Fried Zuccini Chips

I promised I would share with you how to make the fried zucchini chips that I made to go along with our BBQ meatballs and yes I am a little late in posting...but hey, better late than never. I love vegetables that have been dredged in flour and deep fried and then dipped in ranch dressing. I especially love fried okra...it makes me happy. I pretty much use the same seasonings whenever I dredge something in flour and fry it, meats and vegetables. No exact measurements...I just fly by the seat of my pants.

Katie's Fried Zucchini~

2 md. zucchini, sliced relatively thin
1 cup flour
black pepper
garlic salt
onion powder
paprika
1 egg
splash or two of milk

Directions:
1.) In a bowl mix your dry ingredients while in a separate bowl add your scrambled egg and milk, mix well.
2.) In a large skillet pour in vegetable oil, enough to coat the bottom without drowning your veggie, and bring to high heat.
3.) Take your sliced zucchini and dip in egg/milk mixture and then dredge in flour, add to your skillet. Brown on each side and layer on a plate with a paper towel to absorb an excess oil, sprinkle with salt.

* You will start your oil off on high but after about the first batch I turn my stove down to medium, if you don't it will burn and it doesn't smell pretty. Also, to test the oil and the seasoning in the flour I cut one thin slice of zucchini and do my thing with it and throw it into the skillet. You will know by that first piece whether or not the oil is ready and once it is done you can taste it to determine whether or not your seasoning is where you want it to be.

BBQ Meatballs

It has been a very busy week at my house and as usual it has something to do with sickness. I think we have a black cloud over our house preventing everyone from being well at the same time.

Anyway, Lennon had his tail amputation Tuesday March 24th and everything seemed to have gone well. What we didn't know was that it was going to go down hill and fast. My poor little boy underwent emergency surgery this past Wednesday afternoon to remove more tail. I will spare everyone the gruesome details but we actually had to get a second opinion from another vet because the original didn't seem to think what was going on with his tail required another surgery. It did require another surgery and it required it immediately. After shelling out $1000 for this second surgery alone, Daniel and I are now on the Ramon noodle and cheap frozen pizza diet...lol. Of course had the first Vet done the amputation properly we wouldn't be in this mess but my little guy is doing really good and his tail looks 100% better than what it did after the first surgery. This Vet is having us bring him in every three days so she can make sure he stays on the path to a full recovery. I will be glad when it is all healed and he is back to normal. He is currently wearing one of those big plastic collars that they have to wear to prevent them from licking at their wounds and he is enjoying chasing Bandit around the house because of it. Bandit doesn't quite realize what it is and he is afraid of it.

On to more important matters...FOOD. I had been meaning to make this meal for a couple of weeks now. I am sure many of you are sick of seeing it as soon after the Pioneer Woman posted it to her blog, it seems that everyone jumped on the BBQ meatball band wagon. I still thought I would be nice and share with you, some of my followers may not have seen them so here you go!!

BBQ Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

3/4 cup oats

1 cup milk

3 tablespoons very finely minced onion

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

plenty of ground black pepper

Sauce:

1 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons Worcestershire

4 to 6 tablespoons onion

Dash of Tabasco

1.)Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.)Combine all meatball ingredients. Roll into medium-small balls and place on a cookie sheet. 3.)Place sheet in freezer for five minutes.
4.)Remove from freezer and immediately dredge in unseasoned flour.
5.)Brown meatballs in canola oil until just brown. Place into a baking dish.
6.)Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over meatballs and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or crusty french bread.

* Recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Now, as you are all already aware, I can't follow directions worth a hill of beans. This is why Katie+Baking=Trouble. The above recipe is straight from the Pioneer Woman herself, but because I have issues I made a few adjustments. First of all the oats we had in our pantry expired in 2007 so obviously they got pitched and in their place I used a sleeve of saltine crackers smashed up. Second, instead of using straight salt, I used garlic salt instead, it's what I do. Third, I added two eggs, I don't know why, I just felt compelled to use two eggs. Also, I didn't do the whole put them in the freezer and then roll them in flour deal. I just rolled them and fried them, didn't have time to mess around with that step, I had a Husband who said he had been hungry all day when I asked him if he was ready for me to start dinner, it was an emergency situation people! Now when it came to the sauce I pretty much stuck to the original with the exception of the Tabasco, I added a dash of red paper flakes instead.

