Monte Cristos with Cajun Corn

Things have been busy around here. I feel like I say that a lot, but it's true, and I know that it is the same for almost everyone else in the working world. My younger sister's senior prom was last weekend, so I went to see her, and I've been getting her senior pictures printed.

Mom, Lindsey, Me

Speaking of senior pictures....they were taken by some friends of ours who have their own photography business. They are awesome and you can check them out at http://www.e4photography.com/. I would definitely recommend them if you live in the Houston area.

So, back to food...on Sunday, my husband grilled ribeyes and I made mashed potatoes. Herbed Mashed Potatoes

6 1/2 cups of potatoes, cubed
2 garlic cloves, halved
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter
1/2 sour cream
Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender; drain. Return potatoes to pan, add milk and remaining ingredients. Beat with mixer on medium speed until smooth.


Tonight, I made monte cristo sandwiches and cajun corn. These sandwiches are ideal for lunches, but we are never home during lunch hours, so we have to settle for dinner. I think the Monte Cristo recipe came from Rachael Ray, but I can't remember.

Monte Cristo Sandwiches

8 slices of bread
1/2 cup taco sauce
8 slices honey baked ham
8 slices pepper jack cheese
8 slices smoked turkey
2 eggs, beaten
splash of milk
2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp butter
salt

Spread each slice of bread with a light layer of taco sauce. Build sandwiches using 2 slices each of ham, cheese and turkey per sandwich. Beat the eggs with the milk, hot sauce, and a little salt. Heat a griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan. Dip each sandwich in egg mixture and cook in pan for 3-4 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and the meat is heated through.

Cajun Corn Dish

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 tbsp butter or oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded, chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
In a saute pan, heat oil or butter over medium heat. Saute onion and pepper for 5 minutes. Add rest of ingredients. Cook 3 minutes, stirring. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring often. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

On an unrelated side note...I'll leave you with a couple of creepy pictures we accidentally took of our cats tonight.

Southwestern Corn Salad

I think this dish will be my go-to dish for picnics. It was good enough that my husband liked it. Also, with some black beans and tomatoes, I think it could be an excellent dip for tortilla chips.

Southwestern Corn Salad

4 - 11 oz. cans white or shoepeg corn, drained

8 green onion, chopped

3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

In a large bowl, combine the corn, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. Combine the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper; gently stir into corn mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Notes: I only refrigerated it for about 30 minutes and it was still good.

Oil and Vinegar Slaw

Ok, so no excuses for my leave of absence...just a new recipe. This is Rachel Ray's O & V Slaw. I don't usually like coleslaw, but my younger sister and I made this once, and we really liked it. Disclaimer: Don't expect this to be anything like normal coleslaw, or you'll be disappointed. Also, only make this if you like dill pickles.

O & V Slaw

1/2 cup hamburger pickle relish (dill pickle relish)

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 - 16oz sack of shredded cabbage mix for coleslaw

salt and pepper

Mix the relish with the oil and vinegar. Add the shredded cabbage to the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Garlic Ranch Chicken with Potatoes, Peas, and Pearl Onions

I've been really busy with school starting so, I haven't been able to keep up with this as much as I'd like. Also, I haven't been cooking as much as usual because we've been going out a lot lately. My birthday was a little over a week ago, and we have finally finished celebrating. Margaritas at Gringo's!!! So, now it's back to the kitchen. Right now I'm praying that Ike stays away. I sure would hate to lose all of the food in my freezer. I've been working on my food stockpile for 3 months!!


Okay, so as for tonight's dinner... it was worth trying again, but not amazing. I need to work on it a little to make it great. Both of the dishes were new, so it was just a test run.

Garlic Ranch Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp. ranch salad dressing mix

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

Flatten chicken slightly; set aside. In a shallow bowl, combine milk and garlic. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, salad dressing mix, and pepper. Dip chicken in milk mixture, then coat with flour mixture. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil and butter over medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side or unitl juices run clear.

