Busy-Night Stromboli

One of the best things about pizza night is making a meal everyone can enjoy - personalized to your taste preferences. Spice up your next pizza night by turning it inside out: stromboli-style. 

½ lb. lean ground beef or turkey

¼  tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 can refrigerated pizza crust

1/3 cup pizza sauce (plus more for dipping)

½ cup shredded mozzarella

¼ tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ cup red or green bell peppers, chopped (optional)

2 T. black olives, sliced (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brown beef or turkey over medium-high heat, until cooked through. While the meat browns, add garlic and red pepper flakes. Set meat aside.

Unroll dough and place on a greased cookie sheet. Starting at the center, press dough into a 15x11 rectangle. Spread pizza sauce over the dough, leaving 2 inches on the long sides and ½ an inch of short sides. Spoon meat lengthwise down the center, forming a 3-inch wide strip. Top with cheese, Italian seasoning, and optional vegetables. Fold the long sides of the dough towards the center and press the edges to seal.

Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Cut into slices and serve with extra pizza sauce for dipping. 

Cranberry Pork Roast

If your loved one's schedule is as unpredictable as my husband's, the Crockpot could become your new best friend. I love being able to put ingredients together, throw them all in a pot, cover it, and forget about it for the next few hours. There is no rush to get dinner done; it's ready when you are. And when the result is as delicious as this pork roast (a great substitute for the "chicken rut"), you'll find yourself pulling out the trusty Crockpot more often.

1 3-lb pork top loin roast

3 Tbs. olive oil

Salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg

1 14-oz can cranberry sauce, whole berry

½ cup cranberry or cran-apple juice

1/8 cup sugar

1 tsp. coarse ground mustard

¼ tsp. ground cloves

3 whole garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. cold water

Preheat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook roast on each side until browned.  Place roast in a slow cooker; sprinkle with salt, pepper, paprika, and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, stir together cranberry sauce, juice, sugar, mustard, and cloves. Pour over roast; add garlic. Cover and cook on low heat setting 6-7 hours, or high for 3-3 ½ hours.

Transfer roast to a platter. Skim fat from juices, and then measure 2 cups of juices into a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water; add to the saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Cook an additional 2 minutes. Pour sauce over roast to serve. 

Chocolate Chip Waffle Cookies

I have never been much of a baker. I think maybe I don't have the patience for precise measurements and feel stifled in terms of experimentation. (Though my baking friends assure me there is plenty of room for creativity) When I came across this recipe for cookies made on a waffle iron, I just couldn't help myself. While I did have to stick to the measurements, I was still able to add a little of my own flare (cinnamon is the trick - adds just a little something) and I created something totally unique (and delicious)!

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

½ cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. cinnamon

½ cup flaked coconut

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine sugars, butter, egg, and vanilla. Separately, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, and then gradually mix into the sugar mixture with an electric mixer. Stir in the coconut and chocolate chips.

Preheat electric waffle iron and coat with cooking spray. Drop batter by the teaspoonful, about 1 in. apart. Bake 1-3 minutes, until golden brown. (Many waffle irons will signal when they are cooked) Carefully remove and cool completely. 

*Original recipe from Simple & Delicious magazine

General Tso's Chicken - The Healthier Way

One of my many goals this year is to incorporate a more balanced diet into my regime. To help with this, I've started experimenting with some of my favorite dishes, to see how I can kick up the health factor a bit. This classic Asian dish contains a fraction of the calories found in its restaurant counterpart, with an equally delicious flavor. 

2 cups chicken broth

4 Tbs. soy sauce (reduced sodium)

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 Tbs. rice vinegar

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cornstarch

2 tsp. Asian chili sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed

2 scallions, sliced

1-2 palm-fulls, snap peas or chopped broccoli

1 palm-full shredded carrots 

In a medium bowl, whisk together first 8 ingredients and set aside.

Preheat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 6 minutes, until cooked through. Remove to a plate to keep warm. (Line the plate with paper towel to absorb extra oil)

Add chicken broth mixture to the hot skillet. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken. Add chicken, scallions, and peas or broccoli, and carrots. Cook 3-5 minutes to heat through. Serve over steamed brown rice. 

*Tweaked and remade based off of parents.com's General Tso's Chicken

Marmalade-Mustard Steaks

There are few flavor combinations that I love more than sweet and savory. (Well, perhaps caramel and chocolate...) Don't be scared off by the idea of combining marmalade and mustard - the result is mouthwatering! This wonderfully easy glaze adds zest to an ordinary steak, creating a quick and simple dinner.

½ cup orange marmalade

2 Tbs. coarse ground mustard

2 Tbs. butter

1 – 1 ¼ lbs. top sirloin steak (or your favorite cut)

In a small pot, heat marmalade and mustard over low heat. Whisk in butter until melted. Set aside ¼ cup of glaze for serving.

Broil steaks for 5-7 minutes per side (to desired doneness), basting occasionally with glaze. Allow steaks to rest 5-10 minutes. Serve with reserved glaze. 

*Thanks to Simple & Delicious magazine for the inspiration

Creole Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

There is nothing like spice to warm you up on a cold day. This zesty gumbo is flavorful, yet doesn't take hours to make and won't break the bank. Serve with thick slices of bread to sop up the juices.

2 cups and 1 cup chicken broth, divided

1 cup uncooked rice

2 celery ribs, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized cubes

1 pkg. kielbasa or turkey kielbasa, sliced

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. Creole seasoning (Such as Zatarain’s)

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 green pepper, diced

1 onion, roughly chopped

¼ cup cold water

3 Tbs. flour

1 Tbs. lemon juice

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups of broth to a boil. Stir in rice, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat a large pot with olive oil. Add chicken and brown for about 2 minutes. Add kielbasa, tomatoes, remaining broth, and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Add onion and green pepper. Stir in lemon juice. Combine water and flour until smooth, then stir into the gumbo. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until thickened.

Remove rice from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Serve gumbo over rice and sprinkle with additional Creole seasoning for extra heat.

*Modified from "New Orlean's Gumbo" in Simple & Delicious

Lemon-Basil Chicken

I am definitely not known for my green thumb. In fact, I habitually kill plants - from your average house plant to Chia Pets. When my sister got me an herb garden (AeroGarden - it's amazing!) for Christmas I thought she must be crazy to trust me with young plant lives. But, lo and behold, my little kitchen garden has thrived and I chose this recipe to debut my first batch of fresh basil. I used Rachael Ray's technique for "ribboning" the basil by stacking several leaves together, rolling it up like a burrito, and chopping from the end (creating ribbons). The effect was not only delicious, but gorgeous as well. 

1 ½ lbs. chicken tenders

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ c. white wine

3 Tbs. lemon juice

½ c. heavy cream

1/3 tsp. fresh thyme

2 Tbs. fresh basil, ribboned

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper to taste; melt butter & olive oil in a large pan and add chicken to brown, turning once. Remove chicken from pan; cover with foil to keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice to the hot pan (over medium heat) to deglaze. Boil until reduced by half. Add cream, thyme, and basil; simmer until sauce thickens. Add chicken back to the pan and simmer 5 minutes.

Serve chicken and sauce over angel hair pasta (mix in a splash of white wine, parmesan cheese, olive oil, and red pepper flakes). 

*Adapted from cookeatshare.com