I love dishes that are quick, easy and anyone can make. Those are the main reasons I take complicated recipes and simplify them. There is no point in eating the same thing day after day because we feel things are too complicated to make. When I get bored with my food I find that is when I am most prone to over eat. I try to eat more to satisfy the cravings caused my flavor boredom. Italian Shepherd’s Pie is a very simple recipe that anyone can make and is full of flavor.
Italian Shepherd’s Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pastry shell
1 pound bulk sausage
1 cup cottage cheese
1 egg
1 ½ cups mashed potatoes (You may use leftovers or the pre-made mashed potatoes.)
¼ cup sour cream
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ - ¾ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Bake empty pie crust about 7 minutes until lightly browned.
Fry sausage and drain.
While sausage is frying mix together cottage cheese and egg in a mixing bowl. Then add mashed potatoes, sour cream, oregano, salt and pepper to the cottage cheese and egg mixture; mix well.
Place sausage in the pie crust.
Cover the sausage with cheese.
Pour mashed potato mixture over the sausage and cheese.
Cover the crust edge with a ring or foil. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.
This pie is delicious with a sliced fresh tomato, cooked carrots and fried cabbage.
ENJOY!!!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Dixie Stampede Creamy Vegetable Soup
I love this recipe! Knowing the Creamy Vegetable Soup was always a highligh when attending Dixie Stampede. There were times I would consider buying a ticket to see the show just for the soup! I have simplified it down to the point that it only takes about 30 minutes to make start to finish.
Children like this soup too. This soup is so yummy my 18-month old acts like she can't get enough of it. I have had other children that refuse to eat vegetables say they love this soup.... until they found out vegetables were in it!
Dixie Stampede’s Cream of Vegetable Soup- Simplified
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans and carrots)
1 quart chicken broth
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Fully cook all the vegetables. Drain most of the water off. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor or blender and puree. Place the vegetable puree back into the pot. Add the chicken broth, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add heavy whipping cream. Heat thoroughly and serve.
*This soup is wonderful with cheddar biscuits or if you want to try to go a little lower carb, top with real bacon bits and cheddar cheese.
Enjoy!
Children like this soup too. This soup is so yummy my 18-month old acts like she can't get enough of it. I have had other children that refuse to eat vegetables say they love this soup.... until they found out vegetables were in it!
Dixie Stampede’s Cream of Vegetable Soup- Simplified
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans and carrots)
1 quart chicken broth
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
Fully cook all the vegetables. Drain most of the water off. Place the cooked vegetables into a food processor or blender and puree. Place the vegetable puree back into the pot. Add the chicken broth, garlic powder and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add heavy whipping cream. Heat thoroughly and serve.
*This soup is wonderful with cheddar biscuits or if you want to try to go a little lower carb, top with real bacon bits and cheddar cheese.
Enjoy!
Friday, July 1, 2011
Red, White and Blueberry Pie
Every holiday deserves to be celebrated in it's own way. Independence Day is a day all American's, by birth or by choice, should be thankful for and celebrate. Most American's host or attend a barbecue as part of their traditional 4th of July festivities complete with dessert.
Red, White and Blueberry Pie is a favorite in my home. It is simple to prepare and I haven't met anyone yet that didn't love it!
Happy Independence Day!
Red, White and Blueberry Pie
1 pie crust (traditional or graham cracker crust)
1 large box white chocolate pudding, prepared
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
Strawberries topped and cut in half
Blueberries
If you choose to use a traditional pie crust you must first bake the empty crust. Pour a thin layer of melted white chocolate into the bottom of the pie crust. Add white chocolate pudding on top of melted white chocolate. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top the pudding. Chill for about an hour before serving. Enjoy!
Red, White and Blueberry Pie is a favorite in my home. It is simple to prepare and I haven't met anyone yet that didn't love it!
Happy Independence Day!
Red, White and Blueberry Pie
1 pie crust (traditional or graham cracker crust)
1 large box white chocolate pudding, prepared
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
Strawberries topped and cut in half
Blueberries
If you choose to use a traditional pie crust you must first bake the empty crust. Pour a thin layer of melted white chocolate into the bottom of the pie crust. Add white chocolate pudding on top of melted white chocolate. Arrange strawberries and blueberries on top the pudding. Chill for about an hour before serving. Enjoy!
