Reinventing Thanksgiving Leftovers into a Casserole #SundaySupper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was truly a Special Thanksgiving.

I am thankful that Alexandra came home from College, we spent the day with amazing friends, my parents are both still here to share Holidays with us…. and my kids begged me to go shopping with them on Black Friday.

We got up at 3:30 am, hit the first store by 4:00 and were sitting down at our favorite Diner having breakfast by 7:30 am.  We had an absolute blast and I felt so blessed to have such an awesome morning with my kids.

Our Thanksgiving Table was filled with amazing food!  There was no way we could eat it all.  Although we have picked at our leftovers all weekend, we still have a ton.  We have a tradition that we reinvent our Thanksgiving leftovers into a casserole every year.  I don’t know what my kids like more, the Thanksgiving Meal or the Reinvented Leftovers! It is delish, lots of fun, and so easy! You must try it!

Leftovers needed:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Turkey, shredded
• Gravy
• Corn or Broccoli (I usually make one of each)
• Stuffing

In a 9 x 11 casserole dish, layer each ingredient.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins. or until Stuffing is crispy (the best part.)

It doesn’t get any easier than this!

Kid Ratings: Alexandra 9, Ronnie 9.5, Reis 10, Riley 10 (corn only)

 

One Pot Chicken and Pasta for Football #SundaySupper

It doesn’t get any better! What a great Football Season my boys have had this year.

They worked hard, played their hearts out and the results showed!  Reis and Riley’s teams are both going to the Super Bowl!

Not only is this a dream come true for them but it’s what memories are made of… these are the moments they will remember for the rest of their lives and relive with their children one day.

We were exhausted and  needed an easy Sunday Supper this week.  Reis loves to cook and helped me come up with this easy One Pot Chicken and Pasta Meal.

Quick, Easy, Nutritious and Delicious was the name of the Game Around the Family Table this Sunday Supper.

FAMILY FOODIE ONE POT CHICKEN AND PASTA 

2 lbs Chicken Breast, I prefer tenderloins

2 Cups Flour

1 Tablespoon Garlic and Pepper Seasoning

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon Garlic Goodness by Intensity Academy or 1 Tablespoon minced Garlic

1 Cup White Wine

2 Cups Chicken Broth

1 lb Spaghetti

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)

• Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan, I prefer using an electric skillet
• Mix Flour and Garlic Pepper Seasoning on a large plate
• Cut the Chicken into bite size pieces
• Dredge the chicken in the flour and cook on high
• When chicken is done, add Garlic Goodness, Wine and Chicken Broth and Simmer
• Cook Pasta
• When the sauce is becomes a creamy consistency, add pasta to the skillet and continue to simmer for 10 minutes
• Sprinkle Parmesan Cheese and Parsley on top and serve

We enjoyed this easy dish with Broccoli and a Caesar Salad.  It was the perfect meal after a busy weekend.

Kids Ratings: Ronnie 10, Reis 9, Riley 9.5

You will love Intensity Academy Sauces . Great way to add flavor to your meals.

Sometimes Fast Food is Around the Family Table

Last week I received a phone call from my good friend Lucille. Her son Gregory had another seizure.  Unfortunately for Greg, this time, he had fallen and had to be taken to the hospital to get 9 stitches on his lip and had chipped 2 teeth.   Gregory has a special place in my heart, I have known him since he was a toddler and he is one of those kids that brings so much joy to everyone. Greg, his brother Steven and my son Ronnie were quite a “crew” in their toddler days.  It wasn’t until recently that Greg started having seizures.

As a Mom, my heart broke for my friend Lucille.  I wanted to do something for her, knowing that there really wasn’t anything that I could do to ease her worry.  Being the Foodie that I am and believing  that Food cures all, Chicken Noodle Soup was in order.  But I was having one of those days that I just didn’t have time to make homemade soup.

Deciding that it was much more important for me to be there for a friend, I went through the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru and picked up Chicken Noodle Soup.  I have had their soup before and it is very good.

