Trista Thinnes

Pan fried chicken cutlets

Hurray for giant meal portions for the low cost of $8. This easily could feed 4 adults. Granted, I do shop sales but this is not an expensive meal. Did I mention it is the crunchiest yet tender chicken ever?

4 chicken cutlets

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 eggs beaten

1 package panko italian bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place the chicken in a sealed bag. Cover it with a towel. Use a mallet to pound it to 1/2 inch thick or less.

Mix 3 separate plates for dipping: One with flour, salt, pepper and garlic, one with egg, and one with panko. Sorry this photo was before I beat the eggs.

Dip each cutlet in flour. Really press the flour into the meat firmly to get a crust that will not fall off. Then place it in egg. Then coat it with panko again pressing firmly.

Heat the oil and butter until just boiling. Turn down heat slightly to medium. Place cutlets one or two at a time. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Transfer the cutlets to a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. Keep warm in a 175 degree oven until ready to eat. I change my oil out between the batches of cutlets to not get burned flavor.

We ate this with buttered spaghetti noodles with red pepper flakes and baked asparagus, onion and yellow bell pepper.

My kids favorite lasagna

Dinner

While this is good, it is not a traditional lasagna per se. My kids won’t eat green (parsley) or tomato chunks etc. This is one of their favorite meals. It is fast and easy to make. I use the no-bake noodles from Barilla. It is pretty much the same as the recipe on the pasta box. That exact recipe was a bit dry. The brand of noodle will make a difference. Not all no boil noodles are equal.

Here are the ingredients.

1 pound 85-90% ground beef

1 jar basil spaghetti sauce

8 ounces tomato sauce

8 ounces water

2 eggs

1 box of Barilla no boil lasagna noodles

8 ounces shredded mozarella

12 ounces ricotta

1 cup parmesan cheese

Brown the meat. While it cooks over medium heat, break it up into tiny pieces using the spatula. Drain it in a colander to remove grease. Return it to the pan. Add the tomato sauce, pasta sauce and water. Simmer on low uncovered for 30-40 minutes. The lower percent ground beef will taste better than using the 95% fat free beef. It will also keep the lasagna from being dry. When my kids are not eating with us, I pour a tablespoon of red pepper flakes into the sauce or use spicy italian sausage instead of ground beef.

In a bowl mix the ricotta, 1/2 of the mozarella, eggs, and parmesan.

I use a small pan. It is 8×10. No oils is needed to the pan. Preheat the oven to 350. Know that the noodles cannot overlap. They can be bent and broken into a million pieces and assembled like a mosaic. You will never know once it is cooked. Start with 1/3 of the sauce, then noodles, then 1/2 ricotta cheese mix, then noodles, the 1/3 of the sauce, then noodles, then 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mix, then noodles, then 1/3 of the sauce, and finally the remaining 1/2 of the mozarella.

Cover with foil. Allow to sit in refrigerator for up to 24 hours. I am sure you can bake this immediately if needed. I always make it in the morning or the day before I want it. Bake at 350 covered for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes.

It works really well to spray the foil with cooking spray to keep the cheese from sticking to it before covering. I tried freezing it once. I hate hate hate prepared and frozen foods. They just do not taste fresh. The dish was soggy and the noodles somehow were crunchy. Not ideal.

Calzone

Dinner, Garden creations

You may or may not like my choice of toppings but here it is. Pizza tends to be a very personalized thing. I like that we can change each calzone to meet everyone’s tastes. It is not a slop of (too much) melted cheese like most pizza is. Less cheese actually means it is healthier. I like that I can put as much sauce on it as I want while I eat and my kids can have no sauce (they hate it).

This is often listed as a 30 minute meal. Yes, it does bake in about 10 minutes. I would never make it on a weeknight even with my shortcuts of prepared sauce and dough because the assembly just takes a little time.

The picture above is my favorite frozen pizza dough. I can make my own, but let’s be real… I work and have 2 kids under 5.

The other good part of this meal is my meal planning. This takes a lot of ingredients but only a very small amount of each. The leftover veggies are great for meals later in the week. For example… a pasta dish or mushroom sauce over steak.

1 jar prepared pizza sauce

8 ounces tomato sauce

cooked italian sausage

pepperoni

Diced onion

Diced green bell pepper

basil

mushrooms

shredded mozzarella

1 egg beaten mixed with 1 tablespoon water

corn meal for non-stick surface and rolling

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the pizza sauce and tomato sauce in a pan and simmer it on low. This will give a very rich tomato flavor.

Divide the thawed dough into 3 pieces. Place some corn meal on a cutting board and stretch the dough as thin as possible without breaking it. You can use a rolling pin or your hands. Try to maintain an oval shape.

Layer the toppings as you see fit on 1/2 of the oval. Fold over the un-used half of each oval. Press the edges firmly together. Transfer to a baking sheet or pizza stone. A pizza stone really does crispen the dough more. (I got lazy tonight and had soggier “baking sheet” crust.) Using a sharp knife, pierce small holes in each top dough. See my examples below.

Brush the top with egg wash.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven using pizza peel. Dip in the prepared sauce while eating.

Serve alone or with a salad.

Southwest grilled salmon with guacamole

Dinner, seafood

Without the rice and corn on my plate tonight, this is a whole 30 recipe. Unfortunately, I love carbs. It just isn’t quite the same without them. I mean…. this was about the easiest weeknight meal possible.

salmon – 2 pounds

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chimayo chili powder

The salmon went on the propane grill inside of the foil tray (but not covered) at 250 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until it was 145 degrees. The chimayo turns very dark. It is not burned. Promise.

