Tag: Recipe roundup

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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We never did end up having sausage tortellini soup because the Fancy showed us where the skunk poop is by rolling in it while we were attempting to figure out the garden. By the time we got her cleaned off, it was 8 pm, too late to make the soup. At least now we know what to start clearing out first, I guess, but it was still pretty horrible. We had just washed her too and she is now extra soft. This is a picture of her face anytime she finds something horrible to roll in.

We had chicken wonton soup instead that night, made with thin sliced carrots, celery, and fresh cilantro in the chicken broth. We had the homemade wontons in the freezer, so we just boiled them for about 12- 13 minutes. No real recipe, I just threw a bunch of Asian spices in the broth. I also added red chili flakes and it was very, very spicy at the bottom of the pan when the Husband tasted it. I felt bad. He was coughing for the longest time. He recovered though and we had ice cream to help his sore throat.

He also had pork yesterday. I was working late and had store-bought grape leaves and hummus. The pork was marinated in soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and Thai sweet chili sauce. He said it was good.

So now for the new recipes that I actually followed! Well, mostly followed…

1- Banana Bread from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, edited by Dorothy B. Marsh. Section: Favorite Quick Breads. 

Modifications: I added butterscotch chips because it sounded good. The recipe was pretty simple and it turned out good. I was happy to use up my bananas. The Husband doesn’t like bananas, but I think my in-laws do, so I am planning on sharing with them. I’ll send any leftovers in with The Husband on Tuesday too.

2- Italian Chicken Meatballs from Fresh April Flours. http://freshaprilflours.com/2016/01/11/slow-cooker-turkey-meatballs-gluten-free/

Modifications: I used chicken and regular bread crumbs. It called for almond flour and I didn’t have enough time to grind them, as I would have ended up late for work. Also, I used diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce. They looked like they would be dry without the extra sauce. There were no directions on seasoning the sauce, just the meatballs, so I added the normal oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and basil on both layers of tomatoes. We had it over noodles, but at separate times of the night. I also forgot to take pictures. Both times that I was eating it, I was in a rush. Next time I will add more spices to the meatballs and sauce. Some of the flavor cooked off in the crockpot.

3- Rosemary Flank Steak from Food Network Magazine, March 2017, V.10, N.2

Modifications: I did not make the arugula salad or use the beans. It would have been just me eating it and I didn’t have either of those things. I’m sure they would have both been delicious. We were a little disappointed in the steak. It lacked a lot of seasoning. The recipe called for you to poke the steak with a fork and marinate it for 10 minutes. That wasn’t long enough. It was pretty bland, unless you happened to get a piece of garlic. If we use this recipe again, I’ll increase the marinating time. We had it with fancy mashed potatoes and a salad. I think I need to work on plating. I don’t like mixing foods though, especially meat, so it’s a struggle. The plate looks a little bare. The Husband volunteered his plate and tried a fancier plating style.

4- Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes from Food Network Magazine, November 2016, V.9, N.9

Modifications: I cut back the butter. Shocking, I know, but we did have less potatoes than the recipe called for. It also had shaved Parmesan, milk, and marscapone cheese in it. I thought we might not want to harden our arteries quite that much yet. I bet when we were eating them a cardiologist somewhere got really excited for no reason…

I was excited to roast a whole head of garlic. It felt so fancy and decadent. I smelled like garlic for the rest of the day, of course, but it was so worth it. After roasting it, you add it to the milk to infuse. You were supposed to drain them out, but I didn’t do it. The garlic mashed up just fine. They turned out very rich and creamy. Definitely special occasion potatoes only. We might make them again for Thanksgiving if we host this year.

Here is my separated plate.

I didn’t end up making gelato this week. The bowl still needs to be frozen. I am planning on getting that done tonight at least and we can try it in the next few days.

I was proud that I was able to try four new recipes this week. It reminded me that it just takes a little extra planning to make it work, but that I can do it, even when my week is crazy busy. I am going to try to keep this streak going and do some meal planning this weekend. I will also try to take more pictures!

Speaking of pictures, if Fancy will stop trying to eat her life jacket, I may be able to get a picture of her in it. She now has a lime green one which all the store employees told her she looked wonderful in. Apparently lime green is her color. There could be a boat ride in her future now that she can be safe on the boat. We’re not sure if she can swim, so figured better safe than sorry.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, no matter what your plans are!

 

 

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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I used two new recipes this week, both for Fancy. For the Husband and I there were familiar, but good,  recipes. Tomorrow is my last shift at my third job and I’m hoping that this will free up some more creative time for trying new recipes. I am very excited to try some recipes from the freezer cookbook a friend gave me on my late evenings.

