Living Insanity's Loving Food

Pasta Salad Rotini noodles Grape tomatoes, halved Red pepper, diced Onion, diced Broccoli, diced Small mozzarella balls Mini pepperoni Italian Good Seasonings, mixed with balsamic vinegar Prepared pesto, a dollop incorporated into the dressing Cook noodles per instructions, cool completely before adding to vegetables, meat, and cheese. Add about half of the prepared dressing.  Let the salad sit overnight.  The noodles will absorb some dressing.  Add the rest of the dressing before serving. Pigs in a Blanket Pack of 5 Hebrew National all beef hot dogs 1 can crescent roll dough Cheese if desired Toppings like various mustards and ketchup Heat oven to 350 Use paper towels and dry the hot dogs to help keep dough stuck on them. Roll out the crescent dough into one large rectangle Cut into 8 long strips and then cut again in half Cut the hot dogs into thirds I sprinkled half of the crescent dough with some shredded cheese before rolling.  Other bloggers suggested using American cheese slices

Meatloaf 1 lb ground beef 6 slices cooked bacon Shredded cheddar cheese Onion, diced Slice of white bread Panko breadcrumbs Milk Worchestershire sauce Salt Pepper Garlic powder BBQ sauce Place a slice of white bread in a mixing bowl and add milk and worcestershire sauce.  Once bread is soaked, add all ingredients.  Mix together with your hands and divide into four even amounts.  Shape into four loaves and place on a greased pan with a lip.  Spread your favorite bbq sauce on each loaf.  Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.   Served with mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini.  

Sugar Cookies, snickerdoodles, and gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies makes about 24 cookies 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 3/4 cups flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon cinnamon (Set aside for rolling) 3 tablespoons sugar 3 teaspoons cinnamon  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar, eggs, and vanilla thoroughly in a large bowl until creamy Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon in a separate bowl Blend dry mixture into the butter mixture.  Add a little bit at a time, blending between additions. Chill dough and an ungreased pan for 15 minutes in the fridge Scoop 1 inch balls and roll into balls with hands.  Roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture  Place on chilled ungreased cookie pan and bake 9-10 minutes.   Let cool a minute and remove from pan to a cooling rack.   Cream Cheese Frosting for Cupcakes 2

  I made my taco soup recipe with roasted chicken instead of ground beef this time.  It was a bit more like a chicken tortilla soup.  I squeezed lime and topped with sour cream and cilantro.  

  It is a rainy Sunday so I made a big pot of soup.  No one came over for any though :(  Today I had mine over rice even though usually I just serve some bread on the side.   Cabbage Soup 1 roll of hot sausage 4 carrots, diced few celery stalks, diced 1 small onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced several cloves of garlic, minced 4 cups chicken broth 1 small cabbage 1 can diced tomatoes with chili a few spoonfuls of salsa salt, pepper, Italian seasoning In a large pot, brown the sausage, use a slotted spoon to remove and set to the side. In the same pot with the bit of sausage grease, add some oil and the carrots, onion, celery, green pepper.  Stir until softened.  Add seasonings and garlic.  Stir for about 30 seconds.  Next add the chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Stir in the cabbage.  Simmer on low for about an hour.  Serve!  Serve with a nice crusty bread with butter or I poured my soup over rice today.  

  Yesterday we tried Smoked bar and grill in the Hershey area.  Boyfriend had a pulled pork cubano that had a small side of tomato soup for dipping.  I had a brisket french dip sandwich.  Both were awesome.  They also had some special non alcoholic drinks.  Mine was pomegranate, pineapple, and something fizzy.  Boyfriend had a carbonated tea with lime and something else.  They were really good.  I already want to go back and try more things on the menu, like the loaded mac n cheese.  

