Author: QuiltLady

VAMPIRE SLAYER ARTICHOKE BREAD

OMG This appetizer replaces any entree – it’s ooey, gooey, cheesy and literally melts in your mouth all the while tantalizing your taste buds from the very first bite!

VAMPIRE SLAYER ARTICHOKE BREAD Adapted from Crumb
2 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, minced fine

14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained REALLY WELL and chopped small
1 cup shredded Face Rock Vampire Slayer Cheddar cheese
½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese
¼ cup sour cream
1 bunch green onions, finely minced
1 package Seattle Sourdough Ciabatta rolls
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
  • Preheat broiler, and line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, melt the butter until foamy.
  • Add garlic and green onions sauteing until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  • Remove from heat, and stir in artichoke hearts, mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan and sour cream until combined.
  • Slice the bread lengthwise.
  • Place the bread halves on the prepared baking sheet, cut side up, and spoon the cooled cheese and artichoke mixture over top.
  • Lightly salt and pepper to taste.
  • Broil until cheese is melted and bread is hot.
  • Cut each half into pieces and serve right away, while the cheese is still nice and melted.

BACON CHEDDAR PANCAKES

With my current health issues I have been trying very hard to come up with savory meals that have ZERO sugar.  We make these occasionally, but they are going to become the go to pancake recipe in the future.

I found this recipe in a magazine and found it just intriguing enough to try. I made just a few very small changes (the first time):

  • It called for regular cheddar and I used white cheddar.
  • It called for 3 slices of bacon and I used 4.
  • It had you serving with just butter which we tried and then we added maple syrup which was a serious plus in our book.
  • It also said it would make 8 pancakes and I got 11.

Then, this last time I amended it a little more for flavor.

BACON CHEDDAR PANCAKES
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup corn flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon FRESH ground pepper
1 cup + 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 LARGE egg
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled – 3 crumbled into batter, 1 crumbled for garnish
2 green onions, sliced thin, save a little for garnish
1/4 cup grated white cheddar cheese + a little for garnish
Sour Cream

  • Preheat skillet and spray with non-stick cooking spray or melt butter**.
  • Sift together the flours, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper until well blended.
  • Whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
  • Add wet ingredients to dry, whisking only until incorporated well.
  • Fold in bacon, green onions and cheese.
  • Using 1/4 cup measure scoop batter onto prepared skillet.
  • Turn when you see bubbles on the entire pancake surface.  If you wait for the bubbles you will need to only flip once and pancakes should be golden.
  • Cook until golden.

**NOTE: I prefer butter for a little extra flavor.

KITCHEN SINK FRITTATA

I LOVE egg dishes like omelets and quiches, but especially frittatas with their blend of savory sautéed vegetable fillings and fluffy eggs! Frittatas are EXTREMELY versatile and are good warm and cold, kind of like pizza.

One of the keys to a GREAT fritters is to saute’ your vegetables first. This will remove excess moisture so it is NOT released during baking which would make your frittata tough and watery.

MY FAVORITE FRITTATA formula serves 6-8
1 LARGE bunch green onions, sliced thin (a small diced shallot is good also)
10-12 button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 carrots, cleaned and diced small (zuchinni is a good substitute)
1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes (optional)
1/2-3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (optional)
1/2 pound bacon, diced and cooked crisp (shredded chicken, pork or sausage are good choices also)
12 eggs
1/4 cup WHOLE milk
FRESH ground salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup grated Gruyere, Swiss, Provolone, Pepper Jack or Cheddar (whatever your favorite is)
1/4 cup basil pieces (thyme, cilantro or rosemary work great too depending on your flavor combos)
3 tablespoons butter

  • Preheat oven 450°.
  • In a 10 inch cast iron (or ovenproof skillet) melt butter.
  • Add carrots and sauce 5-8 minutes until soft.
  • Add corn and onions next, cooking 2 minutes more.
  • Add mushrooms and tomatoes next, cooking 3-5 minutes more until moisture is removed from veggies.
  • Cook off all moisture.

