Animal Crossing Problems: Unwanted Villagers

Okay if you follow me on Instagram you know that I am an Animal Crossing junkie.  I L-O-V-E the game! I love my Pikachu 3DSXL.  I love collecting Street Passes.  I love getting new Street Pass homes.  I love collecting Friend Codes.  I love visiting other towns and I love having other players visit my town.  There is a downside to Street Pass and visitors though...

Last year on Black Friday I purchased myself a cast iron Dutch oven.  Mine is a beautiful teal because I like colorful cookware. I had previously purchased a cheap, non-stick dutch oven from Kroger because I needed one for a recipe. Well I loved using it so I’ve been wanting to upgrade to a cast iron version plus I am always on the lookout for more recipes. Thanks to Google, I discovered Everyday Dutch Oven and it’s plethora of recipes!  Just the other day I was cleaning out my fridge and noticed I had a jar of pesto so I decided to try the Pesto Chicken Breast.  I love the smell of pesto. Even my picky son could not wait for dinner. I will have to say though that while the dish was tasty it also had to be one of the un-prettiest dishes I have ever made.    So no pictures unfortunately.  I did have some leftovers which are pretty darn tasty in some scrambled eggs!

Pesto Chicken Breasts
4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tub or jar of prepared pesto sauce (I use Artisian Fresh Pesto from Sam’s Club)
3-4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup breadcrumbs
3-4 Tbsp melted butter
1. Lightly oil your dutch oven.
2. Place chicken breasts in bottom of dutch oven.
3. Spread chicken with pesto sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
4. Melt butter and mix with bread crumbs.
5. Sprinkle buttered breadcrumbs over chicken and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Last time this year my husband returned home from a six month deployment.  He had missed out of my paleo experiment but I was able to introduce him to some of the recipes I discovered while he was gone.   Well one day I was at Dorothy Lane Market and they had butternut squash on sale.  I decided to pick one up even though I had no planned recipe in mind.   Well we all know that I fell in love with the Skirt Steak with Chive Butter I found from The Food Lovers Kitchen website.  I decided I was going to make that for the husband and I wanted a butternut squash side dish.  I found one in a catalog for spices that sounded easy to prepare.  I made it, we loved it, and here it is for all of you:

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:  30 minutes
Serves 4
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 tsp salt, optional – to tast
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 – 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 TBS balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400. Arrange the squash in a single layer in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and stir to coat. Roast at 400 until soft and the edges begin to brown, usually about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg for final 10 minutes of cooking. Remove from the oven and toss with salt and balsamic vinegar.

Nutritional Info:
Serving Size 3/4 cup (152g)
Calories 80
Calories from fat 60
Total fat 6g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 125mg
Carbohydrate 5g
Dietary Fiber 2g
Sugars 4g
Protein 2g

Oh and before I forget!  One kitchen gadget that makes my life a little bit easier is the Misto Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer. I used put anything that needed to be coated in olive oil in a bowl and dumped in more than the required amount of oil to coat it. With the Misto, I can spray ingredients like cubed butternut squash easily. I love it because I use less oil and I can fill the non-aerosol, BPA free can with high quality, organic olive oil.

Skirt Steak with Chive Butter with Pear and Walnut Salad

This is another recipe flashback from my venture into paleo cooking.  I can’t say I was successful at being 100% paleo but I found a lot of recipes I really enjoyed.  People who NEED to eat paleo for medical reasons have my complete and utter respect because it is not easy!  I have found that a lot of my Go-To recipes are not doable.  My friend and I are trying to follow the 30 Day Intro to Paleo Meal Plan from The Food Lovers Kitchen.  It has not been easy for either of us but we are learning some incredible skills along the way along with some amazing recipes and techniques.

I have previously made the Skirt Steak with Chive Butter and quelle surprise!  3/4 of my picky kids ate it.  I loved it – so simple yet flavorful.  Unfortunately I have been unable to find skirt steak anywhere for over a week now!  I had to substitute Top Round which isn’t as good but it works. I guess.  I’m not a meat snob but I can tell I prefer skirt steak over top round.  Does that make me a meat snob?

Chive Butter Ingredients

• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 lb Skirt Steak
• 1 Tbsp Chives, chopped
• 3 Tbsp Butter, Unsalted, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat grill to high heat.
2. Rinse skirt steak under cold water, and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Cut skirt steak into 3 pieces of equal length.
4. Sprinkle each side generously with sea salt.
5. Grill for 3 minutes per side.
6. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
7. While steak is resting, whisk butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chives with a fork.
8. Slice steak against the grain.
9. Top with chive butter and serve.

The first time I made this, I made the Pear and Walnut Salad to accompany it.  If you are interested in trying out the Paleo lifestyle, I totally recommend the 30 Day Intro e-book.
 
Pear & Walnut Salad Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Dried Cherries
• 2 Bosc Pear, very ripe
• 3/4 cup Walnuts, Organic
• 5 cup Spring Mix Salad Greens, mixed spring greens

Directions

1. Cut pears into chunks, chop walnuts, and slice cherries in half.
2. Toss with spring greens.
3. Serve with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.

Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar

Directions

1. Pour vinegar, Dijon mustard, and olive oil into a jar.
2. Shake vigorously until all ingredients are evenly combined.
3. Toss lightly with your choice of salad.

Beef and Bok Choy Stir Fry

This time last year I was trying to live more paleo to help support my friend who is hoping a paleo diet might alleviate the pain associated with her endometriosis.  This was a recipe I made. I found it at RealSimple.com and I really enjoyed it.  The flavors were delicious, it was very easy to make, and my kids enjoyed it.  I made it with a brown rice/wild rice mix instead of the long-grain white rice. 


Beef and Bok Choy Stir-Fry
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1  cup  long-grain white rice
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 1  pound  flank steak, thinly sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4  heads baby bok choy, quartered
• 1/4  cup  low-sodium soy sauce
• 2  tablespoons  rice vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  grated fresh ginger
• 1  tablespoon  brown sugar

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the package directions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Season the steak with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
3. Cook the steak, turning often, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
4. Wipe out the skillet. Add the bok choy and ¼ cup water and simmer, covered, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and sugar. Add to the bok choy in the skillet and bring to a boil.
6. Add the steak and any accumulated juices and cook, tossing, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve over the rice.