Irish Dinner Anyone?

SO...This happens to be one of my FAVORITE things to eat...EVER...and its SO easy!!!  There are 2 ways of cooking this...it all just depends on whether you buy a pre-cooked or uncooked ham.

Ham, Cabbage & Potatoes

If you are cooking with an uncooked ham...you can do this in the crockpot...if you are using pre-cooked...go ahead and do it in the oven.  As always...I can't give ya measurements...because this is one recipe I normally just eyeball!

Cabbage (chunked)
Potatoes (cut into quarters)
Ham (cubed into large chunks)
Diced Onion
Vegetable Broth
Salt & Pepper

Combine all ingredients except for vegetable broth, salt and pepper into deep baking dish or crock pot depending on type of meat.

Pour vegetable broth until 1/2inch deep.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
 -IN OVEN:  Cook for 2 hours at 350 or until potatoes and carrots are tender.
 -IN CROCK:  Slow cook on low all day or until potatoes and carrots are tender.

***If you do this is the crockpot...you can actually add combinations of broth...and use more to make into a hearty stew***

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake

1 cup diced cooked chicken (you can adjust based on how many you are feeding)
1 cup diced ham
2 cups (precooked) pasta of your choice...we use rotini
alfredo sauce
8 slices swiss cheese
frozen peas
bread crumbs.

Place cooked pasta stirred with frozen peas in bottom of casserole dish.  Set aside 1/2 cup of alfredo...Pour the rest evenly over pasta.  Place 4 slices of swiss cheese on top of noodles and bake at 400 for 4 minutes.

Pour the 1/2 cup of alfredo over chicken and ham, stir to combine.  Layer this mixture over the pasta/cheese.  Place the next 4 slices of swiss cheese over top...sprinkle with bread crumbs.

Cook on 400 for an additional 5 minutes.

Serves 3-4.

****Broccoli tastes great in this dish as a substitute to peas!!****

Three Cheese Chicken & Spinach Pasta Bake

1-1/2 cups multi-grain penne pasta, uncooked

1 pkg.  (9 oz.) fresh spinach leaves

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp.  dried basil leaves

1 jar (14-1/2 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 can  (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained

2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Cream Cheese, cubed

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding spinach to the boiling water the last minute.

COOK and stir chicken and basil in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 3 min. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes; bring to boil. Simmer on low heat 3 min. or until chicken is done. Stir in cream cheese.

DRAIN pasta mixture; return to pan. Stir in chicken mixture and 1/2 cup mozzarella. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole or 8-inch square baking dish.

BAKE 20 min. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses. Bake 3 min.

(You can also prepare this ahead, and then bake for 30 minutes...and then sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 3 minutes!!!)

***There are lots of things you can add in!  Tonight...its portabello mushrooms!!!!!*****

Ginger Wasabi Stir Fry

This is SUCH a yummy recipe...and SO good for you!  VERY EASY TOO!

Basically...I diced up some chicken, and got some of our favorite veggies.  In this particular recipe there was zucchini, red peppers, asparagus, and carrots.  I used Ginger-Wasabi sauce (which was the PERFECT mix of both flavors...and you can ask me where to get it if you want!)

First I cooked up the chicken, then cooked the veggies...then threw about 1/4 c. sauce into the pan and tossed the two together.

VOILA!  Easy....AMAZING Stir-Fry.  We served this over rice...but you can serve it over noodles too if you want!!!  :)

Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Rice Pudding

Yet another recipe that I sort of just played with...that came out WONDERFUL!

Make rice according to package instructions.  I generally use boil in a bag rice...and with this recipe I used 2 packages.

In a mixing bowl, combine canned pumpkin, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.  Whisk until blended thoroughly.  Fold in rice.

Pour contents into slow cooker and cook on low for 3 hours.  Stirring occasionally.

You can also add pecans, cranberries or raisins to this...and it tastes GREAT!!!

Chalupa Roast

1 3-4 lb pork roast
2 1/2 soaked pinto beans
2 cans Ro-tel tomatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can chopped green chilies (I used fire roasted)
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. salt
1 c. water

Coat all sides of the roast with chili powder.
Put roast in the bottom of a slow cooker
Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the roast.
Cook on low for 12-16 hrs in crock pot.
Do not stir until time is up.

I usually put mine in before I go to bed at night and let it "stew" all night. Turn crock pot off or to "warm" until about an hour before ready to eat. Then turn it up to warm through again.

I usually make this with either coleslaw or salad, rice and cornbread. My family loves it. It usually makes enough left-overs for some awesome pulled pork sandwiches

Momma Sue's Mac-n-Cheese

Stole it from my mom...but it definitely gets the stamp of approval around here!!!!

This recipe is not for those who have health challenges!  I use "light" ingredients where I can but sometimes you just can't skimp on ingredients.

DISCLAIMER:  Most of you know by now that I don't measure anything when I'm cooking so this recipe is the best I  can do. 

