Beans and Rice with Smokey Kielbasa

I love one pot meals.  You know ...those recipes where  you throw all the right ingredients into one skillet or pot and leave it to become delicious all by itself.  This one is the perfect example of what a one pot meal should be. It's a perfect blend of rice and beans with the right seasonings and then I added some smoky kielbasa to the mix.  Oh My Goodness what a quick and easy one skillet meal that will become a family favorite.  And here's a bonus:  It only gets better each day!

Beans and Rice with Smokey Kielbasa

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 package (14 ounce) polish kielbasa, sliced into rounds

1 medium sweet onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup white rice

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

1 can (14 ounce) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

 1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil and butter together in a large skillet until melted.  Add the sliced kielbasa and fry until lightly browned and caramelized. 

 Add the onion and saute until just soft and tender. Add in the minced garlic and stir for about a minute until golden. Stir in the rice and chicken broth.  Add the beans along with the oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper to taste. 

Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat to low.  Cover the skillet and simmer for 30 minutes or until rice is tender.  Fluff up the rice and stir to make sure all is mixed well.  Season as needed with salt and pepper.

I love to serve cornbread with this meal! What could be better?   Sprinkle with parsley and serve!   YUM!

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Mom's Green Beans and Potatoes

She called them a “big ol’ mess a’ beans.”  My Mom would get up in the morning and go out to her garden and ‘pick a big ol’ mess a beans’ for supper that night.  We would come back from the garden and sit on the back porch with our aprons on and a big bowl in our lap. And we would and talk and laugh and snap those beans.  She would put on some ham hocks or shanks and cook those beans all day and then call us all for the best country supper of green beans, potatoes and onions with ham.  Those were the days in my life was simple and all was good in our little world.   Here is my Mom’s short recipe for her Green beans and potatoes.  These are exactly as I remember.

Mom’s Green Beans and Potatoes 

2-3 pounds fresh green beans

8 slices bacon, sliced into 1 inch pieces and fried

1 large sweet onion, diced

4 large Yukon Gold potatoes (or any potato except Russet) 

4 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Wash and trim beans and break them into 2-inch pieces; set aside.

In a large skillet, fry the bacon pieces until crisp. Transfer bacon to plate when done but do not drain the fat from skillet.

Add onion and green beans to the bacon fat and saute just until onion is tender and translucent. Remove skillet from heat and set aside. Once again, do not drain the fat.

In a large Dutch oven or pot, add chicken broth, butter, salt, pepper and stir. Cut potatoes into large cubes or chunks and add to the liquid. I use Yukon Gold but you can use any potato you like other than baking potatoes.  Russets get too mushy when you boil them.  

Add the green beans and onions, including the bacon drippings to the pot and bring to a full boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until potatoes are fork tender…..about 30 minutes.  Don’t overcook or potatoes will get mushy. Serve in bowls and top with crumbled fried bacon pieces.  OH YUM!

NOTE:  You can also make this recipe in a slow cooker.  Just follow the same exact recipe but cook on high for about 4 hours or until potatoes are fork tender.

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Cooper Gives Thumbs Up to Dr. Harvey's Oracle Freeze Dried Beef!

Cooper Gives Thumbs Up to Dr. Harvey's Oracle Freeze Dried Beef!

For those of you who follow my page on Facebook and here at the Welcome Home Blog, you already know that my fur babies are my family and I love them more than anything.  I will do whatever it takes to keep them healthy, safe and happy. I don't care what it takes or what lengths I have to go, I want to do whatever it takes to make sure I am doing my part to prolong their lives and keep them happy and healthy.  Especially when it comes to choosing the right food.  

What I feed them is very important and I've spent many years trying to figure out the labels on commercial dog food. It's truly a challenge finding the right food when there are so many hidden ingredients. You stay clear of things like byproducts, salt and chemicals and other things we have no idea about.  

But then one day I found Dr. Harvey's!   Cooper and I were so impressed that I actually became an Ambassador for them so I could spread the news about their healthy and nutritious dog food.  I know that once you hear about it and give it a try....your days of trying to figure out dog food labels are over. That's how much I love their full line up.

You all know that I will not even talk about a product unless I love it myself. I will not endorse, represent or add my name or the name Welcome Home to any product unless I am completely sold on it myself. My standards are very high and so you will rarely see me promote much around here. But I love all of Dr. Harvey's products!  So do Katie and Cooper!  

Today I want to tell you about Dr. Harvey's Oracle.  It's what Cooper eats. 

Cooper Loves Dr. Harvey's Oracle Dog Food with Freeze Dried Beef! 

Cooper loves this food!  I have never seen him enjoy any food more and I feel good after feeding him what I know is a nutritious, healthy meal.  Oracle is a complete dog food with big chunks of freeze dried meat. It is loaded with veggies too and antioxidants like kelp and coconut oil and vitamins. The combination of ingredients is a real winner that your fur baby will love.  

Oracle comes in beef, chicken, and fish but Cooper loves the Beef.  Big delicious chunks of beef that hydrates with warm water. It's every dog's dream! And the rest of the ingredients are the perfect blend to keep him healthy. Look at these ingredients! 

Freeze-Dried Beef, Whole Egg, Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Calcium Citrate, Flax Seed Meal, Green Beans, Zucchini, Broccoli, Peas, Beets, Parsley, Dried Yeast, Lecithin, Alfalfa, Dried Kelp, Dried Ground Fenugreek, Dried Ground Fennel, Dried Ground Ginger, Dried Ground Peppermint, Zinc Proteinate, Iron Proteinate, Vitamin E Supplement, Manganese Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid.

