Soul Food Saturday

Some days you want something lighter as a snack. Whether it be after the kids get out of school or you need a snack for a party. Double or even triple this recipe to serve as much or as little as you need. This recipe came from a want for a different flavored spread and dip. I wanted something raspberry flavored and couldn't find it in the store anywhere. So I came home and tried to fill this craving. This one hit the spot, right away. Grab your favorite cracker, or fruit and share with ones you hold dear. Enjoy!

Raspberry Cream cheese Dip
1 8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbs. natural raspberry jam

In a bowl add cream cheese and jam. Mix until combined. 
Serve with your favorite crackers, or fruit

Soul Food Saturday

There are some many things that my Mom cooked for our family growing up that I
believe I could write a book full of just those recipes, and food stories. We weren't picky kids by any sense of the word, but Daddy on the other had his favorites and wanted nothing more than those things, most of the time. 

So to get us excited about whatever new recipe she decided to try she'd come up with a fun way to describe it to us all.

I haven't made this recipe many times on my own, only because I never asked what the recipe actually consisted of. Until now. I hope you'll love it as much as we still do, she calls them Little meatloaf stuffed peppers.

Little Meatloaf Stuffed Peppers
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 c. dried bread crumbs
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c. ketchup plus 8 tsp.
1 14 oz. can sweet corn, drained
8 bell peppers, reserve tops
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 c. cheddar jack cheese

Preheat oven at 400.
Take each bell pepper and cut off only the tops. Remove seeds and ribs. Remove stems from the tops, and chop finely. Place peppers in rimmed baking pan cut side up, then set aside.In a large bowl add ground beef, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan, red pepper flakes,  salt and pepper, ketchup, and corn. Mix to thoroughly combine all ingredients.Take meat mixture and form into 8 balls. Fill each bell pepper leaving a little room on the top.Top with 1 tsp.. of ketchup and cover with foil. Bake for an hour or until juices are bubbling, and peppers are tender.Remove from oven, carefully remove foil, then top generously with cheese. Return to oven, and allow cheese to melt completely.Approx 5-10 minutes. Serve hot, with your favorite side or a salad for a lighter meal. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

With Christmas just passed most of us have baked until wee hours of the morning for everyone we love and had little to nothing left to have with our morning coffee. Grab a steamy mug full of your favorite drink and pull up a seat, this one's for you! 

Very Cherry Dump Cake 

2 21oz. cans cherry pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick of butter, melted

1 c. chopped pecans

 

In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter and set aside. In a 9x13 baking dish add cherry pie filling. Add cake mix on top, evenly. Drizzle entire top with melted butter, then sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Place into 350 preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until browned and bubbling. 

 

Serve hot with ice cream or whipped cream, however you choose this one will be a winner with your family too!

Soul Food Saturday

On days like these we are scrabbling for ideas for what to bring to the office for everyone to have with morning coffee, food gift ideas to bring to our children’s teachers, and goodies for our family postal carriers. Am I right? Well this sweet treat can be all of those things and more if you like. Chocolate Chip and pumpkin, what can beat that? Well me! This recipe makes 2 loaves of bread, so you have 1 to give and one to keep. Sounds like a great deal to me. Grab your favorite hot drink and cozy up with me; we’re making goodies to give. 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Inspired by Taste of Home

 3 c. all-purpose flour

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

4 eggs

1 c. sugar

3 ½ c. canned pumpkin

1 ½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Set aside. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and pumpkin until smooth. Add dry ingredients a third at a time, and mix just until moistened, then fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into 2 (8x4) loaf pans that have been sprayed generously with non stick spray. Bake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted near the center. Cool for 10 minutes before removing for the pans, and transferring to wire racks to cool completely. 

Whether you package it up or not your friends will love this recipe and appreciate the effort you put into it. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

With Christmas time very near, our schedules are full of pot lucks, church celebrations and festivities full of food. So we can never have enough quick, go to recipes for delicious side dishes. This one takes a corn casserole and speeds it up. All done on the stove top and you probably already have the ingredients you need. Grab your best traveling pot, because we're joining the party!

