Gyro Sandwich

Gyro Sandwich

I usually start with a box dinner for making Gyro which is so against who I am but I start with the basics and add lots of ingredients to make them spectacular.

The kit I have has the Gyro meat, pita breads, and cucumber sauce.  I get cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and feta cheese to top them off.

  I start by sautéing onions, peppers and the Gyro meat. 

I dice up cucumbers and take out the feta cheese. 

I put the pitas in the oven and warm them up. 

When building put the warm pita on the plate, pile on the gyro meat with some onions.  On top of that I put the cucumber, feta cheese and cucumber sauce. 

Enjoy

Gyro sandwich varieties

Lasagna

This lasagna is a very easy recipe and there will leftovers for all week. The history of lasagna is a confusing and much debated one. There are a few theories as to its origins. Some believe that the word ‘lasagna’ comes from the Greek word ‘lasagnum’ which is the word for the dish that is pasta based.


More history on Lasagna



Lasagna

 

 

I put ground beef in my lasagna but you use any kind of meat.  Cook ground beef with onions, I cut up fresh spinach but you can skip that if you don't like spinach, and green peppers

Put sauce in the bottom of a pan. Cover bottom with uncooked Lasagna noodles. I know but you don't have to cook the noodles which makes it an easy recipe.

Next layer of the lasagna ground beef mixture, cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese.

The lasagna next layer is mozzarella cheese and more noodles.

Sauce and more ground beef, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese.

Mozzarella and more sauce.

Noodles and sauce on top. Put about 1 cup of water around the outside of the lasagna next to the pan so the noodles can cook.

Cheese on the top and cover. Bake the lasagna 350º for 45 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy




Neelys Lasagna Recipe

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Pineapple upside down cake is a wonderful tropiclal dessert great for the holidays.  This is an very easy recipe and the cake was so moist and sweet because of the pineapple.  The history of the cake started with the idea of the pineapple soon after 1911 when one of James Dole's engineer had invented a machine to cut his pineapples into nice rings. Soon the convenient and pretty rings were used in this age old technique of the skillet cake. The invention of the maraschino cherry added the necessary color needed to make this cake stunning. The first mention in print of such a cake was in 1930, and was so listed in the 1936 Sears Roebuck catalog.

History of the Pineapple Upside Down Cake


Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Melt together 1/2 stick butter and 1/3 cup of brown sugar.  Spray a cake pan with nonstick spray and pour butter brown sugar mixture in bottom of pan.  Arrange pineapple slices in the bottom of the pan.  Put a cherry in the middle of each pineapple ring.   Mix up a white or yellowcake mix using the box instructions.  Pour cake mix over pineapple and cherries.




Bake the pineapple upside down cake at 350º for 40 minutes or until a toothpick come out of the cake clean.   When it has cooled you put a plate on top of the pan and flip it over so the pineapple it on top.

Enjoy




Top 10 cake recipes

Chicken Fried Rice

Great recipe that is easy to make and everyone will love it.  Great to have left overs because it taste better the next day.

Chicken Fried Rice

In a large frying pan cook on medium heat onion and celery with the boneless, skinless chicken of your choice.  I use chicken thighs or you could use chicken breast or tenders.  Use any amount of onion and celery that you like or omit if you don’t like them.

Make rice (minute or long grain) according to package directions.  When it is finished you put it into a large frying pan and start to recook the rice. 

Add the chicken and veggies to the pan of the fried rice and flip or stir until hot.  Add chicken stock so it doesn’t get too dry before it cooks through. 

Sever with Chow mein recipe here on the blog.

Chow mein recipe in blog

You should add a bag of frozen or a can of mix vegetables, mushrooms and seasoning.

Some seasons you could add are ginger, parsley, tai, and soy or chili sauce.

Taste every 5 minutes to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.

Enjoy

Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken chow mein is an easy recipe to make from scratch and taste devine.


Chicken Chow Mein



Cook chicken with celery, onion and seasoning per package directions. ( temp 170)

When it is cooked add mushrooms, stir fry vegetables, bamboo shoots, and bean sprouts. You can add or omit any of the ingredients about or omit if you don't like them. Some options are broccoli, snap peas, peas, carrots and corn.

Cook until everything is tender or cooked. Add beef or chicken broth as needed to cook veggies. Once done add cornstarch a teaspoon at a time until it is thick like gravy. Don't add too much because you want it like gravy consistency.

