Beachy Menu!

Beachy Menu

Last weekend I was lucky enough to get to hang with my book club girlfriends in a house on the beach. Not close to the beach, but RIGHT ON IT! Awwww yeah. It was pretty sweet. We lazed around, watched movies, had mimosas, and I got to take my sweet time cooking, which is right up there with my most favorite things to do!!! When I'm cooking at home, I'm usually rushed. The kids need something, everyone is hungry, the phone is ringing, and I'm trying to do 10 things at once. So, having the chance to talk, slowly assemble a meal, and enjoy some good tunes is HEAVENLY!!!

Since we were in Galveston, I thought seafood was in order. Also, two of us are gluten-free, so I assembled an entirely gluten free dinner and dessert. We had fiery fish tacos with crunchy corn salsa, refried black beans, spanish rice, and finished up with Babe Ruth bars for dessert. There was a small corn mishap but after picking all the corn out of a frozen bag of mixed veggies (that I got at the gas station in Jamaica Beach - HA!), we were all set! And it was GOOD!

Fiery Fish Tacos with Crunchy Corn Salsa
1 cup corn
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 cup peeled, chopped jicama**
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
6 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 corn tortillas, warmed

Preheat Broiler.

In a medium bowl, mix together corn, red onion, jicama, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Stir in lime juice and zest.

In a small bowl, combine cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, and salt. Brush each fillet with olive oil, and sprinkle with spices. Go easy - they are SPICY! (hence the name fiery....)

Place tilapia fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil. Broil fish 2-3 minutes per side in the center of the oven.

For each fiery fish taco, top a corn tortilla with fish, corn salsa, and any other garnishes you would like. Sour cream helps balance the heat!!

**Jicima is usually by the ginger, garlic, etc. It is a gnarly looking brown root. Use a veggie peeler to peel the tough brown outer layer. Then cut the white, crunchy inside. It gives your salsa an awesome crunch factor!!

Spanish Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped*
2 cups chicken stock
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel**
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt


Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

Stir in water and tomatoes. Season with chili powder and salt. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

*You can use any color bell pepper you want!! I prefer red or orange. Green has kind of a funky taste to me. The red/orange/yellow variety have a sweeter flavor!!

**You can use Rotel, but if it's too spicy you can replace with plain old diced tomatoes!

For the beans...I am about to hand you a BEAUTIFUL Slap It Together favorite ingredient. It's called Santa Fe Fat Free Refried Beans. They are in the bean section but are usually up on the top shelf (cause they're the best!!). They come in a gold pouch and are dehydrated. Just boil water, pour in the beans, stir for 5 minutes, and BAM - DELISH beans!!!

Babe Ruth Bars
6-7 cups Corn Chex cereal
1 cup peanuts (roasted or raw)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
r1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix 1st 3 ingredients in large bowl.

In medium saucepan, combine remaining ingredients on med/low heat. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth. Do not boil.

Immediately pour PB mixture over corn flake mixture and stir to evenly coat. Pour into greased 13x9 pan, press down firmly and cool in fridge.

Cut into bars and serve.

We noshed on these bars ALL DAY! They are so delish! You can easily make them dairy free by choosing dairy free chocolate chips - which taste great, by the way!!

Hope you enjoy this beachy menu! I highly recommend a day away. Did wonders for my mental health, which can use all the help it can get :)

New year, new recipes!!

So, I'm going to attempt to do better at writing this blog. It's my goal for 2012. Now that I'm working, have kids at 2 different schools, work tons of night/weekend events for It's My Heart, I'm learning that I really do have to slap it together sometimes. And, yes, sometimes that means slapping McDonalds down for the kids on nights where we don't have any groceries, I'm late from work, or I just don't care. Don't judge... :)

I have been doing more cooking and freezing on the weekends too, which is a LIFESAVER! Nothing like pulling out a pot of soup or a casserole in the morning, throwing it in the oven when I get home, and VOILA - homemade dinner, people! Good stuff!

So, I'm starting with a few recipes that EVERYONE has been asking for. For a long time. A really long time. Here you go, friends...

Houston Salad
(OH.MY.GOSH. Delicious - Thanks Brooke!)

