Dinner
It was recently Mr. MCYM’s birthday and I always take special dinner requests for birthday dinners.. This day was no different except Jim wanted red beans and rice and not the box version! I am not a big fan of red beans and rice so I was not very excited for this dinner. But, overall I did not mind this recipe!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups hot water
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Package of smoked sausage
1 can red beans, drained
1 Tablespoon creole seasoning
DIRECTIONS
Add the rice, water and salt to a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. While that is cooking, thinly slice the sausage and drain the juice from the red beans. Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and begin heating over medium heat, add the sausage and creole seasoning, stirring well. Let the sausage cook for about 7-8 minutes stirring often. Add the red beans and cook until beans are warmed through. At this point you can check the seasoning and add more creole seasoning if needed. Serve over rice.
Enjoy,
This really should be called Cheater Fish Taco’s because I really did not make anything. I just put things together! I used packaged frozen fish, already made coleslaw, already made coleslaw sauce, and already made taco shells. My twist on the recipe is where I added the Sriracha sauce! This was a really quick and easy delicious dinner I made on a weeknight, but would make this any day of the week!
INGREDIENTS
1 Package Van de Kamps crispy haddock fillets
1 Package Old ElPaso stand up soft flour tortilla
1 Package coleslaw mix
1 bottle Marie’s coleslaw dressing
2 granny smith apples diced
pepper
Sriracha to taste
DIRECTIONS
For the coleslaw, mix the packaged coleslaw with dressing, add the diced apples and a hefty dash of black pepper, mix well. Now you can add YOUR desired amount of Sriracha sauce to the slaw. Use caution it does not take much to make this spicy! Follow package directions to make haddock fillets. Warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave.
To assemble start with the tortilla’s, add coleslaw, top with fish fillets and a small drizzle of Sriracha!
Enjoy,
We LOVED this recipe, I mean we really, really loved this recipe! Robby had a couple friends over the night I made this so I was happy this made a big pan full as we ALL ate seconds!! I also gave some of this to two
co- workers both of whom asked for the recipe! One of my co- workers, Sherry, made this for her family and they all loved it and went back for seconds… just as my family did! Needless to say this recipe is a keeper! Add a side salad or some garlic bread and dinner is done!
INGREDIENTS
10 ounces of any pasta you choose, I used bow tie pasta
1 Pound Jimmy Dean hot sausage
1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Ragu) 26.5 ounce
1 Tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup of chopped onion
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tablespoons of milk (can use pasta water)
1 cup Parmesan cheese
French fried onions (small can, or if you’re like me, a large one so you can snack on just one or two …..or more!)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Cook your pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
Brown the sausage and crumble as it cooks, drain excess fat and add your pasta sauce to pan and let simmer on low to warm through. In another skillet add butter letting it melt, add onion and stir well until onions are soft. Add the cream cheese to your onion mixture breaking the cream cheese up making it into a sauce. Add the milk or a couple tablespoons of the pasta water to smooth out the cream cheese sauce.
Using a lightly greased 9 x 13 baking dish you can assemble the casserole starting with a slight layer of the sausage / pasta sauce. Add your cooked pasta to the dish, next add your cream cheese sauce and then layer with the rest of your sausage sauce mixture. Add the Parmesan cheese to the top and bake for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes go ahead and add your french fried onions spreading them across the top of your casserole. Continue to cook for five more minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy,
With all of the snow we have been having there is nothing better than a hearty bowl of warm comforting soup! This soup hits the spot! It is rich, thick and creamy, not to mention the addition of sliced jalapenos and thick cut bacon garnishing the top. If that doesn’t warm you I don’t know what will! I had a number of taste testers on this one and we all agreed this was delicious and a must make again recipe!
INGREDIENTS
6 thick cut bacon slices cooked and crumbled (reserve 2 Tablespoons of the bacon fat)
2 Tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1//3 cup of flour
1 cup of pale ale, I used Blue Moon
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, sliced
DIRECTIONS
Put the two tablespoons of the bacon fat in a large stock pot. Add butter and let the butter melt over medium heat. Add the diced onions, carrots and celery. Cover the pan and cook for about 25 minutes stirring often. Add the garlic cooking for one more minute. Add the flour and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will be very thick at this point. Add the beer and bring the mixture to a boil for about one minute. Reduce the heat to medium and add the worcestershire sauce, heavy cream, milk and chicken broth.
Let the soup simmer, stirring occasionally, keeping the temperature on medium for about 25 minutes then reduce heat to medium low. At this point you can use your immersion blender, or a regular blender and blend everything until smooth. If you are using a regular blender you will need to do this in batches. When everything is blended gradually whisk in the cheese and let the soup simmer for another 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Pour into bowls and top with bacon bits and sliced jalapeno’s .
Enjoy,
this recipe can be found at www.thecozycook.com
This salad is absolutely delicious! It does have a few steps and does take some time but it is well worth the effort! The ginger peanut sauce adds a huge amount of flavor! Jim and I both really liked this and Robby really enjoyed the chicken in this dish! Overall that’s a winner for me!
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE COCONUT RICE
1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice
1 (15 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of water
FOR THE SALAD
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 red cabbage, shredded
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 cup of cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup scallions
1 cup cashews, chopped
GINGER PEANUT SAUCE
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons honey
3 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
water, to thin to your desired consistency
FOR THE CHICKEN
2 to 3 chicken breasts
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lime, juiced
DIRECTIONS
Starting with the chicken, mix all ingredients in a Ziploc bag and let marinate for 4 hours. After the marinating is done place the chicken in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from oven and let cool. Slice into bite size peices. to make teh rice start with a medium size pot mix together the rice, cocnut milk, garlic, salt and water. Cover and bring to a boil once the pot comes to a rolling boil reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes and the liqiud is absorbed. Turn the heat off and let sit with the lid on for ten minutes.
While waiting for the rice, you can make the peanut sauce by combining all the ingredients except the water and mix the best you can, then add your desired amount of water to get your desired consistency. Stir frequently when adding the water. Fluff your rice and add all of your chopped vegetables and cashews. Add your sliced chicken and drizzle with the peanut dressing.
Enjoy,
This recipe is adapted from www.hostthetoast.com
