Wednesday, April 30, 2014

     I do believe the time has come for a little something pizza-ish. That's what I'm in the mood for, what do ya say? It's been a long while since I've had anything 'pizza' so pour an ice cold one and...
on to the freezer!! Aaahh, nothing but chicken thighs AGAIN!! It's okay, don't freak, I have everything under control (yeah, right ha :) We will have "Pizza Chicken Bake" to satisfy the soul
(and the taste buds) mmmmmm, can't wait! Taking a little gander around the kitchen,
      this is what I've got:
           1.  4-6 (depending on the size) boneless, skinless chicken thighs 
           2.  12-15 slices of pepperoni (if you have some Italian sausage, groovy)
           3.  8oz mozzarella cheese (slices or shredded, makes no difference to me)
           4.  15oz of your fave pizza or pasta sauce
           5.   garlic powder
           6.   parmesan cheese, as much as ya like
           7.   a little olive oil or cooking spray
           8.   sliced blk olives (optional, but I love em')
     Now this is what we'll do:
          Turn the oven on to ___degrees (fill in the blank, hehe) and fill up your glass, NOW COOK!
               Drizzle a little olive oil (or spray with cooking spray) around the bottom of an 8x8 baking
               dish. Spread your thighs (gosh, the filth) flat on a plate and sprinkle each one on both
               sides with a good amount of garlic powder and pepper. Sprinkle only lightly with salt
               (the cheese has plenty already). Spread a teaspoon or two of pizza sc on the bottom of
               the baking dish. Place the chicken in the dish then top the thighs with pepperoni slices
               sharing the slices evenly (be fair to all chicks :) Carefully cover the whole shebang with
               the rest of the sauce. Top each piece of chicken with mozz cheese and sprinkle the blk
               olive slices over it all if your using them. Shake the parm cheese over the top & cover.
               Bake on 350 degrees for 30-35 mins (until chicken juices run clear) Uncover and add
               more cheese if you love cheese like we do! Fix you a little salad, another cold one and
               you are in like flint with this DERN TASTY delight!!! Thanks guys  :)

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

       So, you think you have it tough? So you think your life sucks...well GET OVER IT! It's spring time for heaven's sake. Time to rejoice, time for a new beginning, time for a drink and to check the freezer! Now... you see, isn't everything a little better? A drink and some more freakin' hamburger meat out of the freezer, this is what I call wondrous!! YOWZA, we're doin' 'Simple Shepherd's Pie'!
          This is what I've got:
        1. 2lbs ground beef (ground turkey really doesn't taste so great in this recipe but if you want to
              use it then who's stoppin' ya)!
        2. 2 jars of beef gravy, 1 beef & 1 mushroom instead would be tasty too (you can use gravy   
               packets if you've got em')
        3  1/2 cup chopped onion (like mushrooms? Slice up a few and sling them in there) 
        4  1-1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed veggies (thawed is best)
        5.  Approx 3 cups mashed taters (real ones, fake ones, depending on how  
              lazy your feeling :)   
        6.  butter or marg
        7.  salt, pepper & paprika 
          Here's what we'll do...enjoy another drink and get to cookin'!
             Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (WHAT? The hell you say)!
             In a large, deep skillet, brown ground meat until no longer pink. Drain.
             Toss all the veggies in with the meat and add a little glob of butter.
             Sprinkle a little salt (gravy has lots of salt already) & a good amount of pepper.
             Cook a few mins until vegetables are softened then add the gravy.
             Stir it around a bit until gravy warms through then spoon mixture into a greased 2-qt
             casserole baking dish. Top meat mix with your prepared mashed pots. Spread taters evenly
             over everything, Dot the potatoes with little blobs of butter and sprinkle with paprika.
             Bake, uncovered, for 30-35 mins until heated through and bubbly. You don't really need
             anything with this meal but do what the hell you want because it is of course...
             DERN TASTY!!!  Good Eatin'  :)

 
                    

