short-cut collard greens

another Bountiful Basket goodie that I never imagined that I’d try, little alone, like.  I’ve been a veggie hater most my life.  not until recently did I discover that I like veggies more than fruits (although I do still have a aversion to mashed potatoes… I don’t think that’ll ever go away really).  add this to my list of keepers.  it almost sits up there with comfort foods

Short Cut Collard Greens

1 1/4 lbs collard greens (I used the whole bunch I had which I think was probably just under a lb)

1 TBSP water

2 slices Canadian bacon (I used a half pound or so of regular bacon.)

1 TBSP olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 TBSP cider vinegar

1 TBSP maple syrup

1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I believe I used fat free)

salt

 

remove the stems and center ribs from the collard greens and discard.  Cut the leaves into 1/2 inch strips.  place the greens into a large, microwave-safe bowl with the water and cover tightly.  microwave on high for five minutes.

in the meantime, preheat a large skillet and cook the bacon until crispy.  let cool, crumble and set aside.  add the oil and onion to the pan and cool until the onions have softened.  add the collard greens and stir in the vinegar, maple syrup , red pepper flakes, and broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes.  add the bacon and season with salt.

 

Verdict:  It was SOOOO good.  I wanted to pile the stuff high on my plate but had to refrain and leave some for the hubby, who had the very same sediments about it as well.  my suggestion, make a double batch.  it just barely made enough for the two of us (thank goodness the kids turned their noses up at it!) and I’m sure we could have eaten more of it if there was more to go around.  We had it with T-bone steaks and I’ll tell you a secret (shhhhhhhhh)…. I only ate two small bites of the steak and scarfed down the greens… that good!

Zucchini Patties

I’ve got quite the zucchini garden going right now.  So much zucchini that it’s literally taking over the place.  In a frantic search to do something with all of it, my friend sent me a few recipes (thanks Kim!).  After spending ALL day long shredding up zucchini and preparing it for the freezer, i decided to use this recipe from Kim for dinner last night.  It seems to be missing something “herb-y” so i threw on some of the cream cheese spread from the grilled eggplant sandwichs and it hit the spot.

Zucchini Patties

2 cups grated zucchini
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix well.  Heat griddle or frying pan and put spoonfuls of mixture on hot griddle/pan (this is where my Panini grill came to great use again!).  Cook like you would a pancake (until golden brown on both sides).  Serve with ranch or sour cream.  Or, use the cream cheese spread from the grilled eggplant sandwiches below.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Lots and Lots of brown bananas going on around here.  Love this recipe, and even my pickiest child will eat this (but the other two?  not so much.  Go figure).

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (usually 2-3 bananas)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (i use a half bag of chocolate chunk chips)

preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Beat together until blended the butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and mashed banana.  Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips until just blended.  Pour batter into 2 greased loaf pans.  Bake for 40-50 minutes.  Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removal.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve let an eggplant go bad because i was too chicken to try one and i had no idea how to even begin to prepare one.   Today I (we) took the plunge and cooked one up.  I found my new love!  We even went out and bought a Panini grill just because I’ve always wanted one and this was a perfect excuse to get one finally.

Grilled Eggplant Sandwich

4 tsp Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Fresh Basil, chopped
salt, to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 block cream cheese
4 pieces focaccia bread, or other good quality bread
baby spinach, washed and dried (optional)
tomatoes, sliced
red bell pepper, blackened and sliced (optional)

preheat grill to medium heat.  Add olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, and 1/2 tsp of basil to a small bowl.  Stir to combine.  Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil mixture.  Grill eggplant over direct heat, 3 minutes each side or until nicely grilled.  Mix cream cheese, 1 Tbsp basil, salt and pepper into a small bowl.  Spread halves of bread with cream cheese mixture.  Top with sliced eggplant, tomatoes, spinach, and bell pepper.

Monkey Muffins

A nice little spin off of Monkey bread.  Tastes almost like McDonald’s Cinnamon Melts (which, by the way, are to die for!).

Enjoy!  I know I'll be eating a whole pan by myself.  Don’t be alarmed if next time you see me, I weight a extra few pounds.

