Progress on the ‘62
Category Archives: A few of my Favorite things ❤️✖️💯
Cereal out of Pancake batter? Yes, please!
Banana Pancake Cereal
INGREDIENTS
1 cup 1% milk, buttermilk or almond milk
1 cup unbleached all purpose or whole wheat flour
1 ripe banana
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
cooking spray
1 cup fresh mixed berries, for topping
1 large banana, sliced
optional whipped cream and colored sprinkles, for topping
DIRECTIONS
Add milk, flour, 1 of the bananas, eggs, oil, vanilla, baking powder and salt to a blender and pulse until smooth and throughly mixed.
Pour pancake batter into a condiment squeeze bottle. (Or use a ziplock bag and cut a tiny whole in the corner as well.)
Heat pan to medium high heat and spray with oil.
Squeeze little small pancake dots the size of a nickel and cook until top is dry and forms bubbles.
Toss the pancakes with a spatula and cook for a few more minutes.
Occasionally toss the pancakes around to help cook more evenly until slightly browned.
Transfer to 4 bowls and add sliced bananas, fresh berries and your favorite toppings (I like to drizzle honey).
NUTRITION
Serving: 2/3 cup pancakes 1/3 cup fruit, Calories: 272kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 9.5g, Fat: 4.5g, Saturated Fat: 1.5g, Sodium: 378.5mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 16.5g Blue Smart Points: 5 Green Smart Points: 6 Purple Smart Points: 5
This lighter version of Macaroni Salad with tomatoes and black olives is the perfect side dish for any summer BBQ.
Macaroni Salad with Tomatoes
Make Ahead, Pasta, Pasta, Salads, TO TRY
INGREDIENTS
6 oz uncooked elbows, wheat or gluten-free
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Hellmann’s light mayonnaise
1 tbsp white vinegar
dash garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
2.5 oz sliced black olives
salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Drain and rinse under cold water.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, tomatoes (and any juice from the tomato), olives, onion, garlic powder, oregano salt and pepper. Mix well.
Add elbows and mix well.
NUTRITION
Serving: 3/4 cup, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 21.5g, Protein: 3.5g, Fat: 3.5g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 2.5mg, Sodium: 165.5mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 0.5g Blue Smart Points: 4 Green Smart Points: 4 Purple Smart Points: 4 Points +: 3
Pesto Zoodles
Don’t they look AH-mazing?!! Pesto is one of my FAVORITES about summer, and now there’s no guilt of the pasta 🍝.
Pesto Zoodles
INGREDIENTS
2 medium-large zucchini
2 cloves garlic
1/2 yellow onion or white onion
extra virgin olive oil or butter
salt and pepper, to taste
pesto sauce (or other pasta-like sauce of choice, if any)
2 each small tomatoes (optional)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Wash your zucchini, and then use spiralizer* to create zucchini noodles. *See notes below
Add a small amount of olive oil or butter to a saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
Next, if using garlic and onions, add them to the pan and cook until the onions are translucent.
Now add the zoodles and gently toss them every minute or so throughout the cooking process which should only be about 5 minutes. Do not cover the pan while cooking – that will make them extra wet. Allowing steam to be released is good.
Once finished cooking, plate the zoodles and sauce or top them anyway you see fit and enjoy immediately. There will be a bit of excess liquid in the pan. If you do not wish to have all the liquid in your dish, you can either strain your zoodles or use tongs to plate them – leaving much of the liquid behind. We like to serve our zoodles with a few dollops of pesto and chopped fresh tomatoes.
It’s What’s UNDERNEATH that COUNTS
Not just a pretty paint job, this extreme makeover started with the frame’s trip to California. Newman Creations set her straight.
Insta Pot Chicken Pho 🍲
Instant Pot Chicken Pho
Healthy, INSTAPOT/Pressure Cooking, Soups & Stews, TO TRY
INGREDIENTS
2 small yellow onions (11 oz. total), halved crosswise
1 (3-in.) piece fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced, and smashed (about ⅓ cup)
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
3 whole star anise
8 (5-oz.) bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 quarts lower-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup fish sauce
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 (8-oz.) pkg. uncooked rice vermicelli noodles (such as Annie Chun’s Maifun)
4 cups fresh bean sprouts (4 oz.)
2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems (from 1 bunch)
2 medium-size serrano chiles, unseeded and thinly sliced (2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp.)
Optional toppings: matchstick carrots, torn fresh mint and basil leaves, Sriracha chile sauce
8 lime wedges
DIRECTIONS
Select SAUTÉ setting on a 6-quart multi-function programmable pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot). Allow to preheat about 5 minutes. Place onion halves, cut side down, in cooker. Add ginger; cook, undisturbed, until onion is slightly charred on cut sides, about 10 minutes. Add coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken, broth, fish sauce, and brown sugar.
Close and seal lid. Turn Pressure Release Valve to Sealing position. Select MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK setting. Set to HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes. (It will take 15 to 20 minutes for cooker to come up to pressure before cooking time begins.) Let pressure release naturally. (This will take about 10 minutes.) Carefully turn Pressure Release Valve to Venting position, and let steam fully escape. (This will take 1 to 2 minutes.) Carefully remove lid.
Transfer chicken to a large plate; let rest until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard skin and bones; shred meat.
While chicken cools, pour broth mixture in cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl; discard solids. Return strained broth to cooker. Add noodles, stirring to submerge; let stand until softened, about 5 minutes.
Return shredded chicken to mixture in cooker. Ladle soup evenly into 8 bowls. Top evenly with bean sprouts, cilantro, chiles, and other desired toppings. Serve with lime wedges.
