weekend cooking »

The Hillbillies Meatloaf

Sep 042020

3 lb. hamburger
3 eggs
13oz, bag Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips
2 bunches green onion
3/4 c. milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Ketchup (as much as you want)
2 spoons brown sugar

Put some butter in pan and saute onions
Crush chips & put in big bowl
Add milk
Add some salt & pepper
Add eggs
Add cheese
Add onions
Add hamburger
Mix well
Put in glass pan
Make loaf w/gaps on side for grease
Bake at 350 for 45 min.

While it’s in the oven:
Put ketchup in a bowl
Add brown sugar
Mix

When the meatloaf is done:
Spread ketchup/brown sugar mix on top of meatloaf
Put back in oven for 15-20 min.

Thoughts
When I first saw this recipe I thought “Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream Potato Chips in meatloaf? Yuck!” I don’t like cheddar or sour cream chips and thought that it would taste terrible but I thought I’d give it a try.

Adaptions: I used more brown sugar

The recipe was easy to make and not very time consuming. I was going to cut the recipe in half since there are only two of us but decided to not to and just freeze the leftovers, which will make two more meals.

I was very surprised that the meatloaf was so good! It’s one of the best I’ve ever had and I’m glad I didn’t cut the recipe in half. Now all I have to do is take a bag out of the freezer to thaw and then reheat it. Will be making it again!

I love when I’m not sure about a recipe and it ends up being a favorite!

Weekend Cooking

Chicken Burrito Skillet

recipes, weekend cooking 16 Responses »

Aug 292020

Chicken Burrito Skillet

1 pound boneless skinless chicken
breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 -15 oz whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
1 cup water
1-1/4 cups instant brown rice, uncooked
1 cup shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend
Chopped cilantro, optional: do not like cilantro so didn’t use

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat
Add chicken and cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally
Add onion and taco seasoning; cook 2 minutes more
Stir in black beans
Add tomatoes/green chilies & water; bring to a boil
Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat, simmer 7 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender
Stir in 1/2 cup cheese
Sprinkle top with remaining cheese and cilantro, if desired

Thoughts
This was really good. We don’t like cilantro so I didn’t add it. It was quick and easy to make and I only used one skillet, a spoon, a measuring cup and a measuring spoon. I bought chopped onions in the vegetable section (I recently started doing this because it saves time and I have chopped onions in my fridge for whenever I need them)

I will definitely make this again.

Weekend Cooking

Air Fryer Oven/Rotisserie Pork Tenderloin

Air Fryer Oven, recipes, weekend cooking 26 Responses »

Jul 032020

Pork tenderloin (I cut my tenderloin into 3 pieces and this piece was about 2 lbs.
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs smoked paprika
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional)
1/2 tbs olive oil
400° for 20 minutes

Run water over the tenderloin and pat dry with paper towels
Mix all the spices together and rub on the meat
Put the rotisserie spit through the middle of the tenderloin
Secure the rotisserie forks at both ends of the meat

Thoughts
You can rub your favorite bbq sauce on the tenderloin and then rub the spice mix on but I wanted to try the recipe with just the spices. I didn’t have any cayenne powder, so I used cayenne pepper.

My tenderloin was about 2 lbs. so I did it at 400° for about 40 minutes, checking every 5 min. or so after the first 30 min. until the temperature reached 165° and the skin got crispy.

The roast was very tender and we thought it tasted really good, but next time I’m going to marinated it overnight and see how it turns out.

In the photo it looks like the meat is burnt on the bottom, but that’s just where the juices/seasoning dropped on the foil in the bottom. Both of us liked this so I’ll be making it again.

