Quiche Even a Real Man Will Eat

Mr. F is a former Marine and he loved this quiche so I promise you can make this for any man and he will eat it too. The secret is pork - lots of pork. Ham, bacon combined with the cheese and eggs make a yummy breakfast, brunch or lunch treat.

Filling:

5 oz of 2% Milk Velveeta (come on...we all have a little redneck in us and secretly love the stuff!)
5 oz of diced ham
5 strips of bacon, cooked crispy and finely chopped
3 oz of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Tbs flour


Quiche:
3 eggs
1 1/2 Cups of milk
Salt
Pepper
Granulated garlic

Ease a refrigerated unbaked pie crust into a 9" pie pan (if you are a baker, knock yourself out and make the crust from scratch.) Trim excess and flute the edges. Line the unpricked pie crust with a double layer of aluminum foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes, remove foil and bake uncovered for another 5 minutes.

While baking off the crust, mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Stir in filling, minus the grated cheddar cheese. Add the flour to the shredded cheese in a separate bowl and stir to coat. Add cheddar to egg/filling mixture and stir to combine.

Pour egg mixture into the hot pie crust while still on the oven rack. Cover the edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes. When it is finished a knife inserted near the center will come out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack.

You can also vary the fillings - one recipe I looked at suggested a Greek filling with feta, olives and spinach or a Thai filling with ginger, cilantro and red pepper. My Mom is notorious for making quiche with leftovers like broccoli and spinach. Let your creativity help you make your own special creation. Oh, and by the way- this is really easy.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding (Prairie Fire Grill recipe)

This is quite possibly the most amazing desert you will ever put in your mouth. It's Mr. F's absolute favorite. We would make a special trip just for this dessert after having dinner somewhere else. Last year we were near tears when we arrived at the door of Prairie Fire Grill to find it closed. Never fear ladies and gentlemen- Chuck's has it on the menu and it's the same delicious creation that Prairie Fire Grill did. Once a year at Christmastime I make this for Mr. F. The danger is you will have a whole pan of it, not just a single serving. This is in no way low-calorie or fat-free (that's why it's sooooo good!) I serve it with a drizzle of raspberry sauce that I make with frozen raspberries and sugar, blended. The tartness of the berries is a nice compliment. A few fresh berries on the plate make a nice presentation. This is not a creation by me, and I am not a baker- but here's the recipe I found on delish.com. Trust me- it's definitely worth the calories! Ingredients 12 large egg yolks 1/2 cup(s) sugar 1/2 quart(s) heavy cream 18 ounce(s) white chocolate chips 1 1/2 loaf(s) white bread, crust removed 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla 1 quart(s) half and half 2 cup(s) graham cracker crumbs 1/2 pound(s) brown sugar 1/2 cup(s) butter 1 teaspoon(s) cinnamon 1/4 cup(s) cocoa Directions In a greased 9x13 baking dish, layer bread into 3 layers. Cut and trim as necessary to get good coverage. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar until bright yellow. Heat the cream, half and half and vanilla until it begins to boil. Add white chocolate chips to the egg mixture and stir in the hot cream until all of the chocolate is melted. Pour this pudding mixture over the bread, making sure to manipulate the bread soaking every layer with the pudding mixture. Topping: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa. Apply the topping by spreading it out evenly over the surface. Let the pudding stand OVERNIGHT before you place it into the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Gameday Chili

Chili and football are kind of like peanut butter and jelly to me. This is a really easy recipe for chili, and I have been told that its pretty good - however before you decide to make this recipe I have to warn you of a few things. 1) I use ground turkey- so it's really healthy, and under the chili sauce it's hard for anyone to tell, although ground turkey has a "cleaner" taste than beef and some folks may not be too keen on the idea. 2) I will tell you what I put it it (including my "secret" ingredients- gasp!) but it is impossible for me to give measurements on the spices. I add as I go to taste with an extra dash of this and that. So you are on your own when it comes to the exact amounts of stuff. 3) It has a lot of beans.

Ok, disclaimer stated, so here we go!!



