In the kitchen with Elise

If you've ever had Hamburger helper, you know exactly how delicious it is. Almost every kids favorite junkie meal and every moms quick throw together ready in minutes.  The only down side is that it is not all natural, the powder which is the main item to the dish is what I consider as a mystery powder (you have no idea all that's in it.) One of the ingredients labeled on the package is MSG (Not a good thing)  Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. .   Here I am teaching you how to make it on your own from scratch. Few ingredients and same great taste as that boxed stuff without the mystery powder. You know exactly what you are adding to your food. So grab your pots and pans and Follow along: Hamburger Helper Servings: 4 Servings Prep Time: 2 Minutes Total Time: 15 Minutes Source: Elise Jackson Ingredients 1 lb ground beef 1 pack egg noodle pasta (e...

With  14g of protein per bar, these homemade protein bars are an excellent energy bar, great as a snack and pick me up for a long day ahead, Great to grab in the morning on your way out the door to school or work, for those trying to loose weight a great meal replacement, that is low in calorie but has everything their body needs to keep them going, Great for before and after workouts at the gym (my husbands best use of them) Instead of buying them, make your own and experiment with the flavors to get a variety of tastes that you will love in merely 5 minutes. Coconut Protein Bar 250 Calories Servings: 9 Servings (9 Bars) Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes Source: Elise Jackson Ingredients 1/2 cup coconut 1/2 cup milk (Regular milk, Soy, Coconut or Almond) 3tbsp honey 2/3 cups peanut butter 3 cups oatmeal Directions In a blender mix together coconut and oatmeal. Blend well until powder like, set aside. Using a large bowl and ...

By now you're probably already tired of the endless thanksgiving leftovers turkey sandwiches : - ) Another great thanksgiving leftovers idea, is this loaded cheesy rice. This is great to do with all the bits and pieces leftover in your fridge. You can combine all the leftovers together and make something new that your family won't even recognize was your leftovers from thanksgiving. Can be compared to southern mac and cheese as well as a lasagna. Here is how its done. Loaded Cheesy Rice Servings: 6-8 Servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Source: Elise Jackson Ingredients 2 cups rice 2 cups turkey 1 cup collard greens 1 block cream cheese (8oz) 2 cups milk 1/2 cup shredded cheese salt, pepper to taste Note: For this recipe you can use whatever you have leftover. What I had was collard greens and turkey, but if you had other vegetables and meats feel free to add them all to your rice, as little or as much as you have Directions The rice t...

Here is an idea for a quick snack that looks fancy. Entertain your guest with simple ritz crackers topped with whatever you have around. Add different colors to make it stand out. Great idea for a snack using your thanksgiving leftovers. Tip: spread something on the cracker to help the toppings stick, but also to avoid the cracker being too dry. I suggest something like sour cream, cream cheese, butter or enchilada sauce From my kitchen to yours God Bless

Part of the Thanksgiving meal is that delicious candied yams. I just can't have the thanksgiving dinner without 3 things on the table.  The turkey, candied yams and cranberry sauce. Everything else I don't mind, it can change each year; but those 3 are the main essentials : - ) or else you will have a really disappointed Elise. This thanksgiving don't leave out that traditional candied yams. Its quick and easy to make. Here is how its done. Candied Yams Servings: 12 Servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes Source: Elise Jackson Ingredients 4 Sweet Potatoes 3 tbsp butter 1 bowl of sugar cinnamon (to taste) Directions Preheat your oven to 350F, Peel and cut your sweet Potatoes into 1/2 inch circles, set aside. Put 1 and 1/ 2 tbsp of butter chunks at the bottom of a pyrex.  Take a small bowl and fill it with sugar, then bread each individual sweet potato chunk in the sugar on each side and place them in a pyrex. Once you've got all...

Servings: 6 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Source: Elsie Da Silva Ingredients 1 box jiffy corn muffin mix 1/2 cup enchilada sauce or tomato sauce 1 egg 1/2 cup sour cream 1/3 cup milk 1 lb ground beef 1 tbsp olive oil 1/2 onion diced 1 tbsp crushed garlic 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese seasonings (to taste) : lawrys all purpose seasoning, salt, pepper Directions Preheat oven to 400F, In a large bowl add jiffy mix, sour cream, egg, and milk. Mix well and spread a thin layer on a large pyrex or metal skillet, you want it to form a pizza type crust. Bake in oven for about 10 minutes just until crust starts to harden but is still slightly raw. Set aside to cool. In a big pot add oil, onion and garlic, cook on medium heat until browned. Add in ground beef and cook, until nicely browned adding in seasonings. Pour half of your enchilada sauce on top of the meat mixture and mix. Take...

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup) Servings: 8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour  Source: Elise Jackson Ingredients 1 Linguiça or Polska Sausage (Cut 1/3 inch thick) 5 Potatoes (Peeled and cut into big chunks) 2 cups collard greens 2 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1/2 Onion (diced) 1 tsp crushed garlic salt & pepper to taste Directions In a large pot add in your 2 tbsp olive oil, onion and garlic. Sauté on medium heat until just browned. Fill pot with water and add in your potatoes. Leave cooking for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are mushy. Set aside to cool for about 30 minutes.  In another Pot sauté your sausage until golden, drain out the oil and set aside. Once the potatoes and the water is cooled place mixture in a blender a little at a time and blend well until smooth. Return blended mixture to pot.  Turn on medium heat, add in salt, pepper, linguica and Collard greens. Cook about 5 mi...