Recipes! Whats for dinner?

[lushus]

I'm not one for frozen foods, but those Tyson Steak fingers are great for those nights when you need something in a hurry. I used to always make gravy until I discovered the little packets of Pioneer Brand country gravy mix. Just add water and follow the directions. Pour it over the Steak fingers and you have yourself a quick and easy country fried steak. The Tyson frozen Country Fried Steak patties are good too.

Sidenote: Cook the steakfingers in the oven. Don't go the microwave route.

That Western Omelet sounds great. I've done the breakfast casserole in a baking dish, but never in the crock pot. I'm going to have to try that one.

All the other recipes sound great too, but they sound like more work than I'm willing to put forth in the kitchen. I swear the older I get, the lazyier I get when it comes to cooking.

Out West, it's called a 'Denver' .. .. weird, huh?

[Belle]

SS, I assumed you were in Savannah, but guess you have some connection to it. I was going to ask you about Paula Deene, the Queen of southern cooking. She's my favorite since that's the way I cook.

Oh I WISH I were in Savannah! I got very intrigued with the city after the movie and the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which was about a famous murder in Savannah.....and wanted to visit there, so took a vacation there a number of years back. Absolutely fell in LOVE with the city. I would love to live there someday, in one of the gorgeous restored historic homes....absolutely lovely!

I have heard of Paula Deene but don't know that much about her. I DO love Southern cooking!

Alright, you southern belles, I was raised in Macon and born right down the road from Paula Dean, in Bainbridge Ga. Y'all are making me homesick for that southern cooking. Paula Dean is the best. BTW, Savannah, I went to school over in Statesboro.

SavannahStar I was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and you would be right at home if you moved there and you would love it forever. There are other beautiful areas in the U.S. and Canada but there is nothing like my Savannah, my home. And I miss it big time, even though we go back numerous times throughout the year it just is not enough for me. Do you know that Savannah is known as the Hostess City of the South?

So SavannahStar and Maybelline if you like Southern cooking then I will post some of my mothers and grandmothers recipes.

I screwed that up. Sorry...put my paragraph in the wrong place...lol

Someone calling Southern Belle? lol
Born n raised here in good ole Ga.. I know all the southern recipes... and have the easiest cobbler recipe! Any kind of fruit will do!

[victims cry]

SS, I assumed you were in Savannah, but guess you have some connection to it. I was going to ask you about Paula Deene, the Queen of southern cooking. She's my favorite since that's the way I cook.

Oh I WISH I were in Savannah! I got very intrigued with the city after the movie and the book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" which was about a famous murder in Savannah.....and wanted to visit there, so took a vacation there a number of years back. Absolutely fell in LOVE with the city. I would love to live there someday, in one of the gorgeous restored historic homes....absolutely lovely!

I have heard of Paula Deene but don't know that much about her. I DO love Southern cooking!

Alright, you southern belles, I was raised in Macon and born right down the road from Paula Dean, in Bainbridge Ga. Y'all are making me homesick for that southern cooking. Paula Dean is the best. BTW, Savannah, I went to school over in Statesboro.

SavannahStar I was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and you would be right at home if you moved there and you would love it forever. There are other beautiful areas in the U.S. and Canada but there is nothing like my Savannah, my home. And I miss it big time, even though we go back numerous times throughout the year it just is not enough for me. Do you know that Savannah is known as the Hostess City of the South?

So SavannahStar and Maybelline if you like Southern cooking then I will post some of my mothers and grandmothers recipes.

I screwed that up. Sorry...put my paragraph in the wrong place...lol

Someone calling Southern Belle? lol
Born n raised here in good ole Ga.. I know all the southern recipes... and have the easiest cobbler recipe! Any kind of fruit will do!

Well lets see those posted

[victims cry]

Tonight its cooler so I am going to make my all time comfort food.

