Speckled butter beans are my absolute favorite bean. I remember shelling them when I was a little girl with my momma. Can't you tell I'm a southern girl? Anyways, I haven't shelled them in years, but I find them in the freezer aisle. I couldn't find them when I was in Vegas though, so I'm happy to be able to find them again! I cook them with salt and fat back, but bacon would work instead of fat back (one slice only). If you've never tried them and if your grocer carries them, try them!
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Sometimes you just need comfort food. I try to revamp the food so it doesn't have the comfort calories. This is one of those meals...
Tenderloin... Just salt and pepper to taste. Heat your frying pan with about a tablespoon off olive oil. Add to hot pan, turning once until cooked through. Green Beans... I used my homemade canned green beans, but any canned green beans will work. I add salt, one strip of bacon or a small piece of fat back now that I'm back in the south, and a pinch sugar (trust me). Mashed potatoes... Cook your potatoes, then mash with a tablespoon of butter, a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise (again, trust me), and milk (my mom uses can/evaporated milk, but I use skim milk), add salt and pepper and mix. "Gravy"... In the same pan you cooked the tenderloin, and 4 oz of sliced mushrooms, I use baby portobello. Then add a can of cream of mushroom soup, while stirring, add milk until you get the desired consistency. The weather was more crisp today in the Springs. Since I knew it was going to feel more like fall and it is a football day, I decided to make the corn chowder recipe I found in a magazine from Rachael Ray. I made it with fresh corn, but later this winter, I'll try frozen and probably try making it in the crockpot. But, today since I'm "off" (planning doesn't count, right?) I decided to follow the recipe. Ingredients:
I have a souper easy recipe for fall and winter (yes, pun intended)! Use the crockpot liners and you have a quick and easy meal, along with easy clean up. I love baked potato soup and I saw this recipe on Facebook and with the few ingredients and the ease of making it, I had to try it, and I'm glad I did! I will definitely be making this again! It makes a lot, so I had enough to freeze for later use.
Ingredients : • 1 bag frozen cubed hashbrowns • 1 32 oz box of chicken broth • 3 oz bacon bits (or chopped cooked bacon)
chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and half the bacon (save the rest for garnish) to the crockpot. 2. Cook on high 3-4 hours, low 6-8 hours (or until potatoes are done). 3. When an hour is left, mix in cream cheese, stir until melted through. 4. Serve, garish with desired toppings. I dare you not to get seconds! I used to hate brussel sprouts, now I love them; but only made this way. They are so good, I eat them about once a week. Plus, everything is better with bacon, right?
Ingredients: • 2 Slices of center cut bacon • Brussel Sprouts • Salt and Pepper to taste Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F 2. Cut slices of bacon into small pieces and start to cook it. 3. After a couple of minutes, add the quartered brussel sprouts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring on occasion. 4. After about 5 minutes, add to an oven safe dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 20-25 minutes. 5. Enjoy this easy, simple, tasty side dish. It's starting to get warm again in Vegas, it won't be long until the heat kicks in full force. Luckily, we'll be moving before the end of June so I'll be saying goodbye to the crazy heat of Vegas. The move, trying to find a job, etc is the reason behind my lack of blogging lately, and probably the reason for my not so healthy comfort food, but everything in moderation, right?! I like experimenting and making ice cream at home, so after a trip to Coldstone, I decided to try to make my own cheesecake ice cream with the help of my Ben & Jerry's ice cream book. It turned out really well, and I experimented with the toppings as well. One night, I had cherry cheesecake ice cream, and another, I had turtle cheesecake ice cream. Both were delicious! Ingredients:
It has been a cold winter and I decided that I would try a healthier spin on broccoli and cheese soup. I still used butter and cheese, however, instead of heavy cream, I used skim milk. It was still yummy, tasty, and good ole comfort food. I had enough left to freeze, and it thawed and heated up great; tasted like the first day I made it.
