Chicken Sausage and Apples with Rice Pilaf

I am always looking for new ways to get my daughter to eat protein. She's not much of a meat lover, but not enough of a vegetable lover to be a vegetarian.  Both of my kids love apples and if my daughter is going to eat meat, chicken or turkey are her first choice, so when we discovered a brand of chicken sausage in our local market called Sweet Apple with pure Vermont maple syrup, I thought it was a good chance to introduce something new. Neither of my kids cares for breakfast sausage or Italian sausage, so... I was taking a risk.  Luckily, and to my relief, they both liked it. So did my husband and I.

Another thing I am always looking for are meals to make ahead of time and freeze/reheat. That lead to the recipe below. I wasn't sure how the apples would take with being cooked, frozen and reheated, but they were fine. Probably because they aren't cooked very much to begin with.

If you've read other posts on my blog, you know my family has trouble agreeing on vegetables, so dishes like this, you'll almost never see any green veggies in.  We heat up individual ones on the side because we all like something different. But of course, you can add what you like to it, or you can do like we do if you have fussy eaters too.


Chicken Sausage and Apples with Rice Pilaf

1 package Chicken Sausage with Apples (4 links/12 oz)
1 package rice pilaf mix
2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped/diced carrot
1/2 small apple, diced
2 - 3 tbsp. crushed walnuts
1 tsp butter (for rice mix)

1. Cook rice pilaf according to box directions, adding carrots
2. Slice sausages in half lengthwise and then into pieces, cook over medium heat in skillet
3. When sausages are almost cooked, add apples, walnuts, syrup and brown sugar to skillet, mix. 
4. Cook til sausages are done and apples are nicely glazed.
5. When rice is done, stir in sausage and apple mixture. Serve hot

If you plan to freeze, wait until the food is completely cool before you place in a freezer bag or container and put in freezer.  To serve after freezing: Thaw and reheat in oven at 375 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes, or reheat in a skillet on stovetop.

As with many of my recipes, this is an easy recipe to adapt to the tastes of your family. You could use long grain and wild rice or even quinoa or couscous if you prefer. You could add more apple, or a variety of apples. You could add pecans instead of walnuts. You could add broccoli, or green beans with almonds.  You could even add cheese to the top. There are lots of ways to make this your own.

Enjoy!

Kerry's Chicken With Pasta - Easy and a Good Way To Sneak in Some Green Veggies!

Now anyone who knows me will tell you, I am no fan of green vegetables. I do not like them, Sam I Am.  I will force myself to eat canned green beans, but after 40 plus years of doing it just to please my mother, it is still forced. I do not like them.  That is the only green veggie I will eat.  However.... I have found a way to "sneak" baby spinach into a few of my recipes. My kids didn't know at first, then they protested, but once they realized they'd been eating it and enjoying it, they really didn't have a leg to stand on.

Here's the thing with spinach, it's like a sponge. It will absorb the flavors of what you are cooking, so if you use it in a recipe with a lot of herbs/seasonings, it won't taste like 'spinach'.  The other thing I do is I pulverize it in my food processor until it's an unrecognizable green paste.  I add it to meatballs, meatloaf, and this, now favorite family recipe.  It's broken down so much, you don't even know you're eating it, which, in my book, is a good thing :)

Also, with the spinach so pulverized, there's no way to  "pick it out!"

With this recipe, I also add sun dried tomatoes in the food processor with the spinach. I like tomato sauce and ketchup, hate tomatoes. It's a texture thing. But again, pulverized to a paste.... you get a hint of the sharp tang of the sundried tomato, but never a big bite of it, or the texture of the tomato. So, another bonus for me and my fussy kids.

This is also a recipe that you can tailor to meet the tastes of your family. It is so easy, super quick, can be made ahead of time, frozen, varied depending on what's in your pantry and easily zap some "add on" items for people who want certain things that aren't like by everyone.

For instance, you could cook peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, etc., separately, and let only those who want those items to mix them in after they've dished out their portion.  That's how we have to do it here at Picky Eater Central.

One of the reasons this is so easy is you can make it with convenience items. I buy bags of frozen, pre-cooked chicken to use. I try to keep a bag on hand as it's great for a lot of things.  You could also use a rotisserie chicken from your market deli - an especially good buy on their $5 days that most markets have. You couldn't buy that amount of chicken for $5 and it's already cooked. All you have to do is strip the chicken, which is pretty easy. The other convenience item is Land O' Lakes Sauté Express - which is AWESOME! Unfortunately, only 1 market near me carries it. I've asked my regular market again and again and they won't carry it. Annoys the heck out of me, but as long as I can get it, I'm happy. This is a fabulous product and I highly recommend you try it.  If you can't find it, you can try making your own (see below *).  Or you can try using Italian salad dressing.

Oh - and I always make a huge batch so we can freeze the leftovers for another meal on another day.

So - here we go! 

Kerry's Chicken and Pasta

1 Box corkscrew pasta
1 cup shredded carrots (you can use diced or sliced if you prefer)
Land O' Lakes Sauté Express Italian Herb
2 bags frozen chicken strips or diced ( I usually buy Tyson Grilled Strips)
1 can chick peas (aka garbanzo beans)
Approx 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
5 - 6 sun dried tomatoes in oil (adjust as you feel to taste and depending on size of tomatoes)

1. Boil the pasta according to directions on box.
2. I add the shredded carrots to the boiling pasta because I like the carrots thoroughly cooked. If you want them crispy, you can leave them out of the pan and add them in at the end.
3. In an electric skillet on 300 or large pan on med, place 3 cubes of the LOL Sauté Express.
4. Add the 2 bags of chicken. Cut up and extra large pieces.
5. In food processor add spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Puree until a smooth paste. Add to the chicken.
6. Drain the chick peas and add to the chicken.
7. When the pasta and carrots are cooked, drain and return to pan. Place remaining 3 cubes of Sauté Express in with the pasta and mix until melted and thoroughly combined. Add to the chicken mixture and combine.
8. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is hot all the way through.

You can freeze this for future meals. Just thaw and reheat in a skillet or frying pan.

There are so many things you can add/change to this. Sometimes I add pine nuts or a can of corn (the only vegetable all 4 of us can agree on! lol). But you could add water chestnuts, any kind of vegetable, use a different meat, or perhaps fish/shellfish.  You could use a different flavor variety of Sauté Express (Garlic and Herb, Lemon Pepper, Teriyaki, Southwest).  You could put it in a casserole and cover it with cheese.

You can also put all the ingredients into a ziplock bag and freeze to put in crockpot (just cook the pasta first and I'd suggest a couple of frozen cubes of chicken stock).

We made this and are having it tonight and the 2nd helping is going to a friend who is recovering from surgery. (Hope you and Bill and the kids like it Carol! :) )

So! Get creative! Think outside the box, use what you have on hand and think of ways to make it easy.


