Brussel Sprouts With Bacon

My family has a very limited list of veggies they like to eat.  I'm thankful they eat salad; however, alternating that with corn and peas becomes very boring, very quickly.  That, and I hate serving so many starches!  Mind you, they do eat some raw veggies -- carrots, cauliflower and celery -- as long as they can have some ranch dip.  Just seems strange to me to serve raw veggies as a side dish with dinner, so I've been on a hunt to find other veggie side dishes or new ways to present veggies to my family.

 

Last week, we tried brussel sprouts!  I think maybe once in my life I've had a brussel sprout.  Probably the time my parents said, "You need to at least try something before you say you don't like it." Since that's how I grew up, I figured my kids should have the same experience. Hey! I didn't die!  Well, only my oldest daughter and I liked them.  The hubby would rather do without them, but he said they wouldn't be too bad with more bacon and onion.  Whatdoyouknow?!?  Everything (even brussel sprouts) taste better with bacon!  And the younger two thought they were "disgusting"!  Personally, I think they taste similar to cooked cabbage.  I happened to like cooked cabbage, so brusssel sprouts are okay in my book.  Kinda strange to think I might actually go to the store and buy brussel sprouts on purpose though!

 

Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 3 slices uncooked bacon, chopped
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small spouts left whole, larger spouts halved
• Salt and pepper, to your taste
• 1 cup chicken broth

Directions

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan, 1 turn. Add shallots to the pan and saute 1 to 2 minutes. Add Brussels spouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2 to 3 minutes to begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender. Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

Receipe from Food Network.  Photo from Bing.com.

Creamy Garlic Pasta

I've never had this pasta from Olive Garden, but I've heard this recipe is just as delicious!  I believe it's served with Italian sausage, but we used it as a side dish with grilled pork chops (if I remember correctly).

 

My tips:  I used roasted garlic (that I make myself).  You can cut down the olive oil and just diffuse your butter with the roasted garlic.  (Did you know that adding oil to butter in a pan will help keep the butter from burning?)  And I add a little extra chicken broth to thin it out just before serving because it thickens up more than I prefer.  I've also learned you have to cover the pan while cooking the noodles because the broth doesn't cover the pasta well enough to cook thoroughly.  I might also add . . . it's not as good reheated.

 

One of my latest Pinterest finds . . . ENJOY!

 

Creamy Garlic Pasta

2 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp butter
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
3 cups chicken stock
½ lb spaghetti or angel hair pasta (I use angel hair)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
¾ cup heavy cream (I use 2% milk or skim)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used 1 Tsp dry parsley)

 

In a pot, bring the olive oil to medium-low heat. Add the garlic and stir, allowing it to cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in the butter until melted. Add the salt, pepper and chicken stock. Raise the heat to high and let it come to a boil.

 

Once it is at a rolling boil, add the pasta and cook for as long as the box’s directions indicate. Reduce the stove to medium heat and mix in the parmesan until completely melted. Turn off the heat and stir in the cream and parsley. Serve immediately.

For a direct link to the recipe, click here.

Mama's Home Fries

Growing up, I loved home fries.  My dad and I would occasionally go out to a cheap, "greasy spoon" and get breakfast together.  We often requested to eat home fries at home, but it takes a lot of time and effort to make them.  Since then, my mom has found a short cut, so we both make them often in our homes now.

This is a great potato dish to make when . . . say . . . you didn't plan far enough in advance to make potatoes that take a long time! 

Mama's Home Fries

Baked potatoes

Oil

Butter

diced onions (opt.)
diced green peppers (opt.)

salt and pepper

1. Wash the potatoes then puncture them with a fork all over.  This will keep them from exploding from the buid-up of steam.

2. If your are going to bake them in the oven, wrap them in aluminum foil. If you have a wonderful "Potato" button on your microwave like I have, you can wrap them in a paper towel.  Potatoes bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  It usually takes about 7 minutes in the microwave.

3.  Add a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of oil to a NON-STICK pan.  When potatoes are done cooking, warm pan on medium high heat.  If you want to add fresh onions and peppers, saute them at this point.  If you don't add fresh onions, you may want to sprinkle potatoes with onion powder or minced onion after they are added to the pan.

