Texas Chili

1 lbs lean ground hamburger

1 lbs frozen HOT Jimmy Dean sausage

1 yellow onion diced

1 large green bell pepper diced

1 large red bell pepper diced

6 TBls Chili powder

1 can dark kidney beans with liquid

1 can navy beans with liquid

8 ounce tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

Fry hamburger and sausage in large soup pot. drain fat

Add onions, green pepper and red pepper, cook a few minutes

Add chili powder, stir.

Add cans of beans, stir.

Add tomato sauce and beef broth, stir.

Simmer for 1 hour until blended and enjoy.

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Seasoned Sour Cream and Potato Wedges

1/4 cup Mayonaise

1/4 cup sour cream

3/4 tsp dried parsely

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper

Mix everything in a bowl and serve with potato wedges or baked potatoes or French fries.

Potato Wedges

4 large russet potatoes

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Tbls butter melted

1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

1/2 TBls dried rosemary 

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cloves finely minced garlic or one large clove

handful of fresh italian parsley chopped

Pre heat oven to 500 degrees

Wash and scrub the potatoes. cut them in wedges.

Add everything else but the potatoes  to an oversized bowl, mix well.

Add potato wedges and mix well.

Put the potato wedges by hand one by one (don't dump or all the oil gets messy on the pan)

Don't have them touch. If you need another baking sheets do that. 

Take a spoon and spoon the leftover oil mixture over all the potatoes.

Bake for 15 mins. take out and flip each potato 

bake another 10 minutes. 

you might have to cook longer or shorter depending on the size of your potato wedges.

they are done when they get a nice brown color. 

Enjoy.

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Sloppy Joe From Scratch

2 lbs ground lean hamburger

4 cloves garlic 

15 oz tomato sauce

2 Tble BBQ sauce

1 cup ketchup

4 Tbls brown sugar

4 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp prepared yellow mustard 

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2-1tsp ground black pepper

Brown hamburger is a large pot. Once cooked, add garlic and cook a few minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredient to the hamburger. 

Simmer until thick. Around 20-40 minutes.  

Serve on a toasted bun with pickles, cheese or jalapeño's. 

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 GET A DEEPER POT TO COOK IT IN SO IT DOESN'T BUBBLE AND SPLASH AS IT SIMMERS.  

Refrigerator Pickled Jalapeños

1/2 pound fresh jalapeño peppers

1 3/4 cups white vinegar

1 large clove garlic

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/8 tsp turmeric 

Wash peppers, cut off the stems and slice into 1/8 rings.

Place jalapeños in a bowl of water and swirl them around.  I do this to get rid of some of the seeds.  Home grown jalapeño's have a lot of seeds.  

place one clove of garlic in the jar.

Add sliced jalapeños to a jar, as much as you can.

Mix the vinegar, salt and turmeric in a small saucepan and slowly bring to near boiling.

Pour the warm brine over the peppers in the jar, seal with the lids.

Allow the mixture to cool then store in the refrigerator.

Let the Chile peppers marinate for several days before using them.  

With refrigeration, the peppers will keep for several months. 

NOTE: I don't measure my jalapeño's, I just slice up however many I grow from my garden, I make a batch of brine and pour it over.  If I don't have enough brine, I make another batch or 1/2 a batch depending on how much more I need.  

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Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells With Red Sauce

20 Jumbo shells

Traditional Red sauce

1 Tbls olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chipped

100g fresh spinach leaves

salt and pepper 

pinch of nutmeg

15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

1 egg

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Filling:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onions and cook until translucent, add garlic for 1 minute.  Add the spinach and cover with a lid.  Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season with nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from the heat and let cool.  Transfer to a cutting board and chop the spinach.  

Mix the ricotta cheese, egg, mozzarella cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add in the spinach filling.

Put in a zip lock bag or piping back. Place in refrigerator to firm up.

Boil Noodles for 6 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Add a splash of olive oil on them while they cool so they don't stick.

Once cool, Stuff with filling. Add some traditional red sauce on the bottom of a baking pan, Add in the stuffed shells, don't over crowd.

Top with some more red sauce if you want and add some mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake 350 for 20-40 minutes until bubbly or cheese golden brown. (depends on how many shells you are cooking) just keep checking it after 20 minutes. 

Let rest for 10 minutes before eating.

NOTES:

You can stuff the shells, freeze on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once frozen put uncooked shells in a freezer ziplock bag.  You can cook as many as you want with red sauce.

