Andouille Sausage with Red Beans

This recipe is great for a busy night or long day, when you need something quick to prepare!

Servings: 2-4

You'll need:
1 Andouille Sausage, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup water
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 can (16 oz) light red kidney beans, drained
salt and pepper to taste
white rice, cooked according to instructions on package*

Directions:
In a skillet, brown the sausage in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add celery, onion, green pepper, garlic, water, bay leaf, cayenne pepper, and kidney beans. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, careful not to over cook the vegetables. Remove bay leaf. Serve over rice.

*I would recommend cooking the rice with some Cajun seasonings to keep it from being bland compared to the rest of the dish. I made this mistake the first time I made this dish.

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Crockpot Creamy Ranch Pork Chops

Photo courtesy of livinglaughingloving.com

I saw this recipe on livinglaughingandloving.com and decided to give it a try last night since my boyfriend and I were both working late and I knew I wouldn't want to cook when I got home. It's super simple, requiring only 3 ingredients, really inexpensive to make, AND the crockpot does all the work for you!

All you need is:
Pork chops
1 pack Hidden Valley Ranch dry seasoning mix
1-2 cans cream of chicken soup*
1-2 cans of water*

Mix ingredients well, pour into crockpot, add pork chops. And that's it!

*Depends on the size of your crock pot and how many pork chops you're making. I made 4 thinly sliced pork chops and used 1 1/2 cans of cream of chicken soup and very little water because I wanted the liquid to cover the chops and it to be somewhat thick like gravy- it's completely up to you.

This dish is great because you can serve it with whatever side(s) you want. I made some rice and a salad when I got home and used the left over liquid as sort of a gravy to top the porkchops and rice with.

I think I'm going to try this recipe with chicken sometime, also- just an idea. Let me know how it turns out if you try it first.

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Spicy Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers

I saw some sweet red peppers in the grocery store the other day and they were too beautiful and bright to pass up. So, I came up with this recipe to make with them-


I chose to serve them with penne and a quick, fresh tomato sauce (see below), but you could make them with any side you want, or eat just by themselves.

You'll need:
3 long sweet red peppers, halved, seeded
1 pound ground spicy Italian sausage
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
2 med cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup shredded parmesan
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt


Sauce*:
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste


1 box penne pasta


*If you would prefer to use a jar sauce or your own favorite recipe, be my guest. I was in the mood for chunky, fresh made.


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix ingredients (besides peppers) in large mixing bowl until well blended.
Combine sauce ingredients in a separate large mixing bowl.
Pour sauce in 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish.
Fill seeded pepper halves with mixture, mounding on top.
Arrange peppers over top of the sauce in the baking dish.
Top peppers with additional cheese, as much or little as you prefer.
Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until sausage is fully cooked (165 degrees)
Cook pasta according to box, drain.


Once peppers and pasta are finished, plate and top with tomato sauce from baking dish.

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Pan Roasted Chicken & Vegetables

This dish is great because it's quick and allows for very minimal clean up and dishes.


You'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pound of potatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 pound baby carrots, cut into thirds
1 large onion, cut into wedges
2 (4 oz) cans sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (10 oz) bag fresh baby spinach (remove stems)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons black pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 large roasting pan


Directions:

In large roasting pan, combine potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Toss to coat evenly in the oil. Roast veggies at 475 degrees for 25 minutes.

Gently stir veggies so they don't stick. Lightly salt and pepper chicken and add to roasting pan, along with mushrooms. Roast for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Once chicken is done, place spinach over the mixture and return to the oven for 5-6 more minutes, or until spinach wilts.


Remove from oven and place chicken in a frying pan on the stove for 5 minutes on each side, to achieve a crisp, golden brown exterior. Toss veggies, plate with chicken, and serve.














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Nacho-rific Stuffed Chicken

I found this awesome recipe on Food Network and decided to give it a try. I did deviate from it somewhat, with the cheese choices and taco sauce. It was quick and effortless, yet delicious, and I liked that the website gave healthy product recommendations for ingredients.


You'll need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1/3 inches thick)
1/2 cup refried beans
4 wedges Pepper Jack cheese (or cheese of choice)
1/4 cup shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or cheese of choice)
1 teaspoon dry taco seasoning mix
1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
Salt and pepper, to taste
About 16 Tortilla chips, crushed
Sour cream, optional
Toothpicks


Filling: combine beans, cheese wedges, and shredded cheese in bowl and set aside.


Directions:
Crush tortilla chips by hand in a sealable plastic bag and add taco seasoning, set aside.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.


Place chicken breasts on a clean, dry surface, and season with salt and pepper.  Spoon filling onto the centers, dividing it evenly among all 4. Carefully roll each chicken breast up over the filling and secure with toothpicks (it's okay if some of the filling comes out the sides). Transfer to baking sheet. 


Cover each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of salsa, coating evenly, and top with tortilla chip crumb mixture.


Cover baking sheet with foil and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil, and continue to cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.


