Baked Beans for a Crowd

This recipe comes from my amazing mother-in-law, who I believe got it from someone else as well. Honestly, I don't care about the origin, I just care about them being ready to eat! I love these and as far as I can tell, everyone else who has tried them loves them as well. We usually do half this recipe since there are only a few of us, but if you need a dish for a potluck, picnic, or holiday, you could do the full recipe.

INGREDIENTS

5 cans pork and beans
5 cans Ranch style beans
2 lbs ground beef
1/2 C mustard
1 C brown sugar
2 C ketchup
4 chopped onions

DIRECTIONS

Brown ground beef and onions; drain. Combine all ingredients and bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes - or cook in a crock pot. Enjoy!

These beans freeze well, so make a batch and save some for later!

Sausage, Dried Cranberry, and Apple Stuffing

Growing up, I was never a big fan of stuffing (or dressing as you may call it). We always had Stovetop Stuffing that I remember and I avoided it at all cost. It wasn't until a few years ago that I tried it again, mixed it with some mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce - and quickly realized it had a place. Thanksgiving meals have never been the same! Being the stubborn cook I am, I had to find a homemade recipe since boxed mix just wouldn't do - and this one is my winner.

Ingredients

• 1 pound sage bulk breakfast sausage
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups sliced leeks, white and pale green parts only, cleaned well (about 2 large leeks)
• 2 apples, cored and chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery with leaves
• 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
• 1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 6 cups boxed bread cubes
  
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 2 to 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Saute the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the croutons and parsley. Next add the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Be sure not to overdo it; it shouldn't be mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a casserole dish.

Bake in a 14-inch oval or 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot. Remove and serve immediately.

Tony P's Seafood Guac-tail

A few weeks ago I had the honor of being in my step-sisters wedding out in LA. She, of course, was a beautiful bride - but that's a different story for a different time. While there, we ended up at Tony P's Dockside Grill near Marina Del Ray for a nice lunch on the coast. After debating on whether or not we wanted an appetizer, we saw they offered a Seafood Guac-tail and knew that was the one to go for since my husband is a huge Ceviche fan and I am completely addicted to guacamole - this seemed like the best of both worlds. They brought it out in a deep sundae glass with a small fork surrounded by tortilla chips. With our first bite, we knew this was a something we wanted to try at home. It was the fresh flavors of the tomatoes and avocados and the perfect addition of the shrimp and blue crab - perfect for a nice, warm, sunny afternoon! One thing to note, I used imitation crab meat in mine since I'm not sure where to find the blue crab meat - but it was still de-lish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C Tomatoes, diced
1 T cilantro, chopped
3-4 T red onion, diced
juice of half a lemon
juice of half a lime
2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced
2 avocados, diced
4 oz crab meat
12 cooked shrimp, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mixe all ingredients together, chill for at least 30 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

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.

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.

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.