Taco Seasoning

Thanks to Ruby, many taco seasonings are even off limits because they contain soy. However, this is a good thing since I've been wanting to find a homemade seasoning anyhow - and I did! This one is a little spicier than the packets we normally would buy, but its delicious and is now what we will use anytime we need taco seasoning. I hope you enjoy it too!

I'll include the measurements for a single serving as well as the measurements if you want to put together a large amount and store it for future use.

INGREDIENTS

SINGLE SERVING

1 Tbl chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1 tsp corn starch

BULK

3/4 C chili powder
1 Tbl garlic powder
1 Tbl onion powder
1/2 Tbl crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tbl oregano
2 Tbl paprika
1/4 C + 2 Tbl cumin

2 Tbl salt
2 Tbl white pepper

1/4 C corn starch

DIRECTIONS

Mix all ingredients together. Use 3 Tbl and 2/3 cup of water for each pound of browned meat.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Roast

First off, I apologize for the lack of food pictures lately - they just have not been turning out well! I'll work on my photography skills so we can start getting better images again.

Next - I love my slow cooker! LOVE!!! I've been trying to find more and more recipes to make in it and this one is definitely a keeper! I was hoping this was going to taste as wonderful as it sounded and smelled, but I think it came out even better. I served it with a Sausage, Cranberry, Apple Stuffing (I still need to tweak the recipe before I post it) and homemade cranberry sauce - my husband and I both cleaned our plates! Luckily, we have enough to each have another full serving and I can't wait. The smell reminds me of the holidays, and I love the holidays, but this is so super simple to put together. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

INGREDIENTS

1 (3 lb) Boneless pork loin roast
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (16 oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 C honey
1 tsp Orange zest
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

DIRECTIONS

Place pork roast in slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.

Combine all remaining ingredients well and pour over roast. Cook on low for about 4-5 hours. Remove roast and allow to set for about 10 minutes for the juices to redistribute. Slice and serve, topping with the cranberry cooking liquid.

Almond Lemon Chicken

This is one of those recipes that I wouldn't have originally tried, but with my limited diet and my husbands desire to use the almonds we had, he decided to make it. And wow. We ate it all up so quick I didn't even have a chance to get a picture ... either time! It is a little more time consuming than my husband wanted, but he didn't realize that until he was knee deep in the recipe, so he continued on. We serve this with white rice cooked in chicken broth and some sort of vegetable, and never have leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons Dijon-style prepared mustard
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
6 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6 slices lemon, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic and white pepper. Beat in 5 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put the chicken in a shallow container and pour the lemon mixture over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

In a large skillet, saute the almonds in 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil until golden. Remove from skillet and reserve. Wipe out the skillet. Drain the chicken, reserving the lemon marinade. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, then add chicken breasts and brown over high heat until breast is brown on each side (6 to 10 minutes). Remove from skillet and reserve.

Strain the lemon marinade into the skillet. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cornstarch/water mixture. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces by half (about 5 minutes). Add marmalade and stir over medium heat until melted. Stir in the butter a bit at a time over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in parsley and red pepper flakes. Return chicken to skillet and heat through. Add reserved almonds and garnish with lemon slices.

Addictions

In my continuing quest to find foods without any sort of dairy or soy, my wonderful husband said he wanted fried catfish. Now, I've never been a big fish eater and growing up, seafood consisted of shrimp and fish sticks. He on the other hand LOVES fish and has always talked about fried catfish, so I figured what the heck. I was not that excited about it, but it didn't have dairy or soy, AND it meant he would be making some fried squash too, which I do love, so I went with it. Normally, he was used to fried catfish made with cornmeal, but he decided to try a different seasoning and grabbed the Louisiana Fry mix. Oh. My. GAWD! We couldn't get enough of the fish that night, I was completely impressed and asked for it again the following week. And the following week. AND the following week. Then we secured an old fryer his mother had. And we've had fried catfish and squash every week since. Yes, we are officially addicted to this fry seasoning. I think we are even eating this more often than we are eating pasta, which for anyone who knows me, this is amazing because I love pasta. And I can't wait until I can eat lasagna and vodka sauce and all those yummy, cheesy, creamy pasta dishes again - but I'm sure this recipe will stay on our menu then too. I might just add a cheesy salad. (((grin)))

So go buy some and fry yourself some tasty catfish!

