Wednesday, September 3, 2014

'Kimmy's Simple Fried Rice'

    Yahoo... now this is very cool!!! I haven't heard from this broad in ages so imagine my surprise when I got this recipe from her! It was so good to hear from my girl Kimmy whom I met 29 yrs ago when I was cooking at La Petite Academy for all the little chitlins and teachers that attended the school there in Gainesville FL. We haven't done a recipe like this yet so this will be fun. But first, like always, I'm a little thirsty! Aaahh, refreshed! Now on to the business at hand...Fried Rice :)
   This is what we need:
       1. 4 cups cooked rice (white, brown or whatever)
       2. 1 cup cooked chicken, cut into sm cubes (little shrimp perhaps)
       3. 1/2 cup diced green onion (white & green parts)
       4. a 16oz bag or two of frozen stir-fry veggies
       5. 2 lrg eggs, beaten
       6. 3 tablespoons soy sc.
       7. 1 tablespoon butter or marg.
       8. 1 minced garlic clove
       9. 3-4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (YUM)
     10. 1/4 tsp ground ginger (if you have it, if not, no big whoop)
     11. salt & pepper
     12. a little veg oil to drizzle  
   Get out your biggest skillet (or use a wok if you want to be sorta Asian :) Refresh yourself once again then drizzle just a little oil around the bottom of the pan. Heat skillet on med heat until oil is hot. Pour the eggs in, sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt and pepper. Scramble them up into sm pieces. Remove from pan and set aside. Go around the pan once again with a couple more tablespoons of veg oil. When hot, add the rice. Stir-fry the rice for about 4-5 mins then throw in the veggies, onion & garlic. Toss all this jazz around for a few more minutes until veggies are softened. Add the chicken, have another drink and stir-fry for 4-5 mins until chicken is warmed through. Stir in the soy sc, butter and ginger. Sprinkle some pepper in the mix (as much as you care for). Last and yes, the least, drop the bacon & eggs into the rice mixture and warm thru and well combined. How delicious does that sound???  Try eating this one with chop stix...just for fun! Good times and DERN TASTY!! Thanks Kimmy, now keep in touch!  :)

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

'Sue's Ziti Bake'

  Holy smokes...it's crazy I tell ya! Thanks so very much for all the recipes and sweet words ya'll have sent my way (makes me thirsty just thinking about it)! This weeks tasty tidbit comes to us from my friend Sue B. residing in Palmetto FL who is raising her two grandkids ...God bless her (I'm sure she STAYS thirsty)! Sue says she fixes this one when everyone is starving to death and she is short on time (who ain't)? Her family gobbles up Sue's Ziti Bake in a minute - so let's take a big gulp and give it a go, shall we...this is what we need:
    1. 1 1/2 cups cooked ziti (elbow mac or bow ties would be cute too)
    2. 1/2 lb ground Italian sausage (mild, med or hot, it's how ya like it)
    3. 1 sm onion, chopped
    4. 1 garlic clove, minced
    5. 2 tablespoons beef broth (dry red wine would bring out more flavor if you ask me, but who's
        asking...sorry Sue, love you)!
    6. 1 1/2 cups your fave pasta sauce
    7. 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    8. 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
    9. salt & pepper to taste
  10. parm cheese for sprinkling 
 That's it...so don't just stand there, go preheat the oven to 350! Now sip some & let's have fun (ooh
I'm a poet again) HA! Crumble the sausage into a lrg heated skillet then add the onion. After about 3-4 mins add the garlic. Stir it around awhile on med heat until meat is no longer pink. Drain. Drop
the pasta in with the meat mixture and add the sauce, broth (or wine) and seasonings.Transfer pasta
into a greased 1qt baking dish. Evenly cover pasta with the mozz cheese. Now top the whole thing with a good sprinkling of parm cheese (about 1/4 cup or so) mmmm, cheesy! Stick it in the oven, uncovered for about 12-15 mins until heated thru and cheese is melted. Ooooh La Wee, sure is
DERN TASTY...thank you Suzie Q! Keep em' coming kids: vege-lover@excite.com XOXOXO

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

'Jo Beth's Mexican Pizza'