These were definitely winners although Daniel said it tasted just like meatloaf which is understandable because I pretty much use the same ingredients when I do make meatloaf. I served mine along with mashed potatoes, tator tots for Daniel, and fried zucchini chips which I will share with you later.

Down Home Comfort

I love macaroni and cheese, there is just something about pasta and gooey cheese that makes my mouth water and tingle with anticipation. I have tried what seems like 850 different macaroni and cheese recipes and I have yet to find the "one".

This is one that I tried a few months back for one of our Sunday night dinner dates. Not sure if I have ever mentioned our dinner dates before but I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoy them. Since Daniel works second shift during the week that means we don't have the normal sit down dinners like most married couples have. It also doesn't help that Saturday nights are dedicated to the family dinners, which by the way, I wouldn't trade for the world. Due to the fact that 6 of the 7 nights of the week are taken, I put into affect several months ago that Sunday nights would be our date nights. We would plan a special meal, usually something we have never tried before, and together we would prepare and cook it. There is just something special about standing next to your special someone in the kitchen preparing a special meal. Lord help me when this man ships off to Afghanistan for a year.

Anyway, I made this a few months ago to go along with Daniel's baked cod recipe. It was super yummy and definitely different from your standard mac and cheese. It has lots of ingredients and lots of steps so this probably won't be a weeknight recipe for you, but give it a shot sometime on the weekend and I can guarantee you won't be disappointed.


Macaroni and Cheese with Caramelized Onions and Bacon

Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
4 cups grated Asiago cheese
4 cups grated Vermont Cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce


DIRECTIONS:
1.) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add macaroni and cook for 8 minutes (noodles will still be slightly hard). Drain noodles and transfer to a large bowl with 1/4 cup of butter and toss to coat. Whisk together the sour cream, egg, and cream cheese; add to the pasta and mix well. Stir in 3 cups of grated Asiago and 3 cups of grated Cheddar cheese, reserving the remaining 2 cups of cheese for the topping.

2.) Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate and chop into small pieces.

3.) Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4.) Stir 2 tablespoons butter, the onion, and garlic into the bacon drippings in the pan and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the brown sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes until the onions are very soft and golden brown. Mix the cooked bacon, parsley, and panko breadcrumbs into the onions, transfer mixture to a small bowl and set aside.

5.) Return the skillet to the heat and melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour, and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk the milk into the flour mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture is smooth and thickened. Stir in the ground mustard, paprika, salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Remove sauce from heat and let cool for five minutes.

6.) Pour the sauce over the macaroni mixture, stirring well. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch pan and sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups of Cheddar cheese. Top cheese with the onion breadcrumb mixture.

7.) Bake in preheated oven until bubbling, hot and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Now folks, I realize that this is not very figure friendly, but when you are in need of comfort sometimes you just have to push that thought aside.

Recipe: Allrecipes.com

Mexican Themed Dinner

I love Mexican food, well at least some of it anyway. Normally when we do the pulled pork it is followed by our garbage pizza, this time after seeing a recipe for a cilantro sauce, I thought...why not do pork tacos. I gathered a few recipes from allrecipes.com for a quick side dish as well as the cilantro sauce and off we go for a nice Mexican themed dinner.

We made our taco's using soft taco shells, dabbing on some our cilantro sauce, layering with our pork, and topping off with some cheese. Between the pork and the cilantro sauce the smell was so good. I am eating another one as I type this, home for lunch. I also made fish taco's using cod. I cut the cod up into small pieces, cooked in about a tbsp. of butter and then I sprinkled on some of the Emeril essence I made last week for the shrimp. Daniel liked the pork tacos better while our buddy Denny liked the fish better.


