The edited version . . . we put our house on the market in May, feeling like we had missed the window for selling it this spring, but nothing to lose.  It sold in five days!  Within 10 days we had found the house we wanted.  And now six weeks to the day after it was listed, we will have sold a house in one Texas city, bought one—that needs renovation—in another Texas city; packed up and moved 200+ miles.

Just to make it interesting, John still has eight weeks before retirement in City # 1; my mom will be moving at the end of July to City # 2; and we had planned a short “girls vacation” in June since nothing would be happening that soon.

Did I mention that the house we bought needs “updating”?  As in the original 1981 kitchen, complete with blue-and-pink wallpaper, needs to go?

All I can say is that it has been chaos.  I will be back to posting in mid-July and post the last three menus.  Maybe I’ll do a series on Healthy Eating When You Have No Kitchen.  I’ve definitely got the Really Quick thing down.  Just a thought.

Take care . . .

• Start off with a simple Great Greek Frittata—pretty much a quiche without a crust—add Carrots with Fennel Cream Sauce and a bright garden salad.  Cafe dining for any night.
• Then there’s a stop at a roadside diner.  The recipe for Chopped Steaks with Mushroom Gravy was developed for a Fizzy Meals week celebrating country tables from Provence to Anywhere USA.  Add some brown rice and Simply Green Beans for your own blue plate special.  This just begs for a bit of Banana Pudding (p. 120) to polish off the meal.
• Treat yourself—or company—to an elegant evening with Rosemary Dijon Pork Tenderloin.  The Caramelized Pears Parmigiana are super easy and super special.  Fruit with cheese is a classic combination for good reason and this one works as a side (think warm salad) or with just a little variation as a dessert.  Great addition to a brunch menu.
• The Muchos Caminos seasoning was adapted from the Black Dog Tavern southwestern rub.  From the Southwest U.S. to Cape Cod and back to Texas, this seasoning blend has traveled many roads, Muchos Caminos.  It is terrific to have on hand as a rub or seasoning for beef, pork chops, pork tenderloin, salmon steaks, tilapia, even shrimp.  It stays in my pantry as a dinner saver.  If you check out the picture, you’ll see why the Summer Stir Fry will have fans before the first bite.

I’d love to hear how the recipes and menus work for you.

This dish received the highest honor at a Derby party this past weekend.  As I joined a group at one of the tables, one (delightful) lady remarked, “This mango salsa is wonderful.”  I thanked her before I realized that she didn’t know it was a dish I had made!  Nothing more satisfying than an “overheard” compliment.

This works well with either fresh mangos or use the almost-fresh ones in refrigerated jars in your produce section.  (A 24-oz jar yields about two cups of diced mango.)  It also works well as a salad; serve a generous half cup on a leaf of lettuce.  As a salad this would be a perfect side for a Mothers’ Day brunch to accompany a migas frittata.

Mango Orange Salsa

Serves 4 as a salad or 10-12 as a dip; makes a little over 2 cups

• 2 cups diced mango

• ½ cup minced red bell pepper

• 2 Tbsp sliced green onions, just the white and light green part

• 2 Tbsp minced poblano pepper (or green bell pepper)

• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp low-sugar orange marmalade (sugar-free is okay, too)
• ¼ tsp chili powder

Combine the mango and next 3 ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl mix the lime juice and zest with the next 3 ingredients, then pour over the mango mixture.  Stir.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Can be made the day before.

(Nutritional info coming soon.)

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

(UPDATED, 5/5/08:  The recipes are there for viewing—beautiful pics and inspiring ideas.)

I thought of this dish immediately.  Eating more veggies (and fruits) is at the top of my healthy eating and weight management list, keeping with the philosophy to let fruits and veggies take center stage and think of meats and poultry as condiments.  Who knew?  That parsley garnish may have been the healthiest thing on the plate!

This is a favorite.  So pretty and it just looks like summer and spring fun.  It’s endlessly adaptable—add a few leftover roasted potatoes, some corn (fresh or frozen), a yellow squash.  Good for a quick weeknight dinner or a summer party.  It’s a great taste companion for grilled meats.

