Monthly Archives: July 2012

Garlic Ranch Chicken

Posted in Food and Drink, Freezer Meals, Main Dishes by

This dish could not be any easier!  Simply prepare these meals into portions, and bake when ready.  As I said in an earlier post, night school has made ready-made meals my best friend.  I’ve taken to buying chicken in bulk and dividing them with different seasonings/sauces in individual bags.  All you’ll need to do is defrost the bag of chicken the day before and bake.

This week has been so busy, that’s why I desperately needed some easy recipes!  After all my friends left, my cousin came into town for a few days!  We had a lot of fun, biking, walking the beach with our dogs and taking them to a special beach spot hidden near Little Talbot Island State Park.  While she was here we stayed so busy and I didn’t have time to go to the store, so having this in my freezer saved my life!  (OK, maybe not my life, but my wallet…)

Ingredients:

  • 4 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 bottle ranch dressing
  • 4 chicken breasts

Directions:

Mix ranch and garlic in two separate freezer bags.  Place two chicken breasts in each bag, and shake to coat.  Freeze until ready for use.  When ready, take out one bag, defrost, and place in a pan in the oven.  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes until cooked through.  Easy and delicious!

Finished meal!

Packed up and ready for the freezer.

Visiting Driftwood Beach with my cousin and our pups!

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Anthem

Posted in Books by

Hmmm.. I’m not exactly sure where to begin when it comes to Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem.  I was recommended it by my sister’s boyfriend who was currently immersed in The Fountainhead.  I think the recommendation came from my current obsession with dystopian lit, but I’m not exactly sure how I feel about this one.  The clear capitalist agenda behind it was a little scary, just because she seems obsessed with the man as an individual and how bad working as a team can be for the world.

The general plot around the novel surrounds the protagonist, Equality 7-2521.  Yes, seriously, that is his name.  The man is perfect in every way, but must live among the commoners because nobody is allowed to be superior to others.  He sneaks away at night, invents electricity, then is punished with jail time for not abiding by rules.  Backwards to say the least.

The portion of the book I found to be the most interesting was the point of view.  It took a few pages to figure out that every time a character said “we” he meant “I.”  “I” is a word that has been outlawed in the society to prevent people from acting selfishly.  Ultimately, Equality 7-2521 learns that it is not about “we” it is about “me” and decides he is not going to do anything that benefits others again unless it has his best interest at heart. This includes procuring a woman from a field he was working near.  Oh, and staring at his own reflection in a pond and thinking about how good he looks.  The last word of the book, “ego,” is meant to show that to a man, the most important thing in the world should be himself.  End of story.

I enjoyed reading it, but I’m not sure I liked it in the end.  I read it during my breaks in night school over two nights, so it took basically no time at all if you want to check it out for yourself.  I don’t doubt that there is a reason this book is taught profusely in Florida high schools, but I am having some trouble seeing it.  I’m sure people would argue otherwise, but I’ve always thought being an egomaniac is something that should be avoided.  In Rand’s world it is the only thing.  Man is the god of himself.

Zucchini “Crab” Cakes

Posted in Food and Drink, Main Dishes, Vegetables by

When my friends were visiting the other day, we went to brunch at Fly’s Tie Irish Pub.  Generally, I would not have trusted this place for food of any kind, but they recently redid their kitchen and I’d heard lots of good reviews.  It did not disappoint.  I got shrimp and grits (mmmm,) but I had a bit of food envy for the lump crab cakes my friends ordered.  They were unbelievable!  My boyfriend doesn’t really like crab, but when I was thinking of some food to make this week, I was seriously craving more bites of crab cakes.  That’s when I was reminded of this delicious recipe I first made a few years ago.

I’ve made this recipe a couple of different ways, and it’s always good.  When I first made it, I shredded both squash and zucchini into the cakes, but today only the zucchini was on sale.  I’ve also added Parmesan in the past, but it’s just as good without it.

This particular recipe comes from Carzy Cook, and I like that it uses less butter than my past zucchini cakes.  And by less butter, I mean I used a whole stick in the past versus 2 Tbs. in this recipe.

I love that the cakes come across like they have meat in them, even though they are strictly vegetarian.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups shredded zucchini (basically 3 zucchinis)
  • 1/4 cup onions
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 2 Tbs. butter, melted
  • 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 8 oz. tomato sauce

Directions:

Mix together zucchini, butter and egg.  (Remember that you can add shredded yellow squash at this point two if it’s available!)  Add breadcrumbs, Old Bay, flour and onions.  Stir.  Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Shape zucchini mixture into patties and fry on both sides until browned.  Serve with tomato pasta sauce for dipping.

