Egg Salad Sandwiches

Would you like to know the secret to the perfect egg salad sandwich?   I think I'm sensing a theme with my posts lately, besides my 1970's plates and poor photography that is. 

Anyway, you know how egg salad from the deli is just super fluffy and yummy?  Well, for one, they use extra yolks but the real secret to great egg salad, in my not so humble opinion, is butter.



You'll need:

8 hard boiled eggs, chilled
1 tablespoon mayonaise
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
1/4 red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon of fresh dill
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 teaspoon franks red hot sauce (you didn't think I only had ONE secret ingredient, did you?)

8 slices of bread.

Peel your eggs and separate the yolk from 2 of them, discarding the whites (or eat them).  Mash the two yolks, along with the 6 whole eggs with a fork.  No need to get it fine, chunky is better.

Mix the rest of your ingredients in.  The butter will solidify with the rest of the cold ingredients and give your egg salad the richest most decadent texture.


YUM.  And, might I add, that this is an incredibly inexpensive easy meal to throw together.  Especially if you are like me and always have hard boiled eggs in the fridge.

Chicken dinner.

I mentioned before that I love seasoning packets.  I peruse the spice aisle almost every time I go to the grocery store to see if there are any flavors that speak to me.  I use them on all kinds of meat but chicken is my favorite.  Today I chose a sweet bbq seasoning packet that is made for roasting a whole chicken in the oven but I buck the system and always do it in the slow cooker.

So, toss in however many chicken breasts your family will eat.  I throw them in frozen so they don't dry out (my dinner is typically going for 10 hours or so by the time we're all home)  Then add 1-2 packets of the seasoning packet of your choice.  Then, pour in some water - about 1" deep is what I do.

Turn it on low and you're done prepping dinner!


When you get home you can steam or roast some veggies, add a salad and dinner is ready.   I mean really, 5 minutes.  And real minutes too, not those 20 minute meals on TV where everything was already prepped ahead of time.  I mean, can't ANYONE make a meal in 20 minutes if everything they need is laid out in tiny little bowls all measured and chopped for them.  

Do you use seasoning packets to your advantage?  What are some of your quick recipes using them?

Best Roast Chicken

Have you ever tried Alton Browns turkey recipe? If you haven't, you simply must. It's better than any turkey ever. Do you hear me? e.v.e.r.

And, you can take the same recipe and apply it to a chicken - with a few minor tweaks.





So, here is the famous Alton Brown recipe.

Read it, save it, make it. You won't regret it.

The secret is in the brine.

So, here are the ingredients. Although, I like to change up the aromatics and the seasonings I put in the bring. The main points you need are the salt, sugar and stock in the brine. Whatever else you add to it is up to you and the flavor you want. I keep the brine simple for the chicken, it doesn't need much.

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

For the aromatics:

• 3 lemons, cut in half.
• 1 bunch of rosemary.
• 1 cup water
• Canola oil

First, thaw the chicken in the fridge.

Combine the brine ingredients in a stock pot. Bring to a boil and then allow to cool in the fridge.

I have a small cooler that I place my chicken in, and then cover with the brine mixture. The cooler fits in my fridge (it's like one of those little Ocsar type ones) This is why I don't have a need for the ice water from Alton's recipe - I let my mixture completely chill in the fridge and I don't have a need for extra liquid.

So, place the chicken in the cooler first (don't forget to remove the gizzards & neck first) and then pour the brine over it.

Let that sit for 6-8 hours. It doesn't need to go any longer or you'll have a salty bird. You can probably get away with 4.

Take the chicken out of the brine, rinse it off and pat it dry. Place on a roasting rack. Make a shield out of foil for the breast section and set aside (see the how to video here)

Stuff with aromatics.

Tuck wings under and coat the bird with canola oil.

Stick an oven safe thermometer in the thickest part of the bird.

Roast at 475 for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover the breast of the chicken with foil breast plate you made earlier.

Reduce the oven to 375 and roast until the thermometer reaches 170 degrees at the thickest part of the meat.

As a general rule it takes about 20 minutes per pound but it really is best to use a meat thermometer. Once you take the chicken out of the oven the temperature will continue to rise to closer to 180 and the juices will settle.

I know it seems like a lot of work for a chicken, but trust me it is SOOOO worth the effort.  A few hours work on this and you'll be able to transform it into a few meals, like this or this or maybe it's a little chilly and you need this.  Or, Monday night when you're beat and it's bath night and you have 5 minutes to prepare dinner, you could make this or this or this.   Happy cooking!

