Oven Roasted Sausage and Vegetables

We had a cold front come through that made it feel like Fall around here for a few days.  I've had this recipe pinned for a while and the cool weather inspired me to give it a shot.  It's a simple recipe that is easy to make, easy to clean up, and tastes great!  The picture doesn't do it justice, but all of the different colors from all of the vegetables made it very pretty to look at well.  If you use turkey or chicken sausage, it would be incredible healthy.  This is also one of those rare recipes that even tastes really good the next day.  Maybe even better than when I originally made it.  Which was good, because as I made it, it made two 9x13 pans of food.  You might want to cut the recipe down . . . 

I served mine this with corn casserole and it was a nice pairing.  I was a bit timid about the banana peppers as I was afraid they would make the dish too spicy, but it really turned out fairly mild and the banana peppers were not at all overwhelming.

Adapted From:  Lilasapron

What you need:
28 oz precooked Sausage (I used polish sausage)
2 Lbs New Potatoes
1 Small Jar Sliced Banana Peppers, drained
1-2 Bell Peppers (I used one green and one orange)
1 Large Onion (I used white)
8 oz Mushrooms
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper and Other Seasonings to taste

What you do:
1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Slice the sausage, peppers, potatoes, onion, and mushrooms and toss them into a large bowl. 

3. Drizzle the sausage and veggies with olive oil.  Toss until the sausage and veggies are evenly coated in olive oil. 

4.  Add salt, pepper and other seasonings and toss again until the seasonings are evenly distributed.  I added some garlic powder and Lawry's Seasoned Salt.

5.  Place the peppers and vegetables in a 9x13 baking pan (or two, depending on how much you've made).  Cover the pans with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking for 5-10 more minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked. 

Enjoy!

Healthy Tomato Pasta

A long time ago I bought this book.  Like, probably 6 or 7 years ago.  I went through and tabbed lots of recipes that I wanted to try.  And I'm pretty sure I had not tried any of them until last week.  I wanted pasta for dinner, but now that it's getting hot, I wanted a lighter pasta dish.  So, loosely following a recipe in this book, I created a healthy, light pasta dish that is filling.  Bonus -- it is quick and easy to make!

Adapted from: 500 Best Healthy Recipes by Lynn Roblin

What you need:

12 Ounces Rotini Noodles (I used wheat)

1 1/2 Tsp Olive Oil 

2 Tsp Minced Garlic

1 Small Onion, chopped

2 Medium Tomatoes, chopped

8 Ounces Crumbled Feta Cheese

1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

1/4 Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/2 Cup Black Olives

What you do:

1.  Cook Rotini Noodles according to the instructions on the box.  

2.  When the pasta has approximately 5 minutes left to cook, heat the olive oil in a skillet on the stove.  Add the garlic and onions and saute for about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring constantly. 

3.  Drain and rinse the pasta. 

4.  Combine the pasta and the onions and tomatoes.  Add the feta and parmesan and stir well.  

5.  Top with chopped fresh basil and black olives. 

Enjoy!

Crock-Pot Gumbo

I had homemade gumbo once a few years back and fell in love with it.  I've bought store-made gumbo since then and it just hasn't quite stood up.  So, I decided to give making gumbo a shot myself.  I'm not sure why, but I was very intimidated by the idea, thinking it was surely going to be quite complicated.  Turns out, it wasn't.  And, for bonus points, I made mine in my crock-pot so it's totally a set it and forget it gumbo which makes it doubly easy. 

I will warn you, though, that this recipe is quite spicy.  If you are shy about spicy food, I suggest you cut down the cayenne pepper a bit.  If it's too dull for you in the end, toss in a bit more cayenne pepper to spice it up.  I served my gumbo with homemade honey corn bread, which was a bit sweet and complimented the spicy gumbo very well.  Yum!

Adapted from: Cats and Casseroles

What you need:

1 lb. Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast

14 oz Andouille Sausage

28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes (undrained)

1 Large Onion

1 Large Green Bell Pepper

1 Cup Chopped Celery

2-3 Cups of Chicken Broth

2 Tsp Dried Oregano

2 Tsp Dried Parsley

2+ Tsp Cajun Seasoning

2+ Tsp Cumin

1 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 Chicken Bullion Cubes

A Touch of Kosher Salt

1 Cup Cooked White Rice

What you do:

1.  Chop the onion, bell pepper and celery into large chunks.  Place in crock-pot.

2.  Add the tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken broth, oregano, parsley, 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, 2 tsp cumin, cayenne pepper, and chicken bullion cubes to the crock pot. 

