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Roasted Green Beans

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:41:09 GMT

Fresh Green Beans are one of my favorite vegetables, roasting them is super delicious and nutrisious, try Roasted Green Beans today for your hungry family!

1 1/2 lbs Fresh Green Beans - Ends snipped
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion - sliced thin
2 T (may use more or less) minced Garlic
1/2 Slivered Almonds
Fresh Ground Sea Salt & Pepper
2 - 3 T Balsamic Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400*. In a small pan, lightly brown the almonds, set aside. Wash and snip the ends of the green beans. Slice the onion. In a Jelly Roll pan, brush the 2 T of Olive Oil, place the green beans, onion and garlic on top of oil. Quickly toss in pan to coat everything. Top with fresh ground sea salt & pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or until crisp tender, stir twice during baking. Remove from heat, put in a shallow Polish Pottery Serving Dish, top with Almonds and drizzle with Balsamic Vinegar. Serve - these are so tasty!

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner and Head Chef of Peacock Pottery

Strawberry Jam

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:44:10 GMT

I love homemade Strawberry Jam - this is a super easy recipe!

3 C Strawberries - Mashed
4 - 5 C Sugar (depending on how sweet you like your jam)
1 package liquid pectin (Certo is the brand I prefer)
1 T Lemon Juice

Wash, hull & mash strawberries using either your hands or a potato masher. Add the sugar, mix well and set aside for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add to a saucepan and heat to boiling for 1 minute. In a small bowl, mix the pectin & lemon juice. After the strawberry mixture has boiled for 1 minute, then add pectin mixture, heat again to boiling. Remove from heat and put in jars, seal tightly. Let the jam sit on the counter for 24 hours, then store in either the refrigerator or freezer.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Hot Chicken Sandwiches

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:50:41 GMT

This easy to make recipe is great for leftover chicken or turkey. My boys love Hot Chicken Sandwiches!

6 C Chicken (chopped)
1 C Mayonnaise (I like Best Foods)
1 C Celery (diced)
1/2 C Onion (diced)
1/2 C Red Pepper (diced) - optional
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 - 3 C Cubed Velveeta Cheese (or shredded cheese of your choice)
Hamburger Buns

Preheat oven to 400*. Mix all ingredients except for cheese. Put in a casserole dish, top with cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Buns can be toasted, if preferred.

Note: This can also be made in a crockpot.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner and Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Spaghetti Pie

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:55:22 GMT

Another super easy, family friendly dinner - Spaghetti Pie

2 lbs Ground Beef
1 small onion - chopped
1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I prefer Hunts Mushroom Sauce)
1 t minced Garlic
1 1/2 C Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 Tube Crescent Rolls
2 T melted Butter
1/3 C grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onion, drain. Return to skillet, add 1/3 - 1/2 can of spaghetti sauce (just enough for taste - too much will make it soupy). Spread ground beef mixture in the bottom of a 9 x 13 Polish Pottery Cake Pan.

In another bowl, mix the sour cream and Mozzarella Cheese, spread over the top of the meat mixture.

Separate the crescent rolls into rectangles and place on top of sour cream mixture. In a small bowl, mix the butter & Parmesan cheese, spread over top of crescent rolls.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until topped is browned. Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

*Served with a side of Freezer Coleslaw.

Enjoy!
Leah Owner and Head Chef at Peacock Pottery.

Pasta Carbonara

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:37:37 GMT

This is my favorite pasta dish, now my boys are hooked on it too, which means I can make Pasta Carbonara any time I like! Yahoo for me!

1 package Thin Spaghetti
4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic - chopped
1 lb Ham - Chopped
3 Eggs
1/3 C Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1/3 C Grated Romano Cheese
2 T Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley (optional - I do not add this, my boys don't like it)
1/2 T Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 T Fresh Ground Sea Salt

Cook spaghetti according to the package. While the spaghetti is cooking, in another saucepan add the ham, olive oil and garlic. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. In a Polish Pottery Mixing Bowl, mix the eggs, pepper, salt, Parmesan & Romano cheese, whisk together. When the spaghetti is cooked, drain and immediately return to pan over low heat. Add egg mixture, toss with spaghetti, then add ham mixture, toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese and serve.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Freezer Coleslaw

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:50:06 GMT

I love having quick food in the freezer for nights when I just don't want to cook. This Freezer Coleslaw is a perfect side dish.

