Shannon's Cookbook

This is what I whipped up for dinner last night, for just me. Had I been thinking, however, I would have made extra. Then I would have had leftovers. These things reheat really well and taste awesome the next day. Measurements are approximate, I just winged this one. about 1/2 lb ground beef spice blend: chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and Mexican oregano, and salt and ground black pepper to taste about 1/4-1/3 cup water about 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided handful shredded lettuce 1 extra large burrito size flour tortilla, lightly warmed 1/2 small can enchilada sauce Preheat oven to 350°. In a large frying pan over medium heat, brown ground beef; drain well. Return to pan and add spices. Stir in water, and simmer for 10 minutes or so, or til liquid is cooked off. Remove beef mixture from heat to cool slightly. Mix beef mixture with half of cheese and lettuce. Lay warmed tortilla out on a flat surface and add beef mixture. Fold sides o...

Easy and so good, especially with the provolone cheese. 1 recipe pizza dough (I used homemade) 6 oz pkg provolone cheese slices 1/4 lb cooked sausage, drained 2 roasted red peppers, well drained sliced green olives sliced pickled jalapenos melted garlic butter homemade chunky tomato sauce to serve Preheat oven and pizza stone (if you have one) to 450°. Load up half the dough with half of cheese slices, sausage and red peppers and top with remaining cheese. I put green olives on Matt's portion and jalapenos on mine. Fold dough and seal. Cut a few vents in the top. Brush with garlic butter. Bake calzone 15 minutes or til golden brown and bubbling. I served the calzone with chunky tomato sauce.

If there is one thing I should have learned with Gather food giveaways, it's that I should really pay more attention to ingredients in the products. Ingredients in the Yogurt Flavored Pretzels (from the Nabisco web site): YOGURT FLAVORED COATING (SUGAR, PALM KERNEL OIL, MILK, YOGURT POWDER [ CULTURED WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE , CULTURED SKIM MILK, YOGURT CULTURES], COLOR ADDED, SOY LECITHIN, SALT), UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON,THIAMINE MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2]], FOLIC ACID), SALT, CORN AND/OR CANOLA AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL, CORN SYRUP, BAKING SODA, YEAST. CONTAINS: MILK, SOY, WHEAT. Based on this, I was really prepared not to like the pretzels, however, they were actually quite tasty. They had a good salty to sweet flavor ratio and the texture was perfect: creamy on the outside and crispy on the inside. Would I buy them? No. Not even with a coupon or while on sale. That is, unless Nabisco figures o...

This is my version of Allrecipes heavenly hot dog sauce. I posted the link to the recipe the other day. It can be found here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978075394 These were REALLY good, but the fat content in this meal must have been off the chart! 1 lb ground beef 1/2 cup beef broth 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup regular mustard 1 T chili powder 1 t onion powder 1 t salt 1/2 t ground black pepper hot pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste 1. Brown ground beef. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Taste and adjust half way through if desired. I served the sauce over hot dogs in homemade buns, topped with shredded Velveeta, pickled jalapenos and mustard with a side of homemade macaroni and cheese.

I've had this recipe almost a year, and I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally make it for dinner! I can't recall where I found it. Yummalicious! oil 1/2 red onion, minced 1 clove garlic, minced 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 small (15 oz) can diced tomatoes 1 cup frozen corn 1 cup frozen green beans 1/2 cup tomato sauce 1/4 cup dried pinto beans, cooked and drained 1 small can diced green chilies 2 T Southwest seasoning (I used homemade) or to to taste crushed tortilla chips shredded co jack cheese In a large soup pot heat a little oil over medium heat. Saute onion til softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so. Add remaining ingredients (except chips and cheese) to the pot and increase heat to high. Bring to a quick simmer; cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer soup for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. I served the soup topped with chips and cheese.

I use this delicious blend on many recipes, most recently in the southwest vegetable soup I made tonight. Feel free to adjust ingredients to your particular tastes. 2 T chili powder (use your favorite variety. I like regular for this recipe) 2 T paprika (use your favorite variety. I like smoked for this recipe) 1 T ground coriander 1 T dried oregano 1/2 T salt (I used sea salt) 2 t ground cumin 1 t garlic powder 1 t onion powder 1 t mustard powder 1 t black pepper 1/2 t cayenne pepper Mix spices in a container with a tightly fitting lid or cover.

What a flavorful (not to mention healthy) soup! Of course, I had to spice it up a bit by serving it with some homemade habanero sauce. 1 cup dried black beans, soaked overnight and drained 1 red onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 jarred roasted red pepper, drained lightly and chopped 1 jalapeno, chopped 1 t ground cumin 1 t ground coriander 1/2 t dried oregano salt and ground ancho chile powder to taste sour cream or plain yogurt Add beans to a soup pot and cover with water to about 1" above the beans. Add onion and garlic to pot. Cover and cook beans about 1 1/2 hours over medium low heat, checking occasionally to ensure enough water remains in pot. Stir in red pepper, jalapeno and spices. Cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or til beans are tender. Taste and adjust as desired. I served the soup with a dollop of yogurt stirred in.

