, blend flour and water until smooth. Gradually stir flour mixture into beef mixture.

4. Increase heat setting to High. Cover; cook 15 to 30 minutes longer or until slightly thickened.

1 serving: 380 calories; 20g fat; 13g carbs; 2g dietary fiber; 35g protein

Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara

February 22, 2011...tonight we revisit a relatively easy and tasty meal, the Chicken and Ravioli Carbonara. One serving is only 265 calories. Only problem is eating it too fast!! Tonight, we served it with some french bread which is only 110 calories per slice. So now I have plenty of leftover to take with me to work tonight.

I thought I had shared this recipe before but I couldn't find it anywhere so here it is.

Betty Crocker Casseroles & Slow Cooker Meals
Volume 17, Number 2 (Page 53)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Start to Finish: 30 minutes)
Servings: 4

2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 package (9 oz) refrigerated cheese-filled ravioli
1/2 cup half-and-half
4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired
chopped fresh parsley, if desired

1. In 10 inch skillet, heat dressing over high heat. Cook chicken in dressing 2 to 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until brown.

2. Add broth and ravioli to skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered about 4 minutes or until ravioli are tender and almost all broth has evaporated.

3. Stir in half-and-half; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, and sauce is hot and desired consistency (cook longer for a thicker sauce). Sprinkle with bacon, cheese, and parsley.

1 serving 265 calories; total fat 19 g; total carbs 13 g; protein 36

Give it a try! Excellent, low calorie, easy, and filling!

Chicken Club Salad

February 21, 2011...we're back on track! Amazing what happens when we don't plan our meals out. Today, we took a step back in the right direction. We planned out the next 7 meals and did a huge (and by huge I mean expensive) trip to the grocery store. First day back on track, we made a big salad... the Chicken Club Salad.

This salad was 460 calories. It was made with chicken, bacon, cheese, croutons, and topped with ranch dressing.

Stay tuned this week, we have some excellent meals planned!

Moose's Tooth Pizza

February 18, 2011...today I received some very bad news about a job that I didn't get. What better way to sulk then to go to Moose's Tooth, drink a couple beers and have some breadsticks, and then head home with a pizza with the rest of the family. That's the best way I know how to get over some bad news! It worked pretty well.

Grandpa John's Spaghetti

February 17, 2011...this has been a CRAZY week. We haven't been doing a good job of planning our meals...so we've been making some last second meal decisions. Tonight, we decided to make spaghetti. I will have to hunt down the recipe but Lisa made some incredible biscuits to go along side it. VERY good!

Bertolli Chicken Alfredo and Penne

February 16, 2011...I'm surprised this is the first time this year that we have had a Bertolli meal. We seem to do this quite often...but since this is 6 weeks into the new year, maybe it's not as often as I thought. If you don't know this already, the Bertolli frozen meals are pretty darn good. We have tried many different kinds over the last year or so and really enjoy most of them. This one was the chicken alfredo and penne...very good and quite filling. But it's also pretty high in calories at 520 per serving.

Steak Fajitas

February 15, 2011...being creative with our leftover flank steak, Lisa sliced it up and sauteed green and red peppers, onions, and added half a packet of some fajita seasoning for some extra flair.


Delicious as always!

Fred Meyer Chicken

February 14, 2011...not exactly the romantic evening we had hoped for. I got some huge news during the day while one of our girls was getting sicker and sicker. So we made an evening appointment at the hospital to get her checked out. By the time we were done, we needed to pick up something on the way home. We chose a Roasted Fred Meyer Chicken with a side of macaroni salad and brown rice.

Flank Steak

February 13, 2011...the dangers of grilling in the dead of winter in Alaska. First time I have ever slipped and fallen down stairs while trying to cook dinner! I'd post pictures of the bruises I'm not sporting but then I'd make EVERYBODY lose their dinner! Cooking is dangerous!

I'll have to post the recipe the next time we grill this flank steak...but it's an awesome marinade! We served the flank steak with a side of cauliflower prepared like mashed potatoes. Lisa mashes them up and puts sour cream, bacon bits, and cheese in them. They taste AWESOME!

Boboli Pizzas

February 12, 2011...quick and easy is sometimes the name of the game. Tonight, we looked for something that fit that description and came up with the idea of personal pizzas. We threw our favorite ingredients on it (cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives) and gobbled it up.

We calculated that it was about 500 calories for each pizza.

Turkey Bugers

February 11, 2011...I can't believe this is the first time we've had turkey burgers!! This seems to be once every other week...but somehow we've made it almost 6 weeks.

My mom introduced us to the recipe for the turkey burgers a couple years ago. It's another Weight Watchers recipe...but I have no idea what book it is from. I honestly think Lisa has made these so many times over the past several years that she has this recipe memorized too. One hamburger and some fries.... VERY filling. And much less calories than your standard hamburger.

Oh yeah, and it tastes great! We wouldn't keep making it if it didn't taste great!