2 avocados

1/2 of small yellow onion diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon Pecos seasoning

Chop the onion and cilantro. Mix it all up. Cover and refrigerate. The avocado will turn brown. Used within an hour and place plastic wrap pressed directly on top to make sure no air is under to turn it brown.

What is Pecos seasoning? It is pretty much what we put on any of the steaks we grill. It is quite possibly the best mix ever tasted. It comes from the Pecos people in Shepherd Texas. We order it online.

Fried rice

Dinner, Side dishes

We totally Americanized this. We had it with a 5 spice, lime, and sriracha grilled pork chop and steamed edamame. I do not claim it to be anything more than a Missouri girl living in Texas and making fried rice…. but it is darn good.

1.5 cups jasmine rice – cooked and let cool

3 large white mushrooms chopped

4 green onions chopped

2 eggs – beaten

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup frozen peas thawed

On medium heat, melt the butter in the sesame oil. Add the mushrooms, peas, and onions. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add rice. Cook until rice starts to sizzle/pop stirring often. Add soy sauce. Move the rice to one side. Add the eggs to the open side. Begin to stir the egg once the edges appear cooked. Slowly flip the egg until cooked fully (about 2-3 minutes). Mix all together while breaking the egg into pieces. Add soy sauce to taste.

Roast beef au jus

Dinner

This is my favorite fast dinner. It is ridiculously easy. Pardon the burnt edge on my bread. The kids distracted me… my cooking is unfiltered and real. 😂 I don’t have time for do-overs during hangry.

1 pound roast beef from deli. Medium thickness

crusty rolls. The more firm the better. These were waaaayyy too soft

4 green onions sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1 packet of au jus mix or 2 cups water and 2 beef bouillion cubes

sliced havarti cheese

horseradish

mayonnaise

In a saucepan, cook the green onions in the butter for just 1-2 minutes.

Add in either the beef broth or au jus sauce mix. Reduce to low and simmer about 20-30 minutes.

Place horseradish, mayo, and cheese on rolls. Bake at 425 degrees for about 5-10 minutes until melted.

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Now. Dip the beef in the au jus. I really mean dip. 15-20 seconds max. I piece at a time. I don’t want it cooked well done and rubbery. The medium thickness beef works better than deli thin sliced. My secret is to sacrifice one slice of beef first that will stay in the pot long term and add more flavor to the a jus. So this piece goes in first and then quick dip the rest.

Assemble sandwhich and enjoy!

Ham and cheese rolls

Lunch, Snacks

These ham rolls are not only a quick snack when friends come over, but also my kids favorite lunch. They go great with tomato soup. The are good warm or room temperature.

1 sheet of puff pastry

1/2 pound sliced ham

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sliced swiss is actually better)

2-3 tablespoons dijon mustard

Herb cream cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the pastry dough once fully thawed. Spread mustard on the dough. Layer the ham evenly. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll the dough so the dough is at the longest length possible. Slice into 1/2-3/4 inch circles. Place on parchment paper about 1-2 inches apart because they will increase in size. Place 1-2 teaspoons of the cream cheese spread on each top. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. This should make 18-20 rolls.

French toast

Breakfast

So simple. So yummy.

4 eggs

1/4 cup milk

3 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

white sandwhich bread – about 8 slices

Mix all of the ingredients except bread in a shallow dish. Preheat griddle to 350 degrees. Dip bread coating both sides in egg mix and immediately place on griddle. Cook 3-5 minutes on each side.

Sausage veggie pasta

Dinner

2 tablespoons butter

4 cloves minced garlic

1 cup broccoli

1 yellow bell pepper chopped

1 medium onion chopped

1 zucchini chopped

1 red bell pepper chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes

2 cups cooked rigatoni

1 pound sausage

shredded parmesan

1 tablespoon dried sweet basil

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup beef broth

Grill the sausage on a propane grill at 300 for about 15-20 minutes. Let cool and slice into round pieces. In a skillet on medium heat, melt butter. Add onion. Cook 1 minute. Add garlic. Cook another minute. Add the rest of veggies (except tomatoes) and spices. Continue to stir constantly like a stir fry. Add beef broth and sausage. Cook until veggies are cooked but still firm. About 7-10 minutes. When complete, stir in tomatoes and cooked pasta. Top with parmesan.

Cottage cheese pancakes

Breakfast, Uncategorized

“This is about as Missoura as it gets.” Yes… I grew up outside of St. Louis and that means I ate some definite midwest creations along the way. I can only think of describing this as similar to a cheese blintz. Salty… not fluffy… perfect with sweet maple syrup. We ate these constantly. In fact, growing up I thought all pancakes had cheese in them. Silly me.

There really isn’t anything quite like this. My mom is in town visiting. That means I get to pull out all of the old famous family creations.

3 beaten eggs

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup flour

1 cup cottage cheese

3 tablespoons oil

Mix it all up. Heat a grill to 350 degrees. Make sure to coat the grill with cooking spray just prior to cooking. These cook much longer than regular pancakes. They take about 5-10 minutes per side. Flipping them often results in bad things. The cheese splits out and they begin to stick. One batch makes about 5-6 pancakes or enough for 2 people. They are filling. Expect about 2-3 per person.

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