Tuna Salad

I know everyone has a recipe for Tuna Salad. And their recipe or family recipe is the best. But if you are looking for something different, here is a twist on another family recipe. This is pretty much how my Mom makes tuna or chicken salad. The only difference is I add sweet pickle relish and use Jane's crazy salt. I like the extra sweetness from the relish. I also like the herbs the Jane's crazy salt adds. This recipe work for almost any protein too. I have used shrimp and ham, both were delicious. Be sure to be patient and let it chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. It is great as a sandwich or with crackers. I really like to stuff a tomato with it or put a big scoop in a lettuce cup. It makes for a great lunch.

Tuna Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

12 oz can of chunk light or white tuna in water, drained and flaked

2 eggs, hard boiled and diced

2 green onions, sliced

1 rib of celery, chopped fine

1 heaping tsp dill pickle relish

1 heaping tsp sweet pickle relish

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp light mayonnaise

Jane’s crazy mixed up salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

Place eggs in a small pot cover with cold water. Bring to boil over high heat. When rapidly boiling turn off heat but leave pot on the burner. Set timer for 12 minutes. Meanwhile place other ingredients except seasoning in a mixing bowl.

When 10 minutes has passed, rinse eggs with cold water. Add ice cubes to pot and fill with cold water to cover. Let rest 5 minutes, then drain and they should peel very easily. Dice or smash eggs with the tines of a fork. Add to mixing bowl.

Mix well and season with salt and peppers to taste. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to blend flavors. Serve on bread for sandwiches, with crackers or stuffed in a ripe tomato.

Variations:

Substitute can or cooked shredded chicken, shredded turkey, can salmon, crab, shrimp, or finely diced ham for tuna.

Add chopped parsley.

Substitute chopped chives, shallots or purple onions for green onions.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Mommy on Demand: Create it or Bake it
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Tuna
My Pinterventures: Summer Salads Party

Wendy's Chili

I found this recipe in one of those emails with a pdf file of copycat recipes. They claim it as the Wendy’s Chili recipe. It is really close to the chain’s recipe, maybe better. I have changed it a little over the years. They used ground chuck, half an onion and 2 tablespoon of celery. I use lean beef and whole vegetables. I really dis-like left over nubbins of veggies left around. It is a really great recipe. I have made it with beef, turkey and venison all wonderful. I even used this recipe as the base for my Smokey Beef and Vegetable Chili. Growing up we always used a chili seasoning packet. I don’t think I could ever go back. This recipe is just as easy and so very good. I hope you will give it a try one day.

Wendy's Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients

Drizzle of olive oil (about 1 Tbsp.)

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 (15 oz.) can of diced tomatoes (liquid included)

1 (15 oz.) can of red kidney beans (liquid drained)

1 (15 oz.) can of pinto beans (liquid drained)

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 small onion, diced

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies (with liquid)

1 rib celery, chopped

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup water

Directions

Heat a Dutch oven to medium high heat. Drizzle with olive oil and crumbled ground beef into the pot. Brown beef over medium heat breaking into small pieces with a spoon. When beef is brown, add the remaining ingredients stirring to combine thoroughly. Over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and continue simmering covered 50−60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve and enjoy!

Linking to:

Life on Lakeshore Drive: Bouquet of Talent Linky Party

My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup

Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays

Mommy On Demand: Create it or Bake it

Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesday with a Twist

Ma Niche: Tasty Tuesday

Tumbleweed Contessa: 2014 Super Bowl and Chili Party

Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - American Favorites
My Pinterventures: Souper Bowl 2015 Party

Inside Out Egg Roll [Re-post]

Here are the photos I promised. Sister and I made Inside Out Egg Rolls again. We were going to make Spicy Edamame too but sister forgot them at the store. She went to the store with out a list and forgot all about them. Who does not do this? I forget stuff on my list sometimes [Shaking my head in shame]. LOL!!!

