~~Super Easy Chicken Cheesy Casserole~~

Super simple, it all out of the can, no prep work needed!

Ingredients:
    • 25 oz can Swanson Premium White Chicken Breast Chunk w/Rib Meat in Water
    • 10 oz can RO-TEL Tomatoes Diced & Green Chilies Mild
    • 15 oz jar Kraft Cheez Whiz Original Cheese Dip
    • 1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix For Chicken

Directions:
    • Drain the chicken and Ro-tel and mix together, melt the Cheez Wiz* and pour over the Ro-tel/chicken mixture and mix together.
    • Mix the stuffing mix according to the directions on the box and spread the stuffing mix on the bottom of a casserole dish. Spread the chicken mixture on top of the stuffing.
    • Place in a pre-heated 275 F oven for 20 minutes.

Now wasn’t that quick and easy dinner? It is not gourmet but it is good and filling. The ingredients keep so you can have them on-hand in a pinch.

~~Super Simply Tomato & Onion Salad~~

During late summer when the vines ripen with tomatoes it becomes the season of tomato salads and they are quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:

• Sweet onion thinly sliced
• Cherry tomatoes (I get a medley of red and yellow cherry tomatoes for more color)
• Feta Cheese
• Chopped fresh basil
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Northern Italian Dressing (Or you can use just olive oil and Balsamic or red vine or apple cider vinegar)

Directions:

• Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place in a bowl with the thinly sliced onions add the Northern Italian Dressing mix and let marinate for an hour.
• When ready to serve add the basil, parsley, and Feta cheese and toss lightly.

Now wasn’t that easy?

Options:

• Add a cucumbers
• Add an Avocado
• Add black olives such as Kalamata.
• Some recipes add red pepper flakes (But I don't like my tomato salad spicy)
  
• Some use red onion but I find to have too much bite of the raw onions and some some soke them in water to cut the bite.

~~Cream of Celery Shrimp~~

This recipe came about because of a thunderstorm, I was planning on grilling a steak when a thunderstorm popped up and drenched the coals. So, what to make with stuff on hand. I cobbled together a shrimp dinner but you could also use chicken or pork, cube them and cook them up first

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Cream of Celery soup
• Some type of onion, shallots, etc.
• Some type of pepper, 
• Shrimp
• Butter
• Wine or sherry
• Pasta or rice

Directions:

• Cook the rice or pasta according to the directions on the box.
• Saute the onions and peppers in the butter.
• Add the shrimp and stir for a few minutes.
• Add the Cream of Celery soup and stir for a few more minutes.
• Add a dash of wine, you don’t want to thin it out too much.
• Serve over the pasta or rice.

~~Lobster Roll~~

~~Lobster Roll~~

Okay let the battle begin!

Mayo or Butter?

online polls

The Bun.

That is half of the battle, finding a good hot dog bun! I haven’t found one yet that I like, the main factor that I look for are the bun doesn’t crumble or get soggy. I tried everything from grinder rolls to the common hot dog roll with the balloons on the bag. I think that what you buy they should be fresh after that they crumble.

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The Butter Lobster Roll:

Ingredients:

• Cooked Lobster meat (include the knuckle, claws, and tail meat)
• Roll
• Butter
• Old Bay seasoning
• Lemon slice

Directions:

• Split the roll and brown the insides. (I use the broiler and not the toaster setting because I like it only browned on the inside). Some like to butter the bun now but I find that it makes the roll soggy so I wait to the end.
• Squeeze the lemon slice over the meat.
• Place the lobster meat in the roll and season to taste with the Old Bay Seasoning.
• Okay, the traditional way is to drizzle the butter over the lobster roll but I like to put the melted butter in a custard dish and dip the end of the lobster roll in it.

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The Mayo Lobster Roll:

Ingredients:

• Cook Lobster meat (include the knuckle, claws, and tail meat)
• Roll
• Old Bay seasoning
• Minced celery
• Minced chives
• Mayonnaise
• Lemon slice

Directions:

• Split the roll and brown the insides. (I use the broiler and not the toaster setting because I like it only browned on the inside).
• Mix the mayonnaise, celery, chives and season with the Old Bay seasoning.
• Add the lobster meat and stir in until the lobster is fully coated.
• Fill the roll with the mixture and squeeze the lemon slice over the meat..

Which type do I like?

Well it is something like this… sometimes I feel like a nut and other times I don’t.

~~Stuffed Shotgun Shells~~

I was at a party where they had Stuffed Shotgun Shells and they were great! So my mind started working… how can I make them?

