Fun, Crafts and Recipes

1 1/4 pounds Ground beef
1/4 each Chopped green bell pepper
1 cup 8 oz. cut green beans
1 cup 8 oz. can crescent rolls
2 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 cup 8oz tomato sauce & mushrooms
1/4 teaspoon Garlic salt
1 each Egg — slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Fry ground beef,onion and green bell pepper in a large frying pan.
Drain fat.
Stir in tomato sauce, beans, and seasoning.
Simmer while preparing crust.
Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles.
Place in an ungreased 9″ pie pan.
Press bottom and sides to form a crust.
Combine egg and 1 cup cheese.
Spread over crust,evenly.
Spoon hot meat mixture into crust.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serves 6.

2 pounds new potatoes — small are better
salt and pepper
10 cloves fresh garlic — unpeeled
fresh herb sprigs:
rosemary, thyme, sage leaves, oregano

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
Leave the potatoes whole if small; cut into halves or quarters if large.
Toss them in a baking dish with just enough oil to coat them (or spray them with cooking spray) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic and a few sprigs of fresh herbs; cover and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until tender.
If serving immediately, remove the herbs and season with salt and pepper to taste; or set them aside to use later.

VARIATION: Twice-Roasted Potatoes
This is a great way to use leftover roast potatoes.
Preheat the oven to 450 F.
If the potatoes are whole, cut them into halves, quarters, or large pieces.
Toss with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper; bake in an uncovered dish until the potatoes are crisp and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Toss with chopped parsley or thyme and serve.

4 Broiler-fryer chicken breast — halves,boned,skinned
1/2 cup Plus 1/3 cup bottled — oil-vinegar dressing
1 small Head radicchio — torn into pieces
1 small Bunch watercress — cut into pieces
1/4 cup Fresh basil
2 Plum tomatoes — thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Water
1 Egg
2/3 cup Seasoned Italian bread — crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons Olive oil
Tomato rosettes

On hard surface, with meat mallet or similar flattening utensil, pound chicken to 1/4″ thickness; place in large baking pan.
Add 1/2 cup oil-vinegar dressing and turn to coat.
Cover and refrigerate In medium bowl, place radicchio and watercress; add remaining 1/3 cup oil-vinegar dressing and toss to mix.
Arrange mixture on platter; refrigerate.
Remove chicken from oil-vinegar dressing; drain.
Cut each chicken breast in half, crosswise. Place an even portion of basil and tomatoes on each of four pieces of chicken; top each piece of chicken with remaining half of breast and with textured side of meat mallet, pound edges together to seal.
In shallow dish, beat water and egg.
On wax pepper, mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Dip chicken, one piece at a time, in egg mixture then in bread crumb mixture.
In large frying pan, place oil and heat over medium-high temperature.
Add chicken and cook about 10 minutes or until chicken is brown and fork can be inserted with ease.
Arrange chicken on top of radicchio mixture.
Garnish with tomato rosettes.
Serves 4.

1 each chicken breast halves without skin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons margarine/butter blend
2 tablespoons water
2 each garlic cloves — minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper, flakes, hot
2 tablespoons honey

Simmer all, except the chicken, in a saute pan until it is liquid.
Add the chicken and turn the temperature up to medium-high.
Continuously ladle the sauce over the chicken until it is cooked and the sauce is golden brown.
If the glaze is carmelizing too fast, add a bit of water to mellow it out.
For each additional chicken breast, double the ingredients.

Running late again. Sorry about that.

Here are this week’s four questions. They’re about potatoes.

#1. Potato Chips. What kind of chips are your favorite?
#2. What’s your favorite thing to dip chips in?
#3. What’s your favorite way to eat a baked potato?
#4. How do you make mashed potatoes?

Please be sure to comment here if you participate in Four Foods On Friday so I can include a deep link to your answer in the Friday highlights post. If you’ve played eight times you’re eligible to be added to the real blogroll of FFOF Regulars on this site.

Sorry to be running late this week.

Here were the four questions for this week and they were all related to fitness/physical activity/sports.

#1. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out?
#2. What do you eat to help boost or create energy?
#3. What’s the healthiest snack you eat?
#4. Share a recipe or instructions for your ideal three course meal.

I almost always drink water, sometimes it’s flavored water.
Chilled fruit doesn’t really give me energy but it doesn’t make me want to nap like most foods.
I must say I don’t eat many healthy snacks. The healthiest snack I eat is fruit.
We almost never eat a 3 course meal, except for on holidays. On Easter I serve salad, ham/veggies/garlic bread/potatoes and desserts. On Thanksgiving it’s the same except we serve turkey instead of ham.