Or you can cook them and put some with red sauce in an individual freezer container and heat in microwave when ready to eat single servings.

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I used 3/4 of a bag of fresh express baby spinach  in a bag. I'm sure you could use the entire bag it shrinks up and wouldn't hurt if you like spinach. 

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 100gr fresh spinach leaves
• a pinch of nutmeg

Pork Butt

CROCKPOT  METHOD

4 Lbs boneless pork butt/shoulder

1/2 TBls sea salt

1/2 Tbls garlic powder

1/2 TBls onion powder

1/2 TBls onion flakes

1/2 TBls chili powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or more

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried chipotle pepper or equivalent
1 TBls brown sugar

2 TBls worcestershire sauce

1/4-1/2 CUP WATER

Rinse and dry off the pork roast.

Mix all the dry spices. Then add Worcestershire sauce to make a paste.

Rub the paste all over the pork butt. 

Put in a zip lock bag for overnight.

Next day put the pork butt in the CROCKPOT with 1/4c-1/2cup of water.

Cook on High for 6-7 hours.

Take the roast out of the crockpot and cut the fat off and shred..

Add back to crock pot with juices and cook another 1-2 hours.

NOTE: you could try and smoke this as well.


ROASTER OVEN METHOD

same recipe above.

Take the roast out of the zip lock bag that has been marinating overnight or 2 nights.

Add 1 cup of water on the bottom (I only added 1/2 c and it was dry after 3 1/2 cooking)

Place in the pork butt.

Turn the temperature to 300 degrees and place lid on

check on it in 3 hours (I checked it on in 3 1/2 hours and the liquid was almost gone and it was able to shred)

Take the roast out of the roaster and cut the fat off and shred.

If you need to add more water to the roaster do so at this time deglazing the pan.

Place the shredded pork back into the roaster.

Turn the roaster down to 150 degrees until you are ready to eat.


UPDATE:

I made the  Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini recipe
with the leftover pork butt instead of turkey or chicken 
see the recipe here

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THIS IS WHAT MY ROASTER LOOKS LIKE.

IT WORKS EITHER WAY YOU COOK IT, JUST DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME.

Sesame Pasta Salad with Ginger Dressing

I got this recipe off the internet from little spice jar. It is yummy. The recipe had chicken in it, I didn't add it in for vegetarian, plus a quicker recipe.  It also called for  can of mandarin oranges, but I didn't put those in either. 

6 ounce bowtie pasta

4 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1/3 cup sliced almonds

1 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup chopped scallions

1/3 cup wonton strips

Dressing

2 small garlic, minced

1 1/2 TBls ginger paste

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 TBls low sodium soy sauce

1 TBls toasted sesame oil

1 TBls toasted sesame seeds

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

Mix all the dressing together in a mason jar and shake until sugar is dissolved.

Cook the pasta and rinse with cold water and pat dry.

Add all the salad ingredients with pasta.  drizzle on as much dressing as you want.

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Roasted Veggie Orzo Salad

4 large baby bella mushrooms sliced in pieces

1 bunch asparagus (I didn't measure, cut into pieces)

1 yellow bell pepper cut into pieces

12 oz cherry tomatoes cut in half (I forgot to put them in so you don't see them in the pic)

2 garlic cloves (after they cook chop is smaller)

1/2 cup onion large slices (after they cook, cut them smaller

3 Tbls olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup Orzo

1 1/2 cup water

2 tsp better than bouillon vegetable base

1/2 cup feta cheese (you can use flavored feta for plain)

1/3 cup slices almonds (optional)

2 Tbls olive oil

1 Tbls lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbls fresh basil chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut up all the vegetables.  Put mushrooms, asparagus, yellow pepper, tomatoes, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix. Pour them onto a cookie pan lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until vegetables are crisp tender. Remove from oven to cool.

Take 1 1/2 cup hot water and mix the 2 tsp of vegetable base in it. set it aside.

In a small pan add 1 TBLs olive oil and 1 cup orzo.  Cook on medium until the orzo starts to brown, stirring all the time.  Don't let it get burned.  

When the orzo starts to get brown, add the vegetable stock slowly.  Stir and put a lid on it, reduce heat to simmer for 15 mins. 

Dressing: add olive oil, lemon juice salt, pepper and basil to a small mason jar and shake until mixed.

