Crock-Pot Curry

There are so many ways you can change this recipe. Add other vegetables, squash is pretty good here.

You can also leave out the chicken, just add the flour mix to the potatoes and cook the same. Then when you add the coconut milk the last 30 minutes of cooking add two or three cans of drained beans. I like garbanzo and kidney beans in there.
You can also leave the potatoes out or use less and serve it over rice instead of as a stew

If you want more heat in it use more or hotter peppers, I usually end up using 2 or 3 Serrano in place of the jalapenos

I should also mention that I had some company that is allergic to gluten, so I substituted an equal amount of cornstarch and it worked just fine

6 peeled and chopped potatoes
4 peeled and chopped carrots
1 small granny smith apple, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken tenders
3 Tbsp. Flour
4 Tbsp. Curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 can coconut milk

Place first sever ingredients in crock-pot in the order written. Combine flour, curry, cumin, and salt. Add the chicken and shake to coat. Place the chicken and flour in crock pot and add 1 c. water. Cook on high 3 - 4 hours or low 6 - 8 hours The last 30 minutes of cooking add coconut milk, if using low switch to high for last 30 minutes.

Strawberry Cream Lemonade

1 c. lemon juice
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
5 limes
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp strawberry Italian soda syrup
1 c. frozen strawberries
1 can lemon lime soda

In a blender add the lemon juice, sugar and water and mix until the sugar is dissolved.

Cut the limes in half and then fourths, leaving the peel on.

Add to the blender and pulse for a few seconds 5 times and then strain.

Add the milk and syrup and mix in then add the strawberries and blend until smooth.

Add the can of soda and mix until blended.

Quiche Florentine

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 onion
1/4 lb fresh spinach
3/4 c. sour cream

3/4 c. half-an-half
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
5 oz. mozzarella
1/4 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
Dash fresh cracked black pepper
Pinch fresh grated nutmeg
Bash tabasco

1 pie crust

Saute butter and onion until the onion is tender. Add the spinach and saute until wilted and dark. Set aside to cool

Meanwhile whisk together the sour cream and half-an-half. Add both of the cheeses, mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and tabasco.

Stir in the spinach, onions, and butter.

Fit the pie crust in a 9-inch pie pan and pour in the filling.

Bake at 350 for 45 - 55 minutes or until the center is set.

Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

Tropical Chicken Salad

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts,
3 Tbsp oil
Seasoning Salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 thin green onions, sliced in half and then sliced thin
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp lemon pepper sprinkle

Clean all the fat from the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Sprinkle lightly with seasoning salt and place in a skillet with oil and enough water to cover. Simmer over medium heat until cook through. Cool and shred or chop into small pieces

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in pineapple, parsley, and lemon pepper. Stir in onion, celery, and chicken. Chill. Taste for seasonings and add more lemon pepper, seasoning salt or regular salt.

Mysterious Cheese Ball

The "mysterious" cheese ball is my Grandmas secret cheese ball recipe, or it least it was until I posted it on the internet. I changed the ratio of ingredients a little bit and added the pimentos and almonds.

5 oz blue cheese, finely crumbled

6 oz sharp cheddar, finely grated
2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese
1 Tbsp minced parsley
1 Tbsp grated onion
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 small bottle pimentos
2 Tbsp pecans
2 Tbsp almonds
1/2 c. finely chopped walnuts for rolling

In a dry pan over medium heat toast the nuts and chop.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the remaining ingredients except walnuts.

Spread out a large thing of plastic wrap, sprinkle with the remaining nuts and top with cream cheese mix. Pull the saran wrap (and the nuts) up around the cream cheese and for into a ball. Chill until firm and serve with crackers.

Coconut Shrimp

So this is kind of an odd thing for me to post, I can't eat shrimp (so don't expect a picture). But once in a while I used to cheat, and this was one of the things I made. I thought I had lost the recipe and while searching for another one today I found it in my inbox. So I thought I would share.


2 lb, shrimp, peeled and vein removed, tails on
1 1/3 c. coconut
1/2 c. almonds
1/4 c. flour
1/8. t. chili powder
1 egg
1/8 t. salt

Combine 1/3 c. coconut and almonds in a food
processor and process until fine crumbs.

Add remaining coconut, flour, and chili powder.

Whisk together 1 egg and salt.
Dip shrimp in egg and then coconut and press onto sides.
Deep fry in oil (375) until golden, about 1 - 2 minutes.

