One Pot Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound cajun smoked sausage or other smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans,  drained & rinsed
2 cups of instant rice
creole seasoning

Instructions:

Add the vegetable oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in the beans and rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer and add creole seasoning to taste. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender.

Tuna Croquettes

Ingredients:

2 cans tuna, well drained
1/2 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
1 c. bread crumbs, divided
2 eggs
1 t. paprika
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
Oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the tuna, onion, celery, 1/3 c. bread crumbs, eggs and seasonings. Stir until fully combined.
2. Pour remaining 2/3 c. bread crumbs into a shallow dish. Pat about a tablespoon worth of tuna mixture into a round patty. Cover both sides with bread crumbs.
3. Pour enough oil into a skillet to cover the bottom. Heat over medium heat. Add the breaded patties and cook until browned, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Our favorite dip to serve with these Tuna Croquettes is a simple sauce of mayonnaise and mustard. Use about 1 tablespoon of mustard for each 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. So simple but so good, and it is perfect with the tuna!

Also, this mixture tastes great formed into larger patties, fried as described above  and served on a bun as a tuna burger.

Quick Gourmet Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 ( 12.5 oz) cans of chicken (or 3 cups diced cooked chicken)
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup red grapes, halved
1 green onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup diced apple
salt and pepper to taste
pecans or cashews, optional

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the chicken, mayo, grapes, green onion, celery, apple, salt, and pepper.  Combine until well blended.
Serve on rolls, bread, or croissants sprinkle with some cashews or pecans.  This can also be served on a lettuce leaf.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2lbs cubed beef stew meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
4 cups water
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes
3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 stalks celery, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water

Directions:

1. In a large pot, cook beef in oil over medium heat until brown. Dissolve bouillon in water and then add parsley, thyme, and black pepper and then both cans of diced tomatoes. Once meat is done add the meat to the soup mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
2. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion into the pot. Dissolve cornstarch in 2 teaspoons cold water and stir into stew. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours more.

Sausage Jambalaya

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons oil
4 cups chicken broth
2 (14.5oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
16oz sausage in 1/2" slices
Cooked rice
2 tsp thyme, crushed
1 tsp dried  basil, crushed
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
optional: 1/2lb baby shrimp or 1 cup shredded chicken

Directions:

Put all ingredients in crock-pot except rice. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Cook rice separately and serve jambalaya over rice.

Chinese Marinated Carrots & Celery

Ingredients:

1/2 lb carrots
1/2 lb celery stalks
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Cut celery and carrots into 2 inch slices and season with salt and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Mix all other ingredients and pour over vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and serve.

Few Freezables

There are a few things you can freeze for cooking...

I always have jalapeños, celery, and mushrooms in my deep freeze already cut.

If you have a store locally that puts out clearance produce keep an eye out. Our local store puts produce bags of jalapeños for 99 cents so, sliced I can get a gallon and same with celery.

Chinese Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef chunk
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16oz) can diced tomatoes
1 medium green pepper, cut in chunks
1 cup water
3/4 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Cut meat into 1/2-inch thick slices.
2. Brown meat in oil in large skillet.
3. Add garlic, tomatoes, and 1 cup water to browned meat.
4. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, or until meat is tender.
5. Add green pepper, onions, and celery.
6. Cover and cook 15 minutes longer.
7. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water and stir until smooth.
8. Stir into meat mixture and add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
9. Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened.
10. Serve over rice.

Perfect Potato Soup

Ingredients:

6 slices thin bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 whole medium onion, diced
3 whole carrots, scrubbed, cleaned, and diced
3 stalks celery, diced
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Cajun spice mix
1 teaspoon fresh minced parsley
1 cup grated cheese of your choice

Directions:

Add bacon pieces to a soup pit over medium high heat and cook bacon until crisp and fast is tendered. Remove the bacon from the pot and set aside. Pour off most of the grease, but do NOT clean the pot.

Return pot to medium-high heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the diced potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Cajun spice.

Pour in the broth and bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until potatoes are starting to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk, then pour until the soup and allow the soup to cook for another 5 minutes.

Remove half to 2/3 the soup and blend in a blender/food processer** until completely smooth. Pour it back into the soup pot and stir to combine. Let it heat back up as you taste for seasonings, adding more of what it needs. Stir in the cream, then stir in the parsley, reserving a little for garnishment.

Serve in bowls garnished with parsley, grated cheese, and crisp bacon pieces.

** This recipe states to BLEND the soup in a blender/food processer. I tried this and with me holding into the lid as I always do it blew the lid off and went all over me leaving some burns on my arm. My suggestion (what I ended up doing) is taking half the soup out and using a masher or hand mixer **

Tuna Noodle Casserole From Scratch

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, divided
1 (8oz) package egg noodles
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 glove garlic, minced
8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste
2 (6oz) cans tuna
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Bring large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8-10 minutes, until done & drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in onion, celery, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes until tender. Increase heat to medium-high and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium saucepan and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in milk and continue cooking for 5 minutes until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in tuna, peas, mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to baking dish. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs, and sprinkle over casserole. Too with cheese.

Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly & lightly browned.