Pizza hot dogs

While watching or shall I say listening to the Travel Channels 101 best places to eat...the hubby was mesmerized by a pizza hot dog. The bread was a pizza roll cut in half, stuffed with two deep fried hot dogs, peppers and onions, and what looked like agratin potatoes, then topped with pizza sauce. OMG!!! Talk about a heartburn special..lol. So I thought I would make something that still gave him the flavor of a pizza with his hot dog. This is what I came up with.

Salami sliced in strips
Pepperoni sliced in strips
Pizza sauce
Shredded cheese
Steak rolls
Hot dogs

I preheated the oven to 450°F. Lined a 9" pan with foil and place steak rolls open inside.
I spread the pizza sauce fairly thick on the rolls, then sprinkled some cheese on top of that.
I microwaved the hot dogs just enough to heat them through. Then split them in half.
Place one hot dog in each bun with it open like a butterflied steak.
Top with strips of salami and pepperoni.
Place one half of the third hot dog on top of the hot dog and salami.
Put a bit more pizza sauce on top of the whole thing...
And top with cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil and place in the center of the oven.
Bake for about 10 minutes, uncover and bake until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.
Enjoy!!!

Breakfast toasted cheese

This morning was day two of cleaning out the fridge and using up some odds and ends. I had fried up a bunch of bacon for last night's dinner and for some odd and amazing reason had some left over. I didnt feel like cooking up a whole ordeal of a breakfast this morning for the hubby since he is the only one eating...so I came up with this. I was thinking of just a fried egg sandwhich for him then the goofy foodie in me turned the light on...lol.

So a quick gather of eggs, bread, margarine, bacon, cheddar and American cheese and we had breakfast. Hubby likes his yolks runny (yuck lol) so I fried the egg first then started piling everything on. It got rave reviews from hubby and my kids (who were disappointed they only got to lick the plate).

I hope you let your imagination fly and have fun in the kitchen. Enjoy and I hope you liked it.

Banana sour cream waffles

The weekend is here my time to cook something a bit special. The hubby could eat sausage and eggs or bacon and eggs every day but I get tired of making the same thing time after time. So the weekend is my creative time. My time to spend a bit more time in the kitchen, a time to try new recipes that are a bit more labor intensive or something that you would like to sit and savor more than a weekday meal.

Today's plan was to make banana sour cream waffles with either bananas foster topping or sweetened strawberry compote. I slept in a bit longer than expected....so it turned out to be just banana sour cream waffles..lol. I didn't hear any complaints though from the hubby! Oh they made the house smell wonderful!! Not quite as good as banana bread but ohhh so close! Nothing better than a house that just fills your senses with the smell of food cooking!! Now that is comfort to me any day!

These waffles have a strong banana flavor that comes through but not over powering at all. They would make a nice base for any topping and I could even see them being used as the bread for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or if you are adventurous a peanut butter banana and marshmallow sandwich...I however am NOT that adventurous...lol

This is an incredibly easy recipe that takes no time to whip together and would be a lovely weekday breakfast that your family would love.

So enough of me rambling on...let's get in that kitchen and get cooking!!!

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg - separated (beat egg white until stiff)
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter - melted
1 medium banana - mashed

Directions:

Heat waffle iron per manufacturer's instructions.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. Set aside.

In separate bowl, whisk together egg yolk, sour cream, milk, butter and banana. Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until blended. Fold in beaten egg white.

Pour batter from cup or ladle onto center of hot waffle iron. *If the batter seems a bit too thick you can add a bit more milk to it to loosen it up a bit. I kept mine thicker as my waffle iron is a Belgian waffle iron with the deeper grooves so it handles the thicker batter. One thing to remember with this batter that I totally flaked on..is the sugar content of them from the banana. I normally just oil a paper towel and grease my waffle iron and well it wasn't enough. I don't normally like using cooking spray but didn't have time to melt some butter to grease it but the cooking spray worked well.* 

Bake about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Remove waffle carefully.

I know I didn't plate it pretty for the photo but once the waffle iron gets hot and cooking it's hard to stop especially when the hubby eats them almost faster than I can cook them...lol They cook up nice and crisp and are nice and light as well. I hope you give them a try. Enjoy everyone...and enjoy being in that kitchen!

Peachy pork steaks

The days and nights have been crazy busy around here so I have picked another quick and easy dinner to prepare.

Hubby told me he really enjoyed this one as even though I couldn't try it I think there are a few changes that I would make to it nothing major but I think little touches that would perk it up a bit. But for now...here is the original recipe...so let's get cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Pork blade steaks (1/2")
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup peach nectar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon
hot cooked rice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoons Parsley; freshly chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Cook steaks in hot oil over medium heat in a large skillet until lightly browned on both sides. Drain off pan dripping. Sprinkle steaks with salt, pepper, and basil. *I always season my meat first before cooking that way as the meat cooks and opens up the seasoning is drawn into the meat. You can always add more seasoning after you have cooked it to adjust the flavor.*

Combine peach nectar, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and bouillon cubes; pour over steaks. Simmer 30 minutes or until steaks are tender. Place steaks over rice on a serving platter, and keep warm.

Combine cornstarch and water; add to nectar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in parsley.

Spoon half of gravy over steaks. Serve remaining gravy with steaks.
 

 

Now the only changes I am thinking I would make would be to maybe add fresh peaches as hubby told me the peach flavor was very subtle and with the peaches a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon to the spices. I will play around with the recipe when life calms down a bit and will link to it. I hope you give this recipe a try and as always I would love to hear how you liked it and if you would change anything. Enjoy being in the kitchen and I will see you cooking again!

Bacon and Cheese stuffed Chicken breasts

It's been a long stressful day today but thanks to careful planning and making a meal menu for the week, dinner wasn't part of that stress. I know not every day is going to be a joy in the kitchen but it can be bearable if you let it be.

Since I have a hungry hubby it's time to get in that kitchen and start cooking. So please grab your aprons and won't you join me for a quick chicken dinner big enough to feed the hungriest of men.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded flat

4 slicesBacon; cooked crumbled

1 1/2 ounce colby cheddar cheese; shredded

1 teaspoonCorn starch

2/3 cupChicken broth

2 tablespoonParsley; chopped

1 dashSalt & pepper

1/4 teaspoonPaprika 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream Directions: Cook bacon in large skillet till crisp, remove bacon and crumble Place bacon and cheese on one half of the breast Place the other half over on top of it Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika Heat bacon grease to med-high heat Add chicken and cook 5 mins per side Reduce heat to med-low Cover and cook for 10 mins or until done Remove chicken and keep warm Stir cornstarch into chicken broth Add to skillet and bring to boil, stirring Cook 3 mins until thickened Add parsley and whipping cream The way I plated this tonight was I put the chicken down sprinkled a bit more cheese over the top of the chicken then spooned the gravy over that. I do believe it was a success tonight. As you can see the kids were fixed on hubby's every move and bite tonight. It got rave reviews and was worth the time it took to cook it up. I hope you try this one...it's quick easy and very filling. Enjoy everyone.

Chicken Breasts a la Normande

I have spent most of the day fighting to keep food down to no avail. With this struggle the hubby has been eating things that are quick to fix and eat like corn dogs, pizza pockets, and easy skillet combinations that I have whipped up. So tonight since he was hungry, and I have settled on protein shakes until I can get my eating and body back to functioning order, I decided to make something that he would really enjoy.

Thanks to a very well stocked pantry and refrigerator I had everything on hand and was able to whip this up in about half an hour. Ohhh and the house smelled wonderful!! So let's gather up the ingredients and get cooking...my mouth is watering...how about yours?

INGREDIENTS

1 package Foster Farms Boneless Skinless Breast Fillets (I used 4 6ounce chicken breasts)
flour with salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup brandy (preferably apple brandy)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
2 small green apples
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Place four, salt, and pepper in a ziploc or plastic bag and shake breasts in flour. Heat oil in skillet to medium-high. Add breasts and saute 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until golden. Remove breasts and discard oil.

2. Add 1/2 cup brandy to skillet and return breasts. Place over high heat, ignite carefully, then immediately cover to put out flame.

