Butter Beans Pasta and Meatball Soup

This soup is warm and comforting with the weather Houston is experiencing today.  This is an easy meal if you have meatballs in your freezer.   If you do not have meatballs made you may want to wait until the weekend to make this recipe.  You may not want to add the meatballs, that is okay.  Either way, the soup is relatively easy to put together.  Remember,  just have fun!

Ingredients

1 can of butter beans – do not drain
1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce
8 ounces of water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion chopped
½ bell pepper chopped
½ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 cup dry macaroni – cooked and set aside - optional
12 small meatballs precooked – your favorite recipe
Recipes serves 2 to 3 persons

In an 8 quart saucepan, adding the olive oil, cook the onions, bell pepper, Lawry’s seasoned salt, and black pepper until tender.   Add undrained butter beans, tomato sauce, granulated garlic, and water.  Cook on low heat uncovered for 30 minutes.  Add meatballs and continue simmering for another 30 minutes.  Beans should have thickened.

You can add the pasta as desired to serving.  Do not add pasta to beans in pot while cooking.  The pasta will soak up too much of the liquid.

Enjoy with your favorite cornbread recipe.  I always like to add my vegetables, so a salad would be a great accompaniment.  Don’t forget the wine!  Enjoy and remember always remember, just have fun!

Key Lime Pie

Graham Cracker Crust

1 ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs

½ cup of sugar
7 tablespoons melted butter
Mix the above and press into a 9” spring form pan which has been sprayed with a non stick coating
Bake at 350 degree oven for 10 minutes

Cool while you begin the filling

1 – 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

4 egg yolks
½ cup key lime juice
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons of grated key limes
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix in a blender until well blender, pour into spring form pan with graham crackers.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.
Serve with fresh whipped cream
2 cups of heavy whipping cream
Whipped until soft stiff peaks are formed, please do not over beat until too stiff.
The key lime is sweet enough, you do not need to add sugar to the whipped cream.

Enjoy and remember, just have fun!

Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Hello!  I have another chicken dish for you to enjoy.

3 chicken breasts, deboned and with no skin
12” Teflon coated skillet

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion thinly sliced
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 cup water
8 ounce button mushrooms
10 ounce package of grape tomatoes

Place chicken in warmed skillet with the olive oil over stove on medium heat, along with onion.  Sprinkle generously with black pepper and granulated garlic and sparingly with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.  Brown on medium heat seasoned on both sides of chicken breasts until well browned.

Add cleaned and sliced 8 ounce package of button mushrooms and 10 ounces of grape tomatoes. Cover with lid and on medium heat adding 1 cup of water and 1 cube chicken bouillon, cook until tender about 45 to 60 minutes. 

I prefer serving the chicken with the mushrooms and tomatoes alone. This is an excellent dish when cutting carbs and fat.

Remember, just have fun, Let’s Have some Fun!

Banana Pudding Cheesecake

Hello again to all of you!  I have created a new cheesecake.  I am very excited to share this cheesecake with you.  All of my cheesecakes are created to use a 9 ½ inch wide and 4” deep spring form pan.  You cannot make my cheesecakes with a 3“ deep spring form pan.  Send me an e-mail if you want to purchase the spring form pan which is created for my cheesecakes.  The purchase of the spring form pans is $15.00 plus tax and 5 dollars for delivery.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Spray a 9 ½ “ wide and approximately 4 “ deep spring form pan with a non stick coating
In a separate bowl, measure the following;
1  ¾ cup graham crackers crumbs
½  cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons of melted butter
Mix the above and press into a prepared spring form pan with  non stick coating.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and cool while preparing the filling
4– 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
In an electric mixer cream the cream cheese and slowly add the sugar.  Beat for a couple of minutes scraping down the sides until well blended
Add
½ cup sour cream
½ cup heavy cream
4 eggs, room temperature
½ cup Dark Bacardi Rum
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 teaspoon of almond extract

Mix the above to the cream cheese mixture until well blended.

1 box of vanilla wafers
4 bananas - ripened
The nxt goal in the preparation is layering the filling with the vanilla wafers and bananas in 4 layers.
Please follow these steps;
Pour cream cheese filling about 1 cup on top of the graham crackers, Slice thinly an over  ripe banana and top with a single layer of vanilla wafers, repeat this process 4 times and end with covering the bananas and vanillas wafers on the top.  Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees, then drop the oven to 275 degrees for 30 minutes, then drop oven to 250 for 45 minutes.
Remove from oven and add
3 cups of sour cream
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon almond extract.