Super Simple Southwest Chicken Soup

Two words: Simply yummy! I am hoping to get some baking done tonight and needed a quick and easy recipe for dinner, and I came across this one. My husband has always been a big fan of chicken tortilla soup and I've been a big soup kick lately anyhow, so this sort of just feel into place. We were both HIGHLY impressed with how well this turned out, especially for how easy it is to put together. We will definitely be adding this to our menu of dinner items, which is great since I'm still sans dairy and soy which leaves our menu rather weak.

INGREDIENTS

1 can Corn (15 oz)
2 cans Chicken Broth (14.5 oz)
1 can Black Beans, rinsed (15 oz)
1 can Rotel (10 oz)*
Chicken**
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Chili Powder
1/4 ts[ Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp White Pepper

TOPPINGS
Sliced Avocado
Lime wedges to squeeze
Shredded Cheese
Tortilla Chips

*Rotel is diced tomatoes and green chili's. I used the one with lime and cilantro and hope to always use this one with this recipe, it was fantastic!

**I used an 8 oz package of pre-cooked chicken for ease of preparation. I was going to use a store bought Rotisserie chicken, but it had whey protein which I can't have. It was great with the chicken we used but I can see how the rotisserie would have been better.

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients through white pepper in large sauce pan. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. That's it. Seriously. Serve with your choice of toppings, but I suggest them all. You can adjust the spiciness as needed.

Now, I of course ate it without the cheese and it was wonderful, although I can definitely see how the cheese would make it better. 8 months and counting until I can verify that.

Let's talk food!

I remember a time when all I talked about on here was recipes and other food or wine related items - then I saw 2 lines and everything changed. Food quickly became the enemy and I had more exciting things to post about - mainly Baby J's and anything involving Baby J's! And while things have been moving fairly quickly with her, right now is a calm, no new update time where I can talk about food. Oh how I miss thee! So, here's the plan to incorporate both Baby J's and food into this single site for all that are interested:

I will begin posting about local restaurants we enjoy, including information like atmosphere, dishes we love, and other little tidbits that may help a person decide yay or nay on a place. This will also help us when we have our "I don't know what I want" nights, so it is dual purpose. However, before I begin those posts - which will be one post per restaurant to make it easier - lets look at what my recent diet has been so you can see why there has been such a lack of recipes or otherwise food-related entries.

Normal breakfast options:
Cold cereal and milk (Cocoa Krispies has been my favorite)

Oatmeal
Weekend special - pancakes, eggs, and an english muffin with cream cheese

Sounds exciting, right?

Normal lunches:
Chicken salad sandwich (this is like 80% of the time)

The other 20% is spread out over salads, pastas, fruit, and maybe the occasional fast food item.

Anything you want a recipe for yet? *giggle*

Dinner includes:

Salads, pastas, pizza, chicken salad sandwich (doesn't matter if I had it at lunch), and throw in the occasional chili dog, bratwurst, or taco salad.

I then follow the day up with some sort of dessert, maybe ice cream, maybe a fudgesicle, or maybe watermelon.

Needless to say, both my husband and I are sort of bored with the menu and end up going out to eat more often than not - partly because I want pasta and he, well, he doesn't. And I can't blame him either. I still do NOT want much in the way of meat - steak, chicken breast, fish - forget it! I told him that once Baby J's is here, we're going to take a trip to Truluck's, have a nice steak and seafood meal along with a great bottle of red wine. I actually miss WANTING these things. Who knew?

Anyhow, I can list my chicken salad recipe, although nothing is measured so its nothing fancy!

Chicken Salad Sandwich

1 can chicken in water
Miracle Whip

Granny Smith Apple (or whatever type you like)
Cavendar's Greek Seasoning

Sandwich rolls (we use the Kroger one's, so yummy!)

Drain the chicken, dice the apple (minus core) and mix the first 4 ingredients. Place on sandwich roll and eat.

My big thing has been wanting light, cold foods - and this is perfect. I get the protein from the chicken and crispy, refreshing taste of the apple. And of course the carbs, gotta have my carbs. My DH doesn't do the chicken salad, instead he's found a tuna fish that comes packed in oil with some sort of garlic and herbs and makes it the same way. He says its the best tuna sandwich he's ever had - so if anyone is interested, give it a try.

Meanwhile, watch for a mix of restaurant reviews and Baby J updates in the future!

