One Potato, Two Potato, ...

This is the BEST sweet potato souffle you'll ever put in your mouth.  Thinking about it makes my mouth water!  This is another dish I made for Thanksgiving and I'm so thankful there was a little left over.  After today though, there probably won't be any left.  I should go heat up a bowl now!

Sweet Potato Souffle

Souffle:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
5 medium sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar  
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt 

Topping:

1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (can be gluten free)
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick), softened 

Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven.  When cool enough to handle, peel the potatoes, place the potato meat in a large mixing bowl and mash until smooth. Add the eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, milk and salt. Combine well with a mixer or by hand. Pour the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam or coated with butter.  

Topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the pecans, brown sugar, flour and butter until mixed well.  Spoon the topping over the sweet potato mixture in an even layer. Bake the casserole until slightly browned at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Let the casserole sit for a few minutes before serving. 

That's Just Peachy!

ONE, yes one, of my favorite (and easy) desserts is peach cobbler.  Especially when you can top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Yum.  This is one dish I made for Thanksgiving.  This year Thanksgiving was at my daughter's house.  Everything was delicious and the conversation was outstanding.  Gathering family together is always a good time.

Peach Cobbler

1 stick of butter, melted

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of milk

1 cup of self-rising flour

1 ½  tsp. cinnamon

1  29 oz. of canned sliced peaches.

Mix first 5 ingredients together in a 9x13 baking dish.  Add peaches with juice.  I like to cut the peach slices in half.  Mix well and sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Crust forms by itself.

Another Great Chicken Dish

 This is SO GOOD!!! I kept trying to make it, but the weekend got a little busy.  What am I saying?  The entire week was CRAZY!  This was easy enough to make on a work night.  Plus, I love that there's enough left over for lunch.  You actually have enough of the stuffing to use in 4 chicken breasts.  I just used the leftover stuffing to pour over the top.

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

2 tsp olive oil

2 cups spinach

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

½ cup Ricotta Cheese

3 chicken breasts

3 string cheeses

Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a pan over medium heat, add the oil and cook the spinach and mushrooms in it for 3 to 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.  Stir in the ricotta and cook for another minute. Remove from heat.  Cut slits into the chicken breasts, about 1/3 inches apart and 3/4 of the way through the chicken. Try not to cut all the way through the chicken.  Stuff all of the spinach and ricotta mixture into the slits.  Pour remaining spinach mixture on top of the chicken.  Slice the string cheese into strips and lay on top of the chicken.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

This Goes Well With Ravioli

This recipe is easy!  It would make a great appetizer, but it also goes really well with the butternut ravioli recipe I just posted.

Ricotta Bruschetta

1 loaf of French bread or a baguette, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil 
1 cup of onion-garlic Ragu spaghetti sauce
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper 

Cut the bread into 1/2" thick slices.  Brush each side with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, turn over, and bake for 5 more minutes.  In a microwaveable bowl, combine sauce, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.  Cover and place in a microwave for 1 minute.  Stir and heat for 30 second increments until hot.  Top each bread slice with the mixture and serve.

 

A New Twist for Ravioli

If you have been following me for any length of time, you'll know that 98% of my recipes are quick and easy.  This one falls into the other 2%.  The only reason I made this recipe is because this is Labor Day weekend so I have more time for this kind of recipe.  It's also the first time I have gone to the grocery store in about 2 weeks and I was able to pick up all the ingredients! It's not a difficult recipe, but it is a little time consuming. I bought a 25 oz. bag of ravioli and used half of it because I couldn't find a small bag.  I hope you enjoy it!

Butternut-Squash Ravioli

2 shallots, finely chopped
1 Tb. minced garlic
1/2 lb. ground beef or mild sausage
3 cups chicken broth
1 small bag of frozen ravioli (cheese or meat) 
1 butternut squash (pre-cook)
2 Tb. butter
3 cups of fresh spinach
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 

Before you begin this recipe, you'll need to bake a butternut squash in the oven scrape the squash out of the skin.  Combine shallots, garlic, and meat in a large pot.  Brown completely.  Remove from pot and place in a mini food processor.  Chop until well blended and fine.  Pour in chicken broth in the pot and bring to a boil.  Add in ravioli and cook for 6-7 minutes.  Add in butternut squash and cook for 6-7 more minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Reduce heat to a simmer and add in meat mixture, butter, and spinach.  Let cook for another 5 minutes.  Stir in cheese and serve.

Best Meal of the Week

It's about to start again, but this time 1,100 kids will be involved.  Last week I returned to work to prepare for a new school year.  Tomorrow I return and so do the kids.  I have made out my menu for the week and tonight we are having a meal that takes more time to prepare because the rest of the week will be easy meals.  Yes, it will be the best meal of the week.  Tonight we are having oven fried pork chops, real mashed potatoes, and green beans.  Kroger has their pork loins on sale so I had them cut one into thick chops.  Here's a tip!  If you buy them already cut and packaged, they run about $3.99 or more a pound.  When you find pork loins on sale, they don't charge you to cut them up into chops and, in this case, they were $1.77 a pound.  Good deal!

Oven Fried Pork Chops

Boneless pork chops 
Milk
Flour (I used Gluten Free)
1 egg 
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix the egg and milk together until well blended.  Mix flour salt and pepper together in a plastic bag.  Dip the pork chops in the egg mixture, then roll it in the flour.  Do this again, but after you flour it this time, dip it in the egg mixture again.  Place the chops on a pan and cook at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.  Turn them over and cook for another 15 minutes.  They will come out crispy brown!  Don't you wish you had been here for dinner?

It's Been a Rough Week

 I had to return to week Monday.  Thank goodness I had leftovers in the refrigerator.  Thursday night I came home and was exhausted.  Hubby looked at me and said, "I don't think you need to cook dinner."  I was so tired, my entire body was hurting.  I went upstairs and soaked in the bath tub with Epsom salts and essential oils (Lavender, Bergamot, and Grapefruit).  I felt so much better afterwards.  Hubby even rubbed my feet with Deep Blue.  (I think I'll keep him.)  I came home Friday much better than I did Thursday.  I felt so much better, I actually cooked dinner!  I had some left over ham in the refrigerator and decided to use it to make soup.  It was really good.  I hope you like it as much as we did.  We had so much leftover, we'll be having it for dinner again Monday and I'll probably have it for lunch Tuesday.  :)

Ham and White Bean Soup

2 cups ham
1/4 cup butter
2 can White Northern beans 
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
32 oz chicken broth
4 stalks of celery
1/2 package match stick carrots
1 medium onion
Pepper to taste

Place the butter in a pot.  I chopped up the carrots, celery, onion in my mini food processor and then added it in the pot with the butter and sauteed until soft.  Add in the cream soups and beans.  Don't drain the beans.  Add in the chicken broth and stir until it's smooth and creamy.  I put the ham in the food processor too and chopped it up.  I had bought a small  ham and used the leftovers in the soup.  Sprinkle in pepper to taste.  Simmer on low for about 45 minutes.