Author: QuiltLady

ITALIAN GRINDER CHOPPED SALAD ~ BLOG 365.287

When you love Italian grinder sandwiches, but can no longer have bread, what do you do? You make a salad of course with all the same tasty insides of the sandwich, but with smashed croutons instead.

ITALIAN GRINDER CHOPPED SALAD

DRESSING
1/2 cup DUKE’s mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, FINELY minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon FRESH small chopped oregano
FRESH ground sea salt & black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup powdered Parmesan cheese

  • Whisk together all dressing ingredients until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

SALAD
16 ounces chopped romaine lettuce, (about 8 cups)
4 ounces ham, sliced small and thin
4 ounces pepperoni, sliced small and thin
4 ounces salami, sliced small and thin
4 ounces provolone cheese, sliced small and thin
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 SMALL red pepper, sliced
1/4-1/2 cup sliced pepperoncini peppers
1/2 red onion, diced


ASSEMBLY


  • In a large bowl, toss the shredded lettuce with all salad ingredients.
Pour dressing over the salad and toss everything together until evenly coated. If not serving right away, wait until right before serving to toss the dressing with the salad.

1/2-3/4 cup smashed croutons

  • Sprinkle with smashed croutons JUST before serving.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER MONDAY with MENUS & RECIPE LINKS week 41 of 2025 ~ BLOG 365.286

Be sure to join Happy Homemaker Monday with our host, Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

LAST WEEK RECAPPED

I did the Auxiliary Friday night dinner of my great gram’s chicken and noodles over mashed potatoes (kind of like an inside out chicken pot pie) which is ALWAYS a favorite of mine, even with 2 starches! We did okay, but there were many events in many locations and a tremendous rainstorm that I think hindered our attendance. I also finally got a fairly decent photo of this dish to update the blog.

Saturday we drove an hour to the “city” that has decent shopping to pick up my Hallmark order and have a nice lunch at PF CHANGS. We have no Hallmark store any longer (or any other decent major shopping) and only a handful of restaurants so it was a nice change. Since we’ve lived here, the area (within 25 miles) is “growing” housing wise, but decreasing in shopping, restaurants and healthcare. It makes no sense to me! We’ve lost the local hardware store and the one in the next town is about to close, Macy’s, JC Penney’s, Sears, Charlie’s BBQ, Loggers, Rite Aid, a Walgreens, Pedotti’s Italian, Cigno’s Italian, Nellies, FNB, Tolleys, Albertsons, PIER 1, Big Lots, JoAnns, Clarices, K-Mart…And yes I know many of those were lost nationwide, but…we now have 7 Mexican restaurants, just as many second hand stores and the town all but rolls up the sidewalks at dusk and on Mondays.

It was a rainy weekend again and I spent Sunday starting with breakfast at a friends bar & Grill, but then coming home for racing and football while lounging around researching recipes as well as 3 loads of laundry and oiling and cleaning up my “new” sewing cabinet.

On the way home from the city Saturday we stopped at two of our favorite antique stores after the Hallmark store and lunch and then we stopped in another favorite little town on the way back where I found the most unique sewing machine table. Actually, hubby found it for me, but it’s gonna be beautiful when we’re done with it and it was dirt cheap. Someone had added some cheap legs that didn’t match and it needed oiled A LOT, but other than that thee was just a small broken knob that is fortunately on a bottom drawer so not even noticeable when it’s all back together. I didn’t find anything else except these adorable scarecrow ghosts that I’ll use for two friends that have Halloween birthdays.

I’ve been joining in on BLOGTOBER for the prompts that speak to me and even adapting them to fit my life. Yesterday I did a compilation of some of my favorite apple recipes called ALL THINGS APPLE.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

It rained A LOT over the weekend, which we really needed, but it should conclude this afternoon, but the next several days, while cool (mid 50’s during the day and lows in the 30’s at night) are only supposed to be cloudy until the end of the week when the rain begins again. 🙂 I LOVE FALL!

ON MY MIND, TO DO, APPOINTMENTS, TRAVELS, DVR/TV & PROJECTS

THIS WEEK’S TO DO LIST, PROJECTS, APPOINTMENTS & DVR/TV
  • LAUNDRY & CLEANING Pretty tidy besides some totes I need to move to the garage when the weather is less rainy tomorrow.
  • GROCERIES & ERRANDS With going out of town on Friday I’ll only be shopping for the Eagles and maybe the Offyce this week.
  • PROJECTS & TRAVELS We’re headed off this weekend with a friend to go to the GREAT JUNK HUNT and some favorite antique stores as well as a favorite architectural salvage house.
  • RECIPE RESEARCH & MENU PLANNING I’m hoping to find more vintage/antique recipe boxes next weekend and then I’ll put together another menu plan for November and December.
  • DVR/TV The new season has begun and now I need to play catch up and decide which shows to keep watching and those to abandon.

READING TIME

I’m about to finish the BOOK WOMAN’S DAUGHTER by Kim Michelle Richardson. Book club is meeting next weekend, but I’m going to be out of town and am honestly so far behind now I may just be bowing out of book club all together.

FUNNIES

MENU PLANS

BREAKFAST is always a work in progress for me – it will generally be hot water and a fruit yogurt 😀
 10/13 MONDAY
10/14 TUESDAY
10/15 WEDNESDAY
10/16 THURSDAY
10/17 FRIDAY
10/18 SATURDAY
10/19 SUNDAY
DINNER
Eagle’s meeting night CORN/YOYO clean out refrigerator night or you’re on your own
CHILI con CARNE QUESO CUPS
AZZOLINA SPAGHETTI also making a crock pot of CHILI MAC & CHICKEN VERDE CHILI for the Eagles to serve at BUNCO night
BAKED TUSCAN CHICKEN 
OOT (out of town)
OOT (out of town)
OOT (out of town)
DESSERT
 
 

FAVORITE PHOTOS FROM THE CAMERA

One of my favorites from PF CHANG’S is their Teriyaki Chicken and Fried Rice!