Despite the Husband telling me multiple times that he can feed himself, I’m still fighting off guilt when there isn’t a homemade dinner. I blame my Scandinavian heritage for that one. I get very nervous if I can’t feed someone properly. The few times I haven’t wanted to feed people have been weird for me. It also seems to be how I know that I don’t like someone; I won’t feed them. So you can see the problem, when my Husband is eating frozen dinners and saying “they really do taste better now. They’ve changed the recipes!” I just can’t imagine it.

So to prevent this, tomorrow I am making Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, from Our Best Bites. http://ourbestbites.com/2009/10/tortellini-sausage-soup/

It normally turns out delicious, although I do need to see if we have apple juice. If we don’t, it may get moved to later in the week and I’ll make something else.

Here are the other meals we’ve had this week.

1- Lasagna, recipe by me. We had spaghetti over the past weekend while a friend was visiting, so I used the sauce over noodles. I used store-bought pasta sheets, as my day got away from me. I also used real shaved Parmesan. I’ve got the Husband hooked on good/fancy cheese and it makes both of us feel like fancy people.  It turned out pretty good.

2- Chef’s Salad with eggs and bacon. No real recipe, I just made a big salad and the Husband cooked the eggs and bacon when he got home. It works for a dinner and a lunch normally. We also have a fancy spicy pepper cheese that was a good addition.

3- Tequila Lime Chicken With Pico De Gallo. I used to use a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, but when I went to look for it to link it, it wasn’t there. I threw bone in, skin on chicken breasts in a bag with two sliced garlic cloves, fresh cilantro, silver tequila, olive oil, a chopped and seeded Serrano pepper, salt, pepper, and green onions. Then I let it marinate until I  came home and threw it in the oven. I baked it for about 45-50 minutes at 375. In the summer, this is really good to grill if you use boneless thighs or breasts. We had it with homemade pico and chips. I also had mango pieces with mine.

I did try to note what I was using for my pico this time, so I’ll write down what I think I did.

4- Pico de Gallo, method by me.

Roughly dice 3-4 Roma tomatoes. Chop a handful of cilantro, 2-3 green onions, and 1-2 jalapeños. I normally seed one half and leave the seeds in the second half, depending on spice levels. Add lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Serve with chips, or over chicken.

The Husband will eat an entire bowl of it himself if I let him. The first time I made this with chicken for his parents, his Mom was amazed that he would eat it, as he has never liked raw tomatoes. It was pretty funny.

5- Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats from Two Little Cavaliers. http://twolittlecavaliers.com/2013/11/make-apple-cinnamon-dog-treats.html

Fancy haunted the kitchen the entire time these treats were baking and she likes them even better than her store-bought ones, judging by how intently she watches us when we have them, and by her incessant tail wagging. I was able to use up all my bruised apples too and know exactly what is in these treats. I never thought I would be the person who bakes for her dog, but I guess it makes sense. I do bake for everyone else. She is also a gluten-free dog, apparently she has stomach and skin problems when she has gluten, according to the rescue. We decided to keep to that and it seems to be working.

6- Chicken Rice Treats from Kol’s Notes. http://kolchakpuggle.com/2012/02/tasty-tuesday-hearts-for-my-valentine-chicken-dog-treats.html

Fancy was very excited by these as well. Chicken is one  of her very favorite things and I was able to use up leftover rice and chicken in these. I had to give her two right away, as she snatched the first one before I could get a picture. She can be a tall dog when she wants to be and I forget how short I am until she’s jumping for something.

Hopefully this week, I can make some new meals. I have one very late night and some early evenings this week, so I am planning at least one crockpot meal.

There will also definitely be an ice cream or gelato recipe, as I just bought us the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment. It was on sale and I had a coupon and ended up saving about 40%. I’m very excited and bought a salted caramel gelato mix with it, so we are going to try that soon. Pictures to come, of course!

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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I used two new cookbooks this week and got a new one as a birthday present from a friend. The new one is freezer recipes and will be fantastic for my late nights at work.

We also had spaghetti and the Husband cooked some pork chops that, sadly, turned out to be not so good. I hadn’t marinated them this time, just added some dry spices and olive oil. They were actually thawed this time too and I think it made them dry.

I made a chicken that we ended up using in three different meals and I used the carcass to make chicken broth! I was pretty proud.

1- Roasted Chicken, no recipe. I put some bread dipping spices on it, along with olive oil. Baked it at 375 for about 80 minutes. It was still a tiny bit frozen. It was good all by itself with raw veggies and fruit.

