Baked Hushpuppies (Repeat)

Ingredients:

1 jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

1/3 cup skim milk

1/2 white onion, chopped

bacon bits, for topping

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

- In a mixing bowl, combine corn muffin mix, egg, and skim milk

- All mixture to rest for 5 minutes

- Dice 1/2 medium-large white onion

- Add diced onion to muffin mix, mix well

- Spoon batter into baking cups, no more than 1/2 full

- Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes

Potato Waffles - Comfort Food

When I was a little girl, my grandmother would often make us potato pancakes using mashed potatoes in the batter, and frying them in a cast iron skillet. My memory may not be correct, but I don't believe that skillet was ever not on the stove top. Grandma used it for everything!

So many of my fondest memories involve food. Especially food that I consider comfort food. Potato pancakes definitely fall into that category for me.

I have discovered with my family, that we really enjoy waffles. Not traditional butter and syrup drowned waffles, but usually waffles with a savory flare. Remember the Ham & Cheese Waffles recipe I shared a while back? I took that base recipe and made Potato Waffles for my guys last week using some leftover mashed potatoes and 1/2 a white onion in place of the ham and cheese. I added some extra black pepper and garlic salt, like I would add to a baked potato. The result was really good! The texture of the waffle crispness combined with the softness of the mashed potatoes worked out to be a delightful match. My guys only suggestion: add bacon. No surprises there!!

We paired these Potato Waffles with Mackerel Cakes and My Favorite Vegetable Salad. A meal that will be added to the "Must Repeat" file!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups skim milk

1 large egg

4 TBS melted butter

1 cup mashed potatoes, (leftovers)

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

- Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until just combined. Batter will be very lumpy.

- Prepare waffle press by preheating and coating with cooking spray.

- Using a small measuring cup or large serving spoon, add batter to hot waffle press. Depending on the waffle press being used, do not overfill. My recommendation is to add less rather than more batter to avoid overflows. (I add approximately 1/3 cup of batter per waffle.)

- Cook with press closed until ready indicator signals, or til desired doneness. I like to cook these waffles just a little longer than basic waffles.

Hint: For a touch of extra flavor, add bacon to the batter. Serve with butter and sour cream to have that baked potato taste. Or my favorite: take 2 waffles and use them to make a sandwich - YUMMMMM! Enjoy!!

Broccoli Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp gr nutmeg
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 (16 oz) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 9 lasagna noodles, (we use no-boil noodles)
• 1 1/3 cups diced ham
• 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 2 cups cooked chicken, diced

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter until tender.
2. Gradually add flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until well blended
3. Next stir in broth and milk, continue to mix well. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir while continuing to cook for an additional 2 minutes - or until mixture has thickened.
4. Add Parmesan cheese and broccoli to sauce - remove from heat. Stir well.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare baking dish with cooking spray.
6. Begin layering lasagna by first spreading the bottom of the baking dish with the 1/2 cup of the thickened broccoli sauce.
7. Layer 3 noodles on top of the broccoli mixture.
8. Next top the noodles with 1/3 of the remaining sauce, 1 cup of ham, 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and 3 more lasagna noodles.
9. Begin the next layer with 1/3 of the sauce mixture, all of the chicken, and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese - then the 3 remaining lasagna noodles.
10. Last, top the lasagna noodles with the remaining sauce and ham. Sprinkle any remaining cheese on last.
11. Cover with foil, and bake in a 350 degree F oven for 45-50 minutes. Remove foil cover for the last 5-10 minutes to allow cheese to brown slightly.
12. Remove from oven and allow lasagna to rest for 10 minutes before slicing or serving.

This recipe is being shared at the Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange over at Lil House on the Prairie Living - go check it out!!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

• 4 potatoes, baked and mashed
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• bacon crumbles
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• salt & pepper as desired

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare baking dish with non-stick spray.
3. In a mixing bowl combine: mashed potatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, onion, and skim milk.
4. Top with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.
5. Cover dish with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Hint: Whenever we make boiled or mashed potatoes for a meal, I try to make extra so we will have leftovers. In the back of my mind I always plan on making potato pancakes with the leftovers...but I usually find another way to use them up before we ever get around to making the potato pancakes. This casserole is a great example! I used leftover boiled potatoes to make this dish for my husband and me for lunch. His favorite part? No potato skins :) Enjoy!!

