Kelly

Roasted Potato Salad

Published August 29, 2022 | By Kelly

5 or 6 medium red potatoes, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon oregeno
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 large eggs, boiled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion (I used sweet, but red is awesome also)
4 - 5 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 cup bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (or bacon bits)

Preheat oven to 425. Place the potatoes into a large bowl; sprinkle the next 5 ingredients over the potatoes and mix well. **Full disclosure here, I actually eye the spices and don't measure - it depends on how much you like of each** Drizzle the olive oil over the potatoes and mix well again. Place the potatoes onto a very large baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. You want the potatoes all in one layer. Cook for approximately 15 minutes then stir and put back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so. Depending on your oven and the size of the potato pieces, it may take a bit more or less time. Just keep an eye on them; you want them soft and cooked through but not crispy. Take them out and let them cool.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, pepper, and paprika (again adjusting the pepper and paprika to your taste). Set aside. Place the cooked (and slightly cooled) potatoes in a large bowl, add eggs, celery, and onion; toss well. Add the dressing and bacon; mix very well. Cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to blend.

Coq Au Vin

Published May 18, 2022 | By Kelly

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt, pepper, garlic powder
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
4 slices bacon, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 (12.0-ounce) package white or baby Bella mushrooms, quartered
2 carrots, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ cups red wine
½ teaspoon thyme

Mix flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large plastic bag. Drop in chicken thighs and shake to coat well. Heat a skillet over medium, add butter and/or oil. Add thighs and cook about 3 minutes per side, just to lightly brown. Transfer chicken to plate. Add 1 T butter to skillet and mushrooms and onion and cook until lightly browned. Add carrots and garlic; continue cooking for just a few minutes.

Add vegetables to crock pot, add broth; mix well. Arrange chicken on top. Add wine and ½ teaspoon of thyme.

Cover and cook on high for 5 – 6 hours. Serve over mashed potatoes or rice.

Cheesy Bundt Bread

Published May 18, 2022 | By Kelly

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, and spread evenly around pan with a paper towel.

Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder in large bowl until combined.

Whisk together eggs, sour cream, and Greek yogurt. Pour mixture into dry ingredients. Add melted butter and stir to combine.

Mix Cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese into the mixture. Pour batter into Bundt pan, spreading evenly to edges.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until inserted toothpick, comes out clean. Remove from oven. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Lemon Pie

Published May 18, 2022 | By Kelly

Apple Spice Cake – with Perfect Vanilla Icing

Published March 19, 2022 | By Kelly

¼ teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup butter, melted

1 granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 can apple pie filling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 pan.

Whisk salt, baking powder, spices, and flour in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.

Cream sugar into melted butter until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then mix in vanilla extract.

Add dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, starting and ending with the flour, mixing gently between each addition. Mix until just combined. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Spoon apple pie filling over cake and bake as directed. Bake Time: 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 15 – 20 minutes. Drizzle with Perfect Vanilla Icing.

Perfect Vanilla Icing

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2–3 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extra

Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, 2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream, and vanilla extract together. Add another Tablespoon of milk or heavy cream to thin out if necessary. For thicker icing, add a little more confectioners’ sugar.

If not using right away, cover and store icing in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Gingerbread Donuts

Published December 29, 2021 | By Kelly

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use whole wheat pastry flour)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch ground cloves, (optional)
pinch ground allspice, (optional)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter,, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar,, packed
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease two 6-count donut pans and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground all spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, whisk together butter, brown sugar and molasses until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg and whisk to combine, another minute. Mix in milk and yogurt. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. Avoid over mixing. Pour batter into donut tins. The tins will be full. Bake for about 13 to 15 minutes, or until donut springs back when lightly touched.

Cinnamon Sugar Coating

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup butter, melted or butter flavor spray

In a wide, shallow dish, whisk together the granulated sugar, cinnamon, and ginger. Dip the tops and bottoms of warm donuts into the melted butter (or spray the warm donuts with butter flavor spray, then immediately into the spiced sugar mixture.

I used this pan from Pampered Chef and the recipe makes 12 perfect size donuts: https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Cookware+%26+Bakeware/Baking+Pans/Donut+Pan/100019

Chex Mix

Published December 5, 2021 | By Kelly

3 cups Corn Chex™ cereal

3 cups Rice Chex™ cereal

3 cups Wheat Chex™ cereal

1 cup peanuts

1 cup bite-size pretzels

1 cup cheerios

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Preheat oven to 250_°

Make the seasoning mixture. Place the butter in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 10-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted, 50 to 60 seconds total. (Alternatively, melt in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat.) Add 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons seasoned salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon onion powder, and whisk well to combine.

