I. Love. These. I got this recipe from Jessica at A Country Girls Livin. This is definetely (sp?) a keeper! No picture of this one...sorry!
What you need:
*1 box Lasagna noodles
*1 lb. Italian sausage
*1 small onion, chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*Spaghetti sauce (about 36 oz.)
*1/4 cup chicken broth
*3 Tbsp. parsley (fresh or dried)
*1/2 tsp. salt
*3 cups Ricotta cheese
*2 cups Mozzarella cheese
*2 eggs, lightly beaten
*1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
*1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
*1 tsp. Italian seasoning
What you do:
*Cook Lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain. Cut in half (width-wise) and set aside.
*Cook sausage (make sure you remove the casings) and onion in a large skillet, stirring until sausage crumbles and is almost cooked. Add garlic a few minutes before sausage is completely cooked. Stir and continue cooking until the sausage is no longer pink; drain if necessary.
*Add spaghetti sauce, broth, parsley, and salt; stirring well. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
*Ladle a small amount of sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish. Set the remaining sauce aside for now.
*Combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup Mozzarella, eggs, bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp Parmesan, and Italian seasoning; stir until well combined.
*Spread ricotta mixture evenly over lasagna noodles. Roll up (like you would if you were making enchiladas or cinnamon rolls). Place rolls, seam side down, into the baking dish.
*Pour the remaining sauce over the lasagna rolls and sprinkle with 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 cup Mozzarella.
*Bake, covered, at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.
*Uncover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
*Serve with a green salad and French bread for an awesome meal your family will love!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
BBQ Beans and Weanies in the Crock Pot
This has got to be the the easiest meal to put together...EVER.
It's pretty sad that you hardly see any beans. My family LOVES nitrates!
What you need:
*4 cans kidney beans
*4 cups BBQ sauce
*Hot dogs, li'l smokies, or smoked sausage...cut up
Pour all ingredients in your crock pot and heat through. I cooked ours for 4 hours on high, which was probably more than enough time. Serve with some corn bread and a green salad to make this a really good, complete meal.
It's pretty sad that you hardly see any beans. My family LOVES nitrates!What you need:
*4 cans kidney beans
*4 cups BBQ sauce
*Hot dogs, li'l smokies, or smoked sausage...cut up
Pour all ingredients in your crock pot and heat through. I cooked ours for 4 hours on high, which was probably more than enough time. Serve with some corn bread and a green salad to make this a really good, complete meal.
Chicken Enchilada Pasta
Here is another tasty recipe I stole from Jessica. Sorry, there is no picture for this one.
What you'll need:
*1 lb. ground turkey or beef
*2 Tbsp. olive oil (really any type of cooking oil can be used)
*1 onion, chopped
*1 Tbsp garlic, minced
*1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
*1/4 cup green salsa
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. cumin
*2 tsp. chili powder
*28 oz. green enchilada sauce
*10 oz. red enchilada sauce
*1 cup sour cream
*1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend...whatever you like)
*Penne pasta
Here's what you do:
*Cook pasta according to package directions.
*Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or heavy pot; saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, 1/4 cup green salsa, salt, cumin, chili powder, and both enchilada sauces. Mix well. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese; mix well. Heat until cheese melts. DO NOT BOIL! If you boil the sauce, it will separate. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Serve with a green salad to complete the meal.
What you'll need:
*1 lb. ground turkey or beef
*2 Tbsp. olive oil (really any type of cooking oil can be used)
*1 onion, chopped
*1 Tbsp garlic, minced
*1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
*1/4 cup green salsa
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. cumin
*2 tsp. chili powder
*28 oz. green enchilada sauce
*10 oz. red enchilada sauce
*1 cup sour cream
*1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend...whatever you like)
*Penne pasta
Here's what you do:
*Cook pasta according to package directions.
*Meanwhile, in a large dutch oven or heavy pot; saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, 1/4 cup green salsa, salt, cumin, chili powder, and both enchilada sauces. Mix well. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sour cream and cheese; mix well. Heat until cheese melts. DO NOT BOIL! If you boil the sauce, it will separate. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix well. Serve with a green salad to complete the meal.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sea Island's Famous Shrimp Gumbo
Oh. My. Word. This is the very first time I have ever even wanted to attempt to make gumbo. Why? Well...I just never thought to make it.
