South of the Border Tomato Soup

This was a recipe I pulled from Rachel Ray's Magazine in September. It was a very flavorful tomato soup! Roasting the tomatoes to prepare for the soup was a neat and easy technique as well. The soup has an avocado-yogurt blend you can scoop on top of the soup to cool it down a bit, which gave it an awesome flavor!!!! ENJOY!


Ingredients:
4 pints grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon honey
1 ripe hass avocado
1/4 cup plain reduced-fat greek yogurt
4 ounces sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded (1 packed cup)
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 1/2 cups lightly crushed baked tortilla chips
Directions:
1.Preheat the oven to 450°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and place the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the olive oil; season with salt and pepper.



Roast the tomatoes until the skins begin to split and blister, about 15 minutes.


2.Transfer the tomatoes and any juices to a food processor.

Add 1 cup chicken broth and process until coarsely pureed, about 10 seconds.

Force the mixture through a fine sieve set over a medium saucepan; discard the pulp.

Add the honey and the remaining 1 cup chicken broth to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.


3.Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash the avocado; stir in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Place the cheese in a medium bowl and sprinkle the chile powder on top. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with the avocado cream, cheese and tortilla chips.

Taco Sandwich

This is a very easy and VERY tasty lunch or simple dinner to put together that can feed about 6. I think next time I might use sour cream with the salsa rather than the cream cheese, but it was still very good. Hope you enjoy as much as we did.!
Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 loaf (1 pound) unsliced Italian bread
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salsa
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 large tomato, sliced
6 slices American cheese
Directions
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Meanwhile, cut bread in half lengthwise; hollow out top and bottom of loaf, leaving a 1/2-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and salsa until blended. Spread inside bread shell; set aside.
Drain beef. Stir in taco seasoning. Layer lettuce and tomato in bottom of bread shell; top with beef mixture and cheese. Replace bread top. Yield: 6 servings.

Chicken Crescent Casserole

This was a tasty casserole I did a while back this month. It was full of chicken and very creamy. This is a great casserole to make in a hurry for the family or to send to someone to enjoy. The crescent rolls baked on top of the casserole to hold it together was very unique and gave it a great flavor. ENJOY!


Ingredients
1 celery rib, sliced
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained "I omitted this, mainly because I cant stand water chestnuts!"
1 jar (4-1/2 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
2/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Directions
In a large saucepan, saute celery in 1 tablespoon butter until tender.

Stir in the soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, chicken, water chestnuts and mushrooms.

Cook and stir over medium heat just until mixture begins to boil. Transfer to an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

Unroll crescent roll dough into a rectangle; seal seams and perforations.

Place over cheese. Melt the remaining butter; toss with nuts and sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.


Yield: 8-10 servings.

Chicken with Broccoli and Pasta

12 ounces rigatoni pasta
1/2 pound fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons pesto
1 cup chopped tomatoes
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and chopped
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1.In a large pot with boiling salted water cook rigatoni pasta until done.


Drain.
2.Meanwhile, blanch broccoli florets in a medium size saucepan, remove with slotted spoon.

In same pan saute the minced garlic and pesto sauce in the olive oil for 2 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes and set aside.

3.In a large bowl toss cooked pasta with blanched broccoli, cooked chicken, and garlic/tomato mixture.

Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and ground black pepper and mix well. Serve warm.

Shrimp and Grits

This was a yummy new favorite!!! I pulled this recipe from a Rachel Ray magazine a while back and hadnt tried it until last night. It was so full of flavor and very creamy. When thing I will change for next time was to cut down on the leom juice, it really only needed a tablespoon rather thn 2, so it's not too overpowering with lemon. Other than that, it was GREAT! Hope you enjoy it as much as the Corder family did. CHEERS!


Shrimp and Grits
Makes 4-6 servings
Prep 20 min., Cook:21 min.

2 bacon slices
1 lb. unpeeled, medium size raw shrimp
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup low-sodium, fat free chicken broth
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp hot sauce
Cheese Grits


1. Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 10 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 tsp. drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.

2. Peel shrimp; devein, if desired.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.



3. Saute mushrooms in hot drippings with oil in skillet 5 minutes or until tender.


Add green onions, and saute 2 minutes.

Add shrimp and garlic, and saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly browned. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.


Spoon shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits; sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
"Shrimp and Grits is What's Delectable for Dinner Tonight!"