2- Chicken Tortilla Soup, method by me. I was still sick and congested at this point, so I wanted something spicy to break up my sinuses. I used a couple of boxes of broth, cooked chicken, a can of generic tomatoes and chilis, frozen corn, onion, and carrots. Also, oregano, garlic powder, and fresh garlic, cumin, and chipotle chili powder. It turned out to be pretty good for something that was just thrown together. It was very spicy, so I think it helped.

3- Chicken Puffs made with homemade crescent dough with some rye flour. I ran out of all-purpose flour and didn’t have time to run out and get more. They turned out more hearty than usual. I used chicken, cream cheese, green onions, cheddar cheese, and a spicy 3 pepper cheese. I mixed all the filling ingredients up and rolled it up in the dough. Baked at 400 for about 20-25 minutes. http://gatherforbread.com/easy-no-knead-crescent-rolls/

4- Lettuce Wraps, based on a Damn Delicious recipe. http://damndelicious.net/2014/05/30/pf-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

I’ve made these before and have no idea what mods I did this time, as I didn’t actually use the recipe. They turned out good.

5- Shrimp Albondigas from Classic Southwest Cooking by Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger. Section: Soups and Stews. 

Modifications: My Dad gave me this cookbook for my birthday! I was excited to find another way to use shrimp, but was not excited to food process them. They got really sticky and gross looking. I did not like touching them, but they ended up being tasty. They were put into a soup. I did add some garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the broth. I also used chicken broth instead of fish broth. We don’t eat fish, so I didn’t have any on hand.

6- Boller i karry/Meatballs with Curry from Scandinavia published by World Cuisine. Section: Main Dishes

Modifications: These looked so weird when I was mixing them. I thought for sure that they were all wrong and they weren’t going to stay together in the water. They were pretty gloopy looking. They did stay together though and they were pretty good. The curry sauce needed a lot more seasoning, so I added more curry powder, salt, and pepper. These were pretty good. I think I would double the recipe the next time.

It was a pretty good week for meals. Other than the pork chop, we had all good meals. I’m not sick any more and have a fancy new freezer cookbook to try. I also remembered to take pictures of all my dinners at least.

This week I have a few late nights, but have a few slow cooker or easy meals on my list, so it should go well. Since we had spaghetti tonight, we’ll have lasagna this week and we have leftover rice that I may try to make into fried rice.

It was fun getting back into using my cookbooks!

Recipe Roundup

Belated Recipe Roundup

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I currently sound like Darth Vader and have almost no appetite. Except of course, when my stomach abruptly demands food and then hates me for actually eating. I have a cold, which turned nasty, and has taken up residence in my lungs. Not exactly the best conditions for food blogging. I’m feeling slightly better, which is good, but still ended up taking a few days off to try to recover. Fancy is being very cuddly. She insists on sitting with me and keeps following me round to make sure I’m okay.

The Husband drove me to a vending event this past weekend and stayed to help me sell, which was nice. I ended up selling the Yoga Frog bag, which made me happy. I wanted it to go to someone else who would like it just as much. It was a nice event. I was not in the best shape to fully appreciate it, but it was still fun. I made some new flowers while there, but they are in a box waiting to have their picture taken.

Anyway, now that you are all caught up, on to the recipes!

1- Sausage and Mushroom Penne Skillet from an Oscar Mayer recipe card.

Modifications: I added a bunch more veggies, zucchini, onions, and multicolored peppers. We also used chicken sausage instead of Italian sausage. Also, we had pepperjack and smoked Gouda cheese, so I used those instead of all mozzarella. I was laughing a little when I made this, because this is essentially one of my quick meals, although I typically make it with no cheese. It was delicious! I think I will add cheese from now on.

2- Irish Stew from Crockpot Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes. Section: Spring and Summer Sensations

Modifications: None made. It was good. I didn’t have very much of it, but the Husband enjoyed it. I finally found lamb stew meat in the store. I might kick up the seasonings a bit, but other than that, it was good.

3- Pizza from Bernard Clayton’s Complete Book of Small Breads. Section: Pizza

Modifications: None. I was home all day when I made this, so I did all the rise times it requested. It’s definitely not a quick recipe, but it turned out to be very soft and pillowy. It was a Sicilian style dough shaped into a rectangle. The Husband thought this was the best pizza crust I had made.

I sort of followed the recipe for the pizza sauce that was included as well. I used half a can of diced tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce. Added dried spices instead of fresh and that’s about it.

The pizza was topped with diced ham, mushrooms, green pepper, and onion. It was very good. We’ll definitely add this to the pizza rotation.

