Monday, January 30, 2017

Easy Tin Foil Dinner (camp fire food)

Recipe Found Here 

heavy duty foil
cream of mushroom soup
¼ - ½ pound ground beef
frozen diced hash browns (or cubed and peeled fresh potatoes)
peeled & sliced carrots
sliced onions (or some onion powder)
corn
shredded cheddar cheese
seasonings: salt, pepper, steak seasoning, and/or garlic powder
ketchup

All quantities are approximate. Spray foil with cooking spray. Spoon about ⅓ cup of cream of mushroom soup in the center of the foil. Place a small handfull of beed in the center and top with potatoes, carrots, and onions. Season well with salt and pepper.

Add additional spices as desired. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Fold up securely. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Thaw frozen dinners before cooking. Cook over campfire coals for 45-90 minutes, checking periodically and turning and rotating until done. May serve with ketchup.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Best Ever No-Cook Play Dough Recipe

Recipe Found Here 

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
Up to 1 1/2 cups boiling water (adding in increments until it feels just right)
food coloring

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil in a large mixing bowl. Microwave water in a microwave proof measuring cup until it bubbles. Add food coloring TO the boiling water, then into the dry ingredients.

Stir continuously until it becomes a sticky, combined dough. Allow it to cool down then take it out of the bowl and knead it vigorously for a couple of minutes until all of the stickiness has gone. *This is the most important part of the process, so keep at it until it’s the perfect consistency!* If it remains a little sticky then add a touch more flour until just right.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Recipe found here

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
8 ounces penne pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream, or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a gallon size Ziploc bag, add chicken, 1 tablespoon olive oil and cajun seasoning, shaking to coat thoroughly.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a grill pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Gradually whisk in heavy cream and lemon zest. Cook, whisking constantly, until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in Parmesan until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more heavy cream as needed; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir in pasta and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately with chicken, garnished with tomatoes and parsley, if desired.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Collard Greens

Recipe found here

1 teaspoon of cooking oil
8 ounces of greens, divided (collards, kale, spinach etc)
2 garlic cloves
3 cups of water, divided
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

Remove stem from greens, and chop them finely, cut or tear leaves into bite-size pieces. Peel and thinly slice the garlic.

Place a deep pan over low/medium heat, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil. Add greens stems, cook while stirring for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic, and cook for 1 minute more. Add greens, and about 2 1/2 cups of water. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to LOW; simmer, and cover. Cook greens till tender, 30-40 minutes. Once tender; taste, and adjust seasoning if desired. Braised greens are best served with their potlikker (cooking liquid).

Friday, January 6, 2017

Maple-Glazed Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Recipe Found Here 



1 pound or 8-ounce package refrigerated mashed sweet potatoes
1 pound chicken breast tenderloins (can use chicken breasts cut into strips)
2 teaspoons Montreal steak grilling seasoning (I shake a ton on)
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sliced green onion (about 4, optional)

Prepare sweet potatoes in microwave oven according to package directions.

Meanwhile, lightly coat chicken with steak seasoning. Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat; add chicken. Cook 5 to 6 minutes until no longer pink (170 degrees F), turning once halfway through cooking. Remove from skillet; cover and keep warm.

Stir maple syrup into hot skillet; cook 2 minutes. Stir in green onions. Divide chicken and potatoes among 4 plates. Drizzle with maple syrup mixture. Serves 4.

I referred to this recipe for preparing my own mashed sweet potatoes. I cut down the amount of butter, milk, and maple syrup for the amount of potatoes I was using for better consistency.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes