Under New Management

Just to let you know, I, Jamie, do not have control over this blog anymore.  Someone hacked the blog and changed the password.  They added the Google Ads and the Followers list.  I just want my friends to know that what you see on this blog from here on out is not from me.  So if I were you, I'd get the recipes you'd like and then delete this link from your own website.  It has now become the property of someone else.  And when I can figure out a way to delete the blog, I will.  I have already been in touch with Blogger and hopefully they will be able to shut this blog down so that it does not turn into a spam blog.  Maybe down the road I'll start another recipe blog.  But until then, hope life is treating you well.  :)

Tomatoes salad

A tomato salad is the perfect light salad for a brunch or dinner salad.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 large tomatoes
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Slice tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle parsley over tomatoes.

Mix together olive oil and vinegar. Drizzle over tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chilled.

Suzie's Dirty Rice

INGREDIENTS

1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, finely diced
2 bell pepper, chopped
4 cups stock
2 cup long grain rice
1 tbs Tony's
2 cloves garlic chopped


DIRECTIONS
In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, bell pepper and onion; drain.
While you are browning the meat bring 4 cups stock to a boil in a large pot. Then add meat mixture, spices, rice, and garlic.. Return to boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook for 25 minutes, until rice is easily fluffed with a fork.

Ideas to Try

Crock Pot BBQ Roast

Ingredients:

1. 3 lb. boneless chuck roast or pork roast (very inexpensive if you buy them on sale!)
2. 1 tsp. garlic powder
3. 1 tsp. onion powder
4. 3 1/2 c. BBQ sauce, divided

Directions:

1. Put roast in crock pot.
2. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper.
3. Pour 2 1/2 c. BBQ sauce on meat.
4. Cook on low 6 – 8 hours.
5. Using the back of a spoon, shred the meat in the crock pot.
6. Drain the meat, return to the crock pot and add the remaining 1 c. of BBQ sauce.
7. Reduce heat to warm until ready to serve.
8. Serve on buns.

Serves 6

Make Your Own Bean Burrito Bar

1. 1, 16 oz. can refried beans
2. 1 cup picante sauce
3. 8 oz. Mexi-cheese, shredded
4. 3/4 c. sour cream (reduced fat works fine!)
5. 4 oz. cream cheese (reduced fat works fine!)
6. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot.
7. Cover and cook on low 2 hours or until heated. Stir occasionally.
8. Optional burrito toppings for the make your own burrito bar: shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, rice
9. Yield: 6 servings.
10. 
    
11. 
    
12. Crock Pot Red Beans & Rice
1. 1 lb. dried red kidney beans
2. 1 lb. smoked sausage (turkey sausage, Andouille sausage, your choice!)
3. 4 celery stalks, sliced
4. 2 green bell pepper, diced
5. 1 onion, diced
6. 4 garlic cloves, minced
7. 1 T. Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
8. 2 cups rice, cooked
9. Combine all ingredients (except rice) in a crock pot.
10. Add 7 cups water.
11. Cover and cook on high 7 – 8 hours or until beans are tender.
12. Serve over rice.
13. Yield: 4 servings




• French Bread Pizza
1. 1 lb. ground beef or Italian sausage
2. 1 1/2 cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce (jar or homemade)
3. 1 lb. loaf of French bread (a wide loaf works better than a skinny loaf!)
4. 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
5. In a skillet, brown beef or sausage over medium heat.
6. Stir in spaghetti sauce.
7. Cut bread in half, lengthwise.
8. Hollow out the bread just a little bit, so the meat sauce doesn’t overflow!
9. Place the bread on a baking sheet.
10. Spread meat sauce on bread.
11. Top with mozzarella.
12. Bake at 400 for 8 – 10 minutes.
13. Yield: 6 servings




• Southwest Salad
1. 1 romaine lettuce, cut-up
2. 3 roma tomatoes, diced
3. 1, 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
4. 1, 15 oz. can of corn or mexi-corn, drained
5. 2 cups mexi-cheese, shredded
6. 1, 6 oz. can black olives, drained
7. 2 cups tortilla chips, crushed
8. diced chicken (optional, but a great way to use up leftover chicken!)
9. 1/4 c. ranch dressing (reduced fat works fine!)
10. 1/4 c. salsa
11. Toss together lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, corn, cheese, black olives & tortilla chips in a large salad bowl.
12. Dressing: mix together ranch dressing & salsa.
13. Toss salad with dressing.
14. Yield: 4 main dish servings.




