Gluten Free Augratin Potatos

Ore Ida had a special on their frozen' taters. I walked right up to that freezer and said to myself "I'm not stupid. These things are like gold and if ya can get them on sale. Buy some!" So a bag of Ore Ida frozen GF hash browns went in the cart. Below you will find the gluten free version of Augratin Potatos from the mid west relatives.

Gluten Free Augrtain Potatos

16 oz sour cream
8 oz Pacific brand Organic Roasted pepper and tomato soup
3 Tbs melted butter
1/4 cup dried chives
Salt and pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 tbs Jamie and Robby's Seasoning
One bag Ore Ida hash brown potatoes

In a small oil sprayed crockpot or medium bowl combine sour cream, soup, butter, chives and seasoning. Stir until well combined.  Add cheese slowly and stir until we'll mixed. Slowly add hash browns until fully incorporated. If using the crockpot place lid on crock and place crock in the heating unit. Cook on low for 6-8 hours stirring every couple hours. 

If you are cooking in the oven, spray a small casserole dish with oil. Pour potato mixture in the dish and place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes to one hour or until casserole is bubbly and top slightly browned.

Captain-Cranberry Pom-Mandarin Compote

Where do the days go. Could it possibly be holiday time? As a kid it seemed like an eternity until the holidays. As an adult one day it's May then you blink and it's November. I love the holiday time, I just wish I would take more time out to enjoy it. This time of year is always so crazy trying to figure out scheduling and balancing time between three families. Splitting the holidays makes you nuts!!! First holiday to tackle... THANKSGIVING! It's my first married Thanksgiving! I will be home cooking for a small group and he will be in the desert. I want to have a home cooked meal with the family, and he wants to be out in the desert making folks eat his dust! It works.

Captain-Cranberry Pom-Mandarin Compote

1 12 oz bag of Cranberries
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup POM pure pomegranate juice
a shake cinnamon
1/4 cup Captain Morgan Rum or Bacardi 'O' Orange rum
2 cans Mandarin oranges, with the juice drained

In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, pom juice and the Captain Morgan. On medium heat simmer the berries and liquids, until the cranberries burst and the sauce becomes a bit thick approximately 20-25 minutes. Add the mandarins the last 5-10 minutes. Let cool before serving. Best if made the day ahead so flavors can meld. Refrigerate and serve in a fancy compote dish on your holiday table.

Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Yams, sweet potatoes... whatever you want to call them. I am NOT a fan. Never have been. The thought of a potato being sweet, eww. My Mom never made the Sweet Potato Casserole with brown sugar and spice topped with mini marshmallows. As a wee youngster I remember listening and watching Oaklahoma! wondering why in the heck would anyone make a pie out of potatoes and sweet ones? Ga-Ross!

In my previous post I made a tri tip roast in the crockpot with beer. It was one of the best crockpot meals I have had in a LONG time. Robby even truly enjoyed. Maybe because it cooked in Bud Light all day, and included Meat and Taters. Anyway, he said he did not want any of the yams on his plate. I certainly didn't either, until I tasted one little bit of it on a fork. The taste was amazing. The sweet potates were not sweet. Instead they were savory and garlicy and beefy. They were awesome. I was then inspired to mash them. And mash them I did and I actually enjoyed them tremendously!!!

If I were to make the Yams/Sweet Potatoes again, this is what I would do.

Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes
makes 6 servings

3 yams or sweet potatoes (each chopped in 3 or 4 pieces)
Water to cover potates
3 tbs beef base
1 tbs minced garlic
1 tsp italian seasonings
1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
a few good shakes ground red pepper
1 can Bud Light beer
1/4 cup butter in slabs

Boil potatoes in beef broth and Bud Light with Italian Seasonings and garlic, over high heat until potato chunks are fork tender. Remove potato pieces from pot. Place in your mixing bowl. Mix until blended adding a slab of butter and mixing a bit after each addition. Add a little of the broth to make the mashed consistancy to your liking. Sprinkle a little salt and red pepper over mashed taters and mix again. Enjoy!

