Today we are shore bound for the weekend. I cleaned the house yesterday including scrubbing the kitchen so I was not cooking no way no how.
First I asked for cheese steaks from a real good sandwich place a short ride from here. I have been craving taco's for a while now and said so. Well we pulled out our computers and found the menu for Baja Fresh the closes Mexican restaurant to our house.A short 5 minutes later I was on my way to pick up dinner.
I forgot to take a picture I was so hungry. Not eating while I was driving proved to be an incredibly hard task. My tummy growled louder then the radio and my mouth wouldn't stop watering making it next to impossible to concentrate on driving.
We ordered an assortment of food featuring chicken,beef and seafood. I touched no seafood but I find the name "fish taco" funny. I had 2 beef tacos and some thing called Taquitos. I had never had them before but the description sounded like it was right up my alley so I gave them a try.
I don't want to sound like a commercial or anything. Still it is true I really do prefer Baja Fresh to any other take out Mexican place. The food is as the name says fresh,plentiful and so very good.I like that there is no mashed together mush you can identify every little thing on your plate, and everything doesn't taste the same.
Dinner was good. The Taquitos were very good both Bill and I enjoyed them. What was left over made an excellent breakfast this morning.
Since I didn't take a picture of our delicious Mexican feast I will share the link to the menu with you. Looking for take out this weekend but something different then pizza well maybe Mexican is your answer.
http://www.bajafresh.com/mexican-food-menu
Enjoy the week end every one I know I am going to! Happy Sunshine.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Videos
As part of the Allrecipe activities this month we were asked to watch videos on Allrecipe.com and give some feed back on what we thought.
There are so many videos of all type and categories in the Allrecipe video library to choose from. I chose a few from the kitchen gadget section and they lead me to a few videos on proper measuring of flour and other dry ingredients. All the videos I watched were helpful and entertaining. I like a few of the recipes in the videos as well. I think I will be trying the soup recipe in the immersion blender video.
I only need to give you one link and you will see all the videos I watched and a whole lot more. I already have a list of videos I want to watch.
http://allrecipes.com/video/523/the-immersion-blender/detail.aspx?prop24=VH_Newest
Check it out I am willing to bet you will find something you just wanted to know.
There are so many videos of all type and categories in the Allrecipe video library to choose from. I chose a few from the kitchen gadget section and they lead me to a few videos on proper measuring of flour and other dry ingredients. All the videos I watched were helpful and entertaining. I like a few of the recipes in the videos as well. I think I will be trying the soup recipe in the immersion blender video.
I only need to give you one link and you will see all the videos I watched and a whole lot more. I already have a list of videos I want to watch.
http://allrecipes.com/video/523/the-immersion-blender/detail.aspx?prop24=VH_Newest
Check it out I am willing to bet you will find something you just wanted to know.
Thursday, June 28, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/27/2012
Last night I used one of the recipes I have pinned to my want to try board in pinterest.I am so glad I finally got around to it.
Dinner was so good last night. I am not sure but I think I actually heard Bill slurp (drool?) when he took his first bite. I made chicken breast in foil with no butter and fresh grated ginger. That was very good and incredibly juicy for breast, but not the new recipe. Cauliflower gratin was my new recipe last night and it was BANGING.
I cut the recipe in half for portioning and used low fat everything to help keep it light.You absolutely could not tell that I used fat free and low fat it still was rich and creamy and oh so satisfying. Move over potato cauliflower is coming in.
I like finding new ways to make cauliflower and I like it even more when it taste as good as this dish did. For me this recipe is a keeper.
Slurp
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/26/2012
Not really new but different. This past Easter I boiled down 2 ham bones and instead of making them into soup right away I froze the broth as broth. Ever since I have been looking for a way to use the broth other then bean soup. Well yesterday I got my chance.
I normally make this dish with water and on the stove top. Yesterday I used ham broth and the crock pot to make pork shoulder roast with fresh green beans and new potatoes.A no fuss no mess meal that was full of flavor.Not sure what you call this dish or where I learned to make it.I believe the first time I saw it was as a child and a distant relative was making it. I just remember it being so good and something that was never served in my childhood home. I became acquainted with the dish again as a young adult in Philia and it became a part of my list of dishes I like to make. I haven't made this dish in years, not at all since I have been married to Bill. When I saw the green beans were ready for picking I knew just what I was going to do. Then when I realized I could use my broth I was even more eager to make the dish.
In my opinion the dish has great flavor made with water and the broth just brought the flavor out even more. I love green beans cooked like this. There is no better way to cook them then infused with the juices of pork.
If you are wondering how to make this it is simple.2 to 3 cups of liquid,pork roast,fresh green beans,new potatoes whole,and 2or 3 slices of uncooked bacon cut into chunks(the thicker the bacon the better.Wash and snap the stem end off the beans,wash the potatoes and throw every thing in the crock pot.Put the roast on the bottom and add the liquid last.I cooked mine on low for 5 hrs and then the last hr I turned it up to high.Every thing was done to perfection.
As I said not exactly a new dish but a different dish with a new Little twist.
I normally make this dish with water and on the stove top. Yesterday I used ham broth and the crock pot to make pork shoulder roast with fresh green beans and new potatoes.A no fuss no mess meal that was full of flavor.Not sure what you call this dish or where I learned to make it.I believe the first time I saw it was as a child and a distant relative was making it. I just remember it being so good and something that was never served in my childhood home. I became acquainted with the dish again as a young adult in Philia and it became a part of my list of dishes I like to make. I haven't made this dish in years, not at all since I have been married to Bill. When I saw the green beans were ready for picking I knew just what I was going to do. Then when I realized I could use my broth I was even more eager to make the dish.
In my opinion the dish has great flavor made with water and the broth just brought the flavor out even more. I love green beans cooked like this. There is no better way to cook them then infused with the juices of pork.
As I said not exactly a new dish but a different dish with a new Little twist.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/25/2012
This is a new twist on an old dish. I think it is a new twist any way,Bill say's he has had it this way before. I know I never made this before,I also know that it will now be a go to recipe when I want "Meat Loaf".Yes that is what I said meat loaf. Bill is not a big fan of meat loaf and I like it. That means I am always looking for new ways to entice him. His main compliant about meat loaf is the ketchup. So I look for recipes and ideas that make a tasty meat loaf that don't use tomato of any kind. I have developed a recipe of my own that I am proud of and use on the rare occasion we have meat loaf. Last night however I decided to call a co worker and get her recipe for meat loaf. Everyone that has ever tried her meat loaf raves about it.There is every reason to rave about this recipe. So simple and basic and so good. Comfort food at its finest.
I followed her recipe almost as written.I used every ingredient and her method. I used homemade instead of jarred gravy and I lowered the amounts to fit my needs. The recipe was sent to me via text while my co worker Brittany was having dinner in a restaurant so I will be editing and polishing this recipe as I write it. Don't worry I just want to make it look more like a recipe and less like a text.
