I know it can make me crabby — the thought of all of my hard work calorie counting down the drain with a few bites worth of deep-fried-something. That’s why I looove it when a dish can achieve the same taste results when baked as it can when fried. With more grams of fat per tablespoon of oil than you’d care for me to mention, baking in place of frying saves you tons, tons, tons of fat calories. In this case, unneeded fat.

I usually come up with a recipe first, and then compare it to some of my favorite chef’s recipes for the same dish. I have long used my crab cake recipe, but recently came across Paula Deen’s Southern Crab Cakes Recipe. I wanted to give it a good assessment because Paula Deen knows flavor, and in my book anything with “Southern” in the title usually means it tastes geat. So, I was glad to peruse Paula’s list of ingredients to see if she used anything more exciting than mine. The only big differences were that hers called for a green pepper instead of celery (a fine exchange, I’d agree), and for deep frying instead of baking.

I decided to experiment. I made a huge batch of crab cake “batter” and went about seeing if Paula knew something I didn’t about the necessity of adding oil to flavor the cakes. I was delighted to discover that the taste of the fried cakes and the baked cakes was nearly the same! I thought for sure I was sacrificing flavor in place of fat in this case, and was proven wrong. Enjoy your crab cakes even more now that you know you can save the oil for the fire!

This recipe also uses crackers, which has just made its way onto the Smart Ingredients list. This week I got a box of generic saltine crackers for $1, and I used them, crushed, as a replacement for breadcrumbs in meatloaf, to make chicken and dumplings, and in last night’s crab cake experiment. When it comes to cutting costs and buying ingredients that go a long way, it doesn’t get much smarter than that!

Baked Crab Cakes

Ingredients

• Jumbo lump crab meat (approximately ¾ pound)
• 15 Ritz or Saltine crackers, smashed
• 1 egg
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• ½ cup diced celery
• ¼ cup diced onions
• ½ teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon spicy mustard powder

In a large bowl, break apart crab meat with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into patties. Place on baking sheet or baking dish treated with cooking spray. Bake in preheated 350°F (180° C) oven for approximately 20 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.

Serve with

Dijon Mustard Sauce

Ingredients

• ¼ cup Dijon Mustard
• 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons White wine (or white wine vinegar)

Combine all ingredients and blend well. Chill before serving.

Some great ways to serve crab cakes include over rice, or on a toasted roll topped with shredded lettuce and Dijon mustard sauce.

Congratulations Betsy Watz, our June winner of FREE Smart Ingredients, and a FREE copy of the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook. Betsy’s groceries will be delivered to her doorstep tomorrow morning, and a copy of the cookbook is in the mail. With the groceries she receives, she will be able to make any one of the recipes in the book — any night — with what she has on hand. Betsy, we all look forward to hearing how the best dinner plan around worked for your family.

In the meanwhile, what’s everyone planning on making for the holiday weekend? We realize that grocery shopping during holiday times is different than your “average” week, so for this week, take advantage of the sales, and don’t plan on overdoing it for your barbecue or family get-together. This is one holiday where simple, good old American basics are just what fits the bill, and the stores know that…. you should be able to find hamburger buns and all the fixins priced right. Also, berries are always priced right this time of the season. Check out the Recipes section on our website for Red, White & Blue Stuffer Burgers, Red, White & Blue Fruit Skewers and many other simple recipes that will make your 4th a success.

Who is busy this summer? Anyone? Ha! It may be busy going to the pool or the beach, but it’s still busy. And spending more time outdoors means we need to be even better at economizing our time in the kitchen. This was a very light grocery shopping week for me, picking up just $50 worth of food when I did a quick shop before my Father’s Day dinner. Since I stick firm to my “once every 7-10 days” shopping plan, it was time to head to the freezer. I stock up on chicken, ground beef and whitefish becasue they are a great base for many flavors, and because I follow the 70 Meals plan, I know I have the ingredients on hand to make any of the dishes in the book. Today I thawed some chicken breasts and made Chicken Fajitas. I absolutely love the flavor combination of the Italian Dressing and the taco seasoning in the 70 Meals recipe. I’ve already taken the ground beef out of the freezer to make some of my favorite stuffed burgers (Bacon Cheddar Stuffed Burgers and Salsa Stuffed Burgers) tomorrow, and the next day I’ll move on to Tilapia in whichever of the 10 recipes from the 70 Meals cookbooks suits my fancy that day. Check out the recipes section of our website for some of my favorites.

Because you’re busy doesn’t mean you can’t make dinner. It’s having the strategies and Smart Ingredients on hand to make it easy that makes it work. Are you a blog subscriber? If not, click on the green button on the top right to subscribe now, and be automatically entered in to win FREE Smart Ingredients and a copy of the 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook. Click on the photo on the top right for more details.