4- Chicken Stir Fry, method by me. This one was a miss. Stir fry is one of those things that I really need to actually follow a recipe. Otherwise, I mess up the proportions and everything is off. It was not inedible, but it wasn’t good either. I used a bag of frozen stir fry mix and some marinated chicken from the freezer.

We also had French Onion Soup from the crockpot, but I’ve talked about that recipe already. Tonight I am not feeling like cooking. I will probably have chicken soup and crackers. The Husband will have leftover pizza, I think, if there isn’t food at his meeting. Hopefully my body will start healing itself soon and I’ll feel up to cooking and crafting again.

Recipe Roundup Birthday Party Edition
Party Posts · Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup Birthday Party Edition

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I thought the party post might get long, since I am my mother’s daughter and constantly worry I might run out of food, so I made it its own post. I made too much food, but it worked out well for everyone, I guess. I didn’t get a picture of the table, but several people walked in and said “whoa!” 🙂

Having a dessert party was the perfect excuse to try out some baking recipes. I did have a few savory options as well, homemade pico de gallo, some lentil bean chips, and a small cheese tray. I didn’t have a pickle tray because it was a dessert party, but my Dd got my Mom to call and offer pickle recipes, just in case I needed one. The pickle tray has become a running family joke and comes up for every party, so I’ll give you the back story for when it comes up again.

A year or two ago, I was preparing for our annual Epiphany party and was struck by the sudden, uncontrollable feeling that I needed a pickle tray, despite never having wanted one before. My Mom always made sure to have one on the table at parties and it must be a Midwest thing, because I don’t know that it’s a thing elsewhere.

So, I posted about it on Facebook and tagged my Mom, blaming her for my late night pickle run. All sorts of people chimed in, including my cousin reminiscing about the pickle trays at family parties. My Mom jumped in, shocked that I was not holding up the family tradition of a lovely pickle tray. A lovely family friend, Pauline, tried to reassure me that it would be fine and that the family parties were always so nice, and suggested I take a rest. My loving, though sometimes sarcastic, Mother then commented “She can rest when she has a pickle tray.” Of course, I laughed hysterically and made the darn pickle tray.

Have I mentioned that I love my family? Truly, I do. (The way you know they like you is if you get teased.) So now, whenever we have parties, one of my parents will call to find out if I have the pickle tray ready. Last year, I bought my Mom a couple of different kinds of pickles just so she would have to serve them.

Anyway, random family history aside, I did use six new recipes and I made pico de gallo, which is one of the only ways the Husband will eat tomatoes. I think at some point I had a recipe for the pico, but I have no idea where I got it from, so now it’s something I just make. I’ll try to get approximate measurements the next time I make it.

1- Giant Easter Egg Cookies from M&M’s Fun Stuff Cookbook. Section: Party Time

Modifications: I didn’t decorate them and I made them a bit smaller. They were a sugar cookie dough and were pretty good. The Husband liked the second recipe better. I would make these again. The Husband got me this cookbook for our first anniversary for a paper present. No pictures, they went to work too fast.

2- Kid’s Favorite Chocolate Chippers from the above cookbook.

Modifications: None! I actually made these for the Husband to take to work, as his coworkers had been requesting treats. They were well liked, the tin came back empty. I’m not a fan of plain chocolate chip cookies, but these were pretty good. They are the Husband’s favorite kind of cookies though and I sometimes make someone else make them for him. No pics of these either.

3- Tempting Truffles from The Lady Had Seconds. This cookbook doesn’t have sections. There are about five more recipes at least that I want to make.

Modifications: No mods, but I accidentally made toffee bits with the caramel. It has you melt down the sugar until golden and then add the cream and butter. The sugar seized up and made hard caramel when I added the cream and butter. I managed to melt most of it down though, so they just had crunchy bits in some of them. I rolled them in blue sanding sugar, gold and silver sugar, and gold edible glitter. They were so pretty!  And they tasted good too.

4- Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes from Food Network Magazine. Jan/Feb 2017, v. 10, n. 1

Modifications: My strawberries went bad, so these didn’t have the chocolate dipped strawberries on the top. Also, I’m not a fan of white chocolate, couldn’t find my piping bag nozzle, and was running out of time, so only made dark chocolate frosting. I also used homemade chocolate strawberry jam for the regular preserves. They were divine! The frosting had melted chocolate and was a buttercream. It is so smooth and delicious. The cupcake also turned out very fluffy and light. I would make these again in a heartbeat.

5- Carrot-Walnut Cupcakes from the same Food Network. This issue has a year of cupcakes, one for each month and I want to try them all.

