http://amandascookin.com/bacon-cheeseburger-pasta/
when my kids were little, they loved the box variety of this recipe but, as they grew up one of them decided he hated it...but, I still missed it and when I saw a homemade type I could not wait to try it...
this is like the grown up version of it and my grand daughter said that next time, I should add some velveeta cheese and maybe a little cream to it too...otherwise this is definitely a keeper and I will make it again, especially for the little kids...
note...it takes a little more constarch than is called for...
yummy
Monday, November 28, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
apple butter pork chop skillet
http://www.thecookierookie.com/apple-butter-pork-chop-skillet/
this is what I made for dinner tonight and it was very good...I used the thinner pork chops and would not do it next time...the apples and the sauce had a very nice taste to them...
paired with leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving
definitely a keeper
this is what I made for dinner tonight and it was very good...I used the thinner pork chops and would not do it next time...the apples and the sauce had a very nice taste to them...
paired with leftover stuffing and mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving
definitely a keeper
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Thanksgiving dinner...
Sam and Zoie are staying here until we know that Zoie is ok...so I had a lot of help with Thanksgiving dinner...
we made:
nice size turkey that was so good, so moist
spiral sliced ham that Sam put a very nice glaze on...
sausage cornbread stuffing (yum)
creamed peas
green beans with almonds
biscuits
of course mashed potatoes with gravy
apple tart with whipped cream...
no one in this house is really feeling all that good but it was nice to have help getting dinner to the table...
we made:
nice size turkey that was so good, so moist
spiral sliced ham that Sam put a very nice glaze on...
sausage cornbread stuffing (yum)
creamed peas
green beans with almonds
biscuits
of course mashed potatoes with gravy
apple tart with whipped cream...
no one in this house is really feeling all that good but it was nice to have help getting dinner to the table...
letting a very sick teen choose dinners...corn chowder, creamy pasta, hashbrown casserole
http://momsdutchoven.blogspot.com/2016/09/my-hashbrown-casserole-with-sausage.htmlso last Saturday, Zoie's 16th brithday, both of the oldest girls had recitals at their school...Tim went and both girls did great...from school Sam and Zoie went straight back to their apartment and I did not speak to them till the next day when we were supposed to meet up to celebrate Zoie's birthday...we went to Red Robin but birthday girl was not feeling good at all...she could not even order her lunch (tho she does not like to order her food anyway...) we had a very good lunch but Zoie seemed to fade fast, using her inhaler much more than she should have...we came back to my house and Sam and I were going to go to the grocery store and we left Zo at home with Tim but by the time we got to the parking lot I had talked to Sam enough to tell her how worried I was about Zo so instead of shopping, we came back home and Sam took her first to an Urgent Care, but there was no sense of urgency there and so Sam got up, walked out and took her straight to the ER and once they got hold of here, things heated up very quickly...they took her straight back and they were worried...so, to make a long story short she was diagnosed with a severe asthma attack and told Sam she should have callled 911 and not messed around...when she was finally released, she looked and acted horrible...they gave Zoie a very stern talking to on how she is responsible now for her own health and which symptoms warrant a 911 call, they do not want her messing around with the health clerk at school...
I felt so bad for her that I let her choose dinners each night, even tho she was not eating...she at least tried...
while she was at ER, I knew Sam would need to come home to a great down home comfort dinner and they chose creamy pasta with bacon and peas and man did this deliver with a great comfort dinner...I have made this before and posted about it too...it was so good...
http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/one-pan-pasta-bacon-peas-recipe/
was terrific for leftover lunches too...
so Monday when I asked sickie girl what she wanted, it was corn chowder...
here is what I did...
made a roux with 8 tablespoons of butter, 8 tablespoons of flour, about 20+ ounces of chicken stock and about the same in milk..once thickened I added 1 bag of frozen corn, 1 can of whole potatoes (this is what Zoie likes best of this chowder) chopped, 1 can of carrots and some cooked chopped bacon...
this lasted Zoie for her lunch for the rest of the week...
