When I was younger, there were nights when dad was in charge of feeding us kids. Now, truth be told, my dad is an amazing cook. But on a busy weeknight, he was known to feed us one of our quick and easy favorites: Beanie Weenie. A delicious mixture of hearty baked beans and juicy hot dogs, this easy dinner is sure to please kids and dads alike. Everyone knows you can combine a can of pork-and-beans with a package of hot dogs to make this fast and tasty dish. But I’ve designed a “souped-up” version of this weeknight favorite that piles on a few extra layers of flavor.

Homemade Beanie Weenie

1 12-ounce beer or cider
4 large kosher beef hot dogs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cans of your favorite baked beans or pork-and-beans
4 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons honey
A few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

In a deep skillet, pour the beer over the hot dogs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a pot, saute the onions in the olive oil until they are translucent and beginning to brown. Stir in the beans, ketchup, honey, and Worcestershire and simmer over medium heat. Drain the hot dogs and slice them into bite-sized pieces. Fold into the bean mixture and serve warm with cornbread on the side.

Here is a nice, light, springtime dish for a weeknight meal or a fun dinner party. The fresh lemony flavors, delicate crab meat, colorful veggies, and tangy feta make this a wonderfully complex, yet simple dish.

Lemon-Feta Crab Pasta
from a little card we picked up at Kroger

8 ounces spaghetti or other pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon Greek seasoning or dried oregano
12 ounces lump snow crab meat
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped spinach leaves
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
Juice of one lemon
Zest of one lemon
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Cook the pasta according to the package directions so that it is al dente. Keep warm.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the Greek seasoning.

Stir in the crab meat, the spinach, and the tomatoes. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until crab is heated through and spinach begins to wilt. Add the lemon juice and zest and toss to combine.

Add the crab mixture to the warm pasta and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with feta. Yield ~ 4 servings. Enjoy!

So it’s a rainy day in Georgia, dear readers. It’s one of those chilly, damp, almost-spring-but-not-quite days when you just want to curl up at the end of the day with a meal that will warm you from head to toe. So driving home this afternoon, I started to think about chili. Then I started to think about chili dogs. Then my mind wandered to a nice pot pie. And then I thought, why not go with ….. all of the above???

The resulting creation…. divine!! The hubby was a little skeptical when I first introduced the concept to him, but I won him over with the very first bite! This is a fun, cozy dish that would be great for a weeknight dinner or for a fun game night with friends. Enjoy!

Chili Dog Pot Pies

4-5 cups of your favorite chili – here is my mom’s awesome recipe
4 hot dogs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cans of crescent roll dough

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Warm the chili in a large pot over medium heat, and add the bite-sized pieces of hot dog.

Grease 4 individual-sized pot-pie baking dishes, or one 9×9″ baking dish. Add a heaping cup of chili to each dish.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over each portion. Cover completely with a single layer of crescent dough, pinching the dough to the sides of the dish. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until the dough is baked through and golden brown. Enjoy!

My husband made me dinner tonight, and it was fabulous! This is a perfectly flavorful and light pasta dish to add into your rotation. The addition of the lemon to the traditional pesto flavors really adds an extra zing and freshness. And I absolutely love the idea of adding white beans to a light pasta dish for that added flavor and texture (not to mention protein and fiber). The original recipe does not call for chicken, but I loved the combination of the textures of the beans and the chicken in this delicious and zesty dish. If you’re looking for a vegetarian option, simply omit the chicken.

Chicken-Lemon-Basil Pasta
adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

10 ounces uncooked linguine
1 19-ounce can white kidney beans or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 of a lemon, zested and juiced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
2 grilled or sauteed chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Cook the pasta following the package directions, adding the beans for the final two minutes. Remove about 1 cup of the cooking liquid and set it aside. Drain the pasta and beans in a colander, cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and add the lemon zest. Cook for one minute and remove from heat.

In the small working bowl of your food processor add the cooked lemon peel, the lemon juice, the basil leaves, and the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil. Process until basil leaves are fine and consistency is smooth. Add the reserved cooking liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency for your sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the chicken to the pasta and beans. Toss all with the basil-lemon sauce. Garnish with extra basil, if desired. Makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

Most people think of corned beef when they hear the word “hash” – this is not a corned beef hash recipe. This is a plain ol’ delicious ground beef hash recipe.

This incredibly simple dish is great for a quick and delicious weeknight dinner. It’s one of those dishes that has that magical ability to transform into something much more than the mere sum of its parts. With three main ingredients, this dish goes beyond the juicy ground beef, tangy-sweet onions, and crispy potatoes.

Hash was a staple in our household as I was growing up, and it was a staple of my mom’s childhood as well. In my opinion, it is imperative that you top your hash with a healthy dollop of ketchup. That said, this is a pretty versatile dish – you could add your own creative toppings or ingredients to suit it to your family’s tastes.

Hash

1/2 lb. potatoes (any kind will do)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 onion, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Place your potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for about 10-20 minutes, until barely fork-tender. Cut the potatoes into 1″ wedges.

There are any number of ways you can make this dish come together. I like to brown the potatoes on all sides first in a lightly greased frying pan over medium heat. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.

