Farmhouse Rules

Have yall seen the new Paula Deen of the Food Network? Her name is Nancy Fuller. I caught her show this past weekend and although she was a tad bit annoying, her food was not! She made Gopher Bars which are brownies topped with mint buttercream frosting - yum. She also made Prime Rib Sandwiches with Horseradish Sauce.... YUM.

White Chicken Enchiladas

So I altered this recipe to have corn tortillas and made it more of a "bake". This recipe is so easy to make! Here is the link. We topped  it with Chipotle Tobasco and that gave it the kick it needed!

Giada's Meatloaf

A friend told me about Giada's meatloaf and it is really good! Dave and I had it last week - it was a lot for two people so next time I think I will cut the recipe in half.

Quick Marinara Sauce ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 celery stalk, finely chopped (about ⅓ cup) 1 large shallot, finely chopped or ⅓ cup finely chopped onion 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (in puree) 2 dried Turkish bay leaves, broken in half ¼ teaspoon dried crushed red pepper ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Meatloaf 2 large eggs 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2/3 cup chopped fresh basil plus sprigs for garnish (optional) 2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (preferably Parmesan Reggiano) 1 small onion or ½ large onion, finely chopped (about 2/3 cup) ⅓ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 2 pounds ground beef (80% lean) ½ cup coarsely grated whole milk mozzarella cheese

instructions

Quick Marinara Sauce In a large heavy saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, celery, and shallot. Sauté until the celery softens, about 5 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves, and dried crushed pepper. Bring to simmer, stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to medium-low or low and continue to simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly and is reduced to about 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes. Mix in basil, salt, and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Remove bay leaves before using.)

Meatloaf Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, stir eggs, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to blend. Mix in 2/3 cup marinara sauce, chopped basil, Parmesan cheese, onion, and panko. Add beef and blend well. Mound meatloaf mixture on a large rimmed baking sheet; press out to 12x8-inch rectangle (about 1 inch thick). Spread ½ cup sauce thinly over the top. Bake the meatloaf until cooked through and instant read thermometer registers 160°F, 25 to 30 minutes (there will be lots of juices and drippings on sheet around meatloaf). Cut the meatloaf into eight 4-inch squares and separate the squares slightly. On each, square spread 2 generous tablespoons sauce, leaving a border of meat visible. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese in center of the sauce. Return meatloaf to oven. Bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer meatloaf squares to plates. Spoon additional sauce alongside; garnish with basil sprig.

Ina's Gazpacho!

Happy July 1st! Where has the summer gone? Tomorrow is Dave's birthday - the big 3-6, I can't believe it!

I haven't made Gazpacho in forever and I remembered how much Dave likes it. So last night I made it and it could not have been easier! I always add shrimp to mine because Dave likes meat with his dinner. I use Ina Garten's recipe but I pureed mine a bit more than she did. If you are looking for a quick, light, and tasty summer meal, try this! 

Flay Salmon

This Bobby Flay mustard and brown sugar glazed salmon is delish! I also tried mashed parsnips as a side. They're actually really good! All you need to do is peel about 2 lbs. them, cut them up and boil until tender. Then add a tablespoon of butter with salt and pepper and mash, mash, mash!

Salmon with Bacon (YUM) and Corn Relish

Nom, nom, nom....made this last week! Salmon with bacon and corn relish.... okay! Here is the recipe, and hello, it's healthy!

Ree Drummond Blue Cheese

Last night I made a buffalo chicken salad and forgot to get blue cheese dressing for it! Thank goodness for Google because I found Ree Drummond's recipe in a flash! It was DELISH. You basically combine the following....

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1/4 cup sour cream
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
Salt and pepper

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/fast-blue-cheese-dressing-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Cooking light - Chicken cutlets with mushrooms and pearl onions

Chicken cutlets with mushrooms and pearl onions - 

I tried this recipe from cooking light out last weekend and we both loved it. Instead of regular flour I used gluten free flour. It was a bit of a pain to make so I wouldn't recommend it for an every day meal.

