Tasty Tuesday ~~ Primo Chicken Salad

This is one of my most favorite recipes. (Yep, it's easy, quick and delicious.) It always makes me think of my mom, as it was one of hers too. Once you try this winner, I bet it'll become one of yours. 


Primo Chicken Salad


1 roasted deli chicken (or 6 thighs you cook), skin removed & cut into chunks) 
     *I like to season & oven bake the thighs 
1 cup Craisins (or dried cranberries)
1 1/2 cups Duke's sugar free mayo
1 cup nuts of your choice (walnuts, pecans & almonds work well) 
     *Or a combo of different types 
2 cups green or red seedless grapes cut in half


Mix together all ingredients, and voila! You've got the best salad for sandwiches on hearty grain bread or a wonderful companion dish for green salad or quiche. 


Ca c'est bon! (It's good!) 


**The last time I made this from leftover baked chicken, I didn't have Craisins or nuts on hand, so threw in trail mix instead. Turned out great. :) 


What's your favorite go-to recipe? Inquiring, hungry minds wanna know! 

Tasty Tuesday ~~ Something Spicy!

I've got a yummy recipe full of awesomeness and Rotel goodness today, straight from the brain of my twin sister Alaine. Enjoy!

RO*TEL Roll-ups
2 cans crescent rolls
1 block softened cream cheese
1 can MILD or HOT RO*TEL
12 slices cooked bacon
6 slices cheddar cheese (halved)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. pureed garlic, salt & pepper to taste
 Preheat oven to 350°. Mix cream cheese, RO*TEL, and spices in small bowl. (Can fork-blend or use hand-mixer for creamier consistency). Unroll crescent roll dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon one Tbs. mixture onto center of each crescent. Add crumbled piece of bacon, then top with half a cheese slice. Roll and bake according to can directions.

Tasty Tuesday ~~ New Twist on Cinnamon Rolls

All this extended cold weather has given me a hankering for something good in the baking department. Hope you enjoy this new version on the standard cinnamon roll!

If you've cooked something good lately...do share. :)

Cinnamon Biscuits

5 cups baking mix (Jiffy, Bisquick, Pioneer)
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup melted margarine or butter
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
4 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Turn onto surface dusted with baking mix. Knead until smooth. Form a large (@ 3 inch diameter) log. Slice one inch rounds and place in baking pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 16 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly. (Makes 24 large biscuits that taste almost like scones.)

Orange Buttercream Glaze

2 cups Confectioners sugar

1/4 cup melted butter (4 Tbsp)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 Tbsp. Half & Half (or milk)
1/3 cup orange juice

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over warm cinnamon biscuits. Good any time of day or night!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tasty Tuesday ~~ Economical Epicurianism

Before we stir it up in the kitchen, don't forget to sound off in the CRAZY KAT CONTEST! (Scroll down to see how you can win an autographed copy of Kathryn Magendie's new book. No idea is too crazy. She's already read nekkid, so throw out an idea or two!)

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Thanks to my dad I've always been a recycler, and that frugal mindset also extends to food. I see something in the fridge and automatically think, "What can I turn this into?" In other words, it makes me nuts [okay, more nuts] to throw perfectly good food out.

Over the years, reusing whatever's on hand to create good meals has saved a lot of money and time. So for your cooking and dining pleasure today, boys and girls, may I present an example of economic epicurianism? 

Remember the Voodoo BBQ Ribs? I transformed those leftovers into this:

Chipped BBQ Beef

3 large leftover BBQ ribs (cut into small bites)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup BBQ sauce
3 Tbsp. mustard
1/2 cup syrup or brown sugar

In large pan over low heat, mix all ingredients together well and simmer. Stir frequently. This makes a delicious main dish or sandwich component to enjoy.

Loaded Mashed Potatoes Revisited

5 pounds Irish potatoes - peeled and cubed
1 large bag shredded cheddar
Smart Balance butter
Low Fat milk
seasoning to taste (garlic, salt, pepper)
1 can French Onion dip (or sour cream equiv.)
1 lb. bacon (microwaved and crumbled)

Boil potatoes until soft enough to mash. Drain and mash, but leave some chunks. Return to pot. Add all other ingredients -- don't be afraid to play with amounts and ingredients -- it's hard to mess this dish up! Simmer on low, stirring often. If too thick, add more milk. Garnish with green onions, bacon crumbles and/or more shredded cheese.

