Living Insanity's Loving Food

This year I was in charge of the famous stuffing balls. Ingredients: several carrots, diced several stalks of celery, diced onion, diced 2 boxes of Aldi brioche rosemary and garlic stuffing egg chicken broth 2 rolls of Jimmy Dean sausage salt and pepper Directions: cook sausage and remove from pan saving the drippings add vegetables to pan and sautee add some stock and cook until carrots soften put stuffing mix in a bowl add the cooked sausage and vegetables stir together add more stock if needed for correct consistency add in the egg form balls and place in fridge Then bake in the oven  

 Thanksgiving from Kelsey's Pub.  With my homemade cranberry sauce

  So I would normally call this a shepherd's pie, but people have been correcting it to a cottage pie due to it not being made of lamb.  I made a double batch of filling in order to freeze a batch for an easy dinner later.  Someone suggested grabbing instant mashed potatoes for a really quick meal, but Adam says I won't like them. Ingredients for filling: 2 pounds ground beef, browned 4 tablespoons flour 4 tablespoons tomato paste small jar beef gravy 3 cups beef stock.  1 box is about 4 cups.  you may need extra 2 cans corn, drained 2 cans green beans, drained 3-4 carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 2 small onions, diced 3-4 cloves garlic, minced Heat oil in a a large pan with tall sides if making a double batch. Brown the ground beef.  Do not drain.  to the beef and grease add 4 tablespoons flour and 4 tablespoons tomato paste. Cook flour and incorporate the paste. Next add in beef gravy and beef stock. Add in all the veggies and boil until the car...

  I have watched Girl on the Farm make hot dish before.  This is my first time making or eating one. 1 lb ground beef 1 diced onion 1 can corn, drained 1 can diced tomatoes with green chili, not drained 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups cheddar cheese 1 cup sour cream frozen tater tots 1 packet taco seasoning dried parsley for color In a hot pan brown the ground beef with diced onions and then drain.  Return to pan and stir in seasoning, corn, beans, diced tomatoes, 1 cup of cheese, 1 cup sour cream.  When everything is combined, add to a greased casserole dish.  Top with the last cup of cheese and tater tots.  Bake in oven at 425 until tots are golden brown.  Sprinkle parsley for color after baking. This could have used a green veggies like peas, but Adam doesn't like them!  I didn't have canned green beans on hand.  The dish was a hit and made good leftovers.

1 can apple pie filling 1 can of cinnamon rolls cut into 4ths Stir together and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Drizzle the frosting on after.  Couldn't be easier!

  We spent a week in Pigeon Forge TN.  It was amazing and I'm dying to go back.  We had some good pot roast at Dollywood's Aunt Grannies and Ham and Beans restaurants.   Ingredients: 1 chuck roast 3 carrots 2 celery stalks 6 garlic cloves 1 onion 1+ cup beef broth 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce 2 tablespoons tomato paste Olive oil drizzle salt and pepper dried parsley (there was supposed to be dried thyme and rosemary, but I didn't have those) Directions: Place roast in the crockpot and season well with salt and pepper Add the beef broth, worchestershire, and tomato paste and try to stir them up. Place diced carrots, diced celery, rough chopped onion, and garlic cloves on top.   Drizzle olive oil over the top. Add dried parsley. Stir everything together. Cook on high for about 6 hours and then switch to low. You should be able to chop beef up with a spoon when it's ready.  No knives needed! We served over mashed potatoes.  You could cook s...

  Buy the Sam's Club chicken enchiladas.  We got a nice lunch and 1 extra serving out of them and it took no time at all.  I added cilantro rice, lettuce, sour cream, and taco sauce.  

  Ingredients: 1 jar butter chicken simmer sauce half sliced onion 1 cooked chicken breasts.   Marinade of your choice.  I use mojo  Seasonings Jasmine rice Broccoli Mini naan bread Marinate chicken in a plastic bag with mojo sauce and seasonings.  I used salt, pepper, chili flake, and garlic powder. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sautee onion. Bake chicken until 165.  40 minutes or less depending on how thick Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Stir onion and chicken into simmer sauce until everything is warmed up together. Steam broccoli Bring rice to a boil and then cover until done. Add naan on the side to soak up sauce This sauce wasn't spicy and maybe needed a flavor boost.  We are going to try the Tikka simmer sauce next.

  It felt like soup season for a little bit!  The temperatures in the morning were chilly.  Then it got back into the 80s in the afternoons.   Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey 1 diced onion minced garlic cloves, about 3 1 diced red pepper 1 can tomato sauce 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chili (undrained) 2 cups beef broth or chicken broth (more may be needed to make it soupy) Rice or noodles (I had run out of rice) 4 sliced of American cheese dried oregano dried basil paprika salt  pepper In a soup pot sautee beef, onion, peppers in some olive oil.   Toss garlic in and stir for a minute until fragrant. Add tomato sauce and canned diced tomato. Add seasonings Add 2 cups broth Bring to a boil Add rice or noodles cooked according to the package. (Since I used noodles I threw them in the boiling soup until cooked.  About 12 minutes) At the end of cooking melt in 4 slices American cheese.  It's what the Pioneer Woman does w...

Ingredients: 1/2 Stick Butter 1/4 Cup Flour 1 1/2 Cups Milk Dash Nutmeg Teaspoon Dijon mustard Dash Salt Dash Pepper Sliced Ham Arugula 16 slices of bread Bechamel Sauce Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk flour, stir constantly, and cook for 3 minutes. Gradually add milk while whisking. Cook until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and stir in the dijon mustard. Lay 8 slices of white bread on a baking sheet Spread bechamel sauce on bread Top with ham Sprinkle with gruyer cheese Top with arugula Place a slice of white bread on top Sprinkle extra gruyer cheese on top Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for about 6-10 minutes. Turn on the broiler for at least 2 minutes to get the cheese on top golden. Serve with tomato soup!  

  Ingredients: 8 ounce softened cream cheese 1 package of chicken tenders cut into 1 inch pieces 1/2 small onion, diced 6 tablespoons butter 3/4 cup ham, diced 3/4 cup bacon, cooked and diced 12 ounce penne pasta, cooked several slices of seedless rye bread cut into bite size pieces 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon onion powder parsley 2 cups heavy cream, plus more  2 cups gruyere and swiss blend cheese Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook chicken and diced onion in about 3-4 tablespoons butter.  Salt and pepper chicken Melt the cream cheese in a saucepan, then add in 2 cups cream and combine well, then add in 1 cup of the cheese.   Melt a few tablespoons butter.  Pour over bread cubes.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and some parsley.  Stir together and set to the side. In a greased casserole dish layer the cooked pasta, then the chicken, then the diced ham and diced bacon...

  Ingredients: Iberia Lentils 12 oz 1 onion, diced 1.5 cups ketchup 2 tablespoons mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce Soak lentils in a container of water in fridge over night. Boil lentils in 3 cups of water on the stove top for about 20 minutes, until preferred doneness. Strain lentils. In a large pot sautee the onion in some olive oil with salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and the cooked lentils. Cook on low for at least an hour. Adjust any flavors to your liking.  I usually amp up the sour/tart with more vinegar and more lemon juice and more mustard.   I then throw the lentil mixture on Hawaiian style buns and add hot sauce.  yum

  Ingredients: Mrs T cheddar pierogi half cabbage, diced onion, diced half package of bacon diced mustard of your choice butter water salt and pepper In a large skillet add butter and pan fry the pierogi until they have some brown bottoms.   Add water to skillet and cover to steam them until thawed and cooked through. Uncover and let all liquid evaporate.  You will be left with fully cooked pierogi with nice crunchy bottoms.  Set pierogi aside. In the skillet cook diced bacon.  Once bacon is fully cooked add in cabbage and onion.  Season generously with salt and pepper.  I also added some mustard here for flavor.   Toss cabbage mix into a bowl and top with pierogi!

  Ingredients: 4-5 tablespoons butter.  I cooked the chicken in 4 tablespoons and then added 1 more when I sauteed the vegetables 1 1/2 pound chicken tenders cut into 1" pieces 1 pound asparagus cut into 1" pieces 1 small onion diced 1 zucchini diced (minced garlic) I didn't use but I will next time. 1/2 cup chicken broth 3/4 cup heavy cream salt pepper dried thyme (I didn't have this so I used dried parsley) 1/4 cup mayo 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 1 tablespoon lemon juice (I ended up using a lot more to squeeze over the dish at the end) 1 1/2 cups swiss and gruyer cheese blend 1/2 cup shredded parmesan for the top Preheat oven to 375 Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray Place cut asparagus in a microwave with 1/4 cup water.  Microwave 3 minutes, drain, dump into casserole dish. In a large skillet melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add chicken and cook for 4 minutes.  Turn after it starts to brown.  Continue cooking until done. Remove chicken to casserole dish. Add...

Margarita Ingredients: 1 cup Ice 1/2 cup Frozen pineapple 4 ounces Pineapple juice 1/4 cup Orange juice 2 tablespoons Lime juice 1/2 cup Tequila 2 tablespoons Honey Tajin for the rim We thought it needed more pineapple flavor and are going to try again with more pineapple and more pineapple juice.  Also I'd rather use triple sec than orange juice. Corn Ingredients: Corn on the cob, boiled about 5 minutes Mayo Garlic powder Lime juice Tajin Cilantro Cojita cheese Mix the mayo with some garlic powder and lime juice and brush onto corn. Add cojita cheese to a plate and roll the corn in it. Sprinkle lime juice over the corn. Press cilantro into the corn.  I couldn't get it to really stick without pressing. Sprinkle as much Tajin as you want.    

