The BEST Lasagna EVER!!!!! Seriously!!!

I'm so excited that I get to cater my first wedding in November. The bride wants Italian food so of course, one of the dishes we decided on was lasagna. I was looking around for a special recipe but couldn't find one. I did however, come up with a few different ideas based off of what I found. I made this the other day and it was a hit to those I served. Don't get scared!!! It's easier then it reads. Happy lasagna layering!

Ingredients

1 lb ground meat

1/4 cup diced carrot

1/4 cup diced celery

1/2 of a large white onion diced

1 package of oven ready lasagna noodles

12 oz ricotta

8 oz package sliced mozzarella

1 cup parmesan cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce ( I use Ragu mushroom flavor)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

4 tbs butter

4 tbs flour

2-21/2 cups milk

 

Put about two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Add onions, carrots and celery. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Cook until veggies are soft. Transfer to a large bowl. Add ground meat to skillet. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cinnamon. Cook until brown. Transfer to same glass bowl with veggies. To this bowl, add ricotta and sauce and mix.

 

 In a medium sauce pan, add butter and melt on medium heat. When butter is melted, add flour and stir to combine. Let this cook about two minutes so the flour taste cooks out. Slowly whisk in milk. While still whisking, bring mixture to a light boil for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Lightly cover the bottom of your baking dish with meat mixture. Put one layer of noodles down. Pour 1/3 of white sauce over noodles. Then layer 1/3 of the meat mixture and top with 3-4 slices of mozzarella. Continue layering ending with mozzarella. Sprinkle the rest of the parmesan cheese on top and cover with foil. Bake at 425 for 45-60 minutes or until noodles are fork tender. Remove foil and allow to cook for about 10 more minutes or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

 

Not So Ordinary Hot Dogs

There are not many people that I know of that do not have a package of hot dog franks in their refrigerator. Here are a couple of ways to jazz up a boring hot dog or use up left over hot dogs.

Day 1- Hot Dog Melts

Ingredients
Hot Dogs, slit lengthwise
Bacon slices (as many as the number of hot dogs you are using)
Hot Dog buns (as many as the number of hot dogs you are using)
Cheddar cheese slices
1/4 c. mayo
2 TBS sour cream
1 TBS Hot sauce
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1/2 Tbs Honey
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine mayo, sour cream, hot sauce, honey and mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill in refrigerator. Place a slice of cheese in each slit of the hot dog. Tear the slices to fit. Wrap each hot dog with a slice of bacon securing with toothpicks. Place on a line baking sheet and cook for about 10-12 minutes until bacon is crisp. Place the hot dog in a bun and smear with mayo sauce.


Day 2- Hot Dog Tenders

The pancake mix makes these "tenders" fluffy like a corn dog. If you don't have Parmesan cheese on hand, its ok. You can omit it and it will still taste good. Instead, add 1 tsp of salt instead of the 1/2 as stated below.  You can use this recipe to make easy chicken tenders or even sausage for breakfast.

Ingredients
2/3 pancake mix
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 egg beaten
3 Tbs butter or margerine - melted

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. In a large Ziploc bag, place pancake mix, cheese, garlic, salt and paprika. Seal and mix well. Cut hot dogs in half length wise. Dip hot dog into egg and then into dry mix. Place hot dogs on baking sheet. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake 10- 12 minutes turning half way through. Since hot dogs are already cooked, you are only looking to bake until the crust is browned. If you are making chicken tenders, you will want to cook them for 14-16 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.

Easy Olive Spread

I made this for a wedding shower. I made tea sandwiches out of it. You could do the same, use it as a dip with crackers or spread on a toasted baguette. It could even be good as a spread for a sub.

Ingredients
8 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 c. finely chopped olives
1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
Olive juice

Mix all ingredients together. Add juice to help make a smooth consistency. It should be 1-2 Tbs.

Onion Dip

I made this dip for my best friend Sarah's wedding shower. It is really easy and very yummy!!!

Ingredients

2 large yellow onions

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup mayo

Directions

Cut the onions in half and then slice them into thin strips. Heat the butter and oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.

Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream together with a mixer on low until smooth. Stir in onions and serve room temperature.