Friday, June 24, 2011
French Toast Bread Pudding
My sweet girl and I love french toast, my husband not so much. Surprisingly, he loves this recipe. He loves this recipe so much that recently, while we had company, I made it for the first time and he requested it the next morning too! This is a winner and oh so easy! What is also great about this recipe is that it can be prepared for baking the night before and popped in the oven in the morning.
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Cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch cake pan with brown sugar. (You may add sliced apples, pears, bananas, blueberries or strawberries on top of the sugar before adding the french toast sticks.) Lay the french toast sticks side by side on top of the brown sugar. In a bowl beat together the heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract and water. Pour over the french toast sticks. Press sticks down to wet them thoroughly.
You may leave the unbaked French Toast Bread Pudding in the refrigerator over night for a creamier texture. If you choose to immediately bake the bread pudding the top of the sticks get crispy while the bottom is rich and creamy. We have had it both ways and we prefer to go ahead and bake it and not let it set over night.
Bake at 350 degrees F 30 to 40 minutes. Let the bread pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with your favorite syrup and enjoy!
French Toast Bread Pudding
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, not packed
French toast sticks, enough to cover the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan1 cup of heavy cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup water
Fruit is optional
You may leave the unbaked French Toast Bread Pudding in the refrigerator over night for a creamier texture. If you choose to immediately bake the bread pudding the top of the sticks get crispy while the bottom is rich and creamy. We have had it both ways and we prefer to go ahead and bake it and not let it set over night.
Bake at 350 degrees F 30 to 40 minutes. Let the bread pudding stand for 10 minutes before serving. Top with your favorite syrup and enjoy!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Peach Strawberry Pie
I love the fresh fruits of summer. I often buy large quanities of fresh fruits and freeze or dry them to use year round. While cleaning out my freezer yesterday I found a bag of strawberries and a bag of peaches I had frozen last summer. Along with the fruits, I also found some deep dish pie crusts. What better combination could I have asked for?
One of the great things about the recipe is that even if you don't have access to the fresh fruits, you may use canned or frozen. I also make two pies at a time; I also do this with casseroles. This way I can bake one and put one unbaked back in the freezer to bake at a later time. This makes it very simple to pull a homemade meal together in a hurry.
Peach Strawberry Pie
2 1/2 pounds peaches, peel, pit and chunk
3 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional but very good)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 deep dish frozen pie crusts
2 crust covers (I go the lazy way and buy the rolled up pie crusts to cover my pies if I am not making from scratch)
You may mix the 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pie crusts. (OR you can only pit the peaches and remove the stems from the strawberries. Add the 1st 8 ingredients into a blender and chop the mixture before adding to the pie crusts.) Cover the pie crusts with the top crusts. Cover the edges with pie rings or aluminum foil. Bake until golden brown. Enjoy! This is really good with vanilla ice cream.
One of the great things about the recipe is that even if you don't have access to the fresh fruits, you may use canned or frozen. I also make two pies at a time; I also do this with casseroles. This way I can bake one and put one unbaked back in the freezer to bake at a later time. This makes it very simple to pull a homemade meal together in a hurry.
Peach Strawberry Pie
2 1/2 pounds peaches, peel, pit and chunk
3 cups strawberries, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional but very good)
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 deep dish frozen pie crusts
2 crust covers (I go the lazy way and buy the rolled up pie crusts to cover my pies if I am not making from scratch)
You may mix the 1st 8 ingredients in a bowl and pour into the pie crusts. (OR you can only pit the peaches and remove the stems from the strawberries. Add the 1st 8 ingredients into a blender and chop the mixture before adding to the pie crusts.) Cover the pie crusts with the top crusts. Cover the edges with pie rings or aluminum foil. Bake until golden brown. Enjoy! This is really good with vanilla ice cream.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Indoor Smores
What does a bag of marshmallows, a fork, a lighter, a jar of Nutella and a bag of marshmallows have in common? If you guessed a delicious variation of the smore made indoors you would be correct.
I love smores! When I am in the mood for smores I don’t want to have to go to the hassle of building a campfire and doing it the old fashioned way. Sometimes I don’t even want to go outside to get in the car and go to the store to buy the new microwavable smore; which I have not tried.
