Cooking with Christen

Blog Has Moved

2009-08-26T20:45:00.001-07:00

All new posts are now located at http://cookingwithchristen.wordpress.com/ . I apologize for any confusion, but hope you find the new blog easier to navigate!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Chocolate Chips

2009-08-26T06:23:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe on Kraft Foods a few years ago. It sounded interesting and like a good fall dessert. When I made it, I forgot to get all the stuff for the icing so I served it without the icing. Fantastic! Now that I've had it a BUNCH of times without the icing, I don't think I'd ever want it on there. When served as-is, it doubles as a delicious breakfast to have with your morning coffee. Perfect way to start the day.

I most recently made it as my birthday cake - it's that good. Give it a try, you'll love it too! This is my adapted version of it:

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Chocolate Chips

Ingredients:

1 package spice cake mix (along with water, oil and eggs as it calls for)
1 3 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix cake as directed on the package, only reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add the pumpkin, cream cheese and spices. Beat until well blended. Add enough chocolate chips to suit your tastes and stir in well. Don't beat because the chocolate chips will break up. Pour into a greased bundt pan and bake 40-45 minutes. Cool. (though I do like to cut off a slice while it's still warm!!)

The cake (missing a slice)

The missing slice!

The Verdict: Make it. Now.

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Omelet

2009-08-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning is the only day of the week that our family can have breakfast together, since my husband works 6 days a week. We try to do something nice and then have a good, productive day. In order to truly have a productive day, you need food that will keep you going. So today, I bring you...

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Omelet

Ingredients (makes 2):

4 eggs
1/3 cup half and half
1 stalk green onions, chopped
desired seasonings - salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Tony's, thyme
goat cheese, crumbled
salsa
leftover asparagus from dinner last night, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon butter

Method:

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, green onions and desired seasonings. Heat 1/2tablespoon butter over medium heat in a smooth, nonstick skillet. When butter has melted, add 1/2 of the egg mixture, allowing it to cover the bottom of the skillet evenly. On one half of the eggs in the skillet, add asparagus, goat cheese crumbles and a few spoons of salsa. When eggs are barely runny, gently fold the empty side over the filled side to create the omelet. Allow to cook for another minute or two. Transfer to a plate. Repeat process for second omelet.

Goat Cheese and Asparagus Omelet with a side of bacon and extra salsa!

The Verdict: mmmm good morning! This omelet had such great flavors. The leftover asparagus had bacon and onion in it, so I added all of that to the omelet. The flavors merged beautifully. I will definitely be cooking this next time I have leftover asparagus!

Chicken Marsala

2009-08-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

I've always seen recipes for Chicken Marsala but for whatever reason, I never felt compelled to try it. I came across a picture on someones blog that looked tasty and lo and behold, that's what it was. After looking at a few of the ba-zillion chicken Marsala recipes on the internet, I came up with this...

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

1 pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts - approx. 3 chicken breasts
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon oregano
desired seasonings - I like salt, Tony's Creole seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups Marsala wine
3 cups chicken stock
1 package whole fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
linguine, cooked

Method:

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, pound chicken breasts until thin, but not breaking. Season as desired. In a large bowl, mix flour, oregano and desired seasonings. Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken breasts in the flour and add to the oil mixture, cooking 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and keep warm in the oven.

In the same pan that you fried the chicken breasts, add the wine to deglaze. Make sure to scrape all that golden goodness leftover into your wine! Add chicken stock, mushrooms and garlic, bring to a boil. Check for seasonings, adding desired seasonings (careful not to add too much salt!). Cook about 15-20 minutes, or until sauce has reduced by 1/2. Return chicken to the pan and cook an additional 10 minutes. Serve over linguine.

Chicken Marsala with Bacon & Caramelized Onion Asparagus

The Verdict: This was delicious!! I added the part about being careful adding salt because I messed that up. I tasted it and it was a bit bland, so I added salt. Then when it reduced, I guess all that flavor was bundled up because it was SALTY! I had to add a little sugar to make it not so bitter. It still turned out delicious though! I don't like eating whole chicken breasts so I left one whole for photo purposes, and cut the rest into small pieces before I added it back to the sauce. Definitely will be making this again!

Spicy Salsa

2009-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

Now that we've got a larger kitchen, my parents decided to give me a canning set for my birthday. There are a couple of different things I plan on trying in the near future, but tonight's first canning experience was making and processing salsa. My husband helped me and it came out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

Christen & James' Spicy Salsa

Ingredients:

4 very large tomatoes; boiled, peeled, cored and broken into small pieces.
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped fine
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped fine
1-2 TBSP chopped garlic
1-2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped fine
sliced hot jalapenos from a jar, chopped fine
1/2 can tomato paste
1 TBSP garlic salt
a dash of cumin
other seasonings to taste: we used salt, pepper, hot sauce, garlic powder and onion powder.

Method:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic, onion, bell pepper and serrano pepper. Saute' till tender. Add tomatoes and jalapeno peppers, stir well. Add seasonings to taste. Chill before serving. Makes 32 ounces of salsa.

Excellent recipe for canning (four 8-ounce jars).

Sorry for the crummy picture, I'll take one of the salsa in a bowl once we open a jar!

The Verdict: Well while we were tasting to get the seasonings right, it turned out fantastic! Of course we used every speck we made to go into the jars so until we open a jar, we won't be able to feast on it. I'll post more once we open a jar!

A Tasty Tease!

2009-08-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this picture but not the recipe because frankly, I can't remember what all I did! I got on this egg roll making kick right around the same time we moved into the house and this egg roll was fan-freaking-tastic. But I kept forgetting to post it and now I don't remember exactly what all I did. Maybe next week I'll try again! Until then, enjoy looking!

40 Garlic Clove Chicken and Homemade Creamed Potatoes

2009-08-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

I admit I frequently stalk other cooking blogs looking for inspiration and tasty recipes. Recently I've come across different versions of 40 Clove Garlic Chicken and have been intrigued. While trying to decide what to put in the crock pot today, I found one recipe for this that was a crock pot recipe. I got the basis for my recipe from Beantown Baker's Blog but made a few additions on my own. I served it with my mom's recipe for creamed potatoes.

Crockpot 40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. mixed chicken pieces, bone in and skin on
1 TBSP olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp Tony Chachere's Spice N'Herbs Seasoning
1 bay leaf
1-2 tsp rosemary
3 heads fresh garlic, out of peels but left as whole cloves
1 onion, chopped
splash of white wine

Method:

Spray crock pot with cooking spray to prevent sticking and aid in easier cleanup. Cover bottom of pot with onions. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well, being careful not to pull the skin from the chicken. Place on top of onions in the crock pot. Cook on HIGH setting 6 hours.

Penny's Homemade Creamed Potatoes

Ingredients:

3/4 of a 5 lb. bag potatoes
1/2 cup warm (not scalded) milk
1 stick butter
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Wash potatoes well and peel. Chop into smaller pieces and boil until soft. Drain well and empty to a large bowl. Add stick of butter and using a hand mixer or stand mixer, mix well, slowly adding warmed milk until the consistancy you desire. Season with salt and pepper.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken with Creamed Potatoes

The Verdict: This is probably the juciest, most tender chicken I've ever had. It literally just falls off the bone when you try to get it out of the crock pot. The flavors are fantastic, it's not overwhelmingly garlic-y tasting like I feared it might be. The potatoes are the perfect complement, as the chicken makes it's own grease type gravy. I agreed with Beantown Baker that it was a little greasier than I'd like so next time I'd probably do some of the chicken without the skins. This was a definte make again recipe! And again, and again!

Pizza...It's What's For Breakfast!

2009-08-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

I recently came across a recipe on a blog for breakfast pizza. I was like "Hmm, ok whatever." Until I saw one of the ingredients was goat cheese. Hello!! We are total goat cheese fanatics at my house! I called my husband and told him that I knew what we were having for our traditional Sunday morning breakfast! Thanks to the Beantown Baker for the recipe. I did make a few changes, though!

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

1 large Boboli pizza crust
1 onion, chopped in large chunks
sprinkle of thyme
1-2 tsp minced/chopped garlic
olive oil
salt, pepper and Italian Seasonings to taste
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
1 garlic and herb goat cheese
bacon, crumbled
parmesan cheese
3 eggs

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Saute' onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and barely turning golden. Season to taste with salt and thyme. Remove completely from pan and set aside. Fry 4-5 strips bacon until crispy enough to crumble. Set aside.

Place pizza crust on a pan and sprinkle lightly with olive oil. Rub gently over the crust to spread evenly. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese over the whole crust and follow with some goat cheese and half the tomatoes. Spread the bacon crumbles evenly, then the other half of the tomatoes. Add more goat cheese, just however much you want (I like a lot!). Sprinkle a litte more parmesan over everything, then season with salt. Make three small "holes" in the toppings to place your eggs, but don't put them yet.

Bake the pizza 5 minutes, then remove and crack your eggs and place into the holes. The whites may run but the yolks should stay put. Sprinkle the eggs with a little more salt and pepper and lightly dust the whole pizza with Italian Seasonings. Bake 10 more minutes. Remove from oven (eggs will still be jiggly) and make a foil tent to place over the pizza. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or to the firmness you desire for the eggs. Cut and eat!

Breakfast Pizza

The Verdict: OMG. This is so delicious, I'm ready to pop as I type this! The flavors were just fantastic. The original recipe calls for using smaller pizza crusts, which were not available at my grocery store. I added in the onions because I LOVE onions! Also, it originally called for fresh parsley but the selection at my grocery store wasn't very appealing. I will definitely be making this again SOON! I think it'd be great as a "breakfast supper" as well!

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast

2009-08-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

As avid fans of the Food Network, my husband and I have really been enjoying the new show "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" from the Food Network Stars. Recently there was an episode about breakfast foods and the one that Bobby Flay talked about just made my stomach growl. I had to try it.

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

6 slices day-old white or wheat bread
1 to 2 ripe bananas
8 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon dark rum
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Dash salt
Butter or oil, for frying
Powdered sugar, for topping
Maple Syrup, for topping

Method:

Lay out the pieces of bread and spread out the peanut butter on each slice. Top every other piece of bread with slices of banana. Combine to make the sandwiches.

In a shallow medium sized bowl, gently whip, by hand, the eggs, cream, vanilla, rum, cinnamon and salt.

Heat skillet to medium heat, around 350 to375 degrees F, or until butter melts and begins to sizzle. Dip 1 sandwich at a time into rum batter and place into skillet. Cook until golden brown (about 3 to 4 minutes before turning) on each side. Remove from skillet and cut in 1/2 diagonally. Top with powdered sugar, butter and maple syrup.

Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast

The Verdict: Well it was good, but it was really rich. I think I added too much peanut butter. I will use less next time. I also forgot the nutmeg the original recipe calls for, so I'd use their recipe instead of my recipe! Definitely will play with this one and perfect it sometime!

Fried Fish Soft Tacos

2009-08-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a while, we've been moving and haven't really been cooking lately! My kitchen is getting back to normal so I thought I'd post a few things we've done lately.

I've been hearing about fish tacos everywhere lately. So just to kick it up a notch, we did fried fish tacos and used the soft shells. It's fun to have a little break from the norm every once in a while.

Fried Fish Soft Tacos

Ingredients:
6-8 tilapia fillets, cut in half
oil for frying
Flour batter of your choice, we like Zatarain's Fish Fry with lemon added
Desired seasonings for fish, we like mustard, Tony's Creole Seasoning, lemon pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
tartar sauce - see recipe below
desired toppings, we used diced tomato, cheese, and avocado slices
soft taco shells/small burrito shells

Method:
Coat fish fillets in mustard, then sprinkle seasonings over and mix well. Toss in flour batter and fry in hot oil till golden brown and crispy.

