February 25, 2013


It has been cold, dreary, rainy, and now snowy here in Oklahoma so, tonight's meal was pure comfort food a nice hearty meal.  I wanted to share my baked chicken and dressing recipe but, had trouble writing it down because, I just throw it all together and it happens to turn out tasty.  I then, went looking on my boards for a recipe this one comes from www.goodnessgracious.com .  She says she adapted it from Gooseberry Patch's Big Book of Home Cooking.  My recipe is loosely based on this same one.

                                                            Chicken and Dressing Casserole

1 stick butter or margarine
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped celery
2 c. cornbread crumbs
2 c. bread crumbs/stuffing mix
10 oz can cream of chicken
      sage to taste
2c. cubed cooked chicken
10 oz jar gravy

Melt butter in skillet.
Add celery and onion cook until tender.
Remove from heat and add bread crumbs, cornbread crumbs, soup, chicken and sage.
Mix contents and pour into a casserole dish.
Pour gravy over top.
Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

My note:  Like I said this is loosely based on my recipe.  I do not use the bread crumbs so, it would be 4 cups of cornbread crumbs maybe just a bit more if needed.  I always use a can of cream of celery along with the cream of chicken, and I use poultry season with just a hit of sage.  I make my own gravy using chicken stock.  I like cornbread stuffing it's just my preference I always save cornbread when I fix it just crumble and freeze until needed.

If you have ever eaten at a Charlie's Chicken you need to try their baked chicken and dressing then go home and make this version.  We do theme dinner's at Christmas and Charlie's Chicken was our theme this year.  Each of the kids picked out their favorite side and we had dinner :)  Enjoy!!!

                                                                    February 23, 2013


I finally got that lasagna I talked about when I made a big batch of my meat sauce :)  I posted about that just a couple recipe's down.  I just defrosted some sauce and made a pan of lasagna.  I like to use cottage cheese instead of ricotta when making lasagna.  I usually mix about 2 cups cottage cheese with 1 egg, some garlic powder, pepper, and around a cup of parmesan cheese.  Mix it all together and assemble your lasagna.

I served it with a small salad and some garlic bread.  Pretty tasty stuff if I do say so :)  Enjoy!!!

                                                                    February 21, 2013

I have to add that last night's dinner was a repeat of the rotell chicken spaghetti that I posted a while back I'm telling you it's that good anyways, moving on :)  I woke up this morning and walked into my kitchen looked out the window and low and behold lots of snow on the ground yuk!!!  I really, really hate cold weather and I do believe that the stork dropped me on the wrong continent :)  As I , stared out the window chicken chili came to mind I know we had soup on Monday but, we could have soup every night during winter it's just a warming meal.  I have several recipes for chicken chili this one comes from www.bhg.com .  It is also for the slow cooker I,  just cooked it on the stove.  I didn't realize it was a slow cooker meal until I started fixing it.  I just had all the ingredients and said that's the one maybe it helps to read the recipe through sometimes :)

                                                            White Chicken Chili

3 (15 oz) cans great northern, pinto or cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 1/2 c. chicken
1 1/2 c. chopped red, green, and /or yellow sweet peppers, 2 medium
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
3 1/2 c. chicken broth

In a 3 1/2-4 quart slow cooker combine beans, chicken, sweet peppers, onion, jalapeno, cumin, garlic, salt, and oregano.  Pour broth over mixture in cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
Serve with desired toppings.

My note:  Like I said above I didn't realize it was a slow cooker meal so, if doing this on the stove top you would have to saute your sweet peppers and jalapeno in a little olive oil or butter would work also.  I decided to omit both peppers all together and use a can of rotell tomatoes.  I got the soup going and let it simmer while I baked some cornbread.

The soup was delicious.  I had some for supper the next night because the bearded fella and I decided to go to the race track and have some fun :) Enjoy!!!!!

                                                                     February 19, 2013

Tonight's dinner was another freezer meal from www.sixsistersstuff.com .  I also, have been reading on some other blogs about freezer meals and I found out that they don't have to be totally defrosted before,  you put them in the crock pot just defrosted enough to get out of the bag.  You might have to adjust your cooking time tho depending on how froze the meal still is.

