Thai Chicken Pizza

This meal was kind of a departure for us and definitely not something my husband would have chosen for us to eat. He's sort of a pizza "purist," if you will; he needs his red sauce and his oily cheese and his pepperoni. When he asked me what was for dinner on Friday night and I told him it was Thai chicken pizza, he was skeptical.

But, in the end, he really liked it; we both did. I followed the suggestion of a reviewer and added some lime juice to the sauce mixture, which added a nice tang, and I let the chicken stew in some soy sauce for a few minutes before I added it to the pizza. I will make some changes to this recipe if I make it again, though, like adding thin strips of red bell pepper to the toppings and using cilantro or basil as a fresh, fragrant garnish. Also, I'll use less sauce next time; there was just a little too much, and it sort of overwhelmed the flavor of the pizza.

I think bean sprouts are the culinary love of my life. This recipe called for them, so I bought a bag at the store, and thankfully I have plenty left over for snacking today at work. Yum!


Thai Chicken Pizza
Source: All Recipes

1 12-inch pre-baked pizza crust (I used a thin crust one, which worked really well)
1 7-ounce jar peanut sauce
1/4 cup peanut butter
8 ounces cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts (optional)
1/2 cup shredded carrot (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped roasted peanuts (optional) (I didn't use)

1. Preheat the oven to 400º.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the peanut sauce and peanut butter. Spread over the pizza crust. Arrange strips of chicken on top. Sprinkle on the green onions and cheese.

3. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with bean sprouts, carrot shreds and peanuts, if using. Slice into wedges and serve.

And I just have to share this picture of my son with you, who "helps" me cook dinner every night. His little feet can just barely touch the floor in his Jumperoo, but distraction is the name of the game when you have a three-month-old and need to get dinner on the table, and this definitely helps in that department!

Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup

This soup was floating around on tons of food blogs last fall, about the time I started reading them. It must have sounded delicious to me even then, because I printed out the recipe and just recently rediscovered it in my "To Try" file. As soon as I looked over the recipe again, my mouth started to water, and I knew I had to put in on the menu this week.

Okay, so maybe it's a little early in the year to start making soup. Yesterday was probably an especially silly day to make it, since it was 90º here. But I'm sooo glad I made this, and I can't believe I waited so long to try it. This is an absolutely delicious soup. I did make a few changes to the recipe -- I added salt and pepper because it tasted a little bland, and I added sour cream in addition to the other toppings, which gave a delicious, tangy quality to the soup when I stirred it in. Absolutely yummy, and perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich! I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch today.


Baked Potato and Broccoli Soup
Source: MyRecipes, originally in Southern Living magazine

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 14 1/2 ounce cans low sodium fat-free chicken broth, divided
3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes (I left the skins on because I love the taste, and it was fine)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped (I used one bag of frozen broccoli florets)
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups 2% milk
1 8-ounce block 2% reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper to taste
shredded cheddar cheese, fully cooked bacon, chopped green onions, sour cream for garnish

1. Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup chicken broth until smooth.

2. Combine remaining chicken broth and next 3 ingredients in a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Gradually stir in flour mixture. Cook, stirring often, 5 minutes.

3. Stir in milk and shredded cheese. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Top each serving of soup with cheese, bacon, green onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

You can't really get more basic than that, can you? Yesterday was kind of a stressful day for me, and I just wanted something for dinner that I could throw together quickly and easily. This definitely fit the bill.

I decided to jazz up my meatballs a little bit by stuffing them with some mozzarella cheese as a nice, gooey little surprise. I think I remember Rachael Ray doing something like this before, and that's where I got my inspiration, but I can't seem to find the recipe.

I kept the sauce very simple because I wanted the meatballs to speak for themselves; I just used a can of store-bought spaghetti sauce (roasted garlic-flavored, I think) and a can of diced tomatoes with olive oil and onion. Also, whenever I make spaghetti, after I drain the noodles I always add a little bit of butter and parmesan cheese directly to the noodles themselves. This really gives the pasta itself a lot of added flavor!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

Source: inspired by Rachael Ray

1 pound ground chuck

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs

1 egg

2-3 sticks mozzarella string cheese, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. Cook onions in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent; remove from heat and let cool.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add cooled onions and mix well.

3. Before rolling each meatball, place a piece of the mozzarella cheese in the center and roll the meatball around it. If the meatballs are the size of a golf ball, you should end up with about 15 total.

4. Pan-fry the meatballs in a deep-sided skillet in olive oil until brown on all sides. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer so that the meatballs can finish cooking gently and flavor the sauce.

5. Add spaghetti and enjoy!

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara

I have never been a big seafood person, but my husband is. Since I'm not a huge fan, we don't eat a lot of seafood in our house. I know I should eat more fish (it's so lean, it's full Omega 3 fatty acids, etc. etc.), but I just can't bring myself to enjoy it. I do, however, enjoy shellfish, so I decided to put a little something for my husband on the menu last week. When I told him we'd be having Giada de Laurentiis' shrimp lasagna rolls, this was his response: "If she cooks as good as she looks, it should be a good dinner." Hahahahahahaha. Ha. Ohhhh, I am so amused.

Anyway, he was right about one thing: It was a very good dinner. Low-maintenance, too; the rolls were really easy to assemble. The filling was nice and creamy, and so was the marinara sauce. The only change I made to the recipe was adding some chopped red onion. Thanks, Giada! I guess I still like you, even though my husband has a huge crush on you.


Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara
Source: Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis (pages 196-197)

1 pound lasagna
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
2 15-ounce containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 5 ounces)

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Drain.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp, the garlic and the onion to the pan and saute until the shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a large bowl with 2 cups of the ricotta cheese (one container and about 1/3 of the other), the Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

4. In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup of ricotta cheese and stir to combine.

5. To make the lasagna rolls, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara mixture. Lay four noodles flat on a dry work surface. Spread about 1/4 cup of the shrimp mixture evenly over each noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 12 lasagna rolls. Drizzle the rolls with the remaining marinara mixture and top with grated mozzarella. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Artichokes, Lemon and Goat Cheese

I was a little bit disappointed with how this meal turned out, I think because I have been wanting to try this dish for so long. When I first came across it, I was pregnant, and goat cheese was off limits. Then, Andrew was born, and I was busy doing other things besides cooking. I never forgot about this recipe, though, and as soon as I got back in the kitchen full time I was still just dying to try it.

I think part of the problem with this meal was the herbed goat cheese I bought. The only kind the grocery store had was pre-blended with roasted garlic and tons of basil. Normally I would love this, but since the recipe calls for lemon zest in the filling, the basil in the goat cheese made it taste waaaaay too lemony. Also, if I were to make this again (and I probably will, because I'd like to see how it tastes with just regular goat cheese), I think I'd use artichoke hearts in water instead of the marinated ones. I understand that Cooking Light was trying to bump up the flavors so taste wasn't sacrificed in favor of healthfulness; but there was almost too much flavor in the filling. The meal did have its good points, though: The chicken was very moist; the filling was flavorful, even if it was a bit too tangy; and the boxed rice pilaf I served as a side dish was quite tasty.

Without further ado, here's a photo of my (hideously monochromatic) plate and the recipe.


Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Artichokes, Lemon and Goat Cheese
Source: The Best of Cooking Light (page 213)

2 1/2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 6-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 3-ounce package herbed goat cheese
4 6-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Cooking spray (I used olive oil)

1. Preheat oven to 375º.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients; stir well.

3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Top each breast half with 2 tablespoons cheese mixture; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides, and secure each roll with wooden picks.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and bake for 15 minutes or until chicken is done.