Cajun Kielbasa Pasta

Now if you  like comfort food, this is the meal for you! It's the perfect dinner for a cold winter night!

Ingredients:

- 1 package of turkey kielbasa (I prefer the buterball brand)
- 1/2 bag of frozen peas
- 1 purple onion
- 1 tomato
- 1 box of pasta of your choosing
- 2 cups of heavy cream
- 1/2 cup of fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning (less if you are sensitive to spice)
- 1 tablespoon of EVOO

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Chop up the onion and place in a frying fan with the EVOO. Allow this to cook on medium heat until it is almost cooked through. Slice up the kielbasa into 1/4 inch thin slices and add to the frying pan.

Chop up the tomato.Once the kielbasa is just about browned, add the peas and chopped up tomato. continue stirring occasionally.

In a separate cooking pot, add the cream and Cajun seasoning. Allow it to boil. Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until it starts to get thick. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Feel free to add more spices for more flavor. I added some Greek seasoning to the mix. Add all of the ingredients in a large frying pan or wok and stir. Serve!

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

This is always a delicious comforting meal! The crock pot takes all of the work out of this meal! I normally prep it the night before then throw everything in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a lovely smelling house!

Ingredients:

1 can of golden mushroom soup
1 can of cream of mushroom with roasted garlic
1 1/2 lbs of stew meat
1 package of sliced mushrooms
1 white onion
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of beef broth base (this comes in a jar)
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1 package of egg noodles
fresh parsley for garnish
1 tablespoon of butter.

Directions:

In a medium frying pan, melt the 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter is all melted, add the stew beef. Allow the beef to sear on one side. Once the side is seared, flip and lightly sear the other side. When both sides are lightly seared, place them into a mixing bowl. Chop up the onion and mushrooms. Add them to the mixing bowl with the 2 soups, minced garlic and add 1/2 tablespoon of the beef broth base. Mix well. Add the mixture to the crock pot and place it on low. Allow this to cook for 8-10 hours. Once the meal is finished cooking, fill a large cooking pot half way with water. Set on high. Once it starts boiling, add the egg noodles and stir occasionally. While your noodles are cooking, cube up the cream cheese and slowly mix into the crock pot. Once all of the cream cheese is melted, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of beef broth base and all of the sour cream, stirring slowly. At this point, your noodles should be finished cooking. Lightly rinse them with hot water. Plate up the pasta. Once the beef mixture is well mixed, top a generous size portion on top of the noodles and garnish with the fresh parsley. Serving this meal with buttermilk biscuits adds some flare to this meal!

Grandma's Apple Crisp Recipe

Just in time for Thanksgiving! I am thankful for family recipes being passed down! My mother makes this recipe that was passed down from my Grandmother Boudreau and it is delicious! I like it served warm with vanilla ice cream of course!

Ingredients:

1 cup of bisquick
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 t of cinamon
1/4 cup of butter softened
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
5 medium apples

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Peel and slice the apples. Place in a medium sized coated casserole dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve! How easy is that?!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

I'm going to admit - I've never been a fan of Chicken Cordon Bleu. The chicken always ends up tasting dry and chewy - yuck! I do how ever, love stuffing! This twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu will keep you craving more!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 -2 lbs of chicken
1/4 lb of thick sliced deli ham
6 slices of swiss cheese from the deli
1 head of broccoli
1 can cheddar cheese condensed soup
2 cups of stovetop stuffing (you will also need 2 tablespoons of butter according to their recipe)
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Cook the chicken according to your desire. I use the George Foreman grill because it is quick and easy and leaves the chicken juicy! Boil the broccoli until cooked through. Pre-heat your oven to 350. Cube up the ham and cooked chicken into bite sized pieces. Begin cooking the stuffing according to the instructions on the side on the package. While the stuffing is cooking, mix together the cut up chicken, ham, broccoli and can of cheddar cheese condensed soup. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and fill with your mixture. Top your mixture with the swiss cheese. Layout your cooked stuffing evenly on top of the swiss cheese. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until it gets bubbly. Take it out of the oven once it is bubbly and let sit for five minutes. Serve!