Here’s what I learned from Four Foods On Friday 43. I’m doing the highlights a little differently this week - more like a summary. I started out doing it like usual but I kept typing the same thing over and over.

These people rehydrate with water.

Fiona, whose ideal 3 course meal includes Spicy Tuna Roll.

Anele, whose ideal 3 course meal includes chicken.

Chili Queen, whose ideal 3 course meal includes pork chops or chicken

Charla, whose ideal 3 course meal includes fish, chicken or turkey.

Laura,whose ideal 3 course meal includes pasta.

Blueyes,whose ideal 3 course meal includes cheesecake.

Lynne, whose ideal 3 course meal includes steak.

Kelly, whose ideal 3 course meal might be found at menupages.com.

Pinaymama, whose ideal 3 course meal includes beef kaldereta.

Karen, whose ideal 3 course meal includes salad with homemade blue cheese dressing.

Corrin, whose ideal 3 course meal includes rice.

Crystal, whose ideal 3 course meal includes cornish game hen.

Kait, whose ideal 3 course meal includes pasta. Kait is a new player. Welcome Kait!

Sheri, whose ideal 3 course meal can be found at Longhorn. Flavored Dasani.

These people rehydrate with something other than water.

Elizabeth,whose ideal 3 course meal includes meatballs. Diet Coke.

Skeet, whose ideal 3 course meal involves gravy or sauce. Iced tea.

That’s it for this week. See you soon!

6 Whole chicken breasts (skin Boned — salt lightly)
2 Bunches of green onions (chopped include some green)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 pound Bacon (more or less)

Cream together cheese and chopped onions; form into 12 walnut sized balls.
Wrap half a chicken breast around each one, and one or two slices of bacon around that in such a way as to cover as much of the chicken as possible.
Secure each little bundle with a toothpick or two.
Then broil them on a rack, with a drip pan underneath 6 to 8 inches from the broiler unit.
Turn occasionally, as they brown, and broil about 30 minutes, or until the bacon is done.

1/2 cup Flour
Flour for dusting chicken
4 ounces Dark beer or stout
2 Egg whites
1/2 teaspoon Salt — or as desired
1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper
1 large Onion — finely diced
1 tablespoon Cooking oil
6 Plum tomatoes -OR- drained peeled tomatoes
2 Dried poblano chili peppers -OR- 1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1/4 cup Whipping cream
2 large Boneless chicken breasts — split
4 slices Sharp jack or Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Frying oil

Place flour in a mixing bowl and slowly pour in the beer while mixing.
Add the egg white, pepper and desired salt and mix well.
Taste for salt and pepper and add if desired.
Cover the bowl and set aside for 30 minutes before using.
Combine onions and oil in a small Dutch oven or casserole, place in the oven and turn temperature to 375F.
If using fresh plum tomatoes, bring a pot of water to the boil, plunge in the plum tomatoes and cook a minute or so, until the skins crack.
Drain tomatoes and when they are cool enough to handle, peel them.
Discard peels, cut tomatoes in half crosswise and squeeze out seeds.
Add tomatoes to the Dutch oven.
Remove stems from the dried chili peppers and remove the seeds.
Add peppers to the Dutch oven.
Add cumin, cream and salt as desired.
Cook 30 minutes, remove from the oven and scrape the contents into a blender or food processor.
Blend until smooth and set aside.
Meanwhile, place a piece of cheese under the skin of each breast, dredge each breast in flour and shake off the excess.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat on the stove.
When the oil is hot enough for frying (350F), dip each breast in the beer batter and let the excess run off.
Place skin-side down in the oil and fry until golden.
Turn and fry other side, about 1 minute per side.
Remove breasts from the oil as they are done, drain on paper towels and transfer to a baking dish.
Place the chicken breasts in a preheated 375F oven for 15 minutes.
Place tomato sauce in a saucepan and reheat.
If the mixture is too thin, place it in a saucepan over high heat and boil down.
Pour the sauce onto a platter and arrange the chicken breasts on top.
Serves 4.

8 each Garlic cloves
1 each Chicken ; halved — deboned
2 tablespoons Parsley — finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Unsalted butter
1/2 each Lemon — squeeze juice

Prepare charcoal grill.
Place unpeeled garlic cloves in pan of cold water.
Bring gradually to boil, lower heat, simmer 3-4 min.
Drain.
Peel & finely slice.
Combine garlic w/parsley.
Stuff half this mixture under the skin of both chicken halves.
Season with salt & pepper.
Place seasoned chicken over hot charcoal & grill about 5 min. on each side, or until just tender.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet & saute remaining garlic/parsley mixture w/lemon juice until warmed through; do not brown.
Arrange grilled chicken on serving platter, top w/garlic/parsley sauce, and serve immediately.
Serves 6.

