Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea!

 

 

Greek Orzo Pasta Salad

 

Recipe from Cassie of BakeYourDay.Net (I was looking for a way to use up my extra banana peppers and found this healthy idea. It's an awesome blog, so go visit for even more ideas. love, Jenn)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

1 shallot, roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

5-6 mushrooms, roughly diced (about 1 cup)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 can (2.25 ounce) sliced black olives

2 Tbs. banana peppers, chopped

2 Tbs. lemon juice (about half a lemon)

2 cups baby spinach, packed

2 Tbs. pesto (store-bought)

1/4 cup feta cheese + more for garnish

 

Directions:

Cook the orzo according to package directions.

 

While the orzo cooks, heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shallot, garlic and a pinch of salt and stir well. Cook for about 4 minutes on medium heat until the onion begins to soften. Add the mushrooms, oregano and thyme and stir, cook another 5 minutes until the mushrooms are softened.

 

Add the tomatoes, olives, banana peppers, lemon juice and stir, and add the spinach. Continue to cook until the spinach wilts and then add the pesto and feta cheese. Season with salt and pepper and add the cooked orzo. Serve with additional feta for garnish.

 

Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Cassie's Notes:

If you don't like an ingredient included, feel free to swap it out for more of something else you like. Try some slivered almonds, additional veggies or add some chicken or fish.

 

Stir Up Supper - bonus idea! 

 

 

Peanut Butter Cookies

 

Recipe from SmittenKitchen.com, Adapted from the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup peanut butter at room temperature (smooth is what we used, but I am pretty sure they use chunky at the bakery)

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1/2 cup chocolate chips

 

Directions:

For sprinkling: 1 tablespoon sugar, regular or superfine

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the flour, the baking soda, the baking powder, and the salt. Set aside.

 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and the peanut butter together until fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth. Add the egg and mix well. Add the milk and the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat thoroughly. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. Place sprinkling sugar — the remaining tablespoon — on a plate. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into the sugar, then onto ungreased cookie sheets, leaving several inches between for expansion. Using a fork, lightly indent with a crisss-cross pattern (I used the back of a small offset spatula to keep it smooth on top), but do not overly flatten cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Cookies may appear to be underdone, but they are not.

 

Cool the cookies on the sheets for 1 minute, then remove to a rack to cool completely.

 

* Note from Smitten Kitchen: 

The brilliance of these cookies is that they have include two different formats for peanuts–three if you use chunky peanut butter. They’re crisp on the outside, and almost cakey on the inside. Bake a batch and then hide the results in the furthest and most forgettable reaches of your kitchen. You’ll thank me later.

 

*Enjoy! Since I am not a baker, I mean really not a baker, I wouldn't take my own baking advice- LOL! Passing this along with love, Jenn

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea!

 

 

One Dish Delish: Caribbean BBQ Drumsticks

 

Recipe from Brooke McLay of cheekykitchen.com and Real-Life notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Caribbean BBQ Drumsticks

 

Ingredients:

2/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup vinegar

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup sugar or pure maple syrup or honey

juice and zest of 1 lemon and lime

2 tablespoons Jerk seasoning

dash hot sauce (optional)

1 large package chicken drumsticks

1/2 purple onion, diced

1 package frozen corn on the cobs

a hunkload fresh green beans, nappy ends snipped off

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

 

In a medium saucepot, simmer together ketchup, vinegar, butter, sugar, lemon & lime zest, 1/2 tablespoon Jerk seasoning, and hot sauce until boiling.

 

In a large casserole dish, toss chicken drumsticks in remaining jerk seasoning , onion, corn on the cob, and green beans. 

 

Drizzle sauce over everything in your dish. Toss in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until the chicken drumsticks are cooked through. 

 

Notes: 

 

Made this one (finally!) last night (3/12) and enjoyed it. I wasn't a huge fan of the drumsticks, so next time I may try it with thighs or chicken breasts. The flavors were great and my husband loved it. It's mostly sweet with a little spice. 

 

I added some ground ginger about (1/8 teaspoon) in the sauce. Also, her instructions never say when to add the juices of the lemon and lime, so just to be certain you know, add them in the sauce. 

