Tex-Mex in a Pan

I just stumbled upon a great combo of convenience cooking...  cooking once to make two meals and cooking ahead.....

Make a pot of rice (I do brown rice and I finally have my system down... you can see it here.) 

Cook up three 1 pound packages of burger (I used elk but whatever) as taco meat.  I'm using up the last of the taco seasoning can I got at Costco but then I'm going to try this homemade version.

Usually what ends up happening is I make the rice up and Hot & I take some for lunch.

The first night.... tacos.  After dinner the second night mix:

Leftover cooked rice
Two cans black beans, drained & rinsed
A jar or so of salsa
Leftover taco meat
A couple of chopped up bell peppers
Whatever else seems Mexican in your fridge (leftover sour cream, onion, tomato)

Put it in a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 (or so) for 35 minutes (or so).  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.  I like to garnish with cilantro, sour cream & avocado.

Eat leftovers in tortillas for lunch the next day.

This is Hot's favorite meal right now.  Too bad it requires turning on the oven during the summer.

Lunch It

So Tuff has been having a bit of a lunch time struggle.  She loves to pack her lunch but things have been BORING lately.  She may or may not have eaten a LUNCHABLE this weekend..... So we decided to GO BENTO.

I remembered the cheap-o biscuit cutter I bought was a 3-pack so I already had the perfect circle cutter (above top left).  So we did some turkey circles (Tuff immediately named them turcles) in the blue cupcake cup.  And a "cowbell" next to it.  Some delightful fancy crackers and an orange pepper in the red cupcake cup.  A clemintine and an Aussie Bite.  A hershey's kiss for dessert.

And a Happy Day printable from here.

I'll let you know how it goes.

The cost breakdown?  Well... I think I happily managed to spend about $100 on things to make a LUNCHABLE instead of spending a couple of bucks on an actual lunchable....

Costco shopping....
Mini babybels are $9.99 for 28.
Aussie bites are $8.59 for 32.
Mini peppers are $5.49 for 1.5 pounds.
Crackers are $7.99 for about 5 boxes (8.8 oz or so each).
Kirkland honey smoked turkey is $6.79/pound.
Clemintine oranges are $6.99 for 5 pounds.

So any thoughts on adorable packaging, cute containers and fantastic tiny foods for lunch?

I know matchstick-cut carrots & "pickle dollars" will be a hit.  I'm also planning some "pinwheels" with chopped turkey, cream cheese, tiny diced peppers & carrots in a tortilla.  She loves nuts so we will do some little cups of almonds.  (I wish I had an adorable tiny container.... must think on that... surely there is a tutorial on pinterest to make one out of scrapbook paper or something....)  And I got her some of her favorite jalapeno-artichoke dip... so we will create a lunch around that.  I have a box of mini food picks (from the dollar store) that are handy for making cute lunches.  This morning I sent her with a cloth napkin to put everything on when lunchtime comes because my mom remembers a student who had a mom who took lunch making to an artform and that was one of her tricks.

She wants a pizza lunchable.  As near as I can tell that means making a mini pizza crust and adding a side of sauce and a container of shredded mozzarella... it isn't even cooked.  Here's an example of a homemade one.  Anyone have thoughts on that?

And a good old can of Campbell's chicken noodle in a thermos is an easy option.  Especially if I've got some delicious breadsticks to put on the side.  We've also done noodles with parmesan in the thermos.  Seems to work ok.... a bit of carb-loading.

Bruno The Baker

We are making the cake from the Bruno the Baker book.

It is in the oven.  I'm wiping up flour.  Bugsy was in charge of flour.  Need I say more?

Pizza Crust

So I'm making stromboli tonight.  Sort of following this recipe.

But I like my (mom's) pizza crust recipe.  It's in the red Betty cookbook.

Here's the thing.... I CAN NEVER FIND IT. 

Why?

Because it is behind the CHEESE & EGG tab.

But..... it is alphabetized behind that tab as...... T.  T?  Why not C for crust or P for pizza?

