My Crabby Sundae

If you haven’t figured it out, I’m in what I would like to call a “less than charming mood”.  No particular reason.  Just am.  As a result, I decided to make myself an ice cream treat.  I know, I know… emotional eating is bad.. particularly when it involves the following recipe.

You’ll need:

• 2-3 bananas in peel, sliced lengthwise
• 4 heaping tablespoons of Smucker’s Carmel Ice Cream Topping
• 2 tablespoons of Hershey’s Chocolate syrup
• 3 tablespoons of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

1. Sprinkle cut side of bananas with cinnamon.  Place peel side up on a preheated grill on HIGH for 2-3 minutes.
2. Mix together remaining cinnamon, brown sugar, syrup and caramel in a microwavable dish.  Microwave on high until caramel softens and a nice liquid is formed.  Stir frequently.
3. Cut bananas into chunks and add to sauce.  Stir.
4. Drizzle over vanilla ice cream. 

*Easy add ons-nuts, whip cream, cherries, sprinkles.

This tasted like a little piece of heaven on a bad day… ENJOY!

(I tried to take a picture, but my flash kept making it look like a white blob of nothing in an orange dish.)

  Sorry!

Tags: dessert, easy dessert recipe, easy recipes, grilled banana, sundae

Easy Memorial Day (or any day) BBQ

Super easy BBQ meal that looks delicious and tastes wonderful!

 
Sure, you could totally concoct your own BBQ sauce and spend hours pouring over your wood smoke grill.  I’m sure the results would be stellar.  But you know what else is stellar?  Not having to do that.  Getting a delicious meal done in under thirty minutes and spending the rest of the time playing with the kids, sitting in the pool or enjoying a cool cocktail in the warm summer breeze. 

So, with this in mind, my hubby and I set out to make a quick dinner that still felt BBQ-ish and Memorial Day-ish.  We actually managed to pick up one of those handy-dandy corn baskets for the grill for $3.50 on clearance at Menards.  (You don’t have to have this, but it makes it delightfully fun and easy) WOOT WOOT!  That pretty much decided our menu.   

Anyway, here’s how we did it…. 

You’ll need: 

• Enough boneless, country-style ribs for whatever size group you’re feeding.
• Bottle of Jack Daniels Original Recipe BBQ Sauce (or whatever your favorite is, but to me this one is the best)
• Olive Oil
• Basting Brush
• Cob Corn

Directions: 

1. Start your grill and let it heat up to HIGH heat for about 5 min.  Once that’s complete, throw your meat on the grill.
2. Peel the husk off the corn, remove silk and rinse under cold water.
3. “Paint on” olive oil with basting brush over entire ears of corn.  (Put them in the corn basket if you have them, otherwise they can sit directly on the grill)
4. Go out and turn your meat a quarter of a turn on the grill.  It should be cooking well at this point and should lift easily off the grates.  If not, wait for it to stop sticking and then turn it.  Turning it like this just gives it the pretty cross hatched marks.  You could honestly skip this step if you wanted to.
5. Wait approx five minutes for the ribs to get a nice cross hatch pattern on them and flip them completely over.  Use your basting brush and paint on a thin, even layer of BBQ sauce on the side that’s facing up.
6. Place your corn over medium heat on the grill.  (On my grill you can adjust the heat on each side of the grill.  If you can’t do this, simply cook everything over medium heat from now on.  It make take a few minutes extra for the ribs but it will be fine.  No worries!)
7. Close the lid and allow everything to cook for about 6-8 minutes.
8. Baste with the BBQ sauce the same side you did before on the meat.  Then flip and do the other side.  Check your corn and see if its beginning to get grill marks.  If so, flip.  If not, wait another two minutes.  Close the lid for another 5 min.
9. Open and check meat for doneness.  If you have a meat thermometer, great.  If not, pick out the thickest chunk of meat you have and cut into it.  At this point, its likely done.  (For all you serious grillers out there, I realize we might lose some flavorful juices here but this is supposed to be easy, not award-winning.  Chill out.)
10. Now check the corn.  If the color of the corn is bright yellow, the kernels seem tender and there’s a light golden brown to some of the kernels its done. 
11. Okay, so if your meat is done and your corn isn’t let the corn sit over HIGH heat for another few minutes.  It will cook and burn fast like this so stay nearby.  Let the meat sit over low or shut that burner side off all together if you can.  If your meat isn’t done but the corn is, do the opposite of above.  If you can’t shut one side off, simply remove the done item and wrap in tin foil until the other side is complete.
12. Once everything has completed its cooking cycle, simply plop on some plates with extra BBQ sauce for the meat and salt and butter for the corn.  VIOLA!  Super easy.

If you wanna get a bit fancier with the corn here are a few easy “dustings” you could sprinkle over the corn shortly before its done cooking (probably not all of them at once, one or two together should be good): 

• Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley
• Chili Powder
• Honey
• Garlic Salt
• Grated Pepperjack Cheese

If you were cooking this for an event or a family gathering, it’s very simple to add to.  Use one or two of the corn add-ons above.  Simply serve with potato chips, a veggie tray and some potato salad.  Classic BBQ in minutes and you look like a genius!

Tags: BBQ meals, corn on the cob, grilled corn on the cob, holiday meals, meals in under 30, memorial day

Give Me Hamburger and Cream of Mushroom Soup

These are my two fall backs.  I always, always have them as a backup because I can throw together these two ingredients with whatever else I may have on hand and be done making dinner in thirty minutes. 

Tator Tot Hotdish (This is actually the most in-depth of the three)

You need:

• Pound of hamburger
• Mixed veggies (either canned or frozen, whatever you have) I highly recommend putting in corn and green beans but I’ve also used canned peas and carrots and whatever random bag of frozen stuff I have in the freezer.  Use as much or as little as you like but if you’re going with cans, I’d say two to three cans total veggies.  If frozen, roughly two or three cups.
• Beef bullion (2 tablespoons)
• Onion (1 cup)
• Clove of garlic (chopped)
• Bag of tator tots
• Spices: Pepper and salt to taste, teaspoon of onion powder, teaspoon of garlic salt
• Cream of Mushroom Soup (2 cans)

Directions:

1. Brown hamburger over medium heat in a skillet.  Add salt and pepper.
2. In a 9×13 baking dish, mix together veggies, onion and garlic, soup, garlic salt, onion powder and bullion.
3. Drain grease from hamburger.  Fold into mixture in baking dish. 
4. Cover mixture with a single layer of tator tots. (I like to dust my tator tots with seasoning salt.  Gives added flavor and color)
5. Bake at 450 degrees until tator tots are golden brown and mixture bubbles up around the edges.

Hamburger Gravy

You’ll need:

• 6-8 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• Milk (two tablespoons)
• Butter (one tablespoon)
• Pound of hamburger
• Can of cream of mushroom soup
• Diced Onions (one cup)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Beef bullion (about two teaspoons but mostly to taste since all bullion is different)
• Garlic clove (minced)

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in boiling water.  Add a pinch of salt.  Boil until potatoes break with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, brown hamburger in a deep skillet.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Once the meat is half done, add garlic clove and onion. (I like to save a bit of the raw onion, or chop more, to put on top of my own serving.  My husband hates it, so it’s a matter of taste.)
4. When meat is thoroughly cooked, drain and return to pan.  Add can of soup.  Fill empty can with water and add to meat. 
5. Add beef bullion and simmer over medium heat, uncovered for approx. 10 min.  *TIP: For THICK gravy, simmer longer or add less water.  For thinner gravy, don’t simmer as long just heat through.*
6. Drain potatoes.  Mash with butter and milk.
7. Serve gravy over potatoes.

Mushroom Swiss Burgers (Not how I would normally make them, but does in a pinch)

You’ll need:

• Enough hamburger for however many patties you wish to make
• Can of cream of mushroom soup
• Swiss cheese slices
• Hamburger buns
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Mix salt and pepper to hamburger and form into patties. 
2. Fry hamburgers over medium heat in a covered skillet until desired doneness is achieved.
3. Uncover and add one tablespoon of soup and a slice of cheese to each burger.
4. Cover and heat until cheese is melted.
5. Serve on buns.

Tags: beef, beef recipes, easy meals, easy recipes, gravy, hamburger, hot dishes, hotdishes, meals in under thirty minutes, mushroom swiss burgers, quick meals, recipes

To Splurge or Not to Splurge

There are a lot of ingredients and tools that can be picked up from the discount aisle and you’d never know the difference. The key is just learning what generic things will work for you and what won’t. Likely, you’re going to learn this through trying it out and either being satisfied with the results or mad and considering writing a letter to the manufacturer. Normally I would say go with the cheap first. Worst case scenario you end up buying the more expensive stuff the next time. Best case scenerio, you and whomever is lucky enough to eat your food, never know the difference.

However, to save you some blunders I’ve put together a quick list of things that I “splurge” on and things that I don’t.

Splurge:

• Campbell’s Soup- I always, always use Campbell’s soup for my recipes. Their cream soups don’t come out of the can looking like a cranberry sauce roll. They are actually cream and not gelatin looking. My food has turned out better as a result.
• Whole Fresh Garlic Cloves- I know, it looks scary wrapped in that thin white skin but you can do it. I’ll tell you how. The stuff in the jars just doesn’t give the same flavor.
• Bakery Buns- For hot dogs, no. But for sandwiches that I’ve spent more then four minutes concocting the meat for, yes. And I suppose you could totally bake your own and all that jazz but lets not get overly fancy, eh?
• Bullion- I know it sounds weird, but for me, the couple extra cents is well worth the better flavor.