* Make your own herbed butter:

1 stick  butter (1/2 cup), softened

4 Tbsp olive oil

Herbs and spices of your choosing (approx. 2 Tbsp)

 

Mix together and place into plastic wrap. Roll into a log and then wrap up and refrigerate. Cut off slices as needed.

Chantilly Mashed Potatoes

This is just a simple variation on your basic mashed potato that makes them special.  The name alone makes you feel like you are having a fancy dinner, doesn't it? But really, you are just adding cream and parmesan to your mashed potatoes. Now - I want to say - this is a GREAT dish for fussy eaters. I normally do not like cheese anywhere near my potatoes. No potato skins, no cheese fries, no cheddar in my baked potato. Nothing. But there isn't a lot of cheese here and it's very mild.  Even my very fussy children love it when I make these.

Yummy!

 

Now, I could go into how to make mashed potatoes, blah, blah, blah. But, I am going to assume you know how to make them. If you don't, you can use a box or buy the ready made in the supermarket.  One thing I will say, if you make them from scratch, use an electric hand mixer, not a hand masher. You want these to be as smooth as possible. No lumps.  Also - please salt your water when you cook your potatoes. You can't add that flavor in later on. I know some people are very salt conscious - but that salt brings out the flavor and no amount of table salt after the fact can make up for not having the salt in when you cook them. [climbs down off her soap box]


Ok.... so - you have your mashed potatoes already made - one way or another. Season them with butter, salt and pepper. (I used 24 oz of potatoes - about 3 cups)

Now we are going to turn them into Chantilly Mashed Potatoes!

Approx. 1 tbsp. softened butter
1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese - divided
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Grease the inside of a 9x13 baking dish (or large round casserole) with the softened butter. Be sure to get the bottom and all up the sides to the rim.  Put the breadcrumbs in the dish and shake/turn to cover the entire buttered surface. Dump out any extra crumbs. Set dish aside.

this is what your dish should look like



Whip the heavy cream in a metal bowl until soft peaks form.  Beat 1/3 of the whipped cream into the mashed potatoes along with 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese.  Fold in the remaining whipped cream gently.  Spread potato mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over the top of the potatoes.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden brown.  If desired, you can finish them off under the broiler for a minute or two to get a darker, crispier top.

You can also add seasoning to the potatoes, such as rosemary (one of my favorites with potatoes!), garlic, onion, etc.  You could even sprinkle the top with crumbled bacon.  Because you are using parmesan as opposed to cheddar or any other, stronger cheese, you will only get a very mild flavor - but very nice.  Also, the cheese on top won't melt and get bubbly. Instead it makes a lovely crust. And you won't ever have creamy potatoes!

This dish comes together very quickly but looks like something very complicated when you bring it to the table.  When I made these at Thanksgiving my dinner guests were very impressed and could not stop talking about how much they loved the potatoes.

Hope you enjoy!

Easy-Peasy Semi-Homemade Beef Stew Recipe

We have been getting snowstorm after snowstorm here in New England over the past few weeks and my poor hubby has had more than his fill of snow - even for a New Englander.  Getting chilled right through to his bones has him craving hot, hearty dishes like beef stew. Unfortunately, 4 feet plus of snow has made getting to the grocery store nearly impossible. Especially as we live on a steep hill that hasn't been plowed very well - yet (she added hopefully).

So, I went through my freezer and pantry to see if I could find a way to make beef stew for him, and I could!  Luckily, I had a few packages of stew beef in the freezer.  I had some baby carrots in the fridge, some canned sliced potatoes (I always try and keep canned sliced, diced and whole potatoes in my pantry. They come in very handy!) and a few jars of savory beef gravy (purchased the last time my local market had a big sale).  Now, I know how to make stew without jarred gravy. Indeed, I know how to make gravy from scratch very well. But, there are sometimes when the jar comes in handy, like with meatloaf or chicken fried steak (sorry, can't stand that white, cream, pepper stuff some people call gravy. To me gravy should taste like meat, not flour. yuck!). But I wanted a quick and easy way to make some stew and this fit the bill.

All done in the crockpot - prepped in less than 5 minutes!

Anyway - I took out the meat the night before and let it thaw. (I had about 3 pounds of meat).Then I put everything in my trusty crockpot.  First, I cut any large pieces of meat in half. Then I tossed them in the pot with a little salt and pepper.  Then I added a couple of handfuls of carrots (just what looked like enough for the 4 of us). Then I added 3 cans of sliced potatoes and 4 jars of gravy.  I added 1/4 tsp of ground rosemary, gave it all a stir and set it on high for 4 hours.  During the last 20 minutes I threw in a little frozen corn.

That was it. Could it be any easier? Prep time was less than 5 minutes!  You could make this before work and leave it on low all day and have a nice, hot meal when you come home.

Now, I know - where are the green veggies? Well, my fussy family doesn't all like the same veggies, so we usually heat them up separately in the microwave and everybody adds what they want to their stew individually. Naturally, you can add whatever you want to this. Green beans, peas, pearl onions, mushrooms - whatever your family likes.

We had the stew with hot, buttery crescent rolls - something else I always try to keep on hand :) It was SO good. Even my super picky daughter ate a whole bowl and she usually hates beef and any kind of gravy. My husband went back for seconds - no shock there.

Have leftovers that don't quite make enough to fill everybody up? Get a ready made pie crust and turn the leftovers into a pot pie! Add some more veggies, potatoes - even some egg noodles. Serve with a side salad and you have another hearty, satisfying meal.

Enjoy!

Great Way to Deal with Leftovers - Hash!

We've all been there. The fridge is full of leftovers but not enough of any one thing to make a meal out of. So, what do you do? Do you have pot luck and everyone has something different? You could do that. Putting up various plates and reheating them in the microwave and everyone eats higgilty piggilty. Or... here's a better idea - take those leftovers and combine them into a one skillet meal that the whole family can eat together.  Hash!

Now, I know, some people jump to the image of nasty canned food that they wouldn't touch or gross looking stuff from some greasy diner that contains God only knows what. But, you are making this, you know exactly what is in it and you're going to have to trust me - it's yummy!

In fact, it's a great way to get your kids involved in helping to cook a family meal and make a family night out of it.  Just think: Every Friday night (or whatever night) your family empties out the fridge of leftovers and makes hash in a large skillet together. And when it's done, you all eat while watching a family movie or playing a family game. And everyone can feel they contributed to the family meal.

The one thing you need to have is potatoes. If you have leftover roasted, boiled or baked potatoes you're all set. (mashed won't work) Otherwise, use some canned diced potatoes. They are inexpensive and a great staple to keep on hand. I suggest you stock up whenever they are on sale.

