CHEEZY TACO PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound large shells pasta
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 cup jarred salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the shelled pasta according to the directions on the box and drain.
2. Add the ground beef to the pan and brown well.
3. Drain the fat.
4. Add the taco seasoning and 3/4 cup of water, stir and cook until water is gone.
5. Add the pasta back into the pot with the salsa and cheese.
6. Stir to combine.
7. Serve immediately, preferably with crunchy tortilla chips (optional) on top.

Homemade Taco Seasoning:

1/4 cup chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon powdered oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

Use 2-3 Tablespoons to equal 1 seasoning packet

Jerk Chicken In the Making

• 4-6 pounds chicken pieces, drumsticks and thighs
• 4 stalks fresh green onions
• 2 ts garlic powder
• 1 chili pepper, stemmed and chopped (Jalapeño, Habanero or pepper
• 1/4 cup of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oil (any kind)
• 1/4 cup of lime juice
• 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons  allspice
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 4 teaspoons salt
• 2 ts red pepper flakes

 Rice and Beans

• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon oil - any kind
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 ts garlic powder
• 1 3/4 cup chicken broth
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 
  

 cut the green onions in pieces,  and  de-seed peppers, then add to a large food processor or blender.  stir in brown sugar,  all of the spices, dried thyme, soy sauce, oil, juice , and blend well until you have mixed it all together . Add the chicken pieces  to a freezer bag with the jerk sauce liquid,and toss together until fully coated in the marinade mixture. or you can put it in a bowl and  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate the chicken in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. When ready to cook, heat oven to 350°F and bake chicken for 45-55 minutes.

***if you are going to use the grill, make only one side of the grill hot**

grill the pieces for 3 minutes on each side just to get the grill marks, using the hot side of the grill. Move the pieces to the cold side of the grill and cook for 1 hour, flipping after 30 minutes. so on the cold side of the grill you will cook it for 30 minutes on each side, after you have made your grill marks.

*****************************************************************************

While chicken is cooking start on the rice. Add oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chopped onions and garlic, cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook for 3 minutes while stirring, then pour in the chicken broth. Season with nutmeg and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. add the rinsed black beans, Cover and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed and rice is tender, about 18 -22 minutes. Do not remove the lid while it is cooking.

SAUSAGE HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
•       2 lb hot breakfast sausage
•       1 (30-32oz) bag frozen shredded hash browns
•       1 tsp salt
•       1/2 tsp pepper
•       1/4 tsp garlic powder
•       1/4 tsp onion powder
•       2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
•       8 eggs
•       2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, cook sausage until no longer pink. Drain fat.
Add hash browns to skillet and cook until lightly brown. Place hash browns in bottom of lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Top with sausage and cheese.
Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and milk. Pour over hash brown mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes.

MAMA'S FRIED APPLE PIES

Ingredients
•       for frying oil
•       1 can large buttermilk biscuits
•       1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling
•       1/4 cup plus more for dusting sugar
•       2 tablespoons plus more for dusting ground cinnamon
•       for rolling biscuits use flour
•powdered sugar

Directions
Pour the oil into a large skillet about 1/2-inch up the sides and heat to about 350º.
Remove biscuits from cans, flour them and roll each 1 out to a 5-inch round. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of apple filling on  one side leaving a 1/2-inch edge all around. fold it over the to cover the filling, pressing around the edges to seal. You should dip your fingers in water and wipe around the edge of the bottom biscuit to enable it to stick to the top biscuit. Dip end of dinner fork in flour and press continuously around edge to insure a proper seal. Repeat with remaining biscuits. Makes 8 pies depending on the amount in your biscuit can. Place 3 or 4 of the pies in the preheated  skillet. Fry for about 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. Transfer to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered sugar while still hot. Serve with ice cream if desired.

Spinach & Egg Breakfast Burrito

PASTA BOLOGNESE

ground beef, 1 lb
1 bag of pappardelle pasta,
2 carrots,
2 stalks celery,
2 cloves garlic,
1 yellow onion,
4 tbsp tomato paste,
Fresh parsley, 4 sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf,
1/4 cup heavy cream,
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese.
directions:
bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
mince the garlic, dice the onion, peel and dice the carrots and chop the parsley.

 over medium-high heat,
heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and add the garlic, carrots, onion, diced celery and bay leaf.  season with salt and pepper. stir occasionally, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until softened.  add tomato paste and cook stirring frequently 2 to 3 minutes.
while the vegetables cook, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper for about 5-7 minutes. once browned, remove from heat and drain and discard the fat from the pan.
add the cooked beef, heavy cream and 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot of vegetables and stir.  heat to boiling on high, season with salt and pepper. once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally 14-16 minutes or until thickened and slightly reduced in volume. remove from heat.
add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes (or until al dente). reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. drain the cooked pasta and add directly to the sauce along with the reserved pasta water.  cook on medium heat, stirring to coat the pasta in the sauce for 1-2 minutes. remove from heat, stir in the parmesan cheese (optional )and season with salt and pepper to taste.

