Recipe How to make a simple Greek Moussaka casserole

Being of Greek ancestry I have been around Greek food all my life.  My favorite dish has always been Greek Moussaka.  Moussaka is a savory cinnamon (secret ingredient) spiced eggplant dish.  The common recipe is kind of work intensive with several steps and plenty of layering. With this Moussaka recipe, however, you just toss the ingredients in a casserole with all the usual vibrant flavors!  Bake and enjoy!

Note:  After you dice the eggplant add salt and toss together. 

Easy Moussaka casserole

Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced into 2-inch chunks

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 ½ lbs. lean ground beef

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 small red potatoes microwaved about 5 minutes so they are partially cooked then diced into 2 inch chunks

1 jar of marinara spaghetti sauce

1 tsp. cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

For topping:

1 ½ cups milk

1/3 cup flour

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan cook ground beef on medium heat until browned.  Drain.  

Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes more.  Then, add the diced eggplant.  Finally, add the diced potatoes and cook until the eggplant is slightly soft.

Next, add the spaghetti sauce, cinnamon and salt, and pepper to taste, stirring it all together. Remove from heat.

Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Add the eggplant/meat mixture into the pan and set aside.

In a small saucepan add ½ milk and the flour and whisk on low heat till well blended.  Continue adding the rest of the milk while whisking. Next, add the beaten egg and stir until smooth and thickened.  Add the grated parmesan cheese.

Spread the topping on the eggplant/meat mixture in the baking pan and place in a 350-degree oven. Bake for 40 minutes.  

Chicken and dumplings - easy to make comfort food your family will love

Chicken and dumplings is a meal that brings back memories of childhood.  And it is easier than you may think to make!  When it’s cold outside chicken and dumplings warms you up like no other meal.

This meal is very budget friendly and can feed 4-6 people.  Every time I fix it, I get tons of compliments.  So tonight warm up from the inside with some chicken and dumplings!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken breast tenders cut into 2-inch pieces

1 lb. petite red potatoes cut into quarters

16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables

½ small onion chopped

Clove garlic, minced

2 quarts of chicken stock

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ tsp. poultry seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsps. Flour (optional)

¼ milk (optional)

For dumplings:

2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix

2/3-cup milk

½ teaspoon parsley

Instructions:

Add olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot.  Heat the oil, and add the chicken pieces.  Cook on medium heat until the chicken is slightly brown stirring occasionally. While the chicken is cooking chop the onions and cut up the potatoes.

 Next, add the chopped onion to the chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, garlic, and poultry seasoning and stir well.

Now, add the chicken stock, potatoes, and frozen mixed vegetables. Cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are done.

Mix the dumplings.  In a medium bowl add 2 cups buttermilk biscuit mix, 2/3-cup milk and ½ tsp. parsley.

Check the chicken and vegetables for doneness.  If you like a thicker stew in a small bowl, whisk together 2-3 teaspoons flour and cold milk.  Add to the stew, stirring well, and cook for five more minutes till you reach the thickness you want.  Please note that the dumplings will also thicken the stew slightly when you add them.

Now add the dumplings.  Drop the biscuit mix by teaspoonful onto the boiling stew.  Reduce heat and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Cover and cook an additional 10 minutes. 

Serve in bowls.  Serves 4-6

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How to make the best Jambalaya in a crockpot, yes crockpot Jambalaya!

If you love Cajun style foods but don’t love all the work and time it takes to make it, you need to try this crockpot Jambalaya recipe!  It’s so easy the ingredients come together in minutes, and then you are off to start your day.  When you return home, the enticing aroma of the best crockpot Jambalaya will greet you!  And best of all, dinner is ready to put on the table!

Recently, I’ve been having a love affair with my crockpot and I found that I could make all sorts of dinners that will ready when I get home.  This is a lifesaver for a busy life.

Ingredients:

2 cans fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 lb. smoked sausage cut in ½” pieces

1 large onion, chopped

Large green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup uncooked long-grain converted rice

2 stalks of celery sliced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

One tablespoon of dried parsley

One teaspoon dried thyme

Lb. of peeled uncooked Shrimp

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, more or less depending upon how spicy you like your Jambalaya

½” cup of tomato paste

2 bay leaves

¼ cup water

Instructions:

Mix all the ingredients together and place in the crockpot.  Cover and cook 8-10 hours on low.

One hour before serving turn the crock pot to high and stir in the uncooked shrimp.  Cover and cook until the shrimp are pink and tender. 

I just love easy recipes like this one.  If you are like me, you are cooking a turkey for Thanksgiving and have leftover turkey.  Try this chicken salad recipe which is just as delicious if you make it with Turkey and have nice lunch after Black Friday is over and done with!

