Pan-Roasted Sweet Potato and Vegetable Medley

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Serves: 4 Cook time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Fresh shucked Corn

1/3 Cup asparagus, chopped

1/3 Cup mushrooms, sliced

1/3 Cup sweet potato, diced

1/2 shallot, diced

1/3 Cup Tomato, diced

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/4 Cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

1. Roast sweet potato in oven at 350ºF for 20 minutes beforehand. Then season the potatoes with salt and pepper and place on a greased cooking sheet in oven for another 10 minutes at 350ºF before adding to the vegetable mixture.
2. Saute shallots and garlic in 1 Tbsp olive oil.
3. Add another Tbsp olive oil to the garlic and shallots, if necessary, and all remaining vegetable, including sweet potatoes.
4. Saute everthing for 5 minutes.
5. Add stock and reduce for 2 minutes and serve.

Nutritional Information

Nutrients per serving (based on 4 servings): 105 calories, 7 g fat, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber, 9 g carbohydrates, 0 mg cholesterol, 67 mg sodium. Excellent source of vitamin A.

Chicken Salad

It's just a mixture of Romain lettuce and spinach with sliced celery and grapefruit segments. Then I did some candied walnuts (sugar and walnuts over medium heat until it dissolves). The chicken was pretty easy too. I have a pot of thyme so I put of that on it along with salt and pepper and some oil (I use grapeseed), put a lid on it and cook. I don't have a lot of experience cooking meat so I ended up over cooking it but it still tasted good. The grapefruit was my favorite part. It would have been even better with some bleu cheese on top; maybe next time.

Cous Cous

1. 3 medium red bell peppers
2. 10 ounces instant couscous (about 1 1/2 cups)
3. Salt
4. 1/4 cup olive oil
5. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
6. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
7. Pinch of cayenne pepper
8. Freshly ground black pepper
9. 1 pound ripe beefsteak tomatoes--peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 -inch dice
10. 1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
11. 1/2 cup Moroccan or other small, oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
12. 2 scallions, white and tender green, minced
13. 1 large garlic clove, minced
14. 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Roast the bell peppers over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a paper bag and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove the skin, cores, seeds, and ribs and cut the peppers into 1/2-inch dice.
2. In a saucepan, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until tender, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.
3. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the roasted peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, scallions and garlic. Pour the dressing over the couscous and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.

Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Pasta

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 good sized garlic cloves; minced
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 large handful fresh basil; leaves rolled up together then cut into thin strips
1 lb cherry or grape tomatoes (kept whole)
1 bunch asparagus; end snapped off then snapped/cut into 2 to 3 inch segments

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Put all the following, in order, into a large mixing bowl. Toss until the veggies are well coated. Spread out onto a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 45 minutes or everything starts to look a little burned.

15 minutes before the veggies are due to be done, cook your pasta. Shorter pasta shapes work better for this one.

Scrape it all (including all the oily juices) onto the cooked pasta and toss. Freshly grated Parmesan on top always helps. This pasta is good hot and at room temperature.

BBQ Spareribs Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/2 to 3 pounds pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 cup catsup
1 (6 ounces) can tomato paste
1/4 cup vinegar
3 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp pepper

Place spareribs in a crockpot.
Whisk together sweet onion, catsup, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dry mustard, and pepper until smooth.

Pour the barbecue sauce even over the spareribs and cover. Cook 6-8 hours or until done.

Country-Cured Ham Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 country ham
Water
Cloves
Brown sugar
Bread crumbs

PREPARATION:
A day or two before you plan to serve the ham, place in a very large oval kettle, sawing off hock, if necessary, to fit ham in.

If ham is very salty, salt crystals will be visible. Cover with cool water and let stand 24 hours at room temperature, changing the water 3 to 4 times. If ham is not salty, change soaking water 1 to 2 times. Next day, scrub ham well under running tepid water to remove any mold and pepper. Wash well again in tepid water. Place ham on a rack in the same large kettle, add cool water to cover, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim froth from surface, re-cover, adjust heat so water stays at a slow simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes per pound or until fork tender and bone feels loose; cool ham in cooking liquid. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lift ham from liquid, peel off rind, and trim fat to 1/2-inch. Score in a crisscross pattern and stud with cloves. Pat on a thick glaze (brown sugar and bread crumbs is the traditional glaze for Smithfield and Virginia ham). Place ham glaze side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and bake, uncovered, 45 minutes or until glaze is nicely browned. Transfer ham to serving platter and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving. In the South, these hams are served at room temperature (or chilled), but almost never hot. When carving, slice paper thin.