                                                         Black Bean Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef, turkey works fine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg. mild taco seasoning mix
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
1 (16oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained, could use kidney or pinto beans
2 (14 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 (4oz) can diced green chilies

Brown meat and onion, drain.  Let meat cool for a few minutes, then dump into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
Dump the remaining ingredients into the bag mix together, and zip closed.
When ready to eat, defrost 24 hours in the fridge.  Cook on high 1-2 hours or low 2-3 1/2 hours.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and guacamole.

My note:  I used black beans and pinto beans, and I make my own taco seasoning the recipe is a few posts back other than that the recipe was done as written :)

I just served the soup with sour cream and some cheddar cheese.  I really like this recipe and might just switch this one for the one I usually make.  Enjoy!!!!

                                                                          February 18, 2013

We had a pretty simple dinner tonight using the leftover Parmesan chicken.  I turned it into Parmesan chicken alfredo.  I used a bottled alfredo sauce I know, just wanted to go simple and use up some leftovers.  It was good tho so, that's a plus :)

I put the chicken on a cooling rack and put back in the oven for about 20 minutes to crisp it back up.  And as you can see added some peas for color.  Made a perfect dinner for a cold night.  Enjoy!!!!!

                                                                 February 16, 2013

This, Saturday morning I was watching the usual shows on Food Network and Ree Drummond came on and she made her lasagna.  Well, that got me thinking about lasagna and I decided to make a batch of my meat sauce a big batch so that, I could freeze some to have on hand when I needed spaghetti sauce.  I never got to make lasagna because, I didn't have all the ingredients but, they are on my grocery list.

                                                         My Spaghetti Sauce

2 pounds ground chuck
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, grated (for sweetness)
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes with basil
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 (4 oz) cans mushrooms, drained and chopped (optional)
Garlic, chopped, diced, minced, sliced anyway ya want and as much as you want.  I used 9, grated.
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. oregano, crushed
pinch of cayenne
3 Tbls. dried parsley
4 c. beef stock
       salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat, drain if necessary.  Add onions, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves cook until fragrant.  Add mushrooms, oregano, cayenne, parsley, salt, and pepper.  Stir to combine.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock.  Stir to combine, bring to a boil.  Cover turn to simmer and let cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
Remove bay leaves adjust salt and pepper if needed.

If freezing let cool completely and store in freezer bags or any other container that can go in the freezer.   Most spaghetti sauce recipes that I have looked at all call for sugar to balance out the acid of the tomatoes that is why I use carrots and if I don't have them I use around a tsp. of  honey.

Since it was about lunch time I cooked some shells according to the package directions, drained added about 4 ounces of cream cheese and 2 cups of my sauce.  I then, put that mixture in a
9 x 9 baking dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray.  Topped that with cheese and baked at 375 for about 20 minutes until it was hot and bubbly.   I also, made some garlic bread using pizza dough, butter, garlic powder and lots of cheese.  Mix the garlic and butter together spread on the pizza dough top with cheese and roll it up.  Bake according to the directions let sit for a bit and cut into slices.

I now have sauce in the freezer for that lasagna or whatever else I wanna make :)  After cooking most of the morning I decided I would just make something simple of dinner.  My parmesan chicken thighs are just that.  Since, we both had been busy most of the day this was a simple dish that we could munch on while watching Saturday night t.v.

                                                     Parmesan Chicken Thighs

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 c. parmesan cheese, the bottled stuff works fine here because it's super fine
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
pinch of cayenne
ground black pepper about 5 turns
    I do not add salt because of the cheese itself is salty
Mix all ingredients well

Heat enough oil in the bottom of a non-stick pan to medium-high.  Dredge the chicken in the cheese mixture coating each piece really well.  When oil is hot place chicken in pan and do not mess with it until it is time to turn and that will be when the oil side starts browning, flip and let cook until brown, flip again for just a few minutes, flip again for a few minutes more.  They really don't take long to cook.  I bet you could do the same thing with chicken tenders or cutlets.  Sometimes if I have buttermilk I will, soak the thighs in buttermilk and some hot sauce for a couple of hours drain them really well and dredge in the mixture and fry them up.  Serve with marinara, honey mustard and or ranch dressing.