Swedish Meatballs

These were one of my all time favorites as a kid, although my mother used to make them with hamburger patties instead of meatballs (and serve it with mashed potatoes instead of egg noodles, but still). With it being September and getting ready for fall, I notice my taste buds change and I start craving different foods - this being one of them. However, this is not one of those fancy recipes that takes a large amount of time which means its perfect for a quick dinner.

INGREDIENTS

30-40 meatballs, pre-cooked (I used frozen store bought and just heated them up)
2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can milk (fill soup can)
1 tsp liquid smoke
Egg noodles (or mashed potatoes)
Parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Combine soup, milk, and liquid smoke in slow cooker. You can add additional milk if you want a thinner gravy. Mix well. Add meatballs and cook until thoroughly heated. I heat on high for about an hour then place on warm until we are ready to eat.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Strain.

Serve with meatballs and gravy on top of noodles, garnish with parsley if desired.

Slow Cooker Brats

Here we have a perfect example of using ingredients for more than one dish to ensure we don't waste the leftovers. What makes this dish even better is that you make it in the slow cooker so you can be busy doing other things or you don't have to have a specific dinner time - which was our case. My husband works nights and normally gets up about the time I get home, but on this day he had a hard time sleeping and ended up mowing the lawn in the middle of the day, meaning he slept past our normal dinnertime. Rather than forcing him to get up and eat or have to deal with leftovers, I just popped this into the slow cooker so it was ready once he wanted to eat (and luckily he's not much of a breakfast person, so this for his first meal is a-ok with him).

This is also one of those easy meals you can get all the ingredients for and not worry about the fresh items going bad - just freeze the brats, buy the sauerkraut you can keep in the pantry and if you're like us and normally have beer on hand, great, if not, omit the beer.

*Note: I was excited one day finding Boar's Head sauerkraut, however I was disappointed in the flavor, or rather lack there of. I love their cold cuts, but won't be getting their sauerkraut again.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 Brats
1 Jar of Sauerkraut
1 bottle of dark beer (again, I suggest Shiner Bock)

DIRECTIONS

(This is the easy part!) Place Brats in slow cooker, cover with sauerkraut and beer. Cook for 4-5 hours on low.

Serve with mustard on a place, in a bun, in a tortilla, or any other way you'd like!

I did put these one more morning before I left for work and we had them when I got home, the flavor was find but the brats feel apart when trying to remove them with a fork. The flavor was fine but I prefer them to hold their shape a little better.

Roast Beef Reubens

This is one of those recipes I had to make my own since I'm not a big fan of the normal Reuben ingredients - I'm picky about corned beef and really only like it the way my mother makes it, I'm not a big Thousand Island dressing gal, and I pretty much loathe rye bread (wow - I've talked a lot lately about things I DON'T like!). What's even more is I couldn't STAND sauerkraut as a kid and in fact opened all the windows in the house to get the smell out - yet now I like it in certain situations but shhhhh, don't tell my mom!

I decided to try these sandwiches for my wonderful husband who has ordered a Reuben at various restaurants and thus far has only found it at one place where he really likes it - and that just happens to be a bar: The Flying Saucer. This is actually one of our favorite places to go, but that's another story for another day. On to the goods:

INGREDIENTS

***These are all done by personal preference so I don't have measurements.

Bread - I used 9 grain bread because I couldn't find pumpernickel. I think any heavier bread will work.
Deli Sliced Roast Beef
Swiss Cheese slices
Sauerkraut
Spicy brown mustard (or other of your choice)
Olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Place sauerkraut in small saucepan over low to medium heat.

Heat a grill pan over medium to medium high heat.

Assemble sandwich such that there is a slice of cheese on each slice bread, then top with roast beef, mustard, and sauerkraut. Combine halves to make full sandwich and brush the top side of one piece of bread with olive oil.

Place the sandwich oiled side down in the grill pan and place another pan or panini press on top. Cook until cheese begins to melt and bread has been toasted.

Brush olive oil on the top side of the bread and flip sandwich (fresh oil side is now down). Again place weight on sandwich and cook until cheese on bottom melts. Serve immediately.

This sandwich goes GREAT with a darker beer - our favorite is of course Texas' own Shiner Bock.

Mediterranean White Fish and Couscous

After my husband and I got married in October, we vowed to do "China Sunday's" to encourage us to 1) sit down to dinner together at the table and 2) use the wonderful china we received at our wedding. We are also hoping this catches on to more days of the week and becomes a normal evening dinner before we have children since I don't want to raise them with eating out all the time or eating in front of the TV. This routine of China Sunday went to the wayside for the past month or so due to a variety of circumstances, but we are eagerly trying to start it up again - and while today is Monday, it was a holiday so we considered it our Sunday.

