Red Pepper & White Wine Angel Hair w/ Spicy Italian Sausage

(alternate title: how to give yourself heartburn in 30 minutes or less)

Ingredients:

3 roma tomatoes

1/2 yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons of red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon sweet oregano

1 lb spicy italian sausage (I used NY style)

1 cup white wine

4 tablespoon heavy cream

1 lb cooked angel hair pasta

Olive oil & Salt/Pepper to taste

Directions:

Drizzle tomatoes with olive oil and place under a broiler on a baking sheet until they are slighlty charred. Chop the tomatoes. Drizzle olive oil into a skillet, brown italian sausage, about halfway through cooking it, add in the garlic and onions. Cook until browned. Add red pepper, white wine, oregano, salt and pepper and simmer until the wine cooks off (5 to 7 minutes usually) add the cream. Stir into warm angel hair pasta and add the tomatoes.

I topped ours with a little parm cheese... yummy!

Tamale Loaf

This recipe should not be confused with Darlene's Tamale Casserole (Darlene's is yummier and harder to make but this is still good).- Thanks, Allie

Ingredients:

1 can Rotel diced tomatoes, with onions and chiles
1/4 diced olives (a tiny can)
1 clove minced garlic
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of chicken stock
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup of frozen corn
1 package jiffy corn bread mix, with preparations required to make it
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Directions:

Brown beef in a skillet with garlic. Add Rotel, olives, beans, and stock. Simmer 10 minutes. Add frozen corn. Turn off heat and set aside. Mix Jiffy as directed.

Poor beef mixture into an 8x 8 pan. Top with cornbread mix. Bake 350 degrees until corn bread is thoroughly cooked (about 30 minutes) top with cheese and place back into oven 2 minutes to melt.

Serve warm w/ a dallop of sour cream if desired.

Chicken & Black Bean Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1/2 yellow onion diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 jalepeno, seeded and diced

2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed *

1 cup of frozen corn

2 cans of diced organic tomatoes, no salt *

1 pint of chicken stock, no salt *

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 cup (or 1 package) of taco seasoning

8 flour tortillas (or whole wheat but not corn)

shredded cheese & diced avocado for garnish

Directions:

Heat olive oil in the bottom of a stock pot, add onions and garlic and cook until translucent. Add chicken and diced pepper (if you have little kids use less jalepenos). Stir in stock and bring to a boil. Add beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Simmer 15 - 20 minutes. While the soup is simmering, take tortillas and lay them on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the oven on broil. After 2 minutes flip the tortillas so they brown on both sides. Once they are done chop them into small squares. Add frozen corn to soup and stir until cooked through. Add in tortillas. Serve with cheese and avocado as garnish.

* I used Full Circle organic canned produce.

** I used a pre-diced jalepeno in a can. I also only made half a batch of this because I am the only one at my house that eats soup.

Cream Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas

Oh so many recipes for Enchiladas... so many... here is the latest one.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablesspoon olive oil

1/2 white onion, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 rotisserie chicken, removed from bone and shredded

1 teaspoon each, cumin, pepper, salt, and chili powder

1 can of red enchilada sauce

1 8 oz package of cream cheese

1 can of diced green chilies

1/4 cup milk

2 cups shredded cheese (I used monterey jack because that's what I had)

6 flour tortillas

Directions:

Put butter and oil in a skillet and cook onion and garlic until tender. Add cream cheese and milk and cook until it is saucey. Mix in seasoning and set aside. Once cool- add chilies and chicken and stir.

Fill each tortilla with creamy chicken mixture. Roll into a tube and place in a 9 x 13 pan. Pour enchilada sauce over enchiladas and top with shredded cheese.

Bake 350 degrees until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. (30 minutes?)

Chicken & Brocolli Casserole

Ingredients:

2 cups shredded chicken
1 head of brocolli cut into bit sized pieces
1 lb of spaghetti
1 can chicken broth (2 cups)
1 shallot, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
salt & pepper
2 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded

Directions:

Boil spaghetti as directed by package, for the last 3 minutes add your brocolli and blanch it. Drain. and set aside.

In a pan melt butter and saute shallot and garlic until translucent. Mix in flour to create a light brown paste. Mix in cream and thin out with chicken broth until saucy in consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix brocolli, chicken, pasta and sauce in a bowl and pour into a 9 x 13 pan. top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.

Un-Defined Chocolate Dessert

I made this tonight for the 4th of July BBQ. On my facebook status I called it a mudpie cheesecake "thingie"...um yeah... it needs a name...help a girl out with that would ya?

Ingredients:

12 oreo cookies

2 Tbs melted butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1/4 sugar

2 tubs of cool whip

chocolate fudge pudding mix

2 1/2 cups milk

Directions:

Crush oreos (I put mine in a ziploc freezer bag and smushed them by hand) and mix with melted butter, press into the bottom of a pan (in hindsight....use a 9 x 13 I used something smaller and it was a mighty tall dessert).

