Elaine's Canned Meat Sandwiches

I was hungry and searching through my pantry. I noticed I had some canned meat I figure I should use up since I don't like wasting food. I will list what I used, but keep in mind, you can use substitutions. If you want to use only 1 type of canned meat (I used 3) or fish/seafood, that's ok. This makes quite a bit (maybe about 8 sandwiches). If you don't want that much, cut the recipe in thirds.

Ingredients:

• 1 can crab meat (you can use imitation crab meat - about 5 oz.)
• 1 can flakes of ham
• 1 can flakes of turkey
• About 3/4 c. mayo (I use light mayo)
• About 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 brick of softened cream cheese
• About 1 c. of coleslaw (the kind you get at the supermarket in a bag)
• About 2 tsp. dry jerk rub
• Optional: finely chopped peppers, onions, and/or celery totalling 1 cup
  

Preparation:

• Drain the canned meats and place the contents in a medium to large mixing bowl. Crush the meat until it's well separated. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well until it has a smooth consistency. Add more dry jerk rub if desired. Spread on bread or bagels and serve. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Sesame Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic - coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger - coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 3 tbsp. tahini
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
  

Preparation:

• Process garlic, ginger, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil in a food processor until well combined. Add tahini pulse until dressing appears thick. Add oil in a thin stream until dressing is emulsified. You can add water, a tablespoon at a time if the dressing is too thick.

Sesame Ginger Chickpeas

I love chickpeas (especially in hummus). This recipe is an Asian-inspired side best served with chicken or pork.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. cooking oil
• 1 c. chopped celery
• 1 c. chopped onion
• 19 oz. chickpeas (about 1 can - rinsed and drained)
• 1 c. chopped red pepper
• 1/3 c. sesame ginger dressing
  
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Preparation:

• Heat cooking oil in medium saucepan on medium. Add celery and onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion starts to soften. Add next 3 ingredients. Stir. Cook covered for 3 - 5 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle parsley over top.
  

Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

Quick Fruit Crumble

Another from the latest cookbook. I haven't tried it yet but will soon! You can try different combinations of fruit filling and fruits in their own syrup.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. coarsely crushed vanilla wafers (about 25 wafers)
• 1/3 c. plain spreadable cream cheese (I always use light cream cheese and it will be spreadable if it's softened)
• 1/4 c. chopped pecans
• 19 oz. apple pie filling (about 1 can)
  
• 14 oz. sliced peaches in syrup, drained (about 1 can)
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 C). Measure first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Stir until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Combine remaining 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Spoon into greased 2 quart (2L) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle crumb mixture over top. Bake for about 15 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Serves 4.

Strawberries and Cream Sauce

I just bought Company's Coming 30 Minute Rookie Cook cookbook tonight and was leafing through it. I came across a few recipes I will definitely be trying. I found a couple that seemed very easy to make and sound divine. Needless to say, I'll probably be trying them this week :-) So here's the first one that sounds so simple and I bet will be delicious!

Ingredients:

• 4 0z. softened cream cheese (I use light cream cheese)
• 2/3 c. granulated sugar (I'll be using Splenda)
• 1/2 c. milk
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 3 c. sliced fress strawberries (I'm sure Europe's Best frozen strawberries will be just as good!)

Preparation:

• Beat cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl until smooth. Slowly add milk and vanilla, beating constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Put strawberries into a medium bowl. Spoon cream cheese mixture over top.

Makes about 4 cups.

Hot Artichoke & Spinach Dip with Sausage

Today I received my Pampered Chef "All the Best From Our Kitchens to Yours" cookbook. Oh my! I hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch yet and my mouth was literally watering as I looked through it. I saw the Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip recipe and realized I had all the ingredients already so I modified the recipe quite a bit and although I'm sure the PC recipe is good, the alterations to it that I made make it fantastic if I do say so myself :-) So here is the modified recipe. It makes a lot so there may be leftovers. I plan on using this for sandwich filling for lunch as well!

Ingredients:

• 2 packs of frozen chopped spinach (thawed with excess water removed)
  
• 2 14 oz. cans of artichoke hearts, coursely chopped
  
• 1 brick of softened cream cheese
• 1 c. mayonnaise (I use light mayo)
• 1 c. sour cream (you may have guessed, I use light sour cream)
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped or pressed (if you're like me and love garlic, you'll probably use 3 cloves as I did)
• 1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 3 garlic sausages (you could substitute with Italian sausage)
• 2 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional - for a little heat if you want it)

Preparation:

• Finely slice the sausage then cut the pieces in half. Mix all ingredients very well, put it in a baking dish (I used a square 9 x 9 dish but it was filled to the top, you might want to use a slightly larger dish). Bake at 375 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.
  