They truly are delish and I have made these time and again sometimes with a side and sometimes as something to munch on.  Enjoy!!!

                                                                        February 15, 2013

Yesterday was, Valentine's Day.  I didn't cook we went out for mexican food bet that's a shocker to most people that know me :)  So, tonight's meal was another freezer meal from www.sixsistersstuff.com .  I've said this before about the freezer meal that the original directions say defrost for 24 hours in the fridge and it does take at least 48 hours.  So, you will need to take the meal out a couple of days in advance.

                                                                       Chicken Cacciatore

1 pound chicken breasts
1 (26 oz) jar chunky veggie-style spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped

Place all ingredients in resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
When ready to eat thaw in fridge 24 hours.
Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Serve with cooked spaghetti noodles.  Garnish with black olives and Parmesan cheese.

I ended up just serving it straight from the crock pot without any noodles to go with it.  The meat was tender and juicy but, it really did need some noodles or rice oh well, there's always next time.  Enjoy!!

                                                                February 13, 2013

I had already defrosted some chicken over the weekend and never got around to using it so, tonight's meal is chicken and comes from www.shewearsmanyhats.com . I served it with some roasted asparagus.

                                                                 Honey and Soy Baked Chicken Thighs

3 Tbls. olive oil
3 Tbls. soy sauce
5 Tbls. honey
4 cloves garlic, minced (or substitute 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
3 pounds (approximately) chicken thighs (or preferred chicken meat)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425.
Mix first 6 ingredients together in a large plastic zip-top storage bag.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the chicken to bag making sure to coat each piece.
Place chicken in fridge to marinate.
When ready to cook, pour chicken in a baking dish, bake chicken in a 425 oven for 25 minutes with skin side up.  Turn the chicken and cook another 15 minutes.  Then, turn the chicken again to skin side up and finish cooking another 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
Cook until internal temp is 165.

My note:  I did this recipe exactly as it says.  For the roasted asparagus I snapped the ends, rinsed them and put on a roasting pan with olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  I tossed them together and baked them for about 20 minutes I like mine crispy.

I will have to say they were yummy and my house smelled really good while they were cooking I always consider that a good thing when trying a new recipe!!!  Enjoy !!!!

                                                                   February 12, 2013


I've said it before and I'll say it again I am obsessed with the special food magazines at the check out counters :)  That being said again I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped up to the counter and saw Better Homes and Gardens Mexican!!!  Of course, I grabbed it up.  I love all things mexican and wold eat it everyday.  So, would my kids not so much the bearded fella.  Although, I do have a couple of recipe's for carnitas pinned I decided to do the one out of my new magazine as it, seemed to fit my purpose for the day.   Carnitas are porky goodness by the way so, I decided to take it one step further and make pickled onions to go with them.  Here are both of those recipes.

                                                                   Carnitas

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
2 Tbls. lard or vegetable oil
1/3 c. chopped onion (1 small)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 c. water
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1/2 c. orange juice
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. mexican oregano or regular, crushed
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 bay leaves

Trim fat from meat.  Cut meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes.  In a Dutch oven cook meat, half at a time, in hot lard over medium-high heat, stirring to brown evenly.  Remove meat from Dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic to pan, cook until lightly browned and tender.  Return meat to Dutch oven.
Add the water, orange peel, orange juice, thyme, salt, oregano, crushed red pepper, and bay leaves to Dutch oven.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer covered, for 2 hours.
Remove lid; increase heat so mixture boils gently.  Cook uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until nearly all of the liquid has evaporated, gently stirring occasionally.  Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a serving bowl.

My note:  After removing the lid to continue the cooking process it really didn't take long for the liquid to disappear and be really careful when stirring at this point because, the meat literally starts to fall apart.

