Weekend Munchies

Weekends tend to be a little strange: we tend to sleep in and relax (theoretically, at least), while we try playing Catch-Up from the previous week while getting ready for the next. Of course, we also need to eat once in a while, without (hopefully) spending the entire weekend in the kitchen. And if it tastes good and is somewhat nutritious, even better. (If you're someone who adores hot dogs, I have to admit that they're quick. Nutritious? Not so much.)

No matter. Here's some good food for the weekend. Enjoy!

TOLL HOUSE MINI MORSEL PANCAKES

This hit my inbox from Familytime.com. (To view this from their site, click here.) The recipe starts off, "Homemade pancakes with chocolate chips. What a treat for Sunday brunch or anytime!"

Prep. time: 8 minutes; Cooking time: 4 minutes

Serves: 18 pancakes

Source: Very Best Baking by Nestle

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup (6 oz.) NESTLÉ ® TOLL HOUSE ® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups milk

2 large eggs

1/3 cup Vegetable Oil

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar, for sprinkling

2 cups fresh strawberries, (sliced)

Directions

Combine flour, morsels, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and brown sugar in medium bowl; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened; batter may be lumpy.

Heat griddle or skillet over medium heat; brush lightly with vegetable oil. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle; cook until bubbles begin to burst. Turn and cook about 1 minute longer or until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar; top with strawberries.

DENVER CASSEROLE

This may be from one of the About.com blogs, but since it's been kicking around my email account for a while (read: years and years), I'm really not sure. Whoever first wrote this added, "This is like a large Denver (or "Western") omelet, and is great as a main dish for dinner or brunch. Leftovers make a nice quick breakfast. South Beach dieters can use low or nonfat versions of the ingredients - obviously the calorie count will be less."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 1 hours; serves 8

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs

1 pint (16 oz) sour cream

12 oz shredded cheese - jack and/or cheddar

1 lb cooked ham, chopped (check to make sure it isn't loaded with sugar)

1 large green pepper, chooped

1/4 C chopped onion

2 cloves garlic (optional)

salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Saute onion, pepper, and garlic until beginning to soften.

Put eggs and sour cream in blender with salt and pepper. Blend well. (You can do this in a bowl with a whisk if you prefer.)

Put half the cheese into a 9X13 baking pan, followed by the ham, the rest of the cheese, and the vegetables. Pour the egg mixture over the whole thing.Bake 50-60 minutes, until top is golden brown and knife inserted into the center comes out clean (or almost so - it will continue to cook for a few minutes afterwards).

Nutritional Analysis: Each of 8 servings has 4.5 grams effective carb plus .5 gram fiber, 30 grams protein, and 533 calories

FETTUCCINE WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES AND GOAT CHEESE

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen

Total Time: 25 min; Prep: 15 min; Cook: 10 min; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

Personally, Ii'd probably replace the goat cheese with something like feta or some other soft cheese, but that's just my preference.

Ingredients

Kosher salt

1 large yellow tomato, seeded and diced

1 small yellow squash, finely diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh chives (about 1 small bunch)

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled

12 ounces dried egg fettuccine

4 ounces wax beans (about 2 cups), trimmed and halved lengthwise

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Toss the tomato, squash, chives, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl. Season with salt. Sprinkle in half of the goat cheese.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook as the label directs, adding the wax beans to the pot during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and beans and add to the bowl with the vegetables. Drizzle with the reserved cooking water and the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss until the goat cheese begins to melt. Add the parmesan and toss. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining goat cheese.

Per serving: Calories 557; Fat 21 g (Saturated 8 g); Cholesterol 23 mg; Sodium 227 mg; Carbohydrate 72 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 21 g

MY SPAGHETTI SAUCE

Okay, shameless plug time: I have an e-cookbook on Amazon.com. This recipe is in it. You can find (and buy) Off The Wall Cooking here.28 oz. can tomatoes (note)

2-8 oz. cans tomato sauce

2-6 oz cans tomato paste

3 onions, chopped

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 T olive oil

1 T oregano

1/4 - 1/2 lb. grated cheddar cheese

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. dill

1 tsp. anise

2 T honey

Brown onions & garlic in oil. Add tomatoes, sauce & pasted. Stir. Add everything ex-cept cheese & stir. Simmer 1 hour. Add cheese & stir until cheese is melted. Serve over hot spaghetti. Better the next day—if any is left!NOTE: I usually use crushed tomatoes. If you’d rather use fresh tomatoes, 6-8 large ones may be used (diced, of course) in place of the canned tomatoes, & add an extra can of tomato sauce.

STOVE TOP MAC-N-CHEESE

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, Food Network. Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/stove-top-mac-n-cheese-recipe.print.html?oc=linkback.

Total Time: 35 min; Prep: 10 min; Cook: 25 min; Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Level: Easy

Ingredients

1/2 pound elbow macaroni

4 tablespoons butter

2 eggs

6 ounces evaporated milk

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Fresh black pepper

3/4 teaspoon dry mustard

10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded

Directions

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy.

CHUNKY CHEESE BREAD

Another recipes from Familytime.com. To view this online, go to http://www.familytime.com/asp/ShowRecipe.asp?printMode=1&RecipeId=7646&.

The recipe starts off with, "A warm and cheesy bread that you make with the dough from a packaged dinner roll mix. Easy enough and delicious enough for any meal."

Prep. time: 45 minutes; Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: makes two loaves

Ingredients

1 package (16 oz.) hot roll mix, , plus ingredients to make mix

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1 tablespoon sliced green onion

8 ounces Jalapeno Jack cheese, cubed

Directions

Make the hot roll mix according to the package directions. Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes and green onion. Knead the cheese into the dough.

Divide the dough in half; shape into 2 round or oval loaves and set them on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the loaves rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 40 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375°F.

Bake the risen loaves until golden and they sound hollow when tapped on the bottom, about 20 minutes.

Tips: The bread can be stored in the freezer.