• Lazy Day Lasagna
1. 1, 24 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2. 1, 16 oz. container cottage cheese (reduced fat works fine!)
3. 2 c. mozzarella, shredded
4. 1, 16 oz. package egg noodles
5. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.
6. Return noodles to the pot and add spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese & mozzarella.
7. Stir until combine & enjoy the taste of lasagna without the work!
8. Yield: 4 servings.

http://www.thebudgetdiet.com/frugalicious-and-fast-dinner-ideas

Scrumdiddiliumptious Dinner

Some dear friends have decided they need to move, far, far away from us. We are so sad that they are leaving us. We had them over for one last dinner, and along with our neighbors we combined forces and make a scrumdiddiliumptious dinner.

I made a pasta dish, a variation of Giada De Laurentiis's Fusilli alla Caprese. I browned some chicken tenderloins and sprinkled them with a garlic and herb blend and diced the cooked pieces. I boiled spaghetti noodles. I made the tomato sauce from Giada's recipe and I sauteed up a bunch of fresh vegetables (summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions, and red peppers) in olive oil. I mixed all the cooked ingredients in a bowl and added the chopped up basil. I served it with a bowl of diced fresh mozzerella and let each person spoon in their own desired amount of cheese. We served it with foccacia bread.

The dessert was to die for. We made Strawberry Romanoff, using a recipe of a good friend and made Ghiradelli dark chocolate brownies. We topped the brownies with the strawberry romanoff. Oh. My. Goodness. It was to die for.

Finger-Lickin' Chicken Marinade

From Recipezaar

Makes 2 cups
Prep Time: 3 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup oil

1/2 cup vinegar

2 tablespoons Miracle Whip or Miracle Whip light

3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon salt (to taste)

1 tablespoon pepper

2 tablespoons thyme

1 tablespoon garlic salt

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Use to marinate chicken pieces at least 30 minutes and then to baste the meat as it cooks in the oven or over hot coals.

Menu Ideas:
Pureed Cauliflower
Green Salad

Pepper-Honey Cedar Plank Salmon

From My Happy Little Life

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients

2 (12 inch) untreated cedar planks
¼ cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
¾ cup honey
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
5 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless salmon fillets
1 pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

Soak the cedar planks in warm water for 1 to 2 hours. Bring the pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and honey to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir in the sugar, 1 tsp black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 15 minutes. (It took me MUCH longer) Set the sauce aside. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Place the planks on the grate. They are ready to cook on when they start to smoke and crackle just a little. Season the salmon with a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place the fillets onto the smoking cedar planks, close the lid of the grill, and cook for 10 minutes. Spoon a small amount of the sauce over the salmon fillets, and continue cooking until the fish turns opaque in the center, about 5 minutes more. Serve with the remaining sauce.

****If you don’t want to grill you can opt out of the cedar planks and broil your salmon and add the sauce half way through the cooking.****

Menu Ideas:
sauteed vegetables in balsamic vinegar and olive oil, topped with Parmesan cheese.
green salad

Hiatus

I have to apologize, but I have been a SLACKER!! I am 4 weeks away (hopefully sooner) from having a baby and I have been sick the entire 9 months. So food isn't not particularly what I care about these days. Sooooo, I'm going to put my recipe blog on hiatus for a couple of months and hopefully after the delivery and a baby sleeping through the night, I'll have the energy and the desire to cook again. Thanks for visiting my blog and I hope that there have been recipes that you have enjoyed. I promise this is not the end, but I do have to bid farewell just for a little bit. Thanks again!

Spaghetti Pie

Adapted from allrecipes
Makes 6 - 8 servings

Prep time:	35 Min
Cook time:	30 Min
Ready in:	1 Hr 5 Min

Ingredients:
1 pound spaghetti
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, quartered
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 (26 ounce) jar pasta sauce
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a skillet over medium heat, brown the grown beef, with onion, garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Drain and add jar of pasta sauce and let that simmer for about 30 minutes while you cook the noodles. In a small bowl mix the sour cream and cream cheese then throw in the green onions and sprinkle in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and mix the noodles in with the cream cheese mixture. Place the noodle/cheese mixture in the bottom of the 13x9 pan and pour spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with the mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

La Madeleine's Tomato-Basil Soup

From RecipeZaar
Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
• 4 cups fresh tomatoes, cored, peeled, and chopped (8-10) or canned whole tomatoes, crushed
• 4 cups tomato juice (or part vegetable or part chicken stock)
• 12-14 basil leaves, washed fresh
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 lb sweet unsalted butter
• salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• lemon juice (optional)

Directions:
Combine tomatoes, juice/and or stock in saucepan. Simmer 30 minutes. Puree, along with the basil leaves, in small batches, in blender, food processor (or better yet, one of those handy hand-held food blenders, right in the cooking pan). Return to saucepan and add cream and butter, while stirring, over low heat. Garnish with basil leaves and serve with your favorite bread.

