Spicy Chili with homemade Cornbread

I am going to be honest- my cornbread did not taste very good at all! I am going to try the recipe on the corn meal bag next time & share that with you if it turns out! My chili was very spicy & meaty! I don't have a recipe that I use, I just add in what I have on hand. I made it a little too spicy this time, so if that happens you can always add a little bit of shredded chedder & crush crackers on top!

Chili

1.5 lbs of 93 lean ground beef
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato puree
- Add to taste: chili powder, seasoning salt, garlic powder, parsley, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili pepper flakes

BBQ Pizza

With the left over BBQ Beef that we had from last night's dinner, I made this pizza! It's good to have something different but still eat your leftovers!

BBQ Beef Pizza
1 packet of Fleishmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
Water
Sugar
Oil
1 3/4 cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pasta/Pizza Sauce
BBQ beef with BBQ sauce

Follow the directions on the yeast packet to make the crust. Chop up the shredded beef & add several tablespoons of BBQ sauce. Spread the red sauce & a little bit of cheese on the crust. Then sprinkle the beef all over the entire pie & add extra cheese on top. Sprinkle salt & pepper on top if desired. I like to bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

1 Choice Beef Roast
1 onion
2-3 Beef bouillon cubes
Water
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Seasoning Salt

First, brown the beef roast in a saute pan for a minute or so on each side. Prepare the crockpot with the beef bouillon & water about 4 cups, just enough to cover the top of the meat. Place the beef in the crockpot. Then slice the onions & put a few tablespoons of water in saute pan & add the onions. Add a sprinkle of seasoning salt to onions. Then add onions to crockpot. Cook on low for about 9 hours. Shred the beef with two forks & reserve some of the juice to keep the meat moist. I usually put the beef on at about 7 or 8 am & it's ready by dinner time!

Baked Lemon Tilapia

Line your baking pan with foil & spray with cooking oil spray for easy clean up! Pour about a tsp of lemon juice over each fish filet & rub in with your fingers. I have a large bottle of real lemon juice that I always keep in my fridge; so whenever a recipe calls for a splash of lemon juice, I don't have to buy a lemon! I like to use a zesty lemon seasoning by Weber, along with some extra ground pepper on top of the fish. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes. I served the tilapia with some cheesy rice & peas.

Cornish Game Hens

Last night we both had our own bird! I have never made these before, and I was worried how they would turn out, but they tasted delicious! I didn't have the cherry preserves as listed below in the recipe, so I used the little bit of strawberry that I had & then added extra sugar & brown sugar so that the glaze would caramelize. Without the cherry preserves the hens weren't as red as I would have liked them to be but my glaze still tasted good. I also made green bean casserole & some stove top stuffing for the sides!

Crimson Cherry-Glazed Holiday Hens
2 tbsp of diced garlic
2 Cornish Game Hens (1 hen per person)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/3 cup of diced shallot or onion
2 tbsp of butter
1 12oz jar of cherry preserves (with whole cherries)
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp of cloves

1| Preheat oven to 375. Make sure to dab the hens with a paper towel to remove all excess moisture, after removing from packaging. Then rub the skins with garlic & olive oil. Twist & tuck the wing tips underneath the back, (same as you would do for a turkey). Sprinkle with the salt & pepper all over hen. Tie the tail to the legs, with kitchen twine.
2| Roast for 1 hour to 1 & 30 mins, you want the thigh temp to be 180 degrees.
3| When the hens are almost finished in the oven make the glaze: Cook garlic & onion in the hot butter, for about 3 mins. Stir in the preserves, vinegar, allspice & cloves. Bring to boiling; reduce the heat but keep the pot boiling gently for about 20 minutes, continue to stir until it reaches glaze consistency. Take the hens out of the oven & pour the glaze over the top & serve! *This glaze makes quite a bit more than needed for only 2 hens, so I would not pour the entire batch on them, you don't want it to be overwhelmingly sweet.

And P.S.> The trick to really good green bean casserole is to put a dash of soy sauce & lots of ground black pepper in with the mushroom soup mixture!

Happy cooking!
~B

Brooke's Chicken Soup

Tonight I wanted to come up with something new that I had never made before. I created this soup without a recipe & it actually turned out really good. My husband & I have both been battling winter colds, so soup was a perfect dinner! Also, I sprinkled a little bit of shredded chedder on top, I am a proud American, you can never have too much cheese!

Brooke's Chicken Soup

2-3 boneless chicken breasts
1 can of corn
1 can of pinto beans
1/2 an onion (diced)
2-3 cubes of Wyler's instant bouillon (chicken)
1 small can of tomato paste
Dash or two of garlic powder & seasoning salt (to taste)
about 4 cups of water
Pinch of dried thyme
Shredded chedder for the top!

