Cheesy Spicy Rice

I love rice. I think I love it best as a main course which is probably why when I fix this I eat the whole pan.


1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced green pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (15 oz ) can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 to 3 dashes hot sauce
1 regular size boil n bag rice- cooked
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Parmesan cheese to taste

Saute green pepper and onion in 1 tablespoon olive oil until tender, add tomatoes and next 5 ingredients. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add rice and mix well. Let simmer for about a minute. Remove from heat and add cheddar cheese, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Note: Play around with the spices. You may find that more is better. Also I sometimes add a few shakes of red pepper flakes.

Heinz 57 Casserole

I found this recipe years ago in a magazine or on the bottle of Heinz 57 Sauce. I used to make it on a regular basis but then as things happen....time went by and I forgot how to make it. So I thought surely I could find the recipe online but after hours of searching for it I gave up. One day about a year ago I was browsing thru one of my few cookbooks ( please sense sarcasm here) and there it was. YAY!


1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
! Tbsp. oil
2 cups hot water
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes
1/4 cup Heinz 57 Sauce
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
dash pepper
4 oz. uncooked elbow macaroni, (about 1 cup)

Brown ground beef and onion in oil. Drain off excess fat. Stir in water and next 5 ingredients. Add macaroni, mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until macaroni is tender.

Winnie's Chicken Cacciatore

Billy Head helped a friend move some furniture last week and they thanked him by fixing dinner for him. He came home and said "You're Italian, right"? I said, "yeah....so" and he said..."then you know how to fix Chicken Cacciatore, right"? "Huh" I uttered. Well, Italian blood is in my veins but I must confess that during my 48 years I have never made Chicken Cacciatore. Thanks to Winnie Schamerhorn and her family recipe.... I have now scored brownie points with my husband and have made him Chicken Cacciatore. Here's the recipe plus my notes:

6 lbs chicken, cut up ( I used a package of breast tenderloins)
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 medium onions, chopped (I used 1 onion- only b/c that's all I had, but 2 would be great)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup oil
2 cups water
1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce
6 tablespoons vinegar
6 tablespoons sugar (this sounded like a lot of sugar for me, so I started with approx 2 and I would add from there, if you like things sweet, keep adding until you get it the way you like it)
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

Dredge chicken in flour, salt and pepper and paprika. Saute onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil, remove and set aside. Brown chicken in the remaining oil, using as little as possible, until all pieces are browned. Remove and set aside.

Place tomato sauce and remaining ingredients in pan and blend well. Bring to a boil and add onions and chicken. Simmer 40 minutes to 1 hour covered. Serve over pasta. (I used linguine).

Note: Use red wine vinegar instead of cider for a better taste.

Some good ole baked beans

I've never really followed a recipe when I make baked beans, I just open a can of pork and beans and add a little of this and a little of that.... and they are never anything to write home about. So, I thought outside the box and found a recipe..... what a difference a written recipe makes. (Recipe courtesy of The Shiloh United Methodist Church's Country Cookbook)

Hearty Baked Beans

1 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. mustard
1/4 tsp. salt
2 (No. 2) cans pork and beans
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup drained tomatoes (I used the petite diced tomatoes)
3 to 6 slices bacon

Mix all ingredients, pour into a greased casserole. Bake in 300 degree oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

And you know the rest..... beans, beans, good for the heart..... beans, beans...... lol

Asian Salmon

My sister gave me this recipe a long time ago and it is one of the best salmon recipes I have tasted. And to make it even better it's an easy recipe for seafood novices like me.

Enjoy!

2 lbs. salmon filets, with skin
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of black pepper
2 tbsp. minced onion
1 tbsp. sesame oil

Make several shallow slits in the skinless side of the salmon filets. Place filets skin side down in a glass baking dish.
In a medium bowl. whisk together the olive oil, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, pepper, onion and sesame oil. Pour the liquid over the salmon, cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove cover from salmon and bake in the marinating dish for about 30 minutes or until the fish can be flaked with a fork.

Desperate Housewives cook?

I guess the answer is yes.... since I found their cookbook at a yard sale and hopefully it will be worth the 2 bucks I paid for it. Let's see what the gals on Wisteria Lane eat. Hmmmm....Shopping Bag Chicken sounds interesting. Maybe it will make it to my table on Woodlawn Circle this weekend. (Just make sure you use a paper bag, not plastic)

4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cut into quarters (about 3/4 lb)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 links sweet or hot Italian sausage, cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
one whole chicken, cut into pieces
3 small zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch rounds

1. Preheat oven to 425, Toss the potatoes together with the olive oil in a large roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and toss again. Mix in the sausage pieces and scrape the potatoes and sausage toward the center of the pan.

2. Put the thyme, oregano, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper into a brown paper bag, Stir the spices and spread them out in a more or less even layer over the bottom of the bag. Trim any excess fat from the chicken pieces and pat them dry with paper towels. Add them to the bag, crimp the top to seal it tightly and shake the bag to coat the chicken evenly with the spices. Arrange the season chicken pieces skin-side up around the edges of the pan. Roast 15 minutes.