Alteration:
"Once a year, in January I run a column of our most requested recipes -- This year, that column included the recipe for La Madeleine's popular tomato basil soup. I continue to get at least 10 calls a week asking for the recipe. So here it is, once again -- " This soup is wonderful. I used 2 jars of canned tomatoes. I sauted 1 med. onion and 12 cloves of garlic (cut in half) in olive oil until translucent. I added it to the tomato base mixture. I also added sugar. I used 1% milk, no butter, and used corn starch to thicken. The texture and flavor are completely awesome!. Excerpted from an article by Beverly Bundy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram around May 20. 1994.

****As for me, I thought it was a little runnier than I would have liked, so next time I'll add a 2 tbsp water/1 tbsp cornstarch mixture to the soup.****

Jamie
Kentucky

Fusilli alla Caprese

from Giada De Laurentiis
Makes 4 - 6 servings


Ingredients:

1 pound fusilli pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

Jamie

Kentucky

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

From AllRecipes

"This tortilla soup tastes better than anything you can get at a restaurant. And it's healthy too! Don't let the long list of ingredients fool you. All you do is dump everything into the slow cooker and walk away. Garnish with grated Cheddar, avocadoes, and a splash of fresh lime juice."

INGREDIENTS
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) diced tomatoes Rotel
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce (or 1 packet of taco seasoning)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans, drained
Chopped red pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Jamie
Kentucky

Last Minute Lasagna

Adapted from Real Simple

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 24- or 26-ounce jar pasta sauce
2 18-20-ounce refrigerated large cheese ravioli
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed dry

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 zucchini, quartered

1 red pepper, diced
1 8-ounce bag shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 F. Saute mushrooms, zucchini, and red pepper in a 1 tbsp of olive oil. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Cover with a single layer of ravioli. Top with half the spinach, half sauteed vegetables, half the mozzarella, and a third of the sauce. Repeat with another layer of ravioli and the remaining spinach, sauteed vegetables, mozzarella, and half the remaining sauce. Top with another layer of ravioli and the remaining sauce (not all the ravioli may be needed). Sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes more.

Marinated Baked Pork Chops

From Carrie's Cooking

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup. Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce. Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees.

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

From The Sisters' Cafe

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (1 large lime)
1 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded (I used 3 small chicken breasts)
8-10 flour tortillas
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
16 ounces green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Mix the first four ingredients and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Pour about 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas. Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover marinade. Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Banana Nut Bread

From A Bushel and a Peck

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cup sugar (although I use 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 med bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together all other ingredients (except nuts). Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in nuts. Pour into a lightly greased and flour or parchment line 9X5X3 loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 mins. Cool on wire rack. NOTE: this recipe does not double well.

Zucchini Mozzarella Medley

From My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
3 cups sliced zucchini or other summer squash
1 cup sliced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t. dried basil
1/4 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tomato, cut into 12 wedges
4 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the zucchini, onion, garlic and seasonings in olive oil until crisp-tender (about five minutes). Gently stir in the tomato; sprinkle with cheese. Remove from the heat and let stand until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

California Chicken Marinade

From You Got Served

Ingredients:

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup melted butter

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 cup water

Directions:

Marinate chicken strips all day. Broil for 10 minutes or so, depending on how thick you cut the strips. This also works great on chicken breasts on the grill.

Aunt Alecia's Chocolate Chip Cookies

From My Kitchen Cafe
Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon very hot water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 1/2 cups flour
1 package chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream shortening and both sugars together until well mixed. Add eggs (extra-large eggs are really important - if I don't have that size I add 3 large eggs and then beat an additional egg in a bowl and add about half of the beaten egg) and mix for 5-7 minutes, until the batter is very, very light in color. Add hot water and mix again. Add salt, vanilla, soda and mix. Add flour and chocolate chips together and mix until combined. Drop cookies by rounded tablespoon (I use my trusty cookie scoop) onto parchment paper or silpat lined baking sheets and bake for 10-11 minutes until barely browned around the edges - don't overbake!

Jamie
Kentucky

Roasted Broccoli and Roasted Chicken

From RecipeStop

Roasted Broccoli

Take Broccoli and cut it in to small florets. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread broccoli out on cookie sheet. Lightly pour or spray olive oil over the broccoli and toss to coat the pieces so they are shiny. Spread out on pan in one layer and salt and pepper to taste. Put in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the ends look brown and toasty, then turn over add salt and pepper to taste, and roast for 5-10 minutes more. This has become one of our favorite vegetables and we eat it like its popcorn! You can also do the same technique with sweet potatoes, tomato slices, onions, carrots, green peppers , cauliflower, and potatoes.

Roasted Chicken

I like to make this when I am already going to be cooking something else in the oven, like roasting chicken breasts. I will just take chicken and toss in olive oil, add salt, pepper, and Mrs. Dash and roast for about 40 minutes until done. When there is about 30 minutes left, I just add the broccoli on a cookie sheet on the other shelf in the oven so that everything is done about the same time.

Jamie
Kentucky