Making Tuesday Tasty-Veggie Fried Rice w/Bacon

My mom used to always make her stir fry with bacon. I think part of it was that bacon was inexpensive for a few slices. I liked the smokiness that went into the other flavors. With fried rice, you can play with the veggie combo and meat and come out loving it! It's versatile and I love flavors. Here's another take on this combination. I really like ginger but, not in my fried rice so edit it to your liking.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 head broccoli, florets and stalks cut into 1/4-inch pieces
5 cups cooked long-grain white rice
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 large eggs
1 bunch watercress, stems removed
Spicy mustard or chili sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions

Place a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and bacon and stir-fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the bacon and toss. Add 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce (watch out-the oil will bubble up) and continue to stir-fry until the bacon is glazed, about 30 seconds. Transfer the bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the drippings in the pan and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, the remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, the broth and glazed bacon. Toss to heat through.

Push the fried rice to one side of the pan, crack the eggs into the other side and scramble until set, about 1 minute. Mix the eggs into the rice and stir in the watercress. Divide among bowls and serve with mustard or chili sauce, if desired.

*recipe and photo courtesy of Food Network*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Green Bean Casserole

In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, I'm adding another super yummy recipe to the mix. Here is a yummy scratch version of green bean casserole. The ingredients are fresh and delicious. I still personally like the french onions for the texture and flavor myself. The wonderful thing about recipes is, you can make them to suit you.

Ingredients

3 pounds green beans

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 loaf crusty Italian bread

3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds mixed mushrooms (such as button, cremini, shiitake), sliced

2 shallots, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add a big pinch of salt and the green beans.

Cook for about 5 minutes, the beans should still be crisp, they will be cooked more in the oven. Drain them and set aside.

Butter a baking dish large enough to hold the green beans with 1 tablespoon butter and set aside.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Tear the bread into 2-inch pieces, put them into a bowl, and add 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon thyme, 1 tablespoon rosemary, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well to coat and spread onto a baking sheet. Bake just until the bread just starts to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream, add the remaining thyme and chives, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the green beans and stir well. Put the green bean mixture into the prepared baking dish, top with the croutons, and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan. Bake until everything is hot and bubbling, about 20 to 25 minutes.

*recipe and photo courtesy of Tyler Florence and Food network*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year again! Fall and pumpkins go hand in hand. Good thing I love pumpkin, at

least in dessert form.

Here's a yummy recipe to try out for those Fall days, while they last.

Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups shredded fresh pumpkin

1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. Combine both mixtures and

fold in the shredded pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. Once the ingredients are all incorporated pour

into a non- stick 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan. If your pan is not non- stick coat it with butter and

flour.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. At this point a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf should

come out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. For

muffins temperature should also be 325 degrees F., but bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown, Photo courtesy of Proof Of The Pudding Blog

Making Tuesday Tasty-Meatloaf

Ok, so I know there are about a million versions of this recipe. I don't like meatloaf unless it's the way my mom prepared it. I think mostly it's because a lot of people cover theirs in ketchup or tomato sauce or something that I don't like. I'm winging the exact amounts because my mom and I really cook to taste, instead of using exact recipes. Meatloaf is a great one dish type of meal that can be adapted to anything you like and can be kept lean by using ground turkey or another lean meat. You can also use lamb and any kinds of veggies that you want to hide in there. Below is a base recipe. You can add fresh or dry herbs, different cheeses, variations of veg, variations of filler like ground breadcrumbs or croutons instead of crackers. You can add a sauce to your meatloaf instead of layering it with bacon. I don't eat it very often so I'm not too worried about calories from this particular recipe. It's definitely not lean! If your kids don't like chunks of veg, then you can play around with pureeing the vegetables you do want in there and adding that in. Make sure you balance your moisture though. Have fun!

