Shrimp Creole

One of my all time favorite dishes! I made it last night for dinner, along with steamed broccoli & yellow squash. Here's the recipe .....

Shrimp Creole

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion (sometimes I use green onions, but usually regular yellow ones)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can (14 1/2 oz) Cajun style stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 pound peeled medium size fresh shrimp

Hot cooked rice

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-hihg heat; add green peppers and next 3 ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and next 6 ingredients; cook 2 minutes over medium heat. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp turn pink. Serve over rice.

Celebrating Good Times!

Well, We hosted Val's Graduation party on Saturday. I have to admit it was a little stressful for me. I admit to being "OCD" about party planning, and I'm one of those people that have to clean the house from every angle before a party. I know it's crazy, but that is just the way I'm wired! Here are some photos from that I was able to take during the day's festivities: These are the party favors that I made with Rose's help. They are altered pull top metal cans with maroon & white M&M's inside. The "V" I decorated for Val was also displayed with the cake.Val & her girlfriends looking at the scrapbook that I am in the process of putting together for her. There was no way that I could finish it in time for the party......I don't have a photo of her in her cap & gown yet!Everybody hung out around the pool, and some of us even got to enjoy a nice relaxing swim in the pool.

Here are the recipes for some of the favorites that I made:

Baked Potato Casserole

5 pound red potatoes, cooked & cubed

1 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese(I only used 2 cups)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chives(I used 3 chopped green onions)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, combine potatoes and bacon. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add to potato mixture and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a greased 4.5 quart baking dish. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Brownies

2 boxes brownie mix (I used the pilsbury ones)
3 large Symphony chocolate bars

Make the 2 brownie mixes according to the directions on the box. Spray the bottom of a 9X13 pyrex dish with pam. Pour half of the brownie mix into the pan, layer the symphony bars across the pan, then pour the remaining brownie mix on top of the bars. Bake according to the brownie mix instructions, adding extra time for the thickness of the brownies. I baked mine for about 40-45 minutes. The last 15-20 minutes I reduced the heat of my oven to 325 degrees to prevent burning. They are the yummies brownies I have ever ate!!!

Baking Banana Bread

Don't those loaves cooling look yummy!! I had lots of ripe bananas and decided to make my favorite banana bread today. It is healthy & yummy!! Here's the recipe that I've tweaked to my own liking......

Rita's Favorite Banana Bread
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup splenda
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup applesauce
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 4 mini loaf pans. I use the pampered chef 4 loaf stone. Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, and mix them well. In another bowl, mash bananas and add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla; stir to combine the wet ingredients. Mix wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients until well blended. Add walnuts, divide batter evenly between the 4 loaf pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes and then cool them on a wire rack. I have tried to make them in regular loaf pans but they just don't rise the way I like them......plus, I can share the mini loaves with family and friends!!!

A Typical Day At Our House....

So here we are last night playing Monopoly. Ethan got the new Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition for Christmas from Uncle Kenny & Aunt Shirley, and we are loving the electronic bank. I decided to try out the timer on my camera since everyone was playing the game......Colin wasn't cooperating. Which is very typical of Colin since he enter the wonderful "teen years." So, I decided to post the photo of him "hiding" under the blanket. Don't you just love his hairy legs???? After he found out that the leg photos were gonna get posted, he decided to sit down and just let the timer do it's thing. I think it's kinda cool.......especially since everyone's in the photo. I have to remember to take a family photo in front of the tree next year.

Well' I decided to cook tonight and Shrimp Creole was on the menu. Here's how I made it:
Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped celery

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can cajun style stewed tomatoes

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1/2 cup water-I use 1 cup

2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp chicken boullion granules

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground red pepper

1 pound peeled medium-size shrimp

Hot cooked rice (Zatarrain's)
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat; add green peppers, celery, green onions, and garlic. I used the frozen recipe beginnings from Kroger's with green peppers, onion, and celery to make things even easier:-) Cook, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, water, parsley, bouillon, salt, & red pepper; cook 2 minutes over medium heat. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp turn pink.
Serve over rice and enjoy! I got the recipe from Southern Living's Our Best Easy Weeknight Favorites. It's my most favorite cookbook, and stays on the stand in my kitchen. If you have it, you really need to pull it off the shelf and put it to use!! Gotta go......Rose stopped by and dropped off "Mamma Mia" and I'm dying to watch it:-)

