CAULIFLOWER CRUST GRILLED CHEESE

INGREDIENTS:

 1 head of cauliflower,  cut into small florets and stem removed
1 large egg
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian herb seasoning
2 thick slices of white cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:



1. Preheat oven to 450F. Place cauliflower into food processor and pulse until crumbs about half the size of a grain of rice.

2. Place cauliflower into large microwave safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Your cauliflower should be soft and tender (and hot!). (If you don't want to use the microwave to dry out the cauliflower and prefer to steam and wring with a cloth to dry, check out my wringing instructions here.)

3. Stir cauliflower to mix up the bottom and top cauliflower. Place back into the microwave and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and stir again so that all the cauliflower cooks evenly. Place back into microwave and cook for 5 minutes. At this point, you should see the cauliflower is starting to become more dry. Microwave for another 5 minutes. Cauliflower should still be slightly moist to the touch, but should look dry and clumped up (like photo above; similar to as if someone had chewed it up and spit it back out.) If you've made cauliflower pizza or breadsticks with the cloth wringing dry method, it should look the same.

4. Allow cauliflower to cool for a few minutes. Then add in egg, parmesan and seasoning. Stir to combine until smooth paste forms. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Place onto large baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat mat. Using your knuckles and fingers, shape into square bread slices about 1/2 inch thick. Bake cauliflower bread for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool a few minutes.

5. Using a good spatula, carefully slide cauliflower bread off of parchment paper. Now you are ready to assemble your sandwiches. Normally I make grilled cheese sandwiches on a pan, but since the cauliflower crust is more delicate, I didn't want to risk it breaking with too many flips on the stove. Instead, make 2 cauliflower sandwiches by adding a slice of cheese in between each pair of bread slices. Place sandwiches into toaster oven and broil for several minutes (5-10) until cheese is completely melted and bread is toasty. If you don't own a toaster oven, you can also do this in the oven.

Tropical Angel Food Cake

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 (8-ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1 (10-inch) prepared angel food cake
12 to 16 stemmed maraschino cherries

How to make it:



In a medium skillet, toast coconut over medium heat until golden, stirring constantly. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add pineapple, evaporated milk, butter, and sugar; mix well and bring to a boil. Let boil 5 to 7 minutes, or until thickened, stirring frequently. Return coconut to skillet and stir in nuts.

Slice cake in half horizontally and spoon half of the pineapple mixture over bottom cake half. Replace cake top and top with remaining pineapple mixture. Garnish with cherries.

Slice and serve, or cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Notes

Just add a scoop of low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt to serve this cake à la mode.

One-Pot Black Pepper Chicken

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
3 tablespoons lite soy sauce, divided (optional, coconut aminos, Tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos)
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar or honey
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions



Whisk together in a medium sized bowl, half of the soy sauce, half of the vinegar, and the sweetener. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
Add oil to a skillet and heat to medium-low. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, just until garlic is golden and fragrant, but not burnt.
Add the marinated chicken with any juices in the bowl and cook for 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper strips, remaining soy sauce and vinegar, and black pepper and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes until peppers have softened and chicken is cooked through.
Spoon chicken over or alongside brown rice or quinoa.

Banana Drink That Will Burn Stomach Fat Immediately

Ingredients:

1 banana

1 orange

½ cup low-fat or fat-free yoghurt

1 tablespoon coconut oil

¼ tablespoon ginger powder

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons whey powder

Preparation:

Mix all of these together and put them in a blender. Blend them for a while (1 minute).

It’s very easy and in just a minute you have both a weight loss and a tasteful drink.

If you want to learn more slimming drinks and detox juices, take a look at the Everyday Roots Book.

With 350+ pages, you will be able to replace all of the toxic products and medications in your home with healthier, all-natural alternatives.

You will be confident in knowing exactly what is in the products your family uses and happy with the money you will save every month.

Best Ever Chicken Salad

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breast, cooked and chopped/shredded

1/2 C. onion, chopped

1/2 C. celery, chopped

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1/2 C. to 1 C. dried cranberries

Dressing:

1 C. mayonnaise

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. vinegar

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. salt to taste

1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

 Combine cooked chicken, onion and celery, salt and pepper. Mix all dressing ingredients together and pour over chicken. Add the dried cranberries (add right before serving or the chicken salad will turn pink). Serve with crackers or on lettuce.