Creamy Corn and Leek Casserole
1 tbs. Olive oil
1 tbs. Unsalted butter
1/2 c. Leek, chopped, rinsed
2 14.5 oz. cans sweet corn, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 c. Sour cream
1/3 c. Shredded cheddar/jack cheese


In a medium pan add butter and olive. Heat until butter has melted. Add leeks, then stir to combine. Cook until leeks have soften, then add corn, salt, pepper and parsley. Stir to combine. Cook until corn is heated through evenly and leeks are tender. Add cheese stir to combine and melted evenly. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Stir to combine. Check seasoning and adjust if needed. Cover with a lid for transport or serve immediately along side your family favorites! Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

During every holiday we have those go to recipes that everyone expects to see. I am talking about a dessert usually served cold with lots of whipped cream and wonderfully sweet. Now that I have your complete attention how about we take similar ingredients and turn them into a cupcake shape and bake it? Yes, I said cupcake shapes on your holiday table. What could be greater than that? Not many things in my opinion. Grab a napkin because this one can be served without a plate or even a fork!

Baked Ambrosia Cupcakes

5 slices white bread, diced

4 tbs. butter, room temperature

1/4 c. Sugar

2 eggs, beaten

20 oz can fruit cocktail in light syrup drained, and diced

1/4 c. pineapple juice

1/4 c. half&half

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

In a large bowl cream sugar and butter together. Add juice, half and half, eggs and cinnamon then blend to combined. Stir in fruit and bread. Stir to coat bread completely. Add mixture into greased muffin tin. Bake in preheated 350 oven for 35 minutes or until top is brown and juices are bubbling. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving to make removing from the pan easier. Top with whipped cream if desired. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

With Holiday time comes all things pumpkin. Including coffee! How many times have you craved a big as they come, full cup of this favorite coffee house specialty and not been able to get away for one? For me it's more often than I'd like to think about. It seems I can never have enough. And truthfully the grocery store creamers are good but they don't quite hit the spot for me. So here I have a treat as well as a gift. A new version of this delight, made right in your kitchen.

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

2 c. Sugar

2 c. Water

1/4 c. Pumpkin puree

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

In a medium sauce pan add all ingredients and stir to combine. Cook for approx 10  minutes, stirring frequently. Strain mixture through fine mesh strainer, twice. Chill

Mix 1 to 2 tbs. of syrup with coffee and warm milk to taste.

Finish with whipped cream and pumpkin spice if desired. Enjoy

Soul Food Saturday

I know for our family we are all about traditions. Every Thanksgiving we have the same recipes because they are someone's favorite. And for some we don't have every aunt, uncle or cousin to make those recipes all the time, am I right? So we NEED those comforts. Ever thought about mixing it up just because? Well this is where asparagus comes in. A twist on our favorite casserole takes a turn and adds some spice. Grab a plate, you've gotta taste this!


Loaded Asparagus Casserole
2 tbs. Unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c. Half and half
2 cans asparagus tips, drained
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c. Fried jalapeños, divided

In a medium pan add butter and allow to melt. Add onion and stir to combine with butter. Cook until onion has softened slightly. Add bacon and stir to combine. Cook until onions are clear and bacon is cooked through. Add mushroom soup along with half and half, then stir to combine until smooth. Add pepper and asparagus, stirring again to combine. Add 1/2 c. of fried jalapeños and stir gently to combine.
Transfer mixture to 9inch round baking pan. Place in 375 oven uncovered. Bake 10-15 minutes or until bubbling. Remove from oven and add remaining 1/2 c. of fried jalapeños  to top. Return to oven for additional 5 minutes or until top is browned. Garnish with dried parsley if desired. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

You know the day that you're on turkey and stuffing overload, that you could use a break in the madness before Christmas? Well in comes the little eggplant. With butter, cheese, and bacon who can say no? This side dish idea goes perfect any grilled meat or fish. Grab a fork, and give this one a try.

