One pot Italian meal

Easy one pot meal tonight. I made my changes as noted with asterisk **.

• 1 pound Italian sausage (**I removed skin and the cut the sausage in small pieces)

• ½ cup chopped green or **variegated pepper

• 1 medium onion, chopped

  **I Clove minced garlic 

  1 tsp. Dried basil or parsley**

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (**I used Hunts petite diced)including juice

• 2 cups vegetable juice from concentrate (**I used Campbell tomato juice)

• 1 ½ cups instant rice

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

  ***Note: I mixed mozzarella and sharp cheddar cheese to top this easy dinner.

Cook sausage in a large skillet until no longer pink, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain off excess fat. Add bell pepper , garlic and onion; cook until slightly crisp. Add diced tomatoes and vegetable juice; cook and stir until boiling.

1. Remove from the heat and stir in rice. Cover the skillet and let stand until liquid is absorbed, 5 to 8 minutes.

1. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over sausage, tomato, and rice mixture. Cover again and let stand until cheese is melted.

   
   

   NOTE: 

   I used mild sausage for this recipe

   And added about a 1/2 tsp. Red pepper

   
   

   **For an added bite I would use hot sausage.

 Note:

If you prefer regular rice instead of minute rice.  Cook the regular rice separately and add to tomato peppers mixture after the mixture is thoroughly cooked. About 20 to 30 minutes.

Chicken cordon blu casserole

New photo 7/31/2024

served with a side salad.

A few added adjustments as noted..**

You can half this recipe if you are making this for two servings and use an 8” x 8” baking dish.

 In my recipe I used a 9” x 13” baking dish.  Basically guessed at amounts to our liking.

It’s a winner! Hubby had seconds!

Note:  white cheddar cheese made this casserole a WINNER!!!

 8 oz cooked chicken cubed

8 ounces deli ham, cubed

8 oz. UnCooked wide egg noodles) cooked au’dente) and drained **

8 ounces Swiss cheese, cubed(I used white cheddar) and only used 4 oz.)**

1 (10.5 ounce) can reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup)( I used regular cream of chicken soup)**

• 1/2 cup 2% milk (I used whole milk)**

• 1/2 cup light sour cream) I used regular sour cream)**

  Topping:

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs( I used regular panko breadcrumbs)

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.  Light grease 9x13 in. Baking dish.

Place cooked noodles in greased baking dish. Top noodles with cooked chicken and ham . (Note I used rotisserie chicken and deli Tavern  ham).**

Mix together condensed soup, milk, cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl until combined; spoon over noodle mixture in the casserole dish.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in hot butter until crumbs are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle over casserole.** I did in microwave

Instead of stove. Easier imo.

Bake 350° for approximately 30 minutes. Allow to set for 5 minutes and serve with your favorite side dish or salad.

**if you want casserole to look a little browner on top. Broil for 2 or 3 minutes on high watching carefully to not burn.

Adapted to our liking from allrecipes

Low calorie pound cake

I wanted to make a somewhat low fat and calories pound cake. This was delicious. ITS A SMALLER SIZE POUNDCAKE .  Perfect for dessert with fruit or with coffee.  You can sprinkle powdered sugar if you want.

• ▢ ¾ cup cake flour you can use all-purpose flour
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 6 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 7 tablespoon fine sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 large egg at room temperature
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1 large egg white at room temperature

• 
  

  
  

  Preheat oven to 350F/ 180C. Line an 8x4.5 loaf pan with parchment paper, or grease the pan with butter and dust with flour. Keep aside.

  
  

  
  

   Bake 350°for 20 to 30 minutes.

  
  

  
  

  Whisk or sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Keep aside.

  ' In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy and light in color.

  Add the whole egg and beat for a minute; add the egg white and beat for another minute, now add the milk and vanilla and beat for 3 minutes.

  Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and beat for a few seconds on low speed, then add the rest of the dry and beat until combined for 10 to 12

  seconds. Do not overbeat.

  
  

  Pour the cake batter into the previously prepared baking pan.

  Gently tap the pan two times on the kitchen counter, then run a butter knife in an (S) shape to remove excess air. Allow oven to preheat at 350 for twenty minutes before placing cake in oven. BAKE

  
  

  AFTER BAKING 

  1. Place the cake while in the pan on a cooling rack for 6 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool on the cooling rack.Slice the cake when cooled and serve.

