Parmesan Chicken With Penne Pasta

1 egg
1/3 cup plain bread crumbs
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4 lbs)
1 26 oz jar tomato pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Italian Cheese (2 oz)
2 2/3 cup uncooked Penne pasta (8 oz)

Step 1 - Spray a 2 to 3 quart crock pot with cooking spray. Beat egg in a small bowl until foamy. In a separate bowl, mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Step 2 - Dip chicken in egg, then coat evenly with bread crumb mixture; place in slow cooker. Spread pasta sauce evenly over chicken.

Step 3 - Cover and cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours.

Step 4 - Sprinkle Italian cheese over top. Cover and cook on low for 10 more minutes. Now, cook and drain pasta according to package directions and serve chicken with pasta.

Honey Cucumber Mask

There are more uses for food than to eat. Make yourself a honey cucumber mask.

The benefits of honey are said to be many. It seems more to be a personal choice if it works for you. Many details about honey can be found HERE.

1. Place 1 tbsp of honey into a small bowl. Honey has been used for centuries as a natural cure for a variety of ailments. Honey may be the perfect skin care product, as it kills germs and reduces swelling and inflammation. A honey face mask will gently clean your skin, while keeping it healthy, supple and beautiful.

2. Add 1 tsp. of olive oil to the honey. Olive oil helps nourish and clean the skin at the same time. Unlike petroleum jelly, heavy lotions and other oils, olive oil will rinse cleanly away, leaving your skin moisturized and glowing.

3. Break an egg, gently separating the yoke and adding it to the honey and oil mixture. The egg yoke will not only give your face mask a creamy texture, it will help remove oil and dirt from the skin. Egg yoke will remove the greasy shine from your face without drying.

4. Mix the ingredients until creamy.

5. Peel and slice four pieces of cucumber. Save 2 slices or the eyes and mash the other 2 with a potato masher as much as you can and the add to the mixture. Cucumber has gentle astringent properties, but is the same pH as skin. Including cucumber as part of your skin care regimen will help to restore the natural protective acid levels of the skin. Cucumber naturally nourishes and hydrates the skin and can help reduce circles from underneath the eyes.

6. Apply a warm washcloth to your face to open the pores. Apply the honey face mask and cucumbers. Place one cucumber slice on each eye. Relax for about 20 minutes while you wait for the mask to work, then rinse with warm water. Once fully rinsed, splash a bit of cold water on your face to close your pores and firm the skin.

Meatloaf For One In A Mug

2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons quick cooking oats, uncooked*
1 teaspoon onion soup mix
1/4 pound lean ground beef
additional ketchup for garnish

*Bread crumbs can be used instead of oats

In a small bowl, combine milk, ketchup oats and soup mix. Add beef and mix well. Pat into a microwave-safe coffee mug sprayed with non-stick spray. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes or 4 minutes, until meat is no longer pink. drain; let stand for 3 minutes. Serve with additional ketchup. Makes one serving.

Tortilla Soup

I found this soup mix at the store and decided to try it. You can do in the crockpot and it will be ready in about 3 hours (or when the potatoes are just shy of tender). 

You mix the soup packet with 8 cups of water. Peel and dice and couple of small potatoes and an onion. That's it. When the potatoes are tender it's done. Plop a dollop of sour cream in the middle and sprinkle with shredded cheddar.

The Marie Callender Southwest Cornbread mix went very well with it. I'm not a fan of sweet cornbread, but it was a good match to the soup. My family liked it and so did I. I will make it again.

 Do you like snow cream? Check THIS out.

Basic Bouillabaisse - From The Freezer To The Microwave

Enjoy some now and freeze the rest for later. As, usual, click and click again to enlarge.

Beans & Wieners

Now that the holidays are over, we settle down to more simple, realistic cooking that better matches our day-to-day lives... and our football weekends.

Beans and Wieners (a kid's favorite too)

o 1 lb of cooked bratwurst or polish sausage (or hot dogs)
   sliced into 4 chunks each (or smaller if you prefer)

o 3 15 oz cans of pork and beans in tomato sauce (undrained)

o 1 small, finely chopped onion (about 1/4 cup)

o 1/4 cup molasses

o 2 teaspoons yellow mustard

o 1/2 cup ketchup

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add all ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.

Serve as a side dish or serve with your choice of chips as a dip.

New Year's Leftovers - Crockpot Hoppin' John

Every year, I have the tradition that everything left over (except for bread, salad and desert), after eating leftovers on January 2nd, goes into the soup pot. This year we had mac and cheese, collards, black-eyed peas, ham, hash brown casserole and 2 cans of chicken broth. Apparently, we ate most it of this year. We got 2 freezer bags for 2 meals in the freezer. I tasted it before we bagged it. It's good.


Here's another great idea for leftovers or for any time.


Crock Pot Hoppin John

This is just a basic recipe. You can add chopped celery or chopped red or green peppers or just about anything else you like.

1 lb left over ham or 1 lb smoky bacon
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
2 cans black eyed peas (15.5 oz size) or 2 can size servings of leftover peas.
3 cans chicken broth
1 1/2 cups (or cans) long grain rice (not instant rice). You can use a empty soup can to measure the rice.