Salad:
4 c. mixed greens
2 green onions
1 c. crumbled blue cheese
1 diced Granny Smith apple
1/2 c. pecan mix (follows)

Dressing: (the best part of the recipe)
1 c. oil
2 T Worcestershire sauce
4.5 tsp onion juice*
3 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dry mustard
2/3 c. sugar

*to make onion juice - use a food processor and process the HECK out of an onion. Put the onion mush in a sieve or a papertowl and squeeze juice out. SHAZAM - onion juice).

This dressing is super rich and yummy if you really wisk it for a long time. If not, it starts to separate pretty quickly!

Pecan Mix for Garnish: (Aka - pecan crack. SO good)
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
1.5 tsp salt
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire
2 T paprika
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
4.5 c. pecans
6 T melted butter

Directions: Put on cookie sheet lined with foil. Bake at 325 for 20ish minutes. Turn periodically. Sprinkle over top of salad. The pecans will be sticky but will firm up when they cool.


Turkey Chili Verde with Hominy and Squash

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb cooked turkey sausage links, cut into 1 in. pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano (I used regular b/c it was all I had)
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 15oz can hominy, undrained
1 cup green chili enchilada sauce*
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 cups diced butternut squash**

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot (invest - it's totally worth it!). Add sausage and saute until heated through - 4 min. Add onion, oregano, and garlic. Saute 2 min.
2. Add hominy, enchilada sauce, 1/2 cup cilantro and squash. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer until squash is tender - 20 min or so.
3. Uncover and simmer until desired thickness. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with remaining cilantro.

*Don't hate on the canned goods - this is slap it together, people. And if it's good enough for Aaron Sanchez, it's good enough for me!!
**How to dice an uncooked butternut squash without losing a finger. Cut off the top and bottom to make flat surfaces. Use a serrated knife! I like to cut the squash in half horizontally to make it more manageable. Then half your squash vertically, clean the seeds out of the bottom portion. Use the knife to skin the squash then dice!!

This soup is going into my top 5 soup rotation. SO delish, healthy, and easy to make!!! AND gluten free! Have a great week!

NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!!

Heh. Just kidding! So, after lots of requests for soup I've decided to finally update this bad boy! I'm going to post my 2 most recent faves: Butternut Squash Soup and Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. The butternut squash soup is like eating a creamy, buttery bowl of deliciousness!! I like to serve it with Chicken Breast, Dried Tomato and Mozarella Panini. Yumm-o. I'll include that recipe as well. It is super delish and even though I can't eat the bread, just having the chicken, tomato and mozzarella is fantastic!!

The Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is a fantastic one pot meal. Or you can serve it with garlic bread and a salad! It is creamy and delish. The original recipe is a super artery clogger, but re-done with veggies, less butter and flour, and milk instead of cream is now a yummy healthy soup! Kids will love it too!!!

Enjoy...

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
3 cooked, boneless chicken breast
halves, shredded
1 (4.5 ounce) package quick cooking long
grain and wild rice with seasoning packet (I use Near East)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp cup butter
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups milk

**To make shredded chicken….Boil chicken breasts in water and Cajun seasoning (like Tony Cachere’s). Remove from water and shred using 2 forks.

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water and chicken. Bring just to boiling, and then stir in rice but not the seasoning packet! Cover and remove from heat.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until soft. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in milk, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir chicken, broth and rice into roux. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Butternut Squash Soup

6 tablespoons chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter
1 large roasted butternut squash
3 cups water
4 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 (8 ounce) package low-fat cream cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half, lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Cover baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Bake cut side down for 40-60 minutes until tender. Scoop squash out of skin and reserve.

In a large saucepan, sauté onions in butter until tender. Add squash, water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Bring to boil; cook 20 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Puree squash and cream cheese in a blender in batches until smooth. Return to saucepan, and heat through. Do not allow to boil.



