Caramel Apple Dip

At the last minute, I decided to bring apples and dip to my youngest daughter's Shakespeare class this afternoon.  We always have lots of cut-up apples in the fridge, so they're easy to grab and go.  But all alone, they'd be boring.  Peanut butter is good with apples, but doesn't shout 'special'.

Back in the dark recesses of my brain lurked a recipe that my family used to make quite often when I was a young adult.  They may still make it, I don't live near them anymore and somehow this was lost from my immediate memory during one of our many moves.  I started thinking about it a couple of weeks ago.  Probably because I'm getting tired of apples with peanut butter!

As you can see from the container, my memory served me well!

Best of all?  It took me less than five minutes to make.  Really.

Apple Dip

1 - 8 oz brick of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 Tbs vanilla

Using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients and whip until smooth.

Cream Cheese Dip (the original)

2 - 8 oz bricks of cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shelled peanuts (salted or unsalted)

Using a hand mixer, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Whip until smooth.   Stir peanuts into the dip by hand.

Serve dip with your favorite apple - my kids love Granny Smith, but I'm more partial to the Gala - or other hard fruit, like pears.  Apples are best, though.


In my haste, I did a quick Allrecipes search to come up with the first recipe (click on the recipe name to go to the Allrecipes version).  After we got back home, I had time to search my recipe box and I found the original recipe my family used.  Can't believe I forgot about the peanuts!

The handwritten recipe card says "Cream Cheese Dip" for the name, but I remember distinctly that we called it "Caramel Apple Dip" when it was mentioned by name.  The peanuts improve this dip from 'good with apples' to 'oh-my-gosh this tastes like a caramel apple".

~ ENJOY!

Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living hosts an Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

Go ahead, you know you want to look!

Muffins with PEANUT BUTTER

I can't credit this recipe because I don't remember where I found it. Boo.

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY MUFFINS

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
• jam or jelly, any flavor

1. Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. 
2. In a mixer bowl, beat together the milk, peanut butter, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla. 
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spoon. (I needed to add another splash of milk at this point, because the batter was too dry and stiff.)
4. Grease a muffin tin. Put a tablespoon or two of the batter into each cup. Add a teaspoon of jam to the top. Put more batter over the jam to cover it. 
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing.

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA MUFFINS

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat together the peanut butter, oil, eggs, milk and bananas.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
5. Spoon the batter into 12 well greased muffin cups. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

All American (gluten-free) Meatloaf

My family loves meatloaf. In fact, I'd say that next to macaroni and cheese it's their favorite comfort food. Unfortunately, our love of meatloaf collided with my daughter's need to eat gluten-free.

Who knew you could make meatloaf with oats? This is my first attempt at gluten-free meatloaf and it's adapted from Maridele's All American Meatloaf shared on allrecipes.com (I have such a love/hate relationship with that site!)

All American (gluten-free) Meatloaf

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 cup quick cooking oats
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 4 slices Cheddar cheese, halved

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F
2. Mix ground beef, quick oats, onion, milk, eggs, 1/4 cup ketchup, garlic, garlic powder, salt, basil, and black pepper together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined; pat the mixture into a 9x5-inch-ish loaf in a baking dish
3. Bake meatloaf in the preheated oven for 50 minutes. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat loaf should read at least 160F
4. Remove from oven, spread 2 tablespoons ketchup over loaf, and top with Cheddar cheese slices; return to oven and bake until cheese has melted, about 5 more minutes

It was delicious and very filling.  I'm sure all that extra garlic is what makes it so delicious!  Now that I've had success with oatmeal in place of bread crumbs I'm looking forward to adapting my other meatloaf recipes.

~ ENJOY!

Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

Go ahead, you know you want to look!

Midwestern Goulash

Midwestern Goulash?

The truth is, I hesitate to call it goulash because the recipe my family has made my entire life looks nothing like other goulash recipes I've read online and in cookbooks.  But, we call it goulash.  So what else am I supposed to call it?

I don't know for sure where this recipe originated, either.  I don't remember either of my grandmothers making it.  Come to think of it, I don't remember either of my grandmothers COOKING.  Except for the corned beef and cabbage or ham hocks and beans my Irish grandmother made with much regularity.  Of one thing I'm sure, it's origins do lie somewhere in the midwest between South Dakota and Illinois, in the many places my mother lived while growing up.  By the time I came along, this dish was well established in my family's rather odd culinary history.


MIDWESTERN GOULASH

Ingredients

• 1 lb elbow macaroni
• 1 lb ground beef (I like to use extra lean 92/8)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbs sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 - 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 - 6 oz can of tomato paste
• 1 - 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

Directions

1. Prepare macaroni according to directions.  (I start boiling the water for the macaroni, then assemble my ingredients to make the sauce.  My goal is for the macaroni to finish shortly after the sauce is ready.)
2. Spread the ground beef out on a large plate and sprinkle with the paprika.  (You can also add salt to taste at this point.)
3. Brown the spiced ground beef in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onions and garlic, lower heat to medium and continue to cook until they are soft.
4. Stir the can of tomato paste into the ground beef mixture, cook for 1-2 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.  Stir until tomatoes and sauce are well mixed in the ground beef.  Simmer until macaroni is ready.
5. Add macaroni to the skillet and carefully (this spills easy!) incorporate that macaroni into the sauce. Cover and cook over low heat for ten minutes.

