New Blog

I have started a new blog to update family and friends about my pregnancy. The link for the blog is below.

http://nicci-futuremotherhood.blogspot.com

Fruit Smoothie

Wow! Its been awhile and I'm not making any promises to do any better in the future with school starting back up now. Although, for some reason, I seem to do better when I am busier. For example, today was my first day back at work, and this is the first time I've sat down since I got home (it's almost 8:30pm), and I sit here bloging. I'd rather just be lazy and read my book, but I'm trying to be good. I'm making progess on the home as well. I installed two towel racks tonight. I'm trying to get things done, one task at a time. One of my plans for the summer (which is now over) was to get healthy, i.e. start working out and eat healthier. I've made progress with both, but not up to the level I had planned. As for the healthier eating, I've been trying to incorporate fruits into my diet by making fruit smoothies for me and my husband every morning. The basic recipe came from my much healthier older sis, whose site you can visit at http://smalltimecooks.blogspot.com/. All of the amounts are approximate, as I don't really measure anything to make them.

Jessica's Fruit Smoothie for 1

3/4 cup orange juice
handfull of baby spinach leaves
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 banana
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup frozen blackberries
Blend the orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again. That's all folks.

Orange Juice

Orange Juice, Spinach, and Flaxseed before blending.

Orange juice, spinach, and flaxseed after blending. It doesn't look good now, but it will. Trust me.

I like to freeze the bananas in 1/2 banana portions wrapped in wax paper and stored in a ziploc bag. Its a good way to use bananas that are starting to get too ripe.Then, I add the berries. This picture shows me and my husband's smoothie before blending the berries. I use the Cook's brand of the individual blenders (like Magic Bullet).Then blend and voila! Finished product.

Also, if you haven't looked up the many benefits of flaxseed, you can check out just one of the many websites that overview them here: http//www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/flaxseed-000244.htm

Florentine Meatballs

Ok...I think I'm back. We've finally moved in to our new house, and I still have a lot to do, but I'm going to try to post regularly. I've been telling my husband that we are going to get healthy this summer, so I've been trying to cook healthier foods. I've also been trying to integrate fruit into our diets. I've been leaving them out because I personally don't like many fruits. This dish is special because it has spinach in it and my husband still likes it! It is a Rachael Ray recipe from 30 minutes meals, it think.

Florentine Meatballs

1 10oz box frozen spinach, thawed

2 lbs. ground turkey

1 med. onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large egg

1 3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

EVOO

salt and pepper

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup chicken broth

1 10oz sack of italian blend cheeses

handful of chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wring defrosted spinach dry in a paper towel. Place the turkey in a bowl, then add the spinach, all but 3 tbsp. of the onions, all the garlic, the egg, 1/4 cup of milk, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Mix well and form into 12 large balls, then drizzle with EVOO. Arrange on nonstick cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Heat a small saucepan over med. heat. Add a drizzle of EVOO and the butter, let it melt. Add remaining onions, and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in the remaining 1 1/2 cup milk, and the broth. Bring to a boil, stir in italian cheese. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn heat to low and stir until cheese is melted. Serve sauce over meatballs, top with parsley.

What to Eat When the Husband Is Away

I've cooked and eaten some great food the last couple of weeks. My husband has been on a business trip, so I have taken the opportunity to make the foods that sound great to me. From reading this blog, you might remember that my husband refuses to eat most vegetables, which are my favorite. So, these recipes center around veggies. This one was my favorite. I'll post more soon.

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

2 eggs

2 egg whites

2 tbsp. milk

1 zucchini, chopped into 1" pieces

1-2 squash, chopped into 1" pieces

1/2 medium red onion, chopped into 1" pieces

1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1" pieces

1 tsp. olive oil

salt and pepper

2 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In small bowl, toss vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on cookie sheet and place in hot oven. Roast for approximately 20-25 minutes until veggies are cooked.Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend. Set aside. Spray an 8-inch-diameter nonstick ovenproof skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add roasted vegetables to the skillet, then pour the egg mixture over the vegetable mixture and cook for a few minutes until the eggs start to set. Crumble goat cheese over eggs and vegetables. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frittata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes. Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top. Enjoy!

Sorry for the blurry picture. I haven't been trying very hard to take good pictures lately.

Monte Cristos with Cajun Corn

Things have been busy around here. I feel like I say that a lot, but it's true, and I know that it is the same for almost everyone else in the working world. My younger sister's senior prom was last weekend, so I went to see her, and I've been getting her senior pictures printed.

Mom, Lindsey, Me

Speaking of senior pictures....they were taken by some friends of ours who have their own photography business. They are awesome and you can check them out at http://www.e4photography.com/. I would definitely recommend them if you live in the Houston area.