Serve on warmed tortillas with desired toppings.

Connie's Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 TBSP dill relish
2 TBSP onion, finely chopped
2 TBSP olives, finely chopped (I used green olives with the pimento removed - 12 equals 2 TBSP)
2 TBSP green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
dash pepper

Method:
Mix well in bowl and chill before serving.

Fried Fish Soft Tacos

Verdict: Fan-freaking-tabulous!! This will definitely join in the dinner rotation! It was so easy and fun!

Red, White & Bleu

2009-07-04T21:53:00.001-07:00

My husband and I normally enjoy doing something festive for the 4th of July, and it usually involves an outdoor grill. I don't know if it's just me, but this summer seems like it's a LOT hotter than normal! That said, the last thing we wanted to be doing was standing outside in 100 degree heat, over flames! No thanks! We thought of what some other favorite "American" meals were and decided to try making buffalo wings at home. We're both HUGE buffalo wing fans, but never made them at home. After checking out a bunch of different recipes, this is what we came up with:

Christen's Spicy Buffalo Wings

Ingredients:

1 package raw chicken wings and drummettes
vegetable oil for frying
Seasonings to taste (I used Tony's Creole Seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder and salt)
1 bottle Emeril's Wing Sauce
Bleu Cheese (we used Marzetti Ultimate Bleu Cheese)
celery sticks, if desired

Method:

A few hours in advance, dump all raw chicken into a gallon sized ziploc bag, add desired seasonings, close (with some air in the bag) and shake it up! When it seems like all of the chicken is evenly coated, place in refrigerator.

When ready to fry, heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Place chicken in (we were only able to get about 6 pieces at a time in our Cuisinart Mini-Fryer) the fryer and cook 11-12 minutes, or until a deep golden. Drain on a wire rack placed over paper towels. If you're only able to fry a little at a time like us, place some aluminum foil over the chicken to keep warm on the wire rack.

Pour bottle of wing sauce into a microwave safe bowl and when all of the chicken is almost fried, heat the sauce in the microwave until hot.

Put all the chicken in a large bowl and toss with the warmed wing sauce. Serve immediately with bleu cheese and celery sticks.

Delicious, crispy buffalo wings!

The Verdict: mmmmmmmmm. That's the sound you make when you take a bite. This was fantastic! I've actually never fried chicken on the bone before because I'm always scared it won't be cooked through. This was cooked to perfection, the perfect amount of crisp and the Emeril's Wing Sauce delivered the exact amount of heat needed. A few of the recipes I looked at called for the wings being breaded first. I'm really glad I did it the traditional way, it was delicious! With today's economy this was an inexpensive way to enjoy a restaurant favorite at home! Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

2009-06-30T18:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I went to lunch with a good girl friend to a place that specializes in soups and sandwiches, a "ladies lunch" type of place. I ordered the roasted red pepper soup (never had it before!) and a BLT with avocado sandwich. I'd had the sandwich before and how can you fail with that? You can't! But this soup. One word. Heaven. I decided to look up some recipes, see what the basics of this soup are. So many different recipes had so many different versions, so I made my own and I hope you enjoy it! It makes four generous servings.

Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 baby carrots, chopped into small pieces
1 tomato, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken broth
appx. 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon evaporated milk
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, etc)
extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Cut the bell peppers in half, removing the seeds and stems. Place on a baking sheet skin side up, brush lightly with olive oil and broil until browned and blistered on top (when they're done, remove from oven and set aside to cool). While the bell peppers are cooking, saute' onions, garlic and carrots in a small amount of olive oil until tender. You may add a splash of chicken broth if it's starting to stick. When almost tender, add the tomato and basil. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, then add the rest of the chicken broth. Your bell peppers should be cool enough to handle now, so very gently remove the skins, then roughly chop the flesh and add to the pot. Discard the skins. Let simmer about 5-10 minutes, then puree to a fairly smooth texture using an immersion blender (you may want to empty to a big bowl if you are using a nonstick pot as I was). Once smooth, return it to a slow simmer and add the cream and seasonings. Let simmer a few more minutes and taste test.

Serve with optional green onions and cheese. Would be great accompanied with a grilled cheese sandwich!

Christen's Roasted Red Pepper Soup

The Verdict: I think this picture speaks for itself...

We had no leftovers AT ALL!

This recipe would be very easily doubled for a small dinner party, and could also be served in smaller portions (this was a main part of our dinner so we ate it all!).

Grilled Salmon, Fried Avocado Slices with Spicy Lime Crema

2009-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of the Food Network. The other day I was watching Emeril and he fried avocado slices. Hello! This sounded like my idea of heaven. My husband and I are self-titled Avocado Lovers like you wouldn't believe. I tucked that nugget of deliciousness in the back of my mind. Then while at the supermarket the other day, they had salmon on sale for crazy cheap. We bought some and were trying to decide what to serve with it. Remembered avocado...read on...

Christen's Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:

1 large piece of salmon, cut into serving pieces, skin on (sorry I didn't notice the weight!)
olive oil
salt
fresh dill
lemon pepper seasoning

Heat a stove-top grill over medium heat (this will require you to turn on both front and rear burner). Lightly brush the skin sides of the salmon with the olive oil and place the salmon on the grill. Be careful to try to avoid having to place a piece over the area not over a burner. Grill 5-6 minutes, or until it doesn't stick. If it's sticking, it's not ready. In the meantime, lightly brush olive oil on the flesh sides of the salmon. Then lightly sprinkle salt and lemon pepper over each piece. Finish with sprigs of fresh dill. When ready, gently flip over and grill for an additional 4 minutes, or until it doesn't stick. Remove to a serving platter.

We served it with...

Fried Avocado Slices with Spicy Lime Crema

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3 tablespoons hot sauce
4 firm-ripe avocados, peeled, pitted, and each sliced into 8 even pieces
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 Serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 1/2 cups flour, seasoned with your favorite seasonings, such as Essence
3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Method:

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, hot sauce and avocado slices. Soak for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, red onion, Serrano pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine. Chill until ready to use.

In a medium cast iron skillet, fill oil to a depth of a couple of inches (no more than halfway up the sides of the pan.) Heat oil to 375 degrees F over medium-high heat.

Combine flour, seasoning and baking powder. Dredge soaked avocado slices in the cornmeal mixture, shaking to remove excess cornmeal.

Place avocado slices in the hot oil and fry until golden, about 1 to 2 minutes each side. Using a slotted spoon, remove slices and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately with spicy lime crema.

Grilled salmon, fried avocado slices with spicy lime crema and scalloped potatoes

Fried avocado slices with spicy lime crema, served on a bed of Southwestern-Style corn

The verdict: This was delicious! The salmon was cooked perfectly, not overseasoned. Just fresh tasting. The avocados were fantastic, but what really made the dish was the spicy lime crema! Fan-freaking-tastic! Also, Emeril's recipe uses a cornmeal and flour mixture, but I really do NOT like cornmeal so I used flour only. You may like to try the other way, to each his/her own! But do try it :)

Potato "Stuff"

2009-06-28T18:10:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things to order when going out to eat is twiced baked potatoes, also known as stuffed potatoes. Have you ever made them? It's not so easy! I can never get the potatoes out of the skin without breaking it into a billion pieces. So my stuffed potatoes are always a casserole known as "potato stuff." Might not look so pretty but mmmm, tastes good!

Christen's Potato Stuff

Ingredients

4 baking potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small jar cheese whiz
1/4 cup milk
4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
4-6 green onions, chopped
shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Bake potatoes until tender, remove from skins. In a large bowl, mash up. It may be lumpy, you're not making creamed potatoes so it doesn't matter. Mix in the can cream of mushroom soup, cheese whiz, milk, bacon and green onions. Stir till well mixed (this may require some muscle!). Top with shredded cheese and additional green onion bits. Pour into a large greased casserole. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly.

Variation: fried crawfish tails can top this for a delightful "main dish".

The verdict: Delicious! In this particular instance, I didn't have cheese whiz on hand so I used a small block of velveeta. I put half the cheese in the potato mixture and sliced the rest of the block and added to the top.

French Toast, Bacon and Hash Browns

2009-06-28T17:53:00.000-07:00

With this year being James' first Father's Day, I wanted to make him a special breakfast. Normally he makes breakfast every Sunday morning, but I got up extra early and made a big pitcher of orange juice, French toast, fried some bacon and a skillet of hash browns. It's a meal that warms your tummy as well as your heart. It's also great on a cold night for dinner (not the case here, in July...in Louisiana!).

French Toast

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
a few shakes of nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sugar
a dash of salt
6 slices Texas Toast

Method:

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the two eggs. Add in vanilla, milk and seasonings. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, spray with additional cooking spray (I know some say not to do this, but it works for me!). When heated, dip slices of toast in the liquid, then place on the skillet. Let cook until brown and then flip. Repeat with remaining slices of toast.

Top with butter, syrup or powdered sugar.

I serve this with fried bacon slices and hash browns. I reserve 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the bacon drippings and 2-3 strips of bacon, crumbled for the hash browns.

Christen's Hash Browns

Ingredients:

1/2 bag Ore Ida Southern Style Hash Browns, defrosted
crumbled bacon
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
Seasonings to taste, I like Tony's seasoning, salt, garlic and onion powders.
Reserved bacon drippings.

Method:

Heat bacon drippings over medium heat. When warmed, add the onions and garlic and saute till tender. Add the potatoes and bacon. Cook, stirring often, until potatoes are crisping. Serve warm.

The verdict: This is awesome! My husband doesn't really care for sweet stuff for breakfast, but even he loves the French Toast. The potatoes are fantastic, what makes it even better if if you have some leftover from a crawfish or crab boil. But the Ore Ida do in a pinch ;)

Spaghetti With Meat Sauce and Italian Sausage

2009-06-28T17:42:00.000-07:00

This recipe is basically the same exact thing as the regular spaghetti with meat sauce recipe but it's got a small change that really gives it a little extra oomph! It's delicious and definitely should be put on your weekly menu sometime. I'm going to copy the original recipe and make some changes. It's a nice change from "the ordinary"

Spaghetti With Meat Sauce and Italian Sausage

Ingredients:
1 pkg. Italian sausage links
1 lb. ground beef
4 small cans Hunts tomato sauce (2 Roasted Garlic, 2 Basil & Oregano)
2 small cans tomato paste
1 pkg. frozen Seasoning Blend (onions, peppers, celery)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 small cans mushroom pieces and stems
1 small jar whole button mushrooms
1 can Rotel original
Seasonings to taste (Salt, Pepper, Tony Chachere’s, garlic powder, onion powder)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 can/bottle of beer (any kind will do)
1 tbsp McCormick’s Italian Seasonings
1 tsp sugar
1-2 Bay leaves –optional

Method:

Bring a large pot coated with cooking spray to medium heat. Coat bottom with olive oil and allow to heat. Add 1/2 pkg. sausage and put the rest in a freezer friendly ziploc bag for next time. Brown the sausage on all sides, then add 1/4 can of beer. Cover and allow to simmer until the sausage is cooked through. You may need to add another 1/4 can of beer if it begins to stick. When it's done, remove to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces.

Brown ground beef, seasoning while browning with salt, pepper, Tony’s, etc.). When browned, add sausage pieces, minced garlic and frozen seasoning blend. Cook down until veggies are soft. Add can(s) of mushrooms, including liquid, stir well. Add Rotel and stir well. Add cans of tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the rest of the ingredients (tomato sauce, Worcestershire, beer, Italian seasoning, sugar, and bay leaves) and let cook on medium-low heat 20 minutes. Taste seasonings and adjust as needed. Let simmer about 30 more minutes, though the longer it cooks the better it will be! Stir often to keep from sticking to bottom of pot.

