I'm Cooking Here!

Macaroni & Hamburger Casserole

2010-01-30T22:14:00.005-06:00

Growing up this was one of my all time favorite recipes to enjoy at my grandma's house. It still is. She makes it when we come over for dinner, when company comes or when I just call and make a request for it.

It's such a simple dish to make and it's perfect for any time of the year. But somehow it just feels like a winter dish - it's very hearty - almost a meal in itself. You don't need to serve a lot with it and actually, I don't serve a side dish with it at all. In all reality, the dish my grandma makes isn't very healthy but I've substituted healthy ingredients for the not so healthy ones.

You Will Need

1 lb ground turkey (i get the 93/7 fat ratio)

1 can tomato paste

1.5 cups whole wheat elbow macaroni

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and begin to brown the meat and boil the noodles.

Mix the can of tomato paste with a can of water.

Combine all three ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Make sure the sauce is distributed evenly.

Put into a casserole dish and place in the oven. Bake for approximately 45 minutes.

The casserole will be crunchy on the top. Serve with desired side dishes, if any.

I apologize for the quality of this photo, my camera died right after I got this shot and our hunger couldn't wait for me to charge it:-)

Breakfast Eggs

2009-12-22T15:12:00.002-06:00

This recipe came from an old coworker of mine many years ago. I've changed it and added variations over the years, but it's her basic recipe.

The name of this dish, "Breakfast Eggs" has always sounded so weird to me, but this is what I was told it's called and I've never questioned it.

Also, this is a dish that might not sound good by reading it but I promise you, it's super good! I like to make it on lazy Sundays for brunch, or even for dinner on a weeknight when I'm craving some breakfast foods!

You Will Need

6 pieces of white bread (or your bread of choice)

6 large eggs

shredded cheese (your preferred variety)

breakfast meat of choice

6 pats* of butter

You will notice that there is sausage in this picture. I overcooked the sausage and didn't use it in the recipe.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Place your pieces of bread flat in a 9x13 casserole dish. You might have to squeeze them in, but they'll fit.

Scramble your eggs. Make sure they are well mixed.

Pour the eggs over the white bread evenly.

*I forgot to take a picture of this, but add the butter now!*

Add the cheese. You will notice I didn't state a measurement for the cheese. That is because I just shake the bag and when it looks good to me, I stop. They are really very few occasions in life where you can add too much cheese.

Stick it in the oven for approximately 25 - 30 minutes**.

It should look similar to this. The bread should be slightly crisp on the edges and you will need to make sure the egg is fully cooked and the cheese is properly melted throughout.

Since I ruined the sausage, I made the dish sans meat and had some kielbasa on the side.

*The word "pats" always seems funny to me in relation to cooking, but it's literally just a little slice of butter.

**Oven cooking times will vary.

Country Store Apple Cider

2009-12-09T17:05:00.001-06:00

I was born in Maryland; on the Patuxent River Naval Base to be exact. My daddy was in the Marines and we were stationed there until I was 3 years old.
There was a Christmas Country store in Maryland that my mom and grandma would always go to, and they served light refreshments including apple cider there.

I've had a lot of apple cider over the year and nothing compares to this recipe. It's the actual recipe the store used and a Thanksgiving and Christmas tradition in my family. You can fix it on the stove or in a crock pot, but we've always made it in the crock pot because it's just easy. You can keep it in there during parties and the guests can just serve themselves out of it!

I asked my mom if I could please share her recipe and she consented, but she did mention that she had to pay the store to get the recipe herself! When I asked how much, concerned that I was about to give away some deep, expensive secret she replied very nonchalantly, "Oh, $.25 or $.50..."

We'll just go ahead and let y'all have it for free! Ha!

It's great to be served at a holiday party or just on a regular day to warm you up inside.

You Will Need
One gallon of apple juice
1/2 of a lime
1/2 of a lemon
12 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks

Put the crockpot on low, as this can stay in all day long and you do not want it to boil or get too hot.

Dump in the apple juice and then do the following:

1. Slice the lemon and limes and insert the cloves into them like you see in the picture.
2. Insert a cinnamon stick into one and let the other just float.

3. Place the slices in the juice.

Wait for it to heat and then....enjoy!

Such a simply good drink! One variation you could take is to put red hots at the bottom of the crockpot. This will give it an extra spice! I like it both ways!

Pecan Pie

2009-12-09T16:48:00.000-06:00

Pie is a Thanksgiving staple. You probably won't find any family feast that doesn't serve at least one type of pie, and each family has their specialty.

