Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Grandma Ruth's Minestrone

1 pound ground beef
1 can kidney beans
2 cans mixed vegetables ~ drained
2 cans ( 8oz. each) tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 head shredded cabbage
1 cup chopped onions
1cup chopped celery
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs. dried basil
1 tbs. Italian seasoning  ( dressing mix)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 c. cooked macaroni

Directions:
Cook ground beef, cook completely, making sure not to leave any pink. Place ground beef in Crock Pot
Combine all ingredients except the macaroni. Stir all ingredients to blend. Cover and cook in Crock Pot on low 6 hours or high 4 hours. Stir in macaroni, Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.

Note: you can boil the macaroni until tender, and add to the pot just before serving.

Garlic Knots

1 pk. Pillsbury grands jr. biscuits
1/4 c melted butter
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. basil
parmesan cheese ~ for topping

Open the biscuits, roll them into a 6 - 8 in stick ( like you would roll your play dough to make a snake)
mix all the other ingredients except the parmesan cheese. Brush each stick with the butter mixture. Then tie the stick in a knot. bush top of knot  with remaining butter mixture and top with parmesan cheese and bake at 350 for about 15 min. or until golden brown and flaky.

Be ready for these to disappear... serve with pasta, or pizza or just eat them right out of the baking dish!

Teriyaki Chicken ~ Crock pot

Teriyaki Chicken ~ Crock pot
1 small bag of baby carrots
1/2 sliced red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chuncks
4 boneless skinless chicken breast ~ cleaned
1/2 c. teriyaki sauce

Layer carrots, pineapple, onion and garlic in bottom of crock pot. Place cleaned chicken breast on top, salt and pepper to taste. pour teriyaki sauce over the top of the chicken. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6 - 8 hours.

I added some brown sugar to my teriyaki sauce to sweeten it up a bit. Then I served it over a bed of fried rice.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

My passion...

I enjoy cooking, and trying new recipes. I love to test my recipes out, on those I love. I have fun posting the recipes and have found blogging my recipes is a good way to have my own personal recipe book. So enjoy the posted recipes.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring


Here's what you'll need:

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits
3 Tbsp. butter , melted
1/2 C. syrup
1/3 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt.
1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray. Combine the melted butter and syrup in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (if desired).
Place about half of the syrup mixture in the bottom of the pan. Then sprinkle half of the brown sugar mixture  on top. Lay the biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping edges (closely together) to form a ring. Top with remaining syrup and sugar mixtures. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 1 minute in the pan, then invert onto a serving platter and enjoy!




Thursday, October 6, 2011

Chicken tortilla soup ~ in a crock pot

boneless chicken breasts
2 cans (15 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (4 ounce ) chopped ortega mild chilies, drained
1 (12 oz) can low sodium chicken broth
1 yellow onion thinnly sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 small can rotel tomatoes with green peppers


4 corn tortillas, sliced  into 1/4 in stips
2 tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 c. shredded monterey jack cheese
1 avocado, peeled, diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning
lime wedges


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1. place chicken in crock pot slow cooker, combine tomatoes with juice, chilies, chicken broth, garlic and cumin, mix and pour over chicken.

2.Cover, cook on low 6 hours or high 3 hours or unitl chicken is tender. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. Return to cooking liquid. Adjust seasonings, add salt and pepper if needed. and up to 1/2 c.. more broth if desired.

3.. Just before serving, add tortillas ( you can fry tortilla strips for a crunchy topping) and add cilantro to crock pot. Stir to blend. Serve in soup bowls and top each with a serving of cheese, avocado and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!