I hadn't gone shopping so I didn't have many ingredients, I simply used what I had in my kitchen. I took my boneless skinless chicken breasts and cut a horizontal slit in each one being careful not to cut all the way thru.      I opened my can of chopped spinach and added very little salt, some pepper, and some ranch dip I had made with sourcream and Hidden Valley ranch powder. Maybe just a tablespoon or so. I mixed it well and stuffed it inside ... Read Full Story

     When I was a kid I hated spinach. My mother didn't make it often but when she did we had to eat it. I liked vegetables and the problem really didn't have anything to do with taste. It was because it was so long and stringy I would choke on it. It wasn't until I was an adult that I tried it again and loved it. I'll eat it cooked or raw.      Now, understand that my husband and son like simple meals. In fact, my husband would be happy with just a b... Read Full Story

     If you've got leftover red cabbage or are just looking for a new way to make your vegetables, here's a recipe I found that will just hit the spot! 2 red bell peppers 2 green bell peppers 2 medium zucchini 4 small carrots 1 tbls. olive oil 1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 4 tsps. white wine vinegar 1/4 cup water 1 tbls. sesame seeds      1. Julienne cut the bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots. Add oil to a me... Read Full Story

     For dessert I've been having frozen plain bananas. They were on sale for 29 cents a pound so we bought a bunch. The problem with bananas in my house is they usually go uneaten and have to be thrown out. So when I do buy them I wait until they are firm and ripe and then I peel them, cut them in half and wrap them in plastic wrap. Put them in the freezer and they are wonderful.      What I really like about these is that they take a long time to ea... Read Full Story

     I had bought a head of red cabbage for my vegetable soup but only used about a quarter of the head. What to do, what to do with the rest of the cabbage. I just made some pea and carrot salad, so I didn't want to make cole slaw too. I'm probably the only one in my family who's going to eat it anyway so I needed to use the cabbage for something else.      My mother used to make cabbage & beans, which we all loved. So that's what I settled on. I... Read Full Story

     As I said before I had a lot of leftover chicken so I made a to die for chicken salad. I combined the chicken, garlic, onions, celery, green pepper. I then used that new mayonaise made from olive oil with some pepper.      It was great, I had it on crackers, rye bread, white bread, toast, and toasted onion bagels. Mmmmmmmmm!      I like to add some kind of chopped nuts or seeds like pumpkin or sunflower along with some diced ... Read Full Story

     I have some misgivings about calling this vegetable soup because I did use about four of the chicken leg quarters to further flavor my broth. I started with a pot of water and added the chicken pieces, some garlic, onions, celery, green pepper, red cabbage, tomatoes,and carrots.      I of course had to refrigerate it and let the chicken fat rise to the top as a solid so that I could scrape it off, then I added some noodles and enjoyed some really... Read Full Story

      Here's more about my chicken soup. I used tongs to take out the bigger pieces of chicken and a large spoon with holes to take out the smaller pieces. You really are supposed to then run it through cheesecloth or a strainer, but I did not.      What I did do was put the pot of broth in the frig so that the fat would rise to the top for removal and I stripped the chicken itself for acceptable pieces for eating. Then I took a sharp knife and cu... Read Full Story

     With the sudden change in the weather here in the great  midwest, I've been thinking a lot about soups and warm comfort food.      A couple days ago I made two soups, one a chicken noodle soup and the other a vegetable soup. I started with a ten pound bag of chicken leg quarters which I bought on sale for .39 cents a pound. I actually started out just wanting to make my own homemade chicken broth but the soup just seemed too good to pass up.... Read Full Story

     I know we just talked about limes however I want to share with you my recent experiences with them.      My daughter was able to purchase limes from a mom and pop tiny grocery/convenience store at the cost of 20 for $1.00 so of course she picked some up. We found ourselves experimenting and sqeezinig lime juice on just about everything we cooked, mainly meats. They turned out delicious. I soon found I did not need to add any salt at the table as t... Read Full Story