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Baked Cauliflower with Cheese and Garlic Recipe

Usually when I travel I leave meals I've prepared beforehand in the frig for UberGeek to take out, pop in the oven, and heat according to the directions printed on their lids.  Unfortunately, I have been relying on frozen vegetables for the sides.  You know the kind I'm talking about, they come in a giant plastic bag at your local Costco. UberGeek has grown wary of this and recently asked for a vegetable tutorial.  In addition to teaching him to steam fresh veggies I decided to ask friends to send me their favorite baked vegetable recipes.  Hill Pal sent me this really awesome one for baked cauliflower.  I doubled it and spread it out in three dishes, ate one and froze two for UberGeek later.  It's FANTASTIC!

Hill Pal’s Baked Cauliflower with Cheese and Garlic

1 head cauliflower 
2 cups Monterey jack cheese shredded
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
¼ c. milk
¼ c. plain yogurt
garlic powder, salt, black pepper

1.       Wash, rinse and break cauliflower into florets

2.       Toss cauli with jack and Parmesan cheeses

3.       In small bowl mix together milk, yogurt and ½ tsp garlic powder, add salt and black pepper to taste. 

4.       Pour milk mixture over the top of cauli

5.       Place all in an 8x8 Pyrex sprayed with nonstick spray, cover and cook at 375 for 35-40 min. 

Tips:  If you are not calorie conscious you may use heavy cream instead of the milk mixed with plain yogurt, I found the milk yogurt mix delicious though.  Also, stirring the dish about halfway through helped coat the cauli with sauce and cheese.  If you would like your dish to have a browned, roasted look, remove the lid about ten minutes before it is finished cooking.

Download Hill Pals Baked Cauli Recipe

Chili Powder Sea Salt Popcorn Recipe

One day my microwave popcorn just tasted weird to me, then I made the mistake of actually reading the ingredients on the bag.  My advice to you, if you want to continue enjoying microwave popcorn don't read the ingredients.  We decided to start popping our popcorn the old fashioned way and this is our favorite recipe!  It sounds weird but it is DELICIOUS!

3 Tbs Canola Oil

1/2 Cup Popcorn Kernels

Chili Powder to taste

Fine Sea Salt to taste

Heat the oil in the bottom of a heavy bottom stainless pan over medium heat (I use my All Clad 6 Qt Stock Pot), empty in the popcorn kernels and place the lid to the pan on top.  Pick up the pan by the handles and swirl the contents around to coat kernels.  As popcorn pops occasionally pick pan up and shake.  Popping will slow as it completes.

Take the pan off the heat/burner, and allow a crack in the lid for steam to escape, do not remove until popping has completely stopped. When you have removed the lid salt popcorn with Fine Sea Salt to taste and shake on Chili Powder, stirring as you add Salt and Chili Powder to mix and coat.

Enjoy!  This is our favorite Friday night recipe.  You can also substitue Olive Oil for some of the Canola Oil, I usually do 2 Tbs Canola and 1 Tbs Olive.

HO-MADE BBQ Sauce

Tonight I headed to the grocery store to pick up an onion and a bell pepper to make some baked beans for tomorrow's trip to the farm.  I also needed some barbecue sauce for the recipe and as I peroused the many sauces available I came across this, Pat's HO-MADE brand BBQ Sauce.  'Nough said!  Really, need I say more?  I absolutely had to buy it.  I see it is made by a canning company in Florida; I have a strong desire to write them and ask if their company supports a community rehabilitation program of some sort.  Sometimes it really is the small things that make me happy.  I brought it home like a bright, shiny trophy for UberGeek, "Look, it's HO-made!"

Cooking Oatmeal in Your Rice Cooker

If you are similar to our family at all there are days when it is pretty difficult to break out of the cereal in a box or cereal bar rut morning after morning.  Luckily, someone told me about being employed at Quaker oatmeal, where you can get hot Quaker oats at any time of the day, courtesy of the staff cafeteria.  The way they work this magic is to cook the oatmeal in giant rice cookers, brilliant!

Sure enough, throw in the oats and water as directed on the back of the Quaker box, turn on your rice cooker and wait for the beep some 20-30 minutes later and you will be the recipient of perfect oatmeal.  I do recommend making more than one serving; I usually make enough to bring it to work for myself and a friend, or for Diva and I to sit down and enjoy.

