Sunday Sweets and Monday's Meal

 Well, Sunday I gave into another sweet craving and made something that Bob loves and I hadn't had in a LONG time... Banana Pudding!! It was soo good! All this cooking I have been doing lately has had a lot to do with the food I grew up eating, and in the Sparkman family, banana pudding is a staple I remember always being there as a child. I wasn't a huge fan of it growing up, I just liked helping my aunts make it :) Putting the cookie layers on was my favorite part because we always got a few for ourselves! Anyway, I planned poorly and ran off to the grocery without having a good idea of everything I needed so I just used the recipe on the box of pudding... still delicious! You can find the recipe I used HERE. Of course I added more Nilla wafers than called for but how can you not?! That's the best part :)





















 Monday was an experimental day for me... I made my first pie crust! It was actually very good! I was so proud of myself, lol, I was so afraid it wouldn't turn out but it was perfect and flaky and delicious. I made a chicken pot pie that was LOOSELY based on a recipe I found HERE. By loosely I mean about the only thing I kept the same was the chicken and the Philly cooking creme. :) I know this is the second post I have done on the the new Philly creme but, it's pretty stinkin good and  I've had 2 $1.50 off coupons meaning I paid .98 each for them which also makes it a good cheap meal, which is always nice. I decided I want to try this recipe but I wanted to make it more heartfelt and put a bit more effort into it. More of myself, rather than a cookie-cutter recipe. That's why I made my own crust and changed the veggies. Afterall, that is what this whole blog is about, getting back to my roots. I can assure you that neither of my grandmothers would ever use a store bought pie crust, so why should I? Why can't I hold myself to the same standard, when it's just as easy to make my own? So thanks to my Fannie Farmer cookbook, I did...

Where Did the Week Go?!?!

    Well, I am going to be out of town this weekend so no big elaborate meals planned. :( I know, I know... I have been really busy this week and haven't had time to blog. So let's see...

Monday night we had:
    Chicken Primevara
   
    1 lb.boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
    2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, red peppers, snow peas)
    1 tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme
    2 cups hot cooked fettuccine

  Cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 to 6 min. or until done. Add vegetables;cook 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. 
   Add cooking creme; cook and stir 3 min. 
   Stir in pasta.

    It's was pretty good although I did not have the stir fry veggies so I steamed some broccoli and green peppers. It was still delicious :) I had the leftovers for lunch on Wednesday and still enjoyed it :) There are more great recipes using the new cooking creme here: http://www.kraftbrands.com/philly/recipes/cooking-creme/Pages/italian-cheese-and-herb.aspx

 
    Tuesday night was UK game night so it was leftover night... The last of the the dumplings were smashed just like the Commodores... :) GO BIG BLUE!!

 
    Wednesday Bob cooked dinner! Go BOB!! We had steak with fried onions, green peppers and mushrooms; creamed peas and baked potatoes. It truly was the best dinner of the week! I wish I had gotten a picture of it. :(

 
    Thursday was spaghetti and salad night. Pretty self explanatory :o/

 
    Tonight we had Pork Milanese, steamed broccoli and corn...

   Pork Milanese

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 boneless pork loin chops, butterflied and gently flattened with the bottom of a saute pan 

      Set up a standard breading procedure by placing the flour, egg, and panko mixed with the grated pecorino separate wide flat containers. Season the pork generously with salt on both sides. Using 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other hand for dry ingredients coat the meat in the flour, then in the eggs, and then in the bread crumbs, pressing the panko onto the pork to adhere. Set aside until ready to cook.

     In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil until it is about a 1/2-inch deep. Check the temperature of the oil by dipping the edge of the pork into the oil, if it does not sizzle and bubble STOP and WAIT! Check it again in another minute. If the oil is smoking it is too hot. When the oil is at the proper temperature gently add the pork. Do not crowd the pan or you will end up with greasy pork; it may be necessary to work in batches. When the pork is beautifully golden brown and cooked through, remove them from the pan and blot on paper towels.