"Brittany's Man Pleasing Meat Loaf"
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 container bread crumbs
1 small jar or can beef gravy
5 or 6 potatoes washed peeled and chopped
1/2 stick of butter
about a 1/4 cup milk or cream
Using your hands mix together meat, eggs, bread crumbs, and the gravy. If the mixture seems to wet add a few more bread crumbs.Spread your mixture into a loaf pan. Spread it out evenly no more then half the height of the pan.If needed use a second pan. Place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
While the meat is in the oven boil the potatoes until tender enough to mash. Drain them and place in a large bowl. cut up the butter and throw it in the bowl. With a potato masher mash potatoes until smooth. Stirring with a spoon add the milk a little at a time until you get a smooth creamy texture. Salt and pepper to taste and set a side.
Remove the meat loaf from the oven and make sure it is cooked through. Using paper towel soak up as much grease off the top as you can. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat loaf and place under the broiler about 15 mins or until the potatoes just start to turn a nice toasty brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest a full 10 minutes before cutting into it. Then enjoy!
I think this recipe is going in my book of favorite recipes in the chapter titled Perfect Sunday dinners.
Thank you Brittany for a delicious dinner. You have every reason to be proud of this recipe. You certainly taught this old dog a new trick.
I followed her recipe almost as written.I used every ingredient and her method. I used homemade instead of jarred gravy and I lowered the amounts to fit my needs. The recipe was sent to me via text while my co worker Brittany was having dinner in a restaurant so I will be editing and polishing this recipe as I write it. Don't worry I just want to make it look more like a recipe and less like a text.
"Brittany's Man Pleasing Meat Loaf"
2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 container bread crumbs
1 small jar or can beef gravy
5 or 6 potatoes washed peeled and chopped
1/2 stick of butter
about a 1/4 cup milk or cream
Using your hands mix together meat, eggs, bread crumbs, and the gravy. If the mixture seems to wet add a few more bread crumbs.Spread your mixture into a loaf pan. Spread it out evenly no more then half the height of the pan.If needed use a second pan. Place in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes.
While the meat is in the oven boil the potatoes until tender enough to mash. Drain them and place in a large bowl. cut up the butter and throw it in the bowl. With a potato masher mash potatoes until smooth. Stirring with a spoon add the milk a little at a time until you get a smooth creamy texture. Salt and pepper to taste and set a side.
Remove the meat loaf from the oven and make sure it is cooked through. Using paper towel soak up as much grease off the top as you can. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the meat loaf and place under the broiler about 15 mins or until the potatoes just start to turn a nice toasty brown.
Remove from the oven and let rest a full 10 minutes before cutting into it. Then enjoy!
I think this recipe is going in my book of favorite recipes in the chapter titled Perfect Sunday dinners.
Thank you Brittany for a delicious dinner. You have every reason to be proud of this recipe. You certainly taught this old dog a new trick.
Monday, June 25, 2012
What was new
Sorry for the down time.This has been the lost weekend and I never entered the kitchen at all. I was pool bound the whole time.
As I type I am working on a new recipe for dinner so tomorrow I will be back at it.
I have to say I certainly failed at the something new challenge. I think I will try this again in the winter months and see if I don't get better results.
As I type I am working on a new recipe for dinner so tomorrow I will be back at it.
I have to say I certainly failed at the something new challenge. I think I will try this again in the winter months and see if I don't get better results.
Saturday, June 23, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/22/2012
At last something new on my dinner table.I got home late yesterday and had to send Bill to the produce stand across the road for potatoes to do it,but I made my new dish of the day.
This is a recipe I got out of one of my grandma's cook books. A book this time not a pamphlet and I believe her go to book when she was a young bride.I would know it was Grandma's book with out being told because the book is covered in contact paper and my Grandma was the Queen of contact paper.
I have to be careful turning the pages they are so fragile even the contact paper is starting to crack and crumble.
I had seen the recipe I used last night when I spent the day reading cook books. This is one of the recipes I had been debating if it would be considered new or not because well it doesn't sound new. The title is Potato "Salad". I have never made or had potato salad made like this and when I read the recipe to Bill then told him the name of the recipe his reaction was enough for me.The debate was over and I was in the kitchen making potato salad at 6:30 PM. We ate by 7:15 PM so not a difficult salad to put together with little to no cooling time required.
"Potato Salad"
1 small head of lettuce shredded
1 tomato
1 medium sized onion
1/2 cucumber
2 cups cooked cubed potatoes
1/2 pound bacon squares
salt
Place the shredded lettuce,tomato,onion,cucumber into a and add salt. Fry out the bacon squares until crisp,then add potatoes and stir till heat through, but do not fry. Add to the vegetables. Take one-quarter cup cider vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar and mix well. Pour this over the salad.
That is exactly how the recipe reads. This is how I actually made it. I didn't change any ingredients I only changed a little in the method.
I chopped all the vegetables into a ruff chop before adding them to the bowl.while my potatoes where cooking I cooked the bacon(1/4 lb) as well. When the bacon was crisp I removed it from the pan and set both the pan and bacon a side.When the potatoes where done I drained and let set for a minute or 2 in the strainer. While the potatoes where setting I heated up the bacon drippings in the pan. Once the pan was nice and hot I whisked in the sugar and cooked it till smooth I then added the vinegar.(be very careful adding the vinegar)I whisked until well mixed and then tossed in the potatoes making sure all the potatoes where well coated. I crumbled the bacon and added it to the salad bowl along with the potato mixture. Tossed everything together and served.
I will be making this again and again. With 1 little change. Before shaking pepper into the salad bowl I will look to make sure the shaker lid is indeed attached to the pepper jar. Thankfully I was able to get most of the pepper out,still our salad was a bit peppery last night.
This salad was so good and so easy with very little clean up.
This is a recipe I got out of one of my grandma's cook books. A book this time not a pamphlet and I believe her go to book when she was a young bride.I would know it was Grandma's book with out being told because the book is covered in contact paper and my Grandma was the Queen of contact paper.
I had seen the recipe I used last night when I spent the day reading cook books. This is one of the recipes I had been debating if it would be considered new or not because well it doesn't sound new. The title is Potato "Salad". I have never made or had potato salad made like this and when I read the recipe to Bill then told him the name of the recipe his reaction was enough for me.The debate was over and I was in the kitchen making potato salad at 6:30 PM. We ate by 7:15 PM so not a difficult salad to put together with little to no cooling time required.
"Potato Salad"
1 small head of lettuce shredded
1 tomato
1 medium sized onion
1/2 cucumber
2 cups cooked cubed potatoes
1/2 pound bacon squares
salt
Place the shredded lettuce,tomato,onion,cucumber into a and add salt. Fry out the bacon squares until crisp,then add potatoes and stir till heat through, but do not fry. Add to the vegetables. Take one-quarter cup cider vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar and mix well. Pour this over the salad.
That is exactly how the recipe reads. This is how I actually made it. I didn't change any ingredients I only changed a little in the method.
I chopped all the vegetables into a ruff chop before adding them to the bowl.while my potatoes where cooking I cooked the bacon(1/4 lb) as well. When the bacon was crisp I removed it from the pan and set both the pan and bacon a side.When the potatoes where done I drained and let set for a minute or 2 in the strainer. While the potatoes where setting I heated up the bacon drippings in the pan. Once the pan was nice and hot I whisked in the sugar and cooked it till smooth I then added the vinegar.(be very careful adding the vinegar)I whisked until well mixed and then tossed in the potatoes making sure all the potatoes where well coated. I crumbled the bacon and added it to the salad bowl along with the potato mixture. Tossed everything together and served.
