Memorial Day Recipes

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Thanks to no snow days here in the Midwest this year (a rarity!) Memorial Day means more than just a day off in honor of remembrance. This year, for us and for many, it truly kicks off summer as schools wind down and/or let out. As you remember our troops, whether with a family gathering, or a barbecue following a memorial parade, we bring you some easy, but delicious and fun Red, White & Blue recipes and picnic recipes for your event.

Red, White & Blue Skewers

• Wood skewers
• Blueberries (as large and firm as you can find), approximately 40
• Firm watermelon (3/4-inch squares), approximately 40
• Feta, or other white block cheese, approximately 8 ounces, cut into small cubes

Thread berries, melon and cheese onto skewers, repeat until all but one and a half inches of the skewer are full.

Red, White and Blue Stuffed Burgers

Ingredients (serves 8, and is easily doubled or tripled)

• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1 tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup blue cheese
• 1/2 cup finely diced white onion
• 8 hamburger buns
• toppings of your choice
  Season beef with seasoning. Form into 16 thin patties. Combine tomatoes, cheese and onions. Place a small scoop in the center of each of 8 patties, and flatten out. Top with remaining patties, and crimp edges . Grill to desired doneness, being careful when turning.

Parmesan Baked Veggies — Artichokes, Zucchini or Asparagus… you pick!

I can tell you one thing I don’t like… and that’s recipes that say something has to be cooked a certain way. I am a big fan of flexibility in cooking, and giving you the permission to make alterations to recipes that fit with your diets, preferences, and tastes. Here then, is a great recipe for you to use for a multitude of vegetables. Zucchini and asparagus out of your own garden or from the market, or canned artichoke hearts from your pantry. Use what you have on hand or are in the mood for, with the same prep method…. and enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus OR 2 cups zucchini, diced, OR 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Toss vegetables of your choice in olive oil and arrange in baking pan .
3. Sprinkle with salt, Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Mother’s Day Gift for your Daughter-in-Law

When coming up with a title for my book 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store, I had many title variations. One I did not even consider was “The Daughter-In Law”. If I had to rename this book, that name would definitely be a contender. Why, you ask? Because of the number of people who buy the book for their daughter-in-laws in hopes of relieving their dinnertime stress and removing the chicken nuggets and frozen pizza from their son and grandchildren’s dinner menu.

I realize the mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship is a tricky one in which I wouldn’t interfere if I didn’t think there was a purpose. Anyone’s life deserves a little stress relief, and I know the book can help. I know it is particularly useful to young working mothers because that is when I wrote the book — for myself and my best friend who were both desperate for a solution. I do still have young kids (my oldest is 9, my youngest is 2), and I still, obviously, work. I have used this book for the better part of 7 years, and I will continue for the next 16 and beyond (scary when you look at “dinner” that way, isn’t it?!).

If you are a Mother-in-Law searching for the perfect gift for your daughter in law, 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store is a popular option. If you live in the Chicagoland area and purchase a personalized cooking class as a gift, you will get a free copy of the book for yourself (the recipient already gets one included with her class). You will be giving the gift of time and stress relief, which every mother deserves.

A 70 Meals Success Story

I tell my students in my cooking  classes and the patrons at my cooking demos to “trust me” that the cookbook really works. I know it does because I use it myself. Truly, 5 meals out of 7 busy weeknight meals I make for my family are out of this book. But I’ve been using it for the 4 years since I started the first draft, and the book continues to surprise me.

I always have the majority of the ingredients on hand, at any given time. This means I can make nearly any one of the 70 meals in the book without a trip to the store for ingredients.

Yesterday, I began preparing for a nice media day on Monday, where my amazing publicist Meggan has booked me on the NBC-Milwaukee morning program “The Morning Blend.” I will be preparing three dishes from the book, Grecian Chicken, Meatball Sandwiches and Southwest Pasta. Immediately following, I will be doing a book signing at a local grocery store, Sendik’s, where I will be giving out samples of the Grecian Chicken and the Southwest Pasta. I know will need a lot of food. There will be three pounds of pasta, 2 crock-pots full of Grecian Chicken, and since I’m cooking anyway, I’ll be making enough meatballs to feed my family the night of the demo. As I assessed the recipes in my head on my way to the store, I could come up with very few things I didn’t have on hand at home. So I brought a copy of the book into the store with me, to reference the recipes and make sure I was covered. Sure enough, there were only a few needs. For the Grecian Chicken, all I needed was artichokes, for the Southwest Pasta, some green peppers, and for the meatball sandwiches: rolls, Mozzarella cheese and ground beef. I spent $20. Twenty Dollars! And ten minutes in the store. What I bought, combined with what I have on hand at home will feed more than 40 people in various proportions. And I have NO storage pantry other than my standard shelves.