Traditional Cheese Pizza. T.

Sigh.  Who wrote this cookbook?  Betty... what were you thinking?  T for Pizza.

The sad thing is the recipe is REALLY simple.  I should have it in my head.

Pizza Crust
(makes two small 12" thin crust pizzas or one big medium crust pizza)

1 pkg active dry yeast
1 c warm water
2 1/2 c flour
2 TBS oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in water, stir in everything else.  Beat 20 strokes.  Let rest 5 minutes.

Done.

Butter My.....

A few days ago I made some really bad corn bread.

So I asked and you commented and Cristal mentioned BISCUITS.

I love biscuits.  My mom used to make them for us for breakfast almost every day.

So... who has a good recipe?  Who uses the ones in the twisty can?

Corn Bread

So I haven't been on a cooking kick lately.  That seems to have been a September thing.

But on Sunday I did toss some stuff in the crock pot and produce some mighty fine chili.  (Stretched into Frijoli Pies for Monday night.) 

So I made some corn bread.

Now, at some point I got all mouse-scared and put the corn meal in a mason jar.  And tossed the canister with the recipe on the back.  So I went to Betty (Crocker) and tried that one.

I don't know what went wrong.  It was bad.  Now, I've made DRY corn bread before... the cure is lots of butter and honey.  This wasn't dry but it just didn't taste good.

So.

What corn bread recipe do you use? 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake

Via pinterest...

I need to do more research on THIS BLOG.  Doesn't it look lovely?

Here's the recipe that caught my eye on pinterest.....  My dad's birthday is coming up and it might be perfect....

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
3 ounces creamy peanut butter
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325F.
Grease three 9 x 1 1/2 inch pans.(I personally used just one 9 x 13 pan). Line your bottoms with parchement. Set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together brown sugar, peanut butter and butter for two minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix for another 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and mix for another minute.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated about 20 seconds. Then add the sour cream, mixing again for 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining flour mixture. Add the hot water in a slow, steady stream and mix on low to combine, about 30 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix for another 10 seconds. Add the chocolate chips and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans, spreading it evenly. Bake for about 22 minutes.


Chocolate Peanut Icing
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/8 cup granulated sugar
2 TBSP peanut butter
1 TBSP unsalted butter
Place the chocolate in a bowl and set aside. Heat the cream, butter, peanut butter and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When hot, stir to disolve sugar and peanut butter. Bring to a boil. Pour the cream mixture over. Wait 5 minutes and stir the mixture until smooth. Place in fridge for about 5-10 minutes and place into a pipe bag.
Assemble:
Cut cake into square pieces. Place one piece on your plate. Pipe your icing just around the perimeter of the cake. Place another piece of cake on top. Again, pipe around the perimeter and follow up with one last piece of cake.

Source: Death by Chocolate Cake by Marcel Desaulniers, via Peabody Rudd at http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

 

The Classic Pot Roast

Found a stray chuck roast in the back of the freezer in the garage.

I can't say how long it has been there.  I don't know.

I tossed it in the crock pot with a can of cream-of-something soup, some onions, carrots & yukon pototoes.

Cooked the hell out of it.

Strawberry Jam

I threw together a quick batch of fridge jam.  Those new smaller clamshells of strawberries at Costco are about the right size for 2 cups of mashed berries....

2 cups mashed berries (about a pound)
1.5 c sugar (or so)
1/4 c lemon juice

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate.

Doris Domestic Fails Again

So.... while I'm documenting epic cooking failures......  I've been trying a lot of new things lately.....

I whipped up a bunch of eggs in muffin tins, then put on toasted english muffins (is it odd I love whole-wheat english muffins and loathe the regular kind??) to eat like a delicious low-sodium version of a McD's sandwich.  They were great.  I had mine with spinach and parm.  Hot had cheddar and bacon.  I read that they freeze well if you reheat in the over (soggy in the microwave) so I tried it.  25 minutes later I had..... bricks.  Build-a-kiln bricks.

