Camping Recipes

We have a camper on a year round site and LOVE to go camping.  Well I love to cook while camping too and love to find new ways to use the fire to do so.

Our favorite thing to do is cook in packets.  You throw a bunch of great ingredients in a foil packet and voila!  Dinner is done.  The clean up is soooooo easy too.

I have a Hobo Stew recipe in process and will post it soon.  It was soooooo very yummy.  We tested it here on the grill, so it is great for the grill too.

Stay tuned!!

Tastefully Simple

Well, my time with Tastefully Simple is over sadly, however, I am still going to be posting recipes here on the blog.

I love my Tastefully Simple products and do continue to use them, however my friend Lisa is who I get them from now.  Click on this link if you want to order from her.

My blog will now be a mix of TS recipes that I create and those that I don't use TS products.

I hope you will continue to follow me and continue to enjoy my recipes.

My Tamales

I was asked to write down my tamale recipe and that is hard because I just throw things together without thinking so here goes. 

I was taught how to make tamales by an old friend from Mexico. I have lost track of him but think about him everytime I make tamales.  Mine are a little different from his but the concept is the same and I think they are pretty darn good. 

I do it in steps so that it isn't as big a job as it could be. I suggest cooking your meat a day or two ahead and refrigerating the meat and the cooking liquid. This makes it so much easier for taking the fat off the liquid and any remaining fat on the roast. 

For the meat we like pork but you can use any meat you want. The cooking liquid is really important though so kept that in mind when choosing a meat. 

5-6 lb Pork shoulder roast or your fave

3-4 dried chilies, I like Guajillo or New Mexico

2 Tbsp Wahoo Chili (of course!)

2 tsp salt

Cracked black pepper, 3-4 turns

6-8 cups water 

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for 8 hours or until it pulls apart. 

Cool the meat and cooking liquid with the peppers to solidify the fat. Remove the fat from both. Shred the meat and blend the liquid and peppers, removing the stems first, until frothy. Strain and set aside the liquid. 

For the Masa

4 cups Masa Harina

1 cup Crisco or lard if you choose

6 cups reserved cooking liquid 

2 tsp salt

Combine the flour, shortening and salt until resembles course crumbs. I use my hands. Play with your food!!  Add the liquid a little at a time until a wet but firm dough forms. You may have to add more or less liquid depending on your humidity. Your dough should form a sticky patty. 

Soak approx 24 corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes. Or until they are translucent and pliable. 

Spread 3-4 Tbsp of mass onto the fatter end of the corn husk leaving about 1/4 inch to one side for rolling.  Add your meat and roll into a log and fold the smaller end over. Place in steamer. Repeat until all of the masa is gone. 

Steam for 90-120 minutes or until the masa is firm and set. It should easily peel from the corn husk when done. 

You can double the recipe if you want to make a lot to put in the freezer. I didn't have enough energy for that this time. 

Enjoy!

Herbed Beef Cheeseball

Herby, beefy, cheesy........sooooooooooooooooooo yummy!

Today is National Cheeseball Day but we are celebrating it at work tomorrow with Cheeseballs and Bingo!  Hey....it is called the Fun Committee afterall.  :)

Here's the yummy, heavenly goodness that I created.



Ingredients:
1 pkg of cream cheese, room temperature
1 pkg of dried, chipped beef, diced
2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning



Combine thoroughly.  To form into a ball, wet your hands and scoop up all of the cheese mixture.  This keeps your hands relatively clean and allows you to form the ball easily.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Enjoy with your favorite crackers.

Happy cooking!

Herbed Balsamic Brussel Sprouts

It's Grill Time!!!  We have it fired up and going strong!  Burgers, smoked sausage and these little beauties are cooking away. Want to know what I did?  Well, here ya go!

Ingredients:

Bag of Frozen Brussel Sprouts

3 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

1-2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

2 Tbsp Spinach & Herb Seasoning

1 Tbsp Garlic Pepper Seasoning

1 Tsp Salt

Place all ingredients in a large piece of heavy duty grill foil. 