***For Round Two I prepared a box of instant mashed potatoes, added more cheese, sour cream and seasoning to the leftover original potatoes, and had a full pot to serve again!

***You know it had to happen...those two-fer yummy loaded mashed taters then turned into soup:

Next week? Leftover Spaghetti Casserole!

Tasty Tuesday Recipe ~ Cajun Pickles

I don't know what came over me last week, but I got the notion to try my hand at making pickles. Unlike most of my trial runs in the kitchen, this recipe came out well, and it really didn't take that long. And what's better than having a few jars of spicy pickles in the 'fridge, and a few to give away?

Cajun Quickie Pickles

6 pickling cucumbers (washed and dried)
3 cups icy cold water
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp. pickling salt
1 Tbsp. pickling spice
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dill seed
8 large cloves garlic quartered
Cayenne pepper or Tony Cachere's to taste

Cut each cuke into eight spears. Sterilize canning jars, rings and lids.

In a large bowl, mix water, salt, vinegar, spices. Stir until dry ingredients are dissolved well. Bring to a boil.

Put cucumbers in clean jars. Fill jars with hot liquid. Add garlic. Seal and put in fridge for 24 hours before serving. Crunchy, crispy deliciousness! **Makes 4 pints.

Tasty Tuesday: Veggie Beef Soup

When your checking account is low and the leftovers of delicious meals past have taken over the fridge, WWYC? [What Would You Cook]

On your quest to produce something tasty and filling for yourself and/or family, I know you're repeating the Gumbo Writer cooking mantra -- "cheap, easy, good" -- while trying to think of somthing a little different to serve. Yay! You can take off your thinking cap and make this quick but hearty soup below.

Muss-Go Soup {Everything in the fridge Muss Go!}

small jar tomato sauce
leftover spaghetti sauce w/ground meat
cooked squash
leftover sausage links (cut small)
1 meatloaf (chopped into hunks)
leftover porkchop casserole with rice & peas
1 can each cheapo green beans and corn

Throw all ingredients into a large pot or use similar/compatible ingredients hanging around in your refridgerator. Stir, taste, season, simmer for a few hours.

Make a pan of cornbread, and voila -- soup's on! You can feed a ton of people for a couple of meals or serve once and freeze the rest for a super easy meal again later.

Tasty Tuesday Recipe ~ Potato Soup

Not that it's cold enough here to want to warm our hands on a hot bowl of soup yet, but sometimes you have to rush the "season" in order to add some change to the normal menu items.

I truly love experimenting with and making up new recipes -- especially when the final results turn out wonderfully. This is one of those dishes that couldn't have turned out better. The simplicity of making the soup added to its value in my opinion. It'll be a keeper and a regular on our table as the weather cools off (finally). I hope you'll like it as much as my family did if you try it.

And remember, always take recipes and make them your own by adding or subtracting ingredients as your tastebuds dictate. It's all about experimenting and knowing what things go well together.


Loaded Potato Soup

10 medium potatoes (peeled, chunked and boiled in salt water until soft)
1 stick butter
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste
12 pieces bacon, microwaved until crisp
1 14-oz container French Onion dip
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese


Drain potatoes after boiling. Add seasoning, butter & milk to pot. Stir and mash, leaving some potatoes chunky.

Crumble bacon and add, then the cheese and dip. Stir well. Cook on low for @30 minutes. Thin as preferred with more milk. {This soup is really good thick!}

For an extra kick, sprinkle on some Cajun Fire Crackers made using oyster crackers instead of Saltines. It's slap ya momma delicious!

Tasty Tuesday Recipe ~ Cajun Pumpkin Seeds

Don't throw out the old Halloween pumpkin until it spills its guts for you to use as a good and tasty snack! 

Cajun Pumpkin Seeds

Seeds from 1 pumpkin
2 Tbsp. butter or margerine
Dash of olive oil
Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp. garlic powder

Scoop seeds from pumpkin. Clean off pulp under running water. Spread seeds out on paper towl and let dry for a few hours.