 Ingredients: Butter Pillsbury pizza crust Mozzarella cheese, shredded Pizza sauce Pepperoni, cut into 4ths Italian herbs Preheat oven to 375 Butter a muffin tin really well Cut pizza crust into squares to fit into a muffin tin cup and up the sides Add mozzarella cheese Layer pizza sauce, pepperoni, cheese, herbs, top with a whole pepperoni, sprinkle more herbs. Bake for 15 minutes. I used Italian seasoning in the puff and topped with just dried oregano. Serve with warm pizza sauce on the side if you wish.

We celebrated Memorial Day a few days late, but we tried several new recipes.  We spiralized and marinated hot dogs, made Mexican street corn casserole, and I made a ranch pasta salad. Marinated Hot Dogs 1 package of beef hot dogs, usually 6 to a pack 1/4 cup ketchup 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 package of hot dog buns Place hot dog on cutting board and use a knife to cut the hot dog at an angle until the length has been cut into a spiral. In a large resealable bag combine the marinade ingredients of ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce.   Add hot dogs to marinade and keep in fridge a minimum of 20 minutes.  Can be kept overnight. Grill hot dogs and place on buns with your favorite toppings.   My favorite toppings are mustard and raw diced onion, but sometimes I do sauerkraut.   Ranch Pasta Salad 1 lb prepared macaroni noodles 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup diced celery 1/4 cup red onion (I...

  The herb garden has been growing like crazy with the cooler and rainy weather we have been having.  I planned a meal around some of the fresh herbs.  I made 2 pounds of bbq beef, a dill potato salad using baby red potato, and a caprese salad with fresh basil.  BBQ Beef (this is a double batch) 2 pounds ground beef 1 large onion, diced 1.5 cups ketchup 2 tablespoons mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce In a large pot, brown the beef and onions in some olive oil.  Salt and pepper the beef. Drain and return beef to pot. Add all the sauce ingredients and heat through. Serve on slider or Hawaiian rolls or hamburger buns. I like to keep the BBQ beef in the crockpot.  I brown the beef and then put it in the crockpot with the sauce ingredients.  I cook it on low for an hour or two and then just switch to keep warm.   Potato Salad baby red potatoes, boiled t...

This is cheddar broccoli soup that I added ground beef and potatoes.  It was filling, but it turned out very brown!  If you need a fast soup I start with Campbells broccoli cheddar soup as a base.  First sautee some broccoli, carrot, and onion in oil.  Then add the condensed soup.  Use chicken broth next and you have a broccoli cheese soup base.  This time I browned some ground beef and threw in some already cooked potatoes.  You could also add pasta or pierogi.  Just start with some cheese soup and broth and go from there.  

For Christmas one year I asked for a pizza stone.  I got a pizza stone, pizza peel, and pizza cutter!  We finally broke out the pizza tools and made a homemade pizza and it was so good!  I bought two dough balls at Food Lion.  They had herb and plain for only $2.50.  I actually got 2 pizzas out of each ball of dough.   Use a paper towel and rub olive oil onto your pizza stone and place on the center rack of the oven. Heat your oven to 475 degrees with the pizza stone in the oven. Let the dough sit out at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.  You can prepare your toppings at this time, like cutting up the veggies. I covered my counter in parchment paper then sprinkled it with flour. Then I put the dough ball on the parchment and sprinkled it with a bit of flour. I also floured the rolling pin. The dough is so sticky! I rolled my dough out into a round shape, but it did snap back on one side. Put the dough on a floured pizza peel and shimmy it onto t...

It was my best friend's birthday this weekend.  We all headed to Eldersburg for some Basta Pasta.  Boyfriend got the crush of the week, key lime pie.  We also managed to be there for happy hour Fri night.  The best thing we ate were the veal meatballs.  The app comes with 2 huge meatballs.  They were full of garlic.  Yum.  Since I'm not eating pasta I had the meatballs, caprese, salad, chicken parmesan, and a side of broccoli.  The caprese was the most disappointing item we ordered.  It was sliced tomato, sliced mozz, some basil chiffonade, and no balsamic drizzle of any kind.  The service was very good this time.  The live music was also great.  Not too loud and good selection of songs.  

I thought I had food poisoning last week, but it could have been a stomach virus.  Either way I finally got over it and I was hungry.  I also didn't want to cook.  For a while, pictures of food make me sick.  I ordered enough Ziza Kabob to last me 2 meals.  Pictured is 2 samosas, kofta and chicken kabob over rice with a very small disappointing salad, an extremely large pita bread, cilantro yogurt sauce, mango chutney, and bolani which is a bread stuffed with a potato filling.  I will say the baked bolani is better at Maiwand Kabob.  

