Apple pie...the ubiquitous two crust pie. It is certainly seen all over the place on dessert tables everywhere. But each and every one of these pies, and the ones you can buy in the grocery store all have a problem. I am deathly allergic to cinnamon, and Americans seem to think that if a dish has apples in it, it MUST have cinnamon. I prefer my food not to kill me. But I LOVE apple pie. So, thanks to some lovely cooks in south Oklahoma, I came up with a version that works with my allergy, AND makes all the apple pie lovers in my house happy (including me).
Apple Pie
3 Granny Smith apples
1 cup of vanilla sugar**
pie crust for 2 crust pie
1 egg + 2 TBSP water, beaten together (optional)
heavy whipping cream
1. Wash, core, quarter and slice the apples into approximately 1/4" slices. (We leave the peels on, you don't have to.)
2. In a bowl, put the apple slices, and mix with the vanilla sugar. Cover and let sit for at least 2 hours.
3. Put the 1st crust in the bottom of a deep dish pie plate. Gently put the apples in the crust, spreading them around for the best fit.
4. Lay the 2nd crust over the top, crimp the edges of the crusts together.
5. Cut 3 slits in the middle of the pie top, as steam vents. The design is up to you...but these slits are VERY important.
6. Wash the crust with egg wash, if desired.
7. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
8. Pour whipping cream through the steam vents. As much or as little as you want. Allow to sit for another 5 minutes. Cut and serve. You don't even need ice cream, unless you want it as a cool counterpoint to the hot pie.
9. Refrigerate, and its still good the next day. Better, sometimes.
**put sugar and 1 - 2 tsp of vanilla in a container with lid. Mix thoroughly, put the lid on, and shake it some. Let it sit for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Saturday, November 14, 2009
It Was a Rough Week
Well, my youngest hit double digits this week. I baked a cake, made homemade pizza, and pulled pork sandwiches on homemade rolls. Instead of giving you recipes, I'll give you the links to the dough and the cake/icing.
I use the basic Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipe at Mother Earth News. I make everything from small rolls to 15" pizza crusts with it
The chocolate cake recipe came from Hershey's. Where else would the recipe for Perfect Chocolate Cake come from? FYI, it's also on the back of most Hershey's Cocoa Powder cans, along with the icing recipe.
Live well, enjoy.
I use the basic Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day recipe at Mother Earth News. I make everything from small rolls to 15" pizza crusts with it
The chocolate cake recipe came from Hershey's. Where else would the recipe for Perfect Chocolate Cake come from? FYI, it's also on the back of most Hershey's Cocoa Powder cans, along with the icing recipe.
Live well, enjoy.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Bonus Recipe, Fried Chicken
So, recently, there was a terrific buy on some local chickens. $5 each. Can't beat that with a 10 foot pole. We bought 10. We have roasted two, and number three was destined to be fried chicken. These chickens are ALL over 6 pounds, with some being over 8, like the one I decided was destined to become fried chicken.
Ok, I didn't know WHAT I was going to do with it. But we had electrical issues last week, and while my refrigerator wasn't affected, my cooking plans were. Friday, I just kinda decided that this weekends foods were going to be more "fussy." Hence yesterday's acorn squash, and today's fried chicken.
Now, while I'd love to tell you all that "my grandma made the bestest fried chicken in the whole world," I can't. Love my Nana, but cooking is NOT what she does well.
So, as it's been years (yes, years) since I made a batch of fried chicken, I figured I'd better hit the usual suspects for recipes. Food Network, All Recipes and for good measure RecipeSource are the three main places I search for recipes. Recipe Zaar is another fairly decent place to look. I love Recipe Source for ethnic dishes. A lot of inspiration comes from that site. As usual, I came up with several different possibilites, from go-to guys Alton Brown, Emeril Legasse, and Tyler Florence. Poor Paula, didn't have anything I was looking for today. I came up flat at All Recipes and Recipe Source; at least for the kind of recipe I was looking for. We like buttermilk fried chicken. The acid in the buttermilk really helps tenderize the chicken and flavor it. This is especially important since these birds have not been pre-brined at the packing plant.
You know I can't leave well enough alone, so I adapted the recipes to what I have on hand and came up with my version. Each recipe had a different marinading time, so I went half in two and decided four hours sounded good.
Insert Cool Name Here Fried Chicken
Marinade
1 chicken, cut up into serving sized pieces*
1 quart buttermilk (if you can find full fat buttermilk, I'm all for it)
1 - 2 TBSP Old Bay seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt, to taste
If you have a whole chicken, cut it up. Serving pieces are usually: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breasts and 2 wings. In a large bowl, put the remaining ingredients and whisk them together. Put the chicken in the marinade, and make sure it's all evenly coated. Place in fridge for 4 hours. FYI, I've been known to cut wings of chickens, pre-cook stage, and toss them all in a bag in my freezer....when I have a goodly amount, we get the ultimate treat: Momma's Chicken Wings. Yep, I make four mean styles of those, and we gotta have 'em all at the same time. Takes a LOT of wings.
