Our favorite nostalgic sandwich has been turned into our family favorite pie, no matter the age!  These classic flavors go together like…well, you know 😉  Now that Fall is approaching (c’mon my favorite season, we have mere weeks until the 21st and this weather needs to cooperate with that!), I’ve been craving those rich, warm flavors.  Given the heat just won’t break, what’s better than a chilled, comforting pie for dessert!

The Starting Lineup

• 1 cup peanut butter, creamy
• 1(8oz) block cream cheese, softened
• 1-1/8 cup powdered sugar
• 1(8oz) container whipped topping
• 1(9-inch) graham cracker crust
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/3 cup grape jelly
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and the peanut butter until well blended and smooth.  Add the powdered sugar and beat until well blended.  Gently fold in 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping just until combined.

Pour…

This week’s It’s Chili, Chowder, or Stew Saturday is a recipe for DEEP, DARK AND STOUT CHILI. Just the name of DEEP, DARK AND STOUT CHILI makes you do the Chili drool! This one is made using; Extra Lean Ground Beef, Kidney Beans, Green Bell Peppers, Stewed Tomatoes, Dark Stout Beer, Chili Powder, Ground Cumin, Roasted Cumin, Sodium-Free Beef Bouillon Granules, and Salt. The recipe comes from one of my favorite sites, Diabetic Gourmet Magazine website. At the Diabetic Gourmet Magazine site you’ll find a huge selection of Diabetic Friendly Recipes. Enjoy and Make 2019 a Healthy One! https://diabeticgourmet.com/

DEEP, DARK AND STOUT CHILI
Ingredients

2 Tbsp canola oil (30 mL)
1-1/2 lb extra lean ground beef (or 1 lb extra lean ground beef and 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained)
2 cups diced green bell peppers
1 cup diced red onion
3 cans (14.5 oz each) no-salt-added stewed…

I can tell everyone is looking to fall foods by the top recipes from my blog. Paula Deen’s Bobby’s Goulash (click for link to original recipe) was the number one post for my blog during August. Potatoes, casseroles, and fall flavors were the top of the list.

Spare Rib Casserole (click for link to original recipe) was made from the leftovers of a  barbecue meal. It is a delicious way to use up those leftovers and have a second meal that is a bit different!

This Tuscan Chicken (click for link to recipe) was the third most popular post on What’s for Dinner Moms? despite being posted in the last week of the month. It is super easy to make and looks and tastes like a restaurant quality meal!

Classic Hellman’s Macaroni Salad (click for link to recipe) was a close fourth place this month. I know we have been…

Why is buying a whole chicken better than buying one that is cut into serving pieces?

First, a whole chicken is cheaper per pound and is handled less along the way. It lends itself to a variety of cooking techniques and can be cut up at home exactly the way you want it: in half, quarters, eighths or tenths. Eating all of an animal not just the popular cuts, such as the breast, is the most sustainable way to eat. You get the added bonus of the back, neck, frame and gizzards, which can all be used to make broth for soup.

Second, you get several meals from one chicken. You can roast, braise or cook a chicken in the slow cooker. Once cooked, slice some of the chicken for the main meal and then use the leftovers in any number of dishes, such as risotto, chicken pie, a stir-fry, sandwiches…

One of the best ways to cut the cost of your shopping bill but still enjoy good quality meat is by buying cheaper cuts. It’s easy to end up buying the same things each week, such as chicken breasts or pork chops, but these are the more expensive cuts of meat. Many of the cuts that our grandparents ate regularly are forgotten about, even though they make great tasting, inexpensive meals and can be used in a variety of recipes. Don’t be put off buying cheaper cuts of meat because you are unsure of what to buy or you don’t know how to cook them.

A great way of finding out more about the cheaper cuts of meat that are available in your area is to talk to your local butcher or your local supermarket meat department manager. When shopping for lamb, always check the dates that are stamped on the…

Expensive cuts of meat tend to be the ones that are tender and can be cooked quickly and easily. This doesn’t mean that you can’t create a great meal with a cut that costs less. Fresh brisket is an inexpensive boneless cut that requires long, slow cooking to break down the collagen in the connective muscle tissues to achieve tenderness. Because brisket is a tough cut of meat, it’s best simmered in a small amount of liquid, either in the oven, the slow cooker or on the stove top. Most recipes do not need much attention during cooking.

