Amazing Beef
Florentine Chicken
FlyLady’s Shrimp Boil
Healthy Pita Pizza
Hearty Fall Recipe – Hot Bean Dinner
Hobo Chicken
Jack Cheese, Avocado and Bacon Omelet
Chicken Paprika
Spaghetti Sauce
Kielbasa and Cabbage
Madison County Chicken
Mom’s Codfish Cakes
Rubber Chicken
Sausage and Rice Casserole
Shrimp Gumbo
Sloppy Joes
Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Corn Salsa
Summer Rubber Chicken
Amazing Beef
1 4-5 pound roast
32 oz. jar of peppercini peppers
Garlic (your choice of fresh garlic slivers or minced garlic from a jar)
Put the roast in the crockpot. Insert the garlic into small slits in the roast. Pour the entire contents of the jar of peppercini peppers over the roast.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours until the meat falls apart easily. This is great served in pita pockets.
This wonderful recipe is from Dana!!
Florentine Chicken
This recipe is amazingly easy! Almost everyone has the ingredients on hand! Tastes like you slaved for hours and yet only takes a few minutes!! Enjoy!
8 pieces of Chicken
1 Cup Ketchup
1/4 Cup finely chopped onion
1/4 Cup Vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 Cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Cup water
4 Cloves Garlic minced
Brown the chicken pieces in a frying pan. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While chicken is browning mix all ingredients in a bowl. Place browned chicken in a backing dish and pour sauce over chicken. Bake for one hour.
I serve this with garlic mashed potatoes and stir fried broccoli. Yum!
FlyLady’s Shrimp Boil Recipe
Several of you have asked for this recipe. It is so easy. The only problem is that it is a bit pricey to fix; especially if you don’t have access of inexpensive shrimp. I buy them frozen in a 5 pound box. So I have them on hand when ever I want to fix them. The price is usually $6 to $7 a pound. Most everything you can do ahead of time. No trouble, no slaving in a hot kitchen all day and fun for all. It is so easy!
Get a huge soup pot. 16 qt. and turn on your vent-a-hood, this stuff is spicy; Not real hot to the taste, but pungent. (it can be if you put a lot of Zatarain’s in it). We are going to try boiling this outside, because the spices will run you out of house.
Ingredients:
1 pound of shrimp per person
1 box of Zatarain’s Crab boil (spices in a bag)
1 bottle of the Zatarain’s or similar stuff in liquid form; Use about 1/4 cup
New potatoes: 3 or 4 per person
Corn on the cob: 1 per person
1 package of polish kielbasa smoked sausage cut into 1 inch pieces for every 3 to 4 people
For spicy veggies fill pot with hot water and put the spices in it. Add veggies and let sit for 3 to 4 hours.
1 hour before you want to serve this bring water to boil. It will take a while so start it about 10 minutes before that hour.
Let veggies cook until done 30 to 45 minutes. Remove when potatoes are tender.
Then add sausage and all the shrimp (up to 5 pounds) It is best to cook about 2 pounds at a time. This way you don’t cool of the water and stop the boiling.
Cook until shrimps are red. Don’t over cook. They will be tough. If the shells are falling off you have over cooked.
If the water is boiling 3 to 4 minutes is more than enough!
If you have 2 batches to cook; remove from heat and fish out the shrimp. Do not rinse with water. You can throw them on ice if you like or serve hot. Then bring water back to a boil and add the rest of the shrimp; cook 3 to 4 minutes.
Cover your picnic table with newspaper or your dining table with an old plastic clean shower curtain and newspaper.
Serve with cocktail sauce, fresh lemon and french bread, On paper plates and use dishtowels for napkins.
Cocktail sauce recipe:
According to the number of folks you have you may want to adjust. I never measure so this will be hard for me to give exact amounts.
In a mixing bowl( 1 quart.)
1 bottle of ketchup. 40 ozs I use about half, 2 to 3 cups of it.
Lemon juice I use the juice of 2 lemons.
