{ Mushroom Swiss Burgers }

It's Friday night and the kids and I were in the mood for some burgers, but instead of going out and spending money, I threw these together.

They're so good and there's really no difference between these and a Mushroom Swiss Burger you may find at a take out place.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Swiss Burgers

1 1/2 pound ground beef
bacon bits
salt
garlic powder
pepper
white wine
swiss cheese slices
sliced mushrooms
2 T. butter
2 t. Worcestershire sauce

In a bowl, mix together, ground beef, bacon bits, salt, garlic powder, pepper and a little bit of white wine (just enough to bind the ingredients, don't make it soggy).

Shape into 6 burger patties and either grill, or fry on the stovetop in a non stick skillet.

Cover with lid and cook for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese and cook just until it begins to melt.

Saute mushrooms in butter, pepper and Worcestershire Sauce. Cook for a minute or two until they start to brown. Remove from heat.

I like to slather on some mayonnaise on my buns *snort* before putting the burger and topping with the sauteed mushrooms.

Yum!

Bacon, Honey Mustard Chicken

Do you know that delicious Monterey Chicken from Chili's, one that is very similar to the Aussie Chicken from Outback too?

I've made it a couple times and even have it posted here on my blog.

Here's a slightly different version.....oh and if the thought of frying the chicken breasts in the bacon grease sends you into the fetal position and crying in pain, don't.

You can omit that part and fry it on a non stick skillet.......OR.......you can throw caution to the wind and do it in the bacon grease, cause you know, you don't have to do this every single day, once in a while it's good to drown in bacon fat, right?

Bacon, Honey Mustard Chicken

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like the thin sliced so that I don't have to pound it down)
Bacon (I do 2 slices per chicken breast)
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. Dijon mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. salt
pepper to taste
American cheese slices (1 per breast)


Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix together Honey, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper, in a medium bowl.

Rinse chicken breast and pat dry. If you didn't get the thin sliced breasts, then pound the chicken breast between 2 sheets of wax paper until about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick.

Add chicken to the marinade bowl, swish around a bit to cover completely and set aside.
Fry the bacon in a skillet, remove when cooked and set aside.

Keep the bacon grease in the pan. Pour off the excess marinade and fry the chicken, 3 pieces or so, at a time, for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.

Transfer to a baking sheet covered in foil. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then remove. Place two pieces of bacon on each chicken breast, then top with a slice of cheese.

Return to the oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
Serve immediately.I served mine with garlic mashed potatoes. YUM!

{ Cowboy Lasagna - Trisha Yearwood }

I just don't even know what to do with myself anymore, might be best to just embrace the fact that I'll probably gain 20 lbs by the time I'm done making all these delicious recipes.

This is another one that is now a favorite around here.

Trisha calls for sage flavored sausage, but we prefer maple, so that's what I used. I also halved the recipe since it makes for 12 servings and that is just way too much for us.

But man alive, this is delicious. YUM!

COWBOY LASAGNA
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

1 pound lean ground beef, chuck or round
1 pound sage-flavored sausage
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sliced pepperoni
1 (16-ounce) can tomatoes, diced or stewed
1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
16 ounces lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large, heavy skillet, lightly brown ground beef, sausage, onion and garlic in the oil. Be sure to keep the meat chunky, not finely separated, while cooking. Drain the meat. Add pepperoni, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, salt, pepper and oregano. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Cook and drain lasagna noodles according to package directions.

In a 13 x 9-inch pan, spread 1 cup of the prepared sauce. Alternate layers of noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, ending with sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbling.

Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

You know, I should just take the advice from Kelly and do a recipe a day, work through Trisha's cookbook just like Julie and Julia LOL

Well here's another winner.

Let me start by saying that I'm not a big Mac and Cheese fan, matter of fact, I can NOT handle the boxed stuff it's just....ugh, it's gross, far as I'm concerned.

But I do love a good homemade macaroni and cheese though some recipes are a little too cheesy for me or bland or whatever.

When I saw this recipe in Trisha Yearwood's new cookbook, I knew I had to try because so far I have not found one recipe I haven't liked, she does my kind of home cooking.

