Day 8: Cheesy Chicken Hash(Crock pot)

It's from Family Circle Magazine. I needed a crock pot recipe to leave for the boys and Jane while I was at GLEE LIVE. This seemed like something my boys would like: cheese, steak sauce and potatoes. I also liked that the longest it needed to be in the crock pot was 5 hours so I could wait to start it until at least one child was napping.

I gave a few last minute instructions about the recipe and left it to them to finish and enjoy!

Cheesy Chicken Hash(8 servings)
Calories: 269 WW: 6 points

1 12 oz can evaporated milk(low fat or fat free)
3 tablespoons steak sauce(A1)
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 28oz bag O'Brien frozen potatoes
1 lb ground chicken(breast only would be less calories)
1 large onion, finely chopped1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Step 1: Whisk together evaporated milk, steak sauce, mustard, salt, pepper. Set aside

Step 2: Spray crock pot bowl with cooking spray. Add potatoes, chicken and onions and mix. Pour steak sauce mixture over the top.

Step 3: Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours or low for 4 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through

Step 4: Remove cover and stir when done. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley and replace cover for 30 minutes more or until cheese has melted. Serve immediately.


Kitchen Play by Play: Doesn't get much simpler than this. You don't even have to thaw the hash browns. The biggest job is the chopped onion. I mixed it all together, minus the cheese and set the crock pot on low. They put the cheese in with a half hour to spare. I forgot to buy parsley, so it was missing from the dish. They ate it with green beans.

The finished product: Paul remembered to take a picture, but I cannot post it. It does not look pretty. It needed the parsley. It looks like a pile of light brown mush, although I guess that is what hash is. Okay, I talked myself into showing it. Here it is.



The verdict:
Paul-gives it a 2. He can't put his finger on it, but there was just something about it that he did not like the taste of.

Jane- gives it a 4. She said it tastes much better than it looks.

Austin-ate it up. Paul had to spoon feed it to him, but that is just because Austin was being silly.

Day 7: Do Ahead Pizza Casserole

Dianna came over this afternoon with the girls, so obviously I had to try one of the recipes she gave me. This is one she hasn't tried, but thought I'd like. I figured with pizza in the title how bad could it be. I do have to admit that seeing eggs in a recipe with pizza ingredients did gross me out. I also don't love prosciutto, but I assumed it would be well disguised. Also, Dianna made a good point. In the future, this recipe can be tweeked depending upon personal taste. You could add mushrooms, green peppers, onions, mini pepperoni. The options are endless.

Good news: It gets put together the night before.
Bad News: See Kitchen Play by Play

NOTE: I will be cooking tomorrow: Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Hash, but I will not be blogging until Wednesday. Paul, his mom, and Austin will rate it, but I will be gone at GLEE LIVE...WooHOOO!!!! I will get their ratings and make two postings on Wednesday

Make Ahead Pizza Casserole(serves 6)
1/4 lb prosciutto, chopped
1/2 shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
6 cups cubed french bread
5 eggs
1 1/4 cups skim milk
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Step 1: In large bowl, combine the mozzarella cheese, prosciutto, tomatoes, and bread.

Step 2: Arrange mixture evenly in greased 9x13 pan

Step 3: Using the same bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the milk, sour cream, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Beat well.

Step 4: Pour the egg mixture over the bread, tilting the pan from side to side to coat all the bread.

Step 5: Cover the pan with foil and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.

Step 6: Remove from fridge at least 20 minutes before heating. Cook uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until crisp on top

Calories: 375 calories WW: 8 points

Kitchen Play by Play: Bad news #1: This was very time consuming, again, mostly due to my lack of chopping skills. I had to chop 3 tomatoes and a loaf of bread. Bad news #2: I sustained my first challenge related injury. Bread knife-1, Nicole-0. It wasn't too deep or bloody but enough that had Heather been around, she would have passed out. I took universal precautions and quickly bandaged myself up to keep from adding an "extra" ingredient to the casserole. I had to then mix the bread mixture with only one hand which was not an effective use of my time. I also had to crack the eggs very slowly to keep from getting egg goo in my wound. Overall, the actual prep was a nightmare. I was very glad when it was over. I threw it in the fridge and was happy to forget about it for 24 hours. I took it out 30 minutes prior to oven time. I cooked it for 42 minutes because I wanted to make sure the eggs were cooked through especially with the kids and a pregnant Dianna. I let it cool for about 5 minutes.

