A friend of mine shared this recipe yesterday (on FB).  It looks so good that I thought I would share it as well on this blog.  Remember it is only 16 calories per 1/4 cup.

Crisp Cucumber Salsa:


2 cups finely chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4-1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/4 c reduced-fat sour cream
1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt. Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with chips.

This hearty recipe for a shrimp & rice casserole was part of the series called "In the Comfort of Family, Friends, and Home."

• 2 pounds shrimp, shelled, deveined
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons salad oil
• 3/4 cup rice, uncooked (he uses a Rice Pilaf boxed mixture and cooks it separately)
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon mace
• Dash Cayenne pepper
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sherry (he uses a little more!)
• 3/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds

Cook shrimp in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile cook rice as label directs.  Drain shrimp and refrigerate.  Refrigerate rice when done.

Heat oven to 350 (F).  Set aside 8 of the cooked shrimps for garnish.  Saute green peppers, onion and mushroom slices in salad oil for about 5 minutes.  Do not drain.  Add them plus all other ingredients and stir gently until combined.  Pour into buttered casserole dish (about 2 1/2 quart size).

Bake uncovered for 35 minutes, then top with remaining 8 garnish shrimps and almonds.  Bake 20 minutes longer or until mixture is bubbly.

(the last few minutes you could top with cheese, but it needs watching because it burns easily)

Today seemed like a comfort food recipe day.  So I made this recipe starting off with an old Fannie Farmer Cookbook recipe for bread & butter pudding...and then doctoring it up a wee bit.  The finished product is now out of the oven (pictured below) and my wee home is filled with the comforting smells baking with cinnamon.  

Oh...and now meatloaf is baking in the oven.  Another comfort food favorite of mine.  If you want to the recipe, it is under comfort foods and/or entrees.

Anyhow, I digress...and here is what I did to make this bread pudding:

1. Soft butter
2. 6 - 8 slices good quality white bread (French, Sourdough, home-made)
3. 2 sliced banana nut bread that have been left out overnight
4. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
5. 1 quart of milk
6. 2 tablespoons sour cream
7. 3 eggs, slightly beaten
8. 1/2 cup sugar
9. 1/4 teaspoon salt
10. 3/4 cup dried sweetened cranberries
11. 1 teaspoon vanilla
12. 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) cinnamon

Preheat over to 325 (F).  Butter a 2 1/2 quart baking dish.  Spread a generous amount of butter on one side of each slice of bread and line the bottom and side of the baking dish (the white bread not the banana bread).
Mix together the milk, eggs, sugar, salt, and sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth.  Add cranberries.
Pour this mixture over the bread in the casserole.  Place the banana nut bread pieces (also buttered on one side) on top and press down so they are submerged.
Let stand for about 10 minutes.
Bake covered for about 30 minutes (with my oven I did 35 minutes)
Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more
Serve warm with a scoop of old fashioned vanilla ice cream...or whipped cream

Most importantly...please enjoy.

This recipe has been given to me by a very good friend of mine.  It is simple yet delicious.  With posting this recipe, I am going to go strictly by his words/instructions:

1. Spray 13 x 9 inch dish with non-stick spray.  Or lightly grease with butter.
2. Layer a bag of hash browns in the bottom (they do not need to be thawed...and you can use tater tots too)
3. Season with salt & pepper and a bit of Accent
4. Break up 1/2 cube of butter over the layer of potatoes
5. Put in 400 (F) oven for 10 minutes
6. Remove from oven.
7. Meanwhile beat 10 to 11 eggs
8. Pour the beaten eggs over the hash browns
9. Return to oven for 20-25 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and layer Jimmy Dean Sprinkles Original Sausage with 1 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese over top.  (you can never have too much cheese...and you can also use your favorite sausage which has been browned and drained instead of the Jimmy Dean Sprinkles)
11. Return to oven for 5 - 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
12. Let set for 5 minutes before serving.
13. A delicious condiment to go with this is:  2 parts ketchup/1 part Sriracha chili sauce blended.