Crunchy Stuffed chicken w/ cauliflower mash

Ingredients
**3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 oz softened cream cheese
1/2 small onion diced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 one small box of frozen spinach, thawed (cut the box in half with a sharp knife while frozen)
1 tsp  of each salt, pepper and garlic powder
1 c. crushed regular potato chips (you can use tortilla chips or whatever you have on hand)
1 bag frozen cauliflower- thawed
1/2 c. warm milk
Butter or margarine to taste

*** Usually chicken breasts come in a package of 3 or 4. For these recipes you will need either 3 large chicken breasts or 4 smaller ones.

Coat the bottom of  skillet with oil. Cook onions over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook 3-4 more minutes. Meanwhile, drain thawed spinach thoroughly and add to a small mixing bowl with cream cheese.  Add onions and mushrooms to cream cheese with salt, pepper and garlic. Mix well. You will be stuffing two of the chicken breasts and reserving the other two for round two recipe. Make an incision on one side of chicken starting about 1/2 inch in. Make a large pocket without going all the way through the chicken. Stop 1/2 inch before the end of the chicken. Repeat for second breast. Place an even amount of stuffing in each breast. Drizzle all four breasts with a small amount of oil and lightly season on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Take the two stuffed chickens and coat on both sides with potato chip crumbs. Place all 4 breasts in skillet on medium high cooking 5-7 minutes on each side.  Un-stuffed breasts will cook faster then stuffed. Cool un-stuffed and reserve for round two recipe.

Cauliflower Mash-
** This dish definitely has a different texture then regular mashed potatoes but you still get good flavor and less guilt!

Steam cauliflower in a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Leave the lid on to steam over medium heat. When cauliflower is tender drain and return to saucepan. Heat up milk in a saucepan or microwave. Add a small amount of milk and begin to mash cauliflower like you would potatoes. Continue to add milk until mash is the consistency you like. Add butter, salt and pepper to taste

Round 2- Easy Chicken Potpie

Ingredients
Reserved chicken- diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can mixed vegetables
1 can diced potatoes
1 serving pancake mix- prepared as package instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray. Mix all ingredients together in bowl minus the pancake mix. Prepare pancake mix and spoon over the top of the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.

Poor Man's French Onion Soup

The only thing you have to be careful with in this recipe is the amount of salt you use. The beef bouillon is already loaded with sodium. French onion soup is traditionally made with Gruyere cheese but most of us don't have this lying around so you can use Parmesan or Mozzarella. If you use Parmesan, go extremely light with it since it is already so salty.

Ingredients
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 small onion sliced into thin strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. oil
Gruyere Cheese
Toasted french bread ( You can also use left over buns that have been toasted)

Heat butter and oil in a medium pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until onions are starting to caramelize (turn brown). Remove from heat. Some an even amount of mixture into serving cups or bowls. In a medium saucepan, bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Add bouillon cubes and stir until the are dissolved. Pour broth into serving dishes. Do not add bread until right before serving. It will start to break down. Place toasted bread or bun on the top of the bowl and cover with cheese. Heat from the soup will help melt the cheese.

Date Night/Game Day

Every once in a while you have to step up your game and cook to impress for a date night at home. The go to standard is usually a steak of some kind. Everyone has there favorite way to prepare a steak so I won't even try and convert you to my way. I will, however give you a great easy side dish to go along with those steaks.

***** Cook an extra small steak or reserve part of a steak for the round two recipe.

Round 1- Steak and Not So Ordinary Baked Potatoes

*** Cook potatoes in oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Poke potatoes with fork all over and wrap in foil. You can also cook potatoes in the microwave.

Creamed Corn Filling
1 can creamed corn
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 tsp dried parsley leaves

Heat ingredients in saucepan on medium heat until well blended.

Chili Filling
1 can chili (No Beans! It's date night!!!!)
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp cumin

Heat ingredients in saucepan on medium heat until well blended.

Creamed Greens
1 can (14 oz) Already seasoned mixed greens
1/4 heavy cream

Drain greens and add to saucepan with cream. Heat on medium and cook until liquid is reduced by half. A little under 5 minutes.


