What’s for Dinner?

By Jodee Weiland

“What’s for dinner?” is a common refrain in many households. With that particular question, “What’s for dinner?” is usually directed to the person who cooks for the household. That same person either has no idea until they check what they have on hand and what they may need to get, or they know for sure what they’ll be cooking on that particular day. Either way, if you’re the person who does the cooking, you will always have those special recipes you turned to when asked, “What’s for Dinner?” on any given day!

There are so many meals for me to choose from, but here are just a few of mine:

http://learnfromyesterday.comFresh Homemade Margherita Pizza

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Barbecue Sauce from Mom

Delicious Sirloin Meatballs with Jalapenos or Not

Salmon with Sweet Bourbon Glaze

Italian Basil Pesto…a Classic Italian Meal

Aunt Rose’s Eye of Round Roast Italian Style

Rolled Italian Meatloaf…With Spinach, Mozzarella, and Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

Fabulous Shrimp Creole with Rice

Seared Sea Scallops with Parmesan Prosciutto Risotto

Deciding “What’s for Dinner?” is not always easy, and sometimes it takes a little creativity to make a dish that’s both delicious and healthy for your family. But the above list may help you come up with just the right dinner for your family and if not, take a look at some of the other recipes I have on the site. There are so many wonderful dishes you can make for dinner, but first you need to find the one that’s right for your family, so take a look! Once you decide, enjoy!

Lemon Chicken with Artichokes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta

By Jodee Weiland

Lately, I have been making more chicken dishes with a Mediterranean flavor. Recently, I did Greek Style Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta that was a stuffed boneless chicken breast and definitely delicious. When I decided to make this new chicken dish, I wanted to make it a little easier to do for those busy days. This new dish does not have any spinach, but still has all the great flavor of my Greek style chicken, but with a lot less preparation time needed. The end result was my Lemon Chicken with Artichokes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta, and we loved it!

http://learnfromyesterday.comTo begin with, this chicken breast was not split and stuffed. Because it is not stuffed, it has no spinach, and it also is easier to make when you need to get a great tasting dinner on the table fast. With this recipe, you just put your chicken breasts in a baking dish, add olive oil and fresh lemon juice, some seasonings, and finally, the toppings of artichokes, olives, feta cheese, etc. This does not take long to do. Once done, you just put the baking dish in the oven and cook your dinner. While the chicken is baking, prepare a  vegetable for a side dish. If you want potatoes, add cut up red potatoes to the baking dish and bake them along with the chicken. It doesn’t get much easier than this!

http://learnfromyesterday.com Lemon Chicken with Artichokes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 to 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (or to taste)
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 cup marinated artichoke hearts
  • 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives (more or less to taste)
  • 1 small tomato sliced or 8 to 10 grape tomatoes
  • 1/8 cup crumbled fat free feta cheese
  • 6 red potatoes cut up (optional)
http://learnfromyesterday.comhttp://learnfromyesterday.comPreheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish. Put olive oil and fresh lemon over the top of the chicken breasts. Season to taste with sea salt and ground black pepper. Then sprinkle the minced garlic, artichoke hearts, olives, tomato, and feta cheese over the top of the chicken breasts. If you decide to add the optional red potatoes, place them along the outside edges of your baking dish. Cover the baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for 5 minutes longer or until done.
http://learnfromyesterday.comMy Lemon Chicken with Artichokes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta is both delicious and healthy! Serve this dish with a vegetable and a white wine. You have the option of adding some red potatoes to this dish, if you want a potato side as well. Whatever you decide, you will love this dish, and it really is easy to do. You get all the great flavor with less work here. So give it a try, and enjoy!

Salmon with Sweet Bourbon Glaze

By Jodee Weiland

I love salmon, and when it’s served with a sweet bourbon glaze, I love it even more. Although I have eaten salmon with a sweet bourbon glaze at restaurants many times, I decided it was time to do this recipe at home. I researched sweet bourbon glaze and discovered that there are so many different ways to do this. From what I learned, I just chose what I liked best from many of them, adjusted the amounts and ingredients to my preferences, and the result was awesome. My Salmon with Sweet Bourbon Glaze is the perfect blend of some of my favorite ingredients, and it is delicious!

http://learnfromyesterday.com Of course, most of the recipes use bourbon, but the amounts varied anywhere from one tablespoon to one cup. I chose somewhere short of the middle for this ingredient, and it was the perfect choice for my taste. Some had butter, and some did not. I chose to leave the butter out. Most have brown sugar in varying amounts, and I chose middle ground here, or what I thought was just enough, but not too much. Many had garlic, and I have never said no to garlic, so I included garlic as well. Now the rest of the ingredients varied quite a bit, so I decided to use what I thought would make this sweet but tangy. I chose apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and molasses. Molasses adds just that right taste of what I call “Southern” for me. The end result was bold and delicious beyond my expectations!

http://learnfromyesterday.comSalmon with Sweet Bourbon Glaze

  • 2 – six ounce pieces of fresh salmon
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup bourbon (a better quality bourbon makes for a better glaze)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 fresh garlic clove minced
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon molasses

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Blend together the bourbon, brown sugar, garlic, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and molasses in a sauce pan and bring it to boil, while stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes or until it reduce to about half and thickens slightly. It will thicken more as it sits at room temperature on the side cooling off to room temperature.

