Buffalo Sloppy Joes

This was a yummy dinner!  Everyone loved it, including Daddy! 

Here's what we did:

Buffalo Sloppy Joes (adapted from Taste of Home)
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground turkey
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup buffalo wing sauce (you can add more if it's not spicy enough)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
bleu cheese crumbles

Saute onions, celery, carrots and garlic in oil over medium heat until softened and translucent.  Add ground turkey and break up with the back of a wooden spoon.  Cook through for 10 minutes.  Stir in tomato sauce, wing sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire suace and pepper.  Cook another 10 minutes or until bubbly and heat through. 

Enjoy on buns, over split baked potato or over mashed potatoes.  Serve with a sprinkling of bleu cheese crumbles if desired.

YUM!

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti

I had some leftover grilled chicken and had originally planned to make Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Lasagna, but didn't have any lasagna noodles.  This is what we ended up eating and it was SO good!

Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups diced grilled chicken (this was seasoned with chili powder, paprika and salt & pepper)
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce (1/2 cup if you don't like spicy)
4 oz Neufachatel cream cheese, softened
spaghetti noodles
Bleu cheese crumbles

Heat oil over medium heat and saute minced garlic until fragrant.  Add chicken, spaghetti sauce, Buffalo wing sauce and cream cheese.  Stir until cream cheese has melted into sauce.  Boil pasta noodles until al dente according to box directions.  Serve with Bleu cheese crumbles.

YUM!

We served this with a green salad topped with sliced Granny Smith apples and Bleu cheese crumbles, drizzled with Balsamic Dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Shepherd's Pie

This is a yummy recipe.  It was a little spicy for you and Hunter but Daddy and Austin ate every bit of it.  No leftovers!  You know it's good when that happens!

Buffalo Chicken Shepherd's Pie (thanks to Debbi)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion (about 1 cup finely diced)
3 celery stalks (about 1 cup finely diced)
2 carrots (about 1/2 cup sliced)
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground turkey
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce (I use whatever I have in the pantry)
10 potatoes
1 packet dry Ranch powder
1/4-1/2 cup buttermilk (depends on how wet your potatoes are)
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

In large skillet, heat oil and add onions.  Saute until slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes.  (Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes and start boiling for mashed potatoes).  Add celery, carrots and garlic another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add ground turkey and cook through.  Season with paprika, salt and pepper.  Add diced tomatoes and wing sauce (adjust wing sauce depending on how hot you like it), stir to combine and simmer for 15 minutes.  

Drain potatoes, mash and add Ranch powder and desired amount of buttermilk.  Stir in the cheese and set aside.

In large 13x9 casserole dish (or 2 8x8 pans), pour the buffalo mixture into the bottom of the casserole dish.  Layer the mashed potatoes on top.  I used an ice cream scooper to put the mashed potatoes over the top.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Broil for 3 minutes for crispy tops.

To freeze:  cool completely, flash freeze in the freezer, uncovered.  once frozen wrap in plastic wrap and tin foil.

To heat:  thaw in fridge over night and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.  Broil for 3 minutes to get the potatoes crispy.

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

This is a yummy recipe I found on a dieting website.  I changed it up a little to make it more pantry-friendly, using up some ingredients we always have on hand.  We all loved this one!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
1-1/2 lbs chicken (about 4 chicken thighs or 2 chicken breasts)
1 packet taco seasoning (like Taco Bell or McCormick)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup salsa (homemade or store bought)

Spray crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chicken in the bottom of crock pot (I almost always use frozen chicken.  I've never had a problem with it.  It's easier for me and less messy.)

Mix taco seasoning, sour cream and salsa together in a bowl and pour over the chicken.

Cook on high 4-5 hours.

Shred chicken and remove bones and skin.  Mix with the sauce in the crock pot and serve over brown rice.

Top with fresh cilantro.

YUM!

Chicken Divan

This is my all-time favorite chicken casserole dish.  Nana used to make it all the time when we were growing up.  She made it again the other day, it tasted just as it did when I was a kid.  So yummy!!!


Chicken Divan
2 packages frozen broccoli (steam cook it in the microwave)
3 chicken breasts cooked and chopped
1 can cream of chicken soup, reduced fat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp lemon juice, fresh
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 T melted butter

Layer cooked broccoli into the bottom of a 13x9 casserole dish.  Top with cubed chicken breasts.  In a separate bowl, stir together soup, mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, cheese and curry powder.  Evenly spread over the chicken layer.  Combine bread crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the soup layer.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

YUM!