Round 2- Game Day Steak Pizza
*** This is something that you can make any way you like. I use a piece of french bread. If you don't have it on hand, you can use hotdog buns, hamburger buns, or tortillas.

Ingredients
Reserved Steak- sliced as thin as possible
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs oil
1 Small onion sliced into strips
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup cheese- mozzarella works best but you could also use cheddar
Steak sauce or BBQ sauce

Heat butter and  oil in pan on medium heat. Add onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Lightly sprinkle with salt. Add mushrooms and cook for another five minutes. Remove from heat.

Spread bread with your favorite steak sauce or BBQ sauce. Layer with steak and onion mixture. Top with cheese. Bake on a non-stick baking sheet at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese is completely melted.

Veggie Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients
2 large bell peppers
1 small squash- small dice
1/2 cup diced mushrooms
1/2 small onion- diced
1/2 c. un-cooked minute rice
1/2 c. chicken stock ( veggie stock or beef stock ok)
12 c. parmesan cheese
1 Tbs paprika
Salt, Pepper and Garlic powder

*** I used my dutch oven but you can do this in a normal pan and transfer to a baking dish to put in the oven.

Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat the bottom of a frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes add mushrooms and squash. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook for another 5 minutes. Turn heat up to medium- high. Add uncooked rice and cook for 3-4 minutes until rice has become slightly golden. Add stock and cook rice until done. Remove mixture to a mixing bowl. Add paprika mix then add 1/4 c. of cheese and mix. Cut the tops off the peppers and remove seeds and ribs. stuff meat mixture into peppers and top with remaining cheese.

Place peppers in dutch oven or baking dish add 1/4 c. water or stock to bottom of dish. Cover and bake for 15- 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and peppers are tender.

Veggies Au Gratin

At this time of year, zucchini and squash are widely available and CHEAP! Many people eat these vegetables a lot during the summer so eating them can become a little boring. This is a very easy dish and a great new way to enjoy these summer staples. Through out the year, you can take the same basic concept of this dish and apply it to all types of different vegetables.

Ingredients
1 small squash- sliced in rounds
1 small zucchini - sliced in rounds
1/2 small onion- chopped
2 TBS butter
1 TBS flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray small baking dish with non-stick spray. Arrange slices in baking dish alternating vegetables. Drizzle oil in a small sauce pan to coat bottom and heat over medium heat. Add onions, slightly salt and cook for 5 minutes. Add butter and allow to melt slightly then add flour. Mix flour and butter to cook. This should form a paste like substance. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes so that the flour taste cooks out. Slowly whisk in milk and continue to stir until mixture is smooth. Bring sauce to a light simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Go light on the salt; the cheese is already very salty its self. Congratulations!! You just made a bechumel (white sauce). Not that hard is it? Traditional bechumel has a little nutmeg in it. I know tons of people who don't like nutmeg but if you do, go ahead and add a very TINY TINY about. A little goes a very long way with nutmeg. Lightly season vegetables with pepper and garlic powder then pour sauce over them. Back un-covered for about 20 minutes until sauce is bubbly and starts to brown. Wait about 5-10 minutes before serving so sauce can set-up.

Ground Beef Dishes

I created this tab at the request of my good friend Barber. His request was for recipes that were made with cheap ingredients. I have done a little more and did two recipes that share the same main ingredient. Also, these are made to serve 1-2 people depending on how big of a serving you like. Just enough for the bachelor!!!!

Day 1- Spicy Stuffed Bell Peppers


Ingredients
1 Tbs oil
2  Large Green Bell peppers
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion- chopped
1 cup cooked rice (1/2 c. uncooked rice and 1/2 c. water or stock)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder.
1 tsp Hot Sauce
1/2 c. grated pepper jack cheese
Salt and Pepper


Pre-Heat oven to 375. In a large frying pan add oil and heat over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add ground meat, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cook until meat is brown. Meanwhile, cut the tops off of bell peppers and remove seeds and ribs from inside.
***Pour half of the meat mixture into a mixing bowl and the other half to a storage container to cool. When mixture is cool, cover and refrigerate. This meat mixture will be used for another recipe.


