I'm Baaaaack...

OK, it's been a LOOOOONG time, so you would think this would be a witty, life-changing blog post, but alas (I love when I can use that word), it is not. Just a yummy non-holiday recipe. Is anyone completely sick of holiday food, or just me. Anyway, here goes. This is our dinner tonight...

This came from The Domestic Diva. It is her Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Potato Soup that she came up with by combining two recipes. I made a couple of very minor alterations

Creamy Crockpot Chicken and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts (I used leftover turkey and just chopped it)
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth (depending on how thick you want the soup)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 8oz. reduced fat cream cheese, softened
  
• salt & pepper to taste
• garlic powder
  
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning (I didn't use this since my turkey was smoked and already quite flavorful)
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 12-15 small red potatoes, cut into quarters
  

Directions:
Coat bottom of crock pot with cooking spray. Add carrots to bottom if using. Place chicken on top, and add remaining veggies. Mix together chicken stock, soup, and cream cheese and pour over top. Add seasonings.
Cook on Low for 5-6 hours. Shred chicken with forks before serving!
**I added my turkey 2/3 of the way through since it was already cooked and I just wanted the flavor.

Messy Meatloaf/Stuffed Meatloaf

OK, so I found a couple of really cool recipes for this and thought it sounded and looked really yummy because we are pretty much suckers for anything Italian. Mine was most similar to Messy Meatloaf from Jersey Girl Cooks , but I originally found it through Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf from Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Anyway, I wanted to credit my inspirations and am also including the pic from Jersey Girl, since that's what mine looked like. I like my meatloaf to be soft, moist and juicy, so I use sauce and more filler in the meat mixture, so it's the consistency of a good Italian meatball, rather than a burger patty, but if you are more the meat type, by all means reduce the breadcrumbs and the sauce! Anyway, it was quite delicious and it is going in "the rotation". Since it has a veggie in it, I just served with a salad, but garlic parm mashed 'taters would be really good with it in retrospect. Here goes, give it a try - I think you will like it...

Messy Meatloaf

• olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package fresh baby spinach (6-10 oz - whatever your store carries will do just fine)
• 1 small can diced tomatoes, drained well (you could easily omit this, but since the original recipe called for mushrooms and Richard hates them, I wanted something else with the spinach)
• 2 c spaghetti sauce, divided (I use the cheapy Hunt's -Traditional flavor)
• 1.5 - 2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (I use part skim mozzarella to save on calories, but used all 2 cups, you know I love my cheese)
• .5 c Italian blend cheese (you could easily omit, but I pretty much keep this on hand because I love it so much in my Italian recipes)
• 1 .5 lbs ground turkey
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 tbs dried Italian seasoning
• salt & pepper to taste
  

Preheat oven to 350. Saute garlic quickly in olive oil and add spinach to "wilt" (don't let it get all goopey here people). Remove from heat and add approx 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 c mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese, and toss to combine. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, and seasoning. Add 1/2 cup of both spaghetti sauce and mozzarella. Mix well. *Adjust sauce and bread crumbs for your desired consistency by adding a little bit at a time. Add 2/3 of mixture to a lightly greased Pyrex. Flatten out the center to make a slight well (I left about a 1/2' lip on the sides. Spread spinach mixture in "well". Top with a little more cheese if desired (I did). Top with remaining meat mixture, and press around edges to "seal" and shape it like a loaf (if you like). I just used the side of my spatula/spoonula thing to do this. Spread remaining spaghetti sauce over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes or until meat thermometer reaches 165. Remove from oven and let rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving, or it is TRULY "Messy Meatloaf"! :-)

A twist on Chicken Divan

OK, as you all know, I'm on a tight budget and am trying to keep staples that I can do varying things with. It's almost like a game to see what all I can make without having to buy anything! One of my new favorite staples is the HUGE bag of frozen veggies from Costco - the Costco/Kirkland's brand "Normandy Style Vegetable Mix". It's not a big block of veggie mush, each individual piece is individually frozen, so it's easy to take out what you need and zip up the rest in the resealable bag. It contains broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots and yellow carrots cut on the diagonal. I personally had never heard of "yellow carrots", but I'm a fan. They remind me a little of yellow bell pepper because they are sweet and yummy. Because of my 6lbs of frozen veggie bounty, I figured I'd do a Chicken Divan-esque dish. I cannot even tell you how much better it was with all of these extra veggies. I would probably be more likely to call if a Curry Chicken Primavera, but who am I to rename a dish? Oh, and by the way, this was soooo cheap and easy to make! Unfortunately, I'm getting over some type of crud-du-jour and don't feel like putting in all of the ingredients to the nutrition calculator, but you are welcome to.
Here goes...

A Twist on Chicken Divan or maybe Curry Chicken Primevera :-)

• 4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves cooked (I chopped and then sauteed with garlic salt and pepper)
• 4 cups Normandy vegetable mix, thawed
• 3 cans reduced fat, low sodium cream of chicken soup (If you don't like as much "sauce" as us, reduce to 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
• 2.5 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• shredded cheddar (2%, of course)
• seasoned bread crumbs (I just blend stale sandwich bread with garlic salt, pepper and a bit of parmesan, transfer to a ziplock and throw it in the freezer for future use, instead of throwing the stale bread away)
• melted butter
• prepared brown rice (I also think this would be fabulous tossed with pasta as well if you aren't big on rice)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine soup, mayo, curry & mustard powders, and lemon juice in bowl. Add chunked (or shredded) cooked chicken to soup mixture until well distributed. Gently fold in veggies. Transfer mixture to lightly greased 9x11 casserole dish and spread evenly. Top with shredded cheddar. Top cheese with bread crumbs, and evenly distribute melted butter over top of bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for approximately 35 minutes, until top is bubbly and browned. Serve over rice. Since the rice takes about 35 minutes to cook, it is perfectly timed!

Enjoy!

