Barbecued Beans and Greens (I Added Sausage- Yum)

 Oooh, it has suddenly gotten cold here in Nashville.  It was below 30 this morning and that meant time to put the flannel sheets on the bed.  One thing led to another, and I ended up cleaning the whole house.  I don't know about you, but that leaves me with a great sense of accomplishment.  I even got my closet all organized (which had needed to be done since we moved in here at the end of July).  That sound you hear?  That's me exhaling a giant sigh.  I just love finally getting things done.

Now that cold weather is really upon us - and it is cold in most of the midwest - don't you wish you had some new recipes for tasty comfort foods that are easy to make?  Well, I've got one for you today.  This recipe is SO good and really easy to make.  Our daughter Holly gave me this recipe after she had it at a party for parents of students at her sons' school.  She told me it was one of the best things she had eaten in a long time, and I have to agree with her!  Even her boys like it and they are most suspicious of new things if you know what I mean.

This recipe is made with  cannellini beans, and kale.  As you may know, kale is the new darling of the health food world and with good reason.  It is full of flavonoids and antioxidants.  Kale is good for reducing cholesterol and helps detoxify our systems.  You can read all about the great health benefits of kale here http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38.

I added a pound of browned breakfast sausage just to have a one dish meal.  This recipe would be just as good without the sausage, believe me.  The flavors are amazing.  I can see the skeptical look on your face from here.  Beans and greens?  Barbecue sauce?  Seriously?  You are going to have to trust me on this one and give it a try, just so you will know how good this really is.  Yummmmmmo is all I can say.  Here is what you need:

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (white kidney beans are the same thing)
8 cups chopped kale  (1 large or 2 small bunches, stems removed, chopped and blanched)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (they recommend Stubbs, I used Sweet Baby Rays - what I had and it's great)
2 tsps hot sauce  (I used Tapatio)
1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. breakfast sausage browned, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

To blanch the kale, remove the stems, chop in small 1-2" pieces,  and place in a steamer basket over boiling water in a pan big enough to hold all the greens.  Cook for just a few minutes.  Kale can be rather chewy, so make sure you cut it in small bite sized pieces.  Mine was cut a little big and next time I will cut it smaller.  It will just make it easier to eat.  That is my only tip.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and saute for about 6 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and saute another minute or so.  Add the blanched, chopped kale and cook for a few minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.  

If you are using sausage, brown in a separate pan and add to the above mixture.

If not adding sausage, place everything in a 9" casserole and bake covered for 45 minutes.  If adding sausage, place in a 9 x 13 baking dish, cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove from the oven and serve.

This is SOOOO good.  You get protein, greens, fiber, and deliciousness from the sauce.  Serve with some hot bread and you are good to go.  The sauce is so good that I will use this for my baked beans from now on.  Amazingly good.

If you want to serve this as a side dish, leave the sausage out and make as recommended.  Just.  Plain.  Awesome.

I really like recipes that are recommended by others who have actually made or eaten them.  Sometimes choosing recipes can be a toss of the dice.  They sound good, but don't always turn out the way you hoped.  Give this one a try.  It is approved by 3 picky small boys and their Pawpaw.  Thanks, Holly!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

There are two types of people;  those who eat kale and those who should.  Bo Muller-Moore

Donna's Barbecue Cheeseburgers

Memorial Day weekend is upon us folks and that means the official summer grilling season is about to begin for real.  What is better than summer grilling season?   I can't think of too many things actually.  There's nothing better than warm days and evenings when it stays light late into the evening and you can fire up the grill and toss on something quick and easy.    That's what I'm talking about.  Quick AND easy.  Outdoor grilling and eating can be casual, no muss, no fuss,  using paper plates to eat on  and that is Okay!!  It's important to enjoy every moment of the summer, sharing time with family and friends.

A while back we were going to grill some good old fashioned American burgers for dinner, but I had a bit of inspiration and decided to doctor them up just a bit before they went on the grill.  This is my pepper jack barbecue burger and are they ever tasty!  Wow.  We all loved them, so I have been making our burgers this way since.  I'm not sure Dan would want to go back to just a plain older burger and he is a real connoisseur when it comes to hamburgers.  He may hold a world record for the number of hamburgers eaten in a lifetime.  As for the kind of "cheese"burger you make, you can use any cheese that you like as long as you can buy an 8 ounce block and grate it because the cheese in these burgers is mixed in the cheeseburger, not melted on top.  We have also made these with cheddar cheese which are just as good, especially if you don't like spicy foods.  Next, we are going to try them with mozzarella and some marinara sauce.  How good would that be?

Here is what you need and how you made Donna's barbecue cheeseburgers.

2 pounds 80/20 ground beef
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 8 ounce block cheese, grated
1 large egg
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's original)
1.5 tsp salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl using your hands.  You don't want to add too much salt because the cheese and the barbecue sauce contain salt.

To make the patties, I scooped out about a tennis ball sized section of the ground beef mixture, rolled it between my hands to make a ball, and pressed it into a burger patty with a bit of a well in the middle.  This helps make sure the middle of the burger cooks at the same time as the edges of the burgers.  I got 10 good sized burgers from this mixture.

