What’s Going on in June

Pampered Chef offers rewards when you get your friends together for a fun night…whether it be in person or gathering virtually. Are you looking for homemade meal ideas or maybe just a reason to get together with your friends? Combine that with receiving free and discounted products and you have the recipe for success!

Our June hosts will receive:

1. Double rewards when guest sales are $650 or more (U.S. residents only)

2. One Rockcrok 60% off when are guest sales are $200 or more. Hosts can choose one of the following:

• Rockcrok Casserole

• Rockcrok Dutch Oven

• Rockcrok Dutch Oven XL

• Rockcrok Everyday Pan

• Rockcrok 2.5-qt. (2.35-L) Slow Cooker Set

• Rockcrok 4-qt. (3.8-L) Slow Cooker Set

3. One-time discount up to 30%
4. 10% year long discount

Contact me today to have your questions answered and to set your date for a fun party and let’s get your kitchen stocked for all of your summer needs!

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Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Colleen Finley is an independent advanced director for Pampered Chef. She earns a commission by linking to products she uses and trusts. If you purchase a product through her website link, your cost will be the same, and Colleen will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps us enrich lives, one meal and one memory at a time!

Sheet Pan Frittata

Sheet pan meals are so popular. I love this one because you can make it the night before, refrigerate it and then bake it off in the morning!

Plus, it’s so versatile! Don’t like mushrooms? No problem… pop on some ham or sausage! Have cheese-lovers in your house? Sprinkle on a combination of cheddar and parmesan! (This version is dairy-free).

Recipes like these are some of my favorites because they are more than recipes… they are guidelines. You can take the basics of the recipe (the ingredient measurements) and timing and make it whatever you want.

Sheet Pan Frittata
Serves 12

Base:
1 large russet potato, spiralized
1 egg
2 tablespoons olive oil

Topping:
10 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 red bell pepper, spiralized

Heat the oven to 325˚F.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the spiralized potato and cook, tossing, for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg. When the potato is softened, add it to the bowl and toss. Lay the potatoes in an even layer in the bottom of a 9×13 rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
Lay the mushrooms, green onions and red pepper over the potato layer.
In the same bowl, mix the eggs and water. Pour over the vegetables and tilt the pan if necessary to even out.
Bake 35 minutes or until set.

Enjoy!

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Strawberry Margarita Quicksicles

In honor of Pampered Chef’s Help Whip Cancer campaign this month, I wrote this *pink* recipe to share with my family and friends!

Who doesn’t like a strawberry margarita and today it’s HOT HOT HOT here so it’s the perfect refresher! If you’re serving this to kids, please omit the tequila and substitute with water.

When the word “margarita” is used by itself, it typically refers to the classic lime or lemon juice margarita, but when other juices are used, the fruits are typically added as adjectives in the name with lime juice or lemon juice added to give it a characteristic margarita flavor. This one includes the lime flavor.

Did you know the first margaritas were made with brandy instead of tequila? (I know that because Wikipedia told me!) They were remade with tequila instead of brandy, which became popular during prohibition as people drifted south of the border for alcohol. It also says that the word “margarita” is spanish for daisy. So when you go to Mexico and order a margarita, do they give you a flower?

Strawberry Margarita Quicksicles
Serves 3

2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 tablespoons tequila
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup strawberries, quartered (about 5 strawberries)

In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, water, tequila, and sugar. Blend until the sugar is dissolved.
Add the strawberries and pulse until the strawberries are pureed but still a little chunky.
Pour the strawberry mixture into the wells of the Quicksicle Maker to the fill line and freeze until set, about 10 minutes.

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Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Colleen Finley is a independent advanced director for Pampered Chef. She earns a commission by linking to products she uses and trusts. If you purchase a product through her website link, your cost will be the same, and Colleen will automatically receive a small commission. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps us enrich lives, one meal and one memory at a time!