Eggplant Ragu
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 large eggplant, chopped
1 small onion, diced
4 strips bacon, diced
1 Anaheim chile, diced
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1tbs. Olive oil
1 tbs. Butter

In a medium pan add oil and butter, then heat until butter has melted. Add onion, mushrooms and peppers. Add 1/4 tsp. of salt. Stir to combine. Cook until onion has softened and has began to turn clear. Add bacon. Stir to combine. Cook until bacon has began to render and then add eggplant. Along with garlic and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook until eggplant is tender. Stirring often. To finish check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Add 1/4 c of Parmesan to top. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

Now that the kids are busy in school and our work schedules seem to run together with our daily activities; we are on the look out for ways to let our grocery store help us out. Not to mention the holiday rush is around the corner! Yep, I said it out loud. Take the help folks! Those bags of precut bagged salads and roasted meats save time! I know what you’re all thinking though, Mrs. Soul Food that is so boring! Fear not, this idea is fun, fresh, and flavorful! And even better than that it’s really quick! Grab a fork, this one is good enough to eat out of the pot.

 

 

Rotisserie Chicken 

and 

Garden Veggie Stir Fry

 1 tbs. olive oil

8 oz. sliced baby Bella mushrooms

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 c. leek, green part, chopped

1 whole rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed, chopped

1 bag broccoli slaw salad mix (no dressing)

2 Anaheim chilies, chopped finely

3 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

 

In a heated large skillet add oil, leeks, mushrooms, chilies, garlic, and salt to taste. Sauté, until veggies have softened, stirring often. Add slaw mix, tomatoes, and additional sprinkle of salt to taste. Stir to combine. Allow veggies to wilt slightly and warm through.

Add chicken and check for seasoning. Add additional salt if desired. Stir to combine, allow chicken to warm through, check once more for seasoning and add any additions if necessary.

Can be served with rice, warm tortillas or alone as a one pot wonder. Enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

Anyone interested in family movie night? Well in this house we love evenings like these! Is the best part that you don’t have to cook, but take out? Or is it the one evening you plan on cooking together? For us we really enjoy cooking together, so this recipe fits these types of nights perfectly. How about home made pizza dough? Yes, one you made at home, together with all your favorite topping combinations.

Grab your favorite movie, its pizza night!

 

Homemade Pizza Dough 

Adapted from Center Cut Cook

 1 packet rapid rise yeast

1 c. warm water

2 ½ c. all purpose flour

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp. salt

2 tbs. olive oil

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella/ cheddar cheese blend

Turkey pepperoni

Thin sliced onion, green bell pepper, tomato 

 

In a large bowl, add water and yeast. Stir until the yeast is dissolved. Then add flour, honey, salt, and olive oil. Stir to thoroughly combine. After all ingredients have combined then use your hands to knead the dough for several minutes. Shape the dough into a ball, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees

This is where you decide if you want one large pizza or 2 small ones. If you’d like 2 small, divide the dough ball in half and set one aside covered. Roll the second half into an 8 inch circle. Spray your 9 inch pie plate and place rolled dough in the pie plate. Repeat with the second. If you’d prefer one large spray your pizza pan, and roll out dough to 16 inch circle. Place onto the pizza pan.

Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. Place the pizza into the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is crispy and the cheese is melted. Cut into slices and enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

There is something I can't quite put my finger on about beer bread. It tastes so good I want to have it all the time. So what do you do on the days "your favorite mix" is out of stock? I found a candidate, that worked out great!
Grab a napkin, you've gotta taste this!

 Beer Bread
3 c. All purpose flour
3 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. Brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (12 oz.) can beer
1/4 c. butter, melted


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9x5 lightly with non stick cooking spray. Set aside. In a medium bowl add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add beer and mix until just moistened. Add to prepared pan. Top with melted butter. Bake 45-55 minutes until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from pan and cool on a rack. Serve hot or room temperature.