PORK SHOULDER STEAKS IN PAPRIKA SAUCE

2 lbs. pork shoulder steaks
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c. beef broth or water
1 (16 oz.) can whole or wedged tomatoes with juice
1 c. sour cream

1. Coat pork with a mixture of 1/4 cup of flour, salt and paprika.
2. Heat butter in skillet. Brown meat on both sides. Remove to heavy casserole with cover as they are done.
3. Add mushrooms to pan. Cook until browned over medium heat. Pour over meat in casserole.
4. Add broth to skillet and scrap up brownings. Pour over meat.
5. Pour tomatoes over pork. Cover.
6. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour. check for tenderness. Return to oven for another 1/2 hour, if necessary.
7. Drain juices from meat. Mix 1/2 cup juices with remaining 1/4 cup flour. Stir until smooth. Mix with remaining juices, heat to boiling. Cook until thickened.
8. Add sour cream. Pour over meat. Serve immediately

Ham Hock and Beans

Recipe Summary:
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 medium smoked ham hocks, about 4 ounces each
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound dried navy white beans
Freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
10 cups water
Salt

In a medium Dutch oven with a lid, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, sear the ham hocks in batches, until brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the ham hock and set aside. Add the onions. Season with pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the beans and bay leaves. Season with pepper. Saute for 1 minute. Add the reserved ham hocks and water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat falls of the bone and the beans are creamy. Remove the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Oven Pot Roast

1 Roast
1 can beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of Onion soup mix

Place the roast in Oven Safe bowl or crock pot and cover generously with salt and pepper (not too much or the gravy will be too salty). Mix the beef broth, cream of mushroom soup and onion soup mix. Pour over the crock pot and cook all day on low heat if using crock pot. If using Oven: Cover and place in 325 degree oven. Bake for 3-3 1/2 hours. Last hour, add peeled and cut potatoes and carrots as desired. Can use beef broth to make a gravy. If it is too runny mix it with a little bit of flour.

Chicken Pot Pie

For the filling:
Chop vegetables. Like carrots, celery, potatoes and broccoli. Boil vegetables in water until soft. If you like peas, add them after the other vegetables are mostly cooked through.
Cook chicken and cube.
2 cans cream of chicken (or any cream of soup)
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp crushed thyme
1/8 tsp pepper
Mix all together.

For the crust:
2 cups flour
1 tsp onion salt
3/4 cup shortening
1/2 plus cup cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt mixture. The secret to great pot pie crust is the onion salt! Add water slowly. Work dough into a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll out the dough and fit into pie plate. Trim edge. Roll out top crust. Add filling. Cover with top crust; trim and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Balsamic Chicken

(From Studio5)

Ingredients:
2-3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup fresh basil, minced or 1-2 Tbl dried Italian seasoning
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz cooked pasta of choice
Shredded Parmesan cheese

Method:
1. Combine first 7 ingredients on large baking dish. Stir to coat chicken breast.

2. Place baking dish in oven on high broil. Broil aprox 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

3. Toss chicken over cooked pasta; use a rubber scraper and get all the seasonings off baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4.

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Cheese, Tomato and Basil

(From Everyday Food)

Serves 4 Prep time: 25 minutes Total time: 1 hour

ingredients

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (14 ounces each)
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves, about 8
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 ounces Fontina or mozzarella cheese, cut into four pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. With a paring knife, cut a 1-inch-long slit in thick side of each breast. Insert knife, and without enlarging opening, carefully work around inside to form a pocket (make sure you do not go through the other side).

2. On a cutting board, pile basil, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, zest, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; finely chop. Divide mixture evenly, and spoon into breast pockets, spreading it around. Insert one piece of cheese in each breast pocket.