 

  • In a mixing bowl whisk together all the eggs until well blended.
  • Add milk and whisk again until well combined.
  • Add basil or whatever herb you’re using along with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour egg mixture over veggies and cook 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring with a spatula to create large waves – eggs should be just about cooked through on the bottom and a bit wet on top still.
  • Sprinkle with your cheese choice and press gently into eggs.
    Transfer to oven and cook 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
  • Let stand 10 minutes.
  • Slice and serve.

CORNED BEEF HASH

What do you do with left over corned beef? Make HASH of course!
CORNED BEEF HASH
We like ours crisp so I use more of small dice/shredded mixture.   Cut yours according to your tastes.
left over corned beef (about a pound), diced and shredded
2 tablespoons organic butter
1/2 pound cooked potatoes, diced
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
fresh ground pink Himalayan salt and pepper, to taste
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • Add onions, cooking a minute or two until translucent.
  • Add corned beef and potatoes.
  • Add seasoning and Worcestershire sauce, stirring and scraping bottom as necessary.
  • Serve with poached or fried eggs.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY week 12 of 2018

Have I mentioned I am NOT a fan of Daylight Savings Time? I HATE that it seems like the middle of the night at 7AM!  I especially am not fond of it here as it seems to bring on the warmer weather and high humidity.  Oh well, just a couple more months here.  We’re 90% packed and waiting on the house.  We are especially looking forward to having some “down” time to rest and recuperate, getting my strength and toning back before we move forward with our next and last project.

Be sure to link up with
Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday
and with Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW & THE WEATHER OUTSIDE

Looks like it might be threatening to thunderstorm, but still to dark to really know for sure.  It’s supposed to be right around 80 all week with a little higher humidity, but still more tolerable than July!

ON THE BREAKFAST PLATE

Green Tea and Protein drink

ON MY MIND / THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME HAPPY

  • I took another load for donation.  It is making me extremely happy to be minimizing life so much!
  • Working on my list for a Purposeful Life.

INSPIRATION

AS I LOOK AROUND THE HOUSE / WEEKLY TO DO LIST & HOUSE PROJECTS

  • LAUNDRY…just a load of towels as I did a deep dive over the weekend while packing and sorting
  • LIVING AREAS… really clean after the weekend
  • KITCHEN… pretty clean – I’m still cleaning the pantry though as I am cooking primarily from the freezer and pantry trying to dwindle down stock in hopes of a quick and easy sale of the house
  • STUDIO… is mainly storage these days
  • YARD… just a little watering of the new things I planted to spruce up some barrels and pots for the house sale – my new Gardenias are starting to bloom and the lantanas gave me a surprise with a lavender and yellow mix – so pretty together – this also doubles as my FAVORITE PHOTO from the CAMERA
  • BLOG… still doing some recipe updating, future post planning and even some holiday post planning

CURRENTLY READING & TV / DVR

  • I’m now reading Marie Force’s Gansett Island series.

COMEDIES

  • Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, The Middle, Life in Pieces, The Good Place, American Housewife, Living Biblically, Splitting Up Together and Roseanne start next week

MILITARY, POLITICAL & CRIME DRAMAS and a couple that qualify as comedies

  • NCIS, NCIS New Orleans and NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, Wisdon of the Crowd, S.W.A.T., Madam Secretary, Scandal, Designated Survivor, Brave, Valor, Seal Team, Blindspot, Macgyver, Scorpion, Law & Order SVU, Blue Bloods, Hawaii 5-0, Elementary, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, 911, For the People, Deception, Station 19 starts this week and Instinct starts next week

DRAMAS & REALITY

  • The Good Doctor, This Is Us, The Resident, Timeless, Little BIG Shots and Dancing With the Stars will be beginning, One Strange Rock

SYFY

  • Z Nation, The Walking Dead, Flash, Supergirl, DC Legends, Once Upon a Time, The X-Files, Supernatural, DareDevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Defenders, Luke Cage

COOKING

  • Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay, Worst Cooks in America, Bobby & Damaris, Kid’s Baking Championship, Master Chef Jr., Master Chef, Southern at Heart (Damaris Phillips), Giada, Spring Baking Championship starts tonight

