Foodie Friday -- Skillet Hash

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, I had leftover meat and not a whole lot of options. Well, when I was looking for a recipe, I remembered this one for Skillet Hash. It's originally from a Betty Crocker cookbook and I've used this recipe numerous times when I've had left over roast beef.

Skillet Hash

2 cups chopped cooked beef
4 small potatoes, cooked and diced (about 2 cups)
1 med. onion, chopped (@1/2 cup)
1 Tbls. snipped parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup shortening

Mix beef, potatoes, onion, parsley, salt and pepper. Heat shortening in large skillet over medium heat until melted. Spread beef mixture evenly in skillet. Fry, turning frequently, until browned. 10-15 minutes.

 
Hints & suggestions:

·         Oven Hash--Omit shortening. Spread mixture evenly in greased 8 x 8 baking dish. Cook uncovered on 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

·         My beef is already seasoned, so I will taste it before adding the additional salt and pepper.

·         Can easily double the recipe, but you might need two skillets to cook them in or work in batches.

Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Edamame Succotash

I don’t know about you, but I was never a big fan of succotash. For those of you lucky slobs who have never had the pleasure of eating it, succotash is usually a mixture of lima beans and corn. Corn, I like. Lima beans, not so much. They taste like I would imagine a teenager’s gym locker would smell like. The texture isn’t much more pleasant with the slimy little kidney-shaped beans that have a gnarly grainy texture with zero flavor.

This explains why I don’t eat succotash . . . until I found this recipe.

I don’t know where I found this recipe, but since I feel like it’s a winner then it must be a Bon Appetit recipe. But then again, when you add bacon to anything--it’s a winner of a recipe.

The only difficult part of this recipe is shelling the edamame. In the long run, this recipe is worth the soggy fingers.

Edamame Succotash

2 Tbls. toasted sesame oil

½ cup finely diced red onion
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 thick strips applewood-smoked bacon, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
½ cup fresh corn kernals (frozen works well)
¼ cup small diced red bell pepper (I don’t use)
Kosher salt and white pepper

In large skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until it has rendered its fat and begins to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add the edamame, corn and bell pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Season with ½ tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp white pepper. Remove from heat and serve hot.

 Enjoy, Peeps!

Foodie Friday -- Margaritas

Summertime is just around the corner.

As I mentioned last week, I will be grilling various types of meat accompanied with a salad on the side for most of the summer.  

So what recipes can I possibly share?

Margaritas, of course!

These recipes will need to be tweaked according to your personal tastes (more/less lime, or more/less tequila, or more/less sweet), but they are a starting point.

**If you decide to use the “LIGHT” Margarita mix, then you might consider adding the juice from a lime. I found that the flavor tends to be a little too chalky and artificial tasting, and fresh lime juice masks that aftertaste. **  

For the most part, I use Jose Cuervo Gold tequila for my Margaritas. It’s not the low end, but it also isn’t 100% blue agave either. Since it is used in a mixed drink, I would hesitate to use Patron tequila, as this is more of a ‘sipping’ tequila.

Margarita (on the rocks)

Fill 12 oz. glass 7/8 full with crushed ice. Add 1 ½ jiggers of tequila, ½ jigger Triple Sec, and fill to the top with liquid Margarita mix (Jose Cuervo brand). Stir with straw.

Frozen Margaritas

1 can frozen limeade juice (Minute Maid 12 oz.)

1/3-1/2 can tequila (Cuervo Gold)
1/4 can Triple Sec
Liquid margarita mix (Jose Cuervo brand)
Crushed ice

Fill blender with crushed ice. Add frozen limeade, tequila, triple sec and enough margarita mix to fill 7 cup blender and blend until smooth. Adjust to taste.  

Dip rim of glass in frozen margarita mixture and then into coarse flaked salt. Fill glass with margarita. Enjoy!

Later, Peeps!