This is a pure and simple banana bread...heavy, moist and dark.

3 ripe bananas, well mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 (F).  Grease a loaf pan.  Mix the bananas and eggs together in a large bowl.  Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, allspice.  Add the walnuts and stir until well blended.  Put the batter into the greased loaf pan and bake for one hour.  Remove from the pan to a rack.  Serve while still warm...or cooled.  Try it with whipped cream cheese...you will like it.

My Midwestern roots show up in my love of good casseroles (recipes).  This is one tried, trued, and adapted recipe that is a favorite of mine.  The nice thing is that it freezes well...so wrap up individual leftover servings in heavy duty aluminum foil to freeze and then re-heat in the oven.

2 pounds ground sirloin
1 onion chopped
2 (8-oz) cans tomato sauce
1  small can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
1 small can ripe olives, drained and coarsely chopped
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 dozen corn tortillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup milk
2 cups grated Mexican blend cheese

• Brown hamburger meat and onion.  Add tomato sauce, mushrooms, olives, and taco seasoning.  Stir until blended and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
• Line bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan with 6 tortillas.  Pour 1/2 mixture in and top with 1 cup of grated cheese.
• Layer 6 remaining tortillas on top and repeat except for final 1 cup of cheese.
• Mix soup and milk together and pour over casserole.
• Top with remaining 1 cup of cheese (more if you like)
• Bake at 350 (F) for 45 minutes until hot and bubbly.
• Serves 6 to 8
• Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa as a choice of condiment.

As winter seems to be tightening its grip on the country, ones thoughts turn to comfort food.  What is more comforting that a pot of split pea soup on a harsh and cold winter night?

1. 1-pound package split peas
2. 1 ham hock (if not, get a ham steak and cube it)
3. 1 carrot diced
4. 1 onion diced
5. 1 rib of celery diced
6. 2 quarts vegetable stock
7. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
8. 1 bay leaf
9. 2 whole allspice
10. 3 potatoes, peeled and diced
11. 1 tsp. sugar

1. Wash and sort split peas, removing any stones.  Then combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low 8 - 10 hours
3. Remove ham bone, cut meat off and shred...return meat to soup.  Stir through.
4. Remove bay leaf before serving
5. Serve with favorite soup condiments such as a dollop of sour cream, croutons, chopped hard-boiled egg, etc.
6. Makes about 8 servings.

The much needed rain(s) have finally arrived and it is a very nice feeling to be at home on a blustery rainy day with something simmering away on the stove...or cooking in the oven.  Today I am making Peachy Ribs.  You can do these in the crock pot for 8 to 10 hours...but if you have ran out of time like I did today...you can do them in the oven in your dutch oven/favorite covered roaster for 3 hours.  Now, if you have a pressure cooker...that would reduce the cooking time even more.  If any of you do the pressure cooker version of this recipe, please let me know about it.

This is a perfect recipe for making at the end of a work day because it has few ingredients, is easy to put together, and it is soooo good.  It is also good for cold winter nights:

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into bite size pieces.
1 cup julienne-cut carrots (if lazy buy the shredded or pre-sliced)
7 green onions cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups thinly sliced Chinese cabbage (aka napa cabbage)
1/2 cup purchased stir-fry sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 9-oz package angel hair pasta
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• Spray a large skillet with non-stick cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat until hot.  Add chicken; cook and stir 3 - 5 minutes.  Add carrots and onions; cook and stir 3 - 5 minutes...at this point the chicken should not longer be pink and the vegetables should be tender-crisp.
• Add cabbage, stir-fry sauce and brown sugar; cook and stir until well blended.  Cover; cook 3 minutes to 4 minutes or until cabbage is tender-crisp.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta per directions on package to desired doneness.  Drain pasta.
• Toss pasta with chicken/vegetable mixture and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
• Should make 4 or so servings.