Spicy meatloaf

Tired of ho-hum meatloaf?  Here’s a great recipe my son and I conjured up in the kitchen tonight:

1.5 pounds ground beef (I used angus chuck)

a dozen individual wheat crackers - crushed

1 diced onion

1 diced jalapeno - yep the hot ones

1/2 red or yellow bell pepper

1 egg

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1/4 t. Cajun Spice

1/4 t black pepper

dash of garlic powder

1/2 t. salt (or to taste)

Mix together and cook in loaf pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees.  Top with additional tomato sauce or tomato catsup ( I used catsup) cook for another 15 minutes.

MMMMMMMMMM MMMMMMMMM yummy!

Pumpkin coconut bread

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 package (3 1/2oz) instant coconut cream pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned or fresh cooked and mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preparation:

Combine eggs, sugar, and oil in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer hand-held until well blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, soda, salt, pudding mix, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; add to sugar mixture alternately with the mashed pumpkin, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition. Stir in pecans or walnuts.

Pour batter into a greased and floured 9×5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove loaf to wire rack to cool completely.

I have used this recipe for years and love it.  You can’t taste to coconut and I’ve left it out when I would have had to make a trip to the store.

This one is for Mr. Angry and his over grown garden with volunteer pumpkins.

zucchini overload?

Here is a wonderful recipe that will help you do away with some of the zucchini from your summer garden.

Mix together:

1 Boxed spice cake mix

4 eggs

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 tablespoon vanilla

fold in:

2 cups grated un-pealed zucchini

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup sunflower seeds (optional)

Bake in loaf pans 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.  Do the toothpick test - it works.

Apple cobbler

The following is a variation on the blueberry cobbler

In a 9 x 13 cake pan layer the following:

2 - 21 oz cans apple pie filling

1 box spice cake mix

1 stick butter - melted

cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour till crust is golden brown.  This is also some gooood stuff.   Better with a scoop of home made vanilla ice cream!

I call it Mexican Soup

Many years ago, when I had 5 kids in the house to feed, I came up with this recipe.  It wasn’t like I was inventive or anything….simply this was all there was in the house.  I threw it together and the kids really liked it.

This is the adaption for feeding less than an army:

saute together: 1 small onion, diced; 1/2 bell pepper, diced; 1 clove minced garlic.

add ground beef and cooked until done.

add 1 can ranch style beans

1 can whole kernal corn

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 cup picante sause (very optional, but not for me)

heat until veggies are warm.

Serve over tortilla chips and top with grated cheddar chesse.  mmmmmmmmm yummy.

I made this for dinner tonight.  Further adaptation.  Throw in a diced jalapeno instead of bell pepper.  Use left over pinto beans, add chili powder.

When you don’t want to eat out, this is the fastest prep time of all my recipes.  Start to finish 15 minutes

Momma Lee’s Picante Sauce

Chop the following ingredients:

5 cups tomatoes

one cup onion

3 large bell peppers

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

10 jalapeno peppers

1 tsp. salt

1/4 cup lime or lemon juice

In large heavy pan, cook until onions are transparent.

(adjust peppers for desired heat)  ENJOY

My Birthday dessert

Blueberry yummy!

In a 9 x 13 cake pan layer the following:

1 - 20 oz can crushed pineapple (packed in juice) undrained

1 - 21 oz can blueberry pie filling

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick butter - melted

cook at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour till crust is golden brown.  This is some gooood stuff.

Christmas candy

Me and boys in cooking class made Christmas candy today.  Super easy and oh sooooooooooo yummy!

Melt 1 lb pkg of white almond bark in microwave at 1/2 power

when melted stir in:

2 cups regular Captain Crunch Cereal

2 cups peanut butter flavor Captain Crunch

2 cups roasted peanuts

2 cups pretzel sticks

1 cup peanut butter chips

spoon onto wax paper and let cool.  Quick and easy and oooooooooh so good.

Spanish Rice recipe

This recipe for Spanish Rice was something the Bastardette and I cooked the first time in Rio Rancho.  It is a combination of a couple of recipes that looked good.  We took the ingredients that we thought were the best and threw them together.  I made this recipe times four for a luncheon tomorrow at the church.  And saved enough out for our dinner tonight.  We had our yummy beef enchilada casserole and homemade pico with it.

2 cups long grain rice (not instant)

1/2 onion chopped

1/2 bell pepper chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1/4 cup cooking oil

2 T butter

4 cups boullion (beef or chicken are equally good)

1 t. cumin

2 t chili powder

1 t salt

1 small can diced green chilis

4 tomatoes peeled and chopped (may used canned tomatoes)

Saute onion, bell pepper and garlic and sit aside

Heat oil and butter in a large skillet or heavy pot

Pour in rice and cook for 5-6 minutes until brown. Stir constantly to avoid burning.

Add sauteed vegetables, spices, chilis, tomatoes and boullion.

Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Happy eating!

Clog your arteries breakfast!

I am big on skillet meals and for breakfast this is a great one.  It’s good for company or quick family b/fast.

2 medium red potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 diced onion

1/2 diced green, red or orange bell pepper

saute the above in butter until done

8 lightly beaten eggs

4 strips cooked bacon crumbled

add to the potato mixture, stirring constantly until whites of eggs are done.

top with cheese….this morning I used Salsa Jack.  Cover until cheese is melted.

serve with toast or my personal favorite, corn tortillas.

And a must have pico de guillo.