Simple Thanksgiving Dinner

This one is a very simple for me, I let someone else cook it.  Can’t get any simpler than that.  So I won’t be sharing my recipes in this post but am sharing turkey carving tips and directing you to some really simple recipes I have discovered from fellow bloggers.

Actually, I have lived away from my family for the last 20 years, so we always travel on the holidays.  It’s very nice to go and visit and let someone else do the meal.  I’m not totally worthless though, I do help with the preparation and getting it ready for the table.  One of my primary duties for the last few years is carving the turkey.  If you have always been intimidated by this task don’t be.  It’s really not that hard.  Here is a video to help you out.  And to see the carving products that are used, visit my website for the details

Now for Thanksgiving 2009.  We decided to stay home this year so I was having a bit of anxiety about actually cooking this meal.  That lasted about a week or so when some great friends invited us to their house for the day.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  And I am VERY THANKFUL!  And all I have to do is bring beverages and help cleanup.  I can handle that!

I have been cruising the web in search of simple recipes for all of you though and you might find these helpful for your Simple Thanksgiving Dinner.

Praying all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving.  I am so thankful to all of you, my readers.

• Lazy-ish Apple Pie from i’d Rather be Baking – Sometimes it’s nice to start with dessert and I don’t do pumpkin pie.
• Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Orange Zest from Two Peas and Their Pod – The jelled stuff in the can may be easier but if you want good go for the real thing.
• Gratitude Rolls from Beauty and Bedlam – Start a new tradition of thankfulness.
• Broccoli and Cheese Casserole from Deep South Dish – one of my favorite sides. I’ll miss this at my MIL’s house this year.
• The Foodie’s Green Bean Casserole from Nook & Pantry – an improvement on the original.
• Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin & Red Peppers from Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet
• Stuffing (Dressing) from The Pioneer Woman – This one sounds like my mom’s recipe only more chunky.
• Traditional Roast Turkey with Gravy from Southern Grace Gourmet – Since I’ve never actually prepared the Thanksgiving turkey I’m not sure of the best method.  This one sound delicious though and I have been told that brining will make the juciest turkey.  Your thoughts?

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is one of my favorite fall desserts.  I know you can get apples year round but it is such a comfort food when the air chills.  I’m not one that will just pick up an apple and eat it. But add some butter, cinnamon, sugar, etc. and you have some of my favorite desserts.  Fried apples, apple twists, apple crisp – and of course apple pie (I’ll work on that one for another post) – YUM.  And of course I cooked this in my stoneware baker, because nothing cooks like stoneware.

I have posted another apple crisp, but this one it the traditional type with the oatmeal topping.  I also love to add chopped pecans to my topping even though this recipe doesn’t call for them.  And I didn’t use them this time because I was out of them.

Old-Fashioned Apple Crisp

4 cups sliced peeled tart apples (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 stick cold butter or margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Place apples in a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the apples then toss to coat.  I also drizzle a bit of water over the apples because I like mine to be a bit jucier.  If you want to have just the natural juice that the apples product you can skip the water.

In a bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Add chopped nuts if desired. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with ice cream if desired.

Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats

Okay, this one might be a no brainer for most of you, but hey, I’m here to help those who don’t know how to turn the stove on (turn that knob on the top to “medium” and check the diagram to make sure you are using the right burner).  Ha! Ha! Just kidding but we are keeping it simple here and I have discovered a few tricks to make the process even easier.

Or maybe some of you really don’t know how to turn the stove on.  I was making these the other night and my son came in and said “They’re done already?  I thought you had to bake them.”  The sad thing is he is 18 years old and I wonder how many hundreds of times I’ve made these for him.  Yep I think it’s time for him to learn to cook something more that PB & J or microwave popcorn.

So here are my tips!  Five tips for making Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats easier!!

First, I have discovered that I love mixing “Rice Krispies” with “Cocoa Krispies” to make them even more yummy.

Second, I use my Executive Non-Stick Stir Fry Pan to prepare them because it holds a lot and cleanup is SUPER EASY! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to find out how to purchase this awesome cookware.