The secret to the tenderness is a long, moist cooking process called braising. Add a little liquid to the roasting pan – broth, wine, juice even water works fine. Season the beef and cover the pan tightly. The steamy environment created from the braising liquid will tenderize the meat. You’ll know that the…

Using a slow cooker is a great way to save time and still prepare a nutritious meal. Assemble the meal in the morning, put it in the slow cooker and at the end of the day, dinner is ready — without much mess or many dishes to clean. The device requires only a small amount of electricity to do its work — compared with a standard oven — and a slow cooker uses a lot less energy, so it won’t heat up an entire kitchen the way an oven does.

Cooking with a slow cooker can also be an economically smart choice, because you can use cheaper cuts of meat. Condensation acts as a self-baster, so tougher cuts of meat become tender in a slow cooker. Just because you’re saving time and money doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing taste. Vegetables cooked in a slow cooker can absorb stocks and spices, giving…

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

I used a leftover cooked steak. If you do not have any on hand, cook a small steak and slice it to use in this recipe.

Ingredients

1 large green bell pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 large onion, sliced
4 ounces of packaged sliced mushrooms
6 ounces cooked steak, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 slices provolone cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place pepper halves on a rimmed baking sheet or in individual ramekins. Bake until tender but still able to hold their shape, about 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they’re softened and release their juices, about 5 minutes more. Add steak, Italian seasoning, pepper…

Sister Madly knows what you’re thinking: is it safe to eat the peppers of a NuMex Twilight ornamental pepper plant?

Allow the aforementioned Moppet to put your mind at ease: Yes, it is!

But you don’t want to. Trust her on this one.

Now that she’s gotten that out of the way, it’s time to talk about M&M’s.

As a wee little Moppet, this was one amongst many favored 35¢ treats, peaking a few years before Red M&M’s made their triumphant return to society. It was during one of Sister Madly’s weekly pilgrimage down to the party store* that she was confronted with the truth about the candy that ‘melts in your mouth, not in your hand.’

* A Michigan phenomenon jam-packed with all things liquor, tobacco, snacky things, candy, lottery, magazines, Clearly Canadian, and pickled eggs.
Also, pop.

Now Sister Madly simply could not pass by her friend’s house…

Tired of rice bowls and lunch salads? – Here is a recipe for a refreshing lentil bowl. colorful lentils and lots of fresh vegetables make up a colorful and tasty dish with a lot of crunch to it!

Feel free to choose whichever topping you like. I opted for some slow-roasted chicken breast which I had rubbed with a hot peri peri spice mix for some extra flavor kick, as well as for some sun-dried tomato and dried mango slices. A few piece of fresh salmon are great as well with this dish.

For a fully vegetarian dish, I suggest replacing the chicken with fried halloumi, or with fried tofu for a vegan dish. Consider sprinkling with some chopped chili or curry cashew nuts for an extra of flavor kick.

Sanni

Ingredients (3 to 4 servings):

For the chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• juice of 1 lemon
• peri peri spice…

Greetings, Mystic Meows!

Now that the Summer season is rapidly approaching, it’s time to get our menus ready for all that outdoor picnicking and grill friendly cuisine! But what if I told you that in terms of burgers, that the best way to cook them isn’t on a grill? Would you think that I was cuckoo for cocoa puffs? Well, I am, but that’s beside the point. 🤪I’m a chef after all, and most chefs are slightly bonkers in the head to draw it mild! 😜 Most of the classic All American style burgers that I grew up eating from some of the best diners in the world (NYC, of course… ) were cooked on griddles, or flat tops, which is a solid sheet of metal heated by burners underneath them, and not on an actual grill. Don’t get me wrong… I love me the taste of a char grilled…

Most major scientific organizations encourage healthy adults to adopt a style of eating like that of the Mediterranean diet for prevention of major chronic diseases. Why? Because the Mediterranean diet incorporates the basics of healthy eating — along with the addition of olive oil and a glass of red wine — and other components that characterize the traditional cooking style of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.  Most healthy diets include fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains, and limit unhealthy fats. Fatty fish — such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon — are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Fish is eaten on a regular basis in the Mediterranean region. Be sure to add it to your diet on a regular basis.

Oven Baked Fish

 2 Servings

Ingredients

2 cod, haddock or salmon fillets, about 6 oz. each
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 garlic clove finely…

Panzanella

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small country bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small clove garlic, grated
11/2 lbs ripe, meaty tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 3-1/2 cups)
Half an English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the bread preparation:
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread cubes and a sprinkle…