For years I have loved putting a marshmallow on a fork, setting it on fire, watching it burn out and then eating its gooey goodness. After the customary Memorial Day cookout complete with smores I thought I would try to make smores at home in my kitchen. Then my mind started working and wondering what variations of the standard smore I could make. There is always the option of flavored marshmallows, peanut butter, marshmallow crème, coconut, etc. The variations are endless.
For this recipe I simply take a graham cracker, smear Nutella on each half, put a marshmallow on a fork, set it on fire, let it burn itself out, place the burnt marshmallow on the Nutella smeared cracker and most importantly- enjoy!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Strawberry Cheeseball
"Sometimes they're tiny, sometimes they're tall but friends are the 'berry' best people of all! ~Strawberry Shortcake
I grew up in a world of Strawberry Shortcake where friends were important. Even in the age of technology where the value of friends have been lessened and have been turned into a matter of convenience, I still value friendships. Letters are now be emails. Notes are now texts. It is the little things that we do because we care that maintains our friendships and means so much.
In my world food and friendship goes hand in hand. Holiday dinners where we all pitch in. Parties to celebrate successes. Dinners to celebrate promotions. Comfort foods when failure, loss and disappointments occur.
There are some foods that are good to share with friends anytime. A food I love to share with friends is strawberries. This time of year strawberries are ripe, sweet and plentiful. A sweet treat that I make using fresh strawberries to share with friends and neighbors is “Strawberry Cheeseball”. This sweet fruity treat is very simple to make, inexpensive and enjoyed by all (in my experience anyway).
I hope you and your friends enjoy!
Strawberry Cheeseball
Soften 16 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of butter, mix well. Mix in 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¾ cup of powdered sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Fold in 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries.
This is the part where you can be versatile.
-You may put the mixture in a bowl in the fridge for an hour and let it set up so you may roll it into one large ball. Roll the large cheeseball in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the large ball with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl or cake pan. Place the large cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.
-After refrigerating the mixture, you may use a cookie dough scoop to make small balls before rolling in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the small balls with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl. Place the small cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.
-After mixing, you may pour the mixture into a graham cracker crust and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before refrigerating. It is really cute to use the small graham cracker crusts and makes for easy serving at a large gathering.
- You may store the mixture in a covered bowl and use to dip graham crackers or animal crackers into it for a yummy treat.
I grew up in a world of Strawberry Shortcake where friends were important. Even in the age of technology where the value of friends have been lessened and have been turned into a matter of convenience, I still value friendships. Letters are now be emails. Notes are now texts. It is the little things that we do because we care that maintains our friendships and means so much.
In my world food and friendship goes hand in hand. Holiday dinners where we all pitch in. Parties to celebrate successes. Dinners to celebrate promotions. Comfort foods when failure, loss and disappointments occur.
There are some foods that are good to share with friends anytime. A food I love to share with friends is strawberries. This time of year strawberries are ripe, sweet and plentiful. A sweet treat that I make using fresh strawberries to share with friends and neighbors is “Strawberry Cheeseball”. This sweet fruity treat is very simple to make, inexpensive and enjoyed by all (in my experience anyway).
I hope you and your friends enjoy!
Strawberry Cheeseball
Soften 16 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of butter, mix well. Mix in 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and ¾ cup of powdered sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Fold in 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries.
This is the part where you can be versatile.
-You may put the mixture in a bowl in the fridge for an hour and let it set up so you may roll it into one large ball. Roll the large cheeseball in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the large ball with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl or cake pan. Place the large cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.
-After refrigerating the mixture, you may use a cookie dough scoop to make small balls before rolling in crushed graham cracker crumbs. An easy way to cover the small balls with graham cracker crumbs is to pour the crumbs in a deep bowl. Place the small cheese ball in the center of the crumbs and lightly toss the crumbs around to coat the ball.
-After mixing, you may pour the mixture into a graham cracker crust and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs before refrigerating. It is really cute to use the small graham cracker crusts and makes for easy serving at a large gathering.
- You may store the mixture in a covered bowl and use to dip graham crackers or animal crackers into it for a yummy treat.
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