Southwestern baked potato

 Southwestern baked potato - Serves two

2 large    Russet or golden potato

1/2 can    Black beans

1/2 cup    Frozen corn

1/8 cup    Onions chopped.

2 small     Tomatoes sliced into 8th's.

1               Thin cut breast into cubs

1/2 cup     Shredded cheddar cheese

Salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Brown chicken and onions. then at the rest of ingredients and stir until bubbling. Turn down and simmer while potatoes bake. 

Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and turn over. Back another 15 minutes then slice in half cook another 5 minutes. Oven temps vary. When done spoon mixture over the top and cook for another 10 minutes. Then sprinkle with cheese and cook until melted.

Side:

Baked Cauliflower. 

1 tbsp.       Olive Oil

1 tbsp.       Balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper to taste. Bake on 400 for 30 minutes and then continue on top rack while the potatoes bake. 

    

Turkey and vegetable soup

 Turkey and vegetable soup - 8 -1 cup servings

1/2 cup          Celery chopped

2/3 cup          Onion chopped

1/4 cup          Green onion chopped

2                    Carrot's peeled and sliced

1/2 cup          Potatoes cubed

1 can             Great northern beans 

1 can             Fire roasted                                                    tomatoes chopped

1 lb. 4 oz.      Ground turkey 

1/2 cup          White Wine

3 cups            Chicken broth (low sodium)

1 Tbsp.          Basil

1 Tbsp.          Oregano

1 Tbsp.          Chili flakes - Optional

1/4 tsp.          Cayenne pepper- Optional

1 tsp.             Turmeric 

1 tsp.             Black pepper

1 tsp.             Garlic salt

Brown turkey in a large sauce pan, break apart. Add all the vegetables. Cook until tender and starting to stick. Then add wine and broth. Add tomatoes and beans last. Bring to a roiling boil. Turn it down just enough so it's not bubbling over and cook 10 minutes. Then turn to medium heat for 15 minutes and then simmer until vegetable are tender. 

Serve with a roll or salad, or both! 

Mary's Meatloaf

Are you tired of dry meatloaf? I know I was, so I thought how could I take the dry out of meatloaf? Here is how I did it. 

Mary's Meatloaf - 4 to 6 servings.

1 lb.        Ground beef. 

1 lb.        Ground sausage, hot or mild                      your preference. 

1/2 cp.    Onion chopped.

2             Eggs

1             Jalapeno chopped.

2 lg.        Tomatoes chopped.

1/2 cp.    Butter, unsalted.

1 tbsp.    Italian seasoning. 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

In a small sauce pan put half the butter in a sauce pan on medium heat. Add half the onions. Cook until onion is translucent. Turn heat off. 

In a medium to large glass bowl add the ground meat, add egg and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and knead with your hands. Add the butter and onions and continue to mix. Chop up the rest of the butter into small cubes and add to the mixture. Mix again until thoroughly mixed. Form into an oblong mound and place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil. Set aside.

I'm not a fan of the traditional catsupy topping, so here is what I use. 

In the same sauce pan, add the tomatoes, jalapenos, and the rest of the onions. Bring to a bowl stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and the Italian seasoning. Cover. Mash to a paste like consistency. Drain all the liquid out of the paste. Spread half over the top of the meatloaf. Set the rest aside. 

Tent some aluminum foil over the loaf and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil.

Add the rest of the paste over the top. Place back in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 more minutes. Check occasionally. After 20 minutes cut and check to see if it's still pink inside. Cook until it's done to your liking. 

Just an FYI the butter that sizzles out during baking will make the bottom of the loaf crusty, it's good. 

Serve with mashed potatoes, salad, rolls. Enjoy

Chicken breast and Tomatillos - Easy

 Chicken breast and tomatillos - 2 people

2                Boneless chicken breasts.

10-12        Tomatillos either halved or quartered.

1/4             Onion chopped

1                Jalapeno chopped

1 tsp          Oil

3/4 cup      Jasmine rice

Seasoning; see below.