With this in mind and not feeling manwich and taco's are China worthy, I made a menu for the week and this seafood dish was the winner for today - partly because I felt it had the best presentation potential and partly because I didn't want to freeze the fresh fish. Knowing that my husband loves olives and fish, and my doctor (as well as the rest of the health world) has told me to eat more fish, I felt this would be a great addition to our normal meal rotation - and it was a hit.

As with all recipes, feel free to substitute and alter as you see fit, but remember that changing what is listed may not always yield satisfactory results. I hope you enjoy!

COUSCOUS
INGREDIENTS

1 C water
1 C couscous
1 C halved grape tomatoes
1/4 C chopped olives (I used green, although the recipe called for kalamata)
3 Tbl chopped red onion
2 Tbl chopped fresh parsley
Juice from half lemon
1 tsp dried oregano
1 large clove crushed garlic
1 Tbl olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS

Bring 1 C water to boil. Add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. Allow to sit for about 5-6 minutes then fluff with a fork.

Mix couscous with remaining ingredients in large bowl, ensuring it is mixed well. Set aside while you prepare the fish.

WHITE FISH

INGREDIENTS

4 white fish fillets such as Mahimahi or tilapia
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
12 Lemon slices (about 1 1/2 lemons)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare parchment paper for fish fillets. I use the Cooking Light method of cutting a large heart shape into the paper, placing the fillet in the center and fold paper over it, then begin rolling the edges together starting opposite the point, then using the point end to seal it.

Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and place onto the parchment paper. Drizzle about a Tbl of olive oil and top with 3 lemon slices. Seal the parchment paper and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for about 12-13 minutes at 425. Remove and serve immediately with couscous.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

Wow. This is one of those recipes you wonder how you got along without. Simple and yet so amazing. You can bet this will be added to our standard rotation. We served this up with a side of potato salad and come fresh corn on the cob and it was the perfect spring dinner following a busy day. I have a feeling this is going to make some absolutely marvelous left overs as well.

INGREDIENTS

~3 lb pork loin

1 can beef broth

1 bottle BBQ sauce

Onions (optional)

Buns

DIRECTIONS

Trim fat form pork loin and place in slow cooker. Top with beef broth and add water until entire loin is submerged. Depending on how it fits, you can always add another can of beef broth. Cook on low for about 4-5 hours.

Remove from cooker and shred meat with forks. Since this is to be sued as sandwich meat, use this to determine how much you'll need to shred the meat.

Drain broth into separate bowl and place shredded pork back into cooker. Mix in bottle of BBQ sauce and add broth if you feel it needs more juice. Cook on low for 1-2 hours.

Serve on buns, topped with onions or your choice of other toppings.

Fresh Veggie Pizza

This is one of those meals I crave in the spring and summer when the weather is nice and the fresh veggies are great. It's something my mother used to make for us and was an easy way for her to get us kids to eat our vegetables. Also, several of the items I use come in low-fat or non-fat options, helping to make it healthier. The only downfall is that it doesn't save well so leftovers aren't that great - of course we never end up with any leftovers anyhow!

INGREDIENTS

1 can crescent rolls

4 oz cream cheese

8 oz sour cream

powdered ranch mix

shredded cheddar (or other cheese of your choice)

diced fresh veggies

DIRECTIONS

Roll out the crescent dough onto a cookie sheet and make sure to press the pre-cut edges together to form your pizza crust. Bake it according to the directions and allow to cool.

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch mix together to form the sauce of the pizza. Spread it on the cooled crust. Top with your shredded cheese and fresh veggies.

Another option is to top it with the ranch sauce, then cut it into pieces and allow everyone to top it with the cheese and veggies as they like.

WARNING - this can be messy if you load it down like we do, so make sure to have forks and napkins handy!

