Monday, December 12, 2011
My Pot Roast Recipe
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Avgolemono Soup (Greek Lemon Rice Soup)
1 (16 ounce) can chicken broth
1/2 cup long grain rice (not instant or converted)
Juice of lemon (about 1/4 cup)
3 egg yolks
Boil broth; add rice and cook for 25 minutes. Meanwhile in a separate bowl, beat egg yolks and lemon juice with fork. Slowly pour a cup or two of hot broth into the egg mixture to temper it so the eggs don't curdle. Whisk until it is all blended.
Pour it back into the pot slowly while stirring. Add salt and pepper to taste. (At this point, we let our soup warm on the stove for a few minutes more, so it will thicken up a little, but it also tastes great immediately.) Serve hot or chilled with thin lemon slices and/or parsley.
I have seen several recipes that add shredded chicken into the soup to make it more of a meal, and we have also added seasoned hamburger meat to ours.
NOTE: We love this soup so much, we always triple the recipe, and between the 2 of us, we will have it all eaten in two sittings.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients:
1 package Oreo cookies (or, you know, the off-brand... no one will know the difference)
Chocolate syrup
1 box cookies and cream flavored ice cream
1 small container Cool Whip, thawed (I put mine in the refrigerator two days before hand)
chocolate sprinkles
Directions:
Put Cool Whip in the refrigerator to thaw!
Place about 3/4 of the Oreos in a Ziploc bag (you won't need them all unless you want a deeper "crust" layer. Beat them to death with a meat mallet until they're all crunched up. Then place them in an even layer on the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Like so...
Drizzle the chocolate syrup over the cookies. You don't need a whole lot - just enough to make a nice layer, like so...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Stacey's Lasagna
Stacey's Lasagna
Ingredients:
1 24 oz. (1 1/2 lb.) container cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
5 oz. container shredded parmesan cheese (not the grated powdery stuff)
12 lasagna noodles, cooked
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 to 1/2 lb. turkey breakfast sausage, crumbled
1/2 large or 1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
Salt, pepper
1/4 cup cooked and crumbled bacon (can use real bacon bits, but not the imitation kind)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. prepared basil pesto (sun-dried tomato flavored pesto works well, too)
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 jar spaghetti sauce, any flavor
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 10 oz. bag baby spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped (can cut stems off, but not necessary)
1 1/2 lbs. shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions:
1. Combine cottage cheese with parmesan cheese and let sit, covered.
2. Cook lasagna noodles until just done, turn off heat, and let sit in water until ready to use. (Edited to add: MAKE SURE you dry these on some paper towels before you layer them in the lasagna or you will end up with a nice watery mess and your people will complain.)
3. In large skillet or pot, brown ground turkey and sausage (chopping with spatula to break up chunks) with onion and bell pepper until meat is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add bacon pieces, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar and pesto, stirring well to combine. Cook on medium-high heat about 1 minute, then stir in tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce and spinach. Stir well to combine and cook until it starts to bubble, then remove from heat.
4. In a deep 9x13 lasagna pan (I used the foil disposable kind - easy clean-up!), layer the following in order:
* Meat sauce - just enough to lightly cover bottom of pan
* 3 cooked noodles
* 1/4 of the cottage cheese mixture
* 1/4 of the sauce left in the pot
* 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
* Repeat layers three more times, ending with shredded mozzarella on top.
5. Bake at 350 for about 30 to 45 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The best holiday dessert ever, especially if I don't have to share
I've heard it called all sorts of dorky names, including Heavenly Hash, but it will always be Pink Salad to me, so...
Pink Salad
1 large container Cool Whip
1 large can crushed pinapple, drained well
1 can Eagle Brand milk (sweetened condensed)
1 can cherry pie filling
Small bag marshmallows
1 cup chopped nuts (completely optional, if you want to ruin it)
Mix all and refrigerate overnight. I don't add all the marshmallows, personally, but that's really a matter of preference, as are the nuts, which I do NOT add because I think it's gross. But, you know, whatever floats your boat.
Share with others unless you're stingy and mean. Otherwise, hide and eat it all before you're discovered. It tastes better that way. :)
YUM.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Seasoning meat for tacos, taco salad, enchiladas, etc.