Chicken Breast, Dried Tomato, and Mozzarella Panini
makes 2 sandwiches

Chicken:
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast
Olive oil, as needed
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Oven-Dried Tomatoes:
6 to 8 plum tomatoes, cored
Olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sandwiches:
2 (6-inch) loaves ciabatta bread, or your favorite long and crusty bread, halved lengthwise
About 6 slices mozzarella
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the chicken:

Using a knife, butterfly the chicken and pound thin between 2 layers of saran wrap. Transfer the chicken to a shallow dish, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the rosemary, salt and pepper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Grill the chicken, turning once, until just cooked through. (I use the George Foreman Grill and it works beautifully!)

Make the tomatoes:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Using a small knife, score the ends of the tomatoes, drop them in a pot of boiling water, and cook briefly, about 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Peel off the tomato skins and cut the tomatoes in 1/2 lengthwise. In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and bake until lightly browned and somewhat dried, about 3 hours.

Make the sandwiches:

Preheat an electric sandwich press or grill. Layer the chicken, tomato, and mozzarella between the bread, sprinkle with rosemary and season with salt and pepper. Put the sandwiches in the press and cook until hot and crispy.

**I know the sandwiches seem like a lot of work, but they are WORTH IT! Plus, you can do almost everything beforehand. Prepare chicken, tomatoes, slice bread ahead of time. Then when you are ready to serve, all you have to do is assemble the sandwiches and press!! FANTASTIC!

TURKEY!!!

Just writing TURKEY makes me think of Adam Sandler.....I don't know why. Probably because I'm such a nerd! So in honor of goofy Thanksgiving songs, here are a few of the lyrics! HA!

Turkey for the girls and
Turkey for the boys
My favorite kind of pants
Are corduroys
Gobble gobble goo and
Gobble gobble gickel
I wish turkey
Only cost a nickel
Oh I love turkey on Thanksgiving

Makes me laugh EVERY time!! OK, lets get down to business. I have been making the turkey for Thanksgiving for the last few years. Even though my mom and dad are some serious gourmet foodies, they REALLY love this turkey!! I do a 24 hour brine, which is basically soaking your meat in a highly seasoned broth to get all the juices incorporated into the meat. Then I rub sage butter under the skin and bake it in a brown paper bag! Just don't forget to spray your bag with Pam so it doesn't catch on fire :)

Turkey Brine

1 gallon vegetable broth (16 cups)
1 cup sea salt
1 Tbsp crushed dried rosemary
1 Tbsp dried sage
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried summer savory
1 gallon ice water

In a large stock pot, combine the vegetable broth, sea salt, rosemary, sage, thyme, and savory. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently to be sure salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

When the broth mixture is cool, pour it into a clean 5 gallon bucket. Stir in the ice water.

Rinse and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.

Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.

**You might not have Summer Savory in your pantry but it is well worth it to grab some at the store!! You might also see Winter Savory, but use Summer if you can find it!!


Sage Butter

2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped, fresh sage
salt and pepper

Make sure your butter has been sitting out and is very soft. Combine with sage and a pinch of salt and pepper.

To prepare your turkey:

Make sure you pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the inside of the cavity with salt and pepper. Truss the turkey (instructions below). Rub the sage butter under the skin of the turkey carefully! You don't want to pierce the skin if you can help it! Then rub olive oil on skin and liberally salt and pepper! Place the turkey inside of a brown paper bag sprayed with Pam. Secure the ends of the bag with staples to keep closed and place in your roasting pan.

Bake your turkey about 15 minutes per pound. The meaty part of the thigh should be at 170 degrees. I use a 325 degree oven. Pull your turkey out of the oven when it is done. Keeping it in a warm oven will dry it out! NO DRY TURKEY!!!

How to truss a turkey:

Use kitchen string to tie the turkey's legs together, pressing the legs close to the turkey body.
Turn the turkey over and fold its wings back behind it.
Tie another piece of string around the turkey's neck skin, leaving two long ends hanging.
Pass each string end through a wing.
Tie the string ends together, pinning the turkey wings horizontally.

Good luck and I hope everyone has a TRULY WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving Round 2

Try to contain yourself....I actually am writing a blog post when i said I was going to. Shocking, I know!!! But in honor of my favorite food holiday, I couldn't go without posting!