When remaining mixture has cooled for about 5 minutes, add rice, chili powder, hot sauce and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Mix.  Divide mixture into the two bell peppers. Place peppers in a small baking dish. Cover peppers with the rest of the cheese. Add a 1/4 cup water or stock to bottom of baking dish. Place peppers in dish and cover with foil. Cook for 20 minutes.
Day 2- Easy Sheppard's Pie

Ingredients
Reserved meat mixture from above
1/4 c beef stock
1 can mixed vegetables- what ever you like
***2 servings prepared mash potatoes

*** Dried potato flakes are a great staple for any bachelor's pantry. If your feeling wild, try different flavored variations of the flakes. If your feeling like a culinary expert, make your own mashed potatoes.

Pre- heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with non-stick spray. Add meat mixture and stock to a large and heat to a small simmer. Add vegetables and cook 2-3 minutes until veggies are heated. While mixture is cooking, prepare mashed potatoes. Make sure that you season them with plenty of salt and pepper. Transfer meat mixture to baking dish. Cover mixture with potatoes in an even layer. Use a fork to "rough up" the potatoes to form peaks. Cook for 20 minutes or until peaks become slighlty browned.

Food For Two

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A Skinny Gal's Taquitos

I LOVE taquitos! They are small, tasty and can be eaten with your hands. The sad news...... they are loaded with calories and fat!! YUCK!!!! After researching some popular restaurant chains website, I found that a common taquito can have about 176 calorie, 9 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat. That is per taquito people!!!!!

A few years ago I started the process of getting back in "shape" which caused me to hire a personal trainer. She was AWESOME.... but that's beside the point. She taught me some pretty great lessons to live by.
1) Calories are important but NOT as important as fat.

2) You should try to never have more then 7 total grams of fat per meal.

3) Always look at what your gaining out of the dish besides the bad stuff, i.e. protein, vitamins and minerals.

So, if we go back to these taquitos, we can see that they break at least the first two rules. And that is just per taquito; not the whole dish. So I started thinking up a way of slimming these little suckers down and not cut out the taste. The calorie counter I use does not let you put in odd amounts of items so the count is a little bit higher then how much is actually in these taquitos. Now, I'm not claiming these are the perfect diet food but..... if your going to splurge on something, make it a smart splurge.

Nutritional facts (per taquito):
Calories: 86.7 g
Total Fat: 2.9 g
Saturated Fat: 1.1g
Protein: 10.61 g

Ingredients

1 can (12.5oz) diced chicken, white meat, drained
1 small onion, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can low sodium corn drained
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies drained
1/4 c. shredded pepper jack cheese
2 tbsp. non-fat cream cheese
2 tbsp. HOT taco seasoning
1 pkg. 24 count corn tortillas-----you can also use low fat flour tortillas
Cooking spray


Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray medium pan with cooking spray and heat on medium heat. Cooking spray cuts down on major fat and calories. Use it whenever possible. Cook onions for about 5 minutes. Add beans and corn and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Meanwhile, pour chicken into a medium mixing bowl and break apart chicken with a spoon. Add diced tomatoes and chilies, cheese, corn/bean mixture, cream cheese and seasoning. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

Work with about 5 tortillas at a time. Place them on a plate covered by a damp paper towel. Microwave for 15-20 seconds. Working quickly, place a heaping tablespoon of mixture on to one end of the tortilla. Roll tightly and secure with toothpick. Continue until all taquitos are made (may have to bake two batches). Bake for about 10 minutes are tortillas are crisp. Cool for 2 minutes and serve with plain Greek yogurt; a great alternative to sour cream.

Makes between 20-24 depending on size.

Greek Yogurt

LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff!!!  No fat and barely any calories. If that's not enough to convince you to try it then maybe this will..... you can use it in place of sour cream or mayo in tons of dishes. Here are some ways I use Greek yogurt.

1. SWAP OUT- I use Greek yogurt in my chicken salad instead of mayo. It actually gives the chicken salad an even better taste then mayo. Make sure to ease off of the salt when using the yogurt. It's already pretty tangy so adding a lot of salt intensifies that.

2. DESSERT- Mix the yogurt with some fresh or frozen fruit (I like blueberries) and a drizzle of honey. You have yourself a very yummy low fat, low cal dessert.

