Cranberry Glazed Ham

2 14-ounce cans whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 8-9 pound fully cooked spiral-cut ham

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a medium saucepan combine cranberry sauce, orange juice, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often.  Reduce heat to medium-low, simmer for 20 minutes or until glaze has thickened.

Place ham in a roasting pan and drizzle with 1 cup glaze.  Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Brush ham with an additional 1 cup glaze and bake 45 to 60 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer inserted in thickest portion registers 140 degrees.  Serve with remaining glaze.

Ham.  I don't like ham.  When I was a child I was practically force fed this stuff.  Family coming in from out of town....we had ham.  Sunday get together...we had ham.  Easter Sunday...we had ham.  Car won't start...we had ham.  Sink clogged...we had ham.  Needless to say, we ate a lot of ham growing up.  I don't like ham because it taste like ham.  I don't like anything that taste like ham.  Ham is not my friend.  Until today!  Now this recipe, Paula Deen's again, calls for a fully cooked spiral ham.  To experiment with this recipe I was not going to go out and buy a 40.00 spiral ham from the Honey Baked store.  Instead, I bought a shank ham from HEB that needed to be baked first.  Now since I don't like ham I have never cooked a ham sooooooo, I had to figure out what to do with this "shank".  The package just said to put it in a roasting pan and add a cup of water and cover it with foil and bake 20 minutes per pound.  I did exactly that and I have to say that when I took it out of the oven, this was the tenderest piece of meat I think I've ever seen!  I sawed myself off a little piece and to my surprise, it didn't taste like ham.  It just tasted like really good pork.  Now this ham had no seasoning on it at all unless it came with some kind of smoked process before I got it.  Anyway, the meat by itself was really good and I only spent 5.00 on this one so for experimental purposes it served us well.  Now if I were to make this again for a crowd I might splurge and buy the spiral cut, honey baked, sugar coated, whatever expensive ham.  The glaze was very easy to make and added a nice fruity taste that wasn't over powering to the meat.  It would make a good holiday meal or you could serve it when family comes to town or if your tires need rotating or you've lost your remote.  Enjoy!

Apple, Garlic and Sage Roasted Chicken

1/4 cup butter, divided and softened
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 7-8 pound whole roasting chicken
1 Braeburn apple, cored and cut into 4 wedges
1 medium size yellow onion cut into 8 wedges and divided
1 24 ounce bag small red potatoes
2 1/2 cups cubed parsnips or baby carrots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine t tbsp butter, sage, garlic, salt and pepper.  Gently loosen skin from breast and thighs of chicken, keeping skin intact, rub butter mixture under skin.  Place apple wedges and 3 onion wedges in chicken cavity.  Tie legs together with kitchen twine.  Rub remaining 2 tbsp butter over chicken skin.  Place chicken on a roasting rack set in a large roasting pan.  Bake for 1 hour.  Add potatoes, parsnips or carrots and remaining 5 onion wedges to roasting pan; toss to coat with drippings.  Bake for 1 hour longer or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion of chicken registers 165 degrees and vegetables are tender; loosely tent with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Another Paula Deen recipe!  This is the second roasted chicken recipe I have tried of hers and I have to say that they have produced the most tender, juicy and flavorful roast birds you will ever eat.  They are easy to prepare with simple yet flavorful ingredients.  I love using fresh herbs and I really like it when you can see, smell and taste them in your cooking.  This chicken was so juicy and tender and had a wonderful flavor.  The vegetables were tender and had flavor as well.  This one recipe has every thing you need to make a meal in one pan, you could just add a salad and bread and you would be done.  I paired it with the red pepper and squash casserole.  The next time you need an impressive dinner but don't have a lot of time to slave over a stove, prepare this chicken and pop it in the oven and you will have your meat and potato dinner ready in just a couple of hours.  Yummy!

Bell Pepper and Squash Casserole

3 pounds yellow summer squash, sliced
3 red bell peppers, sliced into 1 x 1/2 inch strips
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt, divided
4 cups shredded white Cheddar cheese, divided
3 cups crushed saltine crackers, divided
1 16 ounce container sour cream
1 large egg lightly beaten
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp ground black pepper
5 tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a 13x9 baking dish.  In a large stockpot, combine squash, bell peppers, onion, garlic and 1 tbsp salt; add water to cover.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes or until tender.  Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine squash mixture, 3 cups cheese, 2 cups crushed crackers, sour cream, egg, thyme, pepper and remaining 1 tsp salt.  Spoon into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

In a small bowl, stir together melted butter and remaining 1 cup crushed crackers; sprinkle over casserole.  Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly, serve immediately.

