Meat and Potato Casserole

I have made this on several occasions and with a variety of veggies.  No matter how I do it, it is always a crowd pleaser! You just can not go wrong with a meat and potato meal!

Ingredients

• 4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound ground beef (season while cooking)
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen green beans
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped onion
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• Minced fresh parsley, optional

Directions

• Toss potatoes with butter and salt; arrange on the bottom and up the sides of a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are almost tender.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder until no longer pink; drain. Sprinkle beef, beans and corn over potatoes. Combine the soup, milk, garlic powder, pepper, onion and 1/2 cup cheese; pour over beef mixture.
• Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 2-3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Nutritional Facts1 serving (1 cup) equals 374 calories, 19 g fat (11 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 778 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 22 g protein.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is from my Aunt Sonin. She made it when we were visiting for Justins return from Afghanistan. It feeds a lot and is very very yummy!!!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

10 ServingsPrep: 30 min. Bake: 35 min.

Ingredients

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 5 cups diced cooked chicken
• 20 flour tortillas (6 inches), room temperature
• 2 cans (10-3/4 ounces each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, water, onion powder, cumin,
• salt and pepper until smooth. Stir in chicken.
• Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll
• up and place seam side down in two greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking
• dishes. In a large bowl, combine the soup, sour cream, milk and
• chilies; pour over enchiladas.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until heated
• through. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese

Sesame Noodles

Simple yummy goodness!

Simple Sesame Noodles

Prep Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Cook Time:

 10 Minutes

 

Difficulty:

 Easy

 

Servings:

 8

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, fluid Thin Noodles, Cooked And Drained
• 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil
• 4 Tablespoons Canola Oil
• 4 whole Green Onions, Sliced Thin

Preparation Instructions

Whisk all ingredients (except noodles and green onions) together in a bowl. Taste and adjust ingredients as needed.
Pour sauce over warm noodles and toss to coat.
Sprinkle with green onions and toss.
Serve in a bowl with chopsticks. Yummy!

*Compliments of Pioneer Woman Cooking Blog

Broccoli Pad Thai

After tasting Mama Siri's awesome Pad Thai on a visit to North Carolina to visit my sister in law, I knew I couldn't wait till we went back down to eat this simple but yummy dish! This recipe is still a work in progress as I have combined four different recipes ... and I thank Thy Vong (a co-worker of mine) for helping acquire all the unique ingredients in this dish. They are easy to find at your local Asian market. It is fairly simple in that all you do is blanch the broccoli, boil the noodles, fry the egg, then make the sauce and combine it all. You can add chicken and other veggies to this recipe as well. You can double the sauce ingredients to make this extra flavorful - which is what I do.  The secret... is after you put the noodles in the sauce - turn off the heat and continue to toss the noodles occasionally until all the sauce is soaked up and then add the broccoli, eggs, scallions, and cilantro. YUM YUM!

Ingredients:

2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets (or any veggie mix)
1 package Linguine
2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce: 

1/2 Cup water

1/4 Cup soy sauce 

1 Tablespoon sesame oil 

1 Tablespoons fish sauce (optional)

1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce (cayenne pepper and chili flakes will also work)

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1  Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1  Teaspoon ground Ginger

1  Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

Optional Garnishes:
Sprouts
Scallions
1/4 Cup Cilantro
Chicken
More chili sauce or soy sauce to taste!

Directions:

1. Blanch broccoli in boiling salted water, drain, set aside.
2. Cook noodles in boiling salted water, drain, set aside.
3. Add the oils to a skillet and cook eggs, stirring constantly until scrambled, set aside.
4. Add water, soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, ginger, chili-garlic sauce, garlic and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Turn off heat and add noodles, toss in the sauce occasionally until most of the sauce is absorbed.  Add broccoli and egg; toss to coat.  Add bean sprouts and top with 1/4 cup cilantro.

Chicken Spinach Pasta

I had chicken, spinach, and pasta. I googled a recipe and ended up with this yummy dish!  Even my "I don't like chicken" guys liked this one. Its a keeper!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups uncooked medium pasta shells
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large portobello mushroom, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2-1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used 2 cups of fresh)
• 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. 
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute the onion, mushroom and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add milk and broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.
• Add the chicken, spinach, 3 tablespoons cheese, lemon juice, pepper and pepper flakes; heat through.
• Drain pasta; toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts1-1/2 cups equals 396 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 74 mg cholesterol, 337 mg sodium, 44 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 40 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Home Made Bread

After my first attempt at homemade bread (which turned into a think glue paste...I apparently killed the yeast). I did some google investigations, pulled my grandmothers recipe and went hard at it again.  This was the result. I am so thrilled I have tackled another "I can't do that" moment in the kitchen! 

Ingredients:Serves: Yield:  2 loaves

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 cups water, warmed
1 tbsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (Room temp)
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 5 1/2 cups bread flour
(beaten egg and tablespoon of water for egg wash)

Directions:
1.  In a large bowl, mix the yeast with the warm water and stir in salt/sugar/butter until dissolved.
2.  Add the flour, one cup at a time until dough comes together and chases the spoon around the bowl.
3.   Move to a floured surface and knead bread for about 5-10 minutes.
4.  Place bread in a large bowl sprayed with olive oil spray and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and place in(inactive/not hot) oven to rise for one hour or hour and a half, until dough has doubled in size.
5.  Move to lightly floured surface, punch down the bread and shape into buns, or put it into two loaf pans. Score the top with a sharp knife. Brush with egg wash. Let the dough rise for another half hour/hour. 

6.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25/30 minutes. 

Note: To store this bread, wrap very tightly in several layers of foil, or put in a large Ziploc bag and seal. But, it's best warm and served the same day -- however putting chunks in the microwave for 10 seconds if it's a day old helps, too. 
ENJOY!

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

Our non-cooking friend makes these for our gourmet parties and football parties. They are fun, easy and so damn good!

Sausage Stuffed Jalapenos

1 pound ground Italian sausage (or regular pork or whatever appeals to you)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (original recipe used Parmesan)
1 pound jalapenos, halved lengthwise and seeded
1 green onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sausage in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease. In a bowl, mix the sausage, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and green onion. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each jalapeno half. Arrange stuffed halves in a baking dish. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.


***Tips on seeding the jalapenos. 1) Wear gloves throughout the entire process, then remove right after so you don't transfer to sink faucet, cabinet handles, etc. 2) I love my little lemon zester tool for seeding but a small melon baller works great too. 3) As you half and seed the jalapenos, put into a bowl of continuous running water. This helps soften to bake better and removes some heat.***

CINNAMON ROLL SWIRL CAKE

I decided to try this yummy looking cake that has been seen all over Facebook lately. It was very yummy!

CINNAMON ROLL SWIRL CAKE

BATTER:
3 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:
1 cup butter, soft to the point of almost melted*
1 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cinnamon

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together except for the butter.
Once mixed; slowly pour in the butter. Stir into batter.
Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.
For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Glaze:
2 cup powdered sugar
5 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

While the cake is warm ~ drizzle the glaze over the cake. *This cake is outta this world!!!!!!*