What's For Dinner Wednesday: Apple Gouda Melts

Apple Gouda Melts
Source: Taste of Home magazine February/March 2013
Time stated: 15 minutes
Actual: 30ish

6 slices seeded whole grain bread
4 T butter
6 oz mozzarella cheese
1 large apple
6 oz smoked Gouda cheese

1.  Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter.  Broil until toasted.

2. Turn bread over and spread other side with butter.  Layer with mozzarella cheese, thin slices of apple and Gouda cheese.  Broil until cheese melts.

Nutrition: 1 serving = 1 slice 332 cal, 22 g Fat, 18 g CHO, 15 g Pro

This was very simple and tasted great.  Just some suggestions though: homemade bread would have been AWESOME for this.  The bread slices needed to be a little thicker.  I'm not sure what apple I used, but I would have gone for a more bitter one than what I had.  Also, it was a little mushy, so a firmer apple would have been even better.  And instead of putting the whole slice of Gouda cheese on, I would have broken it up and spread it around some instead of just in the middle since it didn't really "run" when it melted.  Otherwise, it was a great twist on a melted cheese sandwich.

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Taco Melts

Taco Melts
Source: allrecipes.com
Time: 30 minutes max

1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 1/2 C salsa
1 container Grands Biscuits
shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Cook the ground beef and add the taco seasoning packet.  Put in the salsa and heat up.

2.  Press the biscuits into 6 inch circles.  Put in 1/3 C meat mixture, a tablespoon of cheddar cheese and fold the biscuit over and seal.

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 9 - 14 minutes until golden brown.

This was a ridiculously easy meal to put together.  The 1/3 C meat mixture was too much for my "6 inch biscuits", so either I didn't measure the biscuits correctly, or 1/3 C is really too much.  But, the meal was reminiscent of a meal my mom use to make.  I really liked it.  Wade says he did too.  The kids, not so much. But that's nothing new.

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Orange-Simmered Pork Chops with Mango Relish

Orange-Simmered Pork Chops with Mango Relish
Source: Better Homes and Gardens February 2013
Time to prepare: Said 30 minutes, but they must not have kids.  Closer to 50 minutes

1 mango, halved, seeded, peeled and chopped
1 C pineapple chunks
1 small orange or tangerine, peeled and segmented
1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C chopped red onion
1 small banana pepper, sliced (optional)
1 tsp finely shredded orange peel
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 4 oz frozen bone-in pork chops, about 1/4 inch thick
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 T olive oil
1/2 C orange juice
2 tsp honey
Fresh cilantro

1. For mango relish, in a medium bowl stir together mango, pineapple, orange segments, the 1/4 C orange juice,, red onion, banana pepper, orange peel, and cayenne pepper.  Set aside.

2. Sprinkle pork chops with chili powder, salt, and pepper.  In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat. Add two pork chops; brown 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from skillet.  Add remaining pork chops to skillet; brown 3 minutes on each side.  Add first two pork chops back to skillet.

3.  In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/2 C orange juice and honey; add to skillet.  Add 1/2 C water.  Reduce heat to low.  Simmer, covered, 5 minutes or until pork is done.  Spoon mango relish over pork.  Cover; simmer 1 minute more.  Remover pork and relish and cover to keep warm.

4.  Return pan to medium-high heat.  Simmer juices, uncovered, 5 minutes or until reduced by half.  Drizzle over pork.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

To use fresh or thawed chops: Reduce browning time to 1 1/2 minutes each side.  Add liquid and chops to skillet.  Bring to a simmer; add mango relish.  Simmer just 1 minute.  Proceed as above.

Nutrition: 360 calories. 16 g fat. 30 g CHO. 24 g Pro

This turned out to be really good, really simple and something you could do with frozen pork chops that you had forgotten to pull out of the freezer to defrost.  Wade really liked it.  I wasn't feeling very good and had an iffy appetite, so my review is a little lukewarm.  I've never actually cut a mango and had some issues with that.  I also didn't have a banana pepper.  And I forgot about the sauce at the end.  Sigh.  It was a long day. However, I'm positive it will get good reviews if you make it, so you should try.