Quick and Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

I made this last night after a long day and it was quite easy to make! Plus it's healthy and tasty! Here is the recipe.

Cooking Light's Fast Chicken Chili

I made this the other night and it was quite delicious and of course very easy! I'm trying my best to make healthier meals this year and got myself a subscription to Cooking Light magazine.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil 
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces  (I used already made rotisserie from HT)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 cup vertically sliced onion 
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 3 cups no-salt-added canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained (did not find no-salt beans, used regular)
• 1 cup water
• 2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles, undrained and divided
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Preparation

1. 1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes. Add onion and next 5 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add 2 cups beans, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 can chiles, and broth; bring to a boil.
2. 2. Mash 1 cup beans and 1 can chiles in a bowl. Add to soup; simmer 5 minutes. Serve with cilantro and lime.

Healthy Chickpea and Sausage Minestrone

I made this soup last week and loved it! I used quinoa noodles though to go gluten free with the meal. I also could not find hot turkey sausage so I got Italian chicken sausage instead and added more crushed red pepper. Also, to save time, I bought the onion, carrot and celery already diced up at the store. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup uncooked small shell pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 (4-ounce) link hot turkey Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 cup diced onion 
• 1 cup diced carrot 
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson) 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. 2. While pasta cooks, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add onion and next 6 ingredients (through garlic); cook 10 minutes. Add chickpeas, tomatoes, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in pasta, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute.

Thanksgiving Eve

I've been a bit busy with some cooking this week! Nothing too major but we had our office thanksgiving luncheon yesterday. I brought sweet potato casserole - a healthy version - from SkinnyTaste! It disappeared quickly! I even doubled the recipe for a larger crowd.

I made my Christmas Cheese ball this past weekend to take with us. My brother in law LOVES the cheese ball and the recipe actually makes enough for two small ones. 

We had tons of apples for some reason so plopped them in the slow cooker for some apple oatmeal for later! 

I'm in charge of Thanksgiving breakfast and due to limited travel space I went ahead and made some of the recipes last night - I know, a little risky, but I really didn't have much of a choice! We will be having banana bread, broiled grapefruits, sausage and egg casserole, and white cheddar grits. Oh, and of course prosecco mimosas!

Broiled Grapefruit: 

This recipe feeds however many you want it to depending on how many people you are feeding.  In my case, we are feeding 6 so I purchased 3 grapefruits. You're going to turn the oven on Broil - HI. Then you will cut each grapefruit in half and slice it for eating. Put the grapefruits on a baking sheet covered in tin foil or in baking dishes. Top each with a sprinkling of about 1 TB of brown sugar. Then top each with a tab of butter. Depending on your oven, these will go in for about 5 minutes. Just watch them, once the sugar is bubbly and a caramelized brown - pull them out. This recipe does not disappoint! I have also seen people top the grapefruit with a dollop of honey yogurt. I think that would be really tasty as well. Also, you may want to shave a little off the bottom of the grapefruit half if it does not sit up right.

Sausage and Egg Breakfast Casserole:

This recipe was given to me by my coworker many years ago. There are so many different ways you can make a breakfast casserole but they all pretty much turn out the same way. This will feed 6-8

Ingredients:

6 eggs

2 cups of whole milk

1 tsp dried mustard

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1 roll of Jimmy Dean original sausage

12 slices of bread (I used gluten free Rudi's bread from Harris Teeter)

1 stick of butter melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook sausage in skillet and drain grease.
3. Whisk eggs with milk and dried mustard.
4. Cut crust off bread.
5. Pour some of melted butter in to bottom of dish to cover. Place bread over that. Repeat for second layer.
6. Pour sausage over bread. Then poor egg mixture over bread.
7. Sprinkle the top with enough cheese to cover dish.
8. Cover with foil and cook 30 minutes.
9. Remove foil and cook for additional 15 minutes.

