Red Beans and Rice

This is a wonderfully easy slow-cooker version of a traditional favorite from the Southern part of the United States. Because all but the bell pepper and onion are already cooked in this recipe, the dish cooks on low heat for about 4 hours and dinner is ready, except for the side dishes, such as rice and salad. I use Minute Brown Rice, which cooks quickly in the microwave, as my rice of choice. The texture of the rice is firm and holds up beautifully under the bean and sausage mixture. I would encourage the use of your slow-cooker in the summer months because it does not heat the kitchen up like the oven does, and dinner is simple. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 lb. fully-cooked smoked sausage, of choice, cut into 1/2" slices and then each slice cut in half to make 2 pieces for easier eating.
2 cans (15 oz. each) small red beans, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
2 cans (15 oz. each) peeled diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup chopped onion
cooked rice

1. Combine all the ingredients, except rice, in a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for about 4 hours.
2. Cook rice. To serve, spoon bean mixture over rice

Yield: 6 - 8 servings
Note: I drain off a little of the juice from the tomatoes so the dish isn't too "soupy".
Also, I use mild turkey or chicken kielbasa for lower calories with very good results. This is good rib- sticking comfort food!

1/2 cup bean mixture equals 113 calories
3.7 grams fiber

Grilled Caesar Chicken Breasts

One of my goals with this blog is to do the recipe search and testing for you, which also includes the results of my almost 50 years of cooking and multitude of recipes I'm already familiar with, to make your life a little easier. In that endeavor, a few weeks back I went to the Taste of Home website and did some browsing. I was a subscriber to the Taste of Home magazine for years, so I know they have some wonderful recipes. I found this reader contributed recipe for chicken breasts that is so easy and very tasty. The marinade goes together in minutes, and if you have boned and skinned chicken breasts on hand, even more of the work is cut out. I found that there is plenty of marinade for 6 chicken breasts, even though the recipe is written for 4. I'll leave that up to your discretion. Blessings...

Recipe:

1/2 cup creamy Caesar salad dressing
3 tbsps. olive oil
3 tbsps. Dijon mustard
6 garlic cloves, minced (I used 2 tsps. minced dried garlic with good results, if you don't have time to chop the fresh garlic)
4 - 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ozs. each)

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients and pour into a resealable plastic bag. (I did this extra step to make sure the oil was well incorporated with the rest of the ingredients for even flavor).
2. Add chicken breasts; seal bag and turn to coat.
3. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, turning every few hours.
4. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken on oiled grill, covered, over medium heat or broil 4" from the heat for  6 - 8 minutes per side. Instant read thermometer should read 170 degrees.

Yield: 4 - 6 servings
1 chicken breast half equals 262 calories

Tip: Place the bag with the chicken and marinade in a baking dish just in case the bag might leak. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Caramel - Pecan Cheesecake Pie

The recipe for this yummy and very easy pie comes from my niece via a recipe group. The pie tastes like a creamy pecan pie, but without all the guess work as to whether or not the filling is set because the pecan mixture is made with caramel ice cream topping. The caramel-pecan mixture is wonderful and so worth the calories. I do hope you will give this recipe a try soon, blessings for a wonderful weekend.

Recipe:

1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese (I used low-fat)
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9" deep-dish pie shell
1-1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup caramel ice cream topping (11.75 oz.)

1. Beat together cream cheese, 1 egg, sugar and vanilla in a medium sized bowl.
2. Spread mixture in the pie shell; sprinkle with the pecans.
3. In another bowl, whisk together 3 remaining eggs and caramel topping. Pour over pecans.
4. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 - 40 minutes. You may need to cover the crust with foil after 20 minutes so the crust doesn't get too dark.
5. Cool on wire rack for 1 hour; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Serves 8

Berry Swirl Cheesecake Pie

Cheesecake is such a wonderful dessert, but it can be a very time consuming and involved project for a busy schedule. This recipe is a great solution for those who want the flavor of the cheesecake without all the work. There are many versions of cheesecake pie to choose from, but the thing that I really like about this one is the added simplicity of using a good quality jam for the burst of flavor rather than higher calorie additions. If you and your family like cheesecake, this one is worth a try. Blessings...