Mix seeds in bowl with melted butter or margerine and olive oil. 

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Add seeds to tray in a layer. Sprinkle on Tony's and garlic powder. [If you don't have Tony's, use salt, pepper and red pepper to taste.]

Bake at 300 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and eat. Great as garnish in soups, added to salad or trail mix.

*Image from ehow.com

Tasty Tuesday Recipe

Another installment from my twin sister Alaine. Hope you enjoy the recipe (if not the commentary). hehe.

I'm trying to convince her to start a blawg, so if you have any words of inspiration or reasons why the Blogosphere is a wonderful place to hang out, please pass them on to her via the email at the end of her cookin' instructions.


Alaine’s Cajun Cornbread

1 box Jiffy Cornbread Mix
½ cup milk
1 egg
1 can cream corn
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 stick of butter
Tony Charchere Seasoning
2 jalapeño peppers
cracklin crumbs (amount up to you, but at least 1 cup)


* Preheat oven to 325°. Put half the butter in an iron skillet (**yankees will probably go ahead and use some sort of T-Fal type bakin’ thang, but be warned: NO self-respecting cornbread has ever been produced in anything other than a real-live iron skillet.) Place skillet into oven.

* Pour canned corn into a colander and rinse ‘cream’ off. Sauté chopped peppers in rest of butter. After 3 minutes, add in corn and “fry” til light brown. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl. When corn/peppers are brown, add them too.

(I don’t have the energy to educate **yankees on the origin and definition of cracklins, so y'all just scoot over HERE for some schooling at deltablues.net! They'll learn y'all all the important information. Pretty dayum funny, too.) ps: Don’t embarrass yaself by referrin' to them as, “cracklings,” neither. They are CRACKLINS. Period. ‘Bout as stoopid as sayin’, “pee-can” or “crayfish.”)

* Add two (Southerners, add the real amount) shakes of Tony’s. Again: Tony’s is a necessary Southern ingredient. Part of the holy trinity spice group—Tony’s, garlic, Tabasco-(duh!).

* Mix ingredients and pour into skillet. Bake until golden brown. Pairs up well with white beans containing leftover Welcome Home Ham from last week. (Bean recipe, another day.)

**Yankees who can’t cook beans yet, go on and serve cornbread with chili or whatnot. Just not nothin’ like pate’, or Chilean sea bass, or tofu surprise. (Yeah, there's a surprise fer ya. Tastes like catfish guts if anything at all!)


Y'all enjoy now! alainedb@cox.net

 [Alaine’s usual disclaimer-explanation-don’t-sue-me-thingie: **“yankee” refers to all y’all people up in the cold dayum north, all y’all ‘coasters’ livin’ on a coast other than the Southern one, and the rest a y’all in the middle states. And yes, only Southern is capitalized.]

Guest Recipe Post - The Southern Spread

Hey y'all, meet my twin sister Alaine. She made one humdinger of a meal at our parents' yesterday, and kindly sent me the recipes after I photographed her yummy dishes. (All comments and instructions hers.) :D

And, no, the title of today's post does not refer to the size of my bahonkus, but to the completely satisfying nature of the meal she put on the table. Ha!

ALAINE’S Git It Greens-n-Grits

(Oh go on and read it, **yankees, ‘stead of sayin’, “Ewwwwwwww.”)

1 1/3 cup instant grits
1 tsp. salt
Tabasco (Google it)
Tony Chachere’s (Google it)
Garlic powder
(Yes, spices are most important to those of us who actually cook GOOD food, rather than just boilin’ it without a grain of salt--that’s yankee food. I’m tryin’ to educate y’all on the philosophy of Southern cookin’ so y’all actually git it.)
1 egg
1 stick butter
6-12 slices smoked bacon
1 ½ cup cooked greens (Collards, mustard greens, etc.--yankees can substitute spinach, if y’all promise to cook them right, ie: cook down with salt meat, tasso, or pig tails.)
1/2 cup half and half
1 ½ - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (No, brie or gouda won’t work—only cheddar, preferably sharp.)

