Turkey Salad

June 19, 2011December 8, 2012 jachancellorLeave a comment

Cooking lately for me has been nil, but a salad isn’t really cooking right?

I purchased some already cooked, oven roasted turkey at Sam’s Club (super convenient, and really good flavor).

They come in medallions so I just chopped them a little bit.

I sliced a sweet onion, and sauteed it in olive oil.

I chopped a couple of slices of prosciutto (yummy), and added it to the mix.

It wasn’t just right…so a spoonful of minced garlic.

Added it to a spring mix.

I found in the refrig (yes found) this peanut ginger dressing,

and it really made it refreshing.

Not heavy, too strong, just right.

So not to bad for not “cooking”…eh?

Enjoy!!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa · Leftovers · Mexican · Recipes

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

May 3, 2011December 8, 2012 jachancellor1 Comment

Tory came for a visit last weekend. She is a gluten-free girl, as is her sister Serenity. She makes herself at home here, and I am truly thankful for that. She normally makes peanut and chocolate chip cookies, but this weekend was shorter. She likes Mexican type/flavored food, and we had some fiesta cheese, and corn tortillas.

I thought about doing a little something extra for her, so I came up with this:

I drained and rinsed a can of black beans, and corn.

Added 1/2 chopped onion, and some red pepper.

Also added a little bit of cracked black pepper,

Added a little bit of garlic, and some lemon juice (to add a little freshness).

Tory ate on this all weekend, and she said she really enjoyed it.

Carmen made some fish tacos with it, and some of the leftover mackerel that we had.

Just a tortilla filler, but it turned it into something special.

Enjoy!

family · fishing the Gulf · kale · Recipes · Spanish Mackerel

Spanish Mackerel & the Gulf

May 2, 2011December 8, 2012 jachancellorLeave a comment

Stephen had the pleasure of going fishing with our friend Tommy and his son Larkin.

They caught about 10 Spanish Mackerel’s, and brought all of them home for us to eat.

Tommy sent this picture via his phone, blurry, but still a good photo of the boys.

Tommy filleted the mackerels that they caught for us.

We kept them cold until ready to cook that afternoon.

I rinsed them, and patted dry.

I used garlic infused oil, pepper, and lemon juice, and let marinate for about 1 hour.

I placed them on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and broiled for about 12 minutes.

The mackerel turned out moist, and really flavorful.

I served it with some sauteed kale and Pancetta.

It was really yummy.

Fresh fish is the best, especially from the Gulf.

Enjoy!!

kale · pasta · Recipes · satuteed Pancetta and Kale

Sauteed Pancetta with Kale and Pasta

April 22, 2011December 8, 2012 jachancellorLeave a comment

I realized the other day, that I haven’t posted a recipe in a while. Sorry. I also haven’t been cooking, which explains it, eh?

Oh, well…one of our favorite (kids and I) dishes is pasta. Sometimes all we do is add olive oil, salt and pepper, oh, and Parmesan cheese. But, this is my new favorite way (especially when Kale is fresh, and the Pancetta is on sale).

Chop the Pancetta that has been thinly sliced. Add to a hot pan, begin sauteing until edges are brown. Add one sweet onion sliced, and 2 to 3 cloves of garlic. Once the onion is translucent, add the kale. I have to add a pan full, stir, and let it wilt some before adding the rest of the kale (I typically use a 1/2 bag of kale). Once the kale is wilted (this is your preference on how wilted), add to cooked pasta. Salt and pepper to your liking, and add cheese.

This serving of pasta is artichoke and ricotta filled tortellini.

The salt from the shaved Parmesan, and the slight smoke flavor from the

Pancetta was wonderful with the bitterness of the kale.

This is truly one of my go to suppers.

Enjoy!

Potato Pancakes · Recipes

Potato Pancakes

February 27, 2011 jachancellorLeave a comment

My mom used to make these a lot, especially when we had leftover mashed potatoes. I didn’t have any potatoes this time, but was craving them.

David helped me shred about 8 Yukon gold potatoes. We rinsed them in cold water. It is important to drain the potatoes before adding any of the other ingredients. The drier the shredded potato,. the crispier it gets.
You will need:
Potatoes
onion
Flour
Salt
Pepper
2 eggs
oil

Shred the potatoes (as many as you like), and shred the onion.

It is the same texture, and same size as the potatoes so

the cooking time remains the same ratio.

Soak in cold water to prevent the potatoes from turning grey or brown.

Patted dry.

Use a clean dish towel to squeeze the water from the potatoes, and onions.

I didn’t have any mashed potatoes (it is the best binding agent), so I used flour.