The most important part of grocery shopping is to make sure you buy Smart Ingredients. What are Smart Ingredients?
Ingredients that add up. Do you know what I mean? Surely you have a lot of this-and-that in your cupboards. But do you, every night, feel like they can be mixed and matched to make dozens of dinners? I didn’t used to. Before I started Organizing Dinner, I knew I had a lot of stuff. But whenever I went to make a recipe, there seemed to always be something, some random fresh or packaged ingredient I didn’t have. I spent a few years figuring out ways to avoid the “never having the right ingredients” gap in my cabinets and fridge. What I discovered and solidified as the key to kitchen success became what I call Smart Ingredients. Ingredients that are easy and inexpensive to keep on hand, and when mixed + matched = dinner. Simple, fast, hot and healthy. Without a moment’s worry. Is it that easy, you ask? Yes. Join our blog and learn for yourself what to shop for and how to use it. Not convinced? Click on one of the subscription options at the right to subscribe, and become one of the lucky winners of the Smart Ingredients Test Kitchen who will receive free Smart Ingredients in the mail, along with the book that puts them all together in one shopping trip for 6 months worth of dinner “70 Meals, One Trip to the Store.” One winner will be randomly selected each month. When notified, we will arrange for a delivery of Smart Ingredients to your door. Use them, and hot, healthy, homemade dinner success will become a daily routine in your household. Also, each week you will gain smart shopping tips, weeknight dinner recipes, and kitchen organization tips.

I can tell you one thing I don’t like… and that’s recipes that say something has to be cooked a certain way. I am a big fan of flexibility in cooking, and giving you the permission to make alterations to recipes that fit with your diets, preferences, and tastes. Here then, is a great recipe for you to use for a multitude of vegetables. Zucchini and asparagus out of your own garden or from the market, or canned artichoke hearts from your pantry. Use what you have on hand or are in the mood for, with the same prep method…. and enjoy!

  

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus OR 2 cups zucchini, diced, OR 2 cans artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs 

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C).
2. Toss vegetables of your choice in olive oil and arrange in baking pan.
3. Sprinkle with salt, Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

I tell my students in my cooking  classes and the patrons at my cooking demos to “trust me” that the cookbook really works. I know it does because I use it myself. Truly, 5 meals out of 7 busy weeknight meals I make for my family are out of this book. But I’ve been using it for the 4 years since I started the first draft, and the book continues to surprise me.

I always have the majority of the ingredients on hand, at any given time. This means I can make nearly any one of the 70 meals in the book without a trip to the store for ingredients.

Yesterday, I began preparing for a nice media day on Monday, where my amazing publicist Meggan has booked me on the NBC-Milwaukee morning program “The Morning Blend.” I will be preparing three dishes from the book, Grecian Chicken, Meatball Sandwiches and Southwest Pasta. Immediately following, I will be doing a book signing at a local grocery store, Sendik’s, where I will be giving out samples of the Grecian Chicken and the Southwest Pasta. I know will need a lot of food. There will be three pounds of pasta, 2 crock-pots full of Grecian Chicken, and since I’m cooking anyway, I’ll be making enough meatballs to feed my family the night of the demo. As I assessed the recipes in my head on my way to the store, I could come up with very few things I didn’t have on hand at home. So I brought a copy of the book into the store with me, to reference the recipes and make sure I was covered. Sure enough, there were only a few needs. For the Grecian Chicken, all I needed was artichokes, for the Southwest Pasta, some green peppers, and for the meatball sandwiches: rolls, Mozzarella cheese and ground beef. I spent $20. Twenty Dollars! And ten minutes in the store. What I bought, combined with what I have on hand at home will feed more than 40 people in various proportions. And I have NO storage pantry other than my standard shelves.

It was a great reminder to me why I am out there at classes and events promoting this book. It really does work.  By shopping smart, buying less ingredient clutter, and stocking up on Smart Ingredients, I am truly manned for dinner success. Canned diced tomatoes? I always have them. Taco Seasoning? I buy McCormick’s bulk size for $4.39 and it lasts me one year. I have plenty of chicken in the freezer, and plenty of pasta on the shelves. A large amount of stress was eliminated from a lot of planning and a busy day.

Using chicken broth as your base, you would be surprised the number of things you can make for dinner. Do you have rice in your pantry? Great, you can make a nice risotto. Some leftover chicken? Soup or pot pie. Beef?…Salisbury Steak.

Chicken broth is the number one “Smart” ingredient that I recommend you keep on hand in your pantry. And if you buy the dry broth granules in bulk, it’s something you will always have on hand, saving you endless times of having to run to the store in order to have something you can make for dinner. Try out some of the recipes listed below to see how chicken broth can help you get dinner on the table with less stress.

Risotto Recipe

*Note: Arborio rice is the “recommended” rice for making risotto as it best provides the chewy texture risotto is known for. If you’re looking for a quick weeknight meal with ingredients you have at home, any rice will do. If you’re using quick-cook rice, the cooking time will be a bit less.

Ingredients

• 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. 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 constantly.
3. Reduce heat and continue stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
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 or shrimp, and almost any kind of vegetable already cooked or steamed. Some of the most popular variations include mushrooms sauteed in butter, and sauteed spinach, tomatoes or asparagus.

Following is a great chicken soup recipe that is much more elegant than a basic chicken soup, and not thick and heavy like a traditional cream soup. It’s rich yet light, and can stand alone as a great meal.