*The chicken I ended up using was 8 pounds. Yes, EIGHT. Guess what, I cut each breast into two pieces, and the thighs were as big as a "normal" chicken breast. And I ended up having to use my full 1/2 gallon container of buttermilk because believe me, the quart wasn't gonna do it. I did add more of the seasonings when I added more buttermilk.
Fry time
2 - 3 cups flour
salt to taste
1 - 2 TBSP paprika (it does help bring out a pretty color)
1 - 2 TBSP Italian seasoning
Enough of your choice of frying medium to make about a one to two inch depth of fat in the bottom of a large skillet like object*
Put flour and seasonings in a gallon sized ziploc baggie. Shake vigorously, until mixed. Pull out one or two pieces of chicken from the buttermilk marinade(depends on the size of the pieces, really. On Godzilla-Chicken, one is all I can do) and let excess liquid drain off. Put the chicken in the ziploc baggie, shake it all about till chicken is coated. Pull out of bag, shake off excess flour, and put on a rack over a cookie sheet (mess cleaning made easy). Once all chicken is floured, warm your oil. Note, I said AFTER it's all floured up. The flour will have time to kinda soak up the buttermilk and help keep your coating ON the chicken if you give it this time to rest. Plus, it's coming to room temperature, a good thing when working with hot oil. Get the temperature of your cooking medium to 325F. Some say 300, some say 350. For me, 350 is too hot, 300 not quite warm enough. When you add food to the oil, it will cool down the oil, and oil temperatures below 300 (as will happen if that's the temperature you start at) can leave the food excessively greasy. When the temperature is right, add the chicken to the pan. Put the dark meats (legs and thighs) in the middle, where it will be a bit hotter, and the light meats (breasts and wings) around the edges. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes until golden, flip and cook for another 10 - 12 minutes.
You can put a lid on the whole thing. This does 2 things. It keeps oil from gracing your oven top and kitchen walls and it keeps the heat in the pan, cooking the chicken instead of heating up your house. If you use a lid, be aware that the chicken MAY cook faster than the times listed above.
*I don't care if you use Crisco, peanut oil, veggie oil, canola oil or motor oil. Really. Use what you feel is right for the health of your family. I think olive oil's smoke point is too low as well as adding a flavor I'm not sure is complimentary, and I am pretty sure they'll look at you funny if you use motor oil.
Serve this with fries, smashed taters, salad, whatever you like.
Variations
We like it hot, can ya tell? Add some Franks Hot Sauce (or your preferred brand) to the buttermilk.
Use the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix in your flour mixture (this will make your fried chicken taste pretty close to that national brand).
I never make anything the exact same way twice. (Well, except.....wait, I change that around too, nevermind.) But we enjoy the variations, and I always have the recipe skeleton to use as guide, so I don't get too far off base.
Oh, and the reason this is Insert Cool Name Here Fried Chicken is because I couldn't come up with a cool name. So, call it what you want!
Ok, I didn't know WHAT I was going to do with it. But we had electrical issues last week, and while my refrigerator wasn't affected, my cooking plans were. Friday, I just kinda decided that this weekends foods were going to be more "fussy." Hence yesterday's acorn squash, and today's fried chicken.
Now, while I'd love to tell you all that "my grandma made the bestest fried chicken in the whole world," I can't. Love my Nana, but cooking is NOT what she does well.
So, as it's been years (yes, years) since I made a batch of fried chicken, I figured I'd better hit the usual suspects for recipes. Food Network, All Recipes and for good measure RecipeSource are the three main places I search for recipes. Recipe Zaar is another fairly decent place to look. I love Recipe Source for ethnic dishes. A lot of inspiration comes from that site. As usual, I came up with several different possibilites, from go-to guys Alton Brown, Emeril Legasse, and Tyler Florence. Poor Paula, didn't have anything I was looking for today. I came up flat at All Recipes and Recipe Source; at least for the kind of recipe I was looking for. We like buttermilk fried chicken. The acid in the buttermilk really helps tenderize the chicken and flavor it. This is especially important since these birds have not been pre-brined at the packing plant.
You know I can't leave well enough alone, so I adapted the recipes to what I have on hand and came up with my version. Each recipe had a different marinading time, so I went half in two and decided four hours sounded good.
Insert Cool Name Here Fried Chicken
Marinade
1 chicken, cut up into serving sized pieces*
1 quart buttermilk (if you can find full fat buttermilk, I'm all for it)
1 - 2 TBSP Old Bay seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt, to taste
If you have a whole chicken, cut it up. Serving pieces are usually: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 breasts and 2 wings. In a large bowl, put the remaining ingredients and whisk them together. Put the chicken in the marinade, and make sure it's all evenly coated. Place in fridge for 4 hours. FYI, I've been known to cut wings of chickens, pre-cook stage, and toss them all in a bag in my freezer....when I have a goodly amount, we get the ultimate treat: Momma's Chicken Wings. Yep, I make four mean styles of those, and we gotta have 'em all at the same time. Takes a LOT of wings.
*The chicken I ended up using was 8 pounds. Yes, EIGHT. Guess what, I cut each breast into two pieces, and the thighs were as big as a "normal" chicken breast. And I ended up having to use my full 1/2 gallon container of buttermilk because believe me, the quart wasn't gonna do it. I did add more of the seasonings when I added more buttermilk.
Fry time
2 - 3 cups flour
salt to taste
1 - 2 TBSP paprika (it does help bring out a pretty color)
1 - 2 TBSP Italian seasoning
Enough of your choice of frying medium to make about a one to two inch depth of fat in the bottom of a large skillet like object*
Put flour and seasonings in a gallon sized ziploc baggie. Shake vigorously, until mixed. Pull out one or two pieces of chicken from the buttermilk marinade(depends on the size of the pieces, really. On Godzilla-Chicken, one is all I can do) and let excess liquid drain off. Put the chicken in the ziploc baggie, shake it all about till chicken is coated. Pull out of bag, shake off excess flour, and put on a rack over a cookie sheet (mess cleaning made easy). Once all chicken is floured, warm your oil. Note, I said AFTER it's all floured up. The flour will have time to kinda soak up the buttermilk and help keep your coating ON the chicken if you give it this time to rest. Plus, it's coming to room temperature, a good thing when working with hot oil. Get the temperature of your cooking medium to 325F. Some say 300, some say 350. For me, 350 is too hot, 300 not quite warm enough. When you add food to the oil, it will cool down the oil, and oil temperatures below 300 (as will happen if that's the temperature you start at) can leave the food excessively greasy. When the temperature is right, add the chicken to the pan. Put the dark meats (legs and thighs) in the middle, where it will be a bit hotter, and the light meats (breasts and wings) around the edges. Cook for 10 - 12 minutes until golden, flip and cook for another 10 - 12 minutes.
You can put a lid on the whole thing. This does 2 things. It keeps oil from gracing your oven top and kitchen walls and it keeps the heat in the pan, cooking the chicken instead of heating up your house. If you use a lid, be aware that the chicken MAY cook faster than the times listed above.
*I don't care if you use Crisco, peanut oil, veggie oil, canola oil or motor oil. Really. Use what you feel is right for the health of your family. I think olive oil's smoke point is too low as well as adding a flavor I'm not sure is complimentary, and I am pretty sure they'll look at you funny if you use motor oil.
Serve this with fries, smashed taters, salad, whatever you like.
Variations
We like it hot, can ya tell? Add some Franks Hot Sauce (or your preferred brand) to the buttermilk.
Use the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix in your flour mixture (this will make your fried chicken taste pretty close to that national brand).
I never make anything the exact same way twice. (Well, except.....wait, I change that around too, nevermind.) But we enjoy the variations, and I always have the recipe skeleton to use as guide, so I don't get too far off base.
Oh, and the reason this is Insert Cool Name Here Fried Chicken is because I couldn't come up with a cool name. So, call it what you want!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Bonus Recipe, Stuffed Acorn Squash
so, last week I was doing the grocery shopping and came across a terrific deal on Acorn Squash. I bought two, knowing that we'd eat 1/2 each, stuffed with.......something.
Well, today was the day to figure out what the heck to do with that squash. As it happens, I had about 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork in the fridge, for this very reason. So, I was faced with 4 halves of Acorn Squash, 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork, 2 hungry kids and 1 hungry husband. Nothing like a little pressure right?
Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 Acorn Squash, halved stem to point
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
Kosher Salt
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Garlic Powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup water
1. Scrape the seeds out of each half. If you are feeling adventurous, dry the seeds, and use them in the garden next year. You may get some nice acorn squah, then again, you may not. I'm not sure if Acorn Squash seeds can be toasted like Pumpkin seeds. If anyone knows, please let me know.
2. Line a small cookie sheet with foil, and spray with Pam (or your choice of anti-stick stuff). Lay the squash cut side down on the sheet, and put it in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides easily through the flesh.
3. When squash is done, turn off oven, but leave the squash in there. It will keep it all nice and warm till we are ready for it.
4. In a handy pan of whatever dimension you have that will hold 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork, put the pork over medium heat to begin cooking it. Season with salt, garlic powder, and any other seasonings you'd like.
5. In a separate pan, place 1/2 cup water, about 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Gently boil this until it is the desired consistency.
6. When meat and sauce are done, get the squash out of the oven. Serve one half per person, put meat in the cavity from the seeds, drizzle the sauce over it, and put in front of the lucky person!
Jim really loved this one, although he did say it might be a *touch* too sweet. I'd like to use apple juice and/or apple sauce instead of vinegar, but I didn't have any. The vinegar was in the sauce to cut the sweetness with a bit of a bite, but not too much.
I like tangy sauces, and therefore, my experiments tend to start that way, and even my creamy sauces have some zing somewhere.
Enjoy!
Well, today was the day to figure out what the heck to do with that squash. As it happens, I had about 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork in the fridge, for this very reason. So, I was faced with 4 halves of Acorn Squash, 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork, 2 hungry kids and 1 hungry husband. Nothing like a little pressure right?
