Spinach Artichoke Dip

YUM !  Thanks Holly!






Serves: 8; Serving = 1/8 recipe
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 20 min

Total: 40 min


Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) light silken tofu, drained
1 package (8 oz) neufchâtel light cream cheese
1/2 c Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, halved
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 package (9 oz) frozen artichoke hearts,
 thawed and finely chopped
1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach,
 thawed and squeezed dry


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a
1 1/2- or 2-quart baking dish with cooking
 spray.

2. Place the tofu, cream cheese, 1/4 c of the
 Parmesan cheese,    garlic, and mustard in a
 blender or food processor. Puree, pushing
 mixture toward blade to start, until smooth.

3. Place the artichoke hearts and spinach in a
  medium bowl.
Add the tofu mixture and toss to coat. Pour
 into the prepared baking dish. Top with the
 remaining  1/4 c Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbling hot.

4. Serve with pita wedges and assorted veggies,
  such as celery sticks, carrot sticks, jicama sticks,
  and sliced bell peppers.


Nutritional summary:
Calories: 127
Carbohydrates (g): 7
Calcium (mg): 382
Fiber(g): 2
Omega-3 (g): 0.01
Vitamin D (IU): 0


:  )

Eggplant and Seafood Casserole

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

4- small eggplants
1- onion - chopped fine
5- Tablespoons of butter

1- bell pepper chopped

1- Cup of crabmeat

1- pound of crawfish - or shrimp

1- Cup of Italian breadcrumbs

- Seasonings

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

*Or just use 4 T Cajun Seasoning! (my preference!)

• Skin eggplants and cut into large cubes
• Boil in salted water until tender
• Drain WELL .. I would even suggest doing this part the night before and letting them drain in a colander in the fridge
  
• Chop the onion and bell pepper ( be sure to remove the inner membrane and seeds from the bell pepper)
  
• Melt butter in large skillet adding onion and pepper - cooking until onions are clear
  
• Add the cubed, cooked, drained eggplant
  
• Slowly add the breadcrumbs - you will see that the eggplant is still drawing water!
  
• Add the seasonings to this mixture, stirring the concoction to coat and blend all the flavors.
  
• Add the seafood mixing well, distributing the seafood into all parts of the eggplant mix.
  
• 
  
• Put the mixture into a casserole dish that you have sprayed with vegetable oil.
  
• Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the top of the mixture, dot with butter and bake 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly
  
• Sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the top of mixture, dot with butter and bake 20-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

NOTE:

If you don't have one kind of seafood - but do have another... use it ... in the Cajun Delta... food is never wasted... waste not want not!

Casseroles are just a good way of using leftovers from Saturday night!

: )

Green Bean and Artichoke Casserole

Samie sent this jewel - try it you like it !
really simple....

• 3 (15.5 ounce) cans French cut green beans, drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained
• Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon of garlic minced
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F .
2. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
3. Add the green beans, artichoke hearts, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
   
5. Stir to blend everything thoroughly.
   
6. Drizzle olive oil over the top, then cover the dish with aluminum foil.
7. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, then remove the aluminum foil, and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the top slightly.

Chicken Broccoli Bacon Quiche

We needed comfort food today ! We attended the local Murfreesboro Christmas Parade and got chilled... so we came home and decided to make a Quiche.

Robyn had just been to the grocery store and had brought home fresh broccoli and heavy cream.

I found a great recipe that I "doctored" and it turned out fantastic.

INGREDIENTS:

1 - 9" pie crust
1 - cup of heavy cream
3 - eggs
1 - Teaspoon minced garlic
2 - Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 - cup of shredded cheese ( I used a "casserole blend" of shredded cheese - just use what you like best !
1 - chicken breast
1 - part of a head of broccoli
1 - cup of Hormel Real Bacon Bits ( great taste )
Seasonings - I used Tony's and onion powder

METHOD:

preheat oven to 350

• boil 1 chicken breasts ( or a three frozen tenderloins )
• This only takes a few minutes.... chop them up into bite size morsels.and put to the side to cool
• DON'T dump the chicken water !
• Place a couple handfuls of the broccoli florets into the hot water... bring to boil and boil for a few minutes until slightly tender.

• Remove from water and chop

• Beat the eggs
• Add the cream
• Add cheese, garlic, and lemon juice
• Beat
• Add seasonings (onion powder and Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasonings) to taste
• Beat
• Add bacon, chicken, and broccoli
• Stir
• Pour into unbaked pie crust
• Place pie on cookie sheet into oven
• Set timer for 1 hour
• Go take a hot soaking bath

Remove promptly from the oven slice and eat.... YUM



.

"Tomato Bread"

A Southern Poor Man's Pizza ! So you have left over biscuits from this morning? Not a problem... Laura called to tell me how to recycle, recover, reuse these little morsels of love.

Take your left over biscuits and crumble them up into a baking dish.

Open a large can of stewed tomatoes and pour over the biscuits

Top the whole thing with shredded Parmesan Cheese

Pop it into a preheated oven (350)

Allow the whole dish to become hot and bubbley.

Serve with a smile !

Samie's Southern Cornbread Dressing

It's Turkey time!

