Green Bean Casserole (from scratch)

We all love green bean casserole at Thanksgiving dinner!  So here's a recipe you make from scratch, so you can know exactly what is in there!  :)  Enjoy...

Green Bean Casserole (serves 4-6 people, double or triple to serve more people!)
3 c. Green Beans, fresh ( rinsed, ends off and cut into bite sized pieces)
2 c. Chicken Broth
1/2 Onion, diced
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1/2 c. Celery, diced
1/2 c. Carrots, diced
2 T. Butter/Margarine
2 T. Flour
1 c. Milk (Use skim for less fat in the recipe!)
1/4 t. Salt
1/4 t. Pepper

Onion Topping:  (Either buy French's French Fried Onions or make your own like below...)
1/2 Onion, very, very thinly sliced
1/4 c. Flour
1 Egg
1/4 c. Milk
Oil for frying

If you are going to use store bought French Fried Onions skip steps 1 and 2! :)

 1.  Mix together the egg, flour and milk with a fork.

 2.  Dip the thinly sliced onions into the batter and fry for just a few seconds on each side.  Then place on a paper towel to drain the oil.  They'll look something like this...(hopefully yours will look better than mine though!)  :)

 3. Saute the onion and garlic in the butter for a few minutes.  Then add the carrots and celery and cook for about 10 minutes.

 4.  Boil the chicken broth in a medium pot and cook the green beans in boiling broth for about 6 minutes.

 5.  The sauted veggies should look like above at this point.  Then add the flour to the skillet and cook it for a minute or so.

 6.  Add the milk to the skillet and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until it starts to thicken.

 7.  In a bowl place the drained green beans and the other veggies.  Mix together.

 8.  Place in your baking dish and bake for 15 minutes at 350degrees.

9.  Then take it out and place the fried onions on top and bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!  Again this will serve 4-6 people, so feel free to double or triple if it needs to serve more!  :)

Bean Soup

Here's a hearty, healthy soup for ya!  It's a soup you can eat with a fork!  Yum.....  :)  Just in time for cooler weather!

Bean Soup:
2 c. Bean Soup Mix (like from Whole Foods' bulk section, etc...)
5 c. Water
2 t. Dried Onion Flakes
1/2 t. Chili Powder
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Pepper
1/4 t. Paprika
1/4 t. Garlic Powder
1 t. Olive Oil
Pinch Oregano
Pinch Chili Flakes
 (Optional:  Slice of cooked bacon, broken up)
6-8oz. Small, Thin Noodles (or broken up thin spaghetti)

1.  Put the beans and water in a large pot, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to med-low for about 90 minutes.
2.  Mix together the rest of the ingredients except the noodles and add to the pot while it is simmering.
3.  After the soup has simmered for 90 minutes, add the noodles, stir them in and boil for about 10 minutes.  It will be thick after the noodles cook.

Serve and enjoy!  For a different twist you can use broth instead of water and add chicken or beef to this soup! 

Potato Bread

Who doesn't like fresh, warm homemade bread?!?  I sure do!  Plus, Potato Bread is always a nice moist delicious bread even once it's cooled off.  Here's my recipe...

Potato Bread:

2 c. Potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

1 c. Warm Water

1/2 c. Milk

1 Pkg. Yeast

2 T. Sugar

1/2 t. Salt

3.5-4.5 c. Flour

Optional egg wash

1.  Combine the water and yeast, let sit for about 5 minutes.
2.  Then combine the water/yeast mixture, mashed potatoes, sugar and milk in a mixer. (Or by hand)
3.  Add flour one cup at a time mixing in between, until the dough turns into a ball. (And no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.)
4.  Let rest for about 20 minutes.
5. Knead (or mix in mixer) for about 5 minutes, adding more flour if needed.
6.  Turn out onto floured surface and neatly place into a greased bread pan.
7.  Let rise for about 30 minutes.
8.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Enjoy!  :)  This is also great toasted!

You may want to keep your eyes open for a giveaway coming soon.....

Be on the lookout....

...for another giveaway soon!!!  :) 

I don't want to divulge too much info at this time...but it's new, something you can wear and cute!  :)  So....keep an eye out for that in the coming hours weeks days or so! 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!!

Twice Baked Potatoes

Yum!  I love these things!  They are super versatile too.  You can make them with any (and every) thing you like or have around, or just keep them simple!  :)

Twice Baked Potatoes:

4 Potatoes (or about 2 cups of potatoes (mashed) for filling)

1/4 c. Cheddar Cheese (or any)

1/4 c. Sour Cream

1-2 T. Butter/Margarine

Salt/Pepper to taste (~1/4 t. each or so)

1.  Scrub, poke and cook potatoes.  You can either them in oven or microwave.  I did mine in the micro because it's faster.

2.  Cut the tops off the potatoes and scrape out the insides.

3.  Preheat oven to 400degrees.  Then thoroughly mash up the potatoes and mix in cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper.

4.  Fill the potatoes back up!  You can either do this with a spoon or a pastry bag.  I usually do it with a spoon, but felt like making them pretty today so I used a pastry bag.  :)

5.  Bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!!  Yum-O!  :)

These also freeze really well.  So, whether you are cooking for 2, 4 or 10 you can double, or quadruple this recipe and freeze any that don't get eaten!  Then just pop them in the oven for 10 additional minutes and enjoy!  :)

Burrito Bowls

Here's a recipe for burrito bowls at home!  There are several restaurants that sell things like this, sometimes called burrito bowls, naked burritos or bowls....  Here's my rendition....we really enjoyed them today.  So I think you will too!  :)

Burrito Bowls:

2c. Brown Rice (or white, jasmine, etc...)

Water (for rice)

Cilantro (for rice)

~1.5lbs. Chicken Breasts (or steak)

Dry rub: 1/4 t. Salt, 1/4 t. Garlic Powder, 1/2 t. Pepper, 1/2 t. Paprika and 1/2 t. Chili Powder

Salsa(s) of your choice like:  Corn Salsa and Pico de gallo, or you could use store-bought.

Cheddar Cheese, for topping (or white cheddar, etc...)

1.  Start cooking the rice as per the instructions on the packaging.

2.  Trim fat from chicken, and then mix together the spices for the dry rub.  Slather the dry rub onto the chicken and cook on a grill or foreman grill until there is no pink at all.  (If using steak do the same thing, but cook until your desired doneness.)  Yes, I like to make up words. :)  Once the meat is cooked, chop it up into small pieces as shown.

3.  Once the rice is finished cooking move it into a bowl.  Then chop up as much (or as little) cilantro as you'd like for the cilantro rice.  I love cilantro so I used roughly 1/2 c. chopped in my rice.  Adjust this to your liking. :)

4.  Assemble your creations!  :)  Start with the cilantro rice, then add the meat, salsa(s) and cheese! 

 So the pic above was mine and the one below was my hubby's.  Can you tell any differences?!?  His was about 3x bigger than mine and stood about 6" tall.  :)

We really enjoyed these, so I think you will too!  :)

About 8 servings.

Apricot Cranberry Sauce

Last year around Thanksgiving my Mom found a recipe for me to try.  It was a Cranberry Chutney by Paula Deen.  I made it and took it to Thanksgiving.  I really enjoyed it and it went over well with others too!  I suppose it's not that hard with anything cranberry sauce related though right?  I mean, how can you go wrong with a sweet yet sour sauce you can slather on anything on your plate that has been piled high with yummy food?!?!  :)

Anyway, I can't find that recipe anywhere...which is weird.  I can't even find the one I want online.  So.... I decided to just make my own cranberry sauce.  The only thing I remember really liking about how it was different was the fact that it had coriander in it!  Yum!

So here's my newest recipe and maybe favorite way to have cranberry sauce!  :)  Oh and it's still super easy like regular cranberry sauce too!

Apricot Cranberry Sauce:
1 bag of Cranberries
1 c. Water
1 c. Apricot Jam or Preserves
1 T. Coriander seeds
1 t. Lemon Juice

1.  Put the water and apricot jam in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2.  Add the cranberries and coriander seeds to the boiling water/jam mixture.
3.  Boil the sauce for 10 minutes.
4.  Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
5.  Pour into bowl/dish and let cool before refrigerating.

Enjoy with your Thanksgiving dinner or with Turkey, Chicken or anything else you can think of in the meantime!  :)

ADM Merchandise!

Hello!  I just wanted to let you know that I have created some A Delicious Melody (ADM) merchandise that is up for sale at my CafePress shop.  There are ADM mugs, T-shirts, Magnets, Stickers and more!  :)

You can find it at the link on the left sidebar, the picture link below or at: http://www.cafepress.com/adeliciousmelody

Happy shopping, and be on the look out for a giveaway including this type of item soon!  :)

Fresh Squeezed Lemonade

Another item that's not rocket science....but I thought I would include it here as a reference for you all!  :)

This is a very customizable recipe too, because if you like sweeter lemonade just add more sugar.  If you like it stronger add less water.  Weaker add more water... etc.  :)

What you'll need:

Lemons

Water 

Sugar 

1.  Squeeze the lemons and remove seeds. (You can also remove pulp if desired.)

2.  In a bowl, jug or pitcher combine 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar and 4-6 parts water.  (So the "part" can be anything you want, like a teaspoon, cup, quart, etc....)  