Note: Add more dressing if chicken salad is too dry. White meat tends to "soak" up the dressing.

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

1 lb medium shrimp, deveined and tails removed

1 lb spaghetti noodles (more or less, depending on family size)

6 -8 garlic cloves, according to personal taste, minced

1/4 cup butter

olive oil (3 drizzles)

italian seasoning

fresh ground pepper

red pepper flakes

salt

herbs (according to taste)

Directions

Boil pasta in water till tender, save 1 cup of pasta water for use later. I always put some oil, salt, and fresh herbs in with my pasta when I boil it. Drain and set aside when done.

While pasta is boiling, wash shrimp.

Melt butter over medium heat. Add shrimp.

Let cook till a little pink and starting to curl. Then add garlic.

Cook 5-7 min., add oil. Continue to stir till shrimp is pink and curled.

Add pasta to skillet. Add seasonings. Add just enough saved pasta water till it is not dry but not swimming in liquid either. Depending on amount of pasta this requires 1/2 the cup or all of it. Start with adding 1/4 of it then work up from there.

Keep tossing all ingredients around in skillet till all is incorporated and hot. Enjoy!

Cinna-bun Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

Topping:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar

5 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking pan (buttered).

Mix all of the base ingredients together, with the exception of the butter. Add the melted butter last, and then pour into your prepared pan,

Mix all of the topping ingredients together in a separate bowl. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonful over the base, as evenly as you can over the entire base. Take a butter knife and swirl the topping into the base. Pop into the oven and bake for 28-30 minutes.

While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze and set aside.

Remove from oven and glaze the cake while still warm.

Delicious Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients :

1 cup potato, diced

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrot, diced

1/3 cup melted margarine

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup half-and-half

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 pie crusts ( either store bought or your own recipe)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Saute onion, celery, carrots and potatoes in margarine for 10 minutes. Add flour to sauteed mixture, stirring well, cook one minute stirring constantly. Combine broth and half and half. Gradually stir into vegetable mixture. 

Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper; add chicken and stir well. Pour into shallow 2 quart casserole dish and top with pie shells.

Bake 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden and flaky

EASY FRUIT COBBLER

1 stick butter

1 C. self rising flour

1 C. sugar

1 C. milk

1, 1lb. 5 oz. canned pie filling

How to Make It :

Place the stick of butter in the bottom of a 9×13 pan and put in the oven to melt as the oven preheats to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, sugar and milk. Once the butter is melted and the oven has preheated, pour the cobbler mixture into the pan to cover the bottom. Spoon the pie filling all over the top, DO NOT STIR, and then place back in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

5 MINUTE-4 INGREDIENT NO BAKE CHEESECAKE

ingredients:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

1 240g tub of cool whip

1/3 cup of lemon or lime juice

1 240g package of cream cheese.

Instructions:

Most important part of this recipe, is to leave the cream cheese out for a couple hours at room temperature. The cream cheese will become soft and smooth. The importance of this is to create a smooth texture. Not doing so, will create horrible lumps of cream cheese that will ruin the flavor of this pie.

After your cream cheese is softened enough, I like to see if it will spread easily with a plastic spatula. In a mixing bowl, mix all before mentioned ingredients. Please note: the lemon/lime juice must come last. The reaction of the citrus juice will start to harden your mixture almost immediately.

On the low speed of you hand mixer, blend well. Around 2 minutes of so is plenty, just make sure all ingredients are incorporated. Immediately pour mixture into a waiting graham crust ( (I like to use a vanilla wafer crust instead of graham and I used an 20cm cake pan. Recipe below.) ) or for those of us that can’t have the gluten, I opt for muffin cups. Refrigerate for an hour to and hour and a half and viola.

Vanilla Wafer Crust

24-30 vanilla wafers depending on pan size

3 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix both ingredients until it sticks together. Punch onto sides of cake pan to resemble a crust.

