Cut Potatoes

Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

What you need:
4 tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 oz reduced fat provolone cheese, shredded
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

How you make it:
Preheat oven to 450° F.
Place tomatoes cut-side up on a baking sheet.
Top with Parmesan, provolone, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
Mist lightly with non-fat cooking spray and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes

Oaxacan Grilled Corn Cost per serving: 60¢

Leave a couple of inches of stalk on the end of each ear of corn to make a good handle. Pull off a piece of the husk and use it to tie up the rest decoratively, as shown.

8 ears fresh corn, with husks

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 limes, cut into wedges

Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Pull down corn husks and remove silk. Place husks back over corn and soak in large bowls filled with cold water for 30 minutes.
2. 2. Preheat a gas grill to medium. Drain corn on paper towels and pat dry, pull down husks and brush kernels evenly with butter. Place husks back over corn and tie ends with kitchen twine to keep in place. Arrange corn flat on grill with string ends away from direct heat and cook, turning often, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. 3. Cut away twine and pull down husks. Spread mayonnaise on each ear, then sprinkle with chili powder and Parmesan. Serve with lime wedges and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Melon-Pineapple Salsa Cost per serving: 98¢

For a refreshing twist on salsa, try this recipe which incorporates fruit. It gives whatever you serve it with a tangy burst of flavor.

3 cups diced ripe yet firm cantaloupe, from a 3-lb. melon $

Click to see savings

2 cups diced fresh pineapple, from a 2-lb. pineapple

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced $

Click to see savings

1/2 red onion, diced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil $

Click to see savings

Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix melon, pineapple, bell pepper, onion, ginger, jalapeño and lemon or lime juice. Stir well, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours. Just before serving, stir in mint and oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve cold.

Roasted Tomato Salsa Cost per serving: 87¢

To get the best taste, squeeze the tomatoes after roasting to rid them of some of the bitter seeds.

8 to 10 medium plum tomatoes, about 2 lb., halved lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded $

Click to see savings

2 medium jalapeños, halved lengthwise and seeded

1/2 small onion, chopped $

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2 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. 1. Preheat broiler to high; set a rack 4 inches from heat source. Arrange tomato halves cut side down on a broiling pan. Broil, watching carefully and turning pan as needed, until tomatoes are blackened and charred, about 10minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
2. 2. Place bell pepper and jalapeños on broiling pan; broil until blackened and charred, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. Peel pepper and jalapeños, but leave blackened skins on tomatoes. Coarsely chop tomatoes, pepper and jalapeños.
3. 3. Working in batches if necessary, combine cooked tomatoes, bell pepper and jalapeños with onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a food processor. Pulse briefly until coarsely chopped. (Do not overprocess. The salsa should be chunky.) Pulse in cumin and cilantro. Season with additional salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Savory Pancakes

Recipe from GoodenessGracious.com

Truth be told, sweets lover that I am, I am still an absolute sucker for a savory breakfast (remember those uber-yummy savory muffins… yum!).

That is why I was so tickled that you guys choose Savory Pancakes from the Easy-Breezy Breakfasts section for me to share here.

This lovely recipe is just one of many yummy super-easy treats you will find in the brand new Gooseberry Patch 101 Easy Everyday Recipes.

And… despite the recent Blogger outage, we are still giving away a copy of this lovely book BEFORE it hits store shelves! Have ya entered yet???

This recipe is a fantastic recipe for the kiddos… Miss Add and I dubbed them “Pizza Pancakes”.

We started out with 2 Cups Bisquick…

Then 1 Cup Milk… and 2 Eggs- beaten… I just use whites…

Mix ‘er up

Now add 1/2 Cup Shredded Mozzarella

1/2 Cup Pepperoni… We used these cute little Turkey Pepperonis to cut down on the fat.

1/2 Cup of Tomato- chopped

1/4 Cup of Green Pepper- Chopped

2 t Italian Seasoning

And mix ‘er up!

Now take 1/4 cupfuls and pour them on a hot griddle… I used my large cookie scoop and it worked beautifully

Speaking of griddles… I have told ya how thoughtful my mom is… well she knew I wanted to build up my cast iron collection and she found this awesome griddle and a large skillet for $5 each at a garage sale and bought them right up for me!

They both need a little seasoning, but with all the cooking I do, they should be GOODe and seasoned in no-time.

Anyhoo–

Once you have the pancakes on the griddle… then you watch for the bubbles to start popping…

Then you know it is time to flip.

