Glazed Carrots

Jessica emailed me this morning with three great oldies! There is still time within this Old Year to eat your heart out...because a new day will be dawning on the 1st! Diets all around! Yeah right!

I haven't thought about Glazed Carrots in ages... so THANKS Jessica!

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Glazed Carrots
Serves 4
Start to finish: 20 minutes

• 1 pound carrots, peeled
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• pepper

DIRECTIONS:

• 1. Slice carrots on the bias (1/4 inch thick ans 2 inches long). Combine the carrots, broth, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and the salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook covered, stirring occasionally, until the carrots are almost tender, about 5 minutes.
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• 2. Uncover, return to a boil, and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 2 minutes.
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• 3. Stir in the butter and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the carrots are completely tender and the glaze is lightly golden, about 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper to taste.

: )

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.

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

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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
  
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• add onions and green peppers and sauté
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• add garlic
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• pour in beans - stir
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• add the rest! (now how simple is this?)
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• 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

Jessica's Maque Choux

My beautiful daughter-in-law, Jessica has graciously shared some of her recipes with me, and now I pass them on to you.

Maque Choux
(pronounced “mock shoe”)

A Cajun smothered corn dish cooked with tomatoes, onion and green pepper. It was more than likely derived from the Indians and the Cajun French trappers of south Louisiana.



8 medium ears of fresh corn ( or 1 lb frozen kernel corn ~4 cups)

1 lb tasso*, andouiille or spicy smoked sausage (use your favorite brand) chopped into bite sized pieces

1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)

1 small green bell pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 medium tomato, cut up

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (or to taste)

• Remove the husks from corn; scrub with a stiff brush to remove silks. Rinse.

• Use a sharp knife to remove corn from cobs, cutting two-thirds of the way to the cob. (picture courtesy of www.dkimages.com/.../Vegetables-062.html)
• Scrape the cobs with a dull edge of a knife. (should be about 4 cups)

• Brown tasso or sausage in a 3-quart saucepan. Remove and drain on paper towels.

• Add margarine or butter to the now empty pan and cook onion and green pepper about 5 minutes or until tender.

• Stir in corn, tomato, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.

• Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes or until corn is tender.

• Add tasso/sausage back to pan and cook approximately another 5 minutes.

• Season to taste.
  
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• Makes about 6 side dish servings.

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* Tasso Ham is a Cajun specialty - a lean piece of cured pork (usually shoulder) richly seasoned with red pepper, garlic, file powder and several other herbs and spices, and then smoked for two days. The result is a firm, smoky and flavorful meat largely used for seasoning.

Try this! You might even become an honorary Cajun!