You are Welcome!

Roasted Zucchini and Carrots

Trader Joe's had Zucchini Squash. I couldn't resist. I know in just a few short months, my Dad's garden will have an abundance of the green gems, but I needed a zucchini fix. So I bought some. Here is what I did with it.

Roasted Zucchini and Carrots

Zucchini
Carrots
Olive oil
Lawry's Garlic Salt
Onion Powder
Celery Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Clean the zucchini and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Slice carrots. Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking oil spray. Arrange a layer of zucchini and carrot rounds on the bottom. Season with the seasonings. Drizzle a little olive oil over the vegetables. Arrange another layer and do the same. Pop in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Check on it at the 30 minute mark to see how the cooking process is going. You want them to be fork soft. Remove from oven when the are cooked to your liking. Serve them up with whatever you'd like.

Wedge Salad

What is a Wedge Salad? Crisp cool lettuce wedged and topped with yummy things. The first time I was presented a wedge salad my eyebrows got a little bent and eyeballs did a double take. I wasn't sure if the wedge of iceberg bothered me or what. I had never seen, nor heard of a wedge salad. But I tried it. It was fantastic! The vinaigrette dripped down into the wedge. The toppings just perfect and the crispness of the iceberg was amazing. To be quite honest, eating a wedge salad is easy. Date friendly. You don't have to worry about the size of lettuce. You have control of the amount of lettuce that makes it to your fork as you get to cut it.

Simple Wedge Salad
Serves 4-6 depending on appetites

One head of iceberg, root area removed. Rinsed and cleaned.
4 pieces cooked bacon crumbled
1 cup Kraft Natural Three Cheese crumbles
Mustard Vinaigrette
Fresh cracked pepper

Cut iceberg into 4 to six wedges. Rinse each wedge and dry with a paper towel. Place wedges onto their own salad plate. Pour dressing over wedge. Top with equal amounts of toppings. Crack pepper on top of each wedge before serving.

Bleu Wedge Salad
Serves 4-6 depending on appetites

One Head of Iceberg, root area removed. Rinsed and cleaned.
One cooked and cooled spicy sausage sliced and chopped in pie pieces
Bleu Cheese crumbles
Bleu Cheese dressing
Fresh cracked pepper

Cut iceberg into 4 to six wedges. Rinse each wedge and dry with a paper towel. Place wedges onto their own salad plate. Pour dressing over wedge. Top with equal amounts of toppings. Crack pepper on top of each wedge before serving.

Fancy Strawberry Wedge Salad

One Head of Iceberg, root area removed. Rinsed and cleaned,
1/2 cup strawberries (quartered)
1/2 cup feta crumbles
1/2 cup candied pecans or walnuts
White Wine Vinaigrette

Cut iceberg into 4 to six wedges. Rinse each wedge and dry with a paper towel. Place wedges onto their own salad plate. Pour dressing over wedge. Top with equal amounts of toppings.

Serve these tasty, crisp unique salads and watch your guests faces. It will be rather entertaining.

Barbecued Potatoes and Barbecued Maui Onions

Sounds a bit weird but both are awesome! These are a huge part of our camping cuisine.

Barbecued Potatos

potatos that have been microwaved until soft sided
olive oil spray
garlic salt
pepper
aluminum foil

Tear a piece of aluminum foil that would fit the potato. Place your potato on the foil. Spray potato with olive oil and then sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Wrap your potato. Do this until you have the desired amount of potatos.

Put your foil wrapped potatos on the grill and cook 3-5 minutes on a side.

Remove from the grill and carefully peel off foil and top your potato with your favorite fixins. These are fantastic and receive 5 star reviews each time they are served.

Barbecued Maui Onions

Maui Onions
butter tabs
salt and pepper
aluminum foil

Trim ends and peel the outside layer off your onion. Make slits across the top of onion that form the shape of a asteric. Place onion on a sheet of aluminum foil. Place butter tabs in the slits. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put these on the grill when you start cooking the meat. They are so good and will carmelize a bit if cooked long enough. Enjoy!

