I have heard that sometimes the greatest inventions were by accident. I'll have to agree with that. I was wondering what to make for dinner last night with the ground beef I had. No, to Taco's, hamburgers, hamburger steak, meatballs, and all the other usual ideas. I wanted something different. I remember having a delicious ground beef dish with elbow macaroni. I didn't quite remember the ingredients, but I thought it had cheese in it. How hard could this be?
As I was getting the ingredients out, I had a brilliant idea. Why not use a packet of Ranch Dressing mix? We love Ranch Dressing, so why not use it to spice up the hamburger? I had, left over shredded Mozzarella cheese, from pizza night last night. Ok, it's coming together. I said a quick prayer that it would taste good and got to cooking. I kind of flew-by-the-seat-of-my-pants on this one. After the meat was cooked, I added the cheese and ranch dressing mix. It needed liquid. I didn't have cream (that would have been amazing I'm sure) so I used whole milk. I added a little at a time until it was a nice thick consistency. I tasted it, and Whalah, it tasted just like Beef Stroganoff!! What a wonderful surprise. I love Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff, which was probably what my room mate was making, now that I think of it. It has a crazy amount of sodium in it, so I don't make it any more. Now, I can make this anytime I want and it's much healthier. I didn't add one bit of salt to the entire dish. You can use 2% cheese, and milk, what a great meal. Quick and easy.
I always boil my hamburger meat. I take the lump of ground beef out of the package, add it to a sauce pan or skillet, add water about 1/4 way up the meat and boil. I also add lots of garlic, onions and pepper. I think it flavors the meat as it boils. I learned this little trick in college, from a room mate of mine. Four of us shared a house, and we alternated weeks for cooking and cleaning the kitchen. One of my room mates was making something with hamburger meat, and boiled it. I asked why in the world a person would do this. I was told, and found to be true, that it makes it easier to drain the grease from the meat. We all know, from basic science, that oil and water do not mix. So, by boiling the meat, the grease rises to the top of the water, which can then be easily poured off with the water. No more paper towels, no more precious meat going into the trash along with the grease, no more greasy yuck tasting meat. Just cooked hamburger with a very nice flavor.
After the meat is boiled, I pour off the water and grease, then break it up into small pieces and fry a little bit longer to make sure it's cooked through. Most times, I'll cut the hamburger in half to make sure it is cooked enough before I pour the water/grease off. This is such a neat trick, time saving too! Warning, don't boil too long or you'll end up with a hamburger baseball.
Beef Ranch Stroganoff
1 lb Ground Beef
water
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 packet Ranch Dressing mix
2 large cloves of garlic, smashed
1 TB spoon minced onion
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup shredded 2% mozzarella cheese
whole milk, or cream, or 2% milk
Elbow macaroni
Add ground beef to a large sauce pan, pour in enough water to cover 1/4 way up the meat. Leave the ground beef whole, do not break it into pieces yet.
Add to the ground beef and water, garlic, minced onion and pepper, bring to a boil
Cook until nearly well done
Pour off water and then break the beef up into smaller pieces
Add the ranch dressing, cheese and stir.
Slowly add milk until it reaches a medium thick consistency
Allow this to simmer together while you make the macaroni
Elbow Macaroni:
Cook as per package instructions, use about 1/2 a box
Dill Succotash:
Frozen Succotash vegetables
1 TB spoon butter
1 tsp dill
Allow the vegetables to cook, add the butter once the veggies are done, then add the dill while the water/butter is boiling. Take off the heat, drain and serve.
Once the macaroni is cooked, pour off most of the water, then add to the ground beef mixture, stir, serve and enjoy.
I have some leftover, which means a delicious lunch tomorrow. It will probably be even better tomorrow once all the flavors blend, or marry. Ummmm, Yummy, I hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Do you know what a Turnip is? Want to know how to cook one and be glad you did?
I finally was organizing my loose recipes into a binder with those plastic sleeves, very convenient. I ran across this recipe from a dear family friend, Justine. It is her mothers recipe for Boiled Turnips. This is a very old recipe. Please don't turn your nose up at it, try it. You will be surprised and the flavor. You might just find yourself wanting more turnips in your diet.
Boiled Turnips
by Ora Wallace
6 medium turnips (cut the root and stem off, wash, then chop into bite size pieces)
2 tbs Bacon drippings (or just fry 4-5 slices of bacon, remove bacon and crumble, add crumpled bacon to turnips at end)
1 tbs sugar or to taste
salt to taste
Corn meal
Water to about top of turnips
Cook until tender
sprinkle plain corn meal in broth to thicken
eat immediately
Picture credit: http://www.bestinseason.ie/a-z/turnips/
What to do with left over Rotisserie chicken? Comfort Food, Chicken Pot Pie style.