Third, and this is a really important tool you will need is a plastic sandwich bag.  Use it like a glove, dip it in the margarine/butter tub and spread it over the bottom and sides of a 9″ x 13″ pan.  Don’t throw it away though because you will need it again.

Now to prepare:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1 package (10 ounces) marshmallows

3 cups regular Rice Krispies cereal

3 cups Cocoa Krispies cereal

Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan. Combine cereals in a large mixing bowl and stir together. Melt butter in large non-stick pan. Add marshmallows and stir constantly over medium-low heat until marshmallows are completely melted. I usually remove from the heat before totally melted and continue stirring until totally melted.  Stir cereal into marshmallow until completely coated with marshmallow.  Pour mixture into greased pan and press to compact.

Fourth, and this will totally eliminate the mess. Take that plastic sandwich bag and make sure the palm side is greased. You may still have enough butter left on it from greasing the pan or you may need to add a bit more to make sure it is well covered.  Again, use it like a glove to press the mixture into the pan.  You will be amazed how easy it is and the marshmallow doesn’t stick to it.

My family likes eating them right away while still warm and melty.

Fifth, and I would like your input on this one, what is the best type of marshmallow to use in this recipe?  I have always used the mini marshmallows but the last time I made it I only had the large marshmallows.  It took them a little longer to melt but I really think it was much creamier than with the mini one.  Maybe more marshmallow and less powder coating?  Not really sure.  Take my poll below and let me know what kind you use.

And if you have any more tips to this classic favorite recipe please share them in the comment box below.

Taco Ring

There are periods in my life when I tend to hit the drive-thru way too much.  Life gets busy or I just don’t know what I’m hungry for.  This Taco Ring is a great alternative and the kids love it too.  The great thing about these rings is that you can stuff them with almost anything.  If you want some other varieties, subscribe to my newsletter, put “Ring recipes” in the comment and I will send you a variety of fillings.

They look complicated but are actually very easy to put together. The added bonus is that clean-up is a breeze too.  Mainly because I cooked the beef in my awesome Pampered Chef Cookware and then it is baked on our Stoneware.  Subscribe to my newsletter to find out how you can get these great products for your own kitchen.

Enjoy!!

Taco Ring

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 ½ pounds ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons water
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Optional toppings: salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped onion and tomato, sliced olives and sour cream.

Preheat oven to 375º.  Cook ground beef in Large Skillet over medium heat 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking beef into crumbles; drain. Stir in taco seasoning mix, 1 ½ cups of the cheese and water.

Separate crescents into 16 triangles and arrange in a circle, slightly overlapping on Large Round Stone with wide ends 4 inches from edge of stone.  Points will extend off the edge of the stone.

Scoop filling evenly over wide ends of dough.  Bring points of triangles up over filling and tuck under.

Brush with egg white. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with toppings.

Make it healthy by adding the lettuce, tomatoes, etc.

November Angel Food Menu – Pork Chops with Carmelized Onions and Beef Broccoli Casserole

I have decided to make my Angel Food Ministry Menu a regular post on this site.  Such a great organization that helps make good food affordable for everyone.  I won’t go into as much depth as I did last month since the food items will tend to repeat some months.  But I will highlight some of the major items in the package.

I have chosen two recipes using items from the November package.  I hope you enjoy preparing them for yourself.

Pork Chops with Caramelized Onions

4 pork chops, 1 1/4 -to 1 1/2-inch
4 teaspoons cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4 cups sweet onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle pork chops evenly with Cajun seasoning and pepper.

Grill over medium high heat (350°F to 400°F) 8 minutes on each side. Serve with Caramelized Onions.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

Cook onion in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with sugar and cook 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cook 2 minutes.

Beef Broccoli Casserole

1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups cooked rice (prepare according to package directions substituting beef broth for the water)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, drained
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1. Brown beef and onion in large nonstick skillet.  Drain.
2. Stir in rice, broccoli, 1/2 cup cheese, salt, seasoning, pepper, tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Turn into greased 2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with remaining cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F. 20 to 25 minutes.

