Ginger Tea

Winter sniffles got you down? Congested? Stuffy nose? I have the answer for you. Ginger tea. Yes, ginger tea. Its a home remedy that was always used around my house when I was growing up. Anytime someone in the family was getting sick, my Mamaw would whip up a batch of this miracle worker. Try it!

Theres no exact measurements here. Mamaw always just threw in a pinch of this and a dash of that. Adjust as you go.

About 1 cup of Water

1 tbsp Ground ginger

2 tbsp Sugar

In a small saucepan, combine everything. Bring to a low boil and stir until  sugar is dissolved. Taste and adjust ginger and sugar as desired.

This “tea” is best when drank hot.

Sugary Sweet Chili

I love chili. No, I mean I REALLY love chili. I very rarely make the same kind twice. Recently, on one of my favorite food blogs, Prevention RD (Original recipe from Christine’s Kitchen Chronicles) ,I came across a chili recipe that had sugar in it. Now, before you judge it, try it!  I have never in my life had such a delicious bowl of chili. Its the first time that I’ve ate chili without some type of crackers crumbled in it. There was not a single bit of it leftover. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 14 oz can tomato sauce

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 6 oz can tomato paste – fill can with water and add to chili also

1 can bush’s chili beans in sauce

1/2 packet chili seasoning – I used a whole packet

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

black pepper

1 tsp hot sauce

shredded cheddar for garnish

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat. Add in ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper and brown.  Add in everything except the cheddar and simmer on low heat for about an hour. Ladle into bowls and top with a handful of grated cheddar.

Cider Spiked Pumpkin Soup

Today in Kentucky, the weather is chilly, gloomy, and raining. Perfect day to have soup for lunch!  I looked around in my fridge to see what all I had on hand that would go good together and this is what I came up with. Many pumpkin soup recipes contain heavy cream. My soup has no cream at all in it and it is perfectly thick and hearty. I felt sort of like a mad scientist in my kitchen adding a pinch of this and a drop of that, writing down everything as I went along. I’m the only pumpkin lover in my house so I only made a small amount. I wish I would have doubled it and froze it in single serve portions for later. This soup is so perfect for a chily fall or winter evening. Its intoxicatingly good. I’m so pleased with how this turned out.  I wish I would’ve had some plain greek yogurt to drizzle over the top. I think the tartness of it would’ve been wonderful with the sweetness of the pumpkin soup.

Ingredients:

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1 tbsp butter

4 tbsp grated onion- I grated it because I didn’t want to have to deal with blending it to have a smooth soup

1 garlic cloved, minced very fine

1/2 tsp poultry seasoning blend

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp light brown sugar

pinch of cloves

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt- You can add more at the end if needed

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 heaping cup pumpkin puree

2 tbsp apple cider

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp black pepper

 

Directions:

In medium sized sauce pot, heat butter over low heat. Grate in onion and add in minced garlic. Cook about 2 minutes. Add in poultry seasoning, nutmeg, brown sugar, cloves,curry powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken stock. Whisk in pumpkin and apple cider. To the sauce pot, add 1 large bay leaf. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occassionally. Remove bay leaf. Ladle soup into bowls and enjoy!

*2 LARGE servings

 

 

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I look forward to the cool, crisp air of fall every year. To me, theres nothing better than seeing the leaves on the trees changing from green to a bright orange color. Another great thing about fall you ask? Pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks. They are warm and so good. They will also set you back about 5 bucks a pop. There isn’t a Starbucks super close to me so I really had no choice but to come up with my own version of the pumpkin spice latte to satisfy my insatiable craving for the sweet, pumpkiny goodness! I’ve saw many, many versions of homemade pumpkin spice lattes floating around on the internet so I just sort of made up my own version using my favorite flavors of fall!

*Serves 1

Ingredients:

3/4 cup strong brewed black coffee

1/2 cup 1% milk

2 heaping tbsp canned pumpkin puree

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cool whip lite

pinch of nutmeg

Directions:

In a small sauce pot,  add everything except cool whip and the nutmeg. Heat over low heat, whisking occassionally, until simmering and hot. Remove cinnamon stick.  Pour into a large mug. Top with cool with a dash of nutmeg.