See all of that delicious cheese in the burgers?  After they are cooked, the cheese oozes out of the burger and you enjoy that delicious flavor with ever bite.  Yum.  Yum.

Cook the burgers to your liking -  rare, medium, well done.  Dress them up anyway you like.  We had ours with lettuce, tomato, pickle, sliced onion, and just a little more barbecue sauce.  Yessirree Bob they are fine.  Cheesey, barbecuey, slightly oniony, deliciousness.

You might want to make the patties ahead and let them sit in the fridge for an hour or two because they are softer than burgers made with plain ground beef.  This will help keep them from falling apart on the grill when you flip them.  Even if they do split, it doesn't matter.  Just scoop up all the pieces because you won't want to waste one bite.

Hope this gives you an idea for a different version of the All American favorite - the hamburger.  I think you're gonna like them a lot!  Happy summer grilling season!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Grilling takes the formality out of entertaining.  Bobby Flay

Monterrey Chicken - You Can Make 1 or 100 Using This Recipe

Does it frazzle your brain to come up with ideas for dinner day after day after day?  Sometimes I think it would be interesting to know how many dinners I have made through the 43 years we have been married plus all the years I cooked at home growing up.  I was 12 when I started cooking the family dinner.  That's a lot of years and a lot of dinners.

Needless to say, the worst part is variety - not fixing the same meals over and over again.  I love cookbooks and magazines with recipes in them.  I have spent hours studying recipes, reading them, making them.  Now, there is the addition of the internet which has taken cooking to a whole new level. There are a bazillion recipes at your fingertips at any given moment!  I mean seriously, how fabulous is that?

We have four children and I cooked in large quantities for many years.  It is difficult to make things in smaller batches, but I do  - OR I invite people to join us for a meal.  That takes care of the over cooking part.  It is really difficult to cook for two people don't you think?  Sometimes you think it's just not worth the effort or it's easier to eat out.  But, it's so much healthier to prepare food at home where you know what has gone into the recipe and it is less expensive  - unless you are eating really cheap fast food which is not healthy.

This monterrey chicken recipe can be prepared for 1 or 100 just by dressing each chicken breast in the same way and it's easy and delicious.  If you get tired of bland chicken, try this recipe.  It will take care of that issue for you in one easy meal.

Here is what you need:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts (however many you want to prepare)
your favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's original)
real bacon bits - I used real bacon (yum)
colby jack cheese (I used pepper jack)
1 can RoTel tomatoes with chiles, drained

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet or something heavy to flatten them out a bit.  It really does help keep all the toppings on if you are wondering why it is necessary.

Grill the chicken breasts just until done.  That means juices will run clear and there will be no pink in the middle.  Dan cooked ours on the grill, but you could use a George Forman grill if you have it or a stove top grill.  That is up to you.

When the chicken is done, place the breasts on a baking sheet and top each one with the following.

2 Tbsps. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsps. bacon bits or regular bacon
1/4 cup grated cheese (colby jack, monterrey jack, or pepper jack)
1/4 cup Rotel

Place the baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.  It doesn't take very long, so keep an eye on them.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

This is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to fix chicken breasts.  It's also very colorful and looks so appealing on a plate.  You can make it as spicy as you like or as mild as you like by changing the ingredients just a bit.  If you don't like spicy, don't use pepper jack cheese.

Warm weather is on the way and this is a wonderful way to enjoy chicken without too much effort.  Your kitchen doesn't heat up from using the stove for a long period of time and it goes beautifully with so many side dishes.  We all love this.  I think you will too!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember

Chicken Facts

•  Americans consume an average of 8 billion chickens each year.
• That's a lot of chicken, so you need some new recipes.  Try this one.  : )

Perfect Barbecued Pork Chops

Yes, I know, it's pork again.  But, here is the reason why.  We had family over for Sunday dinner.  When I went to the grocery, ham was my choice for the menu except, the hams they had were outrageously expensive.  Pork chops, on the other hand, were super extra specially priced.  So, guess what we had?  You guessed it!  Pork Chops.

I purchased two packages of chops, each containing 9 chops, for a total of $14.00.  When you are feeding 9 people, that is a spectacular deal.  Actually, the packages were half price, so I saved an additional $14.00.  Yes!  That is what I'm talking about.

I have to say that barbecued pork chops are one of my most favorite meats cooked on the grill - especially if they are prepared with a good rub and barbecue sauce.  What's not to love?  I like bone in pork chops because then you have that super tasty bone to gnaw on after you finish the chop and the bone adds more flavor.  Perhaps Emily Post would not approve, but if you've never tried it, don't knock it.  Mm mm mm is all I have to say.  Anybody else like to chew on that tasty bone?

Barbecued pork chops were always a favorite meal when all our children were at home.  When our son John was about 14/15 years old, he was almost impossible to fill up.  If you have or have had sons that age, you understand what I am saying.  If you have young sons, this is your warning.  Be prepared.  Learn to fix mass quantities of food when your sons become teenagers.  The reason I say this is one night we had barbecued pork chops.  The girls were both in college and I had fixed a lot of them hoping to have left overs.  Dan ate one, I ate one, Tyler (our youngest son) ate one and John ate 9 pork chops.  Yes, count them Nine, nInE, NINE, pork chops at one meal.  There were no left overs.  Start saving your money now mothers.

