Summertime and Margaritas

When I think of summertime I think of flipflops, swimming pools and margaritas.  Every summer I am always on the lookout for the perfect margarita.  There is just something about a bright warm summer day that calls for me to pull up a patio chair and sip on an ice cold sweet and tangy frozen margarita.

 Picture from Food Network Tylor Florence

Today with the popularity of Pinterest the recipes are endless.  I even created my own  Margarita Board.

Here is a recipe I love that is simple but very yummy!

The Ultimate Margaria

1 lime, halved
coarse salt
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice, about 4 limes
1 tbs sugar
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur, Grand Marnier
1/4 cup triple sec
1 cup gold tequila
ice
1/2 can quality larger style beer

to salt the margarita glasses, rub the outside rims of 4 big glasses with a cut lime and press them lightly into a plate of kosher salt, to coat.

Combine the lime juice, sugar, orange liqueur, Triple Sec, tequila, and a big handful of ice in a cocktail shaker or blender.  Shake the margarita really well, for a good 20 seconds, add a splash of beer and strain into the salt rimmed glasses filled with ice.  garnish with a lime wheel.

Enjoy! and happy summer!

Recipe from the Tylor Florence Cooking

Sunday Supper Series June 9-15

Sunday Supper Series June 9-15

Monday: Slow Cooker Mushroom Chicken over rice; roasted broccoli
Tuesday: leftovers; roasted green beans
Wednesday: Campbell's Slow Cooker Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce over rice
Thursday: grilled pork chops; roasted potatoes
Friday: Fisherman Seafood Creole over rice
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: grilled chicken; roasted potatoes

Slow Cooker Chicken with Mushrooms

Serves: 6

Cook Time: 10 hours

ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves

2 (10 3/4 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup

4oz Can sliced mushrooms

Directions:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker

2. Mix together soup, mushrooms, pour over chicken.

3. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

4. Serve over rice

recipe from Fix-It and Forget It cookbook by Dawn J Ranck and Phyllis P Good

Chicken in Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Makes: 8 servings

Cook time: 7 to 8 hours

Ingredients:

2 cans (10 ¾ ounce each) Campbell’s condensed cream of chicken soup with herbs

1 cup dry white wine

quarter cup coarsely chopped pitted Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons capers drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 cup drained, coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves

half cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions:

1. Stir the soup, wine, olives, capers, garlic, artichokes and tomatoes in a 3 ½ quart slow cooker. Add the chicken and turn to coat with the soup mixture.

2. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. Sprinkle with the basil if desired. Serve with rice, noodles or potatoes.

Recipe from Campbell’s slow cooker recipes

Fisherman’s Seafood Creole

Serves: 4

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons real bacon bits

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 can (14 ounce)’s stewed tomatoes

1 small can (8 ounce) tomato sauce

1 LB. Raw peeled deveined tails off shrimp

1 Frozen sliced okra

hot pepper sauce to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onion, celery and bell pepper to the skillet. Cook till tender.

2. Add the garlic, bacon bits, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper to the skillet. Stir to mix. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the tomato sauce. Stir to mix. Cover the skillet and bring the sauce to a boil.

4. Add the shrimp and the okra to the skillet and stir to mix. Cover the skillet and cook until shrimp is almost opaque throughout, about four minutes.

5. Season with hot pepper sauce to taste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about two minutes. To serve, spoon hot rice into bowls and top with the seafood Creole.

Recipe from Cheap. Fast. Good! By Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

I'm linking this up to Menu Plan Monday  @ I'm an Organized Junkie.
and One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons

Sunday Supper Series Jan 6-12

Monday - Red Beans and Rice
Tuesday - left overs
Wednesday - Brunswick Stew
Thursday - left overs
Friday - Pecan Crusted Catfish
Saturday - Eating Out for Dinner
Sunday - Beef Stew in the Crock Pot

Brunswick Stew

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 ½ Cup cubed, frozen hash brown potatoes

1 Cup chopped onion

1 Can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth

1 Cup frozen corn kernels

1 Can (15 0z) Lima beans

1 Can (15 oz) black-eyed peas

1 Can 14 ½ oz stewed tomato

3 Cans (5 oz) white chicken meat

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried thyme

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat.  Add the potatoes and onions.  Cover and cook for 4 minutes, uncovering to stir about every 30 seconds.   (the potatoes will stick to the bottom)  Add the chicken broth and stir and scrape the brown bits from the pot bottom.

2. Add the corn, then cover and cook while opening the cans.  Rinse and drain the lima beans and black-eyed peas and add them to the pot, then add the tomatoes and the chicken with its juice.

