the tongan

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Derek served a mission in the Phoenix, Arizona, area (for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) back in the early 2000s. On said mission, one of his fellow Elders taught him how to make this age-old recipe that had been passed on amongst Elders for years: the Tongan. Derek has since made it for me, for our kids, for some friends, and even for our local missionaries when they come for dinner. It sounds gross, but I promise it’s good. (It is also super caloric, perfect for growing young men on bikes - and budgets, ha.) Give it a try, and report back! 

Recipe: The Tongan

Ingredients:

White bread

Mayo

Ramen

Eggs

Ham

Cheddar

Directions: 

Spread Mayo on the bread.

Boil ramen just long enough for it to unfold. 

Place (drained) ramen plank in a frying pan. Whip an egg in a bowl/mug and mix the seasoning packet into it. Pour egg mixture over the ramen plank. Cook through, turning half way.

Add a slice of cheese and a slice of ham to one side of the ramen/egg plank. 

When cheese is melted, fold over the ramen plank. Put this whole thing between the two pieces of Mayo-ed bread. 

Cut in half if you want. Enjoy! 

chicken parmesan

Last week, I made spaghetti. I had to leave for work right after dinner, so the process was a bit chaotic. I put green beans in the microwave and bread in the toaster (to make a quick version of garlic toast)... and I absolutely forgot about the bread. The next day, I discovered the toast. I decided I would have to try my hand at homemade breadcrumbs. The toast has been sitting on the counter since then. Needless to say, it was nice and stale. Perfect, really.

The idea for this recipe came from my sister-in-law's post (find it here). Mine is certainly not her healthy version, but BY GOLLY- it is delicious! Try it out. I think you'll like it.

RECIPE: Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:

4 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted

1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. {ish?} freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp. EVOO

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast (or 3 small)

2 eggs

1/2 c. flour

1/2 c. Canola/vegetable oil {I think; I didn't measure.}

1 1/2 c. Mozzarella cheese

spaghetti noodles

spaghetti sauce (about 2 c.)

1 can green beans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

Pound the chicken breasts until they are about 1/2 inch thick. This step is important. It not only tenderizes the chicken but also thins it out so that it cooks uniformly... and doesn't burn on the outside before it's cooked through. {I like to do this in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag... using a rubber mallet.}

*Note: I had two massive chicken boobies that I cut into four pieces. I only ended up using three since I didn't quite have enough breadcrumbs. Hence the three breasts recommendation.

{Before}

{After}

Using a food processor, pulse the toast, 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, garlic, S&P and EVOO - in that order- until breadcrumbs form.
Prepare your assembly line of bread-crumbing ingredients. Dump the flour onto a plate. Beat two eggs and a splash of water in a bowl of some sort. Dump your super-savory breadcrumbs onto another plate.

{Like so}

Heat your Canola/vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, dredge each chicken breast in flour, shake off excess; slosh around in egg mixture, coating fully; then press into breadcrumbs, pressing crumbs into chicken until absolutely coated. Fry the prepared chicken in oil (again, in a large skillet over med to med-high heat) for about 3-4 minutes per side, or until golden and fabulous {see below}.

Note: Get your water boiling now for your pasta. Don't forget to salt the water.
Place the fried chicken on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet {or stone, if that's what you had out before you thought of the cooling rack idea}. This will help keep the breadcrumbs crispy later on.
Top liberally with Mozzarella cheese and lightly with Parmesan cheese. Throw some pepper up on there if you feel the need.
Bake at 450F for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and browned.

Note: The bake time for the chicken perfectly coincides with the spaghetti cooking time. So as soon as you throw the birdies in the oven, start cooking your pasta. I'm a horrid judge of pasta quantities, so use your own {better} judgement. Cook according to package instructions.

Also, open up a can of green beans. Drain 'em a bit, then dump 'em in a bowl. Microwave for dos minutos. Easy-peasy.

Oh, and warm up some spaghetti sauce. I did it on the stove; you could also nuke it. Whatev. But you do want it warm... so take care of that.

Once your 10 minutes are up, the entire meal should be ready to assemble. Grab a plate and dish up some spaghetti noodles. Top with sauce. Top that with your oh-so-yummy chicken. And serve with a side of green beans.

Mmm... amazing!

soothing pumpkin soup with swiss cheese paninis

I got this recipe off Studio5 (recipe submitted by one Laura Wolford) a couple years back. We LOVE it! It's a bit unusual, so we have to be careful who we invite over to share it, but we think it's pretty great. I altered it a bit this time around because I didn't have any cream on hand. Instead, I used 16ish oz. of evaporated milk and threw in a couple tablespoons of butter {can't be too healthy, right?}. It tasted great. We couldn't tell the difference. I think this substitution is ideal for making this even more convenient and easy, but here’s the cream version. Also, I reduced the sugar (by a third!) and couldn’t even tell- so we’ll do it that way now. And upped the garlic a bit. Because, garlic. 

We also grilled up a few swiss cheese paninis on wheat bread for the perfect fall-weather meal (also great open faced). Mmmm... autumn!

RECIPE: Soothing Pumpkin Soup

Serves: 4

Calories: 141

Ingredients:

3 c. chicken stock**

1 c. whipping cream

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin puree {NOT pie filling}

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1-2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

dash nutmeg

fresh ground pepper and salt to taste

chopped fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish {not necessary}

**Note: You really want either stock or broth, but not bullion. It comes out way too salty with bullion- especially the Mexican kind. :(

Directions:

Bring chicken stock and cream to a boil. Whisk in remaining ingredients except garnish. Reduce to simmer and let cook 15 minutes. Season to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish if desired.

RECIPE: Swiss Cheese Paninis

Ingredients:

bread slices

butter/margarine

swiss cheese, sliced

Directions:

Easy-peasy. For each panini, just butter two pieces of bread (one side of each) and throw sliced swiss between the two slices (cheese touching the non-buttered sides). Grill them up for a few minutes on each side (use a griddle, frying pan, George Foreman, panini-maker, whatever works), or until cheese is melty and bread is browned and crisp. Slice in half if desired and serve with soup.

Mmm... what a quick, easy, delicious meal. Enjoy!

grilled-cheese sammies with mixed veggies

It's a rainy day. Derek's home {no flying... rainy day}. Our happy little family is together and cozy. I threw this together, wanting mostly a super-quick meal... and it was a hit! James couldn't get over the "beddies" {veggies} and kept wanting "meeew" {more}, which made me rediculously proud. And because I used NO butter or seasonings on the veggies {try it; you'll be surprised} and used whole wheat bread, we were able to eat a delicious AND nutritious meal. It's super simple but really yum. Try it. You'll like it.



RECIPE: Grilled-Cheese Sammies with Mixed Veggies

Ingredients:
whole wheat bread
sharp cheddar cheese
butter/margarine {We love Canola Oil Harvest.}
frozen mixed veggies

Directions:
Put veggies and water into a saucepan and cook according to package directions. {Seriously, don't add anything. I know you'll want to, but refrain. Taste them first... You'll be surprised how flavorful they are with nothing added.}

Meanwhile, spread butter on one side of each piece of bread. Slice cheese thinly and stack in between pieces of bread (touching the non-buttered sides). Heat a pan over med heat. Fry/grill {not sure which word is applicable here} each side until beautifully brown and the cheese is melted inside.

Cut the sandwich into four if serving little people, serve up and enjoy! {PS. The veggies are perfectly sized for tiny toddler fingers... and require no cutting to minimize the choking hazard! I know! Amazing.}