This is how I prepared the pork chops for Sunday dinner.  First, I let the chops sit out until they come to room temperature.  About an hour before cooking the chops I put this rub on them.  (I will be making a huge jar of this rub and keeping it on hand).  I found the recipe in a conversation thread about barbecuing and I would give credit where it is due if I had written down the person's name, but I didn't.  So, whoever you are here's a great big THANK YOU!  This rub is fantastic and this recipe covered all 18 chops.

Barbecue Rub Recipe

3 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Cumin
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp black pepper
1-2 tsp cayenne (I used 1 tsp so it would not be too hot for the little ones)

Mix all this together in a bowl using a fork.  With your hands, massage the rub into the chops on both sides.  We have a gas grill, so the grill was heated to medium high.

We did the chops in batches since the grill would not hold all 18.  We placed 9 chops on the grill and let them cook on the first side about 4 minutes.  Flip the chops and let cook another 3 minutes.  These chops were less than 3/4 inch thick so you want to cook them high and fast so they don't dry out.  Take the first batch of chops off the grill, place in a pan and cover with aluminum foil while you cook the second batch.  This allows the juices in the meat to flow through the chops which keeps them super moist.

After cooking the second batch of chops, we put those in a pan covered with foil and let them sit.  Uncover the first batch of chops and using a basting brush, brush one side of the chops with your favorite barbecue sauce.  If you are a frequent reader, you know we love Sweet Baby Ray's original.  When all the chops are coated with sauce on one side, place them sauce side down on the grill while you baste the side facing you.  It will only take 1-2 minutes for the chops to brown, flip them over and let the other side get nice and brown and quickly remove from the heat.  Return to the pan and cover with the foil while you repeat the process with the second batch.  I mean look at those chops in the picture - doesn't it make you want one?

By cooking the chops at a fairly high heat and quickly, they do not dry out and become overcooked.  We all thought these chops were fantastic!  Our son in love was talking about them again last night, about how good they were.  He said his mom always cooked pork chops until they were so dry, and many of us grew up with moms who did the same thing.  Not these chops.  Uh uh, they were outstanding.

I think you will find using this cooking method will give you a really juicy, tasty pork chop that everyone will love!  We actually had left overs this time and we enjoyed them reheated the second night.  They were just as good as the first night!

Even if you don't make these chops, make the rub and keep it on hand for other meats you grill.  It would be outstanding on chicken and other cuts of pork, even steak.  We will definitely be using it often.  Good luck with your pork chops.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“There is poetry in a pork chop to a hungry man.”
Philip Gibbs (NY Times 1951)

All American Super Sloppy Joe's

Do you have memories of favorite meals from your childhood?  One of my favorite school lunches was good old all American sloppy Joe's.  My mom never made them.  Not quite sure why, but she just never did so it made me very happy when they were on the school lunch menu.  After Dan and I were married, it became a staple on our menu.

This is a recipe I found years ago in a magazine.  Our sons fell in love with this version of Sloppy Joe's and I have been making them this way ever since.  They could eat an entire pan of these at one meal (double recipe).  I always prayed for left overs.

Talk about a great "go to" meal when you are tired and need something on the table fast.  It is a quick and easy recipe which are two of our favorite words right?  Quick and easy?  Yes!!  I served one of our favorites, parmesan potatoes, with our sandwiches tonight and some lovely crudites - carrot and celery sticks and broccoli and cauliflower florets.  Throw in a little ranch dressing for dipping and what could be easier?  Or if you prefer, a green salad would round out the meal.

Tomorrow night, I will give you the instructions for the parmesan potatoes.  (Talk about fabulous!)
Tonight it's all about Sloppy Joe's.  I have always doubled this recipe so I knew there would be enough to satisfy our sons.  Now, I double it so we can have left overs because they are so good.  Here are the ingredients you will need for a single recipe.  This is easily doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I use 80/20 grass fed, hormone free from the farmer's market)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a red one tonight because I didn't have green, worked just fine)
1/4 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's, 18 oz bottle)
1 package taco seasoning mix

Brown your ground beef with the onions, peppers and garlic until beef is brown and onions are translucent.  Add the taco seasoning mix and stir.  Pour approximately 1/4 to 1/3 bottle of barbecue sauce into the ground beef mixture and stir.  Heat through.

Serve on your favorite buns.  That's it.  Quick, simple, easy, delicious.   It's got just a little spice from the taco seasoning and a little sweet barbecue flavor from the barbecue sauce.  Oh so good!

This is a great recipe for tailgating, for a teen party or quick and easy dinner.  I have served it on Super Bowl Sunday.  Delish!   Give it a try.  I think you will like this one!  You may actually have time to watch your favorite television show or read a book it's so quick to fix.  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

30 days of gratitude for the Month of November.  Every day list something you are grateful for!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ― Dr. Seuss