Refrigerator Dill Pickles Spicy or Regular

Large mason jar (This recipe is for 1 large jar)

1 English cucumber per jar

1 1/4 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup water

1 TBLS + 1 tsp pickling salt

4-5 sprigs dill

4 cloves smashed garlic gloves

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

If spicy add:

1 tsp red pepper flakes

sliced jalapeño pepper

Add vinegar, water and salt to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Add dill, garlic, peppercorns and if making it spicy add red pepper flakes and jalapeño, and sliced cucumbers to one jar.

Pour the liquid (vinegar, water and salt) after cooling for 10 minutes over the cucumbers.

Let cool on counter, then refrigerate. Don't eat for 3 days. Then enjoy.

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Smashed New Potatoes

1 bag of new potatoes

melted butter, maybe 1/4 cup

cheddar cheese grated

cooked bacon, chopped

green onions, chopped

Sour cream or seasoned 

(I used smoked sriracha with smoked maple syrup from sugar bobs. ORDER HERE

make sure you get the SMOKED sriracha with smoked maple syrup. Free shipping with purchase over $25.  I added some to my sour cream until I liked the taste. 

I used an instant pot to cook my potatoes for 8 minutes with 1 cup of water on the bottom. I used a trivet to keep the potatoes up out of the water. You could use crumpled up tin foil if you don't have a trivet. Pressure cook it for 8 minutes then quick release. 

Take potatoes out and put on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

Smash with a spatula

Melt butter and add to each potato.

Broil until the potatoes start to brown and crisp.

Take out of oven and add cheese and bacon.

Put back under the broiler until the cheese is melted.

Take out and sprinkle onions and sour cream over the top. 

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Smoked Burgers on a Traeger

Ok, I had a taste test with my husband. I ground meat 3 different ways. The winner of the meat was a tie between 100% course ground chuck roast and 50/50 chuck roast and beef brisket. So if you want to just keep it cheap just do the chuck. I kinda liked the 50/50 better but it was too close to care.  Next time I want to do chuck roast with bacon 3:1 ratio and see if that is good. If I do that I will update this post. 

I also chopped up vadalia onions and baby Bellas with some olive oil and 2 TBls butter in a cast iron pan with salt and pepper and added them to the traeger. They weren't done, so at the end I put them on my side burner on my grill to cook them all the way. Then pour them over your burger. So good. 

Fresh ground Hamburger patties 100% chuck roast or 50/50 chuck roast/beef brisket

Cheese, any kind you like 

vadalia onion

baby Bella mushrooms

butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

Start the Traeger grill to 200 degrees, let warm up

Chop up the onion and mushrooms.

Put them in a mini cast iron pan with olive oil, 2 TBLS butter, salt and pepper

Season the burgers with salt and pepper, put the burgers on the grill and put a thermometer probe in and set the internal temp to 155 degrees.

Put the mini cast iron pan on also. 

Close the lid and cook for 2 hours or until internal temp reads 155 degrees. 

******* it was 2 hours and internal temp wasn't up to 155 yet. So I increased the temp of the Traeger to 250 degrees and finished off the cooking until internal temp reaches 155 degrees. ********

When internal temp is 155 open the lid and put cheese on the burgers. 

Cook until internal temp in 160 degrees.

I took the cast iron off the traeger and put it on my side burner on my grill to finish them off. 

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Panzanella Salad

I went to a cooking class at Cooks of Crocus hill and we made this salad. It is so good. Worth making it again. This recipe is from the cooking class in St Paul. So fun. 

BREAD:

4 cups cubed French bread

1 1/2 TBls olive oil

salt and pepper

Cut the bread in large chunks, drizzle olive oil over the bread and add some salt and pepper. 

Put in large pan and start to brown the bread. Done when lightly brown and crunchy.

VINAIGRETTE:

1 tsp Finley minced garlic

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 TBls white wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 /4 tsp pepper

Mix all the vinaigrette in a mason jar, put a lid on and shake to mix.

SALAD:

cherry tomatoes, handful cut in half

4 inch English cucumber, thicker slices then cut in half

1 large yellow bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces

1/2 cup sliced red onions

10 basil leaves, chopped

Mix everything in a large bowl and let sit room temperature for 30 mins before eating. 

Put in a little of the dressing at a time incase there is too much. Add more as needs. 

YUMMM

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This is what an English cucumber looks like. It is usually in the produce section wrapped individually in plastic wrap. It has less seeds, less water in these cucumbers. 

Pico de Gallo

3 roma tomatoes seeded and flesh diced 

1/2 a purple onion, diced small

1/2 of a large jalapeño with seeds and ribs left in diced small

1 habanero diced small with seeds and ribs

cilantro bunch of it chopped

1/2 a lime juiced

sprinkle of salt

Add all ingredients to a bowl or small Tupperware. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour until blended.

You can eat with chips or put over eggs, fish, salmon, chicken ect....

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Homemade Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup Helmans Mayonaise

1 TBLS minced yellow onion

2 TBLS sweet pickle relish

2 tsp minced dill pickle

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 TBLS minced parsley (optional or dried parsley, I didn't use any the first time I made this)

1/2-1 tsp dried dill. I just sprinkled it in until I liked the taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mason jar, refrigerate at least one hour before using.

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Buffalo Chicken Burgers

1 lbs ground chicken breasts

1/4 cup Franks hot sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 Tbls dried parsley (or fresh)

1 Tbls dried chives (or fresh)

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

Extra: for the burger

good buns, toasted

gorgonzola cheese or blue cheese

lettuce

tomato

olive oil

flavored vinegar

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients in large bowl. Form in patties. I made 4 patties.

Grilled until internal temp 165 degrees. Don't overcook or it will be dry. 

For the lettuce. I  added a drizzle of olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Mixed it and added it to the burger with cheese and tomatoes. 

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Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry

5 Tbls butter

1/4 cup chopped onions

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup whole milk

2 cups diced rotisserie chicken (or chicken breast cooked)

1 bag 10 ounce frozen peas and carrots 

1/2 package puff pastry (1 sheet)

Spray a 9x9 deep pan with Pam, preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a pan, melt butter add onions, cook until soft.

Add flour to butter and onions on low. Cook a few minutes until the flour is cooked a little. 

Add salt, pepper and oregano to the flour mixtures. cook a few minutes. 

Heat the chicken broth so it is warm, Slowly add chicken broth to flour mixture whisking at all time when slowly pouring in the chicken broth. 

Once combined, add in milk, peas and carrots and chicken. 

Mix until combined. 

Add chicken mixture to pan.

Top with one sheet of puff pastry.

Brush the top of the pastry with milk.

Poke holes in the puff pastry with a knife.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. 

I baked mine for 40. minutes. 

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Roasted Cajun Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower cut in small pieces

olive oil (as much to cover the cauliflower)

2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

preheat oven to 425 degrees

Cut up cauliflower in bite size pieces, place in large bowl, drizzle olive oil over until covered.

Mix together all the dry ingredients.

Pour over cauliflower and olive oil until well mixed.

Spread out on a large pan covered in tin foil.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until done. 

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Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup

1 lbs Jimmy Dean Hot ground sausage

1 Tbls olive oil

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onions

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

10 ounce mild Rotel Tomatoes

14.5 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes 

5 ounce can Hot V8 juice

3 cups chicken stock

1 heaping tsp of dried basil, oregano, Italian seasoning and parsley  

a pinch of red pepper flakes

15 ounce cannelloni beans (white beans) rinse and drained

2 cups kale or Spinach

10 ounce Rigatoni, Cooked or small noodle.

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Fry the sausage until browned, drain and set aside.

Add to same pan olive oil, cook carrots, onions and garlic on low for a few minutes. Don't burn the garlic, If you want to cook the onion and carrots first, then add the garlic in at the last 1 minute cooking time.  

Add the sausage, carrots, onions, garlic, canned tomatoes, Rotel, V8, chicken stock and seasoning to a large pot or to an instant pot and pressure cook for 20 minutes with rapid release at the end of cooking. If adding to a large pot cook for maybe same time a nice simmer or until it looks like it is coming together.  

Then add cannelloni beans and spinach. 

Add pasta right before you eat it. If you are going to eat all soup at once, just stir in all the pasta.

If you are not going to eat the soup all at once and will have leftovers, serve the soup and add some pasta to individual bowls. 

For leftovers: Once the soup is completely cooled off, you can add the noodles to the cold soup. That way the noodles won't continuing to cook. Refrigerate and warm up for leftovers.  

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Baked Ziti

Béchamel Sauce

2 Tbls butter

2 large garlic cloves minced

2 Tbls four

2 Cups whole milk warmed

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups finely grated parmesan cheese

Red Sauce

1 Tbls olive oil

1 ounce pancetta (optional)

2 Tbls tomato paste

40 ounces of my Traditional Red Sauce

1/4 cup basil shredded

Other ingredients

1 lbs dried Ziti noodles

1 lbs fresh mozzarella cheese ball cut in large chunks

1/2 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded for the top of the pasta at the end

Instructions:

Boil ziti noodles in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Strain and add a little olive oil to cool.

Bechamel sauce:

in a large pan melt butter on low, when melted add garlic. Cook a few minutes, don't burn.

Add in Flour, stir and cook a few minutes on low to cook out the flour taste, 

Slowly whisk in a little of the warm milk, whisking at all times  until all the milk is all in and  combined and no lumps. 

Add salt and pepper to taste, boil then light simmer for 8 minutes until thickened. 