MENU PLANS FOR THE WEEK

BREAKFAST

SNACK

LUNCH

DINNER

SNACK/DESSERT

MONDAY

CHEERIOS, SMALL BANANA & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

CASHEW CHICKEN and RICE with BROCCOLI

PROTEIN SHAKE

TUESDAY

PEACH YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

 PAPRIKA POT ROAST with MASHED POTATOES & ROAST CARROTS

PROTEIN SHAKE

WEDNESDAY

CHEERIOS, SMALL BANANA & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

—-C.O.R.N.—- clean out refrigerator night

PROTEIN SHAKE

THURSDAY

CHERRY YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

PEANUT BUTTER BURGERS & SALAD

PROTEIN SHAKE

FRIDAY

BERRY YOGURT & GREEN TEA

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

STEAKS on the GRILL

PROTEIN SHAKE

SATURDAY

BACON CHEDDAR PANCAKES

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

—-C.O.R.N.— clean out refrigerator night

COCOA BROWNIES

SUNDAY

CORNED BEEF HASH & EGGS

PROTEIN DRINK

GRILLED CHICKEN  OR TUNA SALAD

CHICKEN in OREGANO TOMATO CREAM

PROTEIN SHAKE

SUCCESSFUL RECIPE LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIPS

HOMEMAKING/COOKING TIP

PAPRIKA POT ROAST

PAPRIKA POT ROAST
2 pound chuck roast
2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 KNORR concentrated beef stock
2 cups hot water
1 large Vidalia sweet onion, sectioned in pieces
1 bag baby carrots
6 ounces roasted red sweet peppers, cut into strips
2 tablespoons cornstarch
8 ounces sour cream
2 cups wide egg noodles
4 tablespoons butter

  • Generously salt and pepper roast on both sides.
  • Rub paprika into both sides of roast until well coated.
  • Whisk together the hot water and beef stock. Place in a slow cooker.
  • Top with the tomatoes, onions, carrots, sweet peppers and the broth.
  • Cover and cook on low 10-12 hours or 5-6 hours on high.
  • Remove the meat and shred with forks.
  • Whisk together the cornstarch and water until smooth and add to the slow cooker blending well.
  • Add the meat back in and cook another 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile cook the noodles al dente’.
  • Toss noodles with butter.
  • Stir in sour cream into slow cooker and serve over noodles.

GREEN ONION TOMATO CHICKEN

GREEN ONION TOMATO CHICKEN – serves 4
4 whole chicken quarters, bone in and skin on are best
1 cup chopped green onions (1 LARGE bunch green onions)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup avocado oil
FRESH ground sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup small torn FRESH Flat Leaf Parsley

  • Generously salt and pepper both sides of chicken.
  • In a LARGE ziplock bag place chicken pieces, green onions, garlic, vinegar and oil.
  • Turn to coat chicken pieces well.
  • Seal Bag.
  • Marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight.

 

  • Heat grill to low-medium.
  • Using a drip pan place chicken bone side down.
  • Grill covered 50-60 minutes until cooked through to 175°, turn once at about 35-40 minutes if necessary.

 

  • Place tomatoes in a single layer in a foil pan.
  • Drizzle tomatoes with lemon olive oil.
  • Sprinkle with FRESH ground salt and pepper.
  • Sprinkle with basil pieces.
  • Cover with foil and add to grill during last 15 minutes of chicken cooking time.

 

  • Serve over pasta or stuffing.
  • Top with chicken pieces, tomato and onions.

REUBEN TORTILLA PINWHEELS

Here’s what I made for St. Patrick’s Day!
REUBEN TORTILLA PINWHEELS
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup Russian Salad Dressing
1/2 cup sauerkraut, rinsed and drained REALLY WELL
8 ounces QUALITY Swiss or Gruyere cheese (shredded)
3/4 pound thinly sliced corned beef
8-9 inch flour tortillas

  • Mix together cream cheese and Russian dressing until smooth and creamy.
  • Add in sauerkraut and blend well.
  • Spread one side of a tortilla with cream cheese mixture ALMOST all the way to the edges.
  • Sprinkle with a layer of grated cheese.
  • Layer a few slices of corned beef on top of the cheese.
  • Roll up tortilla tightly.
  • Repeat with remaining ingredients, laying rolled tortillas on a plate.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Remove from refrigerator and slice into rounds and serve.