Crab Cakes with Remoulade Sauce

Crabcakes

Do you have those foods that you love at your favorite restaurants but never prepare at home?  I do.  Mainly because I am such a “simple” cook that there are some things that I would never even think to try at home.  Crabcakes is one of those things.  Don’t really know why but just never thought it was something I could easily make.

I was craving them not too long ago and not really wanting to go out to eat decided to give them a try myself.  To my surprise, they were relatively easy, even if they did have lots of ingredients .  I have often made a salmon patty with canned salmon that my family loves and the crab cakes were even better.

I did go on the cheap side and used canned crab.  I definitely believe that lump crabmeat would have been much better, but for a first attempt, I was pretty proud of myself.

Hope you enjoy and if you would like my salmon patty recipe just shoot me a comment and I will send it to you.

Click Here to Add some Pink Products to your kitchen and support Breast Cancer Awareness Month!!

Crab Cakes with Remoulade sauce

Crab Cakes:

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 green onions, chopped
3/8 cup olive oil
1 (6 ounce) can canned crabmeat, drained
1 egg
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup dry bread crumbs

1.Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet over high heat. Saute green onions briefly until tender; cool slightly.
2.Combine crabmeat, sauteed green onions, egg, mayonnaise, dry mustard, crushed crackers, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper. Form into 1/2 inch thick patties. Coat the patties with bread crumbs.
3.Heat 1/2 cup oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook cakes until golden brown on each side. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve hot.

Remoulade Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hot sauce, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4 medium scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix together mayonnaise, chili sauce, mustard, olive oil, hot sauce, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir in scallions, parsley and garlic. Season with chili powder, and salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate.

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“Angel Food” Menu – Day 7 & 8

We’ve come to the end of the October “Angel Food” Menu.  Today we are doing Day 7 & 8 and you should have used most of the food in the box.

Day 7 – Chicken Stir-fry Skillet Meal with Apple Crisp Dessert

Chicken Stir-fry Skillet Meal
I wasn’t really sure how to alter the stir-fry meal not knowing exactly what was included in it, so we are just going to prepare it according to the package directions.

And we will polish off the rest of the apples with a delicious Apple Crisp for dessert.  Or if you prefer, you can prepare the Fried Apples again from the last post.

Apple Crisp
6 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. lemon zest, grated*
2 tbsp. water
3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter

*Zest is the colored part of citrus peel with none of the white membrane, which is bitter.

In mixing bowl, mix apples, juice, zest and water. Pour into baking dish. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch and sprinkle over apples. In mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar and salt. Cut butter into mixture until it is of cornmeal-like consistency. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 400 degrees until done, about 45 minutes.

Day 8

This one stumped me too, so we will just bake the fish stick according to the package directions. I would recommend using stoneware as it prevent sogginess when baking.

For the side dish we will have Spaghetti Carbonara.  Again I am assuming that spaghetti is the included pasta. If not you can modify for the different pastas.

Add a side salad and you have a meal.

Spaghetti Carbonara

8 ounces spaghetti
8 bacon strips, diced
1/3 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions; cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towels. Add butter to drippings; heat until melted.
Drain spaghetti; toss with eggs and Parmesan cheese. Add to skillet; cook and stir constantly over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until eggs are set. Sprinkle with bacon.

I hope you have enjoyed the Angel Food menu posts and discovered that you can prepare really delicious meals on a budget.

For more budget friendly recipes, please subscribe to my newsletter.

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“Angel Food” Menu – Day 5 & 6

Since I’ve gotten a bit behind on the posts, I’m combining two meals for the next two posts.

Day 5: I love breakfast for dinner and this omelet is wonderful comfort food on a chilly fall night.  Add the apples as a side dish and it’s a meal.  I’m personally not a big apple eater but love I do love cooked apples and apple desserts. And these “fried” apples are a wonderful accompaniment to the egg dish.  I hope you enjoy.