3.  CAREFULLY cube up the potatoes leaving the skins on. You can wait for them to cool down until they are easier to handle.  (Don't let the pan get too hot.  You can wait to heat up your pan if you prefer.)  Add potatoes to hot pan as you cut them.

4. Brown potatoes to desired color, turning and adding more oil/butter as needed.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve & enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Broccoli

Broccoli:  I can take it or leave it.  Strangely enough there are quite a few things that go through my mind when I think of broccoli -- hearing it called "trees" as a kid, hearing in the news "it's good for you", hearing in the news "it's not as good for you as we first thought" and the first time I had broccoli crunch salad in PA.  Wow, is that stuff good.  Probably not as good for you with all the mayo and bacon you have to put in it to taste good, but I digress.

A couple weeks ago, we went to some friends' house for dinner.  The hostess served roasted broccoli with garlic.  I loved it.  Actually I think I pretty much ate the whole bowl-ful since no one else liked broccoli and ate the other veggie!

Roasted Garlic Broccoli

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter.

Black Bean & Veggie Salsa

Had this at the hubby's family Christmas.  It was so light and refreshing.  I've already made it twice since -- once as an appetizer, once as a side dish!  I love having leftovers to snack on during the day too.  Think original recipe called for black-eyed peas, so adapt it however you like.

Black Bean & Veggie Salsa

Black olives
Red onion
Green, yellow and red peppers
Black bean (drained and rinsed)
Italian dressing

Dice up olives, onions and peppers and place in a large bowl.  Add drained beans.  Pour Italian dressing on top and mix together.  Marinate for several hours or overnight.  Drain and serve with tortilla chips.

To help give you portion estimates, I used a half can of olives, small red onion (because we aren't big on either), a whole pepper of each (literally the whole thing except the stem/seeds), a whole can of beans and about 1/2 cup of dressing.  I just keep pouring it on until it's covered nicely.  The veggies will add liquid once it marinates for a while, so that's why you drain the salsa.  I just drain it with a colander over the sink and pour it back in the same bowl to serve.  Marinating overnight is best or all day if you plan to serve it in the evening.

Bought everything at Aldi, so the cost isn't too bad for the amount it makes.  We use the light dressing, so other than salt (from olives and chips) it's fairly good for you!  Enjoy!

Cheesy Bacon Potato Rounds

So I've found Pinterest.  Those of you that know what that is . . . nuff said.  For those of you that don't, check it out online.

I found this recipe a couple days ago and decided to pair it up with BBQ Ribs and Herbed Corn with Mini Cinnamon Rolls for dessert.  Kinda wished I would have made a salad for some light freshness, but this was BY FAR one of the best meals I've eaten in a while -- partially because of the ribs which I will share as well. Later.

I will put my notes in italics next to the original recipe since I took a few short cuts.

Cheesy Bacon Potato Rounds

4 baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices (cut slightly thinner -- heavy 1/4")
1/4 cup melted butter (spray butter)
8 slices bacon - cooked and crumbled (bacon bits)
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese (colby jack)
1/2 cup chopped green onions (optional - only hubby does onions)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Brush both side of potato slices with butter. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. (season with salt and pepper)

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once. (baked 20-25 minutes on stoneware, no turning, fork tender)

When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted.

Photo from Pinterest

Herbed Corn

My sister made this recipe for our Christmas dinner last month.  She wasn't too crazy about it.  It was a bit too overflavored, but I've adjusted it and now it's one of our favorites!  I like it because I can buy the cheap frozen corn instead of the steamfresh kind I'm used to buying.  Adding all the seasoning covers up that "cheap" flavor that comes along with the cheap corn.  Did I say cheap too much?!?  Sorry.

The recipe is written to feed an army.  I'll include it "as is" and then tell you how I make it.

Herbed Corn

12 cups frozen corn
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

In a large saucepan, combine corn and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-6 minutes or until corn is tender. Drain; stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve warm.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

If you want to keep the types of spices the same, I would recommend using a half recipe of the spices listed for a large bag of corn.