 

I also added a few pats of butter in the last 5 minutes of baking to the tops of the corn on the cobb chunks. 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn

 

 

 

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Pork Chops and Applesauce

Recipe from Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste.com and Real-Life notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

4 thin (14 oz) boneless pork loin chops, center cut

1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried sage

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

1 tsp butter

2 tbsp flour (leave out for gluten free)

1/2 cup apple sauce for serving on the side

 

Directions:

You can make this with boneless or bone-in pork chops; center cut pork loin chops are a good option because they are pretty lean, just be sure not to over-cook them so they don't dry out. 

 

Season pork chops with paprika, garlic powder, sage, thyme, salt and fresh pepper to taste. (Note 1)

 

Place flour on a small flat plate and lightly pat the chops with flour, shaking off any excess flour so they are lightly coated.

 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter when the pan is hot. (Note 2) When the butter melts, place chops in the skillet and cook 3 1/2 to 4 minutes. Turn over and cook an additional 3 - 4 minutes, or until the internal temp is 145° F. (Note 3)

 

Remove from the pan and set on a platter to rest for three minutes.

 

Notes:

1. Combine spices in a small bowl and mix together well. Then sprinkle over the chops.

 

2. You can replace the butter with olive oil if you are monitoring your total butter in-take. It does add great flavor though! 

 

3. A meat thermometer placed into the pork chop is the best way to make sure your porck is done. Place it in the meat and not touching the bone to get the correct temp. Also, I've never found a favorite brand for one of these. If you have a suggestion for a good, sturdy one, please email me! jenn@kicks1015.com - Thanks! 

 

4. If you don't have time to make your own homemade apple sauce, I like Mott's or Musselman's mixed with a little of my own cinnamon. If you do have the time, definitely make Gina's recipe here:

 

Crock Pot Applesauce

 

Nothing beats homemade apple sauce, making it in the crock pot is easy and your house will smell divine while the apples and cinnamon simmer all day long. The hardest part about making this sauce is peeling the apples (which is not hard at all!).

I love using a variety of apples to make applesauce, for this recipe I used eight different apples; Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Macous, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, and Granny Smith. Gravenstein, McIntosh, Jonagold and Jonathan would also be great options.

 

Ingredients:

8 medium apples (Use a combination of Golden Delicious, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, etc.)

1 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

3 inch cinnamon stick

5 tsp light brown sugar (unpacked) - or agave

 

Directions:

Peel, core, and slice the apples. 

 

Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar. 

Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.

Makes 3 cups.

 

 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn

 

 

 

 

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea!

 

 

Grilled Fish Tacos

Recipe adapted from Live Better America & Whole Living with Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

1 lb firm white fish fillets, such as sea bass, red snapper or halibut (Note 1)

1  tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1  teaspoon ground cumin or chili powder (Note 2)

1/2  teaspoon salt

1/4  teaspoon pepper

8  corn tortillas (6 inch)

1/4  cup reduced-fat sour cream (Note 3) 

Toppers (shredded lettuce or shredded green cabbage, chopped avocado, thinly sliced radishes, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, sliced scallions and chopped fresh cilantro)

1/2  cup chunky-style salsa

1 lime, cut into wedges

 

Directions:

Heat gas or charcoal grill. Brush fish with oil; sprinkle with cumin/ chili powder, salt and pepper.

 

Carefully spray grill rack with cooking spray. Place fish on grill. Cover grill; cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, turning once, until fish flakes easily with fork. (Note 4)

 

Heat tortillas as directed on package. Or toast corn tortillas over a kitchen burner using tongs. Or wrap in parchment-lined foil and heat in oven, 5 minutes.

 

Spread sour cream on tortillas. 

 

Add fish, your favorite toppers and salsa. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with slice of lime. 

(Note 5)

 

Notes:

1. Any type of firm white fish will be great, just be sure the skin is removed and it is boneless. 

 

2. I like the flavor of using both cumin and chili powder. 1/2 teaspoon each.

 

3. If you like the taste of reduced-fat sour cream, go for it and save a few calories. But I hate it. I only like the real thing. Real Sour cream for me, please! I just eat a smaller portion on my tortilla. 

 

4. You can also cook the fish on an indoor grill pan over medium-high heat and get the same flaky grilled fish. The fish smell may linger a little longer in your home, but if you don't have an outdoor grill, you can still make this delicious dish! 

