Jackson Greek Fest was delicious

The Martins have been bad this weekend. First off the Greek Festival was going on this weekend. We have been every year that it has been held and a wonderful way to try new food. If you have never gone try to make a point to go next year. I don't know but the food this year was just so tasty. We did come home with a few cookies. We hate that we did not have our camera with us.
Just to make your mouth water here is what we had.
Me.
Roasted Lamb,
Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, rice and herbs, topped with lemon sauce)
Spanikopita (spinach and feta puff wrapped in filo)
Moussaka (sliced eggplant topped with a meat and tomato mixture. Covered with a white sauce and baked and garnished with cheese
Greek salad
Spouse
Souvlakia (pork shish-ke-bob grilled)
Tiropita (cheese feta wrapped in buttered filo)
Pastichio (pasta and meat with tomato sauce seasoned with onion,garlic,cloves, and cheese topped with white sauce.
Greek salad.
We bought a sample box of cookies with two each of Baklava, Paxmemadia (buttery almond cookie topped with apricot glaze and a cherry.... wifes favorite.)Kourabiethes (butter cookie topped with powdered sugar... reminds me of a wedding cookie.)
We wish lamb was more available as we are liking the taste of that meat more and more.
Next year we will take pictures.

Lemon Pie

I have no idea who came up with this one. It is a recipe I have been fixing as long as I can remember. May be one of the first things I ever did. This is posted for Cindy, I know you can do this one it is so easy.

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 can eagle brand condensed milk

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

whip cream or cool whip

Combine in mixing bowl milk and lemon juice and mix till combined.

Pour in crust and chill for about 30 to one hour to set.

Top with whip cream or cool whip and serve.

Aunt Carolyn's Chicken from Deanna's Corner

Can't tell you how much we enjoyed this one we do wish we had a little more juice with it but it was very very yummy! It almost drove us crazy cooking the smell had our mouth watering. Thank you Deanna. Pleas chech her site out she has some yummy stuff there is a link on the side its Deann's Corner so pull up a chair and a bowl of ice cream.

½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper( we did add a little more)
1 chicken cut up (we used 5-6 chicken thighs cut in bite size)
½ cup butter or margarine melted and divided
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup honey (we have some very good local honey we use)
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1-1/2 teaspoon curry powder
We used a large plastic bag, combine flour,salt and cayenne pepper
Add chicken and shake to coat.
Pour 4 tablespoons butter into 13 x 9 baking dish
Place chicken in pan turning once to coat
Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes
Combine brown sugar, honey, lemon juice, soy sauce, curry powder, and remaining butter. Pour over chicken
Bake 45 minutes more or until chicken is tender, basting several times with pan drippings.
We served this over rice.

Wet Burrito

Wet Burrito Casserole by Sue at Recipe zarr that we added some stuff too. This made a lot so if you have a crowd to feed or just want to freeze some I'm sure it would freeze well. A side dish of Spanish rice and our salsa with chips (that recipe is on a older post) and you have as good as any Mexican restaurant dinner.

1 ½ cups sour cream
1can cream of mushroom soup
1 lb ground beef (I'm sure any thing like ground turkey would even be good)
1 onion (by the way we always cook with a yellow onion like my mom did)
1 bell pepper any color red and yellow
1 pkg taco seasonings
3 cloves garlic
½ cup mushrooms finely chopped
(OK I can hear ya now... mushrooms trust me if you like mushrooms you will like it and if not you will never know they are there. Or if you really hate them leave out but it does add a little texture. Plus they are good for you and if you don't tell, no one will know just say its a secret ingredient.)
1 can refried beans
1 10 count flour tortillas
4 cups cheddar cheese ( we use also extra Colby jack or the Mex mix) We like cheese
1 can sliced green chillies
we also added a little a few dashes of Tabasco Chipotle sauce Yee ha that is some good stuff we are on our second bottle we use it on every thing.)
sliced jalapeños
garnish with cilantro or guacamole

Mix sour cream and soup together
Pour half of this is in bottom of large greased(use pam) baking dish.
Brown meat with onion and bell pepper and garlic drain any fat
Stir in taco seasonings, mushrooms refried beans,green chillies( taste and if you want it with more heat add dash of Tabasco sauce and or red pepper flakes.)
Spoon mixture onto tortillas, rolling and placing seam side down.
Top with remaining soup mixture sprinkle with cheese and add sliced jalapeños on top.
Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 min or until cheese is melted and dish is heated.
garnish with cilantro and if want guacamole.

Orange Sherbert

My wife's grandmother used to make a strawberry sherbet using evaporated milk and sugar and placed in ice cube trays. Well I have been unsuccessful in finding this and her mother doesn't have it or has ever made it. So please help out there if any body has ever made this. Her grand mother lived threw the depression and it may be a local thing done in south Louisiana. I don't know.

