I don't really like sour cream, as a condiment at least. For example, whenever I go to Taco Bell and get my beloved Nachos Bell Grande, I always order them with no sour cream and no tomatoes. But I have found a few recipes lately that use sour cream, either in baking or just as an ingredient. Recently I had "funeral potatoes" at my friend's house, and that had sour cream in it. They were good. And a couple of months ago I made Sour Cream Spice Cake which, obviously, also contained it. So when I saw this recipe I decided to try it. This is from Simple & Delicious, Jan/Feb 2010. It's from a section called "Lightened-Up Favorites." I have my doubts if this recipe really qualifies for that, but since you skin the chicken first, maybe they're right...
Sour Cream Chicken
1 cup (8 oz) reduced fat sour cream (oh, I see now)
2 tbsp minced cloves
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp celery salt
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
1 broiler/fryer chicken (2-3 lbs), cut up and skin removed
2 tbsp reduced-fat butter (?), melted
In a shallow bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. Place bread crumbs in a second shallow bowl. Coat chicken with sour cream mixture, then coat with bread crumbs. Arrange chicken on rack (I didn't do this) on foil lined 15x10x1 inch baking pan. Bake, uncovered, @ 350 for 30 minutes. Drizzle with melted butter; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until juices run clear. 4 servings.
I think that no matter how you look at this, it still has a bunch of fat. The recipe includes nutrition information, but I will not, because I love you guys. Fried chicken is never healthy anyway, right? They do claim that this method saves 15 g of fat per serving, but who knows what the original way was? Anyway...all that being said it was pretty good. The kids, by looking at it, did not expect to like it, but Emma did after all. Nathan didn't really like it, because of the stuff on it, he said. Sam ate his. Steve said it was really good. I thought it was okay, but I could taste the tang of the sour cream which I didn't love. Steve said he couldn't tell. One of the benefits of not cooking =0)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Party Cheese Bread
I made this on Christmas Eve Eve. It was on Wednesday, and usually we have church, but since it is Christmas week and we were having Christmas Eve services at church on Thursday, they decided to cancel church on Wednesday. So our friends Corey & Steph invited us over for game night and for a crock pot supper. This was the perfect setting for this bread, and it was a big hit. It smelled FABULOUS while it was cooking and tasted quite good too. It's from the Jan/Feb 2010 Simple & Delicious. Love this magazine.
Party Cheese Bread
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 round loaf sourdough bread (1 lb)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, cut into thin slices (I only ended up using about 1/2 lb)
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. Cut bread diagonally into 1 inch slices to within 1/2 inch of bottom of loaf. Repeat cuts in opposite direction (kind of like if you were making a blooming onion). Arrange cheese slices in cuts. Drizzle butter mixture over bread. Wrap in foil; place on baking sheet & bake @ 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. 8 servings.
So, turns out I didn't have dijon mustard. So I used regular mustard, but only 1 tbsp. It was still really good. So this would be a really good appetizer to make for something. Definitely a keeper. My husband was eating it by the hunk after a few games. Renee had seconds too, but she ate hers in a lady-like fashion, in reasonably sized bites. That's how I can tell if people really like it or not. If they have an "I'll try it" size and then go back for more, or if they don't. So it's a good one!
Party Cheese Bread
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 round loaf sourdough bread (1 lb)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, cut into thin slices (I only ended up using about 1/2 lb)
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. Cut bread diagonally into 1 inch slices to within 1/2 inch of bottom of loaf. Repeat cuts in opposite direction (kind of like if you were making a blooming onion). Arrange cheese slices in cuts. Drizzle butter mixture over bread. Wrap in foil; place on baking sheet & bake @ 350 for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. 8 servings.
So, turns out I didn't have dijon mustard. So I used regular mustard, but only 1 tbsp. It was still really good. So this would be a really good appetizer to make for something. Definitely a keeper. My husband was eating it by the hunk after a few games. Renee had seconds too, but she ate hers in a lady-like fashion, in reasonably sized bites. That's how I can tell if people really like it or not. If they have an "I'll try it" size and then go back for more, or if they don't. So it's a good one!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Melt-in-your-Mouth Chuck Roast
Don't take that literally. Meat that melted in your mouth would be so so so gross. Like a bite of beef, and then it melts like chocolate. Ew. Makes me gag a little to think about that. But I think you get the idea here. It's supposed to be so tender that you barely have to chew it. A good meal for your grandparents, perhaps. It would have been good for my grandpa, who had no teeth. He still ate everything except nuts though. So this is also from the latest Simple & Delicious.
Melt-in-your-Mouth Chuck Roast
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-3 lbs)
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp pepper (this seems like a LOT of pepper)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Place the onion, green pepper, and celery in a 5-qt slow cooker; add the roast. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and pepper flakes; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until meat is tender (try seeing if it turns to liquid when in your mouth hee hee). Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices if necessary; transfer to a small saucepan. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast. 6 servings.
So this was tender, but thankfully did not disintegrate on contact. It was a bit too spicy for me. So I think it was too much pepper, or else I shouldn't have added the crushed red pepper flakes. You couldn't actually tell by the meat that it was spicy, in fact Nathan and Emma ate all their meat with no problems. But the gravy was the spicy part. Steve didn't have any trouble, but Sam and I thought it was too much. Unfortunately, I still have a bunch of it left over (meat and gravy) that we'll be having for lunch tomorrow. Oh well. Pretty good, though. Just needed less pepper.
Melt-in-your-Mouth Chuck Roast
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 celery rib, chopped
1 boneless beef chuck roast (2-3 lbs)
1 can (14.5 oz) Italian stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
4 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp pepper (this seems like a LOT of pepper)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Place the onion, green pepper, and celery in a 5-qt slow cooker; add the roast. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, ketchup, brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and pepper flakes; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until meat is tender (try seeing if it turns to liquid when in your mouth hee hee). Remove meat and vegetables; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices if necessary; transfer to a small saucepan. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast. 6 servings.
So this was tender, but thankfully did not disintegrate on contact. It was a bit too spicy for me. So I think it was too much pepper, or else I shouldn't have added the crushed red pepper flakes. You couldn't actually tell by the meat that it was spicy, in fact Nathan and Emma ate all their meat with no problems. But the gravy was the spicy part. Steve didn't have any trouble, but Sam and I thought it was too much. Unfortunately, I still have a bunch of it left over (meat and gravy) that we'll be having for lunch tomorrow. Oh well. Pretty good, though. Just needed less pepper.
Turkey Cutlets with Pan Gravy and Crunchy Mashed Potatoes
This is the first recipe from the latest issue of Simple & Delicious Jan/Feb 2009. Why do magazines come out a month early anyway? In a way I am sad because getting this one means that I won't get another one until the end of February, when I will get March's. Anyway this recipe had a vegetable as part of it's menu, which I did not make because I do not like broccoli. We just had this with corn. This recipe is in case you didn't have your fill of turkey last month. Ha ha.
Turkey Cutlets with Pan Gravy
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 ts seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 pkg (17.6 oz) turkey breast cutlets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
Combine poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Sprinkle over turkey. In a large skillet, cook cutlets in batches in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until turkey juices run clear. Remove meat to a serving platter and keep warm. In same skillet, melt butter (I still had so much oil in the skillet that I didn't add the extra butter, but you might have to) and stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; season with remaining pepper. Serve with turkey. 4 servings.
Crunchy Mashed Potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup sour cream (forgot to buy this so I left it out)
1 1/2 cups cheddar french-fried onions (I used regular rather than cheddar)
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the milk, garlic, and pepper. Whisk in potato flakes and sour cream until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with onions and cheese. Broil 4-6 inches from heat for 20-30 seconds (not minutes, that would be so bad) or until golden brown. 5 servings
Any of my long-time readers (mom, Jess, and Terri) know that I can barely resist recipes with french fried onions, except green bean casserole which I don't like because of the mushroom soup. Almost without fail, when I see a recipe with them, I make it because I like them VERY much. You can eat them right out of the can. Also if you have leftovers (and if you buy the big can, you always have leftovers) you can put them on the baking tray of your toaster oven and toast them a bit and they are so good with ketchup. That's a free tip for today. So of course I made this recipe for the potatoes. These were both pretty good.
Turkey Cutlets with Pan Gravy
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 ts seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper, divided
1 pkg (17.6 oz) turkey breast cutlets
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
Combine poultry seasoning, seasoned salt and 1/8 tsp pepper. Sprinkle over turkey. In a large skillet, cook cutlets in batches in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side or until turkey juices run clear. Remove meat to a serving platter and keep warm. In same skillet, melt butter (I still had so much oil in the skillet that I didn't add the extra butter, but you might have to) and stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in chicken broth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; season with remaining pepper. Serve with turkey. 4 servings.
Crunchy Mashed Potatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups mashed potato flakes
1/4 cup sour cream (forgot to buy this so I left it out)
1 1/2 cups cheddar french-fried onions (I used regular rather than cheddar)
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
In a large saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat. Add the milk, garlic, and pepper. Whisk in potato flakes and sour cream until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with onions and cheese. Broil 4-6 inches from heat for 20-30 seconds (not minutes, that would be so bad) or until golden brown. 5 servings
Any of my long-time readers (mom, Jess, and Terri) know that I can barely resist recipes with french fried onions, except green bean casserole which I don't like because of the mushroom soup. Almost without fail, when I see a recipe with them, I make it because I like them VERY much. You can eat them right out of the can. Also if you have leftovers (and if you buy the big can, you always have leftovers) you can put them on the baking tray of your toaster oven and toast them a bit and they are so good with ketchup. That's a free tip for today. So of course I made this recipe for the potatoes. These were both pretty good.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Stew
This is the last recipe using the chicken from the master recipe I posted. This was my least favorite of the 3, probably because of the cloying nature of the garlic. But Steve and Sam seemed to like it well enough.
Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Stew
1/2 cup roasted garlic puree from master recipe
4 cans (15 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chicken broth
1/4 lb pancetta (?) or bacon, diced
1 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
2 large shallots, minced
1/2 cup white wine or water (guess which one I used?)
2 tsp rosemary
4 cups roast chicken meat from master recipe
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
In blender, puree 2 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the chicken broth with the garlic puree; set aside. In 5-quart pot over medium heat, cook pancetta or bacon 4 minutes until browned, stirring often. Add carrots and shallots; cook 2 minutes longer, stirring. Add wine and rosemary; bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Stir in pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, remaining whole beans, and chicken. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. 6-8 servings
After I pureed the stuff in the blender, all I could smell was the garlic. The Tupperware I had been storing the garlic puree in still smells like garlic. All I could taste when I ate the soup was garlic. Steve said he didn't have that same feeling. Must be one of the hazards of being the family cook. He ate all the leftovers too because the thought of eating more garlic again was not at all appetizing. This might be good without the garlic puree, or substituting minced cloves or something, I'm not sure. I know I won't make it again this way, at least. But if you are worried about vampires, by all means make the puree and this soup recipe. It will be good protection.
Tuscan Chicken and White Bean Stew
1/2 cup roasted garlic puree from master recipe
4 cans (15 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans chicken broth
1/4 lb pancetta (?) or bacon, diced
1 cup thinly sliced baby carrots
2 large shallots, minced
1/2 cup white wine or water (guess which one I used?)
2 tsp rosemary
4 cups roast chicken meat from master recipe
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
In blender, puree 2 cups of the beans and 1 cup of the chicken broth with the garlic puree; set aside. In 5-quart pot over medium heat, cook pancetta or bacon 4 minutes until browned, stirring often. Add carrots and shallots; cook 2 minutes longer, stirring. Add wine and rosemary; bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes. Stir in pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, remaining whole beans, and chicken. Increase heat to medium-high. Bring mixture to a boil; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper. 6-8 servings
After I pureed the stuff in the blender, all I could smell was the garlic. The Tupperware I had been storing the garlic puree in still smells like garlic. All I could taste when I ate the soup was garlic. Steve said he didn't have that same feeling. Must be one of the hazards of being the family cook. He ate all the leftovers too because the thought of eating more garlic again was not at all appetizing. This might be good without the garlic puree, or substituting minced cloves or something, I'm not sure. I know I won't make it again this way, at least. But if you are worried about vampires, by all means make the puree and this soup recipe. It will be good protection.
Chicken Enchiladas
I'm so Mexican. Oh yeah. This is the third time this year I have made enchiladas. The other 2 were beef. These were a nice change from our usual. This is the second recipe from the master chicken recipe I posted earlier.
Chicken Enchiladas
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups roast chicken meat from master recipe
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded jalapeno jack or monterey jack cheese
10 oz jar salsa
8 10-inch flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
In mixing bowl, combine beans, chicken, cilantro, 1/2 of the cheese, and 1/2 of the salsa. For each enchilada: rub 1 side of tortilla with oil (I used my pampered chef pastry brush); flip over and fill with 1/2 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up; place seam side down in 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese over all enchiladas. Again at this point you could freeze the whole pan of enchiladas, or freeze them individually for lunches and such. To proceed with the recipe, preheat oven to 350. Cover loosely with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until heated through. Spoon remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.
So this was good. Of course Nathan didn't eat it, but the rest of us did. The black beans were a nice change, and didn't really change the taste as much as I expected it to. Another keeper. Ole!
Chicken Enchiladas
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cups roast chicken meat from master recipe
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded jalapeno jack or monterey jack cheese
10 oz jar salsa
8 10-inch flour tortillas
2 tbsp olive oil
In mixing bowl, combine beans, chicken, cilantro, 1/2 of the cheese, and 1/2 of the salsa. For each enchilada: rub 1 side of tortilla with oil (I used my pampered chef pastry brush); flip over and fill with 1/2 cup of chicken mixture. Roll up; place seam side down in 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese over all enchiladas. Again at this point you could freeze the whole pan of enchiladas, or freeze them individually for lunches and such. To proceed with the recipe, preheat oven to 350. Cover loosely with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes more or until heated through. Spoon remaining salsa over top of enchiladas.
So this was good. Of course Nathan didn't eat it, but the rest of us did. The black beans were a nice change, and didn't really change the taste as much as I expected it to. Another keeper. Ole!
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
This is the first recipe from the master recipe of roasted chicken I posted previously. I made two of these, since one of the recipes in this master recipe was chicken divan, which has a ton of broccoli in it. So since I skipped that recipe, I had enough chicken to double this recipe. I made one pot pie for a friend at work that had her appendix removed. Then someone else at work told me that it gave her food poisoning, which made me feel very bad. Turned out they made that up (they thought they were being funny. Well, hardy har har). But nobody else (my family or hers) got sick from the meal so...