When I was little, I did not like Chicken Pot pies. I took the stand, if there is a pie crust, it needs to be filled with cherries or apples, not chicken with veggies. I've slowly given over to accepting the chicken pot pie. We went to Cracker Barrel to eat dinner on the night they were making chicken pot pies. I thought I'd try one, it had been years since I ate one. It was delicious! I found myself craving a chicken pot pie.
I wanted to make my own Chicken pie (as my son calls it), but wasn't sure how. I read in a cook book, several different versions of pot pies and decided to mix them to create my own version. My mother-in-law happened to be coming to visit the day I made my first attempt at a Chicken pot pie. My whole family loved, including the little boy. We ate like pigs, it was so good!
My son and I have been sick for the last two weeks with chest colds, head colds, all over colds I guess would be the best description. I haven't felt like cooking, who does when your under the weather? I have been wanting chicken pot pie. I decided that once I felt better, we were going to have one. For the last several days, I have not been able to smell or taste anything. Probably a good idea not to cook anything new. My sense of smell and taste are coming back, so tonight was the night.
I bought a lovely Rachel Ray, enameled, cast iron casserole dish, for my birthday. I received some birthday money, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than on one of her pieces of cookware. I got a Rachel Ray knife for Christmas. It is fantastic. I have several pieces of her cook and bake ware, I like all of them. Tonight I decided to use my new casserole dish. I can cook on top of the stove with it, put it in the oven, then cover with the lid and store it in the fridge for leftovers tomorrow. Score!!
Chicken Pot Pie:
1 deep dish frozen pie crust (thawed)
2.5 cups cubed chicken
2 cups frozen veggies
1 cup celery thinly sliced
1 medium onion
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp parsley finely chopped
1.5 tbsp butter
1.5 tbsp olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350
In a large skillet saute the onions, celery in the butter and oil,
add salt and pepper
when onions & celery are softened, add the parsley and poultry seasoning
add the flour and brown slightly, stir a lot so it doesn't burn
slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk stirring constantly until thickened
add the frozen veggies
heat through
Pour in a casserole dish
Take the pie crust out of the pie plate, careful not to tear it
Put over the casserole dish and pinch the sides to seal.
Cut slits in the top of the pie crust to vent
Bake in oven 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and bubbly
I saw another version of pot pie. Instead of putting the pie crust on, put on cut biscuit dough. Then you'll have pot pie with biscuits. Looked yummy too!!
I wanted to make my own Chicken pie (as my son calls it), but wasn't sure how. I read in a cook book, several different versions of pot pies and decided to mix them to create my own version. My mother-in-law happened to be coming to visit the day I made my first attempt at a Chicken pot pie. My whole family loved, including the little boy. We ate like pigs, it was so good!
My son and I have been sick for the last two weeks with chest colds, head colds, all over colds I guess would be the best description. I haven't felt like cooking, who does when your under the weather? I have been wanting chicken pot pie. I decided that once I felt better, we were going to have one. For the last several days, I have not been able to smell or taste anything. Probably a good idea not to cook anything new. My sense of smell and taste are coming back, so tonight was the night.
I bought a lovely Rachel Ray, enameled, cast iron casserole dish, for my birthday. I received some birthday money, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it than on one of her pieces of cookware. I got a Rachel Ray knife for Christmas. It is fantastic. I have several pieces of her cook and bake ware, I like all of them. Tonight I decided to use my new casserole dish. I can cook on top of the stove with it, put it in the oven, then cover with the lid and store it in the fridge for leftovers tomorrow. Score!!
Chicken Pot Pie:
1 deep dish frozen pie crust (thawed)
2.5 cups cubed chicken
2 cups frozen veggies
1 cup celery thinly sliced
1 medium onion
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tsp parsley finely chopped
1.5 tbsp butter
1.5 tbsp olive oil
salt
fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour
Preheat oven to 350
In a large skillet saute the onions, celery in the butter and oil,
add salt and pepper
when onions & celery are softened, add the parsley and poultry seasoning
add the flour and brown slightly, stir a lot so it doesn't burn
slowly pour in the chicken broth and milk stirring constantly until thickened
add the frozen veggies
heat through
Pour in a casserole dish
Take the pie crust out of the pie plate, careful not to tear it
Put over the casserole dish and pinch the sides to seal.
