Antipasto Squares

This is a good sandwich for lunch or dinner, goes well as a side to soups and makes a good appetiser too.

6 SERVINGS

INGREDIENTS
Cooking spray
2 (8-oz.) tubes crescent dough
1/2 lb. deli ham
1/4 lb. pepperoni
1/2 lb. sliced provolone
1/4 lb. sliced mozzarella
1 c. (16-oz.) jar sliced pepperoncini or Jalapenos
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
1 tsp. dried oregano


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9"-x-13" baking sheet with cooking spray. Place one unrolled can of crescents on prepared baking sheet and pinch together seams. Layer ham, pepperoni, provolone, mozzarella, and pepperoncini.
Unroll remaining tube of crescent dough and place on top of pepperoncini. Pinch together seams to seal.
Brush oil all over top of crescent dough, then sprinkle with Parmesan and oregano.
Bake until dough is golden and cooked through, about 35 minutes. (If dough is browning too quickly, cover with foil.)
Let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing into squares.

Quick roasted Tomato Soup

Homemade Tomato soup with a little kick of spice, it's delicious, thick as you want and chunky with fresh roasted veggies, MMM Good Food

\4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 small yellow onions, sliced
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart chicken stock
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional

For croutons:
1 loaf crusty wheat-bread
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

How to make it:
Croutons:

Cut whole-wheat bread into cubes and place into a large bowl, add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and toss with olive oil. Transfer to a sheet pan and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown.

Soup:
Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. If using vine cherry tomatoes for garnish, add them as well, leaving them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with 1/2 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until caramelized.

Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot. Add 3/4 of the chicken stock, bay leaves, and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by a third.

Wash and dry basil leaves, if using, and add to the pot. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with fresh made croutons, a little parmesan cheese.

Chicken Sausage Vegetable Soup

Soup is always a good thing, feeling cold? grab a bowl of soup, having a rainy gloomy day time for soup. It's comfort food, it's healing food, it's so delicious. This soup has so many good ingredients it's delicious and add more spice if you like it zesty, less if you don't
Chicken Sausage Vegetable Soup

Hearty flavorful soup that will heal your soul and it will even help when you're under the weather.

What you need:
1 lb of chicken cooked and diced or shredded
1 lb of sausage cooked and chopped(I use Blue and Gold or Jimmy Dean)
1 onion sliced or diced
4 cloves garlic minced small
1 small bag mixed vegetables frozen(thawed)
**or you can use a mix of fresh chopped small
1 cup fresh spinach
Spices: sea salt and pepper to taste, 1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes, paprika,
garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and sage
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated parmesan to top it off when serving

How to make it:
First cook your chicken and sausage in a large pot then add onion, garlic in and cook till tender and if there is a lot of grease, drain otherwise add 3 cups chicken broth
If you are using fresh vegetables, cut them up the size you prefer
In a large pot add the spices in and then the veggies, stir and bring to boil
boil about 10-15 minutes to cook veggies, reduce heat and simmer gently for as long as you like to bring flavors out in soup, when almost ready to eat, add spinach and cook about 5 minutes before serving
Top bowls of soup with grated cheese, you can also serve the soup in bread bowls or with chunks of bread.
This is comfort food, feel better soup or just anyday you feel like soup is always a good day.

Breaded Pork Tenderloins

Here is a recipe for breaded Pork Tenderloins, they make a good dinner or lunch plain or on your favorite bread or buns, wrap up on lettuce for keto diets or plain with good sides or salad
This recipe serves 2

WHAT YOU NEED:
2 thin boneless pork cutlets, pork chops or pork tenderloins(I pound my own boneless pork chops for these today
just a little of each seasonings: sea salt pepper, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and sage
Olive oil
1/4 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup milk or 2 eggs whisked

HOW TO MAKE IT:
First if you are using boneless pork chops or cutlets, you will want to pound them out a bit with a meat mallet to thin them and tenderize, then I would sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and pepper
Next mix your flours with the spices in
Dip the pork in milk or egg mixture and then in breading mix and turn to coat both sides
Heat a skillet nice and hot with about 3 turns of the olive oil bottle
This meal goes really good with Eggplant and Creamed Cheesy Spinach

Eggplant fried Keto Style

Fried eggplant is good, and here is a recipe for it, NOT using regular white flour Try this with Breaded Pork Tenderloins

what you need:
eggplant sliced 1/2" thick(salt it and lay on 2 paper towels to absorb extra moisture for about 30 minutes or more
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
seasonings: sea salt and pepper to taste, dash of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder
olive oil
grated asiago cheese

How to make it:
Mix your flours with seasonings, take 2 eggs and gently whip with a whisk
After the eggplant has sat wipe off with paper towel , heat skillet with a good 3 turns of olive oil
dip eggplant in egg then in the flour mixture and place in hot skillet to cook up golden brown on each side, the thicker the slices the longer you will need to cook. Top with a sprinkle of fresh grated asiago grated cheese
Serve with dinner or lunch

Creamed Cheesy Spinach

Creamed Cheesy Spinach has cream cheese in it to make it extra smooth it's the best way to eat cooked spinach

5 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup diced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups fat-free half-and-half
4 ounces fat-free cream cheese, cubed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 package (16 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

Directions
In a large nonstick skillet, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually whisk in half-and-half until blended. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Add the cream cheese, salt, nutmeg and pepper, stirring until cream cheese is melted. Stir in spinach and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese; heat through. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Oven Baked Tacos!

