Potato-Burger casserole

So I saw something similar to this on Tricia Yearwood's cooking show, but she did not add enough to make it delicious so I fixed it.....some of the way.  ]

1 lb of ground beef
1/2 small onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 TSB of parsley
2 TBS butter
Few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 stick of butter
1/4 cup of flour
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
2 tsp of Dijon mustard
Few dashes of hot sauce
2 cups of milk

5 red potatoes, peeled and sliced

15 Ritz crackers

Start by boiling the potatoes until just done, don't over cook. Layer in the bottom of a 13 x9 in pan.  sprinkle with salt and pepper

In a pan add onion (I chopped it really fine) and pressed garlic to a pan with a little butter, add ground beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add Worcestershire sauce.

In the pot you used for the potatoes, obviously empty now, melt half a stick of butter. Once melted add flour and stir for a few minutes until browned slightly, just enough to get rid of the flour taste.

Add hot sauce and stir.  Gradually add milk and whisk.  Allow to come almost to a boil and start to thicken.  Add cheese and Dijon mustard and stir to melt cheese.

Add ground beef mixture to the cheese mixture and pour on top of potatoes.

Crush Ritz crackers and add to the top.  Bake for about 20 minutes until top is bubbly. Longer if you mixture has been in the fridge.  (I made this the night before and added the crackers the next day before baking, took about 35 mins)

I served it with grilled butter bread and a pickle.

This was better.  Next time I will add half a block of cream cheese to the cheese mixture and I will use hash browns instead of the sliced potatoes.  I may even double the cheese/beef mixture.

Everthing French Bread Pizzas!

Walmart had everything french bread, like the bagels, ya know!  It was exciting.

1 Loaf of french bread (everything bread!!!)
1/2 cup of jar pizza sauce (or left over spaghetti sauce)
package of sliced pepperoni
3 sausage links, cut into small chunks
1 package of sliced mozz cheese (I use Sargento)

Preheat to 350

brown sausage in a pan until nice and crips, drain on paper towels and set aside.  (I like johnsonville new orleans style)

Cut bread in half lenghwise and then cut those pieces in half, so you have 4 half slices.

Spoon 2 TBS of sauce onto each bread piece (more or less for your liking, but it was a thick piece of bread, so i used a little more than I normally would)

Add sausage and pepperoni to the party and then top with cheese.  I like to use sliced cheese because the shredded end up all over my pan and it pisses me off.  I have to clean it, cheese is wasted, its a lose-lose situation.

The flavor of the bread was so delicious I didnt need to add much extra in the way of spices.  These turned out very good and I was full after one piece.

Chicken Roll Ups

3 BLSL chicken breasts
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 tsp onion powder
1 TSB vinegar
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 TSB parsley flakes
1 TSB chopped cilantro
1 tsp of chopped pickled jalapenos
juice of one lime
3/4 cup of Mexican melting cheese
10 Corn shells
oil for frying

Start with sauteing the chicken in a little oil  with garlic on pretty high heat and add spices and jalapenos. Then add vinegar and lime juice.  Reduce to low and let simmer and reduce.  (add a little more vinegar if looks too dry)

Add about 3/4 cup of cheese and allow to melt.

In a small frying pan add just enough oil to completely cover the bottom, heat to high.

One at a time, put the corn shells into the oil and fry maybe 25 seconds a side.  You will see when they start to brown a little.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel, immediately, while the corn shell is still pliable, add about 2 TSB of chicken mixture and roll up and set aside.

Repeat until all the chicken mixture has been used, I did about 10.

Normally, I would smother these in cheese and enchilada sauce and bake, but my Hubs isn't a big of enchiladas.  They were very good this way.  I topped with a little cheese and sour cream.

Baked Ziti Lasanga Style

I love lasagna, but my husband isnt a big fan.  I should claify, he doesnt like the big long lasagna noodles, so I basically made lasagna without making lasagna.  He really likes this.  The ricotta cheese with the pesto is the star!


1 box of ziti (or any cylinder pasta, I used rigatoni), boiled until al dente
1 jar of ragu original spaghetti sauce
3 giant cloves of garlic
1 package of link sausage, sliced thin (I used johnsonville new orleans flavor)
1 tsp of onion powder
1 tsp of basil flakes
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsb good cayenne pepper
1 TBSP brown sugar
1/2 tsp marjaram flakes
1 tsp parsley flakes (I was out of fresh)
1 package of ricotta cheese (16 oz)
2 TBSP prepared pesto
1 package of slized mozzarella cheese
1/2 grated parmesan cheese

Cook sausage until browned on both sides, drain any excess fat.
Add prepared spaghetti sauce and the rest of the ingredients except the cheese and pesto sauce.  Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, longer is time is available.
Mix pesto sauce with the ricotta and set aside.
Mix just a enough pasta sauce with the cooked pasta to barely coat.
In a lasagna dish (sprayed to hell and back with cooking spray) add half of the pasta, spoon over 1/2 of the tomato sauce, 1/2 ricotta cheese mixutre and then a few slices of mozzarella cheese and repeat ending with mozzarella cheese on top.

