Category: RECIPES

BAKED WHITE FISH

2 teaspoons peanut oil    
1 small bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 small kiwis, cleaned and sliced thin
2-4 white fish, cleaned and scaled, 2 pounds each
salt & pepper to taste   
3 tablespoons white wine    
3 tablespoons CHAMPAGNE DRESSING (or substitute fish or chicken stock)  
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 lemon, sliced

  • This will work with other whole lean fish and cuts or ‘roasts’ of halibut or pink salmon.
  • Adjust the cooking time according to the thickness and density of the fish.
  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Spray baking dish well with PURE.
  • Rinse the fish well inside and out, pat dry, season lightly with salt, pepper and paprika and lay side by side in a shallow baking dish.
  • Layer lemon slices loosely over fish and season again.
  • Pour  the stock, dressing and ending with the butter over each filet.
  • Make a loose tent of foil over the tail of the fish and place in the oven.
  • Bake, rotating the pan once halfway through the cooking time, until a skewer easily enters the thickest part of the fish, 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

    CHICKEN STROGANOFF

    CHICKEN STROGANOFF
    2-3 slices bacon, diced
    2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
    1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
    1/4 teaspoon sea salt
    1/4 teaspoon white pepper
    1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    3/4 cup chicken broth
    1/3+ cup sour cream
    1 tablespoon flour
    egg noodles

    • In a large skillet brown bacon.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
    • Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.
    • Add Chicken pieces.
    • Saute’ 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Add spices and blend well.
    • Add chicken broth and bring JUST to a boil.
    • Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes JUST until liquid is absorbed.  Boil your noodles at this point.
    • In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and flour.
    • Add sour cream mixture to chicken mixture along with the bacon pieces. Blend well and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until heated through.  Sauce will become creamier and thicken at this time.
    • Serve over hot noodles.
    To make this meal quicker for a weeknight you can use rotisserie chicken and save time.

      CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

      CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
      3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
      1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
      1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
      3 tablespoons butter
      1 large Vidalia onion, diced
      4 garlic cloves, minced
      4 carrots, sliced
      1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
      1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
      1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
      1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
      1/2 teaspoon dried sage
      1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
      2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
      2 +/- cups chicken stock
      2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
      salt and ground black pepper

      •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
      • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
      • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
      • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
      • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
      • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
      • Add meat back in.
      • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
      • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
      • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 

      **Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.   I used crushed Ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!

      IT’S TASTE & CREATE TIME – SLOPPY JOES

      The whole purpose of Taste and Create was, and has been, and continues to be to create a community of bloggers who test each others’ recipes and share links. The participants of the event are paired together and try a new recipe from one another’s blog.  This month my partner is Debbi from Debbie Does Dinner Healthy.  Hubby requested Sloppy Joe’s for football food so I decided to try Debbi’s recipe and compare it to my beef version to see if hubby noticed a difference.
      Debbi’s Hearty Sloppy Joes
      Adapted from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
      3 pounds ground turkey
      2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
      1 cup carrots, finely diced
      1 cup celery, finely diced
      1 cup zucchini, finely diced
      1 cup red pepper, finely diced (about 1 medium)
      2 cups onion, finely diced
      4 cloves of garlic, minced
      1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
      3 tablespoon tomato paste
      2/3 cup ketchup
      3 tablespoon dijon mustard
      1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
      2/3 cup brown sugar, not packed
      1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

      In a large pan, cook ground turkey.  When ground turkey is about half way done, add the veggie and saute along with the ground turkey.  Cook until ground turkey is done.  Drain if necessary. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes.  Serve with buns or 100 calorie Arnold Select sandwich thins. 

      Divide into 2 containers for 2 meals.  Freeze one for another quick and easy meal.  When ready to eat, thaw completely and either warm on stovetop, slow cooker or in microwave.   6 huge servings per container. 

      Total calories = 3062 calories for whole batch
      12 servings = 255 calories without bun per serving**

      While Debbi’s recipe tasted great yo me, hubby said he could tell the difference (what is it with guys and their beef?)  Next time I’ll try half turkey, half beef and see if he notices a difference.

      Here’s my beef recipe:


      These are always a crowd pleaser.
      HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
      1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
      1 1/2 pound beef
      1 medium onion, finely chopped
      1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
      salt and pepper to taste
      1/3 cup brown sugar
      2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
      1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
      1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
      1 teaspoon liquid smoke
      2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
      1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
      1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

      • Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
      • Generously salt and pepper.
      • Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
      • Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
      • Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
      • Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
      • Serve on fresh baked buns.