Fold up in a packet and place on the preheated grill on low. 

**Note:  You will want to start your packet before anything else you are going to cook on the grill. Our burgers and sausages were done well befor the veg**

Cook for 30-35 minutes depending on your grill.  If using fresh Brussel sprouts, reduce the cooking time.  Try not to open the packet too much to keep the steam inside. You are creating an oven effect and everytime you open the oven door it has to hear back up again. It lengthens the cooking time. After the 20 minutes you can check your sprouts for your desired doneness.  

Serve with extra butter and balsamic vinegar if you wish. Enjoy!

Favorite Fish Breading

This is my favorite breading for fish. What you get in the store is good but SO salty! I have to watch my intake so I make my own. It's more fun that way anyway. Here's my favorite way to make fish breading. It can be used on any meat but fish does really well with this. 

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

3/4 cup yellow or white corn meal

2 teaspoons Seasoned Salt

1/8 teaspoon or a few turns of cracked black pepper

You could also adds teaspoon or two of Garlic Pepper Seasoning in place of the black pepper. Mix it up with any of our new seasonings too like the Green Tea Peppercorn or even Rustic Herb Seasoning. Yum!!  

I did breaded flounder last night but you could totally use any fish you want. I made sure the fish was somewhat wet and then just coated it evenly. I pan fried it in shallow oil for 10-12 minutes and cooked 6 filets. There was left overt breading so you could make it ahead and just use a small amount at a time. Keep it in an air tight container and it should be good for awhile. If you do this, let me know how long it kept for in your container. I would love your feedback. 

This yumminess is going to work with me today. Have fun and enjoy!!

Chorizo Breakfast Casserole

Made this yummyness for a work Easter Brunch. It would work for breakfast or even dinner. Smells sooooo good!!

Ingredients:

1 can Crescent Rolls

1 30oz bag of shredded hash browns, thawed

8 large eggs, beaten

2 cups milk

1 8oz (12 oz would work too) bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 tbsp Onion Onion

1 tube mild Chorizo sausage, browned

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Unroll the crescent rolls and lay on the bottom of the baking dish. Press them out to cover the bottom of the dish. 

Add the hash browns on top of the crescent rolls. Combine the beaten eggs, milk and Onion Onion then pour over the hash browns. 

Srinkle or spread (different brands cook differently) the chorizo on top of the hash brown and egg mixture. 

Cover with Press N Seal or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

Remove from the refrigerator and bake at 400 degrees (F) for 30 minutes. 

Take the casserole out of the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Bake another 15 minutes to finish setting and melt the cheese. 

Serve warm. 

Ooey Gooey Trifle

Oh my YUM!!

We found a Trifle bowl at a flea market recently for $3. Score!  I just love flea markets. DH and I have wanted one for quite awhile but didn't want to pay what they want for a new one. Imagine our glee when we found this in a booth!!

We are having our son, daughter in law and grandson over for Wahoo! Chili tonight so we gotta have dessert right?  Heck yeah. Well I always have the pound cakes in stock so we decided on Classy Chocolate.  I wrote my DH a list and off to the store he went. 

Here's the result and the recipe. Feel free to change it up. Make it yours!

Doesn't that look delicious?

Ingredients:

Classy Chocolate Pound Cake

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 cup water

1 large box of vanilla instant pudding mix

3 cups milk (we used fat free, use what you have)

1 8oz bar of cream cheese

1 tub of whipped topping

Creamy Caramel Sauce or Caramel Ice Cream Topping

Berries of your choice 

Make your pound cake and let cool for at least 2 hours, longer if you can. 

In a bowl whip your cream cheese until it is smooth. I put mine in the microwave in my glass bowl (don't do this with a metal bowl!) for 20 seconds if you need to. 

