I have lots to share, as it’s been a while since I’ve posted! I was in Denver for some fun and a U2 concert, but also to have a meeting with our new Colorado Independent Cooking Instructor Dianne Gustafson. Have you ever been afraid to introduce people to one of your friends, because you fear they are going to like

Dianne and Kelly dine out in Denver

them bettter than you? Well, that’s the case with Dianne (In a good way). I know you Colorado folk will absolutely love her. And with years of background in heart-healthy cooking, she has a wealth of dietary information to share beyond the Organizing Dinner class curriculum. Contact Dianne directly at organizingdinner.dianne@gmail.com to schedule a class or party in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas.

Garden Salads

You responded to my recent Facebook post with what you are growing in your gardens this year. You’ve got some fantastic stuff on the way! I am jealous as most of you who replied have much more than I. However, I can still, hopefully, inspire you with some recipes. Here’s a few to start:

Caprese Bread Salad

Ingredients 

• 2 cups tomatoes from your garden, sliced and seeded if desired
• 2 cups spring greens (or other greens from your garden)
• 5 ounces Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 6 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 3 cups day-old Italian bread, cubed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients, toss well and let sit in refrigerator for at least one hour, for bread to absorb flavors.

Sweet Bell Pepper Salad

Ingredients

• 3 bell peppers (various colors), cut into strips
• 1 tomato from your garden, seeded and sliced
• 1 cup shredded greens (again, whatever kind you’ve grown)
• 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Combine all ingredients and chill.

** Giveaway Time **

And as I write this post, May is coming to an end. Time for our end-of-month FREE copy of 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store giveaway. Comment on this blog post to enter. Winner will be chosen and notified via e-mail on Thursday.

The shopping plan and recipes presented in 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store can be summed up simply as this: spend way less money on groceries, make many fewer trips to the store, and yet make many more delicious weeknight meals for your family. Find out for yourself… comment on this blog post. From those comments, one winner will be selected at random this Friday to win a free copy for themselves.

Now, back to what I’ve been cooking….

Day 23

Menu: Chicken Enchiladas — have you tried our enchilada sauce? It’s melt-in-your-mouth good! (On our recipes page).

Game plays applied:

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store

Ahhh, it’s great to have everything you need ON HAND to make dinner.

Gifts to Self

Remember that chicken that I pre-cooked and froze? That made these enchiladas super easy to whip up.

Day 24

Menu: Baked Pasta

Game plays applied:

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store

I always have everything on hand to make Baked Pasta.

Flexibility

This is one of those recipes that I call a palette. Once you have the basis of the recipe, you can add whatever ingredients suit your fancy (or that you have on hand). Tonight we used meatballs and spinach.

Day 25

Menu: Pecan-Crusted Fish

This is my favorite fish preparation, mixing the sweetness of honey with savory pecans.

Game plays applied:

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store

There are recipes for Pecan-Crusted Chicken and Pecan-Crusted Fish in the book. Two more delicious meals I can make any night of the year with what I have at home.

It seems appropriate that all three meals in this post were from 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store, when it’s time for a giveaway. Don’t forget to comment for your chance to be this month’s winner.

This month’s Cookbook Giveaway winner has yet to claim their prize (check your inbox for a “You Won!” e-mail from Organizing Dinner), so we are just hankering to give something away. Buy any cookbook this week, and get another FREE! Buy one for you, and one for a gift, or two great books just to help yourself find success in the kitchen. Purchase your book through our website, and in the “Comments” section, enter the name of the other cookbook (of equal or lesser value) you would like us to include with your purchase. Valid this week only, on purchases through organizingdinner.com. Not valid on purchases through Amazon, Borders, barmesandnoble.com or any other retailer.

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Day 17

Menu: Corned Beef and Cabbage

On St. Patrick’s Day or anyday, corned beef and cabbage is a stress-free, easy meal. The entire meal can be boiled in one pot (if you choose), for a delicious well-rounded meal. The “corned” part of the name, means that the beef has been seasoned and brined for you, and therefore requires no further seasoning. I do, at the end, place mine in a baking dish and top with a spicy-mustard and apricot preserve glaze and bake for about 40 minutes, but you can omit this step and serve a mustard sauce on the side.