Grilled Asparagus

It's green and it's healthy. There are many things you can do with Asparagus. Below are two quick and easy recipes that you can cook on your grill. Little preparation and big on taste.

Larry's Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

2 dozen Asparagus Spears rinsed and trimmed
12 slices Prosciutto cut in half so you have two long strips
cream cheese room temperature

Spread a little cream cheese on the spear about a half inch below the fancy part running along the length of spear. Take your prosciutto strip and wrap the spear, making sure the top of the prosciutto attaches to the cream cheese and then fasten on the end also.

Do this until ingredients are used up. Place spears on a heated grill and turn until the prosciutto is heated and a bit crispy.

Garlic Grilled Asparagus

24 Asparagus Spears rinsed and plain end trimmed
Olive oil spray
Lawry's Garlic Powder

Line up your spears on a plate if you are going to grill them directly on the grill. If you are going to steam them in aluminum foil on the grill, line your spears on a generous piece of aluminum foil. Spray your spears with olive oil, roll spears a bit and spray other side. Then sprinkle with Lawry's Garlic Powder. Depending on your cooking method grill without foil for 5 to 10 minutes. Cook in the foil for 10 to 15.

Serve with whatever else you choose to grill and enjoy!

Yummy Garlic Bread

Oh, the WalMart sure has some fun choices for bread. Italian style with herbs or sesame seeds. Sourdough, French, and the yummiest of all that I have found there... Whole Wheat French Loaf. It is simply delish. Oh and at $1.50 a loaf you can't beat it. Originally, I was going to make a big ole sandwich out of it, but tonight I made Yummy Garlic Bread to accompany Cheese Raviolis and Marinara sauce with a little Chipoltle ham in it. Um um umm.

Yummy Garlic Bread

One loaf Whole Wheat bread from the WalMart cut horizontally into two pieces
Butter, softened
Italian Herbs in a grinder
Garlic Powder
salt

Spread some butter on both halves of the bread. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Grind some Italian Herbs on the bread. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Pop in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Cut into slices and serve with Pasta, or salad or with Steak and taters. Enjoy!

Mmmm Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes. Who doesn't like Mashed Potatoes? One major Turkey Day component is Potatoes. Weither you whip or mash them, they are simply fantastic! This year I tried two ways to make my potatoes.

Mmmm Mashed Potatoes

Boiled Russet Potatoes
Butter
Buttermilk
Salt and Pepper

Put your hot cooked potatoes in a bowl. Mash them with a potato masher. Add butter and mash some more. Slowly add buttermilk and mash and stir. Add a little buttermilk until the potatoes are the right consistency. Add salt and Pepper to taste. Put your potatoes in an insulated dish or put them in a small crock pot to keep them warm.

Spicy Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

Boiled Red Potatoes with the skins on
Butter
Buttermilk
Garlic Salt and Pepper
Small chunks of Pepper Jack cheese

Place your potatoes in a bowl. Mash them. Add butter. Mash and stir. Add buttermilk and stir until potatoes are the right consistency. Season your mashed potatoes to taste. Stir in chunks of cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Three Thanksgiving Vegetable Sides for Vegetarians or Everyone

Below you will find three holiday sides that are sure to tempt any guest's pallete. Sides are important meal options. The Turkey cannot stand alone without his supporting actors.


Trader Joe's Green Bean Casserole

6 tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for dish
1 medium onion
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
24 oz bag Trader Joe's frozen French Green Beans
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
8 oz. Trader Joe's Gourmet Fried Onion pieces

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp. butter. Add onion and saute until it begins to soften about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms, and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Set aside to cool.