If you have leftover potatoes dice them up. If not, use the canned.  How many cans you need depends on the size of the cans and how many you are feeding.  I always start by cooking the potatoes on their own for awhile so they get crispy. That is a matter of preference. If you don't mind if they are soft vs crispy, then it doesn't matter if you precook them.  I put a little olive oil in my skittle and let the potatoes cook until they start getting brown.  I also season them with kosher salt and black pepper.

While they are cooking, take whatever meat you have leftover and dice it up. You can mix it all in. Chicken, beef, pork, meatloaf - anything but fish. I suppose it's possible some types of fish might work, especially if you are only using fish, but I don't know enough about fish to suggest what types would hold up and not just disintegrate.

Then take care of any veggies you have.  Dice them up if they are large. You want everything in the dish to be about the same size.  Now, if you have some fussy eaters who don't like all of the veggies you have, you can keep the veggies separate and just reheat them in the microwave and add vegetables of choice to each person's plate at the end.  If you have any veggies that will mush or break up easily, heat them separately and add them in right at the end.  If you don't have left over veggies, you can easily add canned or frozen veggies to round it out.

Tonight's dinner. Potatoes, pork chops, meatloaf and roasted chicken. Veggies will be added after as none of us all like the same veggies.  May not look like much, but is really tasty! Kids want to make sure there is left overs for lunch tomorrow.

 

When you have the potatoes where you want them, add your meat and any veggies that are going in and mix them together. Cover and cook until everything is hot.  Since your leftovers were seasoned when originally cooked you shouldn't need too much in the way of seasoning, however, that doesn't mean you can't add any, especially if you want to try and change the dish. You could add curry for an Indian take, or paprika for a Hungarian goulash style, or a dash of ginger and sriracha for and Asian flair, basil and oregano for an Italian version - or whatever takes your fancy.  Using different flavor profiles can keep hash from getting boring.

Once everything is hot, serve it up! Add any veggies that were done separately.  It will be delicious!

Need to stretch it or have left overs that aren't quite enough for a second meal?  Make some thick toast or Texas toast, scoop a bunch of hash on the toast and top with a fried or poached egg. When the yolk of the egg seeps down into the hash it is SO good! Makes a great breakfast, or breakfast for dinner.  A great way to use breakfast leftovers too. If you have leftover home fries, sausages and bacon (I know, who has leftover bacon? But it could happen) you could make a hash out of that and eat it with an egg for a great breakfast treat.  Can't afford steak and eggs for breakfast? Buy one small, affordable steak, perhaps even some cube steak, and cut it up to make hash and have with an egg and you can still have your steak and eggs for breakfast.

But the main thing is to find a way to not throw out a bunch of left overs. Nothing is more frustrating than the night before trash day pulling out things wrapped in foil and plastic wrap and anonymous plastic bowls and realizing that you have to throw away food that cost good money and should have been used up somehow.  Well, now you know how to avoid that!  In fact, you could freeze your hash into freezer bags and have on hand for last minute meals.

I hope you find this helpful and it gives you lots of creative ideas.

Enjoy!

Beef Barley Soup Recipe

We had a prime rib roast the other night for dinner. As most of you know, there's no way to really reheat prime rib, or most roast beef really, satisfactorily. So, I used the leftovers to make beef barley soup.

Just a side note. I absolutely hate when you go to a restaurant and they have beef barley soup on the menu and you order it and get vegetable barley soup. If there is tomato in the broth - it's vegetable barley soup! Beef barley soup has a purely beef broth. No tomato. Put tomato in it and it's vegetable barley soup. And since I can't stand tomato soup or vegetable soup, I won't eat it and end up disappointed and annoyed. Ok, rant over.

Anyway... barley is really good for you an it's tasty. It also makes a nice hearty soup and you don't need a lot of ingredients or a lot of fuss.  It's also a good recipe for canning and freezing.

If you don't have leftover roast or steak, you can certainly use stew meat to make the soup.  Just brown it up before hand.


Ingredients:
2 containers beef broth/stock (32 oz ea)
1 can Campbell's Beef Consume (plus 2 can fulls of water)
leftover beef
roast bones (optional)
3/4 cups barley
1/2 cup shredded carrot chopped fine

Directions:
Place bones in large crockpot (or stew pot) and cover with 1 container of broth. Cook on high for 2 hours (or simmer on stove top for 2 hours).  If you don't have bones, skip this step.

Remove bones (if used).  Add barley and carrots to hot broth.  Add beef consume and 2 cans of water plus remaining container of broth and cook on high for 4 hours. (or simmer on stovetop for 4 hours)

Dice up leftover beef and add to soup.

Taste and add any seasoning or flavoring as needed*.  Heat until meat is hot and barley is tender, but still has a little bite.

*I did not add any seasonings to my soup. No salt or pepper. However, I did add a spoon of beef base.  I bought it at BJs. You could use bouillon cubes or crystals, soup mix, Bovril (for those in the UK or access to well stocked International sections at their markets), or any kind of beef flavoring to make the broth richer.  We are happy with just the rich beef flavor, but certainly you could add herbs to it if you preferred.

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe

Mmmm - love me some chicken fried steak.  Who doesn't?  It's delicious!  That's what we had for dinner tonight, along with mashed potatoes, vegetables and gravy.

Now - hang on - I do not measure for this recipe - but it's ok. You don't really need to.  Trust me.

Ingredients:

Cube steak (as much as you need to feed your family/guests)
corn starch
flour
2 eggs (look a measurement!)
milk
seasoned breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
oil (for frying)

Directions:

Some people pound out the cube steak before hand. I don't bother with that unless I get pieces that are unusually thick.

Prepare a dredging station with the following:
Tray 1: combination cornstarch and flour with salt and pepper - all mixed together
Tray 2: 2 eggs and a splash of milk lightly beaten
Tray 3: seasoned breadcrumbs

You will need enough cornstarch/flour mixture and enough breadcrumbs to easily coat all of your pieces of steak. So, you don't need to measure. Just eyeball it. If you have to add more, you add more. If you used a little too much, it's not the end of the world. You'll know better next time.

Dredge each piece of steak first in the cornstarch/flour, then the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.  Set aside in a tray or platter until you are ready to fry.

In a skillet or frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan well. Once oil is hot, add the steak. (if the oil is not hot enough, your coating will fall off).

Cook until golden brown. Turn and cook until other side is golden brown.  Remove to paper towel to drain.

TIPS: 
- Oil should come up the sides of the pieces of steak when you cook, but not cover.
- For 6 pieces of steak I used about 1 tsp each of salt and pepper, if that helps.
- The use of cornstarch helps make it crispier than just flour alone
- You can easily prepare this in the morning or early afternoon and put the steaks aside until you are ready to cook them.
- If you like spicy things, you could add some chili pepper or red pepper flakes to the cornstarch/flour mixture
- Left overs make great sandwiches.
- Want a different way to serve? Buy some Texas Toast and serve on top with gravy as a hot, open-faced sandwich.

Here is a picture of my dredging station that I bought from Pampered Chef - I love it!  The trays clip together to keep things neat. When not in use, they nest inside each other. Get it HERE

Pizza Skins Appetizer

I haven't made this in years, but I'll have to make it soon now (so I can add a pic) and because it's so good.  It's a cross between pizza and potato skins.

Super easy, super yummy and once again, wide open to options.

This is a small one I made. It was actually pretty deep. I put left over baked ham in it and we had it for dinner. Why is that one part white?  I don't like cheese on my potatoes. *Gasp!* I know - scandalous - but true! My picky daughter went back for 2nds.

Ingredients:

1 can Pillsbury pizza crust
2 cups instant mashed potatoes (or left over potatoes)
1 bag shredded cheese of your choice (I usually use cheddar)
6 slices crumbled bacon (microwave bacon is good)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500 (yes, 500)

Make instant potatoes according to package directions.

Cook bacon.

Spread out pizza crust into a pan with deep sides, with dough going up the sides a bit.  (any size or shape pan. Sometimes I use a cake pan. Just as long as the dough fits)

Bake the crust for 5 minutes at 500

Remove crust from oven.  Reduce heat to 450.

Fill pizza crust with mashed potatoes.  Cover with shredded cheese. Crumble bacon over the top.

Bake at 450 until cheese is bubbly and crust is cooked.

TIPS: You can do so many things with this. You can season/flavor the crust before the first bake.  You can use flavored mashed potatoes. Many brands sell garlic mashed or even loaded mashed flavors. Or you can flavor the potatoes yourself with any kind of seasoning/herbs/spices you want.  You can use any kind, or combination, of cheese that you like.  You can add lots of topping. Pepperoni, black olives, jalapeno slices, diced tomatoes, refried beans, salsa, ham and pineapple, sausage, ground beef, avocado, queso, shredded chicken or pork, the possibilities are endless!

Junior Mint Pie

This is another simple, but yummy recipe.  I used to make it a lot when my husband and I were first together.  He and his brothers loved it when I would bring it to the annual family holiday party.

It's basically just a pudding pie with Junior Mints in it. But I think people too quickly discount how delicious a pudding pie can be.  They think it's too easy, too basic. Sometimes easy and basic hits the spot.

Ingredients:

1 ready-made chocolate pie crust
1 packages Jell-O chocolate instant pudding/pie filling
Milk (for the Jell-O)
Junior Mints (about a dozen)
Cool Whip

Directions:

Make Jell-O according to the package instructions for pie filling.

Chop up the Junior Mints and mix into the pudding. (you can add more or less as you like)

Pour mixture into the pie crust.  Top with Cool Whip.

Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Tips: You can decorate the top with extra Junior Mints.  I like to take some chocolate and shave it over the Cool Whip.

Sometimes you get a crust that is broken.  I have melted chocolate and spread it over the crust to hold it together.

Obviously, this is a recipe you can turn into anything.  I know someone who doesn't like chocolate (shocking! I know) and I made a pie in a regular graham cracker crust with banana pudding and I crumbled up shortbread cookies into it.  It was very yummy.  You can be very creative with it.  Think of the pudding pie as a blank canvas for you to paint on!

Enjoy!

SUPER BOWL PARTY RECIPES

Here is my collection (in progress) of Super Bowl Ready Recipes for your game day party!  More to come!

Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Appetizers

Turkey and Stuffing Meatballs with Cranberry Sauce

Broccoli and Craisin Salad

Triple Crockpot Meaty Triple Threat

Chinese Chicken Wings

Pizza Skins Appetizer

Junior Mint Pie

Chinese Chicken Wings Recipe

This is another recipe from my big sister. I love these wings. No, no. I mean I LOVE these wings. I could eat them until I made myself sick. Well, until I started to feel sick. But you know what I mean. She actually got asked to make these so often that she boycotted for awhile.

The key to this recipe is letting the wings marinate overnight.  The flavor is sooooo good.  It's a pretty simple recipe and you can use frozen or fresh chicken wings. I usually use frozen, unless there is a big deal on fresh wings.  But with frozen wings, you don't have the useless tips and the pieces are pre-cut.  Yes, you can leave the fresh ones whole. Nothing wrong with that. But it's nicer, IMO, to have them in more manageable pieces for a party. And you can easily double it, or even triple it, if needs be.

As you can see, the meat is falling right off the bones.

Ingredients:

5 lbs chicken wings
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup molasses

Directions:

Place wings in a large baking pan (I usually use a foil one for easy clean up).  Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl and pour over the wings.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.  You should try and give them a stir a couple of times to get them marinated evenly.

Bake, covered with foil, at 400 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.  Then drain off the excess liquid, remove foil, reduce heat to 350 and bake until wings are brown. (about another 45 minutes to an hour)

This is a recipe that's easy to reheat too, so you can make these ahead of time. You could even make them ahead of time, let them cool completely, and freeze them until you needed them.

These will be a big hit for your party!

Enjoy!

Triple Crock Meat Appetizers Triple Threat

I have 2 fabulous triple crock pots. My husband hates them. They weigh a ton and he has to carry them up from the basement when I need them.  But I love them. They are fabulous for entertaining.  My crocks are like the 2nd one shown below, the long one (but mine are red).  I gave my older sister the round one below for Christmas because I thought it would be good for her and her partner when they take the nieces and nephews for sleepovers. Easy to put up different dishes at once.  Wish I could justify buying one of the round ones. It takes up so much less room. Great price - just $29 too. (click pic to buy one for yourself!)

Anyway... I've got 3 very simple recipes you can do for your Super Bowl Party. Nice, meaty recipes, because after all, the guys want meat - right? And you could get all 3 of these done and in the crock in under half an hour. 

Farberware 3-crock Round 1.5qt. Oval Slowcooker, Stainless Steel

 

 

 

 

FarberWare 3-Crock 2.5Qt. Triple Slow Cooker

 

 

These are basic recipes and you probably already have your own version of some of them, if not all of them.  But now and then I find someone who has never heard of kielbasa and brown sugar. Seems impossible! That delicious candied meat treat is unknown to some, but it's true.  The best part about these appetizers, you pretty much dump them and leave 'em. So here we go with a triple threat of meaty appetizers for your triple crock! (Of course, you don't have to have a triple crock. And these can easily be made on the stove top as well)

 

Note: I use ground mustard a lot in recipes. Make sure it's powdered and not the seeds.

 

 

Kielbasa and Brown Sugar

 

2 links kielbasa, Polish sausage, sliced

1 box brown sugar, light or dark (I prefer dark)

2 tbsp. ground mustard powder

1 tsp. black pepper

 

Slice up the kielbasa and put in the crockpot. Place all the ingredients on top. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

 

I prefer the kielbasa sliced thin, but it's a matter of preference.  You can use turkey kielbasa, it's great. Less greasy.  There are endless variations out there of this recipe. I find the bit of mustard and pepper help to cut the sweetness just a hair.