Skimp:

• Jar spices- Don’t get me wrong, for important meals for a special occasion or sometimes for a certain dish, fresh will only do. But for quick, everyday cooking you can get by with the generic brands.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese- You could do fresh, and sometimes I do. But as above, for everyday, you can get by with cheap.
• Rice, Flour, Sugar- Those types of ingredients I almost always go cheap.
• Random Utensils- Spatulas, colanders, casserole dishes, mixing spoons. If you find you’re using something a lot, and you find one you absolutely love. Go ahead and splurge. But if you’re on a budget, these are the things I would spend less on in favor of spending more on the more important things.

You may end up disagreeing with me and that’s great. You’ve found your ‘thing’. I have my ‘thing’. We’ll roll with it. But these just give you a jumping off point. Enjoy.

Tags: budget friendly meals, cooking, cooking must haves, cooking on a budget, starting cooking

My Must Haves

There are many articles out there that list cooking “must haves” that are probably just as good or better then mine. But in my house, these are the things that I can’t live without:

• Fresh Garlic- It makes everything taste better. The pre-chopped garlic just won’t do.
• A Good Large Frying Pan- I like a heavy, well coated pan. However, there is many an argument about what makes a good pan. So just find one that works for you and go with it. You don’t have to spend a fortune. Mine is a non-stick pan with a glass lid and no fancy brand name. Probably cost me about $25 but it was worth every penny and a lot more.
• Gas Grill- Okay so this may cost you some dough, but it doesn’t HAVE to. We bought ours for $99 at Walmart. Its small but I’m only cooking for two. Anyway, I’m very, very into grilling as a result of buying this. I use it all the time and you’ll love it too. If nothing else get a charcoal grill. I can’t offer much in the way of advice about it, I’m uniquely ungifted in lighting one of those darn things. However, there are people who swear by charcoal grills. To each their own.
• My basic spices I use a lot: Parsley, Garlic Salt, Season Salt, Ginger, Cinnamon, Pepper, Salt, Cilantro, Onion Powder and Nutmeg. You can do a lot with just these spices.
• A Good Sharp Knife- Or three really. I got a hand-me-down knife from my mom that I cannot live with out. I use it for all my chopping needs. I really doubt that she spent a lot of cash on it so don’t think you have to buy some several hundred dollar set off of QVC. If you’re feeling really adventurous, get yourself a good fillet knife and paring knife. Both are indispensable.
• A Stock Pot- For those of you who don’t know what that is… its the big one you could fit a whole sack of potatoes in.
• Roasting Pan- Giant Pan with a lid that fits in your oven
• Cookie Sheets and Baking Pans- Google it if you’re not sure what those are. I’m not telling you.
• Cutting board- Or you will seriously screw up your counter top

Obviously this isn’t an all inclusive list of things you need in order to cook. There just the most simple things I use, we’ll say, at least weekly. Pick and chose as you desire, add your own things and find your own “must haves”. Cooking should be all about you and the food. So figure out what works for YOU and the food will follow.

Tags: cooking must haves, getting started, new to cooking, starting cooking

Real Life Cooking, Real Easy

I’m not a chef and I’ve never had any formal training. I’ve learned how to cook like I do from my wonderfully gifted mother and the school of Trial & Error. Its not accredited, but it works. I’m actually still in the degree program there and plan to be for the rest of my natural born life.

I still make mistakes. For instance I learned the hard way not to add cold water to a piping hot pan in the oven. (For those of you who don’t know, it shatters into a million pieces. Its not pretty and can ruin a meal pretty easily.) I’ve created recipes that sounded good in theory but were horrible. Like the time I wrapped hot dogs in biscuit dough and fried it. Sounded good in theory but in reality it tasted like…well…ass. My darling husband still gripes about it to this day. But that’s the beauty of cooking. Its fluid, it changes, there’s always more to learn and the rewards are delicious, even when the failures aren’t.

Over time I have run into so many people who say they don’t know how to cook, can’t cook or don’t have time to cook. Its all nonsense. Everyone has time cook. Maybe not three meals a day but sometime in your busy week you have time to cook. And if you say you can’t cook, its because no one has really taught you how delightfully easy it is.

So that’s how this blog came to fruition. This is for everyone who doesn’t know how or doesn’t have time. I’ll give you my simple tricks for cooking on a budget, cooking in a time crunch and cooking simply. I’m not promising I can tell you how to cook an eight course meal in twelve minutes. I’m not a miracle worker. But you’ll be surprised at the crazy good food you can churn out with little effort and little time.

Tags: cooking, easy meals, easy recipes