Garlic French Fries

You ever get a random idea to eat something you’ve never even seen before? But you have to have it right that second.

Well Garlic French Fries did that to me tonight. And I don’t even know how I did it but I knocked my own socks off.

I simply baked a whole pan of good ok freezer french fries until they were really crispy. While they cooked I melted a stick of butter in a small bowl, then added about 4 or 5 finely chopped garlic cloves, some dried parsley and salt. Right before serving I tossed the fries with butter until coated.

Yum! Good thing we’re all eating them cause our breath is going to be fantastic!!!

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing recipe found here. Do it folks! I’m not asking. I’m telling! It’s beyond amazing! I’m already planning on it for lunch this weekend.

Weekly Meal Plan – Week 7

We’re still alive!!!! So sorry this here blog has been so dead for so long. There has been so much going on! We are currently 20 days away from our wedding with a to-do list still a mile long, a little baby girl recovering from pneumonia, Easter was here, Rangerette Revels was here…it’s been crazy!

But I have been cooking! A lot!

Easter weekend, Jeff, the kids and I spent over at my mom’s. We drove over, it’s like 15 minutes away, Friday morning and didn’t come home again until Sunday afternoon. I love going home still and Jeff and my mom are very close so it’s fun for us all. I cooked Easter supper over there, just the usuals except some show stealers. Mom made this Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Bacon Spread for Christmas and it was so good, we now make it for most functions. So I made that, the Pioneer Woman’s Tres Leches Cake, and our neighbor’s recipe for hash-brown casserole. All were gone!!! And talked about for weeks so I’d recommend those recipes. I’ll make the hash-brown casserole again sometime and feature it.

Rangerette Revels is a yearly show the Kilgore College Rangerettes put on. The Rangerettes were the nations first precision dance line, they are currently in their 71st year and still amazing! Look them up, you’ll be amazed. My younger brother began working with the Rangerettes as a manager 7 years ago and although he’s no longer a manager, he’s still very very involved, makes all their props, is a go-between from the directors to the manager, and a full lover and supporter of all things Rangerettes. Because he has been involved for so long, our family has become quite involved. This year we had a get together at my mom’s after the Saturday night performance, so I cooked for that, once again making the now famous Caramelized Onion, Gruyère, and Bacon Spread, except making a triple batch. I’m telling y’all, this stuff is ridiculous!!!

And I’ve been cooking for us at the house too, I made Smoky Corn Chowder just this week and it was amazing! I’m in love with it!

So now onto our menu:

Tonight: Crawfish Étouffée, rice, French bread, maybe some boiled corn that was also leftover from the crawfish boil last night

Monday: Dan Dan Noodles and some of my cucumbers

Tuesday: Fish Tacos

Wednesday: Tortilla soup

Thursday: Chinese Chicken Salad with Sesame Dressing

Friday: Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups, chips with salsa and guacamole

Saturday: Chicken Tamale Pie, Mexicorn Dip and Fritos, also going to make Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cake

So…there! Finally posting again, can’t promise how frequent it will be until after the wedding and honeymoon. But I’m trying.

Ooooooo….Pictures!

Ta-Da!

Weekly Meal Plan – Week 6

Gosh, this whole wedding business is taking it out of me. That and working 100 hours in the last 2 weeks. I’ve been a bad housewife. But I actually planned meals for this week and next so I’m trying to get back on track.

Sunday: Oven Roasted shrimp, veggies and Garlic Bread

Monday: Chicken Salad and chips

Tuesday: Enchilada Casserole and rice

Wednesday: Asian chicken noodle soup

Thursday: Tilapia, saffron rice and oven roasted green beans

Friday & Saturday: Daddy will be at the deer lease so it will just be me and the baby, so we’ll do frozen dinners or cereal.

Sixty-two days and counting to the wedding…Is is bad that I’m excited for the honeymoon for quiet and relaxation?

Took engagement and family photos yesterday, I’ll show y’all some of those when I get them in.