Delicious Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 packages seasoned rice
• 2 cups cooked chicken
• 3 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can corn

Directions

1. In a stock pot over medium-high heat, brown the chicken and the fresh vegetables in the oil until all browned, stirring often, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Then add the broth, and continue simmering.
3. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in the milk, and continue cooking until mixture is bubbly and thick. Add some of the broth mixture to the milk mixture, continuing to stir, then stir all of the milk mixture into the broth mixture.
4. Add the rice packages and both cans of corn, and simmer for an additional half hour or until rice is cooked through. Additional water may be added to thin out soup as desired.

Chicken broth is a vital ingredient in our 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook. If you have ground beef on hand, or even some left over hamburger patties, there is a recipe for melt-in-your-mouth Salisbury Steak that simmers the meat in broth for 25 minutes and results in a perfect gravy. Our delicious Chicken Pot Pie recipe uses one and a half cups of chicken broth for a quick and hearty weeknight meal.

They’re small. They’re simple. But don’t take for granted how Smart bread crumbs are as part of your pantry. As you know, Smart ingredients are those ingredients that when kept on hand, bring you that much closer to success at dinnertime. A crust for meat, a topping for a baked dish, a binder for a delicious meatloaf. Bread crumbs are one ingredient that are a simple “must have” to keep on hand.

Following are some delicious recipes that use basic breadcrumbs to achieve anything but basic results.

The Traditional Meatloaf recipe from Organizing Dinner’s 70 Meals, One Trip to the Store cookbook is one of those recipes that seems so simple you forget why you don’t make it more often. It’s comfort food at it’s finest.

Traditional Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can tomato paste

Mix first 7 ingredients by hand and form into a loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes at 350 degrees F. Spread tomato paste over top during last 10 minutes of cooking.

Baked Artichoke Hearts are a delicious, easy and different side dish that adds life to any dinner.

Baked Artichoke Hearts

Ingredients

• 2 cans artichoke hearts (drained)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Paremesan cheese

Toss artichokes with olive oil and salt. Spread in a baking dish. Top the artichokes with bread crumbs and cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until top is browned.

Also try Gonnella’s Lemon Sole with Chive Butter recipe, using Gonnella bread crumbs to make a delicious crusted fish fillet.

So, have you had the experience where you wander through the grocery store wondering what you should buy … and if will it add up to more than just that night’s dinner? Me too, and I hate it. That’s why all of Organizing Dinner’s strategies are aimed at eliminating this, and other annoying roadblocks to dinner success. As you know, many of my recipes start with what I call “Smart” ingredients. These are ingredients that can be mixed and matched with so many things you are likely to have at home, that just buying them alone leads to so many meal options. At the top of my Smart ingredients list is canned diced tomatoes. They’re often priced under a buck, they’re pretty, they are versatile, and they can help you create any savory meal course with success. This Smart ingredient can be the centerpiece of a bruschetta appetizer, the basis of a creamy tomato soup (recipe below) or a Cabbage (Detox) Soup, top chicken (mixed with spinach) or fish (mixed with corn), liven up an omelette, mix into white rice with some taco seasoning to make a great side dish for tacos, or help you make many variations of sauce to top many kinds of pasta. Several of these recipes are listed below. Grab a can, or six, next time you’re at the store, and see if they don’t just make you a little “smarter” in your kitchen.

Quick and Easy Bruschetta

Ingredients

•            1 tablespoon olive oil
•            4 oz. cheese (feta, mozzarella, crumbled goats, gorgonzola, blue)
•            1/2 onion, diced

•            2 teaspoons Italian Seasoning

•            1 can diced tomatoes, drained

•            1 tablespoon olive oil

•            Crustini (Or, sliced Italian bread, toasted)

Mix first six ingredients in medium-sized bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top crustini with tomato mixture and serve.

Tomato Florentine Soup

This soup is so hearty that served with a side of garlic bread, it makes a fabulous meal.

Ingredients

•            2 cups chicken broth
•            2 tablespoons butter
•            2 tablespoons flour
•            1 cup milk or cream
•            1 can diced tomatoes
•            1/3 package frozen spinach
•            1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•            1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:

In medium-sized pot on stove, make a roux by melting butter over medium-low heat, and mixing in flour, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in milk or cream. Add tomatoes and broth.

Add cream mixture and stir to blend. Mix in spinach. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often until cooked through (about 20 minutes). Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

Italian-Style Pasta with Chicken, Spinach and Tomatoes

Ingredients

•            1 can diced tomatoes
•            4 chicken breasts

•            1 teaspoon diced garlic
•            2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

•            1 tablespoon olive oil
•            1/2 onion, sliced

•            1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
•            1/2 package frozen spinach, thawed
•            1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

•            8 oz. pasta

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile sauté onions and garlic in oil in large pan for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add chicken, balsamic vinegar and Italian seasoning and cook over medium high heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes each side. Add diced tomatoes and spinach to the pan. Cook until fully heated and some liquid evaporates. Serve over pasta, and top each serving with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.