Secret Recipe Club: Rutabaga Chips - Low Carb, Too!

Do you know what a rutabaga is? Do you know how to cook them?

If not, you're missing out on a great tasting root vegetable that's full of vitamins and minerals - and the best part is that its relatively low carb, too!

You can cook them and serve them as mashed potatoes, chunk them up and throw them in a crock pot with a roast or cut them up and serve them my favorite way - as fries or chips!

When I received my Secret Recipe Club blog this month, Gastronomical Sovereignty, I was hoping to find a recipe that was low carb or one that I could change to make low carb. I was thrilled when I came across Kristy's recipe for rutabaga chips!

Rutabagas are relatively low carb (approx. 8 carbs per cup), especially when comparing them to the much missed potato. I discovered them on my first journey into low carbing. I get easily bored eating the same vegetables over and over again so I often grab something that's unfamiliar to me (after reading it on a low vegetable list, of course), buy it and then hit the Internet to find out how to prepare it. This was the case years ago. Since then, I've prepared them in all of the ways that I mentioned above - I love them! Often described as having a sweet taste, I think that they have more of a slight peppery taste too them - that's why I love them.

It's a super simple recipe that wields lots of taste!

Rutabaga Chips

For one serving:

1-2 small rutabagas, sliced paper thin
2 tbsp. olive oil
sprinkle of black pepper and all natural Mediterranean spices


Toss the chips with the olive oil, pepper and any other spices of your choice. Lay the chips in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 5-6 minutes @ 450*. Turn over and bake for another 4-5 minutes, keeping an eye on them to make sure you don't burn them.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Serve with low carb ketchup or low carb ranch dressing, if desired but I find them to be delicious on their own!

 **Tip** Eat the chips as soon as they are cool enough to handle because they will go soggy - and while they are still tastey, they're more like fried potatoes than chips.

Kristy's blog has so many delicious recipe to pick from. Definitely take some time to flip through her blog. The pictures are mouthwatering, too!

Thanks for another great month here at the Secret Recipe Club!

***I have to take a minute to thank my son for helping me to type up this post. I pulled the muscles in my right hand and arm from a fall on Friday evening. He came to my rescue to help me today!**

Don't forget to spread some bloggy love by taking a few minutes to visit all of the blogs in our wonderful blog hops!! 

Roasted Greek Chicken & Potatoes

This dish is wonderful enough to serve double duty as an easy weeknight dinner or as a special holiday dinner.

The chicken stays juicy, while the potatoes roast up crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Roasted Greek Chicken & Potatoes

I didn't measure any specific amounts for this recipe.
It can be made in small or large amounts, depending
on the number of people you are feeding.

thawed chicken pieces - I baked 8 leg & thigh pieces
red potatoes, cubed small - I used 8 medium potatoes
olive oil
lemon juice
Greek seasoning
minced garlic
oregano
lemon pepper seasoning (no salt added)

Use a roasting pan big enough to hold both the chicken and the potatoes.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken pieces. Lay the chicken flat in one side of the pan, skin side up.

Cube potatoes (I left the skins on) and lay opposite of the chicken in the other side of the roasting pan.

Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and potatoes and then sprinkle both with lemon juice.

Sprinkle approx. 2 tbsp. greek seasoning and lemon pepper on top of the chicken and potatoes.

Sprinkle approx. 1 tbsp. oregano and minced garlic over top of both.

Stir the potatoes, making sure they're coated with the oil, lemon and herbs.

Preheat oven to 450*

Bake chicken and potatoes for 20 minutes.

Lower oven to 375*

Continue baking for 1 - 1 1/2 hrs longer, checking after 1 hour to see if the juice in the chicken are clear.

Once chicken is done roasting, remove it to a plate and keep warm.

Spread the potatoes out in a single layer in the pan. Stick the pan under the broiler for 3 -5 minutes or until the potatoes have browned a little bit.

Serve immediately.

Leftover chicken is delicious as chicken salad or on a sandwich. Leftover potatoes are great fried the next day.

Bow Tie Pasta Salad

Happy Memorial Day!

**My family and I would like to say THANK YOU to our military men & woman, past and present, for serving and protecting us!**

We had this Bow Tie Pasta Salad at our little family picnic today. It was 95 and very humid here so we ate inside in the AC. ;)  We had a simple picnic of hot dogs, pasta salad, cake w/strawberries and iced tea.