                                                                   Quick Pickled Red Onions
                                                                    (Gebolias Encurtidas)

1 red onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1/4 c. grapefruit juice
2 Tbls. orange juice
2 Tbls. lime juice
1 tsp. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1tsp. mexican oregano or regular oregano, crushed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

Preheat broiler.  Arrange red onion slices on a baking sheet.  Broil 4-5 inches from heat for 8-10 minutes or until charred and tender, turning once halfway through broiling time.  When cool enough to handle, separate onion into rings, discarding any large dry blackened pieces.
In a medium bowl combine onion, grapefruit juice, orange juice, lime juice, salt, oregano, garlic, and pepper.  Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours before serving.

My note:  I am embarrassed to say this but, I don't know how my broiler works I know maybe someday I will figure it out.  Anyway I just heated the oven to 450 and cooked the onions as if they were in the broiler worked just fine!!!

I served these little morsel's of goodness with corn tortilla's, guacamole, cheese, salsa, and the pickled onions.  Although, I heated up the corn tortilla's we didn't used them instead,  the bearded fella and I opted to just fork the meat and dip it in any condiment that was handy.  They were so damn good we almost ate all of them.  They would make a good sandwich topped with the onions which were delish also, tart and tangy just like a pickle should be.  I liked the grapefruit for pickling quite a different but, really nice tang. I did make the onions first thing in the morning so, they would have lots of time to reach their flavor potential before dinner :)  I will be making these again and again maybe for that summer BBQ!!!!  Enjoy!!

                                                       

                                                              February 11, 2013


On Monday, I woke up with vegetable soup on the brain since, I'm still feeling under the weather I thought that sounded really good.  Off to pinterest I went in search of a veggie soup recipe.  I really tried to find one that would fit all my needs and also the veggies I had on hand.  I couldn't find one that I wanted to use so, I used my own recipe.  I tell you it's hard to write down your own recipe maybe, I should try it more often.  So, here it is!!!!

                                                             Vegetable Soup

2 Tbls. butter
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or minced
3 c. diced potatoes, about 3 large
1 c. frozen carrots
6 c. beef stock, divided
1 1/2 c. peas, corn, green beans, frozen
1 c. zucchini, sliced
1 box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
           salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbls. Italian seasoning
2 Tbls. dried parsley
2 bay leaves
1 Tbls. seasoned salt
1 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. hot sauce

Melt 2 Tbls. butter over medium heat, add onion saute until tender add garlic, salt and pepper stir cook, another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Add potatoes and enough stock to just cover them.  Add bay leaf and carrots.  Put lid on raise heat and let come to a boil, remove lid and cook until potatoes are just tender about 10 minutes.
Once potatoes are tender add Italian seasoning, seasoned salt, parsley flakes, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  Stir to combine.
Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and rest of veggies, and stock, stir to combine bring to a boil reduce, and let simmer about 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

I used beef stock just because I like the flavor but, you could use any stock you like.  If you wanted to add beef to this you could do that also just saute the beef with the onions and continue with the rest of recipe.  I served the soup with plain ol cornbread.  Enjoy!!!

                                                        February 9, 2013

What I fixed for dinner tonight is popular on pinterest I see it all the time and it comes from www.thecountrycook.com . 

                                                        Taco Bake

1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
   water as called for on taco packet
1/2 c. salsa con queso
1 1/2 c. shredded mexican cheese blend

Brown and crumble ground beef.  Drain excess grease.
Add in taco seasoning and water. (follow directions on back of seasoning packet)
Once the taco meat is ready, turn off heat and add 1/2 c. salsa con queso.  give it a good stir, until thoroughly combined.
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8-inch round baking pan with nonstick spray.
Layer the bottom of pan with a flour tortilla.  Now add about 1/3 of the ground beef taco filling on the first layer.  Then add 1/3 of the shredded cheese.
Continue until you are done with all layers: another tortilla, more taco mixture, more cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes.
Until cheese is melted and edges are slightly golden brown.

The original post says to use a mild salsa con queso cause the beef mixture is already spicy.  She also uses a spring form pan. 

My note:  I added a can of rinsed and drained black beans just because I wanted to.  My spring form pan is 9-inch so I used a pie pan.  I also, make my own taco seasoning.  I used less than a 1/4 c. of water.  I do believe that is what the packet says.