Home made macaroni and cheese (baked)

1 1/2 to 2 c. of elbow macaroni

3/4 to 1 pound of mixed cheeses cubed (old cheddar, swiss, raclette etc). Sometimes like tonight i only have te old cheddar

1 c. of milk

3 tbs of flour and 4 tbs butter

1 big onion chopped

nutmeg and pepper

1. Boil macaroni but a little less than al dente. You dont want mush by the end of the baking, so just cooked with a some firmness. Drain and set aside

2. While boiling, melt butter, add onions and cook til soft. Add flour and cook till thickened. Slowly add milk stirring constantly until you have used 3/4 or a cup (i like the cheese to make the sauce more than milk).
Add nutmeg and pepper

3. as soon as its thick enough - the flour base thickens it, you want gravy thickness- add most of the cheese, lower heat to simmer and stir until melted.

4. Put the macaroni in a baking pan, be it 8 inch square pyrex, or a deep cast iron skillet (my favorite) holding back some until you see how much sauce you have.

5. Stir in the sauce until all macaroni is well coated but its not sitting in a soup. The top should have macaroni at the top not just sauce

Shred/grate the left over cheese on top till covered.

6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or so. If not totally browned on top turn on the broiler for the last 5 minutes til golden and bubbling.

Eat... (shameful secret - its amazing with a little ketchup on the side)

[pax]

I'm not one for frozen foods, but those Tyson Steak fingers are great for those nights when you need something in a hurry. I used to always make gravy until I discovered the little packets of Pioneer Brand country gravy mix. Just add water and follow the directions. Pour it over the Steak fingers and you have yourself a quick and easy country fried steak. The Tyson frozen Country Fried Steak patties are good too.

Sidenote: Cook the steakfingers in the oven. Don't go the microwave route.

That Western Omelet sounds great. I've done the breakfast casserole in a baking dish, but never in the crock pot. I'm going to have to try that one.

All the other recipes sound great too, but they sound like more work than I'm willing to put forth in the kitchen. I swear the older I get, the lazyier I get when it comes to cooking.

Out West, it's called a 'Denver' .. .. weird, huh?

"And in France, they call it 'Royale with Cheese.'"

-- from the movie Pulp Fiction (cracks me up every time)

[MJTenn]

Tonight my guys are having hamburgers cooked on the grill. He'll roast a few Vidalia onions at the same time; I like to have them for leftovers. (Just warm in the microwave for a few minutes.) We do the same thing with hamburgers; grill extras and then freeze. Then when you want a grilled hamburger, just take one out and heat in the microwave. You still get that nice grilled taste.

I'm having some pasta with fresh tomatoes and herbs. (I don't like meat as often as they do.)

Another thing we tried the other night: grilled eggplant. Just peeled and sliced, then basted with a little olive oil and italian seasoning and grilled for about 5 minutes on each side. I loved this; finished up the last of it at lunch.

[Scarlet]

After the discussion about southern fried chicken and posting my way of doing things, tonight we're having:

Fried chicken
Fresh cooked pinkeye-purple hull peas straight from the garden
Homemade mac'n cheese
Mashed potatos (from potatos not boxed)
Sauted squash and onions (out of the garden too)
Sliced tomatos (there again, from the garden)
Sliced cucumbers in vinegar with salt'n pepper (mmmhmmm, fresh from the garden)
Homemade biscuits
Iced tea

Oooh, and just finished the homemade coconut cake... YUM YUM YUUUUUM

[SavannahStar]

Home made macaroni and cheese (baked)


Eat... (shameful secret - its amazing with a little ketchup on the side)

Pssssssssssst, here's my shameful secret: I LOVE barbecue sauce on buttered noodles!

[SavannahStar]

Tonight my guys are having hamburgers cooked on the grill. He'll roast a few Vidalia onions at the same time; I like to have them for leftovers. (Just warm in the microwave for a few minutes.) We do the same thing with hamburgers; grill extras and then freeze. Then when you want a grilled hamburger, just take one out and heat in the microwave. You still get that nice grilled taste.

I'm having some pasta with fresh tomatoes and herbs. (I don't like meat as often as they do.)

Another thing we tried the other night: grilled eggplant. Just peeled and sliced, then basted with a little olive oil and italian seasoning and grilled for about 5 minutes on each side. I loved this; finished up the last of it at lunch.

I'm mad at you, MJ. The food at your house sounds TOO GOOD!

[MJTenn]

Tonight my guys are having hamburgers cooked on the grill. He'll roast a few Vidalia onions at the same time; I like to have them for leftovers. (Just warm in the microwave for a few minutes.) We do the same thing with hamburgers; grill extras and then freeze. Then when you want a grilled hamburger, just take one out and heat in the microwave. You still get that nice grilled taste.