My Recent Posting Hiatus

OK, so most of you know that I got laid off a little over a week ago. I know that everything will be fine, but I think that I have finally "landed" somewhere. By this, I mean that I went through a little bit of panic, a little bit of frantic damage control (uber-budgeting, resume updating, networking, etc), a day of "I don't want to get out of bed", and everything in between. Anyhow, I am still a little nervous, as anyone would be, but I feel "OK" with everything and am ready to move forward with whatever God is leading me too, and have seen that after a week, this budget is quite doable for now. I also have to say that Friday was the first day that I actually ENJOYED the day. I worked out, I cleaned, I ran errands (Costco stock-up trip with price comparisons from chain stores included), and still got to feel like I was somehow on vacation! ...Not to mention it was a BEAUTIFUL day.

I don't mean to leave Richard out of this (or this post), at all either, I know I'm sounding (and OK, being) all "me, me, me" right now, but this is as much about him as me, I know. He is very compassionate with my freakishness (as he always is), and reassures me that everything will be fine. As I've said before, I am so very blessed to have such a wonderful husband and partner who puts up with me and more than that LOVES ME SO.

OK, so what I'm saying is that you might see the posts get a little different here. I will be using a few more ingredients over and over thanks to Costco. I am going to see what all I can do with using some basic staples I bought and just filling in where I can. There will be a LOT more free form recipes, and less structure. Probably nothing too groundbreaking, but I can assure you they will be cheap to make!

I don't even know what to call this recipe, because it's actually something I've made a few times before, but have finally fine tuned it into something I consider a "keeper". There is absolutely NOTHING groundbreaking about it and feel like a dope posting it, but it's so good it warrants a post (probably in Richard's and my top 3). It's one of those things that I don't have to go t the grocery store to make because I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand (minus the pasta - until my latest Costco trip that had a variety pack of Barillia Plus pasta - the whole grain pasta plus all this extra good for you stuff). I guess it's just my take on baked ziti, but I really think that it is probably the best use for whole grain pasta, that tends to be a little tougher and bland than normal pasta. In this dish, the flavors really meld and since the pasta is twice cooked, is very tender without going mushy. OK, onto my WTVO ("white trash version of") Baked Ziti. I will make a few more comments than normal too...


This is also a time that I have to plug my favorite pan EVER. I love my cookware, and when my mom bought my this piece I can't believe I considered returning it because I thought that I wouldn't use it that much. Basically, it is a saute pan (on steroids), as well as great for baking (lid can go in the oven), and ooooh so easy to store the left overs because of the lack of a long handle. I now understand why Calphalon calls it the "Everyday Pan". I use this pan so much, and now that I have it, this dish (among others), becomes a one dish meal (minus the pan to boil the pasta).

WTVO Baked Ziti

First off, this makes a whopper amount, but this freezes really well and I have like to take half of it to eat on and the other half I freeze in lunch size portions (take it out of the freezer and leave it out until lunchtime and just heat as normal (by that time, it's just cold). I also freeze a portion large enough for dinner for Richard and I (the key to defrosting/reheating a larger portion is to cut it into several pieces before actually freezing).

• olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 1 bell pepper, chopped (This is key, for some reason, this just tastes like everything else if you don't use the bell pepper, so don't skip it)


• 4 cloves of garlic, minced (If they are jumbo, use less)


• 1-1.5 lbs ground turkey (All the manufacturers seem to make these packs different sizes, so just whatever you happen to buy)


• 2-3 links of sweet/mild Italian sausage (OK, this is what I SWEAR BY when making anything Italian. Even just a little bit added to your ground beef or turkey makes such a huge difference in flavor of the dish. I buy whatever is the cheapest or on sale at the time and then depending on the # of links, just freeze the pack in a freezer bag and use as I need)


• 1 can of Hunts or Del Monte spaghetti sauce (They are the cheapest by far, and work quite well in recipes. I like the traditional, or the herb, garlic, etc. - just don't mess with the meat or cheese flavors)


• 1 can of tomato sauce (I like a lot of sauce, so I use the 16 oz and not the 8 oz)


• 2-3 tbs Italian seasoning (I love thyme and basil, so I go with 2 tbs and then some extra of the thyme and basil separately)


• 1/4 c sugar (This cuts the whang of the tomato sauce)


• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (Not the fancy shredded kind, just the cheap kind in the shaker)


• 1 box of Barillia Plus rigatoni


• 2% mozzarella cheese, shredded


• Italian blend cheese

Saute onion in olive oil while chopping the bell pepper. Add bell pepper and garlic to onion and continue to saute for about 3 minutes. Add turkey and sausage to skillet to brown (i just squeeze the sausage like a tube of toothpaste into the pan). Add spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce sugar and spices to meat.

Preheat oven to 350 and simmer sauce while cooking pasta according to directions. Add parmesan cheese to sauce then stir in the coked and drained pasta. Mix all ingredients well and level the top of the mixture in the pan. Top with mozzarella and Italian cheese blend. Cover the dish with the fabulous oven safe lid, and bake until cheese is bubbly and mixture has set (about 15-20 minutes). I let sit for about 15 minutes before serving, because I like for it to firm up a little.

And for those who want "make ahead" dish, just do all of it besides the baking ahead of time and refrigerate until time for baking. You can just up the temp to about 375 and cook about 10 minutes longer.

...Like I said, there's nothing ground breaking about this, but it's healthy and really good. It puts mid-week spaghetti to shame and doesn't take half the time of lasagna.

Happy Anniversary (kind of)

OK, so this post is one of those teeny snipits that really is just me rambling and has nothing to do with cooking. Today is a year ago since Richard proposed, I said "Yes!" and we were engaged.

I can't believe that it has already been a year, the engagement party, wedding planning, showers and parties, the wedding & honeymoon and the reception have all come and gone. I also can't believe that we weren't able to sell his house and are thus stuck in a house too small for us and our menagerie of animals, but I digress. I should state that I am VERY thankful that we are in a house that we can easily afford in the these uncertain economic times and most of all that I'm with the man of my dreams each and every day...

Here we are at The Grape, celebrating our engagement, just a couple of hours after the popping of the question. It is where we had our first date, and we are both so sad that it closed in January. :-(

From the Grape we went to meet my friends Asheley and Tonya and surprise them with the news. Funny thing is, I got an email from Asheley earlier today, asking if I wanted to meet her there tonight! We have "anniversary" reservations at Standard Bistro though, YUMM!!!

A snapshot from our engagement party at my parents' house...

Our wedding in Cancun...

Our reception here in Birmingham...