Add ins make it even yummier, cut up an apple in pieces, sprinkle some cinnamon, a little brown sugar and let all of that cook with the oatmeal in the cooker.  It will all be just right when the timer goes off.  Slice a banana, sprinkle in some chopped walnuts, cinnamon and maple syrup and you have banana bread oatmeal ready in no time.

Make sure to invest in a rice cooker with a delay timer.  This allows you to throw in your oatmeal and water the night before, select the number of hours you want the cooker to turn on in, and then go to bed.  You will awake to a delicious, healthy breakfast. 

What suggestions do you have for making fast, healthy meals for busy families?

Taco Cups

Kids will love these quick little personal tacos with no crunchy shell mess.  They make great man food for Sunday football too.  We like to have a veggie tray first then just these for the main course. 

Recipe:

Cook a pound of ground beef and drain.  Optionally you can add 1/4 c. chopped onion and a tablespoon or two of tomato paste or sauce.  Add a package of taco seasoning mix and follow the directions on the package.

Open a 10 count can of Layered Buttermilk Biscuits (I used Publix Hearty Buttermilk Biscuits).  Press each biscuit into the bottom and up the sides of a muffin cup.  If you are using two 6 count muffin pans fill the two empty cups with a couple tbs. of water.  Spoon the ground beef taco mixture into the biscuit cups.  Sprinkle each cup with a little Mexican Blend cheese.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 11-12 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Cool slightly and remove taco cups from muffin pan.  Serve with salsa and sour cream if desired.

Variations: fill with barbecue beef or sloppy joe filling.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Tonight was relaxing, I took an OAMC meal out of the frig and put it on to cook, then asked Diva to help me make some pumpkin bread.  She was game!  It's wonderful to make the house smell all spicy when there is a nip of cool fall weather in the air.

Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Pumpkin Bread

1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
3 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 c. Canola oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Cream Cheese Frosting

4oz cream cheese softened
3/4 stick real butter softened
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tbs vanilla
1 tbs milk

Directions:

Pumpkin Bread

• Combine pumpkin, sugar, water, eggs and oil, beat until mixed.  
• Place all dry ingredients in a separate bowl, mix.
• Add dry ingredients in small batches to pumpkin mixture and beat until well mixed.
• Grease and flour two loaf pans, divide batter between them.
• Bake at 350 for one hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean and center bounces back to touch. 
• If you are making muffins the recipe will make 2 dozen muffins and one loaf or 48 muffins. Bake time 20 min.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Cream butter and cream cheese. 
• Add powdered sugar in batches and beat well. 
• Add vanilla and milk and beat until creamy. 
• Frost loaves or pipe onto muffins. 
• Not a thick frosting so put in freezer for a little while to thicken if you have trouble working with it piping.
   
  YUMMY!!!
  
  

Chicken Tikka Masala Recipe

I is for Indian Food

The other day the kiddos came home and we checked the frig calendar only to learn that particular day was designated I day.  A day to think of things that start with I.  Igloo, Ice Cream, Ice Cube you say.  Duh! Indian food, I say!  That day I came home at a relatively decent hour and began cooking it up. I made Lentil Dal and then began preparations for my favorite, Chicken Tikka Masala.  Mmmm.  It's a spicy dish with a hint of coconut, tomato and it's just amazing.  UberGeek claims not to like Indian food but he loves this, go figure.

Tikka Masala Recipe

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground red pepper (can double this if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon black pepper (can double if you like spicy)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 piece minced ginger (1-inch long)

Sauce

1 tablespoon butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced (I half this when making for UberGeek and kids)
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala (buy in Indian market or most grocery stores including Publix carry in spice section)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup regular or lite coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish if desired (leave off if feeding men you are already married to or children, save your money)

Directions

1. For sauce, melt butter on medium heat.
2. Add garlic& jalapeno; cook 1 minute.
3. Stir in coriander, cumin, paprika, garam masala& salt.
4. Stir in tomato sauce.
5. Simmer 15 minutes.
6. Stir in cream and coconut milk, simmer to thicken- about 5 minutes.
7. Marinate chicken thighs (in the refrigerator) for an hour or so. Place thighs in slow cooker. (Do not pour in remaining marinade with thighs) Discard marinade.
8. Pour sauce over thighs
9. Slow cook 3-4 hours high or 6-8 hours low
10. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve with basmati rice