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Then season to taste the salmon pieces with the sea salt and black pepper. Don’t over do the sea salt. Place the pieces on a pan to broil or grill. If broiling, broil the salmon three to four inches below the heating coil for 6 to 9 minutes depending on thickness, and until there is a slight crispiness on the top, but make sure the salmon is not overdone. If more than 3/4 inch thick, it may take longer. Watch carefully, and just before the last minute you can brush some of your sweet bourbon glaze lightly on the top of the salmon.

http://learnfromyesterday.comWhen done, remove the salmon from the oven and baste some more with the sweet bourbon glaze. If grilling, cook according to the directions for your grill, adding glaze lightly in the last minute and then again adding more glaze when the salmon is ready to be served. Any leftover glaze can be refrigerated for about a week or a little longer. When ready to use, bring it to room temperature and use it on fish or even chicken.

http://learnfromyesterday.comMy Salmon with Sweet Bourbon Glaze is absolutely delicious and has a bold flavor you will love. Salmon is so healthy for you, even adding a glaze will not take away from the benefits. Serve with a fresh vegetable, and a glass of white wine. We chose a Riesling and it paired well with the salmon. However, you choose to have this great dish, you are going to love it, so enjoy!

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Greek Style Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta

By Jodee Weiland

When I go to a Greek restaurant, I love the rich aromas that come from the kitchen. One of my favorite dishes is a baked Greek style chicken breast stuffed with spinach, artichokes, and feta. The addition of some kalamata olives to this dish is delicious. The blend of seasonings with olive oil and fresh lemon juice used to make this Greek style chicken always add a wonderful flavor to this meal. That’s why I had to create my own Greek Style Greek Style Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta!

Greek Chicken There are so many wonderful Mediterranean dishes in both the Greek and Italian cultures, but whenever I eat at a Greek restaurant, this dish or anything similar will always be my first choice. I do love when they do something similar using salmon or a white fish of some type as well. Greek food is so flavorful and enjoyable, that I can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t love it!

http://learnfromyesterday.comGreek Style Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh spinach chopped
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped (for stuffing)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 6 red potatoes halved
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves chopped (for top of chicken breasts)
  • 10 pitted kalamata olives
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut into each chicken breast, but not through, forming a slit. Pound the chicken breast with a cooking mallet to flatten the bottom half. Combine the feta cheese, artichoke hearts, spinach, and garlic. Then take this mixture and spoon it into the fold of the chicken breast closing it with toothpicks. Place the stuffed and closed chicken breasts in the baking dish. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the chicken breasts.

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Then place the potato halves around the sides of the two chicken breasts. Sprinkle the parsley, oregano, garlic, olives, sea salt, and black pepper over the top of the chicken breasts and potatoes. Cover the baking dish and put in the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Then uncover and bake for five minutes longer.

http://learnfromyesterday.comMy Greek Style Chicken with Spinach, Artichoke, and Feta is so delicious! This wonderful dish will fill your home with the rich aromas of Greek style cooking and tantalize your taste buds. Serve this dish with a nice Cabernet Sauvignon and a delicious side salad. You will love the flavors in this dish and will certainly be glad you tried it, so enjoy!

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Hearty Homemade Lentil Soup

By Jodee Weiland

One of my favorite soups to make on a cold winter day is lentil soup. My recipe for lentil soup is both delicious and healthy because I power up the amount of vegetables I use to make it. I have always liked a lentil soup with substance, but most recipes I find use things like carrots and celery as a slight touch of flavoring for their lentil soup. For me, I have always felt a bit more is needed, so I add more to my Hearty Homemade Lentil Soup!

http://learnfromyesterday.comCarrots and celery are wonderful vegetables that are full of great nutrients. They are both low in calories and add great flavor to any dish. In my lentil soup, I add three times or more the amount of carrots used in most recipes. With celery, I add two times or more the usual amount. As you can see, I favor the carrots, but I love the flavor carrots add to many recipes and especially, to soup. I, also, use organic vegetable broth in my lentil soup because I want it to be a true vegetarian soup. I think these things make my lentil soup tastier and heartier as well.

http://learnfromyesterday.comHearty Homemade Lentil Soup

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 large celery stalks chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil or 3 teaspoons of fresh basil chopped
  • 1 (14.5 ounce) can organic diced tomatoes with juice
  • 2 cups dried lentils, picked over, rinsed, and drained
  • 8 cups organic vegetable broth plus 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth (fat-free chicken broth may be used, if preferred)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
  • OPTIONAL: Sriracha hot chili sauce ( a drizzle per serving)

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Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. When the oil is heated, add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and basil. Saute this mixture for five to seven minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes, lentils, 8 cups of vegetable broth, and lemon juice. Stir this all together and bring to a boil. When this comes to a boil, lower the heat to simmer at medium-low to medium heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 40 minutes, while stirring once or twice, if needed.

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After 40 minutes, remove the bay leaf and add the 1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth or as much of it as needed, if the soup needs to be thinned out at this point. You will be simmering it again, so you don’t want it too thick at this point. I add the whole can of vegetable broth at this point. Then stir in the chopped spinach. Bring to low boil again, then lower the heat to simmer once again and simmer, while stirring occasionally, for another 15 to 20 minutes or until the soup is at your preferred consistency.

http://learnfromyesterday.comMy Hearty Homemade Lentil Soup is absolutely delicious and so healthy, you will want to make it often for your family. Great for lunch or dinner, serve this hearty soup with a crusty multigrain bread and side salad. I love adding a drizzle of sriracha hot chili sauce to spice it up a bit as well. Also, this soup pairs well with either a Pinot Noir or Chianti. However, you decide to serve this great soup, you will love it, so enjoy!