 

 

Drunken Wieners

 

3 packages little smokies or any kind of cocktail frank

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup beer, of your choice

 

Put cocktail franks in the crockpot. Place all the ingredients on top. Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

 

Again, this recipe lends itself to easy variation.  Adding a specialty beer will add a little extra flavor. 

 

"Baked" Ham in Brown Sugar

 

4 ham steaks

1/2 box brown sugar (light or dark)

3/4 cup honey

1 large can sliced pineapple rings

3 tbsp. ground dry mustard

approx. 12 maraschino cherries

3 tbsp. juice from maraschino cherries

 

Dice up the ham into bit size pieces. Put into the crockpot.  Mix all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  Pour over the ham.  Cook on low for 4 - 6 hours or on high for 2 - 4. Stir occasionally.

This is also the same glaze I use if I was making an actual baked ham. Perfect!

 

 

See - simple. But oooohhhhhhh so yummy!

 

Enjoy!

 



Broccoli Craisin Salad

This is a favorite recipe of my big sister's.  She usually makes it in the summer time, but it can be made any time of year. It's a salad where the "green" is broccoli instead of some form of lettuce.  I think it's a great choice for your football party since people often offer raw broccoli as part of a crudité.  This is a nice twist.

It's a simple recipe with simple ingredients and lends itself to easy add-ons and customization.  You can whip it up in a snap and even make it ahead the day before.

Salad:
5 to 6 cups fresh broccoli florets                                       
1/2 cup craisins                                                                
1/2 cup sunflower seeds                                                 
1/2 cup crumbled bacon  (I used microwave bacon to make it easier)

Dressing:
1 cup mayo (would not recommend Miracle Whip, it would be too sweet)
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp. vinegar (I used apple cider, but white would be fine)


Cut up florets that are overly large. Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.  Add sugar a little at a time until the sweetness is right for you.

Pour dressing over salad and mix to combine. Either serve right away or cover and refrigerate.

Tip: I added a dash of lemon juice to the dressing, though my sister's recipe does not call for it. My hubby liked the lemon. It's a matter of preference.

You could easily add other items like shredded carrots, a combination of broccoli and cauliflower, pine nuts instead of sunflower seeds etc.  It's an easy recipe, but always a hit.

Enjoy!

Turkey Stuffing Meatballs in Cranberry Sauce Appetizers

Here's another appetizer I made for my Christmas Eve party. It was a huge hit! My dad went back for thirds!  Even the picky kids liked it (it lead to the Thanksgiving Dinner Meatloaf recipe)

Fortunately, I do have measurements for this one. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics :(  Sorry. Didn't know I was going to start a blog lol!

This will be a great recipe for Super Bowl Sunday.  You can leave them in a crock pot or chaffing dish and let your guests help themselves to these yummy little meatballs. They are a wonderful change from the tired old Italian meatballs and, IMO, much tastier than the Swedish variety.

This recipe uses packaged cornbread stuffing. This is a great ingredient you will think of lots of uses for.

Ingredients:

Meatballs
1/2  cup chicken stock
1 egg   
1 cup cornbread stuffing mix   
1/4 cup finely chopped celery   
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 tsp ground rosemary
1/2 tsp onion powder 
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb. ground turkey  

Sauce
1 (16-oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce   
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Sauté celery in pan until soft.

In large bowl, combine turkey, salt, pepper and egg.

In a separate bowl, stir in stuffing mix, stock, cooked celery and remaining seasonings; blend well. Add turkey mix; mix well. Shape into 4 (1-inch) balls. Place in ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Bake at 375°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until meatballs are browned and no longer pink in center.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan combine all sauce ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add meatballs to sauce; stir gently to coat. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve in chafing dish or slow cooker.

This should make approx. 48 mini meatballs.

Enjoy!

Spinach, Sun Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Appetizers

I made these appetizers for my Christmas Eve party and thought they would be good for Super Bowl parties.  If you've got the room in your fridge, you can easily make them ahead of time and then cook them when you are ready.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of these, and I didn't measure - typical me! So, I am going to estimate the measurements of the ingredients.  Feel free to adjust as you see fit for your needs.

Now - for the cup, you can use many different items.  I used crescent roll dough formed into the cups of a mini muffin pan.  You could use that, or pizza dough, or phyllo cups that are already baked. Even ready made pie crust.  Just make sure whatever you use that you are sure of what you will need for baking time. Will you need to bake them empty first in order to cook the dough thoroughly?

Ready made phyllo cups would make this super easy

 

 

Ingredients:

 

 

1 cup Baby spinach (this is a guess, I just grabbed a big handful from the bag.)

1/4 cup Sun dried tomatoes in oil (Plus 1 tsp of the oil from the jar)

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 lb crumbled Goat cheese

2 tbsp. Pine nuts, (I prefer to toast them first, but that's a matter of preference)

3/4 tsp Basil

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

 

dough/cup of your choice

 

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven as needed.  Precook dough if needed.

 

Finely chop spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Place in bowl.  Add remaining ingredients (except dough) and mix.

 

Fill cups and cook according to instructions for the type of dough you used.  If no baking is needed for the dough, bake for about 20 minutes at 375, or until the filling is cooked.

 

These are best warm from the oven, but can be eaten warmed up the next day.  You can assemble them and refrigerate them and then cook them right before eating.

 

This will make a little more than one 18 cup mini muffin pan.  I believe I got 24 out of it.

 

If you make this, I'd love to hear how it turned out :)

 

Enjoy!



Hamburger Macaroni Goulash

Until yesterday, I had only heard of Hungarian goulash, which is a sort of beef stew. But a friend said she was looking for a recipe to make a hamburger goulash like her grandmother used to make. After some looking around, it seemed to me that this was something very near what I know as American Chop Suey, with some different seasonings used.

So, after asking my friend a few questions and getting some clarification on what she remembered from her grandmother's recipe, I created my own version and made it for dinner this evening.  It was a hit!  I was a little nervous as I smelled the paprika throughout the downstairs that the kids might not be too crazy about it. We are very boring people who don't like things spicy. But they loved it.

Below is my recipe.  Debbie - I don't know how close to Grandma's it is, but I hope it at least brings you close enough that you can get there with a few tweaks. :) And thanks again for the suggestion!

BTW - this is a great example of how you can take something ordinary and change it around by just using different spices. If I used basil and oregano instead of paprika and so much pepper, it would taste like my regular American Chop Suey. But despite having pretty much the same ingredients, this tastes like a different dish.

