Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Zatarians Red beans and rice and my version of mexican cornbread

I have been feeling horrible from allergies. I had to get 2 shots in my hip today to clear everything up. Hopefully, I will feel better in the next 48 hours. Anyways...I didn't want to eat out or pick up fast food for dinner so I decided to do something hearty and easy. I had 2 boxes of Zatarians red beans and rice and some sausage. We also had some leftover KFC grilled chicken. I made the red beans and rice according to the package then added cooked sausage and the leftover chicken. I also made Jiffy corn muffin mix. I added japalenos and a sprinkle of cheese to a few of the muffins. They turned out fabulous. It was hearty and really hit the spot. Not to mention...it made the house smell good. Dad was hunting so he didn't get any tonight. He can't wait to eat leftovers tomorrow for lunch. Haha!

Cookbooks....

Recently, I have been drawn to cookbooks on top of using the internet to get recipes. I went to the library yesterday (I love the library...seriously I get giddy) and picked up "Cook Yourself Thin". Over the last 24 hours, I read the entire cookbook. It is fabulous and I flagged some pages to copy on the copy machine. The cookbook is all about making a lifestyle change and not being on a diet. This is one of my New Years Resolutions is to make a healthy lifestyle change. One of my friends purchased the cookbook called "Louisiana cuisine" and it is so fun to look at. It has crazy recipes like how to cook alligator, squirrel, and all kinds of other animals. I feel like it will be my cookbook for when I am feeling adventurous! What suggestions do yall have for great cookbooks?

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Baking, Birthdays, and Presents.....

Momma turned the big 50 this past week. She was in Houston visiting her family and when we returned on Sunday this is what we saw....



Look who I got to see while I was in Houston! What a treat!



Kyle and I did our Christmas a little early (mostly bc I couldn't wait!) We ate at the 102 Bistro then I opened my presents! Here are some pics....





The Sutherland crew came over to make a gingerbread house! They do this every year and it was so much fun.



They also helped us make chocolate covered strawberries. We even drizzled them with white chocolate!



Jessica and I also made oreo cake balls. They are super easy. Its 1 pkg of cream cheese and 1 pkg of oreos. Crush the oreos (I did it in a food processor) You mix them together and roll them into balls. Put them in the fridge to cool them. While they are cooling, melt the chocolate. When they have hardened a little, dip them into chocolate and return them to the fridge. They turned out great!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Recipes from the past 2 weeks....

Here are some recipes that I have made the past 2 weeks.....

Banana Bread

Cook Time:1 hr 10 minLevel: EasyYield: 1 loaf

Ingredients
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 ripe bananas
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Cream the sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.

Spread slices with honey or serve with ice cream.


-turned out a little sunken in. Ha! Bread is hard for me! Any tips?


Crockpot Chicken With Pearl Onions and Mushrooms

Ingredients:
4 to 6 boneless chicken breast halves, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) cream of chicken or cream of chicken and mushroom soup
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 bag (16 ounces) frozen pearl onions
salt and pepper, to taste
parsley, chopped, for garnish

Preparation:

Wash chicken and pat dry. Cut into chunks about 1/2 to 1-inch and put in a large bowl. Add the soup, mushrooms, and onions; stir to combine. Spray the slow cooker insert with cooking spray.
Spoon the chicken mixture into the crockpot and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, stirring about halfway through the cooking time, if possible.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired, and serve over hot cooked rice or with potatoes.
Serves 4 to 6.

-turned out delicious. I served it over rice!


Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

-4 large green bell peppers
-1 cup of cooked brown rice (I used dirty rice)
-1 lb lean ground turkey (I used deer meat)
-2 garlic cloves
-1/2 cup chopped onion
-1 can diced tomatoes (with italian seasoning is best)
-tomato sauce (for bottom of casserole dish)
-2tbsp of canola oil

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
-Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membranes. Place in a casserole dish-the bottom of the dish should be covered with a thin layer of tomato sauce
-in a pan, add canola oil and sautee the onions until translucent (5-7 min).
-Add minced garlic and cook for 2 min
-Then add the ground turkey (or deer meat) and brown

-In a large bowl, combine the cooked ground turkey (or deer meat), brown rice, and diced tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
-Scoop mixture into each bell pepper
-Bake, covered, for 30 min. If desired (I did), uncover, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and bake an additional 5 min.

Servings: 4



-Turned out fabulous!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Christmas party goodies

I had a Christmas party at my house and of course made some goodies! I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. (I used box ones bc I was short on time..hehe) I also made my grandmothers punch which consists of ginger ale and lime sherbert. I also had a chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows and other goodies to dip in it. Here are some pics!

Decorations:




Chocolate fountain and punch:




Group picture:



Cooking sugar cookies with Murphy

My little cousin Murphy has been wanting to come over for a sleepover. We found a good date and decided to make sugar cookies. We used the pre made sugar cookie dough and got the cookie cutters out. She loved using the cookie cutters to make the different Christmas shapes. Once they were decorated, she couldn't wait to decorate them. She sat there for about an hour decorating them. She especially enjoying licking the spoon while decorating them and trying out the sprinkles! Here are some pictures from the fun night.....



Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Holidays.....

One of my fav things about the holidays is.......FOOD. A tradition in our family is to make green punch. My late mamaw Josie was the 1st to make it probably 50 years ago. My mom remembers her making it when she was little. We have carried on the tradition for as long as I can remember. We love having it on Christmas Eve while opening presents. Here is the recipe....

Green Punch
1 tub of lime sherbert
1 liter jug of ginger ale
-Put both of them in a punch bowl. Serve!

Another favorite thing of mine is a chocolate fountain. My mom bought me one on sale at Kohl's a few years back and I love it. Every time that I get the chance, I use it. I love melting the chocolate chips and putting them into the fountain. I love dipping anything and everything in it. My absolute fav thing to dip in.......peanut butter balls. Yummy! So my advice....if you ever get the chance to buy a chocolate fountain....take it...it is totally worth it! :)

Life Update: I started back school last week. It has been okay. I am ready to get into grad school! :) Kyle starts work this week! Hooray! We are starting a routine!