Herbed Parmesan Chicken Tenders with The Kids Cook Monday!

Welcome back to Monday and another segment of The Kids Cook Monday.  This program has been a great way for me to get my girls in the kitchen to help me prepare meals.  It has also been a learning experience as I teach them cooking skills and techniques.  We discuss the ingredients used and they have been asking me alot of questions about nutrition.

This is a fantastic way to make chicken tenders.  We all know how much kids love chicken tenders and nuggets.  We also know how some versions are not that great for you to eat.  These chicken tenders are marinated in buttermilk (I used low-fat) which keeps them tender and moist plus gives them great flavor.  They are breaded with a simple mixture of bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and Parmesan cheese.  They are baked until golden brown and absolutely delicious.  We put ours on top a simple salad.

Another great meal we enjoyed together!  

I got inspiration from this recipe from Simply Recipes.  Click here for the original recipe.

Herbed Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Recipe by Jamie at Mom's Cooking Club

Inspired by Simply Recipes Herbed Chicken Tenders 

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken tenders (I used 2 packages which was 18 tenders)
1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

1 cup dry plain bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Canola oil
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions

Soak chicken tenders in buttermilk for 15-30 minutes.

Mix together the breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning, salt and Parmesan cheese in a plate or bowl.

Heat oven to 500°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Brush the top of the foil with canola oil to help prevent sticking.

Remove the chicken tenders one at a time from the buttermilk and place in the bowl with the breadcrumbs, coating all sides with the breadcrumbs. Place on the baking sheet.

Drizzle the melted butter over the chicken tenders. Place in the oven and bake for about 12 - 14 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, and the pieces are lightly browned.

A simple preparation: chicken tenders marinate in buttermilk for 15-30 minutes, then coated in the bread crumb mixture, placed on a baking sheet and drizzled with a little butter.  In 12-14 minutes, out comes the most moist and tasty chicken tenders. 

A simple salad of mixed iceberg and romaine lettuce, cucumbers, shredded carrots, feta cheese and dried cranberries.

Me (Jamie) and the dogs (MJ & Maximus) are supervising Marissa as she 

grates the Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  We put these chicken tenders on top of a salad with light ranch dressing.  Light blue cheese or honey mustard dressing would be delicious as well.  Or serve the tenders separately with a side of veggies.

Salmon Cakes

I call these Salmon Cakes, others may call them Salmon Patties.  Some may have never had them at all.  I grew up with my mom making Salmon Cakes.  I loved them when I was younger and I still do.  You use canned salmon which is an excellent pantry staple to have on hand. 

My mom's recipe is very similar to mine.  I think we probably use all the same ingredients.  My dad always (and still does) made a big production while eating his salmon cakes.  He would sprinkle some lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and pepper on his salmon cakes sandwiched between saltines spread with mustard.  My husband did not grow up with salmon cakes so this is something I introduced him to.  He eats his with mustard and saltines. Must have gotten that idea from my dad.  I don't like to mess with all that stuff.  I like it fine just plain.  I only wish my 2 daughters would like salmon cakes so I could pass on this recipe when they get older.

Serve with yellow/brown rice, a salad or some other vegetable side dish.  Try some sauteed zucchini and yellow squash like I did above.  

Salmon Cakes

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club

(printable recipe)

Ingredients

1 (14.75 ounce) canned Alaska pink salmon

1 egg

1/2 cup Italian dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup onion - chopped fine (you can also substitute with chopped green onions)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

pepper - about 1/8 teaspoon or a couple turns of a pepper mill

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Drain and reserve liquid from salmon.  Mix salmon, egg, bread crumbs, onion, mustard, garlic salt, lemon juice and pepper in a small bowl.  If the mixture feels dry, add some of the reserved liquid a little at a time.  The consistency should be somewhat moist and hold it's shape but not overly wet.  I always add some liquid to the mixture.  It keeps it moist and gives it extra flavor. 

Shape into patties.  You should get about 4-5 patties with this recipe.  Heat olive oil in pan over medium to medium-high heat.  Pan fry and brown salmon cakes for a few minutes before turning over and browning other side.  Drain on paper towels if needed.

4-5 servings

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club:  A very good website and source about canned salmon is Alaskaseafood.org.  It talks about the health benefits of canned salmon and has a variety of recipes using canned salmon.   

Grilled Greek Vegetables in Foil Packet

Since many of us are grilling these days, I wanted to share a delicious and easy way to add grilled vegetables to your meal.  What could be easier than putting some sliced vegetables, seasoning and a little olive oil  sealed in a foil packet, then heated on the grill?  When done, sprinkle some feta cheese on top for a quick and healthy side dish.  Oh, and easy to clean up too!  

