Ham, Potato & Bean Soup

I did not take any pics of my thanksgiving feast this year, because we had family visiting & I forgot. But I did make this delicious soup with some thanksgiving leftovers. If you are looking for a way to re-invent your thanksgiving grub give this recipe a try!

6 cups of water
4-7 slices of diced leftover thanksgiving ham
1 diced onion
celery & carrots chopped
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
1 cup of mashed potatoes
2 -3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can of navy beans
1 bay leaf
black pepper

Put everything in the crockpot on low for 7 hours. Eat & Enjoy!

Sticky Buns!

Not dinner, I know, but I had to share with you! They are delicious! Make sure you eat them shortly after they come out of the oven! If you have some left over warm in microwave or they might crack your teeth! The 'sticky' sugar part does get hard!

BUN in the OVEN Theme Baby Shower - click here: bun

Sticky Bun Recipe

·        12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·        1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

·        1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces

·        1 package ( 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

     For the filling:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Red Pepper - Chicken Fajitas

2 chicken breasts (marinated in A1 red pepper marinade)
1/2 white onion - sliced
1/2 red bell pepper - sliced
tortillas
  optional toppings ~ sour cream, cheese, hot sauce, & salsa.

Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney

2 Mahi Mahi filets
Lemon juice
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of black pepper

Mango Chutney recipe
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tbsp diced garlic
1/2 large diced onion
1 red bell pepper diced
1 diced mango
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Bake the mahi mahi at 400 for 10-15 minutes. This fish has the skin still on it & has a very fishy taste. The chutney is a paleo recipe, so it was not as sweet as I would have liked it, but it was very healthy. Also the recipe for the chutney did not say how long to cook it for I would say it needs a good 35- 50 minutes for it to soften.  I see areas for improvement, & I can't wait to tweak this recipe & make it my own!

Whole Wheat - French Toast

6 slices of whole wheat bread
3 eggs
1 can of evaporated milk (5oz)
1 tbsp cinnamon (or more!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar

Toast the bread first in the toaster. Wisk together ingredients for the batter. Slice toasted bread in half (makes it easier to flip & you can fit more in skillet!) Soak bread in batter & then cook in heated skillet until browned. Serve with powdered sugar & syrup on top!  Eat this for breakfast or dinner!

Zucchini - Turkey Lasagna

1 lb ground turkey
1 white diced onion
2 tbsp diced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
1 jar of pasta sauce
shredded mozzarella cheese
grated parm cheese
3 medium zucchini
Think I have perfected my recipe... you may think with turkey this dish would be bland, but that is not the case! Make sure you add lots of garlic, dried herbs & black pepper & your taste buds will rejoice! Cook the turkey completely in skillet with onions & garlic. Add seasonings & sauce. Use a mandoline slicer to easily slice the zucchini in even slivers. Layer like normal lasagna but use the zucchini in place of the noodles! Bake at 355 for 45-60 mins, how long you cook will depend on if you like your zucchini al dente or not.
 Happy cooking my friends!
~ B

Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes

1 cup of cabernet sauvignon
2-4 cups beef broth (enough to cover roast)
1 white onion (sliced)
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp black pepper
Add a tbsp of olive oil & brown the roast beef on all sides, inside a cast iron pan. Add in all of the rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil & then turn down to low for 4-6 hours.

Mini pizzas

Tonight we had cute little mini pizzas! I made some bread with my BreadMan bread maker today. And I cut the loaf into slices to use as the crust! To make the bread, I add wheat germ & flax seeds to up the nurtitional value! After slicing the bread, I topped with some pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese & turkey pepperoni. I always add extra diced garlic & oregano to the pre-made sauces, makes it extra yummy!