Oscar night

More like a who’s who fashion show. I love it. But I much prefer music awards for their performances.

That’s what we’re eating! Good ol cast iron butter fried oven finished steak, sautéed mushrooms, french fries and roasted asparagus.

I swear to y’all these mushrooms, and I don’t even like mushrooms, but these could save cardboard. I grew up with these and mine are still never as good as my mom’s.

Sautéed Mushrooms

5 T. unsalted butter
1 T. finely chopped garlic
3 green onions, sliced thinly
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. Kitchen Bouquet
1 t. beef bouillon granules
3 T. water
8 oz. white button mushrooms, sliced in half then into 1/8 inch slices

Sauté the buttes, garlic and onions over medium for about 5 minutes of until fragrant. Add the additional ingredients except the mushrooms, simmer for 2-3 minutes then add the mushrooms. Simmer for about 30 minutes to a hour depending on how hot and fast you simmer.

Yum!

As for the asparagus, there is no real recipe. Simply toss trimmed asparagus with olive oil, thinly sliced garlic cloves, salt and pepper and roast in a hot oven until done to your liking. Two year old approved.

Weekly Meal Plan – Week 5

I promise I’ll post picture this week! I’ve been pretty busy these past two weeks but I’ll pull it together, I promise!

Sunday: Steaks, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus and French fries. Kids get hot dogs, fries and asparagus.

Monday: Nachos with leftover crockpot chicken

Tuesday: Fish tacos

Wednesday: Chicken Enchilada casserole with leftover crockpot chicken

Thursday: Pizza I think

Friday & Saturday: Don’t know yet, it will be just be and the baby for the weekend

Recipes, recipes and more recipes

I’m one of those people who LOVE cookbooks and cooking magazines. I collect them. I pick them up whenever I can.

And I read them all the time.

I mark pages of recipes I’d like to cook…

And then they sit there!

So today since it’s freezing outside and my laziness is at a high, I’m going to write down the recipes that I’d like to cook and then I’ll have a running list I can look back on.

Dang I have a lot! This list took me 2 weeks to do, of course I only did it every now and then. As I cook these I will link to the recipe if its worth it.

Sweet Saltines with Bacon, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, pg. 18

Dr Pepper Pecans, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, pg. 21

Cure-All Chicken Rice Soup, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, pg. 69

Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Chicken, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, pg. 158

Maple Bacon and Hominy, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible, pg. 236

Mrs. LBJ’s Strawberry Icebox Pie, A Taste of Cooking, Kilgore Cooking, pg. 173

Smokin’ Chipotle Bacon-Onion Dip, Guy Fieri Nabisco handout

Broccoli Salad, Lions Club Cookbook, District 2-2X, pg. 36

Kielbasa-Stuffed Whole Turkey Breast, The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, pg. 16

Balsamic Cherry Pork Chops, The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, pg. 18

Southern Snacking Bacon and Nuts, The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, pg. 169

Charred Corn Vinaigrette, The Deen Bros. Get Fired Up, pg. 189

Hash Brown Casserole, Favorites from Our Table, Forest Home Baptist Church, pg. 20

Oriental Cucumber Salad, Marlene Koch’s 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes, pg. 147

Sesame Green Beans, Marlene Koch’s 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes, pg. 181

Minced Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Marlene Koch’s 375 Sensational Splenda Recipes, pg. 233

Southern Pecan & Apple Salad, Jamie’s America, Easy Twists on Great American Classics, and more, pg. 248

Corn Dip, Mike Miller’s Family and Friends Cookbook, pg. 3 (use Mexicorn instead)

Pretzel Salad, Mike Miller’s Family and Friends Cookbook, pg. 82

Dirk’s Out-of-this-World Tang Pie, Mike Miller’s Family and Friends Cookbook, pg. 219

Black Bean and Corn Soup, Better Homes and Garden Limited Edition “Pink Plaid” Cookbook, pg. 240

Coq au Vin, Better Homes and Garden Limited Edition “Pink Plaid” Cookbook, pg. 422

Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry, Better Homes and Garden Limited Edition “Pink Plaid” Cookbook, pg. 429 We’ve since had and flavor was lacking BIG time, I’ll work on this one a bit.