So, Tuesday this girl wanted hashbrown casserole and that is what she got...
http://momsdutchoven.blogspot.com/2016/09/my-hashbrown-casserole-with-sausage.html
except that once I got dinner done this girl only wanted more corn chowder...LOL
So Sam and Zoie have stayed at my house from Sunday morning, well until they plan on going home on Sunday...haha...Zoie said she was scared to leave my house till she knew she was breathing all right and needed no help...(today Saturday, a whole week later we are finally starting to see her perk up a little...) she has school on Monday so I am hoping she will be ready...
I felt so bad for her that I let her choose dinners each night, even tho she was not eating...she at least tried...
while she was at ER, I knew Sam would need to come home to a great down home comfort dinner and they chose creamy pasta with bacon and peas and man did this deliver with a great comfort dinner...I have made this before and posted about it too...it was so good...
http://www.tasteandtellblog.com/one-pan-pasta-bacon-peas-recipe/
was terrific for leftover lunches too...
so Monday when I asked sickie girl what she wanted, it was corn chowder...
here is what I did...
made a roux with 8 tablespoons of butter, 8 tablespoons of flour, about 20+ ounces of chicken stock and about the same in milk..once thickened I added 1 bag of frozen corn, 1 can of whole potatoes (this is what Zoie likes best of this chowder) chopped, 1 can of carrots and some cooked chopped bacon...
this lasted Zoie for her lunch for the rest of the week...
So, Tuesday this girl wanted hashbrown casserole and that is what she got...
http://momsdutchoven.blogspot.com/2016/09/my-hashbrown-casserole-with-sausage.html
except that once I got dinner done this girl only wanted more corn chowder...LOL
So Sam and Zoie have stayed at my house from Sunday morning, well until they plan on going home on Sunday...haha...Zoie said she was scared to leave my house till she knew she was breathing all right and needed no help...(today Saturday, a whole week later we are finally starting to see her perk up a little...) she has school on Monday so I am hoping she will be ready...
Saturday, November 19, 2016
my mom's mac and cheese
I have posted about this before...my mom made this a lot for us kids growing up...we actually thought it more like the adult version of mac and cheese as we really like the box variety and my mom also made a good recipe with velveeta cheese...but as a grown up, when I really want comfort food (mac and cheese) I always go to this one...
and a funny story that bears repeating...when aerospace tanked here in California and my hubby lost his good paying job and times were very bad for us...one night all we had in the house to eat were the ingredients for this recipe...now, I was working and hubby was not and I asked him to make dinner so it would be ready when I got home...I was hungry and I so wanted comfort food...dug into dinner and it tasted awful too sweet...he had used sweetened condensed milk instead of the evaporated milk...needless to say I did not eat dinner that night...
here is what we do...
to al-dente cooked small shells or elbows, I add one layer of pasta to a baking pan, put cheese on top then another layer of pasta and final layer of cheese...(tonight I used sharp cheddar)...seasoned the top (sometimes I add a few pats of butter and some bread crumbs...) and add 2 cans of evaporated milk...
bake at 375 for about 20 minutes...
always (and I mean always...my family would revolt if I did not do this) paired with...
mixed veggies
bbq sauced little smokies
biscuits...
so good when you crae comfort food
and a funny story that bears repeating...when aerospace tanked here in California and my hubby lost his good paying job and times were very bad for us...one night all we had in the house to eat were the ingredients for this recipe...now, I was working and hubby was not and I asked him to make dinner so it would be ready when I got home...I was hungry and I so wanted comfort food...dug into dinner and it tasted awful too sweet...he had used sweetened condensed milk instead of the evaporated milk...needless to say I did not eat dinner that night...
here is what we do...
to al-dente cooked small shells or elbows, I add one layer of pasta to a baking pan, put cheese on top then another layer of pasta and final layer of cheese...(tonight I used sharp cheddar)...seasoned the top (sometimes I add a few pats of butter and some bread crumbs...) and add 2 cans of evaporated milk...
bake at 375 for about 20 minutes...
always (and I mean always...my family would revolt if I did not do this) paired with...
mixed veggies
bbq sauced little smokies
biscuits...
so good when you crae comfort food
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
grilled tri tip, twice baked potatoes
one of the highlights for me is to go to the grocery store first thing in the morning (love the time to myself, ha...) I get to see what meats they are marking down for the day, and I have really gotten some good deals...
such as it was with dinner tonight...