Regular flour (I started with about 1/4 cup, and then added more),
two eggs, salt and pepper.

Mix. If it appears watery, add more flour.

Drop by spoonfuls into a hot pan with oil.

Test the oil first, by adding a shred or two and it simmers.

Spread out into an even flat layer.

Flip (they should hold together), and brown the other side.

Don’t crowd the pan, it decreases the heat of the oil.

Remove from the pan, and rest on paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
You can keep them warm in a 250 degree oven,
on a cooling rack on a sheet pan until ready to serve.

Serve warm.

Mom used to serve them with some applesauce,

but they are good as is,

or with gravy, or ketchup.

Enjoy!

Beef Brisket · Recipes

Anne Burrell’s Beef Brisket

February 22, 2011December 8, 2012 jachancellor2 Comments

Saturday afternoon, David and I are sitting around (I was resting from the week) watching the Food Network. I could watch this channel12 hours a day. Anne Burrell’s show came on, and we watched her make this incredible looking brisket.

Well, I didn’t have to convince David to go to the store to purchase the ingredients. He got home, and we got busy.

You can find Anne’s recipe here:

Anne Burrell Braised Beef Brisket

We did our best, but substituted some of the ingredients.

David got the only brisket he could find.

We seared both sides of it.

Added the 2 onions chopped, 4 ribs of celery chopped, and 4 slices of bacon chunked.

Then added 4 cloves of garlic, minced, and the mushrooms.

We used white button, and baby portabellas sliced.

Stir, and let cook about 5 minutes longer.

Then add the chicken stock (I used the entire box), and balsamic vinegar (1 cup).

We didn’t have enough of the balsamic so I had about a cup and a half of red wine.

Placed the brisket back into the pan, in the middle of the sauce.

Added 4 bay leaves, and salt and pepper.

Then cover with foil, and cook for a hour at 375 degrees.

Turn the brisket over after 1 hour.

Cook for an additional 1 and 1/2 hours.

Once it is done, take the brisket from the pan, and let rest for 15 minutes covered.

Reduce the sauce by half (we really should have let it reduce more, but this turned out nicely).

Serve with potatoes, rice, or noodles.

We served with rice, and a nice apple salad.

It was really good (if I do say so myself —David loved it).

Enjoy!

Recipes · tuscan dip

Tuscan Dip

December 27, 2010 jachancellorLeave a comment

I found this recipe over at Kraft Foods.com…

It was really, really good. Very simple, and I only varied it by the tomatoes.

1 small can of olives (chopped)
1/4 cup chopped purple onion
1/2 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (reconstituted), I used tomatoes in olive oil drained and patted dry.
some pepper
1 brick of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sour cream

Mix together and serve (suggested) Wheat Thins. I used Staceys Pita Chips (simply naked).

Let it set for at least a hour. It is even better the next day.

Enjoy!

Maple Sausage Dip · Recipes

Maple Sausage Dip

December 19, 2010December 8, 2012 jachancellorLeave a comment

This is one of the easiest recipes ever!

Jimmy Dean Maple flavored sausage (brown, and drained)
2 bricks of cream cheese
2 cans of Rotel – mild
Tortilla chips

Okay, brown the sausage and drain.

Add the cream cheese and Rotel (I used the mild) and mix together.

Heat through until cream cheese is melted, and serve with your favorite chip.

I mixed all of it together in my large crock pot.

I was serving 30+ youth (for our progressive supper),

and ended up serving 53 adults and youth. Yep, I had enough food.

This was a good dip to serve. You can add more cream cheese or Rotel

depending on how you like your dip.

Enjoy!

Recipes · squash casserol

Barbara’s Squash Casserole

December 18, 2010December 8, 2012 jachancellorLeave a comment

Over Thanksgiving, my Aunt Barbara made this squash casserole that I fell in love at first bite. It was spicy, but not really, and crunchy, yummy goodness in each bite.

Barbara’s Squash Casserole

1 lb yellow squash
1 lb zucchini squash
1 large onions, chopped
3 cups diced tomatoes (canned is fine, just drain them)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregeno
1 teaspoon basil

Cook squash until tender, drain. Mix together and set aside all spices and brown sugar. Saute onion and bacon until bacon is crisp. Mix in spice mixture to the onion and tomatoes and cook ten minutes. Lay squash in a casserole dish. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until heated through. (Bake at 350 or 400 degrees)

When Aunt Barbara sent this to me I thought I had all of the spices. I didn’t have the cumin. So I substituted red pepper flakes, and David liked it sweeter, so I added 1 cup of brown sugar.