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

     Don't you just love steak? I know I sure do. Do you have steak in the freezer? I know I sure don't. So we know one thing...it ain't steak tonight :( Well there's ALWAYS some kinda S!#t in The Freezer that will tickle our fancy - but - most important thing 1st...libation time!!  Hot damn that's fine :)
NOW we can get jiggy with it!  I did it, I've solved tonights quandry...RIBS...Yeeha ya'll!!!
   I really love this recipe, it is so very simple but does take some cooking time, and so what? Who cares? These ribs are so tender and tasty, you will fall for them too!
   Down to business, this is what I have: 
       1.  1 slab of pork loin ribs, approx. 3lbs (any style ribs will work)        
       2.  2 tablespoons mustard....Yes mustard, get over it! (any type ya like)
       3.  spices like salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fennel seed (I use fennel pollen on
            almost everything pork but it is rather pricey so the seed works just fine) and a few
            pinches of paprika. Whatever spices float your boat...ya'll
       4.  about 1/4 cup apple jc (just cause I like it) you can always use beef or chicken stock
            (lo-sodium, of course) or plain ol' h2o, if you don't care much for flavor up to you! Hehe.
       5.  a few tablespoons of your fave bbq sc, just enough to make them messy!
    Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees, SAAAY WHAAAT?? Yup you heard correctly, the world is a
    crazy place my friends! (that means have another drink in Pattie talk)
    Meantime, line a baking pan, a 13 x 9 is good, with aluminum foil.
    Cut the slab in half if it doesn't fit in the pan then coat the pork with mustard on both sides
    (I promise it won't taste "mustardy")
     Liberally sprinkle the spices that you are using all over both sides of the ribs then rub your meat
     (GEEZE, what kind of blog is this anyway :) working the spices and mustard into all the cracks
     and crevices. (OUCH)
     Pour your liquid into the pan drizzling a little over the meat and that's it!
     Cover the pan with more alum, crimped tightly around the edges and shove it in the oven.
     Cook ribs for 1hr 45mins to 2hrs. Remove from the oven. Take off the top foil and brush or
     spoon on a little bbq sc all over the meat. Back in the oven, uncovered for an additional 15 mins
     until sauce is browned & sticky. Good God...I'm ready NOW!  Some cold beer maybe potato
     salad and what can get better than that (okay, don't say it) SO DERN TASTY!!! Enjoy!
                                

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

   The last few days have been So exciting, good times, great friends - so much going on! Therefore we must do something special...cocktails are special...aren't they? Well aren't they?? K, one drink down, one (or two or three) to go HA!! I've gotten several requests for a scrumptious baked pasta and since I see Italian sausage in the freezer, tonight is the night. Aaaahh...baked pasta, could you just scream!!! Yeah whatever, anyway this is what I've got:
      1. 12 large pasta shells cooked just a min or two under pkg recommended cooking time 
      2. I've got 1 1/2lbs of bulk mild Italian sausage but you can use a little less if you want,
          it doesn't really matter
      3. 1 15oz container ricotta cheese, DO NOT use cottage cheese...YUCK!
      4. 1 cup shredded parm cheese (can you tell I love parm cheese :)
      5. 2 garlic cloves  chopped
      6. 2 1/2 cups store bought pasta sc. (unless you have homemade...well fine then)
      7. 1 1/2 cups shred mozzarella cheese
      8. a tablespoon of torn basil would taste fab with this recipe but if you don't have it,
          no big whoop!  (parsley is good too)
      9. 1 egg (no shell required) hehe
    10. salt & pepper
                  Get it all together, pour a fresh one and let's go!!
     Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees (the hell you say :)  In a large non stick skillet, brown the sausage adding the chopped garlic when the sausage is half cooked. Drain the grease. In a mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, half of the parm cheese, half the mozz cheese, a little salt (not to much, the cheese is already salty) and a good amount of pepper. Crack the egg into the bowl and give it a mix until well combined. Add the sausage and garlic to the cheese mixture & mix some more. Take a baking dish, big enough for 12 pasta shells, pour about 1/4 cup of the sauce around the bottom of the dish. Get your shells, and using a teaspoon start filling them (pile it high) with your delicious cheesy jazz. Arrange the stuffed shells in the baking dish and pour the rest of the sauce over the shells. Cover it all up with the rest of the cheeses & finish with a sprinkle of basil. Cover and bake for about 20 mins. Uncover and bake for another 10 mins  until all the cheese is melty and bubbly. Damn, that sounds tantalizing!!! A fat glass of wine, some garlic bread, maybe some greens for ruffage and that's really all you need. So DERN TASTY...Now go get you some!!!