- 1 lb. ground meat (I use turkey)
- 1 large bell pepper (or 2 small ones fresh from the garden)
- 1/2 of a large onion (or 1 small one fresh from the garden)
- Fresh garlic (I used 3 cloves – you can use less)
- 2 large ancho peppers (dried poblano peppers – find them in the Latin foods aisle or in the produce section)
- Salt, Pepper, and Cumin
- Optional: 1 can light red kidney beans (I add these to meat for taco salads) (not pictured because I forgot)
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the ancho peppers to be rehydrated and cooked. Pull the stems up and out the top of the peppers, like this (see photo above for reference):
With a very sharp knife, cut off the tops:
Slice the pepper down the side and pick out all the seeds (and the veins, if you choose):
Give them another rough chop until you have pieces about 1-inch square, then add to a small saucepan and cover with water:
Put them on the stovetop on high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer while you chop the rest of the veggies. Dice your bell pepper and onion and add to a large saucepan or skillet (don’t turn the heat on underneath yet):
Mince your garlic. I slice mine in half lengthwise and smash with the flat of my knife, and then mince it very finely:
Cook and stir for a few minutes to cook the garlic, then add your cumin to the top. I don’t measure – I just make sure there’s a good layer on top, like this (feel free to sprinkle it all over the stovetop, like I did):
Cook and stir until the meat is done, then turn the heat off while you finish the ancho peppers. Your ancho peppers should be good and soft by now, and most of the liquid may have evaporated. If it hasn’t, that’s okay. Turn the heat off and let cool for a few minutes, then pour into a blender. You may need to add water to just reach the top of the peppers:
Puree until you can’t see any pepper pieces swirling around in there. It should turn a nice dark red (sorry, I couldn’t get a good photo without steam):
Add to the meat and stir well. It will look way too soupy, but that’s what you want, because now, we’re going to simmer it. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer:
Your meat will have been simmering this whole time, so check it to see if the liquid has cooked off. Run a spatula from the edge of the pan and see if you get liquid seep back into the empty space. This is still a little too saucy:
Four minutes later, it looked like this, which is perfect:
And it’s done! If you’re doing taco salad, you can add the beans to the meat and refrigerate it until it’s time to eat. Just microwave for about 2 minutes to reheat. You can also let this cool, then put in a large Ziploc freezer bag and it will keep in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. I like to make several pounds of meat at a time and freeze 1 pound in each freezer bag.
We’re not big fans of the taco seasoning packets, so this is how we like to season meat for tacos, taco salad, enchiladas, and even for chili (brown about 1 or 2 pounds of chili meat in a stew pot, add the ancho pepper puree with a large can of stewed tomatoes, and let simmer for several hours, adding water as necessary). I hope you all like it, too! Let me know if you try it!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Grandma Bee's Chicken Salad
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste
approximately 1/4 tsp celery salt
approximately 1/4 tsp Beau Monde seasoning, if desired
Mix together and refrigerate for flavors to blend before serving. Is great on bread, with crackers or on top of a bed of lettuce.
NOTE: You can also add chopped celery.
Slow Cooker Fiesta Chicken Bake
2 cups instant rice, uncooked
3 cans Fiesta Cheese soup
1 cup water
1 pkg frozen or canned Fiesta corn
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup tortilla chips, broken
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp. Mexican seasoning
1 tablespoon Cilantro, chopped (if desired)
Combine soup, water, rice and corn in slow cooker. Add chicken on top and season with salt and pepper and paprika. Place onions and celery on top of chicken. Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
Just before serving, put butter in skillet; add chips and Mexican seasoning. Cook for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Add cilantro (if desired) then sprinkle on chicken mixture before serving.
NOTE: You can substitute cream of chicken soup or cheese soup for part of the soups if you like. You might even add some jalapeno if you like it really hot.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Cowboy Stew, my way
So anyway, I saw this recipe and decided to try it on my people with a couple of modifications. I make it on the stovetop, for one. I’m home all day, so I have plenty of time to watch it, but the crockpot would be perfect for those of you who don’t spend all day repeatedly watching Transformers and answering 9000 questions from a SUPER chatty four-year-old.
