After School Snack - 5-Minute Ramen Noodle Soup

I have another snack for the kids that they love to have on a cold winter day. This soup is an easy and a healthy take on the plain ramen soup.

1 Package of Ramen Noodle Soup (preferably Maruchan brand)
1 Egg
Pre-cooked Grilled Chicken Breast (strips)
A handful of frozen Haricot Verts (frozen French green beans)
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
A half of lemon
Tabasco Sauce

Measure out the water according to the directions on the soup and bring it to a boil. Turn down to medium heat. Add the packet of seasoning and the teaspoon of vinegar into the water. Gently break the egg into the boiling water to poach the egg. After about two minutes add the noodles, chicken strips and the frozen beans into the soup. Cook for about another two minutes (do not overcook) and then take the noodles and place in a large bowl. Spoon the chicken, egg and beans on top of the noodles. Squeeze the lemon and add a dash of Tabasco into the broth. Pour the broth over the soup and serve hot.

After School Snack - 10- Minute Bagel Pizzas

I try to make something everyday for the kids after school. This prevents them from eating junk and ensures that they're eating something that will help them get through practices. It doesn't take but ten minutes to make, honest.

Plain Bagels
Marinara Sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Five Cheeses
Mozzarella Cheese
Pre-cooked bag of grilled chicken (diced)

Take two bagels and split them so that you have four halves. On two of the halves, spoon over some Marinara Sauce, on the other two bagel halves, spoon some Alfredo Sauce so they're evenly distributed. Place some of the diced pre-cooked chicken onto the bagels with Alfredo Sauce spread. Sprinkle the five cheeses and Mozzarella onto the bagels and place in the oven. Turn the broiler on low heat and heat until the cheeses are melted and golden brown. It shouldn't take more than five minutes for the cheeses to melt. Serve hot.

Perishable Items To Have In Your Refrigerator

These perishable items in your refrigerator will need to be refreshed based on how often and how much you use them. I always try to have these cooking aids on hand for unexpected occasions and actually buy them on a weekly basis.

A bag of Lemons
Some limes
A bag of Onions
A container of mixed cheeses (for pizzas, pasta dishes etc.)
A bag of grilled chicken breast (strips, diced etc.)
A bag of plain bagels

The lemons and limes are great for dressings, soups, sauces. I use a lemon to squeeze over roasted chicken, in my soups (even in a bowl of ramen noodles). I always use it if I need to temper the saltiness of a dish. The other perishable ingredients are for the kids snacks after school or before practice. I make pizza bagels which are a hit because they're tasty and have a lot of bulk.

Kitchen Pantry Staples You Should Always Have On Hand

This is a list of pantry staples I always have on hand for daily cooking. I find that these ingredients form the basis of all my recipes. They're great because you can cook up a quick meal for those unexpected guests, snow days etc.

Cans of Chicken, Vegetable and Beef Broth
Cans of Diced Tomatoes (w/various flavors like Garlic & Onion, Mild Green Chilies etc.)
Cans of different types of Beans (Garbanzo, Red, Black, Northern Italian etc.)
Jar of Marinated Red Bell Peppers
Cans of Tuna Fish
Peanut Butter
Pastas (Penne, Rotini etc.)
Cans of Tomato Paste
Marinara Sauce
Alfredo Sauce
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil (I use this for everything)
Toasted Sesame Oil
Vietnamese Rice Paper
Vietnamese Rice Noodles (these are white noodles that are tied in little bundles)
Vietnamese Egg Noodles

Okay, the last three Vietnamese items are not must haves although if you're game, I'll put a couple of recipes on this site if you're feeling adventurous and want something different for dinner.

Quinoa Mango Salad

Quinoa is a whole grain that the Mayans used as an every day staple. It is chewy and nutty in flavor and holds up well in this salad (doesn't get mushy). You can find it in the grain section of your grocery stores. If not, use wild grain rice, orzo, just about any type of grain you like.

2 Cups of Quinoa
4 Cups of chicken or vegetable broth
1 Package of Pico de Gallo (in the fresh salsa section of grocery stores)
1 Large Orange & orange zest
1 Lemon & lemon zest
1 Large Mango (diced) (You can also add avocados, English cucumbers)
1 Handful of Cilantro or Italian Parsley

Rinse the Quinoa in cold water and set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the broth until it boils. Pour the Quinoa into the boiling broth, sprinkle some onion powder, salt and pepper into the mix and stir. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook the Quinoa in the broth until all the broth evaporates (about 20-30 minutes). Set the Quinoa aside with the lid on for about 10 minutes to get tender. In a large bowl, combine the Pico de Gallo and mango together. Zest the peel of the orange and lemon and combine into the mixture. Take the cooked Quinoa and pour into the large bowl and combine thoroughly. Squeeze the orange and lemon into the mixture and mix together. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to infuse together for about an hour or two before serving. Before serving, chop the cilantro and mix into the salad. This salad is great as a side dish with grilled fish, chicken or as a stand alone meal.