In a separate bowl, mix the vanilla pudding according to the package directions. 

When well combined add to the cream cheese and mix until thick and somewhat smooth. It will still have cream cheese bits in it. 

Add half of the whipped topping and fold in until smooth and well combined. 

Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes. 

When the pound cake is cool, cube it and place half of it in the bottom of a trifle bowl. 

Add a layer of the pudding mixture, then a row of berries around the edge. Drizzle with caramel sauce and repeat the layers.  Add the other half of the whipped topping to the top, drizzle with more caramel and garnish with berries.  

Allow to chill while you have dinner and then serve. Enjoy!! 

Rustic Spaghetti & Meatballs

There is just something special about Italian for Valentines Day. It's red I suppose but more than that it is like a big warm hug to your family or special someone. 

Since I was able to make tacos with the leftover pork this week, I can use the ground beef we got for tacos as meatballs for our Valentines Dinner. Winning!!  

I have another recipe for Rustic Herb Meatballs here in the blog. I didn't have bread crumbs this time though so I used some crackers I had in the cabinet. Use what you have!  

I know you just love our fine Valentine China. Ha!

Here's the recipe for the spaghetti and the meatballs. Use whichever recipe you want however. 

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 egg

10-15 crackers

2 tablespoons Rustic Herb Seasoning

Start by putting the beef, eggs and Rustic Herb Seasoning in the bowl. 

Then put crackers 10-15 or so in a zipper bag and crush. I just used my hand mixers.....my hands!  Then pour your crumbs into the bowl. I don't add salt or pepper because the Rustic Herb Seasoning provides that peppery flavor and the crackers have salt on them. 

This version I am baking. So spray your chosen baking dish with cooking spray, an 8x8 baker or I used my deep dish pie plate. 

Roll your meatballs about 1 inch and place into your baking dish. 

Cover with foil so that the grease doesn't pop all over the oven and the meatballs cook through. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. I pre made mine this morning since I already had the oven on for our valentines biscuits and gravy breakfast. But you could do this while you are making your spaghetti at dinnertime. 

I made my spaghetti noodles. I cook mine for 9 minutes so they aren't over cooked. Warm the jarred sauce in a sauce pan. I like to jazz mine up with either some Mama Mia Marinara Seasoning or more Rustic Herb Seasoning. Add your meatballs to the sauce and warm through. 

Serve over the spaghetti and garnish with Parmesan cheese. 

I am serving a salad and a loaf of Bountiful Beer Bread. Oh yeah!  It's Valentines after all. 

Have fun with it and make it your own. Happy cooking!!

Pork Tacos

So we had pulled pork BBQ earlier in the week. I had a chunk of pork left over that I didn't shred. What to do, what to do?  

Aha!  Pork tacos!  Bravissimo!  

Shred, add some chicken stock (about a half cup), 2 tablespoons if Wahoo Chili Seasoning and I also had some Chipotle Seasoning from last Summer. Yum-o!  

Pair with some bean burritos and voila. Saturday night, dinner is Alright!!  

Use what you have. Get creative!!  Happy cooking!!

Spicy Asian Coleslaw

Happy Chinese New Year!! 

Each month our TS team has a "meeting". We get together, eat a lot, have fun and learn a little. Tonight is such a night except that it is Product Premiere Night!!  Tonight they reveal the Spring/Summer products for 2016. Whoooop!  This means we get to hang out in our jammies and eat!  There will be fun too I know.

So since it is Chinese New Year the theme is Asian for the recipes that we being to share. I have a few products in my stash all the time and I happened to have Ginger Orange Sriracha Sauce. Holy cow is this stuff good!  It ended up being a component of my dressing. OH YES!  Man is it good!!!

Here's what I did. 