Cut slits in the top of the pie crust to vent
Bake in oven 45 minutes until the crust is golden brown and bubbly
I saw another version of pot pie. Instead of putting the pie crust on, put on cut biscuit dough. Then you'll have pot pie with biscuits. Looked yummy too!!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Slow cooked Boneless Chicken thighs with Saffron rice and Glazed dill Carrots
Let me just start by saying, I love my crock pot. It's a fantastic way to cook a meal that makes your family think you slaved away in the kitchen all day. The first time I ever cooked raw chicken in it, I just knew we would all have salmonella. Thankfully, that didn't happen. What did happen? We had BBQ chicken drumsticks with the meat falling off the bone. It was so delicious. I've been experimenting with different ways to cook the chicken, flavors, seasoning, and things like that. Sometimes it's a hit, sometimes it's a big ole miss, but at least it's a try.
I don't understand how people are willing to sit on the side lines and watch, instead of try, because they are afraid of failure. That, to me, is the ultimate failure, not even trying. I love to ski. I use to work at a ski resort as a ski instructor. Sometimes, when I didn’t have a class to teach, I’d go on a “clinic” with a more advanced skier, to better my skiing ability. Before we started went down the run, we were discussing the last big fall we had. I proudly said I hadn’t fallen all season. To which the Clinic leader promptly answered, “Then you haven’t been trying hard enough.” I was shocked, I thought the idea was not to fall. He went on to say that the only way to improve is to give it 100%. No one learns on the first try, but you can’t get better if you don’t push past your fears and limits. That means don’t be afraid to fall, it’s not a badge of shame, it’s merely gravity reminding us what happens to objects that go up. Speaking of objects that go up, another good piece of advice I learned: Be careful who you step on going up the ladder of success, you might just have to pass them again on your way back down. So I learned it's ok to fall, it's just not ok to stay down.
My husband and I love to eat at a little place in Falls Church, VA. Panjshir, they serve authentic Afghan food, which is delicious. Great atmosphere, wonderful service and the food is always wonderful. We always get Sambosay Goshti, which is a deep fried pastry filled with ground beef, chickpeas and parsley for an appetizer. For my main course I get the Kebab-E-Murgh, which is chicken kebab served on a bed of saffron rice. The food leaves me full, not stuffed, with warmth all over from the wonderful mix of flavors.
For some reason, cooking with saffron has always been very intimidating to me. It’s very expensive, so I don’t want to experiment with it, not knowing how it will turn out. So it sits in the cabinet where it will end up being thrown out when I clean my spice racks out. That makes no sense, instead of trying (for fear of wasting it), I let it sit in the cabinet where it, gets wasted. Time to get up and try. I got on www.FoodNetwork.com and typed in Saffron Rice, one of the first recipes that came up was from Paula Deen. I didn’t need to look any further. Recipe from Paula Deen, *win*. Saffron Rice with a few ingredients, *win*. Level listed as easy, *win win*.
Saffron Rice
By Paula Deen, 2007
http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=saffron+rice&fnSearchType=site
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
¾ cup diced onion
1 cup long-grain, white rice
3 cups Chicken stock
Pinch Saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions while stirring in the rice to coat with the butter. Pour in the chicken stock, saffron, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.
Slow cooked Boneless Chicken Thighs:
Large package of boneless, chicken thighs
1 package onion soup mix
1 carton organic chicken stock mix
1 low sodium chicken bouillon cube
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Stalks celery, rough chopped
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp thyme
-Best to start this in the morning, so it will be ready for dinner and the house will smell delicious-
Pour chicken broth and water in slow cooker
Add the bouillon cube, onion soup mix, garlic, celery, sage and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Put the lid on and turn to low leave it alone until it’s almost time to eat
Carrots:
2 cups chopped carrots
1 tbsp dill
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Gently boil the carrots until they are soft, drain water
Melt butter in sauce pan coating the carrots; add the brown sugar and dill
Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Dinner was superb, if I say so myself. The Carrots are my Moms recipe. They are so delicious!!
Have a super dinner!!!
I don't understand how people are willing to sit on the side lines and watch, instead of try, because they are afraid of failure. That, to me, is the ultimate failure, not even trying. I love to ski. I use to work at a ski resort as a ski instructor. Sometimes, when I didn’t have a class to teach, I’d go on a “clinic” with a more advanced skier, to better my skiing ability. Before we started went down the run, we were discussing the last big fall we had. I proudly said I hadn’t fallen all season. To which the Clinic leader promptly answered, “Then you haven’t been trying hard enough.” I was shocked, I thought the idea was not to fall. He went on to say that the only way to improve is to give it 100%. No one learns on the first try, but you can’t get better if you don’t push past your fears and limits. That means don’t be afraid to fall, it’s not a badge of shame, it’s merely gravity reminding us what happens to objects that go up. Speaking of objects that go up, another good piece of advice I learned: Be careful who you step on going up the ladder of success, you might just have to pass them again on your way back down. So I learned it's ok to fall, it's just not ok to stay down.
