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Recipe Roundup

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I think I am in another food rut. Nothing sounds good and I don’t have the energy to cook anything new. Then, when I actually do cook something new, I think of all sorts of ways to change it or make it better. Plus, when we do eat out, or I eat a quick frozen dinner, I get sad and just want to make it better. It’s becoming a problem, although maybe a good problem to have, I guess.

I’m wondering if this cookbook challenge is pushing me in another direction, a new and slightly scary one. Maybe it’s time for me to start thinking about making up my own recipes… Real recipes, not just thrown together ones.

As I’m writing this, we are watching Masterchef, and the Husband is pointing out that the next audition cycle is “coming to a city near you!” (Chicago on September 9 is the next one.) He’s threatening to apply for me and bring me Mystery Boxes to get me ready for auditions… I may have created a monster…

While I’m not quite ready for Masterchef yet, I could maybe handle trying to create a few of my own recipes.

I did make spaghetti and bagel pizzas this week that were my own recipes. These will not win me Masterchef, but did make for tasty dinners.

1- Spaghetti, recipe by me.

The spaghetti had tons of fresh basil in it, so had a little bit of a different flavor. I had run out of garlic, so it just had garlic powder. It cooked in the crockpot for about 10 hours. The Husband’s coworkers are in awe of my cook time for spaghetti sauce, apparently. It is a long time, but if it cooks for under 4 hours, it isn’t as good. It still doesn’t taste as good as my Dad’s recipe either.

Yes, the pasta is mixed shapes. I thought I had more spaghetti and it turned out I had double the fettuccini, not spaghetti.

2- Fettuccini Alfredo with mushrooms from the Pasta book. This was not a new recipe, but I did add mushrooms. (We didn’t have these back to back, there were a few days in between.) I spaced on pictures, we were too hungry.

3- Bagel Pizzas, recipe by me.

The Husband laughed at me when I was talking about making these because apparently they started simple and then sounded extra fancy when I had finished what was going to be on them. They really aren’t fancy at all. I made homemade pizza sauce with dried oregano, parsley, basil, and garlic and onion powders. I toasted the bagel before adding the sauce and it made it much nicer. I added a slice of mozzarella cheese, mushrooms and ham, and then another slice of cheese on top. They were baked for about 10 minutes at 350.

4- Herb Chicken Meal from Freezer Meals by Julianna Sweeney. 

It looks terrible, but was actually pretty flavorful. We used boneless, skinless leg quarters and baked it for about 50 minutes, as it was still slightly frozen. Salad and garlic bread completed the meal. I will make this again, it was good.

Oh gosh… Now the Husband has my Masterchef plan of attack all worked out, from knife skill drills, to dinner parties where other people can eat the fish that neither of us like, to what we’ll do after I win.

If he starts telling all of you to send me weird food items, don’t listen! 🙂

For now, I think I’ll stick to trying some new ways to prepare foods and maybe try a few things out on my own. I still need to meal plan for the week too. My back is currently acting up very badly, so resting with an ice pack and recipes seems like just the thing to do.

Fancy is being bratty and demanding pets and rope tugs, which the Husband has provided. This has been my view during the week when she decides I’m done on the computer for the night.

It is National Dog Day though, so I suppose we can spoil her a bit. 🙂 Who can resist puppy snuggles, after all?

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

It’s Shark Week! I know I said that before, but I’m still enjoying it. I watch it for the science, okay! 🙂 No judgements!

Lunches, as well as TV, have been a bit more exciting for me this week. I’ve been terrible about preparing something ahead of time lately and decided to change it. This week I made two new recipes specifically for lunches. Both were vegetarian, so I didn’t have to share.

I used all Food Network Magazines this week by accident. The weeknight cooking sections have been surprisingly helpful and have only taken around 30 minutes or so. Normally with the “30 minute recipes,” it’s been and hour and a half and fifteen bowls and pots before we eat. They lie to us…

On to the recipes!

1- Slow Cooker Soy Citrus Chicken from Food Network Magazine, Jan/Feb 2015. V.8, N.1

Modifications: I added carrots and onions to the slow cooker. I also added more soy sauce. The Husband has figured out that he doesn’t like citrus flavors with meats. It was a decent dinner, but I probably won’t make it again. No pictures, since I had a different dinner at work.

2- Chicken Divan by The Husband’s Mom. This was the recipe he requested she give me for my bridal shower. (Don’t tell her, but he likes mine better because I leave out the broccoli. She’s still got me beat on pot roast though.)

