Fat Tuesday [Those Pinterest Ham and Swiss Sliders]

My mind. Has. Been. Blown.

I didn’t think it was possible, but someone was able to improve upon Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Hot damn.

Back in the day, my father would make us a dinner called “Ham Surprise.” It was English muffins topped with ham and mustard and a weird meringue type sauce on top. It was pretty good. Not anything to try and recreate though. I mean, who likes ham that much? Not this chick.  But I saw this recipe making the rounds on Pinterest. I’ll be honest. It was the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls element that intrigued me, naturally. A couple of variations, a few of my own deviations later and I give to you the best 5 minute dinner ever. (plus 20 minutes to bake up)

Ham and Cheese Sliders

(not to be confused with Ham Surprise)

Ingredients:

1 Package of Honey Baked Deli Ham

1 Package of Shredded Swiss Cheese

1 Package of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls

1 Stick butter

1/2 finely chopped onion- medium

3 tablespoons honey dijon mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon real maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter in pan. Add in chopped onions and allow to soften. Add in mustard, maple syrup and worcestershire sauce and bring to simmer. Meanwhile, cut a full package of King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls in half and layer swiss cheese, honey ham and then swiss cheese again. Top with half of onion mixture. Replace tops of rolls and top with remaining mixture, like so:

Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 20 minutes in oven. Cut out individual servings and serve. Enjoy!!!

Fat Tuesday: 3 Ingredient Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Maple Glazed Carrots

Okay, I promised this pulled pork recipe about two months ago at this point. This is my ultimate easy recipe. I found it on Pinterest, naturally. Remind me again, what did we do before Pinterest? I’m at a loss. It’s like trying to remember a time before remote controls. And On-Demand. Cell phones. Yoga Pants. Or kids. Once you have them, you can’t imagine a time when you didn’t. Anyway, this recipe is easy peasy, cheap and sleazy. Well, it’s cheap and easy anyway.

For a side, I chose to pair it with some carrots. The reason being, in my health kick, I bought a 2 pound bag of baby carrots. Only to discover, I really don’t love baby carrots unless they’ve been buried in veggie dip. Mah bad. I needed to get rid of them. STAT. Sadly, if I am going to eat carrots, they will need to be cooked and doused in something yummy.  I remember my dad made some cooked carrots growing up. I stumbled upon this recipe for maple glazed carrots and decided they would pair well with the pork. When I’m right, people, boy am I right. I’m not altogether healthy, but I’m right. So let’s do this.

Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredientses:

1- 2lb. Pork Tenderloin (I got mine at Trader Joes)

1 8 oz. Can Diet Cola

1 Bottle of Barbecue Sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey Barbecue)

Directions:

Place pork tenderloin into slow cooker, fatty side up. Pour in cola and top the pork with 1/2 of the bottle of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 4- 5 hours. Remove pork tenderloin, allow to cool and rest. Once cooled, pull apart pieces of the pork and replace into slow cooker. (Note: if liquid has not cooked down enough, you can remove some liquid from the slow cooker, leaving just a little to coat the bottom. You don’t want too much liquid). Coat pulled pork with remaining barbecue sauce to taste and allow to warm for 30 minutes.

Maple Glazed Baby Carrots:

Ingredientses:

1 pound bag baby carrots

3/4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons orange juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a medium, heavy saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are tender and the sauce becomes a shiny glaze, about 15 minutes.

We served this meal with delicious Flaky Layers Grands biscuits. And I would like the official record to reflect I ONLY ATE ONE. This was strange, and I wasn’t altogether happy with that fact. So I did what anyone would do: I put about a half a stick of butter on it. But I ONLY HAD ONE, so there. See? I can totally diet.