Changing Gears
My husband’s near the completion of a 50 year project – the restoration of the damaged 1962 Corvette, he brought home on his 21st birthday.
I’d like to start at the beginning but due to his reluctance to narrate, I’ll start with what I know.
I know paint jobs are EXPENSIVE.
I know paint jobs take a L-O-N-G time. Eleven months to be precise.
It’s a suspenseful process.
I think that’s a good start.
My 17 Day Diet • or how to lose the Covid weight in a HURRY •
I’ve got a physical in 17 Days and ironically I have JUST the diet for it. NO shakes OR gimmicks, just wholesome HEATHLY food.
It jumps starts your metabolism and you’ll find support groups for it all over the web.
I’ll start with just a list of the basics and add recipes as I go along.
Cycle 1 (first 17 Days): ACCELERATE As much Lean Proteins as desire:
Fish- canned tuna, salmon, tilapia
Poultry- chicken breasts, turkey breasts, ground turkey (lean), eggs (2 eggs= 1 serving/ 4 egg whites= 1 serving)
As much Cleansing Vegetables as desire:
artichokes, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, green beans, lettuce, mushrooms, onions, parsley, scallions, spinach, tomatoes
2 servings Low Sugar Fruit (eaten before 2PM):
Apples, berries, grapefruit, oranges, peaches, pears, plums, prunes, red grapes
2 servings Probiotics:
Yogurt- any type including greek style, sugar free fruit flavored; plain; and low fat (6 oz. = one serving), Live Active Cottage Cheese (1/2C = 1 serving)
Condiments (in moderation – the more you use the less you’ll lose that day! I actually avoid altogether) :
Salsa, low carb marinara, lite soy sauce, low carb ketchup, fat free sour cream, low fat broth, Truvia, sugar free jams and jellies, Pam, fat free cheeses, fat free salad dressing, salt, pepper, vinegar, mustard, herbs and spices.
Here’s a link to my Chicken Tortilla Soup: https://wp.me/p6Ccms-7r
Roast Beef 🥩 Perfection👌🏻
I’ve always been intimidated by cooking large cuts of beef. Which is silly because we buy a side of it every year. I could never count on it coming out perfectly UNTIL I used this recipe.
It’s written for Eye of Round, but I used it tonight on a 4 pound Sirloin Tip. Just follow the equation for time + weight, for a perfectly juicy, slight pink on the inside, outcome.
Roast – High Temperature Eye-of-Round
Main Dish, Meats
INGREDIENTS
1 (3 pound) beef eye of round roast
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
2. Season the roast with salt and pepper and place in a roasting pan or baking dish.
3. Do NOT cover or add water.
4. Place the roast in the preheated oven.
5. Reduce the temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
6. Roast for 7 minutes per pound.
7. Then turn off the oven and let the roast sit in the hot oven for 2 1/2 hours. Do NOT open oven door AT ALL during this time!
8. Remove the roast from the oven, the internal temperature should have reached at least 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Carve into thin slices to serve.
NUTRITION
Calories 227 kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 0 g 0%
Cholesterol 71 mg 24%
Fat 12.6 g 19%
Fiber 0 g 0%
Protein 26.6 g 53%
Sodium 123 mg 5%
Chicken Tetrazzini
The authentic, takes a FULL day in the kitchen, version.
The first time I tasted this recipe, was in the early ‘80’s. The commercial photography agent I worked for, hired a Hungarian caterer for a party we were throwing in the studio.
It was LOVE at first bite!
This recipe isn’t difficult, but you can’t short cut any steps and get the same great flavor. I like to steam the whole chicken the day before, as it makes it easy to skim the fat off the broth, that is the basis for the thick, creamy, roux.
I also love that you can make it ahead – to serve for company.
Chicken Tetrazzini
Italian, Pasta, Poultry
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds frying chicken
2 cups hot water
salt, as suggested
½ pound broad egg noodles
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons grated Italian cheese
½ pound fresh mushrooms — sauteed in butter
bit pepper
several slivers garlic
additonal salt, pepper and cheese
SAUCE FOR TETRAZZINI:
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup melted butter
1 cup warm milk or cream
2 cups warm chicken stock
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons dry sauterne or sherry wine
DIRECTIONS
Steam chicken in the 2 cups hot water and 2 teaspoons salt, about 40 to 60 minutes, or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Strain stock for sauce. Remove meat from bones, and cut chicken into pieces about 3 inches long.
Cook noodles in gently boiling unsalted water about 10 minutes or until crisply tender, but not too soft. Then pour a little cold water into utensil and drain noodles thoroughly. Pour noodles into bowl and at once season with 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons melted butter, cheese and 1 cup of Sauce for Chicken Tetrazinni (recipe follows).
Saute mushrooms in the 2 T butter for five minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, pepper, and slivers of garlic, and continue to cook several minutes.
Pour and spread noodle mixture into a flat, buttered baking dish that measures about 10 × 1 1/3 inches (round or oblong casserole may be used).
Place the sauteed mushrooms over noodles, pour a little of the sauce over mushrooms, then cover with the cut chicken. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Pour rest of sauce (that has cooled for about 15 minutes) over chicken and sprinkle top with about 1/4 cup grated Italian cheese and drizzle with 2 T melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.
Sauce for Tetrazzini:
Blend flour into melted butter; gradually add milk or cream and chicken stock, stirring constantly. Cook until thick and smooth, then simmer 5 minutes, adding salt and wine toward end. Let cool about 15 minutes before pouring over top of chicken. If too thick, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk.
