valentine's day When in Idaho...

Do as Idahoans...make potato soup...right?

I love potato soup, its probably one of my favorites. Well to be totally honest, I've never met a potato I didn't like, so potato is a no brainer.

I recently found this yummy recipe for potato soup and immediately knew I had to make it. It looked super easy and its from another wonderful mil wife. I added a lil flavor of my own, but its pretty close to her recipe. FYI- I added garlic and used reduced fat cream cheese. I actually add garlic to almost everything I cook.

What do you need:

4 large Idaho Potatoes peeled and diced

1 small yellow onion thinly diced

2 minced cloves of garlic

1.5 boxes of 99% fat free Chicken Broth

1 box of reduced fat cream cheese cut into small pieces

1/2 tsp of season all salt

1/4 tsp of black pepper and cayenne pepper ( i used about 1/2 tsp of black pepper it was pretty spicy)

Cheddar Cheese FYI-You can shred your own, sadly I'm lazy and always buy bagged unless we're entertaining company then I act like I always shred my own cheese. SHHHHH....

1. Combine potatoes, onion, garlic, spices, and broth in a large pot. Heat on medium until potatoes are soft. It took about 30 minutes or atleast I was distracted by DVR'd episode of Sarah's House that long.

2. Once soft, begin mashing the potatoes in the pot until about 1/2 - 2/3 are mashed, this will thicken the soup. I prefer my soup to be creamy and not overly chunky so I mashed about 2/3. Stir several times to get the mashed potatoes off the bottom of the pot so you don't burn them.

3. Reduce to low and add in cream cheese. Slowly add the cream cheese and continual stir until it is all mixed. This was my favorite part, watching the brownish color liquid turn into yummy yummy white soup.

4. Then make yourself a bowl full add cheddar cheese, chives, bacon, etc.

I've eaten it every day since Sunday...obviously I enjoy it!

Thanks D.A.R. for the recipe...

valentine's day Super Simple Meal

One of Mr Jetplane's favorite pizzas is California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken. I concur it is totally delicious, we actually also enjoy the frozen option of this pizza as well.



I would love to make Pioneer Woman's BBQ Chicken Pizza. But to be honest, I'm not interested in making my own dough and sometimes I want to make dinner in under 30 minutes....don't you?



So how do I make this pizza the lazy ass way...



Well I buy the pre-made pizza crust in wheat or regular. You could also buy the premade dough if you wish, but that adds to the work/time level.



What else will you need...



small purple onion thinly sliced

pre-cooked chicken strips ( I prefer Tyson, oven roasted)

Shredded or whole mozzarella cheese sliced

BBQ sauce ( I prefer Sweet Baby Ray's)



1. Coat the pizza crust with BBQ sauce like you would pizza sauce.

2. Add a thin layer of cheese

3. Add the onions and chicken

4. Then add more cheese



Cook at the suggested heat level on the crust package till the cheese is bubbly.

Then eat and enjoy.



I also love to use pre-made pesto instead of sauce and add garden fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, and cheese.


Who said you can't have dinner on the table in 20 minutes...not this girl...

valentine's day My husband's back...

Yes, Mr. Jetplane is back from his training in Idaho and arrived 2 days early...Yeah. Of course, he was mentally and physically exhausted and proceeded to sleep for the majority of the weekend, not that I could blame him.

What else happened this weekend.

1. I participated in Relay for Life.
2. We put in an offer for a house in Idaho.
3. We ate at one of the worse restaurants ever...I wanted to walk out before we even sat down, considering it was a buffet and we had NO idea it was a buffet. But Mr. made me stay.
4. Went through my closet for clothes to donate/throw away.
5. Made Stuffed Shells for dinner
6. Started to plan outfits for Vegas!!

Yeah, all in all it was a very boring weekend. There was nothing out at the theaters I wanted to see and we stopped at Red Box near our house 3x and it was always out of the 3 movies we wanted to see :(

How was your weekend...hopefully more exciting than ours...

valentine's day Air Kisses to You All..

Thank you for the kind comments and emails I got yesterday from my 2010 post. I really appreciate it.

I know it goes without saying, but it feels soooo good to know you're not the only one out there that is suffering from the same issues. Growing up is hard, our parents were right...enjoy your youth, your carefree misspent youth...it goes by way too quickly.

So THANK YOU to all you wonderful ladies, I really appreciate each and everyone of you.

Now with that out of the way... This arrived with Mr. Jetplane when he came back from Illinois on Sunday. Its my Christmas gift from his dad and step-mom. I knew I was getting it since I specifically asked for it.

I guess its kinda funny for me to ask for a cookbook from his family since, his mother, stepmother, sister, and sister-in-law, all don't really cook. When Mr. and I started dating I asked him what his favorite meal was, because I would cook it later that weekend. He told me Hamburger Helper....yeah ladies that's what I was dealing with.

But I digress, the cookbook is very interesting. Its not just a cookbook, it let's you into Ree's and Marlboro Man's lives. When Mr gave it to me, I sat in the chair and read the whole thing that night, I've never 'read' a cookbook.

I'm excited to get to cooking...Mr. Jetplane loves all the food I've made from her blog. Mr. Jetplane is a meat and potatoes type of guy, but he will eat (and like) other types of food.

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane Cooks...Italian Beef

First things first...who out there knows what Italian Beef is? Anyone..Anyone...

When the Jetplanes moved to Pcola we rotated between a few couples and have dinner at each others houses. I made Italian Beef one night and entertained friends from Connecticut and Utah...both of which had never heard of Italian Beef. Later we had friends from North Carolina and Hawaii, never heard of Italian Beef either.

So I'm assuming its totally a Midwestern thing. I had no idea others didn't know about this awesome sandwich.


So what is it?

Definition of Italian Beef: An Italian beef is a sandwich of thin slices of seasoned beef, dripping with meat juices, on a dense, long Italian-style roll, believed to have originated in Chicago, where its history dates back at least to the 1930s.


And what does it look like? Kinda like this...



This is an incredibly easy recipe that uses a Crock Pot..hello what is easier than that?


What you are going to need:

about 2.5 to 3lb roast (can you chuck, round, etc. just made sure its not too fatty)
2 Packets of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
2 Cans of Beef Broth
2 Cans of Beef Gravy (if you like it really spicy use 1 can)
1 Jar of Pepperoncinis
1 Packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 small onion thinly sliced (optional)

Italian Style Rolls, we also use multi grain long rolls
Provolone Cheese Slices
Additional Pepperoncinis and Giardinera optional


Now this recipe you can make really HOT or slightly MILD or not hot at all. This is how I make it for us...Mr. loves spicy and I do MILD.

1. In the Crock Pot dump the onion soup mix, onions, half of the pepperoncinis and juice, 1 dressing packet, and 1 can of beef broth. Stir together.

2. Place the roast in the mixture and the pour the 2nd packet of dressing over the roast. Then dump the 2nd beef broth can, 2 cans of beef gravy, and the rest of the pepperoncinis. Stir.

For SPICY - I dump all the juice in the pepperoncinis jar but only 2/3 of the pepperoncinis in the jar. If you like it spicy dump them all in and only use 1 can of gravy.

If you are concerned about the spice - use half the juice and half the peppers. You can also pour a little light beer (I prefer Bud or Miller Light) into the mixture.

3. Cook on low around 8- 10 hours. The roast will break down somewhat but you will have to break it down further prior to eating. (I usually put it on around 6:30am and have Mr. turn it off around 5 and we eat around 6.)


4. Then you're ready for the deliciousness. Take a roll and generously place some of the meat and juices in the roll. Then place a slice or 2 of provolone on top. If you want more spice you can dress the sandwich with more pepperoncinis and/or giardiniera.


Enjoy!

UPDATE: An Italian Beef Sandwich is not a Philly Cheese Steak nor a French Dip. I have ate both and they are very different things. They may look similar but they are very different, I'm pretty sure its a Midwestern thing. Its believed they were first created in Chicago.

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane Cooks...Easy, Yummy Chicken

This is the easiest recipe I've ever created. Yes, this is a recipe that lil Mrs. Jetplane created herself so watch out. It was created out of pure necessity when Mr. Jetplane's sister was in town with her, now, husband. She is a vegetarian so I need to create a pasta dish w/o meat and an entree with meat because boys need their meat I was informed.

Breaded Tuscan Chicken

chicken Breasts (2-4) - fat trimmed and washed
Kraft House Tuscan Italian Dressing and Marinade
McCormick Crusting Blends - Italian Herb and Cheese
1-2 Roma Tomatoes - sliced
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

That's it 5 ingredients, it doesn't get any easier. You can substitute the Tuscan Italian dressing for other Italian dressings, but I love this particular dressing. As for the Crusting Blends, I would still with McCormick instead of bread crumbs. First because the product is great but also they have panko bread crumbs instead of plain ol bread crumbs...any its really yummy.


1. Put the chicken breasts in a large ziploc bag and pour enough of the dressing/marinade to coat them. Let them marinade in the fridge for at least 30 mins. If you can't do that, its fine I've let them marinade for 5 mins, while its not as moist it still works.

2. Pre heat oven to 425.

3. Remove chicken and coat with Crusting Blend using about 1/3 cup per lb in a shallow bowl.

4. Place chicken in a glass baking dish and bake for 15 minutes.

5. Take chicken out and place 2 to 3 slices of tomatoes on top of each piece of chicken.

6. Generously sprinkled shredded cheese on top of each piece of chicken covering the tomatoes.

7. Bake for another 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted.

Here is a picture of the dish prior to putting back in the oven.

Say Hello to my sous chef!

Yes, sorry I got the trash can in the picture. Gross yeah... I know.

I generally pair this with a pasta dish. I'm a HUGE fan of buying a store brought pasta sauce and adding to it to make it my own.

I saute green and red peppers, onions, and mushrooms together and add it to a tomato basil or marinara sauce. I serve over angel hair pasta. ( I prefer Classico or Newman's)

Or I saute a little onion, lots of mushrooms, and broccoli and add it to Classico's Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo and serve over fettuccine noodles.

Enjoy!

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane Cooks...Greek Salad

Hello All! As promised I am trying to add more recipes to the mix here on Leaving and Loving.

Here is the Jetplanes' favorite easy Greek Salad. What makes it even better? Well its WW and its delicious to boot.

Greek Salad with Oregano-Feta Dressing

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon olive oil (I used EVOO)
1 garlic clove (I use a little more,I love garlic)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons water ( I use a little more b/c the dressing is thick)
3 cups of torn romaine lettuce leaves
1 tomato sliced
1 cucumber sliced
1 green bell pepper sliced (I'm not a fan of uncooked peppers so I remove)
1/2 red onion thinly sliced
6 large Greek olives,pitted and sliced

* I add a little radicchio, I prefer salad to have a variety of greens and have a lot of color.

1. To prepare the dressing, in a mini food processor or blender, combine the cheese, lemon juice, oil, garlic, oregano, pepper, and water; puree.

2. In a large salad bowl, combine the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, and onion. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. Sprinkle with olives.

Its a great salad to pair with grilled chicken or just eat the salad for lunch. Mr. Jetplane loves it.

Enjoy!

valentine's day Cooking + Foul Language = LOVE

On the way up to KY for our vacay I made Mr. Jetplane listen to the audio book Julie & Julia.

It was a great book, atleast I enjoyed it...and I believe Mr. did alittle bit as well.

I feel for Julie and her desire to find something that inspires her. I'll be honest, I would love to create a challenge for myself like she did and be able to see it through completion. And she has a wonderful sense of humor, albeit is slightly dirty... which I find even more endearing.

One other point worth mentioning is that the book is associated with the blog she created to document her journey through Julia's cookbook. I think this my have given Mr. a look inside why a woman like Julie (or his wife for that matter) started and continues a blog. I hope it let him understand why I enjoy my blog and my readers (or as she calls them, her bleaders).

I recommend this book at any and all of us culinary hopefuls who search for recipes and try to make ourselves better in the kitchen. I would love for my children and grandchildren to remember me the way I do my grandmother... the best cook in the entire world. She could create a wonderful dinner with whatever was in the pantry and we could never get enough.

And as Julia would say.... Bon Appetit!

P.S. I also read Jennifer Weiner's new book last week... review to follow...I enjoyed it but it wasn't my favorite of her books that's for sure...

valentine's day Mr. Jetplane's New Favorite Meal

So as I have said, Mrs. Jetplane is trying her hardest to add a new recipe to her repertoire every week. This recipe was added about 2 months ago, and we've already had it twice. And as you can see, I have added Mrs. Jetplane Cooks tab, so more recipes to come...

It is yummy and pretty darn easy.


Three Cheese Beef Pasta Shells

Ingredients
24 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
1 lb of lean ground beef (atleast 80% - I use 97% lean)
1 Jar (26oz) chunky tomato pasta sauce ( I prefer Newman's own, Classico, or Barilla)
1/2 cup of water
1 container (8oz) chive & onion cream cheese spread (I bought Kraft, I haven't use the reduced fat one yet)
1 1/2 cups shredded 6-cheese Italian Cheese Blend
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese ( I use Reduced Fat kind)
1 Egg


1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain pasta shells.

2. Cook ground beef until thoroughly cooked, drain. Cool slightly.

3. In a large bowl, mix pasta sauce and water. Pour 1 cup of the pasta sauce mixture in bottom of an ungreased glass baking dish (13x9). In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, 1 cup of Italian Cheese, the Parmesan Cheese, Egg, and ground beef. Spoon a large tablespoon mixture into each shell. Arrange stuffed shells over sauce in baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over top, covering shells completely. Cover with foil.

4. Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese filing is set. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Italian Cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Sorry no pictures... I promise the next time I make this I will take a picture and add it to this post. We eat them up...way too fast...

Enjoy!

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane Cooks...

I cook almost every night, but I'm lucky I have a great husband that cooks as well. And since he gets home before I do 75% of the time right now, he starts the meals during the week. However, on Sundays I spend time making a meal that I wouldn't be able to make during the week (and get it on the table at a decent time).

My goal is to cook 1 new recipe a week, and add new dinners to my repertoire. Then I generally ask Mr. Jetplane what he'd like for the week. Sometimes he's rather helpful... other times (most of the times) he's not. He's recently started asking for a menu so he can select from... ha ha... not happening bud.

So today I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti. And it was quite a hit. However... it took quite some time to prepare it. You can take a look at her recipe here.

Here's Mrs. Jetplane's version.... Not bad, right?

I followed the recipe pretty close. A couple things I did different.

1. I didn't use a whole chicken. I bought split chicken breasts with skin on. It came 3 to a package and it was only $4.20 at the commissary today. I actually only had to use 2 of them since they were so large, 2 gave me more than the 2 cups of cooked chicken that the recipe required.

2. I didn't use Sharp Cheddar, I used Mild Cheddar, its what we already had at the house.

I paired the dish with Mexi-Corn. I have a deep love for Mexi-Corn, yeah its totally weird, but I love that canned corn side dish.

Hope you all are having a great Sunday evening... True Blood tonight.... oh yeah!!! I'm excited. I already have a dessert and cocktail planned for the viewing...

valentine's day Keeping it Healthy...