Herbed Adobo Pork Chops, Better Homes and Garden Limited Edition “Pink Plaid” Cookbook, pg. A-37

Garlicky Shrimp Scampi, Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, pg. 128

Carnie Asada Tacos,Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, pg. 14

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, pg. 206

Katie’s Roasted Corn Salad, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, pg. 26

Spicy Pulled Pork, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, pg. 94

Chicken Spaghetti, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, pg. 130 (Precook the veggies)

Homemade Ranch,
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, pg. 168

Angel Sugar Cookies, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, pg. 236

Tortilla Soup, Tastes & Takes From Texas…with Love, pg. 44 (Add chicken and cilantro)

King Ranch Chicken Casserole, Tastes & Takes From Texas…with Love, pg. 65

Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, Paula Deen Celebrates!, pg. 60 (Um…HELLO!

Magazines

Chicken Tacos with Spicy Grape Salsa, Everyday with Rachael Ray, October 2009, pg. 81

Apple Slaw, Everyday with Rachael Ray, March 2009, Menu Planner insert

Mexican Red Snapper Sandwiches, Everyday with Rachael Ray, September 2009, Menu Planner insert (Use tilapia, replace radishes with a cabbage and cilantro mixture) We’ve since tried this and I was somewhat disappointed, I didn’t replace the radishes and it was pretty much a mushy sandwich. I’m going to retry with a panko battered fish and the cabbage slaw.

Jane Fox’s Famous Tortilla Soup, Everyday with Rachael Ray, March 2012, pg. 78 We had this this past week and it was good, I added chopped zucchini and next time will add corn and maybe some other veggie.

Roasted Green Beans, Cooking with Paula Deen, January/February 2010, pg. 44

South-meets-West Quesadillas, Cooking with Paula Deen, July/August 2010, pg. 32

Corn Chowder, Cooking with Paula Deen, May/June 2010, pg. 39

Spicy Buttermilk Fried Chicken, Cooking with Paula Deen, May/June 2011, pg. 98 (I’ve NEVER fried chicken)

Honey Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin, Kraft Food & Family, Spring 2008

Crowd-Pleasing Lasagna, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 37

Chocolate Chunk Cookies, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 62

Salted Fudge Pie, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 63

Rosemary-Brown Sugar Nut Mix, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 76

Southern Fried Pickles, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 87

Peach Cobbler with Crusty Buttermilk Topping, Paula Deen’s Special Collector’s Issue Comfort Food, pg. 107

Spicy Hot Wings, Taste of Home, February & March 2009, pg. 20

Pumpkin Bread, 1985-1986 Kilgore Heights PTA cookbook, pg. 10

Peanut Butter Balls, 1985-1986 Kilgore Heights PTA cookbook, pg. 63

Black Forest Delight, Kraft Food & Family, Holiday 2006

Bacon-Corn Sauté, Food Network Magazine, 50 Things to Make with Bacon insert

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip-Bacon Cookies, Food Network Magazine, June 2011

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge, Food Network Magazine, June 2011

White Sangria, Food Network Magazine, May 2011

Weekly Meal Plan – Week 4

Sorry I’m late, I was over at my mom’s yesterday filling out wedding invitations and having dinner and next thing you know it’s dark outside. Oops…

Monday : Mexican Tilapia Sandwiches with guac and chips

Tuesday : Chicken tortilla soup

Wednesday : Hamburger steak, mashed potatoes and some kind of veggie

Thursday : Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

Friday : Garlic chicken Stir-Fry (repeat from last week that I never got to)

Saturday : Eeehhh I’ll figure something out

Last week was a total blur! For some reason I don’t remember why but I didn’t cook Monday night, Tuesday night I was surprised with hibachi out, Friday we ate the frozen pizza from Saturday night, Saturday we went out since we had some mommy/daddy time out and last night we had dinner at my mom’s. I feel very out of sorts.