• Jimmy Deans Sausage....1-2 pounds (regular or sage)
• whole chicken, additional celery and onions[ boiled slowly with lots of seasoning]
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1or 2 large bell peppers
• sage seasonings
• poultry seasoning
• Tony's Chachere's Cajun Seasonings
  
• salt and pepper
• green onions { do not over saute or you can just add them last}
• 4-6 boiled eggs diced finely
• 1/2 loaf day old white bread
• 2 large pans cornbread (un sweet)

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Use the drippings from your turkey if you have it and you are not using them for gravy
• 1 chicken....season and boil slowly with onions and celery...the better your stock....the better the final product
• debone and save stock
• corn bread...the better the bread...the better the final product....NOT sweet CORNBREAD!
• and white bread 1 - 2 cups crumbled
• brown sausage in large skillet, add veggies and saute until clear...
• I love celery so I add more....

• In roasting pan crumble bread and cornbread....salt and pepper to taste
• mix in sausage mixture, chicken...and stock until mixture is wet but not soupy!
• add sage seasoning and any other of your favorites seasonings to taste....there is a poultry seasoning I like as well....taste and adjust....add eggs and green onions
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until completely hot
• If you are baking a turkey....add drippings to bread mixture and stir in...
• If you like it wet, cover and add more juice....

Watch the top and sides so it doesn't dry out. Add liquids (stock) to adjust moisture.

There are no exacts in this recipe...adjust according to your likes....wet or dry....
lots of veggies or not so many....chicken or not....eggs or not
You can use boxed chicken stock, rotisserie chicken, even hamburger meat....
I love sage, sausage , celery and bell peppers....and semi wet....
The more flavors you can infuse, meaning if you can get those great turkey drippings, the better. ~ Samie

Samie's Jimmy Dean Baked Beans

Samie's Jimmy Dean Baked Beans

these baked beans are amazing...

1 roll of Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

1 large onion chopped

1 large green bell pepper chopped

minced garlic (couple of toes)

2 large cans of Bush's Baked Beans

4 tablespoons or a couple of big squirts of yellow mustard

Worcestershire Sauce ( a few good dollops )

Liquid Smoke (this doesn't take much!) or you can bake it on grill or smoker - if you are that hardcore!

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

a few sliced Jalapeños

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This recipe is hard to mess up ... which is one reason it is a winner!
Preheat oven 350

• brown sausage in large dutch oven on stove top
  
• 
  
• add onions and green peppers and sauté
• 
  
• add garlic
• 
  
• pour in beans - stir
• 
  
• add the rest! (now how simple is this?)
• 
  
• fresh Jalapeño peppers just a few...
  

bake for 45 minutes or on the grill ---- or if you don't want to heat up the house ... just simmer on top of the stove

Hope's Shepherd's Pie - Or the One Dish Wonder

As time goes by I find myself looking back to my comfort foods and the ease in which they are prepared. There is no culinary magic, just solid easy to prepare yummy (don't you love the technical terms?) food.

This simple dish is one that I had as a child and have adapted it more to my liking by changing out a few things.

What you will need:

1 pound of ground round
1/2 "Tube" Jimmy Dean Sausage
6 medium potatoes
1 stick of butter
milk
salt and pepper
1 can of sweet corn (NOT CREAMED CORN)

Preheat oven to 350
========

The neat thing about this dish is it comes together relatively quick.
Peel and coarsely chop the potatoes
Put the potatoes on to boil
While the potatoes boil - get out your trusty cast iron skillet ( once again if you don't have one of these in your collection of pots... GET ONE Lodge makes great ones that are inexpensive.
Mix the ground and the sausage together with your hands... and I mean WELL - you want to make sure that the sausage is evenly distributed throughout the ground beef, so squeeze it and mash it! Place the meat mix in the skillet and press evenly until the whole bottom of the skillet is encompassed so it looks like a GIANT HAMBURGER.

Now pop the meat into the oven and let cook until well done - usually about 20 - 30 minutes... you can generally tell when the shrinkage is obvious. Drain off the grease and pop it back into the oven while you prepare the mashed potatoes.

Simply drain the potatoes, add 3/4 stick of butter, salt, pepper, and mash.... adding a little milk to the potatoes to make them malleable...actually I kind of like mine with a few lumps... lets people know they are "real mashed" not instant ( I know it's stupid... but what can I say?)

Pull the cast iron skillet out of the oven ... and build a ring around the top of the meat - leaving the center clear of potatoes.... ( just a note here... don't put the potatoes on the cast iron... put them on TOP of the meat - looks a bit like a flat volcano)

Now open the can of sweet corn and dump it into the middle of the ring of potatoes dash the whole shebang with a bit of salt and ground pepper and top it off with the remaining butter cut into small chunks.

Place the skillet back into the oven for about 10 minutes.... pull it out and cut into pie wedges and serve.... YUM !

The reason I don't put extra onion or bell pepper or massive seasonings is the sausage gives it a delightful taste... and kids old and young will eat it... even your finicky eaters ! That is also the reason I use corn and not the mixed veggies... kids will eat it!
--------------------------------------

I hope you will try it ... let me know if you like it....

Maybe next time... we just make iced tea.