White Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

1/3 c White wine vinegar
1/3 c. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp groud garlic powder
2 tsp white sugar (or splenda)
ground coarse salt
ground black pepper

Made this last night for a salad dressing. It was a hit. So here is my version of the recipe I found online (which is basically where I find my recipes for stuff I have when I need to make something specific). You just dump all this into a container which you can shake up and then enjoy over salad or pasta or whatever.

Oatmeal Shortbread

Ingreds:


1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup quick-cooking rolled oats




In a medium mixing bowl combine flour and sugar. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs and starts to cling. Stir in rolled oats. Form mixture into a ball and knead until smooth.

To make shortbread wedges: On an ungreased cookie sheet pat or roll the dough into an 8-inch circle. Make a scalloped edge. Cut circle into 16 wedges. Leave wedges in the circle. Bake in a 325 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until bottom just starts to brown and center is set. Cut circle into wedges again while warm. Cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 16 wedges.

I got this easy and tasty recipe at this site:
Read more: http://www.kitchendaily.com/recipe/oatmeal-shortbread-144880/#ixzz1EXAw54LU

Roasted Potatoes

2 russet Potatoes, sliced into wedges (thin)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp celery salt

Preheat oven to 425. In a med bowl mix the seasonings and oil until well incorporated. Add potatoes and mix until they are completely covered. On a non stick baking sheet add the potatoes (it is important that you DO NOT crowd the pan!) and spread out so they are not touching one another, you want them to be crisp when they are done. Back 20-25 minutes or until they are browned and tender. Serve warm. Be careful when you get them off the pan or you will leave all the good bits and miss the taste entirely. 

These are better than Chips! Seriously! I would eat them every day if I could! Plus, russet potatoes are really good for you, important that you do not peel them or much of the flavor will be lost!

Beef Boogie Woogie (beef stew)

this is a modified recipe for beef boogie woogie, not sure why it is called that, it is basically beef stew. We LOVE stew especially in the winter and fall.

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c sherry cooking wine
1 to 2 tbsp emeril's essence
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2lbs stew meat
1 c. quartered mushrooms
1 c carrots rough chopped
2 bay leaves
how ever many different veggies you want to include
just enough beef broth or water to barely cover eveything in the pot

Brown beef in oil. Add wine to deglaze the pan scrapping up the brown bits. add the soup, thyme, veggies, other seasonings, bay leaves, extra water/broth and cook 2-3 hours or until veggies and beef are tender. I usually only add the veggies and extra broth after about an hour of cooking otherwise they get too mushy and I like them to be a bit crisp. I cook the beef and the seasonings and soup for awhile alone to let the flavors merge and the meat to tender up. This is very yummy! We love it.

Greek Style Corn

Now I don't know why this is called this and I don't even remember where I first saw this recipe. But it is quick and very tasty and super easy to make.

3-4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp thyme
2 c. fresh, frozen or canned corn (if frozen you don't need to defrost, if canned drain well!)

Heat oil in skillet over med/high heat. add the thyme and toast until it becomes aromatic, do not let it burn. add the corn and saute until the corn is fried slightly. serve hot. You can add whatever you like to this, but we enjoy it just like this.

Brown Rice Porridge

1 c brown rice cooked to package directions
1 c milk
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter or margarine

After rice is cooked (leftover brown rice works great too) heat the milk, sugar vanilla and butter/marg in a med sauce pan of med heat until it is mixed well. Add rice. Be careful not to over heat the milk or it will spoil. Heat until it becomes thick and creamy. Serve warm.

My kids loved this, could be a great breakfast or a dessert, which is what I served it as this afternoon. They seriously gobbled it up!

Carrots Side Dish

Tonight while looking for something to serve my family I was stumped as to what to serve along side our twice stuffed potatoes. I had carrots though so I just improvised and everyone wanted more, so I would say this is easy and a great recipe for us.

1 tbsp Butter
4 carrots cut thin on the bias
coarse salt
ground black pepper

In a med saute pan melt butter. Add the carrots and saute until tender and sightly carmelized. Add salt and pepper near end of cooking. Serve hot. Makes enough for our family to have a good sized portion. Remember not too hot on the saute or you will burn the carrots (which have alot of natural sugars) and not cook them through.

Lemon Blueberry cake

1 box lemon cake mix
20 oz can crushed pineapple, do not drain
20 oz can blueberry pie filling

Mix dry cake mix with pineapple. Pour into a 13x9 inch greased baking dish. Spoon blueberry filling over mix. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 350. Serve with ice cream. 10 servings

When New Recipes Are A Hit

Whenever I made something new I always wonder "Will this be good?" "Will they all (and I mean all) like it?" and it warms a momma's heart when it makes a HIT!

I made Sweet and Sour Chicken this week as a trial recipe, it needs some tweaking, but the kids all loved it!

Welsh Rarebit

6 tbsp butter
3 tbsp bacon grease
3/4 c beer
20 oz shredded sharp cheddar
salt and white pepper to taste

Heat butter, bacon grease and beer over med heat until bubbles appear. Reduce heat slightly and stir in the cheese until just melted. Add slat and pepper. Serve with toasted bread slices.

This is obviously TERRIBLE for you! But it is GOOOOOODDDD!! So don't indulge too often! Our whole family like this recipe for a meal. Obviously this isn't all we eat! I would like to find a good recipe for onion sandwhiches and then we can really emulate an early 20th century family!

Fiesta Rice With Queso

about 4 c. prepared rice
1 lb ground beef or sausage
1 can seasoned pinto beans (dont drain)
1 can 10 oz mild diced tomatoes and chilis (don't drain)
8 oz american cheese product with mild jalapenos

In a med skillet brown beef or sausage. Drain fat. Then fold in beans, tomatoes, and cheese. Simmer 10 minutes. Fold in rice and heat through. Can add cilantro for garnish if you want.

My Chili Standby Recipe

I make chili pretty often, not always using the same recipe, will like his chili without beans so sometimes I do that. This is the quicky version when I am in a time crunch and don't want to think to hard about making chili but want something warm and satisfying.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or other ground meat)
1 pkg onion soup mix
1 can beans, drained
1 1/2 c water
1 8oz can tomato sauce
4 tsp chili powder

Brown meat in skillet. Add the next 5 ingreds when done browning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered, stirring occationally, 20 minutes. Serve hot!