Mix cream cheese, sugar and 1 tub of cool whip with a mixer until well blended. Spread over oreo crust.

Mix pudding and milk together. Spread over cream cheese filling.

Top with whip cream (honestly the topping was unnecessary but extra darn tasty).

Vegetable Skewers

Ingredients:

2 Bell Peppers, diced

Red Onion, diced

2 Summer Squash, cut into rounds

1 head of garlic seperated and peeled into individual cloves

1 package of button mushrooms (if they are large cut them in half)

1 package of cherry tomatoes

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Rock salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Dried Oregano

Directions:

Place chopped vegetables in a bowl (except the summer squash and tomatoes). Coat with equal parts oil and vinegar. Season to taste (it's vegetables so I usually grab a bell pepper and try the mix to make sure I like the flavor). Let sit at room temperature 1 hour. Add tomatoes and summer squash, mix. Cover and let sit 30 minutes (or more).

If you use wood skewers soak them in water as directed on the package. If using metal skewers (or after they have soaked) you can go ahead and skewer your vegetables until you are ready to use them. I usually put them in a dish and pour the marinade back over them if it's going to be awhile.

Grill over low heat 5 minutes (or until vegetables are tender).

BBQ Pork Ribs

Ingredients:

2 racks of pork loin ribs

Grill Mates Montreal Seasoning

2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

Directions:

Place ribs fat side up on foil. Season liberally with Montreal seasoning. BBQ over low heat on the top rack of your BBQ for 1 hour. Open foil and brush 1 cup of BBQ sauce over each rack of ribs. BBQ medium heat for 30 minutes or until glaze is tight enough to serve on the meat. Remove from heat and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before cutting.

Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1 package of salad macaroni, cooked and drained

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and minced

1/2 of a can of petite olives, minced

1 red onion, small diced

4 tablespoons of Del Monte Pickle Relish

3/4 cup Best Foods mayo

6 tablespoons of yellow mustard

1 tablespoon garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix ingredients together and chill before serving.

Wicked Quick Beans

My grandmother made awesome Okie beans. That recipe, which I cherish, I will probably never post here. This though is a bastard version using some "similar" ingredients which will make you a pot of yummy beans in less than an hour. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb ground beef

1 stick of linguica, sliced

1/2 white onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can of Rotell tomatoes with chiles

1/2 c of Del Monte Ketchup

4 cups of chicken broth

2 cans of pinto beans, drained

1 Tbl oregano

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp chili powder

Directions:

Brown ground beef, linguica and onions in a soup pan. Drain oil. Add garlic and pinto beans, stir 3 to 4 minutes. Combine with all other ingredients and season to taste. Simmer 30 minutes.

Poke Cake

So I heard about this key lime poke cake from Betty Crocker and I was like "oh that sounds yummy, I had something like that when I was little with chocolate" so I went to my trusty google and I googled "poke cake" and sweet jesus the recipes they came from every direction. So I stepped back and took out my handy iPhone with the Betty Crocker application and looked up chocolate poke cake and there it was... only I changed it... so this is the recipe I actually used.

Ingredients:

1 butter cake mix with the ingredients to make it as directed

1 package chocolate fudge instant pudding & 2 cups of milk

whipped cream

Directions:

Cook and cool the cake as directed. Take a wooden spoon and poke holes every 1/2 inch in the cake. Mix pudding with milk and let it firm up a little. Spread pudding over the cake letting it fill in the holes. Cool until pudding is firm. Top with whipped cream.

Refrigerate until served.

Wicked Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

18 eggs

Best Foods Mayo

Yellow Mustard

Del Monte Pickle Relish

Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika

Directions:

Place eggs in water and bring to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let set 10 minutes. Place under very cold water and then peel (the change from hot to cold will help the eggs to peel more easily). Cut in half and place all the yolks in a bowl. Throw away 6 eggs worth of egg white (or eat them- whatever).

Mash yolks with a fork. Add 3 tablespoons of relish. Add 3-4 tablespoons of mustard. Add mayo until the texture is creamy and smooth like a deviled egg should be (it's usually around 1/4 cup). Season to taste with seasons listed (and any you want to add)

In the picture (taken with iPhone-sorry) I used a spoon to spoon the mixture into my egg whites. Usually if it's for a BBQ or event I pipe it in using a piping bag. Your choice. Enjoy!

Patio S'Mores

Ingredients:
** I seldom put brands with things but really these make the best S'mores**
Hershey's chocolate bars (1/2 a bar per S'more)
Honey Maid Graham Crackers (1 full cracker broken in half per S'more)
Jet Puff Jumbo Marshmallows (2 per S'more)

Directions:
I don't have a big yard right now so I don't feel comfortable firing up the fire pit. I am also not camping at the moment. But, sometimes a girl just needs S'mores. So these can be done with a BBQ after the food is done. If using charcoal it's a little harder. If you have a gas grill go ahead and fire it up all the way. Place 2 marshmallows on the end of the skewer and hold it over the heat (turning it until it's all soft and gooey and golden brown on the outside). DO NOT SET IT DOWN and WATCH FOR FLAIR UPS.

