Welcome to my site!

Welcome to my site!
I'm Cindy, and I love to cook! And, I love to eat... hence the size of my rear end! I come from a long line of cooks. My great great Grandmother was a cook in the original Harvey Houses. My grandmother Julia was an awesome cook, and my mom was incredible. I owe my skills to these great women. Especially my Mom who said this to me about making gravy... "Cindy Lynn, wallpaper paste is wallpaper paste & gravy is gravy. Never the two shall meet!" Shall we say my first experience at making gravy left a little bit to be desired! Thank the high heavens my cooking skills have improved since then! Enjoy!

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from my friend Kathy.  I’ve adjusted and changed things slightly – but this is ALWAYS a hit at our house.  It can be made in relatively little time and it can also be frozen for future meals.  Enjoy!
 
Ingredients:
 
1 – 1 ½ lbs ground beef
1 white onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Olive Oil
15 oz can corn, drained and rinsed
15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
29 oz. can tomato sauce
29 oz. low sodium chicken broth or stock (I use Rachel Ray’s Chicken Stock)
 
Optional:  Small can Chopped Black Olives, drained
Diced Green Chilies, drained
 
Taco Seasoning Mix Recipe – or you can use a package of taco seasoning if you prefer
 
2 Tbls. Chili Powder
1 Tbls. Cumin Powder
1 Tbls. Oregano
1 tsp. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Celery Salt
¼ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
¼ tsp. Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Garlic Salt
 
Garnish Suggestions:
 
Grated Cheddar Cheese
Crushed Tortilla Chips
Sliced Avocado
Sour Cream
 
Directions:
 
Drizzle some Olive Oil in a soup pot, heat.  Crumble ground beef into the pot; break up large chunks with the back of the mixing spoon.
 
As beef begins to brown add the garlic and onion.  Continue to cook until beef is browned.  I used 7% fat beef, so there is little grease – but if you use a higher fat content, drain off some of the fat before adding the spice mixture.
 
Stir until combined; add the drained corn and kidney beans.  Add the tomato sauce; fill the can with chicken stock and add to the pot.  If using olives and/or green chilies – add at this point.
 
Continue cooking until the soup comes to a simmer.  Cook for an additional 15 minutes.
 
Serve with the garnish of your choice.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Breakfast Egg Muffin Cups

I’ve been browsing Pinterest again.  Someone stop me!  It’s so addictive.  But, the other day I realized that out of 120 pins on my “Cooking/Recipes” board – I’ve actually tried very few of them.  So, I started perusing those pins and decided to buckle down and give a few things a try.  Here’s the first one – a recipe for “Egg Muffins”.  They’re kind of like mini omelets that are cupcake size.  They turned out great and I am in love with how easy they were to make and how convenient it has been to grab two of these each morning along with a yogurt and I have an on-the-go breakfast and morning snack in no time at all.  I found the recipe on this website:  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/  She's got some wonderful recipes... check her out!
 
Ingredients:
 
15 eggs (15 is perfect for silicone muffin pans however if you’re using a metal muffin pan or individual silicone cups – the directions say 12 eggs)
1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning – or any type of seasoning blend that you enjoy with eggs
1-2 cups grated low fat cheese, I used a low fat Mexican blend.
Optional, but highly recommended, 3 green onions diced small.
Optional: chopped veggies such as blanched broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Using veggies will reduce the fat content
Optional: diced Canadian bacon, lean ham, or crumbled cooked turkey sausage
 
I used the green onions, small chopped zucchini and sliced ham cut into small pieces.  Love the combination.  I think the next time I will also add some chopped mushrooms.
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 375 F.  
 
If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, and then spray liner with nonstick spray.
 
In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, if using, vegetables, if using, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be about 2/3 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Break eggs into large measuring bowl with pour spout, add seasoning, and beat well.  You could also add a bit of half and half or milk, but I did not and loved the way these turned out.
 
Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is 3/4 full.  Slightly stir with a fork or knife.  Bake 25-35 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.
 
Muffins will keep more than a week in the refrigerator.  You could also freeze and reheat by thawing in the fridge before reheating.  Either way  - to reheat from fridge microwave on high for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, depending upon your microwave strength.
 
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