Ingredients:

1 bag if coleslaw mix

La Choy Rice Noodles

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup Ginger Orange Sriracha Sauce

2-3 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar 

1/4 cup or so of EVOO

Pepper to taste

Put all of your dressing ingredients in a ball jar and shake until combined. Place in fridge until ready to use. Add to coleslaw and toss to combine. Let sit in fridge to "marry" for at least a couple of hours. Garnish with the rice noodles for some extra crunch and texture. I wouldn't put them in until you serve because they could become soggy. 

Green Eggs, No Ham

I do really like green eggs, Sam I am.  I do really like Green Eggs, No Ham!

Alright, so that was corny but this was soooo good this morning!!  

I love, love foods that are comforting and so bad for you but I also love foods that are fresh and good for you. How awesome for me!  There is no limit to the foods I can eat, whoooooo!  

How awesome does this look. That's is a paper plate of yummyness right there!

I love Kale. Yes, I know it is trendy righ now but I just love the stuff. Don't like kale?  Use spinach or any other green you like in this recipe.  Make it your own! Just don't forget the Tastefully Simple!  😉  I love coconut oil too and it is sooo good for you!  Look up other uses for coconut oil. Amazing!!

So here's how I made it. 

Ingredients:

2-3 eggs depending on how hungry you are, beaten

1-2 tablespoons milk, I use 1%

3-4 stalks of kale, washed, stripped from the stem and chopped, bite size pieces

2 tablespoons Spinach & Herb Seasoning

1-2 teaspoons coconut oil 

Dash salt

Cracked black pepper

I started by chopping up the kale and then setting it aside. 

Beat the eggs with the milk and black pepper. Set aside. (This is called miss en place, thanks Food Network!)

Heat your skillet on medium and add the coconut oil. 

When melted add your kale and stir. Watch out for the water because the oil will pop so don't add it all at once. Add the Spinach & Herb Seasoning and stir.  Cook just until it starts to wilt. It will cook more with the eggs. 

Once wilted, pour in the egg mixture and stir. 

Cook until the eggs are set but not brown. Who likes brown eggs?!  Yuck!  Just before the eggs are set, sprinkle with a dash of salt. 

Serve with some mini peppers for a fresh crunch. Happy Breakfast!  (Makes a great lunch or dinner too!) 

Let me know how you like it!

Breakfast Casserole

So, I don't know why it is but when I am sick I like to cook. Call me weird, I'm used to it. Ha!  I was rummaging through the fridge and came across some leftover biscuits. We bought one of those breakfast packs at the grocery that has eggs, bacon, sausage and biscuits in them.  We had already fixed the bacon and biscuits thus the leftover biscuits. ;) Notice there is no leftover bacon.....

So I started rummaging some more and came up with a couple of potatoes, some eggs, some shredded Mexican blend cheese (courtesy if Wahoo! Taco night!) and voila!  I have created a breakfast casserole. Now it does take some time so you better have a yogurt or something to tide you over. My hubby had leftover pizza from last night. Hmmm

So here is what I threw together. You know it has Tastefully Simple in it and if you don't have leftover biscuits bit have leftover beer bread heaven forbid, that would work too. 

Ingredients:

5-6 leftover biscuits, cubed

2 peeled and cubed potatoes

2 tablespoons or capful of Onion Onion

1 lb roll of breakfast sausage

3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon coconut oil

6 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon Garlic Pepper Seasoning 

1/4 cup shredded cheese

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

Prep your biscuits and potatoes and place in a greased baking dish. I used a 10x10 square but a 13x9 would work too. Sprinkle with the Onion Onion and set aside.

Cook and crumble the sausage until no longer pink. Remove from the pan with a strainer spoon and sprinkle over the biscuits and potatoes. 

My sausage didn't leave much fat in the pan so I added the coconut oil. Stir in the flour, stirred and let it cook for a minute or so.  Add your milk while whisking the whole time. Cool until thick and bubbly. Immediately pour over your sausage layer.

Crack and beat your eggs. Add the Garlic Pepper Seasoning and stir well. Pour over the gravy layer, OH YEAH! 