This salad was so good and so easy with very little clean up.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Birthday Cake
That is right Birthday Cake.Ice cream cake and cup cakes to be exact.
I was right there was nothing new on my dinner table last evening. Bill was home early enough that we had steak and salad for dinner saving plenty of room for the birthday cake.
It was a nice get together of grandparents and aunts to celebrate Madeline's 4th birthday.Madeline enjoyed the evening very much.You could just see it in her face how much fun she was having.
Here a a few pictures of her enjoying the cake. I did a lousy job with the camera last night so many blurry pictures. I am so glad the cake photos turned out good because the look of rapt attention on Madeline's face as Stefanie cuts the cake is priceless.
I was right there was nothing new on my dinner table last evening. Bill was home early enough that we had steak and salad for dinner saving plenty of room for the birthday cake.
It was a nice get together of grandparents and aunts to celebrate Madeline's 4th birthday.Madeline enjoyed the evening very much.You could just see it in her face how much fun she was having.
Here a a few pictures of her enjoying the cake. I did a lousy job with the camera last night so many blurry pictures. I am so glad the cake photos turned out good because the look of rapt attention on Madeline's face as Stefanie cuts the cake is priceless.
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| Everyone sings HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MADELINE |
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| Blowing out the candles |
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| Cutting the cake |
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| Waiting for cake |
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| The Happy Birthday Girl |
Thursday, June 21, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/20/2012
Again nothing new at dinner. I am happy to say that everything is now done for Madeline's Birthday celebration this evening.However that did mean no new dishes for dinner. Heck Bill was lucky he got dinner, such as it was.I was so intent on finishing everything last night that all I did was brown up some brats,throw some sliced tomato, cheese, lettuce, and tortilla shells on the counter. Bill was happy as can be he likes dinners like that from time to time and last night was the perfect night for it.
I am pretty sure I won't be making dinner at all tonight. We will probably pick up some thing to go on the way into town. I will for sure be posting a picture or 2 of the cake.I may not have a new dish to write about but you all know that won't stop me from writing.
See you tomorrow!
I am pretty sure I won't be making dinner at all tonight. We will probably pick up some thing to go on the way into town. I will for sure be posting a picture or 2 of the cake.I may not have a new dish to write about but you all know that won't stop me from writing.
See you tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/19/2012
There was nothing new at dinner last night. I used the foil pack cooking method with chicken breast,potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. Good but not new. I have been spending so much time on Madeline's gifts that need to be ready Thursday (so today I need to get finished) that I haven't really had the time to look up and prepare new recipes.I will try my best to get a new dish on the table tonight.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/18/2012
Moroccan Kefta meat balls that was what was new on the table last night. An interesting recipe beginning to end.
The ingredients looked so pretty in the bowl that I had to take a picture of them.
The spices that get added to this dish have so much flavor going on and an aroma designed to drive a sane man crazy.I only followed the recipe up to the point of using the Tajin pot. I don't have one and actually had to look it up to figure out exactly what a Tajin was. I finished the cooking time in the skillet I started with. The juices that are released from the meat when cooking is bright,colorful, and scary.This greasy looking lava is suppose to cook into a thick sauce to serve with the meat.
I did not do the eggs and I kind of regret that now, but at the time I wasn't to sure I would like eggs cooked in that mess.I made Couscous for the bed my meat balls would get served on. The mint and flavor of the meat sauce was a perfect match with the couscous.
The recipe was difficult to read because of the wording but worth the effort.
http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/main-dish/moroccan-kefta-meat-balls-fid-1499218
If you enjoy foods with exotic flavors and spices you should really give this dish a try.The greasy looking lava does indeed thicken up into a wonderful gravy that helps turn this dish into a rich experience of flavor. If you do try the recipe follow through all the way to the eggs I have a feeling I left out the finishing touch to the dish.
The ingredients looked so pretty in the bowl that I had to take a picture of them.
http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/main-dish/moroccan-kefta-meat-balls-fid-1499218
If you enjoy foods with exotic flavors and spices you should really give this dish a try.The greasy looking lava does indeed thicken up into a wonderful gravy that helps turn this dish into a rich experience of flavor. If you do try the recipe follow through all the way to the eggs I have a feeling I left out the finishing touch to the dish.
Monday, June 18, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/17/18
Bill started dinner while I finished up working on Madeline's Birthday presents. I wish I could say I was done,no such luck. I have some more sewing today and hopefully it will go smoother today then yesterday.That however is for another blog. Once the chicken breasts where baked and out of the oven I took over. There wasn't anything new at dinner last night,still it was different. When I walked in the kitchen there was lightly breaded chicken resting on the stove top, left over corn on the cob warming in the cooling oven, and lettuce with fresh tomato sitting in a bowl waiting to become a salad.
That is just what I did I turned everything I found into a delicious Dinner Salad. While chicken salad is not new you have to admit chicken salad with no extras like potatoes or bread being served at my dinner table is certainly different. In many ways the light dinner we enjoyed last night is more difficult for me to accomplish then the hardest recipe ever made.
Not a bad start to the week at all, in fact a tasty start and no cream was seen.Hehehe
Not a bad start to the week at all, in fact a tasty start and no cream was seen.Hehehe
Sunday, June 17, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/16/2012
Due to a fuzzy head on Saturday morning I wrote no blogs and planned no dinner for that night,Bill took care of dinner with steak and potatoes. All good but nothing new.
On Friday night we had take out pizza, wings, and cheese steaks. Unusual but not really new.
I did however make something new earlier in the week that I hadn't told you about I think now is as good a time as any.
This was for sure the week of cream and stirring. Every new dish I tried had cream or milk and butter in it. I didn't notice till the week was done and I was looking back at my menu. This dish is no different.
I found this recipe in a book from my Grandma's collection of pamphlets. This book is called "Recipes" Recipes from the tower kitchen by Carol Haddix,food writer. Detroit Free Press(the action paper) This is a very cool pamphlet with more then one recipe screaming for me to try it. The one I tried is called "Mushroom Curried Peas" it was good and I will make it again with a change or 2. I don't use canned soups when I can help it so I replaced the can of soup with a cream of mushroom I make my self. The recipe I follow is for a different dish and yielded more then a can does.I need to adjust my measurements a bit for the peas. I am pretty sure the peas aren't suppose to drown in the soup.The only other change I am thinking is using peas and carrots and maybe pearl onions.
The recipe and the way the finished dish looks made me think of green bean casserole that is until I tasted it,this is a dish with its own flavor and personality.Like every new dish I made this week this recipe is based in cream but there was no stirring(can you feel me smiling)in fact this is what I call a no fuss recipe.
Mushroom Curried Peas
2 pkg.(10 oz. each)frozen peas
10 1/2 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c grated onion
1 T melted butter
1/4 t curry powder
Place frozen peas in a one and one half quart casserole. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over peas. Bake covered in a pre heated 350 degree oven about one hour. Stir before serving.
