PaulaâÂÂs Beef Macaroni and Cheese

I've made this a few times and DH and the Gkids love it. It's an interesting alternative to plain mac and cheese, which DH won't eat.

1-pound box elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups chopped green bell pepper
2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 pounds lean ground beef
3 cups canned crushed tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon each dried basil, ground cumin, and dried oregano
2 to 3 cups grated Cheddar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet; add the peppers, onion, and garlic, and sauté until soft. Add the ground beef and sauté until browned. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, to taste, and the basil, cumin, and oregano. In a large bowl, combine the macaroni and the beef mixture.

Spread this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Top with the cheese and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.

Cook's Note: Ground turkey or chicken can be used in place of beef, if desired.

This is what I made for dinner last nite. It's a keeper, and very easy!

Chicken Trombino (Lidia's Italy)

4 6-8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
flour for dredging
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
8 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
1 tsp oregano
1 cup grated provola (I used mozzarella)
2 tbsp shredded basil

Cut each breast on a bias, making 2 pieces out of each breast. Season with salt and dredge in flour, shaking off excess

Melt the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the chicken and brown on both sides.

Pour tomatoes, roasted peppers, oregano and salt into the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until a sauce forms. Sprinkle with provola and basil; cover and simmer just until the cheese melts and chicken is cooked through.

I made this last night and it turned out really well. I wasn't following a recipe so I just have to record it as best as I can remember.

Mezzo Penne pasta with shrimp, asparagus, and mushrooms in a parmesan cream sauce.

8 oz mezzo penne pasta
1 lb small raw shrimp (peeled)
4 large white mushrooms (sliced)
16 asparagus spears (cut into 1 1/2" pieces)
2 tsp crushed garlic
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente.

In large pan melt 1Tbsp butter and cook asparagus over medium high heat. After asparagus turn bright green, add mushrooms and garlic and cook until mushrooms are softened and lightly browned. Remove asparagus and mushrooms to a covered bowl.

Raise heat to high, add second Tbsp of butter, add shrimp and sear for about 2 minutes, and remove to a bowl before the shrimp are cooked through.

Lower heat to medium, and melt third Tbsp of butter in pan, add flour and stir into the butter. Add wine and deglaze the pan scraping up all of the browned bits. Add milk and half of the parmesan, stir until sauce is smooth and thickened.

Add drained pasta, shrimp, asparagus and mushrooms to pan, and stir until well coated with sauce. Serve and top with remaining parmesan.

This is a recipe my daughter Terri sent me. She has made it and said they were really good. I plan on making them but will halve the recipe.

7 Up Bisquick Biscuits

4 cups of Bisquick
1 cup sour cream
1 cup 7 UP ( I will probably use Sierra MIst)
1/2 cup of butter

Mix Bisquick and sour cream and 7 UP. Dough will be very soft. Don't worry knead and fold dough till coated well with baking mix. Pat dough out and cut with round biscuit cutter. Melt butter in bottom of jelly roll pan or a 9 x 13 casserole dish. My daughter baked hers in a big cast iron skillet. Place biscuits on top of melted butter and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or till brown. Preheat oven at 425 degrees. Terri plans on making her own baking mix and trying that. I think it will give a different biscuit, but will still be good.

Sue

My daughter has been making this salad for months (except she doesn't use cilantro and jalapenos) and adores it. I made it today and it is very good. DD says it is even better after it sits in the fridge.

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

â¢1 cup uncooked quinoa
â¢2 cups fat-free, low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
â¢1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
â¢1 15 ounce can low-sodium black beans
â¢1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
â¢1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
â¢1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
â¢1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
â¢Juice of 1 large lime or 2 small ones (about 1/4 cup)
â¢1 tbsp plus 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
â¢1/2 tsp cumin

Preparation:

Rinse quinoa thoroughly to rid it of its bitter coating.

Place in a 2 quart saucepan with the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Allow to cool.

Place cooled cooked quinoa in a salad bowl with the corn, black beans, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno pepper and cilantro.

Whisk lime juice, oil, and cumin in a small bowl. Drizzle over quinoa salad, then toss.

I love appetizers. Love to make them, love to eat them. Most of the time they're simple to make, too. And this recipe sounds wonderful.

BACON WRAPPED PINEAPPLE (Tasty Kitchen)

1 lb. Bacon
1 can Chunked Pineapple (large Chunks)
ý cups Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the pound of bacon in half. Put the brown sugar in a shallow bowl. Take a half a slice of bacon and dredge it through the brown sugar. Put a chunk of pineapple on one end of the bacon slice and roll up. Secure with a toothpick.