So, back to food...on Sunday, my husband grilled ribeyes and I made mashed potatoes. Herbed Mashed Potatoes

6 1/2 cups of potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
1/2 sour cream
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan, add milk and remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.


Tonight, I made monte cristo sandwiches and cajun corn. These sandwiches are ideal for lunches, but we are never home during lunch hours, so we have to settle for dinner. I think the Monte Cristo recipe came from Rachael Ray, but I can't remember.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 slices of bread
1/2 cup taco sauce
8 slices honey baked ham
8 slices pepper jack cheese
8 slices smoked turkey
2 eggs, beaten
splash of milk
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp butter
salt

Spread each slice of bread with a light layer of taco sauce. Build sandwiches using 2 slices each of ham, cheese and turkey per sandwich. Beat the eggs with the milk, hot sauce, and a little salt. Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture and cook in pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and the meat is heated through.

Cajun Corn Dish

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
In a saute pan, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper for 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Cook 3 minutes, stirring. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

On an unrelated side note...I'll leave you with a couple of creepy pictures we accidentally took of our cats tonight.

Southwestern Corn Salad

I think this dish will be my go-to dish for picnics. It was good enough that my husband liked it. Also, with some black beans and tomatoes, I think it could be an excellent dip for tortilla chips.

Southwestern Corn Salad

4 - 11 oz. cans white or shoepeg corn, drained

8 green onion, chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the corn, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Combine the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper; gently stir into corn mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Notes: I only refrigerated it for about 30 minutes and it was still good.

Spaghetti Casserole

Ugh...I've been sick for the last few days and I don't want to do anything. But, with the TAKS test (Texas' standardized test) next week, I can't miss a day of work. I wasn't able to cook dinner tonight, because I was sleeping. So, its a good thing I made a huge casserole on Tuesday night to hold us over. I found this recipe awhile ago and my husband really likes it. Plus, it makes enough to freeze leftovers.

Spaghetti Casserole

1 - 16 oz. package angel hair pasta

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 - 26 oz. jar spaghetti sauce

2 - 8oz cans tomato sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup (8 oz) sour cream

2 cups shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

Cook pasta according to directions. In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until done; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce. Remove from heat. Drain pasta. Combine soup and sour cream. In two, 8 inch square baking dishes, layer half of the meat sauce, pasta, soup mixture and cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and freeze one casserole for up to 3 months. Cover and bake the remaining casserole at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until cheese is melted.

To use frozen casserole: Thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking, then bake as directed.

Notes: I think that I will use an extra 16 oz of spaghetti sauce vs. the 2 cans of tomato sauce next time. Also, instead of making 2 casseroles with this recipe, I just made one 9x13 casserole this time. I froze individual portions of the leftovers for my husband to take for lunches.

Chicken Lo Mein

I love Chinese food. My husband hates to go out to Chinese restaurants. What's a girl to do, but learn how to cook it herself? I'm still working on it, and this is definitely not the best recipe I've made, but it's good enough to satisfy the craving. Also, a lot of the uncommon ingredients for this recipe stay good for a long time, so don't be afraid to buy them, thinking that they'll go bad soon.

Lately, we've been eating out a lot because we've been traveling up to the new house, so we are definitely ready to start eating some good food. I've been so busy lately with job interviews, that I don't have much time to cook. So, I'll be cooking some old, trustworthy recipes this week. Hopefully, my job situation will be settled by the end of next week (fingers crossed), and things will get back to our semi-normal dual house lifestyle.

Chicken Lo Mein

12 oz. linguine pasta

1 large onion

1 1/2 lbs. cubed, cooked chicken

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

3 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. oyster sauce

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tsp. sesame oil

Cook linguine according to package directions. While the noodles are boiling, whisk the last 6 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet. Coarsely chop the onion and add to the oil. Saute the onion until crisp tender; add chicken and heat through. Meanwhile, drain noodles when done. Add noodles and the liquid mixture to the chicken and onions. Turn the heat to high and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes. Serve.

Notes: I think I used too much linguine. Also, I added a little more soy sauce at the end for more flavor.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This week has been filled with traveling, and therefore little cooking. I have had 4 interviews and 1 job fair lately. It wouldn't be so bad, but its a long drive across Houston during rush hour. I have had one job offer and I think I'll get another this week. I'm trying to hold out for the second offer with Magnolia ISD. Hopefully this week will be better (plus no school on Friday!!!!). Anyway, I've wanted to post these enchiladas for a while. They are so not the traditional enchiladas we are used to, but they are still tasty. My husband really likes them and they are easy to make.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

4 0z. cream cheese, softened

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

10 flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup milk

1- 4oz can green chilies

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, and seasonings until smooth. Stir in chicken. Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up, and place seam side down in a greased 13x9x2 inch dish. In a bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk, and chilies. Pour over enchiladas. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese, bake 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

By the way...I'm posting this from my couch on my new handy, dandy HP Netbook. I've never had a laptop, and I'm super excited. Hopefully I'll post more often now that I can do it from anywhere in the house (maybe).

