Category Archives: Damn Good Dinners

Enchilada Pasta

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Casseroles. Yes, a one pot meal is extremely convenient, but it should also be appetizing. So coming from someone who hates leftovers, its pretty shocking that I have taken this to lunch the next day every. single. time.

  • 1/4 cup light sour cream
  • 5 oz. cream cheese
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1 medium size Spanish or yellow onion chopped (this was my addition, added a depth of flavor and crunch the dish needed, however if you don’t have any or don’t like, feel free to exclude).
  • 1 bag egg noodles
  • 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce (red not the green)
  • 1 can (4-5oz) Rotel
  • 1 taco seasoning packet (you can thank me again for this shortcut since original recipe calls out cumin, cayenne pepper, etc. all the stuff included in the taco seasoning pouch itself)
  • 1 lb ground turkey (original calls for ground beef, but this is an easy way to cut fat & calories without sacrificing flavor)
  • 2 cups (1 will go in the casserole 1 is for the top) shredded Mexican cheese (kids, that means: Monterey jack, cheddar, or Pepper jack combinations. Kraft even has a light Mexican blend that’s yum!)

Cook the pasta per the instructions (I used fusilli because the twirl grasps the sauce really well, but penne rigate would do the same or the egg noodles suggested).
Meanwhile brown the ground turkey meat with a packet of taco seasoning and the chopped medium onion in a tablespoon olive oil.
Drain the pasta and let the meat cool, then mix with the frozen corn, a can of the Rotel tomatoes (the one with the green chilies, trust me it won’t be too spicy. promise.), sour cream, cream cheese, enchilada sauce, and half of shredded Mexican cheese. Top with the remaining cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese has melted (since all components are already cooked).

This is hearty, filling, and flavorful. You know that I’m not lying either, because Mexican is my least favorite cuisine and yet I adore this mexi-fusion casserole. Serves 4-6 people.

Happy Eating, XO.

Omega 3

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Don’t even begin to ask me what that even means. All I know is that its fatty, but the good kind, and its found in salmon! Sure, we all enjoy our occasional lox & bagel for a smoked salmon fix or we go in on the salmon sashimi at our favorite sushi joint, but we should have a quick & delish way to make this succulent fish at home as well. Here is the most decadent way to make this divine fish. Oh and grab a tablespoon that’s all you really need for this recipe!

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (I use Tony Cacere’s, but I am sure any pre mixed stuff works)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Coat the fish filet (both sides with the skin on) with olive oil. Then dust on the garlic powder and Tony’s spice mix (about a half tablespoon per side) Turn your non stick pan to high heat, sear each side (approx. 2 min) and then cut the heat to medium otherwise your pan will smoke. (Warning it may smoke a bit when searing too so have the exhaust fan going just in case) Cook on each side for 5-7 min on medium heat after seared and squirt with lemon juice to finish (don’t do that when still in pan, squirt on serving plate). Also note the skin will slide right off so remove before serving. I only cook with it on so it seals in the moisture, OK I am salivating as I type this, just know its amazeballs. It serves as many as you want it to, one filet per person. Total prep & cook time is 15 minutes, so no excuses for not eating healthy! I usually serve this with roasted asparagus or a corn/avocado salad. Keep an eye out for those recipes coming soon!

Happy Eating, XO.

The Lazy Man’s Tuna Noodle Casserole

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This casserole is one of my favorite go-to recipes on a work night. It takes just a few minutes of prep time, and by the time I change in to sweats, pop open a bottle of red wine and turn on the TV it’s just about done.

Main ingredients

  • 1 can of tuna
  • 1 small can of cream of mushroom soup
  • 2 cups cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 2 tbsp of chopped dried onion
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 bag of extra wide noodles

Topping

  • 1 cup Italian bread crumbs (depending on the size of the dish you’re putting it it, you can always use more. I usually eyeball it)
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cook noodles per the package. Mix tuna, mushroom soup, cheese, butter, onion and noodles together. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and slowly add milk.

For the toppings, brown your bread crumbs with the butter in a small pan on medium heat. (Be careful not to burn them! They don’t take long to brown.). Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the tuna mix and bake for 45 minutes.

tuna noodle casserole

Happy Eating, XO

Chip Chop

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Anyone wonder why when something is needed quickly, people say “chip chop”? Regardless, this pork chop recipe cooks in a jiffy! (Again don’t know where the word jiffy even came from?) Its a simple week night dinner that doesn’t require any prep work. I grabbed some pork chops on the way home from work and had dinner on the table in no time. No, you can’t sub for chicken or fish on this one. I hear the word on the street is that apple sauce only marries pork, so my apologies if you don’t eat the whitest red meat.

