Girl's day today was great. I got up late so I missed church, and was basically an hour behind my scheduled plan of preparation. But I still made it fine.
I made the pasta/chicken/veggie dish I ate alone on this night. We also had salad and crescent rolls. But then for dessert, because I'm just that cool, I made the Norwegian Apple Cake (super easy to make and actually tasted good) and I made chocolate covered strawberries via the South Beach book. Yum (though I think I melted the chocolate too long - I'll have to work on that).
After we ate we just hung out in my apartment playing with the littlest girl and having a great time just chatting. It was a nice afternoon. I'm glad they all came...I'll have to arrange the next one soon.
And just 'cuz...here are the recipes:
Parmesan, Chicken & Broccoli Pasta (I think via Kraft's website, I don't really remember)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Makes: 2 servings, 2-1/2 cups each
4 oz. (1/4 of 16 oz. pkg) whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked (I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
1/4 cup Kraft Light Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 Kraft 2% milk shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese, divided
4 tsp. Kraft 100% grated parmesan cheese
Cook spaghetti as directed on package
Meanwhile, heat dressing and garlic in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken and broccoli; cook and stir 5 to 7 min. or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in tomatoes and half of the mozzarella cheese; cook 1 to 2 min or until heated through, stirring occasionally
Drain spaghetti; place on serving plate. Top with chicken mixture, remaining mozzarella cheese and the parmesan cheese.
My alterations (of course - because I rarely follow a recipe): I don't measure anything. :) That's first. Then I used about 1 lb of chicken and a lot more spaghetti because I like leftovers. For the cheese, I used Kraft's Italian shredded mix already and I used a lot more than they stated and left out the parmesan because it's already in the mix. I also used more of the zesty dressing during the cooking - just to keep the flavors alive. AND I added basil and diced baby carrots.
Next: Norwegian Apple Cake (courtesy Taste of Home's 2002 Quick Cooking)
Ready in 1 hour or less (I found less)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium tart apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon cinnamon-sugar (optional, but it really does add flavor so I'd recommend it)
In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in apple and walnuts. Spread into an ungreased 9-in. pie plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if desired (trust me, you'll desire this). Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 8 servings (19 cents per serving - see economical too!).
My notes (natch): I actually followed this recipe (shockingly) however when I make this again I will add more apples and chop my walnuts a little more. My glass pie-plate worked really well for this, but it did seem to stick a little. Not sure if a little Pam would have helped or not - we didn't have a problem getting the pieces out but there was some residual stuff left. Anyway...my other observation was that the toothpick thing needs to be watched. I put one in after 25 minutes and thought it pulled out clean (it looked clean) but when I touched it, the toothpick was wet so I baked it longer. The bonus about this - super easy to make and really light feeling and tasting...not heavy like some cakes are (did I mention I'm not a cake fan?).
And one more: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries (via The South Beach Diet)
2 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 tablespoon whipping cream
Dash almond extract
8 strawberries
Combine the chocolate and the whipping cream in a glass measuring cup or bowl. Microwave at medium power for 1 minute or until the chocolate melts, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir in the almond extract and cool slightly.
Dip each strawberry into the melted chocolate, allowing the excess to drip off. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet (or plate). Refrigerate or freeze for approximately 15 minutes until the chocolate is set.
Serves 2! That's 4 strawberries each! YUM!
My notes: I use semisweet chocolate chips (already chopped) because I always have these on hand and I rarely have chocolate squares in the house. I happen to have a shot glass my friend Tim bought me long ago that has ounces and other measurements on the side so I can measure out the chips easily. I also use lite cool whip and I use more than what the recipe says (of course). And I use vanilla instead of almond extract. I'm tempted to try peppermint but that seems a little odd so I haven't yet. But like I said earlier - really watch the microwaving. I had mine at 30 seconds today and the chips weren't quite all melted, but I put it in too long the second round and it got a little burnt I think...it still worked but it wasn't quite a smooth as I would have liked.
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