Game plays applied:

One pan meal – Corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, carrots and onions can all go in one pot. Start the beef early, and add everything else during the last 45 minutes.

Day 18

Menu: Frozen pizza and homemade vegetable soup for the kids, (while Mom and Dad celebrated our 13th anniversary with dinner out).

Game Plays applied:

With certain babysitters I can say “make anything in the 70 Meals book, we have all the ingredients on hand” and a healthy homemade meal is done. With others who are younger and less kitchen-experienced, the frozen pizza is as much “cooking” as I will ask.

Multimealing - I made the vegetable soup during dinner cleanup the night before.

Day 19

Menu: Chili

Game Plays applied:

Flexibility – Chili is one of the most flexible dishes out there. I can start a great chili with chicken, ground beef, steak and/or a plethora of vegetables and other ingredients. Tonight I made my favorite chili with chicken, black beans, corn and black olives. As it takes a few hours to simmer, I made a large pot so there is some in the freezer for another meal.

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store - there are a few recipes for chili in the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook. Chicken and Black Bean Chili is one of them.

Here are some things last month’s winner had to say about her FREE copy of our best-selling cookbook 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store:

• The concept of shopping less often, having a plan and the ingredients on hand, to get dinner on the table every day is one most of us dream of. This attractive, well-designed book, 70 Meals One Trip to the Store, gives us the tools to get headed in that direction. The brilliant idea of having a group of recipes that share common ingredients, yet are not so similar as to be boring is at the heart of this system. As the author puts it, getting rid of “ingredient clutter” will let you buy less, save more money, simplify and speed up your shopping and make getting dinner ready much easier.
• The 70 recipes are easy to read and one per page, so you don’t have to flip back and forth while cooking. They’re all very simple, so even beginner cooks can master them.
• What would I add to this? A little more information on just how 70 meals can be made with one trip to the store as the title suggests. Maybe adding vegetable side dish suggestions to the recipes would be helpful.
• To help busy cooks a little more, suggested preparation and cooking times added to each recipe might be helpful. It’s always nice to select recipes based on how much time we have to spare to make them whether it’s active time or unattended time.
• The tips and tricks are very useful and will really help the organization and flow in the kitchen at dinner time. Also, having the recipe index, listed by protein in the front of the book was a very smart idea. I wish more cookbooks were arranged this way.
• Overall, I really like this cookbook and the system of organization it follows. You don’t need to be so militant as to have months of meals already planned out day by day. That’s the real brilliance behind this system; once you’ve got your pantry stocked, you can decide what to have for dinner at the last minute and not have to follow a set schedule.
• All of the recipes sound delicious and are varied enough that there will always be plenty to choose from for something interesting to serve. I’m certain that many of these recipes will remain in my go-to repertoire to serve over and over.

Thank you Nancy! Your comments really hit the nail on the head about why this book is so helpful at dinnertime. I will try to incorporate your suggestions, and add prep and cooking time to the recipes online too.

Now, how about a FREE copy for you? Just enter a comment to this blog post to be entered to win. We will randomly select a winner on Friday!

It’s always a matter of timing….

Day 8

Fish Fillets with Garlic-Kissed Spinach, and Stuffing

Today is a Tuesday, and one of our busiest days. I got home at 5:30, and needed to find something I could start prepping, pause and go pick up my daughter at choir, and then serve fairly soon after returning home. I chose tilapia on a bed of garlic with a side of stuffing. I sauteed spinach in garlic salt and olive oil for 3 minutes, placed this in a baking dish, topped it with the fish, drizzled the fish with 1 tablespoon melted butter, and sprinkled with bread crumbs. I covered the dish and placed in the refrigerator, turned on the oven to preheat and headed out. When I returned home, the fish went in a hot oven for 20 minutes while meanwhile I prepared the stuffing.

Game Plays:

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store: Based on the 70 Meals cookbook, there are 3 types of meat I always have on hand: ground beef, chicken and fish fillets (usually Tilapia). This recipe is on e of the many fish recipes in the book.

2/3 Rule: Fish and Spinach were prepared fresh, stuffing was from a package.

