Porcupine Balls in Tomato Sauce

I loved this dish as a kid and have been thinking about it for a while, so that's what is for dinner tonight! Lets see if it is as good as I remember it being...

The cast:

10 oz ground turkey

2 oz uncooked rice

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon each of: thyme, marjoram leaves

dash pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix ingredients together and form into ball. Place in a covered dish.

Mix together 1 cup tomato sauce, 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/8 teaspoon minced garlic. Pour over balls and bake for 1 hour - turning once halfway through.

While porcupine balls are cooking cut the top off a bell pepper and scoop out seeds and veins. When the porcupine balls are finished cooking stuff the balls in the peppers and voila, Porcupine Balls!

This is an old weight watchers recipe apparently and serves 2 so modify as needed for larger families.

Chicken Parmesan

This is a healthy take on Chicken Parmesan. I wasn't too sure about it at first because it is nothing like Chicken Parmesan I have ever eaten, but it is quite tasty!

2 tsp. olive oil

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (5 oz. each)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1 cup Healthy Choice Pasta Sauce (or sauce of your choice)

1 cup diced green pepper

1 cup diced yellow pepper

1 cup diced tomato

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup cooked brown rice

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a pan. Brown chicken, garlic and paprika. Place chicken in a casserole dish. Pour pasta sauce, peppers and tomato over chicken. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake for one hour. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

This recipe serves 2 but could easily be doubled to serve 4 or adjust for as many people as needed.

Roasted Vegetables with Tri-Colored Pasta

This recipe is delicious. It is simple, fresh and very very tasty. I have always serves it as a main course but it could be used as a side dish served with chicken or whatever meat your heart desires.

2 cups whole mushrooms

2 cups zucchini cut into 1" cubes

2 cups tomatoes, chopped

1 cup yellow pepper, sliced

1 cup red pepper, sliced

4 tsp. olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 cups cooked tri-colored rotini pasta

1 cup broccoli florets

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (dried parsley is fine)

Preheat oven to 400. Spray 13x9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Combine mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, olive oil, garlic, basil and pepper in a large bowl. Toss until vegetables are evenly coated with oil and seasonings. Transfer vegetables to prepared baking pan and bake uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. About 4 minutes before pasta is ready, add broccoli and peas to water. Drain pasta and vegetables and return to pot. Stir in roasted vegetables and parsley.

This dish serves 8, for those of you on Weight Watchers it is worth 3 points per serving.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe is DELICIOUS! It smelled so good while simmering that I almost had to eat it before it was finished cooking. So, this recipe takes 1 hour total to cook, 10 minutes prep time, and serves 8. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup carrot, diced

1 cup celery

1 cup onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 fresh diced garlic clove

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons corn oil (I used vegetable because thats what I had)

4 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth

1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes (optional)

1 (10 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies

1 packet taco seasoning

1 (10 count) package corn tortillas (broken or cut into small pieces)

12 ounces poaches chicken meat, diced

1 cup milk

12 ounces Mexican blend cheese

corn chips broken into small pieces for garnish

Directions:

1. Saute carrots, onions, and celery in corn oil, add the garlic, salt and pepper - cook until tender.

2. Add chicken broth and bring to boil.

3. Add tomatoes, Rotel, taco seasoning and chicken.

4. Cut tortillas into small pieces and add to mixture.

5. Let boil for 20 minutes or until tortillas are thoroughly incorporated into soup stirring occasionally to keep from sticking.

6. Reduce heat and add 8 ounces cheese. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

7. Add milk and simmer for additional 10 minutes. Garnish with shredded cheese and broken tortilla chips.

If thicker soup is desired, add more diced tortillas and let incorporate into soup.

Substitutions:

- 1 cup Masa Harina for 1 10 count packages corn tortillas (gradually add flour and mix into broth)

- You can use grilled chicken fajita in lieu of poached diced chicken

Creamy Pork Tenderloin

Yesterday I decided I would have the in-laws over for dinner, desert and a couple games of marbles (the mother-in-law and I won both games).

As I was deciding what to have for dinner I remembered that I had 2 pork tenderloins in the freezer and that there was a pork recipe I was anxious to try over on Big Mamas blog. So, for dinner we had Creamy Pork Tenderloin, mashed potatoes (this would also be really good with rice) and mixed veggies - and for desert, homemade peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream. Here are the recipes for you to try for your family and friends!

