I make a pretty good vegan cook!

I have a son who is vegan. I have learned to adapt recipes that I love to fit his dietary needs. He really wanted a pizza. I figured out that I can adapt my pizza recipe to a vegan happy dish. Instead of adding one egg to the yeast dough, I replace it with Olive oil( about 2 Tablespoons. Let it rise the normal way and it works just as well as my original dough. I use tons of fresh veges including spinach, mushrooms, onions and olives along with a cheese free pasta sauce. I used a meatless sausage. For the " cheese " topping I use the vegan friendly mozzarella type cheese substitute. I have done it twice now with wonderful outcomes. It is nice to know that it can be changed that way.

I have made meatless Pasta Fagioli twice now. I used the original Pasta Fagioli recipe with very few changes. But both times have been very successful. Added no meat, more red pepper, vegetable broth, a couple of splashes of Tobasco, and substituted regular pasta with whole wheat pasta. this last time, I added celery, peppers, sliced leeks(one stalk) and two cans of okra with tomatoes for a little change. To Big D's and mine I added grated cheese when it was time to serve. Very nice outcome both times!

Chicken Rolls with a touch of Green

I am staying with Wonder Womna(my Daughter in law) this week and she told me about her favorite comfort food. Something I had never heard of before. She told me that when her mother wanted the kids to show up at her house she would make these little slices of heaven and then call the kids and tell them what was for dinner. I have heard it was a no fail device!

1 Pkg of Cream Cheese
1 stick of butter
4 cups of diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup to 1 Cup chopped Green onion
salt pepper to taste
4 Tbl milk

Cream butter and cream cheese together till smooth. Add everything else to the cream cheese and butter. Stir it up.

open up a Crescent Roll package, roll it out as if for cinnamon rolls. Use half the mixture for one can of Crescents. Roll up, slice with white thread about an inch thick, and then place on a baking sheet. We sprayed the pan with baking spray first. Bake at 3:50 for 20 minutes.

The customary gravy is 1/2 C milk with 1 C Cream of celery. Mix, and heat!

Now this was absolutely wonderful. Little slices of Heaven!

I was thinking that chopped cashews would be more icing on the cake on this. But then I think cashews could be added to almost anything. IMHO.

Kristine and Jeni...THANK YOU FOR sharing. it was so amazing

necessity is the mother of invention

I really wanted pie or a cobbler today. It wasn't happening. Sad. Then I discovered that Jeni(where I am staying this week!) had canned peaches, canned apricots, and craisins. I made an upside down fruit bowl cake. It turned out really good.(Well that is what they told me!) Added Madagascar vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon to the fruit combo. Drained the fruit and then added it to the box of butter cake mix. TASTY! Serve warm with Blue Bell Homemade vanilla Ice cream and you have the most delightful twist on a pineapple upside down cake.

New England Boiled Dinner

One of my favorite comfort foods in March is a Boiled Dinner, why it is called New England has to do with the foods that are boiled together. It is the basis of a traditional New England meal, consisting of corned beef or a smoked "picnic ham" shoulder, with cabbage and added vegetable items, often including potato, carrot, and onion. The Other vegetables that are thrown in by different folks were the veges that would survive long term storage during New England winters prior to indoor refrigeration. Those other veges were parsnips, turnips, and rutabagas. When using a beef roast, this meal is often known simply as corned beef and cabbage even with the addition of other vegetables. Corned Beef and Cabbage has also become known as an Irish meal and has always been an important part to my celebration of St Patrick's Day.

I start out at the Top o' the mornin' prepping cutting onions, potatoes and carrots. Throwing them all in the Crockpot to simmer with the corned beef. Fill it with water and leave it alone while it simmers the day away.

Note: Lately the producers of Corned beef are lightening up on the salt they put in the beef. I have actually had to add salt to get the veges flavorful enough to our liking.

Cooking on Valentines Day weekend!

Doing a Pork Tenderloin today...baking it with bacon strips and raspberry chipolte sauce. Been busy cooking this weekend. Shrimp linquini side dish.

Did Apple Slices, Pineapple chunks, and Banana Slices in Melted dark chocolate. The Twist is they were then dipped in crushed almonds, crushed chocolate cookies, or valentine sprinkles.

the ultimate Stir Fry pasta. This was done some time ago when M was staying with us.

Cook the angel hair pasta first-al dente. In a small fry pan(like the pannekokean pan) add olive oil and butter...put in semi frozen pieces of chicken with pesto and garlic. This is an individual serving. Each one is done seperately. Add about a Tablespoon of pesto and a pinch of minced garlic...once the meat is almost done, add fresh tomatos, canned artichoke hearts, and the vege of your choice...D wanted brocoli, M and I had spinach. The Brocoli was semi frozen brocoli pieces and the spinach for M and I was fresh. The next ingredient is adding the pasta. I have a spaghetti ladle so to D's I added two helpings, to M's I added one and to mine I added 1 1/2 servings of angel hair pasta. Stir this around like a stir fry. Add Feta to your liking and another Tablespoon of pesto. M added more olive oil and green onions and who all knows what...D's and mine were the original.

To say it was good would be putting it mildly...D is not a monster fan of pasta...I am. HE devoured it and said it was better than anything he had ever had in a restaurant. The key is to have the individual decide exactly how much they want of all of the core ingredients. I just wanted a few pieces of the bite sized chicken tender meat, D's had more. M wanted more veges. But I have to say...It was unbelievably good. We got the idea from Drive-ins, diners and dives off of The Foodnetwork!

Quick enchiladas for two.

I just made two kinds of enchiladas...yummo

Green Sour Cream Chicken ones...yummm
Okay...recipe request...

easy way...cook the boneless skinless chicken in the Hatch Green Enchilada sauce. Then use the meat to fill the lightly fried corn tortilla(1-2 TBl) and finish filling with a handful of cheese. Roll up. Smother in the green enchilada sauce that has had 2 Tbls sour cream added to it. Cover with Cheese-NUKE.(the chicken had been cooked yesterday)

and Chili Cheese ones...YMMMMMMMMMM

Lightly fried corn tortilla- big ole handful of cheese rolled up in the tortilla. Smother with favorite chili(yes from a can for quick enchiladas-Cattle Drive is an excellent brand with wonderful flavor) and then cover with cheese to your happiness-NUKE

Yes that is how I made dinner tonight and D and I couldn't have been happier if we had gone to a restaurant...This way we could eat in our flannels and stay warm-no tip!!! We both had two of each...oh it was so good and wonderful. NO WAITING FOR A TABLE. Start to finish without cooking the chicken which was cooked yesterday= 10 minutes.

Note: originally posted LJ 1-25-08