Irish Blessings

This is a post from two years ago, but I wanted to share it again

I believe we should do everything within our power to promote strong family ties, and in my family (coming from an Italian background) that usually means family get-togethers that revolve around food!

When I married into my husband's Irish family, I decided to make a huge deal of St. Patrick's Day! The result? My three grown sons are very proud of their Irish heritage and it strengthens our family as a whole!

I invite My parents, Big Al's mother, my brother and sister and their children and my sons, of course.

My house is decorated for the special day

Simple table decor---and we eat on paper plates (let's face it...the Irish are NOT pretentious!)


Lots of traditional Irish music in the air (I have about 7 CDs now)


ANd we dance an Irish jig or two....



We enjoy traditional Irish recipes (corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread)




along with some other favorites that aren't necessarily Irish, but green in color and delicious! (Like the green ITALIAN creme cake (lest my boys forget their Italian heritage!)



And you know how the Irish enjoy story tellin'.....




My son Jordan is full of Blarney...he was awarded the Blarney Stone!


We look up interesting Irish facts and have an Irish trivia contest.


MY IRISH BLESSINGS-
My brother and Mom....

My Mom and sister








My niece Cortney and I....I hope she grows up with fond memories of St. patty's Day at her great Aunt Sherri's house.


When the dancin' is over, we "sweep the floor" with the child with the longest hair! (A Murphy family tradition)





Any good Irishman helps his wife clean up after a big shindig!



Don't let these opportunities pass you by- celebrate ANYTHING and Everything with those you love most!

And may your house always be too small to hold all your friends!~ An Irish blessing.

The PERFECT Philly Steak and Cheese Sandwich

This DELICIOUS sandwich recipe was inspired by Emeril Lagasse--but of course I had to tweak it to suit MY tastes.

One of THE BEST sandwiches I have ever eaten! EVER! This one you MUST-TRY!
(It would also be perfect to serve for a SUPER BOWL Party. Guys and gals will love it!)

This recipe makes 2-4 sandwiches (depending on size of rolls you choose and how much filling you like to add in between.) You'll need to double this recipe even if only two of you are planning to eat it--take my word for it--you'll want to eat TWO!



YOU WILL NEED:


* fresh Italian sandwich rolls or Kaiser buns, split in half crosswise
I used Kaiser rolls.
* 1 white onion, thinly sliced
* 1/2 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

*I used frozen, chopped green onions and peppers to save time)

* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
* Seasoned salt* (to taste)

*I added this- was not in original recipe.

* 1/2 pound rib-eye steak, very very thinly shaved or sliced

I used a top sirloin steak and cut it into strips.
* 1/3 pound thinly sliced white American cheese, or Provolone cheese OR 4 ounces melted cheese whiz

(I used provolone)

DIRECTIONS:



Heat skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add the oil, onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.Keep on warm.

Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoned salt on the meat slices.Add the meat to the hot pan and cook, stirring until almost no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Mix in the Sauteed vegetables.


Take buns (that have been split in half) and lay a slice of cheese on all halves. Broil on low just till cheese melts and is bubbly.


Take out and spoon meat mixture into the buns and serve while warm.



I served mine with Roasted potatoes (I'll share that recipe soon).


Fantabulous!!! It makes me want to shout!
(Sorry, I tend to get a little excited about food.)

And the winner is......

The winner of the One Night's Stay at the Bed & Breakfast is CRYSTAL RAINEY of West Frankfort!

Christal left her contact number on her comment, and her entry number was chosen as the winner.

CONGRATUALTIONS, Crystal! Enjoy a wonderful night of rest, and be blessed!

An exciting B&B One Night's Stay Giveaway!

 

 

 

 

You are looking at the beautiful SUMMER'S RIVERVIEW MANSION BED and BREAKFAST in Metropolis, Illinois. For those of you who don't already know, Metropolis is located in southern Illinois, and also happens to be the home of SUPERMAN himself!

 

My husband and I have stayed here several times, and I want to share a wonderful treat with you....ONE lucky winner will have their name drawn (random draw) from the comment section in this blog.

 

The winner will receive ONE FREE NIGHT'S Stay in the room of your choice (excluding the Grand Suite) redeemable anytime in the month of March, 2013

 

*Depending on the room you choose, the offer is worth at least $105.00

 

The contest begins Sunday, Feb.10th, and will continue until 6pm (CT) on Wed. February 13th.

I will contact the winner with further details on making reservations for the room.

 

PLEASE SHARE THIS OFFER WITH YOUR FRIENDS. Only one can win, but it is drawn randomly, so the more the merrier!

 

 

 

Only a few rules will apply:

 

*You can only enter once

*You must be at least 18 to enter

*You cannot be related to me

*You must seriously plan to redeem the gift offer so someone gets to take advantage of this special. (Don't just enter to win just  to say you won and then never go!)

 

 

TO ENTER:

 

 Simply leave a comment on this blog  stating which room you would like to stay in,  after clicking on the  link and visiting the website. (you can use the anonymous button, however, you still must leave your name and either a phone number or email address or facebook address where I can reach you.