Pour the chicken chow mein over fried rice, white rice or chow mein noodles.  Season with soy sause as desired.

Enjoy

Other chicken chow mein recipes

Candy cane Peppermint Pie

Candy cane peppermint pie is a wonderful and very light dessert.  It would be great for the holidays.  I have pasted the original site where you can get the full recipe with fat and calories included.

Candy Cane Peppermint Pie

Original recipe on Hungry Girl site


Start by making the crust.  Use 4 sheets (16 crackers) chocolate graham crackers broken.
Melt 2 tbsp. light whipped butter or light buttery spread.  Pour butter in cracker crumbs and stir.  Press in a pie pan coated with non stick spray and bake on 400 for 10 minutes until firm.

One 4-serving box Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Vanilla Instant pudding mix with
3/4 cup fat-free milk or low fat almond milk.  I shaved chocolate into the pudding mix.

2 standard-sized peppermint candy canes lightly crushed.  Add 3 cups Cool Whip Free (thawed)

Pour into a bowl and evenly spread filling into the crust. Refrigerate until completely chilled and set, at least 1 1/2 hours.

I toped my candy cane peppermint pie with chocolate shavings and some pecans. You can put a few tsp of crushed candy canes on top. This pie was divine. Hard to believe it is low in calories and fat. See the hungry girl site for exact recipe because I altered mine a little because of what I had in my refrigerator.

Hungry girl Peppermint pie recipe


Enjoy

Biscuit Pizza

Biscuit Pizza was inspired by my brother.  It was easy to put together and tasted amazing.  I will be making this Pizza bread or some form of it for my next party. 

Biscuit Pizza

I cut up a cylinder of biscuits into a bowl.  To that I added enough pizza sauce to coat the biscuits.   I cut up onion, peppers, pepperoni, green and black olives.  You can add whatever else you like on your pizza.

To assmble the biscuit pizza spray a bundt pan with non stick sray.  Put the 1/3 biscuit mixture on bottom of pan.  The next layer is the topping mixture then cheese.

Put the remainder of the biscuits in next and put lots of cheese on top.

Bake the biscuit pizza at 350° for 20 minutes or until the biscuits are done.  One way to check is insert a sharp knife into the bread and if it comes out gooey with biscuit on it it is not done.  After letting the biscuit pizza cool tip upside down and put on a plate or platter.  It the center put a small bowl of warm red sauce.

Enjoy.




50 Different Pizza Recipes

Old Fashioned Goulash

This is the Flashback dinner recipe. 

This is a recipe that my mom made on a regular basis and I still love it today.  It is one of the best comfort foods of the past.  You can make it a variety of ways so don’t worry about following the recipe just sub out what you don’t have in the cupboard for what you do.  Cooking is not a science so don’t worry about measurements either.  Here is the recipe.

Old Fashioned Goulash

I started with a pound of ground beef and fried it up with some peppers, onions and celery.  You can add or omit any of the veggies above.

I added some frozen meatballs I had in the freezer too and cut them in half.  When that was warm I added some spaghetti sauce, can or two of tomatoes.  Now you can use whatever red sause or tomatoes.  Tomatoe paste, puree or any other will work.  Can spaghetti sauce works well because it has lots of seasoning in it already.  You can add salt, pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, basil or just some Italian seasoning.  You can add any other seasoning you like.  Let it simmer for a bit so the flavors can get happy together.

Boil some noodles.  This choice is up to you so whatever you have you can use.  I used egg noodles but the original one my mom made called for plain macaroni.  

When they are done add them to the sauce and toss. Warm it and it is ready to serve. Add some cheese on top when you dish it up.  This is wonderful old fashioned goulash.

Enjoy

Easy-Goulash-Recipes

Chili

Chili is a wonderful recipe for cold winter nights or lazy Sundays.  It is easy and can be made in the crockpot for convenience and there will be plenty of leftovers for the entire week.

Chili

I start the Chili with sautéing onions, mushrooms, peppers and beans, with some ground beef.  The meat part of this chili is up to you.  You can add anything from ground turkey or chicken,  beef shredded or ground omit it all together. 

Add a can or two of diced tomatoes with the juice.  You can add a package of chili seasoning if you have one or just some chili powder, onion powder and garlic. 