This is how my kiddos and I make it today.  I know that my mom added ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, but somewhere along the line we stopped doing that at my house.  We also serve this topped with shredded cheddar cheese, which would never have happened at my mom's table. Maybe because cheese was too expensive?

ENJOY!


Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

Go ahead, you know you want to look!

The Stew that Almost Wasn't

I'm craving chicken stew, specifically the Homey Chicken Stew recipe on Page 44 of  America's Test Kitchen's Slow Cooker Revolution. 


I started out with the best intentions of following this recipe to a T (REALLY!) because the picture looked so incredibly yummy in the book.    And then I realized I was out of onions.


A bag of pearl onions was found in the freezer and substituted for the two chopped onions.  Things were going well, when I went to add the spice.  Thyme.  Everybody has thyme in their spice stash, right?  Wrong.  No thyme left for me...  (heh-heh)


No problem!  A quick internet search turned up that while there is no exact substitution for thyme, oregano will work in a pinch.  Assuming you have oregano.  Yea, that's right.  I used the last of the oregano Saturday making Sunday Gravy.


At this point I'm getting a little slap happy, so I just used the spice I thought smelled like how I wanted my stew to taste.  Enter stage left:  ROSEMARY!  I love the smell and taste of rosemary, couldn't go wrong with this choice, right?


This wasn't the end of it.  The recipe calls for flour.  Crap.  I had planned to make gluten-free biscuits with Pamela's Gluten-free Baking & Pancake Mix to serve this over, for my kid who is trying to eliminate wheat from her diet.  So, why not use that baking mix as a flour double?  I know there are better substitutes, but I had to roll with what I have on hand.

It smells go SO FAR!

Looks pretty good, too!

Elizabeth's Variation of

HOMEY CHICKEN STEW

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bag frozen pearl onions
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 T tomato paste
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/4 c Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 4 c chicken broth
• 4 potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 c frozen peas

Directions

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Lightly brown the chicken on both sides. Transfer chicken to a bowl.
2. If needed, add another tablespoon of oil to the pan (I used 2 Tbs butter). Add onions, garlic, tomato paste, and rosemary. Cook until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in baking mix and cook for one more minute. Whisk in wine, scraping up any brown bits in the pan. Whisk in 1 cup broth, smoothing any lumps.
3. Toss potatoes and carrots with 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil in a glass bowl and microwave 5 minutes on high.
4. Transfer onion mix to a slow cooker along with the potatoes, carrots and remaining chicken broth. Nestle browned chicken with any accumulated juices into the slow cooker. Add the bay leaves.
5. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
6. Transfer chicken to a large casserole dish and allow to cool slightly. Using 2 forks, shred into bite size pieces. Remove bay leaves from the slow cooker. Stir in chicken and frozen peas. Allow to heat through, about 5 minutes. 

Stay tuned!  At this point, I may try to make the biscuits on top of the stew in the slow cooker.  I read another recipe this weekend that does that and I'd like to marry that idea to this stew.  I made the dough for the dumplings according to the recipe for drop biscuits on the back of the Pamela's bag and dropped them into the stew.  The original directions said 35-40 minutes to cook the dumplings but it took about 55 minutes on high for ours to cook on top.

Meanwhile, there is a post about this Homey Chicken Stew recipes on a dash of cinnamon, complete with pics. Her version is much closer to the original than mine, although there is at least one minor change.

~ ENJOY!

Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

Go ahead, you know you want to look!

Escallped Corn

I love discovering new recipes and I was excited to see that Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

 

Comfort food doesn't get much better than this!

Escalloped Corn

2 cans creamed corn
1 can sweet corn
1/2 stick butter, melted
2/3 row saltines, crushed
2 eggs

Mix together and pour into greased casserole dish.  (I used a 7 x 11 glass pan.)

1/2 row saltines, crushed
1/2 stick butter

Mix together and spread evenly over the top of the casserole.  Sprinkle with paprika, to taste.

Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.


~ ENJOY!

(Almost) Thai-Style Chicken Soup

Thai-Style Chicken Soup
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution
 
Ingredients

• 1 onion, minced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbs Garden Gourmet ginger
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 - 14 ounce can of coconut milk
• 2 Tbs Garden Gourmet lemon grass
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine
• 1 lb bonesless, skinless chicken thigh
• 6 ounces sliced white mushrooms
• 1 1/2 Tbs of lime juice
• 1/2 Tbs sugar
• 2 tsp Thai red curry paste

Directions

1. Microwave onions, garlic, ginger and oil in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes and transfer to slow cooker 
2. Stir borth, 1/2 can coconut milk, lemon grass, carrots, 1 tbs fish sauce, and cilantro stems into slow cooker. 
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker 
4. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. 
5. Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. 
6. Discard lemon grass and cilantro stems 
7. Stir in mushrooms, cover and cook on high until mushrooms are tender (5-15 minutes). Microwave remaining can of coconut milk in bowl until hot, then whisk in remaining tablespoon of fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and curry paste to dissolve. 
8. Stir hot coconut mixture and shredded chicken until soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

SO...  in the interest of full disclosure, I forgot to add the second half of the coconut milk (I actually added the whole can from the beginning), the additional fish sauce, the lime juice, sugar, and curry.  When I realized I'd forgotten those things, I stirred two tsp of Thai chili garlic sauce into the soup to give it a kick.

