Friday, September 14, 2012

Guess what?!?!?!



Well, this one particular recipe seems to be an overall favorite, among adults.
I say among adults because, well, what kid LOVES chicken?
I know when I was a kid, I HATED that we ALWAYS ate chicken.

This recipe is as simple as they come...
Buying good, organic, flavorful chicken is key.
It  is also the starting point to SO many of my other recipes to come.
SO BOOKMARK THIS PAGE

So now I present,

BAKED CHICKEN~

Serves 5-6
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour


Here's what you need:

4 Bone-in Chicken Breasts
3 Bone-in Chicken Thighs
3 Chicken Drumsticks
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Extra Virgin Olive Oil


...and all you need is a broil pan and some foil.

(You can also just make this recipe for 2...with 2 breasts,
however I've found that it's a great leftover to put into salads, day 2 meals, and also very easy to reheat)


Line bottom half of broil pan with foil (this helps with clean up).  Replace top pan and evenly place chicken on it, making sure pieces aren't touching.

Drizzle oil onto each piece of chicken.  You don't want too much oil, as it will make it greasy, so just a drizzle on each piece.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika onto oiled pieces of chicken.

Place seasoned chicken into preheated oven and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

When chicken is done, it should be  a nice crispy golden brown skin.  Let chicken sit for about 5 minutes before serving (this will help lock in the juices).

Hopefully later today, after I get some work stuff done, I can put some side dishes up on the blog.

~It's all out there in front of us......




Wednesday, September 12, 2012

On a roll....for now


So here I go, while I have a few minutes....

NOW TRANSFERRING
Favorite meal #2!

Sloppy Joe's

Serves 4-5
Total time:  30 minutes


Here's what you need....
1 LB Ground Sirloin or Ground Turkey
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 t Salt
1 t Pepper
2 t Garlic Powder
1/2 c Packed Brown Sugar
2 T Ketchup
1 T Yellow Mustard
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1-6 oz can Tomato Sauce
1 package Hampburger Buns

1 Large Pan
1 Spatula
Colander
Can Opener


Here's how you do it.....
Begin this recipe by drizzling the olive oil in a preheated pan at medium high.  Brown the meat in the olive oil, breaking all pieces very small, adding in the salt, pepper and garlic powder while it is browning.  After all of the meat is browned, you will want to drain it in a colander, then return it to the pan over medium low heat.

Add in the brown sugar, ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire and tomato sauce.  Stir to combine.

Lower heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve on hamburger buns, with tater tots, and LOTS of napkins!

You can even make this recipe with vegetarian "crumbles"...
My sister said this was the first time she has had Sloppy Joe's since becoming veg...
and SHE LOVED THEM!

~It's all out there in front of us......

Let's start with a favorite~



This one has proven to be a favorite of MANY!!
It is a great go to for a quick meal,
and it's also easy to freeze.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

Serves 5-6
Total time 25 minutes


What you'll need:
1 LB Elbow Macaroni
1 LB Ground Sirloin
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 bag of shredded Mexican or Cheddar Jack Cheese
1 cup Milk
1 T Butter
2 T Flour
2 T Salt (for pasta water)
1 t Salt (for cheese sauce)
1 t Salt (for ground beef)
1 t Garlic Powder
2 T Ketchup
1 T Yellow Mustard
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
10 grinds pepper


You will only need 1 large pan and 1 medium pot for this….if you use more than that, then you will be cleaning too many dishes.  Also, you will need one colander, 1 plastic mixing spoon/spatula.

Fill a large pot with water, cover and bring to a boil.  Place the pan over a medium- high heat, drizzle in olive oil, and place ground beef in pan to brown, breaking up the meat.
While browning meat, add salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  By this point, water in pot should be boiling, add salt then add macaroni, giving the macaroni a stir every so often to ensure it doesn’t stick.  After you start the macaroni and the meat is cooked, , drain the meat, lower the heat on the pan to low, then return the meat to the pan.

Add the ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire and stir to combine.  Shut off heat under pan once everything is combined.


After about 8-9 minutes, the macaroni should be al dente.  Drain, then leave macaroni in the colander.  Lower the heat on the now empty pot to medium low, add the butter to melt it.  Once the butter is melted, slowly sprinkle the flour in making sure to incorporate each bit before adding more, it will make a paste-like consistency.
Slowly add milk, stirring to combine, bring to a slow simmer.  Once sauce is slightly thickened and fully combined, add 1 bag of cheese, stir to melt cheese.  Once cheese is melted (you may need to raise the heat to medium), stir together meat, macaroni and cheese sauce. Enjoy!


 ***This is a great recipe to freeze.  Make sure to store in an oven safe container, and when you reheat, do so after you let it sit for at least 20 minutes on the counter.

Heat in the oven at 350 degrees covered for 40 minutes - 1 hour if still frozen, and if it's not cold, 30 minutes or until it's heated through.





A new DIRECTION......


"Whatever you do, do it well.  Do it SO well that when people see you do it they will want to bring it to others and show them how well you do what you do." ~ Walt Disney

Well, as things may have it, life got very busy for me,
 which has made it hard for me to do what I do, and do it well for others to see.

I'm sure you are very surprised to see me back.
On one hand, I am back...
But on the other, I'm heading in a new direction.

I have been listening to what people want, and goals isn't it!

They want
~MY FOOD~

The cookbook is posing too expensive to produce...
So I have come back to the blog to put everything that I worked on in the book,
RIGHT HERE
for everyone to enjoy!

I hope you take the time to make each recipe that I share, 
and let me know what you and yours think.

Off to go make things happen~

~It's all out there in front of us.....