Whether you serve this with a bowl of chili or a pot of soup, this one is sure to be a winner!

Soul Food Saturday

Even though the weather didn’t get the memo that it’s now Fall, surprisingly it is. With this new season; it brings thoughts of warm sweet treats and everything pumpkin. And how could pumpkin ever be made better? Well, how about making a brownie? Now that I have your full attention, grab a glass of milk and try this new recipe with me!

 

 

Pumpkin Brownies 

Adapted from Cookies and Cups

2 boxes Jiffy Brownie mix

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a bowl mix together brownie mix, spices, and pumpkin until smooth. Spread batter into a lightly sprayed 9x9 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until set. Let cool completely, before slicing. 

Welcome Fall with these sweet treats, find a buddy to share with. Enjoy! 

Soul Food Saturday Special Birthday Edition

On this special edition of Soul Food Saturday we are celebrating Monkey's birthday. I can't believe another year has past, and he's grown so much. Most of you know already that Monkey is a big eater, and LOVES Mexican food. Since this year he turns the big 1-0 we need a bunch of food to celebrate in a BIG WAY!!

Thank you again to Mr. and Mrs. Everyday for letting us celebrate right along with you!!! Grab your party hats, its party time! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!!!  

May God keep you nearest Him always, remind you daily of His truest love, shower you with His ultimate blessings, guide your every step, and give you decades more birthdays to be blessed with. Love you always, Mrs. Soul food

 

This menu stems from one recipe of Crock pot Chile Verde. Yep, one recipe cooked up and divided to create several meals; for the ultimate celebration!

Plus, we’ll have a fun dessert and a sparkling party drink! 

Crock pot Chile Verde Pork 

3 lbs. boneless pork roast

1 29 oz. can green enchilada sauce

4 jalapenos, diced 

1 large onion, diced 

Granulated garlic, to taste

Salt to taste 

Add onion, and peppers to the bottom of the crock pot. Then add pork roasts on top. Season roasts with salt and garlic. Add sauce over top of roasts and veggies. Cover and cook on high power 6-8 hours or until tender. Shred pork and return it to the sauce. Sauce will thicken as it rests.

Chile Verde Pork Nachos

4 c. corn tortilla chips

2 c. shredded cheddar- jack cheese

2 c. Chili verde pork, shredded with sauce

Add 1 c. chips to the bottom of the plate, top with ½ c. of Chile Verde, and ½ c. of cheese. Microwave; on high power for 45-60 seconds, or until cheese is melted.  Serve hot and top with sour cream or jalapenos if desired.

 

Chile Verde Pozole in a Hurry

 Remaining pork and sauce left from Crock pot recipe (4 c. pork with 5-6 c. sauce)

1 28oz can Mexican style hominy. 

Lemons cut into wedges

Cabbage, shredded

 

Optional toppings:  shredded cabbage, squeeze of lemon

 

For this recipe we are going back to the crock pot. Take remaining shredded meat along with the sauce. Add it all to a soup pot. Add hominy with its liquid. (If you prefer more broth in your pozole add one cup at a time and adjust seasoning as needed)

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes just until hominy has softened and heated through. Serve with all your favorite toppings, like cabbage and a squeeze of lemon. Enjoy!

 

We can’t have a birthday party without a dessert, right? This one is a birthday cake with a twist. We kicked it up with fruit and lots of whipped topping. What would be better than that you think, well how about an individual size? Grab a spoon, because this one is good all the way to the bottom of the glass!