Serve over your favorite kind of pasta (I like linguine).

The Verdict: This is great and very husband-friendly. The addition of the extra meat makes it more "manly" and the pork gives it a great flavor.

"Baked Potato Dip"

2009-06-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

I got this recipe from one of my mom's friends. It's a lot like Apache Bread, but I don't put it in a bread bowl usually. It's also like crack, you can't get enough of this stuff! It's an often-requested dip when I'm going to or having a party! It's very easy to make and sure to become a go-to dip for you! We call it "baked potato dip" because it tastes just like a loaded baked potato, though there is no potato in it!

Baked Potato Dip

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) container sour cream
1 (3-ounce) jar Hormel Bacon Bits
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup chopped green onions

Method:

Heat oven to 400*F. In bowl, combine all ingredients. Place in 1-quart baking dish. Cover. Heat 25 to 30 minutes or until hot. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables, crackers and/or chips. Makes 3 cups.

Serving Option: Dip may also be placed in hollowed round sourdough loaf, wrapped in foil, and heated in 400*F oven for 30 minutes.

The Verdict: As I said, it's a dip that is requested often, and for good reason. It's delicious. You could easily see oneself hiding out in the closet and devouring it by yourself!

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

2009-06-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

While flipping through the channels the other day, I noticed that the Barefoot Contessa was making tomato and goat cheese tarts on the Food Network. Intriguing. I set my DVR to record it and see how involved it was. Keep in mind, I have a 10 month old. Didn't look very involved at all, I thought....as I kept eyeing the tomatoes my dad grew that were sitting on my counter. Fresh tomatoes, goat cheese...how can you go wrong?

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts

Ingredients:

1 package puff pastry, defrosted
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
3 large garlic cloves, I used the chopped variety
salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
ground thyme, to taste
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, plus 2 ounces shaved with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves

Method (I'll just copy and paste from The Food Network's Recipe):

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 11 by 11-inch square. Using a 6-inch wide saucer or other round object as a guide, cut 2 circles from the sheet of puff pastry, discarding the scraps. Repeat with the second pastry sheet to make 4 circles in all. Place the pastry circles on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each pastry circle. Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each round, staying inside the scored border.

Place 1/4 of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble 1 ounce of goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 4 or 5 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.

Tarts are assembled and ready to be baked!

Now baked to a gorgeous golden brown.

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

The Verdict: Holy mother!! I'm going to say something in all seriousness now....this is honestly one of the most delicious things I have ever had the pleasure of eating. Not many things deserve that honored ranking but this is definitely one of them. It's fabulous and so easy to make!! I would make sure to always use fresh, homegrown tomatoes because they just always taste better than the store-bought junk and when you're buying things like goat cheese and wedges of parmesan, you want it to turn out great. You've got to try this...and you might want to keep a knife handy to stab anyone who tries to steal your tart because it's THAT GOOD!

Chilled Avocado Soup

2009-06-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the summer heat calls for a cool, tasty treat. This chilled avocado soup (recipe from The Joy of Cooking) could be the star of your next dinner party.

Chilled Avocado Soup

Ingredients:

2 large Hass Avocados (the ones with the dark bumpy skin)
2.5 cups buttermilk
5 tsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt (or more if needed)
pinch of ground red pepper
1 small clove garlic, chopped

Method:

Puree' the avocados and the garlic. Stir in the buttermilk, lime juice, salt and red pepper. Remove to a bowl and refrigerate until cold. If necessary, you can thin it further with buttermilk or water. Once chilled, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary and ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with fresh pico de gallo.

The Ingredients (only the roma tomato was used, the rest just happened to be on the counter!)

Chilled Avocado Soup

The Verdict: This soup is very rich and should be served in small portions. Adding more pico de gallo also breaks up the thickness of the soup. This was delicious!

Woohoo for awards!

2009-06-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

What sweetness. Fellow blogger Debra left a comment saying that she gave me an award for my cooking blog! I really enjoy keeping up my blogs, and in fact have some more recipes to put up, just have to find the time to do it! But every award is not without its' rules.

These are the rules:
1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm not a random blog looker, I always look at the same ones over and over. So my picks for awards are the blogs I regularly look at!

1. Mr. Lesley Cooks
2. Scrumptiously Sassy
3. Sweet Tea and The Red Sox
4. Flatwoods Folk Art
5. The Tubre Quads
6. Life of Lacie
7. There's A Bear In Your Kitchen!
8. The Meyers, Plus TWO!
9. Rules of Engagement
10. The Wilsons
11. Pink Tales
12. Jelly Bean's Blog
13. The Hurricane Hannah Chronicles
14. Elizabeth's Edible Experience
15. Skinny Food By Amy

Hope everyone has a little spot of sunshine in their day!

Maw Maw Doris' Meatballs and Rice and Gravy

2009-06-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

Growing up, my grandma always cooked a big lunch every day. At least once a week, it was "meat and rice and gravy." The meat would come in various forms, usually a roast or meatballs. The gravy would consist of basically the meaty grease leftover from cooking. But it was oh so good! Luckily this is one of the few recipes that was written down before her stroke so we can still make it and think of her. I like to serve it with green beans.

Maw Maw Doris' Meatballs and Rice and Gravy

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground chuck
Salt and red and black peppers to taste
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper (green)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
2 eggs
A little Pet milk
A little tap water
Kitchen Bouquet

Method:

1. Mix ingredients together (don’t over mix!)
2. Roll meatballs (don’t over-roll!)
3. Fry in a little oil until brown on both sides.
4. Take out of skillet.
5. Add about 2 cups hot water to pot.
6. Put meatballs back in.
7. Cover and when it turns back to grease, add more hot water.
8. Repeat step 7.
9. Add 1 capful Kitchen Bouquet.
10. Serve with cooked rice.

The Verdict: This is comfort food at it's best. I realize it doesn't look like much in the picture, but your taste buds will be so happy, I promise you!! When cooking, the meat will be very loose, since no bread crumbs are involved. Be patient and careful with it. Don't turn in the pan until you can feel that they're browned a little, or they WILL fall apart!

Christen's Green Beans

2009-06-15T05:47:00.000-07:00

In case you're wondering about the green beans I often serve as a side dish, this is how I make them!

Christen's Green Beans

Ingredients:

1 large can (or two regular cans) of Del-Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans, with liquid
1 small onion, chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
olive oil
2 slices bacon
2-3 shakes Worcestershire Sauce
Seasonings to taste (I use Tony's, salt, garlic powder and onion powder)

Method:

Brown bacon in a small pot, remove from grease. Add a small amount of olive oil and the onions and garlic. Saute'. When onions are almost soft, chop the bacon into small pieces and add back into pot and let cook for a couple of minutes more. Add green beans, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Cover and simmer for a couple of hours, or until the liquid is almost all gone. Taste for seasonings.

Maw Maw Doris' Famous Banana Pudding

2009-06-14T18:53:00.001-07:00

Probably don't need to even write a verdict with a title like that, do I?? Well I decided that the perfect dessert to follow the wonderful Spicy Chicken Wraps would be a cold, sweet banana pudding. I originally planned to follow the recipe from friend Scrumptiously Sassy but then remembered that I have my grandma's recipe for her banana pudding. My grandma passed away on Thanksgiving Day of 2008 after a long battle with alzheimer's and I miss her so much. She was the most amazing cook and I would have loved to be able to have her taste some things I cook! Unfortunately I didn't have all the ingredients, but I'll give her recipe anyway because it's awesome!

Maw Maw Doris' Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

1 French Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1 Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix
1 Banana Instant Pudding Mix
1 tub whipped topping
4 oz. sour cream
nilla wafer cookies
8 bananas
5 cups milk

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the 3 pudding mixes, milk, sour cream, and half of whipped topping. Stir until well mixed.

In another large bowl, layer pudding, then sliced bananas and cookies. Continue until you get towards the top of the bowl. Top with remaining half of whipped topping.

Keep refrigerated.

The Verdict: One bite took me back to my childhood and brought tears to my eyes. This sweet treat is one that I will forever associate with my grandma. Unfortunately I didn't have all of the ingredients on hand, I had to make do with two regular vanilla puddings, no sour cream and only 3 bananas. I sliced them very thin so I think it was just as good. I also shared a bowl with my 10 month old daughter who loved it! It means so much to me to be able to share these special things with my baby girl. Try this recipe, you'll love it I promise!

Spicy BBQ Chicken Wraps

2009-06-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Nothing says summer like throwing something on the grill! One of my favorite things to grill are Spicy BBQ Chicken Wraps, a recipe given to me by my friend Kenleigh. You can do any variation of this, including using chicken breasts or chicken tenders. I prefer tenders, just because they're not as huge. You can also use spicy jalapenos or find a brand that's not as spicy. Anything is wonderful when it's wrapped in bacon, so the sky is the limit with this recipe! We like to serve with green beans and potatoes. As a pre-dinner drink, we also made Scrumptiously Sassy's Gin & Lemondade. It's the perfect cold refreshing drink on a hot day!

Spicy BBQ Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

Chicken Breasts or Tenders (I used 13 tenders)
1 pound bacon, uncooked
1 package of cream cheese, softened
chopped jalapenos
Seasonings of your choice
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 stick butter
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce

Method:

Place a few tenders at a time into a ziploc bag and flatten with a tenderizer. Repeat this until all meat is fairly thin, but not torn apart. In a bowl, mix together minced garlic, cream cheese and however much of the chopped jalapeno you prefer. I like to add a little Tony's creole seasoning at this step.

Season all the chicken tenders with seasonings of your choice. Spread a thin layer of cream cheese mixture down the center of each tender, then roll. Wrap each roll with one slice of bacon, making sure the bacon covers the end so the cheesy goodness doesn't leak out! Secure with a toothpick. At this point, you can set these in the refrigerator if you plan on cooking later. If cooking immediately, continue on!

Melt the stick of butter in a small pot. Once melted, add Worcestershire sauce and a few shakes of the hot sauce, stir well. When your coals have turned white, place the chicken wraps on the grill. Baste with the butter mixture frequently. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Make sure to tell your guests to be cautious of the toothpicks when eating!

The Verdict: We've been cooking this for years and I think it gets better each time! This is a fantastic dish to fix when you're having a few friends over for a fun summer BBQ. If you use chicken breasts, you may require more than one piece of bacon to wrap around it! We had a couple of pieces left over, and I'm going to hide them from my husband so I can have them for lunch tomorrow! Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss & Tomato, Avocado & Onion Salad

2009-06-12T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today's recipe is mixing a little tried and true with a little new to you! I discovered Rachel Ray's Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss recipe in one of her cookbooks a few years ago, and with my own variations of it, have been cooking it ever since! I also came upon a recipe on a friend, Josh's blog the other day that literally made my mouth water, for a fresh tomato, avocado and red onion salad. I knew I had to try it, soon!

Chicken Piccata Pasta Toss

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/3 pounds chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch
pieces
Seasonings to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white wine
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup chicken broth or stock
3 tablespoons capers, drained
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked

Method:

Heat a deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the chicken to the pan. Season chicken as desired. Brown chicken until lightly golden all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, the garlic and green onions to the skillet. Saute garlic and green onions 3 minutes. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, lemon juice and broth into sauce. Stir in capers and parsley. When the liquid comes to a bubble, add remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter to the sauce to give it a little shine. Toss hot pasta with chicken and sauce and serve. Adjust seasonings to your taste.