YUM-MY! It is so good, even my husband had seconds and he HATES macaroni and cheese. My 7 year old licked his lips and thought it was the best thing ever, he's the mac and cheese lover in the house and has now stated that he does not want the boxed kind anymore LOL

Go ahead, give it a try, but please don't do what I do, don't try to hog the thing for yourself, be nice and share with the family LOL

CROCKPOT MACARONI AND CHEESE
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood
Serves 12

8 ounces elbow macaroni, cooked (I didn't cook mine, just threw it in with everything else)
1 12 ounce can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
2 10 ounce bricks sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 5 cups)
dash of paprika

In a large 4-quart crockpot sprayed with cooking spray, mix the macaroni, milks, eggs, butter, salt, pepper, and all but 1/2 cup of the grated cheese.

Sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top of the mixture and then sprinkle with paprika. Cook on low heat for 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Turn off the crockpot, stir the mixture, and serve hot.

{ Trisha Yearwood's Baked Spaghetti }

Ok I give up, there is no recipe in this cookbook that I have disliked or found to be weird or using ingredients that I don't have on hand.

See I'm not a chef, I'm a mom and a wife who loves cooking, who learned how to cook with my greatgrandmother/grandmother/stepmom, therefore, I'm all about using every day ingredients, things we have on hand, I'm not big into gourmet stuff.

This book was made for me, no really, I'm sure Trisha Yearwood was thinking of me when she decided to print this, or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tonight's dinner, Baked Spaghetti. Nothing special right? We've all had baked spaghetti before, matter of fact I have another version here on my blog, equally delicious but I still have to say, this new one is just OH.MY.

NOTE: I halved this recipe, it's only 4 of us and this would have been way too much food.

BAKED SPAGHETTI
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped bell pepper
3 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes with liquid
1 2.25-ounce can sliced ripe black olives, drained
1–2 tablespoons dried oregano, according to taste
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
12 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (5 ounces)
1 10-ounce can cream of mushroom soup
¼ cup water
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch baking dish.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon until slightly crisp, then cut it into smaller pieces. Remove the bacon and sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in the bacon drippings until tender. Add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, bacon, and the cooked beef. Simmer this mixture, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Place half of the spaghetti in the prepared pan. Top the spaghetti with half of the vegetable-beef mixture. Sprinkle this layer with 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers. Mix the canned soup and water until smooth, and pour over the casserole. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through.

This entrée is also good if you substitute mozzarella cheese for the cheddar

Hot Corn Dip

Oh boy, I think by the time I'm done making all the recipes from Trisha's cookbook, I'll be about 50 lbs heavier LOL

But I can't help it, they are so good, like this Hot Corn Dip that I'm actually munching on while I type, forget about making dinner, this is not only filling but SO delicious. YUM!

HOT CORN DIP
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

Serves 12

2 11-ounce cans Mexican corn, drained
2 4½-ounce cans chopped green chiles, drained
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
Corn chips, for dipping


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 × 13 × 2-inch casserole dish.

In a medium bowl, mix the corn, chiles, cheeses, and mayonnaise until fully combined.

Spread the mixture in the prepared casse¬role dish and bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbly around the edges.

Serve the dip warm from the oven with corn chips.

Sweet and Saltines

Oh man oh man oh man, I almost wish I hadn't found this recipe, I've eaten far too many of these and I can't stop. Crack I tell ya, it's crack in the form of chocolate, caramel and saltine crackers.

Another great recipe from Trisha's new book.

SWEET AND SALTINES
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

40 saltine crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup light brown sugar
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (about 1 1/3 cups)

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line a large jellyroll pan with aluminum foil and the saltine crackers.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the eat and pour over the crackers, covering them evenly.

Put the jellyroll pan into the oven and watch closely.

Bake for 4 to 5 minutes, or until just bubbly. Remove from oven and pour the chocolate chips over the crackers. When the chips melt a bit, spread them over the crackers with a knife.

Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until completely cold. They will form one big sheet. Break up into pieces. Store into an airtight container.

