Running Mama Cooks

Wow, life has been busy!! Which means dinner usually isn't too exciting around here. I did make this new recipe on Monday night and they were very good. I saw it on Lauren's blog, it is originally a Rachael Ray recipe.

Next time I will take Lauren's idea of adding some green pepper for color and flavor, and probably use provelone cheese instead for the sauce.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes
Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 softball-sized onion, chopped
1/4 cup steak sauce
1 cup chicken stock
Salt and ground black pepper
4 dinner rolls (or 8 finger rolls), toasted if desired
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk (I used skim)
1 cup desired cheese, shredded

Directions:

In large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, brown the ground turkey, about 5-6 minutes. Add the onion and cook another 3-4 minutes, until the onions start to get tender. Stir in the steak sauce and chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, bring up to a bubble and cook about 2 minutes.

While the meat is cooking, melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisk in milk, bring up to a bubble and let thicken, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir the cheese in a figure-eight motion until it is all incorporated.

To serve, place a scoopful of the meat mixture onto the bottom of the rolls, then top with the cheese sauce and replace the top of the roll.
ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

Week 4 of the recipe swap...holy yummy mac 'n cheese recipe!!! I was going to try to eat only a little bit of this (I halved the recipe) but that went out the window after the first bite. Whats not to love, it combines two of my favorite things - french onion soup and mac 'n cheese!

I know people have mixed feelings about Rachael Ray, but I happen to love her and most of recipes. I will definitely make this again.

French Onion Mac 'n Cheese
Recipe from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat penne rigate pasta
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 pound gruyère cheese, shredded (I used swiss)

Directions:
1.In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, thyme and bay leaf for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and cook until the onions are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard the bay leaf. Reserve the skillet.

2.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

3.In the reserved skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Lower the heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted.

4.Combine the onions and sauce with the pasta and toss well.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

This recipe caught my eye while I was browsing through my friend Lauren's blog. I feel like I've been in a little bit of a food slump lately and was looking for ideas. I love basil and tomatoes (and pasta of course!) so this went on my agenda for this week.

I liked it, but there are definitely a few things I would do differently. I would make it in a smaller baking dish (I used 9x13) and stack the lasagna a little higher. I will also dice the tomatoes next time instead of slicing them. I think my family would enjoy them more that way.

I will post the recipe as is, but I did use regular lasagna noodles instead of oven ready, so I cut the baking time to a half hour, followed by 5 minutes of broiling.

Caprese Lasagna
Recipe from Rachael Ray by way of Lauren's Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken stock
A few grates of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 box oven-ready lasagna noodles
4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
Half a bunch basil, chopped (about 30 leaves)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF.

Place a large saucepot over medium-heat and melt the butter. Add the garlic to the pan and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the milk and chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

Assemble the lasagna by ladling a small amount (about 1/4 cup, just eyeball it) of the sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch x 13-inch baking dish and laying three lasagna noodles over the sauce. Top the noodles with about a third of the sliced tomatoes, a third of the basil, 1/4 cup of sauce and about a third of the shredded cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, topping the lasagna off with a final layer of sauce and shredded cheese.

Cover the pan with foil and bake the lasagna for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the baking dish and bake another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. When ready to serve, top with the remaining chopped basil leaves

ZACH'S RATING - ***

My baby girl turned 4 today. I cannot believe it!!! To celebrate, we had both sets of grandparents over for dinner. I decided to make a kid friendly meal that appealed to the adults as well.

I knew I wanted to make a french dip sandwich and looked at a ton of recipes to find one that fit the bill. Most used a roast and the crockpot, which looked good, but I wasn't in the mood to do it that way. I didn't want the meat to be shredded, I prefer it thinly sliced.

When I saw Rachael Ray's recipe, I knew I found the one. It was quick, easy and used yummy deli sliced roast beef. I made a few changes, using my small crockpot to allow the meat and au jus to hang out for about an hour before serving. Plus, I need cheese on my French Dip!!