Fresh Tomato, Avocado & Onion Salad

Ingredients:

2 avocados, sliced into chunky strips
3 Roma tomatoes, sliced into chunky strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

Method:

Combine in a bowl, folding gently to avoid breaking up the avocado. Let stand for 5-10 minutes and serve.

The Verdict: Well as I said, the recipe for the pasta is one I've been cooking and enjoying for years. It's delicious. The recipe I wrote is an altered version from the one from Rachel Ray, just as a FYI. And the tomato salad was fantastic! It was so light and fresh and even better leftover once the flavors really got to mingle! I think I'll try cilantro in it next time, for a little more of a kick, but that's just because DH has this strange obsession with cilantro! It's delicious as is!

Honey-Pecan Chicken

2009-06-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

This recipe is another that is not new to us. I am a cookbook fanatic (I'll have to take a picture of my overflowing cookbook shelf sometime!) and a couple of years ago bought The New Holly Clegg Trim & Terrific Cookbook. This was the first thing I tried out of it and it was fantastic! The recipe I'm going to write up has a few differences, in some tweakings I've done over the years. I also even emailed Holly herself to see if she had thoughts on how to make a glaze to drizzle over it. She's a super nice person! I hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Honey-Pecan Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup Wheat Chex Cereal
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
4 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken tenders
Seasonings to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with Pam. On a plate, mix the cereal crumbs and the pecan crumbs well. In a bowl, mix the soy sauce and honey until well combined. Reserve half of this mixture in another bowl, or a small pot if you don't want to dirty an extra bowl! Season the chicken to taste, then dip completely into the honey-soy mixture. Dredge in the pecan-cereal mixture and place on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been coated. Bake 10-15 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through (be careful not to overcook it as it will be dry).

In a small pot, heat the reserved honey and soy sauce mixture until it forms a slight syrup. Be careful not to burn it, but don't turn the heat off or it will turn to glue! Lightly drizzle over the chicken.

Serve with your favorite sides (we had mac and cheese and creamed corn).

The Ingredients

Ready to bake!

The honey-soy sauce mixture that will be drizzled over the chicken!

Honey-Pecan Chicken

Verdict: Well as I already said, we have had this before numerous times and loved it! The first couple of times I made it, it turned out kind of dry but careful baking without overcooking has corrected that problem. Also, the sauce drizzled on gives it a little something extra! The original recipe does not call for the sauce to be added as a drizzle, and it also calls for chicken breasts. I prefer tenders, they're easier to eat! Definitely try this recipe soon!

Chicken Noodle Soup

2009-06-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, the economy sucks and we're all trying to find ways to pinch those pennies and make things stretch as much as possible. Yesterday's meal not only dirtied practically every dish I own, it also called for three quarts of chicken stock or broth, which would have been wasted as it was only used for boiling the spaetzle. Rather than let it go to waste, I made it into another recipe.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

3 quarts chicken stock
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 can sliced carrots
2.5 cups egg noodles, raw
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 TBSP fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups water
1 TBSP heavy whipping cream
desired seasonings

Method:

In a large pot, bring chicken stock and water to a boil and add the bay leaves. Season chicken with desired seasonings and add to the pot, cook till done. Add carrots and celery, allow to slowly boil for another 5 minutes. Add noodles, cook covered until they are tender. Add whipping cream. Serve hot.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Verdict: I have never made chicken noodle soup before that was not condensed! This was very easy to make and was delicious! If you don't have leftover stock on hand, you can buy it already made, or buy broth and season it up! Two thumbs up!

Jagerschnitzel with Bacon-Mushroom gravy and homemade Spaetzle

2009-06-07T21:14:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get into a food "rut" and end up cooking the same things over and over? That's why you haven't seen any new posts here in a week or so, we haven't made anything new. So the other day I watched The Food Network to get some inspiration. Guy Fieri made a German meal on his show Guy's Big Bite that had my mouth watering! Normally when I think German food, I think sausage and beer! I am not a fan of sausage, but what he made was Jagerschnitzel with a bacon-mushroom gravy and homemade spaetzle, which is a pasta. I was concerned when I saw "Jagerschnitzel" because my mind immediately went to Jagermeister. The alcohol. Which tastes like cough syrup. NO thanks! I looked up the recipe and found that was not in the ingredients so I decided to give this a try, but tweaked it to fit what I had on hand and my own tastes (I'm a southern girl, I like seasoning!! And paprika is NOT what Southerners consider seasoning!!).

Jagerschnitzel with Bacon-Mushroom gravy

Ingredients:

Pork chops, flattened/tenderized with the fat cut off
Seasonings to taste: I used Tony's, salt, garlic powder, onion powder and smoked paprika)
1 cup crackers, crumbled into fine crumbs
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. mustard
1 cup flour
1/2 lb. bacon
2 small cans mushroom pieces and stems, drained
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup red wine
2 TBSP butter
Olive Oil for frying

Method:

In a shallow medium bowl, mix together 3/4 cup flour with preferred seasonings. In another shallow medium bowl, combine egg, milk and mustard. In another medium shallow bowl, combine cracker and panko crumbs. Dredge pork slices first in flour, then in egg wash, and finally in crumbs. Let set on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

In a medium saute pan over medium heat cook the bacon until crispy. Remove from pan to drain on paper towels. In same pan with bacon fat, add onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue sauteing for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup flour. Cook flour to make roux until light brown, about 2 minutes. Add wine and cook for 3 minutes, reducing by 1/3, then add stock. Continue cooking to reduce by 1/3 again. Add crumbled bacon. Season with desired seasonings. Keep warm.

Heat 1/4-inch oil in thick saute pan or cast iron skillet. Cook pork evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes for the first side, 3 to 4 minutes for the second. Remove to platter when done. Add butter to sauce, stirring until it has melted. To serve, cover pork with sauce.

Spaetzle

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cold water
1 3/4 cups flour, plus extra for kneading
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3 quarts chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: pizza wheel

Method:

In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, water, eggs and salt with a wooden spoon. Place dough mixture on a clean cutting board dusted with flour. Flour both sides of the dough and roll into a long rectangle, approximately 12 by 2-inches and 1/8-inch thick. With pizza cutter, cut into strips, 2-inches in length and 1/4-inch wide.

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Drop spaetzle in batches into boiling stock and cook until pasta floats to the surface. Remove pasta to the ice bath. Drain spaetzle and hold on sheet pan. Continue with the other batches.

In a medium saute pan, add butter, and melt over medium heat until butter turns a light brown. Add garlic and cook until it becomes lightly colored. Add spaetzle to the pan to heat through. Add parsley, cheese, salt and pepper, to taste.

My spaetzle dough, ready to be rolled out with my great great aunts rolling pin!

Dough rolled out and cut

My meal, ready to eat!

The Verdict: I actually have mixed feelings on this review. The food was absolutely delicious, though I'm really not a fan of al-dente pasta. I like soft fluffy pasta that's fully cooked. It was all great, my husband said it was the best pork chop he had ever had. And the spaetzle had a GREAT flavor, just like I said I'm not a big al-dente' fan. Next time I'd probably just cook the pasta fully. Definitely a keeper though!

Asparagus and Tomato Tart

2009-05-20T20:41:00.001-07:00

As previously stated, asparagus is the most-loved veggie in our home. We love our normal way of cooking it, but sometimes you get tired of having stuff the same all the time. The other day I saw an episode of Sandra Lee's Money Saving Meals on the Food Network, and one of the dishes she cooked was Asparagus and Tomato Tart. She used some of the asparagus for the tart, then the rest in a soup for another meal. Economical! We're going to try that, so tonight I made the tart and another pot of that delicious slow cooker French Onion Soup to go along with it.

Asparagus and Tomato Tart

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) frozen pie crust
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bunch fresh asparagus tips, reserve stems for Round 2 Recipe
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained well, divided
Seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, etc)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the frozen pie crust onto a baking sheet. Poke the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork and bake for 10 minutes.

Saute the bacon until crisp. Remove bacon and drain on a paper towel. Add onion and asparagus tips to the skillet with the bacon fat and saute until tender.

In a large bowl whisk together ricotta, milk and eggs. Add parsley, bacon, half the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Make sure after the tomatoes are added to use a spoon to stir, not the whisk! Add asparagus and onion mixture and stir well. Pour egg mixture into the crust.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the tart is lightly browned on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, toss the remaining tomatoes with the basil, balsamic vinegar and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and garlic powder. Serve as garnish for tart.

The Ingredients (minus the pie crust!)

It's baked!

And ready to eat!

Verdict: This was freaking delicious! I made sure to read the comments on the recipe before trying, so I kicked the seasoning up a bit by using some Tony's Creole seasoning, Salt, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder. Make sure to do that and you will have an awesome meal! I think this would be great as a brunch also.

Chicken Stew

2009-05-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

My husband loves good home-style cooking. I call it food people on farms eat. Things like chicken stew just seem like something hearty and homey that a farmer would come in and eat after a long day on the tractor or something! I'm silly, I know. Anyway, I've been making this recipe that I created for a few years now and I think it's pretty tasty. I served it with the Bacon-Carmelized Onion Asparagus and there were almost no leftovers!

Chicken Stew

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces and seasoned to taste
1 stick butter
1/2 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
Seasonings to taste (I used Tony's, Salt, Garlic Powder and Onion Powder)
1 can chicken broth
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
rice

Method:

In a deep, non-stick pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and stir constantly until a golden brown (this is called a roux). Add pieces of chicken and combine well with the roux. When chicken is no longer pink, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened. Add the mushroom stems and pieces, including the liquid and the chicken broth. This will break up your roux and turn it into a nice gravy. Let simmer for a few minutes, then season to your tastes. Kitchen Bouquet can be added sparingly to achieve the brown color you desire. Serve over rice.

The Ingredients (minus the chicken)

Stew is simmering

Ready to eat!

Verdict: I think this is a pretty darned good chicken stew recipe, if I do say so myself! We also serve it with peas often. Anyone that loves rice and gravy will love this, two thumbs up!

Stuffed Artichokes

2009-05-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

I love stuffed artichokes but it's something you don't often see in grocery stores or restaurant menus. While at my local Kroger, I noticed the fresh artichokes were on sale for fifty cents each. What a steal! I bought two and looked up a recipe for stuffed artichokes in my Cooking with Entergy cookbook. The recipe I used (page 57) is for 6 stuffed artichokes, I cut it down to two, but I'll give you the recipe for the six anyway.

Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients:

6 small artichokes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups French bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

Method:

Trim steam of each artichoke, leaving 1/2 inch. Remove any damaged or rough lower leaves and trim off upper edges of remaining leaves. With palm of hand, gently press down on artichoke to open up or separate leaves. Wash artichokes in cold running water. Heat oil over medium heat; add garlic and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in crumbs, cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stuff each leaf with crumb-cheese mixture. Place artichokes in a large sausepan and steam in 2 inches of water over low heat for 1 hour or until leaves can be removed easily. During steaming period, occasionally baste artichokes with additional olive oil. Yield: 6 Servings.

The ingredients

The artichokes, washed and trimmed

Stuffed, ready to be steamed

In the steamer basket

All done!

Verdict: While quite tasty, the end result was so NOT worth the effort! This is an involved process and did you know that artichokes have pickers on them?? My thumb is hurting today! I also added some garlic and onion powders. It was delicious but seriously, whatever the grocery store is wanting to charge for stuffed artichokes - pay it. Don't attempt at home! I will NOT be making this again!