My husband and I love to eat at a little place in Falls Church, VA. Panjshir, they serve authentic Afghan food, which is delicious. Great atmosphere, wonderful service and the food is always wonderful. We always get Sambosay Goshti, which is a deep fried pastry filled with ground beef, chickpeas and parsley for an appetizer. For my main course I get the Kebab-E-Murgh, which is chicken kebab served on a bed of saffron rice. The food leaves me full, not stuffed, with warmth all over from the wonderful mix of flavors.
For some reason, cooking with saffron has always been very intimidating to me. It’s very expensive, so I don’t want to experiment with it, not knowing how it will turn out. So it sits in the cabinet where it will end up being thrown out when I clean my spice racks out. That makes no sense, instead of trying (for fear of wasting it), I let it sit in the cabinet where it, gets wasted. Time to get up and try. I got on www.FoodNetwork.com and typed in Saffron Rice, one of the first recipes that came up was from Paula Deen. I didn’t need to look any further. Recipe from Paula Deen, *win*. Saffron Rice with a few ingredients, *win*. Level listed as easy, *win win*.
Saffron Rice
By Paula Deen, 2007
http://www.foodnetwork.com/search/delegate.do?fnSearchString=saffron+rice&fnSearchType=site
Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
¾ cup diced onion
1 cup long-grain, white rice
3 cups Chicken stock
Pinch Saffron threads
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
In a large saucepan or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions while stirring in the rice to coat with the butter. Pour in the chicken stock, saffron, salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork before serving.
Slow cooked Boneless Chicken Thighs:
Large package of boneless, chicken thighs
1 package onion soup mix
1 carton organic chicken stock mix
1 low sodium chicken bouillon cube
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Stalks celery, rough chopped
1 tbsp sage
1 tbsp thyme
-Best to start this in the morning, so it will be ready for dinner and the house will smell delicious-
Pour chicken broth and water in slow cooker
Add the bouillon cube, onion soup mix, garlic, celery, sage and thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Put the lid on and turn to low leave it alone until it’s almost time to eat
Carrots:
2 cups chopped carrots
1 tbsp dill
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Gently boil the carrots until they are soft, drain water
Melt butter in sauce pan coating the carrots; add the brown sugar and dill
Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Dinner was superb, if I say so myself. The Carrots are my Moms recipe. They are so delicious!!
Have a super dinner!!!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Roasty Toasty Peanut Butter Marshmallow Mini Bagels
Coming up with lunch ideas that are healthy, easy to make, as well as, nutritious is not an easy task for me. I tend to find something that works, then stick to that. If it isn't broke, don't fix it. That gets boring, so I've been trying to come up with some different ideas.
This past summer, Bens friend Alex came over to play. A thunder storm came along bringing with it a pelting rain mingled with flashes of lightning. I knew the boys were a little scared of all the noise. It's easy to tell them a story about why there is such a loud noise coming from the sky. Sometimes it's easier than trying to explain the real reason for something. I have always had a very good imagination, my son has one also. That said, sometimes the funny little stories conjure up a different image for an inexperienced child. My favorite story was, why the mountains would have smoke curling up towards the sky, after the rain. Mom told us that the bunnys were baking bread. Well, that explained forest fires. I love that story, I do tell my son that one. I adored the idea of little bunny chefs, in little bunny holes baking up warm yummy bunny bread. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread!
The reason for thunder, I was always told that the angels were bowling in heaven. Now that's a cute story, we'll all agree. However, I did wonder a little anxiously, what if the Angel threw a gutter ball, would it land down here? I hoped it wouldn't land on my head. Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner. Every book I read about childhood development says a childs "foundation" is developed with the first 5 years. Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner, I simply try to explain it on his level. Even the "Bunny bread" phenomena.
When he started being a little wary of thunder, I told him that thunder is just warm air and cold air bumping into each other. The warm air says, "Oh excuse me!" while the cold air says, "No, excuse ME" and then (clap hands together) BOOM, thunder. He laughs so hard when I tell him that. It doesn't always comfort him, however it lightens his mood. On this day, it wasn't doing a lot to comfort either of them, 3 years olds boys together equals more imagination. We needed some comfort food, special food that only gets made during Thunder storms. I fixed bread with peanut butter, and marshmallow creme toasted in the oven. They were called Thunder Boomer sandwiches. That did the trick, by the time they'd finished their Thunder Boomer sandwiches, the storm was over. That didn't help me today, during the winter, when there is no thunder. I couldn't exactly make a Thunder Boomer, if there was no thunder booming.