This is a really gooey, cheesy plate of goodness.  It will go into my recipe book as a keeper.  I served it with a boxed spanish rice. My recipe for taco seasoning is a few posts back if you wanna make your own.   Enjoy!!!!

                                                         February 8, 2013

If you watch the Big Bang Theory and there is a Cheesecake Factory around you you've gone there just to see if they actually wear those ugly uniform's.  Well, they don't and the food is outta this world not to mention the fantastic cheesecake's they have.  We have been there twice and both times I have said I wanted the banana pudding cheesecake well, when they ask me something totally different comes outta my mouth.  I have yet to have that cheesecake but, I will one day.  Most people that know me know I can't scratch bake.  It is one of my resolutions to do better at it.  This next recipe is from www.beta.abc.go.com .  Which happens to be The Chew another one of my favorite shows.  And you got it it's banana pudding cheesecake.

                                                   Banana Pudding Cheesecake

     For the crust:
1 1/2 c. Vanilla Wafer Cookies (finely crushed)
6 Tbls. melted unsalted butter
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

     For the filling:
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (softened)
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 tsp. banana extract
1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about 3)
    1 sliced banana

Preheat oven to 350.  Butter a 9-inch round spring form pan.
For the crust:  In a medium bowl, stir together the crumbs with the butter, sugar and cinnamon.  Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and partially up the sides of the prepared pan.  Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool on a wire rack.
For the filling:  Combine the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice in a bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and stir in sour cream, banana extract, and mashed bananas.
Pour the banana mixture into the prepared crust.  Bake for 1 hour, or until center is set and firm.  Turn off the oven and open the door.  Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature in the oven.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Garnish with banana slices.

I don't know if this one taste just like the Cheesecake Factory but, it's pretty darn tasty.  I'm also glad it turned out so, my baking experience was a hit can't wait to bake something else from scratch.  Enjoy!!!!!!

                                                                 February 7, 2013


Today, I did another one of the freezer meals I posted awhile back.  They come from www.sixsistersstuff.com .  All of the freezer meals say defrost for 24 hours it is more like 48 hours so, just take them out a couple of days before cooking them.

                                          French Dip Sandwiches

2-3 pound chuck roast
2 (14.5 oz) cans beef consomme (soup aisle)
6-8 hoagie rolls

Place roast in freezer bag and pour consomme on top.
When ready to eat thaw in the fridge 24 hours.
Cook on low 8-11 hours or high 5-7 hours.
Remove roast reserving liquid.  Shred meat and serve on buns.
Melt provolone or swiss cheese on top.

My note:  I put the liquid through a fine mesh strainer before serving.  And, I used kaiser rolls.

Very tasty meal and the Au jus is spot on you could drink it cause it's that good.  I melted provolone cheese on top.  Enjoy!!!!

                                                     February 6, 2013

When I woke up this morning I had cabbage on my mind don't really know why cause, I'm not a big fan of it cooked.  The bearded fella on the other hand loves it.  I had some in the fridge that I had used on another recipe and since I really hate to waste food decided I'd make a soup something we both could eat so, I went looking for a recipe on my soup board and I,  was looking for something specific and I found it this recipe comes from www.mytastytreasures.blogspot.com .  I wanted a soup that would mimic a cabbage roll.  I was pleasantly surprised when I found this as it is a Rachael Ray recipe and I have made it before.  If you have a spare moment go read her original post I laughed so hard I bout fell outta my chair.  It's all about the tooting factor that goes along with eating cabbage :)

                                        Stuffed Cabbage Soup

4 Tbls. Olive oil, divided
1 c. raw white rice
1 quart plus 2 c. chicken stock divided
1 1/2 pounds meatloaf mix
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. coriander
2 tsp. smoked paprika
   salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, thinly sliced and chopped
3/4 pound head of Savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 c. tomato sauce
        handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
3 Tbls. dill, finely chopped