The finished product(This is 1/6 of the casserole or one serving)The Verdict:

Nicole: It was like a warm foccacia bread. The house smelled great, and it was very yummy. I couldn't taste the egg at all and the prociutto gave it a nice saltiness, but did not overpower the dish. I will make it again, but next time I'll add mushrooms and onions. I give it a 4.

Paul- had it for dinner so he could rate it. He gives it a 4. "Liked the idea of it and it tasted good. Even though it would add some calories...maybe next time a red dipping sauce."

Austin- LOVED it. He asked for more at lunch and ate it for dinner as well.

Dianna-gives it a 3.8. "Very tasty. I would definitely make it, and I like recipes that allow you to experiment with different ingredients/flavors. If my children had gobbled it up, I would bump it up to a 4, but apparently they were saving room for the pie."

Natalie and Cara-Didn't really eat it. They were too excited about the pie.

Day 6: Chinese BBQ Pork and Frozen Key Lime Pie

The theme for the next few days is do ahead meals. This recipe falls under that category. I mixed the marinade together last night and the pork spent the night in the fridge. The recipe is from my WW Take-Out Tonight Cookbook. The cookbook is organized by cuisine and includes recipes that we'd find at all our favorite restaurants. I have tried several recipes from the Chinese section but this one is new for me.

It does require some strange ingredients like oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and dark sesame oil, but almost all of the recipes in the Chinese section have these ingredients as well so it's a good investment.I bought a 2lb pork roast and cut it in half, so look for another pork dish sometime this week.

Calories Per Serving: 157 WW: 3 points

Chinese BBQ Pork(serves 4)
1lb boneless pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons honey2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sake or dry white wine
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

Step 1: Prick tenderloin all over with knife or fork

Step 2: Combine all ingredients in gallon size Ziploc bag. Squeeze out all air.

Step 3: Refrigerate overnight; rotating meat several times

Step 4: Spray rack of roasting pan with nonstick spray. Lay pork on rack. Discard marinade

Step 5: Roast at 450 degrees for 25-27 minutes(medium) or until internal temperature 160 degrees

Step 6: Transfer meat to cutting board and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Kitchen Play by Play: 5 minutes tops. No chopping, no slicing, no major measuring. Nothing to say...it was as simple as it gets. I used Chardonnay; is that a dry white wine? If not, oh well, it's all I had. I like my meat well done, so I put the pork in the oven for 30 minutes and then covered it with foil once it was out to let it continue to cook. I sliced it and served it with white rice and green beans. Paul thought the rice was a little blah, so he added plum sauce to it.

The finished product: The blog site will not let me upload the pork. I'll try again later!

The Verdict:
Nicole-Most tender piece of meat I've had in a long time. The flavor was good too. I will definitely make this again. I think I would try to make a sauce to go with it though. I give it a 4.

Paul-gives it a 3. It was tender. It didn't taste like the marinade. It needed a sauce.

Austin- ate everything I put on his plate, but then began chanting for cake.


KEY LIME PIE

A Dianna recipe. I've had it at her house before, and I crave it. It is sooo yummy. When I saw the weather report for how hot it was supposed to be this weekend, I knew I had to make it. It is super refreshing and light!

Frozen Key Lime Pie(4 points per serving, serves 10)

14 oz. can fat free sweetened condensed milk

1 Tablespoon grated lime zest

½ cup lime juice or key lime juice

2 cups fat free Cool Whip

1 reduced fat graham cracker crust

1 lime, thinly sliced (for garnish)

Step 1: Whisk together lime juice, zest and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl.

Step 2: Fold in the Cool Whip one-third at a time just until blended.