It was a great reminder to me why I am out there at classes and events promoting this book. It really does work.  By shopping smart, buying less ingredient clutter, and stocking up on Smart Ingredients, I am truly manned for dinner success. Canned diced tomatoes? I always have them. Taco Seasoning? I buy McCormick’s bulk size for $4.39 and it lasts me one year. I have plenty of chicken in the freezer, and plenty of pasta on the shelves. A large amount of stress was eliminated from a lot of planning and a busy day.

Tools for Success

If you’ve come to one of my cooking classes you’ve heard me talk about how important it is to have equipment in your kitchen that makes you happy. Being happy while cooking is a major step toward relieving the stress of dinner crunch time. Items that work well for you make you want to work harder in the kitchen. This week, we are on vacation in Florida staying at a condo where we are cooking many of our own meals. The condo kitchen is well-stocked with gear, but it makes me realize just how much I love my gear at home. It’s not that I have the best of everything, or every gadget under the sun, but rather the few, classic kitchen tools that make cooking an easy pleasure.

I’m realizing, form our time apart, that my kitchen knives are something I do not like living without. I do have some amazing Wusthof knives that I love (these retail for close to $100), but I also have a few inexpensive Santoku knives and some serrated knives from Pampered Chef that are some of the top tools in my kitchen.

I know it is not just me who finds great joy when my knife slices a tomato with ease, or cuts a grapefruit into delicious slices for my kids without fighting with the rind. Considering how much time we spend doing it, we deserve to have the tools that make cooking a pleasure. And these days you can find them without breaking the bank. The above color-coated santoku knife from Pampered Chef sells for just $17.50, (visit www.pamperedchef.biz/mirandaalt) which is a great price for a very good knife. Or at houseware stores like Little Traveler in Geneva, IL you can get a perfect-sized Zyliss Pairing knife for under $10. Whether it’s having one great pan, one good knife, a vegetable chopper or a favorite crock pot, making a small investment in great-working kitchenware pays for itself many times over in money saved on eating out and the joy found using it with success in your own kitchen.

The Season’s Best

How many ingredients can you think of that go as well with fish as they do in a smoothie, yet can also brighten up a pizza? Mango is a surprising fruit, and can do all three.

You may think this is a bit off-track of the typical pantry ingredients I cover, but I also like to give note to the “ingredients of the season”, and mango is IT! WIth so many other produce flavors suffering a bad few crop years, mangoes are ripe and ready and this means they’re everywhere, they’re priced right, and they taste great.

Buying a Ripe Mango

Like most tropical fruit, mangoes are picked under-ripe to save some of the ripening process for transit. When ripe, the fruit is soft to the touch, but not mushy and gives off a sort of sweet, sort of resinous smell. Look around when you’re at the mango fruit stand. You won’t be the only one sniffing! If you buy one that’s under-ripe, store it in a cool, dark place, then in a refrigerator after ripened.

PItting the Mango

In the center of the fruit is a large flat, oblong seed. The key to pitting a mango is knowing which direction the seed lays. You get the majority of the fruit by cutting to either side of the flat but wide seed. To pit a mango, place it stem side up with the narrow side facing you. Make a vertical line starting at 1/4″ to the right of the stem. Repeat on the other side. To easily remove the flesh, lightly score the mango into diamonds. Buckle the skin, pushing the flesh outward so that it resembles a porcupine. Slice off the cubes.

The flavor of mango is great solo, or in a smoothie. But it also can be a delicious savory pairing. Try the following recipes to see how mango makes a great addition to your lunch or dinner.

RECIPES

Tuna Mango Salad

Use this like your regular tuna salad served on bread, tortillas, or over a bed of lettuce.

Ingredients

• 8 oz. cooked tuna
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• ¼ cup cucumber chunks, meat only
• 1/8 cup diced onion
• ½ tsp. hot sauce
• 2 T banana pepper, diced
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients. Serve chilled.