I was reading in a magazine, that said, mini bagels are an excellent breakfast choice for toddlers since they are small and easy to handle. Why not use them for lunch too, after all, it's just bread. When I was little, we use to love to fix toast and as soon as the toast popped up, spread peanut butter over it. It melted and tasted so good. My little one loves peanut butter, he loves bread, he loves marshmallows. Just like that, the Roasty Toasty was born. It was delicious. I served it with fresh orange slices and cottage cheese. It was very good to see him eat well again. He's been sick with a chest cold, that took his appetite away. Thank the Lord he's feeling better and his appetite is back. I had some leftover gingerbread marshmallows in gingerbread man shapes. Good way to use them up and add a little special touch to lunch.
Roasty Toasty:
Mini bagels
creamy peanut butter
Fun shaped marshmallows, or small regular marshmallows
Turn oven broiler on low
Halve the bagels
Spread peanut butter on each half
Put marshmallows on top
Place on a cookie sheet in pre heated oven
Watch carefully, don't burn the marshmallows!
When the top of the mallow gets golden and a little smoky take out of oven immediately
Smush the mallows down and into the warmed peanut butter
Cut in four, bite size pieces making sure that the peanut butter and marshmallows are not too hot for your little one to eat.
If anyone has any fun lunch items to share, feel free! Have a super day.
This past summer, Bens friend Alex came over to play. A thunder storm came along bringing with it a pelting rain mingled with flashes of lightning. I knew the boys were a little scared of all the noise. It's easy to tell them a story about why there is such a loud noise coming from the sky. Sometimes it's easier than trying to explain the real reason for something. I have always had a very good imagination, my son has one also. That said, sometimes the funny little stories conjure up a different image for an inexperienced child. My favorite story was, why the mountains would have smoke curling up towards the sky, after the rain. Mom told us that the bunnys were baking bread. Well, that explained forest fires. I love that story, I do tell my son that one. I adored the idea of little bunny chefs, in little bunny holes baking up warm yummy bunny bread. Who doesn't love the smell of fresh baked bread!
The reason for thunder, I was always told that the angels were bowling in heaven. Now that's a cute story, we'll all agree. However, I did wonder a little anxiously, what if the Angel threw a gutter ball, would it land down here? I hoped it wouldn't land on my head. Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner. Every book I read about childhood development says a childs "foundation" is developed with the first 5 years. Therefore, I try not to make up a reason why something behaves in a certain manner, I simply try to explain it on his level. Even the "Bunny bread" phenomena.
When he started being a little wary of thunder, I told him that thunder is just warm air and cold air bumping into each other. The warm air says, "Oh excuse me!" while the cold air says, "No, excuse ME" and then (clap hands together) BOOM, thunder. He laughs so hard when I tell him that. It doesn't always comfort him, however it lightens his mood. On this day, it wasn't doing a lot to comfort either of them, 3 years olds boys together equals more imagination. We needed some comfort food, special food that only gets made during Thunder storms. I fixed bread with peanut butter, and marshmallow creme toasted in the oven. They were called Thunder Boomer sandwiches. That did the trick, by the time they'd finished their Thunder Boomer sandwiches, the storm was over. That didn't help me today, during the winter, when there is no thunder. I couldn't exactly make a Thunder Boomer, if there was no thunder booming.
I was reading in a magazine, that said, mini bagels are an excellent breakfast choice for toddlers since they are small and easy to handle. Why not use them for lunch too, after all, it's just bread. When I was little, we use to love to fix toast and as soon as the toast popped up, spread peanut butter over it. It melted and tasted so good. My little one loves peanut butter, he loves bread, he loves marshmallows. Just like that, the Roasty Toasty was born. It was delicious. I served it with fresh orange slices and cottage cheese. It was very good to see him eat well again. He's been sick with a chest cold, that took his appetite away. Thank the Lord he's feeling better and his appetite is back. I had some leftover gingerbread marshmallows in gingerbread man shapes. Good way to use them up and add a little special touch to lunch.
Mini bagels
creamy peanut butter
Fun shaped marshmallows, or small regular marshmallows
Turn oven broiler on low
Halve the bagels
Spread peanut butter on each half
Put marshmallows on top
Place on a cookie sheet in pre heated oven
Watch carefully, don't burn the marshmallows!
When the top of the mallow gets golden and a little smoky take out of oven immediately
Smush the mallows down and into the warmed peanut butter
Cut in four, bite size pieces making sure that the peanut butter and marshmallows are not too hot for your little one to eat.