Step 3: Spoon the filling into the graham cracker crust, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

Step 4: Freeze until firm—at least 4 hours.

Step 5: Let pie stand at room temperature 10 minutes before slicing.

Kitchen Play by Play: SOOOO easy. I looked everywhere for key lime juice and could not find it, so I used regular lime juice. The worst part about this recipe is that you have to wait 4 hours for it!!

The finished product

That is Austin's piece that is missing.

The Verdict:

Nicole: LOVE it!!!! It may only be 4 points, but when you eat half the pie I think it loses it's low calorie title. It was very refreshing. This will be in freezer for the entire summer!! Huge 5.

Paul:gives it a 4. Light and refreshing.

Austin: He helped make it. After chanting for cake, he was very pleased at what I presented him with. He ate it within seconds of receiving it.

Day 5: Sausage and Penne with Vodka Tomato Sauce

Yet another recipe from Dianna. This is one she hadn't tried, but thought we'd enjoy. We love Italian food, and Austin hearts noodles of any kind. It seemed really easy too. Plus, Paul was going to be home for dinner tonight and he really enjoys sausage in his pasta...so perfect pick.

Calories per serving: 235 WW: 5 points
Kitchen Play by Play: I bought the Archer Farms(Target) Italian Chicken Sausage and Barilla Whole Wheat pasta. I'm thinking the whole wheat may have cut the calories a little, but I'm sticking to 5 points per serving anyway. I used 4 cloves of garlic because very seldom is there such a thing as too much garlic. Chopping the garlic and onion was the most time consuming task(3 minutes). The sausage browned very quickly and the onion and garlic sauteed as quickly as the recipe claimed it would. I am very impressed at how well written and easy to follow the recipe is. It's perfect for a kitchen moron like me. I knew from the start that the sauce would not be thick since 3 tablespoons of cheese is its only thickening agent, so I left the Romano cheese on the table to top the pasta if needed. Again, the 1 cup of pasta amazed me. It's a lot especially with the sausage. I definitely put more than 1/2 cup of sauce on mine though, so I may need to add a point or two to my serving size. I considered the tomatoes our vegetable for the evening and enjoyed serving a one pot meal. Very little cleanup.

The finished Product: Batteries, and I remembered to actually take a picture tonight. This is Paul's; he probably had 1 cup of sauce/sausage.

The Verdict:
Nicole-Flavor was there and was good. I could really taste the olive oil/garlic mixture. The sausage was VERY yummy. I think I may buy it instead of Italian sausage from now on. I still cannot accept a runny sauce though. I feel like my noodles are naked and are begging to be covered. I did not add extra cheese because I did not want the extra calories. Paul did though and it did not seem to thicken it up much. I'll eat the leftovers, but I probably won't make it again when I have so many other great pasta recipes in my box. I give it a 3.

Paul-gives it a 4. It wasn't a 3 but not quite a 5. Little bit of everything made it good. A sausage, noodle or tomato by itself was just kinda blah, but together it all worked.

Austin- Ate about 15 pieces of sausage once they were browned and waiting to be added to the sauce. I kept seeing his little eyes peering over the counter and hearing, "more sausage please." Once it was in his bowl with sauce and noodles, he still only ate the sausage. He passed on the noodles for sausage. So totally buying these instead of real Italian sausage. I may even try to pass them off as hot dogs. Who am I kidding? The kid is a hot dog connoisseur. He'd never buy it.

Day 4: Chicken Tortilla Pie

From Cooking Light: Fresh Food Fast Cookbook via Heather. It sounded really yummy and seemed really easy and fast. Heather told me the black bean dip would be hard to find, but I was determined to succeed; and I did once I asked for help at the Jewel and four different people helped me find it. It was hidden in the organic section among all the salsas.

Tonight I had two guests for dinner my mom and my Aunt Caryn. Mom came again because Paul had another meeting and Aunt Caryn came because her and mom have Friday night date nights. So tonight, date night was at my house. Heather had already hyped up the recipe to Aunt Caryn so the pressure was on to pull out a win tonight.

