Zesty Mushrooms!

Don't you just love the recipe that you didn't know existed? That is what happened when I put these ingredients together last night as a topping for our steak.

I'm gonna call em'....... Zesty Mushrooms!

Ingredients:

1 pack of white mushrooms
1 medium sweet onion
3 cloves of peeled garlic
2-3 tablespoons Zesty Italian Dressing
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
Garlic infused canola oil
Pat of butter

Drizzle the canola oil in the bottom of skillet, just enough to cover bottom. Brush the mushrooms off with a damp cloth and cut in half and add them to the pan and swirl them around in the oil. Slice the onion and add them to the mushrooms. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pan. Don't have the heat set too high or the garlic will burn. Keep the mixture tossed around in the pan and add the pat (or 2) of butter to the pan. Let the mushrooms get a little brown and the onions get soft. Add the red pepper flakes and grind some black pepper over the top (add as much or little as you like).

Turn off the heat and add the dressing. Toss the mixture around and serve. 

This is perfect as a side or to top any grilled meat.

Click HERE for printable recipe


ZESTY MUSHROOMS!

Morning Update: My Canned Tomatoes

The first thing I did this morning was check my canned tomatoes from last night. You will need to check your cans several hours later after they have completely cooled and make sure that they have sealed themselves.

Beautiful!

I had 6 quart jars seal and 2 that did not. Don't worry, you can't guarantee that this canning process is going to work. The easiest thing to do is open the jars and put the tomatoes in freezer bags. They will keep just as well in the freezer, I just think they are not as pretty.

For now, I put the 2 jars in the refrigerator until I can get some freezer safe bags. Also, BEWARE, the quart jar contents will not fit in a quart freezer bag. You will have to split it up or use a bigger bag.

Have a beautiful Sunday and happy canning!

Karey

How to Can Tomatoes Like My Maw Maw

Today me and Dad made a trip to Jaemar Farm Market. It was a really nice day for a drive and Dad needed to get out of the house for a while. It is off season for pretty much anything right now so we didn't have our hopes up for anything special.
We shopped around and looked at the baked goods, the fresh jams and jellies, and the produce. They had  25 lb boxes of tomatoes from Florida for $17 and we had decided to get a box and share with the family. I had mentioned to Dad that I would love to have that many tomatoes to can and he noticed the box over in the bruised section. They had ONE 25 lb box of tomatoes for $3!!! You can't pass that up! You just can't. Challenge accepted.
I'm not crazy, I realized these tomatoes weren't home grown quality. They were some really pretty tomatoes though.
After picking up a few more items and a bag of boiled peanuts, we headed home.


I couldn't wait to get home and start canning those tomatoes.

I have a really vivid memory of my Maw Maw Irene canning tomatoes. I know the smell of the tomatoes cooking and I know that you're not allowed to use a metal spoon to stir them. A few years ago when I started being interested in canning my own tomatoes, I went to Mom's house for a quick lesson. She was amazed how much I remembered on my own.

Here's what you'll need:


A big pot. I had to use the biggest pot I had and then I had to pull out the 2nd biggest pot I have. 25 lbs is a lot of tomatoes.
A wooden spoon. (you can use plastic, but no metal spoons! It's a rule.)

8 Quart Mason Jars with metal bands
8 NEW seals for the jars (they don't have to be new, but I highly recommend it)

First, take the tomatoes out of the box and wash them very well in the sink.


Next, peel the tomatoes and cut out any bad spots and the core.
Don't worry about the bad tomatoes in the box. Just because they are bruised on the outside, they are more than likely perfect on the inside.

This is my big pot. I filled it up with  most of the tomatoes, but I did have to use another one.

You don't have to worry about how you chop the tomatoes, just make sure they are peeled and put them in the pot and set the temp between medium and high.

Pretty, aren't they?

2 pots of tomatoes

Let the tomatoes cook. They will boil and have a thick foam on the top. Stir occasionally and this foam will gradually go away.