1 medium head of Cabbage - chopped
1 small onion - chopped
1 C Carrots - chopped
1 C Vinegar
2 C Sugar
1/2 C Water
1 t Celery Seed
1 t Ground Mustard
1/2 t Pepper
1 t Salt

In a Polish Pottery Mixing Bowl, place the chopped cabbage, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 1 hour. After and hour, add carrots and onion, mix. In a saucepan, mix vinegar, sugar, water, celery seed, ground mustard & pepper. Heat over medium high heat to boiling, boil for 1 minutes while stirring. Take off heat and let cool to lukewarm. Squeeze out cabbage mixture, then pour sauce over, stir until covered. Store in a freezer safe container - jars or bags and keep in freezer until needed.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Cotton Candy Easter Cups

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:52:34 GMT

Another fabulous post from my "Celebrity Chefs". Please help me welcome Lisa Nicholson - Your VA Lisa a Virtual Assistant - Lisa is here to help you & your business!

Lisa found this wonderful idea Cotton Candy Easter cupcakes and made her own for her kids! Here is the super quick idea for fun Easter treats - the kids in your household will love them!

Paper Cupcake Holders
1 bag of Cotton Candy
1 Box of Peeps
1 bag of M & M's, Jelly Beans or Robin's Eggs

Line the bottom of each cupcake paper with Cotton Candy,

separate the peeps, put one on top of cotton candy then place the "eggs" jelly beans, M & M's or Robins Eggs.

These would make really cute place holders for your Easter dinner table and the kids would love to help make them!

I love how Lisa displayed these using a Polish Pottery Serving Tray and added the Pisanki Eggs, Looks fantastic! Thank you Lisa for sharing your fun Cotton Candy Easter Cups!

Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Hot Fudge Pudding

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:25:37 GMT

Today's recipe: Hot Fudge Pudding is from Marilee Parrish, another one of our "Celebrity Chefs" Marilee is an Author, Speaker and CEO of Mommy Bag Marketing. She is also a wonderful Christian wife and mother of two small children.

Here is the recipe I used from my newest cookbook 365 Decadent Dishes for Chocolate Lovers:

Hot Fudge Pudding

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup sugar

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons shortening

1 cup nuts, chopped

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350˚. Mix flour, salt, cocoa, baking powder, and sugar in bowl.
Stir in milk, shortening, and nuts. Spread into 9 x 9-inch baking pan. (I used Peacock Pottery's oval baker instead and it turned out fabulous!)

Mix brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa and sprinkle over mixture. Pour hot water over
top and bake for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.

Thank you Marilee for sharing this delicious recipe, I can't wait to try it!

Related Article: Meet our Celebrity Chefs

Leah - Owner and Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Spinach Ham Quiche

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:40:07 GMT

I am not a breakfast eater, I am a Brunch eater. So this Spinach Ham Quiche is perfect for me! I hope you enjoy it too!

1 Pilsbury Pie Crust
1/2 C ham - chopped in to small pieces
1/2 C spinach - chopped
1/4 C Tomato - diced & seeded
4 large eggs
2 C Half & Half
1/4 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/4 t Mrs. Dash Onion Seasoning
1 1/4 C Shredded Swiss Cheese

Preheat oven to 450*. In a Polish Pottery Pie Plate, roll out pie crust and bake for 8 minutes (cover with foil), remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove to cool. After the crust has cooled, place the ham, spinach and tomato on the bottom.

In a bowl, combine the eggs, half & half and seasonings, beat well. Then add the Swiss Cheese, stir by hand. Pour into the pie plate.

Reduce heat in oven to 350* and bake for 35 - 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.

Note: If the edges of the pie crust start to brown too much before the quiche is done, just cover them with aluminum foil and continue baking.

Enjoy!
Leah - Head Chef at Owner at Peacock Pottery

Candy Easter Nests

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:31:53 GMT

Super easy and festive, have the kids help you make Candy Easter Nests!

1 package Snyders Butter Pretzel Squares
1 package Hershey's Kisses
1 Package Speckled M & M's (I like the plain Milk Chocolate)

Preheat oven to 170*. Line a cookie sheet with pretzels, have your kids help you unwrap the kisses and place in the middle of each pretzel. Put these in the oven for 5 - 7 minutes, they will be soft to the touch. Place an M & M egg in the middle of each "nest". Put in refrigerator for 10 minutes to set chocolate. Try not to eat all of these in one setting!!!

Enjoy!

Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Cheesy Corn Casserole

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:20:33 GMT

I am a huge fan of corn! Of course, fresh picked Sweet Corn from the field, cooked and then drenched in melted butter is my ultimate, but this Cheesy Corn Casserole is a pretty close second!

