Caramelized Mushrooms

I love mushrooms just about any way possible.  But this recipe has become my new favorite.  These mushrooms are great beside chicken or beef and served with almost any type of vegetable.

1 lb Portabella mushrooms (sliced into 1/4" thick slices)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/8 tsp dried Rosemary (chopped)
1 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Clean and slice your mushrooms and set aside.
Add butter, oil and chopped Rosemary to a pan and heat over medium heat.  Allow pan to get hot.  Add the mushrooms and let cook for 4 minutes undisturbed.
Turn the mushrooms and cook for another 4 minutes. 
Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. 
Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar.
Stir and continue cooking until well coated.

Glazed Carrots

Do you ever have trouble getting your kids to eat vegetables?  Well, here is a veggie they are guaranteed to like. 

2 lbs carrots (peeled and sliced 1/2" thick)
1 cup chicken stock
4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley (stemmed and chopped)


Combine the carrots, broth, butter, brown sugar, honey and salt in a medium saute pan.
Bring to a low boil and simmer until the liquid has been reduced to a glaze and carrots are cooked through (5 - 10 minutes).
Remove from heat and stir in parsley.

The Best Darn Green Beans Ever

I love experimenting in the kitchen and amping up my favorite recipes.  Well, tonight I tried a new twist with green beans.  I recently bought a Power Cooker Plus and I love it.  While I'm still trying to learn all of its features, I've had a few successful dishes.  Tonight's green beans were probably the best green beans I've ever had.  Truth be told, this will probably replace Green Bean Casserole for Thanksgiving moving forward. 

2 lbs green beans 
8 slices bacon, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
3/4 tsp salt


Using the "Saute" function on the Power Cooker Plus, I selected high.
Slice the bacon into 1/2" pieces
Cook in the inner pot until crispy
Remove onto paper towel lined plate and set aside

Reduce heat on Power Cooker Plus to medium
Add chopped onion and sprinkle with salt
Stir and saute until soft (about 2 mins)

Add chicken stock to pot
Add green beans
Pressure cook on "Steam Veggie" setting for 2 minutes
Relieve steam quickly
Remove beans and onions from pot and put them in a bowl
Top with bacon

These were totally awesome!  If you have a Power Cooker or other brand, give them  a try.

Better Than Sex Chex Mix -- At least that's what we call it!

Oh, this is a really terrific snack mix.  I can almost guarantee you that your family and friends will agree this recipe is a new favorite. 

2 cups brown sugar packed
1 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
13 cups of Chex cereal (Rice, Corn, or Wheat)  I use a mix
1 lb bag of pretzel sticks
1 cup Heath Bar Bit O' Brickle bits
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Combine brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan over medium high heat.  Bring to  a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda.  It will foam up big time!  Don't worry, it's to be expected. 

Combine the rice or corn or wheat Chex and pretzel sticks in a very large mixing bowl.  Pour the molten caramel over the goodies in the bowl and stir very gently but thoroughly to evenly coat.  Don't worry about perfection here; just try to get the caramel mixture evenly distributed. 

Split the mixture between two prepared pans and spread it out evenly  Bake in the oven for 1 hour, stirring well every 15 minutes.  If the mixture is still quite damp in the middle;, you may need to bake it for another 15 - 30 minutes, still stirring after every 15 minutes.  When it is mostly dry but still a little sticky, it is done. 

As soon as it comes out of the oven, stir well but gently once.  Sprinkle the gits o' brickle over the tops of the pan and then sprinkle with chocolate chips using half of each over each pan.  Let it cool on the pan (you may hear it crackling as it cools), break it up, and store in an airtight container. 

Scampi with Scallops

Love Shrimp Scampi?  Are you looking for a way to make to make it super special? Give this a try.  It's creamy, flavorful, and who doesn't love scallops?

2 Garlic cloves
2 oz White Cooking Wine
1 Shallot
8 oz Scallops (I like the big ones)
6 oz Linguine
4 oz Half and Half
1/2 cup shredded cheese (Your choice-- I like mozzarella)
1/8 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 cup fresh/frozen peas

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Break your pasta into the pieces and add to boiling water. Cook about 10 minutes to al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and set aside.