In the recipes that I looked at there are two fixed ingredients: manicotti shells and bacon. The stuffing had three ingredients: some kind of meat, some kind if cheese, and some kind of peppers.

So….

Ingredients:

• 1 box Manicotti Shells (Options: cannelloni pasta or large shells)
• 1 lbs. Bacon
• Dry meat rub
• BBQ sauce

Meats: any of the following as long as the total adds up to a little over a pound,

• 15% to 20% fat hamburger meat
• Sweet sausage meat
• Hot sausage meat
• Pepperoni 

Cheeses: any of the following as long as the total adds up to a little over eight ounces of cheese,

• Cream cheese
• Pepper jack cheese, shredded
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Peppers: any of the following finely diced peppers,

• Green or red peppers
• Jalapeno peppers*
• Habaneros peppers (If you want to go hog-wild on the spicy)*

*It is advised to wear gloves when handling hot peppers.

Directions:

• Pre-boil them first. Boil the manicotti shells for 3-4 minutes until the exterior is slightly soft, but they should still be firm and hold their shape.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the meat, cheese, and peppers together.
• Stuff the manicotti shells with the sausage, cheese, and pepper mixture.
• Wrap the shells in bacon. Ensure that the entire manicotti shell is covered by bacon. This will help to prevent the edges from getting too crispy.
• Apply a generous amount of your favorite rub evenly over the bacon wrap stuffed shells. Make sure to cover it completely.
• Allow to rest for four hours or overnight.
• Cooking...
• Oven: Preheat your oven to 275°F. Place the shotgun shells on a parchment lined sheet pan or baking sheet and cook on the middle rack for 60 minutes.
• Air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is nice and crispy.
• Smoker: Preheat your smoker to 275°F. Smoke for 60 minutes.
• Grill: Preheat your grill to 275°F. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Check for an internal temperature of 165 – 170°F.
• Coat the shotgun shells with the BBQ sauce be sure to coat the shotgun shells well on all sides and the ends. The BBQ sauce will keep the noodles soft, so lather it on thick, and cook for another 10 minutes.
• Let them cool and cut them into one inch pieces.

Tips:

• The ones that I had were a little on the dry side, so it is important to use high fat content meats and if you are using pork you have to make sure you do not over cook them and make sure you cover them completely in BBQ sauce.
• To store them, let the shotgun shells cool to room temperature, then place them in an airtight container. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat them in an oven-safe dish and heat them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes. You can also heat them in the microwave or the air fryer.

~~ Cream Cheese Muffuletta Olive Tortilla Roll ~~

~~ Cream Cheese Muffuletta Olive Tortilla Roll ~~

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained
• 2 large pepperoncini, drained
• 4 small pickled onions, drained
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pkg 8 oz. Cream Cheese bricks.
• 1 pkg Tortilla - Burritos Size
• 1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

Directions:

•  Bring to room temperature the cream cheese to soften it.
•  Place the green olives, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, pickled onions, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
•  Place the cream cheese in a bowl add the olive mix and Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix. Fold into the cream cheese. 
•  The spread can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.
•  Mix all the ingredients except the Tortillas. 
•  Spread the ingredients onto the tortillas and roll it up. 
•  Refrigerate before cutting into 1 inch pieces. Can be refrigerated before serving.

Variation:

• Instead of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix use McCormick Taco Seasoning for a Mexican Flavor and add chopped pepperoni 

~~Muffuletta Olive Spread~~

 ~~Muffuletta Olive Spread~~

There used to be an olives, pimento, and cream cheese spread in those little 5 oz jars that I liked, (Kraft Cheese Spreads Olive & Pimento Cheese Spread) but are now almost impossible to find now. So I went about to create some… only better!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, drained
• 1 large pepperoncini, drained
• 2 small pickled onions, drained
• 1 tablespoons drained capers
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese brick

Directions:

• Bring to room temperature the cream cheese to soften it.
• Place the green olives, Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, pickled onions, capers, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Place the cream cheese in a bowl add the olive mix and fold into the cream cheese. The spread can be stored up to a week in the refrigerator.

Serving suggestions:

• I like it just on bread for a cream cheese sandwich, on crackers, it can also be spread on bagels, or on a ham sandwich.
• If you want the basic Olive & Pimento Cheese Spread just double the pimento-stuffed green olives and fold it into the cream cheeses.