Summer Stir Fry

Serves 4; 15-20 minutes hands on; ready in 30 minutes

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic

• ¼ lb trimmed green beans

• ¼ lb asparagus, cut into 1” pieces
• 1 medium zucchini, ½“ slices, halved
• ½ medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 4-6 green onions, cut into 1” pieces
• 1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
• salt & lemon pepper
• Parmesan cheese, optional

Spray a large skillet with a lid with olive-oil spray.  Add the olive oil and heat to medium.  Then add the garlic and green beans and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Next add the asparagus, zucchini, and bell pepper and stir fry for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle the green onion and tomato over the other vegetables.  Add a sprinkling of salt and lemon pepper.  Cover and reduce to very low heat.  Cook for another 5-7 minutes.  Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan or offer it at the table.

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Today there are hundreds of recipes for haroset with the common ingredients being apples, nuts, cinnamon, and very sweet wine.  This recipe uses juice concentrate and a touch of brandy flavoring in place of the wine, but would work well with wine, sherry, or brandy.  You can add any other fruits, such as mango, that appeal to you.  It’s delicious.  Hard to stop at one serving.

Haroset

Serves 4; about 15 minutes hands on time; ready in 15 minutes

• 1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled & chopped
• 1 lemon, zest & 1 Tbsp juice
• 1 (11 oz) can Mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 small banana, chopped
• 2 Tbsp coconut
• ¼ cup golden raisins
• ¼ cup pecans, toasted, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp honey
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
• ⅛ tsp brandy flavoring (extract)

Toss the lemon zest & juice with the apple.  Add oranges and next 5 ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine honey and remaining ingredients.  Pour over the fruits.  Mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Per serving:  approximately 175 calories; 6.0 g. fat; 32.4 g. carbs; 3.3 g. fiber; 1.9 g. protein

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

This lighter cousin to lasagna and sister to Baked Ziti weighs in at 34.6 grams of protein and a moderate 32% of calories from fat.  An added bonus is that you can prep ahead and cook when it’s almost time for dinner.  Serve with a spinach salad or steamed broccoli.

Baked Penne

Serves 8; about 20 minutes hands on; ready in 50 minutes

• 8-9 oz penne rigate or ziti pasta
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 cup chopped onion (a small-medium onion)
• 1.0 lb lean ground beef, 5% fat
• .5 lb sweet Italian turkey sausage, such as Jenni-O
• 1 (24-28 oz) jar tomato-basil pasta sauce, such as Classico
• 12 oz low-fat ricotta
• ¼ cup low-fat (2%) sour cream
• ¼ cup fat-free egg substitute, such as Egg Beaters
• ¼ cup + ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan
• 1¼ cups finely grated, part skim mozzarella

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente, about 11-12 minutes.  Drain.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375°.  Spray a 13×9” baking dish with olive oil cooking spray.  Set aside.  Spray a large skillet with olive oil cooking spray.  Add the olive oil and heat to medium.  Add the garlic and onion; saute until onion starts to soften, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the beef and sausage.  Saute until cooked through.  Stir in the pasta sauce and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, mix together the ricotta, sour cream, egg substitute, and ¼ cup Parmesan.

Stir the drained pasta into the meat sauce.  Spoon half the mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with half the ricotta mixture, spreading it into an even layer.  Sprinkle with ½ cup of the mozzarella.  Layer the remaining meat-and-pasta mixture and top with the remaining ricotta mixture.  Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella then the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan.  Bake for 35 minutes until bubbly and the top just begins to brown.

Per serving, approximately 437 calories; 15.8 g. fat; 37.7 g. carbs; 2.9 g. fiber; 806 mg sodium; 34.6 g. protein

Option:  Kick up the veggies by adding one cup of finely chopped zucchini to the garlic and onion mix.

Tip:  Resist the urge to add salt to the dish or the pasta water.  The jarred sauce, beef, and cheeses add plenty of sodium.

Trivia and myth busting:  Did you know that unless you add enough salt to a pot of water to turn it into the Dead Sea or unless your pot is the size of your house that the difference in boiling times between salted and unsalted water is less than a second?

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Here’s a quick, 10-minute mousse to add to your celebrations on this great day.  It won’t leave you with images of the Left Bank or memories of that wonderful dinner in Paris.  Not even the one in Paris, Texas.  But it’s a delicious, guilt-free treat for a busy weeknight or a summer cookout.