A few weeks ago, in the Taste section of the local newspaper, there sat this glorious recipe. I like gumbo, my husband LOVES it! So I decided to cut it out of the paper and hang on to it. I decided to make it for dinner tonight. And man-oh-man did it turn out GREAT!
What you'll need:
*6 Tbsp. canola oil (you can use vegetable oil too)
*1/4 cup flour (I used a roux, jarred, that I found at the grocery store)
*1 (14.5 oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes; crushed by hand
*1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
*1 large green bell pepper, chopped
*3 stalks celery, chopped
*1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
*2 Tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley (I used bottled, dry parsley)
*2 Tbsp. garlic salt
*2 tsp. sugar
*1 tsp. black pepper
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*1/2 tsp. gumbo file powder (pronounced fee-lay...I found it by the Zatarain's box dinners)
*1 1/2 quarts water
*1/2 cup long-grain white rice
*6 oz. frozen okra pieces
*1 pound frozen shrimp (I used the little guys...pre-cooked and shelled)
*Smoked sausage
How it's made:
*Heat oil in a 6-quart pot. Add flour (or roux) and stir briskly to remove any lumps. Stir frequently to avoid burning the flour. Cook until mixture thickens and turns light brown - the color of a penny.
*Add whole crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, green pepper, celery, onion, parsley, garlic salt, sugar, black pepper, oregano, gumbo file, and water. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 minutes.
*Reduce heat to medium-high. Add rice, smoked sausage, and okra; cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. The gumbo will thicken.
*Stir in the shrimp and simmer gently for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot!
There you have it! A scrum-diddly-umptious recipe for some kick-ass gumbo! Enjoy!
A few weeks ago, in the Taste section of the local newspaper, there sat this glorious recipe. I like gumbo, my husband LOVES it! So I decided to cut it out of the paper and hang on to it. I decided to make it for dinner tonight. And man-oh-man did it turn out GREAT!
What you'll need:
*6 Tbsp. canola oil (you can use vegetable oil too)
*1/4 cup flour (I used a roux, jarred, that I found at the grocery store)
*1 (14.5 oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes; crushed by hand
*1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
*1 large green bell pepper, chopped
*3 stalks celery, chopped
*1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
*2 Tbsp. chopped, fresh parsley (I used bottled, dry parsley)
*2 Tbsp. garlic salt
*2 tsp. sugar
*1 tsp. black pepper
*1/2 tsp. oregano
*1/2 tsp. gumbo file powder (pronounced fee-lay...I found it by the Zatarain's box dinners)
*1 1/2 quarts water
*1/2 cup long-grain white rice
*6 oz. frozen okra pieces
*1 pound frozen shrimp (I used the little guys...pre-cooked and shelled)
*Smoked sausage
How it's made:
*Heat oil in a 6-quart pot. Add flour (or roux) and stir briskly to remove any lumps. Stir frequently to avoid burning the flour. Cook until mixture thickens and turns light brown - the color of a penny.
*Add whole crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, green pepper, celery, onion, parsley, garlic salt, sugar, black pepper, oregano, gumbo file, and water. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat and cook for 10 minutes.
*Reduce heat to medium-high. Add rice, smoked sausage, and okra; cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. The gumbo will thicken.
*Stir in the shrimp and simmer gently for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot!
There you have it! A scrum-diddly-umptious recipe for some kick-ass gumbo! Enjoy!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Cranberry Muffins
I'm not quite sure who to give the credit for these delicious muffins. I found this recipe in a McGhie Family Cookbook...which was given to us by my mother-in-law's 4th ex-husband. There are many names listed at the beginning of the book as contributors, but no names for each individual recipe.
These muffins are fabulous...if you love cranberries and pecans, which I do!
These muffins are fabulous...if you love cranberries and pecans, which I do!
What you will need:
*2 cups flour
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon
*1/8 tsp. cloves
*1/8 tsp. allspice
*1/4 tsp. nutmeg
*1 tsp. baking soda
*3/4 cup orange juice
*1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on how thin you want your batter)
*1 cup brown sugar
*4 Tbsp. melted butter
*1 egg
*1/2 cup chopped pecans
*1 cup Craisins
What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your muffin pan. In a mixing bowl sift flour, salt spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in brown sugar. Add melted butter, egg, orange juice, and water. Stir well. Fold in nuts and Craisins. Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes.
