FEC Pesto

I have another FEC meal!  Today was LONG.... School starts tomorrow and I am overwhelmed.  I got to work at 7:25 and got home at 5:10.... it was a very long day, complete with breaking down into tears over a very frustrating set of computer wires that took an hour to de-tangle.  Whew!
   When I got home, it had just stopped raining and the basil that I have growing in my backyard smelled a.maz.ing.   I decided right when I smelled that sweet, wonderful basil that I was making pesto in some way for dinner tonight. I always have at least one basil plant growing, but during the summer I grown tons of the stuff!  Right now, I have little mini basil plants growing wild all over my backyard.  Basil is one of those things that can be expensive if you buy just a bag of the leaves (and it doesn't last long either), but if you buy a plant it ends up saving tons of money.  Right now, Publix has their live herb plants at 2 for 4 dollars.  Two bucks for something that will continue to reproduce over and over again, yes please!!

 Pesto is super simple to make, and its pretty dang cheap, too! (and it's about 2 WW points for 1/4 cup of the recipe!)
You'll need:
20ish basil leaves
1/4 cup EVOO
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
a couple of pinches of salt
1 1/2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic (or less if you don't like garlic as much as I do!)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or pistachios-- I like using pistachios because I think it gives the pesto more flavor, but pine nuts are traditional.  * Keep your pine nuts in the freezer! They last forever that way!*

Put everything in a food processor and then blend until it becomes a paste-like consistency.  Taste and add ingredients as needed.  Sometimes depending on your Parm, you'll need more salt.  If you think your pesto is a little too salty, add a little EVOO and a couple of basil leaves.    I don't really measure anything when I make pesto, I just eyeball it! It is so easy to fix, there's no problem!  This recipe makes about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup. Easy, right!?!

I just toss the pesto with hot pasta and serve with sauteed shrimp!  YUM!  This whole meal can be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta-- 8-10 minutes!  Fast! Just process the pesto and saute the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder for about two minutes on each side while the pasta is boiling!

Cheap, too! 1/2 a lb of shrimp costs about 4 bucks, the pasta I bought (and use three separate times!) for 79 cent as a BOGO at Publix, the Pesto can be made for about a buck if you take into account how many times you can use the ingredients that you buy for the pesto (especially if you buy a basil plant!)

*****Just a warning! The pine nuts are kind of expensive, BUT I have had the same container of pine nuts in my freezer for like 6 months.  And, I make pesto a lot!****

Look at all that stuff!! The basil has gotten SO big this year!  I have another pot of it in another container too!

Look at that wild growing stuff!! (along with all the weeds! lol!)

Go make some pesto! It's really good!!

WW friendly!!

Tonight's dinner was a thrown together feast-- and it just so happens to be WW friendly (mostly)!  Today was a looonnnggggg day... I was at school until 5 working on getting myself and my room ready for work on Wednesday when the kids come back.... 5 is LATE for me!! Between going through data from state testing to fighting with the computer that I was given to trying to figure out how I am going to teach to each child individually so that they  pass the state test and get to graduate.... I am stressing out!!

I didn't even go grocery shopping last week because I was dreading going back to work and somehow figured that not shopping would slow it down.... the only meal that I actually cooked at home was the one that I blogged about-- pathetic, I know!!  This week there will be more meals at home-- I made dinner tonight and have enough food for at least three more meals this week.... one of which will be my never before made meal!

Tonight, I made and almost WW friendly panko crusted tilipa with crab cakes and and more three cheese mac and cheese ( I did say almost!)

** no pictures today! my phone is DEAD!**

I'll start with the most WW friendly thing- the fish!
I used:
2 tilipa fillets
1 egg
1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of old bay
1/3 teaspoon of salt
a little water

To start, pre heat your oven to 400.  While the oven is heating up, crack the egg into a bowl, add a little water and whisk together.  In another bowl pour the panko, garlic, old bay, and salt and mix together.  Dry off the fish, and then dunk in the egg wash.  Put in the panko mixture, smush it down a little and then flip over and smush again. Place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.  You should have LOTS of panko left over, so take a couple of tablespoons for each fillet and smush it onto the top of the fish.  Cook for about 7 minutes!!

Each fillet comes out to be about 4-5 points depending on how much panko you used.  I end up with having a little more than half of the panko left over, so one fish fillet ends up being about 4 points.  The fish fillet itself is 2 points, the panko is 3 points for 1/4 cup (which is split between two fillets), and the egg wash comes to be nothing, not enough ends up on the fish to really count for anything.