Don't make this recipe if you are in a hurry!  It takes time to prepare all the veggies before you even get started mixing everything together.  It calls for yellow squash but I like to mix it up a bit so I used half yellow squash and half zucchini.  It makes it more colorful that way.  "Eat the rainbow" so the health nuts say, so adding in the green blended well with the yellow and red (peppers).  Plus you know what Rachel Ray says, "You eat with your eyes first".

This recipe is Paula Deen's, the diabetic queen, so I tried to make it a little more healthy by using low fat sour cream and multi grain crackers instead of plain salted saltines.  It makes a huge amount so it's good if you are entertaining a crowd.  Gary and I both liked it.  I love any kind of squash so this was basically that, a squash casserole only with a lot of added extra flavors like the red peppers, cheddar cheese and thyme.  It's good, I would make it again.

Sausage and Shrimp Gumbo with Green Chile Rice

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (32 ounce) cartons chicken broth
2 (28 ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 pound Cajun-style smoked sausage, sliced
2 cups frozen cut okra
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
Green Chile Rice

In a medium stockpot, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour; cook for 5 minutes whisking constantly or until roux is light golden brown and has a nutty aroma.  Add onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; cook for 10 minutes or until onion is translucent.

Add broth, tomatoes, sausage, okra, bay leaves, pepper, Italian seasoning, coriander, and cumin.  Bring to a boil over medium high heat; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour.  Stir in shrimp; cook 4 minutes or until shrimp are done.  Remove and discard bay leaves.  Serve with Green Chile Rice.

Green Chile Rice
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
3/4 cup water
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chiles, drained and divided
1/4 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, combine broth, rice, 3/4 cup water, 1 can green chiles and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat; stir and immediately reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is tender.  Remove from heat.  Fluff rice with a fork and stir in remaining green chiles.  (I did not add the second can)

Okay, confession time.  I guess spending the past 3 days in Louisiana caused Gary and I to crave gumbo.  Something Cajun rubbed off on us while we were there.  This morning I was looking through a Paula Deen Magazine and found this recipe for gumbo.  I figured I could give it a try since it contained sausage and shrimp only and not disintegrated catfish bits.  (That's what was in the cup Gary had at the Waterfront Grill in Monroe LA)  yuck!  Literally, that is how the waitress described it to me!  Anyway, I am not a big fan of seafood but I will eat shrimp on occasion so in this recipe I used those tiny salad shrimp instead of large shrimp.  I figured that size (for me) would go better with the gumbo anyway so just know you can use whatever size shrimp your little heart desires.  Oh, one more thing.  We also scouted out some authentic Louisiana seasoning while we were there last weekend and we picked up a bottle of Phil Robertson's Spicy Cajun Style Seasoning.  To me this gumbo recipe needed a little kick.  I sprinkled some of this seasoning just across the top of the pot, probably about a 1/2 to 3/4 tsp full.  Well, let me tell you, this not only gave it a kick but a punch, a bite and a slap.  Gumbo is suppose to be spicy, right?!!!

Let me start with the Green Chile Rice.  It is so flavorful and tasty that you could eat it all by itself!  Yes, it's that good.  The gumbo is very delish too!  I'm glad I added the extra Cajun spice.  I can't wait for Gary to taste it because I know he's gonna love it.  You can taste all the spices, vegetables and seasonings along with the sausage and it doesn't have the slightest fishy taste from the shrimp I am happy to report!  This was my first attempt at making gumbo.  My sister can make it, my mother can make it and now I've done it.  Maybe I should challenge them to a gumbo throw down!  :)
How yall are??!!!!!

Soup and Salad

1 HEB Tortilla Soup Kit

1 HEB Harvest Peach Salad Kit

Okay foodies, here is the tip of the day.  Like I told you before, one of my new fav things to do is surf the reduced produce counter at the grocery store.  Most of the time they have perfectly good stuff marked down to half price or less and still taste great.  I purchased the tortilla soup kit for 5.00 (regularly 9.99)and made it to go along with the Idaho Tacos.  It was a perfect compliment to the meal.  It was fast and easy to fix, everything you need is in the soup kit, you just saute the veggies, add the chicken and seasonings and water and simmer for 15 minutes.  They even give you the garnish that goes on top when you serve the soup like the tortilla strips, lime juice, cheese and cilantro.  Supper good soup!  Even the hubby liked it!!!

Now for the salad.  I got this salad kit for 99 cents!  I bought it on a Wednesday and didn't even prepare and serve it until the following Monday and it was still perfectly fresh!  It was a simple salad with romaine lettuce, almond slices, chopped and dried peach pieces and a peachy vinaigrette salad dressing.  You just toss and serve and that was it!  When the dressing hits the peach pieces it plumps them up so you can really taste the fruitiness of them.  It was so delicious.  I served this salad before the tortilla soup and the Idaho Tacos.  Yum!!!!!