Stuffed Acorn Squash
2 Acorn Squash, halved stem to point
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
Kosher Salt
Lawry's Seasoning Salt
Garlic Powder
Apple Cider Vinegar
Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 cup water
1. Scrape the seeds out of each half. If you are feeling adventurous, dry the seeds, and use them in the garden next year. You may get some nice acorn squah, then again, you may not. I'm not sure if Acorn Squash seeds can be toasted like Pumpkin seeds. If anyone knows, please let me know.
2. Line a small cookie sheet with foil, and spray with Pam (or your choice of anti-stick stuff). Lay the squash cut side down on the sheet, and put it in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides easily through the flesh.
3. When squash is done, turn off oven, but leave the squash in there. It will keep it all nice and warm till we are ready for it.
4. In a handy pan of whatever dimension you have that will hold 1 1/2 pounds of ground pork, put the pork over medium heat to begin cooking it. Season with salt, garlic powder, and any other seasonings you'd like.
5. In a separate pan, place 1/2 cup water, about 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. Gently boil this until it is the desired consistency.
6. When meat and sauce are done, get the squash out of the oven. Serve one half per person, put meat in the cavity from the seeds, drizzle the sauce over it, and put in front of the lucky person!
Jim really loved this one, although he did say it might be a *touch* too sweet. I'd like to use apple juice and/or apple sauce instead of vinegar, but I didn't have any. The vinegar was in the sauce to cut the sweetness with a bit of a bite, but not too much.
I like tangy sauces, and therefore, my experiments tend to start that way, and even my creamy sauces have some zing somewhere.
Enjoy!
Friday, November 6, 2009
What a Week!
Well, it is Friday again. Happens every week, right? It's been a heck of a week. Last weekend, we put two pigs into sub-primals for cooling. Yesterday, my mother and my kids and I put our pig into usable cuts. I'm no master butcher, but I cut that pig into 170# of pork cuts for our freezer in a manner that allows us to get the best use out of it.
If you want to know how much room that takes up, I'll tell you. It takes up 2 large coolers and 1/2 of a Wal-Mart cooler bag. Then we unloaded it all into the deep freezer. I struggled finding places to put all those packages that didn't stack the meat too much on itself. Packing it tight is a very bad idea because it won't allow the meat in the middle to freeze.
But I managed, and now it's in the freezer, and all is well. Now I have to find a way to cook it all! I didn't make sausage yesterday, but I did grind up almost 26 pounds of pork for ground pork. Guess what we are eating tonight, lol!
In light of the magnitude of pork in my freezer, I'm tossing a pork recipe at you all today!
Italian Sausage
2 pounds ground pork
2 - 3 tsp salt
3 - 5 tsp italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP fennel sead
pepper, to taste.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight. You can then make patties, meatballs, mini-meatballs for pizza topping or just fry it up loose.
I use this to make little 1/2-inch meatballs for my homemade pizzas. I make meat sauce for spaghetti with it. I use it in any recipe that calls for Italian sausage.
If you don't have the means to make sausage links (and I don't), you can hand-form links fry them up in a saute pan or frying pan.
It's a very versatile recipe, and just like everything else I put up, please take them and make them yours. Adjust the seasonings, add what you want, take out what you don't.
In order to make this Hot Italian Sausage, add some cayenne or hot pepper of choice to the meat mix before you put it in the fridge.
If you want to know how much room that takes up, I'll tell you. It takes up 2 large coolers and 1/2 of a Wal-Mart cooler bag. Then we unloaded it all into the deep freezer. I struggled finding places to put all those packages that didn't stack the meat too much on itself. Packing it tight is a very bad idea because it won't allow the meat in the middle to freeze.
But I managed, and now it's in the freezer, and all is well. Now I have to find a way to cook it all! I didn't make sausage yesterday, but I did grind up almost 26 pounds of pork for ground pork. Guess what we are eating tonight, lol!
In light of the magnitude of pork in my freezer, I'm tossing a pork recipe at you all today!
Italian Sausage
2 pounds ground pork
2 - 3 tsp salt
3 - 5 tsp italian seasoning
2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP fennel sead
pepper, to taste.
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight. You can then make patties, meatballs, mini-meatballs for pizza topping or just fry it up loose.
I use this to make little 1/2-inch meatballs for my homemade pizzas. I make meat sauce for spaghetti with it. I use it in any recipe that calls for Italian sausage.
If you don't have the means to make sausage links (and I don't), you can hand-form links fry them up in a saute pan or frying pan.
It's a very versatile recipe, and just like everything else I put up, please take them and make them yours. Adjust the seasonings, add what you want, take out what you don't.
In order to make this Hot Italian Sausage, add some cayenne or hot pepper of choice to the meat mix before you put it in the fridge.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Pot Pie is one of the ultimate comfort foods. We can switch it up to accommodate what happens to be available at the time. So, here's a good starting place for you guys.
This does my family one dinner and one lunch easily. If we are careful (read, Jim doesn't decide that it's WAAAY too good), it can do 2 dinners.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (or mushroom, or chicken and mushroom)
8 oz frozen carrots
8 oz frozen green beans
8 oz frozen corn kernels
Salt, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, pepper, (ok whatever you want...helpful, aren't I?)
