Chicken with Cheesy Bacon sauce, with Broccoli Cheese Rice

Tonights dinner......

4 lbs of boneless chicken
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
2 cans of milk
2 bags of shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb bacon


1 bag of rice
1 bag of cheddar cheese (shredded)
1 can of cheddar cheese soup
1 can of water
1 stick of butter
1 small bag of frozen (steam-able) broccoli

Cut chicken into pieces, add in baking dish to soup and milk.  cook on 350 for 45 mins.  when chicken is done, add cheddar cheese and bacon. 

Meanwhile, cook rice, add salt and butter....when rice is done, add steamed broccoli, cheese and can of cheese soup.....mix....

When it is all done, spoon rice mixture on a plate, adding chicken and cheese sauce over, then enjoy!

Cream of Potato, Cheese, Sausage and Bacon

Tonight's dinner consists of leftover sausage, bacon, Cheddar cheese and creamy parmsean basil recipie starters.

2 cans of Progresso Cooking Sauce: Creamy Parmesan Basil
2 lbs of bacon
2-3 lbs potatoes
10 pieces of sausage, cup up and diced
1 lb of cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cup of Milk
2 small onions
2 forkfuls minced garlic
2 forkfuls sofrito
2 stalks of celery

In a frying pan, throw in diced onion, celery, garlic and bacon and sausage, and cook until bacon is done (I precooked the sausage).  dice potatoes and boil until soft.  When the potatoes are soft, add the 2 cans of sauce, milk and cheese, creating a creamy texture.  when meat mixture is done, add it.  stir, simmer for 5 minutes, and viola!  dinner done!

Pumpkin time

One pumpkin

A sharp knife and some kids.....

=

Taco pockets

Sorry I haven't been around, things are nutty....

I saw this on tv and put my own spin to it, as can u.

Ground beef, cooked, drained and seasonings added (taco seasoning)

Your favorite shredded cheese (I <3 Colby jack!)

2 tubes of jumbo biscuits

Stretch biscuit out on a greased pan, add taco meat and cheese, then another biscuit over top and press closed. Bake on 350 for 10-15 mins (ovens vary)

Simple enough right??


Another variation to this is to use crescent rolls and finely chopped boneless chicken BBQ and cheddar cheese.....

More to come.....

Electric ovens are....

So different than gas ovens! But I still <3 my new house. It's been a struggle for me lately with everything going on, me in school and the kids finishing school. One day at a time :-). No recipe today, or maybe I will post one tomorrow.

Organization....

Since my last post, I have moved, and it's been interesting, to say the least.  I have alot more space here in this kitchen, and yet, not as much.  My old kitchen was an eat in kitchen, and here, i have a dining room.  Although I have an island in the new house, and it makes for some more counter space :D  Cabinet space is sorely lacking, but I have room in the basement which is easily accessible if I need something i didn't put in the cabinets.


I noticed today that my kitchen is very organized food-wise.  I have a small pantry-type alcove in my kitchen, which has all of my non-pershibles on it, and the dinner stuff, breakfast and baked goods, jars, and cans, separated by kind.....yea, i can be pretty picky about thing...my friends always joke if there's going to be a zombie apolopyse, they will be coming here....hahaha.......even my spices are shelved by herbs and salty, then sweet things, and the top shelf is baking and sprinkles.....


So, with a more organized kitchen, there is (hopefully) better things to come!  I am on a mission to eat better and get healthier.  :D


See you soon!!


Leslie

Yummies in our Tummies

I was shopping today at Target, and inspiration struck. It's not often that I have time to write things down, but I was already shopping so I grabbed the items I needed for this recipe while I was at the store already. And I got good reviews on it from the family…..


2.5 lbs of Chicken (I used Garlic and herb seasoned chicken)
5 lbs potatoes
18 oz of broccoli (I got 2- 12 oz bags and only used 1 ½ of them)
2 bags shredded Colby-jack cheese
2 bags shredded cheddar jack cheese
2 – 2.8oz packages of Real bacon Pieces.