Place half a graham cracker on the bottom. Then half a chocolate bar. Top with your marshmallows. Then another half a graham cracker. (I usually set the marshmallow on the chocolate and use the top half of the cracker to hold it down while I pull out my skewer).


Eat them warm and without a plate. It's only right. It is a S'more after all!

Sweet Tea

Ingredients:

10 cups of water

3/4 cup of sugar

8 tea bags

Directions:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add tea bags and boil 1 minute. Then remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Add sugar to warm water and stir until disolved. Place concentrate in pitcher and add 7 cups cold water.

(the picture above is a double batch)

Locavore Love

I have become increasingly interested in trying to eat as locally as possible. For produce that's been easy because I am in the Central Valley of California and there is wonderful produce all year long. For other things it might be a little harder.

I added a new blog tag. It's called LocavoreLove and if you click on it you can see recipes made with local ingredients. When possible I'll provide a link to where I got them from.

Enjoy!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Decided to try out the Pioneer Woman's version of CPK's BBQ Chicken Pizza but I used store bought crust and MORE CHEESE...it was yummy...you should try it

Kielbasa & Roasted Vegetables

This is what happens when you can't find a recipe your family will eat and you are tired of the recipe you normally use....you play with ingredients...this one was rather yummy.

Ingredients:

1 Polish Kielbasa (cut into 2 inch pieces)

1 Red Onion (chopped into large pieces)

6-8 Red Potatoes (quartered)

1 Clove of Garlic (peeled)

3 Tomatoes (quartered)

1 Package Button Mushrooms (halved)

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Thyme

Basil

Oregano

Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Mix chopped ingredients with a light coat of olive oil then season to taste. Pour into a 9x 13 baking dish and cook at 400 degrees for 1 hour (or until potatoes are fork tender).

Holy Hummus Batman

Puree in a blender or food processor the following

2 cans of chickpeas
4 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
1 tablespoon parsley minced
1/3 cup of tahini
6 tablespoons of lime juice
sea salt
warm water (to thin to the desired consistancy)

Homemade Pita Chips

Ingredients:

Pita Bread

Olive Oil

Cayenne Pepper

Dried Garlic

Parsley

Sea Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pita bread into triangles (or desired shapes). Brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with seasonings (adjust to your tastes) and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Ellie & Charlie's Nature Garden

One of the vendors at the Turlock Farmer's Market last week was Ellie & Charlie's Nature Garden an Organic grower out of Patterson. They had these lovely lettuce bags all prepped. I may never buy bagged salad again. This stuff is AMAZING. It's keeping lovely in the fridge too.

I made taco salads and a chef salad this week both were wonderful.

Angela's Sweets Yummy Review

This week at the Turlock Farmer's Market I got a great chance to be a locavore and try out some new local places I haven't been to.

We got cookies and brownies from Angela's Sweets which just opened on Broadway. The bakery was adorable and my daughter loved her cookies. I finally tried a brownie. Oh my god YUMMY!!

I highly recommend checking them out.

They have a website which can be found HERE or you can go to their bakery or you can join us for the next Farmer's Market and check out their booth.

Quickie Shells with Cheese

Ok so I totally made this up about 2 nights ago. I was going to make macaroni and cheese but I didn't have all the ingredients and I didn't want to make a 9 x 13 pan because we'd never finish it...so this is the recipe I made instead.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 can chicken broth

1 can whole milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 package shell pasta (cooked)

salt & pepper to taste

Combine butter and flour (season to taste) and brown slightly in a pan. Add broth and milk, stir until mixed together and warm. Add cheese and melt. Pour over pasta and put into a pyrex pan. Bake 350 degrees 10-12 minutes. (I topped mine with a little shredded colby to make it pretty)

Yummy!

Pot Roast

Chuck Roast
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary

Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours...or until fork tender...

yeah... it was good... simple good.

Spanish Tuna Melt

Ingredients:

1 can tuna in water

3 to 4 tablespoons of Mayo

1/2 a roma tomato, diced

1 jalepeno (diced)

3 tablespoons red onion diced

salt & pepper

4 slices of sourdough bread

butter

garlic powder

4 slices of cheese for topping each toast

Directions:

Spread 1 side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with garlic powder, place buttered side down on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with foil)

Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl and salt/pepper to taste. Spread a thin layer on each slice of bread. If it isn't thin the bread will burn and the cheese will melt before the tuna melt gets warm.

Top each toast with a slice of cheese. Today I used American but usually if I have it I prefer cheddar or provolone.

Broil until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

You have you're choice of eating this a toast (slider) or putting two together to make a sandwich (which is what I did in the picture)

Enjoy!