Monkey Muffins

Ingredients:
2 cans refrigerated biscuit dough (I use buttermilk ones) – cut into thirds
2 cubes of butter
sugar
cinnamon
1 can Sweetened, Condensed Milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of butter into each muffin tin.  Sprinkle 1 Tsp of sugar and about 1/3 tsp of cinnamon on top of each butter pat.  Place each biscuit (cut into thirds) into each muffin tin.  Top with an additional 1/2 teaspoon of butter.  Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle of cinnamon.  Put in oven for 15 minutes or until golden and bubbly.  Remove from oven and immediately generously drizzle the sweetened condensed milk over the top of each one.  Allow rolls to sit for a while to absorb the milk.  Scoop out with a spoon and ENJOY!

Pico de Gallo salad/salsa

Another recipe using all the goodness from our latest Bountiful Basket (Mexican Basket).  I thought it needed more, but DarRell scarfed it down and asked for more, so it must be that good!

Pico de Gallo salad/salsa

Ingredients:
2 whole tomatoes, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 whole red onion, chopped
1 whole lime, juiced
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
1 can (15oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 whole jalapeno, finely diced

combine all ingredients in a large bowl, plus salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate to chill.  Serve with chips, on it’s own, or as a topping to whatever you want.

Green Salsa (Salsa Verde)

Another product from the yummy goodness from Bountiful Baskets.  A week or so ago, I ordered the Mexican Basket that came complete with tomatillos, cilantro, limes, peppers, onions, etc.  First thought that came to mind was making salsa.  I found this recipe through their message board, and turns out, is VERY yummy.

Green Salsa

Tomatillos (I used every last one that came in my basket, I think there were about a dozen or so in it?)
2 limes
cilantro – to taste (i think i used about 1/2 bunch, maybe less)
4 peppers – I believe they were possibly Serrano's or Anaheim
1 jalapeño
1/2 large onion
2-4 cloves garlic (I tend to use more garlic than needed)

Peel skins of tomatillos, wash, and pat dry.  Toss the tomatillos with olive oil and roast at 425 degrees until brown.

*option – you may broil your peppers until blackened.  Cover for a few minutes
and then peel off the black skins.

Process all ingredients in a food processer or blender until smooth.

*for a creamier sauce/dressing:  Emulsify some olive oil in it (optional) and add 1/4 cup(ish) of sour cream

Dilly Beans

Thanks to Pat, I’ve fallen in love with bottled dilly beans.  However, my new addition to the garden (the beans!!!) are not even close to being ready for bottling.  Recently, in the last two baskets from Bountiful Baskets, we’ve gotten green beans!!!  Dying to get my hands on more dilly beans, I did a search for them and found a fresh version.  Although they aren’t as good as the bottled kind, they’ll totally do (I’ve even been known to eat them for breakfast… shhhh, don’t tell anyone).

DILLY BEANS

Ingredients: 
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 cups whole fresh green beans (ends trimmed and cut to bite size)
-  2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill weed 
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced onion 
- 1/3 cup white wine vinegar 
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, slice (i use at least double that)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

In a 2 quart saucepan, heat water to boiling.  Add beans.  Cover and cook about 3 minutes or until bright green bust still crisp; drain. 

In a medium bowl, toss beans, dill weed, and onions

In a 1 quart saucepan, mix vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Pour over green beans; mix well.

Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes or until serving.

Keligun Chicken

This past week we got a coconut in our Bountiful Basket.  I wasn't sure what to do with a coconut except eat it straight out of the shell.  Since I was the only that really liked it that way, i thought i'd try to find a recipe, that wasn't a desert, to use up what i couldn't eat all by myself.

This is what i found (of course i took my own little spin on it and combined a little from a bunch of similar recipes into one).  And can i just mention, that it ROCKED!  and it was sooo much better the second day

*It's made to be served as a sandwich filler. The first night, i didn't shred my chicken, but left it whole and then topped with the coconut/green onion mix. It was good. The next day, for leftovers, i shredded the chicken and mixed it in with the coconut/green onion mix and put it in some flat bread... it was to die for! I'd definately recommend it as a sandwich filler, but that's just me.



