Are you ready for the holidays?

With Thanksgiving only a couple of weeks away, it's time to prepare for all the craziness of the holidays. I never remember how to cook the turkey, so here is a link to the turkey tip page on the Food Network website. They even have a calculator to figure out how long to cook the turkey based on its weight. The only tip I have is that I cooked the turkey two years ago with garlic inside (I don't do stuffing) and it came out very tasty. If anyone else has tips or favorite recipes send them along! More ideas to come!

no brainer bbq pork

Here is an easy recipe! Just put 4-6 pork chops in a crock pot with a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce and cook on low for 4-6 hours (in mine it is closer to 4, but the recipes all say longer.)

For those of us that don't like tuna...

For all of us that don't like tuna fish, but think the idea of a tuna noodle casserole is somewhat appealing, campbell's has a site with many casseroles including chicken noodle casserole which I made the other day. I changed it slightly to have leftovers and not extra chicken. I made a full bag of egg noodles, which is about double. I used the same amount of chicken, double the soup and one and half times the cheese. I also added a half can of peas, which Mike and Jonathan both like. It came out really good, definitely great for a cold winter day, or even better, a snow day! Another recipe to make on a day when you are sick of all your other recipes. That happens to me a lot!

The first recipe I ever made...

cheddar chicken

As some of you know, I didn't do much cooking until I moved out on my own in 2000. Even then, I didn't really start cooking frequently until I got married in 2002. However, this was the first recipe (outside of middle school home economics) that I ever tried. It was an instant success with Mike and the rest of my family. Of course, with butter and cheese, how can you go wrong? I rarely make it now, but it is good for something different with a lot of flavor! Enjoy.

Recipe- Cuban Sloppy Joes

I don't like sloppy joes, but I love these. So good!

North Haven Fair

We took Jonathan to the North Haven Fair today. The heat made it impossible for us to stay more than an hour, but he still got to see cows, sheep, pigs, bunnies and chickens. Not bad. And I got cotton candy! Woo hoo! I don't know why, but cotton candy is the most exciting thing to me about fairs. I love it. There is something about it that makes me happy. : )

Another recipe from Rachael Ray!

Chicken enchiladas! We had these for dinner on Friday night, they are so good! I admit that boiling and shredding the chicken takes a while, but if you start early enough with the process then it isn't so bad. The chicken comes out very tender, and the sauce is so easy to make. You probably have all the indredients on hand, cinnamon, hot sauce, cans of tomato sauce and chili powder. I strongly suggest trying these, if you enjoy tex-mex food like we do!

www.rachaelrayshow.com/?q=recipes/chicken-enchiladas

Dinner is served

Last night's dinner! Doesn't it look yummy?

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21978,00.html?rsrc=search

The link above is for the marinated pork seen above. It is my favorite Rachael Ray recipe, because you can use the marinade for pork, chicken, beef or portobello mushrooms. I don't use it on beef, as I like beef cooked differently, but I have tried it on chicken, pork and the portobello mushrooms, and it is delicious. I also make the pan gravy to go with it, because it is soooo tasty. The spinach and tomato dish above is from the 2, 4, 6, 8 Rachael Ray book that I just got from my mom for my birthday, but it is pretty basic. Sautee the tomatoes, then add garlic, salt pepper and wilt spinach. Would love to hear from anyone who tries any of the recipes shown! : )

Recipe of the Day- Hold the Mayo!

It's that time of year again, picnic time! While that may be very exciting in terms of outdoor grilling, the smell of bbq's and bug spray, there is one part of the picnic tradition that I could do without. Mayonaise based "salads." You know, pasta salad, potato salad, chicken salad, and worst of all, egg salad. How the heck is that a salad?? Anyway, as someone who despises mayo, this array of side dishes is very disturbing to me, and the thought of just having a hamburger is not that appealing either. My solution, my very own pasta salad, hold the mayo!

1 12 ounce box of tri color fiori- Barilla and Ronzoni are the best
1/4 of a block of pepper jack cheese, diced
1/3 of a block of monterey jack cheese, diced
1 can medium black olives
3/4 of a pint of grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
8oz diced pepperoni or salami (I found Carando deli cubes at the Big Y, what a find!!)
1 packet of good seasons Italian dressing prepared with the oil and vinegar of your choice- I use EVOO and red wine vinegar
extra salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste


Just boil the pasta in salted water by the directions. Drain, put into a large bowl and pour half the dressing on it, mix it well so it doesn't stick, and then put it in the fridge for a couple of hours to cool. When you're ready to eat, dice up everything, throw it all in, pour the remaining dressing on (you may not need it all, it depends on how much you like dressing) and toss. Finito! I made it last night for the first time this spring season. Love it, love it, love it! And even mayo lovers enjoy this refreshing change!

Recipe of the day- what we had for dinner!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_21026,00.html?rsrc=search

Another R.R. special. (Rachael Ray)

Parmigiano and herb chicken breast tenders... a little more involved than most of her recipes, but the tenders come out really good with tomato sauce (I use my own recipe, not hers) and also work well with caesar salad. The only part I don't like is dipping the chicken in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, what a mess! It is worth it though, they are very, very tasty. And don't be afraid to use dried herbs instead of fresh, I use them all the time!

Recipe of the day- care of Dave Lieberman of "Good Deal"

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_32429,00.html?rsrc=search


Dry Rubbed London Broil, a favorite of ours. Fast, easy and delicious.