Green Beans in Garlic Butter

 

We really don't like green beans, but find they are very good when I add garlic butter to them.  This totally changes them into a Wow side dish.  

Ingredients

1 lb green beans, trimmed * see notes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Fill a saucepan with 5 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil over medium high heat. 

Add the green beans. Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Drain away the water and set aside.

In a large cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium low heat.  Add the garlic to the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium heat and sauté the garlic until tender. Stir the garlic and butter, to keep the garlic from burning, otherwise it will taste bitter.

Add the green beans. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes. Make sure that the green beans get a coating of the garlic infused butter. 

Stir in the soy sauce and season the dish with salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. 

Serve.

Notes

We do use canned green beans. If you use those, drain off the liquid. Then follow the steps where you sauté the minced garlic in the butter.

Creamy Chicken With Mushrooms

A very easy recipe to make chicken.  Seasoned chicken served with mushrooms in a delicious cream sauce. If you can, cook the chicken, low and slow, so the meat will be more tender. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. chicken
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. oil
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
2 Tbs. butter
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 can sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning or 1 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 1/2 c. cream or evaporated milk, or half and half

Directions

Place chicken in a large bowl.  

In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper.  Mix well and sprinkle the seasonings over the chicken meat. Rub the seasonings into the chicken meat with your hands.  Set the chicken aside for about 10 minutes.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil over a medium heat.  Add the chicken, one piece at a time, skin side down. When the chicken is browned, turn the chicken over to brown the other side. Turn the heat to medium low and continue to cook the chicken until it is fully done, or the internal temperature is 165°.

Remove the chicken and set aside. 

Dissolve cornstarch in the cold water to make a slurry. Set aside.

In the same skillet that you cooked the chicken, add the butter, onions and garlic.  Sauté the onions and garlic until tender. Be sure to scrap the bottom of the skillet because that is where the flavor is. 

Stir in the evaporated milk or half-and-half. Add the mushrooms, chicken poultry seasoning or chicken bouillon. Stirring constantly, bring to a simmer over low heat.  

 Stirring constantly, pour the cornstarch dissolved in the water into the milk mixture.  Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the chicken back into the skillet.  Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens. 

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

Tex Mex Seasoning

You can save a lot of money by making your own Tex Mex Seasoning. It is so easy to make. This seasoning blend is perfect to add to chicken, fish, beef, pork or vegetables. In fact, this seasoning is good on so many different foods. 

Make your cooking easier. Instead of bringing out 10 different spices when you want a Tex Mex flavor, you will only need to bring out one.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. chili powder
3 Tbs. cumin
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. salt
1 Tbs. garlic powder
1 Tbs. onion powder
2 to 1 Tbs. red pepper flakes *see notes below
1 Tbs. oregano
1 Tbs. paprika (we liked smoked paprika)
1 tsp to 1 Tbs. cayenne pepper *see notes below

Directions

In a jar that has a tight-fitting lid or an airtight container, combine chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika and cayenne pepper.  Mix well. You can either mix the contents with a spoon, or put the lid on the container or jar and shake until the spices are thoroughly blended together.

Store in a cool, dark place.

Notes

With the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper, use as much or as little as you want. It just depends on how spicy you like your food to be.  You can start out with the smallest amount and if it still lacks the heat or spiciness you prefer, add more. 

Also, some chili powders are hotter than others.  We bought Aara Red Chili Powder that is extra hot.  When we make our own Tex Mex blend using that particular chili powder, we omit the cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes. We also cut down on the amount of Aara Red Chili Powder that we add to this seasoning mix.

Oatmeal Bread Rolls

If you like Hawaiian Bread Buns, you will love these dinner rolls. Oatmeal Bread Buns stay moist, yet they are light, fluffy, and tender. They have a slightly sweet and nutty taste, perfect to serve with any meal. These are definitely one of our favorite dinner bread rolls to make!

Ingredients

2 c. water
1 c. oats
3 Tbs. butter
1/3 c. very warm water
1 pkg. yeast
1 Tbs. granulated sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 1/2 to 5 c. flour

Directions

Grease two 9-inch round baking pans. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Stir in oatmeal and butter.  Cook and stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Let stand until it cools a bit, but is still warm. You don't want it too hot because it will kill the yeast.

In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast and granulated sugar together. Place in a warm location for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. That will let you know that your yeast is active.

Stir in the oatmeal, brown sugar, and 1 1/2 c. flour into the yeast mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth, or you can use your mixer.  

