Wednesday, January 11, 2012

green pepper casserole

Here is a delicious recipe that I got out of a cookbook, except with a few minor changes.

1 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cups instant white rice
3 large green bell peppers
chili pepper
hot tabasco sauce
1 cup shredded cheese
*Optional- add a can of crushed tomatoes

1. Brown the beef in a skillet until fully cooked. Drain fat. Add spaghetti sauce, and worcestershire sauce. Heat to a boil. Stir in rice. Remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes.

2. Half and de-seed peppers. Cut into 1 1/2 in pieces. Place into a 2-quart microwave sauce baking dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover. Microwave 5 minutes and until the peppers are tender, stirring twice. Drain water. (Steaming them in a steamer also works). Combine with beef mixture. You can also add a can of crushed tomatoes for added acidity and texture. Add 1-2 tbs hot sauce, depending on the chosen hotness level. Sprinkle lightly with chili pepper. Sprinkle with cheese, and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. You can also bake it too at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted, approximately 5-7 minutes.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

17 things that I have learned in ACC 255

Here is my blog listing 17 things that I have learned in ACC 255.

1.I have learned what the purpose of a pillar article is. It is an evergreen that is based off of the chosen topic. Since I chose recipes, it focuses on recipes that are not seasonal, and shows how informative you are about your topic. More details.

2. I have learned the how to sell my products through cafepress.com

3. I have learned about managing my time more effectively as well as more efficiently.

4. I have learned how to add google adsense ads to my website and blog.

5. I now know what a sneeze page is: a composition of earlier blogs. Listing the top 5 for example, is like a recap for the best blogs to read.

6. I have learned that my website must have a purpose, a mission statement, and be designed for a target niche.

7. I have learned how to set up a blogger account, and well as posting on my blogger account as well.

8. How to get your blogger to have a purpose, whether it is a list post, a link post, a review post, analyzing a top blog in your niche, etc..

9. I have learned how to put links on my website and blog.

10. I learned how to promote my blog posts through other websites' blogs, as well as facebook.

11. I learned how to set up a contact page and a donations button.

12. I learned how to set up my freewebs (webs) account.

13. I learned how to generate traffic by submitting my website and blog URLs to search engines.

14. I learned what a landing page is. You are pursuading your audience to buy a product involved in your topic.

15. I learned that solving a problem is very important in regards to your chosen topic. It shows that you know what you are doing, and you must be able to fix an occurring problem.

16. I learned how to create this project for absolutely no money out of my pocket. This is a great start towards creating a business with little to no money.

17. Finally, I learned what an enzine article is, as well as what an ebook and a business development plan consists of.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A review of past amazing recipes!

So for Thanksgiving, I made this Turtle Cheesecake and a Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice pie, and both were amazing! It was really funny because by the looks of the them, they looked like regular cheesecakes. But They were way different than a regular cheesecake. They were way better.

I liked both by comparison because both contained pecans. I liked the Triple Layer Pumpkin spice pie more because I am a big pumpkin pie fan. This was a big success. The funny part about it was that everyone was so full from eating Thanksgiving dinner, that I ended up bring most of my pies home. The ironic part is they actually tasted better than when I first made them because they spices had time to sit and soak in with the cool whip that I had used. I had my sister over a day after Thanksgiving, and she really enjoyed both desserts.

I blogged on facebook about my turtle cheesecake. It really is delectable. Take my word for it, make either one of these, and people will be begging you to make it not just for Thanksgiving.

I also made these ribs in the crockpot for dinner last week. It was funny because they hadn't even been in the crockpot for an hour, and my husband's friends were over hanging out in our basement. When they walked into the kitchen, they asked, "What smells so good?" I told them, "Ribs", and I knew that they wanted to stay for dinner. I had actually made way too many ribs, so we ended up eating them as BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. They were delicious as well. Definitely need to try them viewers!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Goulash

I like to make goulash because it has an italian flare to it. This recipe has been in my family for years, and I would like to share it with you. My grandmother used to make this as well.

Grandma's Goulash

Ingredients:

1 lb ground hamburger
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 large can of tomato juice
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Bring 1 qt pan of water to a boil. Add macaroni. Cook 7 to 9 minutes until either al-dente or cooked. Your choice. Drain after cooked.

2. While the macaroni is cooking, dice the onions and peppers. Remove seeds from peppers. Set aside.

3. Brown the hamburger until fully cooked. Drain grease. Add cooked macaroni, onions, peppers and can of tomato juice. Simmer until the veggies are tender.

4. Add salt and pepper. If you like yours spicy, and 1/2 tsp of chili powder and more pepper to taste.

5. Enjoy!

When I was a kid, I was a picky eater. My mom would make me just the elbow macaroni and the tomato juice, and I would eat it like that. The funny part is my mother ate it that way when she was a kid too. My cousins still eat it this way til this day. My husband on the other hand, doesn't prefer it this way. He likes the meaty version more. I admit, eating it this way is a preferred taste, and many may not like it just the noodles and juice. Thanks for reading my blog, and come check out my other recipes.