Chicken Fried Rice

We love Chicken Fried Rice.  It's easy, filling and cheap!  It's easy to throw together when the chicken and rice have been precooked and are waiting on me in the freezer.  Here's how to pull it together:

Chicken Fried Rice
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 of a head of cabbage, sliced very thin
2 carrots, sliced
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cups precooked chicken
1/4 tsp Chinese 5 Spice
2 eggs, scrambled
1 Tbsp soy sauce, plus more for serving
1-1/2 cups precooked rice
steamed peas
steamed broccoli

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and add minced garlic.

Saute cabbage and carrots for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour in water and cover with a lid to help steam them.  Toss in chopped chicken and Chinese 5 Spice.  Stir to combine.

Make a well in the middle of the skillet, pushing everything to the edges of the pan.  Pour the scrambled eggs in the middle of the well and begin scrambling with a spoon.

Keep stirring until the eggs are done.

Season with soy sauce and stir to combine.

Serve with 1/2 cup brown rice, top with 3/4 cup of chicken stir fry.  Sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of soy sauce and enjoy.  Serve with a steamed peas or broccoli.

You can add the vegetables into the saute, but Daddy doesn't like peas or broccoli.   So I serve his up first and then add the peas and broccoli to the rest of dish.

4 servings:  260 calories, 10.5 gr fat, 26 gr carbs, 19.6 gr protein

Yum!

Rabbit in the Hole

Everyone has a name for this dish.  Granny calls it Egg in a Frame.  She saw a recipe in an old cookbook and it instantly became one of her favorite breakfast meals.  She said her Mama Melvin would send Papa to the store for bread so she could make it for Granny. 

I've also heard it called Egg in the Hole, Toad in the Hole, Bulls Eye...it goes on and on.  Nana calls this Rabbit in the Hole, so that's what we call it. 

The trick is to make sure the hole is large enough to accommodate the egg.  Here's what you do:

Rabbit in the Hole
egg
bread
butter
shredded cheese

Heat a skillet over medium heat.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Add a tiny bit of butter, about 1/4 tsp of butter into the pan.  Using a cookie cutter, biscuit cutter or glass, cut a hole in a slice of bread and place it in the pan, along with the cut out.  Crack an egg into a cup or measure cup (to easily pour into the hole) and when the bread looks slightly toasted, add 1/4 tsp of butter in the hole and pour the egg into the hole.  Allow to set up for about 30 seconds to 1 minute and then carefully flip.  Brown on the other side and top with cheese.

YUM!

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

This is my most favorite way to use leftover roasted turkey.  Of course, Daddy doesn't like cranberries, but I put them in this one anyway.  It's too good to eat without them!

Back in 1995, I moved out on my own with my best friend, Jodi.  She and I rented a small garage apartment behind Sister Trout's house in Douglasville.  About the same time I got a job working at McMaster-Carr Supply Co.  One of my co-workers introduced me to Pampered Chef.  It was love at first purchase!  I bought nearly every single thing they offered.  I had enough of their products, I could have demonstrated without even receiving a kit from them!  Anyway, after all these years, I still have my original purchases and $1 catalogs.  They are my favorites!  This is one my all-time favorite Pampered Chef recipes.

Turkey Cranberry Wreath (original recipe found in All The Best)
2 cups leftover roasted turkey, chopped
1-1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese, or 6 oz slices, sliced very thin and cut across to resemble grated cheese
1 stalk celery, very finely diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon honey mustard
pinch of black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley (or fresh if you have it)
2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Combine everything together in bowl.

Create the wreath using crescent rolls.
Lay them in a "sunshine" or "star" design on your baking sheet.

Match up the seams and pinch them together.

Carefully lay them on top of each other, making sure not to pinch the tips of the crescent rolls into the seams.

Scoop the filling over the seams. 

Finish the wreath by pulling up the crescent tips and crossing over the top.  I start with the inside and work my way around. 

Then finish with the outside tips.

Cut any extra bits off using a pizza cutter, it's just easier for me.  If you have kitchen shears, they would work great too.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

YUM!

Serve this up with greens beans, mashed sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.  Oh my word!  So good!

 You've got to try this one!

Granny's Oven Roasted Turkey

When Daddy and I first got married, Granny showed me how to roast a turkey in the oven.  This makes the turkey flavorful and juicy, every single time.