Goat Cheese, Mango and Roasted Red Pepper Pizza

Ingredients

• Pizza dough (see recipe below)
• 8 oz. goat cheese
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 mango
• 1 red pepper
• 1/8 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt

Roast red pepper in oven until skin blackens. Cool and peel. Cut both mango and red pepper into ½ inch strips. Roll out pizza dough. Prebake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Combine cheeses, onion and garlic salt. Spread cheese mixture onto dough. Top with mango and red pepper strips. Bake for 12 – 15 more minutes or until dough is completely cooked.

Teaching Kids to Cook

Food and cooking are a hot topic among this generation’s youth, and we should be grateful. There are an abundance of classes out there, children’s cookbooks and cookware, and even videogames. I encourage you to cultivate this ability in your kids. I realize that many of you feel that you must first be able to cook in order to instill that in our kids. But while my goal at Organizing Dinner is to help you know how to cook, and therefore be able to teach by example,  it doesn’t just have to come from you.

Cooking Classes

Consider all the activities you sign your child up for over the course of a year. Yes, self-defense, team sports and art are great lessons for kids to learn, but cooking is a skill that will serve them well everyday of their future. Reconsider adding a cooking class to their activity roster.

Letting them dig in

The kitchen is my domain. A place I like to claim as my personal holy ground. So it’s hard for me to let my kids go in there and desecrate it. I have to take a step back and realize that’s not what they’re doing… they’re learning. Yes, they waste food, yes, without a doubt they make an incredible mess, but as long as they learn from their mistakes and put some effort into reasonable cleanup efforts, isn’t this the way of life and learning? My 9-year old daughter and I have come to an understanding in which I teach her the safety rules of the kitchen when she is not cooking, and then I stay out of the kitchen when she decides to make a meal. Unlike my 7-year old son who is still figuring out that sour cream cannot be substituted for cream cheese on bagels and who I won’t trust using the stovetop or oven, my daughter achieves some pretty delicious results when left alone to make her own mess and do things her own way.

Cooking Out Loud

I try often to say what I’m doing with the food in between “mom, do you think there was ever an octopus that had 4,000 arms?” (7-year old) or “mom, mom, mommy, mommy, where’s my noosles?” (20-month old) I will say “just a second honey, I have to stir this flour into this butter so it doesn’t clump”. So, they may not be captive, but they are an ever-present audience. Someday their subconsciouses will recall these tips and help them make a better meal.

Cooking Mama

Talk about cooking for the digital age! This video game is the favorite of my kids on both their DS games and the Wii they got this Christmas. Normal, I would think, for my kids for whom cooking is an ever-present activity in our kitchen. But what surprised me is how popular this game is among their friends and children in general. (It’s a number one seller on Amazon). With this game, children are given challenges to make sometimes elaborate meals with proper cooking technique and within certain timeframes. When I played this with my kids I realized it is a great way for them to learn how to mix properly, knead dough, manage a proper boil on the stove, cut meat, proportion ingredients and much more. So cool!

The Smartest of the Smart

Using chicken broth as your base, you would be surprised the number of things you can make for dinner. Do you have rice in your pantry? Great, you can make a nice risotto. Some leftover chicken? Soup or pot pie. Beef?…Salisbury Steak.

Chicken broth is the number one “Smart” ingredient that I recommend you keep on hand in your pantry. And if you buy the dry broth granules in bulk, it’s something you will always have on hand, saving you endless times of having to run to the store in order to have something you can make for dinner. Try out some of the recipes listed below to see how chicken broth can help you get dinner on the table with less stress.

Risotto Recipe

*Note: Arborio rice is the “recommended” rice for making risotto as it best provides the chewy texture risotto is known for. If you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal with ingredients you have at home, any rice will do. If you’re using quick-cook rice, the cooking time will be a bit less.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to brown.
2. Add the broth one cup at a time, pausing between cups, and stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat and continue stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
4. Add additional ingredients as desired*. Add the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Stir to blend, and serve.

*Additional ingredients to risotto can include cooked chicken or shrimp, and almost any kind of vegetable already cooked or steamed. Some of the most popular variations include mushrooms sauteed in butter, and sauteed spinach, tomatoes or asparagus.

Following is a great chicken soup recipe that is much more elegant than a basic chicken soup, and not thick and heavy like a traditional cream soup. It’s rich yet light, and can stand alone as a great meal.

Delicious Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 packages seasoned rice
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 3 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can corn

Directions

1. In a stock pot over medium-high heat, brown the chicken and the fresh vegetables in the oil until all browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the broth, and continue simmering.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in the milk, and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly and thick. Add some of the broth mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir, then stir all of the milk mixture into the broth mixture.
4. Add the rice packages and both cans of corn, and simmer for an additional half hour or until rice is cooked through. Additional water may be added to thin out soup as desired.