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

I love love love Alfredo sauce... who doesn't? I know it isn't the healthiest sauce for you but it sure is a nice treat every now and then! I also think that making it at home could be a little healthier than eating out since you will be measuring out your ingredients...hopeful thinking? Regardless of the calories, this sauce is worth an extra trip to the gym!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 cups of half and half
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups of fresh grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:

Cube up the 1 stick of butter. Place in a large cooking pot and place on low-medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the 2 cups of half and half, minced garlic and stir. Continue stirring for about 5 minutes. Slowly add in the Parmesan cheese and continue stirring for another 5 minutes or until all of the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick. If the sauce is not to your desired thickness, slowly whisk in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. I served this sauce over fettuccine, sauteed mushrooms and pan fried chicken. Yumm!

Honey BBQ Pulled Chicken

Nothing beats southern cooking in my mind! I love pulled chicken with coleslaw and mac and cheese! Yum-o! This recipe took little to no effort to make which was awesome!

Ingredients:

1 lb of chicken tenderloin
1/2 container of sweet baby Ray's honey barbecue sauce
1 cup of water
1 tablespoon of garlic
1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and stir. Place on high for 3 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Shred with a fork and serve. I served mine in  a pita pocket with cheese and a side of Annie's organic mac and cheese and my coleslaw recipe found in my post "Honey BBQ Chicken, Coleslaw and Sweet Potato Fries"

Crock-pot Kielbasa

Kielbasa is so delicious and so dang easy to make! It's perfect for football parties because it doesn't require much work and in the crock pot, it stays hot all day long! Not to mention, it makes your house smell wonderful! Here is my recipe for fool proof Crock-pot Kielbasa!

Ingredients:

2 links of uncooked kielbasa

1 medium white onion

1 jar of grape jelly (32oz)

1 jar of chili sauce(12oz)

Directions:

In your crock-pot, combine the jar of grape jelly and the jar of chili sauce.

Cut up the Kielbasa into slices (about 1/4 inch in thickness) and place on top of the grape jelly and chili sauce mixture. Mix well.

Slice up the onion and place on top. Mix around and place the crock-pot on high for about 3-4 hours or until the Kielbasa is cooked through and looks seared on the edges.

You can keep the crock-pot on the "keep warm" or "low" option until you are ready to serve!

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I LOVE Panera Bread's Brocolli Cheddar Soup, however - it can get pricey! $4-$5 for a bowl of soup is a bit steep! This recipe makes about 10 cups so feel free to share ;)

Ingredients:

-2 cups of shredded cheese ( I used a 3-cheese blend of asiago, parmesan and cheddar)

- 2 bunches of brocolli

- 1 white onion

- 1 cup of shredded carrots

- 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

- 3 cups of water

-4 tablespoons of butter

-3 tablespoons of flour

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

- 1 cup of heavy cream or half and half

Directions:

Chop up the broccoli and carrots.Place in a pot with a steamer on high and let cook until broccoli is a bright green color like pictured below.

Dice up the white onion. In a separate large cooking pot, combine the diced up onion, minced garlic and 1 table spoon of butter and place on medium.

Once all of the butter melts, add in the chicken stock and water and mix.

In a smaller sauce pan, being making your roux and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Slowly mix in the flour, whisking until it makes a paste-like mixture. 

Add the steamed broccoli and carrots to the big pot with broth. Slowly add in your roux and stir. Slowly add your shredded cheese and mix well. Once the cheese is all melted, add in the 1 cup of cream. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Serve with your favorite bread. I went and bought a stick of bread from Panera to make it taste more like the real thing!

 

Crab Meat Stuffed Mushrooms

These are such a hit whenever I make them! Sadly, there are never any leftovers! I think I'm going to start making a double batch and hide some aside for myself! Definitely a comfort food so I used real butter! It happens! This recipe calls for the same stuffing I use to make my Baked Stuffed Shrimp. You could put this stuffing on anything and make it taste delicious! 

Ingredients:

-30 mushrooms

- 1 stick of butter

- 1/4 cup of white onion

- 2 sticks of celery

- 1 can of crab meat

- 2 sleeves of reduced fat ritz crackers (should equal about 64 crackers)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Chop up the onion and celery into little pieces and put in mixing bowl. Add butter to the bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted. While the butter is melting in the microwave, take a large baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Core out the mushrooms (take off the stems) and place on the pan with the round side facing down and the hole where the stem used to be facing up. Once the butter in the mixing bowl is melted, stir well. Add the crab meat to the mixing bowl. In a large ziplock bag, add all of the ritz crackers and seal tightly. Mash the ritz crackers until they look like small breadcrumbs. Pour the Ritz into the mixing bowl and mix together all of the ingredients until it is a thick stuffing-like texture. Begin making 1 tablespoon sized balls and form with your hands. Place firmly on the mushroom and continue until every mushroom has a stuffing ball on top. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the stuffing is crispy looking and the mushrooms are cooked through.