I put a cookie cooling rack into a foil-lined jelly roll pan. Lay the bacon pineapple bundles onto the rack. Bake for at least 25 minutes, or until the bacon looks brown and crispy. Sometimes I pop them under the broiler for the last few minutes just to get them really crisp. But watch out, the sugar will burn! Try to wait for them to cool slightly only because the tasty goodness will burn your lips if itâÂÂs too hot!

This is my all-time favorite Chinese dish. We used to go to this tiny restaurant and I always ordered it. I haven't tried it yet.

Wor Su Chicken

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut in half
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dry sherry

Sprinkle chicken with salt and sherry and marinate 15 minutes.

Sauce:

4 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. water
3 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. chicken fat or butter
2 tp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. chicken bouillon granules

Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small saucepan until smooth. Gradually mixin the chicken broth, fat or butter, soy sauce and bouillon granules. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Let boil 1 minute. Keep warm.

Batter:

3 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. water
Oil for frying

Beat together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder, egg and water until smooth. Coat each piece of chicken with the batter.

Heat a wok or large skillet and add oil to a depth of 1/2". Heat to 375. Cook coated chicken pieces in oil until they are golden, turning them once. This should take about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels. Cut the chicken diagonally into strips. Reassemble the strips into chicken breast shapes and place on a bed of shredded lettuce. Sprinkle with almonds and green onion. Spoon sauce over the chicken and serve.

To serve:
1 c. shredded lettuce
1/2 c. toasted slivered almonds
1 green onion, finely chopped

I found this on the internet a while ago....sorry after looking it seems it has been passed around Pinterest many times and more than a few have claims on it so original source is unknown to me... I can tell you it has been a tried and true in this house and will continue to be. Even the die hard meat and potatoes and limited veggie humans that live here agreed to try it and they actually went back for seconds!!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

The chicken coating:

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp. ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. garlic salt

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Rinse your chicken breasts in water and then cut into cubes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dip chicken into the cornstarch to coat then dip into the eggs. Heat your 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through. Place the chicken in a 9ÃÂ13 greased baking dish. Mix all of your sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken. Bake for one hour and during the baking process you will need to turn the chicken every 15 minutes.

Fried Rice

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!) I have used brown and basmati rice also, still good

3 Tablespoons sesame oil (or vegetable oil)

1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 eggs, slightly beaten

3-4 Tablespoons soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated! Garnish with green onion, thin strips of carrot, celery or your own personal favourite.

Oh, ThreeJ's and Patti, those recipes look fantastic!

Crawfish or Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms (you can use which ever you prefer)

12-14 Crimini Mushrooms

1 Package of BourdeauxâÂÂs Crawfish Tails (or 3/4lb of fresh if you are awesome)

4 Spring Onions

1 tsp Chopped Garlic

1/2 Fresh Lemon

1/4cup Melted Butter

2 Egg Yolks

1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 tsp Cayenne

Salt to Taste

Heat oven to 350.

Rinse your mushrooms. Remove the stem and use a melon baller to scrape out frills. Mix the crawfish, chopped onion and garlic together. In a separate bowl add the pepper, cayenne and egg yolks to the butter- Mix well and pour over crawfish. Squeeze the fresh lemon juice over the meat mixture and stir gently. Taste the mixture and add more lemon if you desire.

Rub the mushrooms down with a bit of olive oil. Carefully fill the mushrooms with the crawfish mixture. Place on a small cookie sheet and bake until mushrooms are almost tender- about 20 minutes. Turn on broiler and brown the tops of the mushrooms before removing.

Serve immediately. Just as good warmed up the next day.

http://lowcarbqueen.net/

Seafood Bisque

4 cups Water

1 cup Heavy Cream

1 can Crab Meat

1/2 lb Shrimp

3 Small Tilapia Fillets

1/2 Small Onion

3oz Bacon Crumbles

2 tbsp Butter

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Chopped Garlic

Dice the onion and add to a heavy stock pot. Add the garlic, bacon and pepper. Saute the onions until they begin to sweat. Add the water and cream. Stir to make sure all the bits are off the bottom. Add the shrimp and crab meat. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes. Chop the tilapia fillets into large chunks. Gently add to the bisque and allow to cook for 10 minutes more.

Threejs, I've made that baked sweet and sour chicken. We really liked it, but I have a note to double the sauce and use half in the recipe and cook the other half 6-8 minutes until it reduces and thickens. Serve on side to put over rice.

For Raven and any of the rest of us trying to watch our carbs, this is a great recipe.

Portobello Mushroom Lasagna

1 lb. ground beef
4 Italian sausage links, mild or hot
1 medium onion, chopped
Garlic salt to taste (I used 2 cloves of garlic minced)
Pepper to taste (I also added a little basil and oregano)
6 large Portobello mushrooms
1 large container ricotta cheese
1 egg
Lots of grated mozzarella cheese
Canned spaghetti sauce (or make your own)

Preheat oven to 350. Remove sausage from casings and brown sausage with ground beef and onion, adding garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

Clean mushrooms with a damp papper towel and scrape out the black gills. Remove the stem.