I made this the day before and baked the next evening after work.  Baked about 30 minutes total.  Be sure to cover for at least half of the cooking time or ur cheese will be too brown.

Pesto Cheese Bread

2 left over sub rolls (or hot dog or hamburger buns)
2 tsp prepared pesto
2 slices mozz cheese

Preheat to 350
spread pesto on each roll half and top with cheese.  Bake until bread is toasted and cheese is melted.

Eggs in a Basket

Christopher loves eggs in a basket from Cracker Barrell so I decided to try at home. 

I didn't have a circular biscuit cutter, but I did have a heart shaped cookie cutter.  The Hawaiian Sweet Bread people now make a loaf of bread, its amazing.  I use that for the bread.  Amazing. 

2 slices of of Hawaiian Sweet Bread

2 Eggs

1/2 Stick of butter

Salt and Pepper

Heat electric skillet to 350.  Using a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter cut a hole in the middle of the bread.  Save the hole 

Keeping the paper around the butter as a handle, rub onto the griddle 

Place bread and cut outs into the butter and swirl around to absorb as much butter as possible. 

Crack egg inn the center of each piece of bread and allow to cook until just barely set on the bottom.  

Add more butter to the griddle and flip over.  Cook until bread is browned on the other side.  

You may have to adjust cooking time depending on how runny you want the egg yoke.  I like it to be a little runny so I allow the bread to toast for a few seconds before I add the egg.  

I served this particular delicacy with Cheese Grits and Bacon I made in the oven.  

Chicken Pot no Pie!

I love some chicken pot pie, but this way just saves me a little time.  Altho, my husband was being an extra pain in the ass than normal this evening, he might disagree.  He's all complaining he's hungry and asking how much longer.  When the slops on a plate it's done, okay??

4 BLSL chix breats, cut into pieces
2 cups of O'brien potatoes, frozen
1/2 cups and carrots (total not of each), frozen
1 jar of chicken or turkey gravy, the little one
2 TBSP of butter
1/4 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley flakes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
Dash of white wine
water
salt and pepper to taste

For the "Pie Part"
1 can of Grands flaky biscuits
4 TBS butter
3/4 tsb of garlic powder
1/2 tsb of parsley flakes

Preheat to 400 degrees
Melt butter in a skillet, add garlic.  I use a garlic press because I hate my hands smelling like garlic, judge me if you want, but I am no Rachel Ray.
After letting the garlic cook for a minute or 2 add the chicken on high heat to brown for just a few minutes.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and parsley.  Add the dash of white wine now.  I buy those little baby bottles of wine and keep in the fridge to cook with.  I think I used Chardonnay this go around.  Wine doesn't last in this house so I buy these baby bottles specifically for cooking.
Add potatoes and stir to coat w butter and spices.  Add peas and carrots
Add gravy to the mix.  Fill the jar w about 1/3 cup of water and add.
Turn down the heat and simmer about 25 minutes, covered.  Stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, cut biscuits into quarters and throw in a bowl.
Melt butter, garlic and parsley in the microwave until butter is melted.
Pour butter mixture over biscuit and stir to coat.  I tried to go in "hands on" and that mess what hot!  Stir w a spoon until its not like sticking ur hand in lava coated biscuit pieces.  U'll thank me later.
Bake about 10 minutes until browned.  Serve over Chicken mixture.

I love this stuff.  My hubs wasn't as big a fan.  He ate the entire giant plate I made him, but said it was "aight".  Ass.

You can add more peas and carrots (or corn) if you'd like.  I add just enough to say we actually had a veggie at dinner.  It's all about food politics, shame really.

