Stuffed baked potato

 

Ingredients

• 6 medium russet potatoes - washed and dried
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• ¾ cup cooked bacon - chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup grated onion
• ¼ cup chopped green onion
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups of diced leftover ham from Easter dinner, or ham of your choice.

Instructions

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Drizzle potatoes with canola oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place potatoes on center rack in oven. Bake for 1 hour or until done (insert a knife into potato to check for doneness)
• Take potatoes out of oven and cool on baking rack.
• When potatoes are easy to handle, cut an oval on skin and remove. Scoop out inside of potato using a spoon and place in mixing bowl. Add butter and blend using a potato masher.
• Add 1 ½ cups of cheese, the bacon, sour cream, grated onion, salt and pepper - Ham mixing well. Taste, adjusting seasoning.
  
• With a small spoon, stuff mixture into potato skins making sure not to over pack. Place in an oven proof dish, cover with foil and heat in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. 
  
• Remove foil and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Heat until cheese is melted.
  
• Serve potatoes with sour cream, chopped green onions and additional bacon.

Air fryer chicken

 Ingredients

• 5 1/2 pound whole chicken

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or any oil you have . I used vegetable oil 

Chicken Seasoning I used (or use 1 tbs prepared chicken seasoning)

• 1 teaspoon  seasoning salt or season all

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• ⅙ teaspoon dried thyme leaves

        • 1 teaspoon of parsley flakes 

Instructions

• Ensure the cavity of the chicken is empty and dab the skin dry.


• Rub the skin with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning.
 rub the seasoning all over.

• Place the chicken breast-side down into the air fryer basket. Turn the air fryer on to 350°F.


• Cook for 30 minutes, flip the chicken over and cook for 30 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reaches 165°F.


• Remove from the air fryer and rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Pinto beans

 Pinto beans

Ingredients

• 1 (11 ounce) package pinto beans picked through and rinsed . I never soak my beans. This time I soaked them for 3 hours.
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart water
• 1 onion  halved or roughly chopped
• 2 smoked Turkey tails or ham hocks. Whatever you prefer.
• 1 tablespoon of onion powder 
• 1 tsp black pepper 
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoning 

Instructions

• Add the soaked beans, chicken stock, water, onion, ham hocks, to a large pot 
  
• Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nice and tender, even after soaking my beans I still cooked them for 3 hours.
  
• Adjust the seasonings if you need to add more water.
  

Fried cornbread

 

Fried Cornbread 

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
• 3/4 cup buttermilk 
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup cooking oil - separated 
• 1 tablespoon butter optional

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and place a rack on top; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Add buttermilk and 1/4 cup of oil then eggs; mix well.
4. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium-to-medium high heat and drop batter by 1/8 cup measure into the hot skillet to form small medallions. I just used a spoon 
5. Fry until brown and crisp, turn and brown the other side. Remove and let drain on rack.
6. Serve immediately with warm syrup or butter.
7. But you know me I serve mine with beans or greens 🥰

Banana pudding pound cake

 Banana pudding pound cake 

INGREDIENTS 

Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

1 (3.4 ounce) package banana cream instant pudding mix

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 mashed bananas

16 vanilla wafer cookies 

Icing:

1–1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 drop of yellow food coloring 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a round tube pan and set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well incorporated. With the mixer on low speed, slowly beat in the milk and vanilla until smooth.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, dry pudding mix, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, one cup at a time, until just combined. Stir in the mashed and sliced bananas until evenly distributed.
4. Spread evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. For the icing, whisk together the powdered sugar , 1 drop of yellow food coloring and milk until smooth and of drizzling consistency. Add more powdered sugar if too thin or more milk if too thick.
6. Transfer cake to a cake stand or serving platter and drizzle with icing. Garnish with 8 wafer cookies by sticking them into the cake, leaving half of the cookie out before you drizzle the icing , if desired. Then crumble 8 wafer cookies and place over the top of the cake.

Alfredo Spaghetti

 

Ingredients

• 16 ounces (1 pound) spaghetti noodles (cooked al dente)

For the meat sauce:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 24 ounce jar marinara sauce

For the alfredo layer:

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the topping:

• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese or 2 cups of cheddar blend 
• 2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside. If you haven't already, start cooking 16 ounces (1 pound) spaghetti noodles according to package directions.
  
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 pound ground beef, 1 small onion, finely diced, 1 green bell pepper, finely diced, 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder and 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Break up the beef into crumbles and cook, occasionally stirring, until the beef is no longer pink and the veggies have softened, about 10 minutes.
  
