Creamed Corn 2 tbsp butter 1/4 cup cream or milk 3 1/2 cups frozen corn 2 tbsp cream cheese 1 tsp each; salt and garlic powder 1/2 tsp black pepper In the bowl of a food processor, puree 1/2 cup frozen corn and set aside. In a pot over medium heat, melt butter. When shimmering, add frozen corn puree and cream cheese. Stir until combined and cream cheese has started to melt. Reduce heat to low and add cream, remaining corn and seasonings. Stir until everything is well combined. Simmer for 10-15 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately.
Orange Glazed Easter Ham 1, 8-9 lb spiral ham, bone in 1 cup water For Glaze: 1 cup orange marmalade 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup sailor jerry rum, optional 1/4 cup dijon mustard 1/4 cup orange juice 6 cloves garlic 2 tsp salt 1 tsp each, nutmeg and black pepper Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, blend all glaze ingredients until smooth. Place ham in a large roasting pan, pour water into the bottom, and cover wit foil. Bake for one hour. Turn up heat to 400 degrees. Pour glaze over the ham, and return to oven. Bake another hour to hour and a half, or until the internal temperature is 120 degrees. See the packaging your ham came in for recommended baking time. Usually 10-12 minutes per pound at 350. Remove from heat and let cool 15 minutes before serving.
Oven Baked French Fries 2 lbs potatoes 1/2 cup olive oil 2 tbsp salt 1 tbsp black pepper Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash potatoes, and cut into french fries. Place potatoes in a large bowl of cold water and let soak for 30 minutes. Drain water off of potatoes, and in the same bowl, add olive oil and toss. Pour potatoes onto a baking sheet in an even layer and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour, rotating pan half way through cooking. Serve right away.
Parmesan Roasted Broccoli 3-4 lbs broccoli crowns cut into florets - 2 large or 3 small (this is just the top of the broccoli with just a little bit of the stems) 1 tbsp (2 cloves) garlic, minced 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted 1/2 tbsp salt 2 tsp black pepper 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, mix melted butter, garlic, salt and pepper. Add broccoli and toss together until broccoli is completely coated with butter and garlic mixture. Spread broccoli out in an even layer on a sheet tray and bake for 20-25 minutes, tossing half way through. Once broccoli is fork tender, remove from oven and toss with parmesan cheese. Serve right away.
Pasta with Meat Sauce 1 lb pasta of choice, we used Spaghetti Rigati 4-5 cups leftover crockpot spaghetti sauce 1 lb ground beef 1/2 lb (or 2 links) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed 1/8 cup grated parmesan cheese 1.5 tbsp Italian seasoning 2 tsp salt 1 tsp each, black pepper and garlic powder 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp butter parmesan cheese, for serving Directions Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook pasta according to package directions. In a medium pot, add spaghetti sauce, and simmer over low heat while spaghetti cooks and you cook the meat. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add ground beef and sausage and season with Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. At this point, if you wanted to sneak in some vegetables to your meat sauce, now would be the time. The combination of veggies that I have found work best for sneaking into meals is: 1 zucchini, skin removed, 1/2 yellow onion, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 green bell pepper - puree these vegetables in a food processor until a smooth paste, and add with meats.
Cook, breaking up ground beef and sausage, and stirring occasionally until meat is cooked - about 10-12 minutes. Carefully drain extra fat, and add simmering spaghetti sauce to meats and stir to combine. Simmer on low for 20 minutes while you wait for water to boil, and pasta to cook. When pasta is done cooking, drain in a colander, and return the pot that you used to cook pasta in to the stove over low heat. Add 2 tbsp butter and allow to melt - it will happen quickly. Return pasta to pot, and using tongs, toss in melted butter. After tossing pasta in melted butter, add 1 cup of cooked meat sauce to pasta and toss again with tongs. Remove from heat. We usually serve pasta family style, but dumping the pot of sauce covered pasta into a big bowl, and serving the sauce on the side in a gravy boat with some grated parmesan cheese. Swirl some spaghetti on your fork, and enjoy!
