Rosemary, Parmesan & Black Pepper Popcorn

This is seriously the best tasting popcorn...ever.  I first made this for a baby shower we hosted, and it was a huge hit.  I've since made some every few weeks to keep around as a snack.  It is really tasty and quite easy to make.  I initially saw the recipe on the Cristina Ferrare cooking show on the new Oprah network.  It looked fun and simple, so I looked up the recipe online and went from there.  Enjoy!

ROSEMARY, PARMESAN & BLACK PEPPER POPCORN

1 T. vegetable oil

1 c. popcorn kernels

2 T. unsalted butter, melted (I used much more butter than this...probably 4-6 T is more like it!)

2 T. finely chopped fresh rosemary (I just used one package from the store, and left it fairly coarsely chopped)

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/3 c. finely grated Parmesan

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat the oil in the bottom of a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat.

Add the popcorn kernels, cover the pot with lid and shake the pot to coat the kernels in the oil.

With the lid closed, continue cooking over medium heat, shaking the pot occasionally.

Cook until the popping slows down and almost stops.

Transfer popcorn to the biggest bowl you have.

Drizzle the melted butter over the popcorn and stir to distribute.

Add the cheese, rosemary, pepper and salt.

Stir until mixed well.

Mini Cheesecakes

This is a nice, small dessert that is tasty without filling you up (unless you choose to eat multiple cheesecakes- which is hard not to do!).

MINI CHEESECAKES

1 package vanilla wafers

16 oz. cream cheese

3/4 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 can cherry pie filling

Paper baking cups

Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy.

Place a wafer at the bottom of each paper cup.

Fill each liner with mixture, almost to the top.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Cool completely.

Top with pie filling.

 

 

Crockpot Lasagna

I was looking for a new crockpot recipe, and remembered that there is such a thing as crockpot lasagna.  So, I googled Crockpot Lasagna, and landed on this recipe at southernfood.com.

CROCKPOT LASAGNA

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 large spaghetti sauce (about 28 oz.)

1 package no-boil lasagna noodles

16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated

1 lb. ricotta cheese

1/4 c. milk

1 egg

Brown the beef, onion and garlic in a large pan.

Drain off any grease.

Add the pasta sauce into browned meat mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix the ricotta cheese, milk and egg.

Beat until thoroughly mixed and smooth.

Mix in the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese, so that all cheeses are well combined.

Grease the crock pot on the bottom and sides.

Put about 1/4 of the meat and sauce mixture in the bottom of slow cooker.

Put a layer of noodles on top of that (break or cut if needed).

Put about 1/3 of cheese mixture on top of noodles.

Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheese for another 2 layers.

Top with meat sauce.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until noodles are tender. 

Butter Beef

Just as I was about to Google crockpot recipes, I was reading her blog and she was cooking this trying this dish for the first time that day (She got it from allrecipes.com.).  I looked up the recipe, went to the grocery store, and threw this all in the slow-cooker.  This was a really delicious recipe that was still really tasty for leftovers a couple of days later.  I poured this meat & "gravy" over egg noodles, and it was fantastic!

BUTTER BEEF

3 lbs. cubed beef stew meat

1/2 c. butter

1 envelope (1 oz.) dry onion soup mix

Place the beef and butter into a slow cooker.

Sprinkle the onion soup mix over it.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Stir a couple of times.

Chicken Enchiladas

I invited a friend over for lunch today, and she mentioned that she likes Mexican food. So, I looked up a recipe for Chicken Enchiladas and found this one at allrecipes.com.  It was really tasty, and I'll definitely make it again.  This recipe reflects a few changes I made- cilantro instead of oregano, half of the tomato sauce & taco sauce the recipe called for...things like that.   This recipe can definitely be altered to taste.
Sorry, I forgot to take a final product photo.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped
1/3 c. green pepper, chopped
1/2 pint sour cream
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
2 T. cilantro
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
7.5 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 T. chili powder
flour tortillas
6 oz. taco sauce


Boil chicken for about 20 minutes until cooked thoroughly.
Shred chicken and put in a large skillet.
Add the onion, green peppers, sour cream, 1 c. cheddar cheese, cilantro and pepper and salt
Heat until cheese melts.
Stir in tomato sauce and chili powder

Roll even amounts of the mixture in the tortillas.

Arrange in a large baking dish.

Cover with taco sauce and 1 c. cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Cool 10 minutes before serving.

 

Mashed Potato & Cheese Balls

I had some leftover Velveeta in the fridge last week and looked on Kraft for a recipe to use it in.  I found these and they are amazing!  I made them for our Super Bowl party, and they were a big hit!  

