Broccoli Cheddar & Turkey Bacon Quiche (lowfat)

• 6 oz pie crust, 9 inch, refrigerated
• 2 tsp of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of chopped red onion
• 1 1/4 cup of low fat ricotta cheese
• 1 cup of low fat or 2% shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg whites
• 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp of dried oregano
• 2 tbsp of chopped chive
• 10 oz of frozen chopped broccoli
• 5 crumbled cooked turkey bacon
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. Press the pie crust into a tart pan or 9 inch pie pan, refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the filling, heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer the onion to a large mixing bowl and add the ricotta cheese, cheddar cheese, egg, egg whites, chopped bacon, mustard, oregano, salt, and pepper, mix well. Fold in the broccoli. Spoon mixture into prepared crust, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped chives. Bake until a knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo (low fat) with Chive Cornbread

Sausage & Chicken Gumbo (lowfat)

• 6-8 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 6-8 oz of turkey sausage, cut into 1 inch cubes
• cooking spray
• 1 tbsp of flour
• 10 oz bag of frozen gumbo style vegetables
• 10 oz bag of frozen okra & tomatoes
• 1 cup of diced zucchini (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup of crushed canned tomatoes
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of Cajun seasonings (Tony's)
• 1 bay leaf (small)
• 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp of dried thyme
• 2 tbsp of file'
• salt and pepper
• hot sauce (optional)
• chopped chives (optional)

Coat a large dutch oven with cooking spray. Add the chicken and sausage and stir constantly until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the garlic and vegetables. Saute' until tender. If frozen, may take about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour, thyme, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Let cook for about a minute. Add in your crushed tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce, file', and bay leaf. If you like your gumbo a little thin, add more broth or water. Cook for another 20-30 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving. Enjoy!

Chive cornbread

• 2 packages of yellow cornbread mix
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp of chopped red onion
• 3 tbsp of chopped chives
• 3/4 cup of milk

Mix and Bake according to package directions.

Banana Cake with Chocolate frosting

• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 cup of mashed nanners
• 1/4 cup of oil
• 1 small pkg of jello instant banana cream pudding or white chocolate
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup of water
• 2 dashes each of nutmeg and cinnamon

In this recipe I used the white chocolate pudding. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour in a greased and floured Bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 50-55 minutes.

Frosting/Glaze:

• 1 stick of butter
• 3 tbsp of cocoa
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 1 box of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/4 cup of light corn syrup
• 1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Bring butter, cocoa, milk, and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and add the sugar, vanilla, and nuts. Stir until smooth and thick. Spread on warm cake.

Roasted Mustard Chicken with Ranch Taters and Zucchini Casserole (Light Supper)

I was in the kitchen for a good while making this supper....here ya go!

Roasted Mustard Chicken

• 6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
• 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup of fat free Italian dressing
• 1 tbsp of chive/ranch dressing/dip packet
• salt & pepper
• olive oil cooking spray

In a medium size mixing bowl combine the mustard, Italian dressing, ranch, salt, and pepper. Add the chicken and set aside to marinate. Meanwhile, prepare the ranch taters.
Once the taters are ready, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and add the chicken, bake at 400 for 30 minutes. Turning once after 15 minutes of cooking for even browning.

Ranch Roasted Red Taters

• 1 bag of red taters (washed and quartered)
• 1 packet of chive/ranch dressing/dip packet (reserve 1 tbsp for chicken)
• 1 tbsp of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 tbsp of salt
• black pepper to taste (about 2 dashes)
• olive oil cooking spray

In a large bowl add the taters, olive oil, ranch packet, salt and pepper. Toss well to coat each tater evenly. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and cook at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

Zucchini Casserole

• 4 cups of grated zucchini (about 3 medium size zucchinis)
• 1 cup of Bisquick (heart smart)
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 3 eggs whites, 1 whole egg
• 1/4 cup of EVOO
• 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup of 2% grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of chives
• 1 tbsp of chopped red onion

Preheat over to 350. Mix everything together in a large bowl. Spray a deep dish pie dish or casserole with cooking spray and pour mixture. Bake about 45-55 minutes, until golden brown or until toothpick in the center comes out clean.

Beef Nacho Night

It's Saturday and I don't feel much like cooking. So...it's Nacho night!

• 2 lbs of ground beef
• 2 McCormick's taco seasoning packets
• 1 can of rotel
• large size Velveeta
• 1 cup of water
• 1 can of refried bean
• 1 large bag of corn chips
• garnishes: lettuce, tomato, red onion, sour cream, salsa

Brown your ground beef and drain. Add your 2 packets of taco seasoning and 1 cup of water. Cook until the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes). Set aside. In a medium size pot. Make your yummy rotel dip. Add your diced Velveeta to 1 can of rotel. If your using half of the large Velveeta, then use 1 can of rotel, if your using the whole block of Velveeta, you will need 2 cans of rotel. Heat until cheese is melted. Heat the refried beans in the microwave until warm. I usually add a little salsa since they tend to be a little bland.
You may want to heat your chips in the microwave for just 1-2  minutes. Believe me, this makes a difference in the taste. Enjoy!

