Hello everyone,

Glad you came back to visit and hope you are finding these recipes delicious and helpful.

I thought I would give you my ideas on small appliances in the RV.  Of course, we all have coffee pots, my favorite is the Kuerig because of the convenience of the one cup system.  But, what about other items, such as a large mixer, small mixer, blender, chopper, slow cooker and bread maker? 

Large Mixer:
I really use mine a lot.  It depends on what you cook and how often you cook and if you bake a lot.  I find it very convenient and practical from mashing potatoes to making zucchini bread.  I guess it depends on your storage space.  I have a Sunbeam so it is not quite as large as a Kitchen-Aid which helps.  It really get used during the holidays and I really would not be without it.  I do not have a small hand mixer.

Blender/Chopper:
I use the chopper constantly.  Too lazy to chop by hand sometimes.  I paid $5.00 for a small one at Kohl's 9 years ago and it is still going.  Noticed they are $7.98 now.  Believe me that is all you need.  Blender is a luxury.  We use ours occasionally.

Slow Cooker:
Love it, Love it, Love it.  There is not much else to say. :)  It is one of the most convenient things out there so I really suggest this.  It is so nice to put everything in there and know dinner will be done when you get home from volunteering or exploring.   So, #1 suggestion.

Bread Maker:
I love my bread maker.  I debated for a few years rather or not to get one and now would not trade it.  I am always experimenting and coming up with new bread recipes or revamping old ones.  Lets face it, there is nothing like the taste and smell of fresh bread.  So much better than store bought.  I like the fact you can put everything in there, push the button and go away.  When you come home, the aroma makes your mouth water.  The machine keeps the bread warm for you.

Hope this helps.  All depends on space.  Keith and I took out our dining table and chairs and replaced it with a buffet that has a leaf on top which folds out to make an eating counter.  We then bought 2 pretty folding bar stools and we were set.  The buffet has tons of storage, wine rack and storage bins.  Love it! 

Here are some recipes I have tried.  Hope you like them and please let me know.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast cooked and shredded
• 1 15 oz can corn
• 1 1/2 15 oz diced tomatoes drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 cup onion chopped optional
• 1 small can diced green chilis
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. pepper
• monterey jack cheese, shredded
• corn tortillas for chip topping we cut and fried corn tortillas
• avocados cubed

Instructions

1. Cook and shred (or cube) chicken.
2. Add all the ingredients, except the cheese, corn tortilla strips and avocados to your crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 3-4 hours).
3. Add cheese just before serving.
4. To make this soup extra delicious, add some crunchy tortilla strips. Slice up corn tortillas with a pizza cutter. Flash Fry in hot oil and sprinkle on top of your soup. Add cubed avocados to dished up soup.  

 Thanks to "Lil's Luna (All Things Good) website for this recipe.

Here is the treat, an Almond Joy Cheesecake.  It is incredible and so flavorful.  I apologize, I cannot remember where I got the recipe.  Been making it for a while.  It looks like a lot more work than it is and even so, it is worth it.  This will be a big hit I promise. 

Almond Joy Cheesecake

Servings: depends on how many slices you make!

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 and 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

4 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

1 tablespoon coconut extract

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For the glaze:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whole roasted almonds, toasted coconut, whipped cream, for garnish

Instructions

1. For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare your springform pan by wrapping it with aluminum foil to allow for extra three inches or so of foil to project above the sides.  (This will help later when you need to grab the pan.) I used a 10" springform so I did not do this step.  Came out fine.

3. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers, almonds, coconut, and sugar to a fine crumb.

4. With the machine running, slowly add the melted butter and pulse until it resembles moist sand. Or you can mix in a bowl after you grind to fine crumb.

5. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of the pan.

6. Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, or until set and lightly browned.

7. Remove from the oven and let cool.

8.  Readjust oven temperature to 325 degrees.

9. For the filling: In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. (Mine does not have a paddle, so regular beaters had to do which they did.)

10.  Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

11. Add the coconut and coconut extract.

12.  Stop the mixer, and gently fold in the toasted almonds with a spatula until well combined.

13. Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes (until the crust is puffy and lightly browned).

14. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

15. For the chocolate glaze: Combine the chocolate chips, cream, and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth.

16.  Remove the pan from the heat and let cool to room temperature (this took about 10 minutes for me).

17. Pour the glaze over the cheesecake (which is still in the springform pan) and spread evenly.

18.  Chill the cheesecake overnight or until firm and set.

19.  When ready to serve, run a knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the cake.  Release the pan sides and serve.

Serve with whipped cream, with coconut and almonds sprinkle on it. 

Well, let me know how you enjoy these 2 recipes.  

If you have any questions, please let me know.'

Thanks and have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Brenda

Hello there,

Guess what, I'm still alive. :)   I hope to keep this up better from now on, so please be sure to look in each time you read the blog.

For those of you who are setting up your kitchen in the RV, I wanted to tell you what I did and how pleased I am with it. 