Cook French Green Beans according to directions on the bag. Melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour, whisk constantly until mixture begins to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Pour in milk, and continue whisking until mixture has thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in remaining Salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Pour over beans and toss to combine.Butter a 9" x 13" glass dish and spread the green bean mixture.Heat broiler, positioning rack about 8 inches from heat. Cook casserole, covered, until mixture is bubbly and heated through, about 10 minutes. Uncover, and cook until top is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle Trader Joe's Gourmet Fried onion pieces over top and serve.



Broccoli Casserole Bonnie Olson

Steamed broccoli (2 bags Trader Joe's Broccoli in the bag) with butter
1 can cream of broccoli soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-2 cups cheese

Mix together in a bowl. Grease a casserole dish and spread broccoli mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top of casserole. Bake at 375 degrees or until bubbly.


This side will knock your socks off. Way way too good to be vegetables!



Cheesy Vegetable Bake From Robby's Auntie Paula

3 Roma Tomatoes sliced
1 large green bell pepper (sliced in rings)
1 large yellow bell (sliced in rings)
1 large red bell pepper (sliced in rings)
1 large onion sliced into rings
Olive oil spray
lemon juice
Lawry's garlic salt
1 pound grated mozzarella cheese

Spray the bottom of casserole dish with olive oil. Place veggie slices in the dish. Sprinkle with the garlic salt. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top. Bury the veggies with the mozzarella cheese. Pop it in a 350 degree F oven until cheese is melted bubbly and a bit golden brown. Serve it. YOU will love it. That is if you love tomatoes, bell peppers and onion. This makes a beautiful addition to any holiday plate.

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. Crazy how time flies. Below you will find two sides. Both have one ingredient in common, corn.

My Dad LOVES Scalloped Corn. My Grandma John would make it for him. He loved it. It was and is one of his favorite Holiday side dishes. The recipe calls for simple ingredients. My Grandma never really wrote her recipes down. She was a bit of this and a bit of that cook. Everything she made was magic, both baking and cooking.

My Version of Dad's Favorite Scalloped Corn

1 can Green Giant Cream Style Corn
1/4 cup yellow corn
1/4 cup white corn
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. sugar
a few shakes salt
a few twists fresh cracked pepper
1 package (tube) of Ritz Crackers (broken to bits)
1 egg

Mix the above ingredients well. Pour into small greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees F until set and golden brown.

Dad rated 5Star on 11/25/04


This side is one of my favorites and the color combinations on the plate are so lovely. The taste of this corn is so yummy. No one ever complains about it.

Herb Corn

2 cups yellow corn
2 cups white corn
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 tsp dill weed
1 tsp italian seasonings
1 tsp garlic salt

Combine ingredients. Microwave or place in oven until warmed through.

Red Rice

When in Kansas, I made Red Rice to go with Flautas for dinner. In the past I have used salsa but my Sister suggested tomato paste. I have not used tomato paste much. But the Red Rice was amazing.

Red Rice

1 1/2 cups white rice
2 Tbs butter
Half a can of tomato paste
Garlic Salt
Pepper
3 cups chicken broth

In a medium saucepan, melt butter and add rice. Stir. Cook on medium to high heat to coat rice with butter and toast it a bit. Add tomato paste and seasonings. Stir. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Serve with whatever you'd like. It is very tasty!

Zucchini Cakes Thanks to Ree and Ryan

Zucchini Cakes. Hmm? Is that kinda like a pancake but with Zucchini instead of flour?

The Pioneer Woman has done it again, introducing Delicious foods and now with her guest blogger Ryan. Ryan was kind enough to concoct something so wonderful and share with PW's groupies. Thanks to Ryan and Ree. Check out Ryan's Zucchini Cakes at http://www.thepioneerwomancooks.com/. Below you will find my version with Ryan's inspiration.