1 package of extra lean ground turkey (98%+ lean)

2 cans of diced tomatoes

2 cans of tomato sauce

2 cans of chili beans (I use store brand)

1 can of black beans

1 can of dark red kidney beans

1/4 of a white onion, diced

1 envelope of chili seasoning (McCormick's is my favorite)

3 cloves of garlic, pressed (or more to taste)

Olive oil



Spices:

Tony Cachere's

Fiesta Party Dip (Tastefully Simple)

Salt

Pepper

Powdered Garlic

Cumin

Chili powder

Cayenne pepper

Tabasco



***Secret ingredients***

Juice from the jalepeno jar

Heinz ketchup (about 2 Tbs)






Brown ground turkey in a skillet. Start another big pot for the finished product. Add diced onion and garlic to ground turkey to help flavor the meat, and a little olive oil to help with the process.



In the big stock pot, start emptying your cans. Tomatoes and tomato sauce first, then the beans. Add the packet of chili seasoning for a base. When turkey and onions and garlic are cooked through, add meat to the chili pot. Then the spice dance begins. Good luck! (I keep an extra can of tomato sauce handy just in case things ever get out of hand you can dilute the mistake and move on.)

The longer you let it cook the more the flavors develop, but you can eat it pretty much right away. I like to garnish it with jalepenos, tabasco, shredded cheddar and sour cream. Taco chips or crackers are a nice touch too.

Chicken Florentine with Tomatoes

Pasta can be such a quick and easy solution to a weeknight meal. Unfortunately Mr. F isn't a big fan so I don't get the chance to make pasta dishes very often. However, my Mom is a HUGE noodle fan so I whipped this one up last night in about 30 minutes and we all agreed that it is a winner!

Angel hair pasta
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of chopped frozen spinach
Garlic cloves (about 3)
1 can of diced tomatoes
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Boil water for your pasta while you are dicing your chicken into small, bite-sized pieces. Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add diced chicken pieces and press about 3 cloves of garlic into the chicken. Saute until brown. Microwave a package of chopped spinach according to package directions. Drain spinach in a colander lined with a paper towel to get out most of the water. Add spinach to browned chicken and one can of diced tomatoes with juices. Cook pasta according to package directions. Remove and drain pasta when "al dente" and add to the chicken/spinach/tomato mixture. You may need to add a bit more olive oil. Add Parmesan cheese (the round can stuff is fine for this part) and salt and pepper to taste. Mix to combine and to allow pasta to soak up some of the tomato juices. Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Very quick and the only fat in the dish is the olive oil (good fat from a vegetable) and a bit from the chicken and Parmesan cheese.

Potato Galettes

Credit for this one goes again to Melissa D'Arabian, winner of this season's The Next Food Network Star. She did a version of this recipe as her final dish. I searched for it, but couldn't find it so I had to recreate it with my own spin. I've made it three times, and alas, the third time is a charm and I've come up with a really yummy side dish that looks pretty fancy. I am also thinking about other variations of this to make a yummy appetizer, so stay tuned!

Potatoes (I used Yukon Gold tonight)
Olive Oil
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Montreal Seasoning
Muffin Tin


Slice potatoes very thin. I used a mandolin to do this. Two medium sized potatoes yielded enough for 6 galettes. Place the potato slices in a bowl, and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them- about a 1 1/2 teaspoons. Add some Montreal seasoning (about 2 teaspoons) and cheddar cheese (about 1/2 cup). Mix to combine. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray. Layer seasoned potatoes in the muffin cups, pressing down. Make sure you have cheese in the layers. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Remove by running a butter knife around the edges and pop out the pretty little stacks of potatoes. It's a fancy little side dish that really takes no effort.

Baked Brie

Ok, so that sounds really fancy, and it LOOKS really fancy but it is VERY easy and a cool dish for a party. I also have a "winter" version I'm sure I'll break out as the weather gets colder.