1 can Cream Style Corn (14 ounce)
1 can Whole Kernel Corn (8 ounce)
1/4 C Butter - sliced or cubed
1/2 C Velveeta Cheese (cubed)
1 1/2 C Medium Egg Noodles - uncooked

Preheat oven to 350*. In a Polish Pottery Bowl, combine all ingredients, stir until combined. Pour into a baking dish, bake for 30 minutes and stir. Return to oven, bake for an additional 30 - 35 minutes.

Note: My boys LOVE this - I hope yours will too!

Enjoy!

Leah - Owner & Head Chef of Peacock Pottery

BBQ Pork Chops

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:07:05 GMT

I love thin cut Pork Chops, either pan fried with just salt & pepper or BBQ style. This is my Mom's BBQ recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do in our house.

4 Thin cut Pork Chops
Salt
Pepper
1/2 C Ketchup
1/2 C Water
2 T Brown Sugar
4 slices of fresh lemon

In a skillet, brown the pork chops on each side, seasoning with salt & pepper. In a batter bowl, mix the ketchup, water and brown sugar, stir together. Once the pork chops are browned on each side, top with a Lemon slice and pour the BBQ sauce over the top. Cover the skillet and simmer on medium heat for 40 minutes, add water if needed. Remove lemon slices before serving.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Crunchy Onion Chicken

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:17:44 GMT

I love quick & tasty meals, this Crunchy Onion Chicken is easy to make in a snap!

4 boneless breast or chicken legs
1 C French Fried Onions - Crushed
1/2 C Melted Butter
1 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Parsley
1/2 t Pepper

Preheat oven to 375*. In a ziploc bag, add the french fried onions, close and crush with your hand. In a shallow bowl, melt butter in microwave (approx. 20 seconds), then add garlic powder, parsley & pepper, stir. Wash chicken and pat dry. Dip in butter mixture then in bag, close and shake until covered. Place in a Polish Pottery Cake Pan. If there is any butter left over, drizzle each piece and top with remaining onions. Bake for 40 minutes (or until juices run clear).

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Swiss Vegetable Casserole

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:11:41 GMT

Tasty, easy way to make vegetables - Swiss Vegetable Casserole

1 16 ounce package California Mix Vegetables - cooked
1 C Shredded Swiss Cheese - divided
1/2 t Pepper
1/2 t Salt
2 T milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 can (2.8 ounce) French Fried Onions - divided

Cook the vegetables, I prefer to steam mine. Preheat oven to 350*. Put cooked vegetables in a bowl with milk, soup, sour cream, 1/2 C cheese and half can of French Fried Onions. Mix, add salt & pepper, mix again. Pour into a Polish Pottery Casserole Dish and bake covered for 50 minutes. Take out of oven, top with remaining cheese and onions, return to oven, uncovered for another 10 minutes or until browned.

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Carving Soap Boats

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 17:13:59 GMT

As a work at home / stay at home Mom, I am always on the lookout for fun projects to entertain my boys while I work on the website or ship orders. Carving Soap Boat is a project I did when I was a kid.

Ivory Soap (MUST use Ivory, it floats and easy to carve)
Butter Knife (not sharp, kid friendly)
Waterproof items to "decorate" your boat

Lay paper on a table or floor, unwrap the Ivory soap, use a knife to "design" the boat and then let the kids carve, whittle the soap. They can decorate with toothpicks and aluminum foil to make sails, feathers, beads etc.

When they are done with their creation, fill up the bathtub with water and see if the boat floats!

Have fun and get creative!

Leah Mom to 2 boys and Owner Peacock Pottery

Almond Key Lime Pie

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:22:48 GMT

Do you love Sweet / Tart Pies? Then Almond Key Lime Pie is for you!

1 C Flour
3 T Brown Sugar
1 C Slivered Almonds - (divided)
1/4 C Butter - melted
1 T Honey
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 package Cream Cheese - softened
1/2 C Key Lime Juice (approximately 20 Key Limes)
Pinch of salt
1 Egg yolk
2 C Mini Marshmallows
4 1/2 t butter
1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream

In a chopper or small food processor, chop 3/4 C almonds. In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and almonds. Add the honey and 1/4 C melted butter, mix again. Press into the bottom & sids of a Polish Pottery Pie Plate. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes - until lightly browned. Take out and cool. In a bowl, mix the condensed milk, 5 ounces of cream cheese, lime and salt until well blended. Add the egg yolk, mix on low until blended. Pour into the crust and bake for 20 minutes, until the center is almost set. remove and cool. In a saucepan combine marshmallows & 4 1/2 t butter, cook over low heat until melted. Remove from heat and put in bowl, add whipping cream and 3 ounces of cream cheese, beat until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Take 1/4 C almonds and toast in 325* oven. After 1 hour, remove topping from refrigerator and beat on high until fluffy. Spread over pie. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 23:14:43 GMT

Everyone has staples in their refrigerator and pantry - sugar, flour, eggs etc., but there are certain things that I NEVER have on hand when I need them! Marshmallow Fluff is one of those things, but since my boys have discovered that they Love dips for their fruit, I decided to make my own to keep on hand for whenever we wanted a quick dip!

Note: This makes a large recipe!

3 Egg Whites
2 C Light Corn Syrup
1/2 t Salt
2 C Powdered Sugar
1 t Vanilla Extract

In a large Polish Pottery Bowl, combine egg whites, corn syrup and salt, beat with mixer on high speed for 10 minutes or until thick. Add powdered sugar beat on low until blended, add vanilla and beat again on low. Put it in mason jars and store in the refrigerator, perfect for dips or topping on ice cream!

Try our Peanut Butter Dip today.

Leah - Owner and Head Chef at Peacock Pottery.

Strawberry Pretzel Salad

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:14:15 GMT

Having a dinner party? This quick and easy Strawberry Pretzel Salad can be made the day ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

1 C Butter - melted
2 C Pretzels - broken in to small pieces
8 ounce Cool Whip - thawed
8 ounce Cream Cheese - softened
1 C Sugar
1 package frozen Sliced Strawberries
1 16 ounce Crushed Pineapple
1 Large package Strawberry Jello

Mix butter & pretzels, spread in to the bottom of a 9 x 13 Polish Pottery Cake Pan. Bake at 300* for 10 - 12 minutes or until lightly browned. In a bowl, mix cool whip, cream cheese & sugar until smooth and blended. Spread on top of pretzel crust. Drain pineapple, saving the juice. Put the pineapple and strawberries in a bowl. In a saucepan, heat the pineapple juice to hot, but not boiling. Remove from heat, add jello, stir until dissolved, pour over fruit and stir. Pour this over the cream cheese layer, put in refrigerator to chill and set. This will keep for several days in the refrigerator. It can be served either as a salad or dessert.

Enjoy! Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery.

Disappearing Marshmallow Bars

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:59:30 GMT

My Mom used to make Disappearing Marshmallow Bars when I was a kid and I have loved them every since! Now my boys love them too.

1 package Butterscotch chips
1/2 C butter
1 1/2 C Flour
2/3 C Brown Sugar
2 t Baking powder
1/2 t Salt
1 t Vanilla
2 Eggs (Large)
2 C Mini Marshmallows
2 C Chocolate Chips
2 C Nuts (Optional)

Melt butterscotch chips & butter over medium heat, stirring constantly. When melted, remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Preheat oven to 350*. In a bowl, put butterscotch / butter, flour, brown sugar, salt, vanilla & eggs. Mix well - this is a thick batter! Add marshmallows, chips & nuts, fold in by hand. Spread into a 9 x 13 greased Polish Pottery Baking Pan.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes. I usually leave it for at least 30 minutes.

When it is baked, the marshmallows disappear, so good, gooey and perfect with a glass of milk!

Enjoy!
Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery

Chicken Mushroom Crunch

Leah - Peacock Pottery — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:56:20 GMT

Another recipe from our "Celebrity Chef" Caroline of Little Journeys World. Be sure to check out all of Caroline's Handmade Western Wear!

Thank you Caroline, I can't wait to try this dish!

Chicken Mushroom Crunch

4 Chicken Breast
3/4 Cup of Olive Oil
1 Cup Ketchup
Salt
Pepper
Small Pack of Potatoe Chips
1 Can of Mushrooms

Mix olive oil, ketchup, salt and pepper together (Add salt and pepper
as desired). Place chicken breast in the mix and keep over night into
refrigerator. Place then mushrooms over the top and then crunch the
potatoe chips on top.

Bake at 375 degrees approx. 1 hour and 25 min. First 30 min bake with
a foil on top. The last of the minutes take the foil off. (All ovens
are different so check within 1 hour)

I used Peacock Pottery, which I just love. It's so great for baking
and it's such a beautiful decoration at the dinner table.

This meal was great with the Cesar salad.

Enjoy!

Leah - Owner & Head Chef at Peacock Pottery