1. You can use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour using the same measurement.
2. 

Baking from my kitchen to yours,

M.j.

https://www.munatycooking.com/light-pound-cake-low-calorie/

 

Baked Sausage and Peppers

If you are looking for a really good holiday recipe that involves your oven or your grill you have come to the right place.  I either make sausage in the oven or on the grill.  Since you can't predict the weather sometimes it's best to play it safe with some baked yummy sausage, peppers and onions....YUMMY!

A family favorite any time of the year is baked sausage and peppers.  I grew up eating either my mom's homemade sausage or Uncle John's.  Uncle John  had a fresh meat market when hubby and I were growing up.

I met Uncle John when hubby and I were first dating; a perky, feisty Italian who was a master of seasoning meat for sausage.  People came from all over for his sausage and I am totally serious.  They'd even bring coolers if they lived far away.

Unfortunately Uncle John passed away many years ago and so did his recipe.  Today I still buy the freshest and best quality sausage I can find and below is how I make it easily in the oven.  Enjoy!

Baked Sausage, peppers and onions.
1lb.+ mild or hot Italian sausage
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
1 large red and green pepper, sliced thin

In a medium to large baking dish place several Tablespoons oil.   Place sausage (I remove casing) in dish along with onions and peppers. Add salt, pepper and slight amount of onion and garlic powder. Cover and place in 350 degree oven approx. 3/4 hour or more.

Remove cover toss and place in oven and bake until peppers and onions are soft but crispy about another ten minutes or so.

 Serve with fresh bread or rolls. YUM

7/27/14

2/24/16

11/12/14

9/2016

Shipwreck dinner my way

I saw this recipe and it interested me so I made it according to directions and it was blah so I added a heaping tablespoon of soft cream cheese and a heaping tablespoon of soft cheddar cheese and now I taste tested it and it’s all GOOD!

I felt a light salad would be a nice touch to make this a meal.

• 1 pound lean ground beef

• 1 (7.25 ounce) package macaroni and cheese mix (I used ALDIs brand)

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles(I drained my tomatoes)

• ***1  1/4 cup milk

• ***1 cup frozen peas( I used baby limas for a change)

• 1 cup frozen corn

• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste

  ***1 heaping tablespoon soft cream cheese

  ***1 heaping tablespoon soft sharp cheddar cheese 

  1cup cheddar cheese for topping.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir beef in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain
 

1. Stir in the mix, tomatoes, milk, and frozen vegetables. 
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the pasta is tender. 
3. Season and add the shredded cheddar cheese. 
4. Dessert too!

Baked honey glazed salmon

I made this as a half recipe.  I suggest you double the sauce recipe though because it’s delicious and extra sauce is a good thing!

Check my note at the bottom of recipe for changes.

Good recipe!

• 4 boneless salmon fillets
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter - melted
• ▢ 2 cloves minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tbsp honey
• ▢ ½ tsp dried parsley - or 2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ ¼ tsp pepper
• ▢ pinch paprika
• ▢ 1 lemon sliced into half-moons

• 
  Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down on the baking tray.
  
  
• In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic, honey, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika.
  2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tbsp honey, ½ tsp dried parsley, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper
  
  
  Preheat oven to 400°.

• Place the salmon fillets, skin-side-down on the baking tray.( I removed the skin)

  

  
  

  

  
  
  
  

• In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic, honey, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika.
  2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tbsp honey, ½ tsp dried parsley, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, pinch paprika
• Pour the mixture over the salmon fillets (don't worry about any of the sauce pooling on the tray).

• Arrange the lemon wedges on and around the salmon.
  1 lemon sliced into half-moons
• Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes.
• Open the oven and baste the salmon with any of the sauce that has pooled on the tray. Bake for a further 4-7 minutes until the salmon is tender.
• Serve with your favorite potatoes and green veg.
  I had seasoned acne de Pepe and fresh broccoli.
  ****Note:  I baked the salmon about 10 minutes with half of the glaze.  Then removed from oven and baked another 15.  We like it more on the medium to well done.

Adapted from Kitchen sanctuary