Kitchen Makeover!

I am so excited! After 7 years of yearning, I got a new kitchen table!!!!

Before-


I bought this one from Aaron's Rent to Own 7 years ago for $50. It was super used and really beat up. I painted it and recovered the chair cushions and it looked decent for a few years. Then came kids and the seat cushions got trashed and the top started looking horrible. That lead to table clothes and nasty chairs.



After-



It's not the exact one I wanted but we decided we should not throw down $2K for a table until the mini Burnett's are big enough to know how to not ruin it! However, I still love it! It has a self storing leaf and pulls out to 48 X 48! Rock on!

And here is the crew for our first meal:

Opa!

Greek + Salmon = Opa!

I was grocery shopping today and Matt had asked for Peach Mango Salsa Salmon for dinner tonight. As I really didn't want it so while I was shopping I was keeping my open for something to do with the salmon other than the salsa. First I came to the canned diced tomato. I never buy these but they were buy 1, get 1 so I picked up two. I knew I had basil at home so I figured I would get some mozzarella and make a caprese salmon. Then I came to the perogies and noticed they had a new one- feta spinach. Feta instantly set off my greek alert and in a snap I had my salmon recipe

I am not a horn tooter but I outdid myself this time. Matt and Ansley loved it too.


Greek Salmon

fillets of salmon
diced tomatoes
greek olives
feta
basil

Layer in glass casserole dish in the order the recipe states. Bake for 30 minutes at 375 or until done.

Eat up!

(and don't worry- the Caprese Salmon will be served within a few weeks)

Another "Do Over" Success!

Remade the Apple Chicken and it was amazing.

I took all my own advice and marinaded it in apple juice all day. I also cooked it longer at a lesser temp. It was so juicy, nothing like last time!

Ansley and Rylan loved it too!


Here is the orginal post http://the5oclockkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/08/unexpected-inspirations.html

Drunken Shrimp part II

This time it kicked ass! I did the same marinade as the first time but grilled them instead of over-boiling/steaming them. So yum! Glad I got it right this time.

Trust me.....

Okay, you are going to have to trust me on this one.

Preheat the oven to 350. Place raw chicken in a glass casserole dish. Top with one envelope with Liptons french onion soup mix (dry), 1 bottle Catalina dressing,and one can of Cranberry Sauce (use the whole berry one and put it in a bowl and mix it up before you put it on the chicken so it's not canned shape anymore). Cook for 45 min. Serve.

I hate baked chicken but this was amazing. I served it with sweet potatoes and it just tasted like I was eating fall.


To die for.....

ANYTHING you want!

That's what I told Ansley- she could have ANYTHING she wanted for her 5th birthday dinner. What did she choose- spaghetti and raw carrots, "on the side, not in the spaghetti"


Fast forward to the big day. I made an amazing spaghetti with meat sauce. The sauce was to die for with fresh garlic and basil, giant chunks of tomato and tons of meat. I put the plate in front of her (with the carrots on the side) and she crunched up her nose and gave me a look no 5 year old should be able to give.

"What's this?"
"Spaghetti, baby, just like you asked for"
"Not that sauce, I want the red sauce"
"Red sauce?"
"Yeah, like I had at my sleepover"

Turns out she wanted the plain, flavorless can o'tomato sauce. Really? Seriously?


I did win points though with the post dinner cupcakes I made for her and her neighborhood friends.

Beer Cheese Soup

What do you get when you spend a cold day at an amusement park owned by a beer company? Yup, you are right- beer cheese soup for dinner!

This one was semi- homemade. You will have to cut me some slack since I did just spend 6 hours at an amusement park with my husband, a 6 year old, a (2 days shy of being) 5 year old, a fairly new 4 year old and a 9 month old grumpy baby. As usual, I made it up as I went a long. It was good BUT (and there is always a but) next time I will use more cheese and a darker beer.

I made garlic bread sticks with it and they were perfect for dipping. I would love to do sourdough bread bowls but the only ones the store sells are huge. I will have to figure out how to make them myself.

Beer Cheese Soup (the way I will do it next time)
2 cans "Cream of" something- chicken, celery, mushroom, etc (I used mushroom)
2 bottles of beer (Sam Adams Winter Ale or Oktoberfest or something like that)
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of Worcestershire
1/4 tsp paprika
a little salt, pepper, and whatever else you love
3 cups sharp cheddar
4 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled

Pour cans of soup, garlic, Worcestershire, and seasonings into medium saucepan. Slowly pour in beer, heat on medium heat until simmering. Stir cheese in slowly. Continue stirring until cheese is melted. Pour into bowls and top with bacon.