 I couldn't make it any healthier if I made it myself.  Oracle is the perfect freeze dried pre-mix for dogs that contains no salt, sugar, wheat or soy and NO byproducts ! Dr. Harvey's thought of everything!   

Dr. Harvey's Oracle in the chicken flavor

So how do you prepare it?   It's so easy!  You simply pour it in a bowl and add warm water and let it sit for a few minutes. And this is what you get! Big chunks of beef with carrots and sweet potatoes, and green beans. Almost like a stew! Or a Casserole for dogs! And Oracle, the perfect freeze dried pre-mix for dogs and cats that contain no salt, sugar, wheat or soy! 

Oracle mixes up with just warm water to make a delicious Beef Stew! 

It’s called Dr. Harvey’s Oracle.  and he left nothing out as far as all the right blend of nutrients. And there's no salt or unhealthy byproducts or chemicals.  

There's no more slicing and dicing and chopping and no long hours spent in the kitchen making homemade dog food.  I am in and out of the kitchen in no time and watching Cooper enjoy his favorite meal!  

Please Note: This is not a prescription diet. It's not a special needs diet for dogs that are ill or need special diets. This is for ALL dogs. It's super healthy and just good food!  It's an incredibly healthy alternative to what's available on the market today. 

I love Dr. Harvey's products. I highly recommend them. It's an easy way to make your own homemade pet foods at home and know that you are including all the nutrients they need. As I said earlier, I have been creating my own recipes with Dr. Harvey's pre-mixes and I can't wait to share them with you! They will be coming here to the Welcome Home Blog soon.

In the meantime, visit Dr. Harvey's blog and Facebook page to read more about their products and how they came to be such a fantastic company! 

Go visit Dr. Harvey's today.

Blog:  https://www.drharveys.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/doctorharveys/

Disclaimer:  Dr. Harvey’s provided several products at no cost for me to review. I am not being compensated for helping spread the word about Dr. Harvey’s products, although they did make a donation to my Save A Life program. My goal is to spread the word about Dr. Harvey’s products so that pets can live a better, healthier life.  I received no additional benefits for writing this review and the opinions and ideas in this post are my own and are uninfluenced by any other person or business.

♥ Walnut Cheesecake Bars

Love these little cheesecake bars and I made them this past weekend to give to some friends that stopped by. They loved them too! So easy to make and so delicious. You can use whatever nuts you like. This time I used walnuts but I have also used pecans and toasted almonds for change now and then. Click on photo for a closer look at the creamy texture.

 Walnut Cheesecake Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13 x 9-inch pan with foil and grease bottom and sides.

Crust:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together butter and sugar until creamy, about 1-2 minutes; reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour mixture until just combined and crumbly. Press mixture into bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden around edges; remove from oven. 


























Filling

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk

Mix cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on low until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently until mixed. Pour batter into the baking dish over the prepared baked crust. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Don't bake too long, or filling will be dry and not creamy.

 Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts,
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

To make the topping, in a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, walnuts, cinnamon and salt, until combined; add in butter using fingertips or a fork, until ingredients are well incorporated and start to clump together. Sprinkle the crumbly mixture evenly over the cheesecake filling. Return pan to oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for an hour. Slice cheesecake into rows, 3 x 5 to make 15 bars.


























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Pork and Apple Pot Stickers

I love pot stickers and they're not that hard to make at home. I like to make my own because I don't always like what they put in them. For example, I learned to put a little apple in my pork pot stickers to make them so much better than the ones you get already pre-made.

Pork and Apple Pot Stickers

Filling

1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium Fuji or Gala apple, finely chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup apple juice
1 lb lean ground pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup scallions, finely diced

Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and apple and cook for 5-7 minutes or until softened. Add in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Next, add your rice wine vinegar and apple juice and cook for about 10 minutes or until the liquid has cooked away. Set aside and allow to cool.

Combine the mixture with the ground pork in a mixing bowl. Pour in soy sauce and chopped scallions and stir to blend well. Chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Won Tons

1 egg, beaten for egg wash
1 package (50 count) round dumpling wrappers
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon butter

Lay your won ton or dumpling wrappers on parchment paper and lightly brush edges with egg wash. Place ½ tablespoon of the filling in the center of each wrapper and fold over in half, sealing the edges with fingers by making pleats. See comment section for photo. Gently press the pot stickers down on the work surface to flatten the bottoms so they stand upright.

Add oil and butter to a large skillet. Heat over medium-high. Working in batches, fry the pot sticker in the hot butter and oil until crispy ...about 3 minutes. 

After about 3 minutes, stand back and add ¼ cup of water and immediately cover pan to avoid any splattering. Steam until the pot stickers are puffy yet firm and all the water has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. Remove lid and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes so that the bottoms can retain their crispiness. Transfer to a serving platter and continue with the remaining pot stickers. Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

For the Dipping Sauce:

¼ cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

 Photography is copyrighted and the property of ©Welcome Home.

♥ Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a cake I make as soon as pumpkin season rolls around. It's rich and delicious and the cake is so moist you can't get enough of it. The cream cheese frosting is to die for! I store mine in the refrigerator and eat it cold! So Good!

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour two 9” x 2” cake pans, then tap out the excess. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil. Add the eggs and whisk well to combine. Stir in the pumpkin puree. If you cannot find Libby's or any other brand of puree, you can buy Pure Pumpkin in a can and put it in the food processor or blender and puree it yourself.

Stir in the dry ingredients until the mixture is smooth and well combined. Divide the batter evenly among the two pans. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes, then turn out to cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla extract. Slowly beat in the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl halfway, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy.

Frost cooled cake on top and sides and use leftover frosting to decorate cake using a piping bag.

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