Wow how time flies!!! Thanks for sticking with me for a couple of minutes while I take a walk down memory lane. I should be posting this weekend. Sunday, I'm planning on making Chinese Chicken and Vegetable Curry (Crockpot, of course). In the meantime, I have celebrating to do!

Soon to be famous

This recipe was one of my first "Oh my gosh, this is the best thing I've ever had, can't live without it", non-soup crock-pot recipes. I got it from my friend Leslie (whom I must say that I love so much and miss getting to see every day, but I talk to her at least every day or two via some form of electronic communication). I have to give her props that all of her tweaking this recipe to make it fabulous paid off.

This is something I make at LEAST once a month, and never have enough left over to freeze because we eat every single solitary drop! One Sunday evening last summer, Patrick and Richard ate ALL of it. Yes, ALL of it, your heard me right. Anyway, even if there are no more chunks of meat or veggies, I will heat up the straggler remnants and have what I call pot roast soup ( just the juice and the tidbits of meat and veggies that remain). I urge you to try it and not adjust anything - she's right on the money with everything - even changing the seasoning packet seems to make a difference (the notes out to the side are all hers). So without further ado, here's...

Leslie's Famous Pot Roast

• 3 – 4 lb Roast
• Enough Veggies to fill up the Crock Pot with roast (I use baby carrots, new potatoes, mushrooms and sometimes celery)
• ½ Onion (sliced)

In a bowl mix the following ingredients:

• 1 can of Beef Broth
• ½ cup red cooking wine
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Basil
• ½ tsp Oregano
• ½ tsp Thyme
• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• Pepper
• McCormick’s Pot Roast Seasoning (the seasoning that has the bag attached to it – I just like the flavor of this seasoning)
• ½ cup – cup of water

Mix all these ingredients and pour over the roast and veggies. Cook on Low 10 hours or on High 5 hours. I like to serve it with brown gravy.

...And did I mention that this is so way bad easy it's not even funny? Wow, how can I wait until Sunday to make this? Too bad chicken is already marinating for my Chicken Tikka Masala for tonight.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff

Very easy, very Yummy - enough said. This is another one of those "don't judge before you've tried".
(...Sorry Leslie, this one isn't new to you.)

Crock Pot Chicken Stroganoff

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
• 1/8 cup margarine
• 1 package dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (I prefer to use the reduced fat, or nufatchel cheese, but NEVER EVER fat free)
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can reduced fat/healthy requests condensed cream of chicken soup

Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. *The chicken will be golden brown and have a roasted taste and appearance - something that wouldn't happen if soup was added at the beginning. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm. Serve with no-yolks egg noodles or pasta of your choice.

Since I there are a lot of variables (like how many ounces of chicken you use, what kind and how much pasta you pick), I don't feel comfortable giving you nutrition info since it could vary so much. But I can tell you that this is a pretty healthy recipe to taste so rich and yummy. Give it a try and enjoy!

Even if you hate pork chops...

This recipe is good. I first got it from my friend Heather, and made it for a friend when his wife passed away. Apparently he and all the folks who came to his house after the funeral really liked it because I had to send him the recipe to pass on.

Anyway, I'm not a big fan of pork chops normally, but I must say that while I was making this I thought it looked, smelled and tasted good (from what I could tell from the mixing spoon and all). So I decided to make it myself, and I must say that it rocked. I had totally forgotten about it until my friend Shannon emailed me asking for a pork chop recipe and I I replied with "Nope, I hate pork chops". THEN, it all came back to me...

I modified it slightly yesterday to make it a little more healthy and we had it for dinner last night and I have frozen a couple of individual servings for me to take for lunch. Anyway, here's my "lighter" version of the original. I did the "oven" version instead of the crockpot version. I didn't go to the store until 5:00 last night, and since we wanted to eat before midnight, opted to cook it the quicker way.

Pork Chop Casserole

• 1 small onion, chopped & sauteed
• 6-8 pork chops (I used 8 of the "thick cut" center cut boneless pork chops), seasoned with seasoning salt and pepper
• Flour
• 20 oz pkg of frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 can Campbell's Healthy Request Cream of Celery Soup
• 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
• 1 cup 2% cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup french fried onions

Dredge seasoned pork chops in flour and then brown on both sides. Set aside to keep warm (I remove from skillet and cover with foil). In a bowl, mix together potatoes, soup, milk, garlic powder, 1/2 of cheese and sauteed onions. Place potato mixture in 9x13 baking dish. Place pork chops (and any "juice" over top of potatoes. Cover and bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes (or until chops are cooked thoroughly). Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese and french friend onions. Bake uncovered for additional 10 minutes or until melted and golden brown.

Calories
474.4
Total Fat
22.0 g
Saturated Fat
9.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat
7.5 g
Cholesterol
118.0 mg
Sodium
343.4 mg
Potassium
950.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate
20.9 g
Dietary Fiber
1.2 g
Sugars
0.8 g
Protein
46.1 g

Brown Sugar! (Sung like the Stones, of course)

Good song, good ingredient! I love brown sugar. It has lots of moisture in it and keeps cookies soft and makes good, yummy sauces. Since I'm a big fan, anything that has the ingredient in the title gets a try by me and oh so rarely rarely disappoints, today's recipe is no exception. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to "Brown Sugar Chicken"!

Seriously though, it is rare that I find a "basic" chicken crock pot recipe that excites me that doesn't have cheese and cream and stuff in it, and this one is pretty darn healthy! Before adding rice or veggies, about 284 calories per serving (if you make 4 servings out of it, but I personally think 6 servings is more like it). It is kind of carb heavy, but ultra low fat, and high in protein. I think that I'm going to try to start giving the nutritional breakdown of the recipes as often as I can now and I KNOW, I need to start adding pictures, but come on people, I DO have a life and don't really have time to plate my food in a pleasing manner and then have a mini photo shoot. Anyway, if you ever want to figure your recipes yourself, I would suggest the one at Sparkpeople. There are several out there on the internet, but I like this one the best. I digress though, onto the recipe!

Brown Sugar Chicken

• 2 lbs. boneless chicken pieces (I use breasts of course, but who am I to judge)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vinegar (I use balsamic, but I like the strong taste, so I leave it up to you – you may HATE it with balsamic)
• 1/4 cup lemon -lime soda
• 2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
  

Place chicken pieces in your slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
Serve with brown rice (none of that white stuff folks), and frozen oriental type veggies (nuke them first, of course).