NOTE: When you go to break into pieces, if the foil is sticking to the crackers, pop back into the freezer for a while longer. I actually let mine sit for about an hour and the foil came right off.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I recently bought the new Trisha Yearwood cookbook "Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood" and after browsing through it just a few minutes, I realized that there is not one single recipe on there that I am not going to try.

It's such a good cookbook, from the easy home cooked meals using ingredients we all have laying around, to the wonderful family stories. Go out and get it if you don't own it yet, it's worth it.

Here's the first recipe I tried, I've made Baked Potatoes before but these were so good. Thumbs up!

TWICE-BAKED POTATOES
Credit: Home Cooking with Trisha Yearwood

6 large baking potatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups sour cream
10 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 tablespoon garlic salt
salt and pepper
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Wash the potatoes and pierce them with a fork. Rub the potatoes with the olive oil and place them on a jellyroll pan or a large cookie sheet with a rim. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to an hour, or until done. Remove the potatoes from the oven and cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 350 F.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop out the potato flesh into a large electric mixing bowl. Add the milk, butter, sour cream, cheese, garlic salt, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until creamy. Divide the mixture evenly and spoon it back into potato shells. Return the potatoes to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and garnish with the bacon and green onion.

Pork in a Creamy Wine Sauce

I was not feeling well yesterday so when dinner time rolled around, the last thing I wanted to do was be standing over the stove cooking anything.

I had some pork stew meat out and just threw this dish together, the result was a really delicious creamy dish that we all loved.

Pork in a Creamy Wine Sauce

1 lb pork stew cubes (if you can't find the cubed pork, you can also use some boneless pork chops cut into bite size pieces)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
olive oil
bay leaf
salt and pepper
white wine
butter
heavy cream

In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, the pork, garlic, onions, salt and pepper and bay leaf. Cook for a minute or two, then add about 1 cup of white wine.

Cover and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through. Keep checking often, don't let it dry up, just add a little bit of water at a time and a few blobs (lol) of butter.

Once the meat is cooked, add some heavy cream. Now I know I'm not giving you exact amounts because I just eyeball these things.

The more cream you add the more gravy you'll have, so it's entirely up to you. Add a tablespoon or so of flour and using a whisk stir really well until it is all dissolved, you don't want any lumps, just a smooth creamy gravy.

When gravy is thickened, remove from heat, add a little bit of parsley and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

It is SO tasty and really filling. Enjoy!

Ham, Cheese, Sausage Rolls

Rolinhos de Fiambre Recheados - Another Portuguese recipe to add to your list.

This is such a quick dish to throw together, it's great as a snack or as a light meal, served with salad, homemade fries or rice.

And that is exactly what we had for dinner last night, my kids and hubby devoured these, they were amazed that something so simple could taste so good.

Hope you enjoy it too!

Ham, Cheese and Sausage Rolls - Rolinhos de Fiambre Recheados

8 hotdogs (if your ham slices are small, then cut them in half, like I did)
8 slices of ham
8 slices of cheese (I used both American and Pepper Jack)
Mustard
2 eggs, beaten
flour
breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder

In a bowl, beat the eggs and add the spices, mix well. In another bowl add flour and in another one, the breadcrumbs. We're going to use these to dip the ham rolls in.

Lay a slice of ham flat on a cutting board. Top with a slice of cheese. Squeeze some mustard onto the two, you don't need a lot but enough to hold everything together. Our mustard is going to act as the glue.

On one edge of the cheese slice, lay the hotdog and then roll up gently. Set aside and proceed with the rest of the ingredients.

What I love about this is that you can make as many or as little as you want. If you have more people just double the recipe, but you can also make just 2 or 3 of these if it's just for you.

Once all the rolls are done. Start by rolling in the flour, then dip in the egg mixture, then roll in the breadcrumbs. Now you'll notice that the sides will be open, I just dip those in the egg too and make sure to cover with breadcrumbs.

Fry in hot oil until golden brown. That's it.

You can also make these ahead of time and freeze them until you're ready to fry them up.

Enjoy!