I'm having some pasta with fresh tomatoes and herbs. (I don't like meat as often as they do.)

Another thing we tried the other night: grilled eggplant. Just peeled and sliced, then basted with a little olive oil and italian seasoning and grilled for about 5 minutes on each side. I loved this; finished up the last of it at lunch.

I'm mad at you, MJ. The food at your house sounds TOO GOOD!

ha, my shameful secret is that when hubby is working out of town and son is away at school...there is never ANYTHING cooked here. And very little in the refrigerator. I keep it very, very simple when it is just me here; as long as I have my coffee, tea and yogurt I'm happy. Oh yeah, and a box of orange creamsicles in the freezer. The two of them love good meals, and neither of them has to worry about his weight the way I do. So I watch the calories pretty closely when I'm by myself, knowing I'll gain weight when they are home. (lol)

Last night we had barbequed chicken on the grill and baked sweet potatoes. He makes really good bbq'd chicken; I'll ask him how he does it and post it...most everyone likes the way he does it. Another shameful secret: I promptly cancelled out any health benefits of the sweet potato by putting real butter and brown sugar on it.

[pathenry]

MD Crabcakes

1 lb of MD lump crabmeat
half cup of bread crumbs

remove any shells from crab and toss lightly with bread crumbs
-----
Mix the following seperately:
1 egg
tablespoon of mayo
squirt of yellow mustard
teaspoon of lemon juice
teaspoon of worchestshire sauce
Old Bay seasoning to taste
parsley flakes (optional)
-----------

fold the mixture slowly into the crab just enough to be able to form cakes (will yield 4 nice size crab cakes) refrigerate the cakes for at least an hour.

Broil until lightly browned.
I use flat slightly buttered baking sheet. ( I cover it with aluminum fool, rub butter on it and put the crab cakes on it for easy clean up)

Sliced MD beefsteak tomatoes
Buttered sweet white corn on the cob

Enjoy !!

[Queen]

Can of tuna and chips.

Yummmers.

[victims cry]

my dinner tonight is blah. I forgot to refridgerate left overs and they turned color, so i am just snacking on potato chips and dip

[MJTenn]

MD Crabcakes

1 lb of MD lump crabmeat
half cup of bread crumbs

remove any shells from crab and toss lightly with bread crumbs
-----
Mix the following seperately:
1 egg
tablespoon of mayo
squirt of yellow mustard
teaspoon of lemon juice
teaspoon of worchestshire sauce
Old Bay seasoning to taste
parsley flakes (optional)
-----------

fold the mixture slowly into the crab just enough to be able to form cakes (will yield 4 nice size crab cakes) refrigerate the cakes for at least an hour.

Broil until lightly browned.
I use flat slightly buttered baking sheet. ( I cover it with aluminum fool, rub butter on it and put the crab cakes on it for easy clean up)

Sliced MD beefsteak tomatoes
Buttered sweet white corn on the cob

Enjoy !!

Now THAT is one of my favorite meals. LOVE crab cakes, and the tomatoes and corn are perfect side dishes.

[jacqueline]

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Prosciutto


4 chicken breasts (boneless)
1 package creamed spinach
8 slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons canola oil

Take the chicken breasts and flatten each one with a mallet until each piece is an even thickness.

Then place a couple of tablespoons of spinach in the centre of each breast and roll up the breast tightly. Wrap two slices of prosciutto around each breast.

In a non-stick frying pan, warm up the oil on high heat. Quickly sear each chicken breast on all sides and then place chicken in an oven-proof dish and finish cooking in a 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serves 4.

[SavannahStar]

my dinner tonight is blah. I forgot to refridgerate left overs and they turned color, so i am just snacking on potato chips and dip

Well tonight we are having chicken on the grill with baked potatoes.

Recently we discovered a marinade that is SOOOOOOOOOO awesome. It is Stubb's Chicken Marinade. The bottle says "A special blend of citrus, herbs and sesame." Check out www.ilovestubbs.com. Anyway, we pierce the chicken all over and put it in a gal. size ziplock bag with the marinade all day before we grill it. It's a real unique flavor, sorta vinegary/spicy, and goes right all the way through the chicken. I highly recommend it.