My Cream Of Mushroom
2 Tsp butter
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms ruff chopped (adjust the measurement to suit you)
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 Tsp flour
1/2 cup broth or white wine
Combine sour cream, water, and flour mixing well. sit a side. I a heavy skillet melt butter and add onion. Cook till just starting to become translucent; add mushrooms;and cook for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Carefully add broth or wine let cook down for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sour cream mixture and cook on med to low heat for about 5 minutes more or until it reaches the desired thickness for the dish you want to use this with.
If you are cooking meat and can use the pan dripping add them to the butter or just cook the cream of mushroom in the pan you cooked the meat in. Adds a lot of flavor.
On Friday night we had take out pizza, wings, and cheese steaks. Unusual but not really new.
I did however make something new earlier in the week that I hadn't told you about I think now is as good a time as any.
This was for sure the week of cream and stirring. Every new dish I tried had cream or milk and butter in it. I didn't notice till the week was done and I was looking back at my menu. This dish is no different.
I found this recipe in a book from my Grandma's collection of pamphlets. This book is called "Recipes" Recipes from the tower kitchen by Carol Haddix,food writer. Detroit Free Press(the action paper) This is a very cool pamphlet with more then one recipe screaming for me to try it. The one I tried is called "Mushroom Curried Peas" it was good and I will make it again with a change or 2. I don't use canned soups when I can help it so I replaced the can of soup with a cream of mushroom I make my self. The recipe I follow is for a different dish and yielded more then a can does.I need to adjust my measurements a bit for the peas. I am pretty sure the peas aren't suppose to drown in the soup.The only other change I am thinking is using peas and carrots and maybe pearl onions.
2 pkg.(10 oz. each)frozen peas
10 1/2 oz. can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 c grated onion
1 T melted butter
1/4 t curry powder
Place frozen peas in a one and one half quart casserole. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over peas. Bake covered in a pre heated 350 degree oven about one hour. Stir before serving.
2 Tsp butter
1/2 small onion finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms ruff chopped (adjust the measurement to suit you)
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water
2 Tsp flour
1/2 cup broth or white wine
Combine sour cream, water, and flour mixing well. sit a side. I a heavy skillet melt butter and add onion. Cook till just starting to become translucent; add mushrooms;and cook for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Carefully add broth or wine let cook down for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sour cream mixture and cook on med to low heat for about 5 minutes more or until it reaches the desired thickness for the dish you want to use this with.
If you are cooking meat and can use the pan dripping add them to the butter or just cook the cream of mushroom in the pan you cooked the meat in. Adds a lot of flavor.
Friday, June 15, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/14/2012
I won't be repeating this recipe again. I may try another recipe for this dish but not this one.
Again I stood over the stove stirring and stirring and stirring waiting for a sauce to thicken that never really did thicken the way I thought it should.Almost an hour of prep and pre cooking then another hour in the oven. Way more time then the dinner was worth.
I tried a recipe for Macaroni Bechamel with ground beef.The recipe looked liked something we would like and a nice variation of Mac and Cheese.
The way the recipe reads you think it will be a 1/2 an hour or less of prep time to brown the beef,pulse the tomatoes,boil the pasta and make the bechamel sauce.(Once again I am caught thinking.) The directions say to continue cooking stirring almost constantly until sauce is fairly thick. I realized to late that 8 cups of liquid will not get fairly thick with only 6 tbsp of flour.Once I realized I was stirring, stirring, stirring for nothing I settled for the thickness I had achieved and continued on with the recipe. I did add the nutmeg that was optional and Bill is still complaining about that this morning.It was some what over powering. As I read on I couldn't help but wonder how any one made this recipe as written didn't end up with scrambled eggs in the sauce because the directions have you adding the egg to the almost boiling sauce with out first adding some sauce to the egg.I will say it again I may try this dish again but I will find another recipe for it.One with better directions.
http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/main-dish/macaroni-bechamel-with-ground-beef-fid-1499023
This was such a pretty dish when it came out of the oven all golden brown and creamy looking.It was so disappointing when I took my first bite and it was just okay.With all the work and effort and as pretty as it looked I expected it to taste great or at the very least good.
Nothing special just okay!
Again I stood over the stove stirring and stirring and stirring waiting for a sauce to thicken that never really did thicken the way I thought it should.Almost an hour of prep and pre cooking then another hour in the oven. Way more time then the dinner was worth.
I tried a recipe for Macaroni Bechamel with ground beef.The recipe looked liked something we would like and a nice variation of Mac and Cheese.
The way the recipe reads you think it will be a 1/2 an hour or less of prep time to brown the beef,pulse the tomatoes,boil the pasta and make the bechamel sauce.(Once again I am caught thinking.) The directions say to continue cooking stirring almost constantly until sauce is fairly thick. I realized to late that 8 cups of liquid will not get fairly thick with only 6 tbsp of flour.Once I realized I was stirring, stirring, stirring for nothing I settled for the thickness I had achieved and continued on with the recipe. I did add the nutmeg that was optional and Bill is still complaining about that this morning.It was some what over powering. As I read on I couldn't help but wonder how any one made this recipe as written didn't end up with scrambled eggs in the sauce because the directions have you adding the egg to the almost boiling sauce with out first adding some sauce to the egg.I will say it again I may try this dish again but I will find another recipe for it.One with better directions.
http://en.petitchef.com/recipes/main-dish/macaroni-bechamel-with-ground-beef-fid-1499023
This was such a pretty dish when it came out of the oven all golden brown and creamy looking.It was so disappointing when I took my first bite and it was just okay.With all the work and effort and as pretty as it looked I expected it to taste great or at the very least good.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/13/2012
This week seems as if it is going to be the week of stirring. Once again last night I found my self standing at the stove stirring and stirring and stirring.
I tried my hand at Chicken Marsala using a recipe that called for zinfindel wine. I picked this recipe to do for one of my activities this month and realized it also fit my blog guidelines. I have never made Chicken Marsala and have never had it made this way I am sure.When I go to Italian restaurants I always look at the Chicken Marsala but end up going with what ever sausage dish is on the menu. I find chicken breast to be dry for the most part. I myself am a thigh person.
The recipe both baffled and intrigued me at the same time. I had picked up chicken earlier in the week and thought I brought home breast, (there I go thinking again)I didn't it was a package of wings,legs,and thighs. So I removed the bone(not easy)from the thigh leaving the meat as in tact as possible,took off the skin and followed the recipe.Oh and one other small change because I forgot to check before I started I used extra dry vermouth in place of the zifindel I didn't have.Other then that I followed the recipe.I should have followed my instinct and made one more change to the recipe.Lucky for us it didn't matter enough to ruin our dinner.The recipe calls for way to much oil and butter at the end of the cooking time I had a beautiful gravy with an inch an a half of fat floating on top.I spooned off a 1/2 cup of the fat and used a paper towel to soak up the rest making the gravy ready to use.A very good gravy it was too. The recipe has you whip the cream before adding it.When I added the whipped cream to the pan it frothed up until it almost over flowed the pan then took almost 30 minutes of stirring to cook it back down and thicken it up.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/4-star-chicken-marsala--with-zinfindel/detail.aspx
This dish was more then worth the work. I do mean work because when I was done making dinner my kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off may be even 2 bombs.Dinner was so good it didn't matter. The meat was juicy full of flavor and melt in your mouth tender,the gravy was just the right texture it was light and airy and rich and creamy all at the same time. The flavor was outrageously good.Decadent is a good word to describe last nights dinner.I will most diffidently be making this dish again keeping all my mistakes and changes in the recipe.
I think if I had a fork near me right now I would try to eat the picture.
I tried my hand at Chicken Marsala using a recipe that called for zinfindel wine. I picked this recipe to do for one of my activities this month and realized it also fit my blog guidelines. I have never made Chicken Marsala and have never had it made this way I am sure.When I go to Italian restaurants I always look at the Chicken Marsala but end up going with what ever sausage dish is on the menu. I find chicken breast to be dry for the most part. I myself am a thigh person.
The recipe both baffled and intrigued me at the same time. I had picked up chicken earlier in the week and thought I brought home breast, (there I go thinking again)I didn't it was a package of wings,legs,and thighs. So I removed the bone(not easy)from the thigh leaving the meat as in tact as possible,took off the skin and followed the recipe.Oh and one other small change because I forgot to check before I started I used extra dry vermouth in place of the zifindel I didn't have.Other then that I followed the recipe.I should have followed my instinct and made one more change to the recipe.Lucky for us it didn't matter enough to ruin our dinner.The recipe calls for way to much oil and butter at the end of the cooking time I had a beautiful gravy with an inch an a half of fat floating on top.I spooned off a 1/2 cup of the fat and used a paper towel to soak up the rest making the gravy ready to use.A very good gravy it was too. The recipe has you whip the cream before adding it.When I added the whipped cream to the pan it frothed up until it almost over flowed the pan then took almost 30 minutes of stirring to cook it back down and thicken it up.
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/4-star-chicken-marsala--with-zinfindel/detail.aspx
This dish was more then worth the work. I do mean work because when I was done making dinner my kitchen looked like a bomb had gone off may be even 2 bombs.Dinner was so good it didn't matter. The meat was juicy full of flavor and melt in your mouth tender,the gravy was just the right texture it was light and airy and rich and creamy all at the same time. The flavor was outrageously good.Decadent is a good word to describe last nights dinner.I will most diffidently be making this dish again keeping all my mistakes and changes in the recipe.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/12/2012
I spent yesterday morning not on the computer but reading cook books, my grandma's old books.I have a lot of cook books and like looking at all of them and Grandma's are the most fun.
Years ago Grandma gave me a collection of the pamphlet cook books that she had collected over the years and put into a binder,that binder was one of the coolest gifts I got from her.There is hours of reading enjoyment as well as some good food in this collection of pamphlets.
There are 3 pamphlets that are my hands down favorite cook books of all time. The recipes are very good, well they look good until last night I had never tried one,however it is the titles that make them stand out. "Meat Men Like","Desserts Men Like" and last but not least and where one of my new things on the table came from "Pies Men Like" I kid you not the actual titles.
I decided to try making a pie,I have made maybe 2 pies in my life time with some success so I thought what the heck I will give it a whirl.Then I wondered if I made a pie before does that mean it is not new at dinner. I answered myself that I never made this pie before or used this recipe so that makes it new. I chose to make a Lemon Meringue pie.This recipe is not for the faint of heart as it leaves you guessing about timing and temperature and such. As your standing there stirring and stirring and stirring and 30 minutes later the sauce is still not thick or may be it is because it sticks to the spoon and the spoon leaves a trail that last a few seconds you have to just guess if you don't know because well the recipe doesn't really tell you. I think I guessed pretty good my lemon pudding could have been stiffer but it didn't flow all over the plate like soup when I served it.
Here is a picture of my pie
Here is the recipes picture.
Here is the recipe.
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1cup water
3egg yolks
1 lemon grated rind and juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 9 in baked pie shell
3 egg whites
6 tbsp sugar
Combine the 1 cup sugar,flour,and a little of the water.Mix till smooth.Beat egg yolks; add to sugar mixture;stir well.Add remaining water.Cook over hot water until thick stirring constantly.Cover;cook 10 minutes.Remove from heat;add lemon rind,juice,salt,and butter. Mix well.Pour while hot into chilled pie shell.Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry add sugar gradually beating constantly. Swirl on to pie. Bake in a moderately low oven 325*F,15 to 20 minutes or till brown.
That is the recipe word for word. The results was a very good pie that I had a lot fun making. Bill called it Aces so I guess it really is "Pies Men Like"
Years ago Grandma gave me a collection of the pamphlet cook books that she had collected over the years and put into a binder,that binder was one of the coolest gifts I got from her.There is hours of reading enjoyment as well as some good food in this collection of pamphlets.
There are 3 pamphlets that are my hands down favorite cook books of all time. The recipes are very good, well they look good until last night I had never tried one,however it is the titles that make them stand out. "Meat Men Like","Desserts Men Like" and last but not least and where one of my new things on the table came from "Pies Men Like" I kid you not the actual titles.
I decided to try making a pie,I have made maybe 2 pies in my life time with some success so I thought what the heck I will give it a whirl.Then I wondered if I made a pie before does that mean it is not new at dinner. I answered myself that I never made this pie before or used this recipe so that makes it new. I chose to make a Lemon Meringue pie.This recipe is not for the faint of heart as it leaves you guessing about timing and temperature and such. As your standing there stirring and stirring and stirring and 30 minutes later the sauce is still not thick or may be it is because it sticks to the spoon and the spoon leaves a trail that last a few seconds you have to just guess if you don't know because well the recipe doesn't really tell you. I think I guessed pretty good my lemon pudding could have been stiffer but it didn't flow all over the plate like soup when I served it.
Here is a picture of my pie
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1cup water
3egg yolks
1 lemon grated rind and juice
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 9 in baked pie shell
3 egg whites
6 tbsp sugar
Combine the 1 cup sugar,flour,and a little of the water.Mix till smooth.Beat egg yolks; add to sugar mixture;stir well.Add remaining water.Cook over hot water until thick stirring constantly.Cover;cook 10 minutes.Remove from heat;add lemon rind,juice,salt,and butter. Mix well.Pour while hot into chilled pie shell.Whip egg whites until stiff but not dry add sugar gradually beating constantly. Swirl on to pie. Bake in a moderately low oven 325*F,15 to 20 minutes or till brown.
That is the recipe word for word. The results was a very good pie that I had a lot fun making. Bill called it Aces so I guess it really is "Pies Men Like"
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/11/2012
Well I can't say I wasn't warned. My first stab at a souffle was not right on the money. It tasted good and had good texture but didn't rise like it should have. My friend told me that humidity could totally interfere with the results I was trying to get,she was right it did.
All day the humidity was low to medium and very bearable. That is right until I was getting ready to cook and then boom with out notice it got oppressively hot and sticky,even the dogs were sweating and I hadn't even turned on the oven yet.Being a person that doesn't switch gears easily I continued on with my souffle thinking it will be fine.
I am not the best baker in the world,I still try now an again anyhow and have learned a thing or 2 to make it easier and help to get the results that I want. I gathered all the ingredients and tools I was going to need together before I did anything else.This helps me to focus and not get a head of myself and make stupid mistakes.Also I have limited counter space and premeasuring helps free up a good deal of acreage and it means I get to use all the cute little bowls I have collected over the years.I turned on a fan to help keep the kitchen cool (well almost cool)plugged in my computer and got to work. I read and reread the directions a few times so that I had it all but memorized knowing that once you start making the souffle you can't step away for a second or something will go wrong.I didn't step away and every thing went fine. What was suppose to be smooth and thick was, what was suppose to be light and fluffy was and my egg whites were perfectly stiff.I mixed it all together poured it in the prepared dish and with fingers crossed I put it in the oven and closed the door. I resisted the urge and didn't open the door again until the timer said I could.
When I open the oven door I have a very pretty golden brown flat spinach souffle.Is it still a souffle if it doesn't rise?
Here is the recipe I used and while my souffle didn't rise to the occasion this time I will try this recipe again.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spinach-and-cheddar-souffle-recipe/index.html
Now a look at my first attempt to make a spinach souffle.
It tasted very good,we enjoyed it flat and all.
All day the humidity was low to medium and very bearable. That is right until I was getting ready to cook and then boom with out notice it got oppressively hot and sticky,even the dogs were sweating and I hadn't even turned on the oven yet.Being a person that doesn't switch gears easily I continued on with my souffle thinking it will be fine.
I am not the best baker in the world,I still try now an again anyhow and have learned a thing or 2 to make it easier and help to get the results that I want. I gathered all the ingredients and tools I was going to need together before I did anything else.This helps me to focus and not get a head of myself and make stupid mistakes.Also I have limited counter space and premeasuring helps free up a good deal of acreage and it means I get to use all the cute little bowls I have collected over the years.I turned on a fan to help keep the kitchen cool (well almost cool)plugged in my computer and got to work. I read and reread the directions a few times so that I had it all but memorized knowing that once you start making the souffle you can't step away for a second or something will go wrong.I didn't step away and every thing went fine. What was suppose to be smooth and thick was, what was suppose to be light and fluffy was and my egg whites were perfectly stiff.I mixed it all together poured it in the prepared dish and with fingers crossed I put it in the oven and closed the door. I resisted the urge and didn't open the door again until the timer said I could.
When I open the oven door I have a very pretty golden brown flat spinach souffle.Is it still a souffle if it doesn't rise?
Here is the recipe I used and while my souffle didn't rise to the occasion this time I will try this recipe again.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/spinach-and-cheddar-souffle-recipe/index.html
Now a look at my first attempt to make a spinach souffle.
Monday, June 11, 2012
What Was New at Dinner 06/10/2012
For my first challenge I picked a good one.Not to difficult and very satisfying results.
Let me first say until last year I thought Artichokes only came in a jar. So when Bill brought a real live Artichoke home last summer I had no idea what to do with it. I called my friend Barb and she told me how to steam and how to eat it.The only food I know that you need directions to eat.
This year Bill tried roasting an Artichoke on the grill.It wasn't so good. When he brought 3 home this past week I steamed 2 for 2 different meals we enjoyed them greatly even still I was running out of steam and had no idea what to do with the 3rd one except maybe ignore it until it went away.Then Thursday at work I was talking about food and Artichokes came up and one of the ladies said they loved stuffed Artichokes.I didn't get a chance to ask how to stuff an Artichoke and with what but the idea stuck in the back of my mind like fuzz in a belly button.
Yesterday I went roaming around the computer googling for Artichoke recipes for stuffing. There is no shortage of recipes on the internet,it seemed each cooking web site had entire collections of the darn things. I looked at a whole lot of recipes nothing inspiring me to tackle what sounded like a difficult task. Then I saw it on the search page the words Artichoke,Bacon and Cheese! well you know I clicked on that one and I was home and happy.
It wasn't a recipe it was a blog and the women that wrote it was talking to me. She said every thing I was thinking and then some and she also included a recipe for Stuffed Artichokes that had full complete easy to understand step by step directions that made it clear while this was time consuming and required some effort it was not difficult or hard to do,but was in fact a little bit fun and totally worth the effort. She like my friend also provides directions on how to eat a stuffed Artichoke. I enjoyed reading the blog almost as much as I enjoyed eating the stuffed Artichoke. You can bet I will be reading more of her blogs and making stuffed Artichokes again.
http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/stuffed-artichokes.html
While Artichokes are not new to my table stuffed Artichokes are.I had a lot of fun prepping and preparing the Artichoke I kind of felt like a professional cook putting together a master piece. I had even more fun eating that master piece no butter was needed just peel and eat.I was so enjoying the Artichoke that I barely noticed what else was on my plate.
The most difficult part of the entire process was taking a good picture of my finished product.
I kept picking at it instead of focusing.
All in all I have to say Artichokes are a 5 star vegetable.How can it be anything but 5 stars when Artichokes make it ok to eat bacon, cheese and butter!
A lot of work for a little bite but oh what a bite.
Let me first say until last year I thought Artichokes only came in a jar. So when Bill brought a real live Artichoke home last summer I had no idea what to do with it. I called my friend Barb and she told me how to steam and how to eat it.The only food I know that you need directions to eat.
This year Bill tried roasting an Artichoke on the grill.It wasn't so good. When he brought 3 home this past week I steamed 2 for 2 different meals we enjoyed them greatly even still I was running out of steam and had no idea what to do with the 3rd one except maybe ignore it until it went away.Then Thursday at work I was talking about food and Artichokes came up and one of the ladies said they loved stuffed Artichokes.I didn't get a chance to ask how to stuff an Artichoke and with what but the idea stuck in the back of my mind like fuzz in a belly button.
Yesterday I went roaming around the computer googling for Artichoke recipes for stuffing. There is no shortage of recipes on the internet,it seemed each cooking web site had entire collections of the darn things. I looked at a whole lot of recipes nothing inspiring me to tackle what sounded like a difficult task. Then I saw it on the search page the words Artichoke,Bacon and Cheese! well you know I clicked on that one and I was home and happy.
It wasn't a recipe it was a blog and the women that wrote it was talking to me. She said every thing I was thinking and then some and she also included a recipe for Stuffed Artichokes that had full complete easy to understand step by step directions that made it clear while this was time consuming and required some effort it was not difficult or hard to do,but was in fact a little bit fun and totally worth the effort. She like my friend also provides directions on how to eat a stuffed Artichoke. I enjoyed reading the blog almost as much as I enjoyed eating the stuffed Artichoke. You can bet I will be reading more of her blogs and making stuffed Artichokes again.
http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/2008/03/stuffed-artichokes.html
While Artichokes are not new to my table stuffed Artichokes are.I had a lot of fun prepping and preparing the Artichoke I kind of felt like a professional cook putting together a master piece. I had even more fun eating that master piece no butter was needed just peel and eat.I was so enjoying the Artichoke that I barely noticed what else was on my plate.
The most difficult part of the entire process was taking a good picture of my finished product.
I kept picking at it instead of focusing.
All in all I have to say Artichokes are a 5 star vegetable.How can it be anything but 5 stars when Artichokes make it ok to eat bacon, cheese and butter!
A lot of work for a little bite but oh what a bite.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
What Was Dinner 06/09/2012
How appropriate that the last What Was Dinner dinner turns out to be ribs.
It was a beautiful beach day yesterday and that is just what I did I packed up my Kindle,towel and sand chair and headed to Wildwood. Before I left I mixed together a rub for the ribs. This is something I had not done before so I went looking for a recipe and I found one for Ermil's Essence using all my favorite spices from garlic to cayenne.While Iwas mixing together the spices for this rub my mind was just spinning with ideas of rubs I can make as well as what to use them for.(I see a brisket in our near future.)
As I lounged on the beach soaking up the sun enjoying all the sights and sounds the ocean has to offer Bill was home slaving over the grill,well maybe not slaving but he did cook the ribs and he did a great job.The ribs were well done, full of flavor and messy to eat as any self respecting rib should be.
He used beer for moisture while cooking and at the very last minute he covered them in sweet baby rays barbecue sauce.The peppery taste of the rub along with the steam from the beer and the sweetness of the barbecue sauce blended together into a perfectly delicious plate of ribs. As for side dishes and vegetables......well I had fried pickles while I was at the shore
Yes I did say this is the last What Was Dinner,I am going to change it up a bit.For the next month it is going to be "What Was The Challenge". Each day I want to do 1 new thing at dinner. I want to cook and try things I have never done before. I have a pinterest board full off things I want to try as well as books and boxes of recipes I always mean to get around to and don't. I am also taking suggestions so if you would like to get in on the fun please feel free to share a recipe with me.
Keep in mind I am a picky meat eater and only eat beef,pork and chicken. I will however prepare fish dishes for others to eat.
It was a beautiful beach day yesterday and that is just what I did I packed up my Kindle,towel and sand chair and headed to Wildwood. Before I left I mixed together a rub for the ribs. This is something I had not done before so I went looking for a recipe and I found one for Ermil's Essence using all my favorite spices from garlic to cayenne.While Iwas mixing together the spices for this rub my mind was just spinning with ideas of rubs I can make as well as what to use them for.(I see a brisket in our near future.)
As I lounged on the beach soaking up the sun enjoying all the sights and sounds the ocean has to offer Bill was home slaving over the grill,well maybe not slaving but he did cook the ribs and he did a great job.The ribs were well done, full of flavor and messy to eat as any self respecting rib should be.
He used beer for moisture while cooking and at the very last minute he covered them in sweet baby rays barbecue sauce.The peppery taste of the rub along with the steam from the beer and the sweetness of the barbecue sauce blended together into a perfectly delicious plate of ribs. As for side dishes and vegetables......well I had fried pickles while I was at the shore
Keep in mind I am a picky meat eater and only eat beef,pork and chicken. I will however prepare fish dishes for others to eat.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
What Was Dinner 06/08/2012
What was dinner that is a good question. I have no idea what to call it. Pasta and vegetables mixed in a pan.I didn't even take a picture.
I was in a mood last night and well it wasn't a good one.So throwing something in a pan and getting dinner over with was my main goal. Lucky for us it worked and dinner was very good.
In my cast iron skillet I started by browning spicy Italian sausage and slicing the links into bite size pieces, I threw the meat back in the pan with finely diced carrots and green onion the over ripe tomatoes I gave a ruff chop and threw them in. I let that all cook together uncovered and started the pasta water.When the spaghetti was done I threw it in the pan with the vegetables and mixed it all up. Removed it from the heat yelled come and get. It was serve yourself and enjoy. We both helped ourselves to seconds and there was enough left over for Bills favorite breakfast, cold day old spaghetti and vegetables.
One thing did bring a little smile to my lips last night, that was the look on Bills face when I offered up dinner with out a camera in my hand.
I was in a mood last night and well it wasn't a good one.So throwing something in a pan and getting dinner over with was my main goal. Lucky for us it worked and dinner was very good.
In my cast iron skillet I started by browning spicy Italian sausage and slicing the links into bite size pieces, I threw the meat back in the pan with finely diced carrots and green onion the over ripe tomatoes I gave a ruff chop and threw them in. I let that all cook together uncovered and started the pasta water.When the spaghetti was done I threw it in the pan with the vegetables and mixed it all up. Removed it from the heat yelled come and get. It was serve yourself and enjoy. We both helped ourselves to seconds and there was enough left over for Bills favorite breakfast, cold day old spaghetti and vegetables.
One thing did bring a little smile to my lips last night, that was the look on Bills face when I offered up dinner with out a camera in my hand.
Friday, June 8, 2012
At Last
At last I have lost a pound or 2. In Jan. I resolved to cook and eat healthy and to lose a few pounds as well as help Bill lose a few pounds too. Well Bill has dropped just short of 30 pounds while I have stayed at a steady 160 lbs. Today I got on the scales and it read loud and clear 158 lbs, not a lot but a start.
What Was Dinner 06/07/2012
I have to say this has been the week of advice for me,I have used recipes(that is advice if you think about it)and asked for help as well. Earlier in the week when making the rice bake I needed questions answered and a very helpful group of women from another Face Book cooking group where right there helping me out. True it was a dish I really didn't care for, however it wasn't the advice that made that dish less then awesome it was the recipe itself. I use to pick up the phone and call my Aunt when I had cooking questions, she would always have the answers and if she didn't Grandma did. Both of them are gone now so I am very happy to have another source of information,even if does make me shake my head in wonder at how much of the world is right there at my finger tips. I remember when Trim Line phones with push buttons was the product of the future.
Dinner turned out very good in fact real good. The meat didn't fall apart the way I would have liked but it was tender and full of flavor. I think the cut of meat has a little to do with that. I picked a small london broil with as much marbling as I could find, I really want a chuck roast only they were all to costly. When did chuck get to be more expensive then london broil?
My foil pack contained the small roast, potato, carrot, parsnip, onion and garlic cloves. I used only salt and pepper as well a 2 tbsp butter and less then a quarter of a cup of a real good red wine. I listened to all the advice I got from the freestyle foodies and from my nephew out west about not letting the meat dry out. I am so glad I did. The juice after cooking was some of the best french dip I ever tasted and I wasn't even trying for that. I cooked the pack on 375 for 30 minutes then lowered the heat to 350 for another 60ish minutes. The vegetables were done to perfection and the meat was nothing to sneeze at. As I said I would have gotten the fall apart consistency if I had splurged on the chuck,still the roast was very very good. The serving portions were once again just right. Enough to fill and satisfy and no left overs. Foil packs are a win win kind of dinner, true you wouldn't want one every day it would get a bit limited, but when you do cook in this manner, it is quick and easy prep time,no fuss cooking, wonderful food you can't tell has been cooked on the healthy side of life,(well almost healthy the butter is a bit of a down fall) perfectly portioned plates and extremely easy clean up in the end.
An Artichoke steamed and dipped in butter as well as some toasted Italian bread completed dinner very nicely.You always need your greens.
Yankee pot roast with Artichokes, I think I will do this again.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
What Was Dinner 06/06/2012
It was a nice easy day at work yesterday and a nice easy evening at home.Dinner took about 5 minutes to prep and an hour or so in the oven.
Dinner was effortless and you might even call it a plain Jane meal,but it was very exciting to me on a few levels.
It worked that was the most exciting. I have been steaming the chicken with a foil pack lately as you may have read already,well tonight I decided to put my entire dinner in the foil pack. I wasn't sure if my vegetables would turn to mush or not,still I had to try. I put a large potato cut in half in and Brussels sprouts,as well as an onion quartered. I used my normal seasoning adding fennel seed and paprika for a little color and topped that off with a quarter stick of butter. Sealed it tight put the foil pack on a backing pan put it into a 425 oven closed the door and went and played in the garden with Bill.
A little over an hour later I opened the foil pack with fingers crossed to find a beautiful dinner just waiting for us.The potatoes and Brussels sprouts were just right, tender not mushy and pretty to look at.The meat as always perfectly done right to the bone.
Either it was cooking in a foil pack or I am getting better at it,but dinner was per portioned absolutely correct.I had been noticing lately that there have been very little leftovers,but last night I was right on the money.For me the queen of over sized serving this is exciting.
When I plated dinner up I did not need to add any seasoning or butter I used the juices in the foil and that was all that was needed. When you hear steamed anything the normal response or thought is bland. Not so! there was nothing bland about this dinner.In fact I am itching to find out what else I can steam into heavenly goodness.
Every thing on our plate was delicious, the most impressive was how good the Brussels sprouts turned out cooked like this.It is always good when I find a new way to cook Brussels sprouts.
Dinner was effortless and you might even call it a plain Jane meal,but it was very exciting to me on a few levels.
It worked that was the most exciting. I have been steaming the chicken with a foil pack lately as you may have read already,well tonight I decided to put my entire dinner in the foil pack. I wasn't sure if my vegetables would turn to mush or not,still I had to try. I put a large potato cut in half in and Brussels sprouts,as well as an onion quartered. I used my normal seasoning adding fennel seed and paprika for a little color and topped that off with a quarter stick of butter. Sealed it tight put the foil pack on a backing pan put it into a 425 oven closed the door and went and played in the garden with Bill.
When I plated dinner up I did not need to add any seasoning or butter I used the juices in the foil and that was all that was needed. When you hear steamed anything the normal response or thought is bland. Not so! there was nothing bland about this dinner.In fact I am itching to find out what else I can steam into heavenly goodness.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
What Was Dinner 06/05/2012
Artichoke green for the favorite thing on my plate last night.Dinner was a simple casserole dish and not my best effort.Thank goodness for the Artichoke it was the star of the show.
I had ground beef defrosting and an idea of sorts. I searched for a recipe that would be like hamburger helper you know beef, noodles and a sauce of some kind. Well I came across a recipe for a Spanish Rice Bake and it looked promising.Rice and beef in a chili sauce baked with lots of cheddar on top.The recipe is basic and easy and it had 2 things going for it,it looked tasty and the recipe was in one of the groups of recipes that I need to make and review.That meant 2 birds with one stone.Then I called my friend Barb and had her remind me how to cook an Artichoke so it is tender and tasty.
The Casserole,what didn't I like? A few things, some of them the cooks fault and the rest the recipe it self. My fault was in thinking the dish was more then it really was,not real sure what I was thinking but it was something much better then the dish actually was,also I should have gone to the store and gotten chili sauce instead of making my own.What I made tasted very good but maybe store bought would have been better. The recipe's down falls were it was to bland no zip to make it different from all the other rice and beef casserole.To tomatoie tasting and because of that almost to sweet. (it smelled heavenly putting it together)The rice never cooked through it was crunchy.I did what reviewers suggested and did not stir the pot occasionally keeping the lid sealed and the steam in, I extended the cooking time as long as I could with out cooking the life out of it.Last but not least the rice over powered the beef and you didn't even know the beef was there. If I were to ever make this dish again this recipe would just be a place to start.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spanish-Rice-Bake/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
Here is the Chili Sauce recipe that I used.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chili-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
The Artichoke was both easy and very good,we each got a 1/2 of the thing and we both wanted more. As instructed I left as much of the stem on as possible and cleaned of that outer edge of the base,I didn't clean the choke out until after cooking and cutting it in half. With points down I put the Artichoke in my steaming pan and steamed until a knife went easily into the base of the Artichoke.About 10 minutes I would guess. I put it on the stove when the casserole went in the oven and they were done together.If you don't have a steaming pan I am told you can do this in a few inches of water just don't let the pan go dry or over water. For dipping the tasty petals(leaves?) in I made butter infused heavily with lime juice. After dinner I kept wondering to my self when did I have lemon lime chiffon pie because the lime taste stayed on my palette for a while.
Dinner wasn't the smashing success I always hope for but it was ok. We both ate our fill of the casserole,we both happily enjoyed the Artichoke and most importantly we both walked away from the table full and content.
I had ground beef defrosting and an idea of sorts. I searched for a recipe that would be like hamburger helper you know beef, noodles and a sauce of some kind. Well I came across a recipe for a Spanish Rice Bake and it looked promising.Rice and beef in a chili sauce baked with lots of cheddar on top.The recipe is basic and easy and it had 2 things going for it,it looked tasty and the recipe was in one of the groups of recipes that I need to make and review.That meant 2 birds with one stone.Then I called my friend Barb and had her remind me how to cook an Artichoke so it is tender and tasty.
The Casserole,what didn't I like? A few things, some of them the cooks fault and the rest the recipe it self. My fault was in thinking the dish was more then it really was,not real sure what I was thinking but it was something much better then the dish actually was,also I should have gone to the store and gotten chili sauce instead of making my own.What I made tasted very good but maybe store bought would have been better. The recipe's down falls were it was to bland no zip to make it different from all the other rice and beef casserole.To tomatoie tasting and because of that almost to sweet. (it smelled heavenly putting it together)The rice never cooked through it was crunchy.I did what reviewers suggested and did not stir the pot occasionally keeping the lid sealed and the steam in, I extended the cooking time as long as I could with out cooking the life out of it.Last but not least the rice over powered the beef and you didn't even know the beef was there. If I were to ever make this dish again this recipe would just be a place to start.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Spanish-Rice-Bake/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
Here is the Chili Sauce recipe that I used.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chili-Sauce/Detail.aspx?prop31=2
The Artichoke was both easy and very good,we each got a 1/2 of the thing and we both wanted more. As instructed I left as much of the stem on as possible and cleaned of that outer edge of the base,I didn't clean the choke out until after cooking and cutting it in half. With points down I put the Artichoke in my steaming pan and steamed until a knife went easily into the base of the Artichoke.About 10 minutes I would guess. I put it on the stove when the casserole went in the oven and they were done together.If you don't have a steaming pan I am told you can do this in a few inches of water just don't let the pan go dry or over water. For dipping the tasty petals(leaves?) in I made butter infused heavily with lime juice. After dinner I kept wondering to my self when did I have lemon lime chiffon pie because the lime taste stayed on my palette for a while.
Dinner wasn't the smashing success I always hope for but it was ok. We both ate our fill of the casserole,we both happily enjoyed the Artichoke and most importantly we both walked away from the table full and content.
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