• Drain any excess grease then stir in 24 ounce jar marinara sauce and reduce the heat to low, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• While the meat sauce simmers, make the alfredo sauce. In a dutch oven or large stock pot melt ½ cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Add 4 cloves garlic, minced and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
  
• Stir in 2 cups heavy cream, 2 cups shredded parmesan cheese, ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce thickens slightly.
  
• Add the cooked spaghetti to the alfredo sauce and stir until the noodles are coated in the sauce. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
  
• Top with the meat sauce. 
  
• Sprinkle 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese and 2 Tablespoons shredded parmesan cheese over the top. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  
• Garnish with 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes (optional) and serve!
  

Nutrition

Calories: 887kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 59g | Saturated Fat: 33g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 1244mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2321IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 464mg | Iron: 3mg

Collard greens seaoning

 EQUIPMENT

• spice container or small air-tight container

INGREDIENTS

  

• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar packed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon- I use powdered 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• In a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients.
  
• Stir to combine so the spices and sugar are distributed evenly.
• I use a empty spice container that I already have and just make a label or write on the container.
  
• Use in your favorite collard greens recipe or my Slow Cooker Collard Greens.
• For 2 bunches of collard greens I added 2 tablespoons of the seasoning. Adjust the seasoning as needed after it cooks and you have tasted it.

I let my smoked Turkey meat cook first, I use any kind of smoked meat. I let it cook for and hour.  I am cleaning my greens while the meat is boiling 

Then I just dice a onion and add it and then my greens after they are cleaned and cut . If I start my greens at night I let them cook for one hour then I transfer them to a crockpot and let them cook on low until I get up in the morning and they are the best.

Chicken Lasagna soup

 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
• 3 cloves fresh garlic (finely minced)
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt (reduce if not using low sodium broth)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more for extra spice)
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth (use 4 cups for a thinner soup)
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 300 grams)
• ¼ cup sundried tomatoes (chopped - optional)
• 2 cups short dry pasta or broken lasagna noodles (about 120 grams - I use Mafalda Corta. They are like mini lasagna noodles!)
• 1 cup half and half or cream (the higher the fat content, the richer the soup)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 cup fresh spinach (roughly chopped)
• ricotta cheese, Parmesan or shredded mozzarella cheese for garnish as desired

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook until just starting to brown. 
• Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute.
• Add chicken broth and stir well. Then add chicken breasts (uncooked) and sun dried tomatoes. 
• Bring to a simmer and cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken breasts are cooked through (you will need an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F).
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water to al dente, according to package directions. 
• When the chicken is cooked, remove from the soup and shred. 
• Whisk together cream and corn starch. 
• Stir the shredded chicken, cooked pasta noodles, cream and spinach back into the pot and heat through. 
• Serve with cheese as desired.

  NUTRITION

  Serving: 399grams | Calories: 459cal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 895mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1206IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 3mg

  
  

  400 grams is 2 1/2 cups

  200 grams is 1 1/4 cup

  For me 1 cup is good.

  
  

Stuffed chicken breast

 

Ingredients

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
• 1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• wooden toothpicks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomato jar

Instructions

• In a medium bowl stir together cream cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic powder, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning until evenly mixed. Set aside.
  
• Cut a pocket in each chicken breast. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken and inside the pocket with salt and pepper.
  
• Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with paprika.
  
• Stuff each pocket with cream cheese mixture. Secure each opening with a few toothpicks.
  
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  
• Heat the olive oil and sun-dried tomato oil in an oven-proof skillet. (Either cast iron or stainless steel work well for this.)
  
• Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown on the bottom. Flip over and cook until browned on the other side.
  
• Transfer skillet to oven and cook another 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Pink lemonade cookies

 

Pink lemonade cookies 

Ingredients

For The Cookies

• 15.25 oz lemon cake mix
• 15.25 oz strawberry cake mix
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil 1/3 for each mix
• 2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar

For The Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

Cookies

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Place lemon cake mix into a large bowl and the strawberry cake mix into another large bowl.
• Mix 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1 tsp lemon extract into each flavored cake mix until well blended.
  
• Place dough in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to firm slightly.
• Take 1 rounded teaspoons of lemon dough and roll into a ball.
• Do the same with the strawberry dough.
• Combine the lemon and strawberry dough to make one large ball.
• Place the dough ball in a bowl with 1 cup of powdered sugar, and roll to lightly coat in powdered sugar.
• Place on a parchment covered baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Bake 10 minutes until they turn slightly golden and are cooked through.
• Transfer to wire rack and let cool completely before frosting and serving.

Icing

• Whisk together 1 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of milk until combined.
• Add more milk for desired consistency.
• Once the cookies reach room temperature, drizzle icing on each cookie with a fork or piping bag.