Bring on summer!

  
Bow Tie Pasta Salad

2 -12oz boxes of bow tie pasta, cooked
2 medium tomatoes, diced into small pieces
1 large cucumber, diced into small pieces
1 can of black olives, drained and diced into small rings or pieces
12 oz Kraft Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing
6 oz Kraft Italian salad dressing
1/3 c. Salad Supreme

Cook pasta. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain again.

Stir in tomatoes, cucumber, and black olives.

Pour salad dressings and Salad Supreme over pasta. Stir to mix well.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Serve cold.

One Pan Pork Fried Rice

I came up with this fried rice recipe to go along with the homemade egg rolls that I made a while back. It's easy to make and very versatile...you can use chicken, pork, beef or even make it without meat. It's great for using bits and pieces of leftovers from the week that's stuck in the frig. The secret ingredient is the sesame oil that really gives it a unique flavor.

One Pan Pork Fried Rice

4 c. quick cooking  rice
3 1/2 c. water for cooking rice
2 c. boneless pork, cubed into 1" pieces
4 eggs
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 1/2  c. soy sauce
1/2 c chicken broth
sesame oil

Cook rice and set aside. I use quick cooking rice - Cook 4 c. rice in 3 1/2 c of water to make it less sticky.

Using one large frying pan:

Scramble 4 eggs. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Saute frozen stir fry vegetables in 2 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil. Cook until vegetables are fork tender. Remove to the plate that holds the scrambled eggs.

Cook the pork in 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil + 1 tsp sesame oil.  Cook just until the pork is no longer pink. Be careful not to over cook. Add the cooked pork to the eggs and vegetables.

Add cooked rice to the large frying pan. Stir in one cup of soy sauce + 2 tsp. sesame oil. Heat over medium low heat for 1 -2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in vegetables and pork. Mix well. Pour in 1/2 c. chicken broth + 1/2 soy sauce. Heat through.

Chop eggs into small pieces. Stir into rice.

Serve hot.

Four Cheese and Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese

I've finally found a mac 'n' cheese dish that my whole family enjoyed. This recipe takes a little work but the end result is worth it.

This recipe was featured in a Family Circle magazine last year along with 10 other recipes for mac 'n' cheese. If you didn't see that article, you can see it here. 

Four Cheese with Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese
my recipe with changes:   

2 boxes cavatappi pasta
8 sliced bacon, diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. flour
4 c. 2% milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 c. colby - jack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c. pepper - jack cheese, shredded
12 slices of American cheese - cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 350*

Cook pasta for 8 minutes, and then drain well. While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 4 tbsp bacon drippings in the pan. Add butter. Melt the butter into the bacon dripppings.

Whisk flour into the melted butter until smooth. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in salt and peppers. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Toss all of the cheeses together in a large bowl.

Remove thickened milk from heat; whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the cheeses. Stir until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce.

Crumble bacon into small pieces and toss into the remaining shredded cheese.

In your pasta pot, combine the pasta and cheese sauce. Mix well until all of the pasta has been coated completely. Pour half of the pasta into a 9x13 dish that you've lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle a half of the remaining cheese and bacon over the pasta. Repeat with another layer of pasta and top with remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven to broil and broil for 3 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

This makes a lot of mac 'n' cheese. I had a full 9 x13 dish with a small 8x8 pan left over. I always use the extra in my husband's lunches during the week. The mac n cheese warmed up well in the microwave.


It's cheesey and delicious. My family raved about this for days. It's a keeper. :)

Chicken Eggs Rolls

This was my first time making egg rolls. For some reason, I've always thought that it would be much more complicated that it was. This recipe is really easy and it leaves lots of room to play with different ingredients to change the flavors. I used chopped chicken in place of the usual pork or shrimp because that's what I had on hand. You could even make these totally vegetarian and not miss the meat at all.

Chicken Egg Rolls

1 package egg roll wrappers
1 - 16 oz - package of coleslaw
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tbsp fresh grated garlic
2 tsp sesame oil
1 c. cooked chicken breast, cubed into very small pieces

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add 2 tbsp oil to a frying pan. Toss coleslaw mixture into the frying pan and heat until the cabbage has softened. Stir continually to avoid any sticking. Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes.