Instructions:

Brown the bacon on the stove and crumble in large pieces. Drain most of the fat off add the onion and garlic and cook until onion is clear and tender.


Spray crock with cooking spray. Put the bacon mixture in the crockpot and add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Don't drain the black eyed peas if using canned peas. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 5 hours. Stir after an hour and and half and check liquid. If more is needed, add water 1/2 cup at a time. Often, it only takes 3 hours for this to be done, depending on how hot your crock pot is on low. My old crockpot took about 2 hours longer to cook food than my new one.

********

Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.
Rice for riches and peas for peace.

- Southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day.

Hoppin' John is found in most states of the South, but it is mainly associated with the Carolinas. Gullah or Low Country cuisine reflects the cooking of the Carolinas, especially the Sea islands (a cluster of islands stretching along the coats of south Carolina and northern Georgia).

Black-eyed peas, also called cow peas, are thought to have been introduced to America by African slaves who worked the rice plantations. Hoppin' John is a rich bean dish made of black-eyed peas simmered with spicy sausages, ham hocks, or fat pork, rice, and tomato sauce.

This African-American dish is traditionally a high point of New Year's Day, when a shiny dime is often buried among the black-eyed peas before serving. whoever get the coin in his or her portion is assured good luck throughout the year. For maximum good luck in the new year, the first thing that should be eaten on New year's Day is Hoppin' John. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, many southern families toast each other with Champagne and a bowl of Hoppin' John. If it is served with collard greens you might, or might not, get rich during the coming year.

There are many variations to traditional Hoppin' John. Some cook the peas and rice in one pot, while others insist on simmering them separately.

Most food historians generally agree that "Hopping John" is an American dish with African/French/Caribbean roots. There are many tales or legends that explain how Hoppin' John got its name:

    It was the custom for children to gather in the dining room as the dish was brought forth and hop around the table before sitting down to eat.

    A man named John came "a-hoppin" when his wife took the dish from the stove.

    An obscure South Carolina custom was inviting a guest to eat by saying, "Hop in, John"

    The dish goes back at least as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, it was hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was know as Hoppin' John.

quote taken directly from "What Cooking America"

My New Year's Day Menu (Update: Pictures Added 1-6-11)

New Year's Day Menu
(I'll post the pictures after I make the food)

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Collards
Black-eyed Peas
Yeast Rolls
Corn Bread
Fried Okra
Ham
Layered salad
Turtle Pie
Cheesecake


I'm lazy this year and I'm not making the desert myself. Everything is pretty much the usual preparation.


The collards will be washed and cooked in a pot of water, with a tablespoon of salt, half a teaspoon of sugar, a slice or two of bacon or salt pork and a dash of liquid smoke (only a dash). Liquid smoke can add an extra punch of flavor if used sparingly, but it can also completely ruin your special dish if you use too much.


I'm only using my crock pot for this one recipe:

Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

I put the crock pot in the oven for about 5 minutes to brown the top

Layer in a 9×12 greased pan

2 lbs thawed frozen has browns
1/2 c melted butter
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 c grated cheddar cheese

For the topping:

Mix 2 cups crushed cornflakes with 1/2 cup butter.

Combine potatoes, 1/2 cup butter, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese. Stir well.

Spoon mixture into a buttered ovenproof 2 1/2 quart casserole.

Place corn flakes into a small Ziploc bag and crush them until fine using a rolling pin or the back of a large spoon. Stir in the remaining butter and corn flakes. Sprinkle over potato mixture.

Cook in crock pot for 3 to 4 hours or bake in a pre-heated 350°F oven for 50 minutes.


Easy Yeast Rolls
(This is a Paula Deen recipe)

My husband made the comment that my daughter must have made these. He never likes my bread.

Ingredients

• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water (98 to 105 degrees F)
• 2 1/2 cups plus 1/2 to 1 cup prepared biscuit mix
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Put the 2 1/2 cups of biscuit mix in a large bowl; stir in the sugar. Add the yeast mixture, stirring vigorously. Sprinkle the work surface generously with the remaining 1/2 to 1 cup biscuit mix.

Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead well, 15 to 20 times. Shape the dough as desired. (I shape heaping tablespoons of dough into balls). Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Just before putting into oven, brush rolls with melted butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush the rolls again with melted butter while they're hot.

Layered Salad

In a medium fancy dish, place a layer of lettuce or salad mixed greens,  then chopped onion, then some sliced boiled eggs, then some sliced cucumber and then another layer of lettuce. Sprinkle some thawed frozen green peas throughout as you prepare each layer.


Topping: Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 3/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise and spread over the top. Sprinkle some black olive and shredded cheddar cheese over that.


Happy New Year! I hope your feast is magnificent!

Ribs and Sauerkraut

2 lbs boneless pork ribs
1 14 oz can sauerkraut
1 medium apple
1 small sliced onion
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1/4 cup of dry white wine or apple juice
Spray a 4 qt crock pot with cooking spray. Add the ribs, onion and apple, the sauerkraut, brown sugar and caraway seed. Mix it up a little and pour the wine (or apple juice) over the top of everything.
Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Christmas Fun With Kids

You thought these were cookies didn't you?