Modifications: I used pecans instead of walnuts. These were also delicious. Fancy was extremely excited that I was working with carrots. She kept inching closer and closer to me. I finally peeled a carrot so the peels fell directly on her head and she thought it was the best game ever! It was pretty cute.

These had a cream cheese frosting and really, I think they may qualify as breakfast food… I read somewhere that cupcakes are just “muffins with hats” and I’m pretty sure this means I can eat them for breakfast. 🙂

6- Blood Orange Bars off of a Pinterest find. https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/blood-orange-bars-recipe/

Modifications: I omitted the food coloring, so they aren’t as vibrant as the picture. They have been on my list since last winter, but I keep missing the blood oranges. These were good. Just like lemon bars except a little more pudding like, I would say. Lighter flavor than I was expecting too, but my oranges were maybe not all as juicy as they could have been.

My friend Kayla brought a delicious chocolate cheesecake and if we are very lucky, maybe she’ll share the recipe. I just had a piece for dessert tonight and it made me very happy.

The tablecloth under everything is one my Grandma Shirley made for me for my 16th birthday, I believe. I had a tea party that year, so it is all tea party foods and menus. I was excited to use it again. It’s so pretty and springy that it seemed to be the perfect fit.

My serving dishes are a mix of old fancy serving plates and new ones. We use Fiesta-ware every day, so the party table should be colorful and fun as well. Mom gave me the flamingo tray for Christmas and the Rose plate is from my Grandma Shirley. It’s fun to be in a place in my life where we need fancy serving plates.

So those were my party recipes. Some people were surprised that I chose to bake my own birthday treats, but for me baking is stress relief and a way to connect with people. It brings me great joy, so why wouldn’t I share it?

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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I didn’t do much crafting this weekend, as we were partying it up! I did do a whole bunch of baking though. 🙂 I ended up trying six new recipes for the party. I’m going to make the party its own post, as I tried so many new things.

1- Hearty New England Dinner from Taste of Home Market Fresh Cookbook. 

Modifications: I cheated and left out the cabbage. The Husband doesn’t eat it and so we didn’t have any, and I’m not a huge fan of it cooked anyway. This was from the cabbage section though, so I may have to try another recipe, since I ignored that part. We never actual ate this as a meal. I had it as a snack the night it was made, but I started it late, so it wasn’t done until 10 pm.

Oh my gosh, this was delicious. I have actually made a pot roast that was too dry before, using a larger crock pot, but this was good. It had 2 cups of broth in it, which kept it very moist. It didn’t include potatoes, like my normal recipe. I fudged a recipe for onion soup mix, it was just basically beef bullion, onion powder, pepper, and garlic powder. The only other thing it called for was dried onions and I just used a little more fresh onion.

2- Shredded Beef Sandwiches, method by me.

Modifications: I added sautéed peppers and mushrooms and Gruyere cheese. I also made my own french bread with a recipe I think I’ve shared and now can’t find from Tasty Kitchen. Mmmm…. so good. This would be a good option to use up leftover pot roast for sure.

3- Asian Pork Chops, marinade by me, Cooked by the Husband. I have talked about these before, but I threw soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, and white pepper over the chops in a pan and the Husband threw them in the oven when he got home. I had also left carrots with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and he roasted them along with cooking the chops. Apparently they were both delicious.

4- Silver White Cupcakes from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook edited by Dorothy B. Marsh. Section: Our Best Cakes. 

Modifications: Used orange flavoring instead of vanilla. I frosted them with a basic orange buttercream. This was my family’s traditional Easter cupcake recipe and the cake I most often requested for my birthday. I was excited to have my own copy of it now. We found the cookbook in a bin at the thrift store and the lady at the checkout was very jealous.

This cookbook is fun because it shows the shift from the 50’s where things were just getting more “ready made” into the 60’s where it was suddenly cool to have store bought things. There are a few bizarre recipes in here and the cake section has a few pages that talk about how to jazz up store bought cakes. The bread section does it too. I keep looking through it for dinner ideas, but it’s such  big book, I think I get a little overwhelmed.

I was terrible at taking pictures of things this past week. I wasn’t home for some of the dinners and the ate all the other foods before I could get out a camera. I will try to do better this week and have the Husband take a picture of Tuesday’s dinner before he eats it.

Now, on to the party foods!

 

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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This week, I used a new cookbook! Technically it is a calendar that my older brother gave me a long time ago. I also made two familiar recipes, beef stew and mac and cheese that I didn’t use a recipe for.