3.  Season both sides of your chicken as you would like.  I used a bit of kosher salt, Cajun seasoning, and cumin.  Wrap the chicken in foil.  Place the foil-wrapped chicken on top of everything that is in the crock-pot. 

4.  Put the lid on your crock-pot and cook for 3-4 hours on low heat or 7-8 hours on high heat.  Cooking time will vary depending on your crock-pot. 

5.  After the cooking time has elapsed, remove the foil-wrapped chicken from the crock-pot.  USE TONGS!  It's hot in there, folks. 

6.  Set the chicken to the side to cool for a couple of minutes.  Meanwhile, add an additional 1-2 cups of chicken broth to the crock-pot if you would like for your gumbo to have more liquid. 

7.  Thinly slice the sausage and add it to the crock-pot. 

8.  Unwrap the chicken and shred it using a fork and knife.  Add it to the crock-pot. 

9.  Let the contents of the crock-pot continue to cook while you make the white rice according to the instructions on the package.  

10.  Serve the gumbo by putting some gumbo in a bowl and then adding a bit of rice to each serving. 

Enjoy!

**Tip**  If you add the white rice to the gumbo, the rice will absorb a lot of the liquid if you store leftovers.  That's why I tell you to make it separately and add a bit as you serve it.  Be sure to store the rice separately as well and your gumbo will remain moist. 

**Tip** Cooking the chicken in foil on top of the rest of the gumbo prevents the meat from deteriorating and become tough or dry.  A lot of people dislike meat cooked in a crock-pot for those reasons.  Trust me on this one -- cook the chicken in foil and you'll have super tender and delicious chicken for your gumbo. 

Lasagna Soup

I really like making lasagna from scratch, but it's so time consuming I rarely actually get to do it.  It finally got cold around here and it looks like it's going to stay that way, so I decided some soup was in order.  I've had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for quite a while now, so I decided to give it a go.  I was suspect though -- I thought that there was no way a soup could actually taste like lasagna.   I was wrong.  It really does taste like lasagna.  Don't believe me?  Give it a try.  You'll be surprise.  Bonus --  it is about a million times easier and faster to make than making a lasagna from scratch. 

Slightly adapted from: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

What you need to make the soup:
1 1/2 Pounds Sausage 
1 Medium Yellow Onion, chopped
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 Tsp Crushed Red Pepper
6 Oz Tomato Paste
28 Oz Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (undrained)
6 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Tbsp Dried Basil
1/2 Pound Rigatoni Noodles
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese (for garnishing)

What you do to make the soup:
1.  In a large pot, cook the sausage for about 5 minutes on medium heat, breaking it up as you cook. 

2.  Add the onions to the sausage and continue cooking (stirring occasionally)  for about 5 minutes, or until the sausage is completely cooked.  Drain excess grease if necessary. 

3.  Add the garlic powder, oregano, red pepper, and tomato paste.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

4.  Add the fire roasted diced tomatoes (with the juices), chicken broth, and basil. 

5.  Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

6.  While the soup is boiling/simmering, cook the rigatoni noodles according to direction and make the ricotta cheese mixture (below).  Drain and fully rinse the noodles.


What you need to make the ricotta cheese mixture:
1. 1 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2. 1/4 Cup shredded Asiago Cheese
3. 1/4 Cup shredded Romano Cheese
4. 1/4 Tsp Salt
5. 1/8 Tsp Black Pepper
6. 1 1/2 Tsp Dried Basil

What you do to make the ricotta cheese mixture:
1. Mix everything together. (Really. That's it.)


To Serve:

Place a couple of spoonfuls of rigatoni noodles in the bottom of a bowl. Top the noodles with a couple of ladlefuls of lasagna soup. Garnish with shredded mozzarella. Add a dollop of the ricotta cheese mixture on the very top. Serve immediately.