Half "Spices" recipe:

1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I did not include the dill weed or the salt, and I used dried ingredients instead.  I think I cut back on the parsley as well.  In a normal world I wouldn't, but my kids freak out when there is green stuff on their food.  Oh, and my corn cooked WAY longer than 4-6 minutes.

Here's the link to Herbed Corn on Allrecipes.com.

New Potatoes with {AwEsOmE} Sauce

Found this in my draft folder -- oops!  Guess I never posted it.  Enjoy!

This recipe is going to come with a disclaimer!  You will have to excuse my ignorance because I don't know exactly what kind of potatoes to tell you I used when making this dish. 

We have a local farmer that brings his leftover produce to church on Sunday for everyone to take what they'd like.  A couple weeks ago, I picked up this small container of tiny potatoes -- all smaller than golf balls.  They looked like these:

To say my hubby loves potatoes is a understatement.  I thought it would be nice to try something new.  So I searched on Allrecipes.com for a new recipe.  Here's what I found.  I didn't have or use capers, hence the new name.

New Potatoes with {AwEsOmE} Sauce
(to search for it on Allrecipes, look for New Potatoes with Caper Sauce)
12 small new potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons capers, chopped
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1.Combine the softened butter, capers, green onion, Parmesan cheese, parsley and vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.

2.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. If potatoes are large, cut into halves or quarters. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain.

3.Add the caper sauce to the pot of drained potatoes and toss gently to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4 servings

Trying to remember back, but I think someone mentioned in a review that they used red potatoes and just quartered them.  I'm going to make this again soon.  My family asked a couple times if there were leftovers.

Slow-Cooked Mac & Cheese

Hope no one minds that this is a second Mac & Cheese recipe.  This recipe is equally as good (probably better), and it's made in the crockpot.  Who doesn't love that?!?  My mom needed a "comfort food" recipe, so I thought since I was sharing it with her, I'd share it with you.

Slow-Cooked Mac & Cheese

8 oz pkg elbow macaroni, cooked
2 eggs, beaten
12 oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c milk
3 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/2 c butter, melted
1 tsp salt
pepper and garlic powder to taste

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a lightly greased slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours.  Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Oven Fresh Seasoned Potato Wedges

Oven Fresh Seasoned Potato Wedges

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighths

Directions

1.Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

2.Place Parmesan cheese, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and potatoes into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the potatoes with the seasoning. Spread the potatoes over a baking sheet.

3.Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.

This recipe and photo were from Allrecipes.com. Thanks for passing it along, M!

Linguine & Vegetables

Long story, short . . . this summer I was part of a group that won the new Gooseberry Patch Cookbook: Slow Cookers, Casseroles & Skillets. This recipe comes from that book. This would be great with baked or slow cooker meat. You do need to give this dish your undivided attention for alot of the cooking time.


Linguine & Vegetables

1 Tbs olive oil
16 oz pkg linguine pasta, uncooked and broken up
1/2 c Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 - 14 oz cans vegetable broth, divided
14 1/2 oz can Italian-seasoned diced tomatoes, drained
16 oz pkg frozen Italian-blend vegetables
4 oz can button mushrooms, drained
Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add uncooked linguine; cook and stir until golden.

Unbrowned Browned

Add onion, garlic and seasonings; simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in one can broth and simmer until linguine is tender, adding the other can as needed. Add all vegetables; simmer until vegetables are tender. Drain; sprinkle with cheese before serving. Serves 6-8. Best served warm.

Can also use whole-wheat pasta -- an option with more fiber.

Seasoned Potato Wedges

Looking for something different to make with dinner? Try these!


Seasoned Potato Wedges

1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
3 large baking potatoes
1/3 c milk (or buttermilk)
1/4 c butter, divided

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, paprika and garlic powder. Cut each pototo into eight wedges; dip in milk. Place in the bag, a few at a time, and shake to coat.