Veggie Oven Omelet

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly spray 2 quart casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place potatoes and onion in bottom of baker; sprinkle with cheese. Arrange vegetables evenly over cheese.
2. In medium bowl, whisk eggs, milk, flour, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into casserole. Bake 30-35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Sprinkle tomatoes over omelet. Let stand 5 minutes; cut into wedges.
Fried Apples

½ stick butter
¼ cup sugar
1 – 2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 apples, peeled, cored & sliced

Melt butter in large skillet.  Add apple slices, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.  Cook over medium low heat stirring occasionally until apples are tender.

Day 6: There’s not a lot I know to do with breaded chicken tenders except heat and eat.  I suppose they probably put these in more for the kids.  But you can certainly make them more appealing for the adults in the family by whipping up a terrific dipping sauce.  Chipotle peppers in adobe has become a staple in my house.  I add it to lots of my standby recipes when I want to give it a little kick such as chili, soup, meat loaf, etc.

Chicken Tenders with Chipotle Lime Dipping Sauce

1 bag breaded chicken tenders
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (found in the Mexican food section)
½ cup honey
1 lime

Prepare chicken tenders according to package directions.
For dipping sauce
Finely chop 2 chipotle peppers. In a small bowl combine chopped peppers and 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce.  Store remaining peppers in air tight container in refrigerator for later use. Zest lime to measure 1 teaspoon of lime zest.  Add zest and lime juice to peppers. Add honey; whisk until mixed well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Tossed Salad

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“Angel Food” Menu – Day 4

Day 4 of the “Angel Food” Menu can take on a bit of elegance.  And much more economical than your local steakhouse. A great weekend dinner that your family will love and won’t bust the budget.  Extra purchases for this meal include the sweet potatoes, small onion, and chicken broth, provided you already has the seasonings and staples on hand.

I’m still running the poll (see below) so if you haven’t participated please let me know your thought.

Grilled Strip Steaks
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons Steak seasoning
3 New York strip steaks
For a more tender steak, bring steaks to room temperature before cooking.  If this step concerns you and least let it stand long enough to remove the chill.

In a bowl stir together lime juice and seasoning.  Salt and pepper to taste. Pat steaks dry and spread spice rub on both sides of each steak.
Heat a well-seasoned grill pan over high heat until hot but not smoking and grill steaks about 4 minutes on each side for medium.

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes.  This is a second very important step as it allows the juices to redistribute through the meat for a juicer steak.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
•    1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
•    1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
•    1/2 tsp. kosher salt
•    1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 425°. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray.

Spread the sweet potato strips out onto the baking sheet in a single layer, coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and spices, turning them over to evenly coat on all sides with oil and spices.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes with spatula. Serve warm.

Baby lima beans

•    1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•    1/2 finely chopped onion,
•    1 can chicken broth
•    1 package frozen baby lima beans
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft and translucent. Pour in chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Add lima beans, and enough water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until beans are tender.

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“Angel Food” Menu – Day 3

Day 3 of the Angel Food Ministries Plan is Italian Enchiladas.  When I saw ground beef and pasta on the menu, I decided I really wanted to do something different than the standard spaghetti you might think of when looking at these ingredients.  I was able to utilize the pasta in other dishes and use the ground beef in what my daughter would call a “Mexitalian” recipe.

Be sure to check out the Angel Food Ministries website if you haven’t already.  It is a great organization that is helping keep the grocery budget low for all of us.  And if there is not a host in your area, consider working to start one and be a blessing to the families in your community.  And if you haven’t already, please take the time to participate in the poll below.

Italian Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese, divided
1 (26 ounce) can marinara sauce
1 (6.5 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 cup water
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the ground beef and onion in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir until beef is browned and onion is tender. Drain grease. Mix in soup, and continue cooking until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in half of the grated cheese.

In a bowl, mix the marinara sauce, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and water. Spread 1/3 of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan. Place about 2 to 3 tablespoons beef mixture down center of each tortilla. Tightly roll each tortilla. Arrange tortillas in the pan in single layer. Pour the remaining sauce mixture over top of enchiladas. Top with reserved cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly.

Serve with Tossed Salad.  Again, this is one of my favorite sides.  And you can prepare ahead ready to serve for the whole week.  Keep a paper towel in the bowl to absorb the excess moisture and extend the life of the salad.

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