Here's the nutritional breakdown of the entire recipe, so divide it by however many servings...
Calories
1,136.4
Total Fat
1.8 g
Saturated Fat
0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.4 g
Cholesterol
82.4 mg
Sodium
1,146.8 mg
Potassium
1,158.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate
245.7 g
Dietary Fiber
0.1 g
Sugars
30.5 g
Protein
33.8 g

Cajun Chicken Pasta

OK, so this isn't a "healthy" recipe, sometimes you just can't change it up and leave the flavors intact and this is one of them. I'm going to give you the time-modified, "Gina version" out to the side. It's quite yummy. Just fill up on salad first so you don't blow through like 800 calories before you know it. One day I'm going to try it in the crockpot. You know I try to adapt anything I can...

Cajun Chicken Pasta

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced (or about 2 cups of chicken from a rotisserie chicken)
• 1 green onion, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (Instead of the last three ingredients, I just buy the bag of diced peppers and onions from the freezer section, but if I have green onions on hand, I garnish the finished product with a few)
• 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups heavy cream/whipping cream
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
• 3 tsp cajun seasoning
• black pepper to taste
• 2 tbs parmesan cheese
• 4 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, whatever you prefer - the fett is my fave)

Cook pasta according to directions. Saute vegetables in a little butter or oil, add cream and spices, and cook/simmer over medium heat until sauce has thickened. Usually about the same amount of time until pasta is done, drained and ready to serve). Toss chicken and cream sauce into cooked pasta and serve.

Enjoy!

Summer Lovin'

So my parents just left this morning for a lovely tropical cruise. It made me long for summer and all of the food and fun that goes along with warm, beachy vacations. Low and behold, I opened my Google Reader this morning (basically my morning news paper), and one of the recipe blogs I follow had this....
Recipe for Salad with Tomatoes, Avocado, Feta, Shrimp, and Caper Vinaigrette

I know it is sort of a lame thing for my to post only to give you a link to another post, but does this not make you think (even for just a minute) that you are at the beach and the weather is all warm and sunny and you have a tropical drink in your hand? I haven't made it of course, since I just read it this morning, but I think I see Saturday's lunch in my crystal ball. Maybe I'll even put on a sarong and some flip flops while I make it.... Mmmmm, I can smell the suntan lotion now...

Crock pot love (and smoked sausage and rice)

Hey guys. Not much going on here (thank goodness). I am partially recovered from the Mercedes half marathon from Sunday. I can now pick up my feet again instead of just sliding them along the floor. Thanks for those of you who supported my fundraising efforts for The Bell Center. It is MUCH appreciated. And for those of you who didn't, there's still time - just click "donate" on the widget on the right side of this blog. ...But onto cooking now!!!!

As you all know, I am quickly becoming the queen of the crockpot. There are weeks that I don't even put it away because I use it so much. OK, another reason that I use it so much might be laziness because the cabinet where I keep it has all of my pots and pans, so there's always a little frustration that goes with putting it away. Regardless of the reason, I'm a die-hard lover of my crock. I have a couple, but the one I use I highly suggest because of the timer on it. I can tell it how long to cook on high or low and once that time is over, it turns itself down to keep warm. I must say too, that its "keep warm" setting is not the pits-of-hell-boiling kind of keep warm that a couple of my other crocks have been. It is a truly superior crock pot if I may say so myself (and reasonably priced at your friendly, neighborhood Wal-Mart too)! Click here for details.

Also, while I'm on the subject of crockpots, here's a good ol' stand by. Nothing fancy, but always good and filling. Not to plain, but not too crazy either. Just a healthy set-it-and -forget-it (if I may plagiarize Ron Popeil's tag line) type meal.

SMOKED SAUSAGE AND RICE

• 1 pound turkey smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 ½ cup long-grained wild rice
• 2 ¾ cups chicken broth
• 1 16 oz can of diced or stewed tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (can sub 1 yellow onion, but has a different taste all together - still yummy, just different)
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• Cajun seasoning, to taste (2 tsp is about my rule of thumb)

Add all ingredients in crockpot, mix well, and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Checking at hour 4 to ensure rice doesn’t overcook.

Enjoy!
Gina

Dry cleaning and African Stew!

So, I am so mad about the dress I wore for New Year's Eve! I love it and it is ultra comfy. The problem is that it is delicate silk and has a few water spots on it and needs to be cleaned (before Friday mind you), because we have a cocktail party to go to and fatty patty here is too uncomfortable in her other two cocktail dresses that she likes (I have two others that fit fine, but don't really like either of them). Here's a pic where you get an idea of the "bedazzling" that's causing the problem (it cracks me up that you can see the reflections on Kate). The rest of the dress is this black to gray ombre silk.


Anyway, I took it to two different dry cleaners (good ones, mind you), and they were both like "Uh, yeah. We can't guarantee that that stuff at the top (embellishments, bedazzle-ing, whatever you want to call it) won't turn weird colors after it's been cleaned." What the heck?? Shouldn't the manufacturer say "Consider this a disposable dress, because you won't be able to get it cleaned." If they had done that, I wouldn't have bought it. I guess that's why they didn't. Grrrrr...

OK, so besides the dress incident yesterday, I made African Groundnut Stew last night (Hkatenkwan). It sounds totally odd, but it was really good, very filling and mucho healthy. And the next time I make it I may even leave out the chicken, I don't know. Anyway, if you are looking for something different, give this a try. It doesn't taste anything like you think it will. I was actually surprised how much I liked it. I made minor alterations here and there as it cooked and it is kind of a hybrid of several recipes that I found for it. Anyway, be brave and try it and I think that you will be pleasantly surprised!

Groundnut Stew (Hkatenkwan) ...I'm assuming the "H" is silent

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
• 1 can undiluted condensed tomato soup
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (I cut them up with kitchen shears in the can)
• 2 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 large yam, cooked and cubed (canned - hello, they are already cooked and cubed)
• 1 cup okra (I used thawed, frozen okra)
• 1 can of black beans
• 2 tbs fresh minced ginger (you could used powdered, but ginger is so cheap if you just buy a "nub" of it and it is sooo much better fresh)
• 1 tbs. cumin
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 cup peanut butter (I used natural, so it may taste different with processed pb)
• A 2-3 pound cooked chicken, cubed or torn - skin removed and discarded (I went the easy way of rotisserie from the store)
• hot pepper flakes, cayenne pepper and salt to taste (probably about a tsp of each, but everyone is different)

Saute onions and eggplant until cooked, add liquid ingredients and spices. Bring to low boil, and add peanut butter and remaining vegetables and torn or cubed chicken, return to low boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. If the stew is too thick, just add more chicken broth until you reach the desired consistency.

• Serve over brow rice (Since it takes brown rice about 25 minutes to cook, I just started it, when I added the vegetables and chicken.)

**One of the recipes called for adding a sliced banana, which I did not do because it scared me, but in retrospect, I think that it would have been fabulous and I plan on buying one and using in the leftovers!

Give it a try!

Gina

White Trash Tuesday

Not really... Um, well maybe sort of. Two words - Taco Meatloaf.
This is not really a "classy" recipe, but it is so darn good! I've passed it along to a few friends who either don't like meatloaf themselves or have kids who don't and it still gets good marks because hello, who doesn't like Mexican?? Anyway it is very healthy using the turkey and 2% cheese (please don't try to go "no-fat", that stuff is wretched and fake). I served it with a rice dish made up of stuff I had on hand and it was an excellent meal.

Taco Meatloaf

• 1lb ground turkey
• 4 taco shells, crushed (I use these because they aren't salty and they are CHEAP, the taco seasoning is salty enough, so I think that fritos or corn chips might make it too salty unless they are left over freebies from a Mexican restaurant - hmmm, this has me thinking now, but I digress)
• 1 pkg taco seasoning
• Minced onion to taste (I just used the dried, who wants to chop a whole onion for this?)
• Garlic powder to taste
• 1 can Rotel (drained)
• Grated cheddar cheese (I probably used about a cup in the meatloaf because we like cheese, and then probably half a cup over the top)
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• Taco sauce
  

Combine all ingredients and spread in a lightly greased pan or dish (I don't use a loaf pan, I prefer an 8x8). Bake for 60-70 minutes at 350. Before it was completely done, I spread a little taco sauce over the top and sprinkled with more shredded cheese.

Mexican Black Beans & Rice

OK, so this was made purely out of stuff I had on hand that I thought might work together (so by all means, play around) but it was PERFECT with the meatloaf and a salad.

• 1 cup uncooked rice (brown is healthier, so it's what I had on hand and it was quite good)
• 2 cups chicken broth (I just like rice cooked in broth better than water and I ALWAYS have chicken broth on hand because I use it in everything)
• 1 tbs Cumin
• 2 tsp dried minced onion

Cook Rice according to directions, and about about halfway through add...

• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained (I'm sure Mexicorn would be even better)
• 1 can black beans drained
• 2 tbs black bean salsa (I love the Sam's brand of this, so again "on hand", but any of it would work, or just use a bit of the taco sauce from above)

White trash as may be we love it and it's inexpensive, quick, easy, good and suprisingly healthy. My trailer just caught fire though, and my old camaro is up on blocks so I need to go...

Next week, Spam Surprise!! Just kidding ;-)

Scary Stuff!

So I was in the kitchen this morning talking to a coworker who is pregnant and getting all of the fun scoop, when she breaks out the news that he daughter has strep and SCARLET FEVER! April and I were completely freaked and thought that only happened in Little House on the Prairie days, but apparently not. Her child was diagnosed with strep, but they missed the scarlet fever until she couldn't get rid of her fever, turned red from torso to toes with a smooth red rash that turned to a sandpaper feel by the next day (apparently the tell-tale signs of SF). To make matters worse coworker had to have some special blood tests and stuff done to make sure that baby is OK since pregnant moms do NOT want to come in contact with SF. Hopefully all is going to be fine though! Scary, scary and be aware of the scarlet fever signs! Who knew??

Later,
Gina

P.S. I need to decide what couple of things to cook this weekend. Any requests or ideas? I'm kinda thinking taco meatloaf for one and Caribbean pepperpot soup for the other. ?? That soup may be too much for Richard after doing so well with the Tikka Masala though...

P.P.S. I want a great camera. I know that I only have dogs and cats to photograph but I need to practice anyway...

Tasty Tuesday (in honor of Leslie's posting hiatus)

So, although I am a creature of habit, something I really get tired of the same ol', same ol'. And even though I have a husband who swears he'll eat anything I put in front of him, he is a little less than adventurous when it comes to food. So this leaves me trying to think of something different and yummy that he won't hate, and all of a sudden it hit me! Chicken Tikka Masala! It is to Indian food, what the California roll is to sushi - kind of the "gateway" food, if you will. Anybody who eats it likes it.

I figured I could "deheat" it a little by omitting the really hot stuff and give it a try. I also wasn't sure how it was going to taste without grilling the chicken, but I just broiled it on a broiler pan (lined the bottom with foil for easy cleanup) and it was a snap. And a plus is that I was only in the kitchen on an off for about 30 minutes. It is just as good as any Indian restaurant and just has fabulous flavor. Richard loved it too and that was a plus. I will list the recipe as it should be made, and I've noted my small changes as well. We at it with a salad and served it over rice. If you want to be really authentic, buy some naan and have that too - YUMM!!!!

Chicken Tikka Masala

1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
salt to taste (I just put one little pinch of sea salt)
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces (I use 4)
4 long skewers (I didn't use skewers - just put atop a broiler pan)
_________________________________________________________

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (Omitted this one totally for the less hot version)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
3 teaspoons salt, or to taste (just a pinch or in my opinion it is too salty)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half because it is what I had on hand and then added a little yogurt to thicken the sauce since half and half doesn't thicken quite like cream)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (omitted this because I just didn't want to buy it just for this)

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour (or up to 24)
2. Preheat a grill for high heat, lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side (it was nasty and cold last night, so I just put my oven rack in the middle and broiled the chicken for about 8-10 minutes)
4. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and 3 teaspoons salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

I really urge you to try it, it is quite yummy and really easy. I'm really looking into a way of doing this in the crock pot, but I'm afraid it's just not a "crock pot" kinda recipe. :-(

Chili Cook-off!

