Quesadillas with Shrimp and Peppers

This recipe comes from Ree Drummond from foodnetwork, and you can find the recipe Here

Ingredients:

1 cup Mexican red sauce (I used bottled taco sauce because I had it.)

12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped into 1/2 rings

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips

Butter, for cooking tortillas

6 flour tortillas

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream, for serving

Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

On a large plate, pour the red sauce over the shrimp and set aside.

 

Heat a skillet over high heat and add the olive oil. Cook the onions and bell peppers over high heat until they start to get nicely browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

 

Add the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. Remove from the skillet and chop the shrimp into bite-size pieces.

In a clean skillet, heat some butter, place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on the ingredients:  cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn't overly dry. Remove from heat and slice into wedges. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling ingredients. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Note: I only used the green bell peppers. I cut the shrimp in the skillet. I cooked the quesadillas in a Panini Press and spread butter on the first tortilla and placed it in the Panini press with butter side down. Then I built the quesadilla and placed the second tortilla on top with the butter side up. Then I shut the press and cooked them about 3 minutes. 

 

Slow Cooker Bacon, Egg and Hashbrown Casserole

I usually have a protein drink for breakfast and Jud makes a casserole that he can eat on for at least a week.  I found this one Here  We are going to have it for dinner tonight and I made some homemade biscuits to go with is. Jud and I decided that next time, we will use fewer hash browns.  Maybe just put a layer on the bottom.




Ingredients:
20 oz. bag frozen, shredded hash browns
8 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and coarsely chopped
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
6 green onions, sliced thin
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Cooking oil ( to lightly coat slow cooker)
Directions
Lightly grease your slow cooker with cooking oil. Layer half of the hash browns into the bottom and top with 1/2 the bacon, 1/2 the cheese, and 1/3 of the green onions. Set aside some bacon and green onions for garnish then repeat the second layer of hash brown, bacon, cheese, and onion.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper and slowly pour over top of hash brown mixture. Cook until eggs are set, approximately 2-3 hours on high, or 4-5 hours on low. Sprinkle remaining bacon and onions on top and serve immediately, with or without hot sauce.

You can find nutrition information on the link I provided in the introduction.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce



This is from Once Upon a Chef and you can find the recipe Here

It is a great recipe, but you have to be careful not to burn the chicken.  If you don't want to make your own Honey Mustard sauce, just buy some at the grocery store.  I have just copied the recipe from her website.

 

 

 

 

By Jennifer Segal

Servings: 4-6

Total Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients

For Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

• 1-1/4 cups pecans
• 1-1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
• 2-1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• Vegetable oil, for cooking

For Honey Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's

1/2 cup whole grain mustard

• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1. Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (go easy -- you don't want a paste). Add the panko, 1-1/4 teaspoon salt, sugar and cayenne pepper and pulse a few more times to combine. The panko should be broken down slightly but not finely ground.
2. Set up three large shallow dishes in an assembly line. Place the flour in the first dish; beat the eggs in the second dish; and place the pecan/panko mixture in the third dish. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to hold the breaded tenders, and place at the end of the assembly line.
3. Season the chicken tenders with the remaining teaspoon salt. Working with one tender at a time: dredge first in the flour, shaking off any excess; dip in the egg to coat evenly; and then dredge in the pecan/panko mixture, pressing down to make the coating adhere. Try to use one hand for the dry breading (the flour and pecan/panko mixture) and one hand for the wet (the eggs) -- otherwise, your hands will end up a mess. Place the breaded tender on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining tenders.
4. Heat about 1/8-inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil heats up, line another baking sheet with paper towels (this is for the finished tenders — the paper towels will absorb any excess oil).
5. When the oil starts to shimmer, add half of the chicken tenders and cook for a few minutes on the first side until golden brown. Using tongs, flip the tenders and cook until the second side is also golden, 1-2 minutes Adjust the heat as necessary so the tenders don't burn. Transfer the cooked tenders to the prepared baking sheet. Discard the oil, wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, and then repeat with the remaining tenders.
6. Make the sauce by combining the mayonnaise, mustard and honey in a small bowl. Serve alongside chicken tenders.

Coconut Cream Cake

Jud made this cake for my birthday along with Uncle Glen's famous fish. You can find that recipe Here  Jud is actually a good cook, but he mainly uses his gift of cooking at the grill. That is a more manly thing. The cake was amazing, and I will certainly make this again.

This is Nancy Ginzel/Judy Nadolny's recipe from Express News of San Antonio.



Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil ( We used Canola Oil)
1 box white cake mix (18.25 oz.)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (8.5 oz. can) cream of coconut--(found in the mixed drink isle of the store)
1 (8 oz. container) dairy sour cream
Frosting:
1 (16oz.) box powdered sugar
1 stick softened butter
1-8 oz. package softened cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup coconut
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans. Mix eggs, oil, cake mix, vanilla, cream of coconut and sour cream. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake for 25 minutes or until done. Let cool in pans 15-20 minutes. Remove cakes from pan, put on cooling rack and cool completely.
For frosting:
1. Combine powdered sugar, butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and coconut. Frost between layers and top and sides of cooled cake. I sprinkled the top with coconut that I baked in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned.