Mix sour cream mixture and pour over cheesecake and let cool out of the oven.  Place cheesecake in the refrigerator for 24 hours before removing from spring form pan and slicing.

Enjoy!  Remember, Let’s Have Some Fun!

Love to you all!  Sandy

California Bean Salad

Hello!  I want to share with you a salad my son shared with me from California.  He was here with us for a month during the holidays.  We enjoyed his presence, and I enjoyed learning from him the healthy recipes he has acquired living in California.  You can add this to lettuce for a salad or serve with chicken or fish.  Serve with soft corn tortillas which have been cut into 4’s and placed on a cookie sheet and baked in the oven until completely crisp.
You know what is coming next, just enjoy and have fun, Let's Have Some Fun!

California Bean Salad

3 cups lentils – If using canned or fresh, drain juice
2 cans black beans – Drain juice
1 can red kidney beans – Drain juice
1 ½ cups canned corn – Well drained
1 cup red and green salad onions
1 bell pepper chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 cup Canola Oil
½ cup cidar vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 to 3 chopped clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the above and refrigerate before serving. 

Serve on the side with your favorite chicken or poultry.  My sister and her family enjoy this recipe, you can too!

Chololate Rum and Orange Pound Cake

Hello! I was given a chocolate pound cake, flavored with rum and oranges.  Fabulous!  The pound cake was a mail order from an exclusive department store.  I have created this recipe to mimic what I had ate!  This recipe is for adults only, because of the alcohol content.   Enjoy and Let’s Have Some Fun!

Valentine’s Day is getting close.  Why not make a romantic dinner with someone special in your life? Valentine’s Days is a Tuesday, tough night to get reservations and enjoy with work the next day at your favorite romantic restaurant.  Why not make a romantic meal and stay at home?  Candles, music, adult drinks, and fabulous food!  Start planning now!  This cake could be offered with whipped cream and strawberries!  Amazing!  Enjoy and have fun!

Dark Chocolate Cake Mix – I always enjoy using Duncan Hines
1 (3.5 ounce) box of chocolate instant pudding mix
¾ cup of Wesson Oil
½ cup dark Bacardi Rum
4 eggs
2/3 cup orange juice
12 ounces Ghirardelli Semi Chocolate Baking Chips

Place all ingredients into a mixer, except the eggs and chocolate pieces.  Beat on medium speed until well blended.  Add eggs, room temperature, one at a time until well blended.  Fold in chocolate pieces and then place cake batter into a prepared Bundt pan sprayed with non stick coating and flour.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.  Please Glaze while the cake is hot and taken from oven.

Glaze poured over cake after baking
1 cup sugar
1 cup of butter
¾  cup dark Bacardi Rum
1 orange, peel grated
½ cup of orange juice

Glaze; place all ingredients in a pot and over the stove, cook boiling for 5 minutes.  Reserving ½ cup of glaze.  Pour remaining hot glaze over hot cake which the cake has been pricked with a sharp knife. Cool in Bundt pan for 30 minutes and then remove.  Brush evenly the remaining  ½ cup of glaze  over entire cake.  Let cool and serve with fresh whipping cream and sliced strawberries.

Happy New Year

To my dear family, friends, and patrons!

Happy New Year to you all!  My apologies for not getting back with you sooner.  My son has been home for the holidays and we are enjoying every minute with him! 

My wish for you, all that you wish for comes your way!

Thank you for all your support with my cookbook and viewing my food blog.  I am here for you!

Remember, Let's Have Some Fun!

Stewed Chicken

4 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breast
1 onion chopped
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1 tablespoon splenda brown sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil

Measure olive oil and chopped onion in a dutch oven.  On medium heat over the stove cook onion in olive oil until tender.  Add chicken breasts and cook on both sides.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low to medium heat uncovered for 1 hour.

This stewed chicken can be served over rice, mashed potatoes, or spaghetti. 

Pair with your favorite green vegetable and never forget the wine.  Enjoy and remember just have fun! Let's Have Some Fun!