Beat egg into ricotta cheese. Spread a small amount of spaghetti sauce in a large baking dish or shallow roasting pan to prevent sticking. Generously pack each mushroom cap with cheese mixture and place in the baking dish ricotta side up. Top each cap with a handful of grated mozarella. Then to each cap with a generous amount of the meat/onion mixture

Top with a little more mozzarella. Pour spaghetti sauce over each cap and around the bottom of the pan. S[rinkle with more mozzarella. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. This is from a low carb web site (???) but didn't list the carb amount.

HINT: I have discovered that Jimmy Dean makes bulk Italian sausage and it is delicious!

Sure saves time taking the casing off the sausage links, and I think the flavor is better.

I am used to buying Fresh Market's sweet Italian sausage links, and by comparison, now I like Jimmy Dean's bulk Italian sausage.

Thanks, Glenda. I will look for JD next time. I do prefer JD breakfast sausage over other kinds and I won't have to take the casings off. :-)

Here are two similar coffee cake recipes. Not tried and true.

OVERNIGHT COFFEE CAKE (Plain Chicken)

ï§ 2 cups all-purpose flour
ï§ 1 cup sugar
ï§ 1/2 cup brown sugar
ï§ 1 tsp baking soda
ï§ 1 tsp baking powder
ï§ 1/2 tsp salt
ï§ 1 tsp cinnamon
ï§ 1 cup buttermilk
ï§ 2/3 cup butter, melted
ï§ 2 eggs
ï§
Topping
ï§ 1/2 cup brown sugar
ï§ 1/2 cup chopped pecans
ï§ 1 tsp cinnamon

Combine first 7 ingredients; add buttermilk, butter and eggs. Beat at low speed until moistened. Beat at medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 9x13-inch pan.

Combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over batter. Cover and refrigerate 8-12 hours. Uncover and bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

CINNAMON BUN CAKE (Cooking Up North)

3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. For the topping, mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

While warm drizzle the glaze over the cake.

Happy March, everyone! Time for some nice sunshine and a good thaw. Here's an easy chocolate recipe for you--made in the crockpot.

Crock Pot Chocolate Covered Peanuts

2 lb. white almond bark
4 oz. German chocolate bar
12 oz. bag semisweet chocolate chips
24 oz. dry roasted peanuts

Add all ingredients to slow cooker. Let cook on low for 1 hour without messing with it. After an hour, stir to combine everything. Allow to cook for another hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Drop spoonfuls of the candy onto wax paper and allow to cool completely. Patti's note: I would like it with some raisins thrown in or maybe pecans instead of peanuts.

I'm going to a belated Mardi Gras party tonight, so I made a large batch of Gumbo to bring. It's not done yet but its already fragrant and delicious enough that I want to write it down before I forget what I did.

Gumbo

2 lbs chicken breast (cubed 3/4")
1 lb smoked sausage (sliced 1/4")
1 lb shrimp (peeled)
3 medium sweet onions (chopped)
6 celery stalks (chopped)
1 yellow bell pepper (chopped)
1 orange bell pepper (chopped)
2 Tbsp crushed garlic
2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes w/ chiles
1 cup canola oil
1 cup flour
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp beef stock concentrate
1 Tbsp chicken stock concentrate
5 cups water
1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeno peppers
1 tsp Tobasco sauce
1/2 tsp creole seasoning
5 green onions (chopped)

Heat one Tbsp olive oil in large pan oven high heat, brown chicken. Remove to a separate bowl. Lower heat to medium high, brown sausage. Remove to separate bowl.

Add canola oil and flour to pan, heat and stir constantly to make a roux, cooking it until it turns the color of peanut butter. If the roux burns, you'll have to start over.

While the roux is cooking, in a large stock pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and add onions, celery, and bell peppers. Stir frequently until the vegetables start to soften.

In a third pot heat the water and the bouillon.

When the roux is ready, add the vegetables and the garlic and stir in well.

Return vegetables and roux mixture to stock pot. Add tomatoes, sausage, chicken, worcestershire sauce, jalapenos, tobasco and parsley and simmer on low for about an hour.

After the hour, add the chopped green onion to the gumbo. Then heat a third Tbsp of olive oil on high heat, sprinkle creole seasoning over shrimp, add shrimp to pan and brown lightly. Remove shrimp from pan, and add to gumbo.

Serve over white rice.

This post was edited by bob_cville on Sat, Mar 1, 14 at 22:41

Bob, that's sure to be the hit of the party. That's a lot of gumbo and I bet you don't bring any home. I never look at gumbo recipes because they always have okra and I think it overwhelms every other taste in the dish. And I don't care for it at all!! Does your house smell delicious?