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
3 tbsp butter
3 large shallots, minced (I used green onions because I happened to have some left from another recipe)
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, halved length-wise
3 cups roast chicken from master recipe
1 pkg (10 oz) mushrooms, quartered (I left these slimy things out)
1 cup frozen peas
Melt butter in large deep skillet over med-low heat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes. Stir in flour, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Increase heat; add chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring to break up any lumps of flour. Add carrots; cook 5 minutes. Add chicken, mushrooms, and peas; cook 5 minutes. Pour into prepared pan ( a greased 2 qt casserole). At this point you can cover and freeze the filling. Or, to finish it now, preheat oven to 350. Prepare 1 pkg (7.5 oz) corn bread mix according to pkg directions (or make it from scratch for the corn bread size being an 8x8 pan; that's what I did). Let batter stand 5 minutes; pour over top of casserole. Bake, uncovered, 50 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. 6-8 servings.
So besides causing my friend multiple trips to the doctor and ED, this was a pretty yummy recipe. Ha ha. She says it wasn't my cooking, it was the antibiotics. Phew. I was really second-guessing myself for awhile. Anyway her husband said it was good. My family liked it too. So it's a keeper. Obviously you could make this with any chicken, you wouldn't have to start with the master recipe.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Pot Pie
3 tbsp butter
3 large shallots, minced (I used green onions because I happened to have some left from another recipe)
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups baby carrots, halved length-wise
3 cups roast chicken from master recipe
1 pkg (10 oz) mushrooms, quartered (I left these slimy things out)
1 cup frozen peas
Melt butter in large deep skillet over med-low heat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes. Stir in flour, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Increase heat; add chicken broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring to break up any lumps of flour. Add carrots; cook 5 minutes. Add chicken, mushrooms, and peas; cook 5 minutes. Pour into prepared pan ( a greased 2 qt casserole). At this point you can cover and freeze the filling. Or, to finish it now, preheat oven to 350. Prepare 1 pkg (7.5 oz) corn bread mix according to pkg directions (or make it from scratch for the corn bread size being an 8x8 pan; that's what I did). Let batter stand 5 minutes; pour over top of casserole. Bake, uncovered, 50 minutes, or until top is golden brown and filling is bubbly. 6-8 servings.
So besides causing my friend multiple trips to the doctor and ED, this was a pretty yummy recipe. Ha ha. She says it wasn't my cooking, it was the antibiotics. Phew. I was really second-guessing myself for awhile. Anyway her husband said it was good. My family liked it too. So it's a keeper. Obviously you could make this with any chicken, you wouldn't have to start with the master recipe.
Chicken Stock
Those of you who are my friends on facebook know that my first foray into homemade chicken stock didn't appear to go very well. However my friend Nina, who is very "in the know" about these things, told me I did it exactly right. However she told me this after I had thrown away the stock. I am definitely doing this again, though. In fact I have already restarted the stock bag. I will put the technique down here.
Okay so have a bag (I have a Tupperware canister) that you keep in your freezer. Whenever you trim or peel vegetables, put the trimmings and peels into that container (except not "cruciferous vegetables" like broccoli and cauliflower. You will have to google it to find out what other vegetables you shouldn't use. It is not a danger for me since our household fears most vegetables). When your bag or container is full, buy a cheap package of chicken necks and backs (sounds gross and I don't even know if they sell them like that, this is just what it said in the cookbook I got it from, which I don't remember the name of and have since returned to my mom). I used the chicken carcasses from the master recipe I posted previously, so that would work too. Put the vegetables and chicken in a big stock pot with 2 gallons of water. Add:
10 peppercorns (yes I counted them)
5-6 red pepper flakes (I counted them too)
any lame looking veggies from your fridge
1-2 tbsp of herbs (I didn't do this because I don't like ambiguity. I want to be told what herbs, or I won't add them...)
1 tbsp kosher salt
Bring to a rolling boil, then turn down to a low simmer and cook, uncovered, until it has boiled down a lot. Nina says the timing isn't critical here. Also she says the flavorings that I mention aren't that important, because if it's too flavorful, you won't be able to make it suit whatever recipe you are using. So then when it looks good, and it will be several hours of simmering, strain it through a fine strainer into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until fat solidifies on top. Remove and discard fat (turns out if you are using a cooked chicken carcass there won't be much fat). Transfer stock to plastic containers (approx pint sized, or 1 cup sized) and freeze for up to 6 months.
So a lot of recipes call for chicken stock or chicken broth, and the kind in a can has all sorts of additives. Not that I am too overly conscious of those things, but if my own stock can be made from parts of veggies I would throw away and parts of chickens I would throw away, it seems worth a shot. So I will try this again, and I will not throw out anything ever again until I have talked to Nina.
Update (June 2013): this is what I'm doing today, and after several years of doing this, I have learned that I would rather just make veggie broth. Then there is no fat to skim, you can just let it cool somewhat and divide it into your containers to freeze. Much easier and faster than waiting til the next day, and then I just use it in any recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth, because it's just veggie broth. One of my favorite discoveries, because I make it for free!
Okay so have a bag (I have a Tupperware canister) that you keep in your freezer. Whenever you trim or peel vegetables, put the trimmings and peels into that container (except not "cruciferous vegetables" like broccoli and cauliflower. You will have to google it to find out what other vegetables you shouldn't use. It is not a danger for me since our household fears most vegetables). When your bag or container is full, buy a cheap package of chicken necks and backs (sounds gross and I don't even know if they sell them like that, this is just what it said in the cookbook I got it from, which I don't remember the name of and have since returned to my mom). I used the chicken carcasses from the master recipe I posted previously, so that would work too. Put the vegetables and chicken in a big stock pot with 2 gallons of water. Add:
10 peppercorns (yes I counted them)
5-6 red pepper flakes (I counted them too)
any lame looking veggies from your fridge
1-2 tbsp of herbs (I didn't do this because I don't like ambiguity. I want to be told what herbs, or I won't add them...)
1 tbsp kosher salt
Bring to a rolling boil, then turn down to a low simmer and cook, uncovered, until it has boiled down a lot. Nina says the timing isn't critical here. Also she says the flavorings that I mention aren't that important, because if it's too flavorful, you won't be able to make it suit whatever recipe you are using. So then when it looks good, and it will be several hours of simmering, strain it through a fine strainer into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, until fat solidifies on top. Remove and discard fat (turns out if you are using a cooked chicken carcass there won't be much fat). Transfer stock to plastic containers (approx pint sized, or 1 cup sized) and freeze for up to 6 months.
So a lot of recipes call for chicken stock or chicken broth, and the kind in a can has all sorts of additives. Not that I am too overly conscious of those things, but if my own stock can be made from parts of veggies I would throw away and parts of chickens I would throw away, it seems worth a shot. So I will try this again, and I will not throw out anything ever again until I have talked to Nina.
Update (June 2013): this is what I'm doing today, and after several years of doing this, I have learned that I would rather just make veggie broth. Then there is no fat to skim, you can just let it cool somewhat and divide it into your containers to freeze. Much easier and faster than waiting til the next day, and then I just use it in any recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth, because it's just veggie broth. One of my favorite discoveries, because I make it for free!
Master Recipe: Roast Chicken and Garlic Puree
So the last 2 weeks I did another Master Recipe like I had done a few weeks ago. This time it was with chicken. 2 big chickens. I thought we would get sick of chicken but the recipes were varied enough that we didn't. Pretty good ones, too. This is from the Working Mother Cookbook. Like before, I will post the master recipe first, then the meals you make from the chicken.
Master Recipe: Roast Chicken and Garlic Puree
2 whole chickens (about 6 lb each)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 large heads garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 450. Rinse chickens; pat dry. Trim off excess fat at tail and neck ends (much easier said than done--those chickens didn't want to give up any fat). Season cavity and outside of chicken with salt and pepper; place breast side down on racks in 2 roasting pans or 1 extra-large roasting pan (I managed to squeeze mine into one turkey-sized roasting pan. They were a bit crowded but didn't complain at all). Rub garlic heads with oil and place in pan alongside chickens. Roast chickens and garlic 1 hour and 10 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork (mine took almost 2 hours, and I judged doneness by a meat thermometer, not by the ambiguous "juices clear" method). Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, separate garlic into cloves; squeeze pulp out of each clove into a small bowl. Mash with fork. Remove meat from chickens and shred; discard skin and bones (or try to make your own stock from it--more on that later). You should have 1 cup of garlic puree and 13 cups of chicken meat.
Obviously the chicken is fairly straightforward and even I can't find much to comment on about that. As for the garlic puree, I am never making my own again. It took very long to squeeze the pulp out of the roasted garlic, and my kitchen smelled of garlic for longer than I was comfortable with. Garlic in a jar, or garlic via my garlic press, or even artificial garlic spread from a store, is much more preferable to me than doing that ever again.
Master Recipe: Roast Chicken and Garlic Puree
2 whole chickens (about 6 lb each)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 large heads garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 450. Rinse chickens; pat dry. Trim off excess fat at tail and neck ends (much easier said than done--those chickens didn't want to give up any fat). Season cavity and outside of chicken with salt and pepper; place breast side down on racks in 2 roasting pans or 1 extra-large roasting pan (I managed to squeeze mine into one turkey-sized roasting pan. They were a bit crowded but didn't complain at all). Rub garlic heads with oil and place in pan alongside chickens. Roast chickens and garlic 1 hour and 10 minutes, until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a fork (mine took almost 2 hours, and I judged doneness by a meat thermometer, not by the ambiguous "juices clear" method). Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, separate garlic into cloves; squeeze pulp out of each clove into a small bowl. Mash with fork. Remove meat from chickens and shred; discard skin and bones (or try to make your own stock from it--more on that later). You should have 1 cup of garlic puree and 13 cups of chicken meat.
Obviously the chicken is fairly straightforward and even I can't find much to comment on about that. As for the garlic puree, I am never making my own again. It took very long to squeeze the pulp out of the roasted garlic, and my kitchen smelled of garlic for longer than I was comfortable with. Garlic in a jar, or garlic via my garlic press, or even artificial garlic spread from a store, is much more preferable to me than doing that ever again.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Butterscotch Brownies
This was a recipe I've had marked for a while in the Betty Crocker cookbook I've been going through. I am all done the "entrees" in this cookbook but I have a bunch more desserts marked. This is unfortunate in that I am trying to not eat this stuff. But, I love to bake. Such a conundrum.
Butterscotch Brownies
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 chopped nuts (I left these out)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 8x8 square pan with shortening (or use cooking spray). Melt shortening in saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2 inch squares while warm.
I made these on Tuesday. They are gone already. Steve really liked them, plus, it was only an 8x8 pan, which takes no time at all to go through in a family of 5. And, Nathan didn't even get one. I will definitely make these again. How would they be with butter instead of shortening? I plan to find out. Also this recipe claims to yield 16 brownies. That is an out and out falsehood. I cut them into 9. 16 brownies from an 8x8 pan? I can just imagine the mutiny if I handed my child a brownie that size and said "here's your dessert." Cha. Right. But they were very very tasty. A keeper for sure.
Butterscotch Brownies
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 chopped nuts (I left these out)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 8x8 square pan with shortening (or use cooking spray). Melt shortening in saucepan over low heat; remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar, vanilla, and egg. Stir in remaining ingredients. Spread in pan. Bake 25 minutes. Cool slightly in pan on wire rack. Cut into 2 inch squares while warm.
I made these on Tuesday. They are gone already. Steve really liked them, plus, it was only an 8x8 pan, which takes no time at all to go through in a family of 5. And, Nathan didn't even get one. I will definitely make these again. How would they be with butter instead of shortening? I plan to find out. Also this recipe claims to yield 16 brownies. That is an out and out falsehood. I cut them into 9. 16 brownies from an 8x8 pan? I can just imagine the mutiny if I handed my child a brownie that size and said "here's your dessert." Cha. Right. But they were very very tasty. A keeper for sure.
Cheese-Lover's Pasta Roll-Ups
This is (quite possibly) the last recipe ever that I will post from Kraft Food & Family, this being the last free issue. I knew Steve would like this because he likes lasagna-like foods. It was really good. Also no meat, so if your family is meatless you would like it. Steve however noticed the absence of meat, and I think if I made it again I might try to work it in somehow.
Cheese-Lover's Pasta Roll-Ups
1 egg, beaten
15 oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded italian 3-cheese blend
4 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
16 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 375. Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Spread 1/2 cup sauce onto bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 tbsp cheese mixture; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in dish. Top with remaining sauce and parmesan. Cover. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
To make ahead: Assemble as directed; cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes. Or, freeze up to 1 month. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
So this was pretty good, but not fantastic. I'm sure my meat-loving family would have loved it more if it had included some type of hamburger or something. But still good.
Cheese-Lover's Pasta Roll-Ups
1 egg, beaten
15 oz container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded italian 3-cheese blend
4 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
16 lasagna noodles, cooked
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Heat oven to 375. Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Spread 1/2 cup sauce onto bottom of 13x9 inch baking dish. Spread each noodle with 3 tbsp cheese mixture; roll up. Place, seam sides down, in dish. Top with remaining sauce and parmesan. Cover. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until heated through, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
To make ahead: Assemble as directed; cover with foil. Refrigerate up to 24 hours, then bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes. Or, freeze up to 1 month. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Bake, covered, 1 hour 5 minutes, uncovering the last 10 minutes.
So this was pretty good, but not fantastic. I'm sure my meat-loving family would have loved it more if it had included some type of hamburger or something. But still good.
Cheesy Hash Skillet
Well, illness (mine and the kids') has had me out for the count. I have still been cooking etc but have not had as much time to post things. I'm going to try to catch up today.
We had this recipe last week (I think) because we love having breakfast for supper. It's from the last free issue of Kraft Food & Family. That's right. Because of the economy, you now have to pay for your (formerly free) subscription. It is like $8 for a year. I am opting not to continue. I get Simple & Delicious in the mail already. I love that one. This Kraft one does have a couple things I make each time, but I have noticed a lot of repetition in the years I have been getting it. Additionally, every recipe is designed to have you buy some kind of Kraft product. I usually, when typing these recipes, don't put the product they are pitching into it, just the general name (like, shredded cheddar, instead of Kraft 2% milk shredded cheddar). But the whole magazine is like a big ad. So, I've decided not to purchase the subscription (Duke Frugal would never approve anyway, hee hee). But if you have already bought yours, that's okay. Don't feel bad.
Cheesy Hash Skillet
6 slices bacon
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups frozen hash browns, thawed (cubed not shredded)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (insert product placement here)
6 eggs
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels. Reserve 3 tbsp drippings in skillet. Add onions and potatoes to skillet; cover. Cook on med-high heat 14 minutes or until potatoes are browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese. Make 6 small wells in potato mixture; fill with eggs. top with bacon; cook, covered, 3-4 minutes, or just until eggs are set. Let stand, covered, 1 minute.