~~Florentine Sauce~~

~~Florentine Sauce~~

This is just the basic sauce and with it you can add your choice of seafoods (like lobster, shrimp, salmon.)  or meats plus you can jazz up the sauce with some common ingredients. Florentine sauce is very simple to make.  It is typically made with heavy cream, white wine, butter, garlic, and Parmesan cheese*.

You can add ingredients like sun-dr ied tomatoes and tomato paste. Another common addition is fresh spinach and/or cherry tomatoes halves. Some recipes add mushrooms. Shallot and green peppers adds a nice flavor to the sauce and you can also make it spicy with a few dried Calabrian peppers.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons (29ml) butter, or more
• 2 tablespoon (6.5g) onion, diced
• 4 teaspoon (10g) garlic, finely chopped (divided in half)
• 1 teaspoon (1g) fresh thyme, or dried Italian herbs
• ⅓ cup (79ml) white wine
• ¾ cup (178ml) heavy cream
• ⅓-½ cup chicken broth

The Cream Sauce:

• Add about 1-2 tablespoons of butter to the same skillet over medium heat, followed by the onions, minced garlic, and thyme. Stir for about 1-2 minutes, allowing the flavors to bloom.
• Pour in the wine and stir for about 30 seconds.
• Next, add the cream, and broth.
• Bring the sauce to a boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 3-4 minutes.
• Add your cooked seafood or meat to the pan.
• Adjust the condiment thickness with water or broth and adjust seasonings and salt according to preference.
• Simmer the with the seafood or meat for 3-5 minutes in the sauce or until cooked through.

Serve over pasta or rice.

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*When I add the Parmesan cheese it sometimes melts in clumps and it is hard to get it into a smooth creamy sauce so I asked Google’s Bard what to do.

Here are some tips on how to prevent Parmesan cheese from clumping in Florentine sauce:

•    Use finely grated Parmesan cheese. The larger the pieces of cheese, the more likely they are to clump together.
•    Add the cheese slowly, a little at a time, while stirring constantly. This will help the cheese to melt evenly and prevent it from clumping.
•    Add the cheese to a hot sauce. The heat will help the cheese to melt more quickly and evenly.
•    Add a small amount of liquid to the sauce before adding the cheese. This will help to prevent the cheese from drying out and clumping.
•    Use a microplane grater to grate the Parmesan cheese. This will give you the finest possible grate and help to prevent clumping.

If you follow these tips, you should be able to prevent Parmesan cheese from clumping in your Florentine sauce.

Here is an additional tip: If you do end up with some clumpy Parmesan cheese, you can try to smooth it out by whisking it into the sauce or by using an immersion blender.

~~Fruit-Mascarpone Turnovers~~

I first saw this on PBS’s Kimball’s Milk Street but it was a 10-by-14-inch tart. It looked delirious but I couldn’t eat all that before it went bad.

Hmm… cut it in to squares…

Or how about folding them over?

Turnovers!

And instead of just raspberries how about a Berry Medley of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed and rolled into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle
• 2 pints frozen Berry Medley of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries
• 4 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• ¾ cup (170 grams) mascarpone cheese OR room-temperature cream cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract OR almond extract
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Optional garnish: Powdered sugar

Directions:

• Thaw the berries and the dough.
• Heat the oven to 425°F with a rack in the upper-middle position.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment; place the pastry dough on top. Cut the into approximately 4 inch squares.
• In a bowl, toss the berries and 2 tablespoons sugar.
• In another bowl, whisk the mascarpone, egg, vanilla, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Spread a tablespoons of mascarpone mixture inside the of squares; placde the berries on top. 
• Wet the edges of the dough squares with water, fold the dough over to make a triangle, and seal with a fork. Poke some hole on top of the turnovers.
• Bake until the pastry is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Options:

You can use pie fillings like apple or blueberry fillings. 

~~Jazzing Up Knorr’s Spanish Rice~~

 Jazzing Up Knorr’s Spanish Rice

This will turn something mundane and dull into a jazzy side dish

• Make the Spanish Rice as directed on the package
• Add a 1/3 of a cup of store bought salsa (Mild, Medium, or Spicy, your choice on how much fire you want.)
• Add a 1/3 of a cup of thawed frozen corn.
• Stir together and Voila, a quick and easy side dish.

~~ Lemon Saltimbocca ~~

I like chicken and not veal because of the inhumane way veal calves are treated, the are not allowed to move around because that will develop muscles so I only make chicken Saltimbocca.

