Veggie Bars a Party Favorite

Easy Veggie Bars

Make these quick easy party snacks for your next party

This recipe is one of our all-time favorites, it's so popular and such a big hit at picnics, parties, and Holiday gatherings. These are one of the best veggie snacks you'll ever have and are so simple to make.

 Even I can do it, there are so many options for all of your favorite fresh veggies, you can top this with whatever you desire or whatever you're in the mood for.

My daughter and wife have been making these for years for all of our family events, and no matter where we take them, everybody gives this treat the thumbs up.

Pictured here are the veggie bars my daughter made for the 4th of July, with broccoli, cauliflower, red and yellow peppers. Aren't they just so colorful?

The options for these easy veggie bars are endless, you can add as little or as much fresh veggies as your heart desires. I'm not so sure about the cream cheese mixture, but for sure the fresh veggies are very healthy.


What you need for these easy veggie snacks:
Veggie Options All Finley Chopped about one cup each:
  • Green, Red, and Yellow Peppers
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Black Olives
  • Carrots
  • Mushrooms
  • Onion
  • Tomato
Here is how to make your veggie snacks:
  1. Spread the crescent rolls out onto a 17" x 11" pan and pinch the sections together
  2. Bake the crescent rolls at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown, set the pan aside and let them cool
  3. Mix the cream cheese, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a mixing bowl, whip until it is nice and creamy
  4. Spread the mixture over the cooled crescent rolls evenly
  5. Press your choice of veggies into the cream cheese mixture and top off with the shredded cheddar
  6. Place the veggie bars in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. 
  7. After they're cooled cut them into 2 or 3-inch squares and serve
As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

Make short work of slicing your veggies with one of these handy kitchen tools

Steak Salad

Steak Salad

This steak salad is sure to please even the biggest of appetites. Steak salad is simply thin slices of steak seared on high heat and served over a bed of your favorite greens and veggies. I like adding french fries and heating up the dressing for my steak salads.

What a quick and easy meal to prepare, and it offers everything on one plate. Your greens, veggies, meat, and potatoes, what more could anybody ask for.

I've made this with New York strip steak, but I have to tell you I like it better with a nice Rib-Eye. If you don't eat steak try your favorite seafood or chicken. Steak salad is a wonderful meal made fresh to order or easily made from leftovers.


INGREDIENTS:
  • 16 oz. New York Strip or any steak of your choice, this should make 2 or 3 salads
  • Montreal steak seasoning
  • 1 bag of steak fries, or French fries found in your frozen food section. (Best is Homemade)
  • Romaine lettuce is enough for however many salads you want to make
  • 1 bunch of green onions
  • 2 or 3 nice tomatoes
  • 1 bag of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs
  • Sliced or chopped green and red bell peppers
  • 1 bottle of sweet and sour or poppy seed salad dressing. Or any dressing that you prefer.
Cut thin slices of your favorite steak and cook it on high heat for about one minute per side or to your liking. Prepare your french fries and hard-boiled eggs and build your salad it's that simple.

Choose your favorite salad dressing and enjoy. A couple of my favorite dressings are ranch and blue cheese.

Garlic Bread SticksGarlic Bread Sticks


Try my easy-to-make Garlic Bread Sticks for a perfect compliment to your steak salad.



As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

Pan Fried Fish Fillets

Pan Fried Fish Fillets

 My good friend George gave me some fresh Crappie fillets from Lake Chautauqua. So I decided to make these Pan Fried Fish Fillets.

George is an avid fisherman, he fishes the lake, and Allegheny River all year long. These were caught while George and his son were ice fishing this year.

Crappie is a North American freshwater fish in the sunfish family. Crappies are known to be one of the best-tasting freshwater fish, because of their diet.

I would have normally broiled these fillets, but George suggested; trying them pan-fried. So here is how I pan-fried these fillets to perfection.

These fillets were very easy to make and so delicious, served with a wedge of lemon and rice to make a great meal. If you don't have a friend like George, just use your favorite fresh fish fillets.