1 pie crust
Optional: 1 large onion, diced and saute'ed, 1 or 2 potatoes, diced small (1/4")
1. In a large pot, cover the chicken with water, and boil for several hours. If it falls apart when you try to pull it out of the water, that's about right. When it's fall off the bone tender, pull the chicken out, and let it cool. Pick the carcass clean. You want the meat for the pie, not the skin and bones.
2. In a LARGE bowl, mix the chicken, soup, seasonings, and the veggies. Tasty tasty to make sure it's all nummy.
3. Put the filling into a lasagna sized pan. I use the foil pans, myself.
4. Roll out the pie crust to fit the pan. I have a great cutting board that is JUST the right size. Put pie crust over the filling, and cut steam vents in the top.
5. Bake for about 1 hour at 300, or about 30 minutes at 350. (Temp check = 180ish)
6. Eat and enjoy.
This does my family one dinner and one lunch easily. If we are careful (read, Jim doesn't decide that it's WAAAY too good), it can do 2 dinners.
Chicken Pot Pie
1 chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (or mushroom, or chicken and mushroom)
8 oz frozen carrots
8 oz frozen green beans
8 oz frozen corn kernels
Salt, lemon pepper, Italian seasoning, pepper, (ok whatever you want...helpful, aren't I?)
1 pie crust
Optional: 1 large onion, diced and saute'ed, 1 or 2 potatoes, diced small (1/4")
1. In a large pot, cover the chicken with water, and boil for several hours. If it falls apart when you try to pull it out of the water, that's about right. When it's fall off the bone tender, pull the chicken out, and let it cool. Pick the carcass clean. You want the meat for the pie, not the skin and bones.
2. In a LARGE bowl, mix the chicken, soup, seasonings, and the veggies. Tasty tasty to make sure it's all nummy.
3. Put the filling into a lasagna sized pan. I use the foil pans, myself.
4. Roll out the pie crust to fit the pan. I have a great cutting board that is JUST the right size. Put pie crust over the filling, and cut steam vents in the top.
5. Bake for about 1 hour at 300, or about 30 minutes at 350. (Temp check = 180ish)
6. Eat and enjoy.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Shepherd's Pie
My grandmother's recipe was the foundation for this one. She showed me the basics, I made it taste. If anyone has heard about my grandmother's cooking, you know that she is not real big on taste in her cooking.
2 pounds of ground meat
2 pounds potatoes
1 large onion
2 TBSP tomato paste
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
whatever veggies you want to toss in.
1. Take your potatoes, and cut them into large chunks. Boil them until fork tender in salted water. Make mashed potatoes according to your family's preferences. (Mine like cheesy-garlic smashed taters.)
2. Brown your meat. The type of meat isn't too important. I use what's on sale, or what I have on hand. Beef, pork, turkey, venison, lamb, it all works. I'd mix turkey 1/2 and 1/2 with something though.
3. Chop up your onion. 1/4" to 1/2" dice is fine. Saute in whatever you want to, I use butter, until translucent. Add to meat.
4. Mix in seasonings to taste into your meat and onion mixture. Mix in the tomato paste. You can substitute some tomato sauce if that's what you have.
5. Mix in whatever frozen (thawed is ok, and fresh works too) veggies you have on hand that work for you. Corn, green beans, peas all work pretty good.
6. Spread meat in the bottom of an oven safe 9 x 13 baking/roasting pan. Top with the mashed potatoes.
7. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until heated through and veggies are cooked.
Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate in "use up what you got" around my house. It's a great and filling supper, that warms you up when the temperatures outside start dipping. As always, make this your own. There are lots of variations out there.
2 pounds of ground meat
2 pounds potatoes
1 large onion
2 TBSP tomato paste
garlic powder
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning
whatever veggies you want to toss in.
1. Take your potatoes, and cut them into large chunks. Boil them until fork tender in salted water. Make mashed potatoes according to your family's preferences. (Mine like cheesy-garlic smashed taters.)
2. Brown your meat. The type of meat isn't too important. I use what's on sale, or what I have on hand. Beef, pork, turkey, venison, lamb, it all works. I'd mix turkey 1/2 and 1/2 with something though.
3. Chop up your onion. 1/4" to 1/2" dice is fine. Saute in whatever you want to, I use butter, until translucent. Add to meat.
4. Mix in seasonings to taste into your meat and onion mixture. Mix in the tomato paste. You can substitute some tomato sauce if that's what you have.
5. Mix in whatever frozen (thawed is ok, and fresh works too) veggies you have on hand that work for you. Corn, green beans, peas all work pretty good.
6. Spread meat in the bottom of an oven safe 9 x 13 baking/roasting pan. Top with the mashed potatoes.
7. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, until heated through and veggies are cooked.
Shepherd's Pie is the ultimate in "use up what you got" around my house. It's a great and filling supper, that warms you up when the temperatures outside start dipping. As always, make this your own. There are lots of variations out there.
Friday, October 16, 2009
What to Cook Friday
Fridays are not the best days for me to cook. First of all, it's payday, which means it's the day to shop. Which means not getting home until 9pm. Who wants to cook then? Not I. However the kids and the husband insist they must be fed dinner. What's a girl to do? I hit my basic ready-in-minutes meals. Here's one.