When the veggies are done, add them to a large bowl. when the orzo is done fluff it and add it to the veggies in the large bowl. Add the dressing to the veggies and orzo, mix up.

Add the feta  cheese and almonds if you decide to.  stir and enjoy.

You can eat it warm, room temperature or cold.  

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Oatmeal Cups

I found this recipe online and made it with raspberry and chocolate.  They turned out delicious.  So I made the one with blueberry and again delicious.  I will keep trying different flavors and add as I make them. 

(picture above is the blueberry one)

3 cups gluten free oatmeal 

1/8 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp melted coconut oil (you can use olive oil)

1/3 cup maple syrup (real maple syrup, not the fake kind)

1 egg

1 1/2 cup almond milk

This is the base for the oatmeal cups. Add in whatever you want for different flavors.

Makes 9 cups

Don't use liners they stick.

spray the muffin pans or use melted coconut oil to grease the muffin cups.

Bake 375 for 20 mins. Let cool for 10 mins before taking out of muffin tin

Raspberry chocolate:

add in 2 TBls raspberry preserve

1/4 semi sweat chocolate chips 

Blueberry:

add in frozen blueberries, fresh work also. 

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 These 2 pictures are the raspberry chocolate flavor

Apple Sauce Pressure Cooker

5 Organic Apples (I used 1 granny smith and 4 honey crisp), cored and chopped (I left the skins on for the fiber), make sure you scrub them clean, try and get organic as much as possible for less pesticides on the apple.  

1/4 cup distilled water or bottled water

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1 TBls pure maple syrup

1/2 TBls fresh lemon juice

Mix everything in a measuring cup and stir.

Add the liquid to the pressure cooker, then add the chopped apples, stir.

Put the lid on and set it to high, pressure on.

Set the timer to pressure cook for 5 minutes.

When it beeps let it naturally depressurize for 5 minutes.  

After the 5 minutes release any left pressure in the pot.

Open the lid.

I used a strainer and strained out the liquid. 

I put the apple chunks in a large mason jar.

I used my immersion blender to blend up the apples until smooth. 

I like my applesauce smooth.  If you like it chunky then don't blend. 

I cooled the jar on the counter, then put it in the refrigerator to cool off and thicken up.

I saved the liquid from the apples incase it got too thick after it cools.  

If it isn't sweet enough, after it cools you can add honey to make it as sweet as you like.  Just add in a little at a time, stir and taste.  

You can double the recipe if you want to make a larger batch.  

You can keep this applesauce in your refrigerator for 1-2 weeks.

You can freeze this applesauce in containers or ziplock bags for months.

Enjoy

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This is how much of applesauce 5 apples make.  I also put the liquid in a jar to save in case it got too thick after cooling.  

Lasagna Soup/Pasta Pressure Cooker

1 lbs ground hamburger (or jimmy dean sausage, ground turkey or chicken)

Optional: diced onion and crushed garlic

32 ounces of water

32 ounces of pasta sauce

12 ounces dried noodles 

Optional: you can add in some dried Italian seasoning for more flavor. 

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

8 ounces ricotta cheese

Brown 1 lbs hamburger on the sauté button on the pressure cooker, drain if a lot of fat. 

Optional: you can add in diced onion and crushed garlic for more flavor.  

add water, pasta sauce, dried noodles to cooked meat.

Optional: you can add in some dried spices for more flavor. Like Italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil ect.  I used my own pasta sauce so it depends on what sauce you use. Add in 1-2 tsp. It won't hurt.  

Put the pressure cooker on high and pressure seal. 

Set pressure cooker to 5 minutes

When it is done pressure cooking in 5 minutes, do a quick release, open the lid.

Stir the pasta and add in ricotta cheese.  Keep stirring until the ricotta is melted.

Add in mozzarella cheese and stir until melted. 

Enjoy

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Chicken and Rice Pressure Cooker

14 oz chicken breast (just bare fillets brand)

cajun seasoning

1 Tbls olive oil

3/4 cups chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

2 tsp thyme

1 tsp cajun seasoning

salt and lots of black pepper

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

broccoli florets (I had some to use up in the refrigerator)

optional instead of the broccoli:

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots

1 cups chopped mushrooms

Season the chicken with some cajun seasoning and pepper then dice the chicken

Put the pressure cooker on the sauté feature add oil and sauté chicken until brown

Add the onions and garlic until softened.

