Quiche

This recipe is a variation of a quiche featured in Southern Living this month but no flour or evaporated milk (yuck, that stuff grosses me out). It also makes two quiches and you might as well because those frozen pie crust come in packages of two. We believe in having leftovers around here or one to share. We're Baptist so food curses all.

Two frozen pie crusts

3 large eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper 

1 lb ground pork or turkey sausage 

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste. 

Cook (brown) sausage in skillet for 10 minutes or until brown. Drain grease but save 1 tbs of  grease. Sauté onion and green pepper until tender in saved grease. Whisk three eggs in a mixing bowl and mix remaining ingredients together, divide and pour into frozen pie shells. Bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Tips: 

Buy frozen chopped green peppers and onions. 

Bake pie crust for 5 minutes before ingredients are poured in. Helps to have a more flakey bottom. 

Pot Roast

I have finally mastered Pot Roast in the crock pot! It took some time but I finally have a recipe that is amazing. It makes the beef so tender that it falls apart with the touch of your fork. It is a dish G doesn't mind eating leftovers all week. So here it goes….

Ingredients:

1 Chuck Roast

1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 cup of water

In crock pot mix together 1 cup of water, packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix and can of Cream of Mushroom Soup. Once ingredients are mixed, placed chuck roast on top of mix and spoon some of the mix over the top of the chuck roast. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Some people cook their veggies (typically carrots and potatoes) along with their roast and that is perfectly fine to do with this recipe. However, I prefer to cook my veggies separately. In a 9x13 pan, I roast my diced potatoes and baby carrots in extra virgin olive oil along with salt and pepper and sometimes onion in the oven on 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I just prefer the taste and this way all of my food doesn’t taste the exact same. This dish is also paired well with good ole mashed taters and green beans.

Hope you enjoy this good ole comfort meal

A Bridal Tea

I hosted a bridal tea for my best friend Andrea last Sunday. It was the first tea that I've ever hosted. I had three teas when I got married (one from my church in Florence, one from Greyson's church in Hartsville and one given by my bridesmaids in Murfreesboro). I've learned that bridal teas are not as popular here as they are at home in Florence. I've found myself having to explain the difference between a tea and a shower to a lot of people the last couple of years. Here are the main differences in a nut shell.
1. For showers there is normally a set arrival time but at a tea it is flow event. Teas are usually an hour and half to two hours. That is why tea invitations have a start time and end time listed and showers mostly have just a start time.

2. The honoree doesn't open her own gifts at a tea. The hostesses unwrap the gifts as they come in (typically in another room) and records the gift and who it is from and then takes the gifts in the main room and displays them on a table.

3. My favorite difference. There are no games at teas! Sorry gals, there is no toilet paper bride or how well do you know your groom games. I know, I am no fun. Your time at a tea is just spent visiting with guests and eating.

So now about Andrea's tea.

I absolutely loved her invitation. Ignore the black line, I had to black out my address. 

Now my favorite part... THE FOOD. Her menu was as follows.

I worried myself to death about coming up with the perfect menu and the perfect recipes. I am not sure if it was perfect but it was pretty close in my "humble" opinion. A huge shout out to my mom for coming up early to help me prepare all the food. 

In typical Amy fashion I used several recipe specs to come up with my very own and great chicken salad recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise

1/2 cup light or regular sour cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 pounds skinned and boned chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

3 cups red and white seedless grapes, halved

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

½ cup celery finely sliced

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together adding the grapes last. Refrigerate at least one hour before serving. We scooped the chicken salad into little puff pastries. 

I also found this amazing recipe for chess squares. They were a hit at the party. We actually followed this recipe exactly how it is listed. 

http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dessert/chess-squares.html 

The last recipe I want to share with you is Almond Tea. I fell in love with this stuff at my bridal tea in Hartsville. I think it is a must to any bridal tea. 

Almond Tea

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar or Splenda (I’ve used both)

1 gallon water

8 tea bags

2 TBSP almond extract

Directions:

Brew tea, add sugar to warm tea to dissolve and add almond extract

 

There you have it folks. It was a great tea for my best friend. Let me know if you decide to host a tea of your own. 

Dad's Chili Recipe

I can remember the first time I made my dad's chili. I was two and a half hours away from home as a freshman in college. It was the first cold snap of the fall and I could think of nothing else in the world that sounded better. I called my dad at work and he talked to me while I was at the grocery store as I purchased all the ingredients making sure I got the right stuff. Then he talked me through each step as I prepared it. My freshman roommate and I were not the best of friends. I can only remember us sharing a couple of meals together. There was no way I was going to share my chili with her. I ate on that one pot of chili for 4 days straight. My dad's chili was the first of the many things he has taught me to cook over the phone. People ask all the time how or when I learned to cook and I always start with this story. It's one of my dad's favorite stories as well. And since today was the first cold day of the season, I had to make my dad's chili.