Fat Tuesday [Asian Beef with Mushrooms & Broccoli Slaw]

So, here’s the deal, dudes. I stepped on the scale recently and was shocked- SHOCKED- at what I saw. I mean, I know it’s the winter, and during this time, largely due to my SADs, I go a little heavier on the bread. As in, I eat bread, entire loaves for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Why? Because bread is the bomb. Especially with butter. Holy Crap.  It seriously makes me happy. Were I ever to get depressed, I’m pretty sure the doctor would whip out a prescription for King’s Hawaiian Sweet rolls with a chaser of Pillsbury Honey Butter Flaky Grands. And given my recent indulgences, I may slip into a deep depression after stepping on to the scale. Not cool, King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. I thought we had a deal. And that deal? Was not to gain 5 pounds. I am pretty sure we agreed to a small portrait in the attic that would grow large and eventually morbidly obese, breathing heavily with the slightest of physical activity if I were only able to continue to indulge in your goodness and remain under that dastardly number on the scale. A number I have not seen since my pregnant ass stepped on a scale. A number which I surpassed this past month. And NO, MOM! I’m not pregnant. At least, I don’t think I am…..that would be an amazing excuse though……

So it’s time to go Caveman on my ass. What’s Caveman? It’s a silly new fad diet called the Paleo diet. Now listen up here, because this diet theory is going to blow. your. mind.

You eat lean meats, vegetables and try and cut out sugar and grains. Because the cavemen didn’t have things like King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. Or processed foods. And they had to like, hunt for their food and shit. So, add in a side of moderation, and you have the Paleo diet.

ISN’T THAT REVOLUTIONARY??!?!?!?!?

So I headed over to that whore known as Pinterest and searched anything with the term “Paleo”. And let me tell you something. A lot of it looked thoroughly foul. To me anyway. But I did find this recipe, so decided to try it this weekend, with a decidedly un-paleo friendly addition. Cuz I’m normal. And not a caveman. If soy sauce is going to undo all my other hard work of not eating bread, then kill me now. Actually, don’t. Just strap on a feed bag of Flaky Grands. Cuz I give up.

Asian Beef with Mushrooms and Broccoli Slaw 

(found here)

Ingredientses: 

1 lb of ground meat (I used grass fed ground beef from Whole Foods)

1 lb of thinly sliced mushrooms (I used shitake)

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons of lard (WHA?  I used regular oil)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 cups of broccoli slaw (with carrots)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoons of fish sauce

1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Finely chop Onion. Cook in large frying pan until translucent.

2. Add in sliced mushroom and  cook until moisture evaporates.

3. Add in garlic and store for 30 seconds.

4 Add in ground beef and cook until browned.

5. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, vinegar and salt and pepper. Season as desired.

6. Add broccoli and carrot slaw and allow vegetables to soften slightly.

7. Line bowls with lettuce and spoon mixture into bowls. Garnish with Scallions.

*Add in some Sriracha if you like it a little spicy, too. The cavemen only wish they had that.*

Enjoy!!!

*PS* If you want to follow my Pinterest Board for Food, go to http://pinterest.com/katehannan/yum-yums/

Fat Tuesday [Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin]

Happy Fatty!  This week I tried my hand at Pork Tenderloin since I had all the ingredients on hand (which never happens around these parts). One tiny admission: I messed up. But it was still good. So if I can overcook this dish and it still tastes good? Imagine the possibilities if you cook it correctly!

So the moral of my story? Read the actual weight of the piece of meat you bought. Don’t assume all cooking directions apply. Doh.

Here we go:

Ingredientzes:

2 pound boneless pork loin roast (or in my case, a 1 pound roast- this is an important distinction as it turns out)

seasoning salt to taste (I used Jane’s Crazy Salt, but am sure a Lawry’s or Adobo seasoning would work, or just salt and pepper)

2 cups Spiced Apple Cider (I got mine at Trader Joe’s but you can always use regular old cider or apple juice)

1/2 cup apple butter (I had Stonewall Kitchen’s Caramel Apple Butter on hand, so I used this. Yummy!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Season the pork loin with seasoning salt, and place in a 9×13 inch baking dish or small roasting pan. Pour apple juice over the pork. Slather top of roast in the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and clove mixture. Cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour (OR in my case, 30 minutes- with pork tenderloin you should cook 20-30 minutes per pound. WOOPS)

3. Remove roast from oven and allow to rest. Pour remainder of cooking juices into a sauce pan and simmer to reduce. Add in some corn starch to thicken if necessary.  Once reduced, pour over roast and serve. Like so:

That’s it, folks. In the words of Ina G, “How Easy is That?” And trust me, it’s GOOOOOOD.

