Menu Monday... and a recipe

This week's Menu (on time... impressive)

Monday:

Grilled Chicken with

Stuffed Zucchini

and roasted potatoes

Tuesday:

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches

(with leftover chicken)

and Fresh Cut Oven Fries

Wednesday:

Grilled Kabobs (chicken/onion/sweet pepper)

with Grilled Corn on the Cob (Lily's request), and Rice

Thursday:

Lasagna

Friday:

Quiche/Breakfast

Saturday:

Pork Chops,

Green Beans, and

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Sunday:

Leftovers and/or

Sandwiches

Last week you might have noticed Zucchini fries on the menu and I promised the recipe!  They are SO good!  Chris even liked them - a lot - so you know it's a winner!  It's a great way to get your kids to eat some veggies!

Crispy Zucchini Fries

(From Pampered Chef Season's Best recipe collection - Spring/Summer 2012)

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini

1 1/2 cups (375 mL) large fat-free seasoned restaurant-style croutons (see Cook's Tip)

1 oz (30 g) Parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg white


Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line Cookie Sheet with Parchment Paper. Trim and discard ends of zucchini; cut in half crosswise using Chef's Knife. Cut each zucchini half using French Fry Cutter (discard any thinner pieces). Place croutons in Manual Food Processor; cover and pump handle until finely chopped. Grate Parmesan cheese with Microplane® Adjustable Fine Grater. Place chopped croutons and half of the Parmesan cheese in Coating Tray; mix well.

2.Whisk egg white in Classic Batter Bowl until frothy. Add zucchini; mix gently until well coated. Dredge zucchini in crouton mixture, pressing firmly to coat. Arrange zucchini in a single layer on Cookie Sheet. Bake 14–16 minutes or until crisp.



What's for dinner?

If you have the coveted Deep Covered Baker, your possibilities are endless!  AND dinner can be ready is under 30 minutes!

This past week I found myself short on groceries and in need of a good lunch!  I really wanted pasta alfredo, for some reason, so I decided to adapt the recipe for Pasta Primavera to suit my needs!  Talk about easy and fast!  I used the recipe below, cut it in half, and left out the vegetables and parsley (because I didn't have them).  It was SO easy and SO wonderful that I can't wait to make it again for dinner and I'll add chicken!  Basically, this recipe now serves as two:

Pasta Primavera (pictured above)

and

Chicken Alfredo (just eliminate the veggies and add chicken!)

8 oz (250 g) uncooked spaghetti noodles

2 1/4 cups (550 mL) chicken broth
1 cup (250 mL) heavy whipping cream
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tbsp (15 mL) Lemon Pepper Rub
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 medium red bell pepper
2 oz (60 g) cream cheese, softened
2 oz (60 g) Parmesan cheese, grated (about ½ cup/125 mL), divided
2 cups (500 mL) fresh small broccoli florets
1 cup (250 mL) sugar snap peas, trimmed
2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley

1. Break noodles in half. Combine noodles, broth, cream, garlic pressed with the Garlic Press and rub in Deep Covered Baker. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 14-17 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring once halfway through. Meanwhile, cut carrots into julienne strips using Julienne Peeler. Cut bell pepper lengthwise into strips; cut carrots and bell pepper strips into 1-in. (2.5-cm) pieces.
2. Carefully remove baker from microwave using Oven Mitts. Add cream cheese and 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the Parmesan cheese to baker; mix well. Stir in carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, peas and parsley. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 1-2 minutes or until heated through. Serve with remaining Parmesan cheese.

The Deep Covered Baker is my #1 MUST for EVERY kitchen.  If you don't have one, you must get one!  It will revolutionize your kitchen and save you so much time and money!

(click here for purchase information)


Menu Plan for this week...

Monday:
Fajitas

Tuesday:
Grilled Pork Chops with Rice and Veggies

Wednesday:
Chicken Alfredo

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Breakfast for Dinner

Saturday:
Dinner at a friend's house

Sunday:
Easter dinner at my aunt's house!

Are you a pampered chef?