Nutrition Information for 1 Stuffed Mushroom (this recipe should make 30 stuffed mushrooms)

Calories - 62

Carbs - 5

Fat - 4

Protein - 1

Sodium - 98

Fiber - 0

Smothered Filet Mignon

Who doesn't just love a big juicy steak smothered with onions and mushrooms? My boyfriend loves filet night! The first time I cooked for him, I made him filet and its safe to say that a year and a half later we are still happily together. So I guess its true what they say, the way to a man's heart is through food?

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon of EVOO

(1) 4.5 oz filet mignon steak

1/2 teaspoon of Beef base stock

1/2 cup of mushrooms

1/2 cup of vidalia onion

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and garlic grinder or any other seasoning spice

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Take out your steak fillets out of the fridge (you want them to set in room-temperature air for 30 minutes.) Rub half of the EVOO on each side of the filet, along with dusting each side with the sea salt and garlic.Chop up the onion and mushrooms to desired size. Place them in a medium sized frying pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and put on medium heat. Continue to stir while they are cooking.Once they are cooked through, reduce to low heat. Add in the beef stock and mix well, allowing it to coat the onion and mushroom mixture and it will look like the below picture. Keep the burner on low heat to keep the mixture warm.

Next, get another medium sized frying pan and place on medium heat. Once the pan is hot (about 1 or 2 minutes to heat up), place the desired filet in the pan. Allow the steak to sear on each side for 3-4 minutes. Do not play with the steak. Just let it do its thing.

Once both sides of the steak have a beautiful sear, place in a non-stick sprayed casserole dish. Now I like my steak cooked medium-rare. Especially a fillet! I think anything more ruins the whole idea of a fillet being able to "cut like butter." So I leave the steak in the oven for about 8-10 minutes for medium-rare. If you want your steak cooked more, leave it in longer. Other than that, once you take the steak out, smother that baby with the onion and mushroom mixture and enjoy! This dish would pair well with my Greek Orzo Summer Salad  or my Not Your Average Wedge Salad !

Nutrition Information for 1 Filet (About 4.5 oz steak)

Calories - 429

Carbs - 10 

Fat - 26

Protien - 38

Sodium - 482

Fiber - 1

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Yummm, baked stuffed shrimp! One of my favorites! I hate when you go out to a restaurant and you pay about $20 for 5 pieces of shrimp, a little salad and rice! I made the same dinner for 6 people for about $30! This is one of my meals that I love to make at home because its cheaper, healthier and it tastes better! Now let's be honest, I do use real butter in this recipe so I'm not claiming it's healthy but definitely healthier than the amount of butter they use in restaurants! 

Ingredients:

-30 large shrimp cocktail already cooked

- 1 stick of butter

- 1/4 cup of white onion

- 2 sticks of celery

- 1 can of crab meat

- 2 sleeves of reduced fat ritz crackers (should equal about 64 crackers)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350. Chop up the onion and celery into little pieces and put in mixing bowl. Add butter to the bowl. Microwave until the butter is melted. While the butter is melting in the microwave, take a large baking sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Butterfly the shrimp and place on the pan. Once the butter in the mixing bowl is melted, stir well. Add the crab meat to the mixing bowl. In a large ziplock bag, add all of the ritz crackers and seal tightly. Mash the ritz crackers until they look like small breadcrumbs. Pour the Ritz into the mixing bowl and mix together all of the ingredients until it is a thick stuffing-like texture. 

Begin making 1 tablespoon sized balls and form with your hands. Place firmly on the piece of shrimp and continue until every shrimp has a stuffing ball on top. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the stuffing is crispy looking.

Serve with your favorite sides! I served mine with rice pilaf and Not Your Average Wedge Salad ... and of course a nice big glass of wine!

Nutrition Information for 1 Piece of Shrimp (This recipe should make 30 pieces of shrimp)

Calories - 70

Carbs - 5

Fat - 4

Protein - 3

Sodium - 126

Fiber - 0