Chili
Ingredients

1 lb lean hamburger meat

1 package of McCormick Mild Chili seasoning

1 can Rotel (with juice, do not drain)

1 can diced tomatoes (with juice, do not drain)

2 cans of chili beans (drain and rinse)

3 cans of kidney beans (drain and rinse)

1 cup water

 

Directions

Brown hamburger meat and drain grease. Add the all ingredients to large pot and bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.

Tips:

It is best to drain and rinse both type of beans. Do not drain and rinse the tomatoes.

Garnish with shredded cheese and sour cream. Serve with Saltine crackers, Fritos, or tortilla chips.

 

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie
Recipe makes two pies

2 frozen pie crusts (bottom of pies)
2 refrigerated pie crust dough (top of pies)
16 oz of mixed vegetables (frozen, fresh or canned) *if you use frozen then microwave for 5 minutes before mixing with other ingredients
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
1 cup lite sour cream
1 lb shredded chicken
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil chicken and shred to pieces
2. Bake frozen pie crust (bottom) by itself for 7 min at 375 degrees
3. Mix all other ingredients together (expect for the refrigerated pie crusts) and fill in partially baked pie crusts and top each pie with one refrigerated pie crust
4. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes
5. Coat top crusts with margarine 10 minutes before baking is completed
6. Enjoy!

Ritz Pork Chops

This was a staple in my house growing up. I am sure it is something Mom just threw together one night. It has become a comfort dish for me. And it is easy so I am glad the hubby likes it.

1 stick margarine
4- 6 Pork Chops (bone or boneless)
1 tub of Ritz Crackers
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat Oven to 375
Melt 1 stick margarine in microwave safe dish
Dip pork chops in melted butter
In a Zip Lock Bag Crush tub of Ritz Crackers
Shake Pork Chops individually in bag with crackers
Bake in a glass baking dish lightly greased for 25-30 minutes (I like to place my pork chops on wax paper for easy cleanup.)

Peanut Butter Pie... OH MY!

Ingredients:
1 graham cracker pie crust
8 oz. cream cheese soften
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¾ cup Splenda
1 tub Sugar Free or Fat Free Cool Whip Soften but still frozen

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, peanut butter and Splenda. Once everything is blended well add cool whip to mixture and blend. (Cool Whip is not used as topping.) Spread evenly in pie crust and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

I somehow developed a masterpiece last night. It is a variation of a recipe found on www.wellfeedhomestead.com. Basically I decided making my own crust was way too hard. I didn’t have any vanilla and I had already sent my husband back to the store once. Let’s just say it was heavenly. I can’t wait to make it again!

Mini Au Gratin Potato Stacks Recipe

Mini Au Gratin Potato Stacks
(This was inspired by the Rosemary Potato Stacks pin on Pinterest. I made those first and didn’t like the Rosemary so I decided to come up with my own variation and everything is better with cheese. )
Place cupcake tins in muffin pan
Lightly spray the tins with cooking spray
Slice 4 large potatoes very thin (half inch thick)
In a large mixing bowl mix together the following ingredients:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 teaspoon black pepper
Salt to taste


Place around 4 slices of potatoes in muffin tins and bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Crockpot Comfort

Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

My next door neighbor growing up always made her hamburger vegetable soup for me every winter. It was one of my favorites. When I moved off to college I e-mailed her for the recipe. It is such an easy and hearty meal in the winter. But like all my recipes I have tweaked it and made it my own… although I am not sure if it is as good as Michele’s. This recipe just uses items I have on hand and I also make it in the Crockpot.

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground beef
3 beef bouillon cubes
2 packs (30 oz) of mixed frozen vegetables (I prefer Publix’s brand)
1 can of Italian Style Tomatoes (do not drain)
2 ½ cups of macaroni noodles
3 cups of water

Brown ground beef and drain. Boil macaroni noodles as directed on package. Heat frozen vegetables in microwave for 8 minutes. Combine all ingredients in Crockpot on high for 4 hours. It is oh so good!

Special tip: brown your ground beef and boil your macaroni noodles the night before and stick in the fridge, then mix together on your lunch break the day of

Ham & Cheese Party Sandwiches

Ham and Cheese Party Sandwiches

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we had over some friends to watch the Iron Bowl game. My mother-in-law had sent us home with leftover ham from Thanksgiving. I decided to make ham and cheese party sandwiches. My mother-in-law has made a variation of these before and that is how I got the idea.