Unwrap egg roll wrappers. Lay one wrapper flat on the table facing you in a diamond shape. Brush outer edges with water. Add 1/3 c. of filling to the center of the egg roll wrapper.

Fold one end to the center of the wrapper. Fold the left and right edges in on each side. Roll up, making sure all edges are sealed. I ended up with 13 egg rolls.

Deep fry the egg rolls in 3 inches of oil. Fry for 1-2 minutes on each side. Watch carefully as they will brown very fast. Remove from oil onto a plate lined with paper towels. 

Enjoy!

Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes

Nothing screams comfort food like these two items. Everyone seems to have their favorite recipe for each of them. I'm sharing mine tonight.

Meatloaf #2

I made a variant of this recipe.

2 lbs ground meat
1 c. plain bread crumbs
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1/3 c. ketchup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Bake at 375* for 45 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.

Mashed Potatoes

3 lbs. Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

Place potatoes in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a rolling boil. Cook over medium high heat for 8-12 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well. Return potatoes to pot. Add 2 tbsp. butter and 1/2 c. chicken broth. I like to use my hand-held mixer to "mash" the potatoes. Cover to keep warm until ready to eat.

Serve with brown gravy and green beans!

Picnic Pasta Salad

My family doesn't agree on many picnic side dishes...one doesn't like mayo, one doesn't like potatoes...on and on.

The one side dish that everyone DOES agree on is my picnic pasta salad. You can personalize this recipe to your family's likes.

  
Picnic Pasta Salad

1 lb. of rotini (corkscrew) pasta, cooked and drained well
1 C. sliced black olives
6 oz of cheese, cut into small chunks - use your family's
favorite. I used Monterey Jack cheese this time. We also like
mozzarella, cheddar and/or Muenster.
3 plum tomatoes, diced small
1/2 of an English (seedless) cucumber, diced small
Salad Supreme topping (find it in the spice isle), to taste
1 lg. bottle of a hearty Italian dressing

To assemble:

Add the rotini to a large bowl. Stir in the olives, cheese, tomatoes and cucumbers.

Sprinkle on the Salad Supreme. I usually use 1/2 of the bottle but if you're not familiar with the taste, I would suggest stirring in one tablespoon at a time until you achieve the taste that you like. 

Stir in 1/2 of the bottle of Italian dressing or more - until the salad appears to be wet but not soaking in dressing. Mix well.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hrs or overnight. In my opinion, the longer it is refrigerated, the better it tastes.

When you are ready to serve, remove from refrigerator and stir well. Stir in more Italian dressing if needed.

Broiled Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

This delicious salad makes a wonderful lunch or light dinner.

I came up with this recipe on a night when my family was enjoying pasta with red sauce and I didn't want to feel completely left out.The roasted tomatoes and slightly strong goat cheese pair wonderfully together. Low carber or not, this salad is sure to please.

Broiled Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

1 tomato (about the size of a baseball), cut into 4 slices
1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese
olive oil
dried basil (you could definitely use fresh basil but I didn't have any on hand)
1/2 c. cooked and crumbled hot sausage
1 - 1 1/2 c. Italian salad blend lettuce
low carb vinaigrette* - recipe below
grated Parmesan cheese

Wash salad mix and set aside.

To make the low carb vinaigrette:

1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1 packet Splenda
1 tsp. grainy brown mustard
1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Pour all ingredients into a salad dressing cup or a container with a tight fitting lid. Shake well. Pour over salad. Toss to mix. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Lightly drizzle olive oil over the foil. Lay the slices of tomato on top of the olive oil. Lightly sprinkle some dried basil over the tops of the tomatoes. Flip the tomatoes over, drizzle with olive oil and dried basil.

Evenly divide the 1/2 c. of hot sausage over the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the goat cheese evenly over the sausage.

Heat the broiler to 450*  Stick the pan under the broiler until the cheese has slightly browned  - 5 to 8 minutes.

 Serve tomatoes on top of salad greens. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the salad.

Enjoy!

Rutabaga Fries - Low Carb, Too!

There's a lot of controversy out there on whether or not rutabagas are really low carb. I've seen counts from as high as 15 carbs per cup of rutabaga to as low as 9 carbs per cup. I look at it this way, I only eat it once in a while when I want "fries" and then, I only cook 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga at a time to avoid temptation to eat more. Any way you look at it, it's better than eating an order of french fries!

