Krabby Patties

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can't. I have a friend at school who was telling me she was serving Krabby Patties for dinner one night. If you haven't heard of Krabby Patties, then you have never seen Spongebob Square Pants. It is a show everyone should see at least once, so you too can sing the theme song! But, I digress, on this show the sea sponge, Spongebob, works at a restaurant that serves Krabby Patties. This is recipe is a kid friendly version of mini-burgers that my kids love. When they saw me cooking them tonight they were really excited!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of ground turkey (or beef)
• 1/2 package of Lipton onion soup mix
• 1 package of dinner rolls (ones that look like miniature hamburger buns)
• 1 onion
• Condiments for burgers (lettuce, cheese, mayo, mustard, pickles)

1. Mix 1/2 a package of Lipton onion soup mix with 1 pound of ground turkey

2. Make roll size burgers (I get about 9 out of 1 pound of meat)

3. Cook thoroughly in the skillet (I was able to do all nine a one time in my big skillet)

4. Brown onions and toast rolls

Serve as Krabby Patties (mini-burgers) with chips, beans, and fruit.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

This is one of the easiest and most versatile crock pot meats you can do. It can also be cheap- I found it this week at Kroger for 87 cents a pound. We fed six people off of it last night and still have a gallon Ziploc bag full of meat. I will give three different recipes you can do with it make it different each time.

Supplies

• Slow cooker

Ingredients

• Pork Shoulder- 7 to 9 pounds (do not take off fat- put it in whole)
• 2 onions- circle slices
• 2 bell peppers- sliced

1. Place onions and bell peppers on the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. On a baking sheet rub pork shoulder with salt and pepper. I use kosher salt and ground pepper corns. You can add any other spices you may like.

3. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, in the slow cooker. Set on high for 7-8 hours.

4. Once it is done the pork will pull off of the bone.

Three ways to eat pork:

1. As is- great flavoring- I added a bit of mesquite flavoring for a kick

2. Fajitas - serve on tortillas with peppers and onions

3. BBQ- add BBQ sauce when reheating for pulled pork sandwiches

Pomegranate Drink

This is one of the drinks I served last night with my bread pudding. I don't know if they necessarily go together, but they were both tasty. I halved the recipe yesterday, but this would be a great drink for a party.

1/4 cup mint leaves
4 cups of pomegranate juice (or cranberry)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 32 oz. bottles of club soda or 3 750-ml bottles of white wine

Place mint leaves in a pitcher. Use a spoon to bruise the leaves. (This is done to release the flavor.) Add pomegranate juice and sugar; stir to dissolve. Cover and chill 2 to 4 hours. Remove mint leaves and discard. Syrup can be stored for up to 48 hours after mint has been removed.

For each serving, pour 3 tablespoons of pomegranate mixture over ice. Top with club soda or dry white wine (about 1/3 cup per serving).

This will make 20 servings

Bread Pudding

I had my friends over from my book club last night for drinks and dessert. I decided to make bread pudding. On the cooking shows I have been watching everyone looks at their ingredients and state, "I guess I will make I will make bread pudding." They always say it like it is no big deal, so I decided to try it. This was a new one for me, but a recipe I will add to my mix, it seemed to be successful. I don't do a lot of "baking," but I enjoyed making this one.

Ingredients

• 4 beaten eggs
• 2 1/4 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 T of vanilla
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 4 cups of dry French bread cubes (6 to 7 slices)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries

1. Dry bread- place on a shallow baking pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, stirring twice.

2. In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon

3. In an ungreased 2-quart square baking dish toss together bread cubes and dried fruit

4. Pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture and press lightly with the back of a large spoon

5. bake, uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until puffed and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly and serve

Serve warm with warmed Carmel sauce and cool whip.

T.G.I. Friday's French Onion Soup

This is one of my favorite meals anytime I go out. I have loved it since TGIF's opened in Fort Smith in junior high school. So, when I found this I thought, I have to try it. It is very tasty! Enjoy!


2 Tablespoons butter or margarine
4 cups sliced onion
3 cups beef broth
1−1/2 cups water
1 Tablespoon cooking sherry
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 dash dried thyme
1 cup soft croutons
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add onions and cook 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add beef broth, water, sherry, Worcestershire sauce,
pepper, and thyme to pot. Increase heat and bring to boil, then reduce
heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Divide into bowls. Top with
croutons, then mozzarella. Broil until cheese melts and begins to brown.

Sparkling Lemonade

Well, we have a touch of spring weather, so I thought I would share a quick drink recipe.

1 Quart water
1 Cup sugar
1 Cup FRESH lemon juice
Sparkling Water (not tonic water, like Perrier)

Mix first three togther. Fill a tall glass 2/3 to
3/4 with Lemon mixture then fill with sparkling water.