Serve warm with sauce.


Sauce
Sweet and sour duck sauce (7.25 oz.)
1/4 c. catchup
1 T. soy sauce
Mix and serve

Strawberry Rhubarb Slush

Johns favorite thing in the world is strawberry rhubarb pie.
He thinks its the greatest food ever. Until I met him I had never even tried it.
Now I agree with him.

1 (16 oz) package frozen rhubarb
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 box of strawberry jello powder

Club Soda

Boil the rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar together until the rhubarb is mush. Stir in the gelatin and stir until dissolved.

Blend until smooth and chill.

When chilled fill a glass with ice, pour equal amounts of rhubarb mix and club soda into a glass and enjoy!!

Breakfast Pasta

I made macaroni and cheese last night for dinner, the kind with the flour thickened sauce (from the vitamix cookbook) that you pour over the cooked pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly. So this is my revamp of the leftovers

I made my macaroni and cheese with a can of ham in it, but you could just use leftover ham or skip it.

Presto Pasta Nights 225 is at "Once Upon a Feast"

(This is before I added the cheese so you could really see the pasta itself)

1/2 package of bacon
6 sausage links
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
Salt to taste
3 - 4 c. leftover macaroni and cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook the sausage in the bacon drippings until browned. Remove from pan and chop. Add the onion and peppers and cook until both are tender.

Whisk together the milk and eggs and some salt to taste.

Push the peppers to one side of the pan and cook the eggs in the other until set. Chop the eggs into small pieces and toss with the peppers. Add the macaroni and cheese to the pan and toss with the veggies and eggs. Keep stirring to heat through without it sticking to the pan.

Add the sausage and bacon and mix in.

Sprinkle with the cheese and stir to melt the cheese

Serve

Chicken and Spatzle with Herb Butter

There are so many ways you can change this up a bit, but just make sure if you do, that you still crisp the vegetables, that's where a lot of the flavor comes from.

Cook a half pound of bacon reserving the drippings. Use half drippings and half butter. Sprinkle the bacon over the top right before you serve it

Skip the chicken and add a can of white beans for a vegetarian dish

Leave the chicken breasts whole when you cook them, serve over a bed of the spatzle and veggeies or just use the spatzle and veggies as a side dish to something else

The next day serve as a chicken spatzle soup, just boil some chicken broth and add the mix, heat until warm throughout.

Add a little milk for a creamy soup

It freezes great in broth too

I really like the spatzle here, but any small pasta would do

Presto Pasta Nights 224 is going to held at Truth Personified


1 stick unsalted butter (yup, the whole thing)
1 lb skinless chicken breasts,cut into small cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. granulated garlic
7 oz frozen petite green beans, thawed
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 large carrot, diced
8 oz dried spatzle

Cook spatzle in boiling salted water until tender.

Place the carrot in a bowl and cover with water, microwave until tender, about 3 minutes.

Melt half the stick of butter in a large skillet. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until cooked through. Turn the heat up to high and continue to cook until starting to brown. Add the onion, celery, basil, rosemary, celery seed, and granulated garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add the carrots, green beans, corn, and remaining half of the stick of butter. Cook over medium high heat until the veggies are starting to brown a little bit on the bottom and get crisp. The key is to brown the vegetables, but not so uch they taste charred. Add the cooked and drained spatzle and toss to mix.

Serve immediately

I only used half the bag, so a little over 8 oz.

Confit Byaldi aka Ratatouille

For something so simply seasoned, this has an excellent flavor. I just happened to have the sundried tomatoes in my fridge, but if you don't have them don't worry about it. Just add a tablespoon of olive oil or butter to the tomato sauce before baking.

I started my recipe by looking at Smitten Kitchens version, she uses the red pepper instead of tomatoes, then I made a few changes of my own. For another tasty looking twist check out her Ratatouille Tart.

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes, drained really well

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

3 sundried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs,

plus about 1 Tbsp of the oil they are packed in

1/4 tsp dried thyme

I added the diced tomatoes, garlic, onion, sundried tomatoes, and the oil from the tomatoes to a food processor and processed until smooth. Stir that into the tomato sauce and add the thyme.

Pour into the bottom of two 9x9 inch casserole dishes

2 large zucchini

2 large yellow squash

1 large bell pepper

2 thin eggplants

Slice all the vegetables thin and layer over the tomato layer alternating vegetables. I only placed a bell pepper slice every few layers. My eggplant was a lot bigger around than my zucchini and squash so I cut the slices in half and put the cut side down, so the rounded purple outside shows.