Pimiento Cheese Stuffed Burgers

2009-05-15T21:44:00.001-07:00

This is another recipe stolen from my friend who is the genius behind the blog Scrumptiously Sassy. She posted it and talked about how delicious this burger was and I admit, I was a skeptic. Pimiento cheese in a burger? Hmm... But I'm a good sport and willing to try new things so I did. I changed/added a few things too.

Pimiento Cheese Stuffed Burgers

Ingredients:

1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Egg
Breadcrumbs
Salt
Tony's Creole Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Tiger Sauce
Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tablespoons Store-Bought Pimiento Spread
Hamburger Buns
Toppings as desired

Method:

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, egg, a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce, a small touch of Tiger Sauce and the rest of the seasonings to taste. Add enough of the breadcrumbs to hold the meat together. Form into a ball and score into fourths. Take each fourth and form into a ball, then tear apart, making each half into a patty. Put 1 tablespoon pimiento spread in the middle of one, then press the other on top, sealing the edges. Do this for all four patties. Cook as desired and serve on hamburger buns with your desired toppings.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but you get the idea!

Verdict: Delicious!! I am no longer a skeptic and will definitely be making this again soon. For our toppings we used Cabot Vermont White Sharp Cheddar, pickles, and grilled onions, along with mayo and mustard. I have a recipe for homemade pimiento cheese that is fantastic, I just didn't have time to make it. I may try that next time just to see how it turns out, but this was fantastic!! Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Olive Cheese Bread

2009-05-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

This fabulous concoction comes from one of the best cooking websites there is, The Pioneer Woman. I am one who thinks that olives are the best thing since sliced bread...so what better to pair them with than bread? And cheese just puts it over the top! The photography on PW's website are just great, I'd love her camera! On her site, she explains how you can flash freeze the bread to serve at a later date. I definitely think I will do this with small pieces, so I can pull out to go with dinners for Hubby and I.

Olive Cheese Bread

Ingredients:

1 loaf fresh French Bread, cut into two halves
1/2 cup real mayo
green onions, chopped
1 6 oz. can black olives
1 6 oz. can green olives
1 pkg. finely shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 stick butter, softened

In a bowl, combine butter, mayo and cheese. Coarsely chop both black and green olives and add to bowl. Add green onions and mix well. Spread mixture generously over French Bread and bake at 325 for 25 minutes or until cheese is turning golden and melted through. Cut into small portions.

The Ingredients

The olive cheese mixture

I couldn't wait till tonight to try this so I cut the end off of the loaf and made myself a sample to go with my leftover French Onion Soup for lunch (see previous recipe). Here is what my sample looked like!

Verdict: OMG! This is heaven! I thought I'd cheat and buy the already chopped can of black olives and will not do that again next time. They were chopped too fine and I'd rather them be chopped more coarsely. But this is fantastic, you MUST try it!

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup with BLT and Avocado Sandwiches

2009-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

My husband and I both really love French Onion Soup. We've tried a few recipes and none could quite compare to the wonderful concoction at Maspero's in New Orleans. I found this recipe on the Food Network website and decided to give it a try. For a side dish, we made BLT sandwiches with sliced avocado. Interested? Read on!

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

5 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 cans Swanson's low sodium beef broth
2 cans Campbell's Beef Consomme
1 packet Lipton's Beefy Onion Soup Mix
1 loaf pumpernickel bread, cut into slices
sliced aged swiss cheese
shredded parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons white wine

Method:

In a large nonstick pan, saute onions in butter. When almost soft, add wine and cook for a few more minutes. Dump into a crockpot sprayed with cooking spray. Add the broths, consomme and soup mix. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. When ready to serve, put soup in a bowl and place a slice of bread and both of the cheeses on top and put under the broiler until the cheese melts.

The Ingredients

The soup, in all it's cheesy goodness!

The Verdict: Fantastic!! While it still does not compare to Maspero's French Onion soup, this is the best I've had at home so far. James says it's much better than the canned variety, less salty tasting. Be sure not to get red onions because they will make your soup sweet, which is a mistake we have made in the past. We will definitely be making this again. Soon!

BLT Sandwiches with Avocado

Ingredients:

White bread, sliced
Cooked Bacon
Mayo
1 tomato, sliced
lettuce
1 avocado, sliced
cheese, if desired

Method:

Toast bread to desired doneness. Spread a generous amount of mayo, then add bacon, tomato slices, lettuce, cheese if desired, and avocado slices. Enjoy!

The Ingredients

mmmmmmm....

The Verdict: OK look at the above picture, do I really need to tell you?? Yummola!!

Shrimp Scampi

2009-04-30T21:27:00.001-07:00

James has been after me for a little while now to make shrimp scampi. I've never made it before and frankly hadn't felt like looking up a recipe! Then lo and behold, good friend ShoeFanatic posted a recipe for it on her blog! It looked so delicious and she gave it such a great review that I just had to try it. Here is the recipe she used:

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:
1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
Seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
Olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, diced
1/2 tsp dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 c. dry white wine
Salt & pepper
5 T butter
3/4 lb angel-hair pasta
Fresh parsley, chopped

Method:

Boil pasta to your liking. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water for later.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. You need just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.

Sauté shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes, and transfer to a large bowl. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and wine to skillet. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute.

Add butter to skillet, stirring until melted, and then add shrimp back in. Add the parsey as well and coat the shrimp well. In the large bowl, toss the pasta and shrimp mixture well. Add some of pasta water if necessary to keep moist.

The Ingredients

The Finished Product

The Verdict: This was fantastic! I was a little wary of it because it just didn't look like there would be enough sauce for the noodles. I used the medium size shrimp to save money and was just as happy with them. It was great, it wasn't dripping butter down your face like often happens with scampi. James and I both went back for seconds and we will be happily enjoying the leftovers tomorrow night! I highly recommend it! Thanks, Shoe!

Turkey Baby Food

2009-04-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

My baby girl is now at the stage where we're trying out meat. So after looking up a few recipes, I decided to try my own spin on a "Thanksgiving Dinner" for her. Here it is:

Turkey Puree' Baby Food

Ingredients:

Ground turkey (I purchased mine as a package of 4 patties)
Cooking Spray
Mrs. Dash

Method:

Heat a nonstick skillet sprayed lightly with cooking spray to medium heat. Add patty, seasoning VERY lightly on both sides with Mrs. Dash. Cook, chopping up to be sure it cooks thoroughly. When done, empty into a bowl and puree' using an immersion blender. You may need to add a small amount of water in order for it to puree' correctly. Put into individual servings in the ice cube trays, cover well and freeze. Then pop them out and put them in a ziploc bag for proper freezer storage.

When ready to serve, simply microwave along with a spoon of cranberry sauce or sweet potato puree'.

The Ingredients

Cooking...

Made into puree'. Yes I know it looks disgusting. Be glad you're a grown up!

Ham in the Crockpot

2009-04-17T10:15:00.000-07:00

This recipe is the best ham you could ever have, considering it's out of a crockpot and sooo easy! And that says a lot because I don't usually like ham and I REALLY don't like cherries, but I love this! It's compliments of Bettee Markins (sorry I don't know your married last name!). Make sure your ham says READY TO COOK and not FULLY COOKED and make sure you buy one that will fit into your crockpot!

Ham in the Crockpot

Ingredients:

1 butt portion ham, ready to cook, 7-8 lbs.
1 small can pineapple slices, drained
1 small jar maraschino cherries, drained
1 small bottle of honey

Method:

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place ham, pointy side down into the crockpot. Dump cherries, pineapple and honey on top. Cover and cook on low for 6.5 hours. Check for doneness. Ham shouldn't need to cook more than 8 hours because it'll dry out.

The ingredients

In the crockpot, ready to cook!

I realize this isn't the most appealing picture, but it shows how tender the ham was when I took it out of the crockpot, literally falling off the bone!

All sliced up and ready to eat!

Verdict: This ham is fabulous! When I took it out of the crockpot, I kept the juices in a separate bowl that people could spoon over their own meat. It was incredibly tender and I was told it was the best ham ever! It's so easy you'd be crazy not to try it!

Christen's Meatloaf

2009-04-17T10:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not a fan of meatloaf. This is a recipe I've been cooking for years to rave reviews, therefore I'm not going to put a verdict because everyone has liked it for years. I call it meatloaf for people that don't like meatloaf. It's different. And sorry, I didn't take pictures of it, but I cooked it last night with a salad, instant potatoes and a can of turnip greens with some ham in it. Good stuff.

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. lean ground beef
1.5 tsp. salt
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. pepper
8 oz. can tomato sauce (I use roasted garlic flavor)
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP spicy brown mustard
1 egg
1 TBSP vinegar
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1.5 tsp Tony's Creole Seasoning

Method:

Mix meat, breadcrumbs, 1/2 tomato sauce, egg, cheese, salt, pepper and Tony's. Shape into a loaf and place in a greased loaf pan. Poke small holes along the top. In a bowl, combine the remaining tomato sauce with the mustard, brown sugar and vinegar. Pour evenly over the loaf. Bake at 350 for 75 minutes.

Grilled Shrimp Soft Tacos

2009-04-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

James and I couldn't agree on what to cook for dinner tonight so we landed on this, our very own concoction! We wanted grilled shrimp but couldn't decide what to cook with it. So we thought up these tacos and made homemade tartar sauce with olives in it to spread on. Here is the recipe for the tacos:

Grilled Shrimp Soft Tacos

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 envelope of McCormick's Baja Citrus Marinade
1 TBSP water
2 TBSP tequila
juice of 1/2 lime
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar

Mix envelope of marinade, water, tequila, lime juice and vinegar together in a bowl and add shrimp. Coat evenly. Keep refrigerated until ready to put on the grill. When ready to grill, place shrimp on skewers and grill on the bbq. When they are cooked through make soft tacos using toppings of your choice. We used the homemade tartar sauce, lettuce, cheese, avocado slices, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro and a few shakes of hot sauce. You can eat it like a soft taco or fold like a burrito.

All the toppings...

Folded up like a burrito

The verdict: This was fantastic! James was not too sure about adding the tartar sauce as a topping but he did it and was glad. The olives in the tartar sauce gave it a little more of a "fancy" feel. We ate all of the shrimp, as one pound only had 18 shrimp in it. Since we wish we had more to have as leftovers, we just might make this again tomorrow night :) Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!

Coconut Cream Cake

2009-04-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! Today's recipe is courtesy of a woman I used to work with. It's a light cake that is served cold which makes it a perfect dessert after eating hot Louisiana boiled crawfish! Most people in South Louisiana have boiled crawfish for Easter (I can't imagine having ham or something!!) so it's nice to have a cool, sweet treat. This hit the spot!

Coconut Cream Cake

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix, along with whatever it calls for on the box to bake it
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can coconut milk
whipped topping

Method

Bake cake as directed in a 13x9 pan. While cake bakes, mix together the condensed milk and coconut milk. As soon as cake is baked, remove from oven and use a fork to poke holes all over the top. Pour on the milk mixture while the cake is still hot and allow to settle. Cover and refrigerate. When ready to serve, spread whipped topping over the top of the cake.

The ingredients (minus the tub of whipped topping, which I forgot to include in the picture)

Cake baked with holes poked all over it

Milk mixture poured over it

With the whipped topping, ready to eat

The Verdict: Well I should have taken a picture of the empty pan! There was NOTHING left. Need I say more?

Mexican Casserole

2009-04-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

This recipe is compliments of my mother-in-law, Aubrita. It is fantastic as a side dish to fajitas, or as a main entree' with a side salad. I cut it in half, so if you are making it for more than a couple of people, please be sure to double the recipe.

