Main Dishes – Page 48 – The Pajama Chef

Potato Soup

August 3, 2010June 13, 2011 Sarah

Soup in the summer? I admit that it doesn’t make a ton of sense, but it sounded good so I went with it. This is an old recipe of my mom’s and it is really easy and really tasty… even in the heat of summer!

Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 medium potatoes
3 medium carrots [or 2 large carrots]
1 medium onion
2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour
2 cup water
2 cups skim milk
1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Directions:

Scrub and roughly peel potatoes, then dice into small to medium sized pieces [the smaller the cut, the faster they cook!]. Scrub and chop carrots [no need to peel–that’s just more nutrients… and they are hidden. Bonus! :)] and dice onion. Add all vegetables to a large pot along with the water, and cook over medium heat until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

After vegetables are softened to the consistency of mashed potatoes, make the rue by melting the margarine in the microwave and whisking in the flour gently [or be lazy like me and add them both directly to the pot]. Add rue to pot, then add milk and celery salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for at least 5 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with freshly ground pepper and/or shredded cheese, and some tasty bread and a salad on the side.

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sandwiches and Wraps

Southwest Chicken Panini

July 30, 2010June 4, 2015 Sarah

Ages ago, I found a recipe for Southwest Chicken Salad Panini. It sounded good, so I filed it away in my recipe box–which is actually a 12″x12″ crate with a bunch of binders and folders… there are so many recipes I want to try. Let’s not even mention my GoogleReader and Firefox bookmarks… Oh. My. Goodness. But what can I say? I learned from my mom! She has a ton of recipes too! 🙂 Anyway, I finally got around to making the sandwiches. It was super easy and made for a good, quick weeknight dinner, perfect for sitting around and watching TV. The panini had a ton of flavor, a little bit of spice, and was very filling. On the side, steamed green beans and rutabaga fries were great too… we just couldn’t get enough!

Southwest Chicken Panini

Servings: 2
Time: 15 minutes
Print

adapted from Kraft

Ingredients:

4 slices whole wheat bread
2 slices cheese [I used havarti]
1 tablespoon mayo or Miracle Whip
1 tablespoon ranch dressing
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup cooked chicken, cut into chunks
black pepper
cooking spray

Directions:

Heat panini grill, George Foreman grill, or a medium sized skillet to medium heat. I used a panini grill, but any of the other options would probably work just as well. In a medium sized bowl, mix chicken, Miracle Whip, and ranch to combine. Then season with paprika and a dash of pepper. Spray one side of each piece of bread with cooking spray, then fill the bread with a slice of cheese and chicken salad. Place on grill/skillet when hot and cook until cheese has melted and bread is toasted. This should take anywhere from 4-8 minutes, depending on your grill/skillet.

Note:

Veggies–especially tomatoes–would be a great addition to this panini! I just didn’t have any when I made it. 😦 The original recipe did call for it though.

Main Dishes, Pasta, Recipes

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

July 28, 2010December 5, 2014 Sarah

Tonight my plan for dinner was to make spaghetti. We had spaghetti last week, and I froze the leftover meat sauce, and wanted to use it up. But… on my way home today I decided that didn’t sound good, so I thought I’d get creative… and this is what happened!

An oh so delicious carb fest… tomato-y, creamy, cheesy, noodle-ly… filled with veggies and meat… which makes myself and my husband both happy! This recipe isn’t overly tomato heavy – though the tomato still makes its presence known – which is a bit of a refreshing change from many Italian dishes! This is a recipe I’m excited to experiment with, as it there’s a lot of potential to mix up the veggies, sauce, meat, and more. It is definitely a work in progress [and a delectable one at that!] and I will be sure to keep you updated!

Creamy Baked Spaghetti

Servings: 6-8
Time: 35 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

2 2/3 cups meat sauce [I had previous made up one batch of meat sauce using 1 pound browned ground beef + 1 jar marinara sauce, then froze about 1/2-2/3 of the batch… which was about 2 2/3 cups.]
7 ounces angel hair pasta
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup green pepper, diced
1 cup yellow squash, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 cup Italian blend shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1-2 tablespoons fresh oregano
nutmeg
ground black pepper
cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using cooking spray, grease an 8 cup baking dish [or 3 – 2 cup baking dishes and 1 – 1 1/2 cup baking dish if you want to be like me and make everything possible in individual containers!! :)]. This dish is super quick to make if you get all three pots and pans going at once. After the initial prep work of dicing and measuring, out-of-oven cooking took 15 minutes, tops. Ready?

