Pepper Steak With Sweet Red Sauce

 Steak-
1 lb. ground beef, 1 egg, 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, 1 tsp. Worcestershire,
 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. garlic powder depending on taste. 
2 Tbsp oil, cooking spray.

Mix all steak ingredients except for flour and oil, and make into 6 or 8 patties. 
Spray skillet (I use electric skillet.)
Add oil, then brown steak patties on both sides in oil. Remove from skillet and place aside. Turn heat off. Save oil for sauce.

Sauce-
4 Tbsp. flour, 6 medium sized tomatoes diced, 1 onion diced,
1 red pepper diced (Red is easier on digestion),
1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper,  
3 Tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. Worcestershire, about 2 cups water.

Turn heat back on. Brown flour in oil.   Mix other ingredients together. Stir into browned flour and oil mixture. Gradually stir in water. Add meat patties. Simmer on low until meat is done in center, about 30 minutes. Taste great over mashed potatoes, pasta or rice.

Blessings!

Lisa

Southern Style Chicken n' Dressing (Or you can use turkey)

This may look like a complicated process but it isn't. Dressing is NOT one of those recipes that you have to follow verbatim.

Ingredients:
First you have to make cornbread to go in the dressing. A lot of times I just freeze leftover cornbread to use for dressing. Even the Martha White website suggests doing this.

Cornbread for the dressing
Ingredients:
Martha White Self-Rising Flour
Martha White Self-Rising Cornmeal (I like the buttermilk kind)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil to mix in cornbread
1/4 cup canola oil to put in skillet

1 cup buttermillk
Water to make soupy, like melted ice cream

Preheat oven to 450. I always bake cornbread in an iron skillet with about 1/4 cup oil in skillet bottom. Fill sifter basket/bottom with self-rising flour. Fill to too top with self -rising corn meal. Add other dry ingredients and sift into a large mixing bowl. Stir in about 1/4 cup oil, buttermilk then water. Bake at 450 for about 30 minutes or until it tests done with toothpick. Set aside to cool. Sometimes I make my cornbread the day before or I just make dressing from leftover pieces of cornbread that I have frozen. You can't tell the difference in the dressing.

Dressing
1 whole chicken (deboned)
1 cup chopped celery (I boil my celery and onions together in water with 2 Tbsp. margarine.)
1 cup chopped onion
3 cans chicken both and broth from chicken
3 hard boiled eggs sliced or chopped (your preference)
4 Tbsp. margarine
2 Tbsp. ground poultry seasoning (some to sprinkle chicken before cooking and the rest goes in the dressing.)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Next cook chicken for dressing. Remove inside chicken parts and place them with the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. Many people make giblet gravy with these "extra" parts. I'll post that recipe next. Rub chicken with 2 Tbsp. margarine. Sprinkle chicken inside and out with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning, and garlic powder. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about an hour. While chicken is baking, chop celery and onions. Test chicken for doneness. I usually cut into the large part of the leg. There should be no blood and it should be easy to cut so you can pull chicken off the bone. While chicken cools, boil celery and onions in 3 cups water with 2 tbsp. margarine until soft. Debone chicken.

When your cornbread is cool enough to handle, crumble it up in a very large bowl. You can add leftover biscuits or bread that needs to be used if you like. Just crumble them in too. We don't like to waste around our house.  Stir in all your ingredients for your dressing. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake dressing at 450 for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring in the edges when they start to brown every 15 minutes or so. Remember there are no raw ingredients, so just cook it until it suits your taste. Serve with jellied cranberry sauce. Enjoy!

Taco Soup (Crock Pot)

1 or 2 lb.. ground beef     

opt. onion/pepper in beef     

1 can whole kernel corn      

2 cans Ranch style beans       

1 1/2 cups water   

1 pkg. Taco seasoning         

1 can diced tomatoes         

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing                      

Brown and drain beef, onions and peppers. Add all other ingredients. Cook on low for 5 or more hours.          Top with grated cheese and sour cream.

Note: Can also be cooked on stove top. Just put ingredients in pot and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes.

                 

Blessings!

Lisa

OATMEAL CRANBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHUNK COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

¼ cup oil
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/4 cup Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
1 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375ºF. 

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. 

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack. 

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Blessings!

Lisa

Death By Oreos

Click here for recipe.
Love this recipe. A friend made these for Valentines and placed heart toothpicks in them instead of the mini Oreos.
Blessings!

Lisa

Apple Caramel Streusel Pie

For filling

Ø       2 pastry shells, 9-inch

Ø       4 Granny Smith apples peeled and cored, thinly sliced

Ø       1/4 cup Sugar

Ø       25 Caramels (Place in freezer for 10 minutes to make unwrapping easy)

Ø       2 Tblsp. Flour

Ø      1/4 cup Milk

For topping

Ø       6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened

Ø       1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

Ø       2/3 cup all-purpose flour

Ø       1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Ø       1 cup chopped pecans

To make topping: In a small bowl with your fingertips blend butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour until smooth and blend in nuts. Chill topping, covered.

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375°. Fit 1 round of rolled pastry into a 9-inch pie pan.

In a large bowl, toss together apples, pecans, sugar, caramels, flour and milk. Spoon mixture into pie shell.  Cover loosely with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Remove foil.  Carefully stir with fork, careful not to puncture crust.

Crumble topping over center of pie, breaking up any large chunks. Bake pie in middle of oven 30 minutes more, or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.

Cool pie on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or Sour Cream Ice Cream (also on this site).

Blessings!

Lisa

Hot Cranberry Tea

1 gal. cranberry juice

1 (6 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate

3/4 c. lemon juice

2 c. sugar

1 large box Red Hots candies (9.5 oz.)

4 c. water

Pour all ingredients in a large pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until Red Hots are melted. Serve hot. Store in plastic container in refrigerator. Reheat by the cup in the microwave.

Blessings!

Lisa

Giblet Gravy

Oops! I forgot to come back and post the gravy recipe. Well, maybe somebody can use it for Christmas since I'm too late posting this for Thanksgiving. 

• Cooked chicken or turkey parts (heart, liver gizzard, etc.)
• 1 boiled egg coarsely chopped
• flour
• oil
• chicken or turkey broth
• salt and pepper (to taste)

You start with a roux (pronounced roo) Definition of roux = A mixture of fat and flour heated and used as a basis for sauces. In a large skillet, pour a few tablespoons of oil (enough to cover the bottom of your skillet.) Heat over medium to medium high heat. Stir in enough flour to make a creamy consistency, like thick, melted ice cream. Stir until golden brown. Reduce heat to low. Then stir in enough broth to make the gravy thickness you like. Add salt and pepper. Stir in chopped giblets and egg. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Tip: A wire whisk smoothes out the lumps.

Blessings!

Lisa

Hard Boiled Eggs

Well, believe it or not there are several ways that you can make hard-boiled eggs. Here are my two favorite ways:

Recipe 1- Place eggs in cold water (enough to cover eggs) in a boiler. Fresh eggs will sink, spoiled eggs will float, but that's another topic. Cook over medium high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Pour off hot water, cool in cold water. Works on electric or gas stove.

Recipe 2 - For electric stove: Place eggs in cold water (enough to cover eggs) in a boiler. Cook over medium high heat until the water comes to a rolling boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and place a lid on the boiler but let it sit on the hot stove eye for 11 minutes. Remove from stove and place in cold water to finish cooling.

Tip: Pour a little white vinegar in the water before cooking, and if an egg happens to break, it should stay in the shell.