We are having a chili cook-off at work tomorrow (Friday), and I am happy to announce that I'll be bringing my white chili and from what I can tell I'm the only white chili (although I should probably call mine "Off-White Chili" or "Not-So-White Chili" because the tomatoes make it a little less white, but not much. I'll let you know how it all turns out. I could probably eat this chili every day of my life. I always make a ton in hopes that I can freeze some for later use, but this one NEVER makes it to the point of having enough left over to freeze.



I must say that although this is currently my favorite chili, I've been torn as to whether or not I should distribute the recipe because it will probably be one of my dishes if I can get my dinners-to-go business started. So maybe this is probably both the first and last time it ever gets posted. Just don't tell anyone (shhhhh)... This makes a pretty big batch, so you can easily half for one meal for 4 people. I know that the ingredients may seem a little strange, but just give it a try before you curl your nose up at it.

Gina's White Chili

• 1 large onion, chopped


• 4 cloves of garlic, minced


• 2 lbs ground turkey


• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (aka "Rotel")


• 6 cans navy beans (you can also use great northern, or canellini, but I prefer the navy)


• 3-5 cups chicken broth (depends on how thick or thin you want your chili)


• 2 tbs cumin


• 2 tbs oregano


• 2 tsp cinnamon


• ground white pepper to taste (about 1 tbs for me)


• 1 lb shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Sauté onions with turkey and garlic until turkey is browned. Blend 3 cans of navy beans with some of the broth (I've found it easier to do one can at a time - I blend with the broth so that it is thinner and easier to pour into the pot). Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours or so, adding cheese one hour before the end. This is such a good chili, it really doesn't need any toppings(, but it's pretty good with corn chips of course if you want the crunch).



Two notes -

*If you don't want to crock pot it all day, just simmer on the stove for 30 minutes of so and don't add as much of the broth. It won't be as rich as the all day version, but still very tasty!



*I tend to just start the soup in the morning and leave it on all day to simmer, so basically, the cooking time correlates to the amount of broth. If you aren't cooking all day, just start with the 3 cups and go from there. It's always easier to add more than start with too much!

Beware of Garbage Trucks - The Law of the Garbage Truck

Hey guys. I know that this has nothing to do with cooking, but this is SUCH a good analogy. For those who haven't read "The Law of the Garbage Truck", please click on the link. It will truly make you think about the way that you react to others.

The Law of The Garbage Truck

The Law of the Garbage Truck™Copyright 2007 David J. Pollay

How often do you let other people’s nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive employee ruin your day? Unless you’re the Terminator, you’re probably set back on your heels. However, the mark of your success is how quickly you can refocus on what’s important in your life. Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here’s what happened. I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, the car skidded, the tires squealed, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the other car’s back-end. I couldn’t believe it. But then I couldn’t believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. How do I know? Ask any New Yorker, some words in New York come with a special face. And he even threw in a one finger salute! I couldn’t believe it! But then here’s what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was friendly. So, I said, “Why did you just do that!? This guy could have killed us!” And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, “The Law of the Garbage Truck™.” He said:
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they’ll dump it on you.

So when someone wants to dump on you, don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You’ll be happier."
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said, “I don’t want their garbage and I’m not going to spread it anymore.” I began to see Garbage Trucks. Like in the movie “The Sixth Sense,” the little boy said, “I see Dead People.” Well now “I see Garbage Trucks.” I see the load they’re carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don’t take it personally; I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on.

One of my favorite football players of all time was Walter Payton. Every day on the football field, after being tackled, he would jump up as quickly as he hit the ground. He never dwelled on a hit. Payton was ready to make the next play his best. Over the years the best players from around the world in every sport have played this way: Tiger Woods, Nadia Comaneci, Muhammad Ali, Bjorn Borg, Chris Evert, Michael Jordan, Jackie Robinson, and Pele are just some of those players. And the most inspiring leaders have lived this way: Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. See, Roy Baumeister, a psychology researcher from Florida State University, found in his extensive research that you remember bad things more often than good things in your life. You store the bad memories more easily, and you recall them more frequently. So the odds are against you when a Garbage Truck comes your way. But when you follow The Law of the Garbage Truck™, you take back control of your life. You make room for the good by letting go of the bad. The best leaders know that they have to be ready for their next meeting. The best sales people know that they have to be ready for their next client. And the best parents know that they have to be ready to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses, no matter how many garbage trucks they might have faced that day. All of us know that we have to be fully present, and at our best for the people we care about. The bottom line is that successful people do not let Garbage Trucks take over their life. What about you? What would happen in your life, starting today, if you let more garbage trucks pass you by? Here’s my bet: You’ll be happier.

Brunch is the best...

OK, so I'm sure I'm not the only one who loves a brunch. Love the time of day, love the food, etc. You just can't go wrong, and it's easy schmeezy prep-ahead stuff. So, I hosted a brunch for my friend Tonya's birthday this past Saturday and it was really good and really fun if I may say so myself. And since the last guests left after 3:00, I'll take that as a success.

Tonya didn't want gifts, so I emailed everyone ahead of time with a list of questions to fill out about her and that we would share at the party. That guest's favorite thing about Tonya, funniest thing about Tonya/that I’ve done with Tonya/that I’ve seen Tonya do, most memorable Tonya moment and last but not least, 5 words that best describe Tonya. I had sheets printed out that everyone could fill out during the party (but Tonya didn't know). It ended up being really fun and we all laughed our pants off about the mouse hysterectomy story (since that was down for more than a couple of people's funniest thing about Tonya).

We also played a goofy game that was actually fun and kept the whole group talking instead of it being 2 talking here and 2 talking there... I was concerned that there were a couple of people who really didn't know everyone else and I didn't want them to feel excluded. It's a good mingling game if you ask me. When a guest got there they got a name tag stuck to their back with the name of a famous person. The goal was to ask yes/no questions about who they were until they could guess. It was pretty funny. The ones I thought would be really easy ended up being harder and there were a few that I thought would be hard that were guessed pretty quickly. Pamela Anderson was the one that took ALL DAY and I thought it was going to be one of the easiest.