Yes, it was still really good, but I can only imagine how much better it would have been if I would have remembered the rest of the ingredients.  Hopefully, y'all won't make my mistake!

~ Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup

My picky eater loves soup.  She especially loves Chuy's Chicken Tortilla soup.  Unfortunately, we don't really like anything else at Chuy's, so she was out of luck until I found this recipe.  It's different from most restaurant tortilla soup and recipes I've seen because doesn't have a thick tomato base.

I adapted this recipe so I could make it with pantry items I already had on hand.  So canned tomatoes and jalapeños for fresh.  This soup is so awesome, my friend Susan blogged about it at Wild Life in the Woods.  She also posted a picture.

Some day I will buy a padlock for my slow-cooker so I can get pictures before my family demolishes the food!

Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup
adapted from America's Test Kitchen Slow Cooker Revolution

Ingredients:

• 1 T. olive oil 
• 1 can tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, minced 
• 1 small can chopped jalapeño peppers
• 8-10 garlic cloves
• 2 T. minced canned chipotle chile in adobo 
• 1 T. tomato paste 
• 8 c. chicken broth 
• 10 cilantro stems, tied together with twine 
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs 
• Salt and pepper

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño and cook until onion is softened and browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, chipotles, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 c. broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
Stir remaining 7 c. broth and cilantro stems into slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and nestle into slow cooker. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4 to 6 hours on low. 
Transfer chicken to cutting board, let cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces. Let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon. Discard cilantro stems.
Stir in shredded chicken, and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Top with crumbled queso fresco cheese, tortilla chips, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.


This was a huge hit with the whole family. Even the one who grumbled about soup for dinner at two full bowls! With the toppings, this is a hearty soup that sticks to your ribs.

~ Enjoy!

Mama's Shortbread Cookies

I love discovering new recipes and I was excited to see that Merissa at Little House on the Prairie Living is hosting a weekly Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange every Tuesday.  If you have a recipe to share you can link your blog post or you can post in the comments.  CLICK HERE to go to this week's exchange!

This is a repost of my mom's go-to cookie recipe for every holiday and occasion.  They are easy to make, don't need eggs, and can be modified easily to fit the season by mixing in or adding on top sprinkles, chips, nuts, or candy.  Most important?  They are melt-in-your-mouth good!

Today I made the traditional short-bread dough and added mini chocolate chips. I dropped them onto the stone using my smallest scoop. Perfect little munchies for my girls' classes at church tonight. :)

MAMA'S BASIC SHORTBREAD DOUGH

Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 lb butter (4 sticks)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Directions
Preheat oven to 325F.
Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.
Using a mixer, cream butter, sugar, and vanilla to a smooth consistency.
Add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time to butter mixture - use a low setting on your mixture - until all flour is mixed.
Drop by the spoon/scoopful onto a cookie sheet or baking stone.
Bake for 20 minutes at 325F.

To change things up, stir in any kind of chip, nut, or sprinkle you'd like to use. I mixed in one bag of mini chocolate chips for the batch in the picture. (YUM!) My mama likes to make them with pecans mixed in or with a Hersheys' Kiss pressed into the center. At Christmas time, the kiddos and I make some with colored jimmies mixed in and others we'll roll in sprinkles or jimmies and then bake. Use your imagination!

ENJOY!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I made these for my niece's baby shower.  I bought a jar of baby blue and white shimmer colored 'pearls' at Hobby Lobby and mixed them in a bowl.  Roll the dough (I used my tablespoon Pampered Chef scoop) and press into the sprinkles, smash with fingers, and then place on the cookie sheet.  The picture on the right is how they look in finished form- beautiful AND yummy!

Indonesian Chicken Curry

I found this recipe for Indonesian Chicken Curry in Saveur's The New Comfort Food: Home Cooking from Around the World.  I love the magazine.  I love the website.  I *really* love this cookbook!

I live in rural Kentucky and finding odd Asian spices isn't going to happen without an hour plus drive, so I made some adaptions to adjust to my pantry.  The original recipe is linked above, what follows is my adaption.

INDONESIAN CHICKEN CURRY in KENTUCKY

• 1 Tbs ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs Gourmet Garden squeezable ginger
• 3 Tbs coconut oil
• Zest of one lime
• 5 - 4" sticks of cinnamon
• 1 Tbs Gourmet Garden squeezable lemon grass
• 3 lbs mixed chicken legs and thighs
• 1 can coconut milk
• kosher salt (to taste)
• 4 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

Put coriander and crushed red chili flakes into a blender with garlic, onions, and ginger; purée to a paste. Add 1–2 tbsp. water, if necessary.(It was necessary!)
Heat oil in a 5-qt. Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add paste; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, 5–7 minutes. Add lime zest, cinnamon, and lemongrass. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cinnamon is fragrant, about 2 minutes. 
Increase heat to medium, add chicken, and cook, turning once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. 
Stir in 1 cup coconut milk, 1 1⁄4 cups water, and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is tender, 40–50 minutes. 
Add remaining coconut milk; cook for 2 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving with the rice. 