Buffalo chicken wraps.

I like to make this for lunch on the weekends. Usually I have chicken left over from something, but if not you could use chicken nuggets (if you have kids in the house you probably have some) or a rotisserie chicken or whatever.

So you'll need:

Chicken cut into chunks or strips.

1/3 cup melted butter

1/3 cup hot sauce (I use Franks)

lettuce

tortilla

Mix the melted butter and the hot sauce together well.

Put chicken and lettuce in the tortilla. Spoon sauce over. Roll and eat. Alternatively, if you are looking to cut carbs you can wrap the chicken and sauce in the lettuce leaf. Add cheese if you desire :)

Slow-cooker BBQ Chicken

Get used to these easy recipes, because as a Mom of two they SAVE me.

You'll need:

Frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (however many your family will need)

1 jar of sweet baby rays bbq sauce. I like the sweet and spicy one.

1 jar of water.

Put it all in the slow cooker. Turn it on low. Leave. When you come home shred the chicken and serve on buns with a little more sauce. Tada, dinner. Sides I like are corn and salad.

Slowcooker roast beef.

Let's ignore the fact that I've been gone forever, mmkay? I'm back, and that's what matters.

Do you want a fix it and forget it recipe? Good, because I have one.

1 frozen roast beef (whatever cut/size suits your fancy).

1 packet of taco seasoning

1 packet of ranch seasoning

water.

Put roast in slow cooker (putting it in frozen means you really can leave it all.day.long and it won't get dry)

Top with taco seasoning and ranch seasoning packets.

Pour in water. I like to have at least 5 inches or so of water in the bottom.

Turn it on low, put the lid on. Forget about it until you pull into your garage after work and smell the lovely smell of dinner and profess your love for your slow cooker. And me.

Trust me, the seasoning packets are a good combo. So good. I steam veggies to go with it.

The end.

Easter Brunch

Easter is my holiday. I host it every year for the in-laws because it's the only holiday my family doesn't really celebrate and I really can't fit my side AND the in-laws in my house, there just isn't enough room. So, what does a Mom of a toddler and a newborn make for 10+ people you might ask? Easy items that can be prepped ahead of time.

Baked Ham - as in, pre cooked. You could get one from the honey baked ham store or just a regular one with a glaze from the grocery store.

Maple Bacon Breakfast rolls. These lovely things appeared in my in-box the other day and I had to make them. I cooked the bacon in the oven ahead of time, you could buy pre-cooked but it's expensive for what you get.

Fried Green Tomatoes - Yes, like the movie. They are SO good. Slice tomatoes about 1/2 inch thick or so and salt liberally (this step is very important). Season with pepper. Put them in a bowl with about 4 tablespoons buttermilk (regular milk will work though). Then, dredge through flour. Then in some beat eggs and then through breadcrumbs. Fry in peanut oil. Vegetable oil will work but I prefer peanut oil. Voila. Soooo good. There are sauces and chutneys you can make to serve them with but I just like them as is.

Lemon Trifle - You can make this with any berry you want. I suggest doubling the lemon curd recipe and if you still don't feel you have enough you can always fold in some whipping cream or vanilla pudding.

Champagne Limoncello Cocktails

And, the in-laws are also bringing

Fruit Salad
Hash brown casserole
Another vegetable.

I may also add some roasted asparagus because it's easy :) The only thing I'll have to do the day of is warm the ham up a bit, toss the rolls in the oven and fry the tomatoes.

Chicken and Couscous Salad

I made this up on the fly, trying to use up some couscous and chicken that I had on hand and it was wonderful! Let me see if I can list the ingredients correctly :)




First, you need 2 chicken breasts that have been marinated in the lemon and garlic marinade from this post. Then, roast the chicken breasts at 425 for about 1/2 hour. Cut into bite sized pieces.

You also need:

1 medium zuchinni
1 small red onion
1 portabella mushroom
1 cup tri color couscous
1 cup water
1 tomato

While your chicken is roasting: Sprinkle salt and pepper on your mushroom (you don't have to use portabella, but it's what I had) and saute it in a pan of olive oil for about 5-6 minutes per side. Toss in sliced zucchini and diced onion and saute at the same time. When the mushroom is cooked cut it in to bite sized pieces. Add 1 cup of water to the veggie mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 minutes and prepare dressing.


Dressing:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Combine chicken and veggie mixture in a bowl and toss with dressing. Serve with tomato slices.

Shepard's Pie

This is a really easy meal that you can prep the day (or two) before and pop it in the oven when you get home. I usually defrost about a pound and a half of ground beef and make something like tacos with part of it and Shepard's Pie with the other part. I've even gotten away with 1/2 pound of ground beef in this recipe. Or, you could make a double batch of the meat mixture and freeze for later but do not freeze mashed potato, it doesn't fare well.

Adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 lb of ground beef, or a little less if you do what I do above.
  
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cups vegetables - chopped carrots, corn, peas, green beans... whatever you have.
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 - 3 cups or so of mashed potatoes, I cheat and use instant (ssshhh). You could make it from scratch and you'll need about 4 potatoes depending on their size.
  
• Salt, pepper, other seasonings of choice

Cook the ground beef and drain the fat off, set aside. In the same pan melt your butter and saute your onions until tender. Add back the ground beef and stir in the vegetables. If you are using carrots add them when you start the onions, any other veggies are added after the onions are cooked. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, longer if carrots need to cook more.

Transfer meat mixture to a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes and then turn the broiler on for 3-5 minutes to brown the potatoes.

Serves 4 - 6 generous portions.

Spanish Rice

This is my made up, on the fly Spanish rice. And, I use it to make a lot of different meals, which I will post about.

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I like onions so I used a large one)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 can black beans
  

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add rice, green pepper, garlic and onion and cook (about 5-10 minutes) stirring occasionally, until rice is golden brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until rice is tender.


So... what can you do with this rice?

Well, you can use it as a side dish obviously and make Fajita's

Or, you can make a really simple and easy casserole. I use the leftovers to make a southwest chicken skillet casserole. I've never written down exactly what I do so I don't think a new entry is in order but basically...

Southwest Chicken Casserole

Take your left over rice and add 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of sour cream. Mix it up in a skillet. This isn't an exact science just mix it up to taste. Then add a can of corn to the mix. Then add some chicken. I usually use leftover chicken from another recipe but you could just grill some up real quick too and season it with taco or fajita seasoning or whatever you want. Then I warm it all up in a skillet and serve. It's pretty darn good.

Stuffed Peppers

Another thing you can do is mix the leftover rice with hamburger meat, a can of tomatoes and a can of corn. Stuff some bell peppers with the mix. Mix up some tomato sauce with a bit of brown sugar and pour that over the top of the peppers. Bake them in the oven at about 350 until tender.

Burritos
Obviously you can also make burritos with the rice. I just mix the rice with refried beans and cheese and heat. Roll mixture into tortillas and top with sour cream and diced tomatoes.

Chicken and Spanish Rice Soup

Any other favorites for using up leftover Spanish rice? Share them in the comments!

"Klassy" Chicken Pot Pie

I don't usually make casseroles, much less casseroles with tater tots... but I've found myself trying to find things that freeze well so I can fill my freezer in preparation for baby #2. This is the perfect recipe for that or if you have left over chicken to use up. Or, maybe you are just craving craving chicken pot pie with tater tots. Takes about 15 minutes for prep (if your chicken is cooked already) and 40 in the oven. You can make this ahead easily and pop it in the oven when you get home, or even double or triple and freeze for later.

You can arrange the tater tots a little nicer too, and make it pretty. I'm impatient. This is 1/2 of the recipe, since there are only 2 1/2 of us. I froze the rest.

Ingredients

• 1 (2 lb) bag frozen tater tots

• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 small garlic cloves, chopped
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
• 2 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of whatever soup
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. In large skillet, cook onion and pressed garlic in butter or olive oil over medium high heat until onion is tender.

3. Add cooked chicken, frozen veggies, undiluted soup, milk, thyme and pepper.

4. Stir ingredients together and cook over medium heat until hot and bubbly. Stirring occasionally.

5. Cover and cook an additional 5 minutes; stirring frequently.

6. Spoon chicken mixture into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish.

7. Arrange frozen tater tots on top.

8. Bake 40 minutes or until bubbly and tater tots are slightly browned.

Ham and Shells Casserole

Thanks to Lauren at Lauren's Kitchen for blogging about this recipe - who originally got it from Hilary at This Girls Food. Might as well give a shout out to both of them :) It was really, really good! And boy am I glad it was, because it made a ton of food!

It's a bit more involved that my regular weeknight meal, but can easily be prepped the night before and thrown in the oven when you get home from work. And, as an added bonus it makes about 3, very generous, dinners worth for our family of three. So, I plan on freezing 2 of the portions prior to baking.

I made some modifications to the recipe which I'll explain below, and are included in the recipe I've posted. You can find the original recipe on either of the blogs above.

I used frozen spinach, and increased the amount, instead of fresh. If you are like me it's more cost friendly to buy frozen vegetables for a few reasons. A) they are usually cheaper and B) they don't go bad. Often times I'll have a meal written down for the week but we don't get to it for various reasons, so sometimes produce goes bad and I HATE that.

Subbed mozzarella for the goat cheese as I didn't have it in the house, thanks Lauren for the tip.

After I tasted the sauce it seemed a bit on the bland side, so I threw in about 3/4 a cup of blue cheese as well to give it a kick. I'm going to leave the recipe with goat cheese because I think it really would be best with that AND the blue cheese :). I was really happy with the blue cheese addition in the end, it gave the recipe a bit more twang. Is that a word?

I used macaroni noodles because that's what I had, shells would be better.

I increased the ham by 1 cup.

Oh, and I upped the rosemary, because I love it. Whew, I think that's it! LOL

I also didn't want to use 3 pans, as the original recipe would have you do. I reused one to make it a bit less clean-up. It allows you time to prep ingredients while the noodles are cooking, so I think it works out a little better than trying to do three things at once.

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (16 oz.) medium pasta shells
• 3 large onions
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped frozen spinach
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3-1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup park-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup (4 oz.) crumbled goat cheese (I used mozzarella)
• 3/4 cup cup blue cheese
  
• 3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350°

Cook pasta according to package directions in a large sauce pan.

While the pasta is cooking, chop your onions and ham and measure out your other ingredients.

Drain pasta and set aside in a very large mixing bowl, mix with chopped ham.

Saute onions in oil until golden brown in the pan you used for the noodles. Add spinach and rosemary, cook for a few minutes until spinach is thawed (or wilted if you used fresh). Pour into the bowl with the noodles and mix.

Use the large saucepan to melt butter. Stir in flour and pepper until smooth and cook for a few minutes. Gradually add milk, stirring to prevent lumps from forming. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses until blended.

Add the sauce to the noodle mixture and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper (liberally) to taste. I put these in greased casserole dishes at this point and sprinkled with the Parmesan cheese. I froze two and left one in the fridge to bake later.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is a great, hearty, chicken pot pie recipe from Ina Garten on The Food Network.

The only changes I made were to reduce the amount of chicken stock by 1 cup (mainly due to reviews that the sauce was a bit thin) and increase the seasonings a bit to suit my tastes. I'm posting the recipe as is though, because I think it would work with the full cup of liquid, it just depends on your personal preference. She does state that it makes 4 individual pot pies. I think that is way too big of a portion personally, and it would be more accurate if you said 6. The photo I took is actually a teeny tiny portion I made for my toddler, so don't think all of mine were that size :)

Oh, I guess I do have one more confession... I didn't make her crust. I used crescent roll dough and baked accordingly :)

• 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

nocoupons

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Fried Rice

This is excellent Fried Rice, courtesy of Sara Moulton from Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals. I subbed chicken for the shrimp since my husband doesn't like seafood and I also used fresh ginger and not crystallized ginger since I didn't have any, it turned out fantastic!

It's also a great recipe to use up left over rice, chicken and veggies.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Kosher salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 cups frozen shelled and deveined shrimp, halved
One 10-ounce package frozen peas
3 cups leftover cooked long-grain white rice or simple boiled rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium. Combine the eggs with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and pour into the skillet. Cook, stirring, until scrambled, about 1 minute. Break into small pieces and transfer to a bowl

2. Add another tablespoon of oil, the onion, and garlic to the pan; cook, stirring 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and peas; cook until the shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the eggs.

3. Heat the remaining tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly crispy.

4. Stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, and sesame oil; add to the skillet along with the shrimp, peas, and egg. Cook just until the egg is heated through and serve.

Steak Marinade

A quote from my husband after eating a cheap steak I put in this marinade before grilling "You can put the A-1 away".

It is that good, and surprisingly simple too.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

Mix and pour into a bag with steaks. Marinade 12 to 24 hours. Bring steaks to room temperature before grilling and then cook as you normally would.

Put the steak sauce away.

Enjoy!