Monday, December 5, 2011

Ribs make great leftovers

I love to cook things in the crockpot because you don't have to do anything with it. You just add the ingredients and go! Last Saturday, I had put some ribs in the crockpot. I threw in some spices, garlic cloves, and onions along with it. My husband and his friends were hanging out that afternoon, and they complimented me on it. They asked, "What is that wonderful smell?" And I told them ribs. So I invited them over for dinner that night.

The ribs were so tender with the BBQ sauce on them, that they literally fell off the bone. They were absolutely amazing. This recipe can't be found anywhere else, so check it out here!

Brandi's homestyle ribs

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs of bone-in pork ribs (The ones I managed to get were meaty, and I used about 6 of them)
1 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 onions
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 container of pork rub
1 tsp of meat tenderizer
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground white pepper (if you do not have it, don't worry about it)

Directions:

1. Make sure the ribs are thawed. Dice up the onions and cloves of garlic.

2. In a small bowl, combine salt, both peppers, and meat tenderizer. Mix well with a spoon.

3. In a large bowl, put in the ribs. If they are separated, this will work better. Sprinkle the pork rub on it until evenly distributed. ***You do NOT have to use the whole container of spice rub. Maybe a 1/4 of it or so. Just enough to have the rub blended on the ribs.

4. Pour salt and pepper mixture over ribs, and combine well.

5. In a crockpot, combine ribs, onions, and garlic. Add about 1 1/2 cups water. Cook on low 7 to 8 hours. If water starts to evaporate, add a little more so the ribs get tender.

6. At about the 7th hour, drain about half of the grease and water out of hte crockpot. Add half of the BBQ sauce. About 15 minutes til it's done, add the rest of the BBQ sauce.

You now have ribs that will be amazing. You can eat them either as pulled pork sndwiches, or by itself with a few side dishes. Some side dishes that compliment this dish include mashed potatoes, corn bread, and mac and cheese.

I recently visited the FoodNetwork.com website. They have some amazing recipes of course. One of my favorites is the crockpot webpage and their blogger. There's lots of recipes that you can try, and give feedback on. I posted a few comments about crockpot cooking on there. I noticed that crockpot cooking is never going out of style because it is easy and effortless. A lot of chefs are creating new recipes that involve crockery cooking. They are coming up with a lot of different recipes, such as soups and stews. I consider their section of crockery cooking to be a top blog.

This is such an awesome recipe, I had to blog about it on facebook. Not only do you get to eat ribs, but you get to eat the leftovers as BBQ pulled pork sandwiches! What could be better?

Crockpot blog here

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Guess what has more uses than you think...

Here's a riddle for you. What has sugar and spice and everything nice? That would be cinnamon of course! Cinnamon has a lot of benefits involving health, uses, and flavor. It's a cheap spice, and a little goes a long way.

According to Wikipedia.com, cinnamon can be found in the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum. Cinnamon bark is one of the few spices that can be consumed directly. Cinnamon is used all over the world, especially in the Middle East, in savory dishes that contain lamb and chicken. Cinnamon is also commonly used in desserts, ranging from apple pie to cinnamon rolls. It can also be used in breads, donuts, teas, and cocoa. It is most often mixed in with chocolate in Mexico.

Cinnamon has also been shown to help with the treatment of Diabetes. When I worked for two years as a home care aide for senior citizens, a lady I cared for would add cinnamon to her coffee. She said that it helps control her blood sugar, and decreases her wants for sugar as an additive. It may help with blood circulation as well. Many pharmacies also offer cinnamon pills that you can take as a vitamin supplement.

Cinnamon is also said to be a wonderful treatment against insects. Although an untested theory, it is said that during the hot summer months that if you sprinkle a little thin line outside any entrances to your home, it can prevent ants from entering. The spice is too intense for the insects to withstand. According to Wikipedia.com, It is also said that it can keep mosquitoes away as well for the same reason. This would be a great theory to test during the summer when you want to go camping.

Please come back and read my future blogs. Thanks again for checking my blog out.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

English muffins are more than just breakfast

When I was in sixth grade, I was in a home economics class where I got to cook different things. One of them of which I had never heard of until I made it. I used to think that english muffins were only good for putting butter and jam on it, until I made this recipe.

My home economics teacher had us make muffin pizzas. It may seem like an old recipe to some, but being 12 years old at the time, it was new to me!

Ingredients:

1 jar of pizza sauce
1 16 oz bag of shredded colby jack or mozzarella cheese
hormel mini pepperoni
english muffins-plain
any extra toppings of your choice- onions, green peppers, pineapple, sausage, etc)
oregano

Directions:

1. First, half your english muffins. Spread pizza sauce on muffins. Finish off with cheese and toppings. Next, add a pinch of oregano to each one.

2. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about five to seven minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve! This makes a wonderful after-school snack or a simple lunch.

There you go. It's quick, easy, and fast.

Please come back, and check out other great recipes that I will post under my blog and website. I will show you how you can plan out your weekly meals, saving you time and money. You can find this soon under my website. I hope that you are willing to try this recipe at least with your kids. It would be a fun project, and something to do with them.