Southern Style Green Beans

Green beans are a vegetable loved by many that can be cooked and prepared a variety of ways. I developed this recipe because I want my green beans to have a great southern style flavor. I use canned green beans but fresh or frozen work too. For my southern style green bean recipe make sure you use extra virgin olive oil because any other oil will change the flavor. You can decide how much olive oil to add. As for the bacon, I like to cut the raw bacon with scissors right into the skillet and then cook the bacon bits but if you want to save time just microwave the bacon and then break it into pieces, or just drop in some uncooked bacon and let it cook with the beans. If you plan on eating the bacon, I suggest precooking it before adding it to the green beans. I also recommend yellow onions as they compliment the other flavors. I slice my onions into rings but they could also be chopped. The photos are of my actual green beans. The recipe is below.

Southern Style Green Beans

recipe by: Julie Hodges

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of green beans
• 3 pieces of cooked chopped bacon
• 1/2 medium onion cut into rings or chopped
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

Cook 3 pieces of thick cut sliced bacon. In a pot, skillet, or microwave bowl, pour in 2 cans of green beans, add the extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, bacon, and sliced or chopped onion. Stir together and cook on medium heat until they start to boil then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the beans are hot and onions are soft.

*If using a microwave cook for 4-6 minutes.

Recipe and photos by: Julie Hodges

 

Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Veggies

I asked my kids what they wanted me to buy for dinner. One answer I received was pot roast. So I went with it and devised my own slow cooker pot roast and veggie recipe. It is a simple, easy, and delicious one pot meal. My kind of cooking. Pictures are of my pot roast and veggies. My recipe can be found below.

before cooking

Recipe by: Julie Hodges

Ingredients:

• Roast
• 1 Packet of ranch seasoning
• Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
• 1/2 cup of water
• Salt and pepper the taste
• Veggies such as:

4 large potatoes or 8 small potatoes cut in halves or quarters with skins
1 onion chopped
4 carrots peeled and chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic peeled and halved
1 stalk of Celery chopped (optional)

Directions:

Prep and chop the veggies and place them in a slow cooker. Place the roast on top of the veggies. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the ranch seasoning on top. Add the 1/2 cup of water (to the side not over the meat.) Slow cook for up to 8 hours on low or until the meat is tender and the veggies are cooked.

recipe and photos by Julie Hodges

Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Poppy Seed Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Don’t know what to do with all the leftover chicken you cooked the night before? How about a delicious chicken casserole. This is a great way to use up all the left over chicken especially the dark meat which in my family no one wants to eat. I cook whole chickens because they are more budget friendly but no one in my family wants to eat the leftover dark meat including me so I have to get creative to use it up which how this recipe came about. The amount of chicken, cheese, poppy seeds, and veggies are up to you. You can use a little or a lot. I used leftover lemon rosemary garlic chicken and leftover broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot stir fry veggies from the night before. The casserole has a yummy flaky crescent roll crust but you could substitute biscuits instead. It is a lot like a chicken pot pie so you could also switch the broccoli and cauliflower out for green beans, corn, and or sweet peas. This casserole is delicious way to use up leftover chicken and veggies. The photos are of my finished casserole. (Recipe is below.)

recipe by Julie Hodges 

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of crescent rolls

• chopped or shredded cooked chicken

• broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower

• 1 can of cream of chicken soup

• salt 

• pepper

• Parmesan cheese

• shredded white cheddar cheese

• 1 can of chicken broth (use the empty soup can to measure)

• 1 tbsp. butter

• 2 tsp. poppy seeds

1. In a skillet, combine the cooked chicken, vegetables, salt, pepper, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. Cook until combined and veggies are done. (If using frozen vegetables it may take longer.) Stir in the butter and poppy seeds just before removing from the heat. Remove after butter melts.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and while the filling is cooking open the two cans of crescent rolls but leave them together as a sheet of dough. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with non–stick baking spray and place one sheet of crescent roll dough in the pan stretching it out the full length of the dish. Pinch the steams together to seal the dough into one continuous sheet. Add the filling from the step above to the crescent roll sheet in the casserole dish. Spread it out evenly and then place the second sheet of crescent roll dough on top of the filling. Press the side down and tuck the top crescent roll sheet into the bottom and pinch the two together to create a crust like a pot pie. Sprinkle the top with shredded white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. 

3. Bake in a 400 degree oven until golden and the crescent roll dough is done. Allow to cool for a minute or two before cutting and serving.

* Green beans, corn, or sweet peas could also be used in place of the broccoli and   cauliflower.

* Biscuits could be used in place of the crescent rolls.

pictures and recipe by Julie Hodges (me)