I cooked the chicken separately first in a saute pan. I also carmelized the onions before adding to my crockpot with the other ingredients. I drained all of the water out of the corn & beans cans, so that I could control the amount of salt better. I slow cooked my soup on low heat for several hours in my crockpot, it lets the flavors get married to each other & it makes the chicken tender. If you don't have a crock pot, you can slow cook the soup on your stove top in a cast iron pan or a regular pot either will work!

I am loving my warm & happy tummy! Thank you God that I never go hungry: I am blessed!
Until next time!
~B

Tuna Alfredo Linguine

Our dinner tonight was very affordable, delicious & fast. I steamed the frozen broccoli on its own & then used a paper towel to absorb the excess water before adding it to the sauce. I also made some frozen garlic bread for a quick & easy side. You can add a sprinkle of parm on the top of your pasta for some more added flavor too!

Linguine Box Pasta
3 cans of tuna
Frozen Broccoli
Jar of Alfredo Sauce
Dash of Black Pepper

Have a Good Night!
~B

Meat & Potatoes YAY!

We love our meat & potatoes! This is a classic meatloaf with mashed potatoes & beef gravy. I also made a side of canned green beans. I am all about easy hearty meals. I use canned campbells gravy, the kind in the glass jar tastes the best to me! I slow cooked the green beans with diced onions & butter. If you don't have all of the spices listed change it up, this past time I didn't have any parsley so I used basil instead, don't skimp out on flavor.

My Classic Meatloaf

1-1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
2 tbs of diced onions
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp dried parsley
1 to 2 tsp of seasoning salt
1 tsp of ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk

~Sauce on top
1/4 cup of ketchup
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp of mustard

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, the last ten minutes take it out & put sauce on top & stick it back in your oven.

Momma's Classic Chicken Parm

Tonight's din din was fabulous! If I do say so myself. I made my Momma's chicken parm with mashed potatoes & chicken gravy & peas. I changed her chicken recipe & add bread crumbs & panko instead of crackers.

Chicken Breast
Bread Crumbs
Panko Bread Crumbs
Parm Cheese
Salt & Pepper
3 Eggs
Flour


Put the flour in one plate, then the eggs in the next plate, and the bread crumbs & cheese mixture in the third plate. Cut the chicken in half & pound out the chicken flat. Then dip chicken in the plates in the order listed, & place in skillet with oil & fry until cooked in the center.

Rosemary/Sage Chicken

Tonight we had this delicious whole chicken! It was about 5lbs, so I cooked it on 375 for 1 and half hours, with foil over it. I made a butter mixture which I rubbed underneath the its skin. I mixed together 1 stick of butter, garlic, salt, pepper, dried rosemary & sage. I also cut an onion in half & stuck that in its butt. It turned out pretty good, very moist! My husband was quite happy! I am excited to cook another chicken & perfect my recipe even further. I think next time I will remove the foil earlier for a crispier skin. Also I think I might try rubbing some plain butter on the outside of the skin as well, because I have done that with turkey before.
Happy cooking!
~B

Caribbean Jerk Chicken

I marinated the chicken for about 6 hours & then poured the extra sauce in while cooking as well. I love lots of cinnamon in my sweet potatoes, gives good flavor & then you don't have to add as much sugar!

Chicken Breasts
Caribbean Jerk Marinade (Store bought)
Sweet Potatoes
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
butter

BBQ Chicken Salad

I have been seriously slacking. Here is my bbq chicken salad. I added some canned corn with some turkey bacon chopped up. I cooked the chicken in bbq sauce the last few minutes of cooking. Yummy!

Spicy chicken with sweet potatoes & broccoli

Tonight, we had chicken with cajun seasonings. Also I fixed some sweet potatoes with cinnamon, sugar & butter. I steamed the broccoli in a regular pan with a little bit of butter, water, salt & pepper, cover with a lid.
Yummy!
~ B

Chicken lettuce wraps

So there aren't many restaurants where we live. And tonight I was wanting something restaurant-y. I made lettuce wraps! Super inexpensive & easy. I added a little bit of onions for flavor & to keep the chicken moist. I must warn you, make sure you have plenty of napkins on hand, it's very messy! I used four napkins!

