Archive for the ‘Friday Foodie Feature’ Category
Hello friends,
the summer may be fading fast, but don’t put away the grill just yet, why not fire it up and make some chicken kabobs for dinner tonight? Kabobs are a quick and easy way to cook both your meat and veggies together on a stick whether it’s with chicken, beef or seafood.
If using wooden skewers, allow them to soak in water for about 15 mins, this will prevent them from scorching or burning too badly.
I like using cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and sweet peppers.
Cube boneless, skinless chicken, then sprinkle on a little pepper and any seasoning of your choice.
Thread chicken cubes and veggies onto the skewer.
Before placing the kabobs onto a high, preheated grill, spray them with a little cooking spray or brush with olive oil. Grill for approximately 10 minutes or until done, you can also brush on a little barbecue or hot sauce if you prefer.
You know me, I have to have a little something sweet, so for dessert I made Krusteaz Lemon Bars but with a twist, crushed Lemonhead Candy sprinkled on top.
Following the directions on the box, I baked the Lemon Bars then allowed them to cool before adding some crushed candy.
What is your favorite dessert? Mine is cake and ice cream…why…because tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
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Hello friends,
I remember when I was growing up my grandmother always had to have “a little something sweet” after eating dinner. She believed everything in moderation and never over ate, but she loved her sweets. She would also proudly remind me that the most she ever weighed was 120 lbs, and that was when she was pregnant with her twins, my mother and uncle.
I haven’t seen 120 lbs since the birth of our first son, but I also believe everything in moderation. Sunday dinners are my favorite meals to cook and sometimes I too like to have “a little something sweet” after eating.
Recently while looking through the clearance racks at Walmart I found these Welcome Home Brands Mini Baking Pans. They are made from oven safe paper and are a perfect size for “a little something sweet” dessert.
I cooked chicken and collard greens for dinner and then decided to make some Jiffy Banana muffins using the mini Baking Pans instead of a muffin tin. Following the box directions I filled each mini pan with 1/2 batter without pre-greasing which wasn’t necessary. After putting them on a baking sheet, they were placed in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
The mini banana loaf removed easily from the pan, there was no scorching and the bread was delicious, which was made a little more so when topped with banana slices and cherry sauce – just “a little something sweet!”
How about you, do you like to have “a little something sweet” after dinner?
Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty!
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Hello friends,
are you ready for the weekend? Here it is the middle of August so raise your hand if you’ll be heading to the beach or the shore this weekend? Not me, but I will be hanging poolside, I hate traffic, I get enough of that during the week!
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is for anyone with a super duper sweet tooth.
I made this cake in small Mason Jars but should have used a little less cake mix because they were too sweet even for Malik.
My son loves Pineapple Upside Down cake so I decided to make the dump cake using the same ingredients. Boxed cake mix, crushed pineapples, maraschino cherries and butter.
After spraying the jars with cooking spray, I layered a few spoonfuls of crushed pineapples on the bottom then topped with a few cherries.
Dump in some cake mix, but not too much which is why I think it was a tad bit too sweet or it could have been the pineapples. Top the cake mix with 3 or 4 pats of butter.
Place jars on baking sheet and put into a pre-heated oven, bake according to time listed on the box or until the tops are crispy brown.
Pour a tall glass of milk and enjoy!
What is your favorite cake recipe?
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the Weekend Wind-Down Party!
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Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature comes with a warning!
I decided to make Duncan Hines milk chocolate brownies in a bowl instead of a pan. I followed the directions on the box, however, since I baked them in Pyrex bowls they should not have been filled to the top!
Spray the bowls with non stick cooking spray, pour in the batter but DO NOT OVERFILL, otherwise the insides will not be done in the amount of time stated on the box.
I eventually scooped the partially baked brownies out of the bowls and put them into a baking dish to finish cooking.
It was Malik who asked if there were supposed to be gooey on the inside. So before realizing they were not completely done, I had topped each with a few scoops of Duncan Hines cherry topping and a few whooshes of Reddi Wip Cream.
This delicious dessert looked wonderful and after completely baking tasted just as good!
Have you ever had any cooking failures?
Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
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Hello friends and Happy Fri-Yay! A few weeks ago before the summer heat began to sizzle I made Fajitas with Perdue Chicken Breasts. This easy breezy recipe was not only fun to make but filling enough for hubby and my mini men.
The ingredients used are staples that I normally have in the pantry and refrigerator because Mexican food is quite popular in our home.