 

 Click on  this link: ://www.summersbedandbreakfast.com/index.html  then return and leave your comment of the room you would choose.
*While you're on the B&B page, check out their chapel that would be PERFECT for a wedding!

All the best to all of you.

Happy Valentine's Day from me to you!

Chicken Alfredo Farfelle

 

 

You know, I consider myself  to be a pretty busy woman. And although I've have cut down on  my activities/obligations in order to spend more time with my new granddaughter, there are some cuts I refuse to make in the kitchen, especially when they don't really save all that much time, only cutting back on flavor....such is the case with Alfredo sauce.

 I have never met a jarred version that I like. I've never even tasted one that has a similar flavor to  the homemade stove top version (and I've purchased some pricey ones hoping to prove myself wrong in hopes of saving a few minutes in the kitchen).

 

I've had my tried and true version for many years, but recently I came across THE PIONEER WOMAN'S recipe which she served over Farfelle. (I always served it with Fettuccine.)

 

It was close enough to my recipe, with only a few changes. I made it this evening, and so far, everyone has had at least two helpings, if not THREE!

 

I served it with  a Caesar Salad and garlic bread sticks (that were frozen) so, it still did not require much time in the kitchen, but WOW what a difference in taste than the jar versions on the shelf!

 

I'll skip steps and cheat on homemade spaghetti sauce during the week, and use a jar, adding some extras like fresh garlic, onion, green pepper, grape jelly, mushrooms, Italian seasoning, etc.  and cooking only for a short amount of time, and it's not bad. But there's NOTHING in a jar that compares with the homemade Alfredo sauce, and it doesn't require but a few minutes on the stove top.

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces, weight Bowtie Pasta (farfalle)
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 3/4 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth)
• 1/2 cup Half-and-half
• 3 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
• Low Sodium Chicken Broth, As Needed For Thinning
• 3/4 cups Parmesan Shavings Or Grated Parmesan
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Minced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken breasts. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until deep golden brown on both sides and done in the middle. Remove from the skillet, slice into thin strips, and set aside.

Add additional 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by the minced garlic. Stir the garlic around the pan to avoid burning, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in  broth, then let it bubble up and reduce for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Add half-and-half, cream, and extra salt and pepper, whisking constantly until it's all combined. Allow liquid to heat up and thicken for a few minutes. If it gets too thick, you may thin it with a little chicken broth.


When the sauce looks good, remove it from the heat. Add Parmesan to the pan, then throw the hot pasta right on top of it. Toss it a bit. Add the chicken and continue tossing until it's all combined. Again, if it gets too gloopy, splash in a little broth (you may return the pan to low heat if it needs it.)
Taste it, adjust seasonings, and top with minced parsley and extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

Enjoy!

 

Spicy Tomato Bisque with Mini Grilled Pepper-Jack Sammies

Recently I came across a new  soup recipe at allrecipes.com that caught my eye.

I love tomato soup, but my hubs is not a fan. My daughter-in-law is Mexican and loves spicy food and she was pregnant at the time  and I wanted to make her something filling but pretty healthy too, so I thought that maybe, this particular soup recipe might be appealing to both of them, since it was a bit of a change of pace from the typical, more bland flavor of your run-of-the-mill  tomato soup.

I underestimated how delicious it would be. It was a huge hit with everyone at my house. My hubs actually commented on the great flavor , adding that he normally doesn't care for tomato soup.  My daughter-in-law normally adds jalapenos to everything I make because it's usually not spicy enough for her ;), but she didn't add a thing!

When I make tomato soup, I like a good grilled cheese sandwhich on the side (for dipping). I only had a package of party rye slices on hand, and some pepper-Jack cheese, so I chose to try to grill em up and see what everyone thought...another big hit! I also added a simple salad to round out the meal.

This is a simple lunch/supper that I would consider "semi-homemade"...much better than plain ole canned soup, but with some time-saving help from some cans.

Try it yourself and let me know what you thought.

For 4 servings YOU WILL NEED:


1 (28 ounce) can tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the tomato puree, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, and sugar. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.

VIOLA! A delicious, quick soup to satisfy even your picky eaters!

For the grilled sandwiches:

1 loaf of party rye bread
butter (for buttering both sides of each side--DO NOT use that nasty margarine!!!)
Pepper-Jack cheese ( slices cut to fit inside 2 slices of bread)

Grill sandwiches in med. skillet till brown on both sides and cheese is melted.  Set on warm plate. Make A BUNCH!

Dip in soup.  ENJOY!

And while you're at it, ENJOY a pic of my precious granddaughter, LIA ROSE MURPHY, 2 weeks old.

Fruit Salsa

My friend and co-worker Tracy shared this recipe with me, after I ate two helpings at a party she hosted recently. Very refreshing--and pretty healthy, too.
It is called a "salsa", but really it is just a finely chopped fruit salad.

YOU WILL NEED:
1 lg. red apple
1 lg. green apple
5 kiwis
1 lb. fresh strawberries
1 small cup mandarin oranges (drained)
2-3 T. Apricot jelly
1 T. Brown sugar
1 T. white sugar

Cut up all fruit in tiny pieces (or put in food processor like photo above)
Serve with cinnamon tortilla chips or graham crackers.