The house smelled DELICIOUS while this was cooking, but the actual curry was blander than we were expecting.  When I make this again (and I will!), I will probably double the ginger, lemon grass, and lime zest.  This is the first time I've tried the Garden Gourmet products and after I'd already cooked dinner I discovered that the paste is milder than the real deal.

In a perfect world, I'd get all of the ingredients fresh and make it EXACTLY as the recipe is written.  Okay... maybe not exactly, but I'd definitely use the Kaffir lime leaves (mostly because that would be easier than zesting a lime!), fresh ginger, and stalks of lemon grass bruised and tied in knots.

~ Enjoy!

Best EVER Chocolate Frosting

I bought several boxes of Betty Crocker chocolate brownie mix on sale.  Thought it would be nice to have them around for those times we need something quick and don't have time to make from scratch.  Well.  Not such a great idea.  This is a boring, bordering on nasty, box mix.

Good thing I have a problem following directions.

I made the brownies according to the directions on the box and put it in a 9"x 9" pan.  Before baking it, I sprinkled the batter with chocolate chips.

After the brownies cooled, I frosted them with chocolate buttercream frosting based on this recipe from Allrecipes (of course, I deviated!)


Best EVER Chocolate Frosting

• 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 6 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
• 5 Tbs cream or evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Sift together confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder into a bowl.
In a separate mixing bowl, cream butter.
Add dry ingredients, 1/2 cup at a time, until the butter and dry ingredients are completely mixed.
Add cream and vanilla.
Continue to mix on high speed until the frosting is light and fluffy.

I have never had any luck making GOOD chocolate frosting.  I've had even less luck with chocolate frosting from bakeries since we moved to Kentucky.  This is life changing!  I can't wait for my birthday so I can make my own chocolate cake with THIS chocolate frosting.

Enjoy!

New Inspiration

I bought a new cookbook last week!  (Yes, another one.)  This happens often when I spend more than five minutes at Barnes & Noble.  My new inspiration is The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making by Alana Chernila.

Funny thing is, though, that my new recipe for today didn't technically come from this book.  She wrote about her mother's use of the Moosewood Cookbook and something about spinach ricotta pie.  From the minute I saw the words 'spinach', 'ricotta', and 'pie' linked together I just KNEW I had to find this recipe!   Thanks to the internet it took less than a minute to find the recipe.  With an overabundance of spinach in the garden, it was easy to whip together the ingredients.

I found Spinach-Ricotta Pie on Mollie Katzen's website.  I'm looking forward to checking out some of her other recipes.  Of course I added a few (four?  five?) cloves of finely minced garlic to the onion in the pan.  I also used Monterrey Jack cheese for no other reason than it was the only thing besides cheddar I had in the house. 

I should have taken a picture.

Oops. 

Trust me, it was fabulous!  Enough to make me think eating vegetarian wouldn't be so bad.  Enough to make me think I might just come home with the Moosewood Cookbook the next time I'm at Barnes & Noble, if it's on the shelf.

Enjoy!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #11

Awesome quick lunch for the grown-ups!

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked salad shrimp (or larger shrimp, chopped)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons cocktail sauce
• salt to taste
• 2 avocados, halved lengthwise and pitted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Bibb lettuce leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions
In a bowl, mix the chives, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and cocktail sauce. Stir in shrimp and season with salt to taste (I don't usually add any salt). Mound the shrimp mixture into avocado halves, and sprinkle with lemon juice. Place avocado halves on Bibb (or Boston) lettuce leaves that have been dusted with paprika.

I didn't have any lettuce leaves on hand yesterday, so I sprinkled the filled avocados with paprika. WAY better this way!

I have one kid who doesn't like shrimp and one kid who doesn't like avocado. So, I cooked two servings of spaghetti and the shrimp hater had hers with butter and avocado (?!) and the other tossed hers with shrimp heated with Ghee.

This is a nice snack, side dish, or light lunch.

Enjoy!

(Not really) Spicy Meatloaf

There's nothing wrong with making comfort food on an 80 degree day in May, right?

The girls asked if Grandpa could have dinner with us tonight since he'll be headed back to Illinois this weekend.  I said sure, as long as they came up with the menu! ;)  Of course, the first words out of Alex's mouth were "Mac and Cheese!"  And what goes better with mac and cheese than meatloaf?

This is the first meatloaf recipe I made as an adult. Back in the days before the internet I used cookbooks.  Two, to be exact.  The New Basics Cookbook by Julie Russo and Shelia Lukins, and Cooking from Quilt Country by Marcia Adams.  The former I found on accident and the latter I picked up at Walden Books after watching the show on PBS.  So Spicy Meatloaf is comfort food from a comfort cookbook. :) 

And, for the record, it's not chili pepper spicy, it's just flavorful.  Even my kid who thinks mild salsa is too spicy will eat seconds of this meatloaf!