1 1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey
Bacon strips, enough to cover your loaf once formed
1 egg
1 medium yellow onion or 3 shoots of green onion
1 C crushed saltine crackers
3/4 C shredded carrot
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to taste

You can saute your onions if you want but, we just dice them and put them in the meat. Get a large bowl to combine ingredients and start mixing with your hands preferably. I like to put the meat in the bowl and combine the dry ingredients. Once the dry ingredients are combined, add the egg and mix well. Spray either a standard loaf pan or baking pan with a non stick spray and form your loaf to the shape and size you want it. If you form it thick, it will take longer cooking time. Once formed, lay your bacon lengthwise onto the meatloaf and pop in 350 degree oven for 45 mins. Check if done. Every oven is different and you don't want to dry out the meatloaf. Standard cooking time should be right around an hour.

Making Tuesday Tasty-Cinco De Mayo Celebration

I live in AZ and that means that I get some of the best Mexican food there is! I LOVE me some Mexican food. In honor of Cinco de Mayo and my Birthday coming up, I'm gonna put up a yummy Mexican dish. I love chilaquiles, and found out that they were originally created to use up leftovers. I love the verde sauces and the red sauces, the taste of chiles and tomatillos. This is perfect.

Chicken Chilaquiles

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos—husked, rinsed and halved
2 large garlic cloves
1 large jalapeño—halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
1/4 cup packed cilantro
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound shredded cooked chicken (3 cups), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese (6 ounces)
1/2 cup farmer cheese (4 ounces)
1 scallion, sliced
One 6-ounce bag tortilla chips (8 cups)
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 450°. In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeño and cilantro until smooth. In a large saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the cumin and coriander and cook over high heat until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the tomatillo puree, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce loses its bright green color, 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

2.In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 3/4 cup of the pepper Jack, the farmer cheese, scallion and half of the tomatillo sauce; season with salt and pepper. In another bowl, toss the tortilla chips with the remaining sauce.

3.Spread half of the chips in an 8-by-11-inch baking dish; top with the chicken and cover with the remaining tortilla chips. Don't pack the chips down. Dollop the sour cream over the chips and sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup of pepper Jack. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is browned. Serve at once

Recipe courtesy of Food & Wine cookbook

Making Tuesday Tasty

I'm an asparagus lover. I love it's earthy, distinct flavor that lends itself to many dishes. Most of all I love it made simply. If there's a little real butter or olive oil slathered on it, topped with a little garlic and salt, I'm in heaven.

Here's a simple recipe that kicks the asparagus up a level and compliments it nicely.

Asparagus Wrapped Prosciutto

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon chopped basil leaves
1 teaspoon chopped oregano leaves
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves
8 to 12 stalks asparagus, blanched
8 to 12 thin slices prosciutto
1 head lettuce, optional
Tomato wedges, optional
Directions

Mix all ingredients for dressing together and let it set overnight. Do not refrigerate.

Marinate the asparagus in the dressing for 10 minutes.

Wrap 2 to 3 asparagus with prosciutto.

Serve on a bed of lettuce with tomato wedges, if using, and spoon dressing on top.

recipe courtesy of Chicago Chop House

Tasty Thursday-Buffalo chicken wings

I got this recipe from an e-cookbook menu that was forwarded in my email. My husband loves buffalo wings. I alter this type of recipe a little bit. I don't usually add margarine but, I know it makes it better and I usually bake about 12 to 15 wings in the oven at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes depending on how hot your oven cooks.

2 lbs. chicken wings (disjointed − discard the tips)
1/4 Lb. Margarine (do not use butter!)
8 Oz. "Frank's" Hot Sauce (also labeled as
Durkee Hot Sauce. NO SUBSTITUTIONS!!!)
Oil for frying
1. Melt margarine in sauce pan until barely liquid.
Add hot sauce, mix, and put aside.
2. Deep fry wings until brown and crispy. Remove
and drain on paper towels.
3. Put wings in a large bowl that has a cover. Pour
sauce over all, cover, and shake to coat the wings.
Serve with celery sticks and Blue Cheese or Ranch
Dressing.
Adjust the amount of hot sauce to your desire.