First up, Amy's Cilantro Cream Sauce~

You will need the following ingredients;
1-8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. sour cream
1-7 0z. tomatillo salsa
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions:
1.) Combine cream cheese, sour cream, salsa, pepper, celery salt, cumin, garlic powder, cilantro, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy.

* I made this sauce using 7 oz. of salsa verde because we were un-able to find any tomatillo salsa. Also I did not use the sour cream in this dish and instead of using fresh lime juice, I used the juice out of the little green bottle.


Second Up, Mexican cornbread salad;
Ingredients:
1-16 oz. package of cornbread mix
1-4 oz. can chopped green chile peppers
2-15 oz. cans pinto beans, drained
1-8 oz. bottle ranch dressing
1 green pepper, chopped
2-15.25 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tomatoes
1-3 oz. can bacon bits
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch green onions, chopped

Directions:
1.) Prepare cornbread mix as directed on the package, adding the can of green chiles. Set aside and allow to cool and then crumble.
2.) Place half of the cornbread in bottom of a large bowl. Evenly layer with 1 can of beans, 1/2 the bottle of dressing, 1/2 chopped bell pepper, 1 can of corn, 1 chopped tomato, 1/2 jar bacon bits, 1/2 package of cheese, and 1/2 of green onions. Repeat layers in same order using remaining ingredients.
3.) Cover and refrigerate 2 hours and serve chilled.

* Now once again I didn't read the directions before beginning this and I didn't add the green chiles to the cornbread mixture, instead I used half the can and added a layer to the first layer of ingredients. Also, I did not add the bacon bits nor did I add the second can of corn...I thought it would have been too much when compared to the amount of other ingredients.

Sunday Morning Breakfast...

During my last few years of high school my Dad was going through a divorce and instead of getting his own place he moved in with my Grandma. Every weekend he would pick my sister up from her Mom's place and then he would pick me up from mine and together we would head to Grandma's. At the time, while we loved being with Grandma, we weren't thrilled with the situation because Nikki and I were forced to take turns sleeping on the living room couch and floor, not the best of sleeping arrangements. This was especially so each morning when Grandma would rise early and start her day off preparing her glass of orange juice and medicine slamming cabinet doors as she went. It's been almost a year since her death and I feel blessed that we were given the opportunity to spend all of those years at her house on the weekends. It was tough for our Dad who was going through a divorce but I am firm believer that all things happen for a reason. His divorce allowed him to spend a precious few years being with her. I remember we would spend our evenings sitting at her kitchen table playing cards and munching on cheezits and drinking a diet mountain dew. And I also remember waking up on Saturday mornings to breakfast made by Dad, one of which was biscuits and gravy. Even to this day it's a family favorite and today I am sharing it with you.

Biscuits and Gravy, Murphy Style~

Ingredients:

8 pack Grands Biscuits (We prefer the flaky butter tastin' kind)

1 lb. Bob Evans Sausage, original flavor

3 tbsp. flour*

3 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

pepper to taste

Directions:

1.)Bake your biscuits as directed by the packaging.

2.) In a pan, begin by browning your sausage and with your spatula or spoon, break into small pieces.

3.) To your browned sausage add your flour and allow it to coat the sausage and cook for about a minute or two.

4.) Add your milk and bring to a boil, stirring continuously to keep from burning on the bottom.

5.) Reduce heat to low once thick.

* Instead of using a measuring spoon to measure a tbsp. of flour, I use the tablespoon from my silverware and add a nice rounded spoonful of the flour.

Hope you enjoy!!

Quesadillas

As promised here are my quesadillas...they are so easy it's not even funny. They make a quick snack or depending what you fill them up with, a quick dinner.