Foodie Friday -- Warm Spinach-Parmesan Dip

I hate to confess this, but I might be sporadically posting my Foodie Fridays throughout the summer. There are a couple of reasons for this:

• With my kiddo swimming virtually every night at 6:30 (6:00 if she moves up to blue team) until 7:30, I won't be experimenting with food. I'll be seasoning a piece of chicken/hamburger/pork chop and tossing it on the grill with a salad on the side. Quick and Easy.
• I tend to grill more in the summer. And no, I don't have any secret marinades that I use. There are so many seasoning products available there simply isn't the need to make your own!
• And with the convenience of buying certain prepackaged products, why make them?
• I'm running out of recipes for the summer months. Oh, this doesn't mean that I don't have thousands of recipes in my files, but I haven't tested many of them or my family simply isn't interested in eating them. Who wants to eat a casserole when it's a sweltering 95+ degrees outside?

If I come across a wonderful new foodie site, product or recipe, I'll share it on Fridays, but it might not be a regular feature.

Any ideas or food suggestions are welcome.

This next recipe came from a Bon Appetite magazine. This time I managed to put the year on it--2005. I remember making for Thanksgiving. It was good and garlicy. Too garlicy for some family members, but I like garlic.

Warm Spinach--Parmesan Dip

2 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 3/4 cup chopped onion
6 large cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. flour
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 10-oz. pkg ready-to-use spinach leaves, coarse chopped
1 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Baguette slices, toasted (pita wedges or pita chips work well, too)

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add flour, stir two minutes. Gradually whisk in stock and cream, bring to boil, whisking constantly. Cook until mixture thickens, stirring frequently, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, cheese, sour cream and cayenne (spinach will wilt). Season with salt and pepper. Transfer dip to serving bowl. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices.

Can be made ahead. Microwave or heat in oven until warm.

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Fleming's Macaroni and Cheese

A few weeks ago, the hubster took his “girls” to Flemings Steakhouse for a Valentine’s Day dinner. We had an exceptional meal as always, but I need to remember to order my steak medium and NOT medium-rare. Most places will cook meat on the well done side, EXCEPT high-end steakhouses. As much as I love my steak to moo when I eat it, I do draw the line at the “cool red center”.

Anyhoo, Fleming’s Macaroni and Cheese was a huge hit with the family . . . again. Hubster looked it up online--doncha just love the Internet?!--and found three similar, but different recipes. We went with this one from food.com.

Hubby is the chef on this recipe!

The pasta we used looked like an octopus arm with suction cups. J

If you want more heat with the bread crumbs, add up to 1 more teaspoon of chipotle powder.

And this recipe is E-V-I-L!! Roughly, one cup of this mac and cheese is almost 1,000 calories! You have been warned!

Fleming’s Steakhouse Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese

Pasta:

1 lb pasta (cavatappi or curly, or a sturdy large shape.)

2 tsp. salt
1 Tbls. vegetable oil

Sauce:

¾ cup diced onions (green onion, leeks or shallots)

½ cup butter
3 Tbls. flour
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups half-and-half
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground white pepper
¾ lb smoked cheddar cheese; grated (it’s a white cheese) each pkg was 7 oz, so we used all 14 oz.
¼ lb cheddar cheese, grated

Bread Crumbs:

1 Tbls. vegetable oil

1 tsp. dried chipotle powder (gives heat, but not much flavor)
¾ cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large pot, bring 1 gallon of water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and pasta and cook for 8-9 minutes. Drain pasta and cool under cold running water. Pasta should be slightly firm. Toss drained pasta in oil and reserve.  

Melt butter in large sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes but do not brown. Add cream, half-and-half, kosher salt and white pepper.

Bring pot to a simmer. Cook until sauce is thick about 5-6 minutes. Blend cheese into sauce (cheese will thicken it even more) and add cooked pasta.

Pour pasta and sauce into 9 x 12 - inch baking dish.

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add oil and chipotle chili powder. Heat for 30 seconds, until pan starts to smoke. Remove from stove and stir in bread crumbs.

Sprinkle bread crumbs over the pasta and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Cool slightly before serving.

 Enjoy!!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

This is a slightly different version from the one The Pioneer Woman posted on her Tasty Kitchen site.

1) I’m not a fan of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce--so I had ½ of a can in the freezer from a previous PW recipe. 

2) The stewed beef was hot--awesome--but hot, and you’re talking to a chick who likes her hot wings HOT. I think it’s the type of hot smokiness that’s different and I’m not fond of the flavor.