Easy tacos, good way to get them warmed and ready to serve to a crowd

serves 8 people

what you need:
2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
spices sea salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika,  between 1/2 to 1 tsp or to taste
to spice it up add up to 1 jalapeno diced, seeds left in for hotter flavor
1 can refried beans
1 small can tomato sauce

How to make it:
Brown your ground beef, onions, garlic, jalapeno and spices and drain completely - then add refried beans, and a can of tomato sauce. Mix together and scoop into taco shells, (stand them up in a casserole dish).
Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake at 375 for 10 minutes!!!!!!
When you pull them out of oven get ready to top with your favorite toppings
such as:
diced tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos, fresh diced onions, guacamole, melted cheese sauce to name a few
Serve nice and warm

Lemon Meringue Pie

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This delicious recipe will earn you much praise from your friends and family. Yummy food really is a real  pleasure Eat drink and be merry and enjoy this recipe.

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Ingredients

The  Lemon Pie Filling
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter, cut up
1/2 teaspoon finely shredded lemon, rind
1/3 cup lemon juice

(1) 9-inch pie shell

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
6 tablespoons sugar

Directions

Prebake the pie shell for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Put on a wire rack to cool.
In a medium saucepan stir together the sugar, cornstarch and flour.
Gradually add the water, stirring constantly.
Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly.
Reduce heat and cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Gradually stir about 1 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks.
Pour egg yolk mixture back into remaining hot filling in saucepan.
Bring to a gentle boil.
Cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Remove from heat.
Stir in the butter and lemon peel.
Gently stir in lemon juice.
Prepare meringue: In large mixing bowl combine 3 egg whites, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.
Beat with mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Gradually add 6 tablespoons sugar, beating the meringue until stiff and glossy peaks form and all the sugar is dissolved.
Pour hot filling into cooled pie crust.
Spread the meringue over the hot lemon pie filling; carefully seal all around the edge of the piecrust to prevent shrinkage.
Bake in the the pre-baked pie crust in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, watch not to burn the meringue.
Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.
Refrigerate 3 to 6 hours before serving.

Vegetable Medley

We all know how good vegetables are for us, here's a recipe using a mixture of good veggies for you, that you can mix up a few of your favorite ones. For a meat added meal I cooked burgers with this recipe, you can omit that part if you want just the vegetable dish alone

Ingredients:
1 bell pepper sliced(any color)
1 8 oz package of mushrooms sliced or quartered
1 zucchini sliced about 1" thick and halved
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
You can substitute any veggies you like cooked
Olive oil
2 TB butter
dash of sea salt and pepper, the following spices to taste garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika (all optional)
1 Tsp of anchovy paste(optional but I love it, comes in a tube, keeps forever in fridge)

How to make it
In a large skillet give 3 turns of olive oil or 3 good TB and 2 TB butter in pan and heat up
If you are cooking burger with this, have them ready to put in the hot pan now cook those first almost done, add the peppers, garlic and cook till tender, toss in mushrooms and cook about 3 more minutes then finally add zucchini and cook just till as tender as you like. I like cooking everything in one pan that way you get the flavors mixed together for a really good dish. Add spices and anchovy paste and stir till mixed simmer a couple minutes and you're done.
Wonderful main meatless dish or side dish.

We had beef burgers topped with Pepper Jack Cheese with this I cooked along with the veggies for an easy one dish meal.

Pork Rinds Breaded Chicken Cutlets

This recipe is Keto friendly, it's probably ALL DIET friendly in fact, and it actually tastes good. Why do people not like most diet foods? They lack flavor, well this recipe is delicious and healthy in so many ways.
The other good thing with this recipe is you can cook it in a skillet with good oil like olive oil
or fry in your air fryer

What you need:
2 chicken breast halves (one large chicken breast sliced thinly in half)
1 cup crushed pork rinds(I use a small food chopper/grinder)
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk
a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, and others you like(I used chili, paprika, italian seasoning)
Olive oil for cooking or to coat chicken for air fryer


How to make it:
First take your chicken and pound it out thin for a cutlet
You can marinate your chicken in 1/2 cup buttermilk to tenderize if you have time, at least an hour before cooking; if not proceed to the next step.
In a blender, food processor or small food chopper add 1 cup pork rinds and grind into crumbs
In 2 flat wide bowls you will prepare for your breading steps
1st bowl-add eggs and whisk, then add milk
2nd bowl mix pork rind crumbs with 1/4 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup coconut flour together

Heat up your skillet for frying  and now you will move quickly IF air frying skip this and read below

Now you will take your chicken out of the marinate and let it drip off, but do not rinse
Put the chicken in the egg milk mixture and soak a few seconds to cover
Then lift chicken out of egg milk mixture and let drip a few seconds
then move to breading bowl and pat it down well on both sides with the crumbs
Then put in skillet to cook or read below for air fryer

Air Frying instructions
Heat your air fryer up to 350 let get hot
when you have coated your chicken as above, give it a spray of natural olive oil and place in air fryer basket or pan to cook. I do about 6-8 minutes a side or until nice and golden brown depending on the brand of air fryer this can really vary.