Horseradish (prepared) I do this to taste. 2 to 3 tablespoons of it.
Worcestershire sauce; 2 or 3 shakes or 2 teaspoons
Stir and put the left over lemon rinds in the shrimp water before cooking. This means make this first. LOL
Healthy Pita Pizza
4 whole wheat pitas
12 ounces fat free mozzarella cheese
1 bag of pre washed baby spinach
small carton of fresh mushroom pieces
2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
1 can of pizza sauce
Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pitas on a cookie sheet, spread pizza sauce over tops of pitas, (this will be your pizza base) then sprinkle cheese over tops of pizza sauce. Next, add spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Top with more cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Quick, easy, and healthy!
*You can add any toppings you like. I also love to add broccoli and grilled chicken.
This wonderful recipe is from one of our email answerers, Jessica!!
Hearty Fall Recipe-Hot Bean Dinner
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
1-1/4 lbs. Kielbasa, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 can Lima or Butter beans, drained
1 can Kidney beans, I use vegetarian but either will do
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2-Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2-Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2-Tablespoons Spicy Brown Mustard
Brown Sausage and onion in oil. Add everything, bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer for 15 minutes!! Can be kept warm or on low heat for a long time, reheats and freezes well.
Serve with buttered Bohemian Rye bread (or any Rye Bread) and with Sour Cream Cucumbers.
This recipe came from my Aunt in Seattle, Washington. Actually she is my Great Aunt but we prefer to call her Fantastic Aunt Sis.
Flycrew Laura
Hobo Chicken
Boneless chicken breasts or thighs
Canned chicken broth
Canned whole or sliced potatoes
Mushrooms (canned or fresh)
Zucchini, sliced
Yellow Squash, sliced
Salt, pepper, garlic powder for seasoning
Any other vegetables you’d like to include
Aluminum foil (you can either used regular foil or there are now foil pouches that are available)
The amount of ingredients depends on how many you will be feeding. I usually do two pieces of chicken per person. You will need about 8 ozs. of chicken broth per person, the rest of the quantities are up to you. You can also use whatever vegetables you would like to add. That’s what makes this recipe so fun, it is the same easy process but can be a different result each time.
Once you have all of your ingredients ready, make little trays out of sheets of aluminum foil. Fold the sides up so that none of the broth or ingredients leak out. Place one or two pieces of chicken in the foil, then add your vegetables and any seasoning. Last, pour chicken broth over everything. Make sure you pour in enough to keep the chicken moist while cooking.
Fold the aluminum foil up and seal. I fold all of the edges to the middle and roll the seam so that nothing will leak.
This is usually cooked directly in a campfire for about 1/2 hour. For cooking at home, you can either cook these on the grill or in the oven. If cooking on the grill, cook them over medium heat for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. In the oven, cook at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked. Cooking times can vary based on the size of the chicken and the amount of extras items you placed in the foil.
This is a camping favorite of mine every year
FlyLady’s WebDude Lee.
Jack Cheese, Avocado, and Bacon Omelets with fresh salsa
Omelet ingredients:
4 eggs (or substitute Egg Beaters)
2 tablespoons water
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon butter (or margarine)
3 slices lean bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled
1/2 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and sliced
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
Salsa ingredients:
1 small tomato, chopped
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Omelet directions: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs with water and season with salt and pepper. Melt half the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium high heat and, when foam subsides, add half the egg mixture. Tilt pan to coat bottom and cook 1 minute or until almost set. Sprinkle half the omelet with half the bacon, avocado, and cheese and cook 1 more minute. Fold empty half of omelet over filling and slide omelet onto plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients for second omelet.
Salsa directions: In a small bowl, combine tomato, green onions, cilantro, and lemon or lime juice and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over omelet or on side.
This is from Jessica, one of our email answerers!!