Katie's Easy Quesadillas~

Ingredients:

Mexican cheese blend

1 chicken breast, diced and browned in butter, sprinkled with a bit of garlic powder and a touch of cayenne pepper

8 soft taco shells

1 c. sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. taco seasoning

Directions:

1.) In a small skillet spray with Pam cooking spray and put one taco shell, layer with about 1/3 cup of cheese and some of your cooked chicken, top with your second taco shell and brown on each side.

Serve with a dollop of your sour cream mixed with your taco seasoning.

Daniel's Birthday Dinner

When I approached my Husband just a few weeks ago regarding what he would like for me to make for his birthday dinner I wasn't expecting to hear the words pulled pork come out of his mouth, after all he is the smoker in this house not me so that would mean he would be in charge of his own meal. He was just fine with that, if and when he does leave for Afghanistan, he wants me to ship his smoker over to him, the boy loves to smoke him some meat. He also decided he wanted baked beans and wouldn't you believe he took making those on as well and guess what...he smoked those to. Needless to say tonight's meal was full of smokey goodness and even though it was my wonderful husbands birthday he did all of the work and deserves all of the credit. I did make him a cake so I guess I should get a pat on the back as well!

We have already shared with you how he does his pulled pork so I won't bore you with the details, but tonight's baked beans were a new recipe with a very surprising ingredient and they were pretty yummy.

Hog-Apple Baked Beans~

Ingredients:

3 or 4 slices of bacon, diced

2-16 oz. cans pork and beans

1/2 c. BBQ sauce

1 can apple pie filling, chop up the big slices of apple

1 md. onion, chopped

1/2 c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. prepared mustard

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. BBQ rub

Directions:

1.) Brown bacon, set aside.

2.) In bacon grease brown onion.

3.) Mix in remaining ingredients and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour.

We did ours on the smoker for about two hours or so and they were really good. You can also do them on the stove and simmer for about 30 minutes but I think the depth of flavor is better when you do them in the oven or on the smoker as we did. You might have also noticed that Daniel took a few more slices of bacon and laid them on top of the beans.

Now for the cake. This is another recipe that I found on allrecipes.com. I made it several months ago for Daniel and myself and he loved it. I originally was going to make him a Carrot cake but when I mentioned making this cake again he was all for it.

Million Dollar Cake~

Ingredients:

1-18.25 ox. yellow cake mix

8 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar

1-20 oz. crushed pineapple with juice

2-8oz. mandarin oranges, drained

1-3.4 oz instant vanilla pudding

1-8 oz. frozen whipped cream, thawed

Directions:

1.) Mix and bake cake mix as instructed per package for two 8 or 9 in. round layers. Let layers cool and then split each layer in half so that you have 4 layers.

2.) In a large bowl, whip cream cheese until soft and then gradually mix in confectioners sugar. Stir in the pineapple with juice and the drained mandarin oranges, reserving 5 slices to decorate the top. Mix in the dry pudding mix. Fold in the whipped topping.

3.) Place one cake layer on a cake plate cut side up; spread with frosting. Place another layer cut side down on the first one, and top with more frosting. Repeat until layers are used, spreading last bit of frosting on the top and sides of cake. Decorate with reserved oranges.

4.) Refrigerate overnight.

Now if you are like me and have a hard time following directions this is how I did it. Instead of layering the cake since my cake didn't rise the way I would have liked, we just sliced it up and then topped it with the frosting. Also, I made the frosting and just a few hours later we were digging in. No overnight marination for us. It went over really well and honestly, you could eat the frosting just by itself.

On a side note, Uncle Dan got released from the hospital and he is doing really really well. It was like a different person tonight from just a week ago. Lennon is slowing but surely doing better, still going to have his amputation done on Tuesday, but is tail is looking a little better. Tonight was the first night he and Uncle Dan had met and like I expected, they became the best of buddies.

I promised my Husband that if today's trip to the grocery was under $100 that we could get some Chipotle's for lunch since he had a craving. It was under a $100 so the quesadillas were put on hold. I am making some tonight for a snack so I will post them in the morning along with the biscuits and gravy. Just wanted to let everyone know...I didn't forget.