Okay well I don't like that kind of eggs. I like scrambled eggs. So I was going to scramble them up, then put them, scrambled, into the 6 small wells, and let them cook. The problem was, my potatoes were dangerously close to being burnt, and I thought if I added eggs to them they would just burn even more. So I scrambled them separately and served them separately on the plates, too. So this ended up being not that much different than the other breakfasts for supper that I make. Oh well.
We had this recipe last week (I think) because we love having breakfast for supper. It's from the last free issue of Kraft Food & Family. That's right. Because of the economy, you now have to pay for your (formerly free) subscription. It is like $8 for a year. I am opting not to continue. I get Simple & Delicious in the mail already. I love that one. This Kraft one does have a couple things I make each time, but I have noticed a lot of repetition in the years I have been getting it. Additionally, every recipe is designed to have you buy some kind of Kraft product. I usually, when typing these recipes, don't put the product they are pitching into it, just the general name (like, shredded cheddar, instead of Kraft 2% milk shredded cheddar). But the whole magazine is like a big ad. So, I've decided not to purchase the subscription (Duke Frugal would never approve anyway, hee hee). But if you have already bought yours, that's okay. Don't feel bad.
Cheesy Hash Skillet
6 slices bacon
1 small onion, chopped
4 cups frozen hash browns, thawed (cubed not shredded)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (insert product placement here)
6 eggs
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels. Reserve 3 tbsp drippings in skillet. Add onions and potatoes to skillet; cover. Cook on med-high heat 14 minutes or until potatoes are browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese. Make 6 small wells in potato mixture; fill with eggs. top with bacon; cook, covered, 3-4 minutes, or just until eggs are set. Let stand, covered, 1 minute.
Okay well I don't like that kind of eggs. I like scrambled eggs. So I was going to scramble them up, then put them, scrambled, into the 6 small wells, and let them cook. The problem was, my potatoes were dangerously close to being burnt, and I thought if I added eggs to them they would just burn even more. So I scrambled them separately and served them separately on the plates, too. So this ended up being not that much different than the other breakfasts for supper that I make. Oh well.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Apple Bars with Spice Glaze
This is a fallish dessert, but I don't think it would be good with the frosting recipe I just posted, especially since this one has its own glaze. I made this on Sunday to send with Steve to a birthday party, since I had to work (of course). I told him to make sure he ate one and take careful notes, for my reading public. He ended up bringing home a couple of them, so I did get to eat one to try it. Pretty good, I think. From the Betty Crocker cookbook I'm going through.
Apple Bars
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour (white or whole-wheat...I used white, since it was for other people. Next time I may use half of each)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled cooking apples (2 small)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out)
Spice Glaze (below)
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan. Mix brown sugar, oil, milk, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, and spices. Stir in apples and nuts (this got very thick and Steve actually had to do this part). Spread in pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes back clean. Cool 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Drizzle with Spice Glaze. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
Spice Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 to 2 tbsp apple juice or milk (I used cider)
Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable. (start with 1 tbsp...I did two at once and ended up needing like twice the amount of powdered sugar to make it the right consistency)
So these were so easy to make, and they smelled great too. Definitely keeping these. I told Nathan they were apple brownies. I don't know if the kids liked them or not but Steve said people were eating them so I guess that's a good sign. Anyone who was there, your feedback would be nice! Just leave a comment.
Apple Bars
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 cups flour (white or whole-wheat...I used white, since it was for other people. Next time I may use half of each)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled cooking apples (2 small)
1 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out)
Spice Glaze (below)
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan. Mix brown sugar, oil, milk, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda, and spices. Stir in apples and nuts (this got very thick and Steve actually had to do this part). Spread in pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes back clean. Cool 30 minutes in pan on wire rack. Drizzle with Spice Glaze. Cool completely. Cut into bars.
Spice Glaze
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 to 2 tbsp apple juice or milk (I used cider)
Mix all ingredients until smooth and spreadable. (start with 1 tbsp...I did two at once and ended up needing like twice the amount of powdered sugar to make it the right consistency)
So these were so easy to make, and they smelled great too. Definitely keeping these. I told Nathan they were apple brownies. I don't know if the kids liked them or not but Steve said people were eating them so I guess that's a good sign. Anyone who was there, your feedback would be nice! Just leave a comment.
Maple Frosting
So last week I made "Applesauce Cake" from the Betty Crocker cookbook I'm going through. The cake came out dense and not very tasty. But we did like the frosting, so that's the only part I'll post. We actually ended up throwing the cake away, because I know Steve would eat it, but I told him "if we're going to get fat, it's going to be on yummy stuff, not on stuff we don't even like." I think that's a good philosophy, in general. The frosting was quite good, though, such that he wanted to scrape it off the cake. I didn't let him.
Maple (Nut) Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (optional, I left them out)
Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium sized bowl. Stir in maple syrup. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Stir in nuts, if using. Frosts one 13x9 inch cake or fills and frosts on 8 or 9 inch 2 layer cake.
So this would be good on fallish desserts. I have another recipe for Johnny Appleseed Cake that is my mom's recipe, which I might try this frosting on again.
Maple (Nut) Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter, softened
1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (optional, I left them out)
Mix powdered sugar and butter in medium sized bowl. Stir in maple syrup. Beat until smooth and spreadable. Stir in nuts, if using. Frosts one 13x9 inch cake or fills and frosts on 8 or 9 inch 2 layer cake.
So this would be good on fallish desserts. I have another recipe for Johnny Appleseed Cake that is my mom's recipe, which I might try this frosting on again.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
New England Pork and Beans
This is the 3rd and final recipe using the Master Recipe. Another great one. This one is a bit time consuming but well worth it.
New England Pork and Beans
1 lb dried baby lima beans or navy beans (I used navy beans...I couldn't bring myself to buy lima beans because I hated them as a child and why turn back on that feeling which has never failed me?)
4 strips bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup molasses
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 ts ground cloves
3/4 lb cider braised pork loin (see master recipe), cut into thin strips
1 1/2 tsp salt
Rinse and pick over beans. Cover with cold water; soak overnight. (There is a rapid-soak method which I used: Rinse and pick over beans. Cover with 6-8 cups hot water, bring to a rapid boil, boil for 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit one hour. Drain and rinse and proceed as directed.)
Preheat oven to 300. In 8-qt Dutch oven, saute bacon slices until crisp. Add onion, cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add beans, cider, molasses, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, and 2 cups water. Place in oven. Cook 3 1/2 hours, covered. Do not stir.
Add pork strips, salt, and additional 1 cup of water if needed for desired consistency (I added about 1/2 cup but I didn't need to, I had a ton of bean juice left over). Return to oven; bake 30 minutes, uncovered.
I have had many baked beans in my day. It is a dish I am very fond of. These were the best beans I have EVER had. I am not kidding or exaggerating. This recipe you could do without doing the master recipe first, because you don't definitely need the pork, it just adds to it. If you like beans at all you should definitely try this recipe. All the kids liked the "brown beans" as Steve has taken to calling them in the past. All in all I think the master recipe thing was a good move. Next month I'm trying chicken. Stay tuned =0)
New England Pork and Beans
1 lb dried baby lima beans or navy beans (I used navy beans...I couldn't bring myself to buy lima beans because I hated them as a child and why turn back on that feeling which has never failed me?)
4 strips bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
1 medium onion, diced
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup molasses
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 ts ground cloves
3/4 lb cider braised pork loin (see master recipe), cut into thin strips
1 1/2 tsp salt
Rinse and pick over beans. Cover with cold water; soak overnight. (There is a rapid-soak method which I used: Rinse and pick over beans. Cover with 6-8 cups hot water, bring to a rapid boil, boil for 2 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit one hour. Drain and rinse and proceed as directed.)
Preheat oven to 300. In 8-qt Dutch oven, saute bacon slices until crisp. Add onion, cook 3 minutes, stirring. Add beans, cider, molasses, bay leaves, thyme, cloves, and 2 cups water. Place in oven. Cook 3 1/2 hours, covered. Do not stir.
Add pork strips, salt, and additional 1 cup of water if needed for desired consistency (I added about 1/2 cup but I didn't need to, I had a ton of bean juice left over). Return to oven; bake 30 minutes, uncovered.
I have had many baked beans in my day. It is a dish I am very fond of. These were the best beans I have EVER had. I am not kidding or exaggerating. This recipe you could do without doing the master recipe first, because you don't definitely need the pork, it just adds to it. If you like beans at all you should definitely try this recipe. All the kids liked the "brown beans" as Steve has taken to calling them in the past. All in all I think the master recipe thing was a good move. Next month I'm trying chicken. Stay tuned =0)
Spicy Chorizo Chili
This wasn't really spicy. And I don't know what Chorizo is. I know they don't have it at Wal-Mart though. I just left it out and it was still great.
Spicy Chorizo Chili
2 small links chorizo, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green or red pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional, and I left it out)
1 1/4 cups reserved pork roasting juices
1 can beef broth
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
3 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1b cider braised pork loin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (see Master Recipe)
Warm 1 tbsp oil in 8-qt Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chorizo (if you found it), onion, bell, and jalapeno peppers about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add roasting juices, broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add beans and diced pork; simmer 15 minutes longer. Serve over rice if desired. This helpfully suggests that you can serve it with a "dollop" of sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro as well.
Steve's only complaint about this chili was that it was too "beany." It did have a high bean ratio, I'll give him that. But the flavor of this chili was amazing. It was so good. Much better than just hamburger, chili powder, tomato sauce, and whatever else I was putting in other recipes in the past. I have made chili before but this was way better. I think when I make it again I may put at least a couple different kinds of beans in, so it won't be so much of the same kind. But we will definitely make it again. This would be hard to make without using the "master recipe" because of the roasting juices you have to put in. So so good.
Spicy Chorizo Chili
2 small links chorizo, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green or red pepper, diced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional, and I left it out)
1 1/4 cups reserved pork roasting juices
1 can beef broth
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
3 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1b cider braised pork loin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (see Master Recipe)
Warm 1 tbsp oil in 8-qt Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook chorizo (if you found it), onion, bell, and jalapeno peppers about 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened, stirring occasionally. Add roasting juices, broth, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Bring to boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add beans and diced pork; simmer 15 minutes longer. Serve over rice if desired. This helpfully suggests that you can serve it with a "dollop" of sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro as well.
Steve's only complaint about this chili was that it was too "beany." It did have a high bean ratio, I'll give him that. But the flavor of this chili was amazing. It was so good. Much better than just hamburger, chili powder, tomato sauce, and whatever else I was putting in other recipes in the past. I have made chili before but this was way better. I think when I make it again I may put at least a couple different kinds of beans in, so it won't be so much of the same kind. But we will definitely make it again. This would be hard to make without using the "master recipe" because of the roasting juices you have to put in. So so good.
North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches
So this is the first recipe made from the master recipe listed just previously. Not sure what's so "North Carolina" about them, and the recipe does not elaborate...
North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ginger
pinch red-pepper flakes (optional, but I added them...ooh living on the edge)
1 1/4 lb cider-braised pork loin (see Master Recipe)
4 to 6 hamburger buns or hard rolls
In medium sauce pan over high heat, combine first 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes until thick and slightly darkened. Stir in shredded pork. Split rolls. Warm or toast in oven. Put a generous portion of pork between the buns and serve.
So these were pretty good. I had too much sauce, maybe I didn't let it thicken enough. If it had been only for the sake of this recipe, then I probably wouldn't have kept with it. But the other two are so fabulous that this one gets in on their coattails. Of course my two younger ones were less than impressed, actually they didn't like any of these recipes, but they were still made to eat them ha ha. And they were so good that I don't really mind if they didn't like them. Maybe in a year when I make them all again their tastes will have progressed.
North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp ginger
pinch red-pepper flakes (optional, but I added them...ooh living on the edge)
1 1/4 lb cider-braised pork loin (see Master Recipe)
4 to 6 hamburger buns or hard rolls
In medium sauce pan over high heat, combine first 8 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes until thick and slightly darkened. Stir in shredded pork. Split rolls. Warm or toast in oven. Put a generous portion of pork between the buns and serve.
So these were pretty good. I had too much sauce, maybe I didn't let it thicken enough. If it had been only for the sake of this recipe, then I probably wouldn't have kept with it. But the other two are so fabulous that this one gets in on their coattails. Of course my two younger ones were less than impressed, actually they didn't like any of these recipes, but they were still made to eat them ha ha. And they were so good that I don't really mind if they didn't like them. Maybe in a year when I make them all again their tastes will have progressed.
Cider-Braised Pork Loin
So this week I tried something a bit different. This Working Mother Cookbook that I'm going through has these things called "master recipes" wherein you make a bunch of one thing, usually a meat, and then make a few recipes with that meat for the rest of the week. This one was a bit more complicated that my usual fare, and required more meal planning than I usually do, but I was pleased with the results. One thing I will say is that I bought a cheaper cut of meat than what the recipe called for, and wish I hadn't, because it was quite fatty. These recipes were all good for this time of year--kinda fallish--since it uses cider. Okay so I will post the master recipe first, then the 3 recipes that branch off of it.
Master Recipe: Cider-Braised Pork Loin
8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp dijon mustard
4 lb boneless pork loin
2 cups apple cider
In a small bowl combine garlic, salt, and mustard; mash with a fork into a paste (this is easy if you have a Pampered Chef garlic press). With your hands, spread all over the pork (I admit that I used a tool, not my bare hands. Nothing bad happened). Cover with plastic; refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 400. In lg roasting pan, roast pork, fat side up, 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Pour cider over pork; cook 35 minutes, until internal temperature is 155, basting occasionally. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes. Strain roasting pan juices into small plastic container (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Add to container juices that accumulate as pork rests. Wrap roast in foil; refrigerate overnight. Cover and refrigerate roasting liquid.
The next day, slice off 1/2 of the roast and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Reserve for Spicy Chorizo Chili. Cut off just over half of remaining piece and finely shred; reserve for North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Slice remaining pork into thin strips; reserve for Pork and Beans.
So just doing this step took 2-3 days. That seemed weird, like I'm investing all this time and still have to make supper that night. But by the time I made the recipes, they were really good. So like I said, get the actual pork loin. It's a difference of probably $5 so it might cost you $13-$15 or so, but you are getting 3 meals out of it so I think it's worth it. I'll write what I think of each individual recipe, but I will say that I think I will do this again, probably not until next fall, and I will get the pork loin cut.
Master Recipe: Cider-Braised Pork Loin
8 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp kosher salt
2 tbsp dijon mustard
4 lb boneless pork loin
2 cups apple cider
In a small bowl combine garlic, salt, and mustard; mash with a fork into a paste (this is easy if you have a Pampered Chef garlic press). With your hands, spread all over the pork (I admit that I used a tool, not my bare hands. Nothing bad happened). Cover with plastic; refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 400. In lg roasting pan, roast pork, fat side up, 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Pour cider over pork; cook 35 minutes, until internal temperature is 155, basting occasionally. Remove from oven; let stand 15 minutes. Strain roasting pan juices into small plastic container (you should have about 1 1/4 cups). Add to container juices that accumulate as pork rests. Wrap roast in foil; refrigerate overnight. Cover and refrigerate roasting liquid.