Many people mention tasting a slight sweet taste when eating them but I do not pick up on that. I find them to have a slight peppery bite to them - probably why I like them so much.

If you are buying them in a grocery store, the rutabagas will probably be covered in wax. You have to peel the skins off of them before eating them. I love the fact that you can store it raw for several days in the refrigerator.

Rutabaga Fries
this recipe uses 1/2 of a medium-sized rutabaga

1/2 raw, peeled rutabaga, sliced into "steak fries"
olive oil
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
onion powder
black pepper

In a bowl, toss together the rutabaga sticks, olive oil and seasonings to taste. Spread out onto a baking sheet, making sure to not over lap or crowd the sticks.

Bake at 450* for 6 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and flip the sticks over to brown on the other side. Bake for another 6 minutes or until the sticks are tender and browned to your liking.

Other seasoning that I've used on the rutabaga fries:

Italian
Greek
chili powder & cumin
taco

Can be served with a bit of Heinz Low Sugar Ketchup, spiced up mayo, mustard or tzatziki sauce -depending on which spices you use.

Serve immediately.

What's your opinion on rutabagas? 

What's your favorite ways to cook them? 

I'd love for you to share your thoughts with me!

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini

What happens when you really crave grilled veggies but you can't use your grill at the time? Gently pan fry them in a little olive oil and they will turn out better than good....really, really good.

This is such a simple side dish that took just 5 minutes to cook- yet it's so colorful and pretty enough to serve to anyone.

All low carbers can enjoy this dish!

**Note** - You won't find any breading on these veggies so if you need the crusted coating, stop reading now.

Or better yet....   Continue reading and then try the recipe. It might just change your mind. :)

Pan Fried Squash & Zucchini
recipes makes 1 -2 servings

1 baby zucchini
1 baby yellow squash
olive oil
red pepper flakes
dried basil
garlic powder

In a large frying pan, drizzle oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Turn heat to high to warm up the pan, and then turn the heat back down to medium-high before adding the veggies.

While the pan is heating up, slice each veggies vertically into strips. Place the veggies into the pan and turn to coat in the oil. If needed, lightly drizzle a little more oil on top of the veggies - being careful not to drown them in oil. These veggies will soak up a lot of oil so use a light hand.

Sprinkle on the red pepper flakes (I used about 1/2 tsp), dried basil (about 1 tsp) and garlic powder (about 1/2 tsp).

Once the veggies are starting to soften and the undersides are browning nicely, flip the slices over to brown the other side. Only cook until each side has slightly browned or you will end up with a pile of mushy veggies.

Serve immediately.

**Extra**

Vary the spices for a nice treat. In place of the basil, try chili powder, Italian seasoning, lemon pepper, onion powder, oregano...the list goes on and on.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Low Carb

There's been a lot of chatter lately in the low carb world about roasted Brussels sprouts. The pictures and recipes that I've seen look delicious. Until now, I've never cooked raw Brussels sprouts, only frozen ones. I decided to give it a try to pan roast some for my dinner last week. The results were heavenly -- yes, I said that about the "dreaded little cabbage heads" that most people won't touch! You don't know what you're missing.

My Mom would cook Brussels sprouts when I was a child and I would be the only one in the family to eat them with her. My sister wouldn't touch them with a ten ft. pole. hahaha! I still like them today--and once again, I'm the only one in my family who will eat them. That's ok...they're low carb so I can enjoy them all to myself.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 lb of raw Brussels Sprouts, trim ends & remove any wilted leaves
butter
minced garlic

Add sprouts to a pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, cooking for 5 minutes or until fork tender. Drain well.

Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Stir in 1 tsp minced garlic. Slice the sprouts in half lengthwise and add flat side down into the pan. Fry for 1-2 minutes and then gently turn to coat in the butter. Fry until the tops are nicely browned. Flip over to the flat sides once again and continue cooking until the sprouts are nicely browned, too. Keep a close eye on them while they are cooking so that they do not burn.

Serve immediately.

I like to splash on a bit of red wine vinegar right before eating them.

