Cabbage and Sausage Skillet

I could eat cabbage basically every day. I just love it and when I learned that my husband loves it just as much as I do, well, I just knew that this was a marriage made in heaven :). I made this for dinner recently and we both decided that it is going to be a go-to meal when we need something super quick, super simple and SUPER delicious! Keep in mind that the amounts listed here can easily be doubled to make more, but this is how much I made for two of us. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 small head of cabbage, chopped into small pieces
1/2 stick butter
1 c. finely chopped sweet onion
Hillshire Farms beef smoked sausage, cut into bite-size slices
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste


Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and saute until onions are translucent.
Add chopped cabbage and saute until cabbage starts to wilt slightly.
Add sliced sausage. Saute until sausage starts to brown.
Finally, add tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

That's it! I told you it was simple :).

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

My husband LOVES stir fry. Pretty much any kind of stir fry. I am one who can typically take it or leave it, but I made this dish tonight and we both absolutely loved it! I was surprised at how simple it was to make and have decided that this will definitely be in our regular meal rotation. Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced (PLEASE use fresh ginger and not the powdered kind; it really does make a difference in this dish!)
1 c. chicken broth
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. sugar
2 c. broccoli
2 tsp. cornstarch

Spray large skillet with non-stick cooking spray; Heat over medium-high heat.
Add chicken, garlic, and ginger. Saute 2-3 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned.
Add 3/4 c. chicken broth, 3 Tbsp. soy sauce and 2 tsp. sugar.
Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring twice.
Add broccoli.
Cover and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and broccoli is tender yet slightly crisp.
Mix cornstarch with remaining 1/4 c. chicken broth; Stir into chicken/broccoli mixture.
Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice or noodles, whichever you prefer.

Miss Zona's Pound Cake

I shared a different pound cake recipe in the early days of this blog but any good Southerner knows that you can't have too many pound cake recipes! I will say that I am breaking from my norm a bit here and posting a recipe that I haven't yet tried. However, I have been going through my mama's recipe box (talk about a treasure trove of recipes!) and discovered this one. I know that if Mama took the time to get the recipe from Miss Zona that it must be simply divine! See, Miss Zona was a beloved neighbor of my granny and going to Granny's house often meant stopping in to visit with Miss Zona or to chat with her while she worked so diligently in her yard. To this day I cannot smell Dove soap without thinking of her. She was just a precious, precious lady. So, in memory of sweet Miss Zona, here is her recipe. Enjoy!


1/2 lb. butter
5 eggs
2 c. sugar
3 c. cake flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3/4 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter and sugar together.
Add eggs, one at a time. Add buttermilk.
Gradually mix in flour and baking powder.
Add vanilla.
Pour into greased and floured tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes.

Layered Chicken Taco Salad

Lately I have been craving tacos or anything that has taco-flavored ingredients. I made this layered taco salad tonight and it was a success! As always, I like things that are super-simple to prepare and don't require a lot of ingredients that I don't normally have on hand. This recipe fit that bill perfectly and I think your family and friends will love it too!


Ingredients:
3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2  11-oz. cans whole kernel corn (I used the Mexican corn that has red and green bell peppers)
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 packet taco seasoning
3/4 cup French salad dressing
3/4 cup salsa
2 green onions, chopped into small pieces
Tortilla chips


Sprinkle taco seasoning over shredded chicken and toss to coat.

In a trifle bowl or large glass bowl layer the following:

Half of the lettuce
Half of the spinach
1 can of corn
Half of the tomatoes
Seasoned shredded chicken
1 can of corn
Remaining tomatoes
Remaining spinach
Remaining lettuce

In a separate small bowl combine salad dressing and salsa.
Pour this mixture over the top of the layered salad. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
Before serving, sprinkle chopped green onion and broken tortilla chips over top of dressing.

Enjoy!

Pot Roast

I have written before that my husband prefers homestyle, meat and potatoes type meals over most anything else. I am a meat and potatoes kinda girl myself so it works out beautifully :). One of his favorite meals is pot roast and mashed potatoes and this pot roast recipe is his favorite. In fact, we visited my brother and sister-in-law recently and my beloved's only request was that my sister-in-law make this pot roast for us! It really is that good and you won't get over how simple it is to make. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
Roast (chuck roast, top round, whatever you prefer to use)
1 packet brown gravy mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet Italian dressing mix
Water

Place roast in slow cooker.
Sprinkle gravy mix and dressing mixes over roast.
Add water (the amount really depends on the size of your roast and how much gravy you would like to make; I generally add about a half a cup and no more than a cup).

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6 hours.

That's it... I told you it was simple! Hope your family loves it just as much as mine does!

Sweet 'n' Savory Baked Chicken

When I began this blog my goal was to share recipes that are absolutely delicious and simple to make. I don't love it when I have to go out in search of some exotic ingredient that I might use only once, and I suspect there are others who feel the same as I do. We just want recipes that we can put together quickly and feed our families well. This recipe definitely fits that description! It has three ingredients. Three. And they are ingredients that many of us usually have in in our cupboards and freezers. I see it becoming part of our regular meal rotation here and I hope you enjoy it just as much as we did!


Ingredients:
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (6-8 boneless skinless chicken tenders would work as well)
1/2 c. brown sugar (light or dark, whatever you have on hand)
1 packet Italian dressing mix (I love using Good Seasons)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine brown sugar and dressing mix.
Coat chicken pieces in sugar mix. Be sure all pieces are evenly coated.
Bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces.

That's it! Enjoy!!

Country Fried Steak

First things first: Since moving to the West I have learned that what we have always called country fried steak in the South is called chicken-fried steak out here. No matter what you choose to call it, it is one of my beloved's and my favorite comfort foods! This recipe didn't disappoint in the slightest. It is crispy, flavorful and just YUMMY! Enjoy!


Ingredients:

1 egg
1/4 c. milk
1 c. flour
4-oz. sleeve of saltine crackers, crushed into fine crumbs
1 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 (4-oz.) cube steaks
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil


Whisk together egg and milk in a shallow bowl; set aside.
Whisk together flour, crushed saltines, seasoned salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
Dip steaks in the egg mixture, then into the flour mixture. Be sure to pat flour mixture into the steaks so they are coated completely and evenly.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Fry the steaks until they are golden brown, firm, hot in the center, and just turning from pink to grey. This should take about 4 minutes per side.
Drain steaks on a paper towel-lined platter before serving.