For the rice:  Heat a sauce pan over medium heat with 2 Tbls. olive oil.  Add the rice and toss to coat.  Add 2 c. of chicken stock, bring to a simmer , cover and cook 16-18 minutes or until rice is tender.
Heat a soup pot over medium high heat.  Add the remaining olive oil, once hot add the meat and begin to brown 2-3 minutes.  Season the meat with allspice, coriander, smoked paprika,, salt and pepper.  Add bay leaf, onion, garlic and carrots.  Cook veggies 2-3 minutes until they start to soften, then add cabbage let it wilt a bit.  Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and remaining stock cover the pot.  Raise the heat and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.  Once the rice is done, add to the soup and continue to simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in your parsley and dill, adjust salt and pepper to taste.  Serve

My note:  I didn't use the meatloaf mix just some ground chuck.  I also, didn't have fresh dill or parsley so, I used around a tablespoon of parsley and around a teaspoon of dill. I didn't have carrots either I used some frozen butternut squash that I had.   Oh and, I used just plain ole cabbage.

This soup does taste like a cabbage roll without all of the fuss of making the rolls.  I served it with buttermilk biscuits.  The bearded fella had two bowls and ate it for lunch the next day. Enjoy!!!!!

I really couldn't decide what to fix for dinner tonight I thought about, going with a soup again and then I remembered I had some already cooked chicken in the fridge.  I wanted something fast and easy so, I went looking for something with chicken and found this recipe from www.cassiecraves.blogspot.com and her post said the recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Garden.

                                        Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

1 pound mastaccioli or other short pasta
6 bacon strips, diced
1 Tbls. butter
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
2 Tbls. all purpose flour
1 packet ranch dressing mix
2 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
   salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, return to pot and keep warm.
Meanwhile cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Drain all but 1 Tbls. of drippings from pan.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Add butter to reserved drippings, then add chicken to the same skillet.  Cook until tender, not longer pink and slightly browned.
Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly.  Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly.  Stir in cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon, cook and stir until cheese is melted.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
Add the cheese sauce to the reserved pasta and stir to combine.  Serve each plate of pasta with more bacon sprinkled over top.  Green onions would also be a delicious topping.

My note:  Since I had precooked chicken and bacon I made the cheese sauce using leftover bacon grease and butter just like it said to and added everything to it.  I used bowtie pasta as you can see by the picture.   Made it faster which was what I wanted.  I also, added some peas for some green didn't have any green onions must be time to go grocery shopping.

I served the pasta with just garlic bread very tasty dish.  Glad I came across it when hunting for something to eat.  Can't wait to see how the leftovers heat up for lunch tomorrow.  Enjoy!!!

One of the first pins I pinned on Pinterest was the organization of your spice cabinet and I thought the idea was ingenious.  The idea is to put your spices in baby food jars paint the lids with chalkboard paint and store in a drawer.  I wanted to post pics here but, couldn't find the original post well when I logged off the other day there it was.  This comes from www.frugaldecormom.blogspot.com .

I used small jelly jars and I used the labels that came with them.  These are all my favorite spices and I knew I most likely would not be changing the names.  The chalkboard paint would be a nice addition to the jars tho.  I put them in two narrow drawers that were just used for catchall stuff so, this worked out great and I love it!!!!!!  Oh yea, the reason I used jelly jars is I didn't have baby food jars and would have had to eat baby food to get them :)

                                                              February 4, 2013


While making the dip for Superbowl Sunday I got to thinking that the leftovers would make a good soup that is if we had leftovers and we did but, not much so I had to bulk it up a bit.  Here's the recipe.

                                                    Leftover Black Bean Soup

2 Tbls. Olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 c. frozen carrots
1 c. frozen corn
1 can rotell tomatoes, undrained
Leftover black been dip (recipe done on February 3, 2013)
   salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. hot sauce (more if you want)
1 tsp. chopped cilantro
4 c. chicken or veggie broth (I used chicken)
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can navy beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil to medium saute onion, carrots and corn until onions are tender a couple minutes.
Add tomatoes, leftover bean dip, broth and beans, and all seasonings, stir add hot sauce stir some more.
Bring to a slow simmer and heat through.  Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Simmer 10 minutes or until leftover dip has melted stirring occasionally.
Turn off heat and add cilantro.  Serve.

My note:  I served this with cheese quesodillas.  This soup can most likely be made without making the dip but, the dip had cream cheese and cheddar cheese so you might want to add those to the soup to make it creamy. 