Recipe:

Cooked Rice, 4 cooked and chopped Chicken Breasts, 1& 1/2 Tsp lemon juice, 1 & 1/2 cup Shredded Cheese, 2  10 oz packs of cooked frozen broccoli, 1 1/2 cup Mayo, 1 1/2 TBS Curry Powder, 3 cans Cream of Chicken Soup, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.

Spread cooked broccoli in casserole dish. Top with chicken. Combine soup, mayo, lemon juice, and curry powder. Pour over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle cheese and breadcrumbs on top. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

Modifications: I leave out the broccoli and serve a salad on the side. I also normally cut the recipe in half and use two cans of soup. I like it, but not for too long. And it helps keep down the leftovers or waste.

3- Lentils with Watercress (Spinach) from Food Network Magazine, October 2016. V.9, N.8. 

Modifications: This was a lunch recipe. I used half broth and half water for more flavor. I used spinach instead of watercress, as it was what I had. Also, I am the only one eating this and it seemed wasteful to get a whole thing of watercress. I’m guessing the Husband will not like it. It was good. I would make this again, but would probably have it with a hard-boiled egg or something. I was hungry soon after eating it.

4- Curried Egg Salad from Food Network Magazine, April  2017. V. 10, N. 3

Modifications: My second lunch recipe. I used garlic powder and cut the recipe. I would have eaten it with crackers instead of bread, but forgot them. It was interesting. I’m not sure if I liked it or not. No pictures, I forgot to take them at work.

5- Lamb Shoulder Chops with Carrot Puree with Cucumber Salad from the above Food Network.

Modifications: Dried cilantro in the puree, instead of fresh. I didn’t blend the puree as much as it told me too. I got impatient with the stick blender.

When I served it, the Husband said “Hooray baby food!” Oh sarcasm… it was pretty gross though. I don’t know that I like purees.

The lamb chops were good, as was the cucumber salad. I would make both of those again.

6- Couscous Tabouli, Method by me.

Recipe: Cook the couscous per package directions. Add chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Add olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Mix well and enjoy warm or cold.

The Husband thinks I should have a Gordon Ramsey week, but I’m not sure if I have enough recipes. I only have one of his cookbooks. I’ll do some research and see what I can do though, as it sounds fun.

Since there is a monthly review coming up, I’m going to be checking on which cookbooks need to still be used. Ramsey’s cookbook is one of them. It’s kind of intimidating. He might end up with more reasons to call me a muppet if I mess things up…

This is Fancy’s face when I make a new recipe lately. She’s been getting very nosy. The featured picture is her when we open anything in a bag or box. I just love her ears!

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

Has it been a week already? Time moved very fast. We’ve had a couple of familiar recipes this week, chicken potpie and fried ravioli. But we did try some new recipes too, so it balanced out.

The Husband says I shouldn’t talk about the potpie. Really, it was the filling over rice or noodles. It generally works out, but was absolutely the driest thing I’ve made lately and it didn’t reheat well. Potpie was my husband snaring meal, so it was pretty disappointing. I thought I had turned the burner under it off and it was actually just on low. 🙁 There were no pictures taken of my shame….

The ravioli is a pretty simple process too. Dredge cooked and drained ravioli with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, and, dip in seasoned panko or regular breadcrumbs. Fry until brown and serve with a salad or fruit. We were both too hungry for pictures.

Here are the rest of the recipes.

1- Pan Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops from the Food Network website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pan-grilled-lamb-shoulder-chops-recipe

Modifications: None, except I just used a regular cast iron skillet, not a grill pan. I also found a very similar recipe in my newest FN magazine as well, but after I had already started the original recipe. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of meat fat, so was a little grossed out occasionally, but it had good flavor. Plus, it was a cheaper cut of meat, but the marinade helped it break down a bit first. We had Ranch carrots too, but they didn’t taste very much like ranch, so I’m not adding the recipe.

2- Potato Stacks from an insert in one of the Food Network magazines- 50 Things to Make in a Muffin Pan

Modifications: Nothing. I followed the recipe and they turned out pretty good. It made a lot though and I ended up using the leftovers mashed up on our elk shepherd’s pie. They had cream and parmesan cheese in them and they were delicious.

3- Curried Lentil Soup from Food Network, September 2016, v. 9, N. 7.