Chicken Tortilla Pie
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 c fresh salsa (recipe below, or you could just use store bought pico de gallo)
1 c spicy black bean dip
4 (8 inch) multigrain flour tortillas
1/2 c reduced fat shredded Monterrey jack
cooking spray

Step 1: Preheat oven to 450.
Step 2: Combine chicken and salsa in a med. bowl.
Step 3: Spread 1/4 c black bean dip over each tortilla. Top each evenly with chicken mixture and 2 T cheese. Stack tortillas in bottom of 9 inch spring foam pan coated with cooking spray.
Step 4: Bake at 450 for ten minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted. Cut pie into 4 wedges. Serve immediately.

Serving Size: 1 wedge, yields 4 servings. (380 calories, 11g fat, 39.9 g protein, 12.2 g fiber)

Fresh Salsa
1.5 c refrigerated prechopped tomato, onion and bell pepper mix (I just chopped my own)
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice
1/4 t ground cumin

1. Combine all ingredients in a med. bowl, stirring gently.

Here's the nutritional info in case you wanted to eat it on its own with chips: Yield 6 servings (serving size 1/4 cup). 12 calories, 0g fat, 0.7 g fiber)

Kitchen Play by Play: Lots of changes tonight to the recipe. I cooked the chicken in the steam bags of course. I BOUGHT a 1/4lb of the Jewel Chef's Kitchen Pico de Gallo, and I used it all. I did not add anything to it even though the recipe calls for lime juice and cumin. I found Desert Pepper Trading Company Spicy Black Bean Dip which I did not measure. I bought fat free tortillas rather than multigrain; and I could not find low fat Monterrey Jack cheese, so I bought a low fat Mexican blend instead. Prep was ridiculously easy. I put it together in less than five minutes. I only used three tortillas because I ran out of the chicken/salsa mixture. My layers were very full. I used an 8 inch round non stick cake pan because I do not own a spring form pan. I put it in the oven, and it was perfect after 12 minutes. I served it with guacamole and chips and salsa. Mom requested corn, so I threw a can of corn in the micro as well.

So...I bought the batteries today as promised, but we were all so excited to eat that we devoured it before it could smile for its closeup. It looked fabulous :)

The Verdict
Nicole- LOVED it!!!! It was very spicy so the side of guac was necessary for me. The flavor was outstanding. SOOOOO yummy. The black bean dip and the salsa is what made it, so depending on what types you choose the taste could be totally different. I will always by the same combo when I make it from now on. Another recipe Paul will be disappointed he missed and unfortunately tonight there were not any leftovers. In fact, my only complaint would be that the serving size is pretty small. I would happily eat the extra 400 calories if it meant a second piece. I give it a 5.

Mom-gives it a 4.3. It was a little too spicy for her, but overall very yummy.

Aunt Caryn-gives it a 4.8. Very yummy, perfect amount of spice.

Austin-too spicy and he was too tired to think about eating anything. He was in bed by 5:55. We'll see what that means for a wake up time. He did ask for the steak from last night and when I was heating it up in the micro and talking to my mom, he yelled, "Mom, the meat's done." Seriously, I'm making that flank steak once a week.

Day 3: Marinated Flank Steak

From the Dianna Collection. Tonight's choice was based on the fact that my mom was coming to dinner, and she despises chicken of any kind. She says she'll eat it if it's well disguised, but very few recipes have accomplished this feat. She likes steak, so I figured I'd give this recipe a whirl. The other main reason for choosing this recipe is that 99.9% of it is prepared the night before making it a throw in the oven kind of a meal. I knew we'd be outside most of the day and that the kids, and me, would need showers/baths before being able to sit at the table. Therefore, I knew I needed something quick.

Paul had a meeting for his golf team so he wasn't able to dine with us or offer his verdict, but my mom will serve as a guest judge this evening instead.

Calories: 207 per serving WW: 5 points

Marinated Flank Steak(4 servings)

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons grated ginger root or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dry sherry
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb flank steak
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt/pepper

Step 1: In a gallon size Ziploc bag, combine soy sauce, honey, ginger, lemon, garlic, sherry, pepper flakes. Then add steak.

