Okay, so I'm not a huge fan of canned fruit cocktail and making home made fruit salad takes a lot of cutting, peeling, and coring. So, taking some hints from fruit salads my mom has made in the past here is a super easy fruit salad that tastes amazing and.....it all comes out of cans!
1 can mandarin oranges(drained)
1 can pineapple in its own juice (undrained)
1/4-1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 small jar maraschino cherries and a few spoons of the juice
Mix this all together in a bowl and let sit for awhile in the fridge so all the juices and flavors get mingled together and it gets nice and cold and there you have it! Super easy, super fast, and super yummy.
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
sweet tea
Dear Southerners,
I have become aware that many of you do not know how to make our favorite beverage. Many of us have fallen to the plague of ready made tea from the grocery store or Bojangles, leaving us ignorant of the fine skills our mothers and grandmothers possess. Or perhaps you just realized how much money you are spending on store bought tea and realize that you can make it much cheaper yourself. So, to the rescue I come! Here is an easy, efficient way to make sweet tea.
4 Lipton family size tea bags OR 8 regular size tea bags
1 1/3 cup sugar
gallon of tap water
Remove your tea bags from their paper wrappers and place in a small pot filled 2/3 with water. Place on medium high heat, keeping a CLOSE eye on them and removing pot right when water shows signs of boiling. (You do not want your water to boil because it will burst your tea bags. This should take several minutes and your water should be a dark brown tea color. ) Place sugar in bottom of gallon sized pitcher and pour hot tea over sugar. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Run cold tap water into the same pot which should still have your tea bags in it. Make sure to swirl the pot around so the tea infuses into the new water. Pour this into your pitcher. Continue doing this until the tea bags are no longer coloring your water, at this point you can throw your tea bags away and fill the pitcher the rest of the way with just plain water. Give your tea bags the toss and stir your tea one more time. Your tea should be a nice dark amber color and will probably be warm, so add ice and enjoy!!
I have become aware that many of you do not know how to make our favorite beverage. Many of us have fallen to the plague of ready made tea from the grocery store or Bojangles, leaving us ignorant of the fine skills our mothers and grandmothers possess. Or perhaps you just realized how much money you are spending on store bought tea and realize that you can make it much cheaper yourself. So, to the rescue I come! Here is an easy, efficient way to make sweet tea.
4 Lipton family size tea bags OR 8 regular size tea bags
1 1/3 cup sugar
gallon of tap water
Remove your tea bags from their paper wrappers and place in a small pot filled 2/3 with water. Place on medium high heat, keeping a CLOSE eye on them and removing pot right when water shows signs of boiling. (You do not want your water to boil because it will burst your tea bags. This should take several minutes and your water should be a dark brown tea color. ) Place sugar in bottom of gallon sized pitcher and pour hot tea over sugar. Stir well until sugar is dissolved. Run cold tap water into the same pot which should still have your tea bags in it. Make sure to swirl the pot around so the tea infuses into the new water. Pour this into your pitcher. Continue doing this until the tea bags are no longer coloring your water, at this point you can throw your tea bags away and fill the pitcher the rest of the way with just plain water. Give your tea bags the toss and stir your tea one more time. Your tea should be a nice dark amber color and will probably be warm, so add ice and enjoy!!
Friday, March 12, 2010
recipe time
I know I tend to post a lot of recipes on my blog, but cooking is one of the things I love to do! Here is another recipe I made up spur of the moment for dinner, it is a chicken casserole.
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 small onion diced
2 large stalks celery diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can full of skim milk
1 box low sodium all natural chicken broth (you won't use the whole box)
2 Cups peppridge farm seasoned stuffing
2-3 garlic cloves diced
3 tablespoons sour cream
salt, pepper, and sage(or poultry seasoning) to taste
1 1/2 cup rice cooked with 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3-4 chicken breast, boneless skinless
Set rice on to cook (usually takes about 15-20min for rice to cook, follow directions on bag)
cut chicken into small cubes and place in pan to saute with dash of olive oil, Salt and pepper chicken as it cooks. Once chicken is cooked set it aside in a large mixing bowl
Once chicken is cooked place mushrooms, onions, garlic, and celery in pan and saute with a dash of salt and pepper until they start to get soft.
Once your vegi's are done your rice should be done cooking as well. Dump cooked rice, and vegi's into the mixing bowl with chicken. Add can of cream of chicken soup, then one can full of milk and one can 3/4 full of chicken broth. Mix well, then add salt pepper and poultry seasoning or sage to taste. Place in large glass casserole dish and bake in 350^ oven for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and thickened. At this point mix dry stuffing with two-three tablespoons of sour cream (it works really well if you mix it with your hands) Carefully spoon this evenly over hot casserole and place back in oven for 5minutes or until topping is hot. Remove from oven and enjoy!!
p.s.--You may also add sour cream to the chicken mixture before you bake it, or you may choose to add cheddar cheese to your casserole. Be creative!
1 package sliced mushrooms
1 small onion diced
2 large stalks celery diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can full of skim milk
1 box low sodium all natural chicken broth (you won't use the whole box)
2 Cups peppridge farm seasoned stuffing
2-3 garlic cloves diced
3 tablespoons sour cream
salt, pepper, and sage(or poultry seasoning) to taste
1 1/2 cup rice cooked with 1 cup water and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
3-4 chicken breast, boneless skinless
Set rice on to cook (usually takes about 15-20min for rice to cook, follow directions on bag)
cut chicken into small cubes and place in pan to saute with dash of olive oil, Salt and pepper chicken as it cooks. Once chicken is cooked set it aside in a large mixing bowl
Once chicken is cooked place mushrooms, onions, garlic, and celery in pan and saute with a dash of salt and pepper until they start to get soft.
Once your vegi's are done your rice should be done cooking as well. Dump cooked rice, and vegi's into the mixing bowl with chicken. Add can of cream of chicken soup, then one can full of milk and one can 3/4 full of chicken broth. Mix well, then add salt pepper and poultry seasoning or sage to taste. Place in large glass casserole dish and bake in 350^ oven for 25 minutes, or until bubbly and thickened. At this point mix dry stuffing with two-three tablespoons of sour cream (it works really well if you mix it with your hands) Carefully spoon this evenly over hot casserole and place back in oven for 5minutes or until topping is hot. Remove from oven and enjoy!!
p.s.--You may also add sour cream to the chicken mixture before you bake it, or you may choose to add cheddar cheese to your casserole. Be creative!
Friday, February 5, 2010
chicken n dumplins
A cold rainy day calls for southern comfort food. Today it called for chicken n' dumplins. :)
Here is our favorite recipe, unfortunately it is one of those recipes where I eye the ingredients and don't really know all the exact measurements(a classic southern cook). However, I have done my best to write down the recipe here!
2 tablespoons Crisco
3 tablespoons green onions chopped
3-4 tablespoons white all purpose flour
Low sodium-no msg chicken broth (2 cans or 1 box)
1/2 Cup milk
Pepper to taste
dash poultry seasoning
1 garlic clove minced
1 can pilsbury butter flavored biscuits (NOT the flaky ones!!)
3-4 cups coarsely chopped chicken(the rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are the best, they are already cooked, tender and taste great! )
Melt crisco on medium heat in large pot
add onions and garlic and saute until soft,but not browned
sprinkle flour on bottom of pot and stir with wisk until bubbly and very light brown
Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly so your broth does not get lumpy
Add chicken broth, milk, pepper, and poultry seasoning until you have a good creamy broth you like the taste of.
The broth will thicken as it cooks, so keep an eye on it and add broth or a splash of milk as needed to keep your broth the consistency you like
Stir in the chicken and let the broth come up to a simmer and let it thicken a bit
Cut biscuits into bite size pieces (5-6 pieces per biscuit)
drop biscuits into broth and press down with spoon, but DO NOT STIR!
Place heat on med.low, cover and simmer for 12min.(do not stir til time is up!)
Stir broth, test a dumpling and see if it is done,(it will be moist and the consistency of a dumpling not a biscuit, but should be done) it may need a few extra minutes to simmer. You may also need to add more broth or milk if broth has become too thick.
Serve up in a bowl with a good side of veggis!!
This recipe may take you a few tries before you get it like you like it. But, these are the bones of a good dumpling recipe. The biscuits are so much easier than making your own dumplings and I think they taste better than the flat noodle like dumplings from the freezer section, but it is up to what you like. Also, I really do suggest using the rotisserie chicken, it is a lot easier than making your own and it is seasoned perfectly.
Here is our favorite recipe, unfortunately it is one of those recipes where I eye the ingredients and don't really know all the exact measurements(a classic southern cook). However, I have done my best to write down the recipe here!
2 tablespoons Crisco
3 tablespoons green onions chopped
3-4 tablespoons white all purpose flour
Low sodium-no msg chicken broth (2 cans or 1 box)
1/2 Cup milk
Pepper to taste
dash poultry seasoning
1 garlic clove minced
1 can pilsbury butter flavored biscuits (NOT the flaky ones!!)
3-4 cups coarsely chopped chicken(the rotisserie chickens from the grocery store are the best, they are already cooked, tender and taste great! )
Melt crisco on medium heat in large pot
add onions and garlic and saute until soft,but not browned
sprinkle flour on bottom of pot and stir with wisk until bubbly and very light brown
Slowly add chicken broth while whisking constantly so your broth does not get lumpy
Add chicken broth, milk, pepper, and poultry seasoning until you have a good creamy broth you like the taste of.
The broth will thicken as it cooks, so keep an eye on it and add broth or a splash of milk as needed to keep your broth the consistency you like
Stir in the chicken and let the broth come up to a simmer and let it thicken a bit
Cut biscuits into bite size pieces (5-6 pieces per biscuit)
drop biscuits into broth and press down with spoon, but DO NOT STIR!
Place heat on med.low, cover and simmer for 12min.(do not stir til time is up!)
Stir broth, test a dumpling and see if it is done,(it will be moist and the consistency of a dumpling not a biscuit, but should be done) it may need a few extra minutes to simmer. You may also need to add more broth or milk if broth has become too thick.
Serve up in a bowl with a good side of veggis!!
This recipe may take you a few tries before you get it like you like it. But, these are the bones of a good dumpling recipe. The biscuits are so much easier than making your own dumplings and I think they taste better than the flat noodle like dumplings from the freezer section, but it is up to what you like. Also, I really do suggest using the rotisserie chicken, it is a lot easier than making your own and it is seasoned perfectly.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
cold weather fare
In preparation for the impending snow fall, I decided to make a hearty lunch today that I could easily heat up this weekend when I knew I was going to be unable to get out to the store. So, I broke out the trusty southern corn bread recipe and made a batch along with black bean soup. I usually make black bean soup with whatever I have in my pantry and today this is the recipe I ended up with.
1 can black beans
1 can rotel tomatoes mexican style with lime and cilantro
1/2 large green bell pepper cut into small chunks
1/2 white onion
1/2 large tomato
Drizzle bottom of pot with olive oil, place peppers and onions in pot and saute until slightly soft
Add can of black beans and can of rotel tomatoes.(do not drain liquid from cans) Add 1/2 to 1 full can of water to pot. Add diced tomatoes. Season lightly with Garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin(use a light hand on the cumin). Also, add salt to taste. Let this simmer together at least an hour before serving. Sometimes I will mix in a cup of shredded monterey jack cheese before serving, and sometimes I add ground italian sausage (brown this before vegetables if adding this). But, if you omit the sausage and the cheese then you end up with a simple, healthy, chocked full of vegi's soup!!
1 can black beans
1 can rotel tomatoes mexican style with lime and cilantro
1/2 large green bell pepper cut into small chunks
1/2 white onion
1/2 large tomato
Drizzle bottom of pot with olive oil, place peppers and onions in pot and saute until slightly soft
Add can of black beans and can of rotel tomatoes.(do not drain liquid from cans) Add 1/2 to 1 full can of water to pot. Add diced tomatoes. Season lightly with Garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin(use a light hand on the cumin). Also, add salt to taste. Let this simmer together at least an hour before serving. Sometimes I will mix in a cup of shredded monterey jack cheese before serving, and sometimes I add ground italian sausage (brown this before vegetables if adding this). But, if you omit the sausage and the cheese then you end up with a simple, healthy, chocked full of vegi's soup!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Healthy Baked Apples
okay, so I'm always looking for a good dessert that won't take out all my calories for the day! I have found that calorie counting is the most effective method of dieting for me. I keep a nice little white board on the fridge (from the $1 section at Target) and I write down every single calorie on the board as I eat it. So as I sat around craving sweets this afternoon I decided to make baked apples since I had only consumed about 350 calories so far. What prompted the baked apples idea? Well, I was reading Charlaine Harris...surprise surprise...and in her book From Dead to Worse the main character was baking apples, which just made me want some. So today I baked apples. To make the recipe 200 calories or under here is what I did:
1 apple
1tsp. white sugar
1tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp. heath bar pieces
dash of cinnamon
Core out middle of apple with paring knife, and scoop out the seeds with small spoon if needed. Do not cut all the way through your apple, you want to leave the bottom of the apple intact, just get the seeds and main core out. Once you have your apple mostly cored and all seeds removed pour both sugars into apple. Next, press heath bar pieces into center of apple and sprinkle the top with a bit of cinnamon.( I also added about a tsp of water on top of the heath bar pieces so it would not get dried out. ) Wrap apple tightly in foil and bake at 350^ for 35-40 minutes. Carefully remove apple from foil and let cool for a minute or two before digging in! Apple should be so soft it is falling apart, and save the juices from the foil to pour over your apple ...yum!