3. Again, remove breasts. Add cream to skillet and reduce liquid, by boiling, to half its original volume. Add butter and shake pan until butter melts.

4. Peel, core and slice apples thinly. Stir sugar and remaining brandy into skillet. Add apple slices. Bring to a boil and cook one minute. Place breasts on warm serving platter, surround with apples and top with sauce.

 

Viola!!! Dinner is ready!! Now wasn't that easy! Quick simple and oh so tasty...well so I've heard...lol It got a seal of approval from the hubby and the kids. 

 



I hope you give this a try and please let me now how you liked it and if you made any changes. Enjoy everyone...and have fun cooking!

Pepperoni pizza cresents

Since my lap band fill, I am tied to protein shakes and cottage cheese but the hubby still has to eat. Last night we had a late lunch and I didn't think he would want any dinner. Well I had thought wrong lol. Hubby got hungrier than the munchies so I whipped up this quick snack/meal for him. Terribly easy and quick and if your house is anything like mine, you have these ingredients in your pantry all the time. So let's grab those ingredients and get cooking...it's time to eat!

Ingredients:
1 tube Pilsbury Crescent Rolls
Pizza sauce or spaghetti sauce
Pepperoni
Velveeta cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees as instructed on crescent roll package.

Unroll out the triangles and spread about 2 teaspoons of sauce on the crescent triangle.

 

Next place desired amount of pepperoni on the crescent.

 

Then place desired amount of cheese on top of the pepperoni. My pieces are about a quarter inch square by the length of the short side of the brick of Velveeta.

 

Roll them up and do your best to close the ends by a simple twist, doesn't have to be perfect they will seal up pretty good as they cook and rise.

 

Cook for about 14 minutes. They will be a bit doughy if you don't, The added moisture of the sauce slows them in the cooking.

 

And here you go! Quick, easy, and very filling! Great for football parties, quick dinners, or just all around snacking! Hubby believe it or not ate them ALL!!! lol. Enjoy and remember, cooking doesn't always have to be labor intensive and hard...sometimes the quick and easy ones bring just as big of a smile. It's the love that goes into it that makes all the difference!

Copycat Chili's Spicy Garlic & Lime Shrimp

I came across a great deal on some shrimp at Bel Air! They had two pounds of shrimp for $10! I had to jump on it! I could eat my weight in shrimp...hmmm probably not something I should admit...lol

Anyway I love love love the shrimp at Chili's so I went searching for a copycat recipe. I have searched high and low and I think this is the closest I can find. I am going to make it tonight by the recipe, which is how I do most new recipes - try them how they are written and then change them to my taste if need be.

I found the recipe here at Food.com

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 clove of garlic pressed
• 24 fresh large shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 lime

Seasoning:

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Directions:

Make the seasoning blend by combining all the spices in a small bowl.

 

My $5 Monday deal from Bel Air. Two pounds for $10!!

 

*A quick tutorial on an easy and quick way to peel shrimp.

• First peel back the sides of the skin that has been split by deveining and place your index and thumb under it grabbing the sides of the shrimp.
• Second slide your fingers down from the sides of the shrimp just above the legs and start to squeeze the shrimp from the skin.
• Third, as you are squeezing the legs and shell from the skin grab hold of the base of the tail and squeeze and pull gently. Viola! The skin should come off!

 

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.

Add butter to the pan.

When the butter is melted, stir in the pressed garlic.

 

Immediately, add the shrimp to the pan.

 

Cut the lime in half and squeeze each half into the pan over the shrimp.

Sprinkle the entire seasoning blend over the shrimp, and give it all a good stir.

 

Saute the shrimp for 5 to 8 minutes or until they begin to brown.

Be sure to cook both sides of all the shrimp.

When I fixed this there was too much butter and liquid to get that nice crunchy crust to it. So next time I will either cut down on the butter or I will instead of cooking them in a pan, do them on the grill. But either way they were soooo tasty!!! Loved them in the shrimp tacos we made. Definitely worth another go around to tweak the recipe here and there. I will let you know when I revamp it. But I hope you try this and enjoy it as much as we did!
 