3. MARINADE- Yes, I said marinade!!! Yogurt is a very common marinade in the middle east. It is an easy way to marinate and it keeps the meat very moist. Try adding turmeric, cumin and curry powder seasoning to the yogurt for a middle eastern marinade. You can really add whatever herbs and spices you like.

Homemade Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese is used in so many dishes from sweet to savory. Guess what? It's SO easy to make at home and not to mention, inexpensive. You can take this recipe and double it for a larger group or half it if your just making it for a snack. After making this ricotta, try adding different types of nuts, candied fruit or herbs to it. It's yummy!!!! You can also make this with skim milk if you are watching your diet.

Ingredients

8 c. whole milk

1 c. heavy cream

1 teaspoon  salt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

You will need

* Cheesecloth or wet damp paper towel

* Sieve- looks like a colander but instead of large holes, it is made of very small wire mesh. You can get away with using your colander if you use the cheese cloth and your colander drains well.

Directions

Line a sieve with cheesecloth or a damp paper towel and place over a bowl.

In a large, heavy pot over moderate heat, bring the milk, cream and salt to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Add the lemon juice, reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until curds form, about 3 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let drain, about 10 minutes. Remove the ricotta from the sieve to a medium bowl, discarding the liquid. Enjoy as is or add additional ingredients.  

"Fake Out" Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup fat free or low fat mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is really good with most seafood.

Mini Garlic Tuna Sliders

This time of year everyone likes to roll out the grill and cook up the all American hamburger. For someone who is watching their waist-line, those tasty little cows can put a big dent in their diet. I got the idea for the tuna burger from the back of the flavored tuna packets. Unfortunately, even the package adds in some unnecessary ingredients that add extra fat. I went a head and tweaked this recipe to make it more figure friendly!

Ingredients
2 pouches Herb and Garlic Tuna
1/2 cup bread crumbs or crushed bran cereal (For those really healthy eaters out there!)
1/4 cup diced roasted red pepper
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup non-fat sour cream
1 egg
1 Tbs of Ranch Dressing mix
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and form into patties. This can make about 10 mini sliders or four regular burgers. Spray skillet or grill pan with non-stick spray. Heat skillet to medium heat. Cook patties 3-5 minutes on each side. Here are some options you can do with this burger"
1) Carmalize onions to pile on top with fresh lettuce and sliced tomato
2) Eat bunless. If you really just need a small taste of bread, do what I did. Take a normal hamburger bun and cut into eighths. Toss in a small amount of oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder and toast in the oven.
3) Serve with my "fake out" Aioli. Aioli is just a fancy word for garlic mayo. Its a little advanced so I came up with a way to make an easier version. See below.

"Fake Out" Garlic Aioli

3/4 cup fat free or low fat mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This is really good with most seafood.

***Nutritional Facts are a rough estimate

Nutrition Facts User Entered Recipe   4 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 179.6   Total Fat 5.5 g       Saturated Fat 1.3 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g       Monounsaturated Fat 0.7 g   Cholesterol 83.4 mg   Sodium 448.6 mg   Potassium 100.3 mg   Total Carbohydrate 16.0 g       Dietary Fiber 1.7 g       Sugars 3.9 g   Protein 17.9 g   Vitamin A 8.8 %   Vitamin B-12 3.2 %   Vitamin B-6 2.0 %   Vitamin C 10.5 %   Vitamin D 3.0 %   Vitamin E 0.4 %   Calcium 6.7 %   Copper 1.7 %   Folate 5.4 %   Iron 7.4 %   Magnesium 1.5 %   Manganese 6.2 %   Niacin 4.5 %   Pantothenic Acid     0.7 %   Phosphorus     8.0 %   Riboflavin 6.2 %   Selenium 4.9 %   Thiamin 8.7 %   Zinc 2.5 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The River

I call this "The River" because I made this at the river for one of my friends bachelorette parties. It was a big hit and literally brought one of the girls back to life!!!!




Ingredients
‎1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
4 oz sour cream
1 can rotel
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can black beans rinsed
2 tbs carne gusado seasoning
1 tbs ground red pepper
Salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste
1 pkg corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar

*****This is the type of carne guisada seasoning I use. You can usually find it in either the spice aisle or the Latin food aisle.

