Friday Night Cook Out

Last Friday we had a cook out at our house. 8 or 9 people, including my boyfriend & I. Everyone supplied their own meat. We had steaks, salmon and tilapia. A friend brought corn on the cob. I supplied baked potatoes, and mushrooms & onions. I love entertaining friends & family. I'm not an expert. I'm not rich. But it's still fun. --- Thursday my boyfriend & I went out for Chinese. Saturday we went swimming & ate meatloaf, scalloped spuds, etc at my parents house. Sunday we had a chicken casserole bake & caesar salad at the would-be in-laws. Yesterday I stopped by my parents house & ate w/ my mom & brought a plate home for my boyfriend. Steak, chicken, baked red potato, mushrooms & onions, salad and shrimp. Time to get back in the kitchen! I'm looking for recipes & might run to a nearby grocery store on my lunch break. I want to do something w/ chicken. If I don't find anything I will settle for Potato Chip Chicken.

Peppered Steak

New Recipe Alert I got this recipe from a co-worker. It was something her husband threw together one night. I used skillet steak strips. Place in baking dish. 1/2 c Dales 1/2 c water Sprinkle each of the following on strips: onion powder garlic powder steak seasoning Morton's seasoned salt 1 red bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 jalapeno 1 small can mushrooms Place all on top of strips, make at 400 for 45-60 minutes Serve over rice I was supposed to add chopped onions, but I forgot. I thought it was very good. Danny didn't care for all the peppers. He's not big on veggies. I made a spinach butter spread to go on top. I wanted to use up my leftover spinach. I thought the taste complimented the rest of the dish well, although I was hesitant. 2 tbsp spinach 2 tbsp fresh basil (or 1/3 of that dry) 1 stick butter

Mom's Lasagna

This recipe really did come from my Mom. In fact, she cooked it. She is used to making a large dish of lasagna and lately has been having more leftover... so she concluded that she is able to give a portion of the lasagna to myself. Who am I to complain? Delicious meal that I don't have to cook... sign me up! I heated it in a loaf pan (this is what she put it in) in the oven for 30 minutes. Made a quick salad. Cooked a batch of the generic brand of round biscuits. I tweaked them by adding garlic salt & shredded cheese. Instant meal!

Pork Chops & Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

I haven't cooked since Thursday. Today is Tuesday. It was my boyfriend's birthday weekend. Friday my boyfriend & I went out for Mexican & Margarita's w/ another couple. Saturday we ordered Firehouse Subs. Sunday we went to dinner at his parents house. I did make my Stovetop Mac & Cheese (previous post) for lunch on Saturday while babysitting my boyfriend's god-daughter. I wanted to make pork chops last night. I had a bag of pork chops w/ the bones. The boyfriend tells me to also make the package of boneless pork chops b/c the ones w/ bones will not be enough. He was right. After I cut off the bones & fat from the 4 chops, they looked identical to the boneless pork chops. I layed the chops in a clear baking dish & sprinkled a very generous dose of Cayenne pepper on top. I got this idea from the bottle of Moore's seasoning that I used to marinate the chops in. Moore's is very similar to Dale's that we are very fond of. So, I poured Moore's into the baking dish, almost covering pork chops. Let that sit until ready to eat. My boyfriend grilled the pork chops. I thought I had previously discussed my Cheesy Ranch Potatoes, but I could not find a blog about it. So, forgive me if I already have. I got this recipe from my would-be mother-in-law. I've tweeked it to my liking, using the same ingredients, only differing in the process of how it gets done. Cheesy Ranch Potatoes

• Fry potatoes like you normally would
• A few minutes before dinner is served, top potatoes w/ shredded cheese (I used Colby)
• Drizzle Ranch dressing over cheese
• Place cover back on pan & let warm for a few minutes to melt cheese

Delicious!!! I also served "Sweet Green Beans"... a can of green beans marinated w/ a generous helping of brown sugar.

Beef Stew in Crock Pot

This is a favorite meal in my house. House consisting of my boyfriend & I. I got it offline, cannot remember where... probably a website dedicated to crock pot recipes. I put this in the crock pot this morning for dinner tonight. Beef Stew in Crock Pot

• 2 1lbs roast meat
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 big can of mushrooms
• 1 cup milk

Cut meat into pieces, place in crock pot. Pour all ingredients on top. Cook on low in crock pot 8 hrs. Serve over rice. The original recipe calls for 1 can of soup, 1 small can of mushrooms, and 1/2 cup of milk. I doubled it to make more gravy/sauce. I probably should have gotten more meat b/c every time I make this my boyfriend says it's not enough!