Granny Smith Apples
Round of Brie
Honey
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
Oven

Take your round of brie and cut the rind off the top. Drizzle with honey. Unwrap the crescent rolls and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Close the seams on the crescent rolls and fold over the brie. Bake according to the crescent roll directions. When brown, drizzle pan drippings over the brie and pastry and serve with sliced Granny Smith apples. The tartness of the apples is a nice compliment to the sweet honey and brie. This recipe started as a memory of an appetizer once served at the great (now closed) Mauby's here in Birmingham. You'll be a star...and no one has to know just how easy this is!

Chicken Wellington

My friend Tammie had a dinner party last weekend and served "Chicken Wellington". It sounded intriguing, so I asked for the recipe. I got the basics from her, made a few changes, and it turned out pretty tasty, even if I do say so myself! The most notable change is I used Pillsbury Crescent rolls for the crust instead of puff pastry. There I was in Publix searching for the puff pastry with no luck. I had decided on the crescent rolls and had them in the basket by the time the elusive puff pastry was found. I stood in front of the freezer case pondering my choices. I already had the "taste" of the rolls in my mind, and puff pastry looked too delicate. Let's face it- the fact that the crescent rolls were $1.89 and the pastry was $4.59 also came into play. So here is my version:

Pillsbury Crescent rolls (one can will wrap two breasts)
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Light cream cheese
Montreal seasoning
Poultry seasoning
1 egg- separated
Mushrooms
Chicken stock (or bullion- see recipe)
White wine
butter / margarine
flour

De-gick the chicken breasts, dust with poultry seasoning. Sear lightly on both sides in a bit of olive oil in a big skillet. Unroll the crescent rolls, divide in half. Take a rolling pin to seal the perforations for triangles. In a separate bowl, combine softened cream cheese, poultry seasoning and Montreal Seasoning. Take the cream cheese mixture and spread on crescent roll half, leaving about 1/2 inch on all sides. Place seared chicken breast in the middle and fold dough over the chicken breast. Place in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray seam side down. Repeat with remaining chicken breast(s).

Separate your egg, and add a bit of water to the white. Whisk and brush on pastry for a nice shine. Cut 3-4 small "v" holes on top to vent.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees and the pastry is golden brown. I always use a thermometer when cooking, because I'm a freak about killing bacteria. In this case, you can't actually see the chicken for the pastry, so I would highly recommend using a thermometer.

In your skillet, add a little butter (I prefer to use the olive oil margarine- it's better for you-but I am certain butter would be tastier!) and saute a package of mushrooms. Tammie used portabellas, but I chose white and they did just fine. Saute mushrooms until brown, remove from pan. add about 2 tsp of flour to the residual butter and brown a bit. This will prevent a "raw" taste in the sauce from the raw flour. When flour is slightly browned, add 1 cup of chicken stock. Ok- so I firmly believe chicken stock would add much more depth of flavor, but unless I've recently purchased a rotisserie chicken, I don't have stock. Chicken broth will work fine, or in a pinch (and I usually am) I use the gold bullion cube dissolved in 1 cup of water. It worked fine tonight.

Add the mushrooms back to the sauce, and 1 cup of white wine. Remember to use something good enough to drink. I may have added a bit more than 1 cup....and a pinch of salt.

Continue working the sauce until all the lumps are gone.

Slice the Chicken Wellington into 1 1/2 inch thick portions. Serve 2 slices per plate and pour sauce over them right before serving. These two chicken breasts certainly could have served 3-4 people so it's a good way to stretch your protein out...but we're pigs around here and we ate it all.

I served this with a side of roasted asparagus. It was tasty, and really easy although it appeared to be quite fancy. I will definitely do this for my next dinner party too!

I really like the idea of the chicken wrapped in the crescent rolls. Mr. F and I were thinking up other flavor profiles that would be good like a Southwestern Calzone or something, so stay tuned. I may come up with a different version of this in the very near future.

Here's a bonus- the left over cream cheese mixture tasted really yummy as a dip! I added a bit of sour cream to it and munched on it with crackers while dinner was cooking.

