Caesar Salad

As promised, here is a super-easy recipe for Caesar salad.  Buy the croutons made especially for Caesar salads; they are wonderful.  Or better yet, make your own!    Caesar salads are traditionally made with Romaine lettuce, but any leafy green lettuce works.  If you can keep the rabbits, groundhogs, and deer away from it, home-grown lettuce straight from your garden to the table is absolutely the best!

EASY CAESAR SALAD

1 bunch of Romaine lettuce
1 bottle Kraft Classic Caesar salad dressing
1/4 c. fresh-grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c. seasoned croutons
salt and pepper to taste

Wash lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces.  Place lettuce in a salad bowl, and pour in desired amount of salad dressing.  Toss to evenly coat.  Add parmesan and croutons, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add additional parmesan and croutons, if desired.  Serve with a loaf of fresh Italian bread and your favorite pasta!  Don’t forget a glass or two of wine, too!    : )

Tonight I am making one of our house favorites that is so easy to make, yet tastes like you outdid yourself again.  In our house this pasta is always a welcome change.  I normally have everything on hand  but the sausage, and I try and remember to pick some up when I see it on sale.  This meal normally costs well under $10.00, and leaves room to buy some fresh Romaine lettuce for a side Caesar salad. 

Melissa is the expert when it comes to Caesar salads, as she grows the lettuce in her backyard.  She will post her favorite Caesar salad recipe soon!

Easy Pasta Sauce

Have Dinner Ready in 20 minutes!

Easy Tomato Sausage Pasta Sauce

1lb. sweet Italian sausage (try to buy in bulk or big patties if you can)
1 medium onion - chopped
3 cloves fresh  garlic - chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon sugar

If you can’t find the big patties/bulk sausage, then remove casings from the sausage and crumble into a large, nonstick skillet.  Add onions and olive oil.  Brown the sausage and onions like you would brown ground beef, chopping into little bits.  When the sausage is almost browned, add the garlic.  Continue browning for about 2 more minutes.  Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, 1 can of water, and all spices.  Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  That is it!  Serve over your favorite pasta with a side Ceasar salad and you have a  quick and tasty meal.

If you are looking for an easy meal to prepare during the week, but don’t think you have the time for something fancy, think again with this meal!  I love chicken cordon bleu but always thought of it as a challenging dish to prepare.  My chicken cordon bleu meals were reserved for the occasional twice-yearly wedding or banquet.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

 
 Here is an easy, yet very delicious chicken cordon bleu recipe that even a novice cook can prepare.  It is prepared without breading and is not fried, but it has a creamy sauce that brings out the flavor of the chicken.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts
1/4 lb. sliced ham
1/4 lb. Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup sherry or Marsala Wine
1/2 cup milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash chicken with cold water and pat dry.  Cut the chicken horizontally until you have thinner slices of breasts.  If you can’t get the chicken thin enough, then pound thin with a meat mallet or a rolling pin.  The trick to making great tasting chicken dishes is getting the chicken breasts thin.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, and 1/2 of the oregano over the chicken.

Starting with one piece of chicken, lay ham and then Swiss on top of the flat chicken.  Roll up the chicken so it looks like a jelly roll and secure with a tooth pick.  Do this for each piece of chicken.

Mix the soup, wine, and milk.  Add oregano and stir to blend.  Pour over the chicken and bake for 35 minutes.

What I like so much about this meal is the prep time is so quick and can be done in under 10 minutes.    Serve with mashed potatoes and a green veggie.  Let us know what you think!

Did you know that researchers have found blueberries to be higher in anti-oxidants than any other fruit or vegetable tested? By combating free-radicals in our bodies, anti-oxidants help protect against cancer and delay the aging process. But that’s not all, there’s evidence that blueberries can reduce urinary tract infections and protect against heart disease, too. In a USDA Human Nutrition Research Center laboratory, neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity, a finding that has important implications for humans. 

So, what’s not to like?  It’s blueberry season now, so how about making a delicious blueberry breakfast?  Let us know if you have a favorite blueberry recipe like we do!

BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST

1 loaf Italian bread, somewhat dry (use about 3/4 loaf)        
8 oz. pkg. lite cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries
10 eggs
1 1/3 c. fat-free milk
1/3 c. maple syrup
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Spray a 9×13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Tear half of the bread in cubes, about 1-inch in size.  Place in bottom of pan.  Cut the cream cheese into pieces (I have always found it easiest to slice the cream cheese, then use my fingers to break off pieces), and drop evenly over bread pieces.  Cover with the blueberries.  Tear the remaining bread into cubes, and place on top of blueberries. 

Beat the eggs, milk, syrup, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.  Beat until well mixed, and mix foams slightly.  Pour evenly over contents of pan.  Cover with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.  Occasionally, remove the foil and gently press the bread cubes into the milk and egg mix for even absorption.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake, covered, for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until light brown and fully cooked.  Cool approximately 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

*To make an even healthier breakfast, you can use whole wheat bread.  Serve with syrup and a little dollop of whipped cream, if desired.  Enjoy!

Welcome to our first blog post, and boy are we excited!  We have such good things planned for our blog that will cover everything from family meal planning to helpful kitchen tips!

We hope that everyone will check out our web site and see that we strive to be the premier meal planning site.

We are always available by email, live chat, or you can post us a blog comment if you have any questions on our meal plans or just need some cooking advice!

Melissa & Sue

http://www.dinnerplanner.com