   We're gonna' change things up a bit! It's always fun to experience new things and discover what kinds of foods make other folks happy - and so I've decided to start a 'mini-series'...publishings of my friends & families fave recipes that they really enjoy, are quick and easy (of course) to prepare and
naturally, DERN TASTY! And so daddy-o, we'll try these recipes together but (as usual) first things
first! Fix you a little (or big) something soothing & let's see what everyone else is cookin'!!
  My friend Jo Beth, from Riverview FL, tickles her families fancy with this quick cook, flavor filled, 'Mexican Pizza' YUM!! I've had different versions of  this recipe before so now we'll try it Jo Beth's way. I already have most of the ingredients but I did have to shop for a few tidbits...
   This is what we need:
        1. 8 6in tortilla shells (makes 4 pizzas)
        2. 1lb ground beef
        3. 1 package taco seasoning mix
        4. 1 16oz can refried beans
        5. 1 jar of salsa (mild, med, hot your call)
        6. sour cream (a good dollop for each pizza)
        7. 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese       
        8. veggies of your choosing, Jo Beth uses sliced blk olives, shred lettuce, mild green chilies
            and diced tomato (but think of all the possibilities...chopped onion, diced green pepper,
            jalapenos, hot sauce, whatever ya like)    
   After we sooth ourselves one more time, let's preheat the ol' oven to 350 and get a baking sheet ready. In a med skillet, brown the beef until cooked through. Drain. Sprinkle taco seas. over the beef and follow pkg directions. Place four torts on the baking sheet. Begin to build! Put a good big spoonful of taco beef on each tortilla. Spoon a little salsa over the meat. Place another tortilla on top
of each pizza. Drop a big glob of refried beans on top and spread evenly. You can add onion or any of the peppers here if your using them (unless you like em' raw, then just hang on a few mins). Cover beans with cheese and stick them in the oven. After about 10 mins, when cheese is hot and melted,
take them out and top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream or whatever else your using.
     How fun, kids also love these pizzas. Experiment with these...make you're own delicious delights for your family but always make everything DERN TASTY!! Have a quick, tasty weeknight recipe you'd like to share? Email it to me at vege-lover@excite.com and keep it tasty!! Love ya!

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

'Pork Tenderloin 'Honey'!

   Can you get over it? They say time goes by much faster when you get older, well whoever "they' are, they ain't whistling Dixie! I just cannot believe how fast time has flown. It's August already for heaven's sake...almost time to get the Halloween stuff back down (feels like I just put it up, oh
yeah, I just did :) Anywho, it's all good by me, I love the fall best of all (and I'm a poet) HA! Well time to remove the work wear, fill a large glass with liver damage and take a peek into the frozen tundra. There's a few bags of veggies and aahh, got it, a pork tenderloin! Always a quick cook, pork tenderloin is easy to prepare and delicious!
So this evening's delight will be 'Pork Tenderloin 'Honey'! Let's fill our drinks and get at it!
   This is what I've got:
        1. 1 - 1lb pork tenderloin 
        2. 1/4 cup honey
        3. 1 tablespoon or so mustard (I like spicy but any ol' mustard will do)
        4. 2 tablespoons brown sugar (a pinch more if your a sweet person)
        5. 2 tablespoons vinegar (I like cider vinegar in this one)
        6. salt (about 1/2 tsp)
        7. pepper (approx. 1/4 tsp) 
That's it...that's all you need. Easy, Peasy!! Re-fuel then pre heat the oven to 400 degrees (400? wow, I must have gone mad) anyhow, grab a baking pan & line it with foil. In a little bowl, combine all the ingredients (except for the meat of course, silly). Cover your meat with a few tablespoons of the honey mixture saving a little for basting as you go. Stick the glazed pork in the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 25 mins (until no longer red in the center) spooning the leftover glaze onto the pork to baste occasionally. Take it out and let it sit for a few mins to rest. DONE! Slice this into medallions and serve with whatever the heck you like (buttered egg noodles or mac and cheese is good with this jazz) Ready to chew!  How simple and so DERN TASTY!! Hope you like  :)

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

"Crumby Chicken 'Dive-in"

    You know, sometimes it's kinda nice to put something on the table that doesn't look like it was just 'thrown' together. Look, I love saving time as much as the next but once in awhile it's nice for our dinner to be about quality and wonderful food instead being about just 'getting dinner done'! And so tonight I'd like to have a LARGE cocktail & fix something that 'looks' very time consuming (cause who am I kidding, I truly don't have time for this crap) but actually takes no time at all, I really want to get dinner fixed as quickly as possible so I can just RELAX (there I said it)! Now, let's go see what's to eat. Fill up our drink for our travels to the freezer and WHAT THE?? MORE CHICKEN?? UGH!! It's alright...there's ALWAYS something very tasty and quick we can come up with...so
This is what I've got:
      1. CHICKEN, I'm using this 1/2 baked leftover but thighs or breast, cooked and cut into cubes
          would actually work well, about 3 cups         
      2. broccoli florets, about 6-8 cups (chill out, it cooks down so much, you won't believe it)
      3. 1 cup mayo
      4. 2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
      5. 1-1/2 tsp lemon jc (zest or peel small lemon curls before you squeeze and save it till the end)
      6. 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
      7. 1 cup dry bread crumbs
      8. 3 1/2 tablespoons butter or marg, melted
      9. the zest of 1/2 that lemon or thin lemon peel curls (optional, just for garnish)
    10. pepper to taste
Pre heat oven to 325 degrees, drink up and let's do this thing! In a large, microwavable bowl, cook the broccoli until just tender (approx 3 mins depending on your micro). Transfer the cooked
broccoli to a greased 11 x 7in baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the soup, mayo & lemon jc together. Cover the broccoli with the chicken. Evenly spread mayo mixture over chicken. Shake some pepper (as much as you like) over the top. Sprinkle cheese all over. Combine butter with bread crumbs and sprinkle over the cheese. Stick it in the oven, uncovered, for about 30 mins until golden brown and bubblin'. Let it sit for a few mins to set then garnish with lemon peel curls or zest if you want it to look pretty. This could be served with parsley new potatoes or rice or whatever you like...whatever you choose, this jazz is mighty DERN TASTY!!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