I then add tomato sauce, small amount of tomato juice, beans and they can be whatever you like and have on hand. I used black beans and kidney beans. I then added corn or another other ingredient that I might have missed.  Leave on low for a few hours.  During this time if it seems to dry you can add some more tomato juice or another can of tomatoes until it is at the Chili is the consistency you like.

Serve the Chili hot with cornbread.  The recipe is below.

Spicy cornbread recipe

 Enjoy

More Chili Recipes

Hot Cinnamon Spiked Carmel Apple Drink

This is a great holiday party drink that can be made in a crock pot.  I started with Carmel apple juice, Cinnabon favored vodka and some cinnamon sticks.  It is easy and everyone will warm up with this great hot drink.

 

I poured some carmel apple juice in the crock pot and turned on low.   I use a crock pot so I can keep it warm without having to keep it on the stove.   I added cinnamon sticks and let it get warm.  When it was warm and simmering for a while I added Cinnabon flavored vodka.  You can add as much or as little as you like.   Sit back and enjoy.

 Great drink for those cold nights.

Enjoy

More vodka recipes

Homemade Butterscotch Schnapps Ice Cream

This was a very tasty treat for date night.  I would make it again in a heartbeat.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  I have an ice cream machine that stays in the freezer until you use it then the top is electronic which makes this ice cream supper easy.  Any machine would work.

Homemade Butterscotch Schnapps Ice Cream

I chopped up some pecans and a few kisses until they were in small pieces for the top of the ice cream.

I then put 3 cups of whole milk ( you can use any or all of the following to make the 3 cups,  whole milk, half and half, evaporated milk, almond milk) into a mixing bowl.  I added to the milk a tsp of vanilla, ½ cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp of salt and mixed it till it was dissolved.  I added 1/3 cup of butterscotch schnapps and stirred it until it was mixed well.  You can put more schnapps if you would like but adding too much just makes it more like ice milk.

I took out my base from the freezer and poured the milk mixture in it and turned it on.  Once it started to turn a few times I added 1/2 the pecan mixture.

I let it go for about 20 minutes until it was done (follow your machines instructions) than sprinkled the remainder of the pecan mixture on top of the ice cream.  It was wonderful.  You can add stuff or change the pecans to another nut you like or just add chocolate shavings or anything you love. I know I
it might be cold outside but the schnapps sure take care of the chill.

Enjou

Enjoy

Homemade Ice Cream recipes

Meatballs

Meatballs

 

This meatball recipe is so easy and tasty you will never buy pre made meatballs again. They can be kept for a week in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer.




For the meatballs I put any amount of ground beef in a bowl to make the meatballs. I used 3 pounds because I will separate the beef to cover a few meals. If I am going to cook one meal I will usually cook 2 or 3 other things at the same time. This saves me time during the week of preparing other dinners.

Next I add everything from veggies to seasoning. I put in mine a bag of onion soup mix, some garlic, ½ cup per pound of any mixture of diced onion, green and yellow pepper, a jalapeno, some Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix these ingredients well with your hands yes I said your hands. Take off your bling and get your fingers in there and mix everything up good. It can be very liberating. Just remember to wash your hands good before you touch anything else.

At this point I made 4 hamburger patties and wrapped them until later in the week and I fried up a little less than a pound for another meal that week.

With the remainder of ground beef I added 2 eggs and some type of crumbs. I took Friday nights toasted baguettes and put them in the oven to toast them even more. When they were done I put them in my food processor to make my own bread crumbs. You can use crackers, chips, pretzels, oatmeal or whatever you have in the cupboard. Just grind them up into small crumbs.

I then will roll my meatballs. They can be as big or small you would like. Unless I am making cocktail meatballs I will make them big. Cook them on 350 degrees for 10 minutes then I will flip them or they will burn and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160 or above. If they are small meatballs they may not take as long to cook. Keep an eye on them to not overcook them.

I feel a meat thermometer is a must because you don’t want to over or under cook you meat products.

You can make as many meatballs as you want for future meals because they freeze really well. If you freeze them put them on a plate or baking sheet in freezer until they are frozen then put them in a freezer bag. That way they won’t stick together and you can just use one or two meatballs at a time.  Meatballs are good 6 months to a 1 year.

Some will stay in the refrigerator after being cooked until Spaghetti night then I will just add them to some sauce. That recipe is to follow. Don't forget the infamous meatball sub.

 

Enjoy

Meatball recipes