Baked Hushpuppies (and Catfish)

Ingredients:

1 jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg

1/3 cup skim milk

1/2 white onion, chopped

bacon bits, for topping

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

- In a mixing bowl, combine corn muffin mix, egg, and skim milk

- All mixture to rest for 5 minutes

- Dice 1/2 medium-large white onion

- Add diced onion to muffin mix, mix well

- Spoon batter into baking cups, no more than 1/2 full

- Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs catfish fillets, prepped to cook

1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning or seasoned salt

1/2 stick butter or margarine

Directions:

- Melt butter in baking dish, in preheated (400 degrees F) oven

- Combine Cajun seasoning and black pepper in a shallow plate or dish

- Dredge catfish fillets in seasoning, both sides

- Place seasoned fillets in melted butter, in baking dish in 400 degree F oven

- Bake fillets for 10-15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork

- Optional: Transfer baked fillets to a hot grill to brown prior to serving

Extra: Catfish is a favorite meal for my guys and making it in the oven at home allows us to save money and be as creative with our seasoning as we want to be. After the food was ready, the guys all reached for the loaf of sandwich bread in the kitchen. When I asked why, they explained they wanted to eat sandwiches. There are no leftovers tonight, but all tummies are full!

These recipes were shared over at Cups By Kim for the Sweet & Simple Sunday #5...just looking at those pictures is making me drool!!! Go be inspired by all the Sweet & Simple recipes!

Herbed Chicken & Shrimp (Crock-pot)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 large onion, chopped

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup white wine

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp dried basil

1 lb uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

* Prepare the crock by spraying lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the bottom on the crock and season with salt and pepper.

* Next, top the chicken breast with chopped onion, tomato sauce, white wine, garlic, and basil.

* Cook on low 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 hours. During the last 45 minutes, add the peeled and deveined shrimp. Stir well.

* Serve over rice or pasta.

Hint: This is a great dinner to start later in the day. The cook time is shorter, and the prep is next to nothing. If you buy frozen chopped onion - as I do on occasion - prep will be even less. We topped ours with grated Parmesan cheese....delightful!

Bacon-Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a favorite at our house, especially when I don't really feel like cooking. Instead of just sending the boys into the kitchen to make a sandwich - I can score mom points for having a hot meal that is both hand-held and delicious.

We have experimented a lot with tweaking several staple recipes in our menu to "Buffalo Chicken" flavor, and last night we tweaked our Quesadillas in the same direction.

These were devoured. No leftovers. None.

I consider that to be a good sign!

Ingredients:

2 fajita size flour flour tortillas per person (10 in our case)
1 large can chicken breast, drained
1/2 cup bacon crumbles
1/4 white onion, diced
1/8 cup ranch salad dressing
2-3 dashes hot sauce
1/2-1 tsp southwest seasoning
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

* Combine chicken breast, bacon crumbles, diced onion, ranch dressing, hot sauce, and shredded mozzarella cheese in a mixing bowl with a fork.

* Prepare cooking surface, preferably a griddle or shallow skillet by preheating after ingredients are assembled and ready to cook. These cook quickly, so be prepared. (I use a double burner griddle.)

* Place 1 flour tortilla on hot cooking surface, then top with filling mixture. Filling should not quite cover the tortilla and make sure to spread it out so that it will melt evenly as it cooks. The more filling, the harder it will be to flip and the cheese will not melt completely. Top with 2nd flour tortilla.

* Cook for 1-2 minutes on medium-high heat on preheated griddle. Tortillas will become crispy and cheese will melt as they cook.

* Cut with a pizza cutter and serve with ranch dressing for dipping...if the kids wait that long!

Enjoy!!



This recipe is linked up to Friday Food at Momtrends - go check out the other recipes linked up today!

Mom's Spanish Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup white rice, prepared as directed

1/2 medium white onion, diced

1/2 medium green bell pepper, diced

1 can stewed tomatoes (Mexican seasoned)

3 TBS butter or margarine

1 small can of tomato paste

1 1/2-2 cups of chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp southwestern seasoning

3 dashes of hot sauce

2 tsp taco seasoning

* Melt butter in a deep skillet, then saute onion and green pepper in butter.

* Add stewed tomatoes with juice to onion and green peppers and stir until well combined.

* As vegetables begin to simmer, add tomato paste and chicken broth.

* Add cooked rice, and seasoning and continue to stir until well combined.

* Simmer on low for an additional 5-8 minutes. Add hot sauce (if desired) just prior to serving.

HINT: When I was still living at home my mom would make this rice for us when we had tacos for dinner. Another comfort food from my childhood! Occasionally she would brown ground beef and add it to the rice for serving as the main dish. If there are any leftovers...it is even better the second day! Enjoy!

This recipe is linked up to Church Supper #31 over at Everyday Mom's Meals...visit to check out more recipes from this week's Church Supper!

We're also posting this week on Sweet & Simple at Cups By Kim....go check it out!

Black Bean Tuna Melts

Ingredients:

1 (15 0z) can black beans, drained & rinsed

2 (5 oz) cans of tuna in water, drained

1/2 white onion, diced

1/2 tsp dry dill

2 dashes of hot sauce

1/2-1 cup of shredded colby-jack cheese

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

*sliced rye bread*

*butter or margarine*

* Combine rinsed black beans, drained tuna, diced onion, dry dill, hot sauce, shredded cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt & pepper in a mixing bowl with a fork.

* Heat griddle or grill to medium heat, and prepare sliced rye bread with butter or margarine for grilling.

* Place one slice of rye bread, butter side down, on griddle.

* Top with tuna mixture.

* Cover with a second slice of rye bread, butter side up.

* Cook on both sides until golden brown, about a minute on each side.

Hint: My husband and one of my sons added an additional slice of American cheese on to their sandwiches as I was loading our griddle. Big success at our house! A great alternative to traditional salad dressing with salad dressing or mayo.

Pasta Sauce Plus

Tonight we are eating Spaghetti for dinner. Spaghetti like my Mama used to make!

Since we are going to cook a batch of pasta sauce, I decided to go ahead and cook enough to have sauce in the freezer ready for the next time we want to eat pasta.

We put a lot of vegetables in our sauce, and when in doubt - we add more tomatoes.

Making a double batch of pasta sauce to use half now and freeze half for later is a wonderful way to make the kitchen a more productive place in our home.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
1 large green pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 TBS minced garlic
1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (26.5 oz) can prepared spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with onions & green peppers
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup red cooking wine
2 tsp Italian seasoning blend
1 tsp sugar

- After browning ground beef and draining, combine with all other ingredients in the crock-pot.

- Stir occasionally while cooking on LOW for 3-4 hours.

- Divide prepared sauce. Use half for dinner and freeze the other half in a freezer safe zipper bag or freezer safe container with a lid. (Don't forget to label!)

Spicy Beef & Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 TBS vegetable oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBS cornstarch

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat

3 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion

1 medium red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp peeled fresh ginger root, freshly chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup beef broth

1 cup dry roasted peanuts
**rice or noodles**

- In a large ziploc bag combine soy sauce, cornstarch, stew meat, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Place filled bag in refrigerator to marinate 2-4 hours prior to cooking.

- Prep broccoli, onion, and red pepper by cleaning and cutting into bite-size chunks.

- When you are ready to cook, heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet to a medium heat.

- Cook marinated meat with juices in vegetable oil until meat is completely browned. Juices will begin to thicken the longer the meat cooks.

- Slowly add beef broth and continue to stir.

- Add the vegetable to the skillet last, and cook until tender crisp.

- Serve over prepared rice or noodles, garnished with dry roasted peanuts.

**Tonight we used unseasoned ramen noodles...a compromise to make my kiddos very happy campers**

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

3 TBS vegetable oil

3 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped onion

1 TBS minced garlic

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 quarts chicken broth

1 cup buffalo wing sauce

1 (16 oz) container sour cream

5 boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 cup uncooked rice, prepared as directed

For garnish: blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, chopped celery & additional buffalo wing sauce

* Saute onion, celery, and garlic in vegetable oil over medium heat in deep skillet or pot on the stove top.

* Add AP flour, stirring constantly for approximately 2 minutes.

* Slowly add chicken broth, whisking into flour and vegetable mixture until smooth.

* Next add buffalo wing sauce and sour cream. Continue to whisk ingredients.

* Pour over chicken thighs in crock-pot.

* Cook on low 6-8 hours, or on high 4-5 hours.

* Add prepared rice, just before serving.

* Garnish with blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, chopped celery & buffalo wing sauce.

**Would be excellent served in bread bowls**

Rock Star Chicken Mac-N-Cheese

Why is it Rock Star Chicken Mac-N-Cheese? Because it's AWESOME!!