This is the foam. Let it continue to cook.

It's almost ready.

Clean the jars VERY well. Pour boiling water over the jars and seals use the jar tongs to hold the jars. I used a big bowl and used it as my "scalding" bath.

The jars are ready, place the jar funnel in the jar and begin to fill with the tomatoes. Jars and tomatoes are very hot!

I don't fill them all the way to the top.

Add a heaping teaspoon of SALT to the jar. Wipe the rim clean and place the seals in place and screw on the rings.

The 25 lb box made 8 quarts. Carefully sit them on the counter and DO NOT DISTURB them. You will hear a popping sound as each one seals itself. These will keep in your pantry for a couple of years, but I recommend using within ONE year

Let them cool for several hours or overnight ~ Please do not disturb the cans!

Click HERE for tomorrow morning's update

Start with Bacon

I was laughing to myself as I started the recipe for Corn & Cheese Chowder. I read the recipe, but it didn't start with the bacon. What? It has to start with bacon, it's chowder. So, I started with the bacon.
I was just checking out the recipe again and JUST realized that her bacon was already cooked ~
I cooked the bacon in the same pot, FIRST, let it get crispy, scooped it out to use as bacon bit topping, then continued with the butter and onions IN the bacon grease. It is only a few pieces of bacon (I used 4-5 thick cut pieces) so it's really not that much, but enough to flavor the bottom of the pan. The recipe also calls for 5 ears Fresh Corn, I used a couple of cups of frozen corn kernels.

One more tip ~ I did not serve mine in bread bowls. I'm sure it is delicious, but I had some Marie Callender's mix for Southwestern Corn bread and added 1 cup of frozen corn to the mix. It was absolutely delicious crumbled in the soup with a dash of Tabasco.

Also, I took my first picture for last nights recipe, but I guess I figured that the battery charges itself. I took one picture and the camera battery died. So, no step by step pictures yet for this recipe.

Check out The Pioneer Woman ~ Corn & Cheese Chowder


Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 3 slices Bacon, Cut Into Pieces
• 3 whole Bell Peppers, Finely Diced (red, Yellow, Orange)
• 5 ears Corn, Kernels Sliced Off
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 3 cups Chicken Stock Or Broth
• 2 cups Half-and-half
• 1 cup (heaping) Grated Monterrey Jack
• 1 cup (heaping) Pepper Jack
• ⅓ cups Sliced Green Onions
• Bread Bowls

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute.
Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.
Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Simple Things

I did it! Yay me! I figured out how to set up a site to keep all of my recipes in a printable version!

Check out my Recipe tab at the top for a link to all the recipes on Karey's Cookin' and Babe-O's Bits.

Thanks to Stone Gable blog for the tutorial. It was very easy to follow and I was able to do it right the first time. I went to several other sites that had a bunch of code mumbo jumbo that I didn't understand and wasn't what I was looking for anyway.

Tonight was my favorite home alone dinner. French Bread with garlic and cheese. I recently got a free bottle of Garlic Infused Canola Oil from Pampered Chef and absolutely love using it for garlic bread.
I cut the bread in half and brush on the oil and a little bit of butter, I add a slice of American cheese and top with what ever shredded cheese I have in the refrigerator. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder and bake in the oven for 10 minutes on 350. Once the cheese is melted, turn the oven to broil and brown the cheese just a little.

Garlic bread ~ It's what's for dinner. Bread and Cheese. :-)

Have a good night.

Karey

Nothin' Like Naked

Alright, I know this is crazy talk, but I'm posting a low fat brownie for all the people trying to count weight watcher points out there. Yes, these are made from a brownie mix, but please don't compare them to the Knock You Naked Brownies I have been raving about.

This is what you'll need:

One can of Pumpkin (plain) and one box of  brownie mix

Mix these 2 ingredients (add a teeny amount of water if necessary)



I used a Mini Muffin Pan and this made 48 brownies

Pan #1 - I brushed each one with canola oil then scooped each on 3/4 full

Cook for 20 mins (watch carefully, these are very small and it will depend on how much water you added)
Cool and ENJOY!