(if you are going to use carrots and mushrooms instead of the broccoli add it here)

Add rice and seasoning. 

add chicken broth and broccoli.

Turn off the sauté and lock on the lid cook high pressure for 9 minutes.

when you hear the beep, allow to naturally release for 4 minutes and then do a quick release of steam.

Open the lid and stir.

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Chili Pressure Cooker

I didn't have kidney beans so I used cannellini beans. 

1 lbs lean ground beef or turkey

1 large chopped onion

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 Tbls chili powder

1 tsp ground chipotle pepper powder (optional)

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp or 2 franks hot sauce

1 can diced tomatoes 14.5ounce (I used fire roasted) undrained

1 can kidney beans 15 ounce, undrained

1/2 can of water

Turn your electric pressure cooker or instant pot to sauté, cook meat until cooked.

add onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. 

add seasoning and franks hot sauce.

add tomatoes, beans and water. 

Turn off the sauté and lock on the lid cook high pressure for 15 minutes.

when you hear the beep, allow to naturally release for 7 minutes and then do a quick release of steam.

Open the lid and stir.

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I didn't have kidney beans so I substituted with cannellini beans. 

Thai Spring Rolls

Spring roll pastry (wrappers) or egg roll wrappers but they aren't as good

Filling:

1 lbs lean ground pork

2 Tbls chopped fresh garlic

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbls soy sauce

1 Tbls fish sauce

few drops of sesame oil

fresh ground pepper

1 bag coleslaw mix with carrots

Optional:

1 cup shredded carrots (optional, i don't add more)

Optional: 2 pkg cellophane noodles instead of the coleslaw (I don't use them)

Mix all together in a large bowl

wrap in spring roll wrappers, don't overfill them. You can make mini or large size.

seal the ends with egg white

fry in oil on medium until brown. 

PRINTALBE RECIPE

these are what the wrappers look like. they are crispier than an egg roll wrapper. you can find them at an asian grocery market in the freezer section. 

 You can use a bag of coleslaw. It will shrink down when you mix it with the pork and liquids. So use the entire bag.  You can skip this and use cellophane noodles which i have never put them in. 

If you use this one, just add shredded carrots. 

this is what the cellophane noodles look like. I haven't used them. you might want to soften them up before you put them in.  

Bread Machine Whole Wheat Walnut Bread

1 cup room temperature water

2 Tbls vegetable oil (I used peanut oil, you can try olive oil)

4 Tbls maple syrup (the real stuff grade A) or use honey

2 cup bread flour (I used King Arthur brand)

1 cup whole wheat flour (king Arthur brand)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup instant oats

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 1/4 tsp bread machine yeast

Add the ingredients in the order they are written in a bread machine.

I programed it on bread cycle and the color light. 

It will be ready in a little over 4 hours

*** To make dinner rolls, set the machine to dough cycle.
When that is done, divide dough into 8 balls and place them in a greased pan.
Let rise until double in size, maybe an hour.
Once fully risen,  brush on the top of the rolls with olive oil. Sprinkle with rolled oats and poppy seeds if you would like.
bake 375 until brown 20 minutes

**** I rolled 16 rolls and baked them for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

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I pulled my bread machine out of storage.  This bread machine was given to me before my kids were born and my oldest is 22 years old.  It still worked and the bread was so good it surprised me how good it was.

These are the dinner rolls, but I rolled them too big they are the size of hamburger buns. They were delicious.  So if you want them to be dinner rolls, roll them smaller. 

Skinny Chicken Parmesan Skillet

4 chicken breasts, pound thinner if they are fat breasts

salt and pepper

Traditional Red Sauce recipe click here

mozzarella cheese

parmesan cheese

fresh basil around 4 leaves chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Salt and pepper chicken breasts both sides.

In a cast iron skillet (do not use a non stick skillet because they don't go in the oven)

add some olive oil, brown chicken breast for 3 minutes each side, remove from pan.

Turn off heat and add in some red sauce to the pan, maybe 1/2 cup.

Add the chicken breasts on top of the red sauce.

Top off the chicken breast with some more red sauce. 

Add some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top of chicken and red sauce.

Sprinkle with some fresh basil.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, depending on how thin your chicken was. 30 minutes if it was a bigger piece of chicken. 

Then the last 3 minutes turn the broil on and broil until the cheese is brown and bubbly. 

You can eat as is with some cooked vegetables and salad on the side or serve with some pasta.  

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