Life on Fast Forward

It has been several weeks since my last post.  Life has just been going at a crazy pace!  Between two active school aged boys and work, I feel like my forties are on fast forward!  I've been cooking and taking pictures, but then running to some activity or another so posting doesn't get done :(.  The temperatures are dipping and the leaves are turning so I thought it would be a great time to slow down and take a breath!  Tomorrow I'm planning a soup making day to fill the freezer with warm, cozy goodness!  It will be a day of slow cooking that will fill the house with heavenly smells!  I'll post lots of pics and recipes!  Then I'll do a little catch up and post these other recent recipes:

GF Eggplant Parmesan

GF Rolls and Roasted Acorn Squash

GF Macaroni and Cheese

Happy Fall everyone, I hope you get a chance to slow down and enjoy!

  

Potato Skins

Tonight, I did grilled chicken, green beans and potatoes.  I decided to make potato skins instead of plain baked potatoes.  My reasons were two fold.  First, my youngest loves potato skins and second, I am making a twice baked potato casserole tomorrow and wanted the extra potato for that recipe.  When I serve these for dinner, I don't dress them up too much, but they can be when served as appetizer.  They are great when you are watching a game!    

Potato Skins:

Ingredients:

6 small/med russet potatoes

Vegetable oil

Sea salt

Pepper

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup melted butter

3 slices of crisp bacon

Parsley flakes for garnish

Sour cream, optional garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven o 425* F.  Scrub 

Crockpot Tortellini

Today we had our first scout meeting of the year so I knew we would be rushed.  I chose to make a super simple crockpot recipe.  This is a modified recipe based on one that I got 4-5 years ago when I subscribed to eMeals which is a great online weekly menu planner that includes the shopping list that you need to complete the menus.  This is not GF, but I think there are pre-made GF pastas available. 

Crockpot Tortellini:

Ingredients:

2 lg cans diced tomatoes

1 lg can crushed tomatoes

1 lg can tomato sauce

1 lg can tomato paste

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp italian seasoning

1 pkg tortellini, family size

1 cup shredded mozzarella 

Directions:

Mix all ingredients except the tortellini and mozzarella in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Thirty minutes before serving, gently stir in the tortellini and cover all with cheese.  Replace lid and let cook for the last 30 minutes.

Sunday Night Shrimp Boil!

Last night I did an easy peasy dinner.  It took about 45 minutes from start to finish and was a small clean up job :). Everyone in the family loves all the ingredients in a shrimp boil. I modified the Old Bay recipe.  

What did I do?  I didn't put in the sausage as I want to have 2-3 meals without beef, chicken or pork.  I also cut down on the recipe because there are only 4 of us and I didn't want to waste any food.  I also made cole slaw because it just seemed like the right thing to do :)

Sunday Shrimp Boil:

4 quarts of water

1 bottle of beer

1/4 cup Old Bay

1 tbsp salt

2 lg onions quartered

1 small bag of red potatoes, quartered

4 ears of corn cut into thirds

2 lb raw shrimp

Directions:

In an 8-quart stock pot, bring Old Bay, salt, water and beer to a boil.  Add potatoes and onions; cook over high heat for 13 minutes. Add corn to pot; continue to boil for 7 minutes.  Slowly stir shrimp into the pot and let boil for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain liquid.  Pour the contents of the pot into a large bowl an serve hot!  

Spanish Rice!

Tonight, we had a taco bar.  It was an easy meal to pull together as I had made two pounds of taco beef a few weeks ago and froze half for another meal which was tonight :).  The taco bar took less than ten minutes to pull together!  I also made Spanish Rice.  It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish.  Everyone liked it, even my 7 year old!  We had a milestone tonight when my youngest asked for and ate a taco instead of a plain cheese quesadilla!  He is slowly coming out of his narrow food shell and trying an liking all sorts of food.  This makes me a happy momma!!  

Spanish Rice:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

2 cups white rice

1 small onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

2 cups water

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute rice, onion, and bell pepper until rice is browned and onions are tender.

Stir in water and salsa. Season with chili powder, cayenne pepper and salt. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.

Happy 1st Anniversary, Messy Cookin!

Today is the first anniversary for the Messy Cooker blog!  It has been a fun and exciting year!  My family has put up with me photographing every meal and trying lots of new and interesting recipes.  Some of those recipes were keepers while others were one hit wonders.  Throughout it all, my husband has been my unfailing support and kitchen cleaner upper while my sons have jumped into the roles of sous chefs. I feel so fortunate to have such a great family that inspires me everyday!

Sean, my husband, conquering the dishes!

My family!

I also couldn't have made it this far without the readers!  In a year's time, there have been 4890 views which is unbelievable!!  You have been from countries all over the world! Here are the top 10 countries.

I hope you have tried and enjoyed the recipes that have been shared. The top ten viewed posts were:

I hope you continue on this food journey with me.  Over the next few months, we will be moving to an apartment as we build a new home which will include my dream kitchen.  I will have lots of new recipes to share!  Thank you all!!!

XO

Debbie

(aka The Messy Cook)

Sides, Sides, Sides! Part 2

This weekend, I made two of my favorite side dishes, cole slaw and cheesy potatoes, Yum!! Both dishes make enough for a party and/or two or three family meals.  The cheese potatoes are my sister's signature dish for family get togethers and are always gobbled up!  The cole slaw is a copy cat version of KFC's cole slaw.  I've tweaked both recipes as I found they had too much liquid for my taste.  I made these dishes for a cook out and then I am pairing the leftovers with a grilled ham steak tomorrow.  I love prepping and cooking once and getting a couple of meals!  You know how the magazines show you 10 clothing pieces that make lots of different outfits? That is how I view my weekly meal planning.  I gather together ingredient  that can make multiple meals without feeling like we are eating the same thing every night!

Cheesy Potatoes:

Ingredients:

2 bags frozen hash browns, thawed

1 cup butter, divided

2 cans cream of chicken soup

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

1 onion, diced

2 cups sour cream

3 cups corn flakes crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease a 9x13 casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the thawed potatoes, 3/4 cup(1.5 sticks) melted butter, salt, pepper and onion.  Add the soup and sour cream and mix well. Lastly, add the cheese.  Place the potatoe mixture in the prepared casserole.  In a small bowl, mix yj corn flakes and remaining 1/4 cup of melted butter.  Top potatoes with the corn flak crumbles.  Bake in hot oven 50-60 minutes.  

Copy Cat KFC Coleslaw:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp lime juice

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp celery seed

1/4 tsp pepper

2 16oz bags of coleslaw

Directions:

Whisk together all the ingredients except the coleslaw mix.

In a large bowl, combine the bagged coleslaw and the dressing and mix well.  It will look pretty dry, but don't worry after refrigerating for at least 3 hours, the dressing will increase.  Toss before serving.