This recipe will cost a bit more than usual, as I generally pick up things that are already sliced, and ready to cook.
Friday Night Rush
16 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds sliced beef or chicken
4 large baking potatoes
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
3 cloves garlic
1/2 to 1 soup can milk
1. Scrub potatoes, and cook them in the microwave (8 minutes, check them, and see where you are at.)
2. Saute the mushrooms in about 2 TBSP of butter. As they release their water, add some salt to season, not much more than a pinch.
3. Season the meat. I use lemon pepper, salt & pepper, sometimes garlic powder. Whatever you have.
4. Melt another 2 TBSP butter in another pan. Press the garlic into the melted butter and saute for a few minutes. Add meat, and saute until fully cooked.
5. In a sauce pan, put the can of soup, and milk. Warm it up, stirring it until the milk is fully incorporated. Add the cooked mushrooms.
6. To serve, put meat on plate, and put some of the mushroom sauce over it. Add baked potato, and whatever toppings you like. Add another side (sauteed bell peppers, steamed green beans, broccoli or whatever you like). Viola! Done. Usually takes me about 20 minutes to get it to the table.
This recipe will cost a bit more than usual, as I generally pick up things that are already sliced, and ready to cook.
Friday Night Rush
16 oz package sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds sliced beef or chicken
4 large baking potatoes
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
3 cloves garlic
1/2 to 1 soup can milk
1. Scrub potatoes, and cook them in the microwave (8 minutes, check them, and see where you are at.)
2. Saute the mushrooms in about 2 TBSP of butter. As they release their water, add some salt to season, not much more than a pinch.
3. Season the meat. I use lemon pepper, salt & pepper, sometimes garlic powder. Whatever you have.
4. Melt another 2 TBSP butter in another pan. Press the garlic into the melted butter and saute for a few minutes. Add meat, and saute until fully cooked.
5. In a sauce pan, put the can of soup, and milk. Warm it up, stirring it until the milk is fully incorporated. Add the cooked mushrooms.
6. To serve, put meat on plate, and put some of the mushroom sauce over it. Add baked potato, and whatever toppings you like. Add another side (sauteed bell peppers, steamed green beans, broccoli or whatever you like). Viola! Done. Usually takes me about 20 minutes to get it to the table.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Oh, Look! I'm Early
Ok, tomorrow the family and I are going to be at and in (in hubby's case) a wedding, so I'm posting early.
Earlier this week, someone on one of my lists asked what to do with meatballs. The wheels in my head started turning so fast that smoke came out of my ears. (At least, that's what the kids said!) I was facing the day with 2 kids and me down with "flu-like" symptoms, and as the H1N1 was barreling through the gym where my daughter goes to gymnastics, it seemed prudent to keep everyone home, and safe(r). I was mentally running down what we had in the cabinets to put together for a dinner that was substantial and delicious. Apparently, I succeeded. So, here you are. As per usual, measurements are approximate, seasonings are "to taste", and variations are offered.
Brat's Meatballs Made 1 dinner meal and 1 lunch meal for 4 people
2 pounds of 1-2oz meatballs (recipe follows)
3 cups cooked rice (Jasmine, YUM)
1 can cream of chicken soup (hey, it's what I had!)
2/3 can milk (yeah, approximate this one)
1/3 cup sour cream
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (it's what we had, that needed used up)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1. Line a 9x13 roasting pan with foil, and spray it with cooking spray (or brush w/ whatever you like to avoid sticking). The foil helps immensely with clean up.
2. Preheat oven to 325.
3. In a small pan, put the soup, milk and sour cream over a low heat to begin warming it up. Mix very well, ensuring an even mix. As it gets warm you can add your cheese, stirring it in. If you made the meatballs today, add the meatball juice, yes it's fat, but it tastes good! Mine wasn't too warm, and I had everything waiting for me. (Steps 3 and 4 can be interchanged.)
4. Put the cooked rice on the bottom of the roasting pan and spread the meatballs evenly across the rice.*
5. Carefully ladle the sauce over the meatballs and rice. You should be able to get some over just about the entire area. If you miss a spot or two, don't worry too much.
6. Put in oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until heated through.
7. Serve! Enjoy!
*You can also break up your meatballs in to smaller bits, I wouldn't want to break them into smaller than 1/4 meatballs, but we like the chunky aspect.
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb (or use whatever meat you want)
garlic powder, lemon pepper, italian seasoning, salt, pepper to taste (I can't tell you how much, we never measure, and we make this mix 10lbs at a time.)
1. Mix meat with seasonings. If you feel the need to use bread crumbs or eggs as a binder feel free (I think 1 egg for 2 pounds is good), but these cooked up super moist and held together just fine. IF you are working with a small amount of meat (like this), you could press a clove or 2 (or 10) of garlic into the meat as you mix.
2. Make meatballs, approximately 1 - 2 inches across. We like them at about 1 1/2 inches.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet, and put in 300 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until temperature reaches 140 degrees on a meat thermometer placed into the middle of a meatball.
4. You can now put these away in fridge or freezer (after cooling)or just use them in the above Brat Recipe. I just used them and the juice in the recipe.