Weekend Cooking

Instant Pot Freezer Fix Chili

Instant Pot, recipes, weekend cooking 32 Responses »

Apr 042020

Instant Pot Freezer Fix Chili

1 lb frozen 93% lean ground turkey
1 1/2 cups frozen corn divided
1 can no salt added black beans rinsed and drained, divided, 15 oz
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes 14.5 oz
1 cup Water
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
3/4 tsp salt

Place the frozen ground turkey in the Instant Pot and top with the remaining ingredients, reserving 1/3 cup of the corn and 1/3 cup of the black beans for garnish

Seal the lid, close the valve, and set the Manual/Pressure Cook button to 25 minutes

Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid and stir, breaking up the turkey

Before serving, garnish each portion with the reserved corn (thawed) and black beans

Did I Make Changes?
I didn’t have any Black beans so I used Kidney beans

Like It?
Nope

Why?
It tasted VERY different than any chili we’ve ever had before. I love all the spices in the recipe but the flavor was way too strong for us. If I ever try it again I’ll use less of each spice and maybe add a bit of sugar, since I always add it to my personal chili recipe.

You may love this recipe so if it sounds good to you give it a try, and please let me know what you thought.

Weekend Cooking

Souper Sundays

Weekend Cooking & In My Kitchen

In My Kitchen, weekend cooking 31 Responses »

Jan 042020

I got an Instant Pot™ Omni Plus Toaster Oven for Christmas

It’s functions are Air Fry, Rotisserie, Dehydrate, Convection Oven, Toast, Roast, Bake, Broil, Slow Cook, Proof & Reheat

It is just over 27 qts. and has 11 Smart Programs

Lodge Seasoned Cast Iron Care Kit

Six new coffee cups, there were 2 Reese’s cups 🙂

All were gifts

I bought 3 of these ceramic tumblers at Publix and I love them!

Weekend Cooking

In My Kitchen

Cookbook Review:
Fix It And Forget It Slow Cooker by Phyllis Good

cookbook, weekend cooking 20 Responses »

Sep 212019

Fix-It And Forget-It Slow Cooker Champion Recipes: 450 of the Very Best! - By: Phyllis Good

Fix It And Forget It Slow Cooker by Phyllis Good

Format: Loose-leaf 3 Ring Binder | 604 pages
Publication date: 19 Apr 2016
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Imprint: GOOD BOOKS

450 of the best slow cooker recipes from the New York Times bestselling Fix-It and Forget-it series!

Here are the best-loved slow cooker recipes all in one place. These are the champs. These are the ones that surprise you—because you didn’t realize you were cooking when you made them. Because everyone at the table wants more! You can cook with these easy-to-follow, quick-to-prepare taste-stunners. If you already know you can cook, allow yourself to be surprised by the layers of flavors you can make in your slow cooker when you handle it well.

You can trust these recipes because they are:
Collected from some of America’s best home cooks
Tested in real-life settings
Carefully selected from thousands of recipes

Thoughts
As I’ve said many times on this blog, I LOVE my slow cooker. I thought it had bit the dust so my son bought me an Instant Pot which I love, but he also looked at my SC and it was a simple fix (yea!!!) so now I can use both of them.

When I saw this beautiful hardcover spiral bound cookbook I had to buy it.

This book is big and heavy and shiny and I love it! I’ve already marked a lot of recipes to try like

Herb Roasted Chicken

Bavarian Beef

There are photos throughout the book and most of the recipes have only a few ingredients and just a few steps.

I can’t wait to start cooking from this cookbook!

Weekend Cooking

Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Chicken

recipes, Slow Cooker, souper sundays, weekend cooking 22 Responses »

Sep 142019

Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Chicken
Serves 6

1/2 cup Root Beer
1/2 cup Ketchup
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tablespoons Prepared Yellow Mustard
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger
2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts cut into 2 – 3 inch cubes

In a medium mixing bowl mix together all of the ingredients except for the chicken until well combined to create the sauce

Add the cut up chicken to a gallon zippered storage bag

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the storage bag and gently massage the chicken into the sauce & zip the bag closed

Allow the chicken to marinate overnight in the refrigerator

Pour the ingredients into a 6 – 7 quart slow cooker

Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours

Serve on buns or rolls (gluten-free if you are on a GF diet) as sandwiches

You can click on the link to the recipe for how to freeze/cook this

Thoughts
This is so quick and easy to get ready for the fridge, and tastes really good. The only things I did different was that I used Costco Rotisserie Chicken Breast Meat instead of chicken breasts which made it much easier than cutting the chicken into cubes. I also used my 8 qt. slow cooker instead of a 6 – 7 qt.

I also didn’t serve on buns, I ate a scoop of it on a plate and ate it with a baked potato.

It was very good but since the flavor wasn’t quite as bold as I like, when I make it again I’ll double the sauce ingredients. The recipe says it makes 6 servings but for us it was a lot more than that. The two of us ate it twice and there was still enough for another two meals. The next time I’ll put half in a separate baggie and put it in the freezer to make later, and I plan on using the Slow Cooker program on my Instant Pot.

Weekend Cooking

Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Instant Pot Baby Lima Beans And Ham

Instant Pot, recipes, souper sundays, weekend cooking 20 Responses »

Aug 312019

I found this recipe at The Blond Cook

So, I finally used my Instant Pot and I LOVE IT! So easy and quick. It only took 25 min. to cook once it came up to pressure.

1 pound dry baby lima beans
4 cups cubed, chopped or shredded fully cooked ham
1–1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
Optional: fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Rinse and sort beans in a colander, removing and discarding any debris

Place beans and remaining ingredients (except parsley) in the insert of your Instant Pot and stir well to combine

Place the lid on and lock, steam release knob should be set on “sealing”

Cook on manual setting (high pressure) for 25 minutes

Allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes, then quick release remaining pressure

Carefully remove lid and stir

Remove and discard bay leaf.

Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.

Thoughts
I didn’t follow the instructions 100%. I used chicken bone broth instead of chicken broth and didn’t use the bay leave (I forgot about it even though I stopped at the store specifically to get some), and didn’t use the parsley.

I had baked a ham a few days before so I used the ham bone and cut up a bunch of ham to go in it.

The beans were SO GOOD! Next time I’ll double the recipe because we only got 3 big bowls from them and we like eating them more than one day.

It would be easy to store the leftovers in the inner pot that comes with the IP, and use an Instant Pot Silicone Lid. I love this lid, it’s thick and is a really tight fit.

I’ll definitely be making this recipe again!

Now I need to figure out what to make next!

Weekend Cooking

Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Weekend Cooking:
A New To Me Store Find – Sprouts

weekend cooking 15 Responses »

Mar 022019

Last week my daughter, grandson, and granddaughter went to Indian Rocks Beach and then went shopping. One of the stores we went into was new to all of us. Sprouts Farmer Market. Sprouts is a specialty chain offering a range of natural & organic grocery items. My daughter Kilah and I really liked it and hope to go back.

They have a huge selection of nuts/seeds, flour/sugar/salt, beans & fruits/veggies. Also candies, coffee/tea, dairy, and even a butcher shop and more. You can buy the nuts, sugar, beans, coffee etc. in bulk. The store was very clean and well lit and the prices weren’t bad either.

Are there any Sprouts where you live?

Weekend Cooking

Weekend Cooking: A New To Me Pizza

weekend cooking 27 Responses »

Jan 112019

For as long as I can remember my favorite food has been pizza. The last few years though, I’ve only liked it from Cici’s, which I love, and a few other restaurants.

The other day my son and I were at Publix and he was getting a frozen pizza. I’ve never really been a fan of frozen pizza, but I thought I’d check them out to see if I could find one that I thought I might like. I saw a brand I’d never seen before that had a few toppings I’ve never seen on a pizza. It was meatless and that’s what I was looking for so I bought one.

Guess what? I loved it! I even loved the crust which is unusual for me. It’s Organic Roasted Vegetable, with Spinach, Red & Yellow Peppers, Broccoli and Zucchini. It was so good that I ate half of it that night. The next night I heated the other half in my toaster oven and it was really crisp and still very good.

I’ve decided to keep one or two in my freezer for when I’m rushed or don’t feel like cooking. Right now in my freezer is the Organic, Tuscan Garden which has Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Red Onions. If you can find this brand, give it a try and let me know what you think.

Weekend Cooking is hosted @ Beth Fish Reads

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