What the hell have we been eating?

Knowing that I only post when I create a new recipe, I can't help but wonder what the hell we have been eating for the past month? I really have no idea but it's been a month since I posted so I couldn't have made anything good.

Oh well, get ready for a busy week because my menu kicks ass this week. Three new recipes on board so let's see what happens!

French Dip Sandwiches

Oh.My.God. Unbelievable. So not my normal cooking style but when I sampled them at the grocery store, I couldn't resist. Usually I only post things here that I made up myself but these are too good (and too easy) not to share.

1 can (10 1/2 ounces) French Onion Soup
1 tablespoon reduced sodium Worcestershire sauce
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef
4 Hoagie Rolls
4 slices deli provolone cheese cut in half
1/4 cup drained hot or mild pickled banana pepper rings

* Heat the oven to 400°F.
* Heat the soup and Worcestershire in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a
boil. Add the beef and heat through, stirring occasionally.
* Divide the beef evenly among the rolls. Top the beef with the cheese slices and
place the sandwiches onto a baking sheet.
* Bake for 3 minutes or until the sandwiches are toasted and the cheese is melted.
Spoon the soup mixture onto the sandwiches. Top each sandwich with 1
tablespoon pepper rings.

Another Basil Mishap

It was really windy tonight and my basil plant fell over. It broke like 4 limbs off so instead of the lemon dill salmon we were planning on having we ended up having Loaded Salmon (help me come up with a new name for that one). I topped the salmon with garlic, white wine, mozzarella (shaved from one of Ansley's cheese sticks!) and TONS of basil. It was amazing!!!!

Ordinary Turned Extraordinary!

Knowing I was going to spend 4 hours in a meeting today, I planned for a super easy dinner- ravioli and broccoli. Boring, I know, but I wanted quick and easy. When I got home, however, I wasn't nearly as worn out as I expected to be and the idea of ravioli and broccoli made me want to revert to old ways and rush out for some yummy take out. I knew though, that we really needed to be good (AKA money is tight this week) so I begrudgingly took out the pots and pans and got to work. I decided to roast the broccoli with garlic instead of steaming it and while I was chopping it I got another fabulous idea...toasted ravioli! We were out of bread crumbs but my dearest friend, Jen, was over and told me how easy it was so make my own. I made some bread crumbs and then battered the already boiled ravioli and tossed them in the skillet with a little EVOO. I had tried making it once and it was a total FAIL.I had baked it instead of "frying" it and it just tasted like ass. Not this time though....

It was AMAZING and it honestly only took me about 5 minutes longer than the boring, ordinary ravioli and broccoli I was already planning on making.



Toasted Ravioli and Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
Matt ****
Kristen ****
Ansley *** (not a fan of the broccoli)

Unappreciated....

Whoa is me. I am feeling quite unappreciated in the kitchen tonight so I am coming here to whine.


I have been sick with a wicked cold and sore throat all week. We have had various takeout meals, a fast food or two and even a tray of precooked frozen "serve and heat" lasagna (Gasp! The horror!) Tonight I am starting to feel better, at least well enough to cook, so I decided to make my childhood favorite of country fried steak, fries, and gravy.

This is seriously my all time favorite meal (not to be confused with my all time favorite food of 7-11 hot dogs). I have made it for Matt a few times before and he eats it but it's not something he loves or even likes. I have never made it for Ansley before though so I was super excited.

While Matt bathed the girls, I cooked dinner. Just putting the steak in the skillet warmed my soul (is that what they mean by soul food?). Matt and the girls were finishing up just as I was finished making the gravy (from scratch- no jar or even a packet around here). I asked Ansley first if she wanted gravy on her fries or meat and she was polite (for once) and asked me what gravy was. I showed it to her and politely she told me that she didn't want to be rude but it didn't look very good so she would pass. Matt apparently decided to take this opportunity to finally have the guts to tell me that he too didn't like the gravy and didn't want any.

That left me with a skillet of carefully cooked and ingrediently balanced (yeah, I made that term up) gravy all to my self. I poured way to much of it onto my fries and dumped the rest in the trash. Fail number 1.

I got the plates on the table and dug in. Oh. My. God. it was the best country fried steak and gravy I have EVER made (and I have been making it since I was like 13). I was so excited as Matt put his first bite in his mouth. I was sure he was going to REALLY like it this time. Nope. He ate it but he certainly didn't enjoy it. I waited patiently for Ansley's to cool so that she could like it. As we waited I told her about how it is my favorite and has been since I was her age. I really pumped it up that it was a special meal and I hoped she would like it. She took a bite, made a face and dropped her fork. "Want to know what I don't like about it, Mommy? It's gross." Nice.