Uck.

So back to the old way.... putting a egg, some spinach and parm in a pyrex bowl and nuking it and slapping it on an english muffin.

I like enchiladas. I like cheese. What went wrong?

Hot off my not-so-fabulous success with the Peanut Butter Chicken I went back to Stephanie O'Dea (yes, I have the cookbook) and crockpot365.blogspot.com and tried

Cheese Enchilada Stack

Epic Fail.

It was mushy and not very appetizing.  Although Hot said it was tasty when he put it on a flour tortilla with some rice and beans. 

I really wanted this recipe to work for me but it will not be maintaining a place in the family favorites cookbook.  Good thing there about a gazillion other recipes on her site for me to try......

Slow Cooker Cheese Enchilada Stack Recipe

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (the whole can)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried minced onion (or 1 small onion, finely diced)
8 corn tortillas (check labels for hidden gluten)
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 (4-ounce) can sliced olives, drained
6 tablespoons sour cream

The Directions

If you want to add meat, you should use already cooked pork, beef or chicken (great use for shredded chicken!).
This is NOT because the meat won't cook---it definitely will, but while it cooks, it will give off so much liquid that your enchilada stack will be soggy and gross.

And nobody wants that.

Anyhow. Use a 4-quart slow cooker. In a large mixing bowl, make enchilada sauce by combining:
broth
tomatoes
spices
onion
Stir well and set aside. Put a layer of tortillas into the bottom of your slow cooker (you may need to tear a few). Add a handful of cheese, and some sliced olives. Scoop a large spoonful of sauce on top. Repeat layers until you've run out of ingredients.

Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until cheese has melted, is brown and bubbly, and the top layer has begun to pull away from the sides. Let it sit unplugged for about 15 minutes before serving with a dollop of sour cream.

Where I Fail Again as a Cook

 My son has an unnatural love of jarred alfredo sauce.  I think it tastes funny.  And, also, it is expensive... he can easily eat a jar by himself in a few days if given free reign.

So when Costco stopped carrying it recently (Sidenote:  Did you know if the label at Costco has an * on it the item is seasonal and when the price ends in a 7 it is going out-of-stock.  Yes, My name is Homestead and I am addicted to Costco.) I tried my hand at homemade.

I used this recipe and it was easy and..... NOT A HIT.  I found it a bit thick and a bit bland.  The kids cried.  I'd site the source but I don't know where it came from.

1/2 c butter
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, chunked
1 c half and half
1/3 c parmesan
1 TBS garlic powder (optional)

Melt butter.  Add cream cheese.  Melt and stir.  Add the rest and stir.  Serve over pasta.



I think it was the cream cheese.....So next time I am trying this.....

1/2 c butter
2 1/2 c half and half
1 1/2 c parmesan
pepper and salt

Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes.

Heart attack on a platter.

Peanut Butter Chicken

In my quest to try new things and get organized I've been doing a bit of crock pot cooking.  My cooker runs hot so I don't ever leave it for the day while I am at work.  (Also.... my countertops were poorly installed and the heat of the cooker makes them separate which pinches tender baby thighs... but that's another story..... but it explains why sometime the cooker is plugged in to the ONLY OUTDOOR PLUGIN I have.... on the west porch.)

So I tried this recipe.  I love this site.  Even if sometimes it looks like she whipped up a dismembered head in the crockpot.... sorry but sometimes crockpot cooking looks icky.... can you forgive me for that???

I loved the peanut butter chicken.  Creamy without cream-of-something soup.  Pretty healthy and very satisfying.  Comforting.  Maybe a little salty but that could be fixed. We had it over rice.

My family..... no thank you.  Not one of them liked it.  Sigh.

But I'm keeping the recipe for now.

Peanut Butter Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in chunks *

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten free--La Choy or Tamari wheat-free)

1/2 cup chicken broth

* If you are going to use quarters, or meat with bones, be aware that the meat will probably fall off the bone, and you'll need to fish out the bone pieces before serving. I've used this sauce with a whole chicken (I doubled the sauce ingredients for a 4.5-pound bird) and it was fantastic, but the bones were a bit of an issue.