The Traveling Crab Cooker

The Traveling Crab Cooker

Whenever anyone talks about visiting my in laws in their home on the Northern Neck of Virginia on the Corrotoman River the first thing they speak of fondly besides my in laws is the crabs. Every weekend during the summer my in laws steamed crabs and Silver Queen corn on the cob in a big pot outside. Then everyone would go out on their huge screen porch and sit on a picnic table covered in a roll of heavy paper and crack crabs, eat and drink lemonade. Afterward, I would usually pass out on a hammock on the back porch, this was long before our children were born when rest was part of my life.

Five years ago my in laws sold the dream home they built and retired in; it was a difficult decision. Although it was the perfect home for them it was in a rural area and not near family or high quality medical care. They decided to move to North East Florida to be closer to the Mayo Clinic where they receive medical care. Their new home is beautiful, navigable water front, Granddad got a new boat, it has an indoor pool and great neighbors. There is just one thing, the crabs in Florida are just not the same, they don't taste right. They have blue crabs but they are not sweet the way they are in Virginia, Maryland or North Carolina. Don't even get us started on the whole garlic crab thing, ick.

After five years my in laws decided to pass the torch, the propane kind that is. We were headed up to Virginia for a quick family picnic on my side of the family. On the way back home we were going to stop at UberGeek's brother's new beach home on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. UberGeek's parents asked us to take the crab cooker with us to give to his brother. We packed it lovingly into the minivan along with all our other trappings.

When we arrived at the beach UberGeek's brother fired the cooker up once more. Great big jimmies met their fate steamed with beer, Old Bay and a touch of vinegar. Even the ceremonial crab hammers with our names on them were there. Whenever a new person marries into the family they receive a crab hammer with their name engraved on the side.  Sitting there with our two families it wasn't quite the same tradition but maybe it was a new one getting started.

Key Lime Cheeseball

Key Lime Cheeseball Recipe

I have been buying the mix for a Key Lime Cheeseball from Tastefully Simple and a couple other companies for years now. Finally I decided to try and create my own recipe. It turned out really yummy and people seem to like it. I have served it quite a few times. Kids especially like it due to the green color. I personally wish it was less green but I will not complain too much since I used to pay $6 per pack of mix and now I pay .89 cents for a box of Lime Jello.

1 8oz package cream cheese
1 box lime jello
3-4 tbs. sweetened shredded coconut
2 tbs. softened butter
zest from 1 lime
1 tbs. fresh lime juice
2-3 graham crackers crushed into crumbs

Mix cream cheese and butter at middle mixer speed until blended. Add 2/3 to 3/4 pkg of lime jello and the coconut to the mix and mix again. Add lime zest and lime juice and mix a final time. Scrape mixture from sides of bowl etc. and shape into a ball. Roll into graham cracker crumbs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

Serve with graham crackers, graham pretzel twists or Keebler Bug Bites.  People will be licking the serving dish clean.  

Download Keylime Cheeseball Recipe

Summer Sangria Recipe

Summer Sangria Recipe

Around my house we also call this "Mother's Little Helper" but you can give it whatever nickname you wish. Once you bring it along to one gathering people will be requesting it all the time. That's OK because it's easy, elegant and inexpensive. Perfect for picnics, cookouts, beach gatherings, parties or showers. Usually I use my Pampered Chef Mix & Stir pitcher but for fancy company you could put it in a pretty cut glass or crystal pitcher. So nice with the fruit slices floating on top. I have also served it in those glass dispensers with the valves.

1 regular size bottle inexpensive red wine
1.5 cups orange juice
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup sugar (I use turbinado raw)
2 Tbs. Cointreau, Triple Sec or other orange liqueur
2 Tbs. Pomegranate liqueur (if you have it but don't make special trip, it's fine without)
2 Tbs. Grenadine syrup or Pomegranate flavored syrup
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 orange sliced
1 lime sliced
1 lemon sliced
1.5 cups lemon lime soda like Sprite

Mix all ingredients except sliced fruit and soda. Add sliced fruit. Add soda just before serving. I usually double this recipe with the big ol' bottle of cheap red wine.

Download Sangria Recipe