Healthy Egg Casserole

So we're having another potluck breakfast at work and I tinkered with an egg casserole. And since I was chastised for constantly brining food, I decided to make this healthy--full of vitamins and low fat.

Cook a package of turkey bacon and let cool.

Mix together:
12 large brown eggs
3 cup skim milk
1 medium onion chopped
1 small jar of roasted red peppers
2 tsp dill
2 tsp parsley
couple dashes of paprika
1 tbs Vegeta
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Crumble the turkey bacon and add to egg mixture.

Bake in the oven at 375 for 1 hour or in the crock pot on low for 8 hours

White Chicken Chili on the Fly

I was craving White Chicken Chili today so I made it for dinner. The only problem was that I didn't have some of the ingredients. So, doing what I do, I improvised. It turned out great, and John loved it. Here it is. FYI--season to taste.

2 cans white northern beans
4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium onion
1 carton of whipping cream
3 TBS corn starch
1 large carton of chicken broth
3 garlic cloves chopped
2 TBS white pepper
3 TBS chili powder
Couple dashes of Marjoram
1 tsp paprika
1 can salsa

Brown the chicken and sauté the onions in EVOO with the white pepper. Add the beans and the salsa. Add the chicken broth, reserving about 1  cup for the corn starch. Add the whipping crean and bring to a boil. Mix the cornstarch with the rest of the broth and add it to the chicken. Add the rest of the seasoning and cook on medium for about 15 min, stirring every now and then.

Sarmale

Tomorrow is my team's Christmas potluck. I'm making these and cornuletei. I made extra for to have at home. John has never had them. And--he loved them too! Yay! This is one my favorite Romanian dishes ever! You can make these with grape leaves or cabbage. I prefer cabbage, but you can buy grape leaves at the store so it's easier. Here is my recipe. This is not the only way to do this. I tweaked it for me.

Sarmale

Sautee in EVOO:

1 large chopped onion

1 grated carrot

3 grated radishes

1 finely chopped celery stalk

3 Tbs fresh dill

1 handful freshly chopped parsley

1 cup long grain rice

Mix together:

1/2 ground turkey

1/2 lean ground beef

Sautee mixture

2 eggs

2 Tbs salt

2 Tbs paprika

Roll in about 1 Tbs meat mixture in grape leaves or cabbage, tucking in the ends. Place in either a crock pot or dutch oven with 1 Tbs lemon juice. Fill dutch oven.

Mix:

1 can beer

2 cups tomato juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

Pour over grape sarmale.

If using a dutch oven, preheat oven to 350. Cover and cook for about 3-4 hours. Uncover and turn down the oven to 250. Cook for another 2 hours.

If using a slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with salt, sour cream, and even a slice of bread.

Cornuletei and Cranberry sauce

This is one of my favorite Romanian deserts. The filling isn't traditional, but something I did because I had lots of cranberry sauce left over at Thanksgiving.

1 cup butter
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 cups flour
dash of salt

Mix sour cream, salt, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour until dough does not stick to the bow. Refrigerate  at least 30 minutes (preferably 12 hours).

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp rum
1 rind of an orange
1 chopped apple

Dissolve sugar and bring water to boil. Add cranberries, vanilla, rum, and apple. Add the orange rind after the cranberries have popped.

Roll the dough into a circle and cut into triangles. Add a drop of cranberry sauce and roll into a crescent. Bake at 350 degree for 30 min. Dip or roll in powdered sugar.

Slow Cooker Couscous and Chicken Casserole

I made this earlier this week and loved it. I forgot to take a picture...sorry. It is super easy and healthy.

1 cup couscous
2 chopped carrots
1 bag frozen green beans
4 chicken breasts
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley

Add couscous to slow cooker first, followed by green beans, carrots, and chicken. Add broth and sprinkle with parsley. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook low for 6 hours.

Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

I made this for this morning's birthday breakfast at work. I wanted something would stay warm.

2 lbs browned pork sausage
1 large onion
1 green pepper
3/4lb shredded cheddar
2 dozen eggs
2 cups butter milk
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs salt
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 tbs lemon juice
1 package frozen hash browns

Layer hash browns, sausage, onion, green pepper and cheese. Mix the eggs, milk, lemon juice, and parsley with the salt and paprika. Pour over the casserole.

I cooked this on high for 3 hours to get it started and before I went to bed, I cooked it on low for 2 hours. It was done, but when I got to work, I had it on low for another 2 hours.