Day 9

Crab-Stuffed Shrimp, Sliced Cucumber Salad and Brown Rice

My family loves shrimp, and I am always trying new ways to prepare the prawns. Inspired by a recent demo by Paula Deen, I decided to try one of her shrimp recipes. It called for a crab salad rolled inside shrimp, and then wrapped in bacon. I chose to avoid the bacon to reduce the fat in the recipe, and ended up “placing” the crab on top of the shrimp as a sort of crab cake-topped prawn. While prepping the shrimp, brown rice went in the cooker, and I sliced up some fresh cucumbers with onions, Greek yogurt, hot sauce and garlic salt for a quick side salad.

Day 10

Grilled Bratwursts and Lentil Soup

I have to work tonight, but was home during the day, so I made the soup ahead of time, and all hubby had to do was grill the brats to get dinner served.

Game Plays Applied:

Gifts to self: A week or so ago, when making soup, I made a large portion of “soup starter” which for me is a roux (butter and flour) sauteed with onions, black pepper, and then brought to a boil with my favorite soup base, Vegeta. I transferred this into 2-cup portions in large Ziploc bags and placed in the freezer. All I needed to do was warm this on the stove, add a few cups of water to hydrate the lentils, and the lentils.

Click here to see the game plays.

30 Days of my play-by-play dinner, continued. For game play definitions, see previous post.

Day 4

Homemade Butternut Squash Soup and pasta salad.

Game Plays applied:

Multimealing: I made a large batch of squash soup to bring some to my Dad who just had surgery, and keep some at home for dinner.

Flexibility: I love the flexibility of pasta salad. Using noodles and basic pasta salad seasonings I always keep on hand (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic salt and Italian Seasonings) I can make a pasta salad using any number of add-ins I may have on hand. Tonight I used blue cheese, avocado, cucumber, onions and tomatoes.

Day 5

[Tonight I have to work. My sitter knows she can make anything in the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook as I have all the ingredients on hand. Here's what she chose. The kids loved it.]

Lemon Honey Chicken and Brown Rice

Game Plays applied:

70 Meals, One Trip to the Store: Lemon Honey Chicken

Day 6

Herb-Crusted Beef Roast and Roasted Potatoes

While this may sound like a complicated meal, it is actually one of the easiest, elegant dinners I make. I use and Eye of Round cut, which I find extremely reliable in both cut and preparation. The crust is made by cooking up some onions, garlic and mustard in red wine. Rub this on the roast with some tarragon, salt and pepper, and put it in a roasting pan surrounded by one cup of beef broth, and cubed potatoes, and into a preheated 350 degree F oven until it reaches 140 degrees F. This roast is also typically sold in a 4-pound quantity, which is a perfect amount to feed 5 for dinner one night, and make Beef Stew the next.

Day 7

Beef Stew

Game plays applied:

Cook once, eat twice: last night’s lovingly-prepared roast and potatoes became an extremely flavorful beef stew by just cubing leftover beef and placing it and the remaining potatoes in a crock pot with the remaining beef stew recipe ingredients. This can be done at any point of the day, which worked well with the day’s busy schedule, work and after-school activities. [From the 40 Dinner Duos; Cook Once, Eat Twice cookbook.]

There are a lot of reasons to eat fish. Sure, some of us look to it as a dinner “alternative” during days that our religions ask us to give up meat. Others turn to fish when the doctor recommends less of the fatty stuff. But infusing our diets with a low-fat, omega-3-hearty dinner is something we can all stand to gain in our weekly lineup. I meet many people who are afraid to cook fish as they aren’t sure they know how. I encourage everyone to try. It is not nearly as easy to dry out as chicken or pork, and with a mild-flavored fillet, such as Tilapia or halibut, there are so many flavor applications that are a perfect complement. They are also mild enough to please those who don’t think they like fish.

An average 1/2- to 1-inch thick fish fillet is fairly foolproof when baked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F. Easy marinades from your cabinets and refrigerator can include lime juice, salt & pepper, soy sauce & honey, orange juice & olive oil, or butter & garlic. Simply marinate fillets in a baking dish or ziploc bag for one half hour, up to 4 hours, remove from marinade and place in oven. (On grill works fine too, just use a shorter cooking time). If you don’t want to marinate, use the below recipe for one of our favorite, simple ways to make delicious fish.