[MJTenn]

Creamed Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Prosciutto


4 chicken breasts (boneless)
1 package creamed spinach
8 slices prosciutto
2 tablespoons canola oil

Take the chicken breasts and flatten each one with a mallet until each piece is an even thickness.

Then place a couple of tablespoons of spinach in the centre of each breast and roll up the breast tightly. Wrap two slices of prosciutto around each breast.

In a non-stick frying pan, warm up the oil on high heat. Quickly sear each chicken breast on all sides and then place chicken in an oven-proof dish and finish cooking in a 400°F oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serves 4.

I like the sound of this; love creamed spinach. Thanks for this one, Jacqueline; it sounds so good. And seems that it is simple to make.

Just one question: when you put the chicken in the oven to finish cooking, should you cover it or leave it uncovered? tia

[MJTenn]

my dinner tonight is blah. I forgot to refridgerate left overs and they turned color, so i am just snacking on potato chips and dip

Well tonight we are having chicken on the grill with baked potatoes.

Recently we discovered a marinade that is SOOOOOOOOOO awesome. It is Stubb's Chicken Marinade. The bottle says "A special blend of citrus, herbs and sesame." Check out www.ilovestubbs.com. Anyway, we pierce the chicken all over and put it in a gal. size ziplock bag with the marinade all day before we grill it. It's a real unique flavor, sorta vinegary/spicy, and goes right all the way through the chicken. I highly recommend it.

We're having chicken on the grill tomorrow and I'll make some fruit salsa to go with it.

That does sound like a good marinade, SS.

For grilling chicken, we've decided that we like the small whole chickens spilt in half the best (no more than 3.5 pounds). Seems like they come out with a better flavor than the great big pieces.

Have you ever tried Beer Butt Chicken?

You need a whole chicken and a can of beer. Pour off (or drink) a little of the beer so that it is about a couple of inches from the top. Rub the chicken with your favorite spice mix; you can let it sit for hours in the fridge or cook it right away. Take the can of beer and push it up into the inside of the chicken. Your chicken will be "standing" on the beer (think of Chance's squirrels, lol). Then cook on the grill (leave the chicken "standing".)

The combination of the beer and the spice rub gives it a really good flavor, and the steaming beer keeps it nice and moist.

[SavannahStar]

MJ, I have heard of Beer Butt Chicken for a long time and we have always wanted to try it. One of these days.

I'm just curious though.....you don't need a smoker? We just have a regular ol' charcoal grill, the $45 kind, nothing elaborate. We don't like a gas grill, LOVE real charcoal.

It seems like it would take FOREVER to cook, sitting up on the grill like that. No? It's not like the chicken is laying flat on the grill, like breasts of chicken or steak. I was always wondering about that.

[MJTenn]

MJ, I have heard of Beer Butt Chicken for a long time and we have always wanted to try it. One of these days.

I'm just curious though.....you don't need a smoker? We just have a regular ol' charcoal grill, the $45 kind, nothing elaborate. We don't like a gas grill, LOVE real charcoal.

It seems like it would take FOREVER to cook, sitting up on the grill like that. No? It's not like the chicken is laying flat on the grill, like breasts of chicken or steak. I was always wondering about that.

As long as the chicken isn't too big, it doesn't take all that much longer. And it is one of those things that "cooks itself" once you get it on.

No, you don't need a smoker. My hubby does all kinds of stuff on our grill...it is a covered Weber CHARCOAL grill (lol). He refuses to even talk about gas grills! In fact, we got him a smoker for Christmas a few years ago...he has never used it. I guess I will put it in a yard sale if I ever get around to having one. He smokes shoulders all the time on the weber grill; just puts them on and goes off and leaves them.

But anyway, as long as your grill has a cover, you're good. I don't know much about grilling; would have to ask him. But I'm pretty sure that the principle is putting the coals on one side of the grill, then placing your chicken or whatever on the other, so that it gets cooked by the indirect heat. I know he cooks chicken halves about 1.5 hours, so it would probably be 45 min.-an hour longer to do the whole chicken.