Chicken Broccoli Braid

This is a classic Pampered Chef recipe that I haven’t had since switching to the GF/DF way of life. After reading through the *beyond* section of Inspiralized & Beyond, it got me thinking more creatively and I wondered how I could use those ideas and make this!

This is going to be a bit different from my normal recipe posts because I’m including step-by-step pictures so you can see how I put it together. Hope it helps!

Chicken Broccoli Braid
Serves 8

1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dill seasoning mix (I use this one)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 small yellow squash
olive oil
additional dill seasoning mix

Heat the oven to 375˚F.
In a bowl, combine the broccoli, chicken, bell pepper, mayonnaise, dill seasoning, and garlic.
Cut the ends of the squash and cut in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline, slice the squash lengthwise into planks that are about 1/8″ thick. (I use this slicer on the #2 setting).
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Lay the squash slices end to end crosswise on the pan.
Spread the filling down the middle. Bring the squash ends up to meet in the middle and secure with toothpicks.
Lightly mist the braid with olive oil (I use this sprtizer). Sprinkle additional dill seasoning over the braid.
Bake 18-20 minutes until the squash is soft and the chicken mixture is heated through.
Remove from the oven and remove the toothpicks. Cut into slices and serve.

Chicken Broccoli Braid nutrition I’m really excited with how this turned out! While it’s definitely not the cheesy-bready-ooey-gooey goodness of the original, it comes in a close second! Plus, this one comes in at 112 calories while the original is 360 so I like this version better!

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Easiest Roasted Asparagus

We probably have this once each week. What I love about it is that it’s always consistent and I can do it in the oven if it’s chilly out or outside on the grill in warmer weather. I have yet to find anyone who doesn’t love asparagus this way (except those who generally hate asparagus overall!)

Asparagus was once classified as being in the lily family, like onions and garlic, but the they have been split and the onion-like plants are now in different families. Asparagus is native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.

Water makes up 93% of asparagus’s composition and it is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B₆, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber, protein, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, rutin, niacin, folic acid, iron, phosphorus, potassium, copper, magnesium, and selenium, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.

So now that you have some history, give this recipe a try! You’ll love it!

Easiest Roasted Asparagus
Serve 4

1 pound asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning (I use McCormick)

Heat the oven to 375˚F or heat a grill for medium heat.
Snap off the woody stems from the end of the asparagus and peel if desired.
In a plastic bag, combine the asparagus, oil and steak seasoning. Massage the asparagus so that all spears are covered with the oil and seasoning.
Remove the asparagus from the bag and place on a baking platter or in a grill tray*.
Place in the oven or on the grill and cover. Bake 10-12 minutes or until bright green.

*Do not use a grill tray in a conventional oven. The oil will drip through the grid of the tray onto the bottom of your oven and that is a big fire hazard!

Enjoy!

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Grandma Finley’s Meatloaf

This meatloaf isn’t my grandmother’s recipe but I have named it in her honor. She was an amazing woman and entertainer. I have some special items of hers, two in my kitchen. First is her recipe box with all of her hand written recipe cards. The second is a little notebook she kept about dinner parties. Back in the day, instead of going out to dinner on weekends, couples would entertain each other. God I wish this would come back into style!

In this little notebook, she kept track of the date of the party, who attended, the menu, a description of the centerpiece and tablescapes as well as what the “prizes” were. Each guest would go home with a little something from the host and hostess… most common prizes were a deck of cards for the men and a compact for the ladies. I just love looking through it. The date of the first entry is August 27, 1936. My dad was 8 years old then.

Popular menus included Chicken A-la King, Lobster Newburg on Toast, and Grilled Steak. According to the book, cocktails were served upon arrival… most commonly Manhattan’s for the ladies and Highballs for the gentlemen. They really knew how to do it!