When I pulled around and saw this sign…. all I could think was…. they just get it!

Everyone knows  that I believe  the most important time you can spend with your family is Around the Family Table.  There are however times that no matter how much we plan, it is just not possible.  Chick-Fil-A has always impressed  me with their Fast Food Choices.  Fruit salad instead of fries, great salads…. and have you tried their carrot raisin salad? Delish!

When I saw that Chick-Fil-A was bringing back the Daddy Daughter Date Night… I realized that Chick Fil-A is a brand that is not only about their own success but also wants to help Families Succeed.  While all Fast Food Restaurants market to families…. Chick-Fil-A found their niche and they do it well.  Think about the lasting memories these Dads and Daughters will have.  They can then pass it down to their daughters…What a great tradition.

I love that while they want us to break bread with them during our busy week, Chick-fil-A is closed on Sundays.  They encourage us to bring back Sunday Supper Around the Family Table.

Food is Love and never miss an opportunity to show someone how much you care about them.

Every busy Mom deserves a night off…. so no recipe with this post.  Instead my kids have rated Chick-Fil-A.

Kid Ratings: Alexandra 10 (it is the only fast food restaurant she eats at), Ronnie 9, Reis 9.5, Riley 8.5

Guest: Gregory 9.5

Reinventing Leftovers into a new Masterpiece

I love to Reinvent Leftovers.  I make it a habit to cook extra the first time around with the intention of that something new will be reinvented the second time around.

We cooked way too many steaks this past weekend.  I was left with the dilemma of what masterpiece to create the second time around.

I tweeted out “What to reinvent with my leftover Steak?” and got some great suggestions from my Tweets:

@specialforksndy suggested steak sliced on top of green salad or rolled in tortillas with salsa… What a great suggestion! … except I didn’t have greens or salsa in the house and did not have time to run out.

@4everfoodie and @jackknightcooks suggested Fajitas!  My kids would love fajitas but I did not have the veggies & condiments required.

How about a Stir Fry over rice @burdladi suggested.. Another great idea but I did not have all the ingredients without running out.

Then @msmary1962 suggested some type of Beef & Pasta, perhaps soup…. Aha! I love creating new recipes and this was just the inspiration that I needed!

I’ve got steak, I’ve got seashell pasta….just need to come up with a great sauce…

I will save the Fajitas & stir fries for another night for sure…

Nothing Fancy Schmancy but a great Pre-Football Practice Easy Meal…

Reinvented Steak in a Creamy Red Wine Sauce

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Green Onions (I love to grow mine, so I always have some on hand)

3 Cooked Steaks sliced thinly

1 Cup of Red Wine

2 Cups of water

2 Tablespoons of Wondra Flour

1 lb pasta cooked (shells work great because they hold the sauce inside)

Saute green onions in the olive oil.

Add the steak and brown slightly.

Add red wine and reduce in half.

Mix water and wondra flour and add to steak mixture.

Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add cooked pasta and simmer.

I made this pasta dish with a side of  Broccoli  sauted in garlic.

Awesome, easy weeknight meal!  It may be even better than the first time around!

Kid Ratings: Ronnie 8.5, Reis 8, Riley 7.5

What is it about reinventing leftovers that warms my heart?  Maybe because I’ve had to reinvent myself …. and know that I have become a better person due to the reinvention…. the second time around can be an even better choice!

Faith, Family, Food and Football

The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor. -Vince Lombardi

Today is the first day of High School Football and it is my Oldest Son’s First Day on Varsity…I find myself reflecting…where did this all begin… How did we become such a Football Family?

If I had to describe my family in 4 words…. it may well be Faith, Family, Food and Football.  We seem to gravitate to words that start with F!

I can remember how it all started… When my daughter was 5, she decided she wanted to be a cheerleader.  Off we went to sign her up and on opening day, I can still remember the look on my husbands face…. it was an intense look that I had never seen before. By half-time, he was out of his seat and inquiring how he could help Coach… Little did I know this was just the start of the football family that we are now!