3) The original recipe of grits made a HUGE amount. It was more than double what I should have made. I’m posting my cut down version.

4) I knew the Adobo chilies would be hot, so I didn’t want to go too spicy with the grits. I HATE green peppers--and don’t tell me that the red, yellow or purple ones are milder--and though her recipe had one. I don’t like their flavor. PERIOD. BUT I do like Poblano peppers--seeded and diced.

5) Since I made too many grits, the grits weren’t as cheesy as I would have liked them to be.  

Here’s my version with the smaller amount of grits.

Spicy Stewed Beef with Creamy Cheddar Grits

For BEEF:

1 Tbls. oil

1 Tbls. butter
3 lbs stew meat or diced chuck roast
½ can (5.5 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (use more if you like spicy), diced
4 cups beef broth
5 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbls. cumin
2 tsp. chili powder

For GRITS:

1 onion, diced

2 whole chilies--Poblano peppers--diced
2 cups ground grits
4 cups chicken broth (use more if it gets too thick, too soon)
2 cup half-and-half
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

For BEEF:

Heat oil and butter in large pot over high heat. Throw in stew meat and brown for 1 minute, then add chipotle peppers, beef broth, garlic, cumin and chili powder. Stir, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer for 2 ½ to 3 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender and the liquid is thick (Watch the meat occasionally and add more beef broth as needed).

For GRITS:

In the last hour of cooking time, make the grits. Heat oil and butter, add onion and poblano peppers and cook for five minutes or so. Pour in grits, and then add chicken broth. Stir and then bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes, add half-and-half. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until grits are tender. Remove from heat and stir in grated cheese.

Serve pile of grits with stewed meat (liquid and all) over the top.

And, yes, this does reheat well. I've been eating it virtually every day during lunch!

Later, Peeps!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Italian Drip Beef

Again, I’ve taken a recipe and made it my own. The original of this recipe was from The Pioneer Woman’s blog, but I adapted this to Italian Drip Beef in a crockpot.

Italian Drip Beef

1 2.5 to 4 lb. Chuck Roast

2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
¼ cup soy sauce
1 cup dry sherry
2 cups beef broth
3 Tbls. Italian seasoning

Place ingredients in crock pot with the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Shred meat, remove the remaining fat and discard. Return meat to crockpot, cook on low for ½-1 hour.

Cut and toast deli rolls. Add provolone cheese and broil until bubbly, top with desired amount of meat. Add pepperoncini or dip in au jus, if desired.

Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Lentil Stew with Hot Italian Sausage

There’s only one reason to like cold weather, and it comes under the category of SOUPS and STEWS.

I had lentils. I had ham. I had three recipes. What more could I ask for?

Well, I decided to make this stoup (stew/soup) in the crock pot because I knew I would be in and out all day on Monday, which was Martin Luther King Day and the kidlet was out of school. But, which recipe?

I decided to do a combination of all three recipes, and this is the result of my endeavor. And no, I didn’t use the ham . . . I opted for the hot Italian sausage from the freezer.

*soak the lentils overnight* I didn’t do that and they were . . . um, slightly crunchy.*

Lentil Stew with Hot Italian Sausage

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
4 small new potatoes, diced
1 Tbls. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. thyme
2 tsp. ground savory
2 bay leaves
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed and broken up
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 lb brown lentils, rinsed, sorted and soaked
5 cups chicken broth

Place all ingredients into crockpot. Turn on high for 2 hours. Stir. Turn to low for 6-8 hours. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste.

To make it more soup-y use only ½ lb lentils (1/2 bag).

 Enjoy! 

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Caramel

True confessions here . . . I haven't been cooking much 'real' food recently. Oh, I cooked bunches over the holidays, but once the kidlet started swim practice again I've fallen off the cooking wagon.  Yes, it is a problem having swim practice at 6:30. She needs to eat between 5-5:30 PM, but the hubby doesn't come home until 5:45-6 PM, and we sure as shootin' aren't going to be eating dinner at 8 PM!

Next week, I'll be experimenting with crockpot recipes. That way the kidlet and I can eat early, but dinner will still be ready and hot for the hubby when he gets home.