So here’s how I do it:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, Italian flavor (do not drain)
1 10 oz. can mild Rotel tomatoes and green chiles (do not drain)
1 15 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 15 oz. can Ranch Style beans (do not drain)
1 15 oz. can green beans, drained
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
6 or 7 small red potatoes, don't peel (I omit these if making on the stovetop - they can stick to the bottom and burn)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
Brown the ground meat with the onion, adding salt and pepper (and Italian seasoning, if desired – not necessary if you get the Italian seasoned tomatoes, though). Add minced garlic and continue to cook for about a minute on high. Add the diced tomatoes and Rotel, and cook on high until it starts to bubble. Then reduce heat and continue to cook on a low simmer for about an hour, checking every fifteen minutes and adding water if needed. Add the can of corn, both cans of beans and the tomato sauce. Fill the empty tomato sauce can about halfway with water (more if needed), swish around, and add to the pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. While you’re waiting for it to come up to a boil, scrub and cut the red potatoes into a 1/2-inch by 1/2-inch dice. When the stew returns to a boil, add the potatoes and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes until potatoes are done. Serve with saltine crackers.
There is enough flavor and seasoning in the Italian tomatoes, Rotel, and Ranch Style beans that you really don’t need to add anything beyond some salt and pepper when you cook the meat. It has a nice bit of spice to it, but not so much that the kids can’t eat it. If you like more spice, serve with sliced jalapenos (as Stephanie suggested), or for the kids, serve with slices of cheddar cheese. And promise them ice cream if they eat all their stew. (I’m not above bribery.)
I finally found a recipe that my people like and will eat. This one is definitely a keeper. Thanks, Stephanie!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Delicious Pork Chops and Gravy
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 large sliced onion
large can evaporated milk
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper the pork chops and then brown in the oil. Drain and then transfer pork chops to a crockpot. In another bowl mix together the soup, onion and milk. Pour over and around the pork chops and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. 30 minutes before serving stir in the sour cream. Serve over rice or noodles. Delicious!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Links from the Realm of Crazy People
Dill Potato Salad
Potato Soup in the Crockpot
Taco Salad
Brussels sprouts with bacon and garlic
Many recipes in this post, including chicken tortilla soup, pot roast, rotisserie ham, and includes info about how I plan our bi-weekly menus (from when I participated in Menu Plan Monday – don’t click the link in the post because the web address has changed since I participated a year ago!)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Pesto-Like Rotisserie Chicken and other ideas
My local grocery store has been running specials on 5-lb. bags of chicken leg quarters all summer, so I stock up every few weeks. The last ones were $.49 per pound and they limit three bags at a time, so I bought 15 pounds of chicken the other day for a little over seven dollars! Needless to say, we've eaten a LOT of chicken leg quarters this summer. Pretty much all of our chicken was cooked on the barbecue grill outside since the high temperature has been up around 315 degrees (OR SO) every day for months here, and even if my oven were working (which it's not), there's no way I'd cook anything in it.
Here are some of the things we've done so far with our cooked chicken leg quarters (and one whole turkey, too, that was super cheap):
- Dice for chicken tortilla soup, chicken and dumplings, chicken and rice soup
- Add to ramen noodle soup with some frozen mixed veggies and maybe a can of cream-of-something soup
- Add one jar of Woody's barbecue sauce/marinade and a little water to roughly four leg quarters' worth of meat for barbecue chicken sandwiches
- Mix diced chicken with some sour cream, dill, salt, and pepper for chicken salad sandwiches
- Use diced meat in a stir-fry (add thawed, cooked meat at the end and heat through)
- Of course, you can just serve them whole (as seen at Medieval Times - well, sort of "seen," since you eat in the dark)
I also have a rotisserie oven that my grandmother gave me about five years ago. I haven't used it much this summer because it heats up the kitchen - not as much as the oven, but the rotisserie oven does put off a good bit of heat. But today has been rainy and cool, so I decided to give it a go. I made some rotisserie chicken with pesto-like seasoning this morning and soon, I plan on using a soy sauce/ginger/white pepper marinade to make some for stir-fry.
Here's how to make the Pesto-Like Rotisserie Chicken:
I can fit three leg quarters in the basket in my rotisserie oven, but it's the compact version, so if you have a bigger one, you can fit more.