I wanted a way to keep things like flour, sugar, etc from going bad, either from the different climates we visit, flour bugs (even though I am not sure what they are) etc.  So, Sue and I headed to IKEA in Dayton Ohio and found some wonderful storage boxes that were just the right size and shape to fit in the overhead cabinets.  We found a wonderful variety there but I now understand that Target also carries the same style of storage boxes.  They lock really tight so no air or moisture can get in.  Plus they don't accidentally spill either.  I bought a lot of different sizes (actually 4) which stack on top of each other and save a lot of room usually lost to boxes and jars.  I put my noodles, cereals, baking supplies, nuts, raisins, cranberries, rice, etc in them and it works great.  Even my brown sugar does not get hard.  I am extremely pleased with this system and highly suggest it.  Almost forgot, I labeled them using Avery labels so it is easy to find what you want.   If you have any questions, please let me know.

Recipe of the day:

I have been using my crock pot and bread maker a lot lately so here are a couple of recipes for you to try.

Albondigas

½ onion – minced

½ pound ground chuck

¼ cup rice instant – uncooked

2 TBS chopped parsley or cilantro

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste

4 oz chopped green chilies – canned and drained

1 carrot shredded

4 c water

2 cloves garlic - minced

14 ½ oz stewed tomatoes – canned (if large, dice to smaller pieces)

2 cups low fat beef broth

1 tsp dried oregano

In a bowl, combine beef, onion, garlic, rice, egg, salt and pepper to taste

Form into 1 ½ inch meatballs.

Place chilies and shredded carrots in bottom of slow cooker.

Spread tomatoes evenly over top of the chilies and carrots.

Place meatballs on top of tomatoes. 

Pour in water, broth, oregano, and parsley or cilantro.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.  

Note:  Keith and I both loved this soup.  It was a little spicy, so if you don't like spicy, use less green chilies.  I served it with a dollop of sour cream and warm flour tortillas. . 

______________________________________________________________________

Steakhouse Wheat Bread for the Bread Machine

Original recipe makes 1 loaf

1 cup and 2 tablespoons warm water

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon and 1-1/2 teaspoons white sugar

1-1/2 cups bread flour

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1-3/4 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Directions

NOTE: Recipe directions are for the original serving size of 12.

Place the warm water, butter, honey, salt, coffee, cocoa, sugar, bread flour, whole wheat flour, and bread machine yeast in the pan of a bread machine in the order listed. Put on regular or basic cycle with light crust.

PREP 10 minute

COOK 3 hrs

READY IN 3 hrs 10 minutes

Note:  This bread is wonderful tasting and we really enjoyed it.  Taste just like the bread in steak restaurants.  Nothing like warm bread from your bread maker.

See you next time and take care.

Brenda

Really getting into this dieting thing!

Hello there,

Keith and I are really getting into this dieting thing, don't know if it is working or not but we are finding great dishes.

The salad was unbelievable, it taste like potato salad.   Be sure to make it early so it can cool in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.  Keith rated it a 5 out of 5.

The chicken dish was good and tasty, I really enjoyed it but Keith only gave it a 4.  I will make again though.

These are great diet dishes and great for diabetics too.  Let me know how you like them.

Cauliflower Salad Made Like Potato Salad (Low Carb)

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 whole cauliflower, steamed and florets chopped into chunks
• 2-3 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup finely diced celery
• 3 hardboiled egg, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup regular mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/2 tablespoon creole mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Combine ingredients and chill before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 (142 g)
 Calories from Fat 83

Total Fat 9.2g

Saturated Fat 2.5g

Cholesterol 97.9mg

Sugars 2.8 g

Sodium 386.9mg

Total Carbohydrate 7.7g

Dietary Fiber 2.g

Sugars 2.8 g

Protein 6.4g

Chicken Cacciatore (Low carb)

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces (Be sure to put tenderizer on the chicken for at least an hour)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine or chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove from skillet.

In same skillet, heat oil, until hot but not smoking. Add garlic, onion, green pepper, and yellow pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add tomato sauce, wine, and oregano. Bring mixture to a boil. Return chicken to skillet.

Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until chicken is tender, about 25 minutes. Place chicken on a serving platter; cover with foil to keep warm.

Add mushrooms to skillet; increase heat to high; cook until mushrooms are tender and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serve immediately.
Serves 4 

Each of 4 servings has 10 grams carbohydrate plus 3 grams fiber, 20 grams protein, and 178 calories.


Brenda
 

Who knew dieting could be so delicious!

Hello,
My hand is finally back to normal and cooking as well as blogging can begin again.  Keith and I have started our diets again and I have been looking for great tasting dishes that we can both eat that also is good for my type 2 diabetes.  Not a easy task.  I think you will really enjoy this one. 

Here is one we both said, "Wow, this is a 5" too.