Back to cooking

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

This man I love…he loves me too. Good ol country boy loves this city girl. He may not understand this whole blog thing I have going on, but he supports me. Friday when I found out y’all had been pinning my recipes I of course had to tell him, then explain. And then he did something that made me realize once again why I’m marrying him…he suggested I make y’all a Valentine’s Day goodie. Duh Nicole!

So I got to researching, easy, kid friendly and can be portioned out and given away (I don’t need it here, ha). Came up with Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats. I looked online and found a bunch of other recipes and decided to take a little from here and there and give it a try.

Red Velvet Rice Krispie Treats

3 tbsp. butter
1 10.5 oz. bag of mini marshmallows
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 c. boxed Red Velvet cake mix
6 c. Cocoa Krispies
White candy melts, melted

Melt the butter in a large pan, add in the marshmallows, vanilla and cake mix. Stir with a rubber spatula until melted and mixed throughly. Add in the krispies and stir stir stir. Make sure it’s throughly mixed and then pour into the pan you’d like to use, I’d used a 9×11 nonstick (PLEASE spray your pan with a nonstick spray. Let cool and set, pop those bright red suckers out.

Decorate however you’d like, I used white candy melts.

Happy Valentine’s Day y’all

Weekly Meal Plan-Week 3 and Chicken Enchiladas

My oh my what a day! If it didn’t hurt I think I would honestly pull my hair out. Birthday party to go to, my mom came back in town after being gone for 11 days, a two year old with no nap, finally laid down at 4:30 only for her to wake up 30 minutes later screaming. And scream is what she did for 2 and half hours! Just plain angry! She’s in bed now so I can think and type and breathe.

Let’s get the show on the road now that I’m done bitching…

Sunday: Chicken Enchiladas and rice (freezer/repurposed)

Monday: Leftover BBQ from Saturday night

Tuesday: Swedish meatballs over egg noodles and some sautéed zucchini.

Wednesday: Taco Soup from the freezer

Thursday: Mexican Tilapia Sandwiches with chips and guacamole

Friday: Garlic Chicken Stir Fry with rice

Saturday: Freezer Pizza

Sunday: Baked Chicken Breasts and Maple Bacon Hominy

Even figuring that out was difficult!!!

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchilada filling
Corn tortillas
Oil to fry in
Old El Paso Mild Enchilada sauce
Cheddar cheese, shredded

Most of the time I make this recipe, it’s much more time consuming and involves boiling a whole chicken, shredding it, making your own chicken stock…BUT last Saturday I came home with 3 cups of leftover shredded chicken. So I made a pan of Chicken Enchiladas and Mexican Potato Skins.

Since I already had the cooked chicken, I recooked it so I had a easier faster version of my normal enchilada filling.

Easy Chicken Enchilada Filling

3 cups shredded chicken
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery with the leaves
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 tbsp. cumin
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Enough water to cover.

Add olive oil to a large pot, warm over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until they begin to soften, add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, the chicken and enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a boil and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed.

Once that’s done, get ready to assemble the enchiladas…

I lined my pan in foil since I knew I’d be freezing it but you may also spray your pan with a nonstick spray.

Heat up about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a small pan. You’ll know it’s ready when a drop or two of water pop around. Empty the enchilada sauce into a pie pan or similar round dish. Get everything set out because this process goes pretty quick.

Fry each tortilla in the oil until it’s just about to start hardening, after that place them one by one into the waiting enchilada sauce. I always work in batches of 4-6 tortillas.

After all the tortillas in your batch are cooked and in the sauce, begin by pulling one out and laying it in the pan you’ll cook the enchiladas in. Place about 3 tablespoons of the chicken in and top with about 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll up and turn it seam side down.

Continue working in batches until the pan is full. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas, not a lot, just enough to keep them moist.

If freezing stop here. If not or when the enchiladas are thawed, sprinkle cheese on top and bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes or until warmed through and bubbly.