Black Sesame Sauteed Green Beans

BLACK SESAME SAUTEED GREEN BEANS

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Is there anything better than fresh produce in the summer? Confession... when its over 100 degrees outside I get a little overwhelmed around dinner time, but I can ALWAYS talk myself into firing up the stove for a bit of fresh produce. Today I got a great deal on some freshly picked green beans, and couldn't wait to cook them up. This recipe is fast, simple and adds tons of flavor without overwhelming the crispy earthy goodness of the green beans.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. fresh green beans, washed, stem-ends removed

2 Tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS VEGGIE BLEND

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

drizzle of dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 Tablespoons toasted black or white sesame seeds

HIMALAYAN Pink SEA SALT and fresh ground pepper to taste

pinch of cayenne (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook the prepared green beans in a pot of boiling water for two minutes. 

Immediately remove from water and plunge into a big bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain. Blot dry.

2. In a saute' pan heat oil over medium heat and then add Green Beans, HS Veggie Rub and garlic powder. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the bean begin to brown a little. Remove pan from heat, add the remaining ingredients- tossing gently to coat. Serve immediately.

 FAST, delicious and healthy .... three of my favorite things in the kitchen! Enjoy~

Lemon Herb Shrimp Scampi

LEMON HERB SHRIMP SCAMPI

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Today was just one of those days.... everything is running 20 minutes late, kids have extra curricular activities in two different directions, husband forgot to eat lunch and comes home starving-- you know, the whole house is filled with, what we like to call, HUNGER MADNESS.
SO.... needless to say- I needed a yummy dinner that could be on the table SUPER FAST- I love having a few delicious throw together dinners that take less than 20 minutes to make start to finish, but taste like I was slaving over a hot skillet all afternoon.

If you have shrimp fans in your house, they will LOVE this one! A little bit of butter, a zingy lemon or two and the perfect blend of herbyness that HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS is famous for! Add this shrimp to some fresh grilled veggies, or a batch of angle hair pasta and you will create a meal that will keep your sailors smiling!


INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup olive oil

1 pound fresh shrimp, medium-sized, deveined with tails off

1 1/2 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS SEAFOOD BLEND
1 1/2 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS FISH RUB

Juice of one Lemon (or about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice)

Pinch or two of sea or HIMALAYAN PINK SEA SALT and fresh black pepper (optional)

2 tablespoons butter

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a Medium sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the cleaned and deveined shrimp to the olive oil. Generously sprinkle the HS SEAFOOD BLEND to the shrimp and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Toss the shrimp to turn them over and add a bit more of the SEAFOOD BLEND. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until the shrimp turn pin k and start to curl.
2. Remove pan from heat. Add lemon juice, butter and salt and pepper if you choose. Once the butter has melted give them another toss to coat them entirely and they are ready to serve! Would be delicious over Angel Hair Past, Parmesan Couscou, or your favorite Rice Recipe 

I love to serve this Shrimp recipe with freshly roasted red peppers, baked asparagus or when I am lucky - fresh steamed green beans! Its the perfect meal! When you only have like 10 or 15 minutes to throw something together.... so why not throw something delicious together!!

Dang Cute! Personal Pot Pies

DANG CUTE PERSONAL POT PIES

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This recipe came about because I fell in love with a dish... or dishes in this case. My children and I were walking through the local dollar store when we stumbled upon the cutest little casserole dishes I have ever seen! Just the right height and depth for a personal sized pot pie.... and poof ! Just like that I knew they were coming home.


< < < < < < < < < < < < Look how cute they are!!

When we got home MY cutie-pie children were just as excited as I was to put our new dishes to work. Since making pot pies are a "fun for the whole family" activity, we washed our new dishes, (and of course -our hands) and got to work!






INGREDIENTS
2-3 cups Cooked and Diced Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS CHICKEN RUB
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Oregano
2 Small cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup Milk
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 12oz. bag frozen Peas & Carrots
1 can of (8) Refrigerated Biscuits (I like the home-style buttermilk kind) 

< < < <  DOUBLE DUTY ALERT : If you happened to make our recipe for BAGGY BAKED CHICKEN earlier in the week-- this recipe is a great opportunity to dice the left over chicken and use it up! Just reduce the HS Chicken Rub in this recipe to 1 tablespoon instead of 1 1/2 tablespoons. Now back to the fun! > > > >

NOTE: I am going to write the instructions for individual pot pies, but if you would rather make a family sized dish, and 8x8 square baking dish or 9 inch pie pan could be used as well. 

 INSTRUCTIONS

 1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease the bottoms and sides of the individual dishes well. Press one biscuit into the bottom of each dish, and poke with a fork to release steam. Put the individual dishes on to a large cookie sheet, and place in the oven. Bake the bottom crusts in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they begin to brown. 

 Golden Perfection!

2. In a medium sauce pan combine Flour, HS Chicken Rub, Garlic, Oregano, Cans of soup and Milk. Bring to a Boil . Boil two minutes, stirring frequenly. Once sauce beging to thicken remove from heat and stir in the Diced Chicken and Peas & Carrots.

3. Spoon chicken mixture into the individual dished, giving each equal potions. Roll out the remaining (4) biscuits into a large, but thin circle. Place one biscuit gently on the top of the chicken mixture. Put the individual dishes on to a large cookie sheet in-case they boil over, and place in the oven. 

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

4. Once the tops are golden brown, remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. 

Grab a fork and enjoy!

SO......I don't know about you, but around these parts we love individual sized things.... there is just something more exciting about eating about a meal that is made just for you! These were a HUGE hit with the kiddos! (and the fact that they can be part of a DOUBLE DUTY DINNER made it a huge hit with the Mom too!)  Want to see more of our DD DINNERS? Check out our DDD LOG page and get ready to have some extra time on your hands~

Crockpot Peppercorn Beef Brisket

CROCKPOT PEPPERCORN BEEF BRISKET

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I have never been a big fan of Brisket or Corned Beef.... until recently. I was staying at my sisters and her husband, who is an amazing cook by the way, made it for all of us. I was BLOWN away!! I had always thought it had to be dry and fatty, too peppery and rubbery... pretty much GROSS- but like so many other things in my adult life, I was way WAY wrong.
It was tender, flavorful and it melted in your mouth. I was so excited to try his method of cooking brisket, but with the HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS Salt-Free spices!

INGREDIENTS

4 1/2 pounds corned beef brisket

3 tablespoons HOMESTEAD SEASONINGS BEEF RUB

1/4 cup black peppercorns

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 onion, peeled and quartered

INSTRUCTIONS 
Place the corned beef briskets into a large crockpot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the briskets by 1 inch. Add the HS Beef Rub, peppercorns and garlic powder and quartered onions. Cover the crockpot and set on high for 1 hour. At the end of an hour the water in the crockpot should be boiling. Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cook for an additional 3-4 hours, checking hourly, and adding more water if necessary to keep the meat covered. Once the time is up-- carefully remove the meat from the pot, as it will be extremely tender. Set on a cutting board, and allow it to rest until it firms up a bit, about 10 minutes. Slice or shred to serve. I usually discard the cooking liquid, but it can be used to cook cabbage and other vegetables if needed. It will be so tender and juicy... it will literally fall apart in your hands! Serve with potatoes, cabbage or on hearty artisan rolls for a "grab and go" situation-- Pot Luck Dinners, Football Games, Office Parties the works!

 > > > > > > > > >  > > > YUMMY!!
Seriously... look how deliciously juicy it is! Even though its close to midnight... I'm starting to talk my self into a meaty midnight sandwich!