Crock pot BBQ pork ribs

Supplies needed:   A Large crock pot :)    4 1/2 lbs of country style pork ribs
                            1 bottle of "any brand" honey BBQ sauce (I used Kraft)
                            1/2 cup of honey         1/2 cup of beef broth

Spices:  lemon pepper, Tony's, onion & garlic powder, minced dried onion

Liberally coat your ribs with the spices. Place the ribs in the crock pot, pour the whole bottle of BBQ sauce, honey, and beef broth over the ribs. Cook on low for 10 hours.

The next morning, chill your ribs (put in the fridge). When you get home from work, pull the ribs out and discard any "floating" fat. Put the ribs in a large pot to heat. If you would like a thicker sauce, just take about 1 tbsp of corn starch and mix it with a little bit of the "hot" gravy and pour it back into the pot. Let it boil an additional 5 minutes. Done.
I usually serve this with a good sweet roll (that's to sop up all the juice/gravy), mashed taters or mac and cheese, and a veggie. In this case, we had corn on the cob. Enjoy!

beef & corny casserole

Ingredients:  1 pkg of egg noodles (12 ounces)   1-1/2 lb of ground beef
                      1 medium purple/red onion chopped
                      1 can of drained whole kernel corn (15 oz)
                      1 can of tomato soup (condensed)
                      1 can of broccoli & cheese or fiesta cheese (condensed)
                      1 cup of water          1 1/2 cup of diced Velveeta
                      1 ream of crumbled Ritz crackers
                   
Spices:            1 tsp of salt    1 tsp of Tony's    1/2 tsp of black pepper

Cook the noodles according to package directions (use a large pot). Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef and onion over medium heat until no longer pink, drain. I used lean ground meat so there was no need to drain. Add the corn, tomato soup, broccoli & cheese (or fiesta cheese), and water. Mix well. Add your spices. Drain your noodles, put the noodles back in the same hot pot and add the velveeta and the meat mixture. Transfer to a greased 13x9 baking dish. Top the casserole with the crumbled crackers, cover and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 30-35 minutes longer or until bubbly. Let it stand at room temp for about 10 minutes. This gives the casserole time to cool a bit (it will be HOT) and to "set". Enjoy!

My husband REALLY enjoyed the casserole. I would have added more cheese! Tomorrow, left over casserole :)

Texas Grapefruit

It's Monday and I DO NOT cook on a Monday. So, it's leftover's night. I decided for dessert I would have a wonderful, juicy, sweet and sour, Texas grapefruit. It was so good. This is the ONLY fruit that I actually sprinkle with salt. Let's just not go there with salt on watermelon. Just ain't right!
Happy Monday!!!

Pork Roast with root vegetables

Well, let me start off by saying that butternut squash is best left for a dessert. The taste and texture resembles a sweet potato..at least to me it does. I just didn't really care for it. I should have picked a rutabaga and turnips but my husband would divorce me if I served that to him. He hates the smell of rutabagas.

Ingredients: 2-3 lb pork roast      1 bag of baby carrots   2 large potatoes
                  2 stalks of celery      1 onion  2 cups of beef broth (divided)
                  1/4 cup of flour        3 garlic cloves (sliced)
                  1 large butternut squash
                          

Spices: lemon pepper, tony's, salt, garlic & onion powder

Peel your squash and potatoes and dice into chunks along with the remaining veggies except for the baby carrots. Make sure to use a generous amount of the spices to cover the whole roast, poke various holes in the roast, slide the sliced garlic in the holes. Pour 1 cup of your beef broth in the bottom of the roasting pan and lay the roast on top. Cover and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Uncover the roast and add ALL of the veggies, flip the roast and put it back in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes, after 30 minutes flip the roast and cook an additional 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the roast stand at room temp for 10 minutes. Remove all the veggies to a separate serving plate. You should have about 1-2 cups of juice on the bottom of the roasting pan. Put the roasting pan on the stove and add the flour and whisk, once it comes to a rolling boil, add the rest of the beef broth. If the gravy is to thick, add more broth or water. At this point, taste the gravy to see if you need to add more salt and pepper. Slice your roast and serve.

Since my son looked at supper and ran screaming...this is what he had..

Yes, he's spoiled...but, mommy wasn't too happy with supper either and I think he felt it. So, tomorrow we are having leftover pork roast with a WONDERFUL gravy and......MASHED POTATOES. LOL!

**The bottom part of the butternut squash: I removed the seeds and strings and baked it in the oven with 1 tbsp of butter, 2 tbsp of honey, 2 tbsp of sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes, until tender.