More Happy Surprises From The UPS Guy

This is what I found on the front porch this evening after a day of last minute shopping........ Aren't they lovely??? Everytime I see them, I picture Julie Andrews singing, "these are a few of my favorite things." I have all these pears PLUS the ones that came yesterday.....I think I might explode by New Year's Day!!! I guess someone else found out how much I love Harry & David's pears:-) If anyone would like to try one, feel free to stop by......I promise I'll share. I'm really not a crazy pear loving freak:-)

Okay, now the photo above is a sure sign that I have been reading way too many cooking blogs. I mean who has time to photograph the ingredients and finished product?? Well for some reason I had a little time this morning, and took some photos of the Apple Strudel I made for Christmas Eve. Now strudel looks really pretty after it's been cut into serving pieces, but I just pulled it out of the oven and it's too hot to cut. It's also 11:59pm at my house and I'm ready for some sleep. So you're getting photos of it fresh from the oven!! The one on the left has a little crack, but noone will know that once it's been cut.........

Here's the recipe I used from The Best Recipes in the Country Cookbook (compiled by the employess of Blue Bell Creameries......it's in the giftshop)

Apple or Pear Strudel

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup milk

2 egg yolks

3 1/2 cups flour

5 to 6 large apples, sliced

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup coconut

1 cup sugar (1/2 brown, 1/2 granulated)

Cinnamon to taste

raisins, optional(I used in mine)

Combine butter, milk, egg yolks, and flour; blend well. Chill dough at least 2 hours(overnight is best). Divide dough in half; roll out each half thinly on a floured surface. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and spread over each half of dough evenly. Start at one end of dough and roll up in jelly roll fashion. Be sure ends of roll are closed; fold in as you roll up. Place both strudels, seam side down, on greased or buttered cookie sheet; bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Butter roll before and after baking with additional butter. Makes two strudel rolls.

Happy Christmas Eve!!!! hugs~Rita

It's That Time of Year Again...

I love Thanksgiving. I mean a day completely dedicated to eating........does it get any better?? Well I was reading a blog this morning and reminded of Granny's spinach balls. She would bake them at Thanksgiving and Christmas or whenever there was a family gathering. Oh, the yumminess of those balls!!! So here they are, along with the recipe...........

Granny Kaminski's Spinach Balls

2 pkgs frozen chopped spinach, cooked & drained

2 cups pepperidge farms herbed dressing

1 onion, chopped

5 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp thyme

pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, refrigerate until firm. Roll into balls(I use my pampered chef small scoop) and place onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve Warm. I have made them ahead and then warmed them in the microwave at 40-50% power.

Bon Appetite!!! Rita

*******After looking at the post I want to apologize for the coloring of the photos. I took them with my old point & shoot and I never noticed the green hue before***********

What's For Dinner

I haven't made shepherd's pie in a long time, and the cool weather we are having inspired me to dig out my recipe and make it for dinner tonight. I love making comfort foods. I think chicken and dumplings will be next on my list . So here's my recipe from my favorite Pampered Chef cookbook:

Shepherd's Pie

2 cups lean ground beef (I use ground buffalo)

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, pressed

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 12 oz jar beef gravy

4 servings (about 2 cups) hot prepared instant mashed potatoes(I used the new mashed steamables by birdseye)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese(I used more, as you tell by the picture!!)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Brown ground meat in skillet. Add garlic and onion, cook until tender. Stir in seasonings, frozen vegetables, and gravy. Bring to boil; spoon into a baking dish.

3. Prepare potatoes according to package directions, mix half of the cheese with the potatoes. I used the Pampered Chef Accent Decorator to pipe the pototoes around the edge of the baking dish over the meat mixture. I normally just scoop the pototoes around the edge of the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the potatoes.

4. Bake 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Happy Cooking!!! Rita