Cranberry Sauce

This is a delicious Cranberry sauce recipe.  Just the right balance of sweet and tart to balance the rest of your Thanksgiving day meal.  I failed to take a photo of my sauce but this looks pretty close.   

Ans so easy to make!

This recipe came from Cooks.com

1 quart cranberries
1 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar
citrus for flavoring (optional)

The general rule is: Use 1/4 as much water as cranberries. Add 1/3 as much sugar as cranberries.Wash and pick over cranberries, discarding any that are soft. Bring water to a boil; add berries. Cover and cook over medium low heat until berries have burst outer skin.
Add sugar and boil a few minutes longer. If desired, cranberries may be strained before sugar is added. A few tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange or lemon juice may be added along with a little grated citrus peel, if desired. A tablespoon of frozen orange concentrate is also a nice addition.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Fiesta Soup

If you need a quick and tasty recipe for these cool nights this soup will fill both requirements.  I made this soup in my crock-pot but you can do it on the stove-top if you prefer.

Cook 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( did mine in the crock-pot)
Once the meat is cooked add

1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn with red and green peppers
1 can chicken broth
1 can Rotel tomatoes and  peppers (I used the HOT)
1 can diced green chilies
1 Can Campbell NACHO cheese soup
2 tablespoons of dehydrated onions (or you could saute fresh onions in a tablespoon of olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Cumin
Mix well

Add 3 cups water
simmer until done (I cooked mine for 4 hours in the crock pot)
add salt and pepper if desired ( I did not)

If you want a heartier soup you can ladle it over cooked brown rice

Top with Sour cream and shredded cheese if desired.  My younger daughter also added hot-sauce to hers.  Serve with bread-sticks and a salad

YUM!

Salmon with Tomato Bearnaise Sauce

This recipe is restaurant worthy!  

Doesn't it look beautify on the plate?

And so easy to make-in just under 40 minutes you can have this on the table!

This recipe is right off the KNORR Bearnaise sauce package

Salmon with Tomato Bearnaise

4 salmon fillets-about 5 oz each

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

about 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes or 1 medium chopped tomato 

1 cup milk

1 package Knorr Bearnaise Sauce mix

1 tsp. capers

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Generously rush salmon with olive oil and arrange on the broiler pan

Season with salt and pepper

Bake for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes apart easily (I like to broil it to get a nice brown char on the fish)

Meanwhile

Make the Bearnaise sauce according to package directions

Add tomatoes and bring to a boil

Stir in capers and serve over fish with wild rice

YUMMY!

Lima Beans

My dad gave me a MESS of Lima beans (about 3/4 of a 5 gallon bucket full).  I love to eat Lima beans but hate to shell them so I employed the entire family.  DD2 seems to actually enjoy this chore and never finds an excuse not to help (unusual for a teenager!)  For this I am extremely grateful!  

Even the Lima beans whose shells look bad can yield good beans so don't discriminate.  When we shell beans we lay down newspapers and several plastic garbage bags to catch the shells.  A large bowl goes in the center and the shelled beans are placed there.  

Rinse the beans well several times to remove any grit, dirt or small insects (yum!)

Once all the beans are shelled I par boil them for 3 minutes.

Bring a large container of water to a rolling boil.  Add the beans, allow the water to return to a boil for 3 minutes.  Drain, rinse with cold water and place into clean freezer containers.  I allow the beans to cool to reduce condensation inside the containers which create ice crystals.  I pack in quart containers and leave about an inch of head room.

BEST LIMAs EVER

one container of frozen beans

place in a large pot and cover with water

Add minced onions (dehydrated are fine), 

Sprinkle liberally with garlic powder, Lawrys season salt and add a heaping tablespoon of bacon grease.

Allow to simmer for about 45 minutes, adding water as necessary.  I like my beans DONE!

These can be cooked several days in advance and reheated for dinner.

Enjoy!

a New Pasta Recipe-Chicken and Cherry Tomato Pasta Italiano

My dad gave me a whole "mess" of cherry tomatoes (a mess is a LOT for those of you that don't speak country the way my dad does)and they were going to spoil if I didn't use them--so I made this delicious pasta dish last night for supper.  I wish I had taken a photo of it...but did not so you will just have to wait until next time.

This recipe needs a name...so suggest one and I will consider it but for now I will call it...