Peanut Butter & Jelly Thumbprint Cookies 1 1/3 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 stick butter, softened 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup peanut butter 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup sugar, for rolling cookies 1/2 cup strawberry jam Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In the base of your stand mixer or in a large bowl, beat butter, white sugar and brown sugar together until light and fluffy - about 2 minutes. Mix in peanut butter. Beat for another 30 seconds. Mix in egg and vanilla. Beat another 30 seconds. Starting and ending with flour mixture, slowly add flour. Beat for another 30 seconds until completely mixed in. On a sheet tray lined with parchment place 1 tbsp balls of cookie dough about 1 apart. Roll balls in sugar and with your thumb or the back of a wooden spoon, gently press a thumbprint into the center of each cookie. Bake for 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool, carefully spoon 1 tsp jam into the thumbprint on each cookie.
Restaurant Style Blender Salsa 1, 28oz can diced tomatoes (with green chilies if you like it spicier) 1/2 red onion, cut into large chunks 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and cut into large chunks (use the whole jalapeño if you like your salsa spicy) 1 clove garlic, smashed 1 lime, juiced 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed 2 tsp each; salt, cumin and chile powder 1 tsp each; black pepper, oregano, paprika This is how we like our salsa. If you're not a big fan of cilantro, just use a little bit, or none at all. The possibilities you have to customize the salsa to your families taste are endless. Add all ingredients to blender or a food processor and blend for 30 seconds - 1 minute, until smooth. Dump salsa into a tupperware container, or into a serving bowl, and let rest at least 30 minutes before eating. If you can, make this salsa the day before - it's much, much better the next day!
Simple Chunky Guacamole 2 large, ripe avocados 1 lb roma tomatoes, seeds removed and finely diced 1 onion (red preferably), finely minced 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed and finely diced 1 lime, juiced 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely minced 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tbsp black pepper 1 tsp cumin To cut your avocado, use a sharp knife, and cut avocado in half, and remove the pit. If you're not sure how to cut an avocado, check out some videos on YouTube, theres some great ones for help! While the avocado flesh is still in the skin, with a sharp paring knife, carefully dice avocado. With a thin metal spoon, carefully remove flesh from skin, and add to a bowl. Prepare remaining ingredients and add to bowl with avocado and stir to combine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Serve with tortilla chips or on top of your favorite tacos!
Sloppy Joe s with Hidden Veggies 1 lb ground beef 1, 10oz can tomato soup 1/3 cup bbq sauce ½ yellow onion ½ zucchini ½ green pepper 2 stalks celery 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp paprika hamburger buns, for serving In a food processor, puree onion, zucchini, green pepper and celery until smooth. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add pureed vegetables to pan and cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid has cooked out. Add ground beef to pan with veggies, season with salt, pepper and paprika, and using a wooden spoon to break up the meat, stir to combine with veggies. Cook, until beef is cooked through about 8 minutes. Add bbq sauce and tomato soup to meat and vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand a minute. Add a big scoop of sloppy joe mixture to a hamburger bun and enjoy.
Slow Cooker Chicken Teriyaki 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast 2 cloves (2 tsp) garlic, minced 1/2 cup honey (or brown sugar) 2/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar 1/2 cup chicken stock 1 tsp sesame oil 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced white or brown rice, cooked green onions, for garnish sesame seeds, for garnish In a small bowl, mix garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar (you can substitute white wine vinegar here), chicken stock, sesame oil and ginger until well combined. Place chicken breast in the bottom of your slow cooker, and pour sauce over the top. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove lid and cook for 30 more minutes. Serve with white or brown rice and your favorite veggie. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce 2 large cans crushed tomatoes 2 large cans tomato sauce 1 large can tomato puree 3 oz pkg basil ¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese locatelli if you can find it ½ head garlic, smashed ¼ cup good olive oil optional: meatballs, hot Italian sausage, pork neck bones In a large stock pot heat olive oil until shimmering Add garlic and quickly sautee until you can just smell it remove garlic from pan and set aside. If using meat, now would be the time to add it and brown it on all sides Add tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, and return garlic to pot. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer all day at least 8 hours. Or cook in a crockpot on low for 8 hours. Remove basil, and serve over pasta.