Skinny Shrimp Pasta

Posted in Food and Drink, Pasta, Seafood by

This is the last of the food I prepared this past weekend!  I wanted to make some seafood for my friends because it’s so fresh here at the beach.  As I’ve said in a previous post, my friends are into being healthy (like sometimes exercising on vacation healthy) so I wanted to be sure to accommodate that while preparing something rich and delicious.

Shrimp pasta is probably my all-time favorite food.  That being said, it’s not exactly the healthiest.  I love this recipe because it keeps the creamy flavor I love, while being low on calories.  The key is the vegetable broth used as the base of the sauce.  That way the sauce coats the pasta while maintaining a creamy texture.  This recipe also has a smaller portion of the cream-based products, contributing to the healthy factor.  The best part is that the flavor isn’t sacrificed at all!

The recipe comes from The Realistic Nutritionist, and features recipes complete with calorie counts.  This is under 500 calories (even if you eat more than the serving size!)

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. shrimp, shelled and deveined
  • 1 lb. pasta
  • 3 cups fresh spinach
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 onion, minced
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 5 oz. light cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup light cream
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan
  • 2 Tbs. butter, divided

Directions:

Boil pasta according to package directions and set aside.

In a saucepan, melt 1 Tbs. butter over medium high heat.  Saute onions two minutes until soft.  Add garlic and continue to saute three minutes.  Lower heat to medium and add vegetable broth, cream cheese, light cream, and white wine.  Cook about six minutes until sauce begins to thicken.  Stir in Parmesan and let simmer a few more minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat shrimp in 1 Tbs. butter.  Cook until done.  Remove from heat and add to cream sauce.  Saute spinach about three minutes in the same pan until wilted.  Add spinach to sauce.

Stir together sauce, pasta and serve!

Funfetti Dip

Posted in Desserts, Food and Drink by

No girl’s weekend is complete without some kind of decadent sweet.  All my girls visiting were super healthy, so when planning a sweet treat, I knew I had to find something that also has a low calorie count (without sacrificing flavor, of course.)  I pinned this recipe forever ago, from a website called Eat Yourself Skinny and recently realized I already had all the ingredients, so it was the perfect choice.

We devoured this after a nice, relaxing day on the beach.  It tastes a lot like frosting and only has 100 calories per 1/4 cup.  There were no leftovers, so it wasn’t the healthiest thing we’ve ever had, but it covered the necessary sweet treat perfectly.

Ingredients:

  • 1 box funfetti cake mix
  • 2 cups fat-free plain yogurt
  • 1 cup fat-free cool whip
  • 1 box animal crackers (my friends would argue that you need two boxes)

Directions:

Mix cake mix, yogurt and cool whip.  Let chill in fridge for at least 4 hours.  Serve with animal crackers.

Nom nom nom… What is your favorite “healthy” sweet treat?

Dreamsicle Drink

Posted in Drinks, Food and Drink by

This weekend some of my best friends from college came to visit!  It’s an annual trip, and the fifth time they’ve made the drive!  I always look forward to catching up, relaxing on the beach, and nights out on the town!  This is a drink recipe that we made last year because it rained the whole weekend, so I decided we should make it again!  It tastes just like an orange dreamsicle, those popcicles everyone loved when they were little.

The best part is, the drink isn’t that bad for you… especially if you get all the low fat/sugar free versions of the ingredients.  You won’t regret laying on the beach or lounging by the pool with this in your hand!

Ingredients:

  • 1 bottle Pinnacle Whipped vodka
  • 1 liter diet orange soda
  • coffee creamer or coffee syrup
  • low-fat whipped topping

Directions:

I make each of these drinks individually, but I imagine you could make a pitcher of it if needed.  Put a few cubes of ice in a tall glass.  Pour a shot of vodka into glass, then coffee creamer/syrup over ice.  Fill glass with orange soda up to near the rim.  Top with whipped topping and stir.  So sweet and yummy!

Night out at Royal Palms in Atlantic Beach, FL!

Chicken Pot Pie

Posted in Food and Drink, Freezer Meals, Main Dishes by

This is my second attempt at making chicken pot pie.  The first attempt definitely didn’t make the cut for the blog.  It was no good.  This one was perfect!  I’m so glad I took the chance and made two so I have a second one in the future!  The key to this one was the crust.  I’ve never done anything but buy the pre-made pie crusts from Pillsbury.  I know this isn’t going to be the most amazing thing to some people, but I bought the pie crust that you shape yourself.  That small change made all the difference in the world.  The crust was so crispy and delicious!

The best thing about this recipe is that it makes two pies, so you can freeze one for later.  The recipe is modified from The Menu Mom, a website that is all about meal planning.  One day I will add all my advice for planning out your meals by the week to save money, but for now, check out her site!