      Teriyaki BBQ Beef or Chicken with Broccoli Noodle Bowls

      Last week we had an amazing Chinese-inspired dish at our house so I thought I would try another Chinese dish this week.  This is the epitome of being a home cook in that I just used what I had and I improvised.

      Teriyaki BBQ Beef or Chicken with Broccoli Noodle Bowls adapted from Rachel Ray
      For the BBQ Sauce
      1/2 cup beef or chicken stock
      1 cup ketchup
      1/2 cup teriyaki sauce or low sodium teriyaki sauce
      1/3 cup honey or agave syrup
      3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
      1/2 palmful coarse black pepper
      1 1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled
      For the steak or chicken, veggies and spaghetti:
      1 cup frozen shelled edamame
      3/4 pound flank steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
      1 bundle broccolini or 1 small head broccoli
      Salt
      1 pound whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti
      2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
      4 scallions, very thinly sliced on an angle
      Directions:  Place the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken and concentrate the flavor a little. Remove the ginger root.
      Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  Pour a cup of edamame from the freezer into a bowl to defrost. Add the meat to the freezer to firm up, about 15 minutes.
      Trim the broccolini or broccoli and cut into 2-inch pieces. Add salt to the boiling water and cook the broccolini or broccoli to tender-crisp, 5 minutes. Remove the broccolini with a spider or slotted spoon and drain well. Drop the pasta into the water and cook to al dente.
      Remove the meat from the freezer and slice it very thinly on an angle, against the grain if you’re using beef.
      Heat the oil, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the meat and stir fry until brown. Add the edamame and broccolini or broccoli and pour in the sauce. Drain the pasta and toss into the skillet to combine.
      Serve in bowls topped with scallions.
      Modifications:
      -I just used a bag of stir-fry veggies instead of cutting up broccoli/edamame.
      Here is what you’ll need:
      Put all of the “wet” ingredients into a saucepan.  Let it come to a boil and then turned down to a simmer.  Put some water on to boil for the pasta.
      Chop up 3 cloves of garlic.
      Cut about a 1 inch piece of ginger root, peel it, and throw it in with the wet ingredients.
      Throw the garlic and ginger root in.  Add the pasta to the boiling water.

      Thinly slice beef, on the grain.

      Cut up some scallions or green onions.

      After about 20 minutes, pull the ginger root out of the sauce.

      Put the canola oil in a wok or pan and get hot.  Add the beef until brown.
      Add the vegetables.
      Add the sauce.
      Drain the spaghetti and then add to the pan.
      Here’s what you’ll end up with:
      Another successful dish!  The honey really adds to the teriyaki sauce and we actually loved the diversity of the frozen stir-fry vegetables rather than just broccoli and edamame.  

      OLD FASHIONED MEAT LOAF

      OLD FASHIONED MEAT LOAF
      MEATLOAF
      3/4 cup heavy cream
      6 slices white bread, crusts removed, but retained
      2 pounds hamburger
      1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
      1/2 cup grated aged cheddar
      1/4 cup minced parsley (fresh)
      1/4 teaspoon celery salt
      1 teaspoon sea salt
      1/2 teaspoon white pepper
      1 small red onion, finely chopped
      2 cloves garlic, minced
      3 Jumbo eggs, beaten
      5 slices bacon
      SAUCE
      1 cup ketchup
      1/3 cup Frank’s sweet chili sauce
      1/3 cup packed brown sugar
      • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
      • Pour cream over bread slices and allow it to soak for several minutes until mushy.
      •  Add beef, onions, Parmesan cheese, Cheddar cheese, celery salt, sea salt, white pepper and parsley.
      • With clean hands, mix the mixture together until uniform in consistency.
      • Add beaten eggs and mix again.
      • Form into mixture into a loaf.  I use an actual loaf pan and then lift it out.
      • Line a jelly roll or broiler pan with foil. This avoids a huge mess.
      • Place loaf in center.
      • Lay bacon slices over top of the meatloaf.
      • Arrange retained bread crusts along edges of meatloaf about an inch away to absorb the grease and liquids that cook off the meatloaf.
      • Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together.
      • Spread half the sauce over the top.
      • Bake for 45 minutes.
      • Spread remaining sauce over the top.
      • Bake another 15 minutes.
      • Discard bread edges.
      • Enjoy.

      PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE

      PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE
      4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
      2 tablespoons butter
      1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
      2 cloves garlic, minced
      2 tablespoons rum
      1/4 cup white wine
      1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
      Juice of 1 lemon
      1/2 cup apricot pineapple jam
      8-12 dried apricots, finely sliced
      salt and pepper to taste

      • Melt butter in a large skillet.
      • Salt and pepper both sides of chicken pieces.
      • Brown chicken, turning once, until cooked through – about 4-5 minutes per side.
      • Remove from skillet and keep warm.
      • Reduce heat and add onion, sauteing until tender.
      • Add apricots, rum, wine, lemon juice and vinegar, simmering until reduced by half.
      • Add jam, blend well and simmer to desired consistency.
      • Serve over chicken and white rice with fresh kiwi.

      SMOTHERED BBQ CHOPS

      Hi there, Tamy from Classic Good Eats Thursday here covering for Kris who is way under the weather.  I hope you all like it.  We loved this recipe that I adapted from the Flavor section of the local newspaper.  Be sure and stop by my food blog, Always Eat On The Good China for other tasty recipes.

      SMOTHERED BBQ CHOPS
      2 + 2  tablespoons butter
      1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
      2 1/2 cups chicken broth
      1 cup BBQ sauce
      4 3/4 inch bone-in pork chops
      2 small red onions, thinly sliced
      2 carrots, thinly sliced on an angle
      1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut
      1/3 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
      1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
      1 lemon, thinly sliced (optional)
      salt and pepper to taste

      • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
      • In a large skillet heat butter on medium high.
      • Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper on both sides of pork chops.
      • Brown pork chops on both sides until browned (5-6 minutes).
      • Transfer to a plate.
      • Add remaining butter and onion to skillet and saute until tender.
      • With a slotted spoon remove onions to a small bowl.
      • Add carrots, beans, parsley and peas to skillet sauteing a few minutes.
      • Add rice and broth.  Heat to boiling.
      • Move rice mixture to baking dish sprayed with PURE.
      • Layer pork chops over rice mixture.
      • Layer lemons over pork chops.
      • Spoon onions over lemons.
      • Spread BBQ sauce over all.
      • Cover and bake 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

      SMOTHERED BBQ CHOPS

      SMOTHERED BBQ CHOPS
      2 + 2  tablespoons butter
      1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
      2 1/2 cups chicken broth
      1 cup BBQ sauce
      4 3/4 inch bone-in pork chops
      2 small red onions, thinly sliced
      2 carrots, thinly sliced on an angle
      1/3 pound green beans, trimmed and cut
      1/3 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
      1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
      1 lemon, thinly sliced (optional)
      minced parsley
      salt and pepper to taste

      • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
      • In a large skillet heat butter on medium high.
      • Sprinkle paprika, salt and pepper on both sides of pork chops.
      • Brown pork chops on both sides until browned (5-6 minutes).
      • Transfer to a plate.
      • Add remaining butter and onion to skillet and saute until tender.
      • With a slotted spoon remove onions to a small bowl.
      • Add carrots, beans, parsley and peas to skillet sauteing a few minutes.
      • Add rice and broth.  Heat to boiling.
      • Move rice mixture to baking dish sprayed with PURE.
      • Layer pork chops over rice mixture.
      • Layer lemons over pork chops.
      • Spoon onions over lemons.
      • Spread BBQ sauce over all.
      • Cover and bake 30 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

      Fire Day Friday: Vegetable Burritos

      Hundreds of thousands of years ago, I made a recipe for vegetable burritos that came from a recipe pamphlet from RoTel. Okay, carbon dating and fossil records show it was actually just over 15 years ago.

      We loved it back then and thought it was an impressive recipe. That was back when I was just learning to cook for Alexis and my new family. Tonight we dragged this one out of the archives and upgraded it to how we would have made it now compared to back then.

      Fire Roasted Vegetable Burritos with Cilantro/Roasted Pepper Queso

      Source: NibbleMeThis

      1 cup long grain rice
      2 ea vidalia spring onions (green onions if you can’t get them)
      1 ea red bell pepper
      1 ea poblano or cubanelle chile
      1 ea cherry pepper
      1 can diced tomatoes
      2 cups cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
      1 ea serrano pepper, finely diced (skip if you want mild, double if you want hot)
      1 cup refried beans
      1 cup salsa
      6 ea flour tortillas (mission sized burrito tortillas)
      6 oz Mexican Dipping Cheese (We get El Viajero brand)
      4 oz milk
      1/4 cup cilantro

      Start your grill to direct high heat at about 500f (skip if using your broiler and oven)

      Cook your rice according to directions.

