Fabulous Food

I had bacon and ground beef and wanted to make something. Easiest thing that comes to mind is casserole.  This is the most amazing casserole ever - it's definitely not good for you! Ingredients 1 pound of ground beef 1/2 large white onion - minced 1 tablespoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon seasoning salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper  2-3 cups of pasta shells (dry) 1 large can of pasta sauce of your choice 1-2 cups of cheddar cheese; shredded 1/2 pound of cooked bacon  Parmesan cheese to top Start by cooking your pasta and browning the beef. Season your beef with half of the garlic salt, and all of the season salt.  While the beef is browning in a pan, add the minced onion and cook until the beef is browned.  My bacon was leftover, but if you need to, cook your bacon as well at this time.  Cut the bacon into small pieces.  Drain the beef and onion; drain your pasta.  Take your beef and onion, bacon, pasta, and pasta sauce and mix it all together. Mix in half of yo...

WThis dish is a combination of a recipe I found online and some leftovers.  The recipe I went off of is here:  http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/143394/grilled-garlic-and-herb-shrimp I found it very sweet so I added 2 teaspoons of garlic salt and one teaspoon of celery salt.  I made the sauce x3 and marinated the shrimp in it. I then cooked it in a frying pan and, near the end, I added some leftover chopped pork rib meat.  I then cooked 2 cups of rice and made two plates with rice on the bottom and the shrimp and pork on top.  This was delicious! 

So I didn't take a picture of this because I didn't think it would be good, but it was! This makes two servings.  Ingredients: 2-3 pieces of steak - whichever cut you like 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 1/2 cup of flour 1-2 tsp seasoning salt 1 tsp pepper 1 1/2 cups of cooked rice of your choice 3/4 cup tomato sauce (I used Ragu) Start by cooking your rice - I had mine leftover so I just heated it when I was ready.  While that's cooking, cut your steak into bite sized chunks. Mix the flour, panko, salt and pepper together.  Coat the beef in the flour mixture.  Using a deep fryer (or oil in a pan), fry the steak until it's crispy on the outside - this doesn't take long.  Heat up your sauce in a pan or the microwave.  Layer the rice, then beef, then sauce on your plate and enjoy.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Again I wanted to make hubby an easy breakfast food, so I've been brainstorming and came up with this.  It's basically French toast cupcakes glazed with maple syrup and topped with some icing. The icing is optional - I added it afterwards because I found them a bit bland and I overcooked them a bit. It's difficult to tell when they're done. This makes 12 cups.  Ingredients: 6 slices of bread 3/4 cup of maple syrup 4-6 eggs Splash of milk 1 tablespoon brown sugar 3 teaspoons cinnamon Crack your eggs into a bowl and whisk with milk, cinnamon, and brown sugar.  Cut each slice of bread into 6 strips. You may want to remove the crust for a nicer taste.  Grease a cupcake pan with margerine or whatever you normally use for cupcakes or muffins.  Dip your bread strips in the egg mixture one at a time and lay them in the cups, three in each cup, crossing them.  Once all the cups are filled, bake at 350 degrees for 10-20 minutes, or until the egg has cooked. Be carefu...

I think I got the idea for these from a picture I saw on Pinterest but I didn't go by a recipe. I did use a recipe for the pastry. It's listed below.  These are great if you like to eat breakfast on the go - they have egg, dough, bacon, and cheese and are delicious! The best part is that you can make them before hand and heat them when you want them.  Ingredients: Filling  1/2 pound of bacon 5 large eggs 2 tablespoons of milk 1 cup of grated cheese of your choice Pastry 2 and 1/2 cups of flour 1 cup of margarine or butter  4-6 teaspoons of water http://britishfood.about.com/od/recipeindex/r/scpastry.htm Preheat oven to 350.  Begin by making your pastry dough. Using a fork, cream together the flour and butter until it looks like bread crumbs and all looks mixed.  Add water slowly while mixing it in - you want the dough to be not sticky but not falling apart.  Cover and sit in the fridge for 30 min. Pre-cook your bacon a little bit - if you like it crisp...