Modifications: I used green onions instead of leeks, since it was what I had. I ate this for lunch during the week and it was yummy. It was nice and spicy from the curry powder. The Husband doesn’t like lentils, so I didn’t have to share.

4- Herbed Chicken and Vegetables from Taste of Home: The New Slow Cooker. 

Modifications: I used carrots in the slow cooker, instead of broccoli. It was pretty good. I used bone on chicken breasts and the chicken was falling apart when we went to eat it. We had it with rice. I used the leftovers for my potpie.

5- Elk Shepherd’s pie, recipe by me. I just cooked up the meat, added Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, and some frozen mixed veggies, and beef broth. I mashed up the leftover potato stacks and added them on top and them baked it at 350 for about 20 minutes until the potatoes were hot. It was pretty good. The Elk tasted like a cross between venison and beef. I think I could probably sub it in for beef quite easily.

Tonight I’m working late, so the Husband is having leftovers and I’m eating more lentils.

 

Recipe Roundup

Family Spaghetti Recipe and Lasagna fun

LSiehLeave a comment

I got an email from my Dad today that said I should call him to discuss the spaghetti recipe, since he was “alone in the North and menaced by snow.”

Did I mention my Dad is a writer?  He’s also alone and menaced by snow quite a bit, which is this winter’s code for “Call your father.” My Mom works primarily from the house, but is on call during the evenings, which means she gets called out to various places a lot and gives my Dad plenty of time to think up new codes. My favorite is still one from after a trip to the zoo when I told him I had a big enough purse to smuggle a penguin out in. That message was “Put down the penguin and call your father!”

Anyway, I was talking about spaghetti. According to my Dad, this is actually my Grandma’s spaghetti recipe, not his. The only thing he doesn’t do is to add the sugar. I never remembered that part, so I haven’t ever added it either. This is more like a method than a recipe too. We tend not to measure. And it needs to cook for at least 6-8 hours. I made it once in 4 and it wasn’t the same. (I make this in the crockpot a lot, but I don’t think Dad approves of that method.)

We are not Italian in any way, shape, or form.  My Dad’s side is Norwegian and my Mom’s side is Finnish. I think my Grandma got the recipe from her Italian neighbors at some point. I’ve listed what I generally use, but really it can be flexible.

So without further ado, my interpretation of the family spaghetti method!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef, 1 medium onion-chopped, 3-4 cloves garlic-sliced, 1 can mushrooms or fresh mushrooms, 2 stalks celery-sliced, 1 chopped red or yellow bell pepper, 3-4 cans diced tomatoes, 1 can whole tomatoes, 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar, basil, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Brown the ground beef halfway, drain if necessary, and add the garlic and onions. If using the slow cooker, add the ground beef mixture and the other ingredients and let cook for 6-8 hours. The slow cooker makes it a little more juicy than stovetop.

For the stove, pretty much the same thing applies. After you’ve drained the meat, add it back to the pan and add everything else and let cook on low for 6-8 hours. Keep it covered for a few hours and if it looks like it is too juicy towards the end, take the lid off and turn up the heat to medium.

In my family we always used the leftovers for lasagna the next day. I accidentally trained the Husband to expect it this way too, so now I’m not allowed to just make spaghetti without getting sad looks and heavy sighs. So since we had spaghetti yesterday, we had lasagna tonight and I got brave and made homemade pasta sheets. Although it sounds funny, I ended up making pasta sheets because I was too lazy to put on real pants (not pjs) and go to the store. It seemed easier to make them, since I have made pasta a few times before.

No pictures of tonight’s sheets, as it’s a bit impossible to take pictures while rolling pasta dough through the Kitchenaid Pasta attachment. I do have pics of another batch of pasta though so you can see what it looks like. It’s pretty fun and actually easy, just a little time consuming. I thought I had made it too thin, but it was delicious in the lasagna and cooked up perfectly with no par-boiling. I will definitely make this again and am already plotting what to do with the rest of the pasta dough.

No crafts this weekend. I need to get back to my sewing machine in the later part of the week. I hope you enjoy the spaghetti method and pasta pictures though and stick around for crafty pictures later.

