Monday, April 28, 2008

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

This is what we had with our ribs yesterday. It's from the Spring 2008 of Kraft Food & Family.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese
1/2 cup light ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup real bacon bits
2 lb small red potatoes, quartered (mine weren't small, so I like sixteenthed them)
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I skipped that. I don't have to put on airs for J&J)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dressing, cheese, and bacon bits in a large bowl. Add potatoes; toss lightly. Spoon into lightly greased 13x9 baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinke with parsley.

So, I used more than 2 lbs of potatoes, so I used a little bit more dressing and cheese. I think this may have made the potatoes a touch too soupy. But they were still good. Even picky Jon ate them (being picky is not a bad thing. After all, he picked Jessi). I thought by the picture they would look like something everyone would eat. But when they were a little too soupy, I was like, uh-oh, Jon won't like these. But, he did! And he had seconds so he wasn't just being polite. And, Jess said she was going to print the recipe and make it. Which would mark the first time she has made something from my blog. We'll see if she actually follows through.

Oven-Barbecued Ribs

So, this is my last recipe from this cookbook! How exciting. We had this yesterday for lunch, and invited Jon & Jess at the last minute. It just seems like ribs are like a "company" meal, there's always so much left over if you don't have people to share it with. So these smelled awesome while they were baking, and then tasted so good. And then all afternoon whenever I walked back into the kitchen I could smell the barbecue sauce still and I was like, man those ribs were good.

Oven-Barbecued Ribs
4 pounds pork loin back ribs or meaty spareribs, cut into serving size pieces (I'm not sure really what kind I ended up with. Walmart had two types of ribs, neither of them said that, so I got the more expensive cut. They were already cut into like 6 inch lengths...unless that's just how long a pig's ribs are anyway...)
1 clove garlic, minced (I got to use my PC garlic press for the first time...that thing is pretty cool. A big phooey to Steve-o who didn't think I would use it)
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1/2 cup ketchup
1/3 cup chili sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp salt
dash bottled hot pepper sauce (I used one drop)

Place ribs in a kettle; add enough water to cover ribs. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, for sauce, in a small saucepan cook the garlic in hot butter for 1 minute. Stir in all other ingredients. Bring to boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat; set aside. Drain ribs and place in a shallow baking pan. Pour sauce over ribs. Bake, covered, @ 350 about 20 minutes or until heated through. 4 servings.

So of course, Emma, Nathan, and JoJo were not at all interested in ribs. They had chicken nuggets. But, all the grownups and Samuel ate these, and I thought they were deeeelish. If you like ribs, and I think you do, you'll like these (that was my Reading Rainbow-style quote). Da dum dum!

The Coffee Cake that Almost Ended it All

I'm so mad about this one that I'm not even writing out the recipe. And it's not the recipe's fault, either. But you are supposed to make it in a fluted tube pan. Which I have one. That the kids have played with quite a bit, wearing it as a hat, using it as a trumpet, etc. Well, you cut up pillsbury biscuits and put them into the tube pan, then pour over a caramel mixture made with brown sugar, cream, and cinnamon. Well, it leaked all out the pan and baked itself onto the floor of my oven. Burnt sugar smells so bad. Then the rolls were still raw after 25 minutes. And I had to clean out the oven, which is hard to do when there's caramel stuck to the bottom of it. What a horrible way to start a weekend. I threw the pan away.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry

So, I was supposed to make this with Jessi the night that Steve was gone in Boston, but then fate (or a soda machine) intervened. So we had this last night, and it was a big hit. It's the last recipe I had marked from the Jan/Feb Simple & Delicious.

Mandarin Chicken Stir-Fry
6 tbsp soy sauce, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dill weed (turns out, I didn't have this but thought I did. So it got left out. It didn't really matter though)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 cans (11 oz each) mandarin oranges
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 cans (8 oz each) sliced water chestnuts, drained (I don't really like water chestnuts, so I only used one can)
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery
Hot cooked rice

In a large ziploc bag, combine 4 tbsp soy sauce, salt, and dill (why are we adding extra salt when soy sauce is so salty? I don't know. But I did.). Add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, drain oranges, reserving syrup; set oranges aside. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch, remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, and reserved syrup until smooth; set aside. In a large skillet or wok (I don't have a wok. My dad used to have one), stir-fry chicken in 2 tbsp oil for 6-7 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove with a slotted spoon. Sitr fry water chestnuts and celery in remaining 2 tbsp oil (I didn't add more oil. It seemed like there was enough left over in there after I took out the chicken) for 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken; heat through. Gently stir in oranges. Serve with rice. 4 servings.

Suprisingly, Emma said this was the best chicken in the world. But, she only ate the chicken. She wanted nothing to do with the other ingredients. Sam liked it as well. But not the water chestnuts. I didn't like them either. They taste too bleccch. Steve says he thinks of them like a crunchy potato. Eww, even worse. I'm definitely keeping this recipe, and I'll still use water chestnuts, since they aren't very expensive and Stevie does like them.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Fluffy Chocolate Pie

I made this on the spur of the moment for Jon & Jessi's semi-annual Burn Illegal Things In Your Backyard Barbeque. I was planning to make it this week anyway, but on Saturday Emma and I were baking brownies and we were on a roll, so we decided to make it for Tee Tee's house. Emma actually did a lot of it, and she was very proud of her "first pie." It's from Simple & Delicious mar/april '08. They have this section in their magazine that has recipes with only 5 ingredients or less. So that's pretty handy. Another recipe in this section was called "Beer-Glazed Ham." I think I heard Mom say she's making that next week.

Fluffy Chocolate Pie
2 1/2 cups milk chocolate kisses (I bought the smaller bag and it wasn't quite enough. The flavor was still pretty chocolatey though)
1 carton (12 oz) Cool Whip (which, hello people, cool whip only comes in 8 or 16 oz containers. At least at the Wal-Mart. If you have extra, you can just eat it after the pie is done. It's so yummy)
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
20 miniature peanut butter cups, chopped

In a large microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate kisses; stir until smooth (apparently you guess the times and heat level--I just melted it on low heat in a saucepan on the stove anyway). Cool slightly. Fold in 3 1/2 cups cool whip until blended. Spread half of the chocolate mixture into crust; sprinkle with peanut butter cups. Top with remaining chocolate mixture. Chill for at least 30 minutes. Top with remaining whipped toppping. 8 servings

So this was pretty expensive to buy all the ingredients, and not as good as the chocolate cream pie I made a few weeks ago. So even though it was fun to try, it's not a keeper. For me at least. You can still try it if you want to.

Hawaiian Pork Roast

So, we got this pork loin roast from a poor unfortunate farm pig around the same time this recipe came up in my Simple & Delicious jan/feb '08 magazine. So I used it tonight...I only have one more recipe out of this magazine, too, before I move on to the march/april issue...can you believe I have spent this long in one magazine? And the next issue has just as many recipes marked, if not more. You guys should definitely get this magazine...I don't know if you should make this recipe, though...

Hawaiian Pork Roast
1 boneless whole pork loin roast (3 lbs)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups unsweetened pineapple juice
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce (doesn't that seem like a lot?)
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water

Cut pork roast in half. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a lg skillet, brown roast in oil on all sides; drain. Place in a 5-qt slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine the pineapple juice, pineapple, brown sugar, celery, vinegar, and soy sauce. Pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 3 to 3 1/2 hours (huh?? every crock pot recipe I have ever seen for raw meat says something along the lines of low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. This was definitely not long enough. I suspected it might not be when I read the recipe, so I kept it on high the whole time, but after 3 hours it was not even close. See end of recipe for how this made me feel) or until a meat thermometer reads 160. Remove roast and keep warm (this is as far as I got). Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, strain cooking juices (then why did I add crushed pineapple and celery if I was just going to strain them out? It's not like celery has so much flavor that would add to the sauce); transfer to a large saucepan. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with pork (duh). 8 servings.

So, Steve had class tonight. I work the next two nights, then he'll be in Boston for the 2 nights after that. Then I work the next two nights after that. So I wanted to make my new recipe tonight, seeing as how it would have been my only chance for a while. I put it in the crock pot at 2, thinking we would eat like at 5:30 (well within their given time range), since he leaves at 6 (on his scooter). Well, at 5:10, my new pampered chef meat thermometer read 140 in some parts of the meat, like 135-ish in others. Not done yet. And he had to leave soon. So, we had leftover sandwiches from yesterday's Haiti meeting. The roast was finally done around 7 pm. I just cut it up and put it into tupperware to bring for leftovers this week. What a bummer. I haven't even tasted it yet to tell you if it was good. I will say that it did not smell good like crock pot recipes usually do while they cook. All I could smell was the vinegar. Stay tuned for updates if I actually liked the taste or not.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Pork Chop Barbecue

Isn't weird how you can spell barbecue so many ways? Could be BBQ, barbecue (as above), or barbeque...I'm sure there are others. I wonder if they would ever use that word in a spelling bee, because it would be easy for the kid to say he was right. Anyway we had this last night, and it was just so-so. It smelled awesome while it was cooking, but it almost seemed like the sauce didn't really flavor the meat, it was just on there. I kind of have bad luck with pork chops being dry as it is. But I'll still give it to you in case you have a moist pork chop supplier. It's from Better Homes & Gardens (one more to go!).