The next thing is a crab cakes!
You'll need:
1 container of crab claw meat
one egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
a few squirts of mayo
2 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic
1/3 teaspoon of horseradish
1 teaspoon of old bay
2 tablespoons EVOO

start by rinsing the crab meat- it can be VERY salty!  Dry on some paper towels.  Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix everything together with your hands-- they are your best tools!  divide the mixture into 4.  Form into patties, and then sear in a sautee pan for about 3 minutes on one side and 2 on the other! Eat and enjoy!!

I LOVE this because the entire 6 oz container of crab meat is only 3 points!  I figured that I used about 2 tablespoons of mayo, so that equals about 5 points.  The EVOO is HIGH in points (6 for 2 tablespoons!), but we are supposed to get those oils in, so it doesn't hurt so bad!  Also, the EVOO has a LOT left over in the pan after cooking- about half, so really you only have to count 3 points for the whole recipe!  The egg is 2 points.  For half of the mix- 2 cakes- that comes out to be 6.5 points.  Eat that with a salad of some kind (for free!) and dinner isn't so bad!

4 points for the fish
6.5 for the crabcakes
salad for free(or whatever the dressing is)
=10.5 points for your whole meal!

well, not my whole meal!
I also ate 1/2 a cup of the mac and cheese-- that was also about 7 points.... whoops!!
I improved the mac and cheese with some bacon, salt, pepper, and hot sauce! Yum!

Eat something good for me!!

messes and successes!

So, Wednesday's dinner had good points and some not so good points.

Things I learned:
-tin foil is not a substitute for a real lid.
-I need a dutch oven like this one:

*Rachael Ray Stoneware "Casserovals" and "Casserrounds" Dishes

- Four cheese Mac and Cheese is very creamy and needs something like bacon to help cut the cream... but it is SO good!

- Artichokes are good! Lemon, butter, and garlic make them even better!

- Veal shanks are not fast, easy, or cheap-- but they are worth it!!

I ended up making braised veal shanks in red wine and garlic, 4 cheese mac and cheese, sauteed and steamed garlic lemon artichokes, and peach cobbler. Everything  but the peach cobbler needed some adjusting, but that's what happens when you make so many things for the very first time.  

I'll start with the thing that was probably the easiest to make, the Mac and Cheese!
I used
half a box of macaroni
1/4 cup of milk
1/2 stick butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
3 oz baby swiss cheese- grated
2 oz gruyere cheese- grated
3 oz sharp cheddar- grated
2 oz smoked mozzarella
a couple of teaspoons of panko.

Boil the pasta.   While boiling, heat the milk and heavy cream and then put to the side.  In a pretty big pot, melt the butter and then add the flour.  Cook for a couple of minutes to get the raw flour taste gone.  Add the milk and then cook for a couple of minutes.  Add the grated cheeses.  Use a whisk to get the cheese mix smooth.  Add the drained pasta and mix well.  Put into a casserole dish or into two individual gratin dishes and then top with the sliced mozzarella.  Top with the panko.  Bake at 350 for just a few minutes until the mozzarella is melted and bubbling.

While what I made was good, I would have added bacon that was cooked and crumbled. I was going to add it, but my bacon went bad... I also would have added a little more salt, some pepper and maybe even a little hot sauce! It needed something to cut the creaminess of all that cheese.

The artichokes were also super easy, other than cleaning the actual artichoke!
You'll need:
2 artichokes
1 Tablespoon garlic
one lemon cut in half
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons EVOO

The hardest part was the actual cleaning of the artichoke! start by cutting the top 1/3 of the artichokes off.  Trim the sharp edges off of all the other leaves, and pull the little leaves off of the bottom.Trim the stem, but don't cut it all the way off.  Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise.  IMMEDIATELY squeeze one half of the lemon juice over the cut artichokes so they don't brown.  This is where the hard part comes in.  The choke has to be taken out of each side.  I used a melon spoon, but my method took FOREVER to get all those pesky hairs!   After getting all the choke out, rub the squeezed half of the lemon on the artichokes again.  In a skillet that you also have a lid for, heat the butter and EVOO together.  Add the garlic and cook for just a minute.  Add the artichokes cut side down and the unsqueezed half of the lemon and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the water and then put a lid on it. steam for about 10 minutes.

These were REALLY good! I steamed them a little too long, but they were still good! I made a simple sauce to eat them with- melted butter, garlic, and lemon juice. YUM!

Now on to the veal--I haven't ever made veal before, so I just used a recipe. It didn't turn out nearly as well I wanted.  I used my cast iron skillet because my cookware isn't ovensafe. That would have been fine, but my cast iron skillet doesn't have a lid, so I just used tin foil.  The tin foil didn't keep any of the juices locked in, so everything evaporated.  I want a dutch oven!! The veal would have been perfect if it was cooked in a dutch oven.... maybe next time ....

Eat something good for me!!

Something new...