The next day, slice off 1/2 of the roast and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Reserve for Spicy Chorizo Chili. Cut off just over half of remaining piece and finely shred; reserve for North Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Slice remaining pork into thin strips; reserve for Pork and Beans.
So just doing this step took 2-3 days. That seemed weird, like I'm investing all this time and still have to make supper that night. But by the time I made the recipes, they were really good. So like I said, get the actual pork loin. It's a difference of probably $5 so it might cost you $13-$15 or so, but you are getting 3 meals out of it so I think it's worth it. I'll write what I think of each individual recipe, but I will say that I think I will do this again, probably not until next fall, and I will get the pork loin cut.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Apple-Berry Crumb Pie
This is the last recipe I had marked to try from the Nov/Dec 2009 Simple & Delicious. If your favorite part of apple crisp is the "crisp," then you will like this recipe, because the crust is made out of the same stuff the crisp is made of. It was a yummy fall dessert.
Apple-Berry Crumb Pie
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup flour (I used 2/3 cup white and 1/3 cup wheat. It probably doesn't make that big of a difference but I wanted to make it a teensy bit healthier. Probably it didn't. That's okay)
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 tbsp butter, melted
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream, optional (not at our house. It's mandatory)
In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter; set aside 3/4 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake @ 375 for 13-17 minutes or until lightly browned. In another bowl, combine the pie filling, cranberries, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned (I only did 20 and it was definitely done). Cool on wire rack. Serve with ice cream if desired.
Steve wanted whipped cream on his. He wanted it so bad he decided to whip it himself with our sweet Kitchen Aid mixer. Then he cut the pie and served it. Let me tell you that there was so much whipped cream on mine (he said he gave himself a big serving and thought I would be jealous so he gave me a bunch too) anyway the first few bites I couldn't even tell how the pie tasted due to the quantity of whipped cream. So I scraped a bunch off to the side, then ate some more. Just as I suspected, it was tasty. If you wanted to be healthier and not use canned pie filling, I'm sure you could make it just like when you are making a regular apple pie, this was just easier. Because the name of the magazine is Simple & Delicious, not Complicated & Delicious.
Apple-Berry Crumb Pie
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 cup flour (I used 2/3 cup white and 1/3 cup wheat. It probably doesn't make that big of a difference but I wanted to make it a teensy bit healthier. Probably it didn't. That's okay)
1/2 cup brown sugar
10 tbsp butter, melted
1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream, optional (not at our house. It's mandatory)
In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter; set aside 3/4 cup for topping. Press remaining mixture onto bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-inch pie plate. Bake @ 375 for 13-17 minutes or until lightly browned. In another bowl, combine the pie filling, cranberries, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until topping is lightly browned (I only did 20 and it was definitely done). Cool on wire rack. Serve with ice cream if desired.
Steve wanted whipped cream on his. He wanted it so bad he decided to whip it himself with our sweet Kitchen Aid mixer. Then he cut the pie and served it. Let me tell you that there was so much whipped cream on mine (he said he gave himself a big serving and thought I would be jealous so he gave me a bunch too) anyway the first few bites I couldn't even tell how the pie tasted due to the quantity of whipped cream. So I scraped a bunch off to the side, then ate some more. Just as I suspected, it was tasty. If you wanted to be healthier and not use canned pie filling, I'm sure you could make it just like when you are making a regular apple pie, this was just easier. Because the name of the magazine is Simple & Delicious, not Complicated & Delicious.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Herb-Swirled Rolls
We had these with the Meatballs and ABCs recipe that I just posted. These start with frozen bread dough, which I think is a good idea. Some people (Tiffany) would say that these are not, then, homemade. But, I disagree, since I am making them AT HOME. So there. There is a nice picture in the magazine accompanying the recipe, which makes them look very nice. Needless to say mine did not really look like that. It's from the Nov/Dec '09 Simple & Delicious.
Herb-Swirled Rolls
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen bread dough, thawed
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp minced chives
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dill weed or dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp water
sesame and/or poppy seeds
On a floured surface, roll dough into a 14x12 inch rectangle; brush with butter. Sprinkle with chives, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 slices. Place cut side down in greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Combine egg and water; brush over tops. Sprinkle with seeds (I did half poppy and half sesame. Open sesame, that is). Bake @ 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.
So these tasted good but it was kind of different having all those seasonings in there. I'm not used to having that stuff in my bread, I guess. They had a good flavor. Nathan wouldn't eat one. I knew Emma would fight me so I gave her one that had been on the end of the jelly-roll thing so it didn't have too much of the seasoning on it, and she ate it. Sam loved his and offered to eat Emma's too. Steve was wolfing down his food and rushing off to class so I didn't have time to analyze his reaction to the meal like I usually do. Unless he didn't like it and pretended to be rushing so I could not interrogate him on his thoughts about it. Hmmmmm. Anyway I'm still thinking about whether to save this one. I'll see what Steve thought and decide from there.
I've been thinking that one of the reasons I liked these two recipes is because they used a lot of the spices I already have and I didn't have to buy anything except the pasta and beef broth for the soup. If you guys don't have all the stuff, don't worry. When I started doing New Recipe Night it seemed like I was buying a different spice every week. But now I have a full spice cupboard (which I love the smell of when I open) and only have to buy a few a year, when I run out of one I use a lot of. So if you like a recipe, don't skip it for the sake of a spice you don't have. Also don't leave the spice out, because spice can add flavor that makes it easier to leave out stuff like salt that they (the sage medical professionals) say we should be eating less of. Just buy the spice and hang on to it. The McCormick marketing people will tell you some bunk about spices only lasting like 6 months before you have to replace them, but they are lying. My mom has spices that are perfectly fine that have been around a LONG time. They just want you to buy more. The bay leaves I used in the soup recipe tonight, I know I have had for literally 3-5 years. They still smelled good when I opened the bottle and still gave a good flavor, were not brittle and did not break up in the soup. This little tip might not apply to all of you guys, those of you who have been cooking longer (and better) than me or whatever, but if you are just starting out, or just starting to cook more seriously, like I was 5 years ago when we started New Recipe Night, then that might be something for you to think about. To slowly build up your spice collection, I mean. I have gone from having like 5 spices, which were garlic salt, garlic powder, pepper, etc, to having a cupboard that smells deeeelightful when I open it with stuff in there ranging from spices I use all the time to stuff I use once a year. But I like having all that on hand so I can be more flexible about cooking.
Herb-Swirled Rolls
1 loaf (1 lb) frozen bread dough, thawed
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp minced chives
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1/2 tsp dill weed or dried thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp water
sesame and/or poppy seeds
On a floured surface, roll dough into a 14x12 inch rectangle; brush with butter. Sprinkle with chives, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with a long side; pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 slices. Place cut side down in greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Combine egg and water; brush over tops. Sprinkle with seeds (I did half poppy and half sesame. Open sesame, that is). Bake @ 375 for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool.
So these tasted good but it was kind of different having all those seasonings in there. I'm not used to having that stuff in my bread, I guess. They had a good flavor. Nathan wouldn't eat one. I knew Emma would fight me so I gave her one that had been on the end of the jelly-roll thing so it didn't have too much of the seasoning on it, and she ate it. Sam loved his and offered to eat Emma's too. Steve was wolfing down his food and rushing off to class so I didn't have time to analyze his reaction to the meal like I usually do. Unless he didn't like it and pretended to be rushing so I could not interrogate him on his thoughts about it. Hmmmmm. Anyway I'm still thinking about whether to save this one. I'll see what Steve thought and decide from there.
I've been thinking that one of the reasons I liked these two recipes is because they used a lot of the spices I already have and I didn't have to buy anything except the pasta and beef broth for the soup. If you guys don't have all the stuff, don't worry. When I started doing New Recipe Night it seemed like I was buying a different spice every week. But now I have a full spice cupboard (which I love the smell of when I open) and only have to buy a few a year, when I run out of one I use a lot of. So if you like a recipe, don't skip it for the sake of a spice you don't have. Also don't leave the spice out, because spice can add flavor that makes it easier to leave out stuff like salt that they (the sage medical professionals) say we should be eating less of. Just buy the spice and hang on to it. The McCormick marketing people will tell you some bunk about spices only lasting like 6 months before you have to replace them, but they are lying. My mom has spices that are perfectly fine that have been around a LONG time. They just want you to buy more. The bay leaves I used in the soup recipe tonight, I know I have had for literally 3-5 years. They still smelled good when I opened the bottle and still gave a good flavor, were not brittle and did not break up in the soup. This little tip might not apply to all of you guys, those of you who have been cooking longer (and better) than me or whatever, but if you are just starting out, or just starting to cook more seriously, like I was 5 years ago when we started New Recipe Night, then that might be something for you to think about. To slowly build up your spice collection, I mean. I have gone from having like 5 spices, which were garlic salt, garlic powder, pepper, etc, to having a cupboard that smells deeeelightful when I open it with stuff in there ranging from spices I use all the time to stuff I use once a year. But I like having all that on hand so I can be more flexible about cooking.
Meatballs and ABCs
As Steve groans, I prepare another soup recipe. I can't help it if I like soup and think soup and rolls make a good supper. I got a cookbook at a yard sale a while back, the Working Mother Cookbook. Apparently there is a Working Mother magazine, and this cookbook is from those people. It has a lot of good ideas in it, like cooking a whole heck of a lot of food on the weekend and making different stuff out of those base things for the next week. I'm not sure if I'll do that yet. Depends how expensive all the stuff would be and if I like all the recipes. But they also have some stand-alone recipes like this one. Although this one does make a large quantity of soup, and you eat half tonight and freeze the other half to eat later. That's always good to have extra stuff in the freezer for quick meals. I thought the kids would like it too since the noodles are shaped like letters.
Meatballs and ABCs
4 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed (I used homemade bread machine bread yum)
1/2 cup milk
1 lb lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup baby carrots
1/3 cup dry sherry (I did not use this...if you google "sherry substitution" you can find a few options for replacing it...I replaced by mixing 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp sugar, then pouring that into a measuring cup to measure 1/3 cup which is what it calls for...I had to dump the remainder out but it's not like vinegar is that expensive so it's okay)
2 cans beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup alphabet pasta or other small shape (they don't have this at Walmart, I got it at Hannaford)
1 cup frozen peas
1. In medium bowl, soak bread in milk. Gently squeeze bread, pour off milk. In small bowl, lightly beat eggs, salt, and pepper. Add egg mixture to bread, then add beef. Mix with hands until blended (yecch I hate that but I did it). Form meatballs about 3/4 inches in diameter. You should have about 40.
2. Warm oil in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook onion and carrot about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring (it does not say how often to stir. I say, occasionally). Add sherry; cook 3 minutes more or until liquid is almost gone. Add broth, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce, and 4 cups of water. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, to blend flavors.
3. Carefully drop meatballs into simmering broth; cook 8 minutes. Add water to cover meatballs if needed (I didn't need to).
4. Remove half of soup (about 6 cups) to microwave-proof container (they mean Tupperware. If you don't have any, contact my Tupperware consultant, Rebecca Coffin. She's on facebook). Cool, then freeze.
5. Bring remaining soup back to a simmer; add pasta and peas. Simmer until pasta is done.
Reheating instructions: Defrost in refrigerator. Reheat in microwave or on stovetop. Cook 1 cup pasta separately; add with peas when reheating.
Makes 2 meals for a family of 4.
So usually I do not like homemade meatballs, and I expected to not like these. But, they were actually quite tasty. The soup had a very good flavor and seasoning to it. Half of it is going to be frozen, and without thinking I added the leftover soup that we ate to the container, which had pasta in it. If I remember right, pasta doesn't freeze very well. Well of course it freezes but doesn't taste good once it's reheated. So I guess we'll see about that. We had this with some rolls which I will post separately. Between the soup and the rolls I was busy in the kitchen all afternoon, which I do enjoy when the kids are being good and I have the time for it. But rather time consuming, so just be prepared. I think it will be a keeper.
Meatballs and ABCs
4 slices whole wheat bread, crusts removed (I used homemade bread machine bread yum)
1/2 cup milk
1 lb lean ground beef
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup baby carrots
1/3 cup dry sherry (I did not use this...if you google "sherry substitution" you can find a few options for replacing it...I replaced by mixing 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp sugar, then pouring that into a measuring cup to measure 1/3 cup which is what it calls for...I had to dump the remainder out but it's not like vinegar is that expensive so it's okay)
2 cans beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 cup alphabet pasta or other small shape (they don't have this at Walmart, I got it at Hannaford)
1 cup frozen peas
1. In medium bowl, soak bread in milk. Gently squeeze bread, pour off milk. In small bowl, lightly beat eggs, salt, and pepper. Add egg mixture to bread, then add beef. Mix with hands until blended (yecch I hate that but I did it). Form meatballs about 3/4 inches in diameter. You should have about 40.
2. Warm oil in large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Cook onion and carrot about 5 minutes, until softened, stirring (it does not say how often to stir. I say, occasionally). Add sherry; cook 3 minutes more or until liquid is almost gone. Add broth, bay leaves, worcestershire sauce, and 4 cups of water. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, uncovered, to blend flavors.
3. Carefully drop meatballs into simmering broth; cook 8 minutes. Add water to cover meatballs if needed (I didn't need to).
4. Remove half of soup (about 6 cups) to microwave-proof container (they mean Tupperware. If you don't have any, contact my Tupperware consultant, Rebecca Coffin. She's on facebook). Cool, then freeze.
5. Bring remaining soup back to a simmer; add pasta and peas. Simmer until pasta is done.
Reheating instructions: Defrost in refrigerator. Reheat in microwave or on stovetop. Cook 1 cup pasta separately; add with peas when reheating.
Makes 2 meals for a family of 4.
So usually I do not like homemade meatballs, and I expected to not like these. But, they were actually quite tasty. The soup had a very good flavor and seasoning to it. Half of it is going to be frozen, and without thinking I added the leftover soup that we ate to the container, which had pasta in it. If I remember right, pasta doesn't freeze very well. Well of course it freezes but doesn't taste good once it's reheated. So I guess we'll see about that. We had this with some rolls which I will post separately. Between the soup and the rolls I was busy in the kitchen all afternoon, which I do enjoy when the kids are being good and I have the time for it. But rather time consuming, so just be prepared. I think it will be a keeper.