Macjak Chicken

This is one of those recipes I've heard raves about from a variety of people, so we're renaming it for them - a combination of Mackie and Divjak (Macjak) - this recipe is also lovingly known as Garlic Cheddar Chicken. I was truly amazed at just how easy this was, which I think we'll all agree is a GREAT thing, especially for week nights. Whats even better is how delicious the house smells while cooking this, if you like garlic of course. We served this with asparagus (steamed and top with butter, garlic powder, and sea salt) and a doctored up version of Kraft's Caesar Pasta Salad. This pasta salad is one of my favorites since its not a mayonnaise base. I try to use either Enova oil or olive oil with it. Tonight, I added some fresh dill (left over from the egg salad) and some diced tomatoes and red onions - which my wonderful husband stated added a great freshness to the salad. If you haven't tried this salad, I highly recommend it for any occasion you want something quick - and as always, feel free to doctor us as you like.

On to the chicken!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 C Butter

4-5 Cloves Garlic, minced

1/2 C grated Cotija (or regular Parmesan)

3/4 C Bread Crumbs

1 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar

1/4 tsp dried parsley

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

***I use Italian Seasoned Breadcrumbs and omit the parsley and oregano.

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a shallow fry pan over low heat, add minced garlic and mix well. Heat at least 5 minutes for garlic to soften.

In a shallow bowl, mix breadcrumbs, cheeses, and spices (including salt and pepper).

Dip each chicken breast in the butter mixture, coating on both sides. Then dredge through the breadcrumbs to again coat on both sides. Place in an oven safe dish. Repeat for each chicken breast. Drizzle any remaining butter over chicken breasts and top with any remaining bread crumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Eat.

Egg Salad with Dill

While discussing what to eat for brunch this morning, we had the Food Channel on (of course). Ina was making a variety of items and one happen to be her Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad Tartines. My husband and I looked at each other and the debate was solved - we wanted egg salad! I normally make this by just mixing hard boiled eggs with Miracle Whip and voila! - but this was better, it has stone ground mustard and fresh dill - how can anything with fresh dill be bad? This was so quick and tasty it will replace my boring old egg salad recipe (unless of course I don't have dill).

INGREDIENTS

12 Large eggs

1/2 C Miracle Whip

2 tsp Stone Ground Mustard

1 Tbl Fresh Dill, chopped

1 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Wheat Bread

DIRECTIONS

Since I hate recipes that don't include ALL cooking instructions, I'm including my egg boiling as well.

Place eggs in bottom of pot and fill with cold water to ensure eggs are completely submerged with a little extra water. Bring water to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let eggs cook for 20 minutes. Once time is up, transfer eggs to an ice bath to cool (and help prevent yolk form turning green). Let eggs cool at least 10 minutes.

In large bowl, mix Miracle Whip, mustard, dill, salt, and pepper.

Peel eggs and process in food processor until all crumbly. Transfer eggs to large bowl with Miracle Whip mixture and combine. Feel free to adjust amount of Miracle Whip for egg salad consistency you like. Then - Make Sandwiches! I prefer toast, but its fine on regular bread too. Enjoy!

Mardi Gras Hooray!

Three years ago today, my cousin and I (pic above) made the trek to New Orleans for the great celebration of Mardi Gras. On our first full day there, we found a balcony along Bourbon that you could pay to be on for a few hours, so for anyone who hasn't been, the balcony's basically run the crowds so they are the place to be.


There were a few other people up there, one of who we ended up talking to and quickly learned his uncle owned the place - GOOD PERSON TO KNOW! We chatted for a while and he invited us back later that evening, so of course we came back and spent the night indulging in free beverages and the greatest entertainment of throwing beads at people (yes AT them, not necessarily TO them). Anyhow, to make a long story short, 3 years later I am now married to the guy who's uncle owned the business with the balcony we met on and Mardi Gras has special place in our hearts.

On to the food! I know I said I was going to post a Jambalaya recipe but I have to admit, it was less than I hoped for so I'm not posting the recipe. However, we have made Shrimp Etouffee on several occasions and while I haven't made it lately, I still have the recipe to post. I was amazed at how simple this one is and how good it came out, so I hope you enjoy it to!

SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

INGREDIENTS

1 lb shrimp, devined
1/4 lb butter
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced (I do red for color)
1 rib of celery, diced
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 C water
1/4 C parsley, chopped
1/4 chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Creole or Cajun seasoning to taste (start with a tsp and go from there)
Cooked white rice

DIRECTIONS

Saute onions, peppers, and celery in butter until soft. Stir in shrimp, seasoning, parsley, and chives and cook thoroughly.

Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to pan, stirring constantly. Let simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve over white rice.

***Note: water and cornstarch can be adjusted to create a thinner or thicker sauce depending on personal taste. Crawfish can be substituted for shrimp.