I don't think it's too late for a Mardi Gras party. Isn't it not until Tuesday?

I'm starting gumbo tonight, by making an oven roux. We love gumbo, but I did not love the standing and stirring the roux, to get it to the dark chocolate colour that makes it taste so good. Then I happened upon oven roux. Just mix your flour and oil in a cast iron frying pan or dutch oven, heat the oven to 350, put the pan in and stir every 20-25 minutes (I do 2 cups of oil and 2.5 cups of flour) for about 2 hours. Perfect roux and no chance of burning.
The longer the roux cooks, the less thickening power it has, so I take about 1/2 a cup out when it is the colour of peanut butter and use it near the end for thickening I live in the Pacific Northwest and okra is pretty much unheard if around here so I make gumbo without it. Oven roux has changed my life!
Jane

It turns out you are correct patti. When I talked with the party host at the Super Bowl party that we were both at, I could have swore she said that she usually has the party the Saturday before Mardi Gras, but this year it was going to be the week after, on Mar 1st. I guess I misremembered and it was the other way around. I'm glad at least I showed up on the right day -- this past Halloween a friend showed up for our annual party one day early.

In any case the Gumbo turned out fantastic, the best I've ever made. We got to the party late after many of the people had eaten, but most of the Gumbo is gone, and it got rave reviews.

If you read the above recipe you'll find no mention of okra at all, I detest the stuff -- objectionable flavor, objectionable texture. I also usually avoid green peppers and will use red, orange or yellow ones instead, even though they are about twice the price. I did edit the above recipe to add the green onions that I forgot to add until the last minute.

I'm very picky over gumbo,, but give me this and I am a happy camper. Love love love this and made it multi tmes.

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya
So very good, so Louisiana style good. You are not going to believe how easy this dish is to prepare.
Serves: 6
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Smithfield Product: Dinner Sausage
Ingredients
1/2 pound Smithfield Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 1/2 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain rice
1/2 to 3/4 pound medium, fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined.
Steps
In a Dutch oven add water, tomatoes, tomato sauce. Add dry ingredients, smoked sausage and rice. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until shrimp are pink. You do not want to overcook the shrimp.

A tip from Paula: Never cook the shrimp before you add it to the jambalaya. You want all of the wonderful shrimp flavors to cook into your jambalaya and cooking it before would make the shrimp overcooked (rubbery). Shrimp cooks so quickly, it is best to add it at the last few minutes.

I also have a Jambalaya recipe that I concocted several years ago at a family gathering. I think there were 20 some people there, so the recipe as I've recorded it is rather large. (with nearly 7 lbs of meat!)

I prefer it done this way, with the rice prepared separately, rather than cooking the rice with the rest of the dish, since if there are leftovers the rice absorbs all of the liquid, making the rice gluey and the rest of the dish dry.

Also since several members of the group didn't want it too spicy, the amount of red pepper, cayenne pepper and tobasco were much less than I would otherwise have used, but adding tobasco after it is served works very well.

JAMBALAYA

2 lb Chicken Breast (3/4" cubes)
1 lb Honey Ham (1/2" dice)
1 lb Hot-Italian Sausage (de-skinned and broken into pieces)
2/3 lb Andouille-style smoked sausage
2 lb uncooked shrimp (cleaned, de-shelled, and de-tailed, cut into thirds)
2 large sweet yellow onions chopped into 3/4" square pieces
2 red bell peppers (remove stems, seeds and membranes and cut into 1" by 1" pieces)
2 yellow bell peppers
4 cups of rice
2 large cans diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato paste
Olive oil
10 cloves garlic
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper blend (ground)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 shakes Tobasco sauce
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp chopped parsley

In one large pan, cook onion in olive oil, add thyme and 3 cloves of garlic (chopped) until onion starts to turn translucent, then add bell peppers and cook another 10 minutes or so.

In a different large pan, cook chicken and hot Italian sausage until both are lightly browned and mostly cooked.
Empty both pans into large pot. Stir in tomatoes (including water from tomato cans) and the tomato paste. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to a simmer and stir well.

In the chicken pan, cook Andouille and ham over medium heat for 10 minutes, then add to large pot. Crush remaining garlic and other spices except parsley into large pot to suit taste.

Cook rice separately while continuing to simmer large pot. When rice is done, remove large pot from heat and add shrimp stirring until it is cooked.

Serve over rice, adding tobasco to taste, top with a pinch of parsley.

bob, I like rice in my jambalaya, and I'm just the opposite : leave the rice off my jumbo!!!!

Have used the recipe from Paula Dean, cause for one it's easy, 2 you can make the night before except the shrimp and 3 has the right amt of spiceness for my family.

There's a place I go to called Jubilee Joe's that makes an awesome cajun crab bisque, which I love!