Garlic Green Bean and Mushroom Medley

Happy 2017! I hope 2016 treated you well and I hope 2017 treats you even better. I am on a mission and I know it is so cliche to say you want to lose weight for the new year but like I said I am on a mission to get healthier, make healthier choices, work out and show an example for my girls. So here is one of my new favorite dishes, even the girls ate it all so that makes me even happier. So here is my goal of losing 31 pounds by my 31st birthday in June! Now I am picky about my green beans; they cannot come from a can nor can be frozen, they have to be fresh. So here is our favorite new side dish that packs lots of flavors and it super simple. 

Ingredients:

12 oz Fresh Green Beans

1 Cup Fresh Mushrooms

1 Teaspoon Butter (melted) 

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

2 Minced Garlic 

Instructions:

Place Green Beans in a bowl; Place minced garlic in melted butter, stir, and pour over green beans; Add salt and pepper and mix. Place into pan and cook on med-low for 20-30 minutes. 

Zucchini and Squash Medley

Fall means fresh vegetables from the garden and even better in my fridge to my belly.  

Something so super simple is so delicious to eat as a side dish for any meal.  With all these flavors mixed together in one it is like eating candy ok not really but all three of my kids loved it. 

Ingredients: 

1 Cup Chopped Zucchini

1 Cup Chopped Yellow Squash

1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning

2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Instructions:

Place olive oil in a pan, get hot. 

Place chopped squash and zucchini in bowl, add in garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.  Mix and add to pan. Cooke for 20 minutes on medium or until soft and done.

Serve right away.

Frito Corn Salad

So my mom told me about this recipe and let me tell you I was afraid to try it by just the name of it but do not get discouraged this "salad" is amazing.  I made this right before 4th of July weekend for a little family cook out and it was gone within minutes.  It has an amazing crunch from the corn and chili cheese fritos send amazing flavor through out the entire salad.  So on your next hot day, picnic or even pot luck make this easy recipe and enjoy it and watch it disappear.

Ingredients

 2 Cans Corn, drained

1/2 Cup chopped onion

1/2 Cup chopped green bell pepper

1 Cup Mayo

1 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

10 OZ bag Chili Cheese Fritos 

Directions

Mix all ingredients together except Fritos.  Place in fridge until chilled and mix in Fritos right before you serve.

Recipe Adapted By

http://easypeasypleasy.com/

Zucchini Corn Cakes

Need a light side dish or appetizer for the summer?  Don't look anywhere else this little healthy cake is amazing.  It is so flavorful you will not want to stop eating.  Everyone in the house ate these up I think we added a new side dish to our main house menu.

Ingredients

2 Zucchini's (shredded)

1 Cup of frozen corn

1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Basil

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

2 eggs

3/4 flour

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together

Spray your pan and place a spoonful of mixture into pan and spread out in a circle. 

Cook on each side for 4 mins or until it is slightly brown.

Serve right away

Bacon Risotto Stuffed Mushrooms

Creamy, cheesy and full of bacon, a risotto that is full off flavor and stuffed into a portobello, perfection!

12 oz Abrorio Rice

3 Cups Chicken Stock

4 Tablespoons Butter (separated)

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese

6 Strips Bacon (crispy and crumbled)

Portobello Mushrooms 

Place rice, stock and 2 tablespoons butter into pan.  Stir while boiling for boiling, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.  

Cook bacon and place into rice when rice is done cooking, salt and pepper to taste, fold in cheese and set aside.

Place 2 tablespoons of butter into pan and place mushroom in pan and cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are done cooking.

Stuff risotto into mushrooms and serve.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

The best biscuits your taste bud laid buds on, ever.  This copy cat recipe will be worth the craving and skipping that trip to red lobster.  It is so simple and quick your friends and family will thank you.

Makes 12

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

For the topping

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, garlic powder, salt and cayenne pepper, if using.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together buttermilk and butter. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula just until moist. Gently fold in cheese.

Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, scoop the batter evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

For the topping, whisk together butter, parsley and garlic powder in a small bowl. Working one at a time, brush the tops of the biscuits with the butter mixture.

Serve immediately.

Recipe by

http://damndelicious.net/

How to make perfect french fries

There is a trick to making the perfect fry, you cannot just throw them in the oven or throw them in oil no no no.  Follow my steps to creating the crunchy and soft perfectly brown french fry.

Cut up 5 potatoes or how many you think you will need, peel or not to peel that is your decision.  Cut potatoes in half (long way), cut into fours (long way) and then cut those in half (long way again).

Place all fries into water and let soak for 2 hours or over night.

