Monday, October 11, 2010

Meal 160

Supper with friends - this maybe the first time in 2010 that we've had friends over??  That must mean our lives are way too busy!

We made hot turkey & cheese baked sandwiches - I think I've posted the recipe before but they were so good I'm posting it again just so you'll try it!!  This is exactly what we did last night.

Arrange hamburger buns on a baking sheet - pile with shredded turkey & shredded mozzarella.  In a seperate bowl melt 1 stick of butter, add to that 2 tbsp of prepared mustard, 2 "doinks" of balsamic vinegar (do you know what a doink is?  some people say dash), about 1/4 tsp garlic salt & about 1 tbsp poppy seeds.  Mix all this together & brush on the both sides of the top of the bun (yep inside & out).  Place tops on each bun & bake for about 20 to 30 minutes at 300 degrees.  Last night they were WONDERFUL!!

I also made potato soup that was simply cubed potatoes that I had boiled - then added half a cup of milk, half a block of cream cheese, one cream of chicken soup & salt to taste. Oh, and I added about 1 tbsp of dried parsley.

Our guests put together a great salad of baby spinach, an herb mix, sliced tomatoes & crumbled feta cheese.

Meal 160 complete....many more to come!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Meal 159

Tonight we are having grilled cheeseburgers, salads & "Sassy Sweet Potato Salad." 

Tony recently tried a Hardee's grilled cheese burger & loved it...so that's our inspiration there.

I got to sample the "Sassy Sweet Potato" salad at our farmer's market recently & feel in love with it.  I'm going to type in the whole recipe because I couldn't find it online.  It has several steps but it's a great treat.

Sassy Sweet Potato Salad
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 2-inch pieces
1/2 recipe Honey-Grilled Vidalia Onion (recipe for this will be posted too)
3 - 4 inch wedges fresh pineapple, peeled
1 tbsp low-calorie margarine
2 tbsp toasted walnuts
1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup nonfat sour cream
2 tbsp cider vinegar
fresh ground pepper to taste

1. In a pot of boiling water, cook the sweet potatoes for about 10-15 minutes until tender.  Drain and place in a salad bowl.  Prepare an outside grill with an oiled rack set 6 inches above the heat source.  On a gas grill, set the heat to medium.

2. Grill the vidalia onions on one side of the grill.  Place the wedges of pineapple on the other side of the grill.  Melt the margarine and brush over the pineapple.  Grill the pineapple for 10 minutes until it is carmelized.

3. Remove the onions and pineapple from the grill and dice.  Add the grilled onions, pineapple, and walnuts to the cooked sweet potatoes.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients together by hand to make the dressing.  Add the dressing to the sweet potato mixture and toss.  Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Honey-Grilled Vidalia Onions
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
3 large Vidalia onions

1. Combine the first four ingredients to make the honey sauce.  Prepare an outside grill with an oiled rack set 6 inches above the heat source.  On a gas grill, set the heat to medium.

2. Cut 3 6-inch pieces of aluminum foil.  Place the onions on the foil.  Brush each onion with the honey sauce.  Fold the foil into a package around the onion and grill for about 30 minutes until the onions are soft.  Remove the onions from the foil, cut in half and serve.

I did several things differntly from these two recipes....I roasted everything in the oven....then piled it all together.  We LOVED it!

Meal 158

Throw-back casserole!
Back in the early  years of our marriage we used to eat several versions of the classic - cream of "soups" casseroles.  Since the kids were gone last week I was feeling a little nostalgic about our early years of marriage & decided that it would be fun to make one of those again - just for the two of us.

I boiled egg noodles - added one can of cream of mushroom soup - one can of cream of chicken soup - some grated cheddar cheese & some browned meat.  I baked it in the oven until it was bubbly & also baked some garlic bread at the same time. 

The garlic bread was fine - the casserole was horrible.  I have no idea what I did wrong....but it was bad.
So much for nostalgia.

Meal 155-157

Eggs!! 
The kids were gone last week & Tony & I ate eggs at least 3 nights. 

One night we also ate biscuits, gravy & sausage.

Meal 154

This past week I made a meatloaf & threw some sweet potatoes in the over at the same time for baking.  I warmed up some frozen corn from this year.  I also fried some hoe cakes.  I've gotten spoiled to these lately.

By far, Tony & I were both most thrilled with the sweet potatoes....we added just a bit of butter & salt to them.  They were wonderful & they are so good for us!