Another Thing To Do To a Chicken....a.k.a. Chicken with Mushrooms and White Wine

This recipe was inspired by The Next Food Network Star Winner ('09) Melissa D'Arabian. After she won, I tried to find the actual recipe with no luck, so this is my recreation. She called it "chicken 4 ways" , and her concept was with this basic preparation of chicken, you could change it up by mixing up the 4 ingredients for the sauce to make a new meal every time. So having said that, you could use lemon juice, plain chicken stock, or something else in place of the wine to change the flavor. Here's my take on it. I had an overabundance of fresh mushrooms in the fridge, so I had to do something with them.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Margarine
Olive Oil
Mushrooms
Chicken Bullion Cubes- or Chicken Stock
White Wine

Clean and de-gick the chicken breasts. Give them a slight pounding to flatten them out a bit for more even cooking. In a large skillet, saute cleaned mushrooms in margarine (I like "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Mediterranean Blend") until soft. Remove mushrooms from the pan and add a bit of olive oil. Take your chicken and place it in a zip top bag with about 2 TBS of flour, a bit of salt and pepper . Shake to coat.

Place chicken breasts in the hot olive oil in your skillet. Reconstitute 3 small bullion cubes to make "chicken stock" - or use the real stuff if you have it. Cook chicken breasts about 4 minutes on each side or until brown.

Reintroduce the mushrooms and about 1 cup of the chicken stock and 1 cup of white wine. I learned a long time ago don't cook with the super cheap stuff. If you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it! I'm not saying use the good bottle either...but make sure to choose something that you can enjoy by the glass while cooking. It does make a difference in the finished dish.

Stir the sauce while it is reducing over medium high heat. The flour from the chicken will thicken the sauce. Remove from pan and cover chicken with the mushrooms and sauce.

Tonight I served this with roasted asparagus (great easy side dish...recipe will be posted soon) and one of the Knorr fettuccine side dishes (which, quite honestly tasted like it came from a box, so I'm not sure I'll do that again!! Although adding a bit of pepper and more Parmesan cheese did help) It was easy, looked fancy, healthy and was on the table in a reasonable amount of time.

Mexican "Enchilada Lasagana"

We had a wonderful weekend filled with food, friends and fun. Here's an easy crowd pleaser that even freezes well if you want to make it up ahead of time.

Corn Tortillas
Cooked shredded or diced chicken
1 Can Re-fried Beans
1 Can enchilada sauce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
Sour Cream
Jalapenos

I just baked 4 chicken breasts in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes sprinkled with Montreal seasoning to get my cooked chicken. Then I shredded it in the Cuisinart (quite possibly my favorite kitchen gadget...you MUST get one if you don't already have one!!). I had about 2 breasts worth of extra chicken that I used for chicken salad. If you are in a pinch for time, a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store works great.

Spray a big baking pan with cooking spray. Place 6 corn tortillas in the bottom. Spread re-fried beans on tortillas. Add chicken, cheese and 1/2 of the can of enchilada sauce. Top with 4 more tortillas, and repeat beans, chicken, cheese & sauce. Finish with more tortillas, salsa and cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with sour cream, jalapenos and additional salsa if desired. Serves 6+

Bruschetta

My Dad came to town for a visit. He has always grown tomatoes, and to my suprise he arrived carring a huge basket of home grown tomatoes from his garden. He had never heard of bruschetta before yesterday but says now that he can't wait to get home to make it! He claims "it's one of the best things I've ever eaten!" I don't know about all that, but it is a easy hors d'ourve that is sure to please a tomato lover.

Here is some interesting information from Wikipedia.org which may inspire you to twist this recipe into your own variation:

Bruschetta (Italian pronunciation: [brusˈketta] ( listen)) is a food the origin of which dates to at least the 15th century from central Italy. It consists of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, and/or cheese; the most popular American recipe involves basil, fresh mozzarella, and tomato. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In Italy, Bruschetta is often prepared using a brustolina grill. In Tuscany, bruschetta is called fettunta, meaning "oiled slice".[citation needed] In the Abruzzo region of Italy a variation of bruschetta called ventricina is served. Raw pork products and spices encased in pig vesicles are aged and the paste spread on open slices of bread which are sometimes grilled.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruschetta)

Here's my recipe:

Fresh tomatoes, diced (home grown if possible
Fresh Basil
Garlic
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt
Pepper
French Bread


Dice tomatoes into bite sized pieces, place in mixing bowl. Chop fresh basil and add to tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, 1 clove of pressed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and let sit while you prepare the bread.