Until then, I'll leave you with one last candy recipe. I made this yesterday. I wanted a good buttery caramel that could be dipped in chocolate or molded over pecans for turtles. It's good, but I've already jotted some notes on it to make it a little more 'mine' the next time I make it. I'll give you the unadulterated recipe, but I'll post my comments below it, in color, with how I want to change it up.

Caramel

2 cups sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
1 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla

Butter 9 X9-in. pan; set aside. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until butter is melted and mixture comes to a boil (15-20 minutes)

Continue cooking until candy thermometer reaches 244 degrees F. or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms a firm ball (25-35 minutes). Patience is a virtue here!

 Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. pour into prepared pan. Cool completely (up to 8 hours). Cut into 1.5 x 1-inch pieces; wrap candies in plastic food wrap. Store refrigerated.

Some changes I made while other comments are suggestions for next time:
--Used 2 cup cream instead of milk, with the added milk fat need to decrease butter by 2-4 Tbls.
--used 1/2 cup dark corn syrup (ran out of light corn syrup), need to use all dark or add a touch of molasses to enrich flavor
--used vanilla paste instead of extract, needs a touch more
--needs a little salt, maybe 1/2 tsp
--cut into squares to dip into chocolate.

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday -- Green Monster Smoothie

I know I have a few new people poking around the site--shoot, I sent you here! But when you looked up Green Monster, you probably got the blog that had the Luna Moth caterpiller. Those caterpillars are definitely green monsters!, but they aren't the one you're looking for.

A little background on this one is called for, I think. When I first joined WW in 2011. . . for the 4th time, I decided that I wasn't going to buy "products", not the WW stuff, not Lean Cuisine, not any of that nasty Fat Free artificial cheese stuff. If I wasn't going to use those products when I reached goal weight and after, then why would I try to use them now?? IMO, this is why so many people try and fail.They use a product (or a food source-Nutrasystem) until they reach goal and then they stop and go back to their old patterns.  If want an Oreo, or a yummy homemade chocolate chip cookie dripping with all sorts of fats, sugars and bad stuff, then I will eat it and be ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE POINT HIT.

It's all about making choices, my friends. Some days we don't make very good choices, but we can go weeks and make excellent choices. And other times, we can plan to be bad, very, very bad. ;-)

I'll be upfront and tell you that I don't like milk or any milk products other than cheese (I've had to seriously cut back--a serving has way to many points for me!). And I very rarely checked off all my milk squares under the healthy guidelines to get my smiley face.

1) -- I hate skim milk. I refuse to buy skim milk. Yes, I know it has the same protein as regular milk, but I won't do it. Besides, sometimes you need a little fat in your diet to keep you feeling fuller longer.

2) -- I won't buy a smoothie mix. PERIOD. Why would I buy something that will cost me 4-6 points, when I can go old school? This recipe costs the points of the milk, since fruit and veg are zero point value. AND don't you let those WW leaders tell you that just because you blend this that you can't count it as part of your healthy checks! Just don't tell them! :-) They have to play by the corporate gameplan. The theory is that when a product (spinach) is denatured (broken down by blending), then the body doesn't have to work as hard to digest it, which means it takes less energy, thus burning less fat. Understandable, but you are still getting ALL the nutrients of the original product as it isn't broken down by the cooking process.
Hey! It's worked for me! Can't argue with success!

3) --  I had been making strawberry-banana smoothies, but my niece (a diabetic) turned me on to the Green Monster website. I don't use other weird ingredients suggested (wheat grass--I'm NOT a cow, thank you very much), but it was an eye-opener and I have tried my own renditions using pomegranate seeds.

I use a hand blender and an old Hidden Valley dressing maker container (plastic). Just make sure it can hold at least 2 cups or more.You can use a regular blender, too, if you want to add a lot of ice to make it into a shake like consistency. I do not use any artificial sweetener, but if you need a little more sweet try adding a little at a time. I find the banana gives me enough sweet to satisfy, even when I use a greener one.

Green Monster Smoothie

3/4 cup 2% milk

banana

spinach

Measure your milk. Break up banana and blend. Add handfuls of spinach, blending until smooth. Keep adding spinach until desired amount is reached. For added thickness, add ice cubes until reaching desired consistency.