I asked my Grandchildren what they wanted to make for Christmas fun and the answer was Christmas tree cinnamon toast and Christmas tree pancakes. We forgot to take a picture of the pancakes! None of this has anything to do with a crockpot or microwave oven.



Shown in the picture above: They cut the bread with a cookie cutter before toasting. Then they buttered it and sprinkled it with the cinnamon and sugar mixture (the sugar was green sugar sprinkles).

For the pancakes, we made them and then cut them with the cookie cutter. We decorated them with colored cinnamon candies and sprinkles.


My daughter had a good idea that she did with them. This was so easy and tasted good too.

She bought some already baked chewy sugar cookies from the grocery store bakery and a can of cream cheese icing. She iced the cookies and sprinkled them with the red and green sprinkles. And here I am doing everything the old-fashioned hard way!

Free Christmas Cookbook

HERE

Christmas Music to go with all that great food HERE

Peppermint Bark: Updated 12/23/10

Very good candy that makes a great gift!

What you need:

    * 8 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces
    * 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
    * 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract, divided
    * 8 ounces high-quality white chocolate, broken into pieces
    * 25 peppermint candies, crushed

What you do:

   1. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch pan and line with waxed paper, smoothing out wrinkles; set aside.
   2. Place the semisweet chocolate and 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in a microwaveable dish and microwaved on high for 1 minute, stirred, and microwaved for 1 more minute. When the chocolate is melted, stir in 1/4 teaspoon of the peppermint extract. Pour the melted chocolate into the prepared pan, and spread evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle half of the crushed peppermints over the chocolate layer. Refrigerate until completely hardened, about 1 hour.
   3. Place the white chocolate and the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil in in the microwave, melt 1 minute, then stir and melt 1 more minute (as in step 1 above). When the chocolate is melted, stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Pour the white chocolate directly over the semisweet chocolate layer; spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy over the top and gently press in. Refrigerate until completely hardened. Remove from pan; break into small pieces to serve.

Break it carefully so as not to separate the layers. You can hold it against the kitchen counter and apply pressure to break it into large chunks. If you want smaller chunks, you might want to consider using a hammer and and an ice pick or clean screw driver.

For gift giving she made these in individual mini cupcake liners, so she doesn't have to break them. Here's how they turned out.

Christmas Wreath Cookies

My daughter made these for her boys. They're very good.

 Ingredients
    * 1/2 cup butter
    * 4 cups miniature marshmallows
    * 1 teaspoon green food coloring
    * 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
    * 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 4 cups cornflakes cereal
    * 1 (2.25 ounce) package cinnamon red hot candies

Directions

   1. Microwave marshmallows and butter on High for 2 minutes. Stir, then microwave on High for 2 minutes more. Stir. (This can be done in a double boiler.)

   2. Add and mix quickly the coloring, extracts, then cornflakes. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased wax paper. Decorate with 3 red hots each.

   3. When cool, place on lightly greased serving tray with lightly greased fingers.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Crockpot Christmas Menu

I have been spending more time on the computer with the cool interactive Christmas sites with my 2 young Grandchildren (or "Kissmas stuff" as my 3 year-old Grandson says) than I have working on my own posts. I can't help it, they are 3 and 5 and such a fun age. I have, however, seen some good posts on other people's sites. I found this one to be very interesting, although I can't imagine making ALL of Christmas dinner in a crock pot.

If you are interested in the interactive Christmas toys we have been playing with, check out my other blog HERE. Look on the right-hand side for Interactive Christmas Fun. I will add more little web treasures to it as I find more fun stuff.

Crockpot Christmas Menu

• Crockpot Beef Rouladen
  This classic German dish is perfect for the holidays. Imagine coming home to the aroma from this dish! This recipe is a main dish and side dish in one.
• Strawberry Spinach Salad
  No, this salad isn't made in the crockpot (are there any?), but it's quick and easy and delicious too.
• Creamy Crockpot Potatoes
  Just four ingredients make this side dish super easy and it's got fabulous flavor and texture too!
• Crockpot Chocolate Fondue
  This delicious sauce can cook in your crockpot while you're eating dinner. Then dive in, using fruits, cookies, and cubes of cake for dippers.
• Christmas Cookies
  The perfect Christmas dinner dessert? Christmas Cookies, of course! 

See the entire post HERE or Click on each dish title above for the recipe.

Cranberry-Barbeque Meatballs

    * 2 16-ounce packages frozen cooked plain meatballs, thawed (32 meatballs each) or 32 homemade meatballs.
    * 1 16-ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
    * 1 cup barbecue sauce

directions

   1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker place meatballs. In a medium bowl combine cranberry sauce and barbecue sauce. Pour over meatballs in cooker; stir to coat.

   2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 to 2-1/2 hours. Serve meatballs with toothpicks. If desired, keep warm on low-heat setting for up to 2 hours.

   3. Makes 64 meatballs (obviously)

 Saucepan variation: In a large saucepan combine thawed meatballs and desired sauce. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally.