Update and Giveaway!

For all those who don't know, I'm currently on a two week hiatus. Basically, I have a test in every class over the next two weeks plus clinical rotation Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My next free day is Wednesday, April 6th! Yep, I'm tired. I will be back then and as a bonus there is only a month of school left. I'll be back full force in May once finals are over. 

But what I am really posting about is a fun giveaway for Schwan's! You just need to hop on over to my friend Amber's blog, This Mommy Cooks. The link will take you straight to the giveaway and then you just need to follow the directions to enter. It's super easy! 

Miss you all and can't wait to be back in the kitchen making delicious food.

Copycat Hashbrown Casserole - The Remix

Okay so the first time I made these they were all kinds of jacked up. I did a little research and think that we've come up with the perfect version. I've made this version 3 or 4 times now and it's just fabulous.

Copycat Hashbrown Casserole - The Remix

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

2 lb bag of frozen shredded hash browns, thawed

1/4 cup diced onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups shredded colby cheese

1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix together the soup, butter, onion, pepper and cheese. Stir in the potatoes until well mixed.

Put the potato mixture in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes and broil before removing to get a nice, golden top. 

Enjoy!

Fluffiest. Pancakes. Ever.

Oh my goodness. These pancakes were the bestest, everest. They are so light and fluffy. I could probably eat them every day. Seriously. I am not joking. Your mouth will thank you.

Fluffiest. Pancakes. Ever.

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 TBS sugar

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

3 TBS unsalted butter 

Oil for cooking

Directions

In a large bowl, sift the flour. Add baking powder, salt and sugar with a fork until just combined.

In a small bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Let it cool slightly. Lightly beat the egg with a fork into the butter, just until blended. Add the milk and again just lightly beat until blended. 

Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Mix just until well combined. It will look very runny, but I promise it will come out okay! 

Heat 2-3 TBS oil in a skillet and add 1/4-1/2 cup of batter. I add a 1/2 cup because I like big pancakes. Cook until you see lots of bubbles in the wet batter on top, or until the bottom is golden brown. Flip and cook until bottom is golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Honey Ham

I keep thinking about Easter coming up and eating ham. It just sounded so yummy and I decided that I just couldn't wait. This is such an easy recipe. You will honestly never again buy one of those pricey hams from the retailer-who-shall-remain-nameless (but y'all know who I am talking about)! I have used several different ham sizes and I just follow the package recommendations for cooking if it's larger or smaller than the recipe. Yum, I'm still thinking about this ham.

Honey Ham

adapted from Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Serving: 15

Ingredients

5 lb spiral sliced ham 

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup honey

2/3 cup butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325.

In a small saucepan over medium heat combine the cloves, sugar, honey and butter. Once well combined, turn heat to low. You want to keep this warm while the ham is cooking.

Place the ham in foil lined pan and brush the glaze over the ham. Continue to baste the ham every 15-20 minutes while it is cooking. In the last 5 minutes, turn the oven broiler on to caramelize the glaze and form a nice crust. 

Enjoy!

Italian Turkey Burgers

I was feeling adventurous last night and decided to make up a recipe for our turkey burgers. I didn't want something same old, same old blah blah so I winged it. We were definitely rewarded! I personally would slightly reduce the Italian seasoning and add more mozzarella (I love me some cheese), but hubby thought that they were perfect!

Italian Turkey Burgers

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey 

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese

2 TBS grated parmesan

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

Olive oil for sauteing 

Directions

Heat olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium heat. 

Combine all ingredients (except oil) in a bowl. Form patties. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side. I cooked mine on each side for about 5 minutes and then put them in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes. They were perfectly cooked!

Enjoy!

Salmon Patties

This recipe is so easy and quick. Plus it's loaded with Omega-3's so it's kinda healthy. I was going to add some cheddar cheese into mine and forgot, but I definitely think it would be yummy with it. Might try to remember to do that next time. My sister-in-law said that these were still very tasty when she heated them for lunch the next day. They also didn't make her office stink!

Salmon Patties

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

2  6oz pouches of boneless, skinless salmon (I used Chicken of the Sea)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder 

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 egg

1/4-1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (optional)

Veggie or Canola oil for frying

Directions

Put all ingredients except the oil into a bowl and mix well with your hands. Form into patties. Heat about 2 TBS oil in a pan over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown. 

Serve with your favorite sauce.

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - March 13-19

Very excited to be celebrating St. Patty's Day this week! As you know there is always a meal to go with the holiday as well. This week is also my first week of Pediatric clinical rotation so Saturday nights will now be spent with the little ones at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Poor hubby is on his own, but luckily he loves some frozen pizza!

Italian Turkey Burgers

Orzo Pasta Salad

Honey Ham

Fluffiest.Pancakes.Ever.

Copycat Hashbrown Casserole - The Remix

Guinness Beef Brisket

Slow Cooker Saucy Beef Tips

So we have had a few bad runs with the slow cooker dinners. As you might know, I have class on Tuesdays from 9am-6pm and dinner is usually done in the slow cooker. Hubby and I have found that most things don't do well in the slow cooker if left in there for more than 8-10 hours. The only thing that seems to work is red meat. Chicken tends to disintegrate and soups get yucky. Yes, yucky. So I found this and we loved it!  I've made changes to the original recipe and you can definitely take out the red wine. I just thought that it might add a little 'je ne sais quoi' (that's 'I don't know what' in French, for all my mono-linguals out there).

Slow Cooker Saucy Beef Tips

adapted from Mommy's Kitchen

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

2lbs stew meat, cubed

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup

1 packet lower sodium brown gravy mix

1 packet dry onion soup mix

1 cup Ginger ale

4 TBS red wine (I used Merlot)

Cooked egg noodles

Directions

Put everything in your slow cooker with the exception of the egg noodles. Set it on low for 8 hours. Serve over hot cooked egg noodles.

Enjoy!

Red Beans & Rice

This is probably one of my favorite recipes, but I don't make it much because of the time commitment. I mean it's not like you have to stand over the stove and watch it, but it does have to sit there for a good 2 hours. I'm certain there are ways to cut the time down, yet I wonder if you would have the same end result. It was a little spicier than usual as I think I recalled something different when adding the cayenne pepper. If you want something a little more tame, just cut the cayenne pepper to 1/4 tsp.

I'm not sure how many of you know the tradition behind this meal or even if you want to know, but I'm tell you anyway! Traditionally, Red Beans & Rice is eaten on a Monday. Why? Because it is laundry day. This is one of those meals that you can leave on the stove unattended for at least 30 minutes while you go out back to scrub the wash. Just a little bit of trivia for you.

Red Beans & Rice

adapted from multiple recipes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

2 TBS vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped 

1 medium green bell pepper, chopped

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

5-6 garlic cloves, minced

3 bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp Tabasco

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

8 cups water

1 pound dry small red beans

1 package smoked turkey sausage (or 1lb andouille sausage)

Hot cooked white rice

Directions

Heat the oil in a 5-7 qt dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Holy Trinity (aka onion, bell pepper and celery). Saute until the onion and celery are translucent. Add the salt and pepper. Toss in the garlic, cook 1-2 minutes and stir frequently. Add the thyme and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the sausage. Turn the heat to high and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring about every half hour.

Uncover and turn heat up slightly to increase the simmering. Cook for another 30-40 minutes. Toward the end I like to use a potato masher to mush my beans and make the consistency a little thicker. I also add the sausage once I have mashed the beans.

While you are waiting for the beans to finish, start cooking your rice. Once everything is done, scoop a little rice into your bowl and cover with a generous helping of red beans. 

Enjoy!

Weekly Menu - March 6-11

I'm back! Things have been so crazy that getting recipes and menu plans posted has been almost impossible. The blog has been taking a backseat to nursing school. I'm trying to get better about it and hopefully I will get some stuff posted this week since I am on spring break. I'm very excited about our menu this week since we are celebrating Mardi Gras! The only thing that would make it better is if I was actually in NOLA.  :)

Shrimp Po'Boys

Red Beans & Rice

Gumbo

Salmon Patties

Cafe au Lait

Homemade Pizza