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 large 29 oz can tomato sauce (unseasoned, not spaghetti sauce)
30 oz of tomato paste
1 medium shallot or 1 small onion
1 box elbow macaroni or small pasta
1/2 tsp salt, plus 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp pepper - plus 3/4 tsp
3/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
butter
olive oil

Directions:

Cook box of elbows according to package directions.  Use a large pot because you will be putting all of the other ingredients into this pot after the macaroni is cooked.  Drain and set aside when cooked al dente, about 12 minutes. (Which means don't let the macaroni get too soft. You'll be cooking it again in the sauce so make sure it still has a bite to it).

Finely chop shallot/onion. Saute in a frying pan with a touch of butter and olive oil for 5 minutes.

Add ground beef. Break up, add 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/2 of the tsp black pepper and mix up with the onions.  Cook until meat is browned.  Remove from heat and drain. (You need to season the ground beef before it's cooked to get the best flavor from it)

Add the beef mixture to the pan of elbows.  Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste, add the rest of the salt and pepper, the garlic powder, paprika and nutmeg.

Mix until everything is combined.  Cover and place on low heat, (or put in a crock pot on low). Let simmer for at least an hour to meld flavors. But you can make this early and let it simmer all day as long as you keep an eye on it and give it a stir now and then to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Serve nice and hot! Hubby and son had grated cheese on theirs.

NOTES: As you can see, this is a recipe that is wide open for options. You could add chopped bell peppers. You could use ground turkey, or sausage or any kind of ground meat, or even a combination.  If you added a can of beans this would be a sort of combination goulash/chili.  Or, if you wanted a vegetarian version, use beans and veggies instead of the ground meat. This will be very thick. You can thin it out by adding beef or chicken stock, more tomato sauce or even canned diced tomatoes. It's all a matter of preference.

Oh! And this will make enough for 6 - 8. Depending on how many teenage boys are in your group lol! You can easily cut the recipe in half if you don't need so much.

Enjoy

CrockPot Posole Recipe

I bought a tin of Crockpot recipes from an online store. It was on clearance and I figured, why not?  Even though we are picky eaters and I know we aren't going to like a lot of what's in there, I expected I could get some good ideas just the same. (We're not big fans of cream of whatever soup).

Well, naturally, it's full of stuff my family won't eat. We don't do anything spicier than your basic spaghetti sauce. lol! But I figured I'd share some of the recipes with you even if I haven't tried them myself because they seem simple, and if you like that sort of thing, pretty good.

I'm going to start off with Posole.  Posole, or more accurately, Pozole, means "hominy".  It's a pre-Columbian stew/soup from Mexico.  Hominy is dried corn kernels (maize as opposed to the sweet corn we are used to eating as a side dish) that has been treated with lime or lye.  This process makes it shed its hull and swell up. When it's ground up, it's used to make hominy grits.  But we're not using that kind for this recipe. We want them whole.  Goya, a popular ethnic food brand, makes canned hominy, so if your local supermarket carries that brand of products, there is a good chance they will carry canned hominy.  If not, try Walmart.

This recipe could not be more simple.

Ingredients:

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or loin, cubed
3 cans (14 oz ea) white hominy, drained
1 cup chili sauce

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in your crockpot. Cover. Cook on Low for 10 hours or High for 5 hours.

That's it. That's all there is.  Easy, huh?  Actually, if I could think of something to substitute for the chili sauce, I might try it.

Enjoy!

Recipe from Crock*Pot. The Original Slow Cooker Recipe Card Collection © 2011

New England Clam Chowder

My husband loves seafood! And especially loves clam chowder. Unfortunately, he is married to someone who's affection for seafood doesn't extend beyond canned tuna and frozen fish sticks. However, he is very lucky that his wife is happy to cook things he likes, even if she doesn't.  Which brings us to today's recipe - clam chowder.

This is the New England variety, the creamy kind. Not the Manhattan version with a tomato/vegetable broth.  And no, despite being from the Boston area, I do not say "chowdah".
(sore spot with me).

Now, you might be thinking it's just easier to open up a can of it, or get it only when you go out to eat. But really, it's not so hard at all. Trust me! I use canned diced potatoes to make it even easier. Yup, you can substitute fresh potatoes, but really, they taste the same and it saves a lot of time and effort.

Ingredients:

4 slices of thick slab bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped (I prefer shallots, but it's a matter of taste)
2 stalks celery, chopped
One tub of choped clams from the fish counter (they only come in 1 size at my supermarket)
OR - 2 (5 ounce) cans baby clams, with juice reserved
2 cans diced potatoes, drained
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of potato soup
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 bay leaves
Clam juice as needed (I used one 8 oz bottle)
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

 1 Add bacon to sauce pan and cook on medium low heat until crispy.
 2 Add onion and celery and cook until onion is translucent. (I added a pinch of salt)
 3 Add clam juice from container/both cans. (added bottle of clam juice)
 4 Add potatoes.
 5 Cook and cover until potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
 6 Stir occasionally so potatoes won't stick.
 7 Add soup, cream, milk and bay leaves.
 8 Stir together.
 9 Add butter and let melt into the chowder.
 10 Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until thickened.
 11 Stir occasionally.
 12 Add clams. Stir occasionally until clams are heated.
 13 Add salt and pepper to taste

That's all there is to it. My hubby couldn't eat enough of it!

Enjoy :)

6 Easy Recipes for Packaged Pork Loin

You see them all the time in your supermarket sales flyers - packaged pork loin.

But what do you do with them? Do you roast them in the oven like a pork roast? Sure, you can put it in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. If you're lucky, you can even get ones that have already been marinated in garlic or teriyaki or some other flavor. If not, just add your own seasonings. You could even grill it.  If needs be, you can even cook it on your stove top, as long as you cook it to 160 degrees internal temperature.  A great convenience food and better than hitting the drive through!


But my favorite thing to do with them - the crock pot! Yup! That's right. The crock pot. Put those babies in a crock pot with just a few ingredients and you have a great meal. And the really great thing - if your local store has a great sale, buy a few of them and put the pork loins and the ingredients into a ziplock freezer bag and freeze them! Then when you want a fast and easy dinner, you just dump it all in the crock pot.

Here are 6 recipes that are super simple and delicious. I cook them all on high for 4 - 6 hours.

*See Notes at the end

1. Basic pork with gravy. Doesn't get any simpler than this. Just put the pork loin in the crock pot, pour in some pork gravy. 1 extra large jar or 2 regular jars.  When it's cooked it will be more like a thick broth than a gravy, but it will be tasty! And your pork will be flavorful and tender. Make life super simple - add a bag of frozen veggies and some canned potatoes and your whole meal will be ready for you.

2. Cran-Apple Pork. Awesome and the kids love it! Put in your pork. Add one 8 oz can of cranberry sauce and 1 cup of apple sauce. (I use the snack cups of apple sauce I always have for the kids and just dump 1 in there).  That's it. Yummy!  Depending on the likes or dislikes of your family, you can use the chunky kind of cranberry sauce and you can dice apples up in this as well.