      Grill the green onions just enough to get a slight browning on them (about 1 min a side). Fire roast or broil your peppers until blackened on all sides. The fire roasting brings out the best of the veggies.


      Don’t be afraid that they are “too charred”. That makes them easier to peel and won’t affect the final flavor. This one wasn’t done enough yet, just to give you an idea.


      Place the peppers in a plastic zip top bag, they’ll steam on their own for 5 minutes.

      Cut the ends off each pepper and slice down the length of one side to open them up. Remove the seeds from the inside. Flip and lightly scrap the charred skin off with the sharp edge of a knife.

      Dice the green onions.

      As soon as the rice is finished, stir in the green onions, red bell pepper, and cubanelle/poblano pepper (reserve the cherry pepper for the cheese sauce). Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the serrano pepper.

      Taste the rice mixture for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

      Repeat for each tortilla:
      Spread about 3 Tbsp of refried beans on the tortilla. Top with 1/2 cup of the rice mixture. Sprinkle more cheese and 3 Tbsp of salsa on top. Roll up burrito style and place seam side down in a casserole dish. (Click here for a photo tutorial of how I fold mine.) Top with a few sprinkles of more shredded cheese.

      Place the dish in your oven preheated to 350f (or in our case, a grill set up at 350f for indirect heat) and cook for 25 minutes.

      Cut the queso cheese into 1/2″ cubes and put into a small sauce pan. Add the milk, cilantro, and diced cherry pepper and warm until melted over medium/low heat.

      Serve the burritos with the sauce poured over the top or on the side.

      Don’t let the minimal amount in the picture fool you. As soon as the pictures were taken and my burrito was cut up, I ladled a good bit of that queso sauce all over my burrito!

      In case you’re interested, here’s the original version. It’s a lot easier and still good.

      Vegetable Burritos
      Yields: 6

      Ingredients
      1 Pam non stick spray
      1 can (12 oz) Rotel (Diced tomatoes/chilis)
      1 cup instant rice
      1/2 cup water
      1 Green pepper
      2 Green onions
      2 cups cheddar cheese
      1 cup refried beans
      10 8″ tortillas
      1 cup salsa
      Black olives to taste

      Instructions
      preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x 12 x 2 baking dish w/ spray. In medium saucepan, combine Rotel, rice & water. Heat to boil, reduce heat, cover, & simer 1 minute. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in pepper, onions and 1 cup cheese. Spread 3 table spoons beans over each tortilla. Layer rice mixture over beens and sprinkle on more cheese & salsa. Roll up and place seam down in prepared baking dish. Cover w/ foil. Bake 25 minutes.

      CLASSIC GOOD EATS ~ OVEN BBQ CHICKEN

      OVEN BBQ CHICKEN
      Whole chicken pieces cut up, washed and dried
      BBQ Marinade (recipe below)
      BBQ Seasoning (recipe below)
      BBQ Sauce (recipe below)

      • Rinse Chicken well and pat dry.
      • Loosely layer chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour BBQ marinade over and sprinkling BBQ seasoning over each layer.
      • Refrigerate overnight.
      • Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven. 
      • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
      • Spray a jelly roll pan with PURE.
      • Place chicken pieces on pan.
      • Generously brush with BBQ sauce.
      • Bake 45 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.
      • Brush with more BBQ sauce.

      BBQ MARINADE
      2 cloves roasted garlic, crushed
      1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
      1/2 teaspoon oregano
      1/2 teaspoon basil
      1/2 teaspoon white pepper
      1 teaspoon sea salt
      1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
      1 tablespoon sugar
      2-3 tablespoons BBQ seasoning
      1/3 cup Champagne vinegar
      1 cup vegetable oil (I prefer Canola)

      • Whisk all the dry ingredients together until well blended.
      • Add oil, whisking until dry ingredients are well incorporated.

      BBQ SEASONING
      1 1/2 cups paprika
      3/4 cup sugar
      3 tablespoons onion powder
      1 tablespoon garlic powder

      • Blend ingredients together well.
      • Store in an airtight container.

      BBQ SAUCE
      2 cups Heinz ketchup
      1 cup apple juice
      1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
      5 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
      2 cloves garlic, smashed
      2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
      2 teaspoons onion powder
      Juice of 1 lemon
      1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

      • In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients, stirring to blend.
      • Bring the mixture to a boil.
      • Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring frequently.