In my family, traditionally we've served both pumpkin and chocolate pie. My grandma likes mincemeat pie, but she's the only one so it rarely gets made.

My favorite is pecan pie and up until this year, I've never made one. I was always intimidated by pecan pie. It scared me to attempt to make one because I thought it was some complicated recipe that only master chefs could take on.

Boy, was I wrong! Pecan pie is super easy to make. And fast! And you only need 7 ingredients total! That includes your pie crust!

You Will Need

Oven preheated to 350 degrees
1 cup white sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

3 eggs

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tbsp vanilla

1 pie crust
You must prebake the pie crust for about 10 minutes before you dump the ingredients in it and let the pie bake. If not, you will have an undercooked crust and you really don't want that! Now, I use a premade crust from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. If you know how to make crust from scratch then more power to you, but pie crust and I have a long unhappy history together! Make sure you poke holes in the bottom with a fork so it doesn't try and bubble up in the pie dish.

Combine all the ingredients except the pecans into a mixing bowl and stir.

You will probably need to work this mixture for about 3 minutes, but whatever you do make sure the sugar is fully dissolved.

Add the pecans and make sure they are thoroughly coated.

Pour the mixture into the pie crust and place it in the oven to bake for about 45 minutes.*

When you pull it out of the oven, it should be golden brown on top. The filling might be slightly soft still, but it will harden as it sets.

Top with whipped cream or ice cream and enjoy!

*Oven cooking times vary. Please judge your oven accordingly.

Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki Sandwiches

2009-09-01T09:34:00.007-05:00

I love Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki subs. Love them.

I wanted to find a way to make them at my house, but I never could quite figure out the recipe by tasting it - and believe me, I tried a million times.

So, I found the recipe for the sauce online.

All I did was prepare the sauce that I found here. And boy, was I nervous. I didn't want it to be gross. I then cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into small strips. They were no more than an inch wide and two inches long. I put them in a bag, poured in HALF of the sauce, poured some teriyaki sauce over it and marinated the whole day.

I had originally intended on getting Whole Wheat hoagie rolls, but I found a coupon for these new "sandwich thins" and so I decided to use them. They are really good - like a flat bread sandwich.

I toasted them in the oven with some provolone cheese.

Added some lettuce,mayo and extra sauce and was done!

Actually, I didn't put lettuce on mine. But I did have SunChips!

Homemade Popsicles

2009-09-01T09:13:00.009-05:00

Homemade Popsicles are so easy and you really don't even need to buy those Popsicle molds that are on the market today. All you really need is what I have below.

You Will Need

Ice Cube Tray

Drink of your choice

Foil

Toothpicks

Start by preparing the drink mix as usual. This is Pink Lemonade.

Pour the drink mix into the ice cube tray.

Get them all full to the top.

Cover with foil.

This picture isn't very clear because the lighting was bad, but what you need to do next is stick the toothpicks in each cube holder. You can make sure of where you are sticking it by peeling up the foil and looking to see where the partitions are in the tray.

You will then stick the tray in the freezer and wait.

And wait.

My freezer takes about 3 hours to fully freeze the pops.

When you take the tray out, carefully remove the foil so none sticks to the Popsicle.

Crack the tray as if you were just removing ice cubes and carefully dislodge the Popsicle.

Here is your finished product. Yes, they are small, but they are the perfect size for small children and they are sugar free and preservative free so you can have as many as you like!

You can use any kind of liquid you want in these Popsicles. Orange juice, grape juice, any drink mix - the possibilities are endless.

Also, you could skip the toothpicks and just make, for instance raspberry lemonade ice cubes and drop them in your Sprite [or whatever you drink] for extra flavoring!

Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice

2009-08-28T11:33:00.004-05:00

I didn't post the Spaghetti recipe from the other day, because well - it's spaghetti. And there is nothing special about it.

Here is the Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice recipe, though.

Usually, in restaurants the dish comes with either chicken or shrimp, but I like both so I make it with both!

You Will Need

3c cooked brown rice

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 bag mini cooked shrimp

1/2c water

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 eggs

2tbsp chopped green onion

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures because it was prepared for me before I got home, but I thought I would post the recipe anyway!

Cook your chicken. I just bake it and then cut it into very small pieces. Like no bigger than an inch pieces. This can be done the night before if you are trying to save time when you get home from work.

In a skillet or wok, sautee the onion. I use a little bit of EVOO.
.

Add the eggs and scramble them.

Add the shrimp, chicken, rice. Make sure the rice grains all separate from one another.

Add the soy sauce and sautee until it's all mixed in.

This dish should serve about 6 people. Or 4 with leftovers.

