Baked Chicken Nachos

I am so glad that I "borrowed" this recipe from a fellow July Knottie's blog (http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/). Jared and I love nachos, but have never made them this way before. They turned out so crunchy and cheesy AND we love cheese! The nachos were extra special tonight because Jared had dinner ready for me when I got home from work. I am so lucky!

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 green onions, sliced, white parts and tops separated
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shredded cooked, whole chicken breast (we used Perdue Short Cuts Chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup salsa
1/2 (12 ounce) package tortilla chips
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican Cheese blend
1/2 large tomato, diced

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a 12 inch skillet over medium heat, cook and stir the garlic, white parts of the onions in oil until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, salt, and pepper. Toss until well coated with oil. Stir in the salsa.
3) Arrange tortilla chips on a large baking sheet. Spoon the chicken mixture over the chips. Top with cheese blend and tomato. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
4) Remove from heat and spring with green onion tops before serving. Top with sour cream and jalapeños (optional).

Husband Rating: A
Awesome!

Wife Rating: A+
I love nachos -- one of my favorite meals!

We will definitely make these nachos again -- especially for parties!

Thanks to April for finding the recipe on www.allrecipes.com.

Grilled Sausage Patties with Peppers & Onions

This week's menu should have been titled: Quick and easy meals....This was yet another quick dinner to put together. I cannot take credit because Jared cooked most of it before I got home from work. We do not eat sausage often (for obvious health reasons), but when we do it always seems to hit the spot.

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of sausage patties
1 green pepper, thinly sliced, can use red pepper
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pita breads, cut in half
lettuce (optional)
mustard (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill patties about 3 minutes per side, or to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
2) Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute peppers, onions, and garlic in oil until softened.
3) Place patties in pita half with peppers and onions. Add lettuce and mustard if desired. (We added mustard).

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Jared said the sausage hit the spot!

Wife Rating: A
I love pitas so anything sandwiched into one is great! The peppers and onions had a lot of flavor.

We'll make this again...probably more in the summer time!

Crunchy Mediterranean Salad

A quick dinner was needed tonight and this was perfect! Next time, I might even cut the vegetables the night before to save more time! Jared and I love salads, and we are trying to include a salad as a meal into our diet each week. We have found another winner!

Ingredients:
1 can chick peas, drained, rinsed
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 1/3 cup small cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup sliced ripe olives (we used green olives and did not cut in half)
2 green onions, finely chopped
Romaine lettuce (we added this ingredient to the salad)
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper


Directions:
1) Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mint, and garlic. Whisk in salt and pepper, and adjust seasonings as needed.
3) If storing salad for later, do not pour dressing onto salad -- store for later.
3) combine salad and vinaigrette and toss to coat.

Recipe courtesy of Good Things Catered (THANKS!) http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/

Husband Rating: A+
Jared loved this salad! If we had more time, he probably would have eaten more! He loved how fresh the salad was overall -- and the homemade salad dressing!

Wife Rating: A+
This salad is great! A perfect salad for the summer (too bad it is almost winter). ;) I loved the dressing too! Next time I will add feta cheese!


There will be a next time for this recipe!!!!

Tropical Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Asparagus

Jared and I have never experimented with meatloaf. We have always prepared it with the typical seasonings and red sauce. However, today, we decided to try something new and very different. We were really pleased with this dish. The ingredients kept the meatloaf moist and full of flavor. We added garlic mashed potatoes (from a box), and Asparagus to complement the dinner.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 (8 ounce) can unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained, divided
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 pounds ground lean turkey
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper (we left these out)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 pinch pepper

Directions:
1) In a bowl, combine egg substitute, 1/3 cup pineapple and the seasonings. Add bread crumbs; mix well. Crumble meat over mixture; mix well. Press into an 8-in.x4in.x2in loaf pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with 1 tablespoon of pineapple. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine onions, jalapeño , honey, lime juice, pepper, and remaining pineapple. Serve with the meatloaf.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A
Something totally different and the meatloaf was "excellent." Like myself, he is still trying to get used to pineapple.

Wife Rating: A
The meatloaf was delicious. I did not add too much of the salsa mixture because I am trying to get used to pineapple. (I never ate pineapple until our honeymoon because I always thought I did not like it -- well, it's pretty good). The side dishes were a good choice.

We will try this dinner again in the future.

Menu: October 28 - November 3

Week 1 of my menu planning went pretty well. I was very happy that I did not have to think about dinner everyday. Spending time during the weekend to create the entire week's menu is worth it!

Sunday: Tropical Turkey Meatloaf & Veggies

Monday: Crunchy Mediterranean Salad (courtesy of Good Things Catered)

Tuesday: Grilled Sausage Patties with Peppers & Onions

Wednesday: Baked Nachos (courtesy of Cooking Diaries of A Wine Loving Soccer "Mom")

Thursday: Leftovers - a busy day with little time to cook

Friday: Broccoli Lasagna

Saturday: Boneless Short Pork Ribs, Veggies, & Potatoes

White Chocolate Macadamia Nuts Cookies

After coming home from our honeymoon in Hawaii, Jared and I were going through a Macadamia Nut phase. We decided we wanted to make these cookies since white chocolate chips are one of my favorite cookie ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate chips

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
3) Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.
4) Cool and serve!

Servings: 4 dozen


Husband Rating: A
Jared loved them! We made them at his parent's house and left the extras with his mom....needless to say, he was sad when we did not have any at home.

Wife Rating: A
Yummy! I can't wait to make them again!

Homemade Chili

With little time to prepare dinner on Thursday, I defrosted Jared's homemade chili. We do not follow a recipe for the chili, so the following ingredients are mostly added to taste.

Ingredients:
1 pound turkey meat (or ground beef)
1 can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
cumin to taste
salt/pepper to taste
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Hot Sauce
Jalapeños (optional)

Directions:
1) Ground turkey meat, drain.
2) Combine all ingredients in a sauce pot or crock pot (depending on how much time you have).
3) Stir together and simmer for 1 hour.
4) Serve with shredded cheese & tortilla chips


Husband Rating: A
Jared loves making chili, especially on a cold day. He likes to change up the recipe a little bit each time.

Wife Rating: A
I love it! Jared's chili reminds me of growing up when my dad made chili -- the one dinner dish he would make. ;)

Of course we are making this again -- probably as fall ends and winter arrives.