(Not really) Spicy Meatloaf
Adapted from Marcia Adam's Cooking from Quilt Country

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely minced carrot
• 2 finely minced cloves of garlic

Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Add all of the above ingredients and saute over medium heat until the vegetables begin to brown. 

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper 
• 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 lb ground pork

While the vegetables are cooking, whisk together in a large bowl all of the above except the bread crumbs, ground beef, and ground pork.  Add bread crumbs and browned vegetables to the bowl and mix into the egg mixture.  Add ground beef and ground pork and combine well.  Transfer into an oiled casserole and form into a loaf.

Bake at 400F for 45 minutes then let stand 10 minutes before serving.  Optionally, you can cook this in the slow cooker for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

If you like, you can add strips of bacon to the top of the meatloaf.  Since I live in the hot, humid mid-south I like to use my slow cooker in the summer months.  Which is great for keeping the house cool, but no so great for crisping the bacon on top of the meatloaf. ;)

This has been a family favorite for the last 20 years.  It's a bit of work, but all worth it for this tasty meatloaf!

Enjoy!

Lemon Bay Scallops

I haven't finished Operation Clean Out the Freezer because life has been getting in the way.  We've been out and about too much with soccer, church (senior stuff), prom, and dentist appointments.  Hopefully I'll be posting again on Monday with something new and wonderful made from those forgotten bits that were sitting in my freezer. :) 

We were shopping at Kroger this afternoon and Ashe asked if we could have scallops for lunch. Having broken the cardinal rule of grocery shopping - shopping on an empty stomach - it sounded like a great idea to me! This recipe was on the back of the bag of scallops and we thought we'd give it a try since it looked simple and tasty.

Lemon Bay Scallops

Ingredients

• 1 12-oz package frozen bay scallops, thawed
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 Tbsp. white wine
• 2 Tbsp. (1/4 stick) cold butter, chopped into pieces
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3 Tbs Basil leaves, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 package spaghetti, cooked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Thaw scallops and pat dry with a paper towel. Place scallops on foil. Sprinkle on lemon, butter, wine, salt, and pepper. Bake until scallops are opaque white on the inside (approx. 7-9 min.). Toss with tomatoes and basil and serve over spaghetti.

It wasn't anything to jump out at you, but I think that's the point of scallops.  Better to taste the full flavor of the scallops.  Both Ashe and I liked it, but I don't think it would work for the rest of the family.  Maybe with a cream sauce?

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #10

 Nachos with Beef and Beans.

 Beef and Beans

• 1 lb ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 j, chopped (seedless for less spice)
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped (don't forget the stems!)

Brown all ingredients except the black beans in a skillet over medium high heat.  After all pink is gone from the ground beef, add the can of beans and simmer about five minutes.  Add cilantro and continue to cook until all vegetables are soft.

Serve over nachos with cheese, salsa, olives, lettuce, sour cream...  whatever you like to put on your nachos.

I got this recipe from a show Rachael Ray did at least seven years ago about take-home at home.  She made fresh pico de gallo and cheese sauce based on a white sauce,  but that's too much work for us most days.  The show made me SO hungry that I ran out and bought cilantro and jalapeños, the two ingredients I was missing.  From that day forward, for the rest of the summer, I made the full nachos with the cheese sauce for my kids and their friends in our apartment complex every week.  It's easy to make for a crowd.

The beef and beans is also good inside tacos and burritos.

ENJOY!

P.S.  In case you were wondering...  I couldn't get the actual recipe because my cookbooks are being held hostage by a disassembled bunk bed. :p

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #9

Nothing exciting or spectacular today. Just an old stand-by that cooks up quick yet tastes like it took all day.  Dentist appointment this morning and volunteer job this evening meant it was a Hurry Up and Cook Day.

Normally I keep a couple jars of each of the Seeds of Change Indian simmering sauces in my pantry.  I buy them at my local Kroger or at Trader Joe's.  During basketball season I shopped at the Kroger in Gallatin and they carry the brand in the picture.  Okay, but not nearly as good as Seeds of Change.

The cauliflower and broccoli I tossed in were already chopped into bite-size pieces, so adding them and the snow peas didn't take any extra time.  I imagine frozen vegetables would work, too, in a pinch, but I've never tried that with these sauces.

Like Indian?  Give them a try - Seeds of Change sauces are great in a pinch!  Serve over pasta or rice.

ENJOY!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #8

I heart Bethany's Italian Sausage with Bowties.   A lot.  I forgot how much until I ate dinner tonight.

For the Love of Grub:  Italian Sausage with Bowties. 

There was a moment of panic when I thought I only had one can of tomatoes, but thankfully there was a second hiding behind the canned chicken.  (Can you believe I made it through four decades on earth without ever knowingly eating canned chicken?  Yea...  if it weren't for necessity, I'd have like to have made it my whole life. :p)

As always, less is not more when it comes to fresh garlic.  I used about six cloves... maybe 3 or 4 teaspoons.  We do love our garlic!  I think I may have used a whole teaspoon of red pepper flakes (I was sort of, maybe, kind of winging it..) but no one is complaining it's too spicy.  Whew.