The second best thing about this recipe is how incredibly easy it is!  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups cooked chicken
  • 4 cups hash browns (I used my leftovers from making Parmesan Hash Browns)
  • 1 bag frozen mixed veggies
  • 1 can cream of celery soup
  • 1 can cream of onion soup
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbs. flour
  • a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder
  • 2 pie crusts (store bought, homemade, or rolled from store bought dough- you’re choice.)
  • 2 more pie crusts to top with- I highly recommending buying the pie crust dough and shaping the top yourself!)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except pie crusts.  Shape crusts and pour chicken mixture into the two crusts.  Top filling and shape around the edge how you want.  Wrap both in foil.  If freezing, place in plastic gallon bag.

If the pie is not frozen, cover with foil and bake at 400 for 40 minutes.  Take foil off at the thirty minute mark to allow crust to brown (for the last ten minutes of cooking.)

If pie is frozen, defrost overnight outside of freezer bag.  Bake at 425 for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325 and bake another 50 minutes.  Remove foil at the last 10 minutes to keep edges from burning.

Cheese and Salsa Appetizer

Posted in Appetizers, Food and Drink by

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes.  My grandmother makes it as an appetizer for all special occasions, and I love it every time.  I also remember making it in college a lot for parties on game day (Go Dawgs!)

When I was thinking about what to make for this month’s book club choice, Gone Girl, I kept thinking about a scene in which a local girl offers the main character a Chicken Frito Pie right after his wife’s disappearance.  I looked up the recipe for this, but it didn’t seem right for book club, so I made this instead.  It’s simple, quick, and always a hit!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 9 in. microwave-safe pie plate (I don’t have one, so I used a bowl.)

Directions:

Spread cream cheese into plate.  Top with salsa.  Top with cheese.  Microwave on high 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts.  So easy and good!

This picture is pre-microwave. I took it to book club, so I melted it there because it doesn’t travel well. It needs to be served warm!

Prosciutto Flatbread

Posted in Food and Drink, Main Dishes by

This is a perfect summer lunch, and tastes decadent on a budget.  The prosciutto is the priciest element, so I asked them to cut 1/8 of a pound.  That way I got enough for four flatbreads for two dollars.  It tasted just like one from a restaurant!  I spent the rest of my morning cutting up veggies and freezing them to use in soups in the future!  Yum…

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbs. olive oil
  • 1 garlic flatbread
  • sliced mozzarella
  • 4 slices prosciutto
  • sliced kalamata olives
  • salt, pepper and basil to taste

Directions:

Place flatbread on cookie sheet.  Drizzle olive oil on top.  Place mozzarella on next.  Then prosciutto.  Then olives.  Then seasonings (salt, pepper and basil.)  Bake at 350 about five minutes, until cheese melts.

Cat’s Eye

Posted in Books by

Oh, Margaret Atwood, you are my new obsession.  After reading The Handmaid’s Tale a couple of months ago, I had to get my hands on more from this author.  Cat’s Eye, said to be Atwood’s most autobiographical work, is absolutely terrifying.  Not in a monster in the closet, serial killer down the street kind of way- it’s a very real, very terrifying reality.  At least for girls.

This novel details a woman’s experiences growing up as she remembers them as an adult.  The main character, Elaine, is back in her hometown of Toronto to promote her retrospective art show.  As an adult, she has found success in the art world, but that success did not magically happen overnight.  As Elaine travels throughout town, she thinks about all the things that happened to her as a child, and how those experiences shaped her adulthood.  Some are fond memories, but most include another young girl that intertwines in and out of her life, regardless of how much she wants it to end.

Enter Cordelia.  Probably the most terrifying character I’ve ever read, simply because she exists in everyone’s life.  That mean girl that is mean just because she can be.  Every girl knows one.  And at times, every girl is one.  It’s not Tina Fey’s version of mean girls either, it’s significantly more chilling.  It brought me back to how mean kids can be because they aren’t worried about pretending to be nice.  They are brutally honest, and sometimes, just brutal.  It’s way beyond “Stop trying to make fetch happen!  It’s not going to happen” (sorry for that digression for my readers who did not grow up obsessed with Mean Girls.)

Elaine was made to feel insignificant as a child by her peers, and no matter how much success she finds as an adult, it is not enough.  Throughout the course of the novel, her esteem improves, but she is still waiting for her next encounter with Cordelia.

I’m not joking when I say I had nightmares about this little girl.  I can’t remember the last time a book scared me this much.  At the same time, I can’t wait to devour another of Atwood’s masterpieces.  On that note, does anyone know why Atwood is not considered a classic author?  I’ve looked in a couple of bookstores, and she is placed with the trendy here-today, forgotten-tomorrow books instead of placing her among what I consider to be her peers.  You can find Sylvia Plath and Joyce Carol Oates in the classics section, but no Atwood.  Just curious.  Please comment if you know what is keeping her from the Literary canon!

Mer’s rating: 8/10