Add-ons-Make it your own!

To make this recipe your own, there are several things you can add.

Oreo cookie crust. Incorporate a few of the cookies in to the batter, smashed of course. Top with a few whole or halved cookies as well.

Fresh strawberries, with or without glaze. I like to cut the strawberries up in to quarters and place in a zip-lock bag. Gently whacking the bag of berries on the counter a few times to start releasing the juices. A half an hour later, you have a no fuss, no extra sugar strawberry topping and glaze. Although a little vanilla in bag wouldn’t hurt anything.

Key lime juice instead of regular. This will give you a tart cheesecake, more like a key lime bar if you lessen the cool whip content. About half is needed for recipe, although the more that is used, the lighter and fluffier the taste and texture will be

TACO CASSEROLE RECIPE

1/2 lbs ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic

1 bell pepper

seasoning salt

black pepper

1 cup water

2 teaspoons dried chili pepper flakes

1 bottle taco sauce

2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chilies

1 (14 ounce) sliced ripe olives, drained and divided

1 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix

1 (4 1/2 ounce) packages taco shells, broken into pieces

4 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 large tomatoes

3 sliced green onions

How to Make It

Set oven to 350 degrees. Cook beef, onion, bell pepper, chili flakes and garlic until beef is no longer pink; drain then season with seasoning salt and black pepper (or cayenne pepper). Stir in water, taco sauce, green chiles, half of the olives and taco seasoning mix (you can use 2 packages of seasoning mix if desired for this). Cook over low heat for about 6-8 minutes. Layer HALF of broken shells on bottom of greased 13×9 baking pan; cover with HALF of meat sauce, then sprinkle with 2 cups (or to taste) cheddar cheese. Repeat with remaining broken taco shells, meat sauce and then top with remaining cheese (to prevent the cheese from getting hard, you can sprinkle on the last 10 minutes before the end of baking time and return to oven until melted). Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly, and cheese is melted. After baking, sprinkle with remaining olives, tomatoes and green onions.

Crab and Shrimp Seafood Bisque

Ingredients :

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

2 tablespoons chopped celery

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup heavy whipping cream

8 ounces crab meat

4 to 8 ounces small cooked shrimp or other seafood

2 tablespoon sherry wine*

Preparation :

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-low heat; add the chopped green onion and celery. Saute, stirring, until tender.

Blend the flour into the butter and vegetables until well incorporated. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 2 minutes.

Warm the milk in another saucepan over medium heat.

Slowly stir in the warmed milk and continue cooking and stirring until thickened.

Add the freshly ground black pepper, tomato paste, and heavy cream.

If desired, puree the soup in a blender or food processor** at this point and then return it to the saucepan.

Stir in the crab, shrimp, and the sherry. Bring to a simmer.

Serve hot.

Tips and Variations

Feel free to add small cooked bay scallops or lobster instead of the shrimp.

Replace the green onions with finely chopped shallots.

If desired, garnish the soup with thinly sliced green onion tops, cilantro, or parsley. Or add a spoonful of sour cream and swirl it.

STUFFED BELL PEPPERS RECIPE

2 bell peppers

1 1/2 C. cooked rice

1 lb. ground beef

3 green onions

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

5-6 good dashes hot sauce

10 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies

shredded mozzarella cheess

How to Make It

Cut the bell peppers in half and remove the seeds. Place them in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove to a baking dish. In a skillet, brown the ground beef. Drain off the grease and add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add in all the seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Stir to combine well. Stir in the tomatoes with juice and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the rice and combine well. Spoon the mixture into the pepper shells halfway and sprinkle with a little cheese. Fill the rest of the way and mound it on top then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.

EASY CHEESECAKE

16 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 graham cracker crust (organic)

1 can organic cherries

How to Make It

– Preheat oven at 325 degrees.

– Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla together until well-blended. Add two eggs and mix well.

– Pour mixture into crust, and bake at 325 for 55 minutes (or until the center feels almost set).

– Take cheesecake out of oven and let cool.

– Add cherry topping with syrup and refrigerate cheesecake for at least four hours before serving.

