Stuffed Tomatoes

Shelling these bad boys was a breeze. Easier then peppers, for sure. I used a spoon to loosen the harder membrane & the rest scooped right out.

I cooked the sausage first (drain then add) then I added:

1/4 c spinach
1/2 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
I didn't spice too much, I wanted the tomato & the sausage to be the dominant flavors.

I scooped the cooked sausage into the shelled tomato and sprinkled cheese on top. I placed the tomatoes into a bread pan so they would not roll.

Bake for 25 minutes or until cheese is browned.

This was delicious, served with stuffed peppers for a flavorful and colorful bounty.

(Oh, and I cut up the tomato tops & served in a tossed salad. I served these beauty's with steamed veggie mix with a tossed salad. )

Arroz Tapado (Rice on top)

This meal was so fun to make. I was apprehensive about my ability to "stack" the ingredients but it turned out quite easy. This recipe severed just three people so adjust accordingly.

2 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rice

I set to water, olive oil & salt to boil and added the rice. Boil until tender and the water is absorbed.


In a separate pan I cook throughly
1/2 pound of ground beef
1/4 pound of mild sausage.
Add in onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper.

When the meat is cooked add in veggies.

 I used broccoli and yellow & orange carrots. (peas, beans & corn can also be used.) Also add 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. (Don't be scared, its delicious. Unless you are allergic. Then please omit this step.)

To stack the rice & meat I used an 8 ounce plastic container. (It was a small sour cream container.) I put a few drops of olive oil into the container & moved it around to coat the bottom & the edges.



I then put a layer of rice & pressed it down. Then a layer of meat & press. Lastly a layer of rice again & compressed it down. I put a plate on top of the container & flipped. The container will lift right off.

I served with sauteed asparagus.

Chocolate Cover Cookie Dough

Forget boxes of chocolates, make the perfect gift!

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon water

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Stir in the vanilla, water, flour, chocolate chips, and walnuts, if desired, and mix until well blended. Roll dough into bite-sized balls (or use a small ice cream scoop). Place on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. Store balls in resealable plastic bags in the freezer.

Make a double boiler like the one I described in Fiber One Chocolate Cookies. I bought 2 bags of chocolate chips & used what was left & the other bag for the dipping chocolate. Melt the chocolate chips & dip the frozen cookie dough. (Use a spoon and place the dough ball into the melted chocolate. Using the same spoon remove chocolate covered dough ball & place onto tray or waxed paper. ) Place on waxed paper or plastic tray. 

I am a bit obsessed about green living and wastefulness. I am aware of  the amount of non-recyclables my family uses & throws away. I picked up some plastic serving trays at my last job. They were throwing them out. I use them for cooling or drying cookies and candies. You can see the trays in the top photo. I never buy waxed paper, paper towels or trash bags. Less use, less trash & more money.

These were very easy to make and quick. The longest was waiting the 2 hours for the freezer time. These were definitely ready in 3 hours.

I think next time I will try peanut butter or maybe Peppermint Patty. My Peanut Butter Fudge recipe will be perfect for the center.

Homemade Baked Tortilla Chips

A friend of mine served these at a get together. I had to learn how to make them. 

 Use 12 inch flour tortilla wraps or corn tortilla wraps. I cut some into circles & some into triangles.  

 Spread them out onto a cookie sheet. Add salt & pepper or any flavoring you want.

 Bake in the 200 degrees until golden brown and crispy. 

YUM!

So easy and so good. 

20 Minute Peanut Butter Fudge

I found this recipe on Alton Brown's website. He is great to watch in the kitchen, if you've never seen him give him a try. He explains things so that even I can understand it.

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pound (16 ounces) powdered sugar

Butter a 8x8 dish.

Microwave butter and peanut butter for two minutes. Stir to combine. Add vanilla and powdered sugar to peanut butter mixture and stir with a spoon as much as you can. The mixture will get the consistency of sugar cookie dough. You will be able to pick it up all at once. Smooch it around with your hands if the powdered sugar still needs some mixing in. 