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast1 (Option - 4 Veal cutlets)
• 1/2 lb. prosciutto, thinly sliced
• 8 Sage leaves
• 12 Slices Swiss cheese
• 4 Tsp. Flour
• 1 Tsp. Panko
• 1/4 Cup olive oil
• 1/4 Cup Butter
• 1 Lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
• 1/2 Lemon, juiced
• 1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
• 1 Shallot, minced (Or a green onion)
• 1/4 Cup minced garlic
• 1 Cup Dry white wine
• 4 oz. Chicken stock (Beef stock for the veal)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Cut the chicken in to 1/2 inch thick cutlets and pound the chicken into thin scaloppini (If using veal, pound the veal into thin scaloppini).
• Mix the salt and pepper, panko and flour together. Then coat both side of the scaloppini in the flour mixture.
• Then place a slice of prosciutto top of each scaloppini, press together firmly and then add two sage to each scaloppini. Pin them using toothpicks to the prosciutto and the scaloppini chicken.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the meat for 2 minutes on each side. Then remove them from the pan.
• Toss the lemon slices into the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
• Add the shallot, wine, lemon juice, lemon slices, and stock simmer for 3 minutes. Add the rest of the flour mixture to the sauce, stirring it in. Then add the chicken and place a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the chicken. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
• Remove to a serving dish and pour the sauce over the top.

Sides:

• Angel hair pasta
• Wild rice
• Lemon & herb risotto
• Mashed potatoes

~~Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet~~

Ingredients:

• 1 ⅓ cups uncooked brown rice
• 2 ⅔ cup chicken broth
• 1 pound large or jumbo shrimp - peeled and de-veined
• 4 tablespoons butter - melted, divided
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tsp. Cajun seasoning*  (I use Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning for homemade see below.)
• 1 bell peppers, chopped
• 4 chopped shallots
• ¼ cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. Tomato paste
• 2/3 cup corn (frozen and defrosted or canned)
• 2 fresh lemon wedges (1 Tbs. Lemon juice)
• Parsley, chopped

Directions:

• In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add shallots and bell peppers and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in sun dried tomatoes, garlic and corn and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer vegetables to a bowl.
• Pour the chicken broth in to the skillet and bring to a boil add the rice, reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring 1-2 times throughout. Transfer the rice to the bowl with the vegetables.
• Add remaining butter to skillet. Add shrimp in a single layer and season with the Cajun seasoning. Cook until pink, about 1 to 2 minutes per side.
• Stir in the vegetables and the rice, add the Cajun seasoning, tomato paste, and squeeze two fresh lemon wedges over the shrimp and stir.
• Garnish with chopped parsley if desired and serve. 

*Cajun seasoning - Homemade

• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano - may sub an Italian herb blend or Herbs de Provence
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

~~Pollo Piccante in Salsa di Panna di Diana~~

(Spicy Chicken in Cream Sauce by Diana)

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken breast
• ¼ lbs. prosciutto
• 1 Shallots diced
• 1 Jalapeno pepper diced
• A few dried spicy hot Calabrian Diavoletti Rossi, Small Dried Spicy Hot Chili Peppers chopped (Warning: these are HOT)
• ¼ cup of sun dried tomatoes or an 8 ounce jar sun dried tomatoes (Drained)
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup of whipping cream
• 1 tbs. butter
• Fresh parsley
• Salt to taste

Directions:

• Note: When handling the jalapeno and the Dried Spicy Hot Chili Peppers wash your hands in soapy water to get the capsaicin. Do not wipe your eyes when handling the peppers.
• Preparing the chicken: Cut the chicken in to 1/2 inch thick cutlets and pound the chicken into thin scaloppini. Place the prosciutto on top of the chicken and roll up pinning it closed with toothpicks. 
• In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat then add the sun dried tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, and onions. Cook over medium heat, tossing regularly, until the onions have softened and turned a light golden brown (manage your heat to make sure the garlic does not burn). 
• Add the chicken prosciutto roll and brown on all sides
• Stir in the tomato paste.
• Add the cream and bring to boil, then lower the heat to low and cover the pan. Stirring regularly allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes or so until thickened.
• You can serve over your favorite crusty bread, pasta, or rice, I like it over brown rice or wild rice.

Options:

• You can add corn or zucchini
• You can substitute shrimp, scallops, or pork for the chicken. I think lobster would also go good!

Serving suggestions:

• Over Spanish Rice, Long-Grain Rice, and Brown Rice
• Over Pasta Fettuccine, spaghetti, or thin egg noodles