When I was telling my husband, Billy, about making a blog about food he thought it was a good idea.  Then he pointed out the fact that I tend to make the same things over and over and over!  An idea he gave me was to have a once a week dinner where I make something that I never have before.  This will be the first of those never before attempted meals!
      Today is also my last day of summer vacation (BOO!) and I met Billy for lunch since it will be a while before we get to spend a weekday together again.  After dining on some really good Chinese for lunch, we headed over to Fresh Market.  Billy wheeled around the store like a mad man and picked up 4 peaches, an artichoke, 3 different kinds of cheese, and a veal shank.

I had an idea right away for the cheese-it's  kind of obvious, mac and cheese, but I am going to bake it in the oven to make it extra good!  I have never ever used a whole artichoke before, and I still have no idea when I am going to do with it, but I'm sure that it will be fine.  The veal shank is another story.  I was watching the food network the other day, and Ann Burell was making oso bucco, so I'm thinking I may make that.  The peaches are going to go into a cobbler.  I made Bill some peach cobbler a couple of weeks ago and he LOVED it, so that's what I am going to do again.

Wish me luck!! (I may need it!!)

Weekend Feasts

  This weekend was full of good times and good food! Saturday was my mom's birthday, so I cooked dinner for her and my family!
   My mom LOVES fish tacos.  However, there aren't many places in town that have fish tacos that are any good.  I just happen to have a recipe that is pretty dang good!

Fish tacos- This recipe is more of an estimate for each ingredient rather than exact measurements!
4 tilipia fillets
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
2 teaspoons taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
a good pinch of pepper
a little pinch of red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine all the dry ingredients on a plate.  Dry the tilipa fillets on paper towels, and then dip the fillets in the dry mix on each side.  DO NOT make the mix too thick on the fish or it will just burn on the outside of the fish.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium high heat.  Once the oil is hot, place the fish in. Cook for about 2 minutes and then flip the fish over.  Cook for another one to two minutes.

I cut the tilipa in half, and then place it in a 10 inch tortilla shell with cheese, bagged cole slaw mix, salsa, and sauteed onions. Yum!!

For a side dish, I serve either yellow rice or a corn side dish.

** I forgot to take pictures of my food on Saturday, but this is pretty much what they look like!**

Sunday, I had some of my work friends over for a cookout.  I made beer can chicken, pasta salad, and grilled corn!

The beer can chicken is super easy to make, but I found out Sunday that whole chickens are NOT easy to cut up! All those people on food network just make it look so simple, but that was the hardest part of the whole meal for me!! It may not have been the prettiest after I finished, but it sure was good!

To make the beer can chicken you need a beer, whole chicken (about 3-4 lbs), grill seasoning, salt, pepper, a couple of garlic cloves, and oil.

Start by removing the giblets and any extra fat from inside the neck and inside the bird. Rinse the inside and outside of the bird with cold water.  Pat the bird dry- inside and out.  Oil the outside and inside of the bird.  Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and gill seasoning inside and outside the bird.  Cover the bird and let it rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours.  When you are ready to grill, pre heat your grill on one side to 350 degrees.  Open the can of beer and drink/ pour out about half of it.  Add the garlic cloves, and more grill seasoning, salt and pepper to the can.  Punch 3 to 4 extra holes in the top of the can.  When your grill is pre-heated, place the chicken on the beer can and put it on the non-lit side of the grill.  We put our can on some tin-foil.  Your beer can chicken should be standing straight up!  It looks a little silly, but the beer bastes the chicken from the inside out while cooking and makes the chicken super flavorful and moist.  The chicken cooks for about 20 minutes per pound.  Check the chicken every so often to make sure that it isn't browning too fast!  If it looks like its getting a little too brown too quickly, then turn your grill down just a bit and tent the chicken with tin foil.  Use an instant read thermometer to make sure your chicken is done, and then take it off the grill still standing up.

CAREFULLY pull the beer can out of the bottom of the bird using oven gloves or tongs.   Let the bird rest for at least 10 minutes and then you can start to carve it.

This is where I ran into a problem-- Carving a cooked and hot chicken is no easy feat! I used a tutorial that I found online to help me.  Just google how to carve a chicken and you can find step by step directions.  They make it look easy, but I didn't have an east time at all! :(

The important thing is that it tasted GREAT!


We had a GREAT time on Sunday.  Our friends' little girl was just in love with playing in Abby's bed.  Abby the baby and Abby the puppy love each other!!

