Hawaiian Kielbasa

This is the cookbook that I've gotten some new recipes from. Cutted and pasted the cover because see the top left corner? That's the Hawaiian Kielbasa; I didn't take a picture because I didn't have faith it would ever make it to the blog.

3 lbs. kielbasa; cut into 2 inch chunks

15 and 1/4 oz can crushed pineapple

18 oz bottle barbecue sauce

1/2 c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. ground ginger

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix well. Cover and cook on low setting for about 2 hours, until warmed through, or on high setting for about 30 minutes. Makes 10 to 15 servings.

I changed this a bit....I halved the amount of meat and other ingredients. This recipe is originally an appetizer to share with friends so Curt and I didn't need that much. We also served it over rice to make it a full meal. It was okay. Cs in both of our books; I'd make the rice and beans kielbasa 100 times before this one.

Rice & Beans with Keilbasa

Two things before the recipe:

1. I must only cook when I'm on summer leave or maternity leave; I see a trend in my posting.

2. I love my new camera and how "decent" this photo turned out with one click!

1 lb. kielbasa; cut into bite-sized pieces

4 to 5- 16 ounce cans red beans; drained and rinsed

2- 14 and 1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 onion; chopped

hot pepper sauce to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 to 5 hours. Prepare rice and serve atop. Serves 6 to 8.

I really enjoyed this; thinking I'll have it for leftover lunch today. Curt gave it a 6 ou of 10 and then said he'd give it a B. Huh? 6 out of 10 is a 60%/D. I'm going to have to talk to him about his grading.

Easy, Cheesy Ravioli Bake

Dijon Chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup; low fat, low sodium version

1/4 cup water

2 TBSP lemon juice

1/4 cup dijon mustard

2-3 garlic cloves; minced

frozen, skinless chicken tenders or breasts

Combine the top 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Place frozen chicken in slowcooker and cover with sauce. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Serve over hot rice. 4 stars.

BBQ Meatloaf & A Little Trick

http://threecookingmamas.blogspot.com/2011/02/bbq-glazed-meatloaf.html

Here is a spin-off on one of Tracy's meatloaf recipes. Hers called for catsup which I did not have in the house; who doesn't have catsup in the house? I don't know but I didn't. So I substituted the catsup with BBQ sauce since that was the name of the recipe; LOVED it! We gave it 5 stars.

My little trick that I read about on another blog was to put the loaf in the pan and place in the slowcooker and follow the directions. This was a great trick and resulted in an extremely tender meatloaf. We will definetely do this again. I've made it on top of aluminum foil balls and enjoyed it this way much, much more.

Kielbasa Apple Kabobs

I loved this dinner!!! The only thing that would have made it better, would have been if I had pepper (like the recipe calls for) and red onions! Definitely making this one again!! Brian ate plain, grilled kielbasa for dinner, but the girls ate it and enjoyed it as well! The glaze is very mild, and if you aren't a fan of cranberry juice, you can barely taste it. Had I not known it was in there, I don't know if I would have been able to guess that's what the liquid was!

1/4 cup sugar (I used splenda)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 cup cranberry juice
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces
2 medium tart apples, cut into wedges
1 medium sweet red pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I ran out so I had to omit)
1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces (I omitted)

In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cranberry juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.

On eight metal or soaked wooden skewers, alternately thread sausage, apples and peppers. Grill, uncovered, over indirect heat for 8 minutes or until heated through, turning and brushing with glaze occasionally. Yield: 8 servings.

Kale Chips

My mom gave me this recipe, and since I'm basically roasting every vegetable imaginable right now, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try. I have never eaten kale before (and if it's in my chinese food, I normally pick it out/around it).


But the kale was inexpensive, this required no additional ingredients to be bought and she claimed it would be like kettle potato chips.  She was wrong. : )  However, I still loved it! Chloe wouldn't touch it and after much protesting Allison finally tried it and claimed that it wasn't so bad, "but it's a leaf."

No this does not taste like a potato chip. But it does have the crunch of potato chips so I don't mind pretending. You can't eat this at work though because it is a little messy (who wants little green chip crumbs stuck in their teeth at work??)

Kale (Just the leaves. Cut around the stemmy veins too)
Olive Oil (I used about 1 tsp)
Sea salt

Wash the kale and pat dry w/a paper towel. Mix with olive oil and toss to coat. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 5 minutes, the flip the leaves (ahem, kale) over. Bake about another 5 minutes, but keep an eye on these so they don't burn.  Remove from pan, and sprinkle with sea salt.

Carrot-Pineapple Smoothie

If you don't subscribe to Real Simple Magazine, you really should consider it! It is one of my favorite magazines to read. This month, there were 10 new smoothie recipes (many of which I would love to try!) and since fruits and vegetables are 0 pts. on weight watchers, this is a recipe I hope to eat on a more regular basis.


I was a little afraid of drinking carrots. But I have to admit, I really liked this smoothie!! I'm going to have to run to Sam's Club this week to stock up on pineapple and bananas!!

3/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 cup ice (I omitted since my pineapple was frozen)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice (I actually squeezed my own!)
1/4 cup chopped carrot (I microwaved in a little water first so it would soften them up)
1/2 banana

1.Place the pineapple, ice, orange juice, carrot, and banana in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth and frothy.

Snap Pea Salad

My favorite way to eat vegetables right now is to roast them with a little olive oil. But sometimes I just want a new way of eating them. I LOVE snap peas (especially roasted!), so when I came across this recipe in my family circle magazine, I ripped it out and saved it...for today!


Warning: Do not eat this while watching tv and sitting on your couch! The juice from the snap peas squirt all over!! :) This was yummy. The combo of mustard and vinegar is quite refreshing.

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar (I was out of balsamic so I used rice wine vinegar)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used dried)
1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
8 ounces bocconcini (small mozzarella nuggets), drained (I omitted)
1 cup slivered baby carrots
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, coarsely chopped (I omitted)
1/3 cup cup slivered red onion (I sauteed mine first)

1. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly. Stir in oregano. Cover and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add snap peas and simmer 4 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
3. Place snap peas in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bocconcini, carrots, olives and red onion. Toss with 1/3 cup of the dressing.