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How to make one pan chicken and orzo dinner

I love cooking, but sometimes, like most people, I’m short on time.  So instead of heading for a carry out for dinner, I enjoy this quick and easy one-pan dinner of Chicken and Orzo. I put all the ingredients together in one pan so the clean up is a breeze.

And bonus!  The Chicken and Orzo dinner is delicious and healthy!  I always buy chicken tenders, which usually come already in strips and are perfect for making the one pan Chicken and Orzo. 

Leftovers heat up great and make a super lunch the next day too!

Chicken and Orzo one pan dinner

Ingredients:

1 can 14.5 ounces chicken broth

One cup uncooked orzo

Tbsp. olive oil

Chicken tenders, about 1 lb. cut into 1-inch pieces

1 clove garlic finely chopped

2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1-cup zucchini cut into ½” pieces

½ tsp. red pepper flakes, more or less to taste

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Heat a tbsp. olive oil in a large deep pan.  Add the chicken, garlic, and mushrooms.  Cook on medium heat till browned stirring often.  (About 6-10 minutes.)

Next, add the uncooked pasta and broth.  Heat to boiling, then cover and lower the heat to medium.  Cook 15 minutes, stirring frequently till pasta is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Now stir in tomatoes, zucchini, and Italian seasoning and cook about 5 more minutes.  Finish by adding the red pepper flakes and top with Parmesan cheese.

Serve with a salad on the side for a complete and healthy family meal!

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Note:  I know this is off topic but I just wanted to mention the issue with third party hosting on Photobucket.   As I am sure many of you know that I run this website free of charge and it takes a lot of work and effort to design, photograph, and write instructions for all the craft tutorials and recipes.  Factor in the monies I pay for a domain name, the fee for extra photos, photo editing, Microsoft word, supplies and more I am pretty much paying to run this website.  Now Photobucket wants $399.  They put a giant, ugly sticker over all of the Photobucket hosted images from your buttons from all of your wonderful websites. Whoever wants to visit them all you have to do is go to the link at the top of this blog for link parties and you will find them there.  I have removed all the Photobucket stickers and good luck to them!

Chipped beef recipe you can make quick and easy

If you’d like a change from the usual bacon and eggs breakfast fare why not make some quick and easy chipped beef.  You can serve chipped beef on toast, English muffins, or biscuits.

 I'm always surprised when I hear people say they love having chipped beef in a restaurant but they've never made it at home.  I've been making it on occasion for years and everyone always thinks that it's harder than it really is, when, in fact, it's super easy!  Guess that was my little secret until now since I'm sharing it with you!

And you can make it with 2% milk and even 1% for a lighter version or use whole milk. Try it and you will wonder why you ever bought the frozen version.

Ingredients:

Package of chipped beef (regular or low sodium version)

Two tablespoons butter

Tablespoon of flour

1 cup whole or 2% milk

Whole wheat or white toast

Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Fresh ground pepper

In a small saucepan melt butter.  Slice the chipped beef into some smaller pieces and add to the melted butter.

Cook on medium heat till the edges slightly curl.  Now add the flour mixing it into the beef.

Then slowly add the milk stirring well.  Add the Worcestershire sauce to taste, about a tablespoon.  Continue to cook and stir until the mixture thickens. 

Remove from the heat and add to the top of toasted bread of choice.  Add some fresh ground pepper and Serve.

There you have it, simple ingredients and simple recipe, but delicious results.

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How to easily make a fresh, yummy Santorini salad

I recently vacationed on several Greek Islands.  While on the Island of Santorini I stumbled upon the crisp, fresh Santorini Salad.  This salad is so crisp and fresh that I had it several times and each time while a little different contained basically the same basic ingredients.  When I got home I just had to come up with my own recipe variation for a Santorini salad. 

A Santorini salad contains no lettuce.  It does, however, have other common salad components such as cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.  Whip up a simple vinaigrette dressing and you can have your delicious Santorini salad to take you back, if only in mind, to that beautiful Island.

Ingredients:

Large green pepper, sliced

1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half

1 large English cucumber sliced in 2-inch by ½”sticks.

Small red onion, sliced thin

3 oz. jar capers

Kalamata Olives

Feta Cheese

Sun-dried tomatoes

Vinaigrette:

3 tbsps. Balasamic vinegar

2 tsps. Dried oregano

2 cloves minced Garlic

3 tbsps. Extra virgin Olive oil

Juice of one small lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large bowl combine the sliced green peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onions. 

In a jar or bowl mix together the vinegar, oregano, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.  Shake or whisk well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the dressing with the vegetable ingredients and stir well.  Add a good amount of capers and sun-dried tomatoes.  Top with crumbled feta cheese.  Toss well and serve.

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