P.S. My picky 2 year old enjoyed this as well. In fact, after tasting it he put his milk down and finished his steak before taking another drink. If you knew my milk hog you'd know that was HUGE.

Black Bean Nacho Pizza

This was DELISH! And, ironically enough I found it on delish.com.

I didn't follow the grilling part though, I put it on my own pizza crust and just use the general ingredients:

• 1 cup(s) canned black beans, rinsed
• 1/2 cup(s) chopped jarred roasted red peppers
• 1 garlic, quartered
• 1 tablespoon(s) chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• Yellow cornmeal, for dusting
• 1 cup(s) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 2 medium plum tomatoes, diced
• 4 medium scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup(s) chopped pitted ripe black olives
• 2 tablespoon(s) chopped pickled jalapeños

First, prepare your pizza dough for proofing, this is a thinner crust recipe.

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2-1 tablespoon olive oil
• cornmeal

Put a little sugar in your warm water and add the yeast. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and knead until no longer sticky, adding flour if needed. Place in a greased bowl and cover with a warm cloth and set aside to proof for 1/2 hour. I usually stick mine in the oven with the light on.

Then, put your black beans and roasted red pepper in the food processor and pulse for a few minutes. Mix your bean mixture with the garlic, chili powder and salt.

When the dough is ready roll it onto a pizza pan sprayed with olive oil or Pam. It will either make 2 small pizza's or one large one. You can pre-cook the pizza crust now if you want, but you don't have to. Bake it at 425 for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with cornmeal. Spread bean mixture down. Layer the rest of the ingredients and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until the crust starts to brown. Serve with sour cream if desired.

Oh, I also added some fresh cilantro :)

Black Bean Quesadilla's

Yet another black bean recipe... :)

7 ounces of mashed black beans (1/2 a can)
2/3 cup salsa
Flour tortillas cut in half
Chicken (optional)
Sour Cream

Place tortillas on un-greased cookie sheet.

Mix beans and salsa. Spread bean mixture on tortilla halves. Top with chicken if desired and Monteray jack cheese. Top with remaining tortilla halves.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Beef, Barley and Vegetable Stew

Perfect meal for a cold day and makes plenty so you can freeze a few batches too!

• 1 (3 pound) beef chuck roast - or any other cut of beef you'd like to use
  
• 1 cup barley
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cans corn
  
• 4 cups water
• 4 cubes beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

If you want you can add a few diced potatoes to this too, or some cabbage. You can also use up whatever veggies you have on hand if you need to. Just think about what you'd like in your stew!

Put everything but the barley in your slow cooker and put on low for about 8 hours. Then, stir everything up and cut the meat into bite sized pieces if you need to. Add the barley and cook an additional hour on low. Serve with some warm crusty bread and enjoy!

Makes about 8 hearty servings.

Split Pea Soup

What's the perfect way to get use out of that leftover ham bone from Easter? Make split pea soup! I make mine in the crockpot, so we have a nice hot meal when we come home from work.

1 (16 0z) package dried split peas - rinsed
1 ham bone
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 stalk celery including leafy parts, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
6-8 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)

Layer everything in the crock pot, then pour the liquid over the top. Don't stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove bay leaves, ham bone and any large chunks of ham. If you want a smooth soup, remove and puree 1/3 of the soup and add it back in. Cut up large chunks of ham and add them back into the soup. Serve and enjoy!

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Since a lot of us are going to have some hard cooked eggs to use... I wrote down what I typically use in egg salad. I season to taste though and have never actually written down what I do. The butter is optional and not a normal thing to put in egg salad, but it helps hold it all together and makes for a very rich egg salad. Sometimes, if I'm feeling like being healthy, I leave that out. If I'm felling REALLY healthy I use half non fat plain yogurt and half mayonnaise. You could also replace the eggs all together with tofu. It works really well but only if you let it sit at least an hour in the fridge so the tofu can soak up all of the flavors. If you don't use Helmans mayo you really must give it a try, it is the best.

• 6 eggs, hard cooked, cooled and diced
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup tablespoons Helmans mayonnaise, more if desired for consistency

Add the mayo last, so you can control the consistency and get what you want.

Optional ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
  
• 1 stalk celery chopped very fine, including the leafy parts
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  
• 2 tablespoons pickle relish
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat leaf parsley
• lettuce
  

• 16 slices bread

Obviously you can cut this down too :) My husband usually eats 2 sandwiches that are stuffed enough for 4 sandwiches, so 1/2 of the mixture is gone in one meal.