Get Forked School Lunches!

Here was my Get Forked Friday post for the Volusia County Moms!

http://www.volusiacountymoms.com/2016/08/get-forked-friday-packing-bento-box-school-lunches-with-recipes.html

Get Forked Fridays!

For several months now, I have been submitting recipes for a local blog site called Volusia County Moms. (She has a FB page too!) Its very popular in the area and I have a section called Get Forked Friday!  I have been enjoying having a larger audience for my recipes, but Ive been slacking to post in here lol.. so!

This was a recipe I posted not too long ago!

Lemon Ginger Pound Cake! 

Connor’s Potato Lasagna!

My son recently decided he wanted to be a “Vlogger” it came as a bit of a surprise for us because he doesn’t enjoy attention or the spotlight very much. Well he started a couple weeks ago and while he’s a bit behind on everything he wants to do (because its A LOT) He uploaded a video of a recipe he made today.

He often comes to me and says “What if we do this, and make it like this” and I often take him to the store and let him get everything he thinks he needs and go to town. With the exception of teaching him a little technique along the way, he does every bit of it himself. Sometimes, I think he’s better than me! You may remember his Stuffed Chicken Parmesan? Well this “Potato Lasagna” AKA “PBC (Potato Bacon and Cheese) is one of his latest creations. He wanted to make it a Vlog, so here it is! Hope you enjoy it, because Im here to tell you it was DELICIOUS!

As Connor would say “If you like this video, like, subscribe and share it with your friends!” 🙂

Jesse’s Beer Battered Fried Green Beans!

My son Jesse loves the fried Green Beans at a local restaurant so decided he wanted to make some with dinner tonight! He knew he wanted to use beer (Can you tell he’s our kid?) And Flour, salt and pepper, but I had him add a little Baking Powder to make it raise a bit, and a little garlic salt.

Personally, I would of loved to add some cayenne pepper, or chipotle powder but he doesn’t do a lot of spicy so I refrained. Something to keep in mind when you do yours though!

What you need:

• Fresh (We used organic) Green Beans
• 2 cups of a good beer
• 2 cups of Flour
• 1/2 tablespoon of Baking Powder
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt
• Peanut Oil (can use Canola if you want but I love the flavor Peanut Oil gives!)

What to do:

1. Mix all the batter ingredients, poor the beer so it doesn’t really foam. Put the Green Beans in the batter and fold until all the beans are coated.
2. Fill a deep fry pan with Oil about 1/4 inch from the top
3. Once the oil is hot enough add the Green beans carefully so you don’t splash hot oil on yourself.
4. Once they are golden brown, remove from oil and place on paper towels
5. Salt the Beans while they are hot.
6. Serve

We didn’t even make a dipping sauce, these were so delicious by themselves!! ENJOY!

Beer Battered Fried Green Beans

Connor’s Stuffed Chicken Parmesan

My son Connor (12) wanted to cook everyone Chicken Parmesan for dinner, I thought it was a bit ambitious, but lets do it! We went to the store to purchase everything needed, and while there he decided he wanted to make the chicken STUFFED. He decided what he wanted to stuff it with and he also picked Green Beans for his side and knew exactly how he wanted to cook them. Needless to say the end result was out of this world! I knew he did well in the kitchen but this dish was a pretty big task to take on for a 12 year old, he even made the sauce from scratch and he rocked it! Here ya go! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Simple Sauce:

Take Approx. 20 vine ripened tomatoes, cut off the tops and cut them in half, lay them out on a baking pan (With sides) drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, mix well coating all of the tomatoes, put in the oven at 375 for about 45 min or until all the tomatoes are looking brownies and roasted on the edges. Whiz the tomatoes skin and all in a food processor

While the tomatoes are roasting, get out a pot and warm up 3 table spoons of olive oil, sauté approx. 10 cloves of diced garlic and a half of a diced yellow onion, add a pinch of salt.  Once the garlic & Onion is sautéed add chopped fresh basil (approx 8 leaves) and fresh oregano chopped (approx 2 tsp) Sauté it all together. Add Salt and Pepper to taste.  Once the tomatoes are done, add the tomatoes and simmer the sauce on low while your prepping the rest of dinner

Chicken Stuffing:

What you need:

• Approx. 6 cups of fresh spinach
• 2 Large Portobello Mushrooms Diced into medium chunks
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic chopped fine
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil
• Fresh Parmesan grated (approx. 1 1/2 cups)

What to do:

1. In a sauté pan warm up your olive oil, enough to coat the pan
2. Add the garlic and sauté until light golden
3. Add the Mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper, sauté until the mushrooms are darker and have released some of their juices
4. Add the Spinach and salt and pepper, Stir well (add a little more oil if needed) sauté spinach until just wilted remove from heat and allow mixture to cool
5. Once mixture has cooled mix in the grated parmesan cheese really well (Connor found this was easier to do with his hands although he said it “felt weird” lol)
   1. NOTE: You may need to drain some juices from the mixture before mixing in the parmesan

Chicken:

What you need:

• 4 thick Chicken Breasts
• Mozzarella cheese
• Flour and seasoned bread crumbs
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Slit the chicken from one end to the other down the side of the breast with a sharp knife without cutting the ends
2. Stuff with Spinach/mushroom/parmesan mixture (Be sure not to overstuff)
3. Place the stuffed chicken in a mixture of flour, seasoned bread crumbs, salt and pepper
4. Fry the breasts in shallow olive oil on both sides till golden brown (Make sure the stuffing is in it good so it doesn’t leak out during the process)
   • NOTE: You don’t have to coat and pan fry the breasts, if you want a healthier version you could just season them and cook them as is, pan frying them seals in the juices however, and helps them stay juicy.
5. Once the chickens are golden brown place in a pan and coat with a little of your sauce, Cook on 350 for 40 minutes.
6. After 40 minutes place Mozzarella Cheese on top of chicken (We used real honest to goodness mozzarella but you could use shredded or sliced)
7. Once the cheese is melted and bubbly remove from the oven and serve over Spaghetti with extra sauce!

Connor prepping his tomatoes for roasting

Connor Chopping up his herbs like a pro!

Spinach and Mushroom mixture for stuffing the chicken.

Garlic Onion and Herbs before adding the tomato puree

Connor adding his tomato puree

The Completed Sauce, YUM

Connor stuffing his chicken breasts

Connor stuffing his chicken breasts

Connor getting the chicken ready for the oven. Sauce on top!

Finished Product! Gorgeous AND Delicious!

Finished Product! Gorgeous AND Delicious!

The inside

Eggplant Gratin

Eggplant Gratin            

2 medium eggplant, sliced 1/2″ thick

salt & pepper to taste

olive oil

3 cups tomato sauce (recipe below)

1 Tbs. minced thyme leaves

1T sp. minced Basil  

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup provolone cheese

1/4 cup asiago cheese

Preheat oven to 375.   Brush Eggplant slices lightly with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Heat a large skillet or griddle pan over med-high heat and fry eggplant slices in batches until golden brown on both sides.  Set aside and put cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce to about 1 cup, then stir in half of the grated parmesan, all  of the provolone, Asiago, the garlic, and all of the chopped herbs. Use a small roasting pan (approx. 9in. Round makes a pretty presentation) lay the eggplant in a single layer, Cover with a thin layer of the tomato sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan.  Make two more layers of eggplant and sauce, covering the top with tomato sauce. Pour over the cream and cheese mixture and sprinkle on a final layer of parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered until browned and bubbling, about 25-30 minutes.  Allow it to rest for approx. 5 min after removing it from the oven. Serve. 

Tomato Sauce:

5-6 large tomatoes

Fresh Basil  (5 leaves, minced)

Fresh Oregano (2 sprigs minced)

4 cloves fresh garlic finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

Quarter your tomatoes, mix with a little olive oil, sat and pepper and east in the oven on 375 for approx. 30-40 min, When finished roasting, blend the tomatoes until smooth. In a small sauce pan sauté the garlic with a little olive oil, add the herbs and tomato puree, allow to cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes, until groovy. 

Chicken Pot Pie.. No, the BEST Chicken Pot Pie!

