Mixed Greens With Red Onion & Hot Bacon Feta Vinaigrette

a friend sent me a recipe for wilted spinach salad with warm feta dressing which I fully intend to try soon because it sounds amazing. tonight however I didn't have exactly everything on hand, so I just kind of improvised, and it turned out yummy. so, here's my take...


4 slices bacon or pancetta cut into small chunks
olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into small wedges
1 small package crumbled feta cheese
red wine vinegar
mixed greens

place the greens in a large bowl. fry the bacon or pancetta in a big skillet, removing bacon to drain when crispy. drain grease from skillet and add 1 tablespoon oil. add onion and saute until browned and softened, about five minutes. remove skillet from heat and pour the onion and oil over greens and toss slightly. add 2 tablespoons oil and feta cheese to skillet. stir until cheese has slightly melted, and stir in vinegar and bacon. season with salt and pepper and pour over greens. toss well.

I don't think this one is as pretty though. haha.

Spring Has Sprung Salad

spring mix (or any kind of greens you like)
red onion, thinly sliced
crumbled feta cheese
sliced almonds
grape tomatoes, halved
raspberry vinaigrette

I love making this salad, and it always gets rave reviews. made it tonight sans tomatoes and almonds. not as good, but still delish!

Fried Chickpeas With Sausage & Kale

(adapted from Mark Bittman)

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 uncooked Italian sausages
a bottle of beer/wine or some water
1 bunch of kale or chard or spinach (rinsed & hard stems removed) chopped into bite-sized pieces

1. Put some oil in a large frying pan and add in the onions and garlic. Saute over medium-high heat until onions get soft and start smelling good.

2. Add chickpeas to frying pan and cook for 10 minutes until they start getting a bit brown on the edges. Stir them from time to time.

3. Cut up some uncooked sausage. Add to the frying pan.

4. Once the sausages are cooked through, add some chopped kale or spinach or chard into the frying pan. Add some beer/wine/water, a little bit at a time, so things don’t dry out. Toss around the kale until it’s bright green and cooked.

5. Eat in a big bowl with some rye bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if you like.

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This recipe comes from Everybody Likes Sandwiches, one of my favorite blogs. She has modified the recipe for her father, whom she is teaching to cook for himself. I might be able to handle this one. =)
 
The original post is available here.

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

serves 4


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
8.75 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large avocado, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salsa

Prepare chicken any way you like- I usually grill it with the trusty ol' George Foreman. You can mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, or you can keep them separate and allow everyone to top their own chicken breast to their liking. I like to keep everything in its own bowl, with the exception of mixing the red pepper in with the corn. Delicious, easy, and light!

Quick Glazed Cinnamon Biscuits

Yield: 9 biscuits

2 cups baking mix, like Bisquick
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
cinnamon-sugar (1/4 cup sugar plus 4 tsp. cinnamon)
butter or margarine
1/2 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
2 tsp. milk
dash of vanilla

Preheat oven to 425F. Combine baking mix, granulated sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Add milk and stir until a soft dough forms. Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. You should end up with about nine biscuits. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon-sugar, and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. In a small bowl stir together confectioner's sugar, 2 tsp. milk, and vanilla until it forms a glaze. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately spread butter or margarine over the top of each biscuit and sprinkle heavily with cinnamon-sugar. Drizzle with glaze and dig in!

Dress Up A No-Bake Cheesecake

No-bake cheesecake mixes are the greatest thing to happen to my tummy since sliced bread. Delicious, and a real time-saver. I always have to customize box mixes a little bit, so I dropped a few big spoonfuls of seedless blackberry preserves into a saucepan (or you can microwave for about 10 seconds) and got that cookin' while I was squishing my graham cracker crust into place. By the time I had the cheesecake filling mixed up, it was already heated through and had even condensed a little bit... nice! I poured all but about 1/2 cup of the filling into the crust, then drizzled the preserves over it. Spoon the rest of the filling on top, then cut through it with a knife to give it a nice swirl effect. Smooth it out, pop it in the fridge, and an hour later you've got an awesome swirl cheesecake.