Valentine's Dinner

Let me start by saying I married the best man in the world. Valentine's week was a bad one this year, not because of my husband, but because of other things that we had to deal with. However, this year my husband decided that he would take care of Valentine's Day and luckily, he had the evening off. We had decided a while back that we would NOT be going out to eat since it seems most places have a set menu and jack up the prices for everything - this along with the crowds just is not what we consider a nice, relaxing night. We'll save our trip to the Melting Pot or other yummy restaurant for another night. Meanwhile, my husband decided to make this scrumptious dinner for us at HOME that we could easily enjoy in our pajama's. So while I had to work late, he was able to start dinner.

We ended up having quick broiled Filet Mignon with sauteed mushrooms, steamed asparagus topped with butter and garlic powder, and garlic mashed potatoes boiled with chicken bouillon. He also bought a bottle of Cline Red Zinfandel that was really pretty tasty. We had ever intention to follow it up with the chocolate souffles with hot fudge sauce I tried earlier, but we had already stuffed ourselves as well as ran out of time. All in all, we didn't miss it anyhow! I have included some of the tricks used for this meal below.

Steak - marinated with steak season and a little Worcestershire, broiled on each side for about 8-10 minutes (depends on thickness and how you like it cooked).

Mashed Potatoes - boil them with a few cloves of garlic and a couple chicken bouillon cubes. Drain most of the water once the potatoes are done and mash with butter and milk. These have enough flavor that gravy is NEVER needed.

Asparagus - cut off the hard ends, place in a steamer in a pot of boiling water. I usually turn the stove off once I put the asparagus in and let the heat from the burner and the water cook the asparagus. This keeps it from getting over-cooked so it is still crunchy. We then switch it to a bowl and top it with butter and garlic powder.

I have to admit, there is nothing better that a marvelous steak, grand mashed potatoes, yummy asparagus, a nice glass of wine all served on your wedding china and enjoyed IN pajama's with the one you love. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's Day.

The Best Damn Slow Cooker Chili

Chili is one of those meals I grew up with that never had a set recipe. My parents always used a little of this and a little of that - never giving it the same flavor twice. This was fine as a kid since they always made it and the chili always tasted great, but when it comes time to make it yourself, the lack of recipe makes it quite a challenge. I tried a little of this and a little of that over the past couple years and while my chili always tasted good, it never tasted GREAT, so the search continued. Until now. This is by far one of the best chili recipes I've ever found. And, while I still do measure exactly and the ingredient list may change slightly, I still have the main base which always leads me to a wonderful finish.

INGREDIENTS

2 Lbs beef stew meat
1 can black beans, drained
1 can pinto or kidney beans, drained
1 can chili beans in spicy sauce
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 onion, diced
2 bell pepper, seeded and diced (any color or combination - I use 1 red and 1 green)
2-3 green chile peppers, seeded and diced
1 Tbl bacon bits
4 cubes beef bouillon
1/2 C beer
1/4 C chili powder
1 Tbl Worcestershire
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbl dried Oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar

TOPPINGS (optional)

Frito's Corn Chips
Diced onion
Sour cream
Shredded cheese

DIRECTIONS

Place beef in slow cooker, add all other chili ingredients and stir to mix. Simmer on low at least until meat is cooked. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. I will mix all the ingredients the night before then place the removable pot in the refrigerator so I can just put it in the cooker and simmer all the next day. Works perfectly for a week day meal that is ready when you get home.

CAUTION - make sure your slow cooker is larger enough for all ingredients.

Cilantro-Serrano Pesto with Grilled Chicken and Penne

We've become big fans of pesto so I'm always on the look out for more recipes to try, and this one is a hit. I was a little leery of the ingredients at first, but after that first bite I was hooked. The hardest part of this recipe is grilling the chicken which is pretty easy, so you can only imagine how difficult it is - all in all its perfect for a weeknight or anytime you need a quick meal. We served it up with a nice mixed green salad and glass of wine.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 C Fresh Cilantro

1/2 C Fresh mint

1/2 C Cotija Cheese

3 Tbl pecans

1 tsp kosher salt

3 garlic cloves

1 serrano chile, seeded and sliced

2 Tbl EVOO

2 tsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp black pepper

3/4 Lb boneless, skinless chicken breast

Cooking spray

6 C cooked penne

2 C sliced cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

Place cilantro and next 6 ingredients (through chiles) into a food processor and process until smooth. Slowly add EVOO until well blended. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in vinegar and black pepper.