Banana Split Friday

My sister, Lindsey, and friends, Sara and Destiny, all got together for girl's night last Friday. We went to Gringo's for mexican food, as usual, and then went over to Sara's apartment to watch a movie. The highlight of the night was the banana splits everyone made. I never knew there was so much controversy over what to put on a banana split...pineapple, caramel, chocolate syrup, marshmallow puff, cherries, different flavors of ice cream, strawberry topping, whipped cream....the possibilities are endless. Here are a few of the concoctions...

Lindsey's: chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate, with some whipped cream, and a cherry.

Sara's: all vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and cherries.

Destiny's: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream, with whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate syrup.

Mmmm, Mmmm good!! Makes you want one too, doesn't it??

New House -- Meatball Pizza Subs

Spring break is here!!! Too bad I'm spending most of it working on the new house. The last three days have been spent painting and cleaning. Anyway, I said I would post some pics of the new house, so here are a few I took this morning.Here is the living room. Remember, we haven't moved most of the furniture, so foldable tables are all we have.

KitchenEntering the house.Part of the back yard.

View of part of the front yard from upstairs bedroom. You can see our tiny pond and the driveway.

Obviously, we have a lot of work to do outside, but we are focusing on the inside of the house for now. A lawnmower will be our next big purchase, and someday we hope to expand the pond.

In spending so much time at the new house, we've had to eat out a lot, which is getting to be very expensive. So, I cooked our first dinner at the new house last night. You need absolutely no dishes for this meal!

Meatball Pizza Subs

Hoagie Buns

1-15oz. jar of pizza sauce

2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese

20 slices of pepperoni

1 bag frozen cooked meatballs, thawed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Open hoagie buns and sprinkle approx. 1/3 cup cheese into each bun. Place 4 slices of pepperoni on top of the cheese on each bun. Place 3 to 4 meatballs in each sandwich. Now, spoon about a 1/3 cup of pizza sauce on top of the meatballs for each sandwich. Wrap each sandwich with aluminum foil and bake for approx. 10-12 minutes.

Voila! How easy is that???

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

I've been pretty busy lately. We recently bought a new house, which happens to be about an hour away from where we currently live. So, we've been spending some of our weekends at the new place, and we'll move there permanently next June. Hopefully, I'll have some pics to post soon. Anyway, I haven't had much time for posting or cooking. This is a recipe I made on Monday.

Spiral Pepperoni Pizza Bake

1-16oz package spiral pasta
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2-15oz cans of pizza sauce
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1-3 1/2 oz package of sliced pepperoni

Cook pasta according to directions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the pizza sauce, garlic salt, and italian seasoning; remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and Parmesan. Drain pasta; toss with egg mixture. Transfer to a greased 3qt. casserole dish. Top with beef mixture, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Cover and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer or until golden brown.

Notes: You could use spaghetti sauce instead of pizza sauce. Definately salt the pasta while its boiling. I didn't do this, and the pasta layer in the casserole was bland. I used grated Parmesan instead of shredded and the dish came out fine. Lastly, I only used about 3 cups of mozzarella. Four cups just seemed overwhelming.

Sour Cream Beef and Beans

In my never-ending quest to find quick and easy recipes, I found this microwaveable recipe. I know, many of you out there despise the microwave, but oh well. I just can't pass up recipes like this. It was quick, easy, and better than a tv dinner. If you like Frito Pie, then you will like this. It's basically Frito Pie with a mexican twist.

Sour Cream Beef and Beans

1 lb ground beef
1-15oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-15oz can enchilada sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1-4oz can chopped green chilies
1 1/2 cups crushed corn chips
1 cup sour cream
additional corn chips, optional

Crumble beef into an ungreased 2qt. microwave save dish; cover with paper towel or waxed paper. Cook on high for 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, stirring twice; drain. Stir in the beans, enchilada sauce, 1 cup of cheese, chilies, and crushed corn chips; mix well. Cover and microwave on high for 3 minutes or until heated through, stirring once. Top with the sour cream and remaining cheese. Heat, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with corn chips.

