Loaded Potato Soup

You will need:

Bag of potatoes

Steam bag of broccoli

Shredded cheese

Chicken Broth (1 can)

Bacon bits

Sour cream

Potatoe masher

Step 1: Boil a pot full of chopped up potatoes over HI heat (5-6 red potatoes, 12-15 minutes)

Step 2: Boil broccoli on LO heat (small bag, 5-8 minutes)

Step 3: Drain the potatoes and then add the can of chicken broth to mash the potatoes.

Step 4: Add shredded cheese, bacon bits and cooked broccoli mixed into the potatoes.

(Splash of milk is optional, sometimes necessary)

 

LOADED POTATO SOUP!

20 Minutes Max, prep-time included.

Crub-Stuffed Salmon Pinwheel, Grilled Steak & Steamed Asparagus

You will need:

Stalks of Asparagus

Steak (This is Top Round Loin)

Publix Pre-Made Salmon Pinwheel

(No... I didn't spin this myself :)

Butter/Margarine

Dale's Steak Seasoning: Liquid (Reduced Sodium)

Weber: Chicago Steak Seasoning: Rub

GRILL & CHARCOAL

Step 1: Marinade the steak in a tupperware container. You should stab a few holes in the meat to let the marinade soak in. Pour about 1 cup (maybe 2) of Dale's sauce over the steak. Shake it up. Sprinkle the Chicago Seasoning on each side. Rotate the container upside down every couple of minutes for about 30-45 minutes altogether.

Step 2: Go ahead and get the charcoals burning in the grill. I used a tiny grill, so my coals didn't take longer than about 10 minutes to get ready. Remember to keep rotating your marinade as you check the coals at the grill and start the other foods.

Step 3: Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a pan down with Pam, or grease it with butter. Throw the salmon in there and check on it from time to time. Flip it in about 15 minutes. The pinwheel should be ready in about 25 minutes altogether

Step 4: Go put the steak on the grill - once the coals are burnt and ready. Everyone cooks their steaks different, I like medium-rare in most cases. I grilled mine about 4-5 minutes on one side. Being a thin steak already, I only grilled it about 2 minutes on the flipside.

Step 5: While your salmon is in the oven, your steak is on the grill, begin chopping the aspargus at the tips - and then again in halves. Use a saucepan with a small amount of water at the bottom. Sauté it on HI for only about 3 minutes. Quickly be sure to drain the water after that short cook-time so the greens stay crisp. Sprinkle a little garlic powder on top, shake it around, and it'll taste great.

Step 6: Turn off the oven because the salmon is finished.

Step 7: RUN outside and grab that steak before you burn both sides.

Step 8: Pour your second glass of red wine that pairs amazing with this meal.

(The first glass was finished during prep-time.)

Dessert is always optional. I made a brownie mix at the bottom. I topped it with cookie dough and let them bake together. 25-30 minutes, Yum :)

Thanks for checking out my blog and my latest meals!

Happy Cookin!

Keep scrolling down for the food!



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HAPPY HOLIDAYS :)

Baked Chicken & Scalloped Potatoes

 

You will need:

1 big ol' baking dish like mine in the picture

Chicken breasts/tenders

Cheap box of scalloped potatoes

Milk for the potato mixture  

Step 1: Pre-heat the oven according to the heating directions on our great-valued potato boxes

Step 2: Mix both boxes and the milk into the baking dish

Step 3: Cut the chicken into small enough pieces to shape in the dish.

Be sure to slice thin pieces so the chicken cooks all the way.

Step 4: Don't do anything, just let it bake for a good 20 minutes or so.

Step 5: Eat up ~ It's a simple meal, and simple sides are just as great. I added some sweet peas and premixed Waldorf salad from Publix, the best salad ever created.

From my kitchen to yours, I hope you enjoy my latest blog and if you ever try cookin one of my meals you saw, please share with me and email the pics.

Let's get it crackin, I mean Cookin!

Sometimes I forget how much fun this can be when I'm in the mood to type up a recipe and share it with ... My peeps. My followers. My fbookers. My co-workers ;) My fam ~ I'm proud y'all have kept up and still encourage me to continue my blog. It got difficult to post daily meals, but when my friends and fam kept eatin' good at my apartment, they were asking "Where's the blog post?"

Low Country Boil

Summer's style

You will need:

2 pounds of crab legs

2 pounds of shrimp

Old Bay seasoning

Bag of red potatoes

3 packages cooked kielbasa sausage, sliced

4 ears of corn, in halves = 8 total pieces

3 cups of carrots

Step 1. Start with a huge pot (or two) full of water, season it with Old Bay and bring to a boil.The potatoes and sausage go first, and after about 10-15 minutes,

Step 2. add the crab leg pieces and corn.

Step 3. Boil for 5-10 more minutes and lastly, top it off with shrimp and carrots.

Step 4. Boil for about 5-10 more minutes and it's all finished... or should be :)

Step 5. Drain the water and serve

The best way to grub this meal down is grabbing a giant community bowl, or a few big platters - - or maybe just cover the whole table and pour it straight out after you drain all the water. Throw down some cookin tongs for the guests and then back up and point to the butter.