French Dip Sandwiches
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 jigger dry sherry, optional
2 cups beef broth
1 lb deli sliced roast beef
coarse salt and pepper
4 french sandwich rolls, split
4 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Pile meat loosely across your cutting board or a large work surface. Season meat with salt and black pepper. Place meat into crockpot and set to low.

In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in sherry and cook liquid out. Whisk in broth in a slow stream. Bring sauce to a bubble and pour into crockpot over the meat. Allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches (about an hour).

Set out 4 ramekins or small soup cups for dipping sauce and 4 split french rolls. To assemble, using a pair of kitchen tongs, pile meat into rolls. Please sandwiches on a baking sheet. Set ramekins or cups with extra dipping sauce. Place a slice of provolone cheese on top of sandwiches and broil until melted and browned.

ZACH'S RATING - A Solid ****

Update - This recipe has turned into a family favorite. I make it at least once a month and have also used it for entertaining. Great for when you have a small group of friends hanging out. Highly recommend it!

Rachael Ray made this crockpot meal on her talk show the other day, and since I am always looking to add to my crockpot repertoire, I decided to give it a try. While it was more work than your average slow cooker meal, it was worth it. All the flavors came together nicely and the chicken was super tender. I did take the chicken out prior to serving and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

Here is the original recipe

Honey-Lemon Chicken with Potatoes
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
•1 small onion, chopped
•2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•4-5 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
•2 lemons, thinly sliced
•1/4 cup honey
•1/4 cup chicken stock or water

To finish:

•Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips
•1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
•1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
•Balsamic Drizzle (see below)


Preparation:

In a skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

Scatter the potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and lemon slices in the bowl of a crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the browned chicken over the veggies and drizzle with honey. Add the stock or water, cover and cook, undisturbed, for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Serve each portion topped with a combination of the lemon zest, parsley, toasted nuts and balsamic drizzle.


Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients:

•1 cup balsamic vinegar
•2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the liquids until they've reduced by about half and are thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes.

After being away all weekend at a fitness conference, I was really in the mood for a fun, somewhat indulgent meal for dinner. I happen to love meatloaf and have been trying to find one that Zach likes. When I read this recipe, I thought there was a chance!

It is from Rachael Ray. I decided to make them in my large muffin pan as individual loafs to add to the "fun" factor. They came out really tasty and cute! And my husband actually enjoyed meatloaf!

Here is the original recipe. I served it with tator tots and steamed broccoli.

Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
1 red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup ketchup
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 large eggs
1/2 cup bread-and-butter pickle chips, chopped
1-1/2 pounds ground beef
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into 1/3-inch cubes


Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring until slightly softened, about 3 minutes.

2.In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, bread crumbs, eggs and pickles; mix in the onion. Crumble in the beef, add the cheese and mix together. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and shape into a 4-by-12-inch loaf. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160°, about 35 minutes.

I brushed ketchup on the tops of the muffins prior to baking

Since I have some homemade sauce in the freezer, I think its a good day for pasta and meatballs! This Rachael Ray recipe has become my "go to" way to make meatballs, they are so tasty and moist. I usually cook with ground turkey breast because it is the leanest, but I love how the ground chicken tastes here.

Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
Black pepper
2 to 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds (I skip this because I never have them on hand)
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more, if needed*

Preheat Over to 450 degrees

In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano - a rounded handful, egg and bread crumbs. *If the mixture seems too wet, add a handful of bread crumbs and mix together.

Form 8 large round balls, about 3 to 4-inches. Coat balls in a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange balls on the baking sheet and roast 17 to 18 minutes until juices run clear.

I adjusted the recipe for only 1 lb of ground chicken since there are only 3 of us and also added a handful of defrosted frozen spinach to sneak some veggies into dinner. I reheated my sauce in the crockpot and added the meatballs after roasting. Serving over cellentani pasta.

The meatball are hanging out in the crockpot as I type this. Cecily and I had to split one after it came out of the over because it smelled so good. She is already asking when dinner is (not typical for my picky 3 1/2 year old)!

Original Rachael Ray Recipe