3. Stir in Worcestershire, pepper, basil, and thyme, then re-cover and bring to a boil, uncovering occasionally and stirring.  Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue boiling, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.

Serve with hot, fresh from the oven buttered cornbread.

Recipe from Desperation Dinners! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Catfish with Pecan Crust

Ingredients:

Cooking oil sray

¼ cup fine bread crumbs

2 tsp Cajun seafood seasoning

4 boneless skinned catfish fillets (6 ounce each)

¼ cup pecan pieces

1 lemon cut in half

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven ot 450 F Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking oil spray and set it aside

2. Put the bread crumbs and Cajun seasoning in a 1-gallon zipper top plastic bag and shake well to combine.  Add the fish fillets to the bag and shake vigorously until they are coated with the crumb mixture.  Place the fillets in the prepared baking dish.

3. Use a chef’s knife to finely chop the pecans.  Use your fingertips to lightly press the chopped pecans onto the top side of the fish fillets.

4. Place the butter in a microwave safe dish, cover it with paper towel and microwave on high power until melted about 30 seconds.  Meanwhile squeeze the juice from the lemon halves through a strainer over the fish.  Spoon the melted butter evenly over the fillets.

5. Bake, uncovered, until the fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.

Recipe from Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

I'm linking this up to Menu Plan Monday  @ I'm an Organized Junkie.
and Save Money Monday @ Frugality Gal

Turkey Stock Recipe

One of my favorite things to make this time of year is turkey and brown rice soup.  I have made it in the summer but can never find turkey stock in the grocery store that time of year and so have to use chicken instead which really does not taste as good.

So before I can make my soup I have to make my own stock.  Its very simple but time intensive.

First break up the turkey carcass that you saved after Thanksgiving and put it in a large stock pot.

 

Cover with water and add onion, garlic, celery and carrots and 2 Tbs salt

 

After slow boiling it for 3-4 hours uncovered, strain the broth into a large bowl or second soup pot.  I first started staining mine into this glass mixing bowl but it was way too small.

 

finally after the stock has cooled separate it into two cup size freezer containers and freeze until needed.  It will keep up to 6 months.

 

 

Turkey Vegetable Soup with Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 tsp minced garlic

3 cups shredded green cabbage

4 cups homemade turkey stock or 2 cans chicken broth

1 can diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp thyme

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 Tbs soy sauce

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

3 cups frozen mixed vegetables

2 cups chopped cooked turkey

 

Directions:

1 Bring 2 ¼ cups slightly salted water to a boil in a covered 2-quart saucepan.  Add the rice, stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover  and simmer until all the water is absorbed about 45 minutes.

 

2 While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 2 minutes.

 

3 Add the garlic to the pot along with the cabbage, broth, tomatoes with their juices, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce,  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium.  Add vegetables and turkey to the pot and simmer until ready to serve.

 

4 When rice is done, place about ½ cup in each bowl , spoon the soup over rice and serve.

 

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

 

 



Sunday Supper Series #4

Week of April 1-7

 

 

Monday - Grilled Chicken and vegetables
Tuesday - Tortellini and Spinach Soup
Wednesday - Chef's Choice
Thursday - Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Friday - Chile Lime Fish Tacos
Saturday - Take Out
Sunday - Ham Steak with Black-eyed Peas and Greens

Tortellini and Spinach Soup

 

Ingredients:

1 pkg (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic

2 cans (14 oz) chicken broth

1 can (14 oz) diced tomato

1 tsp sugar

2 cups frozen cheese tortellini

3 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 egg

Directions:

1 Remove the spinach from its packaging and place it in a microwave-safe dish.  Microwave uncovered on high until defrosted about 5 minutes

2 Meanwhile, heat the oil in a 4 ½ quart soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic stirring until the onion is tender 2-3 minutes.  Add 2 cups of water and the broth; raise heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.

3 Remove the spinach from the microwave and drain it well, squeezing out the excess water.  Add it to the pot.  Add the tomatoes with their juice and the sugar.  Stir to mix well.

4 Add the tortellini and bring the soup back to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium, maintaining a slow boil, and cook until the pasta is just tender, 4-5 minutes.

5 In a small bowl combine the Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and egg. Stir vigorously with a fork and set aside.

6 When the pasta is tender, slowly drizzle the egg mixture over the soup, stirring constantly.  Cook stirring for 2 minutes.  Then remove the pot from the heat and serve hot.