Instead of blackberry preserves, try:

• Different flavors preserves, jams, jellies... even a good syrup.
• Chocolate Swirl: Mix cocoa powder with the cheesecake filling. Swirl with chocolate sauce.
• Caramel Pecan Swirl: drizzle with caramel sauce, swirl with knife, and sprinkle with toasted pecans.
• Caramel Apple: Pour some apple pie filling in crust, then top with cheesecake filling. Drizzle with caramel sauce.
• Cherry: Top with cherry pie filling (sweeten to taste first, if necessary)
• Stawberry: Thaw a package of frozen strawberries and top cheesecake with berries and syrup.
• Turtle: Drizzle caramel sauce into crust, sprinkle with chopped pecans. Mix cocoa powder into cheesecake mix and pour into crust. Drizzle with fudge sauce and top with more pecans.
• Chocolate Crunch: Pour Chocolate Magic Shell over cheesecake and swirl it through with a knife. Work fast and in small sections as Magic Shell hardens quickly.
• Cookies & Cream: Crush a sleeve of Oreos or other sandwich cookies, either in a food processor or with a Ziploc bag and a rolling pin. Mix into the cheesecake filling before pouring into crust.
• Mocha Swirl: mix 2 T. instant mocha cappuccino powder into cheesecake filling and pour into crust. Swirl with chocolate sauce and sprinkle with more mocha powder.
• Candy Bar: Coarsely chop 4 candy bars in a food processor and mix into cheesecake filling. Try Heath, Butterfinger, Snickers, Reese's, Kit Kat, etc. If the pioneers at Dairy Queen are putting it in a blizzard, it'll most likely be delicious in cheesecake.

Be creative. What sounds good to you? Look around, see what you have. Don't settle for boring cheesecake... the possibilities are endless!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

serves 2


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
flour
2 T. canola oil
       (note: for a healthier alternative, omit flour and oil, and fire up the ol' George Foreman grill!)
hot sauce (I like Frank's and Crystal's)
2 hamburger buns
Bleu cheese or Ranch dressing
celery and carrot sticks (optional)

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken breasts in flour and add to skillet. Cook, turning once, about 4-5 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 160F. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan or in microwave and add 1/4 cup hot sauce. If it is too spicy, add more butter. If it is not spicy enough, add more hot sauce. Remove cooked chicken breasts from skillet and coat in sauce mixture. Place on buns and drizzle remaining sauce over chicken, or over veggies, if desired. Top chicken with Bleu cheese, plus more on the side for veggie-dippin'!

Spicy Hot Ham & Cheese

serves 2

4 slices bread
12 slices deli ham
4 strips bacon, cooked & drained
4 slices American cheese
margarine or butter
Weber Grill Creations N'Orleans Cajun seasoning
garlic powder
seasoning salt

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter one side of each slice of bread and sprinkle with the seasonings to taste. Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and place 2 slices of bread, buttered side down, on wire rack. On each slice of bread, layer the following: one slice American cheese, 3 slices ham, 2 strips of bacon, 3 slices ham, one slice American cheese. Top with the 2 remaining bread slices, buttered side up. Place in oven and bake until cheese melts and sandwich is heated through. Before removing from oven, turn broiler on low and broil until bread is toasted and crispy, flipping to toast both sides.

Easy Cheeseburger Mac

1 box mac & (powdered) cheese
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 lb. ground beef
1 med. white onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 T Worcestershire
about 1/3 cup ketchup
about 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

Boil macaroni noodles according to package directions and drain. Meanwhile, brown ground beef on medium-high heat in large skillet with the chopped onion, seasoning with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire. When beef is no longer pink, drain fat. Return skillet to heat and reduce to medium. Add butter, stirring until melted. Add ketchup and mustard, stirring until combined before adding the milk. Heat through, then add the cheese powder, stirring again to combine. Add macaroni and mix thoroughly. Serves four.

Optional: Broil or fry six strips of bacon until crispy and drain on paper towels. Crumble 1-1/2 strips over each serving for bacon cheeseburger mac.

The Badass Housewife

I'm going to be honest here. I'm 26 going on 53. I actually enjoy cooking, baking, and just spending time at home. There will be some personal stuff on here, but a lot of it is going to be recipes and DIY home projects. But... I'm kind of ADD about stuff like this, so who knows? It might be all over the place. Actually, yeah, it probably will be.

I'm what I like to call a "time-efficient" housewife- quick dinners mean more quality time with not-yet-legally my hubby and our three dogs. Basically, I want to make delicious food and have a nice house without breaking the bank or getting burned out.

If you're looking for vegan, gourmet, or les pantalons fancie recipes, you're in the wrong place. I live in the Midwest. We don't do that shit here. ;)

I'd love to create some recipes from those categories eventually, but right now, it's simply not possible. Trust me, if I could afford it (and it was all available) I'd be cooking my ass off with arugula, portobellos, kickass olive oil, etc. But right now, cheap is what is necessary for me, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. So... this will be my journey into domesticity... let's see how the tattooed freak in me handles convention.