Cook onions and jalapenos in oil for 5 minutes. Add meat. Add seasonings and cook until meat is brown. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together soup, rotel, sour cream and beans. Spray 13x 9 baking dish with cooking spray. Spread a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the pan. Just enough to coat the bottom. Cover with tortillas; about 5. Spoon half of meat mixture over tortillas. Then put a third of soup mixture on top. Sprint with half a cup cheese. Layer again with tortillas, meat, soup and cheese. End with tortillas, soup and rest of cheese. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Late Night Splurge

So recently, one of my girlfriends asked, " Well Jourdan, so you like to cook. What is a good dessert I can have that won't make me feel like crap later." Well my best tip doesn't require cooking AT ALL!!!!! Here is my TIP:


I love to buy bags of frozen fruit at the grocery store.... favorites are blueberries and pineapples! Grab a hand full of your favorite, put it in a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes to take the initial "freeze" off. Drizzle a small amount of honey on top and ENJOY!!! This little treat is SWEET, COLD and WON'T kill your waist line!!!!

Set It And Forget It Beef Stroganoff

This dish is SOOOOO easy and SOOOO delicious. My family grew up with beef stroganoff as a weekly meal. After being at work all day, coming home and cooking can be a daunting task for some. With this recipe, dinner is practically done when you get home.

Ingredients
1-2 1b. Stew Meat
1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can French Onion Soup
2 cups water
8 oz sliced mushrooms
2 cups uncooked rice
8 oz sour cream
Salt, pepper, garlic powder (SGP)


Add stew meat to slow cooker. Season with SGP. Add soups and water and stir to combine. Add in mushrooms. Set cooker on high and cook for 4 hours or on low for 8. Thirty minutes before serving, add rice and sour cream.

Caribbean Nights

On the menu
Jerk Chicken
Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Sauce
Rum Punch Cooler

Jerk Chicken- for this recipe I used a whole chicken cut up and about another pound of chicken wings.


Marinade

1/2 cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)

2 Tbsp dark rum

1/4 c. brown sugar

2 habaneros, with seeds, chopped or 6 jalapenos

1 onion, chopped

4 green onion tops, chopped

1 Tbsp dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

4 teaspoons ground allspice

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 teaspoons ground nutmeg

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons molasses

Add all ingredients to a food processor and combine until well blended. Rub chicken with marinade making sure to get under skin. Place in freezer bag or covered dish and marinate over night.

* I used my oven to smoke the chicken. It is actually very easy. Here is how I did it.

1. Soak your favorite flavor of wood chips in cold water for about 30 minutes- I used hickory.

2. Place chips on the bottom of a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet that has a deep ridge.

3. Place a roasting rack on top of the chips. I used four pieces of foit squished up as raisers for the rack in each corner.

4. Cover the enire dish, including bottom, in foil. Seal tightly.

5. Heat oven to 300 degrees and smoke for 3-5 hours until juices in chicken run clear.

Roasted Corn on the Cob with Spicy Sauce

6 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned

1/2 cup mayonase

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tbs chili powder

2 Tbs. ground red pepper

limes

Roast corn on grill or grill pan. While corn is roasting mix together the rest of the ingredients not including lime juice. While corn is still hot, spread corn with mayo mixture and squeeze limes over corn. Serve with more wedges of lime.

Rum Punch Cooler

1 part  Dark Rum- I like Appleton

1 part Fruit Juice

1 part Orange Juice

Splash of lime juice for each cocktail

Margarita Pie

This is a pie that really screams SUMMER. It tastes just like a great margarita minus the alcohol.


Ingredients
2/3 c Margarita Mix
1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1 graham cracker pie shell


Pre-heat ovent to 400 degrees. Whisk all ingredients together and pour into shell. Bake 7-10 minutes.

Santa Fe Wraps

Ingredients
1/2 c Light Mayo
1 tablspoon lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
3 c cooked chicken, shredded
1 can Rotel
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1/4 c chopped cilantro
7 Large tortillas.


Mix mayo, lime juice and chili powder in a large bowl. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Spoon mixture into each tortilla and roll up. Cut in half at an angle to serve.

