Tag Archives: recipe

Food, For Carnivores, Ground Meat, Main Dishes, Recipes

Crystal’s Super Simple Homemade Cheesy Mac

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Crystal;s Super Simple Cheesy MacI love quick and easy dinners during the week!  Who has time and energy to prepare a four course meal, work, clean house, or whatever all the time, every single day? In the summer, that can be even more important. Our kitchens get way too hot to want to be in there for long, am I right?  Of course, when school starts back if you have even less time.  Always so crazy.  Regardless of the season, this is a perfect week night Cheesy Mac recipe.

I picked up a box of hamburger helper and decided to yum it up!  Having the same old thing gets old fast so I looked around my kitchen and started adding things.  Funny how the best things can come from such unexpected places!  I love mixing up and making things different, especially when they are a good cheat!  It was so stinkin’ delicious that we now have it at least once a week!  I hope you enjoy it!

 

Ingredients:

*1 box cheesy Mac
*1lb of Hamburger (you can add more for a larger family)
*1/2 a can of rotell (if spices aren’t your thing use chopped tomatoes)
*onion
*onion powder
*spoonful or two sour cream
*grill mates smokehouse maple seasoning
*shredded Parmesan cheese (on top)

 

Directions:

 

Brown and drain the hamburger meat. Add in seasonings, onion, and Rotel while the meat is cooking. Next add the season pack with the noodles, following directions on the box. You can skip the onion powder if you aren’t a fan of onion, but we love it! I’m obsessed with it. I add it to everything!
When the noodles are ready add the melted cheese pack from the box and a spoonful or two of sour cream to your liking.  Voila!
Pair this with garlic bread or cottage cheese, or a nice salad for the perfect, quick week night meal.

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on my creation!  How do you, would you change it up?

-Crystal

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Originally posted 2017-08-31 10:58:26.

Desserts, Pies & Such, Recipes

Raspberry & Almond Delight from Author of Ora’s Gold Charlotte Young

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Raspberry & Almond Delight from Author of Ora's Gold Charlotte Young

Raspberry Almond Delight is brought to you special from the table of Author Charlotte Young. Not only is it one of her favorites, it is absolutely perfect to pair with her book, Ora’s Gold! You’ll love them both!

I love getting favorite recipes from people! Ora’s Gold, by Charlotte Young is a fabulous book and I love that Charlotte was willing to share with us one of her favorite recipes!  I hope you enjoy it and curl up with her book, it is one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time!

 Raspberry & Almond Delight from Author of Ora's Gold Charlotte Young

Raspberry Almond Delight

Ingredients
  • 5 oz soft butter
  • 6 oz sugar, brown or white
  • 6 oz self-raising flour
  • 6 oz flaked almonds
  • 2 small eggs
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 7.7 oz frozen raspberries (other berries can be used too)
  • A dusting of icing sugar
Method
 
Oven – 180 degrees C/355 degrees F
 
1. Grease a 22cm spring-release cake tin (I use butter but whatever takes your fancy).
2. In a large bowl mix (by hand) all the ingredients together, except the raspberries.
3. Spoon half of the mixture onto the base of the cake tin and use a fork spread out evenly.
4. Add the frozen raspberries to the tin and spread out evenly.
5. Using a spoon and your fingers, take blobs of the remaining mixture and dot over the raspberries. You won’t be able to cover the raspberries completely.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 45 minutes, until firm and slightly springy. Cover with foil if the top starts to burn.
7. Leave to rest for up to one hour, depending on your preference. It tastes delicious warm or cool.
8. Dust a light layer of icing sugar over the top, just before serving.
9. Enjoy!

Wal-Mart.com USA, LLCAbout the Book

If the state had sovereignty over your body, would you fight them for it or would you submit?

18-year-old Ora has always followed the rules unlike her aunt Dione, who is fond of breaking them. When Ora moves in with her, in the middle of nowhere, she discovers the B&B is in fact, a highly illegal birthing centre. Ora doesn’t know where to turn; sooner or later someone is going to die and Dione just won’t listen.

Other Author Recipes:

Rice Pudding from Author Vickie Hall

Chocolate Torte from Author Julie Coulter Bellon

 Biscoff Nutella Cheesecake by Author Jennings Wright

Maryland Party Cheesecake from Author Helen Smith

Quinoa Squash Soup from Author Patricia Fry

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Originally posted 2017-07-19 06:46:46.