Chicken Paprika
1 whole chicken Cut into pieces
2 medium sized onions, chopped
1 16 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 large green pepper, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup sour cream
1 pound of medium Egg Noodles
In large pot over medium heat, heat oil and onions until onions are clear, add paprika and stir. Add chicken pieces and brown. Add can of tomatoes (whole can, juice and all), green pepper and spices. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour to hour and half until chicken is done. Pull chicken pieces out and let cool until you can take the bones out. (Yes you need to cook it with the bones because of the flavor that it adds to the gravy). While the chicken pieces are out add the sour cream and stir well. Add the chicken pieces back in and simmer. While Chicken is simmering, boil water and cook Egg Noodles according to package directions. Serves chicken over noodles. Makes a great meal with a loaf of french bread and a green salad.
PS: please don’t ask us about the Nutritional “facts” about this recipe – we have no idea! But it tastes good!
Family Spaghetti Sauce
This is a recipe that has been modified from several other recipes for a Marinara type of spaghetti sauce. This has no meat and is lighter and has such a nice tomato taste. Very easy to prepare and quite yummy! This is a family favorite in our house.
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes with puree
2 Tbs dried parsley
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes (we use more to make a spicier sauce)
Heat olive oil and saute garlic, be careful not to brown the garlic. Add can of tomatoes and then the spices, stir well and let simmer for 15 minutes, then serve over pasta.
We use this sauce for almost anything that requires a tomato sauce. Lasagna, stuffed shells, baked ziti, etc.
This is cheaper than jar sauce and almost as easy and fast. The ingredients are things I always have on hand.
Kielbasa and Cabbage
1 onion, chopped
6 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2 Granny Smith apples
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple juice
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound kielbasa, cut into 1 inch sections
1. Chop onion thinly.
2. Core cabbage and thinly slice cabbage.
3. Peel and quarter apples, thinly slice.
4. Heat oil over medium high heat in dutch oven.
5. Add onion and cook five minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.
6. Add cabbage, apples, apple juice, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat, cover pot and cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Stir kielbasa into cabbage, cover and cook 20 minutes.
This is a quick and tasty dish that gets better the longer it stays on the stove on very low heat or even reheated. I serve this with a multi-grain bread for a great meal.
This is from one of our email answerers, Katie.
Madison County Chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 teaspoon seasoned salt (MSG-free)
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 teaspoons honey mustard
1 1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
6 slices bacon, cooked -(to substantially reduce fat, use turkey bacon)
4 1/2 cups low fat Colby/Jack cheese blend, shredded
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rub chicken breasts with seasoned salt.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides. Cook until chicken is done, but still quite tender.
Remove chicken from skillet and spread each piece with honey mustard and place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover each piece of chicken with a layer of mushrooms and then crumble one slice of bacon on top.
Cover all with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees or until cheese is melted.
Per Serving: 492 Calories; 17g Fat (32.2% calories from fat); 78g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 160mg Cholesterol; 1013mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 10 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
Serving suggestion: Steamed red potatoes and baby carrots. Add a green salad also.
Vegetarians: Use Boca Chik’n Patties and soy bacon
Mom’s Codfish Cakes
1 lb salted cod
5-6 potatoes
1 medium onion grated
Fresh parsley
1 egg
Pepper to taste
1/4 lb. butter
Soak codfish in cold water at least 2 hours. Pour-off water. Add more cold water to cover and cook about 2 hours or until tender. Drain well. Cook potatoes and mash, adding butter, onion, pepper, parsley and egg to potatoes. Check codfish for bones and flake it into small pieces. Add to potato mixture. Mix well with potato masher and make into cakes. Refrigerate 1 hour. Broil or deep fry.
This is from our office manager, Michelle!!
