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“I dream of painting, then I paint my dreams” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

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The simplicity of the great brunch or breakfast dish is the thing of dreams!

But the elegance is unmatched and truly tastes like a dream.

 

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Cara Cara Dream Oranges

  • 4 Cara Cara oranges, cut into 8 wedges
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons honey 

    Preheat oven to broil.
    Arrange oranges on lines baking sheet and evenly sprinkle brown sugar over oranges.
    Broil oranges for 3-5 mins, making sure not to burn.
    Arrange oranges on a serving plate, sprinkle with pistachios and drizzle with honey.

    (Note – for easier consumption, you can peel oranges first but just not quite as pretty)

-abp

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“It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is – what are we busy about” ~ Henry David Thoreau

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Ok, so I have been gone for a while now. But I have been busy. The normal everyday busy of having a family is always present but I have also started a new business designing and painting needlepoint canvases.

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Click logo to see my designs.

But I have still been cooking and I’m still a recipe contributor to my local monthly lifestyle paper. I would really like to put all those recipes here but sometimes I just don’t have time to write intros etc., so…… there may be times there is just the recipe and the pic.

I hope all is well with everyone in the food blog world and I really hope to see more of you soon!

-abp

 

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Pasta E Fagioli

  • 1 cup ditalini Pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 16 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • 15 oz can petit diced tomatoes
  • 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
  • 15 oz can white northern beans, drained
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • Salt/pepper to taste
  • Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside.

In a large stock pot, cook sausage in one tablespoon of oil until cooked through, breaking up into small pieces as you cook.

Next add carrots, onion, celery and garlic to pot with sausage (add more oil if needed) and cook until softened. 

Add in chicken broth, water,tomatoes and tomato sauce along with seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook uncovered for 15 mins. Then add in pasta and beans. 

Serve with crusty garlic bread. 

 

 

 

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.” ~ Billy Graham

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I love Mexican food and I’m always looking for other options besides the regular recipes such as tacos, burritos, fajita’s etc.

So when I ran across this Tamale Pie, I knew I had to try it!

I hope one day to attempt authentic Tamales but I still need to work up the courage for that one……

Tamale Pie

  • 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup cream corn (from a can is fine)
  • 1/3 cup enchilada sauce
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced (jar kind is fine)
  • 2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 2 cups mexican blend shredded cheese
  • cilantro
  • salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400º.

In a large bowl mix together sour cream, creamed corn, jiffy mix and the egg. Spread evenly in a greased cast iron skillet. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove, let cool slightly. Leave oven on.

While cornbread is cooking, sauté onion  and ground beef in a large skillet until browned.  Drain excess fat. Add in garlic, cook and stir for 30 seconds.  Add in taco seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

With a fork, poke holes evenly over the cornbread, then pour enchilada sauce over cornbread.

Layer meat mixture, followed by cheese onto cornbread layer. Cover with foil and return to oven to heat through and melt cheese, around 20 minutes. Remove foil and and turn on broil to brown cheese.

Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with extra sour cream.

Lettuce and tomatoes are optional toppings as well.


 -abp 

 

 

“Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” ~ Stephen King

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Ah Lawd. I’ve created a monster.

My getting back in the kitchen has made my husband come to expect some new dish nightly.

Well. I hate it for him. Lol.

But it’s not too bad when you can whip up something fairly simple – this recipe included.

BTW – we are going out to eat tonight.

Chicken Parmesan

  • 4 chicken cutlets
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 jar ( oz) marinara sauce
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups breadcrumbs
  • 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon water, whisked together
  • 10 oz spaghetti noodles, cooked
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • dried basil for garnish
  • salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 350º.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour (both sides), shake off excess. Then dredge in egg mixture (both sides), shake off excess. Finally, dredge in breadcrumbs (both sides) and press into chicken.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Brown chicken on both sides (3-4 minutes a side or until cooked through). Remove to paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil.

Place cooked noodles in a greased 9×13 baking dish. Top with marinara, reserving 1 cup to top chicken. Arrange chicken breasts on top of noodles, followed by remaining sauce across the chicken. Evenly sprinkle cheese on top of chicken.