*This dish can be made the night before and baked the next morning.

White Cheddar Grits:

My co-worker gave me this recipe just yesterday and since cheese grits is a big part of my family's holiday tradition, I just had to make them for Thanksgiving breakfast! This recipe feeds 6.

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of heavy cream (this recipe is not fat free!)

1 cup of Quaker Oats (not instant) grits

1/3 cup of cream cheese

1 1/2 cup of grated sharp white cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a sauce pan on medium-low heat, bring the whole milk and the cream to simmer.

Once simmering, add grits and stir.

Continue to stir off and on for 25 minutes so that there are no lumps.

Once finished cooking, add cream cheese and white cheddar and stir until completely melted into grits.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Friday 5

1. I cannot believe that it is already time for Lucille's birthday. She would have been 32 on Saturday. Where has this year gone? I hope she is having some Chandon champagne up in heaven.

2. My friend Merris and I went to see the movie, About Time, this past weekend. It's by the people who did Love Actually and Notting Hill - and it is very much like those movies! It's about a guy who can go back in time to have a "re-do" whenever he wants. His goal was to find love, which he did, with Rachel McAdams. They're adorable. Not sure if it's a must see in the theatre but it's a definite rental.

3. Clementines are everywhere. I love me some clementines! 

4. Have you ever had a week where you didn't know what day it was and you thought every day was Friday? That was my week. I cannot wait to sleep in tomorrow and make some gluten free apple oatmeal in the slow cooker. Yum yum.

5. In using what I have got already in my kitchen, I made a (very unhealthy) Chicken broccoli casserole by Trisha Yearwood last night. It was a bit salty but all in all, tasty! Plus I already had the cooked chicken, broccoli and rice from another meal so it really worked out to my benefit :) Of course you could always just buy a rotisserie chicken at the store to save some time.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 3 cups cooked chopped broccoli
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 TB lemon juice
• 1 10 oz can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 10 oz Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded

DIRECTIONS

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with butter or nonstick cooking spray.
• 2
  Spread the rice in an even layer in the baking dish. Make a second layer with the broccoli.
• 3
  In a large bowl, mix the sour cream, mayo, lemon juice, condensed soup, half of the grated cheese, and the salt, pepper and chicken. Pour this mixture over the broccoli and top with the remaining grated cheese. Bake for 40 minutes.
• 4
  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup!

I made this last night and it made enough for an army. Which is great, because now I will freeze half! With the cold weather hitting us hard this week, I have been in soup mode! This soup I found on Pinterest and all it really entails is popping open a bunch of canned veggies. My kind of easy! Here is the original link to the recipe. Sorry my picture is so lousy! I had already put the soup away in the fridge before I remembered I needed to snap a pic of it for the blog! Ha! Go to the link above for a pretty (and hot) picture ha!

Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup 

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground round
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 2 (15-ounce) cans mixed vegetables, drained
• 2 cups fresh Lima beans or 1 (15-ounce) can Lima beans, drained
• 2 cups fresh corn off the cob 1 (15-ounce) can niblet corn, drained
• 2 cups carrots, sliced or 1 (15-ounce) can carrots, drained
• 4 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomatoes and okra
• 2 cups water

*add a tablespoon of salt

Instructions

1. Cook ground round and onions until browned. Add to slow cooker along with all other ingredients.
2. Cook in slow cooker for 4 hours on low.

Yankee Salmon Chowder

Note: See update below!

Last night I made some salmon corn chowder. When the weather gets colder I want soup, soup and more soup! But only the homemade kind :)

My aunt makes everything salmon and she makes this Epicurious salmon chowder recipe. It's always been a favorite of mine. I didn't think to look that up before googling just any salmon chowder recipe lol. SO, I made Rachael Ray's version (called Yankee Salmon Chowder) which is probably less fattening and more simple to make. I was surprised at how quick it was to make as well. But then again, RR does know her way around a 30 minutes or less meal. lol. Anyway, after trying this new version, I really liked it! I think I will add some thyme to it tonight though. It needs some color and I remember that really sticking out in my aunt's recipe.