An intresting variation is to puree some fruit
(raspberries, strawberries, etc) with a little
superfine or powdered sugar and put that in the
glass before adding the the lemonade and water.

Crockpot Roast Recipe

My friend Beth was kind enough to send me one of her favorite crock-pot recipes and it sounds wonderful!! Beth and I were in a string quartet together in Jr. High and High School. Our quartet would have practice after school at each other's houses and then our parents were kind enough to feed us afterwards. So music and food allowed us to become friends...we don't play music together anymore, but here we are connecting over food! Thanks for sharing Beth!!
Submitted by: Beth Harms
Here's one of my fav Crockpot roasts..it sounds like a lot of garlic but the flavor is excellent (and not overly garlic-y in the end).
2 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 t salt
1/4 pepper
2 medium onions (sliced/chopped/whatever)
24 garlic cloves, minced (about 4 tbsp.)
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 cup hot water
8 ounces beer
3T brown sugar
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T cider vinegar

1.In a large skillet, heat 1 T of the oil and brown roast on both sides, seasoning with salt and pepper; remove to a platter and keep warm.
2.Add the remaining tbsp of oil to the pan and add the onions, cook until they just start to wilt then add the garlic, cook until the onions are tender.
3.Add the bouillon cubes to the hot water and stir to dissolve; add that to the skillet along with the beer, brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar; stir to mix well.
4.Pour mixture into the bottom of the crock pot.
5.Place roast on top of liquid
6.Set the crock pot on low and cook for 7-8 hours.
7.Remove meat from crock pot and pour liquid into a pan on the stove; heat to a boil, and mix a slurry out of the cornstarch and water; thicken pan liquid with slurry to make a gravy.
8.Serve gravy over meat or with potatoes or noodles.

I like it with potatoes on the side, but Mike's a fan of gravy and noodles. So whatever floats your boat!!
-Beth-

Sauted Okra and Tomatoes

Okay- this is a strange one for me, seeing as I typically don't like slimy okra (i.e. not fried), but this recipe was delicious! It has just enough kick and flavor to make it just right. I modified the recipe from one I saw on Cooking with the Neelys on Food Network. It was even good for leftovers. Who knew? Last Sunday I made a Cajun themed dinner for some friends and this week I will post the recipes.

3 cups of fresh or frozen okra (I used frozen)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 beef boullion cube (1 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning (just a little kick)


1. Saute the onion in a bit of olive oil/ add in boillion cube once everything is nice and hot and mis in to the onion
2. Once it is cooked down add can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning
3. Add okra and cook for 15 minutes
4. Remove from heat and serve

Spring Mix Salad with Cranberry and Roasted Walnuts

This recipe is one that a co-worker brought for a luncheon at work. Sorry I don't know the exact amounts, but it's salad, so just throw in the ingredients until it looks good. There was just the right amount of sweetness in the salad to make it interesting. The dressing adds depth and a hint of spiciness. This is the best salad that I've had in a LONG time! I can't wait to make it out myself!

Prepared Spring Mix Salad
Dried Cranberries
Cantaloupe (cut in to very small pieces ~1/4"x1/4"x1/8" (sorry I cannot think of a good point of reference for this size))
Sweet Roasted Walnuts
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian dressing

To Roast Walnuts - Toss in melted butter and brown sugar to coat. Spread out on cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes.

Mix all of the ingredients together and serve with the Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing on the side. Delicious!!

Conway Locally Grown

This is not a recipe, but something that I feel is important in this day in time. In an effort to support locally grown food, I have starting shopping with the Conway Locally Grown Organization. I have enjoyed the food I have picked up from there- and I feel great about supporting local farmers. Since we were kids mom took us farmer's markets in the summer, but I didn't realize the importance of supporting local agriculture. Mom is now carrying on the tradition by taking my girls too. Now, I am starting that journey of understanding of what a difference it can make. So, check out your city's locally grown organization or shop at your local farmer's market.

Here are some reasons you should support Locally Grown Food:

Enhance local economy: By purchasing produce and other items from local growers you are providing stability to your local economy through the support of local businesses.

Save natural resources: Buying locally makes you an invaluable link in the process of saving resources such as fossil fuels and packaging materials. Also, we are right here in your community so the expense of transportation and delivery is kept to a minimum.

Provide learning opportunities: Locally Grown supporters provide member growers the means to help educate our community about the importance of sustainable agriculture.

Supporting a way of life: The number of small farms in the United States has decreased dramatically in the last decade. Please help us preserve an honest and worthy means of making a living.

Here is the link to Conway's Locally Grown (Winter months are fewer pick-ups, but one this Friday)

http://conway.locallygrown.net/welcome

Here is a link to find if your area has a locally grown organziation.

http://www.locallygrown.net/