Blog
Holiday Fruit Salad
This month we are featuring the Holiday Fruit Salad recipe. This salad is great anytime, and looks so good and tastes so fresh it is perfect for special meals.
It’s a Meal Strata
If company is coming to your house over the holidays or you are looking for an easy, delicious lunch or supper try our It’s a Meal Strata. This meal is easy on the pocketbook and the waistline. I like it because it is packed with vegetables, which lowers the calories, and it does not have much bread. I like to serve hot whole wheat bread with it.
Valentine’s Day “From Scratch” Brownies
February is known for two holidays, Ground Hog Day and Valentine’s Day, but only one of these tempts our sweet tooth (and our pocketbooks). Valentine’s Day is known for its expensive indulgences: eating out, flowers, alcohol, and chocolate. For this Valentine’s Day, try some low-cost and healthier ways to celebrate like opting for a romantic homemade dinner rather than eating out or baking low-fat chocolate treats instead of buying expensive chocolate candy.
Splendid Table – Good Cooks Top Five
Last Monday I attended a lecture by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, who hosts the weekly radio program called The Splendid Table, on American Public Media and is the author of several award winning cookbooks. I have to admit that I am a bit intimidated by the ingredients, recipes, cooking and wine experts I hear when I listen to the radio program (it’s on Saturday from 2-3 pm and Sunday from 11 am – 12 pm on Iowa Public Radio).
Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake
Our featured recipe this month is Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Bake. It is a very easy recipe that costs about $.80 a serving. You can use any combination of 4 cups of meat and beans that you have. The recipe also calls for salsa. I use medium, but if you want a little more heat you could use a spicier salsa, add a hot pepper, or add a little hot sauce. Be sure you save a little of the enchilada filling to spread on top of the enchiladas.
Pan Fried Tilapia with Orange Sauce
Growing up, we pretty much stuck to breaded fish sticks and squares and then for special occasions – shrimp cocktail. Once in a while my mom bought frozen fish and dipped it in egg and then cornmeal and fried it. As an adult, knowing fish was good for me (great protein plus low in calories and fat), I used to buy those frozen rectangles of raw fish, but prying frozen fillets apart was not fun.
Breakfast at the Campsite (Making Homemade Granola)
My husband (Daniel) and I grew up in families that loved to go camping. Some of our best childhood memories are from camping trips. When we began dating we discovered our mutual love for camping and began planning some of our own camping trips. Meals are a big part of camping, so we work together to plan meals for our camping trips.
Featured Recipe: Tzatziki with Pita Chips
Last month I went to a nice restaurant with my sisters and friends before a play. I ordered a Greek Salad plate. It was delicious, but as I looked at it I thought, “I could make this so easily at home”. The salad was a combination of romaine and other lettuces, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion, and feta cheese with some pita bread on the side. The dressing looked and tasted just like our Tzatziki recipe which is so simple and inexpensive to make. Just remember, the flavors in the Tzatziki only get better if you make it the day before you plan to use it. It keeps for 4 days in the refrigerator.
MmmmGood Fruit Pizza
Recently my four-year old son and I made MmmmGood Fruit Pizza for snack time. Fruit pizza tastes good any time of the year, but we especially like to make it in the summertime when we can use fruits that are in season. This time we chose to use fresh blueberries and raspberries along with some canned pineapple and mandarin oranges.
Chicken Fajitas
When it is hot outside heating the oven to cook seems counterproductive and sometimes I’m just too lazy to start the grill. A dish that will cook quickly on the stove top seems to work the best. This recipe does require some chopping, but it goes together very fast. Plus, when you make it yourself you control the amount of fat used, which can be an issue with restaurant meals.
Easy Quick Pad Thai
In August I eat salads, grill, or do quick stove-top meals. Quick Pad Thai is one of those stove-top all-in-one meals I usually serve in a bowl. We modeled it after the street food in Thailand but with ingredients you can easily find in the Midwest. Ours uses whole wheat spaghetti but you could use the more traditional rice noodles. When I make this in the summer I use whatever vegetables are ready in the garden and in the winter I use frozen vegetables. Bright colored veggies such as red pepper, broccoli, and snap peas look great.
Crisp Fruit Salad
This recipe is so easy it is almost embarrassing, but it tastes so good we had to include it. The dressing is what makes this a hit. Adding just a little mayonnaise to the yogurt really ups the flavor. The lemon juice prevents the apples and pears from turning dark.