 
     This is part of a recipe for an entire meal from Chef Anne Burrell of Food Network. It is really stinkin good. Bob and I love it and probably eat it more often than we should. Lol. But really it's a great and easy recipe. Don't be afraid to try it. :) Here is the link to the complete recipe: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/pork-milanese-with-warm-autumn-salad-recipe/index.html


     So nothing big this weekend but Monday, it's on... because I'm off... work, so look for something new! I haven't figured out what I want to fix so I am totally open to suggestions... anybody?
 

Dandy Dumplings and Hot Patata Salad

  So, I started thinking about what I wanted to fix this weekend on Thursday... I flip flopped back and forth on a couple of things and then.... Dad mentioned chicken and dumplings and I couldn't get them outta my head! So... now they're in my stomach :) This was my second attempt on chicken and dumplings, the first ended horribly about 5 yrs ago and I've been afraid since then. But I had to have them today, so I carried on. This time was a sweet success!! Bob can't get enough and I am so pleased with how they came out. I didn't have a whole chicken, only breast so I cooked that and added some bouillon for a bit more flavor. Here's the recipe I used...

Chicken and Dumplings

Cook chicken or chicken parts in water to which is added onion, celery, salt and bouillon if needed for flavor.

Cut chicken in bite size pieces and add to broth.
        (I just pulled the chicken instead of cutting it up.)

Mix 1 cup sifted flour with 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.

Stir in 1/2 cup milk ans 2 T oil, mix lightly.

Drop dumplings in boiling broth, cover tightly and steam 12-15 minutes.

   This recipe is from a church cookbook that a customer of mine at Office Depot gave me a couple of years ago. I have used this cookbook a lot since then and haven't been let down with a recipe yet. Thanks to you Pastor _______. I'm sorry I don't remember your name but you have a wealth of good cooks in your congregation! :)

   While I was at looking for a recipe for the dumplings I came across another recipe I have been looking for since I moved to Western KY, Hot Potato Salad. There is a local resteraunt that serves it, but only occasionally, it's soo good! Now, I don't need them! I can have it whenever I want! Hope you guys will give it a try.. :)

Hot Potato Salad 

6-7 medium potatoes, cooked in skins (microwaveable)
3 boiled eggs, chopped
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 lg. onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups salad dressing
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 T prepared mustard

    Slice potatoes with skins, add eggs and onion. mix together. In a separate bowl mix salad dressing, sugar and mustard. Pour over potato mixture and  stir. Put in 2 qt. casserole dish and top with crumbled bacon. Bake at 350° for 30 min. uncovered. Serves 10-12

    You can fix with or without the skins on the potatoes... I prefer without, but however you like is fine :)

   I'm off tomorrow too and have some apples I need to use before they go bad. I'm think fried apple pies.... anybody else got any suggestions??

Chicken Salad

   Last night was a "fend for yourself" night as I was working on my new blog. :) I did manage to squeeze in a quick batch of chicken salad for lunches that suddenly had Bob circling the area for "taste testing" duties. I don't really have a set recipe, I just kinda eyeball it and taste as I go. 

Last night I used:

3 lg. chicken breasts, boiled and cubed
2 small apples, diced
1 rib of celery, sliced chunky
approx. 1 1/2 C. mayonnaise 
3 T ranch dressing
1 teas. McCormick Perfect Pinch, 
      Savory All Purpose (Salt Free)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

I didn't have all my regular ingredients so there was a bit of substituting going on... I prefer red seedless grapes but only had apples. In my opinion the grapes give it more of a kick in flavor. Normally, I shred my chicken breasts before I cool them, but was short on time and it's easier to cube them after cooling. I always used seasoning salt before but have switched to a heart healthier version using McCormick Perfect Pinch and a bit of sea salt instead. I know there is little heart healthy about mayo, but I simply cannot live without it. :) My only wish was that I had some fresh bread to put it on instead of store bought. At any rate; Bob loved it and I didn't think it was my best showing but flavor was still good and I didn't have fast food for lunch so it was a win win.