I realized writing that out that I’ve slowed down on using new recipes, mainly because most of my evening hours have been taken up by one or another of my jobs. I think I may have to adopt a friend’s method of making dinner, which is to make it in the morning and warm it up or finish it at night. It’s something to think about at least. A plus would be that I would get to eat the dinner if I made it in the morning.

Dinner timing is something that is still evolving, but I’m enjoying the challenge. Perhaps once I have my Sundays back, I can do some weekly prep on as well.

Anyway, I have confidence that we can figure it out eventually. Now, on to the recipes.

1- Muffins from How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. 2010 Calendar, Month: October

Modifications: This is the second time I have used this recipe. I forgot the oil the first time and had added protein powder to the batter as well, but since there was no oil, they turned out not very good. They were pretty dry and dense. Luckily, I had only made a half batch, so not as many went to waste. The second time I made these I remembered the oil and left out the protein powder, but added cardamom and cherries. They still weren’t very good actually, a bit bland. I think I will stick to my normal recipe.

2-Beef Stew in the crockpot. I didn’t use a recipe for this. I’ve made this often enough that I just throw everything in now and don’t measure. I browned the stew meat in some olive oil first and then added it to the crock pot with a carton and a half of beef broth, two large sliced carrots, 3 medium potatoes, half a chopped onion, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Let it cook for 7-8 hours and you will have deliciousness. I didn’t actually eat this. It made a smaller amount than I thought and the Husband ate it for dinner and two lunches. We bought a smaller crock pot after our big one developed a crack, we think from cooking meals that were too small. This one is a 5 quart and it’s perfect for us.

3- Mac and Cheese with Ham, Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Onions. Recipe by me! Fancy followed us all over the house and was very sad that we wouldn’t share.

So I always start the cheese sauce for mac and cheese with a roux. I think it tastes better that way and helps it be creamier. The Husband says this was the best batch of mac and cheese I’ve made out of the three other recipes I’ve made, including the bacon one, so I’m thinking I’ll continue to make a roux. Why mess with something that isn’t broken?

I’ll give you the method, again, I don’t measure when I make this, so I can’t tell you exactly what I did. It’s different every time. So to start, I added olive oil and butter to about half an onion in a sauce pan. (The Husband had made noodles for me earlier.) Let it bubble and let the onions get soft. This batch I accidentally browned the butter lightly, but it just made it taste more delicious. Then I added chopped mushrooms-1/4 cup?, diced ham- 1/4 cup?, and frozen chunks of butternut squash and let them cook. I added around a 1/4 cup flour and stirred it all together. I also added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper at this point.

When everything was lightly coated, I threw in milk, probably about a cup, and a quarter cup or so of chicken broth. Stirred everything until it started thickening up and added about 4 oz of Colby Jack shreds, 8 oz of cheddar, 4 oz of pepper jack and some shredded parm. The Husband had requested that it be extra cheesy for shells and cheese, so I was pretty generous with the cheeses.

I added the already cooked small shells and stirred until it was incorporated and then I threw it in a 350 degree oven and we took the dog for a walk around the park for about half an hour. It was delicious.

The Husband liked it a lot and had I not told him there was butternut squash in it, he wouldn’t have known. We have an agreement that I won’t hide veggies, but I generally don’t make separate meals. He’s an adult and can pick out what he doesn’t like. The squash was so soft though that it melted into everything and you couldn’t even taste it.

3- Szechuan Shrimp from Cook’s Library Wok and Stir-fry. Section: Fish and Seafood

Modifications: I added honey to the sauce. When I tasted it the first few times it was a salt bomb and was terrible. I have learned since experimenting with real Chinese food, that the thing I had been missing before was a balance of the salty/sweet/hot/umami. This recipe called for low sodium soy sauce, but that stuff tastes horrible, so we don’t use it. The honey took the edge off the salt, but wasn’t really a flavor you noticed.

I also doubled the sauce and added veggies. The original recipe is for an appetizer and we were eating it for dinner. I sautéed julienned carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, and yellow peppers in sesame and canola oil, pulled them out of the wok to cook the shrimp, and added them back in at the end to make it a dinner portion.

This recipe called for you to make a cornstarch/salt/egg white paste to coat the shrimp in and then deep fry it. I didn’t measure the oil, which was a mistake. The crunchy coating ended up stuck to the bottom of the wok. What did stick to the shrimp though seemed to help keep it from overcooking. They were nice and tender, no overcooked rubbery shrimp! The Husband has requested that I try this with chicken or beef too. The sauce was a good sinus clearing spice level and it turned out good.

