Ham Fried Rice

I found this recipe on Deals to Meals. It turned out pretty good!

Cook:

2 cups white rice (you will end up with about 6 cups)
1, 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp garlic powder

While the rice is cooking saute in 3 T butter:

4 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped

After about 10 minutes of sauteing (is that a word?) add:

1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1, 1/2 cup ham cubed
3 scrambled eggs, cooked

Add rice to vegies along with:

1/4 cup soy sauce

and serve!

Zuppa Toscana

In a large pot brown and drain:

1 lb italian sausage

Remove sausage from pan and keep in fridge. Now saute for about 5 minutes:

1 onion, chopped

4 T bacon bits

2 tsp garlic pure

Add to the onion and bring to a boil:

10 cups water

5 chicken bouillon cubes

Now add to the boiling water:

5 large potatoes, cubed

Simmer the potatoes for 30 minutes

Now add:

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 bunch kale (or more)

sausage from fridge

Crash Hot Potatoes

My friend Erin posted a recipe on baking a boiled potatoes that looked really yummy! Click here for the original recipe. I had some left over baked potatoes in the fridge. (Am I the only one who wonders what to do with those?) I decided to try her recipe using my cold day old potatoes. I didn't have olive oil or kosher salt, so I just used what I had on hand. They turned out really really yummy!

On a baking sheet spread olive oil. I used vegetable oil.

Lay your potatoes (I like new potatoes. They are buttery and creamy!) on the sheet and then lightly smash with a potato masher.

Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper.

Drizzle olive oil (I used really soft butter) over the potatoes to create the crunchy tops.

Bake at 450 for 20 minutes!

Blended Berry Syrup

I'm slowly getting back into making breakfast again. This syrup was a really big hit! There are no exact measurements. Just use what you have on hand. I like the big bag of frozen blueberries from Sam's Club. I always seem to have some on hand.

In a medium sauce pan dump:

5 cups frozen blueberries
1 pint strawberries, tops cut off
1 cup sugar
pinch salt

Let this sit on medium heat while stirring occassionally. After about 10 minutes it will start bubbling. Let it bubble for about 10 more minutes. Then dump it all into a blender. This will be enough syrup for our family for the week. Keep in the refridgerator.

Sunday Roast

I LOVE this easy meal! We had potatoes, carrots and roast all the time growing up. Except Mom didn't use the baby carrots. That's a convenience I've picked up. It was a given on Sundays that Mom would have homemade rolls and even cake or cookies to go with it! For some reason my logo wouldn't paste onto this pic. Oh, well.

I'm sure you could use a different kind of roast. I prefer the chuck. Chuck roasts tend to be more fatty, but they give the best flavor and they always turn out super moist. I've tried rump roasts and they are always hit and miss. They tend to be more dry. Maybe that's why they are cheaper. I got this chuck roast at Sam's Club and it was a hit!

In a crock pot dump in this order:

2 cups baby carrots
5 small potatoes, cut up
3 cups beef broth, mixed with lipton onion soup
4 lb chuck roast, salted and peppered

Cook on low 8 hours

Let roast rest on warm for an hour and then scoop up vegies with a slotted spoon. Serve with hot rolls or biscuits.

Cheesy Penne

In a large pot boil one box of penne pasta.

In a smaller sauce pan melt slowly while stirring often:

2 cream cheese

1, 1/2 cup real grated parmesan cheese

1 cup butter

1 cup milk (you can add more if you don't want it so thick)

Drain pasta and add to your cream cheese mixture!

Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken

I like the texture of chicken that has been cooked on the bone. I think it tends to be a bit more moist. Here I have cooked 2 chickens. Each was 5, 1/2 lbs. I managed to get them both into my 7 quart crock pot. I let the meat fall off the bones and cool. Then I put 2 cups of chicken per ziploc baggie and throw them in the freezer. I include the dark meat, too. You can't tell when you use it in chicken crouissant sandwitches, enchiladas, or soups!

Have all your ingredients out and handy so it is a clean and quick process!

Clean and pat dry your chicken. I am assuming you are cooking just one.

Mix:

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Rub your chicken with:

4 TBL room temp butter

Take 6 cloves of garlic and slide them between the skin and the breast meat. You may need to use a knife to get the slit started.

Cover the chicken in the salt rub you made earlier.

Place in crockpot. No added water! Cook on low for 10 hours.

If you cook 2 chickens then make up two separate rubs and use 12 cloves of garlic. Also cook it for about 11-12 hours. (I had to reset my timer for a couple hours and just kept an eye on the clock)