I did find this for Orange Sherbet Ice Cream and it was pretty good tasted kinda like a dream pop.
1 can eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
3 10 oz orange soda pop
Pour into ice cream freezer stir and freeze.

Chicken with Black Beans and Rice

This looks terrible but it really taste good. Black beans are new for cooking with us so maybe that is it we are used to the red kidney beans. Any way we were surprised at how flavorful this dish was and we do like flavorful.Thanks from Recipezaar.

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes (we added a bit more)
1 large onion (we always cook with a yellow)
4-5 cloves garlic chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips (we used about 5 chicken thighs as they do seem to have more flavor and are not as dry as a breast plus we can get them cheep at Sam's.)
2 teaspoons oregano, separated
2 teaspoons ground cumin, separated
2 cans black beans, undrained
1 can corn drained
1 4 oz jar sliced pimientos
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cups chicken broth
1 ½ cups rice.

1.In a large pan heat olive oil and add red pepper flakes
2.Add onion and garlic and cook until tender or clear.
3.Increase heat and add chicken stirring until cooked.
4.Lower heat to med. And add 1 tsp of oregano, 1tsp of cumin and simmer for 1 minute.
5.Add black beans, corn, pimentos, remaining spices and balsamic vinegar.
6.Blend and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes re seasoning if needed.
7.Heat broth to a boil and add rice. Lower to simmer and cook for 20 minutes till rice is fluffy.
8.Serve beans over rice.

Baked Cabbage Wedge

Baked Cabbage Wedges

1 large head of cabbage cored and cut into 8 wedges
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (or you can use more)
½ tablespoon unsalted margarine
2 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (or you can use more)

1.Preheat oven to 400
2.Place cabbage in shallow 2 quart flameproof casserole dish. Add chicken broth, wine, and pepper bring to a simmer uncovered over moderate heat.
3.Cover and transfer to oven and bake for 35 to 40 min. or until cabbage is fork tender.
4.In skillet melt margarine add bread crumbs cook stirring about 2 minutes until breadcrumbs are lightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
5.As soon as cabbage is done remove from oven and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese over the top.
6.Increase oven temp to broil and place casserole in broiler 5 to 6 inches from heart. Broil 1 to 2 min until golden brown.

This is a good way to cook cabbage and it is very tasty and cabbage is a good buy now. This is what we did with the half of the cabbage we had after we used the other half for cold slaw in the last dish.
We served this with Chicken and Black beans over rice. That recipe will be on next post.

Good ol' fried catfish

Sorry been so long but we have been making some of our previous post and I will be posting some of the newer ones we have done. Not to mention the computer had a hiccup and we lost some of our pictures.
This is nothing new here but I know a lot of people out of our area may not know how good fried catfish can be. Now it has to be pond raised I do not like the ones caught from the lake and rivers they just have to much of a muddy taste. But there is nothing better than pond raised fried catfish.
We had some coleslaw and a good old buttermilk biscuits
We used a coating called fish fry and it has just the right amount of zing.

Computer has been down

Disaster has hit, my computer has crashed and I was able to get some stuff back up. Good news I did an almost complete back up about a month ago when the computer started acting up. Bad news is we lost all our email and new photos that were not backed up. We are looking to have to wipe everything out and start over and that is such a pain but we must have got a bug even though nothing shows up on anti virus programs but it is just to slow and freezing up on me.
I also have been working out of town and wife was gone for a week so I have not really cooked anything, Not as much fun when she isn't here to come bug me when I'm in the kitchen. Did I say bug I meant help. She cleans as I do tend to make a mess. So today I will put up a picture of one of our cats who come supervise every thing we do in the kitchen. This is Frosty.
If the dish I plan to make turns out to be a winner I will post it.

Peanut Chicken Thighs in crockpbot

This had the whole house smelling while it was cooking.
We also came across one of the best salsa in a jar from our local Kroger. If you have one in your area or go to their web site to order. It was super good. In addition, no one is paying me to say this. It was called Arriba Medium Fire roasted Garlic and Cilantro Salsa. They have several types and we have tied two now.
We did put this over the celery Root mashed like potatoes. Again, thanks to recipe Zaar for a spicy Thai like dish.

6¼ hours serves 4
We used 5 skinless chicken thighs and one breast we had. Cut in pieces
One jar Cilantro Salsa or any you like.
½ cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter. (We will use crunchy next time.)
2 teaspoons ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons lime juice add just before serving.
1-tablespoon brown sugar.
You may want to double the sauce as we felt it could have used a little more.