Variations
You knew there would be variations, right?
1. Use any Cream of **** soup. You can change up the whole flavor base right there.
2. Use pork, veal, seafood, whatever you want for the meatballs. Try to pair your soup with the meat.
3. Use tomato soup, italian seasonings w/ milk, broth or red wine and just sprinkle your cheese on top. (For those who have family members who don't like cream sauces....)
4. Change your cheese...using a different cheese will change the character as well.
Just remember, I highly encourage you to change up anything in any recipe I put up that doesn't work for you. Working with the base recipes, and utilizing variations gives you a bigger number and differentiation of recipes to serve your family. It might be *like* what you served last week, or 2 weeks ago, but it isn't the same.
Earlier this week, someone on one of my lists asked what to do with meatballs. The wheels in my head started turning so fast that smoke came out of my ears. (At least, that's what the kids said!) I was facing the day with 2 kids and me down with "flu-like" symptoms, and as the H1N1 was barreling through the gym where my daughter goes to gymnastics, it seemed prudent to keep everyone home, and safe(r). I was mentally running down what we had in the cabinets to put together for a dinner that was substantial and delicious. Apparently, I succeeded. So, here you are. As per usual, measurements are approximate, seasonings are "to taste", and variations are offered.
Brat's Meatballs Made 1 dinner meal and 1 lunch meal for 4 people
2 pounds of 1-2oz meatballs (recipe follows)
3 cups cooked rice (Jasmine, YUM)
1 can cream of chicken soup (hey, it's what I had!)
2/3 can milk (yeah, approximate this one)
1/3 cup sour cream
4 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (it's what we had, that needed used up)
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
1. Line a 9x13 roasting pan with foil, and spray it with cooking spray (or brush w/ whatever you like to avoid sticking). The foil helps immensely with clean up.
2. Preheat oven to 325.
3. In a small pan, put the soup, milk and sour cream over a low heat to begin warming it up. Mix very well, ensuring an even mix. As it gets warm you can add your cheese, stirring it in. If you made the meatballs today, add the meatball juice, yes it's fat, but it tastes good! Mine wasn't too warm, and I had everything waiting for me. (Steps 3 and 4 can be interchanged.)
4. Put the cooked rice on the bottom of the roasting pan and spread the meatballs evenly across the rice.*
5. Carefully ladle the sauce over the meatballs and rice. You should be able to get some over just about the entire area. If you miss a spot or two, don't worry too much.
6. Put in oven for about 10 - 15 minutes until heated through.
7. Serve! Enjoy!
*You can also break up your meatballs in to smaller bits, I wouldn't want to break them into smaller than 1/4 meatballs, but we like the chunky aspect.
Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb (or use whatever meat you want)
garlic powder, lemon pepper, italian seasoning, salt, pepper to taste (I can't tell you how much, we never measure, and we make this mix 10lbs at a time.)
1. Mix meat with seasonings. If you feel the need to use bread crumbs or eggs as a binder feel free (I think 1 egg for 2 pounds is good), but these cooked up super moist and held together just fine. IF you are working with a small amount of meat (like this), you could press a clove or 2 (or 10) of garlic into the meat as you mix.
2. Make meatballs, approximately 1 - 2 inches across. We like them at about 1 1/2 inches.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet, and put in 300 degree oven for about 25 minutes, or until temperature reaches 140 degrees on a meat thermometer placed into the middle of a meatball.
4. You can now put these away in fridge or freezer (after cooling)or just use them in the above Brat Recipe. I just used them and the juice in the recipe.
Variations
You knew there would be variations, right?
1. Use any Cream of **** soup. You can change up the whole flavor base right there.
2. Use pork, veal, seafood, whatever you want for the meatballs. Try to pair your soup with the meat.
3. Use tomato soup, italian seasonings w/ milk, broth or red wine and just sprinkle your cheese on top. (For those who have family members who don't like cream sauces....)
4. Change your cheese...using a different cheese will change the character as well.
Just remember, I highly encourage you to change up anything in any recipe I put up that doesn't work for you. Working with the base recipes, and utilizing variations gives you a bigger number and differentiation of recipes to serve your family. It might be *like* what you served last week, or 2 weeks ago, but it isn't the same.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Feeding the Soul - Chicken Noodle Soup
So, it's been a strange couple of weeks, and yesterday I think I walked my feet off at the Tulsa State Fair. But the cooler weather is dropping in, and that means soup weather. There are thin soups, thick soups, weird soups, and old comfort food soups. Chicken Noodle Soup always makes us feel better, whether you believe it helps your body or just your mind. (Science tells that it actually helps us reduce mucus generation so we aren't as stuffed up, Gramma says it's just good for you. And frankly, anything that reminds us of the love Gramma has--can't be bad.)