I had never thought of pairing barley and cauliflower before until I saw this recipe in my Shape magazine, nor had I though of this particular combination of herbs and spices. It was great soup! If you prefer thicker soup, either decrease the amount of broth or increase the amount of barley added. olive oil 1/2 red onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 t cinnamon 1/2 t dried thyme, rubbed 1 bay leaf salt and ground black pepper to taste 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1/4 cup pearl barley 1 small (15 oz) can diced tomatoes 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets In a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion til softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so. Stir in herbs and spices. Increase heat to high; add broth and barley. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and cauliflower; recover and simmer another 15 minutes, or til barley and cauliflo...

This was SO good! Next time, however, I will definitely add more roasted red pepper. 1/2 lb Italian sausage 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 small (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes 1 jarred roasted red pepper, drained and chopped sugar, salt and pepper to taste splash of heavy cream In a large frying pan brown and crumble sausage; drain and return to pan. Stir in garlic and cook another minute or so. Stir in tomatoes, red pepper, sugar and salt and pepper and simmer about 15-20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in cream and heat through. Taste and adjust as desired. I served the sauce over spaghetti alongside a thick slice of cheesy Texas toast.

These turned out really well. They had excellent flavor for being such a simple dish. olive oil sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 T fresh lemon juice 1 t grated lemon zest 1 t dried rosemary, rubbed (or your favorite herb blend) 1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes, lightly drained Preheat oven to 375°. Arrange the chicken pieces in a baking pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with garlic, drizzle with juice, and sprinkle with lemon zest and rosemary. Roast 30 minutes. Top each piece of chicken with about 1/4 cup tomatoes. Roast another 15 minutes or til chicken is cooked through. I served the chicken atop spaghetti that had been tossed with a little olive oil. Everything was garnished with freshly grated parmesan blend cheese. Risa's original recipe can be found here: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978066197

While I was planning this light meal, Rob Appell came to mind. I could hear him saying to me "this is IT? You can't get filled up on THIS!" Well, this was actually quite filling and delicious. Rob, I wish you would have been here to razz me about it. Measurements are approximate. I just cooked up a big pot of chickpeas and added a little of this and a little of that to each style. Plain 2 cups cooked chickpeas, plus cooking liquid 1/4 cup tahini 2 T fresh lemon juice 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 t sea salt olive oil paprika (optional) Combine first 5 ingredients in a blender or food processor til just combined. While running, blend in olive oil til mixture is smooth. If mixture appears dry, add a little cooking liquid til mixture is just the right consistency. Scoop hummus onto a serving plate or into a bowl and sprinkle with paprika. (At this point I refrigerated the hummus for an hour for the flavors to blend). Roasted Red Pepper Feta 2 cups coo...

My original plan was to serve these over mashed potatoes, but I ran out of potatoes the other day. I substituted egg noodles, which I think ended up as an even better idea. 1 lb ground beef 1 egg 1/4 cup cracker or bread crumbs 1 t Worcestershire sauce 1/2 t seasoned salt (I used homemade) 1/2 t onion powder 1/2 t garlic powder 1/8 t ground black pepper vegetable oil 1 thinly sliced onion (I used red) 2 T flour 1 cup beef broth 1 T cooking sherry seasoned salt to taste (I used homemade) In a large bowl, mix beef, egg, crumbs, pepper, salt, onion and garlic powders and Worcestershire sauce. Shape into patties (size is to your preference. I made 3). Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the patties and onion til patties are nicely browned on both sides. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove beef patties to a plate; cover and keep warm. Sprinkle flour over onions and drippings. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits from pan. Whisk in broth ...

This soup was absolutely incredible! I would make this one again. And again. 1 t dried peppercorns green (I used Tellicherry since that was what I had on hand) 1 Cornish hen water (plus a couple chicken bouillon cubes) to cover 1 red onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 1" pieces fresh ginger, minced and divided hot pepper flakes to taste salt to taste 1/2 head cauliflower, broken into florets 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 2 T Thai fish sauce 2 lemongrass stalks, inner white bulb only, cut into strips and smashed (optional. I can't find it here) 1 t ground turmeric juice from 1 fresh lime plus 1 t finely grated lime zest cooked white rice for serving In a small frying pan, toast peppercorns over moderately high heat til fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a spice grinder or food mill and cool completely; coarsely grind. Add hen to a large soup pot and cover with water and bouillon cubes. Add ground peppercorns, onion, garlic, half of ginger, ho...

For these amazing chicken sandwiches, I again used homemade sharp cheddar biscuits, however I didn't add Old Bay to them. I didn't want that flavor to compete with the chicken. To serve, I made a sour cream dip using all of the herbs and seasonings that were used in both the marinade and in the flour breading. It was a great way to layer all the flavors. 4 sharp cheddar biscuits (I used homemade), warmed and split 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed into 3-4 oz pieces to fit biscuits salt and pepper to taste 1 cup sour cream 1 T dried chives 2 cloves garlic, chopped and mashed into a paste 1 cup flour 1 t mustard powder 1 t poultry seasoning 1 t onion powder 1 t sweet paprika 1/2 t ground ginger 1/2 t cayenne pepper Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a medium container with a lid, mix sour cream with chives and garlic. Coat the chicken in sour cream mixture. Let marinate at least 2 hours. Add flour and seasonings to a small...

