Enchiladas for everyone!

These are made using low carb tortillas.  No non-low carbers complained.  This is a very tasty dish and higher carb low carb treat.  :)



I followed no particular recipe, just tried to use lower carb ingredients. 

Enchiladas

Ground Beef

Enchilada seasoning

Enchilada sauce or crushed tomatoes

diced onion

Low Carb tortillas

Mexican blend cheese, shredded

Brown the ground beef and onion.  Drain; add the enchilada seasonings and sauce (follow package instructions if using a prepackaged seasoning blend).  Simmer beef mixture.  Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of beef into tortillas, roll up, place into 9 x 13 dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese and bake at 375 º until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

For the Enchiladas with a side of Caesar Salad, Lime, Avocado, Rotel Cheese dip and LC baked tortilla chips, see my low carb page here.

Chicken and Dumplings and Aunt Mary

As children, my brothers and I stayed with my Great Aunt Mary during the summer and after school while my mom worked long hours at a local law firm.  

Summers were so much longer back then and there was always so much to do.  Never a boring moment.  Aunt Mary would keep us busy, either by helping her or by letting us do a craft.  We made beautiful flowers out of colorful layers of toilet tissue (you could buy pale pink and baby blue toilet paper back then :)), colored on paper towels or paper plates, or made small trash cans using egg cartons, yarn, and a tin pie pan. 

 

Sometimes we even sat out on the swing and guessed what color the next car would be.  We couldn't do that today; too many cars fly up and down that road now.

 

On beautiful warm days, we played outside.  We might even help Aunt Mary hang the freshly washed laundry out on the line or maybe work in her garden.  Oh, how I remember the goodness that came from that little vegetable garden out in the back yard behind the chicken coop and shed. 

 

Fresh green beans with baby whole new potatoes fried up in an iron skillet and seasoned with bacon grease.  Ripe, red tomatoes, peeled because Aunt Mary couldn't chew the peeling, and cut into thick slices.  Slimey boiled okra, fried summer squash, green onions, purple hull peas, and in the fall,  roasted sweet potatoes. 

 

That woman had a green thumb and was always working at canning fresh snapped green beans and red tomato relish.



Lunch was her main meal of the day and in the evenings she usually had a few leftovers or some cornbread and gravy and sat at the table writing in her journal as the evening grew darker.

 

I remember as a child loving my Aunt Mary's Chicken & Dumplings.  It was always a treat when we had Chicken & Dumplings.   Thanks for the memories, Aunt Mary.  You will forever live on in our hearts and minds. 

Learn more about my Great Aunt Mary.

 

This is not her exact recipe, but very similar.



This just happens to be my daughters' favorite dish.  Rarely ever do I have any leftovers.

Chicken and Dumplings

1 (3 pound) whole chicken

salt and pepper to taste

3 cups water

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons shortening 

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

Directions:

In a heavy pot with a lid, or a crockpot,  place the chicken, salt, pepper and water.   Simmer all over low heat until tender, about 1 hour, or if using a crock pot, cook on low until done, maybe 3-4 hours.  (My crockpot low is like medium, it's pretty hot)

Let chicken cool slightly in pot, then remove and take the meat off of the bones. Discard the bones and skin and skim excess fat off the broth if desired. Return broth and chicken pieces to the pot. Simmer over low heat while making the dumplings.

To Make Dumplings: In a medium mixing bowl, cut shortening into the flour and salt. Stir in 1/4 cup water (more if needed) to form a soft dough. Roll out dough on a floured surface, with a rolling pin, until thin. Cut into 1 inch wide strips using a pizza cutter or knife. Tear off 1 -2  inch long pieces from these strips and drop into simmering broth.  Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off, then 10 minutes more with the lid on.  Serve immediately.

Simple Suppers

Sometimes some of the best suppers come from the hands of friends and family.

Fried Pork Tenderloin, fresh from the H Farms in Kentucky and courtesy of my dear sister-in-law, Dorothy.  We never leave Dorothy's without a cooler packed with meat and jars of home-canned greenbeans and vegetable soup. 



Longing for simplicity and lacking in time, I decided to fry the fresh pork tenderloin for supper.  It's supper in the South, you know.  Dinner is at noon.  :D

The tomatoes are from my father's garden.  He delivered those to me at work, along with a large bag of sweet bell peppers.  I will slice and freeze most of those for future use. 

To complete the simple meal, I threw together some drop biscuits using a pre-made baking mix.  My girls seem to think that drop biscuits are a gourmet treat.   Gone are the days of actually rolling the dough.  Those are just plain biscuits!  Whatever they want to think.  Drop biscuits are so easy, I don't think I'll explain the difference to them just yet.