Elaine's Creamy Pasta Casserole

I was eying the contents of my pantry and fridge again and came up with this. I would have added canned peas, grape tomatoes, and peppers to it but didn't have any. I'll try to be as descriptive/accurate with the measurements but you know me... Not too keen on measurements. Here it is:

Ingredients:

• 1 brick of cream cheese cut up into 10 even pieces (I use light cream cheese)
• 1 large package of rigatoni (can be substituted with another chunky kind of pasta)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can cream of broccoli soup
• 1 large can whole kernel corn (I drain and rinse it)
  
• About 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• About 3 tsp. parsley
• About 1/2 c. milk
• 3 cubed, cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (I had baked my chicken with the dry jerk rub sprinkled on top of it so it gives it a little kick)
  

Preparation:

• Make the pasta as directed (do not overcook and do not rinse after it is cooked)
• Add all ingredients to a large pot over a medium heat. Mix well and stir frequently to ensure nothing burns or sticks to the pot. Once the cheese has melted, serve. Add salt and pepper if desired.
  

Carolyn's Rainbow Ribbon Jell-O Cake

Carolyn made this for Thanksgiving dinner today then sent me the recipe so it's her recipe now hehehe. It looks lovely :-)

You need:

• A 2L Bunt Pan or ring mould

Ingredients:

• 5 packages of different kind of Jell-O
• 15 tbsp. vanilla ice cream

Preparation:

• Dissolve 1 pkg of Jell-O in 1 1/4 cups of boiling water
• Pour 3/4 of the Jell-O into the ring mould. Chill until set but not firm (about 20 minutes) This is your first layer
• Leave the remaining Jell-O out on the counter and once it cools to room temp (about 15 min) mix (whisk) in 3 tbsp. of the ice cream into the Jell-O. Spoon the Jell-O with the ice cream into the mould on top of the first layer. This now creates the second layer.
• Chill again now for about an hour
• Dissolve next pkg. of Jell-O in 1 1/4 cups of boiling water once that is mixed take 3/4's of a cup of the Jell-O and set aside, let cool (about 10 minutes) so that when you pour it on the 2nd layer it does not dissolve the other Jell-O layers.
• Repeat steps 1-5 for the next 4 pkg's of Jell-O.
• Once all the Jell-O is in the ring mould chill overnight.
• To unmould, dip mould in warm water for about 10 seconds. Gently pull Jell-O from around edges with moist fingers. Place moistened serving plate on top of mould. Invert mould and plate; holding mould and plate together, shake slightly to loosen. Gently remove mould and centre Jell-O on the plate.

Elaine's Dual-Purpose Pasta

This is a quick recipe I came up with. The great thing about pasta is that you can add just about anything to it and it will taste fantastic. Some other ingredients that would go well with this are bell peppers and mushrooms.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of pasta (I don't suggest spaghetti but if it's all you have on hand, go for it!)
• About 1 c. of diced chicken or Italian sausage
  
• 1 container of grape tomatoes
• 1 tsp. garlic (more or less depending on how much you like garlic; of course, I use about 2 tsp.)
• Cubed mozzarella cheese (how much depends on how much you like cheese! I usually put in about 3/4 cup)
• About 5 tbsp. roasted red pepper salad dressing (I've also used sun-dried tomato dressing and it works very well)
• Parmesan cheese (as much as you like!)
  

Preparation:

Prepare pasta as directed. Drain (Do not rinse! Keeping the starch on it allows the sauce to adhere to it better.) Add all ingredients except the Parmesan cheese in a pot. Simmer at a low heat and mix well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. This can be served hot as a main dish or cold as a pasta salad.

Jerk Chicken Rolls

I got this idea from the Jerk Chicken Nachos recipe I posted a few days ago.

Ingredients

• Cubed cooked chicken (the BBQ'd chicken already made from the grocery store is good for this), how much depends on how many is eating, use your best judgement
• Grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tbsp. dry jerk rub
• 1 diced red pepper
• 1 diced yellow or orange pepper
• Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix all ingredients except the dough. On a pizza stone or pan, separate and lay out each of the rectangles of dough. Spoon the mixture onto half of each rectangle making sure not to go too close to the edge. Fold the empty half over the mixture and seal the edges with a fork or your finger. Repeat for all rectangles. Brush the tops of the triangles with egg. Bake until golden brown (9 - 14 minutes).