Stuffed Turkey Burgers

This is hands down one of my favorite recipes. Its a great alternative to a traditional beef burger.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey- I use 93% lean

about 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

1 cup shredded provolone cheese

hot sauce for drizzling over the burgers at the end

salt

pepper

4 burger buns

 

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. In a large bowl, divide turkey into 4 patties and then divide the patties in half and flatten each half into a thin round. On four of the halves, add a few pieces of the chopped roasted red peppers and some of the cheese, being careful not to overstuff. Top with remaining four burger halves. Carefully, press down around the edges to seal the burgers. Season each side with salt and pepper. Add burgers to skillet and cook about 6-7 mins per side or until completely cooked through. Drizzle each burger with hot sauce and add some additional shredded cheese. Let set just a few seconds to melt the cheese.  Transfer burgers to buns and enjoy! I almost always serve these burgers with sweet potato fries. The sweetness in them really bring a balance to the slightly spicy burgers.

Source: Adapted from Ellie Krieger

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/stuffed-turkey-burgers-recipe/index.html

Chicken “Tostadas”

I saw this recipe on the Rachael Ray show one day last week. I saved it my “make soon” list shortly afterwards. This recipe is a a good alternative to the traditional not so figure friendly tostada. After I was done making this however, my kitchen looked like a tornado and swept through, destroying everything in its path! I gotta say though, all the dirty dishes was worth it.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts- I only used 2 since I was just cooking for Jeremy and myself

salt

pepper

juice of 2 large limes, divided

1 1/2 tsp cumin, divided

1 tsp oregano

4 large cloves garlic, minced, divided

5 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 ears corn,scraped from the cob- I used about 2 cups of frozen corn because the corn at my supermarket looked awful

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne- I used hot sauce

2 jalapenos, seeded, minced, divided- I used diced canned jalapeno peppers (about 2 tbsp) from the mexican section of my supermarket

1 can refried beans

1 cup water

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 red onion, chopped

1 fresno pepper, chopped- I just used another tablespoon of the diced jalapenos

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

shredded monterey jack cheese, enough to top of the chicken breasts with

lightly crushed baked tortilla chips

sliced jalapeno rings- I used whatever I had left from the canned jalapenos

Directions:

Butterfly the chicken breasts but cutting halfway through each one lengthwise and then pound each one until its about 1/4 inch thick. You could also just use thin chicken cutlets to save time. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, combine juice of one lime, 1 tsp of the cumin,oregano,  half of the minced garlic, and about 3 tbsp or so of the oil. Add in chicken breasts and coat well with marinade. Heat and a large skillet or a stovetop grill pan over med- high heat. Grill chicken breasts 3-4 minutes per side or until completely cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add remaining garlic, chopped onion, remaining cumin, hot sauce or cayenne,  paprika, 1 chopped jalapeno pepper (or 1 tbsp of canned), and salt. Saute for about 3 minutes of until onion is soft. Transfer to food processor. Add in beans and the water. Puree. Add back into pan and simmer untill slightly thick.

In ANOTHER skillet, heat remaining tbsp of oil over high heat. Add in the corn that you scraped from the cob or the frozen corn. Char until brown around the edges. Turn off heat. Add in tomatoes, remaining jalapeno, fresno pepper if using, juice of 1 lime, red onion, cilantro, and salt to taste.

Top chicken breast with refried beans, handful of cheese, handful of the crushed tortilla chips, corn salsa, and jalapeno slices.

Source:http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/chicken-tostadas/

Theres a chicken breast under all this stuff, I promise!