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your pot and add the peanut butter. Toss in the vegetables and cumin. Squeeze in lime, and add soy sauce and chicken broth. Stir as well as you can to combine (the peanut butter will be clumpy, and that's just fine). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4 hours. Serve over rice or quinoa.

The Apple Butter Recipe

From my cousin who channels her grandmother....

Apple Butter

4 1/2 lbs tart cooking apples, cored & quartered (can also sub 2 lbs of pears for 2 lbs of the apples)

3 cups apple cider or apple juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

* In an 8-10 quart heavy pot combine apples & cider.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Simmer, covered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Press through a food mill or sieve until you have 7.5 cups.  (I've been know to push it thru my fine meshed collander too).  Return pulp to kettle.

* Stir in sugars, lemon juice & cinnamon.  Bring to boiling, reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, over very low heat for 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 45 minutes or until very thick and mix mounds on a spool, stirring often.

*Laddle hot apple butter into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Wipe jar rims; adjust lids.  Process in a boiling-water canner for 5 minutes.  Remove jars from canner, cool on wire racks.  Adjust processing time for altitude (In Bozeman that means add 10 minutes total time)

** From Better Homes & Gardens You Can Can Book

Easter 2011

Kids on the counter.  Much frosting being consumed.  Must be the holidays.  Want the recipe?

Fabulous Chocolate Frosting

12oz (2 cups) chocolate chips

1/2 c (1 stick) butter

8oz sour cream

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt chocolate chips and butter over low heat.  Let cool 5 minutes or so.  Stir in sour cream.  Blend in powdered sugar with hand mixer.  Frosts a layer cake.  Oh... FYI... this makes WAY too much frosting for a 9x13 cake.  So just eat it with a spoon.

Fudge

Lasagna Cupcakes

From Framed.

I love this site.  Although I made the French Toast Muffins and they were not a hit at our house.  My kids love Schwann's French Toast Sticks but I haven't attempted a recreation of those.

Yesterday, due to unforseen circumstances, I was home all day with the kids.  SO we made these for dinner.  Served with a lovely side salad and some frozen corn.  Just call me June.  June Cleaver.

Below is my re-adapted recipe from Framed who snagged a version from Food.com

Lasagne Cupcakes

Pasta sauce 2 cups or so
Ground meat 2lbs (I used moose last night)
Wonton wrappers (I used 3/cupcake...so 36)
Mozzarella
Fresh Parmesan
Cottage cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray 12 serving muffin tin with Pam Olive Oil spray.

Cook meat.  Slap a wonton in the bottom of the muffin tin (mine is a muffin silicone... not nearly as great as a tin).  The "real" recipe recommends cutting them into a circle... I didn't.  Sprinkle parm, mozz & cottage cheese.  Then meat.  Then a spoonful of sauce.  Wonton again.  Cheeses.  Meat.  Sauce.  Wonton.  Cheeses.  Meat. Sauce.  Top it off with a blob of mozz and a sprinkle of parm.

Bake about 20 minutes.  Let sit about 5 min.  I (am so smart) put the pan on a cookie sheet because, well, since my microwave shit it's pants I have no way to self-clean my oven... I'm a careful cook now.

Getting the mini-mes out of the pan seemed like a challenge but the handy-dandy pam olive oil spray worked like magic and they popped right out. 

So cute.  So delish.  Bugsy ate one all by herself (and a good chunk of Ceasar salad... that girl is odd.)

So there you have it.... an easy week-day version of lasagne... in portion controlled format.  I imagine they would freeze nicely if we weren't such hoggers.

Comfort Food

I had to call my mom this week and get her recipe for "Chipped Beef on Toast."

I've never gotten the recipe before because, well, I've never craved it before.  We used to eat it pretty often as kids.... it's cheap and easy. 