So there it is.... I am feeling completely unappreciated and unvalued for my perfect meal. I should have married a southern boy.

Drunken Shrimp Gone Wrong

Every Sunday starts the same. We sit down as a family and discuss what we want to eat for the week, make the menu and the grocery list and go to the store.

This week, we decided to have Chile Lime Grilled Shrimp for dinner tonight. Sounds good, huh? Too bad, I wouldn't know. Driving home from the store, my wheels started turning. What could I marinade the shrimp in? I had a lemon so I decided lemon and white wine. I got the shrimp out and squeezed the lemon until I could squeeze no more. As I reached into the fridge for the wine I got a change of heart and grabbed a beer. A Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Poured it all over the shrimp and added a few cloves of garlic. Sampled it and it was amazing. At that point I decided I would either boil the shrimp or steam it using the marinade I had created.

Fast forward 6 hours to dinner time, I had never boiled or steamed shrimp so I had no clue what I was doing. I figured boiling couldn't be too hard so I went with that. Everything was going great until Rylan started screaming. I left the shrimp to boil a little longer and went to nurse her one more time and put her back to bed. Bad idea. The shrimp boiled too long and tasted like pencil erasers.

I was so pissed. It would have been amazing if I had known what I was doing. I don't know if I mentioned this (I say that like people actually read this)but I know nothing about the art of cooking. I make it up as I go and rarely use a recipe (for the record, if I post it here, it was recipeless). So when I boiled the shrimp,I was simply going off my knowledge of boiling other food. I had no clue that shrimp were supposed done after boiling for only 2 minutes.

Damn shrimp. It would have been so good.

In a Quest to Not Waste Food....

I decided a while back to not waste food. For years, I have had the bad habit of planning my weekly menu without giving thought to maximizing ingredients. Therefore, I have also had the bad habit of wasting so much food. I have thrown away more cheese reminates, pasta sauces, and veggies that an a starving person in a third world country has eaten in their life. When I started staying home and not working, I knew that had to stop. Now I plan my meals with deep thought. Thinking about how to coordinate the meals so that a little bit of this can be used in that and not go to waste. This brings me to tonight.... Sausage Ravoli Bake.

I used the leftover italian sausage and provolone from Monday nights Sausage Sandwiches. The cheddar remains from the Broccoli Salad I made for the Labor Day Block Party and the extra tomato sauce from Pizza Pasta I made last week.

Sausage Ravoli Bake
1 package frozen ravoli- cooked as directed
4 cooked italian sausages
2 cups of cheddar
5 cloves of garlic (hey, I told you garlic was back in full force)
lots of basil (lizard and frog free)
16 oz pasta sauce

Mix all the ingredients together and pour into 9 x 12 casserole dish. Cover with sliced provolone so that there is no space or holes. Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

The Dangers of Fresh Herbs

What a crazy night. Forgetting it was a school night, a friend and I took the girls (her one and my two) to Ikea. By the time I got home, got Rylan in bed (did I mention that she screamed the whole 30 minutes home because she was hungry, or cold, or tired, or something...)and Ansley fed, it was almost 8 pm and I was exhausted. I wanted to start dinner-Mediterranean Shrimp Pasta- and Ansley wanted me to read to her from Ramona before she went to bed. I got the genius idea of having her sit on the counter and hold the book while I read and cooked. Too bad she hated the idea. The counter was to hard for her princess behind and it wouldn't be comfy. I had already started the shrimp and the pasta so I couldn't leave the kitchen. I was stuck. After lots of tears, a few moments of yelling, and a promise to read double tomorrow, I finally convinced her to go to bed Ramona-less.

Breathing in the peace and quiet, I poured a glass of whine and headed out to the porch to cut some basil. I chose a branch and sniped it off. I was just about to walk back into the kitchen when a frog lept from the branch I was carrying. I let out a small squeal. Whew, that was a close one, I thought. I would have freaked if I had brought that frog into the house. I made it into the kitchen. Put down the basil, took a much needed gulp of whine, stirred the shrimp andpa sta and then grabbed my knife and was set to chop the basil. That's when I saw it... a set of eyeballs. Lizard eyeballs attached to a lizard, sitting on the basil. I grabbed the basil, screaming, and ran to the sliding glass door. I was almost there when he jumped. I screamed louder, threw open the slider and kicked that little hitchhiker right out the door.