In a medium size pot, get some water boiling for the pasta. Meanwhile, get the oil sizzling in a small saucepan. Finally, begin melting butter over low heat in a small pot.

When the water is ready, add the noodles, breaking them in half before cooking to shorten their length [especially important if using individual dishes]. Cook until al dente. [My noodles cooked for about 4 minutes so watch ’em closely!] This will be cooking again in the oven, so do not overcook the noodles!

Check the oil in the saucepan by throwing on a little piece of garlic or a green pepper–if it sizzles, you are good to go. Sauté the garlic, squash, and peppers until almost tender or about 4-5 minutes on medium heat.

When the butter melts, whisk in the flour. Stir until smooth or about 1 1/2-2 minutes. Stir in the milk and sour cream, taking care to stir constantly to avoid lumps. Heat until sauce thickens and can coat the back of a wooden spoon. This should take an additional 5-6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of sauce, or about half of the sauce.

In a large bowl [or a large pot if you had foresight unlike me], mix the cooked noodles, meat sauce, veggies, oregano, and half of the butter/flour/milk/sour cream divine-ness [aka the unreserved cup]. Add 1/2 cup Italian blend cheese and the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle on a dash of ground pepper and nutmeg [trust me! It’s good!], and mix well. Spoon into baking dish[es], top with remaining shredded cheese, and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Serve and smile! 🙂

Creamy Baked Spaghetti | thepajamachef.com — Look at those sauces swirl!

Main Dishes, Recipes, Sauces

Enchilada Sauce

July 27, 2010December 5, 2014 Sarah

My absolute favorite type of food is Mexican. From quesadillas to tacos to burritos to chips & salsa, I love it all. While I almost always in the mood for a dinner out at a local Mexican restaurant, lately, for health and financial reasons I have been recreating restaurant meals at home. This enchilada sauce is phenomenal. It is also very versatile. I’ve made full recipes and halved it, made it with homemade tomato sauce, plain ole tomatoes, and store-bought tomato sauce, and adjusted the spiciness–and even used fresh oregano instead of dried. Feel free to play around and find the balance that works for you! It’s yummy! 🙂

Enchilada Sauce

Servings: about 2 1/2 cups
Time: 10 minutes
Print

Ingredients:

16 ounces tomato sauce
4 ounces chopped green chilies
1/4-1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder [I’ve been using this Mexican-style chili powder, and using less because it’s spicier.]
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh oregano, or about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions:

Using a food processor, puree all ingredients until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pour in a medium saucepan and heat uncovered until warm. Simmer until ready to use.

To make enchiladas I fill tortillas with cooked and seasoned meat [pork, chicken, ground beef], 1/8-1/4 cup enchilada sauce, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese or cream cheese, as well as beans, rice, salsa, spinach/lettuce, etc. Roll tortillas and place in a greased shallow baking dish. Cover with additional sauce and/or cheese if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until golden and crispy.

Easy Homemade Enchilada Sauce | thepajamachef.com — Dinner is served!

Easy as that… dinner is ready! 🙂

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Sweet Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

July 26, 2010December 5, 2014 Sarah

Last night for dinner we had some fabulous grilled pork chops. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had grilled pork chops before, but I have a feeling we will be grilling them more often from now on. Yum! I’m not exactly sure where I found the recipe that I adapted for this meal–somewhere in the newspaper, I believe–but it sure was a tasty meal!

Sweet Mustard-Glazed Pork Chops

Servings: 4
Time: 15 minutes + overnight marination
Print

Ingredients:

4 pork chops
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Directions:

Combine the brown sugar, pepper, onion powder, and paprika and rub the mixture on both sides of pork chops. Cover and refrigerate overnight [I let mine sit for about 22 hours]. The next day, combine honey and mustard and set aside. Grill pork chops [husband used the George Foreman] until they are approaching desired doneness, then brush on glaze for last minute or so of cooking.