Quick Italian Fix.

I love Italian food, but was led to believe it takes hours to prepare. Not true, my quick fix Manicotti is fast, easy, and delicious!
I make a marinara I call Pantry Marinara, it comes from ingredients I keep as pantry staples. In a saucepan combine a 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes with a half teaspoon each, salt, black pepper, onion powder and one teaspoon garlic powder and a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. Adjust these seasonings to your taste. You can add a can of sliced mushrooms if you'd like. Simmer until it reaches the consistency you like.
Boil 8 manicotti noodles until al dente, drain and cool.
Mix 15 ounce tub of Ricotta, 16 ounces of shredded Mozzarella, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 2 eggs. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Pipe cheese mixture into noodles and arrange in a 9x13 baking pan. Top with marinara, cover with foil and bake at 325 for 30 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with more shredded Mozzarella and bake uncovered for another 15 minutes. Cheese will be melted and bubbly. Serve with tossed salad and cheesy garlic bread.

More Butt.

My Mom makes meat pies out of "whatever's in the icebox", so I figured I'd try them with the butt. I just took some of the pork butt and chopped it up, I added some spices, some of the pan juice, and shredded cheese. I then put the mix in pie crust and baked it until it was golden. I used chili powder and pepper jack cheese, so the addition of sliced avocado and a dollop of sour cream was just the ticket. Use your imagination and enjoy the versatility of this wonderful and inexpensive cut of meat!

Chicken Fried Chicken.

This is my favorite way to fry chicken! Take boneless chicken breasts and pound them out to tenderize and even them out. Season with salt and pepper. I do a triple dip because my favorite part is the crust! For 2 breasts, make an egg wash out of 1 egg and 1/4 cup of milk in a pie pan or similar dish. In another pie pan put 1 cup of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Take the breasts and dip them in the flour then the egg, repeat 2 or 3 times ending with the flour. Fry the coated breasts in oil turning once or twice until golden. Serve with cream gravy.

My Butt.

The pork butt I put on with the chicken was left on about 3 hours. It got good and crusty on the outside. I then took it off and put it in my Crock Pot on low and forgot about it. Around 8-10 hours later, I had a beautiful piece of meat. You'll know it's ready when it falls off the bone! The 3 hours on the grill left a wonderful smoke ring and a great taste! The Crock Pot cooked it low and slow, key to moist and tender BBQ. I only used a rub at this point, so the meat can be used as a roast, in tamales, as sandwiches, or any number of ways. The juice that comes off in the Crock Pot makes a great gravy.
I chose in the picture above, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Just take a hunk, chop it up as fine as you like and add your favorite BBQ sauce. Serve it on a bun with a slice of cheddar cheese and you have an easy way to satisfy any BBQ craving

Happy 4TH of July!!

We're cooking out today like everybody else! I'm going to bar-b-que some chicken and put a pork butt on too! That, with potato salad, deviled eggs, baked beans and brownies, should just about kill us!

Brownies:
by Tweety Grams
40 min 15 min prep
Serves 8 -10
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
The first 3 ingredients cook over a stove on medium heat, till margarine melts. Remove from heat, add the eggs and vanilla. Then add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the walnuts. Put in a greased 8 inch squared pan, bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
This is the glaze that goes with the recipe, I substituted home-made chocolate icing.
Cocoa Glaze:
1 cup icing sugar (aka: confectioners or powdered)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 tablespoons margarine (soft)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Combine icing sugar, and cocoa powder. Beat in margarine, add 1-2 tbsps of boiling water to make a smooth glaze.
© 2009 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com/

Texas Breakfast Biscuit

This is a basic biscuit recipe. 1/2 cup shortening cut into 2 cups of self-rising flour, and add 1 cup of milk or buttermilk. Turn out on a well floured surface and knead lightly. Roll about 1/2 inch thick and cut with biscuit cutter (for these, I used a really big one). Place, sides touching, in a greased baking dish. Brush tops with melted butter and bake @ 450 for about 20 minutes. This biscuit is topped with a 4 oz. sausage pattie, 2 scrambled eggs, and sliced cheddar cheese. That's a Texas sized breakfast!!