~Chicken Lettuce Wraps
2-3 Boneless Chicken breasts
1 jar of hoisin sauce
1 head of iceburg lettuce
1/2 Cup of peanuts
1-2 tbsp of diced onion

First cook & cut the chicken in chunks. Add in the onion during the last few minutes of cooking. Then add the hoisin sauce & peanuts, mix well. Cut off of the end of the lettuce & separate for the wraps. Makes about 3-4 wraps each for 2 people. Place chicken inside each piece of lettuce.
Wrap up like a burrito & eat it!
~B

Greek Chicken Pita

On tonight's menu: Chicken pita's with lettuce, feta cheese & homemade tzatziki sauce! I bought whole wheat pitas for some extra fiber. A little tip: I always make sure when purchasing feta cheese, I get the block, not the already crumbled one. If they have already crumbled it for you, then that's more work for them & that means you are paying more for a lesser amount of cheese! I cooked the chicken with a little bit of oil in a pan & some cajun seasonings(for a little heat). I used some left over lettuce from last night's salad & whipped up the tzatziki sauce in no time. You must make the sauce a few hours ahead of dinner, so the flavors have time to get to know each other.

~Tzatziki Sauce
2 cups of plain greek yogurt
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1-2 garlic cloves
1 cucumber
1 tbsp of dried dill
salt & pepper (to taste)

Put yogurt in a bowl & set to the side. Prepare the rest of the ingredients to go into a food processor. Cut around the seeds of the cucumber & cut into chunks. Place the cucumber on paper towels & try to get as much water out as possible. Then mix all the ingredients in the food processor. Add the ingredients to the yogurt bowl & stir. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before eating!

Go greek tonight!
~B

Ahi Tuna Salad

Tonight we went healthy & simple. I pan seared the ahi tuna with old bay seasoning on my hubby's tuna steak and on mine just salt & pepper, because I hate old bay. I bought a head of romaine lettuce & chopped it up while the tuna was cooking. My husband likes his tuna pretty rare, but I like mine cooked all the way, I think it's just a texture thing. I know, I know, a well done tuna steak is probably a culinary sin. That's why I took a picture of my husband's plate instead. I also chopped up some baby carrots, and on top we had ginger dressing!
Delicious! Try it!
~B

Crab cakes with rice & corn on the cob

Last night I made these crab cakes! It's a Paula Deen receipe that I tweaked to make it easier for me. I have to be honest I burnt myself with the hot oil several times, I always seem to no matter what. I also just made some easy cheesy chicken flavored rice. You could serve these cakes with some of your favorite sauce, but I think the cheesy rice helps them not seem dry. And in the frozen vegetable section they had corn on the cob. So I boiled them & they only took about 5 minutes to cook!

~ Crab Cakes
3-4 cans of crab meat
1/3 cup of bread crumbs
1 tbsp of chopped onion or you can use green onion
1/2 cup of chopped bell pepper (you can use green or red)
1/4 cup of mayo
1 egg
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp of dry mustard
1 tsp of lemon juice
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of seasoning salt
1 dash of cayenne pepper - or more if you are me!

Flour for dusting
1/2 cup of peanut oil

Mix together all ingredients expect for flour & oil. Shape into patties, should make about 4-6 patties. Dust them with the flour on top & bottom. Heat oil in your skillet to medium/high heat. Then you can test to see if the oil is hot by placing a little piece of the crab in it, & if it bubbles then you are ready. Place the cakes in the pan & cook on each side for about 5 minutes. After they are finished cooking place them on a plate with paper towels to soak up some of that grease! Then serve!

Our cookie jar is full!

Ok so I know, this isn't dinner. I haven't been cooking the past few nights because my husband has been working late. It's hard sometimes being an Army wife when he doesn't come home for dinner. I believe that dinner is so important. It's a time to reconnect & talk about your day with the ones that you love. My hubby happens to be in a unit that doesn't deploy currently, but that does not mean that he works a 9 to 5 job, by any means. So we have just been eating sandwiches for din din.
Today I made some chocolate chip cookies because I was really wanting to be in the kitchen & create something! This recipe is one I had in my cookbooks, that I tweaked to make them even more delicious! The original recipe didn't have baking powder, & before the cookies would always fall & look super flat. I added an additional teaspoon of vanilla, I learned that from my momma. Also the original recipe had shortening in it. I don't know what it is about shortening but it looks SO gross; so I eliminated it & changed it to all butter baby! My girl Paula Dean would be so proud.

~Brooke's Chocolate Chip cookies

2 sticks of butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 package of milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter & sugars, soda, powder & salt. Beat in eggs & vanilla. Stir in flour. Last mix in the chocolate chips. Use a cookie dough scooper to make even & round on cookie sheet. Bake for 7-8 minutes. Enjoy!

Turkey Burger

Super easy turkey burgers were on the menu tonight. Ground turkey can be very bland if you just make it without seasonings. And did I mention, I like my buns toasted! So I didn't have any sliced cheese, so instead I melted some shredded cheddar on the tops of these burgers. For the side, I just baked some frozen french fries. Easy dinner, & it was better for us than fast food!