Stir in more flour until you have a soft dough. **see below 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary.  

Lightly grease or oil the bowl you were mixing the dough in. Place the dough into the bowl, turning once to make sure that all sides are oiled or greased.  Cover the bowl and place in a warm location until doubled in size. This takes about 1 hour. 

Punch the dough down. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place in the prepared pans. If you want smaller buns, divide the dough into 24 equal portions.

Cover and place the pans in a warm location. Let rise until doubled in size. This rising can take about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 350°. What I do is I have the pans already in the oven to rise, because my stove has a pilot light. Then, after they are doubled in bulk, I turn the oven on.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Brush the tops with some butter.  We just take a stick of butter and run it over the tops of the hot rolls. Remove the buns from the pans and cool on a wire rack. Or put them in a bowl with a tea towel to keep warm if you are serving them with your meal. 

Serve with honey butter if desired.

Notes

Don't just dump all the flour in at once. When you make bread, you never use the same amount of flour.  The weather, humidity and liquid you added will make the amounts of flour different every time.  

You can also use this recipe to make 1 loaf of bread, or 2 mini loaves of bread.

Single Crust Peach Pie with Crumb Topping

This is one of the simplest pie recipes ever.  You can either make your own pie crust or purchase one already made at the store.

Ingredients

1 pie crust, bought or homemade for 9" pie
6 c. peaches, sliced
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. cornstarch
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a large bowl, mix peaches, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Mix well. 

Pour the peaches over the prepared pie crust in the pie pan.

In a medium bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar, and flour for the crumb topping. Mix well. Cut in the butter until it resembles small peas in size.  

Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the peaches.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Allow the pie to cool. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Notes:

Place the pie pan on top of a cookie sheet. You can line the cookie sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup.  This will catch any juices that may bubble out and keep your oven cleaner.

You can use frozen peaches. Be sure to thaw them first. Put them in a strainer to allow the juices to drain away. Canned peaches are another option as well. Be sure to drain them first by putting them in a strainer and allowing the juices to drain away.  Don't throw out the juice. Keep it and use if for cooking, or to use it in place of water in your jello.

Unstuffed Bell Peppers

 Sometimes there just isn't time to make stuffed peppers the way my mama did. But that doesn't stop us from enjoying this delicious meal!  By cutting up the peppers and cooking it on the stove top, it makes fixing this dish super easy. 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño hot pepper, chopped (optional)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (14 oz.) can beef broth
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 Tbs. Worcestershire
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. rice
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions

In a cast iron skillet, add ground beef, onion, bell peppers, garlic and jalapeño pepper.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, and the ground beef is no longer pink.

Stir in diced tomatoes, beef broth, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and Italian seasoning. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble. Add the rice and mix well. 

Cover the skillet with a lid and turn the heat down to a simmer.  Let the mixture cook for 20 to 30 minutes for white rice, or 35 to 45 minutes for brown rice. Cook until the rice is tender. Stir the mixture occasionally, so it does not stick to the bottom of the skillet. If you need to add more liquid, pour in tomato juice or more beef broth. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Mix in the shredded cheese. Cover with the lid until the cheese melts. It won't take long, maybe a minute or two.

Serve and enjoy.

Baked Marinated Pork Chops

 

This recipe is so easy. Marinating the pork chops beforehand makes them flavorful and tender.  This sauce is what makes this recipe stand out. We serve the marinated pork chops with mashed potatoes, and baked beans. You can also serve this over a bed of rice.

Ingredients

6 pork chops
3 Tbs. oil or olive oil
4 Tbs. ketchup or BBQ sauce
4 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. lemon juice or vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, sliced

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a medium bowl, combine oil, ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, lemon juice, pepper and garlic. 

Place the pork chops in a large bowl, or bag, and pour in half of the sauce, turning them to make sure they are covered in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or longer.  Set the other half of the sauce aside. You will need it later.

Add the sliced onion over the bottom of the baking pan. Arrange the pork chops in a single layer on top of the onions. 

Pour the sauce or marinade over the top of the pork chops. Cover the baking dish or pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, or a lid.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Turn the pork chops over after. Pour the rest of the sauce over the pork chops, and continue baking for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 145°.

Notes

You may want to make extra sauce. Just double the recipe ingredients. 

If your pork chops are thick cut, increase the baking time to around 30 minutes per side. 

You can also grill the pork chops and brush the marinade over the meat as it grills.