Or 2 or 1 with leftovers for that matter!

Baked Potato Bar

2009-08-28T09:48:00.013-05:00

So "baked potato bar" night is so easy.

So easy.

It's perfect for a night of the week where you really don't feel like cooking, because you can do your potatoes in your crock pot all day!

I start with my potatoes the night before, getting them all set up and ready to go for the morning! This is a 10lb bag of jumbo russet potatoes from WalMart. I think this whole bag was like 5 bucks.

I was each potato and lay it on a paper towel. Do y'all see my peaches getting ripe back there? Ha!

I wrap each potato in foil. For these big potatoes I just took about 6 inches of foil out for each one.

Then I poke holes in the potatoes so they can release steam while cooking. I prefer not to have exploded potatoes all inside my crock pot.

I use these great crock pot or slow cooker liners. They prevent a ton of clean up and mess in my crockpot.

This is my mom's crock pot, actually. It's old as Methusla, I'm telling you. But mine is in storage so we are using hers! And it's a trooper - it works great after twenty-something years! Anyone see Evan in the background? He's doing his homework! Ha!

I leave the potatoes in the crock pot on the counter overnight. The last thing I do before I leave in the morning is turn the crock pot on low. This means my potatoes will be cooking for about 9 hours, since I don't get home until almost 6.

Choose whatever toppings you like. My family likes sour cream, cheese, chives, salt and pepper, chili....sometimes ranch dressing or thousand island.

The chili really makes you fill up, if you ever had an issue with just eating a baked potato. Just put some chili on there and you have a hearty meal!

What do you like on your baked potatoes?

Turkey Meatballs

2009-08-06T11:28:00.010-05:00

These turkey meatballs are so good and healthy, too because they are baked and not fried. And, as always, they are super easy.

I actually made my meatballs the night before and stored them in the refrigerator. When I got home from work, I baked them while I boiled the noodles and got everything else ready.

You Will Need:

1 lb ground turkey [I get the 93/7 fat ratio]

1/3 c plain breadcrumbs

1/2 c ketchup

1/4 c yellow mustard

2 tsps crushed red pepper

If you are going to fix these right away, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the breadcrumbs and crushed red pepper and stir into the ground turkey.

I actually put a little dash of salt and pepper in, too.

Stir in the ketchup and mustard. Make sure it is distributed as evenly as possible.

Roll the meat into ball form and place on a baking sheet. I cover mine with parchment paper first to prevent a mess of a pan. This is where I covered mine and put them in the fridge overnight. You can stick them right in the oven though. Bake them for about 45 minutes. Understand that oven cooking times vary - you must judge for yourself how long it will take your oven.

Here's my finished product! You have to cut these meatballs open to tell if they are done or not. Due to the fact that they do have ketchup in them, it's kind of hard to tell unless you look very closely and make sure your juices are clear.
I served my meatballs with some whole wheat garlic noodles.
I just boiled the noodles as regular, then when they were strained I put them back in the pot with some olive oil and powdered garlic and tossed them around for a few minutes.

These meatballs have a different flavor to them, but they are so good! I already have requests to fix them again - and that's always a good sign!

*Please excuse the appearance of these pictures. My camera was this-close to being dead.

Jello Jigglers

2009-08-04T16:01:00.011-05:00

So, I'm sure you're thinking. Duh, Whitney - I know how to make Jello Jigglers. Why are you posting this stupid and pointless recipe? And the answer to that would be - it's my blog and I'll post whatever recipes I want.

So there.

But really, some people might not know how fun Jello Jigglers are. And now they do because they read my blog.
Or whatever.

You Will Need:

1 box of preferred Jello flavor

ice cube tray

Prepare Jello as directed. Don't burn your hand on the hot liquid measuring cup like I did, though.

Put Jello into the ice cube tray. You can see I'm using a ladler. It's just easy. Also easy is a turkey baster. But whatever works for you is fine.

Place the ice cube tray into the refrigerator as you would with any other jello recipe.

Please note that it is very important to lightly spray the ice cube tray with veg oil so the jigglers will actually come out of their little compartments without a fight.

Also, you can make jello jigglers into different shapes by preparing the jello as directed, and then pouring the entire mixture onto a cookie sheet so it gels flat. Then, using cookie cutters, cut your jello shapes out. This is fun for kid's birthday parties, kid's projects, etc.

Oven Fried Chicken

2009-07-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

This chicken recipe I'm about to show you is hands down the easiest and best chicken recipe ever.

It's guaranteed that your family will love it. My whole family loved it and that never happens.