There are also several more  Seafood Recipes on our website that make serving fish simple, including Pecan-Crusted Fillets and Coconut Shrimp.

Italian Baked Fish with Garlic-Kissed Spinach

from the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

• 4 Fish Fillets
• 2 cups fresh or 1 cup frozen thawed spinach, rinsed and drained
• 1 teaspoon garlic, diced
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

Combine bread crumbs, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper. In pan on stove cook spinach with two tablespoons butter and garlic for 5 minutes, until warmed through. Lay spinach in baking dish. Dredge fish in two tablespoons melted butter and place on top of spinach. Sprinkle fish with bread crumb mixture. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

There is a lot cooking at Organizing Dinner these days, including many specials and giveaways for you:

Our Monthly Giveaway

That’s right, it’s time to give away another copy of 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store. All you need to do is post a comment to this blog post to be entered. The winner will be notified Wednesday March 2nd.

Make more many more meals with many fewer trips to the store. Recipes include Pecan-Crusted Chicken, Oven Fried Fish, Stuffed Peppers, soups, pizza and lots more.

Free Groceries

Even if you don’t win this month’s free copy of 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store, you can still win big! We will send FREE Smart Ingredients to anyone who purchases a cookbook online during the month of March. Through our website only. Smart Ingredient giveaway not valid for amazon.com or Borders.com purchases.

Party Discount

If you live in the Chicagoland area and book one of our in-home cooking party classes during March (party dates through 9.30.11) get $50 off. (If you live outside of the Chicagoland area, see below for possibilities of a cooking class in your area.)

Refer a Friend

We are looking for cooking instructors to teach our cooking classes all across the country. If you know someone who you think would be great, forward them the following link to the classes area of our website. Tell them when they contact us to tell them you referred them. If we hire them, we will send you a free cookbook: http://organizingdinner.com/classes.html

Win A FREE copy

We had so much fun giving FREE groceries to our followers in 2010, that we decided to run another campaign. For all of 2011, we will give away one copy of 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store per month. Is there a catch? Yes! You have to actually use the book, save money, shop smarter and make more, delicious meals for your family as a result. Ha! And we wouldn’t say that if we didn’t think that’s what will happen from the day you set out with your Semiannual list. The harder part that we do ask, is that you be part of a guest blog on the topic. (You won’t even need to write a full blog post for goodness sake… unless you so choose… just shoot us a note sometime within the 2 months following your winning telling us what you think of the book and how it changed the way you approach dinner.)

Here’s how it will work. Once a month we will write a blog post relating to “Cookbook Giveaway”. If you wish to enter for a free copy of the book, simply comment on the blog post. This tells us you are committing to send us feedback within 60 days (via e-mail or additional blog post comments) after you receive the book in the mail. Sound good? Great, let’s get cookin. Comments?

Easy Weeknight Risotto

The recipe title is a bit of an oxymoron as a true risotto is the conclusion of many hours of slow-stirring arborio rice with delicate combinations of cheese and broth. For an easy weeknight dish that is still rich and satisfying, try a quicker-cooking rice and our simpler prep method.

What I love about Risotto as an easy weeknight dish, is that like so many of my favorites, it is flexible! If you follow the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store shopping plan, (or even have a basic stocked pantry) you have the rice, broth and Parmesan cheese on hand. The remaining ingredients can be made up of “whatever you are in the mood for” or “what you have in the refrigerator today”.

Another thing that is great about a simple risotto is that you can cook for one, or 6 with the same amount of effort.

Here’s the recipe…

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions and garlic for one minute. Add the rice, and stir until the rice is coated in oil and has started to brown.
2. Add the broth one cup at a time, pausing between cups, and stirring often.
3. Reduce heat and continue stirring until desired consistency is achieved.
4. Add additional ingredients as desired*. Add the Parmesan cheese and pepper. Stir to blend, and serve.

*Additional ingredients to risotto can include cooked chicken, Italian sausage or shrimp, and almost any kind of vegetable already cooked or steamed. Some of the most popular variations include mushrooms, spinach, squash and pumpkin (sauteed first in butter), tomatoes or asparagus.