Fat Tuesday [Pumpkin Chili]

Happy Fatty!  More importantly, Happy October Fatty.  As you can probably tell, we’re on a pumpkin kick over here.  And being that it’s the Fall, why the hell not, right?  When I was picking up my canned pumpkin for last week’s recipe, I remembered last fall I cooked up a pumpkin chili that was fab-u-lous. And I must have promptly lost the recipe, or maybe it was on my work computer, but all’s I know is it’s gone, which is a damn shame.  Anyway, I scrounged up another recipe off the interwebs, changed it up a bit as is my wont (using Cinnamon!), and am here to share.

I should warn ahead, this makes a wholelotta chili.  I was making up a batch to taste test for a party. And I am sure it would have been more than enough to share with the group. So if you are cooking for just two or three, go ahead and make this and store the rest in the freezer. I hear chili gets better with age.  Just like me.

Ingredientses (not all pictured):

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 lb ground turkey (feel free to use ground beef if that’s your jam)

2 cans (no-salt added) diced tomatoes with juices

1 can tomato sauce

1 can pumpkin

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can pink beans, drained (or you can use black beans, or no beans.whatever. I like beans. )

1 bag of frozen corn (I used Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn, which I think was a goooood idea)

1 1/2 tbsp Chili Powder

1 tbsp Adobo seasoning

1 tsp of Brown Sugar

1 tbsp of ground Cinnamon (I used this to bring out the pumpkin, and also I like a cinnamon tinge to my chili, so use less if you don’t)

Sour Cream & Scallions for garnish. Add cheese too!  I just didn’t have any on hand. Oh, and Tostitos. They go real good, too.

Directions:

1. Heat up oil in large saucepan (I used a large cast iron pot).  Large is the operative word.  Cook up onions, bell peppers, and garlic.

2. Add in ground turkey and brown. Drain once cooked.

3. Add in remainder of ingredients: tomatoes, tomato sauce, pumpkin, corn and spices.   Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes to allow liquids to cook down. Try not to be alarmed by the sheer amount of chili you have just created:

(That’s a wholelotta chili!)

4. Serve up with sour cream, cheese and scallions. And grab some Tostitos. Cuz they gooood. Ready to drool? Do it:

Happy Pumpkin Fatty!  Enjoy.

PS- Because this was a less spicy, more brown sugar/cinnamon based chili, Colin loved this!  And I love anything I can share at the table with him. But if you prefer a spicier chili, I would switch out the amount of brown sugar/cinnamon and add green chiles. But then, that would be a whole different recipe!

Fat Tuesday [Quick Easy Pumpkin Bread]

Recently, a conversation went down in my house like so:

 Kase: Well, is that so, Grouchy?

Kate (eating a Kit-Kat while simultaneously opening another): Did you just call me Pudgy?

Kase: What? N0! I called you grouchy.  (to be fair, I was being slightly disagreeable)

Kate: Oh, I thought you called me fat. I’m going to make a cake.

So naturally, that is what I did. Well, a cakey bread, really. Whatever. I’m sure a lot of you have seen the 2 ingredient pumpkin bread recipe floating around the interwebs, but I decided to change it up and bake it up! So while not maintaining the “ease” of using 2 ingredients, I think it’s worth the extra 5 seconds of your time.

Ingredientses:

1 box of Spice Cake mix

1 can of Canned Pumpkin

1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Walnuts (optional)

Cream Cheese frosting (optional, but you’d be a fool not to. Just sayin’)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix, canned pumpkin, spice and walnuts with hand mixer.  Spread into greased baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to sit for 30 minutes and cool, then frost. And then. O.M.G. You’re welcome.

Fat Tuesday [Baked Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs]

Happy Fatty!  This week’s recipe is an ode to Shaw’s grocery store, and more specifically, their ready to go a la carte hot bar. Yeah, I’m fancy. You see, they have this Teriyaki meatball that is legendary. I say legendary as it reached that status in my mind because in the entire time I lived in Boston, I ordered it once and then never saw it on offer again. Which was a shame really, cuz they was delicious. Especially with their fried rice. Yummy. So I decided to cobble together a few recipes found on the old interwebs and came up with this deliciousness. Try it out.