1/4 c. olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

I used a spray bottle and misted the top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle with

salt

a dash of freshly cracked black pepper

and a little bit of dried thyme

Cover with parchment paper and bake at 375 for 45 minutes or until the vegetables look tender and the sauce is bubbling up around the vegetables. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes

Tourtiere

John lived in Quebec for 2 years and while there learned to love tourtiere, a French Canadian Thanksgiving dish. I've made several different versions, but this is my favorite. I suspect every cook has her own version, there is no "right" way to make tourtiere.

2 round pie crusts
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp Canadian steak seasoning
1/2 onions
4 medium potatoes
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. real bacon bits
1 tsp JD's Bacon salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Cover with water and boil or microwave until tender. Drain and mash but no not add anything, butter, milk, etc...Set aside

Combine the beef, pork and Canadian steak seasoning. Cook in a large skillet until the meat is cooked. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the potatoes and mix well. Add the cheese, bacon bits, and bacon salt. Stir to combine again.

Lay one of the crusts in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. fill with meat mixtures and top with remaining crust. Crimp the edges to seal. I find that this is easier if I roll the bottom crust out a bit to stretch it before I put it in the pie pan. Prick the top a few times to let the steam escape. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until top crust is browned.

Serve hot.

After you put the top crust on, but before you bake it, It can be covered in saran wrap and put in the fridge until ready to bake. I made this in the morning and then just baked when we wanted dinner

French Onion Pasta

So, so, simple, and so, so tasty.

Presto Pasta Nights #223 is at Debbi Does Dinner


1 large yellow onion, sliced
4 Tbsp butter
2 tsp. sugar
salt
1 can beef broth
5 oz penna rigate
1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, grated
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Heat butter in a large skillet. Add the onions, and cook over low heat until translucent. Add the sugar and salt and continue to cook over low heat until caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the beef broth and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender.

Pour the pasta to a small casserole dish or two 6-in ramekins (or other small oven safe dish) along with any remaining liquid. Top with both cheeses and broil until golden.

This was a small batch, really just enough to test. If you are serving more than 2 double the recipe

Miriams Room

We finally got Miriams room finished. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of my camera yet so the pictures are a little blurry. The spots on the wall are fish stickers

Broccoli Salad

You only want to blanch the broccoli, not cook it. Feel free to add whatever you want cauliflower and sunflower seeds are good. And I have a friend that loves raisins in hers.

1 bunch broccoli florets, chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 lb bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
1 small red onion, chopped
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
3 or 4 green onions, sliced
1 carrot, grated

3/4 c. mayonnaise
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Boil a large pot of water. Add broccoli and cook 30 seconds. Drain well and rinse with cold water.

Whisk together mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar.

Toss broccoli with dressing and remaining ingredients except bacon. Cover and chill several hours. When ready to serve top with crumbled bacon and stir once to mix the bacon in slightly.

Coconut Rice

2 cans coconut milk
1 can size of rice (once the coconut milk is in the dish, use the empty can to measure the amount of rice to use)
1/4 c. sugar
dash nutmeg
pinch salt

Combine all in a 9x9 inch baking dish. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 1 hour, stirring a couple times during baking. Remove from oven and serve with mango.

Such a sweet sleeper

Head Adornment

Weekend in Charleston, no kids, great food, lots of fun and touristy stuff.

John got me my first hat.

The tree is actually shiny silver thread

He got himself a derby hat.

Moroccan Chicken

(My picture didn't capture how orange it turns out)

So I took Johns favorite meal and tweaked it.
The original involves garbanzo beans, lentils, and brown rice.
I tried it this time with chicken and couscous.
This does two things.
Just generally changes things up a bit AND incorporates pasta, so I can send it to Presto Pasta Nights
(This week is Tandy, at Lavender and Lime)

You could also thicken the liquid with cornstarch and serve over couscous, quinoa, or brown rice.