Seriously, what are the chances? A frog and a lizard on the same branch of basil. Good Lord, there is not a enough wine on this earth to make up for the evening I have had.

Oh #$!%, no lemon!

Went to make lemon dill salmon tonight and we were out of lemons. I called 2 people and they both had lemon juice but no lemons (and we all know that is just not the same). So off I went to the pantry to try to invent something. Here is what I came up with...

Honey Dijon Crusted Salmon with Bacon
1 part honey
1 part dijon mustard
french fried onion rings, crushed
cooked bacon (one slice per piece of salmon)
salmon

Mix the honey and dijon mustard, spread over salmon. Lay one slice of bacon across each piece salmon, sprinkle with onion rings.

Bake @ 375 for 30 minutes.

Yum

First Day of School

Today is Ansley's first day of school so I let her pick dinner.

Are you ready????

frozen fish sticks and smiley faced fries

It's a pizza party!

Matt and I have a group of friends that try to get together about once a month. Usually we do the same ol' thing. Hamburgers, hot dogs, and everyone brings their "best" side dish. Last week though, my girlfriend called me with an idea.... a pizza party. Everyone would bring their own ingredients and make a pizza for everyone to share. I immediately got excited and told her I would make my Wild Mushroom Pizza (see Pizza Heaven post). All week I thought about it, excited. On Friday though, Matt says "Hey hun, why don't you try a buffalo chicken pizza. I would REALLY like that." At first I told him, no way. I was excited and set on my Wild Mushroom Pizza but then the wheels started turning.... what would I do for sauce? How would I prep the chicken. By the time I woke on Saturday, my mind was made up. Buffalo Chicken Pizza it is.


Buffalo Chicken Pizza
FRESH uncooked pizza dough (mine was "fresh" from the Publix deli)
bleu cheese dressing
2 chicken breast, slow cooked for 8 hrs in crock pot
buffalo sauce
crumbled bleu cheese
2 cups mozzarella
scallions

When chicken breast is cooked, shred with fork and smother in buffalo sauce, set aside.

Roll out the dough to full size. Pour on bleu cheese dressing and smear to cover the crust. Top with chicken, mozzarella, bleu cheese, and scallions. Bake until crust is cooked completely.

Oh and yes, it is amazing.

Oh Garlic, My Garlic

I love garlic. For years, every meal started the same- with a clove of garlic. I used garlic like other people use water when they cook. Everything tasted so good, little did I realize everything also tasted the same.

After Rylan was born I had to give up garlic. I cried. Really... She was about 5 weeks old when I realized her little tummy couldn't handle it. So for the last 6 months I have been experimenting with different ways to flavor my food. I have even grown my own basil and chives. I use parsley, dill, and basil a lot but not as much as I used garlic. I found myself missing garlic less and less as I discovered new flavors and realized all my meals didn't need to taste the same.

Tonight though, I broke down. Rylan is almost 7 months old and eats all kind of stuff on her own. Her tummy is matured quite a bit and I had nothing major on the agenda for tomorrow so I figured, what the hell. I made sauteed spinach with garlic and damn, it was good.

Here's hoping Rylan doesn't make me pay for it tomorrow.

Unexpected Inspirations

Cooking inspirations are everywhere. The other day I was feeding Rylan a jar of apples and chicken and it got me thinking... YUM. From there, the wheels started turning for a few days. What could I do to make a chicken and apples entree? Finally I settled on chicken baked with apples, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Sounds good, doesn't it. Eh, wrong. I thought it sucked. Matt, Ansley and my parents loved it. Too me, it was too dry. I think next time (yes, there will be a next time) I will marinade the chicken in apple juice and will cook it at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time.

It was nice, though, to have my parents over. My mom has thyroid cancer and ever since she had her surgery to remove the thyroid she has been SOOOOO tired. I called them at the last minute and invited them to come eat. Should have known better than to have them over when trying something new.

Tonight I am thinking Mushroom Pork medallions and sauteed spinach. I was going to wait until the weekend for this one but the mushrooms are telling me otherwise....

Destination Mexico

I had a relapse.... had takeout or went out 5 nights in the past week. It was so yummy to have all my old faves but I will admit- I missed my kitchen. My house didn't smell the same, my kitchen didn't feel the same and my pants aren't fitting the same. Hopefully, if we can avoid cancer diagnoses and job offers in war-torn countries, we will get back on track this week.