Optional: You can also use blueberries, another fruit, chocolate, etc. as a topping. (an easy chocolate cheesecake recipe that is 1/5th the price of a store bought chocolate cheesecake!) You should add any topping after the cheesecake has baked, and has cooled

CHICKEN AND SHRIMP FRIED RICE

4 C. cooked rice

6 oz. med. size shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 C. uncooked chopped chicken breast

1 C. frozen peas and carrots, thawed

1 small onion, chopped

2 eggs, scrambled

3 T. butter

soy sauce to taste

How to makr it :

Melt 2 T. butter over med. high heat in a large skillet and add the chicken, saute the chicken until almost cooked through and add the onions, saute another minute or so and add in the shrimp, peas and carrots. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add the rice to the pan. Add the remaining 1 T. butter to the pan and toss to combine the rice, meat and veggies. Cook for another 3-4 minutes then add the scrambled egg to the pan, tossing to evenly distribute. Season with the soy sauce to taste.

Fudgy Oatmeal Cookie Cups

Ingredients for the cookie layer: 

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Fudge: 

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp vanilla 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (temp should be set to 325 degrees if using darker pans). Lightly spray 2-24 count mini muffin pans with non-stick spray (this recipe makes at least 48 cookie cups but plan on a few more than that).

In a large bowl, beat together 1 cup butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Mix in eggs and 1 tablespoon vanilla. In another bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir into butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon vanilla.

Using a small cookie scoop place cookie dough into muffin tins filling the cup 1/2 way to the top. Spread 1 tsp of the chocolate mixture evenly over the top of each cup, and dot each cup with the remaining oat mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool completely, then remove from pans.

Removing them from the pans can be tricky, just wait for them to cool and use a knife to ease up the edges and then twist them out. You can use muffin liners if you want too, but I prefer to ease them out of the pans so people can see the wonderful marbled look of the cookie cups! 

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

3/4 c. butter, softened

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 c. sugar

2 large eggs

3 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)

1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

How to make it:

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanillla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loafpans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. (I found that after one hour, my banana bread wasn't completely cooked through.  I ended up baking it for an extra 10-15 minutes.) Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Betty’s Banana Layer Cake Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup over-ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup pecans, plus extra for garnish

Instructions

Spray three 8-inch or 9-inch round baking pans with PAM Original Cooking Spray.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl beat eggs until frothy. Add vegetable oil and whisk until well combined.

In another large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, ground cinnamon and salt.

Add egg mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Do not over work this mixture.

Stir in pecans, vanilla and bananas carefully.

Evenly distribute the batter between your three cake pans.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 21 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Test cake with a wooden pick, when the pick comes out with no crumbs or dry crumbs the cake is done.

Allow cake to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

ITALIAN TORTELLINI SOUP

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage (if it is in casing take it out)

1 medium sweet onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

3/4 cup diced carrots

1 32oz box low sodium chicken broth

4 cups water

1 can original Rotel tomatoes

2 tbs. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. each salt and pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbs. tomato paste

19 oz package frozen cheese tortellini (I used Publix brand)

shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese

How to make it:

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, over med heat, start browning you Italian sausage chopping it up as you go like you would ground beef.

Once it starts browning throw in your onion and garlic and let it start to sweat for about 2 minutes you donâ??t want to let it brown.

Next add the carrots. Keep tossing it around until the onions are opaque and the sausage is cooked through.

Pour in the chicken broth, water, Rotel tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, garlic powder and tomato paste.

Let it simmer together for 30 minutes.

Taste and add more salt if you wish, but keep in mind you are going to add Parmesan cheese which is salty as well.

After simmering for 30 minutes add the frozen tortellini and simmer for another 10 minutes or until the tortellini is cooked through.

Serve this Italian Tortellini Soup hot and top with Parmesan cheese. You can try it without but I promise you the Parmesan makes this dish.

Easy Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

2-1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 container (15 oz) part skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 egg beaten

1 jar (24 oz) pasta sauce

1 cup water

12 lasagna noodles

How to make it:

Heat oven to 350°f

Brown meat in large skillet on med-high heat.

