Apple Celery Slaw

January 1, 2014!!  Wow, a new year has begun. Let's hope that is a happy and healthy year for everyone.  I know that many people make a list of resolutions for the new year. And many have the same ones from year to year. The top resolution?? To lose weight/eat better, right.  Well I hope that this little recipe will fit right along with this resolution.  It is just a quick little slaw that is light and refreshing. My only problem is that I can't eat it. I have a pesky allergy to apples. But it doesn't stop me from making this. It smells wonderful and refreshing.Granny smith apples are so crisp and crunchy and add some crunchy celery and this little number will surely quench your church appetite.  
The original recipe calls for sour cream, but I did not have any, a quick substitute of evaporated milk will surely be fine.  


Apple Celery Slaw

1/4 c evaporated milk
3 TBSP olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced into matchsticks
1 granny smith apple, cut into matchsticks

Combine the first 4 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Add the celery and apple sticks. Toss until everything is well coated.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Fruity French Toast

I think that starting your families day off with a good breakfast is a great way to start the day.  My kids were never the crack of dawn kind of kids. They just love to sleep, always have.  So the best way to get them up on a Sunday morning is to make a great breakfast. Who doesn't like to wake yo to an amazing smelling  breakfast ? 
The original recipe calls for only berries, but you can substitute any frozen fruit. But it is best with at least half of it with berries.   A mixture of frozen peaches and berries is the best for me.  

2 1/2 cups frozen berries

2 1/2 cups frozen peaches (any fruit)

3/4 cup sugar

1 TBSP cornstarch

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cooking spray

1 cup milk

1tsp vanilla

4 egg whites, slightly beaten

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 8oz loaf of French bread, sliced into 1 inch thick slices

1 TBSP sugar

1 TBSP powdered sugar

Combine the frozen fruit, sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon and pour into a 13x9 baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Whisk together the milk,vanilla, egg whites and egg together in a large dish. Add the bread, turning to coat all sides, let stand for bread to absorb the milk mixture for about 5 minutes. 

Lay the bread slices over the fruit mixture. Sprinkle with the TBSP of sugar. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.  

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is a favorite comfort food, and a great way to stretch a little leftover chicken.  of course you can always substitute turkey too. 

I used fresh chopped onions, carrots and celery because that is what I like. But you can certainly use some left over veggies also. If you have a bit of leftover corn, peas or green beans, they would only make this even more comforting.  Use what you have and it will not disappoint you.  

 4 stalks of celery

4 carrots

1 large onion

4 TBSP butter

2 cups cooked chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 cup flour

2 cups chicken stock

1 tsp chicken bouillon base

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp kosher salt 

Black pepper to taste

Freshly chopped thyme, rosemary and sage

( a few sprigs of each) optional

1pre made pie crust

Preheat oven to 400. 

Finely dice the celery, carrots, and onion. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the veggies and sauté until they turn translucent. ( if using leftover veggies, add them now)Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour over the veggie, chicken mixture stirring until combined. 

Pour the chicken broth in and stir to incorporate.  Add the bouillon base and the wine.  Continue stirring as you pour in the cream.  Let the mixture cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Add the seasoning, salt, pepper and fresh herbs.  Remove from the heat.  

Pour the mixture into a deep dish pie pan or a small round casserole.  

Unroll the prepared pie crust on the top of the veggie chicken mixture. Press the edges to the side of the dish to seal. Cut a few steam slices on the top of the crust.

Bake for 30 minutes until nicely golden brown. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, cut and serve. 

Sweet and Sassy Joes

Sometimes life can be very hectic, and it would be easy to just open up a can and heat whatever ina pan. But I am trying to keep my family healthy and trying to eat fresh foods with little or no preservatives. Kind of hard these days with all of the prepackaged foods that are available.  When my kids were younger we always had sloppy joes from a can and they were fine, but then I got to thinking about what was in them. If the can can last on the shelf for years, is that really what I want to put in my body? The answer was NO!! so I stumbled upon this recipe for homemade sloppy joes. And they are so much better than the canned version. In my opinion anyway!! A little homemade sauce, some veggies and ground turkey is a great way to have a quick convenient meal.


Sweet and Sassy Joes


2 TBSP olive oil
1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 TBSP minced garlic
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 cups tomato sauce (homemade)
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP Baby Bam ( recipe follows)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, stirring until browned.
Remove excess liquid.
To the skillet, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until soft. About 3-5 minutes.
Adfd garlic and cook until fragrant, add the red wine vinegar.
Add the tomato sauce, brown sugar, baby bam , Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer  for 15 minutes. Serve on a hearty bun. A side salad would complete the meal.

Baby Bam

3 TBSP paprika
2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP dried parsley
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt

Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to combine. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Hard Boiled Egg

I know this may seem silly to some. But others have no idea how to boil an egg. I have done them many ways in the past until I adopted the method that I use now.  

Place eggs in a large pot, cover with cold water. Place on the stove over medium heat until boiling. Immediately turn off the heat and cover. Let sit covered for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes plunge the eggs into a bowl of ice water. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel eggs under cool running water. Refrigerate peeled in an airtight container.


This way there is a quick and convienetly healthy snack in the fridge whenever someone needs.  My girls do NOT like this, and they hate the look of them in the container. My boys think it is weird, but have no problem eating them.  And since they are already peeled, I don't find shells in the sink or trash at weird times of the day.  Another win-win situation.

Barbecue Brisket

My family loves BBQ Brisket.  The last time I made it, my oldest had a few of his friends over and everyone enjoyed it.
I got the recipe a few years ago when I went to Wegmans. They were giving samples and it was so good that I had to try it.
I use any flavor barbecue sauce that I have on hand. I happened to have STUBB'S today. 

4-6 lbs boneless brisket
salt and pepper
flour
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 tsp Better than Bullion Beef Base
1 bottle (18 oz) Barbecue Sauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the brisket in half, season with salt and pepper and dust lightly with the flour.
Heat oil on a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Working with one half of the brisket at a time. Sear the brisket on each side until paper-bag brown. Keep browned halves on a clean plate until needed.
Add the beef base to the water, stirring to combine.  Add this to the pot, loosening the browned bits with a wooden spoon.  Cook until reduced by half. Stir in barbecue sauce.
Return brisket halves to pan  Cover and place in the oven. Cook for about 3 hours, until meat is fork tender.
Transfer brisket to a serving platter. Cut thick slices making sure to cut against the grain.  Skim fat from the sauce, cook an additional 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened.
Serve with the barbecue sauce.

Frittata

Leftovers? What to do with them? My kids don't always like having leftovers, but I can't throw them away. So I try to use them in more creative ways.  Like in a frittata!! 
You can use almost anything, but this time I used leftover roasted broccoli and leftover roasted potatoes.  Both of them already has salt and pepper on them so I didn't add any extra. And the broccoli had some garlic so that added some extra flavor.  
Most leftover veggies and potatoes will work and you could add some meat too. 


2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped (optional)
1 cup leftover veggie
1 cup leftover potatoes
8 large eggs
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup grated Locatelli cheese

In a league ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the leftovers and sauté until heated, about 5-8 minutes.  
Preheat the broiler. In a bowl, whisk the eggs,cream,and cheese.  Stir into the skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until almost set, and not runny. About 2 minutes. Place skillet under the broiler until top is golden.  Watch carefully as it only takes a few minutes.  
Cut into wedges and serve. 

This works well for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It can be paired with fruit  and a salad for a great meal.