2. Place in a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tbs butter. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn wedges; drizzle with remaining butter. Bake 20-25 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Cheesy Zucchini Bake

I know gardening season is almost over, but this is well worth a trip to the grocery store and paying every penny they are [over]charging for the veggies. A friend gave me some zucchini, squash & tomatoes a couple weeks ago. As my kids would say "I'm not a big fan of zucchini & squash." I've sauted the zucchini & sqaush before with seasonings but it was only okay. So I decided to go to the trusty Allrecipes.com and typed in the ingredients I had on hand. Thus . . .

Cheesy Zucchini Bake

2 medium tomatoes, sliced and quartered
2 small zucchini, sliced
2 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup shredded monterrey-jack cheese, divided
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 bread crumbs

1. In a large bowl, lightly stir zucchini, squash, tomatoes, seasonings and 1/2 cup of monterrey-jack cheese. Pour into greased, 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
2. Top with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until veggies are fork-tender.
4. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and let stand for 5 minutes.

Serves: 6

I've typed it up how I made it. Hey, rules were meant to be broken, right?!? If you'd like to see the original recipe, click here. The photo is from http://www.allrecipes.com/ because my hubby snagged his work laptop and my photo of this recipe is on the laptop. A side note: I made this once with yellow tomatoes -- not the same result. I much rather have the red tomatoes!

Baked Beans

I don't know why baked beans only get a spotlight during the summer picnic season. They make the house smell so good while baking and taste so wonderful -- especially this recipe! My friend shared her recipe with me, so I thought I'd share it with you instead of depriving you of such wonderful goodness! Thanks, V!


Baked Beans

1 small onion, diced
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c ketchup
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 can kidney beans
1 can pork n beans
1 can butter beans

1. Brown beef, bacon and onion in a skillet; drain.
2. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
3. Place in oven-safe dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Note: You can add an additional cans of beans to get more volume.

Fun Meal

During the summers growing up, my mom would make the "fun meal". She would give us cubes or slices of cheese, pepperoni, a variety of fruits and vegatables and things like toothpicks or pretzel sticks. We could make 'creations' with our food. Things like boats out of cantelope slices, caterpillers out of banana and pretzel sticks . . .

Who knows how creative your child will be!

Instead of building things with food, you can always offer food to your children in creative ways that will make them want to eat it.

Bologne & Cheese

Use cookie cutters to make fun-shaped sandwiches.

Chili-man

(maybe they'd even eat green beans if they were part of chili-man -- even my girls like to eat the head, arms and legs off of something)

Squid-dogs

This is absolutely BAZZAR, but I thought it might be cool for boys -- insert dry spaghetti noodles into hotdog pieces and boil according to direction.

Use english muffins to make mini pizza. Add toppings to make faces. Kids like personalizing their own pizza.

Apple slices with peanut butter and mini marshmallows

(This one cracked me up -- wouldn't it be hillarous for an 'Over the Hill' bday party?!?)

Link to directions for Rainbow Toast: http://jujubeepreschool.blogspot.com/2010/03/rain-and-rainbows.html

Even salad can be fun!

Pictures taken off internet. I apologize for the spacing issues. Blogspot has a lot of problems with that and I didn't have time to "play around" with it today.

Lemon Greek Chicken

Lately, I've been wanting to try new recipes. A friend of mine lent me her Pampered Chef Stoneware Inspirations cookbook, so I tried the recipe for Lemon Greek Chicken. I made a few adjustments from the beginning according to our family's likes and dislikes. The changes are noted at the bottom.



Lemon Greek Chicken

Prep time: 20 minutes Bake time: 1 hour

2 lemons, divided
1/4 c olive oil
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2-3 tsp dried oregano leaves
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 split (bone-in) chicken breast halves (2 1/2-3 pounds)
8 petite red potatoes (about 12 ounces)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
1 medium red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
8 ounces whole mushrooms

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Zest one lemon to measure 1 1/2 tbsp zest. Juice lemon to measure 2 tbsp juice. In a mixing bowl, combine lemon zest, juice, oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt and black pepper; mix well.