This is goes great with a crunchy piece of garlic bread.




Enjoy!

Alice Springs Chicken

My favorite dish (maybe also the only one I've ever ordered) from Outback Steakhouse is the Alice Springs Chicken.  I've looked online several times in the past and have been unable to find a copy cat recipe.  Until I found this one.  Super excited to finally find a recipe, I gave it a go and was not disappointed. It was pretty easy to make and, although this is not Outback's exact recipe, it comes pretty darn close.  Close enough that I'll be making it again.  I'm not even going to try to tweak it to make it closer to Outback's -- it's that close. 

Slightly Adapted From:  The Finer Things In Life

What You Will Need:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Seasoning Salt to Taste
6 Slices of Bacon, cut in half
1/4 Cup Mustard
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise 
2 Tsps Onion Powder
1 Cup Fresh White Button Mushrooms, sliced
2 Cups Shredded Colby Jack Cheese

Here's What You Do:
1.  Sprinkle season salt on the chicken breasts and rub in well.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

2.  While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook your bacon (I baked mine).  Save the bacon grease. 

3.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

4.  Saute the chicken in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes per side (until browned).  As you cook each piece of chicken, place the cooked chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish.

5.  In a bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo, and onion powder.  Apply this mixture to each chicken breast. 

6.  Place a layer of mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese on each chicken breast. 

7.  Bake the chicken for about 30 minutes, or the cheese is melted and the chicken is completely cooked through.   

8.  Serve the chicken with the remaining honey mustard sauce that you made in step 5. 

I served my Alice Springs Chicken with garlic mashed potatoes and green bean casserole.   It was delicious!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Pizza

Sometimes, I have leftover pizza for breakfast.  Sometimes, I have leftover breakfast for dinner.  Pizza and breakfast food are two of my favorite things.  The only logical thing to do, then, is to marry the two together, right?  Right.  And, that is exactly what I did.  You can thank me later.

What you need:
1 Pizza Dough*
1 Can of Sausage Gravy
1/2 Lb. cooked breakfast meat of your choosing (I used bacon)
6 Eggs, scrambled
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Any veggie toppings you want on your pizza ( I added mushrooms)

*I make my own pizza dough using a recipe that I haven't been authorized to share.  You can always pick up a pre-made crust at the store or you can buy a can of pizza dough just like a can of biscuits and cook the dough yourself.

What you need to do:
1.  Cook and drain your breakfast meat and scramble your eggs.

2.  Preheat your oven according to the directions on your pizza dough.  Prepare your pizza dough and lay it out on your baking stone or pizza pan, but do not bake the dough.

3.  Spread a generous amount of sausage gravy on top of your cooked pizza crust (as if it were pizza sauce).

4.  Sprinkle your cooked breakfast meat on top of the sausage gravy.

5.  Sprinkle scrambled eggs on top of the sausage gravy and meat.

6.  Sprinkle any veggie toppings on top of the other toppings.

7.  Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of the pizza.

8.  Bake according to pizza dough directions. 

Enjoy!

Breakfast Lasagna

Sooooooo . . . I've been on a bit of a hiatus from the blog.  Sorry about that!  I got to the point where I wasn't making progress on my house and I was getting quite frustrated.  I decided that I was juggling too many balls and I'd need to make a cut if I was going to get anythying completed.  So, I put blogging on hold and focused on the house.  All the while I continued trying new recipes, so I've got lots to share with you. AND, I'm in like *this* close to perfecting an amazing recipe, making all the waiting soooooo worth it!


Anyhow,  the good new is:  I'm done with all of the substantial painting!  The bad news is:  I'm far from done with the renovations. 


Back to good news, shall we?  I think I'm far enough along with the house that I can start blogging again and maintain progress!  So, here I am.  And to make up for lost time, I bring you breakfast lasagna.  This is "man's man"'s dream!  You'll love it too, I promise!  