Mrs. Jetplane is now going to give you one of her favorite homemade salad dressing recipes. Its a low fat Poppy Seed salad dressing. Yes, I said Poppy Seed and its really good.

I serve this salad dressing over 2 different type of salad. This does make for a sweet salad dressing.

1. Spinach, Strawberry, Pine Nuts, and cubed precooked chicken.
2. Spinach, canned Mandarin oranges, thinly sliced red onion, and pine nuts.

3/4 cup sugar (I used Splenda)
1tbsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 small red onion (chopped)
1 cup oil (I use EVOO)
1/3 c. seasoned rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

Combine sugar, dry mustard, salt, red onion, oil, vinegar and poppy seeds in a blender.

I'll admit I don't use this recipe to the tee. Sometimes I add a little more mustard.

FYI - got the dog painting sitting in my office as I type. It is adorable and I actually cried when she brought it in. Mama and Pops Jetplane are going to flip out when they see it. I'm going to mail it to them next week. Its an oil painting so I want to give it plenty of time to dry. Can't wait to post pics of it tonight.

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane cooking healthy...

Well as promised I have a great recipe that believe it or not has tofu in it. Now, let me tell you, Mrs. Jetplane is not a fan of tofu, so I was very leery of this recipe. But I trusted my dear friend Dr. W. She actually got this recipe from the nutritionist that she was seeing, it was part of the diet plan she was given.

Ingredients

1 Packet of Hidden Valley Ranch
1 14oz Tofu (recipe recommends Mori-Nu brand) UPDATE: Firm Tofu
3/4 cup canola oil
2 tbsp of vinegar (I used apple cider)
1 egg
3 packets of Splenda
Dash of Season All Salt

Blend egg and vinegar on Medium, with blender on add oil in a thin stream.
Then add seasonings and tofu.
Blend and then stir.
Refrigerate before stirring.

1/4cup = 1 serving

I love to eat this with veggies, put it on a sandwich instead of mayo, use as a dip for chicken strips, or eat with melba toast crackers.

Enjoy!

And heads up...my next healthy recipe is an awesome Poppy Seed Salad Dressing which will seriously rock your world. I make it all summer love to put it on spinach and strawberry salad or a spinach, pine nut, and mandarin orange salad.

valentine's day Mrs. Jetplane is still cooking

This weekend I tried another new recipe, Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp from Pioneer Woman. OMG I just found her website last week and I'm totally loving it. Her original recipe can be found here. I admit I did alter it a little bit because I wanted more shrimp, and Mrs. Jetplane doesn't like food that is really spicy so I tried to reduce the spice a little bit, but no worries it was still spicy.



(Frozen) Raw Shrimp I bought the peeled and deveined bag (41-50 per bag)


Good quality Orange Juice 1 1/3 cup (Simply Orange is the only OJ the Jetplanes' drink - NO pulp)

3 Cloves of Garlic - diced


3 Tablespoons Salted Butter

Ground Cayenne Pepper 1/2 tsp



Old Bay Seasoning 1 tsp


1. Defrost the shrimp - put in a strainer and run under cold water until thawed fully.

2. Then place the shrimp on a paper towel
3. Combine OJ, garlic, and spices together - stir



4. Melt 2 Tbsp in a pan on High heat, once melted pop in the shrimp.


5. Cook the shrimp, it shouldn't take too long. Use tongs to flip the shrimp its easier.


6. Remove shrimp and keep the pan on High. Allow pan to smoke slightly then all the OJ mixture to the pan and stir.


7. Add final tbsp of butter and stir, this should create a thicker sauce.


8. Combine the shrimp to the pan with the sauce and stir.




My alterations to the recipe were more shrimp and OJ. So my sauce was not thick as hers but I'm totally cool with that.


This was totally delicious and I loved it. I know Mr. Jetplane will adore it and will want it hot.

Hope you to this and enjoy it.


XOXO