3. Figgy Piggy. Now, I don't normally like figs. Don't even like Fig Newtons.  But this is good stuff.  Put the pork in the crock pot, add one large jar fig preserves about 14 oz (or 2 jars if you can only find small ones).  Add 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard.  If you have it, add 1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar. I don't always have the balsamic in the house and it's not a deal breaker. I like it better with it, but it's still good without it. I know it can be pricey, so don't go out and buy some just for this. If you don't have it, the preserves and mustard are good alone.

4. Garlic and Rosemary Pork. Super tasty! You put all the dry ingredients (listed below) into a bowl and mix them. Then you rub your pork loin with a little olive oil.  Rub the seasoning mix onto your pork and pop it into the crock pot!  Seasonings: 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 3/4 tsp ground rosemary, 3/4 tsp ground thyme.  If your pork loin doesn't have much fat on it and it seems like it is a bit dry while it's cooking, you can add a splash of chicken or beef stock, but you really shouldn't need to.

5. Honey Mustard Pork Loin. Easy peasy! 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup Dijon mustard poured over the pork in your crock pot.  You want to add a little pizazz? Dice up 2 apples and add to it.

6. Maple and Brown Sugar Pork. Not for dieters! 1/4 cup plain old pancake syrup. 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark). 3 tsp ground mustard powder. 1 tbsp. balsamic or apple cider vinegar.  Mix all of these ingredients and place in crock pot. Put in the pork and turn the pork to coat. (if you want to use real maple syrup, only use 2 tbsp.)


*Notes - those recipes that have liquid/sauce, if you desire, you can remove the pork from the crockpot when cooked and cover with foil to keep warm. Transfer the liquid to a sauce pan on your stove top and use corn starch to thicken

Make your meal time even easier by adding vegetables along with the pork and other ingredients as long as you don't mind them having the same flavor as what the pork is cooked in.

You can make life even easier by buying crockpot liners to cook in and clean up will be a breeze!

And again, you can put all of these recipes into freezer bags and freeze them for when you need them.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Dinner Meatloaf

(Originally posted to my main blog 1/7/15)

Those who know me know that I am a "let's see what I get if I put these ingredients together" kind of gal. I also am one of those annoying cooks who doesn't measure, so it often makes it hard for me to share my recipes. However.... I knew that if this idea turned out, I would want to share it. So, like a good girl, I tried very hard to write down everything I did and remembered to measure and not just add by sight and smell. You're welcome.

So, as the title says, this is a Thanksgiving Dinner Meatloaf.  Ok, so other than ground turkey, what does that mean, right? Well, it means cornbread stuffing (sort of), and veggies, and cranberry sauce and potatoes.  All in one dish. And yeah, I know - ugh, ground turkey, it's always dry - right? Well this was not!

Now, to be clear, I made this by the seat of my pants. I had no idea what I was doing. I made it all up as I went along.  I am going to give you the recipe as I made it and then, at the end, I will give you some notes as to anything I might change, add in, leave out... you get the idea.  Also, this is a great recipe for using up left over veggies, so keep in mind, as you read the ingredient list, you can easily substitute other items or even add some more.

One more thing before we start. Like a total doofus, I was doing this without my glasses on - which means, my pics are not in focus. Yeah - that's right - idiot! But I figure better a few blury pics than nothing. So - sorry guys.

Here we go!

Ingredients (enough for 2 meatloaves, I always make 2 at a time. 1 to freeze)

3.25 lbs of turkey (approx.)
1 bag 14 oz Pepperidge Farm Corn Bread Stuffing Mix (or any brand)
1 small shallot
1 stalk of celery
salt pork (you can get from butcher if not in meat case)
2 cans diced potatoes
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup green beans (canned, frozen or fresh)
1 cup chicken stock/broth plus a splash
1 8 oz can cranberry sauce
1 tsp sage plus 1/4 tsp
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp ground rosemary
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 pod Knorr Chicken Homestyle Stock
approx. 2 oz apple sauce
3 tbsp. brown sugar
butter
olive oil

Finely dice the shallot and celery and sauté in a pan with butter and olive oil until soft.

In a bowl, place approx. half of the corn bread crumbs.  Add the 1 cup of chicken stock to the crumbs.  Add the celery and onion. Add 1/4 tsp sage. Mix until just combined. Set aside

Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.

In blender or food processor add the carrots, the green beans and the salt pork.
Why the salt pork? Because turkey tends to dry out easily. I don't want to add a package of pork and alter the flavor, but I want to add a little extra fat to help keep it moist. Personally, I choose not to use the heavy rind.  I cut out two of the fattiest parts. They weighed out to be 1.7 oz, but you can see from the pick they weren't particularly big. Remember, you are just trying to add a little extra fat. And of course, this is entirely optional.

see - sorry, blury. But gives you an idea of how much salt pork I used.

Blend until completely pureed. You may need to add a splash of chicken stock to keep the carrots from sticking to the side of the bowl. Be prepared, when you are done, the contents will look very unappetizing lol.  Add to the ground turkey. (these pureed veggies worked as a binder and helped keep the meatloaf moist)

Add 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce. Reserve the rest of the can.  Add the Knorr chicken stock.  Add the stuffing mixture.  Add the sage, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and celery salt.  Mix together until well blended (you will probably want to use your hands.)  Once mixed, the mixture will definitely seem too wet. Add some of the remaining dry crumbs from the remainder in the bag of PF cornbread. Apprx 3/4 -1 cup, until consistency feels right.

Knorr chicken stock pods

 
Open the can of diced potatoes. NOTE: I wasn't sure if mixing them in would crush the potatoes, so I chose to layer them. I may decide to try mixing them in next time. It's a matter of preference.

Place a small amount of the meat mixture in the bottom of your loaf pan.  Cover with a layer of your diced potatoes. Cover with another layer of mix, be sure to press down to get the meat all around the potatoes. Repeat the 2 layers and cover with remaining meat mixture.

Bake at 400 for about an hour and 10 minutes. Oven times may vary. We have a double oven and the top oven is small and does tend to cook just a little faster than the large one - so you may need to cook a little longer.

Sauce/Glaze: In a small sauce pan, combine remaining cranberry sauce, apple sauce and brown sugar.  Cook, stirring frequently until mixture is smooth. During the last 15 minutes or so of baking, brush the sauce on top of the meatloaf for a tasty glaze.  The remainder can be spread on the meatloaf when it's served or placed on the side of the dish to dip in.

We served ours with herbed corn bread. Easy peasy! 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix made as directed, plus all the same seasonings in the meatloaf recipe, same measurements and everything (minus the salt).  I suggest stirring in the herbs into the cornbread before you add any of your wet ingredients to help ensure they get evenly dispersed. You don't want to over mix your bread.  It's delicious!  And a great base for making actual cornbread stuffing for Thanksgiving!