I had bought 2 pretty large tri tips, but we all love any roasted beef here and especially lately, I have been feeding a lot of people...
so I on the grill browned the meat on all sides, getting some good grill marks, and then left them on the grill on a slow cooking style for about 2 1/2 hours...(seasoned the meat really well first...) and they came out perfectly...no one complained about dinner tonight at all...
for the twice baked potatoes, I threw the potatoes in the oven when I went to get kids from school at 2 pm and then when I was ready for dinner they were waiting for me...
I cut the potatoes in half and scooped out the insides and Zoie came home from school just in time that she wanted to mash up the potatoes...I let her do whatever she wanted...she put in some butter, a little milk, lots of seasonings, cheese and a little diced ham, oh and on my instruction, she added one beaten egg...she mixed all the ingredients together and put back into the potato shell and she pronounced herself a great chef...once again, everyone loved them...
paired with grilled garlic bread and green beans...
can I just say here that in California it is still in the high 80's...once it finally cools down here I will not be grilling...
such as it was with dinner tonight...
I had bought 2 pretty large tri tips, but we all love any roasted beef here and especially lately, I have been feeding a lot of people...
so I on the grill browned the meat on all sides, getting some good grill marks, and then left them on the grill on a slow cooking style for about 2 1/2 hours...(seasoned the meat really well first...) and they came out perfectly...no one complained about dinner tonight at all...
for the twice baked potatoes, I threw the potatoes in the oven when I went to get kids from school at 2 pm and then when I was ready for dinner they were waiting for me...
I cut the potatoes in half and scooped out the insides and Zoie came home from school just in time that she wanted to mash up the potatoes...I let her do whatever she wanted...she put in some butter, a little milk, lots of seasonings, cheese and a little diced ham, oh and on my instruction, she added one beaten egg...she mixed all the ingredients together and put back into the potato shell and she pronounced herself a great chef...once again, everyone loved them...
paired with grilled garlic bread and green beans...
can I just say here that in California it is still in the high 80's...once it finally cools down here I will not be grilling...
Sunday, November 13, 2016
porcupines
this was one of my favorite dinners when I was kid and I would always volunteer to make dinner when these were on the menu...I had to eat a few while they were cooking...can you imagine how many meatballs I had to make for a family of 12 kids? now, I cannot even imagine...
I looked up the history of porcupines on google and most sites report that the recipe came about during the great depression...the thought being that adding rice to ground beef it would make the beef go farther and the rice would puff up during cooking...the name porcupine came about as the uncooked rice sticking out of the meatball resembles a porcupine...one time my kids convinced the neighbor boy that they were really eating porcupine meat...LOL...
here is what I do...
to approximately 2 1/2 pounds of good ground beef, I add about 1 cup of uncooked Minute rice, and then I add tons of seasonings (garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder...) I shape them into meatballs and fry them in a sauce pan...once browned I add 1 tall can of tomato soup and about 1/3 cup of water...let come to a slow boil and turn off heat...my kids like to add some grated cheese to the top...
tonight paired with:
parmesan noodles
green beans
biscuits...
totally a family favorite...
I looked up the history of porcupines on google and most sites report that the recipe came about during the great depression...the thought being that adding rice to ground beef it would make the beef go farther and the rice would puff up during cooking...the name porcupine came about as the uncooked rice sticking out of the meatball resembles a porcupine...one time my kids convinced the neighbor boy that they were really eating porcupine meat...LOL...
here is what I do...
to approximately 2 1/2 pounds of good ground beef, I add about 1 cup of uncooked Minute rice, and then I add tons of seasonings (garlic salt, pepper, and onion powder...) I shape them into meatballs and fry them in a sauce pan...once browned I add 1 tall can of tomato soup and about 1/3 cup of water...let come to a slow boil and turn off heat...my kids like to add some grated cheese to the top...
tonight paired with:
parmesan noodles
green beans
biscuits...
totally a family favorite...
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
my own chicken pot pie
I have made this pie since I was first married...changed the recipe many times to make it fit to all of our likings...
haha I used to boil a whole chicken and tear the meat off the bone...so much of a time saver when I started using boneless skinless breasts...
everyone I have ever served this to, always loves it...I once served it to a minister and his wife and he said that for a church fundraiser, they would sell homemade chicken pies and mine was the best he ever had...
for the past year or so, I make double portions of pie and I then offer one pie to the first friend to text me...I always have takers...haha...so tonight I had offered it to Cj's teacher...I feel for her as her kitchen has been torn up since July so no homecooked dinner for her and I wanted to treat her...
here is what I do...