Rubber Chicken – Serves 4 for 3 days
1 chicken — washed and patted dry (get a nice sized one)
1/2 celery rib — cut in pieces
1 onion — quartered
1 carrot — cut in 2″ pieces
Salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
Day One
The adventure begins! Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In the cavity of the chicken, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and place cut up vegetables inside. Sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper and a little garlic powder, too, if you like. Cook for about an hour or longer (depending on the size of the bird), until the juices run clear. In the meantime, boil the neck with some celery, onion, and carrot and have that broth, too. Let sit a minute and then remove the vegetables. To further cut down on the grease from the chicken, you could take the cooking juices and put them in a cup and refrigerate while you make the rest of the meal. This will get rid of a significant amount of chicken fat, which will all rise to the top. Make a nice gravy by deglazing the pan with a little water and thicken it up with a flour/water mixture (about a tablespoon should do) Serve your wonderful chicken with mashed potatoes and lots and lots of veggies. Remember, you want leftover chicken!
Day Two
Let the adventure continue! Take your time and pull every last itty bitty bit of chicken off them bones. You want that chicken skeleton to look like a science project. Toss the chicken meat in a pot with a can of black beans and season with a little cumin, some garlic powder, and serve it up with lots of salsa, tortillas, some cheese — whatever turns your key! A great, big salad will give you a perfect dinner.
Day Three
The adventure ends with the skeletal remains of the chicken finally hitting the stock pot. Throw in the same veggies: onion, carrots, and celery, and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and throw about three quarts of water over the top. Cook the daylights out of it and strain. Now make soup or store appropriately. Bet you didn’t know one puny chicken had so many meals in it, did you?
Remember, this is Rubber Chicken, not Miracle Chicken. If you have a big family, you will need to cook more than one chicken to ensure leftovers!
Sausage and Rice Casserole
1 1/2 Lb. Rudy’s Sausage
1 cup regular white Rice (uncooked)
1 can (14 oz) Chicken Broth
1 medium green Bell Pepper
1 small jar Pimentos
1 medium yellow Onion, chopped
8 Stalks Celery, diced
Brown sausage, drain, combine all ingredients, bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 20-25 minuted. Serves 4-5 people. Freezes great!!
Growing up my mother used to have holiday brunches and this was her signature dish. I will serve it in a few weeks for brunch after my DD’s confirmation as it has become one of our family special occasion dishes.
(I have also served it for dinner!)
This is from one of our special email answerers, Laura.
Shrimp Gumbo
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, cooked, shelled and de-veined
1 teaspoon crab boil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons oil
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 cups tomatoes, diced (or you can use canned diced tomatoes)
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup frozen lima beans
1 cup corn (frozen)
1 1/2 cups frozen okra, sliced (not breaded)
1 teaspoon salt
Cook shrimp if you did not purchase precooked shrimp, or if you did not prepare them last night. (Directions on how to cook shrimp on Day 1 Do-Ahead Tip). *****In a large soup pot, over medium high heat saute onions and garlic in oil until the onions are translucent.Add bell peppers and celery. Saute for a few minutes, then add tomatoes and bring to a low boil. Turn down heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes (add a little broth if you need to).Add the rest of the ingredients, including shrimp. Raise temperature up to medium high again and bring to a boil. Turn down heat once more and let simmer for about 15 minutes.Serves 6. Per serving: 422 Calories; 10g Fat (20.7% calories from fat); 35g Protein; 49g Carbohydrate; 10g Dietary Fiber; 174mg Cholesterol; 1644mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain (Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat.****Do ahead tip: If you purchased uncooked shrimp, cook them up tonight in water and crab boil (you will find this seasoning right by the fish in the grocery store or with the spices). Bring 1 teaspoon of crab boil and 1 1/2 quarts water to a rolling boil. Put shrimp (head, tail and all) into boiling water. Cook till done (or till they turn a reddish pink which is no more than 3 to 5 minutes). Don’t overcook. Drain, cool, then shell the shrimp and devein (or skip that entirely and buy them already to go).
Serving suggestions: Serve over brown rice with cornbread and some sauteed zucchini.
Vegetarians: Skip the shrimp and serve over brown rice.