Cookies, Desserts, Recipes

Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies

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PeanutButterCookies

I have an old recipe book from my childhood that is full of old, simple but delicious recipes.  While they aren’t necessarily new foods, they frequently remind me of my childhood.  This particular recipe book sat for years on my Mom’s bookshelf.  When I moved out, I went back home and gave it freedom from my Mom’s bookshelf, she never really used them and didn’t mind my procuring it.  I write in it now, my modifications, when I used the recipes, and the reactions I get.  If it’s a special occasion, I note that too.  I don’t know that anyone will ever care about my notes but they bring back good memories when I see my notes.  I attempted to pass the tradition down and will continue to do so because with these times and everything being online it seems that little things like this may become obsolete.  This particular cookbook lost it’s covers long ago, so I can’t share the title.  However, I can say that the original recipe was submitted by Debbie Salmon.  I have modified it slightly.  I hope you enjoy these cookies as I enjoyed making them as a girl.

Old Fashion Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

3 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Combine all ingredients well.  Roll into balls similar in size.  Make a criss-crosss imprint on the ball with a fork to smash them down.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove before they are too brown as they will brown a little more when you put them on wire racks to cool.

Are there any modifications you like in your peanut butter cookies?  I’d love to hear stories of childhood baking, they make my heart smile.  Hope you enjoy.

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Originally posted 2016-02-08 06:31:34.

Cookies, Recipes

Snowball Cookies #Recipe

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cookies

For those of you who must have dairy free, we made ours with dairy free ‘butter’ and they were great.  I think they’d be fabulous with margarine, but we did ours dairy free.  😀  I’d love to hear any additions/changes you make!  These are fabulous with coffee or hot chocolate!

Ingredients:

1 lb margarine

1/2 c sugar

4 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 c flour

1/2 c chopped nuts

3/4 c confectioners sugar

  1. Cream Margarine and sugar in a bowl.
  2. Add vanilla; stir in flour, blending well.
  3. Stir in nuts, mix well.
  4. Shape teaspoonfuls of dough into balls.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes.
  6. Let cool.
  7. Roll in confectioners sugar and enjoy!
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Originally posted 2014-01-17 10:47:41.

Book Tours & Blasts, Frozen Treats, Recipes

Peach Mango Sorbet Recipe

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Peach Sorbet Recipe

We spend a lot of time in a small coastal town called Beaufort, in eastern North Carolina, which is where the inspiration for IXEOS came from. In the summer, virtually everything we eat comes from the seafood market or farmers’ stands. One of our favorite things is fresh peach mango sorbet. Here’s the recipe:

PEACH MANGO SORBET

Approximately 5-6 fresh, ripe peaches, peeled and chopped

1 small ripe mango (regular or champagne), peeled and chopped

juice of 1 lime

½-1 cup simple syrup (recipe below)

3 tbsp vodka

ginger ale

Puree the peaches and mango with the lime juice and ½ cup of simple syrup.

Add the vodka (you won’t taste it, but it will keep ice crystals from forming in the sorbet). Taste and adjust sweetness with more simple syrup (will vary depending on sweetness of the peaches). Add ginger ale to make 5 cups.

Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Process in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions.

SIMPLE SYRUP

Mix even quantities of water and sugar in a small saucepan (ie. 1 cup of each).  Bring to a boil and stir until all the sugar crystals are gone. Let cool before using in sorbet.

Keep leftover syrup in the fridge for up to 2 week.

NOTE:

You can use this basic recipe to make all kinds of fruit sorbets. Most ice cream makers take about 5 cups. When I make grapefruit sorbet, I juice about 4 cups of fresh juice, and add 1 cup of syrup (again, depends on the flavor of the grapefruit).

Fresh strawberry or strawberry mango sorbet is also delicious! The mango in these recipes enhances the other fruit without being a noticeable ingredient – I don’t even like mango on its own, but in sorbet it is excellent!

iXEOS R copy

Tour Schedule

ixeos rebIxeos Rebellion

With rebel leader Darian free at last, the humans and outsiders on Ixeos must find a way to join forces and defeat the Firsts. The problem? All slaves are tracked with GPS, the Firsts are the only ones with power, and roving gangs hate the rebels just as much as they hate the aliens. As Darian and the outsiders from Earth travel the globe through the mysterious tunnels in Paris, they learn that the Firsts are preparing to launch another wave of biological warfare. With a transporter that will allow the aliens to target any city, anywhere on the planet, the rebels know they must stop them at all costs.

As things get more dangerous on Ixeos, the outsiders find that they’re pushed to their limit. Will they fight for freedom, no matter the price?

