When life gives you spinach...

I got a free bag of fresh spinach from work soooo I made one of my husband's favories:Creamed spinach: saute 2 chopped up cloves of garlic on low heat with a tblsp of butter ( about 2 minutes) You need to watch so this doesn't burn..if cooked low and for onlt 2-3 minutes,  it will be a sweet buttery mixture.  Add a bag of fresh spinach a little at a time and saute until wilted. Mix 2 tbsps flour into about 1/4 heavy cream and add to spinach..just add more cream if it gets too thick. Grate about 1/4 cup parm or Romano into the spinach and season to taste. This will be sweet, creamy and buttery; but not pungent! ENJOY!! Prep time 2-3 minutes. Cooking time 10-15 minutes.

Quiche Time

We got this recipe from my husband's son after he served us an incredible brunch a few years back. I changed the crust and you won't believe the taste. It's like having your eggs and buttered toast all in one dish. I put about 1 cup of regular breadcrumbs mixed with 1 tbsp of melted butter and patted down into a deep pie plate. Then beat 6 eggs with a whisk, stir in the following:
1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
1 tbsp corn starch
1 box frozen spinach that has been thawed and ALL of the water squeezed out if it. (Yes you will need to use your hands and squeeze the spinach)
1/2 cup cheddar
1/2 cup ricotta or 4oz goat cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
Sprinkle of salt,  pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. I added Tony Chacheres as well.

Pour into pie crust and sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Let it cool 5 minutes. Cut and serve with a nice fruit or mixed green salad..or both!

Easy grilled sesame chicken

We buy our chicken breasts in bulk..lol. Big bags of frozen breasts often on sale. This recipe is so easy. Thaw 4 chicken breasts. Put 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (a little goes a long way) a drizzle of chile oil ( it will be really hot if you add too much!), about 1 tablespooon of olive oil, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes (if you want more heat) to a large ziplock bag. Add your thawed chicken breasts and marinate 10-20 minutes. Grill marinated breasts about 10 minutes on each side. Add salt to taste. We served some stir fry veggies (frozen bag) as a side. You could serve rice if you wanted. So a quick easy meal. Prep time less than 20 min. Cook time about 20 minutes. Serves 4.

Fettuccini alfredo anyone?

With a jar of alfredo sauce you can have a quick meal in minutes! Saute some peppers, onions and garlic in a couple tbsps of olive oil. Add whatever you'd like..shrimp, cooked sliced chicken, mushrooms or some crawfish tails     ( that's what I used recently as pictured below). If you are vegetarian, add some cooked/drained broccolli or canned/drained mushrooms. Cook and drain your pasta and add to your sauce. (We only used half a box of pasta for 1 jar of sauce). Stir and heat until warm. Add some parmesan cheese on top. Heat up a veggie or serve a salad. Maybe some french bread!  Oh so good!! Prep time 10 minutes. Cooking time 10-20 minutes.

Yummy Thanksgiving cake

This pumpkin apple cake stole the show this Thanksgiving and totally overshadowed the pumpkin pie. I got it from my mom over 20 years ago. Prep time about 20 mins. Bake time about 1 hr.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
11/2 cups shredded apple
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger

Cream sugar and butter. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in apple and pumpkin. Sift together flour and remaining ingredients. Add to creamed mixture. Bake in 8" fluted tube pan. Bake @ 350 degree oven for 55-60 minutes. Do the toothpick test to make sure it's done. Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and sprinkle powdered sugar over cooled cake.

Chicken (something new) and healthy

Tonight I baked chicken over a bed of kale. I have used a bag of fresh chopped kale before and added a few sliced potatoes, but tonight I used a bag of frozen kale. Leg quarters and some cajun seasoning, garlic powder and abour 1/4 cup water. Baked at 350 covered with foil for about 45-50 minutes..then removed foil and baked another 10 minutes or so. It is really good! Add salt to taste. Serve a side salad and yummo!

First time blogger...

Well..I have been posting pictures on Facebook of meals that I've cooked for quite a while now. I get told by many folk that they're looking for new ideas. So,  this blog will be dedicated to helping you get fresh ideas for creating tasty new dishes for you and your family. I know I get tired of the same ole same ole food so I will post things I have tried and found to be yummy! All to help you find new ways to expand your food horizons and give those tired recipes a much needed break! I'll post pictures too so you can see if this is something you would like to try!