Stromboli

Every couple of weeks, my friends and I get together for a cooking club. We browse over a collection of recipes, select one for that month, and then make enough to share one with each club member. This get together, one of my friends chose the pepperoni stromboli. My family will love any recipe that includes pepperoni, so I knew this would be a hit. I enjoyed it because I used a frozen whole wheat bread loaf, rather than the refrigerated crescent roll dough that many recipes like this call for.

I modified the recipe to fit with what my family enjoys most - below is my recipe for pepperoni stromboli!

1 frozen bread dough loaf - I like whole wheat
1 T. grated Parmesan cheese
1 T. dried parsley
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
8 oz package pepperoni
2 C. cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 C. sliced mushrooms
1/4 C. chopped onion
1/4 C. diced green pepper
1/4 C sliced black olives
15 oz. can of pizza sauce
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350. On a greased baking sheet, roll out thawed dough into a 15 X 10 in rectangle. In a small bowl, combine spices with 1/2 egg mixture. Spread the egg/spice mixture all over the dough rectangle. Next, top with pepperoni and toppings. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with long side.  Pinch seam to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down and brush with reserved beaten egg. Top with a little more mozzarella cheese. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown. I serve sliced loaf with warmed pizza sauce for dipping.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

I am lucky to have wonderful friends, some I have known since I was two years old. But on a hectic night, my best friend is my trusted crock pot. We all have them - the night when you have something scheduled the entire day, trying to coordinate in your head how you can get a meal in the oven and on the table in time for your hungry kids. I love this recipe for Chicken Cacciatore because it is a meal that is ready when I am ready. I have modified a recipe that was given to me by my mother. This is an easy, one pot meal that has the meat and vegetables already in it. I serve my chicken cacciatore with either a side of my family's favorite type of pasta or even mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore

1 pound chicken breast, cut into pieces
1 can tomato soup
1/4 C. Chicken stock
1/4 C. Dry Red Wine
1/2 C. onion, cut into long strips
1 green pepper, cut into long strips
1 can of mushrooms
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Put into crock pot, cook on low for 7 - 8 hours, or 3 - 4 hours on high.

Served with a side glass of red wine for the adults - delish!

Meatloaf, Schmeatloaf

An American classic, some would say. To my family, not so much... A meatloaf has been a quintessential family meal for generations. Basic ingredients always include ground meat, maybe some bread crumbs, milk or water, egg to bind it all, then topped with ketchup for a little pizazz. As a way to spice things up for meatloaf night, I modify this classic with an Italian Turkey Meatloaf. Often times, I am able to purchase ground turkey rather inexpensively in comparison to its counter parts (ground beef, ground chicken). I snatch them up from the store, and then three months go by as it sits in my freezer unused. In a quandary with what to do with ground turkey, I thought of using it in a meatloaf. Also, a meatloaf ia a great way for me to sneak fresh vegetables into the recipe without my kids even knowing they are eating them.

1 lb. ground turkey

1 egg (beaten)

1/3 C. milk

1/2 C. breadcrumbs

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 diced celery stalk, sauted in oil or butter

1 diced carrot, sauted in oil or butter

1/4 C. diced onion, sauted in oil or butter

A pinch of salt and pepper

1/2 C. mozzarella cheese

1/2 C. Marinara Sauce

Mix ingredients and form into a loaf. Top with extra marinara sauce. Bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees.

The Casserole Conundrum

Who knows this feeling... You finally are able to wrestle your hungry kids to the kitchen, have them sit at the table in time for a picture perfect family meal. Feeling proud of yourself, you pull out a bubbly, warm casserole dish out of the oven. You joyously skip to your seat, let out a sigh of relief that dinner is done, but then you look up to see complete disgust on your loved ones faces. This is known as "casserole boredom" in my household. While casseroles are arguably the easiest make ahead meal idea ever, I have seemed to get in a rut with which casseroles I make and the frequency in which they rotate in and out of our meal schedule. To combat this boredom, I have found ways to change up my normal, run of the mill casserole recipes. One of my favorites is my mother-in-laws recipe for Mexicalli Radiatore. My husband has fond memories of this dish as this was a favorite go-to meal for his mom. It is easy, quick, inexpensive and combines another favorite meal of my family - tacos! Hats off to Jan, my mother-in-law, for this recipe - Ole!

1 pkg. (8 oz) Rotini macaroni

1 lb. ground beef

1 pkg (1 1/4 oz) taco seasoning - I use the low sodium version when possible

1 1/4 C. beef stock

1 can (10 3/4 oz) tomato soup

3/4 C. sliced black olives

1 C. shredded Mozzarella cheese, 1 C. Cheddar Cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Sauté ground beef in large skillet, drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning, beef stock and soup, simmer 10 - 15 minutes. Stir in cooked macaroni, olives and 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Pour into greased 2 Qt. casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes.

The Breakfast Dilemma

Each morning, I am faced with an inevitable race. There is no 3-2-1 countdown. There is no applause to ease me out of bed and onto the starting line. It basically begins with a stumble out of bed in the dark in a sleep deprived coma. I can almost always count on one of my children waking up cranky, unhappy about something. With a calm smile on my face, I do my best to gently ease them out of bed and onto their days, the entire time screaming in my head that all I want to do is crawl back under the covers as well. I struggle with how to get a substantial, tasty or even better, healthy breakfast on their plates without digging into the Pop Tarts box or handing them a Ziploc baggie full of Lucky Charms. Last night, I tried out a recipe for strawberry muffins. The beauty of this recipe was that I made them last night and they were ready to roll first thing. I could handle putting a muffin on their plates while balancing my huge cup of Joe. To my surprise, it was a recipe that all of us enjoyed, including my husband who had one thrown at him as he left out the front door for work. The kids gobbled them up. Today, I won the race. I feel like a champ, looking for my trophy, but I know tomorrow it will start all over again, ready or not.