 

Strawberry Cheese Cake Birthday Parfaits

 1 French vanilla cake mix

3 eggs

½ c. vegetable oil

1 tsp cinnamon

 

8oz tub of whipped topping

4 oz cream cheese

2 c. chopped strawberries

 

In a medium bowl add cake mix, eggs, oil and cinnamon. Mix to combine completely. (Approx. 2 min with electric beaters) Spray two 9 inch pie plates with non stick spray and divide batter between both pans and bake as package directs. Bake until done and allow to completely cool before assembling parfaits. (Cut cake into 4 pieces- each parfait will take a quarter of the cake)

In a medium bowl add half of whipped topping container with cream cheese. Mix until completely combined. (We personally liked the sweetness it already had so no additional sugar was needed, if you prefer it sweeter; add 1 tbs. of powdered sugar) Set aside

 

In a glass that holds approx 2 cups. Take a quarter of the cake and break it into pieces. Add cake pieces to bottom of the glass. Then add ¼ c of the cream cheese mixture on top. Add ¼ c. strawberries as the next layer. Repeat with another layer of cake, top with ¼ c. whipped topping and finish with strawberries on top.

 

 

And last but definitely not least, we have come to the yummy party drink. Mrs. Everyday loves to indulge Alex with fun drinks; but keeping the sugar at a moderate level is something important to her as well. So keeping that in mind I decided why not bomb limeade with cherries, and fizz it up with sparking water! Keeping a bit of sweet and a little sour with a whole lot of fun! Cheers to you birthday boy!

 

Cherry Bombed Sparkling Limeade

 1 can limeade concentrate

2 liters Sparkling water

Maraschino cherries 2-3 per glass

 

 In a 2 quart pitcher add limeade concentrate and sparkling water. Mix to combine. Add ice to a pretty glass and top with limeade. Bomb your glass with cherries, and enjoy!

Soul Food Saturday

Ever have one of those days where you have thought about what to make for dinner all day? That you have to make it, because it literally has become a craving in the back of your mind by this point? Because you are for sure you have all you need for the recipe you dive in head first without double checking…Yep that was me with this recipe. I’d gotten nearly through and found I was missing a main ingredient! What’s Jambalaya without rice? Well normally it would just be meat, seafood and veggies with a delicious sauce. But suddenly my mind went back to a day of watching one of our favorite shows. Swamp People. Bruce made Jambalaya Pasta. Jambalaya PASTA!!! I was just as surprised to see it as some of you may be just hearing it. I had pasta! This is where the recipe continued, and you get to try something new with me. Grab a fork and bring your best pasta twirling skills, this one is going to be good!

 

 

Spicy Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya Pasta

 1 TBS olive oil     

1 lb. fresh spicy sausage links, sliced

2 yellow bell peppers,  julienne

2 lb. precooked, frozen salad shrimp

1 medium sweet onion,  sliced

2 tsp. Granulated garlic   

Salt to taste

3 tsp. ground cumin      

2 TBS. flour

1/2 lb. Cooked noodles (I used fettuccine)

In a large skillet add oil and sausage pieces. Stir to coat with oil and cook until browned.  Cover and lower the heat. Cook until sausage is no longer pink. Remove sausages from pan. Then add onions, peppers, and half of seasonings. Sprinkle with a touch of salt. Stir to combine. Cook until peppers and onions have softened.  Add shrimp and remaining seasonings. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer until shrimp is warmed through. Add flour to a small bowl with 1 c. of cooking liquid. Stir to combine and remove lumps. Raise heat slightly till juices are near boiling. Add flour mixture and stir to combine. Allow for mixture to boil and begin to thicken. Add sausages back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until thickened and sausage has heated through. Stir in cooked pasta.

Soul Food Saturday Labor Day Edition

 I can't believe its Labor Day weekend! The last big hurrah of Summer fun before the kids start a new year of school (Or for some of us, our 3rd week of school!)  With that said I thought we all needed a big send off with a nice plate of pork ribs. We've fallen in love with these and couldn't help but share a big plate. Here's to another great Summer, Cheers!

Peppered Pork Ribs
3 1/2 lb. Rack of Pork Ribs
2 TBS Spicy Steak seasoning

Rinse meat under cool water, and pat dry. Season each side with 1 TBS steak seasoning. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then add to grill and cook as desired.

Whether you add these ribs to a mountain of other grilled meats or have it with a side of slaw; it's sure to please any Flinstone sized appetite. Enjoy!