Cravings

 We found out a few weeks ago that my daughter is pregnant with baby #3!  When I went to visit her last weekend, she told me she was craving Oriental Cole Slaw.  You know when a pregnant lady craves something, they should have it.  At least, that's my theory.  Especially when that lady is my daughter.  Tonight I made the recipe and in the morning, I'll pour the dressing over it.  Then I'll head out to see the cutest little family in Georgia!

Oriental Cole Slaw

Dressing (make the night before):

1 cup of oil

½ cup of sugar

1/3 cup of vinegar

2 beef seasoning packets from the Ramen noodles

Salad

1       1 lb. bag of  shredded cabbage/slaw mix

2       packages of Beef flavored Ramen Noodles – crushed

1       cup of slivered almonds

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

1 cup of sunflower seeds

Crush the uncooked noodles and spread over the cole slaw mix.  Toss together.  Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad mix.  Stir and serve.

(I usually put the dressing over the slaw about an hour ahead of time.)

 Tiffany was so excited when I arrived with her Oriental Cole Slaw!

Sum, Sum, Summertime!

It's summer time and what do we all enjoy in the summer?  Cook outs!!  What goes really well with ribs, hamburgers, and chicken?  Baked beans, of course!  I have taken 2 good baked bean recipes and created one great recipe.  I should have taken a picture last night, but I forgot.  Sorry.  :(

Ground Beef (or turkey) Baked Beans

 2 cans of pork and beans

½ lb. of ground beef or ground turkey, browned and crumbled finely

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 onion, finely chopped

½ cup of dark brown Karo syrup

2 Tb. yellow mustard

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour into a casserole dish sprayed with a baking spray.  Bake in an oven for 30 – 40 minutes at 375 degrees.

Okra ... mmmmmmmmmmm

Okra is one of my favorite foods.  Hmmm ... I seem to say that about a lot of foods.  Anyway, I like it fried and boiled.  My husband and son gag at boiled okra, but that's o.k.  It leaves more for me and my daughter!  I was looking around for an oven fried okra recipe and I found one!  I had to change it a little because I didn't have any corn meal.  It tasted great, but it lacked the crunch from when you fry it in oil.  However, when you consider the difference in calories and fat, it's worth it.  I hope you like it too!

Oven Fried Okra

canola oil cooking spray

1 16 ounce bag frozen sliced okra, thawed

1 half-teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 pkg. cornbread mix

Preheat oven to 475 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil generously with cooking spray or use non-stick foil.  Spray the inside of a gallon-sized food storage bag with cooking spray. Add the okra, a half-teaspoon of salt, and the pepper. Close the bag and shake to blend everything well. Let the okra rest for ten minutes to extract juice from the okra. Add the cornbread mix to the bag and shake to evenly coat the okra. Let the bag sit for ten minutes; then, shake it up again.  Use a colander to pour the okra into.  Remove the okra in batches and shake off excess cornmeal.  Place the coated okra on the sheet pan and continue the process until all the okra is on the pan and the pieces are not touching each other. Spray the okra well with cooking spray. Throw the leftover meal away.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven and stir the okra, trying to turn over as many pieces as possible. Lightly spray the okra again. Return it to the oven for another 20 minutes.

Have You Missed Me?

It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to post.  I found out I was going to have to have surgery and my time was taken up with trying to prepare for the end of school and getting everything ready for a sub to take care of my class for the last 2 weeks of school.  I was also trying to cook some meals for the freezer so hubby wouldn't have to do everything.  Plus, I was trying to get as much done around the house as possible because I would not be able to lift anything for a while. After the surgery, my Sunday School class and friends prepared meals for us every night for a week.  I have the best friends ever!  Hubby has even been a very good nurse, cook, etc.

Tonight I was able to make a new meal.  I made Chicken Kabobs!  They were really good and I'm excited to share the recipe with you.  I didn't have any zucchini so I used 2 yellow squash instead.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

Chicken Kabobs

 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 medium onion

1 carton of whole white mushrooms

6 – 8 skewers soaked in water for 10 minutes

  

Marinade

 1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. basil

1 tsp. minced garlic

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

Cut chicken into large chunks and marinade in sauce for 30 minutes.  Cut zucchini and squash into large chunks.  Cut onion into quarter chunks and separate pieces.  Make a pattern of veggies and meat onto the skewers.  Lay skewers onto foil sprayed with a cooking spray.  Pour remaining marinade over the skewers and wrap into a foil package.  Place package on the grill and cook for 12 minutes on each side.