Press the fudge into the dish using your hand or a spoon. Place plastic wrap over the top of the fudge & let cool in the fridge. 

Fun with Kool-Aid

I was bored, it's cold & snowing like mad here in Ohio. So here I sit looking at an empty ice cube tray & half a pitcher of Kool-Aid....hmmmmm, I wonder.

I pour the rest of the Kool-Aid into the ice cube tray. What doesn't fit goes into a glass. Waste not want not:) 

Now, I make a new pitcher of Kool-Aid, lemonade this time. I guard the fridge with my life & a spatula making sure no one drinks it. Then in a few hours I have ice for my fruit flavored beverage that won't water it down. So simple, so genius. 

 I like to mix and match flavors and colors. Contrasting reflections of light make me giggle. If you're not a mix it kind of person you probably only have packets of cherry drink mix anyway so ice & pour. No matter how long you let is sit, your fruity ade may become a different flavor but will never be watered down.

 

Fiber One Chocolate Cookies

These cookies are so yummy & good for you. What~Yes, I said it. 

Below is a photo of the ingredients.

 3 C Fiber One cereal
12 ounce bag of chocolate chips
1/2 C peanut butter

To make a double broiler, if you don't have one. Put a cup or so of water into a pot. When it comes to a boil, instead of a lid place another pot of equal or greater size. So that is does not fall into the first pan.

To melt chocolate, place the 12 ounces of chips into the top pan and turn off the heat. You don't want to cook the chocolate, just heat it to its melting point.

When the chocolate is completely melted. Stir in the 3C of Fiber One cereal & the 1/2 c peanut butter.

 Stir until cereal is completely covered and peanut butter is combined.

 Spread onto a cookie sheet. I use a reusable baking mat. Very handy for mo mess clean ups and not scratching my cookie sheets when it comes time to cut the cookie into pieces. You can use corningware or glassware. It doesn't matter. Do not grease the pan.

Use a pizza cutter, bench knife, sharp knife to cut this up into bite size pieces once it dries.

Serve. Yum!

 I like these and the fiber one and peanut butter are good choices in snack eating. You can omit the peanut butter for calorie or allergy concerns.

Pot Roast, My Mother Would be so Proud.

I was so excited to buy a roast from my butcher.
I put a 15 ounce can of French onion soup along with 2 cups of water in the bottom of a dutch oven then added the roast. I seasoned it with garlic, onion powder with black pepper. Cut up three potatoes and  two celery stalks. Put the roast in the center and spread the potato, celery and onions all around the roast.

If you don't have a dutch oven or even a big pot, try a crock pot. All the same steps apply either way.

Put on 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Check, stir if not quite done mack sure there is fluid still in the pot, if not add another cup of water. Check in 30 minutes.

Cut into slices & let sit in liquid for 15 minutes in the off oven. Serve. I served mine with a salad. Lots of veggies for the family and they wont even catch on.

Turkey Noodle Soup

What do do with that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving? 

When I first pulled the turkey from the oven Thanksgiving day I poured the liquid into a Tupperware container & froze it. The stock contained juices from the turkey and water I had added. We ate turkey sandwiches the next day and that evening I pulled the leftover meat and froze it.

I had about 3 cups of turkey meat leftover. I did not measure anything when I made this. The measurements I say below are educated guesses. I just added what looked good and what would fit into the pot. Add more meat if you want or completely omit the meat & add more veggies. Remember that you are using turkey stock so omitting the meat does not make it vegetarian. 

Now a month later, its cold and snowy. Christmas is on its way and everyone is busy with getting ready.I took out the frozen stock and ran hot water over the container so it would slide out. I put it into 4 cups of hot water & brought to a boil.

Two tablespoons into a large frying pan with the leftover turkey to brown it. Remember, this is leftover thanksgiving turkey so it is already throughly cooked. I added some dry seasoning to season the turkey: Onion, garlic, cayenne pepper, mustard and pepper.

I added 4 cups of noodles directly to the boiling stock and let boil for 5 minutes. Then adding the browned turkey and 1 cup of frozen corn, carrots & green beans. You could also use celery, peas, squash or anything you have on hand. Let boil for 5 more minutes then Set to Simmer.