Baked uncovered for around 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Sprinkle with basil before serving.

 

-abp

 

“All we have of freedom, all we use or know —This our fathers bought for us long and long ago.”~Rudyard Kipling

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We had a great 4th of July weekend!

Although we had out of town company, we really had no major plans but when you throw in fun sunglasses, fake USA themed tattoos, cold beer and a slip n slide – it’s a perfect weekend!

We had the usual cook out fare – grilled burgers, chips, baked beans and cucumber/tomato/onion salad but we had to finish it off with something sweet and since I had fresh Chilton County peaches and a quart of blueberries in hand, I decided to go with a classic cobbler. 

Peach and Bluberry Cobbler

  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 1 ½ cup sugar (divided)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together butter, flour and 1 cup sugar. In another bowl toss fruit with 1/2 cup remaining sugar and lemon juice. Layer the fruit mixture in a 2 quart glass baking dish and pour the flour/milk mixture on top. 

Bake for 45-60 minutes or until brown and bubbly. 

Serve with vanilla icecream. 

-abp

“Warning: Going to Sleep on Sunday night will cause Monday.” ~ unknown

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What goes better with a cold, rainy night than a good ole bowl of warm chili??

I can’t think of much else…..

It’s also perfect for winding down the weekend on Sunday night.

So, if you happen to have a cold, rainy, Sunday night – you will have pure perfection with this recipe!

Sunday Night Chili

  • 12 ounces packaged bacon
  • 1 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 1, 15 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1, 8 oz can tomato paste
  • 1, 15 oz can light red kidney bean, plus one can of water
  • 1, 15 oz can of black beans, rinsed, plus one can of water
  • 1.5 Tbsp Chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.5 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste)
  • Shredded cheese, green onion, Fritos and sour cream for toppings
Cook bacon until crisp, remove, crumble once cooled.
In bacon grease cook onion and red pepper for 2 mins then add in ground beef, cook until browned, drain excess grease.
Add crumbled bacon and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 1-1.5 hours. Salt/pepper to taste and serve with toppings of your choice.
chili
-abp

“There’s nothing more romantic than Italian food.” ~ Elisha Cuthbert

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One of our favorite dishes we had on our honeymoon trip to Italy was Saltimbocca.  Saltimbocca means “jump in your mouth” and that it does! I knew it would be a meal that I must try back at home and I finally got around to it.

Saltimbocca is a very popular Italian dish that is traditionally made with veal but can be made with chicken (which is what I had on hand).

Chicken Saltimbocca

4 (4-ounce) chicken cutlets
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 fresh sage leaves
2 ounces very thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 8 thin strips
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Place 3 sage leaves on each cutlet.

top with sage

Wrap 2 prosciutto slices around each cutlet, securing sage leaves in place.

wrap with prosciutto

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add chicken to pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add cornstarch mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Place chicken on bed of fettuccine and top with sauce.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Love, love, love this dish! It’s simple too!

abp

“Going to the gym wouldn’t be on my list of favorite things to do.” ~ Kate Moss

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After lots of eating out, take out and a few crockpot dinners I decided I might put a little more effort into tonight’s dinner. But not too much, I don’t want to over exert myself considering I already went to the gym today. 😉

Tell me – will it ever not be a chore to go to the gym???

I’m thinking no.

I just don’t get all those people who love working out.

It’s weird. (no offense to my working out friends)

I wish I were weird.

Sorry – back to dinner. So tonight I’m making Baked Shrimp Scampi. Nice and simple.

Baked Shrimp Scampi

  • 1 cup butter
  • 2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I used dry because it’s what I had)
  • 1.5 – 2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

Preheat oven to 450º.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. When the butter melts completely, remove from heat.

melt

Arrange shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Stir to coat.

arrange shrimpstir to coat

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

bake

Serve over angel hair pasta. Top with parsley and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

serve with angel hair pasta

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Like I said. Nice and easy. Not to mention quite tasty! I very much enjoyed this meal! To make it even better we finished dinner off with an old fashioned Strawberry Shortcake!

Strawberry Shortcake Nothing beats a childhood favorite!

abp