Me personally, I'm not really a fan of Mac-N-Cheese. Because I love my children, I include it in our menu. My youngest is faithful to order Mac-N-Cheese whenever we eat at a restaurant. I cringe at the idea of paying upwards of $5 for a small bowl of his favorite food, but it makes him happy and I know that it is something he will eat. In my mind the bigger problem would be me paying for chicken tenders or a burger and fries that he doesn't eat.

If my favorite restaurant served this....I would have no problem paying for it! I enjoyed this dish completely!!


Ingredients:

1 lb box of elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 (13 oz) can chicken breast, drained
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 large white onion, diced
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 cup prepared ranch salad dressing
1/4 cup hot sauce
1 can cheddar cheese soup
*paprika*

1 - Cook elbow macaroni in boiling water for approximately 8 minutes. Drain, return to pan.
2 - In a deep skillet - saute celery, onion, chicken, and butter until vegetables are beginning to become translucent.
3 - Add cheddar cheese soup, ranch dressing, hot sauce to chicken and vegetable mix. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes until contents are completely combined and thoroughly heated.
4 - Add cheesy chicken mixture to drained macaroni and stir well.
5 - Serve topped with paprika if desired.

Quiche Me Baby!!

I have a love-hate affair with breakfast.

In my mind, breakfast is always best when someone else cooks it.

Having a diabetic teenager in the house means breakfast is not an option - it is a requirement.

I stumbled across a lovely spinach-quiche recipe a couple of weeks ago and after tweaking it a little here and there...I've found a breakfast recipe that even I don't mind to cook.

*Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F.

*Next assemble the ingredients:

1/2 cup butter margarine
1 small can, drained, sliced mushrooms stems & pieces
1/2-1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup diced frozen onion & pepper seasoning blend
6-8 oz baby spinach

4 eggs
1 cup skim milk

3 oz feta cheese
3-4 oz shredded cheese (colby jack for us...)
1 deep dish pie crust

- Begin by melting the butter or margarine in a deep skillet on the stove top.

- Once melted turn the heat down to medium and add mushrooms, onion & pepper blend, and garlic. Saute until well combined and onions are slightly translucent.



- Turn heat down slightly more, and add spinach allowing it to sit on top of the butter mixture briefly before stirring. This allows the spinach time to begin wilting.




- As the spinach begins to wilt, mix eggs and milk together gently in a separate some bowl or in the blender. If you use the blender - do not over blend.

- Stir spinach into butter mixture, and continue stirring slowly until spinach has completely cooked down and mixture begins to thicken slightly.

- Remove skillet from heat.




- Add feta cheese, shredded cheese, and milk-egg blend. Combine carefully.

- Pour contents into the deep dish pie crust and bake for 40 minutes.

- After the first 40 minutes baking, sprinkle additional shredded cheese lightly over the top and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes. HINT: Go lightly on the cheese topping...a little goes a long way.




- Full cooking time should be 55-60 minutes total. Check quiche for doneness by using a fork into the center to see if quiche is fully set or still runny. Cooking longer will set the eggs more.

- Do not under cook.

* Our breakfast was served with a glass of orange juice...without pulp of course! Great way to start the weekend!!

Another Potato Soup Recipe for the Crock-Pot

At some point during the night last night, someone turned the heat off.

That wasn't very nice.

Then the weather man has to go and tell me that it's gonna be a cooler day.

All day.

There's really only one way to deal with that...a nice warm bowl of Potato Soup.

The only thing better than that bowl of Potato Soup is not having to rush around cooking it at the end of the day. It's in the crock NOW so when those hungry boys come home from school, we can shower them with parental attention.

Win! Win!!



The rule of thumb in our house is 1 potato per person. Not small potatoes, not super enormous potatoes, just regular size potatoes. If it is bigger than my fist it is too big.

Into the crock:

5 potatoes, cleaned - peeled - and diced
1 large white onion diced



2 large stalks of celery, chopped
3-4 TBS chicken bouillon
1 10 3/4 oz can cheddar cheese soup
6 soup cans hot water
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp minced garlic (we tend to lean on the theory more garlic = better)



YUMMMMM!

Mix well and cook on low 6-8 hours...or until the kids come home.




Then add the protein of choice about 1 hour before serving.

Today we will be adding:

1 cup shredded colby-jack cheese
1 1/2 cups diced turkey ham

Toppings? Sure!!

Green onions & bacon crumbles.

Maybe more cheese.

If you dare!

Fortunately we still have some sourdough bread to add to this feast.

Is it dinner time yet??