 

Ixeos

The McClellands are enjoying a lazy summer vacation at the beach when they are lured from our world into Ixeos, an alternate Earth. Finding themselves lost in a maze of tunnels under Paris and surrounded by strangers, they discover that they have been brought to Ixeos for one purpose: to take the planet back from humanoid aliens who have claimed it. With the aid of the tunnels and a mysterious man named Landon, the teens travel the world seeking the key that will allow them to free Darian, the long-imprisoned rebel leader. But the aliens aren’t the only problem on Ixeos — the McClellands have to deal with brutal gangs, desperate junkies, and a world without power, where all the technology is owned by the aliens, and where most of the population has been killed or enslaved. The worst part? There’s no way home.

 

 

Author Jennings Wright

Born and raised in Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn’t spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her science fiction stories.

Jennings attended the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She attended graduate school at the University of West Florida, studying Psychology. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit.

Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn’t stopped since. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, also a business owner and writer, and two children, and travels extensively with her family, and her non-profit in Uganda.

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Originally posted 2013-07-21 08:24:35.

Chicken, Main Dishes, Recipes, Take Along Lunches

Fast Fixin’ Chicken Verde Wrap Recipe

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FastFixin'_Refried+Wrap(LOW)
Chicken Nugget Verde Wrap
As you may have read on my review before, Fast Fixin’ Chicken Nuggets are really yummy!  They also have some benefits that many other companies can’t boast!  Such as 20% less fat and calories than the leading brand (Tyson) and they are made with the best and healthiest part: breast meat!  Best of all though, is the taste!  They are really good…  LOL.  Think I may have said that!
Recipe by PhD nutritionist Kathy Mora

Ingredients:
4-5 Fast Fixin’ Chicken Nuggets
1 Spinach Tortilla (other tortilla of choice can be substituted)
Approximate portions:
2 Tbsp Guacamole with chopped tomatoes (store bought or homemade)
1 tsp chopped fresh red/purple onion (optional, can substitute red/green pepper)
1-2 Tbsp Shredded lettuce
1-2 tsp Shredded cheese (Mexican style, Monterey Jack, Cheddar,
Salsa verde to taste

Preparation*:
1. Using microwave- place Fast Fixin’ Chicken Nuggets on microwave safe plate or
dish and heat according to package directions.

2. Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels, heat in microwave ~15-20 seconds until
warmed, but not stiff.

3. Spread guacamole in center of warmed tortilla. Add onions/peppers, lettuce,
cheese, chicken nuggets. Folding sides in, wrap contents into tortilla like a burrito.

6. Serve with side of salsa verde.

Chicken Verde Wrap + Salsa + Mango slices + Glass of Milk = Nutritious and
Complete Meal

Enjoy!

* Note- alternatively may heat tortillas and chicken nuggets in oven, wrap tortillas
in foil first. Ingredients can vary per taste and desired amount. Example, can add
chopped peppers, black olives, black bean refried beans, fruit salsa, hot sauce, etc.

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Originally posted 2013-04-21 05:00:00.

Soups

Beef Cabbage Stew & Daregal Fresh Frozen Herbs

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Scroll Down for the Giveaway!

HerbCollage
I received a sampler of Daregal Gourmet fresh frozen herbs to review as a part of a Blog Friendly PR campaign. All opinions are my own and no compensation was received.

My Thoughts

I LOVE using fresh herbs, the flavor is so much better than dried and is much easier to get out!  The only problem is, much like the cilantro in the picture above, we never manage to use them all before they go bad.  I hate wasting good herbs and money!  Daregal Gourmet Amazon store provides fresh frozen herbs that are frozen so that you get the fresh herbage without having to worry about them ruining!

Chief Zoo Keeper utilized some of the herbs in some dishes that he normally uses dried herbs in and was super pleased with the result.  They were also used in the recipe below.  The flavor of the herbs brought much more to the meal than the dried herbs had used.  It was like using fresh herbs, only we weren’t worrying about them ruining!  I am particularly pleased with the cilantro and the garlic.  The cilantro because I love it and don’t get to have it very often, as Chief isn’t a fan.

We always have bottles of minced garlic on hand as the Louisiana in my husband means there is garlic in almost everything.  We don’t use fresh because it’s just not very convenient and we were convinced that the minced garlic was the same, until now!  I’m now hoping that they sell the garlic in bulk because the flavor was so much more amazing!  The flavor was spot on for fresh garlic and it made the dish way better!

Conversion

To convert your recipe to frozen, use a 1:3 ratio.

For every 1 measure of dried, use 3 of frozen.

