BLT Night (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato

"Yesterday, we had BLT's! YUM! I love BLT's, but the bacon has to be crispy (not soggy) and the tomatoes and lettuce have to be fresh (not rotting)."
"It was all put together on  two slices of toasted fresh organic honey wheat bread with  olive oil mayo. I also added a slice of organic white cheddar cheese for a little extra POP!" 

http://www.worldrecordsacademy.org/food/largest_BLT_Sandwich_Iron_Barley_set_world_record_112435.html

Check it out! The world's Largest BLT wass 224 ft and 3 inches long!

Spaghetti and Grass Fed Meatballs - Rice Cooker Style

"I wanted to try one of the recipes in my new rice cooker book, so I tried Spaghetti and Meatballs.  It was so quick and easy and the clean up was very limited as  I did not have to use any pots. The recipe is below! Have I mentioned that I really like my new rice cooker? The greatest thing about it is it's not just for rice, it's for soooo MUCH MORE!"

Spaghetti and Meat Balls in Rice Cooker

Add the ingredients below to the rice cooker, put the lid on and turn on - Cook for about 20 - 35 minutes.

1 lb of Cooked Meatballs

1tsp Garlic

1tsp Italian Seasoning

1 Large Jar of Tomato Sauce

3/4 of a Box of Spaghetti or Linguine

3 1/2 Cups of Water

Clam Chowder and a Soft Pretzel

"Yes, homemade clam chowder is wonderful, especially in a bread bowl at Fishermen's Wharf in San Francisco, but sometimes you just don't have the time. This is canned clam chowder, but it was still very enjoyable and comforted my desire to have a bowl of creamy soup.  Along with the soup I had a baked soft pretzel which was great because I could dip it in the soup instead of using crackers."

"If you had to pick, what would be your favorite kind of canned soup?"

Got to Use the New Rice Cooker and Chicken Fajitas

"Last night we had chicken fajitas with red and yellow peppers and onions mixed with Frontera Fajita Sauce topped with a Greek yogurt fajita sauce all inside  a whole wheat tortilla. I've posted this recipe in the past so what I would really like to highlight is the Spicy Lime White Rice that I got to make in my new rice cooker.  Boy was it good! I love my rice cooker! If you don't have one it is definitely worth the investment.  I put the dry rice in the cooker with butter, s &p, lime juice and hot sauce. Next I added chicken broth, put the lid on and hit start. 15 - 20 minutes later the rice was done. It was creamy and fluffy and had just the right amount of spice and acidity.  It just seemed to get so much better in the cooker versus on the stove top.  The cooker came with a recipe book, I am looking forward to trying out some of the recipes.  It also came with a vegetable steamer so I can cook my fresh vegetables or even fish at the same time as the rice.  Stay tuned because you will be seeing more posts as I go on more adventures with my rice cooker!"

Interesting Facts about Rice

http://www.rice-trade.com/interesting-facts-about-rice.html



Salmon Ricotta Stuffed Shell Noodle Surprise

"I wanted to have salmon for dinner, but I also had to use up the leftover ricotta cheese, large shell noodles and celery in the fridge. I pondered what in the world I could make with such random ingredients.  I decided to take the ricotta cheese, cooked salmon and celery and make a filling for the shell noodles.  The only problem was I did not think I would have enough shell noodles compared to the amount of filling.  I boiled off some gluten free macaroni noodles as a back up to mix in with any extra filling.  See below to see how I created the final product."

Salmon Ricotta Stuffed Shell Noodle Surprise Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees

2.Mix 1 1/2 cups of Ricotta Cheese with the following:

Chopped Celery from one large piece, s & p, dried parsley, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese and 2 filet's worth of cooked salmon

2. Stuff Cooked Shells with Filling  - I took the extra filling and mixed it in with the cooked macaroni noodles, but you could also just use more large shell noodles

3. Place Stuffed Shells in a 9x13 pan.  If you have macaroni noodles they can be spread over top of the shells

4. Pour 3/4 cup of milk over the stuffed/filled noodles and sprinkle 1/2 to 3/4 cup of parmesan cheese over the noodles.

5. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes and Serve

"The end result was quite yummy.  The only thing I would change next time is to have more shells for the filling or more filling for the amount of macaroni. The shells tasted great, but the macaroni was a little bland."

Chili and Saltines

"For those of you who have read my blog in the past, you know that I've had good days with Chili and I've had  really bad days with Chili.  Yesterday was a really good day! The Chili had just the right amount of spice and it was hearty and thick versus soupy and too runny.  This will be a redo recipe next time I'm in the mood for chili." 

Chili Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and add chopped onions and ground turkey meat

2. Brown Ground Turkey and Onions will be tender
3. Dissolve 1 packet of Simply Organic Chili Mix with 1/4 cup of water
4. Add Dissolved Chili Mix, 1 can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and 1 can of chili beans to the turkey/onion mixture
5. Add Salt, Pepper, Chili Powder and Garlic Powder to Season
6. Let Chili Bubble on the Stove for about 5 minutes so it's nice and thick

Interesting Fact: During the filming of the movie "Cleopactra" in Rome Italy, Elizabeth Taylor had Chasen Restaurant in Hollywood, CA ship her 10 quarts of chili.  It cost her about $200.00. 

Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Brown Rice

"We had  fresh spinach in the fridge that was soon to expire so it needed to be a part of our dinnertime. I decided to make a spinach four cheese filling for the chicken breasts that was also in the fridge.  I had never made this filling before so I was excited to see how it would taste.  It was wonderful! The chicken was juicy and tender and the spinach/cheese filling had great flavor.  You will see the recipe below.  If you are a chicken, spinach, all around cheese type of person then this one is for you! Aside the chicken we  had brown rice that was seasoned with butter, s&p and hot sauce. Monday night dinner = success!!"

Stuffed Chicken Breast Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Heat Saute Pan on the stove and add oil to coat

3. Add Spinach, (about 1 1/2 cups) 1 small chopped onion, 1 tsp of garlic, s &p to the pan and cook till tender

4. Stir into the spinach mixture the following: 1 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 feta cheese, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

5. Pound each chicken breast till flat

6. Fill each chicken breast with about a 1/4 cup of filling (maybe more maybe less depending on the size of the chicken breast - Roll Chicken with the filling in the center, use toothpicks to hold together

7. Place all filled chicken breasts in a pan - coat with any extra filling

8. Bake for about 35 - 40 minutes until chicken juices run clear

Did you know that Spinach has a rich source of iron? Eat the green stuff it's good for you!