Cauliflower Bean Dip

I was craving something with cauliflower, garlic and white beans and came up with this. I made yesterday and it is fabulous. I hope you try it and think so too.

So, I steamed some cauliflower--about two cups. In a food processor, I pureed the couliflower with:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 6 cloves of chopped garlic-- more if you love it
• 1 tablespoon ranch dressing
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup light mayo
• salt and pepper to taste

That's it. Puree. Chill. Enjoy with some crackers.

My Special Pan Fried Potatoes

I lov, love, love pan fried potatoes.  Peel and slice into long strips as many potatoes as you need to feed who dinner list. Fry over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

And if I'm really daring, I add freshly grated parmesan cheese and a little vegeta instead of salt.  I fry them until they're nice and crispy--golden in color.

Garlic Sauteed Zucchini

This was another spur of the moment concoction. I love zucchini and mushrooms (which are a staple at our house). It was easy and very good. I served it with the Garlic Oven Fried Chicken.

Slice an entire zucchini and about 10 mushrooms. Sautee in EVOO on low to medium heat. Add garlic salt to taste.

You can also add onions, which I would normally do but John doesn't like onions. Red and green peppers taste great in this too.

Garlic Oven Fried Chicken

I love garlic. I think it's part of my Romanian blood to put it in everything I make. So instead of making bland oven fried chicken, I made it my own. Here's what I did.

One thing before I continue, I use cage free, organic eggs. Organic eggs taste better, their yokes are richer in color, and the farms usually are more animal friendly. Cage free is important to me because I support animal rights. I don't want to buy eggs from a farm that mistreats chickens--locking them in cages.

Mince 12 cloves of garlic. Half will go toward an oil mixture, half in the egg. Beat two eggs, with garlic and 1/4 cup of milk.

For the rest of the garlic--in a mortar add 1 tsp of EVOO and small the garlic. Add 1/4 cup EVOO and save for later.

Blend 1/4 of a bag of bread crumbs (I use Panko) with 1/4 cup flour, salt and pepper. I eyeball it--about 1 tablespoon of each.

Dip drum sticks in egg and coat in bread crumbs. Place in a 13 inch slightly greased pan. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Pour the garlic oil over the chicken after about 30 minutes.

It's one of my favs. This was the first time I made it for John and he seemed to like it.

Caramel Vanilla Apple Pie

I made this for tomorrow's potluck at work. This is an Andreea Cojocariu original.

Crust:
1/2 cup Country Crock margerine
1 1/2 cups flower
1 tsp salt

Cut the butter into the flower until it crumbles. Press the crust into a 9 inch pie pan.

Cut,  peel, and finely slice 3 medium apples. Add 1 table spoon sugar, 2 tablespoons of cinnamon (or more...depending on your taste), 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix and place apples on the crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.

Mix together 1 package of vanilla pudding, 1 cup whipping cream, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, and 2 tablespoons caramel. Add to apples and crust and bake for another 20 min at 375 degrees.

That's all there is too it. :)

Mustard Salmon

This is one of John's favorites. I made it tonight for dinner.

Mustard Salmon
3 tablespoons of dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dill
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup EVOO
Splash of dry wine--red or white is fine. I've used used Riesling  and Cabernet Sauvignon
4 salmon fillets

Mix ingredients together. Pour over salmon. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with any vegetable. Sometimes I bake the veggies in the same dish. I did cauliflower tonight and just added a little lemon juice and salt.

Garlic Corn Bread

I love garlic so I add it just about everything. If you like it as much as I do, here's my take on a fall favorite.  All you have to do is add freshly chopped garlic to your corn bread recipe. Nothing extra.

Use this corn bread recipe and add 6 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped. It gives off just a hint of garlic.

My Beef Stew

So I made beef stew tonight. This is my version of stew. I sometimes make it with wine, sometimes with beer, depending on what I have on hand.

Brown stew meat with a medium finely chopped onion and 1 cup of chopped white mushrooms.

Add two cans of beer and 1 cup of water. Add potatoes. I cut the potatoes in bite size pieces.  Also add 2 chopped carrots. Let it all boil for about 15 minutes on medium heat.  Add 28 ounces of diced tomatoes and simmer for about another 30 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of corn starch and 4 beef bouillon cubes. Add caraway seeds (to taste), salt, and pepper.  That's pretty much it. Really easy although it takes a little while. It tastes better on day 2.