Mexican Pizza and Rice

We are still eating left overs incognito.  I am happy to announce that I used all the left overs and we will be moving onto another genre of food.  Thank God.  Nonetheless, it was delicious

You will need:
3 Pack of those cheapo pizza crusts, already made
3 Heaping TBS pizza sauce
Left over taco meat
1 1/2 cups of left over shredded cheese (the Mexican stuff is amazing)
left over corn, about 1/4 cup
1 TBS chopped pickled jalapenos
Sprinkle of lettuce
Sour Cream dollops

I brushed the crusts with olive oil and preheated to 425.
I toasted the pizzas for about 3 minutes so the bottom wouldn't be soggy from the pizza sauce.
Next, add one heaping TBS of pizza sauce onto each pizza.
Top with meat, jalapenos (add beans, tomatoes, olives, or whatever you had left over) Top generously with cheese.
I like the cheese on top of the toppings because I feel that it holds everything together better.  Plus its like a little pizza surprise.  Is there corn? I don't know, bite it and see.
Bake for about 10 minutes until the cheese is browned and the bottoms are crisp.

We also had a bowl of that yellow rice bag mix that was bland and blah.
I had about 2 cups of rice left over and about 3/4 cup of the pork you saw me use last night for the Cuban sandwiches.  I just heated the pork with 2 TBS of butter and 1 TBS of taco sauce.  I added cumin, garlic and at tsp of chopped cilantro and a sqeeeze of lime juice.  I added 1/2 cup of water and let it simmer while my pizzas were in the oven.  Delicious.  Below is the pic of the pizzas.  I put lettuce on top of his pizzas, which he inhaled.

I

Gucamole

As you saw in the last post, we had a Mexican Fiesta, complete with Mexican music playing in the  back ground.  No one had a clue what they were saying, but it set the tone.  Anyways, I made pork and beef tacos and also Chicken Enchiladas that were AMAZING.  What did I take a picture of?  The stupid gucamole that I don't even eat!  What was I thinking?  Probably that I was hungry and didn't care.  I dont eat that yucky looking green mess, but I had 2 friends that said they did like it.  From one of the reviews I may have added a touch too much lime juice so I adjusted it for the recipe.

2 ripe avacados
1 roma tomato, chopped and seeded
juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsb of garlic powder
1/2 tsb of onion powder
3 TSB fresh chopped cilantro

So basically I added everything together in a bowl and mashed the hell out of it and folded the tomatoes in at the end.

They ate half of it and said they liked it.

Kinda Cuban Sandwich

I often have to disguise left overs for my husband to eat them the next day.  Yesterday we had a Mexican Fiesta with some friends and I had left over pork to use.  Originally, I made a pork loin in the crock pot with a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a can of Chipotle Chilis on high for 4-5 hours.  After I shredded it, I added the juice of one lime to the mix and just kept warm on the stove until time to serve on tortillas.  This evening I had Hawaiian Sweet bread loaf so I used that in lieu of the traditional roll the Cuban usually is served.  BTW, if you didn't know those amazing little Hawaiian rolls came as a loaf now I probably just changed your life.  You're Welcome.

4 slices of Hawaiian Sweet bread
4 slices of deli ham
about 1/2 cup of left over pork meat, shredded
4 slices of provolone cheese
4 sandwich lenght bread and butter pickles (that's my fav, use what u want)
Dijon Mustard, I like Grey Poupon.  (mainly I just like saying Grey Poupon)
Half a stick of butter

Heat griddle to 350 degrees
Melt about a TBS of button on griddle and lay down 2 slices of bread, Swish around to soak up all the butter.  If you are worried about calories you are on the Wrong blog, my friend.  Moving on.  Layer one slice of cheese, half the pork, 2 slices of ham, pickles, then another slice of cheese.  Spread mustang on other bread pieces.
Top with the other piece of bread, mustard side down. Spread some more butter on a different part of the griddle.  You should be ready to flip by now.
Flip sandwich into the butter and allow to brown on the other side.  It only takes a few moments, don't walk away and yell at the dog, don't answer the phone, don't go pee. Stand right there and chillax until its done.  I tell you this from experience, because I was just going to send a quick text and then next thing I know the bottom is a little more brown than I wanted.  Don't you worry about all that, it still tasted great.
I served this delicious little guy on a white chinet paper plate.  I know what you're thinking: Classy.  Ur right.

Toffee Almond Bars

They used to sell these delicious bars of yumminess at Starbucks and my BFF and I used to share one with our coffee.  Ok, so to be totally honest we shared the first one and from then on we had to get our own.  Deliciousness!!

1 cup and 2 TBS all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1 tsp of vanilla extract
A smidge of almond extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup of white chocolate chips
1/2 cup of milk chocolate chips
3-4 Heath bars, crunched to pieces

cream butter, egg and extracts in a bowl
combine dry ingredients (not candy) in a bowl and add wet to dry.
add about 1 TBS of flour to the candle and combine.
add candy to mixture and mix lightly
pour into greased 9x9 glass pan
bake 20-25 minutes


You can eat it right out of the oven, but it takes a good hour or two to cool before they are solid.