They absolutely must be served hot, so that the cheese is gooey and wonderful.

Next time, I will probably use regular cheese instead of Velveeta (The thought of Velveeta just doesn't sit as well with me as regular old cheese does!), and I may include ham or some other meat in the center as well.  There are lots of possibilities for this dish.

MASHED POTATO AND CHEESE BALLS
2 lb. baking potatoes (about 5), peeled, cut into chunks

2   green onions, thinly sliced

1 egg, beaten

1/4 tsp.  black pepper

4 oz. VELVEETA cut into 24 cubes

1 pouch  SHAKE 'N BAKE Extra Crispy Seasoned Coating Mix

 

Cook potatoes in boiling water in large saucepan 15 to 20 min. or until tender; drain.
Cool 10 minutes.
Mash potatoes until smooth.
Add onions, egg and pepper; mix just until blended.
Roll potato mixture into 24 balls, using about 2 Tbsp. for each.
Insert 1 Velveeta cube into center of each ball, completely enclosing cube with potato mixture. Cover each potato ball with coating mix; turn until evenly coated.
Place on baking sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for 14 to 16 min. or until heated through.

Marble Brownies

I recently discovered this recipe on the inside of a cream cheese box.  Since I don't eat chocolate, I asked Stephen if he thought this sounded tasty, and since he answered in the affirmative, I decided to make them for him for Valentine's.  He says they are really good, and "creamy" (which he likes, evidently).  He did say they are very sweet, so I wonder if next time I could put less sugar in the cream cheese mixture.

 MARBLE BROWNIES

1 package brownie mix (without syrup pouch)

1 package cream cheese, softened

1/3 c. sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Prepare brownie batter as directed on package; spread into greased pan.

Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy.  

Add sugar, egg and vanilla; mix well.

Drop by tablespoonfuls over brownie batter; swirl with knife.

Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees or until cream cheese mixture is lightly browned.

Cool completely before cuting to serve.

Keep refrigerated.

Cheesy Chicken Casserole

Stephen's mom, Susan gave me this recipe recently...complete with instructions to "relax and have a glass of wine while it cooks".  This is a very tasty recipe that will definitely be entering the regular rotation!

CHEESY CHICKEN CASSEROLE

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 c. water
3/4 c. uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder (I used garlic powder)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 c. frozen mixed vegetables (I left out the veggies this time)
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (obviously, I just used two...1 lb. of meat)

1/2 to 3/4 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

Mix first 6 ingredients together.

Place chicken breasts on top of mixture.

Cover and bake at 375 for 50 minutes.

Take dish out of oven, top with cheese and let stand still about 10 minutes.

Just before serving, stir around rice and cheese.

Chicken Pasta with Lemon Parmesan Sauce

I found this recipe by googling some ingredients that I had in the fridge.  Stephen wasn't feeling very well and said he wanted something light and lemony.  So, I found this at dianasaurdishes.com and will definitely go to this blog again for some good, healthy and low-cost meals.  This dish was super-easy and really very tasty.  It will easily become a staple in our diet!

CHICKEN PASTA WITH LEMON PARMESAN SAUCE.

2 servings spaghetti noodles
1/2 cup chopped raw chicken (1/2 inch pieces)
kosher salt and pepper
1 TBS canola oil (I used olive oil)
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  

Sprinkle the chopped chicken with salt and pepper.

Add oil to a skillet and turn heat on medium high.  

Add the seasoned chicken.  

Start cooking your pasta in the boiling water according to package instructions. 

Cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, or until completely white, stirring occasionally.  

Bring heat up to high to brown chicken to a golden color, cooking another 2-3 minutes.

Add lemon juice, milk and parmesan to the skillet of chicken and stir well.

Reduce heat under the skillet to the lowest setting. 

When pasta is done, drain it completely and mix the chicken and sauce in with the pasta and peas.  

Top with additional parmesan if desired.

Cake with Diet Soda

I had The View on the television during lunch today and overheard a lady talking about making cake with diet soda.  She said instead of eggs and oil, just mix in a can of diet soda to any cake mix and the cake will turn out just fine.  Since I am addicted to Diet Mtn. Dew, this sounded like a great idea to me!  I immediately found the only box of cake mix in the house (white cake), mixed it with a can of Diet Mtn. Dew and baked it.  Yum!  Honestly, it doesn't taste much different from regular white cake...perhaps it tastes a little bit more like angel food cake than plain white cake.  I'm excited to try different flavors of cake mix with different flavors of soda.

DIET MTN. DEW CAKE

Mix a box of cake mix with one can of Diet Mtn. Dew

Bake according to instructions on the box.