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup cut up cooked chicken

1 bag (16 oz) frozen peas and carrots

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup original Bisquick mix

½ cup milk

1 egg 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F

Mix chicken, vegetables, and soup in a 2-quart casserole dish

In a separate bowl mix Bisquick, milk and egg and pour over chicken mixture

Bake uncovered about 30 minutes

Chile Lime Fish Tacos 

Ingredients:

¾ cup Lawry’s Mexican Chile & Lime Marinade with Lime Juice

1 lb tilapia fillets

½ cup sour cream

1 medium ripe avocado

½ tsp Lawry’s Garlic Salt

8 corn tortillas

Salsa (optional)

Shredded Mexican blend cheese (optional)

Shredded cabbage (optional) 

Directions:

1 In a large re-sealable plastic bag, pour ½ cup Lawry’s Marinade over fillets.  Close bag and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes

2 In small bowl combine sour cream and 2 Tbs Marinade.  In another bowl mash avocado with garlic salt. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve

3 Remove fillets from marinade, discarding marinade.  Grill, turning once and brushing with remaining 2 Tbs marinade about 6 minutes until fillets flake with a fork.

4 To serve, evenly spread avocado mixture on tortillas, then top with crumbled fillets and sour cream mixture.  Garnish with salsa, Mexican blend cheese and shredded cabbage.

 

Sunday Supper Series #3

For the week of March 18-24

 

 

Monday - Chicken Cacciatore
Tuesday - Easy Minestrone
Wednesday - Chef's Choice
Thursday - Olive Linguine with Tuna
Friday - Taco Night
Saturday - Chef's Choice
Sunday - Beef Curry

Chicken Cacciatore

 

Ingredients:

Salt for cooking the pasta

8 oz angle hair spaghetti

1 lb skinless boneless chicken cut into bite size pieces

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 chopped bell pepper

8 oz fresh sliced mushrooms

1 tsp minced garlic

1 (14 oz) can Italian style stewed tomato

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup tomato paste

 

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions

2. heat the oil in a n extra-deep 12 in skillet over med heat add onion, pepper and mushroom.  Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and are tender, 4-5 minutes.

3. Add chicken and garlic.  Cook, stirring until the vegetables are tender and chicken is no longer pink in the center about 5 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes with their juice, Italian seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir well.  Add the tomato paste.  Stir until the tomato paste is completely incorporated.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer until ready to serve.

5. Serve over cooked pasta.

 

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Minestrone

 

Ingredients:

1 (14 oz) can chicken broth

1 (14 oz) can beef broth

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 (14 ½ oz) can stewed tomato

20 frozen meatballs

1/3 cup broken angel hair pasta (1-2 inch pieces)

1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions:

1. Pour the two broths in t a 4 ¼ quart soup pot and place it over high heat.  Add frozen vegetables, tomatoes, meatballs, and pasta.  Cover the pot and bring it to a boil.  About 10 minutes

2. Rinse and drain beans

3. When soup comes to a boil, uncover it and stir well.  Add the beans, Italian seasoning. And garlic powder and reduce the heat to medium, maintain boil.  Stir frequently until the pasta is tender about 3 minutes.  Serve at once garnishing each bowl with Parmesan cheese.

 

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Olive Linguine with Tuna and Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked linguine

1 (4 ¼ oz) can chopped ripe black olives, drained

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

2 (14 ½ oz) cans diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil, drained but reserve ½ cup liquid

1 (12 oz) can water-packed solid white tuna, drained, and flaked

 

Directions:

1. Cook linguine according to package directions

2. In small bowl, combine olives, oil and vinegar: mix well.  Set aside. In medium saucepan, combine tomatoes, reserved tomato liquid and tuna; Mix well and cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally.

3. Add olive mixture to cooked drained linguine in saucepan toss to coat.  Arrange linguine mixture on 4 plates and top with tuna mixture.

 

This recipe is from Pillsbury 30 Minute Meals.

Beef Curry

 

Ingredients:

2 ½ cup 5-minute instant rice

½ tsp vegetable oil

Onion cut in long strips

10 baby carrots

1 bell pepper

1 tender beef steak, such as New York strip (1 inch thick about 12 oz)

1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp grated ginger root or bottle ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp coriander seed

1 tsp crushed hot  red pepper

½ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp salt

 

Directions:

1. Bring 2 ½ cups water to a boil in a 2 quart saucepan.  Meanwhile, begin steps 2 and 3.  When the water boils, add the rice cover the pan, and remove from the heat until ready.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat.  Peel the onion and cut into strips about ¼ inch wide, adding them to the skillet as you cut.  Reduce the heat to low and cook while you prepare the remaining vegetables, stirring occasionally to prevent the onions from browning.