INSPIRATIONS

LIFE TIP

HOMEMAKING / COOKING TIP

RECIPES COMING UP THIS WEEK

  • ITALIAN GRINDER SALAD
  • APPLE PIE DUMPLINGS

RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

WEEKLY FEATURED PARTY LINKS

BLOGTOBER ~ FALL FAVORITE REIPCES ~ ALL THINGS APPLE ~ BLOG 365.285B

What would Fall or Autumn be without apples? For me, apples are one of my favorite things about Fall. Today’s prompt was about favorite apple desserts, but instead I decided to share some of my favorite fall apple recipes whether they are desserts or not. As you can see I have a bountiful amount of apple recipes to choose from. 🙂

CARAMEL APPLE SLAB PIES

CHUNKY APPLE SAUCE

ROASTED APPLE PIE

BROWN BAG APPLE PIE

SOUR APPLE SLAW

APPLE PIE CUPCAKES

CRANBERRY APPLE SLAB PIE

APPLE BALSAMIC CHICKEN

APPLE CHERRY SLAB PIE

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE BUTTER

SOUTHERN APPLE WALNUT CAKE

BAKED APPLE STUFFED PORK CHOPS

BAKED CRACK CHICKEN ~ BLOG 365.282

BAKED CRACK CHICKEN serves 4
Juicy chicken breasts seasoned with ranch seasoning, crisp bacon and gooey gooey cheese make an addictive and quick week night dinner.

CHICKEN
4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 tablespoon butter
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to ¼-inch thickness
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika

  • Preheat oven to 400˚.
  • Lightly grease 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • Over medium high heat add the diced bacon to a large skillet; cook until crispy.
  • Remove bacon from skillet and set aside.
  • Return skillet with the bacon grease to heat and add the avocado oil.
Season chicken breast with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.
Add chicken breasts cooking 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown.
Add butter and flip chicken, cooking 2 minutes more.
  • Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and arrange in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Set aside.

RANCH CREAM CHEESE
4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon dried dill weed
½ teaspoon dried chives
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

  • In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, dill weed, and chives, mixing until thoroughly combined. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  • 
Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture, spreading to coat the surface of each chicken breast.

  • Take half of the diced bacon and sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture on each chicken breast.

  • Sprinkle shredded cheese over the chicken breasts.

  • Bake 15 minutes, uncovered or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted and lightly browned.
  • Remove from oven.

GARNISH
FRESH chopped parsley
2 sliced green onions

  • Garnish with remaining bacon, fresh parsley, and scallions.
  • Serve.


BLOGTOBER ~ BEST FALL SCENTS/CANDLES ~ BLOG 365.279B

I’m joining in on A Simple Life’s BLOGTOBER prompts where I can. Today’s prompt is Fall scents and candles.Coffee brewing, soups and chilis simmering, cakes and pies baking, pumpkin & vanilla spice candles flickering, cinnamon and spice potpourri, fall leaves and dewy mornings, crisp cool evenings…and I know it’s not a “scent”, but the geese honking overhead as they travel south is one of the first fall indicators I see and hear each year.

EVERYMAN STEAKS, MUSHROOM GRAVY & MUSTARD EGG NOODLES ~ BLOG 365.280

I grew up on chopped steaks with mashed potatoes or egg noodles and mushroom gravy and canned green beans. I didn’t know then it was a truly mid-western staple meal. Restaurants had in on the menu as a hamburger “steak” which in reality is just a fancy unless hamburger.

Traditionally this calls for ground sirloin which is a lot less fatty so be careful not to over work the mixture when preparing the steaks. Overworking it can lead to dry, tough steaks.

When using the egg noodles you can really oomph them up with this added intense buttery mustard sauce.

EVERYMAN STEAKS serves 2

STEAKS
3/4 pound top sirloin
3 tablespoons FINELY chopped onion
1/8 cup FRESH chopped Parsley
1 clove garlic, FINELY minced
1/2 tablespoon QUALITY Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon A1 sauce
1/4 cup FINELY crushed saltines
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Combine eggs, onion, parsley, garlic, A1 and Worcestershire sauce with the crackers until well blended.
  • Add in ground sirloin, salt and pepper mixing with your hands JUST until blended.
  • Shape into 2 oval patties.
  • In an ovenproof skillet sauté patties 4-5 minutes on one side.
  • Flip patties and transfer pan to oven for 15 minutes.
  • Transfer steaks to platter and tent with foil while you make the gravy.

GRAVY
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces Beech mushrooms
1/4 cup FINELY diced onion
2 tablespoons WONDRA flour
2 cups beef broth
FRESH chopped parsley

  • Melt butter.
  • Add mushrooms sautéing 8 minutes or so until golden and moisture evaporated.
  • Add onions and sprinkle with flour, stirring to combine. Saute’ 2 more minutes.
  • Add broth and simmer until gravy reaches desired consistency.
  • Serve over steaks.

MUSTARD EGG NOODLES with GREEN BEANS
8 ounces egg noodles, prepared per package
1/2 pound green beans, trimmed to 1 inch pieces, blanched in boiling water 5 minutes and then drained well

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon coarse grained mustard
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/4 cup FRESH chopped Parsley
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste

  • Melt butter in large sauce pan.
  • Stir in mustard and sour cream until smooth.
  • Fold in noodles and green beans.
  • Season to taste with FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper.