Tasty Tuesday: Chinese Takeout ... made at home!

It started the week before Christmas Vacation when my co teacher and I decided we would split an order of fried rice. Who doesn't like house fried rice?! It was so tasty, and warm that it really hit the spot on that cold day. UNTIL.... about thirty to fourty five minutes later when I began noticing these little itchy spots popping out. Anyone who has had a reaction from food allergies, knows how it feels to have a food you love ripped right out of your life. See, that is how my allergy for shellfish began. Now? If I eat it, even with taken allergy meds ahead of time... I am lucky to end the day alive. I can't even touch those little boogers without having a reaction now. Did you know that a key ingredient in fried rice is ... oyster sauce?! I did not know that until that day of fried rice. *sigh*

Instead of just deciding to live on celery for the rest of my life, I thought I would be a bit proactive. Why NOT make my own. I scoured a few recipes and took the best of them all! And who doesn't want egg rolls with their fried rice?! If I was going to actually go for it, I was going to really make or bust.

Pork Fried Rice

Ingredients
1 stick of butter
2 eggs scrambled
2 stalks celery diced
2 Medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 Medium onion (white or yellow) diced
1 cup frozen peas
3 cloves minced garlic
4 c cooked and chilled rice
3 green onions sliced
6 TBS Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp Toasted Sesame oil (*Do not omit!*)

Directions
1. Scramble two eggs.
2. In a wok or large non stick pot melt 1/2 stick of butter. Add in carrots, onion, celery and saute until almost tender. Add in garlic and frozen peas and cook for about a minute or so. Remove from pan.
3. Melt remaining butter and add rice. Stir and allow to cook for a good 5 minutes. You WANT it to "fry" and get a little crispy. Turn of heat, add back in cooked veggies, green onions and soy sauce. Stir to combine. Add in sesame oil and stir well. Serve hot!

Pork Egg Rolls

Ingredients
1 1/2 # Ground Pork
1 1/2 tsp ginger
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
Coleslaw mix
3 T flour & 3 T water to make a paste
Egg Roll Wrappers

Directions
Brown pork with ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Turn off heat and add in Coleslaw mix and allow to set aside for a few minutes. Roll eggrolls with about 1/3 to 1/4 cup filling tucking in the ends and using paste to seal wrappers. Cook in 350* preheated oil  and fry until golden brown.

**Note**
I bought and cooked up 2# pork, and took out about 1 1/2 cups of the cooked mixture and added it to the rice.

Tasty Tuesday: Use those Leftovers!!

This was dinner last week. 2 pounds of chicken fried deer steak, loaded mashed potatoes, corn, peas, and salad (not pictured). I posted it on Facebook and had a few comments that implied that I was feeding an army. Well in a sense I am. Especially in the summer ~ with two preteen boys, a teenage girl, a husband and myself. I knew it would take time to cook all that meat and it would look like a mountain but it led to a tasty lunch for the boys and the husband the next day. That was the plan. Besides left over meat I had a good portion of those mashed potatoes left too. So, I used them the next night to make some "Potato pancakes". For me this recipe is still in the *works*, and taking some tweaking but what a fun experiment! Please know you can do so many things with these because you have a ton of add ins. 

Ingredients

About 2 to 3 leftover mashed potatoes *(see note below)

1 egg

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2/3 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup flour 

2/3 additional flour seasoned with salt and pepper

3 TBS butter for frying

3 TBS oil for frying. 

Directions

In a large bowl mix together all ingredients except oil, butter, and the 2/3 cup of flour. Test the ability for it to hold together. If it feels too wet/soft I listed a couple of different alternatives to try to help get that texture right. Form patties and then coat in the additional seasoned flour. Heat up oil and butter on medium to medium high heat. Fry each patty for until golden brown and then flip and cook long enough for other side to brown up. It will only take a few minutes on each side. Drain on a cooling rack that is placed over paper towels to ensure that the oil is drained off but the patties remain as crisp as possible. Really ~ trial and error are going to be your friend and don't be afraid to make a mistake. The options are ENDLESS!

*Left over mashed potatoes*

Please make sure your left over mashed potatoes are NOT runny! In fact you need them to be pretty stiff to be able to hold up to re-purposing them into this yummy deliciousness!

Alternatives to help stiffen mixture

1/2 cup Ritz cracker crumbs

1/2 cup Seasoned bread crumbs

1 potato boiled and mashed into the mixture

I used "loaded" mashed potatoes that had bacon, cheese and sour cream. They made them pretty tasty. I also liked mine topped with a dollop of sour cream on top. Hubby preferred them just as they are. One of the twins liked ketchup. To each his own! 

Tasty Tuesday: Taco Mac-n-cheese

Does your family like Mexican food? What about Mac-n-cheese? On our table last week we had this Taco Maç-n-cheese with Jalapeno Hush-puppies on the side! Want the recipe? Good! I am going to share it with you! Sometimes you just have to play in  the kitchen, and often if you combine flavors you like ~ you often can come up with some amazing treats! This, while it is currently Summer, would be an amazing thing to serve in the Autumn/Winter months because anything with mac-n-cheese is like the ultimate comfort food!

Ingredients
1 # of ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
1/2 a 8oz block of Cream Cheese
1 packet of Taco seasoning
1 can of Rotel
3/4 cup of green salsa (Salsa verde)
1 box of rotini cooked to aldente
1/4 of a 2#block of Velveeta chopped into cubes
3/4 cup of milk
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 bunch of green onions chopped
Salt, pepper, chipolte chili powder (optional to taste)

Directions
In a skillet brown the ground meat. Drain if needed. Add in cream cheese, Rotel, green salsa, and taco seasoning (on mid-low) until cream cheese is blended in well. Next, add in the chopped Velveeta, and milk and allow mixture to simmer until all cheese is blended and mixture is well mixed. In a casserole dish put in cooked rotini and add in meat mixture. Mix well until all pasta is coated and well incorporated. Top with shredded cheese and green onions. Bake in a 375* oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and casserole is bubbly.

This was wonderful served with a side of Jalapeno hush-puppies, and iced tea! You could also serve it topped with fresh chopped tomatoes, sour cream, a spoon of guacamole, and chopped lettuce.

Tantalizing Tuesday: Love can be HOT! + a Crawfish recipe

This summer it seems like a lot of baggage is getting throw to the curb! Well, not really because our HOA would NOT approve that! HAHA!

Let's just say God has been opening my eyes on a lot of areas that need some tweaking in my own life. One of them being the intimate life between my husband and I. Now, I am not going to get graphic or too detailed because ya know, everything I do I want to do for the Glory of God ~ and I need to choose my words carefully. However, this post is going to be speaking to married couples ~ specifically wives so if you are not married, then please just scroll down quickly until you see a picture! After that picture is a recipe for a yummy hot appetizer (or the beginnings of a great dinner) that is a man pleaser, crowd pleaser and just all around yummy deliciousness!

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Now, onto the TMI part! This will be quick, because well when you choose your words carefully sometimes they need to be few. (Which is sometimes very difficult for me, if you haven't already figured that out!) Anyway, the husband and I have been married for 19 years. In those years have come seasons of all kinds in our intimate ways of loving one another. Not until just a few days ago have I realized ... how IMPORTANT it is for us as wives, as ladies, to be the woman our husband craves. Not just sexually, but visually, emotionally, and provisionally. I have worked very hard on the emotionally, provisionally, and some on the visually ~ but I neglected the sexually for along time. Now, don't get me wrong .... he got his fill.... but it wasn't what he wanted ~ what he craved. Do you know how liberating it is to KNOW that you can please  your husband?! I was being a shrewd, because in my head I grew up in a house where sex was wrong. I know that the intent behind it from a parent perspective was to keep me from premarital sex and especially from becoming a teenage mother. Although, sadly I did have sex before marrige and gave myself to someone who ultimately in the end broke my heart and stole the one pure gift that I should have saved for the man who would give his life to me. Somehow, God has been working on my heart ~ and the hubby's together to produce a different kind of environment for our kids. One of LOVING your spouse openly, and honestly. IT started out as a great way to "gross" out our kids, but I see how God is using it in preparing their hearts for marriage when it's time. I talk very openly with them, their friends, and even yes my husband about how sad, ashamed, and guilty I felt by NOT waiting for my wedding night ~ for my husband to give a pure body to. I won't lie to them ~ and not tell them them the downside of not waiting. But now I see that God has also provided a pallet ~ for them to see that when you married, and in love even 19 years later .... sex and affection towards one another is a good thing! It is VITAL! Please know that we do NOT have sex in front of our kids, nor get graphic in front of them. But ... we do kiss, and show physical affection in front of them. Do you know what your husband craves sexually? Maybe it's time to find out! Now.. onto that recipe!

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Ingredients
1 package of frozen crawfish tails (defrosted)
1/2 cup of butter
1 small green bell pepper diced
1 whole bunch of green onions chopped
3 green Serrano peppers diced (fresh ~ seeds optional)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 4 oz jar of pimentos
1 8oz cream cheese softened
3 tsp cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp chipolte chili seasoning (optional)

Directions
In a large saute pan, melt butter and saute bell pepper, green onions, and diced Serrano peppers for about five to eight minutes until almost tender. Add minced garlic and continue cooking ~ stirring often. After about 3 more minutes add in crawfish tails, and pimentos. Cook for about 8 minutes or so on medium low. Add in cream cheese and seasonings, stir until cream cheese is melted and combined with remaining ingredients.  Serve with garlic toast croustini or club crackers.

*Optional uses*
1. Add a 1/2 to 3/4 cups of cream or half and half and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Pour over pasta (elbow, rotini, or spaghetti) or rice! Very much like an ettoufee.

2. Stuff inside of french bread loaf, wrap in foil tightly, bake in a 375* oven for about 20 minutes and slice into small portion sizes. AMAZING!

3. (Husband's idea) 1/2 a bunch of fresh jalepanos, remove seeds and stuff with this mixture. Bake in a 375* oven until peppers are tender (about 20 to 30 minutes). Gives a different variation on Jalapeno poppers.

4. (Haven't tried this but will!) Instead of your traditionall stuffed peppers ~ why not mix this mixture with 1 cup cooked rice.Stuff into a raw bell pepper ( or the little sweet bell peppers) and bake in oven until peppers are tender.

The ideas are endless! So, spice it up!

Tantalizing Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

I love Tantalizing Tuesday! A day where I can share a new recipe with you ~ whether it is a new recipe that I created or one that I have tried! Today I am going to share something that we have been making here at home for a couple of years now for a quick dessert that is good any time of year!

Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

Ingredients
1 stick of butter (margarine) ~ Room Temp
1/ 2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup flour
6 oz Semi Sweet Chocoate Chips

Directions
1. In a medium size bowl stir together with a wooden spoon the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla until creamy. Please do this by hand. (It's okay if there are a few "chunks" of butter throughout the batter.)
2. Add in flour, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips. Mix until combined.
3. Spray a cast iron skillet with Baker's Joy or non stick spray.
4. Dump batter into center of skillet.
5. Using a sandwich bag smooth batter along the bottom of the skillet. This will keep your hands clean, and make it easier to get the batter spread all the way through.
6. Bake in a 375*preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until golden brown on top!
7. Let cool and slice like you would a pie.
8. Top with either whipped cream or a scoop of simple vanilla ice cream!

Tantalizing Tuesday: Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

I am not much of a breakfast eater, but what I am going to share with you today could be used for breakfast (as it often is) or for dinner! It's a "stick to the ribs" meal, and it really satisfies with just a few bites! It can also be revamped many ways, which I will share in a "tasty tip" section below.

Gravy Ingredients
1 lb roll of breakfast sausage
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of whole milk
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Dash of Tabasco sauce

Brown sausage in a skillet. (I prefer my cast iron but since moving we have a glass top stove and are unable to use it on top of the stove anymore. BOO!) Remove into bowl, leaving drippings and bits and pieces on the bottom. Add oil and allow to warm up. Add flour and whisk into oil. Allow the flour to cook for about a minute or two NOT allowing it to brown. Slowly whisk in milk making sure to get all the bits from the bottom in the pan. Once you add all of the milk, whisk and reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I personally like it with lots of black pepper.) Add cooked sausage and allow to sit on warm until ready to eat. *You might need a bit more milk, or a bit less. That is why it is wise to whisk it in rather then dump it in.* Add dash of Tabasco. It really adds to the flavor so if you omit it, it's on you! (Insert smile here)

Buttermilk Biscuits
2/3 cup of milk
Just shy of 1 tbs white vinegar
2 1/4 cup Bisquick
1/2 stick of butter

Preheat oven to 450*. Add vinegar to milk and allow to sit for a minute or two. (You can omit this step by using 2/3 cup of buttermilk. Adding the vinegar to whole milk makes buttermilk.) In a large bowl add Bisquick and milk. Stir together and knead in the bowl until it all comes together in a bowl and is no longer sticky. You may need to add a tad more Bisquick. Pat out dough into a round mound that is at least 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch thick. Cut out biscuits. Melt butter. Dip biscuits in butter tops AND bottoms. Place on cookie sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Cook in oven for 10 minutes.

**Tasty Tips**
Instead of breakfast sausage you could use:
hamburger meat (add onions while browning for added flavor)
Cut up lunch meat (I have done this with roast beef)
Omit meat all together, and add a breaded chicken patty on to biscuit then putting gravy on top
Add sliced up Serrano pepper (we did this and it was GREAT)

Added to biscuits:
1/2 cup shredded cheese (any kind)
Cut biscuits in 1/2 and toast each side

Sometimes simple southern cooking taste just as good as any gourmet meal you can find in the best of restaurants.

Tantalizing Tuesday: July 16,2013 Tastiest Burgers in Town

One thing I can say about this summer! I have learned how to make ONE MEAN burger! It is simple, tasty, and can't be beat! I used to love for hubby to take us to Texas Road House because I liked their burgers (of all things). Now, I could care less about going there AND we have the tastiest burgers in town probably about once a week if not at least once every other week!

Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef (I often use Sirloin or lean, but this day I did not)
1/4 cup A1 Steak sauce
1 packet dry ranch dressing/dip mix
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 TBS Lea & Perrins
Buns of choice *pictured are onion poppy seed ciabatta buns which we spread with butter and garlic salt then toast on the grill*
Colby Jack Cheese
Cooked Bacon
Lettuce
Tomato
Red Onion
Condiments of choice (Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo, Sandwich spread)

About 2 to 3 hours before cooking (if possible) mix first 5 ingredients well together and place in fridge to marinate. About 30 minutes prior to cooking pull out meat and make six healthy patties. Place on grill and cook on both sides. At end of cooking top with cooked bacon then cheese. Allow cheese to melt on patty before removing from grill. Toast buns. Assemble burgers and enjoy!

Tantalizing Tuesday: July 9,2013 Lemon Glazed Donuts

This past Saturday I decided to play my hand at trying a new recipe for the family. In fact, a donut recipe! Several months ago I went into Hobby Lobby and used my 40% off coupon to purchase two donut pans (coupon was only good on one of the pans) by Wilton. Where we used to live we were right down the street from a donut store. Now? Yeah, it's not down the street anymore. Why not make our own! These are baked donuts and really, your options are endless! This is a basic recipe, and while I made a lemon glaze, you can make any glaze and still use this basic cake recipe. They are very tender, moist, and well.. yummy!

Cake Donut Ingredients
2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter softened
1 1/4 cup milk
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs

Beat all ingredients in a large bowl with a mixer on low speed or 30 seconds. (Or use a whisk) Beat on high speed for three minutes scraping bowl occasionally to get the gluten going. Spray donut pans with non stick cooking spray. Put about 1/4 cup of batter into each donut round. Bake @ 350 for 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Recipe yields 2 1/2 dozen. Let cool in pan 3 to 5 minutes before removing and refilling.

Lemon Glaze
1/2 container of lemon frosting
Powder sugar
Water

This is not science here. I melted the 1/2 container of lemon frosting I had on hand from making a glazed lemon pound cake the week before. To that I added a good amount of powder sugar then enough water to make a glaze that was not too thick or runny. Dip each donut in and flip then hold up to allow glaze to flow off. Set glazed donut on a cooking rack (that is on top of waxed paper) to allow glaze to set.

These donuts were 'twinkie' approved!