If you think this recipe is awesome, check out the others on Bethany's blog.  It's one of my main go-to recipe sites.  I linked above in this post and there's also a link in the sidebar.

ENJOY!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #7

Rather than emptying the freezer, today I decided to FILL the refrigerator.  Grocery shopping day!

Lots and lots of produce to help with Operation Clean Out the Freezer!  We hit the farmers' market, Sam's, and Kroger.   It's been at least six weeks since our refrigerator has seen this much fresh produce and I've seriously been missing it.  All of this sitting on the counter inspired me to Clean Out the Fridge. :p  Rearranged all the condiments and bits, washed down the shelves, and moved the shelves so the summer drink pitchers can sit on the top shelf.  Then I washed and chopped and stored.

And now it looks like this:
(I really should have taken a before photo for comparison. It was a disorganized mess, enough to send Julia Child to Papa John's!)

 

Grapes, apples, pineapple, celery, lemons & limes, cauliflower, broccoli, blueberries, peppers (orange, yellow, poblano, and jalapeño) are in the fridge.  Tomatoes (!), cabbage, zucchini, cucumbers, spinach, green onions, potatoes, and butternut squash on the counter.  This makes me so happy!  And so ready to cook!

For dinner tonight I raided the outside freezer.  Sirloin Strip steaks on the grill, garlic spinach, and broccoli salad (a mix in a bag bought today at Sam's for $2.58 - great deal!)  Still cleaning out A freezer, just not THE freezer. ;)

On the menu for tomorrow - Bethany's Italian Sausage with Bowties.  Can't wait!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #6

Wow!  Only one day shy of a week - how exciting.   On the menu today - slow cooker venison stew with Spiedie Sauce marinated venison.

Spiedie Sauce Venison Stew

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 - 2 lbs venison, cut into stew cubes, marinated overnight in Spiedie Sauce**
1 large onion, chopped in large pieces
1/3 cup flour
2 large potatoes, clopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1 - 16 oz bag frozen crinkle-cut carrots
4 cups beef broth

Using a medium skillet, brown venison and onion in olive oil over medium high heat.  Add flour to skillet and mix well with meat and onions, allow to cook for about a minute.  Into slow cooker, add meat mixture, potatoes, and carrots.  Salt to taste.  Pour beef broth over everything and stir, ensuring that broth is fully mixed into the rest of the ingredients.  Cook on low 8-9 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

This is great served over buttermilk biscuits on a cold winter evening, but better with a green salad in the warmer months.  Also, this is a great recipe to stretch for company.  I can add as few or as many carrots and potatoes to the main recipe as I need to match the number I'm feeding.  I've also added green beans to the stew.  Today, I kept it heavy on the meat side because I knew we'd all be ready for a hearty dinner after working outside.

**Knock-Off Lupo's Spiedie Sauce

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped or pressed)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper


Hat tip to my friend, Traci for suggesting this recipe.  I am IN LOVE with this marinade and it was a huge hit with the family.   As usual, I did add a little more garlic.  Okay, I added A LOT more garlic...  as in like six?  seven? cloves.  We really like garlic. :)

ENJOY!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #5

Noodles with Broccoli and Meat (Cambodia)

I substituted a bag of Asian mixed vegetables for the broccoli and used imitation crab and chicken for the meat.  As always, it did not disappoint!

Cucumber Salad (Indonesia)

2 small cucumbers (I used one large English cucumber)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbs sugar
slices of hot chili pepper to taste (optional)

Whisk together all ingredients except the cucumbers and onions in a largish bowl.  Add cucumbers and onions, toss with dressing.  Marinate at least 30 minutes before serving.

I skipped the pepper because my family just isn't all that fond of pepper.  Then I increased the garlic powder because I knew I wasn't going to be using the hot chili peppers but I still wanted some kick.  Lastly, I used about 2 tsps of chili powder in place of the hot chili peppers.  This was a perfect side with the stir fry!


Both of these recipes are from Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook by Joetta Handrich Schlabach, 1991, Herald Press. (It's also available from Amazon.)  My number one, absolute favorite cookbook. Ever. I can't recommend it highly enough to my ethnic food loving friends.

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #4

This morning I made biscuits and gravy with the pound of Old Folks breakfast sausage.  Yum!  I even made biscuits from scratch.  Did you feel the earth move? ;)

Sausage Gravy

• 1 lb breakfast sausage
• 1/4 heaping cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups milk

Brown sausage in skillet over medium heat, breaking into crumbles as it cooks.  Slide cooked sausage to one side of the pan then tilt the pan (while holding back the sausage with the spatula), allowing the grease to collect on the opposite side.  Add flour and stir it into the grease with a fork.  After flour and grease are mixed, stir the sausage into it with the fork.  Brown for about 30 seconds.  Add milk to pan and turn up heat, continually stirring with the fork until the mixture starts to thicken.  Lower heat to simmer and stir occasionally until read to serve over buttermilk biscuits. 

Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 2/3 cup buttermilk 

Stir together dry ingredients; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add buttermilk, stirring until dough forms ball. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead 5-10 times (do not overwork!). Roll out to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into biscuits. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, and serve hot!
~ from Whole Foods for the Whole Family


Notes from me, because y'all know I'm not good at following a recipe. :)

1. I used white flour in my biscuits and in my gravy because my hands were too sore too pull the wheat out and grind it.
2. If there isn't enough grease in the skillet from the sausage (this will vary from brand to brand), add a little coconut oil, butter, or olive oil.  There should be about 2 Tbs in the pan before you add the flour.
3. Feel free to use less milk or add more milk to make the gravy the thickness you prefer.  My family prefers a moderately thick gravy, but not so thick it won't come off the spoon.
4. I used 1 tsp of salt because my butter is unsalted.
5. When I use a bland brand of sausage for gravy, I add pepper to the the pan right after I add the flour into the grease.  I've also been known to add a pinch (or three) of onion powder.

These biscuits are good, but not as light and fluffy as the frozen Pillsbury biscuits we all grew so fond of back during that awful year of 2007.  Now that I'm not traveling for basketball all the time I am Determined to learn how to make a decent biscuit.  Good thing the sausage gravy always turns out yummy or my family may starve in the meantime!

Enjoy!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - Day #3

For the first time in AGES we had the WHOLE family at the table for dinner.  It's much more common for this to happen at breakast.  On Friday.  But this is a Tuesday and it's dinner.  What a special treat!

Given the monumental event, I decided to thaw the pork tenderloin roasts.  My friend Bethany posted the recipe for Jen's Chicken in the comments of my first post.  I just happen to know Jen, too. How cool is that?  As fate would have it, my Scramble buddy, Angela (who also knows Jen AND Bethany :p), also posted online that she'd used this marinade on pork chops the same day Bethany posted on my blog.  Fate?

I served this with potato pancakes, sour cream cucumber salad, and roasted asparagus.  Most awesome dinner!

Jen's Chicken marinade (which I used on Pork Tenderloin)

6 T. olive oil
6 T. soy sauce
6 T. honey
3 T. vinegar
1 1/2 t. thyme
1 1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. allspice
1 t. pepper
2 - 1 lb (ish) pork tenderloin roasts.

Preheat oven to 425F.
Whisk together all ingredients except pork tenderloin.
Brown pork tenderloin roasts in a heavy pan over medium high heat.  (I coated my pan with coconut oil.)
Place browned pork tenderloin roasts in a baking dish and pour about half of the marinade over them.  Bake for 15-20 mins (until internal temp is 145F) basting every five minutes.  Before the final five minutes (it took 20 for mine to cook), poured the rest of the marinade over the top and turned the meat.

Jen used a whole tablespoon of pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne in her recipe, but my family isn't too keen on pepper or spicy so I cut those down to suit our tastes.

Everyone loved this!  Next time I'm actually going to use it over chicken, like the recipe was intended. :)

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - DAY #2

Nothing exciting today.

I made broth from the chicken parts (that were hanging out in the freezer just for this purpose), the lone chicken tenderloin, and a pack of chicken thighs. Everything tossed into the slow cooker along with the other half of the onion (leftover from the red sauce and meatballs), onion peels, about 12 cloves of garlic, and a Tbs of sea salt.  Cooked on low, overnight.

Today, I cooked Amish noodles (bought at Kroger) in the broth and added some of the chicken pieces from the above broth making. Totally simple and painless, yet my youngest loves this stuff as much as love chocolate. What an easy way to get brownie points!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer - DAY #1

This is what I made the first day of Operation Clean Out the Freezer. I needed to choose something quick and easy, since I'd spent the afternoon cleaning out the freezer. The icky, sticky nasty stuff on the walls and in the drawers. And rearranging all the bits that were hanging out into manageable places.

I had two packages of these meatballs hiding under leftover chicken pieces and freezer-burned vegetables. I also had an extra mouth for dinner. Score! Generally, I use these for weekday dinners when the husband is traveling and there are only four of us. With six for dinner, I used both packages and we had no leftovers.

Red Sauce and Meatballs

(2) packages Aidells Zesty Italian Style with Mozzarella Meatballs

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 medium onion, chopped finely
2 tsp salt
1 can tomato sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes
pinch of allspice
scant 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine (I used Merlot)

Add extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic to pan. Turn heat on medium high. When garlic starts to sizzle, turn heat down to medium and add chopped onions to pan. Cook until onions are translucent. (If garlic starts to burn, turn down heat.) Add to the pan the tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes, allspice, and sugar, then stir everything together. Add packages of meatballs to the pan and simmer until meatballs are done.

Serve over your favorite pasta.

I don't always chop my onions and garlic finely, but for this sauce I wanted them to cling to the meatballs. The tomato sauce and chopped tomatoes were in cans the size of a typical can of soup - since marketers keep changing the size of the can I have NO idea how many ounces they are. Fifteen maybe?

