Supreme Beef Casserole

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves garlic

2 14oz cans Italian seasoned stewed tomatos, diced

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 t sugar

2 t garlic salt

1 8 oz package cream cheese

5 oz egg noodles

1 c sour cream

1 bunch green onion

1 c grated cheddar

Brown and drain beef, add garlic, tomatoes, sauce, sugar, and garlic salt, simmer slowly. Cook and drain noodles. While noodles cook, combine cream cheese, sour cream and green onion. Add hot noodles and mix well.

In a 2 quart dish, layer sauce, noodles, cheddar cheese, repeat. Top with cheddar.

Bake at 350 for 35 min.

Cauliflower Soup and Garlic and Cheese Sourdough Dippers

By: Dianna Sweede Aucoin
From: The Barefoot Contessa on foodnetwork.com

Healthy and delicious! Cauliflower soup and Garlic and Cheese sourdough dippers

Soup Ingredients
• Coarse salt and coarse black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 sm. (or 1 lg) heads cauliflower, cut into sm. bunches of florets
• 3 ribs celery and leafy tops from the heart of stalk, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half or whole milk
• Hot sauce, optional
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves or chives, for garnish
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, for passing at the table

Dippers:
• 3 sandwich size sourdough English muffins split
(recommended: Thomas' brand)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Grated cheddar and Parmesan
• Paprika

Directions
In a large pot, heat up the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter, over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower florets and stir with a wooden spoon. Add celery, onion and thyme and cook for 3 minutes. Push the vegetables to 1 side of the pot. Melt 1 more tablespoon of butter on empty side of pot and add flour to the butter. Cook for 1 minute, stirring the flour in the butter. Mix in chicken broth and half-and-half. Bring up to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Puree soup using an emersion blender, food processor or blender and return to pot. I like to leave it a little chunky. Check seasoning and add a dash of hot sauce, if desired.

Garnish soup with hot pepper sauce, chopped parsley or chives and serve with grated cheese to sprinkle on top.

Preheat broiler.

Toast English muffin halves and then place on a cookie sheet. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the garlic over low heat. Brush toasted muffins with garlic butter and top with lots of grated cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Sprinkle a little paprika over toasts, then place under broiler until cheeses are melted and browned.

Serve cheesy toasts with soup for dipping.

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili

By: Danielle Sweede Burns

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or turkey), brown and drain
1 lg can tomato puree
1 small can tomato paste
1 reg (16 oz) can diced tomato
1 small onion, diced
1/2 tsp each cinnamon, allspice, pepper
1 tst salt
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp diced garlic
3 bay leaves

Combine in crock pot, cook on low 3 hrs
Serve over spaghetti noodles. Generously grate cheddar over top.

Joy Boudreau - Arroz con Pollo

We just tried this Saturday - YUM!

 

Arroz con Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice)

Ingredients:

• 1 small chicken cut into whole parts
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 chicken bullion cubes
• 3 cups uncooked cooked white rice (Uncle Ben's) plus water according to directions
• 1 onion, diced 
• 3 slices bacon, cut into bits
• 6 Tbsp Recaito*
• 10 green olives (pimiento stuffed cocktail olives work perfectly), sliced
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 packets or 2 tsp Sazon Goya con Culantro Y Achiote (Coriander & Annatto)*

*Goya brand foods are probably available at your local Walmart.  Recaito comes in a jar, and Sazon Achiote comes in a small yellow box.  Can make Recaito by sauteeing one bunch of cilantro, 2 garlic cloves minced, 1 green pepper, and one minced onion in olive oil until tender; puree.

Method:

Combine garlic, lime juice, oregano, coriander, salt, pepper, and 2 T. olive oil in a large zipper seal storage bag.  Massage bag to mix all ingredients, add chicken, and mix well.  Place in the refrigerator for at least two hours to marinade.  Place chicken in a baking dish skin side up in a 230-degree oven.  Cook until fork-tender and browned, about 3 hours.
Follow package directions to make 6 cups cooked rice, adding chicken bullion to the water.  In a deep frying pan add additional olive oil, bacon bits, and onion.  Saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add rice, recaito, olives, capers, tomato sauce, and Sazon.  Mix over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Spread rice mixture in a 9x13 baking dish making pockets, and nestle in cooked chicken pieces.  Cover, and bake at 350 F one hour.  Serves 6.