We had leftovers tonight, but I do have a new pot roast recipe cooking in the crock pot right now that I may turn into dip sandwiches. It had thawed too much for me to re-freeze, so even when schedules shifted, I just threw it in. It should be done by now, so we’ll have good leftovers for the next few days. Hopefully we can eat it all, even with Easter leftovers on Sunday!

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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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
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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This has been another long week, but I ended up making things that had lots of leftovers and we’ve pretty much eaten them all. Tomorrow is a rare Saturday morning that I don’t work until my staff meeting in the afternoon, so I’m hoping to get a head start on cooking things for the week. Maybe I will actually get around to making waffles for the freezer.

This week’s meals were pretty good. I don’t know if I’ll ever top the duck dish, but they were good.

Here they are:

1- Sunday Blue Plate Special at Rudy’s Beef Stroganoff from Retro Diner by Linda Everett. Section: Blue Plate Specials. 

Modifications: None, I followed the recipe! It was a bit orange though. I may have added too much tomato paste. When I say I followed the recipe, I really mean I eye measured everything. The Husband had it with a salad and I had it with buttered green beans. I’ve decided I need interesting things in my salads, like different greens and veggies. The Husband has a little salad with his ranch dressing and likes mushrooms, green onions, and carrots.

2- The Case of the Smothered Pork Chops from The Nancy Drew Cookbook by Carolyn Keene. Section: Time For Dinner. 

Modifications: I had set this up for the Husband to put in the oven. It called for the pork to be seared first and then cooked for an hour in either broth or mushroom soup. I was concerned that it might be too dry and it did turn out that way, he said, so if we make this again, I will either use thicker pork, or not brown it. It needed a little more water too. The rice on the edges was dry. I, of course, didn’t eat it, but the Husband liked it. It was a good one for him to make himself, just add the pork, soup, and water over rice and throw it in the oven. We’ll probably use it for my long days at work. No pictures, as I wasn’t here to eat it.

3- Savory Vegetable Chicken Strudel from The Market Fresh Cookbook. Carrot Section

Modifications: Added garlic powder, omitted the broccoli, used yellow peppers instead of red. I also made my own crescent roll dough because I could. Also, I don’t like the aftertaste from the kind from the can. I have not made it before and it was kind of a long process, but I ended up starting it on another day that I had trouble sleeping and had no appointments until the evening. So again, started in the morning, slept while dough was rising. I baked a chicken breast for it and it made an excellent second breakfast. It turned out very good and it reheated well. I would like to see how it freezes because I think it would be good to keep on hand for lunches.

4- Easy No Knead Crescent Rolls from Gather for Bread. Recipe found on Pinterest: http://gatherforbread.com/easy-no-knead-crescent-rolls/

Modifications: None, it was baking and a new recipe. It turned out delicious, nice and puffy, and buttery. It didn’t dry out when reheated either.

5- Pasta Carbonara from Bacon 24/7 by Theresa Gilliam. Section: Dusk

Modifications: Regular Parmesan instead of the fancier Parmigiana-Reggiani. I had just assumed they were the same and learned that the difference is where the cheese was made. Apparently the fancy kind can only be called that if it is from a specific region of Parma. Parmesan means different things, but is not always from the same region. You can substitute Parmesan for it and some day we will get the real stuff to see if there is a difference. Also, I had to re-cook the bacon as I went away for two seconds and came back to black, smoking bacon. I drained the grease off too before adding the sauce and noodles. It was making my stomach feel gross to even look at it. Very greasy bacon.

I’ve made this dish three times now with three recipes and this recipe was the easiest and worked the best. Before my eggs kept coming out scrambled it seemed. This one had you combine all the sauce ingredients first and then add them to the pan. It worked much better then adding them at different times. We had a salad and fruit as well. The Husband approved and it made good leftovers.

6- French Bread from Tasty Kitchen. I have the original recipe written down, so I don’t remember whose recipe it is. This recipe is my go to french bread recipe. The link is a very similar one, so it should work about the same. http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breads/no-knead-french-bread/

7- French Onion Soup by Kim (hi Kim!). I got this method from our friend Kim and it always works out perfectly. I used mostly shallots, as I have apparently used my huge onion. You caramelize  the onions the night before and then throw them in the crockpot with beef broth and spices. This time I added pepper, thyme, and a sliced garlic clove. It was very good.

Tomorrow we are having lamb chops, assuming I can find a good recipe. We may have fancy potatoes and some cooked carrots or a salad. I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I also need to rotate out cookbooks again. I’ve used the same ones again. I marked a bunch of recipes in them, so that’s why, but I still have some that I haven’t even opened yet.