                                                                 Sue's Mac N Cheese

Prepare 24 oz. elbow macaroni, ziti or other pasta of your choice according to package directions

3 TBSP real butter (no salt)

1 small onion chopped fine (those who do not like onion can omit)

3 TBSP flour

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes. ( heat level of your choice) do not drain

1 C. heavy cream

1 C. milk

1 C sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese cut into cubes

3 C. four cheese blend- shredded (I've used mexican and italian blend.  Both work just fine just be sure there is a sharp cheddar in the mix.  Or, you can just add 3 c. shredded cheddar.)

Over medium heat -

Saute onion in butter.  Do not brown.

Add flour.  Stir with a wisk.  Cook 3-4 minutes.  Be sure not to burn.

Add Rotel tomatoes.

Lower heat just a bit

Slowly add heavy cream and milk stirring constantly until thickened.  You may need to add more milk.  Needs to be the consistency of melted ice cream.

Wisk in sour cream

Add cream cheese.  Stir constantly until melted

Add shredded cheese.  Stir until smooth and creamy

Add salt and pepper to taste

Pour over macaroni and mix well.

You can bake this with bread crumbs on the top if you like however it is ready to eat immediately.  If you choose to bake add a bit  more milk to your sauce as baking will cause the macaroni to absorb much of the sauce which will in turn make it not quite as creamy.

I've added left over ham, chicken, keilbasa and sausage to this recipe and it's pretty good!

Turkey Bacon Chowder

As mentioned before...when I am playing around with recipes...I generally don't measure.  Here is a tip on this recipe...WING IT!  You can add as much or as little of each of the veggies/meat!

diced potatoes
corn
blackbeans
tomatoes
 Chunked Turkey Breast
 chopped onions, green peppers, and green onion
dash of salt, 
minced garlic
1 can of cream of onion, 
2 soup cans of vegetable broth
crumbled bacon1/4 pack of Hidden Valley Green Onion dry dressing mix. :)


ALL the ingredients in this recipe were FRESH with the exception of the blackbeans (I used canned this time around).  I know in previous blogs I have talked about using convenience items...such as pre-chopped onions, etc.  LUCKILY...I have found some products that pretty much do all the work for me...so I am using fresh from here on out!


Combine all the ingredients into a slow-cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.  Stir occasionally.  (TIP:  A small amount of Louisiana hot sauce gave it a little spice!)


Serve hot with biscuits!  YUMMY!

Be WATCHING!

Life has gotten in the way...with a job, family...etc...I let the blog slide.  Many of you have asked me when I was going to get back on it...since beginning my own business from home and being back where I am happy.  The blog WILL be back up and running by Monday!  SO...be on the lookout for LOTS of new recipes...etc!  :)  Thank you guys for showing such wonderful support!

Southern Ranch Burgers

Summer time is here and I don't know about your family....but we use our grill almost 2-3x per week (if not more) and regularly have people over to grill out.  On Memorial Day...we decided to just grill up some burgers...and lemme tell ya...they were soooooo good!  Here's the recipe!

2lbs ground beef or turkey
1 package of Spicy Ranch or Fiesta Ranch Hidden Valley
1/4 c. Spicy Ranch salad dressing (or regular!)
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 egg

Combine all ingredients.  Form your patties to your desired thickness.  With your thumb push a small indent on the top of the burger.  Grill.

I promise these burgers were awesome....awesome....awesome.  Very VERY flavorful...juicy...Kraft has some new cheese and I used the Garlic and Herb on mine...and WOW!  :)  Happy Grillin'!

Booboo's....

Alright...time to admit the boo boo I made in the kitchen! 

So the other night I decided to slow cook some pork chops and saurkraut.  This is where my overly insane desire to concoct the PERFECT recipes comes in.  I decided to marinate the pork chops in a homemade chipotle mustard marinade.  I took 2 kinds of mustard, used some chipotle seasoning (and a few other secrets) and mixed away.  Of course I always taste the marinades first and I was pretty pleased with the taste...so in the pork chops went.  Because of the acidity of the mustard...I didn't marinate them for very long.

Next step...I combined saurkraut, grated valencia orange peel, and diced tomatoes in the slow cooker.  I put the porkchops on the top and turned the cooker on low.  The smell in my house was amazing.  Fast forward 6 hours...(I ran some errands and got stuck at Wal-Mart for almost 2 hours because the lines were insane!!!)  I got home...unplugged the slow cooker (mine has a "warm" setting...but I have found it will continue to cook the meat...and dry it out...)

I made some white cheddar mac and cheese...(organic!!)  and pulled out the pork chops...they smelled awesome...looked really tender...etc.  The saurkraut was amazing....the combo of all the flavors was wonderful!!!  However...the pork chops were sooooooooo dry!  The flavor was GREAT...but neither Adam or I could get past the dryness.  :(

Irritated much?!  I have discovered I am a bit of a perfectionist.  Sure...noone was left hungry that night...but I was so mad. 

Lesson learned?  If you are going to cook pork chops with mustard marinade (high acidic), saurkraut (highly acidic), and tomatoes (highly acidic)...do NOT let them cook longer than 4 hours depending on the thickness!  I will be most definitely trying the recipe again on a day where I am not stuck running errands. 