Mince the garlic and small dice the shallot.
Pat the scallops dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tsp Olive Oil. Add scallops to hot pan and brown well on both side (approx 4 mins per side) place scallops on plate to reserve.

Add 2 tsp Olive Oil to same pan.  Add shallot and garlic. Cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).  Add White Wine and red pepper flakes and cook until it almost evaporates. Add cream and pasta water and stir occasionally until thickened (about 1 minute).  Stir in Mozzarella, peas, and scallops until heated through.

Plate and serve.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper

Every year when we carve pumpkins with the kids we have a healthy supply of pumpkin seeds.  This year I decided to experiment with various flavors.

First -- Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper
Wash pumpkin seeds well to remove pumpkin pulp.
Pat them dry and place in a bowl  -- about 2 cups.
Add:
2 tsp Olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
Place a lid on the bowl and shake to mix well.

Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

Second -- Sweet and Spicy
Add:
2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes.

Cool and place in airtight container.

Roast Beef Sandwiches with Melted Provolone

Are you looking for a quick and yummy dinner idea?  There is nothing better than these roast beef sandwiches and they star my favorite quick fix ingredient -- Campbell's French Onion Soup.  In fact, that's where I first found a variation of this recipe.

1 can (10 1/2 oz) Campbell's Condensed French Onion Soup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3/4 lb deli style roast beef (thinly sliced)
4 Hoagie rolls
4 slices provolone cheese (cut in half)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat soup and Worcestershire sauce over medium high heat in a saucepan until it boils.
Add beef and cook until hot.
Split the rolls and place on baking sheet.
Top with beef and cheese.
Bake 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Spoon soup mixture over sandwiches.

These are completely awesome!

Chicken Caesar Salad

This is a perfect summer night dinner. No need to heat up the house for this hearty meal.

2 garlic cloves
2 Romaine hearts
2 Red tomatoes
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 oz white wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper


Hold romaine hearts at root end and chop coarsely.
Halve tomatoes lengthwise and slice halves into half-moons.
Pat chicken breasts dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tsp Olive oil in a medium non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add chicken to hot pan and cook for 5 - 7 minutes per side.  Allow chicken to rest for five minutes.
Combine mayonnaise, garlic, white wine vinegar,  the rest of the Parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of water. Mix well and season with a pinch of pepper.
Add Romaine lettuce and tomatoes. Toss to combine.
Slice chicken and serve on top of the salad.
Top with croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Make Your Own Croutons

What could be better than fresh croutons?  This recipe is so quick and easy, you'll never buy croutons again.

1 baguette
2 tsp Olive oil
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt and pepper




Halve the baguette and cut into 3/4" cubes.  Place cubes on a prepared baking sheet and toss with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spread in a single layer. Bake at 425° for 7 - 9 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

The Easiest and Best Pulled Pork & Baked Beans

I don't often buy processed food, but I made a couple of exceptions this week, and I'm sure glad I did!

Kraft Slow Cooker One Step Sauce -- Brown Sugar Pulled BBQ
It is just what it's name says it is. One step. And ... It's so good. On Sunday evening I put a 3 lb pork loin roast in my small Rock Crock and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I poured one jar of the Brown Sugar Pulled BBQ sauce over the roast, placed the lid on the crock and put it in the refrigerator.

Monday morning I called my hubby at 10:30 and had him put the crock on the base and start it on low. By the time I got home from work, it had been cooking for 7 hours.   I turned off the crock and let the roast rest for 15 minutes before moving it to a cutting board to shred it using two forks.   I put the shredded pork back in the sauce in the crock and set it on warm while I made some baked beans.

Member's Mark BBQ Baked Beans with Brisket -- This is where the second exception comes in. I bought two tubs of them and just heated them for about 20 minutes. In the oven. Wow!  These are Awesome! Best baked beans ever!  I highly recommend you give them a try.