Remove from oven and let cool. Top with sour cream, if desired.

Photo courtesy of Food Network.com

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San Francisco Pork Chops

I got this recipe from my boyfriend's mom. I'm pretty sure she originally found it on Grouprecipes.com and edited it a bit. This dish is great with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, or any starch. I normally make it with a long-noodle pasta, your choice.

Photo courtesy of Grouprecipes.com

You'll need:
4 pork chops (about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick)
1 tablespoon oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced


Sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons oil
4 tablespoons dry sherry, white
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine: oil, sherry, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper in bowl.

Heat oil in pan and pork chops on both sides. Remove and set aside. Saute garlic and add the pork chops back to skillet along with sauce mixture. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add water to keep sauce from cooking down too low. Turn pork chops once.

Remove pork chops and add cornstarch to thicken. Pour sauce over chops and starch and serve.




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Quesadilla Casserole

This is a McCormick® Recipe Inspirations that I altered, adding more of some of the ingredients. You can find this and other Recipe Inspiration pre-measured spices at your grocery store or on McCormick®'s website.

You'll need:

1 pound ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cans (4 oz each) tomato sauce

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, undrained

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles, undrained

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oregano leaves

1 tablespoon red pepper (optional)

7 flour tortillas (8-inch each), cut/torn in half

4 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese (or cheese of choice)

Brown ground beef with onions in large skillet, then drain. Put back into skillet and add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and green chiles. Stir in all of the spices except for the crushed red pepper, mixing well. Once mixture is brought to a boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Add red pepper to taste, if desired.

Spray 13x9x2-inch baking dish with no-stick cooking spray and add about 1/2 cup of the beef mixture to the bottom just to cover it. Top with 7 of the tortilla halves so that they cover corner to corner and one in the middle. Next, add half of the remaining beef mixture to dish, top with half of the cheese (2 cup), and cover again with tortilla halves. Repeat with remaining beef and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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Spanish-Style Couscous

I found this recipe in my Rival Crock-Pot Cookbook and decided to try it for dinner.

You'll need: 
1 pound ground beef
1 can (14 1/2 oz) beef broth
1 small green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 1/3 cups water (for couscous)
1 cup uncooked couscous


What I added:
1 teaspoon ground Cayenne red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 extra garlic cloves (to make 4 cloves total)
1/2 cup extra sliced green olives (to make 1 cup total)
1 small (4 oz) can diced hot green chili peppers


Brown ground beef in skillet on stove, drain and discard fat. Transfer to slow cooker. Add beef broth, green pepper, onion, garlic, cumin and thyme; stir well.


Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until green pepper is tender.


Bring water to a boil over high heat in small saucepan. Stir in couscous. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with fork.


Stir couscous onto plates and top with beef.

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Angry Mac©

One of my all time favorite foods is macaroni and cheese, and as much as I love Velveeta, nothing compares to homemade. I took my mom's recipe for baked Southern macaroni and cheese and spiced it up with some chopped jalapeños. This is a great side dish for any meal or add chicken or beef and make it a meal!




You'll need: 
One 16 oz box macaroni noodles/shells
One 16 oz block of sharp/extra sharp cheese, grated
1/2 stick butter
12 oz milk
1-2 tbsp plain white flour
1 jar/can pickled jalapeños slices, you can use fresh if you prefer
Roughly an 8x8 baking dish, can be glass or stone.

Cook macaroni noodles until they're al dente, adding salt to taste.


Blend jalapeños in food processor/blender until they're finely chopped.

In saucepan, on low heat, melt butter, then add flour, stirring slowly. Let the flour and butter simmer together for a few minutes. Add milk while still stirring mixture, try to avoid lumps. Slowly add 1/4 of the grated cheese to the mixture. Once butter, flour, milk, and cheese are mixed together, add jalapeños. If mixture gets too thick, add more milk. You want it to be soupy, so that it easily coats the macaroni noodles. It's important to keep the burner on low so as not to burn the milk.

Be sure to spray baking dish, so macaroni and cheese doesn't stick. Put half of the noodles into dish, pour half of sauce pan mixture over, then top with half of the remaining amount of cheese. Repeat once more, using remaining noodles, mixture, and cheese so that everything's layered in the baking dish. If you like a lot of cheese, you can always use more than directed. I like to put a lot on top.

Bake @ 350 degrees for about 30-45 minutes.

Note: If you prefer a different cheese, or even to buy already grated cheese, that's perfectly fine. I don't always have the time or energy to grate a block of cheese. And again, if you want to use more or less than the 16 oz, that's fine too. As far as the jalapeños go, use as much or little as you like. I like spicy food and like to use about 5-10 oz depending on what else I'm making with it. I've also made this dish with serrano peppers before. The size baking dish to use can also be altered. I've made this in a 9x13, 8x8, circular stone dish, etc. My mom uses evaporated milk, but I find that it makes the mixture too thick, so I just use regular. I've found that one of the best parts of this dish, is being able to make it my own.




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