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Source: Family Circle February 2013 

Prep: 20 min Bake: 50 min at 400 degrees Cook: 22 min Broil: 3 min

2 1/2 lbs baking potatoes

1/2 lb sliced bacon (I cheated and used bacon bits from the salad aisle)

2 T unsalted butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 T all-purpose flour

4 C milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3 C shredded white cheddar cheese

4 scallions, thinly sliced

6 tsp sour cream

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Pierce potatoes with a fork and bake 50 minutes until tender.  Allow to cool some.  Scoop potato flesh into a bowl and mash.

2. Cook bacon until crisp.  Crumble and set aside.  Reserve 2 T bacon grease.

3.  In a large pot, add butter and reserved bacon grease.  Heat over medium heat.  Add onion and cook 3 minutes.  Sprinkle flour over onion and cook 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk; stir in salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg.  Add reserved mashed potatoes and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in 2 cups of the cheese, half the reserved bacon and half the scallions.

4. Heat broiler. Divide soup into six oven-proof bowls.  Sprinkle the tops of the soups with the remaining cheese.  Broil 4 inches from heat source for 3 minutes until cheese melts.

5. Garnish each with 1 tsp sour cream and remaining bacon and scallions

Nutrition: Cal: 577 Fat: 31 g Pro: 29 g CHO 48 g

This was my first attempt at a favorite soup of mine when I'm out and about.  I thought it was decent.  Could have used some more oomph to it, but otherwise a great starter.  It's definitely not for the healthy conscious. Look at the grams of fat in that sucker.  But it warmed me up on (yet another) really cold day.  I really, really liked the white cheddar cheese.  I've never had it before and it's definitely considerably stronger than the orange cheddar cheese--even the sharp flavor.  It has a grittiness to it that I also really liked.  I found it in the regular aisle with the other cheeses.  I've never noticed it there before.  Goes to show you that you find new things every day.  The hardest thing about the soup was scooping out the potato flesh.  That's my kind of meal.

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Quinoa

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Quinoa

Source: Taste of Home magazine December/January 2013

Prep time stated: 45 min 

     Actual: 1 hr

Cook time stated: 30 min

     Actual: 35 min

Oven temp: 350 

2 C Chicken broth

1 C quinoa, rinsed

1 fresh thyme sprig--I just used the dry stuff

1 T olive oil

8 green onions, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

2/3 C dried cranberries 

2/3 C chopped dried apricots

3 T lemon juice

2 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel

1/2 tsp salt

chicken

3/4 C dry sherry

1/4 C water

3 T red wine vinegar

1 T brown sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 t ground ginger

1 large, tart apple, peeled and chopped

1/2 C dried cranberries

1/3 C chopped walnuts (omitted because I don't like walnuts)

1/2 C apricot preserves

2 T butter 

6 skinless chicken breast halves

1 T olive oil

1. In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil.  Add quinoa and thyme.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Discard thyme (if you didn't use the dry stuff)

2.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add green onions and celery; cook and stir until tender.  Add cooked quinoa.  Stir in the dried fruits, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt.

3. In a large saucepan, mix the first six chicken ingredients until smooth.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir until slightly thickened.  Add the apple, cranberries and walnuts.  Stir in preserves and butter until melted.

4.  Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill each with 2-3 T quinoa mixture; secure with toothpicks. Place remaining quinoa mixture in a greased 1-qt baking dish; cover with foil.  Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Brown stuffed chicken on both sides.  Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 in baking pan; spoon apple mixture over top.

5. Bake chicken and quinoa at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Nutrition: 1 serving (1/2 chicken breast): 606 calories, 11.8 g fat, 93 g CHO, 33 g Pro
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I really liked this dish.  It was a little different and the chicken I had was too thick, so you didn't get to taste the stuffed part much, but overall, I really liked the apple sauce that was poured over the chicken and the different tastes of the different fruits involved.  It was a little labor intensive for a weeknight meal, but a lot of that is my disorganization in the kitchen.  And the kids fighting in the background.

The quinoa needed some work and might be one of those acquired tastes.  It wasn't so horrible that I won't eat quinoa again, but I do need to figure out how to cook it right.

A good first meal of the year.