If anyone has any fun lunch items to share, feel free! Have a super day.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Cheddar cracker meatballs with tomato and sausage spaghetti sauce
Goldfish Cracker meatballs with tomato and sausage spaghetti sauce
I've missed out on blogging for a while. I'm a shameless procrastinator, therefore I...... I'll tell you later. Ok, I'll tell you now. I've become a fan of a series of books by Diana Gabaldon. They are a wonderful, intricate series of books that leave a person wanting for more. Right now, I am eagerly awaiting the next novel in the series. I have found a place where other people, who are addicted to this series, can go discuss them. It's been wild to see so many different opinions of the why, how, what-just-happened, of these stories. What's best, is the author, will actually respond to many of these posts. There are some pretty heated discussions, but it is all in fun. I usually don't like historical novels, I find them boring. Hearing about how mean people are to each other, the wars, the disputes and so on, is tedious. I can get all of that on the news channels. What's unique about Diana's historical novels is this. They are both fact and fiction. She weaves an intricate web around the real history, while connecting it to her fictional story base. It really is a fantastic series. I encourage anyone who loves to read, to try these.
My husband works away at times, which means he eats at restaurants more than he wants to. When he is home, he always asks me to fix him spaghetti with meatballs. That has to be one of my favorite dishes as well, I like it even more when someone has to fix the meatballs though. So boring to fix, but worth it.
We went on a family beach vacation, with my husbands side of the family. It was a lot of fun. We each had a night to fix dinner. My mother-in-law, Susan, she chose spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were delicious, but, they had some weird orange colored things in them. Being a person, who, unfortunately, can get food poisoning faster than anyone else eating from the same food source, I have learned to pick through my food. Making this obnoxious habit worse, is the fact, that I do have food allergies and found people like to put strange things in the foods they make. Like, spinach in the lasagna. Yes, I am allergic to spinach. One restaurant served mango with just about everything, so I chose roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. What came out with my safe food choice? Mango salsa, runny mango salsa. You guessed it, allergic to that too. When I noticed the orange things, many orange food choices ran through my head. Upon noticing my complete focus on the meat balls, my husband nudges me to ask what is wrong. I point to the orange thing in my meatball. To which, he asks his Mom what she put in the meatballs. Dinner conversation stopped, all eyes went to his Mom as we waited for her answer. She gave us her list of ingredients, none of which I can remember, then explained why there were orange things in the meatballs. She forgot to get bread crumbs so she took a bunch of the gold fish crackers, smashed them up and used them. Genius! So, to this day, that's the only ingredient I remember in her meat ball recipe. They were the best I'd ever had, so I have worked to duplicate them. The easiest thing would be, call to ask. Well, she, like me, doesn't write down her recipes. It's been fun, maybe not always successful, i.e., if you're going to add kale to meatballs, make sure you cut it up really really thin, and don't put too much in cause then it's just gross.
My little boy loves to help me in the kitchen. His question, when he sees me start to cook, "What are we fixing?" He then opens the drawer and pulls out his Nut Cracker apron, then gets his stool to help me cook. I had him go get his toy hammer. He was very confused, but after promising I wouldn't start without him, he ran off to get it. When he came in I put the gold fish crackers in a zip lock baggie and had him smash them to bits. At first he thought it was a trick, because we aren't allowed to play with our food. When he finally was convinced I was serious, he went to town. I believe my little boy was the magic to the secret ingredient because they were divine! I made way too many, so I sent a bunch off to work with my husband the next day. Cold meatballs are ok, or so he tells me. It just sounds yuck to me, but oh well.
Imagine my surprise when I get a text message from one of his co-workers, David, asking me for the recipe. He loved them and wanted to make some for his girlfriend. He was lucky I had just recently made them, so I could still see what I had used, in my mind. I was so pleased to have someone contact me for one of my recipes!! It was great. I later found out he had first contacted my husband to see if he minded if David texted me. What a gentleman! One of the many things I love about living in the south and in a rural part of the states, manners. Gentlemen will not go into a house alone, with a married (or otherwise attached) woman. It looks bad. He was considerate of his girlfriend as well as my husband and I. Everyone knew, so there was no chance of confusion. I find that very commendable, that there are still some men out there who do not want to give the semblance of impropriety, by contacting a married woman. I was very impressed. Anyway, I sent him the message with the recipe attached. He later told me the meatballs were "amazing". I was so happy! So, here is the recipe. Enjoy, and please let me know how you liked them!
Cheddar Cracker meatballs
1 jar sausage spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground round 80/20
2 shallots finely chopped or 1 small onion
1 tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
2 eggs
salt & pepper
2 cups cheddar crackers (I use cheddar bunnies) smashed into crumbs ( a great job for a kid to do)
Boil water for your spaghetti noodles, fix per package instructions
heat oven to 350
Put cheddar crackers in a zip lock bag, making sure ALL the air is out (you'll not like the results of a bag blowing crackers all over your kitchen) then smash a way
Mix all the ingredients together (except the sauce)
Shape into meat balls and place in an oven proof baking dish.
