Mushroom Hor d'oeurves

Tis the season for entertaining, cocktail parties and cozy evenings with loved ones. I love this time of year. This is a recipe that my mom used to make when I was younger. She always made yummy appies on Christmas eve and we would eat and play games. Such special memories! This is one of my faves and it's easy yet looks so sophisticated. : )

Here's the how-to:

~ 1 1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, chopped fine
~ 1/2 c. green onion
~ 1/4 c. butter
~ 2 Tbsp. flour
~ 1 cup sour cream
~ 1/4 c. milk
~ 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, paprika and tabasco

Saute the mushrooms and onion in the butter in a pan. Sprinkle flour on mushrooms and blend in. Brown lightly.

Stir in 1/2 c. of sour cream and the milk. Cook/stir on low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in rest of sour cream and all spices. Cook another 2 minutes.

Serve hot in hors d'oeurve cups on a pretty plate. : )

Yes, I splurged a bit this season and bought myself a platter and a set of plates. Ohhhhh how I love them!!

Pretty, aren't they? I got them here.

Bon appetit!

Zesty Beef Casserole

This sounds yummy to me!

~ 1 tsp.Cooking oil
~ 1 lb.Lean ground beef
~ 1 c. Chopped onion
~ 1/2 c. Chopped green pepper
~ 1/2 c. Chopped red pepper

~ 1-14 oz. Can of stewed tomatoes, with juice

~ 2 c. Medium egg noodles
~ 1-12oz. Can of kernel corn (with liquid)
~ 1 1/4 c. Water
~ 4 oz. Can of diced green chilies
~ Envelope of taco seasoning mix
~ 1/2 tsp. Salt
~ 1/4 tsp. Pepper

~ 1 c. grated jalapeno Monterey Jack cheese
~ sliced black olives for garnish

Heat cooking oil in large frying pan on medium. Add next 4 ingredients. Scramble-fry for about 10 minutes until beef is no longer pink. Drain.

Add tomatoes with juice. Stir. Transfer to ungreased 3 quart (3 L) casserole.

Add next 7 ingredients. Stir. Bake, covered, in 350°F (175°C) oven for about 1 hour, stirring once at halftime, until noodles are tender but firm.

Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Garnish with olives. Serves 6.

~ Courtesy of Company's Coming

Pretty Veggies

Isn't this a pretty way of presenting veggies? Fun for kids...and adults.

Ok, I'll try and get off the veggie kick for a while. I just had to share.

~ Photo courtesy of Kraft

Easy Marinated Veggie Salad

Tonight I made a super easy marinated vegetable salad. I actually LIKE broccoli this way. I guess because it is marinated in yummy salad dressing. But it works. Does it ever, all of my kids ate it! And not just one bite but lots of bites.

I used:

~ grape tomatoes

~ cauliflower

~ broccoli

~ chickpeas

(I was going to use green beans but then realized I didn't have any)

Cut up veggies and toss with your favourite salad dressing. I used Kraft Classic Herb. It was delicioso! Let it sit in the fridge for an hour at least, if you can, before eating.

(I loved the above photo, I found it on myrecipes.com, as you can see, you can add whatever veggies you have on hand).

Greek Couscous

I threw this together for lunch today and it was yummy.

~ 1 serving of couscous, cooked according to package (couldn't be easier, just boil the water, add couscous, take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes)

~ 1 small tomato diced

~ 1/2 c. cucumber diced

~ feta cheese (of course, my fave)

~ a few dashes of dill

~ a tablespoon of your favourite salad dressing (I used greek with feta and oregano.  You could also use Italian, oil and vinegar etc.)

Mix together and eat.  Two of my girls saw me eating this today, tried it and wanted more.  2 out of 3 ain't bad.  It's light and full of flavour, enjoy!

Eat your Veggies

I don't like broccoli.  I'm really trying.  The other night I made carrots and broccoli and used a 'veggie gravy' I got from the Woman's show.  You can find them with the other packaged instant gravies in your local supermarket.  It was basically a cheese sauce and it was really good.  I had to drown my broccoli in it but I ate it. : )  I do like raw broccoli or at least I tolerate it.  So that's something.  It's a super food!  If you have any recipes for broccoli, send them my way.

Chicken and Gravy with Puff Pastry

This recipe is from one of my favourite food blogs, Picky Palate.  She has some great recipes and ideas!!  Check it out.

This dish is super easy to make.  Tonight I made it with rice because I was out of puff pastry.  It is SO DELICIOUS!  A link to Picky Palate is in my sidebar as well.

Click on 'Picky Palate' above to get the recipe.

Enjoy!

Tuna Cakes with Tartar sauce - round 2

So I made tuna cakes a while back if you recall, without an egg. They turned out not too bad but this one was a little bit better, just because it wasn't so mushy in the middle and it held together a bit better. I also made tartar sauce to go along with it this time and it was nummers. I doubled the tuna cake recipe to feed all five of us. I used less saltines than it called for and I added some feta cheese to it!!

~ 1 (6 oz.) can tuna, drained
~ 1 egg, beaten
~ 1 tbsp. onion, minced
~ 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
~ 12 Saltines, crumbled
~ 1/4 c. skim milk
~ 1/4 tsp. butter
~ Dash of pepper
~ handful of feta cheese (optional)

In medium bowl combine all ingredients except butter and shape into 6 equal patties. In 10 inch nonstick skillet, heat butter until bubbly and hot; add patties and cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned on both sides.
Makes 2 servings, 3 cakes each.

Tartar sauce

~ 1 cup mayonnaise
~ 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
~ 1 tablespoon minced onion
~ 2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
~ 1 tsp. dill weed
~ salt and pepper to taste

Mix altogether and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

My friend who contributed this recipe said her hubby raved about this soup. They both loved it!! And it has 3 super foods in it!! This sounds perfect for a crisp, fall day!

~ 1 large sweet potato
~ 3/4 cup canned light coconut milk
~ 2 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
~ 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced in to 1/2 inch pieces
~ 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
~ 1 15 ounce can adzuki beans (she used Kidney beans and they were great)
~ 2 packed cups coarsely chopped baby spinach leaves
~ 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint or cilantro
~ 1/2 tsp sea salt

Microwave sweet potato until very tender. Split potato in half with a knife. Use a pot holder to hold each half and scoop pulp into a medium saucepan.

Add coconut milk and mash with a potato masher until fairly smooth. Stir in broth, red pepper and curry powder. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in beans and heat through. Stir in spinach; keep stirring until just wilted. Ladle into 4 shallow bowls and top with mint or cilantro and salt.

Enjoy!

~ Courtesy of Sarah B.