Cabbage Roll Stew

10/21/15

Fall is here and all the cooking channels are starting to show recipes for stews and soups. The Backyard Produce box this week was full of veggies just made for a hearty stew as well. I had a small batch of Napa cabbage so decided to try and find something hearty to put it in. Think this mash up of recipes is a keeper. Joe loved it and we ate the pot ourselves! Sorry kids, no leftovers to share this week.

1 lb ground beef
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
1 head Napa cabbage, washed and coarse chop
2 cups chicken broth
1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes, mashed
1/2 cup uncooked rice
3-4 cloves of garlic, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dill
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp chili flake or red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Large dutch oven style pan is the best bet to make this a true one pot meal!

In bottom of pan, drizzle olive oil and brown and crumble the ground beef. Add carrots, onions and cabbage and cook for a few minutes. Once cabbage starts to wilt, sprinkle with the paprika, dill, allspice and chili flake. Stir well and cook about 5 minutes. Add in tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Grate in the garlic and mix. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 30 minutes. Add the rice and cook for another 20 minutes. The rice will absorb up some of the liquid and thicken the stew!
Salt and pepper as needed. 

I served this with saltine crackers, delicious! 

This pot was enough for 4 large soup bowls.

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Cajun slow cooker roast

9-21-15

Had a couple of London Broils and decided I wanted to use the slow cooker but wasn't in the mood for a traditional pot roast. Looked through the cupboards and this is what I came up with!

2 London Broil roasts, cut into 3 or 4 pieces (depends on size) I used 1.25 pound pieces and cut them into 4's
1 onion peeled and sliced
4 carrots peeled and sliced
12 new potatoes, scrubbed and halved
1 can cream of celery soup 
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef broth
3 cloves garlic, grated
olive oil
Cajun spice (I use Tony Chacheres) 
salt and pepper

In skillet, heat couple tablespoons of olive oil. Rub all sides of the London Broil with some olive oil then rub all over with the salt, pepper and Cajun spice (can cut into pieces before rub or after). Brown all sides in the heated olive oil. 

In crock pot, place onions on bottom, layer carrots next and then potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes with salt and pepper then place browned meat on top.

In skillet used to to brown the meat, add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, cream of celery soup and garlic. Scrape up bits from bottom of pan and mix thoroughly. Pour into crock pot. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours.

This should serve at least 4 people. When I do these crock pot roasts, I love to use half and place other half in freezer container or freezer bag for a time saving quick meal that I can reheat and serve in a matter of minutes! 

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Roasted Root Veggies

9/11/15

Backyard Produce sent me a beautiful batch of root vegetables but I only had a few of each so decided to combine them up with some others I already had on hand and turned them into this gorgeous feast! 

3 small beets, washed, peeled, diced
3 medium Yukon potatoes, scrubbed, cubed (feel free to peel if not a skin fan)
2 medium turnips, peeled, diced
1 medium onion, peeled, chopped
garlic, minced, I used about 1/3 of a bulb
5 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 tbsp olive oil (drizzle over all the veggies, use a bit more or less to taste)
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the vegetables & the garlic into a 13x9 pan, add in salt, pepper, thyme & olive oil the mix well.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, take out & give it a good stir. Add a 1/4 cup of white wine; put back in oven for another 15 minutes. Take out & stir again. Add the last 1/4 cup of wine and put back in for another 15 minutes.

Just before serve, toss with another sprinkle of salt and pepper!

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Mediterranean Chicken

7/21/15

Remembered eating something similar to this on an adventure with my daughter and so I gave it a try. The end result was pretty close to what I was envisioning!

2 chicken breasts
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 can green olives, (I put in mini chopper)
2-4 cloves of garlic, grated 
1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
olive oil
rosemary
basil
oregano
salt and pepper

Butterfly the chicken breasts, brush with olive oil, salt and pepper both sides and then saute in large skillet with a few tablespoons of white wine. Cook 6-7 minutes on each side until cooked through. Set aside on plate and let rest. Once rested, cut into bite size cubes.

Add garlic to the pan drippings and stir, then add onions and celery. Let cook for 3-4 minutes, until onions start to soften up. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of white wine or chicken stock. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp each rosemary and basil. Stir and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add chicken and oregano; stir thoroughly! Cover and let simmer another 15 minutes.

When ready to serve add the chopped green olives.

Prepare a package of no yolk egg noodles per instructions on bag. Add to chicken, stir, and serve. We added some shredded Italian cheese at the table, yum!

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Loaded Potato Salad

5/25/15

I kind of invented this on the fly! I'd either read or watched something about loaded baked potato as the basis for a potato salad and for some reason it stuck with me. I was planning to bring potato salad to our Memorial Day/Birthday party bash with friends and family so what better way to try out a new recipe?

