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.

French Fruit Tarts ala Chloe Chronicles

Austin would rather have a fruit tart from Whole Foods than a birthday cake. That was cool when we lived 5 minutes from Whole Foods, but it makes planning a little tricky now that we're an hour and a half away. The thought of making one of these yummies myself never crossed my mind - I always figured it would be much too complicated.

Whole Foods mini fruit tarts

I'm not sure if I should thank Chloe or block her blog from my view... I suspect that once I make that first tart it could become a very bad habit. Although, they ARE made with FRESH FRUIT, right?

The Perfect Tart Crust
French Pastry Cream
French Fruit Tarts

Can't wait for an afternoon at home to try making fruit tarts from scratch!

Holiday Apricot Kugel

I came to kugel relatively late in life, introduced to it by my cousin's mother-in-law. It was love at first bite! It seems a stretch to call it a comfort food since it isn't a product of my childhood, but there is something about this lightly sweet, rich dish that wraps me up like a warm blanket, straight from the dryer. This version caught my eye because the creator adds apricot preserves to the mix. It didn't disappoint! My husband, father-in-law, 13yo, and her friend all give it two thumbs up!

HOLIDAY APRICOT KUGEL

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package wide egg noodles
1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup melted butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 (16 ounce) container cottage cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
In a large bowl, stir together the apricot preserves, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and mix to thoroughly combine. Fold in the cottage cheese and noodles, and spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until the center of the kugel is cooked and set, about 50 minutes. Remove the kugel and top with Cheddar cheese, return to the oven, and bake until the cheese is browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes. Let the kugel rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Amazingly, I didn't make any changes to this recipe. Of course, how do you mess with kugel, I ask? I used preserves that had no added sweeteners, but regular apricot preserves would work just as well. I imagine it would be a tad sweeter than my version.

ENJOY!


note: click on the recipe name to link directly to the original recipe

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

I stumbled upon this recipe playing with my Dinner Spinner Pro app on my iPhone. It *sounded* incredibly tasty and with the teens out of the house today it was the perfect opportunity to give a try. Oh. My. Word. This EXCEEDED all of my expectations! The husband was looking for seconds. :)



SHRIMP and AVOCADO SALAD

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups cooked & coarsely chopped shrimp
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs cocktail sauce
salt to taste
2 avocados, halved lengthwise, pitted, and scooped out of the skin
1/2 lemon
Boston lettuce leaves
paprika

Directions
In a bowl, mix the shrimp, chives, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and cocktail sauce. Season with salt.
Line individual serving plates with one leaf of Boston lettuce and sprinkle with paprika to taste.
Place 1/2 an avocado on each lettuce leaf.
Mound the shrimp mixture into the avocado hollow and sprinkle with fresh squeezed lemon juice.

This recipe is modified from a recipe by the same name I found on AllRecipes. The changes are pretty significant, so I'm not going to list them separately.

Although, I will note that the original recipe seems to serve the avocado IN its skin on top of the lettuce. That seemed a waste of a perfectly yummy looking piece of lettuce, so I scooped the avocado out of the skin in one piece and spooned the shrimp mixture into the hollow. One of the reviewers on AllRecipes suggested lining a rectangular plate with the lettuce leaves sprinkled with paprika, placing the wedges in a line, and spooning the shrimp between the avocado slices.

Also, the original recipe uses bibb lettuce. I substituted Boston lettuce only because it was the better looking of the two at my grocery store.

ENJOY!

I heart Paula Deen OR the best. potroast. ever.

Pot Roast

Ingredients
1 (3 to 4-lb) boneless chuck roast
Seasoning mix **
4 Tbs butter
1 large onion, sliced thinly
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 can golden mushroom soup
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbs Worcestershire
1 scant Tbs Tone's Beef Base
3/4 cup water



Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Rub seasoning into the roast on both sides. Heat butter in a large skillet and brown the roast, searing it on both sides. Place the meat in a roaster pan. Add onions and garlic to skillet for 1 to 2 minutes to absorb leftover roast juice. (I added a little extra butter because the pan was dry.) Place into roaster pan with meat.
Combine the golden mushroom soup, wine, Worcestershire sauce and beef base into a bowl. Pour over the roast. Add water.
Cover pan bake for 3 to 3 1/2 hours or until tender.

** seasoning mix (based on Paula Deen's House Seasoning: 4 parts salt, 1 part white pepper, 1 part granulated garlic

This recipe is modified from Paula Deen's Pot Roast recipe to fit what I had on hand in the pantry. Well, that, and that niggling little character flaw that compels me to change recipes.

The roast was moist, falling apart and incredibly tasty. No need for ketchup with this pot roast! I also peeled and quartered six medium sized potatoes and cooked them on top of the meat and gravy. Can't have gravy without potatoes, right? Although, I think this dish would be just as awesome served over wide egg noodles.

ENJOY!

(And yes, once again I forgot to take a picture, so I borrowed the photo above from pauladeen.com!)

Tomatoes! Tomatoes! Tomatoes!

Does this picture make you drool?

It makes me drool. I dream about tomatoes fresh-from-the-garden all year long and I tolerate the less-than-perfect hot house tomatoes the rest of the year.

I'm going to make something with tomatoes for dinner tonight - not sure what yet, maybe we'll just have sliced tomatoes - and I stumbled across all these incredibly yummy sounding tomato dishes out on the web. Haven't tried any of them. YET!

Savory Tomato Crumble
Onion Tart with Gruyere and Tomato
Easy Tomato Galette
Gina's Summer Tomato Pie
Summer Tomato Salad with Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette
Scalloped tomatoes with croutons
Tomato, Onion and Potato Gratin

Overnight Blueberry French Toast

OVERNIGHT BLUEBERRY FRENCH TOAST
Adapted from the recipe at Heritage Acres Homestead

1/2 loaf of the long, skinny Italian bread from Sam's club cut into cubes
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cut in cubes
3/4 cup fresh blueberries
8 medium eggs
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk

Layer 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9" deep-dish pie plate.
Sprinkle (I use the term loosely with the cream cheese!) the blueberries and cream cheese cubes on top of the bread cubes.
Top with the other 1/2 of the bread cubes.
Mix together the eggs, maple syrup, and milk, then pour over the bread, blueberries, and cream cheese.
Cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning (or when ready to cook):
Preheat oven to 350F.
Bake covered for 40 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I planned to serve mine with maple syrup, but there is a recipe on the linked blog for a blueberry topping that would be delish if you have time to make it.

I say 'planned' to serve because it wasn't cooked in time for me to serve it to my family (I'll be serving it warmed up before church tomorrow). I think because I made it in a deep dish pie plate. In any case, as you can see in the picture mine is a little brown on top since I added cooking time at the end when it was uncovered. In the directions I added that extra 10 minutes to the time it's covered.

ENJOY!