For Candylane they got rid of the Thanksgiving eggrolls this year.  I was pretty sad by this news.  They added a Thanksgiving pizza, but it was sold out on Friday.  I went with the loaded potato.  I had pulled pork and cheddar cheese with a bit of ranch dressing.  They were also out of bacon :(  I did get a few free hot chocolates and boyfriend and I tried the apple pie king sized shake.  It was a lot and it was getting cold out so we didn't actually finish it.  

This recipe was incredibly easy and I'm sure my boyfriend could make it for me sometime! Taco soup served over cilantro lime rice with a side of beef and cheese taquitos.  I felt like the taquitos weren't necessary and I can skip next time. Taco Soup: 1 pounds ground beef, browned and fat drained 1 can corn, drained 1 can pinto beans, drained 1 can stewed tomatoes 1 can diced green chilis 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis 1 can chili beans 1 packet taco seasoning 1 packet ranch seasoning 1 1/2 cups water ( used some leftover beef broth and then filled the rest with water) Plus additional toppings! Bring soup to a boil and heat at least 15-20 minutes. Serve over rice.  I prefer cilantro lime rice.  I added extra lime juice. Toppings we used were shredded cheddar, sour cream, lime juice, and hot sauce.    

Kelsey's was one of the few places selling a Thanksgiving for 2 and it was only $75.  It came with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing with sausage, green bean casserole gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls with a honey butter.  I ordered an additional apple pie too.  It was a perfect amount and I managed to get everything reheated ready to eat in 1 hour.

  The specialty drink for the show was a frozen hot chocolate.  It had Baily's 

 I had Thanksgiving at the boyfriend's cousin's new house.  We were looking for a house at the same time last year.  They found one first though!  I wanted to take a few things.   I made Buffalo chicken dip and took crackers, chips, and celery to dip in it.  This made way too much!  I would halve the recipe next time. Buffalo Chicken Dip: 2 large cans of chicken 1/2 cup of ranch dressing 1/2 cup of wing sauce 1 container of blue cheese crumbles (save some for topping) 1 8 ounce block of softened cream cheese 1 8 ounce package of shredded cheddar cheese (save some for topping) Mix all ingredients together and then top with reserved blue and cheddar cheese. I put the mixture into a throw away brownie pan with a lid so I wouldn't have to worry about dirty tupperware. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Next I made homemade cranberry sauce because my boyfriend said he had never had it before. Habanero Cranberry Sauce: 1 8 ounce package of whole cranberries 1 cup

 We went to Universal Studios Florida in November.  We tried a lot of different places to eat! We stayed at Cabana Bay.  On check in day we ate at the Bayliner Diner in the hotel.  We both ordered the half jerk chicken and sides.  I had rice and beans.  The beans were very good and the chicken was moist.  We also bought the refillable soda cup for the resort.  We used it throughout the week and it was a great buy.   For dinner we had a reservation at Vivo in City Walk.  You can easily make and cancel dinner reservations using the Universal Studios app.  We hopped on the Cabana Bay bus and headed to City Walk.  You have to go through security first.  This ended up being our best meal.  I was also huge and we had leftovers we took back to our room.  We had a family suite with a fridge, microwave, a few paper plates, and the kitchenette had stools.  I ordered the caprese to start.  We split it, but it filled me up!  I had the funghi pizza as my entree.  Ate about 2 slices.  The boyfriend

 Another easy week night dinner.  Pepperoni rolls.  You must serve pizza sauce on the side! Recipe previously blogged.

Costco's Greek Gyro Kit strikes again.  This time I made some rice on the side.  I did have to shred my own lettuce.  The lettuce in the kit is never good!  The kit make 6 gyros and is ready in minutes.  I highly recommend it for a week night meal.  The cost is around $20.  

When the weather gets cold this soup always makes an appearance.    Recipe previously blogged.

It is officially fall and we like to head to Gaver Farm to pick pumpkins and to have apple cider donuts and apple cider slushies from the donut hut.  This year they have added soft serve ice cream to the mix.  You can have soft serve with apple cider slushie topped with a hot donut.  It is so good.  Do yourself a favor and drive out there before the season is over!  

 I was able to throw together this applecake in 30 minutes on a Friday after work!   Fresh Apple Cake Cream Together in Stand Mixer: 1 cups sugar 1 cup oil 2 eggs 3 tablespoons vanilla Sift Together in a Bowl: 3 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixer in the stand mixer. Cut up 2 apples (2 cups worth of apples) into a small dice and fold them into your mixture.  It will be thick! Press into a well grease bunt pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Let the cake cool before turning it out onto a cake plate.

All of us were supposed to go to Hershey Park.  It rained all day and Hershey actually closed 2 hours early.  I cancelled our trip and invited everyone over for beef stew instead.   2 lbs stew meat, rolled in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.  Browned in a large pot with oil. 4 carrots, diced. 3 stalks celery, diced 5 red potatoes, cubed into about 1 inch pieces. 1 can of green beans, drained 1 onion, large dice 1 large clove of garlic, diced 32 ounces of beef stock.  I also added a little water to help cover all the ingredients. 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon paprika dash allspice Place all of the above ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high about 6 hours. Do not toss this in the crockpot yet! 2-4 tablespoons cornstarch. Mix the cornstarch in a measuring cup with some of the hot broth.  Add the slurry into the crockpot and let it heat through and thicken slightly.   Serve the beef stew with biscui

So, I don't really go to the grocery store.  I have been doing curbside pick up for groceries ever since covid hit in 2020.  This was a substitution that I wasn't sure was going to work out, but ended up very tasty anyway.  Originally I was trying to order a chuck roast to make my crockpot Italian Drip Beef sandwiches.  The shopped substituted the chuk steaks when they couldn't find a chuck roast.  Then the shopper and I texted back and forth about the bread substitution and then I got home and there was no bread in the order :(  I usually don't have issues with grocery pick up at all.  This just was a bad week.   I made these chuck roast steaks the same way as the Italian Beef in the crockpot, but without rolls I put it over some mashed potatoes and added some microwaved peas.  It was very yummy and those two chuck steaks were eaten.   2 chuck beef steaks 1 packet of Good Seasonings Italian 1 can of beef consomme Some liquid and some peppers from a banana pepper jar Co

I bought the family box of Zatarain's Jambalaya rice and added corn, diced tomatoes, celery, and browned andouille sausage.  We gobbled it up.  

Home Chef had a wonderful sounding ground turkey chili skillet meal topped with biscuits.  By the time my order came I was not in the mood for more chili!  So I just made spaghetti sauce instead.  I still have the dry biscuit mix for another day.  

Home Chef Baja Burgers.  These originally were impossible burgers, but they let me sub in ground beef.  Then the box came without ground meat and they sent diced chicken.  That was not going to make a burger :(  I immediately notified Home Chef and they refunded the meal.  I thawed out some ground turkey and ended up making the burgers with that.  The burgers had roasted jalapeno and roasted tomatoes plus pepperjack cheese and guacamole.  I felt like they needed some kind of creamy element like a spicy mayo or maybe just a chipotle ranch dressing.  

 I made a huge amount of chili when we had a tropical storm dump rain on us for a weekend.  I got tired of just eating chili in a bowl so I made chili topped tots!  Chili dog was going to be next, but I ended up freezing the chili.   My slow cooker chili recipe is 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey (browned with salt and pepper) 1 packet of chili seasoning 1 jalapeno, diced 1 onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced 2 cans of beans.  I usually use all kidney, but I have mixed kidney and black beans too 1-2 cans tomato sauce Throw in crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.  I have done this recipe on the stove top too.  I usually let it simmer for at least an hour.