INGREDIENTS:
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2 tbls vegetable oil – divided
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McCormick Fajita Seasoning and 1/4 cup water
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Shredded Mexican (Taco) Cheese
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1 medium Onion – fresh or frozen – sliced
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Peppers – fresh or frozen – sliced
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Whole Wheat Tortillas
OPTIONS
Lime
Fresh Spinach leaves
Cilantro
Avocado
Tomato – sliced
Jalapeno peppers
Sour Cream
I also like to keep packages of frozen peppers and onions because they are perfect for recipes such as this as well as add-in’s for Crock Pot meals. I used a mixture of both fresh and frozen onions for the Fajitas.
DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken strips, stir and cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove chicken from skillet and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet. Add onion and peppers; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet, add water and Seasoning Mix; cook and stir 3 minutes or until heated through.
Spoon chicken/onions/peppers onto warm tortillas, add any options, if desired.
What is your favorite chicken dish?
To become a member of The Perdue Crew and receive more delicious recipes, chances to win prizes and money saving coupons click on the pic!
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
8 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!
Summer is the perfect time to eat lighter and healthier salads so when hubby brought home a jicama, I decided to try it in a new salad recipe. A jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible tuber that looks like a turnip but has the crispness of a pear. When choosing one from the produce department, select a small to medium one as they are sweeter than the larger variety.
This vegetable is popular in Mexican cuisine and the jicama‘s unique flavor is great in salads, salsas, and vegetable platters. Hubby read that they also inhibits the growth and spread of colon cancer to other areas of the body so I knew it would become a part of our regular diet.
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature
Summer Salad with Jicama and Pineappple
Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lime or use bottled lime juice
1 medium jicama – julienned
1/3 cup of finely chopped cilantro or 1 crushed cube of Knorr’s cilantro
1 cup of fresh cubed pineapple
After washing and peeling the jicama, cut it julienne style and mix it together with the lime juice, chopped cilantro and the pineapple chunks in a large bowl. Refrigerate an hour then serve – quick, easy, and nutritious!
I also checked online and found some other great recipes so I am looking forward to trying jicama in different dishes each week.
have you tried any new foods lately?
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
BTW – don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the Weekend Wind-Down Party!
4 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!!
Cheerios has done it again with this cute Mother’s Day “Morning Wake Up Call Commercial”
I like it because for the little ones that can’t cook it’s a perfect breakfast to make for Mom on Mother’s Day. However, if you’re a Mom that likes to wake up to something hot (not dad), and a little bit more filling, (not dad) then try this recipe for a Slow Cooked Breakfast Casserole, it’s easy to make and cooks itself overnight.
Ingredients:
- 1 – 12 oz package frozen hash browns
- 1 – package breakfast sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 12 oz shredded cheese
- 6 – *scallions chopped
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper – a few more dashes when layering the hash browns
I purchased Jimmy Dean fully cooked turkey sausage and *Safeway brand frozen potatoes with onions and green peppers so I didn’t use the scallions. I originally made this back in December after seeing the recipe on Brown Eyed Baker’s blog. Like she said, it was hard to stay asleep because around 5:00 am, the smell and aroma that generated from the kitchen woke me up!
On Saturday night’s I’m usually up late watching television and working on my blog, so this is a perfect recipe to start late for an early morning Sunday breakfast.
After spraying the crock pot with cooking spray, layer 1/3 of the hash browns, sprinkle on some pepper, add 1/3 of the sausage then sprinkle on some cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used making sure the last layer is the cheese.
In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour this over the hash browns, sausage and cheese in the crock pot.
Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours – try to get some sleep because the smell will definitely wake you up before your alarm clock does!
Pour a cup of coffee or tea then enjoy your early morning breakfast casserole in bed! What do you think, is this something you would enjoy waking up to?
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty!
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Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is dedicated to
MY BEST FRIEND FOR LIFE, KAREN!
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN!
In the late 80’s, my hubby who at the time was my fiance and I went to Fort Lee, NJ, to visit her at her mother’s house. She had just flown in from Cali with her first born son, RJ and for lunch she made a Taco Salad. Neither one of us had ever had it and it was also the first time I had ever eaten an avocado. I fell in love with the recipe and over the years, have made it during the warmer months. Last week when I chose to make it for this week’s feature I didn’t realize that it would be on her Birthday! Further proof that we were meant to be friends for life!
This is such an easy-to-prepare salad and my men simply loves it, Malik was having a fit because he had to wait until I took the pictures!
Ingredients:
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1 lb Ground Turkey – fully cooked
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1 package Taco Seasoning
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1 Can of Black Beans
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Iceberg Lettuce – shredded
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1/2 Avocado – diced
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1 Package of Cherry Tomatoes – halved
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1 Cup of Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
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Catalina Dressing
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Tortilla Chips
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OPTIONS: Cilantro, Black Pepper, Hot Sauce, Sour Cream
Thoroughly cook the Ground Turkey then add Taco Seasoning and 1/3 cup of water – preparing according to package directions.