The Inside Out Egg Rolls were delicious yet again! It really does taste like an egg roll without the fried skin. This time we added green onions and sesame seeds to the recipe I originally posted [Click here]. This stir-fry is a great quick meal. Next time I think I will add a few shrimp. YUM!

Inside Out Egg Roll

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 Tbsp canola oil

1/2 a roll of reduced fat pork or turkey breakfast sausage

1 or 2 garlic cloves, grated

1" piece of ginger, grated
1 bag (16 oz.) Cole slaw mix 

Soy sauce (reduced sodium) to taste

1/8 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder

Salt, white pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

Optional garnishes:
Green onions, sliced
Toasted sesame seeds
Fried Chinese noodles

Directions

Sauté sausage in oil until brown. Add garlic, ginger, and slaw mix; saute until it starts to reduce in size. Add soy sauce, five spice powder, salt and peppers to taste. Sauté a little longer and serve. Garnish with any or all garnishes from above.

Linking to:

Life on Lakeshore Drive: Bouquet of Talent Linky Party

My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup

Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays

Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays

Mommy On Demand: Create it or Bake it

Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesday with a Twist

Ma Niche: Tasty Tuesday

Dizzy Busy and Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Quick & Easy

Lasagna Soup

Here is another recipe I found on the Weight Watchers Recipe Review board. It was posted as someone’s lighter version of Paula Deen’s recipe for Taste like Lasagna Soup. Over the years I have made it my own. My Mom always made lasagna with a mix of beef and Italian sausage, so I added fennel seeds, red and black pepper to impart a little of that flavor. It is delicious. I garnish it with just a little cheese that quickly melts from the heat of the soup. This is to keep it on the light side. It is still very cheesy and has those wonderful stretchy cheese strings. If you are not worried about the calories load up on the cheese as Paula intended. Just don’t miss out on this soup. It is so good! Comfort food if you ask me.

Lasagna Soup

Serves 8 -10

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 (14-1/2 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 Tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups dry campanelle or rotini pasta

8 tsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

Heat a large Dutch oven to medium high heat, add olive oil and ground beef. When meat begins to brown, add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook stirring occasionally until beef is browned and onion is translucent. Season beef mixture with salt, black pepper, red pepper, fennel seeds and Italian seasoning. Continue cooking a minute stirring to combine.

Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, brown sugar and chicken broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes.

Add pasta and simmer another 11 minutes or until noodles are tender. Serve in soup bowls topped with 1 tsp. Parmesan and 1 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese.

Note: I prefer campanelle shaped pasta. They look like little “belles” or “lilies”. When they cook they look like broken pieces of lasagna noodles. This shape is not always available so I substitute rotini pasta. This shape looks like a “corkscrew”. [Click here for a link of pasta shapes.]

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Mommy On Demand: The Blog Strut

Horrific Knits: Fall Into the Holidays

Life on Lakeshore Drive: Bouquet of Talent Linky Party

My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup

Call Me PMc: Marvelous Mondays

The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen: Show Me Your Plaid Mondays

Mommy On Demand: Create it or Bake it

Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesday with a Twist

Ma Niche: Tasty Tuesday

Almond Cheesecake 2013

This is our Thanksgiving dessert tradition. It is an amazing cheesecake! The almonds create such a rich flavor you won’t believe this is a lower-calorie cheesecake. I posted it last year put forgot to take pictures. So this year I made sure to rectify that situation. I took tons of photos. This is another must try. You will not be sorry.

Almond Cheesecake

Source: 125 Best Cheesecake Recipes by George Geary's

Serves 10 to 12

Crust:                1-1/2 cups almond cookie crumbs

                        3 Tbsp margarine, melted

Filling:               2 (8 oz) packages Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese,                           softened

                        1 cup lower-fat sour cream

                        1 cup granulated sugar

                        3 eggs

                        3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

                        1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

                        1 tsp vanilla

                        1/4 tsp ground allspice

Decoration:        8 oz lower-fat whipped topping

                        1/4 cup ground almonds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Use a 9-inch springform pan with 3” sides.