Pan Fried Fish Fillets: Ingredients
Pan Fried Fish Fillets: Instructions
  1. Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into a 10 or 12-inch fry pan, and heat oil to 375 degrees on medium heat
  2. Mix 1 cup of McCormick batter with the water
  3. Once the oil is hot, dip the fillets and coat them with the batter
  4. Add them to the pan (I add 3 fillets at a time) 
  5. Fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side until fillets are golden brown.

You might also like my Fish Broiled Cajun Style

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

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Hearty Chicken Tortellini Soup with Meatballs




best chicken tortellini soup recipe

Winter is now upon us, and there is nothing better than warming up with a hearty and delicious bowl of homemade chicken tortellini soup. This soup is a favorite in our house all through the cold weather season.

This soup is a great starter for any meal or, this soup can be a meal in itself. The soup is filled with chicken, tortellini, and meatballs,  all in this flavorful chicken broth. This soup is sure to fill you up on a cold winter day.

This is just one of the many soups we enjoy in the cold weather season, so stay tuned for more delicious soups.


INGREDIENTS:
     Soup:
  • 12 oz bag of Fresh or Frozen Tortellini
  • 2 Tomatoes
  • 1 bag celery
  • 1 bag carrots
  • 1 big onion
  • 2 or 3 large bone-in chicken breasts
  • Vegetable or chicken bouillon
  • 1 or 2 cans of chicken broth 
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. Cut up tomatoes into 4 sections each
  2. Cut onion into 4 to 6 sections
  3. Clean celery and carrots
  4. Put all vegetables and chicken breasts in a large stock pot, cover with water, and come to a boil
  5. Reduce heat and let this cook for 45 minutes to one hour
  6. While this is cooking make your meatballs
  7. Add Parmesan cheese, garlic salt, egg, breadcrumbs, and pepper to the meat and mix thoroughly
  8. Shape into small meatballs and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
  9. Using another pot under a strainer drain the broth, and discard the tomatoes and onion.
  10. Cut the celery and carrots into small pieces and add to the broth
  11. Shred the chicken and add to the broth
  12. Add 2 or 3 vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes and chicken broth if more liquid is needed
  13. Add the tortellini, and return to the stove, bring to a boil until the tortellini is cooked
  14. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this easy chicken tortellini soup.


Low Fat Vegetarian Enchiladas



Vegetarian Enchiladas right out of the oven

You can find some great enchiladas in Mexico, or you can whip up a nice lunch or dinner of low-fat vegetarian enchiladas in your own kitchen in about 30 minutes.

So the next time you're having some friends over for margaritas, and you need to serve a nice lunch, these enchiladas will be sure to please your friends.

This recipe is from my son Sam the Chef; he graduated from culinary school in 1997 and ever since has been coming up with all kinds of great recipes. 

You can check out his Facebook page, Cooking with Monaco.

If you're like me you can spice it up a bit with some hot or mild sauce, I prefer the hot.

INGREDIENTS

1 can of fat-free refried beans
1/2 bag of Boca Crumbles
1 can of mild Rotel
1 tsp of taco seasoning
5 whole wheat soft taco shells or tortillas
1 small can of enchilada sauce
1 - 8oz bag of fat-free shredded cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

  1.  In a small pot, combine the re-fried beans, Boca crumbles, Rotel, and taco seasoning.
  2.  Heat this over medium heat until the beans are soft.
  3.  Fill each tortilla with 2 spoons full of the mixture
  4.  Roll and place in a baking dish side by side
  5.  Pour the enchilada sauce over the top and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook time: 20 Minutes
Ready In:   30 Minutes
Serves: 2 to 3 people

Enchiladas originated of course in Mexico, and are very popular with street vendors. There are so many varieties of enchiladas. You can fill them with beef, vegetables, chicken, or seafood.