I saw this recipe on the food network and will post the link on the bottom, but this is my simplified version.  It's a 2-layer chocolate cake with strawberries, whipped cream, and Nutella (or any chocolate hazelnut spread). It's light and delicious. Ingredients 1 box of chocolate fudge cake mix (and required ingredients from the box) 1 quart of strawberries, sliced 1/2 - 3/4 cup of chocolate hazelnut spread, softened  1 package of whipped topping mix (and required ingredients to make it Margarine to grease pans  2 pinches of flour 1/4 - 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips  Start by mixing your cake mix. Grease two 9' pans and coat in a thin layer of flour. Pour cake mix in and bake according to the box.  Mix up your whipped cream - it usually says to add vanilla but I substituted for cinnamon - I love cinnamon.  Once your cakes have cooled, place one cake upside down on a plate so the upright side is flat. Layer half of your Nutella, then half of your str...

This soup is sort of specialized for someone who doesn't really like vegetables, so you can skip the parts where I boil the crap out of the veggies and mush them up if you want.  I used a base recipe, as I didn't know how to make it. This is the original recipe if you want to see it:  http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-136303 You will need: 1-2 packs of bacon (cooked and chopped) 6 medium potatoes (boiled/baked and cubed or mashed) 6-8 cups of whole milk 1 cup of butter or margarine 1 cup of flour 2 cups (or more) of shredded cheddar cheese 1 tbsp salt or garlic salt 1 tbsp pepper 2 tbsp (or more) Parmesan cheese 2-3 cups of your choice of frozen veggie mix (or fresh) 1.5 cups of corn  1 white onion Boil or bake your potatoes (with or without skin) ahead of time to save time! Some people like chunks but I prefer mine semi-mashed with small chunks.  Put the chopped bacon in a pan with the onion. Cook until the bacon is a little crispy and the onion...

These are just like deep fried french fries, except done in the oven, so they aren't greasy or as unhealthy! What you need is: 4-6 white potatoes 2 teaspoons of parsley 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder/salt 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper 1 teaspoon of paprika 1 tablespoon of olive oil Cut the potatoes up into french fry shapes. Rinse them off in cold water until the water is clear. Put the potatoes into a large bowl and add in the olive oil and the spices. Shake them around until they are all coated. Pre-heat the oven to 415 degrees and bake the fries for 40 minutes or until golden brown, turning them half way through.

I made this without beans because a) I don't like beans, and b) we didn't have any. Of course you can add them after the meat is cooked if you like. This recipe makes a ton of chilli - can probably feed 10 people. Easy to make though and would be great for parties. You'll need: 2 onions (white or purple or a combination) 1 red pepper 1 green pepper 2 large celery stalks 1 pack/can of mushrooms 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 lbs of lean ground beef 3-6 sausages or sausage meat 2 tablespoons of chilli powder 2 teaspoons each of cumin, garlic salt, paprika, and oregano Hot sauce to taste (optional - not in mine) 1 large can of crushed tomatoes 1 small can of tomato paste 1/4 cup of ketchup 1/8 cup of brown sugar 1/8 cup of Worcestershire sauce 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar Brown and crumble the sausage and ground beef in a large pot. Drain the excess grease. Add all your vegetables, diced, and the spices. Add the remaining ingredients and summer for about an ...

I wanted to make some muffins for the kids at work, but we had no flour, so I decided to make pancake muffins for breakfast! To make 12 you'll need: 2 cups of pancake mix 1 egg 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil 1/3 cup of maple syrup or honey 2/3 cup of milk 1 apple 1 tablespoon of cinnamon Whisk the egg, vegetable oil, syrup, and milk together. Add your pancake mix and whisk until combined. Peel and core your apple and chop it into little squares. Toss them with the cinnamon until coated. Mix your apples into the batter and then pour into your muffin tin. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. Drizzle some maple syrup on top and enjoy.

