Taco Rice

 

Taco Rice

 

1 lb ground beef

Taco seasoning

1 onion diced

1 small green bell pepper chopped

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 can black beans rinsed

1 small can of tomato sauce

1 small can of diced green chiles

1 Cup dry white rice (not instant)

2 Cups chicken broth

2 Cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used cheddar jack)

3 green onions sliced

 

-Using a large skillet that can also be placed in the oven, brown the ground beef and break up into smaller pieces with the taco seasoning.  You can use your own seasoning or a packet.  If you like it spicy, you can add hot sauce or red pepper flakes.

-After the beef is mostly browned, add in your diced onion, chopped green bell pepper, and tomato paste.  Stir together.

-After the vegetables have softened a bit, about 3-5 minutes, add your rinsed can of black beans, tin of tomato sauce, and the tin of green chiles.  Stir to combine.

-Add your rice.  Stir.  Let the flavors combine and then add your chicken broth and stir.

-Put a lid on your pan and turn down to simmer for 20 minutes or until your rice is cooked.

-Remove the lid, give another quick stir, and cover with the cheese.  Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and melted.  Remove from the oven, sprinkle the whole thing with green onions and serve.  My daughter likes to eat it with tortilla chips, though I just ate mine with a spoon.

-Enjoy!

Jennifer's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Not to brag...but...I get asked for this recipe a lot.  I thought I would post it to my blog so that I could direct people here for it from now on.  This is one of my go-to recipes that I've kind of perfected over the years.  That's not to say you can't make it better by putting your own spin on it!  I hope you like it!

Jennifer’s Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

If possible, start your recipe earlier in the day, so that all you have to do later is throw in the oven.  Or, you can make the chicken, and the sauce, then refrigerate until you’re ready to roll the enchiladas and bake.

2 Chicken breasts

Olive oil

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

2 Bell peppers pick two of different colors, not green.  Julianne into ¼ inch strips

Onion, cut into ¼ inch julianne strips

2 medium sized jalapenos, seeds and membranes removed (leave in if you like it spicy), then diced. 

3 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper

1 Knorr Caldo con sabor Pollo cube of chicken bouillon, crushed

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

2 small cans of green chiles

1 can of Campbell’s cream of chicken soup

1 large can of green chile enchilada sauce

2-3 Cups of shredded cheese.  I like a mix of any of the following:  cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby, pepper jack, provolone, etc…

Tortillas, you can use large or small, flour tortillas, I prefer small.

Sour cream, diced tomatoes, and shredded lettuce for toppings.

Start by slathering the chicken breasts in olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Pop in 400º oven till chicken is just baked.  Set aside to cool, then shred.

In a large saute pan, on medium heat, add 1 Tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil to hot pan.  Once oil is hot, add peppers, onion, and jalapenos.  Stir and toss until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add in garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt, pepper, and chicken bouillon.  Stir and toss until garlic is softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the green chiles, the soup, and ½ of the can of enchilada sauce.  Stir together until heated through and now add in the shredded chicken from earlier.  Taste your sauce.  If it needs salt or pepper, this is the time to add it.  Turn of the heat.  If possible let cool completely before rolling enchiladas.

Set up a station of your filling, shredded cheese, tortillas, and baking dish (sprayed with cooking spray or buttered).  For small tortillas, put about a ¼ cup of filling in the middle of your tortilla.  Add about 2-3 tablespoons of shredded cheese, and then roll.  Place in a line in your baking dish, seam side down.  Fill your pan.  Pour half of the remaining enchilada sauce over the middle (I like to leave a little off the edges to let the tortillas crisp a bit), top with the remaining cheese, then again with the remaining sauce over that. 

Bake in 375º oven till bubbling hot and cheese is browned on top, around 45 minutes.  Serve with sour cream, shredded lettuce, and diced tomatoes. 

You can also make this with diced chicken thighs, leftover beef roast, ground beef, pork, or even shrimp.  You simply add your cooked protein to the sauce you made above.

Best Quiche Ever!

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

Everyone raved about these when I made them the other day.  I promised I would share the recipe:

Pie Crust

1 Cup AP Flour
1 tsp salt
6 Tablespoons of cold butter cut into pats
1 1/2 Tablespoons of vegetable shortening
1/8 Cup of ice water (plus a little more if needed)

Process the first 4 ingredients in a food processor, pulsing, until the ingredients come together in course crumbs.  Pulse in the water until the dough starts to form a ball.  Remove dough, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest in refrigerator for at least an hour, overnight if possible.  This will make enough for one crust in a large quiche or pie.


Spinach and Mushrooms

1 Bunch of clean spinach, stems removed if large, and rough chopped
1 Cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 Medium sized onion - chopped
2 T butter
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt & Pepper to taste

Melt butter in saute pan.  Add in mushrooms and brown.  Add onions and saute till transluscent.  Add in garlic powder and salt and pepper.  Stir.  Add in spinach and cook until well wilted.  Let cool and put in refrigerator until you're ready to put quiche together.

Quiche Custard

1/2 Cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 Cup milk (I use 2%)
5 eggs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon parsley

2 Cups shredded cheese - (I used cheddar because that's what I had on hand, but you could use just about anything that melts well or a combination of them.  I love adding a bit of swiss cheese when I have it).

Mix all together except for the cheese.  Store in refrigerator until you put the quiche together.  I did all the steps the night before making the quiche, so all I had to do in the morning was assemble and bake.

I used muffin tins for individual quiche, but you could very easily do a whole pie.  Roll out your dough on a floured surface to about an 1/8 of an inch thick.  Spray your vessel lightly, there is already quite a bit of oil in your crust, so you shouldn't need much.  Cut squares to fit your muffin tins and push down into the cup.  Add a bit of the mushroom mixture to each cup and then top with the shredded cheese up to the top of the cup.  Then pour your egg custard to just below the top.  Bake at 400º until the tops are browned and the pie crust is golden.

Inspiration for my quiche custard:  https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/221198/transformed-spinach-mushroom-quiche/?utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-recipe&utm_content=20190910&utm_term=221198Best pie crust ever from: https://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/522/Martha_Stewarts_Pefect_Pie_Shell35439.shtml

My Dan-Dan Noodles

Dan-Dan noodles have a long history in Jon's and my life together.  When we lived in Scottsdale, we found a little restaurant that had the best Dan-Dan noodles.  What are Dan-Dan noodles?  Well, Wikipedia says:

Dandan noodles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dandan noodles or dandanmian (traditional Chinese: 擔擔麵, simplified Chinese: 担担面) is a noodle dish originating from Chinese Sichuan cuisine. It consists of a spicy sauce containing preserved vegetables (often including zha cai (榨菜), lower enlarged mustard stems, or ya cai (芽菜), upper mustard stems), chili oil, Sichuan pepper, minced pork, and scallions served over noodles.

Sesame paste and/or peanut butter is sometimes added, and occasionally replaces the spicy sauce, usually in the Taiwanese and American Chinese style of the dish.^[1] In this case, dandanmian is considered as a variation of ma jiang mian (麻醬麵), sesame sauce noodles. In American Chinese cuisine, dandanmian is often sweeter, less spicy, and less soupy than its Sichuan counterpart.

Anyway, they've always been one of Jon's favorite dishes and whenever he would see them on the menu, he would typically order them.  

After we moved back to Arizona from England, Jon decided he was going to try and make them at home.  We learned, in England, that if we wanted some of our American style food then we would have to make it ourselves.  So in that spirit, Jon took on the Dan-Dan.

He did an AMAZING job and we all instantly voted it a family favorite.  Even Mom was excited to try and make it after we left for Illinois.

Fast forward to two nights ago.  Jon had planned to make the Dan-Dan before he left Sunday afternoon, but it just didn't work out, so I had to make it for dinner Monday night.  I was a little nervous that the kids wouldn't like mine at all.  I was partially right, the both said it was okay, but that Jon's was better.  Personally, I preferred mine as it was more a bit my style, and so that is the recipe I am posting here.  

Jen's Dan-Dan Noodles

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Large chicken breasts

1/2  medium onion

3 garlic cloves

Pepper

Chow mein noodles, dry.  (we typically use whatever noodle we have in the pantry which          can be rice noodles, wonton noodles...even ramen noodles)

1/2 Cup mushrooms, chopped

1 small can water chestnuts, chopped

1 packet of hot and spicy Szechwan seasoning mix

4 green onions, chopped

1 Tbs of vegetable oil (do not use olive oil)

1 Cup bean sprouts

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and julianned.

Put on a pot of water to boil.  Make the seasoning pack if necessary (some packages include everything others have you add soy, etc)  Add the green onions to the sauce.

Put the onion and garlic in a food processor and pulse till chopped, not too small.  Cut up and add the chicken in large chunks, then the pepper.  Again pulse, but this time till the chicken gets to a ground chicken consistency.  

Get your wok on the stove on medium high.  Add vegetable oil.  When the oil starts to marble add in the chopped chicken mixture, mushrooms, and water chestnuts. After the chicken is cooked through add the sauce mixture.  Stir and coat.  This is where you need to taste.  Does it have enough spice or salt?  If you like it spicy add some Sriacha, if it needs a little salt, add a bit of soy sauce.  As soon as the sauce thickens, drop your noodles into the boiling water.  I do not salt this water as there is a lot of salt in the sauce already.  Typically the noodles will cook very quickly, make sure not to over cook your noodles.  Take the chicken mix off the stove until the noodles are done.

Build your plate.  Noodles, chicken mix, and then top with bean sprouts and cucumber.

Enjoy!  

The BEST Tuna Salad EVER!

I'm not a huge fan of tuna salad, or even just tuna in general.  However, when I saw Geoffrey Zakarian on one of my favorite cooking shows, The Kitchen, on the Food Network the other day, I thought I could give it a try.  I went to buy a can of tuna packed in olive oil, saw the price, and decided I just couldn't pay $4 for a can of tuna, even though Jon and I rarely buy the 'cheap' tuna, $4 a can was just too steep.  So, I bought our normal tuna steak packed in water, and it was absolutely delicious.  I guess, it could have been better with the tuna in olive oil, but I'm fine with what I had.  The recipe I did was tweaked just a bit to suit my tastes and my pantry.  I know it doesn't sound great, at first, but if you try this, you will love it!

Tuna with Celery and Walnuts

Ingredients:
1 Can of tuna, drained
1 Celery stalk minced
3 Tbs walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp capers, drained
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbs mayo (optional, I added mine to bind all the rest)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything well except the capers.  Add those last and fold in.  I liked mine refrigerated for a bit, but you can eat right away and it's great.  I ate mine on crackers.

Aside from the mayo, this is a fabulous way to get that good fat into your body that helps fight bad fat and helps your brain.  Let me know if you try it!

Want to see the original recipe?  Go here.

Cinnamon Apple Bread

I was looking to use up that one last apple that nobody ever seems to want to eat and turn it into something for breakfast for the kids.  I looked at my pins on Pinterest and found a recipe that I thought I'd try.  Turns out it was delicious!  Joseph loves it, and although I had to cajole Joci into trying it, she ended up liking it, too.  I doubled my recipe as the apple that I had was massive.  I was going to freeze one loaf, but the first went a lot faster than I ever thought.

Cinnamon Apple Bread 

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cup AP flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 Cup milk
1 apple, peeled, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°.  Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together and set aside.  In mixing bowl cream sugar and butter, add eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla.  Add the flour, baking powder, and milk.  Mix well.  Pour half the batter in a greased loaf pan.  Top with half the apple, then sprinkle half the cinnamon and brown sugar mix over.  Pour remaining batter in and then the apples and sugar mix.  Bake for 50 minutes.

Used the recipe and photo found here, at The Happier Homemaker.

Split Pea and Ham Soup

Split Pea and Ham Soup

For my family, this is the best cold weather meal.  I love that it is full of veggie goodness, and even better that each person in my family like it.  It does help that I put lots of ham in ours to satisfy everyone, and that the dish starts off with a bit of bacon grease (you can substitute olive oil).

2 Tablespoons bacon grease (olive oil substitute)
1 medium onion diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon of minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2-3 Cups of cubed ham
1 bag of split peas
6 Cups chicken stock (can substitute with veggie or even pork stock)
2 bay dried bay leaves
1/2 Cup heavy cream

Saute the onion and carrots in the bacon grease until softened.  Add the garlic, red pepper, dried oregano, black pepper, ham and stir.  Add the split peas and let cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes to absorb the flavors.  Add the 6 Cups of stock, stir, and add the bay leaves.  Now you have to be patient.  Let simmer on stove, covered, for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  If it gets too thick, you can add water, but keep in mind you will be adding the cream at the end, and that will loosen the soup up a bit, so don't let it get too thin.  Right before serving add the heavy cream.  This part IS optional, but I will tell you that it makes all the difference in the soup and gives it a lovely, velvety consistency as well.

Enjoy!

The Fluffiest Pancakes

Since we've been living in the U.K. we have really missed a lot of our favorite foods.  We don't live in London so finding a diverse selection of restaurants is a bit difficult.  Most restaurants in our area are good ole pubs, and the ethnic offering is Indian or Chinese, both are good, although Jon hates Indian. 

In an effort to subside some of our homesickness and drool over yummy goodies found in the States we'll watch Diners Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network.  Usually it's the Mexican food and the Pizza that really gets to us, but the other day we watched an episode at The Red Wagon in East Vancouver in which they made Pulled-Pork Pancakes with Jack Daniel Maple Syrup.  It was one of those recipes where you think, I could make that! 

Last night we had homemade pulled pork sandwiches and had some left over and thus our monumental breakfast this morning was born.  I looked online and my favorite recipe that I could find inspired by The Red Wagon was at a blog called Sweet Samsations, which you can find here.  Their pancake recipe looked amazing and both the kids and I agreed.  They are the fluffiest pancakes we've ever made.  They are on the sweet side, so they are great to serve with something savory and you don't need much syrup.  I didn't make the Jack Daniels syrup as I didn't really want the kids drunk before lunch and actually I don't keep it on hand in the house. 

I hope you like these pancakes, I know my little family LOVED them.  Well, all except Jon.  He likes thinner, chewier pancakes.

Fluffiest Pancakes Ever
Makes 5-6 pancakes.  I doubled the recipe when I made it as I like to have some leftover for breakfast the next day, or to pop into the kids' lunches with fresh fruit.

3/4 Cup milk
2  Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Cup all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons melted butter
cooking spray

Directions

1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and FOLD. Do not overmix. Leave a couple little lumps in the batter so that the pancakes turn out lumpy and super fluffy!
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. These brown very quickly, so watch them carefully and do not let them over-brown.  Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side. Serve!

photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/mezzoblue/6933376307/

Korean Barbecue

Well, it's no secret that one of Jon's and my favorite foods is Korean BBQ.  We are serious junkies for it and while it was easy enough to find in the States, here in Milton Keynes, UK, well, it's not.  We've talked about making it for awhile, but to be truthful, it seemed like a lot of hassle, until now.

Tonight we had our first homemade bulgogi with bancham (side dishes).  It was AMAZING!  It completely satisfied our Korean craving and I got major kudos from Jon and the kids for it, and we had enough left over that we all agreed we will be having it for dinner, again, tomorrow night.

If you get a chance, make this, you will NOT be disappointed!

Bulgogi
1 lb. flank steak thinly sliced
5 T soy sauce
2 1/2 T sugar
1/4 C minced green onion
2 T minced garlic 
2 T sesame seeds.
2 T sesame oil
1/2 tsp black pepper

Put all of the above into a large ziplock bag and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Now, here's where if you were in the restaurant you would be grilling this on the little inset grill on your table, but we don't have that here.  We debated grilling it on the outdoor grill, and may try that in the future, but tonight we just wok'd it.  Serve with a big bowl of white boiled or steamed rice.

Sigeumchi Namul  (Seasoned Spinach)
7oz spinach
4 C boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp minced garlic
2 minced green onion
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp of sriracha chilli sauce (more if you like it spicier)

Blanch spinach for 2 minutes in boiling water.  Drain and put into an ice bath.  After cooled, squeeze excess water out of the spinach and combine with remaining ingredients.  You can marinate overnight or eat immediately.

Kong Namul (Spicy Soybean Sprouts)
1 can/tin of soybean sprouts (drained)
2 minced garlic cloves
2 minced green onion
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce (more if you like it spicier)

This is a piece of cake...combine all ingredients and chill.

Oi Muchim (Seasoned Cucumber)
1 Cucumber (seeded and sliced if you are going to marinate, just sliced if you're eating immediately)
1/4 C minced green onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp crushed red chillies
1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce

Again, another easy one, combine all ingredients and chill.

Thai Chicken Laksa

Tonight I made a recipe that I've been wanting to make for awhile.  I made Jamie Oliver's Thai Chicken Laksa.  To be honest, I've been slightly obsessed with Jamie Oliver and his 15 or 30 minute meals.  My friend, Nicola, let me borrow all of her JO books and I have poured over them again and again, quietly plotting purchasing each one eventually.

What draws me to his recipes is that they are typically well balanced and almost always a full meal.  I'm typically very SSSLLLOOOWWW in the kitchen, not making many quick meals and so I like that his recipes speed me up some.

Tonight I made one of his 15 minute meals, which took me about 30 minutes to make, so that's pretty darn good.  I'm posting this recipe tonight making a few of the modifications I plan to make the next time I make it, don't worry nothing major.  Give it a try, you'll love it and so will your body!

Thai Chicken Laksa

For the Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, or two chicken breasts
1 heaped teaspoon of Chinese five-spice
1 Tablespoon of honey
1 Tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 fresh chilli sliced thinly

For the Laksa:
1000 ML of chicken stock
1 butternut squash (neck end only)
4 cloves of garlic
1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger
1 fresh red chilli
1 teaspoon of tumeric
4 spring onions
2 Tablespoons of creamy peanut butter
6 dried kaffir lime leaves
Large bunch of coriander
1 1/2 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 Tablespoon fish sauce
300 g medium rice noodles
600 g of asparagus or green beans
1 400g tine of coconut milk
2 limes

Instructions:
Bring the chicken broth to a boil.  In your food processor rough grate the squash (leave the skin on if it's nice and clean, remove the stem and bottom before grating).  Put squash in broth.  In food processor with regular blade put in the garlic, ginger, red chilli, tumeric, spring onions, peanut butter, kaffir lime leaves, stalks from the coriander (reserve the leaves for garnish), sesame oil, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Turn on the heat and put your griddle pan on (I don't have a griddle pan...yet).  Put a sheet of grease proof paper down with salt, pepper, and Chinese five-spice, then your chicken, making sure to spice both sides.  Fold over paper and pound chicken to flatten a bit.  Add a bit of olive oil to the pan and put in the chicken.  Turn after browned on one side. 

Trim asparagus or beans and cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces and add to broth.  Then add the noodles to the broth and then the coconut milk.  As soon as it comes back to a bubble remove from heat, squeeze in the juice of one lime and then sprinkle with 3/4 of the coriander/cilantro leaves and 1/2 the sliced red chillis over and put on the table.

As soon as the chicken is about ready, squeeze the honey over and turn the chicken over and over in it coating with a lovely sticky sauce, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and remove to a plate for the table.  Sprinkle with remaining coriander/cilantro and sliced chillis.

I liked this is a bowls, kind of shredding my chicken over it.

Big THANK YOU to Jamie Oliver and his book 15 minute meals, picture provided from that book as well.

March 2, 2013

Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day!

Photo courtesy of Nigella Lawson's website.

 Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday.  I guess in the States we call it Fat Tuesday.  Here, in England it's also called Pancake Day as there is a tradition, you may guess, of eating pancakes on this day.  There are pancake races, particularly in Olney, representing the young mother racing to feed her family and getting to church on time.  For more info go here.

Pancake day for me is fun.  This year I decided to go all out and literally have pancakes all day long.  I made the kids American pancakes in the morning with butter and syrup.  I made a couple extra for them to take to school, instead of a sandwich, with some raspberry jam to dip it in.  Then, for dinner I made crepes stuffed with ham, broccoli, and cheese sauce.  Dessert was more crepes, these stuffed with Nutella and bananas.  My kids absolutely PIGGED OUT on pancakes, especially at dinner.  Especially Jocelyn, who managed to out-eat us all, she loved them so.  As I write this both kids are upstairs bathing and soaking off the Nutella and other pancake mess of the day.

My favorite part of the day, though, was thinking back to our recent holiday in Arizona.  I asked my Dad to teach me how to make crepes, and I'm so glad I did.  I made tons of them tonight, and each time I swirled the batter around the pan I thought of my Dad.  I can't wait to teach my children how to make crepes just like their Grandpa.

My favorite crepes recipe:

Makes about 20-24, 8-9 inch crepes.

2 Cups AP flour
4 eggs
1 Cup milk
1 Cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 Tablespoons of melted butter

Mix all together, it helps to use a mixer and not a whisk as you add more lightness to the batter and get all the lumps out.  The batter should be fairly watery.  If after making the first crepe and you think the crepe is too thick, thin out the batter with a bit of water.

Turn your burner onto a medium-high.  Depending on the pan(s) you have it may only take a small amount of butter to season your pan on your first crepe.  Dip about a 1/2 cup amount of butter into your pan and swirl around until the batter stops moving but is all the way up to the curved part of the pan.  Just as the bottom is browned slightly turn your crepe and it will only need a few moments more before you can slide it out of the pan onto the cooling rack.  Like my Dad, I prefer to have two different pans going at once, or you could be standing for a long time making crepes.  Experiment until you have just the right amount of batter, etc, and you get a great crepe, as typically the first one is usually horrid.

Stuff with all kinds of combinations:

Ham and Cheese

Mushroom and Cheese

Nutella and Strawberries or other mixed berries

Nutella with Bananas

The Fischer family favorite is - Crispy bacon, sour cream, and a bit of maple syrup.

Chilli and Cheese

Lemon and sugar

February 12, 2013

The BEST Spaghetti Bolognese I've Ever Made

Tonight, thanks to Jamie Oliver, I made the best Spaghetti Bolognese I've ever made.  You can check out my inspiration recipe here.  I kind of looked at his recipe, and then did it my way, which is I never looked at it again while making it.  So here's what I did:

6 slices of bacon rashers, diced
2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves of roasted garlic
1 lb. ground beef
2 italian sausages (casing removed)
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon of fresh oregano
10 large basil leaves, chiffanode
1/2 Cup shredded Parmesan Regiano cheese

In a large, heavy bottomed pan put in the olive oil and bacon rashers to render the fat and crisp the bacon.  When the bacon becomes crisp remove it with a slotted spoon and add the carrots, celery, and onion.  Stir occasionally until the veg starts to turn a bit brown around the edges and add the garlic.  Now add the ground beef and italian sausage.  Mix and stir without letting any of the meat to 'crisp', mix and stir the meat and veg until the meat is barely cooked and in small grains.  Add the can of chopped tomatoes, fill the can with water and add that as well.  Now add the tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and the reserved crispy bacon.  Let simmer on the stove for at least an hour.  The goal here is to get those vegetables so broken down that they almost disappear. If your sauce seems to get too thick, add more water.
When you're ready to eat, put on your pasta water.  Don't forget to salt the water, but do NOT add oil to the water.  After getting your pasta going reserve a coffee cup full of the starchy water and add it to your sauce, and remove your sauce from the heat.  Add the basil and cheese to the sauce and stir.  After the pasta is done, drain well and serve with the sauce with a bit more cheese on top.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

The best Broccoli and Cheddar Soup ever. Perfect for those cold nights at home.

1 lb. broccoli cut into bite size pieces
4 Tablespoons of butter
2 large carrots, finely diced
2 medium chopped onions
8 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup flour
3 Cups milk
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4-5 Cups cheddar cheese

In the butter saute the onion and carrot until soft. Add two cups of the broth and cook until onions and carrots are very soft. Using a hand mixer, blend till semi-smooth. Add the broccoli and the remaining broth. Whisk the flour and milk together in a separate bowl, then stir into the soup. Add the seasonings. After the broccoli has cooked down to the doneness that you like, add the cheese, but DO NOT bring the soup to a boil after adding the cheese or it will curdle. Serve.

Reuben Sandwich Soup

This is a souper yummy soup that is quick, easy, and very satisfying.

1 Onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 head of cabbage chopped
1 package chopped polish sausage, kielbassa
8 cups chicken broth
2 tsp caraway seeds
Homemade noodles (2 eggs, salt, flour, mix and roll out, cut into strips and dry)
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

Put the first 6 ingredients into a pot and bring to soft boil. Add noodles to cook, serve with shredded swiss cheese sprinkled over the top.
Serves 5-6.

Corn and Avocado Salad

I got this recipe from my last Martha Stewart magazine. I loved it, the rest of the family was not so crazy. You need to be an avocado lover for this one.
The original recipe called for roasted grilled corn on the cob, cut off. But, that is a rarity, here. So, I bought a bag of frozen corn and roasted it in the oven until there are some nice caramelized pieces. After the corn has cooled, put it into a bowl. Cut up some cilantro (here it's called Coriander) and dice. Add to the bowl. Dice a large avocado or two small ones and add to the bowl. Sprinkle with about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir. Do not break up the avocado. So yummy.

Greatest Chocolate Frosting EVER!

I have found the absolutely BEST chocolate frosting EVER!
It is from Martha Stewart and you can find it on her website. I personally make a double batch, which is what I have listed below. This frosting is not too sweet, but very chocolaty and a great consistency. Enjoy!

Enough for 24 Cupcakes.
1 Cup plus 4 Tablespoons white sugar
1 Cup Heavy Cream
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ Cup butter, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place Sugar and Cream in heavy bottomed saucepan; bring to boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and cook without stirring for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate. After chocolate is completely melted, whisk in butter. After the butter is completely melted, whisk in the vanilla.

Place the whole pot into the refrigerator. Whisk occasionally until the frosting is cooled and to the consistency that you prefer.

Pumpkin Muffins

We had been sick in our house last week. Like, really sick. But, I so badly wanted to do some baking this Christmas and I was worried that being sick, I wouldn't have time to. But, after lots of rest and medicine, and couch-camping, it's time to bake.

First up, Pumpkin Muffins.

Now, let me say that these should be Pumpkin Nut muffins. In fact, I think some salty pepitas or pecans sprinkled on top would be perfect. But, in our house, we don't cook with nuts. Jon hates cooks nuts...and we'll leave it at that.

This recipe is nice and mild. I hope you like it.

Mix the dry:

2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 ginger

Mix the wet:

2 eggs

1/3 C buttermilk

1/3 melted butter (not too hot)

1 heaping T molasses

1/2 t vanilla

1 C sugar

1 C pumpkin

After the wet is mixed, add the dry.

Baked at 350 for 25 minutes. Makes 12 medium-large muffins.