Ingredients for the loaves: 1 lb ground beef 1 -2 slices of bread (original recipe suggested crush tortilla chips) I used low carb bread Can black beans.  Eyeball the amount you want.  A whole can is not needed  Can corn.  Eyeball the amount, whole can is not needed.   1 -2 eggs salsa 1 packet taco seasoning dash of milk.  I used almond milk  Shredded cheddar cheese Topping:  red enchilada sauce and more cheddar cheese Serving Suggestions:  sour cream, salsa, guacamole, avocado slices In a bowl place the bread and soak it in milk.  Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix using your hands.  I make mini loaves and this made about 5.  A few fell apart so I think I needed more egg and more bread to bind it together.  The addition of the corn and black bean made it hard for them to stay together I think.  Put the mini loaves on a sprayed sheet fan.  Top with red enchilada sauce.  When the loaves are don...

I marinated some boneless chicken thighs in mojo sauce.  BBQ sauce was added at the end of grilling the chicken.  I also had some chicken sausage, asparagus with lots of lemon juice, and baked loaded sweet potatoes.  I love the warmer weather!  

The low carb chaffle.  I got a mini dash waffle maker for Christmas.  This recipe makes about 6 waffles if you dont overload the waffle maker and make a mess like I did on my first try :) Ingredients: 3 eggs 1 cup cheddar cheese 1/4 cup almond flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder Combine everything in a bowl.  Preheat the waffle maker.  Lightly spray with cooking spray. Spoon batter onto the waffle maker and cook at least 3 minutes. I suggest having an air fryer on or your oven to keep the first few warm.  By the time you make 6 they will be cold.  I used two waffles to make a breakfast sandwich.  I think they would be wonderful as a soup dipper too.   

  Almond flour paleo biscuits with everything bagel seasoning Chicken noodle soup with mushroom (noodles)   Turkey, bacon avocado wrap on a low carb keto tortilla Pepperoni pizza on a low carb keto tortilla Yeah I'm back on the low carb healthy eating train :(

My best friend says he likes to just roast vegetables to eat.  I have been eating sweet potatoes in a few different ways lately.  I peel, cube, and roast the sweet potato with olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.  This was a sweet potato with friend rice.  I recently made roasted sweet potato topped with leftover taco meat and made a taco bowl.  

  I bought packages of dried tortellini on sale and needed something to use them in.  I also buy packages of Costco meatballs and freeze them.  I got a jar of pasta sauce out, watered it down, added some seasonings like salt, pepper, Italian, then got it boiling.  I added the tortellini and some frozen peas and boiled the pasta until it was soft.  I baked my meatballs in the oven and then added them to the soup.  This is one of those soups that tasted better the second day.  

This is one of those recipes to use up some pantry items!  Plenty of people will argue it's not real goulash and it's not supposed to be.  Some people call this American chop suey too.  Either way it's a hearty good meal during winter. Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, diced Half box of Macaroni noodles 14 ounce canned corn 14 ounce canned green beans 8 ounce canned tomato sauce 14 ounce diced tomatoes 1 cup chicken or beef broth 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon salt and pepper 2 teaspoons paprika 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Directions: Heat oil in a large soup pot.  Add the onion and meat, cook through.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add all seasonings.  Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth.  Bring to a boil.  Add in canned vegetables.   Reduce heat and add noodles until cooked through.  Follow the minutes on the packaging.  Ready to eat!   ...

  The Costco meatloaf is large like all things Costco.  It costs $16 and you can get four servings out of it for sure, maybe more.  I felt like it needed a green veggie accompaniment.  When I reheated the mashed potatoes I added some milk and sour cream to the top to keep them moist.  When I reheated the meatloaf I added some extra bbq sauce or ketchup too.  This was perfect for week night meals.  

  INGREDIENTS: 1 package frozen cheese and onion potato pierogi. 1/2 spicy smoked kielbasa sausage Onion Sauerkraut Butter Steam pierogi in a covered pan with water and a little oil. Melt butter in a pan and saute onions and brown the sausage.  Add some krat at the end and just heat it through.  Stir steamed pierogi into the butter mixture and serve.  Some people like to serve with some sour cream on the side.  

 My birthday was between Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine's Day which also happened to be Ash Wednesday this year.  I made myself a few devil's food cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting to celebrate.  

We went to Fogo de Chao for my birthday!  I had a wonderful cranberry cosmo mocktail.  It was so good I ordered the CleanCo vodka, tequila, and rum to make mixed drinks at home.  This was my salad bar plate waiting for meat to arrive LOL the other drink was the boyfriend's strawberry hibiscus caipirinha.