LIGHTLY grease the bottom of the pans
Cut potatoes into wedges and wash off. Split them between 2 9x13 pans….sprinkle with adobo, seasoned salt, Montreal steak seasonings, and Italian seasonings.
Sprinkle broccoli over the pan
Dice chicken and split between the 2 pans over the potatoes.
Place in oven at 350, for 15 minutes. Stir, and then bake 15 minutes. Add Bacon pieces. Stir again, and then bake 15 minutes.
If chicken and potatoes seem done, continue with recipe. If not put in for another 15 minutes. (ovens vary)
When finished, place cheese over and stir. Bake for another 5-10 minutes, until cheese is to your liking.


Serve with Croissant rolls and enjoy!

~*~Meatloaf....It's what's for dinner!~*~

Part of the reason my food never turns out the same way twice, i think, is because I don't measure my spices and ingredients.

Meatloaf :D  (a hit in my house)

4-6 lbs of ground meat
adobo
oregano
seasoned salt
garglic
onion
mustard
ketchup
egg
bread crumbs.

combine all of the ingredients.  mix by hand, making it a slightly sticky substance.  form into patties, and bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

Here's a twist....I added shredded white cheddar cheese to the meatloaf today....putting some in the center and re-pattying :D

Now, onto sides...

8 lbs whole white potatoes
4 sticks of butter
1-1 1/2 cup milk.
salt and pepper to taste

cut potatoes and boil.  when potatoes are soft, add the butter and milk and beat with a beater.  add salt and pepper to taste.

veggies of your choice :)


Another dinner in the bag......

Meatloaf....it's what's for dinner!

And the topic is.....BACON!

Everyone has their favorite foods....in this house, a popular one (and maybe in your home too) is BACON.  Bacon is one of those universal foods you can put with almost anything and it's just good.  Baccon and eggs.  BLT's.  Bacon Smothered Chicken.....Yummy. 

In my house, when I make bacon, i have to have AT LEAST 2 packs of it, if not three.  Depends on if ALL of the kids are home.  Like the other night, i made 3 packs of bacon for 6 people.  Yea, we like our bacon.  Then this weekend, it was just me and Jeremy, and we susficed with one. :D

Today's recipe.....Bacon Smothered Chicken

1 lb bacon, crumbled and cooked
5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
2 bags shredded cheese of choice (Cheddar is a good choice)

I put the chicken in the oven (350), with some water and my favorite seasonings (adobo, italian seasonings, and if i am feeling up to it, some McCormick Montreal Chicken, and a little cayenne pepper), and cook it up.  Just when it's about done, i pour some cheese, then bacon, then cheese over top. Bake for another 15-20 minutes (til the cheese is nice and melted and I like a little crisp to my cheese)

Volia`  A meal fit for a king!  (or some bacon-starved kids!)

Short-cut Chicken Cordon Blue.......

I have searched online for recipies for this dish....my kids LOVE my version, which I tweaked off of one I found...See....for some reason, my family doesn't like swiss cheese (something to do with not trusting cheese with holes...LOL)  and I had to make my own version.....Here goes.....

5 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken cooked, and cubed
4 cups of cubed ham, cooked
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 cans of cheddar cheese soup
4 cans of milk (filling up the aboved mentioned soup)
4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
buttered noodles. :)


I cook my chicken with adobo, italian seasonings and a little crushed red pepper flakes.

I put the soup in a sauce pan, with milk and when hot I add shredded cheese.  Then i add the chicken and ham to the soup mix. 

I then take my "soupy mix" and put it over the noodles and serve :)

What is in your spice cabinet?

Spices and garnishes are what makes the dish....

My spices are probally the most standard spices around. Below is a list. 