Guests for Dinner

I wanted to make chicken last night, but I did not know what I wanted to do. I decided to try to make the Italian Chicken (previous post) in the oven, instead of in the crock pot like the original recipe. I also used Sherry instead of White Wine. I like the white wine better, it gives a more distinct flavor. Or maybe it was b/c it was baked in the oven for an hour and not in a crock pot for 8 hours. It was still very tasty though! I also added a small can of mushrooms, I was thinking about it last time but did not. The meal consisted of: Salad Italian Chicken Corn Instant Mashed Potatoes I was going to make homemade potatoes, but then got lazy. I knew I had a bunch of packs of instant ones, so I decided to make 2 of those. 2 girl friends came over, and my boyfriend ate as well. I'm not used to cooking for more than 2. Everything turned out well though, and I think everyone enjoyed the food. A friend came late, and I had a plate saved for him. I was disappointed in myself b/c once I made my plate I realized everything was yellow/white in color, and that's a big no-no in the cooking world! Oh well...

Mama's Spaghetti & Meatballs

Now, I didn't get this recipe from my Mama, I got it from my Easy Italian Cookbook. Boy, was it easy. My boyfriend is not the biggest fan of what I consider to be traditional spaghetti - ground beef meat & sauce. He is the biggest fan of meatballs, however. I figured this would be a perfect alternative. I served it w/ a salad & my version of cheesy garlic bread. New Recipe Alert Spaghetti & Meatballs

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Mix these together & form into balls - around 12

Bring 1 can of Ragu - Old World Style Spaghetti Sauce to boil

Add meat balls to sauce & simmer 20-30 minutes until cooked through.

Serve over spaghetti noodles & top w/ Parmesan cheese.

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I never actually let the sauce boil, b/c it started to pop & get all over my kitchen. I cooked it longer than 30 minutes on 3, waiting for my boyfriend to get home from work & shower, etc. We both agreed it was good, but needed a little flavor. Next time, I'll season the meatballs w/ a little something.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

I came up w/ this idea one night when I wanted garlic bread but did not have any. I use 4-6 slices regular bread (b/c that's what fits into my toaster oven). Spread butter. Sprinkle w/ garlic salt. Sprinkle w/ cheese. Lightly top w/ a type of herb. Toast for just a few minutes until the cheese is melted. My boyfriend enjoys this garlic toast so much, he prefers it over any store bought kind. Last night I had to use garlic powder b/c my wonderful boyfriend ran off w/ my garlic salt one night & it never returned.

Salsa Dip

I haven't done much cooking, well - none at all this past weekend. One of my many cousin's came to visit my family & I spent a great deal of time at my parents house eating my Mom's food. Saturday, I did bring over a super quick & easy dip I got from a friend. Salsa Dip

• 1 jar salsa
• 1 pkg cream cheese - softened
• shredded cheese to sprinkle on top

Blend salsa & cream cheese together, spread on platter & top w/ cheese. Always a hit.

Sausage Dip

Tomorrow is "Dip Day" at work... a few of us are bringing in a dip & a couple others are supplying the chips. This will be our lunch. I got this recipe from a friend of mine. He's made it a few times & it's very good. I just made it for tomorrow. Of course I had to sample it, and I must admit it turned out quite nicely. *New Recipe Alert*

• 1 lb sausage
• 4 pkg cream cheese
• 1 can rotel tomatoes (I used Kroger brand)

Ground meat (used the masher!) & add cream cheese & tomatoes. Serve warm.

Sloppy Joe's

I finally found an easy way to ground hamburger meat!! I swear, I always have the hardest time & dread browning hamburger meat. Use a potato masher! Works wonders. After it's cooked & drained add the following & simmer on low 30 minutes or until ready to serve. I served it on those buns w/ the seeds & chips on the side. New Recipe Alert 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup water 2 tbsp brown sugar 2 tbsp Worcestershire 2 tsp mustard 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder

Ready for Winter

I'm ready for cooler weather to make all the good "cold weather" foods. I got this bug after talking to my mother about certain meals a couple weeks ago. The itch is back after glancing through my new cook book. Certain foods/drinks just taste better during the colder months! I love the thought of cooking in the kitchen on a cold winter day while a fire is going in the fireplace. It's only the beginning of July... I have a while to wait.

Personal Pizzas

This recipe comes from my Easy Italian cookbook. I've made it a few times before, and after tonight I think I've perfected it quite nicely. Cook 1 lb ground sausage. In a bowl mix: 10 oz can pizza sauce, garlic powder, basil, oregano Place 12 (6 1/2's) english muffins on cookie sheet spread sauce mix top w/ 1 block shredded cheese top w/ 1 small can of mushrooms bake at 475 for 15-20 minutes I was going to make a salad to go along w/ this but decided against it. They are good enough to eat by themselves. They are fun to make too!

New Cookbook

While browsing our local discount warehouse I walked down the cookbook isle & couldn't resist!

