Food Endeavors

Bruschetta chicken and potatoes

2013-03-31T16:39:00.001-07:00

Maybe one of the easiest dishes I've made and all in one so clean up is easy!

4 red skin potatoes, cubed
1 chicken breast, cubed
1 package McCormick seasoning
2 medium tomatoes, cubed
Oil olive

Place all the ingredients, except tomatoes, in a deep dish pan and stir in oil olive. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. At the timer, stir and add tomatoes for 5-7 minutes. Serve!!
So easy!!

Garvin County Extension Cookbook: Spicy Shrimp Creole

2013-01-13T12:57:00.001-08:00

This recipe is so easy and terrific I made it two days in a row! Possibly one of the simplest recipe I've made. I've attached the original recipe as a picture and will show my adaptations.
1. Sauté green bell pepper, onion and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter until soft.
First recipe I didn't do this long enough and the peppers were still crunchy. PictSweet had pre-chopped onion and green pepper in the frozen foods section.
2. Start a separate saucepan with 2 cups water and 1 cup rice. Add 2 tablespoons of butter. Bring to a boil and then simmer covered until all the water is absorbed. Around 10-15 minutes.
3. To the sautéed veggies, add two small cans of tomato sauce and two cans of chicken broth. Salt, old bay seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.
4. When the rice is done, add to veggies and add one can of corn.
5. Simmer on stove about 10 minutes and then add shrimp and smoked sausage.
6. Eat now or continue to simmer on low until ready to eat.

Garvin County Extension Cookbook: Burrito Cups

2013-01-11T14:41:00.001-08:00

Our county has produced a cookbook for as long as I can remember. In an effort for inspiration, I'm cooking my way through several of the old time recipes. Today's recipe, is burrito cups. This recipe was so easy! I keep browned ground beef frozen in my freezer all the time. It's one of my favorite time saving tips! Mix browned ground beef with one packet of burrito seasoning mix and 1 1/4 cup of water. Simmer 10 mins. Roll and flatten biscuits in muffin tins along the sides and bottom. Spoon mixture into cups. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake @ 375 until brown and cheese melts.
And look!!! 155 calories!!!

An Impromptu Christmas Dinner

2012-12-25T12:57:00.001-08:00

December 25, 2012.
Ice and snow welcomed the Christ child's birthday.

The boys and I were supposed to be on our way to my sister's, about 80 miles from here, however the weather made other plans for us. She had the turkey and all the trimmings. I had the desserts. Stuck at home with two boys and a mother next door to feed, what could I make from my pantry that would be special enough to call Christmas dinner? Here's what I came up with:
I had chicken breast. I had store bought stuffing. I did have crescent rolls. I had pretty decorations. How could I put it all together.......

First I took the chicken breast and beat them flat. I seasoned the inside before I filled with stuffing.

For the stuffing: my mom had cranberries. So, I took about a cup of cranberries and boiled with water, sugar and cinnamon. When softened, I removed the berries to cool. I added this to the stuffing, prepared per package directions, along with chopped walnuts.

I rolled about two spoonfuls of stuffing inside each breast and pinned with toothpicks. Season the outside with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme.

Our menu:
First course: broccoli and cheese soup

Second course: green salad

Main course: Chicken breasts with cranberry and walnut stuffing.
Fresh broccoli and cheese.
Crescent rolls.

Dessert: assorted cookies and hot chocolate.

All and all a good day and a good meal. I'm calling it, 'The Year I had my mom all to myself for Christmas!'

Christmas cookies and candies, Part 2

2012-12-24T19:52:00.001-08:00

Round 2 of fun holiday ideas.

Christmas cookies and candies, Part 1

2012-12-24T19:28:00.001-08:00

Hopefully these fun cookies and candies will inspire you. I use white and chocolate almond bark because its so easy to work with and forgiving. Just be careful not to over heat it. Just a few seconds in the microwave at a time. Questions or how to's, just ask.

