One Pot Potatoes

Andrew's mom made a recipe not to long ago that she had seen on Rachel Ray and they were DELICIOUS! They were so good that I was craving them (2) days later and without a recipe just made something up to resemble what she had prepared for us! THANKS PAM for the idea for these easy & delicious potatoes! Here is my rendition: (and did I mention you cook them in ONE pot meaning only one dish to clean??!!)

One Pot Potatoes:

• Yukon Gold or Red Potatoes (I do (2) per person)
• Chicken Broth
• Butter
• Italian Blend of Cheeses (Romano, Parm, Asiago, ect...)

Place potatoes in appropriate sized skillet. Salt & Pepper Potatoes. Cover Potatoes about 3/4s with Chicken Broth. Add a dollop of butter and cover with a lid. Cook potatoes on Medium until almost tender (15-20 min). You can stick a fork in them to tell if they are almost done). Remove lid and continue cooking potatoes to let the chicken broth evaporate. Once almost evaporated pop each potato with a ladle or measuring cup to squash them down. Let cook 2-3 minutes and then flip with spatula. Squash potatoes back down in pan and sprinkle desired amount of cheese on top. Turn burner off and put lid back on potatoes so cheese melts.

Enjoy!

Four-Alarm Dip

My mom always used to make this dip for us and I would devour almost the whole bowl myself I think! It is so EASY and so DELICIOUS.

Four Alarm Dip

• (2) 8 oz Blocks of Cream Cheese (softened)
• (2) cans of diced green chilis
• (1) Jar of Salsa (I usually get Medium)
• (2) Tomatoes Diced

Mix all ingredients together in a glass bowl. Microwave on high (2) minutes. Stir. Microwave again 1.5 minutes. Stir. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

Bourbon Peach Cobbler

I can only say WOW... this was so good I ate it for dessert last night and breakfast this morning!!!

Ingredients

• 8 peaches, peeled and sliced, about 6 to 8 cups
• 1/4 cup bourbon (i didn't have bourbon so I used whiskey!)
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for dusting
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing

Directions

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl add the peaches, bourbon, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon and mix well to coat the peaches evenly; set aside.

Prepare the dumplings: Into a bowl sift together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter into small pieces. Add it to the flour mixture and cut it in with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Pour in the cream and mix just until the dough comes together. Don't overwork; the dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.

In a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the peaches and cook gently until heated through, about 5 minutes. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls over the warm peaches. There can be gaps, the dough will puff up and spread out as it bakes. Brush the top with some heavy cream and sprinkle with some sugar; put it into the oven on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Cook for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is browned and the fruit is bubbling.

Lime and Cilantro Coleslaw

I LOVE cilantro!! (Andrew... not so much) When I saw this recipe in the food network magazine I knew I needed to try it out! It is very light and summery.. and Andrew even ate a helping!

Lime and Cilantro Coleslaw

• 1 Head of Savoy Cabbage
• 4 Scallions
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, torn
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 2 limes
• salt & pepper

Shave Cabbage with a sharp knife so you have thin ribbons. Cut the scallions long and on the bias so you have pieces similar in shape to the cabbage. Toss the cabbage, scallions and cilantro in a large salad bowl.

Make dressing by combining the sour cream, mayonnaise, sugar and the zest of the limes in a medium bowl. Season with salt & pepper and finish with a squeeze of lime juice. Pour the dressing of the cabbage and toss to combine.

Steakhouse Kabobs

Andrew got a George Foreman "StandUp" Grill so we have been having a GREAT time trying out new recipes on this!

Steakhouse Kabobs

• (2) Beef Sirloin Steaks cubed
• Onion (cut into chunks)
• Boiled Red Potatoes (small ones)
• Mushroom Caps
• Cherry Tomatoes

Marinade:

• 1/4 C. Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/4 C. Soy Sauce
• 1/4 C. Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Freshly Chopped Parsley
• Thyme

Mix together all marinade ingredients. Skewer the Beef, Onion, Tomatoes, Mushroom, and Potato on skewers. (don't forget to coat in PAM!) Lay full skewers in 9 x 13 dish. Pour marinade over skewers. Marinate for 2+ hours rotating to coat meat & vegetables. Grill to desired temperature and continue to coat with marinade as cooking.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Queen- Pork Chops & Rice

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless Pork Chops
• 1/3 Cup uncooked brown rice
• 2/3 Cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 8 oz Green Peas
• 5 oz can water chestnuts
• 4 oz mushrooms
• 1/2 cup water
• 10 oz beef broth
• 2 Tbs worcestershire sauce
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Spray Slow Cooker with cooking spray

Place Brown & White Rice, Onion, Butter, Peas, water Chestnuts, and mushrooms in slow cooker. Pour in water, broth and worc. sauce. Stir in Onion Soup Mix, season with pepper and top with Pork Chops.