Quick and Easy Vegetable Soup

This is my go to recipe for vegetable soup. Its the recipe that my mom always used when I was growing up and she still makes it to this day. Its very quick and easy. Can’t beat that can ya?  You can have this soup from stove top to table in about 30 minutes. The longer it cooks, the better is it though. The leftovers of this soup is pure Heaven by the way.  I like to serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 bag mixed frozen vegetables for soup

Tomato juice- Enough to cover the veggies. I used four 11.5 oz cans

1 cup water

Salt

Pepper

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in skillet. Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and brown. Meanwhile, in a large sauce pot, add frozen vegetables, tomato juice, and water. Bring to a boil for 5. Reduce heat. Add in browned ground beef and stir. Simmer 2o minutes. Season with salt and pepper and adjust accordingly.

Meatloaf

I don’t know about you but I love meatloaf. I love meatloaf more than any normal woman should. Unfortunately, Jeremy isn’t a huge fan so I rarely make it.  Until a couple of days ago, it had probably been close to 2 years since I had a made a meatloaf at home. Strange part? This meatloaf came to be after Jeremy requested it. He asked for simple, old fashioned meatloaf. Nothing fancy. This is my favorite meatloaf hands down. Simple.  Tasty. I served this with mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, corn, and rolls.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef- I like to use 85/15

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 cup cornbread, crumbled – Just use your favorite cornbread recipe for this…If you need one though, heres the one I always use

https://lilhousewifecooks.wordpress.com/2009/09/30/corn-bread/

Salt

Pepper

1/8-1/4 cup ketchup plus more for topping the meatloaf

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Spray a loaf pan or any other small baking dish of your choice with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine ground beef, onion, green pepper, salt, pepper, cornbread crumbs,and  ketchup. Using your hands, mix together until everything is combined. Press into baking dish. Add some additional ketchup on top (as much as you’d like) and bake for 45 mins to an hour. Top with a bit more ketchup if you’d like. Let meatloaf cool 5 mins or so before you cut it so that it will hold together.

After taking several pictures, I’ve finally realize that meatloaf just isn’t very photogenic! haha

Slow Cooker Cheese Dip

I’m pretty sure everyone has saw this recipe at one time or another or atleast a variation of it. I really have no idea where I first saw this at. Velveeta cheese website maybe??  I’m clueless. This dip isn’t really even a “recipe”. I kind of feel embarrassed to even be blogging something so simple haha However, it is delicious and addictive. This dip would be perfect for parties, showers, or any kind of get togethers. YOU WILL BE ADDICTED. You have been warned.

Ingredients:

1 large block of velveeta cheese

1 lb ground beef

1 can rotel

salt

pepper

Directions:

Heat a tbsp of canola oil in a large skillet. Add ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Let it cook until brown. Cut velveeta into large cubes and throw into the bowl of a slow cooker(be sure to spray the inside with some cooking spray). Add rotel and then the browned ground beef. Stir everything together and turn slow cooker to high. Stir occasionally. This will only take about 45 mins to an hour for the cheesy magic to happen. After the cheese is completely melted, turn slow cooker to the keep warm setting. Serve with tortilla chips.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Is the weather chilly where you live yet??  Here in Kentucky, especially during the evenings, its obvious that fall has arrived!  Every year when the leaves start falling and theres a slight nip in the air, I get into soup mode. I could eat soup everyday.  I’ve made tortilla soup many, many times.  Most of the time, I use a different recipe just because I like to experiment. I’ll share my favorite with you one day. Don’t let me forget!  Anyway, I found this recipe on Sing For Your Supper blog. She had adapted the recipe from a William Sonoma cookbook. The broth for this is SO flavorful. I could’ve ate the it alone and been satisfied. The addition of the zucchini in this dish is great. It becomes super tender and just melts in your mouth.

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, roasted in the oven and shredded

6 cups chicken stock

1/2  onion, chopped

2 small zucchini, peeled and chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2  tsp pepper

juice from 2 large limes

 

Directions:

Heat about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and zucchini and saute about 3 minutes or until slightly tender. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add in shredded chicken, reduce heat, and simmer 15- 20 minutes. Turn heat off and stir in lime juice.  Pour into bowls and top with your choice of garnishes. I used crushed tortilla chips, shredded monterey jack cheese, and chopped cilantro.

*Serves 4