Yankee salmon chowder 

• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, coarsely chopped (I buy the reduced fat kind)

• 1.5 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2-15 ounce can  creamed corn

• 2 cups whole milk

• 2 6 ounce pieces of salmon (I buy the frozen salmon at Trader Joe's)

• Salt and pepper

1. In a medium pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until the fat renders. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain, reserving 2 tablespoons fat in the pot. Add the potatoes and onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Stir in the creamed corn, milk and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Add the salmon, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the salmon is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
2. Using a fork, break up the salmon into small chunks. Stir in the cooked bacon and season with salt and pepper.

*Recipe Update*

I added a tablespoon of dried thyme, 1/2 tablespoon more of kosher sea salt, 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the soup last night..... and it really made an impact and turned out even better than I expected!!!!! I think the combo of the two recipes was a hit and Dave seemed to like it! We had this, grilled cheese, and lactaid. LOL

Fall Curry Chicken Casserole

Isn't this tree pretty? It's two houses up from us. 

I had some left over chicken from Tuesday night so I put together a casserole last night for dinner using it. My mother in law makes an awesome curry chicken casserole and since I didn't have the recipe at work, I figured I'd find something close by using my friend, Pinterest. The dish was a bit on the salty side but really good, really easy, and total comfort food.

Curry Chicken Casserole

(Serves 4-6)

1/3 large onion, diced1 stalk celery, chopped5 -6 large mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup margarine (I used unsalted butter)
3/4 cup rice (do not use instant rice - I used Jasmine)
1 teaspoon dried parsley 
1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (or 2 cubes)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (11 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (I used 98% fat free)
3/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (I did freshly grated)

Directions:
1
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion, celery and mushrooms in butter until tender.
2
Stir in rice, parsley, boullion and water. Bring to a boil.
3
Reduce heat; cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 25 minutes.
4
Add soup, sour cream and curry powder; mix well. Fold in chicken.
5
Spoon into a greased 2 qt baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Cajun Shrimp and Grits

This was one amazing dinner! I found it on the Creole Contessa's website. It's got a bit of a kick so if you don't like spicy I would edit the recipe to your palette. Most of this recipe is using things you already have in your kitchen - like spices!

Creole Shrimp and Cheese Grits with Andouille Sausage

Ingredients:

1 lb. of large shrimp, peeled, deveined (I bought already prepped-frozen at Harris Teeter)
1 lb. Andouille Sausage, sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch (I used Whole Food chicken sausage)
1 tbsp. creole seasoning or seasoning salt (Tony's!)
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 stick of butter
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped (I did not use celery)
1 jalapeno, diced (I did not use this and am glad I didn't because it was plenty spicy)
1 bell pepper, diced (I used 2 green, because I had them)
1 small red onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred)

For the Grits:

1 c. grits (Not the instant kind)
1 c. water
1 c. milk (I used reduced fat)
1 c. beef or chicken broth, low sodium + extra to thin grits as they cook (You're gonna use a lot of this)
1 stick of butter
1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp. creole seasoning (Tony's!)
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

In a large pot bring all liquids to boil, add butter and seasonings. Slowly stir in grits while whisking nonstop for about two minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook grits, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Adding extra broth as needed to keep the grits thin. Add cheese and whisk well, add more broth if needed.

To prepare the shrimp, peel and devein shrimp, season with all the spices and set aside. In a large saute pan add butter and olive oil over medium high heat, add all the vegetables, except garlic and saute for 5 minutes, add garlic and saute 1 minute more.

Add andouille sausage and saute about 10-15 minutes, until browned. Add shrimp and cook about 3-4 minutes are until no longer pink. Serve on top of hot grits and enjoy!

PS. This is the creole seasoning you're going to buy-