Gwen's Thanksgiving Potato Green Bean Medley

This is a new addition to Thanksgiving!!! I was getting tired of the ole green bean casserole recipe that I made year after year. *yawn* I told husband I was switching it up and he seemed disappointed...until this new version. Enjoy!

Gwen's Potato Green Bean Medley

~8 medium red potatoes, quartered
~1 lb. fresh green beans, snapped
2 tbls. whole grain dijon mustard
3 tbls. red wine vinegar
pepper to taste
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 large shallot, minced
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes and remove to a large bowl to cool. Boil the green beans for about 5 minutes (depending on how firm you like them). Drain and add to the potatoes in the mixing bowl.

Whisk the remaining ingredients (minus the bacon) together in a small bowl. Pour this mixture over the potatoes and green beans. Toss lightly to combine and then add the delicious bacon crumbles on top. I served it warm. YUM!

Notes: No Tabasco added by husband! Remarks: Good Babe. Great Flavor.
This is really great. I was very happy with the result. I will definitely make this again!

Southwestern Baked Spaghetti

I pinned this on Pinterest a little while ago and forgot all about it...until now! I thought I should give it a try and let you know how it turned out (with my own sort of version).

Southwestern Baked Spaghetti

8 oz. (or so) angel hair pasta
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce (no salt added kind)
1 lb. ground beef
1 bell pepper, diced
2/3 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tbls. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
pepper
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup jalapeno monterey jack cheese, grated
parsley for garnish

Chop up the veggies. Start cooking the beef in a medium skillet and drain off the fat and set the beef aside. Saute the onion, bell pepper and garlic over medium-low heat for about 7 minutes until softened.

Return beef to the pan and add spices and mix well. Next add tomato sauce and bring down to a simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or so.

Boil the pasta and drain. Whisk egg and milk together in a medium mixing bowl. Add pasta to this mixture and coat the noodles.

Spray a 9 x 13 baking/casserole dish and preheat oven to 425. Place the noodle mixture in the bottom of the dish. Spread the beef mixture on top.

Sprinkle cheese on top and cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes depending on how fast the cheese melts. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Top with fresh parsley and serve with your favorite garlic cheesy bread.

Time: About 1 hr. start to finish

And I had a little helper who likes to wander through the kitchen while I'm cooking. "Mommy, whatcha making??"

Notes: This makes a great dish! I enjoyed it very much. It does take a few pots/pans/colanders and some time, but that's okay! I think I would add a little more spice next time, but it is still very, very good. Great for leftovers too. Enjoy!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

3 Russet baking potatoes
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
chives
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes

Wash and poke holes in the potatoes and cover in foil. Bake at 425 for at least an hour.

Let the potatoes cool and peel off the skins. Mash them up with a fork (or masher) in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic and cheese. Top with a salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Combine everything until well incorporated.

Spray a casserole dish and heap the mixture into the dish and spread around evenly.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Add a little cheese topping if you like and bake for 7 minutes more. Remove and add the crumbled bacon and chives on top.

Notes: I served this with grilled steaks and a yummy side salad. What a great meal at home! These potatoes will easily be a hit and they taste delicious! Enjoy!

Steak Tips with Mushroom Peppered Gravy

Well, hello blog lookers/followers! I apologize for being absent these past few days. Fall seems to always be a busy time of year for everyone (excuses, excuses. haha.), but I have a new recipe to share with y'all. Go ahead and try it!!

Steak Tips with Mushroom Peppered Gravy

1lb. top sirloin beef, cut into 1" chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. egg noodles
12 oz. sliced mushrooms
thyme
rosemary
pepper
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium beef broth
3 tbls. all purpose flour
1 tbls. low sodium soy sauce
2 tbls. unsalted butter
1 1/2 shallots, diced
parsley for garnish

Brown the beef chunks in a cast iron skillet with 1 tbls. of the butter. Be careful not to over cook it in this step. That is the only thing that we did wrong for this recipe. Our beef turned out a little on the well-done side for our taste.

When it's slightly browned, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. You should have some nice juices in the skillet to use for the next step.

Next add the mushrooms, shallots, pepper and 1 tbls. butter into the skillet and cook about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes or so. Add the thyme, rosemary, soy sauce, beef broth and flour to the mushroom mixture.

Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cook until you reach your desired thickness. Return the beef to the skillet and cook an additional 5 minutes or so, depending on how you like the temp on your beef.

While this simmers, get those egg noodles cooked and strained.

Serve the beef mixture on top of the noodles and add a little parsley (or cilantro) on top for garnish, if you're feelin' fancy.

Notes: Like I mentioned, we over-cooked our beef a little, but otherwise it was great. The sauce is really nice, flavorful and not too heavy.  To make this a complete meal I added some oven-roasted zucchini. Yum! You could also serve this over rice. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie is comfort food for sure!! My first time making homemade chicken pot pie. I think I did it right...


Chicken Pot Pie

1 lb. cubed chicken breast (uncooked)
12 oz. frozen vegetable medley
3 ribs celery, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
1-2 small cloves garlic, diced
about 16 oz. chicken broth
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp. celery seed
salt and pepper
seasoned salt
2/3 cup milk
3 tbls. butter
2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a pie plate and precook the pie crust about 5-6min. Take it out and cool.

Meanwhile, add cubed chicken, frozen vegetables, celery and chicken broth to a large pot over med-high heat. Sprinkle on some spices for a little flavor. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat when finished. Drain chicken broth from pot and reserve for the next step.

Next, add butter, onions and garlic to a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Cook until onion looks translucent. Stir in reserved chicken broth and flour. Combine and then add milk, celery seed and any additional spices you would like. Heat until you reach a desired consistency for your pie. My personal preference is a little on the thicker side, so I heated mine a little longer.

Add the thickened mixture into the dutch oven and stir to combine everything.

Now you are ready to pour this into your precooked pie shell. My filling was a little much, so I had a little leftover in the pot. Now place your second pie shell over the top. Cut a few slits in the top and place back into the oven at 425 for an additional 30 minutes. Let the pie stand about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: This was my first pot pie. I think it turned out great. The consistency was good for our personal taste. Husband said it was good, but added his beloved Tabasco on top. Have fun and enjoy!!

Feel free to comment on any of my recipes, good or bad. Thanks!!

Happy Tuesday!

Sometimes you just need an otter friend to hold your hand!!

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!

Happy Tuesday!

ps- I could watch this all day. If you need more otter love like I do, subscribe to The Daily Otter. Fabulous.

Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

Great appetizer for those college football Saturdays!! I made mine a little on the spicy side (because we love the spice), but you can always decrease the spices. Yay for football season!!

Chicken Tortilla Roll-Ups

2 medium chicken breasts, cooked
1 can hot Rotel, drained
12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup shredded cheese (I used the pre-shredded mexican cheese blend)
2-3 green onions, diced
2 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
flour tortillas (I think the medium size work best)

Chicken:
I cooked the chicken in the oven; you could also cook over the stove. Seasoned my chicken breasts with the chili powder and the cumin. Cooked @ 350 for about 45 minutes covered with foil. When the chicken is cooked through, shred or dice into small pieces and let cool.

Filling:
Mix softened cream cheese, Rotel, cheese, remaining spices, chicken and green onions. Combine well and spread a healthy dose into the middle of one tortilla. Spread all around except at the edges.

Roll from one side and place seam side down on a plate.

Chill until ready. Slice with a sharp knife and serve!

Notes: this makes quite a lot. If you are feeding a crowd, you are set. I would cut it in half if you have a smaller group. Leftovers are also good. Husband loved these!! He said, "Babe these are really good!"