Spiked Lemon-Blueberry Sweet Tea

Ingredients
1 (12oz) package frozen blueberries
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 large tea bags
3/4 c sugar
Bourbon


Bring blueberries and lemon to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionaly, about 5 minutes. Pour through a strainer into a bowl. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil and add the tea bags. Let stand about 5 minutes. Remove tea bags. Pour in blueberry mixture and sugar. Add to a pitcher and stir in bourbon. I love the taste of bourbon so I make my a little strong. Chill for about an hour before serving.

White Bean Chili

Ingredients 

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 cup diced onion

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper 

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 1/2 cups chopped green chiles (fresh or canned)

1 quart low-sodium chicken broth

2 15-ounce cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

In a saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chicken, cumin, white pepper and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and 1 to 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is slightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the spinach and cook, until they are slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.
Add the chiles and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the beans and cook for another 10 minutes.

Spicy Sausage Triangles

This may seem like a daughting task after reading the directions but it is actually very easy. Ingredients
1 package phyllo dough, thawed
1/2 pound of breakfast sausage
3 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/3 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1 packet HOT taco seasoning
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt

Cook sausage. While cooking add a third of the packet of taco seasoning. Add to a large bowl. Whisk eggs and milk together. Add anothe third of the packet of taco seasoing to the egg mixture. Lightly season with salt. Cook eggs through. Add to bowl along with jalapeno, cheese and cilantro and mix.

**** Make sure to keep phyllo dough covered with saran wrap and a damp towel. This will prevent it from drying out when not being used.

To make triangles:
1. Layer for sheets of phyllo dough on top of each other. Brush each sheet with melted butter.
2. Cup layers into 5 sections length wise.
3. Spoon a slight tablespoon of mixture ontothe top of the dough.
4. Begin folding by taking one corner and folding it down to the opposite side forming a triangle.
5. Keep folding until end of strip.
6. Repeat 1-5 until all of triangles are made.
7. Brush each triangle with melted butter before baking.
8. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Mini Pancake Bites

This is a super easy recipe that lends itself to creativity. I made these for my co-workers and they were a big hit. I use the boxed pancake mix because it's a lot easier and CHEAPER!!!
Ingredients
Prepared pancake batter (6-12 servings)
2 oz sofented cream cheese
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 tsp. Lemon extract

***I also make a blueberry version where I add about 11/2 cups of blueberries to the batter.

Cream Cheese Filling
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbls juice of an orange

Peach Preserve Filling
1 cup your favorite Peach preserves. I use my mother's home made preserves.

Glaze
Powdered sugar
Orange juice
*** Lemon juice- I use the lemon juice for the blueberry version

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray mini muffin pan with non-stick spray. Prepare pancake batter as directed. Beat in cream cheese. Add both extracts. Pour batter into each muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake for 8- 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes and remove from tin.

While bites are cooling, prepare cream cheese filling by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl. I used a cooking syringe to fill muffins but you can also use a pastry bag and tip. From the bottom of the muffin, insert syringe into muffin and insert as much filling as you like. Do not over fill or your little muffins will EXPLODE! I fill half of the batch with the cream cheese filling and the other with the preserves.

Now making the glaze is where YOU come into play. This can be sort of a give and take. I start with about 3 tablespoons of powder sugar and 1 tablespoon of orange juice or lemon juice. Whisk together with a fork. You can adjust this to make the glaze thicker or thiner. Dip the top of each muffin top into the glaze let dry.

Makes 24-32.

Mom's Salsa

My mom makes the best salsa that I have tasted out of any that I have tried. She makes a ton of it and cans it. Since I don't need that much salsa, I scaled down the recipe to fit my needs.


Ingredients
4 large cans petite diced tomatoes- drained
4  cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped jalapeno, seeded
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1-2 t. cumin
1 T. chopped cilantro


Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20-30 minutes. Run mixture through a food processor or blender to get desired consistency. We like it chunky so I just pulse it a few times to break up the bigger pieces. Now this is the important part. Pour salsa into clean, dry jars. Make sure lip of jar is completley clean and dry before sealing. If you are a canner then you can can your salsa and it will keep for a long time. I am not into canning so I just stick mine in the frig. Its lasts for about three weeks.

Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa

Ingredients
1 c. corn
*1 cup diced tomatoes- drained
1 cup black beans- rinsed
1 jalapeno- diced small
1 green onion- chopped
2 T. lime juice
2 T. cumin
2 T. fresh cilantro- chopped
1 avocado- diced


*I used can petite diced tomatoes in the winter since tomatoes are out of season. I let them drain in the sink to make sure the salsa isn't too wet.


During the winter, especially the one we have been having, I don't really want to get outside to grill an ear of corn. I especially don't want to take the time to shuck the corn after. I take a cup of canned corn that has been drained and patted dried and "roast" it on the stove top. Heat saute pan to medium high. Sauteing corn in a dry pan until they start to have that charred look. Let cool while making the rest of the salsa. In a medium bowl, combine beans, jalapeno and tomatoes. Add cooled corn. Add lime juice, cumin and cilantro. Gently stir in avocado. Chill for about an hour before serving. If you like it hotter, add more jalapeno.

Valentine's Day

This is what I will be making my special someone for Valentine's day. Personally, I think going out on Vday is a hassle; crowded, waiting in line and not too great service. Stay home, cook a good meal and cuddle up. These recipes are hot and spicey!!!! Have fun!


Appetizers
Corn Salsa- recipe follows
Mom's salsa- recipe follows
Best guacamole- under dips


Corn Salsa

Ingredients
1 c. corn
*1 cup diced tomatoes- drained
1 cup black beans- rinsed
1 jalapeno- diced small
1 green onion- chopped
2 T. lime juice
2 T. cumin
2 T. fresh cilantro- chopped
1 avocado- diced


*I used can petite diced tomatoes in the winter since tomatoes are out of season. I let them drain in the sink to make sure the salsa isn't too wet.


During the winter, especially the one we have been having, I don't really want to get outside to grill an ear of corn. I especially don't want to take the time to shuck the corn after. I take a cup of canned corn that has been drained and patted dried and "roast" it on the stove top. Heat saute pan to medium high. Sauteing corn in a dry pan until they start to have that charred look. Let cool while making the rest of the salsa. In a medium bowl, combine beans, jalapeno and tomatoes. Add cooled corn. Add lime juice, cumin and cilantro. Gently stir in avocado. Chill for about an hour before serving. If you like it hotter, add more jalapeno.


Mom's Salsa
My mom makes the best salsa that I have tasted out of any that I have tried. She makes a ton of it and cans it. Since I don't need that much salsa, I scaled down the recipe to fit my needs.


Ingredients
4 large cans petite diced tomatoes- drained
4  cloves minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped jalapeno, seeded
1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1-2 t. cumin
1 T. chopped cilantro


Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20-30 minutes. Run mixture through a food processor or blender to get desired consistency. We like it chunky so I just pulse it a few times to break up the bigger pieces. Now this is the important part. Pour salsa into clean, dry jars. Make sure lip of jar is completley clean and dry before sealing. If you are a canner then you can can your salsa and it will keep for a long time. I am not into canning so I just stick mine in the frig. Its lasts for about three weeks.


Main Dish


Chipolte Shrimp


1 1b shrimp 40-60 count- devined and shelled with tail on.
3 T. Tomato paste
1 T. adobo sauce
1 chipolte pepper in adobo- chopped
2 T. oil
1 T. lime juice
**2 T. chopped freash cilantro
1 t. garlic powder
S&P to taste


** If using dried cilantro, only use 1 T.


Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Mixture will be thick. Brush on to both sides of the shrimp and allow to marinate in the frig for an hour or so. I have cooked these on the grill by putting them on skewers but I have also baked them in the oven. When you bake them, you get more of the juice to spoon over your grit cake.
If grilling, grill until pink. In the oven, cook at 350 for about 5 minutes or until pink. Spoon over grit cake.


Grit Cake


Quick cooking grits
2 T adobo sauce
1 t. Garlic Powder
S&P to taste.


Follow directions on making the grits. I made 4 servings. When grits are about a minute away from being done, add seasoning. Pour into a shallow dish and allow to cool. Cut into squares. You can grill these on the grill or crisp them up on the stove top. Pour shrimp mixture over them.