Step 2: Seal the bag, squeezing out the air; turn to coat steak. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, for 24 hours or overnight.

Step 3: Remove meat from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before broiling

Step 4: Pat meat dry with paper towel and discard extra marinade. Rub meat with olive oil

Step 5: Broil meat 3 inches from heat(4 minutes per side), turning only once and salting the cooked side.

Step 6: Season with pepper and let cool on cutting board for 2-5 minutes. Slice thin on a diagonal.

Kitchen Play by Play: LOVED that I could do it at night after the kids were asleep. I wish more recipes had this option. Super easy. I used ground ginger, regular soy sauce, and 3 cloves of garlic. Paul helped me prepare the marinade and our combined prep time was probably 4 minutes. We put it in the fridge and moved it around 2 or 3 times during the 24 hour period. I took it out about 45 minutes prior to broiling. I broiled the meat in a 9x13 glass pan and really did put it as close to the flame as it could get. I was skeptical about the meat being cooked in 8 minutes and as it turned out I was right to be weary of the timing. My mom took it out the first time and said it was mooing at her(very rare). I put it back in for another 3 minutes, and it still was very pink. I then sliced it and put it back in a third time for 3 minutes more. After it's third visit to the oven, it was a solid medium. I like well done, so it was difficult for me to keep from putting it back in again; but, I was worried I was going to dry it out. We had sweet potatoes again because my mom loves them and broccoli for Austin.

No picture...my camera is out of batteries, and we do not have any in the house. I will get some before tomorrow's post.

The Verdict:
Nicole- you know how I feel about steak. I don't like it. If I do eat it, it needs to be drenched in A1. Well, times are changing...this steak was wonderful, and it certainly did not require A1. The flavor was outstanding. It is a real palate pleaser. Paul is going to be upset he missed it, but I saved some for him. I give it a strong 4. It would be a 5 if the meat was a little more well done. I'll have to play with the cooking time a little more next time I make it.

Cathi(mom)-gives it a 3.8. Not a ginger fan, though it wasn't too gingery.

Austin- My meat hating child was not at the table tonight. The child who had an iron deficiency and will only eat fast food cheeseburgers, was shoving this meat into his mouth by the fistfuls. He asked for more meat 3 times. He even said, "so good." He didn't even ask for ranch or ketchup. Just meat...straight up. From Austin's reaction alone, I may be making this dish once a week from now on.

Day 2: Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

Another recipe from Dianna. She is the most wonderful friend in the whole world; and when I decided to challenge myself again, she went through all her recipe books and copied close to 30 recipes with 400 calories or less for me. She did most of the leg work for this challenge. She included a note with the stack of recipes saying that some were her family's favorites, some she thought sounded like me, and some she wanted to try but hadn't yet. Tonight was a McLear family favorite which I hoped would become a Fraser family favorite as well.

The MAIN reason for choosing the fried chicken for tonight's meal is that I still had thighs in the fridge that I did not use for the cacciatore last night. I planned accordingly and chose two meals this week that required chicken thighs. I'm starting to catch on.

Dianna emailed me her scanned copy of the recipe so that I did not have to type it out which is why the formatting is different than usual. If it is too difficult to read, let me know and I will type future recipes out instead.

Kitchen Play by Play: I had to skin the chicken again...GROSS. Bones needed to be in for tonight's recipe though. I used Franks Red hot sauce and cornflakes instead of almonds to cut a point off the recipe. I let the chicken soak in the sauce for about 30 minutes. My cooking spray was olive oil based. Total time in the kitchen was about 10 minutes. Really easy. Sweet potatoes and corn finished the meal.

The finished product

The Verdict:

Nicole: Yummy. SUPER crunchy. Chicken was juicy and delicious. I thought it had a small kick but nothing crazy. I would maybe even add more hot sauce next time. I give it a 4.5. Great alternative to "real" fried chicken.

Paul- gives it a 4. "It was like I was at a restaurant. Crispy coating and tender, juicy chicken."

Austin- only had a bite. He was too interested in the corn.