 

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

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This week I made a few new recipes and one recipe based on a family friend’s recipe. I also couldn’t sleep past 5 AM on Wednesday morning, so I did what any slightly crazy person would do and started a batch of chocolate filled brioche at 6 AM. The Husband is luckily used to the way my brain works and didn’t really bat an eye.

1- Petits Pains au Chocolat from Complete Book of Small Breads by Bernard Clayton, Jr. Section: La Brioche

Modifications: I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking pieces instead of semi-sweet, since it was what I had. I followed the recipe and I had a nice nap with the dog while the dough raised and then it chilled while I was at work. It required at least a four hour chill, if not overnight.

It was an odd dough. I’ve not felt one like it before. It was a cross between bread dough and puff pastry. Very easy to work with though. They turned out delicious, although I needed more evenly distributed chocolate and a bigger board to roll them out on. The dough wasn’t as sweet as I expected. I would make them again. The Husband enjoyed his as an afternoon treat with his lunch and liked it. The author mentions that these are wonderful “slipped in the pocket of a ski jacket and enjoyed warm at the top of the mountain.” I just had them with tea and an egg, having misplaced my mountain that morning.

2- Thai Sweet-Hot Duck from Garlic by Janet Hazen. Section: Entrees

Modifications: Dried mint instead of fresh and not as much as called for, the Husband doesn’t like mint. 1 Serrano pepper instead of 4. My mouth almost spontaneously combusted when I tested the pepper and I do like spicy food. Also served it with stir fried noodles, instead of lettuce, and it was lovely.

The Husband said this was the “single best thing” that I’ve made so far. It was pretty delicious. I did have texture issues with the duck, but occasionally get weird about new meats, so I think it might wear off. The recipe called for 10 cloves of garlic sliced thinly which I thought might be overpowering, but turned out quite nice. The Husband said that the flavor combo tasted “familiar.” It is fairly close to some of the Asian dishes we’ve been making and has star anise in it, which is in Chinese five spice powder. I got all my ingredients ready ahead of time, which helped speed the recipe along. I think I may have overcooked the duck. It was only slighty pink in the middle. We’ll be making this again. The next time I will flip the duck after searing the skin. The recipe omitted this step, but the Husband thinks the crispy skin would be nice.

 

3- Noodles with Asparagus from 400 Thai and Chinese Delicious Recipes for Delicious and Healthy Living. Section: Noodles

Modifications: Sesame oil instead of canola oil, as I had used it up in the Mongolian Beef. I think we have the wrong noodles too. I think we bought actual ramen noodles, instead of egg noodles from the Chinese grocery, but it was what we had in the cupboard and worked just as well. This was an easy recipe and went well with the duck. I would make this again, but to go with something, not on their own. They would be a little bland.

4- Mongolia Beef- The Husband’s family recipe book. The Husband says I can’t share it. He says there will be “dishonor on our cow” if it gets out… (I’ll give you a cookie if you can tell me which movie that’s from. The comments should be working.) I guess you’ll all just have to come over for dinner one night to try it.

Modifications: I left out the tiger lilly buds, as I couldn’t find them, and added garlic powder and white pepper to the marinade. I know, nothing is sacred from me changing the recipe, not even super secret family recipes! We had it over puffy fried bean thread noodles, which is what the recipe called for. I’ve not fried them before and it was fun to see them puff up. The Husband says he hasn’t had them with it before, his Dad makes rice to go with it. It was really good. Next time I will break up the bean threads, the middle ones didn’t get hit with the oil right and weren’t puffy. I also didn’t have enough oil to begin with, so will need more.

5- Scotch Broth based on a recipe from Pauline Bradley, a good family friend and I think, my older brother’s godmother. This one is pretty simple. Chicken broth-2 boxes, ground lamb, carrots, onions, potatoes, garlic, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

The original version had barley, but the Husband is not a fan of the texture. I made it in the crockpot before work. Just brown the lamb, drain off the grease, and then throw it and everything else in the pot and let it cook. It’s delicious and even better on the second day. I had a turnip in the fridge and no recipe to use it for, so I chopped that up too and threw it in. No pictures, as I ate it too fast. It’s not terribly photogenic either, but makes up for it in taste.

I’ve got a bunch of recipes marked in some cookbooks for the future and to help with meal planning. A couple of the cookbooks only have a few more sections before they are complete!  I haven’t decided on the rules for what happens when I finish all the sections in a cookbook. They pretty much all have more than one recipe that I would like to try, but I want to make sure that the ones I haven’t touched yet get used too. Plus, there is a whole shoe box full of recipe cards and mini cookbooks to use as well. For now, I guess I’ll cross that bridge when I actually get there.