Also, I make this by the truckload, and freeze it. So, here are my quantities. Also, the first list of ingredients is more geared toward the fact that I just need to look out the door to fine next Sunday's chicken dinner! (Ok, last weekend, all the chickens got processed, but you get the idea). Also, it takes a while, but it is so worth it.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Stage 1
1 Chicken, rinsed (especially if you buy this at the grocery store)
Water to cover
3 Carrots, scrubbed
3 Ribs Celery, including tops, scrubbed
1 Onion
Stage 2
2 - 3 Carrots, scrubbed, and sliced in about 1/4" slices
2 - 3 ribs of Celery, scrubbed, sliced in about 1/4" slices
however many cloves of garlic your family can stand, minced
1 16oz package of egg noodles (I use thin, OR make my own pasta)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Place chicken in a large pot. Cover with water. Rough chop the carrots and celery into about 3 pieces each. Quarter onion. (NO peeling necessary). Toss vegetables in with chicken.
2. Bring to a boil, put lit on pot. Allow to simmer for at least 2 hours. This is where your stock comes from, don't skimp on it. I usually like to leave it about 3 hours. By this time the chicken should just about be falling off the bones. Carefully remove chicken from the stock, and put on a plate; allow to cool.
3. Strain stock. That is sometimes harder than it sounds. Place a colander over another large pot, and carefully pour the stock and veggies thru the colander, so you save your stock, but remove the veggies. Pick out any chicken that actually DID fall of the bones. The veggies are compost heap fodder at this point, but that's ok.
4. It can take between 30 minutes to an hour for the chicken to cool enough to handle. When it is, strip the chicken clean, discarding skin, connective tissue and bones. You should be left with a mound of chicken. Rough chop it if you wish.
5. Slice carrots, celery, mince onion. Put chicken and veggies into the freshly made chicken stock. Check seasoning, add a little salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Simmer until noodles are cooked, and serve. I like to put a little dollup of sour cream or shave a little cheese over each bowl.
7. Watch the smiles light up everyone's faces.
Short Cut Chicken Soup
But, but, I don't have TIME to cook all day............ok, yeah I hear ya. You know you can make a huge amount any day you are home, right? Complete everything up to and including step 4, then add chicken to broth, and freeze. Remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator. Then finish as above.
But the real shortcut:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
3 carrots, sliced 1/4"
3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4"
1 16oz package egg noodles
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth, or water
1. Cut up chicken breast.
2. Put everything EXCEPT noodles in pan. Adjust salt and pepper. Keep in mind, if you are using store-bought broth then you will probably have enough salt in there already.
3. Bring to a boil, add noodles, cook 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Serve.
Variations
Change up the veggies in Stage 2. Add potatoes instead of noodles.
Also, I make this by the truckload, and freeze it. So, here are my quantities. Also, the first list of ingredients is more geared toward the fact that I just need to look out the door to fine next Sunday's chicken dinner! (Ok, last weekend, all the chickens got processed, but you get the idea). Also, it takes a while, but it is so worth it.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Stage 1
1 Chicken, rinsed (especially if you buy this at the grocery store)
Water to cover
3 Carrots, scrubbed
3 Ribs Celery, including tops, scrubbed
1 Onion
Stage 2
2 - 3 Carrots, scrubbed, and sliced in about 1/4" slices
2 - 3 ribs of Celery, scrubbed, sliced in about 1/4" slices
however many cloves of garlic your family can stand, minced
1 16oz package of egg noodles (I use thin, OR make my own pasta)
salt and pepper to taste
1. Place chicken in a large pot. Cover with water. Rough chop the carrots and celery into about 3 pieces each. Quarter onion. (NO peeling necessary). Toss vegetables in with chicken.
2. Bring to a boil, put lit on pot. Allow to simmer for at least 2 hours. This is where your stock comes from, don't skimp on it. I usually like to leave it about 3 hours. By this time the chicken should just about be falling off the bones. Carefully remove chicken from the stock, and put on a plate; allow to cool.
3. Strain stock. That is sometimes harder than it sounds. Place a colander over another large pot, and carefully pour the stock and veggies thru the colander, so you save your stock, but remove the veggies. Pick out any chicken that actually DID fall of the bones. The veggies are compost heap fodder at this point, but that's ok.
4. It can take between 30 minutes to an hour for the chicken to cool enough to handle. When it is, strip the chicken clean, discarding skin, connective tissue and bones. You should be left with a mound of chicken. Rough chop it if you wish.
5. Slice carrots, celery, mince onion. Put chicken and veggies into the freshly made chicken stock. Check seasoning, add a little salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Simmer until noodles are cooked, and serve. I like to put a little dollup of sour cream or shave a little cheese over each bowl.
7. Watch the smiles light up everyone's faces.
Short Cut Chicken Soup
But, but, I don't have TIME to cook all day............ok, yeah I hear ya. You know you can make a huge amount any day you are home, right? Complete everything up to and including step 4, then add chicken to broth, and freeze. Remove from freezer and thaw in refrigerator. Then finish as above.
But the real shortcut:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
3 carrots, sliced 1/4"
3 celery ribs, sliced 1/4"
1 16oz package egg noodles
garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth, or water
1. Cut up chicken breast.
2. Put everything EXCEPT noodles in pan. Adjust salt and pepper. Keep in mind, if you are using store-bought broth then you will probably have enough salt in there already.
3. Bring to a boil, add noodles, cook 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Serve.
Variations
Change up the veggies in Stage 2. Add potatoes instead of noodles.
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