I read a lot of food blogs, and I came across Caleb and Tory-T at Ramen Days a few months back. They have some great “ghetto recipes”, and their food blog is a lot of fun to read. I think some of the best blogs are ones where people write original and honest stuff, it just makes it more compelling. Caleb wanted me to share with you their “Sunday Mornin’ Eggs and Potatoes” recipe, and I think that you’ll agree from the pics that this is one tasty dish!

Sunday Mornin’ Eggs and Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

-2 potatoes cut into cubes
-Onion-chopped (as much as you want, I like onion so I used alot)
-2 cloves of garlice, minced
-1 roma tomato-sliced
-4 eggs, scrambled
-Oregano, Pepper, Salt, and Cayenne Pepper (To taste…meaning, to your liking)
-and oil (of course captain obvious)

Put some oil in a pan and pre-heat the oil for 3 minutes. Put enough oil in the pan so the potato cubes will be covered. After 3 minutes throw your potatoes in the pan. Flip and turn potatoes every now and again.

When the potatoes start to brown throw in your onions and garlic. You wait to put in the onions and garlic because
they are veggies and these particular veggies cook faster than potatoes.

Now pitch in your spices…

Let the spices cook into your potatoes for 1 minute. Place the cooked spuds on a plate of napkins like so. You don’t want to catch a heart attack do you? Heck no, so these napkins will soak up some of that oil that will put your heart in jeopardy.

While the potatoes are frying crack the 4 eggs and scramble

If your kitchen is void of space then this contraption can always double as another table. Somebody told me that they use this thing to flatten their clothes when they get wrinkled. But I don’t believe in the lies that people tell me.

Now cook your eggs. If you don’t know how to cook eggs then I hope that you and ignorance have a happy marriage.

Wa-La, Fineto!

You can view the original Sunday Mornin’ Eggs and Potatoes Recipe here. Be sure to visit Ramen Days and subscribe to their feed! Tell Caleb I sent ya!

If you’re interested in guest blogging a recipe here on our blog - just fill out our contact form!

My Chicken Zucchini Bake Recipe is great for cold winter nights, keeping you warm and full for hours! The leftovers are great too! You might be surprised at how good this recipe will be, and it can be a much healthier replacement for lasagna. You’ll see what I mean after I tell you how to make it.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 sm zucchini grated like hash browns
• 1/3 Vidalia onion chopped
• 1/2 med green pepper chopped
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb pasta (mostaccioli, penne, elbow mac, etc)
• About 15-16 oz shredded cheese (pack and a half), colby jack, or mozzerella, etc.
• 1 lg container (about 16oz) low fat large curd cottage cheese
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 can diced tomatoes

Drizzle a large saucepan with extra virgin olive oil and then add the chopped onion, green pepper, and shredded zucchini.  Mix well, cook on med-hi heat for 3-5 minutes while stirring - salt and pepper to taste.  Add ground chicken to the pan, chop, cook and mix just like you would ground beef.  You can find ground chicken in most supermarkets now, we always see it in Wal-Mart.

While this is cooking, fill a 4 quart stockpot half full, and put it on high to boil.  Continue to cook the chicken / veggie mixture, season as you go with the minced garlic, maybe some italian seasonings as well.  When chicken is no longer pink, add the can of diced tomatoes (undrained), and the jar of spaghetti sauce.  When the water in the stockpot boils add the uncooked pasta.  When the sauce mixture begins to bubble you can turn off the burner.  Cook the pasta until done (about 10-12 minutes), drain, and rinse.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a really big mixing bowl combine the sauce mixture, the cottage cheese, and about a half pack of the shredded cheese.  Add the cooked pasta, and mix well.  Turn the entire mixture out into a 9×14 glass baking dish.  Cover with the remaining (10-12 oz) pack of shredded cheese.  Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes.  This is great served with either buttered bread or garlic toast!