Now for keeping things real… PROOF that I am a lousy pancake flipper…

Ah well… I need to keep practicing…

Now top your pancakes with warm tomato sauce and fresh (or grated) parm…

Deep Fried Mashed Potato Cubes, Because This is America

These deep fried cubes of mashed potatoes are made in proper college boy fashion, by whipping up mashed potatoes and filling an ice cube tray with them. Following a multiple hour freezing session, the cubes are battered with an egg, milk and flour mixture and thrown into the deep fryer.
Once the cubes are fried up, I would bet a tooth pick and a cup of gravy would be a rather delicious dipping option. Or even getting a skewer and making a mashed potato shish kabob, drizzled in gravy.
What’s up Thanksgiving hors d’ouvres?

ONION CHEESE LOAF BREAD

1 lb. loaf frozen bread
1 c. finely grated Cheddar cheese
3 med. green onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp. poppy seed
1 tbsp. melted butter

Thaw dough. Make 3 lengthwise cuts almost to bottom of loaf. Mix cheese, onion, and poppy seeds. Spread 1/3 of mixture down each slit. Press dough together to form loaf again. Place in lightly greased bread pan. Brush with melted butter. Let rise 1/2 inch above sides. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

FLAKED CRAB SALAD

2 cups flaked crab meat
pinch of sea salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 cup Kraft olive oil mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped celery with leaves
large pinch of ground celery seed
1 tsp. dry or 1 tbsp. fresh parsley
Crisp or frilly lettuce leaves

Wash, dry and remove strings from celery before chopping. Peel strings up from bottom of celery stalks and discard.Flake the crab meat (artificial crab or lobster may be substituted). In a medium bowl, toss crab with remaining ingredients except lettuce.
Wash, dry and arrange lettuce in a circle covering the serving dish. Scoop salad into lettuce center. Sprinkle salad with a pinch of paprika and parsley (or even minced chives), if desired.
This salad can also be served in tomato shells (scoop out seeds; tomatoes should be firm ripe).

Submitted by: Belle

BBQ Baked Beans and Sausage

Turn baked beans into an easy main dish by adding chicken sausage and collard greens. Check the sodium amount on your canned beans to make sure it's not too high. Giving the beans a good rinse before adding them to the recipe can shed up to 35 percent of sodium.

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Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup(s) prepared barbecue sauce (see Tips & Techniques)
• 1/2 cup(s) water
• 2 tablespoon(s) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon(s) molasses
• 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon(s) canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cup(s) chopped collard greens, (about 10 ounces), tough stems removed
• 9 ounce(s) cooked chicken sausage links (about 3 links), halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 can(s) great northern or navy beans, rinsed (see Tips & Techniques)

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Directions

1. Whisk barbecue sauce, water, tomato paste, molasses, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and collard greens and cook, stirring occasionally, until the collards are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes more.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low; add beans and the sauce mixture to the pan. Gently stir to combine, cover and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

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Tips & Techniques

Shopping tip: Check the sodium of your favorite barbecue sauce-some can be quite high. This recipe was developed with a sauce containing 240 mg sodium per 2-tablespoon serving.

Note: While we love the convenience of canned beans, they tend to be high in sodium. Give them a good rinse before adding to a recipe to rid them of some of their sodium (up to 35 percent) or opt for low-sodium or no-salt-added varieties. (These recipes are analyzed with rinsed, regular canned beans.) Or, if you have the time, cook your own beans from scratch.

Sesame-Crouton Asian Chicken Salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1/2       cup McCormick® Sesame Seed                                        

1/4       cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened

1/2       cup soy sauce, room temperature

2          teaspoons freshly grated gingerroot

1          can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated original breadsticks (12 breadsticks)

2 1/2    cups cubed cooked chicken

2 1/2    cups broccoli slaw or shredded broccoli

1          cup chopped cucumber

3/4       cup julienne carrots (from 10-oz bag)

1/2       cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4       cup finely chopped red onion

1/4       cup Fisher® Cashews, Halves and Pieces, coarsely chopped

1/2       cup Crisco® Pure Olive Oil

1/3       cup cider vinegar                                         

1/2        to 1 teaspoon sesame oil

3           tablespoons sugar                                           

• 1 In 10-inch skillet, cook sesame seed over medium-high heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly toasted. Remove from skillet to plate to cool.
• 2 Heat oven to 375°F. In small bowl, beat butter, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the gingerroot and 2 tablespoons of the sesame seed with electric mixer on low speed until blended. Carefully unroll dough into 2 rectangles. On each of 2 ungreased cookie sheets with sides, place 1 rectangle; press into 8x6-inch rectangle. Spread with butter mixture. Using pizza cutter, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 6 breadsticks, then cut each breadstick crosswise into 8 pieces.
• 3 Bake 8 to 12 minutes, rotating cookie sheets halfway through baking, until crisp. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool.
• 4 Meanwhile, in large bowl, toss chicken, broccoli slaw, cucumber, carrots, cilantro, onion and cashews. In container with tight-fitting lid, shake olive oil, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar and remaining soy sauce, gingerroot and sesame seed until well blended. Just before serving, pour dressing over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Add croutons; stir lightly.

Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Onion, and Garlic

6 slices bacon, chopped

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large head cabbage, cored and sliced

1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large stockpot and cook over medium-high heat until crispy, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion caramelizes; about 10 minutes. Immediately stir in the cabbage and continue to cook and stir another 10 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes more.

Best Barbecue Sauce Recipe

 Thanks BudgetSavvyDive.com

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce – I did not use it since I was making this sauce gluten- free
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/6 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

What To Do

Combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes.

Enjoy!

Freezable – just make the recipe without the water and it will not freeze solid

Fresh Quinoa Salad

I have a desire for this to be a food blog. SO - sometimes there's just some things I gotta share with you! I eat this dish at least once-ish a week. It's so tasty. And healthy. And easy. And gluten free. And vegan (if you don't put in goat cheese!). And easy to change to your tastes! I named it “fresh quinoa salad”.

Fresh Quinoa Salad Recipe-

Ingredients: (what’s awesome is that you can put whatever you currently have in your kitchen or what fits your taste! I didn’t list any amounts below because it just depends on what you’re wanting.)

Black beans
Corn
Zucchini
Yellow squash
Grape tomatoes
Dry Coleslaw mix (pre-dressing. it’s comes in a bag near the lettuce. it has shredded carrots & broccoli & cabbage)
Green bell pepper
Cooked quinoa (mine was a mix of regular and red quinoa)
Lime juice (I use one whole lime)
Salt, garlic powder, onion flakes
Goat cheese!

Other things that you could put in but I didn’t this time:

Red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
Olive oil
Chicken
Cilantro
Chick peas
Spinach
Onions / Green onions
Avocado!!

Instructions:

Cut all the veggies and mix it all together. No really. That’s it. I just get a massive bowl and put it all the cut up veggies, beans, corn, quinoa, & lime juice. I sprinkle the goat cheese on top. Leave it off and it’s vegan!

Thanks to The Burlap Bag

Quick salmon and spinach

 


Ingredients

• 1 x 125g SunRice Quick Cups White Rice in 40 Seconds Per Person
• 300g fresh salmon fillet (boneless, skinless)
• 200g baby spinach
• 1 cup cream
• 1 small garlic clove
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation method

1. Place spinach into a saucepan, pour over the cream and bring to the boil.

2. Cut salmon fillet into finger sized strips.

3. Once sauce is slightly thick add salmon, season with salt and pepper.

4. Bring to a gentle simmer until salmon is cooked.

5. Heat SunRice Quick Cup White Rice as per pack instructions and place onto a plates.

6. Serve with salmon and spinach.

Lamb Burger with Spinach and Feta Salad

 







Ingredients
 
For The Burger

1.5 pounds of ground lamb shoulder
1 tsp of each of the following
Toasted ground cumin
Toasted ground fennel seed
Cayenne pepper
Minced garlic
2 tbsp of chopped shallots
2 tbsp of chopped parsley
2 tbsp of whole fat greek yogurt strained of water
6 small pitas split and lightly toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

For The Salad

2 cups of baby spinach cleaned
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Sherry wine vinegar

Directions

Mix all of the non-salad ingredients, except the pita, together in a bowl until just combined. Form into 7 oz. patties about 3/4 inch thick.
When the grill is hot, season the lamb patties liberally with salt and pepper. Grill over medium high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium rare.
Let rest for a few minutes, while resting toss all of the salad ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper, fill the individual pitas with the lamb burgers and gently stuff the salad mixture on top. Serve immediately.

The last 3 Recipes courtesy of Geoffrey Zakarian.

Beef Burger and Gingered Cole Slaw

Learn how to make beef, turkey and lamb burger variations from chef and restaurateur, Geoffrey Zakarian!

 Makes burgers for 6











Ingredients

3 Pounds Organic Grass Fed Prime Ground Beef
1 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 large beefsteak tomato cut into 6 slices
12 Leafs of Butter lettuce
50/50 Mayonnaise Ketchup Mix (Hellman’s and Heinz preferable)
6 Slices White Cheddar
6 English Muffins (Thomas’ preferable)

Directions
Lightly oil your grill (preferably a charcoal grill). Form the beef into 6 patties and season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook the burgers, charring well on both sides, until almost but not quite done as desired ( 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Gas grills may require 1 to 2 minutes more total cooking.) At the same time, lightly grill. Top each burger with ½ tablespoon of butter and then add slice of White Cheddar on each patty. Transfer the burgers to a rack to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile slice in half the brioche buns and grill.Place a piece of butter lettuce on each bottom piece of brioche, then layer the hamburger, the mayo/ketchup mix, a slice of tomato, another piece of butter lettuce and finally the top portion of the roll. Skewer a long quartered half sour pickle on to the top of the bun.

