Holiday Ham!

Usually I make my holiday ham (I'm calling it "holiday" because I've made it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) with brown sugar and pineapple. I pierce it with cloves, sprinkle it with brown sugar, pour pineapple juice over it and pop a couple pineapple slices on for decorative effect. Today I only had ground cloves and brown sugar, but I had recently received an email from Food & Wine that had a recipe for bourbon glazed ham. Bourbon and whiskey not that different, right? So I used Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey I had stashed away since this time last year, mixed it with the brown sugar and cloves, poured it on the ham, and baked it for 90 minutes at 400 degrees. Delicious!

Family Favorite

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

Prep

Season turkey with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. You can add bread crumbs to keep your patties together better. Mix and form into 8 or 9 small burger patties. Pan sear the patties until brown and cooked through. While the meat is cooking, whisk together the soup with 3/4 can of water until smooth. Pour over patties in the pan and stir. Simmer until heated through. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice. 

Dessert: Peach Cobbler

Peach cobbler is one of my favorite desserts. You can get the recipe for my other favorite, pound cake, here. Something about warm peaches seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg, topped with vanilla bean ice cream makes me feel so at home. Its a comfort dessert! Here's mom's recipe

Ingredients

3 large cans (29oz) peaches in heavy syrup
2 boxes of pie crust (2 per box-4 total)
1-2 sticks of margarine or butter
1-cup of sugar
1-tsp nutmeg
1-tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
2-3 tsp vanilla flavor

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Crust

Pie crust needs to be at room temp. Spread a heaping tablespoon of flour on a cutting board (or wax paper on a counter). Unroll pie crust onto flour and press out with a rolling pin or glass with shape of rolling pin. Place 2 crusts in bottom of 9x13 glass pan.

Filling

Reserve about 1/3 cup of peach juice to mix with the flour for thickening. Place the peaches with juice, sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large pot, heat on medium until peaches are soft. Mix juice into flour a little at a time so flour does not have lumps. Add to peach pot a little at a time stirring frequently until juices are thick (you may have to add more flour until its as thick as you like it). **Be sure to add juice into the flour or you will get lumps of dough.** Add butter or margarine after juice is thickened. Stir in vanilla flavor (taste and add additional ingredients as needed). Pour peach filling into pan. Unroll and press out 2 other pie crusts and place on top (it's ok to over lap crusts). Crimp together edges.

*Make sure you have foil in bottom of oven to catch drippings*

Bake 45-50 minutes until crust is brown, spread butter on crust and sprinkle sugar just before removing. Check to make sure pie crust has not burned.

Curry Comfort

I absolutely love curry! The aroma that fills the house when its cooked makes me feel so warm inside. Curry is comfort food for me. I make it like some people make spaghetti: all the time. Its a go-to meal when I have no idea what else to make. Its delicious, colorful, and like most simmer dishes, tastes better the next day! Enjoy!

Ingredients

4-5 Chicken Thighs
2 Medium Russet or White Potatoes, cubed
1 Large Red Onion, sliced
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
3-4 Carrots, sliced
3 Tbsp Curry Powder
1 Tsp Cumin
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Cayenne or Crushed Red Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Seasoned Salt
Pepper
2 Cups Chicken Stock or Water
2 Cups Basmati or Jasmine Rice

Preparation

1. Season the chicken thighs (just eyeball it) with seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and paprika. Pan sear until skin is crisp and golden brown.
2. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and 1 tbsp of curry powder, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and fork tender.
3. Add the remaining chicken stock, curry powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, carrots and potatoes. Simmer until veggies are tender.
4. Add peppers and onions. Cook until tender but still colorful.
5. Serve over rice with a side of sauteed cabbage.

Another Chili

I know what you're thinking, "Another chili?" But its so easy and so hearty; its effortless cooking at its best. Just chop everything and throw it in a pot for an hour. I may need to do one of those 7-, 10-, or 30- days of chili posts; something to think about because I've got a million of them. Anyhow  I don't really have a name for this chili, but it is a white chili and it has southwestern flavors, so I guess I'll go with that for now.

Southwest White Chili

Ingredients

2 cans of cannelli beans
3 cans of great northern beans
2 cans of white beans
2 lbs of ground turkey
1 large can of petite diced tomatoes (drained)
1 box (32 oz) of chicken stock
6-8 tomatillos (diced)
3 small poblanos (diced)
1 medium onion (diced)
2 tbsp of chili powder
2 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of cayenne pepper
2 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of Adobo
1 tsp of paprika (for turkey)
Seasoning salt (for turkey)
Garlic powder (for turkey)
Onion powder (for turkey)

Directions

1. Dice all the veggies before starting to cook
2. Season (to taste) and brown the ground turkey
3. Add in the onions and cook until translucent
4. Pour in the chicken stock and add tomatillos and poblanos
5. Cook for 15-20 minutes
6. Add beans, tomatoes, and remaining seasoning
7. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally
8. Simmer as long as you like, but at least 30 minutes

Meatballs

I make this recipe all the time. Its kind of a combination of a few recipes I found online. Enjoy!

Pork Meatballs

Ingredients

1-1 1/2 pound ground pork (or mix of 1/2 lean ground beef and 1/2 pork)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup skim milk or 1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk or egg, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.


*Note: You can also use ground turkey or chicken just use 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and egg rather than milk.

Shrimp Creole (From Mom)

This may be one of the most deliciously simple preparations for shrimp!

Ingredients

8 small cans tomato sauce
5 stalks chopped celery
1 chopped onion
1/2 small chopped bell pepper
3 cloves chopped garlic

4 bay leaves
Parsley
Salt & pepper
1 roll of smoked sausage
3 lbs med shrimp

Prep

Sauté veggies until soft but not brown. Add tomato sauce over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Add bay leaves and seasoning and bring to boil for 15-20 minutes. Add sausage then lastly add shrimp. Boil until shrimp is cooked. Serve over rice.

Recipe Writing . . . First Attempt (Chili Lime)

Chili Lime Grilled Chicken Breast with warm Pico de Gallo

Ok so I have been trying for over a week to write out recipes . . . fail! The biggest struggle is coming up with measurements, mainly for seasoning. I mean who really knows how much salt and pepper they sprinkle on chicken or throw into a pot? Hats off to the people that write entire cookbooks; its so hard! I was a lot less discouraged when I came across a Rachael Ray recipe, while browsing Food Network recipes, that used terms like "palmful" and "eyeball it" lol! That's my kind of recipe!

Chili lime chicken has become a summer fav for me mainly because limes are in season and on sale. I actually just made the recipe on Monday night. Below is my first attempt at writing a recipe and I will say that its not for beginners because its not exact. Good luck and enjoy!

Ingredients

Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Seasoned salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne Pepper
Lime
Chili powder

Prep

I used 1-2 teaspoons of each. Season the meat with the spices; you can use chicken breast, chicken thighs, chicken wings, or fish. Add the juice of one lime and rub the meat (don't be afraid to get your hands dirty). Let the chicken marinade over night. If you use fish just rub the spices on and cook. If you let is sit more than 10-15 minutes you'll have ceviche! If you use chicken breast the best preparation is grilling. Wings and thighs can be baked in a single layer, uncovered on 400 for an hour. Flaky fish like tilapia can be baked or pan seared while thicker fish like mahi or sword can be grilled as well.

If you want a sweeter taste and a glaze add orange juice and honey. For spicier palettes add more cayenne or fresh diced peppers.

Baked Chili Lime Wings with Spanish Rice