Wash veggies, cut tomatoes in half, shred the lettuce and dice the avocado. Drain and rinse can of black beans.
Put lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and black beans into a bowl and top with taco seasoned ground turkey.
Pour in just enough Catalina dressing to lightly coat then mix.
Serve with Tortilla Chips and top with options, sour cream and Hot Sauce.
Thank you Karen for introducing me to this salad and thank you for being my friend!
Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty!
8 Comments
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Jennie-O.com for which I received compensation, all opinions are 100% my own.
Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!
As a family we don’t eat pork nor a lot of red meat so most of the time my meals are made with either chicken or turkey. Before becoming a member of the JENNIE-O Switch Circle, I had always purchased Jennie-O bacon and breakfast sausage which my son loves and I use the ground turkey in my lasagna and tacos.
This partnership is perfect because now when I receive coupons and merchandise from Jennie-O, it gives me an opportunity to try new recipes and then share them with you.
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is
Spinach & Feta Cheese Frittatas with Turkey Bacon
Ingredients
- 1 package #JennieO Turkey Bacon
- 7 eggs
- 1 cup fresh spinach chopped
- 1/2 cup onions chopped
- 1/3 cup Feta Cheese
- 1/3 cup milk
- pepper to taste
- cooking spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cold skillet with cooking spray then prepare JennieO Turkey bacon according to package instructions and set aside.
Rinse and remove stems from spinach leaves, chop them and 1/2 of the onion into bite size pieces
Saute both in same skillet used to cook bacon until spinach is wilted
Whip eggs, feta cheese, milk and pepper before adding spinach, onions and bacon. Cut bacon into bite size pieces, I use kitchen shears to make the job easier.
Because we drink Ricemilk I recently starting cooking with it, and find that foods tastes just as good if not better than when made with whole milk.
Spray muffin pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking then pour or spoon mixture into each cup approximately 2/3 full.
Bake 20 minutes, then watch out because they smell wonderful and my son couldn’t wait to try them!
Grab a cup of coffee or tea then sit back, relax to enjoy a leisurely breakfast or an afternoon snack.
What I like about this recipe is that I can make the Frittatas the night before, then hubby and the boys can warm them up the next morning in the toaster oven.
How about you, have you tried #JennieO turkey products or would you make the @SwitchToTurkey?
Jennie-O has offered to send $20.00 worth of coupons to one of my lucky readers! Just click JennieO.com and check out their product line, then come back and leave a comment telling us what Jennie-O Turkey product you would like to try and how you would prepare it?
1 winner (US only) will be randomly chosen by me, the contest ends next Friday, April 18th at Midnight
Have a fantastical Friday ~ See ya back here at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty!
4/19/14
THE WINNER IS TERRI D. – CONGRATULATIONS!!!
34 Comments
Hello Friends and Happy Fri-Yay!
We may have just turned the corner with the warmer temps on the horizon. Once the seasons change from winter to Spring and then to Summer, there are two things that are forefront in my mind – eating light and vacation.
Eating light while on vacation is great, but when that’s not possible, I try to make the best of it with foods that conjures up the places that I would rather be.
Today’s Friday Foodie Feature is Ceviche
There’s something about mixing lime juice, fish and cilantro that reminds me of either a Conch Salad from the Bahamas or Ceviche from Mexico. Conch is giant sea snail, which I can’t get in Middletown, but like ceviche it can also be made with scallops.
This cold appetizer is a great way for me to start a vacation even if it’s only a mental one, and if I add a cold beer…everything is right in the world!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb fresh bay scallops – diced into quarters
- 6 limes or bottled lime juice
- 1 jalapeno pepper – diced
- 1/2 green pepper – diced
- 1 Avocado – diced
- 1/2 cup onions – diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes – halved
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
Dice the bay scallops into quarters, then place them into a bowl. Pour in enough lime juice to cover them all. Put plastic wrap around bowl, pressing down to ensure that all the scallops are covered and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
While the scallops are marinating or “cooking” in the lime juice prepare the other ingredients.
Remove scallops from refrigerator and bowl, do not rinse.
The scallops should be white and firm to the touch.
Drain scallops and add other ingredients, stirring to mix well
Ceviche can also be made with any other firm fleshed fish, ie, red snapper but use the freshest fish possible and make in the same day of purchase.
What foods reminds you of a Spring or Summer vacation? Come back at 6:00 p.m. and share it at the
Weekend Wind-Down Party!
Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!
26 Comments
If using wooden skewers, allow them to soak in water for about 15 mins, this will prevent them from scorching or burning too badly.
Thread chicken cubes and veggies onto the skewer.