Prepare the chicken... Don't remove the skin! Thaw your chicken, if frozen. Otherwise, rinse extremely well and pat dry. Set aside.
Prepare the seasoning... With a mortar and pestle, crush together some fresh ground black pepper, Kosher salt, dried rosemary, dried oregano, and dried thyme. Crush until it's a pretty fine powder. Pour into small bowl (I used a coffee mug). Mince several cloves of garlic, finely chiffonade some fresh basil and add to the bowl. Add a splash of lime juice and a little olive oil to make a paste (the consistency of store-bought pesto). Stuff the seasoning in between the skin and the meat, giving it a good thick coating. I held the skin together with a toothpick so the seasoning wouldn't fall out while it was cooking.
I cooked mine in the rotisserie oven for 45 minutes, and then I let it go for another ten minutes on "No-heat rotation," mostly to allow it to cool before I took it out. If you're using it for something (mine will be chicken salad sandwiches), let it cool, remove the skin and bones, and dice the meat. You can either use it right away, refrigerate overnight, or freeze in a Ziploc bag for later.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Hamburger Casserole
(This recipe makes a lot, so you might want to half the recipe, or make it all and just freeze half. It freezes really well.)
2 lbs. hamburger meat
1 1/3 tsp. salt
1 2/3 tsp. sugar
2 - 16 oz cans tomatoes
2 - 8 oz cans tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pepper to taste
2 - 5 oz packages wide noodles
1/2 pint sour cream
2 - 3 oz packages cream cheese
12 chopped green onions
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
Brown meat in a skillet. Cook for 10 minutes with sugar, salt, and garlic. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce.
Cook noodles, drain but do not rinse. Add sour cream and cream cheese. Stir until cheese melts.
Chop green onions.
In a buttered casserole dish, alternate noodles, meat, onions, and grated cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
Easy Cheese Danish For Two
1 tube (4 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
1 tsp butter, melted
Cinnamon-sugar, optional
Unroll crescent roll dough, and separate into two rectangles; place on an ungreased baking sheet and press the perforations together.
In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over half of each rectangle; fold over opposite half of rectangle and pinch to seal.
Brush with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
*Makes 2 servings*
(Or, if you don't feel like buying the crescent roll dough, just mix up the filling in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.....I never do that........)
"There's No Coconut In It" Cake
To make the cake:
1 box of yellow cake mix
6 oz can mandarin oranges (Do not drain)
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
Mix all together, bake in a greased and floured pan according to cake mix directions. (It usually cooks a few minutes quicker than the box says.)
To make the frosting:
12 oz tub Cool Whip
15 oz can crushed pineapple (Do not drain)
1 small box vanilla pudding mix
Stir all together, spread on cake when it is completely cooled.
Osgood Pie
(Mow Mow = Ora Lee Boen, my grandma)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup butter
1 cup white raisins
2 tbsp vinegar
1 deep dish pie shell
Cream sugar and butter. Add vanilla, egg yolks, and vinegar, then add raisins and pecans. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold egg whites into mixture and pour into an uncooked pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes, until brown on top.
You might want to make two of these pies, because when you take the first bite, you will sigh and say "OSGOOD!!"
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Links!!
Really yummy biscuits - Shannon posted this recipe as a Works-for-Me-Wednesday a long time ago, and I've been making them ever since. They really are good, and you can serve them for breakfast with jam (or honey!), or with your favorite meal. They're sweet, but not too sweet to have with a meatloaf, you know?
Sorta-Soba Bowls
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Mimi's Chili
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large can tomato juice
1 c. water
2 packs Chili seasoning
2 large onions
2 cans dark red kidney beans (optional)
In a large stock pot, start tomato juice, water, beans, and chili seasonings to simmering. While this waits, saute onions in butter until slightly browned. Add onions to pot. Brown ground beef and drain. Add beef. Let this simmer for several hours. The kids will LOVE it, and absolutely insist that you never make you own, hot chili again...
Sweet Potato Casserole
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 stick butter (softened)
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Combine above ingredients and put into a large Pyrex baking dish.
Topping:
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. coconut (sorry Stacey...)
1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. oleo
Mix topping ingredients together and pour over filling. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. AWESOME!!