Sunday New Potatoes

Simple Sunday New Potatoes
Serves 4

1 pound small red potatoes
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Creole seasoning
Cheddar cheese
Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven at 425 degrees. 
Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until they are fork tender.  Place the potatoes on your baking sheet and roughly break them up with a fork.  Spray them with the cooking spray and sprinkle with pepper & creole seasoning.  Bake for 25 minutes & remove from oven.  Top with cheese & parsley & bake 5 more minutes.  Serve & Enjoy!

Simple Baby Back Ribs

Simple Baby Back Ribs
Serves 2

1 slab of baby back ribs, cut (if needed) to fit in your pan
Salt & Pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 beer
Sprigs of rosemary & thyme
3 TBs of your favorite barbecue sauce (plus more for serving)
1 TBs grainy mustard
1 TBs Worcestershire sauce

Salt & pepper both sides of the ribs.  Mix together the bbq sauce, mustard and Worcestershire, and spread over the ribs.  Place ribs in roasting pan or crock pot, meat side up.   Lightly squeeze the lemon over the ribs and add the lemon halves in the pan.  Pour 1/2 of the beer in the bottom of the pan & top the ribs with the sprigs of rosemary & thyme. 
Oven method - Cover tightly with aluminum foil & cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour & 15 -20 minutes
Crock pot - Covered on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
Let them rest for 10 minutes and serve with extra sauce.  Enjoy!

Ready to roast

Falling off the bone - yummy!

Summer Squash Souffle

Summer Squash Souffle
Serves 6

2 pounds yellow summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Grey salt & black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup light 1/2 & 1/2
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Add your squash, onion, shake of salt & pepper, & red pepper flakes to your stockpot.  Cover with the broth (and water if needed) so that all of the veggies are submerged.  Bring to a boil and allow the squash and onions to cook for 20 - 25 minutes, you really want the squash to break down.  Drain the squash and onions threw a fine strainer, add to a mixing bowl & mash well. Combine all of the other ingredients plush dash of salt and pepper with the squash, but reserve 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.  Transfer to your baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and top with the remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.  Let is sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Pasta Bolognese

Pasta Bolognese
Serves 4

1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 carrots, coined
1 celery stalk, coined
2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/4 lbs ground round
1 12 oz can tomato paste
1 1/3 cup Cabernet
2 cups of low sodium chicken broth 
3 Bay leaves
8 fresh thyme sprigs, tied together with kitchen twine
Grey or Kosher salt, black pepper & red pepper flakes
1/2 pound of tagliarelle or spaghetti
last but not least about 4 hours


Add onions, carrots, celery, & garlic to the food processor, pulse until you have formed a paste.  In your dutch oven over medium high heat saute the veggies until brown (about 20 minutes) in a touch of olive oil or cooking spray and sprinkle of salt & from this point until you simmer you will be stirring frequently, incorporate the beef into the vegetables and allow it to brown (about 15 minutes).  Mix in the can of tomato paste & after 5 minutes add 1 cup of wine & after another 5 minutes add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.  Allow mixture to come to a light boil & then reduce to a simmer.  Add the bay leaves, thyme, pinch of salt, pepper & red pepper flakes.  Simmer for 1 hour stirring off and on, add 1/4 cup chicken broth. Simmer for another hour & add 1/3 cup of the red wine & 1/4 cup of stock.  Simmer for another hour.  Remove the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Taste & add any salt, pepper & red pepper if needed.  Prep salted water for the pasta.  Cook pasta according to directions & add 1/3 of a cup of the pasta water to the sauce.  Add cooked pasta to the sauce and mix well.   Serve directly from the Dutch over with a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Hope you enjoy!  The time is worth it.

Simmering Sauce

Savannah Cheesecake Cookies

Savannah Cheesecake Cookies
Courtesy of The Lady & Sons Just Desserts by Ms. Paula Deen

Crust
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 
1 cup chopped pecans 
1 stick butter, melted
Filling
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 
1 cup granulated sugar 
3 eggs 
1 teaspoon pure almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Finely chop your cup of chopped pecans.  Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and butter in bowl into a ball. Press dough into an ungreased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth, in your mixer or using a handheld electric mixer; add eggs and extract; beat well. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely & then cover in foil & refrigerate for several hours.  Cut into squares before serving.

Ms. Deen suggests decorating the tops with berries and mint leaves which I think would be very pretty.  My batch left the kitchen just plain & in large and small bites (of course for the boys & the girls).

Pink Eyed Peas

Pink Eyed Peas
Serves 8

1 lb fresh pink eyed peas
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 strips of turkey bacon, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
Pinch of grey salt
2-3 dashes of hot sauce

Heat a stock pot over medium high heat & add the bacon.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes.  Add the onions, allowing them to soften with the bacon, cook for another 6 minutes or so. Finally add the fresh peas & mix well with the onions and bacon.  Cover the peas with the 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add pinch of salt and hot sauce.  Allow them to simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and adding more broth when needed.  I suggest taste testing after 30 minutes, depending on the freshness they can be done this early and then other times it will take the full time.  Additional salt may be needed as well.  Enjoy! 

Crock Pot Chili Cheese Dip

Chili Cheese Dip

8 oz Block of light cream cheese
1/2 onion,diced
8 ozs Queso Cheese, cubed
1 3 oz can of green chilies, minced
1 can Rotel, drained
1/4 cup of chicken broth
Chips, Salsa, Jalapenos to serve with

Lightly saute the onions and chilies on the stove top.  Spray your crock pot with cooking spray.  Add the onions & chilies, cheeses, & rotel.  Cover and cook on high for one hour - stirring every 10 minutes or so.  Add the chicken broth after 40 minutes and stir well.  Enjoy!

If you like it spicy - I add chopped jalapenos & a couple of dashes of hot sauce.  Serve with a sprinkling of jalapenos.  There really couldn't be an easier appetizer for a football game.  You can leave on the Keep Warm setting for several hours, just be sure to stir every once and a while.

My favorite arrangement for the summer - Zinnias & Rosemary