Grilled Burgers and Spicy Fries

My Grillmaster lights the grill once again! 

It was a weeknight and I was wanting a simple supper, something that didn't involve messing up a bunch of mixing bowls, pots and pans, and dinner plates.  I didn't feel like the clean-up. 

So I picked up some burgers, already pre-formed!  I was looking for easy, too.   I glanced at the prices of the french fries in the freezer section and remembered the half bag of whole potatoes I had at home just waiting to be turned into delicious homemade fries.

As I went through my mental list at the grocery, I picked up some buns, a Vidalia onion, some iceburg lettuce (I know), and some hamburger sliced dill pickles, our favorite. 

When we arrived home, my Grillmaster set about preparing the grill...charcoal only for him.   I prepared the condiments for the burgers and my youngest daughter scrubbed and helped slice the potatoes for the fries.

What a meal!  I took my mom (who is fighting cancer, on a bunch of meds, and nothing tastes good) a burger.  She ate half of it and declared it was the tenderest grilled burger she'd ever had.



I know the cheese is not melted.  Poor fellow, I forgot to give it to him and it never entered his mind to put some cheese on the burgers those last few seconds on the grill.  So when he brought them in, I took a few of the hottest ones and threw some cheese on them.  

* * * * *

TIP: When we light the grill, we usually do enough meat and veggies for more than one meal.  This night we grilled a huge pack of barbequed chicken legs and some deer tenderloin wrapped with bacon to have another time.  Leftover grilled goodies make for a quick and easy lunch!

Kitchenaids and Potato Soup

Recently I've enlisted the help of my growing daughters in the kitchen.  I'm encouraging them to cook 1 meal a week each, starting out...hopefully to increase to several more in the coming weeks.  They arrive home before I get off work, so they can get a head start on dinner and I won't have so much to do when I get home.

My 13 year old chose the menu for tonight, did the shopping with the help of her daddy, and prepared and cooked most of the meal. 



Her menu:

• Aunt Dorothy's Potato Soup


• Drop Biscuits


• Strawberry Shortcake


• Iced Tea

I thought she did a great job.  The soup was very filling.  I was a little scared that my Handyman would say, "Where's the beef?" but he didn't and was very satisfied with A's menu choice.  I'm very satisfied that I came up with this wonderful idea!  :)

Aunt Dorothy's Potato Soup

8 medium potatoes, diced

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups milk or cream

2 Tbsp cornstarch

celery and carrots (optional)

chopped parsley

Cook potatoes, onions, celery and carrots in boiling, salted water until tender, 20-30 minutes.  Drain the potatoes, add milk.  We used a potatoe masher to smash the potatoes and then stirred the milk into the smashed potatoe mixture.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add cornstarch and parsley.  Simmer until thickened.  Serve topped with your choice of shredded cheese, real bacon pieced, and sliced green onions.

Cheesy Potato Pie

This pie is a result of a "clean out the fridge" night.

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Cheesy Potato Pie

3 lb.  potatoes, peeled & sliced
3/4 stick butter
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. cream
2 eggs
1/2 sm. onion, chopped
Salt & pepper
1 c. Cheddar cheese (1/4 of a pound), grated
1/2cup mozzerella, grated

2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated

2  tbsp. bread crumbs
2 tbsp. butter, cut in pieces

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Butter a glass pie dish. Put potatoes in water and bring to a boil, until potatoes are tender. Drain. Place in buttered pie dish. Dot with butter.  Top with diced tomatoes.  Mix cream, eggs, salt, and pepper.  Add onions. Spoon mixture over potato slices.  Spread evenly. Cover with cheeses and crumb mixture and dot with butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Deer Tenderloin

My Grillmaster is at it again!  This time it's one of his specialties, wild game. 

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Grilled Bacon Wrapped Deer Tenderloin

 

1 lb bacon

1 deer tenderloin, sliced

1 bottle Worchestershire sauce

1 T garlic

1 T lemon pepper

 

Marinate sliced tenderloin in Worchestershire sauce, garlic, lemon pepper for 4 hours or even overnight.  Remove slices from marinade, wrap with 1/2 a slice of bacon and grill over hot coals until done, 8-10 minutes per side.  Serve with a green salad and warm buttered rolls.

 

Optional marinade:  Teriyaki sauce, yum!

 

Tip: If you run out of bacon, skewer the rest of the deer meat with sliced veggies for kebabs.  :)

 

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet (low carb)

Three ingredients! 

That's all it takes to make this delicious low carb dish. 