I either boil or roast 5-6 chicken breasts and then dice into small pieces (I hate to bite into a huge chunk)...
ok here is where I sometimes make it easier also...
the all ready Pillsbury pie crusts in the refrigerated section are wonderful...I like to make my own crusts but these are so good and so easy...
so I line 2 baking pans (like 9x11) with the crusts...then I fill the bottom with the diced up chicken...I then add 3 (for 2 large pans of pie) bags of frozen peas and carrots on top of the chicken...I let it sit while I make the sauce...
for the sauce:
I make a roux of 16 tablespoons of butter, 16 tablespoons of Wondra flour (I think it makes it so much easier for lumps) and once cooked down I added 4 cans of evaporated milk and a 48 oz container of chicken broth, and enough seasonings to your taste and stirred repeatedly till thickened and then poured over the chicken and vegetables...
here is a small warning...when putting the crust on the bottom, make enough of a lip to curl over the top crust...(I have not always remembered to do this)...
I then add the top crust, put some steam slits on top and bake at 375 or 400 for about 35-40 minutes...
so so so yummy...you will love it
haha I used to boil a whole chicken and tear the meat off the bone...so much of a time saver when I started using boneless skinless breasts...
everyone I have ever served this to, always loves it...I once served it to a minister and his wife and he said that for a church fundraiser, they would sell homemade chicken pies and mine was the best he ever had...
for the past year or so, I make double portions of pie and I then offer one pie to the first friend to text me...I always have takers...haha...so tonight I had offered it to Cj's teacher...I feel for her as her kitchen has been torn up since July so no homecooked dinner for her and I wanted to treat her...
here is what I do...
I either boil or roast 5-6 chicken breasts and then dice into small pieces (I hate to bite into a huge chunk)...
ok here is where I sometimes make it easier also...
the all ready Pillsbury pie crusts in the refrigerated section are wonderful...I like to make my own crusts but these are so good and so easy...
so I line 2 baking pans (like 9x11) with the crusts...then I fill the bottom with the diced up chicken...I then add 3 (for 2 large pans of pie) bags of frozen peas and carrots on top of the chicken...I let it sit while I make the sauce...
for the sauce:
I make a roux of 16 tablespoons of butter, 16 tablespoons of Wondra flour (I think it makes it so much easier for lumps) and once cooked down I added 4 cans of evaporated milk and a 48 oz container of chicken broth, and enough seasonings to your taste and stirred repeatedly till thickened and then poured over the chicken and vegetables...
here is a small warning...when putting the crust on the bottom, make enough of a lip to curl over the top crust...(I have not always remembered to do this)...
I then add the top crust, put some steam slits on top and bake at 375 or 400 for about 35-40 minutes...
so so so yummy...you will love it
Monday, November 7, 2016
Sunday night yummy chicken and wild rice casserole
my absolute favorite...hands down...ever...
to give credit, I got this recipe from Southern Plate...
4 chicken breasts, coooked and cubed...
add to 2 tall cans of cream of chicken soup
32 ounces of sour cream
2 packages of frozen peas
some almonds
once put into 2 large baking pans (I make this much as everyone loves it so much) (it is also great as leftovers...) (little boy will do anything for this)...ha
I sprinkle 2 sleeves of crushed ritz crackers on top and drizzle with some melted butter...
bake at 375 for about 30 minutes and you have the best darned casserole ever...so yummy...I always make this about once a month or more if I can...
to give credit, I got this recipe from Southern Plate...
4 chicken breasts, coooked and cubed...
add to 2 tall cans of cream of chicken soup
32 ounces of sour cream
2 packages of frozen peas
some almonds
once put into 2 large baking pans (I make this much as everyone loves it so much) (it is also great as leftovers...) (little boy will do anything for this)...ha
I sprinkle 2 sleeves of crushed ritz crackers on top and drizzle with some melted butter...
bake at 375 for about 30 minutes and you have the best darned casserole ever...so yummy...I always make this about once a month or more if I can...