*Grease your casserole dish (Rub with a stick of soft butter, or if you insist, spray with Pam.)
*Cook bacon in microwave, set aside. Squish liquid out of leftover greens, set aside. Git all other ingredients ready—grits cook quick!
*Cook grits (5 cups salted water, a splat of butter, stir constantly). Add cream. When starts to thicken, add egg in and whisk like hell til it intergrates into grits.
*Add cheese and half of crumbled bacon.
*Add 4 shakes of Tony’s, 4 shakes Tabasco, garlic powder, and salt-pepper to taste (ie: more than 4 grains). (If you’re Southern, you know what to do.). Stir til smooth and creamy.
*Pour into dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Arrange rest of bacon on top. Cover. If not serving right away, bake at 350° (preheated) til cheese melted, uncovered, ‘bout 13 minutes.

** “yankee” means all y’all people up in the cold dayum north, all y’all ‘coasters’ livin’ on a coast other than the Southern one, and the rest a y’all in the middle states. And yes, only Southern is capitalized.)

Welcome Back Fall Ham

2-3 lb. pork shoulder hickory smoked Cook's picnic ham 
½ cup brown sugar
1 small jar green maraschino cherries (red seems too summery)
1 can pineapple chunks
½ can of Coke (Not Pepsi. Coke.)
Wooden toothpicks

*Place ham in deep Magnalite pot with lid. Preheat oven to 375°.
*Drain cherries, drain pineapple and add that juice to pot, plus Coke.
*Spear a cherry and a p-chunk and stick into ham.
*Sprinkle ham and pineapple with brown sugar and a little salt to cut all the sweet.
*Bake 22 minutes/pound covered.
*Place ham on platter and serve warm. (Cold with lotsa mustard for sammiches next day.)

Butter Peas

2 cans of sweet peas
2 TBS butter
Granulated garlic powder
Add sm. can mushroom w/stems (optional).

*Add butter and garlic to peas, heat, serve.

Biscuits

*Serve straight from oven with butter. (Yes, yankees, biscuits go with any meal. So does cornbread. Use whatever mix or canned biscuits you want. Southerners have their own family recipes. And we don’t share ‘em.)

 The Big Easy Blackberry Cobbler

4 TBS butter, melted
2/3 cup milk
1 package Louisiana Fish Fry cobbler mix (Correct. It does say ‘fish fry’.)
1 16 oz. can fruit or pie filling (blackberry or peach is best)

*Preheat oven to 375° (put in oven with ham).
*Pour the melted butter into a 9 X 9 baking dish.
*Add mix and milk to a bowl, stir until smooth.
*Spoon ¾ of the cobbler mixture into dish.
*Add fruit on top, then the remaining cobbler mixture.
*Bake 40-45 min. until golden brown.


(Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.)

***Enjoy, and have a good day now, ya hear? alainedb@cox.net***

French Onion Soup

Bonjour, mon amies! It's time for a little soup, oui? Okay, I'll knock off the Parisian accent and get right down to business. Today's recipe is one of my favorites all year round. Why? Again, it's because it follows the Gumbo Writer trifecta of recipe yumminess -- it's what? -- say it with me: cheap, easy and quick! This soup is also versatile because it can be made with or without meat, so is suitable for carnivores and veggytarianistic folks alike. :)

*Sorry, Twitter friends, I lied about posting the Manicotti recipe today! Daughter has the photos on her camera, and took off for school early. Will post next week.

Beefy French Onion Soup

3 each yellow & white onions, medium chopped

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine spread

4 Tbsp. olive oil

1 can Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic soup

1 cup dry onion soup mix

2 minced garlic pods

Dash of Kitchen Bouquet

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Leftover roast and gravy (@ 2 cups or more)

Swiss Cheese slices

Melba toast/croutons/toast bread rounds

Chop onions in hunks as shown in the picture above. Saute in butter and olive oil just until wilted for about 25 minutes. Add garlic in for the last five minutes only so they don't burn and become bitter.

As the onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil, then turn to medium-high. Add in all other ingredients, stirring often. (Be sure to cut your roast into chunks before adding to the pot.)

When onions are limp and going clear, add them to the soup pot. Turn heat to simmer and cook without lid on for a few more hours so the flavors and spices can spread throughout.