Mexican Casserole

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 pkg. Taco Seasoning (I like the hot flavor)
1/2 can Rotel tomatoes
1 can Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Mushroom soup (it's a blended flavor can)
Crushed tortilla chips
1 cup shredded cheese

Method:

In a non-stick skillet, brown ground beef and saute' onion and bell pepper. When meat is browned and veggies are softened, add package of seasoning. Mix well, if needed you can add a small amount of water.

In a bowl, mix your can of soup with the Rotel tomatoes. Set aside. In a casserole sprayed with cooking spray, layer crushed chips, meat mixture, soup mixture. Repeat. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

The ingredients

The baked casserole

Verdict: This is delicious! We made it just like this recipe I typed, which is the half recipe of what she gave me. So remember to double it if needed. We had it with a salad and it was the perfect easy dinner! Highly recommend it!

Creamed Chicken over Biscuits

2009-04-01T18:43:00.000-07:00

This recipes is courtesy of the Cooking Light 15-Minute Cookbook. In August I had some pretty serious heart problems after giving birth to my baby girl, Elise. As a result, I had to watch my diet pretty close and I used recipes from this cookbook often. Everything I've ever cooked out of it was delicious! I told my husband that we needed to go back to using it for our meals so we can stay on the right track, and asked him to pick a recipe and I would fix it. This is what he chose.

Creamed Chicken over Biscuits

Ingredients:
1 can flaky buttermilk biscuits
Cooking Spray
1 (9-ounce) pkg frozen diced cooked chicken breast
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (10-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained
1 (10 3/4) can condensed cream of roasted chicken with savory herbs soup, undiluted (such as Campbell's Healthy Request)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method:
Bake biscuits according to package directions, set aside and keep warm.

While biscuits bake, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in vegetables and remaining 4 ingredients; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and thoroughly heated, stirring often.

To serve: Split biscuit in half, place on serving plate. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over biscuits.

Only 254 calories per serving!

Notes: Since I couldn't find the chicken soup it calls for, I used regular cream of chicken soup and some dry herbs. Also, I didn't have cooked chicken so I used one raw chicken breast, added a little creole seasoning and cooked it in 1/2 tablespoon butter. I also added 1/4 cup chopped onions, then the garlic and followed the recipe after that!

Creamed Chicken over Biscuits Ingredients

The finished product

The Verdict: We both LOVED this. I truly didn't think I would like it. I was wrong. And my husband ate IT ALL. There are no leftovers! It was so easy to make, very inexpensive (buy a good but inexpensive wine - Redwood Creek is only like $6). We will definitely be making this again in the near future!

Vegetable Beef Soup

2009-04-01T18:27:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, if I ever so much as got a case of the sniffles my grandma would have a pot of soup coming my way. Unfortunately I didn't get the recipe for her vegetable beef soup, but I do have another of her soup recipes and was able to use it to concoct my own veggie beef. I believe I've come quite close in replicating her recipe. Warning - it makes a TON! But it freezes great!

Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 pkg frozen seasoning blend
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 can tomato paste
2 (14 oz) cans stewed sliced tomatoes
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 can original Rotel tomatoes
1 can Summer Crisp Corn (DelMonte)
1 can sliced carrots
1 small can peas
1 small can lima beans
2 cans beef broth
1 large cooking spoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 large cooking spoon of Lea & Perrins wine sauce for chicken
2 teaspoons sugar
chopped cabbage
1 large turnip, peeled and chopped
1 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pkg. tender stew meat
salt, black pepper, Tony's Creole seasoning to taste

Method:
In a small pot, add the stew meat and cover with beef broth just till covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer until cooked through.

In a very large pot, make a roux using oil and flour. Oil must be hot before adding flour, stir constantly until the oil/flour mixture turns the color of a brown paper bag. Don't rush it, it's the secret. Add seasoning blend, cook until tender. Add 1/2 can beef broth to dissolve the roux, then add remaining 1/2 can. Once it comes to a boil, add the tomato paste and Rotel tomatoes. Stir well. Add the tomato sauce, stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the broth that the stew meat was simmering in. Cover and simmer on med-low for 45 minutes. Check and adjust seasonings, if needed. Extra beef broth or water can be added if needed.

Vegetable Beef Soup Ingredients

The Soup

Verdict: Fantabulous! While this soup does make enough to feed an army, it's so delicious you will want to eat it for days. Once you get tired of it, put it into quart sized ziplocs, label and freeze. Defrost for a quick dinner on a cold night or when you don't feel well. It has magical healing powers ;)

Crockpot "Easy Company Beef"

2009-03-23T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am loooving the crock pot lately! It's so easy to put stuff in there and set it and go play with my baby girl all day! Today I made a recipe from my crockpot cookbook that was basically beef stroganoff. It was a very basic recipe, but there's nothing wrong with that!

Easy Company Beef

Ingredients:

3 lbs. beef stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup red wine

Method:

Combine all ingredients into slow cooker, mixing well. Cook on LOW for 10 hours. Serve over rice or noodles.

The Ingredients

My husband wanted his over rice (see asparagus recipe that was posted yesterday)

But I wanted mine over pasta

Verdict: Very good! We much preferred this recipe of what was basically beef stroganoff over the one that I posted not very long ago. It had the desired color of stroganoff and a great beefy (is that a word?) flavor. This will definitely become an easy family favorite crockpot meal!

NY Strip Steaks with Coffee-Peppercorn Marinade; Bacon & Caramelized-Onion Asparagus

2009-03-22T22:34:00.001-07:00

For a while now, James and I have been on the hunt for a really good steak marinade. We've come across some good ones, and some pretty good ones, but we wanted a wow really good one. I searched on the Food Network for some recipes and found a marinade that was meant to use for flank steak, but I used for NY Strips instead. I also found a great deal on fresh asparagus at Kroger ($0.94 per pound!!) so I wanted to try something new with that. I decided to try a recipe that was in the most recent Kraft Food and Family magazine, tweaking it a little. Here are the recipes:

Coffee-Peppercorn Steak Marinade:

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method:
Mix all ingredients and pour into a dish that your steaks can lay flat in. I put a little bit of Tony's (not much) on the outside of my steaks, then placed them in the dish, covered and marinated in the refrigerator for a few hours, turning occassionally. Cook with whatever your desired method is to your preferred level of "done."

Ingredients for the steak & marinade

Steaks sizzling!

Marinade Verdict: This is hands down the best steak marinade I have ever had the pleasure of having on my steak. Our search has now ended and this will be the only marinade we ever use, ever again! It's just fabulous! I was worried it would be too sweet but it was not at all! We both LOVED it!

Now for the...

Bacon & Caramelized-Onion Asparagus

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon
1.5 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed
water
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup (good) ranch dressing (I used the creamy ranch in jars in the produce section)
NO MORE THAN 1/4 tsp liquid crab boil (don't put too much or you will have to move out of your house!!)

Method:

Cook bacon in nonstick skillet 3-5 minutes or until crisp, turning frequently. Drain bacon on paper towels. Place asparagus in a microwave-safe casserole, add water until all asparagus is in water. Add tiny amount of crab boil. Microwave on HIGH 6 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Meanwhile, add onions to skillet, cook and stir until tender. Stir in dressing.

Drain asparagus, top with sauce and crumbled bacon.

The ingredients for the asparagus

All Done!

Asparagus Verdict: Fantastic!!! My first bite I was a little unsure about and felt it could use a little salt. So I added some. From then on, we were both practically licking our plates! The sauce was so delicious and the asparagus were the perfect crisp! I have another bunch in the fridge and you best believe I'll be making it this way again!

Everything ready to eat (potatoes were instant, roasted garlic flavor!)

Do yourself a favor and make this soon!! ~C.

Irish Beef Stew

2009-03-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day today, I'm cooking a crockpot Irish Beef Stew. This recipe comes from the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook that friends Karen and Clint Ortis bought us for a wedding gift (thanks Karen and Clint - we love it!!) and can be found on page 83. Of course being from Louisiana, I have to spice it up some. So not pictured in the ingredients is 1 tsp of hot sauce of your choice (we like Louisiana Gold).

Crockpot Irish Beef Stew

Ingredients:
2 lbs. stewing beef, cubed
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2- 10 3/4 cans tomato soup
1 soup can water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
1 lb. package frozen peas
1/4 cup water

Method:

Place beef, onion soup, tomato soup, soup can of water, salt, pepper, carrots and potatoes in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on LOW 8 hours. Add peas and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Cook on LOW 1 more hour.

Notes: as mentioned previously, I added 1 tsp hot sauce. I also added 1 chopped onion (just because I like onions) and about 1/4 cup beef stock because I only used 1 pound of stew meat, so that will make up for the flavor the other pound would have supplied.

The ingredients - minus the hot sauce and onion since they were a last-minute addition.

Stew is ready to cook!

The finished product, right before devouring!

The Verdict: Delicious! James and I both really enjoyed this, which is saying a lot because I don't like stews much! We ate it over rice. I will definitely make this again, however next time I will let the peas cook for more than an hour because I found they could have gone for longer, a little undercooked tasting. Also James and I both felt it needed more salt, but you can add more salt to your own personal bowl. Two thumbs up though!

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce over pasta

2009-03-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite meal that I personally can cook. It's not my favorite meal, that is reserved for boiled crawfish. And a few other things. But this is a go-to meal for something easy, tasty, and always good. Just whatever you do, do not ever try to buy the powdered mushroom soup mix because that stuff is just awful! Another tip for all recipes (not only this one) is that if you use wine make sure it's a wine you would actually drink. Nasty wine in food equals nasty food.

Chicken in Mushroom Sauce over Pasta

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup white wine or inexpensive beer (or more if you want!) both are good. Just don't use a dark beer, probably wouldn't be as good!
2 small cans mushroom pieces and stems (or if you're richer than me, sliced mushrooms)
Butter
1 onion, chopped into small pieces
Seasoning to taste (Tony's, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder)
1 pkg egg noodles, cooked.
Milk as needed

Method:

Season chicken pieces with your seasoning of choice. In a deep skillet, cook your chicken in a few pats of butter. When almost done, add the onions. When those are almost soft, add the mushrooms. Let simmer for a few minutes. Add your cans of mushroom soup and stir well, then add your beer or wine. Depending on how thick you want your sauce to be, you can add milk until you reach your desired consistancy. Taste test and add seasonings if needed. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over egg noodles with a salad and garlic bread!

The ingredients

The chicken, onions and mushrooms cooking away

A super yummy meal. Sorry for the blurry picture!

Verdict: As I said, this is one of my favorite things to cook (and eat!) so I had to share. If you use wine or beer, both are good but a slightly different taste. I cannot say enough how much I love this dish, I think I'll have to cook more this week!

Sweet Potato Baby Food Puree'

2009-03-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

2 Sweet Potatoes

Method:

Wash sweet potatoes well then peelthe outer skin off. Dice into small pieces. Put into microwave steam bag and microwave on HIGH until tender enough to puree. Dump into bowl and use immersion mixer to puree. Divide into ice cube tray, cover with freezer cling wrap and keep in freezer till solid. Then pop them out of the tray, put into ziploc and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Sweet Potatoes

Peeled and getting diced

Steamed, made into puree' and ready to be frozen!

Butternut Squash Baby Food Puree'

2009-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 Butternut Squash

Method:

Wash squash well then peel/cut the outer skin off. Dice the top part into small pieces and then scoop out the seeds of the bottom part before dicing it. Discard the seeds. Put into microwave steam bag and microwave on HIGH until tender enough to puree. Dump into bowl and use immersion mixer to puree. Divide into ice cube tray, cover with freezer cling wrap and keep in freezer till solid. Then pop them out of the tray, put into ziploc and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

1 butternut squash

bottom part with seeds

Seeds scooped out!

Diced and in microwave steamer bag

made into puree

In tray.