Cheese Stuffed Meatballs 1 lb ground beef 2 eggs, beated ¼ cup bread crumbs salt and pepper ½ cup grated parmesan cheese 2 tbsp fresh, minced parsley To sneak in vegetables: ½ yellow onion 1 clove garlic ½ zucchini String cheese Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with about 1 cup Sunday gravy If sneaking in vegetables, puree onion, garlic and zucchini in a food processor until smooth and add an additional ¼ cup bread crumbs when making meatballs. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, eggs, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley and vegetables if using until well mixed. Using a 1 tbsp measuring spoon, scoop and form meatballs. Place in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. If making surprise meatballs, cut string cheese into even size pieces and place a chunk of cheese in the middle of each meatball before rolling. Bake for 20 minutes, or until meatballs reach an internal temperature of 150 degrees.
Sweet Potato Fries 2 lbs sweet potatoes, washed (we used white and orange sweet potatoes) 1/8 cup olive oil 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp each; salt, garlic powder, paprika 1/2 tsp black pepper Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, brown sugar and spices. Halve sweet potatoes lengthwise, and cut into fries. Soak sweet potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. This really makes the fries crispy. Drain sweet potatoes and pat dry. Toss sweet potatoes in olive oil mixture. Spread in an even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, tossing with tongs half way. Serve right away.
Taco Seasoning 4 tbsp chili powder 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp oregano 2 tbsp cilantro 1 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp onion powder 1 tbsp garlic powder Mix all ingredients in a plastic bag or in a sealed spice jar until completely blended. Use in your favorite recipes.
20-Minute Tacos with Hidden Veggies For The Taco Meat: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 lb ground beef 3 tbsp homemade taco seasoning 2 tsp salt 1/2, 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained (with or without green chiles) - save the rest for queso! 1/2 yellow onion 1/2 zucchini, peeled 1/2 red bell pepper 1, 8oz can tomato sauce Taco Topping Ideas: shredded cheddar cheese romaine lettuce diced tomatoes taco sauce - the boys like Ortega hot sauce queso fresco cilantro guacamole pico de gallo salsa sour cream Your choice of Taco Shells: crunchy corn taco shells flour tortillas corn tortillas lettuce - if you can't have corn or wheat
The first step to make these tacos is to puree your vegetables. Add zucchini, onion and bell pepper to a food processor with a pinch of salt, and puree until smooth. In the pictures below, I added extra diced onions to my tacos. Prepare toppings for tacos, and place in a divided dish. In a large pan, over medium high heat, add olive oil and heat until shimmering. If you're adding extra diced onions like we did, add them now, and cook with a pinch of salt until translucent, about 5-8 minutes, and follow remaining steps of recipe. Add ground beef and 1 tbsp of taco seasoning to pan and cook, breaking up any large chunks of meat with a wooden spoon, until no pink remains - about 10 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, pureed veggies and tomato sauce. Stir to combine, and cook, stirring frequently for another 10 minutes. While you're at this stage, add your crunchy taco shells to a preheated oven, and cook according to package directions - if you're using soft shells, wait until you're ready to serve and cover tortillas with a damp paper towel and then throw them in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. Reduce heat, and let simmer 5 minutes. To serve, transfer meat to a large bowl, and serve family style with a spoon for scooping in to taco shells along side prepared toppings and your shells of choice!
Tater Tot Casserole 1 lb ground beef 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened 2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 lbs tater tots optional: onion, celery, green pepper and garlic - finely minced Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. In a large skillet over medium-high heat oil until shimmering. Add ground beef and veggies, if using. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, and cook until the beef is well browned. Remove from heat, and drain fat. In the same pan you cooked the beef in, with a silicone spatula, mix in sour cream, cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup. Stir until it is well combined and it is a grayish color. Pour into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Start layering tater tots over the top of the meat until it is completely covered, and then top tots with cheddar cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and browned over the tater tots, and the meat is bubbling below. At this point you could also freeze your tater tot casserole to cook another time. When reheating, allow for an additional 15-20 minutes of cooking time.