*2 cups flour
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/2 tsp. cinnamon
*1/8 tsp. cloves
*1/8 tsp. allspice
*1/4 tsp. nutmeg
*1 tsp. baking soda
*3/4 cup orange juice
*1/4-1/2 cup water (depending on how thin you want your batter)
*1 cup brown sugar
*4 Tbsp. melted butter
*1 egg
*1/2 cup chopped pecans
*1 cup Craisins
What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your muffin pan. In a mixing bowl sift flour, salt spices, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in brown sugar. Add melted butter, egg, orange juice, and water. Stir well. Fold in nuts and Craisins. Fill muffin cups 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 20 minutes.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Horchata
Have you ever tried Horchata? Horchata is a traditional Mexican rice milk beverage...and it is so TASTY! I decided to try my hand at making is from scratch yesterday. Mostly because I'm sick of paying $3 for the already made stuff at H-E-B. This is actually really easy to make and tastes like the "real" stuff you would get in Mexico.
Here's what you'll need:
*1 cup white rice
*5 cups water
*1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
*3 cinnamon sticks
*1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/2 cup milk
Here's what you do:
*Pour rice and water into blender and blend about 1 minute.
Make sure you put the lid on the blender before starting it up!
*Add cinnamon sticks to the water. Let rice, water, and cinnamon sticks stand at room temperature for a MINIMUM of 3 hours with cinnamon sticks(Mine soaked for 5 hours).
*Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard rice and cinnamon sticks.
*Add all other ingredients. Stir well.
*Pour into a glass over ice and enjoy!
Here's what you'll need:
*1 cup white rice
*5 cups water
*1/2 Tbsp. cinnamon
*3 cinnamon sticks
*1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/2 cup milk
Here's what you do:
*Pour rice and water into blender and blend about 1 minute.
Make sure you put the lid on the blender before starting it up!
*Add cinnamon sticks to the water. Let rice, water, and cinnamon sticks stand at room temperature for a MINIMUM of 3 hours with cinnamon sticks(Mine soaked for 5 hours).
*Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard rice and cinnamon sticks.
*Add all other ingredients. Stir well.
*Pour into a glass over ice and enjoy!
Peanut Butter Cereal Crisps
I have fallen in love with Jessica's blog! She has some of the most amazing recipes...and this one is no exception. I wanted to have something ready for the kids to snack on as soon as they got home from school today...something that I took the time to make. This treat is delicious! Control yourselves...you find yourself eating the majority of these before the kids even get home from school!
What you'll need:
*1 cup light corn syrup
*3/4 cup sugar
*1 cup peanut butter
*6 cups cereal (I used corn Chex)
What you do:
*Place a piece of waxed paper onto the counter or cookie sheet, set aside.
*Place the cereal into a large bowl, set aside.
*In a medium saucepan stir together the corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter cooking over medium heat.
*Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
*Immediately pour over the cereal and stir until well coated.
*Pour cereal onto waxed paper, spread out with a wooden spoon.
*Allow crisps to cool completely.
*Tear off chunks to serve.
***You may also pour the coated cereal into a well greased 9x13 glass baking pan, pressing down to compact. Cool completely and cut into bars.
What you'll need:
*1 cup light corn syrup
*3/4 cup sugar
*1 cup peanut butter
*6 cups cereal (I used corn Chex)
What you do:
*Place a piece of waxed paper onto the counter or cookie sheet, set aside.
*Place the cereal into a large bowl, set aside.
*In a medium saucepan stir together the corn syrup, sugar, and peanut butter cooking over medium heat.
*Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
*Immediately pour over the cereal and stir until well coated.
*Pour cereal onto waxed paper, spread out with a wooden spoon.
*Allow crisps to cool completely.
*Tear off chunks to serve.
***You may also pour the coated cereal into a well greased 9x13 glass baking pan, pressing down to compact. Cool completely and cut into bars.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Chewy Cocoa Brownies
My husband announced this evening at approx. 8:30 that he wanted brownies. So, being the submissive and loving wife that I am, I baked him some. These aren't just any old brownies from a boxed mix. These are Chewy Cocoa Brownies. The recipe can be found on the back of any box of Nestle Baking Cocoa.