So now for the good part - the food. Peeps, let me tell you that if you have a breakfast or a brunch, MAKE THIS CASSEROLE. Remove the others from your repertoire!! It is super easy because you make it ahead of time and it only takes about 5 or 10 minutes of prep time, at that. Just don't forget to put it in the oven in time because it takes an hour. I had it the first time at a recipe shower that was thrown for me by the Falls. Everyone had a fit. I figured that I had to give it a try and there wasn't one single bite left. I cannot believe that we finished it off - it was HUGE.

I served it with cheese grits (I think this is one of those things you can't mess up, regardless of how you make them), but I'll post the recipe for this as well. I used pepper jack because of Asheley. I also had fruit, and had some other girls bring orange rolls and cinnamon rolls. I have a fabulous recipe that due to the fact that I don't have a double oven yet (one day, one day!!). It's for the best freaking french toast (also a make ahead that ROCKS and takes no time to prepare, and the fact that you make it in a disposable lasagna pan lends itself to easy clean-up. Tonya - I'm so sorry that we didn't have this because you would have LOVED it.

I served the same two punches that I had at my Christmas cookie swap as well (Bellini punch and SoCo or Southern Comfort punch). Of course both were finished off because these girls love their adult beverages! Richard was pretty bummed that there wasn't anything left besides a bite of cheese grits, but I made Leslie's pot roast on Saturday and served it with the left over cheese grits and it was fabulous. I never would have thought about doing that, but may have to do it again!

All in all, happy birthday to Tonya and thanks to the heavens for making brunch such a lovely, fun and delicious time!

Cheesy Brunch "Quicherole"

• 2 lbs mild pork sausage
• 3 cups milk
• 9 eggs, beaten
• 5 slices white bread, cut in 1" cubes
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I used a 2% mix sharp white and swiss)
• 1.5 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper

Brown sausage until fully cooked and crumbly, drain.
Add other ingredients and mix well
9x13 baking dish - For best results: chill overnight
Cook on 350 for 1 hour or until firm

Carla's Decadent French Toast

• 5 T. light corn syrup
• 1 Cup light brown sugar
• 5 T butter
• 3 Layer no crust white bread
• 5 eggs
• 1 ½ cp milk
• 1 T. vanilla
• * I add cinnamon and sometimes nutmeg.

Combine syrup, butter and light brown sugar and boil until bubbly in a sauce pan (I have doubled the original amounts to make extra, so the recommended portion is half of what is above, but you will see THAT is the best part and what makes this soooo yummy!).
Pour mixture into disposable lasagna pan. Layer bread over syrup mixture. Blend milk, eggs, vanilla, etc. and pour EVENLY over mixture. For best results, chill overnightBake 350 until brown.

Cheese Grits

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit if using pepper jack cheese)
• 1 1/4 cups grits (quick is fine, but not instant)
• 2 cups grated cheese
• White pepper to taste
• *Optional 3 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Bring milk and broth to a boil on med-high heat. Add grits and simmer stirring occasionally for 30 minutes. Add butter (if desired) and cheese - season accordingly and serve immediately.

If you are interested in the punch recipes, just post a request and I will pass them on!

Later!

Gina

I hate spinach

OK, not really but have you ever been stupid enough to try a new recipe before taking a dish to a dinner party. EVERYTIME I do this, I regret it. When will I learn?

We were going to meet have dinner at Scott and Stacy's house with a bunch of friends. I was the last one to sign up for something to bring, so I had a tough time deciding on a side that would be good with beef tenderloin and parmesan potatoes and then I thought of creamed spinach. I've made it as well as spinach souffle in the past and always loved it, so why not? That would be fine if I hadn't thought that I could improve my existing recipes by using the Ruth's Chris Creamed Spinach recipe (they publish all of their recipes on their website), but now I'm convinced that it is just a sick joke because if I had served the creamed spinach as published, it would have been a bland, dry mess.

Since my previous spinach recipes took 20 minutes max from start to finish and I wanted to have warm food when I arrived at Stacy's, I waited until the last minute to make my spinach. And to add insult to injury, I had already added my spinach to the roux when I realized it was going to be a monumental failure. Anyway, long story short I ended up having to empty my 'fridge of any and all dairy (with the exception of Velveeta), just to make it salvageable. Lucky for me I keep garlic on hand because without fresh garlic, it would have had the flavor of old socks. So the moral of this story my friends, is to NOT EXPERIMENT before dinner with friends and under NO circumstances should you trust any recipe on R.C.'s website!

Here's my stand by recipe with no certain measurements because good creamed spinach is just easy and there's no need to measure.

EASY SCHMEEZY SPINACH

• olive oil or butter (no substituting with a spread please)
• 2 packs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• fresh garlic
• minced onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4-8 oz cream cheese (reduced fat OK, but no fat free)
• 4-8 oz milk or half and half
  

Heat olive oil on medium high, lightly saute garlic and minced onion
Add spinach and continue to saute until spinach no longer has a "raw taste" (about 7-10 minutes)
Add equal parts cream cheese and milk (or half and half), until you reach desired consistency.

Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese before serving.

For a good souffle or casserole, add 2 eggs lightly beaten with a little milk and bake for 15-20 minutes until set.

And the winner is...

OK, I actually have a few recipes to post today. But first things first!!! Back to last week's cliff hanger. "Who won the battle of the soups??!!", I'm sure all two of you have been asking yourself daily, checking my blog in disappointment when you saw there was nothing there. Well, here's what you've been waiting for. I think that my "revised version" of the soup really tasted like the original, but it had more veggies and that's always good, so I'm going to go with version #2 as the decided winner. It is quite a delicious and healthy soup either way. I will post that recipe below.



Now onto the rest of my cooking adventures. I always cook dinner on Sunday. "Supper" for clarification since Sunday is the only day of the week when we folks in the south refer to lunch as "dinner" - I've never understood that. Anyway, wanted to try something new and wanted to do a pork roast so I found a recipe for Pork Chile Rojo. Sounded good and had high ratings on allrecipes, my recipe "holy city", if you will (I'm not being blasphemous here, please note). If allrecipes.com had a frequent flyer club, I'd have several free round trip tickets to anywhere around the world. I'm what you would call and addict. Anyway, I digress.



