Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes

This is one of the best comfort foods in my opinion. It just takes an hour to bake. It is also a good recipe to sneak vegetables in so that's why I used a whole pepper and onion :)

• 1lb. Ground turkey
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Red pepper, chopped
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/2 c. Quick cooking oats.
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Topping:

• 1/3 c. Ketchup
• 2 T. Brown sugar
• 1 T. Mustard

Mix all the ingredients together. Place in a baking dish or bread loaf pan. Spread the topping all over. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Mashed Potatoes

• 3 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 c Milk
• 2 T. Butter
• Salt and pepper

Boil potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover all the potatoes for 15 mins. Drain water and return to pot.  Add milk and butter and blend with electric mixer till reaches desired consistency. Add more milk, butter, salt, and pepper to taste.

Chicken in a Basil Cream Sauce

I felt like this could be served at Ruby Tuesday or Applebees. It's not a big deal :)

Here is the recipe I used: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/192234/Chicken-in-Basil-Cream-(9)

*I used dry basil instead of fresh.
**I also cooked some pasta and put the sauce all over that too.

It was so good!!!!!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is the first cheesecake I have ever made. I must say I think it turned out wonderfully!

Crust:

• 1 1/2 c. Graham cracker, crumbled
• 5 T. Butter, melted
• 1 T. Sugar
• A dash of cinnamon 

Filling:

• 3- 8oz.pkgs. Cream cheese, softened
• 1 c. Sugar
• 1 t. Vanilla
• 1 c. Canned pumpkin
• 3 Eggs
• 1/2 t. Cinnamon
• 1/4 t. Nutmeg
• 1/4 t. Allspice

Mix crust ingredients together, just till coated and crumbly. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an 8" spring form pan. Bake for 5 min. at 350. Set aside.

Combine cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl, mix until smooth with an electric mixer. Add pumpkin, eggs, and spices, beat till smooth and creamy. Pour into the crust. Bake for 60-70 min. or till the top turns a bit darker. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 mins. Put in the fridge for at least 4 hrs to chill. Remove pan sides and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower and Aged White Cheddar Soup

It was the first weekend of fall, so what better way to start it off than with some soup and cute decorations?
One day at the bank these farmers came in with a bunch of gourds and pumpkins. Our investor lady bought everything so I got all my fall decorations for free!

I got this recipe from closetcooking.com and boy was it tasty!

• 1 head Cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 Yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 3 C. Vegetable broth
• 8 oz aged white cheddar, cubed
• 1/2 c. Milk
• 1/2 c. Cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Place cauliflower in a container with 2 T. olive oil and salt and pepper. Place lid on and shake till fully coated. Line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 400. Bake cauliflower till brown, about 20-30 mins. Meanwhile, in a large pot heat 1 T. olive oil with the onion, garlic, and thyme. Add the broth and cauliflower and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 mins. Try to mash the cauliflower to your likeness in the pot. *The original recipe suggested using an electric mixer but I felt that would make a big mess* Mix in the cheese till it melts and add more salt and pepper. Mix in the milk and cream and serve!

Ham Breakfast Burrito

The morning after I made the pizza, I had leftover onion and green pepper. Plus a tortilla in the fridge from taco night. So I thought why not make a delicious breakfast burrito. I even dug in the freezer and found some ham to use.

Ham Breakfast Burrito

• 1 Tortilla
• 2 Eggs
• Onion and green pepper, chopped
• Ham, sliced
• Shredded cheese

In a frying pan scramble the eggs with your vegetables and ham till everything is cooked through thoroughly. Place on a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese (and if you like hot sauce like I, plenty of hot sauce)

French Bread Pizza

I love pizza, but it can get so expensive to buy it from the store or a pizza place. So I thought, why not make my own?

French Bread Pizza

• 1 loaf French bread, cut down middle
• 1/2 jar Spaghetti sauce of choice
• 1 pkg Pepperoni, or meat of your choice
• 1 Yellow onion
• 1 Green pepper
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• Italian seasoning

Set oven to broil. Place bread in broiler for 5 mins. This gets the bread nice and crispy. Spread pasta sauce over bread. You can also sprinkle some italian seasoning over it. Add your meat and vegetables. Lastly, cover with cheese. Bake in oven at 400 for 10-15 mins or until cheese melts. And then I always cover my pizza in hot sauce and ranch :)

Shrimp Pasta with Broccoli

Joey's parents went to a shrimp harvesting festival and came back with a 1lb of shrimp for all the kids. Joey gave me his to cook up and I decided to do something easy but tasty with it.

Shrimp Pasta

• 1 lb Shrimp, detailed and devined
• Thin whole wheat spaghetti, cooked
• 2 T. Olive oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 T. Lemon juice
• Tony Chachere's
• Lemon pepper
• Olive oil
• Parmesan cheese

Cook the shrimp with the olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice till pink. Make sure to not let the garlic burn. Add to the cooked pasta and season with more olive oil, lemon pepper, Tony's, and parmesan cheese.

Broccoli

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 2 T. Water
• Lemon juice

Steam broccoli with 2 T water in a pot over medium heat till tender. Drain remaining water and sprinkle with lemon juice.

Sloppy Joes with Baked Fries

I realize it has been a long while since I made any posts. Sorry! So I am going to try to play catch up today.

Looks tasty, right?

Sloppy Joes

• 8 oz can Tomato paste
• 1 lb. Ground turkey
• 1 Yellow onion, chopped
• 1 c. BBQ sauce
• 1 c. Ketchup

Add to taste:

• Soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• Chili powder
• Cinnamon
• Brown sugar
• Mustard
• Hot sauce

Cook the turkey and the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir till it starts to bubble.

Baked Fries

• 3 large Potatoes, peeled
• Olive oil
• Garlic powder
• Tony Chacheres

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place foil on baking sheet to avoid making a mess. Cut potatoes length-wise. Place in container with the rest of the ingredients, to taste. Place lid on and shake till potatoes are fully coated. Place potatoes on cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Flip potatoes over and bake another 10-15 mins.

As you can tell I really don't measure out my ingredients. I guess for people to fully be able to use the recipes I post I need to start measuring. I will try my hardest to start measuring while I cook.