In separate bowl mix 1-1/4 cups Motz, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley and egg until blended

Drain meat and return to skillet. Stir in Pasta sauce and add the 1 cup of water to the jar, shake and add to meat.

Spread 1 cup of meat mixture to bottom of pan

Top with noodles. Add 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat.

Bake 1 hour or until heated through, removing foil after 45 minutes. Let stand 15min before severing.

Baked Curry Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

5 servings

1 lb Chicken Wings

Marinade

1/2 cup Curry Powder

3/4 cup Olive Oil

1 bunch Green Onions

1 small White Onion

1 small Jalepeno

10 clove Garlic

4 tbsp Fresh Ginger

3 tsp Lemon Juice

1 Salt

1 Pepper

1 Garlic Powder

How to make it:

Start by dicing the green onion, white onion, ginger, garlic and jalapeño and add it to a large mixing bowl

Add the curry powder, olive oil and lemon juice to the mixing bowl and mix all of the ingredients together.

Add the salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Because curry powder is extremely bland, you should go heavy on the salt and pepper. Your marinade should be a thick paste

At this point, you should taste your marinade before the raw chicken contaminates it. If more seasoning or curry powder is desired, add more to your liking.

Clean your chicken wings. You can keep them whole or separate them at the joint. For this recipe, I separated my chicken wings.

Season your chicken wings with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken wings to the marinade and mix until each piece of chicken is coated with marinade. Marinate for at least an hour, but preferably, 24 hours

Spray your baking dish with Pam in order to prevent your chicken from sticking. Bake chicken for 30 minutes covered with foil. For the last 15 minutes, bake uncovered

1770 House Meatloaf with Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

For the meatloaf:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups onion, chopped (1 large)

1 1/2 cups celery, small-diced (2 stalks)

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground veal

1 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 tablespoon chives or green onions, chopped

3 large eggs

2/3 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

For the Garlic Sauce:

3/4 cup olive oil

10 garlic cloves, peeled

2 cup chicken stock

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

For the meatloaf:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In your largest saute pan, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil. When it is hot add the onion and celery. Cook for 5-8 minutes until the onion is soft but not brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, add ground beef, veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

Blend the panko bread crumbs in a food processor until they are finely ground, then add that to the bowl with the meat. Add the onion and celery mixture.

Combine the meat with your hands. This is the best way to mix meatloaf so that it doesn't get tough. Don't overdo it.

Cover a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Use your hands to pat the meat into a flat rectangle. Then push the sides in to make a cylinder about 15 inches by 6 inches (spreading it out first prevents air pockets).

Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes, or use a meat thermometer to find out when it has reached 155-160 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing. Serve with garlic sauce.

For the Garlic Sauce:

While the meatloaf is cooking, combine the oil and garlic in a small saucepan . Bring the oil to a boil, then lower the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the garlic is a light golden brown. Don't burn it! Watch carefully. Strain out the oil and save it for another use (I used it for oven roasted potatoes).

In the same saucepan (with the garlic still in it), add the chicken stock and butter. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat but continue to boil for 35-40 minutes, until it is slightly thicker. Use a fork to smash the garlic in the pan. Add the salt and pepper.

Ladle the warm sauce over each serving of hot meatloaf.

Homemade Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 teaspoons of cooking oil

2 cups of onion, diced (about 1 large)

2 cups of carrots, thinly sliced (4 medium carrots)

2 cups of celery, diced (5-6 stalks)

1 whole chicken, pre-cooked (rotisserie or smoked)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme

6 cups of chicken stock (homemade or store-bought)

1 package of Reames® Frozen Egg Noodles (12 oz), cooked separately

1/4 cup of flour*

4 tablespoons of butter*

1 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

2 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme, chopped

Sea salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to taste (optional)

*Note: If you don't want the soup thick, omit the flour + butter step (to make the roux) and just pour the heavy cream directly into the soup.

