Ring Tum Ditty

This is from the "And from my peers" section of Paula Deen's "The Lady and Sons, Too!" cookbook.  This is from Herb Traub and the Pirates' House.

According to the recipe it serves 4 "Hogolettos" or 6 normal people.  It freezes well for another time if you're not feeding a lot of people.

12 ounces bacon, chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
Two 16 ounce cans whole tomatoes, juice reserved
One 16 ounce can whole kernel corn
Dried basil
Salt and Pepper
3 cups (3/4 pound) grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
4-6 baking potatoes, baked

Saute' the bacon and onions in a heavy pot until the bacon is crisp and the onion is translucent.  Drain off the fat.  Drain the tomato juice into the pot, squish the tomatoes through your fingers into the pot.  Add the corn, and basil, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the mixture for 10-15 minutes or until desired thickness.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Spoon the Ring Tum Ditty over the halved potatoes and wait for the compliments.

Balsalmic Glazed Salmon Fillets

From allrecipes.com  Click on the title for the link

6 5oz salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic minced
1 Tbsp white wine
1 Tbsp honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
Spray small sauce pan with cooking spray.  Over medium heat cook garlic until soft about 3 minutes.  Mix in the white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, and mustard.  Simmer 3 minutes.  Lay fish on pan, brush with glaze, top with oregano.  Bake 10-14 minutes, until fish flakes with fork.  After removing from oven, brush with glaze again.  Season with salt and pepper.

Buckeyes

1 (16 oz.) jar of creamy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 pkgs. (16 oz.) powdered sugar
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chip morsels
2 tblsp. shortening

Beat peanut butter and butter at medium speed with a mixer until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar until blended. Shape into 1-inch balls
and chill 10 minutes minimum or until firm. Microwave chocolate chip morsels on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until melted. Dip each peanut butter
ball in melted chocolate mixture until partially coated, and place on wax paper to harden. Store candy in an airtight container. Makes 7 dozen
peanut butter balls!

Chicken-Zucchini Alfredo (with yummy low-fat sauce)

I got a lot of good recipes from magazines that were donated to me while I was in the hospital. I'll only post the ones that a good. This recipe came from food network. It was a good low-fat alfredo recipe. It was also quick and easy to make. It took about 30 minutes.

 Kosher Salt                                                 12 oz fettuccine (whole wheat)

3 Tbsp olive oil                                             1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cloves garlic, minced                                  1 c cold low-fat milk

2 zucchini, thinly sliced and halved                1/2 c evaporated non-fat milk
4-4oz skineless boneless checken breasts      3/4 c grated parmesan cheese

ground pepper                                              1/4 c chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 clove garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini, cover and cook until tender, stirring, about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

2. Heat another Tbsp of olive oil over med-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook through. Transfer to plate.

3. Cook pasta according to directions on box. Drain but reserve 1/2 c cooking water.

4. Meanwhile, whisk flour and low-fat milk in bowl. Place remaining clove of garlic and 1 tbsp oil in skillet and cook over medium-high heat, 30 seconds. Add the flour milk mixture and bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add evaporate milk, 1/2 tsp salt, and cheese; sit to melt.

5. Cut the chicken into strips. Toss with pasta, sauce, zucchini, and parsley, adding reserved water to loosen.

Per serving: Calories 680; Fat 18g (Sat. 5g); Cholesterol 85 mg; Sodium 820 mg; Carbs 79g; Fiber 3g; Protein 49 g

Black Bean and Chicken Soup(or Why Cumin Is So Important)

So, I made this a week or so ago, and it was bland, tasteless, yuck, just plain not good. I made it again tonight and it was awesome! I can't wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. :)

Why was last week's batch so bad? I followed another person's recipe exactly, and didn't realize that this person was into bland tasting food. =P (After trying a few of her recipes, I found them to be lacking any real flavor, so when I see one I would like to try, I add things!)

So here's my version of a black bean and chicken soup recipe for the crockpot. The original recipe has mushrooms and sour cream, and much less cumin and salsa.

16oz dry black beans
1 large frozen chicken breast(or a couple small ones)
1cup frozen corn
16oz jarred salsa(I used pace)
2tsp cumin
4cups chicken broth

The night before making this, put the beans in a bowl, cover with water plus two inches, and let soak. In the morning, drain the beans and throw them in a large crockpot(4-6quarts).

Lay your frozen chicken breast on top of the beans, add the corn, salsa, and cumin. Pour the chicken broth over the whole thing, and let cook on high for 6-8 hours.

SOOOOOOOOOO good! Enjoy!

Poppyseed Dressing

1 tblsp. poppyseeds
3 tblsp. sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 tblsp. red wine vinegar
4 tblsp. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. salt

Mix all together and pour over your salad and mix well!

Curried Chicken Soup

2 oz. butter (which equals 2 tblsp.)
2 chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chopped carrots
2 stalks celery
3 tblsp. flour
1 tblsp. curry powder
6 cups. chicken broth
1 lb. cooked chicken, chopped
8 oz. sour cream
3 tblsp. parsley
1 tblsp. dill

Saute onions, garlic, carrots and celery in butter. Stir in flour and curry powder. Then blend in stock and cook for 8 minutes. Stir in chicken and cook for 10 more minutes. Whisk in sour cream and add parsley and dill. Serve with bread and peas.

Tip: For those of you who are veggie lovers, feel free to add up to 6 carrots into the soup. I tried it and it tasted very good.

Also, this soup hardly has a curry taste, but it's very yummy!