OPEN FACE TURKEY SANDWICH

Crockpot open face turkey

Ingredients
•       1 (5-6 pounds) bone-in turkey breast completely thawed

•       2 yellow onions
•       1 cup chicken broth
•       6 tablespoons butter separated
Seasonings
•       1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
•       1 teaspoon seasoned salt
•       1 teaspoon paprika
•       1/2 teaspoon pepper
•       1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•       1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
•       1/4 teaspoon dried sage
•       Optional: 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
1       Make sure the turkey breast is completely thawed -- this can take 1-2 days in the fridge so be prepared. It isn't food safe to thaw a turkey in the crockpot. See notes in the post for more details about thawing your turkey breast. Pat the turkey down with paper towels.
2       Spray a large crockpot (I use a 6 quart crockpot) with nonstick spray.
3       Cut one yellow onion into large chunks and add it to the bottom. Pour the chicken broth on top.
4       Cut off the skin of the turkey breast (OR leave it on, whatever you prefer
5       Place the turkey breast, BREAST DOWN ,Make sure the turkey is ELEVATED on top of the onion.
6       Cut the other onion in half and place inside the turkey with 4 tablespoons butter.
7       Stir together all of the seasonings and rub all over the turkey. If leaving the skin on, make sure to rub the seasonings under the skin.
8       Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and, using a pastry brush, brush it all over the turkey.
9       Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour and then low for 5-7 hours or until the turkey's internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
10      Remove the turkey from the crockpot and turn so it is breast up.
11      Start by removing the wishbone and then remove all the other bones and skin . Take the large pieces of meat and slice them. I used this recipe for my open face turkey meal. As pictured.
on top of 2 slices of bread.
See Gravy video on BLOG

Turkey Gravy

DIJON MUSTARD CHICKEN

Ingredients

• 4 (5 oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thin

• 1 /3 cup of vegetable oil

• ¼ tsp salt and pepper, to taste

• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3-4 Tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp dried

oregano

1 cup of flour for chicken

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

Instructions

• 1 season chicken then bread chicken by dredging it in flour .

2 Add oil to a large skillet and preheat over medium-high heat.

3 Add chicken to skillet and cook until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side, turning once. If they are sliced thin they will cook thru.

4 Pour chicken broth into hot skillet. Whisk in the heavy cream , mustard, oregano and corn starch . Whisk for 4-6 minutes over medium heat until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken and serve hot.

Serve with white rice.

The perfect rice

1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water

Place rice in pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover with a tight fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes, do not disturb. Set a timer. Remove from heat after 20 minutes and add a teaspoon of salt and butter or margarine.

ORANGE WINGS

Orange Wings

Vegetable oil, for frying
Teaspoon seasoning salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 pounds chicken wings, cut at joint
1/2 stick (2 ounces) butter
2 Teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup Orange Marmalade
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Preheat deep fryer or large pot with vegetable oil to 350 degrees F.
Mix the salt, paprika, and garlic powder together in a small bowl.
Add chicken wings and toss to coat.
Melt the butter in medium saucepan over medium heat with the garlic.
Stir in Orange Marmalade , hot sauce, and soy sauce. Cook until syrupy and thick, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the wings to the deep fryer and fry until cooked through and golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. You will need to do this in 2 batches so you don't overcrowd your fryer or pot.
Remove the wings from the fryer and drain on a paper towel-lined baking tray.
Add the fried wings to the large bowl of sauce and toss until well combined and wings are well coated. Using a slotted spoon, remove the wings to a platter and serve immediately.