 3.  Stir lemonade a little more just to make sure all the sugar is dissolved!

Chill to serve later, or serve over ice right away!  You can also add a piece of lemon to the glass for an added touch!  

Enjoy!!!  :)  Tastes like a cup full of sunshine!

Easy Peasy Cheesy Stuffed Peppers

These are just in time for the cooler weather!  A twist on a rather classic dish too!  :)  You'll just need 6 ingredients to make this meal!

Cheesy Beef Stuffed Peppers
1/2 lb. Ground Beef (or Ground turkey would work)
2 Slices of Bread
1/2 c. Water
2 Eggs
~2oz. Cheese, shredded (Muenster, or other cheese that melts well.)
2 Bell Peppers (Green, Red, Yellow or Orange work!)

 1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Start by soaking the slices of bread in the water and egg.  Top with cheese and ground meat and mix together well.

 2.  Slice peppers in half and clean out the seeds so they look like this, and have a space for the filling!

 3.  Fill the peppers with the meat and cheese mixture until it is all gone.  Place in baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour.

 Enjoy!  

4 servings

Happy Election day!  Don't forget to get out and vote!!  :)

ADM's Pumpkin

Here's a peek into the real life of your resident foodie.  :)  The pumpkin that my hubby and I carved tonight!  Well, he actually did the top and scooping of innards, and I did the carving.  But it was truly a team effort for sure!  :)

I think it's goes along pretty well with the whole "A Delicious Melody" theme too....let me know what you think!  :)

Oooo, glowing pumpkin!

The technique...I got the cookie cutter idea from BH&G's Halloween Issue of 2009.

The finished product.

So what do you think?  I think I love it!   :)  Happy Halloween!!  Be safe!  Have fun! 

Savory Sweet Potato Soup

This is a great soup for a fall or winter night!  It will warm you from within and give your tastebuds a treat.  Afterall they are used to sweet, sweet potato dishes, not savory ones!   :)

What you'll need:
3 Large Sweet Potatoes (or about 7 c. of cup up sweet potatoes)
4 c. Chicken Broth (or Vegetable broth)
2 c. Milk
1 t. Salt
1 t. Pepper
Optional Sour cream for garnish

1.  Peel, cup up and cook sweet potatoes in water until tender.  (About 20 minutes)

 2.  Drain the potatoes and add the 4 c. of broth to the pot.  Then with a hand blender, blender or food processor puree the cooked sweet potatoes until  they are smooth like above.

 3.  Add the salt, pepper and milk and bring to a slight boil.  Then reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!  We recommend it with a dollop of sour cream!  Yum!

Owl Cupcakes

I guess I missed announcing my 200th post yesterday....so here's my 201st today!!! Sweet huh??  I can't believe I've already done that many posts on here since January!!  Thanks for being my loyal readers too!!!!  I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you! :)

Anyway, these cupcakes are truly a hoot!!!   :)  I got this idea from my Mom yesterday.  She'd seen them before and when I googled them, they were there...but we couldn't figure out who actually came up with the idea.  So, when/if I ever find out, I will be sure to let you know!!  

These are super, super cute and super easy Halloween (or really anytime) cupcakes though!  

You'll need these ingredients:

Cupcakes, cooled (I did Chocolate from a box, but any flavor will due!)

Chocolate Frosting (canned or homemade)

Candy Corn

Brown/Black M&M's

Oreo's (I used regular, but you could use double stuffed ones.)

1.  Gather your ingredients and make the cupcakes.

 2.  Work on the eyes for the owls.  Just open up the Oreo and we'll use the side with the cream filling. Like this...

 But if they don't come apart very well, you can use a cheese slicer to help out!  I ended up using this for most of mine!  :)

 3.  Frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting.

 4.  Then place two oreo "eyes"  on the cupcake like so...

 5.  Then place the pupils (M&Ms) on the eyes (you may need a dab of frosting to make them stick) and put the beak (Candy Corn) in place.

 6.  Then put the owl faces on the rest of your cupcakes.

 Aren't they just adorable?  And a hoot?  :)  I love them!  

Anyway, hope you have a hoot while making them and serving them!!!!  Just in time for Hallow's eve too!  :)