Slice the french bread into small circles. Place on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil on Lo to toast, remove from oven. Take a peeled clove of garlic and rub it across the toast pieces to infuse the garlic flavor. Place tomato mixture on top of toasts and serve!

You can add a bit of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and put it back in the oven to melt the cheese for an extra touch.

Fresh Salsa

This is a recipe that originally was created back in high school with my friend Travis. It's evolved over the years, but it is a fantastic fresh salsa. I remember when we first made it I had never even heard of cilantro before. Ahhh...things change!

Fresh Tomatoes
Garlic Cloves
Fresh Cilantro
White or Spanish Onion
Pickled Jalapenos
Lime
Salt
Pepper
White Vinegar
Tabasco

In a food processor or blender, place about 2 oz of cilantro, rough chopped, two peeled cloves of garlic, and about 1/4 of a medium onion. Pulse until thoroughly chopped. Add about 4 medium tomatoes, cut into big chunks. Add about 2 oz (or more if you are brave) of the pickled jalapenos. Pulse to blend. Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime (remember to microwave for :30 to make it easier to juice). Add the final touches of salt, pepper, 1Tbs of vinegar and Tabasco to taste. Pulse to combine.

Depending on the tomatoes, it may be watery. Oftentimes I drain a bit of the water off before serving with tortilla chips. I suggest home grown tomatoes only for this recipe- the store bought hot house tomatoes don't have the same quality, in my opinion.

Cheater Red Beans and Rice

This is one I hardly call a "recipe"...but it is a very quick and easy meal to fix on a week night. All my Louisiana friends, forgive me but it is a pretty good version of red beans and rice for a non-Cajun!

1 Hilshire Farms Lite Smoked Sausage
1 Package of Vigo Red Beans and Rice

Slice sausage and brown on the stove top. Prepare red beans and rice according to directions (about 20 minutes). Add browned sausage to beans n' rice, serve with a side salad, crusty bread, and of course, Tabasco sauce to taste!!

That's pretty much it. It's something I pick up at Publix nearly every shopping trip because you can keep the sausage in the fridge for a long time and always have it on hand for a quick fix. Oh, and as a bonus, it's pretty cheap!

Chicken Roulades with Ham and Cheese

I hate Swiss cheese. I have tried it time and time again and just don't get it. It smells like feet to me and I can't get past it. Therefore, Chicken Cordon Bleu in the true form does nothing for me. This is my adaptation of Chicken Cordon Bleu, sans the Swiss cheese!

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (de-gicked, of course)
White Cheese (Monterrey Jack works nice- this last time I used the Babybel Semi Soft Cheese-because it was all I had- and it was yummy!)
Lean ham slices
Bread Crumbs
Parmesan Cheese
Poultry seasoning


Take your chicken breasts and pound them out using a flat surface (cutting board) and plastic wrap until they are about 1/4" thick. Spray a cookie sheet with non stick spray, and place pounded chicken breasts on it to build the "roulade".

Sprinkle chicken breasts (pounded side up) with poultry seasoning. Add cheese (just a few pieces to cover the center of the chicken) and about 3 small slices of deli ham. Roll it up. You can always secure with cooking twine or toothpicks if you like- but if you hold it tight you won't need the extras. Besides, sometimes the toothpicks can be hard to find after it is cooked and you might hurt someone!

Take about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs and add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, a little extra poultry seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Take your roulade and immerse in bread crumbs making sure to cover the entire thing. Place coated roulade seam side down on your cookie sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees when inserted into the center of the roulade. Serve with something green-gotta have your veggies! Last night for us it was frozen green beans from Costco and :90 Uncle Ben's Vegetable Harvest rice.

This can be a really impressive looking dish that is suitable for guests.

Enjoy!