To make this recipe even less calories you can add only the brown sugar, or omit the heath bar pieces (1tbsp of heath pieces is 80 calories). You may also wish to stuff the apple with raisins or dried cranberries instead of heath bar pieces.
1 apple
1tsp. white sugar
1tsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp. heath bar pieces
dash of cinnamon
Core out middle of apple with paring knife, and scoop out the seeds with small spoon if needed. Do not cut all the way through your apple, you want to leave the bottom of the apple intact, just get the seeds and main core out. Once you have your apple mostly cored and all seeds removed pour both sugars into apple. Next, press heath bar pieces into center of apple and sprinkle the top with a bit of cinnamon.( I also added about a tsp of water on top of the heath bar pieces so it would not get dried out. ) Wrap apple tightly in foil and bake at 350^ for 35-40 minutes. Carefully remove apple from foil and let cool for a minute or two before digging in! Apple should be so soft it is falling apart, and save the juices from the foil to pour over your apple ...yum!
To make this recipe even less calories you can add only the brown sugar, or omit the heath bar pieces (1tbsp of heath pieces is 80 calories). You may also wish to stuff the apple with raisins or dried cranberries instead of heath bar pieces.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Good birthdays
This past week was my birthday :). While I don't feel any older, I did have a fun time celebrating with friends. One evening Maria, Amanda, and Jessie all came over for dinner and I made fettuccine Alfredo. Yummm. If you haven't ever made alfredo yourself it is something you must try! The stuff in the Jar doesnt hold a candle to the real thing!! Here is the recipe, try it out and make it your own, it is truly amazing!
1 1/2 stick butter
3/4 Cup half and half
3/4 Cup heavy Cream
Bow tie pasta (or any pasta you like)
1/4 Cup chopped onion
2 Garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 Cups shredded parmesan cheese
Put noodles on to boil
in large sauce pan lightly saute onions and garlic
(I also like to add sliced mushrooms at this point)
add butter and let melt all together over medium or med. low heat
Add half and half and heavy cream to pan
(You may add some Italian spices, or some pepper here depending on what you like)
Slowly mix in parmesan cheese. Mix well each time you add cheese so you won't get lumps of cheese in your sauce
Add Noodles to pan and toss well.
You can then add cooked chicken, shrimp, or bacon if you want to!
Also, pay attention as you are adding the cheese. You may not need a whole cup and 1/2 and you may need more. Just keep tasting the sauce as you make it until it is the way you like it.
1 1/2 stick butter
3/4 Cup half and half
3/4 Cup heavy Cream
Bow tie pasta (or any pasta you like)
1/4 Cup chopped onion
2 Garlic cloves minced
1 1/2 Cups shredded parmesan cheese
Put noodles on to boil
in large sauce pan lightly saute onions and garlic
(I also like to add sliced mushrooms at this point)
add butter and let melt all together over medium or med. low heat
Add half and half and heavy cream to pan
(You may add some Italian spices, or some pepper here depending on what you like)
Slowly mix in parmesan cheese. Mix well each time you add cheese so you won't get lumps of cheese in your sauce
Add Noodles to pan and toss well.
You can then add cooked chicken, shrimp, or bacon if you want to!
Also, pay attention as you are adding the cheese. You may not need a whole cup and 1/2 and you may need more. Just keep tasting the sauce as you make it until it is the way you like it.
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