Grandma's Special Teriyaki Dipping Sauce

My Mom, who is a great cook, makes this sauce, bottles it and sends it home to my brother's and sister's families. The grandkids love to put it on everything...rice, noodles, dipping sauce for egg rolls etc. I don't pretend to be competing with Mom but here is my take on Grandma's Special Sauce.

1/2 Cup of Rice Vinegar
1 Cup of Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
1 Clove of garlic (crushed)
1 Whole lemon (juice)
1 Whole lime (juice)
1 Teaspoon of sugar
A handful of chopped cilantro
3-4 of the miniature carrots (sliced thin)

Take the garlic and crush/mash in a large bowl along the sugar. Add the vinegar, Teriyaki Sauce, lemon and lime juice into the bowl. Slice the carrots and chop the cilantro and add to sauce. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste. Don't be afraid to add more Teriyaki Sauce if the mixture is too sour. Let it marinate for about an hour before serving. This sauce can be used to dip spring rolls, egg rolls, over grilled chicken or as a salad dressing. You can also make it spicy by adding red chili flakes.

Reasons for Posting Recipes

I've always loved to cook and have held many dinner parties at my home over the years. Now mind you, I didn't start to cook until I got married after college. Prior to that, my mom always cooked and she is terrific so there wasn't any need for me to even try. Anyway, after many trials and errors, I've finally figured out how to modify recipes to make them quick and easy to feed my family of six. My friends have asked me for certain recipes and truthfully, I don't have any recipe written down...not a one. At this point I decided to start putting pen to paper and get these recipes out to all my friends. So here they are ladies, bear with me until I get a bunch of them online and I hope you enjoy making these dishes as much as I do. To all those "soccer moms" who do everything for their families, my hats off to you and I do hope these recipes will be helpful. I would love to hear your comments and suggestions to improve any of these recipes so please write...and often! Enjoy!

Easy Beef Stew

As in all my recipes that I'm sharing with you, all my measurements are not exact so you'll need to make adjustments as needed based on tasting the dish as you're cooking it.

Here is an easy beef stew I just made for the family tonight:

1 1/2 lbs. of cubed beef (tenderized)
1 can of beef broth
1 can of chicken broth
1 small can of tomato paste
2 large potatoes (cubed)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 handful of the miniature carrots
1 tablespoon of flour
3 tablespoons of olive oil

In a deep pot, heat the olive oil and once it is heated, fry the beef on high heat until seared brown. Once it is brown, sprinkle in the flour and brown for another couple of minutes. Add in the potatoes, onions, celery and carrots into the pot and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle pepper, onion powder and salt into the mixture. Add the beef and chicken broth, stir everything and heat the broth until it boils. Add the tomato paste and mix into the stew. Turn the heat down to simmer and simmer for about one and half to two hours on low heat. Halfway through, taste the stew and add additional seasonings as needed. If it needs more flavor, sprinkle about one and half teaspoon of chicken boullion (preferably Knorr, love the brand).

Once the stew is done, serve with french bread. As promised in my previous blog, I used only the salt, pepper and onion powder from my list of herbs you should always have in your pantry. Things that are kept simple and made with fresh ingredients are generally the tastiest! I hope you enjoy the beef stew.

Herb You Should Have On Hand

So here's my weekly tip for all those Mile High mamas and papas. If you have the following basic herbs in your kitchen pantry, you'll never be far from creating a delicious meal for your family:

Salt & Pepper
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper
Herbs de Provence
Italian Herbs
Ginger
Kikkoman Soy Sauce
Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce

With the above ingredients, you'll have the starter tools to flavor your food. Don't skimp on the quality, buy the more expensive herbs. They're more expensive for a reason, they're stronger and more flavorful. I like the McCormicks or Shilling brands (not sure if I'm spelling the brand correctly). With just those basic flavors, I will give you a simple pasta recipe next week that will only use those spices. Each week, I'll give you another recipe using just those spices (and maybe a new one or two) and, yes, sometimes you need unique ones (like curry powder) to make other things but as a rule of thumb, if you have the above in your pantry, you'll do fine. While I love to buy individual spices (basil, oregano etc.) I find the two mixes above do the trick and I don't have to throw away any unused, old spices. The Italian and French spices above have all the herbs you need and you'll be able to use them up faster and not waste any money. So I hope this week's tip is helpful. Let me know if you think I should include another herb to my pantry.