The Recipe: Beef Cabbage Stew

 Beef Cabbage Stew

Print Recipe
 Italian Beef Cabbage Stew
This is an amazingly good soup! Your whole family is sure to love it! You can add in kidney beans and corn also. It's great all on it's own but it also goes well on macaroni noodles or rice!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 90 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 90 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Brown ground meat and drain.
  2. Place meat in a stew pot, add in onion, celery, carrots, garlic, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth and herbs.
  3. Boil for 30 minutes then turn down to a simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
  4. Add in cabbage and green beans. Simmer an additional 30 minutes and enjoy!
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Get Your Herbs

Daregal Gourmet herbs are available on Amazon.com and in the Northeast region at Stop n Shop, Giant Landover, Shaws and coming soon to Price Chopper.

Which Daregal Fresh Frozen Herb are you ready to try???

 

Ghosts-Goblins-Giveaway-Hop

One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift certificate to iGadgetMall.com

This giveaway is in no way sponsored by the retailer.

$25 igadget mall gift card giveaway Ends 11-6

 

 

Ghosts & Goblins Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Ghosts & Goblins Giveaway Hop brought to you by The Hopping Bloggers!

Hosted By: Mama’s Geeky & Women and Their Pretties

Co-Hosted By: Teacups and Fairy Tales

Each giveaway has a value of a minimum of $15, however some are worth much more. Be sure to enter to win all of them because there is no limit to how many you can win. GOOD LUCK!

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Recipes, Veggie & Side Dishes

Smoked Paleo Deviled Eggs

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Smoked Paleo Deviled Eggs!  I’m so excited!  Going paleo hasn’t been easy for me.  I’m a bit of a foodie and it’s almost like torture (probably because I’m a spoiled brat, but I SO did not ask for judgement lol).  One good and fun thing has been coming up with ways to make my favorite recipes become paleo!  Although some of them have been impossible, like cheese and milk anything haha, some have been do able.  Deviled eggs are now on the success list!  I’m so thankful I don’t have to give them up!  Sometimes I think if I could go back in time, I’d help ancient man find more stuff so when I came back to present day, my diet would include more.  haha.

There are two versions, the original, then the Paleo version at the bottom.  Be sure and get the correct version!

Paleo Deviled EggsIngredients

12 hard boiled eggs

1/3 c low-calorie mayonnaise

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp Spanish smoked paprika

Directions

  1. Set up smoker. or set up outdoor grill with foil packets
  2. place eggs in smoker until bronzed, about 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
  3. Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Cut thin slice off bottom of each half. Pop out yolks and placed in bowl with egg-white trimmings; mash with fork.
  4. Add mayonnaise, mustard, sriracha, and Worcestershire to yolk mixture; mash well. Spoon mixture back into egg-white halves. Sprinkle chives and paprika over eggs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Paleo?  No problem!  Paleo Version

Instead of mayo, use half an avocado and add 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar.  Mix well.  Add a little more vinegar at a time until you reach the desired flavor.  While it isn’t the exact same, it’s fabulous and you get to have deviled eggs!  I missed them when we started paleo!

Know any good tricks for making non-Paleo recipes become Paleo?

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For Carnivores, Pork, Recipes, Uncategorized

Dutch Oven Herb Pork Loin

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Dutch Oven Herb Pork Loin: Healthy, Paleo, Auto-Immune, All-around Yummy!I love cooking things that are delicious and simple.  The Dutch Oven Herb Pork Loin was quick and easy which certainly fits the bill of both!!!  It wasn’t much work to get it together and we all enjoyed it so much there were no leftovers!  The best part is that it was so great no one added ketchup or anything else!  LOL.  Chief ZooKeeper always insists on modifying things, this one he complimented repeatedly!  It would be incredibly easy to prepare the ingredients, brown, and then start after work or school.  A one pot meal with little clean up so you can get to what’s important: your life!

For our health, we chose to go to a very paleo like diet.  That’s when I realized just how much junk was truly in my ‘healthy’ diet.  I only call it junk because since I’ve switched, I’ve learned that my body was not happy with many of my food choices.  I  feel better and am healthier, that’s totally worth the sacrifice.

Dutch Oven Herb Pork Loin

Ingredients:

  • 4 pound boneless top loin roast
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • Horseradish Sauce
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced (leave out for auto immune and paleo diet!)
  • carrots, bell peppers, etc as desired. sliced small

Directions:

  1. Rub pork with thyme.
  2. Heat the dutch oven on high then brown loin on all sides.
  3. When pork has been browned, brush all sides with horse radish sauce.
  4. Add the water to the pot.  Place the lid on and turn heat to low.
  5. Cook until meat reaches 140 degrees.  
  6. At 140 degrees, remove pork and place in a warming area (I use the oven typically and keep it covered, you don’t want the oven on or it will cook the meat too much)
  7. Add vegetables to oven and saute.  Cook until done. 

Need some fabulous desserts?  We have lots, check out this yummy Raspberry Almond Delight!

 

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