Too bad it isn't healthy.  Except... when I said this.... mom says, "Dairy.  That's healthy."

Then I called my sister and freaked her out because she was craving it as well.

So... without further ado.  This will probably gross you out but I think we are having it for dinner next week.

Chipped Beef on Toast (aka Shit on a Shingle)

Melt 4 TBS butter, add in 3-4 TBS flour so it makes a paste.  Add 1.5-2 cups of milk.  Bring to a boil and let it get thick.  Add a package of chipped beef, torn into bite-sized pieces.  Serve over toast. 

Meal Planning Continues.....

Remember how I was meal planning this month?

Wanna know how it is going?

Great. I stayed outta the stores (with their wicked, wicked impulse buys) and stayed on task. I flopped and swapped a couple of times but mostly it worked out.

So we are on the next two week rotation.


M 11/16 chili (Want my super easy recipe that my picky kids will eat? 1 package moose burger, 2 cans kidney beans, 1 can tomato sauce, powdered taco seasoning, cumin, oregano.) I failed to make corn bread.
Tu 11/17 pasta & white sauce... using up the last sad bits of veggies in our fridge.
W 11/18 pizza.... fresh veggies on a boboli.
Th 11/19 baked potatoes & leftovers... this will go over, uh, not so well.... but I love a potato with salsa and cheese.... maybe I'll make steaks to satisfy the carnivors.
F 11/20 chx nuggets & ricaroni.... what? I didn't say meal planning would eliminate insta-food... just reduce the amounts consumed. A speed meal for a night we have lots planned.
Sa 11/21 calzones... mmmmm.
Su 11/22 dirty rice.... red beans and rice.... mmmmm.
M 11/23 tacos....taco salad is my favorite.
Tu 11/24 tomato soup & grilled cheese.... easy stuff easing into the holiday.... clean up leftovers.
W 11/25 fast food.... on the drive to the farm.
Th 11/26 holiday..... turkey from the Hutterites. Do you say "stuffing" or "dressing"?? And do you put it on the side or jam it up the bird's butt? My husband swore he hated the stuff until he had my mom's version..... ala stove top.
F 11/27 holiday..... leftover pie.
Sa 11/28 holiday.... leftovers will be getting scarce... my brother is there..... maybe spaghetti?
Su 11/29 holiday..... possibly more fast food driving home.....

Veggies

The veggie wars are on.

I was successful in getting rid of a lot of the sugar in my diet. I've relaxed a little but I'm still being very careful but sometimes I need a bowl of ice cream or some stuffed french toast.

So I've successfully integrated that habit.

Now to add more veggies. I've been eating a lot more salad lately. A small side Caesar with dinner or something. And piling the veggies on my bean burrito at lunch. And spaghetti squash. I love spaghetti squash. Now to make it a regular habit and get the rest of the family involved.... Hot likes salads and we've compromised on our lettuce style by getting hearts of romaine. (He likes iceberg, I like spring mix.)

I'm trying Elle's recipe for ribbons this week.

Last night each kid ate a bite of "cream of green" soup. But I got downturned thumbs from Sweet (and a request for raw broccoli & ranch) and a "meh" from Tuff (and a request for a pumpkin muffin and a pickle) and Hot wouldn't even taste it (and made himself short ribs for dinner). I really like it. What does that say about me? I'll make a bunch for lunches. It is super easy and ranks as "great use of stick blender" in my book. I'm so lazy I skipped the onion. And I used a combo of mozzarella and cheddar cheese because Costco doesn't sell mo-jack.

Broccoli Soup* (aka Cream of Green)

2 tsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
1 med potato, peeled and cut into ½ in pieces
3 c broccoli, chopped
3 c low-salt vegetable stock
1 c reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

In a large stockpot, heat oil and sauté the onion for 5 to 7 minutes over low to medium heat. Add potatoes, broccoli, and stock; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 12 to 15 minutes or until broccoli and potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Remove the mixture from stove top. Puree with stick blender and top with cheese.

*To give credit I think this is from Health magazine.