Sloppy Joe Calzone

I found this recipein the July/August Simple and Delicious Magazine. I made 2 changes: 1. I used the recipe for No Knead bread and made 1 big roll and 2. I cooked the roll for 45 minutes at 375 degress F. Very good flavor.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
Directions: In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, tomato paste, water, ketchup, oregano and salt. Separate crescent dough into four rectangles; seal perforations. Spoon a fourth of the meat mixture onto half of each rectangle; sprinkle with cheese. Fold dough over filling; pinch edges to seal. Cut slits in tops. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 4 servings

Jalapeno Ribs and Spinach Macaroni

I really liked the barbecue sauce for this recipe it was tangy and spicy. The only change i would have made was to place all of the ingredients in the food processor and pulse a few times before I placed into the pan for cooking down.

Here is the recipe for the Spinach Macaroni Bake:( everyone loved this recipe)

1 lb. shell pasta

3 T olive oil

1 C baby portabello mushrooms

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1 (14.5 oz.) can of diced tomatoes

1 ( 10 oz.) package of frozen spinach , thawed and drained

a dash of red pepper flakes

1/2 C bread crumbs

1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese

4 T butter

1 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta until al dente ( follow package instructions). Drain. in a skillet heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender. Add the garlic, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and spinach. Stir to combine, season with salt and pepper, cook until heated through. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and Parmesan. spread 2 T of the softened butter in a 9"X13" baking dish and sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture inside the dish to coat. Combine the vegetable mixture with the drained pasta and cheese in a bowl. Place in the casserole dish on top of the bread crumbs and top with remaining bread crumbs. Cut up remaining 2T butter and top the casserole. Bake for 15-20 minutes to heat through.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Banana Pancake

This recipe is from http://www.allrecipes.com/ These pancake were light, fluffy and delicious.

1 cup uncooked rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 banana, mashed
Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Hot Roast Beef Melt

Hard crust Italian bread

1 T olive oil

1 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced onion
1 tsp. granulated garlic

1T dried oregano

salt and pepper
2 T butter
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound shaved deli roast beef
4-6 slices Colby cheese
Toast bread in the toaster and butter both sides. Lay slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic in butter and olive oil until vegetables are tender. Stir in Worcestershire sauce , oregano salt and pepper. Warm roast beef in a skillet. On each slice of bread layer with roast beef, mushroom mixture , cheese and another slice of toasted and buttered bread. ( or you can serve the sandwiches open faced). Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and so the sandwich is warmed. Slice and serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings.

Mini Walnut Pies

For the dough:

1/2 C walnuts, finely ground

1/2 C mascarpone cheese

4 T unsalted butter, softened

3/4 C all purpose flour

pinch of salt

For the filling:

1 large egg

1/4 C brown sugar, packed

2T maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 t unsalted butter, softened

a dash of salt

3/4 c walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put mascarpone cheese and butter into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on high-medium speed until well blended. Add flour, walnuts and salt.Mix just until dough comes together. Roll dough into 16 one inch balls and press into bottoms and up sides of cups of mini muffin tins. Make the filling: Whisk together egg, sugar , maple syrup, vanilla, butter and salt. Stir in the walnuts. spoon about 1 1/2 tsp. filling into each muffin cup. bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely in tins on wire racks.

Greek House Dressing

This recipe is from http://www.allrecipes.com/. I thought the recipe was good next time I will try it with white vinegar. I scaled the recipe down ( i cut it in half).

Beef Rouladen

This simple delicious recipe is from Taste of Home Magazine. This is definately a keeper. I loved the gravy.

Lemon Delight Cake

What a delight this cake was. Cake with a delicious layer of pudding. Yummy! I would have taken a picture of a cut piece but, I did not have good luck getting the first piece out and i quickly gobbled it up.

Potato Pierogi

Today I tried my hand at potato pierogi. I only wish I tried this recipe sooner.

Cafe Rio Pork

I found this recipe at MMM....Cafe. What a great recipe. I really loved the sauce. This is a keeper recipe. I used jalapeno peppers instead of the serano peppers, other than that I went by the recipe directions. I guess my meal turned more into a burrito salad.

