Cucumber, Tomato and Green Onion Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

You will need:

• Small pickling cucumbers washed,  peeled and sliced
• Tomatoes washed, peeled and sliced
• Green Onion washed, and sliced
• Balsamic Vinaigrette  (I used Traditional Blends brands purchased at The Dollar Tree Store)
• Salt and Pepper sprinked to taste

Purchase the amount of vegetables you think you will need for your party size or family size.

Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in indivual pretty bowls,  delicious served with vegetable crackers.

This is easy and so refreshing on those hot summer days. Perfect for a side dish or appetizer or just a snack.

Enjoy~ 

*A Special Thanks to my Mama for sharing this delicious treat  :)

Potatoe Soup~ Cold Weather Comfort Foods

  You will need:

• 9 potatoes pealed and diced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 carrots diced small
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 4 cups milk
• 2 chicken bouillon cubed dissolved in 1/2 cup hot milk
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 8 slices bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
• grated cheddar cheese

In a large pot melt butter, add onion and carrots until both are tender. Stirring frequently. Once they are tender. Whisk in flour and stir well, cooking for a minute, then add potatoes, milk and dissolved bouillon cubes. Cook over med heat until potatoes are soft about 20 minutes. Stir occassionally. When pototoes are soft, Add the half and half, salt and pepper. Cook for an additonal 15 mintutes and simmer until ready to serve. When ready to eat, serve in bowls and Serve with crumbled bacon and grated cheddar cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Homemade Chilli For Hot Dogs

You will need:

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt (season more to taste later)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• sprinkle of red pepper
• sprinke of black pepper
• dried bay leaf
• 1 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tsp. dried onion
• 2 tsp. chilli powder
• Your favorite brand of hot dogs and buns

Cover the ground beef with water in a small pot, use a spatula to crumble the ground beef. Add all of the other ingredients and bring it all to a boil, continue stirring and crumbling up the ground beef with the spatula. Reduce the heat and cook for about 30 min.or longer...the longer it simmers the more flavor it will have. Using a slotted spoon to drain the chilli onto each hotdog and bun.... and add your other favorite condiments like mayo mustard, ect.... This is enough chilli for 8 hotdogs.

Enjoy!

This post is dedicated to Riley, he taught me this method for making hot dog chilli....I tweeked it a little  bit and put my own spin on it, but I will always remember him when I make this. 

Rich Chocolate Cake

This chocolate cake is so rich.

For the cake you will need:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk 
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 1 cup boiling water

Heat oven to 350 degrees, grease and flour 2 9" cake pans
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Beat with electric mixer 2 minutes on medium speed, stir in boiling water, (batter will be thin). Pour into pans, bake 30-35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Remover to wire racks. Cool, then frost. 


For the frosting you will need:

• 1 stick of butter or margarine 
• 2/3 cup nestle's powdered cocoa
• 3 cups powdered Sugar
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring

Melt butter or margarine in a medium bowl in microwave, then stir in cocoa powder. Then alternately add powdered sugar and milk until well blended and until it is desired spreading consistency. Add the vanilla flavoring. Add more powdered sugar or milk if need. Makes about 2 cups. Spread on chocolate cake.

Enjoy!

Southern Style Stewed Cabbage with Bacon

What you will need:

• Head of Cabbage
• 4 Slices of Bacon
• 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
• 1 Cup of Water
• 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt

Slice the head of cabbage, wash cabbage, and set aside. In a large dutch oven pot add bacon and oil and cook for a little while about 5-10 minutes on medium high heat until it starts to cook, but not get crispy. Add the salt, cabbage and water to the pot and cover, let it come to a boil, stirring often for a couple of minutes, reduce heat to med-low and cook covered until tender. (I like my cabbage very tender, so I cook it about an hour or so). Stirring ocassionally. After it has cooked season to taste with more salt if desired. This cabbage is tender and tasty, it tastes even more flavorful, after it has been removed from the heat and been allowed to sit uncovered for a while, after it is done. It seems that the longer it sits the more tasty it is, because it soaks up the bacon juices.

Enjoy~

For a healthier lower fat version, leave out the bacon, add beef or chicken broth instead of the water, this will add  extra flavor, when cooking any vegetable. 

Easy Oven Baked BBQ Boneless Chicken Breasts with Onion and Bacon

This is so easy....