Turkey Teriyaki Meatballs

Ingredientses:

1 lb. Ground Turkey

3 stems of scallions (green onions), chopped

1 tbsp Ginger (if you’re not a fan of ginger, I’d go ahead and skip this)

1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce (I cheated and bought it)

1 cup of plain bread crumbs

1 tsp soy sauce

1 egg, beaten

Cooking spray

Glaze Sauce:

1 cup of Teriyaki Sauce

1 can diced pineapple with juice

Directions:

1. Combine ground turkey, teriyaki sauce, egg, scallions, bread crumbs and ginger. Combine well.

2. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form 2 inch meatballs and place onto baking sheet, like so:

3. Place into 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.

4. Pour glaze ingredients into large sauce pan. Add partially cooked meatballs and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Yummy!

Enjoy!

Fat Tuesday [Cornish Game Hen with Roasted Vegetables]

Happy Fatty!  I’ve decided that it’s high time I start to actually cook meals in my home again (rather than re-heat or defrost).  And this one’s really easy, and perfect for the fall.  Perfect comfort food! And the best part? Takes about 10 minutes to put together.

Cornish game hens- I can’t hear those words without giggling thinking of the commercial (I think it’s for cell phones?) with the lady walking through a parking lot with her husband talking about how she is going to serve them at a dinner party “that way everyone gets their own little chicken”. And for someone who hates sharing, getting my own little chicken is kinda perfect.

Ingredientses:

2 cornish game hens*

Chicken seasoning (I use McCormick’s Chicken Seasoning)

1 head of Cauliflower

Baby Carrots

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

*recipe serves two, not four*

Directions:

1. Get your game hens on, people!  Really though, just prepare the CGH by rinsing thouroughly and patting dry. Then season as desired on both sides. Place those puppies on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and place in an oven set to 350 degrees for 1 hour.

2. Next up, grab the cauliflower and chop into 1 inch florets.  Place on baking sheet with baby carrots (onions would be super yummy too, though I didn’t have any on hand) and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Coat vegetables and spread evenly. Place in oven with hens for 30-45 minutes. Toss about 20 minutes in to ensure even roasting.  Have child supervise roasting, like so:

Mmmm, roasted carrots.

That’s it. Plate it up and call it a day. Kase has already requested this meal again, and it’s so easy, I am inclined to go ahead and do it, like the good little lady wife I am. I would do more roasted veggies next time though- Colin ate all my carrots. Apparently, despot *loves* himself some roasted carrots. And since he rarely eats veggies, I’m gonna go with it!

What was especially nice about this particular meal? We got to eat it as a family at our dining room table. Which is a first. Really.

Enjoy!

Fat Tuesday [Cheesy Corn Bake]

Happy Fatty!

Last Tuesday I gave you all a little sneak peek into this week’s Fat recipe. And trust me, this one is fat.  Which means it’s goooood.  It’s called Cheesy Corn Bake, and it’s brought to you by TheKitchn.com.

I liken this recipe to Mac N’ Cheese, but with corn.  So it’s pretty rich for a vegetable side dish, but in our house, we take our vegetables whatever way we can. Like, with cheese.  The more cheese, the better. Know what I’m sayin? Word.

Ingredientses:

1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk (I used 2%)
1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
1 ounce cream cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 cups corn, fresh or frozen (if using frozen, thaw and drain first)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Sauté bell pepper in a little bit of olive oil over medium to medium high heat. Set aside.

In a sauce pan, melt butter on medium-low to medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth (and the flour taste is cooked out)

Pour in the milk and cook, constantly stirring, until very thick. Mix in cheddar and cream cheese and stir until melted and creamy.

Remove from the heat and season with salt and cayenne.

Combine the cheese sauce, red pepper, and corn in a large bowl. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.

Pour into a baking dish and bake until hot and bubbly, about 35 minutes.

Ready for some before and afters? Okey dokey!

Before

After

Fat Tuesday [Sloppy Joes]

Sometimes when it’s not so nice out, a girl just wants some comfort food, the same kind she grew up on.  And sometimes, when she is strolling the aisles at the grocery store and comes across a McCormick’s Sloppy Joe seasoning pack, she is transported back to a kitchen with linoleum tile and formica counters, and she thinks, “yes, we shall eat the sloppiest of all joes”.

I found this other recipe and so I combined the instructions on the packet and added in the extra goodies, like corn and red peppers.  Yum!  So delicious and very, very Fatty.

Here ya go:

Ingredientses:

(raw meat not shown, cuz....it's gross)

1 package of hamburger buns

1 package of lean ground turkey

1 McCormick’s Sloppy Joe Seasoning packet

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup corn (can use frozen)

1 can tomato paste

1 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Brown meat in frying pan.  Remove meat and drain. Replace meat in frying pan and add tomato paste, seasoning packet, water, red bell peppers and corn. Bring to boil, and then allow to simmer, about 10-15 minutes.

Extreme Sloppy Joe Closeup

Done-zo!!! You can plop that goodness onto some hamburger buns if you want, or just leave it as is.  It’s that good.  And here’s a sneak peak for next week’s Fat Tuesday (if you follow me on Pinterest, you probably can take a very edumacated guess as to what that is on the left there):

Fat Tuesday: Watermelon Basil & Feta Salad

Hey there fatty!  I got my butt back in the old kitchen and whipped up a tasty little dish this weekend.  We are basically homesteading on our patio- we are swimming in basil, people. Swimming in it.  And I love a pesto as much as the next girl, but in 90 degree heat? Pasta isn’t really up my alley in that kind of weather. But you know what is? WATERMELON.

I love me some watermelon.  We joke around that Colin is 75% Yogiberry (a self serve soft serve yogurt store in Shirlington) and 25% Watermelon. I lived on the stuff last summer while pregnant.  Strangely enough, I haven’t partaken in it too much since he was born.  But I whipped up this salad and ate the entire thing. Man, I forgot how much I love watermelon. Yummy! So here ya go:

Watermelon, cut into 1 inch cubes

Feta cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

Basil, julienned, to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

This is going to be filed under “Recipes so easy, even Kate can make it!”

"Hey bud, grab me a cutting board, would ya?"

And…yeah, that’s it. Easy peasy.  And oh so yummy. Trust.

Here’s a sneak peak for next week’s Fat Tuesday. Get excited, cuz it’s TASTY:

Fat Tuesday [Kate’s Panzanella Salad]

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know I love me some bread.  The other day, I stopped into my Trader Joe’s and was salivating over their bread section.  But since I am trying to cut out my pooch bread, I generally steer away. Around these parts, we call bread “The Bad Stuff”. I am a recovering bread-a-holic. It’s real, people. In fact, I would venture you may see a “celebrity” afflicted with this addiction on the next season of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.  I live in a constant fear of a bad relapse where I wake up dazed and confused in someone else’s home and can’t recall how I got there. Which is what happens every year on Thanksgiving, what with two, sometimes three varieties of stuffing at my disposal. And dinner rolls. And wine. But I digress.

Anyways, I had a thought. I could make a panzanella salad, one of my favorite summertime meals.  I’ve seen about a gazillion different recipes, but this time, I went rogue. And I created what I consider my very own version of Panzanella- cherry heirloom tomatoes doused with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and topped with mozzarella balls. It’s quite possible it’s been done before, but not in my house, so I can pretend I created it.  This got Kase’s seal of approval, and got me my bread fix, without me going overboard*. And you can tell yourself you had salad for dinner so you really deserve dessert. Know what I’m sayin?

Kate’s Panzanella Salad

Ingredientses**:

2 packages of cherry tomatoes (I used heirloom mixed with plain old cherry or grape tomatoes)

1 English Cucumber

1 Red Onion

1 loaf of crusty Italian bread or you can use a French Baguette

Maple Grove Farms Balsamic Vinaigrette with Maple Syrup

1 package of Ciliegine Mozarella Balls (these are the small, cherry sized mozzarella balls in the cheese section)

Fresh basil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

I like to grill my French loaf first, so I slice a few pieces and then grill them (either on the stove using a grilling pan or on the grill itself). Brush the bread with a little olive oil and place on grill, toasting each side.

Cut cherry tomatoes in half and place in bowl, along with thinly sliced onions. Peel and slice one english cucumber. Add to bowl.

Slice mozzarella balls in half and add to bowl.

Chop up some basil (to taste) and add to bowl.

Add cubed grilled bread and mix together while adding dressing to taste.

Enjoy!