Gingered Cole Slaw
Ingredients
1 small head of savoy cabbage, cored
1 large carrot
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger ( 1 1-inch piece)
1 ½ teaspoons finely minced garlic ( 1 small clove)
3 tablespoons Hellman’s Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
Fine sea salt, fresh ground pepper and sugar to taste

Directions
Shred the cabbage and julienne the carrot ( cut it into thin slivers). Combine the cabbage and carrots in a bowl. Add the ginger, garlic and mayonnaise and mix well. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over a medium flame. Add the raisins and cook until soft and golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the warm raisins to the slaw, mix well, then season with the vinegar and salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fried Panko-Dipped Pickle Spears

I have made these time after time.  The adults and kids love them.  Dip them in Ranch dressing.  Its the bomb.  My and my partner had these for the first time in Ozark Mo at a resterant name Rosie's Jo's. Around 10 years ago.  After having them there I just had to make the for the family.


Prep Time: 25 Min
Total Time: 25 Min
Makes: 4 servings (3 pickle spears each)

INGREDIENTS

4 to 6 cups vegetable oil

1cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons dry ranch dressing mix (from 1-oz package)

4 eggs

2 cups Progresso® panko crispy bread crumbs

12 crisp pickle spears

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oil in deep fryer or 12-inch skillet to 375°F.

 

2 Meanwhile, in shallow bowl, stir together flour and dressing mix. In another shallow bowl, beat eggs with whisk. In third shallow bowl, place bread crumbs. 

                  

3 Dip each pickle spear into flour mixture, then into egg. Dip into flour a second time, then into egg a second time. Coat pickle spear with bread crumbs.                   

 

4 After all pickles have been breaded, fry in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, or until deep golden brown. Drain fried pickles on cooling rack or paper towels.

 

Enjoy hope the kids love this.

 

Thanks to Philsbury.com

 

 

Italian Chickpea Popcorn

Ingredients:

1 (15oz ) can Chick peas, drained
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix chick pea with all ingredients.  Spread onto baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until crispy.

Tea Sandwich Tray (3 different Sandwich's)

Ingredients

Recipes make 10-12 sandwiches.

For the Chicken Salad Tea Sandwich:
Ingredients
2 cups chicken breast, diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
½ teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon mango chutney
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ cup canned water chestnuts, diced
¼ cup celery, diced
½ cup sliced almonds
1 loaf white bread, thinly sliced
Circular cookie cutter (optional)
Chives

Get Cookin'
1. Combine chicken breast, mayonnaise, curry powder, chutney and lemon juice in a bowl.
2. Add water chestnuts and celery. Mix thoroughly. Add sliced almonds.
3. Spread thick layer of salad onto slice of bread. Place another slice of bread on top to close the sandwich. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter or cut into four squares or triangles with a knife.
4. Top sandwiches chives.

For the Cucumber Boursin Tea Sandwich:
Ingredients
5.2 oz. Boursin cheese
1½ teaspoon skim milk
2 medium-size cucumbers
Thinly sliced white bread
Circular cookie cutter (optional)
Blackberries
1 bunch dill

Get Cookin'
1. In a bowl, mix together cheese and milk. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the cucumbers lengthwise into thin slices.
2. Spread a light layer of Boursin onto bread and stack with cucumber slices.
3. Cut out shapes using cookie cutter or cut into four squares or triangles with a knife.
4. Top with a blackberry and a sprig of dill.

Hints:
-Boursin cheese is a great alternative to cream cheese because it adds more flavor to a sandwich.
-This is an open-faced sandwich.

For the Ham and Orange Marmalade Tea Sandwich:
Ingredients
1 jar of orange marmalade
1 loaf white bread, thinly sliced
Salted butter, softened
Ham, thickly sliced
1 bunch mint
Orange rind, thinly sliced
Circular cookie cutter (optional)

Get Cookin'
1. Spread thin layer of orange marmalade onto one slice of bread. Spread a thin layer of butter on the other slice.
2. Add two slices of ham. Close sandwich.
3. Cut out shapes using cookie cutter or cut sandwich into four squares or triangles with a knife.
4. Top with a sprig of mint and a piece of orange rind.

Hints:
-Marmalade is similar to an English jelly or jam, but it doesn’t contain as much sugar. Also, the English add in orange rind, which makes it more bitter.