3. Add the zucchini to the center of the pan and stir to mix with the sausage and potatoes. Be as fussy (or not) as you like now and the next time you stir the vegetables. Turn them one by one to brown each piece evenly or just give them a big stir. Roast 15 minutes.

4. Stir (or turn) the vegetables and sausage one more time, keeping them in the center of the pan. Roast till no trace of pink remains at the thickest part of the chicken, about 20 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken to a serving platter and scatter the vegetables and sausages around it. Depending on the chicken and sausage, you may want to make a brief pit stop on a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain the meats and vegetables before putting them on the platter.

My almost "REDNECK" wedding

People who know me well know that my neck turns red when I'm A) mad, B) excited or C) nervous. It's one of those things that just happens and as hard as I try I have no control over it. Dealing with this for as long as I can remember, I certainly expected to have a "REDNECK" (beside Alan) at my wedding last Sunday. Needless to say, I was definitely items B and C.

Maybe love does cure all that ails you...cause guess what... I had no redneck. See...

not before...








Not during....

And not after...

Champagne Salad

My neighbor across the street is a very talented lady. She keeps her yard nicely manicured, she decorates for every season, she makes the neatest crafts and come to find out, she is a great cook too. She came over yesterday to check on our bathroom repair that her husband is helping us do and she mentioned that she was trying a new recipe called "Champagne Salad". Well with a name like that... I had to know more. "What's that?" I asked. So she told me all the good stuff that went in it and all the time I was thinking I need that recipe. The men were at a stopping point and decided to take a break to let the adhesive dry. So she and her husband went home for most of the afternoon. When he returned I asked him if his wife had made the salad yet and his eyes widened and a smile lit up his face and he said, Yeah, it is really good. Hmmm... just what I needed to hear. Now I knew I needed that recipe and I told him so. A couple hours later my phone rang and it was my salad making neighbor asking me to come over and get the recipe and some salad to boot. Yipeee. And he was right... this stuff is GOOD. Try some.

Champagne Salad

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 (16 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen strawberries with juice, thawed
• 3 bananas, sliced (cover with pineapple juice till ready to use)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. In a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese and sugar. Add the pineapple, whipped topping and strawberries and mix well with a mixer. Stir in bananas and walnuts with a spoon.
2. Pour into a 9x13 dish. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Cut into squares to serve. Return unused portion to freezer.
   

Pimiento Cheese

I love just about anything with cheese and years ago I was blessed with tasting REAL homemade pimiento cheese. Mrs. Marsh was the Pimiento Cheese Queen and used to bring the staff of Perry Pools the best DARN pimiento cheese ever. I have tried several times to make it myself with no luck but a couple of weeks ago I gave it another shot and do believe I've come up with a close contender.

Grandma Knowlton's Pimiento Cheese

1 1/2 cups (packed) finely grated extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese (about 6 oz)
1 1/2 cups (packed) finely grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese (about 6 oz)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup diced, drained pimiento peppers from a jar, roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Mash with fork to blend well. Season with salt and pepper. Cover; chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.

I have discovered the secret to good pimiento cheese- DUKES Mayonnaise- It really does make a difference. So splurge and get some.

Spaghetti Salad

I first tried this stuff years ago when I worked at another job. A co-worker brought it to a company holiday lunch we had. It was so good, I couldn't quit eating it. I asked her for the recipe and she said to buy McCormick's Salad Supreme and the recipe was on the back of the bottle. I did and I make this stuff often. It's so good.

Spaghetti Salad

1 16 oz box thin spaghetti
1 16 oz bottle Italian Dressing
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, diced (I usually use white)
1/2 to 1 cup green or red pepper, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 small tomatoes, diced
4 tablespoons McCormick Salad Supreme

Cook spaghetti in salted water according to directions, drain and rinse with cold water. Chop veggies and place in a large bowl.

Add the Salad Supreme and cooked spaghetti. Mix to combine. Add the Italian Dressing and mix well. Refrigerate for a couple hours and then devour.

Happy New Year

Well it's out with the old and in with the new. Hello 2010 and welcome. Anybody make any really good New Year's Resolutions? Me, well I have a few I'd like to stick with but as the year gets going my good intentions get going too, right out the window. Speaking of window... looking outside makes me want some good HOT soup. Here's my take on a classic. Enjoy!




Potato Soup

5 strips of bacon
4 medium potatoes, washed, peeled and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup water
1 15 oz can chicken broth
1 can Cream of Celery Soup
1 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, cook bacon strips until crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Saute diced onion in reserved bacon grease. Cook till tender. Add chicken broth, 1 cup water and potatoes. Cook till potatoes are tender. Add Cream of Celery soup and 1 cup milk. Continue cooking till heated through. Add cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Laddle into soup bowls and top with crumbled bacon. Perfect for a cold winter night.