This is a Home Chef recipe.  That was quick and easy to make.  You basically stirred everything in the provided pan and baked it in the oven.  It really could be a side with a protein.  Like a spicy mac n cheese! At 400 degrees bake diced poblano and corn tossed in some olive oil, salt, and pepper for 15 minutes. Add hatch chiles, provided cream base, cheese, and gnocchi and stir everything together.   Add a pinch of salt. Place tray back into the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Top with some cotija cheese, cilantro and crispy jalapenos.  (I have these from the grocery store, they are with salad toppers).

I tried Poke Bowl off Bel Pre Road for lunch and it was awesome.  You can build your own bowl or wrap.  I chose wrap.  It was so stuffed I worried she wouldn't be able to roll it!  I had chicken, rice, avocado, and lots of pickled veggies in mine.  I can't wait to try this place again!  

  Homechef gave me a great deal if I returned to using them.  So my first box had Italian meatloaf and a spicy gnocchi dish.  I made the meatloaf today and it was so so so good!  I will make it again on my own.  Sad thing was the broccoli they sent had gone bad.  I made the meal within the 5 days of getting the box too. Ingredients: Italian seasoning Panko- couple tablespoons salt and pepper Ground Beef Ricotta cheese- couple tablespoons Garlic salt In a mixing bowl add Italian seasoning, panko salt, pepper, garlic salt, and ricotta cheese.  Mix together with your hands.   On a foil lined sheet pan form small loafs with the meat mixture.   Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes.  Check temperature.   Add marinara sauce, parmesan and red pepper flakes after cooking. This dish was supposed to be served with roasted broccoli and red peppers.  I always like mashed potatoes with meatloaf.  

It is officially fall.  We had a tropical cyclone dump rain on us all weekend long so I made chili. Ingredients: 1.5 pounds ground beef, browned with salt and pepper 3 cans kidney beans 3 cans tomato sauce 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 sweet onion, diced 1 jalapeno, diced 1 packet of McCormick chili season Brown the ground beef with a little salt and pepper.  Throw everything in a crockpot on low for about 4 hours. Top however you like it.  I prefer sour cream, cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips in mine.  Boyfriend likes cornbread over tortilla chips with his chili.  

 I hope Toby's never closes.  My family has been going for decades.  We recently saw Sister Act the musical.  Boyfriend has the specialty drink and salad from the salad bar.  The show was really funny and I highly recommend it.  It i still going on now!

 The boyfriend requested pork chops a while ago.  We ended up making a mustard and honey glazed pork chop.  

 The boyfriend made his spaghetti for dinner at the beach.  I always welcome someone cooking for me!

Toast some white bread and cut into squares.  Cook bacon and roast some chicken tenders.  I did the bacon and chicken a day ahead so all I had to do was assemble the morning we went to the beach. I layered toast, caesar dressing, lettuce, chicken, bacon, parmesan cheese, and tomato. The parmesan is a hard cheese and tended to break on me.  I just squished everything together really tight so the cheese wouldn't fall out.  These were a welcome beach lunch and all were eaten.  

 

 Chicken tenders with roasted brussel sprouts and red potatoes.  I put cajun seasoning on the chicken, roasted everything else in olive oil, salt, pepper.

This turned out really good and I ended up eating all of it over a week. I used the Pioneer Woman's recipe . Ingredients 1   lb.   ground beef (90/10) 4   slices bacon, chopped 1   yellow onion, chopped 3   garlic cloves 3   c.   beef broth 1   15-ounce can tomato sauce 3/4   c.   heavy cream 1   tbsp.   paprika 1   tbsp.   hot sauce 2   tsp.   salt 1   tsp.   ground black pepper 12   oz.   large elbow macaroni 8   oz.   shredded mild cheddar cheese  1/4   lb.   yellow American cheese slices, torn into small pieces Green onion or chopped parsley, for garnish Directions 1 In a large Dutch oven, cook the ground beef, bacon and onion over medium heat, stirring, until the ground beef is cooked through, the bacon is rendered and the onion is softened, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. 2 Add the beef broth, tomato sauce, heavy cream, paprika, hot sauce, salt and pepper to the beef mixture. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium. Add t