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

It feels like I spent most of my last two days in the car, driving back and forth from various places. The Husband and I hosted a game night last night and both had to work on the morning, so it was a crazy weekend. I thought I should start this week off with a Recipe Roundup. Here’s the update:

1- Asian Style Pork Chops: Original recipe from me! I don’t use a recipe for these, or really measurements, but I can tell you what I put on them. I marinate the chops in soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, and garlic powder or fresh garlic pieces. I used store- bought Char Sui BBQ sauce for the extra bit this time. It’s the sauce you get on BBQ pork or bao (steamed buns) in Chinese restaurants. It makes the pork turn a red color and is sweet and slightly spicy. After marinating, you just throw it in the oven at 375, for about 30-45 minutes. Typically the pork chops are still a little frozen because I forget to take them out early enough. The Husband likes them that way though, he says they don’t dry out as much. He usually has rice with this.

2- Dahl (Spicy lentils) over rice. This is a recipe I got from my Mom, who got it from my godmother. We have had it for as long as I can remember. I’ll post the full recipe for this one, since it’s not from a book. You’ll want to have all the spices ready and measured out before you heat the oil, s it goes really quick.

Dahl from Jeanne Foster

Ingredients:

1 C lentils, 3 C chicken broth, 4 T oil, 4 garlic cloves, 1 tsp. whole cumin seed, 1 tsp whole mustard seeds, 2 dried chilis or chili pepper flakes.

Cook 1 C lentils in 3 C chicken broth until soft, about one hour. Heat 4 Tablespoons oil until almost smoking. Add 4 whole cloves of garlic and fry until brown. Add 1 tsp. Whole cumin and 1 tsp whole mustard seeds and put a lid on the pan quickly. Sizzle for two seconds. Add two dried chilis let them swell and turn dark. Alternatively, use chili pepper flakes if you don’t have dried chilis. Pour the spices over the lentils and serve over rice.

This is a delicious dish that can be vegetarian if you use veggie broth or water to cook the lentils. The Husband doesn’t like lentils, so I get to eat this all myself, which is good, because I don’t really want to share it.

3- Baked Curry Chicken from CDK Kitchen: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/284/Baked_Chicken_Curry3562.shtml

Modifications: None. It turned out very good and gave us leftovers for the next recipe. We ate it with rice.

4- Curried Chicken Salad from Food Network Favorites. Dave Lieberman section. 

Modifications: I didn’t poach the chicken with the spices, because we had curry chicken leftovers from the night before. It worked out just fine. I left out the grapes, mainly because we didn’t have any. It was very good. Not too overwhelming with curry, just enough of a bite. I would make this again. The Husband has fairly recently discovered that he likes chicken salad, so it’s nice to find another recipe for it.

4- Chickpea Soup from Food Network Magazine Jan/Feb 2015, v. 8, Number 1. 

Modifications: I didn’t make the pita chips. I didn’t have time to make pitas and forgot to get them at the store. I also cut the recipe in half, but didn’t really cut the Rotel amount down, which made it sinus clearing spicy. I could only eat one bowl of it. It evened out after a day or two. I would make this again. It had cumin and coriander in it and came together quickly. I was on my own for dinner for a few nights, since the Husband was out if town. I tend to eat vegetarian when he isn’t here. It seems like a lot of trouble to thaw meat just for me.

4- Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Crispy Bacon from Food Network Favorites. Wolfgang Puck section. 

Modifications: I added some mushrooms because it sounded good. I also just let the dough raise while i was at work, so it didn’t raise in the balls like it was supposed to for the second rise. It didn’t seem to make a difference. We also couldn’t find farmer’s cheese and subbed ricotta like the book suggested.

Oh my gosh. It was amazing. It had a white sauce and was delicious. We’re adding it to our regular pizza recipes.

5- Blackwood Hall Muffins from The Nancy Drew Cookbook: Clues to Good Cooking by Carolyn Keene. 

Modifications: Baking again, so not many. One thing I did do was to melt the butter. The ingredients call for butter or margarine, but then in the instructions it says “shortening.” It also doesn’t say to melt the butter, but doesn’t give directions for the creaming method, which you don’t use for muffins anyway. So I put on  my sleuthing hat and did what I thought would be best and it worked perfectly. These were blueberry muffins and they are the Husband’s favorite muffin. He gave them his stamp of approval. I would make these again and it was fun to use this cookbook. Some of the recipes are a little scary, but it was published in 1973, so it makes sense for the time.

Tonight I have spaghetti sauce in the crockpot which is my Dad’s recipe. I work my second job tonight, so will eat it when I’m done and the Husband will eat at a normal time.  I’m using the rest of the pizza dough to make breadsticks. I’ll check and see if I’m allowed to share the super secret spaghetti recipe for next time.