Pepperocini Roast

Something different to do to your roast:


One Beef Roast (I usually get a 2 lb roast - pot roast)
1 Jar of Regular Pepperocinis (next to the banana peppers and pickles at the grocery)
One cup of water
1 half of a large or medium onion quartered
Salt and Pepper

Put all ingredients in your crockpot/slow cooker for 8 hours

Pepperocinis give the meat a great flavor kick.

Serve with favorite sides.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

This recipe has a very "semi-homemade" feel to it:

1 30 oz. can Libby's Easy Pumpkin Pie Mix (this is the only size available)
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 eggs, beaten
frozen mini fillo shells

Mix well. Use mixture to fill mini fillo shells. Bake 15-20 minutes at 425 degrees. One batch will easily fill 60+ mini shells.

Serving suggestions -- top with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Chili Overnight

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
• 1 Tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 Tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 3 Tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 3 cups canned light red kidney beans, drained
• 2 cups canned diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cups tomato sauce

Directions
Cook ground beef and drain fat. Sauté onion, green pepper, garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil until onions start to caramelize and peppers are tender. In a large pot, add ground beef, onion/pepper mix, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce. Cook on low until heated through. Add beans, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and gently bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes then turn off heat and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight. Reheat when ready to serve.

Eat your Veggies!!

Our new favorite thing is roasted vegetables. They are so flavorful and healthy.
Here is how I do it.

Preheat oven to 400 - 450 (depending on how hot it gets at your house)

Clean vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, or zucchini
Place in a bowl and toss with the following:
Olive oil (enough to coat)
Salt and pepper
Lemon (a few squeezes)
Garlic (I use the diced garlic in a jar, but the powdered stuff will work fine too)

Coat evenly
Place on a cookie sheet or other oven safe pan
Let roast for 10 - 15 minutes (turn halfway through)

*NOTE: I let the broccoli roast for too long on one side and it cooks really fast so keep an eye one it.

Chicken Divan Pie

I had to improvise this last night, but it came out rather tasty.

2-3 cups cooked white rice (I used left overs from Chinese take-out)
1 egg, beaten
1 bag frozen broccoli
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I should have used more chicken, but I only had 2)
5 oz. (half a can) of condensed cream of chicken and herb soup
5 oz. (half a can) of condensed cream of broccoli soup
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp rather than mild)
1 cup crushed croutons (I used Caesar flavored)

Mix rice with egg. Add to a deep baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Press firmly into bottom of dish with a fork or spoon. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Blanch frozen broccoli in boiling water to thaw (If you want your broccoli to come out crisp in the finished dish, boil only until thawed. I like mine on the soft side, so I cooked it a little longer). For the chicken, you can leave them as whole breasts or cut into slices. I sliced mine to speed up cooking time. Cook until no longer pink in the middle. Mix the two types of soup together. Remove rice "crust" from oven. Add a layer of broccoli, a layer of chicken, a layer of soup, a layer of cheese, and sprinkle the croutons on top. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour. If you notice the cheese and croutons starting to burn, cover with aluminum foil to finish baking.

Mock PB Ice Cream

1tbsp peanut butter

1 tub Low Fat Cool Whip

12 cup cake sleeves



Mix together well. You can stir the peanut butter directly into the Cool Whip tub. Spoon into cup cake sleeves and place in freezer. Wait approximately 45 minutes for the mixture to firm. These will keep in the freezer

Low Cal Veggie Soup

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can green beans
1 can kidney beans
6 carrots cut into 1/4" 'disks'
1 small diced onion
1 can tomato paste
4-6 beef bullion cubes
2tbsp basil
1tbsp thyme

Drain and rinse all canned veggies. Combine all ingredients into a large stove top pot. Add water until it stands approximately 3" above veggies. Cook on medium to simmer for 45-60 minutes. You may need to add water throughout depending on how much cooks out and how much liquid you prefer in the soup. I'm not good at exact measurements; I cook like a southern granny who measures things with an old coffee cup and a whim.
The bullion and tomato paste give a similar flavor to fatty beef stock that grandma uses to make veggie soup really good.
*Sometimes I use black beans rather than kidney beans.*

Taco Dip

Ingredients:
1 can refried beans
8oz. cream cheese
8oz. sour cream
1 pk taco seasoning
2c Mexican shredded cheese
1 diced bell pepper (any color)
1-2c shredded lettuce
1-2 diced tomatoes

Spread refried beans on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Heating is not necessary, but will make spreading a bit easier. Mix cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning and spread over refried beans. If beans were heated, wait until cool to spread mixture. Sprinkle bell pepper over mixture. Layer lettuce over bell pepper. Sprinkle diced tomatoes over lettuce. Eat with tortilla chips!!
*You can add or delete items. Sometimes I omit the beans.*

beef and noodles - crockpot favorite

Although we are about to burn ourselves out on "crockpot classics", beef and noodles is a favorite with Brandon and Drake and since I don't have much time, the crockpot is the answer.

Recipe:

1.5 - 2 lb. roast (pot roast)
1 lb. egg noodles (extra wide)
1 can beef broth (optional)
1 1/2 cups water
salt & pepper
Garlic power or crushed garlic ( I use about a tablespoon and that leaves a "hint" of garlic)


Place roast in crockpot with water. Season meat with salt, pepper, and garlic. Place crockpot on low for 6-8 hours. Remove roast and fat from crockpot. Place dry noodles in crockpot with remaining broth (if necessary, add once can of beef broth). Cover crockpot and turn on hi. Allow noodles to cook alone for 20 minutes. Shred beef or cut, depending on preference, and add to noodles after 20 minutes. Stir noodles and beef together and cook covered for about 20 mintues.

For faster cooking method. Boil a mixture of beef broth and water and add noodles. Allow to fully cook and then add meat. This will take off about 10-20 minutes of cooking time, but may reduce the flavor of the final dish.

Have you made this dish? Do you have suggestions or comments to add?

Crunchy Onion Chicken

Quick and easy: use French's Cheddar Fried Onions (or plain fried onions -- my son, Simon, is allergic to milk products, so I use plain for him). Put them in a plastic bag and crush them (I tend to use slightly more than called for by the recipe). Take boneless, skinless chicken breast, dip in beaten egg, and coat with fried onions. Spray a baking pan (I prefer glass or stoneware, but metal would work as well) with non-stick cooking spray and add coated chicken. I bake it for 30 minutes at 425 degrees, which differs from the original recipe. I also put aluminum foil over the chicken once it has browned to my liking to keep it from burning. Add sides and rolls, and you're done! We like au gratin potatoes, broccoli, and crescent rolls.

Here's the "official" recipe:

1 1/3 cups French's Original or Cheddar Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place French Fried Onions into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes or until no longer pink in center.

Servings: 4
Source: French's

What I found today while browsing....

http://green3recipes.blogspot.com/2007/02/twinkie-cake.html - uh, yes, that is correct, Twinkie Cake...

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