2. Place chicken on center of pan. Using a pastry brush, brush chicken with a portion of the lemon juice mixture.

3. Cut potatoes in half. Cut bell pepper into 1-inch strips; cut in half. Cut onion into 1-inch wedges. Thinly slice remaining lemon. Combine potatoes, bell pepper, onion, lemon slices and mushrooms with remaining lemon juice mixture in mixing bowl; toss to coat.


4. Arrange vegetables around chicken on pan. Bake 1 hour or until chicken is no longer pink in center, brushing chicken and vegetables with pan juices after 30 minutes.

Yield: 4 servings


Notes: I know my family doesn't like too much lemon on their food especially fresh lemon zest (from a experiment gone bad a few weeks ago), so I added the lemon juice but substituted orange slices with the veggies. None of us like mushrooms, but I was sure they would add a good flavor. So I added them and put them in the leftovers for my MIL to try -- she loves them! Rick is the only one that likes onion, but again, I thought I needed them for the flavor. Guessing I could have used the ones he didn't eat in a soup or something . . . anyone have any ideas?? I also sprayed everything with spray butter that I had in the frig. There didn't seem to be enough lemon juice mixture for everything. Wish there was more liquid for basting, but not sure what to do about that since I didn't want to add more oil??


This was a hit with our family. I'll definitely be making this again. Next time I won't buy a whole chicken just because it was $.89/lb!! I almost became a vegetarian cutting up a raw chicken -- yeck! I'll try legs and thighs since my kids love drumsticks or split chicken breasts if they go one sale.

Crowd-Pleasing Scalloped Potatoes

I've had to compromise on this post . . . I made my own version of this recipe. I wrote down how I wanted to make it, but forgot to make the notes of how I would tweak it after it was made. I think it needed more liquid so I don't want to give you my recipe and not have it turn out.

SO . . . I'll just post the original and give you an idea of how I made my changes.



Crowd-Pleasing Scalloped Potatoes

prep time 30 min
total time 2 hr
makes 18 servings, 1/2 cup each

What You Need!

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
2 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup milk
10 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled and divided
4-1/2 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (about 12), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese

Make It!

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
COOK cream cheese spread, broth and milk in saucepan on medium heat until cream cheese is melted and mixture comes to boil, stirring constantly with whisk.
RESERVE 2 Tbsp. bacon. Layer half each of the potatoes, onions and remaining bacon in 13x9-inch baking dish; repeat layers. Add cream cheese sauce; cover.
BAKE 1-1/2 hours or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown, uncovering and topping with shredded cheese and reserved bacon the last 10 min.

You can click here for link to recipe on www.kraftfoods.com.

Notes: Unless you have a large, deep pan like in the picture shown, DO NOT use 4 1/2 lbs of potatoes! I think I used 9 potatoes and had a crammed full 9x13 pan. Also, I would definitely recommend placing half the potatoes in the pan, adding half the sauce, remainder of potatoes and remainder of sauce. I thought there wasn't enough sauce in the bottom half of the potatoes by adding the sauce at the end.

I didn't care for the curdled chunks of cream cheese (sorry I have texture issues). So I made my favorite scalloped potato recipe and made the following changes:
~ replaced the milk in my recipe with chicken broth
~ added bacon, chives and cheese (my scalloped potatoes calls for onions)

I'm sure I'll be making this soon and will try to take better notes. I'll add an official recipe to this post once I do that.

Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet

Continuing the theme in March, we'll consider this a tad Irish since there is cabbage in the recipe even though the pierogies make it Polish. This is another recipe I learned from my mother-in-law. There are no "measurements" so I looked up a few recipes and added the measurements I thought were close to the correct amounts.

Cabbage & Kielbasa Skillet

.

1 box frozen potato & cheese pierogies

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp oil

1 small onion

1 medium head of cabbage

1 1/2 lb kielbasa or smoked sausage (light works well)
.

1. Slice or coarse chop onions. Slice kielbasa and set aside.

2. Quarter and core the cabbage, then slice it into shredded cabbage. Place in large microwavable bowl.

3. Add 1/2 cup water and cover (not air tight) with paper towel, plate or an off-set lid. Place bowl in microwave and cook for 2 minutes. Stir and continue cooking at 2 minute intervals (stirring in between) until cabbage is tender. CAUTION: steam is very hot and can cause burns! Meanwhile . . .