The Best Pasta Carbonara

I made the best pasta carbonara last week. The recipe is by Pastor Ryan from The Pioneer Woman website. Its not very healthy, but everything is ok in moderation...right? By the way, I just have to say, that I LOVE bacon. You can find the recipe here http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan-pasta-carbonara/. I promise, it's worth it.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

I've felt very uninspired lately when making my meal plans. I just can't find any recipes that interest me right now. I think I need to get a new cookbook. Anyway, I made this casserole today because I just couldn't find anything else I wanted to make.

Spaghetti Hot Dish

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 1/2 onions, diced

3 celery ribs, diced

1/4 cup butter

5 tbsp. all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups milk

2 tbsp. chopped pimientos

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 1/4 cups cooked spaghetti

1 cup finely crushed butter flavor crackers (about 25 crackers)

In a large skillet, cook beef, onions, and celery in butter over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add the milk, pimientos, and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in spaghetti; mix well. Transfer to a greased 11x7x2 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until heated through.

Superbowl!

We spent this superbowl at our friends, Matt and Sara's, new apartment. We had lots of food, as usual, and I thought I'd post some of it.

Nicci's Superbowl Dip

1 1/2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 envelope of taco seasoning

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 large can refried beans (~30 oz)

2 cups guacamole

3/4 cup sour cream

Brown hamburger meat in skillet; drain. Follow directions on back of taco seasoning envelope, but use 1 cup of water instead. While the hamburger meat is simmering, heat the refried beans in the microwave until warmed through. Spread the hamburger meat evenly in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan. Then add the refried beans on top, using a spatula to even it out.

Layer the shredded cheddar evenly over the top. Spread the guacamole over the top of the dish, again using a spatula to make it even. Place the sour cream in a ziploc baggie and press it down to one corner. Cut the corner tip off of the baggie, and pipe the sour cream onto the guacamole in whatever design you like.

Finished Product!

Notes: You can add olives, tomatoes, lettuce, or anything else that is typical of a layered mexican dip.

Matt cooking his jambalaya.

Destiny's jalapeno poppers.

The swedish meatballs my husband made.

Watching the 3D portion after the 2nd quarter.

Italian Baked Pork Chops

I tried to make these pork chops from Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade Cooking 2 cookbook tonight. I have to admit that I have tried several of Sandra Lee's recipes from this cookbook, and they never turn out correct. With that said, these pork chops did not look anything like the picture in the cookbook, but they still tasted good. I served the chops with a can of Glory brand string beans from a can and some rolls. The Glory brand canned veggies are really great because they have a lot of seasoning.

Italian Baked Pork Chops

1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp. italian seasoning

4 pork loin chops (I used 3/4 inch thick)

salt and pepper

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil, and italian seasoning. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of chops with mustard mixture. Press Parmesan into both sides of chops. Place chops on prepared baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until just cooked throught. (Nobody likes dry pork chops!)
Notes: I used pork chops I had on hand, which were 3/4 inch thick. Pork should reach an internal temp. of about 160 degrees, so I used a thermometer to tell me when mine were done. It's better than using cooking times because it's so easy to dry out pork, but it did take about 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the parmesan cheese should have browned a little, so I think I'll broil the pork chops (at least for the last few minutes) next time.

Glory brand String Beans being heated.

Tortellini Alfredo

This weekend, I bought a fully cooked, half ham at Kroger for a $1.39/lb. I actually took the time to cube the ham when I got home. I used my new handy, dandy vacuum sealer (Thanks dad!) to seal and freeze the meat. I never used to buy ham because it always seemed so expensive. Now that I have it on hand when needed, I can make recipes like this one whenever I please.

Tortellini Alfredo

2-9oz packages of refrigerated cheese tortellini (I like Buitoni brand)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1 can peas, drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

1 3/4 cups whipping cream

1/4 tsp ground pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Shredded Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute the onion in butter until tender. Add the peas and ham; cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cream and pepper; heat through. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese until melted.

Drain tortellini and place in a serving dish; add the sauce and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.

I thought I'd add in a couple of pictures of my cooking audience. My husband is rarely home when I cook, but these two are always watching (and waiting for me to drop something!).

Oil and Vinegar Slaw

Ok, so no excuses for my leave of absence...just a new recipe. This is Rachel Ray's O & V Slaw. I don't usually like coleslaw, but my younger sister and I made this once, and we really liked it. Disclaimer: Don't expect this to be anything like normal coleslaw, or you'll be disappointed. Also, only make this if you like dill pickles.

O & V Slaw

1/2 cup hamburger pickle relish (dill pickle relish)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 - 16oz sack of shredded cabbage mix for coleslaw

salt and pepper

Mix the relish with the oil and vinegar. Add the shredded cabbage to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.