[SavannahStar]

Yeh, MJ, our grill has a cover. I'm trying to imagine if that cover is tall enough to cover a chicken though. Well, I guess, if the actual grill (rack) is down to its lowest level. I have to think about this. Ah so your hubby loves a CHARCOAL grill......good man!

So.....this would take about 2.5 hours? Well if the charcoal is on ONE side of the grill, and the chicken on the other....then I guess you can put the chicken on while the coals are still VERY VERY hot...right after the flames go out, right? Ask him about this. Then cover it all and just let it sit?

It sounds SO good, I really want to try it. Well as I said, we have been thinking about this forever. My son is the cook in our house, as far as the grill, and he does a wonderful job of it. He'd be very interested in trying it.

Oh speaking of trying things, do you guys do a deep-fried turkey? We have seen that done on Food Network any number of times and that is one thing I want to try before I die! It sounds SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

[MJTenn]

Yeh, MJ, our grill has a cover. I'm trying to imagine if that cover is tall enough to cover a chicken though. Well, I guess, if the actual grill (rack) is down to its lowest level. I have to think about this. Ah so your hubby loves a CHARCOAL grill......good man!

So.....this would take about 2.5 hours? Well if the charcoal is on ONE side of the grill, and the chicken on the other....then I guess you can put the chicken on while the coals are still VERY VERY hot...right after the flames go out, right? Ask him about this. Then cover it all and just let it sit?

It sounds SO good, I really want to try it. Well as I said, we have been thinking about this forever. My son is the cook in our house, as far as the grill, and he does a wonderful job of it. He'd be very interested in trying it.

Oh speaking of trying things, do you guys do a deep-fried turkey? We have seen that done on Food Network any number of times and that is one thing I want to try before I die! It sounds SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

hahaha, about the deep fried turkey. He got a turkey fryer for Christmas one year from my folks, and nothing would do except cook a fried turkey. He fried and fried and fried and the stupid thing wouldn't get done. We could NOT figure out why...then figured out that it was so COLD outside that the oil would not stay hot enough. He even rigged up some stuff around the fryer to try to keep the wind off. It FINALLY got done, about 9:30 at night...and it was good, but by then we were totally OVER the idea of doing our own fried turkey, and that is the last one we tried. (Note to self: put turkey fryer in yard sale too!)

I'll ask him exactly how he does the chicken and post it. I would just have him type it out BUT he doesn't do computers/typing, etc, lol. Now that is probably a GOOD THING, as Martha would say.

[SavannahStar]

hahaha, about the deep fried turkey. He got a turkey fryer for Christmas one year from my folks, and nothing would do except cook a fried turkey. He fried and fried and fried and the stupid thing wouldn't get done. We could NOT figure out why...then figured out that it was so COLD outside that the oil would not stay hot enough. He even rigged up some stuff around the fryer to try to keep the wind off. It FINALLY got done, about 9:30 at night...and it was good, but by then we were totally OVER the idea of doing our own fried turkey, and that is the last one we tried. (Note to self: put turkey fryer in yard sale too!)

You are just cracking me up, MJ. Seriously...your husband sounds like a gem of a guy. Tell him I said so. My mom always told me, there is something to really love and admire about a guy who knows how to/loves to cook. It's true! My sons loves to cook and in fact did his "senior project" in 12th grade on the topic. I had always hoped he would be a real chef someday but it didn't work out that way. But it is such a great hobby at the very least. If I had a daughter I would tell her, "be SURE that the guy you marry know how to cook."

[victims cry]

Actually i suggest people not try turkey frying. It is a cause of significant injuries and even deaths during the holidays. No matter how fast it is or good, deep frying a turkey is just not worth the risk. Fires, burns, loss of house, and life have happened.

I always wanted to try but decided no matter how careful i thought i would be, the ppl who were injured or killed probably thought the same

[SavannahStar]

Actually i suggest people not try turkey frying. It is a cause of significant injuries and even deaths during the holidays. No matter how fast it is or good, deep frying a turkey is just not worth the risk. Fires, burns, loss of house, and life have happened.

I always wanted to try but decided no matter how careful i thought i would be, the ppl who were injured or killed probably thought the same

I never heard that, VC. Geez, they even show it on Food Network.