Hot...Fingers?

So I was wanting hot wings. Really, really wanting them! Of course it was like 11pm, I never do things the easy way. So o go to the grocery store. I believe I have already told you that I'm cheap, right? So when I see my choices, I got inventive.
See, they had small boxes of like 6 winglets (you know, not the whole wing, just half) for like $4. Seriously? So I move on. They have  4 pound bag of frozen winglets, plain, just cut and frozen, for $8. Better, but all I want is a snack, not a meal for the family! OK, let's look at the fresh wings. Now I remember when wings were all but free because nobody wanted them. Now they're as much as chicken breast! I. Don't. Think. So!

What to do? Hmmmm. Well, I *do* have a package of chicken breast thawing in the fridge. There's more than I'll need for dinner...yeah! That'll work!
Now these were bone in breast halves, so they included the tenders. They're not heavily breaded, either, but quick and pretty good!  Oh, and I don't do the butter in the hot sauce thing, but if you prefer it that way, feel free.

Hot Fingers

1 large chicken breast half, cut into strips
1/2 cup flour
1 T Cajun seasoning
Hot sauce
Oil

Combine flour And Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. Add chicken strips and toss to coat.
Heat oil in a large skillet, then add chicken a little at a time so it doesn't clump together. Fry about 10 minutes or till cooked through.  Remove to paper towels to drain. In a bowl, add as much hot sauce as you like, add chicken, and toss to coat.
Enjoy! 
* there's really enough for 2 people for a snack or one for a meal, but...they really were good!

Taco Cornbread Bake

I was hesitant about making this, even with the changes, but I'm glad I did!  Everyone loved it.  For me, anyway, it has just the right amount of zip.  I like spicy foods, but sometimes you don't want to need a gallon of water with your dinner!  And you can alter the amount of zip by the kind of salsa you use.  We always get medium, but you can go hotter or cooler.  If that's not hot enough, add a can of diced green chili peppers.

I really thought it would be bland, but the salsa does the job.  This can be halved, if you don't live with eating machines like I do.  Of course, I forgot to get a picture till it was almost gone...*sigh*  I'll get my head out of my butt one day, I swear!

Taco Cornbread Bake

2 pounds ground beef
1t. dry oregano
1 1/2 C. salsa
2 16 oz cans tomato sauce
2 cans corn, drained
2 boxes cornbread mix and the ingredients to make them
2 C. shredded cheddar

Heat oven to 375.
Brown beef with oregano.  Drain.  Add salsa, tomato sauce, corn, and 1 C. cheese.
Pour into a 9 x 13" baking pan.
Mix cornbread mix with required ingredients.  Pour over meat mixture and spread evenly.  Top with remaining cheese.
Bake 25-30 minutes.  Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

Spicy Bowties and Sausage

It was a busy day today, so for dinner, I wanted something quick that I had all the ingredients for.   Didn't do too bad!  The sauce wasn't too heavy and it had just enough spice.
Think this is going to be a short entry because I'm just too pooped to pop.

Spicy Bowties with Sausage

1 pound. Italian sausage
1 small onion,  chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz. Bowtie pasta, cooked and drained
2 cans (14.5 oz each) stewed tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 C. Heavy cream
1 T red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, cook sausage, onion, and garlic until sausage is no longer pink.  Drain
Add pepper flakes, tomatoes, and cream.  Heat. to boiling, reduce to medium and simmer until thickened. Pour over pasta and toss to coat.

Cajun Pasta Alfredo

This work thing takes up way too much of my time!  I've been working on the same afghan for almost a month now and I'm only about 2/3 done!  Granted it's queen sized, but still.  Between now and mid July I have to make a baby blanket for a friend.  Her first grandchild is due in early August...she's my age and her daughter is my son's age...makes me fell soooo old!  Then between now and November, I have this afghan and one for another of my in-laws.  I want it done in time to mail it to Utah and have it there before Christmas.  And when I'm done with this one, I have a cousin who wants one!  Glad I don't have to work in the summer!

I had some of those mini smoked sausages and wanted to make something for dinner with them.  I could really only find recipes for snacks and such, sooo...I got creative.

Cajun Pasta Alfredo

16 oz. rotini pasta
15 oz jar Alfredo sauce (this makes it a little dry, so if you like it saucy, use 2)
1 T. Cajun seasoning (I like Tony Chachere's) (use more if you like a lot of spice)
1 package mini smoked sausages cut into 4 pieces (or sliced and quartered regular sized)
dry bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350.

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.
Stir in sauce, sausage, and seasoning.  Mix well.
Spoon pasta into a 9 x 13" baking pan, sprinkle with bread crumbs, and bake for 15-20 minutes.

 

 

Made this again tonight (5/10) but this time I used 2 jars of sauce...we like it saucy and last time was a little dry for our tastes.  Also, there was some pork and chicken Italian sausage on sale that I used instead of smoked sausage and it was AMAZING!!  The chicken in it, kept the sausage from being greasy and the spice in it (it was mild, but still had TONS of flavor!) meant I only needed a little Cajun seasoning.  VERY GOOD!!!

Sausage and Pepperoni Pasta Bake

I picked up some ground sausage intending to make biscuits and gravy for breakfast over the weekend, but everyone slept late and it never happened.  The sausage was thawed, so I needed to use it, which is where dinner tonight came from.