Blueberry pie filling

I was cleaning out the freezer yesterday and came across a half a bag of blueberries. I had originally thought about making smoothies for hubby with it but they were frozen so tightly together I was afraid to crush them trying to break them apart. So I set them in the fridge to defrost to make something out of them later, maybe muffins.

When I woke up this morning hubby asked what's for breakfast. Ugh, I wasn't feeling like eating anything but as a dutiful wife....lol. I went into the kitchen thinking about just throwing together some sausage and eggs and some frozen pancakes reheated. Then I saw the blueberries and thought...french toast is easy and I can make blueberry pie filling to top them and use the remaining filling to make individual pies for hubby later. I don't particularly like blueberries so anything I make with them is sort of hit and miss and the hubby has to do the taste testing for me (which I know he absolutely can't stand!!! lol).

So here are the ingredients I used and the approximate measurements of them.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a saucepan. I like to use a whisk to mix them up breaking up any lumps especially of the cornstarch. Add the water. Cook over medium-high heat till it boils stirring constantly.

Add the blueberries and return to boiling stirring constantly being careful not to crush the berries. The mixture will become thicker and the juice will get more clear.

It took about 4-6 minutes for it to become the thickness I wanted. If after this time it's not as thick as you want you can add more cornstarch to the mix. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with just enough water to make it liquid. Pour it into the mixture and continue to stir till it's boiling again to see how it thickens.

Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Viola! Blueberry pie filling!

I made the french toast for the hubby and took it to him and it was if it was Christmas day! His eye lit up and a smile from ear to ear. That my friends is the best part of cooking!! I hope this inspires you to give it a try and see just how easy it is to have homemade goodness in just a few minutes.

Double lemon sour cream pie

I had some lemons leftover from around Christmas time and needed to do something with them before I lost them to mold. So of course my first thought was lemon pie! LOL wouldn't that be YOUR first choice :-) Ever since I tasted Marie Calendars sour cream lemon pie I knew that I had to create something similar but with more lemon flavor! I love that slight pucker but sweet flavor of a lemon! So I thought now is the time! This recipe is a combination of my grandma's Lemon Meringue pie and an adaptation for the sour cream lemon layer. Grab your aprons and get ready to pucker up! This recipe makes two 9" pies so there is plenty to keep you smiling and enough to share if you dare...lol

Double lemon sour cream pie

Bottom layer
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
2 Tablespoons lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 cups boiling water

Directions:
In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup water into dry ingredients.

 

Put 1 1/2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Slowly add the moistened dry ingredients. Boil until thick and clear. Stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Temper egg yolks, then add to the thickened base. Cook another minute.

Remove from heat. Add lemon rind and lemon juice. Divide mixture into two baked pie shells.

 
Top layer:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
3 egg yolks slightly beaten
1/4 cup butter
2 Tablespoons lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:
In a sauce pan mix together sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually add the milk to the pan stirring constantly until to just bubbling but not boiling. The mixture will be thick just like the bottom layer. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes more stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Temper the eggs then add to the saucepan and cook for 2 more minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat add butter, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

Then fold in the sour cream.

Divide the mixture into the two pie shells.

Mmmm the finished product! *If you don't plan on eating it right away, which if you can resist you are a stronger person than I...lol, take some Saran Wrap and over the tops so a thick skin like a pudding pie doesn't form. You could also top this with meringue if you like meringue, I just don't happen to like it* I had to wait an entire day to find out if it was good or not as I sent one of the pies to work with the hubby for him and the guys at work. I kept the other pie here at home and had to nearly chain myself to the radiator to keep out of it...lol Not to mention I had two of my favorite kitchen helpers with me dying to try it as well....

Meet Sasha the baby...she's 6 months old and those eyes!!! How can you not spoil a kid with such a cute face...lol

And meet Rocky, my big boy! He's 11 months old and always has that wrinkly brow...I can't resist either one!

 

Mmmm makes my mouth water to post this too....to bad there is no more pie and I'm not about to make some more...not yet...lol!!

 

I hope you try this recipe! It's a nice balance of sweet and light pucker of the lemon. Enjoy! As always I would love to hear your thoughts and if you liked it! Happy baking everyone....now let's eat some pie!!!!!