I got the idea from I Breathe . . . I'm Hungry . . ..  Except, she made hers low carb and healthy and stuff.  That's not really my style.  So, using the basic idea, I made my own breakfast lasagna.  It's actually quite easy and quite filling.  One of these lasts me a full week for dinner.  Here it is:


What you'll need:
1 Can of Biscuits (I used flaky buttered flavored biscuits)
1 Can of White Sausage Gravy (I used this)
1 Lb. of breakfast meat of your choice (i.e. bacon, sausage -- so far I've used ground sausage, link sausage, and patty sausage)
8 Eggs
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese


What you'll do:
1.  Bake your biscuits according to the can.  Leave the oven on when they're done baking.
2.  While the biscuits are baking, fully cook your breakfast meat. 
3.  Put the can of sausage gravy in a small pot on the stove to heat just until    warm.  While the gravy is warming, crack your eggs into a small bowl and whisk for scrambled eggs.  Cook eggs.
     *Hint:  I like to cook my eggs in a little of the grease left over from the meat I cook.  
       Clearly, not that healthy, but, seriously worth it.*
4.  In a 13 x 9 baking dish, put one layer of biscuits in the bottom.
     *Hint:  I cut all of my biscuits in half to make a more stable base.  I ended up using 
       three full biscuits (six halves) to cover the bottom of my pan.
5.  Spoon about half of the gravy on top of the biscuits.
6.  Layer about half of the scrambled eggs on top of the gravy.
7.  Layer about half of your cooked breakfast meat on top of the eggs.
8.  Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top of the meat.
9.  Repeat steps 4 through 8, using the rest of your ingredients (I had two biscuits left over).
10.  Throw the pan in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until your cheese is thoroughly melted.


Enjoy!


I've made this with link sausage and sausage patties.  I prefer the patties, but for no good reason, except they  are easier to cut when you're cutting the lasagna than links are.  I think bacon could be used as well.  I always add ground sausage to my gravy as well. I served mine with hash browns.

Baked Taquitos

Here's a quick little dinner recipe that tastes great and is a healthy alternative to the fried taquito.  Although these are baked, they didn't come out soggy.  Instead that were nice and crispy, similar to fried taquitos.  I served mine with cilantro lime rice and it was a perfect pair.   


I found the recipe I based these off of on Pinterest.  The original recipe provides that the taquitos can be frozen and baked later.  I didn't get a chance to try freezing them because I ate them all.  But, I'm pretty sure you would have the same success freezing my modification of her recipe.  


Modified from: Pennies on a Platter


Here's what you need:
3 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
1/4 cup Salsa
1 Lime
1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp Chili Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3 tbsp Cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp Green Onions, sliced
1 lb. Ground Beef
1 Taco Meat Season Packet of your choice
1 cup Mexican flavored cheese, finely shredded
12 small Tortillas
1 tbsp Butter, melted
Kosher Salt


Here's what you do:
1.  Cook the ground beef thoroughly.  Season according to instructions on your season packet. 


2.  Combine cream cheese, salsa, juice of half of the lime, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic, cilantro and green onions. 


3.  Add the ground beef to the cream cheese mixture.  Mix well. 


4.  Add the cheese to the cream cheese mixture.  Mix well. 


5.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. 


6.  Microwave 2 or 3 tortillas for about 20 seconds to make them pliable and easy to work with.  Fill each tortilla with a portion of the mixture, beginning on one edge.  Roll the tortilla up, beginning with the edge that was filled.  Place seam side down in a baking dish or cookie sheet.  Repeat until all of the mixture is gone. 


7.  Brush the top of each tortilla with the melted butter. 


8.  Sprinkle the kosher salt on top of the tortillas. 


9.  Sprinkle the lime juice of the remaining one half of the lime on top of the tortillas. 


10.  Bake for about 20 minutes.   Remove when the tortillas begin to crisp.  

Baked Potato Casserole

I used to have the. most. delicious. recipe for baked potato casserole.  Now I can't find it.  If you've ever had a good baked potato casserole, you understand my devastation.  If you haven't, let me explain . . . 


Baked potato casserole is an amazing creation that everybody loves.  The recipe always makes about one million servings, so it's great for large gatherings (think -- holidays), or if you just feel like only cooking once this week (helloooooo college!).  It's a comfort food that compliments pretty much everything.  Or, it can be eaten as a meal by itself.  