Potatoes, Peas, and Pearl Onions

1 package 20oz of regfrigerated red potato wedges (or about 1 1/2 lbs of red potatoes cut into wedges yourself)

1/3 cup water

1 1/3 cups frozen pearl onions, thawed

3 tbsp. butter

2/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can peas, drained

3 tbsp. chopped green onions

Place potato wedges and water in a 2qt microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave on high 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute pearl onions in butter for 2 minutes. Add the cream, broth, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes or until onions are tender. Stir in the peas, green onions and reserved potatoes; heat through.

Notes: I really liked this dish, but I wanted the sauce to be thicker. I think that I'll let the cream mixture boil for a few minutes next time until its thicker, before I reduce the heat and simmer.

Refried Bean Soup with Pace Cornbread

I'm finally getting around to posting this delicious meal. I made it last week sometime. The soup is one of the easiest recipes I have. Just throw together a few cans, heat, and eat!! The cornbread recipe is from my mother in law and is a great side for any mexican theme dinner. I haven't been cooking much since I started working again last week. Last night was movie night with me and my husband. We made out the hide away bed on one of our couches, piled on a bunch of pillows, and watched movies all night. My husband cut up salami, summer sausage, pepper jack cheese, smoked cheddar, and mild cheddar. We ate it with crackers for dinner. It was great!! We even put an ice chest next to the couch so we didn't have to walk to the kitchen. I think we'll try to make movie night a regular ritual. Anyway, back to the recipe; the soup can have so many variations to suit your needs. I'll put some of my variations in the notes below. You have to try this on a busy weeknight!!

Refried Bean Soup

1 (~15oz) can fat free refried beans (you don't have to use fat free)

1 (15 1/4oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (14 1/2oz) can chicken broth

1 can rotel

1/2 cup water

1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies

1/4 cup salsa

Optional Garnishes: tortilla chips, more salsa, sour cream, shredded cheese

In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients except for garnishes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve with any garnishes you like.

Notes: I like to make the soup and add a dollop of daisy and some shredded cheddar to each bowl. The original recipe called for spicy refried beans, but my husband isn't fond of spicy foods. Therefore, I use regular refried beans and mild rotel. I just add a little cayenne pepper to my bowl to spice it up. As you may have noticed, there is no meat in this soup, but it is plenty hearty. My husband doesn't even usually notice the lack of meat. But, if you are a big meat eater, you could add cubed, cooked chicken.

Pace Cornbread Squares (sorry, no picture)

1 pkg. Jiffy Cornbread mix

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 egg

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, except the cheese, very well. It will be thinner than normal cornbread batter. Pour batter into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan. Sprinkle the cheese over top and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, till center is baked. Watch so that the bottom crust doesn't overbrown.

Ranch Chicken with Chive 'n' Garlic Corn

This is a super easy recipe for moist chicken. I can't take credit for the recipe. One of my best friends gave me this recipe on a drunken night at her apartment a few years ago. It's been a staple in our home since. The corn dish is ok. It's something to throw together on a busy night. The recipe is from Taste of Home, as are most of my recipes. I apologize for the unappetizing picture. I promise to work on my photography skills. You'll just have to trust me that the chicken tastes much better than it looks here.

Ranch Chicken

1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the ranch dressing and flour in a shallow bowl. Dredge both sides of each chicken breast in ranch dressing mixture and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle mozzarella over each breast. Bake for 25 minutes or until chicken is done and cheese is bubbly.

Chive 'n' Garlic Corn

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup minced chives
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

In a large skillet, saute corn and onions in butter for 5-7 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in chives, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Notes: Any cheese you have on hand will work with the Ranch Chicken, except swiss. We have tried a few, but my husband and I like mozzarella the best. The corn dish is easy, but I think I'll spice it up next time with some cayenne pepper to give it a little more flavor.