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 c. vegetable broth

1 c. chicken broth

1 can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp or 1/2 of 1 cube of chicken bouillon, crushed fine

1/2 tsp. each sweet paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, ground coriander

1/4 tsp. each ground nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic

1/8 tsp. cinnamon (scant)

pinch cloves

2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro

10 oz couscous

Greek Yogurt (optional)

Combine the paprika, turmeric, ginger, coriander, nutmeg, black pepper, granulated garlic, cinnamon and cloves. Trim the fat from the chicken and cut in half lengthwise. Sprinkle the chicken lightly with the seasonings and a little salt, leaving about half of the mixed seasonings.

Heat the butter in a large skillet. Add the seasoned chicken and cook on both sides until browned. Add the onion, celery, and fresh garlic. Saute until translucent.

Add broths, tomatoes, lemon juice, and seasonings. Simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes on low to combine the flavors. Stir in the cilantro and then couscous and stir really quick to make sure the couscous is in the liquid. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

(I love the colors of all the spices together, again though the colors are not as vivid as real life)

And John brought me flowers

Brazilian Lemonade

1 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
6 limes
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 can lemon-lime soda

With the peels still on, cut the limes in half, and the into quarters. Combine the limes, water, and sugar. Pulse for a few seconds, or 5 times, until the limes are slightly ground up.

Strain the limes from the liquid and discard the solids.

Add the sweetened condensed milk and blend to combine.

Add the soda and lemon juice and pulse again.

Serve immediately.

Tropical Smoothie

1 mango
10 large strawberries
1/4 fresh pineapple
1 - 2 c. cantaloupe chunks
1 orange
2 bananas
1 c. vanilla yogurt
1 handful of ice

Remove all the unwanted parts from the fruit, stems from the strawberries, peel from the orange, etc.

Puree all the fruit until smooth. Add the ice and yogurt and puree until the ice is chopped.

Bulgarianish Bubbles and Squeaks

My older brother gave me this recipe he made it while he lived in Bulgaria. He used a local sausage, a local cheese, and cabbage. I left out the cheese cause I didn't think it needed it and the cabbage cause my spouse wont eat cabbage.

1 kielbasa

4 large potatoes

4 Tbsp flour

3 Tbsp butter

4 c. dairy

(Heavy cream, half-an-half, milk, whatever combination you have on hand)

Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the kielbasa and cook over medium high heat until starting to brown.

While that is cooking peel the potatoes. Cut the peeled potatoes into quarters lenghtwise and then cut into 1/8th inch pieces.

When the kielbasa is cooked, add the potatoes to the pan and cook until the potatoes are brown.

Pour the bechamel sauce over the potatoes and kielbasa and bake at 350 for 30 - 45 minutes until potatoes are very tender

For the Sauce

Melt the butter, add the flour and stir to avoid lumps. Cook for a minute or two and stir in the cream. Cook, stirring until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Corn Pasta

This recipe is a combination of two other recipes. The first one being the test recipe for one of my online cooking groups that reminded me a bit of the second recipe, a soup my mom makes when fresh corn is in season. I like to add the cobs to the cooking liquid a little to give the sauce a really fresh corn flavor.

I also plan on sending this to Presto Pasta Nights host this week by Helen at Fuss Free Flavors.

This can very easily be made without the chicken by skipping the chicken, just cook the onion in the bacon drippings right after removing the bacon and add a can of white beans.

Summer Corn Pasta

6 oz. bacon

3 chicken breasts

Lawreys Season Salt

8 oz. rigatoni or penne

1/2 onion, chopped

2 large carrots, grated

1 c. water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 medium zucchini

4 ears corn

2 1/2 c. half-an-half

2 tsp. flour

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain and butter to prevent sticking.

Saute bacon until crisp. Remove from pan.

Remove fat from the chicken and fillet. Sprinkle with the lawrys seasoning and cook in the bacon drippings until browned on both sides. Remove from pan

Without cleaning out the pan cook the onion and carrot in the bacon drippings.

Add 1 cup of water to the pan along with one of the chicken cubes and the lemon juice.

Cut the zucchini into quarters lenghtwise and the then slice 1/4 inch thick. Add to the pan with the carrots and onion. Cut the corn from the cob. Add the cobs to the simmering zucchini. When the zucchini is tender remove the cobs from the pan and add the corn, half-an-half, pepper, and remaining chicken cube.

Combine the flour and enough water to form a thin pasta. Stir into the half-an-half and vegetables in the pan. Heat, stirring, until thick.

Slice the chicken, and add the chicken, pasta, and bacon to the pan. Add more half-an-half as needed to thin out the sauce.

After I took one shot of it on the plate I tossed it all together to serve for dinner.