Here's what you'll need:
*1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
*3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
*2 Tbsp. water
*2 large eggs
*2 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
*3/4 cup Nestle Baking Cocoa
*1/2 tsp. baking powder
*1/4 tsp. salt
*3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
*Powdered sugar (optional)
Here's what you'll need:
*1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
*3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted
*2 Tbsp. water
*2 large eggs
*2 tsp. vanilla extract
*1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
*3/4 cup Nestle Baking Cocoa
*1/2 tsp. baking powder
*1/4 tsp. salt
*3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
*Powdered sugar (optional)
Here's how you make them:
*Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 9x13-inch baking pan.
*Combine sugar, butter, and water in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts, if using them. Spread into prepared baking pan.
*Baking for 18 to 25 minutes or until knife comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into bars.
These brownies are so delicious! And they really are easy to make. It takes about 10 minutes (if that) to prepare them.
YUMMY!
The hubs...researching stereo systems. He hasn't yet consumed his brownie.
*Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 9x13-inch baking pan.
*Combine sugar, butter, and water in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and vanilla extract. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into sugar mixture. Stir in nuts, if using them. Spread into prepared baking pan.
*Baking for 18 to 25 minutes or until knife comes out slightly sticky. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Cut into bars.
These brownies are so delicious! And they really are easy to make. It takes about 10 minutes (if that) to prepare them.
YUMMY!
The hubs...researching stereo systems. He hasn't yet consumed his brownie.Chinese Lemon Chicken
I got so excited when I saw this recipe on Stephanie's blog. I have always had a "thing" for Chinese food. And since this is made in the slow-cooker aka Crock Pot, that makes it oh-so-easy!
Here's what you will need to make this delicious chicken:
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*2 tsp. salt
*1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
*3 Tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
*3 Tbsp. ketchup
*Olive oil for browning the chicken
Here's what you will need to make this delicious chicken:
*4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1/2 cup all-purpose flour
*2 tsp. salt
*1/2 can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
*3 Tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
*3 Tbsp. ketchup
*Olive oil for browning the chicken
Here's what you do:
*Cut chicken into strips or large chunks.
*Coat chicken in flour and salt, shaking off excess.
*Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (do not cook the chicken, just give it some color).
*Place the chicken in the slow-cooker.
*Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken.
*Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8 hours.
This is what your chicken will look like after cooking for a couple hours.
*Cut chicken into strips or large chunks.
*Coat chicken in flour and salt, shaking off excess.
*Brown chicken in a skillet with a bit of olive oil (do not cook the chicken, just give it some color).
*Place the chicken in the slow-cooker.
*Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken.
*Cover and cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8 hours.
This is what your chicken will look like after cooking for a couple hours.Now it's time for me to make a few changes to this recipe. First, the next time I make it I will be doubling this recipe. I have a large family (a total of 8). Needless to say, this didn't feed everyone. Second, I won't cook it as long the next time around. One would think (okay, maybe it's just me) that meat doesn't dry out in a slow-cooker. It does! I cooked this on low for about 7 hours, which was too long. The chicken was a tad dry and my daughter told me that it made her lose her appetite. DRAMA. Third, I will follow the recipe and add only 1/2 can of the lemonade. I added the whole can because it didn't look like I was going to have enough liquid in the cooker. This ended up making the chicken and sauce very bitter.
I served the chicken with rice I made in the rice cooker and steamed Normandy blend.
I served the chicken with rice I made in the rice cooker and steamed Normandy blend.All in all, it was pretty tasty. My youngest three children didn't care for it all that much. I think that was because of how bitter it tasted. Everyone else liked it, except for one child who wasn't home to get any.
Introduction
Hello all! My name is Michelle. I am a 34 year old Homemaker/SAHM to 5...make that 6...kiddos. I LOVE to bake and cook. I love trying out new recipes as well. At the suggestion of a good friend of mine, I have decided to start a "Foodie" blog. I am not a professional cook by any means. To be honest with you, I didn't even know how to cook until about 12 years ago. My husband grew up in a home where just about everything was cooked from scratch...very different from the house I grew up in. Cooking and baking are still somewhat new to me. My husband still has to coach me sometimes on how to flavor certain things (usually meat). So, without further adieu...let the cooking and blogging begin.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)