New Orleans Red Beans and Rice

IM BACK FROM THE DEAD AND IN MY KITCHEN FINALLY!!!!!!!
Obviously as you can see, I have not had an entry on my blog since February, which I know has been waaaayyy to long, but I am finally back! I have two very good excuses though. :) February was about the time we found out we were expecting baby #2 and when I also started feeling very very and I mean VERY SICK! So needless to say the morning sickness that was worse in the evenings, kept me out of the kitchen for quite some time. "Poor Lance and Kaylin had to fend for themselves many many nights!" Also, once I started finally feeling better which was about late April, my camera died so I had no way of documenting some of my dishes. Anywho, I am no longer sick thank goodness and I have a brand new camera, YEAH! So with that said, I am back! Here is a recipe my friend made for me a couple years ago and I LOVED LOVED LOVED IT (Thank you for sharing Lisa!) It is courtesy of Emeril Lagasse! Soo yummy, not too spicy at all for those who fear anything with the word New Orleans in it! :) ENJOY!

New Orleans-Style Red Beans and Rice
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004

.Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:4 hr 0 minLevel:
EasyServes:
8 servings. Ingredients
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil
•1 cup chopped onions
•1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
•1/2 cup chopped celery
•1 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•1 teaspoon dried thyme
•2 bay leaves
•1 pound boiled ham cut, into 1/2-inch cubes (I omitted this, and doubled the sausage)
•6 ounces smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)
•1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained
•3 tablespoons chopped garlic
•8 to 10 cups water
•Steamed rice
Directions
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper and thyme for about 5 minutes.

Add the bay leaves, ham and sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes.

Add the beans, garlic, and enough water to cover the contents in the pot.



Bring to a boil,

Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick. Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side pf the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft. Add more water if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy but not watery. Remove the bay leaves and serve with steamed white rice.

ENJOY!!!

Red Beans and Rice is What's Delectable for Dinner Tonight!

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Parmesan Chicken

This is now a new fave chicken dish in our house! I looked online for a tasty, quick chicken recipe and stumbled across this one on about.combusycooks. This had one of the most unique tastes with Dijon mustard, apple juice, fresh parmesan and crushed almonds all blended together!!! To save where I could on calories, I took fresh whole grain wheat bread and made my bread crumbs that way in a mini food processor. It was so fresh! This is now one of Lance's top 5! ENJOY! Parmesan Chicken is Whats Delectable for Dinner Tonight!

Dijon mustard, apple juice, Parmesan cheese, ground almonds, and garlic form a crispy and delicious coating on chicken breasts in this easy recipe for Parmesan Chicken. Make sure you use soft fresh bread crumbs, not the dry crumbs out of the can. If you use the dry crumbs you will have way too much for the recipe.

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
•1/2 cup Dijon or coarse ground mustard "I didnt have quite a 1/2 cup of dijon mustard so I mixed a little coarse stone ground mustard with it and it tasted awesome! When I do it again I will mix the 2 mustards again."
•1/4 cup apple juice
•2 cloves garlic, minced
•2 Tbsp. butter, melted
•2 cups fresh soft bread crumbs
•3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
•1/4 cup ground almonds
•3 Tbsp. butter, melted
•1/2 tsp. salt
•1/8 tsp. pepper
•1 tsp. dried basil leaves
•7-8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Preparation:

Line a 13x9" pan with heavy duty foil and add a wire rack. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In shallow pan, mix mustard, apple juice, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. melted butter.
In other pan, mix the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, almonds, 3 Tbsp. melted butter, salt, pepper, and dried basil.

Toss until evenly mixed.


Coat chicken in the mustard mixture,

Then roll it in the Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture until thoroughly coated.


Place the Parmesan Chicken on rack on top of the foil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes,
"Mine took a little longer than 30 minutes" until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Serves 8


Note: You have to use soft fresh bread crumbs for this recipe; bread crumbs you make yourself by crumbling or processing fresh bread. Do NOT use the dried bread crumbs you buy in the supermarket; you'll have way too much left over. You can use shredded or grated Parmesan cheese.

Braised Beef with Barley

This was a new recipe I tried from Taste of Home's cookbook this week. Had a very unique taste to it, and the barley really complimented the braised beef for something different. I will tell you, this is not a quick recipe! :) Be prepared for about 3 hours in the kitchen on this one. It was well worth it though; so tasty! Braised Beef with Barley is Whats Delectable for Dinner Tonight!

Braised Beef with Barley Recipe

4-6 ServingsPrep: 30 min. Cook: 2 hours 20 min.Ingredients
1 boneless chuck roast (2 to 2-1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 bay leaf
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup medium pearl barley
1 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup sour cream, optional
Directions
In a Dutch oven, brown meat in oil on all sides over medium-high heat. Remove roast and set aside. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon of drippings. Saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic in drippings until tender.


Return roast to the pan. Add the broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Add barley. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until meat and barley are tender. Add peas; cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until peas are tender.
Discard bay leaf. Set the roast and barley aside; keep warm. Skim fat from pan juices. If desired, add sour cream to the pan juices; stir until heated through over low heat (do not boil). Slice roast; serve with barley and gravy.


Yield: 6 servings.