I recently held a "Holly Jolly Shopping Party" with my friends who are both named Beth!  Basically it was a Christmas Open House for us to show off Pampered Chef, Thirty-One, and Willow House products!  :-) 

For the occasion I made Caramel-Filled Cashew Cups.  Oh my goodness!  This recipe was really easy and absolutely delicious!  It's a great one for Thanksgiving gatherings and holiday parties, so I wanted to share the recipe:

CARAMEL-FILLED CASHEW CUPS

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 C. Salted Cashews

2 Tbsp. Butter; melted

1/4 C. Light Corn Syrup

28 Caramels; unwrapped

2 Tbsp. Milk

1/3. C. Bittersweet Chocolate Morsels

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray cups of Deluxe Mini-Muffin Pan with nonstick cooking spray. Finely chop Cashews using Food Chopper or Manual Food Processor. Combine Cashews, Butter and Corn Syrup in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Using Adjustable Measuring Spoon (about 1 Tbsp.) divide Cashew Mixture evenly among cups of pan. Gently press tops of cashew mixture with lightly floured Mini-Tart Shaper to flatten tops; bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Meanwhile, combine Caramels and Milk in clean Batter Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until melted and smooth, stirring every 30 seconds. Remove pan from oven to Stackable Cooling Rack. Gently press hot cashew mixture again with tart shaper to form cups (I ended up using the end of a spatula or wooden spoon... the tart shaper was a little to large to effectively make a cup). Let stand 5 minutes. Grasp edges of each cup and twist gently to loosen; remove cups from pan. Divide melted caramel among cups using measuring spoon. Place chocolate morsels in 1 Cup Prep Bowl; microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until mostly melted, stirring every 20 seconds. Spoon melted chocolate in resealable plastic bag. Trim corner of bag with Utility Knife; drizzle chocolate over caramel. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The open house was a success and I got to share a lot of fun products that are especially good for the holidays!  In fact, the Holly Jolly Shopping party is still open for business until Saturday, so if you need anything from Pampered Chef you can click here to shop!  If you need anything from Thirty-One or from Willow House, just leave a comment or shoot me and email and I can get you in touch with the Beth that you need!  :-)

Pampered Chef has a lot of sauces that are great for an EASY party appetizer! Pour over cream cheese and serve with crackers... doesn't get easier than that!  For this show I put out the Apricot Honey Sauce (right) and the Blackberry Balsamic Sauce (left).  They were both good, but that Blackberry Balsamic... oh. my.  It was so good and a little addictive!  It would be good on a turkey sandwich too!  :-)

I also mixed up two salsas using my Manual Food Processor.  One was a Cranberry Salsa Recipe that I got from my friend Anne.  It's not a Pampered Chef recipe, but it was wonderful and a GREAT holiday recipe!  I'll share the recipe in another post.  :-)  The other was an olive salsa... it was simply garlic, olive oil, pimiento stuffed green olives, and ripe black olives... quick and easy olive lovers dream!

One of my goals was to share fun and simple holiday gift ideas!  One idea is this Celebration Cookie Mix - it makes a great and really cute gift in the batter bowl!  There are SO MANY gift ideas in the holiday section of my website!

There are recipes, centerpiece ideas, gift ideas... even printable gift tags to match your Pampered Chef gifts complete with recipes printed on them!  Click Here to see the holiday section for some great ideas!

 

There are also a lot of gift sets to give!  From snowman dishes to dipping sets, there is a gift for everyone on your list!

If you'd like to earn some gifts for yourself or for friends FOR FREE, this is a great month to host a catalog or cooking show!  For hosting you get your pick of ANY product in the catalog for 60% off (and if you submit your show before the 15th you get a free Butterball turkey too!).  In addition to that, you get all the usual host benefits like free and half-off items!  :-)  It's a GREAT way to get your holiday shopping done for less time and money than you usually spend!

Also, if you are interested in a debt free holiday, I'd love to talk to you about the extra money you can earn through Pampered Chef!  Think... you could fund all your holiday fun and come January be ahead instead of behind!  Let me know if you are interested!

Sharing Recipes

Ashley requested a couple of recipes from my meal plan, so I thought I would share them with all of you!  I absolutely LOVE getting recipes from my blog friends because I know that they must be good and "reasonable" (as far as ingredient lists and cooking skills, lol) if friends have tried them and like them!  So, here you go!