I served this with Parmesan cheese for sprinkling and ricotta on the side. It was a big hit and a nice way to end a fun weekend.

Enjoy!

Operation Clean Out the Freezer

Yesterday I decided it was time to get rid of the bits and pieces hanging out in the inside freezer.  So much was stuffed in there in a rush that organization was GONE and my breakfast box was filled with bags of frozen vegetables, chicken parts, seafood, partially used bag of coffee, breakfast calzone's from LAST summer...  well, you get the picture.

Doesn't it look deliciously organized?

In an effort to get back into the blogging habit, I'm going to blog the recipes I use with each of the bits.  I'm excited to see where this adventure leads!

• ham bone
• chicken thighs  easy chicken and noodles
• chicken thighs
• boneless/skinless chicken thighs  chicken korma
• chicken bits for soup  easy chicken and noodles
• chicken tenderloin (one? seriously?)  easy chicken and noodles
• (2) sandwich steaks
• package of imitation crab noodles with broccoli and meat
• 1 lb shrimp shrimp and avocado salad
• package of diced ham
• venison stew meat   Spiedie Sauce venison stew
• venison stew meat
• ground beef  beef and beans (for nachos and burritos)
• (2) packages Aidells Zesty Italian-style Meatballs  Red Sauce and Meatballs
• homemade Italian sausage
• homemade Italian sausage
• Johnsonville Italian sausage
• Old Folks Italian sausage
• (10) hamburger patties   cheddar bbq hamburgers
• pork tenderloin(skinny kind)  Jen's Chicken (yes, it was for chicken)
• (1) bag of Bertolli shrimp scampi
• breakfast sausage biscuits and sausage gravy 
• breakfast sausage

Please, no comments on the Italian sausage.  I'm pretty sure there's more in the outside freezer.  We used to eat a lot of it. I also used to cook from scratch a lot more often.  :p

If you have any recipe ideas for the above, PLEASE post a link in the comments!  An adventure is more fun when others come along for the ride. :)

Pulled-Pork Quesadillas

Okay, this is how I roll. We have a ton of pork leftover from Sunday dinner (basic Boston butt slow cooked with apple juice, salt, and liquid smoke) that I don't want to waste. I have this recipe idea in my head, thinking it's similar to the Cuban pork quesadillas I posted awhile back. I was close, but not quite. Typical when I try to remember a recipe. :D BUT, they turned out so good I figured they deserved a blog post and a name all their own.


Pulled-Pork Quesadilla

1 large (12") tortilla per person
Pulled pork, warmed - the kind that's vinegar-based, not tomato-based
Spicy brown mustard
Shredded monterey jack cheese
Sweet (bread and butter) pickle slices or relish

Spread the tortilla with spicy brown mustard, taste. Layer pork, cheese, and pickles on half. Fold over and grill until cheese is melted. Slice into four pieces.

With a side dish, two pieces (1/2 of the above) would be plenty for me. Actually, I'm not going to be able to eat the last piece without a side dish. :p My two athletes, though, finished their entire four pieces in anticipation of tonight's soccer game and late dinner (that just might end up being a stop for ice cream.)

Spicy brown mustard, where have you been all my life? This is the BEST ingredient I added to my repertoire in 2011. I haven't purposely avoided using it, but somehow I've managed to get by without it for twenty years.

Enjoy!

Avgolemono ~ Greek Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

This is adapted from Rachael Ray's Lemon and Orzo Soup recipe.  I make no claims to its authenticity given I've adapted it from a non-Greek and I have not a drop of southern European blood running through my veins.  But, MAN is it GOOD!  And easy.  I'm sure the original recipe is tasty, too, but I couldn't bring myself to make a soup without garlic. And vegetables.  So I deviated.

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP ala Elizabeth
(Irish-American Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup?)

• 8 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned)
• Two 2-inch strips lemon peel
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/8 tsp saffron powder
• 16 oz Orzo pasta

In a large soup pot(6 qt will work here), bring the broth, lemon peels, bay leaves and saffron to a boil. Allow to boil for about five minutes, then remove lemon peels and bay leaves.

• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 12 oz bag Kroger mirepoix style blend vegetables **

Add extra virgin olive oil and garlic to a second large soup pot (8 qt would be best). Turn on burner to medium high. When garlic starts to sizzle add mirepoix vegetable mix and sauté for about five minutes.

Pour broth into soup pot with vegetables and bring to a boil. Stir in the orzo and boil for 5 minutes. Cover, remove the pan from the heat and let the orzo set for 5 minutes.

• Juice of (2) medium lemons
• 4 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
• 2 drops hot sauce
• Salt to taste (I used about 2 tsp Kosher salt)

Whisk together lemon juice, eggs, hot sauce, and salt in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of soup broth to temper the eggs, then slowly pour the egg mixture into the soup. Continue whisking mixture into the soup and cook on low for five minutes.

• 4-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cooked and chopped

Add cooked, chopped chicken to soup. Continue to cook, covered, on low heat until orzo is fully cooked.

ENJOY!

** mirepoix style blend is a ready-to-use vegetable mixture of onions, carrots, and celery

I have only ever seen this at Kroger and it's their store brand.