Keep plugging away ladies!  It takes time to learn the perfect combination's, cooking time, etc...but its worth it.  Besides...your family will thank you in the long run!!!

Benzene Gas....Warning.

According to a research study, the dashboard, seats and air conditioner emit Benzene, a cancer-causing toxin (carcinogen - take time to observe the smell of heated plastic in your car).

In addition to causing cancer, Benzene poisons your bones, causes anemia and reduces white blood cells.

Prolonged exposure will cause Leukemia, increasing the risk of cancer.

It can also cause miscarriage.

Acceptable Benzene level indoors is 50 mg per sq. ft. A car parked in a garage with windows closed will contain 400-800 mg of Benzene.

If parked outdoors under the sun at a temperature above 60 degrees F, the Benzene level goes up to 2000-4000 mg, 40 times the acceptable level.

People who get into the car, keeping windows closed, will inevitably inhale, in quick succession, excessive amounts of the toxin.

Benzene is a toxin that affects your kidney and liver. What's worse, it is extremely difficult for your body to expel this toxic stuff.

So friends, please open the windows and doors of your car and give time for the deadly interior air to clear out before you enter.

Supreme Chicken Enchilada Casserole

8 flour tortillas, torn
4-6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. green pepper, or to taste, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c. Monterey Jack, shredded
2 c. Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cans chili beans, Drained
1 can rotel

Mix sour cream, soup and rotel. Layer ingredients as follows: tortillas, chicken, beans, onions and peppers, soup mixture and 1 cup of each cheese in an 8x8 or 12x10-inch pan. Make a second layer and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

****I have also layered spanish rice after the beans!****

Menu for 5/17-5/23

Here are the first 7 Recipes Ladies! I hope you enjoy them. If there are any questions...be sure to post a comment and I will answer them the best I can! :) Bon Appetite!

Honey Mustard Mozzarella Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans (Recipe for Chicken and Potatoes posted on May 14, 2010)

Spicy Tomato & Onion Pork Chops, Mexican Rice and Corn (Recipe for Pork Chops posted on May 14, 2010)

Lemon Pepper Salmon, Balsamic & Romano Asparagus & Wild Rice (Recipe for Salmon and Asparagus posted on May 14, 2010)

Chicken Fettucini w/ Vodka Sauce and Garlic Toast (Recipe posted on May 14, 2010)

Turkey, Black Bean & Corn Chili w/Cornbread (Recipe Posted on April 18, 2010)

Sausage & Bean Ragout and Biscuits (Recipe Posted on April 20, 2010)

Chicken & Cheese Baked Risotto, Rolls (Recipe Posted on April 18, 2010)

Chicken Fettucine w/Vodka Sauce

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts
1 jar vodka sauce
1 can crushed tomatoes, undrained
Mrs. Dash Tomato, Basil, Garlic seasonings
Fettucine

Directions

1. Season chicken breasts with Mrs. Dash Seasonings.
2. Slice chicken into slices.
3. In sauce pot combine chicken and crushed tomatoes. Allow to simmer until there is no remaining liquid.
4. Cook pasta according to package directions.
5. Add jar of vodka sauce to sauce pot with chicken and tomatoes.
6. Serve over hot pasta and sprinkle with parmesean or romano cheese.

Lemon Pepper Salmon

Ingredients

Salmon fillets or steaks
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. olive oil
pepper

Directions

1. Combine lemon juice and olive oil.
2. drizzle over salmon.
3. Pepper to taste.
4. Broil until fish flakes easily with a fork (about 8 minutes depending on your stove)

Balsamic & Romano Asparagus

Ingredients

1 Bunch fresh asparagus
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 c. olive oil
Shredded romano cheese

Directions

1. Cut ends of asparagus off.
2. Whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil until well blended. Place asparagus into mixture and make sure each spear is well coated.
3. Place asparagus into a deep frying pan and pour mixture over.
4. Allow asparagus to steam on stove for about 5 minutes (or until tender, but firm)
4. Lightly sprinkle romano cheese over top.

Ricotta & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

4 Lg potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 chives

Directions

1. Boil potatoes until tender
2. In large mixing bowl, combine potatoes, ricotta, sourcream and chives.
3. Mash potatoes until fluffy.

Honey Mustard & Mozzarella Chicken

Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup prepared mustard
lemon pepper to taste
4 slices bacon (you CAN use turkey bacon!)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the chicken breast halves in a baking dish, and drizzle evenly with honey and mustard. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.
Bake chicken 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Wrap each chicken breast in 1 slice of bacon and sprinkle evenly with cheese. Continue baking 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear, bacon is crisp, and cheese is bubbly.

Spicy Tomato & Onion Pork Chops

4-6 Bone-In or Boneless Pork Chops

SAUCE:
1 can condensed tomato soup
1 soup can chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with zesty mild green chiles
3 tbsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
½ cup onion

In a bowl combine all ingredients…stir until well blended.
Place pork chops in slow cooker and pour mixture over top. Cook on low 4-6 hours depending on thickness of porkchops.
Once finished…reserve 2 cups of leftover broth, whisk in ¼ cup of sour cream. Use as gravy.