Anyhow, I decided I wanted to make baked potato casserole for a work Thanksgiving luncheon.  That is when I discovered that I could find my recipe.  Devastation ensued.  Then I googled it.  I found Emeril's recipe, which definitely isn't my recipe, but it's at least kinda close.  And, it ended up tasting pretty good, so I scored. 


If I am ever reunited with my recipe, I'll post it here.  Hopefully, I'll find it when I finally get to move into my house and unpack (I promise I'm not making that up -- it will happen).  Until then, this will have to do. 


Adapted from Emeril


Here's what you need:

• 5 Lbs Red Potatoes
• 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 Cup sour cream
• 1 & 1/2 Cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 Teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Lb Bacon, cooked until crip and crumbled
• 1/2 Lb sharp Cheddar, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3/4 Lbs mild Cheddar, grated (3 cups)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• Additional butter for baking dish
• Additional sour cream for garnishing
• Additional diced green onions for garnishing
• Sliced black olives for garnishing

Here's what you do:

1.  Peel and cube the potatoes.

2.  Boil the potatoes until they are fully cooked. 

3.  Drain potatoes and put them in a large bowl.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

5.  Add butter, sour cream, whipping cream, salt, and pepper to potatoes.  Mash until desired consistency. 

6.  Add 3/4 lb bacon, sharp cheddar cubes, half of the grated cheddar, green onions, and eggs.  Mix thoroughly.

7. Butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish.  Spoon the potato mixture into the baking dish. 

8.  Top with remaining shredded cheddar cheese.

9.   Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges and heated through and the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden. 

     Hint:  I halved the recipe and put part of it in a smaller baking dish and 

    part of it in a crock pot.  I refrigerated it over night and then  I took the 

    crock pot to work for the luncheon.  I cooked the potatoes on high for 

    about 3 hours and it was cooked all the way through.  It tasted just like 

    the pan that I had baked in the oven the night before.

10.  Garnish with additional sour cream, black olives and green onions. 

Enjoy!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

My sister, Brooke, gave me this recipe.  I may have changed it a bit because when she gave me the recipe she told me she used "some" bread crumbs, and "a lot" of Parmesan cheese.  I used to cook all carefree like that.  And then, I started a blog . . . 


So, I took her recipe and guessed about what "some" and "a lot" meant.  I think I must have been close, because the result was quite tasty.  It's also surprisingly simple to make.  And, I think it's pretty versatile. I served my chops with fettuccine alfredo and steamed broccoli, which were both a nice compliment.  Brooke says she usually serves hers with cheesy rice.  After having tried the chops, I'd guess that the cheesy rice would go well too. 


Here's what you need:
6 Thinly sliced Pork Chops
1 Cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 Cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Eggs
Vegetable oil for browning the chops 


Here's what you do: 
1.  Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.  


2.  In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until well beaten. 


3.  Put a pan on the stove on medium to medium-high heat.  Add vegetable oil and allow the oil to get warm.


4.  While you're waiting for the vegetable oil to heat up, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil.


5.  Coat one pork chop in the bread crumb mixture.  Dip it in the beaten eggs.  Return it to the bread crumb mixture and coat again.  Immediately put the pork chop in the pan of warm oil.  Cook each side of the pork chop until it is golden brown and then remove from pan and place on cookie sheet. 


     Hint: While I had one pork chop in the pan cooking, I started step number 5 on 
      the next pork chop, paying close attention to the pork chop on the stove to 
      make sure it didn't burn. 


7.  Once all the pork chops have been browned and are on the cookie sheet, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the chops are cooked all the way through. 

Enjoy!

Sirloin Skillet

I'm always looking for a quick, easy dinner recipe.  This is an old recipe that I had printed out at one time (apparently) and came across in all this moving mayhem.  It still looked good, so I decided to give it a shot.  It was simple and quick and tasted delicious.  I served it over white rice.  I think it would be delicious on a tortilla too.

Slightly adapted from: Campbell's Kitchen

Here's what I used:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Lb Boneless Beef Sirloin Steak, diced
1 Large White Onion, diced
2 Medium Red Peppers, sliced
2 Medium Green Peppers, sliced
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Can (10.75 ounces) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 Cup Water
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Jack Cheese

Here's What I did:
1.  Heat one tablespoon of Olive Oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.