Take off the heat and add the 2 cups parmesan cheese. Mix until melted. 

Pour in a large bowl to cool.

Red Sauce:

In the large sauce pan cook pancetta with 1 Tbls olive oil until brown. Drain and set aside.

In same pan, cook the tomato paste in some of the pancetta oil, until blended and cooked 1 minute, 

Add some of the traditional red sauce to blend with the tomato paste.

Take off heat, Add all the red sauce, pancetta, paste and basil to large bowl.  

Let cool completely if you are going to cook it later. Or just assemble and cook. 

Assemble:

Preheat stove to 350 degrees

Spray a 9x13 pan with pam.

Mix the ziti pasta, béchamel sauce and large chunks of mozzarella in a large bowl.

Put some red sauce down on the bottom of the 9x13 pan. Save 1 cup for the top of the pasta. 

Add some pasta béchamel sauce mixture on top and repeat until all the red sauce and pasta is used up, except for the 1 cup of red sauce. 

Top the pasta with dollops of 1 cup of red sauce and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes if cooking right away until bubbly,

Broil at the end for around 4 minutes.

If you will bake it later from refrigerator:
Cover dish with an oiled piece of aluminum foil and refrigerate.  When ready to serve, bake covered at 400 degrees for 30 mins.  Then, uncover and bake an additional 20-30. minutes or until sauce is bubbling around the edges and ziti is heated throughout.
You can broil the last 4 minutes to brown the cheese.

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Chicken Sausage, Kale, Gruyere Cheese Quiche

9 inch deep dish frozen crust (you can make your own)

1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (or any kind, I had gruyere to use up)

Kale, sliced thin to cover the cheese maybe 1/2 cup (or spinach)

Onions, finely diced around 2-3 Tbls 

5 chicken sausage links, that were precooked and frozen, I thawed in microwave and diced. 

(I got these chicken links frozen from Costco. Use any links or ham or bacon, make sure they are cooked)

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk

salt and pepper to taste (you can add a splash of hot sauce or Cheyanne pepper)

optional: I added some feta cheese crumbles on top of the eggs for a salty tangy flavor because I had some in my refrigerator.

preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take deep dish out of freezer, add shredded cheese, kale, onions, sausage in the shell in that order. You want the cheese on the bottom. 

mix the eggs and heavy cream in a large bowl. add salt and pepper.

Pour egg mixture over cheese, kale, sausage. 

add feta on top if you want.

put on a cookie sheet lined with tinfoil.

bake for 45 mins until middle set. 

Let cool before cutting.  

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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cups cooked diced or shredded chicken

1 can (10 oz ) cream of chicken soup

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup whole milk or 2%

1/2 cup sliced celery

2 large carrots sliced

1 packet (1oz) ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup cream cheese

8 ounce little pasta ditalini

1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded

Add to a large soup pot the first 7 ingredients.

Boil then simmer for 25 minutes. 

Add in pasta and boil until almost done. 

Add in cheese. 

Take off the heat and enjoy.

make your own cream of chicken soup
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/condensed-homemade-cream-chicken-soup-recipe/

make your own ranch seasoning mix
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-ranch-seasoning-mix/

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Creamy Beefy Noodle Soup

2 Lbs beef chuck roast (I didn't weigh mine but I am guessing it was around 2 lbs)

1 can 14 oz beef broth

1 envelop beefy onion soup mix 2.2oz

1 can cream of mushroom soup 10.5oz

3-4 cloves garlic minced fresh

2 large carrots sliced

1/2 cup sliced celery

6 cups beef broth

4 oz cream cheese block

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz dried small pasta

1 Tbls dried parsley (you can use fresh but I usually don't have any on hand)

(My beef chuck roast was frozen so I added it to the instant pot with 1 can of beef broth and pressure cooked it for 10 minutes. I quick released the steam when it was done. )

if not frozen:

I added to the instant pot the roast, 1 can (14 oz) of broth, onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, fresh minced garlic to the instant pot. 

I pressure cooked this for 30 mins. 

I quick released the pressure.

I took the roast out and shredded it. 

Add the shredded beef back to the pot and ADD IN the carrots, celery and 6 cups of beef broth, cream cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

I pressure cooked it for 15 minutes. 

I quick released the pressure.

I turned the instant pot to saute.

I added in the dried pasta and dried parsley. 

leave the lid off and boil the noodles until almost done per the package. 

Stir and enjoy!

PS: you could probably add in 8 ounce mushrooms.

You could use barley instead of pasta.
or:
1 cup uncooked wild rice instead of pasta


make your own Liptons onion soup
https://fountainavenuekitchen.com/lipton-onion-soup-mix-copycat-recipe/

make your own cream of mushroom soup
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/condensed-homemade-cream-mushroom-soup-recipe/

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