Added bonus -- you can't taste the spinach. Er, check your teeth. If you left tiny chunks of spinach, then you probably will find some remnants in your teeth . . . jus' sayin'.

Makes @ 2 cups.

This is only 2 points! AND you can mark off three of those fruits and veggies under the healthy check guidelines if you end up using 2 cups of spinach. 1 cup leafy greens = 1 healthy check mark. I usually make this after I go on my 3 mile walk (drinking 3 cups of water, btw). I'm stuffed for HOURS.

If you want the shake consistency without using ice cubes, peel and freeze your banana.

Or make a strawberry-banana smoothie by using frozen, slices strawberries (check the package to make sure no sugar is added) to the banana milk mixture.

Enjoy, Peeps!!

Foodie Friday--Aunt Fan's Chicken and Noodle Casserole

Many moons ago (easily 40+ years), my Aunt Fan (Fanny Sue) and Aunt Mary (Mary Belle) would make this dish whenever someone visited them in Barnsdall. Nowhere, Oklahoma, where I base my Goblin’s Apprentice stories, is actually Barnsdall. I lived there for a scant few months when I was six, but I pocketed a pile of memories.

Yes, there is an oil pumper in the middle of Main Street. My aunts lived a few houses up the hill from this pumper. It was also the house where my grandparents lived. My grandfather was the town doctor.

When Aunt Fan died, Aunt Mary gave me this recipe. My mom made this recipe many times when there would be a crowd, but I haven’t made it in years. Aunt Fan was the aunt who discovered my love for good food and gave me all her Bon Appetit magazines.

--er, no, this is NOT a healthy recipe, but great if you have a large crowd.

Aunt Fan’s Chicken and Noodle Casserole

1 10-oz. pkg. egg noodles, cooked and drained

4 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups chicken broth
1 4.5-oz. can ripe olives, sliced
1 4-oz. can pimentos, chopped
1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 cup dry Sherry
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated

Mix all ingredients, except cheese, together. Spoon into shallow 9 X 13 in. baking dish. Top with grated cheese. Sprinkle with paprika. Heat in 350° degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serves 12-14

Enjoy! And make your own memories!

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread

I don’t really have a story about this recipe. I wanted a pumpkin bread recipe for the holidays. I searched on the Internet. And I found one that I liked. Simple. The Internet is a wonderful thing. I made this bread a few days ago. It cooked quicker than I expected--probably due to the dark loaf pans that I used--so it’s a good thing I tend to set my timers a little on the early side to check them. The bread has a nice moist texture to it.

Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread

4 cups flour

1 Tbls. pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 can (16 oz.) Libby’s 100% pure pumpkin
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup apple juice
4 large eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, divided

Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Grease 2 (TWO) 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

Sift flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt into medium bowl. Combine pumpkin, sugar, apple juice, eggs, oil and vanilla extract in large bowl, stir well. Stir in flour mixture and ¾ cup of nuts just until moistened. Spoon into prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining ¼ cup of nuts over top of loaves.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes, remove loaves from pans to cool completely.

 Later, Peeps!

I have to pack up my Christmas stuff today. Hopefully, I'll be back 100% next week. If you haven't done it yet, you might want to look at your 2011 goals and see how you did. And think about your 2012 goals. Remember to keep your goals within YOUR power.

Getting started

Setting yearly goals

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Taco Soup

This recipe has been in my files for many, many years. I think I picked it up during one of my previous Weight Watcher experiences. Trust me -- the current vision is the BEST version! Originally, it was one WW point per cup, but the calculations were different back then. Now, the points value (after I built the recipe in their program) is roughly 3 points per cup. Personally, I’d err on the heavier side of three and call it 4 points. Once the beef and onions are cooked, the rest of the ingredients are simply dumped in the pan. Easy-Peasy.

Uh, no my kiddo does NOT endorse this soup. I don’t know why, considering she will eat Hot Wings with the HOT HOT sauce on them. But who can fathom the minds of kiddos?