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How to Cut and Light your Cigar

Cigar and matches
First Let's Cut Your Cigar

If you've been smoking cigars for a while, then this advice will not be new to you. Please read on and if you happen to disagree with my advice or you have something more to add, please feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

Now that you have your premium handmade cigar in hand, what do you do? Well, the first thing to is is take a look at your newfound pleasure. At this point, there is no need to remove the cigar band.

Removing the cigar band at this point may damage the wrapper, if you insist on removing it wait until the heat of the cigar loosens the glue.

There are several tools to choose from to cut your cigar. The "guillotine" will make a straight line cut across the head. The "V cut" will cut a wedge into the head, and the "pierce" will punch a hole into the center of the head.

My choice and my favorite is the guillotine, as it never fails me. I've used all of the tools to cut my cigars and always come back to my guillotine cutter. Now that's just my preference, you may very well like one of the other methods better.

Now that you have chosen your cutting tool, take note of where the cap meets the wrapper. Do not cut past this point as you will cut into the wrapper and this may cause your beauty to unravel.

This is where size matters, if the cut is too big it will result in excess smoke and heat and will cause a bitter taste, and your cigar will smoke too fast.

A cut too small and your cigar will be too hard to draw on, and the taste will be ruined by an excess of tar and nicotine.

The perfect cut will be just smaller than the diameter of the cigar. This will enhance your experience and your smoking pleasure.

Now Let's Light Your Cigar and Enjoy

Now the way you light your cigar will determine how it will burn and taste. Too much flame will cause the foot to burn and turn black and cause the cigar to have a bitter taste.
The flame should never touch the cigar, as a matter of fact, don't even put the cigar in your mouth yet. Hold the cigar in your hand about 1/4" away from the flame turning the cigar so the heat is toasting the edge of the foot.
You gently begin to draw when you see the smoke rising for the edge of the wrapper on the foot. Now continue to gently draw as you turn the cigar to make sure you have an even burn.


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What is a Good Cigar?

Various cigar wrapper colors

You may be an experienced cigar smoker, or just starting to find the pleasure of a good cigar. I'm always asked; what is a good cigar?  Well, that depends on you, and your particular taste for cigars.

I'm no expert on cigars by any means, the knowledge I have is from my own experience and many hours of reading about cigars.

What I mean is that there is no perfect cigar. There is only the cigar that is right for you, the one you take great pleasure in the draw, and enjoy the aroma that satisfies your taste buds. This my friend is a good cigar.

A Quote from Mark Twain
"Concerning Tobacco"  1893

"As concerns tobacco, there are many superstitions, And the chiefest is this - that there is a standard governing the matter, whereas there is nothing of the kind.
Each man's preference is the only standard for him, the only one which he can accept, the only one which can command him. A congress of all tobacco lovers in the world could not elect a standard which would be binding upon you or me, or would even much influence us."

The Source for the above Quote from Mark Twain
You have probably heard of some big-name cigar brands. These cigars have a deep family history, the families have been making cigars for generations. In 1959 Castro nationalized the tobacco industry, many of these families fled and began operations in the Caribbean, while others stayed and produced in Cuba.
This is why some of the brand name cigars are made in both places, the true mark of a Cuban cigar is on the band. you will see the word "Havana" written on the band.
While you're out shopping for that cigar that's just right for you it will be coming for one of these countries.
  • Cuba,
  • Dominican Republic,
  • Jamaica,
  • Sumatra,
  • Honduras,
  • Nicaragua,
  • Mexico,
  • United States
Did you have any idea that cigars were made in so many countries? I'm sure that I've missed a few of the popular countries where cigars are manufactured.

The filler and binders need to be wrapped with a leaf called of course the wrapper, the finest wrapper in the world is the Connecticut shade-wrapper leaf.
So what's your pleasure? Go forth and find that cigar just for you. It may be full-bodied, spicy, medium, mild, earthy tones, coffee, or a hint of sweetness. Whatever your pleasure it's up to you.


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