Ingredients
1 lb Ham- can be leftover ham from the holidays or deli ham
6 slices of provolone cheese
1 packet of Sara Lee Classic Dinner Rolls
2 tablespoons of melt margarine
2-3 tablespoons (depending on your taste) of McCormick Salad Supreme Seasoning


Directions
Cut Yeast Rolls in half
Layer ham and cheese on rolls
Spread melted margarine on tops of rolls
Top with Salad Supreme Seasoning
Make at 350 for 10-15 minutes (You want your rolls browned and your cheese melted)

Serve with Spicy Mustard and Mayonnaise.

Enjoy!

Beef Enchilada Casserole

This is another one I tweaked and made my own. I experimented a lot with this one. I can see this recipe evolving. I can see a chicken and several other varieties in the near future. Although, this was a huge hit with G. He asked if we could eat the leftovers for supper the next night. Wow, stop the presses. That has NEVER happened.


Ingredients
1 lb lean hamburger beef (I always use 8% or 4% fat)
1 package of Taco Seasoning
1 jar of Salsa (16 oz.)
12 small flour tortillas
1 cup of water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
Brown hamburger meat with taco seasoning and drain. Cut tortillas into one inch squares (doesn’t have to be precise). In a large mixing bowl mix together the beef, salsa, tortillas and water. Spread evenly in a 9X13 pan. Then top casserole with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Tips
When mixing together ingredients only put a few tortillas in at a time so they do not stick together.

Garnish with sour cream and jalapenos if desired. Serve with Spanish rice and black beans.

All Souped Up

Because of my deep hatred of winter, I have been cooking a lot of soups. These are 3 recipes I am proud to say are my own. They all started from other recipes but I tweaked each of them. I added things and took things and made them my very own. If you get a chance to make any of these recipes please let me know what you think.

Potato Soup

Ingredients
10-12 medium size potatoes
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups water
2 cans of Campbell’s Cheese Soup
1 can of Fat Free Evaporated Milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Peel and dice potatoes. Bring water, potatoes and chicken bouillon cubes to a boil. Boil potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. Stir frequently. After potatoes are tender, add cheese soup, evaporated milk, salt and pepper. Bring all ingredients to a boil before serving.

Garnish with bacon and shredded cheese.


Not Yo Momma’s Chicken Stew
My mom will probably cringe when she reads this recipe. I am always craving her chicken stew in the winter but she makes it the old fashion way where you boil a whole chicken. Who has time for that or wants to deal with that? YUCK! I kept telling her that there had to be an easier way. She kept telling me it wouldn’t taste as good so one Sunday this winter I set out to prove her wrong! I will say it is not as good as hers but it is close.

Ingredients
1 lb. chicken breasts or tenderloin
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 can green peas
1 can of whole kernel corn
1 large potato
4 chicken bouillon cubes
4 cups water
1 package of small baby carrots
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Boil chicken and drain. Shred chicken. Dice baby carrots. Peel and dice potato into bite size pieces. Drain all canned items. Bring all items to a boil in a large pot. Stir often. Keep on high heat for one hour or until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

 

What's Cooking

I’ve been cooking a lot lately. I am always trying to think of something different to fix. I easily get burned out on the same dishes. G on the other hand could eat the same menu every week. I have been cooking since my first semester in college but it feels like I was just cooking the same things over and over again. I have tried some new dishes lately and mastered some classics. For those of you who are like me and always looking for a good recipe I thought I would start sharing some of mine. Hope you enjoy.

This is a Campbell’s Soup Recipe and A New Favorite

Ingredients
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (You can use regular or 98% Fat Free. I have used both.)
• 1 1/3 cups water
• 3/4 cup uncooked regular long-grain white rice (You may also use brown whole grain rice.)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen vegetables
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Stir the soup, water, rice, vegetables and onion powder in a 12 x 8 inch shallow baking dish.
2. Top with chicken. Season chicken as desired. Cover.
3. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes or until done. Top with cheese and place back in oven for 5 minutes.

Tip
• Stir two to three times while baking so rice does not dry out.
• If you use frozen vegetables microwave them for 10 minutes before baking to make them tenderer.

What I Like About This Recipe
• You can use fresh or frozen vegetables. I love any recipe that gives you variety.
• Very little prep time.
• It is the perfect dish to take to someone who is sick or just had a baby.
• Very filling and it is a one dish meal!!!

Enjoy!