Add the oil to a frying pan to medium high. Salt and pepper the chicken. While the chicken is cooking add the veggies to a sauce pan on medium high. Add Salt, pepper, chili flakes, cayenne, and cumin. One or two shakes, depending on your taste and flavor. When the onion is translucent use a masher to mash the ingredients in the pan, turn down to not quite simmer. 

Follow the directions on the package for the rice. Get it started while the tomatillo mixture is simmering.

Once the water is boiling and you add the rice cover it to cook. 

Mash tomatillo ingredients again. Drain excess liquid. Once you have all the liquid you can get out of the mixture, pour the tomatillo sauce over Chicken. Turn to low and let cook until rice is done.

Serve over the rice. Side salad or tortilla's are good sides. Enjoy

Sausage and Sauerkraut skillet bake

Sausage and Sauerkraut Skillet Bake - serves 2

2                     Sausages sliced

4                     Carrots sliced

1 med/lg.       Potato cubed

1                      Jalapeno chopped 

1/2                  Purple onion chopped.

1/4 cup           White vinegar

2 cups             Sauerkraut

3 cloves          Garlic chopped

1 tbsp.             Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350 degrees. On the stove top add oil to skillet and heat to medium. Add Carrots, potato, Jalapeno, and onion add the lid. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are starting to soften. Turn off heat. Add sausages, vinegar and salt and pepper. Stir until mixed. Spread sauerkraut over the top. Cover with the lid and place in the oven for 40 minutes. 

Serve with rolls or a salad. Enjoy. Pairs well with a Sauvignon Blanc.

Easy Baked Chicken

Welcome to July! It's hot here. That is not an excuse to not make something delicious. This is an easy elegant main dish. Serve with roasted potatoes, a salad, and a white crisp wine. 

Easy Baked Chicken for 2

1 large chicken breast (or two if small)

1/4 cup     Onion - sliced

1 cup        Cherry tomatoes - halved

1 tbsp.      Garlic olive oil

1/4 cup     Fresh parmesan shredded

1 tsp.        Basil (fresh if possible)

1 tsp.        Oregano

1/2 cp.     Marinara 

Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

Brush both sides of chicken with oil. Mix the salt, pepper, basil and oregano together and sprinkle over both sides.  

Spray a cookie sheet or baking dishes with oil and then add the chicken, cover with the marinara. Spread the sliced onions over the tops along with the tomatoes. Sprinkle most of the cheese over the top

Place in oven for about 15 minutes. Take out and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. Put back in for another 15 minutes.

It's ready to serve! ENJOY

Stuffed La Rouge peppers

Stuffed La Rouge Pepper  - Serves 2

2              La Rouge Peppers (Or red bell peppers)

1 Tbsp.    Olive oil

1/4 lb.      Ground Turkey

1              Jalapeno chopped

1/8           Onion chopped

1/2 cup    Broth  

1/4 cup    Jasmine rice

2 tbsp.     Tomato paste 

1/4 cup    Shredded cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Cook rice per directions on package. Cut off the top of the pepper, clean out the seeds. Spray a oven tray and place the peppers on and set aside. 

In a small frying pan heat the oil, sauté the Jalapeno and Onion until

tender. Add meat and chop with the spatial until meat is browned and in small bits. Add tomato paste, cheese, and rice and stir until mixed thoroughly. Spoon into peppers. 

Turkey can be replaced with ground beef. 

Cook 35 to 40 minutes on 350

Serve with  salad or other side dish. 

Skillet - Sausage, black beans and rice.

Sausage, black beans and rice in the Skillet

2 links         Sausage, sliced

1 1/2 cups   Beef broth

3/4 cup        Rice

1 can           Black beans

1/4 cup        Celery sliced

1/4 cup        Onion

1                  Jalapeno chopped

1 can           Fire roasted tomatoes, diced

1/2 teas.      Oregano

1/2 teas.      Coriander

1/2 teas.      Onion powder

1/2 teas.      Black powder

1/2 teas.      Basil

1/8 teas.      Cayenne pepper

1/4 teas.      Thyme

1/8 teas.      Cumin

1/8 teas.      White pepper

2 tbsp.         Kosher salt

1 tbsp.         Chili powder

1 tbsp.         Paprika

2 tbsp.         Olive Oil

Add the oil to the skillet and place on medium. Add onions, celery, and jalapeno's. Stir while cooking until the onions start to turn translucent. Then add sausage. Once the meat is browned all the way around. Add the broth and bring to boil. Add rice. Cover and let cook for 5 minutes then add beans and tomatoes. Add spices, cover and cook for 5 minutes then turn down to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until rice is done. You'll need to stir every few minutes to make sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom. 