Sloppy Joes
3 lbs. ground chuck
3 medium onions
1 stick of butter
44 ozs. ketchup (a 32 and a 12, for example)
3 tablespoons of white vinegar
3 tablespoons of mustard
5 tablespoons of brown sugar
5 stalks of celery
Dice onion and celery; cook with butter. Gradually add meat and let it brown. Add all other ingredients and mix/stir well. Let it cook/simmer up to three hours.
The longer you cook it, the better the taste. Enjoy!
This is from one of our email answerers, Kathy!!
Spicy Pork Tenderloin with Corn Salsa
1 1-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pam original cooking spray
2 cups frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 cup picante sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley
1. Cut pork tenderloin into 3/4 inch pieces.
2. Combine chile powder, cumin and garlic salt; rub into both sides of pork pieces.
3. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
4. Spray skillet with Pam.
5. Add pork to pan and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
6. Remove pork to serving dish with sides and keep warm.
7. Put corn, onions and picante sauce in pan and cook 2 minutes or until hot, stirring.
8. Spoon corn salsa over pork and garnish with cilantro or parsley.
This is a quick and tasty dish. I don’t like foods as spicy as my husband, but this tastes so good I just add grated cheese on top of my serving to tone down the heat. I double the recipe when I have company. It is okay to have left overs because this dish reheats very well because the picante sauce keeps the pork from drying out. I buy pork tenderloins, a very lean cut of meat, when they go on sale at the grocery store and freeze them in individual plastic bags.
This is from one of our very special email answerers, Katie.
Summer Rubber Chicken by The Dinner Diva, Leanne Ely
These are truly the dog days of August hot days that only air conditioning turned down to polar can cool you off. Hot days when turning on the oven is a form of torture and eating a heavy meal is punishment.
I have a recipe called Rubber Chicken that takes one roasted chicken and makes three meals out of it. Sort of the mother of all frugal recipes, if you will. But with the heat being what it is in these dogs days, making Rubber Chicken would just be wrong. What you need is a Summer Rubber Chicken recipe like this one! I came up with this recipe out of necessity and you’re going to love it as much my family does, I’m sure of it!
Here is how it is done:
Day One: Marinate as much chicken as you need to make three meals. We are a family of 5 and I use 12 chicken breasts total. I marinate 12 breasts in two bags (6 each) with teriyaki sauce, balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lemon or lime, garlic powder, oregano and a liberal grinding of pepper. Or if I’m in a huge hurry, I’ll split a bottle Italian salad dressing between the two bags and call it a day. Remember, the longer you marinate, the more time the flavors of your marinade have to infuse themselves in your chicken. In other words, I’d do this first thing in the morning so your chicken is wonderful that night.
On your outdoor grill, barbecue ALL of the chicken, reserving 6 breasts for later. I will serve coleslaw, green salad and maybe a potato salad with the meal. The breakdown of the 12 breasts is 6 used the first night (my husband or teenaged son usually eats the extra one), 3 used the second night and the last night, 3 used again.
Day Two: Take 3 of the leftover chicken breasts and cube them for Chicken Taco Salad. Use a bag of pre-washed salad (I like the spring mix), shredded cheese, a can of drained and rinsed black beans, chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, chopped tomatoes and anything else you like. Toss altogether with a little Italian dressing and you’ve got a nice dinner. You can make quesadillas to go with this salad, if you like.
Day Three: Take the remaining chicken breasts and chop for Summer Chicken Salad Sandwiches. Add chopped hard boiled egg, chopped red onion, pesto (you can buy it in a jar or make it if you have a bounty of basil), mayo (use low fat), salt and pepper to taste. Serve on hearty wheat rolls with sliced tomato and leaves of Romaine lettuce. Add a tossed salad and you’re there!
There you have it Summer Rubber Chicken. Chicken cooked once and stretched into 3 tasty and easy meals! Notice we never turned on any appliance in the kitchen your kitchen will stay cool and so will you!
For more help putting dinner on your table check out her website ). www.SavingDinner.com or her Saving Dinner Book series published by Ballantine and her new book Body Clutter. Copyright 2006; Leanne Ely Used by permission in this publication.
