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.

Chicken Divan

3 - 4 chicken breast, skinned and boiled in salt water for 1 1/2 hours.  Drain and de-bone
1 package frozen broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry powder
bread crumbs
shredded cheese
butter

Butter a casserole dish and preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook broccoli according to package directions.  Drain any liquid and place broccoli in the bottom of buttered casserole dish.  Shred chicken and place over broccoli.  Mix together the sauce:  cream of chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle bread crumbs over sauce and top with shredded cheese.  (cheddar, longhorn or Velvetta will work)  Bake for 25 minutes.

If my husband were reviewing this recipe he would have just one thing to say....Yuck!  He doesn't care for this dish and I'll tell you why.  When we were dating in high school and he would come over for dinner, 9 times out of 10 this was the meal we were having.  He calls this dish Chicken On A Couch.  I think that in the beginning he might have liked it a little, but after having it served to him over and over and over he now almost all but refuses to eat it.  (He's getting it for dinner tonight whether he likes it or not!)  The rest of the family really likes this dish.  It's easy to prepare and looks and taste like you went to a lot of trouble to make it.  Serve it with a salad and garlic bread and you'll be a hit with your dinner crowd.  It's really very good especially if you appreciate the taste of curry.  We have been married for 29 years, 1 month and 22 days and this is the first time I have ever made this dish for my family.  THAT's how much my husband does not care for the dish.  I'd be willing to bet that he eats a second helping.  Usually when I make something he is not a fan of I try to disguise it as something else.  Like the times when we were on a budget and I made Hamburger Helper for dinner.  I would make it look as attractive as possible making sure to throw the box away so he wouldn't catch on.  He would usually eat it without any suspensions.  One thing I can't get by him is instant mashed potatoes.  He can spot those babies a mile away.  No matter how much I try to mask what they really are he always knows when they are instant.  Anyway, don't let his opinion of this dish sway your vote.  Try it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

P.S.  I stand corrected.  He only ate one helping.  He really does dislike it!