**Yes, this recipe freezes well **

Taco Soup

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped
3 16-oz. cans Chili beans, undrained
16-oz can whole corn, undrained
16-oz can chopped tomatoes, undrained
15-oz can tomato sauce
1 ½ cups water
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dry salad dressing mix

Cook beef and onion until beef is browned; drain. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

 

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Savory Stew with Dumplings

A long time ago (sometime after college), I picked up a Gold Medal flour cookbook. This is a wonderful go-to book for almost any type of recipe that would use flour. This is an easy comfort food type of stew and one of my fall back recipes for winter.  

Savory Stew with Dumplings

½ cup flour

2 to 3 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch chunks (or smaller)
3 Tbls oil
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 Tbls snipped parsley
½ tsp thyme
1 ½ cups ¼-inch slices carrots
1 cup ¼-inch slices celery
2 medium onions, sliced
4 cups ¾-inch cubed, unpared potatoes

Herb Dumplings (see below)

Mix flour, salt and pepper. Coat beef with flour mixture. Heat oil in Dutch oven until hot; add beef and remaining flour mixture. Cook and stir until beef is brown. Add water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 ½ hours. Add bay leaf, parsley, thyme and vegetables. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Prepare Herb Dumplings. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot beef or vegetables (do not drop directly into liquid). Cook uncovered over low heat 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.

Herb Dumplings

3 Tbls shortening

1 ½ cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¼ tsp dried sage
¼ tsp dried thyme
¾ cup milk

Cut shortening into flour, baking powder, salt, sage and thyme until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk.

Enjoy!! 

FOODIE FRIDAY -- Peppermint Fudge

Yes, I know it's not Friday, but instead, Saturday. I wanted to go ahead and post this easy fudge recipe in case anyone wanted to make it for the holidays.

While internet surfing, I found a recipe for peppermint fudge. The picture looked awesome: the bottom layer was a chocolate with pecans and the top layer was white dotted with peppermint pieces. The ingredients were a little on the weird side--cream cheese and powdered sugar, plus other stuff. I decided to make it--and it made an incredible mess--with powdered sugar flying everywhere! The next morning, I started cutting it into bite-sized pieces. It was soft and gooshy AND it tasted disturbingly like powdered sugar. Oh, the chocolate layer didn't even taste like chocolate, probably because it was cocoa powder. And I have yet to taste a chocolate flavor in anything made from cocoa powder. After wrapping about 25 pieces, I decided to toss the whole mess. Yep, down the disposal . . . with the water and blades running, well, not the wrapped pieces, they went into the garbage can.  

And I started all over again. This time I was INVENTING a recipe while I made it. Since this was a double-layered fudge, it was thick in a 9 x 9 pan. It might work in a little larger pan. If you only want to make the peppermint layer, then a 9 x 9 pan would be perfect.

Yes, this is a variation of what I fondly call ‘cheater’s fudge’.

Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate layer:

18 oz. milk chocolate chips, or semi-sweet for a stronger chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Peppermint layer:

18 oz. white chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp peppermint extract (I also used 8 drops of peppermint oil) use more if needed
6 crushed candy canes

Line 9 x 9 pan with foil.

Melt chocolate, condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts. Mix together and pour into prepared pan. Chill 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; add peppermint extract, adjusting for desired intensity. Stir in crushed candy canes.

Remove pan from refrigerator, press down to flatten top and edges. Pour peppermint mixture over chocolate layer. Chill until firm. About 3-4 hours. Pull out of pan using foil and remove foil from fudge. Cut fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

 Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY-- Cranberry-Apple Pie

All-righty then! This recipe is originally from Bon Appetit magazine. I believe we made this recipe for Thanksgiving in 2010, AND again this year, because it is a nice autumn fruit pie/tart. During Thanksgiving, I didn’t even touch this recipe as my sis-in-law and nephew did all the work, BUT I made this for my hubby’s holiday work party last Tuesday. The only thing I did different from the recipe was to use a 2-inch deep tart pan (9-inches) instead of a pie pan. I liked heaping up the apple-cranberry filling and didn’t have to worry about overfilling and causing a mess if the juices went over the sides (they couldn’t--tart pan’s tall sides).

**I cut the apples a smaller than this-- ½ inch chunks**

Cranberry-Apple Pie

CRUST:

1 ¼ cups flour
1 Tbls sugar
½ tsp salt
¼ cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
¼ cup (½ stick) chilled butter, cut into small pieces
3 Tbls (or more) ice water

FILLING:

1 ½ pounds Granny Smith or other tart green apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks**
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

¼ cup sugar

2 Tbls flour
3 Tbls butter, melted, cooled slightly
1 large egg

White chocolate (< 1 oz., melted for drizzling), optional

Crust: Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add shortening and butter, process using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 3 Tbls water. Process until moist clumps form. If dough is too dry, add more water by teaspoonfuls. Gather dough into ball, flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill for 1 hour. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling.)

Preheat oven to 400° F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to deep dish tart pan with removable bottom. Trim crust and fold over making sides 1-inch high. Freeze 15 minutes.

Line crust with foil. Fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake crust until pale golden, piercing with fork if bubbles form, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F.

Filling: Mix the first five ingredients in large bowl. Spoon filling into pie crust. Bake 30 minutes.

Whisk next four ingredients (sugar, flour, butter, egg) in small bowl to blend. Pour mixture over filling. Bake until apples are tender and filling begins to brown, about 1 hour. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent pie with foil and store at room temperature.)

Drizzle with white chocolate in decorative pattern, if desired.

Enjoy!

FOODIE FRIDAY--Sweet Potatos with Pecan Topping

This recipe has become a Thanksgiving tradition with my family, instead of sweet potato with marshmallows on top. Now, I can’t take credit for this one as my sister, Carolyn, was the one who instigated this recipe into our traditions, and now, my brother Jim has taken over the preparation since C isn’t able to visit as much as she had in the past (the logistics of living in Michigan vs. Texas). The recipe was originally from a cookbook called BEST OF THE BEST FROM TEXAS.

I have never made this recipe so tweak it as necessary. And yes, I do believe that this recipe is at least tripled for our family gathering! But just looking at it, I would be tempted to add some ground spices to the sweet potatoes (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon) and richen it by using half-and-half instead of the milk (since I don’t buy whole milk).  If you do make adjustments, then sample mixture PRIOR to adding the raw eggs.

Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping

3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed

¼ cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt

TOPPING:

1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tbls flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup coconut, optional (the family had never prepared it with coconut)

Mix mashed sweet potatoes, milk, butter, vanilla, eggs and salt. Spoon into a 1 ½ quart oiled casserole.  

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over sweet potatoes. Bake at 375° degrees F. for 25 minutes.

Serves 6.

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday--Truffle Candy fillings

Yesterday I was busy making candy fillings . . . again. I made peppermint schnapps, Grand Marnier (this time with white chocolate), key lime (again because my nephew loves this flavor and I had leftover limes, besides he's such a sweetie that he just might get an entire box of them!), whiskey toffee, rum raisin, and Frangelico. A few days ago, I made Chambord, strawberry margarita, key lime, limoncello, Grand Marnier (orange in dark chocolate), Amaretto and ButterShots (butterscotch schnapps in dark chocolate)

Now I can tell you how to make the fillings, but I don't measure anything, which means I have developed an 'eye' for it. Sorry, the only way you'll learn is by practicing! If I could figure out how to sell these out of my kitchen I would, but I think the Health Dept. might have a problem with a big fluffy dog wandering around the kitchen while I make them. People who don't have to pay for them are a little more forgiving if there's a boo-boo hair.

Onward--Any of these that are citrus fruit-based, zest the rinds prior to juicing them.

All you need to make these candy fillings is sugar, heavy cream and tempered chocolate (I buy big slabs of Ghirardelli white chocolate and double dark chocolate from Sam's Club). They are processed with cocoa and vegetable shortening so they will not seize up when a liquid is added.

Here are two examples:

Grand Marnier truffle filling

Zest and juice 4-5 oranges. Combine juice, zest, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup Grand Marnier in heavy saucepan. Simmer until mixture becomes syrupy, reducing by 2/3. Add 1/2 cup of cream, heat until simmer. Turn heat down to low and add chunks of chocolate (white or dark), stirring until melted and incorporated. Keep adding chocolate until it thickens slightly and coats the rubber spatula. Taste for flavor. If it needs a little more flavor, add a shot of Grand Marnier and stir in. Pour hot truffle mixture into heat resistant FoodSaver bag and heat seal.  Allow the mixture to cool (12-24 hours) and it should thicken. When ready to use pop into microwave for a few seconds to soften and fill chocolate shells.

Note: if using white chocolate you will need less cream as white chocolate doesn't set up quite as stiffly as regular chocolate due to the fact that it is made out of cocoa BUTTER and not cacao.

ButterShots truffle filling

Pour about 2 cups butterscotch flavored schnapps into pan, add 1/4 cup sugar. Simmer until reduced by 2/3. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of cream, stir and heat until simmering. Turn down heat and add chunks of chocolate, stirring and adding chocolate until coats the spatula. Taste test. If you need more butterscotch flavor add a shot of schnapps. Stir. Heat seal as stated above.

See easy-peasy, but don't you wish I had taken pictures of the process? *sigh* Maybe next time I'll cook with someone taking pictures of the process.

Oh, and how long did it take me to make six fillings today?

Two Harry Potter movies (The Order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince), roughly 5-6 hours. Time-consuming, like I said . . . and that doesn't even count the hours spent MAKING the filled candies.

I only think about 1/2 of the people who are given the candy really appreciates the effort that goes into making the chocolates, toffee, peanut brittle, fudge, etc.

Enjoy!

Foodie Friday--Congo Bars (cookies)

This last week, I've been swamped with trying to figure out Saturday's presentation and doing 'stuff'. No, I have no idea what stuff I've actually been doing, since I didn't bother to write anything down on my goal's calendar.

 . . . oh, yeah, I was making candy. Oops, sorry, totally forgot that. I used the fillings that I had frozen last year and made candy for the audience at my presentation, plus I volunteered to bring something to parent/teacher conference night.

So I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head until I thought, CONGO BARS!  This recipe is vastly reduced from the original. I was given this recipe by the cooks at St. Francis Hospital. See? Not all hospital food is nasty!  I guess it helps that it was the employee cafeteria, too.

I will mention that it's been YEARS since I've made this recipe, so you might want to keep an eye on it from about the 30 minute mark as it might need to cook for as long as 45 minutes.

Congo Bars

1 box yellow cake mix
4 oz. butter, room temperature
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 large egg

ICING:
1 tsp. vanilla
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 egg
16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Coat 9 X 11 pan with spray vegetable oil. Mix first 4 ingredients, place in pan. Mix icing incredients and spread over first layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean.

FOODIE FRIDAY-- Chicken Noodle Soup

Last week, I picked up a rotisserie chicken. Most of them are pretty inexpensive, costing around five-six dollars. This is an awesome way to save time on those busy school nights.  Pop the chicken into the microwave, make a salad and a veg, and there’s dinner.

This time, I stripped the meat from the bones, placing the bones in a pan with water, a couple sprigs of rosemary, a small bunch of thyme, a bay leaf, about 2 tsp. peppercorns, one quartered onion, one coarsely chopped carrot and two coarsely chopped stalks of celery.  I cooked this down for about 30 minutes. I added a little salt AFTER it cooked down. Many times the rub on the chicken contains salt, and I didn’t want to over salt the broth. I strained out the solid stuff and adjusted the flavor with herbs and a little salt. Then the broth went into a container and into the fridge. The next day, I spooned off the fat and used the broth in this soup.

Sorry, most of this I didn’t measure. Just adjust according to your family’s tastes.

Chicken Noodle Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced lengthwise and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Olive oil
Chopped chicken @ 2 cups
Chicken broth @ 8-10 cups
Parsley
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
1 pkg. Reames frozen noodles, 16 oz.
Salt and pepper if desired

Add 1-2 Tbls. oil to hot pan. Saute celery, carrots and onion until slightly softened. Add chicken. Add broth and heat until boiling. Check seasonings, adjust as needed. Lower heat to a simmer. Add frozen noodles and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

This is just the comfort food for those cold nights.

Later, Peeps!