 

Also, let’s get interactive here, what are some good sides that go with pork chops? Give me suggestions on accompaniments for this dish! Email us: damndelish@gmail.com on what you would serve with this dinner. Pasta? Rice? Potatoes? No starch and just veggies? Would LOVE to hear from the readers. Jess and Sonia are lonely emailing just one another. Ok back to food, go make this one, its precious. (total prep & cook time is only 20 minutes!)
  • 2 1/2 cups of applesauce (The original calls for 4 cups and that is WAY excessive. Trust me even with 2 1/2 you will have plenty leftover, plus if you don’t want to take my word for it, know that 2 1/2 cups is pretty much an entire small jar anyway).
  • 2 onions (Original recipe calls for 1 onion so that should be fine, but I increased it since they cook down a lot).
  • 1 1/2 cups of white wine (I had some left over from the fancy pants chicken piccata recipe)
  • 4 (1-inch thick) pork chops
  • 3 tbsp. butter
Season pork chops with salt and pepper generously & place in a large skillet over medium-high heat. In the spaces between the chops, add the butter and onions. (you are going to need a pretty big pan by the way, I switched half way through because mine wasn’t big enough) Cook and stir the onions while the first side of the chops cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn the chops and continue cooking until the no longer pink in the center, 5 to 7 minutes more. Pour white wine into the skillet; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan (this is what Food Network calls de-glazing the pan. Go ahead, show off, use it in conversation some time to act like you are a culinary king). Stir applesauce through the onion and wine mixture. Simmer until the liquid thickens somewhat, about 5 minutes. Plate the pork chops and top with the apple and onion mixture to serve. Oh and sorry there is no picture, there may or may not have been excessive wine consumption stopping us from remembering to take a photo prior to inhaling our meal.
Editor’s note: I did enjoy how quick and easy this was, but I also felt as if something was missing. Try variations on this by adding a pinch of cayenne, cinnamon, & garlic powder to the apple sauce mixture. Remember not to season the chop itself much more since it will burn the outside when searing and leave the inside undercooked. Having said all that, not one person didn’t finish their plate. So maybe don’t mess with it-keep it a simple & clean dish. Just some food for thought. ha get it!?
Happy Eating, XO.

Fig, Mustard & Pear Champagne Glazed Chicken

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An ode to my favorite grocery store under the Sun. Trader Joe’s. Cheap, fresh, organic, tasty, you name it…this place is THE best. Anyway, this blog is primarily easy recipes. Easy sometimes is mistakenly synonymous for quick. And while we appreciate the pace of most of the recipes, some of them such as the Sunday Simmer are best made “low and slow”. This is by far one of the easiest recipes because its mix, pour & roast however the total cooking time is 2 hrs. So if you need a quick week night dinner, keep scrolling. However, if you have some time to get laundry or other cleaning done…this recipe is clutch. Plus all ingredients are from TJ! So here you have it ladies & gents…Fig, Mustard & Pear Champagne Glazed Chicken.

  • 1 TJ’s Whole Organic Chicken (bone chicken = more scrumptious than non bone chicken, you better recognize! check out Mama Z’s whole chicken recipe too).
  • 1 jar TJ’s Fig Butter (I used the little that was remaining as a spread with goat cheese & crackers on wine night so obviously a multi faceted purchase here).
  • 1 jar TJ’s Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (this is used in dressing recipes, the crab cake recipe, etc…aren’t you happy to have to buy one less thing this time around, your welcome).
  • 1 bottle TJ’s Pear Champagne Vinaigrette (keep this around for an endive salad coming to the blog this December. We always want you to be able to use leftovers. Plus, we hope you like the dish enough that you wont have leftovers because you will re-make it at least once more!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the fig butter, 1/2 cup of the mustard and 1 cup of the vinaigrette. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry the chicken (moisture on the chicken will prevent the glaze from sticking to it). Place the chicken in a baking dish and spread 2/3 of the glaze mixture generously all over the chicken. (I did so, too generously. What I mean is that there was so much of the glaze that was on the pan surrounding the chicken that it started to burn & made my fire alarm go off. Crisis was averted by opening a window and switching to a clean pan, but it messed up the heating/cooking temp of the chicken & probably could’ve gotten an extra 20 min the oven to make up for the mid cooking swap). They say the rule of thumb is 20 min per lb. (I didn’t put much thought into that and just pulled it out when it looked done). Anyway half way through I basted the chicken with the remaining 1/3 of the glaze mixture, so moist & divine this chicken came out!

This serves 4 people and I served it with the roasted potatoes recipe under sidekicks.

photo

Happy Eating, XO.