Idaho Tacos

1 pound ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
4 baked potatoes

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped green onions
Salsa

In a skillet, brown beef, drain, add taco seasoning and prepare according to package directions.  With a sharp knife, cut on X in the top of each baked potato; fluff pulp with a fork.  Top with taco meat, cheese and onions.  Serve with salsa if desired.

How easy is that?  I did my potatoes in the microwave while I prepared the taco meat so it was a fast meal to prepare as well as easy.  You could and probably should bake the potatoes in the oven, I think they turn out better that way, and another tip would be to not use Ortega Taco Seasoning.  That is the one I used and to me it didn't have much taste to it.  One of the other brands would probably be better.  This was a good meal however, so try it when your in a bit of a hurry to get dinner on the table.  I served it with tortilla soup and a harvest peach salad (details in the post above).  It was a good, light and slightly guilt free dinner not to mention cheap and easy!

Whiskey Black Pepper Pot Roast - and on a budget!

1 HEB Whiskey Black Pepper Pork Shoulder Roast
1 container of HEB Pot Roast Kit Veggies
3/4 cup water
2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat oil in pan, brown all sides of pork shoulder roast using a dutch oven or roasting pan that can start out on the stove top.  Remove from heat, add pot roast vegetables and 3/4 cup water, cover and cook at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until roast if fork tender.

Okay folks, here is my spin on two Food Network cooks where one prepares meals under $10 and the other takes pictures of every single step.  I watched a certain "pioneer" woman this morning taking pictures of everything she made as she was cooking it and I figured if a country girl like her can do it, so can I.  I hope the pictures do this dish justice.

Found this where the pre-chopped veggies are located

Pre-marinated pork roast

See, they still look okay.

Reduced priced Veggies

You'll need a dutch oven, this one is cast iron with a lid.

Only 5.03  Ready to cook

Brown meat then add veggies

Add 3/4 cup water,
cover and roast
at 350 degrees 

I have found a section in the grocery store, just across from the fresh seafood counter, that seems to have really good buys on certain food items each week.  One week I was there they had Jimmie Dean Sage flavored sausage for a buck.  There was tons of this stuff.  I figured it must not be any good since they had an abundance of it and it was marked down to just a dollar.  Turns out, it was probably the best tasting breakfast sausage we had ever had.  Everyone in the house liked it.  Now that they have sold most of it, it's gone back up to nearly 3.00 a roll.  This week I was scanning the same section and found Hillshire Farms Little Smokies,  the turkey variety, marked for a buck.  I figured they were healthier than the beef or pork and if nothing else I could use them for treats for Mr. Little Bob and Baby.  Along side the smokies I found these pre-marinated pork shoulder roast.  They only had the Whiskey Black Pepper flavor but they were only around 5 bucks each so I figured what the heck.  From here I strolled over to the produce section where I have become a fan of the marked down produce.  Not don't get me wrong, we're not hurtin' fer money, I do know where my next meal is coming from and you won't find me in the soup kitchen line, BUT, when you can get fresh produce that has been marked down to less than half the price and it still looks perfectly good, I figure why not.  It has become one of my favorite things to scout out as soon as I enter the store.  I have found those mixed, pre-cut fresh fruit bowls that are usually 9-12 dollars marked down to 4.  Soup mixes anywhere from half price to 99 cents!  Pre-chopped peppers, onions, tomatoes for 99 cents.  Squash and zucchini sliced and ready to saute or stir fry for 99 cents.  As long as they are not mushy, watery, have turned brown or grown hair and look perfectly good I don't see any reason not to use these.  So with this pot roast dish I have spent a total of  $6.02 to feed 3 people for around 2.00 per person.  Even less because this would feed a family of four as well.  So there you have it, Pioneer Woman meets Ten Dollar Dinners meets Chew It Review It!  Bon  A petite!

Onion Cheese Muffins

3 cups biscuit mix
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (3 1/2 oz) french fried onions, crumbled

1 egg
1cup milk

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, beat 1 minute.  Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes or until brown.  Serve warm.  12-15 muffins

I found this recipe in the little tin box and don't ever recall having tried these muffins before.  I made them for dinner and shared them with my mom and sister and neither one of them could recall having these muffins before either.  If you like onion bread or onion rolls you will like these muffins.  I for one can eat french fried onions right out of the can!  These muffins were easy to make and added an unusual flavor to our meal.