Pour sauce over the top and bake for about 45 minutes (depending upon the size of the meatball, bake for longer or shorter time)
If you make too many, you can always freeze them for later!!
Have a wonderful time in the kitchen!
I've missed out on blogging for a while. I'm a shameless procrastinator, therefore I...... I'll tell you later. Ok, I'll tell you now. I've become a fan of a series of books by Diana Gabaldon. They are a wonderful, intricate series of books that leave a person wanting for more. Right now, I am eagerly awaiting the next novel in the series. I have found a place where other people, who are addicted to this series, can go discuss them. It's been wild to see so many different opinions of the why, how, what-just-happened, of these stories. What's best, is the author, will actually respond to many of these posts. There are some pretty heated discussions, but it is all in fun. I usually don't like historical novels, I find them boring. Hearing about how mean people are to each other, the wars, the disputes and so on, is tedious. I can get all of that on the news channels. What's unique about Diana's historical novels is this. They are both fact and fiction. She weaves an intricate web around the real history, while connecting it to her fictional story base. It really is a fantastic series. I encourage anyone who loves to read, to try these.
My husband works away at times, which means he eats at restaurants more than he wants to. When he is home, he always asks me to fix him spaghetti with meatballs. That has to be one of my favorite dishes as well, I like it even more when someone has to fix the meatballs though. So boring to fix, but worth it.
We went on a family beach vacation, with my husbands side of the family. It was a lot of fun. We each had a night to fix dinner. My mother-in-law, Susan, she chose spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were delicious, but, they had some weird orange colored things in them. Being a person, who, unfortunately, can get food poisoning faster than anyone else eating from the same food source, I have learned to pick through my food. Making this obnoxious habit worse, is the fact, that I do have food allergies and found people like to put strange things in the foods they make. Like, spinach in the lasagna. Yes, I am allergic to spinach. One restaurant served mango with just about everything, so I chose roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. What came out with my safe food choice? Mango salsa, runny mango salsa. You guessed it, allergic to that too. When I noticed the orange things, many orange food choices ran through my head. Upon noticing my complete focus on the meat balls, my husband nudges me to ask what is wrong. I point to the orange thing in my meatball. To which, he asks his Mom what she put in the meatballs. Dinner conversation stopped, all eyes went to his Mom as we waited for her answer. She gave us her list of ingredients, none of which I can remember, then explained why there were orange things in the meatballs. She forgot to get bread crumbs so she took a bunch of the gold fish crackers, smashed them up and used them. Genius! So, to this day, that's the only ingredient I remember in her meat ball recipe. They were the best I'd ever had, so I have worked to duplicate them. The easiest thing would be, call to ask. Well, she, like me, doesn't write down her recipes. It's been fun, maybe not always successful, i.e., if you're going to add kale to meatballs, make sure you cut it up really really thin, and don't put too much in cause then it's just gross.
My little boy loves to help me in the kitchen. His question, when he sees me start to cook, "What are we fixing?" He then opens the drawer and pulls out his Nut Cracker apron, then gets his stool to help me cook. I had him go get his toy hammer. He was very confused, but after promising I wouldn't start without him, he ran off to get it. When he came in I put the gold fish crackers in a zip lock baggie and had him smash them to bits. At first he thought it was a trick, because we aren't allowed to play with our food. When he finally was convinced I was serious, he went to town. I believe my little boy was the magic to the secret ingredient because they were divine! I made way too many, so I sent a bunch off to work with my husband the next day. Cold meatballs are ok, or so he tells me. It just sounds yuck to me, but oh well.
Imagine my surprise when I get a text message from one of his co-workers, David, asking me for the recipe. He loved them and wanted to make some for his girlfriend. He was lucky I had just recently made them, so I could still see what I had used, in my mind. I was so pleased to have someone contact me for one of my recipes!! It was great. I later found out he had first contacted my husband to see if he minded if David texted me. What a gentleman! One of the many things I love about living in the south and in a rural part of the states, manners. Gentlemen will not go into a house alone, with a married (or otherwise attached) woman. It looks bad. He was considerate of his girlfriend as well as my husband and I. Everyone knew, so there was no chance of confusion. I find that very commendable, that there are still some men out there who do not want to give the semblance of impropriety, by contacting a married woman. I was very impressed. Anyway, I sent him the message with the recipe attached. He later told me the meatballs were "amazing". I was so happy! So, here is the recipe. Enjoy, and please let me know how you liked them!