2.  Cook the steak in the oil until thoroughly cooked.  Removed meat from skillet.

3.  Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining (1 Tbsp) oil to the pan.

4.  Add onions and peppers to pan.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5.  Add garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender.

6.  Stir in condensed soup and water.  Heat to boil.

7.  Return meat to the skillet and reduce heat to low. 

8.  Cover and cook for about 2 minutes.

9.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Enjoy!

Taco Bell Mexican Pizza

Last week I decided that I wanted a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell.  So I googled recipes and gave it a shot.  I combined the basic ideas of the various recipes I found and added my own twist.

I think it turned out really good.  And, it was surprisingly simple.  3 out of 4 people who ate them thought they tasted just like Taco Bell.  The fourth thought it tasted really good, but thought the meat was a little different than Taco Bell  (psssht.  Whatever!).

Anyway, this is my version of the Taco Bell Mexican Pizza.  It's delicious.  Try it.  Because I said so.

What I used:
2 packages of 6 -7" FLOUR tortillas
Crisco
16 Ounces Taco Bell Brand Refried Beans
1 Lb. Ground Beef
1.25 Ounces (1 Package) Taco Bell Chipotle Taco Seasoning Mix
1 Large Tomato, diced
1 Bunch of Green Onions, thinly sliced
2.25 Ounces Sliced Black Olives
8 Ounces Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded
16 Ounces Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
16 Ounces Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
16 Ounces Enchilada Sauce

What I did:
1.  Cooked the beef thoroughly, making sure to crumble it up into very small pieces as it was cooking.

2.  Added the taco seasoning mix to the beef, following directions.

3.  Preheated the oven to 400.

4.  Put a skillet on the stove on medium heat.  After the skillet had heated up a bit, added about 4 tablespoons of Crisco.  Melted the Crisco.

    Hint:  You want just enough melted Crisco to cover the bottom of the skillet -- you don't want
      to completely submerge the tortilla in Crisco.

5.  Cooked each flour tortilla in the skillet until each side was golden brown (about 30 - 45 seconds per side).  After each tortilla cooked, I transferred it to a plate covered in paper towels to drain off the grease.

     Hint:  If air bubbles form in the tortillas while you are cooking them, pierce
      the bubbles so your tortilla remains fairly flat.

6.  Warmed the refried beans in the microwave.

7.  Assembled the pizzas in the following order:

• One cooked tortilla.
• Spread 3-4 Tablespoons of refried beans on top of the tortilla
• Sprinkled 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoned ground beef on top of the refried beans.
• Topped with another cooked tortilla.
• Spread 1-2 Tablespoons of enchilada sauce on top of the top tortilla.
• Sprinkled about 2 Tablespoons of each cheese on top of the enchilada sauce.
• Sprinkled diced tomatoes, green onions, and black olives on top of the cheese.

8.  Placed each pizza on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Placed the cookie sheet in the oven and baked it for 3-4 minutes, or until the cheeses were thoroughly melted.

9.  Removed pizzas from the oven and cut into four smaller pizza slices.

I served these with a side of Mexican rice and condiments such as sour cream and picante sauces. 

This made a TON of food.  I got 7 pizzas out of this recipe and I found them to be quite filling.  I was able to eat a serving of rice and 1 slice (1/4 of each pizza) before I got full, so be prepared.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pillows

First, a couple of items of business:
 
     1.   I know I've been slow to post lately and haven't been posting as much as usual -- I'm sorry.  I've been really busy with the normal things like work, volunteering, social activities, etc., plus, I've been in the process of buying a house.  I close this week, so hopefully things will slow down and I'll be able to post more regularly. 

     2.   Can somebody please come up with a better name for this recipe? Puuuhhllleeeaaassseee???  I completely understand that there is nothing appetizing about the name of this recipe.  Honestly, I only made them because my mom wanted me to.  In the end, I'm glad I did.  They ended up tasting great.  But, that name . . .

Anyhow, this recipe is one that I modified from another one of my mom's cookbooks.  The cookbook is called 101 Things to do With a Dutch Oven.  The recipe is on page 54 of my mom's version of the cookbook.  If you haven't figured it out by the name of the book -- this is a recipe for a dutch oven.  I modified the recipe slightly and cooked it in the regular oven and everything came out great. 