Then cook the ground beef with the onions and drain out any extra fat. Then I add the browned potatoes back in and season to taste with salt and pepper. You could just as easily cook the onions with the potatoes and then the beef – or all three at the same time in one big frying pan. There is no wrong way to cook this dish.

PS: Today is VV’s second blogiversary – woo hoo! Thanks for reading and being a part of this project with me!

Happy Halloween, dear readers!  Halloween is a sure sign that fall has arrived, and nothing is better than a hot, hearty crock pot meal on a chilly fall day. I tend to crave chili, stew, and pot roast at this time of year. Here is a pretty traditional pot roast recipe that I think you and your family will enjoy. Happy fall!

Pot Roast

1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/4 cup flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1.5-2 lb. chuck roast
6-8 small red potatoes
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into 3″ pieces
1 large onion, cut into wedges
16 ounces beef broth (low sodium is best)
2 bay leaves
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper to taste (again)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Dry the roast and then coat all sides in the flour mixture. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil.

Add the roast to your crock pot. Place the veggies around the roast, and add the broth, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until roast is tender and meat comes apart easily. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.

This is best served with a nice gravy and popovers of course!!

We’re nearing the end of peach season in the south, a bittersweet time of year for peach lovers like myself. Bitter because I dread the peach-less months of the year that loom ahead, but sweet because I try to fit peaches into nearly every meal of the day in order to savor the peak of their juicy freshness.

Here is a delicious way to add some fresh peaches into your dinner menu. The grilled swordfish pairs perfectly with this sweet and tangy salsa. Add some fresh diced jalapeno if you are looking for some heat with your sweet!

Grilled Swordfish with Fresh Peach Salsa

2 swordfish steaks
Salt and pepper to taste

1 large fresh peach, peeled and diced
1 large tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one fresh lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat your indoor or outdoor grill to medium-high heat. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides until the fish reaches your desired done-ness. Don’t be afraid of using a meat thermometer if you don’t have experience cooking this type of fish!

Combine the peach, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Cover and allow the flavors to meld for at least 10-15 minutes before serving.

Top your swordfish with the salsa and serve immediately.

Every year, we grow vegetables in our garden over the summer. It feels so good to get out there and dig in the dirt every spring, and it is so rewarding when you are able to make dinner entirely of vegetables picked from your own garden! Recent years have been difficult for our garden, as Georgia underwent a severe drought. Luckily, the drought is over (for now), and this summer has been one of the wettest we have had in many years! What did this mean for our garden? An abundance of veggies!

The first budding tomatoes of the season - May 2010

I grew two cherry tomato plants this year, and they produced like CRAZY! Most of them became ripe at the same time, so I was challenged to find dishes that would use these sweet and juicy tomatoes up at their peak of flavor. We love to eat them as a salad, sliced in half tossed with feta, basil, and balsamic vinegar. But they are also great to cook with. This is a recipe that I have tweaked over the years, originally inspired by Cooking Light. It is also great if you add in some diced and sauteed onions….mmmm!

Cherry Tomato Pine Nut Spaghetti
Inspired by a recipe in an issue of Cooking Light magazine

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
3 cups fresh cherry tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1/3 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3-4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and toss together lightly. Toast the mixture for about 2 minutes, until the breadcrumbs turn a light golden brown. Remove the toasted mixture from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the stove and heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, or until the tomatoes turn wrinkly and begin to soften and release some juices.

Add the remaining garlic powder, the sliced garlic, and the Italian seasoning. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for another 1-2 minutes over medium heat; then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the mixture simmer while you cook the pasta.

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions, and drain. Add the hot spaghetti, the toasted pine nuts, the breadcrumb mixture, the fresh basil, and the feta and parmesan cheeses to the tomato mixture. Toss lightly to combine, and serve immediately.

Okay, so I know I didn’t manage to snap a very good photo of this dish, but it was one of the BEST meals hubby and I have made in a long time!!  So I just had to share it with you.  The flavors and techniques are so simple and straightforward, but the results are extraordinary.  I hope you’ll give it a try!

The leftovers made for some wonderful sandwiches with dijon mustard . . .

Garlic and Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

1 tablespoon olive oil
4-6 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb., well-trimmed

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet or a roasting pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Rub the mixture all over the pork tenderloin and place it on the prepared pan.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloin reaches 140 degrees.  Allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.  Enjoy!

So it’s that time of year again.  Despite the snow that is falling here in North Georgia today, spring is just around the corner. Soon we’ll be doffing our sweaters and opting for tank tops and flip flops.  So maybe it’s time to watch what we’re eating so that we can be fit and trim for the warm months!

Here is a healthy meal that doesn’t feel, taste, or look healthy at all.  It’s colorful and meaty and full of flavor.  The spicy heat of the fish contrasts perfectly with the cool, creamy avocado salad.  And the leftovers make great fixings for a taco night!

Spicy Grilled Mahi Mahi with Avocado Salad

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
4 4-ounce fillets of mahi mahi
2 large, ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1 cup corn kernels, cooked (fresh, frozen, or canned)
1 16-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your grill or grill-pan to medium-high heat. Brush the fillets with the olive oil and sprinkle both sides with the cajun seasoning. Grill for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked to your desired doneness and nicely browned.

Meanwhile, combine in a bowl the avocado, corn, black beans, red onion, tomato, bell pepper, cilantro, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Top each fillet with a serving of the avocado salad, and serve immediately.