Cupcakes Round 2

2012-12-07T09:31:00.001-08:00

See some more of my creations. Hope you are inspired to bake!

Cupcakes

2012-12-07T09:27:00.001-08:00

Cupcakes seem to be my latest passion. See some of my latest creations. Enjoy and be inspired!

Tomato, olive and basil crustini

2012-10-20T14:33:00.001-07:00

A quick appetizer to wow your guests.

•Start with a good quality bread loaf. Some places, even Wal-Mart deli counters, will slice the loaves for you. I started with a loaf called everything Italian.
•Drizzle the slices with oil olive and either rub with fresh garlic or spread with minced garlic.
•Chop tomato, black olive and basil leaves. Mix in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and sea or kosher salt. Top loaf slices.
•Top mixture with mozzarella cheese and toast until cheese bubbles.
~~Enjoy!!

Breakfast casserole

2012-09-22T08:39:00.001-07:00

A Saturday morning favorite and great to freeze the extra and have all week!

You can easily adapt this recipe to the number of servings you need. For my family of 3:

Potatoes ( hash browns, left over potato wedges, tator tots)
3 eggs
A splash of milk
3-4 slices of crumbled bacon
Shredded cheese

-In a greased loaf pan or glass baking dish, layer the potatoes along the bottom. Enough to cover about an inch thick.
-whisk eggs and milk together. Pour over potatoes.
- add crumbled bacon and cheese to the top. You can make this a single layer or layer multiple times.

Bake 10-15 minutes at 350•

Favorite variations: breakfast sausage, black or green olives, cheddar or other flavored cheeses, salsa, corn, scallions, the possibilities are endless.

Individual lasagnas

2012-09-09T16:14:00.001-07:00

I've never liked to make lasagna because the process was such a chore and it always turned out soupy. However, I have a short cut that makes it so easy!

-Brown hamburger meat and drain. I season heavily with salt, pepper, garlic, italian seasoning and cumin.
-In a bowl, combine cooled meat, spaghetti sauce and a few tablespoons of sour cream and set aside.
-Break noodles in half and boil until tender. Drain and cool.
-cut the cooled noodle halves into thirds.
-In a greased muffin tin, layer noodle, meat mixture and mozzarella cheese twice. Top with shredded mozzarella.
-Bake at 350 degrees for 15 mins or until bubbling.
-Allow the lasagnas to cool for a few minutes and they will hold together better for serving.

Freeze any left overs for a quick meal.

Cappuccino cupcakes with caramel macchiato cream

2012-09-08T15:38:00.001-07:00

Football season always inspires me too cook and bake! I love cupcakes because their so easy and the frosting options are limitless. I started with a cream cheese based vanilla frosting and added two tablespoons of instant cappuccino powder. Add one shot of caramel macchiato creamer. You can also add the cappuccino powder and creamer to the batter if you want to intensify the flavors. With a piping bag, pipe the icing in long swirls. I added a half stick of candy bar and a basil leaf for garnish.

Easy homemade potato chips

2012-09-07T18:40:00.001-07:00

Got two potatoes? Got 5 minutes prep time? Spare 15-20 mins cook time? Homemade potato chips are so easy. You do need a mandolin. I found a very inexpensive on with several different attachments at Ross. A mandolin will ensure that all the slices are the same thickness.

On a mandolin, slice 2 large potatoes. Lay slices flat on a greased baking sheet or baking stone. Spray tops with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15-20 mins at 425 degree.

So easy!! Shake it up with any number of seasoning combinations!

Grilled cheese with mozzarella and pesto

2012-09-03T15:49:00.001-07:00

A weekend favorite with a sophisticated twist.