I may post a carrot cake recipe tonight or tomorrow, depending on whether or not I still feel like making it later =P.  I bought a 2 pound bag of carrots the other day and I need to use them before they're all fed to the dogs.  Yes, my dogs love carrots and, after finding out that they were not only good for them as food, but that they helped keep their teeth clean, too, I give them as treats every other day or so.  But, I do want to make that cake...

The pepperoni is optional, I just had a opened pack in the fridge and wanted to use it up.  I used my quick spaghetti sauce, which is a can or jar of store bought sauce with diced tomatoes and tomato sauce added, then I add the spices, wine, and olive oil.  If you have a sauce you like as is, you can omit all the rest.

Sausage and Pepperoni Pasta Bake

1 pound ground sausage, browned, drained, and rinsed
3 oz. sliced pepperoni
16 oz. penne pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 can-16 oz- diced tomatoes
1 can-16 oz- tomato sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1 t. dry minced onion
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. dried basil
1/2 t. dried Italian seasoning
1 T. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine
2 C. shredded mozzarella

Heat oven to 350

In a large sauce pan, combine the spaghetti sauce, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, all spices and seasonings, the oil and wine.  Mix well and simmer over medium-low heat for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta and sausage.  Drain both and mix into the sauce along with the pepperoni.  Mix well.

Pour into a large casserole dish (I use a 10x14" pan), top with mozzarella and bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and everything is nice and hot.

Tacos

When we were at the store yesterday, they had cilantro on sale.  My husband saw it, grabbed two bunches, turned to me grinning, and said, "Pico!"  *sigh*  So, last night I made him his pico de gallo.  He would live on that stuff if I were willing to make it all the time.  I keep saying that I need to get one of those little chopper things.  You know, where you put the item to be chopped in a little container, or on the counter, and smack the plunger thingy down and blades go down and chop the item?  My mom had one years ago and it was handy.  She mostly used it t chop pecans for pecan pies, but it would save me a LOT of time in pico!  Like I said, I keep saying it but just haven't gotten around to getting one.  So I dice everything by hand.

Since hubby had to have pico, we had to have tacos for dinner tonight.  I'm not posting a recipe for tacos, however, because, really, who needs one?  Seasoned meat, veggies of your choice, salsa, sour cream, pico, and/or refried beans, all on tortillas or crunchy shells, or even in a taco salad (which here means crushed tortilla chips).  Pico isn't difficult, but I started out with someone's recipe and ended up with my own.  Which is how most of the things I make came to be.

Today would have been a better day for chili or stew than tacos, but I guess if you use enough pico or salsa, it could warm you up too!  At the present time in northeast Iowa, it's slushing.  That glopy, nasty rain/snow mix that feels like someone it dribbling a Slurpee from the sky.  And someone said something about Spring?  Seriously??  What planet are they on?  *sigh*

 

Pico de Gallo
This should be made the day before it is to be use...or at least in the morning before evening use.  That gives the flavors time to mingle.

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced (you can use the jar stuff)
1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 - 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (jar stuff is ok, use 5-6 slices)
juice of 1 lime

mix all the chopped and minced ingredients in a bowl (one large enough to allow you to shake it up) with a lid.  Roll the lime on the counter until it softens up, cut it in half, and squeeze all the juice that you can out of it, onto the pico.
Mix everything up very well and chill overnight, or at least all day, shaking the bowl once in a while to make sure the flavors are well mixed.

This last picture is after it was decimated at dinner.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

Wow!  Seriously.  This dinner was a homerun! 

Hubby and I made a run into the grocery store after work and before dinner and I'm so glad we did.  We were both hungry, so, of course we bought more than we had planned to, but they had some pretty great deals.  Picked up some fresh asparagus for $1.99 a pound!  Thought that sounded like a great side for the chops I had out...and it was!

They also had deli ham on sale for $.99 a pound, so we loaded up on that.  While the butcher was getting that for us, my husband commented on some Cajun turkey they had, and he, the butcher that is, asked if we liked spicy food.  Um...YEAH! LOL  So there was a little back and forth on that and he asked if I had any spicy recipes.  Of course!  So now I have to print up my gumbo recipe (given to me by a dear, dear friend who was born and raised a Cajun), my chili recipe, which is posted on here, and, if I can find it, my jambalaya recipe.  I haven't made much jambalaya since I got the gumbo recipe.  I just prefer the gumbo.  Not that I'm complaining, because I LOVE sharing my recipes.  That's why I started this blog!

So.  The chops I made tonight.  I was looking through some pork chop recipes to get some inspiration and nothing really sounded right, so I looked at my spices, and just threw something together that, luckily turned out wonderfully.

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

4 pork chops

¼ C. brown sugar

1/8 t. cayenne

½ t. garlic powder

½ t. paprika

½ t. salt

½ t. black pepper

 

In a bowl combine the brown sugar and spices (salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika and garlic powder or whatever spice blend you like).

Rub the brown sugar/spice mix all over both sides of the chops. Use all of the spice mix.

 

Place the pork chops in a large skillet, over medium-high heat.  Cook the chops for about 10 minutes on each side or until they are nicely browned and cooked through.

Yes, I cheated and made a box of Au Gratin potatoes to go with it, but we were starving by the time we got home from the grocery store and put everything away! The chops and the asparagus look as good as they tasted!