List of Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 pound)
1 egg
1 tbs. water1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp. pepper1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs (I buy these because PLEASE)
3 tbs. canola oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 tbs. butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream1/4 cup chicken broth

Cut the tenderloin into about six to eight pieces. Use a mallet or hammer or whatever to flatten the pieces to about 3/4 inch thickness.

Combine egg, water, rosemary, pepper, and garlic powder i

n a small bowl. Place the bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Dip the pork into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown pork in oil for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the pork medallions to a 13 x 9 pan.

In the same skillet, saute mushrooms in butter until tender.Add in a cup of sour cream. Stir in cream of chicken soup.The last step is to add a 1/4 cup chicken broth. Stir all the ingredients together until the sauce is smooth, then pour over the pork.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 325 degree oven for one hour.

SO yummy, and the pork was nice and tender, no knives needed!

(photo courtesy of Bigmamablog.com)

Now, for the peach cobbler...

Ingredients

BATTER

• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup room temperature milk
• 1 room temperature egg

FILLING

• 1 (28 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained --- I used 4 fresh peaches, but 5 would probably be better1 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon butmeg

Directions

Melt butter in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder & salt.

Stir in milk & egg.

Pour evenly over melted butter.

Combine peaches, sugar & spices and spread over batter-DO NOT STIR!

Bake 35-45 minutes at 350°F until batter comes to the top and is golden brown.

Serve warm with ice cream.

(photo courtesy of recipzaar.com)

Eggplant Parmesan

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8

• Olive oil, for baking sheets
• 3/4 cup plain dry breadcrumbs (or the pre-spiced "Italian Breadcrumbs," and skip the next two ingredients)
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• Salt and ground pepper
• 2 large eggplants, (2 1/2 pounds total), peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
• 3 cups (more or less) Tomato Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)
  

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a wide, shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, spices if using, and season with salt and pepper.

Peel eggplants in stripes (this is to get rid of some of the chewy skin but not all of it, as the skin helps hold the eggplant together as it is fried. If you don't mind the chewiness, just wash the eggplant). Slice into 1/2 inch think rounds.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat. (On the oil, use olive, vegetable, what have you. If you must, use spray oil, but recognize that the lovely golden crunchy exterior come from being well-fried!)

Dip an eggplant slice in breadcrumb mixture, coating well; slide into hot oil and fry for approximately 5 mins on each side, or until breadcrumb mixture browns. As you remove each slice, place on a baking sheet.

Once you've fried all the eggplant, top each round with a dollop (or more, to your taste) of tomato sauce and some cheese. Put into the 375 degree oven. Bake until golden brown on bottom, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking until browned on other side, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Serve with pasta; add extra tomato sauce if desired or just sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top.

Blackened Chicken Pizza

Two nights ago I had the pleasure of seeing Mr. Rod Stewart concert and let me tell you that man still has it going on. He was dancing all over that stage and singing one song after another stopping only for wardrobe changes and when he sang "hot legs" he was kicking soccer balls half way across the arena. Did I mention he is almost 65 years old? It was a great concert! One of my favorite songs by Mr. Stewart is "Rhythm of my Heart" and I will just say that the rhythm oof my heart leads me to pizza and not so much "where the ocean meets the sky." Today I am giving you the recipe for Paula Deens' Blackened Chicken Pizza.

Blackened Chicken Pizza (Paula Deen)

3 teaspoons blackening seasoning, divided (found on the spices aisle)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 in. thickness
4 tbs. butter, divided
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tbs. all purpose flour
1/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup milk
2 tbs. chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Pizza crust

Sprinkle 2 tsp. blackening season evenly over chicken breast. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until done. Remove from heat, cool and cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

In a large skillet melt remaining 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in flour, cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. gradually whisk in wine and milk. Continue to whisk for 4-5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in basil and remaining 1 tsp. blackening season. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 450.

Spread cream mixture evenly over prepared, unbaked pizza crust. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Top evenly with spinach, chicken and bacon. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1 cup grated parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown.

Doesn't that look delicious?!