Broccoli and Cheese Soup Ingredients: · 1 tsp olive oil · 1 small onion chopped · 2 cans chicken broth · 1 1/2 packages of fresh broccoli (approx. 18 oz) · 4 Tbsp butter · 4 Tbsp flour · 2 cups milk · 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Sargento’s 4 State Cheddar) Directions: 1. Put olive oil in a large pot. Sautee onions until they become translucent. 2. Add the chicken broth and broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender about 20 minutes. 3. In another small to medium saucepan, melt butter and then add the flour to create a roux. Let it cook for a few minutes so it won’t taste like raw flour. 4. Add the milk and the cheese, stir often until all the cheese is melted. 5. Use a hand blender, potato masher, food processor (if it can handle the heat) to break up the broccoli to desirable consistency (some like it chunky). 6. Add the cheese mixture to the pot with the broccoli. Cook for a few more minutes. If it isn’t as thick as you would like it, add corn starch mixed with cold water (about a half of Tbsp of each). I found this recipe online and just had to try it. It makes me wonder what we ever did without the internet. I made this from leftover rotisserie lemon herb chicken, or you could use the regular rotisserie chicken recipe. So, I got 3 meals from one chicken since I had enough of the chili for lunch and then enough to freeze for a meal at another time.
Jalapeno Popper Chili Ingredients:
1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker except cream cheese and bacon 2. Stir in cream cheese and bacon and cook for another 30 minutes. 3. Serve topped with cheese I saw this recipe online and just had to try it. I'm going to use the leftover chicken for another new recipe...Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili (blog coming later this week)... I have a rotisserie chicken recipe that I've been using, but I was ready to switch it up some.
To go with this chicken I'm making bacon brussel sprouts. I have never been a fan of brussel sprouts, but they came in my basket from bountiful baskets this week, so I have decided to give them another go. Everything is better with bacon...right?! We shall see. Lemon Herb Rotisserie Chicken (click on the name for the recipe to save on your computer) Ingredients: · 1 whole chicken (make sure to take out the neck and other parts from the inside of the chicken) · 4 Lemons · 7 cloves of garlic · Rosemary (I used dried because it is all I had, but fresh would be better) · 2 Tbsp of butter · 1/4 tsp of garlic powder Directions: 1. If you want, line your crock pot with the crock pot liners. 2. Cut the ends off of two lemons, and slice in half. Cut another lemon in quarters (for the inside) and slice the other lemon (for between the skin and meat and for the top). Place them in the bottom of your crock pot, stuff the middle of each one with a clove of garlic. Sprinkle the top of the lemons and garlic with rosemary. 3. Mix the butter, garlic powder, and more rosemary today until it is like a paste (set aside). 4. Take the insides out of the cavity of the chicken and rise off the chicken. Separate the skin from the breast and rub between the skin and meat with the butter mixture. Place the lemon slices where you rubbed the butter, reserving some to put on top later. 5. Stuff the cavity with lemon wedges and 3 cloves of garlic. 6. Place the chicken in the crock pot, place left over lemon slices on top, and sprinkle with rosemary. 7. Cook on low 6-7 hours or on high 4-5 hours. I've seen this recipe floating around on Facebook, and I just had to give it a try. We had some friends over last night so it was the perfect time to try it, less for my husband and I to eat. I used coconut oil instead of butter, but I'm sure butter would be just as good. I prefer the health benefits of coconut oil to butter. However, I would not use margarine at all!
Click here for the recipe if you want to save it to your computer. Ingredients: · 1/3 cup brown sugar (not packed) · 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon · 2/3 cup white sugar · 1/2 cup coconut oil (you can use butter if you prefer) · 2 eggs · 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract · 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour · 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder · 1/2 cup milk · 1 apple, peeled and chopped I think next time I will add 1/2 cup of walnuts to the batter. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 2. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. 3. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside. 4. Beat white sugar and butter together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated; add vanilla extract. 5. Combine flour and baking powder together in another bowl; stir into creamed butter mixture. 6. Mix milk into batter until smooth. (If you are going to add walnuts or any other type of nut, mix it in now) 7. Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Next add half the apples and half the brown sugar cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apple mixture into batter. 8. Pour the remaining batter over apple layer; top with remaining apples and add more brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Lightly pat apples into batter; swirl brown sugar mixture through apples using a finger or spoon. 9. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes |
AuthorFull time working mom of two boys who tries to live and maintain a healthy lifestyle Archives
December 2014
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