Blog Archives

The Robins are here!

3/26/2019

A true sign of spring, I don’t know about you but I am ready! One of my favorite vegetable is mushrooms. I like them added to almost anything. My mother used to make a white sauce and add mushrooms and peas. She would put that in a casserole, sprinkle buttered cracker crumbs and bake it in the oven for a few minutes. It was always my favorite side dish, but these days I eliminate the white sauce, I found another recipe for mushrooms and peas I am sharing with you today. My favorite brand of peas are the GRAND brand frozen tender tiny peas, almost like from the garden.

Buttery Peas and Mushrooms:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 ( 8 oz. ) package sliced fresh mushrooms
1 small white onion, sliced
1 bag frozen sweet peas, thawed
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

In a medium skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onions. Cook until onions are tender. Add broth, peas, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat; let stand for 5 minutes, serve with a slotted spoon.

Have a great week!

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Home again!

3/19/2019

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We had a great time visiting our friends, Joanne and Arv Soma in Tucson, they house sit a relative’s home for 6 weeks in the winter. Joanne’s fx pelvis is healing, she and Arv had food prepared in advance so all we had to do is set the table, help heat up the food and a little clean up. Arv even made pancakes for us at breakfast. The first two days it was rainy and cool with the temperature 60 degrees but our friendship kept us warm! The last two days were sunny and warm, warm enough to sit in lounge chairs by the pool and even have lunch outdoors. None of us were in wheelchairs this year, altho one of us ( I won’t mention names) had a uncomfortable leg, needing a cane and walker part of the time and I took a tumble the day we left but no trips to ER!!
I have always loved meat loaf, a real comfort food in my estimation, I recently tried a new recipe, again from the Paula Deen magazine, it was good enough to make again.

Barbecue Glazed Cheese-stuffed Meat Loaf:
Topping:
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Whisk all together in a small bowl and refrigerate.
Meat Loaf:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper ( optional)
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds lean hamburger
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
4 mozzarella cheese sticks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In skillet, heat oil over medium heat, add onion, bell pepper ant thyme, cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes, cool 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together bread crumbs, chili sauce, ketchup, salt and pepper until crumbs are moistened. Add vegetables, beef, and eggs, stirring gently with a fork. Shape mixture into a rectangular loaf on the prepared pan. Press well into the center of meat mixture, add cheese sticks, cover cheese with meat mixture. Bake for 30 minutes, spoon barbecue topping over meat loaf and bake until meat thermometer inserted into the center of meat registers 160, 20 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Have a great week!

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Warmer temperatures on their way!

3/12/2019

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By the time you read this I will be lounging in Arizona, however rain and cooler temperatures are forecast for the first three days of our visit! I am hoping when we return it will be warmer here with maybe even a hint of spring in the air! It will take awhile for all of this snow to melt, but it will happen.
I have been keeping an eye out for casserole recipes that don’t call for cream soups because they contain fat, salt and also gluten which my grand daughter can’t have, it’s a challenge but I have found a couple. I have tried them both and they are worth making again. I had never tried a Jambalaya rice mix, so after I had cooked it, I tasted and found it very spicy, in fact I didn’t care for it at all but after mixing in all of the other ingredients there was only a hint of spice. I found this recipe in the Paula Deen magazine.

Chicken and Jambalaya Rice Casserole:
2 1/2 cups water
1 ( 8 oz. ) box Jambalaya rice dinner mix
( Zatarain’s brand)
4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 ( 10-ounce) can diced tomatoes
with green chiles
2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend, divided
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 (10 oz.) bag frozen vegetable seasoning blend
Garnish: green onion, optional

In large saucepan, bring the 2 1/2 cups water and rice mix to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until water absorbed.
Spoon cooked rice into a large bowl, add chicken, tomatoes, 1 cup cheese, celery, and cream, mix to combine.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Add vegetable blend to saucepan; cook over medium heat until water has evaporated, about 5 minutes, stir into rice mixture. Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with remaining 1 cup shredded cheese. Bake until hot and bubbly about 25-30 minutes. Garnish with green onion if desired.

Have a great week!

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A Respite from winter!

3/5/2019

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Once again my 5 friends and I are taking a little 5 day respite from this frozen tundra! We are off to Tucson Arizona to hopefully sunshine and warm temperatures! If you remember last year we had some health issues,, I guess it’s a sign of old age because its starting out with issues this year too. Two weeks ago our hostess Joanne Soma fell on the icy drive way helping her husband clear snow, she fracture her pelvis, such a painful injury, but a little fracture pelvis doesn’t stop Joanne. She was in the hospital for two days then home for a few days and then onto a road trip to Tucson and is waiting for the rest of us to arrive. I have been having back problems so last week I had my back injected, I’m just hoping it lasts until I come home from the trip. We won’t be doing a lot of sight seeing, but we always enjoy each other’s company. This year the rest of us can do the cooking and wait on Joanne!

I love the flavor of today’s recipe for herbed pork roast. Leftovers are especially good used in pork fried rice.

Herbed Pork Roast:
1 cup soy sauce
2 Tbp. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried tarragon
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried chives
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. pepper
1 Boneless Pork roast

Combine the 1st 8 ingredients in a plastic bag, add roast, marinate overnight in refrigerator. Bake at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 hours in marinade, or put in crock pot for 5-6 hours.

Stay safe and warm and have a good week!

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Author

I'm Kathy Lloyd. I grew up on a farm near Elmore, MN and have lived in Fairmont for over 44 years. I have always loved to cook, even when I was very young. I loved to stay with my Aunt Dorothy during my childhood. She was a great cook and used to give me freedom in the kitchen, teaching me along the way. She made recipes from our Norwegian heritage, along with pies, homemade doughnuts, yeast bread and cinnamon rolls.

Marrying a husband with a hearty appetite and raising 3 sons and 1 daughter gave me plenty of hungry appetites to satisfy! I worked as a nurse for 42 years and have been retired for 11 years. Even though I loved my work, I love having time to spend with my grandchildren, to experiment with new recipes and work with my flowers in the summer. Life has been very good to me, blessing me with my loving family and great friends!

I enjoy sharing my love of cooking and recipes with the readers of the Photo Press! (I have had my share of cooking failures over the years!)

The Robins are here!

Home again!

Warmer temperatures on their way!

A Respite from winter!

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