Crust: In a medium bowl, combine almond cookie crumbs and margarine. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.

Filling: In a large mixer bowl, beat cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in flour, almonds, vanilla and allspice. Pour over frozen crust. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it. Cool on a rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before decorating.

Decoration: Top with whipped topping and dust with a sprinkling of ground almonds.

Variation: Spike the almond flavor with 2 Tbsp almond liqueur.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving:  Calories 336.1; Total Fat 19.7 g; Saturated Fat 9.2 g; Polyunsaturated Fat 3.1 g; Monounsaturated Fat 6.4 g; Cholesterol 83.0 mg; Sodium 285.1 mg; Potassium 144.7 mg; Total Carbohydrate 31.3 g; Dietary Fiber 0.8 g; Sugars 23.1 g; Protein 8.0 g. 9 WW PointsPlus.

Notes: I used Italian amaretti cookies for the crumbs. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature. This will prevent the cheesecake from cracking. Definitely use the almond liqueur. I used amaretto and added it with the vanilla. This cheesecake can be frozen too. Remove springform ring, wrap in plastic wrap and then foil and place in the freezer. Just allow 24 hours for it to defrost in the refrigerator and wait to decorate just before serving.

NI includes amaretto; however it is calculated with graham crackers not almond cookie. Sparkrecipes did not have a listing for almond cookie.

Linking to:
Mommy On Demand: Create it OR Bake it
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Illinois and Link Party
Dizzy Busy and Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Horrific Knits: Fall Into the Holidays
My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Turkey with Herbes de Provence 2013

I experimented with my turkey recipe this year [Click here for more about this recipe]. I cut out a few steps in the gravy process. I also eliminated the butter from the gravy. I saw some where [maybe the Chew?] that turkey fat had less saturated fat than butter. So I used the turkey fat to saute the mushrooms. It turned out great. No one noticed a difference. I did remember to get photos of the whole bird this year. I also photographed some of the gravy process. If you are looking for a new turkey recipe this one is delicious, tried and true.

Turkey with Herbes de Provence

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 onion, cut into wedges

1 celery rib, cut into pieces

1 carrot, cut into pieces

6 fresh rosemary sprigs

6 fresh sage sprigs

6 fresh oregano sprigs

6 fresh thyme sprigs

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp herbes de Provence

3/4 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

3/4 tsp Tony’s Creole Seasoning

1 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

8 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth (approximate amount)

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

To make the turkey: Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. Place the lemon wedges, onion, celery, carrot and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, seasoned salt, creole seasoning, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. Let turkey stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.

Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy: Remove and discard the solids from the roasting pan. Add mushrooms to the roasting pan and sauté until mushrooms begin to soften. Add chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices. Add the flour to remaining chicken broth and stir until flour is combined. Gradually stir in the roasting pan. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

Linking to:
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist

Deviled Pecans

These are the best spiced pecans ever! We have tried many recipes and once we found this one from Southern Living we stopped looking. Everyone who tries them says they are addictive. They are spicy and so savory. I like that the spice mix just lightly coats the pecans. You get all the flavor and can still enjoy the texture of the pecan. So delicious! They would make a great food gift this Christmas. We always make them for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Trust me you will be happy you made this recipe.

Deviled Pecans

Source: Southern Living

Ingredients

1 lb. pecans

1/3 cup melted butter

2 tsp. hot sauce

2 tsp. Worcestershire

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

1/4 tsp. dried mustard

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place nuts in shallow baking pan. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over nuts and stir well. Bake 20 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking. Let cool on thick paper towels. Store in airtight container.

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
This Gal Cooks: Marvelous Mondays
Mommy On Demand: Create it OR Bake it
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays
Memories by the Mile: Tuesday Trivia-Illinois and Link Party
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Turnips 2 Tangerines: Four Seasons Blog Hop
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Mommy On Demand: The Blog Strut
Horrific Knits: Fall Into the Holidays
My Plate of Crumbs: Random Recipe Roundup
Carole's Chatter: Food on Fridays - Nuts