• salt
• pepper
• garlic (powder, salt, minced, dried)
• Onion (''  ''  '' ''   ''    '' ''  ''    ''  '' '' )
• adobo (of course!)
• steak seasoning powder
• steak seasoning (generic montreal steak seasoning)
• about 5 - 6 kinds of McCormick montreal steak seasonings
• italian seasoning
• parsley
• oregano
• basil
• bay leaves
• Tastefully simple seasoned salt, onion onion, garlic garlic, bacon bacon.
• sprinkles (and lots of different kinds)
• food coloring
• cinnamon (sticks, ground and with sugar)
• nutmeg
• allspice
• and many more......can't think of them off the top of my head

Italian Garden Chicken and Non Traditional Cabbage -N- Noodles

It's just before grocery shopping.  You have odds and ends of this and that.  Or what about those days, when you just didn't have time to put things together for dinner, or you're running late?  What can you make?

This is some common happenings here at my house :)  I am bad at time management.  With all of the kids that run in and out of my house, and dealing with HS'ing, and my high functioning son.....its a wonder how anything gets done!  :) But this dish took me literally 5 mins pre-prep, 20 minutes to throw together.  30 mins to bake....and Viola`.  (NOTE:  I cook for 8 people!!)

Italian Garden Chicken

5 lbs of boneless/skinless chicken
1 bottle of Italian Dressing
3 lg tomatoes
1 lg green pepper
1 pkg of crumbled bacon (or 1 cup fresh bacon)
sliced cheese (optional)

Marinate your chicken for at least an hour for the juicy taste to cook in, though when i made it today, i didn't marinate (but it would taste better if u did :) )

place chicken and dressing in metal baking pan. top with cheese (optional), tomatoes, bacon and green pepper.

bake on 400 for 30 mins :)

The dish

Up close :)

Non Traditional Cabbage and Noodles :)

Butter/margarine (2 sticks for cabbage, one for noodles)

Italian seasonings

minced garlic

1 head of cabbage

1 box of your favorite pasta

salt

(This time i added 2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning and 1 tsp chili powder, just for kicks)

cook cabbage with butter, Italian seasonings, garlic and salt to taste.

boil noodles and add  butter  and salt and pepper to taste.

combine....

Enjoy! If you try my dishes, please leave me some feedback! 

Until next time :)

And this, my friends, is why I cook....

My family has gone thru alot of changes....we have added a few children (We have become a family of 8 now!), made some friends, and lost some friends thru the years....

I like to expirement with foods, but have VERY picky people eating which makes the fun challenging....so my rule used to be "you eat what's on your plate, or else"  But I have changed that to "you at least have to TRY what I make, and if you don't like it, there are leftovers or a pb&j.

Cooking, for me, is kinda like a retreat...I like to expirement, as I said before, and I like to create.  If I find a new recipie that the kids like, it becomes one I make often.  Some examples are Hamburger and peas, short cut chicken cordon blue, pork lo mein. (stories to follow!)

One of the recipies I like to make, and has become a staple in  my house is Mac and Cheese.  When I was a kid, my mom made this AMAZING mac and cheese cassarole...but no matter how hard I would try, I could NEVER duplicate it...So I played around with my recipie, and came up with this....Now, you can take out what you don't like, but here's my sure hit.

Mac N Cheese

What you need:

• 1-32 ounce box of Elbow noodles (and really, you can use whatever kinda noodle you want, I have used wagon wheels, farfelli, and rotini)
• 3-8 oz packages of your favorite shredded cheese (usual favorites here are mozerella, white and yellow cheddar and Colby Jack)
• Milk and Butter (I never measure, just pour)
• 2 tps of minced garglic (the kind you get in the jar you keep in the fridge) or if none available, Garglic powder works (but the minced is best)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste.

What to do:

1. I boil the noodles with salt and the garglic.....
2. If adding meat, I cook/fry it up while I am waiting for the noodles.
3. Then combine the drained noodles, meat, and cheese with about a stick of butter and I pour milk over, and stir....if it seems sticky (cheese isn't melting like it should) add more milk.
4. Now, here is where I determine, time-wise what to do next.  Sometimes I serve from the pan.  Other times, I pour into a gently sprayed pan, add cheese and breadcrumbs and put in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Yummy!