What you need For The Best Pot Pie

3 whole Chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic minced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 cups chicken stock, (I prefer homemade)
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) real butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups medium-diced carrots
2 cups fresh peas
1 sprig minced Rosemary
2 tbs fresh thyme
1/2 cup of a good white wine
Fresh Biscuit dough (see below for recipe)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Rub with salt and pepper and part of the rosemary. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Dice the chicken into Large cubes.
-In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the garlic and onions over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
-Add the Carrots, thyme and remaining rosemary then sauté for another 3-4 min. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes until thick.
-Add the chicken stock and wine to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. —Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, and peas,Mix well.
-Divide the filling equally among 4 ramekins. Place Biscuit dough on top of the filling in each ramekin, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper then place on a baking sheet and bake for approx. 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Biscuit Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fine salt
7 tbs cold real butter, sliced
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese (I like Parmesan and provolone but you can use anything)

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until combined. mix 2 tablespoons of the butter into the flour with your fingertips, until it is all absorbed. Work the remaining butter into the flour until it is in even pieces about the size of a pea. Gently stir the milk into the flour mixture. You will have a loose dough. Add the cheese, stir it in well, your ready to top your pies!

With a cherry inside!

Individual Cherry Cobbler Pie’s! 

What you need: 

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs raw sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 6 cups pitted cherries
• 2 tbs cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 3 tbs bourbon 

What you do:

Preheat oven to 400°

Make topping. In a medium bowl stir together flour, 2 tbs raw sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbles.  Set aside.

Make filling. In a saucepan combine cherries, 1/2 cup of the raw sugar, the bourbon and cornstarch.  Cook over medium heat until cherries release juices, stirring occasionally.  The mixture is ready when it thickens and is bubbly.  Keep it hot.

Assemble cobbler. whisk together egg and milk.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened.  Pour cherry filling into a Mini Pie Pans and  Immediately drop topping with a spoon into mounds on top of filling.

Bake  for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown.  Let cool in pans for about 1 hour before serving.

Food Editor for Floridian View Magazine, July Edition.

Red Snapper w/ Tomato Lemon Sauce

My husband and I purchased some Fresh Red Snapper caught right off our beaches from a new fish market we found, I couldn’t make up my mind what to do with it, so literally threw this together. It was way more delish than I even anticipated! Mouth watering! Its really a simple application and recipe and it allows the fish to shine.

What you need:

• 2 Large Red Snapper Filets (A little over a pound)
• S&P To taste
• Dried Thyme
• Lemon
• Diced Beef Steak Tomato
• Small Diced Yellow Bell Pepper (I used Red, but next time would use yellow for color contrast)
• 4-5 Cloves of fresh Garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Celery Tops

What to do:

1. Coat the bottom of a Heavy Oven Safe Skillet or Pan with Olive Oil
2. Turn the heat to Med. High to High
3. Season both sides of the fish with Kosher Salt, Pepper, and Dried Thyme (Not too heavy on the thyme)
4. Once the oil is hot put the fish in the pan and sear both sides (Approx. 1 min each side)
5. Remove the fish from the pan carefully, and lower heat to med/low
6. Add the Bell-pepper to the pan and sauté for about a minute
7. Add the Garlic until it starts to brown
8. Add the tomatoes, the butter and A little salt and pepper
9. Stir until butter melts
10. Add the Fish on top of your mixture, place celery tops on top of your fish
11. Squeeze half of the lemon over the fish, cover and place in the oven on 350 degrees for approx. 15-20 min. (garnish with the other half of lemon sliced)

Theres so much more you can do with the recipe, more veggies you could add, like diced celery, diced carrots etc. This is a base for even more amazing things for your taste buds!

 Ready for the Oven!                                                     Finished! 

One Pan Goodness

I always see everyone pinning and posting one “pot” meals, tonight I needed easy but good so I did a one pan meal. 

What you need:

• 1.5-2 pound pork loin
• Fresh Veggies (I used cabbage, corn on the cob, shallots and carrots)
• 9-10 Cloves fresh garlic
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt
• Pepper
• 3-4 Fresh Basil Leaves
• Approx. 1 tables spoon of fresh rosemary 

What to do:

ALL together, Chop the Garlic, Salt, Rosemary and Basil. then rub it all over the pork.

Put the veggies in a deep dish pan and sprinkle with some salt and pepper, add about 4 pats of butter, some more rosemary (not too much its strong!) and mixed it all up, then put the pork on top, sprinkle it with pepper, and put it in the oven on 375 for about an hour! So Easy, SO delish!

I think next time I will add about a 1/2 cup of white wine to the pan to help me create a bit of a pan sauce.