3. Cut each carrot lengthwise into 4 strips, adding them to the skillet as you cut.  Seed the bell pepper, cut it into thin lengthwise strips, and add them to the skillet.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally.

4. Meanwhile, trim the excess fat from the steak and slice it thin. Add all of the meat to the skillet at the same time and raise the heat to high.  Stir-fry until the steak is pink only in the middle 2 ½ -3 minutes.  Add the coconut milk and stir to mix.

5. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, ginger, and all the remaining seasonings.  Stir well, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors.  Serve over a bed of rice.

 

This recipe is from Desperation Dinners! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Sunday Supper Series #2

My second week of meal planning and recipes are ready!
March 11-17

Monday - Homestyle Chicken Dinner
Tuesday - Lima Beans and Ham Bone
Wednesday - Left Overs or Take Out
Thursday - Fancy Franks and Beans
Friday - Salmon Over Roasted Asparagus and Lemon Caper Sauce
Saturday - Left Overs or Take Out
Sunday (St. Patrick's Day) - Corned Beef and Cabbage

Home-Style Chicken Dinner

 

 

 
Ingredients:

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp Seasoned Salt

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp pepper

2 Tbs olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

6 small new potatoes cut in quarters

2 med sweet potatoes peeled and cut in bite size pieces

1 green bell pepper cut in bite size pieces

3 Roma tomatoes cut in quarters

Directions:

Preheat oven 400 F

Spray 9x13 baking dish

In a small bowl mix first 5 ingredients

Spread a small amount of mixture on chicken breasts

Toss the remaining mixture with vegetables

Spread coated vegetables in bottom of dish and place chicken on top.

Bake uncovered 45-50 minutes

Lima Beans and Ham Bone

 

 

Ingredients:

1 lb frozen lima beans

Ham bone with plenty of meat or 2 ham hocks

Directions:

Place ham bone in soup pot and fill with water and inch or two over the bone

Bring to a boil and add beans reduce and simmer at least two hours

Serve with hot buttered cornbread

Fancy Franks and Beans

Ingredients:

½ lb ground beef

½ lb kielbasa cut in ¼ inch slices

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 can (28 oz) baked beans with onion, and brown sugar

1 can (15 oz) black beans

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Heat oil in an extra deep 12 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add the beef and cook, stirring often, until the meat is crumbled and half browned.  Add the sausage pieces and cook stirring often, until the beef and sausages have completely browned 7-8 minutes

 

2. Add the baked beans with their liquid (remove and discard any large pieces of pork).  Rinse and drain the black beans and add them to the skillet.   Add the garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.  Stir to combine, gently so as not to break up the beans.  Bring the mixture just to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for about 5 minutes to combine the flavors.

 

This recipe is from my favorite cookbook Cheap. Fast. Good! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

Salmon with Roasted Asparagus and Lemon-Caper Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

2 Tbs minced red onion

1 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs drained capers chopped

1 tsp fresh chopped thyme

½ tsp grated lemon peel

1 lb skinless salmon fillet

1 lb asparagus

1 Tbs olive oil

Directions:

1. Wisk together first 6 ingredients in a small bowl to blend.  Season sauce with salt and pepper.

 

2. Preheat oven to 450 F.  Cut three ½ inch deep slips crosswise in top of salmon as if cutting into 4 pieces but do not cut through.

 

3. Arrange asparagus in even layer on rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and turn to coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place salmon atop asparagus, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

4. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 20 minutes

 

5. Transfer asparagus and salmon to platter.  Spoon sauce over salmon.  Cut into 4 pieces along slits and serve.

 

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine February 2001

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients:

3 lbs corned beef with season packet

10 small red potatoes cut into quarters

5 carrots peeled and cut into 3 inch pieces

1 large green cabbage cut into small wedges

Directions:

1. Place corned beef in Dutch oven or large soup pot and cover with water. Add the spice packet.  Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound until tender (about 2 ½ hours)

2. Add potatoes and carrots and continue cooking for 20 minutes

3. Add cabbage and cook an additional 15 minutes

4. Remove beef and let rest for 15 minutes

5. Place vegetables in a bowl and cover.  Add as much broth (liquid from pot) as you want.  Slice meat across the grain and serve

Happy 1st Blogiversary!

I can't believe I've had my blog for a year now!

It all started with the opening of my Etsy Shop and they said you should start a blog.  What's a blog? I said.  And so started the journey of learning

• which blog host to use ~ I picked Blogger.com because it seemed more user friendly
• how to create a great looking blog ~ I spent many hours reading how to's and I'm still changing things
• thinking of a catchy title ~ The title of my shop was taken so I used synonyms in the wording to alter it
• what to blog about ~ first it was about the projects I completed and I just went from there

I am still learning of course but looking  back I sure am glad I started it.  It started off as a place to promote the products in my shop and has grown to include all the interests and discoveries in my life.