Low Carb Zucchini Pancakes

I love zucchini! This recipe is sort of a play on hashbrowns. These little pancakes are good for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Low Carb Zucchini Pancakes
makes 5 silver dollar - sized pancakes

1 baby zucchini - shredded with skins on
1 small egg
1/2 tsp of seasonings of choice - I used Montreal Steak Seasoning (make
sure there is no sugar in it) & red pepper flakes

Shred zucchini and place between two layers of paper towels to blot out the water from it.
Beat egg
Stir zucchini and seasonings into egg. Mix well.
Drop by tablespoonful into a large frying pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Cook over medium high heat until the egg has firmed up on the bottom and is light brown.
Flip over and continue cooking until light brown.
Serve immediately. These do not hold up well over time.
Top with salsa and/or sour cream, if desired.

I'll let you in on a little secret...

See those pickle spears peeking out in the top picture? This is one of my very favorite low carb snacks.

Roast Beef & Cream Cheese Wrapped Dill Spears

2 piece of roast beef - sliced thin
1 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 whole dill pickle, cut into 4 spears

Spread cream cheese over both slices of roast beef.
Cut each slice of roast beef in half, making 4 slices of meat.
Place a pickle spear on each piece of meat.
Roll up, wrapping the roast beef and cream cheese around the spear.

Chicken Chimis & Haluski (Cabbage & Noodles)

We eat a lot of chicken. It's one thing that I can be sure of that my family will eat & enjoy. I'm always on the lookout for interesting new ways to prepare it.

I found this recipe for chicken chimis on Recipes of a Cheapskate. Simple recipe and very versatile -you can change this recipe around to include your family's favorites. My family enjoyed them. I will make them again and also make extras to stick in lunches.

My version:

Chicken Chimis

2 C. shredded chicken
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
salsa
2 - 8 ct. cans crescent rolls


Roll out crescent rolls. Divide rolls into squares using 2 triangles for each square. Pinch seams together.

Top crescent squares with 1 TBSP of salsa on each, making sure to not touch the edges with the salsa. Evenly divide and sprinkle the cheese over all of the squares. Top all with shredded chicken.

Fold both ends of crescent square into the middle and seal the seam well. Seal the ends of each square, too.

Lay seam side down on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 18 - 20 minutes at 350*.

Top with sour cream, if desired.

Haluski

This Polish-Slovakian dish of fried noodles and cabbage, is another Pittsburgh regional favorite.

Like peirogies, this is another dish that I grew up eating. There are many different versions of this recipe out there. I like mine made with noodles and cabbage. Some people like to add cottage cheese to it.

1 small head of cabbage
1 lb egg noodles
butter or margarin
black pepper

Cook the egg noodles and drain well.Set aside to cool

Cut cabbage into bite-size pieces. I boil the cabbage until fork tender -- some people like to add it to the frying pan and cook it in butter or margarine until it is tender. If boiling the cabbage, drain well once it is tender.

Melt 1/4 C. of butter in a frying pan. Add cabbage and noodles. Stir to coat with butter. You might have to add another 1/4 C. butter --not exactly a healthy dish but it's so good! Sprinkle on black pepper to your liking - I tend to add a lot of pepper.

Fry until heated through. I like it a little crispy so I cook mine a little longer.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Baked Mac 'n' Cheese & Meatloaf

Today is my son's 12th's birthday so we celebrated with all of his favorites. On the menu was a new recipe for baked macaroni and cheese and family favorite recipes for meatloaf and sauteed green beans.

Both of the kids helped with cooking dinner and dessert. It's fun to get them involved to see how they are growing up and what they are able to do to help. Andy did a lot of chopping and stirring today. Alexis helped out a lot by being the "gofer".

I found a new recipe for baked macaroni and cheese today. This dish turned out creamy and cheesey and really good. I followed the recipe as per the directions with the only changes being that I cooked 2 lbs of small shell pasta and multiplied the rest of the ingredients by 3 to make sure that I had plenty of leftovers. This made enough for a full 9 x13 dish + a full 9 x9 dish.


Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. elbow macaroni
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 tbsp powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper
Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Cooking Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it’s free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes.
4. Temper in the egg. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Melt the butter in a saute pan and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and rest for five minutes before serving.

You can see the original recipe here.


Such a great dinner!

The recipe for this fabulous meatloaf is here on my blog.

The sauteed green beans are super easy:

1 bag of frozen thin string beans
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp onion powder
drizzle of olive oil

Saute all in a frying pan over medium heat until heated through.