1 package Green beans — French cut(10oz)
4 tablespoons Butter
1/4 cup Onion — minced
4 tablespoons Flour — all-purpose 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 cups Milk
2 cups Ham,cooked — chopped
2 Eggs,hard-cooked — chopped
1 cup Cheddar cheese — shredded (4oz)
2 tablespoons Pimiento — chopped
1 tablespoon Parsley — chopped
1/2 cup Croutons,herb-flavored — crush

Cook beans according to package directions; drain and reserve 1/2 cup liquid.
Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan; saute onion.
Stir in flour and salt until well blended.
Remove from heat; stir in milk and reserved 1/2 cup liquid.
Heat to a boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute.
Remove from heat; stir in ham, eggs, cheese, pimiento andparsley.
Place beans in baking dish; cover with ham sauce and sprinkle croutons over top.
Bake in preheated 350′F. oven 20 to 25 minutes.
Serves 8.

5 pounds Bonless Rolled Chuck Roast
2 tablespoons Unbleached Flour
1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
3/4 cup Water
1 each Clove Garlic — Pressed
2 each Small Onions — Chopped
1/2 cup Tomato Sauce
1 each Bay Leaf
1/8 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/2 pound Fresh Mushrooms — Sliced
2 tablespoons Butter
1 cup Dairy Sour Cream
Hot Buttered Noodles
Paprika

Dredge pot-roast in flour; brown all sides in cooking oil in Dutch oven.
Slip rack under meat; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add water, garlic, onion, tomato sauce, bay leaf and thyme.
Cover and cook in slow oven (325 degrees F.) 3 1/2 hours or until tender.
Cook sliced mushrooms in butter in small frying-pan until tender and golden.
When meat is tender, remove to cutting board.
Remove bay leaf.
Thicken cooking liquid with 2 T flour combined with 1/4 c water, if desired.
Add mushrooms and sour cream to cooking liquid; cook over moderate heat but do not allow to boil.
Slice beef; serve with hot buttered noodles sprinkled with paprika.
Pass our cream sauce separately.
Serves 6.

2 tablespoons Cooking oil
1 package Fresh ground turkey
Onion, medium — chopped
Green pepper — chopped
2 1/2 cups Chicken broth
1 package Elbow macaroni-7 oz uncooked
1 can Tomato sauce 15 oz.
1 tablespoon Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Chili powder
1 teaspoon Garlic salt
1/4 cup Grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Parsley

Heat oil in 4 qt. dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot.
Crumble turkey into dutch oven; stir in onion and green pepper.
Cook until turkey is no longer pink; drain, reserving juices in dutch oven.
Stir broth into juices.
Heat to boiling.
Stir in macaroni; reduce heat.
Simmer, stirring frequently, until broth is almost absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Stir in turkey mixture and remaining ingredients except 2 tablespoons of cheese.
Cook over low heat 10 mins.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle rest of cheese on and serve.

1 pound Lean Ground Beef
15 ounces Tomato Sauce; 1 Cn — OR 15 ounces Pizza Sauce — 1 Cn
1 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
2 cups Biscuit Baking Mix
1 each Egg — Lg
2/3 cup Milk
8 ounces Cheese — sliced American OR mozzarella
2 ounces Mushrooms;Sliced,Drained — 1Cn
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese — Grated

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cook and stir the meat in a large skillet until brown.
Drain off the excess fat.
Stir in half of the tomato sauce and the oregano leaves into the meat mixture.
Heat to boiling then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
While the meat mixture is simmering, mix the baking mix, egg and the milk.
Measure out 3/4 cup of the batter and set aside.
Spread the remaining batter in a greased baking pan 9 X 9 X 2-inches.
Pour into the remaining tomato sauce over the batter, spreading evenly.
Layer 4 slices of the cheese, the meat mixture, the mushrooms and the remaining cheese on top of the batter and tomato sauce.
Spoon the reserved batter on the top of the cheese.
Sprinkle the batter top with the grated Parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered, until it is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Serves 6.

Here are this week’s four questions. I’ve got the Olympics on my mind so this week they’re about fitness/physical activity/sports.

#1. What do you drink to rehydrate in the heat or after working out?
#2. What do you eat to help boost or create energy?
#3. What’s the healthiest snack you eat?
#4. Share a recipe or instructions for your ideal three course meal.

Please be sure to comment here if you participate in Four Foods On Friday so I can include a deep link to your answer in the Friday highlights post. If you’ve played eight times you’re eligible to be added to the real blogroll of FFOF Regulars on this site.