Variations:  Add some pepperoni or bacon with white cheddar cheese or ham or hot dogs with yellow cheddar.  Hamburger is another good mix-in, but WELL drained!

This recipie is a HUGE hit with my family and I make it for birthday parties (like the one we just had last weekend, for Cj, my youngest, I made 4 big pans of it, one with pepperoni, ham, hotdogs and one plain.)

I'm back................

So, the last year has been an upheaval!  But Alas, I am back.

MORE TO COME!

The first time....

The first time I ever made a dinner for my friends, I was 17, had my first place and only one child.  I made this HUGE spaghetti dinner.  And I learned that you should add oil and salt to the noodles as their cooking, keep your eyes on the garlic bread in the oven, and it's easier to use ground meat instead of meatballs THAT ROLL OFF THE PLATES....(I should have known better.....)

So imagine me, having my first dinner in my first apartment, crying because my noodles were clumpy, sauce watery,  the bread was burnt and the meatballs went rolling everywhere.....But every ounce of food I made was eaten  without complaint.(I LOVE MY FAMILY!)

HAHAHA.....

As a child, some of my earliest memories are of my mom always in the kitchen.  Usually she'd be shooing me from the tray of cookies she had just made.  My mom put Betty Crocker to shame.  She used to can her own fruits and veggies, make her own sauces and jelly, grind her own meat....all in all, my hero. I don't know how she did it, but we had an immaculate house and a home-cooked meal EVERY night....And when she used to make her sauce or jelly, I used to "help" and thought I was big sh!t for it! 

I guess I should explain why I call this "Ghetto Row".  I live in a small borough, and I live in the only ROW homes in this borough....sure, there are doubles but only 1 row......We joke around that we're living in the "ghetto".  It's not too bad here, though, because the neighbors keep to themselves and don't bother no one.

So now you know the "inside" joke......Another recipe to come :)

Questions and comments welcome.......

For my first dish....

As a busy Mom of 4 kids, I have learned to be frugal and learned where I can cut corners, change things up and improvise.  I am always running out of something, or forgetting something.  Most of my dinners (both for community dinners and for family dinners) are improvised.  HAHA, Improvise is my favorite word.  You will find this out. 

Family dinners are just as fun as community dinners.  The only difference is I add some more people to our every day insanity--i mean every day chaos--i mean every day life?  LOL   There are always people eating here, and it's never a dull moment.  Community Dinners started with my friend T and her son and daughter, then we added K and her dh, and 2 children.  And now, we add J, her dh and her 2 girls. 

For my first blog-recipie, I will go with something easy......as I post blogs, I will try to break it down to smaller families....I am used to cooking for an army, so please forgive me in advance. 

Connie's Burger 'N Noodles (or as she calls it "Connie's Ham-oo-meay")
You will need: 

• 1 - 3 pounds of hamburger  (this depends on your family size....if you have 4 people in your house, one pound will be good, if you have more....improvise)
• Your favorite seasonings (when I say this, I use Adobo, Seasoned Salt, minced garlic and onion, some steak seasoning....sometimes I use some crushed red pepper if I am looking for a kick.)
• One box of your favorite pasta to each pound of hamburger (i usually use elbow)
• One stick of butter per box of pasta
• 1 - 2 cans of peas

Here's what you do:

• Brown hamburger adding your favorite seasonings.  Drain and set
• aside.
• Boil noodles, and when Al Dente, drain, add butter....stir. 
• Stir in hamburger and peas.  Keep on a low heat for about 5 minutes.

As you dish out, you can add salt and pepper to taste.

Some variations.....Add some shredded cheddar cheese or parmsean cheese, a couple splashes of worcheshire sauce or A1 sauce.

AND THAT'S IT!  Quick and Simple.  Please feel free to post comments and if you try one of my recipies, let me know what you think!

Leslie