Place all the cereals, pretzels, and nuts into a large bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle the seasoning mixture over all of it. Do this in a few stages and mix well in between each to get everything coated.

Bake until lightly brown and crispy. Transfer the mixture onto baking sheets that has been lined with tin foil and sprayed with cooking spray; then spread into an even layer. Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp, 45 to 50 minutes total. Let cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before serving.

The Best Steak You’ll Ever Eat

Published February 16, 2021 | By Kelly

The Best Steak You’ll Ever Eat

I know that’s a big title to live up to – but it really is the best steak I’ve ever eaten. I’ve tried this method on a few different cuts of meat and it works every time – you just have to adjust the cooking time to suit how you like your steak and of course, the thickness.

This recipe makes basically two servings; of course, that depends on your appetite so adjust accordingly! I have been using “tenderloin tails” that I get at a local shop. They are around 4 ounces each and I usually make 3 of them for the two of us and I eat one and Eric eats 2 or sometimes I eat part of one of his 🙂

2 – 3 pieces of steak – recipe is assuming they are around 1 1/2″ to 2″ thick
Worcestershire sauce
“Steak Seasoning” – recipe below
Olive oil

About a half hour before you are going to cook your steak:

dry your steak with paper towels
place steaks in a shallow dish or bowl that you can cover (I use a medium rectangular Pyrex storage container with a lid)
drizzle around a half tablespoon or so (depending on the size of your steaks) of Worcestershire sauce over the steaks and rub in in lightly
sprinkle around a half teaspoon or so (again depending on size) of the “Steak Seasoning” and rub that in well
flip the steaks over and repeat
cover the steaks and let sit at room temperature for 20 – 30 minutes

Cooking the steaks:

preheat oven to 400º
place a light layer of olive oil in your (oven safe) fry pan
get the pan heated up to medium-high
use tongs (not a fork) to place the steaks in the pan
rub them around for a second in the pan to distribute the olive oil and IMMEDIATELY flip them over
cook them for around 2 – 3 minutes (keep an eye on them but DON’T flip them) yet
once a good crust forms on the bottom of each steak flip them over
then IMMEDIATELY put the pan with the steaks into the oven
cook them for about 3 minutes for medium rare
take the pan out of the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting it

Remember this recipes is for the smaller tenderloin tails – a larger cut of steak will take longer, and it depends on how rare to well done you like your steak.

A really easy way to test your steak is the “press” test. When you press on the steak with your finger you can feel the firmness of it. Use this method with your own hand to see what it should feel like:

Hold your hand open and face up – Feel the palm of your hand, just below your thumb. It’s a little soft and fleshy. This is what raw steak should feel like when you touch it.
Now bring your thumb to your pointer finger, and touch that same part of your palm again. Did you notice how it’s slightly firmer? A rare steak should feel like this when you touch it.
Touch your thumb to your middle finger. Notice how that section of your palm tenses up a little more? This is what a medium-rare steak feels like.
Move your thumb to your ring finger. Now the palm may feel slightly flexed. This level of firmness means your steak is cooked medium.
Now touch your thumb to your pinky. That section of your palm will be fairly firm. This is what a well-done steak feels like.

Steak Seasoning

This recipe makes enough for making this recipe several times. I keep it in a small mason jar on my spice shelf. All herbs in this recipe are dried herbs.

2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
1 – 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon salt

I like to put all of this in my mortar and pestle and crush it up a bit as I’m mixing, but the is not completely necessary. Mix it up well and store in a tightly covered container.

Cole Slaw

Published July 4, 2020 | By Kelly

Dressing:
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar or stevia equivalent
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

5 cups shredded cabbage
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

Mix first 6 ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Place cabbage and carrots into large bowl. Stir dressing into the cabbage mixture until well combined. Chill and enjoy!

Egg Roll in a Bowl

Published August 10, 2018 | By Kelly

2 bags (or 4 cups cooked) brown rice (I use the boil in bag brown rice)

1 lb. ground turkey (you could use beef or chicken or pork as well)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium pepper (green, red, yellow or whatever color you like – or mix it up!), chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
1 1/2 Tablespoons sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it more spicy)
1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
3 cups (approximately) shredded cabbage
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

Cook rice according to package directions. You can do this in advance or while you are cooking the rest of the dish.

Place ground meat in a large pan (I use a wok for this) and brown lightly on medium-high heat. Add the onions, peppers, and broccoli and stir fry until the veggies are done almost to your liking. Add the minced garlic, carrots, ginger, and crushed red pepper and saute for another minute or so; add the chicken broth, stir well. Add the cabbage and cook until the cabbage is slightly wilted. Add the soy sauce and rice; mix well and enjoy!