Boston Baked Beans

By: Candace Barnes

If you like thick saucy, sweet baked beans you will love these!

This recipe takes some time for the flavors to develop - but it is worth it! Make it on a week when you will be home for a few days. It's not actually labor intensive - but it takes quite a few hours of cooking. Did I say it's worth it? Oh yea!

Ingredients:

1 lb dried beans (Great Northern, Navy, Small White, Lima beans - really any you like. I like the Navy or small white the best.)
1 lb bacon
1 medium onion - chopped
1/3 cup (to 1 cup+) brown sugar
1/2 cup (to 1 1/2 cups+) molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (to 1 1/2 cups+) ketchup
1/4 t. dry mustard (optional)
1/3 cup (to 1 cup+)
2-3 cups boiling water
1 -1/2 cups - precooked chopped bacon (I buy this in a bag at Costco)

These measurements are approximations - I tend to just eye it and taste it as I go.

Directions:
Soak beans overnight or place beans in large sauce pan and cover with water. Heat to boiling, boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour. Rinse beans. Add water to cover beans and simmer on very low for about 30 - 50 minutes or until it is getting tender - but don't over cook - they will cook a lot more yet. Do not boil the beans or they will burst. Drain beans.

Heat oven to 350 F.

Grease large casserole(s). I can never get it into 1 - 8x11 casserole at first, so I use another smaller one for the extra. As it cooks down, you can combine it into 1 pan.

Mix together: Beans, onion, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, salt, dry mustard, 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped cooked bacon add 2-3 cups boiling water. (This mixture will be thin at this point.)

Layer beans and uncooked bacon strips in your pans - top with bacon strips. Cover with foil. Bake for 3-5 hours +. If it is cooking too fast turn the heat down a bit.

Every hour: take the pans out of the oven and stir. When the beans start to look dry add more brown sugar, molasses, ketchup and water. Recover and place back in oven. When they cook down enough, combine the pans into one pan. I taste them also when I stir and add what I think it needs. When you are done this step - don't worry if the beans themselves are still a little dry tasting. What you want to have at this point is a thick delicious sauce.

If you are in a rush you can probably skip this next step - but I think it really adds to the flavor of the dish!

Take the beans out of the oven (the sauce should be thick and dark by now). Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight or even for a day or two.

Don't skip this step or you will have dry tasting beans!

The day you want to eat them, put the beans back into a sauce pan and heat up. Remove the large bacon strips and discard. Now you need to make sure the beans get to that soft stage and don't taste dry. Add a few cups of boiling water and bring to a very low simmer, cover. Let the beans gently simmer until they are nice and tender add more water if needed. Remove the lid and let the extra water cook off until they are the consistency that you like. Be careful that they don't stick or burn.

When they are ready, I like to keep them hot in my crock-pot.

If you have leftovers - you may need to add a little water when you heat them up.

Easy Blueberry Skillet Biscuits

Recipe: Easy Blueberry Skillet Biscuits
The best Sat am treat or company dish

By: Paula Deen/Amanda Blackstone
(I add even more butter than Paula calls for. The biscuits are much moister this way. Pour extra butter over biscuits before baking.)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
One 12-ounce tube buttermilk biscuits
1 cup blueberries, fresh or thawed frozen
Streusel topping
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. To make the streusel, combine the almonds, sugar, butter, flour and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse until large crumbs form.

2. In a 9-inch cast iron or other ovenproof skillet, cook the butter and brown sugar over medium heat until melted. Arrange the biscuits in a single layer in the pan; scatter the blueberries over the biscuits and the streusel topping over the berries. Bake until the biscuits are golden and a tester inserted into the center of a biscuit comes out clean, about 30 minutes.

Serving
Allow to cool slightly and serve from skillet.

Chocolate Almond Protein Shake

Chocolate Almond Protein Shake

By: Leslie Ann Quillen

Serves 1

1 scoop chocolate whey protein powder (I use Whole Foods brand Whey Protein)

1/2 c. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

1/2 c. Skim Milk

1-2 tsp. Good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably organic)

Combine all ingredients in a beverage shaker or a blender until well-blended. Drink. Go be unstoppable and awesome.