Roasted Corn Salsa

My friend Jenny made this recipe for us last year and I loved it. Never got around to making it last summer but have made it twice in the last few weeks! YUM!! Great reason to hit up the local Farmers Martket! Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn, shucked
• 4 medium tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lb.), chopped
• 2 onions, diced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (or to taste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Grill corn, turning often, until kernels have softened and are lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool, then cut off kernels from each ear (you'll have about 3 cups).
2. In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, tomatoes, onions, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce. Add parsley and stir well. Chill until ready to serve.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality

- The last time I made this I actually used frozen corn. Cooked it in the microwave according to directions, drained it to remove as much water as possible and then threw it in a hot frying pan with a little bit of oil until it browned up. Not as good as fresh corn on the grill, but still really good, and a great time saver.

**Original recipe from www.myrecipes.com**

Easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya

When the whole Slivensky crew is down at the beach together we love to try new recipes with fresh seafood, especially shrimp. Although it took forever for my rice to cook up, it was a delicious recipe that I will be making again! (Be sure to see my notes/tips below.)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch slices
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1(28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Cajun or Creole spice mix
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pound extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 3/4 cups long-grain rice
• Parsley, optional

Directions

- Combine chicken, sausage, onion, green pepper, celery, tomatoes, garlic, chicken broth, spice mix, thyme and oregano in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours.

- Add shrimp and rice; raise heat to high and cook for 30 minutes more. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality

- I don’t like celery so I didn’t use it, just used more peppers.

- I used less chicken and more shrimp because that’s what we wanted.

- My rice was still crunchy after 30 minutes…and 45 minutes… next time I will either buy a different fast cooking rice OR pre cook the rice on the stovetop using the broth of the jambalaya and then mix it all back in together.

**Recipe from www.americanfamily.com**

Pizza Bake

Easy and had all the ingredients in the pantry to make it. Just something different from a plain old boring pizza. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 med onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 15 ounce jar pizza sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano
- 1/2 C parmesan cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 T oil

Directions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Brown hamburger, sausage, onion, and bell pepper. Drain well.
- Add garlic salt and oregano, pizza sauce. Stir well.
- Grease a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle mozzarella over bottom of it. Spread meat mixture over the cheese.
- In mixing bowl, add eggs, milk, flour, oil, and salt. Pour over meat in pan.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese over batter.
-Bake 30 minutes.
Tips from a Kitchen Reality:
- I ended up using only about 1 lb of meat total.
- I didn’t use onions and peppers—replaced with mushrooms—and used a lot. (Replace with your favorite pizza toppings.)
- Didn’t use fresh oregano—replaced with a few Tbsp Italian Seasoning.
- Mine wasn’t quite done at 30 minutes—I think it baked 40 instead.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

This really wasn’t a stroganoff recipe to me, more of a goulash. But then I realized I really didn’t know the difference, so I looked it up and really this should be “Ground Beef Strogalash.”

It’s easy, cheap, and one of the kids ate it too! What more can you ask!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped yellow onions

1 cup sliced white button mushrooms

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1/4 pound small elbow macaroni or wide egg noodles, cooked

2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup sour cream

Grated white Cheddar cheese, optional

Directions:

- Season the beef with the salt, pepper, and Essence.

- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the meat and drain any excess oil.

- Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring until the mushrooms have released their juices, about 2 minutes.

- Add the macaroni, beef broth and sour cream. 

- Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens slightly, 5 to 6 minutes. 

- Serve with cheese on top.
 
Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the mixture onto 2 large plates. Sprinkle each portion with the cheese, if desired, and chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Recipe for Emeril’s Essence Seasoning

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality

- I left out the onions, added more mushrooms.

- The sour cream in the fridge was moldy, so I used cream cheese instead.

- I had no intent of making a full batch of Emeril’s special seasoning, so instead I gave my meat a dash or two of all ingredients in the mix – well, actually just the ones I had in the pantry cupboard. :)

- I didn’t think the sauce was thick enough so I used flour to thicken. (If you never done that before, mix a few tablespoons of flour with twice as much COLD water then pour into hot mixture. Whisk as you pour so it doesn’t clump up. Cornstarch works the same way. Just be sure to mix with cold water first.)

- I have no idea why you would cook your meat in oil, I didn’t and still had to drain off excess.

ENJOY!!

**Adapted recipe from www.foodnetwork.com **