*By overboard, I mean, there were three separate occasions this winter alone where I ate an entire tube of (baked) honey butter flaky Grands biscuits. That is 12 biscuits at about 400 calories each. Which I smeared with butter. Yes, that would be going overboard. But damn, they are good. You should try them sometime. I myself am banned. 😦

**TM Teresa Guidice from Real Housewives of NJ.

Fat Tuesday [Baked Chicken Tendaaahs]

Happy Fatty!  Actually, this Tuesday’s Fat Recipe is Skinny. As in Skinnytaste.com.  Have you heard of that website? My girl Haylen sent it to me, and I immediately found a simple recipe to make that was dee.lish! Basically, the blog consists of awesome recipes and she breaks down the calories, including Weight Watchers points.  I’m not on Weight Watchers, but hey, I did it once just to track my eating habits (which turns out, were horrendous), and I know I had something like 20 points a day, and this meal is 4 points total.  So yeah, it’s super yummy, and not something to feel guilty about when you are stuffed.  And Kase LOVED it. So here it is, peeps:

Baked Chicken Tendaaahs (That’s tenders for you non Mass folks out there)*

1 package Chicken Tenders

2 tsp olive oil

2 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

2 tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs

6 tbsp Italian Seasoning Breadcrumbs

Olive oil Cooking Spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.

Put the olive oil in one bowl and the breadcrumbs, panko and parmesan cheese in another.

Put chicken in the bowl with the olive oil and mix well so the olive oil evenly coats all of the chicken.

Place strips of chicken into breadcrumb mixture to coat, then on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the top with olive oil spray then bake 8 – 10 minutes. Turnover then cook another 4 – 5 minutes or until cooked though.

This is whatcha get:

I could have browned them a bit more, but ya know, I was starving, as per usual, so once the timer went off, I snatched those puppies out of the oven and snarfed them down.  Kase absolutely loved these and made me promise to make them again- the parmesan with the breadcrumbs is a definite upgrade from just using breadcrumbs alone, and I am not sure if it is the olive oil or it is baking them, but these tendahs were very very juicy and didn’t taste as “breaded” as when you use an egg yolk, which is an improvement in my book. Anyway, if you don’t believe me, you can read the reviews on her site.  Definitely make these.

*adapted from this recipe.

Fat Tuesday [Peanut Noodle Salad]

Let’s try something new shall we? It’s called Cooking. Yes, I know, I love to eat. But I have a confession. Me no likey the cooking.  I blame the fact that I always assume that if I follow a recipe, it will end up being super delicious, and it always ends up okay, but not “it was so worth it to cook this myself rather than order this” kind of good. Know what I’m saying? I never have that issue with baked goods, which is why I love baking. But cooking? Not so much.

So in order to motivate myself to cook more meals at home, I am going to start a little thing called “Fat Tuesdays”.  These will consist of me sharing simple simple simple recipes I have tried out and which have gotten the seal of approval from the Man of the House (Kase, not Colin. Colin is the Despot of the House).

A couple of weekends ago, we had some friends over for a barbecue.  Except I felt like making it a little different, so we decided to call it a Tiki Barbecue and serve some food of that ilk.  Which meant I made some sweet and sour shrimp kebabs (skewers?), chicken satay and then a peanut noodle salad. I made a lot of it- for about 12-15 people- so we actually ate the leftovers on Saturday with my parents.  More good reviews.  So, I feel confident enough to share.

Peanut Noodle Salad

1 package of Udon Noodles (can be found in International Food Aisle)

1 bottles of Annie Chun Peanut Sauce  or if you like it spicier, try House of Siam Bankok Peanut Sauce (the noodles will drink up this sauce, so be prepared!)

Diced red pepper (or orange, or yellow, or hell, all three. why not)

Snow peas

1 Can Bean Sprouts (La Choy makes this)

Shredded carrot

Diced mango

1 package of stir fry chicken pieces

Directions:

Dice all vegetables (or drain from can) and place in large bowl, like so:

action shot!

Boil noodles for 4 minutes or according to package instructions. Remove from water and rinse thoroughly. Add to vegetables in bowl and add some peanut sauce (otherwise, the noodles will stick together like glue. No bueno). Toss to coat.

that's a whole lotta peanut sauce. now add more.

Cook chicken and when cooked, add Peanut sauce to brown.  Remove from pan and add to noodles.

Add remainder of bottle of peanut sauce and toss. No, I am not joking. Trust me.

Place in fridge to cool for 30 minutes.

I am far superior at eating than I am at food photography.

Eat. Then have seconds.

That’s it, Folks.  But trust- it gets pretty good reviews around these here parts.