Abs Favorite Recipes

Archive for September, 2009

This smelled SO good cooking in the skillet!

Source: Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2009 Cookbook

Prep/Total Time: 30 min

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (4 oz each)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic

In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; rub over both sides of pork.

In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Yield: 4 servings

I was very happy with this recipe. It smelled so good simmering in the skillet and tasted good too. It was really a fast recipe which is always a plus.

This was a favorite of mine growing up. I don’t make it as much as I should but I enjoy it when I do.

Source: A mix of a few online recipes

Prep/cook time : 25 minutes

• 1-2 lbs red potatoes
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/8-1/4 cup minced parsley
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Scrub or scrape new potatoes. Cook in boiling salted water just until tender, 15-20 minutes. Melt butter in saucepan; stir in parsley and lemon juice. Pour sauce over potatoes.

Yield: 4 servings

Our Zucchini plants did well this year. So I have a nice big pile sitting on my counter right now. One can only make so much zucchini bread. I have frozen quite a bit as well but the pile is still growing. So yesterday I went looking for something to make to go with supper.  I settled on this one. I found some others I hope to try soon.

Source: allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes     Cook Time 45 Minutes

• 4 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp melted butter
• 4 eggs
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese(I used cheddar)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose biscuit baking mix(Bisquick)

1. Toss the zucchini and salt together and place into a colander set in the sink. Allow to drain for 1 hour, then squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Prepare a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish with the melted butter.
3. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl with the pepper, garlic powder, and parsley. Stir in the zucchini, shredded cheese and baking mix until combined. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.
4. Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until set and golden brown on top. 45 minutes to 1 hour. The souffle is done when a knife insert into the center comes out clean.

Yield: 6 servings

Over all I liked it and my son ate some as well.

I thought this recipe looked interesting. A quick Mexican like lasagna.

Source: Taste of Home’s Weeknight Cooking Made Easy 2007 Cookbook

Prep/Total Time: 30-45 min

• 1/2 lb lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove minced or 1/4 tsp minced garlic
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz) Italian or Mexican diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 tbsp minced fresh cilantro, divided
• 4 four tortillas (8 inches)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in the tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons cilantro.

Place one tortilla in a 9-in. round baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat sauce, one tortilla, all of the ricotta mixture, another tortilla and the remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining tortilla; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and remaining cilantro. Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Yield: 6 servings.

Over all it turned out pretty good. I forgot to cover it before baking(oops!) so the top layer got a little dried out but I added some salsa and sour cream to make up for it. I personally did not love the cilantro flavor so if I make this again I might try less or add a different spice. It was quick and pretty filling and my son really liked it.

Red beet eggs have always been a favorite of mine and my daughter who is a super picky eater will eat some of these when I make them. They are really easy to make. The only down fall is waiting the three or four days for them to complete.

Source: Internet

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 cans whole beets or 6-10 garden beets,cooked tender( with saved juice).
• 1 to 2 dozen hard boiled eggs

Cooking the red beets is easy and I think makes a better egg then the canned. You can get red beets at the grocery store all year round. How I do it is wash them and cut off the stem. I then bring them to a boil and then reduce heat so they are simmering and let them cook for a hour or so(depends on how many your cooking). Once they are tender I take the beets out of the juice and let them cool a little. I then peel the skins which is much much easier once they are cooked. I also cut them into quarters. While the juice is still hot add the sugar and vinegar. I sometimes add a little more vinegar. It just depends on your tastes which after making them a few times you get a feel for what works best for you. Boil the mixture for one minute. Put the red beets in the bottom of a gallon pitcher. Put the hard boiled eggs(peeled!!) on top. Add enough juice to cover the eggs and discard any extra juice. Refrigerate for 3 days. The longer you refrigerate the darker the eggs will get. Enjoy.

When I first saw this recipe I was not sure if hot dogs and sweet and sour belonged together. But I thought it sounded interesting so I gave it a try. I changed a few things as I was going. I will post the original recipe and then add what I did different.

Source: Taste of Home’s Weeknight Cooking Made Easy 2007 Cookbook

Prep/Total Time: 25 min

• 1 can (20 oz) pineapple tidbits
• 1 tsp beef bouillon granules
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, julienned
• 2 tbsp butter
• 5 hot dogs, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 3 cups hot cooked rice

Drain pineapple, reserve juice. Set aside 1 cup pineapple and 6 tablespoons juice; refrigerate remaining pineapple and juice for another use. Dissolve bouillon in water. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, bouillon and reserved juice until smooth; set aside.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and green pepper in butter. Stir cornstarch mixture; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the hot dogs and reserved pineapple; cook until heated through. Serve over rice.

Yield: 3 servings.

What I did different. First off 3 servings is not enough to feed my family so I doubled it. I doubled the sauce and then used the whole can of chunky pineapple as well as all the juice for the sauce. I added in a medium zucchini and 2 or 3 fresh mushrooms. I did not double the hot dogs. I think I could have added one or 2 more but 10 hot dogs would have been too many. Like I said I was a bit unsure how this was going to turn out but I was pretty impressed. I really liked it. You could do a lot with this recipe. Add different meats and veggies. The sweet and sour sauce is one of the better ones I have made. My kids where not overly impressed with it but I can see this being a winner with kids that really like hot dogs.  I will defiantly make this one again!

I have gotten bored with store spaghetti sauce. Even my kids have not been eating it as well the last few months. So after talking with people who make it themselves I started to get excited about giving it a try. I admit I am a recipe person I don’t do a lot of just throwing stuff together so I started looking through my cookbooks for one to try. So when I came across this one I was excited. If you don’t have a slow cooker you really should get one they are the best. I admit I am more of a winter slow cooker user but its great year round. Plus one of the many benefits is smelling your yummy food cooking all day long.  I will say I did play with this recipe a bit. I will share the original and then tell you what I did different at the end.

Source: Taste of Home Quick Cooking 2009 Cookbook

Prep: 15 min (um more like 30) Cook: 6-7hrs

• 1lb ground beef
• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 2 cans (28 ounces each) diced tomatoes
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp pepper
• cooked pasta of your choosing

In a large skillet, cook beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.

Transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes, water, tomato paste, vegetables, sugar, garlic and seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with pasta

Yield: 8 servings

What I did different. I put less onion in (half), instead of 1 cup carrots I did a half of a cup and then added a cup of cut up fresh mushrooms as well as a half a cup cut up zucchini. I also added another 6oz can of tomato paste and more oregano(not sure how much more of this I added probably another tsp or so).  I also added another 1/2 cup of water which I may not have needed.

These kind of recipes are fun because you can ready make it your own with out a lot of work.

I also wanted to add that its..

This was a hit with my son. He loved it. He was shoving fists full of this into his mouth. He had it again for lunch today and same thing. Its the most meat and veggies I have gotten into his mouth in quite some time. This probably tickled me more then anything.

So this recipe was a hit all the way around. I might try to work with the spices a little the next time I make it but that is all part of the fun.