Keligun Chicken

ingredients:
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic (i used a HEAPING spoonful of minced garlic from a bottle)
- ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (i used the bottled lemon juice)
- salt to taste (i didn't use any - figured the soy sauce had enough in it)
- 1 cup of unsweetened flaked coconut (this is where my FRESH coconut came into play.  I shredded my coconut meat on a grater till i got one cup... it worked out nicely)
- 1/3 cup chopped green onion ( i used 4 green onions and cut them up with scissors directly into the mix)
- 1 dash of lemon pepper
- 2-3 Tablespoons of dried red pepper flakes (adjust to taste.  If you like a little bit of heat, use the recommended amount, otherwise cut it down a bit)

Marinade:
combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, garlic and black pepper.  Mix together and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

remove chicken from refrigerator and dispose of marinade.  Broil or BBQ chicken until juices run clear.  When chicken is cooked, shred the chicken meat.

put chicken meat in a medium bowl.  Add the lemon juice, coconut, green onion, lemon pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Mix all together.  Add more lemon juice to taste.

Raspberry Lemonaide

LOVE LOVE LOVED this lemonaide! I made it for my tupperware party that i was hosting last week and i've been craving it sence then. I imagine you could try a variety of different flavors/fruits here.

Raspberry Lemonaide

1 (12 fluid ounce) can frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate
3 cups water
3/4 teaspoon lime juice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1 cup crushed ice
*1 cup fresh raspberries

In a large punch bowl, combine raspberry lemonade concentrate, water and lime juice. Stir in lemon-lime soda and crushed ice.

*I used frozen raspberries and added it all to the mix. I also cut up 2 limes and added that to the mix. I love the look of it and really loved the taste of all the bits and peices of fruit mixed in the drink.

Patriotic Strawberries

this recipe came from a magazine and i've seen it kicking around quite a bit lately... so here it goes:

Patriotic Strawberries

strawberries - washed AND dried. any water on them will totally mess this up
white chocolate chips
blue sprinkles

Melt a package of white chips according to package - stir until smooth.
Dip strawberry 2/3 way in. Then dip in blue sprinkles.
Place on wax paper until hardened

layered summer drinks

I totally stole this from another blog (swiped it word for word, even her picture. I wish i could remember where i got it from though... sorry!!!) and i couldn't resist posting it here:

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Ingredients:
Cranberry Juice
Blue Gatorade or Powerade
Diet 7 Up



*Fill a clear glass with ice.
*Pour some cranberry juice into the bottom.
*Next pour in some blue Gatorade making sure you pour directly onto the ice and not into the cranberry juice.
*Fill the rest of the glass with Diet 7 Up, again pouring directly onto the ice and not into the Gatorade.


How does this work? The cranberry juice, Gatorade, and Diet 7 Up all have varying amounts of sugar. The more concentrated a drink is (more sugar it has) the more dense it is. Those that are less dense "float" on top. The other trick is to pour right on the ice otherwise you just end up mixing the colors, which I admit can be fun, but you don't end up with a multi-layered masterpiece. Knowing the tricks of the trade you can create rainbow colored drinks of your own catering the colors to match a birthday theme, baby shower, or other holiday get togethers. The colors will eventually blend together so these drinks can't really be made ahead of time.

Grandma Payne's Sticky Popcorn

I never seen this stuff until I married DarRell. Then i was never too fond of the coated stuff well up until just a year or so ago. Now that Rianne insists on having this every once in a while, i grabbed the recipe from Joline. I just have to remember to leave out some plain stuff for Sam. He's not too fond of the sweet stuff.
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Grandma Payne's Sticky Popcorn

1 1/3 cube margarine or butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla
regular bag of western familly corn pops (- a cup or so)

melt buttter or margarine in a saucepan. Add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Boil fast for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Empty corn pops into a large bowl. Pour syrup over pops and stir until well coated. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 225 degree pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Cool and serve.

Oatmeal Scotchies

I started making these cookies because DarRell had mentioned that it was one of his favorite cookies that his mom made during the holidays.

Oatmeal Scotchies

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned oats
2 cups butterscotch chips

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a small bowl. Beat butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in flour mixture until thoroughly mixed. Stir in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop by rounded Tbsp onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 7-8 minutes (chewy) or 9-10 minutes (crispy). Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Frogmore Stew

I've had something like this at a Fireman's Auxiliary dinner. It's a pretty forgiving dish. I've tweaked it to how i like to make it. You'll find so may different variations out there, so take it in stride and throw what you like in it.
A GREAT summer evening meal when you just don't want to pack it all up and call it a day.