To kick off a yummy cooking week, we are heading to Mexico! I am recreating the buffalo cheese fries that we had on our cruise last summer (fries smothered in buffalo sauce and a blend of 3 cheeses topped with scallions, blue cheese crumbles and sour cream). I am turning them into the main dish and doing buffalo chicken strips on the side. We will be washing them down with some Dos Equis, well we will if Matt makes a beer run soon. Not the least bit healthy but fun and full of good memories. That, my dears, is what it is really all about.

I know it's not 5 yet but God, I am good!

Who would have thought I could create something so good at one in the afternoon? We spent the morning in the pool and by the time I got everyone dry, clothed and fed I was exhausted. I started digging in the fridge looking for something easy to eat and right before I gave in to the chinese takeout leftovers that were calling my name, something caught my eye... the leftover mushrooms from pizza night. Immediately, I came up with a plan- Triskets topped with wild mushrooms and fresh mozzarella. I washed, chopped and piled and stood back to look at my creation. Something was missing. It looked dry, then it hit me- balsamic vinegar. A little splash here, a little splash there and done!

Oh my goodness gracious. Amazing. I know what you are thinking and yes the Triskets got a tad soggy but it wasn't too bad. If anything the Triskets absorbed some of the vinegar and the "soggy" ones were the best.

I think this will go into my lunch rotation.

Pizza Heaven

Ansley and I made the pizza tonight. We had so much fun. I am so glad she is big enough to start cooking with me. I chopped the mushrooms and sliced the mozzarella and prosciutto and she spread the ingredients out. She said she wasn't going to like eating it because of the mushrooms and I could feel the dinner battle brewing.

Fast forward 20 minutes, we are at the table and Ansley takes her first bite. "Mother, this is the best pizza you ever made BUT Daddy's is better." Really? I guess for a mushroom hater and picky eater, it's a pretty good compliment but I could have done without the comparison since "Daddy's pizza" starts off frozen and is out of a box (a Publix one at that).

Anyways, it was an amazing pizza and I will definitely be cooking it again.

Homemade Pizza with wild mushrooms, prosciutto,gorgonzola,and both fresh and shredded mozzarella
Kristen- *****
Matt- *****
Ansley- *****

5 stars all around!!!

The Great Delimmia

I have a fridge full of (delicious) leftovers- Sausage Ravioli Bake, Lime Chicken and Yellow Rice, Orzo, and even 1/2 of my lunch from Steak and Shake yesterday. The sensible (and lazy) side of me says dinner's done but the bored food lover in me says no way.

What am I thinking? I am thinking homemade pizza. Wild mushrooms, fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, gorgonzola, prosciutto,tomato sauce and fresh basil. Maybe with an italian salad. Doesn't that sound yummy?

So the question is- what should I do? If I make the pizza what am I going to do with this weeks leftovers? Am I going to be a good girl and eat them tomorrow night or are they going to end up going to waste? AND if I have pizza, am I going to get off my lazy ass and take the girls to the store today for all the ingredients?

Decisions, decisions....

Orzo, oh no?

I had always heard orzo was hard to prepare and was best left to the experts but last night I decided I was up for a challenge. I put on my apron, poured a glass of wine and got to work. I read the directions and then read them again. I was sure I was missing something. I couldn't figure out what the big fuss was, what was so hard? I followed the directions and while it boiled I chopped some tomatoes, basil (fresh from my porch) and feta. When it was done, I tossed it all together and added it next to the salmon on the plates. Ansley set the table (is she really that old already?) and I put down the plates explaining that I wasn't too sure how it would taste. I was convinced that I was missing "the hard part" and that it was going to taste horrible. Wrong- it was amazing!


Lemon Dill Salmon and Tomato Basil Orzo with Feta
Kristen **** (that would be generic stars)
Matt *****
Ansley ***** for the orzo, no stars for the salmon

The 5 o'clock hour

I am having an affair with my kitchen. I have always loved it but as a working mom, I didn't have time to cook, to create. I was the take out/restaurant queen. Now that I am home full time, my kitchen has been come my heaven. Well, it becomes my heaven after 5 pm each day. Before that it's my hell. I spend too much time in the kitchen from 7 to 5, making quick breakfast, lunch, and baby food, pumping breast milk and cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. From 7 to 5, I hate my kitchen but come 5 o'clock it's my playground, my canvas, my life.
This is a peek into my kitchen after 5 (I'll spare you from the chaos of the rest of the day)- the food, the conversations, the wine, and the memories in the making....