Redneck Turtleburgers

Yes, you read that title right. I have not tried to make these, but got this in my email and just had to share it. This is a real recipe, as far as I know. Not sure who invented this, but they deserve all the credit. What follows is the text of the email:

CALLING ALL COOKS;

A NEW RECIPE FROM MISSOURI

Red-Neck Turtle Burgers

WOW!!! Only in MISSOURI!

Here's a new twist on how to serve burgers and if you don't cook,
give this handy little guide to someone that does and request them.






Handmade ground beef patties, topped with sharp cheddar cheese, wrapped in a bacon weave, then the next step, add hotdogs as the heads, legs with slits for toes and tail.

Next step. Place on an oven rack, covered loosely with foil and baked for 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees. A little crispy, not too crunchy...just how a turtle should be, no?


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Sweet and Sour Chicken

My local grocer had pineapple on sale this week, so I bought one. While I love pineapple, with only 2 people in the house it can be challenging to use it all.

I incorporated the fruit tonight using this recipe. while the recipe suggests green pepper, I had none on hand. Most Chinese restaurants serve with onion pieces, carrot, and green pepper, so I used the first two. See the result below.



YUM!

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Strawberry Shortcake (Diabetic-safe!)

I've probably mentioned in the past that I'm a type II diabetic, so I have to watch the amount of carbs I'm eating. But I love desserts of all kinds, which makes it a bit challenging to find desserts that are "diabetic-safe." Here's a real simple one.

Ingredients

• 1 pint fresh strawberries (the redder the better!)
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup Splenda Granulated sweetenter (if you like sweeter berries, use the 1/2 cup)
• 4 Hostess shortcakes
• 1 tub Sugar Free Cool Whip

Preparation

Wash and core the strawberries, cutting them in half after. When all berries are cut, sprinkle Splenda over the berries and mix the berries with the sweetener. Mash strawberries with potato masher until about 1/2 the berries are pulpy and the other have mostly whole. Put berries in refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours to macerate.

When ready to serve, put one shortcake in each bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the strawberries on top, and drizzle some of the syrup in each bowl also. Top with a generous amount of Cool Whip and enjoy!

The Damage

Surprisingly, this recipe works out to about 26g of carbohydrate per serving! The dessert cups are 21g and 1/2 cup of strawberries are only 5g of carbs! And you're getting fresh fruit, which is better for you than some other desserts!

Sonnie's Sweet Potato Casserole

I was able to visit with some old friends in Tampa recently, and my pal Valerie served this sweet potato casserole that I found really good. Turns out it was her mom's recipe, and Val wrote it out for me.

Ingredients

• 8 sweet potatoes (or 5-6 very large)
• 1 small can crusted pineapple
• 3 Tbl of stick margarine (not the tub kind)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

Preparation

Boil potatoes until tender, then mash with margarine. Add pineapple w/ juice and mix well. Bake 1 hour at 375°. Add marshmallows on top for the last few minutes.

Brazilian Chicken Curry

My friend in Florida, Val, writes:

I know you are always looking for interesting things to do with chicken. Here's one I tried once and it's spicy but not hot. It calls for the crockpot - don't know if you cook with one. I assume you could simmer on the stovetop for an hour or two and get the same results. BTW: The sauce was a bit thin, so I'm still working on this one... also, curry scent is tricky to get off of hands - try lemon juice rinse, then soap & water.

- V.

Original source: Women's Day 2010

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Coconut Milk (found in Asian food aisle. If you like a sweeter taste, I used "Crema de Coconut")
• 2 TBS Tomato Paste
• 1 TBS Minced Garlic (I use fresh)
• 1 TBS Minced Ginger (I use pre-packaged jar)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Fresh ground Pepper
• 1 Medium Vidalia [or sweet] Onion; thinly sliced
  (Can't say this enough - get a mandolin for chores like this!)
• 2 Medium Green Peppers; cut into 1 inch strips & halved crosswise
• 3/4 Cup Yukon Gold [or yellow] Potatoes; cut into 1 inch pieces
  (I upped these to a full cup)
• 1/4 tsp Curry Powder
  (more, if you like more spice)
• 8 (2+ Lbs) Chicken drumsticks [or 4 leg quarters]; skin removed
  (I used a whole, cutup fryer, minus the wings and back pieces.)

Preparation
Mix coconut milk, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, salt & pepper in a slow cooker. Add onions, green peppers, and potatoes. Mix well until veggies are evenly coated.

Rub curry powder all over chicken. Place chicken on top of veggies in the slow cooker. (I found that simply sprinkling the small amount of curry over the chicken parts was sufficient.

Cover and cook on high 4- 5 hours/ low 6 - 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

PS - As I mentioned above, try and get a mandolin if you are serious about your cooking. My knife skills aren't perfect, and I have a lovely chunk off of my left forefinger to show for it. Ginsu knives are great, but they are hella sharp!!!

Smothered Chicken For Two, Pressure Cooker-Style

Mom first introduced me to pressure cooker cooking when I was just a kid starting to help in the kitchen. She made the best pot roast I have ever had.

It wasn't until years later that I realized that some people fear pressure cookers. Both of my partners were uncomfortable about my using one, but both bought me one once I explained that it would help make great food in less time.

Modern pressure cookers are very safe and include a safety plug that will blow out so the pressure doesn't get to a dangerous level. When used properly, they make meat more tender in short cooking times.

Here, I have taken a crock pot favorite and cut it in half so it serves two, then used the pressure cooker to drastically cut the cooking time. From start to finish this recipe took less than one hour to fix.

Ingredients:
2 chicken leg quarters
2 cups egg noodles
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 slices of med. Onion, chopped
1large clove garlic, minced
2 med. carrots, julienned
1tbl dried parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
Dash of ground thyme
Dash of ground sage
Emeril Lagasse's essence

Preparation:
Cut leg quarters into leg and thigh pieces. Sprinkle with essence and salt on both sides. Roll pieces in flour. Pour enough oil into pressure cooker pot to cover the bottom and heat until a smell amount of flour dropped into the oil creates a quick foam. Drop thigh pieces in first, skin side down. Brown first side and drop legs in just before turning the thighs.

When chicken is browned, remove from pot and sit aside. Sauteè onion until soft. Pour oil out, saving the onion in pot. Add minced garlic, carrots, parsley, thyme, sage, celery seed, and 2 cups of water. Mix, then put metal rack on this mixture, placing the chicken on the rack. Close lid and bring to pressure, then cook 8 minutes.

Remove lid after cooling under cold water until pressure seal drops. Remove chicken to large serving platter and cover with foil. Remove metal rack.

Return pot to burner, adding 1 cup water. Bring to boil and add egg noodles. Boil 10 minutes or until desired tenderness. Add cream soup and stir until mixed thoroughly. Check taste and add salt and pepper to taste

Remove foil, then dish noodle mixture over chicken pieces. Serve.

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Cherry Crisp Recipe

Walter made this recipe this week. Not exactly on my diet, but I can make an exception once in a while for something this good!

This is just the recipe off of the cherry pie filling, but it makes a great fruit crisp! Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream while the cherries are still warm...YUM!
Ingredients:

• 1 30oz can Wilderness Original Cherry Pie Filling or
• Topping
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup quick-cook oatmeal
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Vanilla ice cream

Pour cherry filling into an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar,
cinnamon and walnuts. Cut in butter until mixture
is crumbly. Sprinkle over cherry filling. Bake in a
preheated 400°F oven for 25 minutes or until
golden brown. Serve warm with scoop of ice
cream. Makes 6 servings.