These little brownie snacks are VERY low in fat and you can easily calculate your WW points.
You don't even need a special occasion or special ingredients for these. You can also make this recipe with any flavor cake mix. I suggest making them on a Sunday afternoon and you can pack a couple for lunch everyday.
Make sure you buy 100 % pumpkin and not the pumpkin pie mix. The mix is higher in calories and has added spices.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Karery

My New Kitchen Toy

I decided I NEEDED a Dutch Oven. Oh yes, I said need. I don't even know why ~ I don't have anywhere to store it. Does anyone really have extra space to store all their kitchen gadgets? Noooooooooo.

Here it is my beautiful Lodge Dutch Oven. I christened it with my New England Clam Chowder recipe.

Ingredients
4 cups (32oz.) Kitchen Basics® Original Seafood Stock
1 medium onion, minced
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 can (6.5 oz.) minced clams with juice (I used 2 cans)
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced medium
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1 ½ cups half &half
Salt and white pepper to taste

4-5 slices bacon (not included on original recipe)

DirectionsIn a heavy bottom pot, (cook bacon until crisp, remove bacon), sauté onions in bacon grease and butter until clear. Add flour and cook until all butter is absorbed. Add stock slowly, stirring to incorporate. Add clams with juice and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 6 minutes. Add half & half; stir until thickness you desire. Season to taste.

I used 2 cans of minced clams and fat free half & half

Everything is better with BACON

Remove crispy bacon ~ add onion and butter

Add flour ~ let it absorb butter and cook a few minutes

Use small cubes of potatoes so they will cook faster ~ Add seafood stock then potatoes

Simmer and allow potatoes to cook before adding half and half

Add half and half ~ be patient and allow chowder to thicken!

 That is it. I like mine topped with bacon crumbles, oyster crackers and Tabasco. No, not hot sauce, TABASCO. It is a very distinct flavor and adds the right amount of spice.

Printable version
ENJOY!!
Karey

Hi, My name is Karey and I'm a Foodie.

I'm a foodie.
I like to eat food, talk about food, cook food. It's pretty simple actually.
Mostly I like to try new recipes and relax in the kitchen. It's my hobby. It's what I like to do after a long day at work and I've been sitting at a desk all day looking at numbers. It makes me feel good, I'm a natural. I can come up with something good with stuff I alrealy have in my pantry. I like to make up my own recipes now and then but if I don't write it down while I'm doing it, I won't be able to re-create it. I have a few to share and others I still need to per-fect.

I'm married to my very best friend Frank. He encourages new creations and recognizes my passion in the kitchen. We have 4 "babies". Sally Mally, Pinto Bean, Butter Bean and Jelly Bean. They give me support by helping me type and nudge my hand while blogging.

Let's get this started ~

I am currently in LOVE with recipes from The Pioneer Woman.  A few weeks ago her Food Network show featured Knock You Naked Brownies and I have made 5 batches since! My mom and Frank can't get enough of them! They are pretty amazing ~ I mean, how can you go wrong with chocolate and caramel. I took a quick pic as these 2 batches were cooling.

Just yesterday I made another recipe from The Pioneer Woman ~ Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. It was AMAZING! The recipe calls for Pork Shoulder "Butt", but I used a whole Pork Loin instead. It wasn't dry at all. I have a new toy ~ a Lodge Dutch Oven. It was perfect for this recipe and I have used it several times lately for great stews and soups. I highly recommend trying the pork and when it was time to shredd it I removed the peppers so it wouldn't be quite as spicy.
Frank worked all day yesterday so it was a great day to relax and stay home while the pork slow cooked in the oven for 6 hours. The end result was Spicy Pork Tacos with homemade pico and avacado. I snapped this pic with my phone right before we ate ~ picture quality was not on the menu. Ha! My dad said it would have been a better pic if you could have seen the pork. Sorry about that!