Granny's Oven Roasted Turkey
1 turkey, thawed if frozen
2 sticks butter
salt
pepper
vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Check the inside of your turkey and remove the giblet and neck packets.  Rinse the turkey and dry him with paper towels. (I'm referring to the turkey as a "him" because they are usually Tom turkeys, but my Granny always said to buy a hen turkey if you can find one.) Place him into a large enough baking dish.  Loosen the skin on each side of the breasts and shove a whole stick of butter under the skin on each breast.  Rub vegetable oil all over the skin (including the legs and wings).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake the turkey at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Lower the temperature to 325 degrees F, cover with a tent of tin foil and bake for 3-4 hours (depending on the weight of the bird).  Check the temperature on the thigh to read 180 degrees F without touching the bone.

He comes out perfect every time!

YUM!

Deviled Eggs

I love Deviled Eggs.  I'm not really sure how they got their name, but this is what we've always called them.  Every gathering we ever went to growing up, had Deviled Eggs on the table.  Only problem about them, you can never eat just one.  And of course, etiquette mandated we only take one on the first time through the line.  When we'd go back for the second one, they were all gone!  That's how good they were.  Here's how we make them:

Deviled Eggs
12 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 Tablespoon sugar
salt
pepper
paprika

Halve the prepared eggs and remove the yolk into a bowl.  Place the egg white portion onto a paper towel lined plate.

Mash the yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, pickle relish, sugar, pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix until very creamy, but not runny.

Place into a large plastic storage baggie.  Clip the corner and squirt into the eggs whites.

Sprinkle the tops with paprika.

Try to eat only one, I dare you!

Yum!

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Casserole

This is an easy meal to create with leftover chicken from Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken.  Be creative and add what you like.  When I make this for supper, I add the chicken but not the spinach and then pour half of the mixture into the casserole dish.  Daddy doesn't like spinach and he'll refuse to eat supper if it's in there.  The rest of us like spinach, so once his portion is in the dish, I mix up half a box of frozen spinach into the remaining chicken and sauce mixture.  Then pour it into the other half of the dish.

...what we do for love :) 


Three Cheese Chicken Penne Casserole
1-1/2 cup penne pasta (whole grain or regular)
10 oz box of frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 teaspoon dried basil
1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
14 oz can diced tomatoes (or use more spaghetti sauce)
2 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded Mozzarella, divided
1 large precooked chicken breast (about 1 lb) cut into cubes
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cook pasta according to box directions to "al dente".  Thaw spinach in microwave if it's not already thawed.

In large mixing bowl, add dried basil, spaghetti sauce, diced tomatoes, cream cheese and 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese.  Microwave for 2 minutes until heated through, stirring well. 

Add cubed chicken, prepared pasta and spinach to bowl; toss well to coat pasta and chicken. 

Pour into an 8x8 casserole dish and top with remaining Mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes.

YUM!

Salmon Cakes

This is not your ordinary salmon patty.  This is the most delicious way to eat them, in my opinion!  I would never have thought to add bacon and potato.  You and Hunter ate them up!  I was so happy you loved them.  And they are very cost effective since you can use canned salmon, making them for less than $4.00! 

Salmon Cakes (adapted from Melissa D'Arabian)
2 sliced pre-baked bacon, chopped finely $.26
1/2 teaspoon onion powder $.10
1 egg $.14
1/2 cup mayonnaise $.38
1 teaspoon spicy mustard or Dijon mustard $.00 FREE (couponing is good)
1/2 teaspoon sugar $.02
1/2 lemon zested $.40
14 oz canned salmon (remove skin and big bones) $2.00
1 baking potato, baked or boiled, peeled and then fluff with a fork $.18
1/4 cup bread crumbs $.01
2 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese $.30
black pepper
vegetable oil

Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat.

Mix bacon, onion powder, egg, mayonnaise, mustard, sugar and lemon zest in a bowl.  Add salmon and potato, mixing gently.  Form into 8 patties.  In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese and dash of black pepper.  Carefully place patties into bread crumb mixture and coat both sides.  Fry in oil, 3-4 minutes on each side.

Note:  The mixture is very fragile.  I found using a small ice cream scoop to measure out equal portions helped.  I scooped them and plopped them right into the bread crumb mixture.  Then sprinkle a little bread crumb mixture over the tops and then carefully press down to form a little patty.  Using a fork, lift them out of the bread crumb mixture and carefully place them into the hot oil.  Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side.  They get nice and brown. 

Also, you can bake a potato in the microwave by poking a few holes with a fork into it.  Cover with a plastic container and microwave for about 6-7 minutes.  Let it cool and then peel the skin and fluff with a fork.

These are delicious!

Tuna Salad Sandwiches

When Daddy and I got married, he told me how his family grew up eating tuna sandwiches and french fries on Sunday after the meetings.  I thought it was a great tradition that we should continue with our family.  Here's how we make our Tuna Salad.