Herb Chicken with Honey Butter
This is another recipe from this month's Simple & Delicious (Nov/Dec 2009). I like recipes with poultry seasoning because they're very Thanksgiving-y and I like that flavor. Also, I paid way too much for my bottle of poultry seasoning so I like to justify it like that. I think maybe when I run out of it I will google "poultry seasoning" and see if I can make it myself. That's what I did for pumpkin pie seasoning and saved $9 (I am not kidding; that was the real price of pumpkin pie seasoning at Hannaford, they didn't even have it at Walmart).
Herb Chicken with Honey Butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes (when I put in 1 tbsp it seemed like too much almost, so I left out the 2nd tbsp)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
Place egg in shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 3 tbsp butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Meanwhile, combine softened butter and honey. Serve with chicken.
I will confess that I did not make the honey butter. It just seemed like it would be extra fat that we didn't need to consume. I knew the kids wouldn't want it because they would think it was "sauce" so it would just be me & Steve, and maybe Sam, for this quantity of honey butter. So we left it out. The chicken was still quite good, the kids enjoyed it and it was very very moist. Had a good flavor. I wasn't going to keep this one because it didn't stand out to me, and I have bunches of yummy chicken recipes, but now I as I'm typing I'm remembering the good things about it. Also I did not have to buy any of these ingredients so it would be good on a night that I have no idea what to make. So a keeper after all.
Herb Chicken with Honey Butter
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 tbsp dried parsley flakes (when I put in 1 tbsp it seemed like too much almost, so I left out the 2nd tbsp)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
Place egg in shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl combine bread crumbs and seasonings. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumb mixture. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook chicken in 3 tbsp butter for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken juices run clear. Meanwhile, combine softened butter and honey. Serve with chicken.
I will confess that I did not make the honey butter. It just seemed like it would be extra fat that we didn't need to consume. I knew the kids wouldn't want it because they would think it was "sauce" so it would just be me & Steve, and maybe Sam, for this quantity of honey butter. So we left it out. The chicken was still quite good, the kids enjoyed it and it was very very moist. Had a good flavor. I wasn't going to keep this one because it didn't stand out to me, and I have bunches of yummy chicken recipes, but now I as I'm typing I'm remembering the good things about it. Also I did not have to buy any of these ingredients so it would be good on a night that I have no idea what to make. So a keeper after all.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Sausage Skillet Dinner
Just got my new Simple & Delicious in the mail last week WOOT! This is the first of a few recipes we'll be trying out of this one (Nov/Dec '09). This one was DEEE licious.
Sausage Skillet Dinner
3/4 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (smoked sausage comes in 1-lb packages, so I used a whole pound in this recipe.)
2 tbsp butter
2 cups refrigerated red potato wedges (found @ Hannaford, they don't have them @ Walmart)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 apple, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (I knew by the ingredients that we would love this, even without expensive caraway seeds, so I didn't buy them)
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (another thing I left out)
In a large skillet, saute sausage in butter for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, onion, and apple; saute 4-5 minutes longer or until apple is tender and potatoes are golden brown. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and caraway seeds. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. 4 servings.
I cannot tell you how happy I am with this recipe. It really tasted so so good. The kids were a bit weirded out by warm apples, but they ate them. Nathan even ate this, but not the potatoes because he doesn't like them. We tried to tell him that potatoes were the main (only) ingredient in french fries but he did not believe us. He's so silly. Anyway this one is definitely a keeper and you should really try it!
Sausage Skillet Dinner
3/4 lb smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces (smoked sausage comes in 1-lb packages, so I used a whole pound in this recipe.)
2 tbsp butter
2 cups refrigerated red potato wedges (found @ Hannaford, they don't have them @ Walmart)
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 apple, cut into wedges
1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp caraway seeds (I knew by the ingredients that we would love this, even without expensive caraway seeds, so I didn't buy them)
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley (another thing I left out)
In a large skillet, saute sausage in butter for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, onion, and apple; saute 4-5 minutes longer or until apple is tender and potatoes are golden brown. Stir in the vinegar, sugar, and caraway seeds. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley. 4 servings.
I cannot tell you how happy I am with this recipe. It really tasted so so good. The kids were a bit weirded out by warm apples, but they ate them. Nathan even ate this, but not the potatoes because he doesn't like them. We tried to tell him that potatoes were the main (only) ingredient in french fries but he did not believe us. He's so silly. Anyway this one is definitely a keeper and you should really try it!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
I have never made whoopie pies before, although I have eaten many. Friday at work we had a "whoopie pie party." One of the girls at work has a second job at a place that makes pizzas and desserts, and she brought in a big tub of whoopie pie filling (a 5 gallon bucket. Seriously, I have never seen the likes of it), and we brought the tops and bottoms (BYOTB, Annette said). I did not have a recipe for any parts, so I went to google and found a Rachael Ray recipe for pumpkin whoopie pies, which seemed good since it is fall and everything. I will include the whole recipe, but will not vouch for the filling since I didn't make that part.
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1-2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
I only buy salted butter. In retrospect, I should not have added the salt, since I used salted butter. Oh well. Anyway these were SO moist and delicious. Some of you may remember that my husband does not like pumpkin-containing desserts (he's so crazy). So I like bringing stuff like that to work so that other people besides me can eat them. One friend at work, Sherri Joy, said, and I quote: "It was good." Thank you, Sherri!! Anyway I will definitely keep this recipe because it was easy to make and so so yum. And it's all because of Rachael Ray.
UPDATE: I have made this recipe several times now, and the filling is awesome as well. Not too sweet. It doesn't taste like frosting, like some whoopie pie fillings. It is creamy and perfect. I love this recipe!
Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, 1 stick melted, 1/2 stick softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon plus 2 pinches salt
1-2/3 cups flour
4 ounces cream cheese, chilled
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, the baking powder, the baking soda and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour.
3. Using an ice cream scoop or tablespoon, drop 12 generous mounds of batter, spaced evenly, onto each baking sheet. Bake until springy to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
4. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter with the cream cheese. Add the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 pinches salt and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; mix on low speed until blended, then beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
5. Spread the flat side of 12 cakes with the cream cheese frosting. Top each with another cake.
I only buy salted butter. In retrospect, I should not have added the salt, since I used salted butter. Oh well. Anyway these were SO moist and delicious. Some of you may remember that my husband does not like pumpkin-containing desserts (he's so crazy). So I like bringing stuff like that to work so that other people besides me can eat them. One friend at work, Sherri Joy, said, and I quote: "It was good." Thank you, Sherri!! Anyway I will definitely keep this recipe because it was easy to make and so so yum. And it's all because of Rachael Ray.
UPDATE: I have made this recipe several times now, and the filling is awesome as well. Not too sweet. It doesn't taste like frosting, like some whoopie pie fillings. It is creamy and perfect. I love this recipe!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Tuscan Bean and Sausage Stew
This is the last soup recipe I was saving from Better Homes & Gardens 5 Ingredient Favorites. I love this time of year! Baking and soup and such. This is another crock pot recipe, which I like very much as well. Also I really like smoked sausage or kielbasa or whatever you want to call it. I know it has nitrites and stuff but it's so good!!
Tuscan Bean and Sausage Stew
1 pound cooked smoked sausage, sliced
2 18.5 oz cans ready-to-serve minestrone soup
1 15 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. In crockpot combine all ingredients except parmesan cheese.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
3. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
This sounded good, but seemed like quite the mishmash when I put it all into the crockpot. The only ready to eat miniestrone I could find was Progresso, and it had a bunch of stuff in it. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out, it's in the crockpot right now...I am fairly certain that the kids will not like it...probably Steve won't either. I bet we'll all end up just picking out the smoked sausage. Stay tuned, we'll be back after a word from our sponsor.....
I always buy gold from Goldline. With the economy the way it is, the dollar becoming play money, etc. I always invest in gold. Call Goldline at #1-800-555-5555.
Welcome back to New Recipe Night. Well, as luck would have it, Steve actually liked this one! He had seconds, which may be a first for any soup I have made ha ha. I knew Emma and Nathan wouldn't eat it, so they had (any guesses?)..........chicken nuggets. I thought Sam would eat it but I was wrong. I made Easy Cheddar Biscuits to go with this soup, so at least he ate something. So now we have a bunch of this soup leftover. I am undecided about keeping this one or not. It took a lot of ingredients I had to buy, and only 2/5 of the family will eat it. Probably by the time the leftovers are gone, Steve will be sick of it and the decision will be made for me! As I'm rereading this, I notice that I forgot to spinkle Parmesan cheese on top...oh well it was still good.
Tuscan Bean and Sausage Stew
1 pound cooked smoked sausage, sliced
2 18.5 oz cans ready-to-serve minestrone soup
1 15 oz can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 14.5 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. In crockpot combine all ingredients except parmesan cheese.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
3. Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
This sounded good, but seemed like quite the mishmash when I put it all into the crockpot. The only ready to eat miniestrone I could find was Progresso, and it had a bunch of stuff in it. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out, it's in the crockpot right now...I am fairly certain that the kids will not like it...probably Steve won't either. I bet we'll all end up just picking out the smoked sausage. Stay tuned, we'll be back after a word from our sponsor.....
I always buy gold from Goldline. With the economy the way it is, the dollar becoming play money, etc. I always invest in gold. Call Goldline at #1-800-555-5555.
Welcome back to New Recipe Night. Well, as luck would have it, Steve actually liked this one! He had seconds, which may be a first for any soup I have made ha ha. I knew Emma and Nathan wouldn't eat it, so they had (any guesses?)..........chicken nuggets. I thought Sam would eat it but I was wrong. I made Easy Cheddar Biscuits to go with this soup, so at least he ate something. So now we have a bunch of this soup leftover. I am undecided about keeping this one or not. It took a lot of ingredients I had to buy, and only 2/5 of the family will eat it. Probably by the time the leftovers are gone, Steve will be sick of it and the decision will be made for me! As I'm rereading this, I notice that I forgot to spinkle Parmesan cheese on top...oh well it was still good.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Sour Cream Spice Cake
I made this yesterday. It seemed like a good fall dessert recipe. I made it in cupcakes for a few reasons: 1) I was supposed to make a snack for women's Bible study and it seemed like cupcakes would be easier than one big cake. 2)I had to make a meal last night for a family with a new baby and this way I could give some to them. And 3) I have never made this before so this way I could sample one before giving them away to people ha ha. It's from the Betty Crocker cookbook that I've beeng going through.
Sour Cream Spice Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins, chopped (it is hard to chop raisins, even with a PC food chopper. I chopped about half of them, then got tired of it and put the rest in whole)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out because #1 I didn't have any and #2 Steve doesn't like them)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup water
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
Browned Butter Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan or 2 round pans. (I used 2 cupcake pans)
2. Beat all ingredients except frosting with electric mixer on low speed x 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s).
3. Bake 13x9 40-45 minutes, rounds 30-35 minutes, (cupcake pans 25-27 minutes), or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost.
So, even though this had many ingredients, it wasn't that hard. I just put everything in my sweet Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and it did all the mixing. These tasted very very good. I was very happy with how they turned out. They were moist and flavorful (of course did you see that it has sour cream, butter, AND shortening??). Definitely a keeper. Not so sure about this particular frosting...
Browned Butter Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp milk
Heat butter (do not use margarine or spreads, it says) over medium heat until light brown. Watch carefully because butter can brown and burn quickly. Cool. Mix powdered sugar and browned butter in medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
So I know frosting is supposed to be sweet, but this was almost a little too sweet. And I'm not sure I loved the "browned butter" flavor. But I am keeping the cake recipe, at least. There are a bunch of different frostings in here to try.
Sour Cream Spice Cake
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins, chopped (it is hard to chop raisins, even with a PC food chopper. I chopped about half of them, then got tired of it and put the rest in whole)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I left these out because #1 I didn't have any and #2 Steve doesn't like them)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup water
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
Browned Butter Buttercream Frosting (recipe follows)
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9 pan or 2 round pans. (I used 2 cupcake pans)
2. Beat all ingredients except frosting with electric mixer on low speed x 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into pan(s).
3. Bake 13x9 40-45 minutes, rounds 30-35 minutes, (cupcake pans 25-27 minutes), or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. Frost.
So, even though this had many ingredients, it wasn't that hard. I just put everything in my sweet Kitchen Aid mixer bowl and it did all the mixing. These tasted very very good. I was very happy with how they turned out. They were moist and flavorful (of course did you see that it has sour cream, butter, AND shortening??). Definitely a keeper. Not so sure about this particular frosting...
Browned Butter Buttercream Frosting
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 to 2 tbsp milk
Heat butter (do not use margarine or spreads, it says) over medium heat until light brown. Watch carefully because butter can brown and burn quickly. Cool. Mix powdered sugar and browned butter in medium bowl. Stir in vanilla and milk. Beat until smooth and spreadable.
So I know frosting is supposed to be sweet, but this was almost a little too sweet. And I'm not sure I loved the "browned butter" flavor. But I am keeping the cake recipe, at least. There are a bunch of different frostings in here to try.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Beef and Barley Soup
'Tis the soup season! Did you guys hear Steve groan from there? Ha ha. He does not love soup. At least, he does not love it in abundance. But for this week and next I am making the soup recipes I had marked this summer that I couldn't bring myself to make in July. It's from the Better Homes & Gardens 5 Ingredient Favorites cookbook. I made some bread in the bread machine to have with it. It is personally one of my favorite things to eat...soup and fresh bread mmmmmmmm.
Beef and Barley Soup
12 oz boneless beef chuck roast (they had this at Walmart but it was like in 3 lb portions...way more than I needed and I didn't want to buy that much...I bought stew beef instead...it's going in the crock pot anyway so I figured it was okay)
Nonstick cooking spray
4 cups water
1 10.5 oz can condensed French onion soup
1 cup purchased shredded carrot
1/2 cup regular barley (as opposed to quick barley, which they do have)
1 tsp dried thyme or oregano, crushed (I used thyme...I used oregano last night...gotta shake it up a bit)
Salt and black pepper
Here are the steps, in the enumerated method:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1/2 inch pieces. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook meat in hot skillet until brown.
2. In a crock pot, combine meat, water, soup, carrot, barley, and thyme.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Don't do like I did and unplug the crock pot instead of the bread machine when the bread is done. The crockpot was off for like 2 hours. Ugh, how frustrating!! But it ended up okay. I like my soup piping hot, so I ended up microwaving my bowl, but nobody else thought it needed it. And the beef was cooked, and the barley was done, the carrots were a bit crunchy but that's okay. This made a bunch of soup so I froze what we didn't eat to have later. I think I will keep this one because it was easy to make it ahead and it will be good to reheat.