PEANUT BUTTER BURGERS

I originally posted this back in 2015 after a family reunion where these Peanut Butter Burgers were a HUGE hit. They really taste better than they sound. The peanut butter gives the burger a real nutty taste, and makes it a very juicy burger. And since I can no longer eat the bun, these are a perfect meal for me.

PEANUT BUTTER BURGERS
1-1/2 pound lean hamburger or ground sirloin
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Toppings of your choice (I like to add an additional small scoop of peanut butter on top and let it melt)

  • Mix all ingredients together until well blended.
  • Shape into patties.
  • Refrigerate patties for at least two hours. Chilling the patties helps hold their shape.
  • Grill on the BBQ to desired doneness.

NOTE: This recipe is very flexible. Almost any spice or seasoning works well with it. DO NOT add bread crumbs, the peanut butter and the chilling will hold them together just fine.

MEXICAN COBB SALAD with JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING

I originally copy catted this recipe (literally jotting down each and every ingredient as I ate the salad) from a favorite TEX MEX haunt in Texas, Chuy’s (1982), not to be confused with Chuy’s (1975)  a favorite haunt from the west coast. For several years they had a tug-o-war over the name, but somehow they both still exist.

It has since become a family favorite that we make A LOT during the spring and summer in particular.

MEXICAN COBB SALAD
Bed of Lettuce
Grilled chicken breast, chilled and chopped
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 avocado chopped
1/8 cup chopped green chiles
1/4 cup grated jack cheese
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Juice of 1 Lime

RE-VISTED MEXICAN COBB SALAD

AND then I originally posted this recipe for a beach party at Seaside Simplicity.   It was perfect to accommodate Martha’s Jalapeno Poppers. But that was a few years ago and then I updated it to include taco meat, black beans and marinated tomatoes. The dressing remains the key element of this salad.

JALAPENO RANCH DRESSING
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups mayonnaise
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon crushed parsley flakes
2 tablespoons Penzey’s California crushed jalapenos
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

  • Whisk all together and chill overnight before serving

BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

In an effort to clean out magazines and cookbooklets, I joined Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice several years ago. What I really liked was that she wasn’t strict about when you posted so I could publish these yummy results as I found them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find her bog for awhile and then she changed formats, but it got me working on that pile of recipes.

If you are anything like me, you have a drawer or a box full of recipes from newspapers, magazines, old maiden aunts, grandmothers, friends and every potluck you ever went to and said I have to have that recipe! Now while I usually keep the combination of spices and seasonings somewhat intact, I do make changes that make it more palatable to my family. So I always keep a list of likes, dislikes and allergies and am constantly altering recipes to fly by the seat of my pants.These recipes have been floating around so long in the box of scraps that I have no idea where they originated (but they look like pages from an old Lawry’s magazine when I worked there) which based on all my changes doesn’t matter, but reminds me to keep that box. Some days I feel like an archaeologist, but come up with oldies that were favorites and will now be revived.


BAKED CARAMEL PEARS

3-4 firm pears, pared and cut into fourths
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon*
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small squares
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 to 6 tablespoons chopped, toasted pecans, optional
1/4 cup rum soaked golden raisins**

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  • Arrange pears side by side, center down in an un-greased 8×8 baking dish.
  • Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Sprinkle raisins around the pears.
  • Sprinkle with the brown sugar.
  • Evenly dot with the butter squares.
  • Bake uncovered 35-40 minutes or until pears are tender and brown sugar is bubbly.

NOTES:

  • *I deleted the pecans and increased the brown sugar to 1/3 cup while adding the cinnamon also.
    **I soaked the raisins in rum for a day or so before and they were yummy!
  • Next time I will maybe broil the pears for a couple of minutes after they come out of the oven to crystallize the sugar.