Pork Chops with Couscous

Pork Chops with Coucous

Pork Chops
2 Tbs Olive oil
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced
8 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon
1 Cup water
3/4 Cup couscous
1/2 Cup chopped flat leaf parsley
3/4 Cup grape tomatoes cut in half
1/2 Cup pistachios
3 Tbs Olive oil

In a large saucepan with a lid heat first two tablespoons of olive oil.
Salt and pepper one side of the pork chops and add that side facing down into the hot oil.
DO NOT MOVE PORK CHOPS UNTIL THEY ARE MOVEABLE. If you do, you will tear the meat. The pork chops, when browned, will naturally be able to move after about 2 minutes.
Turn the pork chops and brown on the other side until done, around another 3 minutes or until the juices run just clear. Squeeze the half of lemon over the pork chops.
Remove the pork chops to a warm plate and tent with tin foil.

In the hot pan add the whites of the green onions and the garlic.
Heat through and add the lemon juice to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the great little brown bits off the bottom.
Add the 1 Cup of water and bring to a low boil.
Add the couscous.
Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat down to low. Put your timer to 5 minutes and do not remove the lid until the 5 minutes is up.
When the timer goes off, remove the lid and stir in the onion greens, parsley, tomatoes, and pistachios. Stir and then add the remaining olive oil.
Stir and fluff until heated through.
Transfer the couscous to a platter and arrange the pork chops on top of it.
Pour any juices from the pork chops over it all.
Serve and enjoy!

So, I have never tried or made couscous of any kind before and I loved this! It's a take off of a Martha Stewart recipe (Thank you Martha!). I've been trying to add different and more varied grains (and foods) too our diet and when I saw the couscous at Fresh and Easy, I thought why not. It was also a very quick and easy meal to do. I will definitely be making this again.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

Manhattan Clam Chowder

6 slices of bacon, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large or 2 small red onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3/4 Cup of Marsala wine
2 Cans Chopped Tomatoes
2 large potatoes or 3 small potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 teaspoon of Oregano
1/2 Cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
3 Cans of Clams
Up to 1 Cup of water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Open the cans of clams, strain the juice into a bowl through a fine sieve and coffee filter to remove the sand. Rinse the clams and set aside.

In a large saucepan, crisp the bacon and remove when done. Add the celery, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook until the veggies are browned a bit. Add the Marsala wine and deglaze the pan, scraping all those great brown bits off the bottom. Add the clam juice, tomatoes and potatoes, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through.

When ready to serve, add the parsley, water, and clams and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

If it is too thick for your taste, add a bit more water, or vegetable stock.

One last dash of wine is also tasty.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the chopped bacon from earlier.

This is my adaptation of a recipe from Martha Stewart's website, www.marthastewart.com

A Year of Slow Cooking

Ok. I am a total Foodie. I love food and looking through recipes, watching the Food Network, and thinking about all the wonderful meals I will cook for my family. The problem is, frankly, follow-through. I get overwhelmed so easily, and with the way our lives are right now, making a big dinner is simply not in the cards. Thus, I often look for recipes for slow-cookers, determined that tomorrow I will put on a crock pot with the most scrumpcious dinner cooking in it all day for my family to enjoy when we get home from work, school, and daycare. And...I get busy and forget until I get to work that I forgot to put the crockpot on, and then we eat on the run or out at dinner, wasting the money that I vowed to save.

That is until I found "A Year of Slow Cooking". I. LOVE. THIS. BLOG. Simply AMAZING recipes on this site, and much more than the typical soups, stews, and casseroles that I can come up with. The author of the blog even wrote a book: "Make it Fast, Cook it Slow" by Stephanie O'Dea. You can buy her book here.

My new goal is to really start using the crock pot much, much more. Especially during the week when we are so busy. I think with AYOSC on my side, I might have an easier time with it. Check out this blog and get some really fantastic slow cooker ideas.

I think the first one I am going to try will be the 20-40 clove of garlic chicken. I even have all the ingredients!