So I wanted to make banana bread the other day, but had no bread pan, so I decided to make muffins. The problem is, without chocolate chips, banana bread/muffins can be boring. SO I decided to add some apple and cinnamon to spice things up. They turned out FANTASTIC! Basically, you just make your batter like you normally would for banana bread. Before you put it in the pan, grab an apple, peel and core it, and cut it either into large chunks (one per cupcake) or small pieces that can be mixed into the batter. Put the apple pieces in a bowl and coat with cinnamon. If you went with small pieces, you can mix them into the better OR put half the batter in, add some apple, and then pour the rest (tedious if you ask me). If you are using large pieces, pour your batter in and then just press the apple into it. You'll want to press farther than I have in my pictures - the batter doesn't rise that much. Now you can bake as you normally would, for 10-12 minutes at 350. Eat whi...

Potatoes are pretty simple to make, and they can be either a snack or a side dish. These can be cooked a number of different ways depending on your preferences. If you are in a rush or just don't want to wait, you'll want to microwave the potatoes first. Otherwise, you will end up having to bake them for close to an hour. Just poke some holes in them with a fork and put in the microwave for two minutes. Once the potatoes have softened a little, cut them into bite-sized pieces. The next step can be done either in a frying pan or in the oven. For the oven : Place your potato pieces into a bowl Pour about 1 tbsp of olive oil into the bowl and mix until they are coated Add your spices and toss again until coated (paprika, garlic salt, cumin, salt and pepper) Put in the oven at 400 degrees and bake until golden brown For the frying pan : Place your oil in the frying pan and put on medium heat Add your potatoes and sprinkle with the spices Cook the potatoes until t...

This is another one of my leftovers creations. I had leftover ground beef from taco night (it has taco seasoning on it) and didn't know what to do with it. SO I decided to make a grilled cheese/panini with pesto mayo, and it turned out pretty well! For one sandwich you'll need: two slices of whole wheat (or other) bread 1/4 cup ground beef w/ taco seasoning 1/8 cup of pizza mozzarella or other cheese Pesto mayo 1.5 tablespoons of mayo 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1.5 teaspoon basil 1 tablespoon of olive oil Start by mixing the ingredients for the pesto mayo together.  Next, spread your mayo out evenly on both pieces of bread. Top with the cheese and ground beef. Squish the sandwich together a little to make sure nothing leaks out. Now, you can cook it a number of ways. If you have a panini grill, use that. If not, you can use any other type of grill or, like I did in this case, a frying pan with some olive oil. Simply heat...

This a good meal even if you're only cooking for one or two. I work nights, so single meals are important for me. I also LOVE teriyaki chicken. You can get teriyaki sauce at pretty much any grocery store in the international isle, or an Asian grocery store. You can also make it, if you're feeling ambitious. That recipe can be found via google or any of my previous teriyaki chicken recipes. What you need for one LARGE serving: 1 medium chicken breast (can be pre-cooked or left over) 1 cup of the rice of your choice (I like sticky rice) cooked accordingly 1/2 - 1 cup of teriyaki sauce A pinch each of garlic salt, ground cumin, and cayenne pepper seasoning 1.5 tablespoons of cooking oil 1/3 of a white onion, chopped or sliced 1 garlic clove, minced Any other veggies you enjoy in a stir fry Cook your rice according to the type of rice. While you're doing this, begin sautéing your onion and garlic in the olive oil until the onion is transparent. Cut the chicken brea...

I love love love love love shrimp. I could eat it all day every day. And the best part about it is that it's really low in calories so even when you deep fry it, it's not that bad! This recipe makes about 10-15 shrimp, depending on the size. You'll need: 10-15 shrimp - peeled and cooked 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup of water Mix together the flour, parmesan cheese, and garlic powder. Slowly add the water and mix until you have a batter-like consistency.  Coat the shrimp in the batter. Heat up your oil to medium-low heat in a deep skillet until the batter sizzles when dropped in. Add the shrimp to the skillet in a single layer. Cook the shrimp on each side until it is golden brown and crispy. Serve with some mayo or tempura sauce on the side.