Green Bean Baby Food Puree'

2009-03-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:

1 lb fresh green beans

Method:

Wash green beans well then snap the ends off. Put into microwave steam bag and microwave on HIGH until tender enough to puree. Dump into bowl and use immersion mixer to puree. Divide into ice cube tray, cover with freezer cling wrap and keep in freezer till solid. Then pop them out of the tray, put into ziploc and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

Fresh green beans

In the microwave steamer bag

Ready to freeze

Yellow Squash Puree Baby Food

2009-03-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

The next few posts will all be baby food posts, sorry people!

Yellow Squash Puree'

Ingredients:

4-Yellow Squash

Method:

Wash well and cut skin off of the squash. Chop into small pieces and put into microwave steamer bag. Microwave on HIGH for about 3 minutes or until soft enough to mush up. Empty into a bowl and using your immersion mixer, puree until smooth. Divide into ice cube tray, cover with Glad Cling Wrap and freeze till solid. Put into a ziploc and keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

4 Washed Squash

Diced up!

Puree'd and in the ice cube tray ready to be frozen!

Artichoke stuffed shells with marinara sauce

2009-03-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

I got this idea from a show on the Food Network, the Everyday Italian show. But I did mine a little differently.

Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
1 pkg jumbo shells
1 bag frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
1 pkg Italian mix cheese
1 egg
1 onion, chopped
minced garlic to your liking - I like a lot!
breadcrumbs
salt, Tony's seasoning - to your tastes
1 jar marinara sauce - I used leftover spaghetti sauce from previous recipe!
1-2 green onions, chopped.

Method:
Preheat oven to 350. Boil jumbo shells till barely al-dente'. In a bowl, combine artichoke hearts with half the cheese mix, the egg, onion, breadcrumbs, garlic and seasonings. Gently stuff the mixture into the shells and place on a greased casserole dish. Cover completely with marinara sauce and then cover with cheese. Sprinkle the chopped green onions and Italian Seasoning on top. Bake until sauce bubbles on the side and cheese is melted and browning.

Ingredients, minus breadcrumbs, Tony's and green onions!

Artichoke mixture

The stuffed shells

All baked!

And ready to eat!

The verdict: Honestly I was a bit disappointed. I expected it to be just oh my god good and it really wasn't that great. It basically tasted like my spaghetti with artichoke. If I made it again, I think maybe a different sauce, an alfredo perhaps.

Carrot Puree' Homemade Baby Food

2009-02-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

I know this is not a recipe that appeals to many, but what the heck. Elise has to eat too! With the madness going on with contaminated baby food products, I want to expose Elise to as little risk as possible. Therefore, we are making her baby food at home instead of buying the jars at the supermarket. An added bonus is that she does not get the extra sodium from the preservatives. One pack of store-bought baby food carrot puree' contains 80 mg of sodium!

Here is how to do it at home, have a healthier baby, and save money!

Homemade Carrot Puree'

Ingredients:

Fresh carrots, either grown in someone's yard or bought at the grocery produce section (organic preferred).

That's it.

Method:

Wash carrots VERY well. Peel using a vegetable peeler, cut ends off with a sharp knife (keep away from baby). Cut carrots into small-ish pieces and put into a Glad microwave steamer bag. You don't need to add any liquid to it. Steam in the microwave for 3.5 - 5 minutes, allow to sit for a few minutes so you don't burn yourself on the steam. Empty into a bowl and use an immersion mixer to puree' very fine. You can also use a food processor if you have one. Once completely smooth, divide the carrot puree' into an ice cube tray using a regular spoon. Smoosh down so there's no air pockets. Cover with freezer wrap and freeze until solid. Remove from ice cube trays and keep in a sealed freezer bag for up to 3 months. Be sure to label expiration day on the freezer bag.

To serve, simply thaw out ahead of time or cook in the microwave for 30 seconds. Make sure it's not too hot for baby. I mix it with a little bit of formula, but not too much. Each cube is one serving. For less than $2 I can make 16 servings! It saves a lot of money and I know EXACTLY what my infant is eating!

Raw carrots, straight out of Mr. Noonie's garden!

Carrots are washed, peeled, chopped and in the microwave steaming bag!

Getting made into puree' by my immersion mixer - best tool in the kitchen!

In the ice cube tray, ready to be frozen!

Verdict: So easy and Elise seems to love it! Really, it's so worth the VERY small amount of time it takes to do this!

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

2009-02-24T20:25:00.000-08:00

This should really be called "Linguine with Meat Sauce" but people associate the red meat marinara sauce as "spaghetti" so there you have it. This is a Christen Original Recipe folks! I don't need to put a verdict because I've been making it for years and I've had rave reviews from many friends and family!

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
4 small cans Hunts tomato sauce (2 Roasted Garlic, 2 Basil & Oregano)
2 small cans tomato paste
1 pkg. frozen Seasoning Blend (onions, peppers, celery)
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 small cans mushroom pieces and stems
1 small jar whole button mushrooms
1 can Rotel original
Seasonings to taste (Salt, Pepper, Tony Chachere’s, garlic powder, onion powder)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
½ can/bottle of beer (any kind will do)
1 tbsp McCormick’s Italian Seasonings
1 tsp sugar
1-2 Bay leaves –optional

Method:
Brown ground beef, seasoning while browning with salt, pepper, Tony’s, etc.). When browned, add minced garlic and frozen seasoning blend. Cook down until veggies are soft. Add can(s) of mushrooms, including liquid, stir well. Add Rotel and stir well. Add cans of tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the rest of the ingredients (tomato sauce, Worcestershire, beer, Italian seasoning, sugar, and bay leaves) and let cook on medium-low heat 20 minutes. Taste seasonings and adjust as needed. Let simmer about 30 more minutes, though the longer it cooks the better it will be! Stir often to keep from sticking to bottom of pot.

Serve over your favorite kind of pasta (I like linguine).

The Ingredients - minus Rotel and minced garlic which I forgot to include in the picture!

Ingredients are in, sauce is cooking!

The finished product...

Tony's He-Man Chili

2009-02-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

This recipe is one that my parents have been cooking for years. The version they cook comes from Tony Chachere's Microwave cookbook. I've adapted my own version because for one thing I don't have a big enough microwave, they make them smaller nowadays! Also, my tastes are a little different and I like to smell something yummy simmering on the stove for a while! Once you've tried He-Man chili, regular ground meat with chili powder will no longer deserve the name "Chili" in your book!

Christen's Version of Tony's He-Man Chili

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 pkg. bacon, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 lb. sausage of your choice - you can use more if you like (I don't like)
1 pkg. frozen Seasoning Blend vegetables
2-3 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup beer
2 cans diced Rotel tomatoes
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can pinto beans
Seasoning to taste (Tony's creole seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt)

Cut sausage into bite size pieces. In a pot with a little oil, brown ground beef, bacon and sausage until no longer pink. Add the frozen vegetable blend and minced garlic. Once the vegetables have softened, add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well to mix. Season to taste. Cook for 1 hour on low-medium heat. Serve with cubed sharp cheddar cheese and cornbread (if desired).

The ingredients

Chili simmering

I like to use these cups so I can cuddle up on the couch to eat!

Verdict: As I said, my family has been making this chili for years so it comes as no surprise to anyone for me to give this two thumbs up. If it counted, I would even give it two big toes up ;) It's fantastic. Run, don't walk, to the store to get the ingredients NOW!

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger and Lime

2009-02-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

This recipe is another that is not new to us. We saw it cooked on Food 911 on the Food Network years ago (back when that show came on) and have been enjoying it ever since. My husband James cooked it for our Valentine's Day meal. Enjoy.

Pan-Seared Tuna with Avocado, Soy, Ginger, and Lime
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Show: Food 911
Episode: Party of One

2 big handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, grated
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Pinch sugar
Tony's cajun seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (6-ounce) block sushi-quality tuna
1 ripe avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, and sliced

In a mixing bowl, combine the cilantro, jalapeno,ginger, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir the
ingredients together until well incorporated. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tuna generously with Tony's, garlic and onion powders. Lay the tuna in the hot oil and sear for 1 minute on each side to form a slight crust. Serve the seared tuna with the sliced avocado and the cilantro sauce drizzled over the whole plate.

The Ingredients

The raw tuna steak all seasoned up!

Sizzling

The sauce simmering

mmmmm avocados!!

The finished product

Gorgeous!!

Notes and The Verdict: MAKE SURE you use sashimi grade yellowfin tuna. Tuna is supposed to be cooked medium rare for best flavor and you don't want fishy tasting stuff that might make you sick. Don't skimp! We paired ours with asparagus and some chicken fried rice that my parents happened to have in their fridge. It was FANTASTIC! A nice red wine went great with it.

Beef Stroganoff

2009-02-11T09:49:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time in a land far far away.... just kidding. But I really do have a story behind Beef Stroganoff. When my husband James asked me out for our first date, he invited me over to his house for dinner. I asked what he was cooking and he responded with "meat and noodles." It turned out to be Beef Stroganoff and it was very good. But oddly enough, that was the last time we had it, six years ago!

Yesterday I was trying to think of something good for supper and went on the Food Network website. One of the first things to catch my eye was Beef Stroganoff. I used Paula Deen's recipe and tweaked a few things to my liking. I'll put notes on what I did differently. Here it is:

Link to her recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/beef-stroganoff-recipe/index.html

Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds cubed round steak, cut into thin strips (I used a ribeye steak)
House Seasoning, recipe follows (I just seasoned with Tony's, salt, garlic powder and onion powder)
All-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can beef broth (I used Beef Stock)
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
Salt and black pepper
1 cup sour cream
Cooked egg noodles
Directions
Season the steak strips with House Seasoning, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, quickly brown them on both sides in the olive oil and butter. Remove the steak from the pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan drippings. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the steak back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix the ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Yields: 1 1/2 cups

Notes: I left the recipe for her house seasoning in just in case you want to use that, as the recipe calls for. I used Tony Chachere's seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. After reading the reviews of her recipe before cooking, I decided to use a ribeye steak (available at Wal-Mart in a package of one) for more tender meat. I also used beef stock instead of broth, following recommendation of one of the reviews. And finally, I added a splash of white wine for a little extra something!

The ingredients

One ribeye, cut into thin slices

Onions and mushrooms cooking

The finished meal

The verdict: Very tasty. The sauce had a great flavor, I was a little disappointed that it wasn't darker though. Stroganoff tends to be more of a light brown sauce and this one wasn't. That would easily have been fixed by adding a bit of browning liquid but I didn't feel like messing with that. It tasted great and will definitely be served again!

Crack in a Cup

2009-01-30T20:30:00.001-08:00

As I write this post, I'm enjoying the latest delicacy known as "Crack in a Cup." No, crack is not involved and it doesn't mean chipped china either! Crack in a Cup is something I came across online one day on a message board for new moms (I'm a new mom). It's sort of a make at home version of the instant one-serving microwave desserts mass-produced and available at your local supermarket. Only you have the stuff to make this at home, it's simple and I'm sure variations could be made. Unfortunately I forgot my camera behind on my latest trip home to visit family, so I am unable to take pictures at this time. I think you can imagine the beauty of it though. Ready to get addicted?

Crack in a Cup

Chocolate mug cake = crack in a cup

1 Coffee Mug
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
Sprinkle of baking powder
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon oil
Small splash of vanilla

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well .
Pour in the milk, vanilla and oil and mix well.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 1 minute on high.

If you're feeling wild, go ahead and add a squirt of whipped topping or a scoop of ice cream.