Coconut Curry Chicken

3 T vegetable oil

2 T soy sauce

2 T sugar

1 tsp. curry powder

salt and pepper

1 c coconut milk

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast

In a pan combine all of the sauce ingredients. Grill the chicken breasts until they are cooked through( on the grill). Place inside the pan with the sauce ingredients, to coat and top with toasted coconut. Next time I make this I will double the sauce ingredients.

Swag Bars

This recipe is from Cooking Light magazine. These peanut butter bars are excellent. The kids could not stop eating these treats! A keeper recipe.

Peanut Butter Noodles

I adapted this recipe from the recipe I found here at allrecipes.com

What I did different was: I used Chinese hot chili oil, I used rice noodles and I used freeze dried green onions instead of the fresh green onions. Next time i try this recipe I will use whole wheat spaghetti and i will double the amount of sauce the recipe calls for. We loved the flavor of these noodles.

Italian Stew

Ingredients:
1 pound bulk Italian sausage
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups beef broth
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 bunch of escarole
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 small zucchini, grated
1/3 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 lb. cooked pasta of your choice
Grated Parmesan cheese
Directions: In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Drain. Add garlic; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce,escarole, carrot, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Gently stir in the zucchini, green pepper and parsley. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Place a scoop of pasta in each bowl and ladle the soup over the pasta.Serve with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 6-8 servings (2 quarts).

Quinoa Pudding

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com. Excellent recipe. Instead of the apple juice i used apple cider and I added 1 chopped apple, I topped the quinoa with cinnamon sugar and a tsp. of honey. Filling and good. I also liked the pudding better cold.

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
2 cups apple juice
1 cup raisins
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
salt to taste
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place quinoa in a sieve and rinse thoroughly. Allow to drain, then place quinoa in a medium saucepan with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pan with lid, lower heat, and allow to simmer until all water is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes.
Mix in apple juice, raisins, lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt. Cover pan and allow to simmer for 15 minutes longer. Stir in vanilla extract. Serve warm.

Pepper Poppers

This recipe is adapted from the June 2009 Cooking Light magazine. for the filling i placed all of the filling ingredients in the food processor to combine. I then used a pastry bag and piped the filling into the peppers. I baked the peppers for 10-12 minutes at 550 degrees instead of the recommended grilling.

Coconut Curry Chicken

Last night we tried this quick and simple recipe for dinner. I added too much of the red curry paste so it was too hot for the kids. I loved the flavor.

For sauce mix together: 1 C coconut milk, 1 T soy sauce, 2 t red curry paste, 1 T brown sugar, 1 tsp. cornstarch. Set aside. In a skillet fry boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Remove from the pan and chop into bite size pieces. :Place sauce in the pan and heat through until thicken add chicken to the pan and serve with vegetables and rice.

Banana Muffins

These muffins were great. Someone in our house ate 2 and wanted to go back for a third!

Parmesan Cornflake Chicken

This recipe reminded me of a homemade Shake and Bake. Excellent flavor, the recipe was liked by all. I used thin, boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the boiler/fryer chicken and i used 1 egg, beaten and about a tablespoon of water instead of the melted butter.

Slow Cooker Italian Beef Sandwiches

Tasty, flavorful beef. Super easy and very good. i served my beef openfaced with roasted sweet green peppers.

Pumpkin Pancakes

These pancakes were really fluffy. Not overly sweet. The consistency of the batter was great. The whole family liked these and i will be making them again.

Hot Jalapeno Crab Di

I saw this recipe in one of Emeril's cookbooks. A good dip but rich.

Creamy Rice Pudding

In a deep pot melt 1 stick of butter. Add 1 can of condensed milk, stir to combine. Add 2 cups of cooked rice plus 1/2 c raisins and heat until mixture has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 T vanilla. The rice pudding will thicken a bit off the heat. Serve with cinnamon sugar. I like to place the rice pudding in the refrigerator( this also thickens it) and eat it cold.

Bayou BBQ Chop Salad

I served this salad along with the chili recipe. Both recipes were enjoyed by the whole family.

Chili Rice

This recipe was featured in the recent issue of Family Circle. Tasty, easy recipe. I left out the ground beef.