'Kitchen Sink Stir Fry'

   Every so often there comes a time for a good fridge cleansing, you know - out with the old, in with new sort of jazz that requires a 'kitchen sink' kind of meal. Well tonight is the night! We'll pour our first glass o' relaxer of the evening, put on the big fat t-shirt & take a stroll to the freezer to make our discovery. Now this is exciting!! Tonight we have a choice, tonight...ANYTHING goes!! We've got two chicken breasts AND a bag of shrimp in here - wow, endless possibilities! Well I'm really in the mood for something fast and shrimpy so it's 'Kitchen Sink Stir Fry' (sorta) for our clean out the fridge meal this fine evening.
   So, a little more relax juice and this is what I've got:
       1. 1 lb cleaned med shrimp (tails off) defrosted or 1 lb chicken cut into strips
       2. 1/2 cup or so broccoli florets
       3. 1/4 cup or a more onion, sliced 
       4. 4oz (approx) mushrooms, sliced
       5. 4-6 carrot sticks (I have a few left in a bag) sliced thin or julienned if your fancy
       6. 1/2 green pepper sliced (red pepper too if you have it)
       7. cooked rice...as much as you need...BUT I ran out of rice (which is insanity)
           so I will use, ready for this...ramen noodles, 2 pkgs...yes, I said ramen noodles, KA-RA-ZY!!
       8. veg oil for sautéing
       9. 1/4 cup soy sc.
     10. 1 1/2 cup water (for noodles)
This recipe is such fun cause you use whatever you have on hand. As much or as little as you want! If you don't have some of the stuff I'm using, big deal, no one cares, you have other tasty bites you want to use...just do it!! Good times :) Let's CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE!
   Now, with a full glass, grab a large, deep skillet and let's act like chefs!
   Heat skillet on med heat. Drizzle a few tablespoons veg oil in the pan and heat till oil is hot. Add all the veggies & soy sc to the pan and 'stir fry' about 2-3 minutes (this is where you would add the chicken if that's what your using). Pour water in with the vegetables and bring just to a boil. (I have a packet of shrimp flavored noodles and a packet of chicken flavored. I'm using both). Sprinkle contents of seasoning packets from the noodles into the water and stir. Add the noodles. Stir. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for approx. 5-7 mins. until noodles are tender. Remove cover. Stir. Add shrimp, toss around until everything is mixed up real pretty. Cook just until shrimp is cooked through, pink and liquid is absorbed. Done! You really don't need anything else with this 'clean out' meal but your lips and another cold one (and maybe some chopsticks to set the mood). Play around with this one, sprinkle a little more soy on top if ya like it...have some fun, and remember to always make it...DERN TASTY!!! Now go eat! :)

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

'Peewee's Beefy Mac'

   WOW, another rainy day, ...so thirsty, so hungry, SO TIRED! I really don't feel like doing too much tonight (geeze I'm lame) but maybe hunkering down, quenching this thirst, watching a good scary movie with an easy 'stick to the ribs' kind of meal. Watcha think? Sound good? Well that is just what we'll do! Let's take care of the thirst first, okay,,,that's much better!! Now we visit the freezer. What delights await? What's in here that we can just throw together quickly but still have a fantastic, tasty & hearty meal? I found it...gonna defrost a block of ground turkey! I know I have half a box of macaroni I could get rid of, so with a few more ingredients - We've got dinner!! It's 'Peewee's Beefy Mac' for us tonight :)
     This is what I've got:
        1. 1 lb ground turkey (or beef if you want)
        2. 1 cup elbow macaroni, uncooked
        3. 1 cup lo-sodium beef or chicken stock (water is fine also)
        4. 1 sm onion, diced
        5. 1 15oz can diced tomatoes, Italian style
        6. salt & pepper
        7. 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (or a little more, why not)?
        8. 1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
        9. parm cheese for sprinkling 
      10. a few basil leaves, ripped (for garnish)
    A big ol' drink to help the cooking process and LET'S COOK!
        Grab a large, deep skillet. Cook the turkey with the onion & green pepper until the meat is no
        longer pink. Drain. Pour the tomatoes and stock in with the meat and give it a good stir. Sprinkle
        a little salt (not too much, stock & cheese are salty enough) and a good amount of pepper into
        the meat mixture. Stir it up again then bring it to a boil. Once boiling, drop the pasta. Cover.
        lower the heat. Simmer for approx.10 mins until pasta is tender. Turn off the heat. Add the
        cheese and mix well. Shower with some parm cheese and a few basil leaves...okay, there,
        what else do ya want? Was that easy or was that easy?? With a baby salad, another drink
         (or no salad)  :) DERN TASTY!! Thanks for giving it a try...now go relax!!