Recipe:

Pastry for a single-crust 9" pie
2 pkgs. (8 ozs. each) low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 tbsps. good quality jam (I use triple berry)
Whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream

1. Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes; remove foil. Bake 5 minutes longer. Remove from the oven; reduce heat to 350 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the eggs, beating on low speed just until combined.
4. Pour into pastry shell. Drizzle the jam over the filling. Cut through the filling with a knife to swirl the jam.
5. Bake the pie for 25 - 30 minutes or until center is almost set.
6. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.
7. Top with whipped topping or whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 6 - 8

Tip: If you want to pipe sweetened whipped cream on your pie, here is an easy way to do it. Snip a bottom corner off a sandwich bag. A cut of about 1/2" should give you a good sized piping edge. Fill the bag with the whipped cream and gently squeeze the whipped cream around the outer edge of the pie. Also, if you add a teaspoon of white corn syrup to the heavy cream along with the confectioners sugar and vanilla, the whipped cream will be more stable and hold its shape on the pie. I use 1 cup of heavy cream, whipped stiff, for the piping.

Banana Pudding

When my family gathered together for Dad's funeral in February, my Mom made a wonderful dessert for one of our meals. I remembered the dessert this morning while I was out walking, and a few tears came. Then I remembered that Sunday is Father's Day, and the reason for the tears.

This is a dessert that I had heard my Mom talk about, but that I had never tasted. The recipe comes from Paula Deen, one of my Moms favorite cookbook authors, and is called, "Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding". This is unlike any banana pudding I had ever tasted, and I am hooked for life. The recipe is very easy and would be a great addition to a Father's Day gathering. I know, if my Dad were here, he would absolutely love it. Blessings...

Recipe:

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-oz.) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-oz.) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream.

1. Line the bottom of a 13" x 9" x 2" dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
2. In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer.
3. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth.
4. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 12

Fresh Berry Sundaes

This past weekend my market was running an ad for fresh raspberries for $1.25 a basket. Well, I was in hog-heaven and bought four baskets for hubby and I to enjoy. In Idaho, these little beauties are usually $2.99 - $3.99 for a 6-oz. basket, so I'm careful about when I purchase them. When I got home, I washed and sugared the berries, mixing them very gently and left them to sit and create their own juices while I prepared our dinner.

To serve, I spooned about 3/4 cup berries over 2 scoops of French Vanilla Ice Cream and topped with whipped cream. Yummy!

I think other berries, or maybe fresh sliced peaches would also be very good. A wonderful fruit dessert, almost guilt-free, right? Blessings...

Asian Cucumber Salad

When I was growing up my Mom regularly made a cucumber salad during the hot summer months. My Dad always grew Lemon cucumbers in the garden, and they were absolutely delicious marinated in a mild vinaigrette for dinner. Our family loved them. I can no longer get the Lemon cucumbers, but I have continued making the salad with the typical cucumbers found in the produce section of my market.

I found this version of the recipe with an Asian twist in our local newspaper and we really liked the change in flavor. Using the rice vinegar makes for a milder marinade with the cucumbers and I added sesame seed oil to make the flavor even more Asian. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cucumber (about 9" long), peeled and thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1-1/2 tbsps. sugar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
3 tbsps. rice vinegar
1/8 tsp. sesame seed oil

1. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and oil in a medium bowl; set aside while you prep the vegetables so the sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Whisk the dressing and add the vegetables; stir to combine.
3. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavor.

Yield: 1-1/2 cups

Creamy Frozen Fruit Salad

This recipe goes back to when my husband and I were dating and I wanted to make him a meal. I discovered that one of his favorite casseroles at that time was tuna casserole, so I got out my Mom's cookbook and found a recipe that I continue to use today. But, in addition to a green salad, I wanted to do something fun, so I used this recipe for Creamy Frozen Fruit Salad that I found in a magazine. He liked the salad, so I made it often, then there were just too many salads to try and this one got forgotten until I came upon it in my file a few weeks ago. Goodness, it brought back memories of our early years together. The salad is rich and creamy with a very fresh taste created by the use of lemonade. It's great for a summer meal, Blessings...

Recipe:

1 pkg. (3 oz.) strawberry flavor gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 can (6 oz.) frozen concentrated pink lemonade
1 8-oz. container Cool Whip whipped topping
1 can (16 oz.) sliced peaches, drained
1 can (8 oz.) sliced pears, drained

1. Chop fruit and set aside.
2. In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add lemonade and stir until melted. Chill until slightly thickened.
3. Blend in the whipped topping until there are no white streaks left; fold in the chopped fruit.
4. Pour into a 9" x 9" pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
5. Remove salad from freezer about 15 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and serve.

Serves 12