Eat and enjoy!!

guilt free! (almost)

Tonight I am going to Sipsnstokes!! Mallory, my best friend since 6th grade, college roommate, and the maid of honor at my wedding,  and I like to spend the time we have together... since she just had to go move to the ATL away from me...doing something creative.  Sipsnstrokes is a place where people learn to paint a particular picture for that night and they bring their own drinks to sip on while painting.  The sipping helps the painting process, believe it or not! Tonight's picture is Starry Night and tonight's drink is a hungry girl margarita.
   I mentioned weight watchers points in my post from yesterday, and yes, I am trying to lose weight on weight watchers!  I have lost about 10 lbs so far, and it really has been an easy process.  Hungry girl and her awesome recipes have really helped me!  My favorite thing that I have tried so far from her recipe collection have to be the margaritas.
   I love a margarita, but the guilt (and point) factor for a strawberry margarita is ridiculous!  Hungry girl's margarita comes in at just 4 points, and it tastes great!

  Here's what ya need: one shot of tequila or one "mini", 3/4 of a can of sprite zero ( or a cute baby sprite like I had!!), one package of your favorite crystal light flavor, and a little bit of lime juice (I didn't use lime, but most people like it with the lime!).     Mix the ingredients and then add ice! Yum!

Isn't this tumbler cute? My sweeeeetttttt and wonderful mother in law had this one made for me and gave it to me! The pictures on the side are from our wedding last year, and the writing says Gulf Shores, Alabama, 8/28/10.  She is the BEST!!

Here's my masterpiece!

As you can see from the picture I was feeling a little silly-- trust me, it wasn't from the drink!! This painting took a LONG time, and it was midnight when this picture was taken.  Sleepy!!!

The picture didn't turn out quite how I wanted, but I wouldn't say it was the worst in the class!! The top actually looks really good- I am really happy with the way it turned out.... It is hard to see the detail in the black blob thing on this picture, but in real life it looks more like smoke curling out of the top and is pretty neat! Who knows?   I may end up hanging this one up!! Or it may just end up in a big pile with a bunch of others I've done in our guest room! :)

fast. easy. cheap.

If you ask most people about what they want when they make dinner and they will probably tell you they want something to be fast or easy or cheap or any combo of the three. (I personally prefer all three!!) 

   Most of the year, I am exhausted after a long day of teaching, but I still need to make dinner because, lets face it, teaching doesn't exactly pull in the big bucks, and dining out every night is simply out of the question!  I also genuinely enjoy cooking... it becomes a de-stresser of sorts.  I tend to bake or cook when I am stressed out or upset about things.  For example, when I was told I was going to be moved to the high school at the end of last school year, I did LOTS of baking.  I liked teaching at the small one grade school where I was, and I am still upset about moving away from all of my school friends.  I am in the process of getting settled at my new school and that stress is starting to rear its ugly head again.  I found myself this afternoon forcing myself to stay out of the kitchen so I wouldn't make cookies for no reason.  

   Instead of eating the rest of my weight watcher points for the year, I decided to look for something to make  for dinner.  I am NOT a huge pork chop fan, so I don't tend to make pork chop or loins very often.  This week, however, pork loin was on sale at Publix so I grabbed a package.  My husband, Billy, said it best tonight at the dinner table,  "At 2.97 for the whole package, that's way cheaper than tacos!!"  I do love a taco, and use the inherent cheapness of tacos as an excuse to make them often! :)

  Tonight, however, I make a new FEC meal- pan seared pork loin with garlic cheese biscuits and sauteed apple and onions.  I think that the meal turned out GREAT and Billy said it was a keeper.

  The pork was just seasoned on each side with grill seasoning and a little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  I heated a couple of tablespoons of EVOO in the bottom of a saute pan on medium high heat and then cooked the pork on each side for about 2 minutes.... Easy right!! 

  

 I got the biscuit recipe from the back of the bisquick box- it was also super easy-- Bisquick, cheese, milk, minced garlic, garlic powder and melted butter were all the ingredients.  The only thing I do differently is add more garlic and cheese.  The more of those, the better!! 10 minutes later at 450 and YUM! 

   The apples and onions were what I was most worried about since I hadn't attempted this recipe before.  

I sliced about 2 small onions into thin slices.  I didn't have any green apples, or whole apples for that matter, but I have pre-sliced apples that I eat for snacks, so I just used them.  I used about 15 slices of the pre-sliced apples and cut them into thinner slices as well.   I heated another skillet to medium high heat and put in 2 tablespoons of butter.  Once that had mostly melted,  I put in my onions and apples and cooked them until they were just tender.  It took about 7 minutes.  Once tender, I added a tablespoon and a half of brown sugar and stirred it in.  I cooked that for about 5 more minutes so that the sugar had coated and melted onto the onions and apples.  SO good!! I don't know why I was worried!! 

Try the apple and onion recipe and I promise, you will love it with the pork! The sweet apples and onions with the slightly smokey and savory pork is amazing!! 

Eat something good for me!

Emily G