Chicken Casserole (This recipe is originally from Chris' mom)
2-4 Cups cooked Chicken - chopped
1 Cup cooked rice
1 Cup diced celery
2 Tbs grated onion
1 Can sliced water chestnuts with juice (do not drain)
1 small package sliced almonds
1 Can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

(Topping: 1 Cup grated sharp cheddar and 1 Cup crushed potato chips)

Mix all ingredients (except for topping) in a large bowl. Pour into a buttered casserole dish.

Sprinkle with cheese and top with crushed potato chips.

Bake at 350 degrees until brown and bubbly (15-20 minutes)

***This recipe is a fav because I keep the ingredients in my pantry and I can always whip it up quick.  PLUS... if you have a Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker it becomes a one dish wonder... as in, only ONE dish to clean.  I put the chicken in the baker with salt and pepper and microwave (yes, that's the magic of the baker) for 10-12 minutes until the chicken is 165 degrees inside (and so jucy and tender that you'll call the Deep Covered Baker - MAGIC!!), chop the chicken with my Pampered Chef Salad Choppers, so I never have to touch the meat!  Then I dump the rest of the ingredients in, mix, top it, and toss it in the oven!  When dinner is over, all I have to do is throw the salad choppers and one spoon in the dishwasher and rinse out and brush clean the baker!  LOVE IT!




Chicken Roll Ups (this recipe is originally from my mom)

1 can Crescent Rolls (I usually end up using 1 and 1/2 cans)
1  can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar
3 chicken breasts cooked and cubed or shredded

There are a couple of ways to do this!  One way is to separate the rolls, put the chicken on the dough and then roll them up (hence, chicken "roll ups").  OR you can use 2 rolls put the chicken between them and press the sides together to make a chicken "bundle."  OR if you are REALLY in a hurry (I do this A LOT), you can just line a square casserole with one layer of crescent dough, sprinkle with chicken, and top with another layer of crescent dough. LOL! 

Either way you make the "roll up" part, it'll be good.  THEN... heat the soup, milk, and cheese in a saucepan.  After you place the chicken in a greased casserole dish and the sauce is fully combined, pour it over the chicken roll ups.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brown.

***This is probably Chris and Lily's #1 favorite recipe, which I LOVE because it is SOOOOO easy and quick to make and I almost always have all the ingredients even when the pantry is looking bare!  It is also a really really budget friendly meal!  I usually pair it with broccoli or green beans and call it a night!  :-)

It's a Party!

...and you are invited!

As many of you now know, I am an independent consultant with The Pampered Chef and my mom is planning a Pampered Chef Blog Party/Catalog Show!  It's going to be so much fun y'all!  Mom is going to be sharing some of her favorite Pampered Chef tools and gadgets and also some great recipes that are quick, easy, and affordable!  While she's having all this fun, she'll also be earning free and discounted products too! 

While getting ready to help her do her blog show, I thought I would offer you a little something!  I know you all want to join in the party-fun!  So why not?  You could host your very own blog party and/or catalog show!  I can help you host long-distance with the help of my personal website!  My sister, in fact, had a VERY successful blog party while traveling the country in her truck and earned lots of cool stuff!!

If you don't want to host a party, but are looking for a great Mother's day, Graduation, Father's Day (grilling stuff!!!!), or Birthday gift.... or maybe even just need to pick up a thing or two for yourself, feel free to visit this site to place your order (it will be added to my Mom's show, but can be shipped directly to you)!  It'll be a win-win-win.  My mom gets credit on her show, you'll be helping me with my new business, and you'll help yourself get some really amazing products and gifts!

This month is a great month to order from Pampered Chef because of the great Mother's day gifts that we are offering!  Check them out...



Remember, I can set you up to do a cooking show in your home, a blog party, or a catalog show of your own and you too can earn your wish list items for 50-60% off and/or FREE!

So, what are you waiting for?  Start shopping and making those wish lists!  Pampered Chef has TONS of stuff that will make your life in the kitchen QUICK, EASY, and AFFORDABLE!