At that time, I had 2 young children and our football schedule was very manageable… Now with 4 children and 4 football schedules things are a little crazy… We have a game on Thursday Night, one on Friday Night, another on Saturday morning and the last one on Saturday evening!  And did I mention practice every night of the week?

Needless to say, organization is key to a fantastic, well fed, functioning Football Family!  See what I mean about us gravitating towards F’s!

As crazy as it can get, I wouldn’t want it any other way… We have had so many victories that we will never forget, so many disappointing calls that didn’t go our way, years that we had the starting quarterback and years that we sat on the bench….

When I look back, I can compare our Football Memories to life… sometimes you are on top of the mountain and others times you are down in the valley wondering how you will ever climb back up again… But in the end if you are committed to your family, you can make it through anything!

Food is love and there is no better time spent than Around the Family Table.  I can’t wait to get back and sit around discussing the results of this weeks games!

One of our favorite easy meals is Sesame Ginger Roasted Chicken, Roasted Carrots and Portuguese Rice.

A day of Great Cooking, Great Wine and Great Friends: The Teriyaki Burger from you know where

Things had been smooth sailing and Sandi aka @McMedia and I were very proud of our creations.

We decided we wanted a healthy burger, perhaps sliders…. smaller portions are always a good thing.  Well what else would one use if they wanted their burger recipe to be healthier but ground turkey… right?

We added red onions, pineapple and panko bread crumbs…. mixed it all up and couldn’t wait to throw it on the grill…

That’s when things started not to get so easy….you see this burger was way too healthy!  It was so healthy that there was absolutely no fat and it became very difficult to flip on the grill!  It actually took two of us to flip it on the grill and it maybe wasn’t the prettiest burger we had ever seen…

Well with a little creative burger design, we were able to save our Teriyaki Burgers from you know where!

And guess what?  They may not have been our prettiest creation but they sure were tasty!  We paired these with the Georges Duboeuf Brouilly 2009 and the wine complimented the teriyaki taste quite nicely.

My Boys Ratings:

Ronnie 9, Reis 10, Riley 8

Overall a huge success!

A day of Great Cooking, Great Wine and Great Friends: American Dream Burger

Sandi aka @McMedia and I were ready for our second burger challenge… The boys were anxiously awaiting to judge our next creation.

We decided on a more traditional burger with a twist… Blue Cheese!  We used some great ground angus steak in this burger, mixed in our delicious blue cheese that melted into the steak and just made for the juiciest burger ever!

  This baby doesn’t just look picture perfect  but it really did  taste like the American Dream!

My mouth was watering just looking at it…. It’s a beautiful thing!

We paired this Burger with Georges Duboeuf Julienas Chateau des Capitans 2009… Another beautiful and delicious American Dream would be the best way to describe this wine!

Ratings by my boys:

Ronnie 9, Reis 10, Riley 8

A day of great cooking, great wine and great friends: Portuguese Hamburger

When Wine Twits contacted me about their 3 Burgers, 3 Ways, 3 Wines. 1 Perfect Summer Night event #GDandBurgers.  I was thrilled and knew I wanted to share this occasion with friends.

This turned out to be one of the best days in my kitchen! My friend Sandi aka @McMedia came over to help develop the recipes  and my 3 boys eagerly helped judge our creations!

What burger recipes to make? Hmmm….

In case you haven’t noticed, I love to cook Portuguese Food.  The first burger had to be what else?  The Portuguese Hamburger! No bun, No cheese, No Tomato, No lettuce and No Onion, No kidding!  Just purely deliciousness!

What is that on top of the hamburger you ask?  What else would be on top of a Portuguese Hamburger but a Sunny side up egg!  Let me tell you when the yolk mixes with the juicy burger meat in your mouth… it is pure heaven!

And I haven’t even mentioned the best part…. the Chorizo, Wine Sauce that the burger sits in…..Incredible!  That’s where it is comical that there is no bun because I guarantee  that you can not eat this burger without some crusty bread to dip into this delicious sauce!  It really is that good!