I love sushi. I love it too much, because I spend too much money on it. But for Christmas I got a sushi cook book with some chop sticks and a sushi mat. So I figured I would go out and buy the ingredients and try it out. Chances are, you won't have these ingredients laying around, so this is what you need when you go to the grocery store: 1 bag (1lb) of deveined and peeled shrimp 1 bag of tempura coating (or you can make it - it's very easy) 1 jar of real mayonnaise 1 jar of tempura sauce 1 bag of roasted seaweed sheets 1 container of Asian hot sauce (optional) 1 bag of sticky rice To make TWO handrolls, you will need: 1/3 cup of tempura coating mixed with 1/4 cup of water 12 of your small shrimp 2 teaspoons of tempura sauce 2 teaspoons of mayo (mixed with a drop of the hot sauce if you use it) 2 seaweed sheets 1/2 cup of cooking oil 1 cup of sticky rice, cooked Start by getting your sticky rice into your rice cooker/pot. While the rice is cooking, coat yo...

These shrimp that I made were actually left over from a pasta and then I deep fried them, but I will go over what I did anyways, and even let you know how I made the pasta in the next post. This recipe is for a single serving, or around 8 very small shrimp. You will need: 8 small shrimp, fully cooked, completely thawed, deveined and removed from the shell 1 tablespoon of cornstarch 1 tablespoon of water 1 tablespoon of chicken broth 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon of lemon juice  1 teaspoon of parsley 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt 1 teaspoon of chilli powder 1 tablespoon of flour 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs 1/2 teaspoon of salt To start, mix the cornstarch and the water in a bowl. Pour a small amount of olive oil in your pan and add the garlic. Add the cornstarch mix until fully mixed and garlic is browned. Next, add the chicken broth, the lemon juice, and the spices. Mix thoroughly. Add the shrimp and saute for a few minutes. In a deep bowl, mix together the flour, bread c...

My mother in law has recently started a new diet, and one of her favourite things to eat now is spaghetti squash. It really is quite good, and good for you, however, it can be bland. I found this recipe on the Food Network and thought I would try it out. It's pretty easy too. You will need: 1 spaghetti squash 1/2 large can of pasta sauce (or make your own) 1 garlic clove, chopped finely 1/2 onion, chopped finely Any other veggies you may like to add (or even meat!) 1/2 cup of mozzarella, ricotta, or any other type of cheese Start by cutting the squash in half lengthwise. Most people bake them, but you can also boil them, which is much faster. Remove the gunky stuff from the inside and place the squash in a large pot of water and boil until the inside is soft. While the squash is boiling, saute the onion and garlic in some cooking oil in a large pan until browned. Add half of the pasta sauce to the pan and continue to stir. Using a fork, remove the squash from the skin...

This is another recipe that I got from work - I do a lot of cooking there and they have some interesting recipes. Before I get into it, I just want you to know that I have never tried this, it's really not my type of food, but everyone says it's great. You will need: 1 package of pasta  2 cans of cream of mushroom (or any other creamy soup) soup 1-2 zucchinis, julienned 1-2 carrots, julienned 1 large white onion, chopped 2-4 garlic cloves, minced 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper 2 celery stalks (optional) 2 cans of flaked white tuna 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese Begin by cooking your pasta in a pot until al dente. While the pasta is cooking, chop up all of your vegetables and place in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. Saute until the veggies are tender. Strain the pasta and place in a baking dish. Add the veggies, the tuna, and the soup mix. Mix together thoroughly. Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven at 350 for about 20 minut...

Gnocchi is very similar in taste to pierogis but it is sooooo easy to make and can be a very elegant addition to a dish. You can add it to soup as the starch, use it as a side with a nice sauce, or just have it as a snack on its own. I opted to make it with the garlic cream sauce I've made before. If you sauté some onions and mushrooms and then begin the traditional sauce, you'll have a fantastic sauce for your gnocchi. To make the gnocchi, begin by peeling and cutting two large white potatoes and boiling them. Once they have boiled, remove them from the pot and place them on a cutting board. While the potatoes cool, you can make your sauce. Once the potatoes have cooled, take a fork and sort of mash them until there are no chunks left. Crack one egg into a medium sized bowl and add the potato. Grab some flour and slowly add the flour, a tablespoon at a time, mixing everything together, until you have a dough-like consistency. You shouldn't have to use more than a ...