Basil Chicken Burgers with Pesto Mayonnaise

This recipe was in the newest issue of Family Fun magazine.

1 1/2 lb. ground chicken

3/4 C grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

1/3 C mayonnaise

2 T pesto

Line a medium baking sheet with plastic wrap and set aside/. In a large mixing bowl combine: chicken, cheese, salt and pepper, until evenly blended.Add the mayo and pesto. Shape the meat into 6 patties. Place on the baking sheet cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, burgers with be very loose. Prepare the grill and make the basil mayo. ( 1/2 C mayonnaise, 2 T pesto mix and refrigerate). Brush one side of the burgers with oil and place on the grill, lightly oil other side of the patty. Cook until meat is no longer pink inside. Serve with the basil mayonnaise. I added an extra slice of cheese to each burger.

Pulled Pork With "Open Pit" Style BBQ Sauce

We love Open Pit BBQ sauce but, now that it has high fructose corn syrup i will no longer buy it. So I was in search of a recipe similar to Open Pit. This BBQ sauce was excellent but, it was not exactly like Open Pit. I will keep this recipe , everyone loved it.

Thai Peanut Chicken

This tasty, super simple recipe is from MMM.........Cafe. i will definitely make this recipe again.

Best Buttermilk Pancakes

This recipe was published in the July/ August 2009 Cook's Illustrated magazine. An excellent recipe. The whole family loved these light, fluffy pancakes.

Cream Filled Cupcakes

This recipe was featured in the newest Family Circle magazine. Very Good.

Almond Butter

I have had a whole bowl of almonds in the shell on a coffee table for a while so today I decided to make almond butter. I roast the nuts for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. I then used 2 damp towels to take come of the skins off. I next placed the nuts in the food processor and processed until my desired consistency and then I added a touch of salt, some local honey and a bit of vegetable oil. The butter was really great. Here is a great reference.

Spicy Hummus

Tonight we tried 2 new hummus recipes. The first recipe was called smoky chipotle hummus, it scored as fair. The hummus was spicy but not overly flavorful. The second recipe was Jalapeno Hummus. The recipe was very good, a nice amount of spice and flavorful. Sorry for the lack of a photo but I forgot to take one!

Sicilian Rice Balls with Meat Sauce ( Arancine Siciliane)

This excellent recipe was created by Keith Brown. The rice balls were good but the sauce was even better!

Sauce:

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. sweet sausage( loose)

1 small onion, chopped

1 dash granulated garlic

1 C chopped mushrooms

1 C chopped green pepper

1 C grated zucchini

1 can ( 14 oz.)artichokes hearts, drained and chopped

2 cans ( 14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 can ( 29 oz.) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste

2 tsp. each parsley and oregano

1T basil

1 tsp. salt and sugar 1/4 tsp. pepper

1 bay leaf

Rice balls: 3 eggs

2 1/2 C cooked Arborio rice 1/3 C melted butter

2/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 T parsley

salt and pepper

4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 3/8" cubes

1 C dry Italian seasoned bread crumbs

Oil for deep frying

Sauce: Brown ground beef and sausage, drain and return 2 T of drippings to the pan. saute onion, mushrooms green pepper, zucchini and artichoke hearts until tender. Add garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, herbs and sugar. simmer for 1 hour( at this point I move the sauce to the crockpot and let it simmer on low all day). Discard bay leaf before serving. Rice Balls: Lightly beat 2 eggs, stir in rice, melted butter, Parmesan cheese, parsley salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll into 1 1/2" balls. Press a piece of mozzarella cheese into each ball, reshape balls. In a small bowl lightly beat remaining egg. Dip each ball into egg, then roll into the bread crumbs. In a deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry rice balls until golden brown, about 4 minutes, drain on paper towels. Serve with sauce.

Sandra Lee's Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing

I made a few changes to this recipe: 1. I used a turkey bread, 2. I cooked the turkey breast and stuffing in an oven bag 3. I doubled the stuffing recipe and stuffed half in the turkey and the other half I baked separate. Very good recipe that I would make again.

Cook's Illustrated French Toast

This recipe was in the newest Cook's Country magazine. Excellent french toast that the whole family enjoyed.