Just when I thought this sauce couldn’t get any better….it miraculously does…. Why?  because we used Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais_Villages 2009 in the sauce!   This wine also pairs quite nicely with this burger.

Ratings by my boys:

Ronnie 10, Reis 10, Riley 10…. Can you tell they may have had this before and it is one of their favorite meals!

Portuguese Hamburger Recipe

• 1 lb Ground Round
• 4 Garlic Cloves thinly sliced
• 4 TBS Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Red Wine
• 1 Cup Beef Broth
• 1 small Chorizo finely chopped
• 2 stems of fresh Parsley chopped
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 2 TBS Butter
• 4 Eggs
• Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper to Season

I am a minimalist when it comes to food.  This is especially true when cooking Hamburgers.  I love to taste the meat in it’s natural state.

Form the Ground Round into 4 Round Patties no thicker than 3/4 inch and make sure the middle is a little thinner than the outside of the burger.

Brush the burgers with Olive Oil and season with Sea Salt and Fresh Pepper.

Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Place on the grill on medium flame and cook for approximately 7 mins. for Medium Rare Burgers.  Flip the Burger only once and do not press down with a spatula.  We want all those yummy juices to stay in the burger

I like to cook on the side burner of my grill so that I can keep a close eye on those bad boys.  So while the burgers are cooking I start working on my sauce.  You will love love love this sauce!  I promise!

Add the remainder of the olive oil to a large frying pan.  Add the garlic and chopped chorizo.  Saute until they start popping but be careful not to burn (there is nothing worse than burnt garlic.)  Add the red wine and the beef broth and bring to a boil.   Once it boils, simmer on low and add the parsley and bay leaf.  Once sauce is reduced in half, remove bay leaf and add the butter.  When butter is blended into the sauce, add burgers to the sauce.  Remove from heat and let sit.

Cook the eggs sunny side up in a separate frying pan in a little bit of butter.  Remove the eggs and place one on top of each Burger.  Spoon Some of the Sauce with the Chorizo over the eggs.

Make sure you have some crusty bread for that yummy sauce.  You won’t be able to resist!

The Best Meal I Ever Served

Maybe it wasn’t the tastiest or fanciest or even a meal served on my best china. But this was by far the most nourishing meal I have ever served.

I volunteered to prepare and serve dinner at Pinellas Hope, a local charity, with other parishioners from our Church.  I had no idea that this would turn out to be one of the most memorable meals of my life.

It was just delightful working in a kitchen with wonderful people preparing a meal for 200 unknown strangers.  I have to say, this is the first time in all my years of cooking that I was preparing a meal for such a large crowd.

We browned, we chopped, broiled and sauteed for 3 hours.  I have a whole new appreciation for chopping green onions.

I chopped them all without even cutting myself!

Shortly after we arrived, I came to the realization  that most of these individuals were no different than you and I.  Just as I was realizing that this situation could happen to almost anyone, I recognized someone who I knew very well.  I would never have imagined she had fallen on hard times.  She is one of the happiest, pep in your step kind of individuals that I know.

I have always said that what separates great cooks from good cooks is not the ingredients, it is our passion to nourish souls!

It was our pleasure to serve!

I am not sure whose soul was nourished more, the residents or mine.  Until this day, I always thought charity as simply being nice to people. Thank you Pinellas Hope for teaching me that it is so much more.

Food is Love …. and it can help change lives

CARING CHILI

• 2 tbs. Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Onion finely chopped
• 1 Medium Pepper finely chopped
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 29 oz. Can Tomato Sauce
• 1 15.5 oz. Can Kidney Beans
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Chili Powder

Add Olive Oil to heavy skillet over low heat.

Add onions, peppers and garlic and saute gently until soft and slightly browned.

Add remaining ingredients.

Cover and simmer over low heat about 2 hours or place in a slow oven and bake 2 hours.

Makes 6 to 8 servings, since I didn’t think you would be cooking for 200!

Did I tell you about the Texas Toast?

The Chili was Delicious!