Fish Tacos

Traditionally, fish tacos are served with deep fried fish. This recipe is a lot healthier, and very fast and easy.

Tilapia
Corn tortillas
Shredded Monterrey jack cheese
Fresh limes
Pico de Gallo (recipe to follow)
Salsa (if you like)
Sour Cream
Black beans
Mexican seasoning (I like Tastefully Simple Fiesta Party Dip)


I use a flat top griddle I have, but a good sized frying pan will work also. Heat your can of black beans in a separate pan. Heat your skillet until hot, and hit it with a drizzle of olive oil. Place tilapia fillets on hot griddle and dust with Mexican seasoning. Flip over when edges turn white (about 3 minutes). Sprinkle with more seasoning. When fish is cooked, break up the fish with a spatula, add lime juice.

Warm tortillas (microwave and wet towels will do the trick) for 30 seconds. Have diners build their own tacos with fish, beans, shredded cheese, sour cream, pico, jalapenos and whatever else you may like. Fold and enjoy.

You can add some Spanish rice for a starch if you like (Uncle Ben has a 90 second one that's really good!)

Pico de Gallo:

1 medium tomato, diced
1 fresh jalapeno, diced
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped fresh onion
lime juice
a touch of white vinegar

Place ingredients in a bowl, combine. Add salt if desired.



If you have the time, the fresh pico really makes it pop!

Buffalo Chicken Wraps

This "recipe" is more like a meal idea. There's not much to it as far as truly cooking. However, I am always looking for new meals to serve my family and I don't always have time to "cook" an entire meal. This recipe is very easy, and one we really enjoy.

Cooked Breaded Chicken Breasts (I use a spicy flavor)
Bag Salad Mix
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Ranch Dressing (I use light)
Tortillas

Cook chicken according to directions on the package. After the chicken is cooked, dice it up into bite sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add ranch dressing and hot sauce to taste and mix until chicken is covered. In steamed flour tortillas (I use wet paper towels and a microwave to accomplish this) place about 2 oz of shredded cheddar. Add chicken and salad mix. Roll into a wrap by first folding in each of the sides, then roll. Cut on a bias to be fancy. Serve with extra hot sauce for dipping, if desired.

If your family isn't a fan of spicy, you could use any number of flavors here- plain ranch or Caesar dressing, barbecue sauce, honey mustard, etc.

Add some oven baked french fries (from the bag..) and you have an easy, healthy dinner with barely any work at all!

Montreal Chicken with Cheese

We eat a lot of chicken. It's a joke around the Ferguson house about what kind of chicken is for dinner. I buy the huge bags of individually frozen chicken breasts from Costco. They're suprisingly good for frozen chicken, and substantially cheaper than buying "fresh" chicken from the supermarket. The last few times I have bought Publix "fresh" chicken it was frozen in the middle anyway....hmmmmm... This particular dish was inspired by a Ruby Tuesday's menu item. It is a quick, easy weekday meal I hope you enjoy.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (de-gicked, of course!)
Montreal Seasoning by McCormick
Barbque Sauce
Bacon
Cheddar Cheese (2% or low fat version is a good choice)


Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle McCormick's seasoning on rinsed, trimmed chicken breasts. This McCormick seasoning is great for many dishes, but has a lot of salt so be careful about how much you use. Place chicken on baking sheet and place in oven for 30 minutes. Check the internal temperature for 180 degrees to insure that it is fully cooked. Take the chicken out, add a bit of barbque sauce on top, then a slice or two of cooked bacon (I like to nuke it) and some shredded cheddar. Place back in oven for two minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tonight I served this with frozen green beans (from Costco) seasoned also with a bit of bacon. You take the package of beans out of the freezer, add some water and boil. Make sure to add more water if needed. I take about half a piece of bacon and cut it up into little pieces for flavoring. This is the way to make them "soggy" like my husband prefers. I prefer to saute them in a bit of olive oil and keep them crisp, in the style of the facier 'haricots vert'. They're good either way.

You can add a starch like Uncle Ben's :90 rice or frozen potatoes that are no work and quickly finished.