I am sharing my two favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I actually have three, but the 3rd is Green Bean Casserole. And I'm not retyping that whole recipe because it is clearly posted on the side of the French's French Fried Onion can, so you can go find that one at HEB :)

The 1st recipe is my mom's Sweet Potato Casserole. This is for all my peeps who don't want smushy, overly sweet, marshmallows ruining a perfectly good sweet potato! The other is my dad's Corn Bread Dressing. It is SO delicious with butter, pecanns, bacon, and all sorts of other goodness mixed in!

Sweet Potato Casserole

1 large can sweet potatoes
3/4 stick butter
2 eggs
Dash cinnamon & nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup Carnation evaporated milk

Topping:
1 cup crushed Frosted Flakes
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 stick butter


Warm potatoes and drain liquid.

Cream sugar, butter and eggs together. Add spices, milk and vanilla.

Mash potatoes and mix. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min – 1 hour.


Toasted Cornbread Stuffing

6 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
3/4 cup pecans
1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 Tbsp bourbon
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley

Heat oven to 350F. Spread crumbled cornbread onto a baking sheet. Coarsely chop pecans and add to cornbread. Toast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until cornbread is golden, tossing the crumbs once or twice during toasting. Cool and place in a large mixing bowl.

Cook bacon over medium-high heat in a saute pan of skillet. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon to bowl with cornbread and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings (YUM). Add butter and olive oil to skillet and when butter has melted add onion and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add celery and saute another three minutes.
Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Add to cornbread.

Turn up heat under saute pan and add bourbon. Stir vigorously for 2 minutes with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add chicken stock, cook for 1 minute, and add mixture to bowl. Add parsley to bowl and adjust seasonings.


ENJOY!! Tomorrow I'll add recipes for the brine and last but not least....THE TURKEY!!!!

Thanksgiving!!

OK....clearly I can not be trusted. I keep promising to update the blog regularly, and quite obviously I have not been doing that!! BUT....Thanksgiving is, in my opinion, the BEST food day of the year. There is no way I could forgive myself if I didn't put up some recipes in honor of my fav food holiday!!

So, I'm starting with pie. Thanksgiving is one of the few times a year I eat pie, although I make it alot!! And please, please, please do not buy a pie at the grocery store! For the love, save your friends and family from the horror of pie made at way ahead of time and sitting around near the produce department. I know there are some people in most of our families that we aren't SUPER fond of, but you don't want to give those folks any reason to talk bad about you, right??

I'm putting up my fav pie and crust recipes!! You can make your crust ahead of time and freeze it to make life a little easier, although it is a SUPER simple to make! So here goes! I'll try (I give up on promising!) to put up some side dishes and finally the turkey recipe later this week!!! Gobble, gobble!! (That always makes me think of Adam Sandler.....let's eat turkey in my big brown shoe) :)


Pie Crust

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork. To double this recipe, use 1 cup shortening, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup cold water.

Roll gently, one crust at a time, on a floured surface, to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half. Lift to pie plate, and unfold. Fit into pan. For a single-crust pie, trim with a small knife to about 1/2 inch beyond rim. Fold up, and pinch so edge of pie is raised from rim. For a two-crust pie, trim bottom crust to edge of rim, fill, and top with crust about 1/2 inch larger than rim. Tuck top crust under bottom along rim. Seal with floured fork.

***Don't worry about it looking PERFECT! I like it when it looks homemade. :) Everyone will appreciate all your hard work that way!!

Classic Pumpkin Pie

Pie Crust
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
Pinch of salt
One 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a 13-inch round a scant 1/4 inch thick. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch. Fold the dough under itself and crimp decoratively; refrigerate the pie shell for 10 minutes.

Line the pie shell with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in the center of the oven until nearly set, about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, cloves and salt until smooth. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, then the cream. Working near the oven, pour the filling into the crust. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is set. Let the pie cool on a rack.

Grandma Ople’s Apple Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly and 1/2 of the sugar and butter syrup. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the other 1/2 syrup over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

**Tips: For preparing the apples...I use my veggie peeler for the skin. I also cut the apple in half and use the melon baller to remove the core. Works perfectly! Also, soak your apples slices in Sprite to keep them from browning. To make a lattice crust, I roll my dough out into a circle. I use my pizza cutter to cut the lattice strips then starting on one side weave them together! It is a little labor intensive but you end up with a BEAUTIFUL pie! If you don't feel like messing with it just cover it with a whole crust and cut a slice in the top to let steam escape!!