Beef and Barley Soup
12 oz boneless beef chuck roast (they had this at Walmart but it was like in 3 lb portions...way more than I needed and I didn't want to buy that much...I bought stew beef instead...it's going in the crock pot anyway so I figured it was okay)
Nonstick cooking spray
4 cups water
1 10.5 oz can condensed French onion soup
1 cup purchased shredded carrot
1/2 cup regular barley (as opposed to quick barley, which they do have)
1 tsp dried thyme or oregano, crushed (I used thyme...I used oregano last night...gotta shake it up a bit)
Salt and black pepper
Here are the steps, in the enumerated method:
1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 1/2 inch pieces. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Cook meat in hot skillet until brown.
2. In a crock pot, combine meat, water, soup, carrot, barley, and thyme.
3. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Don't do like I did and unplug the crock pot instead of the bread machine when the bread is done. The crockpot was off for like 2 hours. Ugh, how frustrating!! But it ended up okay. I like my soup piping hot, so I ended up microwaving my bowl, but nobody else thought it needed it. And the beef was cooked, and the barley was done, the carrots were a bit crunchy but that's okay. This made a bunch of soup so I froze what we didn't eat to have later. I think I will keep this one because it was easy to make it ahead and it will be good to reheat.
Beef Enchiladas
We had this last night for supper. Steve loves enchiladas. They are kind of a lot of work. I had another recipe I made a while back for something like garlic beef enchiladas or something...these were good too. They are from the Betty Crocker cookbook I am working my way through.
Beef Enchiladas
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green pepper (I left these out because Sam doesn't like them)
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 whole green chilies, chopped, if desired (I did not...I do not like spice)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 6-inch corn tortillas (I prefer flour so that's what we used)
Additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions, if desired
A friend of mine just sent me a recipe and enumerated the steps. I thought it looked nice and easier to read, so I shall try enumerating the steps in this one:
1. Heat oven to 350. (that was a short one)
2. Cook beef in skillet until browned; drain. Stir in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, parsley, and pepper. Cover and set aside.
3. Heat green pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chilies, garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased pie plate.
4. Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Place in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11x7 inches. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas (that whole pie plate thing sounded messy, so I didn't coat the tortillas. I put some sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, arranged the filled undipped enchiladas into the dish, then poured the sauce over it all. They stuck together somewhat when they were done, so I had to be careful about separating them, but I'd rather do that than get enchilada sauce everywhere).
5. Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and onions if desired.
I knew Nathan wouldn't like this so he had PB & J, one of two things on his approved list (the other being chicken nuggets). Sam and Emma both ate theirs. They kept insisting it was spicy, even though it wasn't. I told them I had left out some stuff that would have made it spicy. I do not like spice, so if this was spicy, I would know. And it wasn't. Emma did not want to eat hers. The way we convinced her is that she would not have to eat it next time, she could have PB & J like Nathan, but she had to eat it tonight. She grumblingly obliged. I thought they were quite tasty. Steve really liked them too. It's a keeper!! Let me know, girls, what you think of the enumerated recipes vs. the rambling paragraph form that I usually use...have a good day!!
Beef Enchiladas
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dried)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/3 cup chopped green pepper (I left these out because Sam doesn't like them)
2/3 cup water
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground cumin
2 whole green chilies, chopped, if desired (I did not...I do not like spice)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
8 6-inch corn tortillas (I prefer flour so that's what we used)
Additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions, if desired
A friend of mine just sent me a recipe and enumerated the steps. I thought it looked nice and easier to read, so I shall try enumerating the steps in this one:
1. Heat oven to 350. (that was a short one)
2. Cook beef in skillet until browned; drain. Stir in onion, sour cream, 1 cup cheese, parsley, and pepper. Cover and set aside.
3. Heat green pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chilies, garlic, and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Pour into ungreased pie plate.
4. Dip each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. Spoon about 1/4 cup beef mixture onto each tortilla; roll tortilla around filling. Place in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11x7 inches. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas (that whole pie plate thing sounded messy, so I didn't coat the tortillas. I put some sauce in the bottom of the baking dish, arranged the filled undipped enchiladas into the dish, then poured the sauce over it all. They stuck together somewhat when they were done, so I had to be careful about separating them, but I'd rather do that than get enchilada sauce everywhere).
5. Bake uncovered about 20 minutes or until bubbly. Garnish with additional shredded cheese, sour cream, and onions if desired.
I knew Nathan wouldn't like this so he had PB & J, one of two things on his approved list (the other being chicken nuggets). Sam and Emma both ate theirs. They kept insisting it was spicy, even though it wasn't. I told them I had left out some stuff that would have made it spicy. I do not like spice, so if this was spicy, I would know. And it wasn't. Emma did not want to eat hers. The way we convinced her is that she would not have to eat it next time, she could have PB & J like Nathan, but she had to eat it tonight. She grumblingly obliged. I thought they were quite tasty. Steve really liked them too. It's a keeper!! Let me know, girls, what you think of the enumerated recipes vs. the rambling paragraph form that I usually use...have a good day!!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Sizzling Skillet
This is the last recipe for the Fall 2009 Food & Family that I had marked. Many of you who know me know that I love bacon. So what could be yummier than bacon, cooked in a skillet, then chicken cooked in the bacon drippings, then potatoes fried in the bacon drippings? If you can't think of anything else, neither can I. So that's basically tonight's recipe in a nutshell. Here are the details:
Sizzling Skillet
4 slices bacon
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 cups (1 lb) frozen diced potatoes with peppers and onions, thawed (Walmart just got these and I am very excited about that)
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet to paper towels; discard drippings in skillet (according to my friend Laura, there are many ways to do this. If you are her friend on FB, see her recent note on the subject)(also don't "discard" the drippings to the point that there is not enough to cook your chicken in...dump out the excess but don't like wipe the pan out or anything). Add chicken to skillet; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; cover and keep warm. Crumble bacon. Add to skillet with potatoes; cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through. Place chicken over potatoes; top with cheese. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. 4 servings
So as I hinted at above, this was quite a delicious meal. In retrospect I should have served a vegetable with this but next time I will. Definitely a keeper. When I have said above that you are cooking in the bacon drippings, it doesn't end up like fried chicken or anything. It's just like when you use cooking oil or cooking spray or butter, just instead of one of those you use bacon drippings. Okay? It was really good and you should try it!!
Sizzling Skillet
4 slices bacon
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 cups (1 lb) frozen diced potatoes with peppers and onions, thawed (Walmart just got these and I am very excited about that)
4 oz (1 cup) shredded cheddar cheese
Cook bacon in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet to paper towels; discard drippings in skillet (according to my friend Laura, there are many ways to do this. If you are her friend on FB, see her recent note on the subject)(also don't "discard" the drippings to the point that there is not enough to cook your chicken in...dump out the excess but don't like wipe the pan out or anything). Add chicken to skillet; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; cover and keep warm. Crumble bacon. Add to skillet with potatoes; cook and stir 5 minutes or until heated through. Place chicken over potatoes; top with cheese. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. 4 servings
So as I hinted at above, this was quite a delicious meal. In retrospect I should have served a vegetable with this but next time I will. Definitely a keeper. When I have said above that you are cooking in the bacon drippings, it doesn't end up like fried chicken or anything. It's just like when you use cooking oil or cooking spray or butter, just instead of one of those you use bacon drippings. Okay? It was really good and you should try it!!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Cranberry Pecan Cookies
This is the last recipe I have marked in Sept/Oct '09 Simple & Delicious. The picture with these cookies looks fabulous. It uses prepared cookie dough so I can't rationalize it like I usually can--no preservatives, etc. But I will tell you that these are tasty little cookies. Steve doesn't like pecans, and today we are making a meal for someone at church that just had a baby so I thought this would be a good time to make them. It's a good thing I did, because none of the kids liked the looks of these either. Steve might eat them and deal with it but he wouldn't really like it. Which would leave me the entire batch. Which I would eat. They are that good. Here's the recipe:
Cranberry Pecan Cookies
1 tube (16.5 oz) refrigerated cookie dough, softened
1 cup chopped pecans (this looked like too many once I dumped them in, so I took a bunch out...maybe 2/3 cup would be better, like the other ingredients)
2/3 cup vanilla or white chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl, combine the cookie dough, pecans, vanilla chips, cranberries, and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in airtight container (you would think that would be obvious. Maybe not). Yield: 3 1/2 dozen (yeah right...if you are making them for elves or hamsters. I got 2 1/2 dozen and these cookies are way smaller than a usual sized cookie).
When I was mixing this dough, it seemed like 95% ingredients and 5% cookie dough. I thought it was going to be a flop, that after baking the cookie sheets would be filled with hot bits of cranberry and pecans, melted together by vanilla chips. But no, this prepackaged dough must have quite the leaven in it, because the cookie part seemed to come out of nowhere and bake the stuff all together. I liked pecans before, but this cookie has made me love them. The pecans are so yummy and browned, almost toasted in the cookies. I will tell you what, these are so so so good. Too bad nobody but me will like them in my house. I'll have to make them for women's Bible study, or something like it when I won't be eating a whole batch by myself. Try these. You really should. I am eating my third one while I type this (so bad!! But they are little, I told you).
Cranberry Pecan Cookies
1 tube (16.5 oz) refrigerated cookie dough, softened
1 cup chopped pecans (this looked like too many once I dumped them in, so I took a bunch out...maybe 2/3 cup would be better, like the other ingredients)
2/3 cup vanilla or white chips
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl, combine the cookie dough, pecans, vanilla chips, cranberries, and vanilla. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake @ 350 for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store in airtight container (you would think that would be obvious. Maybe not). Yield: 3 1/2 dozen (yeah right...if you are making them for elves or hamsters. I got 2 1/2 dozen and these cookies are way smaller than a usual sized cookie).
When I was mixing this dough, it seemed like 95% ingredients and 5% cookie dough. I thought it was going to be a flop, that after baking the cookie sheets would be filled with hot bits of cranberry and pecans, melted together by vanilla chips. But no, this prepackaged dough must have quite the leaven in it, because the cookie part seemed to come out of nowhere and bake the stuff all together. I liked pecans before, but this cookie has made me love them. The pecans are so yummy and browned, almost toasted in the cookies. I will tell you what, these are so so so good. Too bad nobody but me will like them in my house. I'll have to make them for women's Bible study, or something like it when I won't be eating a whole batch by myself. Try these. You really should. I am eating my third one while I type this (so bad!! But they are little, I told you).
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Chocolate-Orange Scones
This recipe is from this month's Simple & Delicious, Sept/Oct 2009. It's in a section called "Morning Treats." But we had it for supper last night with scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage. The kids were like "what's scones?" I told them they were like breakfast cookies. The actual definition is: A small, thick biscuit, usually rich with cream and eggs, that is cut into diamond or stick-like shapes and baked in an oven or cooked on a griddle (thank you Google and some website called "Mr. Breakfast.com"). These were very easy and fast because they use pancake mix.
Chocolate-Orange Scones
1 1/2 cups complete buttermilk pancake mix
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tsp grated orange peel (I used 2 but I think it could've used more)
2 Hershey bars, chopped
In a small bowl, combine the pancake mix, cream, and orange peel. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead 6 times. Knead in chocolate. Pat into a 9-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake @ 400 for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.
Nathan wouldn't try these because he didn't like how they looked. But the two big kids LOVED them. Too bad it only makes 8. Definitely a keeper. I don't know how hard scones are to make from scratch. Steve said other scones he has had in the past have been dry, and these were light and fluffy, so maybe it's harder than I think. Maybe it's like cake. Yes, you can make it from scratch, but it's usually drier and denser than that made from a mix. I don't know. But these were good anyway.
Chocolate-Orange Scones
1 1/2 cups complete buttermilk pancake mix
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tsp grated orange peel (I used 2 but I think it could've used more)
2 Hershey bars, chopped
In a small bowl, combine the pancake mix, cream, and orange peel. Turn onto lightly floured surface; knead 6 times. Knead in chocolate. Pat into a 9-inch circle. Cut into 8 wedges and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake @ 400 for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.
Nathan wouldn't try these because he didn't like how they looked. But the two big kids LOVED them. Too bad it only makes 8. Definitely a keeper. I don't know how hard scones are to make from scratch. Steve said other scones he has had in the past have been dry, and these were light and fluffy, so maybe it's harder than I think. Maybe it's like cake. Yes, you can make it from scratch, but it's usually drier and denser than that made from a mix. I don't know. But these were good anyway.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Slow-Cooker Lasagna
I was just looking at the sidebar there and realized that September has been a very prolific month for cooking/baking. And there's still over a week left to go! Guess it's because it's fall and I always like to cook more in the fall, I think. Anyway this is tonight's supper. It's from the Kraft Food & Family Fall (2009) magazine that I get free in the mail, you can go to the link at the right sidebar to get to their website and get your own issues of this, it comes once a season. This one had quite a few coupons in it, for Kraft products of course, but that was very exciting for me because I like coupons! Last week my sister and I had a race to the kitchen at my mom's house to see who could get the coupons first (neither one of us gets the paper and we have an unspoken rivalry about who will get mom's coupons. It's never mom). Jessica threatened to kick me in my bad leg so she would beat me to them. I started out ahead of her, then, predictably, she passed me. As we got into the kitchen, she reached for them, grabbed her laptop with one hand, and went for the coupons with the other hand (the coupons were under the laptop. Yes, she had put them there out of my sight). As she did this, she went up on one leg, so her balance was off. I pushed her so she would lose her balance and use her other hand to save the laptop instead of grab the coupons. It worked. You would have done the same, I bet, for $0.55 off two boxes of cereal. She was fine and I won. She was all miffed that I pushed her, but she is the one who opened that can by threatening to kick me in my bad leg. Anyway here's the recipe. It's a crock-pot one, plus it's lasagna, so I knew it would be a hit with the fam. Will this be like Hamburger Helper lasagna?? Well, let's see.
Slow-Cooker Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
Brown meat in lg skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg, and parsley. Spoon 1 cup of meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit, and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups of the remaining sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 minutes, or until melted. (Then it says for best results do not cook on high setting).
So this was actually quite good. Once it was on the plates you couldn't even tell that it had been in a crock pot. I thought it was a bit too cheesy but nobody else thought that. Nathan did not eat it. He had chicken nuggets. But the rest of us ate it and liked it. There were two big servings left over for Steve's lunches. So I think this one will be a keeper. It was easy. Whenenver I don't cook the lasagna noodles I can always tell, and this time was no different. They're a bit chewier or something. But still, a good easy supper. We had it with garlic bread.
Slow-Cooker Lasagna
1 lb ground beef
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
6 lasagna noodles, uncooked
Brown meat in lg skillet; drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg, and parsley. Spoon 1 cup of meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit, and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups of the remaining sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, cheese mixture and meat sauce. Cover with lid. Cook on low 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 minutes, or until melted. (Then it says for best results do not cook on high setting).