Cover and cook on low 7-9 Hours or high for 4-5 hours.

**I also added (2) red potatoes cubed to this recipe since Andrew likes potatoes with everything.

Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips

I love watching the Food Network... I get so many ideas for recipes to make and the following recipe for Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips is one I saw on Rachel Ray's show. I am not usually a fan of sautéing meat in the skillet because I think it comes out chewy but these turned out FABULOUS! I also learned what "deglazing" the pan means.... it means to get all the "good stuff" that has collected on the edges and bottom and mix it in with the sauce as you stir.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sirloin tips, trimmed and cubed into bite-sized pieces (I bought Sirloin Steaks and Cubed them myself)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup white vermouth or dry white wine ( I used Red Wine since that is what I had on hand)

Directions

Bring meat to room temperature and pat dry. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in large, heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over medium-high to high heat. When the oil smokes, add the meat and caramelize before turning. Once evenly browned all over, about 5 minutes, season liberally with salt and pepper, add the garlic and toss with the meat for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and a little lemon zest and cook for another minute. Add the white vermouth and deglaze the pan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

These are an EASY and Delicious Dessert!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Cupcakes

Ingredients

Filling:

• 2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Batter:

• 1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake Mix
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs

Baking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place paper baking cups in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups.
2. Make Filling - Place cream cheese, sugar, eggs, vanilla and lemon juice in medium bowl. Beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
3. Make Batter - Prepare cake mix as described on box using the water, oil and eggs. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with batter. Drop about 2 tablespoons of filling in center of batter.
4. Bake in center of oven 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan. Place on wire rack; cool completely.
5. Store covered in refrigerator.
6. Garnish with powdered sugar, if desired.

7. 
   

Everything tastes better with a little balsamic!

I think that if you put a little brown sugar and balsamic on anything it will taste better... hence the following recipe for Green Beans with Carmelized Onion:

Green Beans with Carmelized Onion

Ingredients:

1 Pound Fresh Green Beans

2 Medium Sweet Onions

2 Tbs Butter

2 Tbs Brown Sugar

2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

Cook Green Beans in boiling water to cover 15 minutes. drain.

Cut Onions into thin slices and cut each slice in half

Cook onion in nonstick skillet over medium high heat 8-10 min-do not stir

Cook stirring often 5-10 m in or until golden brown. Reduce heat to medium; stir in butter and brown sugar.

Add green beans and cook 5 minutes or until heated. Toss green bean mixture with vinegar.

Enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken

This recipe started because Harris Teeter had whole chickens on sale... I have roasted a couple of whole chickens in the oven but I decided I wanted to make one in the crockpot.

As I was prepping I realized that the recipe said to "de-skin" the chicken... DE-SKIN A CHICKEN!?!?! They must be crazy, this does not sound very pleasant. As I started to "de-skin" the chicken I was thinking to myself "wow this is the most disgusting thing I have ever done... this recipe better be PRETTY DURN GOOD if I am ever going to do this again!!!

Well... the recipe turned out GREAT and Andrew even went back for seconds AND ate it as leftovers the next day... therefore I will share it! Good luck with the "de-skinning!"

Prep Time:
15 Min

Cook Time:
8 Hrs

Ready In:
8 Hrs 15 Min

Ingredients

• 1 (3 pound) whole chicken, skin removed
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

Directions

1. Remove skin from chicken, and empty inner cavity of contents within. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, and place inside the slow cooker.
2. In a bowl, stir together the chicken broth, soy sauce, olive oil, honey, Worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, sesame oil, and minced garlic. Pour mixture over chicken, and cover.
3. Cook chicken on low setting for 8 hours, or 4 hours on high setting.

I served with White Rice and Carmalized Onion Green Beans (recipe to follow) :-)

Okay...I have been talking about it so here it is!

I absolutely LOVE to cook. To me...spending my whole day standing in the kitchen making different recipes is therapeutic and fun! Husband Andrew is a "meat and potatoes" kinda guy so he is a really good sport putting up with my constant urge to try a new recipe. I'm not quite sure why I have an aversion to making the same thing twice... but I do!

I get most of my recipes from Southern Living Magazine, The Food Network and Taste of Home Magazines I buy at the grocery store checkout. :-)

I always talk about the recipes I make and people want "copies" of them so I decided... why not start a blog so everyone can just access this for the recipes they want!!? My goal with this blog is to share with everyone the recipes that Andrew went back for seconds on... and of course the ones that I think are delish! As I make new recipes I will post them and give feedback on what we thought. Most of the ones I make are "work all day long and come home to cook" friendly recipes which don't take tooo long and don't require to many ingredients or pots & pans!

Enjoy the recipes...

Melissa