Apple Custard Pie Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

I made this Sunday and it was divine.

Apple Custard Pie Recipe | Taste of Home Recipes

Pizza My Way

We had a house guest last night. It was a friend of John's from back in the day when he was a kid. Danny and his fiance came down for another friend's annual fall party yesterday. And after the party, they came over to our house to watch football today. I asked Danny earlier this week what he wanted to eat and he said pizza. He probably didn't expect me to make pizza from scratch, but I did. It's actually another one of my favorites. And when I make it for others, they seem to like it as well. It's not your ordinary pizza. So here it is...Pizza the AC Way.

Dough: I make the dough in a bread machine. It's pretty easy. 

1 cup water

1 tbsp oil

1tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 package of dry yeast

Use the dough setting. It takes about an hour and half. 

What makes my pizza different are the toppings.

1 package pork breakfast sausage (my *secret* ingredient)

5 grated radishes

2 grated carrots

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped mushrooms

Cook over medium heat until sausage is done.  By the way, the grated veggies is a great way to sneak in extra nutritional value. You can hardly taste it, but then again, it makes the sausage mixture unique and very tasty. 

I make my own pizza sauce too. It's not that hard. 

8 oz of tomato sauce

6 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tsp pizza seasoning

1 can diced tomatoes

Cook on medium heat until warm for about 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. You can use a stone or a pie pan for a deep dish pizza. Roll out dough and use a fork to stab air wholes. Spread a layer of shredded cheese (pre-shredded or freshly grated). Add sausage mixture and other toppings. Today, I used pepperoni, red peppers, black olives.  Finally, spread pizza sauce over toppings. That's my trick. Cook for 30 minutes or until crust is golden.

Pofta Buna! 

Romanian Meatballs

Parjoale

Parjoale (Romanian Meatballs) are a favorite of mine. There are many ways to make them. I even alter the recipe sometime. I've made it my own.  I made this batch last week.

½ lb ground turkey

½ lb beef

2 eggs

1 Cup bread crumbs (or corn meal, I’ve use both)

2 shredded carrots

1 medium onion, finely chopped

5 cloves of garlic finely minced

2 tbs tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato soup

2 tbs caraway seeds

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Mix the meat, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, and seasonings. Heat skillet with 2 tbs of EVOO. Roll meat into small balls. Pan fry until meat is cooked. In the same skillet, add the tomato soup and diced tomatoes. Simmer for 10-15 min on med- low heat.

Variations: I use about one or two teaspoons of Vegeta. By the way, I use Vegeta in almost everything. I normally use bread crumbs. Some people use flour or cornmeal. In the past, I've also used grated radish. You don't have to make the red sauce. You can parjoale plain and dip in mustard. 

Pofta buna (good appetite)! 

Cauliflower Chicken

I cook with mostly chicken and turkey. So here is something I came up with last week that was a hit.  I call it Cauliflower Chicken.  I was inspired by my mother. She used to combine garlic and cauliflower, usually breading it and then frying it with chicken, but separately.

In a food processor, finely chop 5 cloves of garlic and 2 cups of cauliflower.  Add 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and paprika to taste.

Beat 2 eggs and 2 TBSP of balsamic vinegar.

Dip chicken breasts into egg mixture and coat in bread crumbs. Fry on in EVOO on medium heat until both sides are golden.

Mix 1 can tomato soup, 1 cup of milk and pour over chicken. Simmer for 15 min on low to medium heat.

Let me know it turns out!

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/54833239/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Introducing Smiling Marketress Cooks

Hi there! 

Thanks for taking time to visit. This is my very first post on Smiling Marketress Cooks. I started this blog because I do a lot cooking and my friends and family often ask me for recipes. So I thought it would be much easier to post them here.

A little about me--I'm a web marketer with an MBA and BA in English. I have several projects going on right now such as the launch of Smiling Marketress Consulting, a marketing strategy service. I also plan on keeping up with Smiles and Rants. I am working on a piece of nonfiction as well. 

But to get started here, I'd thought I'd mention one of my kitchen favorites. It's a wooden mortar bowl. I use it to smash garlic in almost all of my dishes. I dice the garlic and make a paste, usually with EVOO. Or I'll just make a paste out of the garlic by itself and add to dishes as is. 

Image: http://www.beachaudio.com/Ragalta/Rwm-110-p-420556.html?utm_source=GAN&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=rwm-110&utm_content=atr