This will feed a family of 4

What you will need is:

• 1 lb. package of boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Your favorite BBQ Sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays Honey Barbecue Sauce)
• Chicken Seasoning Salt (I use the Spice Treasures Brand at Dollar General)
• Garlic Powder
• Ground Black Pepper
• 1 Sliced Onion
• 4 Slices of Bacon

Spray a 13 by 9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Wash the chicken and lay them in the pan, sprinkle generously with spices on both sides, place onion slices on top of the chicken, then lay bacon slices on top also. (For a nicer presentation, you could wrap each chicken breast with the bacon). Pour barbecue sauce on top. Cook at 350 degrees covered with foil for 45 minutes then uncover for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is done and no longer pink inside.

Enjoy!

Pot Roast with Carrots and Thyme

You will need:

• 2 Pounds Chuck Steaks (cut into bite size pieces)
• 2 Yellow Onions sliced
• 6 Slices Bacon
• 5 Carrots Peeled and sliced into chunks
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 6 Dried Prunes
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• 1 Cup Beef Stock
• 12 oz Can of beer of choice

In a large pot, cook bacon on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon, let it cool, chip it up and save it for later. Add onions, salt and pepper to taste and cook over med-low heat until carmelized about 20 min. Remove onions, leaving the grease in the pot. Wash meat season with salt and pepper, now brown the meat in the grease. Once the meat has all been browned on all sides, add all of the cooked ingredients together back to the pot, then stir in the flour, Cook for a couple of minutes then add the beer. Stir well then add the beef stock, thyme and dried prunes. Stir well again, and then transfer the ingredients to a 13 by 9 inch baking pan, cover pan with foil. Cook in the oven at 325 degrees for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until tender.
Serve with Mashed Potatoes and Enjoy!

Baked Pork Chops with Crushed Tomato Sauce

You will need:

• Large package of boneless pork chops, (about 2 pounds)
• 1 Tablespoon Veg. oil
• 1 Can crushed whole tomatoes
• 1/2 Cup Ketchup
• 1/4 Cup light brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Mustard
• Salt and Pepper

Put oil in a skillet, wash the meat put the meat on a plate and then sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper, brown the meat on both sides, then place the meat on a greased baking pan. Mix the remaning ingredients together in a mixing bowl and pour it over the pork chops. Bake uncovered for 45 min. to 1 hour until tender.
Enjoy!

Easy Homemade Cheesecake

You will need:

• 2 (8oz) pkgs. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• ready made graham cracker pie crust

Let cream cheese sit out at room temperature until soft, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer until blended well. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour into pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 min. Refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.

Serve with fruit toppings if desired..... I like mine "plain" just like it is.

Enjoy!

Southern Fried Rice with Bacon, Ham, and Carrots

This quick Recipe is courtesy of my husband's mother...my version varies a little from hers because there is not really a recipe. The reason I say this is because she just throws it all together.... I was given no real measurements, but I have watched her years ago, and saw how she made this and this is what I came up with. Of course, I think it's not as good as her version, but it's pretty yummy. This is a recipe that you can season to taste and add what you like to it, .....you can vary the ingredients according to your taste buds seasoning with salt and pepper to taste on this. Rice is so versatile.

What you will need:

• 1 Box of Success Brown Rice (this is the boil in the bag rice and you will be using 2 of the 4 bags that the box comes with). Cook Rice according to the package directions and set aside or you can cook regular white rice or jasmine rice. 
• 4 Tablespoons Butter or Margarine
• 2 Slices Bacon (Optional)
• 1/2 Vidalia onion chopped or a couple of green onions chopped
• 1 Carrot peeled and grated
• 2-3  Slices of cooked smoked ham cut into small pieces, (I used about a hand size piece of left over ham steak, but you can purchase ham steaks or use the deli ham slices cut up)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook rice according to package directions, set aside.
Cook bacon in a skillet on medium heat until it is done, (slightly crispy), remove bacon from skillet, and after it's cooled, chip it up and set aside for later. Add butter to the bacon grease along with the onion, and carrots, saute' until they are tender, about 10-15 minutes, then add the cooked ham and cook for an additional 5 minutes until it is warmed. Add cooked rice and cooked bacon back to the skillet, stir and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover for about 5-10 minutes until ready to serve, stirring occasionally.

I serve this as a side dish with grilled meats or barbecue dishes and baked beans, but since there is meat in this dish you can always add more meat to the rice and serve it as a main dish.

Enjoy !

For a healthier lower saturated fat version, leave out the bacon and ham, and cut the margarine or butter by half.