Grilled Greek Vegetables in Foil Packet

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club 

(printable recipe)

Ingredients

2 zucchini, sliced
2-3 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon Greek Seasoning ( I used Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning)
Pinch of salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Mix zucchini, squash, tomatoes, olive oil, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper in bowl.  Place vegetable mixture on a large piece of aluminum foil.  Bring up sides of foil.  Fold top and sides to form a foil packet.  Leave some air in packet for air circulation.  

Place foil packet on grill, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Place foil packet on plate/platter, open carefully and sprinkle feta cheese on top. 

I like to serve the entire foil packet on a plate at the table.

Enjoy!

***There's still time to enter for the Cooking Light Cookbook, Cooking through the Seasons.  Click HERE for the information and details.  Deadline is Wednesday, July 14th, 2010.***

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  You can also make these foil packet vegetables in the oven.  Place sealed foil packet on cookie sheet and bake in 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.        

Grilled Cheeseburgers with Sauteed Onions Featuring Uncle Bob's All Purpose Sauce

It's Labor Day Weekend and it's grilling time! We are grilling everyday this holiday weekend and this has nothing to do with the fact that I'm still waiting for my oven to arrive. (our old oven broke a couple of weeks ago) We just love to grill. And since we live in a milder climate (even though it can get very cold in Pensacola FL), we pretty much grill all year round.

I was lucky to receive a food product to review for a group I belong to called BloggerAid. BloggerAid, Changing the Face of Famine is a growing group of international food bloggers who want to make a difference by raising money and awareness for the hungry in communities both at home and abroad. Please check out their website for more information.

I received 2 bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. Country Bob Edson created this sauce in 1968 and has been selling it since 1977. Now, that's a successful condiment. I decided to use this sauce for my grilled hamburgers as well as in the onion topping for our burgers. Delicious!!! It gave the onions a slightly sweet flavor and it brought out the flavor of the meat. I will use this sauce every time I make my burgers.

Grilled Cheeseburgers with Sauteed Onions

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club

Cheeseburgers

1 lb to 1-1/3 lb ground chuck

2 tsp Weber Grill Creations Gourmet Burger Seasoning (I love this seasoning and use it every time for my burgers) or use seasoning of your choice

2 tablespoons Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

cheddar cheese (use your favorite cheese)

hamburger buns

Sauteed Onions

half an onion, sliced

1 tsp butter

1 tablespoon Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce

Optional condiments: lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, dill pickles

For burgers: Mix hamburger meat, seasoning and Country Bob's sauce. Make equal size hamburger patties. Grill to desired doneness and melt cheese during last few minutes. Heat up buns on grill or toaster oven if desired.

I use this handy gadget my mother bought me years ago. It was only a few dollars and it's a great way to get uniform and nicely shaped hamburger patties.

Just press and ta-da.....a nice looking hamburger

To make these sauteed onions, slice up half an onion. Saute in skillet on medium heat with 1 teaspoon butter and 1 tablespoon Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. Saute for about 10 minutes until the onions are soft and turn a nice brown color.

Place onions on top of burger and use condiments of your choice.

Happy Labor Day!

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: Every time I make hamburgers, I do 2 things: I press an indentation in the middle of my hamburger meat. This keeps the burgers from puffing up in the middle when they cook. I also rub a small amount of canola oil on the top of my burgers before cooking. I'm not exactly sure what that does but I read it in a cookbook once and my burgers always turn out good.

Tuna Salad Wrap

It's been pretty busy this past week. My daughters have one more week of summer vacation left so we've been getting ready for back to school and just enjoying the last bit of summer break. On top of that, my oven broke. (it's 18 years old & blew during a power outage from one of our normal Florida storms) Can you believe that? A food blogger without an oven! Luckily, it's a built in oven so I have a separate cook top. I also have a grill, crockpot and toaster oven, so I think I'll be ok until we can get it replaced. It's going to take about 2 weeks though since it's a special order. But the great news is (always look on the positive side) I may be getting a double oven. We have the space for it because of the built in microwave above the oven that also fried during an electrical storm last year (I'm thinking power surge protector with the new one). Anyway, have I bored you yet with my appliance woes?

Well, here is a light dinner or lunch that doesn't require an oven. I know we all know how to make tuna fish but I wanted to share my method for this wonderful wrap.

Tuna Salad Wrap

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club

Serving size - 3 wraps

2 - 5 oz cans of your favorite tuna - I use solid white in water

1/4 cup light mayonnaise - use more or less depending on how much mayo you like

1 celery stalk, chopped small

1 tablespoon red onion, diced small - more or less depending on how much you want

1 tablespoon sweet relish

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

baby spinach leaves

tomato slices

your favorite wraps - I used Light Flatout Sundried Tomato brand

Drain tuna and place in mixing bowl. Mash and break up tuna with a fork. Add remaining ingredients through Dijon mustard and mix well. Place 1/3 of tuna mixture and place near one end of wrap. Lay 2-3 tomato slices on top of tuna. Lay about 4 baby spinach leaves on top of tomatoes. Carefully roll wrap and cut in half.