I was going for a meatless Monday meal and this fit the bill.  It was also, very tasty.  Enjoy!!!!

                                                              February 3, 2013

Well, it's Superbowl Sunday!!!!  I took a brief road trip with an old friend to the city and to see my daughter.  We had a great time what I remember of it anyway.  I didn't see any pictures posted on FB so, I guess we are good!!!  Before, I left I planned and shopped for our party of two.  I did several small dishes things we could munch on throughout the game.  The dessert if from www.plainchicken.com .  Our game day dip is from www.plus.google.com .  I also, made wings two ways one is a knock off from Buffalo Wild Wings which by the way is one of my all time favorite places to eat but, I digress.  I think that I googled that recipe the next one is from the Food Network magazine.  Their issue had a pull out of 50 different type of wings can't wait to work my way through all of them :)

                                                Pecan Bars

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
2 Tbls. butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 350.
Unroll dough and press in bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9 x 13 inch pan.  Firmly press perforations to seal.  Bake 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Pour filling over partially baked crust.
Bake 18-22 minutes longer or until golden brown.
Cool completely, about 1 hour, cut into bars.

My note:  I didn't change a thing.

I don't bake!! I really am gonna work on that cause I love to cook the baking part eludes me for some reason.  The middle was kinda wobbly when I took them out of the oven so, I just thought they would firm up as they cooled and they did except for the very middle it was still kinda soft all in all tho these are very, very tasty and they filled my craving for pecan pie.  I really can't wait to do this again and maybe change it up a bit.


                                                Razorback Layer Dip

6 oz cream cheese
12 oz can black beans
12 oz can rotell
6 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 300.
Press cream cheese firmly into the bottom of an oven safe dish.
Mix rotell and black beans together, drain both.
Spread evenly over the layer of cream cheese.
Cover beans and rotell with cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

My note:  I used and onion chive cream cheese cause I already had it other than that followed the recipe.

I served this with tortilla and corn chips.  Very tasty, creamy and dreamy dip!!  I'm looking forward to turning the leftovers into a black bean soup for dinner and a meatless Monday meal.


                                                      Wings two ways

Spread 3 pounds of chicken wings (split at the joints, tips removed) on 2 oiled rimmed baking sheets and roast at 425 until very crisp about 45 minutes.

                                                    Honey Mustard (Food Network Mag)

Whisk 1 Tbls. melted butter with 1/3 c. Dijon mustard and 1/4 c. honey toss with the wings and sprinkle with paprika.

                                                     Parmesan Garlic (Googled this one)

1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese.

Toss the wings.

My note:  I added just a bit of hot sauce with the garlic Parmesan wings.  Also, after tossing them I put them back in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Did I mention how much I love wings!!!  The bearded fella and I could not decide which wings we liked better so, we just had fun eating them.  These wings were baked not fried and turned out very crispy and tasty.  The garlic parmesan copycat tasted just like the restaurant they are one of my faves and I order them every time I go there.  Can't wait to do more!!!! Enjoy!!!!!!

                                                                 February 1, 2013

I'm a little behind on posting so, there will be several new ones.  Today was my son's 25th birthday where oh where does the time go.  Happy Birthday Levi!!!  I knew that I would be gone on Saturday and I wanted the bearded fella to have a meal.  I defrosted one of the freezer meals that I had done a few posts back the meals are from www.sixsistersstuff.com . 

                                                  Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
1 (16 oz) bag frozen broccoli florets
2 (16 oz) jars Alfredo sauce (I use light)
1 large green pepper
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag and mix together.
When ready to eat defrost for 24 hours in the fridge.
Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Serve with cooked fettuccine noodles and a green salad with some crusty bread.

My note:  I didn't use the green bell pepper and I was glad I took the bag out of the freezer a couple of days ahead because the chicken was still just a bit frozen.  I also, used ziti as my pasta.

I think I may have cooked this alittle too long the broccoli seemed to melt.  The bearded fella said he liked the pesto chicken I left for him :)  So, it was a hit.  This was also, one of the meals that I got two of can't wait to do it again and I will watch it more closely.  Enjoy!!!!