•Take your favorite bread and spray the outside of bread with nonstick cooking spray.
•In a blender or food processor, add a handful of fresh basil, salt, garlic and oil olive. Blend well. Spread on both halves of the bread.
•Add shredded mozzarella and sliced tomatoes.
•grill on panini maker, indoor or outdoor grill til cheese is melted. ( this one was made on my outdoor grill)

Taco stuffers

2012-08-23T16:57:00.001-07:00

Ever ready to take that first big bite of a taco and all the filling falls out??!!

Try this quick and easy tip:
Take all your toppings and mix in a bowl with sour cream or salsa. Fill the shells with your mixture!

These tacos have meat, black beans, black olives, shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream all mixed together!

Pork enchiladas

2012-08-19T16:21:00.001-07:00

A round 2 recipe ( as Sandra Lee calls it). I had cooked a pork tenderloin on the grill a few days ago for a lunch with friends and had a good amount left over.

Slice any left over meat in strips. Chop in a food processor until it is minced or similar to chunky ground beef. See photo.
Add three handfuls of shredded cheese. 2 tablespoons of cream cheese or sour cream. 1/2 a tub of Mexican cheese. See photo. Fold together.
Spread mixture on flour tortillas and roll. Spray a baking dish with non-stock spray and line the bottom with rolled tortillas.
Top with remaining Mexican cheese and another handful of shredded cheese.
Bake at 350 for 10 mins or until warmed throughout.

Other combinations you can add to the mixture:
Black beans
Refried beans
Black olives
Jalapeños
Caramelized onions.

Money Saving Tips

2012-08-14T19:02:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't like saving a buck? Getting free stuff? Stretching a dollar as far as it will go? I sure do! Check out some of the great links to money saving coupons that I've added to this site.

As the daughter of a home economics teacher, my sister and I learned these things at an early age. Some of favorite tips are couponing, piece freezing, and buying in bulk.

So, we probably all have seen some form of those extreme couponing shows. I've never felt like those results were anywhere close to obtainable for the average consumer. However, some of my best couponing deals are for laundry soap, fabric softener, toothpaste and other hygiene products. If you use a coupon and get the smaller size, you can get lots of things close to free! Buying the smaller size is the key! If you can save money here, you can add the savings back to your grocery bill or anywhere else you need extra cash. I can save about $20 each trip.

Buying in bulk and piece freezing go hand in hand. I buy chicken breast, hamburger meat, and pork chops in big family packs and divide into smaller resealable freezer bags. Another tip I like, is to add marinade to the meats before freezing and write on the bag what it is. This is a great Sunday project.
I also like to take my large crock pot and cook several pounds of hamburger meat or chicken breasts up at one time. Meals go much faster and easier when the protein is precooked.

Recently, I've done some comparison pricing between the discount stores and the large bulk discount stores. Not on everything, but for the most part, buying in bulk is cheaper. I buy what's cheaper at the bulk store and then the smaller things at the discount store with a coupon. With these two things together, I can feed my family of three for less than $200 for the entire month! Try some of these tips and see if they work for you and check out the money saving coupon links I've added! Happy shopping!

Anchovy Spaghetti?

2012-08-12T14:12:00.001-07:00

I know. I know. Anchovies? If you don't like them, just omit. The recipe is just as good with or without. You could also substitute chicken. But really, just try it! It's a minimal investment in adventure. This is an adaptation of a recipe I saw on Food Network. Of course, it's hard for me to follow a recipe without dissecting it and starting over with my own version. So here is it.

•start water to boil for any type pasta you prefer. add pasta to boiling water and cook til tender.

•in one sauce pan, add plain breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese to toast. This takes about 6-8 mins.

•Next, Olive oil, salt, chopped onions, dash of crushed red pepper and garlic sautéed over medium heat until brown. About 3/4 the way to browning, add anchovies. Make sure they are cleaned and deboned.

•Once the onion mixture is brown, add about half a can of chopped black olives and half a can of diced tomatoes. I prefer the Hunts brand.

•Combine pasta, onion-tomato-olive mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and toss.

Enjoy!