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: Play around with the ingredients for different flavors. You could add lettuce or alfalfa sprouts instead of spinach. You could add cheese or some herbs like dill or chives. You could even put some lemon juice in the tuna. So, what do you put in your tuna salad? I would love to hear your ideas. I may be making alot of tuna until my new oven comes.

Three Cheese Tortellini Soup with Summer Vegetables

Soup? I know what you're thinking. Why would I make soup when it's so blazing hot outside. Well, because soup is a great light, healthy and comforting dinner. I had a package of tortellini's in the refrigerator and came up with this wonderful, satisfying soup. Everyone and I mean everyone loved this soup. Even my daughters ate the zucchini and squash in the soup and they normally don't eat these vegetables. The base of the soup was inspired by Prudence Pennywise's Tuscan Vegetable Soup. This is another fantastic soup that you must try. So, even though you may break a slight sweat while eating this soup, it will be worth it.

Three Cheese Tortellini Soup with Summer Vegetables

Recipe by Jamie from Mom's Cooking Club

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped in bite size rounds

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 - 14 oz can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (Basil, Garlic & Oregano), pureed in blender

2 - 14 oz cans of low sodium & fat-free chicken broth

1 yellow summer squash, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

9 oz package of fresh 3 cheese tortellini (I used Buitoni brand)

Parmesan Cheese

In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened, stirring often. Add basil, pepper flakes and balsamic vinegar. Cook for 30 seconds. Add pureed tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 15 minutes.


Add tortellini, squash and zucchini. Bring to a simmer and cook about 8-10 minutes until pasta and vegetables are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

This is the brand of pasta I used.




Enjoy!



Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: It was my sister-in-law, Pam, who turned me on to these fresh pastas. I never paid much attention to them in the grocery store. Well, they are great. I buy them when they are on sale and they last awhile in your refrigerator or you can freeze them. You don't even have to defrost them. You can use them frozen. They are convenient to have on hand when you want a quick dinner.

Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich

Family Visitors

Vacation time. Sand in the toes. Beach. Unbelievable neighborhood fireworks. Searching for cool shells. Joe Patti's Seafood Market. Naval Aviation Air Museum. Shrimp Boil. Boogie Boarding. Kids playing Clue with Uncle Larry until midnight (every night). Wet towels. Peach and Blueberry Crumble with vanilla ice cream. Laughing. Taking pictures. Hot tea at night. Blackened Red Fish. Singing Michael Jackson songs in the van. Lunch at Peg Leg Pete's on Pensacola Beach. Boston Terriers enjoying all the love and attention. Homemade Pizzas. Ice Cream Cones. Jelly fish. Bagels in the morning. Inflatable slip and slide. Smiles. Fun.

Family Memories

My brother Larry, his wife Aggie, their 2 children and my niece Janey, came for a 4th of July weekend visit. It's a long drive from Central Florida to Pensacola FL so I wanted to have dinner ready and waiting for them when they arrived. This barbecue pork is made in the Crock-pot and couldn't be more easy to make. And it couldn't be more delicious.

First thing you need is to select your Boston Butt.....oops not these Boston Butts.......

But use this Boston Butt pork cut

Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich

Recipe by Jamie (adapted from Aggie's Kitchen)

4-5 lb Boston Butt pork

small onion - sliced

3-4 garlic cloves - peeled and smashed

Pork Rub seasoning (I used McCormick Grill Mates Pork Rub)

water

salt & pepper

Barbecue Sauce - your favorite (I used Sweet Baby Rays)

Sandwich buns

Sprinkle pork rub seasoning all over meat. Rub in well. Cut onion in large slices. Place pork in Crock-pot. Add onion & garlic. Add water to cover about half of pork. Add a little salt and pepper if desired. Cook on low for 9-10 hours. Remove pork and place in large pan or cookie sheet. Remove water and other ingredients from Crock-pot. Shred pork with 2 forks. Remove any bones or fat. Add some barbecue sauce to pork, about 1/2 cup. Place pork back in Crock-pot to keep warm. Serve on buns with extra barbecue sauce.

Shredded pork


Serve with fries and coleslaw for a complete barbecue meal

Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson: This is a great meal to serve for a group of people. Put it in the Crock-pot in the morning with very minimal prep work and by the evening you have dinner ready. I like to have a variety of barbecue sauces that people can use and add to their sandwich.

Cousins

Gina, Sammy, Mariah, Marissa & Janey

We love you guys!