Frogmore Stew

3 quarts of water (give or take... it's just for boiling)
1 lemon halved (sometimes i use more)
1 medium onion, halved (sometimes i use pearl onions. DarRell loves those in this recipe)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed (i usually use more... up to a bulb and end up throwing each peeled clove whole in the pot. We are garlic lovers)
salt to taste
1 3oz pkg dry crab boil (or 1/2 cup Old Bay seasoning)
2 large cans of new potatoes
1 pkg of smoked sausage, cut into bite sized pieces (sometimes i add more because this is my favorite part of the meal)
4 ears of corn, chucked and broken in half
1 lb chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 lb unpeeled lrg shrimp
1/2 cup butter melted
1 dash hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tabasco or Louisiana hot sauce)

Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Squeeze the juice from a lemon int the water, and throw in the halves. Add onion, garlic, salt and crab boil/old bay seasoning. Reduce heat to medium/low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, chicken and sausage, and return to a boil. Simmer covered for 20 minutes. Add the corn to the pot and cover, cooking 10 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in shrimp and cover for 5 minutes. Drain off liquid before serving.

Mound on a paper covered table and sprinkle with additional Old Bay Seasoning if desired.

Stir together the melted butter and hot sauce and serve as a dipping sauce.

Crockpot Lasagna

I love lasagna. I'm not good at getting it right though. This is the first recipe I've ever used that I've made successfully over and over again for lasagna. What can i say? The crock pot is very forgiving.

With that being said, DarRell loves this lasagna the best too.

Crock pot Lasagna

1 pkg no-bake lasagna noodles broken into 2 pieces
1 lb ground beef (i usually put in sausage or half sausage and half ground beef)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, optional
15 oz. ricotta cheese (i use cottage cheese)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
dried parsley

brown ground meat in a skillet and drain well. Stir in Italian seasoning.

In a greased crock pot, layer ingredients as noted:
1/3 noodles
1/2 of ground beef mixture
1/2 of sauce,
1/2 of mushrooms
1/2 of ricotta/cottage cheese
1/2 of mozzarella cheese
repeat all layers again
Top with last layer of noodles, a bit more sauce, a little extra cheese and parsley.

Cover and cook on LOW for 5 hours.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

I'm a pork girl at heart so i substitute pork in with beef quite often. Especially in this dish. The combination of sweet and sausage just sends my heart melting.

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage
1 lb bacon cook and crumbled (set aside on strip before browning)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg onion soup
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp worchershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a loaf pan. Press 1/2 cup of brown sugar into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the 1/2 cup of ketchup over the sugar.

In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients (minus the additional 1/2 cup of ketchup and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and remaining piece of bacon) and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup.

Top with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 cup of ketchup. Add the remaining piece of raw bacon over the top of the ketchup.

Cook at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until juices run clear.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

One of those great cold weather meals. Leftovers are even better than the first day
courtesy of Becky Higgins. I swiped it from her blog.

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz farfalle pasta
1 cup heavy whipping cream
3-4 chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup butter
1 lb bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 (12oz) bottle Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice

Put chicken and the bottle of marinade in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hours. Pull marinated chicken out of the juices and allow to cool for a bit. Shred chicken and put back into the crock pot. About 1/2 hour before serving, boil the pasta. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, Parmesan cheese, and bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir thoroughly. Garnish with more shredded Parmesan cheese.

Sopapilla Cheesecake

VERY rich but so worth the calories!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 cans crescent rolls
2 8oz pkgs cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place one package of crescent rolls in the sprayed pan. Beat cream cheese, sugar (1 1/2 cups) and vanilla until fluffy. Spread over crescent rolls. Place second package of crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture. Melt one stick of butter and pour over the crescent rolls. Mix 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream.

Sho-Yu Chicken

I got this recipe from Mike. He got it while he was on a mission in Hawaii (i believe... i may be wrong about that fact). First time i had this was while i was at college dating my now hubby, DarRell. I have a major craving for this every once in a while. This is the recipe he gave to me, word for word ;-)

Sho-Yu Chicken

2 cups soy sauce
1/2 cups brown sugar (or more to taste)
1 Tbsp ginger
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
5 lbs chicken pieces (legs, thighs or boneless breast work best)

Mix together all ingredient except for the chicken in a large pot. After mixing sauce, add in chicken. Bring to a boil. Turn to medium and simmer for one hour.