Garlic and Soy Grilled Pork Chops
Courtesy of South Beach Diet

Serves 2


Grill up chunks of fresh vegetables alongside these lip-smacking pork chops for an irresistible outdoor feast. Bell pepper, sweet onion, and zucchini would work quite nicely. For an added veggie, steam asparagus and serve with a little melted garlic butter.  Sorry, no picture available.

Ingredients:

2 boneless center-cut pork loin chops, trimmed of all visible fat
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika (I used 1/8 tsp red pepper and 1/8 tsp paprika)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Fresh herbs, for garnish

Instructions

Brush the pork chops all over with the mixture of soy sauce, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Coat a grill rack or broiler-pan rack with cooking spray. Preheat the grill or broiler.(We grilled them with the veggie and it was wonderful.)
Cook the pork chops 4" from the heat, turning once halfway through cooking time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of a chop registers 155°F and the juices run clear. Garnish with the herbs.

Let me know how you like them.

Brenda

Hand Surgery

Had hand surgery and not able to type very well.  Will be back soon.

TWO MORE LOW CARB DISHES

Hello Everyone,

I have attached two more low carb dishes for your enjoyment.  Both are from Atkins.  I have not baked anything lately but will for next time.

The Chicken dish doesn't taste any different to me than a regular recipe.   I found it quite good.  Of course, I missed my rice even though I could have had some.  I try to support Keith best I can.  I actually made this in a slow cooker and it worked fine  I served it with sliced veggies and green beans.

The turnip fries are just okay to me.  I am not a big turnip fan.  Keith really liked them though.  The only thing is, be sure to cut them as indicated or they get too mushy.  Easy to fix. Served them with a steak and salad.

Try them and let me know how you like them.  Good Eating.

Sorry no pictures yet, still trying to figure out this thing.

Chicken Cacciatore

Net Carbs: 5.5 Fiber: 1 Protein: 45.5 Fat: 24 Calories: 453.5

Ingredients

1 1/2 Tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 Pounds broiler/fryer chicken, skin on, cut into 8 pieces

1/4 Cup chopped onion (1 small onion)

3/4 Teaspoons chopped garlic

1 Teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/4 Cup Sauvignon Blanc or other dry white wine

1/2 Teaspoon salt

1/8 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3/4 Cups canned plum tomatoes, drained and coarsely chopped

Directions

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Add onion, garlic and rosemary to the skillet; cook 4 minutes, until onion is softened. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Add salt and pepper flakes.

Return chicken, skin side up, and accumulated juices to the skillet. Cook until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes.

Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Boil sauce 2 minutes to thicken.

To serve, spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Lightly Spicy Turnips Fries

 

4 turnips, trimmed and peels (1 ¼ pounds)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp chili powder

Heat oven to 425*

Cut turnips into 2 x ½ “sticks.  Place on a foil lined cookie sheet.  Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and chili powder.  Toss with your hands and spread to a single layer. 

Roast 30 minutes turning ½ way thru cooking for even browning.  Serve immediately.

4 carbs

1½ fiber

DIET FOOD CAN BE GOOD! WHO KNEW IT!!!!!!!!

Happy New Year to all of you and your families.  I hope you are having a good one so far.

Keith and I started the New Year by going back on our diets.  Keith goes on a strict Atkins diet and I go on a modified one.  Either way we have both lost weight this way before and hope to again.

I go to Adkins Recipes to get ideas for cooking dinner and found two I know you will like.  I am not a big cooked cauliflower person but this recipe is great.  The burger one is a little different but very tasty.  Very low in carbs so if you are a type 2 like me, add something with a few extra carbs.   

Here they are and let me know how you like them.

Beef Burgers with Feta and Tomato

2 people

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Net Carbs: 1.5 Fiber: 0.5 Protein: 24.5 Fat: 13.5 Calories: 230.5

Ingredients

1/2 Pound ground beef

1/2 green onion, chopped

1/4 Cup baby spinach (I chopped mine)

1/8 Cup tomato, slices (I used grape tomatoes and quartered)

1/8 Cup Feta cheese, crumbled

3/4 Teaspoons fresh dill weed (I used dried)

1/4 Teaspoon salt

1/4 Teaspoon pepper

Directions

Combine ground beef, scallion, spinach, tomato, feta, dill, salt and pepper. Form into 4 patties. 

Grill or pan-fry over medium-high heat for 6 minutes per side for medium doneness. 

 

Cauliflower with Red Peppers and Olives

Net Carbs: 4

Fiber: 3

Protein: 2

Fat: 6.5

Calories: 90.5

Ingredients

1/3 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and separated into small florets

1 1/3 Ounce-weights roasted red bell pepper (1 large pepper), drained, rinsed and cut into thin strips

3 1/3 Kalamata or other black olives, pitted and sliced (I used 6 because I could have them)

2/3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 Tablespoons chopped parsley leaves (used dried)

Directions

Place cauliflower in a medium pot fitted with a steamer basket over lightly salted water. Bring to a boil. Steam 6–7 minutes until tender but firm. 

Drain cauliflower. Mix in bell pepper, olives, olive oil and parsley. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground Pepper