Paula Deen's The Deen Family Cookbook The coolest part? A picture of Paula surrounded by cookbooks on the floor has one of my cookbooks in it!!! The Country Cooking one... at least it sure looks like it. This is my second Paula Deen cookbook.

Chicken & Scalloped Spuds

I marinated 5 boneless/skinless chicken breasts in Dale's for 2 hours. My boyfriend started to grill them, the grill ran out of propane so I put them in the oven on a baking sheet. Already going in the oven was a dish of Cheesy Parmesan Potatoes. Scalloped Potatoes. I sliced 7 potatoes. In a pot I melted 1/2 stick butter w/ 1/4 cup flour. I added 1/2 block of sharp cheddar cheese & 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. (This is the same basis for the white sauce & Stovetop Mac & Cheese recipes.) I added the potatoes & poured the mixture into a greased baking dish. 375 for 30 minutes. Delicious flavor, but the potatoes should have cooked longer. I put them back in for 15 and they were done better. I've made this dish before, it comes from my Country Cooking cook book. I simmered a can of green beans w/ a generous dose of brown sugar. TASTY! I don't remember where I got this idea from, but we almost always eat green beans this way. I also had a dinner guest over. I'm always excited, yet nervous when people eat my food.

Greens & Gemilli

New Recipe Alert This recipe is from my Easy Italian Cookbook from (once again) my wonderful friend Melissa. I was a little hesitant about this, let's be honest - the name doesn't sound to appetizing. The picture looked so good I had to try it out! From now on I will call this recipe "G & G". OH MY GOSH! Sooooo delicious! Definitely created a meal for my household. Which is only 2 of us, but that's besides the point. I made this for lunch on Saturday and we ate the leftovers for lunch again the next day. I didn't tell my boyfriend what was in it until he started eating it.

• Cook 1 lb ground sausage
• Boil 8 oz spiral noodles
• In another pan cook 10 oz pkg frozen thawed spinach in olive oil
• When meat is done, add jar of spaghetti sauce - I used a flavored/peppered kind
• Add spinach - Let marinate for few minutes
• Serve over noodles
• Add feta cheese on top

4th of July Treats

July 2nd we went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday's. Followed by a fireworks show. July 3rd we went to a cook out, I brought my Stovetop Mac & Cheese. July 4th we went to another cook out / party. I brought taco dip. I call this recipe "Melissa's Bean Dip" b/c I got it from my wonderful friend Melissa. This is only my second time making it, but it's always a hit. I should have used a deeper tray, b/c the dip ended up more stuffed then I'd planned. I used one of those throw away thin metal ones w/ a plastic top. I layered:

• uncooked refried beans
• 1 pkg sour cream mixed w/ 1 pkg taco seasoning
• 1 jar salsa
• 1 block cheese
• lettuce
• 1 can diced tomatoes & peppers
• 1 can sliced olives

Served w/ tortilla chips. Yum Yum Yum.

Since this is a blog about my trials & tribulations in the kitchen, I'll touch lightly on the fact that the Raspberry White Chocolate Bars I attempted to make for the cook out did not turn out. The dough was supposed to be "crumb like" and was cake like. I baked it anyway, but it did not have a good flavor. I followed the directions exactly. I bet I know what went wrong. I used margarine spread instead of butter like the recipe called for. I should have know better, but usually the recipe will specifically say real butter or no substitution. Needless to say I was quite upset.

Grilled Pork & Vicky Potatoes

We sometimes get this chunk of meat that is already marinated w/ a certain flavor. It's usually pork. This time it was golden bbq, or something of the like. I forget the brand name, but you can find it in the meat section of your grocery store. *New Recipe Alert* I got the potato recipe from my mom. I remember her making this when I was younger & it was very tasty. She calls them "Vicky Potatoes" b/c she got the idea from an old friend named Vicky. My mother & I are very creative w/ our recipe names! They turn out like a fried/baked potato on the grill. Mine turned out okay but I definitely need more butter, salt, pepper, and onions - more of everything!! I remember Mom's having so much more flavor. I made a foil tray/box w/ a cover for the potatoes to go on the grill. That was the hardest part. I sliced 7 or 8 potatoes & put them in the foil tray. I put 8-10 medium sized blobs of butter scattered on top of the potatoes. Lots of salt & peppercorn. 1/2 sliced onion spread on top. I used peppercorn just for fun, since I just purchased a grinder of it for the French Dip Sandwiches. Close up/cover the potatoes w/ foil. Make sure the tray is deep enough for the butter to not leak out. Carefully place on the grill & cook while the pork is cooking. About 30-45 minutes. I want to make these again. Practice makes perfect. I think this would be a good dish to make while entertaining friends. I also had a can of baked beans going on low in the house. I enjoy grilling out w/ my boyfriend. I'll sit outside w/ him while he tends to the grill and we both will usually enjoy a beverage of some nature.