This “breakfast casserole recipe” is quick and easy to make, very filling, and tasty! You can make it with either sausage or bacon, and I always serve it with either hot buttered toast or steaming hot biscuits! It’s also a recipe that the kids could easily help you make, and that’s always fun too!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• about 6 med potatoes
• a dozen eggs
• one pound sausage or bacon
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• about 8oz shredded or cubed cheddar or colby jack cheese

Cook the sausage or bacon in a skillet, and when done either pat bacon dry with paper towels, or drain and rince sausage with hot water.  In a large mixing bowl shred the potatoes into hash browns using a grater.  Crack a dozen eggs on top if that, add salt and pepper to taste.  Mix the eggs and potato mixture.  Add one cup milk, the sausage or bacon, and cheese, and mix well again.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×14 glass baking pan with butter, and then place mixture from bowl in pan.  Bake on 350 degress in center of oven for about 35 minutes, or until mixture is set and no longer runny

For a low-fat dessert, you can’t beat the graham cracker crust! My grandma used to make homemade pie crusts all the time, and most of the time I just don’t have it in me to get out the old rolling pin to make a thin apple pie type crust. That and the fact that her secret was to used real butter and a bit of shortening in the mix.

No - there’s an easier way, and you can stay low-fat and make it quickly by just using this easy graham cracker crust recipe. There’s just a bit of sugar, and you can use margarine for the butter. Now, to make it even simpler what I usually do is get a Jello sugar free pudding to put in this once it’s done - and then I have a chocolate, banana creme, lemon, or other pie in just minutes! All you have to do is add the pudding once this comes out of the oven and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set!

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 Tbsp. butter (I use lite margarine)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and mix all ingredients. Press mixture into 9-inch pie pan and bake until crust is set about 7-8 minutes. For most pie recipes the crust must be cooled, so set on the stove until completely cooled (but that’s pretty darn quick usually).

pie
Emile Henry 5.5-in. Provencale Individual Pie Dish, Azur
Price: $16.95
The glazes in the Provencale collection are transparent, creating bright, vibrant colors for your kitchen. Made from Burgundy clay at one of the few French factories that still produces authentic claywares to traditional high standards, these 1-cup, 5.5-in. earthenware pie dishes provide gentle, even heat distribution to help create perfect, personal-sized pies. The dishes go effortlessly from freezer to oven to table. Dishwasher safe. Made in France. About Emile Henry In the Burgundy region of France is the legendary maker of fine French cookware named Emile Henry. There, potters still hand craft each piece from the local Burgundy Clay - one of the purest of clays, and finish each one with a process known as CERADON, which makes them extremely solid and durable. Containing no lead, the clay is one of the best materials for baking and serving.

OXO 10.5-in. Steel Pie Server
Price: $7.95
Dish up plenty of luscious desserts with this Steel Pie Server by Oxo. Part of the latest line of brushed metal utensils, the server is extra sturdy and also features the trademark rubber fins for an ergonomic grip that won’t slip when wet. Great for serving pie, quiche and more. Holds up to everyday use but looks nice enough for entertaining. Has a notched end for hanging. Dishwasher safe.

There are dozens of ways to make meatloaf, but this “meatless meatloaf recipe” may just surprise you.  It’s really good, and like I’ve said bunches of times before, there’s nothing wrong with having at least one meatless night in the house!  This is also a great vegetarian recipe.

Ingredients you’ll need:

1 lb container of cottage cheese
4 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Preheat your oven to about 350 degrees, and grease the loaf pan you usually use for bread (or meatloaf!).  Get a big bown and mix up the cottage chese, olive oil, packet of lipton soup mix, and cornflakes.  Add spices to taste, such as salt and pepper, italian seasonings, garlic powder, or maybe even some fresh grated parmesan or romano cheese.  Bake about 35 minutes - and serve!