Again, I would recommend sweet potatoes because they are CHEAPER and well, that's what I was raised on and prefer. I will give the butternut squash another chance...later :)

Steak night :)

My husband REFUSES to tell me what he put in his rub/marinade for the steaks but it was so good! The salad was new, it was a pear vinaigrette mix. I didn't really care for it. It tasted a little toooooo floral.

Dessert was Sara Lee Apple pie with reddi whip. Yummo!

Tomorrow is Sunday and I seem to cook all day on the day that I'm supposed to be resting, right? Anyway, I'm making pork roast with butternut squash and carrots...stay tuned :)

Friday, I'm freaking tired and dont feel like cooking, sketti supper night

So, it's friday night, I dont really feel like cooking...cans and jar's night! HA!
I was in the mood for pasta..easy fix...sketti!!!!

Supplies needed (LOL): Ragu meat sauce and sketti noodles
Boil noodles according to directions, drain. Heat sketti sauce. Pour heated sketti sauce over hot pasta and serve. Just a reminder, if you want your sauces to really STICK to your pasta, never rinse it. I always takes it off the stove about a minute before it's done, drain, and put it in the sauce pot or skillet and cook it for about 1-2 minutes.

Notice the "butter bread" in the background..my son can not eat sketti without "butter bread". Also, if anyone feels the need to feel sorry for Pammy..I'm always up for some new PLATEWARE!!

 I thought I would go all out for dessert..so..we had toaster strudels. And let me just say, the boston cream pie is DA BOMB!!!

Tomorrow night...steak night!

Beef tips over rice

1-1 1/2 lbs of tenderized stew meat (diced)   1/4 cup of chopped celery  1/2 cup of chopped sweet onion
2 garlic cloves minced     2-3 Tbsp of EVOO (Extra virgin olive oil)  1/2 cup of flour (AP or SR)
1 cup of beef or chicken stock   1 cup of water  2 packets of McCormick Homestyle gravy mix
1 green onion (sliced) garnish/optional

Spices: Worcestershire black pepper, salt, Tony's, onion & garlic powder (if you can not find the Worcestershire black pepper then substitute it with the sauce, about 2 Tbsp)

Heat your skillet on medium high, you want to make sure the skillet is hot to keep the meat from sticking so much, add the EVOO. While your skillet is heating, put your diced stew meat in a collendar, give your meat a light dusting of all the spices, then add the flour, shake off any excess flour. Add the meat to the hot skillet, cook until light brown (about 7-8 minutes), remove the meat and add the onions, celery, and garlic. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Add the meat back to the skillet and any juices, then add the broth/stock, water, and both packets of gravy mix. Mix well and bring the gravy to a boil, cover and turn the heat down to low and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until the meat is tender. Add more broth or water if the gravy is too thick. Serve with rice.

Sloppy Joes

So, today I was home with "the boy" :) My lovely 3 3/4 year old son. His tummy wasn't feeling so well. I didn't feel much like cooking so we had Sloppy Joe's and I have to say, next to sketti, this is one of my son's FAVORITE suppers. He LOVES Sloppy Joe's...FROM THE CAN!!!!

I was SO not in the mood to make homemade Sloppy. Plus, I totally believe the label, it's really nutritious. I'm serious. It's not that bad. It's better than his cheeseburger from "you know where".

Brown ground meat, drain, open a can of sloppy joe, heat, and enjoy!

Tomorrow night..beef tips over rice :)

Just a burger and fries

There is nothing like a pan fried burger and homemade fries.

I just seasoned the burgers with Tony's, onion & garlic powder, cracked black pepper, and a little Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce. Serve with homemade fries and Smirnoff :)

Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad

1 whole chicken (cut up)   2 stalks of celery (chopped)  1 granny smith apple (chopped)
2 stalks of green onion (chopped)   4 boiled eggs (chopped)   1 small jar of pimentos 
1 cup of Hellman's mayo (more if needed)
Spices: lemon pepper, salt, cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere's)

Sprinkle a good amount of lemon pepper on your chicken pieces. You will need to be a little light on the Tony's and salt. Bake the chicken uncovered in the oven @ 350 for 30 minutes, then flip the chicken, drain excess juices, then bake for another 30 minutes. Once chicken is done, remove from oven, let it set at room temp to cool and then debone and chop the chicken in bite size pieces. Add the remaining ingredients and serve on lettuce or croissants. Add more mayo if needed. You want it wet but not soupy :)



Milky Way Surprise Crinkle Cookies

I have to say, these are THE BEST cookies I have ever made...enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 cup of crisco butter shortening    1 stick of butter, softened    2 cups of packed brown sugar
1 cup of suger   3 eggs    1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract   4 1/4 cups of SR flour
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon  1/4 tsp of pumpkin pie spice   1/8 tsp of salt
1 10-13 oz pkg of mini milky way (snack size) cut into 1/4

In a large bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, spices, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.

Roll into 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls then push 2-3 of the candies into the center of each ball, completely covering the candy with the dough. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.