Verdict:
Oh.My.God. For a cake that takes less than 1 minute to make in a coffee mug, it's pretty darn good. Sure it's not as good as that sinful dessert all of us Carnival Cruisers enjoyed so much, but it's pretty darn good. I went crazy and added the whipped topping. I'm thinking interesting variations would be to maybe add some chocolate chips, some of those Andes chocolate mint pieces or even peanut butter chips. Super delish for stuff you had laying around the house anyway!

Blogger's Note RE: Cowboy Caviar

2009-01-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to note how crazy/amazing it is that my blog gets so many hits for people looking up Cowboy Caviar. I literally get dozens of people per day! Yet, NOBODY has left a comment. Not sure if that's a good thing or not! Just funny :)

Christen's Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

2009-01-19T20:10:00.000-08:00

Before I start with this recipe, let me just say that this is NOT a healthy recipe. I feel really guilty because I've been trying to lose weight and have lost about 7 lbs since a couple of weeks ago. I have a feeling that all went byebye! I have been craving a really really good cheeseburger. Today, my wish was fulfilled! I didn't originally plan to include this recipe on the blog because it is SO unhealthy but it was so dang good, my husband James is making me include it! So that's the reason behind the lack of pictures, we only have a pic of the finished product. Enjoy.

Christen's Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef
a few slices raw bacon
1/2 yellow onion, cut into slices
8 slivers of Cabot's Vermont White Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt - to taste
1 tsp minced garlic
1 egg
breadcrumbs - you really have to eyeball this, no measuring
1 tbsp beer
four pats butter, with Tony's seasoning sprinkled over the top of them

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine ground beef, seasonings, minced garlic, egg, and beer. Add enough breadcrumbs to hold the mixture together well. With your hand, score the mixture into four equal sections (making an X basically). Remove one section, pat it into a ball and then break it in half. Pat one half into a flat patty shape. Place one pat butter in the middle of this, set aside and pat the other half into a flat patty shape. Place this one on top of the other one and press the sides together, sealing the butter pat inside. Do the same with the other three sections of meat mixture. (Note: You can do this in advance if you are going to be cooking for guests, just keep the meat patties in the refrigerator until ready to cook.)

In a non-stick skillet, fry bacon until cooked to your liking. Set on paper towels to drain. Do not discard the bacon grease. In the same pan, cook the onions until tender, you can set these on the same paper towels as the bacon.

Again in the same pan, cook the hamburger patties, flipping to evenly cook each side. When they are pretty much cooked, place two slices of the sharp cheddar cheese on top of each patty and cover the skillet until the steam melts the cheese. Remove and set each patty on a plate. Eat on buns with desired condiments and the bacon and onions.

The Verdict: Two very very enthusiastic thumbs up. While this recipe is absolutely as unhealthy as you can get, it's awesome. The butter makes the meat cook inside by melting and bubbling, so the burger doesn't get dry. While I would only cook something this bad for you maybe once a year, it was definitely worth the seven days of workouts I'm going to have to do to keep it off! Soooooo good!!!!

Going Greens!

2009-01-13T21:14:00.000-08:00

All good Southern girls love greens. Spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, swiss chard, it's all good! My daddy is the best at this stuff but I decided to try it today so I called and asked him how to cook them and here's how it came out!

Gerry’s Mustard Greens

2 grocery sacks full of mustard greens
1 Ham Steak (with bone)
1 onion, chopped
3 Tblsp. oil
Salt to taste

Preparation: Remove stems from greens. Soak greens in one side of sink covered in water. When they are clean, pick them out by hand, allowing water to drain off, then place them in other side of sink. Drain dirty water from other sink, clean, then refill with water. Place greens back into water and wash again. When clean, drain sink again.

Meanwhile, put oil into large pot, place onions into oil and simmer till softened. Place ham steak in a skillet and sear on both sides till browned. Cut into cubes, leaving meat around the bone. Place ham into large pot with onions.

Now, with the large pot on a #7 setting, place a double-handful of greens into pot. Sprinkle a little salt over greens. After greens wilt down, stir them into the onions and meat. Add another double-handful of greens and do the same each time, till all the greens are cooked.
Note: I only add salt to every other handful of greens as I put them into the pot.

This is less than half of what I bought - I bought 8 bushels in all. This was 3.

This was the ham steak I used. Sorry, I had already put a few pieces in the pot!

Greens in the pot - before I realized I was supposed to put a little in at a time!

Greens cooking!

Verdict: Delightfully Delicious! My dad knows what he's doing with veggies. James had some when he came home from work and he loved them, so this is a keeper recipe!

Hot Dog Chili

2009-01-13T21:02:00.000-08:00

Yeah that's right, no canned stuff here! This recipe actually is not a new one to me, but I thought I'd share anyway. About a year ago, James and I watched a show on the Food Network about the best hot dogs across America. So many people raved about this place Pink's in California and said it was their chili that made it so great. So I looked online and found a recipe that was supposed to be similar to theirs. If it is or not, I can't say since I've never had the real deal. But this is a good one. Sorry, it's been a long time so I can't divulge the source of this recipe but I will say that it is not a Christen original. Once you have it though, you'll never go back to the canned junk!

Chili for Hot Dogs

1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Brown beef, garlic and onion in skillet. Cook until tender. Place portion at a time in blender and blend a few seconds.

Put meat mixture back into pot and add tomato paste, water, vinegar, Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Add cinnamon, chili powder, and cumin.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer at least 30 minutes.

Stir occasionally and add a small amount more water if needed.

The ingredients

The Chili

Verdict: Like I said, this is not new to us but oh so good! We both love it. We'll never buy another can of chili! A note though, for anyone with an immersion mixer - those work superb in this recipe!

Seafood Gumbo

2009-01-04T19:42:00.000-08:00

I know, it's a tragedy that I am 28 years old, from South Louisiana and before today I had never cooked a seafood gumbo. Sure I ate plenty, but never cooked myself! Seafood gumbo can be hard on the pocketbook, so I always cooked chicken and sausage gumbo. Today I decided to change that and started looking through my cookbooks for the recipe to try. This recipe came out of the Best of the Best of Louisiana cookbook and was submitted by River Roads Recipes II.

For those that don't know, The Best of the Best of Louisiana cookbook is a compilation of all of the very best recipes of the "Louisiana style" cookbooks. So I knew this would be good! If you are ever looking for a good cookbook, this is THE one to get! Here is the recipe:

Seafood Gumbo

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) can tomatoes, undrained
1.5 pounds frozen okra or equivalent fresh
Oil for frying okra
2 quarts hot water
3.5 tablespoons salt
3/4 teaspoon red pepper
1 large bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
8-10 allspice berries
Few grains chile pepper
2 pounds headless raw shrimp, peeled
1 pound claw crabmeat, picked
1 pint oysters
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Make a very dark roux with oil and flour in a large heavy pot. Add onion and garlic. Cook slowly until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes, and cook on low heat until oil rises to the top (about 30 minutes), stirring frequently. In separate skillet, fry okra in oil on moderately high heat, stirring constantly until okra is no longer stringy. Add the okra to the other mixture, stir and simmer about 10 minutes. Add water, salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes. Add other seasonings and simmer an additional 20 minutes, then add the shrimp and simmer 15 minutes; then add crabmeat, simmering 15 minutes more. Add the oysters the last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste carefully for seasoning, adding more if necessary. Remove from fire and stir in green onions and parsely. Serve over rice. Variations may be made by adding different seafoods, sausages, or poultry. Serves 8-10.
River Road Recipes II

The Verdict: For the tomatoes I used 2 cans original Rotel tomatoes. It gave it a little extra kick. I also used 1 quart chicken broth in place of 1 of the quarts of water. It made it a bit thicker and a little richer I think, which I really liked. However, next time I would use the low-sodium variety of chicken broth because it made the gumbo a little salty. Still delicious though! I will definitely be making this again! James loved it as well :) This definitely gets two thumbs up!

Cowboy Caviar

2008-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:00

In honor of New Years fast approaching, today's recipe is for Cowboy Caviar. This eclectic dip uses one of the traditional New Years Day ingredients - black eye peas. If your idea of getting wild and crazy is getting green onion dip instead of French onion dip, then maybe this isn't for you. We, however, love trying new and different foods.

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients:

1 can jalapeno black-eyed peas, drained
1 can jalapeno pinto beans, drained
1 can white shoe-peg corn, drained
1 small red onion, diced small
1 cup green bell pepper, diced small

1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. red pepper
1 Tblsp. water
¼ cup oil
1 cup sugar
¾ cup apple cider Vinegar

Combine top 5 ingredients into a bowl and drain again, then set aside. Put remaining 6 ingredients into a pot, stir, and bring to a boil. Remove from fire and cool. After mixture is cool, add to mixture in bowl, stirring thoroughly. Serve with scoop tortilla chips.

What the canned ingredients looked like.

What it looked like before adding the liquid.

What the sauce looked like.

The finished product.

The Verdict: James and I both really liked it. As previously mentioned, this is a different type of dip so I wouldn't make this for a picky eater! The original recipe called for a cup of chopped celery, which I forgot to add. You can do that if you want, I'm sure it will still be good. Overall, this gets the two thumbs up rating!

Blogger's Note RE: Cowboy Caviar

I just wanted to note how crazy/amazing it is that my blog gets so many hits for people looking up Cowboy Caviar. I literally get dozens of people per day! Yet, NOBODY has left a comment. Not sure if that's a good thing or not! Just funny :)

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-12-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

I apologize before you read any further that I completely had a brain fart today and did not take pictures as I went with the chicken enchiladas. I'm afraid that's something that I have to get used to. In fact, we had already eaten when I realized I hadn't taken any at all! This is a recipe I got out of the Paula Deen magazine. So that said, here it is:

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken (I bought the TYSON cooked chicken in chunks, by the prepackaged lunchmeat and bacon and stuff)
1 can medium enchilada sauce
1 package cream cheese, softened
½ cup chopped onions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used the mexi cheese for both of these cheeses)
1 package 10-inch flour tortillas
1 (10.75 oz) can Campbell ’s Southwest-style pepper jack soup
1 (8 oz) jar picante sauce or your favorite salsa. (I used the On the Border brand)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, enchilada sauce, cream cheese, and onion, stirring to combine. Add 1 cup Cheddar cheese and ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese. Spoon mixture evenly down center of each tortilla; roll up tortillas and place seam side down in prepared baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine remaining cheese, soup and picante sauce. Spoon mixture evenly over tortillas. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Note: I could not find the Campbell's Southwest-style pepper jack soup so I substituted their Fiesta Cheese and it was fine.

Verdict: Another dish with the two enthusiastic thumbs up rating. It was really easy to make, didn't take much time and only dirtied two bowls and a casserole. Cleanup was easy and James liked it a lot!

First post! Mint Chocolate Cookies

2008-12-29T19:55:00.001-08:00

Welcome to the first post of Cooking With Christen! I've always LOVED to cook and share recipes with other appreciators of yummy food so I figured this is the perfect way to do that.

Today's recipe is one I acquired while at a cookie swap with some girl friends in Baton Rouge. Thanks for the recipe, Tiffany! To me it tasted just like a Girl Scout cookie and I couldn't wait to try making it myself. She had made about a million of them for the cookie swap, so I cut her recipe in half, which is below.

Mint Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant devil's food pudding mix (couldn't find it so used chocolate)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 bag Andes Mint chocolate chips

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the Andes Mint chocolate chips. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Edges should be golden brown. Mine made 4.5 dozen.

My oven is set to 350 degrees.

This is what my dough looked like (two dozen had already been baked by this point)

This is what they looked like before baking...

And this is what the finished product looked like!

Verdict: Absolutely delicious and pretty easy to make! Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!