OK....so this last pie is NOT really Thanksgiving-y, but it is SO STINKIN DELICIOUS I just couldn't leave it off!!! This is for all my down home folks!!!

Banana Pudding Pie

Crust:
50 vanilla wafers
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/8 tsp sea salt
5 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
3 egg yolks
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tsp powdered gelatin
1/4 cup cold milk
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
1 vanilla bean, pod and scraped seeds
1 1/2 tsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh whipped cream
5 Tbsp caramel sauce, plus extra for garnish
3 medium bananas, sliced

For the crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush vanilla wafers and toss with brown sugar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and sea salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract and press mixture into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

For the filling: Chill a medium bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water and set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg yolks, cornstarch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and sea salt together until very thick and light in color. Set aside. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold milk. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Bring heavy cream, remaining 3/4 cup milk, and vanilla bean to a boil in a medium pot. Remove from heat, slowly whisk cream mixture into reserved egg mixture, pour back into pot, and stir over medium-low heat until it reaches a boil. Pour into chilled bowl, remove vanilla bean pod, and stir in gelatin mixture, butter, and vanilla extract. Let cool and fold in whipped cream.

Spread caramel sauce over crust. Line with 2 1/2 bananas and top with pudding. Chill for 2 hours. Decorate with remaining banana slices and caramel.

And by popular demand....LAURA :) Sorry it took so long!!

Creamy Blueberry Pie

3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 (9 inch) deep dish pie crust
1 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter

Combine 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, and salt. Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla stirring until blended.

Place blueberries in pastry shell, and spoon sour cream mixture over berries.

In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Cut in butter or margarine with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle this mixture over sour cream mixture and berries in the pie shell.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!!

Down Home Cookin!!

So I'm going with a theme this week...down home cooking! I get caught in a few ruts with cooking. I either get stuck on a few easy favorites that I know everyone will eat. I tend to do this when I am stressed so I don't really have to think about what to fix. The other thing I seem to want to do is try a new recipe every night! I can get too fancy for my own good. It is a great way to add new favorites, but I also run into some dinners that should not EVER be repeated EVER AGAIN :)

I was thinking about what to fix for the upcoming week and decided I needed some comfort food STAT! Here are a few fabulous down home dinners. I'll also do some breakfast dishes, side dishes and desserts throughout the week, so keep checking back!!

One thing my Papa did was make the most fantastic meatloaf you've ever had. He's from the Deep South....Union Hill, Alabama!! His secret for meatloaf was to do half ground beef and half ground sausage. This keeps your meatloaf from drying out....the curse of bad meatloaf!!! To make mine a little more figure friendly I use 96% lean ground beef and light ground sausage. You can get away with the lean ground beef because the sausage adds so much moisture!! Last tip is to cook your onion before adding. It gets rid of the super strong onion flavor and also makes it nice and soft. Feel free to add carrots or other veggies (also cooked) if you'd like!!

Here is my Papa's recipe and another I like to make. Enjoy!!

Papa's Meatloaf

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 lb ground sausage
1 egg
1 can Meatloaf fixings (I was skeptical about fiding this, but sure enough it's over by the canned tomatoes)
a few dashes of Worchestershire
1 onion, finely chopped and sauteed
salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients, form into loaf and cook on broiler pan for 1 hour.

I like to use a free form loaf on a broiler pan rather than shoving it into a loaf pan. Line bottom of the pan with foil for quicker cleanup. Spray the top with cooking spray. The fat will drain through the slats and you'll come out with a fabulous meatloaf!!


Barbecue Meat Loaf

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped and sauteed
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine all ingredients including 1 Tbsp barbecue sauce (reserve 1/3 cup barbecue sauce). Form into loaf on broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Don't forget to line the bottom of the pan for WAY easier cleanup!!

Top meatloaf with remaining 1/3 cup barbecue sauce. Cook for 1 hour.


**Meatloaf should be around 160 degrees when done! Let meat stand for about 10 minutes before you cut it. You will lose alot of the juice if you cut it too quickly!!