2-3 pounds red or new potatoes, diced. Cook ahead so can cool off before mixing salad.
1/4 cup bacon bits (I make mine)
1/2 cup white onion, spring onion or chives, diced fine
small container (8 oz) sour cream
couple tablespoons of mayo
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp)
salt and pepper to taste

For the potato, I usually scrub and leave the skin on.

Fill stockpot with water, add the potatoes, bring to a boil then cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. I drain into a colander and then put them in a covered bowl in the fridge overnight. I'm sure just a hour or so in the fridge to cool them off would be fine.

1/3 package of bacon, fry up nice and crispy, drain on paper towel, cool, then smash into bacon bits. 

Judi's tip of the day: I cut packages of bacon into thirds and freeze them. When I want to make bacon bits or for other recipes only calling for a few slices of bacon, ta-da! No need to thaw, throw in pan over medium heat and bacon breaks into short slices that cook quickly and don't curl!

I like to mix the salad in a large mixing bowl and then transfer to a smaller bowl for serving.

Mix together cooled potatoes, bacon bits, onion, about 1/2-2/3 container of sour cream, few tablespoons of mayo, salt and pepper to taste. Depending on amount of potatoes may need to add a bit more sour cream and mayo. Once you have taste to where you want it, add shredded cheese and stir gently. Transfer to serving bowl and keep refrigerated until ready to use. If serving outside, keep in mind that sour cream and mayo don't last long in heat!

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Organizing and a disclaimer!

4/24/15

Trying to make the blog a bit easier to navigate so made pages for the main categories that I think recipes would fall under. 

Started off with:
Appetizers
Breakfast
Dessert
Main Dishes
Side Dishes
Soups & Stews

I'm fairly confident that I'm going to be needing to do some tweaking to get this properly organized and am open to any and all suggestions. 

Each recipe title is the link to the printable version. To make following the recipes easier, the print link is strictly recipe, none of my ramblings and no photos! If you want those you'll have to go to the post itself! I'm trying to make them a bit more step by step with some extra pictures.

I should insert a disclaimer here, I cook for fun and flavor and don't keep track at all of the health side of things! If you need calories, counts, or specific dietary information my blog and recipes are not going to include any of that info! The majority of my meat comes from a local grocery store with a butcher on site and most of my veggies and fruit come from a once a week Backyard Produce delivery service. I use fresh herbs when I have them and dried herbs the rest of the time. My cooking oil of choice is some form of Olive but I do have some recipes that use Canola or Vegetable oil.

My daughter yells at me all the time that she doesn't have time to use all the fresh stuff. I do have the time (which is why I cook so much extra to send home with her) but if you don't have time there is nothing wrong with using canned sauces or veggies! Myself, I'm a huge fan of Seeds of Change bags of rice and the occasional bag of Ore Ida fries!

Key Lime Pie

4-10-15

Had a ton of folks commenting on the Instagram photo so figured the least I could do was share the recipe! Your choice, with whip cream or strawberry glaze...

9" graham cracker pie shell
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Key West lime juice (I used from a bottle)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 can whip cream
I added lime zest from a fresh lime to the top

I used a whisk to mix the egg white to create a wash and then with a pastry brush "painted" the pie shell and pre-baked it at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. Let the shell cool before you put the filling in. Turn oven down to 350 for baking the pie.

For the filling:
Combine the egg yolk, milk, vanilla and lime juice. Mix until smooth and pour into the pie shell. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool for another 15 minutes and then refrigerate. 

Top with whip cream and lime zest when ready to serve. 

Store any uneaten pie in the fridge!

Instead of whip cream, try strawberry glaze!

To make glaze:

Clean and quarter a pound of fresh strawberries.

Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp corn starch and 1 cup water. Add to strawberries and cook over medium heat, stirring often. Takes about 20 minutes or so to cook down and thicken. 

Let cool and then top pie.

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Chicken Pot Pie

3-4-15

Backyard Produce and snowy weather equals giant box of veggies and the need for some yummy comfort foods! Since my darling daughter has been working some crazy hours decided I needed to do some extra cooking for her as well. Between working and percolating my newest grand baby figured it was the least I could do! Not a huge fan of the traditional pot pie so started doing some recipe exploring and kept reading frozen bag of vegetables. Needless to say, I was on my own. This is the result!

1 large chicken breast, cut in half then sauteed and shredded
2 or 3 pieces of garlic, grated
2 large carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large potatoes, diced
1/2 pound green beans, cut into bite size pieces
1/4 bag of frozen peas or 1 small can
1/2 cup stock (I used vegetable)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small box of buttermilk biscuit mix

I cooked chicken breast about 4-5 minutes on each side in large skillet with olive oil, salt and ground black pepper then removed and let rest while I sauteed the veggies.