1 lb. Ground Turkey
1 tbsp of minced onion
1 tsp of seasoning salt
1 tsp of black pepper
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 tbsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of dried sage

Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Optional condiment - Mayo mixed with some cayenne pepper (I like some heat)
Hamburger Buns

Until tommorrow.
~B

Mi piace la pizza!

I LOVE pizza! The pizza I made for lunch today had turkey pepperoni, baby portobella mushrooms, green bell peppers, & a little bit of onion. I was able to use some of the mushrooms I had left over from the risotto I made last night. I made the crust using Fleischmann's pizza yeast packets, it's really easy & fast. I make the crust with half all-purpose flour & half whole wheat flour, to get some fiber! I also like to add dried herbs & seasoning salt to the dough.
The entire pizza only took about 35 minutes to make, which is faster than a delivery place! I love Classico jar sauce but then I mix in a small can of tomato paste, with some oregano & diced garlic. I love really thick sauce, so that is why I add the paste, just my personal preference.

Try making some homemade pizza with your family tonight!
Buona notte!
~B

Bacon wrapped Steak with Risotto & Asparagus

I can't wait to tell you what I made for tonight's yummy dinner! I purchased the center cut- bacon wrapped steak at the Commissary for about $6.00 for two, amazing deal! I sauted some asparagus with a little butter & salt & pepper. I cheated & made some boxed risotto, but it was organic! Now that I am more comfortable making it, maybe I will try from scratch next time! I also sliced & sauted some fresh baby portobella mushrooms with a little olive oil. When the risotto was almost finished cooking, I then mixed in the mushrooms & some grated parmesan cheese.

Our stomachs are quite pleased!
~B

Chinese Chicken with Rice

I must confess, last night's attempt at scallops with linguine was a complete disaster!! My lemon butter sauce was awful, the scallops were dinky & sticking to my pan, even though I used oil & dried them off before trying to pan sear them. It was un-salvagable so I threw it all in the trash & we went to get a burger instead.
So I decided to post what I made for lunch today! I haven't ever tried hoisin sauce, but it was delicious! I added a little bit of the chili garlic sauce as well to give it just a little heat. This is super easy to make, the ingredients are listed below!
2 to 3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar of Hoisin Sauce (You should be able to find in asian section of your store)
2 tbsp of Chili Garlic Sauce (Asian section again)
1 small can of water chestnuts
1/2 Bag of frozen broccoli florets
Brown Rice

Happy cooking!
~B

BBQ Meatloaf with Garlic Mashed Potatoes & slow cooked Green Beans

My first post- hooray! Tonight for dinner we are having a traditional meal but with a little twist. I made meatloaf but with bbq sauce on top. At our house we LOVE BBQ sauce! The BBQ sauce that I buy is not vinegar based, but it has brown sugar in it. There for, it eliminates an extra ingredient for the topping & it gets crystalized just the same way as the traditional meatloaf does.
To add in some extra veggies, I put some baby carrots in the food processor along with the onions. You might be seriously missing the gravy with the mashed potatoes, but a little bbq sauce on the side gives them just enough moisture. My husband & I are also lovers of garlic; so the garlic & parsley gives the tators nice flavor. I prefer to leave some of the skins on the potatoes. I think it looks pretty but also gives good texture when you are eating it, not to mention more nutrients! Check out my receipe & see if this is something your family might like for dinner tonight!


BBQ Meatloaf
1-2 lbs. of ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 of an onion chopped
1/2 cup of chopped carrots
1 tbsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of dried oregano (just bc i love it)
1 tsp of dried sage
Dash of pepper & salt
2 tbsp of Hickory Smoked BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all of the ingredients except for the BBQ sauce together in a bowl. I like to have disposable rubber gloves in my kitchen for this part, so I can get it mixed really well without having to worry about it getting under my fingernails. Put mixture in a loaf baking pan. Then bake for about 50-60 minutes, depending on your oven. The last 10 minutes of cooking, take out the meatloaf & cover the top with the bbq sauce. Then return to oven for the last few minutes.


Garlic Mashed Potatoes
3 small baking potatoes
1-2 tbsp of dried parsley
1-2 tbsp of chopped garlic
Dash of salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp of butter

Slow cooked Green Beans
1 can of green beans
2 tbsp of diced onion
Canned green beans can be really good. Cut off a 1/4 or less of the same onion you have left over from the meatloaf. Dice the onion, & place it into a pot with the beans. Then add butter, some pepper & salt. About 30 minutes before the meatloaf is ready, turn the beans pan on Med heat. Then after the butter melts, turn it back down to low & cover. When the loaf is done, the beans will be done too.


Affordable & easy dinners don't have to be bland! Don't be so serious in the kitchen, I don't always measure. Cooking doesn't have to be as exact as baking is, just have fun. Now for the not so fun part, washing dishes...
Until next time
~B