So this was actually quite good. Once it was on the plates you couldn't even tell that it had been in a crock pot. I thought it was a bit too cheesy but nobody else thought that. Nathan did not eat it. He had chicken nuggets. But the rest of us ate it and liked it. There were two big servings left over for Steve's lunches. So I think this one will be a keeper. It was easy. Whenenver I don't cook the lasagna noodles I can always tell, and this time was no different. They're a bit chewier or something. But still, a good easy supper. We had it with garlic bread.
Monkey Muffins
This was a very yummy recipe! We had these last week but I've been too busy to post the recipe until today. My kids like those mini-muffins from Hostess or whoever makes them, so I thought these would be a good replacement. It's from Simple & Delicious Sept/Oct 2009.
Monkey Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the bananas, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake @ 350 for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. 6 dozen.
I only got 4 dozen mini muffins out of these, not 6. But they still lasted a few days and the kids liked them. Sam liked them best. Nathan wasn't crazy about them but I think he'll come around. These were moist enough that you wouldn't miss putting butter on them, like you would if you made them regular sized. Definitely a keeper!!
Monkey Muffins
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white and 1 cup wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
In a large bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the bananas, peanut butter, milk, and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined miniature muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake @ 350 for 14-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. 6 dozen.
I only got 4 dozen mini muffins out of these, not 6. But they still lasted a few days and the kids liked them. Sam liked them best. Nathan wasn't crazy about them but I think he'll come around. These were moist enough that you wouldn't miss putting butter on them, like you would if you made them regular sized. Definitely a keeper!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread
This is Lani Quimby's recipe that she posted a few weeks ago. I decided to try it in my breadmaker. I'll list the recipe then tell you our results...
Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread
This bread makes great toast, is light and fluffy, slightly sweet with just a hint of banana flavor. I can't wait to make french toast with it.
Use the whole wheat setting on your bread machine
Add all ingredients to bread pan in order given (or follow order from your machine's instructions)
2 lb. loaf.
2/3 Cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp butter or oil
1/4 cup honey (Lani used agave nectar...I guess you can use any sweetener)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 banana, sliced
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp active dry yeast
So this recipe is for a 2 lb loaf, and I have a 1.5 pound machine. But, it has 3 cups of flour, which is what all of the recipes in my little booklet call for for a 1.5 lb loaf. So I decided to just go for it, and not change anything. Hee hee. It was totally fine until it started baking. It smelled so good, by the way. Pretty soon I heard some weird thunks and I looked at the machine and the bread was smooshed up against the glass window at the top of the machine! My mom said that once her bread rose so high it ended up opening the cover of the machine, the bread was ruined and she had to throw it away. I was nervous about this happening to me and contemplated taping the machine shut, but then changed my mind. It never popped the top, so to speak. This morning when I cut into it, the top of the loaf has a huge air bubble. But all in all, it was worth it. The bread was very light, in contrast to the half whole wheat bread that I made a while back. So I think I will keep this one as it is.
Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread
This bread makes great toast, is light and fluffy, slightly sweet with just a hint of banana flavor. I can't wait to make french toast with it.
Use the whole wheat setting on your bread machine
Add all ingredients to bread pan in order given (or follow order from your machine's instructions)
2 lb. loaf.
2/3 Cup water
1 1/2 Tbsp butter or oil
1/4 cup honey (Lani used agave nectar...I guess you can use any sweetener)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1 banana, sliced
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tsp active dry yeast
So this recipe is for a 2 lb loaf, and I have a 1.5 pound machine. But, it has 3 cups of flour, which is what all of the recipes in my little booklet call for for a 1.5 lb loaf. So I decided to just go for it, and not change anything. Hee hee. It was totally fine until it started baking. It smelled so good, by the way. Pretty soon I heard some weird thunks and I looked at the machine and the bread was smooshed up against the glass window at the top of the machine! My mom said that once her bread rose so high it ended up opening the cover of the machine, the bread was ruined and she had to throw it away. I was nervous about this happening to me and contemplated taping the machine shut, but then changed my mind. It never popped the top, so to speak. This morning when I cut into it, the top of the loaf has a huge air bubble. But all in all, it was worth it. The bread was very light, in contrast to the half whole wheat bread that I made a while back. So I think I will keep this one as it is.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Cheeseburger Cups
This is what we had for supper last night. Emma and Nathan don't like cheeseburgers (they say) so I told them they were like mini-shepherds pies. Nathan still didn't eat his. I don't think he knew exactly how to approach it. It's from Simple & Delicious Sept/Oct 2009.
Cheeseburger Cups
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tube (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup velveeta, cubed (I didn't have any velveeta; I just sprinkled shredded taco cheese on top after it was done)
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;drain. Stir in the the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; set aside. Press each biscuit onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Spoon beef mixture into cups; top with cheese cubes (if using). Bake at 400 for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. (Then sprinkle with shredded cheese if you're using that instead of the velveeta) 5 servings.
I had made a recipe similar to this in the past called mini meatloaves or some such thing, where you did not precook the hamburger, and it was so awful...this was definitely a much better success. I think I will keep this one, because it was fun for the kids. Sam loves shepherd's pie so he was excited about this and ate all of his. Steve ate 2. I thought I would want 2 but 1 was plenty for me. 3 leftover, which I know will get eaten by Steve.
Cheeseburger Cups
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard
1 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tube (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cup velveeta, cubed (I didn't have any velveeta; I just sprinkled shredded taco cheese on top after it was done)
In a large skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;drain. Stir in the the ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat; set aside. Press each biscuit onto the bottom and up the sides of greased muffin cups. Spoon beef mixture into cups; top with cheese cubes (if using). Bake at 400 for 14-16 minutes or until golden brown. (Then sprinkle with shredded cheese if you're using that instead of the velveeta) 5 servings.
I had made a recipe similar to this in the past called mini meatloaves or some such thing, where you did not precook the hamburger, and it was so awful...this was definitely a much better success. I think I will keep this one, because it was fun for the kids. Sam loves shepherd's pie so he was excited about this and ate all of his. Steve ate 2. I thought I would want 2 but 1 was plenty for me. 3 leftover, which I know will get eaten by Steve.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies
This is very exciting...this is the 200th blog post on New Recipe Night!! Can I get a woot woot? It has been about 5 years since we started doing New Recipe Night, and about 3ish years or so that we have been doing the blog, so 200 doesn't seem like too much, but that's okay, it is what it is. We had some hiatuses due to Haiti trips, childbirth, etc. Anyway, tonight my husband went to the Stand for Marriage rally in Augusta, and I stayed home with my kiddos and baked brownies. I have been trying to bake more lately, in an effort to cut our Little Debbie consumption. My kids have become conditioned to have dessert every day after lunch. Of course at the store they each want their own box of Little Debbie treats. And of course they are so bad for us! So far my plan is working, I haven't bought any LD for the last 2 big shopping trips, and the kids haven't noticed. I let Sam in on the plan, because I reminded him that those things are not good for us, and he is the oldest child and most likely to notice the change. Homemade cookies and brownies are not exactly healthy, but they are cheaper and less preservatives etc than the LD variety. He is down with the plan. These brownies are a variation listed under the "Chocolate Brownies" recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook I am working my way through; Steve loves peanut butter so I thought we would give these a try. I am going to list the peanut butter way, which is how I made them, rather than typing the regular recipe with the variation on the bottom like it is in the book.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter (I love real butter, so that's what I used)
1/3 cup peanut butter
5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces (used my PC food chopper)
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
16 mini peanut butter cups
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 9x9 pan with shortening. Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool slightly (I only let it cool long enough to do the next step, which is the mixing). Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes (this made it very light and foamy and almost looked like cream). Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in flour just until blended. Spread in pan. Arrange the peanut butter cups over top; press into batter so tops of cups are even with top of batter. Bake 40-45 minutes or just until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan (that never happened for me, maybe because I used cooking spray instead of shortening). Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into about 2-inch squares.
As you can clearly see, this is A LOT more work than my usual method of brownie making, which is to open the box, add egg, oil, and water to the mix, and bake. The million dollar question: is it worth it? Well, I don't know...I know every ingredient that went into these brownies, even if some of them are "unhealthy," like the butter and sugar. The brownie mix I have in my cupboard has: bleached flour (I always buy unbleached now...it's the same price and eating bleach is apparently bad for you, although I have not read any studies, just talked to friends who say that white flour and white sugar = the devil); both corn syrup AND high fructose corn syrup (which another of my friends HATES and has joined a group on facebook called "I hate HFCS" which is apparently it's nickname since the whole name is rather long); a preservative called potassium sorbate (don't know what that is exactly but I know it's not in the from-scratch ones); and, since I bought the "supreme" mix because I had a coupon, this box also contains a packet of chocolate syrup that you mix into the batter before cooking, and that has mono and diglycerides in it as well as 3 other ingredients with long names that I don't know what they are or do. When I type it out like this, it seems like a no-brainer to only make them from scratch. But it seriously took me like 4 times longer to make this kind. Granted, I have never made them before, and maybe going forward it would be faster. Not sure. Anyway, these definitely tasted different than our usual fare, probably because I am used to all the artificial stuff...the kids & hubby haven't tried them yet because by the time they were cool it was way too late for brownies. I had one, though, and thought they were pretty good. 4-times-longer good? Don't know...I will have to wait for Steve's input once he tries them. I know of course the fewer ingredients the better. I am sure you have reached the same conclusion that I am about to come to: make from scratch when time allows, and use the mix I have when time is short. And once that mix is used, never buy one again. Ha ha.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies
1/3 cup stick margarine or butter (I love real butter, so that's what I used)
1/3 cup peanut butter
5 oz unsweetened baking chocolate, cut into pieces (used my PC food chopper)
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
16 mini peanut butter cups
Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom and sides of 9x9 pan with shortening. Melt butter and chocolate in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Cool slightly (I only let it cool long enough to do the next step, which is the mixing). Beat sugar, vanilla, and eggs in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed 5 minutes (this made it very light and foamy and almost looked like cream). Beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in flour just until blended. Spread in pan. Arrange the peanut butter cups over top; press into batter so tops of cups are even with top of batter. Bake 40-45 minutes or just until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan (that never happened for me, maybe because I used cooking spray instead of shortening). Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into about 2-inch squares.
As you can clearly see, this is A LOT more work than my usual method of brownie making, which is to open the box, add egg, oil, and water to the mix, and bake. The million dollar question: is it worth it? Well, I don't know...I know every ingredient that went into these brownies, even if some of them are "unhealthy," like the butter and sugar. The brownie mix I have in my cupboard has: bleached flour (I always buy unbleached now...it's the same price and eating bleach is apparently bad for you, although I have not read any studies, just talked to friends who say that white flour and white sugar = the devil); both corn syrup AND high fructose corn syrup (which another of my friends HATES and has joined a group on facebook called "I hate HFCS" which is apparently it's nickname since the whole name is rather long); a preservative called potassium sorbate (don't know what that is exactly but I know it's not in the from-scratch ones); and, since I bought the "supreme" mix because I had a coupon, this box also contains a packet of chocolate syrup that you mix into the batter before cooking, and that has mono and diglycerides in it as well as 3 other ingredients with long names that I don't know what they are or do. When I type it out like this, it seems like a no-brainer to only make them from scratch. But it seriously took me like 4 times longer to make this kind. Granted, I have never made them before, and maybe going forward it would be faster. Not sure. Anyway, these definitely tasted different than our usual fare, probably because I am used to all the artificial stuff...the kids & hubby haven't tried them yet because by the time they were cool it was way too late for brownies. I had one, though, and thought they were pretty good. 4-times-longer good? Don't know...I will have to wait for Steve's input once he tries them. I know of course the fewer ingredients the better. I am sure you have reached the same conclusion that I am about to come to: make from scratch when time allows, and use the mix I have when time is short. And once that mix is used, never buy one again. Ha ha.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
White Bread from the Bread Machine
I made this today too, while the cookies were baking. It was a very domestic day. Love days off. Anyway, I wanted to try white bread. The wheat bread didn't rise as much as I had hoped, whereas this one raised so well that it went over the top of the pan. It of course smelled fabulous while it was baking. We are having it for supper tonight, probably with scrambled eggs and hash browns or something.
White Bread
9 oz warm milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp yeast
Put ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Turn it on. There. So easy, it should be a crime.
White Bread
9 oz warm milk
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups bread flour
2 tsp yeast
Put ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Turn it on. There. So easy, it should be a crime.
Oatmeal Surprise Cookies
This is from the newest issue of Simple & Delicious Sept/Oct 2009. I always get so excited when it comes in the mail! This sounded like a good cookie recipe to try for a change. They are called "Oatmeal Surprise" cookies because they have chocolate covered raisins in them instead of the regular kind. Turns out the real "surprise" in these cookies is how much chocolate-covered raisins cost. Not counting any of the other ingredients, just the Raisinets at Walmart, cost $3.00. Maybe they would be cheaper someplace else, I don't know. Anyway, they were good, so here's the recipe:
Oatmeal Surprise Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate covered raisins
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine the flour, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets (I used stoneware and didn't "grease" them). Flatten slightly. Bake @ 350 for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Store in an airtight container. 3 dozen.
Oatmeal raisin is one of my favorite cookies, so I knew I would like this one. I told Steve last night I was going to make them, and that I was sorry I was making cookies that he didn't like. He said that just because he didn't like raisins, didn't mean he wasn't going to eat the cookies!! We all had these today after lunch. The kids all ate one, and although they did not have the crazy mass appeal of chocolate chip, wherein they fight each other to lick the bowl and Nathan steals cookies when I'm not looking, I think they did like them. A keeper, even if I'm the only one that thinks they're scrumptious.
Oatmeal Surprise Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups chocolate covered raisins
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Combine the flour, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets (I used stoneware and didn't "grease" them). Flatten slightly. Bake @ 350 for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Store in an airtight container. 3 dozen.
Oatmeal raisin is one of my favorite cookies, so I knew I would like this one. I told Steve last night I was going to make them, and that I was sorry I was making cookies that he didn't like. He said that just because he didn't like raisins, didn't mean he wasn't going to eat the cookies!! We all had these today after lunch. The kids all ate one, and although they did not have the crazy mass appeal of chocolate chip, wherein they fight each other to lick the bowl and Nathan steals cookies when I'm not looking, I think they did like them. A keeper, even if I'm the only one that thinks they're scrumptious.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Spanish Rice
We had this last night. I was hoping for a bit more, I must say. It wasn't spicy, but actually not that flavorful, either. It's from the Betty Crocker cookbook that I mentioned in a previous posting.
Spanish Rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 small green pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)(I cut mine into big enough chunks for Sam to pick out)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 pound hambuger, cooked and drained
Heat oil in 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook rice and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is golden brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.