I found this recipe to be relatively easy to make and quite filling.  I served it with some veggies and called it a meal!

Here's what I used:
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Bunch of Green Onions
8 Ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
2 Can of Crescent Rolls

Here's what I did:
1.  Seasoned and diced the chicken.  Preheated oven to 350 degrees. 

2.  Cooked the chicken in a pan until browned on outside and thoroughly cooked.
    
     Hint:  The next time I make this recipe, I'll use shredded chicken as I think
     it fits these little chicken pockets more easily that diced chicken, but the
     diced chicken did work out fine.

3.  Set chicken to the side to cool

4.  Finely sliced the green onions.

5.  Mixed the green onions with the cream cheese.

6.  Added the cooled chicken to the cream cheese mixture.

7.  Opened the cans of crescent rolls and divided the dough into 16 triangles.

8.  Placed one scoop of the cream cheese mixture in the middle of each crescent roll triangle.

9.  Rolled up each crescent roll like a jelly roll (beginning with the widest end).

10.  Ensured that all seams were tightly sealed on each pillow. 

11.   Placed the pillows on a cookie sheet, with as many seams down (against the cookie sheet) as possible.

12.  Baked for about 12 minutes.  Remove them from the oven when the crescent roll is golden brown and flaky.




     The next time I make this recipe, I am going to try it with a Mexican flare.  I'll used diced chilies and such.  If it turns out well, I post the recipe on here (of course!).

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo with Mozarella Stuffed Meatballs

I went to lunch at Applebees with a couple of friends not too long ago.  Amber suggested I try their Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine.  I did and they were pretty good.  So, I decided to make my own version of them.  This is what I came up with.  It turned out pretty good.  I'll experiment next time with different cheeses, I think.  Making the meatballs is a little time consuming, but the rest of the meal is quick and easy to make.  I used this recipe to make the meatballs, but I toned it down some so it was a little less spicy.

Here's what I used for the Meatballs:

½ Cup Green Onion, finely chopped

¼ Cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

3 Heaping Tablespoons of Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1 Pound Ground Beef

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

2 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper (for a less spicy meatball use 1 Tablespoon – or less – Crushed Red Pepper)

8 oz Mozzarella Cheese

Here's What I did to make the Meatballs:

1.  Preheated the oven to 350 degrees. 

2.  Cut the Mozzarella Cheese into small cubes.  Set those aside in a bowl.

3.  Mixed together the Green Onion, Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic Powder, and Crushed Red Pepper. 

4.  Crumbled the Ground Beef on top of the mixture of dry ingredients.  Then, using my hands, I mixed the ground beef with the dry ingredients. 

5.  I picked up one piece of mozzarella and formed a meatball, approximately 1 inch in diameter, around the piece of cheese.  Repeat until either all of the cheese or all of the meat mixture has been used.  I ended up running out of the meat mixture before cheese. 

     Hint:  Try to form the meatballs around the cheese as tightly as possible. 

     Any gaps will allow some of the cheese to melt out while the meatballs

     are baking.

6.  Placed the meatballs in a glass baking dish with about 1 inch in between each meatball.  

7.  Baked for about 25 minutes.  Remove them from the oven when the outsides are brown and the insides of the meatballs are cooked fully.  Some of your cheese will likely melt and run out of the meatball while they are baking.  Don't be concerned -- I still had plenty of cheese inside the meatballs.

While the meatballs were baking, I made the pasta. 

Here's what I used for the Pasta:

16 oz Fettuccine Noodles

2 Jars Alfredo Sauce

1/2 Jar of Roasted Red Peppers

Here's what I did to make the Pasta:

1.  Boiled water and cooked the Fettuccine Noodles as directed on the package. 

2.  While the noodles were cooking, I sliced up half of the jar of Roasted Red Peppers (use only the peppers, not the juice).

3.  Put the Alfredo Sauce on the stove in a sauce pan to heat. 

4.  Added the cut up roasted red peppers to the alfredo sauce.  Heated til warm.

To serve, I spooned some fettuccine noodles into a bowl and topped that with the roasted red pepper sauce.  Then I placed a few meatballs on top of the pasta.  I also served this with garlic bread.  It was delicious!

Enjoy!