I always loved going to Grandmas’s for dinner. The table would always be set when we arrived and it always seemed so elegant! Usually we would have a dinner in August near the date of my brother’s birthday. She would always make a cake and somewhere in the cake would be a quarter wrapped in wax paper. I always thought the baked the quarter into the cake but realized later on that she inserted it after the cake was baked. We would all wait in anticipation as to who would receive the quarter! Usually it was my brother. After all, more often than not, we would be celebrating his birthday. I remember the time I got the quarter though. It seems to be one of the best days of my life. After that, on occasion, when I make cakes, I’ll slip a quarter wrapped in wax paper into the cake so I can share the story with others.

The other fun item I have is her recipe box. It’s an elegant (just like her) wooden box with her gorgeous penmanship… each recipe written out on index cards. =-Maybe I’ll look through it again and update some of her recipes!

In the front “Main Dishes” section, her recipes include Chicken Divan, Spanish Rice, Corned Beef Casserole, Crabmeat Thermidor, Lobster Newburgh, Crab Royal, Chicken Fricasse and her famous Spaghetti. I’ll have to do a post on that amazing recipe soon!

For Sunday dinner last weekend, Bill requested meatloaf. It’s one of his most frequent request and while it is May, it’s rainy and a cool 58˚F here. I decided to mix it up a bit and create this meatloaf version. I’m excited with the results and I hope you enjoy it too!

Grandma Finley’s Meatloaf
Serves 8

1 pound lean ground beef
1-1/2 pounds meatloaf mix (mixture of beef, lamb and pork)
3/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1 cup yellow onion, finely diced or grated
1 6oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I use gluten-free)
1 egg
1 cup tomato sauce, divided
2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning (I use this one)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper

Heat the oven to 375˚F. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, meatloaf mix, red peppers, yellow onion, artichoke hearts, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 cup tomato sauce, garlic cloves, italian seasoning mix, salt and pepper just until combined.
Pack the mixture into a loaf pan. If the pan is packed to the rim, place on a baking sheet to catch any juice that may drip over the edge.
Bake 1 hour. Remove from the oven and spoon the remaining 1/2 cup tomato sauce over the top.
Return to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160˚F.
Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces and serve warm.

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Asparagus Eggs Benedict

When my mom was visiting, we decided to make Asparagus Eggs Benedict. It was so yummy too!

I haven’t been having this delicious breakfast entree since I’ve been GF/DF so I was excited to give this one a try!

Asparagus Eggs Benedict
Serves 2

8 asparagus spears
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
2 slices prosciutto (I used the Busseto brand)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon white vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Screen Shot 2018-05-06 at 3.15.52 PM Dairy-Free Hollandaise Sauce:
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 cup dairy-free margarine (I use SmartBalance)

Using a double boiler set over simmering water, whisk the egg yolks, milk, water, salt, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and mustard. Continue whisking until blended.
Cook over medium heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Be sure to whisk often so clumps do not form. When it reaches your desired consistency (mine took about 13 minutes to get there), remove from the heat and whisk in the margarine.
Place the sauce back over the simmering water until ready to use. Check on it from time to time and whisk to keep it smooth.
In the meantime, snap the woody stems from the asparagus and peel (if desired… my mom likes her asparagus peeled). In a small skillet, bring the water and lemon juice to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, place the asparagus in the water and heat through until bright green, about three minutes.
Poach your eggs as desired. I make mine using the Pampered Chef Microwave Egg Cooker. Crack one egg into each well. Puncture the yolk with the tip of a very sharp knife or use a toothpick. Pour 1/3 cup water over each egg. Add 1/8 teaspoon white vinegar into each well.
Cover with a paper towel and microwave on HIGH 60 to 90 seconds or until the eggs are firm. Remove using a slotted spoon. While the eggs are cooking, finely chop the chives.
To serve, place 4 asparagus spears on each plate. Cover the asparagus with a slice of prosciutto and one poached egg. Spoon the hollandaise over the top and garnish with the chives.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did! The recipe for the hollandaise is great over eggs, asparagus, and poached fish.

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