Ranch Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, & Lemon Zest Broccoli

Like I said in my last post, my mom came into town for the weekend. I woke up early Saturday morning to get our day going and sure enough on FoodNetwork, "Big Daddy" was cooking up some delicious-looking broccoli. So, I jotted down the recipe and thought - hey, I've got it all in my pantry so I can give it a shot.

And Okay, I know I cook this ranch chicken a lot, but it's my favorite flavor on the chicken. If you want to mix it up a little bit, bake it with italian dressing or honey mustard on top.

You will need:

1 pound of chicken strips/breasts

1/2 package of ranch seasoning

1/2 cup of ranch dressing

3-4 cups of cut broccoli

3-5 tablespoons of olive oil
(depending on amount of broccoli you have)

5 teaspoons of lemon zest

Lemon Herbs

Garlic Powder

Salt/Pepper

Red Pepper

2 tablespoons of Flour

6-8 Medium potatoes

Shredded cheese

2 Cups of milk

3 tablespoons of butter (optional)

YESSSS, I know this sounds like a lot, but just understand that a lot of these ingredients are totally optional and strictly for a new flavor. You can easily cook the broccoli plain, or with just garlic powder, or with just a lemon herb sprinkle. You don't need it all, but like I said I was just trying something I saw on TV. Also, the scalloped potatoes have a million different recipes. I just wanted to be able to bake them in the oven and have a creamy outcome without actually having a sauce to buy and put on it. So I googled a simple way to do this and it involved flour, salt, pepper, cheese, milk and butter. Again, totally optional. You can easily cut calories, fat and sodium when you leave out half the things I have listed. :)

Let's get started:

1.  Start your potatoes first because they will take the longest > about 40 minutes in the oven @ 375. Slice n dice them into thin pieces. Grease up a big baking dish with butter or a lil oil or even some PAM! To the side in a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Microwave heat 2 cups of milk for about 2-3 minutes. It needs to end up REALLY hot without bubbling out of the measuring cup like I did :)
2. Cover the bottom of the pan with the first layer of potatoes and then sprinkle half of the flour mixture on top. Then add the second layer of potatoes and sprinkle the other half of the flour mixture. Finally, top it with the third layer. Add the 3 tablespoons of butter (optional for taste and prevents burning) and pour the scolding milk over the top. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake. (After about 35-40 minutes, sprinkle shredded cheese on top and let it bake another 5-10 minutes)
3. With the chicken, nothing difficult here. I just stabbed the chicken like I was mad - so the ranch dressing soaks in deep during the baking process. I rolled them around in a tupperware with the dressing for about 3 minutes back n forth. Then I placed the strips on a baking sheet I covered in foil. Sprinkled a little bit of extra ranch seasoning on top which is optional for extra flavor, and baked in the oven maybe 15-20 minutes because my strips were relatively small and thin. Chicken bakes quickly.
4. In a skillet, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and saute the broccoli over medium heat. Sprinkle garlic powder, a little red pepper and lemon herb over the broccoli. Keep shaking and mixing the skillet so nothing sticks and burns too long. For extra flavor, I shaved a lemon down to the white layer of the peel. Just a few teaspoons of the yellow peel will really excentuate the taste. Try not to cook the broccoli longer than 8-10 minutes max just to keep the crunch!

That was a very simple meal. It's all about timing with the broccoli but everything else bakes on its own and when it's done, it's done. It's the kind of meal you can still watch your tv shows while the oven does the work. Broccoli can be saved to cook last because it could get cold if you make it too soon. My first try at this was a success and I'm sure anyone else can pull it off the same, if not better.

From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops: 10 Minutes

Yep ~ I finally did it! Mom came to town so I figured I would splurge a little and make some bacon wrapped scallops, a lil more asparagus and some fresh grown sweet potatoes from Dad's garden! Oh and I can't forget the salad I always feel the need to create :)

For this awesome dinner, you will need:

Bacon

Fresh scallops, not frozen ;\

Toothpicks (which I almost forgot)

Asparagus

Sweet Potatoes

Aluminum Foil

A lil butter

A lil brown sugar

I'm totally skipping the aspargus preparation and the salad... because I post those all the time now

*** First *** you must know the sweet potatoes take a long time so if you want these, get them started way early. Foil wrap the sweet potatoes and bake in the oven @ 375 for about 40 minutes

1.  Pre-heat the bacon for a minute or two in the microwave covered with paper towels
2. Cut the bacon in half and wrap each scallops, then toothpick them so it WORKS
3. Spray Pam the baking sheet and broil on HI for about 3-4 minutes on each side.
   DO NOT FORGET TO FLIP THEM!! You will burn them silly!
4. When you're sweet potatoes are finished, I like to heat up a little bit of butter and brown sugar in the microwave for about 45 seconds (or until it's melted) and top it on the potatoes ~ Yum

That is alllllll it takes for this meal. Side note: Scallops are great topped with a little black pepper (but I don't even like that stuff.) Also teriyaki goes great with scallops, but I'm just trying to cook without.

                                                From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!