One of my great enjoyments in life is cooking. At least 4 nights a week I fix a homemade meal for my husband and me.  I have posted a few recipes complete with how to pictures on my blog but I want to make my meal planning a more permanent part of my blog.  So to kick off my second year here at Blogger I'm starting a Sunday Super series.  Every Sunday evening I will post my weekly meal plan complete with recipes. I'm kind of excited.  It's a big commitment but since I already do the planning it will just require putting my plans on the blog in an easy way for people to access it.

So with no further ado I introduce...

 

March 4-10

 

Monday Brunswick Stew

 

Tuesday Black Bean Soup

 

Wednesday Left Overs or Take Out

 

Thursday Chicken in Wine over Rice

 

Friday Left Overs or Take Out

 

Saturday Red Beans and Rice

 

Sunday Brisket and Vegetables

 

Brunswick Stew

Ingredients:

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 ½ Cup cubed, frozen hash brown potatoes

1 Cup chopped onion

1 Can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth

1 Cup frozen corn kernels

1 Can (15 0z) Lima beans

1 Can (15 oz) black-eyed peas

1 Can 14 ½ oz stewed tomato

3 Cans (5 oz) white chicken meat

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried thyme

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat.  Add the potatoes and onions.  Cover and cook for 4 minutes, uncovering to stir about every 30 seconds.   (the potatoes will stick to the bottom)  Add the chicken broth and stir and scrape the brown bits from the pot bottom.

 

2. Add the corn, then cover and cook while opening the cans.  Rinse and drain the Lima beans and black-eyed peas and add them to the pot, then add the tomatoes and the chicken with its juice.

 

3. Stir in Worcestershire, pepper, basil, and thyme, then re-cover and bring to a boil, uncovering occasionally and stirring.  Reduce the heat to medium-high and continue boiling, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes.

 

Serve with hot, fresh from the oven buttered cornbread.

 

Recipe from Desperation Dinners! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

 



Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cans (15 oz) black beans

1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth

1 can (15 ¼ oz) corn kernels, drained

1 (14 ½ oz) Mexican style stewed tomatoes

3 bay leaves

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

½ tsp ground cumin

 

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a 4 ½ quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook until slightly brown, stirring occasionally.

2.  Meanwhile , pout 1 can of beans and their liquid into a large cereal bowl  Using the back of a serving size spoon, mash the beans against the sides and bottom of the bowl until the beans are broken up and pasty.

3.  Raise the heat under the pot to high and add the chicken broth, mashed beans, and the can of whole beans and its liquid.  Stir well.  Drain the corn and add to the pot, then add the stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, thyme, vinegar, and cumin.  Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil.

4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer to let the flavors blend, 8 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking.  Remove from the heat and serve.

Recipe from Desperation Dinners! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

 

Chicken in Wine over Rice

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast

10 ¾ oz can cream of mushroom soup

10 ¾ oz can French onion soup

1 cup dry white wine

 

Directions:

1. Put chicken in slow cooker

2. Combine soups and wine Pour over chicken

3. Cover and cook Low 6-8 hours.

 

Serve over rice

 

Recipe from Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Good

 

Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1 chopped bell pepper

2 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp basil

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp Tabasco sauce

2 bay leaves

1 can (14 ½ oz) chicken broth

1 lb turkey kielbasa sausage

1 ¾ cups “instant” (5-minute) rice

½ cup water if needed

Directions:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large deep skillet that has a lid.  Add chopped onion, celery, pepper and cook until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in garlic, thyme, basil, oregano, black pepper, Tabasco and bay leaves.

2. Raise the heat to high, add the broth, cover the skillet, and bring the broth to a boil.  Meanwhile, cut the sausage in slices about ¼ inch thick, rinse and drain beans.

3. When broth boils, stir in the sausage, beans and rice.  Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook until the rice is tender, 5-10 minutes.

Recipe from Desperation Dinners! by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross

 

Brisket with Root Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 medium turnip, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 parsnips, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

3-4 lbs beef brisket

Salt and Pepper

1 ½ tsp onion powder

1 ½ tsp garlic powder

1 cup beef broth

Directions:

1. Arrange vegetables in bottom of slow cooker.

2. Rub brisket with salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder.  Place brisket on top of vegetables.  Pour broth into cooker.

3. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Recipe from All You magazine April 2013