Celery Root mashed

Celery Root

Nasty looking thing but it tastes so good. My wife is not a fan of mashed potatoes like I am. She has two things she will hardly ever eat and they are fried chicken and mashed potatoes. She said when she was first married and she lived with the in-laws they had that at least three times a week.
We both like celery and we found this recipe a while back and boy was it good. There is a slight celery flavor but not overpowering great substitute for mashed potatoes.
This a two part post as we made this side dish a felt it needed its own separate post. We made spice Thai Chicken Thighs that we put on top.

Celery Root
Peal outer edge to white meat of root. Wash well
Cut in small cubes
Boil or steam until fork tender
Drain well pour into a food processor
Season like mashed potatoes
Garlic (we used roasted)
Salt and pepper to taste
Add milk: or cream or sour cream what every is your preference.
Try not to over process. Should look like mashed potatoes.

Shrimp Corn Soup

1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
½-cup butter
1 cup chopped green onion tops
1 can cream of shrimp soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 can whole kernel corn (we might but 2 next time we did not feel it was enough) not drained
1 can cream style corn
2 cups whole milk
1 lb of boiled shrimp peeled and deveined
1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (we used Ol Bay)
Can use crumbled bacon to garnish

In a 5-quart soup pot, slowly melt the cream cheese and butter over low heat
(This took some time as it was the first time for me to do and the cream cheese was awful slow to melt.)
Add green onions and gently simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes
Stir in cans of soup and both of corn simmer for 15 minutes (this will look thick)
Slowly stir in milk to reach desired consistency. We put in ½ cup and then just kept adding and stirring
You soup should look like pancake batter.
Just before you are ready to serve stir in shrimp and seafood seasoning and heat pot to a slight bubbly (don’t go over board.)
This was a good one. We would add maybe some roasted garlic and extra can of corn next time.
We also added a tad of salt and pepper to taste.
In addition, of course with shrimp it was much better the next day as it had time to absorb the shrimp flavor.
We also thought this would be really good in a bread bowl. You must have a good bread to go with this.
We used a good French bread. Was not able to get a good picture we ate it up so fast.

Garlic chicken and broccoli Pasta

1 lb penne pasta
1 ½ cup broccoli
1 ½ to 2 cups cooked chicken
1 Tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic can add extra (we did)
2 Tablespoons flour
¾ cup chicken broth
3/4 cup milk
2 Tablespoons parsley flakes
Red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 to ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (can add extra we did)

Cook pasta according to directions
Melt butter and add garlic in medium sauce pan
Cook over med heat for 1 min.
Add flour and cook for another min stirring constantly
Stir in broth and milk and cook stirring until sauce boils and thickens
Add chicken and broccoli and stir
Add parsley, salt, pepper, pepper flakes and cheese
Stir till cheese is melted.
Add pasta and toss till covered.
Serve with extra parmesan on top.


This was very yummy and fairly easy to make we would add more pepper flakes next time or some white pepper to kick it up a little more.
Our taste buds must be getting accustomed to the heat and need to add more.

Chicken Pot Pie

Boy it has been cold around here lately and this is a new recipe we tried and will be making again very soon. I was so surprised at how good this turned out. We will never again use one of the frozen pies again as this was easy and oh so tasty.

1pkg ready-made pie dough (2 crusts)
1 10 oz pkg. frozen mixed vegetables (rinse an thaw)
1-2 cups cooked chicken (we buy roasted ones from the store and about ½ of the chicken does the trick.)
1 can cream pf potato soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup milk
¼-cup onion
1-teaspoon Lawry seasoning salt
2 cloves garlic
1-teaspoon celery salt

Line 9 or 10-inch pie plate with crust and set aside
Combine remaining ingredients (I do put all in a saucepan and warm everything up to blend better)
Pour filling in pie plate
Top with 2nd crust. Make slits in top to vent
Place in preheated oven at 375 for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.
This was enough for us two nights and may have been better the second night.

Spinach and tomato pie

This was another winner and worthy to put up on the net a good brunch or for us a weekend breakfast for Sat and Sunday. This is a recipe from the Zaar of course, we did tinker with it a bit to suit our taste. (Hot).
Also can’t wait to try with a real homegrown tomato.

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 3 oz. pkg. of cream cheese softened
5 eggs slightly beaten
1-cup sharp cheddar cheese grated.
¼ cup chopped green onion
Pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)
2 teaspoons parsley
We added two cloves roasted garlic and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
1 tomato
One 9-inch deep-dish pie shell
¼ cup parmesan cheese (we added more)

Drain and squeeze as much water as you can of spinach
Combine all ingredients but tomatoes and parmesan cheese together and pour in pie shell.
Place thinly sliced tomatoes on top and then sprinkle parmesan cheese. (We bet some bacon would be good sprinkled on top and will try it next time).
Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 35 min or until done.