 

5. This is a gluten free recipe, as long as you use corn tortillas, not flour! 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn

 

 

 

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Turkey, Kale and Brown Rice Soup

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis (food goddess!) and Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby 

 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 to 6 large shallots, chopped

3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/3 cups)

1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)

8 ounces ground white turkey meat, broken into small chunks

1 tablespoon herbes de Provence

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained

1 cup cooked brown rice

1 small bunch kale, coarsely chopped (about 4 packed cups) (Note 1)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, optional

 

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. (Note 2) Add the shallots, carrots and bell pepper and saute, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to brown and soften slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. 

 

Add the ground turkey and stir until the meat turns white and begins to color very slightly around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes.

 

Add the herbes de Provence and stir, 1 minute. Add 4 cups broth, tomatoes and rice. Bring to a boil. (Note 3) 

 

Stir in the kale and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and the freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. 

 

Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

 

Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle each serving with parsley and Parmesan, if using, and serve.

 

Notes:

1. I chopped the kale with spines removed. 

 

2. Nothing better for clean up like a 1 pot meal! Just make sure it is big enough for all your ingredients. I used my Dutch oven for this recipe. 

 

3. Be aware this calls for cooked brown rice. I almost made the mistake of adding uncooked… that would be bad news. 

 

4. This is healthy, warm goodness! 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn

 

 

 

Stir-Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Apple Cheddar Grilled Cheese

 

Recipe from Foodess.com (a mouth-watering food blog with amazing photography!) and Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

2 slices rustic bread

1 tbsp mayonnaise

1½ ounces (45 grams) aged cheddar cheese, sliced thinly or grated (Note 1)

¼ apple, cored and thinly sliced (Note 2) 

thin slices red onion

arugula

1 tbsp butter

(Note 3) 

 

Directions:

Preheat a skillet over medium heat.

 

Lay bread slices flat on work surface. Spread mayonnaise on one slice, and arrange cheese on the other. Arrange apple and red onion slices on top of cheese, then top with with arugula and sandwich bread slices together.

 

Spread half of the butter on the upward-facing side of the sandwich, then flip that side down into the pan. Butter the other side.

 

Cook, flipping once, until bread is golden and cheese is completely melted. 

 

If sandwich is getting dark too quickly, reduce heat. (Note 4)

 

Notes:

1. Other cheese ideas I've tried include Brie, Swiss or Colby. 

 

2. Try with any type of apple! My favorite are thinly sliced green apples or crispy, juicy pink ladies.

 

3. If I were giving in to my current pregnancy cravings, I would add crispy bacon! But it is Monday, so go Meatless! 

 

4. I always start with very low heat for grilled cheeses. It takes some self-restraint, but worth the wait to let the cheese melt more slowly. 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn 

 

 

Stir Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Pan-Roasted Chicken and Tomatoes

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart's Cooking School & Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

1 pint grape tomatoes (Note 1)

16 large black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted and halved (Note 2)

3 tablespoons capers (nonpareil), drained and rinsed

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 skin-on boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each), rinsed and patted dry

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 475 degrees. 

 

Toss tomatoes, olives, capers, and 2 tablespoons oil together in a bowl. (Note 2)

 

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. (Note 3) Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat until shimmering, about 1 minute. (Note 4) Add remaining tablespoon oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Place chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes. Use tongs to flip chicken, then add tomato mixture to skillet.

 

Transfer skillet to oven and roast chicken until cooked through and tomatoes have softened, 15 to 18 minutes.

 

Transfer everything to a platter, or divide chicken among plates and spoon some tomato mixture over the top.

 

Notes:

1. A pint of grape tomatoes is definitely the best option here, just be sure to pick out any that have gone bad. There's always one or two! If you don't have grape tomatoes, but you have other shapes and sizes of tomatoes in your kitchen, you can still make this dish. Just give them a rough chop and toss them in the bowl.

 

2. I like to use pitted green olives in this recipe too. Slice them in half just like the black olives. I have added about 2 tablespoons of the jarred green olive juice to the tomato mixture when I didn't have capers in my fridge. I often add 1/4 cup diced purple onions. I also add garlic - sometimes whole cloves, sometimes minced and add to the tomato mixture. Experiment and have fun with it! 

 

3. When you are searing the chicken breasts, use this seasoning trick from Rachel Ray. Season one side of the raw chicken with salt & pepper, then put them in the pan. Season the other side once the first side is searing. This eliminates touching the raw chicken an additional time for seasoning. 