Saturday night my version of taco casserole
I would have thought that Zoie and Samantha really were glad when they moved from the little house behind us into their own apartment...but, more and more they are asking to spend the night here...they really are out a little too far from us and their schools, etc. and so I think it is very beneficial to stay here where it is easier to come and go where they need to...
so they came to stay Friday night and I told Zoie that she could pick what I cooked or she could pick a restaurant of her choice...
this recipe was what she chose...
before I was even married, I would help out my fellow nurse friends and babysit for them...they would leave me dinner out to prepare for their kids and this one box dinner I fell in love with and the kids I watched loved it also...
so, it was a taco casserole and everything was included in the box except the ground meat...imagine our surprise when it disappeared and we couldn't find it anywhere...
so, I decided to try to make it my own and now my own family loves this version...
I brown approx 3 pounds of ground beef (I like it meaty) and then add it to one large can of tomato sauce (I think 32 oz) and 1 envelope of taco seasonings...I add one bag of frozen corn, 1 can of sliced black olives, a good amount of crushed (not too finely) tortilla chips and just a handful of shredded cheese...
put in baking pan, add some cheese to the top...bake 350 for about 30 minutes and you are done...
one of Zoie's and Tim's favorite dinners
weekend breakfast casserole
weekend breakfast casserole
this is definitely a keeper, everyone really liked it and I made extras for the little kids for tomorrow...
I followed recipe exactly but next time would add a ton of seasonings...
really made it a breakfast and made pancakes to go with it...
back to my quest for the perfect breakfast casserole...so far I am liking my own the best, this one is a close second...
this is definitely a keeper, everyone really liked it and I made extras for the little kids for tomorrow...
I followed recipe exactly but next time would add a ton of seasonings...
really made it a breakfast and made pancakes to go with it...
back to my quest for the perfect breakfast casserole...so far I am liking my own the best, this one is a close second...
Thursday, November 3, 2016
swedish meatballs, buttered noodles and green beans
there is nothing special to my recipe...I use the Mc Cormick's seasoning mix for these meatballs and have used it for 40+ years...no reason to mess with what is good...everyone in the family loves these, we even make them for Christmas Eve...
lots of happy people for dinner tonight...
lots of happy people for dinner tonight...
baked club pinwheels for dinner
http://www.plainchicken.com/2010/08/baked-club-pinwheels.html
these were very good and easy to prepare...I liked the ones I made without roast beef...ham turkey and bacon ones were so good...
paired with tator tots and raw veggies...
these were very good and easy to prepare...I liked the ones I made without roast beef...ham turkey and bacon ones were so good...
paired with tator tots and raw veggies...
orange glazed chicken, rice and asian snap peas with homemade egg rolls
http://www.foodiecrush.com/asian-glazed-orange-chicken/
this went together fairly easy and everyone loved it...I added a little more orange juice and zest to it...
paired with a very dressed own fried rice...I fried the rice with some soy sauce, seasonings and some scrambled egg and peas...was very good...not sure why I have never made rice like this previously...I had leftovers the next day for lunch...
I hardly ever shop at Vons since they are a little more expensive, but they had some nice looking snap peas in an Asian sauce and man, were they good...I went today and got some more just to have in the freezer for another time...
also made egg rolls...mixed up packaged cole slaw mix with some seasonings and some Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles and wrapped them up in the egg roll wrappers and fried them...so delicious...
definitely will make this again...
tastes just like a good restaurant's orange chicken with not as much work...
this went together fairly easy and everyone loved it...I added a little more orange juice and zest to it...
paired with a very dressed own fried rice...I fried the rice with some soy sauce, seasonings and some scrambled egg and peas...was very good...not sure why I have never made rice like this previously...I had leftovers the next day for lunch...
I hardly ever shop at Vons since they are a little more expensive, but they had some nice looking snap peas in an Asian sauce and man, were they good...I went today and got some more just to have in the freezer for another time...
also made egg rolls...mixed up packaged cole slaw mix with some seasonings and some Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles and wrapped them up in the egg roll wrappers and fried them...so delicious...
definitely will make this again...
tastes just like a good restaurant's orange chicken with not as much work...
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