3. Close pockets, using 2 to 3 toothpicks per breast; arrange, skin side up, on baking sheet. Rub with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until well browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of breast (avoiding bone) reads 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes. Let chicken rest 5 minutes; remove toothpicks before serving.

Penne with Asparagus and Artichokes

(from Food and Wine)

HEALTHY

SERVES: 4

Ingredients
4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 1/2 pounds asparagus, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 baby artichokes (about 2 pounds), outer leaves discarded, bottoms trimmed, artichokes quartered and rubbed with a lemon half
1 1/2 cups low-sodium nonfat chicken broth
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 pound penne
3/4 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and bake for about 6 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate. Increase the oven temperature to 450°.

2. In a bowl, toss the asparagus with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Spread the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, or until browned, shifting the pan every 5 minutes so the asparagus cooks evenly.

3. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add the artichokes, cut side down, and cook over moderate heat until just golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth, lemon juice and garlic, cover and cook over low heat until the artichokes are just tender, about 8 minutes.

4. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the penne until al dente. Drain the pasta well and return it to the pot. Add the asparagus, artichokes, peas, Parmesan and parsley and toss well. Transfer the pasta to warmed bowls; sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts and serve.

NOTES One Serving: Calories 368 kcal, Total Fat 8.0 gm, Saturated Fat 2.3 gm, Protein 20 gm, Carbohydrates 56 gm

Alfredo Fettuccine

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese , cut in bits
3/4 cup parmesan cheese , grated
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
8 ounces fettuccine , cooked, drained
1 clove garlic

Directions:

1. In large saucepan combine cream cheese, parmesan, butter, milk and garlic, stirring constantly until smooth.
2. Toss pasta lightly with sauce, coating well.
3. Leftovers freeze well.

Ham and Potato Casserole

Got Recipe from Tracie

Diced ham
Potatoes
Peas
Cheese
White Sauce

Peel and dice potatoes into bite size pieces. Boil 12-15 minutes. Drain. Add peas, and ham. Make white sauce. Grate Cheese on top. Microwave 5-6 minutes. Until cheese is melted and everything warmed through.

Goulash

Got Recipe from Tracie

Ground Beef (1/2 lb.)
Onion
6 oz elbow macaroni
1 28oz can diced tomatoes and juice
1 can corn or green beans & juice
seasonings
ketchup

Cook ground beef & onion. Season. Drain. Cook macaroni. Add all together in skillet. Add a couple squirts of ketchup for flavor. Simmer until all warmed through.

Chicken Wraps

Got Recipe from Tracie

Chicken
Lettuce
Tomato
Flour Tortillas
Ranch Dressing
Crutons

Cut chicken into bitesize pieces cook and season. Chop lettuce and tomatoes, mix together. Fill the tortilla with the chicken salad. Pour on dressing. Roll up.

*To make it faster and easier buy a salad in a bag and then add chicken. Ceasar mix is very Good.

Enchilada Casserole

Got Recipe from Tracie...

Ground Beef
Enchilada Sauce Mix
1 Can tomato Sauce
Cheese
1 pkg. corn tortillas
corn chips for dipping
sour cream

Brown and season ground beef. Drain. Mix packet of enchilada sauce mix according to directions. Layer Meat, corn tortillas, grated cheese, and sauce in casserole dish. Be sure to end with sauce and cheese on top. Heat in microwave 5 minutes Top with sour cream.

Breakfast Casserole

Recipe from Tracie...

Shredded hashbrowns (1/2 bag)
5 eggs - scrambled
meat - ham, sausage, or baccon
cheese
green pepper
mushrooms

Mix hashbrowns, meat, diced green peppers, and diced mushrooms. Mix in eggs. Spread in baking dish. Bake 375 degrees 30-40 minutes until egg is cooked. Grate cheese on top.
*if using Sausage or baccon cook it then add in mixture. Amount of meat and veggies is just to your tastes.

Tostados

Recipe from Tracie...

Flour tortillas
refried beans
cheese
lettuce
tomatoes
sour cream
ground beef


Fry tortillas in a couple of inches of veggie oil. Just until light brown. Drain on paper towels. Heat up beans, grate cheese, chop lettuce, dice tomatoes. Top tortillas with beans, veggies, chesse, and sour cream you can also add seasoned ground beef if you want.