Okay, so someone can help me out here and tell me why, in every recipe that I make that has real rice in it, not minute rice (even though Minute brown rice isn't so bad for you), the rice never cooks all the way! Every single time, the rice ends up crunchy because it's not cooked all the way. I anticipated that this might happen with this recipe, as it has with so many others, so I cooked it for 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for. I buy exactly the type of rice, to the letter, that it calls for, and still. Partially cooked rice. So frustrating. But besides that, as I said above, there just wasn't a whole lot of flavor to this rice. If you have success with rice, and adding additional spice/flavor, then go ahead and try this one...and tell me your tips!!
Spanish Rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular long grain rice
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 small green pepper, chopped (1/2 cup)(I cut mine into big enough chunks for Sam to pick out)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 pound hambuger, cooked and drained
Heat oil in 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Cook rice and onion in oil about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is golden brown and onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.
Okay, so someone can help me out here and tell me why, in every recipe that I make that has real rice in it, not minute rice (even though Minute brown rice isn't so bad for you), the rice never cooks all the way! Every single time, the rice ends up crunchy because it's not cooked all the way. I anticipated that this might happen with this recipe, as it has with so many others, so I cooked it for 10 minutes longer than the recipe calls for. I buy exactly the type of rice, to the letter, that it calls for, and still. Partially cooked rice. So frustrating. But besides that, as I said above, there just wasn't a whole lot of flavor to this rice. If you have success with rice, and adding additional spice/flavor, then go ahead and try this one...and tell me your tips!!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Partial Whole Wheat Bread
This is what's in the machine right now. Don't really like the name, seems too plain. But they did not ask me. I am posting these bread recipes, but I have no idea how they will translate for other people...I don't know how much variance there is between various breadmakers. I suppose if something sounds good and you have a 1.5 lb loaf machine you could just dive in. Otherwise you might have to do a google search or something for your size machine.
Partial Whole Wheat Bread (1.5 lb loaf)
9 oz water
2 tbsp molasses
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1 1/2 cups bread machine flour
2 tsp active dry yeast
Add ingredients to pan in the order they are listed. Select setting to "whole wheat." Change crust color if desired. For a higher rising bread, add 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp vital gluten (I don't have any of this...).
So this one smelled SO good baking...we had it with our homemade macaroni and cheese last night. Everyone liked it; Sam ate 2 pieces, Nathan ate half a one but that's still pretty good. Since it's wheat bread it is of course more dense than the white bread I made the day before, but I am eating it for toast right now and it is pretty good just with butter on it, I must say. My friend and fellow cooking/baking enthusiast Jess Harvey suggested making the dough in the breadmaker but baking it in the oven. A fan on the FB page, Tenille, suggested the same thing. They said you get more bread that way, with a better crust. So I may try that next week, I have to work 4 in a row (ugh) starting tomorrow. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Cinnamon N' Raisin Bread
I just got a bread machine about 2 weeks ago at a yard sale. I have been anxious to use it, but a friend told me that you need to have special flour and yeast. So after getting those things, I was ready to try it. The only recipe I could make was this one because I didn't have powdered milk or wheat bread machine flour. So I made this yesterday. Then last night I was at Hannaford and I saw that the smallest box of powdered milk was $8.99. I didn't buy it. Then my mom told me that you only need the powdered milk if you're making it ahead, and if you're just making it right now, you can use milk for the water and not even add the dry milk powder. I told that to Steve and he said he already told me that. Well, if he did, I don't remember it. This recipe is from the book that came with the bread machine.
Cinnamon N' Raisin Bread (1.5 pound loaf)
9 oz water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tbsp sugar
3 cups bread machine flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup raisins
Add ingredients to bread pan in order listed except raisins. Add the raisins when the beeping sounds during kneading (I don't know if every machine does this, but mine does).
This also says that all ingredients should be at room temperature when you start. Everyone liked this. Steve and I had toast last night after the kids went to bed, then we all had some this morning. The bread is gone already. I do have the 1.5 pound loaf-size bread machine, which apparently there is a 2-lb maker. If this bread thing ends up taking off, I may invest in a bigger machine. For right now though we'll do it this way. I have another loaf in right now, as I'm typing this recipe. I am excited to see how all this will work out!!
Cinnamon N' Raisin Bread (1.5 pound loaf)
9 oz water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tbsp sugar
3 cups bread machine flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup raisins
Add ingredients to bread pan in order listed except raisins. Add the raisins when the beeping sounds during kneading (I don't know if every machine does this, but mine does).
This also says that all ingredients should be at room temperature when you start. Everyone liked this. Steve and I had toast last night after the kids went to bed, then we all had some this morning. The bread is gone already. I do have the 1.5 pound loaf-size bread machine, which apparently there is a 2-lb maker. If this bread thing ends up taking off, I may invest in a bigger machine. For right now though we'll do it this way. I have another loaf in right now, as I'm typing this recipe. I am excited to see how all this will work out!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Oven-Barbecued Chicken
This was tonight's supper. This is from a "new" cookbook. I say that because I have had this cookbook so long that I can't even remember where it came from...maybe my grandmother, I don't know. But, I am just now starting to go through it and make things out of it. It is Betty Crocker's New Cookbook (copyright 1996 so not too new); Everything You Need to Know to Cook. This subtitle makes me think it might have come from my parents at some point, since my lack of cooking abilities used to cause much merriment among my family members. Anyway this is the same cookbook that the "Apple Tart Tanker" came from on Saturday, but I'm giving it another shot, since this is the cookbook I've been making banana bread out of for a long time.
Oven-Barbecued Chicken
3 to 3 1/2 pound cut-up broiler-fryer chicken (they did not have my usual brand of cut-up chicken at Wal-mart...I ended up getting an off brand that had the chicken parts listed on the label: 2 breasts, 4 thighs, 2 backs (huh???). So clearly this is from multiple chickens (I hope) or we have proof of that chain mail a while back that KFC was making mutant chickens to speed up their food production process is true...I have never made/eaten a "chicken back" and didn't want to start today...those went to the trash...so we have 2 breasts and 4 thighs...no drumsticks, no wings...BRING BACK THE TYSON CUT UP CHICKEN, WALMART!!!)
3/4 cup chili sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground mustard (dry)
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish (we don't like spice so I left this out)
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce (I did like 5 drops, because again, we don't like spice)(when I say we, I mean me. Steve likes it. Sam does too, to a point. But the little ones and I do not, so...you know how that goes)
Heat oven to 375. Place chicken, skin sides up, in ungreased rectangular 13x9x2 pan. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when the thickest pieces are cut.
So this was pretty good. I kept the skin on it like the directions said, but when I cut it up for the kids I took the skin off. I took it off mine too. Steve ate his. I only like poultry skin if it's on a Thanksgiving turkey. Otherwise it seems a bit slimy and gross. I set Nathan's plate down, and he said "it's chicken, right?" I said yes. He ate it all, quite fast. I should give him more chicken every time. But as soon as I do that he'll cut way back. Not sure yet if this one is a keeper. I have to look through my recipe binder that has all my "keepers" to see if there's one like this already. But it was pretty good.
Oven-Barbecued Chicken
3 to 3 1/2 pound cut-up broiler-fryer chicken (they did not have my usual brand of cut-up chicken at Wal-mart...I ended up getting an off brand that had the chicken parts listed on the label: 2 breasts, 4 thighs, 2 backs (huh???). So clearly this is from multiple chickens (I hope) or we have proof of that chain mail a while back that KFC was making mutant chickens to speed up their food production process is true...I have never made/eaten a "chicken back" and didn't want to start today...those went to the trash...so we have 2 breasts and 4 thighs...no drumsticks, no wings...BRING BACK THE TYSON CUT UP CHICKEN, WALMART!!!)
3/4 cup chili sauce
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp ground mustard (dry)
1/2 tsp prepared horseradish (we don't like spice so I left this out)
1/2 tsp red pepper sauce (I did like 5 drops, because again, we don't like spice)(when I say we, I mean me. Steve likes it. Sam does too, to a point. But the little ones and I do not, so...you know how that goes)
Heat oven to 375. Place chicken, skin sides up, in ungreased rectangular 13x9x2 pan. Mix remaining ingredients; pour over chicken. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Spoon sauce over chicken. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when the thickest pieces are cut.
So this was pretty good. I kept the skin on it like the directions said, but when I cut it up for the kids I took the skin off. I took it off mine too. Steve ate his. I only like poultry skin if it's on a Thanksgiving turkey. Otherwise it seems a bit slimy and gross. I set Nathan's plate down, and he said "it's chicken, right?" I said yes. He ate it all, quite fast. I should give him more chicken every time. But as soon as I do that he'll cut way back. Not sure yet if this one is a keeper. I have to look through my recipe binder that has all my "keepers" to see if there's one like this already. But it was pretty good.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Barbecued Green Beans
We had this with the steaks last night. This recipe is from a cookbook that dear friends of our family gave to us, the 2008 Smith Family Reunion Cookbook. Cookbooks like this are great fun to read, but not always to cook with. Some of the older ladies that contribute always say things like "cook in a hot oven until done" or in the directions for a recipe it will say to use an ingredient that wasn't listed in the ingredient list. This trait is not exclusive to this family's cookbook, either. I've read bunches of them, and that is a common thread. But I do like having/reading them. But this recipe I saw looked like it had all the makings of a yummy recipe, so I decided to try it.
Barbecued Green Beans
4 cups green beans (I used fresh)
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Place green beans in baking dish. Brown bacon with onions. Put on top of green beans. Mix brown sugar, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce and pour sauce over the green beans. Do not mix. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes.
It doesn't say to cover them. I did, but I shouldn't have. After 20 minutes the beans were hot but not cooked. After 1o more minutes of being uncovered, I said to Steve "just wanna have crunchy beans?" Everything else had been ready for a while, so he said yes. That's what we did. I think the flavor was really good, even if they weren't all the way done. I think we'll keep this and try them again, uncovered.
Addendum: I just talked to my friend whose recipe this is, she is now on FB, hooray!! She said she usually uses drained canned beans, but you could use any kind and adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Barbecued Green Beans
4 cups green beans (I used fresh)
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Place green beans in baking dish. Brown bacon with onions. Put on top of green beans. Mix brown sugar, ketchup, and worcestershire sauce and pour sauce over the green beans. Do not mix. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes.
It doesn't say to cover them. I did, but I shouldn't have. After 20 minutes the beans were hot but not cooked. After 1o more minutes of being uncovered, I said to Steve "just wanna have crunchy beans?" Everything else had been ready for a while, so he said yes. That's what we did. I think the flavor was really good, even if they weren't all the way done. I think we'll keep this and try them again, uncovered.
Addendum: I just talked to my friend whose recipe this is, she is now on FB, hooray!! She said she usually uses drained canned beans, but you could use any kind and adjust the cooking times accordingly.
Savory Grilled T-bones
This was the last recipe I had marked in the July/August '09 Simple & Delicious. Can't wait to get the next issue. You guys should definitely get your moms to order you this magazine for Christmas. So many good recipes!! Anyway...the T-bones. Raise your hand if you know how expensive T-bone steaks are. **Scans the crowd** If you guessed $12 to $15 for ONE then you are correct!! How outrageous!! Must be laced with gold or something. I didn't get T-bones, needless to say. I got tri-tip sirloin, which wasn't the cheapest cut but also wasn't T-bone. I got 4 small steaks for about $10. A good compromise. If I want to pay $25 to $30 for a meal, you can bet I won't be making that meal myself. Sheesh. Anyway this turned out so good, that the cut of meat I bought was just fine. We had this with Barbecued Green Beans, which I will post separately, and the garlic bread recipe I posted a couple of weeks ago that I had intended to have with this steak.
Savory Grilled T-bones
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp wocestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 beef T-bone steaks (12 oz each)(see note above. If you actually buy T-bones, you might be crazy. Unless you get them with the yellow label on them because they are going bad that day)
In a large ziploc bag, combine the first 11 ingredients; add steaks. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Drain and discard marinade. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, 145 degrees, medium, 160; well-done, 170). 6 servings.
Everyone ate this! Wahoo. Nathan said "Is this chicken?" I said, "No, it's meat." He said "pretend it's chicken." I said, "OK." So we called it chicken. He ate all but 2 of his bites, so I will call it whatever he wants me to. He thinks every juice, no matter what kind, is apple juice. Real apple juice he calls "regular apple juice." So maybe he thinks every meat is chicken. Fine by me. Sam and Emma liked it too. Sam was full of flowery compliments for his mom while he was eating (he gets that from Steve, but he lays it on pretty thick). Steve and I really liked it too. A keeper, for sure.
Of note, I made this on my non-immersible George Foreman grill. I have been using this WAY more than I ever would have predicted, considering I have almost given it away many times, since it's such a huge pain to clean. Steve cleaned it for me last night, which was so sweet (definitely the way to my heart). I shall have to start earnestly searching yard sales for one with a drip tray and removable plates...right now I have to put a dinner plate under the grill to catch the fat, and it's a delicate balancing act to try to clean this thing without getting anything but the plates wet. All while I was cooking, Steve was pretending I was George Foreman (??) and was asking me, like we were on an infomerical, "so, George, why is this better than your traditional grill?" And "what's happening to the fat here, George?" So funny.
Savory Grilled T-bones
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp wocestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
6 beef T-bone steaks (12 oz each)(see note above. If you actually buy T-bones, you might be crazy. Unless you get them with the yellow label on them because they are going bad that day)
In a large ziploc bag, combine the first 11 ingredients; add steaks. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Drain and discard marinade. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat for 6-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, 145 degrees, medium, 160; well-done, 170). 6 servings.
Everyone ate this! Wahoo. Nathan said "Is this chicken?" I said, "No, it's meat." He said "pretend it's chicken." I said, "OK." So we called it chicken. He ate all but 2 of his bites, so I will call it whatever he wants me to. He thinks every juice, no matter what kind, is apple juice. Real apple juice he calls "regular apple juice." So maybe he thinks every meat is chicken. Fine by me. Sam and Emma liked it too. Sam was full of flowery compliments for his mom while he was eating (he gets that from Steve, but he lays it on pretty thick). Steve and I really liked it too. A keeper, for sure.
Of note, I made this on my non-immersible George Foreman grill. I have been using this WAY more than I ever would have predicted, considering I have almost given it away many times, since it's such a huge pain to clean. Steve cleaned it for me last night, which was so sweet (definitely the way to my heart). I shall have to start earnestly searching yard sales for one with a drip tray and removable plates...right now I have to put a dinner plate under the grill to catch the fat, and it's a delicate balancing act to try to clean this thing without getting anything but the plates wet. All while I was cooking, Steve was pretending I was George Foreman (??) and was asking me, like we were on an infomerical, "so, George, why is this better than your traditional grill?" And "what's happening to the fat here, George?" So funny.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)