Herbed Garlic Zucchini Cakes

2 cups shredded garden fresh zucchini
1/2 cup garlic and herb bread crumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp basil
1 egg (with white things gone)
salt and pepper
a few shakes Lawry's Garlic Salt

Olive oil
ketchup or marinara sauce or ranch dressing or some kind of yogurt dip

In a mixing bowl, combine zucchini, crumbs and cheese. Add the garlic and spices and stir. Now add the egg and stir until all ingredients are combined well. Pour olive oil into a fry pan, enough oil to fry one side at a time. Heat until zuke will sizzle.

Using a table spoon scoop a heaping blob of the zuke mix, take another table spoon and smash that into a patty. Yes, spoon your zucchini cake. Place zuke patty onto the pool of hot oil. Cook for about 2 minutes until the cake is browned. Flip and do the same to the other side. Serve immediately with whichever dip you chose.

Enjoy! They are crunchy, a little cheesy and just so darn tasty! Rob is not home yet. I will post his opinion once he eats one of these babies.

Garlic Garden Fresh Zucchini

Do you have leftover zucchini and need to find a way to use it up? Cut it into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and make this tasty side dish.

Garlic Garden Fresh Zucchini serves 2

2 zucchini sliced into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices
Lawry's garlic salt
fresh lemon slices to squeeze

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sorry no exact measurements for this side dish, it is very easy and hard to mess up. Spray the bottom of small casserole dish with olive oil. Place zucchini slices in a layer. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Layer some more zucchini. Sprinkle with a little more garlic salt. Squirt fresh lemon juice on top of that. Cover with foil and pop it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Serve alongside whatever!

Fantastic Pasta Salad

Pasta Salad! Oh, am I a fan. I love Pasta Salad with Italian Dressing. (NO, mayo on my pasta, please!) It has been my favorite for years.

Jamie's Fantastic Pasta Salad

1 16 oz box any type of Pasta (I used Disney's Pirate Pasta with cool shapes, a skull, treasure chest, pirates...)

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. coarse ground pepper
1/4 tsp. regular salt
1/2 tbs. McCormick's Italian Pepper and Onion Seasoning blend
2 Tbs. Italian Seasonings

1/2 cup cubed Gallo Salami
1/2 cup chopped reduced fat string cheese
1/2 cup cubed Pepper Jack Cheese (you can use any types of cheese you want)
1/4 cup chopped peperoncini rings
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 small can sliced black olives (optional)

Boil your pasta with a little salt. Once cooked according to directions on the box. Drain and rinse and set aside. Mix the Italian Dressing Ingredients and set aside.

Once the pasta has cooled toss it in a bowl or gallon size Ziploc bag. Pour Italian Dressing over pasta and toss. Add remaining ingredients and stir or shake bag after each addition. Put your Fantastic Pasta Salad in the refrigerator for an hour or two so the flavors can blend. Serve with a Sandwich (Mmm Monte Cristo) or Marinated Tri tip or whatever your little heart desires.

You can tame down the spiciness of the Fantastic Pasta Salad by omitting the Pepper Jack, peperoncinis, and adjust the seasonings.

Easy Microwave Rice

Yep, it's easy. It might be a bit weird for you rice people who cook your rice in a steamer or on the stove. This way is simple, gets a pot off the stove, one less appliance to store, and its just easy!

Easy Microwave Rice

1 1/2 cup Rice (white, brown, Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley)
olive oil
3 cups water or broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a microwave safe glass bowl, dump rice and add a tablespoon or so olive oil. Stir. Heat your water or broth. Pour heated liquid over rice and stir. Place bowl in the microwave and cook on high for 20 minutes. When rice is done. Fluff and set aside. After about 5 minutes serve.

To make
Spanish Style Microwave Rice

1 1/2 cup Rice (white, brown, Trader Joe's Basmati Rice Medley)
olive oil
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilis
1/4 cup frozen corn
1 3/4 cup water or broth
salt and pepper to taste

In a microwave safe bowl, dump rice and add a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Stir. Add can of Rotel and corn. Stir. Heat broth or water and add. Stir rice mixture. Season. Microwave for 20 minutes on high. When rice is done, fluff with fork. Cool for about 5 minutes and serve.