This turned out to be a VERY tasty meal. I am glad I spiced up the original a bit, though. 1 lb ground beef 1/2 onion, chopped 1/2 green pepper, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, minced 1 small (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes 1 cup cooked kidney beans with a little cooking liquid 1 cup white rice 1 cup beef broth 2 T chili powder 1 t jalapeno powder salt and black pepper to taste 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese Preheat oven to 375°. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat and add ground beef. Cook til beef is browned, drain. Stir in onion, green pepper, garlic, and jalapeno ; cook til the veggies soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes; simmer til the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir in beans, rice, broth and seasonings. Taste and adjust as desired. Pour mixture into a 9x13" baking pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake til liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Re...

I created this recipe after posting a recipe for Taste of Home's Pepper Jack Chicken Pasta: http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978056888 .I knew I wanted to incorporate sliced pepper jack in an easy Tex Mex style dish. I stocked up on sliced pepper jack at Kroger recently when they had a great sale on it. vegetable oil salt and jalapeno pepper powder to taste (or use regular pepper) 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 can cream of chicken soup ⅓ cup salsa (I used homemade) 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese 4 slices pepper jack cheese about 1 cup crushed tortilla chips minced red onion to serve (optional) Preheat broiler. Heat a large frying pan drizzled with a little oil over medium high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and jalapeno powder. Pan fry breasts til golden brown and cooked through. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix soup and salsa. Stirring constantly, bring soup mixture to a simmer. Stir in cheese,...

Measurements are approximate. I just kind of threw these together. 2 cups baking mix (I made homemade) about 1 t Old Bay seasoning 1/8 t garlic powder 3 T cold butter, cut into pieces 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 2/3 cup milk 2 T butter, melted and mixed with 1/4 t garlic powder for brushing over the top Preheat oven to 400°. Spray a baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine baking mix with Old Bay and garlic powder. Mix in butter with a pastry cutter or fork til coarse crumbs form. Stir in cheese. Stir in milk til just blended, being careful not to overblend. Drop dough in 1/4 cup measurements onto prepared baking pan. Bake 17-20 minutes or til biscuits are golden brown. Brush melted butter mixture over the tops of the baked biscuits. Serve hot!

For this flavorful and healthy soup, I just threw in a little of this, and a little of that. It paired well with the homemade sharp cheddar biscuits I whipped up. olive oil chopped red onion chopped green pepper minced garlic 4 cups chicken broth 1 small (15 oz) can Del Monte diced tomatoes 1 cup frozen green beans 1/2 cup cooked black beans 1/2 cup cooked red beans dried basil, oregano, mustard seed, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup frozen corn In a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add a little oil. Saute onion and green pepper til softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in onion and saute another minute or so. Increase heat to high and add remaining ingredients, except corn. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer soup about 20 minutes. Stir in corn and simmer another 5 minutes or til corn is heated through. I served the soup with homemade sharp cheddar biscuits.

This is my version of Marianne M.'s Spicy Macaroni and Cheese. I loved it, M! Measurements are approximate. 1 1/2 cups uncooked pasta (I used elbow macaroni) about 1 cup homemade salsa (I used habanero) about 8 oz Velveeta, cubed about 1/2 cup sour cream about 1/2 cup cooked black beans fresh cilantro leaves, minced, to taste Cook pasta according to package directions; drain well and return to hot cook pan. Stir in salsa, cheese, sour cream and beans; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or til thoroughly heated and cheese melts. Stir in cilantro.

I served these sandwich style kebobs with a rice side dish I came up with made of brown rice, crushed tomatoes, fresh spinach, ground coriander and fresh lemon juice. Amazing dinner! 1 lb ground beef 1/2 red onion, grated 1 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 t cumin (or to taste) 1 1/2 t dried mint, rubbed (or to taste) 1 t salt 1/2 t cayenne pepper (or to taste) 1/2 t black pepper (or to taste) fresh pide (pita bread) plain yogurt mixed with a little fresh lemon juice and sea salt In a medium bowl, mix beef and spices. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least two hours and up to overnight. Preheat oven to 400°. Press beef in small cylinder shapes. Place on a baking pan and bake kebobs about 20 minutes or til beef is cooked through. Serve kebobs atop pide bread, drizzled with yogurt and alongside rice.

What an amazing soup! It had excellent flavor for being so simple. 1 lb Italian sausage, cut into pieces 1/2 onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 t fennel seed (or to taste) 4 cups chicken broth 1 small (14 oz) can diced tomatoes 1/2 cup dried white beans, cooked and drained salt and black pepper to taste cooked small pasta (I used ditalini) freshly grated parmesan to serve Brown sausage in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook another 5 minutes or so. Stir in garlic and fennel seeds, and cook another minute or so. Stir in remaining ingredients (except pasta and cheese); cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. I served the soup topped with a scoop of pasta and garnished with cheese alongside a thick slice of homemade buttered Amish bread.