When the noodles and the veggies are tender. Serve. Even better reheated the next day.

If you made this recipe or have a comment or question please email me or post below. I would love to hear from you.

Beef Stroganoff

 Forget about the dish being difficult. I took a recipe & put in some short-cuts to make it quicker and easier.

1 1/2 - 2 pounds of beef chunks.
(I used stew meat. It's already chunked into bite size pieces.)
4 oz. can of mushrooms (you can omit the mushrooms if you do not like them.)
1 10oz can french onion soup
1 c. sour cream
3 c. cooked noodles

In a large skillet brown beef chunks with olive oil. After meat is browned, add mushrooms. Stir in french onion soup. Bring to a boil the Set to Simmer for 30 minutes. Until broth thickens. Remove from heat and gradually stir in sour cream.

Cook noodles according to package directions, until tender.

This is a delicious recipe that you can easily make to feed a whole family, just one person or substitute ingredients for a lower calorie dish. Use lite or fat free sour cream, light french onion soup and whole wheat noodles.

I always serve with a vegetable and a tossed salad.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies have always been a nemesis of mine. They either come out  hard, flat, fluffy or bland. No matter what recipe I used. The back of the chip bag or a family recipe. I botched it up...I blame the air pressure, yeah. That's it.
So I set out and research every ingredient in the chocolate chip cookie & what it's purpose is and some ingredients and why they are NOT in this traditional cookie.

My husband walks into the kitchen one evening, lured there by the smells of chocolate chip baking, I assume. He spies the photocopied "back of the chip bag" recipe with my scribbles all over it.
"What's this?" He asks.
I say, nonchalantly,"I did some changes to the chocolate chip recipe & I'm seeing how it works."
He looks closer at my altered concoction."This is what it's come to? Chocolate chip cookies recipe isn't perfect enough for you?" He says with a sideways glance at me.
I can see him chuckling, the bugger. He teases but I saw him grab a cooled cookie on the way out of the kitchen.
I'm onto him.

Here is my altered cookie. I hope you like it as much as I do.
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
12 ounce chocolate chips

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Add flour baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt in a separate bowl.

Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time mixing well. Slowly add in flour mixture to butter & sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. use a regular spoon to scope the dough & drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

It's a little harder to see if chocolate cookies are browning because they are already so dark. I look at the top center part of the cookie. Once it looks dry remove the cookie from the over & let sit on the pan to cool.

 Serve with hot chocolate for a chocolate overload!

Or with milk for you traditionalists!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Man oh man, I can remember coming home from school on a cold and snowy day and opening the door to the smells of beef stew that has been in the slow cooker for hours. MMMMM......so good. This recipe is pretty easy. It's really understanding the level which different food cook. Like meat and potatoes takes longer to cook then celery. Here, let me show you. Below is a photo of my ingredients.

1 pound of beef cut into bite size chunks. 4 or 5 potatoes (depending on their size), french onion soup 2 10 once cans. celery, baby carrots & corn. I use green beans too but I didn't have any for this one.


I put a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan & brown the meat. Don't cook it all the way through. Just brown it some on either side.

Pour the 2 cans of french onion soup into the slow cooker & put the cooker on high. Add the browned meat & cut up the potatoes into bite size pieces. Put the lid on & stir occasionally for the next 3-4 hours or until the meat is cooked & the potatoes are tender. I do season the meat with black pepper, onion powder & garlic powder. Not too much, you want the natural flavors of all the ingredients to show through.


Then add the celery, baby carrots and corn. cut up the celery into small pieces. Turn slow cooker to low & stir occasionally over the next 2 hours. By now, you should be able to smell the awesome goodness of this meal everywhere in your house. Your neighbors might even be knocking on your door.

Use a ladle or a large spoon to serve the stew. Leave on low so it stays warm. You will have many going back for seconds I can assure you.

Serve with homemade bread or rolls. Tell everyone it took you 6 hours to make it. Just don't mention you spend 4 of those hours on Facebook.