Chicken, Cashew, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry

I made this for lunch Sunday after we got home from church. Jim always makes the rice for me whenever we have anything with rice. We have a microwave cooker, and can you believe, with all the cooking I do, I can't seem to get rice to come out right when I make it?!? So Jim is the official rice cooker in our household.

Anyway, the Chicken, Cashew, and Red Pepper Stir-Fry was pretty good. If you like your stir fry with a lot of sauce, then you probably won't like this. We thought it was pretty tasty, and very light on your stomach. I added more peppers than it called for, used ground ginger instead of fresh, and didn't have any sherry, so I skipped that. Cashews can be expensive, so I'm sure it would be good with peanuts too. I happened to find some on sale, so I did use cashews. Don't ever by afraid to alter a recipe a little to use what you have on hand! Thanks for stopping by!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

Yesterday for dinner, I made this quick and easy shrimp recipe. I know it's a little unusual to make seafood for a family meal in Central Indiana, but consider it occasionally. You can get some great deals on frozen shrimp. It's not as good as having it fresh at the beach, but a nice change of pace every now and then.


Last evening for dinner, I made this Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi for us. It was nice and light and perfect with a salad on the side.

Be careful when you're using precooked shrimp, which is what I usually use. I like to get them precooked, deveined, and sometimes all they have left on them are the tails. Be sure to thaw your shrimp and then only cook them for a minute or two, literally, until they are heated through. They get tough if you let them go any longer than that. Thanks for stopping by!

OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and 5K

Today was the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and 5K in Indianapolis. My stamping and scrapbooking friend, Michelle, ran the 5K. It was just her second 5K, and she did great! Congratulations, Michelle!
Hope my cooking friends don't mind that I use my cooking blog to congratulate my family and friends who have ventured into running. I'm so proud of them!

I'll be back in the next day or so with a stamping post. Sorry I've been absent for so long! Thanks for stopping by!

Spinach Pasta Toss

Here's an easy recipe from the Kraft Food & Family magazine I got a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it's no longer free. That's irritating. I wonder if I'll soon be getting a bill to renew my subscription? It's filled with quick and easy recipes for all sorts of things: main dishes, snacks, beverages, desserts, etc. but I'm not sure I like it so much that I'll pay to receive it. I can always just use the website, right?


Anyway, back to the Spinach Pasta Toss recipe... I made this the other evening with some grilled chicken breasts. It was a quick, easy, and healthy dinner. The boys weren't thrilled with the spinach. (Mom, do I have to eat the leaves?) I thought it was ok though. Jim did too.

Also, have you seen that mini pasta that Barilla makes? It was on sale at Meijer a few weeks ago, so I bought a few boxes. My youngest is a messy eater. Jim says eating is a full-body contact sport for him. I bought some, and I have to say it's easier for the kiddos to eat. I made this recipe with some of the mini penne pasta. It wasn't whole wheat, but oh well. I also used plain old shredded mozzarella instead of the Italian Blend too. My theory is that you use what you have if it's close enough. Thanks for stopping by!

Sausage Stuffed Manicotti

I've been on a new-recipe-trying kick lately. I made these Sausage-Stuffed Manicotti over the weekend. These were ok, probably not our favorite, but certainly not bad. I like trying new recipes, and some make it into my recipe box as a family favorite and some don't. I haven't decided yet on this one. Give it a try and see what you think! Thanks for stopping by!

Mediterranean Turkey Burgers

Saturday was a gorgeous day here, and we were all outside most of the day mowing grass, washing cars, bathing the dog, etc. I was inside long enough to whip us up a lunch of Mediterranean Turkey Burgers. I haven't ever cooked with ground turkey, but it was on sale at Kroger recently, and I got some. I am really liking the dishes I've made with it so far.


These burgers were fantastic! I really liked them, but then I really like Greek food. My youngest, who is 2 years old, thought they were great too. He wolfed them down like a champ! Oh, and as usual, I didn't use the exact ingredients. I didn't have Japanese panko bread crumbs, so I used plain old bread crumbs. Instead of arugula, I used spinach. Thanks for stopping by!

Paprika Pork

There's a dish I make occasionally called Paprika Chicken that we really like. It's a Hungarian dish, and Jim's family is Hungarian. When I saw this Paprika Pork recipe in the Cooking Light magazine, it reminded me of the chicken recipe, so I thought we'd give it a try. I made it Friday evening, and it wasn't bad. I think we still enjoy the chicken paprika recipe a little better, and I'll share it with you sometime. Thanks for stopping by!

Tex-Mex Calzones

Even though I just made regular pizza-style strombolis earlier this week, I tried this recipe for Tex-Mex Calzones too. I've never used ground turkey before, but it wasn't bad. It's definitely an alternative to ground beef or sausage if you're looking for something with less fat.

I'm not sure these will become one of my favorites, but they were something I will probably make again. Next time, I will probably try using regular salsa instead of salsa verde. Thanks for stopping by!

Stromboli, Calzone, whatever you call them!

I hadn't made homemade stromboli for my family in ages, so I made them Tuesday evening for dinner. I use my bread machine to make pizza dough, and then I just roll it out, fill it with our favorite items, seal them up and bake them at 350F until their golden brown. Serve them with a side of pizza sauce for dipping! Yum!

We normally put deli ham, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese in ours. I've also put grilled onions and/or green peppers, mushrooms, and browned hamburg or sausage in them. I usually make 2 or 3 out of a batch of dough, so I can make a few different varieties for everyone's tastes. I've never done it, but you could probably buy a can of pizza dough and do the same thing. Thanks for stopping by!

Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney

I made Spiced Pork Chops with Apple Chutney Monday night for dinner. I got a new grill pan for my birthday back in February, and it was perfect for making these. Jim commented that they were very good done on the stove instead of baking them in the oven, which is what I usually do. I really enjoyed the apple chutney on them too. As shown in the picture, I even made green beans to go with them. It was yummy! Thanks for stopping by!

Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup

Hi, Everyone! Sorry I've been delinquent for so long. I lost a month of my life due to a sickie bug I just couldn't shake. It started in mid-March, and I am just now getting back into the swing of things. Needless to say, I wasn't in the mood to try new recipes while I was sick. I stuck to my old favorite comfort food recipes!

Late last week while making up this week's menu, I decided to dig out my Cooking Light magazines from the past two months. I hadn't had much of a chance to peruse them, so I grabbed them and picked a few recipes to try in the coming weeks.


Over the weekend, I made Broccoli and Chicken Noodle Soup. I have accumulated quite a collection of soup recipes, and I think I shall add this one to it. We enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!

Easter

May you have a blessed Easter.