3 Ingredient Cheesy Burger Skillet
 
1 lb. Ground Beef, cooked and drained
1 can french style green beans, drained
4 oz.  shredded cheese
 
After browning and draining the grease off the ground beef, add the green beans; stir.  Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes or until grean beans appear tender.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Cover for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

*I know I'm bad, but this  is really good with Velveeta cheese, too.  :)

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing

I like to use leftovers and I love salads!

What better way to use up the leftover grilled ribeye steak than on a bed of crispy salad greens and top it with homemade salad dressing, shredded cheddar cheese, and bacon pieces?

We had some leftover steaks  that kinda cooked longer than we like'm to, (it wasn't quite as "done" as it looks in these pics, really) so I decided to make Steak and Onion Salad.

Usually I stir-fry a cheaper cut of steak for this dish.  Sometimes I sauté the onions or sometimes I used fresh green onions or sliced Vidalias.  Sometimes I even throw both on there!  I'm liking onions, okay?

Sorry, there's no real recipe for this.   I just throw together a salad using my favorite salad ingredients, top it with the grilled steak, dressing, and peppercinis.

Steak and Onion Salad with Creamy Homemade Dressing (Lower Carb)

Your favorite salad greens: baby lettuces, radicchio, endive, butter...

I used Fresh Express prepackaged.

Shredded cheddar cheese

real bacon pieces

cucumbers, peeled, sliced, quartered (my DD did this :) )

sliced radishes

grape tomatoes, quartered

sliced yellow onion or green onions

sliced peppercinis.

steak, grilled or stir-fried and sliced into strips

To serve: Toss tomatoes, cucumbers and salad greens and other salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.  Place portions in individual salad bowls.  Add steak and onions.  Serve dressing alongside.

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Ok, don't laugh, this is not a fancy-schmancy recipe, I usually just throw together some type of mayo based salad dressing.  I can't stand the bottled stuff.  Not sure if this is kinda like a homemade Thousand Island, maybe?  Nevertheless, it's pretty good.  :)

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Creamy Homemade Dressing

1/2 cup mayo

1 T Heinz LC ketchup

1 tsp mustard

1 T peppercini juice

a dash of spices: salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 pkt Splenda, optional (if you prefer a sweeter dressing)

Mix all together in a small bowl.  If you prefer a thinner dressing, add some water or milk.

For a great low carb dessert, what about Mini Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Pie?

Ribeyes on the Grill

My Handyman, aka Grillmaster, loves to grill a steak.  Did I tell you about the whole ribeye we found at a meat sale for $2.99 a pound?!  We got 22 steaks out of that almost 15 pound slab of meat.  That comes out to a cost of about $2.00 per steak! 

Handyman does an awesome job.  He usually seasons the steaks with some garlic, lemon pepper, and Season All and lets them sit while the coals are getting hot.  Then depending on the thickness of the steak, he grills it about 6 minutes or so on each side.  That's all it takes. 

The steak he grilled for me Monday was so much better than the one I got a Chile's a few weeks ago.  That steak nowhere resembled or tasted like a Ribeye in any way.  I even mentioned it to the waiter and he talked to both managers and they all insisted it was a ribeye.  It was the strangest shape and was way too dry.  I ate as much as I could around the edge of it, then gave up.  It will be a long time before I go to Chile's again, even if I do love their Chili Con Queso in those little cast iron skillets.

What is your favorite beef steak? Do you prefer a ribeye or T-bone, or perhaps another cut?

Chicken Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo

What else to do on a cold snowy Sunday than cook?!

My oldest daughter loves "white" sauce on her pasta.  She loves to go to CeCe's Pizza, not for the pizza but for the pasta and Alfredo Sauce.  She loves this dish, without the broccoli, of course. 

Chicken Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo (Low Carb)

4-6 chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, stewed & cut into small pieces
1 small package frozen broccoli, steamed until tender
1/2  lb fettucine pasta, boiled, drained (I used Dreamfields)
Alfredo sauce (see recipe below)

In a large pan on medium-high heat, stew the chicken thighs until done, 45 minutes to an hour.  Remove from pan to cool. Add fettucine to broth and cook until done, about 12 minutes; drain.  In the meantime, chop the chicken into bite size pieces. 

Mix together the chicken, steamed  broccoli, fettucine pasta, and the Alfredo Sauce.  Spoon into dish and top with grated Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Alfredo Sauce

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese - freshly grated
1/2 teaspoon salt
Ground white pepper
Dash of ground nutmeg

Place butter and cream in large skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook and stir until butter melts and mixture bubbles; cook and stir two minutes more. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in cheese until thoroughly blended and smooth. Return briefly to low heat to completely blend cheese, stirring constantly.  Sauce recipe makes four servings; 1.9 grams of carbohydrate per serving.