That's it- dinner on the table for you and your family that is low fat (microwave bacon to reduce the fat tremendously), low calorie, generally healthy "homecooked" dinner. Healthy in a Hurry!

Speedy Spinach "Lasagana"

Wanna fake fancy fast? Try this great weekday meal for your family.

Costco has a product called Pasta Prima Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli in the freezer case. You can serve them many ways, but this "Lasagana" is sure to please.

Spinach & Mozzarella Ravioli
Parmesean Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese (or Italian blend)
Jar of spaghetti sauce

Boil the desired amount of ravioli until tender. Coat a baking dish with non-stick spray. Add cooked ravioli, some of the seasoning it comes with, some extra parmesean cheese, perhaps some extra mozzarella or the Italian blend shredded cheese. Top with jar tomato sauce (I like ClassicoTomato and Basil- also from Costco) and more cheese. Bake in a 375 degree oven for

Serve with salads and perhaps garlic bread.

This is so easy- and fast. Literally, I have dinner on the table AND another recipe written in less than 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Fajitas in Fifteen

Sorry it's been awhile since I've entered a recipe- last week was crazy!

Ok, here's a great, easy recipe that is a Ferguson family favorite (and easy!!!)

Chicken Fajitas in Fifteen

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (one per diner)
Olive Oil
Black Beans (or Vigio Black Beans and Rice)
Shredded Cheddar (freshly grated, if you can swing it)
Fajita spices (see recipe for details)
Sliced Vidalia onions, if you like
Sliced green, red, or yellow peppers (if you like- we don't ; )
Jalepenos
Sour Cream
Salsa
Lettuce


Take your chicken breasts and "de-gick" them. For those of you who don't know about "gick" it's the word I use for anything yukky on meat (fat, gristle and other random funky stuff). I hate "gick"- and waste tons of meat by cutting it all out. But please know that if you are served anything I've made, it's free and clear of all "gick" ; ) Slice chicken breasts into small, bite sized pieces.

Drizzle some olive oil in a hot pan, add chicken. Saute until brown with onions and peppers, if desired. Once chicken is browned, you'll want to add seasoning. Here are two of my favorite choices: McCormick Fajita seasoning, or if you are a Tastefully Simple Fan- the "Fiesta party dip" makes a fantastic seasoning! Follow directions on packet- which is pretty much: "add seasoning and water"...

In a separate pan, heat black beans. If you prefer, there is a great product of black beans and rice by Vigio that's about $2 at Publix, takes about 20 minutes and no effort. Mr F isn't a fan of rice, so we usually just do the old can o'beans around here. You can add a little cumin to spice them up if you like.

Once the chicken is seasoned, you're ready! Serve with flour tortillas, salsa, sour cream, jalepenos lettuce, cheese etc- and let the diners build their own. On the cheese issue- I prefer freshly grated cheddar. I found that it tases so much better- and is really cheaper if you compare it to the pre-shredded stuff. I buy big blocks from Costco and run it through my Cuisinart and keep it in a big baggie in the fridge. It's worth the time, if you are willing.

That's it! Fajitas in Fifteen (and it's healthy!!!) Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

This is a great side dish- and really easy. It started from a recipe my Mom found on the Hidden Valley Ranch packet and evolved from there. Keep that in mind- there are many kinds of flavoring and spices that work with the basic recipe.

Diced potatoes
Seasoned cookie sheet (mine is so old and so seasoned- I really think it was the first Mrs. Ferguson's ... that would make it seasoned with more than 15 years of chicken fingers and french fries!)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Pepper

I like to use red potatoes for this. Thoroughly scrub the potatoes (they do grow in dirt, you know!!) Dice into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes on your cookie sheet. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of Olive Oil over the potatoes (now, honestly I do this with a bottle of olive oil and the 1/4 cup thing is purely a guess). Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper (fresh ground if you can) over the potatoes. With clean hands toss the potatoes and spices together. Make sure the potatoes are thoroughly coated in both oil and spices. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown. They're best when they're a bit crunchy on the outside and mushy inside. Feel free to taste test along the way for accurate done-ness!