Dry off fries with paper towel. 

Bring Oil to 300* Par fry the french fries to the point before they turn brown (you do not want them brown yet) which will take between 3-5 minutes.  Take out and drain on paper towel.  When you get all the fries done turn up the heat and get oil to 400*

Place french fries back into oil for 1-2 minutes until they are brown.

Drain on paper towel, salt and enjoy the perfect crunch

Wonder Pot

What the heck is a wonder pot you ask?  Well the most amazing pasta dish ever!!  Not kidding, this is going on our weekly menu.  The whole family ate this in 5 minutes it is just that crazy good.  It is so fresh and you all make it in one pot!  You cannot beat that.

So yes this is going to be a side dish ever week until we all get sick of it but I don't think we ever will.

4 cups vegetable broth 

2 Tbsp olive oil 

12 oz. fettuccine 

8 oz. Fresh spinach leaves

 1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes 

 3 cloves garlic (minced)

 ½ Tbsp dried basil 

½ Tbsp dried oregano

 1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 oz. feta cheese 

Add four cups of vegetable broth to a large pot. Break the fettuccine in half to make stirring easier later, and then add it to the pot. Also add the canned tomatoes (undrained), olive oil, fresh spinach, garlic (minced), basil, oregano, and red pepper.

Make sure the ingredients are submerged under the liquid it is ok if some is sticking out.  Turn heat on high until boil.

Allow the pot to continue to boil over medium heat, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Stir the pot every few minutes as it cooks to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom, but avoid over stirring which can cause the pasta to become sticky and mushy. The pot must be boiling the entire time.

After the pasta is cooked, crumble the feta cheese over top and serve.

Adapted by

http://www.budgetbytes.com

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

I have a hard time with asparagus, don't get me wrong it is good but I have a hard time "liking" it.  This recipe had so much flavor in the asparagus a picky eater like me with green veggies I was eating these like candy!

You or your company will not be disappointed.

5 asparagus per bundle

uncooked bacon 1 per bundle 

pepper

garlic powder

toothpick

Preheat oven to 375*

Wrap each bundle of asparagus with uncooked back and put tooth pick in center to help hold.

Put on aluminum foil, season with pepper and garlic powder

Bake for 20 mins or until bacon is done to your liking.

Classic Macaroni Salad

There are two things I could live off of in life and that is pasta salads and sandwiches.  I am in love with both and nothing is better than a classic macaroni salad.  It goes amazing with anything or just by itself and great for potlucks!  So here is my version of the macaroni salad

2 cups cook elbow macaroni 

2 cans tuna

1 Cup peas

5 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1 1/2 cup Mayo

1 Tablespoon Mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni until done as box directs, drain and put into large boil.  Put all seven ingredients into bowl and mix well.  Put into fridge for 2 hours or until cold.

Potato Stacks

I love these little things. I always like having different side dishes rather than the fries or baked potatoes with our steak so I created this little number and they turned out great.  Crunchy at the bottom and top and very soft is the middle with great taste! Plus they went amazing with steak.

6-8 Tbsp. of butter
1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes or any potatoes you have
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons Fresh parsley 
Small clove garlic, minced 

Preheat oven to 375

Cut the potatoes in thin slices and put them into a bowl.  Melt your butter and mix in spices and mix the butter mixture in potatoes until well coated.  Put rounds into muffin pans and put into oven for 30 minutes or until browned

Cheesy Hasselback Potatoes

So I have seen these on Pinterest more then a dozen times they go from simple to kinda complicated.  I couldn't find one I specifically liked I mean I did like them but to me it was to many ingredients for something so simple.  So here is my version of the cheesy hasselback potatoes.

4 med potatoes

1/2 stick butter melted

salt and pepper

thin cubes of cheese * I used block coby jack*

Preheat your oven to 400*

Slice your potatoes in rounds but not all the way through you still want the rounds attached

pour your melted butter over potatoes even and put salt and pepper on it per your taste

Put into oven for 40 mins or until done

When done take out and thinly slice your cheese and then cut in half.  Place cheese in every other layer of potato round and put back into oven until melted

Cold Cowboy Salad

This is one of my absolute favorites!  A Wonderful tangy flavor with all my favorites added in!  This is great on a hot summer day and goes perfect with anything you cook on that grill!

1 Avocado chopped

1 Cup cooked and cooled corn

1 Can black beans

1 box of mini tomatoes diced

1/4 Cup Italian dressing

salt and pepper

1 TSP garlic powder

Mix all of ingredients together and put into fridge for 1 hour or until cold and serve

And my best eater of the house was the only one to eat it!  She loves it like her mama