Pineapple upside down cupcakes

2012-08-06T17:49:00.001-07:00

Another one of my crazy food inventions that was A----mazing! Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of crushed pineapple in the bottom of each one. Top with yellow or vanilla cake mix about 3/4's full. Bake per package directions. Cream cheese icing to top when cooled. So sweet! So moist! Top with a pineapple chuck.

Grilled pizza and okra

2012-08-05T15:51:00.001-07:00

You don't have to be a chef to make great food. You just have to think outside the box. I took a store bought pizza and added a ton of extra toppings and threw it on the grill. Add whatever you like. I added extra cheese, black olives, basil, oil olive and chopped tomatoes. The crust will get done before its hot all the way through so you will have to move it to the top rack of your grill after about 10 mins. If you don't have a top rack, then move over indirect heat.

A weird pairing but....

I've never liked okra but in Oklahoma it's kind of a staple. I'm on a mission to find a recipe I'll like. I started with a handful of wheat crackers and pulsed them in a chopper. I mixed in chopped okra and olive oil. Sauté on the grill until crisp. About 20 mins.

The result? Delish! The boys had several helpings!

Grillin days of summer

2012-08-05T12:55:00.001-07:00

I bought a new grill this summer and have been breaking it in right! I've never had pork chops so tender. So tender, you can cut them with a fork! I rub them with grapeseed oil and put a heavy coating of Weber's Chicago steak seasoning. Turn the heat up to
Medium high and let them get a good sear and then reduce the temperature.

Here's our Sunday spread! Pork chops, squash, hot dogs and onion burgers. I've experimenting with dessert too. Today, I combined strawberrry, mango, peach frozen fruit with a dab of butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Place on the grill until it bubbles. Pour over pound cake. Delish!

Angelfood Apple Crumble Cupcakes

2012-08-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

Angelfood Apple Crumble Cupcakes? Doesn't sound like it goes together does it? You'll be surprised!

*Dice up 4 small apples, toss with cinnamon and set aside.

*Make an Angelfood cake mix according to package directions.

*combine equal amounts melted butter, brown sugar, raw oats.

Line muffin tins with cupcake papers. Spoon a small amount of the Angelfood cake batter into the bottom of the liner. Add apples up to the rim of the muffin tin. Top with oat and sugar mixture.

Easy and super good!

Pancake cones

2012-08-04T04:58:00.001-07:00

Saturday mornings are a great time to spend with the family and wow those kids! What better way than to surprise them with ice cream cones for breakfast, or so they'll think!

Prepare pancake batter per package directions. I make mine a little thicker than usual. Fill a cone about 3/4 the way full. Place in muffin tins to stabilize when they go in the oven. This is the tricky part. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Add your favorite jam or preserves to the top for a healthy finish! There are endless combinations of fun and healthy ingredients that can be added to the batter or on top. Enjoy!

Summer salads

2012-08-03T16:28:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things in the summer is a light salad. These two are so quick and easy.

Tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper. Basil, parsley and cubed mozzarella.

Tomatoes, grilled corn taken off the cob. Use the Rachel Ray tip of slicing over a bowl or towel. It's easier to catch the kernels. Cucumber cubed. Olive oil, salt and pepper. You could also add mozzarella to this one too.

You can eat these for a light meal or add as a side dish. You could add cooked, cubed chicken to either of these and make a heartier meal.

Bama's Strawberry Key Lime Cupcakes

2012-08-02T19:51:00.001-07:00

A friend from Alabama had asked for a key lime pie which started my wheels turning. I'd never had key lime pie little on made one. I found a recipe and made it a few times to good reviews but I was looking for something a little more challenging. I took a cake mix and added key lime juice to mix. Made regular package direction cupcakes and then took the icing recipe from the key lime pie and tried it on the cupcakes.
I have even hollowed out the middle of the cupcakes and filled with the icing. Add the strawberry and done! Sometimes we just need someone to ask us to do something we've never done before to inspire greatness. Thanks Bama!