Crowd Pleasing Baked Beans

I think Leslie in Tennessee gets credit again for the original version of this one. She's a fantastic cook and I terribly miss living in the same city with her. We have many fun memories of dinner parties at her downtown loft or at our place in Southside. Sigh...time marches on....

This recipe is great for barbcue get togethers. It's super easy, and has sausage AND bacon- so boys tend to lick this one up!

1 BIG can of baked beans (it doesn't really matter what kind because your going to doctor them up anyway)
Yellow Mustard
Brown Sugar
Syrup
1 package of lower fat Sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco

In a large baking dish add can o' beans, about 1/4 cup yellow mustard (I just squirt, squirt, squirt so this measurement is an estimate) 3 TBS of brown sugar, 1/4 cup syrup, a bit of salt & pepper and 1 tsp of Tabasco. Stir to combine.

In a separate pan cook sausage thoroughly, breaking it up into really small pieces. When sausage is finished, I like to make sure I get as much of the fat out of it as I can. Take a colander and line with paper towels. Add cooked sausage. Cover with more paper towels and squoosh. It's really gross how much more grease you can get out. Here's a tip: when you are working with any ground meat that has fat, you can place it in the colander and run super hot tap water over it to get even more fat out. Of course, this only works if you are seasoning the meat after cooking it, otherwise all your seasoning will go down the drain.

Add the sausage to the bean mixture and stir to combine. Give it a taste test and add more of anything it may need. Take two slices of bacon, cut in half and place the four striplets on top.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees until bacon is cooked and beans are bubbly.

Black-Eyed Pea "Salsa"

My good friend Leslie in Tennessee gets credit for the original version of this one. I figure all the recipes are "mine" in the end because I change it up enough. The rule is if it differs by at least 15%, it's "new".

We're excited to be going to a friend's house for a BBQ this afternoon. It's a "bring something to share" party, and this is one of my dishes for today. It's quick, easy (NO cooking, actually) and a crowd pleasing appetizer. Ladies and gentlemen...start your can openers!

2 Cans of Black-Eyed Peas
1 Can of Field Peas (northern friends, good luck finding these! I'm pretty sure it's a southern thing)
1 can of Shoe peg corn
Vinegar (I suggest the red wine variety)
Tabasco
Dry Mustard
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt

Find your pretty serving dish that's conducive to dipping. Open cans. Drain contents of cans. Dump contents of cans in bowl. Chop up some fresh cilantro (about 3 TBS chopped) add it to the bowl. Add about 1 1/2 C of vinegar. Add the juice of one lime (TIP: stick that lime in the microwave for a minute before juicing- it makes it juicer!) Add about 1/8 tsp of the dry mustard. Add salt and Tabasco to taste. Stir to combine all ingredients. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Overnight is even better. Serve with tortilla chips. You may want to add more or less vinegar depending on your particular taste.

For those of you who know me well, you understand how I cook. For those who don't know me that well...I apologize for the vague measurements. I don't use measuring cups or spoons unless I am baking (which I rarely do...too precise!!)

P.S. don't forget to take out the trash! It's full of empty cans!!!

Talapia in Ten

Ok...all of my busy mommy friends out there (and those few special daddies who cook...) Here's an easy recipe (and meal) for you: Does your family like fish? Even if they're not crazy about fish, Tilapia is very mild and friendly to most palates (my two-year-old loves Tilapia!) Put a bit of olive oil in a pan that has a lid (medium-high heat). Place your Tilapia fillets in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. Turn the fillets. Add a can of diced tomatoes (for those of you who like a bit of spice, Rotel works great here). Feeling adventuresome? Add a can of sliced black (and green if you like) olives for a Mediterranean flair…maybe even some diced red onion. Turn the fillets, cover, and let poach for about 4 more minutes. Serve with Uncle Ben’s 90-second microwave quick rice (the wild rice one is really nice with fish) and frozen broccoli (finished in the microwave in about 4 minutes) There you have it- a nice meal in a hurry! Don't tell your family....bonus- it’s HEALTHY- low cal and low fat!