Category Archives: Cooking

Cooking, Salads

Chicken and Red Grape Salad

Chicken and Red Grape Pasta Salad – oh yeah

Gather the following ingredients:

1 small jar Mayo or 2 cups
1 tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tbsp. Mustard
1 tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream
16 oz Rotelle noodles
Rotisserie chicken
1 celery rib
1/2 lb cheddar cheese
Seedless Red Grapes

large pot
large bowl
small bowl

Cook the noodles and let them sit until they cool to room temperature.

rotelle noodles

In the meantime mix together the Mayo, sugar, mustard, and Heavy whipping cream in the small bowl.  Put this into the fridge to cool.

Mayo, sugar, mustard, heavy whipping cream

When the noodles are cool and the mix is chilled start to put everything together.  Put the noodles in the large bowl.  Pull the chicken apart and add it to the bowl.

chicken and noodles

Chop up the celery stick and add it.  Cube the cheddar cheese and add it to the bowl.  Add some grapes.

rotelle, chicken, cheddar, red grapes, celery

Top with the dressing from the fridge and mix.

chicken and red grape salad

Put it back into the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

 

Cooking, Main courses

Ribs – Roaster Oven

Ribs – cooked in a Roaster Oven – super yummy

Gather the following ingredients:

Ribs – baby back over spare ribs
Rub – your favorite kind

Aluminum foil
Roaster Oven

Optional:

BBQ sauce

ribs, aluminum foil, rub, and roaster oven

Heat the roaster oven to 350 degrees.

Make sure the ribs will fit.  Cut in half if needed.  Cover the ribs in rub.  Wrap in aluminum foil.  Place on rack in roaster oven.

Ribs in foil

Put some water in the bottom of the roaster oven.  Cook for 2 or 2 1/2 hours.

or cook at 225 – 250 for 5 hours.

Pull out of roaster oven and set on a plate with the foil on still.  Let rest for 15 minutes.

Ribs

Serve with BBQ sauce if you like.

Cooking, Main courses

Ham and Potato Gratin

Ham and Potato Gratin – very good

Gather the following ingredients:

2 lbs. potatoes
1 lb. ham
1/2 lb. Gruyere cheese
fresh parsley
1 1/2 cup half-and-half
Salt and pepper

large glass pan

Preheat over to 325 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into slices.  Cube the ham.  Grate or chop up cheese into small pieces that will melt.  Chop the parsley.  Mix everything in  the glass pan.

Pour 1 1/2 cups over the top.  Season with salt and pepper.

Grutin Potatoes and ham 5

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Uncover and cook an additional 30 minutes.

Grutin Potatoes and ham cooked

Cooking, Main courses

Hungarian Goulash

Crock Pot Hungarian Goulash

Gather the following ingredients:

16 oz frozen cut green beans, thawed
1/2 onion, chopped
1 1/4 lbs beef, cubed
1 can chunky tomato sauce, large or small can
1 can chicken broth
6 oz can of tomato paste
4 teaspoons paprika
cooked egg noodles

Ingredients for Hungarian Beef Goulash

Crock Pot
Medium bowl

Pour the green beans into the Crock Pot.  Chop half an onion and add it.  Cube the beef and add it.  I used a prime pot roast for the beef and cut that into chunks.

Combine the chunky tomato sauce, chicken broth, tomato paste, and paprika in the bowl.  Mix.  Add to Crock Pot.

Beef, onions, and green beans in Crock Pot

Put the lid on and cook on low for 6 -8 hours.

Prior to the beef finishing, cook the egg noodles.

Serve the beef mixture over the cooked egg noodles.

Hungarian Goulash dished

Cooking, Side dishes

Jalapeno Cheesy Rice

Jalapeno Cheesy Rice – spicy, dairy covered, rice

Gather the following ingredients:

2 -3 cups cooked rice
Colby and Monterey Jack shredded cheese
Sharp Cheddar shredded cheese
Sour cream
1 can diced Jalapeno

small glass pan

cheese, sour cream, jalapenos

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the rice.  Combine the rice, cheeses, sour cream, and jalapenos in the glass pan.

Cook for 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Cooked cheesy rice

Cooking, Main courses

Brisket

Brisket – pretty good

Gather the following ingredients:

Brisket
Ketchup
Chili sauce
Onion soup mix

Pan
Aluminum foil

ketchup, chili sauce, brisket, onion soup

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Mix 12 ounces of chili sauce and 12 ounces of ketchup with the onion soup.  I crush the onion soup, but note it is a bad idea to do this with your hand.  Also this sauce will bake onto your pan.  A non-stick or ceramic or something.

Put the brisket into the pan.  Pour the sauce over the top.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Cook for 6 -7 hours.  The meat should be tender enough to pull apart with a fork.

Slice the brisket up and serve.

Brisk

Cooking, Main courses

Pork Chop Wrapped in Bacon

Pork Chop Wrapped in Bacon cooked in a Crock Pot

Gather the following ingredients:

4 pork chops
Bacon
Oranges or orange juice

Crock Pot
Pan (Optional)

Bacon, pork chops, oranges, juicer, and Crock Pot

You can start by searing the pork chops in a pan for a minute or two on each side to lock in the juices.  I am too lazy to do this, but it is a good idea.

Wrapped the bacon around the pork chops place them into the Crock Pot.

If you are using fresh oranges juice them and pour the fresh orange juice into the Crock Pot.  If you are using normal orange juice then just pour it into the Crock Pot.  You need enough to cover the pork chops or at least enough to cover half an inch worth.

Bacon wrapped pork chops in orange juice in a Crock Pot

Cover and cook on low for 6 – 8 hours.

 

Cooking, Salads

Antipasto Salad

Antipasto Salad – a personal favorite, but expensive

Gather the following ingredients:

16 Oz  penne pasta
1 pt. sweet grape tomatoes
1 lb provolone cheese, cubed
1 lb. Boar’s Head salami, cubed
16 oz pepperoncini peppers, drained
12 oz quartered and marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1/2 lb Boar’s head pepperoni, cubed
Garlic stuffed green olives
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
red bell pepper
green bell pepper
finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Italian Vinaigrette

Ingredients for antipasto

Very large bowl

This makes a ton of antipasto so you can cut the recipe in half and still have a lot of salad.  It is difficult to cut in half.

When you buy the provolone cheese, salami, and pepperoni ask them to cut one or two large slices depending if you need 1/2 lb or 1 lb.  This will give a a nice thick chunk of cheese or meat to cube.

I don’t always put in the penne pasta, but if you do go ahead and cook it and drain it and then begin to add the other ingredients.

Cut the peppers into slices like you would for fajitas.

Basically drain all of the juices and mix the items together.  Pour the Italian Vinaigrette over the top and toss.  A salad that eats like a meal.

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken in a Crock Pot

Chicken in a Crock Pot – simple

Gather the following ingredients:

Chicken breasts 3 – 6
2 Peppers – green, red, yellow, etc.
Bacon

Crock Pot
Pan

Optional:

Rice

Place the chicken breasts into the Crock Pot.

Cut the peppers into strips like you would for fajitas.  Remove the seeds, and stem, and the ribs.  Place the peppers into the Crock Pot.

Cook the bacon.  Sometime within the first 3 hours of cooking free up some bacon.  Cut the bacon into one inch sections.  Separate the sections and place them into the pan.  Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add the bacon to the Crock Pot.  *I have made this without the bacon.  It isn’t as good.

Cook on low for 5 – 7 hours or until the chicken starts to fall apart.

This chicken is really good served over rice with the peppers and the bacon.

Video Link

Cooking, Main courses

Taco Lasagna

Taco Lasagna – Warning!! Do Not Eat This If You Are on a Diet.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef
1 can re-fried beans
1 can black beans, drained
1 can chopped jalapenos
1 envelope taco seasoning
16 oz. shredded Colby-Jack cheese
12 lasagna noodles
1 jar mild salsa

Large pot
Large skillet
1 large glass pan

Optional toppings:
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Taco seasoning, ground beef, refried beans, black beans, Colby jack cheese, peppers
Taco seasoning, ground beef, refried beans, black beans, Colby jack cheese, peppers

In the large pot cook 9-12 lasagna noodles according to the package directions.

Brown the ground beef in the large skillet. Drain.

Add beans, jalapenos, taco seasoning, and 2 Tbls. salsa. Mix thoroughly.

Layer 3 noodles on the bottom of the pan, then the meat mixture, then some cheese, and some salsa. Repeat. The top layer should be noodles and just the cheese and salsa.

Bake for 30 minutes.
* I have baked this covered and uncovered.

Serve with sour cream if desired.
This also makes a great dip for tortilla chips.

Video for Taco Lasagna