Mousse-in-a-Minute

Makes 8 (1/2 cup) servings; 5 minutes hands on; ready in 10 minutes

• 3 cups skim milk
• 1 (1 oz) box fat-free, sugar-free, instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 (1 oz) box fat-free, sugar-free, instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup fat-free whipped topping, such as Cool Whip Free
• Optional, additional whipped topping and cocoa for garnish

Whisk together all ingredients except whipped topping.  Continue to whisk for about 2 minutes.  Fold in the whipped topping.  Refrigerate about 5 minutes before serving.  Garnish with a dollop of whipped topping and a tiny finger-dusting of cocoa.

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• Seared Ahi Tuna with Sesame Crust served on a bed of Ginger Mushrooms & Baby Bok Choy with a side of Wasabi Mashed Potatoes is adapted from a menu shared by Chef Josh Thomsen of the Boa Steakhouse in Santa Monica on a Today Show series on “stolen” recipes.  According to Thomsen, when you cook this at home, the cost is about $5.89 per serving.  At the hip, trendy restaurant, it’s $33.00.  Per.  Serving.  Indulge at home and file this one away for when you want to treat your friends.  We substituted the sesame crust for the soy finishing sauce to reduce the sodium and add the healthy seeds.
• Two Food Network recipes, Peppered Pork and Peas & Prosciutto take center stage.  The Poppy Seed Dressing is a taste ringer for Helen Corbitt’s original and famous recipe.  Corbitt was known to have a sharp tongue for folks who “improved” on her recipes.  But since in the later years of her career, she developed spa recipes for the Neiman-Marcus Greenhouse Spa, perhaps she wouldn’t be too upset at the comparison.  If you don’t know about this fascinating and groundbreaking chef, you can read about her here.
• I have had an on-going quest for a better turkey burger.  And one made with breast meat only—no cheating with the mixed turkey meat that has as much fat as lean beef.  I had all but given up when I found a recipe that encouraged me.  So the quest continued until we found this recipe.  Kickin’ Turkey Burgers with Coleslaw are terrific pan-grilled, but when it’s time to fire up the outdoor grill in your part of the world, try these over an open flame, too.  And if burgers made with turkey and topped with coleslaw isn’t enough of a surprise, add a little more with Sweet Potato Chips.  From the comments we received about this recipe, I can safely say that they were a favorite with Fizzy Meals subscribers.
• A few years ago, a daily recipe exchange that I participate in was having a conversation about “goulash.”  Not real goulash as in Hungarian, cook all day, and don’t forget the paprika, but the mac and beef and tomato skillet supper of my childhood.  One reader remembered such a dish that her mother made and asked if anyone recognized it and knew of a recipe.  This brought a flood of responses all fondly recalling a similar dish with variations on bake or no bake, macaroni or broken spaghetti, stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes or tomato soup.  Mom’s version was bake, broken spaghetti, and diced tomatoes.  Her recipe was even printed in our local paper since she added a fancy ingredient:  green pepper (which I meticulously picked out).  And as far as I can remember, goulash was always served with saltine crackers since the phrase “a good French bread” was not in the small town lexicon of the 1950’s.  You couldn’t pick up a fancy bread at the supermarket—there was no supermarket.  Here’s to remembering simple family dinners and Remembering Goulash.

I’d love to hear how the recipes and menus work for you.

We’re back!  And these improved digs should look both new and familiar.  The same posts, links, menus, categories, but here’s the quick tour.

First, you’ll notice the Print This Recipe link at the bottom of posts which contain recipes; and we’ll use it occasionally for other posts, such as menu descriptions.  Try the link at the bottom of this post to see what a printed version will look like.

Second, we’ve made it easier to subscribe.  If you’re an old hand at this, use the RSS icon on the right side of the navigation bar at the top.  It will work as it generally does in blog land.  If this blog stuff is still a little strange for you or if you would like to get an email alert when there is a new post, click on Subscribe in the top navigation bar to see both options.

You probably noticed that you were re-directed from the old blog address.  The re-direct will be there for a bit, but you’ll want to update your bookmarks, so you have the new one for this website.  Likewise, if you are currently using a blog reader.

As for photographs?  Just wait!  As soon as I figure out how to crop, we’ll be in business.  Right now the pics are showing up lifesize.  Heh.

We’ve been playing with this for a few days, and all seems to be in working order.  If you run into any problems, just let us know in the comments to this post.  Or you can email at

blog (at) fizzymeals (dot) com

It’s always great to hear from you.

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