Tuna Salad Sandwiches
3 cans tuna fish, in water, drained
3 hard-boiled eggs, mashed with a fork
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (depends on how creamy you like it)
1 to 2 Tablespoons sugar (depends on how sweet you like it, and it cuts the fishy flavor of some tuna)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
dash of salt & pepper

Combine everything into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator. 

Daddy prefers his tuna salad on toasted bread.  I prefer mine on regular untoasted bread with a spoonful of sweet pickle relish. 

Yum!

Crock Pot Lasagna

Wow! Is this the easiest thing ever?!  Having the ground meat already cooked and in the freezer saves time when assembling this meal.  I start this about 4 hours before dinner and cook it on high.  Then I turn it off to cool slightly before serving so the layers stay together.  It's so good!

Crock Pot Lasagna
1-1/2 cup ground meat, pre-cooked (anything you like)
1 jar spaghetti or pasta sauce
6 lasagna sheets, uncooked
1 cup cottage cheese (I use lowfat, just because)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (I keep this in the freezer too)
2 Tablespoon Parmesan cheese
dried or fresh parsley, chopped

Mix together the meat and sauce in a bowl; set aside.  Break the lasagna sheets in half; set aside.

Pour about 1/2 cup meat sauce in the bottom of the crock pot.

Layer this way:

• arrange 4 lasagna sheets over sauce,
• spoon about 1 Tablespoon of cottage cheese over each halved lasagna sheet,
• pour about 1/2-3/4 cup meat sauce over the cottage cheese layer,
• repeat 2 more times,
• then top with mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

Turn Crock Pot on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

Enjoy!

Makes 6 servings:  364.3 calories (calculated based on ground turkey); 10.8 grams fat; 39.7 grams carb; 10 grams sugar; 25.9 gram protein 

Salmon Burgers

 sorry the picture is terrible

Salmon Burgers

1 can salmon, drained and skin removed (because I don't like it, but we kept the bones)

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs (I used whole wheat because that's what I had in the freezer)

1 teaspoon Old Bay seafood seasoning

mayonnaise

lemon

tomato slices

lettuce leaves

homemade hamburger buns

In a large bowl, combine the salmon, egg, bread crumbs and seasoning and mix well.  Form into 4 patties.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tablespoon of oil.  Pan fry the patties for about 4 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, mix about 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon lemon juice and spread over the buns, stack with lettuce and tomatoes.  Top with burger and enjoy!

We really loved these.  And they were cheap since the can salmon is pretty inexpensive.  I served them with applesauce and french fries. 

Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken with Baked Potatoes

This is an easy and delicious way to prepare a whole chicken.  The classic way to make this meal is to roll tin foil into balls and perch your chicken on the balls to keep the chicken out of the juices so it doesn't boil.  I decided it would be more efficient to kill two birds with one stone and wrap baking potatoes in tin foil and include them in the night's meal.  Any leftovers can be made into twice baked potatoes or potato salad.


Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken with Baked Potatoes
3 or 4 large potatoes
vegetable oil
salt
whole chicken
seasoning

Clean and dry the potatoes.  Rub them with oil and salt.  Wrap them in tin foil and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub with your favorite seasoning (I used lemon pepper on this one).  Rub the seasoning all over the chicken.  Place breast side down on the potatoes.  Cover with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8.

You know your chicken is done when the the juices run clear in the wing and thigh area.  Or in this case, you can just look at the poor wings and see that they are falling off the bone!

Remove carefully, because it will fall apart (as mine did), to a bowl.

Remove the potatoes and drain of liquid.  Peel tin foil off to reveal delicious potatoes.

Yummy!

Egg Salad Sandwiches

This is an easy egg salad.  You don't have to use the pickles, Daddy doesn't like them, so when I'm making it for him, I leave them out.

Egg Salad Sandwiches

4 hard boiled eggs*, mashed with a fork

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

pinch of salt, pepper and paprika

2 Tablespoons sweet pickles (optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise (add more or less depending on how creamy you like your egg salad)

Combine all in a bowl and spread on toasted bread and enjoy.  

To serve at a special event like a Tea Party or Baby Shower:  butter bread slices with softened unsalted butter and then spread the egg salad onto the bread.  You can also decorate the edges of the sandwiches by spreading butter onto the cut edges of the bread and then dipping them into chopped parsley.

*To make perfectly hard-boiled eggs:  place eggs into pot, cover with cold water, place on stove, cover and bring to a boil.  Turn off the stove and set timer for 15 minutes.  Pour out hot water and rinse with cold water.  You can keep them in the fridge or crack them and use them for potato salad or egg salad or tuna salad.

Enjoy!