Chicken and Cherry Tomato Pasta Italiano

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast per person you are serving, cut into bite-size pieces
dried oregano, dried basil, salt, pepper
Cayenne pepper flakes if you desire
spaghetti or pasta of your choice, 4 oz per person you are serving
2 cups of cherry tomatoes (the smaller the better in my opinion), cut large ones in half
6 cloves of garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
Swanson flavor boos packet (this is concentrated chicken broth)
olive oil, butter for sauteing
Real grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside
reserve some pasta water in case you need it to add to your sauce

Cut your chicken breasts into bite size pieces.
Season liberally with salt and pepper, oregano and basil

Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in your saute pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter, allow to melt
Saute chicken until done, i like it to have a little golden color to it
Sprinkle with Cayenne pepper flakes
add garlic and allow to saute
Add flavor boost, stir well to distribute
Add a little pasta water if you need more "sauce"
Add pasta, toss to coat
Plate and top liberally with Parmesan cheese

The cheese really adds to this dish since the sauce is very minimal.

Delicious with a side salad, artisan bread and a good Chianti or chardonnay
Plus, I had this on the table in under 30 minutes!

Garden Bounty

The deer ate all the tomatoes this season but I had an abundance of cayenne peppers (as usual) so I dry them and put them up for use all year long.

 First wash the peppers and dry with a clean towel.  Then I allow them to dehydrate on a paper plate in my kitchen.

Once they are COMPLETELY DRY I remove the stems.  They pop off quite easily but I wear gloves for this step because they are HOT and can irritate my eyes if I touch them after handling the peppers (you have been warned).  Discard the stems.  

Place the whole peppers in the grinder and whirl away.  This part has the tendency to aggravate my asthma with the fine pepper particulate!  (Say that 3 times fast!) 

Here is what they look like after having been ground.  Notice the seeds!

I place them in an old, clean spice container and store them in a cool dry space.  These adds nice kick to pizza, soups and stews.  

Sausage Balls

We had a breakfast tailgate yesterday and in addition to sweet rolls (the kind you make from a cardboard tube...) and blood Mary's we made Sausage Balls.  This is a quick and easy recipe.  It travels well and can be made in minutes freeing you up for game watching!

This is an easy recipe (I made it after Cross Country Practice and had them out of the oven by 10:15am)

Mix the following ingredients

2 cups Bisquick

1 lb. hot (I used Italian) Sausage

1 cup grated (Sharp) cheddar cheese

2 tbs. Milk

Mix well and shape into balls (about the diameter of a quarter)

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden

I lined a container with a paper towel to absorb any remaining grease and condensation since they were hot out of the oven--and we were off to the game!  Not one of the 55 Sausage Balls came home with us!  Plus we WON 44-7.  

Pepperoni Puffs

I meet with a group of High School girls during the school year for an event called Princess Power Hour-PPH (we call ourselves princess because our Father is the King of Kings).  Our kick off party is always a pool party and in keeping with the "P" theme everyone is asked to bring a snack that starts with the letter "P". 

We have pizza, pretzels, popcorn, Peanut and pretzel M&Ms, Pringles, peanut butter cookies, and so on...DD, Alayna made the following recipe and they were enjoyed by all

3/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

3/4 cup whole milk (we used 2%)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup mini pepperoni rounds

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Grease 24 mini muffin cups

Whisk together the dry seasonings, add beaten egg and milk.  Stir in cheese and pepperoni.  Mixture will be runny.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes.  Stir before dividing among muffin cups.  Bake until puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy with store bought pizza sauce which you've warmed in the microwave.  Enjoy!

Zuppa Toscana

My family enjoys a hearty soup during the winter and this OLIVE GARDEN knock off hit the spot on a cold Sunday afternoon this week.  It's quick and easy to make.  Enjoy it with a crusty loaf of Italian bread and a nice glass of Chianti. 

1 lb. cups spicy Italian sausage-cooked until no longer pink
4 medium potatoes, cut in half and then sliced
1 onion, diced
6 slices of bacon, cut into pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups Kale leaves, torn into bite size pieces, stems discarded
2 T chicken base
1 quart water
1/2 cup heavy cream (or more to taste)

Cook the sausage leaving it in fairly large chunks.  I cook the sausage ahead of time and freeze to make this an even quicker meal.

 

Place the bacon in a large saucepan and cook until about 3 minutes.  Add onions and cook until onions are translucent.  Add garlic and continue to cook until bacon is done.  Remove from pan, reserving bacon grease.  Add chicken base, water and potatoes.  Simmer until potatoes are near done.  Add kale, sausage and bacon/onion/garlic mix and continue to simmer for 4 minutes or until potatoes are done.  Add cream, stir and serve.  ENJOY!