This Fiesta Bake Recipe is great because it can be meat or meatless if you have a vegetarian in the house (or just prefer no meat for a meal). I just can’t seem to get away from the great Tex-Mex flavors, and this recipe has a lot of things that I really, really love. It smells great when it’s baking in the oven and fills the whole house with tasty goodness. Don’t you just love the smell of cornbread baking?

Ingredients you’ll need:

2 lbs ground beef or beef substitute
Cumin and Chili Powder to taste
1/2 chopped Vidalia Onion
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 diced Jalapeno pepper (if you like)
2 tbsp minced fresh garlic
3/4 cup Salsa
1 can cream corn
1/4 cup water
About 1/2 can sliced black olives
2 box or packet corn muffin mix (we use Jiffy)
1/2 pack shredded taco cheese

If you’re using ground beef, I like ground chuck the best. Cook your onion and peppers, with your meat or meat substitute. When your meat is cooked, drain, rinse, return to pan 1/4 cup of water and season with minced fresh garlic, chopped cilantro, salt and pepper to taste, and ground Cumin and chili powder to taste. Preheat your oven to 375. Cook on med heat for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the cream corn and black olives, shredded cheese, mix well and turn out into a 9×14 glass baking pan (ungreased). Mix your corn muffin mix like it says on the box. Drizzle the salsa over the mixture in the pan and the corn muffin mix over that. Back for about 35 minutes in center of oven. When you serve this, adding a dollop of light sour cream is a great added touch!

My Bacon Wrapped Chicken Rolls Recipe is a great way to do chicken differently. The great thing about this chicken is that in the summertime you can grill out, and in the fall and winter you can broil it. Either way it’s great! I always like recipes that you can let cook for a long period time and do other things while you wait.

Ingredients you’ll need -

About 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 12oz pack of Colby Jack Shredded Cheese
1 lb lean bacon (uncooked)
1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce
2-3 cloves chopped fresh garlic

I don’t use a meat tenderizer that often (the meat hammer with points on either side), but this is a great recipe for that. Any time you prepare a “meat roll”, it’s best to try and both tenderize the meat a little (while making it a bit thinner, and easier to roll). A little trick I learned a long time ago was to sprinkle the chicken with seasonings (salt and pepper to taste, and either garlic powder or lemon pepper) - then pound it out a little with the meat hammer.

Next sprinkle with shredded cheese and chopped garlic, roll up, wrap with 2-3 slices of bacon, and secure with wooden toothpicks. Grill or broil 30-40 minutes, and then brush with barbeque sauce once or twice and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

My Homemade Coleslaw recipe is best made fresh shortly before the meal. Your family will love it!

I like easy, and I like homemade. Coleslaw is very easy to make, and there’s no need to make your own dressing when you can buy Marzetti’s slaw dressing right in the store. Coleslaw in the deli is ok, but you don’t get that same creamy consistency that you get from homemade (or better restaurants). You can shred your own cabbage and carrots too, but there’s an easier way.

Ingredients you’ll need:

• 2 bags of already shredded coleslaw mix (16oz each - We use Dole)
• 1 jar Marzetti’s light Coleslaw dressing

Making coleslaw really isn’t an art, but you do need to make it about an hour to two hours before a meal.  You only need a little over one cup of dressing for each 16oz bag of slaw mix (which is only shredded cabbage and carrots).  One jar of Marzetti’s light slaw dressing is about 2 1/2 cups - which is just right for 2 - one lb bags of mix.  Mix well, and refridgerate and you’re done!

Cabbage is really stiff and crispy, and as it sets in the fridge it absorbs the dressing and becomes softer.  If you ate it right after mixing - it would be pretty hard to chew.  Also, we tend to eat nearly all the coleslaw we make the same day.  Cabbage gets stronger as it sits, and the next day it will be much stronger than the day you first made it.

Enjoy - we love homemade slaw with barbeque, burgers, at picnics, when we grill out, and even sometimes at holidays and get togethers!

Yes, you CAN have good Barbeque Chicken in the crockpot - this recipe is proof!

Yesterday was a lazy Fall Sunday, and we wanted barbue chicken - but I was in no mood to fire up the grill.  Believe it or not, you can make the best Barbeque Chicken in the crockpot (and once you do everyone will want your recipe).

Now first, let me say that BBQ sauce itself is so subjective.  Some people have guarded recipes that have been passed down for generations, and others prefer to take the easy route (like myself) and just use barbeque sauce from the store.  I don’t care which you use in this recipe - just substitute what YOU like for the sauce portions.  Also - some people prefer chicken on the bone because it’s cheaper and you can use dark meat as well.  We prefer only skinless, boneless chicken breast, but again - use what YOU prefer.

Ingredients you’ll need -

• About 2 lbs chicken
• 3 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1 medium green pepper chopped
• 1/2 chopped Vidalia onion
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground Cumin
• 2 full bottles “Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce”
• 1 - 4 qt crock pot

Turn your crockpot on high first. Empty both bottles of barbeque sauce into the crockpot with the chopped garlic, and stir.  Chop up your green pepper and onion, add it to the mix.  Also ad the chili powder and Cumin, and mix well.  Add the chicken to the pot, mix well with the sauce - place the lid on the crockpot.  Stir every 30-40 minutes and let cook for about 4-5 hours+.

This recipe easily servers 6+, but you could add another pound of chicken and another bottle of BBQ sauce if you wanted to sever 8-12 and fill the crockpot.  The entire house will smell of beautiful bbq as it cooks, the sauce will carmelize at it boils and permeate every last pore of the chicken.  I think chicken this way is much different than on the grill because it cooks for hours and hours IN the barbeque sauce, and the veggies disappear and become part of the sauce.  We eat the chicken on buns with a piece of cheese - just like a burger.  You could just as easily eat it over rice.  Last night, we served this with oven baked french fries and coleslaw, yum!

My Nacho Taco Salad Recipe is quick, tasty, AND filling!

The other day I got a comment on my Easy Tasty Taco Salad Recipe, and “Kerrie” said that she adds the chips to the bottom of the bowl and adds layers of meat, cheese, lettuce, etc. I had seen this done once before, and we created something new that I call my “Nacho Taco Salad Recipe”!

This is pretty easy to make, and could have a million variations - but here are the ingredients (recipe is for about 6 people):

• 2 lbs lean ground beef OR ground chicken (which WE LOVE)
• salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder to taste
• 1/2 large vidalia onion chopped
• 1/2 med-large green pepper chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (if you like hot)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic
• about 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cans fat free refried beans
• 1 pack (about 10oz) of shredded taco cheese
• 1lb+ bag of Tortilla chips (baked, fat free, organic, blue corn - all good)
• 1 head chopped lettuce
• 2 large or 4 med diced tomatoes
• 1 small can sliced black olives

I chop the onion and peppers first, and add them to a large skillet on med-high with about 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well, stir every 60 seconds for about 5-6 minutes. Open your cans of refried beans, put in a saucepan and thin a bit by mixing in some water (or sour cream, or milk). They should be thin enough to drip off the spoon, but not thin like soup. Cook on medium while the meat cooks. Add your meat to the other pan, cook on one side for about 5 minutes, flip over, chop, season with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder (or a taco seasoning pack), cook 5 minutes, flip with spatula and chop again, and then add the chopped garlic and cilantro, cook 3-4 more minutes and it your meat should be done. Stir the beans every few minutes while the meat cooks. When the beans start to bubble and boil, turn the heat down to low until the meat is done, and then turn them off.

While you meat is cooking, you can be chopping your lettuce and dicing your tomatoes. When the meat is done start to make up the bowls. Place a layer of chips in the bottom, then refried beans, then meat, then cheese, then lettuce, then tomatoes, then black olives! When we serve ours we usually drizzle a bit of lite ranch dressing over the top and that added touch of flavor!