If you use Cajun spices a lot you can follow the recipe below. And substitute all the spices for 1 Tbsp. of the mix. 

Serve with a salad, or rolls. And it pairs well with a light crisp white wine.

Cajun Spice Mix
Mix the following pour into a jar with a tight lid and store in dry place. 1 TBSP servings 
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Coriander
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/3 cup Kosher Salt
1/4 cup Chili Powder
1/4 cup Paprika
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tbsp basil

Irish Month - Irish Stew and Irish Soda Bread - Repost from 2019

Happy St. Paddy's day! 

Irish Stew - Serves 4

I cook mine in the crock pot.

1 lb Stew meat - Traditional Lamb (substitute with beef)

4 tbsp Flour

1 onion chopped

3 carrots sliced

3 medium or 5 small white potatoes cut into quarters

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

1 1/2 pints beef broth (substitute half liquid with Guinness Stout-optional)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parley

Salt and Pepper

Brown meat. Add meat, veggies and liquid to crock pot. Stir in seasoning and place on high for two hours. Then turn to low for 4-5 hours. About an hour before serving remove some of the liquid and mix with flour until thick and smooth and poor into the stew. Stir thoroughly and it will thicken the last out of cooking. Serve with Guinness and Soda Bread. 

Irish Soda Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Preheat Oven to 425 degrees. 

Take a round cake pan and oil it and then dust with flour. 

2 cups Flour (plus some for dusting)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

14 oz Buttermilk

Dried Cranberries or Raisins (Optional)

Mix, flour, salt, and soda in a glass bowl. Then make a bowl in the flour mixture pour most of the buttermilk in and mix with hands until sticky. 

Dust a little more flour and buttermilk. Then rub your hands with flour and spread flour on pastry mat and then knead the dough into a round dough and put in the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown on the top. Let cool for a couple minutes but serve warm. 

Easy Chicken, chilis, and potato skillet

 Chicken, chilis, and potato skillet

2                 Chicken breasts cubed

4                 Small yellow potatoes halved

1 cup          Small finger carrots

1/2 cup      Onion chopped

1/4              Yellow bell pepper chopped

1/4              Orange bell pepper chopped

1 stalk         Celery sliced

2                 Tomatoes quartered and cut in half

1/4 cup       Chilis (Roasted Hatch are the best)

1 tbsp.         Italian seasoning 

1 tbsp.         Olive oil

Cook at Medium heat. Heat the oil until warm, add carrots, potatoes and onions and cook for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 25 minutes or until veggies are tender. 

Serve with a roll or a green salad. 

Enjoy!

Skillet Pork Chops with a pear and white wine reduction

Pork Chops with a Pear and White Wine reduction serves two

2                Pork chops

2                Pears  - thinly slices

1 tsp          Brown sugar
1/2 tsp       Nutmeg
1/2 tsp       Cinnamon
1/3 cup      White wine.

Spray the skillet with non-stick spray. Set on medium heat. Salt and pepper the chops to taste, then brown on each side. While the meat is browning slice the pears and put them in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the wine over the slices and mix until they're coated with wine. Add spices and stir thoroughly. 

Pour over the top of the chops. Put the lid on and cook for about 5 minutes, move pears out of the way and turn the chops. Scoop the pears over the top again and add the rest of the wine. Cook another 10 minutes then lower heat to simmer, checking and stirring a little every so often. Simmer until whatever side dish is ready. I served with a salad and baked potatoes. 

Pairs well with a sauvignon blanc or a pinot noir.