Recommended Equipment

stockpot (I used my enameled cast-iron French oven)

skillet

cutting board

knife

peeler

grater (for the cheese, if using)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Peel and dice the onion, peel and slice the carrots into thin rounds, and then dice the celery. Reserve any veggie scraps from making homemade stock later. Place a stockpot over medium heat, add the cooking oil, let it warm for a minute, then add the onion, carrot & celery. Season with salt + pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. This is called "sweating" the veggies, which will draw out more flavor.

Meanwhile, start heating up a separate pot of water (or stock) for the noodles. Peel and mince the garlic. Remove the breast meat from the chicken and place in the fridge (we're adding it back in at the end). Add the garlic, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, take the whole chicken and set it in the pot. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a simmer, reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes (covered or uncovered).

Around the time that you stick the chicken in the pot (or whenever the water starts boiling), go ahead and cook the noodles according to the packaged instructions (I cooked mine for about 23 minutes since I like them a little softer), then drain and set aside.

Chop the parsley and thyme and juice the lemon, then set those aside. After the chicken's been in there for 30 minutes or so, carefully remove the whole chicken with tongs. Using a slotted spoon or another utensil, thoroughly check the broth for any bones, cartilage, or skin that might have fallen off, and remove any you find. Set the chicken aside to cool for a few minutes before taking off all the meat and shredding it into bite-sized pieces.

In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter. Once melted, slowly add the flour a little at a time, whisking/stirring constantly to incorporate it into the fat. Once that's all in, keep whisking and let it cook for 2 minutes, then slowly pour in the heavy cream a little at a time, while again whisking constantly, until everything is smooth.

Using a ladle, slowly stir in about 1-1/2 cups of broth from the soup, until the roux is quite thin. This will help to prevent it from clumping when we add it to the soup. Pour the mixture from the skillet into the stockpot and stir well until fully incorporated (there shouldn't be any lumps).

Add the shredded chicken and cooked noodles, followed by the lemon juice, turmeric powder, parsley, thyme, and black pepper. Stir well and taste the soup. Add more salt, pepper, thyme, or parsley to suit your taste. The soup will thicken as it sits, so serve immediately to keep it a bit thinner or wait 15-20 minutes for a thicker soup. Top with Parmesan cheese and extra fresh parsley, thyme & black pepper, and serve with toasted buttered bread, if desired.

The soup will thicken up considerably by the next day as the noodles absorb the liquid so you may need to add a bit of extra stock when reheating the leftovers (we didn't need any).

MISSISSIPPI MUD CAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

One Chocolate Cake, Homemade recipe found HERE, baked in a 9x13'' pan

1 (10.5 oz) bag of miniature marshmallows

For the frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

6 Tablespoons milk

3 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Bake chocolate cake according to instructions. Remove cake from oven and sprinkle marshmallows all over the cake, completely covering it. Return to oven (at 350 degrees F) for 2-3 minutes or until the marshmallows are just slightly puffed and melted. Allow cake to cool completely before drizzling frosting on top.

For the frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add milk and cocoa powder and whisk well. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and powdered sugar. Use an electric mixer to make the frosting smooth. Drizzle warm frosting immediately over cake. Refrigerate cake for for about 30 minutes or until frosting has set. Store at room temperature.

BLUEBERRY PANCAKE BITES

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Sugar

1 beaten Egg

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Milk

2 tbsp melted Butter

40 (1/2 cup) Blueberries

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray donut hole pan with nonstick spray.

Whisk together flour, baking powder and sugar.

Stir together egg, vanilla, milk and butter.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients

Fill each hole 2/3 full and press 2 blueberries in each cavity.

Bake 12 minutes then flip each hole and bake for another 3 minutes.

Serve with syrup, glaze or dusted in powdered sugar, if desired.

Crepes Recipe

1 c flour

1 T sugar

1/4 t salt

1 1/3 c milk

1 T vanilla

3 eggs

3 T melted butter

sugar for sprinkling on crepes

1. In a large bowl combine the flour sugar and salt.

2. In a large measuring cup combine the milk, vanilla, eggs and melted butter. Mix with a fork to break up the eggs.

3. While whisking rapidly, slowly pour the milk and egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Whisk until very well combined. I keep the whisk in the bowl and continue to mix the batter occasionally as I make the crepes.