Chicken broth is a vital ingredient in our 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook. If you have ground beef on hand, or even some left over hamburger patties, there is a recipe for melt-in-your-mouth Salisbury Steak that simmers the meat in broth for 25 minutes and results in a perfect gravy. Our delicious Chicken Pot Pie recipe uses one and a half cups of chicken broth for a quick and hearty weeknight meal.

Small but Smart

They’re small. They’re simple. But don’t take for granted how Smart bread crumbs are as part of your pantry. As you know, Smart ingredients are those ingredients that when kept on hand, bring you that much closer to success at dinnertime. A crust for meat, a topping for a baked dish, a binder for a delicious meatloaf. Bread crumbs are one ingredient that are a simple “must have” to keep on hand.

Following are some delicious recipes that use basic breadcrumbs to achieve anything but basic results.

The Traditional Meatloaf recipe from Organizing Dinner’s 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook is one of those recipes that seems so simple you forget why you don’t make it more often. It’s comfort food at it’s finest.

Traditional Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can tomato paste

Mix first 7 ingredients by hand and form into a loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spread tomato paste over top during last 10 minutes of cooking.

Baked Artichoke Hearts are a delicious, easy and different side dish that adds life to any dinner.

Baked Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients

• 2 cans artichoke hearts (drained)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Paremesan cheese

Toss artichokes with olive oil and salt. Spread in a baking dish. Top the artichokes with bread crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until top is browned.

Also try Gonnella’s Lemon Sole with Chive Butter recipe, using Gonnella bread crumbs to make a delicious crusted fish fillet.

What’s in Your Pantry?

So, have you had the experience where you wander through the grocery store wondering what you should buy … and if will it add up to more than just that night’s dinner? Me too, and I hate it. That’s why all of Organizing Dinner’s strategies are aimed at eliminating this, and other annoying roadblocks to dinner success. As you know, many of my recipes start with what I call “Smart” ingredients. These are ingredients that can be mixed and matched with so many things you are likely to have at home, that just buying them alone leads to so many meal options. At the top of my Smart ingredients list is canned diced tomatoes. They’re often priced under a buck, they’re pretty, they are versatile, and they can help you create any savory meal course with success. This Smart ingredient can be the centerpiece of a bruschetta appetizer, the basis of a creamy tomato soup (recipe below) or a Cabbage (Detox) Soup, top chicken (mixed with spinach) or fish (mixed with corn), liven up an omelette, mix into white rice with some taco seasoning to make a great side dish for tacos, or help you make many variations of sauce to top many kinds of pasta. Several of these recipes are listed below. Grab a can, or six, next time you’re at the store, and see if they don’t just make you a little “smarter” in your kitchen.

Quick and Easy Bruschetta

Ingredients

•            1 tablespoon olive oil
•            4 oz. cheese (feta, mozzarella, crumbled goats, gorgonzola, blue)
•            1/2 onion, diced

•            2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

•            1 can diced tomatoes, drained

•            1 tablespoon olive oil

•            Crustini (Or, sliced Italian bread, toasted)

Mix first six ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top crustini with tomato mixture and serve.

Tomato Florentine Soup

This soup is so hearty that served with a side of garlic bread, it makes a fabulous meal.

Ingredients

•            2 cups chicken broth
•            2 tablespoons butter
•            2 tablespoons flour
•            1 cup milk or cream
•            1 can diced tomatoes
•            1/3 package frozen spinach
•            1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•            1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:

In medium-sized pot on stove, make a roux by melting butter over medium-low heat, and mixing in flour, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in milk or cream. Add tomatoes and broth.

Add cream mixture and stir to blend. Mix in spinach. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often until cooked through (about 20 minutes). Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Italian-Style Pasta with Chicken, Spinach and Tomatoes

Ingredients

•            1 can diced tomatoes
•            4 chicken breasts

•            1 teaspoon diced garlic
•            2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

•            1 tablespoon olive oil
•            1/2 onion, sliced

•            1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
•            1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
•            1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

•            8 oz. pasta

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile sauté onions and garlic in oil in large pan for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add chicken, balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning and cook over medium high heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes each side. Add diced tomatoes and spinach to the pan. Cook until fully heated and some liquid evaporates. Serve over pasta, and top each serving with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.