Cheddar Cracker meatballs
1 jar sausage spaghetti sauce
1 lb ground round 80/20
2 shallots finely chopped or 1 small onion
1 tbsp parsley
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
2 eggs
salt & pepper
2 cups cheddar crackers (I use cheddar bunnies) smashed into crumbs ( a great job for a kid to do)
Boil water for your spaghetti noodles, fix per package instructions
heat oven to 350
Put cheddar crackers in a zip lock bag, making sure ALL the air is out (you'll not like the results of a bag blowing crackers all over your kitchen) then smash a way
Mix all the ingredients together (except the sauce)
Shape into meat balls and place in an oven proof baking dish.
Pour sauce over the top and bake for about 45 minutes (depending upon the size of the meatball, bake for longer or shorter time)
If you make too many, you can always freeze them for later!!
Have a wonderful time in the kitchen!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Super Duper Blackberry Cobbler
Such is life, I was going to post a recipe for Pumpkin cookies my son and I made the other night. However, when I read the copyright, it said it could not be duplicated in any way what-so-ever. So…..I’m posting one of favorite and easy, go to deserts. This will leave everyone raving about your ability to bake a delicious dessert. You don’t have to tell them how easy it was.
In our neighborhood, I had spotted some blackberry thickets. Ok, it’s now or never. I got some containers, my son, and we hopped on the little cars and took off to pick some blackberries. I, of course, brought high boots for us to put on….just in case of snakes. We picked, and ate, a bunch of blackberries. My husband decided to join us and we made a day of it. We picked all the ones we could find in our neighborhood, then moved on to scout surrounding areas. We found a lot, though most didn’t make it into the containers. No wonder, when we got home, no one was hungry. Another benefit is that most places we went, after that day, we were on the lookout for blackberry bushes!
Blackberry Cobbler:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 cup of milk
any fruit of your choice, in this case, blackberries
brown sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt the stick of butter in the microwave (or in a small saucepan) pour in the bottom of a casserole dish, or baking dish.
Mix the milk, flour, sugar, egg and cinnamon together and pour over the melted butter
Carefully drop your prepared fruit (peaches, apples, pears, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.,) on TOP of your batter.
Then sprinkle, liberally, with the brown sugar over the fruit
Put in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the batter has risen over the fruit and turned a deep golden brown.
Remove from oven, serve warm with a lovely scoop of ice cream.
Your family will think you are a genius, and worked VERY hard to create this delectable treat. Only you and I will know the truth!
One of my fondest (and scariest), memories from childhood involves the picking of fruit. As goes with most stories involving fruit, more of it gets eaten than in the baskets! I have a vague memory of being around blackberry brambles and eating my fill of the delicious berries. Getting stuck, by the thorns, in my fingers as well as in my clothes and hair. What a bother! That completely slowed down my ability to stuff myself with as many blackberries as I could find. I also remember the “yuck” factor, when I would pick one that wasn’t quit ready. I must have been quite young, because this memory is not accompanied by a visual recollection (as most of my memories are), but rather an audio recollection. That being in the form of a piercing scream, followed instantly by arms grabbing me and running like mad back to the house. I then recall something about a snake under the brambles. Well, there you have it, that basically ended my foray into blackberry picking. Then, last summer we were at an anniversary cookout, for our area churches, summer camp. My friend and I were walking with our kids when she saw a blackberry bush. She then proceeded, without care, to pick the berries and give them to our kids. While she was focused on the berry picking, I was focused as a snake look-out. My son LOVES anything berry, he was so excited to get berries right off the vine. Let the stuffing begin! I decided that enough was enough, if my son enjoyed picking fresh berries, then by george we would pick some berries! That’s exactly what we did.
In our neighborhood, I had spotted some blackberry thickets. Ok, it’s now or never. I got some containers, my son, and we hopped on the little cars and took off to pick some blackberries. I, of course, brought high boots for us to put on….just in case of snakes. We picked, and ate, a bunch of blackberries. My husband decided to join us and we made a day of it. We picked all the ones we could find in our neighborhood, then moved on to scout surrounding areas. We found a lot, though most didn’t make it into the containers. No wonder, when we got home, no one was hungry. Another benefit is that most places we went, after that day, we were on the lookout for blackberry bushes!Blackberry Cobbler:
1 stick of butter
1 cup of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 egg
1 cup of milk
any fruit of your choice, in this case, blackberries
brown sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Melt the stick of butter in the microwave (or in a small saucepan) pour in the bottom of a casserole dish, or baking dish.
Mix the milk, flour, sugar, egg and cinnamon together and pour over the melted butter
Carefully drop your prepared fruit (peaches, apples, pears, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc.,) on TOP of your batter.
Then sprinkle, liberally, with the brown sugar over the fruit
Put in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the batter has risen over the fruit and turned a deep golden brown.
Remove from oven, serve warm with a lovely scoop of ice cream.
Your family will think you are a genius, and worked VERY hard to create this delectable treat. Only you and I will know the truth!
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