4. Heat an 8" non-stick skillet to medium heat. I used a paper towel with butter to coat the pan. Pour ¼ cup of batter into pan and tilt pan so that batter covers pan in a thin layer. Cook until the edges start to lightly brown, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip over and cook for a few more seconds until done. I sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the crepe and roll them up in the pan and keep them covered with aluminum foil to keep them warm until they are ready to serve.

Egg McMuffins TO GO!

INGREDIENTS

6 large eggs

Salt & pepper, to taste

6 English muffins

6 slices sharp cheddar cheese

18 small slices deli ham

Plastic wrap

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jumbo muffin tin or small ramekins with nonstick spray. Crack one egg into each ramekin. Use a sharp knife to gently pierce each yolk.

Bake the eggs 10-15 minutes, until set. Slide eggs out of ramekins and cool slightly. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, if desired.

Meanwhile, slice English muffins. Layer one slice of cheese on each English muffin, then 3 slices of ham.

Finally, layer on the egg and top of the English muffin.

Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

To reheat, remove the sandwiches from the plastic wrap and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute on 50% power. Flip sandwich over and microwave for 1 more minute on regular power.

FREEZER BREAKFAST SANDWICHES

INGREDIENTS

6 large eggs

Salt & pepper, to taste

6 English muffins

6 slices sharp cheddar cheese

18 small slices deli ham

Plastic wrap

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jumbo muffin tin or small ramekins with nonstick spray. Crack one egg into each ramekin. Use a sharp knife to gently pierce each yolk.

Bake the eggs 10-15 minutes, until set. Slide eggs out of ramekins and cool slightly. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, if desired.

Meanwhile, slice English muffins. Layer one slice of cheese on each English muffin, then 3 slices of ham.

Finally, layer on the egg and top of the English muffin.

Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

To reheat, remove the sandwiches from the plastic wrap and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave for 1 minute on 50% power. Flip sandwich over and microwave for 1 more minute on regular power.

Egg & Sausage Burritos

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound breakfast sausage

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

12 eggs

½ cup milk

½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper

your favorite shredded cheese

salsa (optional)

10-12 medium or fajita sized tortillas

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook the sausage, pepper, and onion, breaking up the sausage into tiny pieces while cooking. Set aside

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper until combined. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and melt a tablespoon of butter all over the pan. Add the eggs and scramble until cooked through.

3. Warm the tortillas per the package instructions. Layer 1/2 cup scrambled eggs, 1/2 cup cooked sausage, 1-2 Tbsp. shredded cheese, and a little salsa on a warmed medium sized tortilla. Fold up into a burrito. Don’t know how to fold a burrito, let wiki-how show you.

4. Place each burrito on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and flash freeze in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Store the burritos in a plastic freezer bag.

5. At breakfast time, place frozen burrito on a plate and cover with a cloth napkin or paper towel. Microwave for 30 seconds. Cut burrito in half and cover back up. Heat for 30-60 seconds or until warm all the way through.

SAUSAGE, EGG AND BISCUIT BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS

16 oz container of biscuits

6 eggs

½ cup milk

1½ cups of shredded cheddar/jack mix

2 cups cut up breakfast sausage

Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Open up a package of biscuits and cut each into 6 pieces.

Spread cut biscuits in the bottom of the greased casserole dish.

Cook breakfast sausage according to package directions. Cut into bite sized pieces and spread over top of biscuits.

Sprinkle ½ cup of shredded cheese over the sausage.

Beat 6 eggs with milk and pour over the biscuits and sausage.

Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and add a shake of salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the eggs are set.

Chicken & Dumpling Casserole

ingredients :

2 lbs. of chicken

1 C. all purpose flour

1 C. milk

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 10.5 oz. can cream of chicken soup

2 C. chicken broth (I used the water my chicken cooked in)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions :

Place the chicken in a pot and cover with water. Cover and cook over medium heat for 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot, save the water, and let cool. Shred the chicken and place in the bottom of a 11×7 baking dish. Whisk together the flour, milk and butter, pour over the chicken. Whisk together the broth, soup, salt and pepper, pour over the casserole, DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes before serving