PENNE SAUSAGE ALFREDO

Penne sausage Alfredo

Ingredients
* 12 ounces Penne
* 4 Mild Italian Sausage Links one package or Chicken sausage 
* 1 jar Alfredo Sauce
* 2 cloves garlic minced
* 3 small tomatoes - diced
* 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach- rough cut
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. While pasta cooks, slice the sausage into rounds and cook in the skillet until browned
3. Dice & chop the tomatoes & spinach
4. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pot
5. Sprinkle with cheese when serving

FRUIT PIZZA

Fruit Pizza

INGREDIENTS
* (1) 17.5 oz sugar cookie mix pouch
* ½ C butter at room temperature
* 1 egg
* (2) 8 ounce block cream cheese at room temperature
* 1/4 cup of sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon of lemon Juice
* 1 teaspoon of vanilla flavor or Extract
* 2-3 C fruit of your choice, chopped into small pieces
* I use Kiwi and Strawberries
* If I’m in a really good mood I will make my own cookies, usually when I make this it’s for a party.

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare the sugar cookie dough according to package directions, mixing in the butter and egg.
3. Using your hands, spread the dough evenly on a cookie sheet. Dot the dough with a fork to prevent air bubbles.
4. Bake until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and cool completely.
6. Mix the sugar, vanilla , lemon and cream cheese until smooth and creamy.
7. Frost the cookie dough "crust" with the cream mixture.
8. Cover the pizza with fruit. Refrigerate until serving. Slice into squares.

APPLE CRISP

Apple crisp

Ingredients

2 cans of apple pie filling
1 stick of butter , cubed
1 box of yellow cake mix
1/4 cup of brown sugar

For the topping
Vanilla ice cream
Caramel drizzle

Instructions

Mix brown sugar with apples and place in a baking dish.

Empty cake mix into a bowl and add cold butter cubes and mix until it crumbles together.

Crumble cake mix over apples, making sure it’s covered completely.

Heat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. For convection oven bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Remove and top with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with caramel.

CHICKEN PASTA W/ WHITE CREAMY SAUCE

Chicken pasta w/ creamy white sauce

Ingredients
For cooking chicken:
* 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts paper towel dried
* 1/2 cup flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ¼ teaspoon black pepper
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
Pasta:
* 12 oz of spaghetti
White Parmesan Sauce:
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 1 yellow onion chopped
* 4 garlic cloves minced
* 2 scallions chopped
* 2 small tomatoes diced
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 cup chicken broth
* ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
* 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
* 1/2 teaspoon salt more to taste
* ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
1. COOKING CHICKEN BREASTS: Paper towel dry the chicken. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and Italian seasoning. Stir well to blend. Using a fork or tongs, coat the chicken breasts in the flour mixture by pressing into the mixture with tongs and then flipping the chicken over to coat the other side. Set aside.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, place flour coated chicken breasts in the skillet and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, turning once between cooking, about 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
3. MAKING WHITE PARMESAN SAUCE: Add 4 tablespoons butter, 1 diced yellow onion and 4 minced garlic cloves to pan. Cook on medium high until onions and garlic are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 2 chopped scallions and 2 diced tomatoes. Add 1 tablespoon flour to pan and whisk to combine. Add 1 cup heavy cream, 1 cup broth , 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper. Bring mixture to a simmering point and then add ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Use a whisk or a wooden spoon and mix it in until you have a smooth mixture.
4. COOKING PASTA: Cook 12 oz of spaghetti according to your package instructions in salty water. I like pasta that is neither too hard nor too soft, so I always cook it Al Dente. Drain, but do not rinse.
5. PUTTING THE DISH TOGETHER: Add cooked pasta to the skillet with the sauce and stir to combine on low heat for 2-4 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed. Return chicken to skillet on top of the pasta and allow it to warm up for an additional 5 minutes. Serve chicken either on top or next to pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
And parsley flakes- optional

BREAKFAST BOWL

6-8 Red potatoes cubed

3 green onions diced

1/2 pound of bacon. pork or turkey

4 sausage patties

4 eggs

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, but still firm, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Cut into small chunks and set aside.

3 Add potatoes to the skillet and cook on medium heat until browned and crisp . Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. But sticking is good sometimes with potatoes, my husband loves it! Add a little oil if you need to , any kind. Stir in bacon and season with salt and pepper. Cover with shredded cheese and turn the mixture until the cheese is melted. Keep on low heat while cooking eggs.

4 Cook eggs to your preferred style. Place potatoes in a large serving dish and top with eggs and green onion(as shown). Or serve up as individuals.

YELLOW RICE

Yellow rice

•       3 Tbsp. butter
•       1 c. long-grain white rice
•       1 tsp fresh minced garlic
•       1 tsp. onion powder or dried minced onion
•       1 tsp. ground turmeric
•       2 c. chicken broth
•       1/2 tsp. Kosher salt or to taste
•       ground black pepper to taste
•       2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
1       Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2       Add the rice and gently stir until rice begins to lightly brown.
3       Add garlic, onion powder, and turmeric and stir until well mixed in.
4       Slowly stir in chicken broth and raise heat to medium-high. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5       Bring the mix to a boil then turn the heat to low and cover the pan with a lid.
6       Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add cilantro, and fluff with a fork. Serves 4.

CHICKEN FLAUTAS

Chicken Flautas

Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breasts , cut into small chunks
1 cup salsa
1 onion , minced
1 jalapeno pepper , cored and minced
1 tsp cumin
1 lime , juiced
3/4 cup grated monterey jack cheese or cotjita 
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
24 corn tortillas or flour 
vegetable oil
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, salsa, minced onion, jalapeño pepper, cumin, lime juice and grated cheeses.
Fill skillet with oil so that it is about 1 inch deep. Heat to medium, around 350-375F.
Wrap corn tortillas in a towel and place on a plate. Heat in a microwave for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and let the tortillas rest in the towel for 1-2 more minutes. This allows the tortillas to soften and be more pliable.
Spoon one heaping tablespoon in the middle of a tortilla. Spread it in a line across the middle of a tortilla. Tightly roll the tortilla into a cylinder. If desired, stick a toothpick in the tortilla to hold it in place.
Using tongs, place the flauta into the hot oil. If not using toothpicks, try to place the folded part of the tortilla at the bottom so that it does not open up during frying.
Let the flauta fry for 2-3 minutes (or until browned), then flip. Fry for another 2-3 minutes . Make sure that the flauta is nicely browned before removing from the hot oil.
Using tongs, remove the flauta from the oil and place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Prepare remaining flautas.
Serve with sour cream.

CHESS PIE

• 1 1/2cups sugar
• 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3cup buttermilk
• 1/2cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1unbaked pie crust

1. Heat oven to 350. Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl. Add eggs and buttermilk, stirring until blended. Stir in melted butter and vanilla and pour into unbaked pie crust. or use my flaky pie crust recipe.
2. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set. Cool  at least an hour before serving. 

FEETLOAF

WOULD YOU FEEL WEIRD EATING FEETLOAF ?
OR WOULD YOU RATHER STICK WITH MEATLOAF

CHANGE IS GOOD

CHANGE IS GOOD

SOUTHERN FRIED PORK CHOPS

Southern Fried PorK chops
Ingredients
4 -6 thin cut bone- in pork chops
1 teaspoon Seasoned salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups flour, I use all purpose
Vegetable oil
Instructions

Mix all seasonings together and add it to the flour .... Not the Buttermilk

1. Pour buttermilk into a shallow bowl and place flour in a batter pro.
2. If you don’t have a batter pro. Use a large-bowl
3. (I got my batter pro as a gift from T.P) I love it.
4. Dip pork chops in buttermilk, coating both sides and then in the flour .
5. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil to 350 degrees in a pan large enough to hold 4 pork chops and deep enough to hold the oil.
6. Fry for about 6 minutes, checking it halfway through. And cook for 6 minutes on the other side.
7. They are thin, they will cook thru and not dry out.

CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

This is what you need

2chicken breast 

2 thighs

8 cups of chicken stock 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

2 teaspoons seasoning salt 

3 diced celery stalks

3 carrots chopped 

1 onion diced 

1 teaspoon paprika 

1 teaspoon thyme 

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 1 stick of butter plus 2 tablespoons 

2 cups of AP flour 

2 cups of heavy cream

1 / 2 cup of milk 

2 diced carrots 

Directions 

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot add the chicken the stock and the seasonings. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes.while the chicken is cooking dice your vegetables. Sauté the vegetables in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until tender. Remove the thighs and debone them and add them back to the pot. Add the remaining flour to a cup of water mix well and add it to the pot. This is called a slurry and will make the dumplings thick.

Add the cooked vegetables to the pot with the cooked chicken . Add the heavy cream and let that simmer while you prepare the dumplings below.

For the dumplings 

1 3/4 cups of AP flour 

2 teaspoon baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1  stick of butter 

1/2 cup of milk

In a glass cup heat the milk and add the stick of butter. In a bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add milk and butter mixture , stir with a fork until combined. Dough should be soft but not sticky.if sticky add a tiny bit more flour. Turn onto a floured surface and knead no more than 8 times. All you’re doing is mushing it together. Then flip. Roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface 

and cut into strips and then small squares.

Go back to your pot once the dough has been rolled out and cut into squares and drop them into the pot one at a time.

Cook for an additional 15 minutes so that the dough is completely done.

The best dumplings ever