Baked Chicken in Creamy Tomato Sauce

 

Ingredients:



 

 

3-4 boneless chicken breasts or tenders, rinsed and patted dry.

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1- 15 oz. can tomatoes

3 tablespoons mascarpone (I used softened cream cheese)

Handful fresh basil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown chicken breasts over high heat in extra virgin olive oil 2 minutes per side. Remove breasts. They do not have to be cooked through. Turn heat to medium/low and add onion and garlic.  After 2 minutes stir in crushed tomatoes and simmer 10-15 minutes. Stir in mascarpone and basil. Add chicken back to the pan immersing in sauce. Bake in 350 degree oven, uncovered, 20 minutes.  I will certainly make this again.

Four-Cheese Quiche

I found this in A little recipe book called Casseroles, Soups and Stews. I made the Apricot Chicken, Baked Chicken in Creamy Tomato Sauce and this Quiche yesterday. We will have this quiche tomorrow night.  I love taking a day to do enough cooking for several days.  We still have some hamburger patties that Jud grilled earlier this week.  I shouldn't have to cook for at least 3 more days.





Ingredients:
1 (15oz.) package Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts
1 (3oz.) package cream cheese, softened
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon freeze dried chives
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4oz. (1 cup) shredded Swiss cheese
4 oz. (1cup) shredded Gruyere cheese
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare pie crust according to package directions for one-crust baked shell using 9 -inch pie pan. (Refrigerate remaining crust for a later use. DO NOT PRICK CRUST.  Bake at 450 degrees for 6-8 minutes or just until crust is very light golden brown. If crust puffs up during baking, gently press crust down with the back of a wooden spoon. Cool.
Reduce heat to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add milk, Parmesan cheese, chives, oregano, salt and pepper.  Mix well. Sprinkle Swiss and Gruyere cheese evenly in bottom of partially baked crust. Pour egg mixture over cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees for 23- 28 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean and crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Apricot-Mustard Baked Chicken

This is a recipe that I have had in my recipe file for a while. This was before I started my blog and didn't know that I would ever need to know where I got it.  It was good, but not great.  I usually toss a recipe unless I really liked it. So this one is going in the trash after I copy it onto my blog.





Ingredients:
6-8 skin-on chicken pieces (thighs or drumsticks, rinsed and patted dry)  I used chicken  tenders
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup apricot jam
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1/4 cup water
Leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place chicken in a rimmed cookie sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake 10 minutes.  While chicken is baking, whisk jam, mustard, water, thyme, salt and pepper in s saucepan over low heat for 3 minutes.  Pull chicke out of the oven and pour sauce on top.  Bake 15 minutes longer. Then turn the oven to boil and place the chicken under the broiler for3-5 minutes on top rack so it is golden and crispy.
 

 

Vegetable Korma

I forgot to take a picture so the one on the left is from the internet.  The one on the right is left-overs the next day.  There wasn't as much juice left, so the one on the left looks more like what it should look like.


  We have friends visiting us that are vegetarians, so I am always looking for a new recipe.  My daughter is a great cook, so I called her and she gave me this recipe.  I liked it very much, but Jud is a meat and potato kind of guy and didn't love it.  Our friends both loved it, so I am happy. 3 out of 4 isn't bad and Jud didn't hate it.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons garam masala ( spice) I found it on the bulk isle and paid $.06 for 2 teaspoons
1 cup frozen peas or edamame
1 potato/ sweet potato/ butternut squash  ( pick one or use a combo (peeled and diced)
1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup green beans
basmati rice
Directions:
1.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté for 2 minutes.
2.  Add 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic; Saute' for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
3.  Stir in tomato paste and garam masala; sauté for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in edamame/peas and potato/squash.
4. Combine yogurt, almonds, and coconut milk, stirring until smooth. Add creamy mixture to pan, and bring to a boil Reduce heat, and simmer for 8 minutes.
5.  Add 3-4 cups cauliflower and 1 cup green beans. Simmer for 9 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve over basmati rice.


I also made Naan: Indian Flat Bread. You can find it Here

Chocolate - Candy Cane Cake

This is a Jell-o recipe that I made to celebrate Stacy's birthday. It was a hit. Even Anthony liked it, and he doesn't normally like cake because he doesn't like the icing.  This is iced with Cool Whip, so it passed his test.





Ingredients:
1 box of chocolate cake mix 
1 (3.9oz) package of Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
4 eggs
1 container (8oz.) Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil (I use Canola Oil)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup milk
1 (4oz) package Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
18 small candy canes, coarsely crushed (about 1 cup), divided
1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip Topping, thawed
Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.  Beat first 7 ingredients in mixer until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate and 2 tablespoons crushed candy. Pour into 3- 8" cake pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Loosen cakes from sides of pan; Invert onto wire racks. Carefully remove pans. Cool cakes completely
4. Fill and frost cakes with Cool Whip. Sprinkle with remaining crushed candy just before serving.  Keep refrigerated.
Note: I made mine ahead of time and the candy ran. It still looked o.k.  This picture was taken immediately after it was made.