4. Saute onion in large skillet with butter and oil until tender. (Tip: Adding a little oil to the butter when sauteing keeps the butter from burning.)

5. Add sliced kielbasa to skillet and heat/brown. (Are you still checking on the cabbage in the microwave?)

6. Add frozen pierogies to the skillet and cook according to package directions (5-7 minutes?). You can also remove onions and kielbasa first. (I usually pour them into a dish or bowl.) This will give pierogies more of an opportunity to brown and pick up the bits at the bottom of the skillet.

7. After cabbage has softened and pierogies have been cooked, add cabbage (and any liquid), kielbasa and onions to the skillet. Stir, cover and let simmer for a few minutes. Serve warm.
.

NOTE: You can always boil the pierogies according to direction and toss them in at the end. We prefer to brown them in the pan for more flavor. You can also cook the cabbage in the pan instead of steaming it in the microwave or a stove-top steamer. After Step 4, add the uncooked cabbage, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add kielbasa and cook until cabbage is tender.

Golden Shepherd's Pie

Since St. Patrick's Day is in March, I'm going to post an Irish dish today. (If it's not Irish, don't burst my bubble. I'm happy thinking it is.)

I don't remember how I stumbled on this recipe, but it was back when I was looking for recipes to use the turkey breast I got on sale. I misplaced it for a while (in a folder on my computer) and found it again! So I pulled out some turkey and stuffing* I had in the freezer, used leftover veggies and potatoes in the frig (I planned extra mashed potatoes the day before) and put this together.

Around Christmas, I found these little ceramic loaf pans for $1. I picked them up thinking I would make bread for someone and give them away. For some reason, I remembered they were laying around and made individual "pies". It worked great to send in my hubby's lunch to reheat in the microwave.


Golden Shepherd's Pie
2 to 3 cups prepared stuffing
1 cup cooked green beans, broccoli, carrots, or other vegetables
2 1/2 cups turkey, cubed or sliced
1 to 2 cups turkey gravy
2 cups mashed potatoes
1/4 cup butter, diced (optional especially if you preseasoned your potatoes)
Garnish: Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Paprika, Parsley
In four lightly greased oven-safe bowls, a 10" deep-dish pie plate or an 11x7" baking dish, layer stuffing, vegetables, turkey and gravy. Spread or pipe mashed potatoes over top; Dot with butter and sprinkles with garnishes as desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and golden. Serves 4-6.

* Some recipes I have call for a small amount of stuffing, so I make a whole box and freeze the remainder. My MIL puts some in her chicken salad. I use it for various recipes.
------------------------
After some research, I found the source of this recipe: Gooseberry Patch (again!) Click on it to be linked to the recipe.

Chicken-Lickin' Pork Chops

This recipe is from the new Gooseberry Patch Ready, Set, Eat! cookbook I bought at Jo-Anns with my 50% off coupon! (Those of you that were at the last meeting will understand where I got that idea.)

I'm not quite sure about the name, but these pork chops are really good. My favorite part -- it's a slow cooker recipe! I've been trying to find more crock pot recipes. I've also been making casseroles and freezing them ahead for hectic days (which seem to be fewer than far between).


Chicken-Lickin' Pork Chops

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
6 pork chops
1 to 2 Tbsp oil
10 3/4 oz can chicken & rice soup

Combine flour, mustard (I only added 1/2 tsp as I was afraind my non-mustard liking family may veto it from the get go), garlic powder, salt and pepper; dredge pork chops in mixture. Shake off excess flour and brown chops in oil, about 5 minutes per side. (I had ample flour mixture left over. I would guess that you could make double the chops with the measurements listed.) Arrange chops in a slow cooker; pour soup over chops. Cover and cook on low setting for about 6 hours, until tender. Serves 6.

*Next time I will add a cup or two of cooked rice to the crock pot before cooking. The amount of rice in the chicken & rice soup wasn't enough for a side dish.