There's leftover meatloaf for sandwiches and plenty of mac n cheese for another meal.

Be on the lookout for birthday cake in the next posting!

Greek Potatoes

I think that we are all finally back to normal after dealing with a strong case of the stomach flu. Everyone seems to have their appetites back, too.

My son is getting to be quite the helper in the kitchen. I don't mind the help at all. He's even learning to clean up the messes that he makes when he's cooking. ;)

Tonight's dinner, Greek Souvlaki, has become a family favorite. I wanted some form of potatoes to go with the pork so I came up with an easy roasted potato dish with Greek seasonings. This dish turned out lightly seasoned by using the amounts in the recipe below. If you are looking for a stronger taste, double the seasonings but not the lemon juice. IMO, you need the sugar to cut the tartness of the lemon juice. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside -very tasty. My "potato-hating" children complained quite a bit before trying the potatoes but in the end they actually said that it wasn't so bad after all.


Greek Potatoes

10 red potatoes, cubed into medium-sized pieces
1/3 C. olive oil
1/4 C. lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
1 TBSP no salt Greek seasoning
1TBSP no salt lemon pepper seasoning
1 tsp salt (can add more to taste)
1 tsp oregano

Lightly spray the bottom of a large baking dish with cooking spray. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with parchment paper.

Wash & cube potatoes and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together all of the remaining ingredients. Dump the potatoes into the olive oil mixture and toss to coat.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish and cover with foil.

Bake at 350* for 30 - 4o minutes. Remove foil and stir potatoes. Bake at 400* for another 30 - 4o minutes or until desired crispiness.

I served corn on the cob to round out the meal. :)

Spicy Turkey Burgers

Tonight's dinner was quick to put together and very delicious. My spicy turkey burger recipe is sort of a spin off from Rachel Ray's Southwest Turkey Burger.

Spicy Turkey Burgers

2 lbs ground turkey - I used a mix of dark
and white meat to keep the burgers moist
2 tsp. of minced garlic
3 tsp. of Montreal steak seasoning
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped fine
Pepper Jack cheese
onion buns
lettuce
Sweet Baby Rays bar-b-que sauce

Mix all ingredients together just until everything has been incorporated. Do not over mix.

Shape into 6 large burgers or 8 smaller burgers. Grill for 3 -5 minutes on each side, over med-high heat. Top with cheese, close the lid and grill just until the cheese melts.

Serve on onion buns with lettuce and bar-b-que sauce.

To go along with this, I made wacky mac pasta salad.


Wacky Mac Pasta Salad

2 bags of wacky mac pasta, cooked and drained well
1 bottle of Italian dressing
Salad Supreme seasoning
Colby Jack chunk cheese
tomatoes
cucumbers

This is a mix-to-taste salad where there really are no set amounts for the ingredients. For all of this pasta, I used about 3/4 of a lg. bottle of Italian dressing, 1/2 bottle of Salad Supreme, 1/2 block of Colby Jack cheese cut into small pieces, 3 plum tomatoes and 1 large cucumber.

Broccoli Rice Casserole - Cooking with Alicia & Annie Contest

This is my first entry into the Cooking with Alicia & Annie Contest -Feb. edition.

It's a simple side dish made with rice, broccoli and Velveeta cheese. I don't normally have Velveeta on hand but I happen to buy a big box of it for a Superbowl dip, so this dish was a perfect way for me to use up some of the leftovers. I would make this again. This would also travel well if you were in need of a side dish for a party.

You can find the original recipe here.

My version is below. The only thing I did differently was to leave out the onion and celery. To me, it would be out of place in this recipe. Everything else stayed the same. At the end of the cooking time, I stuck the dish under the broiler for two minutes to brown it a bit--this step is optional.

Broccoli Rice Casserole

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/4 c. milk
1 c. diced pasteurized process cheese spread
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2 c. cooked rice

Instructions

1. In saucepan, in hot oil, cook celery and onion until
tender-crisp.

2. Combine soup and milk; stir in celery-onion mixture,
cheese, broccoli and rice. Pour into 10x6 inch baking dish.
Sprinkle with paprika.

3. Conventional: Bake at 350 degrees F. for 30 minutes or
until hot, or microwave: Microwave on high 10 minutes or
until hot, rotating dish halfway through cooking.