When you are ready to serve, ladle soup into bowls, top with croutons and cheese to let melt. (If you can't find prepared croutons, it's easy to make your own from a baguette sliced into rounds and put in a slow oven to dry.)

Yum...talk about good! Can you smell it?

Corny Goodness

Even if you can't say it (mock shoe), it tastes great and makes a nice side dish on any plate. I've made the shortcut version with canned and also frozen corn and it was almost as good as fresh, so this is a year round recipe. Serves six.

For all my carnivorous and vegetarian friends, this one's for you~~

Cajun Maque Choux

1 stick butter or equivalent healthy alternative
4 1/2 cups fresh cut corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes (regular, or spicy if you dare)**
1 cup fine chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper
2 cups heavy whipping cream (or fat free 1/2 & 1/2)
2 pods fine chopped garlic

1/4 cup fine chopped green onion
1 Tbsp sugar, or 1 packet sweetener
1 tsp Tabasco
Sea salt, black pepper and parsley to taste

**If you don't have Rotel, you can used canned or fresh diced tomatoes spruced up with Tabasco or cayenne for spice.

In heavy 4-quart pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in corn and cook while stirring for about five minutes. Slowly add in can of Rotel, regular onions and peppers. Increase heat a bit and keep stirring. Add in garlic, seasonings, sugar/substitute and Tabasco.

After about 30 minutes, add in cream and cook about 10 more minutes. Keep stirring and make sure ingredients aren't sticking to bottom of pot. Add in green onions and parsley and stir. Cover with lid and turn heat off.
















Photo by Spamwise

Lemony Carrots & Potatoes

If you're looking for a nice side dish, I've got a great suggestion -- potatoes and carrots in a lemony butter sauce. And, yep, it meets Gumbo Writer requirements of easy, cheap and good! Serve with any entree and fresh asparagus to complete the meal.

Lemony Carrots & Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes

1 medium bag of fresh baby carrots

1 stick butter, or equivalent of Smart Balance spread

1 lemon

Sea salt and pepper

Bring large pot of water to boil. Peel and cube potatoes and add to pot along with carrots you've cut in half. Cook on medium-high until soft (but not mushy). Drain in colander.

While veggies are in colander, add butter to pot. When it's completely melted, add veggies back to pot. Season to taste. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice over carrots and potatoes, being careful not to include lemon seeds. Stir until mixed well. Cover with lid and let sit 10 minutes, then stir again.

Zesty and yummy! Serves 8-10.

Pasta Casserole...For 40!

I got laundry caught up yesterday, and in general just got stuff done that had been on the back burner too long. Aren't ya proud of me?

Thanks for all your sweet comments!

Now, as promised, here's the recipe I used last Friday when it was my turn to cook and serve supper at the men's shelter. It truly is one of my favorite things to do because I enjoy eating and talking with people from all over the US. They couldn't be more appreciative either. Some came back for thirds and fourths!

Several guys requested Italian last time I visited, so my friend, sister-in-law did an Italian smorgasbord -- pasta casserole, meatballs and Italian sausage in sauce, marinated vegetable salad, squash casserole, fresh green beans, sliced round bread loafs and Italian creme pie.

Besides the sheer deliciousness of this recipe, the total cost of Pasta-for-40 is only $27.00. Yay...it meets my credo for cooking (and life in general)~~~good, cheap and easy!

Pasta Casserole

6 lbs. lean ground chuck
5 26-oz. cans Hunt's spaghetti sauce (I use 4-cheese and garlic-herb)
3 16-oz. bags of small pasta shells
3 bags Italian shredded cheese
3 T. sugar or 3 packets sweetener
1 can Parmesan cheese
2 large aluminum pans

Spread one can of sauce in bottom of pans. Brown beef, drain off fat, then layer into pans.

Brown rest of the beef, seasoning with sea salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let simmer, stirring well to mix.

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and add to pot with browned beef. Slowly add in other cans of Hunt's and mix well.

Divide contents of pot evenly into pans. Cover with Italian cheese. Sprinkle on entire contents of can of Parmesan.

Cover pans tightly with their lids or aluminum foil. Cook on 350 for an hour. Remove covers and heat for 10 minutes on 400.

Let sit for 30 minutes or so, then cut, serve and enjoy!