 

4. Pay attention to the words OVENPROOF SKILLET - that means NO plastic handles! Your entire pan is about to go into a VERY hot oven!

 

5. This is a week-night staple in our house that wins every time! I have served it with a small side salad, roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, roasted brussel sprouts, sautéed spinach, whatever your favorite green veggie may be. 

 

Enjoy! With Love, Jenn

 

 

 

 

Stir Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a daily dinner idea! 

 

 

Spicy Lovers' Tomato Soup, part of Aphrodisiac Soup Week at Souper Jenny! Happy Valentine's Day! 

Recipe from Jenny Levison, Atlanta's Souper Jenny and Recipe for BLT Side Salad from Jenn Hobby

 

Spicy Lovers' Tomato Soup

 

Ingredients:

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

1 large sweet yellow onion, peeled and diced

6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 small red chili, seeds removed, minced

4 28-ounce cans Italian tomatoes, chopped

12 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 bunch basil, stems removed and chopped

1 cup queso fresco

1 avocado, diced

 

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large pot.

Sauté onion, garlic and chili until softened.

Add tomatoes and broth.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve in bowls and garnish with basil, cheese and avocado.

 

Notes:

1. Souper Jenny says, "Did you know tomatoes increase blood flow while chili peppers stimulate nerve endings? Avocados, which we already use all the time, were once banned in Spain due to their 'special' qualities!"

 

2. Souper Jenny is the first restaurant from Jenny Levison, and is located at 56 East Andrews Drive in Buckhead. Each day, Souper Jenny features six homemade soups along with fresh, flavorful salads, sandwiches, breads and baked goods. www.souperjennyatl.com or www.followingjenny.com

 

 

  

             

 

BLT Side Salad

 

Ingredients: 

1 Romaine Heart

2 ripe ugly tomatoes, diced

3 green onions, sliced diagonally

6 slices of bacon

crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese (your preference) 

fresh cracked pepper

balsamic vinaigrette dressing

 

Directions:

Wash and dry the heart of romaine. Cut it length wise in half, then horizontally in strips. Discard bottom. Add to a salad bowl. 

 

Dice the tomatoes and add on top of the romaine. 

 

Slice the scallions diagonally and use just the green parts. Add to salad bowl. 

 

Fry up the bacon over medium to low heat in a shallow skillet. Turn pieces as needed until done. About 6-8 minutes. Place bacon on plate with paper towels to absorb grease. Once cooled, chop into crumbles and add to top of salad. 

 

Sprinkle with crumbled blue or feta cheese and add fresh crack black pepper. Toss with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  

 

Enjoy with your soup and a crusty piece of bread! With love, Jenn

 

 

 

Stir Up Supper with Jenn Hobby - a bonus dessert idea! 

 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

 

  

 

Chocolate Chip Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

Recipe from TwoPeasAndTheirPod.com & Real-Life Notes from Jenn Hobby

 

Ingredients:

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (Note 1)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (Note 2)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups chocolate chips (Note 3 - change to 1 1/2 cups)

10 ounces caramel candy squares, unwrapped

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Sea salt, for sprinkling over caramel and bars

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking pan (which is an 11 X 7 pan-I used a glass Pyrex dish) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

 

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. (Note 4)

 

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and heavy cream. Microwave caramels on High until caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave.

 

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Pour hot caramel over the cookie dough. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel and spread dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered. Sprinkle the bars with additional sea salt.

 

Bake cookie bars for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. 

 

Cut bars into squares and serve. (Note 5)

 

Notes:

1. Heed this advice. The first time I made these I was so overly excited to try them that I didn't wait for the butter to cool enough. Not good. 

 

2. How do you separate egg white from egg yolk? Learn here in 1:27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPEUf4Wugyk

 

3. Scale back on the amount of chocolate chips to 1 1/2 cups. The second time I made these I scaled back on the chips and we liked them better. They were actually too sweet on the first try. 

 

4. If you registered for a Kitchen Aid mixer and it is proudly displayed on your counter, but rarely used, dust that baby off and put her to work! It makes this recipe a cinch! 

 

5. Don't burn your mouth when you can't wait long enough for them to cool and you go ahead try a bite! Mmmmmmm, your sweetie will melt for these and for YOU! 

 

Enjoy! With love, Jenn