Since this has our meat, veggies and potatoes already all in it, we decided to have it with just a piece of the cornbread and a side salad. It was a hit. It did fall a part a little bit when trying to take it out, but that didn't effect the flavor at all. And..... it was NOT dry!

NOTES: Now, we are not big on veggies here. But... if your family is, you could leave the shredded carrots whole and have them as a nice crunchy contrast in your meatloaf.  Also, if you have leftover veggies in your fridge, puree them and use them! Great way to use up peas, Brussel sprouts, squash, sweet potatoes, etc. You could add Craisins, use turnip, squash or any combination instead of/or with your potatoes.  I would not recommend keeping things like green beans or peas whole as they would just be mush by the time the meatloaf is cooked and then be unappetizing.  If you prefer, you could layer with mashed potatoes. If you really want to be jazzy, alter layers with sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows, or butternut squash with pecans.  You could also serve with canned/jarred turkey gravy instead of cranberry sauce.  The possibilities are endless, but you can easily get that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner taste without having to deal with a big turkey and piles of side dishes any time you want. And since you can buy mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and butternut squash already cooked, that makes it even easier. Enjoy!

Oh! I almost forgot - want more stuffing? Would you like to have a side of stuffing with this?  Have 2 bags of stuffing mix. Increase the amount of celery and onion. When you put it all in the bowl, add more chicken stock, just until moist. Add all of the seasonings listed in the recipe, add some Craisins and chopped walnuts and 3 tbsp. of melted butter. Mix. Put into a backing dish or individual ramekins, bake along with, and serve with your meatloaf.

Easy Dessert Filling To Keep On Hand For The Holidays

(Originally posted to my main blog 12/14/14)

I had to make a dessert for a family party the other day and decided to try and make something from ingredients I already had on hand.  I almost always have nuts in my pantry and always have brown sugar, so I knew I had a filling. I just needed something to fill. I ended up with a ton of leftover filling and I realized it is great for so many things!  First I will give you the original recipe I used it for and then I will tell you my ideas for other uses.

Now, you need to know, I'm not big on measuring unless a recipe really needs things to be precise, so be prepared - there are no measurements here. It's all by look and smell. Sorry.

The filling ingredients are simple.

Ingredients:
Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds (or whatever kind you like/have)
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Melted Butter (optional)
*See not at bottom about other add in items

First I got out my food processor. (I think the bowl holds about 6 cups - but it doesn't really matter)  I filled the bowl with walnuts, pecans and almonds.  Mostly walnuts, they're the biggest and also what I had the most of.  I pulsed just until they were ground up.

Then I put them in a mixing bowl and added brown sugar.  Again, sorry, didn't measure. I just dumped it out of the bag until it looked like enough. I mixed it all in with the nut mixture, breaking up the lumps of sugar as I went.  If you're not confident with just winging it, start with little and just add a bit at a time until it looks and smells right to you. The mixture should be a good balance of the brown of sugar and the white/yellow of the nuts.

Then I added the cinnamon and nutmeg.  I happen to be fond of cinnamon, so I added a lot. It's a matter of taste. I just poured it right in.  If I had to guess, I'd say about 5 tbsp., maybe more. I didn't have much nutmeg, so I just added what I had left and mixed everything together.

Note: I had a few sliced almonds in a bag leftover, so I added them. I also added a small handful of chopped pecans and a handful of chopped walnuts - just so there'd be a little piece of nut now and then - but that's up to you

As luck would have it, I had some frozen puff pastry sheets in the freezer.  Unluckily, the kitchen got so warm throughout the day that when I went to use the dough it was too soft and I couldn't use it! Doesn't that figure!  But.... Luck was on my side. Earlier that day, my hubby had bought me some Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations (crescent roll dough without the perforations). So I used that instead.

I unrolled the dough onto a foil lined cookie sheet. I brushed the dough with melted butter (again, a matter of taste - it's not essential, but I like the flavor of the added butter).  Then I used a spoon to spread the filling across the dough. Don't go right up to the edges as it will spread out as you roll.  You can add as little or as much as you like.  Then carefully roll up the dough and leave the seam side down on the cookie sheet.  Some of the filling will spill out the sides.  Just push it back in or pinch the ends together. Try not to worry too much. You cut the ends off before serving anyway.

I brushed a little more melted butter on the top before baking.  Bake at 375 for about 20 - 23 minutes, until golden brown. 

Once the log has cooled, cut off ends, slice and dust with powdered sugar and you have a delicious strudel.

(this was all that was left when I decided to do a blog post)

 

Now - you will have a ton of nut/sugar mixture left over. I put it in a canister so I have it handy and ready to go. What do you do with it? What can't you do with it is a better question!

Of course, I can use it with my puff pastry.  I can use it more crescent dough and slice it before cooking and arrange it in a cake pan and cook like cinnamon rolls, glazing after they bake.  I can cook it in layers of phyllo dough or puff pastry and top with a honey glaze for a mock baklava.  I can use it with sugar cookie dough.  Use it with any kind of dough - bread dough, pizza dough, biscuit dough.  Even cake batter. Use it as a streusel filling in a Bundt cake.  Add some flour and butter to it and use it as a crumb topping on a cake or fruit dessert.  Mix it with Chex and mini pretzels and bake for a sweet take on Chex Mix.  Put it on top of a sweetened cream cheese and make Danish. The possibilities are endless!

With this on hand in a canister or zip lock bag, you have a quick dessert ready to make.  Get a last minute invite? Have company come over unexpected?  If you have this and a can of rolls, biscuits or cookie dough in your fridge, in 5 minutes you can have something delicious baking in the oven.

ADD INS:

Of course, you've probably already thought of lots of ways you could alter this filling.  I know lots of people love clove for the holidays (I don't happen to be one of those people) but you could certainly add some of that. You could add dried fruits. You could leave it basic and just add to it when you use it for a particular batch of whatever.  Here are some ideas for things you can add in - I'm sure you'll think of even more!

* Cloves
* Allspice
* Ginger
* Orange/Lemon zest
* Cocoa Powder
* Chocolate Chips/White Chocolate Chips
* Peanut Butter Chips
* Butterscotch Chips
* Toffee Chips
* Dried Fruit (raisins, currants, Craisins, dried cherries, etc)
* Candied fruit/fruit peel
* Coconut flakes

Hope this gives you lots of ideas and makes your holiday baking easier.  Enjoy!

NOTE: Someone asked me if this was gluten free. Natural nuts that have not been flavored are gluten free. So is natural cane sugar - so yes, as long as you are careful with your ingredients (which you probably are if you need gluten free) then you are fine. What you use it with is up to you - so again, you can control it being gluten free