Pork Chop Barbecue
1/2 cup water
3 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 slice lemon
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup ketchup (another bad spelling bee word)
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp liquid smoke (only $0.86 at the Wal-mart. I used 1 1/2 tsp because I had never used it before and decided to go middle of the road)
6 pork chops, 3/4" thick
1-2 tbsp cooking oil

For sauce, in a small saucepan combine water, vinegar, sugar, mustard, and both peppers. Add lemon slice and onion. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Return to boiling. Remove from heat; discard lemon slice. In a large skillet brown pork chops, half at a time, in hot oil over medium high heat. Place chops in a 3 quart rectangular baking dish; pour sauce over top. Bake, uncovered, @ 350 for 25-30 minutes or until chops are slightly pink in the center and juices run clear, turning chops once. Remove chops to a serving platter & pour sauce over all. 6 servings.

So, predictably, Emma did not care for this. She ate it, but it took her like 25 minutes to eat 4 bites. Sam ate his but he wasn't crazy about it. He said the sauce burned his throat all the way down. But it wasn't even spicy. Oh well. I'm not keeping this one, but it was still okay.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Hamburger Pie

We had this last night, yet another shepherd's pie variation. This one I wanted to try because it is made with condensed tomato soup, something I greatly enjoy. But it wasn't so great. It was okay, I guess. We ate it, and we'll eat the leftovers, but it wasn't fabulous. Didn't make the cut. From Better Homes & Gardens, again. Only 2 recipes left in this cookbook before I move on.

Hamburger Pie
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (oops, I realize as I'm typing this that I left that out...)
1 14 1/2 oz can cut green beans, drained, or 2 cups frozen cut green beans, cooked and drained
1 10 3/4 oz can condensed tomato soup
1/8 tsp pepper
5 medium potatoes, cooked
1/2 cup warmed milk
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup shredded american or cheddar cheese

In a large skillet cook the beef and onion until beef is lightly brown and onion is tender. Drain well. Stir in the beans, tomato soup, and pepper; pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole (here I used my Pampered Chef square baking dish for the first time). Mash potatoes while hot; add milk and egg. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon in mounds over casserole. Bake @ 350 for 20-25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 4-5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Makes 4-6 servings.

I haven't made mashed potatoes with a beaten egg before, always with butter. So the potatoes didn't really taste creamy enough to me, even though they were still potatoes, so I still liked them. Of course Emma didn't like hers, and Sam said the cornbread one was better. I think he is right.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Tostada Pizza

So I made this Saturday morning and brought it to Autumn's house for the scrapbooking thing. The reason I wanted to try it is because I really like taco and nacho stuff and it was something different with tacos. I modified it a bit, because some of the ingredients I don't use when I make tacos, so I didn't use them with this. However, at the last minute (or so) I decided to bring this to Autumn's, and usually when I make things for a bunch of people I leave in those ingredients that I am so picky about, but I hadn't bought them when I bought the other ingredients, so I didn't have them to use. Luckily, Autumn had salsa, at least =) This is from Better Homes & Gardens.

Tostada Pizza
1 pound lean ground beef (I have yet to see a recipe that calls for high fat ground beef)
3/4 cup water
1 4 1/2 oz can diced green chili peppers, drained (I left this out)
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix (about 1/2 of an envelope)(I used all of it and omitted the next thing)
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp cornmeal
2 cups packaged biscuit mix
1/2 cup cold water
1 15 oz can refried beans (why doesn't Jessica like beans? They're so good)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used shredded Mexican because that's what I had)
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped (nope)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (nope)
taco sauce (optional)(or use your friend's salsa when you get there)

In a large skillet, cook ground beef until brown. Drain well (which you shouldn't have to do if you followed the initial instructions for lean ground beef). Stir in the 3/4 cup water, chili peppers, taco seasoning mix, and chili powder. Simmer, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until thick. Meanwhile, generously grease a 12-14 inch pizza pan. Sprinkle with the cornmeal. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the biscuit mix and 1/2 cup cold water with a fork until dough follows fork around the bowl. With floured fingers, pat dough into bottom and up edge of prepared pan. Spread refried beans over dough (easier than I thought). Spoon meat mixture over refried beans. Bake, uncovered, @ 450 for 18-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake for 3-5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomato, and green onions. Serve with taco sauce if desired (6 servings).

So this was okay, but the combination of biscuit and taco was weird. I don't think it was a huge hit among my friends, since over half of it was left. So this one goes nowhere. But try it if you want to.