Used the same pan for the veggies, added grated garlic first. After just a few minutes added in potato and cooked until they started to brown (about six minutes). Added carrots and onions, cooked about five minutes, then added in celery and green beans and let cook another five minutes. 

Tossed frozen peas on top, poured stock over and stirred, be sure to scrape bottom of pan and get up bits of garlic and onion! Let simmer for a few minutes and then add in shredded chicken and soup and stir well. Bring to a boil and let simmer for another few minutes.

Mix biscuit mix according to package directions. Since I was making for two families I used bread pans. Divided the chicken and veggies between the two pans. Divided the biscuit dough in half and patted flat and placed it on top of the mixture. 

Baked at 350 degrees for thirty minutes.

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New England Boiled Dinner

2-16-14

This has been a family favorite for years! 

5-6 pound smoked picnic or ham, cut off rind and visible fat
5 large potatoes, cut in cubes
1 bag baby carrots, cut in half 
1 cabbage cut into quarters
1 large onion, sliced or diced

Place meat into a large stockpot and cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer at least 3 hours. Add water if necessary to keep meat covered. 

Do not put any spices in the water! Smoked pork is salty.

After 3 hours add potatoes let cook about ten minutes, stir, then add carrots, after another ten minutes, stir and add the cabbage and finally wait five more minutes, stir and add the onions. Let simmer at least ten minutes and then turn off heat. 

Use slotted spoon to remove veggies and meat from pot and place in large bowl. Try to drain as much water as possible so doesn't get too soggy. Pull meat apart into hunks and serve. Add salt and pepper to individual plates at table if wanted.

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20 minute Pork Chops one skillet!

2-12-15

Backyard Produce sent me a package of grape tomatoes and Smiley360 sent me a coupon to try a free package of
Seeds of Change rice. This is the result!

3-4 Pork chops
1 container grape tomatoes
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 package Seeds of Change Quinoa and Brown Rice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Season both sides of pork chops with salt and pepper and put in skillet. Let brown for 4-5 minutes and then turn over. Put onions and tomatoes on top, sprinkle with a bit more salt, pepper and olive oil. Cover and let cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Tomatoes should start to split, mash with a fork to release the juices. Turn over chops one more time so onions are on bottom of pan and chops are on top of them. 

Break up rice in package and pour over top of chops. Add couple of tablespoons of water, cover and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Remove cover and stir rice into bottom of pan so soaks up tomato juice. Serve.

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Ratatouille

1-23-15

Ratatouille is a delicious vegetable dish that can stand alone or be served with protein of your choice. One skillet and one casserole dish are all you need, fairly simple prep and then bake for 45 minutes. I add shredded 6 Italian cheese mix to the top the last few minutes and then serve.

1 eggplant, cubed
2 zucchini, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, thin slices (rings)
1 bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional) 
1 cup Parmesan cheese, I like fresh but can use grated
1/2 cup Shredded 6 cheese Italian
3 cloves garlic, grated
2-3 tsp parsley flakes
salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of a 2 quart casserole dish with olive oil. 

In skillet, heat about a tbsp of olive oil and add garlic, let garlic start to brown and then add in eggplant and 1 tsp of the parsley flakes. Cook until eggplant starts to turn soft, about 10-15 minutes. Stir often, if starts to stick to pan okay to add a bit more olive oil! Salt to taste.

Put cooked eggplant into bottom of casserole dish, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Layer with veggies and after each layer add a bit more of the parsley, salt and Parmesan cheese.

Zucchini
Mushrooms
Onions
Bell Pepper
Celery
Tomato

I bake about 45 minutes and then take out and add the shredded cheese to the top and put back in the oven for about 5 minutes or so. Long enough to let the cheese melt.

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Slow cooker beef roast and veggies

1-20-15

Delicious! Had these fantastic carrots to use from my Backyard Produce box and the grocery store had a great bottom round roast on sale and H needed dinner tonight too. This is the end result:

4 lb beef bottom round roast
6 red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 pouch beefy onion soup mixed into 1 cup water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup red wine
4 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

In bottom of crock pot place potatoes, carrots and celery.

Make slits in top of roast and slide garlic into pouch.

Mix rosemary, marjoram, thyme, onion powder, and paprika and rub into top and side of roast. Sprinkle a bit of it over the vegetables and then place roast on top of vegetables. 

Mix soup mix, water, Worcestershire and red wine together and pour over roast and veggies.

Roast on high 6-8 hours. Meat will fall apart with a fork!

Sprinkle salt and pepper over top and serve.

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Jerk Sausage, Rice, Squash and Beans

1-19-15

This was my attempt to recreate a meal that we ate in Jamaica on our last trip. I had a Smiley360 mission for Seeds of Change that gave me a free coupon to try a pouch of rice and this is where it took me!

1 pouch Seeds of Change Spanish Style Rice
1 15 oz can Mixed beans, heat in small saucepan
1 Beef sausage, sliced
2-3 zucchini peeled and sliced
1 tbsp olive oil
Caribbean jerk spice to taste
1/4 cup water

In large skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat and then add sausage. Sprinkle with jerk spice to taste, we like it a bit spicy so I use about 1 teaspoon of medium heat. Cook 3-4 minutes and then turn over so both sides are brown. Drain off most of the grease then add in zucchini. Sprinkle with a bit more jerk spice. Cook 3-4 minutes and add in beans. Stir until mixture begins to bubble. Break up rice (according to package directions) then open pouch and add along with the 1/4 cup water. Stir well so all rice is mixed with liquid. Bring back to slow bubble and serve. Just before serving I added one more sprinkle of jerk and a dash of salt. 

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Pork ribs

1-11-15

Pork ribs. This recipe involves some prep work so definitely a plan ahead meal. I cut the ribs into sections of 3-4 ribs. I made the marinade and put rub on ribs and then let sit in the fridge for about an hour or so. Next, I seared all sides and then made a foil package on baking sheet to slow cook in oven for 3-4 hours. Removed from oven and put into skillet with cooking juices and barbecue sauce. 10 minutes, rest another 10 and serve. Well worth the effort! 

Marinade:
2 cups apple juice or cider
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 green onions diced

Mix marinade in good size pan or bowl with lid. Use something that is large enough for all of the meat to be sitting in the marinade. I usually make about 4 pounds of ribs and that feeds Joe and I with enough left for lunch the next day!

Dry rub base:
2 tsp Caribbean jerk (medium)
2 tsp Cumin
2 tsp Coriander seed (ground)
2 tsp Garlic powder
2 tsp Smoked paprika
1 tsp Nutmeg

I usually keep this mix already made and use it as a base!

After applying dry rub base to ribs I put them in marinade then sprinkle with parsley flakes, thyme and cilantro. Cover and place in fridge. Store left over rub in air tight container, will keep for months! Will probably use about a third to half of rub.

Sear:
Heat skillet on medium high, add enough olive oil to coat bottom of pan. As soon as oil heats up, add ribs and let sear about 4 minutes on each side. Using tongs turn to get ends seared as well. While searing, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Once seared, place on aluminum foil (shiny side down) on good sized cookie sheet. Fold sides up to form a "pouch" to pour left over marinade in. Sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper then take another piece of foil and make lid. Be sure to close ends and sides so steam stays inside pouch. Bake at 325 degrees for 3-4 hours. I usually check to see if meat is fork tender after 3 hours. Be careful when you open end of pouch to let steam out so you don't get burnt. Also, make sure side of pouch stays up so liquid doesn't spill out! Trust me on this one!!

Once meat is fork tender you will move back to a skillet to finish off with cooking juices and barbecue sauce. Simmer about ten minutes then remove from heat and let rest for ten minutes before serving. 

My favorite barbecue sauce is one that I learned from Rachael Ray. I make and use this sauce all the time!

1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp coarse ground pepper
2 shots of bourbon 
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 orange

Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer over medium low about 20 minutes. Be sure to stir sauce every now and then. I have also used grated garlic instead of diced when I use this for burgers.

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Apple Pie

1-6-15

My take on apple pie, took several tries and working with several recipes to come up with this filling and topping! 

I used a 9 inch graham cracker crust and then made an oat streusel topping and served with eater's choice of ice cream and/or whip cream.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

For the pie filling:

4 large apples, I used an apple cutter that gives me 16 slices for this pie I used Golden Delicious apples

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

lemon zest from half of lemon

juice from 1/2 lemon

2-3 tbsp butter

Mix together in large bowl and make sure all of the slices are well coated with mixture. Put filling into pie pan and sprinkle with juice of 1/2 lemon and then dot with some butter.

Cover with tin foil (loose) and bake for 10 minutes.

For topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

lemon zest from other half of lemon

1/2 cup (1 stick) frozen butter

Mix dry ingredients together then add butter and cut in until looks like big crumbs. 

Take pie out of oven and remove foil, reduce heat on oven to 375 degrees! Sprinkle crumbs on top of pie, recover loosely with foil and bake another half hour.

I stored in the fridge and for future servings, warmed in microwave for about 30 seconds!

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