You Will Need

1 LB boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 C plain breadcrumbs

1.5 TBSP Kickin' Chicken seasoning

Salt and Pepper

Milk

PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 425 degrees.

Cut your chicken breasts into nugget sized pieces.

Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. To be honest, I don't really measure the seasonings, I just eyeball them.

You need just enough milk to be able to coat however many pieces of chicken you have. I don't like to be wasteful, so I try to put only what I think I will need in the bowl. I have to remind myself that I can always add more, but I can't pour any back in.

Take your chicken nuggets and coat them in the milk and then in the breadcrumb mixture. I use my fingers, but you can use a fork or toothpick if you don't like to get your hands dirty.

Place the chicken in a pan covered with foil. When you cover your pan with foil you can use it more than once without having to wash it.

When you have properly coated all the chicken, place it uncovered into the oven for approximately 40 minutes.

Please note that cooking times for ovens vary. To make sure mine is cooked I will pull out the thickest piece and cut it open in the middle to make sure it's white and the juices are clear. Trust me, no one is more anal about making sure chicken is cooked than me.

This is a recipe that can be served with just about anything.

I usually offer sauces for dipping, including honey mustard.

I have served it will fries, baked potatoes, salad - use your imagination. You know what your family likes!

Also, the leftovers are really good used on a salad or as a sandwich!

Homemade Honey Mustard

2009-07-25T11:16:00.000-05:00

I love honey mustard.

I'm somewhat of a honey mustard connoisseur.

It all started on a choir trip my freshman year of high school. We were in a restaurant eating in between performances. I had gotten my standard chicken tenders and fries and the obligatory ramekin of honey mustard was brought with the plate. One fry accidentally fell into the dip and I ate it and was hooked on honey mustard.

From then on, I've been on the search for the perfect honey mustard.

I've tasted it all.

My favorite in the store is Ken's Honey Mustard.

My favorite from a restaurant is J Alexander's or Chili's.

However, honey mustard isn't healthy. It's good, but there is so much sugar and artificial colorings and additives put in it.

So, what is my solution? Make mine own!

And I make mine with the healthiest ingredients.

You Will Need*

2/3 c Kraft Mayonnaise made with EVOO**

1/2 c French's Yellow Mustard

1/2 c Natural Honey

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Combine first three ingredients - make sure they are all stirred together well.

Add pepper. I don't ever measure.

*All these measurements are estimated. You will need to taste test like mad to make sure it's to your liking.

**Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chicken Casserole

2009-07-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is an old family recipe that I learned from my grandma.

It is the perfect dish to take to someone who has just had a baby or someone who has just gotten out of the hospital because it is easy to be warmed up. You can even prepare it ahead of time and have them stick it in the oven.

This is also something you can prepare the night before and then stick in the oven when you get home from work. You will have a meal in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients

1 package of boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can of cream of chicken soup

swiss cheese

1 stick of butter

2 cups of ready made stuffing crumbs

First cut the chicken into small, cube sized pieces and bake until done.

When the chicken is done baking, cover with a layer of swiss cheese.

Thin the soup with some milk and cover the cheese.

Cover with stuffing crumbs. You might use a little less than the 2 cups, just gauge for yourself how covered you prefer it. I like a lot of the stuffing crumbs on mine, but that is just my personal taste.

Melt one stick of butter.

Pour the melted butter over the casserole.

If you are going to prepare this the night before, save the butter step until right before you bake the casserole so the stuffing crumbs will not get soggy.

Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. After the first 25 minutes, uncover the casserole and bake for about 5 more minutes or until you can see the cheese bubbling and the stuffing crumbs are crispy.

And here is the finished product!

This dish is really good served with salad or a vegetable like green beans.

About Me

2009-07-03T14:28:00.000-05:00

I am by no means a chef.

I could never be on Hell's Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay would cuss at me within 5 minutes of being there.

I will never win any awards for my cooking.

I will never have my own cooking show. Although I must admit, sometimes when I'm cooking I pretend I have one. You do it, too. Don't even lie to me.

What I do know is self taught or learned from my mother and grandmother. I consider my grandma to be the best cook/baker on the planet.

I'm extremely picky, so sometimes I take recipes and tweak them to my taste and what I like.

I am a simple girl when it comes to the kitchen. I don't like for things to take hours and hours. I don't have that much time or patience.

I do like to eat a good meal every night and I do like to try new things.

I'm a reformed fast food/frozen pizza junkie. I've found it's way cheaper to cook at home. It's healthier, too.

That's what this blog is. A chronicling of my recipe adventures for all the world to see.