Serves 8.

Recipes for Playoff food

We enjoyed the food that I made. Not everything went as planned but that was ok.

Brown sugar smokies
1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
1 pound bacon
1 1/2 C cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage.

Stick a toothpick through each sausage to secure the bacon.

Add 1/2 C. brown sugar to a dish. Dredge each sausage through
the brown sugar, coating well.

Arrange the sausages on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally
with the remaining brown sugar.

Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

You can keep these warm in a crockpot set on low or warm.



Pepperoni rolls --flopped
I made a new bread machine Italian bread recipe and it turned out too sticky. The bread never did rise right so I tossed it.


Crockpot Chicago Style Beef Sandwiches
I definitely didn't stick to a regular Chicago style recipe. Instead, I added my own flare to it and the results were delicious!

3 lb beef roast
1C. beef broth
4 TBSP hot pepper relish
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 of a medium onion sliced into thin strips --more if you like a lot of onions
1/2 jar of marinate mushrooms, chopped fine (use other 1/2 in pasta salad)

Add meat to crockpot and top with garlic powder. Pour in beef broth. Top with hot pepper relish and onions. Cover and cook on high for approximately 6 hrs or until the meat can be shredded with 2 forks. Remove meat from juices and shred completely. Add the meat back to into the juices. Turn the crockpot to low or warm until ready to eat.

For the sandwich topping:
Finely chop up 1/2 C. Italian Giardiniera and add to a small bowl. Add 1/4 to 1/2 C. hot pepper relish and the chopped marinated mushrooms. Mix well.

Fill Italian subs with meat and top with pepper relish mix.



Antipasto pasta salad
1 lb penne pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 lb Genoa salami
1/2 lb sandwich pepperoni
1/3 lb provolone cheese --will use fresh moz. cheese the next time
fresh Basil
1/2 jar of marinated mushrooms, drained and chopped
3 TBSP hot pepper relish (I would've used roasted red peppers but I forgot to buy them!)

Slice salami, pepperoni and cheese into thin strips. Coarsely chop fresh basil.
Mix all ingredients in a large container and top with red wine vinegar dressing. (below)

Red wine vinegar dressing
1/2 C. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp minced garlic

Add all ingredients to a shaker or jar with a screw on lid. Shake well.

Pour over pasta salad and mix well.

Chill pasta salad for at least 4 hours before eating.




We snacked on M&Ms and other candies for dessert.


No plans for Superbowl Sunday just yet.

GO STEELERS!!!!

Breakfast for Dinner - Cinnamon Raisin French Toast & Hash Brown Casserole

Today was one of those days when I could've stayed under the covers all day and slept the day away.

**Snap back to reality**

I had a lot to do today, including going grocery shopping.

I took the easy way out for dinner tonight and made our favorite so-called breakfast meal consisting of cinnamon raison French toast and my version of Cracker Barrel's hashbrown casserole.

We are lucky to have an Entenmann's Bakery Outlet nearby. I can picked up Sun Maid raisin bread there for a much better price than in a regular grocery store.

Usually everyone has their own favorite French toast recipe and here is mine:

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast

1 loaf of raisin bread

6 eggs

1/2 C. milk

1 TBSP. vanilla

2 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Break eggs into a bowl and beat wisk lightly. Wisk in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. In a frying pan, over medium-low heat, melt 2 tsp. of butter. Place the bread slices, one at a time, into the bowl, letting the slices soak up the egg mixture. Turn the bread over to coat the other side. Transfer bread slices to skillet. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook the same on the other side. Serve hot with butter and syrup.

The hash brown casserole recipe came about by lots of experimenting. I've finally perfected to the way we like it.

Hash brown Casserole
1 can of cream of chicken soup

8 oz. of sour cream

2C. + 1/2 C. Cheddar cheese, grated

1/2C. melted butter

1 small onion, minced

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2lb. bag frozen shredded hashbrowns--THAWED--Important!!

Spray a 13 x 9 dish with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients except potatoes + 1/2 C. cheese to sprinkle on top.

Gently fold in potatoes into mixture and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with leftover cheese.

Bake at 350* for 5o - 60 minutes. If you want a crispier top, stick it under the broiler at the end of baking.

This will freeze well.

Thaw first to speed baking. If you baked it frozen, increase baking time.