I made the pork, it was good, but not something that you want to eat the leftovers several times because it is soooo delicious. It was a one time meal kind of "I like it". Well, obviously we had a little left over since it was a 4.25lb roast and there are only two of us. So, I went to my recipe holy land and found a KILLER Pork Chile Casserole to make with the leftovers and it KILLED. Very, very yummy. Richard had his as burrito stuffing, and I ate mine as casserole with a salad. I topped with low fat sour cream and some taco sauce. Well, Richard only got the taco sauce because he thinks that sour cream is evil (weirdo). Asheley came over to help me decide on the hanging of artwork and the final (or at least final for now) furniture placement before we take the overstock to storage, and she had some of the casserole and like it too. Could be that she was famished from a day of no eating, but I'm going to cling to the idea that it's because the casserole was so friggin' good.

Here are the recipes that mentioned in this post:

Pork Chile Rojo
· 1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
· 3 tablespoons chili powder
· 1 cup chopped onions
· 4 cups water
· 2 (16 ounce) jars salsa
· 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
· Juice from 1 lime

1. Place the pork roast into an oven roasting bag set inside a slow cooker. Sprinkle the chili powder over the roast and arrange onions on top of the roast. Loosely close the top of the bag with a nylon tie. Use scissors to cut 3 vents, 1-inch long in the top of the bag. Pour the water into the bottom of the slow cooker, around the bag, so that it is at least 1 inch deep.
2. Cover and cook the pork on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
3. Remove the pork and onions from the bag and place in a large Dutch oven; reserve 3/4 cup of liquid from the bag. Shred the pork by pulling it apart using two forks. Stir the salsa, tomatoes, and cooking liquid in with the shredded pork.
4. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Gina's Turkey Vegetable Soup
· 1 package ground turkey ( I believe the Butterball packages are 1 ¼ pound)
· 6 slices turkey bacon chopped
· 1 onion, chopped
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· Salt, pepper, coriander, Italian seasoning
Brown in a little olive oil until turkey is done – DO NOT DRAIN
· 2 ½ cups frozen vegetables (I used the mix of corn, carrots, green beans and English peas)
· 2 cups of gumbo vegetables (okra, red peppers, peppers, onions and corn)
· 3-4 fresh yellow squash chopped (I used chunky pieces)
· 1 large can diced tomatoes
· 1 can rotel
· 1 medium can tomato sauce meatloaf seasoning (I believe this was made by Del Monte)
· 4-5 cups Chicken stock/broth (I always use Swanson’s organic, low sodium)
· Ketchup to taste (I probably used almost ¼ cup)
· Worcestershire sauce to taste (I probably used almost a ¼ cup)
Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or cook on low in a crockpot for 6 or so hours.

Pork and Green Chili Casserole
· 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
· 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin chops, cut into bite-size pieces
· 1 1/2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
· 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
· 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
· 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
· 2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chile peppers
· 3 tablespoons chunky salsa
· 1/4 cup water
· 2 tablespoons ground cumin
· 1 cup shredded Colby cheese
*I modified this recipe slightly because my pork was already cooked with tomatoes and salsa in it, so I just used 1 can or rotel. Also, mine was pulled and not cubed.
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add pork, and saute until browned. Drain off grease. Add the rice, cream of chicken soup, black beans, tomatoes, green chiles, salsa and water. Season with cumin. Stir to blend, then bring to a boil. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). When the pork mixture is cooked, transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
3. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with tortillas

Well - that's all for now. Have a great weekend!

Veggie Soup day & fabulous freezer storage for soup

OK, everyone knows that Richard and I eat a LOT of soup during the fall and winter, so I'm taking my not yet famous "Gina's Vegetable and Turkey Soup" and trying a few new things in it tonight to see if I like it better, like it the same or if I've "messed with perfection" and end up screwing it up. I'll post tonight or tomorrow and let you know how it turns out.

I've also found the PREFECT freezer containers finally. They have a double seal and so far, NO FREEZER BURN on leftovers at all. I think that's another reason I'm so "soup". It's so easy to freeze and have later. They actually have them on sale at Bruno's this week (25% off), so I picked up a few more. They aren't much to look at, but I haven't found anything that was so good about keeping my soup from getting freezer burned.

http://www.rubbermaid.com/rubbermaid/product/product.jhtml?prodId=HPProd220001

Anyway, wish me good luck on my veggie soup experiment and I'll post the winning recipe tomorrow (the existing champ or the new challenger). Ha ha!

Williams-Sonoma Professional Multi-Chopper

OK, so I have been so blessed with great wedding gifts, gift cards, etc. This has enabled me to get a TON of the kitchen tools and gadgets that I'd always wanted. I thought that all of you cooks out there would be interested in the ones that have completely changed my life. This is my ultimate favorite gadget. I try to cook with vegetables as often as I can and have several recipes that require a god deal of chopping (veggie lasagna, vegetarian chili, pasta primavera, etc.), so when I came across this little gem while registering at WS, I was sold. The video online is what really sucked me in. I have to testify that this little gem makes chopping a million veggies like a 5 minute job. I don't use it if I just have one measly onion to chop, but when I've got things to slice, or several things to chop, I wouldn't trade it for anything. LOVE IT!!!! If you do anything with vegetables, I HIGHLY encourage you to go to the WS website and watch the video demo (click here) and then go buy one! AS the video will point out, it stores very easily. The only downside is that it's slightly tedious to clean up (but no more so than anything else that does the same thing like a grater).

The Best Bean and Ham Soup EVER

This is sooo cheap to make and is delicious on a cold night. It's great served with garlic cheese biscuits. Yummmm...

Ingredients:

• 4 (15.5 ounce) cans great northern beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups of matchstick carrots (or chopped carrots, but I'm lazy sometimes)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-3 cups chopped ham (my favorite is leftovers from a smoked ham, the smokey taste is FABULOUS)
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use the organic, low sodium kind)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbs white pepper
• 2 tsp mustard powder
  

Directions:

Puree 2 cans of the beans in a food processor or blender. Put everything in the crockpot and cook all day on low. The longer it cooks, the better. I've left it cooking through the day and night and it just gets better and better the longer it's in there. Of course if you want a quicker version, just saute the onion and carrots,throw it in the crockpot and cook for a couple of hours on high. It is a totally different soup, but is still fabulous.