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat chicken with cooking spray and add to pan. Cook completely, about 5 minutes on each side. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Add chicken and penne to pesto, mix to coat. Top with tomato slices.

***NOTE: I was a little hesitant about the tomatoes, but they add great flavor and work well with the rest of the flavors. Sooo yummy!

Divjak's Secret Chicken Parm

One of my good friends taught me this recipe not too long after moving to Texas, and I can't be more thankful. I know some of my measurements are slightly different and I've altered it a little, but the base recipe came from Mr. Divjak so I'll give him the credit here. This is always a hit but a little time consuming so we keep it for the weekends - and make enough to have leftovers for the rest of the week! We always make our own sauce to go with this dish and then have a bunch remaining for pasta and such at a later point. Its easy to divide into containers and freeze, then pull it out and heat it up for a quick dinner on another night. You can always use store bought sauce if needed - just don't tell anyone!

INGREDIENTS

SAUCE

1-28 Oz Can Contandina Crushed tomatoes

2-15 Oz Can Contandina Tomato Sauce

2-8 Oz Can Contandina Tomato Paste

5-6 Large Italian Sausage links (mild / spicy to your liking)

Dried spices - oregano, parsley, basil, garlic powder, onion powder

CHICKEN PARM

2-3 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half (to make 2 thinner breasts)

2-3 Eggs

Milk

Flour

Bread crumbs

Grated parmesan

Oil

DIRECTIONS

SAUCE

Broil sausage on both sides to cook thoroughly. Allow to cool ~10 minutes, then cut in half.

Meanwhile, combine all remaining sauce ingredients in a large pot and heat over low, add spices to taste. Add sausage after its been cut and continue to simmer. Be aware of spatter.

CHICKEN PARM

Pout milk in shallow dish, beat egg(s) in separate shallow dish, pour flour on large plate, and mix 2:1 bread crumbs to parmesan on another plate. Set up milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs near stove.

In large baking dish, put layer of sauce to cover the bottom, set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Take chicken breast, dredge it in milk, then in flour, then in eggs, then in breadcrumbs to ensure entire breast is coated. Move to heated oil and fry a few minutes on both sides. Do not over cook to burn (chicken does NOT need to be cooked thoroughly at this point). Transfer chicken from pan into baking dish. Repeat with each chicken breast, adding more of any ingredient as needed (if more oil is needed, make sure to allow it to fully heat before placing chicken in it).

Add desired amount of sauce and sausage pieces to baking dish, making sure to cover chicken breasts with sauce. Top with parmesan cheese and mozzerella if desired. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Make sure chicken is cooked thoroughly prior to eating. Serve chicken with sauce - Enjoy!

***NOTES

Allow sausage to cool before cutting, this prevents the juices from getting out and keeps the sausage moist.

Broiling time will depend on oven and placement of sausage in oven, keep an eye on the sausage to keep it from burning. You can omit the sausage of desired.

Penne and Vodka Sauce

On days when you want to splurge, when heavy cream is not against the diet, and bacon is for more than just breakfast, this is an AMAZING dish. Unfortunately, since these wonderful ingredients are involved, I don't make this very often for fear of needing to buy bigger clothes. Yes, this should be post at sometime OTHER than the beginning of the year when so many of us are focusing on eating healthy and avoiding foods high in fat and calories, but the cold weather just doesn't warrant a salad so, here it is.

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbls Olive oil, divided
9 oz Bacon, diced
1 bunch green onions, diced
1 C Vodka
1 1/2 C Heavy cream
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 Tbl Italian Seasoning (or basil and oregano)
1/3 C grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 Tbls chopped parsley
1 Lb Penne

DIRECTIONS

Heat 2 Tbls olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy; spooning out excess fat.

Add remaining Tbls olive oil and heat. Add green onions and cook until soft (about 3-5 minutes).

Add vodka, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about half (important to reduce/remove alcohol taste in sauce).

Add cream and again cook until reduced by about half.

Add the tomato sauce and italian seasoning, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and keep sauce warm until pasta is cooked.

Serve sauce over penne and sprinkle with parsley and parmigiano-reggiano. Enjoy!

***CAUTION: Sauce may splatter, if this happens, reduce heat.

This sauce is great over cheese stuffed tortellini also.