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and chill for 15-20 minutes or even overnight if you want to make it ahead. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes, serve warm and enjoy!

Fusion Rice Bowl

So my favorite thing to do when I am home sick is make comfort food. If I feel up to it. Today I didn't really feel up to it but I wanted something yummy and comforting for lunch, sooooo......

Here is what I did. 

Ingredients:

1 boxed rice/vermicelli mix, I used the fried rice flavor

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups water

4-5 bunches of kale or your fave green, chopped

1 pouch of tuna, unflavored

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2-3 teaspoons Balsamic Vinegar of Modena 

Fresh ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Avocado Oil

1 egg, beaten

Prepare the rice according to the package. 

To the prepared rice, add the chopped kale. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and water absorbed. May take a little longer depending on the water content in your kale. 

Add the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, tuna and pepper. 

Move rice mixture to the side, add the avocado oil to the pan and your beaten egg. Scramble egg until firm and break up into your rice mixture. 

Add more soy sauce and balsamic vinegar to your taste. Serve in a bowl and enjoy!

Uncle Bob's Beans On The Menu

Yep that's right!  Uncle Bob's Wahoo Beans are What's For Dinner tonight!  I am so excited!!  I always have to mix it up when cooking so I used Roasted Garlic Infused Oil to cook my sausage on and a couple of teaspoons of Fiesta Party Seasoning for some kick. I can't wait to taste it later. It smells sooooo good in my house right now. Here's the original recipe if you want to know what you are having for dinner tonight. Mmmmm!  http://bit.ly/22XSoyB 

Lentil Soup (update included)

When I am home sick, I always make some warm and tasty comfort food. My fave when sick is soup. I wasn't all about the meat today so Lentil Soup was the choice. High protein, high fiber and oh so yummy!  My version is very good for you and great for keeping those new year resolutions.

Ingredients:
One pound bag if lentils, your choice of colors, I had green, washed and sorted
One stalk of celery, an inner stalk with leaves is best, diced
One peeled carrot or 6 baby carrots, diced
Half of a small red onion, diced
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1 carton of low sodium chicken broth
3 cups of water
1-2 teaspoons of Seasoned Salt
5 turns of fresh cracked pepper

In a large sauce pan or soup pot, melt the butter on medium to medium-high heat until bubbly. Add diced carrots.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the diced celery, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the diced onion, cook and stir for 2 minutes. Watch that your veggies don't burn. 

Add chicken stock to deglaze the pan and get all if that yumminess off of the bottom and stir. Add your water. Cook the veggies in the stock for 5 minutes or so stirring occasionally. Add your washed lentils and stir. Add Seasoned Salt and pepper and stir. 

Cover with a tilted lid and cook for 25-30 minutes, stir occasionally.  I went for the 30 because I like my lentils a little sifter. If you like them a bit more Al dente, cook them 25. Serve hot with Bountiful Beer Bread if you like. Enjoy!!

Update:  oh my this is so good the next day!  I added a handful of kale to the portion I reheated and wow is that yummy!  A drizzle of Roasted Garlic Infised Oil (just a teaspoon or so) makes the flavor so much better. Try it!!

Yummy, Cheesy Herbed Grits

Ahhh breakfast.....not really my fave meal of the day but sometimes I love a good warm bowl of grits for breakfast. Today was one of those days. 

I like the 5-minute grits because I am lazy and I want to eat NOW!  I even cooked them in the microwave for a shorter wait to eat!  Mama was hungry bordering on hangry...not a good situation for the fam. 

Here's what I did:

Ingredients:

5-minute grits, brand of your choice

Garlic Garlic Seasoning

Spinach & Herb Seasoning

Shredded Cheese of your choice

Prepare the grits according to the package directions with the addition of a shake of Garlic Garlic Seasoning and two shakes of Spinach & Herb Seasoning. 

Cook in the microwave as directed. Once finished add 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Stir and enjoy!